Five Times As Many Troops In Washington Than Afghanistan, Iraq Combined Ahead Of Biden Inauguration
New
Age Islam News Bureau
19
January 2021
National
Guard members get instructions near the Capitol, ahead of US President-elect
Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington, US, January 18, 2021. – Reuters
-----
• Civil
Society Groups Urge UN To Take Action Against France Over Islamophobia
• Meet
the South Asian and Muslim Americans in Biden’s Cabinet
• South
Asia's LGBT Muslims Turn To Social Media For Support
• Saudi
Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative Conference To Host Over 140 Speakers
• Two
Kashmir-Based Terror Operatives Arrested As Cops Bust Terror Module In Samba
• Pakistan
PM Angry Over Reports Arnab Goswami Knew About Balakot Strike
• IMF
Says Working ‘Very Intensively’ With Sudan To Move Toward Debt Relief
North
America
• Five
Times As Many Troops In Washington Than Afghanistan, Iraq Combined Ahead Of
Biden Inauguration
• US
military Apache helicopter goes down in Syria’s Hasakah: Report
--------
Europe
• Civil
Society Groups Urge UN To Take Action Against France Over Islamophobia
• Britain’s
Prisons Are A Breeding Ground For Islamist Terror
• UK
'Seriously Concerned' By Israel’s West Bank Settlement Expansion
• Turkish,
Greek militaries conclude NATO-hosted meeting
--------
South
Asia
• Meet
the South Asian and Muslim Americans in Biden’s Cabinet
• US
Has Conceded Too Much To Taliban, Says Afghan Vice-President
• Afghanistan
Army kills 8 Taliban terrorists in Takhar province
• U.S
Embassy: American Citizens ‘Should Consider Departing’ Afghanistan
• NATO’s
Position in Afghanistan Has not Changed: Stoltenberg
• Taliban
calls on Joe Biden administration to honour Donald Trump's deal to withdraw
troops from Afghanistan by May 2021
--------
Southeast
Asia
• South
Asia's LGBT Muslims Turn To Social Media For Support
• Muslim
Group Says Will Countersue If Anwar Goes Ahead With Legal Challenge Against
Emergency Declaration
• Turkish
messaging app gains attention in Indonesia
• Toyota
Capital Malaysia introduces world’s first Islamic-based car subscription
programme
--------
Arab
World
• Saudi
Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative Conference To Host Over 140 Speakers
• Qatar
urges Persian Gulf states to start talks with Iran, end rift
• Reports
about Syrian–Israeli meetings 'untrue': Foreign Ministry
• US
denies involvement in alleged attack on Iraq’s Baghdad: Embassy
• First
Qatar-Egypt Flight Since 2017 Takes Off From Doha
• Airstrikes
pound Iran-backed militias south of Iraq’s Baghdad: Reports
• Lebanon’s
Hezbollah erects Soleimani statues, dividing supporters on Iran propaganda
• UAE-Israel
visa exemption deal postponed over coronavirus worries
• Casualties
reported as airstrikes hit Iraqi forces’ positions in Babil
• US
forces transport 70 imprisoned Daesh terrorists from Syria to Jordan border:
Report
--------
India
• Two
Kashmir-Based Terror Operatives Arrested As Cops Bust Terror Module In Samba
• No Spectators
At Wagah Border On Jan 26, BSF Yet To Take Call On India-Pak Parade
• Sohail
Mansuri, The Married Man 1st To Be Held Under MP ‘Love Jihad’ Law
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan
PM Angry Over Reports Arnab Goswami Knew About Balakot Strike
• PML-N,
PPP ask PTI for proof of foreign funding allegations
• Pakistani
raid kills Taliban suspected of slaying of troops
• Pakistan's
transgender people demand respect
• Security
heightened in capital as PDM gears up for rally outside ECP
• Pakistan
approves another Covid-19 vaccine
• NAB
overlooked Sherpao’s ‘dubious’ transactions, UK arbitrator rules
• PDM
given ‘free hand’ for today’s protest: minister
--------
Africa
• IMF
Says Working ‘Very Intensively’ With Sudan To Move Toward Debt Relief
• Clashes
erupt in Sudan's South Darfur, 47 people killed: Tribal leader
• Tunisia
rocked by four consecutive nights of riots
• 600
people arrested, army deployed after riots in Tunisia
• UN
chief urges pullout of foreign forces from Libya
• Boko
Haram kills 4 soldiers in Niger
• UN
chief taps veteran diplomat to lead Libya efforts
--------
Mideast
• IRGC
Commander: Iranian Armed Forces’ Drills Aimed at Deterring Enemy Moves
• Envoy:
Iran Not in Hurry to Judge Biden’s N. Deal Policy
• Iranian
Speaker: US-Israeli ‘Deal of Century’ Plot Fails
• Iran’s
Top Commander Mocks US for Putting Armed Forces on Alert for Biden’s
Swearing-in Ceremony
• Turkey
slaps advertising ban on Twitter, Pinterest
• Turkey
orders detainment of 238 suspects in military probe over Gulen links
• UN
urges Israel to ‘halt,’ ‘reverse’ new settlements in West Bank
• Israel
to demolish more Palestinian schools, mosques
• Iran
hosts webinar on parliaments supporting Quds
• HRW
calls on Israel to vaccinate all Palestinians against COVID-19
• Turkey,
Azerbaijan preparing for joint winter military drills
• Turkey
nabs 35 terror suspects over alleged links to Daesh/ISIS
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Five
Times As Many Troops In Washington Than Afghanistan, Iraq Combined Ahead Of
Biden Inauguration
National
Guard members get instructions near the Capitol, ahead of US President-elect
Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington, US, January 18, 2021. – Reuters
-----
Anwar Iqbal
January
19, 2021
As
housekeepers prepare the White House for President-elect Joe Biden, over 25,000
National Guard troops will be occupying the streets of Washington. That is five
times more than the number deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.
Acting
US Secretary of Defence Christopher Miller said on Monday there were
"25,000 Guardsmen" who would leave "no stone unturned in
securing the capital".
"There
are more troops in DC now than there are in Afghanistan and Iraq,"
Congressman Seth Moulton remarked on the development.
According
to the United States Department of Defence, there are currently 5,000 troops in
Afghanistan and Iraq combined.
The
troops in Washington are not there to take part in the inaugural parade but to
ensure that the inauguration ceremony goes smoothly.
The
ceremonial mood that accompanies an inauguration ended on January 6, when a mob
charged by President Donald Trump’s fiery repudiation of Biden’s win, attacked
the Capitol building. Five people died in the storming and subsequent
intelligence reports suggest that Trump supporters may launch similar attacks
during the inauguration.
Worse
than the fear of another insurrection, however, is the despondency and gloom
caused by the coronavirus pandemic which has already killed almost 400,000
people across the United States. The pandemic forced the Biden team to cancel
most inaugural ceremonies, urging Americans to watch the inauguration on their
televisions, computers and cellphones.
Trump
plans to leave the White House on Wednesday morning but not for the
inauguration stage outside the Congress building where the new president takes
oath of office. He will be flying home to Florida.
The
White House staff will only have five hours to prepare the official residence
for Biden who would replace Trump as the 46th US president on Wednesday. Biden
will enter his new official residence around midday when the oath-taking ends.
The
housekeeping staff told various US media outlets that the moving trucks will be
waiting outside the gates and the packing and unpacking will start as soon as
Trump leaves.
So
far, Trump has not given a farewell statement but the First Lady has.
“I
ask every American to […] focus on what unites us. To rise above what divides
us. To always choose love over hatred, peace over violence, and others before
yourself," she said in a video statement.
President-elect
Biden, who faces the monumental task of healing a divided nation, has indicated
that fighting the coronavirus pandemic will be his first priority and the next
will be healing the wounds caused by the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
“Our
administration will lead with science and scientists — with a CDC and NIH
(health agencies) that are free from political influence, a Surgeon General who
is independent and speaks directly to the people, and an FDA whose decisions
are based on science and science alone,” he wrote in a tweet posted on Monday.
Although
he has categorically said that he will not attend the ceremony, some people say
they will not be surprised if he suddenly turns up on the stage — given his
proclivity to do the unexpected.
But
if he sticks to his plan, Trump will be the first US president in 150 years to
skip the inauguration of his successor. Yet, for himself, he wants the full
protocol accorded to an outgoing president, perhaps even more.
He
wanted a full military parade, attended by all services chiefs, at the Pentagon
with planes flying over and tanks driving by. This demand has been turned down,
apparently because of the January 6 mob attack.
The
outgoing president, however, will get a red-carpet military send-off at the
Andrew airbase, near Washington. He will also have the presidential airplane —
Air Force One — to fly home. Military aircraft may also fly with the plane all
the way to Florida, as requested. The Air Force One will return to Washington
several hours after the new president is sworn in.
Before
Trump leaves, he is expected to issue pardons and commutations, potentially
more than 100. US media reports suggest that a self-pardon is a possibility,
although legal aides have advised Trump not to do so. Some reports claim that
those involved in the January 6 storming may also be pardoned.
US
talk shows analysts say that Trump may be forced to pardon himself because some
Democrats have explicitly stated their plan to sue him once he leaves the White
House.
Democrats
have also assembled a team to seek Trump’s conviction at a Senate trial as soon
as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends over the article of impeachment. The House
has already passed this article. Trump is the first president in US history to
be impeached twice — in 2019 and January 2021.
The
history, however, offers some comfort to Trump. There have been three previous
presidential impeachments so far, but none has resulted in a conviction in the
Senate.
Democrats
will need a two-thirds majority vote to convict Trump, which will require them
to win over at least 17 Republican senators. This seems unlikely.
Two
Republican senators — Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham — have warned that it would
be unconstitutional to convict an ex-president. But Democrats and Republicans
can agree on a plan to prevent the outgoing president from participating in
future elections, as it suits both.
President
Trump, who has been stopped by both Twitter and Facebook from posting his comments,
also plans to set up his own media outlet and to use it for launching another
bid for the presidency.
Trump
had a bright political future even after his November 3 loss to Biden. He
emerged from the elections as the only Republican presidential candidate ever
to win more than 74 million votes. Under his leadership, Republicans gained
quite a few seats in the House and retained their hold over the Senate.
But
the Republican president spent his political capital on pushing unsubstantiated
claims about widespread election frauds. And then he instigated the January 6
attack, which further damaged his image.
However,
it would be wrong to discard him. Trump still has millions of supporters and
knows how to use them to create a situation.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602374/5-times-as-many-troops-in-us-capital-than-afghanistan-iraq-combined-ahead-of-biden-inauguration
--------
Civil
Society Groups Urge UN To Take Action Against France Over Islamophobia
19
January 2021
French
police ride horses outside the Great Mosque in Paris amid a heightened risk of
terror attacks on places of worship in October 2020. (Photo by AFP)
-----
Dozens
of civil society organizations have urged the United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) to open formal infringement procedures against the French
government for entrenching Islamophobia.
In a
written complaint to the UNHRC, Some 36 groups from 13 countries outlined the
“clear violation of a number of basic rights that are protected in legislation
that is ratified by Paris.”
The
coalition said that France’s actions and policies in relation to Muslim
communities also violated international and European laws.
“France
has seen shocking levels of state-sanctioned Islamophobia in recent months.
This has precipitated the closure of mosques, Muslim schools, Muslim-led
charities and civil society organizations,” said Muhammad Rabbani, the managing
director of Cage, which co-signed the complaint.
“As a
signatory to the UN, France cannot be allowed to infringe upon its
international rights obligations so openly, and yet present itself as the land
of ‘liberte, egalite, fraternite,’” Rabbani said, referring to the national
motto of France, “liberty, equality, fraternity.”
The
28-page complaint, which was seen by the London-based online news outlet Middle
East Eye, stressed the necessity of a formal infringement procedure against the
French government because there was no effective remedy within the French legal
system to stop structural Islamophobia.
The
document cited the anti-Islam remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron,
including his October 2020 speech in which he defended the republication of
blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the French weekly Charlie
Hebdo.
The
speech sparked protests across the world and calls for the boycott of French
goods.
The
coalition of civil society groups slammed the government’s defense of such
publications.
It
said such a stance “goes beyond the permissible limits of an objective debate”
and “could stir up prejudice and put at risk religious peace,” citing the UN
Human Rights Committee’s own comments on depictions of the Prophet (PBUH).
The
groups also said the French government exploited the murder of a school teacher
that followed the speech “for racist and Islamophobic purposes,” including the
raiding of several Muslim homes and organizations.
French
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the raids were conducted against some
individuals “not linked with the investigation around the beheading (of the
teacher) but to whom we want to send a message.”
Teacher
Samuel Paty was murdered by a teenager of Chechen origin after he showed his
students the caricatures of the Prophet (PBUH) published by Charlie Hebdo. The
assailant was killed by French police near the scene of the attack.
The
document also referred to several examples of state aggression against Muslim
children, including an October 3, 2020 raid on a mosque in which children were
learning Arabic, where authorities counted the youths, allegedly classifying
them based on whether they were wearing a headscarf.
The
coalition censured France for acting “out of proportion” and “unreasonably”
applying exceptions to restrictions on fundamental freedoms in order to protect
national security.
Feroze
Boda of the Muslims Lawyers Association, who submitted the complaint on behalf
of the group, expressed hope that Muslims around the world would support the
coalitions’ call.
“Muslims
around the world united behind the cry to hold the French government
accountable for continuing to support publications defaming the Prophet
(PBUH),” Boda said. “We hope they will unite again around this global first, a
truly collective effort, which expands the call for accountability and positive
change to include the dismantling of pervasive hateful policies against Muslims
in France.”
“These
policies are not only counter-productive, but they are open to abuse, and have
been abused — while also being completely out of touch with reality,” Boda
added.
The
complaint’s signatories also included the Strasbourg-based European Muslim
Initiative for Social Cohesion, the Muslim Association of Britain, and the
Council on American-Islamic Relations.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/19/643365/Civil-society-groups-urge-UN-to-take-action-against-France-over-Islamophobia
--------
Meet
the South Asian and Muslim Americans in Biden’s Cabinet
January
19, 2021
Neera
Tanden, a contentious Twitter user and head of the Democrat-leaning think tank Centre
for American Progress
-----
They
include a number of Indian-American appointments and for the first time ever
two Kashmiri women, in what has been touted as the ‘most diverse’ cabinet in US
history.
As
President-elect Joe Biden gets set for inauguration on January 20, his cabinet
has been popularly touted as the “most diverse ever in history” and one that
“looks like America,” on the heels of the vanilla-hued and testosterone-filled
administration that dominated the Trump era.
Biden’s
running mate Kamala Harris, who is half Black and half Indian, will become the
first ever woman to be sworn in as Vice President on Wednesday.
Harris
is not the only high-ranking member of Biden’s cabinet to be drawn from
minority communities. In addition to a Black man heading the Pentagon, a Latino
homeland security chief, Native American cabinet secretary and an openly gay
Transport Secretary, it has been stocked with a sizeable number of
Indian-American appointments and Muslims as well.
For
Indian-Americans alone there have been at least 20 nominees or appointees, 13
of which are women.
Two
of them with top positions are Neera Tanden and Dr Vivek Murthy.
Tanden,
a contentious Twitter user and head of the Democrat-leaning think tank Centre
for American Progress, has been nominated as Director of the White House Office
of Management and Budget (OMB).
Dr
Murthy was nominated as US Surgeon General, reprising the role he held during
the Obama administration. Murthy, who has been the co-chair of Biden’s Covid-19
advisory board, is expected to play an important role in acting as the “top
medical expert and public face of the [pandemic] effort.”
For
the first time ever are hires of two Indian-Americans who trace their origins
to Kashmir: Aisha Shah and Sameera Fazili.
Shah
was named as partnership Manager at the White House Office of Digital Strategy.
Meanwhile, community and economic development expert Fazili has been pegged to
occupy the position of Deputy Director at the US National Economic Council
(NEC). Fazili had previously served as a senior policy advisor on the White
House’s NEC and as a senior advisor at the US Treasury Department.
News
of Fazili’s appointment sparked celebrations amongst her extended family back
in Srinagar. Rouf Fazili, Sameera’s uncle, called it a “proud moment” for
Kashmir, saying that while she was not born there and her parents left the
Valley in the early 1970s, she retains “a strong affinity with Kashmir”.
The
NEC has another Indian American, Bharat Ramamurti, former economic advisor to
Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign and who will also be
taking up the role of Deputy Director.
Veteran
diplomat Uzra Zeya is billed as the Under Secretary of State for Civilian
Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. A key adviser to the Obama
administration during the Arab Spring, Zeya had previously served a post in
Delhi.
For
the first time in any US administration will be the presence of non-Indian
South Asians too.
Pakistani-American
Ali Zaidi is set to be Deputy National Climate Advisor; Sri Lankan-American
Rohini Kosoglu is Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President; and
Bangladeshi-American Zayn Siddique is tabbed to be White House Deputy Chief of
Staff.
As
Biden’s first Arab-American pick, Reema Dodin was named as Deputy Director of
the White House Office of Legislative Affairs back in November. A
groundbreaking selection as a Palestinian Muslim woman, Dodin brings 15-years
of seasoned political experience to the Biden camp.
The
all-important National Security Council (NSC) has also received three
Indian-American hires: Tarun Chhabra as Senior Director for Technology and
National Security, Sumona Guha as Senior Director for South Asia, and Shanthi
Kalathil as Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights.
Among
Biden’s inner circle, Vinay Reddy has been named as Director of Speechwriting
after serving as senior advisor and speechwriter for the Biden-Harris campaign.
Vedant
Patel is set to occupy a seat as Assistant Press Secretary to the President,
and is the third-ever Indian American to be part of the White House press
corps.
Civil
rights attorney Vanita Gupta was nominated as Associate Attorney General at the
Department of Justice.
The
future First Lady Dr Jill Biden’s team includes three South Asian women: Mala
Adiga appointed as Policy Director and Garima Verma would be the Digital
Director to the Office of the First Lady, while Sabrina Singh has been named as
her Deputy Press Secretary.
Biden
repeatedly made it a point that he planned to have a government which reflected
the diversity of the country, or have to deal with a political fallout if he
didn’t uphold a pledge that is increasingly important to Democratic supporters.
"This
cabinet will be more representative of the American people than any other
cabinet in history," Mr Biden told reporters back in December,
highlighting his "precedent-busting nominations" to date.
During
his campaign, Biden indicated that he would enlist South Asian Americans, and
Indians in particular: “As President, I’ll also continue to rely on
Indian-American diaspora, that keeps our two nations together, as I have
throughout my career,” he said during an address to the Indian-American
community during India’s independence day last year.
Biden
had additionally vowed to add Muslims to his cabinet during a webinar to
Muslim-American voters in July.
On
his first day in office, Biden plans to issue a number of executive orders,
including one rescinding the controversial travel ban on several predominantly
Muslim countries.
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/meet-the-south-asian-and-muslim-americans-in-biden-s-cabinet-43367
--------
South
Asia's LGBT Muslims turn to social media for support
18.01.2021
Shahamat
Uddin moved to the United States recently to look for a better future after
living in fear for his life as a marginalized gay man in Muslim-majority
Bangladesh.
The
numerous instances of violence and persecution of the LGBT community in
Bangladesh shocked Uddin.
The
murder of Xulhaz Mannan in 2016 was perhaps the most disturbing incident.
Mannan and another LGBT activist, Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, were hacked to death in
Mannan's apartment by men armed with machetes.
Al-Qaida in Bangladesh eventually claimed responsibility for the
murders.
Mannan
had founded Bangladesh's first, and only, LGBT magazine, Roopbaan.
The
attack forced many members of Bangladesh's LGBT community to go into hiding or
flee abroad after religious extremist groups published their names on a
"hit list."
Several
activists erased their social media traces. Homosexuality is illegal under
Bangladeshi law.
'The
Queer Muslim Project'
Mannan's
advocacy for LGBT rights had inspired Uddin deeply. He, too, wanted a platform
where he could express himself freely. Eventually, Uddin stumbled upon an
online community of Muslim LGBT individuals from South Asia called "The
Queer Muslim Project."
"To
be Queer is to be a political troublemaker. I love you Xulhaz and it is because
of you, I know why God would make us Brown, Muslim, Queer -
troublemakers," reads one of Uddin's posts.
The
project is an online series of testimonies that caters to all LGBT Muslims in
South Asia.
Rafiul
Alom Rahman, a former scholar of sociology from the University of Texas at
Austin, started the project in 2017 when he was studying the intersection of
religion and sexuality. He dropped out of the Ph.D. program and came back to
India to set up the platform.
"There
is very limited space in mainstream Islamic theology to talk about gender and
queer rights. So, I wanted a space where queer Muslims could come together and
exchange ideas within the space of faith," he told DW.
This
space is not limited to social media. There are workshops, consultations and
meet-ups where community members share experiences.
Before
the coronavirus pandemic, some of the events took place in India's capital, New
Delhi. But they now mostly happen over video conferencing from around the
world.
"It
has been an eye-opener. When we heard people's powerful and heart-breaking
stories of being at odds with their identity, we realized there was a need for
mental health support and community space," said Rahman.
'A
place I could belong'
One
such meeting was an eye-opener for Kabir (name changed), who is a university
student in New Delhi.
"'Homosexuality
is a sin.' I grew up hearing this. I would go to the mosque to pray and
couldn't help feeling attracted to other boys. It caused me extreme guilt and I
felt lonely," Kabir said.
He
said his inner conflict and loneliness took a toll on him. He would feel
withdrawn and didn't particularly do well in social situations.
"I
came across the Muslim queer community potluck event during Ramadan. I was
intrigued and scared but somehow mustered the strength to attend it. It was a
revelation to find people like me, a place where I could belong," he told
DW.
The
camaraderie and support from the community helped Kabir to come out to his
parents who belong to a moderate Muslim household.
"I
expected a hysterical reaction from my parents after I broke the news to my
mother. It was overwhelming and she broke down in tears, but she held me close
and hugged me. I was just relieved to be accepted," he said.
Kabir
said he no longer feels in conflict with his religion, and that conservative
members of the community should understand that diversity makes the faith
stronger.
Acceptance
will take time
"It
took me more than two decades to understand myself so I don't expect everyone
to understand it easily. It is a process," said Kabir.
Rahman
from the Queer Muslim Project said sharing people's powerful personal stories
raises awareness. Sometimes family members look for reconciliation after they
see the posts.
However,
the project has received flak from conservative quarters and is trolled
regularly.
"Recently,
a conservative Muslim group called us out publicly in a homophobic manner. Some
go on to call us an aberration and an insult to the religion. This is the usual
reaction from people who don't take any initiative to understand us,"
Rahman said.
The
group has 15,000 members on Facebook and about 25,000 followers on Instagram.
Sometimes
the larger LGBT community is not pleased with the group either. They feel a
special focus on religion divides the community. The group is often accused of
appeasing Muslim right-wingers.
"We
are suspected of being either conservative or extremists. But we are operating
from a place of critical engagement with faith. There are gay imams now. Some
mosques are accepting LGBT members," Rahman said.
Exposing
this complex identity remains a double-edged sword. More visibility could put
people at risk. The project also wants to expand to regions beyond cities and
languages other than English.
The
growing community has members from across the Islamic world in countries like
Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iraq and Bangladesh. Rahman says they still have
a long way to go.
https://www.dw.com/en/south-asias-lgbt-muslims-turn-to-social-media-for-support/a-56266117
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative conference to host over 140 speakers
Matthew
Amlô
19
January 2021
Saudi
Arabia’s fourth annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference will
feature more than 140 speakers throughout the event next week, according to a
statement.
Yassir
al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and
chairman of energy-giant Saudi Aramco, will officially open FII on January 27
under the theme “The Neo-Renaissance.”
Al-Rumayyan
will be joined by David Solomon, chairman & CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group,
Thomas Gottstein, CEO of Credit Suisse Group, Ray Dalio, co-chairman & CIO
of Bridgewater Associates, and Marco Alvarez, CEO of Snam, for a discussion on
how the global investment community can use the global economic downturn caused
by the coronavirus to build a more sustainable future.
Also
in attendance will be Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Kingdom’s Minister of
Energy, who will be joined by Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries,
Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of Total, and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE
Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy and group CEO of
the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), who will join together to discuss
the future of investment in the energy sector.
Other
high-profile names that have already been confirmed include Khalid al-Falih,
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Investment, Lord Gerry Grimstone, the UK’s Minister
of State for Trade, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP
World, and Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Ministry of International Cooperation of Egypt.
“There
has never been a more important time for leaders, investors and policy makers
to come together to work towards re-energizing the global economy,” al-Rumayyan
said in a previous statement in the lead up to the conference.
Saudi
Arabia previously postponed the fourth FII conference to January 2021 from
October 2020 due to global travel issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The
4th edition of FII will see the most innovative technologies to facilitate
global conversations and to be inclusive at the benefit of all of humanity,”
Richard Attias, the CEO of the FII Institute earlier said.
“The
FII Institute will act as a catalyst and a pioneer to allow interaction and
exchange of disruptive ideas. There has never been a more important time to
bring the greatest minds together to harness this opportunity to reimagine our
world.”
This
year the conference will differ from previous editions, as the main program
will be livestreamed from Riyadh, the Kingdom’s capital, without participants
in attendance due to coronavirus social distancing measures.
In
October 2019, more than 6,000 executives and participants attended the third
Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/19/Saudi-Arabia-s-Future-Investment-Initiative-conference-to-host-over-140-speakers
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Two
Kashmir-based terror operatives arrested as cops bust terror module in Samba
January
18, 2021
Jammu
and Kashmir Police Monday busted a terror module in Ramban district and
arrested two Kashmir-based terror operatives along with a huge quantity of arms
and ammunition, officials said.
The
seized arms and ammunition had been dropped on the Indian side of the
International Border in Samba district allegedly by Jaish-e-Mohammad handlers
in Pakistan with the help of a drone, according to Inspector General of Police
Jammu zone Mukesh Singh. These included two AK-74 rifles along with nine
magazines and 269 rounds, 16 grenades, besides a pistol and two magazines.
Pointing
out that this followed a joint operation, Ramban district police and Special
Operation Group (SOG) Jammu, IGP Mukesh Singh said the initial investigation
revealed that two terror operatives – Umar Ahmed Malik and Suhail Ahmed Malik –
both residents of Semthan, Anantnag were working under a terror plot hatched by
Kashmir-based terrorists and their Pak-based JeM handler Aqib alias Alfa from
Budgam had travelled from Kashmir to the International Border at Vijaypur,
Samba and received arms and ammunition that were dropped with the help of
drones.
Further
investigation of the terror module is underway, he added.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/two-kashmir-based-terror-operatives-arrested-as-cops-bust-terror-module-in-samba-7151486/
--------
Pakistan
PM Angry Over Reports Arnab Goswami Knew About Balakot Strike
Jan
19, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's prime minister reacted angrily on Monday to media reports of a text
exchange between an Indian TV anchor and a former media industry executive that
suggests a 2019 Indian airstrike inside Pakistan was designed to boost Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chances for re-election.
Imran
Khan took to Twitter to respond to Indian media reports of an exchange on the
WhatsApp messaging service between popular Indian TV anchor Arnab Goswami and
Partho Dasgupta, the former head of a TV rating company.
The
purported text exchange three days before the airstrike indicates Goswami had
prior knowledge of the attack and that it was designed to drum up support for
Modi in his re-election bid in pending parliamentary elections.
Goswami,
a firebrand anchor who is Indian Republic TV's co-owner and editor in chief, is
known for supporting Modi and his nationalist policies.
According
to the WhatsApp chat transcript, Goswami texted Dasgupta three days before the
February 26, 2019 airstrike, saying “something big will happen” and “On
Pakistan the government is confident of striking in a way that people will be
elated."
Dasgupta
tells Goswami the attack on Pakistan would give Modi a “sweeping majority"
in the upcoming general election. Months later, Modi surged to a landslide
victory in May 2019, propelling his Hindu nationalist party to back-to-back
majorities in parliament.
Transcripts
of the purported text exchange seen by The Associated Press were filed by
Mumbai police as part of a supplementary charge sheet in a different case
relating to manipulation of TV ratings.
Neither
Dasgupta nor Goswami was available for comment on Monday. But Goswami's
Republic TV issued a statement alleging the Pakistani government was conspiring
against his station.
The
Congress Party said the text exchange between the two men raised serious
questions about India's national security. “(Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party)
govt betrayed our nation by leaking national security information to a
so-called journalist,” the party tweeted Monday.
Shashi
Tharoor, a Congress Party lawmaker, said Sunday the “leaking of military
secrets to a TV channel for its commercial purposes” required a “serious
inquiry” by the Modi government. “We all expect it won't, given the evidence of
its complicity in the betrayals revealed,” Tharoor wrote on Twitter.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-pm-angry-over-reports-arnab-goswami-knew-about-balakot-strike/articleshow/80342418.cms
--------
IMF
says working ‘very intensively’ with Sudan to move toward debt relief
18
January 2021
The
International Monetary Fund is working “very intensively” with Sudan to build
the preconditions for broad debt relief, and will assess progress on a
staff-monitored program in March, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
said on Monday.
She
told reporters during an online news conference that she was encouraged by
strong support from the United States, Britain and other member countries for
providing debt relief to Sudan under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative, and by the determination of the Sudanese authorities.
“We
do hope as swiftly as possible to present to the membership a strong case on
Sudan for HIPC so that country can reintegrate with the international
community,” Georgieva said.
“I
expect that in March we will have more to tell you.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2021/01/18/IMF-says-working-very-intensively-with-Sudan-to-move-toward-debt-relief
--------
North
America
US
military Apache helicopter goes down in Syria’s Hasakah: Report
19
January 2021
A
Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter belonging to the US military has
reportedly crashed in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah, with no
information available about the fate of those onboard.
The
Arabic service of Russia’s Sputnik news agency, citing local sources, reported
that the aircraft went down inside a US-run base at the al-Jabsa oil field in
the oil-rich city of al-Shaddadi, located about 60 kilometers south of the
provincial capital city of Hasakah, on Tuesday morning.
The
sources said the helicopter crashed during a refueling operation, and there are
reports of injuries among its crew members.
The
US military has stationed forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the
Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in
the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, says the deployment is meant to plunder the country's resources.
The
US first confirmed its looting of Syrian oil during a Senate hearing exchange
between South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo in late July last year.
On
July 30 and during his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
Pompeo confirmed for the first time that an American oil company would begin
work in northeastern Syria, which is controlled by militants from the so-called
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The
Syrian government strongly condemned the agreement, saying that the deal was
struck to plunder the country's natural resources, including oil and gas, under
the sponsorship and support of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
'US
transfers Daesh inmates to own base in Tanf'
Separately,
the US military reportedly transported dozens of Daesh militants from prisons
run by allied militants from the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in
northeastern Syria to al-Tanf military base in southern Syria near the
Jordanian border.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing local sources, reported on Monday that 70
Daesh terrorists had been moved to the base, warning that the military site is
a sanctuary for the Takfiri militants who are supplied with various weapons and
trained to carry out fresh acts of terror against Syrian government troops.
Back
on May 14 last year, a number of captured members of the Daesh Takfiri
terrorist group confessed to close cooperation with US military forces
stationed at al-Tanf base.
During
confessions broadcast on Syria’s state-run television network at the time,
three Daesh terrorists revealed that they were instructed by American forces to
target Syrian government troops in and around the ancient city of Palmyra, the
Tiyas Military Airbase, the Shaer gas field as well as nearby oil wells.
The
militants, who had been arrested during a security operation in the Syrian
Desert, later pointed to the existence of coordination between their commanders
and those of the so-called Revolutionary Commando Army, commonly known by the
Arabic name Jaysh Maghawir al-Thawra.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/19/643364/US-military-Apache-helicopter-goes-down-in-Syria-Hasakah-Report
--------
Europe
Britain’s
prisons are a breeding ground for Islamist terror
19
January 2021
Was
Reading terrorist Khairi Saadallah radicalised behind bars? What we do know is
that locking Saadallah in HMP Bullingdon to develop a ‘close’ relationship with
radical cleric Omar Brooks was an extraordinary lapse in operational security.
Only 16 days after leaving the prison, the violent, troubled and combat
experienced Saadallah launched his murderous attack in Reading. At the very
least, it is clear that prison served little purpose in stopping him.
Once
again, this raises the question of whether Britain's jails are a breeding
ground for radicalisation. When one of this country’s most notorious apologists
for terrorism Anjem Choudary was locked up five years ago, there was much
speculation as to how he could be prevented from dripping poison into the ears
of those locked up alongside him. It is likely that Choudary was confined for
at least some of his sentence in a separation unit, a repurposed wing of a High
Security prison designed to incapacitate offenders who pose a threat to
national security.
I
conceived of these units in a report I compiled in 2016 on the extremist
threat. My idea was unpopular with senior managers in the Prison Service (which
came as little surprise) but the Government listened to me and introduced them
anyway. At one time, three of these units were in operation. Intelligence from
inside prison was used to isolate charismatic and dangerous prisoners who were
determined to subvert national security and convert others to violent
extremism.
But
while the terror threat Britain faces has not gone away, it seems that these
units' days might be numbered. As late as 2019, the Ministry of Justice’s own
research paper showed three separation centres working effectively. A full
curriculum was being delivered, and the units were safe, decent and secure
environments with highly motivated staff. Now more recent reports suggest just
one remains in operation with eight prisoners in it. In that unit, at HMP
Frankland in Country Durham, the local independent watchdog has raised concerns
about the ‘mothballing’ of other units and the impact this has had. (I’ve never
been invited back to see these units, so I’ve no way of knowing for sure why
this sudden collapse in effectiveness has occurred.)
Britain's
prisons, perhaps as never before, are well evidenced incubators and
accelerators of violent extremism. They are places where it is ludicrously easy
for hate preachers to target, get alongside and manipulate weak people
searching for meaning and purpose, or for those already mobilised to hone their
skills. The Islamist extremists Usman Khan and Sudesh Amman, as well as Khairi Saadallah, are grim
testimony to the scale of the problem.
The
recent conviction of two terrorists who tried to murder an officer inside HMP
Whitemoor was particularly chilling. It demonstrated that it was possible, even
in one of the most supposedly secure places in the UK, for an Islamist extremist
to groom a violent prisoner to join him in a terror attack. Only good luck and
extraordinary bravery saved the life of the prison officer the pair targeted.
Yet
we are risk of allowing something like this to happen again. If it is right
that only one separation unit now remains – and that as few as eight prisoners
are held there – what about the other extremists behind bars today? Who are
they sharing their cells with? Who are they mixing with and influencing? Are
these high-risk prisoners being monitored?
The
separation of Islamist proselytisers in prison is the worst solution apart from
all the alternatives. Staffing and running separation units is a hugely complex
and challenging job. No one is saying otherwise. But surely it is worthwhile?
From Vienna to Brussels, we see Islamists networking in prisons, deceiving
well-meaning but naïve attempts by officials to change them. Tragic results are
the inevitable consequence.
The
growing number of extreme right terrorists won’t be far behind either. These
people notice weakness and they will fill any space abandoned by the state. How
we deal with terrorists behind bars is a task that is hopelessly compromised by
a lack of bravery, not among the frontline staff who work in our prisons, but
in those a world away in senior managerial roles.
Across
the world, even prison systems regarded as more liberal than ours are taking
steps to shut down these vectors of radicalisation and isolate the groomers. If
our own prison service cannot or will not accept this challenge, it must be
stripped of that responsibility. The only thing we can be sure of right now is
that within those walls, tomorrow’s jihadist is in the making.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/britain-s-prisons-are-a-breeding-ground-for-islamist-terror
--------
UK
'seriously concerned' by Israel’s West Bank settlement expansion
18
January 2021
The
British government has expressed serious concern about Israeli plans to expand
settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling for an immediate halt to the illegal
construction as the move could threaten future peace negotiations.
The
anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now announced on Sunday that Israeli
authorities advanced plans for the construction of 780 new illegal settler
units in the occupied West Bank.
The
announcement came a week after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
ordered plans for the construction of new homes in the area.
"The
UK is seriously concerned by… Israel's decision to approve the construction of
780 new settlement units across the Occupied Palestinian Territories," a
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said.
The
inclusion of areas "deep within the West Bank" and within the
construction plans "could threaten future peace negotiations," the
spokesperson added.
"Settlements
are illegal under international law and risk undermining the physical viability
of the two-state solution. We call for the construction of these in East
Jerusalem [al-Quds] and elsewhere in the West Bank to cease immediately,"
the spokesperson said.
The
UK and much of the international community have censured ongoing construction
of illegal settlements in areas that belong to Palestinians.
The
European Union urged Israel in a statement on Monday to halt its settlement
expansion in the occupied West Bank.
European
Commission’s spokesperson on foreign affairs said in the statement that
Israel's latest decision to advance plans for the construction of new
settlement was “contrary to international law and further undermines the
prospects of a viable two-state solution.”
Egypt
slams Israel's construction plans
Also
on Monday, Ahmed Hafez, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, condemned the Tel
Aviv regime's decision to build 780 new settlement units in the occupied West
Bank and said the measure undermines the possibility of achieving the two-state
solution.
Hafez
also underlined that such decisions challenge the current efforts aimed at
advancing the peace process and resuming the negotiations between Palestine and
Israel.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they are built on
occupied land.
Palestinians
want the West Bank as part of their future independent state with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
After
US President Donald Trump took office in December 2016, Israel stepped up its
settlement expansion in defiance of Resolution 2334, which pronounces
settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant violation
under international law.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/18/643332/UK-Israeli-settlements
--------
Turkish,
Greek militaries conclude NATO-hosted meeting
Zehra
Aydin Turapoglu
18.01.2021
A
technical meeting between Turkish and Greek military delegations hosted at NATO
headquarters in Brussels has concluded, said a Turkish National Defense
Ministry statement on Monday.
The
ministry announced earlier that the meeting – resuming meetings from last fall
– would discuss an established de-confliction mechanism between the two
countries, amid disputes over maritime boundaries and related issues.
Last
October, NATO had said such a mechanism “is designed to reduce the risk of
incidents and accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean. It includes the creation
of a hotline between Turkey and Greece, to facilitate de-confliction at sea or
in the air.”
Starting
last September, Turkish and Greek military delegations held a series of
technical talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss the Eastern
Mediterranean.
Turkey
and Greece are also due to start bilateral exploratory talks on Jan. 25 in
Istanbul to resolve their disputes.
Turkey,
which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has
rejected maritime boundary claims by Greece and the Greek Cypriot
administration, stressing that the excessive claims violate the sovereign
rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
Ankara
last year sent several drill ships for energy exploration in the Eastern
Mediterranean, asserting its rights in the region, as well as those of the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Turkish
leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving
outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly
relations, dialogue and negotiations.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-greek-militaries-conclude-nato-hosted-meeting/2114157
--------
South
Asia
US
has conceded too much to Taliban, says Afghan vice-president
January
15, 2021
With
the US due to complete the withdrawal of another 2,000 troops from Afghanistan,
the Afghan vice-president tells the BBC the US made a mistake in conceding too
much to the Taliban.
Amrullah
Saleh says the American mission, which began 20 years ago, is not yet
accomplished.
Last
year President Donald Trump made a peace deal with the Taliban and agreed to
drastically reduce US troops.
Mr
Saleh says the pull-out risks more violence in the unstable country.
The
Afghan government has been battling the Taliban, a hard-line Islamic movement,
as the group tries to tighten its grip on parts of the country.
The
current US presence in Afghanistan dates to 2001 when soldiers invaded to
remove the Taliban from power, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
But
the movement regrouped and by 2018 was active in more than two-thirds of
Afghanistan, threatening the elected government.
Thousands
have been killed, including 2,400 US soldiers. Mr Trump has been clear that he
is determined to withdraw all US troops from the country.
Vice-President
Saleh told the BBC that US talks with the Taliban were not a mistake in
themselves, but that Mr Trump's administration made an error in giving the
group a "massive concession".
The
deal signed in February 2020 said that the US and its Nato allies will withdraw
all troops in 14 months if the Taliban upholds its promise to stop attacks. The
Taliban also promised not to allow al-Qaeda or other militants to operate in
areas it controls.
As a
condition of starting negotiations with the Afghan government, the Taliban
demanded that 5,000 of their men be released from Afghan prisons. The final 400
prisoners were set free in August last year.
Following
the historic agreement, attacks by Taliban insurgents on international forces
stopped, but fighting with Afghan security forces continued.
"I
am telling them [US] as a friend and as an ally that trusting the Taliban
without putting in a verification mechanism is going to be a fatal
mistake," Mr Saleh said.
"The
US delegation came to us and swore on every Holy Scripture that if you release
these 5,000 Taliban prisoners there will be no violence. We told them at the
highest level that our intelligence indicated otherwise, and if we do this
violence will spike. Violence has spiked," he added.
He
said that the group had not separated itself from terror group al-Qaeda whose
leaders are "embedded" inside the Taliban. In October senior UN
officials agreed with the assessment that al-Qaeda and the Taliban remain close
allies.
"You
want to negotiate with terrorism, it's your choice. But we are telling you,
don't be deceived," the vice-president says.
"The
Taliban were terrorists. They are terrorists today. They are killing women,
activists, civil rights activists," he said.
But,
he added, Afghanistan is not begging US soldiers to stay and the government
accepts America's decision:
"We
remain grateful for their assistance. But the fate of my country does not lie
with the last US military helicopter."
At the
peak of the war, there were 88,000 US troops in Afghanistan. After the
completion of the latest withdrawal on Friday, that number will be down to
about 2,500.
The
Taliban has told the BBC if all foreign troops do not withdraw by spring, as
agreed by the Trump administration, they will resume attacks on international
forces.
The
Afghan government has been in talks with the Taliban, but it's unclear if and
when they will sign a peace deal.
Many
fear that if foreign militaries withdraw before a lasting agreement is reached,
the Taliban might be back in power.
Mr
Trump's successor, Joe Biden, takes office on 20 January and one of his tasks
will be to decide what happens to the final American soldiers remaining in
Afghanistan.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55666152
--------
Afghanistan
Army kills 8 Taliban terrorists in Takhar province
JAN
18, 2021
As
many as eight Taliban terrorists were killed and seven were wounded in
Khawja-Ghar district of Takhar province by Afghan National Army on Sunday.
"8
Taliban were killed and 7 others were wounded in Khawja-Ghar district of
#Takhar province by Afghan National Army last night (Sunday)," Ministry of
Defense, Afghanistan tweeted.
Besides
the attack in Takhar province, Afghan Army killed 25 Taliban terrorists and wounded
eight others in a preemptive operation in Zheria and Arghandab districts of
Kandahar province yesterday.
The
Army also discovered two hideouts and three strongholds along with a large
amount of their ammunition.
"25
Taliban were killed and 8 others were wounded in preemptive operation of ANA in
Zheria and Arghandab districts of #Kandahar province, yesterday. Additionally,
2 hideouts, 3 strongholds and a large amount of their ammunition and weapons
were destroyed," MoD said in a subsequent tweet. (ANI)
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/afghanistan-army-kills-8-taliban-terrorists-in-takhar-province-101610966336717.html
--------
U.S
Embassy: American Citizens ‘Should Consider Departing’ Afghanistan
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
18
Jan 2021
The
U.S. embassy in Kabul says terrorist and criminal incidents in Kabul are likely
to escalate and urges all U.S. citizens to refrain from traveling to
Afghanistan, and that the American citizens in Afghanistan should leave the
country immediately.
U.S
Embassy in Kabul tweeted, a security alert statement on Sunday, January 17,
2021.
“The
Embassy reminds U.S. citizens that the Travel Advisory for Afghanistan is Level
4-Do Not Travel due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed
conflict, and COVID-19. U.S. citizens already in Afghanistan should consider
departing” the US embassy stated.
Terrorist
attacks, kidnappings, criminal offenses, and other similar incidents have
increased across Afghanistan in recent weeks, according to the U.S embassy’s
security alert.
US
Embassy indicates, “Hotels, residential compounds, international organizations,
embassies, and other locations frequented by foreign nationals, including U.S.
citizens, are known to be under enduring threat”.
The
US Embassy in Kabul reminds all American citizens to refrain from traveling to
Afghanistan and those who are in Afghanistan should consider leaving the
country, but those who have decided to stay should only make limited domestic
travel arrangements and keep low profile.
“If
you decide to remain in Afghanistan, carefully consider all travel and limit
trips only to those that are absolutely necessary,” US Embassy said in a
security alert statement.
Earlier,
the US embassy had issued an alert indicating Targeted killings of journalists,
civil society activists, government officials, and public figures will
escalate.
Following
the issued statement, it has been three months since incidents as such have
raged across the country.
https://www.khaama.com/u-s-embassy-warns-its-citizens-to-leave-afghanistan-situational-alert-556655/
--------
NATO’s
Position in Afghanistan Has not Changed: Stoltenberg
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
18
Jan 2021
Jen
Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) has spoken to president Ghani on Monday, both discussed the peace
process.
“NATO’s
position has not changed & our presence is conditions based,” Stolenberg
stated in his twitter.
He
further noted that “We continue helping the Afghan security forces to ensure
Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorism.”
Earlier,
US acting Defense Secretary, Christopher Miller on Friday announced the
drawdown of American troops in Afghanistan to 2,500 personnel.
“Today,
US force levels in Afghanistan have reached 2,500. Directed by President
(Donald) Trump, and as I announced on November 17, this drawdown brings US
forces in the country to their lowest levels since 2001”, Miller said in the
statement.
Miller
added, “Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two
decades of war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process to
achieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,”.
Miller
indicated the remaining US troops and commanders are tasked to keep US
interests safe in the regions.
“A
force of 2,500, commanders have what they need to keep America, our people, and
our interests safe” Miller said in the statement.
On
the other hand, NATO commented over the US troops drawdown, stating that the US
made it clear, “they would continue to provide their enablers to our Resolute
Support Mission”, but NATO’s position in this regard has not changed.
“We
are carrying out our Train/Advise/Assist mission in its current configuration,
with a Headquarters in Kabul and four regional commands. We are helping the
Afghan security forces in their efforts towards lasting peace, and ensuring
that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorism”
NATO stated.
https://www.khaama.com/natos-position-in-afghanistan-has-not-changed-stoltenberg-556655/
--------
Taliban
calls on Joe Biden administration to honor Donald Trump's deal to withdraw
troops from Afghanistan by May 2021
JAN
19, 2021
The
Taliban has called on President-elect Joe Biden to honor a US agreement to
withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan by May in order to secure
intra-Afghan peace talks and end the two-decade-long war.
“Steps
must now be taken to end the war, not to prolong it, and the agreement was made
for the purpose,” Mohammad Naeem, a senior spokesman in the Taliban’s political
office in Doha, said on Monday, referring to their accord with the US signed
last February which paves the way for a complete withdrawal of American troops
by May in exchange for Taliban security guarantees. “The lack of complete
implementation of the agreement can affect the ongoing process of
negotiations,” he added.
The
call from the insurgent group comes just days after the US reduced its troop
levels from 4,500 to 2,500 at President Donald Trump’s direction, despite opposition
from both Republican and Democrat lawmakers who’ve warned of the potential
impact on counter-terrorism operations. Naeem cheered the reduction on Twitter,
saying the move was a “good advancement.”
While
it’s unclear whether Biden will withdraw all US troops by the May deadline, his
nominee for national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN early this month
the new administration would support “diplomacy” with the Taliban, urging the
insurgent group to cut ties with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations,
ensure a reduction in violence and participate in “good-faith negotiations”
with the Afghan government.
The
Biden transition team declined to weigh in.
Urgent
Decision
Andrew
Watkins, a senior analyst with International Crisis Group, said the May 1 troop
withdrawal deadline is the biggest early challenge for the peace process and
the most urgent decision for the incoming Biden team.
“If
the Biden administration ignores the deadline set down in the U.S.-Taliban
agreement without discussing and clearing a delay with the insurgents, the
Taliban will almost certainly respond by escalating their use of force --
either via attacks on population centers, facilities housing international
troops or both,” Watkins said Monday.
A
reduction in US troops -- who provide air support to Afghan forces -- won’t
affect the ability of Afghan forces to push back against the Taliban, according
to a spokesman for the country’s National Security Council, Rahmatullah Andar.
Targeted
Killings
The
Afghan government and Taliban resumed negotiations in early January under the
shadow of a series of targeted killings of journalists, government employees
and independent human rights advocates. In the latest unclaimed gun attack in
the capital Kabul, two female Supreme Court judges were killed on Sunday on
their way to work, according to a statement from the country’s Presidential
Palace.
“The
Taliban should understand that such actions for which it bears responsibility
outrage the world and must cease if peace is to come to Afghanistan,” US
ambassador in Kabul, Ross Wilson, said on Twitter Sunday.
The
new wave of violence has created an unprecedented level of fear and anxiety
among Afghans and forced some prominent local journalists to flee the country.
Since November, five journalists have been killed in targeted attacks and two
others died in Kabul from unknown causes. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the
US have blamed Taliban for the killings, which the group denies.
Wanting
to reduce the bloodshed, Ghani’s negotiating team is pushing harder for a
ceasefire agreement first before negotiating other key agenda items --
including a power-sharing deal -- with the Taliban. However the group wants to
declare a ceasefire in the final stages of the talks.
“Much
will depend upon how the Biden administration responds to the failure of the
intra-Afghan dialog component of these negotiations,” said Kamran Bokhari, the
director of analytical development for Center for Global Policy in Washington.
“We will likely see a resumption of air strikes, increased intelligence ops and
the use of Special Operations Forces to support Afghan National Security Forces
who will be doing the heavy lifting on the ground. The goal will be to force
the Taliban back to the table and be able to negotiate more effectively with
the insurgents.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/taliban-calls-joe-biden-to-honor-deal-to-withdraw-us-troops-from-afghanistan-101611039219626.html
--------
Southeast
Asia
Muslim
group says will countersue if Anwar goes ahead with legal challenge against
Emergency declaration
19
Jan 2021
BY
EMMANUEL SANTA MARIA CHIN
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 19 — Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah), a coalition of 500 Muslim
groups, today said it will intervene to block Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s
lawsuit if the Opposition leader takes the government to court over the
nationwide proclamation of Emergency.
Ummah
chairman Mohd Zai Mustafa said Anwar’s actions were akin to questioning the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s wisdom, noting that the King made the proclamation only
after consultation with the ruling government and senior officials.
“The
actions of Anwar also paints him as someone who is just power crazy and
practises politics without limits to the point he is willing to gamble with the
fate of the people and national security,” Mohd Zai said in a statement on the
group’s Facebook page.
“He
should actually be getting behind the government to encourage the spirit or
patriotism among the rakyat and call for national unity to be strengthened to
face the huge challenges the country is facing right now, just as the Agong had
previously advised during the opening of previous Parliament,” he added.
Mohd
Zai said that Ummah will then be prepared with their own legal team to face and
challenge the appeal that will be filed by Anwar’s team.
This
he said, would all be done for the sake of defending the powers of the Agong as
provided and stated within the Federal Constitution.
“Ummah
will on our end also prepare a team of legal experts ready to challenge and
appeal against such actions,” he added.
Anwar
had criticised the Perikatan Nasional government for reversing its own policies
and causing widespread confusion in handling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Accusing
it of poor leadership and inciting panic by being unclear in its messages,
Anwar announced his intention to challenge Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin and the government for forcing a state of Emergency on the country.
The
Port Dickson MP said the decision to resort to a declaration of an Emergency
was a reckless and desperate move by the administration, one devoid of a
rational basis.
The
state of Emergency was declared by Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa
Billah Shah on January 12, and will last until August 1, or until Covid-19
cases return to a manageable point.
The
King’s announcement came a day after Muhyiddin had announced the
re-implementation of the movement control order in six states for at least
14-days beginning January 13, after thousands of new Covid-19 infections were
being detected nationwide.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/19/muslim-group-says-will-countersue-if-anwar-goes-ahead-with-legal-challenge/1941921
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Turkish
messaging app gains attention in Indonesia
Pizaro
Gozali Idrus
18.01.2021
JAKARTA,
Indonesia
People
from all walks of life in Indonesia have started to switch to Turkish
communication and messaging app, BiP, amid concerns about privacy protection on
WhatsApp.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency on Monday, Heriyanto, who goes by only one name, a teacher in
Central Java province, said he started using the app as it has high-quality
video call service which is better than Whatsapp.
He
said BiP allows group chats for up to 1,000 people and subscription of various
channels.
"This
is suitable for those who run a business," Heriyanto told Anadolu Agency
via the app.
He
said he was proud to use BiP because it was made by Turkey, a Muslim country.
"I
recommended my friends to switch to BiP," he added.
Surabaya-based
journalist Muhammad Nashir told Anadolu Agency that the app is interesting as
it has many features such as dark mode and invites users to chat with each
other by providing random chat notifications to new users.
Also
applauding Turkey’s initiative, Ahmad Faishal Fahmi, an anesthesiology
specialist in Jambi province, said that BiP has better video quality and fonts
that are easier to read than Whatsapp.
However,
he noted that it is still hard for some operator numbers to send SMS
verification to register an account.
"There
is no format text features like bold, italic, and others. There is also no live
YouTube broadcast feature yet," Fahmi told Anadolu Agency
The
doctor said that if BiP can accelerate its technology quickly, it is not
impossible for the app to accommodate a digital payment system that is accepted
around the world or at least in Muslim countries.
Fahmi,
who is the admin of a cross-professional Muslim community group, also sees that
many Indonesians use BiP as part of protest against Facebook which he said
limits Muslim’s freedom of speech with its policy that ignores privacy rights.
"Apart
from that, this [move] is also motivated by the strengthened sentiment toward
products of Muslim countries and appreciation for Turkey's progress," he
added.
Safe
and comfortable
Ahmad
Ufuwan, an IT practitioner in Jakarta, said the reason many Indonesians switch
to BiP is that the app guarantees more security than its American competitor
and is more comfortable to use.
"I
personally feel comfortable using BiP and the app commits to data
security," Ufuwan told Anadolu Agency.
He
said that the app is easy to use by ordinary people, so everyone can easily
adapt to its features.
"BiP
deserves to be a substitute application for WhatsApp in Indonesia, where the
majority of the population has historical linkages with Turkey," said
Ufuwan.
Data
showed Saturday that BiP has been downloaded by more than 50 million users
worldwide, according to Google's app store.
After
popular messaging app WhatsApp forced many users to agree to new privacy rules,
a large number of people started to seek alternatives for their smartphones.
WhatsApp
recently introduced controversial changes to its privacy policy that allows it
to share more data with parent company Facebook.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/turkish-messaging-app-gains-attention-in-indonesia/2113682
--------
Toyota
Capital Malaysia introduces world’s first Islamic-based car subscription
programme
18
Jan 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 18 — Toyota Capital Malaysia has introduced Kinto One, the world’s
first Islamic-based car subscription programme, offering the public a new
medium to own and drive a car without all the hassles associated with the
traditionally popular hire-purchase facility.
Its
president, Thomas Chai, said Kinto One is the result of a strategic partnership
between Toyota Capital Malaysia and UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd, and is a
distinctly curated response to the new generation lifestyle seeking for
mobility.
“It
is about the shift of consumer behaviour from car ownership to car usership. It
is about Toyota’s vision of ‘Mobility for All’,” he said in a statement today.
Kinto
One offers an all-inclusive, fixed monthly payment car subscription plan, where
the fixed monthly subscription covers vehicle registration, annual
comprehensive insurance and road tax, as
well as periodic and preventive maintenance.
The
subscription period comes in either two or three years, and once completed, the
customer can just simply return the car to Toyota Malaysia.
UMW
Toyota Motor president Ravindran Kurusamy said Kinto One aimed to cater to the
newer generation of car owners seeking for freedom and mobility through its
all-inclusive fixed monthly subscription plan.
Kinto
One was established by Toyota Motors Corporation and has been introduced in
many parts of the world, from Northern to Southern America as well as major
Asian countries, and has a very big presence in the European countries.
The
programme is officially available to the Malaysian public starting today and is
exclusively available online at www.kinto-my.com.
Current
models available include Toyota Vios, Yaris, Corolla, Innova, Fortuner and
Camry, with many more models coming soon, including Lexus cars. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/drive/2021/01/18/toyota-capital-malaysia-introduces-worlds-first-islamic-based-car-subscript/1941536
--------
Arab
World
Qatar
urges Persian Gulf states to start talks with Iran, end rift
19
January 2021
Qatari
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has called on the
Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states to enter negotiations with
neighboring Iran in order to patch up their differences.
Speaking
in an interview with Bloomberg television news network, Al Thani said the time
was right for Doha to broker such talks, and that he has long called for a
summit between leaders of the six-member council and Iranian officials.
He
said his government was “hopeful that this would happen and we still believe
this should happen.”
“This
is also a desire that’s shared by other GCC countries,” the top Qatari diplomat
said.
The
comments come as US President-elect Joe Biden is gearing up to take the helm in
the White House within the next few days. Biden has vowed during his
presidential campaign that he would rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal –
officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – and would
upend President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran that
won the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Earlier
this month, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt signed a declaration on
the eve of the GCC leaders’ summit in the ancient desert city of Al-Ula, to
ease a rift with Qatar, signaling the end of a three and a half year embargo of
the energy-rich country.
In
June 2017, the four countries accused Qatar, among other things, of supporting
“terrorism” and having close ties to Iran, and severed economic and diplomatic
ties. A blockade was also imposed by the four countries by land, sea and air.
Qatar
repeatedly denied the claims and said there was no justification for severing
relations.
Al
Thani went on to say that Doha was already supporting ongoing discussions
between Iran and South Korea to secure the release of the MT Hankuk Chemi
tanker, which Iran impounded in its territorial waters on January 4 for
polluting the environment.
“Qatar
will facilitate negotiations if asked by stake holders and will support whoever
is chosen to do so,” he said. “We want the accomplishment, we want to see the
deal happening.”
“Wherever
it is, whoever it is conducting this negotiation, we will support them,” Al
Thani noted.
Back
on December 23 last year, the Qatari foreign minister called for a
de-escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf region and for dialogue between
Arab countries and Iran.
Iran
has backed talks and diplomacy as the viable solution to the persisting
tensions in the Persian Gulf, expressing hope that the resolution of the
diplomatic crisis with Qatar will contribute to the stability as well as the
political and economic development of the regional nations.
President
Hassan Rouhani unveiled Iran’s peace initiative to promote security in the
Persian Gulf, dubbed Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE), during his speech at the UN
General Assembly in September 2019. The Iranian president invited all regional
countries to participate in the initiative.
Last
October, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed the importance
of implementing the HOPE initiative, and called for collective cooperation
among neighbors to establish “inclusive dialogue and security networking” in the
region.
“Security
is contingent on a reliance on our own peoples and cooperation with our own
neighbors. We need collective efforts by regional countries to establish
inclusive dialogue and security networking in this region,” Zarif told a
virtual debate of the UN Security Council on October 20.
“Otherwise,
we will all be engulfed in turmoil for generations to come,” he added, warning
that turmoil in the region “will be everyone’s turmoil.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/19/643357/Qatar-urges-Persian-Gulf-Arab-states-to-start-talks-with-neighboring-Iran
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Reports
about Syrian–Israeli meetings 'untrue': Foreign Ministry
18
January 2021
Syria
has vehemently rejected untrue reports by some "hired media outlets"
about having held meetings with Israel, saying those who are spreading such
lies seek to draw the whole region into Western Zionist alliances.
“The
Syrian Arab Republic categorically denies the untrue news marketed by some mass
media about holding any Syrian-Israeli meetings at any place,” an official
source at Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement on Monday,
Syria's official SANA news agency reported.
The
statement added that the financiers of the "hired news outlets" have
made this failed attempt in order to cast doubt on Syria’s principled and firm
stance towards the Israeli occupation.
Syria
has pursued and is still pursuing a clear policy and takes its decisions in a
way that serves the country's interest and just causes, the foremost of which
is the Palestinian issue and the liberation of the entire occupied Syrian Golan
as well as the occupied Arab lands in accordance with the relevant
international resolutions, it added.
According
to the statement, Syria reiterates that those who stand behind such lies are
those who seek to normalize ties with the Zionist regime.
The
statement came after a number of Arab countries, including the United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, embarked on full normalization of
relations with Israel through deals mediated by the administration of outgoing
US President Donald Trump.
Trump
has been scrambling to hammer out peace treaties between Arab governments and
Israel in order to portray them as foreign policy gains.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/18/643334/Syria-Israel-normalization-meetings-SANA-Palestine
--------
US
denies involvement in alleged attack on Iraq’s Baghdad: Embassy
Tamara
Abueish
19
January 2021
The
United States was not involved in the alleged attacks on the south of Baghdad
in Iraq, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Baghdad confirmed on Tuesday.
“We
are seeing reports of potential explosions near Jurf as-Sakhr, south of
Baghdad. We can confirm that no US personnel or assets were in the vicinity of
Jurf as-Sakhr and that there was no US involvement in this alleged incident,”
the spokesperson said.
Earlier
on Tuesday, the official account of the security media cell of the Iraqi Prime
Minister’s Office denied reports of airstrikes hitting Iraq’s Baghdad on Monday
night, calling them “incorrect”.
The
sound of explosions that were reportedly heard at the scene were the result of
electrical towers that were hit by ISIS militants, the media cell said on
Twitter on Tuesday.
Security
officials began a search operation to arrest those responsible for the attack,
according to the statement.
Several
reports on Monday had suggested the explosions may have been US or Israeli
airstrikes on Iran-backed militias.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/19/ISIS-militants-hit-electric-towers-in-Iraq-s-Baghdad-airstrikes-report-denied
--------
First
Qatar-Egypt flight since 2017 takes off from Doha
18 January 2021
The
first Qatar-Egypt flight since the two Arab countries severed relations in 2017
took off from Doha on Monday, making life easier for the thousands of Egyptian
residents of the Gulf nation.
Egypt
in June 2017 joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain in
cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of being too close to Iran and of backing
extremists, charges Doha denies.
The
quartet agreed to heal the rift at a Gulf summit on January 5 in Saudi Arabia,
after a flurry of diplomatic activity by outgoing US President Donald Trump’s
administration.
As
many as 300,000 Egyptians call Qatar home, according to statistics, but many
were unable to travel home during the crisis.
In
May 2020, frustrated Egyptians protested outside the compound housing Egypt’s
then-empty embassy.
Following
the demonstration, 18 repatriation flights operated via neutral Oman to comply
with Cairo’s ban on direct air traffic.
The
first commercial flight between Qatar and Egypt in three and a half years, an
EgyptAir service to Cairo, took off from windswept Doha airport.
A
Qatar Airways plane was due to also make the trip to Cairo later Monday.
Mustafa
Ahmed, 38, an Egyptian technical engineer, said: “We are very happy...”
“With
direct flights, life will be easier, especially for families and children,
avoiding the torment of changing airports and planes and waiting for hours for
transit flights,” he told AFP.
Egyptians
in Qatar work in a number of sectors including education, healthcare and
engineering.
Thousands
of Qatar’s majority-expatriate workforce, however, have lost their jobs as a
result of a downturn caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
A
first flight between the UAE and Qatar since the inter-Arab row that severed
transportation links was also due Monday to land in Doha from the emirate of
Sharjah.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/18/First-Qatar-Egypt-flight-since-2017-takes-off-from-Doha
--------
Airstrikes
pound Iran-backed militias south of Iraq’s Baghdad: Reports
Joseph
Haboush
18
January 2021
Multiple
explosions were heard south of Iraq's capital overnight Monday in what reports
suggest may have been US or Israeli airstrikes on Iran-backed militias.
US
Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was not aware “of any strikes in Iraq,”
according to a Reuters reporter in Washington.
The
Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.
The
airstrikes were reported south of Baghdad in Jurf al-Sakhr.
Meanwhile,
pro-Iran groups raised the possibility of an Israeli strike on militia
outposts.
Last
March, US airstrikes targeted a weapons depot in the area, which it said
belonged to Kata'ib Hezbollah.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/19/US-airstrikes-pound-Iran-backed-militias-south-of-Iraq-s-Baghdad-Reports
--------
Lebanon’s
Hezbollah erects Soleimani statues, dividing supporters on Iran propaganda
Mona
Alami
18
January 2021
Traditionally
adorned with pictures of Iranian proxy group Hezbollah’s martyrs and leaders,
the southern suburbs of Beirut, the party’s bastion, are now lined with Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) iconography, but many of the terrorist
organization’s supporters have remained opposed to the move.
Statues,
billboards and posters of IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani – killed
by US airstrikes in Iraq in January 2020 – have been erected across the
suburb’s populous neighborhoods as well as on the highway connecting the
international airport to the capital Beirut.
Many
Lebanese have decried Hezbollah’s campaign, viewed as a symbol of Iranian
domination of Lebanon. Hezbollah’s popular base is no stranger to the debate,
with many long-time supporters of the terrorist organization opposed to what
they criticize as a provocative campaign to other Lebanese communities at a
time when the country is suffering an unprecedented economic and political
crisis.
“Despite
Iran’s support to our struggle against Israel, we should not erect pictures of
Iranian military or symbols, if that is perceived as offensive to a large
tranche of the Lebanese population, at a time when the country is facing so
many political and economic challenges,” Ali, a nurse hailing from Dahieh, the
colloquial name referring to the Southern suburbs of Beirut, said.
On
the eve of the anniversary of Soleimani’s death, Hezbollah engaged in a wide
campaign celebrating the Iranian commander “martyrdom” against the Americans.
Hezbollah militants were also seen distributing posters and headbands featuring
Soleimani’s name with the mention “Jerusalem and Karbala are his destiny”.
In
the southern Lebanese village of Arabsalim, a model depicting the moment a US
drone missile struck Soleimani’s vehicle on its way out of Baghdad’s airport
was placed on the main road. The militant group also erected a statue of the
Iranian General in the southern Lebanese town of Maroun al-Ras. The bronze bust
of Soleimani, was also placed in Ghobeiry, in the southern suburbs by the local
municipality, to commemorate the general’s death.
Ahmad,
a grocery store owner, echoed the Ali’s statements, noting that placing the
general’s pictures in areas outside of Hezbollah’s natural dominion would only
infuriate other Lebanese and further marginalize Shiites.
Iranian
cultural colonialism
Other
Shiites view the commemoration of Soleimani’s death as a form of cultural
colonialism. “As a victim of the Israeli invasion of South Lebanon, I support
the Resistance [Hezbollah]. But I do not see why we should erect statues to
Soleimani, a person who is foreign to our culture and our Lebanese identity,”
said Nada a physiotherapist from South Lebanon.
Lokman
Slim, an anti-Hezbollah activist, emphasized that while a section of
Hezbollah’s traditional popular base may criticize the party’s increasing
pro-Iranian propaganda in Lebanon, few publicly oppose it. “Shiites may view
these theatrics as provocative to other Lebanese, but they remain part of a
silent opposition, which only criticizes the party behind closed doors,” Slim
said.
Amal,
a beautician living in the southern suburbs explained that no one can challenge
the creeping Iranian influence in southern areas. “We may not be happy with it,
but we have no other choice but to accept it,” she added fatalistically.
For
anti-Hezbollah activist and Janoubia editor Ali Amine, Hezbollah’s latest
campaign in commemoration of Soleimani’s death aims to root Lebanese Shiite
identity in Iranian military and religious references.
“Hezbollah
has done much more in terms of propaganda for the death of Soleimani than for
after the killing of its own commander Imad Mughnieh. Hezbollah is attempting
to impose and normalize Iranian cultural references on its Shiite
constituency,” he added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2021/01/18/Lebanon-s-Hezbollah-erects-Soleimani-statues-dividing-supporters-on-Iran-propaganda
--------
UAE-Israel
visa exemption deal postponed over coronavirus worries
18
January 2021
The
United Arab Emirates has postponed the implementation of a visa-exemption
agreement with Israel after Israel required anyone entering from the Gulf state
to be quarantined as a COVID-19 precaution, Israeli officials said on Monday.
Visa
waivers were a centerpiece of a Sept 15 deal formalizing Israeli-UAE relations.
According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, they were meant to have gone into
effect by February 13, having been ratified by Abu Dhabi last Wednesday.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
But
the Israeli ministry said in a statement that its UAE counterpart had
“suspended” the waiver agreement until July 1 “given efforts to arrest the
spread of the coronavirus”.
Citizens
of the two countries can obtain visas through their airlines, as tens of
thousands have done since the normalization pact.
Monday’s
announcement followed a decision by Israel’s Health Ministry to require that
anyone coming from the UAE be taken to a military-run “coronavirus motel” for a
quarantine lasting between 10 and 12 days.
Israel
had previously exempted the UAE from its watchlist of so-called “red”
countries. The UAE, with a population of 9 million, has seen a surge in cases
this month, with new infections surpassing 3,000 per day for the first time.
Israel,
whose population is of a similar size, has also been struggling with the
pandemic even as it implements the world’s fastest-paced vaccination program.
Israel’s Health Ministry has logged more than 5,000 new cases per day this
week.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/18/UAE-Israel-visa-exemption-deal-postponed-over-coronavirus-worries
--------
Casualties
reported as airstrikes hit Iraqi forces’ positions in Babil
19
January 2021
Several
Iraqi forces have apparently been killed in airstrikes against the positions of
the Arab country’s military units in Jurf al-Sakhar, Babil province, local
sources and media reports said.
At
least four explosions were heard on Monday night in Jurf al-Sakhar region,
according to local sources.
The
attacks were apparently launched by F-16 warplanes and drones, and have killed
nine Iraqi military forces so far, sources close to the Iraqi Popular
Mobilization Units (PMU), better known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, said.
Lebanon’s
Al Mayadeen TV channel says American warplanes were flying over the al-Qaem
area near the Iraqi-Syrian border following the attacks.
Thile
several PMU units – especially those of Kata’ib Hezbollah – used to be
stationed in the region, some Iraqi sources are saying the airstrikes have
targeted the Arab country’s army personnel.
Despite
speculations about the US role in the airstrikes, a senior US defense official
has told Fox News there were no US airstrikes near Baghdad tonight.
Meanwhile,
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted tweets about the 2019 attacks against
the US embassy in Baghdad as the airstrikes were hitting Jurf al-Sakhar.
“When
violent protestors attacked US Embassy in Baghdad on New Year’s Eve 2019, State
Department special agents defended the compound against the mob for more than
40 hours, with no loss of life or serious injuries. #UnsungHeroes” he said in
one of his tweets.
Sabereen
News, which is close to the PMU, reports that the Iraqi prime minister has
ordered the deployment of Iraqi troops near the US embassy in Baghdad to
protect the compound against possible retaliatory attacks.
On
December 20, a series of Katyusha rockets landed near the US embassy complex,
which is inside Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone. The attack, which was
the biggest one on Baghdad’s Green Zone since 2010, caused minor damage to
buildings there.
Anti-American
sentiments have run high since the 2020 assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror
commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,
deputy head of the PMU, in a US airstrike near Baghdad airport.
The
US embassy was targeted several times last year amid heightened anti-American
sentiments in Iraq in the aftermath of the assassinations.
After
the terrorist act, the Iraqi parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a
resolution calling for the expulsion of US forces from the Arab country.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/19/643345/Iraq-Us-airstrike-jurf-sakhar-pmu
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US
forces transport 70 imprisoned Daesh terrorists from Syria to Jordan border:
Report
18
January 2021
US
forces have transported 70 imprisoned members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist
group from the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah to their bases on the
Jordan border, a report says.
Syria's
official news agency SANA reported on Monday that the prison is controlled by
the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the bases are in the al-Tanf
border area.
The
militants were shifted from the southern entrance of Hasaka to the bases in
al-Tanf, the report added.
In
April 2020, US troops transported a number of Daesh terrorists from Hasakah to
Iraq.
Speculations
are that Washington has, either directly or indirectly, supported the terrorist
group through its regional allies in the past few years.
Numerous
accounts have emerged alleging airlifts, weapon air-drops and aerial support
for the Takfiri outfit, particularly as its strength diminished in Syria and
Iraq.
Thousands
of Daesh terrorists escaped from Syrian jails, as Kurdish prison guards were
focused on fighting back the Turkish military that had been engaged in an
operation against Kurds in northeastern Syria.
Daesh
has already been driven out of all its urban bastions both in Iraq and Syria,
but its remnants carry out sporadic terror attacks in both countries.
Senior
US officials have on occasions complained about Washington’s policies in Syria,
arguing that the approaches made by the administration of President Donald
Trump have left American troops stuck in a ‘forgotten war’ and guarding oil and
gas resources there, while the Iranian military advisors and Russian troops are
making advances and help the Damascus government recover.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/18/643311/US-imprisoned-Daesh-terrorists-Syria-Jordan
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India
No
spectators at Wagah border on Jan 26, BSF yet to take call on India-Pak parade
JAN
19, 2021
No
spectators will be allowed on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah joint
checkpost on Republic Day in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, officials familiar
with the matter said on Monday.
A
Border Security Force (BSF) official said that a decision is yet to be taken on
whether the coordinated parade with Pakistan will be held this year or not.
“Due
to the coronavirus pandemic, no spectator will be allowed to enter the joint
check post (JCP) at Attari this Republic Day. But we have yet to decide our
programme, including the parade ceremony, to celebrate the day on the border,”
said a senior Punjab BSF official, requesting anonymity.
The
joint parade was held on Independence Day last year.
Another
BSF official said that while they are yet to receive a programme for Republic
Day, it is likely that the parade will be held. Celebrations for the Republic
Day may be similar to the beating the retreat ceremony which was held in August
without any spectators, the official said.
Since
the Covid-19 outbreak in March last year, only a flag-lowering ceremony is
conducted at sunset on the Indian side of the border.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-spectators-at-wagah-border-on-jan-26-bsf-yet-to-take-call-on-india-pak-parade-101611013478384.html
--------
Sohail
Mansuri, The Married Man 1st To Be Held Under MP ‘Love Jihad’ Law
Jan
19, 2021
Barwani:
Madhya Pradesh police on Monday made the first arrest under the new ‘love
jihad’ ordinance on the basis of a complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman in
Barwani.
She
has alleged that a married man sexually abused her for four years by going
under a false name and pretending to be from her community. The ruse broke when
he started pressuring her to change her religion for marriage, Barwani Kotwali
police station in-charge Rajesh Yadav told TOI.
The
accused, Sohail Mansuri alias Sunny, has been booked under Madhya Pradesh
Freedom of Religion Ordinance 2020 and IPC sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal
intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 294 (obscene act).
According
to the complaint, the woman met Sohail four years ago in Palsud town of
Barwani, about 170km from Indore, where he had shifted. Sohail worked as a
driver but also played music at parties and events.
“Sohail
met the girl at a function, introduced himself as Sunny and said he belongs to
her community. They exchanged mobile numbers. Very soon they entered into a
relationship. He established physical relations with the girl by giving her
various inducements,” the inspector said.
Some
time ago, Sohail revealed his true identity and began pressuring her to change
her religion so that they could marry, she alleges, adding that he beat her
several times when she refused.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/married-man-1st-to-be-held-under-mp-love-jihad-law/articleshow/80335425.cms
--------
Pakistan
PML-N,
PPP ask PTI for proof of foreign funding allegations
January
19, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP) on Monday challenged the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to
produce evidence of its claim that they had received funding from abroad.
The
counsel for the two parties appeared before the scrutiny committee of the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and argued that they had not received any
foreign funds.
After
the committee meeting, PML-N’s counsel Jehangir Jadoon told Dawn that the party
had already submitted details of its donors along with their CNIC numbers,
stressing that all these funds had been collected locally.
He
said the PML-N had also submitted its documents, including bank statements, and
the ECP could verify them through the State Bank of Pakistan.
He
claimed that the complainant, PTI MNA Farrukh Habib, while answering a question
during the committee’s meeting, said he had no proof against the PML-N.
The
counsel said he asked the committee to wind up the proceedings in the absence
of any proof of wrongdoing and expressed concern over the uncalled-for delay in
taking the ‘baseless’ case to its logical conclusion.
Jadoon,
however, noted that the committee was deliberately dragging the matter.
“Perhaps
it wants to decide all the foreign funding cases, including the one against the
PTI, together,” he remarked.
He
said the committee had stated that it would give a new questionnaire, but it
was yet be received.
Meanwhile,
informed sources told Dawn that the ECP committee on Monday sought details of
donors from the PPP.
They
said the committee asked for the details on demand of the PTI’s counsel and the
PPP promised to produce the same in the next session.
A
source in the PPP said Farrukh Habib had in his complaint alleged that the PPP
had incorporated a company in the United States by the name of PPP LLC to
collect illegal funds and remit them to Pakistan. However, he did not submit a
single piece of paper in support of his allegation of any such company having
been formed by the PPP in the US.
He
said the PPP had nothing to do with the PPP LLC, registered in the US, adding
that the LLC was in fact in the business of plastic scrap recycling for
decades.
He said
the company had been incorporated in the US in 1967. “This company or its
business has no nexus with the PPP.”
The
documents downloaded from the company’s website were attached at pages 10 to 14
of the reply submitted by the PPP to the ECP, he remarked.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602306/pml-n-ppp-ask-pti-for-proof-of-foreign-funding-allegations
--------
Pakistani
raid kills Taliban suspected of slaying of troops
JANUARY
18, 2021
Pakistani
security forces raided a hideout on January 18 in a former insurgent stronghold
in the country’s northwest and killed two Taliban fighters, including one
suspected of involvement in an October attack that killed six soldiers, the
military said.
A
third suspect was arrested in the raid in the South Waziristan district of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The military said it acted on intelligence.
The
six soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in the region three months ago. The
military statement provided no further details.
Pakistani
militants have in recent months stepped up attacks on troops in the former
tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, citing concerns that insurgents are
regrouping there.
The
North and South Waziristan districts served as the main base for local and
foreign militants until the military secured the regions in 2015 with a series
of operations.
The
Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate
insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, although Pakistan’s militant groups
are often interlinked with those across the border.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistani-raid-kills-taliban-suspected-of-slaying-of-troops/article33600584.ece
--------
Pakistan's
transgender people demand respect
Kamran
Chaudhry
January
19, 2021
Nadra
Khan is campaigning for justice after a bank manager rejected her application
to open an account.
“People
make us dance but enjoy bank accounts. The dancers can’t have one. I perform in
functions for my bread. I don’t have any other source of income. You have
insulted me,” she said in a video posted on Facebook on Jan. 15.
“Most
of our community members in Pakistan do not own houses. We can’t loot or steal.
Banks should instead provide us interest-free loans for housing, car finance
and business. Do something good.”
Khan,
who registered Hazara Transgender Associates last year with the Security
Exchange Commission, referred to her recent visit to Meezan Bank in Mansehra in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan.
On
Jan. 14, she was informed that the bank’s Sharia board had rejected her request
to open an account because of “un-Islamic” income.
“Such
people are the real hurdle in our life of dignity. Meezan Bank has no right to
make fun of me or my income. I am really under stress,” said Khan.
Meanwhile,
in Islamabad, members of the transgender community protested on Jan. 11 outside
parliament and Islamabad Press Club to demand justice for Rimal Ali, Pakistan’s
first transgender model, a victim of torture and rape. Ali accused Jahanzeb
Khan of Attock in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of shaving her eyebrows and hair and
burning her with cigarettes.
Federal
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari assured the protesters of action and
offered legal aid to Ali. Mazari directed the concerned police station to take
action against those involved in the incident and promised a new law for the
transgender community.
In a
Jan. 13 video message on Twitter, Ali thanked police and politicians for their
cooperation.
“We
are receiving threatening messages and calls. People are following us. We
demand a non-bailable warrant for Jahanzeb Khan. He didn’t even appear at the
police station. We are only demanding our right to live,” she said.
Transgender
people, locally known as khwaja siras, continue to suffer human rights abuses
and growing incidents of violence. Often shunned by mainstream society,
transgender citizens find themselves vulnerable to being forced into begging,
sex work or dancing in a country where it is considered un-Islamic for a woman
to dance in front of men.
Muslim
transgender people complain of being insulted and mocked and stopped from
entering mosques. They are questioned about Islamic practices and
proclamations, they say.
The
number of transgender people recorded in Pakistan's census in 2017 was 10,418.
The
change
In
2009, Pakistan became one of the few Islamic countries to recognize transgender
people legally. In 2018, Marvia Malik became the first transgender television
news anchor in the Islamic republic.
In
August 2020, Karachi-based female pastor Ghazala Shafique established St.
Jeremiah Church, the first church for transgender people in Mehran, a seaport
city. The congregation of 30 moved to her house for weekly Friday prayers in
September.
“They
preferred a dedicated service instead of a mixed one to avoid the stares. They
are still insecure on roads. In the compound of my house, they hang out after
the service and share their challenges,” Shafique told UCA News.
The
pastor has been successful in recording video messages of several clerics in
Karachi accepting transgender people among the faithful.
“A
mosque for transgenders has been reopened in Islamabad. Another was opened last
week in Karachi. Ali used her celebrity status to get government attention but
the community is generally poor, facing problems on a daily basis,” said
Shafique.
Despite
the passing of several laws and policies to protect the rights of transgender
people, they continue to suffer prejudice and violence, say rights groups.
The
killings
Human
Rights Watch’s recently released World Report 2021 claims women, religious minorities
and transgender people continued to face violence, discrimination and
persecution, with authorities often failing to provide adequate protection or
hold perpetrators to account.
“Pakistan’s
penal code continued to criminalize same-sex sexual conduct, placing men who
have sex with men and transgender people at risk of police abuse, and other
violence and discrimination. At least 65 transgender women have been killed in
KP province since 2015,” it claims.
Police
in Karachi found the mutilated body of 40-year-old transgender Guddu at a house
in Clifton area at the weekend, ARY News reported. The police said the body
bore torture marks as if she had been mauled by animals.
That
same evening baton-wielding transgender people in Chiniot, Punjab province,
protested against police for raiding a birthday party. “Police are thieves,”
they shouted. A constable was injured.
In
April 2020, Musa, a 15-year-old transgender boy, was gang raped and killed in
Faisalabad district, Punjab. In July, unidentified gunman in Rawalpindi
district, Punjab, killed Kangna, a transgender woman. An unidentified assailant
fatally shot Gul Panra, a transgender activist in Peshawar, in September.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistans-transgender-people-demand-respect/91055
--------
Security
heightened in capital as PDM gears up for rally outside ECP
Javed
Hussain | Shakeel Qarar
January
19, 2021
More
than a thousand security officials, including police and Rangers, were deployed
outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) headquarters in Islamabad on
Tuesday where the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will stage a protest
against the delay in the verdict on the foreign funding case against the ruling
PTI.
All
entry and exit points to the capitals' Red Zone have also been sealed, police
said.
In a
statement earlier today, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that all
rallies headed towards the ECP will converge at Kashmir Chowk at 1pm, urging
party workers and supporters to make their way to the protest.
"The
ECP should start writing down its verdict in the foreign funding case, the
people are on their way to receive it. The crime has been unearthed and the
thief has confessed," she said, adding that the commission should complete
the inquiry.
Meanwhile,
Information Minister Shibli Faraz said that the government had not placed any
obstacles for the opposition's protest.
"The
smooth flow of traffic on the capital's highways is proof of the premier's
pro-democratic mindset. The nation has not forgotten when the PML-N government
targeted PTI protesters during a peaceful demonstration," he said.
These
sentiments were also echoed by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. On
Monday, he said that the government had decided to give a free hand to the PDM
to organise a rally in the Red Zone. But he made it clear that nobody would be
allowed to take the law into their own hands.
He
said the PDM should know that the Supreme Court, Parliament House and other
institutions were situated on Constitution Avenue and the government had taken
all necessary security measures for their protection.
According
to the PDM leadership, they have no plans to stage a sit-in outside the
commission’s headquarters and the rally will disperse after two to three hours.
Some
small rallies from Rawalpindi and Islamabad will reach Serena Hotel Chowk from
where PDM leaders, including PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP leader and
former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf will lead the main rally to the ECP
headquarters.
After
staging a demonstration, the PDM leaders will address a joint press conference.
All
main opposition parties are taking part in the rally with the PML-N expected to
play a leading role. JUI-F’s Maulana Fazl will also lead from the front with
his party taking out two separate rallies. PPP is joining the PDM power show,
but its chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, will not be part of it. Instead,
other party senior leaders will be seen in the rally.
The
foreign funding case against PTI was filed in Nov 2014 by Akbar S Babar, a
founding member of the party. He had alleged serious financial irregularities
in PTI’s accounts.
The
allegations made by Babar included illegal sources of funding, concealment of
bank accounts in the country and abroad, money laundering, and using private
bank accounts of PTI employees as a front to receive illegal donations from
the Middle East.
The
ECP is expected to hear the funding case against the ruling party on Wednesday.
Security
arrangements
The
Islamabad Capital Territory administration has finalised a security plan to
maintain law and order during the opposition’s protest. More than 1,000 police
officials have been deployed to ensure security while 300 Rangers have been
deputed to assist the police force.
Police
officials have been instructed not to carry firearms; only Rangers will carry
firearms. The Special Branch and the CIA have also been deployed for making
arrests.
Meanwhile,
a heavy police contingent has been deployed at all entry and exit points of the
Red Zone.
Further,
the ECP building has been completely sealed with concrete blocks and barbed
wire while a large number of security personnel have been deployed outside the
building.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602377/security-heightened-in-capital-as-pdm-gears-up-for-rally-outside-ecp
--------
Pakistan
approves another Covid-19 vaccine
Ikram
Junaidi
January
19, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
As the country reported 1,920 new coronavirus cases and 46 deaths in a single
day, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) on Monday approved
another Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese state-owned firm Sinopharm.
Meanwhile,
the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), a representative body of doctors, has
asked the government to share details of the vaccines which are under
consideration for import as well as their efficacy rates.
Moreover,
with the resumption of matric and intermediate classes across the country on
Monday when the winter is on its peak, it is feared that coronavirus cases may
further increase.
On
the other hand, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed that during the last four decades the global
community had lost battles against pandemics twice and urged the nations to
avoid past mistakes and beat history as promise of equitable access to the
vaccine was at serious risk.
Drap
chief executive officer Dr Asim Rauf, while talking to Dawn, said the National
Institute of Health (NIH) got the Sinopharm’s vaccine registered on its name.
“The approval has been given for emergency use and it will pave the way for
bringing the vaccine to Pakistan,” he added.
It is
worth mentioning that Pakistan has already pre-booked 1.1 million doses of
Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine and after its approval by Drap the process of its
import will start soon.
On
Jan 16, Drap had approved AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in
Pakistan.
In a
statement, the PMA said Drap had reportedly approved AstraZeneca’s vaccine
which is being manufactured by India. Pakistan will acquire this vaccine
through Covax, for 20 per cent population, which is a global alliance for
vaccine support.
“PMA
wants to know the dosage of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine; will it be
administered once in life, once a year or more than that? Who will be the beneficiary
of this free vaccine? PMA and other stakeholders should be taken on board by
the government. Healthcare workers both from public and private sectors should
be administered vaccine on a priority basis. Up till now 175 doctors and 30
paramedics have lost their lives due to Covid-19,” it stated.
PMA
secretary general Dr Qaisar Sajjad said it was unfortunate that even the
doctors, if infected with the virus, were not aware where to go for treatment
as no beds were reserved for doctors in any corona-designated hospital.
“So
many countries of the world have started vaccinating their people. Even India
has started the world’s largest coronavirus vaccination drive under which more
than 300 million people will be vaccinated. On the other hand, Pakistan might
get the first consignment of free vaccine from Covax in the second quarter of
2021. Unfortunately, we do not see any such planning by our government for
vaccinating people,” he regretted.
Dr
Sajjad demanded that the government expedite the process of acquiring the
Covid-19 vaccine. “Healthcare workers and people above 60 years of age
suffering from diabetes, hypertension, cancer or any other uncompromised
disease should be vaccinated on a priority basis,” he said.
According
to data of the National Command and Operation Centre, 39 people died in
hospitals and seven out of hospital during the last 24 hours. As many as 325
ventilators were in use across the country and the number of active cases
reached 34,986.
Past
mistakes
WHO
Director General Dr Tedros, while speaking at an event, urged the global
community to play their role in eradication of Covid-19. He recalled that 40
years ago a new virus [HIV] emerged and sparked a pandemic. Life-saving
medicines were developed, but more than a decade passed before the world’s poor
got access to them.
“Twelve
years ago, a new virus [H1N1] emerged and sparked a pandemic. Life-saving
vaccines were developed, but by the time the world’s poor got access, the
pandemic was over. One year ago, a new virus emerged and sparked a pandemic.
Life-saving vaccines have been developed. What happens next is up to us. We
have an opportunity to beat history, write a different story and avoid the
mistakes of the HIV and H1N1 pandemics.
“The
development and approval of safe and effective vaccines less than a year after
the emergence of a new virus is a stunning scientific achievement, and a
much-needed source of hope. But we now face the real danger that even as
vaccines bring hope to some, they become another brick in the wall of inequality
between the world’s haves and have-nots,” he said.
“It’s
right that all governments want to prioritise vaccinating their own health
workers and older people first. But it’s not right that younger, healthier
adults in rich countries are vaccinated before health workers and older people
in poorer countries. There will be enough vaccine for everyone. But right now,
we must work together as one global family to prioritise those most at risk of
severe diseases and death, in all countries. We have secured two billion doses
from five producers and we aim to start deliveries in February,” he added.
Dr
Tedros said: “Covax is ready to deliver what it was created for. But in recent
weeks I have heard from several member states who have questioned whether Covax
will get the vaccines it needs, and whether high-income countries will keep the
promises they have made. As the first vaccines begin to be deployed, the
promise of equitable access is at serious risk. More than 39 million doses of
vaccine have now been administered in at least 49 higher-income countries. Just
25 doses have been given in one lowest-income country. Not 25 million; not 25
thousand; just 25.”
He
said: “I need to be blunt: the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral
failure — and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods
in the world’s poorest countries. Forty-four bilateral deals were signed last
year, and at least 12 have already been signed this year.
“The
situation is compounded by the fact that most manufacturers have prioritised
regulatory approval in rich countries where the profits are highest, rather
than submitting full dossiers to WHO. This could delay Covax deliveries and
create exactly the scenario Covax was designed to avoid, with hoarding, a
chaotic market, an uncoordinated response, and continued social and economic
disruption.
“A
recent study estimated that the economic benefits of equitable vaccine
allocation for 10 high-income countries would be at least 153 billion US
dollars in 2021, rising to 466 billion dollars by 2025. That’s more than 12
times the total cost of the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602299/pakistan-approves-another-covid-19-vaccine
--------
NAB
overlooked Sherpao’s ‘dubious’ transactions, UK arbitrator rules
Malik
Asad
January
19, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The judgement of the British arbitrator released by Adviser to the Prime
Minister on Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar disclosed how the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) during former president Gen Pervez Musharraf’s era
overlooked the ‘dubious’ transactions of ex-interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan
Sherpao after he joined the former military ruler’s cabinet.
Sir
Anthony Evans, a London-based arbitrator, ruled in favour of Broadsheet’s claim
that recovery from Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao was inordinately delayed and he was
given ample opportunity to safely retrieve $3.5 million.
As
per the verdict, in July 2002 Broadsheet informed NAB that it had located
assets belonging to Mr Sherpao in a bank account in Jersey.
Broadsheet
is a UK-based assets recovery firm.
The
account was in the name of a trust owned and/or controlled by him and a total
of $3.5 million was held in it. Broadsheet asked NAB to make a formal request
to the Jersey authorities for a freezing order in respect of its claims and
imposed a temporary freezing order.
Judgement
supports Broadsheet’s claim that former minister given time to retrieve $3.5m
On
Sept 20, 2003 the Crown Advocate in Jersey sought for “an update as to the
Sherpao matter”. Before he could provide one, Broadsheet received NAB’s
solicitors’ letter dated Oct 28, 2003 purporting to terminate the assets
recovery agreement (ARA).
On
Jan 30, 2004 the lawyer acting for the government of Jersey wrote directly to
NAB asking for detailed information regarding any prosecutions, ongoing or
otherwise, against Mr Sherpao.
During
the cross examination, a witness, Tallat Ghumman, disclosed that in a meeting
between NAB chairman Gen Amjad Hafeez and Mr Sherpao, the letter from Jersey
was discussed. Mr Ghumman said in evidence that Mr Sherpao “did not have any
answers to our inquiries”.
Mr
Sherpao remained under investigation by NAB and a registered target for the
purposes of the ARA at least until August 2004.
On
August 25, 2004, Mr Sherpao was appointed the interior minister.
In
November 2006, NAB filed a Supplementary Reference against Mr Sherpao which
accused him of committing “acts of corruption”.
In
August 2007, Mr Sherpao submitted a return to NAB regarding foreign assets,
including bank accounts in Jersey, stating that all “have been generated
through agricultural income, on which I pay regular income tax” and claiming
that funds were routed to Jersey ‘for portfolio investments’ via London and
Switzerland.
In
October 2007, the government of Pakistan issued a National Reconciliation
Ordinance. In October 2008, NAB wrote an open letter stating that no case was
pending against Mr Sherpao “in this Bureau”.
However,
in January 2010 the NAB director general authorised an investigation into the
original reference of Mr Sherpao filed in October 2000. On August 15, 2015 the
Executive Board of NAB closed the investigation into Mr Sherpao’s assets
against the recommendation of its Prosecution Division which had reported
“Investigation is incomplete and defective one. Case may not be closed until
its logical conclusion”.
The
claimant alleges that had the ARA continued, NAB would have recovered the funds
held in the Jersey account amounting to $3.5 million and would have been
obliged to pay 20pc of that amount namely $700,000 to Broadsheet.
Sir
Evans observed that there was no clear explanation as to why NAB failed to take
action to make the recovery either in 2002/03 when Broadsheet informed it of
the bank account or in January 2004 in response to the letter from the lawyer
for the government of Jersey inviting it to do so.
He
noted that NAB’s plea of not having sufficient evidence contradicted the
testimony of the witness that “Sherpao had no answer to their queries and that
they were close to recovering assets from him”.
“Nevertheless,
the fact remains that NAB had the opportunity to pursue a claim against the
asset in Jersey which Mr Sherpao has acknowledged to be his or his family’s
property. There is evidence that a claim was justified and there is no clear
explanation why none was made,” the arbitrator further noted.
“I am
entitled to assume that NAB would have performed its statutory duties following
termination of the ARA. If Broadsheet had continued to be involved, given its
established links with the authorities in Jersey, there was a greater chance
that NAB would be induced to press its claim for recovery of the asset there,”
he went on to state.
Sir
Evans held that “there is a significant chance that NAB would have recovered
the amount that was held in the bank account in Jersey, and that it would have
done so by Dec 31, 2004”.
The
net recovery would have been (say) 90pc of $3,500,000, equals to $3,150,000.
One-third of that figure is $1,050,000 and Broadsheet’s entitlement under
Clause 4 of the ARA (20pc) therefore would be $210,000.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602261/nab-overlooked-sherpaos-dubious-transactions-uk-arbitrator-rules
--------
PDM
given ‘free hand’ for today’s protest: minister
January
19, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The government has decided to give a free hand to the 10-party anti-government
Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance for holding a protest outside the
Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday (today).
Interior
Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told a press conference on Monday that the
government had decided to give a free hand to PDM to organise a rally in the
Red Zone. But he made it clear that nobody would be allowed to take the law
into their own hands.
He
said no container would be placed and no hurdle would be created in the way of
the PDM to stage a demonstration outside the ECP. The ECP is a constitutional
body and it is expected that the opposition will respect its sanctity. He said
the PDM should know that the Supreme Court, Parliament House and other
institutions were situated on Constitution Avenue and the government had taken
all necessary security measures for their protection.
The
minister said for the first time the PDM had been allowed to organise its rally
in the Red Zone. He said the law enforcement agencies would watch whether any
seminary student was participating in the PDM rally. He said the law would take
its course if anybody attempted to take the law into their own hands.
Answering
a question, Mr Rashid said that action would be taken if any baton or
uniform-clad group, like Anasar-ul-Islam, participated in the opposition’s
rally.
To
another question, the minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party had
submitted record of 40,000 transactions to ECP, but the opposition parties were
unable to produce record of just 4,000 people from whom they had received
foreign funding.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602293/pdm-given-free-hand-for-todays-protest-minister
--------
Africa
Clashes
erupt in Sudan's South Darfur, 47 people killed: Tribal leader
18
January 2021
Tribal
clashes broke out Monday in Sudan’s South Darfur state, killing at least 47
people, a tribal leader said, shortly after violence in a neighboring state
killed over 80 people.
“A
force from the Arab Rizeigat tribe killed 20 people in an attack on the village
of Saadoun inhabited by the Fallata tribe using vehicles, motorcycles and
camels,” said tribal leader Mohamed Saleh.
“The
attack left several houses burned,” said Saleh, from the ethnically non-Arab
Fallata tribe, adding that bodies were still being counted.
Monday’s
violence came after the killing of at least 83 people in clashes between Arab
and non-Arab tribes over two days in Sudan’s West Darfur state.
The
violent clashes in the two states come just over two weeks after the United
Nations and the African Union ended their long-running joint peacekeeping
mission in the vast Darfur region.
Sudan
has been undergoing a fragile transition since the April 2019 ouster of
president Omar al-Bashir following mass protests against his autocratic rule.
The
civilian-majority administration installed after Bashir’s ouster has been
pushing to stabilize regions beset by deadly conflict during his time in power.
In
October, the government signed a landmark peace deal with the main rebel
groups, in a move that observers hoped would end fighting in conflict zones
including Darfur.
Only
two groups refrained from signing the peace deal, including one with
considerable support in Darfur.
Darfur
endured a bitter conflict from 2003 pitting African ethnic minority rebels
against Arab nomads backed by the Khartoum government under Bashir.
The
conflict -- which left roughly 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced --
has subsided over the years but ethnic and tribal clashes still flare
periodically.
These
clashes largely occur between nomadic Arab pastoralists and settled farmers
from non-Arab ethnic groups over land ownership and access to water.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/18/Clashes-erupt-in-Sudan-s-South-Darfur-20-people-killed-Tribal-leader
--------
Tunisia
rocked by four consecutive nights of riots
19
January 2021
Tunisia
was rocked by a fourth night of street clashes between riot police and youths
in mostly working class neighbourhoods, and there were calls on social media
for more rallies on Tuesday.
More
than 600 people had been arrested by Monday over the disturbances in which
teenagers and adolescents have hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at police who
have fired volleys of teargas at them.
The
social unrest comes at a time of economic crisis, worsened by the impact of the
Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism-reliant North African country, that has
deepened poverty and driven up inflation and unemployment.
In
the latest unrest until the early hours of Tuesday, hundreds of youths in the
capital battled police in several districts including the vast Ettadhamen city
on the outskirts of Tunis.
In
Sfax, the second largest city, protesters blockaded roads with burning tyres,
an AFP correspondent reported. Clashes were also reported in the towns of
Gafsa, Le Kef, Bizerte, Kasserine, Sousse and Monastir.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/19/Tunisia-rocked-by-four-consecutive-nights-of-riots
--------
600
people arrested, army deployed after riots in Tunisia
18
January 2021
More
than 600 people were arrested after a third consecutive night of riots in
several Tunisian cities and troops have been deployed in some regions,
officials said Monday.
Interior
ministry spokesman Khaled Hayouni said a total of 632 people were arrested,
notably “groups of people between the ages of 15, 20 and 25 who burned tires
and bins in order to block movements by the security forces”. The defense
ministry said the army had been deployed in several cities.
Tunisia
began a lockdown in response to surging coronavirus cases on Thursday, a day
that marked a decade since dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was deposed in
street protests.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/18/600-people-arrested-army-deployed-after-riots-in-Tunisia
--------
UN
chief urges pullout of foreign forces from Libya
19
January 2021
The
United Nations (UN)'s chief has demanded the pullout of all foreign soldiers
and mercenaries from Libya, also hailing "tangible progress" made in
recent months in resolving the conflict in the North African country.
"Tangible
progress was achieved in advancing the UNSMIL-facilitated political, security
and economic intra-Libyan dialogues over the last few months,"
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a report submitted to the Security Council
on Monday, referring to the UN mission in Libya.
"Sustained
international engagement" in UN-facilitated talks "has generated
considerable impetus, demonstrated by tangible progress on the political,
security, economic and international humanitarian law and human rights tracks,
moving Libya forward on the road to peace, stability and development,"
Guterres further said.
The
UN chief also called on all "regional and international actors to respect
the provisions of the ceasefire agreement" reached on October 23 last year
on the withdrawal of all foreign troops and mercenaries from the war-ravaged
country within three months.
That
deadline for the pullout falls on Saturday, though the UN estimates that nearly
20,000 foreign forces and mercenaries still remain in Libya backing the warring
factions in the country, namely the UN-backed government in the capital,
Tripoli, and the rebels led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east of
the country.
Recognizing
that the "Libyan economy is at a precipice," Guterres further invited
rival Libyan parties "to maintain their resolve in reaching a lasting
political solution to the conflict, resolving economic issues and alleviating
the humanitarian situation for the benefit of all Libyan people."
Guterres
further urged all parties to implement the terms of the ceasefire "without
delay," something he reiterated "includes ensuring the departure of
all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya, and the full and unconditional
respect of the Security Council arms embargo," which has been in place
since conflict broke out in the country nearly 10 years ago.
The
next meeting of the Security Council on Libya has been set for January 28.
Britain — which participated in a Western military intervention in the country
to topple Libyan dictator and former ally Muammar Qaddafi — is preparing a
resolution for the UN mission to assume a supervisory role and monitor the
departure of foreign forces from Libya and ensure that the terms of the October
agreement are satisfied.
The development
came a day after the world body announced that the political talks it mediated
between Libya's warring parties had led to an agreement on a new transitional
government to oversee the run-up to elections set for next December.
Acting
UN Libya envoy Stephanie Williams said Sunday that the agreement represented
the "best possible compromise" on the issue and could lead to the
selection of a transitional government "in several weeks."
Libya
has been in chaos since 2014.
The
internationally-recognized government in the country is backed by Turkey, while
the rebels receive support from the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Egypt.
The
latest push toward peace began after the government repelled a 14-month rebel
assault on Tripoli in June last year. A ceasefire was agreed in Geneva in
October.
In
November, the UN invited 75 Libyans to join a political dialog in Tunis, which
set a date of December 24 this year for presidential and parliamentary
elections and agreed on the need for a new, unified transitional government.
The
transitional government will be responsible for preparing the elections,
combating corruption, and restoring public services across Libya, Williams
said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/19/643358/UN-chief-urges-pullout-of-foreign-forces-from-Libya
--------
Boko
Haram kills 4 soldiers in Niger
Fatma
Esma Arslan
19.01.2021
At
least four soldiers were killed and eight others seriously wounded in an attack
by the Boko Haram terrorist group in Niger, the country’s Defense Ministry said
Monday.
Members
of the terrorist organization detonated an explosive device previously planted
in the Diffa region as a military vehicle was passing, the ministry said in a
statement.
Boko
Haram launched a bloody insurgency in 2009 in northeastern Nigeria but later
spread its atrocities to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a
military response.
More
than 30,000 people have been killed and nearly 3 million displaced in a decade
of Boko Haram’s terrorist activities in Nigeria, according to the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Violence
committed by Boko Haram has affected some 26 million people in the Lake Chad
region and displaced 2.6 million others, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/boko-haram-kills-4-soldiers-in-niger/2114645
--------
UN
chief taps veteran diplomat to lead Libya efforts
Michael
Hernandez
18.01.2021
WASHINGTON
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Monday veteran Slovakian diplomat
Jan Kubis to be his special envoy for the conflict in Libya.
In
addition, Kubis is also being tasked with leading the UN's Support Mission in
Libya (UNSMIL). He will be replacing Stephanie Williams, who had held the roles
on an acting basis since 2018.
"The
Secretary-General is grateful for the commitment and outstanding leadership of
Acting Special Representative Stephanie T. Williams of the United States in
moving the political process forward in Libya," the UN said in a statement
announcing Kubis' appointment.
Kubis
"brings with him many years of experience in diplomacy, foreign security
policy, and international economic relations, both internationally and in his
own country," the UN added.
Kubis
served as the Special Coordinator for Lebanon since 2019, and was the
Secretary-General's Special Representative and Head of the United Nations
Assistance Mission in Iraq from 2015 to 2018. He also held UN posts in
Afghanistan and Europe, and was Slovakia's top envoy from 2006 to 2009.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/un-chief-taps-veteran-diplomat-to-lead-libya-efforts/2114456
--------
Mideast
IRGC
Commander: Iranian Armed Forces’ Drills Aimed at Deterring Enemy Moves
2021-January-19
“These
drills are an important part of the Iranian nation’s deterrence policy to not
allow enemy make miscalculations,” General Salami told reporters in Tehran on
Tuesday.
He
added that the wargames give self-confidence and peace of mind to the Iranian
nation and send this message to the enemies that the country is serious about
defending its honor and is always ready for defense.
Elsewhere,
General Salami referred to the recent incidents at the US Congress, and said
today the enemy has focused on protecting the Congress which indicates that the
US administration has been rotten.
In
relevant remarks on Monday, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General
Mohammad Hossein Baqeri noted the United States' weakness in sarcastic remarks,
saying that the US that intended to overthrow the Islamic Republic is now in
such turmoil that its Armed Forces have been put on alert for the new
president's inaugural ceremony.
“They
wanted the Islamic Republic not to see the 40th anniversary of its revolution
but the building of their own Congress came under siege. Their officials voiced
concern that their prestige is being spoiled before the eyes of the world
people, and now the US Armed Forces are on alert in the society for the
swearing-in ceremony of the new president,” General Baqeri said, addressing a
ceremony in Tehran.
“We
are at the peak (of power) today as enemies are collapsing,” he added.
General
Baqeri also referred to the recent massive drills staged by the Iranian Armed
Forces, saying that the country could hold the maneuvers in 3 days instead of
20 days which shows the Iranian forces' high preparedness.
Also,
late last week, General Baqeri said any enemy move will be annihilated by his
country's most advanced missile power.
“If
the enemies of the Islamic Republic have evil intentions towards national
interests, maritime trade routes and land and territory of the Islamic Republic
of Iran, they will be destroyed by advanced missiles of the country,” General
Baqeri said on the sidelines of the final stage of Payambar-e Azam 15 (Great
Prophet 15) wargames, which kicked off on Friday.
“The
military exercises in the past 15 days that will continue for the next 5 days
and are carried out almost simultaneously show the extraordinary and excellent
readiness of the Armed Forces in all dimensions of land, air, sea, and missile
defense,” he added.
Elaborating
on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ Great Prophet 15 drills which were
launched with the combined operations and mass firing of missiles of various
classes, Baqeri noted, “Holding large-scale Great Prophet 15 drills show that
the missile power of the Islamic Republic of Iran in short, medium, and
long-range is ready to defend the territory, national interests and lofty goals
of the Islamic Republic of Iran with all its might.”
"Although
we do not want to embark on aggression, we declare with these military exercises
that if enemies have any ill intention towards our country, they will be
attacked with Iran’s missile power in the shortest time possible,” he stressed.
In
relevant remarks on Friday, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami said
that preserving national sovereignty, the Islamic Establishment and values
against enemies are the main message of Payambar-e Azam 15 wargames.
“The
message of the military exercise demonstrated the authority and will of the
Islamic Republic of Iran to defend national sovereignty, the Islamic
Establishment and values in the face of enemies of Islam and Iran,” Salami said
on the sidelines of the first stage of IRGC missile and drone drills on Friday.
“Today,
a joint missile and drone combat was launched in very large-scale drills,” he
said, adding, “Using a large number of offensive combat drones, equipped with
advanced guidance and control technologies and artificial intelligence, along
with firing the most sophisticated ballistic missiles as well as destroying
targets with great precision in the first phase of the military exercise
displayed glorious scenes of deterrent defensive power of the Islamic Republic
of Iran.”
Major
General Salami described the successful testing of new technologies in missile
and UAV guidance and control systems and very precise command and control of
the joint strategic operations as the prominent features of the Great Prophet
15 wargames.
“With
Almighty God’s grace, today, the IRGC Aerospace Force was able to accurately
hit all specified targets in the drills using the most sophisticated missile
and UAV technology,” the commander went on to say.
The
IRGC started the first phase of the Great Prophet 15 wargames with the IRGC
Aerospace Force's massive missile launch and drone operations in the Central Desert
of Iran on Friday.
The
first stage of the Great Prophet (Payambar-e Azam) 15 drills of the IRGC kicked
off on Friday morning with the codename of “Ya Fatimah al-Zahar”, during which
ground-to-ground ballistic missiles were fired and offensive drone bombers
operations were put into action in the general area of Iran’s Central Desert.
During
the drills that began in the presence of IRGC Commander Major General Hossein
Salami, IRGC Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh and a number of senior
commanders and officials of the Iranian Armed Forces, a new generation of
ground-to-ground ballistic missiles and drones were used in compound offensive
against hypothetical enemy bases, destroying all the specified targets.
During
this stage of the wargames, after the attack of the IRGC Aerospace’s offensive
bomber drones from all sides to the missile shield of the hypothetical enemy
and complete destruction of targets, the new generation of the IRGC ballistic
missiles of the classes of Zolfaqar, Zelzal and Dezful were mass fired at
targets dealing fatal blows to the hypothetical enemy bases.
The
missiles were Multiple Re-entry Vehicles (MRVs) with the capability of jamming
and going through the enemy missile shield.
Great
Prophet wargames are annual missile tests and exercises conducted by Iran's
IRGC. The first series of the wargames began in July 2008.
In
recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and
attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and
systems.
The
Iranian Armed Forces several times a year test their preparedness and
capabilities as well as newly-manufactured weapons systems in different
wargames.
The
Iranian Armed Forces recently test-fire different types of newly-developed
missiles and torpedoes and tested a large number of home-made weapons, tools
and equipment, including submarines, military ships, artillery, choppers,
aircrafts, UAVs and air defense and electronic systems, during massive military
drills.
Iranian
officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs
serve defensive purposes.
Defense
analysts and military observers say that Iran's wargames and its advancements
in weapons production have proved as a deterrent factor.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991030000293/IRGC-Cmmander-Iranian-Armed-Frces%E2%80%99-Drills-Aimed-a-Deerring-Enemy-Mves
--------
Envoy:
Iran Not in Hurry to Judge Biden’s N. Deal Policy
2021-January-19
Takht
Ravanchi wrote on his Twitter page on Monday that Iran is in no rush to
evaluate the American President-elect Joe Biden’s policy towards the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action.
He
continued that it is yet unclear whether Biden would lift anti-Iran sanctions
and abandon the Trump administration’s maximum pressure.
In
relevant remarks earlier in January, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer
Qalibaf said what matters is the removal of sanctions, adding that the US’
returning to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is not important.
“The
JCPOA is not a sacred agreement. It is just a deal to remove sanctions under
the conditions accepted by the Islamic Republic,” Qalibaf said on Sunday
January 10, adding, “It does not matter for us if the US returns to the JCPOA,
what matters is the practical and tangible lifting of sanctions.”
He
said the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei has
“clarified the roadmap for all officials to fulfill the demands of people.”
“It
became clear to everyone that the main strategy in the face of the enemy is to
nullify sanctions, which is also a prelude to the lifting of sanctions,” the
Speaker said, adding that to lift sanctions, Iran must increase its power in
different sectors, including the nuclear industry.
Qalibaf
warned the EU Troika that have been following the US’ wicked policies against
Iran and said, "The Western front should know that it must recognize the
rights of the Iranian people; or else, it should be prepared to pay the
proportionate price."
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991030000364/Envy-Iran-N-in-Hrry-Jdge-Biden%E2%80%99s-N-Deal-Plicy
--------
Iranian
Speaker: US-Israeli ‘Deal of Century’ Plot Fails
2021-January-18
“The
US-Zionist axis pursues the scenario of disintegration of the Islamic countries
in the region along with the expulsion of the Palestinians from their ancestral
land and Judaization and destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Qalibaf said on
Monday, addressing a virtual meeting of chairpersons of the national security
commissions of the parliaments of countries which support Palestine.
“Undoubtedly,
if today the Islamic world does not realize this dangerous conspiracy and does
not prevent its occurrence, the Zionists will take the next step to
disintegrate the Islamic world if they can clean the notoriety of normalization,” he added.
Qalibaf
referred to the contacts between Israel and the terrorist groups in the region,
specially Syria in recent years, and said, “This hostility is aimed at
disintegration of Islamic countries, and we should be vigilant.”
He,
meantime, said, “No doubt, the US-Zionist plot called the Deal of the Century
has failed, and the nations are awakened and vigilant, and they will not allow
the Zionists to dominate the region thanks to their rich background and Islamic
culture.”
In
August 2019, In August, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei, in a message to the great congregation of pilgrims to the
Hajj rituals, had called upon Muslims to take advantage of the event to promote
awareness against the harms of the so-called Deal of the Century for
Palestinians.
“The
ploy of Deal of the Century prepared by the oppressive US, and its treasonous
cohorts, is a crime against human society, and not just the Palestinian
nation,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
“We
are inviting everyone to actively participate in overcoming this deception by
the enemy, and with the power and help of God, we consider this and all other
ruses by the arrogant front doomed to failure against the efforts, and faith of
the Resistance front,” the Leader underlined.
“Today,
one of the most important issues of the Muslim world is Palestine, which is at
the top of Muslims’ political issues, regardless of their school of thought,
race, and language,” he stressed.
“The
greatest injustice in recent history has happened in Palestine. In this painful
affair, all that a nation had—their land, homes, farms, belongings, dignity,
and identity—was confiscated. With God’s assistance, this nation has not
surrendered to defeat, and has not given up, and today, they are on the
battlefields more enthusiastic, and braver than yesterday. But the ultimate
outcome requires assistance from all Muslims,” Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991029000767/Iranian-Speaker-US-Israeli-%E2%80%98Deal-f-Cenry%E2%80%99-Pl-Fails
--------
Iran’s
Top Commander Mocks US for Putting Armed Forces on Alert for Biden’s
Swearing-in Ceremony
2021-January-18
“They
wanted the Islamic Republic not to see the 40th anniversary of its revolution
but the building of their own Congress came under seige. Their officials voiced
concern that their prestige is being spoiled before the eyes of the world
people, and now the US Armed Forces are on alert in the society for the
swearing-in ceremony of the new president,” General Baqeri said, addressing a
ceremony in Tehran on Monday.
“We
are at the peak (of power) today as enemies are collapsing,” he added.
General
Baqeri also referred to the recent massive drills staged by the Iranian Armed
Forces, saying that the country could hold the maneuvers in 3 days instead of
20 days which shows the Iranian forces' high preparedness.
In
relevant remarks late last week, General Baqeri said any enemy move will be
annihilated by his country's most advanced missile power.
“If
the enemies of the Islamic Republic have evil intentions towards national
interests, maritime trade routes and land and territory of the Islamic Republic
of Iran, they will be destroyed by advanced missiles of the country,” General
Baqeri said on the sidelines of the final stage of Payambar-e Azam 15 (Great
Prophet 15) wargames, which kicked off on Friday.
“The
military exercises in the past 15 days that will continue for the next 5 days
and are carried out almost simultaneously show the extraordinary and excellent
readiness of the Armed Forces in all dimensions of land, air, sea, and missile
defense,” he added.
Elaborating
on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ Great Prophet 15 drills which were
launched with the combined operations and mass firing of missiles of various
classes, Baqeri noted, “Holding large-scale Great Prophet 15 drills show that
the missile power of the Islamic Republic of Iran in short, medium, and
long-range is ready to defend the territory, national interests and lofty goals
of the Islamic Republic of Iran with all its might.”
"Although
we do not want to embark on aggression, we declare with these military
exercises that if enemies have any ill intention towards our country, they will
be attacked with Iran’s missile power in the shortest time possible,” he
stressed.
In
relevant remarks on Friday, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami said
that preserving national sovereignty, the Islamic Establishment and values
against enemies are the main message of Payambar-e Azam 15 wargames.
“The
message of the military exercise demonstrated the authority and will of the
Islamic Republic of Iran to defend national sovereignty, the Islamic
Establishment and values in the face of enemies of Islam and Iran,” Salami said
on the sidelines of the first stage of IRGC missile and drone drills on Friday.
“Today,
a joint missile and drone combat was launched in very large-scale drills,” he
said, adding, “Using a large number of offensive combat drones, equipped with
advanced guidance and control technologies and artificial intelligence, along
with firing the most sophisticated ballistic missiles as well as destroying
targets with great precision in the first phase of the military exercise
displayed glorious scenes of deterrent defensive power of the Islamic Republic
of Iran.”
Major
General Salami described the successful testing of new technologies in missile
and UAV guidance and control systems and very precise command and control of
the joint strategic operations as the prominent features of the Great Prophet
15 wargames.
“With
Almighty God’s grace, today, the IRGC Aerospace Force was able to accurately
hit all specified targets in the drills using the most sophisticated missile
and UAV technology,” the commander went on to say.
The
IRGC started the first phase of the Great Prophet 15 wargames with the IRGC
Aerospace Force's massive missile launch and drone operations in the Central
Desert of Iran on Friday.
The
first stage of the Great Prophet (Payambar-e Azam) 15 drills of the IRGC kicked
off on Friday morning with the codename of “Ya Fatimah al-Zahar”, during which
ground-to-ground ballistic missiles were fired and offensive drone bombers
operations were put into action in the general area of Iran’s Central Desert.
During
the drills that began in the presence of IRGC Commander Major General Hossein
Salami, IRGC Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh and a number of senior
commanders and officials of the Iranian Armed Forces, a new generation of
ground-to-ground ballistic missiles and drones were used in compound offensive
against hypothetical enemy bases, destroying all the specified targets.
During
this stage of the wargames, after the attack of the IRGC Aerospace’s offensive
bomber drones from all sides to the missile shield of the hypothetical enemy
and complete destruction of targets, the new generation of the IRGC ballistic
missiles of the classes of Zolfaqar, Zelzal and Dezful were mass fired at
targets dealing fatal blows to the hypothetical enemy bases.
The
missiles were Multiple Re-entry Vehicles (MRVs) with the capability of jamming
and going through the enemy missile shield.
Great
Prophet wargames are annual missile tests and exercises conducted by Iran's
IRGC. The first series of the wargames began in July 2008.
In
recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and
attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and
systems.
The
Iranian Armed Forces several times a year test their preparedness and
capabilities as well as newly-manufactured weapons systems in different
wargames.
The
Iranian Armed Forces recently test-fire different types of newly-developed
missiles and torpedoes and tested a large number of home-made weapons, tools
and equipment, including submarines, military ships, artillery, choppers,
aircrafts, UAVs and air defense and electronic systems, during massive military
drills.
Iranian
officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs
serve defensive purposes.
Defense
analysts and military observers say that Iran's wargames and its advancements
in weapons production have proved as a deterrent factor.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991029000606/Iran%E2%80%99s-Tp-Cmmander-Mcks-US-fr-Ping-Armed-Frces-n-Aler-fr-Biden%E2%80%99s
--------
Turkey
slaps advertising ban on Twitter, Pinterest
19
January 2021
Turkey
on Tuesday slapped advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest over
their non-compliance with a controversial new law that requires social media
platforms to appoint legal representatives in the country.
The
law — which human rights and media freedom groups say amounts to censorship —
forces social media companies to maintain representatives in Turkey to deal
with complaints about content on their platforms.
Companies
that refuse to designate an official representative are subjected to fines,
followed by advertising bans and could face bandwidth reductions that would
make their platforms too slow to use.
Facebook
avoided the advertising ban after it announced Monday that it had begun the
process of assigning a legal entity in Turkey, joining LinkedIn, YouTube,
TikTok, Dailymotion and the Russian social media site VKontakte, which have
agreed to set up legal entities in Turkey.
“We
hope that Twitter and Pinterest which have still not announced their
representatives will rapidly take the necessary steps,” said Omer Fatih Sayan,
the deputy minister in charge of communications and infrastructure, after the
advertising bans for Twitter, it’s live video-streaming app, Periscope and on
the image sharing network, Pinterest, were announced on Turkey’s Official
Gazette.
Sayan
added: “It is our last wish to impose bandwidth reductions for social networks
that insist on not complying with their obligations.”
There
was no immediate comment from Twitter and Pinterest over the advertising ban.
Under
the law that came into effect in October, the local representative of social
media companies would be tasked with responding to individual requests to take
down content violating privacy and personal rights within 48 hours or to
provide grounds for rejection. The company would be held liable for damages if
the content is not removed or blocked within 24 hours.
The
law also requires social media data to be stored in Turkey, raising concerns in
a country where the government has a track record of clamping down on free
speech.
Rights
groups have said the decision by international tech companies to bow to Turkish
pressure and appoint representatives would lead to censorship and violations of
the right to privacy and access to information in a country where independent
media is severely curtailed. The Freedom of Expression Association says more
than 450,000 domains and 42,000 tweets have been blocked in Turkey since
October.
Facebook
said Monday it remained committed to maintaining free expression and other
human rights in Turkey.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/19/Turkey-slaps-advertising-ban-on-Twitter-Pinterest
--------
Turkey
orders detainment of 238 suspects in military probe over Gulen links
19
January 2021
Turkey
has ordered the arrest of 238 people in an operation targeting suspects in the
military allegedly linked to a Muslim preacher who Ankara says was behind a
2016 failed coup, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
The
operation, covering 60 provinces, was part of a four-year-old crackdown against
the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. He denies involvement in the
July 2016 putsch attempt, in which more than 250 people were killed.
Anadolu
said 160 people had been detained in the latest police raids, ordered by
prosecutors in Izmir. It said suspects were also targeted in northern Cyprus,
where the Turkish military is deployed.
Among
the suspects were 218 serving military personnel, including six colonels, three
lieutenant colonels and nine majors, Anadolu said.
Since
the coup attempt, about 80,000 people have been held pending trial and some
150,000 civil servants, military personnel and others have been sacked or
suspended. More than 20,000 people had been expelled from the Turkish military.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/19/Turkey-orders-detainment-of-238-suspects-in-military-probe-over-Gulen-links
--------
UN
urges Israel to ‘halt,’ ‘reverse’ new settlements in West Bank
19
January 2021
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged Israel to “halt and reverse”
its decision last week to build 800 new homes for Jewish settlers in the
occupied West Bank.
The
decision is “a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution, and
a just, lasting and comprehensive peace” in the Middle East, Guterres said in a
statement.
“The
establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied
since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a
flagrant violation under international law.
“Settlement
expansion... further erodes the possibility of ending the occupation and
establishing a contiguous and viable sovereign Palestinian State, based on the
pre-1967 lines,” Guterres said.
Israel
on Sunday approved the construction of 780 homes in the occupied West Bank,
ordered last Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
All
Jewish settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal by much of the
international community.
There
are currently some 450,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, living amid an
estimated 2.8 million Palestinians.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/19/Israel-Palestine-UN-urges-Israel-to-halt-reverse-new-settlements-in-West-Bank
--------
Israel
to demolish more Palestinian schools, mosques
18
January 2021
Palestinians
in the occupied West Bank are simply being deprived of religious freedom and
their children denied education as Israel keeps demolishing newly constructed
mosques and schools.
Israeli
soldiers stormed the Masafer Yatta area, which is part of the Bedouin
community, and delivered ultimatums threatening to raze an elementary school
and a mosque under construction, the Palestinian Information Center reported on
Monday.
Yousef
al-Basaita, a head teacher said the demolitions left up to 50 kids without
school.
Last
December, the Israeli military notified local officials of its intent to raze
the school.
In
another incident, Israeli forces stormed al-Maleh area in the northern Jordan
Valley and photographed a school using a drone, seen as a prelude to
demolishing the building.
Israeli
authorities claim the structures that are demolished have been built without
permits.
They
also sometimes order Palestinians to tear down their own homes or pay
demolition costs to the municipality.
The
United Nations has censured the regime for carrying out repeated demolition of
Palestinian homes in the West Bank.
The
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that
there has been a sharp increase in the number of Palestinian houses being
demolished given the current era of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many
believe the controversial demolition measures adopted by Israel are aimed at
expelling more Palestinians from the West Bank.
Israel
was created in 1948 after a Western-backed military seizure of vast expanses of
Arab territories. In 1967, it occupied the entire West Bank, including East
al-Quds, following full-frontal military operations. Israel later annexed the
territories. Upon annexation, it also began propping up settlements, which the
international community deems illegal due to their construction on occupied
land.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/18/643330/Israel-Palestinian-schools-mosques
--------
Iran
hosts webinar on parliaments supporting Quds
18
January 2021
Yusef
Jalali
Quds,
the axis of Muslims’ unity; This is the theme of the International Webinar of
Parliaments Supporting Palestine.
Organized
by Iran’s parliament, the event was attended by parliament speakers and deputy
speakers from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Indonesia and other Muslim countries
as well as officials and representatives of Palestine’s resistance movements to
express their solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance against Israel’s
occupation.
Delegates
condemned Sudan, the UAE and Bahrain for their normalization of ties with
Israel, calling it a betrayal to the Muslim community.
The
Arab-Israeli normalization came as part of outgoing US President Donald Trump’s
so-called deal of the century.
The
plan, which has triggered a storm of condemnations from Palestinians, refers to
Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over
large parts of the West Bank.
While
the controversial deal was championed by Trump, observers say the incoming US
administration will not change course on Palestine.
Palestinian
ambassador to Iran says resistance remains the only way ahead of his people
against Israel’s occupation, since he believes that the path of dialog does not
work with Israel.
Although
the Arab-Israeli normalization infuriated the Muslim world, commentators say it
should not come as a surprise, and it’s only a revelation of their
long-existing covert ties.
This
is why they believe the move will not lead to a seismic shift in regional power
equations.
Delegates
at the webinar underlined that Palestine remains the top priority and the
innermost issue of the Muslim World, adding that Israel and its western
supporters have spared no effort in derailing that priority.
They
called on Muslim countries to stay united as they believe this is the main
counterforce against Israel's expansionist agenda.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/18/643320/Iran-hosts-webinar-on-parliaments-supporting-Quds
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HRW
calls on Israel to vaccinate all Palestinians against COVID-19
18
January 2021
Human
Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Israel to provide more than 4.5 million
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip with
COVID-19 vaccines against the backdrop of reports that Tel Aviv was
deliberately letting the spread of the disease in the occupied territories.
In a
statement on Sunday, the US-based rights group said the regime must carry out
its obligations, as the “occupying power,” under the Fourth Geneva Convention
to ensure provision of medical supplies.
The
need for the supply, it said, has gone up “after more than 50 years of
occupation with no end in sight.”
“Israeli
authorities should provide COVID-19 vaccines to the more than 4.5 million
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. While Israel has already
vaccinated more than 20 percent of its citizens, including Jewish settlers in
the West Bank, it has not committed to vaccinate Palestinians living in the
same occupied territory under its military rule.”
It
added that the said responsibility, as well as Israel’s obligations under
international human rights, includes providing vaccines in a
“non-discriminatory way” to those Palestinians living under the regime’s
control, using as a benchmark what is provided for its own people.
The
rights group particularly slammed the practice of giving shots to illegal
Israeli settlers in the West Bank, but not their Palestinian neighbors.
“Nothing
can justify today's reality in parts of the West Bank, where people on one side
of the street are receiving vaccines, while those on the other do not, based on
whether they're Jewish or Palestinian,” said HRW's Israel and Palestine
director Omar Shakir in the statement.
He
also stressed that everyone in the same territory should be given the COVID-19
vaccine, “regardless of their ethnicity.”
The
Palestinian Authority (PA), which runs the occupied West Bank, reported over
5,810 active COVID-19 cases in the region, excluding East Jerusalem al-Quds, as
of January 14.
It
also reported more than 100,000 cases and 1,000 deaths in these areas since the
beginning of the pandemic.
Separately,
the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which runs Gaza, reported 7,000
active COVID-19 cases in the blockaded enclave as of January 14, and a total of
over 45,000 cases and 400 deaths.
On
December 19, Israel began its coronavirus inoculation drive, which included
illegal settlers in the West Bank. So far over a million people have received
the shot.
In
the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured and annexed East Jerusalem al-Quds, in a
move that has never won international recognition, along with the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/18/643314/HRW-Israel-vaccinate-Palestinians
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Turkey,
Azerbaijan preparing for joint winter military drills
18
January 2021
Turkish
and Azerbaijani armed forces are getting prepared to hold joint winter military
exercises in Turkey's Kars region.
According
to a statement by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense on Sunday, servicemen from
the armed forces of the two countries are to take part in the joint Winter
Exercises 2021.
The Turkish
Armed Forces also confirmed in a separate statement on Sunday that preparations
were underway for the most comprehensive winter drills in recent years.
The
drills will mostly focus on training exercises for sheltering, reinforcement
and maintenance during harsh winter conditions.
Speaking
at a ceremony before Azerbaijani forces departed for the Sadarak checkpoint
bordering Turkey, Major General Fazil Agalarov outlined the scope of
Azerbaijani-Turkish military-technical cooperation, and stressed the importance
of the joint military exercises held annually in Nakhchivan and Kars regions
for Baku and Ankara.
Turkey's
Daily Sabah reported that tank divisions, cannonry, sniper teams, helicopters
and commandos will also participate in the drills.
It
added that the two militaries will practice ground and air assaults, airdrops,
airborne operations and logistic support.
Domestically-produced
weaponry and equipment are to be tested during the twelve-day drills scheduled
for February 1-12, it said.
Ankara
and Baku launched a two-stage joint military exercise last year.
Turkey
put its support behind Azerbaijan after fresh fighting erupted on Sept. 27
between Baku's military and Armenian-backed separatists forces in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The
44-day conflict ended with Baku regaining control of many cities and villages
from Yerevan.
On
Nov. 10, the two countries signed a ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia to
end the conflict and a joint Russian-Turkish peacekeeping force was deployed to
monitor the truce.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/18/643296/Turkey-Azerbaijan-Joint-Military-Drill-Kars
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Turkey
nabs 35 terror suspects over alleged links to Daesh/ISIS
Adsiz
Gunebakan
19.01.2021
Turkey
on Tuesday arrested 35 Daesh/ISIS terror suspects as part of an anti-terror
operation based in the southeastern Gaziantep province.
Gaziantep's
chief prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants for 37 suspects as part of a
probe launched to investigate financing of the terrorist organization.
While
Turkish security teams arrested 35 suspects across 15 provinces, security
sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the search for the
remaining two suspects is ongoing.
A
number of organizational materials were also seized during the search at the
suspects' addresses, added the sources.
In
2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare the Daesh/ISIS a
terrorist group.
The
country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with 315
people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven
bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.
In
response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent
further attacks.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-nabs-35-terror-suspects-over-alleged-links-to-daesh-isis/2114853
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