Former British PM 'Blair': I Was Wrong To Invade Iraq and Afghanistan; Tens of Thousands of Iraqis, More Than 4,000 US Troops and 179 British Service Members Were Killed
New Age Islam News Bureau
07 March 2022
Former British PM 'Blair'
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• Unearthed Entire Network, Family Members of Bombers
Responsible For Peshawar Mosque Blast: Authorities
• Bangladesh Police Arrests a Cleric, Maulvi Zakoria,
Who Allegedly Issued an Execution Edict against Rohingya Activist, Mohib Ullah
• Ukraine Needs More Humanitarian Aid, More Effort to
Stop War: Azhar Grand Imam Tweets in Ukrainian
• Tunisia Sentences 16 to Death over Attacks in 2016
By Islamic State Affiliate
Europe
• Protesters in London call for an end to Saudi-Bahraini
conspiracy against Arabs
• UNSC urges states to help catch brains behind attack
in Peshawar
• Moscow seeks US guarantees before backing Iran
nuclear deal: Lavrov
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Pakistan
• Rallies staged across KP to condemn mosque bombing
• Religious leaders condemn Peshawar blast
• Peshawar mosque was not categorised as sensitive
• Fazl questions utility of military operations
against terrorists
• MQM-P warns of decisive drive against Sindh govt
over ‘injustices’
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South
Asia
• Afghan Experts in Exile Return to Country, Met
Taliban Officials
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation Opens Office in Kabul
• Not For Faint-Hearted, Taliban Embrace Buzkashi
Sport In New Afghanistan
• US intends to resettle Afghan refugees in other
countries
• UN’s 17th package of $32 million arrives in Kabul
• Afghanistan: Taliban arrests journalist for unclear
reasons in Kabul
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Arab
World
• Saudi Arabian Military Industries Plans to Produce
Saudi-Made Drone
• Two Killed In Israeli Attack over Damascus: Report
• 15 soldiers dead in Syria attack on military bus:
Monitor
• Saudi Crown Prince visits first day of World Defence
Show in Riyadh
• More than 10,000 people take part in first
full-length Riyadh Marathon
• Saudi Arabia’s first World Defence Show opens to the
public
• UAE votes in favour of resolution on Ukraine human
rights situation
• Over dozen Syrian soldiers killed in terrorist
attack in Homs: SANA
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Africa
• UN adviser regrets criticism of proposal to solve
Libyan crisis
• US ambassador calls for avoiding violence, political
rift in Libya
• Libya's Dbeibeh welcomes US-European statement on
elections
• Burkina Faso's junta appoints interim government,
retains Simpore
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North
America
• Blinken Says New Russia Demands On Iran Nuclear Deal
‘Irrelevant’
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Southeast
Asia
• Scores of Rohingya Muslims Land on Indonesian Beach in
Rickety Boat
• Principle-driven takaful sees strong growth in
Malaysia
• Khairuddin slams ‘scantily-clad’ show, demands PN
leaders apologise
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India
• Bulli Bai App Case: Accused Tried To Target Sikh
Community, Says Court
• Five, Including a Bangladeshi Citizen of Ansar
al-Islam Arrested In Assam
• How ‘Pasoori’ Dancer Sheema Kermani Resisted Gen
Zia-Ul-Haq by Wearing ‘Un-Islamic’ Saris
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Mideast
• FM Hopes for IAEA’s Further Support for Iran’s
Peaceful N. Program, Warns of Israeli Plots
• IRGC Commander Stresses Abundance of Effective
Domestically-Manufactured Arms
• Iran Welcomes Saudi Crown Prince’s Comments on
Bilateral Ties
• First VP Asks IAEA to Adopt Impartial Approach
towards Iran’s N. Activities
• Israeli army kills 16-year-old Palestinian in West
Bank: Palestinian health ministry
• Iran says agreed roadmap with UN’s IAEA to resolve
nuclear issues
• Palestine seeks evacuation of nationals from Ukraine
amid Russian war
• Palestinians hail Kuwaiti walkout from Bahraini
event over Israel’s presence
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/british-pm-blair-invade-iraq-afghanistan/d/126523
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Former British PM 'Blair': I Was Wrong To Invade Iraq and Afghanistan; Tens of Thousands of Iraqis, More Than 4,000 US Troops and 179 British Service Members Were Killed
Former British PM 'Blair'
-----
March 7, 2022
Former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair has
admitted that he “may have been wrong” about the decision to invade Iraq and
Afghanistan but remained steadfast in his view that he thought it was “the
right thing” to do.
In conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury
Justin Welby, as part of the BBC’s “The Archbishop Interviews” series, Blair
provided a defines of his decision to invade Iraq and Afghanistan in support of
former US President George W. Bush.
“People often say over Iraq or Afghanistan that I took
the wrong decision, but you’ve got to do what you think is right,” the
68-year-old said.
He added: “Whether you are right or not is another
matter. In those really big decisions, you don't know what all the different
component elements are, and you’ve got to follow, in the end, your own
instinct.”
He told Welby that he “may have been wrong” but
reaffirmed that he thought it was the right thing to do.
Blair’s comments come after he was appointed a knight
companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior chivalric
honour in Britain, which is offered solely by the monarch, in the New Year’s
Honours list.
More than 1 million people have signed a petition online
calling for the honour to be rescinded, with the organizer claiming that “Tony
Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom
and to the very fabric of the nation’s society.”
The petition specifically refers to his actions in the
Middle East, writing: “He was personally responsible for causing the death of
countless innocent civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. For this
alone he should be held accountable for war crimes.”
The Chilcot Inquiry, established in 2009 to
investigate Britain’s most controversial military engagement since the end of
the Second World War, called the invasion “unnecessary” and said Blair decided
to go in based on “flawed” intelligence about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass
destruction (WMD). Tens of thousands of Iraqis, more than 4,000 US troops and
179 British service members were killed in the lengthy conflict.
Source: ABNA24
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original story:
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Unearthed Entire Network, Family Members Of Bombers
Responsible For Peshawar Mosque Blast: Authorities
According to the city police chief, seven dead bodies
could not be identified. (AP photo)
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March 6, 2022
Pakistani investigation authorities on Sunday claimed
to have unearthed the entire network and family members of the bombers
responsible for the deadly suicide attack on a crowded Shia mosque in
Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that killed 63 people and wounded 200
others, a senior official said.
A suicide bomber, belonging to the ISIS-Khorasan, blew
himself up inside a mosque in Qissa Khwani bazaar in Peshawar, capital of
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, in one of the deadliest attacks in the
restive region, bordering Afghanistan.
Advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on
Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, along with Peshawar City Police Chief
Ijaz Khan told reporters that a rickshaw driver and facilitator have been
traced while the police investigators are very close to the family of the
bombers as their identification process has been completed.
The development came a day after Pakistan's Interior
Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed vowed to arrest the masterminds behind the deadly
suicide attack.
FIR has been registered against the unknown accused in
Khan Raziq Police Station and forwarded to Counter Terrorism Department (CTD)
police probing the blast.
It is said that CTD has arrested two suspects in the
case and collected the required data from the site.
According to the investigation team, they found seven
bullet shells and maintained that the bomber used a 9 mm pistol before blowing himself
up.
The sketches of the bombers and two facilitators who
have come on a Tri wheeler at the blast site have been completed.
The city police chief, Ijaz khan, did not agree with
the assertions of the people that police security guards did not play their
role properly.
However, he agreed there may be some lapses as polio
drives and festivals for minority communities were also underway in the city.
The police were fully alert. The Peshawar city police
chief said they had information about the presence of two terrorists in the
city.
He further said that seven dead bodies could not be
identified while police also found two broken legs which, are believed to be of
the bombers and have been sent to the forensics for DNA investigation.
The last major terrorist attack was also carried out
in Peshawar, a mosque in Dir Colony on October 27, 2020, killing eight students
and injuring around 120 injured as a timed device went off on the premises,
where a large number of seminarians were attending a class.
Source: India Today
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original story:
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Bangladesh Police Arrests A Cleric, Maulvi Zakoria,
Who Allegedly Issued An Execution Edict Against Rohingya Activist, Mohib Ullah
Rohingya community leader
Mohib Ullah (C) was shot dead last year in a refugee camp near the Myanmar
border MUNIR UZ ZAMAN AFP
----
March 07, 2022
COX’S BAZAR: Bangladesh police arrested a powerful
cleric who allegedly issued an execution edict against a prominent Rohingya
activist shot dead last year in the vast refugee camps near the Myanmar border,
officials said Sunday.
The murder last September of Mohib Ullah, the head of
an important civil society group, sent shockwaves through the massive
settlements that house hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who fled a violent
crackdown by Myanmar’s army in 2017.
His family blamed the murder on the Arakan Rohingya
Salvation Army, which is the main Rohingya insurgent group in western Myanmar
and believed to be involved in drug smuggling and violent crime in the camps.
On Saturday, an elite Bangladeshi police unit arrested
Maulvi Zakoria, the alleged chief of the Ulema Council, a council of powerful
clerics tied to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.
“Moulvi Zokaria issued a fatwa (a religious edict) to
assassinate Mohib Ullah. Then Mohib Ullah was killed. Zakoria went into
hiding,” said police official Naimul Haque.
Haque said Zakoria had “disagreements with Mohib
Ullah.”
“Mohib Ullah was working for the repatriation of
Rohingya people to Myanmar. But the work of the so-called group was to destroy
the discipline in the camps,” he said.
The overwhelming majority of the Rohingya people are
conservative Muslims. Sources said group has a firm grip on the religious
affairs of the Rohingya people through the Ulema Council.
In October last year, the group was also accused of
killing six people in an Islamic seminary in a refugee camp in Bangladesh’s
southeast, which was allegedly controlled by its rival, Islami Mahad.
Working among the chaos and unease in the camps, Ullah
and his colleagues quietly documented the crimes that his people suffered at
the hands of the Myanmar military while pressing for better conditions.
The former schoolteacher shot to prominence in 2019
when he organized a protest of about 100,000 people in the camps to mark two
years since their exodus.
He also met the then-US President Donald Trump in the
White House that year and addressed a UN meeting in Geneva.
But his fame appears to have gone down badly with the
Salvation Army.
They saw Ullah as threatening their place as the sole
voice representing the Rohingya — one who was opposed to their violence, his
colleagues and rights activists say.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2037346/world
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Ukraine Needs More Humanitarian Aid, More Effort To
Stop War: Azhar Grand Imam Tweets In Ukrainian
Ahmad El Tayyeb, the Grand
Imam of Al Azhar
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6 Mar 2022
“We are witnessing Ukrainian civilians leaving their
homes in search of safety and security, which is a true test of our humanity,”
El-Tayyeb said in a series of tweets in Arabic, English, and — for the first
time — in Ukrainian on his official Twitter account.
“I call on the international community to increase
humanitarian aid to Ukraine and exert further efforts to end the war,” he said,
adding that he asked Allah Almighty to help the innocent return to their homes
sooner rather than later.
Last week, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the world’s
leading Sunni Muslim institution, called on Russia and Ukraine to defer to the
voice of reason as well as on world leaders and international institutions to
support peaceful solutions between the two neighbours.
“Wars will only bring more death, destruction, and
hatred to our world. Conflicts can only be settled through dialogue,” he said
last week.
Source: Ahram
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/462299.aspx
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Tunisia Sentences 16 to Death over Attacks in 2016 by Islamic
State Affiliate
Tunisian police officers
take positions during fighting with Islamic State group militants in Ben
Guerdane, Tunisia in March 2016. Photo: AP
-----
6 March 2022
By Chris True
A Tunisian court sentenced 16 people to death in the
first judgements against fighters involved in 2016 attacks near the Libyan
border that left scores dead, media reported on Saturday.
A total of 96 people were accused in the trial
relating to the March 2016 events that saw the town of Ben Guerdane become the
stage of a bloody battle as members of Islamic State's (IS) Libya branch staged
a series of deadly attacks.
The court, which is specialised in terrorism offences,
handed 16 of the defendants Tunisia's toughest sentence, though the country has
imposed a moratorium on capital punishment since 1991.
Other defendants were handed sentences ranging from
four years to life in prison, while a small but unspecified number of defendants
were acquitted, the reports said.
The prosecution said it would appeal, AFP reported.
Following the attacks in Ben Guerdane, the Tunisian
authorities said they had thwarted an attempt by IS to establish a foothold
within the country.
The attacks killed 13 members of the security forces
and seven civilians. In addition, 55 attackers were killed.
Following the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime
president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia saw a surge in attacks across the
country.
Many Tunisians also travelled to Syria or Iraq to join
the IS or other similar groups.
The security situation has greatly improved in recent
years, but Tunisian forces continue to hunt suspected fighters in parts of the
country.
Source: Middle East Eye
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original story:
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Europe
Protesters in London call for an end to Saudi-Bahraini conspiracy against Arabs
March 6, 2022
Dozens of activists in London staged a protest in
front of the Saudi Embassy in central London on Saturday, calling for an end to
“Saudi-Bahraini conspiracy against the peoples of the region.”
They raised banners and chanted slogans calling for an
end to the Saudi-Bahraini conspiracy against the peoples of Bahrain, Yemen and
Hijaz.
The protest coincides with the imminent entry of the
Saudi aggression against Yemen into its eighth consecutive year amid the
silence of the international community.
Source: ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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UNSC urges states to help catch brains behind attack
in Peshawar
Anwar Iqbal
March 7, 2022
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council said on Sunday
that all acts of terrorism were criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their
motivation, and urged all UN member states to cooperate with Pakistan in
catching those responsible for the latest attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar.
The attack, carried out during Friday prayers,
resulted in the death of at least 62 people and injuries to dozens more. The militant
Islamic State group, better known by its acronym ISIL-K, claimed responsibility
for the attack.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was among the
first to condemn the attack, noting in a tweet that “houses of worship should
be havens, not targets”.
“I condemn the horrific attack on a mosque in
Peshawar during Friday prayers. My condolences to those who lost loved ones,
and my solidarity with the people of Pakistan,” he wrote.
The US State Department also issued a similar
statement, describing the attack as “horrific” and conveying “sincere
condolences” to the victims’ families and friends. “The United States mourns in
solidarity with Pakistan,” the statement added.
The strongest reaction, however, came from the UN
Security Council, which not only condemned the attack and expressed solidarity
with the victims’ families but also addressed the core issue: hiding behind
various issues to justify terrorism.
“The members of the Security Council reiterated that
any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their
motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed,” said the statement
signed by the council’s current president Lana Zaki Nusseibeh of the United
Arab Emirates.
“They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by
all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other
obligations, … threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist
acts,” the statement added.
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most
serious threats to international peace and security.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1678674/unsc-urges-states-to-help-catch-brains-behind-attack-in-peshawar
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Moscow seeks US guarantees before backing Iran nuclear
deal: Lavrov
05 March ,2022
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday
that Moscow is demanding guarantees from the US before backing the Iran nuclear
deal, citing the current wave of Western sanctions against Russia.
“It would have all been fine, but that avalanche of
aggressive sanctions that have erupted from the West - and which I understand
has not yet stopped - demand additional understanding by lawyers above all,”
Lavrov said.
Lavrov said Russia wanted a written guarantee from the
United States that Russia’s trade, investment and military-technical
cooperation with Iran would not be hindered in any way by the sanctions.
“We want an answer - a very clear answer - we need a
guarantee that these sanctions will not in any way touch the regime of
trade-economic and investment relations which is laid down in the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov said that under the deal, Russia and China
would be allowed to help Iran develop its civilian nuclear programs in
accordance with non-proliferation rules. Sanctions would not be able to affect
those projects, Lavrov said.
“There are still several topics which our Iranian
colleagues want more clarity on and we consider those are fair demands,” Lavrov
said.
“We have asked for a written guarantee ... that the
current process triggered by the United States does not in any way damage our
right to free and full trade, economic and investment cooperation and
military-technical cooperation with the Islamic Republic.”
Earlier on Saturday, Iran said it had agreed a roadmap
with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve all outstanding questions about the
country’s nuclear program by late June, a move seen as a latest push to revive
Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with global powers.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Pakistan
Rallies staged across KP to condemn mosque bombing
March 07, 2022
PESHAWAR: Rallies and sits-in were staged in the
provincial capital and other parts of KP on Sunday to express anger at the
suicide bombing at the Jamia Masjid in Koocha Risaldar near Qissa Khwani on
Friday which had claimed 63 lives and left 190 others injured.
A rally and sit-in were staged in the historic Qissa
Khwani Bazaar which was attended mainly by the Shia community members but
people from other sections of the society were in attendance as well.
The rally started from the Chah Shabaz locality. The
participants marched through the Qissa Khwani Bazaar and staged a sit-in near
Chowk Shaheedaan. A considerable number of burqa-clad women also took part in
the protest. They were holding placards inscribed with slogans against
terrorism, condemning the recent suicide bombing at Koocha Risaldar and acts of
terrorism elsewhere in the country.
It was a rare occasion when women staged a sit-in on
the main road in the Qissa Khwani Bazaar which is a business hub on normal days
but even essential items shops were closed during the protest to express
solidarity with the victims of the suicide bombing.
The speakers condemned the suicide bombing at Koocha
Risaldar and demanded the government and the law-enforcing agencies to take
strict action to protect the life and property of the citizens who, they said,
were sick of such subversive activities. Special dua was offered for those who
died in the mosque bombing at Koocha Risaldar.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The rallies and sits-in were held in
Dera City from Hussaini Chowk to Fawwara Chowk and Paharpur City.
The protesters, including office-bearers of different
Shia organisations, local traders and civil society members condemned the
mosque bombing in Peshawar and demanded the arrest of the perpetrators of the
heinous crime forthwith.
The speakers, Allama Ghazanfar Naqvi, Allama Tamazan
Tauqir, Pakistan People’s Party lawmaker Ahmad Karim Kundi, Asad Zaidi and
others, said the law-enforcing agencies must take action to arrest the accused
and award them exemplary punishment.
A protest was staged in Syed Alian area in Paharpur
where the protesters urged the government to take practical steps to stamp out terrorism.
They condemned the cowardice act and killing of innocent worshippers in a
mosque and demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
BANNU: The office-bearers and workers of
Majlis-e-Wahadul Muslimeen on Sunday staged a protest rally against the suicide
bomb attack on a mosque in Koocha Risaldar and the killing of innocent people,
mostly worshippers.
Source: The News Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/939454-rallies-staged-across-kp-to-condemn-mosque-bombing
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Religious leaders condemn Peshawar blast
By Asim Hussain
March 06, 2022
LAHORE : Leadership of all the religious schools of
thought and religions of Pakistan have strongly condemned the Peshawar bomb
attack terming it an act of anti-Islam and anti-state elements to fan anarchy
and chaos in the country.
Addressing a joint press conference following a
meeting on Saturday, the leadership of various religions and schools of thought
chaired by PM’s special assistant on religious harmony Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi
asserted that enemy conspiracies will be foiled with forging complete unity in
the country.
They announced to observe next Friday as 'Pakistan
Stability Day' across the country and holding Paigham-e-Pakistan
Ulemas-Mashaykh Conference on Monday, 7th March in Islamabad.
Other participants of the meeting included Pir
Naqib-ur-Rehman, Sahibzada Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Allama Arif Wahidi, Maulana
Afzal Haideri, Allama Abdul Haq Mujahid, Allama M Hussain Akbar, Maulana Asad
Zakaria Qasmi, Maulana Mufti M Zubair, Maulana Syed Ziaullah Shah Bukhari, Dr
Ragheb Hussain Naeemi, Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani, President of Church of
Pakistan Bishop Azad Marshal, Sardar Bishan Singh, Allama Abdul Wahab Rupari,
Maulana Syed Yusuf Shah, Maulana Muhammad Khan Leghari, Hafiz Kazim Raza,
Maulana Noman Hashir, Maulana Abu Bakar Hameed Sabri, Maulana Aslam Siddiqui,
Maulana Prof Abu Bakar Siddique, Allama Tahir-ul-Hassan, Maulana Obaidullah
Gormani, Maulana Shafi Qasmi, Maulana Aziz Akbar Qasmi, Maulana Pir Asad Habib
Shah Jamali, Maulana Asadullah Farooq, Maulana Ashfaq Patafi, Maulana Tahir
Aqeel Awan, Allama Pir Zubair Abid and others.
They said the religious leadership stands united with
the Armed Forces of Pakistan to eradicate the menace of extremism and
terrorism. They said enemies of Pakistan would not be allowed to succeed in
their nefarious intentions. They said the attack was not against any group but
on the entire country and shared the grief of the bereaved families. They
emphasized on national unity and solidarity to foil the enemies’ nefarious
designs.
They said religious and political parties in the
country want peace and are on the same page in the war on terrorism, and all
sections of society have rendered enormous sacrifices.
Meanwhile, religious leaders continued on Saturday to
condemn a suicide blast in a Peshawar mosque that killed nearly 60 worshippers
and injured about 200. They demanded the government ensure protection of lives
and properties of people or quit to let some able politicians do that.
Tanzeem-e-Islami (TI) ameer Shujauddin Shaikh termed
the bomb blast “atrocious terrorist attack showing a sick and cruel mindset.”
He warned that enemies of Islam and Pakistan had chosen a specific time for
this terrorist attack, saying the country had received veiled as well as open
threats from India following resumption of international sport activities after
a long hiatus. Pakistan was facing likelihood of terrorism after its refusal to
support the US narrative on Russia-Ukraine war. He lamented that national
security institutions should have been on the highest possible alert. He
demanded foolproof security for all public places, mosques and Madaris and a
stern action to crush the terrorists and their facilitators.
Chairman Sunni Ittehad Council and Punjab Quran Board
Sahibzada Hamid Raza condemned Peshawar bomb attack, saying Taliban are enemies
and traitors of Pakistan, and their armed struggle is against Islam and the
Constitution of Pakistan. Talking to the media at Quran Board office on
Saturday, he held those celebrating the victory of Afghan Taliban as senseless
and careless. He opined that opposition's no-confidence motion would fail and
Imran Khan's government faced no threat. He expressed concerns over spread of
obscenity and nudity, saying “Haya Day” would be observed on March 8 to counter
the western agenda. He said Pakistan must not be allowed to become a part of
any proxy war.
Source: The News Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/939021-religious-leaders-condemn-peshawar-blast
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Peshawar mosque was not categorised as sensitive
Mohammad Asghar
March 7, 2022
RAWALPINDI: A senior police official on Sunday said
that the mosque in Peshawar that was attacked by a suicide bomber on Friday was
not categorised as the most sensitive or sensitive and that security had been
deployed there as per routine.
The official, who is based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told
Dawn on condition of anonymity that although there had been no threat alert,
police personnel had been deployed outside the mosque. The terrorist first shot
and killed one of the two policemen and injured the other before entering the
mosque and detonating the explosive wrapped around his body.
Meanwhile, security in Rawalpindi division has been
placed on high alert.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ashfaq Ahmad Khan
directed the police in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal districts to
improve the security measures, especially for worship places, educational
institutions and public places.
He also directed the senior police officers to deploy
extra police at sensitive places and launch intelligence-based search
operations in their respective areas.
On the third day of the Test match between Pakistan
and Australia in Rawalpindi, the RPO and City Police Officer (CPO) Omer Saeed
Malik went into a session with senior officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) and also reviewed the security measures put in place for the players,
cricket lovers and officials.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1678687/peshawar-mosque-was-not-categorised-as-sensitive
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Fazl questions utility of military operations against
terrorists
March 7, 2022
PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana
Fazlur Rehman has said that people reserve the right to ask the security agencies
why they are not safe despite years of operations against terrorists and claims
that they have been neutralised.
He visited Peshawar on Sunday to condole with the
victims’ families of the Friday bombing at a mosque that left 63 people dead
and some 200 wounded.
Speaking to media, the JUI-F chief said that security
forces conducted operations across the country, particularly in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, for years to stamp out terrorism and provide safety to citizens.
“As a result of these operations millions were
displaced, especially from the tribal districts. Thousands of them have yet to
return to their homes. But the government and the security organisations have
failed to provide security to people,” he said.
JUI-F chief says govt and security agencies failed to
protect people; families of bombing victims protest in Peshawar
Mr Rehman said that they asked the institutions as to
why they failed to safeguard the lives and properties of people. “We will foil
the nefarious designs of forces bent on creating chaos and fueling
sectarianism,” he added.
To a question, he said that opposition would table a
no-confidence motion against the government within a few days. “We have the
strength and have prepared a draft of the resolution to push through the
motion,” he added.
The JUI-F chief alleged that government was spending
money of taxpayers to send members of National Assembly abroad on tours. He
dispelled the impression that the opposition movement failed, claiming that
government was isolated through the combined and sustained efforts of the
opposition parties.
Meanwhile, the special representative of prime
minister on religious harmony, Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, also visited
Peshawar to condole with the families of the victims.
On this occasion, he said that the Friday’s incident
did not belong to a particular school of thought. He said that it was their
joint issue.
Their (the victims) only sin was that they raised
slogan of Allah-o-Akbar (God is Great). That was why they were targeted. “We
are all Hussaini and we are ready to render sacrifices for our country,” he
said.
He added that the culprits would be brought to justice
and the case would be sent to anti-terrorism court for speedy trail.
Meanwhile, the families of the bombing victims staged
a protest demonstration in the city. A large number of people including
families of the victims participated in the rally, which was started from
Church Road.
“Targeting faithful in a mosque is height of
brutality,” said Allama Shabir Hassan Maisami, general secretary of Shia Ulema
Council. “There is no religion of those bombing a mosque,” he added.
He said that as citizens of Pakistan, the people were
prepared for any sacrifice for their country. “But for the last 20 years, the
blood of the people has been spilled for no reason. Why is the state not
answerable for this carnage? Why is it silent and not acting against the
murderers,” he questioned.
Allama Shabir said that Shia community had been at the
forefront of those, who offered sacrifices for the country, and would continue
to do so. “But why are we not safe against the threat from foreign elements,”
he questioned.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1678667/fazl-questions-utility-of-military-operations-against-terrorists
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MQM-P warns of decisive drive against Sindh govt over
‘injustices’
Qamaruddin Shaikh
March 7, 2022
MIRPURKHAS: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan convener
Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has issued, what he called an “ultimatum” to Sindh
government over flawed census of urban population and other injustices being
meted out to Muhajirs.
He said at a protest rally at Post Office Chowk here
on Sunday that regrettably, the past governments failed to ensure correct
counting of urban population and undercounted population even in Karachi, which
paid 60 per cent of the total tax collected in the country.
He demanded the government immediately complete
voter-lists and carry out delimitations according to genuine number of
population.
He said that many attempts were made to turn Muhajirs
into third-rate citizens but everyone needed to understand that founders of
Pakistan and their progeny could never be reduced to second- or third-grade
citizens; “they will always remain the first-grade citizens”.
Seeks accurate census, due share in govt jobs
He said the biased Sindh government had seized rights
of urban population, particularly Muhajirs by enforcing an illegal quota system
on cities, and deprived Muhajir youth of jobs in public sector and admissions
to universities and colleges.
He said that highly prejudiced and biased policies of
PPP government had forced them to take to the street. “Today, we are recording
our protest to show state agencies and the government that Muhajirs stand by
other communities in Mirpurkhas for seeking rights,” he said.
He recalled that in 1970 [veteran Sindhi nationalist
leader late] G.M. Syed had issued a pamphlet which demanded separation of
Karachi from Sindh province but then representatives of Karachi had rejected
his demand.
He said that today’s MQM-P did not want friction and
wanted to work with all parties and groups. “No leader in the country is
greater than the Quaid-i-Azam and no people could be more patriotic than
Muhajirs, who had created this country,” he said.
Siddiqui said that his community had laid down enough
sacrifices to mitigate prejudice and hatred among the two major [lingual]
communities of Sindh’s population but it’s now the others’ turn to render
sacrifice. “If they are not ready to for this, then time and history will
compel them to sacrifice,” he said.
He said that when founders of Pakistan took to the
street, they created countries and brought down governments. “Our forefathers
had come to Pakistan voluntarily to turn it into a model of Islamic country but
political leadership after 1970 turned it into something else,” he said.
“We had not come to Pakistan to live under this feudal
system. If the establishment wants to save Pakistan then it will have to hand
the country back to the generation of the founders of the nation,” he said.
He said that post-1970 rulers drove wedges between
different communities and caused dream of Sindhu Desh to develop and grow.
People should get united on MQM-P’s platform to get their rights, he said.
Siddiqui warned that if the situation did not change
in Sindh then people would finally stage sit-ins before the Chief Minister
House and Bilawal House to bring down the government.
The party’s deputy convener Kanwar Naveed Jameel said
that Mirpurkhas was a city of Muhajirs and everybody knew what PPP’s attitude
was towards the Urdu-speaking community.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1678597/mqm-p-warns-of-decisive-drive-against-sindh-govt-over-injustices
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South
Asia
Afghan experts in exile return to country, met Taliban
officials
07 Mar 2022
Representatives of three different Afghan
organizations have returned to Afghanistan and have met with high-level
authorities of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to discuss women’s rights and
governance.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Sunday
after having met the Taliban authorities the returnee said, they have come to
Afghanistan to serve following the consistent requests from the de facto
authorities in Kabul.
Sayed Agha, representative of the foundation
Management said that they have suggestions to the Taliban officials in three
specific areas namely women’s rights, better governance, and economic growth.
He added that the Taliban assured of providing
security to all those who return to country to advance it.
Not only men but also women were among those who
recently returned to country and met with the Taliban officials and discussed
with them protection of women’s rights.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have been calling
on Afghans in exile to return to country and do their part in developing their
homeland.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-experts-in-exile-return-to-country-met-taliban-officials-754967587/
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Organization of Islamic Cooperation opens office in
Kabul
06 Mar 2022
A week after the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s
(OIC) special representative for Afghanistan Dr. Muhammad Saeed Ayash began its
mission in Afghanistan, the organization’s office opened in Kabul on Sunday,
March 6, 202.
OIC in a press release said that the office aims to
oversee pledges made by foreign ministers of the organization about addressing
the situation in Afghanistan.
As per the statement, the office will coordinate
humanitarian activities with international agencies, and no effort will be
spared to address the ongoing situation of the Afghan people.
The organization in an extraordinary summit over
Afghanistan set up an exclusive bank account named Afghanistan’s Humanitarian
Trust Fund.
The extraordinary session of the foreign ministers of
the organization was held in Islamabad in December last year.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/organization-of-islamic-cooperation-opens-office-in-kabul-574564567/
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Not For Faint-Hearted, Taliban Embrace Buzkashi Sport
In New Afghanistan
March 06, 2022
Kabul: The announcer roared over the public address
system as a lone rider separated from other horses and galloped towards a chalk
circle drawn in the middle of a muddy field in the Afghan capital.
Despite being pursued by what appeared to be a cavalry
charge, the rider dumped his "prize" in the circle and raised an arm
in triumph.
Kandahar had taken the lead against Kunduz in Sunday's
grand finale of Afghanistan's national buzkashi championships.
Banned as "immoral" when the Taliban first
ruled from 1996 to 2001, the hardline Islamists have embraced buzkashi since
returning to power in August, and the winning team hails from their heartland
despite it having no real tradition of the sport.
"Unfortunately, buzkashi was not allowed
previously and was only played in provinces where the Taliban didn't rule,"
Qais Hassan, the owner of the winning Kandahar team, told AFP.
"Today, luckily, buzkashi is not only being
played all over Afghanistan, but the government, the Islamic Emirate, is
organising this competition."
The sport is both spectacular and violent -- a lot
like the country, many Afghans are quick to tell you -- and steeped in history.
Two teams with six horsemen a side fight for
possession of, traditionally, a beheaded animal carcass -- buzkashi means
"dragging the goat" in Persian -- with the aim of dropping it into
the "circle of truth".
Injuries Are Common
It has been played for centuries in Central Asia, with
slight variations from country to country.
These days a 30-kilogram (15-pound) stuffed leather
bag resembling a carcass is used instead of the real thing, but the skills
required to compete remain the same.
Horses and riders can be substituted from 12 on each
side -- a necessity as injuries are common, although most riders shrug them off
after brief treatment.
The mounts barge violently against each other, rearing
and throwing their hooves into the mix. Riders lash the flanks of their steeds
-- and frequently their opponents too.
Sometimes a horse and rider fall, and on Sunday a
member of the Kunduz team broke his nose, but the powerfully built 50-year-old
soon returned to the contest.
Kandahar and Kunduz were also finalists last year, but
the game was called off in controversy after a security alert with just 40
minutes played.
This time, the contest took place under tight Taliban
security, six months after the fundamentalist Islamists returned to power.
As spectators waited for the action to start,
religious songs were broadcast over the public address system and white Taliban
flags fluttered in the breeze.
The sport has become commercialised too.
Large billboards were set up around the field, and
riders wore different-coloured numbered jackets -- some even sporting
advertising patches.
Since returning to power the Taliban have promised a
softer version of the harsh rule that characterised their first government,
when they banned most sports -- including football because it showed men's
legs.
"The government has allowed the independence of
the Olympic administration and along with buzkashi, we have football, wrestling
and other sports -- all supported by the government," said Ahmadullah
Wasiq, head of Afghanistan's national TV, which co-organised the tournament.
Source: ND TV
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US intends to resettle Afghan refugees in other countries
07 Mar 2022
The United States has announced that they need
cooperation from other countries in resettling thousands of Afghan refugees who
are taken out of Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August last year.
Citing an anonymous source in the Department of State
of the US Reuters reported that, the Biden Administration is busy discussing
the issue with its allies.
Reuters has quoted the source saying the US
administration discusses the issue with 60 countries every week to tell them
about the importance of step.
“We had an international mission in Afghanistan for 20
years. Now we are making our international efforts for thousands of Afghans who
leave their country.” Said the source.
It is still unclear which country will embrace the
Afghans who are not eligible for permanent resettlement in the US.
After the US pullout and the recapture of power by the
Taliban, over 150,000 Afghans have been evacuated out of Afghanistan among them
74,000 have been resettled in the US.
The US apparently preparing for 12,000 Afghan evacuees
who are in the UAE camps now for seven months.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/us-intends-to-resettle-afghan-refugees-in-other-countries-76576856/
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UN’s 17th package of $32 million arrives in Kabul
07 Mar 2022
Afghanistan’s Central Bank-Da Afghanistan Bank- has
announced that following the United Nation’s cash delivery to Afghanistan; the
17th package of humanitarian aid consisting of $32 million arrived in Kabul on
Sunday, March 6, 2022.
This brings the total amount of cash to $540 million
delivered to Afghanistan’s International Bank (AIB).
Da Afghanistan Bank has applauded the cash carriage to
Afghanistan and asked the United Nations to help them in interacting with
regional and world countries.
Lack of cash has been one of the serious issues that
affected the banking system in particular and the economy of Afghanistan in
general.
To address the problem and in a bid to resume economic
activities in the country, the United Nations decided to pump cash into
Afghanistan’s market.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/uns-17supth-sup-package-of-32-million-arrives-in-kabul/
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Afghanistan: Taliban arrests journalist for unclear
reasons in Kabul
6 March, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], March 6 (ANI): A journalist,
Noorulhaq Haidar was arrested by the Taliban due to unclear reasons during
media activity in Kabul in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan media outlet, Payk Media said, “Noorulhaq
Haidar, a former reporter for Wisa newspaper, was arrested this morning by the
#Taliban during media activity in PD8 of #Kabul city due to unclear reasons, sources
confirmed.”
Earlier, Senior Correspondent at Iran International
News, Tajuden Soroush, said the journalists from Ariana TV, an Afghanistani
media network, confirmed the arrest of two of their journalists, Wares Hasrat
and Aslam Hejab, by the Taliban.
Taking to Twitter, Tajuden Soroush said, “Ariana TV
journalists confirmed me that today Taliban arrested Wares Hasrat and Aslam
Hejab, two @ArianaNews_ journalists. Taliban didn’t say why they arrested them
but last night in one of the Ariana TV’s programs, a guest criticised the
Taliban and their behaver.”
Notably, The Free Speech Hub, an organization
supporting open media in Afghanistan, in a statement said that the two
reporters–Aslam Hejab and Waris Hasrat–were arrested by the Taliban on Monday
and so far the reasons for their arrest remain unknown.
Furthermore, the European Union, Amnesty International
and UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) have called upon the Taliban
to provide information about the case of two Ariana News reporters.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International said that the arrest
of the two journalists was “unjustifiable” and called on the Islamic Emirate to
release them.
“Such escalating attacks on media freedom are a grave
threat to the right to freedom of expression. The Taliban must unconditionally
and immediately release them,” Amnesty International said in a tweet.
Source: The Print
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Arab
World
Saudi Arabian Military Industries plans to produce
Saudi-made drone
06 March ,2022
Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) plans to
produce a Saudi-made drone, state television al-Ekhbariya quoted Chief
Executive Walid Abukhaled as saying on Sunday.
Abukhaled also said that more than 50 percent of
military spending will be localized by 2030, adding that the company is working
on establishing “the world’s largest munitions factory” and localizing defense
industries.
Established in 2017, SAMI, a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the National Champion of
Military Industries Localization, is one of the strategic partners at the World
Defense Show (WDS) which kicked off in Riyadh earlier on Sunday.
In a statement published Saturday, SAMI said it aims
to speed up its “transformation to become one of the top 25 defense and
security companies in the world by 2030.”
“Apart from showcasing its innovative and
comprehensive defense products and systems, SAMI aims to expand its
partnerships with globally renowned OEMs, establish new joint ventures and
subsidiaries, create more employment opportunities, and boost its exports
through its participation in WDS 2022,” it added.
Saudi Arabia’s first World Defense Show opened to the
public on Sunday morning.
The show features nearly 600 exhibitors from more than
40 countries, and organizers predict that 30,000 people will attend.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Two killed in Israeli attack over Damascus: Report
07 March ,2022
An Israeli attack over the Syrian capital Damascus on
Monday killed two civilians and left some material damage, Syrian State Media
reported citing a military source.
Israel has mounted frequent attacks against what it
has described as Iranian targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces including
Lebanon’s Hezbollah have deployed over the last decade to support President
Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s war.
“Our air defenses downed most of the Israeli
missiles,” the military source said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/03/07/Explosions-heard-over-Damascus-Report
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15 soldiers dead in Syria attack on military bus:
Monitor
06 March ,2022
Fifteen soldiers died Sunday in an ISIS attack on an
army bus in the central Syrian desert, a war monitor said.
State news agency SANA had reported 13 dead “including
officers” and 18 wounded.
ISIS cells “attacked a military bus” in the Palmyra
desert, “killing 15 soldiers and wounding 18 others,” the British-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said.
The death toll could rise as most of the soldiers were
“seriously wounded,” said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources
across the country.
ISIS did not immediately claim responsibility for the
attack.
The Observatory said 61 pro-regime soldiers and
Iran-affiliated militiamen had been killed in ISIS attacks in the desert of
Syria since the start of the year.
Despite the group’s territorial defeat in 2019, ISIS
continues to launch deadly attacks from hideouts in the Syrian desert, which
extends from the outskirts of the capital Damascus to the Iraqi border.
In early January, nine Syrian soldiers and allied
fighters were killed in a similar attack on a military convoy in Syria’s east.
On January 20, ISIS fighters launched their biggest
assault in years, attacking a prison in the Kurdish-controlled northeast Syrian
city of Hasaka, aiming to free fellow extremists.
Almost a week of intense fighting left more than 370
dead, according to the Observatory.
ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi blew
himself up in early February during a raid by US forces on his house in Syria’s
northwest region of Idlib, Syria’s last major opposition bastion.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Crown Prince visits first day of World Defence
Show in Riyadh
07 March ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
inaugurated the Kingdom’s first World Defense Show on Sunday in Riyadh, the
Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Crown Prince toured the purpose-built site north
of capital that involves nearly 600 exhibitors from 42 countries.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman was briefed on the virtual
command and control center, which is equipped with some of the most modern
defense systems.
The World Defense Show is part of the Kingdom’s drive
to localize defense spending.
The Kingdom’s Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI)
announced on the first day of the show that it plans to produce a locally-made
drone, al-Ekhbariya television reported.
Chief Executive Walid Abukhaled was quoted as saying
on Sunday that more than 50 percent of military spending will be localized by
2030.
Source: Al Arabiya
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More than 10,000 people take part in first full-length
Riyadh Marathon
06 March ,2022
More than 10,000 people from Saudi Arabia and around
the world took part in the Riyadh Marathon on Saturday, according to the Saudi
Press Agency (SPA).
It was the first official full marathon to be held in
the Kingdom, according to the official website, and was organized by the Saudi
Sports for All Federation. A half marathon was held in 2018.
The 42-kilometer race began at King Saud University at
6.15 a.m. and passed through the historic district of Diriyah, before runners
made their way down Prince Mohammed bin Salman Road, and through the King
Abdullah Financial center before returning to the university.
Saudi runners made up 57 percent of those
participating, although athletes from Ethiopia took first place in both the
men’s and women’s professional categories.
Tadese Tsegaye Getachew won first place in the men’s
professional category, while Nare Tadu Teshome took gold in the women’s
professional category.
In the general category, Saudi Ali Al-Shahrani won
third place, while the Kenyan Michael Kimtai took second and Kenyan Bernard
Chiruiyot won first.
Prize money worth $500,000 (two million riyals) was
given to race winners.
“We are happy today to launch the Riyadh Marathon
2022,” said Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Saud, Minister of Sport, in a
statement published on the Riyadh Marathon website.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia’s first World Defence Show opens to the
public
06 March ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s first World Defense Show, part of a
drive to localize the Kingdom’s military expenditure, opened to the public on
Sunday morning.
The show features nearly 600 exhibitors from more than
40 countries, and organizers predict that 30,000 people will attend.
It runs from Sunday to Wednesday at a purpose-built
800,000 square meter venue north of Riyadh.
The exhibition is due to be held every two years, and
was organized by the Kingdom’s General Authority for Military Industries
(GAMI).
Delegations from dozens of countries will visit
pavilions featuring products and demonstrations from the hundreds of local and
international exhibitors.
Exhibitors will display technology from air, land,
sea, and space defense systems.
“The 6th of March will mark an important milestone in
the Kingdom’s journey towards localizing 50 percent of its military expenditure
by 2030,” said Ahmad al-Ohali, Governor of GAMI in a statement.
“We have seen overwhelming global interest for participating
at World Defense Show’s first edition and we look forward to providing a
conducive environment for networking and cross-border partnerships to drive
innovation in the industry,” he added.
Daily themed panel discussions will delve into the
details of the technology exhibited at the show.
There will also be a 20-minute cyber-defense show held
six times a day at the Command and Control Center.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UAE votes in favour of resolution on Ukraine human
rights situation
05 March ,2022
The United Arab Emirates, within the framework of the
49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the situation in
Ukraine, voted in favor of a resolution which was adopted following a majority
vote of 32 member states in favor, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on
Saturday.
Two member states voted against, while 13 abstained
from voting.
“The resolution recalls the obligations of all states
under Article 2 of the Charter to refrain in their international relations from
the threat or use of force against territorial integrity or political
independence of any state, and to settle its international disputes by peaceful
means,” the WAM report stated.
Stressing the Gulf country’s position to de-escalate
the situation in Ukraine and find a peaceful solution to the crisis, Ahmed
Abdulrahman al-Jarman, Ambassador and UAE Permanent Representative to the UN
and other Geneva-based international organizations, called on all parties
involved in the situation to exercise restraint and work towards ending the
conflict through dialogue and diplomatic means.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that
began on February 24.
Throughout 2021 and the beginning of 2022, Russia’s
military buildup on its shared border with Ukraine had escalated tensions
between the two countries and tremendously affected their bilateral relations.
Many countries have acted in solidarity, imposing
tough sanctions on Russia and denouncing it over its invasion of Ukraine.
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly
voted to reprimand Russia over the invasion and demanded that it stop fighting
and withdraw its military forces, aiming to diplomatically isolate Russia at
the world body, Reuters reported.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Over dozen Syrian soldiers killed in terrorist attack
in Homs: SANA
06 March 2022
At least 13 Syrian army personnel have been killed and
several others injured in an attack by foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists on the
military bus they were travelling on in the central province of Homs.
The incident took place in the desert region of the
city of Palmyra in the countryside of Homs, the state news agency SANA reported
on Sunday, citing military sources.
“At nearly 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, a military
bus was targeted by a terrorist attack with various types of weapons in Palmyra
countryside of al-Badiyah, east of the Third Station,” the report said, citing
a source.
Back in May 2020, a number of captured Daesh
terrorists confessed to close cooperation with US military forces stationed at
al-Tanf base on carrying out various acts of terror and sabotage.
During confessions broadcast on Syria’s state-run television
network, several 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 – also known as the T-4 Airbase – the Shaer
gas field as well as nearby oil wells.
Numerous accounts have emerged about US airlifts,
weapon air-drops and aerial support for Daesh, particularly after the group's
strength diminished in Syria and Iraq.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/06/678096/Syria-Homs-Daesh-US-Israel
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Africa
UN adviser regrets criticism of proposal to solve
Libyan crisis
Moataz Wanees
06.03.2022
TRIPOLI, Libya
UN adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, has regretted
Libyan criticism of her proposal for solving the political conflict in the
country.
On Friday, Williams called on the Libyan House of
Representatives (parliament) and the High Council of State to nominate
delegates for "a joint committee dedicated to developing a consensual
basis."
But several Libyan lawmakers came out to criticize the
proposal, accusing the UN adviser of seeking to divide the country.
Opponents argue that Williams’ proposal bypassed a
constitutional amendment recently approved by the Libyan parliament on forming
a panel to make constitutional amendments.
The UN adviser said her proposal aims “to activate
consensus between the parliament and the High Council of State.”
“The initiative was drafted out of concern for
supporting the Libyans in their quest to end divisions and build a real and
strong consensus for preparing a constitutional basis to hold the elections at
the earliest time,” she added.
The UN proposal came amid a deep political rift in
Libya where the Tobruk-based parliament on Thursday gave confidence to a new
government headed by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha while Abdul Hamid
Dbeibeh insists on continuing with his post and duties as prime minister.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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US ambassador calls for avoiding violence, political
rift in Libya
Walid Abdullah
06.03.2022
TRIPOLI, Libya
US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland said both
Premier Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and Prime Minister-designate Fathi Bashagha
"want to avoid escalating violence."
Norland spoke over the phone with both Dbeibeh and
Bashagha where they gave "their mutual commitment to holding elections as
soon as possible," the US Embassy in Tripoli said in a statement.
"I urged them to consider ways in which to manage
Libya's affairs while efforts are underway, with UN facilitation, to rapidly
restore momentum towards parliamentary and presidential elections,"
Norland said.
Libya is witnessing a deep political rift as the
Tobruk-based parliament on Thursday gave confidence to a new government headed
by Bashagha while Dbeibeh insists on continuing with his post and duties as
Prime Minister.
The Dbeibeh government warned that it would consider
any attempt to storm its headquarters as an "attack against the
government.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Libya's Dbeibeh welcomes US-European statement on
elections
05.03.2022
By Moataz Wanees
TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Libyan Prime Minister Abdul
Hamid Dbeibeh has welcomed a US-European statement on holding elections in
Libya.
Dbeibeh said the statement by the US, UK, France,
Germany and Italy was “in harmony” with his government’s plan to hold the vote
in Libya next June.
"We have followed the statement of the five
states on the situation in Libya, which is in harmony with the UN statement
which stresses on the priority of continuing the electoral path," Dbeibeh
said on Twitter.
On Friday, a joint statement by the five countries
called on "all actors [in Libya] to refrain from actions that could
undermine stability in Libya."
The statement urged the Libyan House of Representative
(parliament) and High Council of State to fully cooperate with UN efforts and
proposal for establishing "a consensual constitutional basis that would
lead to national elections as soon as possible."
Early on Friday, UN adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams,
called on the two assemblies to nominate delegates for "a joint committee
dedicated to developing a consensual constitutional basis."
Williams said the committee is expected to convene on
March 15 "under the auspices of the UN [...] to work for a two-week period
to achieve this goal."
The UN proposal comes amid a deep political rift in
Libya where the Tobruk-based parliament on Thursday gave confidence to a new
government headed by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha while Abdul Hamid
Dbeibeh insists on continuing with his post and duties as Prime Minister.
The Dbeibeh government said it would consider any
attempt to storm its headquarters an "attack against the government,”
vowing to “deal with such moves in accordance with the law."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Burkina Faso's junta appoints interim government,
retains Simpore
07 March 2022
Burkina Faso's interim president, Paul-Henri Damiba,
has approved a new government, retaining the defense minister who served in the
Roch Kabore government before his ouster in a January coup.
Damiba was sworn in on Wednesday as the transitional
president for three years, almost two months after spearheading a coup against
Kabore.
According to an official decree, the 25-member new
cabinet includes General Barthelemy Simpore, the former defense minister, who
has surprisingly retained his position.
The appointment of economist Albert Ouedraogo as the
West African nation's transitional prime minister was announced on Thursday.
Burkina Faso’s military coup was the fourth in West
Africa in less than two years, following two in Mali and one in Guinea,
reaffirming the region’s reputation as the 'coup belt.'
Last week, the country adopted a transitional charter
that would allow the junta to lead a three-year transition period.
A "national forum" of political parties,
trade unions, and grassroots groups approved the charter after a day-long
debate in the capital, Ouagadougou.
The charter was later signed by junta leader,
Lieutenant Colonel Henri-Paul Damiba, last Tuesday.
Damiba has had first-hand experience of the insurgency
by Takfiri terrorists.
He was commander of the 3rd Military Region, before
seizing power, which covers eastern Burkina Faso – one of the worst-hit areas.
A military official, speaking after the coup,
described Damiba as "a tough commander who has been on the front line with
his men".
In late January, Burkina Faso was suspended from the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union
(AU) to pressure the country to return
to constitutional order.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/07/678115/Burkina-Faso-interim-government-coup
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North
America
Blinken says new Russia demands on Iran nuclear deal
‘irrelevant’
06 March ,2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday
dismissed as “irrelevant” Russian demands for guarantees that new sanctions
linked to Ukraine will not affect Moscow's rights under a reworked Iran nuclear
deal.
With the parties to the Iran agreement, which the US
abandoned in 2018, now seemingly close to a new accord, Blinken rejected fresh
demands voiced Saturday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine
“have nothing to do with the Iran nuclear deal,” Blinken said on CBS talk show
“Face the Nation.”
They “just are not in any way linked together, so I
think that's irrelevant,” he said, speaking from Moldova, a small country on
Ukraine's southwest border.
Blinken said it was not only in America's interest but
Russia's as well that Iran not be able “to have a nuclear weapon or the
capacity to produce a weapon on very, very short order.”
The latest Russian reservations, coming amid the
intense crisis over Ukraine, threaten hopes that an Iran agreement could be
wrapped up quickly.
Iran and the United Nations nuclear watchdog had
announced early Saturday that they agreed on an approach for resolving issues
crucial to reviving the country's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers.
Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), said in Vienna that while the UN agency and Iran had yet
to resolve “a number of important matters,” they had now “decided to try a
practical, pragmatic approach” to overcome them.
However, Grossi said there was “no artificial deadline.”
Britain, one of the parties to the parallel talks on
the nuclear accord in Vienna, indicated Friday that an agreement was close.
But Lavrov said Saturday that Moscow, itself slapped
with severe sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, needed guarantees before
backing the nuclear deal.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Southeast
Asia
Scores of Rohingya Muslims land on Indonesian beach in
rickety boat
6 March, 2022
More than 100 hungry and weak Rohingya Muslims have
been found on a beach in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh after weeks
at sea.
The group arrived on Jangka beach near Alue Buya Pasi,
a fishing village in Bireuen district, on a rickety wooden boat early on Sunday
according to officials.
The villagers who saw the 114 ethnic Rohingya helped
them to land and then reported their arrival to authorities, said Badruddin
Yunus, the leader of the local tribal fishing community.
“They look very weak from hunger and dehydration after
a long and severe voyage at sea,” said Yunus, adding it wasn’t clear where the
group was traveling from or where it was headed as none spoke English or Malay.
The 58 men, 21 women and 35 children were given
shelter and received help from villagers, police and military, while local
authorities including the coronavirus task force were helping to process them,
Yunus said.
Escaping Myanmar
More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from
Buddhist-majority Myanmar to refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017,
when the Myanmar military launched a clearance operation in response to attacks
by a rebel group.
Myanmar security forces have been accused of mass
rapes, killings and the burning of thousands of homes.
Groups of Rohingya have attempted to leave the crowded
camps in Bangladesh and travel by sea in hazardous voyages to other
Muslim-majority countries in the region.
Muslim-dominated Malaysia has been a common
destination for the boats, and traffickers have promised the refugees a better
life there. But many Rohingya refugees who land in Malaysia face detention.
Source: Trt World
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Principle-driven takaful sees strong growth in
Malaysia
Lydia Nathan
March 7, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Takaful has been gaining traction
lately in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and in parts of Asia, largely because
of its strong value system.
One of the main reasons for its rising popularity is
the principle behind the concept of takaful, irrespective of faith or belief.
Takaful is shariah-compliant and is based on the
principles of cooperation, responsibility, protection and mutual help. The term
is derived from the Arabic word ‘kafala’, which means guarantee.
It is widely known as a protection plan where monetary
contributions are channelled into a pool called the risk fund used as donations
(tabarru), to help participants faced with a misfortune. Because takaful
contributions are considered a form of unilateral donation, it tolerates the
element of uncertainty (gharar), such as unpredictable incidents and
misfortunes. As an extension, it eliminates gambling (maisir), as a contributor
would not expect returns.
In contrast, conventional insurance treats this as a
form of sale and purchase agreement. Under takaful, such a transaction must
have the element of certainty of value exchange, something which insurance
doesn’t guarantee.
In the context of how the funds are invested, takaful
puts its money in shariah-compliant investment schemes, companies and financial
instruments, determined by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) or
shariah-compliant foreign indices for local and international markets.
Prominent insurance and takaful provider Etiqa said
its takaful business generates income through ‘wakalah’, which is a form of contract
that allows for a fee to be paid by contributors for services rendered.
The operators also earn income through ‘ju’alah’, a
form of a promised reward when a result is achieved, where the surplus is
shared and distributed between the operator and the participants.
Etiqa says that while both takaful and insurance have
their own benefits, the former is driven by a set of principles and values that
have appealed to like-minded people all over the world.
Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings says the takaful
market in Malaysia was led by family takaful, increasing 46.7% in the first
half of 2021 compared to 7.08% for the same period in 2020.
“The sharp growth in contributions was propelled by a
boost in public awareness of takaful products, supportive government
initiatives, easing of Covid-19 movement restrictions and a recovering
economy,” Fitch said.
“Fitch expects the takaful sector to continue its
sound growth in 2022 on improved penetration rates, business models and
technology capabilities amid higher takaful awareness, digitalisation
innovation and government initiatives.
“Malaysia is the third-largest takaful market
globally, according to the Islamic Financial Services Board, with a vibrant
Islamic finance ecosystem that includes Islamic banks, shariah-compliant
corporates, Islamic fund managers, and halal industries that seek takaful
products,” it added.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Khairuddin slams ‘scantily-clad’ show, demands PN
leaders apologise
March 6, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Former PAS Syura Council secretary
Khairuddin Aman Razali today slammed a dance performance at a gala dinner on
Friday night attended by Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders.
He said the dancers were “scantily dressed” and their
performance inappropriate for Muslim political leaders to watch. He demanded a
public apology.
“Although the event was organised by non-Muslims, it
is inappropriate for scantily clad dancers (‘ala bogel’) to perform for Muslim
political leaders.
“This contradicts the values of Malaysian society. An
official public apology must be made immediately by the political leaders,” he
said in a statement today.
Khairuddin said it was important for PN leaders to
apologise given that the matter could tarnish the image of their political
partners and the coalition’s principles.
“This comes at a time when the Johor election campaign
is in full swing,” he added.
Those present at the 800-head gala dinner, organised
by the state’s Chinese business community, included Bersatu president Muhyiddin
Yassin, its secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin, the party’s Youth chief Wan
Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal and Gerakan president Dominic Lau.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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India
Bulli Bai App case: Accused tried to target Sikh
community, says court
Mar 07, 2022
By Vinay Dalvi
Mumbai: A sessions court in Mumbai denied bail to
19-year-old accused Shweta Singh, who was arrested in the Bulli Bai app case,
and observed that there was an intention to malign the Sikh community as the
accused created fake Twitter handles using Sikh names in an attempt to mislead
the public.
The Bulli Bai app had made the details of several
Muslim women public in a bid to malign them by allowing users to take part in
their “auction”.
This was the second attempt by Singh to seek bail, the
earlier plea being rejected by a magistrate court.
According to a detailed order that became available on
Saturday, additional sessions judge Sanjashree Gharat said the Uttarakhand
resident and others arrested in the case tried to portray that the said act was
committed by Sikh community and noted that the larger interest of the society
is at stake.
The court noted that accused Vishal Kumar Jha had
changed his Twitter handle name from Atriya to Khalsa Supermacist, Shweta Singh
had changed it from @infinitude7 to @jattkhalsa7, another accused Mayank Rawat
changed the name from @copingmeme to Khalsarajj @jatindarsingh bhullar, and
accused Niraj Bishnoi replaced his earlier handle name Uday-@daydreamerr234
with @harpalsingh @sikh_khalsa11.
The court also took note of the prosecution claim that
all the accused were members of the chat group “Trad Mahasabha” and after
discussion in the group, the app in question was created by Bishnoi on
open-source platform, GitHub.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Five, Including a Bangladeshi Citizen of Ansar
al-Islam Arrested In Assam
Mar 5, 2022
GUWAHATI: Assam Police on Friday night nabbed five
members of a Bangladesh-based radical Islamic group, Ansar al-Islam, which is
known to be Bangladesh chapter of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS),
in different parts of Barpeta district.
One of the arrested, Saiful Islam alias Harun Rashid
alias Mohammad Suman is a Bangladeshi citizen and hails from Narayanganj
district of the neighbouring country. Director general of Assam Police, Bhaskar
Jyoti Mahanta said that Saiful Islam, was working as a teacher at Dhakaliapara
Masjid in Barpeta district.
“Saiful Islam after entering India has been
indoctrinating youths belonging to a particular community in different parts of
Assam towards jihadi and religious fundamentalism and has already spread its
roots in the state,” Mahanta said.
The other four are Khairul Islam (27), Badshah
Suleiman Khan (28) and Noushad Ali (40) of Kalgachia and Taimur Rahman Khan
(54) of Howly. Assam Police in a statement said that Saiful Islam had
successfully indoctrinated and motivated these four to join the module of
Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which is the earlier name of Ansar al-Islam, with
a view to develop Barpeta district as a base for jehadi work and unlawful
activities of Al-Qaeda and its related organization.
The DGP said that police have recovered documents and
several electronic devices including mobile, laptop, pen drives along with
jehadi literature.
“The modus of operation of the organisation was found
to be very sophisticated, which we have not come across in case of other
militant groups in the past in the state. The use of computers for
communication, including transfer of funds and how they prepared for jehad are
modern and of high quality of technology,” the DGP said.
“There were few other members of this module but they
have managed to escape,” Mahanta said and added that the NIA might take up this
case to make a wider investigation across the country and outside.
Mahanta said that the Special Branch of Assam Police
was carrying out intelligence operations on this module since September last
year. The five were produced before the Court on Saturday and remanded to
police custody for further investigations.
He said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
will probably take-over the investigation so that a detailed probe can be
conducted both in the state and other parts of the country while international
agencies may also be involved in the investigations as there may be links to
outfits in other countries, besides Bangladesh.
Source: Times Of India
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How ‘Pasoori’ dancer Sheema Kermani resisted Gen
Zia-ul-Haq by wearing ‘un-Islamic’ saris
6 March, 2022
Ali Sethi is synonymous with Coke Studio, be it his
soulful ‘Gulon Mein Rang Bhare’, which Arijit Singh sang in the 2014 film
Haider, or his latest surprise, ‘Pasoori’. The latter is bohemian, quirky, and
seems almost unlike Sethi. But what stands out in the visual bouquet in the
music video is an old woman dancing in a saree.
That woman is Sheema Kermani, a Bharatanatyam dancer,
feminist, and social activist in Pakistan. Her experience spans over 40 years.
She is a leading figure at the annual Aurat March, a socio-political
demonstration in Pakistan to observe International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Kermani was a dance student in Delhi when General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq banned
dance in Pakistan. When she returned to her country of birth, she started
performing. “I realised that, inadvertently, my dancing became a symbol of
resistance and defiance.” When the General came to power in the 1980s, among
the many things he considered ‘un-Islamic’, saris were one. It was his
declaration that eventually led to the attire fading out of Pakistan’s public
life. Until then, saris were an integral part of Pakistani women’s wardrobe.
Ali Sethi shared the screenshot of a text message that
appears to be from Sheema Kermani, and the dancer seems to be saying, “I did
not want to go along the line of a literal depiction of words, but [instead]
felt that the movements should be abstract but suggestive of the emotions
contained within the song and music.”
Dancing as resistance
Kermani started the feminist group Tehrik-e-Niswan in
the 1970s, which has used cultural interventions to create a narrative on
issues of women’s rights. It also performed dhamaal, a Sufi dance, at the
shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh on 16 February to mark the fifth
anniversary of the 2017 suicide blast.
Tehrik-e-Niswan started the Aurat March four years
ago. “We have faced great opposition from the religious Right and increasingly
more so as Aurat March becomes a political movement shaking the grounds of
patriarchy,” says Kermani.
In an interview
with Cutacut, Kermani said, “The discipline of the mind and body and the
immense joy which comes with the freeing of the physical form is so incredible.
I realised this and decided that in this very rigid and patriarchal society,
dance gives me the greatest freedom to not only express but to maintain my body
and soul together – to keep my sanity!”
Kermani was not sure about appearing for the video of
‘Pasoori’. “Being a classical dancer and a political activist, I was not sure
if it would be the right thing to do. However, I am always open to new ideas. I
did feel that it may be one way to bring dance to the youth, and I think,
perhaps, it worked,” says Kermani.
Saris and Pakistan
Saris in Pakistan became associated with being Indian
or Hindu. While they are slowly making a comeback, they are still associated
with Hinduism or ‘Indianness’. “I have been wearing saris from the time of my
youth. I love it, and I feel it is my dress, and yes, it is also breaking
stereotypes and making a statement about where I come from, what culture I
belong to,” Sheema Kermani says.
Kermani was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and studied
arts in London. Her maternal family belongs to Hyderabad Deccan, and saris were
a major part of the women’s wardrobe.
“Dance, music and clothes should not be categorised in
religious terms,” says Kermani.
India and Pakistan
After the Pulwama attack of 14 February 2019, the All
Indian Cine Workers Association announced a total ban on Pakistani artists from
working in India. Pakistan, too, announced a ban on screening Indian films in
the country in the same year.
Despite that, people from both countries continue to
consume content from across the border. Coke Studio Pakistan has been an
integral part of India’s music lovers, and the craze for Ali Sethi’s latest
video only proves that.
“Pakistanis have always loved to watch Indian films
and we know that Indians loved to watch Pakistani TV dramas. Hatred is created
between us by vested interests — the people of both countries want to live in
friendship and peace,” says Sheema Kermani.
Source: The Print
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Mideast
FM Hopes for IAEA’s Further Support for Iran’s
Peaceful N. Program, Warns of Israeli Plots
2022-March-6
During the meeting in Tehran on Saturday, Amir
Abdollahian stressed the importance of improving cooperation with the UN
nuclear agency on issues beyond supervision and inspection, including the
IAEA's support for Iran's peaceful nuclear industry.
Warning about Israel's moves to sow discord and create
crisis, he said the IAEA must be cautious about the regime's attempts to take
advantage of the agency's mechanisms to advance its plots.
The Iranian top diplomat expressed hope that
negotiations and understanding between Iran and the IAEA would prepare the
ground for implementation of bilateral agreements.
He also hoped that the IAEA chief's visit to Tehran
would further promote mutual confidence and cooperation.
Earlier on Saturday, Head of the Atomic Energy
Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami said that Tehran and the UN nuclear
agency agreed on a roadmap to resolve all outstanding issues which could help
secure the revival of the 2015 Iran deal with world powers.
"Today, we reached a conclusion that what is to
be exchanged between the [International] Atomic Energy Agency and the Atomic
Energy Organization [of Iran] should be done by end of (the Iranian month of)
Khordad (June 21)," Eslami said in a joint news conference with Grossi in
Tehran.
Grossi, for his part, said the IAEA is ready to
support joint projects with Iran in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy
and emphasized the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation and find creative
ways toward that goal.
The IAEA head said his current trip to Tehran
indicates agency's will to resolve the remaining issues and enhance cooperation
through dialogue and mutual understanding.
The Iranian foreign minister and the IAEA chief also
described Iran-IAEA cooperation as positive and successful.
At the end of the IAEA chief's visit to Tehran, Eslami
and Grossi issued a joint statement on the importance of accelerating and
strengthening their cooperation and dialogue in order to solve the remaining
issues.
The AEOI and the IAEA agreed, in continuation of their
cooperation as stated in their joint statement of August 26, 2020, to
accelerate and strengthen their cooperation and dialogue aimed at the
resolution of the remaining issues.
According to the statement, the AEOI will provide to
the IAEA, no later than March 20, 2022, written explanations, including related
supporting documents to the questions raised by the agency which have not been
addressed by Iran on the issues related to three locations where the IAEA
claimed it had found particles of processed uranium.
"Within two weeks after receiving the AOEI’s
written explanations and related supporting documents, the IAEA will review
this information and will submit to the AEOI any questions on received
information," it said.
The AEOI and IAEA will meet in Tehran within one week
after the agency's submission of any questions on such information to Iran and
will discuss them while separate meetings will be held for each location.
Source: Fars News Agency
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IRGC Commander Stresses Abundance of Effective
Domestically-Manufactured Arms
2022-March-6
Major General Salami made the comments at the
unveiling ceremony of two new missile and UAV bases of the IRGC Aerospace on
Saturday.
He lauded the IRGC Air Force for its achievements in
the field of producing domestically-made deterrence and defensive weapons.
Major General Salami pointed out that faith and the
will of Iranian troops matter more on the battlefield than the weapons while
adding that Iran has enough effective weapons manufactured with indigenous
knowledge.
Earlier on Saturday, the IRGC Aerospace Force unveiled
two missile and drone bases.
The tunnel bases, built in the heart of high
mountains, are home to surface-to-surface missile systems with advanced
equipment, as well as offensive drones which are able to penetrate the enemy's
radar and defense network systems.
UAVs with a range of 2,000 kilometers, dual-missile
launchers and Multiple-UAV launchers are present at these bases.
IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Amir
Ali Hajizadeh briefed on the salient measures taken and new achievements of the
IRGC Aerospace Force.
This is the first time that IRGC Aerospace Force
unveils an underground missile and UAV base.
In a relevant development in mid-February, the Iranian
Defense Ministry unveiled several upgraded missiles, defense systems and other
military equipment in a ceremony participated by Defense Minister Brigadier
General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani.
The unveiled weapons and military equipment included
various types of surface-to-air missiles, helicopter carriers, UAVs with
various specifications and coordinates to suit the defense requirements, as
well as artillery and mortars' long-range smart ammunition with
precision-striking power.
Increased range and accuracy in the destruction of
targets is one of their main specifications.
Also in mid-February, the Iranian Defense Ministry had
also unveiled two home-made state-of-the-art and sophisticated drones.
The achievements of Aviation Industries Organization
of the defense ministry in building drones were unveiled in the presence of
General Ashtiani.
Two new advanced and sophisticated drones joined Armed
Forces on Saturday in the presence of General Ashtiani, Deputy Defense Minister
and Head of Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Brigadier General
Afshin Khajeh Fard and a number of other senior officials of the Armed Forces.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran Welcomes Saudi Crown Prince’s Comments on
Bilateral Ties
2022-March-6
Amir Abdollahian said he considered the recent remarks
by a high-ranking Saudi official as an effort to “show a new inclination to
advance bilateral interactions”, adding, “We welcome it.”
The top Iranian diplomat said although Riyadh chose to
cut ties with Tehran, the Islamic Republic has constantly invited Saudi Arabia
to good neighborly interactions over the past years.
“We have different views and approaches on some issues
in the region, but the management of those differences by the two sides can
serve the interests of the two nations, as well as friendly and brotherly
countries,” he said.
Amir Abdollahian said that Iran has held four rounds
of talks with Saudi Arabia hosted by Iraq in the course of the past year.
“These talks created a good atmosphere and yielded
results, albeit small ones, and we are pleased that Saudi Arabia has taken the
path of dialog. Such a view, if held continuously, can lead to positive
results, because improving relations and cooperation is in the interest of both
countries,” he noted.
The foreign minister further reiterated the
determination of the administration of President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi to
interact with Iran’s neighboring states.
Referring to the protracted Saudi-led military
aggression against Yemen, Amir Abdollahian reaffirmed the need for a political
settlement of the conflict.
“It is clear that the Yemen crisis has no military solution.
Yemen belongs to all Yemenis. The solution is political based on intra-Yemeni
dialog, away from foreign interference. It will be achieved through the end of
the siege and war,” he said.
In an interview with The Atlantic published on
Thursday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, said,
“Iran is a neighbor forever. We cannot get rid of them and they cannot get rid
of us. So it’s better for both of us to work it out and to look for ways in
which we can coexist.”
Source: Fars News Agency
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First VP Asks IAEA to Adopt Impartial Approach towards
Iran’s N. Activities
2022-March-6
Mokhber made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Tehran on Saturday.
He stressed the need for the IAEA to adopt an
impartial approach towards Iran's nuclear activities, and said the
international community expected the international nuclear watchdog to examine
world countries' nuclear programs with the eyes of a specialist expert.
Noting that the Iranian nation has, throughout its
long history, always been famous for pursuing science and knowledge to help
humanity,Mokhber stressed that Iran is developing its nuclear industry for
energy, industrial, health and medical purposes to meet the basic needs of its
people.
He stressed the religious verdict (fatwa) issued by
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on
prohibition of production and use of weapons of mass destruction, including
nuclear ones, saying that Iran has never been after development of nuclear
arms.
Mokhber said the IAEA too has in the past years
verified that there are no signs of any non-peaceful nuclear programs by Iran.
Grossi, for his part, expressed happiness over his
current visit to Tehran which entails finalizing agreements as well as
constructive negotiations.
He emphasized the right of all world countries,
including Iran, for peaceful use of nuclear science, and said Iran-IAEA
commitment and cooperation will be to the benefit of the world nations as well
as Iranians.
Grossi went on to stress that Iran's scientific record
and religious background has proved the nation's significant contribution in
world peace and progress.
Grossi arrived in Tehran late on Friday to discuss one
of the last thorny issues blocking the revival of the Iran deal, officially
known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the eighth round of
the talks between Iran and the G4+1 group of countries has reached a crunch
point.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Israeli army kills 16-year-old Palestinian in West
Bank: Palestinian health ministry
07 March ,2022
The Palestinian health ministry said a 16-year-old,
Yamen Jafal, was shot dead “by the occupation forces” on Sunday.
Israel’s army said it killed a Palestinian in the
occupied West Bank Sunday after he attacked troops with Molotov cocktails,
following the earlier police shooting of a Palestinian teen.
Israeli soldiers “acted to stop the attack by firing
at one of the suspects” near Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, an army statement
said, adding that “the suspect was hit and later succumbed to his wounds.”
It said another suspect managed to flee.
Nine other Palestinians have been killed since
February 8 in the West Bank. Palestinian attacks against Israeli security
forces, including lone wolf stabbings, are common in Jerusalem and the West
Bank.
Just before dawn on Sunday, Israeli police shot dead a
Palestinian teen after he stabbed and wounded an officer in Jerusalem’s Old
City, according to police.
The Palestinian health ministry identified him as
Karim Jamal al-Qawasmi.
The 19-year-old “approached police officers who were
stationed at the Bab Huta Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, pulled out a knife
and stabbed one of them,” a police statement said, adding that the assailant
was shot and later pronounced dead on the scene by medics.
The Old City is in the Israeli-annexed eastern part of
Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state.
On February 22, Israel’s army said troops shot a
Palestinian suspect in Al-Khader, in the Bethlehem area, who was among three
suspects who “hurled Molotov cocktails at passing drivers, endangering their
lives”.
The Palestinian health ministry said a 14-year-old was
killed.
Last Tuesday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians
after coming under fire during an arrest raid at Jenin refugee camp in the
northern West Bank, Israeli border police and Palestinian health authorities
said.
Another Palestinian was killed in a separate incident
that day.
On February 8, Israeli forces killed three
Palestinians during a daytime raid against what Israel described as a “terrorist
cell”, leaving a vehicle in the West Bank city of Nablus riddled with bullet
holes.
Two teenagers were killed by Israeli gunfire in other
incidents in early February.
Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the
Six-Day War of 1967.
Since then, about 475,000 Jewish settlers have moved
into the territory, living in communities considered illegal under
international law, alongside nearly 2.9 million Palestinians.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran says agreed roadmap with UN’s IAEA to resolve
nuclear issues
05 March ,2022
Iran said on Saturday it had agreed a roadmap with the
UN nuclear watchdog to resolve all outstanding questions about the country’s
nuclear program by late June, a move seen as a latest push to revive Tehran’s
2015 nuclear deal with global powers.
The announcement comes as all parties involved in
indirect talks between Tehran and Washington aimed at reviving the nuclear pact
have said they were close to reaching an agreement in Vienna.
“We have agreed to provide the IAEA by the end of (the
Iranian month of) Khordad (June 21) with documents related to outstanding
questions between Tehran and the agency,” Mohammad Eslami told a joint news
conference with visiting IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.
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channel online or via the app.
Grossi arrived in Tehran late on Friday to discuss one
of the last thorny issues blocking revival of the pact, which in return for a
lifting of economic sanctions limited Iran’s enrichment of uranium, making it
harder for Tehran to develop material for nuclear weapons.
“It is important to have this understanding ... to
work together, to work very intensively,” Grossi told the televised news
conference.
“Without resolving these (outstanding) issues, efforts
to revive the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) may not be
possible.”
A major sticking point in the talks is that Tehran
wants the issue of uranium traces found at several old but undeclared sites in
Iran to be closed. Western powers say that is a separate issue to the deal
which the IAEA is not a party to, several officials have told Reuters.
Grossi, who also held talks with Iran’s foreign minister
before returning to Vienna on Saturday, said: “There are still matters that
need to be addressed by Iran.”
The IAEA has been seeking answers from Iran on how the
uranium traces got there - a topic often referred to as “outstanding safeguards
issues.”
Grossi’s trip has raised hopes that an agreement with
the IAEA will potentially clear the way for revival of the nuclear pact,
abandoned in 2018 by former US President Donald Trump, who also reimposed
far-reaching sanctions on Iran.
Since 2019, Tehran has breached the deal’s nuclear
limits and gone well beyond, rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium,
refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to
speed up output.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Palestine seeks evacuation of nationals from Ukraine
amid Russian war
Awad Rajoub
06.03.2022
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Palestine is communicating with the Red Cross to
evacuate its nationals from Ukraine, amid Russia’s war on the European country,
according to a Palestinian adviser on Sunday.
"We contacted the International Committee of the
Red Cross to provide safe passages for the evacuation of our students and
families from Ukrainian cities,” Ahmed al-Deek, an adviser to the Palestinian
foreign minister, said in a statement.
He said around 1,100 Palestinians have been evacuated
from Ukraine since the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict.
“Palestinian embassies in Poland, Romania, Hungary,
and Slovakia continue to receive students and members of the Palestinian
community, who are being evacuated from Ukraine," he added.
According to Palestinian estimates, there are over
3,000 Palestinians in Ukraine, including 700 university students.
Russia's war on Ukraine has been met by outrage from
the international community with the EU, UK, and US, among others, implementing
a range of economic sanctions on Moscow.
According to UN figures, at least 331 civilians have
been killed and 675 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb.
24.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Palestinians hail Kuwaiti walkout from Bahraini event
over Israel’s presence
Nour Abu Eisha
05.03.2022
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Palestinian groups on Saturday hailed the walkout of a
Kuwaiti delegation from a conference in Bahrain over the participation of
Israel's Tel Aviv University in the event.
In a statement, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem said the
Kuwaiti position reflects the Gulf state’s support to the Palestinian people.
“This position shows Kuwait’s continuing support to
the right of the Palestinian people to regain their land and holy sites,” he
added.
Islamic Jihad movement, for its part, said the Kuwait
walkout shows that the Gulf state “rejects all forms of normalization.”
On Friday, the Kuwaiti-based Youths For Jerusalem
League said on Twitter that a delegation representing Kuwaiti universities
withdrew from a lecture due to the participation of an Israeli delegation in
the conference held in Bahrain.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/british-pm-blair-invade-iraq-afghanistan/d/126523