Gyanvapi Mosque Row: Court Refuses to Change Commissioner, Appoints Two More Lawyers as Commissioners, Orders Completion of Survey by May 17
New Age Islam News Bureau
12 May 2022
Jagran File Image
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• Yasmine Mohammed, Who Escaped Al-Qaeda Hits Out At
Liberal Left for 'Siding with' Islamic Supremacists: 'They Hate the West'
• Head of the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar-Based Political
Office Suhail Shaheen Clarifies Hijab Rules
• Iran: Israeli Killing of Al Jazeera Journalist a
Flagrant Violation of International Law
• Outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan Extends Truce To
Hold Peace Talks With Pakistan
India
• Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan Lashes Out at
Muslim Leader, Musaliyar, For 'Humiliating' Schoolgirl on Stage
• If Taking Away Mosques, Lal Quila Help Resolve
Country’s Issues, Let Them: Mehbooba
• Coimbatore: Nallur Police arrests man for forcing
Dalit woman to convert to Islam
• Hyderabad honour killing: Muslim woman's family used
spyware to track Dalit husband, says police report
• Activists of RSS Muslim Wing Denied Entry To Krishna
Janmabhoomi-Idgah Complex In Mathura
• We Will Abide By Guidelines on Use Of Loudspeakers: Muslim
Committee
• Madhya Pradesh HC Issues Notice to Centre, ASI in
Plea Seeking to Stop Muslims from Offering Namaz at Bhojshala Complex
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North America
• Queer Muslim Group Aims to Conduct Largest Survey of
LGBTQ Muslims in The US
• US, EU demand investigation into reporter Shireen
Abu Akleh’s killing in Israel
• US lawmaker holds moment of silence for slain
Palestinian-American journalist
• Biden administration presses Congress for approval
of F-16 sale to Turkiye: Report
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South Asia
• Reporters without Borders Call Khalid Qaderi’s Trial
“Arbitrary.”
• The Taliban Denies the Allegations of Civilian
Casualties in Panjshir
• Consultation and Preparations for Political Figures’
Return to the Country in Sapidar Palace
--------
Mideast
• FM Underlines Lebanon's Special Place in Iran's
Foreign Policy
• Iran Asks for Removal of Sanctions against Syria
• Iran Calls for Using "Unique" Opportunity
of Ceasefire in Yemen
• IRGC Hits Terrorists Positions in Erbil by Artillery
Fire
• Israeli authorities fully responsible for reporter
Abu Akleh‘s death: Abbas
• Palestinian Authority refuses to hand over bullet
that killed Shireen Abu Akleh
• Israel defence minister pledges full probe into
killing of reporter Shireen Abu Akleh
• Israeli rights group refutes Israeli army narrative
on Abu Akleh's killing
• Palestinian president offers condolences on
journalist’s death
• Israeli forces launch rocket attack on southern
Syria: State media
--------
Pakistan
• Elections before the appointment of new army chief
cannot be ruled out: Pakistan defence minister
• Sharif Brothers Meet in London to Consult Key PML-N Leadership
Issues
• FIA decides against prosecuting PM Shehbaz, Hamza in
money laundering case
• 22 get five-year term each in Bhong temple attack
case
--------
Southeast Asia
• I Can’t Defame Zahid, He Has A Bad Reputation, Says
Muhyiddin
• PAS Ulama Wing Chief Says His Party More Islamic
Than Umno
• Khairy withdraws appeal in ‘main belakang’ case
against Anwar
• Hamzah draws flak from PH lawmakers for
party-hopping remarks
--------
Arab World
• Days Ahead Of Legislative Elections, UN Urges
Crisis-Hit Lebanon To ‘Change Course’
• US to allow foreign investment in northeast Syria
without sanctions
• Five soldiers, seven extremists killed in an attack
on army in Egypt’s Sinai
• Lebanon central bank governor released on $66 mln
bail
• Iraq strikes deal with Iran to secure summer gas
imports
• Lebanon to complete cenbank FX audit, an IMF
condition, by June: Deputy PM
• Five Egyptian security forces killed in attack north
of Sinai
--------
Africa
• Eight Soldiers Killed In Togo, Raising Spectre of
First Deadly Islamist Attack
• Tunisian coastguard retrieves bodies of three
migrants, rescues 250 others
• Coalition against ISIS discusses how to counter
resurgence
• Turkiye voices support for sovereignty, territorial
integrity of Morocco
--------
Europe
• Turkey and Israel, Europe’s New Energy Alternative
• UK's Charity Regulator Urged To Investigate Policy
Exchange over 'Anti-Muslim Agenda'
• EU envoy Mora holds talks with Iran nuclear
negotiator in Tehran
• EU strongly condemns killing of Al-Jazeera
journalist
• Greece remains committed to dialogue with Turkiye:
President
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/gyanvapi-mosque-court-commissioner/d/126988
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Gyanvapi
Mosque Row: Court Refuses to Change Commissioner, Appoints Two More Lawyers As
Commissioners, Orders Completion of Survey by May 17
Jagran File Image
----
12 May 2022
Lucknow | Jagran News Desk: A local court in Uttar
Pradesh's Varanasi on Thursday delivered a big verdict in the case related to
the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located adjacent to the iconic Kashi
Vishwanath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The court, in its much-awaited order, refused to
change the survey commissioner Ajay Mishra and appointed two more lawyers as
commissioners who will accompany Mishra for the survey. The Varanasi court also directed the
Commission to submit to the court its report by May 17.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, located beside the iconic
Gyanvapi mosque, is one of 12 Jyotirlingas that are considered to be the
holiest of Shiva Temples. The court further said that anyone who tries to stall
the survey should be dealt with sternly.
The court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar
Diwakar, which had also heard the matter relating to the opening of the two
basements located inside the mosque complex for videography, delivered the
verdict after hearing the arguments of both the sides.
The Gyanvapi mosque management committee (Anjuman
Intezamiya Masjid) had filed an application seeking a replacement of court
official Ajay Kumar Mishra, who was assigned to do the survey, claiming he was
not impartial. The petitioners said that Mishra was doing the video survey of
areas in the Gyanvapi mosque that are not specified in the order.
The videography and survey of the mosque were ordered
by Judge Diwakar on a plea by Delhi women Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu
and others seeking permission to perform daily worship of deities Shringar
Gauri, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman and Nandi whose idols are located on the
outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.
The women had moved the court with their plea on April
18, 2021, and also sought a court's order to stop the opponents from causing
any damage to the idols.
The counsel for the mosque management committee had
earlier contended that the court had not given any order to do the videography
inside the mosque but to do it only till the 'chabutra' (courtyard) outside the
barricades enclosing the mosque area.
The court commissioner had on Friday conducted an inconclusive
survey of some areas outside Gyanvapi Masjid in the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri
complex amid brief sloganeering by the two sides.
The Muslim side had accused the court-appointed
advocate commissioner of acting in a biased manner, alleging that he had tried
to get videography done inside the Gyanvapi mosque without orders and moved the
court to replace him.
(With Agency Inputs)
Source: Jagran
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original story:
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Yasmine Mohammed, Who Escaped Al-Qaeda Hits Out At
Liberal Left for 'Siding with' Islamic Supremacists: 'They Hate the West'
Yasmine Mohammed has now
become a human right activist who campaigns for muslim women
-----
11 May 2022
A Muslim woman who escaped Al-Qaeda has hit out at the
liberal left for siding with Islamist regimes.
Yasmine Mohammed, who ran away from the extremist
group, has now become a human right activist who campaigns for Muslim women.
In recent years, there have been concerns that some
parts of the western left are aligning themselves with Islamist regimes.
In a conversation on GB News, Mark Steyn said to Ms
Mohammed: “This partnership between the Western left and basically Islamic
supremacists is a disaster.”
To which Ms Mohammed replied: “Absolutely, it’s
absolutely a disaster.
“The thing they have in common is their hate for the
West, is their hate for Western values, is their hate for capitalism.
“So it is disastrous and it is something we have to
pay attention to.
“At the end of the day, they’re not aligned.
“I mean Islamists want to execute every homosexual,
they want to force women in body bags and that is happening.
“In Afghanistan they’re banning girls from school,
banning them from jobs, banning them from being able to travel.
“It’s the same kinds of things you see in Saudi Arabia
in Iran, these themes you see them in many Muslim majority countries, these are
not progressive values.
“So for people on the left to be supporting this is
absolutely ludicrous but they’re doing it now because they have they both agree
in there hate for the West.”
Source: Gbnews
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Head of the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar-Based Political
Office Suhail Shaheen Clarifies Hijab Rules
Suhail Shaheen
-----
May 12, 2022
The head of the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar-based
political office, Suhail Shaheen, said Afghan women have been using hijab for
centuries and the statement which was recently made by the Islamic Emirate
“doesn’t say Burqa imposed” as the only type of hijab and that other types of
hijab could also be used.
He made the remarks in an interview with Piers Morgan
of Talk TV.
Earlier, a decree announced by the Ministry of Vice
and Virtue stated a new ruling for women’s hijab in the country.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue’s
spokesman Akif Mahajar said the recent ruling on hijab not only includes
“burqas” but the hijabs used in other Islamic countries (Arabic hijab). Also,
the long veils used in rural areas of Afghanistan are also considered hijab,
irrespective of color.
“The Afghan women for centuries, they have been
observing hijab and they are wearing hijab voluntarily. So, there is no
addition ... on them, and the statement doesn’t say burqa is imposed or the
only type of hijab, it says there are different types of hijabs which are
acceptable including burqa,” Shaheen said.
Meanwhile, a number of women in the western province
of Herat in a statement called on the Islamic Emirate to reconsider the
decision about the rulings on women’s hijab.
“The Afghan women are Muslims, and they observe the
Islamic hijab. I hope the Islamic Emirate mulls over the decree which it has
recently given about the Afghan women,” said Fatima Farahi, a female rights
activist.
The UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons,
met with the Islamic Emirate leadership and called for expansion of women
rights.
Lyons met this “week with Taliban leadership and
called for women’s rights to be expanded not curtailed, for secondary schools
to reopen to girls, and for women to be able to fully participate in work and
public life. Afghanistan needs an inclusive effort for challenges ahead,” UNAMA
News said.
This comes as a senior member of the Islamic Emirate,
Anas Haqqani, told a gathering in Kabul on Tuesday that "in the name of
Propagation of Virtue & the Prevention of Vice, we should not cause people
to hate Islam, but we should take care of the people in the way we sacrificed
for them before.”
Source: Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-177965
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Iran: Israeli Killing of Al Jazeera Journalist A
Flagrant Violation of International Law
Israeli Killing of Al
Jazeera Journalist
-----
2022-May-12
The state terrorism of the Zionist regime has
repeatedly shown that it sees no limit in terror and crime, Bahadori Jahromi
wrote on his twitter page on Wednesday.
He added that the Zionist regime has become used to
the terror of children, women, reporters and innocent citizens.
Bahadori Jahromi said that the crime by the Zionist
regime to martyr a Palestinian Al-Jazeera reporter was an attack on the freedom
of the media and a violation of the international regulations.
In relevant remarks on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called on international organizations,
human rights bodies, and international media unions to condemn and hold the
Israeli regime accountable for its assassination of Al Jazeera correspondent.
Khatibzadeh condemned the Israeli regime's
assassination of Abu Akleh while covering Israeli raids in the city of Jenin.
He also expressed his condolences on the martyrdom of
the journalist to her family, and to all journalists in the world who are
committed to the cause of Palestine and Holy Quds.
The senior Iranian diplomat called on international
organizations, human rights bodies, and international media unions to conduct
an independent investigation into the martyrdom of Ms. Shireen Abu Akleh and
hold the Zionist regime to account for its crimes.
Khatibzadeh said that such criminal acts by the
Israeli regime proved that the regime is not committed to freedom of speech and
press in contradiction to its claims to do so.
Israeli forces shot dead Al Jazeera’s journalist Shireen
Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank.
She was hit by a live bullet on Wednesday while
covering Israeli raids in the city of Jenin and was rushed to the hospital in
critical condition.
The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement also
condemned Abu Akleh’s killing, stressing that the Israeli regime was trying to
muzzle the voice of journalists to cover its crimes.
It urged media organizations, the United Nations, and
rights groups to denounce Israel in international forums, and prevent the
regime’s acts of aggression against Palestinian journalists.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun also slammed the
Palestinian journalist’s assassination, saying her death showed that the savage
Israeli regime ignores all international principles and charters.
Also, Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the Gaza-based
Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, said Abu Akleh’s killing added to
Israel’s long list of crimes, especially against Palestinian journalists.
Osama al-Qawasmi, a member of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), described her death as an attack against the truth.
Qawasemi said in a statement that the Tel Aviv regime,
by murdering Abu Akleh, conveyed the message that it will target anyone who
dares to speak and report the truth.
The spokesman of the Palestinian Authority, Ibrahim
Milhim, said his government rejects any role for Israel in an investigation
into Abu Akleh’s killing.
“Let me ask, when does the criminal have the right to
take part in the investigation against his victim?” Milhim was quoted as saying
by Al Jazeera.
“We reject and refuse the participation of any
Israelis in this kind of investigation. They have to be taken to the
International Court. We call on the ICJ to open an investigation into the
killing of Shireen and other crimes committed against the Palestinians.”
The Islamic Jihad Movement also condemned the killing
of an Al Jazeera journalist, terming Abu Akleh’s killing as a failed Israeli
attempt to hide the truth.
Meantime, Anthony Bellanger, the secretary of the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) termed Abu Akleh’s killing as a “deliberate
systematic targeting of a journalist”.
“Yet again journalists, wearing press vests, clearly
identified were targeted by Israeli snipers,” he said in a statement. “We will
seek to add this case to the ICC complaint submitted by the IFJ, detailing such
systematic targeting.”
The Palestine Journalists Syndicate also denounced Abu
Akleh’s death as “a clear assassination perpetrated by the Israeli occupation
army”.
The syndicate held the Israeli occupation forces
“fully responsible for this heinous crime against press freedom”, particularly
after World Press Freedom Day, marked on May 8.
It stressed that the crime of the occupying regime
that targeted Abu Akleh is “a deliberate and premeditated act and a true
assassination operation”.
The syndicate asked for measures to protect
journalists in the occupied territories from the “continued incitement and
killing practiced by the Israeli occupation and all components of the occupation”.
Also, the People's Assembly of Syria also condemned
the assassination of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh at the hands of
the Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The legislative authority said in a statement that
dozens of Syrian and Palestinian media professionals have sacrificed their
lives for the sake of truth while exposing Israeli crimes.
Source: Fars News Agency
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original story:
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Outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan Extends Truce to
Hold Peace Talks With Pakistan
Outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan
-----
May 12, 2022
PESHAWAR: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) has extended a ceasefire with the government of Pakistan in order to hold
peace talks, AFP quoted two sources in the militant group as saying on
Wednesday.
Since the Afghan Taliban surged back to power last
year, TTP attacks on Pakistan soil saw an uptick.
Sources said that a TTP ceasefire, agreed for the Eid
period, has now been extended until May 16.
A TTP letter outlining the truce tells fighters “not
to violate the decision taken by the central command”.
Both sources said a team of Pakistani mediators has
travelled to Afghanistan to meet the TTP leadership for talks facilitated by
the Afghan Taliban.
However, Islamabad has not yet commented on the
matter.
Last year, the PTI-led government of Imran Khan
conducted peace negotiations with the TTP during a month-long ceasefire that
eventually collapsed.
Islamabad has increasingly complained of attacks
across the border from Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Kabul in
August, an issue that has become a source of diplomatic tension.
Last month Afghan officials said a Pakistani airstrike
in eastern Afghanistan killed 47 people. Pakistan did not comment on the strike
but urged Kabul to secure its border to prevent militant operations.
The Afghan Taliban called the assault a “cruelty” that
“is paving the way for enmity between Afghanistan and Pakistan”.
In March, an Islamic State suicide bomber, who
authorities say was an Afghan national, killed 64 people at a mosque in
Peshawar.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1689249/ttp-extends-truce-to-hold-peace-talks-with-pakistan
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India
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan Lashes Out At
Muslim Leader, Musaliyar, For 'Humiliating' Schoolgirl On Stage
Vivek Rajagopal
Thiruvananthapuram
May 11, 2022
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday
strongly criticised Muslim leader Abdulla Musaliyar for 'humiliating' a
schoolgirl on stage. On May 10, Musaliyar was caught on camera scolding members
of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama (SKJU), an association of Kerala Sunni
scholars, for inviting the schoolgirl on stage during a felicitation event in
Malappuram district.
Taking to Twitter, the governor said, “Sad to know
that a young talented girl was humiliated on stage in Malappuram district while
receiving a well-deserved award simply because she was born into a Muslim
family. This is yet another example of how Muslim clerics continue to push hard
Muslim women into seclusion and suppress their personality in total defiance of
Qur'anic commands and provisions of the Constitution.”
Arif Khan also quoted the holy Quran and said,
"Women shall have rights similar to the rights against them according to
what is fair and reasonable, but men have an added degree of RESPONSIBILITY
towards them -2.228.”
In a purported video clip that has gone viral, the
SKJU members were seen presenting awards to a boy, after which a girl was
invited onto the stage to receive her award.
Once she received the award, the Muslim leader Abdulla
Musaliyar walked towards the members who felicitated the girl and reprimanded
the members for inviting the girl on stage.
“Who called the girl here? I’ll show you [who I am]
next time you call a girl here. Aren’t you supposed to call the parents as per
Samantha rules? Won’t this come in photo?” said Abdulla Musaliyar in Malayalam.
Source: India Today
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If taking away mosques, Lal Quila help resolve country’s
issues, let them: Mehbooba
11th May 2022
Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said if
“taking away” mosques, the Lal Quila (Red Fort) or the Qutub Minar could help
resolve such as unemployment, price rise, and poverty “then I would urge the
Muslims of this country to let them (Hindu right-wing groups) take away
whatever they want.”
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Mufti said,
“If they want to take away mosques, let them. But do not give them cause for
violence. This is what they want.”
Mufti was referring to the members of the Hindu
organisation Mahakal Manav Sewa protesting near Qutub Minar on Tuesday,
demanding the renaming of Qutub Minar as Vishnu Stambh.
Speaking on recent incidents of houses belonging to
Muslims being bulldozed in parts of the country, Mufti said, “It’s very
unfortunate the way minorities are being attacked, their houses are being
bulldozed. The judiciary is not coming forward to take Suo Moto cognizance of
such incidents.”
She urged the people not to destroy the Hindu-Muslim
unity of the country.
Mufti, reacting to the Supreme Court’s order on
Sedition Law said, “If any student, activist or politician speaks, the sedition
law is used against them. If our country continues to slap sedition charges on
students, activists, and journalists…our situation will become worse than Sri
Lanka…Hoping BJP learns a lesson from Sri Lanka and stops communal tensions,
majoritarianism.”
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that Section
124A of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises the offence of sedition be
kept in abeyance till the government’s exercise of reviewing the law is
complete. A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and
Hima Kohli also asked the Central government and States not to register any
cases under Section 124A.
Allowing the Central government to re-examine and
reconsider the provisions of Section 124A, the apex court said that it will be
appropriate not to use the provision of law till further re-examination is
over. The bench now posted the hearing of a batch of pleas challenging the
constitutional validity of the sedition law, in July.
Taking to Twitter, Murti wrote, “What happened in Sri Lanka
should serve as a wake-up call. Since 2014, India is being whipped into a
communal frenzy and imagined fears. It is treading the same path of
hyper-nationalism and religious majoritarianism. All at the cost of disrupting
social cohesion and economic security.”
Source: Siasat Daily
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Coimbatore: Nallur Police arrests man for forcing
Dalit woman to convert to Islam
Pramod Madhav
Chennai
May 12, 2022
A 21-year-old Dalit woman filed a complaint with
Nallur Police in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district stating that her partner,
with whom she was in a live-in relationship, was torturing her and forcing her
to convert to Islam.
The woman had stated that the accused, Iman Hameef,
had contacted her through Instagram in 2021 and their friendship turned into a
relationship.
He had then brought her to Tiruppur where they lived
together, but Iman began to force her, and allegedly also tortured her to
convert to Islam.
She stated that Iman took her phone and released
explicit pics of them being together on her Instagram profile and also
threatened to upload videos of her taking a bath if she didn’t convert to his
religion.
The victim stated that Iman had called her by caste
name, forced himself upon her several times and took nude pictures of her.
She also said that, unable to bare the torture, she
left for her hometown. But, she had to come back to Tiruppur to collect her
education documents from Imran. That is when he took her phone and used her own
Instagram account to upload the pics.
Based on her complaint, Nallur Police registered an
FIR under sections 354 A, 506 (1) of IPC, 66 C, 66 E, 67 A of the IT Act and
several sections of the Prevention of Atrocities against SC/ ST Act.
Source: India Today
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Hyderabad honour killing: Muslim woman's family used
spyware to track Dalit husband, says police report
Ashish Pandey
Hyderabad
May 12, 2022
The Hyderabad Police’s remand report of the accused in
the brutal and public honour killing of Nagaraju, a Dalit man, says that the
accused used spyware to track and locate the victim. The report also states
that the murder was pre-planned.
Nagaraju, a 25-year-old Dalit man, was killed in front
of his wife, Syed Ashrin Sultana (aka Pallavi), in Hyderabad's Saroornagar on
May 4. His brother-in-law, Syed Mubeen Ahmed, is the main accused. He murdered
Nagaraju because he was unhappy with his sister’s interfaith marriage.
WHAT THE REMAND REPORT SAYS
According to the remand report India Today has
accessed, Nagaraju's murder was pre-planned and the accused used mobile spyware
to track and locate him.
On the day of the murder, the accused tried to kill
Nagaraju outside the car showroom where he worked, but missed him due to the
traffic.
The accused had performed the marriages of two of his
elder sisters and his third sister's (Sultana) marriage was awaited. The
accused, Mubeen, planned to get married after Sultana's wedding.
ACCUSED DISCOVERS THE RELATIONSHIP
The remand report states that when the accused
discovered that his younger sister was in love with Nagaraju, he admonished and
beat her. On January 30, at around 8 pm, she left the house without intimating
anyone.
On January 31, she married Nagaraju in Arya Samaj in
the Old City, as per Hindu traditions.
The brother, Mubeen, reportedly came to know a day
before their wedding that his sister had changed her name from Ashreen Sultana
to Pallavi.
Upon knowing this, he had insisted that Nagaraju leave
his sister, but they both refused to do so.
A PLAN IS HATCHED
As a result, he developed a grudge against Nagaraju
and hatched a plan along with his other brother-in-law, Masood Ahmed, to kill
Nagaraju.
Mubeen, the accused, obtained Nagaraju’s phone number
from his sister’s mobile phone. Thereafter, he tracked Nagaraju’s location
using the “Find My Device” app and found his location was near Saroornagar.
On May 4, he called his other brother-in-law, Mansoor
Ahmend, and told him to come to Saroornagar.
THE HORRIFIC PUBLIC MURDER
Then, he took an iron rod and a knife with him and
went to Miyapur on a bus. Masood Ahmed reached that place on his Bajaj Chetak
scooter. Both met at Miyapur, and from there, they proceeded to Saroornagar.
On the way, they searched for the exact location of
Nagaraju and it showed that he was at the Maruti showroom where he worked. They
waited for him till he completed his duty. From there, the two of them followed
him, but they missed him due to traffic.
Again, Mubeen searched for his location, and it showed
that he was at Saroornagar.
Immediately, they rushed to the spot and found
Nagaraju and Ashreen Sulthana coming in the opposite direction on a Honda
Unicorn bike.
They obstructed the couple, and the two men together
beat Nagaraju with an iron rod on his head. Then, Nagaraju fell to the ground.
VICTIM'S WIFE FIGHTS BACK
His wife, Sultana, tried to fight off the attacker,
her brother Mubeen, but he roughly pushed her away. This was recorded by a
bystander, who shot a video of the attack. Sultana got up and rushed at the
attackers, who were hacking away at Nagaraju.
They were grappling with each other and visuals show
her begging the men to stop attacking her husband.
However, the accused beat Nagaraju on his head with an
iron rod indiscriminately around four to five times and stabbed him with a
knife. After confirming his death, they fled from the spot.
Source: India Today
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Activists of RSS Muslim wing denied entry to Krishna
Janmabhoomi-Idgah complex in Mathura
Siraj Qureshi
Agra
May 11, 2022
A 10-member team of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM)
tried to enter the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Idgah complex in Mathura on Wednesday,
May 11. Security personnel stationed at the site prevented the Muslim group
activists from entering the complex.
The activists of Muslim Rashtriya Manch, a body affiliated
to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had reportedly gone to the complex to
analyze the historic importance of the site.
Speaking to India Today, Tushar Kant, leader of MRM
team, said that they saw Krishna Janmabhoomi from a distance and expressed the
desire to find out about the history of the Idgah, but the security personnel
stopped them. He said that the team had gone to Mathura on the directions of
the Manch's chief Indresh Kumar.
Rehana Khatun, a member of the MRM team, said, “The
Manch appeals to all Muslims that they are Indians first and it becomes the
responsibility of the entire Muslim community to preserve the peace and
tranquility in the country.”
She said that the disputed site is the birthplace of
Lord Krishna and the foreign invaders demolished the temple to build an Idgah.
Asif Jafri, another member of the team, said that it
is improper to offer Namaz at a place which does not belong to the Muslims.
“Every artifact found on the site points to the fact
that this was a temple in the past,” Asif Jafri told India Today.
MRM member Mariam Khan said that Islam does not teach
us to fight amongst ourselves.
“For the sake of the future generations, it is time
that these disputes are resolved with mutual understanding,” Mariam Khan added.
Meanwhile, reacting to MRM’s attempt to enter the
Krishna Janmabhoomi-Idgah complex, Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad Chairman Sami
Aghai said that when the issue is already in court, then the RSS Muslim Wing
activists should not have gone to the disputed site to unnecessarily create
disturbance. They should have waited for the court's decision, Sami Aghai said.
Source: India Today
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We will abide by guidelines on use of loudspeakers:
Muslim committee
MAY 11, 2022
The Muslim Central Committee, Dakshina Kannada, will
abide by guidelines laid down by the State Government on the use of loud
speakers, said president of the committee K.S. Mohammed Masood here on
Wednesday.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Masood said that the Supreme
Court in 2005 specified the noise level of loudspeakers during the day and
barred using it between 10 p.m and 6 a.m. The State Government has,
accordingly, issued guidelines and asked all existing users of loudspeakers to
take permission from the designated authorities.
Mr. Masood said that the committee will write to all
jamats to follow the guidelines laid down by the State Government. “As the
president of Kudroli Masjid, I have asked our personnel to comply with the
norms laid down by the district administration,” he said.
He said that Muslims believe in harmonious living and
are law abiding by nature. People like Pramod Mutalik [of the Sri Ram Sene] are
making provocative statements and trying to create tension among communities.
He urged the State Government to book Mr. Mutalik for sedition.
Taking exception to the recent cordial meeting of
Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar with Mr. Mutalik, Mr. Masood said that a
person involved in many criminal cases should not have received special
treatment from Mr. Kumar.
Source: The Hindu
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Madhya Pradesh HC Issues Notice to Centre, ASI in Plea
Seeking to Stop Muslims from Offering Namaz at Bhojshala Complex
MAY 11, 2022
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday issued
notice to the Centre, state government and the Archaelogical Survery of India
(ASI) in a petition seeking to reclaim the Bhojshala complex located in state’s
Dhar district for Hindus and prohibit Muslims from offering namaz in its
premises.
The petition, argued by advocate Hari Shankar Jain,
challenges an ASI notification dated of 2003 which allowed Muslims to offer
namaz within Bhojshala complex , restricting “the right of Hindus to worship
within the aforesaid premises."
A bench of Justices Vivek Rusia and Amarnath
Keshwarwani noted that the petition argued by Advocate Hari Shankar Jain was a
“comprehensive one". The bench admitted the plea and issued notice to ASI,
the Central government and the State of Madhya Pradesh, Bar and Bench reported.
“It is espousing the cause of Hindu community for
enforcement of right to religion guaranteed under Article 25 and right to
conserve cultural heritage under Article 29 of the Constitution of India,"
the petitioner stated.
The plea sought to re-establish the idol of Goddess
Saraswati (Vagdevi) which was established by King Bhoj in the year 1034 AD but
taken to London by the Britishers after it was desecrated.
“The religious sentiments of the followers of Sanatan
Dharm are connected with the Bhojshala complex as a place of worship and
learning of Indian culture. They have the right to exercise their Right to
worship within the temple complex by virtue of Article 25," the report
quoted lines from the PIL.
Source: News18
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North America
Queer Muslim group aims to conduct largest survey of
LGBTQ Muslims in the US
May 11, 2022
By Alejandra Molina
(RNS) — In the early months of the pandemic, the LGBTQ
Muslim group Queer Crescent launched a mutual aid fund that raised more than
$60,000 to distribute to people prioritized as the most in need.
The money helped nearly 400 individuals, including
those who were disabled, incarcerated, families of loved ones behind bars, and
survivors of domestic violence, according to the group based in Oakland,
California.
“We kind of highlighted the most marginal of our LGBTQ
Muslim communities,” said Shenaaz Janmohamed, executive director of Queer
Crescent. “It let us know that there’s so much more nuance and need and
systemic barriers to our community members than we know.”
Now, to further gain an understanding of the
experiences of LGBTQ Muslims, Queer Crescent is spearheading and funding what
it describes as the largest survey of LGBTQ Muslims in the United States. The
goal is to recognize the political needs of LGBTQ Muslims, who according to the
group are erased from the broader Muslim narrative.
“How can we self determine what Muslim means to us?”
To Janmohamed, this is one question the survey could potentially help LGBTQ
Muslims figure out.
The nationwide online survey will be released during
Pride Month this June. It will ask participants about their income levels, what
kind of access they have to health care and whether they have experienced any
kinds of discrimination, among other things.
For hard-to-reach populations like LGTBQ Muslims,
Amara Ahmed — a member of Queer Crescent and the survey’s lead researcher —
said they are hoping to engage enough people who will then encourage others to
take the survey. Simply visiting a mosque will not be enough to get the
necessary voices from LGBTQ people, Ahmed said. Fliers of the survey will be
distributed at community spaces and Pride events. Queer Crescent will be
spreading the word with the help of other advocacy groups.
“The basic idea is to jump-start both a sense of the
community, and by doing that, make the community more visible,” said Ahmed, a doctoral
candidate at the University of Chicago whose research focuses on the
experiences of queer Muslims in the U.S.
Ahmed said she’s not aware of any other studies that
have focused on LGBTQ Muslims in the U.S. She noted the 2014 Pew Research
Center’s Religious Landscape Study that found that 42% of Muslims favored
same-sex marriage legalization, compared with just 28% of evangelicals.
This kind of data point, Ahmed said, “can only tell so
much of the story.”
“A lot of Muslims in the United States might be OK
with gay marriage from a sort of societal, legal perspective,” Ahmed said.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re OK with it in their community, or if
their kid came out. There’s a much more complicated story to tell.”
These kind of surveys, Janmohamed said, “presume that
queerness is not part of the (Muslim) community.”
Janmohamed was raised in a Shiite Muslim household in
Sacramento where she was surrounded by a large Sunni Muslim community. “That
really shaped so much of my organizing, thinking of who is not present,”
Janmohamed said.
She started Queer Crescent in 2017 after the Trump
administration’s travel ban blocked people from Muslim-majority countries from
entering the U.S. At the time, Janmohamed thought: “Where can I go to register
my grief, my sorrow, my fears and my rage?”
“I think that mainstream Muslim organizations,
basically straight Muslim organizations, have not always felt like the
welcoming space for me to really feel seen and heard,” she said.
Since then, Queer Crescent has held workshops on
“Islam & Transformative Justice” as a way to respond to harm, abuse and
violence. The organization is also collecting Muslim abortion stories for its
Muslim Repro Justice Storytelling project to learn how Muslims have navigated
accessing clinics, costs, travel, language and cultural barriers.
Ahmed joined Queer Crescent about three years ago when
she was in the process of coming out as trans. She became involved in a support
group and is now leading the group’s research efforts.
She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area with a
supportive family that was not “super religious.” Ahmed’s mother converted from
Catholicism to Islam after marrying Ahmed’s Muslim father. Her parents and
others have embraced her trans identity, including a family friend who runs a
Muslim K-12 school and whom Ahmed described as a “very religious” person who
wears a hijab.
“When my mom told her, the first thing she did was
launch into an Islamic justification for why according to the Quran and the
Hadith it is OK to be trans,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed is curious about how LGBTQ Muslims create a
sense of belonging “even though being LGBTQ and Muslim is often seen as not
compatible,” she said.
“Both by LGBTQ people who potentially see Muslims as
religiously conservative, and thus opposed to LGBTQ people, and vice versa,
with many Muslims seeing being gay or trans as not particularly compatible with
the form of the religion that they follow,” Ahmed said.
Source: Religion News
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US, EU demand investigation into reporter Shireen Abu
Akleh’s killing in Israel
11 May ,2022
The US and European Union condemned on Wednesday the
killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and demanded an
independent investigation into the circumstances of her death.
The US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield
said that Abu Akleh’s death must be “investigated transparently.”
“We're encouraging both sides to participate in that
investigation so that we can get down to why this happened,” Thomas-Greenfield
said, adding that the US’ “highest priority is protection of American citizens
and the protection of journalists.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “We are
heartbroken by and strongly condemn the killing of American journalist Shireen
Abu Akleh in the West Bank. The investigation must be immediate and thorough
and those responsible must be held accountable. Her death is an affront to
media freedom everywhere.”
The EU's External Action service said in a statement:
“It is essential that a thorough, independent investigation clarifies all the
circumstances of these incidents as soon as possible and that those responsible
are brought to justice. It is unacceptable to target journalists while they
perform their job. Journalists covering conflict situations must be ensured
safety and protection at all times.”
The Al Jazeera reporter was shot dead while covering
an Israeli raid on a Palestinian camp in the occupied West Bank.
Qatari Al Jazeera network accused Israel of
“deliberately targeting and killing” their reporter.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US lawmaker holds moment of silence for slain
Palestinian-American journalist
Michael Hernandez
11.05.2022
WASHINGTON
US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib held a moment of silence in
the House of Representatives on Wednesday for slain Palestinian-American
journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Tlaib, who is also Palestinian-American, said that
Americans woke up to the "shocking news" of Abu Akleh's killing,
recalling the words of US President Joe Biden who just weeks ago hailed the
contributions of journalists worldwide during the annual White House
Correspondents' Dinner.
"President Biden said we honor journalists
killed, missing, imprisoned, detained and tortured covering war, exposing
corruption and holding leaders accountable. He further said that the free press
is not the enemy of people, far from it, at your best, he told the journalists,
'You are the guardians of the truth,'" she said.
"People woke up to the killing of Shireen Abu
Akleh. I would like to do a moment of silence as we heard the shocking news of
this journalist of over 20 years, a Palestinian-American, killed," she
added, fighting back tears as the chamber laid silent with those present
standing in remembrance.
Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead while covering an Israeli
military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin Wednesday morning.
Another journalist, Ali Al-Samoudi, was shot in the back, according to the
Palestinian Health Ministry.
Rayyan al-Ali, the director of the Forensic Medicine
Institute at An-Najah University in Nablus, said the autopsy he conducted
determined Abu Akleh was fatally shot in the head.
The Doha-based Al Jazeera news network has accused
Israeli forces of deliberately assassinating its reporter “in cold blood.” It
said the killing was a “heinous crime, which intends to only prevent the media
from conducting their duty.”
Israel has sought to pin blame for Abu Akleh's killing
on Palestinian gunmen, posting a video to social media of alleged armed
Palestinians firing in Jenin.
But Israeli rights group B'Tselem said the video does
not correspond to the location where Abu Akleh was shot and killed, and that
"documentation of Palestinian gunfire distributed by Israeli military
cannot be the gunfire that killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Biden administration presses Congress for approval of
F-16 sale to Turkiye: Report
Ahmet Gencturk
11.05.2022
The Biden administration has pressed the US Congress
for approval of the F-16 sale to Turkiye, Wall Street Journal reported on
Wednesday.
By asking the congressional leaders to approve the
deal, the administration is setting up a showdown with the lawmakers, said the
WSJ.
According to the daily, Turkiye’s mediation efforts to
end the Russia-Ukraine war and its supplying Ukraine with the TB-2 combat
drones, which proved very effective on the battlefield, significantly
contributed to warming the relations between Ankara and Washington.
US and Turkish officials are advocating for the F-16
deal, arguing that it could help repair the American-Turkish defense
relationship, frayed after Ankara chose to buy a Russian air-defense system in
2017, the daily reported.
An approximately $6-billion deal would include the
sale of 40 newly built F-16V fighter jets and modernization kits for 80 F-16
C/D models that the Turkish Air Forces has in its inventory.
The Turkish government made the request for the F-16s
and modernization kits in October 2021, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu said on April 8 that the talks were “progressing positively.”
Naz Durakoglu, the State Department's top official for
legislative affairs, acknowledged last month in a letter to Congressman Frank
Pallone the ongoing tensions over additional arms sales to Turkiye but
maintained that the sanctions and Turkiye’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet
program represent "a significant price paid" for its acquisition of
Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.
In early May, reports appeared on some US news outlets
claiming that several lawmakers favor the deal.
Turkiye paid $1.4 billion for the fighter jets, but
Washington took Ankara out of the program in 2019 because Turkiye bought the
Russian S-400 defense system after its efforts to acquire US Patriot missiles
were rebuffed.
The US claimed the Russian system was a safety risk,
but Turkiye maintained that the S-400 would pose no threat to NATO or its
armaments because it would not be integrated into the alliance's systems.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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South Asia
Reporters Without Borders Call Khalid Qaderi’s Trial
“Arbitrary.”
12 May 2022
By Saqalain Eqbal
Reporters Without Borders has condemned the Taliban’s
“arbitrary” trial of Khaled Qaderi, a journalist in Herat province.
The report stated, “We condemn the arbitrary nature of
these arrests and this conviction.”
Khalid Qaderi was detained by the group for publicly
criticizing the Taliban, and the Taliban recently sentenced him to one year in
prison through a military court.
This is the first instance in Afghanistan in 20 years
that a journalist has been tried in a military court, which is intended to be
confined for members of the armed forces only. The trial and punishment were
both unfair and disproportionate. Qaderi was not represented by a lawyer and
was even compelled to waive his right to appeal.
Complaints against journalists and media outlets in
Afghanistan are supposed to be reviewed by a Media Offenses Verification
Committee and can be brought to a court only if this commission determines to
do so.
In addition, the organization issued an open letter to
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the state of human rights in
Afghanistan, stating that it had yet to receive a response.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/reporters-without-borders-calls-khalid-qaderis-trial-arbitrary67469/
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The Taliban Denies the Allegations of Civilian
Casualties in Panjshir
12 May 2022
Following reports of ill-treatment, torture, and
“civilian killings” by the Taliban in Panjshir, local Taliban officials denied
the allegations, calling them “unfounded”.
Clashes between the Taliban and the Resistance Front
in Panjshir province’s Dara and Abshar districts are alleged to have resulted
in numerous losses for the Taliban, and Ghulam Farooq Halim, a resident of Dara
district, posted a photo on his Facebook page writing that Innocent people have
been transported to an unknown location by the Taliban.
According to Mr. Halim’s Facebook post, around 200
people of AbdullahKhel Valley and the village of Tankhoo have been detained by
the Taliban since the start of the Taliban hostilities on the valley, and their
fate is unclear.
Mr. Halim shared a photo of Taliban forces arresting
people with their hands tied behind their backs.
Ghulam Farooq Halim continued by stating that the
Taliban’s raid on the district, which has killed more than 40 people since the
conflict began, may have resulted in even more casualties.
According to this AbdullahKhel local, the corpses are
lying around and nobody could approach the bodies of the mourning and sorrowful
people of AbdullahKhel and Tankhoo.
Meanwhile, the Resistance Front claims the Taliban
perpetrated “genocide” in Panjshir, Andarab, and Takhar.
“Massacring civilians will not demoralize us but will
strengthen our resolve to liberate our country from these criminals.” the
Resistance Front’s Foreign Relations Head, Ali Maisam Nazari, tweeted on
Wednesday.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/the-taliban-denies-the-allegations-of-civilian-casualties-in-panjshir36829/
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Consultation and Preparations for Political Figures’
Return to the Country in Sapidar Palace
11 May 2022
By Saqalain Eqbal
The Taliban Political Commission met at Sapidar Palace
to contact Afghan political figures and lay the groundwork for their return.
The Taliban’s deputy spokesman, Inamullah Samangani,
tweeted that the meeting was held yesterday, Tuesday, 10th May, and was
presided over by Maulvi Abdul Kabir at Sapidar Palace.
Members of the commission met with Amir Khan Mottaqi,
the Taliban’s acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mullah Khairullah, the
Taliban’s acting Information and Culture Minister, Mullah Abdul Haq Wasiq, the
Taliban’s Director General of Intelligence Agency, and Sheikh Shahabuddin
Delawar and Anas Haqqani, Taliban’s Acting Minister of Interior Affairs.
Source: Khaama Press
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Mideast
FM Underlines Lebanon's Special Place in Iran's
Foreign Policy
2022-May-12
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with
Lebanon's Culture Minister Mohammad Wissam al-Mortada in Tehran on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the two ministers discussed the
latest developments in the region, promotion of relations among the Islamic
countries and especially development of cooperation between the two countries.
Amir Abdollahian touched on the special place of
Lebanon in Iran's foreign policy and the age-old and good relations between the
Iranian nation and all Lebanese groups and tribes.
He called the resistance of the Lebanese people
against the continuous aggression of the Zionist regime a shining example for
the nations of the region.
"Therefore, the resilient people of the region
will never go under the burden of normalization with the terrorist and
child-killing Israeli regime," Amir Abdollahian added.
He also referred to the difficult economic situation
in Lebanon amid oppressive western sanctions on the country, reiterating
Tehran's readiness to upgrade economic cooperation with Beirut if demanded by
the Lebanese government and people.
Al-Mortada, for his part, hailed Iran's special place
in the West Asian region, saying Beirut is ready to expand its relations with
all friendly and brotherly regional countries, specially the Islamic Republic.
He touched on problems related to the livelihood and
basic needs of the Lebanese people, stressing that the Lebanese government and
nation, nonetheless, will act in the national interests of their country and
will never wait for outside help or solutions.
Western countries, led by the US, have targeted the
Lebanese economy with draconian sanctions with the aim of pressuring the
government in Beirut to ostracize Hezbollah and cut it from the country's
political and military landscape.
The resistance movement is a nemesis of the West and
Israel for inflicting repeated defeats on their regional schemes, especially
during two recent wars which shattered Tel Aviv's myth of invincibility.
Iran began to send fuel to Lebanon in August through
the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, which announced the purchase of
Iranian fuel shipments after the Lebanese government’s failure to deal with the
country’s crippling fuel shortages.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran Asks for Removal of Sanctions against Syria
2022-May-12
“War, sanctions, (economic) siege and blockade of
humanitarian aid will not do good to their architects. The international
community must take lessons from its mistakes, and stop efforts aimed at
isolation of the Syrian government by lifting oppressive sanctions against the
Syrian nation,” Dehqani said, addressing the Sixth Brussels Conference on
“Supporting the future of Syria and the region” in the Belgian capital city of
Brussels.
He elaborated on the Islamic Republic's stance
vis-à-vis Syrian conflict, and emphasized the need for effective mechanisms in
order to resolve the crisis.
The senior Iranian diplomat also criticized Western
countries’ stance on the matter.
Dehqani hailed the relative stability in Syria,
saying, “The only viable path to restore peace, resume negotiations, ensure
political settlement of the crisis and reconstruct Syria is to respect the
territorial integrity and political sovereignty of that country.”
The Iranian diplomat also underlined that terrorist
groups must be eliminated from Syria, and denounced the double standards of
some Western countries concerning terrorism and their so-called differentiation
between "good" and "bad" terrorists.
“There is no good or bad terrorism. Such a
short-minded division would lead to further exacerbation of crises and threats
to global security since terrorism cannot be constrained to one particular
region,” Dehqani said.
He then pointed to Iran's humanitarian assistance to
Syria, namely construction of schools, hospitals and medical facilities, saying
Tehran has also supported Damascus in the fight against COVID-19 outbreak and
helped it rebuild Syria’s economic and industrial infrastructure.
The Iranian ambassador criticized the silence of the
international community on Israeli acts of aggression against non-military and
civilian sites inside Syria, terming such strikes a blatant violation of the UN
Charter.
“Solution to the Syrian crisis can only be achieved
through a comprehensive approach that covers all aspects of the matter,
including an end to illegal sanctions, return of all Syrian refugees, cessation
of Israeli attacks on Syria and increased humanitarian aid to the country,” he
said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
declared in August that Tehran and Damascus were in talks to devise plans to
fight against the US sanctions.
“We had very useful talks with my dear brother Mr.
Faisal al-Mikdad about expanding and strengthening our relations as much as
possible. The two countries are drawing up a plan for the active development of
economic and trade cooperation to counter the oppressive sanctions imposed by
the enemies,” Amir Abdollahian said in a joint press conference with his Syrian
counterpart Faisal al-Mikdad in Damascus.
“We examined the latest developments in the region. We
believe that any political and security arrangements in the region will be
achieved with the presence and participation of all the regional states,
including the Syrian Arab Republic, and in this direction we consider the role
of Iraq and Syria important to help establish new regional arrangements in the
political, security and economic fields,” he added.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010222000209/Iran-Asks-fr-Remval-f-Sancins-agains-Syria
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Iran Calls for Using "Unique" Opportunity of
Ceasefire in Yemen
2022-May-12
The UN-brokered ceasefire in Yemen is a unique
opportunity to politically resolve the Yemeni crisis, Khaji said in a virtual
meeting with UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg.
The consultations were made as part of Tehran’s
efforts to lay the groundwork for a resolution of the crisis in Yemen through
cooperation.
During the virtual meeting, the two sides discussed
the latest developments in Yemen in the light of the two-month ceasefire there.
Khaji underlined Iran's support for the UN envoy’s
efforts to bring about the two-month truce, describing it as a unique
opportunity for consolidating the ceasefire and resolving Yemen’s crisis
through political means.
“Fully upholding the commitments is the key to success
in this area, while a defeat at this stage would deepen the distrust and
further complicate the crisis in Yemen in future,” he said.
He said the lifting of the siege on the Yemenis would
be an important step toward reducing the humanitarian crisis in the country and
would be in line with efforts to continue the ceasefire and to bring about a
political resolution to Yemen’s crisis.
The UN envoy, for his part, said he was, at the
current juncture, focusing on removing the obstacles to fulfilling the
commitments under the two-month truce agreement between the two sides.
Extending the ceasefire, he added, would be the next
step.
Grundberg thanked the Islamic Republic for his role in
helping the UN in its efforts to resolve
the case of Yemen.
In relevant remarks late last month, Khaji underlined
the need for the establishment of permanent ceasefire in Yemen and the start of
intra-Yemeni talks.
Khaji made the remarks in a meeting with Norwegian
Deputy Foreign Minister Henrik Thune in Tehran.
During the meeting, the two officials called for
achieving a peaceful resolution to end the Yemen crisis.
The latest developments in Yemen and the ways to reach
a peaceful resolution to the Yemen crisis were also discussed in this meeting.
Khaji welcomed implementation of the temporary
ceasefire in Yemen, but meantime, stressed the need for a permanent cessation
of aggression, as well as the start of the intra-Yemeni political dialogue.
Source: Fars News Agency
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the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010222000300/Iran-Calls-fr-Using-Unie-Opprniy-f-Ceasefire-in-Yemen
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IRGC Hits Terrorists Positions in Erbil by Artillery
Fire
2022-May-11
The IRGC onducted artillery attacks against terrorist
bases in Erbil. No report has yet released on the casualties and damages of the
attack.
In a relevant development last month, the IRGC targeted
a Mossad base in Erbil with precision-guided missiles.
The Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have
repeatedly warned that they will never tolerate the presence and activity of
terrorist groups along the northwestern border and will give strong and
decisive responses in case of anti-security activities.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010221000624/IRGC-His-Terrriss-Psiins-in-Erbil-by-Arillery-Fire'
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Israeli authorities fully responsible for reporter Abu
Akleh‘s death: Abbas
12 May ,2022
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says that
Palestine holds the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the
killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.
The bullet that killed her will not be handed over to
Israel for a probe as they are not trusted, Abbas added.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Palestinian Authority refuses to hand over bullet that
killed Shireen Abu Akleh
12 May ,2022
The Palestinian Authority rejected Israel’s request to
conduct a joint investigation into the “assassination” of journalist Shireen
Abu Akleh and refused to hand over the bullet that killed her, Palestinian
Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh confirmed on Thursday.
“Israel has requested a joint investigation and to be
handed over the bullet that assassinated the journalist Shireen, we refused
that, and we affirmed that our investigation would be completed independently,”
al-Sheikh said in a tweet.
The official also added that all evidence and witness
statements confirm that the Palestinian-American journalist was assassinated by
Israeli special units.
“We will inform her family, USA, Qatar and all official
authorities and the public of the results of the investigation with high
transparency,” al-Sheikh said.
The Palestinian forensics institute said an initial
autopsy was inconclusive. Rayan al-Ali, director of the institute, said a
deformed bullet was recovered and was being further studied to determine who
had fired it.
A veteran Al Jazeera journalist, Abu Akleh was shot
and killed by the Israeli army while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied
West Bank town of Jenin early Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
She was a well-known Palestinian female reporter for
the broadcaster's Arabic language channel who is also a US citizen. Ali
al-Samoudi, another Palestinian journalist, was hospitalized in stable
condition after being shot in the back.
In video footage of the incident, Abu Akleh can be
seen wearing a blue flak jacket clearly marked with the word “PRESS.”
Al-Samoudi, her producer, told the Associated Press
they were among a group of seven reporters who went to cover the raid early
Wednesday. He said they were all wearing protective gear that clearly
designated them as reporters and walked past Israeli troops so the soldiers
would see them and know that they were there.
“We made sure to walk right in-front of the army
patrols so that they can see us, and they saw us, after we went to a road where
there were no armed people, no civilians and there were no shooting and no
incidents there, we were shocked by the shooting,” al-Samoudi said in a video
recorded in the hospital.
He said the first shot missed them, but then a second
struck him, and a third killed Abu Akleh. He said there were no militants or
other civilians in the area — only the reporters and the army.
He said the military’s suggestion that they were shot
by militants was a “complete lie.”
“The occupation is murderous and criminal, they shot
us for no reason,” he added. “There were no armed people and we can’t put our
lives in danger and say the wrong narrative, the Israeli army is a liar and
criminal and despicable.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israel defense minister pledges full probe into
killing of reporter Shireen Abu Akleh
11 May ,2022
Israel’s defense minister promised a thorough
investigation of the killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh on
Wednesday and asked that Palestinian officials hand over the bullet that killed
her.
Benny Gantz told reporters that Israel has been in
touch with US and Palestinian officials, and said all parts of the
investigation would be made public.
While the military initially suggested Abu Akleh might
have been killed by stray fire from Palestinians, while she was covering an
Israel raid in the West Bank, Gantz was more cautious Wednesday evening. “We
are trying to figure out exactly what happened... I don’t have final
conclusions.”
“I am very sorry for what happened,” Gantz told
reporters. “Currently we do not know what was the direct cause of Shireen’s
death. We are very decisive to have a full-scale investigation of this process,
and we hope to get Palestinian cooperation on this issue. Without the report of
the pathological findings and the forensic findings, it would be very hard for
us to find out what happened on the ground.”
“We investigated all the troops that were part of the
operation," he added. “So far, we don’t have any final conclusion.”
Abu Akleh, one of Al Jazeera satellite channel’s
best-known reporters, was shot and killed on Wednesday while covering an
Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank. The broadcaster and two
reporters who were with her blamed Israeli forces.
The Israeli army initially suggested that Abu Akleh
might have been killed by stray fire from Palestinian militants. But the
military chief, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, later stepped back from that assertion,
saying it was unclear who had fired the deadly bullet.
Abu Akleh’s death could draw new scrutiny of Israel’s
military justice system, which is being examined as part of a war crimes probe
conducted by the International Criminal Court. It also threatened to further
strain often rocky relations between the army and the international media.
Abu Akleh, 51, was a respected and familiar face in
the Middle East, known for her coverage on Al Jazeera Arabic of the harsh
realities of Israel’s open-ended military occupation of the Palestinians, now
in its 55th year. She was widely recognized in the West Bank and was also a US
citizen.
Her death reverberated across the region. Arab
governments condemned the killing.
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There was also an outpouring of grief in the West
Bank. In Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian autonomy government, Abu Akleh’s
body, draped in a Palestinian flag and covered by a wreath of flowers, was
carried through downtown streets. Hundreds chanted, “with our spirit, with our
blood, we will redeem you, Shireen.”
On Thursday, a procession was to take the body for
burial in Jerusalem, where Abu Akleh was born.
In east Jerusalem, dozens of mourners gathered at the
family home to honor her. Lina Abu Akleh, her niece, called her “my best
friend, my second mom, my companion.”
“I never thought this day would come, where the news
would be about her and she won’t be the one covering the news,” she said.
At one point, a group of Israeli police entered the
home, where they were immediately met with shouts of “killers” and “occupiers”
and chants to “get out.” It was not immediately clear why the police came, and
the officers quickly left.
Palestinians gathered outside the family's house on
Wednesday evening, some holding Palestinian flags and posters with Shireen Abu
Akleh's photo. When the group walked toward a main thoroughfare, Israeli police
tried to stop them. Scuffles ensured. Five Palestinians were hurt and about
half a dozen were detained.
Abu Akleh was killed on the outskirts of the Jenin
refugee camp in the northern West Bank, known as a bastion of militants. Israel
has conducted near-daily raids in Jenin in recent weeks following a series of
deadly attacks inside Israel carried out by militants from the area.
Kohavi, the Israeli military chief, said his forces
came under attack by indiscriminate fire from Palestinian militants. The army
released a body cam video of forces in the town while heavy fire is heard in
the background.
But after earlier suggestions by Israeli officials
that Palestinian fire may have killed the journalist, Kohavi said “at this
stage we cannot determine by whose fire she was harmed and we regret her
death.” Kohavi said a special team was being formed to investigate.
Al Jazeera accused Israel of “deliberately targeting
and killing our colleague.” Palestinian journalists who were with Abu Akleh at
the time said they made their presence known to Israeli soldiers, and that they
did not see militants in the area.
Abu Akleh’s producer, Palestinian journalist Ali
Samoudi, was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot in the back. He
said any suggestion they were shot by militants was a “complete lie.”
The outcome of Israel’s military investigation will be
closely watched. The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation
into possible war crimes by Israel in both the occupied West Bank and the Gaza
Strip.
Israel does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and
has called the investigation unfair and antisemitic. One of its key arguments
against the probe has been that its military justice system is capable of
investigating itself.
The findings of its probe into Abu Akleh's death could
draw new scrutiny. Hussein Al Sheikh, a top Palestinian official, said the Palestinians
would transfer its information on the case to the court.
The Palestinian forensics institute said an initial
autopsy was inconclusive. Rayan al-Ali, director of the institute, said a
deformed bullet was recovered and was being further studied to determine who
had fired it.
In New York, the US ambassador to the United Nations,
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called Abu Akleh’s death “really horrifying” and
called for a transparent investigation. She said protecting American citizens
and journalists was “our highest priority.”
Thomas-Greenfield said Abud Akleh did “an
extraordinary interview” with her in the West Bank last November. “I left there
feeling extraordinary respect for her," she said.
The UN Human Rights office urged for an “independent,
transparent investigation into her killing. Impunity must end."
The White House also called for a thorough probe.
“Investigating attacks on independent media and prosecuting those responsible
are of paramount importance," deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
said.
Al Jazeera, which has long had strained relations with
Israel, interrupted its broadcast to announce her death early Wednesday.
In a statement flashed on its channel, it called on
the international community to “condemn and hold the Israeli occupation forces
accountable for deliberately targeting and killing our colleague.”
It aired a separate video showing Abu Akleh lying
motionless on the side of a road wall as another journalist crouches nearby and
a man screams for an ambulance. Gunfire rings out in the background. Both
reporters were wearing blue flak jackets clearly marked with the word “PRESS.”
The video did not show the source of the gunfire.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of
the occupied West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security matters,
condemned what it said was a “shocking crime” committed by Israeli forces.
Qatar, the Arab League and Jordan all condemned the
shooting, and in the Jordanian capital of Amman, a group of journalists and
activists held a solidarity march outside Al Jazeera’s offices.
Israelis have long been critical of Al Jazeera’s
coverage, but authorities generally allow its journalists to operate freely.
Relations between Israeli forces and the foreign
media, especially Palestinian journalists, are strained. A number of
Palestinian reporters have been wounded by rubber-coated bullets or tear gas
while covering demonstrations in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Two Palestinian journalists were shot and killed by
Israeli forces while filming violent protests along the Gaza frontier in 2018.
In November of that year, AP cameraman Rashed Rashid
was covering a protest near the Gaza frontier when he was shot in the left
ankle, apparently by Israeli fire. The military has never acknowledged the shooting.
During last year’s war between Israel and Gaza’s
militant Hamas rulers, an Israeli airstrike destroyed the building in Gaza City
housing the offices of The Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Residents were
warned to evacuate and no one was hurt in the strike. Israel said Hamas was
using the building as a command center but has provided no evidence.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli rights group refutes Israeli army narrative on
Abu Akleh's killing
Abdelraouf Arna'out
11.05.2022
JERUSALEM
B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, stated on
Wednesday that the Israeli army's account of the killing of Al Jazeera
correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh is "incorrect."
B'Tselem's spokesman Kareem Jubran told Anadolu Agency
that his group conducted extensive research on the video disseminated by the
Israeli army, and it revealed that the angel of shooting allegedly by the
Palestinian gunman, as appeared in the video, does not correspond to the
location where Abu Akleh was shot and killed.
"Documentation of Palestinian gunfire distributed
by Israeli military cannot be the gunfire that killed Journalist Shireen Abu
Akleh," B'Tselem wrote on Twitter.
Jubran also stated that B'Tselem will conduct another
comprehensive investigation.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
claimed that Palestinians are likely to be behind her killing.
"According to the information in our hands right
now, there is a good chance that armed Palestinians, firing wildly, brought
about the tragic death of the journalist," Bennett claimed in a statement.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Palestinian president offers condolences on
journalist’s death
Qais Abu Samra
11.05.2022
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday
offered condolences to the family of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,
who was killed during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank.
Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead while covering the
Israeli raid in the city of Jenin Wednesday morning. Another journalist, Ali
Al-Samoudi, was shot in the back, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Abbas made a phone call with Walid al-Omari, the head
of Al Jazeera office in the West Bank, to express his "sincere condolences
to the family of Abu Akleh, her colleagues and journalists," the state
news agency Wafa reported.
Abbas earlier condemned Abu Akleh's killing, saying it
was an “assassination" by Israeli forces and held Israel fully responsible
for her death.
On Wednesday, the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel
accused Israeli forces of deliberately assassinating its reporter “in cold
blood.” It termed the killing a “heinous crime, which intends to only prevent
the media from conducting their duty.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Israeli forces launch rocket attack on southern Syria:
State media
Esref Musa
11.05.2022
Israeli forces launched a rocket attack on Syria's
southern province of Quneitra, Syrian regime media reported on Wednesday.
Israeli forces targeted the Hader town with rockets,
according to the official SANA news agency. The attack caused only material
damage, it added.
It is well known that military bases belonging to
Iranian-backed foreign terrorist groups, as well as regime forces, are located
in Quneitra, the capital Damascus, and its surrounding areas.
Israeli officials generally avoid making statements
about attacks on Syrian territories.
Earlier, the Assad regime claimed that Israeli forces
had attacked the vicinity of Damascus on April 15 and 27, the central Hama
province on April 9, Quneitra on Feb. 23, and Damascus on Feb. 17.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Pakistan
Elections
before the appointment of new army chief cannot be ruled out: Pakistan defence
minister
May
12, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday that the possibility
of holding general elections cannot be ruled out before the appointment of the
new army chief, who will be replacing the incumbent chief General Qamar Javed
Bajwa this year in November.
“It
is possible that we hold elections before the appointment of the new army
chief. There will be a caretaker government at that time. It is also possible
that a caretaker government is replaced by an elected one before November,”
Asif said during an interview with BBC Urdu in London, where he went along with
PM Shehbaz Sharif to meet the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief and
former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Gen
Bajwa will remain in office till November 29 this year, when his second
three-year tenure will end. He was given extension by the former prime minister
Imran Khan.
Responding
to a question that Khan was ousted from office former prime minister Imran Khan
was ousted from office over the new army chief’s appointment, Asif said: “Imran
Khan wanted to do things his own way on the matter of the new army chief’s
appointment. He wanted to ensure the protection of his political interests and
the continuity of his rule.”
Asif
said the process for the appointment of the army chief needed to be
“institutionalised” just like the judiciary. “There is no speculation about the
appointment of a chief justice. I know who will become the chief justice in
2028,” the minister said.
Source:
Times Of India
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Sharif
Brothers Meet in London to Consult Key PML-N Leadership Issues
May
11, 2022
LONDON:
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met his elder brother and PML-N supremo
Nawaz Sharif in London on Wednesday.Shehbaz, along with his delegation, which
included several federal ministers including Ahsan Iqbal and Marriyum
Aurangzeb, reached London early Wednesday morning.
Shehbaz
has come to consult with Nawaz regarding the party's leadership over some key
issues that the latter has reservations over, Pakistan's Geo News reported. The
report added that PML-N is expected to make a "big decision".
Addressing
media in London a day earlier, Nawaz said he is looking forward to meeting
Shehbaz and others accompanying him.
According
to the former Pakistan PM, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had left
Pakistan in a deep economic crisis.
"The
PTI government has created a crisis in every sphere of the country. Imran
Khan's government harmed Pakistan in every possible manner, be it social,
economic, cultural or political issues. Nothing like this happened ever before
in the history of Pakistan,"
Nawaz,
who is convicted in a corruption case, has been living in London on the pretext
of ill health since 2019. The former Pakistan PM sought extensions to prolong
his stay in London on medical grounds.
Last
month, Nawaz had also conducted meetings with PPP Chairman Bilawal
Bhutto-Zardari, who was later appointed Pakistan's federal minister.
Source:
Times Of India
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FIA
decides against prosecuting PM Shehbaz, Hamza in money laundering case
Rana
Bilal
May
12, 2022
The
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday decided not to prosecute Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz in the Rs16
billion money laundering case three days before a special Lahore court was
scheduled to frame charges against the PML-N leaders.
According
to a written application submitted in court, the FIA director general (DG), via
the investigating officer, told Special Prosecutor Sikander Zulqarnain Saleem
not to appear in court as the "accused in the case are going to be elected
the prime minister of Pakistan and chief minister of Punjab".
"The
concerned quarters are not interested to prosecute the accused persons,"
it stated, requesting that these instructions be made part of the case record.
Earlier
this week, FIA former director Mohammad Rizwan, who probed the charges against
Shehbaz and his son, died of a heart attack.
The
FIA had booked PM Shehbaz and his sons, Hamza and Suleman, in November 2020
under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of Prevention of Corruption Act
and read with 3/4 of Anti Money Laundering Act. Suleman Shehbaz is absconding
in the UK.
Fourteen
others had also been named in the FIR under sections 5(2) and 5(3) (criminal
misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The
special court had on Jan 27 granted pre-arrest bail to Shehbaz and Hamza in the
case.
After
the agency submitted its request yesterday, the court took the application on
record and annexed it with the case.
Meanwhile,
Saleem said that the prosecution was stopped from appearing in the case as
Shehbaz and Hamza had assumed public office now. "FIA officials have
expressed no interest in the trial against Shehbaz, Hamza and others," he
added.
The
move comes just three days before the court was to indict the premier and the
Punjab chief minister on May 14. During the previous hearing, the court had
instructed the premier and others to ensure their presence at the next hearing
as no further adjournments would be made.
"It
is made clear that on [the] next date of hearing, charge[s] shall be framed and
all the accused shall ensure their personal attendance," the written order
had said.
Charges
against Shehbaz, Hamza
The
FIA had in December 2021 submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to a
special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs16
billion in the sugar scam case.
"The
investigation team has detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family
through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was committed during 2008-18. The
FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions," according to
an FIA report submitted to the court.
The
amount was kept in "hidden accounts" and given to Shehbaz in a
personal capacity, the report added.
This
amount (Rs16bn) has nothing to do with the sugar business (of the Shehbaz
family). The money received from the accounts of low-wage employees by Shehbaz
was transferred outside Pakistan via hundi/hawala networks, ultimately destined
for the beneficial use of his family members, the FIA had alleged.
Source:
Dawn
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22
get five-year term each in Bhong temple attack case
May
12, 2022
BAHAWALPUR:
An Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) in its verdict in the Rahim Yar Khan (Bhong)
temple attack case handed down five-year jail term with fine to each of the
total 22 accused persons on Wednesday.
ATC
judge Nasir Hussain, however, acquitted as many as 62 other accused persons of
the charges giving them benefit of doubt.
According
to prosecution, the accused persons had on August 4, 2021 had attacked Ghanesh
Mandir of the Hindu community in Bhong area of Rahim Yar Khan district and
ransacked its building.
The
police had arrested a total of 84 persons for attacking and damaging the
temple’s building.
ARRESTED:
Lodhran district police claimed to have arrested three alleged drug smugglers,
recovering 25 kilogram Charas from their possession on Wednesday.
According
to investigation SP Khalid Javed, on a tip-off, a team of Dhanote police during
checking near Basti Lyallpur, checked a car, recovering 25kg Charas hidden in
it.
The
police arrested three car occupants Husnain and Ghulam Ghaus of Bahawalnagar
and Sajid of Yazman and impounded the car.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1689161/22-get-five-year-term-each-in-bhong-temple-attack-case
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Southeast Asia
I
can’t defame Zahid, he has a bad reputation, says Muhyiddin
May
11, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Muhyiddin Yassin said Ahmad Zahid Hamidi could not claim that he had
been defamed, as the Umno president already had a bad reputation to begin with.
This
included Zahid breaking several promises, the former prime minister said,
citing the time when the Bagan Datuk MP rescinded on his promise to back
Muhyiddin and his then Perikatan Nasional government.
Muhyiddin,
who is being sued by the former deputy prime minister for defamation, said
Zahid had written to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, claiming that a group of MPs
from Umno supported Port Dickson MP Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
“The
plaintiff (Zahid), despite his promises to support the defendant (Muhyiddin) as
the prime minister, led the charge to withdraw his support for the defendant,”
he said in his defence filed two days ago.
The
Pagoh MP said Zahid actively worked to ensure that Bersatu menteris besar in
Perak and Johor were undermined and removed despite his personal promises to
him.
He
said Zahid had been branded a liar by several people, including former prime
minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for making false statements such as claiming the
nonagenarian’s name was Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty.
Muhyiddin
said Zahid had also falsely claimed, through his counsel to the High Court
sometime in March 2020 during his ongoing criminal trial, that the Umno
president was scheduled to have a meeting with him.
“It
was only after the Prime Minister’s Office denied the alleged meeting that
Zahid changed his story,” Muhyiddin said, adding that the prosecution had
branded him a “liar” due to his conduct.
Muhyiddin
said his successor, Ismail Sabri Yaakob from Umno/BN, had informed him that he
was disagreeable to the dissolution of the Johor legislative assembly.
“The
Johor menteri besar would not have initiated the dissolution without any
direction or approval of the plaintiff, as the Umno president,” he said.
Muhyiddin
admitted that he gave a speech in Tenggaroh, Mersing, but denied that it was
false, defamatory in nature, or was given with malicious intent.
He
said he did not have control over anything that was published by Astro Awani on
its YouTube account nor did he publish them on these platforms.
Muhyiddin
said Zahid’s statement of claim had insufficient particulars to sustain the
suit and ought to be struck out.
“The
defendant further states that the plaintiff is being placed in public scandal
and hatred primarily due to the plaintiff’s own conduct and pre-existing bad
reputation,” he added.
In
the alternative, Muhyiddin said he was relying on the defence of justification,
fair comment and qualified privilege to defeat Zahid’s suit.
In
March, Zahid filed the suit against Muhyiddin for publishing alleged defamatory
words on social media that the Umno president had sought his assistance to drop
his corruption cases.
Zahid,
who alleged that Muhyiddin had made the claim during the Johor election
campaign, is asking for damages and other relief deemed fit by the court.
Zahid
is standing trial on a total of 80 corruption charges here and in Shah Alam.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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PAS
Ulama Wing chief says his party more Islamic than Umno
12
May 2022
BY
RADZI RAZAK
KUALA
LUMPUR, May 12 — PAS Ulama Wing chief Datuk Ahmad Yahya today said that it is
irrelevant to ask the Islamic party to be dissolved as Umno also carries Islamic’s
struggle simply because PAS as a party is more Islamic in its constitution.
He
said that PAS makes Islam and its sources of law as a policy and guide for
politics and organisation as required by the requirements of the PAS
Constitution in Clause 3 (Policy), Clause 5 (Purpose of PAS), Clause 6
(Efforts) and Article 7 (Law and
Authority).
“In
fact, it is the responsibility of all PAS members to obey and abide by the laws
and teachings of Islam which are the policy of PAS as required by Clause 85 (1)
of the PAS Constitution (Amendment 2020).
“Thus,
Dewan Ulamak PAS Pusat is of the view that the proposal to dissolve PAS is
irrelevant because Clauses 3, 5, 6 and 7 of the PAS Constitution (Amendment
2020) are too far away to be compared with Clause 3.1 of the Umno’s
Constitution,” he said in a statement today.
Ahmad
was responding to Umno secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Maslan who said that PAS
should be dissolved because Umno already has an Islamic agenda.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Khairy
withdraws appeal in ‘main belakang’ case against Anwar
V
Anbalagan
May
11, 2022
PUTRAJAYA:
Khairy Jamaluddin’s legal battle to set aside the court’s finding that he is
liable for defaming Anwar Ibrahim over a “main belakang” statement made at a
political rally 14 years ago has come to an end.
The
former Umno Youth leader’s lawyers wrote to the Federal Court last month to
withdraw their application for leave to appeal against a Court of Appeal ruling
in February.
Anwar’s
lawyer, J Leela, said the letter was sent to the apex court registry and a copy
was extended to them.
“Khairy’s
lawyers have also asked us to waive costs for the withdrawal but we are not
agreeable,” she told FMT.
Leela
said she had written to the court to decide on costs.
On
March 7, the legal firm of Messrs Shafee & Co had filed seven questions of
law on two separate matters regarding the case.
A
month earlier, the Court of Appeal affirmed the High Court ruling that Khairy
was liable and the RM150,000 in damages awarded to Anwar, now the opposition
leader, were not manifestly excessive.
Justice
Darryl Goon, who delivered the Court of Appeal ruling, said the defence put up
by Khairy to defeat Anwar’s suit had failed.
He
said the defence of justification was not made out, whether in total or
partially.
“We
are also of the view that the trial judge did not err in concluding that the
defendant’s (Khairy) defence of qualified privilege was also not made,” said
Goon, who sat with Lee Swee Seng and Ghazali Cha.
Anwar,
who was represented by Gopal Sri Ram and Leela, was also awarded RM50,000 in
costs.
The
bench also dismissed Khairy’s appeal to include the defence of fair comment to
challenge the suit.
“It
was made much too late in the day after the trial was concluded for such an
amendment,” he said in awarding another RM10,000 in costs to Anwar.
Goon
said the trial judge had taken the impugned statement in the right context,
including taking into account the analogy and the figure of speech employed to
conclude it was defamatory.
He
said the sting was not so much on the words that were actually used but what
the ordinary man would infer.
“The
inference that may be drawn must be regarded as the natural and ordinary
meaning of the words used,” he said.
Khairy,
who is now the health minister, made the remarks during a ceramah at Lembah
Pantai during the 2008 general election campaign.
Sri
Ram had submitted that Khairy defamed Anwar in front of a Malay crowd by
depicting him as a homosexual and a person of low morals.
“Khairy
was addressing a crowd who understood the context in which the reference
against Anwar was made,” he had said.
In
his statement of claim, Anwar said Khairy had uttered that the then opposition
coalition comprising PAS, DAP and PKR “are in a mutaah marriage as practised by
the Shia sect”.
“They
marry at night and divorce the following day to legitimise a vice. PAS plays
DAP from the left and DAP plays PAS from the right. Anwar plays both from the
back,” he had quoted Khairy as saying.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Hamzah
draws flak from PH lawmakers for party-hopping remarks
Dineskumar
Ragu
May
11, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Opposition MPs have poured scorn on Hamzah Zainudin’s claim that
party-hopping benefitted the people, with one lawmaker labelling the Bersatu
man’s remarks as “ironic”.
DAP’s
Charles Santiago told FMT he was not surprised with Hamzah’s stance and
wondered if the latter’s party president, Muhyiddin Yassin, agreed with him.
The
Klang MP also questioned if Hamzah defended party-hopping because he was
planning to jump ship again.
“His
claim goes against what the people want – a stable government, especially after
the Sheraton Move,” he said, referring to the political realignment involving
Bersatu, PAS, Barisan Nasional, and several former PKR MPs that ultimately
caused the collapse of the PH-led federal government.
Party-hopping,
he added, would kill the electoral process where the government of the day can
be bought “by the highest bidder”.
Earlier
today, Sinar Harian reported Hamzah as saying that party-hopping was done in
the interest of the people.
“Even
former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad did it. It is for the public’s
benefit, not the individual,” he was quoted as saying, adding that
party-hopping was a norm and had been happening for years.
Hamzah
was previously with Umno before defecting to Bersatu in 2019.
Meanwhile,
Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said while the home minister was entitled to his
opinion, Malaysians deserved a better democracy without party-hopping.
“People
are tired of party hoppers since such acts have eroded the confidence of voters
towards the democratic process. (Party) hopping which is induced by threat or
greed also breeds corruption and is bad for the nation,” he told FMT.
The
PKR communications director added that Malaysian voters, as well as many MPs,
were demanding for an anti-hopping law to be enacted.
“This
is not for the benefit of any party, but for the rakyat and Malaysia,” he
added.
Another
PKR MP, Maria Chin Abdullah described Hamzah’s remarks as delusional.
She
said that Hamzah’s remarks were a “good indication” that the tabling of the
long-awaited anti-hopping bill on June 7 might not happen.
“The
writing is on the wall and come June 7, it may be futile to hold any parliament
session if the government shows poor commitment to the anti-hopping bill and
makes delusional excuses for their refusal,” she said in a statement today.
Jelutong
MP RSN Rayer also condemned the Larut MP for his remarks.
“What
do frogs know about principles in politics,” he said. “When has a politician in
Malaysia hopped from one party to another on the account of public interest?
“It
has always been done for power, position, and personal interests,” he said.
He
called for the anti-hopping law to be tabled immediately before GE15 or else
voters would feel discouraged to come out and vote.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Arab World
Days
ahead of legislative elections, UN urges crisis-hit Lebanon to ‘change course’
11
May ,2022
Lebanon’s
government and central bank are responsible for an unprecedented financial
crisis that has impoverished the majority of the population, the UN said
Wednesday.
The
report, drafted by the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human
rights, said that the crisis was “manufactured” by failed government policies
and it urged the country to “change course,” days ahead of parliamentary
elections scheduled for May 15.
Since
2019, Lebanon’s currency has lost more than 90 per cent of its value against
the dollar, prices have risen by more than 200 percent and the poverty rate has
shot beyond 80 percent of the population.
“The
misery inflicted on the population can be reversed with leadership that places
social justice, transparency and accountability at the core of its actions,”
the report contended.
Special
rapporteur Olivier De Schutter visited the country in November last year to
assess the impact of the economic crisis.
Nine
in 10 people are finding it difficult to get by on their income and more than
six in 10 would move abroad if they could, the report said.
“The
economic crisis was entirely avoidable; indeed, it was manufactured by failed
government policies,” the report said.
It
accused the central bank of an “accounting sleight of hand regarding its
losses.... that covertly created a massive public debt... which will condemn
the Lebanese for generations.”
The
UN report comes as Lebanon readies for parliamentary elections on May 15, the
first since the onset of the crisis.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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US
to allow foreign investment in northeast Syria without sanctions
11
May ,2022
The
United States will allow some foreign investment in areas of northeast Syria
outside government control without coming under sanctions, it said on
Wednesday, a move it says is aimed at helping a region previously controlled by
ISIS.
Speaking
in Marrakech at a meeting of the global coalition against ISIS, US acting
assistant secretary of state Victoria Nuland said Washington would issue a
general license, which frees companies from US sanctions restrictions.
“The
United States intends in the next few days to issue a general license to
facilitate private economic investment activity in non-regime held areas
liberated from ISIS in Syria,” she said.
The
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fought for years against ISIS in
northeast Syria with US help, gaining control of a territory that the Damascus
government says should come back under central control.
That
area of northeast Syria, bordering Turkey and Iraq, contains some of the
country’s limited oil reserves, agricultural land and one bank of the
Euphrates.
However,
a diplomat who has discussed the issue extensively with US officials said the
license would apply to agriculture and reconstruction work, but not to oil.
Turkish-backed
Syrian rebel forces also control an adjacent area of northern Syria captured
from ISIS.
Ankara
regards the SDF as a terrorist group but would not oppose the license because
it covers investment in both the area held by the SDF and the area held by
groups it supports, the diplomat said.
The
United States has imposed tough sanctions on Syria over the government’s role
in the civil war that has raged since 2011 but it has put money into “stabilization”
activities in the areas its allies took from ISIS.
Last
year it spent $45 million in those areas, Nuland said, telling coalition
members that Washington wanted to raise $350 million for stabilization
activities in northeast Syria this year. The United States is seeking a similar
amount for Iraq, she added.
She
said investment in areas previously held by the militant group was needed to
prevent a resurgence of ISIS by allowing it to recruit and exploit local
grievances.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Five
soldiers, seven extremists killed in an attack on army in Egypt’s Sinai
11
May ,2022
Five
Egyptian soldiers and seven extremists were killed early Wednesday when the
army was attacked in the Sinai region, the military said, the second such
deadly extremist attack in days.
Extremist
fighters attacked at dawn, an army spokesman said in a statement.
“One
officer and four soldiers were killed and two other soldiers were wounded,” the
statement read, adding that seven extremists were killed.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
But
it came four days after an ambush on the Sinai Peninsula claimed by the ISIS
group killed 11 Egyptian soldiers, the military's highest loss of life in
years.
The
military said Saturday's “terrorist” attack was against a water pumping
station.
ISIS
claimed responsibility the following day, announcing on its Amaq propaganda
site to have seized the weapons of soldiers it killed and to have torched a
military post.
Egypt's
Sinai Peninsula has been gripped for more than a decade by an armed insurgency,
which peaked after the ouster of late Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in
2013.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Lebanon
central bank governor released on $66 mln bail
12
May ,2022
Raja
Salameh, the brother of Lebanon’s central bank governor, has been released on
bail of $66 million (100 billion Lebanese pounds), according to two judicial
sources.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iraq
strikes deal with Iran to secure summer gas imports
12
May ,2022
Iraq
has agreed to pay $1.6 billion in debt to Iran by June 1 to secure a steady gas
supply for power generation through the summer, its electricity minister said.
Chronic
underinvestment through decades of war and sanctions has left Iraq dependent on
imports from its eastern neighbor for a third of its gas needs.
But
US sanctions on Iranian oil and gas have complicated Iraq’s payments for the
imports, leaving it in heavy arrears and prompting Iran to respond by
periodically switching off the taps.
The
result has been extended power cuts across much of the country, particularly
during the summer, when temperatures routinely reach 52 degrees Celsius (126
degrees Fahrenheit) sending demand for refrigeration and air conditioning
soaring.
“We
have reached agreement on supply in sufficient quantities. We have agreed on 50
million cubic meters (per day) during the four summer months,” acting
electricity minister Adel Karim told state television late Wednesday.
During
winter, Iraq will import between 10 million and 20 million cubic meters per day
of Iranian gas, he added.
“They
agreed to supply us with the gas but they had conditions. They are demanding...
$1.6 billion,” Karim said, adding the payment will have to be made “by the
start of June.”
The
figure represents Iraq’s arrears for 2020, which have yet to be settled because
of the arcane payment method Iraq is obliged to use to comply with an exemption
from US sanctions on Iran.
Iraq
is not allowed to simply hand over cash to Iran. Payments must be used to fund
imports of food and medicines.
Karim
said gas imports from Iran are currently flowing at 38 million cubic meters per
day.
Alternatives
under consideration include a connection to the Turkish national grid to supply
electricity to Iraq’s second city Mosul and a link to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
to help power the south.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Lebanon
to complete cenbank FX audit, an IMF condition, by June: Deputy PM
11
May ,2022
Lebanon
will complete the first in a set of conditions for an IMF bailout, an audit of
the central bank’s forex position, by June, the country’s deputy prime minister
said during a meeting with the creditors of the Lebanese state on Wednesday.
Lebanon
in April reached a draft agreement with the IMF for a four-year $3 billion
bailout, the final approval of which was conditional on the implementation of
eight main requirements.
An
IMF program is seen as crucial for Lebanon to begin emerging from a devastating
financial crisis that has left most people poor, due to the deep reforms it
would entail and the international funding it could unlock.
Saade
Chami said Lebanon required between $8 billion and $10 billion over 10 years on
top of the IMF funds.
He
said he could not give a specific date for the completion of all conditions, as
many require parliamentary approval.
Those
include capital controls, amendments to banking secrecy regulations and a
framework for banking restructuring.
Lebanon
holds its first polls in four years on May 15.
“If
parliament approves the draft laws, the prior actions, then we can move very
quickly,” he said, suggesting parliament could do so by mid-June.
The
World Bank has described Lebanon’s crisis, the result of decades of corruption
and mismanagement, as one of the worst in modern times.
Chami
said that governance reform, though difficult, would be at the center of the
government’s recovery plan, which aims to reduce government debt from more than
300 percent of GDP in 2021 to 100 percent of GDP by 2026.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Five
Egyptian security forces killed in attack north of Sinai
11
May ,2022
At
least five Egyptian military personnel were killed in a militant attack on
Wednesday in northern Sinai, two security sources said, the second deadly
strike against security forces on the peninsula in less than a week.
Four
others were injured when armed men opened fire at a security post in the
coastal area of northeastern Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip, the sources
said.
There
was no immediate comment from Egyptian authorities.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
deaths follow a May 7 ambush at a checkpoint in Sinai that killed 11 Egyptian
soldiers and was claimed by ISIS, one of the deadliest attacks in recent years.
Egypt
expanded security control over populated coastal areas of northern Sinai since
a major counter-insurgency operation was launched in 2018, but sporadic attacks
by militants linked to ISIS have continued.
News
of Wednesday’s attack came as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met US national
security advisor Jake Sullivan in Cairo.
The
Egyptian presidency said the two had discussed the strategic partnership
between Egypt and the United States, which is a major provider of military aid
to Cairo.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Africa
Eight
soldiers killed in Togo, raising spectre of first deadly Islamist attack
MAY
11, 2022
LOME
(Reuters) -Eight soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in an attack in northern
Togo on Wednesday, the government said, marking potentially the first deadly
raid on its territory by Islamist militants who have killed thousands in
neighbouring countries.
Before
dawn, a group of heavily armed gunmen ambushed an army post in the Kpendjal
prefecture near the border with Burkina Faso, the government said in a
statement.
No
one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The government blamed
“terrorists”, without providing specifics.
Security
analysts said the attack was likely carried out by a local al Qaeda affiliate
that is based in Mali but in recent years has spread south into Burkina Faso.
Groups
linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda have carried out hundreds of attacks
across the Sahel region of West Africa in recent years, focusing mainly on the
landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Togo
has so far been spared the violence, which has forced millions to flee their
homes, but security experts have warned about a spread in operations that could
encompass coastal states like Togo.
In
2018, Togo’s military launched an operation to stop Islamist groups ghosting in
from the north. Security forces repelled an attack by gunmen on a outpost in
the same area as Wednesday’s attack in November, without sustaining casualties.
It said at the time that the attackers had come over the border from Burkina
Faso.
Togo’s
coastal neighbour, Benin, has seen a sharp rise in attacks near its northern
border with Burkina Faso. Five soldiers were killed last month when an army
convoy struck an improvised explosive device.
International
partners led by France have spent billions of dollars and deployed thousands of
troops to contain the attacks, which began in Mali in 2012 before spreading
into Niger and Burkina Faso.
But
the violence continues, especially in poor rural areas where jihadist groups
blend in.
Source:
Reuters
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Tunisian
coastguard retrieves bodies of three migrants, rescues 250 others
11
May ,2022
Tunisian
coastguards retrieved the bodies of three migrants whose boat sank off Tunisia
and rescued about 250 others in a number of separate incidents, security
official told Reuters on Wednesday.
“Coastguard
rescued 240 African migrants and eight Tunisians in 10 illegal migration trips,
and also recovered the bodies of three Africans whose boat sank off the coast
of El Awabed in Sfax Governorate,” Lieutenant-Colonel Ali Ayari said.
On
Tuesday, Spanish emergency services said they rescued 57 sub-Saharan migrants
on an inflatable boat making its way to the Canary Islands, a day after 28
people were reported missing on the same perilous route from Africa when their
boat overturned.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Coalition
against ISIS discusses how to counter resurgence
11
May ,2022
The
global coalition against ISIS gathered Wednesday in Morocco to coordinate
efforts to prevent the extremists staging a revival in the Middle East and
North Africa.
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to co-host the meeting with Moroccan
Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, but Washington’s top diplomat tested positive
for COVID-19 and was replaced by senior diplomat Victoria Nuland.
Senior
officials from dozens of other countries are also attending the meeting, under
high security at a discreet luxury hotel in Marrakesh.
The
discussions were to cover “stabilization efforts in areas previously impacted
by Daesh,” strategic communication against the group’s “radicalization
propaganda” and the battle against foreign fighters, the Moroccan foreign
ministry said.
The
meeting comes three years after the coalition helped Syrian fighters to crush
the “caliphate” ISIS had proclaimed in Iraq and Syria and as the extremists
step up their efforts to bolster their presence in the Sahel region and West
Africa.
The
Global Coalition against Daesh (an Arabic acronym for ISIS) was formed in 2014
after the militants seized huge swathes of Iraq and Syria and now included 84
states and international organizations.
Officials
have long warned that ISIS continues to pose a worldwide threat despite its
loss of a territorial base.
ISIS
has vowed to take vengeance for its elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, killed
in a US raid in northern Syria in late 2019.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Turkiye
voices support for sovereignty, territorial integrity of Morocco
Rabia
İclal Turan
12.05.2022
Turkiye,
a principled supporter of nations' sovereignty and territorial integrity, backs
Morocco's as well, the Turkish foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Speaking
at a joint press conference with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita,
Mevlut Cavusoglu emphasized Ankara maintains a principled stance on the
territorial integrity of sovereignty of countries.
"Turkiye
supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of brotherly Morocco,"
he added, underlining that relations between countries based on these would be
"essential for permanent stability."
On
his meeting with Bourita, Cavusoglu said they had discussed bilateral
relations, including how to increase the two countries' trade volume, as well
as various regional issues, such as in Libya and Ukraine.
"Peace,
stability, and prosperity of the Sahel Region and North Africa are
indispensable for the stability of the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East,
and even Europe," he stressed.
Cavusoglu
was in Morocco to attend a ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat
Daesh/ISIS in Marrakech.
Speaking
about the meeting, which brought together over 60 countries, Cavusoglu said its
timing was "very important," as attacks by the terrorist organization
have increased in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Sahel region in Africa.
For
his part, Bourita thanked Turkiye for its stance on the Western Sahara region.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Europe
Turkey
and Israel, Europe’s new energy alternative
May
12, 2022
The
outbreak of war in Ukraine has affected the world energy market. The most
important event after the increase in oil and gas prices is the limitation and
conditions of the new supply of energy to the EU market by Russia. This is why
the European Union is thinking of reducing purchases from Russia to supply gas.
Europe,
meanwhile, is thinking of countries that can meet this need. Europe’s strategy
is to meet its needs from several sources so that it does not become dependent
on one source.
In
addition to increasing oil and gas purchases from old suppliers, Europeans are
also turning to new suppliers. Over the past month, news of Turkish-Israeli
cooperation has shifted the focus of the energy market. The Leviathan and Tamar
gas fields in the waters of occupied Palestine, as well as the oil and gas
fields in the disputed EEZ between Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus in the eastern
Mediterranean, are a new source of gas for Europe.
Turkey
has no territory in this area, but continues its illegal exploration due to the
occupation of the northern Republic of Cyprus and the formation of the de facto
Turkish government of Northern Cyprus. The news of cooperation with Israel in
these fields and the pipeline connecting the Turkish port of Ceyhan is a
turning point in European strategy.
These
fields are the closest point to the export terminal of Ceyhan port and Europe.
From here, Turkey sends Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and gas shipments to Europe.
The security of this field is much higher than other fields in the Caucasus and
Libya due to the military power of Israel and Turkey and the NATO base in
Cyprus. The Russian Federation’s naval and air base in the port of Banias and
Latakia are not efficient enough to cut it off, but it is a potential danger.
The
current challenges for these pipes and fields are protests by the Lebanese and
Cypriot governments, Iranian and Russian bases in Syrian ports, and pro-Iranian
forces in Lebanon.
Cyprus’s
European nature and de facto Northern Cyprus government also do not have much
opposition to Turkish influence in this area. They are relinquishing their
share, and the main challenge is on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.
Source:
ABNA24
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of the original story:
https://en.abna24.com/news//turkey-and-israel-europe%e2%80%99s-new-energy-alternative_1256822.html
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UK's
Charity Regulator Urged To Investigate Policy Exchange over 'Anti-Muslim
Agenda'
By
Simon Hooper
11
May 2022
The
UK’s charities regulator is being urged to investigate the Policy Exchange
think tank for alleged racism and Islamophobia, over a report in which it
accused Muslim critics of the government’s Prevent strategy of “enabling
terrorism”.
In
a letter to the Charity Commission, the authors of a critical review of the UK
government’s controversial counterterrorism strategy called on the government
to review the think tank's charitable status, accusing it of “promoting
vilification and even hatred” towards Muslim communities.
“As
a charity, Policy Exchange must remain non-partisan and be detached from
government. Yet it would appear Policy Exchange is neither, acting primarily as
a vehicle for political propaganda and anti-Muslim narratives,” said Layla
Aitlhadj, a director at Prevent Watch, which supports people affected by
Prevent.
Aitlhadj
is a co-author with John Holmwood, emeritus professor in sociology at the
University of Nottingham, of the People’s Review of Prevent, a report published
in February which concluded that the strategy was discriminatory against
Muslims.
Last
month, Policy Exchange published a report entitled “Delegitimising
Counter-Terrorism”, which cited endorsements for the People’s Review of Prevent
from Muslim community organisations including the Muslim Council of Britain,
Mend, Cage and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies. It described these
endorsements as constituting an “Islamist support base” for the review.
In
a foreword to the Policy Exchange report, former prime minister David Cameron
wrote: “So just as we need to counter the Islamist extremist narrative, we also
need to counter the anti-Prevent narrative. We need to show that delegitimising
counterterrorism is, in essence, enabling terrorism.”
In
their letter to the Charity Commission, Aitlhadj and Holmwood complained that
the Policy Exchange report had singled out Muslim critics of Prevent but not
mentioned others who contributed to the People’s Review, such as Fionnuala Ni
Aolain, the UN rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism.
“It’s
bad enough that a charity promotes the view that some areas of government
policy are above public scrutiny. But to single out and demonise Muslims by
suggesting their legitimate criticisms of Prevent are not shared by others, and
then accuse them of ‘enabling terrorism’, as David Cameron has, is a serious
assault on our democracy, and could potentially also encourage hate crimes
against such individuals,” said Holmwood.
The
complaint to the Charity Commission, which is dated 5 May and has been seen by
Middle East Eye, is based on what Aitlhadj and Holmwood allege are breaches of
Policy Exchange's charitable aims.
Policy
Exchange states its charitable objective as “the non-partisan advancement of
education of the public in the economic, social and political sciences and
their effect on public policy and the policy-making process in the UK and the
promotion and publication of objective research”.
Aitlhadj
and Holmwood said that the use of Cameron, a former Conservative prime minister
who expanded the Prevent strategy into schools and other public sector settings,
to write a foreword to the report and an accompanying op-ed in the Times
newspaper amounted to a political endorsement.
“The
report has a clear political purpose, which is to silence individuals and
groups in Muslim civil society and support the current government political
approach in this regard,” they write.
They
called on the Charity Commission to consider whether Policy Exchange has a
“broad anti-Muslim agenda".
“We
believe there is a case for investigating its activities and reports and
reviewing if it should remain a charity,” they write.
The
controversy surrounding the Policy Exchange report comes ahead of the
anticipated publication of the government’s own long-delayed and contentious
review of Prevent by William Shawcross, who in 2018 was appointed a senior
fellow at Policy Exchange. Shawcross is also a former chair of the Charity
Commission and a former director of the Henry Jackson Society, a
neo-conservative think tank.
Shawcross’s
review of Prevent has been boycotted by many Muslim organisations and civil
liberties and human rights groups, who have accused him of having “a track
record of hostility to Islam”. Shawcross has said that some of his past views
have been “misrepresented or misinterpreted”.
Source:
Middle East Eye
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EU
envoy Mora holds talks with Iran nuclear negotiator in Tehran
11
May ,2022
The
European Union’s coordinator for nuclear talks with Iran, Enrique Mora, held
talks in Tehran on Wednesday with the Islamic republic’s chief negotiator,
state media reported.
The
meeting between Mora and Iranian Deputy Vice President Ali Bagheri Kani is
“currently taking place,” according to state news agency IRNA, which circulated
pictures of the encounter without providing further details.
Talks
between world powers and Iran have stalled since mid-March as negotiators seek
to return to the landmark accord that curtailed the Islamic republic’s nuclear
program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Mora
has played a key role as an intermediary between the United States and Iran
during a year of on-off talks in Vienna to restore the deal formally known as
the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The
deal was agreed in 2015 between Iran and the five permanent United Nations Security
Council members Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States, plus
Germany.
But
Washington unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump
before imposing biting economic sanctions, prompting Iran to begin rolling back
its own commitments.
Iran
called in late April for a new meeting “as soon as possible” to move towards
restoring the agreement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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EU
strongly condemns killing of Al-Jazeera journalist
Agnes
Szucs
11.05.2022
BRUSSELS
The
EU strongly condemned on Wednesday the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen
Abu Akleh while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank and called
for an investigation.
"The
European Union strongly condemns the killing of Palestinian-American journalist
of Al-Jazeera, Shireen Abu Akleh, in the occupied West Bank," the chief
spokesperson for the EU diplomatic service, Peter Stano, said in an official
statement.
He
said it is significant that a "thorough, independent investigation
clarifies all the circumstances of these incidents as soon as possible and that
those responsible are brought to justice."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-strongly-condemns-killing-of-al-jazeera-journalist/2585181
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Greece
remains committed to dialogue with Turkiye: President
Ahmet
Gencturk
11.05.2022
Greece’s
president said her country remains committed to dialogue with Turkiye, local
media reported on Wednesday.
Quoting
President Katerina Sakellaropoulou’s interview with public broadcaster ERT,
daily Kathimerini said she emphasized the importance of good neighborly
relations between Greece and Turkiye.
Asserting
that there were periods when Turkish-Greek relations were calm, she said: “We
are neighbors, and we will remain neighbors.”
She
added, however, that ties also faced turbulent times, and held Turkiye
responsible for escalation along the Greek-Turkish border and in the Aegean
Sea.
On
the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, she said: “Ukrainians are fighting for all of
us, for the freedom and values of Europe.”
Turkiye
has a number of issues with Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration over
maritime limits and rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.
While
seeking to defend its fair share of maritime territory in the region, Ankara has
decried recent Greek moves such as violating treaties and pacts by issuing
provocative navigational alerts, militarizing islands in the Aegean Sea, and
illegally encroaching on Turkiye’s continental shelf.
Turkiye,
which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has
rejected the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot
administration, stressing that these excessive claims violate the sovereign
rights of both Turkiye and the Turkish Cypriots.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/greece-remains-committed-to-dialogue-with-turkiye-president/2584927
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/gyanvapi-mosque-court-commissioner/d/126988