Hate Crime: Muslims ‘Terrified’ After Pig’s Head Thrown onto Roof of Greater Manchester Mosque
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 December 2022
The pig's head left on the
roof of the Heatons Muslims Community Trust (HMCT) building on Battersea Road,
Heaton Mersey (Image: HMCT)
------
• Shootings, Explosion in Kabul Building Housing
Foreigners, Three Assailants Killed: Taliban Sources
• Events in Iran since Mahsa Amini's Arrest and Death
in Custody
• Muslim Community Distribute Food, Puja Supplies to
Devotees of Lord Ayyappa in Tamil Nadu
• Working On Plan to Find a Channel of Discussion
between Pakistan, India to Resolve Kashmir Issue: OIC Chief
Europe
• Swedish Legislator Aims to Pass Bill Banning
Headscarves in Police Force
• Rising Islamophobia Go Unnoticed, Uncondemned In
Germany: Report
• UK Defence, Spy Chiefs among 32 Sanctioned By Iran
• UK foreign minister: We will respond when Iran’s
actions are unacceptable
• Greece using every opportunity to fuel tension with
'provocative actions,' says Turkish defence chief
--------
South Asia
• Islamic State in Khorasan Province Claims Kabul
Hotel Attack, Publishes Photos Of 2 Gunmen
• Attack on Kabul hotel popular with Chinese nationals
ends, three assailants killed
• Ashraf Ghani Fleeing for his Life and Zelensky
Fighting for his Country; Hillary Clinton
• ISIS Cell in Eastern Afghanistan Destroyed
--------
Mideast
• Palestinian PM Calls on UN to Place Israel on ‘List
of Shame’ After Teen Killed By Regime Forces
• Hamas: Palestinians Will Never Allow Israel to
Implement Its Malicious Schemes For Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa
• Israel Publishes Last Telegram of Its Spy, Eli Cohen
in Syria
• Gaza Archaeologists Find ‘Complete’ Roman-Era
Cemetery
• Israel says its forces killed Palestinian girl in
West Bank raid
• Israeli vote to elect Knesset speaker delayed
• Israeli document shows settlers’ role in ousting
Palestinians from West Bank
• Iran defies outcry with second execution linked to
protests
• At least 3,774 children killed in Yemen’s civil war:
UNICEF
--------
India
• AMU Students Arrested By UP Police for Marking 30
Years of Babri Masjid Demolition on Demand of BJP’s Youth Wing
• Ayodhya Mosque Plan Clears Major Hurdle (Land Use
Approval), Construction To Begin Soon
• Karnataka: No Development If You Don’t Vote For Me,
BJP MLA to Muslims
• India "Strongly Condemns" Islamic Nations'
Group Head for PoK Visit
• Will consider proposal for police units to tackle
‘love jihad’, says K’taka HM
• Former mayor accuses Bajrang Dal activists of
attacking Muslim man
• 56 foreign terrorists killed in J&K in 2022: DGP
Dilbag Singh
• Five years on, TS Islamic Cultural Centre remains a
distant dream
--------
Pakistan
• Can’t sit for talks with ‘egoistic’ Imran: PM
• Terror alert for ‘soft targets’ in Swabi, Nowshera
issued
• Afghan govt apologised for shelling at Chaman
border: Khawaja Asif
• Pak-Afghan unity critical for regional peace,
stability and development: Amb Shamshad A Khan
• Firing at Pak-Afghan border: Secretary Health
inquires about injured well-being
--------
Southeast Asia
• Religion Is a Part of Malay-Muslim Community’s
Political Philosophy; Secularism has No Place, Says Bersatu MP
• Check covert conversions, says rights group
--------
Arab World
• Sheikh Mohammed Approves Phase II Of Dubai 2040 Urban
Master Plan
• Morocco’s World Cup achievement lauded by Saudi
crown prince
• Türkiye 'neutralizes' 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in
northern Syria
• Saudi crown prince, BIE head review Kingdom’s bid to
host Expo 2030
• Dubai property tycoon’s bet on fast food cements
billionaire status
--------
Africa
• 3 Gunmen Killed In Attack on Office of Nigeria’s Electoral
Body
• Violence, insecurity overshadow Nigeria's hotly
contested polls
• Libyan accused of Lockerbie bombing charged in US
court
--------
North America
• Imam Allegedly Assaulted During Prayers at
Scarborough Mosque: Islamic Foundation Of Toronto
• US Says Iran Executions Show Leadership ‘Fears Own
People’
• ‘Bad American policy’ driving Saudi Arabia closer to
China: Pompeo
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hate-muslims-greater-manchester-mosque-pig/d/128622
--------
Hate Crime: Muslims ‘Terrified’ After Pig’s Head
Thrown onto Roof of Greater Manchester Mosque
The pig's head left on the
roof of the Heatons Muslims Community Trust (HMCT) building on Battersea Road,
Heaton Mersey (Image: HMCT)
------
Sian Elvin
Monday 12 Dec 2022
Members of a Muslim community centre fear a hate crime
after a pig’s head was thrown onto the roof of their mosque.
The animal’s corpse was discovered at around 9.15pm on
Friday night at the Heatons Muslims Community Trust (HMCT) building in Heaton
Mersey, Stockport, Greater Manchester.
It was easily visible from a low, flat part of the
building’s roof and has been logged by the police as an Islamophobic hate
crime.
HMCT trustee, Muhammad Tayyab Mohiuddin, said: ‘In the
evening we have a bit of a gathering at the community centre and some people
came out and someone said “there’s a pigs head on the roof”.
‘It’s a short roof so it was easy to see. I think they
have picked that point in order to terrify people. Everyone knows someone has
placed it there and what their intentions were.
‘In our religion, we are not allowed to eat pig’s meat
or handle it in any way so someone has done it specifically for that reason.
‘We have a lot of elderly people and a lot of children
who use the centre and obviously they are a bit terrified that someone is
targeting us and fear in the future someone could go further or take a wrong
step.’
He added the centre, which is around a decade old, has
never had any problems except two burglaries in the past year, which has seen a
TV and donation box stolen.
Mr Mohiuddin said CCTV footage showed a car pulling up
and two people getting out. One of them was carrying a bin bag.
He added the registration plate was caught on camera
so they hope police will be able to find who did it.
The HMCT said in a statement there was a ‘pig’s head
placed on the roof, in what looks like a hate crime’.
‘Unfortunately, this behaviour is not a one-off
occurrence,’ they added.
‘In survey data released earlier this year, by Muslim
Census and MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development), it was reported that
almost half (42%) of Mosques or Islamic institutions surveyed have experienced
religiously motivated attacks in the last three years.
‘17% of mosques from the 42% reported having faced
physical abuse directed at staff or worshippers, including the stabbing of a
muezzin (one who gives the call to prayer) in 2020.
‘The HMCT asks local residents and worshippers to
remain vigilant and report any hate to the police.’
Greater Manchester Police told Metro.co.uk an
investigation is underway and anyone with information should call 101 quoting
3246 09/12/22, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
Source: Metro.CO.UK
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Shootings, Explosion in Kabul Building Housing
Foreigners, Three Assailants Killed: Taliban Sources
Residents of the area said
the attack was carried out at a building where Chinese and other foreigners
usually stay.
-----
Dec 12, 2022
KABUL: A loud blast and gunfire were heard in the
Afghan capital Monday near a hotel popular with Chinese business visitors, a
witness said.
The Taliban claim to have improved national security
since storming back to power in August last year but there have been scores of
bomb blasts and attacks, many claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State
group.
"It was a very loud explosion and then there was
a lot of gunfire," the witness told AFP. Afghan media also reported
similar details.
Security officials were not immediately available to
comment on the blast in Shahr-e-naw, one of Kabul's main commercial areas.
The district is home to the Kabul Longan Hotel, a
multi-storey complex popular with Chinese business people who are visiting
Afghanistan in increasing numbers since the Taliban's return.
A Taliban source based in Pakistan told AFP that an
unknown number of attackers had entered the hotel.
"An operation has been launched against the
attackers. Firing continues," he said.
AFP correspondents saw teams of Taliban Special Forces
rush to the scene.
China, which shares a rugged 76-kilometre (47-mile)
border with Afghanistan, has not officially recognised the Taliban government
but is one of the few countries to maintain a full diplomatic presence there.
Beijing has long feared Afghanistan could become a
staging point for minority Uyghur separatists in the sensitive border region of
Xinjiang.
The Taliban have promised that Afghanistan would not
be used as a base for militants and, in exchange, China has offered economic
support and investment for Afghanistan's reconstruction.
Maintaining stability after decades of war in
Afghanistan is Beijing's main consideration as it seeks to secure its borders
and strategic infrastructure investments in neighbouring Pakistan, home to the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The Taliban are at pains to portray Afghanistan as
safe for diplomats and business people but two Russian embassy staff members
were killed in a suicide bombing outside the mission in September in an attack
claimed by IS.
The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on
Pakistan's embassy in Kabul this month that Islamabad decried as an
"assassination attempt" against the ambassador.
A security guard was wounded in that attack.
Despite owning the rights to major projects in
Afghanistan, notably the Mes Aynak copper mine, China has not pushed any of
these projects forward.
The Taliban are reliant on China to turn one of the
world's largest copper deposits into a working mine that would help the
cash-strapped and sanctions-hit nation recover.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Events In Iran Since Mahsa Amini's Arrest And Death In
Custody
Newspaper with a cover
picture of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by Iranian
morality police is seen in Tehran, Iran, September 18, 2022. Majid
Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS//File Photo
------
12 December, 2022
Iran's clerical rulers have faced the biggest protests
in years since September when Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality
police who enforce strict dress codes.
Following are some of the events since her arrest:
Sept. 13 - Mahsa Amini, from Iran's Kurdistan region,
is detained by morality police in Tehran for “inappropriate attire”.
Sept. 16 - Amini dies after falling into a coma.
Authorities say she suffered a heart attack after being taken to a station to
be “educated”. Her family deny she had any heart problems. Her father later
says she had bruises on her legs, and holds police responsible for her death.
President Ebrahim Raisi demands an investigation. Protests begin on social
media and in the street.
Sept. 17 - Protests erupt during Amini's funeral in
Saqez, her home town in Kurdistan. Security forces fire tear gas. Protests
spread to the provincial capital. Chants of “death to the dictator” are heard,
with some women removing headscarves.
Sept. 18 - Demonstrations spread. Hundreds gather
around the University of Tehran, shouting “Woman, Life, Freedom”.
Sept. 19 - Protests intensify, taking place in Rasht,
Mashhad, Isfahan and Tehran, where security forces and demonstrators clash.
Sept. 20 - An aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei says he visited Amini's family to pay condolences and that Khamenei
was pained by her death. An official blames terrorist groups for deaths in
Kurdistan.
Sept. 21 - Iranian authorities curb access to
Instagram and WhatsApp. Official sources confirm eight deaths in the unrest,
including a member of the police and a member of the Basij militia.
Sept. 22 - Protesters in Tehran and several other
cities torch police stations and vehicles. Raisi says “acts of chaos” are
unacceptable. The US imposes sanctions on Tehran's morality police.
Sept. 23 - The state organises rallies in several
cities with marchers calling for protesters to be executed. The army vows to
“confront the enemies' various plots”. State TV says the death toll is 35.
Sept. 24 - After accusing armed dissidents of
involvement in the unrest, the Revolutionary Guards carry out the first of
several attacks on Iranian militant opposition bases in the Kurdish region of
northern Iraq.
Sept. 27 - Security forces clash with demonstrators in
dozens of cities. Despite the crackdown, social media from inside Iran continue
to show protesters chanting, “Woman, Life, Liberty”, while women wave and burn
veils.
Sept. 30 - In the deadliest day since protests
started, Amnesty International says security forces killed 66 people, including
children, in the southeastern city of Zahedan in a crackdown after Friday prayers.
State TV says militants had fired on a police station,
prompting a shootout. The Guards say five of its forces and the Basij are
killed.
Oct. 3 - In his first comments on the unrest, Khamenei
backs the security forces. He says Amini's death “deeply broke my heart” and
calls it a “bitter incident” provoked by Iran's enemies. Defying his warning,
Iranians in several cities chant “We want regime change” and “death to
Khamenei”.
Oct. 7 - Authorities deny reports security forces
killed a 16-year-old girl, saying she committed suicide. It is the second time
in a week they said a teenage girl died falling from a roof. A coroner's report
denies Amini died from blows to the head and limbs while in custody, linking
her death to pre-existing conditions.
Oct. 8 - Female students chant “get lost” as Raisi
visits their university campus in Tehran.
Oct. 10 - Protests spread to Iran's energy sector,
according to reports on social media showing workers at Abadan and Kangan oil
refineries and Bushehr Petrochemical Project demonstrating.
Oct. 13 - Members of the Basij militia deploy in
Kurdish areas where seven people are killed.
Oct. 15 - A fire breaks out in Tehran's Evin prison,
where many political and dual-national detainees are held, and witnesses report
hearing gunfire. The judiciary later says eight people died in the unrest.
Sources tell Reuters trouble broke out after riot police began patrols.
Oct. 19 - Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian climber who was
widely seen to show support for the protesters by competing in an international
tournament without a headscarf, returns to Tehran. She says she had climbed
without a hijab unintentionally.
Oct. 21 - Protests break out in the southeast, with
demonstrators attacking banks, state media reports.
Oct. 26 - Iranian riot police deploy in large numbers
in Amini's home town of Saqez, Tehran and the northern cities of Tabriz and
Rasht, witnesses say, marking 40 days since she died. A Tehran refinery
official denies workers have staged a strike after videos on social media
appear to show one.
An attack on a Shia Muslim shrine in Shiraz kills 15
people. ISIS claims responsibility.
Oct. 29 - The Guards warn protesters to stay off the
streets, but protesters defy the warning.
Oct. 31 - A semi-official news agency reports that
about 1,000 people will face public trial over unrest in Tehran.
Nov. 2 - Iran denies posing a threat to Saudi Arabia,
after the Wall Street Journal reports that Riyadh had shared intelligence with
the US warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom.
Nov. 3 - A cleric at a Shia mosque is shot dead in
Zahedan, a mostly Sunni Muslim city.
Nov. 4 - State-sponsored annual rallies mark the 1979
seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, a key moment in the country's Islamic
Revolution that year. Images broadcast on state TV show tens of thousands of
people attending rallies.
Nov. 9 - Video clips show Iran's water polo team
failing to sing the national anthem in what protesters see as the latest show
of support by Iranian athletes for the demonstrations.
Iran's intelligence minister warns Saudi Arabia there
is no guarantee of Tehran continuing its “strategic patience,” after the Guards
tell Riyadh to control its media outlets.
Nov. 11 - Thousands of Iranians protest in Zahedan to
mark the Sept. 30 crackdown.
Nov. 14 - French President Emmanuel Macron
characterizes the protests as a “revolution” and says the crackdown makes it
harder to reach agreement on reviving Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world
powers. The EU widens sanctions on Iranian officials and organizations.
The Guards attack Iranian Kurdish militant bases in
Iraq, where officials say at least two people are killed.
Nov. 16 - France and Britain accuse Iran of
threatening their nationals after the Islamic Republic says French intelligence
agents were arrested during protests. France denies Iran has arrested any of
its intelligence officers.
At least five people are killed in the southwestern
province of Khuzestan in what state media call a terrorist attack.
Nov. 17 - Iran's foreign minister accuses Israel and
Western intelligence services of planning to divide Iran and start a civil war,
saying Iran “is not Libya or Sudan”.
Nov. 18 - Video clips show a fire at the ancestral
home of the Islamic Republic's late founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Activists say it was torched by protesters. A semi-official news agency denies
the house was set on fire.
Nov. 20 - The Revolutionary Guards say they have
strengthened forces in the restive Kurdish region.
Nov. 21 - Israel's military intelligence chief says
the protests are beginning to resemble a popular uprising but sees “no real
danger” to the survival of the Islamic Republic at this time.
Nov. 22 - The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
says more than 300 people have been killed in protests, including more than 40
children. He says 14,000 people have been arrested.
Nov. 24 - The U.N. Rights Council votes to appoint an
independent investigation into the deadly repression of protests. Iran says it
will not cooperate, calling it a political committee.
Nov. 26 - Khamenei praises Basij forces he says
sacrificed their lives protecting people from “rioters”. The activist news
agency HRANA says 448 protesters have been killed, including 63 children, in
addition to 57 members of the security forces.
Nov. 27 - Khamenei's niece, a well known rights
activist, calls on foreign governments to cut ties with Tehran.
Dec. 4 - The public prosecutor says the morality
police have been shut down but there is no confirmation of this from the
Interior Ministry which oversees the force. Authorities say the hijab law will
be enforced through other methods.
Dec. 7 - A sister of Khamenei condemns the crackdown
and calls on the Guards to lay down their weapons.
Dec. 8 - Iran hangs a man convicted of injuring a
security guard with a knife and blocking a Tehran street, the first such
execution over the unrest. Amnesty international says authorities are seeking
the death penalty for at least 21 people in what it called “sham” trials.
Dec. 12 - Iran carries out a second execution,
publicly hanging a man convicted of killing two members of the Basij.
Source: Al Arabiya
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original story:
--------
Muslim Community Distribute Food, Puja Supplies to
Devotees of Lord Ayyappa in Tamil Nadu
This almsgiving ritual
drew a sizable crowd this time as well. (News18)
-----
By: Archana R
DECEMBER 12, 2022
To celebrate inter-religious harmony, members of the
Muslim community distributed food to Lord Ayyappa’s devotees in Tamil Nadu’s
Krishnagiri district.
Every year, the Krishnagiri Pazhayapettai Miladu Nabi
Islamic Youth Organization, to showcase religious harmony and solidarity
between Muslims and Hindus in the state, offer puja supplies and food to
devotees of Ganesh Chaturthi and Lord Ayyappa.
In this manner, for the fifth consecutive year, on
behalf of Miladu Nabi Islamic Youth Organization at Krishnagiri-Salem Road,
offered puja materials for special bhajan and worship. Additionally, those who
participated in the bhajan for Lord Ayyappa were given alms, including
devotees’ families, where a large number of Muslim youth participated and
served.
This almsgiving ritual drew a sizable crowd this time
as well.
Source: News18
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Working On Plan to Find a Channel of Discussion
between Pakistan, India to Resolve Kashmir Issue: OIC Chief
Dec 12, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) has said that it has been working on a plan to find a channel of
discussion between Pakistan and India on the Kashmir issue.
India has previously hit out at the 57-member grouping
of Muslim-majority nations, saying bodies like OIC should refrain from allowing
vested interests to exploit its platform for comments on the internal affairs
of the country.
India has emphasised that the OIC has no locus standi
to comment on matters related to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and
inalienable part of India.
"I think the most important thing is to find the
channel of discussion between stakeholders [India and Pakistan] and we are
working on a plan of action in this regard in collaboration with the Pakistani
government and other member countries," OIC secretary general Hissein
Brahim Taha told the media in Muzaffarabad on Sunday.
Taha said that he had undertaken a tour of the
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to implement a resolution adopted by the OIC
Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) at a recent session, as he wanted to see for
himself the situation on the ground.
Earlier, the five-member delegation led by Taha drove
to Chakothi sector, where it was briefed by a military commander on the
situation at the Line of Control (LoC).
The OIC delegation was on a visit from December 10-12
at the invitation of Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
--------
Europe
Swedish legislator aims to pass bill banning
headscarves in police force
Alexandra Enberg
13.12.2022
A prominent politician in Sweden is pushing for the
passage of a bill that would ban headscarves in the Swedish police force.
The proposed law may also be extended to all public
employees, Richard Jomshof, the chairman of parliament’s Justice Committee,
said Monday.
He now hopes that the coalition of four right-wing
parties established earlier this year under the Tido Agreement can get the bill
passed.
In an interview with the local Expressen newspaper,
Jomshof said the whole point of wearing a uniform in the police force or the
military for that matter is that it should be uniform. He said if you allow
religious or political symbols, it is no longer a uniform, and it would be
absurd to allow such things.
“If you see political symbols or a religious
attribute, then you don't just see a police officer, you see something else
that the police officer also stands for. Then you can also question whether the
police are objective in their practice. We should not get into that kind of
discussion.
“I believe that the police also when this topic was up
for discussion mentioned an example: What happens if a police officer wearing a
kippa is going to intervene in a Muslim area? Then it will cause huge
problems," Jomshof added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
--------
Rising Islamophobia go unnoticed, uncondemned in
Germany: Report
12 December 2022
A new report has highlighted a rise in Islamophobic
acts that had gone largely unnoticed in Germany, after last month’s
vandalization of Muslim children’s graves in the country’s north.
On November 22, unknown assailants vandalized 25
Muslim children’s graves in Hanover, in a move that drew condemnation from the
chairman of the Muslim organization Lower Saxony Schura, Recep Bilgen, who had
also called for a probe by the police. Back then, police said they would open
an investigation, though they cited the likelihood of “animal or natural
causes,” as well as “personal fault.”
“Suspects are currently not listed in the process.
Likewise, there is currently no concrete evidence of an Islamophobic
connection,” they said.
But the Middle East Eye said in a report on Sunday
that the incident is seen as another form of bigotry against Muslims.
“We feel deeply sorry for the families of the
victims... The violation of graves, whether of children or adults, is one of
the many disgusting forms of hatred against Islam and Muslims in our country,”
Khallad Swaid, president of the German Muslim organization Deutsche Muslimische
Gemeinschaft, told the Middle East Eye.
Yet, Swaid attributed the rise in anti-Muslim bigotry
to German figures’ hostile rhetoric.
“It is a result of a hostile language of, especially,
[the] far-right movements that have made their way into the mainstream of our
society and [are] given platforms in many of our media outlets to spread their
hatred against Islam and Muslims,” he said.
Noting that the Hanover incident had not been
recognized by politicians or civil society at large, Swaid said “That is
another level of the problem.”
“As long as racism is not identified and condemned as
such, and the perpetrators are neither convicted nor receive the full force of
the law, we won’t be able to tackle hatred of Islam and Muslims,” he added.
The vandalization of Hanover graves was not the first
time Muslim graves in Germany are being targeted.
Earlier this year, unidentified attackers knocked over
30 Muslim gravestones in the city of Iserlohn.
Anna Esther-Younes, a scholar on anti-Muslim racism in
Europe, noted that the phenomenon of targeted vandalism in Germany has
historical roots.
“I am not aware of a decade in post-World War II
Germany where the vandalizing of Muslim, Jewish or Sinti and Roma graveyards in
Germany didn’t happen,” Younes told MEE.
“In terms of the political climate, it is important to
understand that the destruction of minority graveyards, along with the
vandalization of memorial sites shows two things: on the one hand, society has
become more aware of the danger of white supremacists, and on the other hand,
it shows how far right we are by now.”
The MEE reported that anti-Muslim hatred has been on
the rise in Germany in recent years, adding that 662 attacks on Muslims by
predominantly right-wing extremists were recorded last year alone. They,
however, received little attention in the German media.
The report also said that the total number of
anti-Muslim crimes in the past year is likely much higher amid a lack of
markers for such crimes.
A recent study conducted by the Expert Council on
Integration and Migration (SVR) also found that anti-Muslim attitudes are
widespread in Germany.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/12/694320/Rising-Islamophobia-go-unnoticed-Germany
--------
UK Defence, Spy Chiefs among 32 Sanctioned By Iran
12 December ,2022
Iran on Monday sanctioned the heads of the UK’s
domestic spy agency and military along with British and German political
figures, hitting back at Europe before it imposes new sanctions of its own.
At his weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry
spokesman Nasser Kanani blamed the Europeans and British for “intervening in
the domestic affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and said the sanctions
“are coming into effect today.”
Britain and Germany have been particularly vocal in
their criticism of Iran’s response to almost three months of protests sparked
by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22.
The Kurdish-Iranian woman died in custody after her
arrest by morality police who accused her of violating Iran’s dress code for
women.
Iran imposed its sanctions on 32 individuals and
entities ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.
They were expected to impose additional sanctions of their own against Iran
over its response to the demonstrations.
Iran’s sanctions list named Ken McCallum, director
general of domestic spy agency MI5, and Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir
Tony Radakin.
Others sanctioned include current and former members
of the British parliament and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Several German political figures and companies are
also listed. These include Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, former head of the
Christian Democratic Union party, and Claudia Roth, Federal Government
Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
Also sanctioned is the French satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo, and the Persian-language division of Radio Free Europe.
Those sanctioned will not be able to enter Iran, and
they will be subject to asset freezes.
Britain and the EU last month expanded sanctions
against Iranian officials and organizations over Iran’s protest crackdown.
On Friday Britain announced further sanctions after
Iran carried out its first announced execution connected with the protests.
Iran’s judiciary said Monday that a second death
sentence had been implemented.
Majidreza Rahnavard had been sentenced to death by a
court in the city of Mashhad for killing two members of the security forces
with a knife and wounding four other people, the judiciary’s news service said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UK foreign minister: We will respond when Iran’s
actions are unacceptable
12 December ,2022
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Monday
said Britain would continue to respond with sanctions against Iran when its
actions are unacceptable in an effort to steer the Islamic Republic in a better
direction.
“Our priority is to prevent Iran from acquiring
nuclear weapons, but in parallel to that we will continue to act, to respond
when Iran’s actions are unacceptable,” Cleverly said in answer to a question
following a speech in London, giving the example of the supply of drones to
Russia for use in Ukraine.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Greece using every opportunity to fuel tension with
'provocative actions,' says Turkish defence chief
Sarp Ozer
12.12.2022
Greece never misses a chance to raise tensions in the
Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, the country's national defense minister
said on Monday.
On Athens' recent military drills and violation of the
demilitarized status of Aegean islands, Husuli Akar said: "Greece is
making every attempt to increase the tension with unreasonable and unlawful
demands and claims along with its ongoing provocative actions and aggressive
rhetoric."
In a videoconference meeting with Turkish Armed Forces
commanders and unit commanders, Akar added that all kinds of "unlawful
actions" of Greece are given the necessary response on the ground and in
the diplomatic field based on the principle of reciprocity.
It is "never possible for us to allow any fait
accompli," he added.
Criticizing some Greek politicians and military
figures for using saber-rattling against Türkiye as domestic political fodder,
he said they should instead "focus on solving problems through dialogue
and learn from history."
Recently, Greece carried out a military drill on the
Aegean island of Rhodes, just 84 kilometers (52 miles) from the Turkish coastal
city of Fethiye.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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South Asia
Islamic State in Khorasan Province Claims Kabul Hotel
Attack, Publishes Photos of 2 Gunmen
DECEMBER 13, 2022
Aregional affiliate of the Islamic State group known
as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for
an attack on a hotel in central Kabul popular with Chinese nationals.
Armed men opened fire on Monday inside the hotel, and
at least three gunmen were killed by security forces. Two foreigners were
injured while trying to escape by jumping from the hotel balcony, Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter.
The ISKP, a rival of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban,
also released photos of two attackers named ‘Abu Omar’ and ‘Abu Jabbar’ on its
channel on Telegram. It also released a video of the attackers pledging
allegiance to the new leader of Islamic State, Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
Multiple reports have quoted Taliban sources as saying
that the attack was carried out at Longan Hotel in Kabul’s Shar-e Naw
neighbourhood frequented by Chinese guests among other foreigners. The Islamic
State has on multiple occasions warned China over its treatment of Uighyur
Muslims. The ISKP has increased its attacks since the Taliban takeover of the
country last year.
Videos posted on Twitter by a journalist in Kabul
showed smoke billowing out of one of the floors amid sounds of gunshots, while
a person was seen trying to escape the attack by jumping out of a hotel window.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the attack took place around 2.30 pm local
time, with residents in the area saying they heard a powerful explosion
followed by gunfire.
The attack came a day after China’s ambassador met the
Afghan deputy foreign minister to discuss security-related matters and sought
more attention on the protection of its embassy. China’s state-run Xinhua news
agency said the attack happened near a Chinese guesthouse and its embassy in
Kabul was closely monitoring the situation.
Several bombings have taken place in Afghanistan in
recent months, including an attack on the Pakistan embassy earlier this month
and a suicide blast near the Russian embassy in September. Both attacks were
claimed by the Islamic State.
Source: News18
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Attack on Kabul hotel popular with Chinese nationals
ends, three assailants killed
Dec 12, 2022
KABUL: At least three attackers were killed by
security forces in Afghanistan on Monday after armed men opened fire inside a
hotel in central Kabul popular with Chinese nationals, a spokesperson for the
Taliban-run administration said.
The attack has now ended and no foreigners were
killed, although two of them were injured while trying escape the attack by
jumping from the hotel balcony, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
A video posted on Twitter by a journalist in Kabul,
verified by Reuters, showed smoke billowing out of a multi-storey building,
with one lower floor on fire.
The attack took place around 2:30pm local time when
armed men targeted a hotel where "common people were staying", Kabul
police spokesman Khalid Zadran said, adding that forces were trying to secure
the area.
Residents of the area reported hearing a powerful
explosion followed by gunfire. The attack was carried out at a building where
Chinese and other foreigners usually stay, residents said.
The attack came a day after China's ambassador met the
Afghan deputy foreign minister to discuss security-related matters and sought
more attention on the security of its embassy.
China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the
attack took place near a Chinese guesthouse and that its embassy in Kabul was
closely monitoring the situation.
Several bombing and shooting attacks have taken place
in Afghanistan in recent months, some of which have been claimed by Islamic
State militants.
Source: Times Of India
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Ashraf Ghani Fleeing for his Life and Zelensky
Fighting for his Country; Hillary Clinton
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
December 13, 2022
In a recent TV interview, Hillary Clinton, compared in
exile Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to Zelensky, the iron man of Ukraine.
In a recent interview in Oslo Norway, Hillary Clinton,
former secretary of State and a renowned American politician compared former
president Ashraf Ghani to President Zelensky.
She said, “Ashraf Ghani running for his life and
taking money with him and Zelensky saying I am not leaving, send me
ammunition,”. Her remarks sparked a lot of criticism and support from Afghan
politicians in Particular.
Hamdullah Mohib, Former National Security Advisor of
the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and one of Ashraf Ghani’s loyalists
reacted to Clinton’s remarks and described it as an untrue and unfair
comparison.
“We repeatedly asked for military weapons and
capabilities to continue the fight, up until the last days.” “Clinton’s remarks
are not only patronizing and uninformed, but they are also cruel and offensive
to the Afghan women and men who believed in and fought for a cause that our
partners threw away,” Mr. Mohib added.
Mohib’s backing of Ashraf Ghani, an exiled Afghan
president has frustrated their Western allies and the ordinary people of
Afghanistan to a greater extent. This comes as Ashraf Ghani and his close
circle run away with money and cars as the de facto regime captured Kabul on
August 15, 2021.
Source: Khaama Press
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ISIS Cell in Eastern Afghanistan Destroyed
By Saqalain Eqbal
December 12, 2022
Following an operation by intelligence forces in
Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of the eastern Afghan province of
Nangarhar, local officials claimed to have discovered and destroyed an ISIS
hideout.
The intelligence operation reportedly took place in
Jalalabad’s police district 4 on late Sunday, December 11, after obtaining
intelligence information, according to the state-run Bakhtar News Agency.
According to the local officials cited in Bakhtar’s
report, during the intelligence operation, 2 of the ISIS members were killed
and 1 other sustained injuries.
The operation also resulted in the discovery of a
weapons cache of riffles, some of which were destroyed, while others were
seized by the operating forces.
Following the assassination of Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the
leader of Al-Qaeda, by a US CIA drone strike in Kabul’s downtown, the Afghan
government is accused of providing safe havens for international terrorists.
Since the Afghan government continues to have cordial
relations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS has
intensified operations, many countries in the international community are
apprehensive about the regrouping and resurrection of terrorism in Afghanistan.
In a statement before the Commonwealth Council of
Heads of Security and Special Services earlier in late October, Russian President
Vladimir Putin forewarned of the growth of terrorist groups on the Afghan
border and their infiltration into the Commonwealth Independent States.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/isis-cell-in-eastern-afghanistan-destroyed-35643/
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Mideast
Palestinian PM calls on UN to place Israel on ‘list of
shame’ after teen killed by regime forces
13 December 2022
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has
called on the United Nations to place the Israeli regime on its
secretary-general’s annual “list of shame” for violations against children,
after Israeli troops fatally shot a teenage girl during a raid in the northern
West Bank city of Jenin.
During a meeting with the Special Representative of
the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, in
Ramallah, Shtayyeh denounced the killing of 16-year-old Jana Majdi Zakarneh as
another crime to be added to the long list of horrifying crimes committed by
Israeli forces against Palestinian children.
Gamba started on Monday a special visit to occupied
Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, during
which she will meet with the families of Palestinian children murdered at the
hands of Israeli forces to hear about the grave violations perpetrated by
Israeli soldiers against Palestinian minors.
Separately, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad
al-Malki handed Gamba a detailed report on the occupying Tel Aviv regime’s
crimes against Palestinian children.
The report sheds light on Israel’s systematic and
deliberate crimes against Palestinian children and falls within the framework
of Security Council Resolution 1612 (2005) on children and armed conflict.
Malki pointed out that while Israeli forces have
executed more than 52 children since the beginning of the current year, several
have been shot dead due to attacks carried out by extremist Jewish settlers or
as a result of denying them access to medical treatment.
He also pointed to Israeli attacks on Palestinian
educational centers, including schools, colleges and universities, as well as
students and teaching staff, as was the case in the Masafer Yatta area in the
southern West Bank, various Bedouin communities, and al-Lubban al-Sawiya
schools near the city of Nablus.
The top Palestinian diplomat stressed that the crimes
committed by Israel are a flagrant violation of international law, including
human rights, humanitarian, and criminal laws, and relevant United Nations
resolutions such as Security Council Resolution 1612.
He urged Gamba to demand that the Israeli regime stop
its grave crimes against Palestinian children, and asked the international
community, especially the Security Council, to fulfill its obligations and take
necessary measures aimed at protecting Palestinian people, children in
particular, as well as schools, hospitals and other essential facilities.
Malki also called on the United Nations to adopt
proper measures to hold Israeli war criminals accountable and bring them to
justice.
Israeli forces have recently been conducting overnight
raids and killings in the northern occupied West Bank, mainly in the cities of
Jenin and Nablus, where new groups of Palestinian resistance fighters have been
formed.
Since the start of 2022, Israeli troops have killed
more than 210 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, in the occupied
West Bank and East al-Quds as well as the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to the United Nations, the number of
Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank this year is the
highest in 16 years.
Source: Press TV
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Hamas: Palestinians will never allow Israel to
implement its malicious schemes for al-Quds, al-Aqsa
12 December 2022
Marking the 35th anniversary of its foundation, a
senor official of Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, has vowed that
Palestinians will continue to stand in the face of the Israeli regime's
machinations.
In a televised speech delivered on Monday, head of the
movement's political bureau Ismail Haniyeh said the Palestinian people will
never allow the Israeli regime to implement its malicious schemes that target
the holy city of al-Quds in general, and the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in
particular.
Palestinians consider the eastern part of al-Quds as
the eternal capital of their future state while Israel lays claim to the entire
city as its so-called capital.
In line with its claim, the Israeli regime has
established some of the most draconian restrictions on the Palestinians'
movement around the holy city, including their right to pray at the al-Aqsa
Mosque compound, which is Islam's third holiest site. On the other hand, the
occupying army regularly provides protection for illegal Israeli settlers who
storm the compound to sheer indignation of the Palestinians.
Haniyeh added that the issue of al-Quds will remain a
top priority for Hamas and the Palestinian people everywhere.
The senior Hamas official said the movement has
adopted a clear and unwavering strategy with regard to the cause of the
liberation of Palestine from Israeli occupation, and will continue its struggle
against the Zionist settler-colonial project.
The Israeli regime came into existence in 1948 after
occupying huge swathes of Palestinian territories during a Western-backed war.
It occupied more land, namely the West Bank, which
includes East al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip where Hamas' is headquartered, in
another war in 1967.
Ever since, it has built hundreds of settlements upon
the occupied territories and deployed the most aggressive restraints on
Palestinian freedoms there.
Tel Aviv withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but has been
keeping the coastal territory under an all-out land, aerial, and naval siege
since a year after it left the enclave.
"Hamas has long been committed to the unity of
the Palestinian people at home and abroad in the face of the Israeli occupation
and its schemes," Haniyeh added.
He explained that Hamas has also adopted a strategy of
openness towards all Arab and Muslim nations and has established balanced ties
based on the notion that the Palestinian cause is central to the whole Arab and
Muslim world.
The official, meanwhile, saluted the thousands-strong
Palestinian detainees, who have been languishing across Israeli jails, pledging
that the movement was committed to securing their freedom through prisoner swap
deals with the occupying regime.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/12/694361/Palestinians-Israel-Hamas-anniversary-Haniyeh-speech
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Israel Publishes Last Telegram Of Its Spy, Eli Cohen
In Syria
Abdel Raouf Arnaout
12.12.2022
Israeli authorities on Monday published the last telegram
sent by Mossad spy Eli Cohen before his arrest and execution by Syrian
authorities in 1965.
“In the telegram dated Feb. 19, 1965, the day he was
arrested, the Mossad agent Cohen talks about the meeting of the Syrian General
Staff that was held that evening with the participation of the Syrian President
at the time, Amin al-Hafez,” the government’s media office said in a statement.
Mossad chief David Barnea said the reason for Cohen’s
arrest has always been controversial.
“Cohen was not caught because of the amount of
transmission or pressure from the headquarters to send repeatedly, but rather
because the enemy intercepted his messages,” he added.
Barnea said the Mossad “will continue to uncover
intelligence information and new details about the period in which Cohen served
in Syria, and will continue to work to bring his remains for burial in
Israel."
Israel considers Cohen to be one of its most important
spies given that he arrived in Syria in January 1962, under the name
"Kamel Amin Thabet", and resided in the capital, Damascus.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Gaza archaeologists find ‘complete’ Roman-era cemetery
12 December ,2022
Researchers in the northern Gaza Strip have unearthed
dozens of Roman-era tombs at a site discovered earlier this year during
construction work, the Palestinian enclave’s rulers Hamas announced Monday.
Construction workers had uncovered 31 tombs near the
town of Beit Lahia as work began in early 2022 on an Egyptian-funded
residential project, part of reconstruction efforts after the 11-day war in May
2021 between Israel and armed groups in blockaded Gaza.
The project has been partially suspended following the
discovery, and a team from the local antiquities ministry visited the site to
catalog the findings and look for more, Fazl al-Atal, head of the excavation
team, told AFP on Monday.
“So far, 51 Roman tombs dating from the first century
AD have been found,” including the 31 initially found by the construction
workers, he said.
“We expect to find 75 to 80 tombs in total,” Atal
added, hailing the discovery of the “first complete Roman-era cemetery found in
Gaza.”
The 2,000-year-old burial site is located near the
ruins of the Greek port of Anthedon, on the road leading to ancient Ascalon --
now the Israeli city of Ashkelon by the Gaza border.
The antiquity ministry team has been focusing on
“documentation, research and protection of the site,” Atal said. “Our aim is to
ascertain... the causes of death.”
Jamal Abu Reda, in charge of antiquities at the
ministry, said the site is “of great importance and believed to be an extension
of the site” of ancient Anthedon.
Archaeology is a highly political subject in Israel
and the Palestinian territories, and some discoveries have been used to justify
the territorial claims of each people.
In Gaza, both research and tourism to archaeological
sites are limited due to an Israeli blockade imposed since Hamas took over the
strip in 2007.
Israel and Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza,
tightly restrict the flow of people in and out of the impoverished enclave,
which is home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israel says its forces killed Palestinian girl in West
Bank raid
12 December ,2022
Israel said Monday its forces unintentionally shot
dead a Palestinian girl during a raid in Jenin, a flashpoint city in the
occupied West Bank where dozens of Palestinians including local fighters have
been killed in recent months.
Israel’s army said it came under fire during an
operation late Sunday to arrest three people “suspected of terror involvement.”
“The girl who was killed was hit by unintentional fire
aimed at armed gunmen on a roof in the area from which the force was fired
upon,” an army statement said, adding that no troops were hurt.
Sixteen-year-old Jana Zakarna was alone on the roof of
her home late Sunday when she was targeted by an Israeli sniper positioned in
an empty building, her relatives told AFP.
“She went up (to the roof) to fetch her cat and never
came back, so her brother went up to look for her; he opened the door and found
Jana lying here on her back,” said Yasser Mahmoud Zakarna, 28, the teenager’s
uncle.
Describing his niece’s wounds, he said she was “shot
with four bullets in deadly spots: in the head, the face, and twice in the
chest. They have truly killed childhood.”
A white cat walked around the rooftop, where there was
a pool of blood and yellow tape marking what the Zakarna family said were
bullet holes.
Two Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli raid,
according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society whose medics operate in the
area.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967
Six-Day War. The country’s defense minister, Benny Gantz, said on Monday
soldiers “do not shoot deliberately at uninvolved people.”
Israeli forces have launched near-daily raids in the
northern West Bank since fatal attacks carried out by Palestinians or
Arab-Israelis targeting Israelis earlier this year.
At least 150 Palestinians and 26 Israelis have been
killed this year across Israel, the contested city of Jerusalem, and the West
Bank. A further 49 Palestinians were killed during three days of fighting
between Gaza militants and Israel in August.
Militants, children as young as 12 and veteran
Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh are among more than 40
Palestinians killed in the Jenin area during Israeli operations this year.
After his niece’s death, Zakarna said “there’s no way
to be safe” during the frequent raids.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli vote to elect Knesset speaker delayed
Abdel Raouf Arnaout
12.12.2022
JERUSALEM
The right-wing Likud Party and the opposition agreed
on Monday to postpone the election of a temporary speaker for the Knesset
(Israel’s parliament) until Tuesday, according to Israeli media.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN said the move came
after opposition parties threatened to obstruct the vote.
The election was scheduled to take place on Monday
evening.
According to Haaretz newspaper, the Yesh Atid Party
led by outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid concluded an agreement with the Likud
Party to postpone the vote until Tuesday, although the Likud has already
submitted 61 signatures.
After difficult deliberations, Prime
Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu chose to nominate Likud’s Knesset member,
Yariv Levin, as interim speaker, to replace Mickey Levy of the Yesh Atid Party,
the Haaretz noted.
The list of candidates for the post also includes
David Amsalem, Amir Ohana, Ofir Akunis and Danny Danon.
Netanyahu and his right-wing bloc secured an outright
majority in the Knesset in the elections that took place early last month.
On Sunday, the 28-day deadline given to Netanyahu to
form a government expired, with President Isaac Herzog agreeing to extend the
deadline for an additional 10 days at Netanyahu's request.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-vote-to-elect-knesset-speaker-delayed/2762036
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Israeli document shows settlers’ role in ousting
Palestinians from West Bank
Ahmed Asmar
12.12.2022
Israeli settlers are actively reporting any
Palestinian construction work in the occupied West Bank to Israeli local
authorities, in an effort to dispossess Palestinians, according to Israeli
media on Monday.
An internal official document obtained by Haaretz
newspaper showed a close cooperation between settlers and Israel’s Civil
Administration to report any work carried out by Palestinians.
The document lists 1,168 tip-offs from Israeli
settlers through an online platform in the period between March 10 to October
19.
"Digging a well," "Arabs are planting
trees," and "massive construction on and preparation of plots of
land" were among the forms of the settler reporting against Palestinians.
“The internal document also provides yet another
glance at the intense involvement of settlers in the Civil Administration and
Israeli army operations, from evictions of Palestinians from most of the
territory of the West Bank, and the prevention of their construction and
infrastructure work, to the meticulous effort to ensure that they do not exceed
the bounds of the enclaves Israel has allocated to them,” the document said.
Israel widely uses the pretext of lack of construction
permits to demolish Palestinian homes and buildings, especially in Area C in
the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.
Area C is under Israel’s administrative and security
control until a final status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Iran defies outcry with second execution linked to
protests
December 12, 2022
JEDDAH: Iran on Monday executed a second man in
connection with protests that have shaken the regime for months, defying an
international outcry over its use of capital punishment against those involved
in the movement.
EU foreign ministers condemned Iran for its crackdown
on anti-government protests and its drone deliveries to Russia while moving
ahead with a new package of sanctions meant to raise pressure on Tehran.
The EU “will take any action we can to support young
women and peaceful demonstrators,” Josep Borrell, the bloc’s foreign policy
chief, said.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: “With
this sanctions package, we are targeting in particular those who are
responsible for the executions, the violence against innocent people …these are
especially the Revolutionary Guards.”
Monday’s public hanging of Majidreza Rahnavard shows
the speed at which Iran now carries out death sentences handed down for those
detained in the demonstrations the regime hopes to put down.
Rahnavard, 23, had been sentenced to death by a court
in the city of Mashhad for killing two members of the security forces with a
knife and wounding four other people, the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency
reported.
He was executed just over three weeks after he was
arrested in November, rights groups said.
The hanging also came only four days after Mohsen
Shekari, also 23, was executed on Thursday on charges of wounding a member of
the security forces in the first case of the death penalty being used against a
protester.
“These executions are a blatant attempt to intimidate
people, not for committing crimes but just for taking their opinions to the
streets, just for wanting to live in freedom,” Germany’s Baerbock said.
Mizan published images of Rahnavard’s execution,
showing a man with his hands tied behind his back hanging from a rope attached
to a crane.
The director of Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights,
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said Rahnavard “was sentenced to death based on
coerced confessions after a grossly unfair process and a show trial.”
He added: “The public execution of a young protester,
23 days after his arrest, is another serious crime committed by the regime’s
leaders and a significant escalation of the level of violence against
protesters.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2214761/middle-east
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At least 3,774 children killed in Yemen’s civil war:
UNICEF
December 13, 2022
At least 3,774 children have been killed in Yemen’s
civil war between March 2015 and September 2022, UNICEF said on Monday, a week
after it launched a multibillion-dollar global funding drive.
According to the latest statistics published by
UNICEF, a further 7,245 children had been maimed in the conflict.
The organization called for an urgent renewal of the
ceasefire agreement, which lasted from April until the beginning of October and
saw a lull in front-line fighting.
“The urgent renewal of the truce would be a positive
first step that would allow critical humanitarian access,” Executive Director
Catherine Russell said.
UNICEF said some 3,904 boys were recruited as child
soldiers from March 2015 to September 2022.
Russell said: “If the children of Yemen are to have
any chance of a decent future, then the parties to the conflict, the
international community and all those with influence must ensure they are
protected and supported.”
A deal to extend the truce fell through in the hours
before its deadline on Oct. 2.
Houthis have widely used land mines, a weapon that has
killed at least 74 children across Yemen between July and September this year,
the UN reported.
The militia has openly recruited child soldiers, many
through “summer camps” in which it disseminates its ideology to young boys.
Houthi officials admitted earlier this year that the
militia had recruited some boys as young as age 10, arguing that boys of this
age are considered men.
UNICEF last week launched a $10.3 billion Humanitarian
Action for Children appeal for 2023 to assist children affected by conflicts
and disasters worldwide.
It aims to raise nearly $484.5 million throughout the
year for Yemen.
“Thousands of children have lost their lives; hundreds
of thousands more remain at risk of death from preventable disease or
starvation,” Russell said.
UNICEF noted that more than 17.8 million Yemenis lack
access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services.
This leaves around 10 million children without
adequate access to care, it said.
The UN and partners earlier this month appealed for a
record $51.5 billion in aid money for 2023, a 25 percent increase on 2022 and
more than five times the amount sought a decade ago.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2215201/middle-east
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India
AMU
Students Arrested by UP Police for marking 30 Years of Babri Masjid Demolition
on Demand of BJP’s Youth Wing
13
DEC 2022
The
Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday booked students of Aligarh Muslim University
for holding an event inside the college campus on December 6, marking 30 years
of the Babri Masjid demolition, according to a report by xx.
During
the event, students held postcards calling December 6 "Black Day".
The
arrest comes after BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha demanded that
students must be arrested by Monday or they would take out a protest march to
the office of the Aligarh Superintendent of Police. Following that, on December
7, the right-wing members took out a mahapanchayat demanding action against the
Muslim students.
According
to the copy of the FIR, the police booked the students of the university under
Indian Penal Code Sections 505 (statements conducting to public mischief), 188
(disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 295-A (acts
intended to outrage religious feelings) and 298 (uttering words, etc with
deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).
Speaking
to Maktoob media, Aligarh Assistant Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh
Gunawat accused the students of holding a protest march and making offensive
comments. He further accused them of carrying posters with 'offensive remarks
written on them'.
In
addition, he noted that the protest went on even as the district was subject to
prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
However,
students from the college alleged that they are being falsely implicated as
nothing was done to hurt any religious sentiments. The event was a mere
showcase to mark the day when "the Constitution was mocked by the
demolition of the Babri Masjid".
Source:
Outlook India
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Ayodhya
Mosque Plan Clears Major Hurdle (Land Use Approval), Construction To Begin Soon
Darpan
Singh
Dec
13, 2022
In
its 2019 judgement, the Supreme Court paved the way for the construction of Ram
Temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site. The top court also ordered the
allocation of a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for a new mosque.
The
Ram temple construction has been progressing as per the schedule and is likely
to meet its December 2023 deadline. However, three years after the top court
settled the dispute, construction for the proposed mosque complex at Dhannipur
village near Ayodhya was yet to begin.
Talking
to IndiaToday.in, Vishal Singh, Ayodhya Development Authority Vice-Chairperson,
and Athar Hussain, Secretary, Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, tasked with the
mosque’s construction, said that construction for the proposed mosque off the
Lucknow-Faizabad highway may begin soon.
Athar
Hussain said, “We had been awaiting land use approval from the Ayodhya
Development Authority. It’s finally come. I don’t have direct communication yet
but our local trustee, Arshad, has received it.”
So,
what next? “Now only fire clearance remains. Our fire plan had been rejected
two months ago because the access to the site had a bottleneck, a stretch
that’s only 4.2 metres wide, while we need the entire passage to be 9 metres
wide for two fire tenders to move in at a time. We, the Waqf Board, had got the
land from the Uttar Pradesh District Magistrate. The process to acquire further
land to remove the bottleneck is on. Once that’s done, hopefully by month-end,
construction can begin thereafter,” Athar Hussain told IndiaToday.in.
Athar
Hussain said it was a two-phase plan. “We will build not only a mosque but also
a 200-bed hospital. The mosque is only 10 per cent of the total cost. In the
first phase, we will spend Rs 100 Crore, on the mosque and on the first stage
of the hospital. The second phase, also costing Rs 100 Crore, will cover only
the hospital, its second stage,” he said.
The
hospital will begin with 100 beds and as many beds will be added later. The complex
will also have a library with an Indo-Islamic research centre/an archive of the
1857 Sepoy Mutiny and a community kitchen, first catering to 1,000 people and
then to 2,000 people, Athar Hussain said.
On
the other hand, Vishal Singh, Ayodhya Commissioner and Ayodhya Development
Authority Vice Chairperson, told IndiaToday.in that the land in question comes
under the extended area of the Ayodhya Development Authority and unless a
master plan was ready, it was agricultural land and no public facility can come
up such a land without a change in its land use.
“The
development authority board has approved the land use change and sent the file
to the Uttar Pradesh government for final approval. The foundation has secured
more or less all NOCs from local authorities. Mosque construction will begin as
soon as the land use clearance comes from the state government,” Vishal Singh
said.
When
informed that the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation has confirmed to
IndiaToday.in the receipt of the approval for land use change, Vishal Singh
said, “They must have got it from the state government. In that case,
communication will soon reach us, too, and mosque construction may begin soon.”
The
Ayodhya Development Authority had issued letters to authorities, including fire
services, civil aviation, Municipal Corporation, irrigation, PWD, pollution
control board and district administration, to issue NOCs for the mosque's
construction.
Right
now, there is only barbed wire fencing along the plot where one can also see a
board, bearing an illustration of the proposed mosque, put up by the
Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation.
The
Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation is a 15-member trust tasked with the mosque's
construction by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board. “We had submitted a
detailed map of the proposed mosque complex to the Ayodhya Development
Authority. But the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the clearance,” Athar Hussain
said.
According
to the original plan, the mosque (designed by Professor SM Akhtar, Head,
Faculty of Architecture, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi), which can
accommodate 2,000 Namazis at a time, was to be built by December 2023, while
other structures in the complex were to be built subsequently.
The
Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation has been receiving donations, including from
non-Muslims, for the construction of the mosque, four times bigger than the
Babri Masjid, and other public facilities including the hospital, six times the
size of the mosque.
The
hospital will cater to children suffering from malnourishment, and also
expecting women. The two-storeyed egg-shaped mosque without any dome or minaret
will be solar powered. The deadline to start the construction of this complex
has been missed a few times.
Source:
India Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Karnataka:
No Development If You Don’t Vote For Me, BJP MLA to Muslims
12th
December 2022
Bengaluru:
A video of BJP Karnataka MLA J. Preetham Gowda telling Muslims that if they
don’t vote him in the upcoming Assembly elections, he won’t take up any
development activity for them has gone viral on social media.
The
remarks have drawn sharp criticism from the people. In the video, MLA Preetham
Gowda, the MLA from Hassan, while addressing a gathering in Hassan city’s
Muslim-dominated Srinagar locality was heard saying he had treated people of
all communities as brothers in the last four years.
He
went on to say that if Muslims came to his home, he would offer them coffee but
not ensure development and won’t do anything they need.
“I
will continue to treat you equally as brothers. But, you did not vote for me in
the 2018 assembly elections and municipal elections. You did not vote for BJP
in parliamentary elections. I will not do more than to ensure proper water,
road and drainage facilities,” Pritham Gowda said.
Pritam
Gowda maintained that he was just asking for wages for the labor he had put in
to ensure developmental activities for Muslims. Referring to the crowd, he
said: “You are all daily wage workers. You will get angry if your wages are not
paid. Don’t you think even after getting work from me, if you don’t vote, I
will get upset?
Pritham
Gowda won from Hassan city in 2018 giving a rude shock to JD-S. Former Prime
Minister H.D. Deve Gowda hails from Hassan and entire district politics is
dominated by Gowda family.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/karnataka-no-development-if-you-dont-vote-for-me-mla-to-muslims-2478454/
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India
"Strongly Condemns" Islamic Nations' Group Head For PoK Visit
December
13, 2022
New
Delhi: India on Tuesday strongly condemned the visit of the secretary general
of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to Pakistan occupied Kashmir
(PoK) and for his comments on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the grouping
has no locus standi in matters related to the region.
In
a sharp reaction to OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha's trip to PoK,
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said "Any attempt of
interference and meddling in India's internal affairs by OIC and its secretary
general is completely unacceptable." He said the OIC has already lost its
"credibility" by taking a "blatantly communal, partisan and
factually incorrect approach" to the issues.
Taha
was on a three-day visit to Pakistan from December 10-12.
"We
strongly condemn the visit of the OIC secretary general to Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK) and his comments on J&K during his visit to Pakistan. Let me
reiterate that OIC has no locus standi in matters related to Jammu and Kashmir,
which is an integral and inalienable part of India," Bagchi said.
He
was responding to media queries on the visit of the OIC official to the PoK.
"The
OIC has already lost its credibility by taking a blatantly communal, partisan
and factually incorrect approach to issues. Its secretary-general has
unfortunately become a mouthpiece of Pakistan," Bagchi said "We hope
that he would refrain from becoming a partner in carrying out the nefarious
agenda of Pakistan of promoting cross-border terrorism into India, especially
in Jammu and Kashmir," he added.
Source:
ND TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Will
consider proposal for police units to tackle ‘love jihad’, says K’taka HM
Dec
13, 2022
Karnataka
home minister Araga Jnanendra on Monday said that the government would consider
the demands for creating a new unit for tackling ‘love jihad’. The assurance
comes after a delegation of Hindu organisations met Jnanendra at his official
residence and submitted a memorandum.
The
members of this delegation included Mohan Gowda, the state spokesperson for
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Bhavya Gowda from Ranaragini, Nandini Nagaraj from
Durga Sena and Shri Sundaresh and Shri. Amarnath from the Sri Ram Sena. They
demanded that a special police should be formed to investigate ‘love jihad’
cases.
“Despite
the implementation of the Prohibition of Conversion Act in the state, ‘Love
Jihad’ has not yet stopped. Hence just like in Uttar Pradesh, an
Anti-Love-Jihad task force should be appointed here as well,” read the
memorandum.
A
senior official from the home minister’s office confirmed that a meeting took
place between the minister and the organisation representatives. “The minister
has not assured setting up the unit but said he will consider the demand. He
told the organisations that the anti-conversation bill (Karnataka Protection of
Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2022) is taking care of any forced
conversations in the state,” said the official.
Meanwhile,
the home minister said that the cooperation of people is essential to maintain
law and order.
The
minister appealed to people not to take the law into their hands which in turn
would result in unrest and provocation.
He
was reacting to a query on increasing incidents of moral policing in Dakshina
Kannada and sharing of hate messages on social media.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Former
mayor accuses Bajrang Dal activists of attacking Muslim man
Dec
13, 2022
A
group of 7-8 Bajrang Dal activists allegedly assaulted a Muslim youth who was
out with two Hindu girls in Mangaluru on Saturday night and tried to get him
arrested, police said on Monday.
A
senior police familiar with the matter said that the youth was allegedly
attacked around 11:30 pm on Saturday when he and the two girls were looking for
a place to have dinner in the Urwa police station limits. According to the
officer, who did not want to be named, the group of Bajrang Dal activists
accosted the youth and assaulted him before trying to hand him over to the
police.
The
officer did not disclose the identity of the youth and said he and the two
girls were not willing to file a complaint so no action has been taken in
connection with the case.
Former
Mangaluru mayor and the president of the Dakshina Kannada Muslim forum, K
Ashraf, condemned the incident and said that in such cases, victims are scared
to lodge a complaint against the right-wing group. “If they try to seek police
action, the right-wing groups threaten them,” he said.
Hitting
out at the Bajrang Dal, he said that such moral policing incidents were on the
rise in Dakshina Kannada district as elections in the state are approaching.
“Bajrang
Dal is behind all the moral policing incidents in Dakshina Kannada. When
elections are around the corner, such organisations do this. This incident took
place on the same night the chief minister was in the city. This is not an
isolated incident. Five to six cases of moral policing have been reported in
the district recently,” Ashraf said.
Last
week, the police had arrested four persons in connection with another case of
moral policing in Mangaluru on December 6. According to police, Bajrang Dal
members had created a ruckus at a jewellery showroom in the city alleging that
a Muslim staff member was friendly with a Hindu woman working in the showroom.
Police commissioner N Shashi Kumar had said that three cases were filed with
the Mangaluru East police station on the complaints by the male staff on
assault and rioting.
Speaking
on Monday, Ashraf urged the authorities to take strict action against such
outfits and make sure similar incidents do not occur in the future.
“It’s
not just moral policing. These right-wing organisations are harassing Muslims
during fairs, and not letting them carry out business in a peaceful way. They
are threatening Muslim businesses everywhere and are trying to trigger communal
issues. We will not let this happen,” Ashraf said.
Speaking
of the December 6 incident, he said: “In another incident at a jewellery store,
four people were arrested. But what is the use in arresting them? Such
incidents should not happen in the first place. Be it anyone, Muslims or
Hindus, if they have done something wrong, appropriate legal action should be
taken against them. But the police are here to do that. Why should the
right-wing groups assume the role of police?”
In
another case of moral policing, five people in the Sullia region of Dakshina
Kannada district attacked a Muslim couple who were going for a movie on
December 7. Based on a complaint, the police had registered a case of assault
against the five people.
Last
month, a group of men assaulted a Muslim youth who was travelling with a Hindu
woman in Mangaluru. The couple were travelling in a bus from Karkala, when 3-4
unknown men stopped the bus, dragged the Muslim youth out of the vehicle and
thrashed him.
Three
persons who have links with right-wing groups Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) were later arrested by the police in connection with the
incident.
Last
week, reacting to the recent instances of moral policing and hate messages
being shared on social media, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra appealed
to people not to take law into their hands which in turn would result in unrest
and provocation. The home minister said that people should extend their
cooperation in maintaining law and order in the state.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
56
foreign terrorists killed in J&K in 2022: DGP Dilbag Singh
Dec
12, 2022
JAMMU:
Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on Monday said 56 foreign
terrorists have been killed by security forces this year so far in Jammu and
Kashmir.
He
also said that 86 of the 102 local youth, who had joined terrorist ranks this
year, have been neutralised.
Terming
the death threats issued by terrorist outfits as a handiwork of Pakistan
intelligence ISI and its agencies promoting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,
Singh said there is no need to fear as stern action is being taken against
those involved in issuing such diktats.
"As
many as 56 foreign terrorists have been killed this year. This is the largest
number in last several years," the DGP told reporters on the sidelines of
a function here.
He
said 86 out of the 102 new militant recruits have been eliminated so far,
reducing the number to just 23.
"Those
who choose the path of terrorism, their life is not too long. Youths should
take the path of peace and prosperity and leave the path of terrorism. There is
no benefit in going towards this path," Singh said.
Replying
to a question on death threats being issued by terror outfits, the DGP said
these people are mouthpieces of Pakistan's ISI and its agencies that are
running terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The
militancy is taking its last breath. Stern action is being taken against those
involved in giving such threats. Such blogs and websites are under our watch.
FIRs have been registered against them. Action is being taken against their
supporters as well," he said.
The
DGP said that there is no need to fear. "It is a routine conspiracy of
those who feel unhappy with peace and prosperity. We will finish all such
remaining outfits involved in giving such threats," he said.
On
security measures, Singh said, "We are taking all types of precautions. I
hope everything will be alright everywhere. There will be no loophole in our
security.”
"There
are people still in the training camps across the border. There are militants
who are being made to infiltrate to this side. Forces on the border are
vigilant and alert. If some sneak inside, they are neutralised," he said.
Asked
about a link between Khalistani and Kashmiri terrorists, Singh that, “Their
mother is one, that is Pakistan.”
"Whether
it is terrorism in the name of Khalistan or Kashmir, the mother is one. It is
she who is running it. We and Punjab Police work together whenever such
instances come to the fore," he added.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Five
years on, TS Islamic Cultural Centre remains a distant dream
13th
December 2022
Hyderabad:
In 2017, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced the establishment of an
Islamic Cultural Center in Kokapet. Rs. 40 crores were allocated for the
construction in the budget of 2020-21. However, seems as a distant dream as
yet. The announcements made by the government about the development and welfare
of Muslims in the state have proved to be just ear-pleasing as the government
did not implement any of its plans, nor have the Muslims been asked to do so.
Despite
the approval of the budget, the foundation stone of the Islamic Cultural Center
is yet to be laid. On the other hand, after completing the construction of
Shivlal Banjara Bhawan and Adivasi Bhawan, were inaugurated and both the
Bhawans were built on very valuable land in Banjara Hills with a cost of crores
of rupees.
On
Monday, the foundation stone ceremony was also held for the construction of the
Christian Bhavan in Uppal by the government, however, there are no signs of
progress on the proposed Islamic Cultural Centre. Christian community which is
a part of the Minority Welfare Department has been allotted 12 acres of land
worth 70 crores in Uppal and the foundation stone for Christian Bhavan has been
laid.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/five-years-on-ts-islamic-cultural-center-remains-a-distant-dream-2478848/
--------
Pakistan
Can’t
sit for talks with ‘egoistic’ Imran: PM
Syed
Irfan Raza
December
13, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ruled out the possibility of sitting
with PTI Chairman Imran Khan for political dialogue, asserting that
negotiations could not be initiated with a “self-centered, liar, cheater,
anti-benefactor, and anti-army” person.
The
prime minister, flanked by his economic wizard Ishaq Dar at a presser,
categorically rejected PTI’s demand for snap polls and said let the people
decide in the next general elections to be held next year who was right and who
was wrong.
Finance
Minister Dar, meanwhile, hinted that cash-strapped Pakistan would soon get
additional deposit by brotherly country Saudi Arabia that would help stabilise
the economy.
PM
Shehbaz said he had asked Mr Dar to meet President Dr Arif Alvi on the latter’s
desire to hold dialogue, as ‘it takes two to tango’.
“We
can forget all our differences for the sake of bright future of the country,
but what talks we can initiate with a person who is egoistic, liar, cheater
anti-army and anti-benefactor. He [Imran] can hurt the nation for his own
benefit. Now people will decide in the next elections, which will be held at
their scheduled time,” the prime minister said.
“We
have not put our political asset at stake, just for snap polls. Stabilising the
economy is our top priority,” the PM noted.
Interestingly,
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry earlier told Dawn that Mr Khan would never sit with
the rulers for dialogue, though he could send his team for the purpose.
PM
Shehbaz said the previous PTI government “ridiculed” his idea of a Charter of
Economy and misconstrued it as a desire to seek a concessional national
reconciliation ordinance-type agreement.
In
response to a question, the prime minister said the PTI chief also showed a
lack of gratitude to his “benefactor” ex-army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.
He
also said the new army chief was a “professional soldier, with a shining
career” and expressed the hope Gen Syed Asim Munir would strengthen the
institution and serve the country.Nawaz due ‘very soon’.
Responding
to another query, the PM said his elder brother and party supremo, who had
“millions of followers in Pakistan”, would return “very soon”.
About
oil prices, he said the government discussed the matter fortnightly and made
its level best not to further burden the people. “It would surely pass on the
relief as it found some cushion,” he added.
‘Fake
news of bankruptcy’
At
the press conference, the finance minister claimed that Pakistan would soon get
additional financial support from Saudi Arabia in shape of deposits. He assured
the media that the country would never default economically and accused the PTI
of intentionally selling this rhetoric to defame the government and the
country.
“The
fake news is being spread about the bankruptcy of the country by Imran Niazi,
who caused the country’s economy to sink by laying mines,” he added.
The
PTI government destroyed the economy during its tenure, as Mr Khan did not
honour commitments he made to the international financial institutions, Mr Dar
elaborated.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1726081/cant-sit-for-talks-with-egoistic-imran-pm
--------
Terror
alert for ‘soft targets’ in Swabi, Nowshera issued
December
13, 2022
SWABI:
The police have issued an alert about the plans of the banned terrorist outfit
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to attack ‘soft targets’ in Swabi and Nowshera
district and ordered measures to protect the people’s lives.
A
police letter issued by the provisional and regional police on Sunday and
available with Dawn reads, “Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has detailed a terrorist
tashkeel [group] to Swabi and Nowshera from Marawara Markaz in Kumar province
of Afghanistan. The tashkeel is likely to arrive in the area soon.”
It
adds that according to intelligence agencies, the “tashkeel” would merge with
the one led by terrorist Izhar Shiraz and already present in Swabi.
“They
(TTP) have planned to go for soft targets like polio team, traffic police
wardens and security personnel,” it read.
The
letter also said the district police should take necessary precautionary
measures against terrorist plans and arrest terrorists before sending the
progress report to the provisional police chief officer by Thursday.
The
local police claimed that they had undertaken numerous measures to foil
terrorist plans.
They
said district police officer Najamul Hussnain visited “strategic installations”
and other key areas, checked security measures and directed officials to
enhance security checks and remain alert.
PROTEST:
Scores of people, including jirga members and leaders of political parties, on
Monday demonstrated here against the police’s failure to arrest the robbers of
the house of District Bar Association general secretary Safdar Zeb.
They
said DSP of Razaar tehsil Ayaz Mehmood had promised the arrest of robbers by
Monday, but that hadn’t happened.
DSP
Ayaz told Dawn that the police had told jirga members to form a committee so
that progress on the matter could be shared with it from time to time.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1726027/terror-alert-for-soft-targets-in-swabi-nowshera-issued
--------
Afghan
govt apologised for shelling at Chaman border: Khawaja Asif
December
12, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that the interim government in
Kabul has apologised to Pakistan for firing by Afghan Border Forces on the
civilian population in Balochistan’s Chaman district a day earlier, clarifying
that the “matter is now resolved”.
At
least seven people lost their lives and 16 others suffered injuries on Sunday
in Chaman when it came under “unprovoked and indiscriminate” heavy gunfire and
artillery shelling by Afghan border forces, according to the military’s media
affairs wing.
The
incident has been widely condemned across the political divide in Pakistan.
Addressing
the matter in a National Assembly session today, Asif said that the
“provocation at Chaman was from the Afghan side”.
“There
was a portion of the fence damaged […] our people were repairing it […] they
slammed the fence with a jeep […] they took the stand that the reparation work
should have been referred in the border security committee.
“When
the matter escalated, they opened fire. In the first round of fire, no
casualties occurred. But later when they used heavy ammunition […] because of
that five of our civilians were martyred and two passed away on the way to
Quetta,” he detailed.
In
response, Asif said, Pakistan fired on the Afghan post which resulted in
casualties of eight to nine Afghan soldiers.
“After
that, the border security committee met again and it was agreed that
Afghanistan was at fault […] we believe that there was no motive behind this
[…] there is no evidence of any planning behind the attack.”
The
minister revealed that the Afghan authorities had admitted their mistake and
promised that such incidents won’t happen in the future.
But
speaker sahab, one thing is clear that the internal situation of Afghanistan is
being reflected in its relations with Pakistan,” Asif stressed.
He
added that Pakistan was a well-wisher of Afghanistan and wanted the situation
there to improve, promising that “we will fully cooperate for Afghan peace”.
PM
Shehbaz asks Afghan authorities to ensure such incidents are not repeated
Earlier
today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the firing in the
Chaman district and called on the Afghan government to ensure that such
incidents were not repeated in the future.
In
a tweet on Monday, the premier said the “unprovoked shelling and fire by Afghan
Border Forces at Chaman, resulting in [the] martyrdom of several Pakistani
citizens and injuring more than a dozen, is unfortunate and deserves the
strongest condemnation”.
“The
Afghan Interim government should ensure that such incidents are not repeated,”
he added.
In
a press conference later, the prime minister reiterated his condemnation of the
incident and said he was summoning a meeting to review the situation.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Pak-Afghan
unity critical for regional peace, stability and development: Amb Shamshad A
Khan
December
12, 2022
LAHORE:
Pakistan’s former Foreign Secretary Ambassador Shamshad Ahmad Khan has said
that Pak-Afghan unity is critical to ensuring peace, stability, and development
in the region and beyond.
He
made these remarks in his speech delivered here at the Afghan Debating
Competition organized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) at the
University of Lahore (UoL). The Competition was part of a series of initiatives
HEC and UoL have planned to launch, with a view to not only bridging
differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan but also letting Afghan students
express themselves.
Bringing
his vast experience of diplomacy and engagements with Afghanistan into play,
the former ambassador said foreign powers have used both Afghanistan and
Pakistan for their own vested interests, a reality which is too conspicuous to
ignore. He added that the time is right for the youth to take charge and shape
the collective future of both countries, arguing that one country cannot become
prosperous at the expense of the other.
The
Competition, which was in the works for a month, saw 68 Afghan recipients of
the Allama Iqbal Scholarships submit their applications. Six Afghan students
from Islamia College, Peshawar; Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar;
International Islamic University; The University of the Punjab; Quaid-i-Azam
University; and University of Lahore delivered speeches on Allama Iqbal’s
philosophy, the importance of education to Pak-Afghan bilateral relations, and
the prospect of healthier Pak-Afghan relations.
The
judges, after careful deliberations, adjudged Muhammad Ibrahim from the
Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar as the best debater winning Rs.70,000.
Bilal Ahmed Salarzai from Quaid-i-Azam University bagged the second position
winning Rs. 50,000 and Naqibullah Mashwani from University of Lahore secured
the 3rd position winning Rs.35,000.
Mr.
Jehanzeb Khan, Project Director, Human Resource Development Division, HEC
apprised the audience about the origin of the Allama Iqbal Scholarships which
has reached out to a large cross-section of Afghan students bringing them to
Pakistan.
The
number currently stands at 6000 Afghan students studying in Pakistan in various
disciplines including medical, engineering, sciences, and social sciences. Mr.
Jehanzeb Khan stated that this was the first-ever Allama Iqbal Afghan Youth
Debating Competition that was organized in a series of events planned for the
Afghan students across Pakistan.
In
her remarks, Ms. Ayesha Ikram, DG Scholarships, Human Resource Development
Division, HEC praised the zest and energy with which all finalists presented
their speeches. She encouraged Afghan students studying in various universities
in Pakistan to develop synergies and foster positive bonds with their Pakistani
fellows to enhance each other’s cultural experiences.
She
further reiterated HEC’s support in solidifying the objectives of the Allama
Iqbal Scholarships to bring together the younger generation of the two nations.
In his closing remarks, Chairman, Board of Governors, University of Lahore, Mr.
Awais Raoof, said Pakistan and Afghanistan are two parts of the same body.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Firing
at Pak-Afghan border: Secretary Health inquires about injured well-being
December
12, 2022
QUETTA:
Balochistan Secretary Health Saleh Muhammad Nasir on Monday visited Trauma
Center of Civil Hospital, here, and inquired after the health of those who got
injured in an unprovoked firing and shelling at Pak-Afghan border near Chaman
area of Balochistan.
He
also directed to provide the best medical facilities to injured patients and
expressed his best wishes and their full recovery.
Secretary
Saleh Mohammad Nasir expressed his anger over the poor sanitation situation
during his visit and sought the response of the in-charge trauma center on the
deteriorating sanitation situation.
He
also issued orders to improve and ensure the cleaning system of Civil Hospital
Quetta in charge of the trauma center saying sanitation was important for the
health of patients.
“It
is necessary to continue the cleaning system 24 hours a day in the largest
trauma center civil hospital of the province, negligence in duties cannot be
tolerated,” he warned.
He
said that all possible resources would be used to provide quality treatment
facilities to the people, saying that the provincial government was paying
special attention on government-run hospitals in order to provide health
facilities to people in hospitals.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Religion
Is a Part of Malay-Muslim Community’s Political Philosophy; Secularism has No
Place, Says Bersatu MP
December
13, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: When it comes to politics in the Malay-Muslim community, one cannot
separate religion from it, says a Bersatu leader.
Bersatu
Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said this is because religion is
part and parcel of the Malay-Muslim community’s political philosophy.
“In
the Quran and Prophetic sayings, there are many references to that. So one
cannot be secular in our approach when campaigning,” he said in an interview
with BFM.
He
was asked if Perikatan Nasional (PN) would be reducing its racial and religious
rhetoric when campaigning for the coming state elections.
Asked
why Bersatu has remained silent on previous racially inflammatory remarks made
by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Wan Fayhsal said Hadi’s comments had been
addressed internally.
“We
did discuss this in our meetings. We corrected them (PAS).
“Bersatu
being one of the components of PN, we tried our best to moderate things so that
at least the people know that we are for building a multiracial nation,” he
said.
In
August, Hadi drew brickbats for stating that non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras
were at the root of corruption. He also wrote a Facebook posting that put the
focus on non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras as being the majority involved in
corruption.
Following
that, PAS central committee member Zuhdi Marzuki defended Hadi’s statement by
citing a survey by an unnamed local university which found that 88% of 449
people who were convicted of giving bribes between 2010 and 2014 were
non-Malays.
Zuhdi
said that of the total percentage, 57.46% were Chinese, 30.51% were Indians and
12.03% were Malays.
Wan
Fayhsal noted that although Hadi’s remark was based on an academic study, he
did not personally agree with the generalisation, adding that the study’s
sampling may have been problematic.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Check
covert conversions, says rights group
December
10, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The Global Human Rights Foundation (GHRF) has urged the government to
create an independent body to oversee conversions to Islam, especially those
carried out covertly.
In
conjunction with Human Rights Day, its president S Shashi Kumar said strict
laws and guidelines had to be drafted and enforced to avoid conversions from
being done covertly.
“Prime
Minister Anwar Ibrahim must also look into taking stern action against those
performing unilateral conversions of underage children, which is morally and
religiously incorrect.
“GHRF
hopes the unity government will combat issues pertaining to racism, fanaticism,
extremism, discrimination, double standard law enforcement, supremacist
policies and religious persecutions,” he said in a statement.
Shashi
also urged the government to table a Racial and Religious Hatred Bill in
Parliament as this would allow those making any statement deemed as hate speech
to be prosecuted.
In
August, the High Court granted single mother Loh Siew Hong leave to commence a
judicial review application, as she seeks a declaration that her former husband
was legally unfit to convert their children to Islam.
Loh
is also seeking a declaration that a provision in the Perlis state enactment
that allows a parent to unilaterally convert minor children is
unconstitutional.
She
also wants a declaration that her twin daughters and her son are of Hindu faith
and are legally incapable of embracing Islam without her consent.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Sheikh
Mohammed approves Phase II of Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan
12
December ,2022
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE
and Ruler of Dubai, has on Monday approved the second phase of the Dubai 2040
Urban Master Plan.
Phase
II of the plan consists of several projects under 10 key initiatives, including
Enhancing Urban Centers, Dubai Real Estate Strategy, Urban Farming Plan,
Preserving Urban Heritage Plan, Developing the 20-Minute City Policy, and the
Pedestrian Network Master Plan, according to a press release by Dubai Media
Office.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Dubai Ruler also reviewed the progress of 17 projects and initiatives that were
part of the initial phase of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid said: “Today, we have a clear vision for the development of
Dubai’s urban infrastructure and housing sector until 2040. Our goal is for
Dubai to be an eco- and pedestrian-friendly city, and a city with a high yield
from urban agriculture.”
Phase
II of Dubai 2040
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was briefed by Mattar Al Tayer, Commissioner
General for Infrastructure, Urban Planning and Well-Being Pillar, and Chair of
the Supreme Committee of Urban Planning in Dubai, on the key projects of Phase
II of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. The new phase includes an integrated
plan for developing five main urban centers (three existing and two new
centers) in Dubai.
The
plan also prescribes a comprehensive strategy for Dubai’s real estate sector up
to 2040 to align it with the requirements of the Master Plan and strike a
balance between supply and demand. It calls for proactive initiatives to manage
opportunities and changes in the real estate market, achieve sustainable urban
development, and boost investor confidence.
The
second phase of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan includes a framework for
high-yield agriculture and farming by identifying suitable locations and
developing the infrastructure and facilities required to ensure food security.
Phase
II also outlines plans for preserving urban heritage to enhance the emirate’s
identity, promote historical areas, landmarks and buildings, and improve the
tourism experience at archaeological sites.
The
master plan also calls for developing a 20-minute city where residents can
reach their destinations within a 20-minute timeframe on foot or by bicycle.
The project involves developing integrated service centers with all the
necessary facilities and increasing the population density around mass transit
stations, allowing residents access to 80 percent of their daily needs and
destinations within 20 minutes.
Additionally,
a plan will be developed to enhance and utilize urban spaces, such as
alleyways, spaces underneath bridges, and squares, by augmenting the elements
of well-being to make them attractive and relaxing for residents and visitors.
The initiative contributes to enriching the beauty of urban areas, developing
green corridors, reducing the carbon footprint, and enhancing the landscaping
strategy. A comprehensive plan for pedestrians and soft mobility across Dubai
will focus on connected pathways in high-density areas.
Phase
II of the master plan involves developing an avenue for all residential neighbourhoods.
It entails defining an area within the residential neighbourhoods and
developing it under the principle of integrated street network where facilities
and services are focused on catering to the residents’ needs. This initiative
enhances well-being, supports soft mobility, and reduces travel time within
Dubai.
Achievements
and accomplishments
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was also briefed by Al Tayer about the 17
projects that have been completed or are nearing completion. With the support and
follow-up of Dubai’s leadership, the Supreme Committee of Urban Planning in
Dubai completed six projects, including Dubai’s National Housing Policy. As
part of the policy, a historic housing budget of $ 17.7 billion (Dh.65 billion)
was allocated for housing citizens in Dubai, doubling the number of
beneficiaries of Dubai’s housing programme. The area of the land plots
allocated for housing nationals in Dubai also doubled, reaching 1.7 million sq.
feet.
Among
the completed projects was the launch of the Hatta Development Master Plan to
enhance well-being. The plan aims to offer investment opportunities to local
residents, support local tourism, attract investments, strengthen partnerships
with the private sector, preserve heritage and nature, and promote tourism in
Hatta.
The
completed initiatives also included drafting the Urban Planning Law and
developing an integrated planning database to support sustainable development
in line with the emirate’s plans. The initiatives also included the Dubai
Countryside and Rural Areas Development Master Plan, which intends to preserve
the nature of those areas and serve the needs of residents and visitors. The
plan aims to enhance the well-being of residents and visitors besides providing
a unique tourist experience and developing Dubai’s countryside as one of its
main tourist attractions.
The
Supreme Committee of Urban Planning aims to conclude another five projects by
the end of this year, including a project to increase the size of Dubai’s
public beaches and develop a draft of the Dubai Wellbeing Strategy.
The
projects that will be completed next year include preparing a plan for
integrating land uses and transport policies, landscaping policy, directing
development in coastal areas and increasing the length of beaches, doubling the
public parks and recreational areas, developing a sustainable mobility plan,
and environment and sustainability plan.
The
Best City for Living
The
Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
in March 2021, aims to make Dubai the world’s best city for living.
Accordingly,
the city’s urban infrastructure is set to be further modernized, with the
development focused on five major urban centres. The existing urban centres
include Deira and Bur Dubai, historical areas that include museums, traditional
and popular markets, and historical residential areas that highlight the
emirate’s tradition and heritage. The economic and trade centre of the city
comprises the Dubai International Financial Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Business
Bay, and Downtown, and serves various business and financial activities. The
tourism and entertainment hub includes Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lakes Towers
and serves various economic and tourism activities.
The
two new centers include Expo 2020 Centre, an economic and growth hotspot
featuring affordable housing and a focal point for the exhibitions, tourism,
and logistics sectors; and Dubai Silicon Oasis Centre, a science and technology
and knowledge hub that drives innovation, digital economy development, and
talent generation.
The
new Master Plan defines an integrated approach to the development of the urban
centres by providing equitable access to facilities, services, and
opportunities across the city for all residents. The plan identifies six
urbanization levels that follow a graded structure of urban centers of mixed
uses and densities that perform specific residential and functional roles for
the community within the scope of their services.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Morocco’s
World Cup achievement lauded by Saudi crown prince
December
12, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sent his best wishes to the
Moroccan team after they became the first African nation to make it to the last
four of a World Cup.
The
Arab team will play France on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup Final in
Qatar against either Argentina or Croatia.
Morocco
booked their place in the showdown following their historic 1-0 victory over
Portugal on Saturday.
And
during a telephone call with King Mohammed VI on Monday, the crown prince said
the team’s achievement was guaranteed to make every Arab happy.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2215121/saudi-arabia
--------
Türkiye
'neutralizes' 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
Merve
Aydogan
12.12.2022
Turkish
forces “neutralized” three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, the National
Defense Ministry said on Monday.
The
terrorists were plotting an attack on the Operation Peace Spring zone, the
ministry said in a statement.
Turkish
authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question
surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Saudi
crown prince, BIE head review Kingdom’s bid to host Expo 2030
December
12, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received the Secretary-General
of the Bureau International des Expositions Dimitri Kerkentzes in Riyadh on
Monday.
During
the meeting, Prince Mohammed and Kerkentzes discussed the Kingdom’s bid to host
World Expo 2030 in Riyadh.
Saudi
Arabia’s proposed theme for the expo should the Kingdom’s bid prove successful
is “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2215021/saudi-arabia
--------
Dubai
property tycoon’s bet on fast food cements billionaire status
12
December ,2022
Mohamed
Alabbar is best known as the founder of a Dubai real estate firm that built the
world’s tallest skyscraper, but it’s an investment in fast food that propelled
him into the leagues of the region’s richest businessmen.
Americana
Restaurants, the Middle East operator of KFC and Pizza Hut, is now worth $6.24
billion — well above the $3.5 billion it was valued at when it was taken
private in 2017 — after pulling off the region’s first dual listing. Investors
flocked to the IPO with $105 billion of orders, and the stock surged 13 percent
in Abu Dhabi on Monday before closing 7.6 percent higher.
Alabbar
is set to net $900 million from Americana’s IPO and his remaining stake is now
valued at $1.98 billion, based on the offer price. That makes the tycoon one of
the UAE’s richest private residents with a fortune of $1.3 billion, according
to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, after accounting for prior transactions
including his initial purchase of Americana. There’s a chance Alabbar was a
billionaire before but through assets that are opaque and hard to value.
“It’s
not about the money for me. I’m just doing it for fun,” Alabbar told Bloomberg
in an interview, declining to comment on his net worth. “I don’t even like to
wear an expensive watch.”
The
billionaire hasn’t decided what he’s going to do with his windfall just yet.
“I’m speaking with a bunch of people, but I’m not going to go far away from my
traditional businesses,” he said. “I’ll do businesses that I know.”
Alabbar’s
fortunes are closely intertwined with Dubai — the city where he was born and
helped transform into a major commercial center. His entry into the 10-figure
club comes as the economy booms again, drawing in everyone from bankers and
hedge funds to crypto enthusiasts.
Dubai
has become a haven for those escaping the conflict in Ukraine or Covid
lockdowns elsewhere. To capitalize on this influx, authorities introduced a
raft of measures aimed at making the city more attractive for its traditionally
transient expatriate workforce.
The
improving outlook has pushed real estate prices to record highs and boosted the
tourism industry, with millions of visitors flocking to the emirate’s beaches
and cavernous malls. New developments are selling out quickly and revenue at developers,
including Emaar Properties PJSC has soared.
Crucially
for Alabbar, the Middle East has also emerged as a hub for initial public
offerings, buoyed by rising oil prices and investor inflows at the start of the
year. More than $20 billion has been raised so far from share sales, putting
the region on course for its second-best year on record — eclipsed only by
2019, which saw Aramco’s $29.4 billion IPO, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Americana
joined this rush, with Alabbar and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund
selling a 30 percent stake. The business has rebounded from the pandemic,
generating $2 billion in revenue for the year ended Dec. 2021 — up 8.5 percent
from 2019 — and a profit margin of 9.9 percent.
In
its IPO prospectus, the firm outlined a strategy to double its revenue and grow
profitability in the medium term, pointing to rising disposable incomes in its
markets and a growing addressable population — over 270 million, 78 percent
under the age of 45.
Diversification
A
fan of cigars and endurance horse racing, Alabbar, 66, started his empire with
real estate in 1997. He founded Emaar, a firm that arguably kick-started
Dubai’s property revolution and whose imprint on the city is visible almost
everywhere.
Alongside
the world’s tallest tower — the 830-meter high Burj Khalifa, where apartments
sell for up to $4 million — Emaar developed vast swathes of residential areas
and constructed towers emblazoned with the company’s name. Betting that
residents would flock to malls in Dubai’s sweltering summer months, Alabbar
also built the world’s biggest mall — complete with a giant aquarium.
Alabbar’s
current holding in Emaar Properties is worth about $4.6 million, according to
Bloomberg calculations. The Dubai government continues to own a large chunk of
the developer, but it’s unclear how much.
Along
the way Alabbar diversified away from real estate, which he once called a “dumb
business. In addition to Americana, he set up Noon.com — the region’s answer to
Amazon.com Inc. — alongside Saudi Arabia’s PIF.
Noon
is currently loss-making, but the billionaire sees room for growth. “The
numbers are looking good, he said. “Provided the world is stable enough perhaps
in two years myself and my other shareholders probably could think about an
IPO.”
Alabbar
owns 50 percent of Noon and the other half is owned by the Saudi wealth fund.
The two have a long-standing partnership, though they aren’t planning any new
deals at this stage. “I think with the way the relationship is going we can do
more together,” he said.
Sleepy
port town
Alabbar’s
rise to prominence has been a long time in the making. When he was born in
1950s, Dubai was a world away from the skyscraper-studded business hub it is
today. A sleepy port town, where many houses lacked running water, its airport
— today the world’s busiest for international travel — was yet to be built.
The
son of a dhow captain, Alabbar went to college in Seattle, becoming the first
from his family to get a university education. He later worked in Singapore, a
city widely considered a model for modern Dubai and took on several government
roles on his return to the emirate, playing a key role in transforming it into
a global hub.
Among
initiatives to attract tourists and boost the emirate’s reputation, he set up a
shopping festival, a golf tournament and the Dubai World Trade center that
served as a magnet for international conferences. In doing so, he became one of
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s most trusted technocrats.
“In
Singapore, everyday there was something on city development (in the
newspaper),” he said. Back in Dubai, he raised $300 million to start a
development company and when word spread, Sheikh Mohammed called him from a
camel race to say the government would invest in the new firm, Emaar.
Biggest
mistake
It
hasn’t all been smooth sailing, though.
A
decade after Emaar was set up, Dubai and Alabbar faced their biggest challenge
when the global financial crisis caught up with the emirate and nearly brought
down its real estate market, forcing a bailout from neighboring emirate Abu
Dhabi.
“We
were reasonable on debt and we managed our cash flow very well,” Alabbar said.
“So when the crisis hit 2008 — even though sales were a disaster, profitability
was a disaster, we didn’t involve the government at all.”
For
a while, it seemed like Alabbar’s fortunes had turned. He was removed from the
board of the Investment Corporation of Dubai, the emirate’s main holding
company, in 2009, just weeks before Burj Khalifa was inaugurated, and replaced
by a new crop of officials.
Meanwhile,
Alabbar lost $100 million in a venture into African mining, though he enjoyed
traveling across the continent, calling it enriching. “It was going ok without
much trouble, but then Ebola hit,” he said. “It destroyed everything.”
And
a venture into US property in 2005 — which he calls his biggest mistake — also
ended in disaster. “I was emotional about buying in the US and soon after the
crisis hit us, he told Bloomberg.”
But
as Dubai started to recover, so did Alabbar’s empire. Emaar listed two
subsidiaries on the local stock market and in 2016, Alabbar announced one of
his most ambitious projects: a tower even taller than the Burj Khalifa.
As
often happens with Dubai’s boom-and-bust cycles, lower oil prices meant that
Dubai’s star waned again. Trading on the local stock market was lackluster and
real estate prices edged lower. Then Covid came and hit Dubai as a trade and
tourism hub especially hard.
Emaar’s
mall operator was delisted and the plans to build the world’s tallest tower
were put on ice. Spending $2.5 billion on a new tower, as a public company at a
time of so much political uncertainty in the world is questionable, Alabbar
said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Africa
3
gunmen killed in attack on office of Nigeria’s electoral body
Ibrahim
Garba Shuaibu
13.12.2022
KANO,
Nigeria
Gunmen
launched an attack Monday on the office of Nigeria’s Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) and three of the attackers were killed, according
to police.
Speaking
by phone to Anadolu Agency, Imo state police spokesman Michael Abbatam confirmed
the incident in the capital Owerri.
“Gunmen
launched an attack on the INEC office in Owerri, Imo state, but the joint
security team was able to repel them and killed three of the attackers,” said
Abbatam.
He
declined to provide the identities of the gunmen, but sources in the state said
under anonymity that the attackers were believed to be members of a separatist
group.
Police
said the electoral commission’s office was damaged during the attack by a
firebomb and two firebombs were recovered from the scene.
No
arrests were made, according to Abbatam.
A
number of weapons were recovered including AK-47 rifles and pump-action guns as
well as eight vehicles.
Abbatam
confirmed that many of the gunmen escaped with bullet wounds, but they managed
to torch one police vehicle.
Last
week, an INEC office in the Orlu local government area of the state was
attacked by gunmen.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Violence,
insecurity overshadow Nigeria's hotly contested polls
Ekip
11.12.2022
ABUJA,
Nigeria
Nigeria's
quest to conduct credible and peaceful elections next year is overshadowed by
violence and threats of insecurity partly caused by a combination of
desperation by politicians and existing security challenges in most parts of
the country.
Attacks
during political rallies have increased in recent times. Mid-November, the
convoy of the opposition's People's Democratic Party (PDP) presidential
candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was attacked by suspected hoodlums in Maiduguri, a
northeast city believed to be a stronghold of the ruling party, All Progressive
Congress (APC) shortly after his campaign rally.
A
similar situation occurred the same week as some hoodlums also petted Ahmed
Tinubu, APC presidential candidate, at the launch of his campaigns in Kano, the
northwest city.
Nigerians
are worried if they will be able to vote due to security concerns, especially
with existing terrorist threats, banditry, violence from separatists'
agitations and other security challenges.
"My
family members and I will stay off from the polling centers if this violence
persists. It is frightening now," 70 years old Abdul-Gafar Olagoke told
Anadolu Agency from his southwest Osogbo town.
Incessant
clashes among supporters of the leading political parties have ascerbated
tension in the area, Olagoke said.
Rejoice
Onuoha, an undergraduate 20, is unhappy her first opportunity to vote in her
life may be truncated by security threats. She said she could not vote in 2019
because she did not meet the 18 years voting age prescribed by the country's
electoral law.
"I
was looking forward to exercising my voting right next year for the first time
in my life, but I'm scared at the spate of violence, killings, especially in my
state Anambra," she told Anadolu Agency.
More
violent attacks and killings were reported in southeast Anambra State last
week. Likewise, the office of the national electoral commission in Imo State,
same region, was vandalized. Police blamed the separatist agitation group,
Indigenous People of Bifra (IPOB), for the attacks though the group is yet to
claim responsibility.
-
Authority React
Authority
said it is concerned about the increasing violence, asking politicians to
caution their supporters and abide by the rule.
National
Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, said 52 political violence were recorded in
22 states between early October and November.
"This
development is bad and must stop. The president has ordered that it must
stop," Monguno said in the capital, Abuja.
He
said President Muhammadu Buhari has given a directive to all security agencies
to ensure the 2023 election is held in an "atmosphere devoid of
rancour."
-
Violence distracting the election process
At
least seven offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
with election equipment and materials in five states have either been burnt or
vandalized by hoodlums since October.
Festus
Okoye, a spokesman for the commission, said the violence could affect the next
poll if it persists.
"The
commission will replace the destroyed facilities before the election, but it
may be difficult to replace them if attacks occur close to the election next
year," he explained.
Though
he said the electoral body was in "close talks" with security
agencies to secure election facilities, the civil society group believes these
attacks are a target by politicians to distract the election process.
Head
Partners for Electoral Reform in Nigeria, Ezenwa Nwagwu, blamed politicians for
using violence rather than engaging with the electorates and civil societies on
their manifesto.
"We
need civic organizations and groups to set the agenda by inviting politicians
to their platforms for meaningful exchanges that can be tracked
afterward," he told Anadolu Agency in Abuja.
Nigerians
say next year's election is critical to them. They express a strong desire to
elect a new set of leaders in 30 of the 36 states of the federation and
president to tackle increasing security problems, inflation, high cost of
living and poverty.
A
survey released recently by the national bureau of statistics (NBS) indicated
130 million Nigerians of the over 200 million population are
"multi-dimensionally poor," a sharp rise from 83 million people
living below the poverty line three years ago (2019).
Patrick
Utomi, a professor of political economy and management, insists a new leader
should have the capacity to dissect and provide short and long-term to the
country's currency.
"Nigerians
must elect a leader who has the capacity to analyze our current predicament but
first, must address security because the economy cannot grow in an unsecured
environment," he declared.
A
security expert and ex-army spokesman, Sani Usman, said patriotic Nigerians are
worried about the escalation of political violence because of the implications
on national security.
The
retired army general advocated for the strengthening of intelligence by the
security agencies to improve the protection of election facilities and the
people.
Meanwhile,
some Nigerians think there is nothing unusual about the increasing violence
ahead of next year's poll. One such is Umaru Pate, a leading professor of media
and society in the country and University Vice-Chancellor.
Pate
recalled in an interview with Anadolu Agency that a similar situation occurred
in some parts of the country in 2015 and 2019.
"Some
parts of the northeast were under Boko Haram terrorists in 2015, yet people
were brought out of these areas to vote. I believe things will get
better," he maintained but asked politicians to engage more with the
people.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Libyan
accused of Lockerbie bombing charged in US court
December
13, 2022
WASHINGTON:
An alleged former Libyan intelligence agent accused of making the bomb that
blew up a Pan Am jet over Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people, appeared in a
US court Monday to face charges for the deadliest-ever terror attack in
Britain.
Abu
Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, who allegedly worked as an intelligence
operative for the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi between 1973 and
2011, faces three counts related to the Lockerbie bombing.
Federal
prosecutors said they did not intend to seek the death penalty but Masud could
face life in prison if convicted of “destruction of an aircraft resulting in
death” and two other related charges.
The
judge presiding over the hearing in a US District Court in Washington read the
71-year-old Masud the charges and his rights before ordering him held without
bond until a detention hearing on December 27.
The
balding and white-bearded Masud was provided with an Arabic interpreter for the
hearing, his first court appearance since being brought to the United States.
Scottish
prosecutors announced Sunday that the Tunisian-born Masud was in American
hands, but officials have not provided any details on how he had been
transferred to US custody.
“Yesterday,
the United States lawfully took custody of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir
Al-Marimi and brought him to the United States,” Homeland Security adviser Liz
Sherwood-Randall said in a statement.
“This
action underscores the Biden Administration’s unwavering commitment to
enforcing the rule of law and holding accountable those who inflict harm on
Americans in acts of terrorism,” she added.
US
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Masud’s arrest was “an important step
forward in our mission to honor the victims and pursue justice on behalf of
their loved ones.
“American
and Scottish law enforcement have worked tirelessly to identify, find, and
bring to justice the perpetrators of this horrific attack,” Garland said.
Only
one person has been convicted for the December 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am
Flight 103.
The
New York-bound aircraft was blown up 38 minutes after it took off from London,
sending the main fuselage plunging to the ground in the town of Lockerbie and
spreading debris over a vast area.
The
bombing killed all 259 people on the jumbo jet, including 190 Americans, and 11
people on the ground.
Two
alleged Libyan intelligence operatives — Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet Al-Megrahi and
Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah — were charged with the bombing and tried by a Scottish
court in the Netherlands.
Megrahi
spent seven years in a Scottish prison after his conviction in 2001 while
Fhimah was acquitted.
Megrahi
died in Libya in 2012, always maintaining his innocence.
His
family lodged a bid for a posthumous appeal to clear his name in 2017, but
Scotland’s High Court upheld his conviction in 2021.
Masud’s
fate has been tied up in the warring factionalism of Libyan politics that
followed Qaddafi’s ouster and death in 2011.
Masud
was reportedly imprisoned in Libya for his alleged involvement in attacks on
Libyan opposition figures in 2011.
According
to a September 2015 article in The New Yorker, Masud was sentenced that year to
10 years in prison in Libya after being accused of using remote-detonated bombs
against Libyan opposition members in 2011.
The
Lockerbie probe was relaunched in 2016 when Washington learned of Masud’s
arrest and his reported confession of involvement to the new Libyan regime in
2012.
According
to an affidavit from an FBI agent involved in the probe, Masud worked as a
“technical expert” for Libya’s External Security Organization, building
explosive devices and earning the rank of colonel.
Masud
confessed in a 2012 interview with a Libyan law enforcement officer to
assembling the bomb that brought down Flight 103, the affidavit said.
“Masud
confirmed that the bombing operation of Pan Am Flight 103 was ordered by Libyan
intelligence leadership,” it said.
“Masud
confirmed that after the operation, Qaddafi thanked him and other members of
the team for their successful attack on the United States.”
According
to the FBI agent’s affidavit, Masud also admitted to committing the April 1986
bombing of the LaBelle Discotheque in Berlin which killed two US service
members and a Turkish woman.
In
a statement US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked those who helped bring
Masud into US custody “following an intensive diplomatic effort.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2215231/world
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North America
Imam
Allegedly Assaulted During Prayers at Scarborough Mosque: Islamic Foundation Of
Toronto
By
Dilshad Burman
Dec
12, 2022
The
Islamic Foundation of Toronto (IFT) says a man assaulted their Imam during
morning prayers on Monday.
Imam
Yusuf Badat told CityNews 680 that the incident happened during Fajr prayers
offered before sunrise.
He
said a man walked to the front of the congregation and began yelling in a
language he did not recognize and then grabbed his beard. Two congregants
restrained the man and held him until police arrived.
Badat
said the man has been arrested and police have banned him from returning to the
mosque.
In
a statement, IFT president Syed Akbar Warsi said the community is “deeply
troubled” by the incident and that it is understandable that many are
concerned.
“We
must stress, however, that we simply do not have enough information to assess
what led to this incident: while we encourage Toronto Police Service to keep
all avenues of investigation open, including potential hate motivation, we
encourage our community not to speculate about potential motivation until the investigation
has been concluded.”
He
said no further comments will be made at this time.
Toronto
police confirm they received an “assault in progress” call at 7 a.m. in 42
Division.
“Our
investigation is underway & we are in close contact with community leadership.
Toronto Police investigates all potential hate crimes fully,” they said on
Twitter.
MPP
Michael Ford expressed his concern in a tweet, saying “everyone has the right
to feel safe in their places of worship.”
Additional
security measures have been put into place at the mosque for the safety of the
congregation.
In
thoughts shared in the aftermath of the incident later in the day, Badat
stressed the need for security and self-defense.
“We
can no longer simply rely on authorities to keep us safe,” he said in a written
statement. “We must have our own training, security and safety apparatus in
place.”
Earlier
in that day, Badat said that he will not pursue any charges if police find the
man to have mental health issues.
In
his statement he emphasized that mental health is a serious issue and that
those who need supports should have access to them.
Source:
Toronto City News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/12/12/imam-alleged-assault-scarborough-mosque/
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US
says Iran executions show leadership ‘fears own people’
13
December ,2022
The
US on Monday denounced Iran's second execution over ongoing protests, saying
the latest killing, carried out in public, showed the clerical leadership
feared its own people.
“We
denounce this draconian treatment in the strongest terms,” State Department
spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
“These
harsh sentences, and now the first public execution at least, are meant to
intimidate Iran's people, they're meant to suppress dissent and they simply
just underscore how much the Iranian leadership actually fears its own people,”
he said.
At
the United Nations, spokesman Stephane Dujarric called for a halt to
executions, saying “there's no place for capital punishment.”
Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres “believed that the circumstances of this were particularly
cruel,” Dujarric said.
Majidreza
Rahnavard, 23, had been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad
for killing two members of the security forces with a knife, and wounding four
other people, the judiciary's Mizan Online news agency reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
‘Bad
American policy’ driving Saudi Arabia closer to China: Pompeo
12
December 2022
Former
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit
to Saudi Arabia, signaling a warming of relations at a time of heightened
tensions between the United States and both countries, was a result of
"bad American policy."
The
Chinese leader was welcomed in Saudi Arabia with pomp and glory last week-- a
landmark trip that stood in sharp contrast to the lukewarm welcome US President
Joe Biden received when he visited the kingdom early this year.
Speaking
to “FOX News Sunday,” Pompeo blamed the flawed policy of the Biden
administration for antagonizing Saudi Arabia, a traditional US ally in the
Middle East, and causing it to hedge its relationship with Washington.
"When
you won't be partners with your friends and your allies, and you offend them,
and you simply won't do anything to push back against your adversaries, like Xi
Jinping, you see exactly this kind of hedging behavior," Pompeo said.
In
a jab at the administration of former President Donald Trump, who had aligned
his Middle East policy closely with Saudi Arabia, Biden had promised, on the
campaign trail, to treat the kingdom like a “pariah” on the international
stage. Relations between the two allies deteriorated during Biden’s presidency
over oil production, human rights and other issues.
While
alienating Saudi Arabia, Pompeo said, the Biden administration has also gone
“soft on China,” which he said the former administration had recognized as the
"singular greatest external threat" to the United States.
"When
you do those things, you will hurt the American people all across this country.
And what you saw happen in the Kingdom this week is a direct result of bad
American policy," he said.
"You've
got to stick with friends, you got to stay with your partners, and you must
push back against your adversaries, or your friends will begin to hedge. Right,
they'll go make friendships to protect themselves if they can't count on
America to be a good partner and friend around the world," the former
diplomat added.
By
the end of Xi’s three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Friday, the two sides had
signed more than 40 agreements, including a memorandum of understanding between
Saudi Aramco and China’s Shandong Energy Group to explore ways to cooperate on
oil refining and explore petrochemical opportunities in China.
According
to a joint statement published by the Saudi media, Riyadh and Beijing were keen
to stress “the importance of stability in the world oil markets,” noting that
Saudi Arabia is a reliable exporter of crude oil to its Chinese partner.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/12/694346/Pompeo-US-bad-policy-Saudi-China-
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