Hijab Row: Muslim Girl Student, Muskan, 'Screamed Allah Hu Akbar' After Hecklers 'Shouted Jai Shri Ram'
New
Age Islam News Bureau
09
February 2022
Muskan
stood her ground as she was heckled by a large group of slogan-shouting young
men wearing saffron scarves at a Karnataka college.
----
• Al
Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri Surfaces in Anti-Atheism Video; Calls on Muslims
to Champion Cause Of 'Oppressed'
• Taliban
Erases All Signs of Ex-Government from Kabul Streets; "With the Help of
God, Our Nation Defeated the Americans," Reads One Blast Wall
• Outlawed
Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan till Active With Up To 5,000 Fighters: UN
• Online
Platform, Islamophobia, Launched In France to Fight Islamophobic Cases in
France
India
• Muslim
Man Who Was Voice of Harmony Gets Secular Funeral; By Muslims and Hindus According
To Their Own Traditions in Karnataka
• Opposition
seeks government reply on hijab, walks out of Lok Sabha
• Teacher,
Muslim Student Beaten As Hijab Row Protests Turn Violent In Karnataka
• Hatred
for Muslims normalised in India: Omar Abdullah over Karnataka 'hijab' row
• Drones
from Pakistan airdrop 2 wooden crates in Indian Territory
• NIA
arrests recruiter in UP terror conspiracy case
• Home
ministry seeks more time to frame CAA rules
--------
Arab World
• ISIS
likely to pick battle-hardened Iraqi as next leader: Officials, analysts
• Israel,
UAE sign tourism, healthcare agreements
• Lebanon:
Muslim cleric shunned for playing keyboard
• Lebanon’s
Hezbollah chief describes Kuwaiti proposals to Lebanon as ‘dictates’
• Israel’s
police chief cuts short UAE trip over spyware probe
• Al-Azhar
launches trial Braille version of Qur’an to help the blind
--------
South Asia
• Acting
Defence Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Calls on Ulema to Help
• Bangladesh
and Myanmar Resume Talks on Rohingya Repatriation
• Armed
clash breaks out between Taliban, local residents in Afghanistan's Panjshir
• Ex-UK
Defence Chief Suggests Recognition of Islamic Emirate
• Two
sisters and mother assassinated in Kabul, Taliban arrested assassin
• Stuck
in limbo, Afghan students lose hope of returning to Indian universities
--------
Pakistan
• IMF
wants Pakistan to ‘do more’ than just levying taxes
• Saudi
Arabia eases travel restrictions for Pakistani pilgrims
• Pakistan
wades into Karnataka hijab row, minister says India terrorising Muslim girl
students
--------
Europe
• England:
Cambridge Central Mosque donates tonnes food to vulnerable during pandemic
• French
Muslims concerned about anti-Muslim sentiment in elections
• Taliban
delegation in Geneva
• 2
suspected British Daesh members arrested in Afghanistan
• UK’s
Corbyn urges world leaders to hold Israel to account for violations of
Palestinians' rights
• Italy
calls on Bahrain to release detained rights activist 'Abduljalil Al-Singace'
--------
North America
• US
Seeking Taliban’s Cooperation in Anti-ISIS Fight
• Disagreements
Resurface Between US, Israel Over 2015 Iran Deal Revival
• US,
UAE to develop tech to stop drone attacks before launch as defence ties bolster
• Congressional
Republicans call for review, vote on any deal with Iran
--------
Africa
• Tunisia
Must Restore Judicial Watchdog: UN, Western Envoys
• Libyan
army hails Turkiye's role in training its personnel
• Prosecution
seeks 30 years in prison for Burkina Faso former President Compaore in
Sankara’s murder
• Tunisia's
president says decree to dissolve judicial body ready
• Tunisia’s
foreign minister endorses dissolution of judicial council
• Foreign
envoys voice concern over plans to dissolve Tunisia’s judicial council
--------
Mideast
• President
Rayeesi: Independent States Can Overcome Sanctions via Expanding Cooperation
• Iran's
UN Ambassador Stresses Punishment of Sanctioning States
• Israel
hits missile targets in Syria: Military
• Israeli
forces kill three Palestinian militants in the West Bank
• Diplomatic
flurry suggests new momentum as Iran nuclear talks resume
• Israeli
forces kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank city of Nablus
• OIC
condemns Israel’s killing of 3 Palestinians in Nablus
--------
Southeast Asia
• Malaysia
Must Clarify Whether Envoy’s ‘Promise’ to Taliban Had Govt OK
• Indonesian
croc freed after five years trapped in tyre
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Hijab
Row: Muslim Girl Student, Muskan, 'Screamed Allah Hu Akbar' After Hecklers
'Shouted Jai Shri Ram'
Muskan
stood her ground as she was heckled by a large group of slogan-shouting young
men wearing saffron scarves at a Karnataka college.
----
February
8, 2022
The
Karnataka student who was seen in the viral video from Mandya district said she
shouted Islamic slogan, Allah hu Akbar, in response to the sloganeering by a
mob wearing saffron scarves when they heckled her outside the college.
The
college student, identified as Muskan, told India Today TV elaborating what
happened during the incident.
"I
was going to college to submit an assignment. There were some people who were
not allowing me to go to the college because I was wearing a burqa. They were
asking me to remove burqa and then go inside," Muskan told India Today TV.
Video
of the Karnataka student shouting 'Allah hu Akbar' at a mob outside her college
in the Mandya district has rocked social media. The video shows a mob of
saffron shawl wearing men heckling her for coming to college wearing burqa.
While
many hailed Muskan as brave for having stood her ground against a crowd of
hecklers, some others accused her of using religious slogan in response to the
group which was demanding a ban on burqa and hijab on campus.
She
said those trying to stop her from entering the college premises were wearing
saffron scarves, as was visible in the video going viral on social media. She
said the mob started chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'. In response, she shouted 'Allah
hu Akbar', Muskan said.
"...I
came in and they started shouting Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram. I was just
passing. There were a lot of boys standing. Some of them were outsiders and
some from the college. But our principal and every lecturer supported me,"
she said.
The
video showed a couple of college staff escorting her to inside the premises. As
she headed towards the college premises, the mob started shouting slogans
again.
“They
started shouting slogans, Jai Shri Ram, Jai Sri Ram. So, I screamed 'Allah hu Akbar'.
That's it," Muskan said.
"Lots
of boys were standing. They were just screaming...They were showing fingers...I
was a little bit scared. Then I saw principal and teacher and felt okay,"
she said.
Muskan
said, "They were saying if I don't remove the burqa, they will not remove
his [saffron scarf].
The
incident took place on Tuesday at PES College in Mandya, Karnataka. This
incident happened in the middle of a raging debate across Karnataka over
wearing hijab and burqa on college campuses and in the premises of other
educational institutions.
The
government has intervened to say that there should be uniform dress code for
college campuses drawing sharp reactions from several Muslim groups and
Opposition parties. Videos and photographs of students arguing with principals
are doing rounds on social media for a few days.
A
video earlier surfaced showing a student in the Shimoga district climbing up a
pole to hoist saffron flag atop the college building. The student allegedly
removed the national flag before hoisting the saffron flag in a signal of
support to the Hindu groups demanding a ban on burqa and hijab-wearing on
campus.
The
video shows students standing below cheering when the saffron flag is hoisted.
Students could be seen waving saffron flags or stoles.
The
ruling BJP, however, blamed the hijab row emerging from campuses on political
conspiracy by the rival parties. Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education
Minister BC Nagesh the controversy was limited to six students in an Udupi
college who did not want to follow uniform rules and wear hijab while attending
classes.
"Initially,
11-12 students were protesting. The local MLA also spoke to the students and
some of them even agreed to come to classes in proper uniform. Only six were
still protesting when some political forces intervened in the issue," BC
Nagesh said.
The
Opposition, on the other hand, linked the hijab row to law-and-order situation
and demanded that the government should declare holiday in all the schools and
colleges and move classes online.
Karnataka
Congress president DK Shivakumar said, "The situation in some Karnataka
educational institutions has gone so out of hand that in one case the National
flag was replaced by a saffron flag. I think the affected institutions should
be closed for a week to restore law and order. Teaching can continue
online."
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Al
Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri Surfaces in Anti-Atheism Video; Calls on Muslims
to Champion Cause Of 'Oppressed'
Al
Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri (Photo Courtesy: SITE Intelligence Group) Photograph
:( Others)
----
Feb
09, 2022
Al
Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released another anti-atheism video on
Wednesday.
SITE
Intelligence Group which tracks terror-related activities on social media said
the terrorist leader called on Muslims worldwide to champion the cause of the
"oppressed" in the 32-minute video.
al-Zawahiri
had released another video on February 4 in a series called "deal of the
century or the crusade of the century".
The
whereabouts of the Al Qaeda chief is unknown with reports claiming he has been
unwell for some time.
Also
Read in Pics: 'Destroyer' ISIS terrorist al-Qurashi: Low-profile but brutal
operator
In
a video posted in November last year, al-Zawahiri had attacked United Nations
for being hostile towards Islam stating that “the United Nations was created by
the victorious powers in the Second World War with the aim of imposing a
political system and doctrine on the entire world."
The
Al Qaeda leader had also posted a video during the 9/11 anniversary last year
on Telegram with the title "Jerusalem will not be Judaised". However,
Islamic State(IS) and other terrorist networks had cast doubts on the
authenticity of the video.
In
the 9/11 video, Zawahiri had said 19 Mujahideen fighters had "wounded
America's heart" referring to the attackers who carried out the attacks on
September 2001 in New York and Washington.
Zawahiri
had succeeded Osama bin Laden after the Al Qaeda chief was killed in a US raid
at his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011.
Source:
WIO News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
Erases All Signs of Ex-Government from Kabul Streets; "With the Help of
God, Our Nation Defeated the Americans," Reads One Blast Wall
People
walk past a wall with a slogan that reads: "By the help of God, our nation
defeated America," in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP photo)
----
Feb
9, 2022
KABUL:
In the six months since taking back control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have
erased all visible signs of the former government from the capital.
Gone
are flags of the former republic, murals of national heroes, and memorials
honouring those killed in Taliban attacks?
Blast
walls are now covered with slogans of the new Islamic Emirate. "With the
help of God, our nation defeated the Americans," reads one.
The
owners of many beauty salons in central Kabul have removed posters of women in
full make-up and fashionable hair styles once displayed on their doors.
Iconography
of the slain anti-Taliban Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud in his trademark Pakol
cap that adorned almost every neighbourhood of the city has been covered up.
Fewer
women and girls are seen moving between markets and cafes, many too afraid to
leave the house after the takeover, or with no money to spend after losing
their jobs.
Vehicles
all but vanish after dark, as extra Taliban checkpoints spring up.
And
on a hilltop overlooking Kabul, the black, green and red flag of the former
regime has been taken down.
The
flagpole now stands bare in the middle of a snowy garden.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Outlawed
Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan till Active With Up To 5,000 Fighters: UN
Anwar
Iqbal
February
9, 2022
UNITED
NATIONS: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) still has between 3,000
and 5,000 fighters in Afghanistan, reports a team of UN monitors.
The
report, sent to the UN Security Council on Monday, also warns that a
Taliban-run “Afghanistan has the potential to become a safe haven for Al Qaeda
and a number of terror groups with ties to the Central Asia region and beyond”.
The
US government and various UN agencies have long claimed that Al Qaeda has been
active in Afghanistan since the beginning of the Afghan jihad. US officials
also say that despite a public pledge to curb Al Qaeda activities,
Afghanistan’s new Taliban leaders are not doing so, a claim the Taliban deny.
The
29th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team deals
with a wide range of terrorist groups active in South Asia and beyond and
covers the events that happened between June and December 2021.
Report
claims family members of TTP fighters in Afghanistan wished to resettle in
Pakistan under assurances to reintegrate
The
committee monitors the activities of major militant groups like Al Qaeda, Taliban
and various factions of the militant Islamic State (IS) group, which is also
known as Daesh. The committee is required to ensure that UN-mandated sanctions
on these groups are implemented.
The
team describes the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan as “the most
significant event” in the country’s recent history, which will have
far-reaching implications for all.
The
militant Islamic State of Khorasan or IS-K is another group that the report
focuses on, noting that it “controls limited territory”, but has “a continuing
ability to mount sophisticated attacks” across the region. Its ability to
operate across borders adds to “the complexity of the security situation in
Afghanistan”, the report warns.
In
its chapter on South Asia, the report deals with the Taliban takeover in
Afghanistan and its impact on other countries in the region. The report
includes TTP among the groups that have had close working relations with all
major terrorist groups in the region, including the Taliban, Al Qaeda and IS-K.
The
report assesses “the number of TTP fighters at between 3,000 and 5,500 in
Afghanistan, with Noor Wali Mehsud remaining as their leader”.
It
notes that Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers are mediating a truce between TTP
and Pakistan and this mediation has “led to a reduction in TTP attacks against
Pakistan”. The negotiators also discussed the presence of TTP family members in
Afghanistan, noting that they “wish to resettle in Pakistan under assurances
that they would reintegrate peacefully into local communities”.
The
report says that despite a strong denial by the Taliban, Al Qaeda in the Indian
Subcontinent (AQIS), led by Osama Mehmood and his deputy Atif Yahya Ghouri,
“retains a presence in Afghanistan”.
The
report identifies the provinces of Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Paktika
and Zabul as places where the group fought alongside the Taliban against the
ousted Afghan government. The AQIS has between 200 and 400 fighters, mainly
from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.
The
report also highlights the activities of a group — known as the Eastern
Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) or Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) — that’s
struggling to start an insurgency in China. The group has between 1,000 and
3,000 fighters in Syria, mostly located in Idlib, Aleppo, Ladhiqiyah and Hama
governorates.
The
UN team reports that ETIM/TIP members “frequently visited the Wakhan corridor,
calling for a return to Xinjiang for jihad”. The group closely collaborates
with Al Qaeda, TTP and Jamaat Ansarullah to “plan attacks on Chinese interests
in Pakistan, Tajikistan and elsewhere”, the report warns.
“ISIL
(IS) is taking advantage of the turmoil in Afghanistan, including by recruiting
ETIM/TIP fighters under the leadership of a Uighur team, in an attempt to expand
the organisation and support the group’s cause,” the report warns.
The
report points out that the perpetrator of the IS-K bombing of the Gozar-i-Sayed
Abad Mosque in Kunduz on Oct 8 was a Uighur fighter from the Xinjiang Uighur
Autonomous Region of China.
Some
member states reported to the UN team that, following the Taliban’s return to
power, ETIM/TIP fighters were relocated from their traditional stronghold in
Badakhshan, on the border with China, to Baghlan, Takhar and other provinces,
“as part of the Taliban’s efforts to both protect and restrain the group”. The
group has between 200 and 700 fighters in this area.
The
report notes that on Aug 13, Al Qaeda released a statement congratulating the
Taliban on its victory. Since then, Al Qaeda “has maintained a strategic
silence, likely an effort not to compromise Taliban’s efforts to gain
international recognition and legitimacy”, the report adds.
UN
monitors believe that Al Qaeda is still recovering from a series of leadership
losses and lacks the capability to conduct high-profile attacks overseas. Amin
Muhammad ul-Haq Saam Khan, who coordinated security for Osama bin Laden,
returned to his home in Afghanistan in late August.
One
member state reported that Osama bin Laden’s son, Abdallah, visited Afghanistan
in October for meetings with the Taliban. Al Qaeda leader Aiman al-Zawahiri was
“alive as recently as January 2021, but is in poor health”, the report claims.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1674089/ttp-still-active-with-up-to-5000-fighters-un
--------
Online
Platform, Islamophobia, Launched In France to Fight Islamophobic Cases in France
Esra Taskin
08.02.2022
PARIS
A
new online platform, Islamophobia, has been launched in France to fight
Islamophobic cases more effectively and to open them up for discussion,
according to one of its founders.
Rafik
Chekkat, a graduate of law and political philosophy, told Anadolu Agency that
for many years the legitimacy of the term was debated in France.
While
Muslims in the country are exposed to Islamophobic attitudes and insults, the
term Islamophobia is rejected by many in the public sphere, media and politics,
Chekkat said.
This
situation prevents the scope and definition of Islamophobia from being
discussed, he added.
Chekkat,
who is a French citizen of Algerian origin, said he includes Islamophobic acts
on the platform.
He
said the idea was born after a friend asked him what can be done to fight
Islamophobia following the 2019 Bayonne Mosque attack in France where two
people were injured and a headscarved mother was verbally assaulted.
He
recalled that a controversial law -- which first emerged as an anti-separatism
bill in France and was changed to “reinforcing respect for the principles of
the Republic" following reactions, -- targets Muslims.
Chekkat
said: “Islamophobia (platform) will create content such as videos, podcasts and
documentaries in order to reach different audiences.”
Additionally,
they will publish a magazine, Conditions, three times a year, he said.
Free-of-cost
“The
platform will address the political, economic, social and psychological aspects
of Islamophobia, along with its effects on Muslims and their daily lives,”
Chekkat said, emphasizing that this will be useful explainer on what Muslims in
France are going through.
“The
challenge of combating Islamophobia is more like a long-distance race than a
sprint,” he said.
Underlining
that the content of the platform will be free of charge, Chekkat said that only
the magazine, which focuses on Islamophobia in Europe, will have to be
subscribed.
“Since
the end of 2020, there has been an increasing pressure on Muslims in France, especially
by the authorities, who want them to be silenced,” he said.
“The
important thing for us was to show that the Muslims in France have not given
up,” he said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/new-platform-to-fight-islamophobia-launched-in-france/2496992
--------
India
Muslim Man Who Was Voice of Harmony Gets Secular Funeral; By Muslims and Hindus According To Their Own Traditions in Karnataka
Feb
9, 2022
KOPPAL:
A Muslim man who had worked for communal harmony in his village through social
work and by participating in all Hindu religious events, was given a send-off
on Sunday by Muslims and Hindus according to their own traditions.
Hussainsab,
in his eighties, died of cancer on Saturday. He was laid to rest in Talabalu
village in Kukanur taluk on Sunday.
Seer
Mahadev Devaru, of the Annadaneshwar Jagadguru Mutt in Kukanur, who came to the
village, said: "As Hussainsab had worked for communal harmony in the
village, we respected him a lot and bid him adieu in a dignified way by
performing rituals in both Muslim and Hindu traditions to show that harmony still
exists in our village."
Hindus
in the village gathered at Hussainsab's home and participated in the rituals.
First, his relatives performed rituals according to Muslim traditions. After
this, Hindus performed rituals, offering aarti, breaking a coconut and doing
bajanas.
Malaksab
Noorabasha, the son of Hussainsab, said: "My father was involved in all
religious events of both communities. He used to take part in all events of
Hindus in the village. He earned respect for his secular values. We first did our
rituals like reading the Quran. The Hindus then did puja, bajanas and other
rituals and arranged for a spacious place to keep the body for public
viewing."
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Opposition
seeks government reply on hijab, walks out of Lok Sabha
Feb
9, 2022
NEW
DELHI: A day after Congress MP TN Pratahapan said in Lok Sabha that a Muslim
woman’s ‘hijab (scarf)’ is a cultural and religious marker just like “the
mangalsutra is for Hindus, the crucifix for Christians, and turbans for Sikhs”,
opposition parties including Congress, DMK, IUML, CPM, CPI, VCK, MDMK and JMM
on Tuesday demanded the government make a statement in the House on its
position on the issue.
After
the opposition’s protests failed to elicit a response from the treasury
benches, the parties walked out of the Lok Sabha to register their protest.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Teacher,
Muslim student beaten as hijab row protests turn violent in Karnataka
09th
February 2022
BENGALURU:
Shocking details are emerging from the widespread incidents of violence from
across Karnataka on Tuesday in the backdrop of hijab row.
The
miscreants have attacked a teacher with iron rods causing severe head injuries
to him in Bagalkot district. BJP MLA Haratalu Halappa stood as a mute spectator
even as a student was beaten up by a mob in Shivamogga district.
Manjunath
Naik (30), a school teacher has been attacked with iron rods by miscreants in
Banahatti town of Bagalkot district after the violence erupted following
students protest.
"I
was crossing the road when a group of people attacked me with iron rods on my
head. I couldn't realize what was happening," a bleeding Manjunath Naik
explained to media persons.
He
was taken to hospital by the police later. The situation is still tense in
Banahatti town and the police has made elaborate arrangements to avoid any
incident of violence.
In
another incident, BJP MLA Haratalu Halappa remained a mute spectator even as
the violent mob attacked a student. The incident happened when Halappa visited
Sagar District Hospital to inquire about injured students in the stone pelting
and lathicharge incident.
A
large number of student groups have been stationed at the entrance of the
hospital. The student groups tried to pour out complaints to Halappa. Hindu as
well Muslim students raised slogans and condemned each other. Meanwhile, the
incident took a violent turn when the saffron shawl cladding students suddenly
attacked a student who was raising slogans in support of hijab.
Even
as violence was unfolding before him, MLA Halappa did not make any attempt to stop
the crowd involved in violence. The video has gone viral and drawing sharp
reactions from the public.
In
yet another incident in Mandya district, a hijab wearing college student had to
bear the brunt of the anger of hundreds of students at PES College.
The
students started raising slogans of Jai Shri Ram as soon as they spotted a
hijab wearing student. Angered by this, the young woman raised the slogan of
'Allah hu Akbar'. The mob got more angry by this and started following the
lady, raising the slogan of 'Jai Shri Ram' more vigorously.
C.B.
Ryshyanth, Superintendent of Police of Davanagere district where prohibitory
orders are clamped till Wednesday evening stated that, the police department
has taken suo motu complaint of the violence that has taken place in Davanagere
and Harihara twin cities.
"CCTV
footage is available. Whoever is involved will not be spared. We don't make any
arrests unnecessarily. I request people not to come out of their houses,"
he stated.
Siddaramaiah,
the Opposition leader has slammed the ruling BJP government for the situation
in the state. He said, the provocative statements by the Home and Education
Ministers are responsible for the present situation in the state. The issue
could have been solved at the local level in the initial stages. Now the ruling
government is in a helpless state, he chided.
Meanwhile.
K.S. Eshwarappa, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj charged that
Congress is behind the hijab crisis in the state for vote bank politics.
Karnataka
HC adjourns hearing, requests students and public to maintain peace
In
view of the tension prevailing inside and outside the campuses of several
educational institutions in the state amid the hearing on pleas relating to the
hijab row, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday requested the student community
and the public at large to maintain peace and tranquillity.
"The
court has full faith in the wisdom and virtue in the public at large and hopes
the same would be put to practice," Justice Krishna S Dixit observed in the
interim order passed while adjourning the hearing to Wednesday.
This
was after Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadagi submitted that there is a lot
of tension at the campuses of several institutions, even though the court was
hearing the arguments of both the sides in an important matter like this and
that should be halted. In support of his submission, he read out the judgment
passed by the apex court on the farmers' agitation.
Then
senior advocate Devadutta Kamat, appearing for the petitioners-students, argued
broadly in agreement with the submission of Advocate General. However, he
opposed the blanket order against all agitators who are not party to the
petition.
After
having heard the counsel for the parties and pending further hearing, Justice
Krishna S Dixit passed the interim order.
The
court was hearing a batch of petitions about the hijab row including one
petition in which students questioned the order passed by the state government
on February 5 prescribing the uniform in school and college campuses.
Tension
spreads to other colleges in Karnataka, government announces three-day holiday
To
avoid any further unrest among students over the hijab row, the Karnataka
government has declared a holiday for all high schools and colleges across the
state for the next three days.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hatred
for Muslims normalised in India: Omar Abdullah over Karnataka 'hijab' row
08th
February 2022
SRINAGAR: Hatred for Muslims has been
"normalised" in the country which "no longer celebrates its
diversity", alleged National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday as
protests for and against 'hijab' intensified at colleges in parts of Karnataka.
He
was commenting on a video that has surfaced on social media showing some men
sporting saffron scarves heckling a woman in 'hijab' and raising slogans at a
college in Karnataka. "How brave these men are and how macho they must
feel while targeting a lone young lady! Hatred for Muslims has been completely
mainstreamed and normalised in India today. We are no longer a nation that
celebrates our diversity, we want to punish and exclude people for it,"
Abdullah said in a tweet tagging the video with it.
Tension
prevailed at some educational institutions in Karnataka's Udupi, Shivamogga,
Bagalkote and other parts over the 'Hijab' issue, forcing the police and
authorities to intervene. The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday is hearing the
petitions filed by five girls studying in a Government Pre-university College
in Udupi, questioning hijab restriction in college.
The
issue began in January at a government PU College in Udupi where six students
who attended classes wearing headscarves were asked to leave the campus. The
matter has now spread to different parts of the state, with Hindu youngsters,
backed by right-wing outfits, responding by wearing saffron scarves.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Drones
from Pakistan airdrop 2 wooden crates in Indian territory
Yudhvir
Rana
Feb
9, 2022
AMRITSAR:
Border Security Force (BSF) has recovered two wooden crates close to India-Pak
international border in Punjab on Wednesday. The wooden crates suspected to
contain explosives or drugs were airdropped by drones that had intruded inside
Indian territory.
BSF
deputy inspector general, Prabhakar Joshi informed that BSF jawans spotted
movement of Unmanned Flying Vehicles (UAV) near BSF’s Panjgarayan Border
outpost .
Punjab
| Today at about 12:50 am, troops in Panjgrain heard buzzing of suspected
flying object coming from Pakistan… https://t.co/vOZVvEBfWb
—
ANI (@ANI) 1644378320000
”Drones
movement was sighted twice at around 12.50 am following which BSF fired upon
the drones which flew back to Pakistan,” said Joshi adding that following a
search of the area BSF found two wooden crates which could have contained
explosives or drugs.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NIA
arrests recruiter in UP terror conspiracy case
Feb
9, 2022
LUCKNOW:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another accused, Tauheed
Ahmad, in its ongoing probe into the conspiracy by terror groups to carry out
IED blasts in Uttar Pradesh.
The
NIA took up the probe from UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in July last year.
So
far, NIA has filed a charge sheet against five arrested accused -- Minhaz
Ahmad, Museeruddin, Shakeel, Moid and Mustaqeem. They were said to be in touch
with terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an auxiliary of al-Qaida.
The
Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) had claimed that the accused were planning to
trigger blasts around Independence Day celebrations in 2021.
Investigators
had recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the form of a pressure
cooker bomb from the Lucknow residence of an accused.
NIA
said that accused Tauheed Ahmad Shah was arrested from Manchowa, in Budgam
district of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Investigation
has revealed that the arrested accused Tauheed was the mastermind of the
conspiracy for recruitment and to commit terrorist acts in the name of AGuH,
including procurement of arms, ammunitions and explosive materials to be used
for attacks in UP," the NIA sources said.
Sources
said that during the questioning with the arrested accused Minhaz Ahmad and
Museeruddin, the name of Tauheed Ahmad had cropped up.
On
the basis of electronic surveillance, it was established that the earlier
arrested five accused were also in touch with Tauheed and were given explosives
and arms to be used in attacks at different places in UP.
Minhaz
Ahmad was radicalized online by two al-Qaida terrorists based in Jammu and
Kashmir and he had entered into a conspiracy with them for recruiting members
for AGuH and for committing terrorist acts. Minhazthen recruited Museeruddin
into al-Qaida fold and involved him in the conspiracy for committing terrorist
acts in UP, the NIA said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Home
ministry seeks more time to frame CAA rules
Vijaita
Singh
FEBRUARY
08, 2022
The
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sought has asked the parliamentary committee for
more time to frame the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), on
the grounds that consultation process is on.
The
Hindu reported earlier that MHA had sought another extension on January 9 from
the parliamentary committees on subordinate legislation in the Rajya Sabha and
Lok Sabha to frame the rules of the CAA.
Besides
the consultation process, MHA said that the construction of the rules had been
delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Without the rules being framed, the Act
cannot be implemented.
A
senior government official said that MHA stated two grounds for seeking a
three-months’ extension to notify the rules — consultation process and
COVID-19. A Home Ministry spokesperson did not respond on the delay in framing
the rules.
The
BJP-led government in Assam had in 2020 requested the MHA to impose a
three-month time limit to apply under the CAA, beyond which no one could
benefit under the Act, and not keep it “open ended.”
CAA
has the provision to grant citizenship to members of six non-Muslim
undocumented minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who
entered India before December 31, 2014. Several groups in Assam have opposed
the CAA as it violates the provision of the 1985 Assam Accord that called for
“detection and deportation” of all persons who entered the State from
Bangladesh post March 24, 1971. The Supreme Court-monitored Assam’s National
Register of Citizens (NRC) published on August 31 last year, which excluded 19
lakh of the 3.4 crore applicants, was a fallout of the Assam Accord. The final
NRC is yet to be implemented in Assam, the only State to have compiled such a
register, as rejection slips to those excluded have not been issued by the
authorities.
The
tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in the Sixth
Schedule to the Constitution and States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland
and Manipur are exempted from CAA.
The
CAA was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019 and it received assent from
the President on December 12. In January, 2020, the Ministry notified that the
Act will come into force from January 10, 2020. The Ministry sought time till
April 9, 2021 and then July 9, 2021 from the committees to notify the rules
which are to be published in the Gazette of India.
Source:
The Hindu
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
ISIS
likely to pick battle-hardened Iraqi as next leader: Officials, analysts
09
February ,2022
The
next leader of ISIS is likely to be from a close circle of battle-hardened
Iraqi extremists who emerged in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion, two
Iraqi security officials and three independent analysts said.
The
group of potential successors to Abu Ibrahim al-Quraishi, who blew himself up
during a US operation to capture him in Syria last week, includes one commander
whom Washington and Baghdad declared killed last year, the Iraqi officials
said.
The
death of Quraishi, 45, was another crushing blow to ISIS two years after the
violent group lost longtime leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a similar raid in
2019.
Quraishi,
an Iraqi, never publicly addressed his fighters or followers, avoided
electronic communications, and oversaw a move to fighting in small devolved
units in response to intense pressure from Iraqi and US-led forces.
But
those following ISIS closely expect it to name a successor in coming weeks, as
the group which imposed brutal rule over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria from
2014 to 2017 continues a stubborn and deadly insurgency.
Fadhil
Abu Rgheef, an Iraqi expert who advises its security services, said there were
at least four possible successors.
“These
include ... Abu Khadija, whose last known role was Iraq leader for Islamic
State, Abu Muslim, its leader for Anbar province, and another called Abu Salih,
of whom there’s very little information but who was close to Baghdadi and
Quraishi,” he said.
“There’s
also Abu Yassir al-Issawi, who is suspected to be still alive. He’s valuable to
the group as he has long military experience.”
Issawi’s
death in an air strike in January 2021 was reported at the time by both Iraqi
forces as well as the US-led military coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and
Syria.
But
an Iraqi security official confirmed there were strong suspicions Issawi is
still alive. “If he’s not dead he’d be a candidate, he’s tried and tested in
planning military attacks and has thousands of supporters,” the official said.
SECURITY
SWEEP
The
official added that ISIS was likely carrying out a security sweep for potential
leaks that led to the death of Quraishi before convening to choose or announce
a successor.
Hassan
Hassan, editor of New Lines magazine which has published research on Quraishi,
said the new leader would be a veteran Iraqi extremist.
“If
they choose one in the coming weeks they’ll have to choose someone from among
the same circle ... the group that was part of the Anbari group which operated
under (the name) ISIS since the early days,” he said.
ISIS
emerged from the militants that waged an increasingly sectarian-driven
insurgency against US troops and Iraqi forces after 2003.
ISIS
in Iraq, also known as al Qaeda in Iraq, was an offshoot of the global al Qaeda
organization of Osama Bin Laden and the precursor to ISIS, which took shape in
the chaos of Syria’s civil war across the border.
Baghdadi
and Quraishi, both members of al Qaeda in Iraq from the start, did time in US
detention in the mid-2000s. In contrast, none of the four potential successors
to Quraishi had been captured by US forces, one security official and one army
colonel told Reuters.
Officials
and analysts in various countries agree ISIS is under more pressure than it’s
ever been and will never restore its self-styled caliphate. But they are
divided on how significant a setback Quraishi’s death is for the group.
Some
say the fight against ISIS will suck in the United States and its allies for
years to come as it develops into a permanent insurgency with new leaders ready
to take the reins.
“In
Syria, Islamic State units work as a devolved network of individual groups in
order to avoid them being targeted. We don’t therefore believe that Quraishi’s
death will have an enormous impact,” one of the Iraqi security officials said.
“It’s
also become more difficult to follow them because they’ve long stopped using
mobile phones for communication.”
Since
their territorial defeat in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, ISIS leaders have
found it increasingly easy to move between the two countries, helped by a gap
in areas of control between different armed forces, some officials say.
Security
and military officials said the 600 km (372 mile) long border with Syria made
it very hard for Iraqi forces to prevent militants infiltrating via underground
tunnels.
NEW
LEADERSHIP STYLE
Lahur
Talabany, former counter-terrorism chief for Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan
region, said some ISIS leaders can travel on a route across the full expanse of
Iraq.
“When
you see attacks increasing in a particular area I wouldn’t be surprised if
somebody important has been through that region,” he told Reuters. “The
caliphate was defeated but ISIS was never eradicated. I don’t believe we
managed to finish the job.”
ISIS’
possession of land in Iraq and Syria set it apart from other like-minded groups
such as al Qaeda and became central to its mission when it declared a caliphate
in 2014, claiming sovereignty over all Muslim lands and peoples.
Fiercely
anti-Western, the group also draws on Sunni-Shia tensions, saying Shias were
infidels who deserve to be killed.
Abu
Rgheef said the new leader could have stronger military credentials than
Quraishi, who Iraqi officials say was seen by followers as more of an Islamic
legal mind than a military man.
“Attacks
and operations will change in character depending on the style of the new
leader. The new one might believe in big and intensive attacks, bombs or
suicide bombers,” he said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel,
UAE sign tourism, healthcare agreements
08
February ,2022
Israel
and the United Arab Emirates signed cooperation agreements in the tourism and
healthcare industries, diplomats and state media said on Twitter on Tuesday.
A
healthcare partnership agreement provides for physicians from the Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center to establish a center for disaster medicine in Abu
Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi government media office said.
Ministers
from the two countries separately signed a memorandum of understanding to boost
tourism activity, the Israeli consulate in Dubai said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/02/08/Israel-UAE-sign-tourism-healthcare-agreements
--------
Lebanon:
Muslim cleric shunned for playing keyboard
February
07, 2022
LONDON:
The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Lebanon disavowed Sheikh Ali Al-Husseini
on Monday for playing a few notes on the keyboard during his appearance on the
TV program “Over 18” in early February.
During
the program, hosted on Al Jadeed channel, Al-Husseini said that he is always
reduced to “the cleric who plays piano” despite studying religion and
philosophy for more than 23 years.
Al-Husseini
defended art on the program and equated it with existence, citing stories from
the Qur’an to support his position.
The
program provoked mixed reactions from the Lebanese people, with some
encouraging him to continue to challenge the stereotypes surrounding religious
figures. Others, particularly Lebanese religious figures, took a more critical
stance.
The
council’s religious reporting authority issued a statement in which it considered
that Al-Husseini had attached “to Islam a culture that is contrary to the
religion, and that Islam is innocent of.”
The
statement further described Al-Husseini as “impersonating a religious scholar”
and called on believers to “shun him.”
During
the program, Al-Husseini also refused to consider a woman’s voice “a defect,”
adding that the saying is not mentioned in the Qur’an nor in the Hadiths. He
also defended Lebanese music star Fairuz, claiming that all her songs are
modest and do not provoke temptation.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2020101/offbeat
--------
Lebanon’s
Hezbollah chief describes Kuwaiti proposals to Lebanon as ‘dictates’
09
February ,2022
The
head of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah on Tuesday described as “dictates” a
recent Kuwaiti list of proposals aimed at repairing Lebanon’s ties with Gulf
Arab nations, strained largely over what the say is Hezbollah’s growing
influence.
“Lebanon
is a sovereign country and should not be sent dictates,” Hassan Nasrallah said
in an interview on Arabic-language Iranian TV channel al-Alam when asked to
comment on the proposals.
A
diplomatic source previously told Reuters that the proposals included a request
to step up security in Lebanon, prevent drug smuggling to the Gulf and hold May
parliamentary elections on time.
Nasrallah
added that he nonetheless supported Lebanese-Gulf dialogue.
Lebanon’s
ties to the Arab Gulf and particularly Saudi Arabia, formerly a major donor to
Beirut, hit rock bottom last year over what the Saudi foreign minister said was
Hezbollah’s growing influence in the country. Relations had deteriorated for
years, causing knock-on effects within Lebanon.
Top
Sunni Muslim political leader and ex-prime minister Saad Hariri, a former close
ally of Saudi Arabia who has since lost its backing, announced his withdrawal
from politics last month and said he would not field candidates, upending
elections.
Hariri
cited Iran’s growing role in Lebanon as one of the reasons for his exit.
Nasrallah
described Hariri’s decision as “unfortunate,” adding: “We were hoping it
wouldn’t happen, but it happened.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel’s
police chief cuts short UAE trip over spyware probe
08
February ,2022
Israel’s
police commissioner cut short an official foreign trip Tuesday and rushed home
to deal with a growing scandal over reports of illegal spying, including on
members of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle.
Under
mounting pressure, Kobi Shabtai returned early Tuesday from the United Arab
Emirates, where the police forces were to establish professional ties during a
longer visit. The decision came a day after a local newspaper reported that
police illegally used spyware, including on the phones of Netanyahu’s son and
others, prompting a high-level investigation and upending the opposition
leader’s corruption trial.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“In
light of recent publications and in order to keep a close eye on developments,
the commissioner will shorten his visit,” the police said in a statement,
noting that Shabtai supports an investigation headed by a judge. The national
police force, the statement added, “has nothing to hide from the public.”
Shabtai’s
early return reflected the seriousness of the allegations reported by the
Calcalist business newspaper, which have ricocheted across Israel’s political
and legal landscapes. In addition to Netanyahu’s circle, targets have included
former ministry directors, mayors and political activists.
The
reports have said that police used the powerful Pegasus surveillance software,
made by Israeli firm NSO Group. Pegasus has been linked to a number of abuses
by authoritarian governments around the world.
On
Monday, the outlet claimed that Pegasus had become “one of the most used tools
for intelligence collection in the hands of the police” and had been used
against politicians, protesters, business moguls, ministry directors and
Netanyahu’s close advisers and son. Like previous reports, the paper cited no
sources, but for the first time named people allegedly surveilled by the
police.
The
police denied the allegations and on Tuesday said no evidence of illegal
activity had been uncovered. But the reports drew condemnation from across
Israel’s political spectrum. They threw Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial
into disarray after a key witnesses was named as a victim of the alleged hack.
A second consecutive hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled.
Israeli
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday called for an examination of the more
than two dozen names reported to have been targets of the snooping after
meeting with Cabinet ministers and the attorney general, his office said.
Netanyahu
demanded a “strong and independent investigation” into the alleged misuse of
the spyware, calling it a “black day for Israel” as proceedings in his trial
were put on hold.
Public
Security Minister Omer Barlev, who oversees the nation’s police force,
announced the a government commission of inquiry headed by a retired judge to
“investigate in depth the violation of civil rights and privacy in the years in
question.” He said the alleged violations appear to have been carried out under
former officials in previous governments.
Israel’s
previous police chief, Roni Alsheikh, who was in command during much of the
alleged snooping, made his first comments since the reports were published. The
Hebrew news website Ynet quoted him denying any wrongdoing, adding that any
surveillance of a public official’s phone would require the attorney general’s
approval and that any use of spyware would be logged. He called the report “the
most superficial there is.”
Calcalist
said the police used spyware against a phone registered to Netanyahu’s son,
Avner, as well as two communications advisers and the wife of another defendant
in one of three corruption cases against the former leader.
It
remains unclear whether any of the information allegedly gathered was used
against Netanyahu. Also unclear is whether any of the information allegedly
gathered was used against the former prime minister.
Barlev’s
probe follows announcements by Israeli police and the attorney general’s office
that they would investigate. Last week, police for the first time acknowledged
finding evidence pointing to improper use of spyware.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Al-Azhar
launches trial Braille version of Qur’an to help the blind
MOHAMMED
AL-SHAMAA
February
09, 2022
CAIRO:
An experimental copy of the Qur’an written in Braille for the blind was
recently displayed by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif at its stand at the 53rd Cairo
International Book Fair, which ended on Monday, Feb. 7.
Al-Azhar
Press, under the guidance and patronage of the Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb,
Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, took on the project of printing the Qur’an in
Braille using the latest printing systems.
Al-Azhar
said in a statement that this trial version of the Qur’an featured the written
words of the Qur’an alongside prominent Braille letters to achieve societal
cooperation between the sighted and the blind in memorising and reading the
Qur’an.
According
to the statement, this step was taken by Al-Azhar due to its belief in taking
care of people with disabilities including the blind, and as an extension of
Al-Azhar’s mission in spreading the Qur’an and its sciences.
The
experimental version that Al-Azhar displayed in the exhibition is characterised
by its large size and special thick cardboard, where the dots are clear and
prominent so that they can be easily read using the fingertips.
Braille
is a method of reading and writing used by the blind and visually impaired. It
was named after its French inventor, Louis Braille, who lost his sight at the
age of three. Louis found that using the dots system to read and write was
easier and faster than the previous method of using prominent printed letters.
Production
manager at Al-Azhar Press, Hossam El-Din Mounir, told Arab News that the idea
of implementing the Qur’an in Braille came from a desire to help the blind. “We
designed a trial version to gauge people’s opinions first, and then we will
start in its final implementation,” he said.
Dr.
Eman Karim, general supervisor of the National Council for Persons with
Disabilities, thanked Al-Azhar in her statements to Arab News for making the
Qur’an available in Braille for people with visual disabilities, who
represented 5 percent of the Egyptian community, according to the 2015 census.
She
said that Al-Azhar’s adoption of the project was a serious step by a
long-standing institution that believes in the effective role of this group in
Egyptian society, and as an extension of its mission to spread the Qur’an and
its sciences to all members of society.
Karim
called on state education authorities to follow the example of Al-Azhar
Al-Sharif by making cultural publications available to people with
disabilities, contributing to raising awareness, especially the process of
religious education to combat extremist ideas that aim to destabilize the
security and stability of the country.
Akram
Abed Janov, a visually impaired student at Al-Azhar from Uzbekistan, said
during his visit to the Al-Azhar pavilion at the Cairo International Book Fair
that he admired the idea, which provided support to blind students.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2021121/middle-east
--------
South Asia
Acting
Defence Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Calls on Ulema to Help
February
8, 2022
Mullah
Mohammad Yaqoob, acting defence minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
(IEA), has called on the Ulema to help reform and organize a national army.
Yaqoob,
in a meeting with the Ulema, urged clerics to support the current political
system and help organize IEA forces.
“Now
the Islamic political system is in place we need your cooperation to organize
and reform the Mujahideen. Cooperate with us to lead the ministry of defence,”
said Yaqoob.
According
to him, the ministry of defence appreciates advice from the Ulema and he said
everyone will obey their instructions.
“If
you do not support us, we will be misled and will do what the former government
employees did,” said Yaqoob.
Source:
Ariana News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bangladesh
and Myanmar Resume Talks on Rohingya Repatriation
By
Shafi Md Mostofa
February
08, 2022
Bangladesh
and Myanmar have resumed talks on repatriating Rohingya refugees back to
Myanmar.
The
first-ever meeting of the recently formed technical level Ad-Hoc Task Force for
Verification of the Displaced Persons from Rakhine was held virtually on
January 27. During the meeting, “both sides expressed readiness” to continue
working closely to address “reasons causing delay in the verification” of the
past residency of those displaced from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a statement
issued by the Bangladesh Foreign Office said.
Repatriation
talks had been in a state of suspension since the Myanmar military staged a
coup on February 1 last year.
The
resumption of repatriation talks will be welcomed in Bangladesh. The country
has been bearing a heavy burden in providing refuge to hundreds of thousands of
Rohingya who fled persecution in Myanmar over the decades. Since August 25,
2017, Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas.
The
majority-Muslim Rohingya have lived for centuries in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
While
the flow of Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine region into areas that comprise
today’s Bangladesh began in 1942, when nearly 22,000 people crossed the Naf
river and entered the Bengal region, the roots of the current crisis can be
traced back to 1962. The military coup that year resulted in the Rohingya –
like other ethnic groups in Myanmar – being denied the right to vote. The
Rohingya, however, were subjected to other restrictions and discrimination as
well. The 1982 Citizenship Act of Myanmar formally denied the group citizenship
rights, as a result of which the Rohingya are today that largest stateless
community in the world.
In
the decades since, the Myanmar state has subjected the Rohingya to systematic
discrimination, even persecution. In addition to stripping them of their
rights, including citizenship rights, it has subjected them to extreme violence.
This has triggered an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from
Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Many have headed to neighboring Bangladesh. In 1992,
for instance, some 250,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh.
Since
1992, the flow of Rohingya escaping persecution in Myanmar into Bangladesh has
happened at regular intervals. In 2017-18, a coordinated campaign of military
violence, which a United Nations fact-finding mission deemed as genocide,
forced over a million Rohingya to seek refuge in Bangladesh.
After
some initial resistance, Bangladesh opened its border to the Rohingya on
humanitarian grounds. Camps in Cox’s Bazar, which borders Rakhine state,
provided them a temporary home.
Rohingya
repatriation has been a challenging problem for Bangladesh, with processes and
agreements proving to be still-born.
On
November 23, 2017, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation agreement.
However, the two sides had not agreed on a concrete process of repatriation or
on a deadline for completion of the repatriation. They did not disclose the
contents of the agreement either. Rohingya organizations worldwide criticized
the agreement as it envisaged moving refugees back to Myanmar when a “congenial
atmosphere” for their “safe and voluntary repatriation with dignity and honor”
had not been created. They called for the UNHCR’s involvement in the
repatriation process and for citizenship to be restored to the Rohingya.
Two
subsequent repatriation attempts failed. In November 2018, 2,260 Rohingya were
identified for repatriation. The attempt failed as they refused to return to
Myanmar without assurances for their safety.
In
August 2019, of a list of 55,000 Rohingya 3,450 were cleared for repatriation.
However, Rohingya leaders were skeptical about the repatriation process. They
were not aware of any repatriation plan of the government, they said, and
demanded that safety, security, and citizenship be made preconditions for
repatriation.
“We
don’t know what is happening… We will only repatriate through dialogues (about
the preconditions). Without dialogues, no repatriation,” Rohingya community
leader Mohib Ullah, who was subsequently assassinated in 2021, said.
At
a tripartite virtual meeting mediated by China in January 2021, Bangladesh put
forward a proposal for a village-based repatriation process, so that those
returning home would feel safe. But Myanmar said that it would like to start
off by repatriating 42,000 refugees who had been verified from a list of some
830,000 Rohingyas living in camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.
At
the meeting, Myanmar sought assurances that the Rohingya would abide by
Myanmar’s laws, and China and Myanmar responded positively to Dhaka’s
suggestion to keep an international community presence in Rakhine when Rohingya
repatriation began. The meeting appears to have gone well. “I would say we
remain cautiously optimistic,” Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen told the
Bangladeshi media after the meeting.
A
little over a week later, the Myanmar military staged a coup. This put the
repatriation process on ice. A tripartite Bangladesh-China-Myanmar working
group meeting scheduled for February 4 never happened.
Over
the past year, Myanmar has been plunged into chaos and conflict. Military
offensives, which include aerial bombing of villages and civilians, have
triggered new population flows out of the country. There is no doubt that this
civil conflict will hamper peaceful and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya.
The
recent virtual meeting was a bilateral meeting, and China was not directly
involved in it.
Bangladesh
has not been successful in involving its development partners to facilitate the
repatriation of the Rohingya back to their homeland. Indeed, some of its
development partners have backed the Myanmar state on the Rohingya issue.
This
was the case, for instance, when China and Russia supported Myanmar on a United
Nations General Assembly resolution on human rights violations against the
Rohingya on December 31, 2020. Surprisingly, India abstained from the vote.
China and India are influential in Myanmar to some extent as they are
Naypyidaw’s development partners.
In
the current political situation in Myanmar, China and Russia have the most
clout of any foreign governments. While Russia is a major weapons supplier,
China is Myanmar’s number one investor. Both are U.N. Security Council
veto-wielding powers and hence, in a position to push the Myanmar military to
take robust measures to speed up repatriation of the Rohingya.
China
and Russia have strong ties with Bangladesh too and Dhaka should use the country’s
strategic and rising economic importance to get them to facilitate the
repatriation process.
Source:
The Diplomat
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/bangladesh-and-myanmar-resume-talks-on-rohingya-repatriation/
--------
Armed
clash breaks out between Taliban, local residents in Afghanistan's Panjshir
09th
February 2022
PANJSHIR
[Afghanistan]: The Taliban has surrounded the Parandeh valley in Afghanistan's
Panjshir province and arrested local residents, as per local sources.
This
armed clash between residents and the Taliban in Panjshir province broke out
after a Taliban vehicle was hit by a mine explosion.
According
to the sources, the armed clash has been going on in the area as of February 7
in the province.
The
humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated drastically since the
Taliban took control of Kabul last year in mid-August.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ex-UK
Defence Chief Suggests Recognition of Islamic Emirate
Feb
9, 2022
The
former UK defence chief David Richards recently suggested that the West
recognize the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.
Interviewing
with the BBC, General Sir David Richards said it is time to accept that the war
has been lost in Afghanistan and it is necessary for the world to work with the
new leadership of Afghanistan to assist the people as they are facing a crisis.
“I
think the West is going to end up recognizing the Taliban government. If that's
the case, then we better get on with it sooner rather than later,” said David
Richards.
He
added: “There's a great phrase: be magnanimous in victory. I think this is the
occasion for us to be magnanimous in defeat.”
These
remarks come as no country has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate as a
government since it came to power in August.
“The
Americans were strategically defeated in Afghanistan, they have to accept this
defeat, because the government that was the result of the 20-year presence of
NATO and the US collapsed in front of America’s eyes,” said Gen Samar Sadat, a
military expert.
Meanwhile,
the Islamic Emirate believes that international engagement with Afghanistan
will benefit both Afghanistan and world countries. “This is our request: that
all countries engage and help the Afghan people and recognize the Islamic
Emirate in Afghanistan,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic
Emirate.
Forming
an inclusive government, fighting insurgency and respecting human rights,
especially the rights of women and girls, have been set as preconditions for
recognizing new rulers in Afghanistan by Western countries.
“The
Taliban needs internal legitimacy for legitimacy, and some laws and principles
need to be adopted from which a government can be built,” said Shukria
Barakzai, former MP.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-176638
--------
Two
sisters and mother assassinated in Kabul, Taliban arrested assassin
09
Feb 2022
Security
officials of the Afghan capital Kabul said that they have arrested the young
man who assassinated two sisters and their mother in Police District 7 of the
city.
Two
young sisters and their mother were choked on Tuesday morning.
Close
relatives of the slain sisters and mother said that a man named Ramin broke
into the house of the victims and choked the three.
They
added that the sisters were nine and thirteen years old.
Spokesperson
of the Kabul Police Khalid Zadran said that they have arrested a man named
Ramin who has confessed his crimes of having killed three women in Kabul.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/two-sisters-and-mother-assassinated-in-kabul-taliban-arrested-assassin-87568/
--------
Stuck
in limbo, Afghan students lose hope of returning to Indian universities
SANJAY
KUMAR
February
08, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Noor Zahid Paiman wanted to obtain his computer science degree from an
Indian university this year and return to Afghanistan to become a lecturer.
But
like many other Afghan students enrolled in Indian colleges, he has been unable
to go to his campus at Sharda University in Noida for half a year now, waiting
for his visa to be renewed.
About
4,000 students from Afghanistan used to arrive in India every year to pursue
higher education — hundreds of them on Indian government scholarships.
Many
traveled home last year when India went into a lockdown during a devastating
second wave of the pandemic. They have been unable to return ever since, as the
lifting of virus restrictions in India coincided with the Taliban takeover of
Afghanistan in mid-August, which prompted New Delhi’s decision to suspend
diplomatic ties with Kabul.
The
students have been holding numerous protests in front of Indian consulates
across the country. In the latest one last week, dozens demonstrated in front
of the Indian embassy building.
“Our
future is at stake now since we have already missed one full semester due to
lack of visa,” Paiman, a native of the eastern Khost province, told Arab News
over the phone.
“For
five months, I have been stranded here and my final year exam is already
happening. I am really nervous about what’s going to happen to my future,” he
said. “I had plans to become a university professor and work for our people.”
When
the Indian embassy suspended its operations, it canceled the visas it had
issued, asking holders to reapply online.
Students
say there has been no response to their applications. “I had a valid visa, but
the Indian government canceled it, and this happened with around 2,500 students
who are stuck in Afghanistan,” Paiman said.
Farzana
Ayubi, also from Khost, found herself in the same situation. She wondered why
New Delhi has not helped them leave Afghanistan like other countries did.
“Other
countries who were not close to Kabul evacuated Afghan students,” the
second-year business student at Goa University said. “Russia, Iran, Pakistan,
Turkey, European countries and Bangladesh evacuated their students from
Afghanistan, but India is still waiting.”
Jalal
Ahmad Baryal, from the Oruzgan province, was worried about what would happen as
he was about to miss his final exams at the Gandhi Institute of Technology and
Management in Bangalore.
“For
20 years, the Indian government was with us,” he said. “But in this hour of
grave crisis, it is not helping us.”
It
is unclear whether the student visa policy will change.
“On
the specific issue of visas, I have to refer you to the Home Ministry,” India’s
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
But
officials at the Home Ministry have not replied since last week despite
attempts to reach them. The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi said it is also waiting
for Indian authorities to respond.
“It’s
a difficult situation for us,” Abdul Haq Azad, press secretary at the embassy,
told Arab News. “We have been pursuing the matter with the Indian government
for the last few months, but so far there has not been any response.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2020861/world
--------
Pakistan
IMF
wants Pakistan to ‘do more’ than just levying taxes
February
9, 2022
LAHORE:
Pakistan should not be limited to taking measures related to tax alone, but it
should also find other ways to enhance the competitiveness of the economy, said
IMF’s Resident Representative Ms Esther Perez Ruiz.
Speaking
to the office-bearers of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on
Tuesday, she said the purpose of the IMF programme is to promote macroeconomic
stability and the country’s fiscal and monetary policies must promote the
former’s vision in this regard.
She
said the IMF programme’s aim is to bring a set of policies that could promote
sustainable and inclusive growth.
She
maintained that since the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio is very low, the purpose
of eliminating sales tax exemptions to the industry through the recent finance
bill is to reduce the complexity in the taxation system.
“We
want Pakistan to attain a long-lasting and durable growth. And for this there
is need to first endeavour to implement the macroeconomic policies, leading to
the country’s economic development,” she said.
“However,
we will remain open to hear remarks, observations and concerns [on the IMF
programme] from your end,” Ms Ruiz said.
Speaking
on the occasion, LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir said the chamber is quite
sensitive about the impact of Pakistan’s ongoing 22nd IMF programme on the
national economy and particularly on the private sector growth. “We will,
however, witness the successful completion of this programme as well just like
the 21st programme,” he added.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1674090/imf-wants-pakistan-to-do-more-than-just-levying-taxes
--------
Saudi
Arabia eases travel restrictions for Pakistani pilgrims
Ikram
Junaidi
February
9, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
While Pakistan achieved another milestone in the fight against coronavirus by
vaccinating over two million people in a day, Saudi Arabia has eased travel
restrictions for the pilgrims from Pakistan intending to perform Umrah by
revising the Covid-19 guidelines.
The
development coincided with the national positivity rate dropping to 5.34 per
cent across the country, where less than 3,000 cases were reported in a day
after a one-month hiatus.
According
to the fresh guidelines for pilgrims from Pakistan intending to perform Umrah,
at the time of departure the travellers will be required to submit only a
negative PCR test report that should not be more than 48 hours old.
The
new directives will apply with effect from Feb 16 to all people intending to
perform Umrah regardless of their vaccination or immunity status, Radio
Pakistan reported.
A
National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) document available with Dawn
mentioned seven vaccines — Sinopharm, Sinovac, PakVac or Cansino, Pfizer,
AstraZeneca, Moderna and Sputnik — were being administered to people across the
country. It showed that 68pc population is vaccine eligible, with 153,615,747
(153.6m) of 228,567,704 (228.5m) people being eligible for vaccine.
The
NCOC data showed 2,017,179 doses were administered during the past one day.
Overall 187,996,736 (187.9m) doses have been administered. While 111,408,710
(111.4m) people have received at least one dose, 87,052,879 (87m) of them have
become fully vaccinated. Besides, 3,114,587 (3.1m) people have also received
booster shots.
As
the country managed to administer record over 2m doses in a day, Special
Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan in a
congratulatory message tweeted: “Highest daily vaccine doses administered
yesterday in Pakistan. Over 2 million. Well done everyone!.”
However,
according to the NCOC data, 37 patients died and 2,799 more cases were detected
in past 24 hours. There were as many as 1,668 patients in critical care on
Tuesday.
As
the number of cases reported on a daily cases dropped, major cities including
Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad reported less than 10pc positivity
while seven cities mainly in northern parts of the country reported over 10pc
positivity.
Karachi
that had been showing around 40pc positivity just a few weeks ago reported
7.65pc positivity, Islamabad’s positivity rate fell to 8.53pc, Lahore 4.19,
Rawalpindi reported 2.36pc, whereas 2.2pc positivity was recorded in
Faisalabad.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1674091/saudi-arabia-eases-travel-restrictions-for-pakistani-pilgrims
--------
Pakistan
wades into Karnataka hijab row, minister says India terrorising Muslim girl
students
Feb
09, 2022
Islamabad:
Pakistan Wednesday waded into the hijab row that has engulfed the state of
Karnataka amid the ban on wearing religious clothes in classrooms at schools
and colleges.
Pakistani
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi alleged that India was violating Muslim
girls' fundamental right by denying them the opportunity to wear hijab in
educational institutions. Qureshi called the move oppressive and alleged Muslim
girls were being terrorised. He did not stop here and said the ban on wearing a
hijab was part of India's plan of ghettoisation of Muslims.
Here
is what the Pakistani minister tweeted today:
"Depriving
Muslim girls of an education is a grave violation of fundamental human rights.
To deny anyone this fundamental right & terrorise them for wearing a hijab
is absolutely oppressive. World must realise this is part of Indian state plan
of ghettoisation of Muslims."
It
may be recalled that the BJP government in Karnataka had last week ordered a
ban on wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity and public order in
schools and colleges. The move had come after a college in Udupi had prevented
girl students from attending classes while wearing hijab. The row has now
spread across the state and the state high court is seized of the matter, with
a ruling expected today.
The
Karnataka government Tuesday ordered the closure of schools and colleges across
the state in view of the volatile situation following standoffs between
hijab-wearing girl students and saffron symbol displaying boys.
Karnataka
CM Basavaraj Bommai yesterday issued an appeal to the students.
"I
appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges as
well as people of Karnataka to maintain peace and harmony. I have ordered
closure of all high schools and colleges for next three days. All concerned are
requested to cooperate," he tweeted.
Source:
Times Now News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
England:
Cambridge Central Mosque donates tonnes food to vulnerable during pandemic
February
9, 2022
This
week, Cambridge Central Mosque of England donated 8.8 tonnes of food to
Cambridge Sustainable Food.
The
donation came with support from national charity, Islamic Relief UK and
included large amounts of staple ingredients including rice, pasta, oil,
pulses, olives, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, soups, salt, tea bags, stock
cubes and much more.
Muhammad
Ashraf, director of Cambridge Central Mosque, said: “We are honoured to be able
to help the most vulnerable in our local community at a time of tremendous
need. The pandemic has hit a lot of families very hard and many are struggling
to make ends meet.
“One
may not realise the extent of poverty in Cambridge, but it’s our duty to look
after those in need as best as we can, and we are grateful to be able to work
with partner organisations to fulfil that responsibility together.”
A
portion of this food donation was delivered directly to the community food hub
at the Edge Café on Mill Road, which is open six days a week for people to
access food for free.
The
rest will be shared amongst the other seven community food hubs operating
across the city, distributed as dry food packs to local households in need as
well as with other community organisations supporting residents facing food
poverty in Cambridge over the coming months.
Sam
Dyer MBE, CEO of Cambridge Sustainable Food, said: “We are so grateful for this
support from Cambridge Central Mosque and the local Islamic community. Food
insecurity has been a longstanding issue in Cambridge, one which has only been
made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"This
shows what we can do as a city when we work together to support some of the most
disadvantaged in our city.
"Cambridge
Sustainable Food CIC and the Food Poverty Alliance, will continue to work
together to transform the city’s local food system for the better, building a
fairer and more sustainable food future for all in Cambridge.
"Support
like this from the local community is invaluable when it comes to making this
possible.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
French
Muslims concerned about anti-Muslim sentiment in elections
FEB
09, 2022
Muslims
living in France are disturbed about the fact that Islam has emerged as one of
the key battlegrounds in the country's presidential election campaign, amid
bursts of anti-Muslim sentiment.
Far-right
candidates Marine Le Pen of the National Rally (RN) and especially the former
pundit Eric Zemmour have railed against Islam in frequent diatribes invoking
security and terrorism risks.
Their
messages are sometimes echoed by officials on the conservative right and allies
of centrist President Emmanuel Macron, with their "warnings" against
Muslims.
Such
a fierce campaign debate about Islam would be less conceivable in neighbors
like Britain and Germany, which also both have large Muslim minorities.
France,
however, still lives in the shadow of the trauma of Algeria's War of
Independence and, more recently, the Daesh terrorist attacks of 2015.
Zemmour,
who is contending with Le Pen and the traditional rightwing candidate Valerie
Pecresse to reach a second-round run-off against Macron, caused a fresh outcry
Monday by describing the town of Roubaix in northern France as
"Afghanistan two hours from Paris."
He
told France Inter Radio: "French people who are Muslims must live in the
French way and not consider that sharia law is superior to the laws of the
republic."
His
comments added to a febrile atmosphere that meant that a journalist had to be
given police protection after a televised report about the rise of Islam in
Roubaix.
The
official division of church and state in France in 1905 left secularism as one
of the cornerstones of the modern republic's identity.
Macron's
government in 2021 also brought in a new law to defend France against what the
president has described as "Islamist separatism."
'Deep
scars'
The
end of colonial rule prompted large migration flows into France in the 1950s
and 1960s, but the economic crisis that hit in the 1970s saw many of the
newcomers stuck without work in housing developments soon abandoned by the
middle class.
While
Britain and Germany also grappled with large postwar migrant arrivals, no other
European colonial power fought a war whose ferocity, duration and consequences
can compare with the Algerian War of Independence.
"The
migration issue is particularly present in France because it awakens the difficult
memory of the Algerian war," political scientist Pascal Perrineau told
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
This
"left deep scars in the collective consciousness," he said.
But
while the debate on Islam has been ever-present in France – which in 2011
banned full veil face coverings for women – many Muslims who make up almost 9%
of the country's mainland population are shocked by current levels of rhetoric.
"Sometimes
I tell myself that no one can understand quite how violent this is," said
Fatma Bouvet de la Maisonneuve, a psychiatrist of Tunisian origin and author of
the book "An Arab Woman in France."
Acknowledging
that people can be tempted to turn in upon themselves, she said: "Frankly,
sometimes we just want to meet among Arabs to tell each other how bad things
are," she said.
'Chasing
public opinion'
Marine
Le Pen's father Jean-Marie Le Pen, who made it to the second round in the 2002
presidential vote, has shocked much of France with repeated broadsides against
Islam and immigrants.
French
Muslims fear that such rhetoric has now been normalized and increasingly
supported by widespread news reports and the saturation of social media.
"I
feel bad, very bad," said Khadija, 38, a social worker in the Loiret
region in central France, who asked that her second name be withheld.
"I
have the impression that today's France spits on my grandparents, who fought to
liberate it, on my parents who came to build its roads, and on me, who has
respected all the rules of democracy and integration.
"A
few days ago, my five-year-old daughter told me that she did not like being
Arab," she said, complaining of "living under permanent suspicion, no
longer knowing what's behind the baker's smile, or what people really
think."
For
Kamel, who works for a charity association, the attacks on the night of Nov.
13, 2015, changed everything. Daesh terrorists massacred 130 people in and
around Paris at locations including restaurants and the Bataclan music venue.
"I
parted ways with many of my friends who were beginning to link Muslims with
terrorism," he said.
Source:
Daily Sabah
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
delegation in Geneva
February
9, 2022
GENEVA:
A Taliban delegation has arrived in Geneva for talks with Swiss officials and
NGOs on humanitarian access and human rights, Switzerland’s foreign ministry
said on Tuesday.
The
delegation from Afghanistan’s new rulers is due to hold talks with the Red
Cross and other non-governmental organisations in the Swiss city, which is also
home to several United Nations agencies.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1674097/taliban-delegation-in-geneva
--------
2
suspected British Daesh members arrested in Afghanistan
February
08, 2022
LONDON:
Two men suspected of joining Daesh were seized by the Taliban as they tried to
enter Afghanistan last August, an investigation by The Guardian has revealed.
They
are thought to be the first reported case of international recruitment by Daesh
since the US and its NATO allies left Afghanistan last year.
The
men, one carrying a British passport and one with another European passport,
were arrested on the Uzbek-Afghan border with more than £10,000 ($13,523) in
cash, military fatigues and night-vision goggles in their bags, according to a
Taliban source.
“There
was one passport from England and one from another country in Europe,” the
source told The Guardian, adding that both men were of Afghan descent and had
used British passports to enter Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent.
It
is not clear, The Guardian added, whether they had an additional European
passport or whether the source was confused.
Their
interception is a reminder for Western authorities that Daesh maintains an
allure to some of their own citizens, despite the terror group’s territorial
defeat in Iraq and Syria.
Hundreds
of Britons traveled to Daesh’s so-called caliphate at its height, but these men
represent the first reported case of international recruitment by Daesh since
the Taliban took power.
Daesh’s
Afghanistan presence has already proven problematic for the Taliban, having
experienced a number of terror attacks, including suicide bombings — much like
those they used against NATO forces and the former Afghan government — since
taking over.
According
to the UN, Daesh’s Afghan division has a presence in every province.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2020711/world
--------
UK’s
Corbyn urges world leaders to hold Israel to account for violations of
Palestinians' rights
06
February 2022
British
lawmakers and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on world
leaders and governments to hold the Israeli regime to account for its
“despicable” abuse of native Palestinians, further slamming Western
“democracies” for often ignoring the Israeli atrocities.
“There
must be an urgent effort from world leaders and governments to hold the Israeli
government to account for their despicable treatment of Palestinians, to end
the apartheid and bring peace to the region, with justice, dignity and the
guarantee of equal human rights for all,” Corbyn emphasized in a series of
Twitter posts on Saturday.
He
pointed to a recent Amnesty International report laying bare the Zionist
regime’s abusive treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
“Leading
global democracies, such as the UK, US and European Union, have all too often
walked by on the other side when the plight of the Palestinian people is laid
bare in the international media, or tirelessly campaigned on by organizations
such as Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Human Rights Watch,” added the
British politician.
He
referred to Amnesty’s “comprehensive report” -- released earlier in the week –
detailing the Tel Aviv regime’s treatment of Palestinians in the occupied
Palestine “as well as refugees displaced by conflict and violence across the
Middle East.”
The
development came as the US State Department reaffirmed its support for the
Israeli regime after the international rights group censured Tel Aviv for
imposing “apartheid" on Palestinians.
"The
department’s own reports have never used such terminology," US State
Department spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing on Tuesday,
insisting that the Department "reject[s] the view that Israel's actions
constitute apartheid."
Price
further claimed that the US had its "own rigorous standards and processes
for making determinations on potential human rights abuses."
This
is while Washington regularly grants the Zionist regime with nearly $3 billion
worth of lethal aid annually. It has also used its veto power at the United
Nations Security Council to block almost every resolution critical of the
regime’s atrocities over the decades.
The
remarks came after the rights body found the Israeli regime culpable of
exercising “apartheid” across the occupied Palestinian territories.
The
group has become the latest human rights organization to blame the regime for
apartheid in its abusive treatment of Palestinians.
The
nearly 300-page report details "inhuman or inhumane acts of forcible
transfer, administrative detention, torture, unlawful killings and serious
injuries, and the denial of basic rights and freedoms or persecution committed
against the Palestinian population," creating "an institutionalized
regime of systematic oppression and domination over Palestinians."
“Palestinians
are treated as an inferior racial group and are systematically deprived of
their rights,” the report further underlined.
Also
last week, over 40 members of the US Congress called on the Biden
administration to lead efforts to block a UN commission probing the Israeli
regime’s war crimes against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The
bipartisan group of 42 staunchly pro-Israel Congress members – led by New
Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer and Missouri Republican Vicky Hartzler –
claimed in a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the probe into
the Israeli war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories reflected a
"continued broader bias against Israel," further demanding that the
UN should focus its attention elsewhere.
"Please
know that while Congress may be divided on the Administration's decision to
rejoin the [UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)], we stand united in urging you to
act upon the Administration's commitment to defend Israel from discriminatory
treatment at the Human Rights Council and throughout the UN system," the
letter read as cited in a report by the UK-based Middle East Eye.
The
official letter falsely alleged that UNHRC’s mandate is "designed to
accelerate the political, economic, and legal challenges to Israel and undermine
its legitimacy by pressuring international legal institutions to take action
against Israeli leaders."
Meanwhile,
a US-based non-profit group released a short film late last month documenting
the Israeli regime’s killing of 77 Palestinian children in 2021 as part its
campaign to halt the flow of massive American funds to support the occupying
entity.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Italy
calls on Bahrain to release detained rights activist 'Abduljalil Al-Singace'
February
9, 2022
The
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a strongly-worded letter calling
on Bahrain to free detained human rights activist, Abduljalil Al-Singace.
In
the letter sent to Americans for Human Rights and Democracy in Bahrain (AHRDB),
the ministry said: "Matters of human rights violations constitute a
pivotal issue not only for Italy but for all European Union countries."
It
added that the European Union has raised the issue of human rights violations
in Bahrain, particularly Al-Singace's detention, during a high-level meeting
last year.
Italy
said it is pressing to push Bahrain to commit to its human rights obligations.
Bahraini
authorities arrested Al-Singace in 2011 after he participated in peaceful
protests calling for changes in the country. He was jailed for allegedly trying
to overthrow the regime.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
US
seeking Taliban’s cooperation in anti-ISIS fight
09
Feb 2022
Joe
Biden’s nominee for CENTCOM Lt General Erik Kurrila said there are pragmatic
instances where the US and the Taliban can come together and fight the ISIS-K
and take out the terrorists’ targets in Afghanistan.
During
his nomination hearing before the Senate on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, Erik
Kurrila said that despite the drawdown of American forces from Afghanistan,
they will still be able to conduct over-the-horizon operations and hit Al-Qaida
and ISIS targets in the country.
“over-the-horizon”
counter-terrorism operations — strikes launched from another country or an
aircraft carrier — in Afghanistan against ISIS and Al Qaeda targets are
“difficult, but not impossible” after the US drawdown.” Said the CENTCOM
nominee.
General
Erik Kurrila said that the US has conducted no airstrike since their full
withdrawal on August 30 last year.
Though
the Biden administration has repeatedly said that they will retain abilities in
the region to strike Al-Qaida and ISIS-K targets in Afghanistan, the nominee
said that they need at least one sensor on the target to have it eliminated.
General
Kurrila is also dubious about flying through Pakistan as it will pose
challenges but acknowledged that Islamabad has several incentives to cooperate
in this regard.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/us-seeking-talibans-cooperation-in-anti-isis-fight-656587/
--------
Disagreements
resurface between US, Israel over 2015 Iran deal revival
07
February 2022
Fundamental
disagreements have resurfaced between the United States and its key ally – the
Israeli regime – over diplomatic efforts to revive the Iran deal, with the
latter overtly attacking Washington’s Iran policy as "mistaken" and
"detrimental to its security".
Israel’s
National Security adviser Eyal Hulata told the Israeli cabinet that Tel Aviv
was preparing for a scenario where the talks between Iran and the five
remaining parties to the 2015 deal in the Austrian capital, Vienna, can yield a
new deal that doesn’t serve its interest, Axios cited four ministers, who
attended the meeting, as saying.
He
also said that the Israeli regime was preparing for a scenario where no deal is
reached and Iran’s nuclear program “continues with no restraints.”
At
the top of the meeting, Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett also said a deal
with Iran, according to terms that are being negotiated in Vienna, will
undermine Israel’s ability to “deal with” Tehran’s nuclear program, Axios
reported.
“Whoever
thinks that an agreement will increase stability — is mistaken,” Bennett
claimed, in clear defiance of the Biden administration’s professed goal of trying
to rejoin the nuclear deal.
Later
in the day, Bennett and Biden held a phone call, during which they discussed
the Vienna talks.
The
phone call apparently failed to persuade Washington to side with Tel Aviv on
this issue, as US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said on Sunday night
that “President (Joe) Biden still wants us to negotiate in Vienna.”
US:
JCPOA revival in our interest
Malley
added that he would soon head to Vienna for the next round of talks, stressing
that the revival of the deal is “in our interest”.
“We’ll
come back next week. That’s a symbol or a sign of our continued belief that it
is not a dead corpse – that we need to revive it because it is in our
interest," Malley told MSNBC in an interview.
The
nuclear deal is formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Negotiations were launched in April 2021 under the Biden administration to have
the US return to the JCPOA and lift US sanctions in exchange for Iran returning
to its nuclear obligations.
Former
US president Donald Trump launched the maximum pressure policy against Iran in
2018 after he pulled the US out of the JCPOA – a decision cheered by the
Israeli regime’s former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had openly
clashed with Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, when the deal was inked.
While
Bennett initially soft-pedaled a US return to the JCPOA and took a far less
provocative posture toward the deal than did Netanyahu, he has begun in recent
weeks to sound more and more like the former Israeli premier over Washington’s
policy toward Iran.
Bennett
has openly announced that a revived JCPOA will not be acceptable to Israel.
“We
must be honest in saying we have disagreements with the United States, our
great friend. The way we see it, Iran is playing with a very weak hand and is
bluffing. This lie must be exposed, and they must be given a choice—survival of
the regime or a continued race to nuclear capabilities, and they must not be
given a gift of tens of billions … Either way, even if an agreement is signed,
it will not bind us,” he said recently.
A
report in the New York Times also said: “Israeli leaders say they want a
guarantee from the Biden administration that Washington will not seek to
restrain their sabotage campaign, even if a renewed nuclear deal is reached.”
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/02/07/676341/Disagreements-resurface-US-Israel-Iran-deal-revival
--------
US,
UAE to develop tech to stop drone attacks before launch as defence ties bolster
08
February ,2022
The
US will work with the UAE and its partners in the region to develop solutions
to stop drone attacks even before they are launched, General Kenneth F.
McKenzie, Commander of US Central Command, said in an interview with the
Emirates state media WAM.
McKenzie
was on an official visit to the UAE, where he met Lt. Gen. Hamad Mohammed Thani
al-Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, and addressed “several
issues of common concern,” on Tuesday, according to WAM.
“Even
as the UAE has come under attack, the United States has moved quickly and
swiftly to help an old friend,” McKenzie said in the interview.
“We
are happy to see that THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system]
employed successfully by UAE in the first two combat employments of that
system,” said the US official, referring to the latest two attacks that were
attempted against the Emirates.
THAAD
is a US-built anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to intercept
projectiles in their terminal phase.
The
UAE successfully downed three drones on a January 31 attack and another on
February 2, both of which did not impact civilian life in the country.
However,
the January 17 attack on an ADNOC facility killed three expats, a reported
first in the UAE.
“Although
the attacks on the UAE are very concerning to the US,” he said to WAM, “I think
the UAE has one of the most professional militaries in the region. They’re very
well-led, and I think the UAE is a very safe and secure place.”
On
February 2, after the Iran-backed Houthis attempted missile attacks in the UAE,
the US promised to deploy a guided missile destroyer and state-of-the-art
fighter jets.
“Over
the next week or so, we’re going to bring in a squadron of F-22 fighter jets,”
confirmed McKenzie, adding that “we brought a guided-missile destroyer, the USS
Cole, which has ballistic missile defense capabilities,” and is expected to
actively patrol the UAE’s waters.
The
Iran-backed militia frequently target civilian areas and energy facilities in
Saudi Arabia with explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles.
These
attacks have invited global condemnation and high-level talks are underway to
find a solution to the recurring issue.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Congressional
Republicans call for review, vote on any deal with Iran
08
February 2022
Thirty-three
US senators from the Republican Party have called on the administration of
President Joe Biden to relay the terms of any new deal with Iran to Congress
for approval.
The
group, led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, warned the Biden administration on Monday
that they would work to thwart the implementation of a new agreement with Iran
if its terms were not approved by them.
Cruz,
who is an outspoken critic of the 2015 nuclear deal, said the Republican
senators would use “the full range of options and leverage available” to ensure
any new accord with Iran adhered to US laws and policy.
A
new round of talks in Vienna between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries on
reviving the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
were launched in April last year, shortly after Biden assumed office as US
president, with the aim of bringing the Americans back into the deal, which
former president Donald Trump exited in 2018.
Iranian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said a deal can be reached if the
US and other JCPOA signatories provide guarantees that they will honor the
deal.
“In
recent weeks, Iran has done what it had to do, and much depends on the
decisions of the other side,” Khatibzadeh noted.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/02/08/676428/US-Iran-nuclear-deal-Republican-Senators-Cruz-
--------
Africa
Tunisia
must restore judicial watchdog: UN, Western envoys
08
February ,2022
Western
envoys to Tunisia and the UN rights chief urged President Kais Saied on Tuesday
to restore a key judicial watchdog, warning that scrapping it threatens the
rule of law.
Saied
dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) on Sunday, months after sacking
the government and seizing wide-reaching powers in the North African country,
often lauded as the only democracy to emerge from the 2011 Arab revolts.
“This
has been a big step in the wrong direction,” UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement, adding that the move “is in clear
violation of Tunisia’s obligations under international human rights law.”
In
Tunis, the envoys of the G7 nations and the European Union said they were
“deeply concerned about the announcement of the intention to unilaterally
dissolve (the CSM), whose mission is to ensure the sound functioning of the
justice system and respect for its independence.”
“A
transparent, independent and efficient judiciary and the separation of powers
are essential for a functioning democracy that serves its people,” they said in
a joint statement.
The
council had been mandated to ensure the functioning of justice and the
independence of the judiciary, as well as appointing judges.
The
UN rights office pointed out that its establishment in 2016 had been seen as a
major advance for the rule of law, separation of powers and the independence of
the judiciary in Tunisia.
On
Monday, Tunisian police blocked access to the council, preventing members and
staff from entering the premises, a move its chief Youssef Bouzakher said was
“illegal.”
Saied,
whose supporters say his July 25 power grab was necessary after a decade of
misgovernance, vowed Monday he would “never interfere with the judiciary,” and
said scrapping the body had been necessary.
He
had repeatedly accused judges on the body of corruption.
Critics
say the former law professor has pushed the country down a dangerous slope
towards autocracy.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libyan
army hails Turkiye's role in training its personnel
Mohammad
Erteima
08.02.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
The
Libyan army on Tuesday commended the role of Turkiye in training the Libyan
army personnel.
"We
extol the good level of training after implementing the training plan drafted
jointly with the Turkish support mission in Libya," Nouri al-Shenouk,
director of training in the Libyan army, said during a graduation ceremony
attended by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and the head of the Turkish
military mission in Libya, Osman Aytac.
"The
Turkish delegation played the biggest role in the training process,"
al-Shenouk added.
For
his part, Aytac said Ankara is keen on establishing peace and stability in
Libya, adding that his mission seeks to raise the Libyan army's efficiency to
international standards.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libyan-army-hails-turkiyes-role-in-training-its-personnel/2497326
--------
Prosecution
seeks 30 years in prison for Burkina Faso former President Compaore in
Sankara’s murder
James
Tasamba
08.02.2022
KIGALI,
Rwanda
Prosecutors
on Tuesday asked a military tribunal to sentence former Burkina Faso President
Blaise Compaore to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of the
former revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara.
Compaore
and 13 others were charged with complicity, undermining state security and
concealing corpses, according to a charge sheet.
During
the hearing at the military court in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou,
prosecutors said they presented sufficient evidence and asked the court to
convict Campaore.
They
also asked for 30 years for Hyacinthe Kafando, who was Campaore’s security
chief, both of whom were tried in absentia.
The
arrest warrant issued against the two defendants must be maintained,
prosecutors told the court.
They
also sought a 20-year jail term for Gen. Gilbert Diendere, a former head of the
elite Presidential Security Regiment (RSP) under Campaore.
Sankara
assumed power in 1983. But he was killed Oct. 15, 1987, during a coup led by
Compaore, a former ally.
Campaore,
70, who was deposed in 2014 through a popular uprising after 27 years in power,
lives in exile in Ivory Coast.
He
has always denied allegations that he ordered Sankara’s killing.
The
trial of 14 people accused of plotting Sankara’s assassination began in
October, 34 years after his murder.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tunisia's
president says decree to dissolve judicial body ready
Alaa
Hammoudi
08.02.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisian
President Kais Saied said Monday that a draft decree to dissolve the Supreme
Judicial Council is ready, stressing the necessity to take such a move.
Saied
said while receiving his Prime Minister Najla Bouden that resorting to the
council's dissolution became necessary and that he will review the dissolution
proposal to make some amendments if needed.
He
also said the move to dissolve the council is to eliminate corruption within
the judiciary and to punish criminals whom he said are protected by the
judiciary.
The
council is an independent constitutional body whose tasks include ensuring the
independence of the judiciary, holding judges accountable, and granting them
professional promotions.
On
Sunday, the council issued a statement announcing its rejection of Saied’s
decision, saying the move was illegal and unconstitutional.
Various
judicial bodies and political parties also rejected the decision.
Tension
has marred Saied’s relations with the council, with the Tunisian leader
criticizing the judiciary over delays in issuing rulings in cases of corruption
and terrorism.
Last
July, Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament and assumed
executive authority amid mounting public anger over economic stagnation and
political paralysis.
While
Saied insists that his "exceptional measures" were meant to
"save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tunisia’s
foreign minister endorses dissolution of judicial council
Mehmet
Akif Turan
09.02.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisia’s
foreign minister on Tuesday endorsed the dissolution of the country’s Supreme
Judicial Council by the president.
The
decision to dissolve the judicial council is part of the continuity of the
rectification of the democratic process launched by President Kais Saied on
July 25, 2021, said Othman Jerandi in a meeting with ambassadors of G-7
countries in Tunisia and the representative of the UN Human Rights Commission.
The
decision was made to facilitate the planned judicial reform which eventually
aims to create a politics-free, independent judicial structure in the country,
he added.
On
Sunday, Saied announced plans to dissolve the council, an independent
constitutional body whose tasks include ensuring the independence of the
judiciary, holding judges accountable, and granting them professional
promotions.
The
council “has become a thing of the past,” Saied said, accusing it of becoming a
place “where positions and appointments are sold according to loyalties.”
Tunisian
security forces closed the council’s headquarters Monday and prevented
employees from entering it.
Last
July, Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament and assumed
executive authority amid mounting public anger over economic stagnation and
political paralysis.
While
Saied insists that his "exceptional measures" were meant to
"save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Foreign
envoys voice concern over plans to dissolve Tunisia’s judicial council
Yosra
Ounnas
08.02.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Foreign
ambassadors to Tunisia on Tuesday voiced concern over plans by Tunisian
President Kais Saied to dissolve the country's Supreme Judicial Council.
"A
transparent, independent and efficient judiciary and the separation of powers
are essential for a functioning democracy," said a joint statement issued
by the diplomatic missions of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain,
the US and the European Union.
On
Monday, Saied said he has prepared a decree to dissolve the council, which he
described as a place “where positions and appointments are sold according to
loyalties.”
The
council is an independent constitutional body whose tasks include ensuring the
independence of the judiciary, holding judges accountable, and granting them
professional promotions.
On
Sunday, the judicial council condemned Saied’s plans to dissolve it as
“unconstitutional”.
Tension
has marred Saied’s relations with the council, with the Tunisian leader criticizing
the judiciary over delays in issuing rulings in cases of corruption and
terrorism.
Last
July, Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament and assumed
executive authority amid mounting public anger over economic stagnation and
political paralysis.
While
Saied insists that his "exceptional measures" were meant to
"save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
President
Rayeesi: Independent States Can Overcome Sanctions via Expanding Cooperation
2022-February-8
The
Iranian president made the remarks in a meeting with new Cuban Ambassador to
Tehran Alberto González Casals on Tuesday.
President
Rayeesi said that anti-imperialism and anti-oppression stance of Iran and Cuba
has helped to get closer to each other.
"The
two nations should expand their bilateral relations in cultural, trade and
economic fields," he added.
The
Iranian president said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has strategic
relations with all countries which are in front line against the arrogant
powers.
After
submitting a copy of his credentials to President Rayeesi, the Cuban ambassador
described Havana-Tehran ties as strong and brotherly, and called for developing
the current level of economic cooperation.
In
a relevant development in January, Iranian Vice-President for Economic Affairs
Mohsen Rezayee in a meeting with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel underlined
the need for strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries to
confront the US embargos.
The
meeting was held on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of Nicaragua's
President Daniel Ortega in Managua.
Rezayee
attended the ceremony on behalf of the President of Iran and met and held talks
with high-ranking officials from different Latin American countries.
During
the meeting, the Cuban President sent his special greetings to the Iranian
Leader and President, said the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran's
UN Ambassador Stresses Punishment of Sanctioning States
2022-February-8
Unilateral
sanctions target ordinary people and cause them unnecessary suffering, Takht
Ravanchi said.
Referring
to the sanctions imposed on Iran, he said that as the Iranian president pointed
out at the UN General Assembly, sanctions are a clear violation of
international law, including human rights and international humanitarian law,
and should be banned.
These
criminal acts are tantamount to committing crimes against humanity, Takht
Ravanchi said, adding that sanctioning countries should not go unpunished for
committing such heinous crimes.
In
relevant remarks in October, Takht Ravanchi blasted the unilateral sanctions
imposed by the US on developing countries, and said that such embargoes have
violated the indisputable and basic principles of human rights of these
nations.
He
made the remarks in an address to the Second Committee of the UN General
Assembly, which deals with global finance and economic matters.
"Such
illegal restrictive measures amount to crime against humanity and contradict
the goals of development," the Iranian ambassador said.
He
described the COVID‑19 pandemic as a "wake‑up
call for the whole world" that reminded humanity that the development,
welfare and prosperity of all people are interdependent.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001119000578/Iran's-UN-Ambassadr-Sresses-Pnishmen-f-Sancining-Saes
--------
Israel
hits missile targets in Syria: Military
09
February ,2022
Israel
launched strikes against targets in Syria early Wednesday, hitting
anti-aircraft batteries in response to a missile fired from Syria, the military
said.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Sirens
were sounded in the northern Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm after the Syrian
missile launch but it exploded in mid-air, the Israel Defense Forces tweeted.
“In
response to the anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria earlier tonight, we
just struck surface-to-air missile targets in Syria, including radar &
anti-aircraft batteries,” the IDF said.
Syrian
state media said the country’s air defenses had been activated against Israeli
fire “in the vicinity of Damascus.”
Citing
a military source, it said Israeli aerial attacks began shortly before 1 a.m.
and were accompanied at 1:10 a.m. by surface-to-surface missile strikes “from
the direction of the occupied Golan.”
“Our
aerial defenses confronted the enemy’s missiles and shot some of them down,”
the Syrian news agency SANA said.
SANA
stated that one soldier was killed and five others wounded, “along with
material damage”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
forces kill three Palestinian militants in the West Bank
08
February ,2022
Israeli
forces killed three Palestinian gunmen travelling in a car in the occupied West
Bank on Tuesday, Israel's domestic security service said.
The
Palestinian Foreign Ministry described the incident as “an ugly field
execution.”
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Israeli
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israeli forces had shown that “terrorists
have no immunity.”
Israel’s
Shin Bet security service said the men were armed, and described them as a
squad responsible for shooting attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians
in the area in recent weeks.
No
casualties were reported in those attacks, which stoked tensions in the West
Bank and raised Israeli security concerns.
Al
Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said the three men were members of their group, which is
linked to President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group.
A
video seen by Reuters showed paramedics carrying the bloodied men on stretchers
into an ambulance near a car riddled with bullets, as people gathered around
them.
“Israel
is responsible for this criminal assassination. It is part of their ongoing
crimes,” said Monir Al-Jaghoub, a Fatah spokesperson in the West Bank.
Israel’s
Bennett said in a statement: “Whoever harms us, will be hit.”
A
Palestinian source had earlier on Tuesday said the men belonged to the Islamic
Jihad group, but a source in the movement later denied that.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Diplomatic
flurry suggests new momentum as Iran nuclear talks resume
8
February ,2022
A
flurry of diplomacy preceding the resumption of Iran nuclear talks in the
Austrian capital on Tuesday suggests sides are trying to close in on a
long-sought agreement.
Iran
and China coordinated strategies going into Tuesday’s renewed negotiations in
Vienna on reviving world powers’ nuclear deal with Tehran. Russian President
Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, indicated his country’s position was closely
tracking France’s.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Confidence-building
gestures by the US and Iran have generated new optimism that the sides are
inching toward an agreement that could see Iran exporting oil again before the
end of the year, in exchange for constraints on its nuclear program. But
disputes remain over the timing of sanctions relief and which centrifuges Iran
will be allowed to operate.
Oil
has dropped this week, snapping seven straight weekly gains, partly because of
the progress in the Iranian talks.
Iran
“stressed the need for realism from the western parties to the talks, according
to a Foreign Ministry statement issued after the call late Monday between
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Chinese counterpart,
Wang Yi.
China
called the Gulf nation a “strategic partner while suggesting Iran’s principled
demands “will receive full attention at the talks, state-run Xinhua reported
Wang as saying.
The
negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear pact, which unraveled after the Trump
administration jettisoned it four years ago, have played up the rising
importance of Tehran’s links to Beijing. Analysts have suggested that energy
traders weighing the probability of a revived accord pay attention to growing
economic relations between the countries.
But
while Tehran’s strengthening links to Beijing and Moscow have long been
recognized, alignment between France and Russian President Vladimir Putin
potentially signals new momentum in negotiations that have dragged on for 10
months.
“We
agreed that our positions on this matter are very close, or, as diplomats say,
coincide, Putin said after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in
Moscow on Monday.
Russia’s
envoy to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, told the Moscow newspaper Kommersant that
negotiators have reached the finish line, even as counterparts in the US have
suggested significant gaps remain. If an agreement is reached, a preparation
period for its implementation will begin, which may take a month or two, Ulyanov
was cited as saying.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
forces kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank city of Nablus
Qais
Abu Samra
08.02.2022
RAMALLAH
An
Israeli force member killed on Tuesday three civilians in the city of Nablus,
northern West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced.
The
ministry said in a press statement that "the three citizens were martyred
as a result of the Israeli occupation's direct shooting at them in the city of
Nablus."
Eyewitnesses
told Anadolu Agency that an Israeli special force member, hidden in a civilian
vehicle, stormed the Nablus' Al-Makhfieh neighborhood, and opened fire at a
Palestinian car.
Activists
circulated a video showing an Israeli special force running after firing at the
car.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
OIC
condemns Israel’s killing of 3 Palestinians in Nablus
February
09, 2022
DUBAI:
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the Israeli
occupation forces’ killing of three Palestinian youths in Nablus on Tuesday.
According
to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the OIC said the crime comes in the context of
the policy of field executions and premeditated killings of the Palestinian
people.
The
OIC clarified that the recent act of violence is a violation of the
international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
It
has also called on the international community, especially the UN Security
Council, to assume its legal and political responsibilities.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2021146/middle-east
--------
Southeast Asia
Malaysia
Must Clarify Whether Envoy’s ‘Promise’ to Taliban Had Govt OK
2022-02-08
A
controversy over Malaysia’s envoy to the Middle East purportedly promising aid
to the Taliban government in Afghanistan refuses to die down.
Abdul
Hadi Awang, the envoy who also leads the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said
Tuesday through his representative that his meeting with a senior Taliban
official in Doha last week was just a “dialogue.” He indicated that any
discussion about aid was akin to Malaysia’s donation to the U.N. for
humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.
But
political analysts and opposition leaders say the government needs to break its
silence and state whether the cabinet approved such a promise to the
strife-torn nation, given that Muslim-majority Malaysia has not recognized the
Taliban government. The Taliban took power in Kabul last August after toppling
a Western-backed administration.
“If
the meeting happened without the official endorsement of the [Malaysian]
government, then Hadi, as an appointed envoy, has exceeded his powers as an
envoy,” Mazlan Ali, a senior lecturer with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, told
BenarNews.
“This
is especially the case when the Taliban-led Afghan government is yet to be
officially recognized by Putrajaya. A clear explanation [about what actually
transpired] should be given by the government and the Foreign Ministry.”
Abdul
Hadi met with the Taliban’s permanent representative to the United Nations,
Mohammed Suhail Shaheen, on Feb. 3. On the same day, the latter posted a
message on Twitter about Abdul Hadi’s discussion with him.
“He
promised [that] Malaysia will do what it can to assist the Afghan people in
this critical time,” Shaheen said.
The
Taliban ambassador to the U.N. was referring to an acute humanitarian crisis in
Afghanistan. According to a recent statement from the World Food Program, a
United Nations agency, 23 million Afghans are going hungry and 8.7 million are
at the risk of starvation.
Meanwhile,
the Malaysian government has not issued any statement about Abdul Hadi’s
meeting last week.
On
Tuesday, BenarNews contacted officials at the Foreign Ministry but did not hear
back from them immediately. However last month, Foreign Minister Saifuddin
Abdullah said that Malaysia was not rushing to recognize Afghanistan under the
Taliban leadership.
“We
would prefer the recognition through certain international platforms, say the
[Organization of Islamic Cooperation]. That is our stand for now,” Saifuddin
told reporters then.
Another
analyst, James Chin, with the University of Tasmania, noted that Abdul Hadi’s
PAS party had consistently voiced supported for the Taliban since the political
movement was formed.
Last
August, Abdul Hadi’s son, Muhammad Khalil, who is chairman of PAS’s international
affairs and external relations committee, tweeted his congratulations to the
Taliban when the United States and other members of an international coalition
withdrew the last of their troops from Afghanistan.
“It’s
obvious the cabinet hasn’t made a decision about the Taliban [administration]
so [Abdul] Hadi Awang is jumping the gun by offering aid and an indirect form
of recognition by meeting the Taliban,” Chin told BenarNews.
“He’s
in a position to offer aid in his personal capacity, or [from] PAS, as a party.
But if you read the reports carefully, it seems like he offered aid on behalf
of the Malaysian government. That, I think, is quite unusual.”
Meanwhile,
Abdul Hadi’s political secretary, Syahir Sulaiman, defended the meeting with
the Taliban’s Shaheen and claimed that that it was arranged by Qatar’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs upon Malaysia’s request.
“The
session with [the] Afghan/Taliban rep[resentative] in Doha was a ‘dialogue’
session, arranged by [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] Qatar upon our request,”
Syahir said in statement on Tuesday, although BenarNews could not confirm this
claim.
“[The]
whole world is engaging Afghan/Taliban through multiple channels of ‘dialogue,’
including the OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation], the U.N., the US, and
China,” he added.
Source:
Benar News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Indonesian
croc freed after five years trapped in tyre
February
09, 2022
PALU,
Indonesia: A wild crocodile in Indonesia who was trapped in a tire for more
than five years has been rescued, freed from its rubber vice and released back
into the wild, officials and residents said Tuesday.
Sulawesi
Island spotted the animal with a motorbike tire wrapped around its neck.
But
it was a local resident who snared the 5.2-meter (17 foot) long reptile — who
was regularly seen sunbathing in the Palu river in Central Sulawesi — from its
tight squeeze late on Monday.
Tili,
a 34-year-old bird-seller, used chicken as bait and ropes to catch the beast at
the end of what he said was a three-week rescue effort, before dozens of locals
helped to drag the crocodile to shore and cut the tire around its neck.
“I
just wanted to help, I hate seeing animals trapped and suffering,” Tili, who
like many Indonesians uses only one name, told AFP.
His
first two attempts to rescue the croc failed because the ropes were not strong
enough to contend with its weight, he said, before turning to nylon ropes used
for tugging boats.
“I
was already exhausted so I let them finish the rescue, the crocodile was
unbelievably heavy, everybody was sweating and getting very tired.”
The
crocodile was released back into the water immediately after the rescue to
relieved cheers from locals.
Conservationists
believe someone may have deliberately placed the tire around the croc’s neck in
a failed attempt to trap it as a pet in the archipelago nation that is home to
several species of the animal.
Tili
beat the authorities to the capture because they lacked the proper equipment
for a rescue in the river that houses more than 30 other crocodiles.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2021076/offbeat
--------