Hindu – Muslim unity lives with Ayyappa Swamy traditions
New
Age Islam News Bureau
07
November 2022
Representational
Image
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• No Hindutva or RSS
extremism involved in Leicester violence: Report
•
Taliban reveal burial place of founder Mullah Omar, 9 years after death
•
Imran Khan committing 'treason' against Pakistan: Interior minister Sanaullah
•
Muslim preacher Kazim Elias says withdrew from Larut race because blood is
thicker than water
•
Looting Syrian oil, US forces smuggle over 40 tankers into Iraq
•
Iran lawmakers demand severe punishment for ‘rioters’ as protests rage
•
5 killed in attack at Somali military training camp
•
US backs two-state solution in call to Palestinian leader
India
•
Krishna puja sees Muslim, Hindu youth join hands in Karnataka
•
BJP’s Ashish Shelar accuses Uddhav Thackeray of religious appeasement
--------
Europe
•
Germany, other EU members plan to expand Iran sanctions: Media
•
Pope Francis says church fighting child abuse ‘as best we can’
•
3 arrested in suspected far-right assault in Berlin
•
Ukrainian, EU leaders discuss aid, grain deal, further sanctions against Iran
•
UK police: Migrant center firebombing motivated by terrorist ideology
--------
South Asia
•
West is moving too slowly in engaging with Taliban: US Representative
•
Hamid Karzai’s brother, Mahmood detained by Taliban at Kabul airport
•
Afghanistan: Landslide hits Badakshan province, one killed
•
Taliban: Moscow Meeting, ‘Incomplete’ Without Taliban Representatives
•
Hamid Karzai’s brother, a key Afghan businessman detained by Taliban at Kabul
airport
•
Taliban Reports Nearly $1 Billion in Afghan Exports in Last 7 Months
•
Afghanistan: Retired govt employees protest against Taliban for non-payment of
pensions in Kabul
--------
Pakistan
•
Imran Khan-led march against Pakistan govt to resume Tuesday from the same
point where he was attacked
•
World powers must focus on human survival, security instead of wars; say
leaders of faith
•
Punjab IG Faisal Shahkar steps aside over Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s diatribe
•
Shah Mahmood Qureshi to lead march until Imran recovers
•
Imran endorses PM-suggested SC probe panel
•
Fazl expresses ‘doubts’ about attack on Imran
•
‘Hakeem’ Sanaullah prepared effective remedy to deal with PTI marchers: Fazl
•
3,000 Sikh yatrees arrive in city through Wahga
--------
Southeast Asia
•
Over 80 Malaysia-bound Rohingya detained in Myanmar
•
Bandar Tiram An Nur Mosque inspired by Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque architecture
•
Once again, Malaysia’s Anwar bids to become prime minister
•
PAS non-Muslim wing accepts the 4 seats offered by party
--------
Arab World
•
6 killed as regime forces attack refugee camp in Syria’s Idlib
•
Al Azhar Grand Imam meets Supreme Judicial Council Deputy President
•
Russia: HTS militants, White Helmets preparing false-flag operations in Syria’s
Idlib
•
HM King bids farewell to HH Pope of Vatican and Grand Imam Shaikh of Al Azhar
•
Activists Say Saudi Officials to Execute 8 Teenagers from over Trumped-Up
Terror Allegations
•
Pope urges Lebanon’s politicians to ‘put aside’ personal interests
•
Six displaced Syrians, including two children, killed in regime rocket strike
•
COP27 summit in Egypt to begin with plea to discuss climate compensation
•
Bahrain will build on partnership with Israel: King’s adviser
•
UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah, Turkey’s Cavusoglu discuss ties, energy at Abu Dhabi
event
•
Royal Saudi Air Force jet crashes during drills, crew unharmed: Defense
ministry
•
Iraq considers reinstating conscription
•
Families of Bahraini political prisoners threatened, prevented from seeing Pope
--------
Mideast
•
Sounds of Sufism combine with Persian music in Oud Festival
•
Israeli settlers have high hopes after Netanyahu election win
•
Hamas: Palestinian martyrs’ blood will haunt Israel across Palestine like a
curse
•
Amsterdam mosque hosts thousands of non-Muslims during Night of Museums
•
Iran Unveils Advanced Home-Made Missile Defense System
•
FM Underlines Failure US Plan B in Iran
•
Iran Successfully Launches Qaem 100 Solid Fuel Suborbital Carrier
•
Security Forces Arrest MKO Terrorists in Southern Iran
•
IRGC Commander: Iran's Enemies Retreating to Defensive Shell
•
Iran Slams US As Terrorists Godfather
•
At least 304 people killed in Iran’s Mahsa Amini protests: Rights group
•
Israeli army shoots dead Palestinian in West Bank: Health ministry
•
Four injured in new mining accident following blast in northwest Turkey
•
US, UK preparing for fresh escalation in Yemen: Ansarullah
--------
Africa
•
Morocco arrests 300 migrants trying to cross border into Spain
•
Sudan warns Bashir loyalists against interfering in army’s affairs
•
Opposition bloc calls for forming national salvation gov’t in Tunisia
--------
North America
•
Iran President Raisi says country thwarted US destabilization
•
Arab and Muslim candidates key to outcome of US midterm elections
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Hindu
– Muslim unity lives with Ayyappa Swamy traditions
Syed
Ali Mujtaba
7th
November 2022
Representational
Image
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Visakhapatnam:
Setting an example of communal harmony, Andhra Pradesh’s Muslim Youth welfare
and Minorities Protection Council members served food to Lord Ayappa devotees
in Visakhapatnam on November 2, 2022.
Led
by the council president, Shahrukh Shibli, and other members like Zaheer and
Abu Nasar, the Muslim youth served food to Lord Ayyappa devotees at Ramalayam
in Sitaramanagar in Visakhapatnam.
Muslim
youth, as per the traditions served vegetarian food throughout the day and
ensured they did not offend any of the Ayappa devotees’ rituals.
Commenting
on the gesture shown by the Muslim youth, council president Shahrukh Shibli
said our purpose is to show how doing good deeds religion can serve humanity
and to negate the idea that religion is a barrier between human beings or a
cause of distress to them.
The
Ayyappa devotees, who are observing Ayyappa Deeksha appreciated the good work
of the Muslim youth and commended their deeds as they set an example of
communal harmony in the country.
Lord
Ayyappa, is the presiding deity of the Sabarimala temple complex located at
Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village,
Pathanamthitta district of Kerala is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites
in the world where over 10 to 15 million devotee’s visits every year.
The
temple is open for worship only from the days of 15 November to 26 December. In
preparation for the pilgrimage, all the Ayyappa devotees wear black dresses for
41 days.
As
a part of the tradition Ayyappa devotees should lead a life of a hermit and
avoid all worldly pleasure and avoid taking alcohol and non-vegetarian food,
should not cut hair and nails a shave and their actions; thoughts should not
hurt the feelings of others at any circumstances.
Males
of any age can visit the Ayyappan temple but menstruating women are not allowed
entry into the Sabarimala temple. This nonentry of the women into the temple
sparked a huge protest and this case was heard in the Supreme Court that first
ruled in favor of the women but later sent to a higher bench for reference.
The
Ayyappan temple pilgrimage includes a unique tradition, that Hindu devotes
first have to offer prayer at an Erumeli Mosque situated at the foot of the
Sabrimala mountain. The mosque has the grave of Vavaru, a Muslim saint and a
close friend of Ayappan.
At
the mosque, the Muslim priests respectfully treat all the Ayyappa devotees by
garlanding after that a procession out from the mosque to a nearby temple at
Erumeli to pay respect to Ayyappa Swamy.
The
relevance of the Ayyapan festival is that it promotes communal harmony. It also
asserts that Hindus and Muslims are equal before God.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hindu-muslim-unity-lives-with-ayyappa-swamy-traditions-2451086/
--------
No
Hindutva or RSS extremism involved in Leicester violence: Report
Nov
6, 2022
Leicester
during the unrest.
----------
LONDON:
The first report into the cause of the recent Hindu-Muslim clashes in Leicester
and Birmingham has found no evidence of any Hindutva or RSS extremism. Instead,
the report by the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) UK think tank has concluded that
a group of social media influencers, some with links to terrorism, peddled this
fake narrative to stir up tensions and instigate the violence.
The
report, published on the HJS website and written by Charlotte Littlewood, a
research fellow at HJS and former counter-extremism coordinator, said that a
fake narrative of “RSS terrorists” being behind the unrest was peddled by social
media influencers to rally Muslims from across the UK to attend the protests.
One influencer with over 800,000 followers posted a video of himself leading a
group through Leicester captioned “Muslim patrol in Leicester” and called on
Muslims to “defend themselves against Hindu fascism”.
Littlewood
found that the unrest was the result of a “micro-community cohesion issue”
between Muslim and Hindu youth in Leicester “holding prejudicial attitudes
towards one another” which was “falsely presented as an issue of organised
Hindutva extremism and terrorism”.
Another
with 150,000 followers spread fake news at the time that Hindus had kidnapped a
Muslim girl. He had earlier boasted on social media that he was involved with D
Company in Pakistan and praised Dawood Ibrahim.
Another
influencer — consistently afforded a platform by UK media to peddle the
narrative that Hindutva played a role in Leicester — has previously offered
prayers for the brother of an ISIS fighter and to the Taliban.
One
of the lead agitators against LGBT teaching in schools, who led the protests
against the screening of the Lady of Heaven film, played a key role in inciting
the crowd that surrounded the Hindu temple in Birmingham, the report said.
Convicted
hate preacher Anjem Choudary and the banned group Hizb ut-Tahrir, whose aim is
to re-establish the Islamic Caliphate, also publicly linked the Leicester
unrest to Hindutva.
For
some time, there has been a territorial issue between recently arrived members
of the Daman and Diu community, many of whom hold Portuguese passports, and the
local Muslim community, she notes. The Daman and Diu community moved into a
predominantly Muslim area of East Leicester and tend to hold boisterous and
raucous celebrations of Hindu festivals with music and alcohol continuing late
into the night, which upset some of their Muslim neighbours.
Police
are investigating allegations of both sides engaging in name-calling, threats
of violence and assaults. But there is “no evidence of involvement of any
organised Hindu extremist or terrorist groups,” her report states.
But
false allegations linking Hindus to “Hindutva” led to Hindu cars and properties
being attacked, attacks on a Hindu festival and Hindu businesses being
boycotted.
It
was because of this that local Daman and Diu men organised a “Hindu
neighbourhoods safety march” on September 17 to show they had a right to live
safely in their neighbourhood. But that descended into violence when hundreds
of Muslims showed up, spurred on by the influencers.
Many
Hindus have since had to remove Hindu symbols from their cars and doors. Some
were temporarily unable to return to their homes, Littlewood wrote.
The
men who organised the Hindu march had their photos splashed across social media
with the words “Hindutva terrorists” even though had no relation to the RSS or
BJP and no understanding of Indian politics, the report said.
“False
allegations of RSS terrorists and Hindutva extremist organisations active in
the UK have put the wider Hindu community at risk from hate, assault and
vandalism,” the report notes.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
reveal burial place of founder Mullah Omar, 9 years after death
6
Nov 2022
The
Taliban on Sunday revealed the final resting place of the movement's founder,
Mullah Omar, whose death and burial they kept secret for years.
Rumours
surrounding Omar's health and whereabouts abounded after the Taliban were
kicked out of power in 2001 by a US-led invasion, and they only admitted in
April 2015 that he had died two years earlier.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP on Sunday that senior leaders of the
movement attended a ceremony at his gravesite earlier in the day near Omarzo,
in Suri district of Zabul province.
The
Taliban returned to power in August last year, routing government forces as the
US-led military that propped up the regime ended a 20-year occupation.
"Since
a lot of enemies were around and the country was occupied, to avoid damage to
the tomb it was kept secret," Mujahid said.
"Only
the close family members were aware of the place," he added.
Pictures
released by officials showed Taliban leaders gathered around a simple white
brick tomb, covered with what appears to be gravel and enclosed in a green
metal cage.
"Now
the decision has been made... there are no issues for the people to visit the
tomb," Mujahid said.
Omar,
who was aged around 55 when he died, founded the Taliban in 1993 as an antidote
to the internecine civil war that erupted following the decade-long Soviet
occupation.
Under
his leadership the Taliban introduced an extremely austere version of Islamic
rule, barring women from public life and introducing harsh public punishments
-- including executions and floggings.
Omar's
ceremony comes a day after provincial Taliban officials denied reports that the
Panjshir Valley tomb of resistance hero Ahmad Shah Massoud had been vandalised,
an act Mujahid said would be "punished" if true.
Massoud
has a mixed legacy in the country, where he is hailed by ordinary Afghans for
leading the resistance against the Soviet occupation, but loathed by the Taliban
he also fought until his 2001 assassination by Al Qaida.
His
tomb is in an imposing granite and marble mausoleum overlooking the picturesque
Panjshir Valley, and guarded by Taliban fighters since their takeover of the
country in August last year.
Local
residents said a newly arrived contingent of fighters smashed the tombstone,
and video of the desecrated grave -- which could not be verified -- was
published by local media and circulating widely on social channels.
"It
happened when the new forces entered Panjshir. The new forces from Helmand and
Kandahar destroyed the tombstone of the national hero," one resident told
AFP.
Nasrullah
Malakzada, head of information and culture of Panjshir, province, denied the
tomb had been damaged and issued a video purporting to show it intact.
The
clip, however, pointedly did not display the entire structure -- particularly
the part seen damaged in the original video.
Malakzada
refused requests by journalists to visit or photograph the tomb for themselves.
Mujahid
told reporters that nobody had the right to insult the dead.
"Previously
we had punished those who committed such acts," he said, adding "this
will be investigated as well and necessary action will be taken".
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/asia/taliban-reveal-burial-place-of-founder-mullah-omar-9-years-after-death
Islamic
Emirate: Moscow Format Should Have Kabul Delegate
In
response to TASS news agency's reporting that Kabul would be absent from the
"Moscow Format" meeting on Afghanistan which will take place in
Moscow in mid-November, the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Emirate said that
this meeting would be incomplete without a representative from the current
government.
"Fortunately,
Afghanistan today has a free, accountable, and legitimate government that has
been able to maintain security throughout the country, protect its borders, and
engage positively with its neighbors and the world in the political, economic,
and security spheres. Accordingly, the Afghan government's absence from such
meetings can have a negative effect on interaction," said Zia Ahmad Takal,
the deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile,
political analysts believe that holding such meetings is in the best interest
of the country and have requested that the Islamic Emirate representative be
invited to such meetings.
"I
don't think a meeting about Afghanistan where the Islamic Emirate is not
present will be productive,” said Hassan Haqyar, political analyst.
Last
week, some media reported that Russia's National Security Adviser Nikolay
Patrushev attributed the formation of the Taliban Islamic Movement to the US.
However,
the deputy spokesperson of the foreign ministry denies this claim of this
Russian official.
"The
Islamic Taliban movement was created by the people to defend their country's
Islamic system after the former Soviet Union was defeated,” said Zia Ahmad
Takal, deputy spokesman of the Foreign Ministry.
Previously,
the Russian TASS news agency reported that the representatives of Russia,
China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan will participate in the "Moscow Format" meeting.
Source:
ToloNews
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-180633
--------
Imran
Khan committing 'treason' against Pakistan: Interior minister Sanaullah
Nov
7, 2022
Imran
Khan
---------
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has accused Imran Khan of
"committing the crime of treason against the state," and exhorted
institutions like the judiciary to stand up against the former premier's
"wretched agenda."
Speaking
during Geo News' programme "Naya Pakistan" on Sunday, Sanaullah said,
"Khan only has one demand: he wants to be adopted by the institutions to
make him sit on the prime minister's chair."
"Institutions,
government, Parliament, and the judiciary should stand against his wretched
agenda," he said, adding that Khan will never be successful in his agenda
against the country and the nation.
Sanaullah
accused the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief of
"committing the crime of treason against the state," the report said.
The
minister said the cricketer-turned-politician should avoid talking about something
if it isn't true, but he does so because it "strengthens his political
agenda", it said.
Sanaullah
reiterated that Khan wants to make the Pakistan Army chief's appointment
controversial, while maintaining that Khan "doesn't even care about his
self-respect," it said.
Responding
to a question about the delay in lodging the FIR, the minister said there would
be obstacles if you wanted to lodge a case against the state.
“The
police have the right to refuse if a fraudster wants to register a case for his
[certain] purposes,” he added.
Khan,
who underwent surgery for bullet injuries, was discharged from the hospital on
Sunday and moved to his private residence in the city, hospital officials said.
Khan
suffered bullet injuries in the right leg on Thursday when two gunmen fired a
volley of bullets at him and others mounting on a container-mounted truck in
the Wazirabad area of Punjab province, where he was leading a protest march
against the Shehbaz Sharif government.
He
underwent surgery for bullet injuries at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital owned by
his charitable organisation.
Addressing
a press conference from the hospital on Sunday, Khan said the long march would
resume on Tuesday from the point in Wazirabad where 11 people including himself
were shot at.
Khan,
who was ousted as prime minister in April this year after a no-confidence
motion was passed in the National Assembly, is seeking fresh general elections
in Pakistan.
However,
the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is opposed to holding
elections now.
The
term of the current National Assembly will end in August 2023.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
preacher Kazim Elias says withdrew from Larut race because blood is thicker
than water
By
John Bunyan
06
Nov 2022
Islamic
preacher Datuk Mohammad Kazim Elias speaks to the press at Kompleks Darul
Barakah Kg Sg Tapah Ipoh November 6, 2022. — Picture by Farhan Najib
-----------
IPOH,
Nov 6 — Datuk Mohammad Kazim Elias, who withdraw from contesting the Larut
parliamentary seat hours after being named as the Barisan Nasional (BN)
candidate, today clarified that it was due to a “family matter”.
The
popular Islamic preacher said that he would stand firm on his principle to not
contest in elections if family members are candidates in the same constituency.
“It
is my late mother’s will (wasiat), who advised me to not contest if my brothers
are standing as candidates in the same constituency,” he told a press
conference at the Al Barakah Educational Centre here.
Kazim
explained that he had accepted the offer from Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman
Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to contest as he wasn’t aware that his brother
had also signed documents to contest the same constituency.
His
brother Capt (R) Datuk Mohd Najmuddin Elias is contesting the Batu Kurau state
seat under the Perikatan Nasional banner, which is also under the Larut
constituency.
“I
thought that my brother was not contesting, and he also thought the same. We
had not communicated over the matter.
“I
only knew on the day of the announcement that my brother was also contesting.
After discussions, I decided to pull out.
“I
have submitted a letter on the matter to Zahid to inform my withdrawal.
However, he only received the letter after announcing the candidates,” he
explained.
Kazim
also said that he had previously informed Zahid, who is also Umno president, of
his condition that he will not run for election against his brothers in the
same constituency, to which Kazim said the matter was agreed on by both
parties.
“So
this is why they accepted my decision and fielded a new candidate. Maybe others
and the public wouldn’t have known the agreement between me and the president,”
he said.
Kazim
also said that he did not join Umno to contest the seat, but was merely
contesting under the banner of BN.
“I
was never an Umno member nor did I join the party to contest this election.
This is why when Ahmad Zahid offered me the chance to contest, I asked him
whether I could without being an Umno member.
“The
party president told me it was okay with me not being a member, as they wanted
people of various professional and religious backgrounds to contribute their
experience and expertise, and thus I was chosen,” said Kazim.
He
also said Ahmad Zahid never forced him to join Umno.
On
the allegation that he pulled out from contesting due to a “mysterious skin
disease”, Kazim said he had sought alternative treatment at Medina.
“I
was in Medina for four days in the beginning of September, where I was treated
and cured.
“I
am now well and have travelled to various states. If I was sick, then you would
not have seen me going around. I would probably be lying in bed,” he said.
When
asked if he would be supporting his brother or the new candidate from Umno,
Mohd Shafiq Fhadly Mahmud, an engineer, who replaced him during the campaign,
Mohammad Kazim said he will help as long as he was not seen as representing any
political party.
“I
will go anywhere to give religious talks on harmony, family ties, unity, and
positive talks, but I will not represent any political parties.
“Anyone
that wants to invite me, must make sure that no coalition or party flags are
involved, the candidates should not campaign at the event, and I will not be
siding with or campaigning for them either,” he said.
Kazim
also said he is not affected by or worried about the backlash or criticism that
he received after withdrawing as a candidate.
“There
is no point hurling abusive words at one another, because at the end of the
day, it is just politics.
“After
GE15 is over, we are bound to meet at the market, mosque and so forth, so it is
better to just use good words instead of abusive ones,” he said.
Kazim
had in 2018 said he was offered to contest the 14th general election, but
rejected the offer as he loved his tahfiz school more.
His
brothers Datuk Mohd Najmuddin and Ahmad Hasbullah are both leaders in Perak
Umno.
His
school Tahfiz Darul Barakah in Manjoi was previously embroiled in a sexual
abuse case involving its students, but police investigations stalled. The
facility is now under new management.
Source:
MalayMail
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Looting
Syrian oil, US forces smuggle over 40 tankers into Iraq
06
November 2022
The
United States has stolen more than 40 Syrian oil tankers and smuggled a new
batch of stolen Syrian oil into Iraq.
“A
convoy of the US occupation forces, consisting of 43 tankers loaded with stolen
Syrian oil, left from the illegitimate Mahmoudiya crossing and entered Iraqi
territory,” Syria's official SANA news agency cited local sources as saying on
Sunday.
According
to the sources, US forces have transferred the convoy to their bases in
northern Iraq.
US
military trucks and tankers frequently carry tons of grain and crude oil from
the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah to the semi-autonomous Kurdistan
region in northern Iraq as part of Washington’s systematic smuggling of basic
commodities out of Syria.
The
US military has for long stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern
Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing
the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the country’s natural
resources. Former US President Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that
American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
On
September 21, China called on the United States to stop plundering Syria’s
national resources and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
Arab country. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also said the US
government has a duty to investigate robberies committed by intervening
military forces, as well as to compensate for the damages caused.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/11/06/692272/Syria-oil-US-Iraq-Hasakah
--------
Iran
lawmakers demand severe punishment for ‘rioters’ as protests rage
06
November, 2022
Hardline
Iranian lawmakers urged the judiciary on Sunday to “deal decisively” with
perpetrators of unrest, as the Islamic Republic struggles to suppress the
biggest show of dissent in years.
Widespread
anti-government demonstrations erupted in September after the death of young
Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by morality police for
allegedly flouting the strict dress code imposed on women.
“We
ask the judiciary to deal decisively with the perpetrators of these crimes and
with all those who assisted in the crimes and provoked rioters,” 227 lawmakers
from Iran's 290-seat, hardline-led parliament said in a statement, according to
state media.
The
activist HRANA news agency said that 318 protesters had been killed in the
unrest as of Saturday, including 49 minors. Thirty-eight members of the
security forces had also been killed, it added.
State
media said last month that more than 46 security forces, including police, had
been killed. Government officials have not provided an estimate of any wider
death count.
Iranian
leaders have vowed tough action against protesters they have described as
rioters, blaming enemies including the United States of fomenting the unrest.
Demonstrations
continued in many cities on Sunday, from Tehran to central city of Yazd and
northern city of Rasht, according to rights groups and videos on social media.
Reuters
could not verify the rights groups' reports independently, or the social media
posts and footage.
In
the Kurdish city of Marivan, rights group Hengaw said security forces opened
fire on crowds who had gathered after the funeral of another woman, Nasrin
Ghaderi, to protest against her death.
Hengaw
said Ghaderi died in a coma on Saturday after suffering severe blows to her
head by the security forces while demonstrating in Tehran.
A
prosecutor, cited by state media, said Ghaderi had a pre-existing heart issue
and had died of “poisoning”, without going into further detail. There was no
immediate official comment on the report of gunfire.
Weeks
after Amini's death, a coroner's report denied Amini had died due to blows to
the head while in custody, as claimed by her parents, and linked her death to
past medical conditions.
Students
in a dozen universities, including in the northern cities of Rasht and Amol,
held protests on Sunday chanting “death to Dictator”, a reference to Iran's top
authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the unverified
videos on social media.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
5
killed in attack at Somali military training camp
Nov
6, 2022
MOGADISHU:
Military officers in Somalia say at least five people were killed and 11 others
wounded when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the front gate of a
military training camp in Mogadishu on Saturday evening.
The
al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack at the camp
that has been targeted multiple times in the past.
General
Odawa Yusuf, chief of Somalia's defence forces, told state media the bomber had
been pretending to be a recruit at the General Dhaga-Badan military training
camp in Wadajir district.
A
military officer, Abdirahman Ali, told The Associated Press that “there were
some fatalities for both the civilians walking along the street and the
recruits.”
The
camp is located near the large Turkish military base in Somalia.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
US
backs two-state solution in call to Palestinian leader
05
November, 2022
US
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to a
two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a phone call with
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the State Department said Saturday.
The
move came as Israel’s hawkish former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has
not endorsed the two-state idea, sealed his return to power following Tuesday’s
election and launched negotiations on forming what could be the most right-wing
government in Israel's history.
In
a call with Abbas on Friday, Blinken “further reaffirmed our commitment to a
two-state solution,” the State Department said in a statement.
Blinken
and Abbas also discussed “joint efforts to improve the quality of life for the
Palestinian people and enhance their security and freedom.”
The
election result came against the backdrop of soaring violence between Israel
and the Palestinians.
The
Israeli army said its fighter jets early Friday targeted a rocket manufacturing
site in the blockaded Gaza Strip, in response to several rockets fired toward
Israel.
On
Thursday four Palestinians, including an assailant, were killed by Israeli
forces in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
Blinken
“underscored his deep concern over the situation in the West Bank, including
heightened tensions, violence, and loss of both Palestinian and Israeli lives,
and emphasized the need for all parties to de-escalate the situation urgently,”
according to the State Department.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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India
Krishna
puja sees Muslim, Hindu youth join hands in Karnataka
07th
November 2022
By
Subhash Chandra NS
KARWAR:
A group of Hindu and Muslim friends has come together to install an idol of
Lord Krishna and has been worshipping it for the last one month at Habbuwada in
Karwar. The youth, who are daily wagers, are worshipping the idol as it is
considered auspicious to perform pujas for Lord Krishna during Deepavali by the
people of Karwar and surrounding areas.
“This
is the first time that we have organised a Krishna puja in our Locality. Our
friend Nagraj wanted to worship the idol, saying Krishna is the universal God
and people from all communities will be blessed. We all pooled in money for the
idol and brought it here. We have been performing pujas on our own, and once
done, we will immerse the idol in the sea,” said Shahrukh.
The
friends – Nagraj, Babu, Shahrukh, Hritik, Mohammed and Siddiqui – got the clay
idol prepared, consecrated it and are now worshipping it. “We have been friends
since childhood. We studied together and prayed together. We meet almost every
day. We celebrate Muslim festivals and they join us during Hindu festivals,”
said Babu.
Their
other friends, including Praveen, Nagnath, Ramesh and Akram, contributed Rs
2,000 each and the group spent close to Rs 15,000 for the idol and daily
decorations. “We need more money and people are helping us,” he said.
Corporator Gajanan Kubde, seeing their enthusiasm, has helped them get the
no-objection certificate from the Karwar City Municipality and the police.
Source:
NewIndianExpress
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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BJP’s
Ashish Shelar accuses Uddhav Thackeray of religious appeasement
Nov
06, 2022
By
Yogesh Naik
Mumbai:
City BJP chief Ashish Shelar on Sunday accused the Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray
of starting religious appeasement in Mumbai and said that this was being done
to grab power in the city.
“We
are confident that neither the Marathi manoos nor Muslims will vote for
Uddhavji. You enjoyed control over the BMC for over 25 years. Then why don’t
you ask for votes based on the works that you undertook,’’ said Shelar, while
launching the ‘Jagar Mumbaicha’ campaign of his party at Government Colony in
Bandra on Sunday.
With
BMC polls approaching, the BJP organised a rally at PWD maidan in Bandra- the
backyard of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s house – Matoshree.
Mumbai
North West MP Poonam Mahajan and Vile Parle MLA Parag Alavani were also present
as the city BJP kickstarted the campaign.
Shelar
referred to an edition of Sena mouthpiece Saamana dated October 22 and
criticised Thackeray for meeting a delegation of Marathi-speaking Muslims.
“In
Konkan, the Marathi Muslims are never detached. They live together, they enjoy
being together. They participate in each other’s celebrations and sorrows. Then
why are you trying to separate them?’’
Shelar
alleged that a plan was being made to assess Marathi votes and Muslim votes in
Mumbai. Instead of this, the Shiv Sena must talk about the developmental work
done by Shiv Sena.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Europe
Germany,
other EU members plan to expand Iran sanctions: Media
05
November, 2022
Germany
and eight other EU member states are planning to expand sanctions on Iran to
include individuals and organizations linked to violence against protesters in
the Islamic Republic, magazine Der Spiegel reported, without disclosing its
sources.
A
package containing 31 proposals was introduced in Brussels on Wednesday
targeting individuals and institutions in the security sector as well as
companies responsible for suppression in Iran, the magazine reported.
Measures
include the freezing of assets and travel bans, the magazine said, adding the
package had a good chance of being approved by EU foreign ministers at their
next meeting on November 14.
The
German government had no immediate comment.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pope
Francis says church fighting child abuse ‘as best we can’
07
November, 2022
Pope
Francis said Sunday that the Catholic church was working “as best we can” to
fight clerical child abuse but admitted there were shortfalls.
During
a press conference on a plane while returning from Bahrain, where he had been
promoting dialogue with Islam, the pontiff said child abuse inside the Church
was a “tragic thing.”
“We
are working as best we can, but there are people within the Church who don't
see it clearly,” the 85-year-old Argentinian admitted on the return flight to
Rome.
“It
is an ongoing process that we are carrying out with courage,” he added.
The
abuse scandal erupted in the second half of the 1980s, sparking an avalanche of
allegations about paedophile priests around the world, from Australia to Chile,
France and the United States.
Pope
Francis has insisted the Church will adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to
abuse, but critics say many countries have yet to seriously confront the issue.
While
before “some things were hidden,” the pope insisted Sunday that now “everything
is clear and we are moving forward.”
“The
Church must be ashamed of the bad things, while thanking God for the good
things.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
3
arrested in suspected far-right assault in Berlin
Oliver
Towfigh Nia
06.11.2022
BERLIN
German
police arrested three people in Berlin following a suspected far-right attack,
a local daily reported Sunday.
Two
suspects, aged 17 and 42, hit two teenagers in the leg with an iron bar and
stole their mobile phones during the assault which took place Saturday
afternoon in Berlin's Buch district, according to Berlin-based Tagesspiegel.
The
victims flagged down a police vehicle that happened to be in the vicinity and
reported the incident.
The
two assailants as well as a 19-year-old onlooker showed the Hitler salute,
police said.
The
19-year-old also racially insulted a police officer, police further said.
The
three men were arrested as investigations into robbery, dangerous bodily harm,
insult and the use of symbols belonging to unconstitutional organizations are
ongoing.
The
radicalization among right-wing extremists, and surge in violent attacks in
recent months, have raised serious concerns among authorities.
“The
far-right is the biggest threat to our democracy and the biggest extremist
threat to people in our country,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser was quoted as
saying earlier this year.
Chancellor
Olaf Scholz’s center-left coalition government announced a new “action plan” in
March to combat racism and pledged stronger measures to counter the growing
threat posed by far-right groups.
The
country has witnessed growing racism and xenophobia in recent years fueled by
the propaganda of far-right, anti-Semitic, and anti-Muslim groups, including
the main opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Far-right
terror in Germany has claimed the lives of at least 218 innocent people since
1989, according to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/3-arrested-in-suspected-far-right-assault-in-berlin/2731313
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Ukrainian,
EU leaders discuss aid, grain deal, further sanctions against Iran
Burc
Eruygur
06.11.2022
Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday held a phone conversation with European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss financial assistance to
Ukraine, the grain deal and strengthening sanctions against Iran.
“Discussed
macro-financial aid to Ukraine for the current year & 2023 with President
of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Noted the importance of
continuing the grain initiative for world food security. Discussed increasing
sanctions & opposing actions of Iran, which supports aggression,” Zelenskyy
said on Twitter.
Meanwhile,
von der Leyen announced that the EU will propose a financial support package
for Ukraine for 2023, without specifying a specific date.
“Good
to stay in close touch with Zelenskyy. Positive developments: we will propose
this week the financial support package for Ukraine in 2023. The EU will be at
Ukraine’s side for as long as it takes,” von der Leyen said on Twitter.
Earlier
this week, Türkiye and the UN managed to convince Russia to revert its decision
to withdraw from the grain deal signed this summer, marking the end of a tense
standoff that threatened to exacerbate the global food crisis.
With
regards to Iran, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry pledged on Saturday "to take
the toughest possible measures" to stop the use of Iranian weapons by
Russia against Ukraine.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UK
police: Migrant center firebombing motivated by terrorist ideology
Karim
El-Bar
05.11.2022
LONDON
British
counterterror police said Saturday that the firebombing of a migrant center in
Dover, southeast England, was motivated by terrorist ideology.
The
man behind last Sunday's attack was previously identified as Andrew Leak, 66,
who threw two or three incendiary devices at the center. Two people suffered
minor injuries. Leak was later found dead, and it is speculated he killed
himself.
Counter
Terrorism Policing South East said they had recovered a number of items of
interest and spoke to a number of witnesses.
"Evidence
from examining these items suggests there was an extreme right wing motivation
behind the attack," according to their statement.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
West
is moving too slowly in engaging with Taliban: US Representative
6
November, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], November 6 (ANI): US Representative from Western Michigan, Peter
Meijer said that the Western countries and America particularly are moving too
slowly in engaging with the Afghanistan interim government.
During
an interview with ToloNews, Meijer said, “My concern and my criticism of a lot
of international engagement, especially from the American side, is it is too
slow, this is a moment of change, this is a moment of opportunity, but it is
also a moment that if we go down the pathways of the past if we fall back into
those old habits and trends of mistrust, if we sacrifice and disregard a lot of
the improvements and trust that have been built over the past year, the
security cooperation we saw –I saw first hand–at Kabul airport during the US
withdrawal.”
“I
think we have a lot of strong foundations to start to build upon and we cannot
wait for the two or three decades it took for the US–and to give an example:
Vietnam– to build a strong relationship. We have to make sure we are not
letting the future get hung up by the concerns of the past,” he added
Talking
about Afghanistan politics, a US Representative said that the Islamic Emirate
is the only government and America accepts and deals with that reality.
He
further added that there are cultural differences between western countries and
Afghanistan and one cannot impose their values, ToloNews reported.
“It
also is important that the Islamic Emirate recognize the desires and the wishes
of its own citizens to pursue what is best for their futures,” Meijer said.
Meijer
also noted that there would be grave consequences if small differences get in
the way and expectations on both sides are not met.
“Those
nations who set conditions for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which it
should accept, the Islamic Emirate is also looking for a way to do something to
meet their conditions, which at least does not conflict with the Islamic laws
and Afghan customs and traditions,” ToloNews quoted political analyst Mohammad
Nasir Haqqani as saying.
“The
world demands that an inclusive government should be created and girls should
be allowed to go to school and also human rights should be upheld, these are
also the demands that the Afghan people support them,” said Wahed Faqiri, international
relations expert.
However,
Zabiullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, denied that human rights
were being violated in Afghanistan and he added that Kabul wants to interact
with the international community.
Source: ThePrint
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Hamid
Karzai’s brother, Mahmood detained by Taliban at Kabul airport
7
November, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], November 7 (ANI): Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s
brother, Mahmood Karzai, a key Afghan businessman was detained by the Taliban
at the Kabul airport on Sunday, sources told Khaama Press.
The
former minister of Urban Development and Land, Mahmood Karzai, has been
prohibited from travelling abroad due to legal issues, a spokesman for the
Taliban said, reported Tolo News.
A
source close to the Taliban’s prime minister’s office who does not want to be
named in this report told Khaama Press that Mahmood Karzai was detained by the
Taliban’s intelligence service from the Kabul airport as he was boarding an Ariana
Airlines flight to Dubai.
Bilal
Karimi, the Islamic Emirate’s deputy spokesperson, confirmed that Mahmood
Karzai was prohibited from leaving Afghanistan due to a legal issue but denied
the arrest of Mahmood Karzai.
The
source who spoke to Khaama Press believes the motive behind the detention of
Mahmood Karzai may be the political remarks of his brother Hamid Karzai.
Hamid
Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah are the two high-level politicians who remained in
Afghanistan even after Taliban took control of Afghanistan.
Former
President Hamid Karzai has been criticizing the Taliban government regarding
curbing the rights of women and has been demanding the Taliban form an
‘inclusive’ government.
He
slammed the Taliban for clashes in the Panjshir region between the National
Resistant Forces (NRF) and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, amid rising
killings in the country. He said that it is time that the bloodshed must stop.
He
also expressed concern over the ban on girls’ education imposed by the Taliban
and said such a step could further push the country backward. He also said the
regime must ensure that all sections of the population feel represented by the
government.
Since
its ascent to power in Kabul, the Islamic group imposed policies severely
restricting basic rights–particularly those of women and girls.
According
to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Taliban dismissed all women from leadership
posts in the civil service and prohibited girls in most provinces from
attending secondary school.
Taliban
decrees prohibit women from travelling unless accompanied by a male relative
and require women’s faces to be covered in public–including women TV
newscasters.
The
Taliban have also carried out censorship, limited critical reporting, and
beaten journalists. Taliban forces have carried out revenge killings and
enforced disappearances of former government officials and security force
personnel. They have summarily executed people deemed affiliated with the
Islamic State.
Armed
groups linked to the Afghan branch of the Islamic State have carried out
bombings targeting ethnic Hazaras, Afghan Shias, Sufis, and others, killing and
injuring hundreds.
Mahmood
Karzai is a major shareholder in the modern commercial city of Aino Mina in the
Southern Kandahar province. Former President, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani had accused
him of seizing government lands to build the Aino Mina city during the
presidency of his brother, Hamid Karzai, reported Khaama Press.
Mahmood
Karzai was appointed as minister of Urban Development and Land by former Afghan
president Ashraf Ghani in June 2020 and was approved by the parliament in late
December of the same year.
Source: ThePrint
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghanistan:
Landslide hits Badakshan province, one killed
7
November, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], November 7 (ANI): At least one person died in the landslide that
occurred in the Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan, Khaama Press
reported on Sunday.
As
per the Taliban officials, the natural catastrophe took place in a village in
the Maimay district of Badakhshan on Saturday.
Other
than the deceased body recovered, one more person has been injured while two
more are reported to be missing, the officials informed.
The
landslide in Badakhshan province has damaged dozens of acres of farmland,
gardens, and several stores. The rescue teams were not able to reach the remote
affected site because of the deteriorated roads in the district, Khaama Press
reported citing the Taliban-run Bakhtar state news agency.
Badakshan
province is considered very prone to earthquakes, as occasionally earthquakes
and landslides cause damage and losses.
On
the other hand, Afghanistan continues to struggle with a severe economic crisis
since the Taliban took over, as US-led international forces withdrew following
two decades of war.
As
earthquakes are persistent in Afghanistan, the United Nations High Commission
for Refugees (UNHCR) has decided to construct 1,000 “earthquake-resilient”
houses for over 8,000 earthquake-stricken people of the Barmal district of
Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan.
In
a tweet, the UN refugee agency in Afghanistan wrote, “UNHCR Afghanistan is
moving swiftly to provide 1000 earthquake-resilient houses to more than 8000
people in Barmal District before snows isolate the remote region.”
Source: ThePrint
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/afghanistan-landslide-hits-badakshan-province-one-killed/1201735/
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Taliban:
Moscow Meeting, ‘Incomplete’ Without Taliban Representatives
By
Saqalain Eqbal
November
6, 2022
The
Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to not getting invited to the
next meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan stated that
the absence of Taliban government delegates renders the meeting “incomplete.”
The
Taliban’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, stated in a tweet
on Saturday, November 5, that their government’s absence from such gatherings
“can have an adverse effect on engagement.”
The
Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan, which will take place in the
middle of November, will not involve any representation from the Taliban government,
according to Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president’s special representative for
Afghanistan.
Russia,
China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
and Uzbekistan representatives are expected to attend this meeting scheduled
for mid-November.
The
last Moscow consultative format meeting took place in October of the previous
year. At that meeting, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban
government, chaired a Taliban delegation participating in the meeting.
At
the same time, the spokesperson of the Taliban government Zabihullah Mujahid
stated at a press conference that the Taliban hails the gatherings that will
lead to improvements to the situation in Afghanistan.
Mujahid
believes that previous gatherings in the region were favorable for Afghanistan
because those who attended sought assistance and an improvement in
Afghanistan’s current situation.
Any
meeting that benefits Afghanistan, with or without the Taliban representation,
he continued, “we welcome it and I support it because we need general
cooperation at the regional level.”
The
Russian National Security Council’s secretary, Nikolai Petroshev, claimed that
the US created the Taliban, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda network in order to further its
geopolitical objectives, which the Taliban government has dismissed the claim.
According
to the foreign ministry, the Taliban were an incitement that “arose from among
the people to rescue the nation that struggled for an Islamic system in the
country by ending feudalism of the 90s.”
The
spokesman for the Taliban’s foreign ministry asserts that the group has
ultimately triumphed after a protracted struggle with feudalism in the 1990s
and the subsequent eradication of foreign occupation.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-moscow-meeting-incomplete-without-taliban-representatives-3483/
--------
Hamid
Karzai’s brother, a key Afghan businessman detained by Taliban at Kabul airport
November
6, 2022
Mahmood
Karzai, a key Afghan businessman and brother of former President Hamid Karzai
was detained at the Kabul airport, sources told Khaama Press.
A
source close to the Taliban’s prime minister’s office who does not want to be
named in this report told Khaama Press that Mahmood Karzai was detained by the
Taliban’s intelligence service from the Kabul airport as he was boarding on an
Ariana Airlines flight to Dubai.
This
has Mahmood Karzai’s recent picture with long beard and traditional Afghan
dressing went viral on social media last week. He usually used to be
clean-shaved with suit and necktie.
The
source who spoke to Khaama Press believes the motive behind the detention of
Mahmood Karzai maybe the political remarks of his brother Hamid Karzai.
Hamid
Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah are the two high level politicians who remained in
Afghanistan during the rule of Taliban.
Karzai
has continuously pushed the Taliban administration to reopen girl’s school and
to form an inclusive government.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
Reports Nearly $1 Billion in Afghan Exports in Last 7 Months
By
Saqalain Eqbal
November
6, 2022
The
Taliban Ministry of Industry and Commerce has announced that the Afghan exports
to Pakistan, India, and Tajikistan have earned nearly $1 billion in the past 7
months.
According
to the Head of Information and Public Relations of the Taliban Ministry of
Industry and Commerce, Jawad Dabeer, the exports of Afghanistan have generated
almost $1 billion in the last 7 months.
The
Afghan exports to Pakistan, India, and Tajikistan have surpassed $743 million,
$207 million, and $23 million respectively, according to Dabeer’s tweet from
Saturday, November 6.
The
US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) previously
reported the surge in Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan on Friday, November 4,
in a report.
According
to the SIGAR report, Afghanistan exported 796 million dollars to Pakistan
between 2021 and 2022.
With
a daily export of 10,000 tons, coal appears to be Afghanistan’s principal
export product, and its price has climbed in response to the rise in energy
costs brought on by the conflict in the Ukraine.
Each
ton of coal now costs $280, up from $90 last year. Despite this, the price of
coal in Afghanistan is currently $40 per ton less expensive than the price on
the global market.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-reports-nearly-1-billion-in-afghan-exports-in-last-7-months-23724/
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Afghanistan:
Retired govt employees protest against Taliban for non-payment of pensions in
Kabul
6
November, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], November 6 (ANI): Retired employees of the Afghanistan
Government on Saturday protested against the Taliban over the issue of
non-payment of their pensions in Kabul.
They
held a protest in Kabul and called on the Taliban government to pay their
pensions, reported Tolo News.
The
retirees said that they have not been paid for many months as of now.
Mohammad
Daud, 68, who had worked for 30 years in the municipality department, said he
is the breadwinner for a family of 13 members, reported Tolo News.
“We
call on the Islamic Emirate to provide us with our rights. We have nothing,
just honour our rights, we are about to die from starvation,” he said.
“My
sons are working as labourers. Each of them has 10 children. One of them feeds
me breakfast another feeds me dinner. I sold all of my appliances in the house
to buy my medicine,” said Gul Jan, who came to take her husband’s pension.
“I
request they give us our rights,” said Najibullah, a retiree.
The
Ministry of Finance (MoF) said that work on a plan has been shared with the
Prime Minister’s Office to facilitate the payment of retirees’ pensions,
reported Tolo News.
“The
plan, which was formed about the retirees’ payments, was introduced in the 5th
cabinet meeting. The Ministry of Finance now is waiting for the decree of the
Prime Minister to act accordingly,” said Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the
MoF.
The
retirees have staged many demonstrations earlier as well, in which they called
on the government to pay their pensions, reported Tolo News.
As
Afghanistan witnessed a severe financial crisis, retired employees and veterans
expressed their frustration over their economic problems and demanded the
Taliban regime pay their pension payments.
These
retired employees and military veterans of the former Afghan government led by
Ashraf Ghani, who rely on their retirement pensions, said that they are
struggling with economic difficulties, Tolo News reported.
The
humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated drastically since the
Taliban took control of Kabul.
Source:
ThePrint
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan
Imran
Khan-led march against Pakistan govt to resume Tuesday from the same point
where he was attacked
Nov
6, 2022
LAHORE:
Imran Khan on Sunday announced that his party will resume the march to
Islamabad from the same spot where he survived an assassination attempt but
sustained bullet injuries during a rally in Punjab province, saying he prefers
"death instead of living the life of a slave".
The
70-year-old former prime minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) party, who underwent surgery for bullet injuries on Thursday was
addressing a press conference from the Shaukat Khanum Hospital owned by his
charitable organisation.
“We
have decided that our march will resume on Tuesday from the same [point] in
Wazirabad where I and 11 others were shot, and where Moazzam was martyred,”
Khan said.
Khan
suffered bullet injuries in the right leg when two gunmen fired a volley of
bullets at him and others mounting on a container-mounted truck in the
Wazirabad area, where he was leading the march.
PTI
worker Moazzam Gondal died due to bullet injuries during the attack on Khan.
The rally was suspended after the attack.
“I
will address the march from here (in Lahore), and our march, within the next 10
to 14 days, depending on the speed, will reach Rawalpindi," Khan said.
The
PTI chief said once the march reaches Rawalpindi, he would then join it and
lead it himself.
In
a veiled reference to the powerful military establishment, Khan said:
"They (military establishment) want to instill fear among us. But let me
tell you...we will not budge from our stance and are ready to sacrifice our
lives for real freedom. I prefer death instead of living the life of a
slave."
A
day after the attack on him, Khan alleged that three people -- Prime Minister
Shehbaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer --
were behind the botched assassination attempt on his life.
The
Army has rejected Khan's allegations as "baseless and irresponsible".
Questioning
whether "some people" are above the law, the PTI chairman said,
"I am facing problems in getting an FIR registered on the firing incident
on my container. No Punjab police officer is ready to register an FIR on my
complaint. If I, being a former prime minister of Pakistan, cannot get a case
registered related to the attack on me, then think what will happen to the
common man."
"I
want a transparent investigation into the matter. There was a pattern in the
attack on me. First, they labelled me a blasphemer and then tried to eliminate
me like that of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer.
"The
confessional statement of the suspect was recorded and released (to the media)
to cover up the crime. Inspector General Police of Punjab lied that the video
record of the suspect was hacked. In fact, they (police officers) are afraid to
register FIR as they have orders from them (military establishment)," Khan
alleged.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz in a press conference in Lahore on Saturday said that Khan's
party PTI is in power in the Punjab province and the provincial government
should tell why the FIR of the assassination attempt has not been registered so
far.
Khan
also demanded constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the attack
on him, the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, the torture and
circulation of obscene video of PTI Senator Azam Swati and the cypher
controversy (about toppling of the PTI government at the behest of the United
States).
"I
wonder if an ISI officer is involved in such dirty acts no action is taken
against him. I am surprised at the Director General (Major General Babar
Iftikhar) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)'s statement that the
institution is standing with its officers, including the one involved in the
attack on me. I want to ask him whether there is no black sheep in any
institution," Khan said and questioned the DG ISPR to tell why court
martial is needed if army officers do not commit any wrong.
He
also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of all the issues he
has raised as the nation is looking up to him for justice.
Earlier
in the day, Pakistan's former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the
protest march led by PTI has only been temporarily halted and not called off.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
World
powers must focus on human survival, security instead of wars; say leaders of
faith
November
6, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The world powers must focus on the survival and security of human beings and
resolve the issues with dialogues instead of opting the option of wars.
These
views were expressed by the leaders of faith at a three-day global interfaith
conference, titled ‘Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human
Coexistence’, hosted under the patronage of Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al
Khalifa at Al-Fida’ Square of Sakhir Royal Palace in Manama.
Besides
the holy father Pope Francis, Sheikh Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb and other
world-renowned religious leaders and scholars, Prime Minister’s Special
Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir
Mahmood Ashrafi, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti
Abdul Shakoor, Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Dr. Qibla Ayaz participated
in the moot.
They
were of the view that Russia and Ukraine should stop the war and initiate the
process of negotiation to settle down all the issues for the survival and
security of the humanity in the region. “Prosperity and development are
possible only through inter-sects and inter-religious dialogues in the world,”
they opined.
They
said western countries must play their significant role in coping with climate
change challenges and increasing poverty across the world. They believed that
all religions on earth taught love and peace.
After
the conclusion of global interfaith forum, Ashrafi who is also the chairman of
Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) told APP on Sunday that the leadership of Bahrain
had taken the step in the right direction and it would help bring the people of
various faith closer and remove their differences.
Expressing
gratitude on the active participation of Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and religious scholars of other
religion and sects in the forum, he said it had given a strong message of love,
peace and brotherhood to the world.
He
said the same great message was also delivered by the Haramain Sharifain, Holy
Quran and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him adding that the
endeavors of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other countries for the promotion
religious pluralism were valuable.
Ashrafi
said it was duty of the Ummah to raise the status of Muslims and protect their
interests and rights worldwide.
“We
appreciate the efforts of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and followers
of other religions and civilizations to open the doors of dialogue as such
initiatives would help expand the areas of dialogue, exchange ideas, discuss
measures for joint strategy to deal with the persistent social menaces of
violence and extremism and provide an ample opportunity to sit together at the
same table,” he added.
He
said the Muslim World League, Muslim World’s leadership and Pakistan’s Ulema
had disseminated the message of Islam in its true context all over the world in
the shape of Charter of Pakistan, Charter of Human Coexistence and Message of
Pakistan documents.
He
said the PUC and its affiliated organizations endorsed the decisions taken in
the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue in its letter and spirit and reiterated the
world powers to adopt the peaceful way of dialogue instead of wars to resolve
their issues.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Punjab
IG Faisal Shahkar steps aside over Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s diatribe
Asif
Chaudhry
November
7, 2022
LAHORE:
Punjab police chief Faisal Shahkar refused to work with the current political
setup in the province led by Chief Minister Parvez Elahi after PTI leader Shah
Mahmood Qureshi passed ‘hateful and insulting’ remarks against him at a rally.
Faisal
Shahkar decided to part ways with the provincial government after an ‘argument’
with CM Elahi in a meeting on Saturday night.
An
official privy to the development said Mr Shahkar took the opportunity to share
his grievances with the CM over the “frequent political interference” in the
police department and the recent criticism of the PTI top leadership on the
police.
Mr
Shahkar said the provincial government was “directly making postings across the
province and contacting the RPOs and DPOs to get decisions of [its] choice”.
Decries
‘frequent political interference’
According
to the source, Faisal Shahkar conveyed to the CM that unwarranted criticism
over the delay in the registration of FIR of the gun attack on PTI chief Imran
Khan and subsequent ‘hateful’ remarks made by Mr Qureshi were “unacceptable” to
the police department.
While
addressing IG Punjab in a loud tone at a rally in Lahore, Mr Qureshi said, “IG
Punjab, if you couldn’t gather courage to get the FIR lodged through your DPO
and SHO, then I curse (laanat) on your uniform”.
Later,
the IG submitted a request to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to withdraw his
services, the official said.
While
talking to Dawn, the police chief said that the difference of opinion between
the chief minister and the IG police on the appointments/transfers of police
officers was a routine matter.
“But
the situation was different…the Punjab police have completely been politicised
due to frequent interference by the current political setup in Punjab,” Mr
Shahkar said.
“This
was not acceptable at any cost for me as provincial police chief and I thought
it better to refuse to work in the current circumstances,” he said.
‘Tug
of war’
The
official source said the volatile political situation deepened the crisis in
the Punjab police when the PML-N and the Punjab government began to target the
police officers, accusing them of being ‘loyal’ to rival parties.
It
is evident from the recent action of the PML-N government in the Centre which
suspended Lahore CCPO Ghulam Mahmood Dogar from service for not complying with
the earlier order of the Establishment Division to relinquish his charge.
Source:
Dawn
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--------
Shah
Mahmood Qureshi to lead march until Imran recovers
November
7, 2022
TOBA
TEK SINGH: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Central Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood
Qureshi says as soon as Imran Khan is able to stand and walk, he will join the
long march, which will begin from Wazirabad on Tuesday.
Mr
Qureshi told a large public gathering at Clock Tower Chowk in Faisalabad on
Sunday night that Mr Khan had asked him to lead the march in his place. He said
that even if he is not totally recovered, Mr Khan will participate in the long
march in Rawalpindi.
He
stated that the people of Faisalabad and the entire country demand that Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan quit
since they are the real planners of attack on Mr Khan in Wazirabad.
Farrukh
Habib, former federal minister for communication and media, and other senior
party leaders also spoke.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1719472/shah-mahmood-qureshi-to-lead-march-until-imran-recovers
--------
Imran
endorses PM-suggested SC probe panel
Mansoor
Malik
November
7, 2022
LAHORE:
The PTI’s long march, which came to a standstill after the assassination
attempt on Imran Khan in Wazirabad, will resume its journey on Tuesday
(tomorrow) from the same place where the party chairman was injured in the gun
attack.
Mr
Khan was discharged from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and moved to
his residence in Zaman Park in the evening.
Addressing
his second presser from the hospital, the PTI chief welcomed Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif’s call for a full court commission of the Supreme Court to
investigate his allegations that senior government and military officials were behind
the attack on him.
He
revealed that while the march will start moving towards Islamabad under the
leadership of party Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday, he would
stay in Lahore to recuperate and join the march in Rawalpindi in 10- to 14 days
— depending on the speed of the long march. He, however, will address
participants of the long march through video link from Lahore.
FIR
over gun attack
The
former prime minister questioned the delay in the registration of FIR regarding
the assassination attempt on him. He said the case should be registered against
the prime minister, interior minister, and a senior intelligence official for
“hatching a conspiracy to kill him”.
He
added that despite the passage of three days, the case was not registered as
the Punjab police were “reluctant to register the FIR”. He expressed
surprise that the police were adamant about not including the name of the
military officer in the FIR but ready to nominate the prime minister and the
interior minister in the case.
“Policemen
concerned requested that they be transferred from the post…[and] some other
officer may register the FIR nominating suspects mentioned by me,” he claimed.
Mr
Khan raised questions over the credibility of the justice system and said even
a former premier could not get a case registered. “There are people who
consider themselves above the law, which unfortunately dismantles the whole
edifice of the judicial system in the country,” he lamented.
He
endorsed PM Sharif’s call for the SC’s full court probe commission, but
expressed reservations, saying how the commission would perform its duties
independently if its members’ bosses who needed to be probed remained in the
office.
“How
can we have an impartial and fair investigation? It can’t happen. That’s why I
asked them to resign so the investigation can be fair.”
Referring
to the attack, Mr Khan said a suspect was interviewed by a policeman which was
immediately leaked to the media to give the incident a “religious colour”. “
The
police say there was pressure from “above, while the IG Police states the
accused interview video was hacked,” he wondered.
Mr
Khan also raised questions about people allegedly involved in the dissemination
of a video that purportedly showed him “insulting religion”. “Since then I knew
well, that the PML-N government functionaries with the connivance of army
officers were hatching a conspiracy to eliminate me in the manner former Punjab
governor Salman Taseer was killed,” he claimed and added that he exposed this
plan in his public meeting speeches and interviews.
“The
PTI-PML-Q government could get an FIR registered against the three PML-N
leaders Maryam Nawaz, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Javed Latif after a ‘great effort’,”
he said. Still, he said, no action was taken against the nominated accused.
Mr
Khan proposed that the same SC commission probe the killing of journalist
Arshad Sharif — tracking down who forced him to leave the country and
eventually move from Dubai to Kenya.
‘Surprised
over ISPR statement’
The
PTI chairman expressed surprise over the statement by the ISPR DG Lt Gen Babar
Iftikhar that allegations against one army officer were defaming the entire
institution. Asserting that there was no logic to the army spokesperson’s
statement, Mr Khan said that an allegation against one person did not mean
accusing the entire institution. He asked if the army officers were considered
infallible then what was the need for court martials.
Again
commenting on the DG ISPR’s statement that the controversial cipher was a
“drama”, the PTI chairman asked then why the cipher was not being investigated.
He asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to consider the issue a “serious matter”
and investigate it. He added the copy of the cipher was already with the chief
justice. “Maybe the cipher does not represent interference or conspiracy but it
can only be ascertained after a thorough and fair investigation,” he added.
Imran
Khan urged the CJP to investigate the kidnapping, torture, and release of an
‘obscene’ video of Azam Swati. Claiming that some “agencies were working to
cover up” the issue, Mr Khan alleged that the video was not fake but recorded
at Judicial Lodges in Quetta during Azam Swati’s visit along with his wife.
Source: Dawn
Please
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1719433/imran-endorses-pm-suggested-sc-probe-panel
--------
Fazl
expresses ‘doubts’ about attack on Imran
Syed
Irfan Raza
November
7, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said on
Sunday he had his doubts over the attack on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)
Chairman Imran Khan, terming the incident a “drama”.
At
a press conference, he called the incident “an act”, saying that “Imran
outclassed [Indian actors] Shahrukh and Salman Khan in acting”.
“Initially
I had sympathised with Imran Khan upon hearing about the Wazirabad episode, but
now it seems that it was a drama.”
The
PDM chief called for a “thorough investigation” into the shooting during the
PTI’s long march on Nov 3.
Says
PTI chief wants nothing but appointment of new army chief of his choice
He
said the confusion surrounding Imran Khan’s injuries was enough to raise
eyebrows.
It
was not clear whether “a single shot was fired at Imran or more” and whether
the injury was “on one leg or on both”.
Furthermore,
Maulana Fazl said, it was intriguing that Imran Khan “was taken to Lahore
instead of being admitted to a nearby hospital (in Wazirabad)”.
He
said Imran cannot be taken on his word after his party “violated court orders”
during the march in May.
The
JUI-F chief contested the PTI’s claim that Mr Khan was injured by “broken
pieces” from bullets fired by a man during the long march at Gukkhar on
Thursday.
“How
is it possible that a bullet broke into pieces. We have heard about a piece
from a bomb, but not a bullet.”
The
PDM chief said former prime minister Imran Khan was trying to create confusion
about the Nov 3 incident. “There are contradictions in the medical report [of
Imran] and baseless allegations are being levelled against important
personalities.”
He
said the Punjab government was responsible for security of the PTI’s long
march. “The march has failed,” Maulana Fazl claimed.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1719427/fazl-expresses-doubts-about-attack-on-imran
--------
‘Hakeem’
Sanaullah prepared effective remedy to deal with PTI marchers: Fazl
November
7, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) head who also chairman of Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman said Sunday that the Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) marchers would never be allowed reach the federal
capital.
“Hakeem
Sanaullah has prepared an effective tonic for the marchers and they would be
treated accordingly”, JUI-F Chief Fazlur Rehman while addressing a presser here
on Sunday. He termed the PTI long march a complete flop show and made it clear
that nobody would be allowed to play with Pakistan at all costs.
He
said Pakistan was being pushed towards difficulties, which made it lag behind
in the comity of nations economically.
Taking
jibe at the PTI chief, Fazl said that a joint investigation team (JIT) should
be constituted against Imran Khan, saying the PTI chairman’s bullet injuries in
the Wazirabad firing incident was a ‘drama’.
The
JUI-F chief equated Imran Khan with Indian top stars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh
Khan, saying the PTI chief had surpassed the Bollywood’s actors in the field of
acting.
He,
expressing his astonishment, said the PTI chief’s bullet injuries were being
treated in a cancer hospital, adding that there were contradictions in his
medical reports. “We have heard bomb fragments but heard of bullet fragments
for the first time.”
He
urged the federal government not to show leniency to Imran Khan as he was
trying to create chaos in the country under the guise of firing accident and
making false accusations against the most important personalities, including
the prime minister, interior minister and an officer of the national security
institution that was not acceptable at all.
He
asked the quarters concerned to launch a thorough probe on the matter so that
Imran’s heinous face could be unmasked before the public.
Condemning
Azam Swati’s incident, he said, “We wanted peace and harmony in the country and
the citizens should lead their lives as per law and the Constitution with
respect and dignity.”
The
JUI-F chief said in case of Arshad Sharif, the commission should also
investigate the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government that issued life threat alert to
the senior journalist.
He
said during the PTI government, restrictions were imposed on media.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
3,000
Sikh yatrees arrive in city through Wahga
November
6, 2022
LAHORE:
About 3,000 Sikh yatrees from India arrived here on Sunday via Wahga Border to
participate in the 553rd birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak at
Nankana Sahib.
Additional
Secretary (Shrines) Rana Shahid Saleem along with Pradhan Sardar Amir Singh,
Sardar Satwant Singh and others received the pilgrims.
Speaking
on the occasion, Sikh leaders including Sardar Preet Singh, Sardar Diljeet
Singh, Sardar Manjeet Singh and Sardar Jagjeet Sing expressed their happiness
after reaching in Pakistan. They said that they had received special love from
the land of their ‘Gurus’.
Additional
Secretary Shrines Rana Shahid told the media that Janumasthan had been
decorated tastefully. The ETPB had made foolproof security arrangements besides
accommodation and travelling facilities for Sikh yatrees. Special marquees have
also been installed for them, he added.
On
the directions of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Abdul Rehman
Ghilani, the officers and employees of the Board would remain busy day and
night to serve the guests.
Pradhan
Sardar Amir Singh and Sardar Satwant Singh said the Trust Board had completed
all the arrangements in consultation with the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee (PSGPC).
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/11/06/3000-sikh-yatrees-arrive-in-city-through-wahga/
--------
Southeast Asia
Over 80 Malaysia-bound Rohingya detained in Myanmar
November
5, 2022
YANGON:
More than 80 Rohingya people seeking to travel by boat to Malaysia have been
detained in Myanmar’s southeast after traffickers abandoned them, a security
source told AFP today.
Rohingya
Muslims in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state are widely regarded as illegal
immigrants in the Buddhist-majority country and have long faced discrimination,
been denied citizenship, healthcare and education.
The
group, which included women and children, had been detained by authorities
yesterday near Thanbyuzayat town in Mon state, a security source who didn’t
want to be named told AFP.
“They
were hiding near rubber farms after the boats which they took from Rakhine
state left them,” the source said, adding that traffickers had promised to take
them to Malaysia.
Muslim-majority
Malaysia is a key destination for Rohingya fleeing persecution.
An
investigation is ongoing, and it is unclear whether the group will face
criminal charges for leaving Rakhine state.
Rohingya
people convicted of violating immigration laws can face two years jail in
Myanmar.
The
anti-human trafficking department in Yangon and Naypyidaw declined to comment
on the case.
There
are also reports that a Myanmar navy vessel had found 120 Rohingya people on a
boat near Mudon township in Mon state, the source said.
A
Myanmar military crackdown in 2017 forced some 750,000 Rohingya to flee Rakhine
state for Bangladesh following widespread accounts of murder, arson and rape.
Amnesty
International likens their living conditions in Rakhine state to “apartheid”.
Following
the mass exodus, Myanmar is facing genocide accusations at the United Nations’
top court.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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--------
Bandar
Tiram An Nur Mosque inspired by Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque architecture
06-11-
2022
JOHOR
BAHRU: The Bandar Tiram An-Nur Mosque which will be built in December at a cost
of RM12 million is inspired by the architectural design of the Sultan Abu Bakar
Mosque here.
Johor
Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi (pix) said the mosque, which would be built
on a 0.79 hectare- site, is expected to be fully completed in 2024 and is
capable of accommodating 1,500 congregants at any one time.
He
said the construction and design of the mosque received the consent of the
Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
“I
understand that in terms of the design, it was the Johor Sultan’s idea that the
architecture is a reflection or almost similar to the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque,
that's why it is costly.
“However,
I am confident that it would be of great benefit to the people in Bandar Tiram,
the community here is very lucky and this would not have been possible without
the assistance of the federal government’s contribution of RM5 million from the
Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU),“ he said at the launch of the fund
raising and groundbreaking ceremony of the Bandar Tiram An-Nur Mosque here
today.
Also
present were Johor Corporation (JCorp) president and chief executive officer
Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee
chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid and Johor State mufti Datuk Yahya Ahmad
Meanwhile,
Syed Mohamed said JCorp through Waqaf An-Nur Corporation Berhad, was given the
responsibility to build the mosque and Johor Land Berhad as the real estate and
infrastructure development agent for JCorp was appointed to manage the project.
He
said the construction of the mosque was from funds and contributions from the
ICU, the Prime Minister's Department, JCorp group of companies such as Kulim
(Malaysia) Bhd, Johor Land Bhd, Waqaf An-Nur, Bandar Tiram Residents'
Committee, the public and local mosques.
Source:TheSunDaily
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--------
Once
again, Malaysia’s Anwar bids to become prime minister
REUTERS
7
November, 2022
By
A. Ananthalakshmi and Rozanna Latiff
TAMBUN,
Malaysia (Reuters) – After two decades as opposition leader, Malaysia’s Anwar
Ibrahim was poised to finally become prime minister in 2020. But his alliance
collapsed from infighting, leaving him as far away as ever from the top job.
Now,
Anwar, 75, is hitting the national campaign trail again, trying to convince
Malaysians to vote for him in the Nov. 19 election as he looks to finally
fulfil his long-held dream of becoming prime minister.
He
was in his element on the stump: joking with supporters as he peppered his
speech with Quranic verses and Malay folklore to condemn his rivals and burnish
his leadership credentials.
“I’m
optimistic,” Anwar told Reuters late on Friday after a packed day of
campaigning at his constituency Tambun in west Malaysia, referring to his
coalition’s chances of victory and changing the political landscape in
multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority Malaysia.
“We
are here to emphasize governance and anti-corruption, and rid this country of
racism and religious bigotry,” he said.
Anwar’s
alliance faces two other coalitions in the election – one led by incumbent
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the other by former premier Muhyiddin
Yassin. There are several other parties in the running, including one founded
by another former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, a factor that is expected to
split the votes more than ever before.
Opinion
polls predict a tight race with no single party or coalition being able to win
a simple majority needed to form the government.
Anwar
has support from the ethnic-Chinese and Indian minorities, who form a third of
the electorate, and from voters in urban areas. In Tambun town, he attracted
hundreds at a campaign stop, with crowds spilling onto the road and the driver
of a passing ambulance flashing Anwar a thumbs-up sign.
But
he lacks widespread appeal among majority Malays due to his opposition to
affirmative action favouring them and past allegations of sodomy, a crime in
Malaysia. Anwar has spent around a decade in jail on sodomy and corruption
charges.
A
survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center showed that Anwar lags behind his
two rivals in popularity by 8 to 12 percentage points despite a recent uptick.
However,
his multi-ethnic coalition was the most favoured by voters at 26%, although
nearly 31% were yet to decide who to vote for, Merdeka said. Ismail’s Barisan
Nasional coalition came in second at 24%.
NO
ALLIANCE
Anwar
said he will not work with Ismail’s or Muhyiddin’s coalitions due to
“fundamental differences”, despite polls saying that alliances would be
necessary to form the next government.
“Any
form of coalition will be a major setback because you are having a coalition
with essentially racist or Muslim fanatics,” said Anwar. He also ruled out
working with friend-turned-foe Mahathir.
Barisan
is led by a Malay nationalist party. Muhyiddin’s coalition also prioritises
ethnic Malay interests and includes an Islamist party that has touted shariah
law.
Anwar,
who was deputy to Mahathir when he was prime minister in his first term, came
close to the premiership after the opposition defeated Barisan for the first
time in Malaysia’s history in the 2018 election. His party had joined hands
with Mahathir amid widespread anger against the government over the
multi-billion-dollar 1MDB corruption scandal.
Anwar
was in prison during the 2018 election on what he says were
politically-motivated sodomy charges, and later pardoned.
Mahathir
became prime minister and promised to hand over power to Anwar in two years.
Anwar’s wife took over as deputy prime minister, but the coalition collapsed in
22 months due to infighting over the transition.
Muhyiddin
briefly became prime minister but Barisan came back to power in 2021 with
Ismail at the helm as part of another alliance.
Oh
Ei Sun, a senior fellow with Singapore’s Institute of International Affairs,
said Anwar was not likely to get enough Malay support to reach the finish line.
“More
of the rural Malay voters will flow back to (Barisan) in particular and Malay
parties in general,” he said.
Anwar
is also facing pressure from some in his own coalition to step down and make
way for new leadership after over two decades at the helm.
Asked
if this election would be his last, Anwar said he knew his limits.
Source:ThePrint
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/once-again-malaysias-anwar-bids-to-become-prime-minister/1201972/
--------
PAS
non-Muslim wing accepts the 4 seats offered by party
November
5, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: PAS non-Muslim supporters’ wing has been given one parliamentary and
three state seats to contest in the general election (GE15).
This
was way below the three parliamentary and 13 state seats it had requested
earlier.
The
wing’s chief, N Balasubramaniam, said that its candidates were contesting in
the Bukit Mertajam parliamentary constituency and three state seats in Perak —
Jelapang, Sungkai and Pasir Bedamar.
He
said the wing accepted the decision in the spirit of camaraderie and was being
realistic about its chances.
“We
understand the party’s constraints, especially with the demands from its
Perikatan Nasional coalition partners. Bersatu and Gerakan also have many
non-Muslim candidates.
“So,
we accepted the decision wholeheartedly and will continue to campaign for PAS
in GE15,” he told FMT.
He
said the wing did not demand for seats but only requested for certain seats.
Balasubramaniam
said since GE15 had turned out to be an election like no other with the demand
for seats from all reaching a record high, the wing decided to accept the seats
offered and work on them despite them being “extremely tough seats”.
Their
candidate in Bukit Mertajam is Koh Tien Yew, who will face Steven Sim (PH-DAP)
and Tan Yang Pang (BN-MCA).
In
the Perak state seat of Sungkai, its candidate, G Thilak Raj, will face A Sivanesan
(PH-DAP), Mahhadee Ramlee (independent) and V Elango (BN-MIC).
In
Jelapang, its candidate S Navinten will take on Hamidah Muhamad (BN-Makkal
Sakthi) and Cheah Pou Hian (PH-DAP). Cheah had won the seat in GE14.
In
Pasir Bedamar, S Surianarayanan will face Woo Kah Leong (PH-DAP) and Kong Sun
Chin (BN-MCA).
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
6
killed as regime forces attack refugee camp in Syria’s Idlib
Beraa
Gokturk
06.11.2022
IDLIB,
Syria
Six
civilians were killed and 75 others injured when Syrian regime forces shelled a
refugee camp in northeastern Syria, according to civil defense sources on
Sunday.
The
sources with the White Helmets civil defense agency said regime forces attacked
the Maram refugee camp north of Idlib with cluster bombs.
The
injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for medical attention, the sources
said.
Idlib
falls within a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly
prohibited under a 2018 deal between Türkiye and Russia. The area has been the
subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been
violated by the Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies.
Syria
has been embroiled in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad
regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Al
Azhar Grand Imam meets Supreme Judicial Council Deputy President
06
Nov 2022
Manama,
Nov. 6 (BNA): His Eminence Sheikh of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim
Council of Elders, Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, received today at his residence in the
Kingdom of Bahrain Deputy President of the Supreme Judicial Council, President
of the Court of Cassation, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa.
HE
Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb underlined the role of the judiciary in promoting justice as
one of the pillars of protecting rights, backing the international efforts and
achieving sustainable development. He stressed the significant role of the
Supreme Judicial Council in protecting rights and liberties as well as public
and private properties.
Source:
BNA
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https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2bDpE9QbT6m%2fmAUdHhbHliq8w%3d
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Russia:
HTS militants, White Helmets preparing false-flag operations in Syria’s Idlib
06
November 2022
Russia’s
Defense Ministry has warned that members of the Takfiri Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
(HTS) terrorist outfit together with the so-called civil defense group White
Helmets are planning to stage false flag operations against civilians in the
northwestern province of Idlib to implicate Russian military forces in strikes
against refugee camps.
“The
Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria has received information that Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham terrorists together with members of the pseudo-humanitarian
organization White Helmets are preparing to record staged videos in Kafr
Dariyan and Kafr Jales villages of the province to accuse the Russian Aerospace
Forces and Syrian government troops of indiscriminate strikes on civilian
infrastructure and camps for internally displaced people,” Deputy head of the
center, Major General Oleg Yegorov, said.
The
White Helmets group, which claims to be a humanitarian NGO, is known for its
coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks
in order to falsely incriminate Syrian government forces and fabricate pretexts
for military strikes by a US-led military coalition present in Syria since
2014.
On
April 14, 2018, the United States, Britain, and France carried out a string of
airstrikes against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack on the city
of Douma, located about 10 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus.
That
alleged attack was reported by the White Helmets group, which published videos
showing them purportedly treating survivors.
Washington
and its allies blamed Damascus for the Douma attack, an allegation strongly
rejected by the Syrian government.
The
western media and governments have repeatedly accused the Syrian government of
using chemical weapons against its own citizens in the war against terrorists.
This
is while Syria surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint
mission led by the United States and the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry. It has
also consistently denied using chemical weapons.
Russia
has been providing Syrian forces with crucial military assistance in the
ongoing battles across the conflict-plagued Arab country.
Source:
Press TV
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HM
King bids farewell to HH Pope of Vatican and Grand Imam Shaikh of Al Azhar
06
Nov 2022
Manama,
Nov. 6 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa bid farewell to His
Holiness Pope Francis and the accompanying delegation upon his departure from
Bahrain today, concluding a historic four-day official visit to the Kingdom at
the invitation of HM the King.
The
Pope has participated in the Bahrain Dialogue Forum: "East and West for
Human Coexistence" in its first session held under the patronage of HM
King Hamad.
HM
the King also bid farewell to His Eminence Sheikh of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the
Muslim Council of Elders Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb upon his departure today,
concluding a visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of HM the King.
The
Grand Imam has participated in the Bahrain Dialogue Forum: "East and West
for Human Coexistence."
Source:
BNA
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https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2bDjZFKMORw6N%2b4uT2jff2XmY%3d
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Activists
Say Saudi Officials to Execute 8 Teenagers from over Trumped-Up Terror
Allegations
2022-November-6
The
activists have mounted a campaign under the Arabic hashtag “Stop the Slaughter”
to demand the abolition of death penalties handed down to minors, presstv
reported.
They
identified the defendants as Abdullah Al-Howaiti, Abdullah Al-Derazi, Ali
Al-Sabiti, Hasan Zaki Al-Faraj, Jalal Al Labad, Mahdi Al-Mohsen, Javad Qariris,
and Yousef Al-Manasif.
The
activists pointed out that the General Prosecutor's Office has sentenced
Manasif, and at least five others, including a teenager named Sajjad Al Yassin,
to death for apostasy – abandoning their Muslim faith, according to trial
documents.
They
went on to note that these six people are under trial in Saudi Arabia's
Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) since September 2019.
Manasif
was violently attacked and arrested back in April 2017, near the so-called
Qatif Court of Justice. He was walking in the street when Saudi forces opened
fire and detained him, without providing an arrest warrant or any reason for
the measure.
Saudi
authorities allowed Manasif's family to meet him only six months after his
detention, and he was kept in solitary confinement during that time. He was
tortured several times by Saudi officers, beaten unconscious, and then taken to
hospital.
Among
the charges leveled against him are participation in the funerals of political
opponents, taking part in anti-regime demonstrations and chanting slogans
against the Riyadh regime, attempts to incite sedition and disturb national
security, encouragement of sit-ins, protests and gatherings with the intent to
harm the country’s stability, affiliation to terrorist outfits and shooting at
security forces.
Eastern
Province has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011.
Protesters have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of
political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination
against the oil-rich region.
The
protests have been met with a heavy-handed crackdown by the regime. Security
forces have increased security measures across the province.
Since
bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has
arrested hundreds of activists, bloggers, intellectuals and others for their
political activism, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in the face
of international condemnation of the crackdown.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Pope
urges Lebanon’s politicians to ‘put aside’ personal interests
06
November, 2022
Pope
Francis urged Lebanese politicians Sunday to “put aside... personal interests”
and come to an agreement on filling a power vacuum in the crisis-hit country,
which currently has no president.
“I
call on Lebanese politicians to put aside your personal interests, look at the
country and come to an agreement,” the pontiff said at a press conference
during his return journey from a trip to Bahrain.
Already
mired in political and economic crises, Lebanon is now also without a president
after Michel Aoun's mandate expired at the start of the week without a
successor.
Now,
headed by a caretaker government, Lebanon is unable to enact the major reforms
needed to access billions of dollars from international lenders to help save an
economy in freefall since late 2019.
Lebanese
lawmakers vote in parliament for the president. But parliament has held four
rounds of voting since September, with no candidate garnering enough support to
succeed Aoun.
“I
don't want to say 'save' Lebanon, because we are not saviours,” Francis said.
“But
please: support Lebanon, help it to get out of this bad situation. Let Lebanon
regain its greatness,” he said.
For
three years Lebanon has been in the throes of one of the worst economic crises
in recent history according to the World Bank.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Six
displaced Syrians, including two children, killed in regime rocket strike
06
November, 2022
Syrian
regime rocket fire killed six civilians including two children at makeshift
camps for displaced people in the country's last major rebel-held bastion early
Sunday, a war monitor said.
The
victims had all been uprooted from their homes during Syria’s years of war,
said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a broad
network of sources on the ground.
It
said more than 30 rockets exploded in several areas, including the camps, west
of the city of Idlib in Syria's northwest.
The
shelling wounded in excess of 20 people in addition to those killed, the
Observatory said.
An
AFP correspondent saw flimsy tents destroyed and burned, blood stains and
rocket debris at the scene.
At
a nearby hospital, the correspondent saw the bodies of two young girls.
The
last pocket of armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime includes
large swathes of Idlib province and parts of the neighboring Aleppo, Hama and
Latakia provinces.
Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), headed by ex-members of Syria's former Al-Qaeda
franchise, is the dominant group in the area but other rebel groups are also
active.
According
to the Observatory, the rocket fire came the day after five Syrian forces
members died in shelling by a group affiliated with HTS.
The
Idlib region is home to about three million people, around half of them
displaced.
They
are among the millions displaced internally and abroad by the war in Syria
since 2011. Nearly half a million people have been killed.
With
Russian and Iranian support, Damascus clawed back much of the ground lost in
the early stages of Syria’s conflict, which erupted in 2011 when the government
brutally repressed pro-democracy protests.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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COP27
summit in Egypt to begin with plea to discuss climate compensation
06
November, 2022
The
UN climate summit, COP27, opens in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on Sunday amid
growing calls for rich countries to compensate poorer nations most vulnerable
to climate change.
Much
of the tension surrounding COP27 is expected to relate to loss and damage --
compensation funds provided by wealthy nations to vulnerable lower-income
countries that bear little responsibility for climate-warming emissions.
Delegates
will begin the two-week negotiation process by approving the conference agenda
during the opening plenary session, with all eyes on whether wealthier nations
agree to have the compensation listed formally on the agenda.
Diplomats
from more than 130 countries are expected to push for the creation of a
dedicated loss and damage finance facility at COP27.
At
COP26 last year in Glasgow, high-income nations blocked a proposal for a loss
and damage financing body, instead supporting a new three-year dialogue for
funding discussions.
Currently,
a session to address loss and damage is on the provisional agenda, but
policymakers will decide today whether to adopt it onto the official agenda.
“I’m
hopeful that it will get on the agenda,” Matthew Samuda, a minister in
Jamaica’s economic growth ministry, told Reuters. “There has been a softening
of positions from many nations who a year ago or two years ago would not have
been willing to support it.”
Others
expressed concern about potential holdouts.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Bahrain
will build on partnership with Israel: King’s adviser
06
November, 2022
Bahrain
will continue to build its relationship with Israel after former prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies triumphed in Israel’s general
election, the diplomatic adviser to Bahrain’s king said on Saturday.
Arab
leaders have largely been silent about the victory of Netanyahu, whose record
of hardline opposition to Shia Muslim power Iran has helped forge ties with
Sunni Muslim Gulf leaders.
Israel,
under Netanyahu’s government in 2020, normalized ties with the United Arab
Emirates and Bahrain - where concern over Iran’s regional sway dominates
security strategy - under US-brokered pacts called the Abraham Accords.
The
diplomatic adviser, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, said Netanyahu’s win
was “normal and always expected.”
“We
have an agreement with Israel, part of the Abraham Accords, and we will stick
to our agreement and we expect it to continue in the same line and continue
building our partnership together,” he told reporters.
“We
will want to make an example and succeed together and face all the threats,” he
said, responding to a question about a multilateral regional approach to
security that includes Israel.
US
and Israeli officials raised the idea of an integrated Middle East air defense
system during a trip by US President Joe Biden in July to Israel and Saudi
Arabia, which blessed the Abraham Accords but has yet to formally recognize
Israel.
“We
would like to make sure that we don’t have to reach a day that we will face
some deterioration of security in the region of any sort,” said Sheikh Khalid,
whose country is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
“We
do want to have the region come to terms between all the countries and agree
against any belligerency from any side to any other.”
The
Gulf and Israel share concern over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and
network of regional proxies. Gulf states rely on the US for their security but
have questioned US commitment to the region.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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UAE
FM Sheikh Abdullah, Turkey’s Cavusoglu discuss ties, energy at Abu Dhabi event
05
November, 2022
The
UAE’s foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed discussed regional matters and
energy in a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Emirates
News Agency (WAM) reported on Saturday.
The
meeting, in which the diplomats reportedly discussed bilateral relations, took
place on the sidelines of the Sir Baniyas Forum, which Russia’s foreign
minister Sergey Lavrov is also expected to attend.
Sheikh
Abdullah congratulated Cavusoglu on the resumption of the grain-export deal
through the Black Sea, “commending the significant efforts made by the Republic
of Türkiye to continue the implementation of this deal…,” WAM reported.
The
UAE diplomat also reportedly affirmed the UAE's interest to invest in Turkey.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Royal
Saudi Air Force jet crashes during drills, crew unharmed: Defense ministry
07
November, 2022
A
Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S fighter jet crashed at the King Abdulaziz Air Base
training area due to a technical malfunction, the Saudi Ministry of Defense’s
official spokesperson Brigadier General Turki al-Malki said on Monday.
The
aircrew, which consisted of two officers, survived the crash after using their
ejector seats, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited the spokesperson as saying.
“An
investigation committee has commenced its tasks to uncover the details and
reasons behind this incident,” SPA quoted al-Maliki as saying.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iraq
considers reinstating conscription
06
November, 2022
Iraqi
lawmakers were due to examine on Sunday a bill seeking to reestablish military
conscription in the country, nearly 20 years after its abolition.
Service
in the armed forces was mandatory in Iraq from 1935 up until 2003, when a
US-led invasion toppled former dictator Saddam Hussein.
The
bill would pave the way for the conscription of young men aged 18 to 35, for
terms between three and 18 months depending on their education level, MP Yasser
Iskander Watout told AFP.
They
would receive allowances ranging from 600,000 to 700,000 Iraqi dinars (more
than $400), added Watout, who serves on the legislature’s defense committee.
It
would take two years after the passing of the law to fully restore
conscription, Watout said, adding that only-sons and breadwinners would be
exempted.
Since
Saddam’s overthrow Iraq has suffered sectarian conflict and ISIS’ takeover of
large swathes of territory, before the extremists’ defeat in late 2017 by Iraqi
forces backed by a US-led military coalition.
That
anti-ISIS coalition continued a combat role in Iraq until last December, but
roughly 2,500 American soldiers remain in Iraq to offer training, advice and
assistance to national forces.
The
bill was initially submitted by the defense ministry in August 2021, under the
government of then-prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi.
Iraq
later that year elected a new parliament, which only last month swore in a
government led by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani after a year of political paralysis.
Despite
the declared victory over ISIS, members of the group continue to stage
intermittent attacks on government forces and the former paramilitary Hashed
al-Shaabi, now integrated into the regular forces.
This
persistent “terrorist threat” prompted MP Sikfan Sindi to call, in a recent
interview with state news agency INA, for the reinstatement of military
service.
Though
it is unclear whether the bill would receive much backing in parliament, it has
already drawn a backlash within the legislature and beyond.
“The
militarization of society will not create patriotism,” lawmaker Saeb Khidr of
the minority Yazidi community, which was brutalized by ISIS, told AFP.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/11/06/Iraq-considers-reinstating-conscription
--------
Families
of Bahraini political prisoners threatened, prevented from seeing Pope
06
November 2022
Bahrain’s
security forces have threatened the families of political prisoners with arrest
and prevented them from seeing Pope Francis, in an attempt to blackout one of
the most controversial topics of human rights in the tiny Persian Gulf state.
The
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society published a video via its twitter account,
showing the families of freedom of speech prisoners and victims of torture in
Bahraini prisons, as well as those sentenced to death by the Bahraini regime as
they were trying to meet Pope Francis on Saturday.
Nevertheless,
their attempt was unsuccessful as they were prevented to do so by the police.
Activists said the protesters were taken away from the protest site in a police
vehicle and later released.
The
video of Saturday’s protest, which included several women and children, was
also posted online by the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and
Democracy (BIRD).
Hajer
Mansoor, the mother of jailed activist Sayed Nizar al-Wadaei, held a placard
reading: “Tolerance does not exist for us here in Bahrain.”
One
of the placards read “Tolerance, Coexistence is a practice not just slogan.
#Free Hassan Mushaima #Free Political Prisoners #End Sectarianism”.
Hassan
Mushaima is a former Bahraini MP, whom the regime has accused of subversive
activities. He was handed a life sentence back in 2011, when the country's
population rose up en masse against Manama's decades-long policy of sidelining
and tyrannizing the Shia majority.
The
families of jailed dissidents had appealed to Pope Francis to speak out against
human rights abuses perpetrated by the ruling Al-Khalifa regime during his
upcoming trip to the tiny Persian Gulf country.
The
appeal was made in a letter written by the families of 12 prisoners sitting on
death row, and released by the BIRD last week.
"Our
family members remain behind bars and at risk of execution despite the clear
injustice of their convictions. Many of them were targeted because they took
part in pro-democracy protests during the 'Arab Spring'," read the letter.
"During
your visit to Bahrain, we hope you can repeat your call to abolish the death
penalty and for the sentences of our family members to be commuted."
Late
in October, a group of incarcerated Bahraini Shia Muslim clerics urged Pope
Francis to condemn the injustice and repressive policies of the ruling Al
Khalifah regime and push for reforms in the Persian Gulf kingdom ahead of his
visit.
In
a statement, the scholars said in Bahrain "the motto of tolerance and
coexistence is raised for everyone except for its own people," reminding
Pope Francis that he is visiting a country "where justice and charity are
widely prescribed; but injustice and aggression are practiced in reality.”
Demonstrations
have been held in Bahrain on a regular basis since the popular uprising began
in the Arab country in mid-February 2011.
People
demand that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power and allow a just system
representing all Bahrainis to be established. Manama, however, has gone to
great lengths to clamp down on any form of dissent.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Mideast
Sounds
of Sufism combine with Persian music in Oud Festival
By
JESSICA STEINBERG
6
November 2022
When
Persian ethnic wind musician Amir Shahsar performs with Turkish Sufi musician
Isa Nasim and Turkish vocalist Selçukhan Yılma on Monday night, it will mark a
rare encounter between the Persian and Turkish artists in Israel.
The
three are performing as part of the Oud Festival, which is running from
November 3 to 12, hosted at Jerusalem’s Confederation House and directed by
Effie Benaya.
The
three artists, accompanied by other musicians, will trace a musical journey of
Sufi mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi, who left Persia in the 13th century on a journey
to Turkey via Kurdistan and Armenia. It’s a performance that includes vocals in
Turkish, Persian, Arabic and Hebrew.
At
a rehearsal last week, several days before Nasim and Yılma arrived in Israel,
Shahsar rehearsed with sitar player Gilad Weiss, daf drummer Ruhama Carmel and
santur player Noam Shemesh, with Prof. Haviva Pedaya, who translated the poetry
and readings being performed.
The
Iranian-born Shahsar, who lives in Israel, placed the ney, an ancient Iranian
flute, on his upper lip and his cellphone on his leg, rehearsing the ancient
Turkish tune that speaks of Sufi love and friendship.
Shahsar
is the “master of Persian music,” said Pedaya of the Iranian-born musician. She
described him as the only person who could weave together the evening of
Turkish and Persian music from the period of the 1300s, when much of Persia and
Turkey were merged in one empire.
“The
concept just made sense,” said Pedaya. “Persian and Turkish together — that’s
Amir, it’s these two shades together. He’s a cantor and a muezzin, he’s Jewish
and Arab, he’s multilingual.”
Shahsar
performs original compositions that are tinged with his background of Persian,
Turkish, Armenian and Middle Eastern influences. His music is known for
combining the contemporary and traditional, sacred and folk sounds.
The
58-year-old musician was born in Iran and played the flute and Persian ney from
a young age. When he was 24 he left for Turkey, where he learned traditional
Turkish and Sufi music, and the Turkish clarinet, before immigrating to Israel
in 1989, where he added the oud to his repertoire.
It
was Shahsar who suggested including the Turkish musicians, but he also needed
fellow local artists “who could really play anything,” he said.
His
fellow band members include former students and musical colleagues. Carmel
learned to play the daf, a wide, light drum with Shehsi, while Weiss, who
usually plays the fretless guitar, picked up the Persian sitar a couple of
months ago.
During
the rehearsal, Shemesh drew out piano-like notes from the santur, a
biblical-era instrument that is played with slim metal hammers that touch the
keys — a kind of hammered dulcimer.
The
song they were rehearsing was a lengthy, singsong poem about love and
relationships, of spiritual awakening and mystical concepts, said Shahsar,
offering an impromptu freestyle translation into Hebrew afterwards.
“It’s
happy music, but the words are a little painful,” laughed Pedaya. “It goes on
and on and as it goes, the saddest things can be laughed at through the music.”
The
annual Oud Festival is celebrating its 23rd year with a full schedule of
performances by visiting and local artists, including Mira Awad, Palestinian
hip-hop and electronic music for younger fans at the Mazkeka bar, and a night
celebrating Riff Cohen’s new album.
Source:
TimesOfIsrael
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/sounds-of-sufism-combine-with-persian-music-in-oud-festival/
--------
Israeli
settlers have high hopes after Netanyahu election win
Nov
7, 2022
HILLTOP,
West Bank: High atop a rocky hill in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers
exhilarated by a resounding right-wing election triumph surveyed a landscape
dotted with Palestinian villages, scouting new spots to put down roots.
The
Nov. 1 ballot saw Religious Zionism, a hard-line settler party, soar to third
place in parliament, positioning it as a potential powerful partner in Benjamin
Netanyahu's likely coalition. Negotiations started on Sunday and could take
weeks.
But
among ideological settlers who see themselves as pioneers redeeming Biblical
heartland promised by God, hopes are already high for budgets, construction and
infrastructure to keep their enterprise thriving.
"Our
expectations are great," said Daniella Weiss, a veteran settler who led
the tiny scouting mission. "This government is better for the Jews than it
is for the Arabs. That's the name of the game."
Weiss
described the election results as a revolution. "As a person heading a
settlement movement, it's a victory," she said. "I have no doubt
there will be acceleration in development of the settlements."
Most
world powers deem settlements built in the territory Israel seized in the 1967
war as illegal under international law and their expansion as an obstacle to
peace, since they eat away at land the Palestinians claim for a future state.
With
peace talks establishing for such state in the West Bank, Gaza and east
Jerusalem dormant since 2014, and with no sign of their revival, Netanyahu's
likely government has simply darkened an already bleak Palestinian view.
"There
will be an increase in settlement activity and that will close the door for any
political solution," said Wasel Abu Youssef of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO).
NETANYAHU
Israel
disputes the illegality of the settlements and cites Biblical and historical
ties to the West Bank, which it calls by its Biblical name - Judea and Samaria.
"I
sense a chill down my spine coming back to the very places where my ancestors
lived," said Baruch Gordon from the settlement of Bet El, where Religious
Zionism election banners dot the streets.
"It's
our ancestral rightful homeland," said Gordon, who hopes to see Israel
extending sovereignty to the territory, which would be a de-facto annexation.
More
than 450,000 people, or less than 5% of Israel's population, are Jewish
settlers in the West Bank, home to about 3 million Palestinians who exercise
limited self-rule there.
Settlers
driven ideologically to the smaller enclaves, deep in the territory, are a
minority of the settler population. But they are nonetheless a powerful
political force, in Netanyahu's Likud party too.
At
the Bet El religious seminary, where Gordon works as development director, the
male students broke out in song and dance on election night, when the results
came through.
About
80% of Bet El's votes went to Religious Zionism, data from the Knesset's
election committee showed, and almost 10% to Netanyahu's Likud.
Set
for a record sixth term in office, Netanyahu has allied himself with Religious
Zionism, which advocates annexation of settlements, a pledge he made in 2020
before dropping it in return for normalising ties with the United Arab
Emirates.
That
deal, extended soon after to Bahrain, was mediated by former U.S. President
Donald Trump, whose administration saw Netanyahu's 2015-2019 solid right-wing
government increasing investment in settlement development.
With
the Biden administration, which has been far sharper in its stance against
settlements, Netanyahu will have to walk a tightrope between his own emerging
coalition and the White House.
But
settlers are unfazed. Yigal Dilmoni, chief executive of the settlers' main
umbrella organisation, said he expected Netanyahu to step up settlement
development while cracking down on Palestinian construction carried out without
Israeli permits.
Netanyahu,
said Dilmoni, was an astute statesman capable of sorting out any related
diplomatic rift, adding that in any case, annexation was merely a matter of
time.
Source:
Times Of India
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Hamas:
Palestinian martyrs’ blood will haunt Israel across Palestine like a curse
06
November 2022
The
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has denounced the most recent killing of
a Palestinian teenager who was shot dead by Israeli soldiers near Ramallah in
the occupied West Bank.
The
Palestinian martyrs’ blood will be “a curse that haunts the Israeli occupying
forces across Palestine,” Hamas said in a statement released on Sunday, adding
that the Palestinian people will never rest until they have avenged their
martyrs.
Hamas
also paid tribute to the Palestinian youth for courageously facing the
barbarism of the Israeli regime forces.
The
slain Palestinian was identified as 18-year-old Musab Mohammad Nafal, who was
targeted with a live bullet to the heart near the town of Sinjil on Saturday.
The
Palestinian Health Ministry said, "Nafal had been critically injured by a
live Israeli bullet in the heart" and "was rushed to Palestine
Medical Complex in [the city of] Ramallah where he was pronounced dead of his
wound."
On
Thursday alone, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in the West Bank,
including a fighter with the Islamic Jihad resistance movement.
Late
October, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process, Tor Wennesland, warned "2022 is on course to be the deadliest
year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs began systematically tracking Palestinian fatalities in
2005.”
"Near-daily
instances of violence, [are] unfolding against a backdrop of unabated Israeli
settlement expansion, evictions of Palestinians, and home demolitions,”
Wennesland said at the time.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Amsterdam
mosque hosts thousands of non-Muslims during Night of Museums
06
NOVEMBER 2022
The
Fatih Mosque in Amsterdam opened its doors to more than 1,000 non-Muslim
visitors this year during the annual Night of Museums.
Visitors
to the mosque, which is affiliated with the Turkish Diyanet Foundation,
received information about Islam, mosques and Islamic arts.
“The
Dutch are very curious about the religion of Islam and the internal structure
of our mosque,” said Kemal Gozutok of the Fatih Mosque.
“They
want to learn everything from shoe cabinet to minbar, from mihrab to tiles,” he
told Anadolu Agency.
A
visitor who gave his name as Charn from the US, said that although he lived
very close to the mosque he came for the first time. “I liked the interior of
the mosque very much. The voices of the imams were great.”
Another
visitor, Jaap Kapteyn, cited the importance of participating in the Night of Museums
as a mosque and promoting Islam with art activities and works. “This affects
the perspective of the Dutch -- who value art very much -- about Islam.”
“It
is a very good way to combat Islamophobia in the Netherlands,” he added.
The
Fatih Mosque, built in 1920 and converted from a church that was closed due to
a lack of worshippers, was purchased by Turkish workers who came to Amsterdam
in 1980 to meet the need for places of worship.
Source:
Yenisafak
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Unveils Advanced Home-Made Missile Defense System
2022-November-6
The
Sayyad 4B guided missile production line was inaugurated on Sunday.
Iranian
engineers have increased the range of the Bavar-373 long-range road-mobile
surface-to-air missile system to 300 km.
Bavar
373, as the first Iranian indigenous long-range defense system which was
unveiled in August 2019, is a mobile missile defense system designed to
intercept and destroy incoming hostile targets.
The
Bavar-373 air defense missile system is a product of creativity and reliance on
internal capabilities in terms of design, development, and deployment of a
strategic missile system.
According
to official media, the Sayyad 4B guided missiles can be launched using vertical
take-off systems , which, due to their square shape, are similar to those of
the MIM-104 Patriot -Anti-aircraft missile system. The effective range of the
missile should be 200 km and the service ceiling 27 km.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010815000398/Iran-Unveils-Advanced-Hme-Made-Missile-Defense-Sysem
--------
FM
Underlines Failure US Plan B in Iran
2022-November-6
"During
the past 43 years, the United States has uselessly been after regime change in
Iran," Amir Abdollahian told reporters on Saturday.
He
pointed out that over the past 40 days, they have been after implementing Plan
B in Iran; meanwhile, they were defeated due to Iranian people's vigilance and
guidelines of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali
Khamenei.
Referring
to the recent remarks made by the US President Joe Biden to support the unrest
in Iran under the claim of freedom, the foreign minister said Mr. Biden
received a response from the address delivered by Iranian President Seyed
Ebrahim Rayeesi on Friday (November 4).
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010814000880/FM-Underlines-Failre-US-Plan-B-in-Iran
--------
Iran
Successfully Launches Qaem 100 Solid Fuel Suborbital Carrier
2022-November-5
Qaem
100, the first of its kind manufactured by Iranian scientists, is capable of
putting satellites weighing up to 80 kilograms into orbit 500 kilometers from
the earth's surface.
The
launch vehicle’s solid-fueled first-stage engine, which had been subjected to
ground tests early this year, successfully completed its first suborbital
spaceflight on Saturday.
That
means, according to IRGC officials, that Qaem 100 is now ready to launch Nahid,
a satellite manufactured by Iran's Ministry of Information and Communications
Technology, into orbit in the near future.
Commander
of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh and other
senior military officials supervised the flight test of the satellite carrier.
Speaking
on the sidelines of the ceremony, General Hajizadeh said arrogant countries,
led by the United States, are doing all they can to hinder Iran's progress,
adding, "They cannot stand the impressive achievements of the Islamic
Republic of Iran."
He
emphasized that the Iranian youths are making such great achievements at a time
when the country is facing the "heaviest" sanctions in history.
Iran
would not hesitate to continue down the path of progress and modern
technologies, the IRGC commander insisted.
Iran
has over the past years succeeded in manufacturing and putting into space
different satellites as well as launching various carriers.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Security
Forces Arrest MKO Terrorists in Southern Iran
2022-November-5
"The
agents were responsible for designing and directing propaganda projects in
favor of the MKO terrorist group and its criminal head,” Head of the Fars
Judiciary Department Kazzem Mousavi
said.
The
arrested individuals were active not only in Shiraz but also in several other
cities across the country, he said, noting that the arrests were made with the
cooperation of several intelligence bodies.
“This
active terrorist group was recently involved in planning an act of sabotage,”
said the judiciary official, adding that explosive and incendiary materials
have also been seized from them.
After
the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the MKO terrorist group began its enmity
against Iran by killing thousands of Iranians and terrorist activities. Several
members of the terrorist group and its leaders are living in European countries
now, freely conducting terrorist activities.
The
MKO terrorist group has martyred 17,161 Iranian citizens and officials,
including late president Mohammad Ali Rajayee, former Prime Minister Mohammad
Javad Bahonar, late Head of Supreme Judicial Council Ayatollah Mohammad
Beheshti, late Deputy Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Ali Sayyad
Shirazi, and 27 legislators, as well as four nuclear scientists, some on itself
and some others through collusion with Israeli Mossad and other notorious spy
agencies like CIA.
The
MKO terrorist group has publicly specified targets as martyred Lieutenant General
Qassem Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC), and Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi.
The
terrorist organization said it would “welcome” their assassination, adding that
it desired for the ranking officials to “join” Asadollah Lajevardi, Tehran’s
former chief prosecutor, and Ali Sayyad-Shirazi, a former commander of the
Iranian Army’s Ground Forces during Iraq’s 1980-88 war against Iran, who have
both been assassinated by the terror outfit.
The
MKO is currently based in Albania, where it enjoys freedom of activity after
being delisted by the European Union and the United States in 2009 and 2012,
respectively.
The
terror group regularly hosts big events in which top US and European officials
make speeches in support of the group. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and former Vice President Mike
Pence met with the terror group’s leader several times, voiced their support
for the notorious cult.
A
heavily-armed terrorist assaulted the revered shrine of Shah Cheragh at
approximately 5:45 p.m. local time (1415 GMT) on October 26, just before the
evening prayers, heinously killing more than a dozen pilgrims, including a lady
and two children, and injuring at least 40 others.
The
attacker opened fire indiscriminately on visitors within the shrine, according
to the police commander of Fars province. He was wounded and taken into custody
by security personnel, and later succumbed to his wounds.
Shortly
afterward, the Daesh Takfiri terror group claimed responsibility for the
attack.
n
October 28, Shiraz Governor Lotfollah Sheibani said security forces had defused
a bomb in Shiraz that was set to detonate concurrent with the shooting at the
shrine. He said an individual had placed “explosives with high destructive
power in a bag and sought to detonate it in one of the busiest areas of Shiraz”
where riots were held. The forces at the scene, he said, arrested the
individual and defused the bomb in the shortest time possible.
Riots
broke out in Iran last month after a young Iranian woman, identified as Mahsa
Amini, died. The 22-year-old fainted at a police station in the capital Tehran
and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. An official report by Iran’s Legal
Medicine Organization said that Amini’s controversial death was caused by an
illness rather than alleged “blows to the head” or other vital body organs.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010814000440/Secriy-Frces-Arres-MKO-Terrriss-in-Shern-Iran
--------
IRGC
Commander: Iran's Enemies Retreating to Defensive Shell
2022-November-5
"The
enemies have become frustrated with their anti-Iran policies," General
Salami said.
The
IRGC commander, meantime, pointed out that the Iranian people are demanding a
strong response to the crimes of the Shah Cheragh terrorist attack in Southern
Iranian city of Shiraz, and said, "Iran will respond to the enemies'
interference and evil actions at the right time."
A
terrorist gunman opened fire on the worshippers at Shah Cheragh holy shrine in
Shiraz, Southern Iran, on October 26, killing 13, including two children, and
wounding 30 others.
The
attacker was injured and arrested but succumbed to injuries shortly after being
taken to the hospital.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010814000301/IRGC-Cmmander-Iran's-Enemies-Rereaing-Defensive-Shell
--------
Iran
Slams US As Terrorists Godfather
2022-November-5
"Wherever
the US stepped in, it brought about killing, looting, and insecurity,"
Kana'ani tweeted in reaction to recent remarks by US President Joe Biden.
He
said that US has been an occupier in its
history and never been a liberator, adding that Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya,
Syria, and so on are in front of the eyes of the nations around the region and
the whole world.
"Daesh-style
liberation comes from Daesh's godfather; nothing else," the spokesman
continued.
On
Thursday, President Biden while addressing an election campaign claimed
"don't worry, we're gonna free Iran".
“They’re
gonna free themselves pretty soon,” Biden alleged in the West Coast campaign
speech.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010814000422/Iran-Slams-US-As-Terrriss-Gdfaher
--------
At
least 304 people killed in Iran’s Mahsa Amini protests: Rights group
06
November, 2022
At
least 304 people have been killed during anti-regime protests in Iran sparked
by the death of Mahsa Amini, a rights group said on Saturday.
“At
least 304 people, including 41 children and 24 women, have been killed in the
ongoing nationwide protests,” the Oslo-based rights group Iran Human Rights
(IHR) said.
Security
forces killed at least 16 people with live bullets during protests in the city
of Khash in Sistan-Baluchestan province on Friday, the group said.
With
118 people killed, Sistan-Baluchestan has been the region with the highest
number of deaths since the unrest erupted mid-September, IHR said.
Tehran
has blamed the violence in Sistan-Baluchestan on armed militants. Iran’s military
has in the past clashed with Sunni militants in Sistan-Baluchestan, which is
mostly populated by Sunni ethnic Baluchis, a minority in predominantly Shia
Iran.
Baluchi
activists have long complained of ethnic and religious discrimination and
accuse the regime of deliberately neglecting their region, one of Iran’s
poorest according to official figures.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
army shoots dead Palestinian in West Bank: Health ministry
06
November, 2022
Israeli
forces shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian on Saturday near Ramallah in the
occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Musaab
Nafal died “from severe wounds sustained by occupation (Israeli) bullets near
the village of Sinjil,” the ministry said in a statement.
The
Israeli army said soldiers responded to “a report about stone hurling toward a
highway” that had caused damage “to a number of cars.”
Soldiers
“responded with fire toward the perpetrators. Hits were identified,” it said in
a statement.
The
incident came four days after Israelis went to the polls for general elections.
Violence
has soared between Israel and the Palestinians in recent months, with near
daily West Bank raids by Israeli forces following a rise in anti-Israeli
attacks.
On
Thursday, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including an alleged
attacker in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Israel
has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Four
injured in new mining accident following blast in northwest Turkey
06
November, 2022
Four
miners were injured, two of them seriously, after an explosion at a mine in
northwest Turkey, media reported on Sunday, three weeks after a blast at
another pit in the area killed 42.
The
blast occurred overnight at a privately-owned mine in the Kilimli district, the
DHA news agency reported.
The
two seriously injured miners have been transported to a hospital in the capital
Ankara for treatment, DHA said.
On
October 14, a blast that ripped through a state-owned mine near the small coal
town of Amasra, 50 kilometers (just over 30 miles) away from this weekend’s
blast, ended up killing 42 people.
Twenty-five
people, including the director of the mine, have been detained.
The
opposition has accused the government of failing to take the necessary measures
to prevent the disaster.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US,
UK preparing for fresh escalation in Yemen: Ansarullah
06
November 2022
Yemen's
popular resistance Ansarullah movement warns about the United States and the
UK's fresh malicious intentions in the war-ravaged country.
Ali
al-Qahoum, a member of Ansarullah's Political Bureau, raised the alarm during
an exclusive interview with Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network on Sunday.
There
is "a direct US military presence in Yemen, and an influx of US forces,
specifically in Hadhramaut," he said, referring to Yemen's biggest
province, which spans from the country's center towards its eastern areas.
"There
is also an influx of British forces into al-Mahrah," he added, referring
to Yemen's second-largest province that neighbors Hadharamaut to the east.
The
US and the UK were preparing for a fresh round of escalation in Yemen, he
further warned without elaborating.
The
Western countries have been contributing heavily and unabatedly to a war of
aggression that a Saudi Arabia-led coalition has been waging against Yemen
since 2015.
The
coalition has been seeking, unsuccessfully though, to restore Yemen's power to
the country's former Western- and Riyadh-aligned officials. The war has killed
hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian
crisis.
Washington
and London have been providing the coalition with direct arms, logistical, and
political support, including through outfitting it with precision-guided
ammunitions that the Saudi-led forces have been using amply against Yemen's
civilian population.
Al-Qahoum
said new US and British military delegations had arrived in Yemen earlier this
week.
Reporting
on Wednesday, Yemen Press Agency cited informed local sources as saying that
Hadhramaut's Provincial Governor, Mabkhout bin Madi, had held a face-to-face
meeting with the US delegation in his office.
The
Ansarullah official, however, asserted that despite the Western states'
apparent preparations for a new flare-up in Yemen, "the Yemenis are ready
to defend their dignity and every inch of their country."
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/11/06/692280/Yemen-United-States-UK-
--------
Africa
Morocco
arrests 300 migrants trying to cross border into Spain
Khalid
Mejdoup
06.11.2022
RABAT,
Morocco
Moroccan
security forces thwarted an attempt by hundreds of migrants to cross border
into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, according to local media on Sunday.
The
local Al-Omq Al-Maghrebi website, citing local sources, said more than 300
migrants were arrested.
Moroccan
authorities have launched a manhunt for other irregular migrants in the
northern town of Fnideq and nearby forests, the sources said.
Injuries
were reported among migrants and security forces, the sources said.
In
June, hundreds of migrants tried to scale the iron border fence between Morocco
and the Spanish enclave of Melilla, but were stopped by Moroccan and Spanish
forces, leaving at least 23 migrants dead.
For
years, North African countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and
Mauritania have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa
– to reach Europe, hoping for a better life. While some of the migrants manage
to reach their destination, others often die during the journey.
According
to Moroccan authorities, at least 14,746 attempts to illegally cross border
into Spain were foiled in the first quarter of 2022.
In
2021, Moroccan authorities prevented 49 coordinated illegal migration
operations, including 47 in the direction of Melilla.
Melilla
and Ceuta are Europe’s only territory on the African mainland and have been
under Spanish rule since the 17th century.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sudan
warns Bashir loyalists against interfering in army’s affairs
Buhram
Abdel-Men'em
06.11.2022
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
The
head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Military Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan,
warned loyalists of former President Omar al-Bashir against interfering in the
army’s affairs.
“The
military institution does not support any faction or party,” Al-Burhan said in
a speech aired by state television.
“Stay
away from the armed forces,” he said in a stern warning to al-Bashir’s National
Congress Party (NCP) and the Islamist Movement.
Al-Burhan
stressed that the army will not allow the NCP or Islamists to return to power.
There
was no comment from the NCP on al-Burhan’s speech.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Opposition
bloc calls for forming national salvation gov’t in Tunisia
Adel
Thabeti
06.11.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
A
main opposition bloc has called for the formation of a national salvation
government to address Tunisia’s economic and social problems.
In
a statement on Sunday, the National Salvation Front accused the government of
failing to provide basic commodities to the citizens.
“The
coup regime does not have any economic policy but to hike prices and freeze
employment,” the front said.
The
opposition bloc accused Tunisian President Kais Saied “of seeking to accumulate
powers under his authority.”
The
National Salvation Front consists of five parties: Ennahda Movement, Heart of
Tunisia Party, the Dignity Coalition, the Movement Party and Al-Amal Party.
Tunisia
has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's
economic conditions since last year, when Saied ousted the government and
dissolved parliament.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
Iran
President Raisi says country thwarted US destabilization
05
November, 2022
President
Ebrahim Raisi said Iran’s cities were “safe and sound” after what he called a
failed attempt by the United States to repeat the 2011 Arab uprisings in the
Islamic Republic, Iranian media reported on Saturday as protests continued for
a 50th day.
Iran’s
leadership has struggled to suppress the demonstrations which erupted in
September after the death of young Kurdish Iranian woman who had been detained
by morality police for flouting strict laws on women’s dress.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Hundreds
of people, mostly protesters, have been killed according to activists in one of
the most serious waves of unrest to sweep the country since the 1979 Islamic
Revolution which overthrew the US-backed Shah.
As
Iranian authorities marked the anniversary this week of the seizure of the US
embassy in Tehran by radical students, President Joe Biden backed the
protesters, saying: “We’re gonna free Iran. They’re gonna free themselves pretty
soon.”
Students
and women have led many of the current protests, with women throwing off and
burning veils in defiance of the strict dress codes and students chanting down
officials in university campuses, according to unverified video footage.
“The
Americans and other enemies sought to destabilize Iran by implementing the same
plans as in Libya and Syria, but they failed,” Raisi was quoted by Iranian news
agencies as telling a group of students during a four-hour meeting on Friday.
A
popular uprising in Libya led to NATO intervention in 2011 and the overthrow
and killing of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi by rebel fighters. In Syria, mass
demonstrations against Iran’s ally President Bashar al-Assad were confronted
with force and the country spiraled into conflict which continues 11 years on.
By
contrast, Iranian cities were now “safe and sound, Raisi said, promising
retribution for the unrest the country had seen.
"Riots
and attempts to disrupt the country are different from protesting. Riots and
those who create insecurity must be dealt with,” Raisi said.
Slogans,
crackdown
The
activist HRANA news agency said 314 protesters had been killed in the unrest as
of Friday, including 47 minors. Some 38 members of the security forces were
also killed. At least 14,170 people have been arrested, including 392 students,
in protests in 136 cities and towns, and 134 universities, it said.
Some
of the worst bloodshed has been in Iran’s restive southeastern province of
Sistan-Baluchistan, where many of the predominantly Shia Muslim country’s Sunni
minority live.
Senior
Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid said the tough crackdown against protesters in
the southeastern city of Khash on Friday was an example of government
discrimination towards the minority Baluch who live in the impoverished region
on the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Should
live ammunition be the response to slogans and stone throwing? One wonders why
the treatment of protesters in Sistan-Baluchistan is different from other
regions of the country and why protesting people of this province are
mercilessly massacred?,” Abdolhamid said in a statement on his website.
Amnesty
International said up to 10 people may have been killed after security forces
opened fire on protesters who threw stones and were reported to have attacked a
government building.
Students
in a dozen universities in Tehran and in Karaj, west of the capital, in the
northern cities of Rasht, and Mashhad in the northeast held protests on
Saturday, chanting slogans such as “Woman, Life, Freedom,” according to videos
posted by HRANA.
Reuters
could not independently authenticate the footage.
The
crisis has dragged Iran’s currency to new historic lows. The US dollar was
selling for as much as 362,100 rials on the unofficial market on Saturday, after
losing nearly 12 percent of its value since the protests started, according to
foreign exchange website Bonbast.com.
In
an apparent effort to curb the fall of Iran’s troubled currency, the government
on Saturday authorized online sales by currency dealers, to make it easier for
people to buy hard currency.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
and Muslim candidates key to outcome of US midterm elections
RAY
HANANIA
November
06, 2022
CHICAGO:
For President Joe Biden, a Democrat, the midterm elections are crucial and
challenging. Traditionally, the party that controls the White House at this
stage usually loses control of the House and the Senate. Now the Republicans
are perched to take both from the Democrats in Tuesday’s elections.
Arab
and Muslim Americans will play an important role in helping to define the
outcome, reinforcing congressional seats they now control while expanding their
community’s role in local state and municipal offices.
Here
is an overview of some of the important contests to watch:
In
Pennsylvania’s US Senate race, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Muslim TV medical personality
of Turkish heritage, is the Republican candidate. He faces Democrat John
Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor since 2019. Polling shows Oz leading
Fetterman in the election, although Fetterman this week received an endorsement
from TV powerhouse Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey originally helped Oz launch his own
career as a TV personality when he first appeared on her show in 2004. Oz began
hosting “The Dr. Oz Show” in 2009.
If
Oz wins, he will become the first Muslim US senator. Five Arab Americans have
served in the US Senate. All five are of Lebanese heritage although one was
part Palestinian, and three Republicans.
According
to the US Census, there are at least 84,472 residents who identify as Arab who
come from Egypt, Iraq and Morocco, and 83,817 who identify as Muslim from the
Arab world and Asia. Pennsylvania is one of six states including Michigan, Arizona,
Georgia, Wisconsin and Nebraska that Donald Trump won in 2016 but that flipped
for Biden in 2020.
Arab
and Muslim Americans will have a strong say in Tuesday’s elections in races for
Congress, state legislator and local municipal contests.
Since
the 1950s, there have been 28 Arab Americans who have or continue to serve in
the US House of Representatives. The majority have been Lebanese.
In
California’s new 48th District, Republican incumbent Congressman Darrell Issa
faces a challenge from newcomer Democrat Stephen Houlahan. Issa is expected to
retain his seat. Issa served from 2001 until 2019 but came out of retirement to
win the office, defeating fellow Arab American Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar in
2020.
Congresswoman
Anna Eshoo, a Democrat who is Christian Assyrian, is seeking reelection in
California’s new 16th District. She faces a challenge from Republican Rishi
Kumar.
In
Michigan, Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, elected in 2019, is facing a
minor challenge in the newly drawn 12th District from Republican Steven Elliot
and Working Class Party candidate Gary Walkowicz. Tlaib is Palestinian.
As
Michigan has the second-largest concentration of Arab Americans, voter
excitement will be focused on local state legislative and municipal contests.
They include several candidates running for the Michigan State House including
several Democrats, Alabas Farhat in the 3rd District, Ghassan (Gus) Tarraf in
the 4th District, Bilal Hammoud in the 15th District, Abraham Aiyash in the 9th
District and Aisha Farooqi in the 57th District. The 3rd, 4th and 15th
districts include parts of Dearborn. Aiyash is seeking reelection and is the
first American of Yemeni origin to hold a legislative seat there.
Pollster
and political consultant Dennis Denno is running with the backing of the
Democratic Party for a vacancy on the eight-member Michigan State University
board of trustees. There are also many school board candidates including Nadia
Berry and Hassan Beydoun for full terms, and Danielle Elzayat and Hassan Nasser
for partial terms on the Crestwood school board.
In
Illinois, Republican Congressman Darin LaHood, who is Lebanese American, is
expected to easily hold his seat in the new 16th District against Democratic
challenger Elizabeth Haderlein.
Harvard
graduate Abdelnasser Rashid defeated a veteran Democratic incumbent to win the
party nomination for the 21st House District which covers the influential
southwest suburban region of Chicago, which has one of the largest
concentrations of Palestinian Americans. Democrat Nabeela Syed is running for
the Illinois House 51st District legislative seat and is being challenged by
Republican Chris Bos.
In
Iowa, Democrat Sami Scheetz is running to become the state’s first Arab
American state representative, in the 78th District.
In
Minnesota, Democratic Congresswomen Ilhan Omar in the 5th District and Betty
McCollum in the 4th District, some of the most effective voices in championing
Arab and Muslim American issues in Congress, are not expected to easily defeat
their challengers. Omar is being challenged by Republican Cicely Davis, and
McCollum is being challenged by Republican May Lor Xiong.
However,
recent polling shows Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison may lose his
reelection bid to his Republican challenger Jim Schultz. Ellison is the state’s
first Muslim attorney general and first to win a statewide office there.
Source:
ArabNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2194511/world
--------
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