‘Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha’ Calls For Economic Boycott of Muslims among the Allegations of ‘Love Jihad’ and ‘Land Jihad’
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 March 2023
The protesters marched for
about 2 km from Mira Road's Golden Nest Chowk. After the march ended, speeches
were made against alleged 'love jihad' and 'land jihad' with some of the
speakers giving a call to economically boycott the Muslim community. (Express
Photo)
-------
• “Those Who Undermine Taliban Government Deserve
Death”, Warns Taliban Minister
• 'Iraq Is Not an Islamic Country': Minorities Protest
Baghdad's Alcohol Ban as Unconstitutional
• Tens of Thousands Rally Against Judicial Overhaul in
Israel That Critics View As a Threat to Democracy
• Pakistan Foreign Minister Calls On Taliban to Lift
Bans on Afghan Women, Girls
India
• 'What If Our Youths Start Demanding Muslim Rashtra':
President Ittehad-e-Millat Council
• BJP Expecting Grand Muzaffarnagar Muslim Outreach Event
• Shia Clerics Demand Quota for Community in Parliament
• Islamic State conspiracy case: NIA searches 5
locations in MP, Maharashtra
• Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to meet
Muslim leaders ahead of elections
--------
South Asia
• 10 Islamic Emirate Security Forces Die of Food
Poisoning In Afghan Province
• Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Afghanistan
Attack that Killed Journalists
• Bangladesh panel says fire at Rohingya camps
‘planned sabotage’
--------
Arab World
• OIC Calls For Intensive Efforts to Combat
Islamophobia at the UN
• Saudi Arabia-Iran Détente: A Setback for Israel and
Wake-Up Call on Relations with US
• Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt rank in top 10 largest
arms importers over past 5 years
• Up to 500 ISIS fighters still active in Iraq:
Military
• Iraq seizes three million Captagon pills on Syria
border
• Saudi FM: Agreement with Iran doesn’t translate to
resolving all differences
• Saudi agreement to re-establish ties with Iran stems
from policy favouring dialogue: FM
• Egypt aims to consolidate economic, investment ties
with China: President El-Sisi
--------
Mideast
• Houthis: Saudi-Iran deal has no impact on Yemen war,
we are not subordinate to Tehran
• Hamas, Islamic Jihad vow to intensify resistance after
Israeli killing of 3 Palestinians
• Iran Says Normalization with Saudi Arabia Will Help
End War in Yemen
• Iran Underlines France's Lack of Respect for Human
Rights
• Yemen's Houthi rebels release 117 prisoners ahead of
Ramadan
• Israel to weigh action after Silicon Valley Bank
collapse
• Iran Supreme Court upholds death sentence of
Swedish-Iranian dissident
• Three Palestinian gunmen shot dead by Israeli
soldiers in occupied West Bank: Army
--------
Pakistan
• ‘Mastermind’ of Karachi police chief office attack
killed in operation: CTD
• ‘Pakistan must not follow high-emitting developed
world’
• Murad warns of census boycott if Sindh’s concerns
not addressed
• Imran greets President Xi Jinping, welcomes
KSA-Iran’s resumption of diplomatic ties
• Foolproof security arrangements adopted for
Qalandar’s Urs
• Saudi-Iran relations to yield positive results in
region: Ashrafi
• US congressman expresses concern over rights
violations under Sharif
• Pakistan: Jamaat-i-Islami to stage protest against
delay in local govt polls in Karachi
--------
Africa
• Suspected Islamist Militants Kill 19 in East Congo
Village Raid
• Libyan elections are possible this year: UN envoy
• Sudan repatriates 5 Daesh/ISIS-linked nationals from
Syria
--------
Southeast Asia
• Ban on Politicians Giving Talks in Mosques, Surau
Helps Ease Political Climate: Fahmi
• Guan Eng tells Muhyiddin to retract tax-exempt claim
for Islamic charity or face legal action
• Weak ‘Malay pillars’ make DAP seem stronger, says
analyst
• Your rights will be taken away, Muhyiddin warns
Bersatu
--------
North America
• Bolton Warns US Against ‘Sitting Still’ As China,
Russia, Iran Grow Closer
• Iran, US reach initial agreement for prisoner
exchange: Amir-Abdollahian
• US rejects Iran claims of prisoner swap as ‘false’
--------
Europe
• European Investigators Allowed to Attend Lebanon’s
Salameh Hearing: Sources
• ‘Heartbroken’ Head Teacher Slams UK Government
Decision To Relocate Afghan Refugee Teenagers About To Sit Exams
• Humza Yousaf gains high-profile backing for SNP
leadership amid racist, Islamophobic abuse
• Türkiye rescues 10 irregular migrants in Aegean Sea
• EU welcomes Saudi Arabia, Iran decision to resume
diplomatic ties
• UK provides $6.31 million in assistance to Rohingya
in Bangladesh
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindu-love-land-jihad-boycott-muslims/d/129312
--------
‘Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha’ Calls For Economic Boycott
Of Muslims Among The Allegations Of ‘Love Jihad’ And ‘Land Jihad’
The protesters marched for
about 2 km from Mira Road's Golden Nest Chowk. After the march ended, speeches
were made against alleged 'love jihad' and 'land jihad' with some of the
speakers giving a call to economically boycott the Muslim community. (Express
Photo)
-------
By Nayonika Bose
March 13, 2023
As part of the ‘Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha’ being
organised by right-wing organisations across Maharashtra, yet another rally was
held on Mira Road on Sunday, where calls to economically boycott the Muslim
community were raised by speakers who addressed the protesters.
The protesters marched for about 2 km from Mira Road’s
Golden Nest Chowk. After the march ended, speeches were made against alleged
‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’ with some of the speakers giving a call to
economically boycott the Muslim community.
“There are three major aspects of Islamic aggression.
First is love jihad, second comes land jihad and finally there is the problem
of conversion…. For these three Suleimani keedas (pests) there is a Ram-led
solution, a solution for which you will not be stopped by the political leaders,
the Supreme Court or even the media and that solution is their economic
boycott,” Kajal Hindustani, one of the speakers who addressed the protesters,
said.
During the gathering which was recorded by police,
Hindustani said, “Naya Nagar on Mira Road is today occupied by 97-98 per cent
jihadis. Where will Hindus seek refuge.”
The rally was flagged off by Geeta Jain, Independent
MLA from Mira Bhayandar. It was attended by BJP leaders including MLA Nitesh
Rane along with local BJP leaders and members of outfits like VHP and Bajrang
Dal.
The rallies come against the backdrop of a Supreme
Court directive that Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha would only be allowed if there is
“no hate speech”. When asked about the inflammatory statements made by the
speakers, Rane said he supported calls for economic boycott of the Muslim
community.
“All that money is used by them against the Hindu
community. If that money is used for the prosperity of the community, no one
would have an issue. But they use money in the name of terrorism, love jihad
and a lot of other things against Hindus. So obviously, we had to call out to
stop their economic prosperity,” Rane told The Indian Express.
Source: Indian Express
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original story:
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“Those Who Undermine Taliban Government Deserve
Death”, Warns Taliban Minister
The acting Minister of
Higher Education, Nida Mohammad Nadim. (Photo Credit - Twitter)
-----
13 March, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], March 13 (ANI): The acting
Minister of Higher Education, Nida Mohammad Nadim on Sunday warned that whoever
destabilizes the Islamic national “must be killed,” reported Tolo News.
Warning of consequences for opposing the Taliban
government, he said, “Those who undermine the government whether that is via
tongue, pen or undermining in practice, all of are committing rebellion, all of
them deserve death.” He was addressing a graduation ceremony in Kandahar.
Nadim also said that they are ready to confront anyone
who stands against the interim government, and he stressed that those who
oppose the Islamic Emirate will be suppressed, reported Tolo News.
“If you are hard-headed and make problems for the
people of Afghanistan based on strangers’ agendas, then we are ready to
confront you and we will suppress you,” said Nadim.
Meanwhile, analysts called for negotiations as the
best way to solve the current problems in the country.
“We want any issue that is being solved, even if it is
war, to be solved through negotiations,” said Shams Kamran, a social analyst.
Earlier, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah
Mujahid said if anyone complains about those in charge, they should do so
discreetly.
The Taliban’s return to power preceded a deepening
humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, worsening issues that had long plagued the
country.
Taliban banned women from attending university last
December, nine months after the Islamist group barred girls from returning to
secondary schools amid a brutal crackdown on women’s rights since it seized
power in 2021.
Grades 7-12 have been closed for girls and young women
for more than 530 days, reported Tolo News.
Taliban also announced a ban on female NGO workers –
prompting multiple major foreign aid groups to suspend their operations in the
country.
Kabul residents said that education provides the basis
for the progress of the country, and they asked the Taliban to reopen schools
for girls.
“If they reopen schools and universities it will be a
very good thing, and we will get rid of the need of others. We should have
doctors and engineers and serve our country,” said Janan, a resident of Kabul.
“We ask the Islamic Emirate to open schools for girls,
and this is our only request and it will make everyone progress in the
country,” said Amir, another resident of Kabul. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service.
ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Source: The Print
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original story:
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'Iraq Is Not an Islamic Country': Minorities Protest
Baghdad's Alcohol Ban as Unconstitutional
A man walks inside a
liquor shop in Baghdad on February 23, 2023. - MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty
Images
------
Ali Mamouri
March 12, 2023
Iraq officially banned the import, production and sale
of alcoholic beverages of all kinds on March 4, in a repeat of a ban that was
passed in 2016, but its implementation was paused due to strong objections from
secularists and minorities at the time.
The new law imposes fines for violations of between 10
million and 25 million dinars ($7,700-$19,000).
Last month, the law instituting the ban was published
in Iraq's official gazette, paving the way for implementation. The coalition of
new Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who took office last October,
is dominated by Shiite Islamist parties and militias in the so-called
Coordination Framework who support the ban.
Now, with the law going into effect, liquor stores are
still open in Baghdad, Erbil and other parts of the country. But some Iraqis,
especially those from the Yazidi and Christian communities, are raising
concerns.
'Not an Islamic country'
Iraq has great religious diversity. The majority of
the population is Shiite and Sunni Muslims, but there are also sizable
communities of Christians, Yazidis, Zorastrians, Mandaeans and others. Some
analysts believe the law is a step toward turning Iraq into an Islamic country.
"This is ethnic discrimination," Diya
Butros, an activist in the predominantly Chaldean Catholic town of Ankawa, told
Al-Monitor. "It's a violation of the rights of non-Muslim religions that
do not forbid alcohol."
Ali Saheb, an Iraqi political analyst, told
Independent Arabia on March 6 that Iraq is not an Islamic country, and
"Some religions allow drinking alcohol, and the government cannot impose a
certain opinion or ideology on others."
Unlike Islam, the Yazidi and Christian faiths do not
forbid alcohol consumption. Some even use it in their religious rituals.
Others argue the law violates the Iraqi constitution,
which guarantees personal, religious and cultural freedom. Mirza Dinnayi is a
Yazidi activist and chairman of Luftbrucke Irak, a non-governmental
organization that helps victims of conflict in Iraq. He told Al-Monitor,
"The law is contrary to the constitution because Iraq is a multi-ethnic,
-religious and -cultural country, and drinking alcohol is not prohibited for
many."
Dinnayi also argued that if alcohol drinkers turn to
other alternatives, the ban could provide an opportunity for the spread of drug
use
“The majority of Muslim countries do not ban alcohol,
but rather regulate it. Why doesn’t the Iraqi government do something similar,
instead of banning it totally?”
The law is especially troublesome for Yazidis and
Christians, who manage the overwhelming majority of alcohol shops in the
country. Many Christians and Yazidis have been attacked in recent years for
working in this sector, and some fear this law could lead to an increase in
violence against them.
It is therefore unsurprising that Iraqi civil society
groups have come out strongly against the law. More than 1,000 prominent Iraqi
researchers, academics, journalists and activists drafted an open letter to the
secretary general of the United Nations earlier this month criticizing the ban.
In addition to the objections on constitutional
grounds, the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq may
reject the law. The Kurdistan Region is home to much of Iraq's Christian and
foreign population, particularly in Ankawa and the nearby regional capital
Erbil. A KRG customs official told the Kurdish news outlet Rudaw earlier this
month that they reserve the right to make their own decision on the ban.
Religious authorities' views
The law is religiously motivated by the Islamic
prohibition on alcohol, but Shiite religious authorities did not play a role in
it. The highest religious authority for Iraq's Shiite majority, in the holy
city of Najaf, is headed by Ayatollah Ali Sistani. Throughout the 21st century,
Sistani has vocally supported a civil state and rejected the imposition of
religion.
Sistani has not commented on the law, but a prominent
cleric told Al-Monitor that the religious authority in Najaf is against this
legislation or any similar action.
“The religious authority in Najaf has been always
calling for a ‘civil state’ in Iraq, rejecting any kind of imposition of
religiosity in the state institution,” he said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
The source referred to stances taken by Sistani in the
past, such as when he rejected the Personal Status Law in 2013 due to its
imposition of Sharia, as well as the leader's rejection of displaying religious
symbols in state offices.
When asked about Sistani's current silence, the cleric
said, “Sistani had made it very clear for a long time that he is against such a
law, and there is no need to repeat the same thing.”
With corruption and militia control rampant in Iraq,
however, many worry that the ban will drive Iraqis to the black market to
purchase alcohol. In this context, the ban may increase drug smuggling into the
country, as well as encourage other forms of substance abuse.
Source: Al Monitor
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original story:
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Tens of Thousands Rally Against Judicial Overhaul in
Israel That Critics View As a Threat to Democracy
Demonstrators lift
national flags during a protest against the Israeli government’s controversial
judicial reform bill in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Photo: AFP
------
12 March, 2023
Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the
country Saturday in the 10th consecutive week of protests against government
judicial reform plans that critics view as a threat to democracy.
The demonstrations come as Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s hard-right government prepares to press on with its legislative
agenda next week, shunning calls for a pause to allow for negotiations on the
divisive plan.
The biggest demonstration, in the coastal city of Tel
Aviv, drew some 100,000 protesters, according to estimates given by Israeli
media.
Many of them were waving blue and white Israeli flags.
“I’m demonstrating because the measures that the new
government wants to take represent a real and immediate threat to Israeli
democracy,” one protester, tech entrepreneur Ran Shahor, told AFP.
Demonstrations were held in other cities and towns in
the country of more than nine million.
Some 50,000 Israelis protested in the northern city of
Haifa and 10,000 in Beersheba -- the biggest yet in both -- according to
Israeli media.
The rallies broke up without major incident, although
police arrested three protesters who were blocking traffic on Tel Aviv’s ring
road.
The chair of parliament’s law committee, Simcha
Rotman, has scheduled daily hearings on parts of the government’s reforms from
Sunday through Wednesday ahead of votes.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin has said the coalition
plans to pass key elements of the reforms before parliament goes into recess on
April 2.
The judicial overhaul is a cornerstone of Netanyahu’s
administration, an alliance with ultra-Orthodox Jewish and extreme-right
parties which took office in late December.
The legislation would give more weight to the
government in the committee that selects judges and would deny the Supreme
Court the right to strike down any amendments to so-called Basic Laws, Israel’s
quasi-constitution.
These provisions have already been endorsed by
lawmakers at first reading.
Israeli President Issac Herzog -- who, in his largely
ceremonial role, has tried to broker dialogue -- on Thursday called on the coalition
the halt the legislation, dubbing it “a threat to the foundations of
democracy”.
Another element of the reforms would give the
120-member parliament power to overrule Supreme Court decisions with a simple
majority of 61 votes.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Pakistan Foreign Minister Calls On Taliban to Lift
Bans on Afghan Women, Girls
But the Taliban have
imposed a slew of restrictions on women, effectively banning them from many
government jobs, policing what they wear and preventing them from travelling
outside of their cities alone. Photograph :( AFP)
-------
Mar 12, 2023
Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,
urged Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to lift its restrictions on women
and girls in the nation. Bhutto Zardari said that the IEA's treatment of women
and girls is not typical in the Muslim world.
Taliban banned women, including students and female
professors, from colleges. This came over a year after the Taliban forbade
girls from attending secondary schools.
He was speaking at a conference on the outcome of the
Women in Islam Conference this week in New York.
“There is no other country on the planet, Muslim or
otherwise, that condones depriving women and girls from the right to
education,” Bhutto Zardari said adding “There is no space for groups such as
those in Afghanistan or anywhere else to claim that Islam justifies their
actions."
Bhutto Zardari also said that the IEA was not living
up to its commitment, which makes it tough for Pakistan to advocate for
Afghanistan.
“It puts us in a very difficult situation to advocate
for some of the things that the people of Afghanistan need in the form of
humanitarian aid, the unfreezing of their funds, the functioning of their
economy, etc.” he said.
In addition, Bhutto Zardari said that the IEA was not
upholding its obligations, which made it difficult for Pakistan to support
Kabul. The conference at the UN was presided over by Zardari, who earlier in
the week told delegates that he disagrees with the widespread belief that Islam
oppresses women.
“Islam was the first religion to give rights to
women,” he declared adding that “Islam forbids injustice against women.”
There are other underlying difficulties between the
two nations that are still challenging to settle. Clashes between their
security forces have been brought on by Kabul's persistent unwillingness to
recognise the Durand Line as the international boundary between Pakistan and
Afghanistan. This has continued to be a major source of tension that undermine
trust and fosters animosity.
Even as Bilawal calls out the Taliban to address the
women's rights issues in Afghanistan, the condition of women in Pakistan is not
to be overlooked.
Pakistan's Islamabad Police on Wednesday allegedly
baton-charged participants in the Aurat March. On Wednesday footage showing the
Islamabad police impeding the Aurat March went viral. The police deployed water
cannons on women as the world observed the special day to show solidarity in
their battle for their rights.
Source: WIO News
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India
'What If Our Youths Start Demanding Muslim Rashtra': President Ittehad-e-Millat Council
By Poulomi Ghosh
Mar 12, 2023
Maulana Tauqeer Raza, the national president of
Ittehad-e-Millat Council, said those who speak of Hindu Rashtra should be charged
with sedition law. "What if tomorrow our youth start demanding Muslim
Rashtra?" Maulana Tauqeer Raza said. Interacting with the media in
Moradabad and Rampur, he also questioned why only Muslims are being targeted by
the bulldozers in Uttar Pradesh, Live Hindustan reported.
In his speech, he also called Prime Minister Narendra
Modi 'Dhritarashtra' as he condemned the recent demands for Khalistan, raised
by self-proclaimed Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh. He said in the name of Ghar
Wapsi, Muslim girls have been lured by Hindu organisations. Citing a survey, he
said 10 lakh Muslim girls have been forcefully converted to Hinduism.
"Where did those bombs go which used to explode
before 2014? If Muslims were then terrorists, then where are those bombs now? Now
they should use bombs as they are most tormented now. But Muslims were never
terrorists -- not then, not today. In reality, those who are sitting in the
government used to do all these to terrify the Hindus against the Muslims. Yogi
Adityanath says there has been no riot in his government. True, but the actual
reason is you only perpetrated all these," Maulana Tauqeer Raza said.
Source: Hindustan Times
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BJP expecting grand Muzaffarnagar Muslim outreach
event
Mar 13, 2023
Around 400 Muslims from Azamgarh and it adjoining
districts are expected to attend the BJP’s ‘Ek Desh, Ek DNA’ programme in
Muzaffarnagar likely to be held next month, BJP’s minority wing officials said.
The party’s Azamgarh minority wing chief Ismail Faruqi
said many from the community have promised to attend the April event, in a
series of meetings held in the last few days. Over the next two weeks, a dozen
similar meetings will be conducted, he added.
Fuzail Khan, co-convenor of BJP Azamgarh Sahakarita
Cell, also claimed to have met several people from the community to apprise
them of the programme and developmental policies of the BJP government at the centre
and the state. Khan said such meetings were also being held with the community
members in the adjoining districts such as Mau and Ghazipur.
“Many people have responded positively and assured us
that they will be participating in the event when it is organised,” he said,
adding ‘sneh milan’ (gathering of love) under ‘Ek Desh, Ek DNA’ will succeed in
connecting large number of Muslims to the party.
Azamgarh is considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi
Party. In the 2022 Vidhan Sabha election, the SP won all 10 assembly seats from
Azamgarh. Muslims play a decisive role in at least eight assembly seats.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Shia clerics demand quota for community in Parliament
Mar 12, 2023
LUCKNOW: Shia clerics in the state capital on Sunday
organised a convention in the Bada Imambada where they made a demand for
representation in Parliament through a quota. Cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad had
made a call to all Shia clerics of Uttar Pradesh to come to Lucknow for the
convention.
Addressing the gathering, Jawad said that in Lucknow
alone there are three assembly seats where candidates win only if they get the
vote of the Shia community.
"The Shia community decides who will win the
election in Lucknow and yet we are being ignored," he said.
The community needs to be politically strong in order
to get the benefits of the government. A community which is not politically
strong does not get any benefits, he said, as he asked for a special package
for Shias from the government.
Jawad said the government keeps on talking about
Pasmanda Muslims, but the fact is that a large number of Pasmandas are from the
Shia community.
He said Shia community doesn't have any representation
in the parliament and demanded a quota such as reserved for Parsis.
Source: Times Of India
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Islamic State conspiracy case: NIA searches 5
locations in MP, Maharashtra
March 12, 2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has carried
out searches at five places in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as part of its
ongoing investigation to unravel a conspiracy hatched by the global terror
group Islamic State to expand its activities in India, an official said on
Sunday.
The searches were conducted by different teams at the
houses of the suspected persons at four places in Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) and
one location in Pune (Maharashtra), a spokesperson of the anti-terror federal
agency said.
Following up on leads, the official said, NIA teams
searched the houses of suspects Talha Khan in Pune and Akram Khan in Seoni in
the Islamic State- Khorasan Province (ISKP) case.
"This case was initially registered by Delhi
Police special cell after the arrest of a Kashmiri couple—Jahanzaib Sami Wani
and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh —from Okhla in Delhi. The couple was found to be
affiliated with ISKP," the spokesperson said.
During investigations, the role of another accused,
Abdullah Basith, who was already lodged in Tihar Jail in another case being
investigated by the NIA, emerged, the official said.
The NIA also carried out searches at three other
locations in Seoni in the Shivamogga Islamic State conspiracy case. The places
searched included the residential and commercial premises of suspects Abdul
Aziz Salafi and Shoeb Khan, the official said.
On the Shivamogga case, the NIA said as part of a
conspiracy hatched from abroad, the accused persons—Mohamed Shariq, Maaz Muneer
Khan, Yasin and others—based on instructions of their handler based abroad,
targeted public and private properties such as warehouses, liquor shops,
hardware shops, vehicles and other properties belonging to members of a
particular community and committed over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage.
"They even carried out a mock IED blast. They
were being funded through crypto-currencies by their online handler. As part of
the larger conspiracy, accused Shariq planned to carry out IED blast at Kadri
temple, Mangalore on November 19 last year but the IED exploded prematurely
through an accident, when the perpetrator was enroute to the target location,
the official said.
The spokesperson said Salafi (40) is a prayer leader
at the Seoni Jamia Masjid, while 26-year-old impressionable Shoeb sells
automobile spare parts.
"Salafi, along with his accomplice Shoeb, were
found actively propagating pernicious ideas such as voting in elections is
sinful for Muslims'. The group led by Salafi was in the process of radicalising
gullible Muslim youths of MP, Maharashtra and many southern states through
provocative and inflammatory speeches on YouTube,” the spokesperson said.
The official said they were also trying to bring
together such radicalised individuals in Seoni district.
The spokesperson said that from the material seized
during the searches, it has come to light that this group was actively
collecting information about ongoing activities and events in different jihadi
theatres, including Afghanistan.
"Initial examination of the suspects have brought
out the fact that they are radically motivated individuals, who totally abhor
the idea of democracy in India, and were preparing for carrying out jihad
against the people who believe otherwise,” the agency said.
The spokesperson said they were using social media
platforms for dissemination of such false propaganda to impressionable youths.
"In furtherance of such efforts, Salafi was also
in contact with the arrested accused Maaz Muneer Ahmed of Karnataka who had
procured the explosive materials for the trial blast. Ahmed was arrested by NIA
in November last year,” the spokesperson said.
Source: The Week
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Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to meet Muslim
leaders ahead of elections
Mar 12, 2023
AMARAVATI: In a move to ready the strategy for the
next elections, chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will be meeting Muslim
leaders and religious scholars at his residence on Monday.
The chief minister is expected to interact with the
Muslim leaders to take feedback about the schemes being implemented for the
community.
He will also seek their guidance in designing new
schemes for the community.The chief minister is expected to highlight the way
his government gave the highest priority to the Muslim community and their
grievances in the last four years.
He would brief the Muslim leaders about various
initiatives of the state government to empower the Muslims in the state.
The YSRCP had been claiming that it has given one
deputy CM post, and deputy chairperson of the legislative council apart from
giving four MLC seats to the community leaders.
The YSRCP had also given an opportunity to two Muslims
to become mayors and over 30 people chairpersons of different civic bodies.
Besides, several hundred were given a chance to become
sarpanches, MPTCs, ZPTCs and mandal presidents.
“This government belongs to Muslims. Our chief
minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had never shied away from giving due recognition
to the muslims which never happened in the past,” AP waqf board chairman Khader
Basha said.
Several chiefs of dargah committees, trusts and madrasas
were invited to the meeting with the chief minister.
Source: Times Of India
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South Asia
10 Islamic Emirate Security Forces Die of Food
Poisoning In Afghan Province
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
March 12, 2023
A reliable security source in Southern Helmand
confirmed that at least ten Taliban members have died due to serious food poisoning
in the Nawa district of the province.
The source which avoided mentioning its identity on
Sunday told Khaama Press the report about the death of Islamic security forces
caused due to food poisoning in Helmand province is true.
The source added that food poisoning was intentional
and pre-planned as a result of which ten members of the Islamic Emirate
suffered serious health issues on Friday before they died.
It is stated that Taliban officials in the province
are trying to hide the incident with claimed the lives of scores of the group’s
members, and they have not yet commented about the incident so far.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate’s opposite groups
have intensified their attacks on Afghanistan’s de facto authorities in Kabul
and other provinces.
On February 9, a suicide attack took place in the
premises of the Mazar-e-Sharif governor’s office around 10 am in morning, which
claimed the life of Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the governor of Balkh province,
and his two security guards.
The Taliban-run administration claims to have ended
the war and restored security throughout Afghanistan. However, since their
return to power in August 2021, there has been no considerable improvement
security-wise.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/10-islamic-emirate-members-die-of-food-poisoning-in-afghan-province/
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Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Afghanistan
Attack that Killed Journalists
By Fidel Rahmati
March 12, 2023
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a
Saturday attack in Afghanistan’s Balkh province, the group’s telegram account
said on Sunday.
The blast at a cultural centre during an event for
journalists in northern Afghanistan killed at least one person and wounded
eight, according to authorities and journalists.
However, the Tebyan Cultural Centre states, “Three
persons were killed, and 30 others, including journalists, were injured in the
incident”.
This was the second incident within three days in the
Balkh province; the first was a suicide attack that killed the governor of
Balk, Mullah Dawood Muzmal, and the second blast targeted the Afghan
journalist’s award event.
The Islamic State claimed both incidents.
IS-Khorasan is the main rival of the Taliban-led
government, aiming to target Taliban officials, foreign citizens and people.
Recently, the group has intensified their attacks on
Afghanistan’s Kabul, Herat and Balkh provinces.
Source: Khaama Press
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Bangladesh panel says fire at Rohingya camps ‘planned
sabotage’
12 March ,2023
A fire that left thousands of Rohingya Muslims
homeless in Bangladesh camps was a “planned act of sabotage”, a panel
investigating the blaze said on Sunday.
Nearly 2,800 shelters and more than 90 facilities
including hospitals and learning centers were destroyed in the fire on March 5,
leaving more than 12,000 people without shelter, officials said.
More than 1 million Rohingya refugees live in tens of
thousands of huts made of bamboo and thin plastic sheeting in camps in the
border district of Cox’s Bazar, most having fled a military-led crackdown in
Myanmar in 2017.
“The fire was a planned act of sabotage,” senior
district government official Abu Sufian, head of the seven-member probe
committee, told Reuters by phone from Cox’s Bazar.
He said the blaze broke out in several places at the
same time, proving it was a planned act, adding it was a deliberate attempt to
establish supremacy inside the camps by militant groups. He didn’t name the
groups.
“We recommended further investigation by the
law-enforcing agency to identify the groups behind the incident,” he said,
adding that the report was based on input from 150 eye witnesses.
The panel also recommended the formation of a separate
fire service unit for the Rohingya camps. Each block of Rohingya camps needs to
be widened to accommodate fire service vehicles and the construction of water
cisterns, and the camps should use less flammable materials in shelters, among
other recommendations.
Fires often break out in the crowded camp with its
makeshift structures. A massive blaze in March 2021 killed at least 15 refugees
and destroyed more than 10,000 homes.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Arab World
OIC Calls For Intensive Efforts to Combat Islamophobia
at the UN
March 12, 2023
RIYADH: The secretary-general of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, Hissein Brahim Taha, drew the attention of the UN and the
international community to the negative repercussions of violence based on
religion or belief, while underscoring the fact that religious hatred and
intolerance must not be given space in any society.
This came in his video address at a high-level event
recently at the UN General Assembly in New York to commemorate the
International Day to Combat Islamophobia, in line with the relevant UNGA
resolution adopted on March 15, 2022.
The event was chaired by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is also the chair of the 48th session of the
Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC.
The event was also attended by Csaba Korosi, president
of the UN General Assembly, and Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the UN.
The OIC chief called upon all countries as well as
international and regional organizations to commemorate March 15 as
International Day to Combat Islamophobia, as part of their collective efforts
to combat incitement of hatred and intolerance based on religion or belief and
promote dialogue and mutual understanding.
Other high-profile speakers at the event included
Miguel Moratinos, high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and
Nazila Ghanea, special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2267091/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia-Iran détente: a setback for Israel and
wake-up call on relations with US
March 13, 2023
JERUSALEM: The Saudi-Iran detente sets back Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to isolate Tehran, but time will
tell whether it also hinders his outreach to Riyadh or planning for any
eventual military strike against Iranian nuclear sites.
The more pressing worry for Israel, some experts
argue, is that Friday’s Chinese-brokered deal between the top Muslim powers
suggests the United States is giving ground in the region just when the
Netanyahu government needs it most.
An Israeli official who requested anonymity described
the detente as an unsurprising and preliminary process that should not hinder
any parallel progress towards normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
After all, Israel has drawn close to the United Arab Emirates despite Abu Dhabi
also engaging Tehran.
Meanwhile, Israel is keeping up a campaign of veiled
threats to attack Iran alone if it deems nuclear diplomacy a dead end. But all
scenarios still hinge on Washington — a sponsor and sweetener of Israeli-Arab
peace accords and guardian ally which, if it red-lights military action, Israel
will be loath to cross.
“This is a brilliant stroke by China and Iran to
undercut Saudi-American and Saudi-Israeli normalisation. It helps bring Tehran
in from the cold and undermines American and Israeli efforts to build a
regional coalition to confront Iran as it is on the cusp of developing nuclear
weapons,” said Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies
in Washington.
There are unrelated strains on the Israeli-US
alliance, however. The Democratic administration of President Joe Biden, which
has yet to invite Netanyahu to the White House, has voiced unusually strong
concern at his religious-nationalist coalition.
Netanyahu is also beset by unprecedented mass
demonstrations in Israel against his judicial overhaul push. The protests have
included pledges by some air force reservists not to turn up for training, a
signal that combat readiness and morale have been shaken.
Amos Yadlin, a former military intelligence chief
under Netanyahu, said the Saudi-Iran detente should be a wake-up call.
“The government’s focus on the judicial overhaul,
which is tearing the nation apart and weakening Israel in all dimensions,
reflects a deep disconnect between Netanyahu and international geopolitical
trends,” Yadlin said on Twitter.
Screengrab of Amos Yadlin’s tweet.
Accusing Netanyahu of “generating extraordinary damage
to our national security,” Yadlin said he should scrap the reforms — which
critics call an attempt to subordinate the courts to the government — and close
ranks with Biden on how to forge Israeli-Saudi ties and jointly tackle Iran’s
nuclear programme.
That suggested that Yadlin — who was among pilots who
bombed Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981 and served as a top general during
Israel’s 2007 attack on a suspected reactor in Syria — may not place much store
in Israel’s ability to go solo against Iran, whose nuclear sites are distant,
dispersed and defended.
Source: Dawn
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Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt rank in top 10 largest
arms importers over past 5 years
13 March ,2023
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt ranked among the top ten
largest importers of weapons and arms in the world in the five years through
2022, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think-tank
said on Monday.
Saudi Arabia ranked as the second largest arms
importer globally in 2018-2022. The Kingdom received 9.6 percent of all arms
imports during that period. Saudi arms purchases during 2022 included aircraft,
air defense systems, armored vehicles, missiles, naval weapons, sensors and
ships.
Saudi Arabia’s main suppliers and their share of its
total imports: US (78 percent), France (6.4 percent) and Spain (4.9 percent).
The US arms transfers to Saudi Arabia included “the delivery of 91 combat
aircraft with hundreds of land-attack missiles and over 20,000 guided bombs,”
according to SIPRI’s report.
The Kingdom’s overall imports decreased by 8.7 percent
when comparing between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022.
Qatar ranked as the third largest arms importer over
the past five years, climbing up from being ranked sixth over the prior
five-year period. Its imports increased by 311 percent when comparing the data
between the two time periods.
Qatar’s purchases during 2022 included aircraft, air
defense systems, armored vehicles, missiles, naval weapons, sensors and ships.
The Gulf country’s main suppliers and their share of its total imports: US (42
percent), France (29 percent) and Italy (14 percent). Its imports included “36
combat aircraft from France, 36 from the USA and 8 from the UK, as well as 3
frigates from Italy,” SIPRI said.
Egypt ranked as the six largest arms importer over the
past five years; its ranking dropping from being ranked third over the prior
five-year period as its overall imports were down by 5.3 percent when comparing
between the two time periods. During the last year, Egypt purchased aircraft,
missiles, naval weapons, sensors and ships.
Russia’s arms exports to Egypt increased by 44 percent
when comparing the data between the two time periods of 2013-2017 and
2018-2022, making it Russia’s third largest recipient. The Arab country’s main
suppliers and their share of its total imports: Russia (34 percent), Italy (19
percent) and France (19 percent).
The top 10 largest importers of arms in the Middle
East were: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, UAE, Kuwait, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan,
Bahrain, and Iraq.
The UAE’s arms imports over 2018-2022 were 38 percent
lower than in 2013-2017, making its ranking drop out of the top 10 importers to
being ranked 11th globally. SIPRI highlighted: “Notable arms imports in 2018–22
included hundreds of air defense missiles and over 20,000 guided bombs from the
US.”
The highest majority of arms and weapons imports to
the Middle East came from the US (54 percent), followed by France (12 percent),
Russia (8.6 percent) and Italy (8.4 percent). SIPRI data showed that those
imports included more than 260 advanced combat aircraft, 516 new tanks and 13
frigates. The think-tank highlighted that “Arab states in the Gulf region alone
have placed orders for another more than 180 combat aircraft.”
However, overall arms imports to the Middle East were
down 8.8 percent when comparing between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022.
Meanwhile, the global overall ranking of the top ten
largest arms importers over the past five years were: India, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, Australia, China, Egypt, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, US. And the top
10 largest arms exporters were: US, Russia, France, China, Germany, Italy, UK,
Spain, South Korea and Israel.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Up to 500 ISIS fighters still active in Iraq: Military
13 March ,2023
The ISIS group still has up to 500 active fighters in
Iraq, a senior military official estimated Sunday in the country where extremist
cells continue to launch sporadic attacks.
But Iraqi General Qais al-Mohamadawi, part of the
anti-extremist coalition, stressed that ISIS -- now based in remote desert and
mountain hideouts -- has “lost its ability to attract new recruits”.
The United Nations estimated in a report published
last month that ISIS still has “5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters” across
Iraq and neighboring Syria, “roughly half of whom are fighters”.
The ISIS extremists in 2014 launched their
self-proclaimed “caliphate” across swathes of both countries in a campaign
marked by its brutality including mass killings, torture, rape and slavery.
US-backed counter-offensives ended their territorial
hold in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but ISIS cells continue to target
security forces and civilians in both countries.
With thousands of suspected ISIS fighters and
relatives now held in vast detention camps, US General Michael Kurilla, head of
Central Command, warned Saturday of the persistent threat of an “ISIS army in
detention”.
General Mohamadawi, deputy commander of the Iraqi
operations unit working with the international anti-extremist coalition, said
Sunday that hundreds of ISIS fighters remain active in Iraq.
“According to information from intelligence agencies,
the total number of ISIS members does not exceed 400 to 500 fighters, in three
or four provinces,” he told a press conference.
The group has “lost its ability to attract new
recruits,” he added, also pointing to a February 26 military operation that had
killed 22 ISIS members and destroyed a “training camp” in Al-Anbar province.
The UN report last month said ISIS had been much
depleted by “sustained counter-terrorism operations” in both countries.
It said the group still operates cells of around 15 to
30 individuals across Syria and continues “guerrilla warfare tactics” against
government forces, other fighters and civilians.
In Iraq, ISIS cells operate in rural mountain areas,
“leveraging the porous Iraqi-Syrian border and retaining maneuverability to
evade attacks” while trying to “rebuild and recover”, the UN report said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iraq seizes three million Captagon pills on Syria
border
11 March ,2023
Iraqi authorities on Saturday said they seized three
million pills of Captagon, an amphetamine-type stimulant that has been sweeping
the Middle East for years, near the Syrian border.
The pills had been hidden in apple crates “loaded onto
a refrigerator truck” and discovered at al-Qaim crossing between Syria’s Deir
Ezzor province and western Iraq’s Anbar desert region, the Iraqi border
authority said.
The truck driver had been arrested, the agency added
in a statement.
A border authority official told AFP on condition of
anonymity that the shipment from Syria into Iraq contained Captagon pills
produced by several manufacturers.
Iraqi security forces have intensified narcotics
operations in recent months, with several high-profile drug seizures reported.
Sharing borders with Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait
and other countries, Iraq has served as a major conduit for traffickers of
Captagon, which is primarily produced in Syria and has its largest market in
Gulf Arab states.
The sale and use of drugs in Iraq has soared in recent
years.
In June, Iraqi security forces said they had forced
down a microlight aircraft near the Kuwaiti border headed to the emirate from
Iran with one million Captagon pills.
Weeks earlier, Iraqi police announced they had seized
more than six million pills of the stimulant in a major drug bust.
Areas in central and southern Iraq bordering Iran have
become major narcotic trafficking routes for drugs, including crystal
methamphetamine.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi FM: Agreement with Iran doesn’t translate to
resolving all differences
12 March ,2023
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin
Farhan said that the agreement with Iran to restore diplomatic ties confirms
the mutual desire “to resolve differences through communication and dialogue,”
but stressed that it doesn’t translate to “resolving all the differences
between the two countries.”
Saudi Arabia and Iran announced on Friday a China
brokered deal reestablishing diplomatic relations and agreeing to reopen
embassies after seven years of heightened tensions.
Prince Faisal said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al
Sharq Al Awsat newspaper he was looking forward to meeting his Iranian
counterpart soon as per the agreement. “We are preparing to resume diplomatic
relations between our countries within the next two months, and it’s natural
that we exchange visits in the future,” he said.
The Saudi FM highlighted that Saudi Arabia and Iran
were neighboring countries that had many common threads such as religion,
culture, and history.
As for the outstanding differences between the two
countries, the Saudi FM stressed that the deal “served as evidence of our
mutual desire to resolve [the differences] through communication and dialogue,
through peaceful ways and diplomatic instruments.”
He added: “We in the Kingdom hope to open a new
chapter with Iran and to enhance the prospects of cooperation in a way that
positively impacts the strengthening of security and stability, and the
advancement of development and prosperity, not only in our two countries, but
in the region as a whole.”
Prince Faisal expressed concerns about Iran’s nuclear
program: “With regard to Iran's continued development of its nuclear
capabilities, this is undoubtedly a concern for us, and we repeat our call for
the Gulf region and the Middle east to be free of weapons of mass destruction.
We call on Iran to commit to its nuclear obligations and increasing its
cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. We will continue to
work with allies and friends in order to ensure this.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi agreement to re-establish ties with Iran stems
from policy favouring dialogue: FM
11 March ,2023
Saudi Arabia’s agreement with Iran to re-establish
diplomatic ties is based on the Kingdom’s policy of favoring political
solutions and dialogue, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister,
said on Friday.
“Restoring diplomatic relations between the Kingdom
and Iran also stems from [Saudi Arabia’s] keenness to favor political
resolutions and dialogue [to resolve disputes] in the region,” Prince Faisal
said in a tweet.
“The region’s countries share one destiny and [have a
lot] in common, and this makes it necessary to work together to build a model
of prosperity and stability,” he added.
Prince Faisal also told Al Arabiya that the agreement
with Iran came after talks that lasted for two years.
“In the end, we reached agreements that are based on
[the concept] of good neighborliness, respect of states’ sovereignty… [The
agreement] also stems from the Kingdom’s belief that dialogue is the best way
to resolve all matters,” he added.
“We are optimistic about the future, and we are
working on strengthening the relation with Iran,” he said, adding that the
Kingdom “aspires to serve the interests of all countries in the region and
protect their security.”
Asked about how the agreement may impact the situation
in other countries such as Lebanon, the FM said Lebanon needed “Lebanese
rapprochement” and not “Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.”
“Lebanon must [realize] its own interests, and
politicians must put Lebanon’s interest before any other. Once they do this and
work on building the Lebanese state, Lebanon will prosper,” he added.
The decision to re-establish relations, which were
severed in 2016, came following talks that took place from March 6 through
March 10 in Beijing.
The announcement, which was made on Friday in a joint
statement with China, has been welcomed across the globe as a victory for peace
and dialogue.
During the last round of talks before signing the
agreement, head of the Saudi delegation Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban said that
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Xi’s
initiative based on the Kingdom’s adherence to the principles of good
neighborliness and to the principle of resorting to dialogue and diplomacy to
resolve conflicts.
“King Salman and the Crown Prince thank President Xi
Jinping for the kind initiative… [that aims] to develop good neighborly
relations between the Kingdom and Iran,” al-Aiban added.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Egypt aims to consolidate economic, investment ties
with China: President El-Sisi
GOBRAN MOHAMED
March 12, 2023
CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said
his country was keen to consolidate economic and investment cooperation with
China and Chinese companies in areas of common interest.
His remarks came during a meeting on Saturday with the
chairman of the China International Energy Group and his accompanying
delegation of senior executives.
El-Sisi congratulated President Xi Jinping on his
re-election for a new term in office and praised the Chinese leadership and
nation for “achieving steady development progress and an important position at
international level.”
The head of the Chinese delegation said the motives
for investment and expansion in Egypt were based on “the deep friendly
relations between the two countries, the two leaderships, and the two peoples.”
A qualitative development in infrastructure and
industrial facilities in Egypt over recent years had provided new investment
opportunities, he added.
The Chinese official pointed out the tangible
improvements in the road network, transportation, communications, new cities,
seaports, desalination and water treatment plants, electricity, and new and
renewable energy.
And he said the Chinese group intended to launch a
green hydrogen production project in Egypt with investments ranging between $5
billion and $8 billion.
On Wednesday, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly
said attracting investment was a key priority of the Egyptian government.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2267086/middle-east
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Mideast
Houthis: Saudi-Iran deal has no impact on Yemen war,
we are not subordinate to Tehran
12 March ,2023
Saudi Arabia’s normalization agreement with Iran will
have no impact on the Yemen war because the Houthis are not “subordinate” to Tehran,
a spokesman of the Iran-backed militia told Lebanon's al-Mayadeen TV.
“Saudi Arabia must know that our relationship with
Iran is not one of subordination. It is an Islamic brotherly relationship.
Resolving the Yemen issue [can only be achieved through negotiations] between
Sanaa and Riyadh, and not Tehran and Riyadh,” said member of the Houthis’
political wing Abdulwahab al-Mahbashi.
Saudi Arabia and Iran announced on Friday a landmark
agreement brokered by China to re-establish diplomatic ties and reopen
embassies after seven years of heightened tensions, backing opposing sides in
regional conflicts and supporting differing parties in political rows across
the Middle East.
The war in Yemen, since its eruption in 2014, has been
a battlefield where the two warring sides were backed by Riyadh on one hand and
Tehran on the other. Saudi Arabia backed the internationally recognized Yemeni
government and formed an Arab Coalition to support it militarily against the
Iran-backed Houthi militia.
It has been long-established by both Arab and Western
governments that Iran provided weapons to the Houthi militia – which the latter
used to carry out cross-border attacks mainly targeting Saudi Arabia and the
UAE. US and British navies in the region have repeatedly over the years
intercepted many shipments of Iranian-made weapons on vessels heading to Yemen.
Al-Mahbashi said: “Even if Saudi Arabia signed a joint
defense agreement and [formed a] military alliance with Iran, that wouldn’t
protect it from us, so long as it continues its aggression against us.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said
on Sunday the breakthrough reproachment agreement with Saudi Arabia normalizing
ties will help bring about a political resolution to the war in Yemen, state
news agency IRNA reported.
Al-Mahbashi added that despite Saudi Arabia’s deal
with Iran, the Kingdom was unlikely to normalize ties with the groups that are
aligned with Iran such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or Palestinian “resistance
movements” – referring to Hamas and other anti-Israel groups.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Hamas, Islamic Jihad vow to intensify resistance after
Israeli killing of 3 Palestinians
12 March 2023
The Gaza-based Hamas and Islamic Jihad resistance
movements have denounced ُSunday's
killing of three Palestinian men by Israeli forces near the occupied West Bank
city of Nablus, saying the incident will intensify resistance against the
occupying regime.
On Sunday, Israeli troops fatally shot three
Palestinian men near the Sarra military checkpoint, southwest of Nablus.
In a brief statement, Hamas said “The blood of the
martyrs will not be wasted,” stressing that the occupying regime’s crimes
against Palestinians and desecration of the holy sites in the occupied
territories will be met with more steadfastness and resistance.
The movement said Palestinians would continue to deal
painful blows to the occupying regime until the full liberation of Palestinian
lands.
In a separate statement, the Islamic Jihad said “the
blood of these martyrs will intensify the armed struggle against the occupying
Israeli regime,” adding that Palestinians are determined to continue their path
with great sacrifices.
The movement said the resistance is ready to respond
to Israeli crimes in the occupied territories, emphasizing that “We renew our
covenant with those who have lost their lives and will be loyal to their
jihadist approach.”
At dawn on Sunday, Israeli soldiers opened fire at
four Palestinians in their vehicle near the checkpoint, killing three of them
in a “targeted assassination.”
Shortly after the shooting, Israeli occupation
soldiers stormed shops and seized the recordings of surveillance cameras to
keep their crime untold, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency cited witnesses
as saying.
The latest Israeli crime brings up the number of
Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces since the beginning of the
year to 84, including 15 children and an elderly woman, according to the
Palestinian Health Ministry.
Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on
Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories. As a result
of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others
have been arrested.
Most of the raids have focused on Nablus and Jenin,
where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a growing Palestinian
resistance in the occupied cities.
Source: Press TV
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Iran says normalization with Saudi Arabia will help
end war in Yemen
12 March ,2023
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Sunday
the breakthrough rapprochement agreement with Saudi Arabia normalizing ties
will help bring about a political resolution to the war in Yemen, state news
agency IRNA reported.
The Iranian UN mission said: “The restoration of
diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran [will] accelerate the ceasefire,
help start a national dialogue, and form an inclusive national government in
Yemen,” IRNA reported.
Saudi Arabia and Iran announced on Friday a landmark
agreement brokered by China to re-establish diplomatic ties and reopen
embassies after seven years of heightened tensions, backing opposing sides in
regional conflicts and supporting differing parties in political rows across
the Middle East.
Gulf countries have long accused Iran of fanning the
flames of violence in the Middle East through financial and military support to
its network of Shia proxies in the region, specifically in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria
and Yemen. Iran
The war in Yemen, since its eruption in 2014, has been
a battlefield where the two warring sides were backed by Riyadh on one hand and
Tehran on the other. Saudi Arabia backed the internationally recognized Yemeni
government and formed an Arab Coalition to support it militarily against the
Iran-backed Houthi militia.
It has been long-established by both Arab and Western
governments that Iran provided weapons to the Houthi militia – which the latter
used to carry out cross-border attacks mainly targeting Saudi Arabia and the
UAE. US and British navies in the region have repeatedly over the years
intercepted many shipments of Iranian-made weapons on vessels heading to Yemen.
The Chinese-mediated major diplomatic breakthrough has
been touted by analysts far and wide as a giant stride towards the end of
several regional armed conflicts.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran Underlines France's Lack of Respect for Human
Rights
2023-March-12
He mae the remarks in a Sunday statement about ongoing
anti-government protests in France.
Kana'ani criticized the French police for not respecting
human rights, and said that the way the protestors have been treated in France
is a typical example of how human rights are observed in the "Garden of
Europe.
"There are many such examples in the United
States and Europe, " he added.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011221000585/Iran-Underlines-France's-Lack-f-Respec-fr-Hman-Righs
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Yemen's Houthi rebels release 117 prisoners ahead of
Ramadan
12 March, 2023
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released 117 prisoners
ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the country’s SABA news agency
reported.
The prisoners were released from jails in the cities
of Al-Bayda and Rada'a following visits to them by local and judicial
officials.
Prisoners were able to voice complaints to the public
prosecutor, particularly those whose visit aimed at inspecting prison
conditions ahead of Ramadan, according to SABA.
In separate developments on Saturday, representatives
from Yemen's government and the Sanaa-based Houthis met in Geneva to kick off a
series of talks on exchanging prisoners.
The new round of closed-door negotiations amid years
of civil war were being overseen by the UN and the International Committee of
the Red Cross.
Set to last 11 days, the talks mark the seventh
meeting aimed at implementing an agreement on prisoner exchanges reached in Stockholm
five years ago, the UN said.
Under that deal, the sides agreed "to release all
prisoners, detainees, missing persons, arbitrarily detained and forcibly
disappeared persons, and those under house arrest", held in connection
with Yemen's nearly decade-long conflict, "without any exceptions or
conditions".
The latest meeting comes almost a year after the
Houthis said they had agreed to a prisoner swap that would see 1,400 rebels
freed in exchange for 823 pro-government fighters - including 16 Saudis and
three Sudanese nationals.
Source: The New Arab
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https://www.newarab.com/news/yemens-houthi-rebels-release-117-prisoners-ahead-ramadan
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Israel to weigh action after Silicon Valley Bank
collapse
13 March ,2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday
that the government would assess the effect of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse
on Israeli companies and determine whether or not to assist them.
Israel is home to a vibrant high-tech industry, and
local media said Sunday that hundreds of local firms could be exposed to the
collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Israeli business paper Globes said the bank was
considered “the major funding body for Israeli companies” and that its fall was
“closing the oxygen pipe” for the sector.
Silicon Valley Bank, the US's 16th largest bank,
served mostly technology workers and venture capital-backed companies. Its
collapse is the biggest bank failure since the collapse of Washington Mutual in
2008.
The bank had a branch in Tel Aviv. It was not
immediately clear how many local companies did business with the bank.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu
said he and senior Israeli officials would consider “whether or not actions are
necessary to assist Israeli companies in distress, mainly with cash-flow, due
to the collapse of SVB.”
A day earlier Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel
Smotrich, said he formed a team that would track the issue and assess the bank
collapse’s impact on Israel’s economy.
Israel’s banking regulator, Yair Avidan, said that
Israel was “closely examining the case and following developments.”
The bank failure came as Israeli tech leaders and
economists are warning that the Netanyahu government’s proposed overhaul to the
country’s judicial system could drive away investment and impact the economy.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran supreme court upholds death sentence of
Swedish-Iranian dissident
12 March ,2023
Iran’s supreme court has upheld the death sentence
handed down to a Swedish Iranian dual national convicted of leading an Arab
separatist group accused of attacks including one on a military parade in 2018
that killed 25 people, state media reported on Sunday.
Iran said in 2020 that its security forces arrested
Habib Farajollah Chaab abroad, without saying where or how he was captured.
“Chaab was sentenced to death after several court
sessions with the presence of his lawyer... The Supreme Court confirmed the
death sentence,” Iran’s judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.
Chaab was charged with leading the separatist Arab
Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, which seeks a separate state in
the oil-rich Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran, and plotting and carrying
out “numerous bombings and terrorist operations” state media reported when his
trial began that same year.
He was also charged with being “corrupt on Earth”, a
capital offense under Iran’s strict form of Islamic law, Iranian state media
said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Three Palestinian gunmen shot dead by Israeli soldiers
in occupied West Bank: Army
12 March ,2023
Three Palestinian gunmen were shot dead after they
fired at Israeli soldiers in the northern occupied West Bank near Nablus, the
Israeli army said on Sunday, as violence in the region continued.
The military said that “armed gunmen opened fire” on
soldiers at an army position near the Jit junction west of Nablus, with the
soldiers responding with “live fire.”
“Three armed gunmen were neutralized during the
exchange of fire and an additional armed gunman surrendered himself to the
forces and was apprehended,” the army said in a statement.
Violence intensified last year but has worsened in the
West Bank since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to office in
December in a governing coalition with ultra-Orthodox Jewish and extreme-right
allies.
Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict has claimed the lives of 81 Palestinian adults and children, including
militants and civilians.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Pakistan
‘Mastermind’ of Karachi police chief office attack
killed in operation: CTD
Imtiaz Ali
March 13, 2023
The Sindh Police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD)
claimed on Monday to have killed the “mastermind” of the audacious attack on the
Karachi Police Office (KPO) on Feb 17.
Last month, hours-long combat between terrorists and
law-enforcement agencies — comprising Pak Army Special Service Group (SSG),
Pakistan Rangers Sindh and Sindh Police — at the KPO located at Sharea Faisal
had left five people martyred and 17 injured.
In a statement issued today, CTD spokesperson Raja
Umer Khattab said that Aryadullah and his accomplice were killed in an
operation near the Northern Bypass in the Mangophir area.
The identification of the other slain terrorist is
underway, he said, adding that two other terrorists were also arrested during
the operation.
The CTD statement added that a search and clearance
operation was being conducted in the area.
Khattab also said that Sindh Information Minister
Sharjeel Inam Memon will address a press conference in Karachi at 3pm today and
brief the public on the CTD encounter.
It is pertinent to mention that the outlawed
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed the responsibility for the Feb 17
attack on the KPO.
Three militants, who wore suicide jackets, were killed
and three law enforcers and one civilian were martyred while 18 others, mostly
police and Rangers’ personnel, were injured during the hours-long joint
operation carried out by the police, Rangers and army personnel.
Source: Dawn
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‘Pakistan must not follow high-emitting developed
world’
Amin Ahmed
March 13, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Noting that the melting of glaciers in the
Himalayan region affects the water needs of the billions that live in South
Asia, a noted climate scientist has urged Pakistan to decarbonise and avoid
following the footsteps of the high-emitters in the developed world.
Prof Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, a former vice chair of
the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Belgium’s pick to
lead the Geneva-based panel this year, was in Pakistan last week to gather
support for the election, scheduled to be held during a special IPCC session to
be held in Nairobi in July this year.
The IPCC is a scientific body created by two United
Nations specialised agencies: UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) more than thirty years ago with a mandate to
provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of
knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic
impacts and solutions.
After a meeting with Minister for Climate Change
Sherry Rehman, he told Dawn the interaction proved very productive. “She was
very positive about my candidacy and said that the decision will be taken after
consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.
Belgium’s pick to lead UN’s IPCC panel holds meetings
in Islamabad
Prof van Ypersele, who has to his credit forty years
of experience in climate science and diplomacy, told Dawn that Pakistan was
contributing very little to global emissions, but its vulnerability is very
high, as made evident by the last year’s heat wave in spring and floods in the
monsoon season.
He said that Pakistan and other developing countries
should avoid following the developed countries. If these countries follow the
same carbon-intensive path that developed countries have followed, in a few
decades these countries will also be high emitters, he cautioned.
“We have to decarbonise as much as possible, and also
need to take into account the need for energy access to everyone,” he said.
He also noted that the vulnerability of the South
Asian region was quite high. Being a tropical region where the level of
temperature is relatively high, therefore the impacts are also larger.
The melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, he said, is
a big problem for all the countries which depend on the existence of those
glaciers for their water resources. If those glaciers melt quickly some of the
rivers will have flooding, especially if it is combined with extreme rainfall,
Prof van Ypersele said.
Similar themes were explored in this discussions in
Islamabad. According to him, Ms Rehman spoke about the effects of climate
change on Pakistan that resulted in the devastating floods of 2022. The
minister spoke about the lack of funding and emphasised adequate resources from
multilateral institutions needed particularly for adaptation measures.
The professor also held a group discussion with
legislators, environmental experts and government and non-governmental
officials at the residence of Belgian Ambassador Charles Delogne.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of Senate
Standing Committee on Climate Change; former adviser to PM on climate change
Malik Amin Aslam and former UNEP deputy executive director Shafqat Kakakhel
also participated in the discussion.
IPCC is expected to announce the official call for
nominations for its chair next month. Belgium announced Prof van Ypersele’s
candidacy in October 2022. He also contested for the post in 2015, but missed
out by just 12 votes.
As part of his campaign for the post, Prof van
Ypersele has now completed a tour of the South Asian region, visiting
Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and holding video calls with officials from
Bhutan and Sri Lanka, the two countries where Belgium has no diplomatic
presence.
The IPCC is currently composed of 195 member states
and as per rules, each country has one vote for the single-term post. This
year, IPCC will also hold elections to its 34-member bureau for the new term.
The unique power of this UN climate body lies in the
breadth and depth of its climate assessment reports. Thousands of experts from
around the world synthesise the latest scientific findings on the impacts of
and the potential responses to climate change with the IPCC’s comprehensive
Assessment Reports released every five to seven years.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1741864
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Murad warns of census boycott if Sindh’s concerns not
addressed
Tahir Siddiqui
March 13, 2023
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on
Sunday warned that the provincial government would have no option but to
withdraw the support it extended to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) for
conducting the ongoing 7th Digital Housing and Population Census if the
province’s reservations on the census process were not addressed.
As many as 8,010 provincial government employees,
mainly from the education department, have been deputed as enumerators and
supervisors to collect population data after being trained by the PBS. Besides,
the enumerators, the provincial government has also assigned a large number of
policemen for the security of the census staff.
Talking to the media at an event organised by the
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation as part of Karachi Games, he said that the
objections the provincial government and the Pakistan Peoples Party had raised
during the census of 2017 had proved to be valid and genuine now.
“If a transparent system is not evolved or adopted the
ongoing census exercises would meet the same fate as of 2017,” he observed.
He said that if the reservations raised by the people
of the province were not addressed his government would withdraw the support it
had extended to the federal government for the ongoing census process.
He said that he had asked census authorities to share
a copy of the data/enumeration of a family with the family members concerned.
“We must know how many members of a family in a particular area have been
counted so that a claim can be filed in case of any inaccuracy,” he said,
adding that the provincial government must have access to the data of the
province.
He said that the data being collected by the PBS
should be given directly to the National Database and Registration Authority so
that they could issue CNIC/B-Forms to the people and also make data of
foreigners and illegal immigrants living here.
Talking about the importance of a proper system of
birth and death counts, he said: “When a child is born or dies his/her details
must enter into the family tree made in the national data developed at Nadra.”
He said currently the deaths and births were not
recorded in the national data until and unless the family concerned get it
recorded.
The CM said that the old or inaccurate maps had been
uploaded to the tablets given to enumerators for feeding data digitally. “These
maps and data must be accurate, proper, and latest,” he demanded.
He also demanded that the PBS inform families/persons
through SMS that they were counted.
Rejects JI’s allegations
The chief minister said that the PPP, which emerged as
the single largest party in the local government elections in Karachi, would
take over the coveted office of Karachi mayor.
Replying to a question, he said that it was loud and
clear that PPP would get its candidate elected as the mayor of Karachi. “We are
the majority party and our candidate for mayor will easily be elected by the
City Council,” he said.
Giving an oblique reference to the allegations
levelled by Jamaat-i-Islami’s candidate Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on the ruling
party, the chief minister said that his “cries, claims, and allegations” had no
foundation.
He urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to
expedite the process of conducting the election on the remaining local
government seats and declare the withheld results so that the final round of
election for the offices of district chairmen and mayors could be finalised.
Earlier, the CM congratulated the winners of the
donkey cart race and distributed prizes among them.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1741858/murad-warns-of-census-boycott-if-sindhs-concerns-not-addressed
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Imran greets President Xi Jinping, welcomes KSA-Iran’s
resumption of diplomatic ties
March 12, 2023
LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has congratulated Chinese President
XI Jinping on his re-election for a third term.
“Heartiest congratulations to President Xi Jinping on
his re-election for a third term as China’s President,” the former prime
minister said in a brief statement on Twitter.
In a historic move, Xi Jinping was handed an
unprecedented third term as President of China. The appointment comes after he
was handed in October another five years as head of the Chinese Communist party
(CCP) and the military.
Meanwhile, the former prime minister and Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman welcomed the normalization of diplomatic
relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Taking to Twitter, the former premier shared a news
story regarding the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia
and Iran, welcoming the development.
Imran Khan noted that his government had taken an
initiative to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia together for dialogue “as part of our
policy of wider engagement for peace and unity of the Ummah”. He also
appreciated China’s role in the diplomatic breakthrough.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish relations
after seven years of hostility after reaching an agreement in Beijing.
According to a joint statement, Tehran and Riyadh agreed to resume diplomatic
relations and re-open embassies within two months.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Foolproof security arrangements adopted for Qalandar’s
Urs
March 12, 2023
HYDERABAD: The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jamshoro
Captain (retd) Fariduddin Mustafa and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)
Imran Qureshi on Sunday said that the foolproof security arrangements were made
for the 771st Urs of Hazrat Qalandar Lal Shahbaz.
Addressing a press conference in Sehwan, the DC said
foolproof security arrangements have been made in which Police, Rangers, and
Navy troops were deployed to facilitate devotees.
Security arrangements are being monitored through CCTV
cameras in the central control room set up at the shrine of Lal Shehbaz
Qalandar, the DC said.
He said as many as 0.3 million drinking water bottles
had so far been distributed among the devotees while health facilities are
being provided to them through the medical camps set up in the premises of the
shrine.
In response to a question, DC said the artists are our
asset, and reports regarding deduction in their compensation were wrong.
He said the budget for Urs has not been released till
now and hoped that it will be received soon.
Speaking on the occasion, SSP Imran Qureshi said best
security measures were adopted in Sehwan city and Police along with Rangers
personnel were deployed to maintain peace during Urs celebrations.
The SSP said that in terms of security, Sehwan city
was divided into 8 zones where ASPs, DSPs and SHOs have been posted.
Qureshi said that 19 suspicious persons have been
detained through detectors.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Saudi-Iran relations to yield positive results in
region: Ashrafi
March 12, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Representative for
Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on
Sunday said the revival of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran
would yield positive results in the region.
He, in an exclusive talk with APP, said the ease of
diplomatic row between two brotherly countries would help to reduce the
problems and sufferings of Islamic world.
Ashrafi who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema
Council appreciated the efforts of Chinses President XI Jinping to bring Saudi
Arabia and Iran closer. As per reports, the Iran and Saudi Arabia had agreed to
re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies within two months,
he added.
He said both of the countries had agreed to revive
agreements made in 2001 and 1998 regarding security and trade.
“The most important thing is that the two countries
would not interfere in the internal affairs of one other,” he maintained.
He said this news had spurred a wave of happiness in
the Muslim Ummah as it would help dismantle the nefarious designs of enemies
who tried to create conflict between the Muslim countries on the basis of
sectarianism.
Shedding light on the background of this new
development, he asserted that during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping
to Saudi Arabia a couple of months ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
requested the former to bridge the gap with Iran.
Ashrafi said the Arab world had termed the crown
prince the ‘leader of peace’ due to his peace-building measures between the two
brotherly countries.
He said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the
footprints of King Salman bin Abdulaziz had given a new vision not only to
Saudi Arabia but to all the Muslim world by making all-out efforts to unite
them at one platform.
He said that whether it was the matter of Palestine or
Kashmir, the Muslim world should sit together and devise a combined strategy to
meet all the challenges being faced by the Muslim Ummah on the globe.
He expressed the hope that this constructive step
would further strengthen fraternal ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran and bring
peace and stability in Yemen, Syria and in the days to come ahead.
He also appreciated the role of Saudi Arabia in
connection with Russia and Ukraine’s war.
He said the Saudi foreign affairs minister was in
Russia these days after visiting Ukraine as per reports in a bid to remove
differences between the two war-torn countries.
Source: Pakistan Today
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US congressman expresses concern over rights
violations under Sharif
March 12, 2023
WASHINGTON: US Congressman Brad Sherman, a Democrat
representing California’s 32nd congressional district, has expressed his
concerns over the “violation” of human rights and democracy in Pakistan, urging
the government of Shehbaz Sharif to ensure freedom of speech and the
application of rule of law in the country.
Sherman’s comments come after he spoke to former prime
minister Imran Khan and Dr. Asif Mehmood, a Pakistan-origin philanthropist and
Democratic candidate running for Congress.
In a video message shared on Twitter by the opposition
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Sherman recalled the US and Pakistan have
a long history of working together on various global and regional issues since
the 1940s.
“America must support democracy and human rights
around the world and particularly in Pakistan,” he pointed out.
“It is not the role of the United States to involve
itself in Pakistan’s internal governmental matters with respect to Pakistan’s
constitutional and democratic process. But we must not shy away from raising
our voices for human rights and democracy in Pakistan or anywhere else.
“The government of Pakistan and every government
should respect the right of people to speak, the right to organise, the right
to demonstrate,” he said.
He noted that Pakistan was facing several internal and
external challenges, such as growing extremism, intolerance, and dissent that
threatened the country’s social cohesion.
Sherman also emphasized the need for a calm, orderly,
democratic, and prosperous Pakistan where citizens could freely engage in
political dialogue.
He also expressed concern over the alleged incidents
of “custodial torture” and “sexual abuse” of PTI leaders Shahbaz Gill and Azam
Swati, as well as the deaths of journalist Arshad Sharif and party worker Ali
Bilal.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pakistan: Jamaat-i-Islami to stage protest against
delay in local govt polls in Karachi
12 March, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 12 (ANI): The chairperson
of the Karachi chapter of Jamaat-i-Islami, Hafiz Naeem ur-Rehman, has announced
that the party will stage sit-ins across the metropolis to protest against the
delay in the local government polls on the remaining 11 seats, Pakistan Today
reported.
Addressing a sit-in outside the office of the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Sindh chapter, Hafiz Naeem ur-Rehman raised
concern over the delay in the release of local government poll results and
schedule for polls on the remaining 11 seats.
Hafiz Naeem ur-Rehman said that the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has betrayed Karachi with the ruling Pakistan
People’s Party (PPP) after the “regime change” in April last year, as per the
Pakistan Today report. He said that despite negative tactics, Jamaat continued
its Haq Do Tehreek and stressed that a large number of people participated in
it.
Furthermore, he said that Jamaat emerged as the
biggest political party in Karachi in the recent local government elections
despite flawed voter lists and delimitations. He said that the residents of
Karachi want to see development in the metropolis, as per the news report.
Criticizing the Pakistan’s Chief Election
Commissioner, Hafiz Naeem ur-Rehman said that Sikandar Sultan Raja performed duties
as the chief and bureaucrat of all three provinces, however, he is unaware
about the real issues faced by the people in Karachi.
On March 5, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
released the results of the Karachi local government elections. According to
the results announced by ECP, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-i-Islami
(JI) have won equal number of union council (UC) seats, according to Pakistan
Today report.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 40 UCs, the
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured five seats and Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) won one seat. The ECP had withheld the results of 20
union council seats due to complaints and recounting requests.
Source: The Print
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Africa
Suspected Islamist militants kill 19 in east Congo
village raid
12 March, 2023
Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 19 people
and burned a medical facility in a raid on a village in eastern Democratic
Republic of Congo early on Sunday morning, two regional officials and a
resident said.
The attack, which occurred around 1 a.m. (2300 GMT) in
the village of Kirindera in North Kivu province, took place just a few
kilometres from another attack on a village that killed at least 35 people last
week.
The army blamed last week's attack on the Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group based in eastern Congo that has
pledged allegiance to Islamic State and conducts frequent raids on villages. A
resident of a nearby village and a member of the local civil society blamed
Sunday's attack on the ADF too.
"Gunfire was heard around Kirindera. The ADF
arrived, they set fire to a hospital after looting it with medicines, and they
set fire to a hotel," said Sadame Patanguli, the resident.
He said that the militants kidnapped several others,
who are now missing. The details of the burned buildings and the death toll
were confirmed by two regional officials.
The ADF was created in Uganda before moving to eastern
Congo in the 1990s, and has been blamed for thousands of deaths in the last
decade.
Source: The New Arab
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https://www.newarab.com/news/suspected-islamist-rebels-kill-19-east-congo-village-raid
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Libyan elections are possible this year: UN envoy
11 March ,2023
UN Libya envoy Abdoulaye Bathily said on Saturday that
if a clear road map and electoral laws are put in place by June, national
elections could be held by the end of the year.
A political process to resolve more than a decade of
conflict in Libya has been stalled since an election scheduled for December
2021 collapsed amid disputes over the eligibility of major candidates.
Bathily last month announced a new initiative to break
the deadlock by creating a steering committee to enable the elections, seen as
critical to any lasting peace.
On Saturday, he told a news conference in Tripoli that
the two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the High State
Council, had agreed to form a joint committee of six members each to draft
electoral laws, adding: “There is no reason for any more delay.”
However, the two chambers have spent years negotiating
about the political system without moving closer to elections that would in
effect replace them.
The House of Representatives was elected in 2014, while
the High State Council was formed as part of a 2015 political agreement and
drawn from a parliament elected in 2012.
Libya’s interim government, put in place in early 2021
through a UN-backed peace plan, was only supposed to last until the election
scheduled for December that year, and its legitimacy is now also disputed.
“Successive interim arrangements, endless transition
governments, legislative bodies whose terms of office have expired are a source
of instability,” Bathily said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Sudan repatriates 5 Daesh/ISIS-linked nationals from
Syria
11.03.2023
KHARTOUM, Sudan
Sudan said Saturday it has retrieved five nationals
who had joined the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in Syria.
A Foreign Ministry statement said that two women and
three children were returned from Syria.
“The five are the first group of nationals held in
northern Syria,” the statement said, without giving any exact number of
Sudanese held in Syria for joining the terrorist group.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudan-repatriates-5-daesh-isis-linked-nationals-from-syria/2843055
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Southeast Asia
Ban on politicians giving talks in mosques, surau
helps ease political climate: Fahmi
12-03- 2023
JOHOR BAHRU: The move by several states to prohibit
any politician from holding talks or lectures in mosques and surau is seen to
be helpful in easing the country’s political climate.
Communications and Digital (KKD) Minister Fahmi Fadzil
(pix) said this was also a reminder to all, that religious premises is not a
platform that can be used by any individual or party for political gain.
He said it was also seen as an effort to ease
escalation of political extremism which has the potential to create a
perception of government instability which would affect investor confidence.
“The prohibition order imposed on politicians
especially in mosques is an effort which I see would be able to cool down the
situation and KKD will also play its role in increasing awareness on the
importance of respecting this law.
“The reason we go to the mosque is to worship, not
give political speeches, so leave politics out and don’t misuse any premises to
have activities that shouldn’t be held there,“ he told a press conference after
a Town Hall session with the management and agencies under KKD at RTM Johor
here today.
Also present were Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching and
the Ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Mentek.
The media had earlier reported that politicians have
been barred from delivering religious lectures or ceramahs in mosques and surau
in Terengganu and Perak as religious institutions should be respected and free
of political elements.
Fahmi said the move to ease the political climate by
curbing the growing threat of political extremism was important in ensuring
political stability and the government administration is not disrupted.
“Political stability in the federal government is
important in attracting foreign investors, for example the investment by AWS
(Amazon Web Services) was because of their confidence in the stability of our
country.
Source: The Sun Daily
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Guan Eng tells Muhyiddin to retract tax-exempt claim
for Islamic charity or face legal action
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
13 Mar 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — Former finance minister Lim
Guan Eng said today he would be filing a defamation suit against Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin for accusing him of revoking the Albukhary Foundation’s
tax-exempt status, an allegation he described as racially incendiary and
denied. Lim said he would take legal action if the former prime minister
refuses to withdraw the allegation.
The DAP chairman also demanded that Muhyiddin show
proof he had ordered the revocation.
“Unless vigorously rebutted, such seditious statements
can inflame sentiments that undermine racial goodwill and threaten religious
harmony... Muhyiddin should either produce the revocation letter issued by me
or ask his lawyers to advise him properly to avoid facing unnecessary civil
proceedings of defamation,” Lim said in a statement issued this afternoon.
“Since there is clearly no such revocation letter, he
should apologise and withdraw his false remarks or else face defamatory action
that will require him not only to do the same but also pay compensatory
damages,” the Bagan MP added.
At a press conference outside the Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya on March 9,
Muhyiddin claimed Lim had revoked the tax exemption for Yayasan Albukhary as
the finance minister of the first Pakatan Harapan administration.
The Pagoh MP reiterated the same allegation at a PAS
centre in Taman Melewar, Gombak, in Selangor that same night.
Despite Lim's warning, Muhyiddin said he would not
retract his allegation.
Muhyiddin instead told Lim to explain himself, saying
Yayasan Albukhary’s request was given approval during Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s
time.
Muhyiddin added that Lim was finance minister and the
Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) was under his ministry when Pakatan Harapan (PH)
took federal power.
Lim suggested he would likely win the suit since
Muhyiddin failed to show any documented proof that he ordered the revocation,
citing a similar accusation made against him by a non-Muslim taxpayer from
Penang.
“The non-Muslim taxpayer could not produce any
evidence or letter that I have directed LHDN to act against him. I filed an
action of defamation and succeeded, with the High Court ruling that I was not
involved," he said.
Lim claimed that in the absence of proof of any
instruction, a minister cannot be held responsible for every single action of
the numerous agencies and government-linked companies under his purview.
Source: Malay Mail
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Weak ‘Malay pillars’ make DAP seem stronger, says
analyst
Dineskumar Ragu
13 Mar 2023
PETALING JAYA: The weakness of the “Malay pillars” of
Anwar Ibrahim’s government has left the DAP as being perceived by Malay voters
as the strongest party in the unity government, says a political analyst.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the issue lay
with PKR, Amanah and Umno, which he described as the “Malay pillars” of the
coalition, rather than Anwar himself.
He told FMT that the three parties had failed to woo
Malay support for the government since its formation.
“The perception (Malay voters have) is that DAP is
much, much stronger (than the three parties). They don’t see these parties as
currently being capable of defending their religious and ‘Bangsa Melayu’
interests.
“That is why the unity government is lacking
legitimacy in the eyes of the Malays, which we saw from the results of the 15th
general election,” he said.
While admitting that PKR was the best multiracial
platform, Azmi said Anwar’s party was still struggling to win over Malay
voters. He said Umno remained the best bet in the coalition to gain the
community’s support, if the party would embrace more reforms.
He added that the unity coalition could make inroads
in the Malay heartland in the coming state assembly elections if Umno members
elected reform-minded leaders.
Last week, political analyst Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid
said the biggest weakness of the government was its lack of legitimacy in the
eyes of the Malays.
Fauzi, of Universiti Sains Malaysia, said Anwar was
trying to shore up support from the Malays but there was still not enough
backing from the community.
Azmi agreed with Fauzi, saying Anwar was doing his
best to provide incentives and perks for the Malay, Muslim and Bumiputera
communities in the 2023 budget.
However, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said the
government should refrain from taking a communal-based approach in solving the
people’s problems and adopt a needs-based approach instead.
The PKR MP believed that Anwar and Pakatan Harapan
were capable of delivering policies that looked after the people’s welfare
regardless of race.
“The real beneficiary would be the Malays because they
make up the majority in the B40 socioeconomic stratum,” said the two-time MP.
Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya agreed, saying
Anwar should endeavour to uplift the wellbeing of lower and middle-income
Malaysians and combat corruption to obtain legitimacy in the eyes of the Malay
populace.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Your rights will be taken away, Muhyiddin warns
Bersatu
Elill Easwaran
12 Mar 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin
claims party members and supporters will soon see their right to free speech
and assembly stifled, with the likely arrest of TikTok users too.
Speaking to the party’s delegates at its annual
general assembly here, the former prime minister called for them to be
prepared.
Stay up-to-date by following FMT's Telegram channel
This comes in the wake of the police probe into a
gathering in support of Muhyiddin outside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC).
He was arrested by the MACC on Thursday and charged in
court the next day on charges related to abuse of power and money laundering.
Meanwhile, police said last night that they had
summoned a man who criticised the government in a speech outside the Kuala
Lumpur court complex on Friday.
“Be prepared. The media’s freedom will be restricted,
free speech will be constrained, and freedom of assembly will be restricted,”
Muhyiddin said.
“Don’t be surprised if some TikTok users will be
arrested and those who comment on social media will face pressure.
“That is how they are. When they are not in power,
they tell lies. When they are in power, they oppress others.”
On Friday, Muhyiddin claimed trial to four counts of
abuse of power in relation to the Jana Wibawa programme to obtain RM232.5
million for Bersatu. He also pleaded not guilty to two charges of money
laundering amounting to RM195 million.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman has repeatedly
said the charges against him were politically-motivated and meant to damage his
reputation and that of Bersatu and PN.
Democracy is dead in Umno
Meanwhile, criticising Umno for its decision to form
the unity government with Pakatan Harapan (PH) after the last general election
(GE15), Muhyiddin claimed that Umno – the country’s largest Malay party – could
no longer be relied on to champion the interests of Malays and Islam.
He also claimed that Umno’s decision in allowing no
contests for its top two posts in the party’s polls proved that “democracy is
dead in Umno”.
Muhyiddin went on to allege that Umno’s constitution had
been violated to protect the interests of an individual, alluding to Umno
president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“This individual is also protected by PH’s leadership,
and by this individual’s control over Umno, PH will remain in power,” he said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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North America
Bolton warns US against ‘sitting still’ as China,
Russia, Iran grow closer
12 March 2023
Former US national security adviser John Bolton
sounded the alarm following a China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia
to restore diplomatic ties.
In an interview Sunday, Bolton warned the United
States against “sitting still” as China expands its role in the world and grows
closer to Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“We’re sitting still, and the Chinese, the Russians,
Iran, North Korea, and several others, are moving to shore up their relations
and threaten us in a lot of different places,” Bolton, a US foreign policy
hawk, said on a radio morning show on Sunday.
Bolton’s warnings came two days after Iran and Saudi
Arabia agreed to resume their diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies
and diplomatic missions within the next two months. The pact followed days of intensive
talks in Beijing.
In a joint statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia, and
China, Tehran, and Riyadh highlighted the need to respect each others’ national
sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one
another.
They agreed to implement a security cooperation
agreement signed in April 2001 and another accord reached in May 1998 to boost
economic, commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports, and
youth affairs cooperation.
“It’s an indication that the Saudis and others are
trying to hedge their bets with China and Russia, because they don’t think the
United States has the resolve and the fortitude necessary to do what they need
to do to protect the world against Iran and its intentions,” Bolton said.
“The Chinese have a strategy they’ve been following,”
he added. “We kind of wander around from day to day.”
“Bolton is a fine one to talk about strategy. His
strategic record includes WMDs in Iraq and Juan Guaido in Venezuela, among
others. Not exactly a record of success,” said New York-based journalist Don
DeBar.
Top US officials have expressed concerns that Russia
also appears to have moved closer to China, warning that Beijing is “strongly
considering” providing Moscow with lethal aid for its war in Ukraine.
However, China has said it is a neutral arbiter in the
war in Ukraine and rejected US allegations.
“One of the biggest winners of the war in Ukraine has
been China,” Bolton said. “If Russia were to win, and at the maximum retake all
of Ukraine, that would be a victory for China’s ally that would strengthen
China as well.”
“But, frankly, if Russia continues to get chewed up in
Ukraine, that just makes Russia more dependent on China,” he continued. “So
China wins there as well.”
Bolton also claimed that in a reversal of China-Russia
relations during the Cold War, Beijing is now the senior partner in the
relationship.
“It’s exactly right to say that we’re watching Russia
slip increasingly under Chinese control,” he said. “This is China’s alliance
it’s putting together, and Russia is the junior partner.”
“That’s not good for any of us. I’d like to find ways
to pry Russia away from China,” Bolton continued.
CIA Director William Burns said the United States
believes that China is considering providing weaponry to support Russia in its
war in Ukraine.
“We’re confident that the Chinese leadership is
considering the provision of lethal equipment,” he said in an interview aired
late last month. “We also don’t see that a final decision has been made yet,
and we don’t see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment.”
“If Burns is correct, this is a new development.
Russia and China haven't had a military alliance since the early 1960s and
perhaps, actually, since the Korean War. In fact, they've never had an overt
military alliance, and whenever they've had anything resembling that alliance,
both were still severely damaged in terms of their ability to produce hardware
and project power by World War II,”
jouranlist DeBar said in response.
“In fact, such an alliance could be decisive, both in
a war limited to Ukraine and in a global conflict, should it come to that,” he
told Press TV.
Over the past year, Ukraine has been showered with
weapons and billions of dollars in financial support by the United States and
its allies.
Still, the US intelligence chief warned that such a
step by China would be "a very risky and unwise bet.”
DeBar denounced the CIA chief's statement and said
that the "war in Ukraine is an American war against Russia."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also said his
country is opposed to the emergence of a unipolar world that revolves around
Washington’s interests.
He said Russia is striving to create a multipolar
world rather than one that is centered around the US.
Russia began its “special military operation” in
Ukraine on February 24, 2022 with a declared aim of “demilitarizing” Donbas,
which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics. Back in
2014, the two republics, which are predominantly Russian-speaking, broke away
from Ukraine, prompting Kiev to launch a bloody war against both regions. The
years-long conflict has killed more than 14,000 people, mostly in the Donbas.
Since the onset of the conflict between the two
countries, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of
unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured numerous batches of advanced
weapons into Ukraine to help its military fend off the Russian troops, despite
repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war.
Meanwhile, China has defended expanding relations with
Russia against the backdrop of growing American unilateralism.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said
last month that despite the challenging international landscape, China-Russia
relations have stood the test of time.
Source: Press TV
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Iran, US reach initial agreement for prisoner
exchange: Amir-Abdollahian
12 March 2023
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says
Iran and the United States have reached an initial agreement to exchange
prisoners.
“We reached an agreement in recent days on the issue
of prisoner swap,” Amir-Abdollahian said on Sunday, adding that if everything
goes well by the American side, the exchange would take place soon.
He noted Iran regards the case as a “completely
humanitarian issue,” adding that a document has “indirectly” been signed and
approved between Tehran and Washington since March last year in this regard.
“The ground for its implementation has been prepared
now, and from our point of view, everything is ready while the US is currently
working on the final technical coordination,” the top Iranian diplomat
explained.
An agreement on the exchange of prisoners was reached
between Tehran and Washington in Vienna on the sidelines of negotiations
concerning the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Tehran has repeatedly said it is ready for a prisoner
exchange with the United States based on the agreement and independently of the
nuclear deal, which the US unilaterally abandoned in May 2018 despite Iran's
full and strict compliance.
Amir-Abdollahian also noted that exchange of messages
between the two sides is underway on the revival of the JCPOA.
Iran-Saudi deal not detrimental to any side
Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian said a
China-brokered agreement reached between Iran and Saudi Arabia on the
resumption of mutual relations aims to promote peace, security and sustainable
development in the region, emphasizing that the accord was broadly welcomed.
However, he said, there are specific mechanisms
regarding the Yemeni, Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian issues, emphasizing that
Iran regards dialogue and negotiations as the main solutions to such challenges
and regional conflicts.
The foreign minister expressed hope that the détente
would serve the interests of the Iranian and Saudi people as well as all Muslim
nations in the region.
Naturally, all countries act in line with their own interests,
and it is not true that the decisions of the countries and those of the
resistance forces in the region about the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression
and threats are overlooked in this agreement, he said.
After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by
China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally clinched a deal on Friday to restore
diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months.
According to the statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia
highlighted the need to respect each others’ national sovereignty and refrain
from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.
Iran, Saudi Arabia and China also expressed their firm
determination to make their utmost efforts to promote regional and
international peace and security.
US lacks needed courage to decide on JCPOA revival
Amir-Abdollahian further pointed to the negotiations
to revive the US-abandoned nuclear deal and said removing baseless accusations
against Iran in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an important
issue and one of the red lines for Iran.
During the IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano
Grossi’s recent visit to Tehran, the sides managed to make “good” progress, he
said, adding that Iran and the UN nuclear agency have constructive cooperation
which would have positive impacts on the JCPOA revival talks.
Amir-Abdollahian noted that he has told the American
officials that they did not have the necessary courage to make a final decision
to restore the agreement while the Iranian negotiating team put forward
initiatives with wisdom and courage in a very transparent way.
He emphasized that the sides are on the right path and
expressed hope that they would reach good outcomes.
Negotiations between the parties to the nuclear deal
kicked off in Vienna in April 2021 with the intention of bringing the US back
into the agreement and putting an end to its “maximum pressure” campaign
against Iran.
Source: Press TV
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US rejects Iran claims of prisoner swap as ‘false’
12 March ,2023
The US has denied a claim that Iran plans to release
three American prisoners in exchange for the release of frozen funds.
Iran’s top diplomat said Sunday that a deal was close
to being finalized, but did not elaborate.
“Unfortunately, Iranian officials will not hesitate to
make things up, and the latest cruel claim will cause more heartache for the
families of Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, and Morad Tahbaz,” a National Security
Council official told Al Arabiya English.
The official added that the US remained committed to
securing the freedom of Siamak Namazi, Emad Sharghi, and Morad Tahbaz, “but we
have nothing to announce at this time.”
The news of an imminent deal came shortly after Saudi
Arabia and Iran agreed to restore ties and after Iranian officials were in Oman
at the weekend. Muscat has long played a role as a mediator between Washington
and Tehran.
A source familiar with the talks told Al Arabiya
English that Iran would release Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Sharghi.
In return, they said that the US is expected to release Iranian funds frozen in
South Korea, Iraq and Japan plus at least one prisoner.
However, the source said, the Iranians to be released
were not expected to be prominent, such as Manssor Arbabsiar, who was charged
in the US for an alleged plot to assassinate a Saudi diplomat in 2011.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian
earlier told state TV that Iran and the United States have reached an agreement
to exchange prisoners, adding that he hoped the exchange would take place soon.
“Regarding the issue of prisoner swaps between Iran
and the US we have reached an agreement in the recent days and if everything
goes well on the US side, I think we will witness a prisoner exchange in a
short period,” Amirabdollahian said.
“On our part everything is ready, while the US is
currently working on the final technical coordination.”
Namazi, a businessman with dual US-Iranian
citizenship, was sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in prison for spying and
cooperating with the US government.
Sharghi, an Iranian-American businessman was first arrested
in 2018 when he was working for a tech investment company, is also jailed in
Iran, as is Iranian-American environmentalist Tahbaz, who also holds British
citizenship.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Europe
European investigators allowed to attend Lebanon’s
Salameh hearing: Sources
12 March ,2023
European investigators returning to Beirut will be
permitted to attend a Lebanese judge’s questioning of central bank governor
Riad Salameh, two sources said on Sunday, as Lebanon and several foreign
countries investigate whether he embezzled public funds.
Salameh, 72, and his brother are being investigated in
Lebanon and at least five European countries. They both deny any wrongdoing.
Last month, a Lebanese judge charged the Salameh
brothers with embezzlement, money laundering, illicit enrichment, fraud, and
tax evasion and set a first hearing for Riad on Wednesday.
European investigators landing in Beirut on Monday for
their second visit as part of the probe will be allowed to attend the hearing,
a judicial source and another source with knowledge of the visit’s details told
Reuters.
The judicial source said the presiding judge would not
allow the foreign investigators to direct questions to Salameh, who has been
central bank governor since 1993.
He still enjoys backing from powerful Lebanese
leaders, who in turn have significant say over judges’ appointments.
Source: Al Arabiya
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‘Heartbroken’ headteacher slams UK government decision
to relocate Afghan refugee teenagers about to sit exams
March 12, 2023
LONDON: Two Afghan refugee girls who arrived in
Britain following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 have been moved
out of London weeks before taking their school-leaving exams by the UK Home
Office, it was revealed on Saturday.
An Observer report said the two 16-year-old students
at Fulham Cross Girls School in the city had been due to sit their GCSE exams,
which start in the UK on May 15, but have been notified, along with their
families, that they must leave London.
Their headteacher, Victoria Tully, told the newspaper
she was “heartbroken” by the decision, adding the pair — and 13 other Afghan
girls who enrolled at the school following their evacuation — would not find a
school to take them in, or which would be using the same exam boards or
textbooks.
The two girls and their families have been living in
so-called “bridging accommodation” in a hotel, according to the Observer, but
have been told they will be relocated by the end of March.
“I am heartbroken, these children have overcome
unbelievable adversity, and despite living in a horrible hotel their work ethic
has been through the roof, to take their GCSEs away seems barbaric,” Tully told
the newspaper.
“The girls spoke no English when they arrived, but
have blossomed due to their sunny natures and incredible hard work,” she said.
“One of the girls, Zara, came to me very upset last
week and said: ‘Miss, they are moving us, please don’t let them.’”
According to the report, Zara, who hopes to become an
engineer, was due to take exams in English, mathematics and science, but is now
being relocated to Northamptonshire — more than 60 miles away.
British passport-holder Adib Kochai, Zara’s father,
told the Observer: “I told local council officials I would rather sleep on the
streets than go to Northampton, my wife is disabled and very ill and waiting
for an operation in London, my daughter is going to take her exams. I said:
‘Please, please keep us here.’”
Along with his disabled wife and Zara, Kochai also
cares for three other daughters, three sons and a granddaughter in a hotel
where conditions are “very bad” he said.
Lawyers for them and other “vulnerable” families who
were relocated to London from Afghanistan during the evacuation program in 2021
have slammed the decision as “disgraceful” and made without “consideration
given to individual needs.”
A spokesperson for the Home Office said all local
authorities where Afghan refugees are moved to have a “legal obligation” to
provide a school place within appropriate catchment areas within three weeks to
avoid disruption.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2266946/world
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Humza Yousaf gains high-profile backing for SNP
leadership amid racist, Islamophobic abuse
March 12, 2023
LONDON: The leader of the Scottish National Party in
Westminster has backed Humza Yousaf to become the next First Minister of
Scotland, it was revealed on Saturday.
Stephen Flynn is the latest high-ranking SNP member to
give his endorsement to Muslim politician Yousaf, who is currently Scotland’s
health minister.
It comes amid claims from Yousaf of racial and
Islamophobic abuse since putting his name forward to lead the Scottish
parliament.
Yousaf joined fellow contenders Kate Forbes and Ash
Regan at a hustings event at Strathclyde University on Saturday, and SNP
members will begin voting on Monday.
The winner of the race will be announced on March 27.
“I think, for all of us, we need a big bit of hope at
the moment,” Flynn told the BBC Good Morning Scotland radio program on
Saturday. “We have had a difficult few years with Brexit, with Liz Truss
crashing the economy in October, with the cost of living crisis, and I think
that Humza can provide that hope,” he said.
Despite criticism from fellow leadership rivals,
especially Forbes, other high-ranking members of the SNP regime have backed
Yousaf, most notably SNP Westminster deputy-leader Mhairi Black.
Yousaf recently revealed he has had to call Police
Scotland over claims of racist, Islamophobic abuse he experienced at the outset
of his campaign, forcing him to discuss with his family his fears of running
for the SNP leadership.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2266941/world
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Türkiye rescues 10 irregular migrants in Aegean Sea
Gokhan Duzyol
11.03.2023
The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 10 irregular migrants,
including a child, in the Aegean Sea, security officials said on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team was dispatched off the
coast of Didim in Aydin province, according to a statement released on the
website of the Coast Guard Command.
The asylum seekers, mostly African nationals, were
taken to the shore, and then transferred to a nearby hospital.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkiye-rescues-10-irregular-migrants-in-aegean-sea/2843114
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EU welcomes Saudi Arabia, Iran decision to resume
diplomatic ties
Beyza Binnur Donmez
11.03.2023
GENEVA
The EU on Saturday welcomed the agreement by Saudi
Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic ties after officials of the two countries
met in China.
"The European Union welcomes the announced
agreement on resumption of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and looks forward to its
implementation," Peter Stano, the lead spokesperson for the external
affairs of the EU, said in a statement.
"The EU acknowledges the diplomatic efforts
leading to this important step," Stano added.
Riyadh and Tehran are central for the regional
security, he emphasized, saying that the resumption of bilateral relations
"can contribute to the stabilization of the region as a whole."
The EU's key priorities in the Middle East are to
achieve deescalation of tensions and promote peace and stability, Stano
stressed.
The union remains ready to engage with all actors in
the region "in a gradual and inclusive approach, and in full
transparency," according to the spokesperson.
The two Persian Gulf neighbors severed their
diplomatic ties after the Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran was attacked by an
angry mob in January 2016 over the execution of a Saudi Shia cleric, Sheikh
Nimr al-Nimr.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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UK provides $6.31 million in assistance to Rohingya in
Bangladesh
SM Najmus Sakib
11.03.2023
The UK announced a new £5.26 million ($6.31 million)
funding package Friday for persecuted Rohingya living in Bangladesh with a
commitment to push for a long-term solution to enable their return to Myanmar.
Visiting Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie
Trevelyan, announced the new package, according to a statement.
A total of £4.26 million will be distributed through
the World Food Program (WFP) and £1 million will go through the UN refugee
agency, UNHCR, for pressure cookers to reduce the consumption of cooking gas in
refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.2 million
Rohingya in 33 squalid refugee camps in the southern border district of Cox's
Bazar.
Trevelyan will visit refugee camps in Cox Bazar to set
out how the UK is providing new humanitarian support through the WFP to supply
food for 449,000 people living in the camps this month, according to the
statement.
She will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign
Minister A. K. Abdul Momen as well as hold talks with civil society
organizations to strengthen UK-Bangladesh ties and partnership on climate
action.
Trevelyan said that the UK is committed to supporting
the Rohingya people who continue to live in Cox’s Bazar.
“The UK continues to push for a long-term solution
that will enable the Rohingya to return to Myanmar on a safe, voluntary and
dignified basis,” she said.
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Robert
Chatterton Dickson, said: “This visit reaffirms the UK’s firm commitment to
Bangladesh as a fast growing Indo-Pacific partner with strong people to people
connections and our ambition to work even more closely together in the future.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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