Indian Citizenship Path To Be Eased For Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians, Buddhists And Jains From Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh
New
Age Islam News Bureau
19
December 2022
Representational
Image
------
•
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Attacks Pakistan from ‘Within Its Territory’, Claims
TTP Chief
•
US Concerned by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Threat To Pakistan's Security: Top
US General
•
Muslim World’s First World Cup Draws To A Close, Outshines Controversies
•
‘Sheikh’ Messi Leads Argentina To World Cup Win In Doha
India
•
Minorities Rights Day: BJP Leaders Say Only Their Party Cares For Muslims
•
Muslim votes are being 'chewed like chewing gum', says Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
-------
Pakistan
•
Two policemen killed as Taliban militants take hostages in northwest Pakistan
•
Imran Khan Promises To Take 'No Action' Against Former Army Chief After Coming
To Power
•
Pakistan's Economic Crisis May Worsen In Future: Report
•
LHC seeks details of Toshakhana gifts obtained by political leaders, bureaucrats
since 1947
•
FM Bilawal arrives in US capital today for talks
•
Two officials martyred as held terrorists seize Bannu CTD building
--------
North
America
•
US says 'significant success' achieved at Africa leaders summit
•
US-Africa Leaders Summit ends with Biden speech
--------
Arab
World
•
Islamic State group gunmen kill nine Iraqi police officers
•
At least nine Iraqi police officers killed in bomb blast near Kirkuk: Source
•
Qatar warns EU corruption investigation may harm relations
•
KSRelief continues humanitarian efforts in Nigeria, Yemen and Jordan
•
Saudi Arabia condemns terror attack on Iraqi security forces
•
Saudi, Indonesian ministers discuss increasing Umrah trips
--------
Europe
•
EU Parliament Clampdown Poses Threat To Doha Relations: Qatari Diplomat
•
Iran says won't ‘seek permission’ to boost Russia ties
•
Danish TV Channel Apologizes For Comparing Monkey Family To Moroccan
Footballers
•
Türkiye, Germany, Greece hold talks in Brussels
•
Lithuanian comments on Karabakh region 'regrettable': Azerbaijan
•
Türkiye, Bulgaria continue efforts against migrant smuggling
--------
South
Asia
•
Islamic Emirate Seeks Removal of Sanctions on Afghanistan
•
Pakistani Delegation of Ulema to Visit Afghanistan to Discuss Cross-Border
Hostility
•
Fuel tanker tunnel blast kills at least 19 in Afghanistan
•
International Migrants Day and the Plight of Afghan Refugees
•
Meeting With Iranian Deputy Ambassador, Muttarqi Reiterates Trade &
Economic Relations
--------
Mideast
•
Hamas, Islamic Jihad Call To Step Up ‘Resistance’ Attacks Against Israel
•
Hopes of sailing free of war and poverty dashed for Gazans as bodies return in
coffins
•
Houthi-controlled court sentences 16 Yemenis to death, 13 others to prison
•
Iranian Senior Officials Call For Dealing With Riots Based On Legal, Sharia
Principles
•
Inmate killed in Iran prison riot: Rights group
•
Israel deports French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri over security concerns
•
Erdogan says courts will fix any mistakes after Istanbul mayor’s sentencing
•
Protest-hit Iran arrests lawyer of jailed journalists: Report
•
Israel draws condemnation as deported human rights lawyer arrives in Paris
--------
Africa
•
Polling Units Removed From Politicians’ Homes, Churches, Mosques – Independent
National Electoral Commission
•
Three Jordanian policemen killed during a raid: Statement
•
Polls open in Tunisian vote boycotted by opposition
•
Three Jordanian police killed in raid on hideout of suspected killers of
officer
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
RM2 Billion Education City For Islamic-Based Education In Melaka
•
Minister for religious affairs to meet relevant ministries to discuss issues
concerning Muslims
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Indian Citizenship Path To Be Eased For Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians, Buddhists And Jains From Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh
Representational
Image
------
December
18, 2022
The
Centre is all set to ease the citizenship process for minorities from Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India on valid documents, but whose
passports and visas have since expired.
The
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is expected to rejig the citizenship portal to
accept expired passports and visas as supporting documents to process the
citizenship application for members of six minority communities — Hindu, Sikh,
Parsi, Christian, Buddhist and Jain — from Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Bangladesh, according to a government source.
The
citizenship portal run by the MHA currently accepts expired passports as
supporting documents only for those Hindu and Sikh applicants from Pakistan and
Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2009. In 2018, after reports
of corruption emerged during manual screening, all citizenship processes were
moved online.
Facing
hurdles
According
to Hindu Singh Sodha, president of the Seemant Lok Sanghathan (SLS), an
organisation that works for the rights of Pakistani minorities in India, the
portal does not accept expired Pakistani passports for people who came on or
after January 1, 2010.
“For
a Pakistani Hindu who entered India in 2010, the online system does not accept
the expired passport, leading to the application not being accepted. The person
or family has to then rush to the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi who charge
a hefty sum to renew the passports and sometimes reject it on flimsy grounds.
Even though the person is eligible to get Indian citizenship under the 1955
Act, as he or she has spent around 12 years in India, they face hurdles,” Mr.
Singh said.
Exempt
from criminal charges
In
2015, MHA amended the Citizenship Rules and legalised the stay of foreign migrants
belonging to these six communities who entered India on or before December 31,
2014 due to religious persecution, by exempting them from the provisions of the
Passport Act and the Foreigners Act even as their passports expired. Though
they were exempt from facing any criminal action for illegally staying in
India, the online portal still does not accept the expired documents to process
their citizenship applications.
“Changes
will be made to the online portal so that foreign passports and visa that have
passed their validity can be accepted as a supporting document to apply for
citizenship,” the source said.
People
seeking Indian citizenship either come on long term visas (LTV) or pilgrim
visas. LTVs given for five years are considered a precursor to citizenship.
CAA
not yet in force
The
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, that intends to grant citizenship to
undocumented (or illegal) migrants from these six non-Muslim communities from
the three neighbouring countries who entered India before December 31, 2014, is
yet to come into force as the rules that govern the law are yet to be notified.
The
CAA could have helped the documented minority migrants in fast-tracking their
applications as it reduces the mandatory requirement of 11 years aggregate stay
in India to five years, to be eligible for citizenship. Many Pakistani Hindus
who entered India legally and have spent more than 11 years in India also await
citizenship.
Thousands
waiting
According
to Mr. Singh, there are 18,000 registered Pakistani Hindus who await
citizenship.
The
MHA informed the parliament in December 2021 that between the years 2018-2021,
the government received 8,244 citizenship applications from the minority groups
and granted citizenship to 3,117 applicants.
According
to the MHA’s annual report for 2021-22, in the COVID-19 affected year of 2021,
from April-December, as many as 1,414 citizenship certificates were granted to
members of the minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
The
MHA has also delegated powers to grant Indian citizenship by registration or
naturalisation, in respect of the six minority communities who entered India on
valid passports and visas, to district collectors of 31 districts and the Home
Secretaries of nine States. As many as 2,439 LTVs were granted by the MHA for
minority communities between March and December 2021. Of these, 2,193 were from
Pakistan, 237 from Afghanistan, and nine from Bangladesh.
Source:
The Hindu
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Attacks Pakistan from ‘Within Its Territory’, Claims TTP Chief
Representational Image/ Investing.com
----
By
Saqalain Eqbal
December
18, 2022
In
an attempt to dispel the notion that his group receives support from the
administration in Afghanistan, Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani
Taliban, asserted that the group targets and attacks Pakistan from “within its
territory.”
In
an interview with CNN, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief stated that
the group is fighting Pakistan’s war from within the country’s territory,
“using Pakistani soil.”
“We
have the ability to fight for many more decades with the weapons and spirit of
liberation that exist on the soil of Pakistan,” Noor Wali Mehsud said.
After
20 years in the country, the US withdrew its troops on the condition that the
group on the other side of the Afghan delegation negotiation table, if they
returned to power, would not serve as a sanctuary for terrorist organizations.
The
recent collapse of an already tenuous year-long truce in neighboring Pakistan
between the TTP and Pakistan, however, poses some unsettling doubts about the
viability of that commitment.
A
months-long ceasefire with Islamabad was broken by the Pakistani Taliban, a
rebel group that has been charged with carrying out a series of deadly strikes,
in late November, and its militants were ordered to resume attacks across the
country.
In
addition to the prospect of increased violence in Pakistan, the termination of
the truce may also result in an uptick in tensions between the governments of
Pakistan and Afghanistan, reflected in the recent border clashes.
He
responded, “When we don’t need any help from the Afghan Taliban, what is the
point of hiding it,” when questioned if he was being defensive about the
assistance they were receiving from the authorities in Afghanistan.
Pakistan
is one of the countries that have urged the Afghan government to respect its
pledges to prevent the resurgence of terrorist groups and the use of its soil
as a launchpad for strikes.
This
comes as Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned against
cross-border terrorism on Friday, saying that his country reserved the right to
take direct action against the TTP or other militant groups.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/ttp-attacks-pakistan-from-within-its-territory-claims-ttp-chief-28667/
--------
US Concerned by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Threat To Pakistan's Security: Top US General
During the visit, General Kurilla traveled to
Peshawar to visit the XI Corps headquarters.(AP File)
-----
Dec
19, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A top US military commander has said the United States is concerned by the
threat posed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to the south Asian
country's security amid the surge in violence perpetrated by the outlawed group
in the country.
"We
value our bilateral relationship and welcome opportunities to expand our
cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as counterterrorism and border
security," Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael E
Kurilla was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.
General
Kurilla made these remarks in response to a question about the possibility of
the US extending support to Pakistan in dealing with the terror threat.
This
comment comes on the backdrop of the CENTCOM commander's visit to Pakistan this
month where he met with senior military leaders, and observe conditions and
operations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border vicinity of the Khyber Pass.
During
his visit, the leaders discussed security cooperation, security along the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the threat posed by terror groups in the region,
ongoing operations, and opportunities to increase cooperation between CENTCOM
and the Pakistan Army.
During
the visit, General Kurilla traveled to Peshawar to visit the XI Corps
headquarters. The XI Corps is the Pakistani Army unit assigned to the
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, with security responsibility for
approximately half the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
According
to a CENTCOM press statement, General Kurilla and XI Corps leaders traveled by
helicopter to visit the Big Ben post overlooking the Khyber Pass. There, they
observed border security and discussed the cross-border threat of terror groups
operating in Afghanistan.
The
statement added that the visit provided General Kurilla valuable insight into
multiple aspects of the Pakistan Armed Forces, the threats faced by Pakistan,
and, most importantly, the opportunities ahead to strengthen the
military-to-military relationship.
"Pakistan
and the US have longstanding defense ties dating back 75 years," Kurilla
said. "We remain committed to combating shared threats to regional
security. CENTCOM views the US-Pakistan relationship through its own bilateral
merits and potential to improve regional stability. We are committed to
strengthening the military-to-military relationship."
This
was General Kurilla's second visit to Pakistan in the last four months.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Muslim World’s First World Cup Draws To A Close, Outshines Controversies
TRTWorld.com
----
Qatar’s
World Cup 2022 has ended with a night of drama on the pitch for both Argentina
and France, providing one of the all-time grand finals to crown a fantastic
tournament.
It
was one of the greatest finals of all time, capping off a fantastic tournament
with commanding performances from two top players on the grandest platform -
the night was filled with high emotion and swings in fate.
After
a thrilling 3-3 draw in which Lionel Messi scored twice, and Kylian Mbappe had
a hat-trick, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties to win their third
World Cup.
Nearly
89,000 spectators watched the action in Lusail Stadium, one of three stadiums
built especially for the tournament in Qatar, with a population of 2.5 million
people, the first Arab country to host the game.
Messi's
penalty and Angel Di Maria's goal in the first half placed Argentina in
command, but Mbappe converted a penalty in the 80th minute and volleyed in an
equaliser a minute later to send the game into extra time.
Messi
put Argentina back in the lead, but Mbappe tied the game with another penalty,
making him the second player in World Cup final history, after England's Geoff
Hurst in 1966, to score a hat-trick.
As
a result, the game was decided by a shootout. Argentina's Emiliano Martinez
stopped Kingsley Coman's attempt, and Aurelien Tchouameni missed the mark,
allowing Gonzalo Montiel to win, which he did.
“What
a game, that is all I can say. This World Cup ended with the best game of all
time. We are all in awe,” Mohammed Faisal, a Bangladeshi Argentina fan, told
TRT World.
And
with that dramatic final on Sunday, Qatar - which garnered criticism on human
rights but overcame fears that it could successfully host such a global event -
closed the curtain on the World Cup on its national day.
Critics
also questioned how football officials could pick a country which had never
before qualified for the finals, was too hot to host summer matches, and would
need to build most of its World Cup stadiums from scratch.
In
the run-up to the games, restrictions on alcohol sales also drew much
attention, but fans eventually shrugged off the issue, with the majority,
mainly female fans, saying this decision has led to a safer experience at the
tournament.
There
has been hardly any violence or arrests throughout the tournament.
Laws
on homosexuality and the display of LGBTQ symbols also drew negative attention
to the football tournament.
FIFA's
decision to penalise teams wearing "One Love" armbands, German
players pointedly putting their hands over their mouths for a pre-match photo,
and German politician Nancy Faeser wearing the ‘one love’ armband further
inflamed the issue.
Qatar’s
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani fired back, saying to
a German newspaper that Berlin has no issue regarding energy agreements and
investments with us, hinting at the 15-year deal to supply Germany with natural
gas.
Qatari
officials also refer to labour law improvements passed since 2018 as evidence
that the nation has been unfairly and inaccurately criticised for a decade.
And
that feeling of being mistreated resonated with many people in Qatar, who said
controversy and the western media coverage of the tournament promoted a
stereotypical negative image of the region.
“Before
placing such judgement, you must be familiar with the environment. To find out
the truth, you must visit the location, interact with the residents, observe
the local culture, and do some research,” Abdelaziz Abdulrehman, a Qatari
national, told TRT World.
“The
western media coverage of Qatar was very exaggerated and biased.”
But
the three weeks of heroism and heartache on the pitch overshadowed the
controversies as underdogs defeated football giants and gave people the power
to believe.
Saudi
Arabia, Morocco, Japan, Ecuador, Cameroon, Tunisia, and Croatia are just a few
teams with limited football histories that have surprised the world in Qatar.
They contributed to eliminating World Cup favourites from the competition,
including Brazil, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and others.
“I
have to be honest here, each win was a surprise, a good one. Of course, we
always hoped that Morocco would win every match, but deep down, I knew we had
got so lucky to come this far, so if they lose, it will be ok,” Sanae, a
producer from Morocco, told TRT World.
“So
every time they won it was a great surprise for all the Muslim and Arab
nations, that's the thing about Morocco, their win gathered a lot of people
because as a country, its not only an African country but an Arab country too.”
Back
at Lusail Stadium, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, draped
Messi in a bisht, a traditional men's cloak used for hundreds of years, to
underline the unique and mark history — a World Cup hosted by a Muslim and an
Arab country.
Source:
TRT World
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
‘Sheikh’
Messi Leads Argentina To World Cup Win In Doha
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani wraps a
robe around Lionel Messi on stage next to the FIFA World Cup trophy after
Argentina won the Qatar 2022 World Cup final. (Reuters)
-----
December
18, 2022
DOHA:
Lionel Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory on Sunday, scoring twice against
France in one of the all-time great finals with the South Americans holding
their nerve to triumph in a penalty shootout.
Messi
finally crowned his record-breaking career by claiming football’s biggest prize
with a performance that will go down in World Cup history, scoring a first-half
penalty and netting again in extra time.
France
had fought back from 2-0 down in the last 10 minutes as Kylian Mbappe scored
twice to equalize and force extra time in a pulsating match watched by an
89,000 crowd in Lusail Stadium.
Messi
seemed to have decided the match in extra time with his second goal of the game
before his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Mbappe completed only the second World
Cup final hat-trick to bring the score to 3-3 and force penalties.
Gonzalo
Montiel swept home the decisive spot kick to win the shootout 4-2 for Argentina
— but this was Messi’s moment.
He
had tasted bitter defeat in the 2014 final against Germany but in his fifth and
final World Cup, the 35-year-old finally emulated Argentina idol Diego Maradona
by leading his nation to World Cup glory for the first time since Maradona’s
victory in Mexico City in 1986.
Tens
of thousands of blue and white-shirted Argentina fans rose to salute Messi as
he told them “we’re champions of the world!” on the stadium microphone.
Later
he told Argentine television: “Obviously I wanted to finish my career with
this. I can’t ask for any more.
“My
career is coming to end because these are my final years. What more could there
be after this?“
But
he said he would continue with the Argentina squad. “I want to keep
experiencing a few more matches as world champion,” he added.
FIFA
will be delighted with a pulsating final that capped one of the most
controversial World Cups in history, with the Qatari organizers having to face
persistent questions about the country’s treatment of migrant workers and its
laws on homosexuality.
Neutrals
will be happy that Messi has finally won a World Cup. However, with his
hat-trick — and the Golden Boot for top scorer at the tournament with eight
goals — Mbappe surely showed he is ready to inherit the mantle of the world’s
best player.
Argentina,
now three-time world champions, dominated the first half of the final as Messi
scored a 23rd minute penalty after Ousmane Dembele tripped Angel Di Maria.
The
mercurial Messi was then part of a superb move that led to Di Maria sweeping
home Argentina’s second goal after 36 minutes.
They
appeared to be cruising to a straightforward victory as France, who had battled
a virus in their camp in the past few days, were completely overrun.
But
the defending champions finally got back into the game in the second half as
Randal Kolo Muani was dragged down by Nicolas Otamendi in the penalty area and
Mbappe converted from the spot with only 10 minutes left.
A
minute later, Mbappe scored a superb volley to bring France level.
In
extra time, Messi forced a diving save from French keeper Hugo Lloris in the
final minutes and Lautaro Martinez could have put Argentina ahead but Dayot
Upamecano superbly intervened to snuff out the danger.
Messi
knocked in the rebound when Lloris parried Martinez’s saved shot in the 108th
minute to give Argentina the lead once again.
But
when Mbappe’s shot hit Montiel’s outstretched arm, the referee pointed to the
penalty spot to the Argentinians’ disgust and Mbappe stroked it home to become
the first player to score a World Cup hat-trick since England’s Geoff Hurst in
1966.
A
superb match went to penalties and Montiel scored the decisive spot kick to win
the shootout 4-2.
Argentina
goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who saved Kingsley Coman’s attempt in the
shootout, said the victory was “destiny.”
“All
that I have dreamed of has been achieved. I have no words for it. I was calm
during the penalty shoot-out, and everything went as we wanted.”
France
coach Didier Deschamps rued the failure to become the first team in 60 years to
retain the trophy.
“I
don’t want to take any merit away from Argentina but there were lots and lots
of emotions and it was cruel at the end because we were so close,” he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218181/sport
--------
India
Minorities
Rights Day: BJP leaders say only their party cares for Muslims
Dec
19, 2022
Several
Muslim leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came together on the
‘Minorities Rights Day’ in Lucknow on Sunday.
They
called upon the minorities to support the BJP, which, they claimed, was the
only party that cared for them without using them as a “vote bank.”
Former
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who attended a function organised at the
Ganna Sansthan auditorium here, said: “For decades, Muslim votes were chewed
like chewing gum and chucked like castaway.”
The
BJP is wooing Muslims in a big way after having won three constituencies - the
Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha and the Rampur assembly seat - since June. All
three seats have a sizeable Muslim presence.
The
BJP is now planning to field sizeable number of Muslim candidates in the urban
local bodies polls and has lined up a series of ‘pasmanda backward)’ Muslim
meets to woo the community.
At
the function organised by state’s minorities commission in Lucknow, Naqvi said,
“India has become the flagbearer of inclusive empowerment by crushing the curse
of communalism as the Modi-Yogi era has ensured ‘Amar, Abdul, Anthony’ become
equal partners.”
He
further said that today the time has changed, the environment has changed and
the mood of the country has changed.
“Those
who say that the development of minorities and the development of the country
are separate from each other are perpetrating a fraud to keep the minorities
away from the mainstream,” he claimed.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
votes are being 'chewed like chewing gum', says Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Dec
18, 2022
LUCKNOW:
Senior BJP leader and ex-cabinet minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Sunday
that for decades, Muslim votes are being "chewed like chewing gum"
and "chucked like castaway".
Addressing
'Minorities Rights Day' programme, organised by Uttar Pradesh Minorities
Commission in Lucknow, Naqvi said that the "crook contractors of
votes" have committed "cruel, communal, criminal conspiracy"
against the minorities to "hijack" their socio-economic and
educational empowerment.
Naqvi
added, "Today, India has become the flagbearer of inclusive empowerment by
crushing the curse of communalism."
Naqvi
said that the "treacherous traders of votes" are responsible for
economic, educational and social backwardness of some sections of the Muslim
community.
Naqvi
added that today the time has changed, the environment has changed and mood of
the country has changed.
The
'Modi Magic' has replaced the 'praxis of polarisation' with 'politics of
prosperity', he said.
Along
with majority communities, the minority communities have been benefitted
equally by the positive atmosphere of "development with trust" in the
governments led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Two
policemen killed as Taliban militants take hostages in northwest Pakistan
19.12.22
At
least two policemen were killed and many others injured when Pakistani Taliban
militants seized a counter-terrorism centre and took some people hostage in the
Bannu district of Pakistan's troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
One
of the militants, who had been arrested and being interrogated at
Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police station inside the cantonment, on
Sunday snatched an AK-47 from the police and opened fire.
He
then freed other suspects being held at the building who took control of the
compound. They also took several policemen hostage.
The
situation is still tense 17 hours after the incident as a military operation is
going on.
Two
policemen were killed in the shooting, sources said.
Akram
Khan Durrani, a former chief minister of the province, and sitting provincial
minister Malik Shah Muhammad have reached Bannu to initiate talks with the
militants.
Both
Durrani and Muhammad hail from Bannu.
Militants
have demanded the security forces to provide them with a helicopter to reach
Afghanistan safely.
Mohammad
Iqbal, the District Police Officer (DPO) Bannu, said that there was no attack
from outside and one of the militants snatched the rifle from police during
interrogation and neutralised the guards deployed at the building, The Express
Tribune newspaper reported.
"They
are in control of the building and we have cordoned off the entire Bannu
cantonment," he added.
The
Internet services in the Bannu cantonment have been suspended.
Banned
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a statement said that several of its
members were among those who took Bannu CTD Staff hostage.
It
asked the government to shift prisoners either to South or North Waziristan
where the TTP has hideouts otherwise army will be responsible for all damages.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan promises to take 'no action' against former Army chief after coming to
power
Dec
19, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, on Sunday, promised that
although he has a "personal" dispute with former Army Chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa he will not take any action against him if he comes to power
again, The Express Tribune reported. While addressing the meeting of a
delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at his Zaman Park
residence in Lahore, Khan said that the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff
(COAS) General Asim Munir himself has said that he will remain neutral.
However,
he added that holding elections within three months after the dissolution of
assemblies will be the biggest test of his neutrality.
The
former prime minister said that he explained to Bajwa about Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif's involvement in Rs16 billion worth of corruption cases,
according to The Express Tribune.
"I
told Gen Bajwa that if we catch 10 to 12 top corrupt people, everything will
get back on right track," he added. However, he added, he later came to
know that corruption was not an issue for General (retd) Bajwa.
Imran
said that Pakistan's economy would have performed even better if there wasn't a
coronavirus pandemic and China was not locked down for two years.The economy of
the country is on a decline and the income of people is low then how can loans
be returned in this situation, he questioned. "A country cannot prosper if
there is no rule of law," he added.
Talking
about the Toshakhana case, the PTI chief said that if there was corruption
during his tenure, then the opponents would have raised it rather than
highlighting the Toshakhana issue only, according to The Express Tribune.
"Toshakhana
is not a museum. If I had not bought the watch it would have been bought by someone
else during an auction," he said, adding that Pakistan Muslim League-N
(PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari too bought expensive cars
from Toshakhana.
Earlier,
Imran Khan said that the "gang of corrupt" got clean chits under the
National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) II granted to them by the former army
chief, local media reported.
The
former Prime Minister made the remarks in the backdrop of Salman Shehbaz's
return to the country after ending over four years of self-imposed exile in London,
according to The News International.
Khan
said that Gen (retd) Bajwa committed cruelty by granting an NRO-II to the
"gang of corrupt" elements.
Slamming
the former army chief, the PTI chief reiterated that his government was toppled
under a conspiracy and thieves were imposed on the country, the report said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan's
Economic Crisis May Worsen In Future: Report
19
December, 2022
Pakistan's
economy is still in crisis and several economic indicators indicate that things
could get worse. Food scarcity, depletion of energy and depletion of foreign
reserves may exacerbate the problem in the coming winter.
Pakistan's
recent decision not to purchase oil and gas from Russia, despite a shortage in
the country, may not have been made solely to appease the US. According to
Islam Khabar, the decision may have been made as a result of Pakistan's
economic downturn.
According
to Islam Khabar, such a large purchase will necessitate a large cash outflow,
as Russia desperately needs cash due to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
According
to the newspaper, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated to “PBS
Newshour” on 14 December that the country will not receive any oil or gas from
Russia. This came just a week after Pakistan's Energy Minister, Musadik Malik,
completed negotiations and signed documents with their Russian counterpart. As
a result, Pakistan will now have to turn to Gulf countries to meet its energy
needs.
According
to a Dawn newspaper report, Pakistan's central bank reserves have fallen from
USD 15 billion to USD 6.7 billion. Foreign loans will default as a result of
these dropping foreign incidents. And the amount remaining in the reserves may
only be enough to cover one month's worth of imports.
Despite
the fact that the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations
rushed in to help with the floods that hit Pakistan this year, only one-third
of Pakistan's donation needs were met, which will end in January 2023.
The
UN had requested USD 816 million, but UN NGOs had only received USD 262 million
in international assistance, according to Islam Khabar.
The
industrial sector's situation is also critical, with the large manufacturing
sector dropping by 7.75 per cent, according to a Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
(PBS) report, which includes textiles and automobiles, which contribute
significantly to the country's foreign reserves.
Pakistan's
agriculture has been in a precarious state for a long time, owing to poor
government policies, a lack of investment and a lack of automation.
All
of this eventually leads to lower crop yields, lower farm incomes and rural
poverty. And, even before the floods, Pakistan was an importer of food and
cotton for its large textile industry.
Source:
Business World
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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LHC
seeks details of Toshakhana gifts obtained by political leaders, bureaucrats
since 1947
Rana
Bilal
December
19, 2022
The
Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the federal government to submit
details of Toshakhana gifts received by political rulers and bureaucrats from
foreign dignitaries since the creation of Pakistan.
The
court directed the government to submit the details by January 16 and also
sought records pertaining to the purchase of these assets since 1947.
The
directives were issued as Justice Asim Hafeez took up a plea seeking court
orders for making public the details of Toshkhana gifts, as well as information
about persons/officials who have obtained the assets after making a payment.
Established
in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of
the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers,
parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and
states and foreign dignitaries.
The
department has been in the news in recent days in light of proceedings against
former prime minister Imran Khan for “not sharing details” of Toshakhana gifts
and proceeds from their alleged sale and his eventual disqualification for
making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.
According
to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by
persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
During
today’s hearing, the government’s lawyer, Sheraz Zaka, contended that details
related to Toshakhana were classified and could not be made public.
At
that, the court enquired how could the details not be disclosed. “Submit the
details to the court and the court will decide whether or not they are
classified,” the judge directed, seeking a report from the federal government.
After
the hearing, PTI leader Pervez Khattak noted in a tweet that the high court had
sought the entire record of Toshakhana gifts and commented: “What’s there to
hide in it? Why different standards for yourself?”
The
plea
The
plea seeking the details was filed by lawyer Munir Ahmad through Advocate Azhar
Siddique last week.
The
plea stated: “The right to information is an integral part of a progressive
democratic state and the same has been elaborated by the superior courts saying
the right to information in all matters of public importance is indisputably a
fundamental right guaranteed under Article(s) 19 and 19-A of the Constitution.”
According
to the petitioner, the right to information stems from the requirement that
members of a democratic society should be sufficiently informed that they may
intelligently influence the decision which may affect them.
Therefore,
he argued, the people of Pakistan had the right to know every public act, everything
that is done in a public way, by public functionaries and their chosen
representatives.
The
petitioner contended that people at large were entitled to know details of
every public transaction and acquire information in all matters of public importance.
“This
enables people to contribute in debate on social and moral issues and matter of
public importance.”
The
plea urged the court to order the respondents to make public the details of
assets gifted to rulers as well as bureaucrats and also provide the names,
details, information, documentation and materials in respect of the
persons/officials who have obtained the assets by making the payment.
The
petitioner also sought details of the methodology used to determine the price
of the Toshakhana articles.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
FM
Bilawal arrives in US capital today for talks
Anwar
Iqbal
December
19, 2022
WASHINGTON:
As Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrives in the American capital on
Monday, he has a difficult mission: underlining the need for stronger ties with
the United States without disturbing its close relationship with China.
The
foreign minister completed his four-day visit to the UN headquarters in New
York on Friday and then went off-the-radar for the weekend, stirring wild
speculations in the Pakistani American community. Pakistan’s diplomatic
missions in Washington and New York offered no explanation on his weekend
engagements.
Asked
if Mr Bhutto-Zardari would also meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
during his three-day stay, the State Department said, “We do not have anything
to share at this time.”
The
foreign minister, however, did talk about his efforts to improve US-Pakistan
relations in interviews to various US media outlets. In an interview to NPR’s
Amna Nawaz, he explained how Islamabad was trying to maintain good relations
with both Beijing and Washington.
“China
is our neighbour. We have a long history with them. And we have a lot of cooperation,
particularly on the economic front,” he said. “But we also have a historical
relationship with the United States that stretches back to the 1950s. And we
have partnered over the course of history.”
He
said he believed that “whenever the United States and Pakistan have worked
together, we have achieved great things. And whenever there’s been a distance
developed between us, then we have faltered.”
Going
back to the theme of maintaining good ties with both, he said, “I do think it’s
absolutely possible for the United — for Pakistan to engage with both China and
the US.”
The
foreign minister also spoke about Pakistan’s efforts to mend its ties with
Russia but denied reports that Islamabad was buying oil from Moscow.
“As
far as Russia is concerned, we aren’t pursuing or receiving any discounted
energy, but we are facing an extremely difficult economic situation, inflation,
pump prices,” he said.
But
he reminded NPR’s American audience that “we do have energy insecurity. And we
are exploring various avenues to expand our areas where we can get our energy
from.”
The
remarks irked Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik, who had first
announced discussing an oil deal with Russia and still maintains that Pakistan
is pursuing Russian oil at discounted rates.
Diplomatic
sources in Washington say that Pakistan is still far from concluding an oil
deal with Russia, though both sides are exploring the possibility of doing so.
The dispute, however, exposed the difficulties that Pakistan faces in
maintaining its partnership with both China and the United States while
exploring the possibilities of improving relations with Russia.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1727093/fm-bilawal-arrives-in-us-capital-today-for-talks
--------
Two
officials martyred as held terrorists seize Bannu CTD building
December
19, 2022
BANNU:
Two officials of the KP Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) were martyred and
many more injured when terrorists, who had been arrested previously and being
interrogated at CTD police station inside Cantonment, snatched an AK-47 from
police and opened fire in Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday
afternoon.
The
police and rescuers informed that one of the miscreants snatched rifle from
police during interrogation and neutralised the guards deployed at the
building.
District
Police Officer (DPO) Bannu Dr Iqbal also confirmed that there was no attack
from outside and one of the miscreants snatched rifle from police during
interrogation and neutralised the guards deployed at the building.
He
then freed all the suspects being held at the building and who took control of
the compound. They also made several policemen hostage.
“They
are in control of the building and we have cordoned off the entire Bannu
cantonment. They have been kept busy by means of negotiations,” he added. “We
have our own plan which cannot be shared at the moment,” he said.
Militants
released at least three videos in which they could be seen armed with AK-47
rifles and medium machine guns. In one video they showed a hostage and demanded
the security forces to provide them with a helicopter to reach Afghanistan
safely and in return they would not harm their hostages.
The
affiliation of the terrorists could not be ascertained immediately.
A
spokesman for the TTP did not immediately confirm or deny a link with the
militants in the compound.
Meanwhile,
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Special Assistant for Information Barrister Saif has denied
that CTD facility had been attacked in Bannu, saying that some suspects
attempted to snatch weapons from the security forces.
He
said that the situation was “completely under control” and security forces have
cordoned off the affected area.
Saif
said that an operation was underway against the miscreants which will be
completed soon.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
US
says 'significant success' achieved at Africa leaders summit
Michael
Gabriel Hernandez
16.12.2022
WASHINGTON
The
US demonstrated "significant success" in achieving its goals during a
three-day summit with African leaders, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said
Thursday.
"We
made significant, tangible progress across every one of our priorities this
week, building on the momentum that we've generated over the past two
years," Blinken told reporters as the summit closed out in the nation's
capital.
"America
will not dictate Africa's choices. Neither should anyone else. The right to
make these choices belongs to Africans, and Africans alone. But we will work
relentlessly to expand their choices," he added.
Still,
the top diplomat maintained that while he believes Washington achieved
"significant success" in realizing its goals, "the ultimate
judgment has to be in the days to come, the weeks to come, the months to come.
Are we making good on what we said we would do?"
The
comments come at the conclusion of a summit marked by the signing of a number
of multilateral agreements on a range of areas, from space to food security,
and the announcement that the Biden administration will invest, in partnership
with Congress, at least $55 billion in Africa over the next three years.
President
Joe Biden also announced that he would be making the first visit to sub-Saharan
Africa by a sitting US president in nearly a decade. He did not, however,
specify a date or the countries he will visit.
In
all, 49 African leaders attended the summit, as well as the head of the African
Union (AU). Biden on Thursday threw his support behind adding the AU to the
G-20, the multilateral group of global powers that is focused on issues
pertaining to the global economy.
The
president also reiterated his announcement in September during the UN General
Assembly in which he expressed “full support” for reforming the UN Security
Council to include permanent representation for Africa.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US-Africa
Leaders Summit ends with Biden speech
Rabia
İclal Turan
16.12.2022
WASHINGTON
US
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that his administration will provide an
additional $2 billion in urgently needed humanitarian assistance to address
food insecurity in Africa.
In
his closing remarks at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., Biden
said the food assistance “is going to help ensure that children and families
don't have to go to bed hungry.”
The
three-day summit ended Thursday, hosting 49 African leaders in the US capital.
Issues concerning the African continent were discussed in both public sessions
and bilateral meetings.
The
leaders spoke on a variety of topics, including food security, sustainable
development, trade and energy.
The
summit came as the Biden administration aims to increase its influence in the
region amid increasing competition from China and Russia.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/us-africa-leaders-summit-ends-with-biden-speech/2765159
--------
Arab
World
Islamic
State group gunmen kill nine Iraqi police officers
19
Dec 2022
KIRKUK
(Iraq), Dec 19 — Islamic State group jihadists said yesterday they had carried
out an attack in northern Iraq killing nine police officers, setting off a
roadside bomb before machine-gunning survivors.
The
attack in the Kirkuk area — which police said left nine federal officers dead —
is one of the deadliest in Iraq in recent months.
IS
fighters attacked “a police patrol... detonated an explosive device then
attacked them with machine guns and hand grenades,” the group said in a
statement on the Telegram messaging app.
A
federal police officer, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the
bomb blast hit a vehicle transporting members of Iraq’s federal police near the
village of Shalal al-Matar.
It
was then followed by “a direct attack with small arms”, the officer added.
“An
assailant has been killed, and we are looking for the others,” the officer
said.
IS
jihadists seized large swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014, declaring
a “caliphate” where they ruled with brutality before their defeat in late 2017
by Iraqi forces backed by a US-led military coalition.
IS
lost its last Syrian bastion, near the Iraqi border, in 2019.
Iraqi
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the violence as a “cowardly
terrorist attack”.
Security
forces should show “vigilance, carefully inspect the roads and not provide any
opportunity for terrorist elements”, he said.
Sleeper
cells
The
US-led anti-IS coalition continued a combat role in Iraq until December last
year, but roughly 2,500 American soldiers remain in the country to assist in
the fight against the jihadists.
IS
cells, however, remain active in several areas of Iraq.
On
Wednesday, three Iraqi soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a
bomb exploded as their patrol vehicle passed through farmland in Tarmiya, a
rural municipality about 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the capital Baghdad
that is a known hotspot for IS sleeper cells.
Last
month a machine gun attack on a remote northern Iraqi military post killed four
soldiers near Kirkuk, a military source said. There was no immediate claim of
responsibility.
Iraqi
security forces continue to carry out counter-terrorism operations against the
group, and the deaths of IS fighters in airstrikes and raids are regularly
announced.
Despite
the setbacks, which has left IS a shadow of its former self, the group has
“maintained its ability to launch attacks at a steady pace”, a January report
by the United Nations read.
Source:
Malay Mail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
At
least nine Iraqi police officers killed in bomb blast near Kirkuk: Source
18
December ,2022
At
least nine Iraqi federal policemen were killed on Sunday after a bomb struck
their convoy southwest of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, two security sources
told Reuters.
The
blast took place near the village of Safra, which lies about 30 kilometers (20
miles) southwest of Kirkuk, said the source, adding that two other policemen
were critically wounded.
Iraqi
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has ordered a hunt for the “terrorist
elements” who carried out the attack, dispatching the federal police commander
to the area for further investigation, his office said in a statement.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility, but ISIS militants are active in the
area. Iraq declared victory over the group, which once held large swathes of the
country, in December 2017.
Iraqi
police officers said ISIS militants were involved in the attack, using roadside
bombs to target the police force which was patrolling the area.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Qatar
warns EU corruption investigation may harm relations
Ahmed
Asmar
18.12.2022
Qatar
on Sunday renewed its denial of involvement in any corruption case involving
people linked to the European Parliament, saying a Belgian investigation
threatens to harm relations.
Four
people were arrested by Belgian authorities as part of an investigation into
allegations that Doha lavished them with cash and gifts to influence
decision-making.
The
Belgian investigation has caused to suspend of Qatar’s access to the European
Parliament, including visa liberalization, an EU-Qatar aviation agreement, and
planned visits.
In
a statement, Qatar warned that the investigation and suspension of its access
to the EU parliament will negatively impact relations and gas supplies.
"The
decision to impose such a discriminatory restriction that limits dialogue and
cooperation on Qatar before the legal process has ended, will negatively affect
regional and global security cooperation, as well as ongoing discussions around
global energy poverty and security," said a statement by a diplomat from
Qatar’s mission to the EU.
"We
firmly reject the allegations associating our government with misconduct,"
the statement added.
The
Qatari diplomat also criticized the Belgian authorities, saying they used
inaccurate information during the investigation.
"Qatar
was not the only party named in the investigation, yet our country has been
exclusively criticized and attacked,” the statement said. "We have
observed this week's selective condemnation of our country with great alarm.”
Last
week, the Qatari Foreign Ministry rejected any attempt to associate it with the
corruption case.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
KSRelief
continues humanitarian efforts in Nigeria, Yemen and Jordan
December
19, 2022
RIYADH:
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center’s (KSRelief ) humanitarian
efforts in Nigeria, Yemen and Jordan continue with the provision of educational
training, medical care and shelter.
At
the Zaatari camp in Jordan, the Saudi relief agency, represented by the Saudi
Center for Community Service, has provided educational programs and training
courses for 747 individuals for the year.
In
Yemen, KSRelief mobile clinics stationed in Hajjah governorate conducted
provided the necessary medical care to 774 patients suffering from various
medical conditions while 387 individuals were issued medications.
Mobile
medical clinics at Waalan camp for displaced people in Hajjah governorate
meanwhile received 290 individuals with various health conditions, and provided
them with the required treatments while providing 145 patients with
medications.
KSRelief
also distributed shelter aid, including 50 tents, in Aden governorate,
benefiting 50 families.
This
comes within the framework of the efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia, through the
KSRelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, state news agency
SPA reported
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218406/saudi-arabia
--------
Saudi
Arabia condemns terror attack on Iraqi security forces
December
19, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia has condemned a terrorist attack which targeted Iraqi security
forces in Kirkuk on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The
Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack that killed nine
federal officers.
The
ministry of foreign affairs affirmed Saudi Arabia’s rejection of all forms of
violence and terrorist activities and reiterated the Kingdom’s support for
eliminating terrorism and extremism in all its forms and dismantling its
funding, said a statement carried by SPA on Sunday.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218371/saudi-arabia
--------
Saudi,
Indonesian ministers discuss increasing Umrah trips
December
18, 2022
MAKKAH:
Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah on Sunday received
Indonesian Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and his accompanying
delegation in Makkah to discuss the affairs of pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom
from Indonesia.
The
meeting came as part of the efforts to raise the quality of services provided
to pilgrims so they can perform their rituals more smoothly and enrich their
religious and cultural experience.
The
two parties discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties, as well as issues of
common interest, including increasing the number of trips to enable the largest
number of Indonesians to visit the Kingdom and perform Umrah.
Sumadi
expressed appreciation to the Saudi government for providing various digital
services for Muslims in general and Indonesian Muslims in particular, which
resulted in the success of the Hajj season last year.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218261/saudi-arabia
--------
Europe
EU
Parliament clampdown poses threat to Doha relations: Qatari diplomat
18
December 2022
Qatar
has denounced a corruption investigation by Belgium involving people linked to
the European Parliament and the suspension of the Persian Gulf country's access
to the EU institution.
In
a statement released on Sunday, a diplomat from Qatar's mission to the European
Union singled out Belgian authorities for criticism and insisted that
"inaccurate" information had been used in the probe. It could
"negatively" impact ties and natural gas supplies .
“The
decision to impose such a discriminatory restriction that limits dialogue and
cooperation on Qatar before the legal process has ended, will negatively effect
regional and global security cooperation, as well as ongoing discussions around
global energy poverty and security,” the statement read.
“We
firmly reject the allegations associating our government with misconduct.”
It
said "preconceived prejudices" led the parliament to vote on Thursday
to suspend all work on legislation involving Qatar and to bar Qatari
representatives from its premises.
The
suspension affects legislation linked to visa liberalization, an EU-Qatar
aviation agreement and planned visits until the allegations have been confirmed
or dismissed.
Belgian
authorities have charged four people linked to the European Parliament over
allegations World Cup host Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to influence
decision-making. Qatar has denied any wrongdoing.
Eva
Kaili, a Greek MEP, is one of six people arrested after raids that uncovered at
least $1.6 million in cash.
Greece
on Monday froze assets of the key suspect in the case, 44-year-old Eva Kaili, a
European Parliament vice-president and Greek socialist Member of European
Parliament (MEP), after Belgian prosecutors charged her with corruption. Greek
authorities also froze the assets of Kaili’s relatives.
Three
associates of the parliament's vice president were also charged after bags of
cash were found in Kaili’s home shortly after she returned from an official
visit to Qatar. A second MEP's house has been searched.
As
part of the investigation, Belgian prosecutors searched 16 houses and seized
600,000 euros ($631,800) in the capital Brussels on Friday, when Kaili was
arrested.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/18/694716/EU-Qatar-Kaili
--------
Iran
says won't ‘seek permission’ to boost Russia ties
18
December ,2022
Iran's
foreign ministry said Sunday it would not “seek permission from anyone” to
expand relations with Russia, dismissing US concerns over a growing military
partnership between Tehran and Moscow.
Western
countries have accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia, allegedly used to
attack Ukraine, and slapped sanctions on Tehran, which denies the allegations.
CIA
chief William Burns told PBS television on Friday the military cooperation
between Iran and Russia “poses real threats” to US allies in the Middle East.
Nasser
Kanani, spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, called the comments “baseless”
and said they were part of a “US propaganda war against Iran”.
Tehran
“acts independently in regulating its foreign relations and does not seek
permission from anyone”, Kanani said in a statement Sunday.
Iran's
“national interests” dictate its policies, he added.
“Cooperation
between Iran and Russia in various fields including defense is expanding within
the framework of common interests... and is not against any third country.”
According
to Kanani, “American officials continue their baseless political claims and
illegal actions against the Islamic republic of Iran, questioning the
conventional defense and military cooperation between Iran and Russia.”
White
House national security spokesman John Kirby on December 9 called the
Tehran-Moscow military partnership “harmful” to Ukraine, Iran's neighbors and
the world.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Danish
TV channel apologizes for comparing monkey family to Moroccan footballers
Ebad
Ahmed
19.12.2022
COPENHAGEN,
Denmark
A
Danish television station apologized on Twitter over the weekend for airing
derogatory comments comparing players on Morocco’s national football team and
their families to a family of monkeys.
TV
2 NEWS host Christian Høgh Andersen attempted to transition from a story
featuring images of Moroccan players hugging their mothers and celebrating
after winning matches at the World Cup in Qatar to the next news segment about
animals and how they gather together to keep warm by holding up a picture of
monkeys.
“In
continuation of the talk about Morocco (players) and their families in Qatar,
we also have an animal family gathering to keep warm,” he said.
The
station expressed its deep regret over the incident.
“We’re
extremely sorry for the comments linking to the next program about animals. We
apologize deeply for this,” said the tweet.
TV
2 also issued a statement on its official website saying that Andersen drew a
link between staying together as a family to the next topic about animals.
“This
can be perceived as a racist comment, and both TV 2 and Christian Høgh Andersen
would like to offer a profound apology for that,” it said.
TV
2 News’ editor-in-chief Anne Mette Svane admitted that the comments were “both
wrong and offensive.”
“Although
it was not the intention of the host, it is a remark that both our host and TV
2 dissociate from. This was a clear mistake. We apologize for it,” she said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Türkiye,
Germany, Greece hold talks in Brussels
Mumin
Altas
18.12.2022
Türkiye,
Germany, and Greece on Friday held talks in Brussels to revitalize the
communication channels between Ankara and Athens.
Turkish
presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, German Chancellery Foreign and Security
Policy Adviser Jens Ploetner, and Greek Prime Ministry Diplomatic Office
Director Anna-Maria Boura attended the meeting.
No
further information was released about the meeting.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkiye-germany-greece-hold-talks-in-brussels/2766863
--------
Lithuanian
comments on Karabakh region 'regrettable': Azerbaijan
Burc
Eruygur
18.12.2022
Azerbaijan
on Sunday criticized as "regrettable" a Lithuanian statement on the
Karabakh region and recent developments around the Lachin corridor, which
connects the region to Armenia.
“It
is surprising and regrettable that Lithuania, a Pribaltika (Russian term for
‘by the Baltic Sea’) country with which Azerbaijan has had extensive
partnership relations for many years and which attaches special importance to
the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of international law in
interstate relations and always adheres to these principles, made such a statement,”
said Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.
The
ministry said Lithuania’s comments create a “misunderstanding in the context of
various discussions held” during a May visit to Azerbaijan by Gitanas Nausada,
Lithuania’s president.
It
added that Lithuania should bear in mind “that there is no territorial unit
called ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ on the territory of Azerbaijan. Just as Lithuania is
no longer called a ‘Pribaltika’ state, it is unacceptable to call the Karabakh
Economic Region of Azerbaijan by the past names formulated during the Soviet
Union.”
It
added that Azerbaijan is worried that Lithuania is applying a “biased and
one-sided approach” to the issue rather than protesting violations made by
Armenia in the region, such as “illegal economic activity, looting of natural
resources, as well as the use of Lachin road for military provocations, the
transfer of landmines to the territory of Azerbaijan, and for illegal economic
activity.”
“Regarding
the claims on the humanitarian situation in the region, we once again declare
that Azerbaijan is always ready to meet the humanitarian needs of the Armenian
residents living in the territories of Azerbaijan, and there is no need for the
intervention of a third party in this matter,” it concluded.
Relations
between the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been
tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a
territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent
regions.
In
the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities,
villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace
agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.
Since
Monday, Azerbaijani ecologists representing NGOs have been protesting Armenia’s
illegal exploitation of natural resources in the region, where Russian
peacekeepers have been stationed since the aftermath of the fall 2020 conflict.
Last
Sunday, Azerbaijan sent a diplomatic note to Russia concerning the
"illegal exploitation" and mining of natural resources in the
liberated Karabakh region, as its officials had been prevented from entering
the area.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Türkiye,
Bulgaria continue efforts against migrant smuggling
Diyar
Guldogan
18.12.2022
Türkiye
and Bulgaria will continue to work against the scourge of migrant smuggling,
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Sunday.
"We
have been working together for a long time, especially on migrant smuggling,
human smuggling, and border security to stop the migration flow and to prevent
it," Soylu told a news conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Ivan
Demerdzhiev in Istanbul.
"In
this respect, we have a common agreement to exchange information and to
continue the same efforts without letup.”
Soylu
said Ankara and Sofia also took steps together to fight drug smuggling.
Joint
cooperation against terrorist groups, including the PKK, YPG/PKK, and FETO –
the terrorist group behind the defeated 2016 coup in Türkiye – continues
resolutely, he added.
Demerdzhiev
thanked Soylu for providing "great support" to neighboring Bulgaria
in the fight against immigration and said the EU also sees this cooperation as
the two countries protect the EU’s external borders.
"I
am confident that the EU will take steps to further support these great efforts
of both countries," he added.
Cooperation
on the fight against terrorist groups will continue, Demerdzhiev said, ensuring
Bulgaria will arrest the terrorists and hand over them to justice.
The
PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and
the US, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women,
children, and infants. The YPG is the terrorist PKK’s Syrian branch.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkiye-bulgaria-continue-efforts-against-migrant-smuggling/2766787
--------
South
Asia
Islamic
Emirate Seeks Removal of Sanctions on Afghanistan
The
Islamic Emirate urged the international community to remove sanctions on
Afghanistan and solve issues through diplomatic efforts.
“I
think it is the time to remove obstacles and solve issues through diplomatic
channels and facilitate the support to the people of Afghanistan,” said Bilal
Karimi, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
Recently,
the deputy minister of economy, Abdul Latif Nazari, said the existing sanctions
have caused economic issues in the country.
“The
sanctions and freezing of Afghan assets have left a negative impact on the
livelihood of the Afghan people,” he said.
Analysts
said that the sanctions should be lifted to address the current problems in the
country.
“Looking
into the global experiences, imposition of sanction is not a solution. It is
important that organizations should work jointly with the current government,”
said Najibullah Jami, a political analyst.
These
individuals who are leading the Islamic Emirate and are sanctioned by the
international community want the right of the Afghan nation from the world,”
said Mohammad Khalid Musleh, a political affairs analyst.
This
comes as the UN Security Council extended the mandate of “Team Monitoring
Sanctions against Taliban-Linked Entities in Afghanistan.”
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-181238
--------
Pakistani
Delegation of Ulema to Visit Afghanistan to Discuss Cross-Border Hostility
By
Saqalain Eqbal
December
18, 2022
Following
clashes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the latest one which left one
civilian dead and 15 others injured, a reconciliation delegation of 4 Pakistani
Ulema will visit Afghanistan to hold talks on ending cross-border hostility.
According
to Pakistan’s Geo News, which cited Pakistani authorities, the four-member
reconciliation delegation of Pakistan will visit the Afghan capital, Kabul, and
Kandahar, to put an end to the clashes along the border amid news of the
establishment of a joint committee to address the border tensions surface.
The
Afghan border forces fired indiscriminately and without provocation at the
civilian area in Chaman city of Pakistan’s Balochistan, for the second time in
five days, using heavy weapons.
Shehbaz
Sharif, the Pakistani premier, condemned the Afghan Border Forces’ “unprovoked
shelling” of civilians in Pakistan’s Chaman district, in response to the first
of the twin border clashes in a week and urged the Afghan side to make sure
that such occurrences “not repeated again.
The
Pakistani Ulema, according to the Chaman district administration, will
reportedly meet with officials of the Afghan Ministry of Defense, and other key
authorities of the Afghan administration in Kabul and Kandahar.
The
Ulema delegation’s departure, the Pakistani authorities said, caused the flag
meeting of Pakistani and Afghan border security personnel to be postponed,
while normal operations were resumed in the civilian areas of both regions.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Fuel
tanker tunnel blast kills at least 19 in Afghanistan
Dec
18, 2022
KABUL:
At least 19 people were killed and 32 injured when a fuel tanker exploded in a
tunnel north of the Afghan capital Kabul, a local official said on Sunday.
The
Salang Tunnel, which is around 80 miles north of Kabul, was originally built in
the 1960s to assist the Soviet invasion. It is a key link between the country's
north and south.
According
to Said Himatullah Shamim, a spokesman for Parwan province, Saturday night's
tunnel explosion killed at least 19 people, including women and children.
He
said survivors remain trapped under rubble and that the number of casualties
could rise.
It
was not immediately clear what caused the incident, which happened at around
8.30 pm.
Parwan's
health department has received 14 dead and 24 injured so far, according to
local official Dr. Abdullah Afghan.
There
are five women and two children among the dead, he said, and the rest are men
who are severely burnt and cannot be recognised.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
International
Migrants Day and the Plight of Afghan Refugees
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
December
18, 2022
Each
year, December 18 marks International Migrants Day. The day aims to draw attention
to the human rights of migrants and highlight their contribution to society.
International
Migrants Day is celebrated throughout the globe to highlight the contributions
of migrants to their respective communities. The movement of humans from one
country to another for different purposes including education, treatment, work,
seeking safety and more is normal and is considered the right of every human
being.
The
upheavals, war, and political instability have caused people to migrate either
legally or illegally to safer destinations. The people of Afghanistan,
unfortunately, got adversely affected by the late regime change in their
country. After the Taliban’s takeover of power, thousands of Afghans left their
country in search of safety and a better life mostly through illegal
pathways.
Thousands
of Afghan refugees and migrants are currently residing in Pakistan without any
clear legal status. Neither the Pakistani government nor the United Nations
High Commission for Refugees (HUNHCR) provides them with legal resident permits
or identification cards. This makes their life extremely difficult.
Afghan
refugees in Pakistan have tons of problems to deal with. Extending their stay
visas and permits takes months, and they even have to pay commission or bribe
to the local authorities to get their visas extended. Unemployment,
discrimination, and lack of support from refugee advocacy organizations put
them in complete desperation. Worst of all the government of Pakistan has
already warned twice that Afghan citizens without visas or legal documentation
beyond December 2022 will face serious consequences such as imprisonment and
deportation.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/international-migrants-day-and-the-plight-of-afghan-refugees/
--------
Meeting
With Iranian Deputy Ambassador, Muttarqi Reiterates Trade & Economic
Relations
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
December
18, 2022
Amir
Khan Muttaqi the acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan met with Iran’s deputy
ambassador, diplomats, and representatives of the Iranian state and private
media earlier today in Kabul.
In
a meeting with Hussain Mortazavi, the deputy ambassador of Iran and Iranian
representatives from media outlets discussed the facilitation of economic and
bilateral trade relations and other sociocultural issues in the two countries,
the foreign ministry said.
The
purpose of Iranian media representatives’ visit to Afghanistan is to review the
situation in the country and reflect it realistically to the outside world, the
deputy minister of foreign affairs in a tweet said.
Mr.
Muttaqi’s meeting with Iranian media representatives comes as the authorities
of Afghanistan’s interim regime have imposed a range of restrictions on private
media outlets, which led a large number of media outlets and news agencies to
close their doors.
Also,
since the takeover of Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban have detained and
tortured several journalists and social activists, coming under the attention
of free journalism advocacy agencies and other international organizations.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad call to step up ‘resistance’ attacks against Israel
By
KHALED ABU TOAMEH
DECEMBER
18, 2022
Hamas
and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leaders have called for stepping up attacks
against Israel, especially in the West Bank.
The
call was made during a meeting in Beirut between Saleh al-Arouri, deputy
chairman of the Hamas Politburo, and PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhaleh.
The
meeting took place on Saturday night and was attended by several representatives
of the two Iranian-backed Islamist groups.
It
took place amid mounting violence in the West Bank and a Palestinian Authority
security crackdown on members of the two groups.
It
also came ahead of the formation of a new Israeli governing coalition headed by
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The
two sides affirmed the joint cooperation in strengthening and activating the
resistance of our people in all of Palestine in the face of the Israeli
occupation and criminality,” Hamas said in a statement after the meeting. “They
also emphasized the importance of rallying around the resistance in all its
forms.”
Resistance
and confrontation
Hamas
and PIJ use the term “resistance” to refer to the use of violence and armed
attacks against Israel.
Hamas
said the two sides stressed the importance of “confronting Zionist schemes that
aim to undermine the resistance and liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
Meanwhile,
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Izzadin al-Qassam, the so-called military wing of
Hamas, on Sunday hinted that his group was planning to kidnap IDF soldiers.
“The
decision to increase the number of soldiers held by the Izzadin al-Qassam
Brigades remains effective and is being carried out,” he said in an interview
with a Hamas-affiliated website to mark the 35tth anniversary of the founding
of Hamas.
He
was referring to the remains of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who
were killed during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.
“The
[Israeli] enemy will regret its intransigence regarding a new prisoner-exchange
deal,” he said, regarding Israel’s alleged refusal to release thousands of
Palestinian security prisoners held in Israeli jails in return for the bodies
of the soldiers.
Two
Israeli civilians who reportedly entered the Gaza Strip on their own, Hisham
al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, are also being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Last
week, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said his group would give Israel “a limited
time to complete the [prisoner-exchange] deal.” Otherwise, Hamas “will close
the file of the four enemy prisoners forever and find another way to liberate
our prisoners,” he said in a speech to mark the Hamas anniversary.
Abu
Obeidah said in the interview that the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades “forms the
nucleus of the Palestinian Liberation Army.”
The
rising tensions and violence in the West Bank was the most significant action
in the past 15 years and would have “strategic consequences on the future of
the Zionist entity,” he said.
Addressing
the Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Abu Obeidah urged them to
“continue escalating the resistance because we are facing an existential
battle.”
Source:
J Post
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-725191
--------
Hopes
of sailing free of war and poverty dashed for Gazans as bodies return in
coffins
December
18, 2022
GAZA:
Months ago, Talal Al-Shaer bid his two sons safe travels as they set off from
the Gaza Strip on a tortuous route that they prayed would bring them new lives
in Europe, free of poverty and war.
But
the boat taking them across the Mediterranean Sea from Libya sank soon after
leaving. One son drowned, his body recovered. The other was lost.
Rather
than regaling friends about their successful migration, Al-Shaer received
condolences on Sunday.
“A
whole generation is lost, suffering, blockade, scarce jobs, bad mental health.
That is what pushes them to migrate,” he said ahead of the funeral for his son
Mohammad, whose body was returned along with those of seven other Palestinians.
Three
others, among them his son Maher, they remain missing.
The
eight young Palestinian men who drowned off the coast of Tunisia nearly two
months ago tried to sail to new lives in Europe.
Gaza’s
2.3 million people are no strangers to hardship, after decades of war with
Israel, economic clampdowns aided by neighboring Egypt that starve the economy
and splits between Palestinian factions. According to the World Bank,
unemployment in Gaza runs at about 50 percent and more than half its population
lives in poverty.
But
among the thousands attending the migrants’ funerals, there was added outrage
and despair at the October shipwreck.
While
dangerous migrations to Europe have picked up pace in recent years from across
the Middle East, Palestinians feel especially driven to hazard them — and
vulnerable to smugglers.
“Human-trafficking
gangs are behind these illegal migration trips and they exploit these youths,
charging up to $10,000 per person,” Palestinian Foreign Ministry official Ahmad
Al-Deek said. “These are death trips.”
He
said the total number of Palestinian migrants was unknown. The young men who
were buried on Sunday crossed Egypt before flying to Libya where they waited
months to set sail. Deek said smugglers sometimes sank boats themselves if they
felt threatened and deceived people about the risks.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218462/middle-east
--------
Houthi-controlled
court sentences 16 Yemenis to death, 13 others to prison
SAEED
AL-BATATI
December
19, 2022
AL-MUKALLA:
A Sanaa-based attorney said that a Houthi-run court has condemned 16 Yemenis to
death on grounds of working with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen
and the militia’s Yemeni opponents.
Abdul
Majeed Sabra, a Yemeni lawyer who defends abductees held in Houthi prisons,
said that the Specialized Criminal Court of First Instance has commuted the
death sentences of 16 Yemenis, including seven held by the Houthis, and
sentenced 13 others to prison terms of varying lengths after convicting them of
communicating with the coalition and sending the locations of military
facilities and leaders.
All
29 people hail from Saada, the Houthi movement’s heartland.
The
same group of individuals was placed on trial for the first time in October,
when a Houthi court accused them of communicating with the coalition and Yemeni
governments between January 2014 and December 2020.
Sabra
told Arab News that the ruling is the primary one and that he filed an appeal
against it, adding that the convicts being detained by the Houthis are
civilians, including teachers and farmers.
“The
trial and appeal will go before the same court, and if it sustains the
judgment, we will file an appeal with the Supreme Court,” he said.
A
Yemeni government official and other activists have branded the charges as
“malicious” and intended as retaliation against Yemenis who oppose the militia
and the confiscation of their property in Houthi-controlled regions.
Faisal
Al-Majidi, undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Justice, accused the
Houthis of using the court system to punish Yemeni government supporters and to
legitimize rampant looting of the property of militia opponents.
“The
court is used as a glove to settle rivalries with individuals who oppose the
ideology of the Houthi militia, and their money is taken on the pretext of
communicating with the aggressors,” Al-Majidi told Arab News.
“These
acts of mass killing expose the Houthi group's criminal attitude against the
Saada population.”
Since
the first day of their military coup against the Yemeni government in late
2014, the Houthis have abducted hundreds of Yemenis, severely tortured them in
jail, and charged them with collaborating with the Yemeni government and the
coalition.
A
large number of politicians, including the former president, top government
officials, activists, journalists, and military and security personnel were
also punished in absentia by the Houthis, who took their houses and property in
Sanaa and the other places they control.
The
province of Saada in Yemen’s north has been home to the Houthi militia for
almost two decades, and it has been the site of six wars between the Yemeni
government and the Houthis since 2004, when the Houthis initiated a military
insurrection against the government.
Separately,
the UN’s International Organization for Migration reported that 9,849 Yemeni
families (59,094 individuals) had been displaced from their homes in war-torn
provinces from Jan. 1 to Dec. 10, 2022, despite the significant cessation of
hostilities over the past eight months as a result of the UN-brokered
ceasefire.
Eighty
percent of the displaced individuals in Marib, Lahj, Dhale and other Yemeni
cities were forced from their homes owing to safety concerns, while 20 percent
left for economic reasons, according to the organization.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218341/middle-east
--------
Iranian
Senior Officials Call For Dealing With Riots Based On Legal, Sharia Principles
Politics
December
18, 2022
Furthermore,
the chiefs of the three branches underscored that rioters' cases should be
handled in accordance with legal and Sharia guidelines.
President
Ebrahim Raisi, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Judiciary Chief
Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i further urged all authorities and others involved
in the affairs of the three government branches to continue their efforts to
serve the people and develop public confidence.
Source:
Tehran Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/479866/Senior-officials-call-for-dealing-with-riots-based-on-legal
--------
Inmate
killed in Iran prison riot: Rights group
18
December ,2022
A
prison inmate in Iran has been shot dead and over a dozen wounded in a riot
that erupted when detainees protested an imminent execution, a rights group
said Sunday.
The
unrest at the central prison in the northern city of Karaj began Saturday when
prisoners protested the transfer of an inmate to solitary confinement ahead of
execution, the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said.
Iranian
authorities have offered a different account, saying conflict erupted between
prisoners convicted of drug offences, with one person killed after a stone was
thrown at him.
It
is the third major incident in an Iranian jail since the September 16 death in
custody of Mahsa Amini that sparked a nationwide protest movement.
IHR
reported prisoners had chanted slogans against the regime including “death to
the dictator”, referring to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
They
also blocked entrances to the Karaj prison and broke surveillance cameras
during the riot, IHR said.
It
identified the slain inmate as Mohsen Mansouri, saying he had been shot in the
head.
Seventeen
others had been hospitalised with injuries, the group added.
The
judiciary said several inmates had minor injuries.
The
identity of the inmate transferred to solitary confinement and their possible
execution date were not immediately clear.
Karaj,
capital of Alborz province, has been a major centre for protests.
Some
people arrested in the authorities' crackdown are held in the city's central
prison, but so are many convicted on unrelated offences.
Many
of the protesters arrested in Karaj are held in the notorious Gohardasht prison
on the city outskirts, also known as Rajai Shahr.
Alborz
province's judiciary chief Hossein Fazeli Harikandi said the conflict had
started in the narcotics offences ward and a fire began when prisoners set
blankets alight, adding that calm had since been restored.
In
October, a fire ripped through part of Evin prison in Tehran and a riot erupted
at a facility in the northwestern city of Rasht.
Iranian
authorities have arrested at least 14,000 people in the crackdown on the
protest movement, according to the United Nations, in mass detentions activists
say have caused immense overcrowding in jails.
Amnesty
International said on Friday that at least 26 people were at risk of execution
in connection with the protests.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
deports French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri over security concerns
18
December ,2022
Israel
deported French-Palestinian human rights lawyer Salah Hamouri on Sunday,
accusing him of security offenses against the state of Israel, the Israeli
interior ministry said in a statement.
Hamouri
was escorted to the airport early on Sunday morning where he boarded a flight
to France with his campaign saying there was no legal recourse for him to take.
Hamouri,
37, a Jerusalem resident without Israeli citizenship, had his residency status
revoked on December 1 on charges that he was active in the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), classified by Israel and its Western allies
as a terror group.
“During
his life he organized, inspired and planned to commit terror attacks on his own
and for the organization against citizens and well-known Israelis,” a statement
from the interior ministry said.
A
statement from the Hamouri campaign called the deportation a “war crime” and
said it constitutes a breach of international law.
“Wherever
a Palestinian goes, he takes with him these principles and the cause of his
people: his homeland carried with him to wherever he ends up,” Hamouri said in
a statement.
Hamouri
was most recently detained by Israel under administrative detention without
charge on March 7 until December 1 when Israel revoked his residency and stated
he would be deported.
He
was previously detained by Israel between 2005 and 2011 after being accused of
attempting to assassinate Sephardi rabbi Ovadia Yossef, the founder of the
ultra-Orthodox Shas party, but has always maintained his innocence.
Hamouri
was released in December 2011 as part of an exchange of Palestinian prisoners
for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier released in October 2011 after five years
in captivity in the Gaza Strip at the hands of Hamas.
Hamouri
holds citizenship of France through his mother.
France’s
foreign ministry denounced his deportation and said that the French government
had actively sought to defend his rights and has been in contact with Israeli
authorities multiple times.
“We
condemn the Israeli authorities’ decision against the law to deport Salah Hamouri
to France,” the ministry said in a statement.
The
overwhelming majority of East Jerusalem’s more than 340,000 Palestinians hold
Israeli residency permits but few have citizenship in Israel, which considers
the entire holy city as its eternal, undivided capital. The Palestinians have
long sought the city’s east, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and later
annexed in a move not recognized internationally, as capital of a future state.
Jessica
Montell, executive director of HaMoked which represents Hamouri, told Reuters
that other Jerusalem residents have been charged with breach of allegiance and
had their residency revoked in the past but could not be deported as they hold
no other citizenship.
Hamouri’s
case, therefore, sets a precedent for the deportation of Jerusalemites who hold
alternative citizenship, Montell said.
“Because
he holds a second nationality, that makes him more vulnerable to deportation,”
said Montell, adding that she expects similar cases will emerge more frequently
with a new right-wing coalition expected to form Israel’s next government.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Erdogan
says courts will fix any mistakes after Istanbul mayor’s sentencing
17
December ,2022
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the courts would correct
any mistakes in an appeal process after the jailing of Istanbul’s opposition
mayor, and in the meantime Turks had no right to ignore legal rulings.
In
his first direct comments on Wednesday’s conviction of Ekrem Imamoglu - a
potential challenger to Erdogan who was sentenced to two years and seven months
in prison and handed a political ban - Erdogan said he did not care who is the
opposition candidate in next year’s elections.
Imamoglu
was prosecuted for insulting public officials in 2019, when he criticized a
decision to cancel the first round of municipal elections that he won against
the 25-year incumbent government of Erdogan’s AK Party.
“There’s
still no final court decision yet. The case will go to the Court of Appeals and
the Court of Cassation,” Erdogan said. “If the courts have made a mistake, it
will be corrected. They’re trying to pull us into this game.”
Imamoglu’s
conviction has rallied the opposition bloc around what it sees as a fight for
democracy, the rule of law and justice. Thousands have gathered at rallies led
by Imamoglu, who has said he plans to appeal his conviction.
“There
have been many court rulings that we have harshly criticized ourselves, but
that doesn’t give anyone the right to insult judges or to ignore court
rulings,” Erdogan told a rally at Mardin in Turkey’s southeast.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Protest-hit
Iran arrests lawyer of jailed journalists: Report
17
December ,2022
Iran
has arrested the lawyer of two female journalists jailed after covering the
death in custody of a young woman that sparked three months of protests, a
newspaper said Saturday.
The
Islamic Republic has been rocked by protests since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old
Iranian of Kurdish origin, died on September 16 after her arrest for an alleged
breach of the country’s dress code for women.
“Mohammad
Ali Kamfirouzi, the lawyer for several activists and journalists, has been
detained,” the Ham Mihan newspaper said.
The
arrest brings to 25 the number of lawyers detained in connection to the
protests, according to the newspaper.
Kamfirouzi’s
lawyer Mohammad Ali Bagherpour was cited as saying his client had not received
a summons, was unaware of the charges he faced and that he had been detained
without any legal formalities.
Ham
Mihan quoted Kamfirouzi’s brother as saying that his arrest had occurred on
Wednesday, as well as that the judiciary was “responsible for protecting my
brother’s life and health.”
Among
Kamfirouzi’s clients were Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, the two female
journalists arrested after covering Amini’s death and its aftermath.
Hamedi,
who works at Shargh newspaper, was detained on September 20 after visiting the
hospital where Amini had spent three days in a coma before her death.
Mohammadi,
a journalist at Ham Mihan, was taken into custody on September 29 after she
traveled to Amini’s hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan province to report on her
funeral.
The
pair were charged on November 8 with propaganda against the state and
conspiring against national security -- capital crimes under Iran’s sharia law.
Paris-based
media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed concern about
their fate and demanded their immediate release.
Iran
said on December 3 that more than 200 people have been killed in the protests
-- which officials describe as “riots” -- including dozens of security
personnel.
Norway-based
group Iran Human Rights said Iran’s security forces had killed at least 469
people in the protests, in an updated toll issued on Saturday.
Thousands
of people have been arrested over the protests. Eleven have been sentenced to
death, and two have already been executed.
Meanwhile,
Iran this week released two teenagers who had been arrested on allegations of
taking part in the demonstrations, two newspapers said on Saturday.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
draws condemnation as deported human rights lawyer arrives in Paris
MOHAMMED
NAJIB
December
18, 2022
RAMALLAH:
France has condemned Israel’s expulsion of French Palestinian human rights
lawyer Salah Hamouri, who had been held in an Israeli prison without charge
since March after being accused of security offenses.
Hamouri,
37, had been held in Israel under a controversial practice known as
administrative detention, which allows suspects to be detained for renewable
periods of up to six months.
He
arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Sunday morning — the culmination
of a lengthy judicial saga after his deportation.
“I
have changed location but the fight continues,” Hamouri said at the airport,
where he was welcomed by his wife Elsa, politicians, NGO representatives and
supporters of the Palestinian cause.
The
former prisoner was deported after Israel revoked his Jerusalem residency two
weeks ago based on allegations that he was active in the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, according to the Israeli Interior Ministry.
His
father, Hassan Hamouri, described the deportation as a “war crime of the first
degree.”
In
remarks to Arab News, Hassan accused Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked,
who signed the decision to deport Salah two weeks ago, of being a “failure” and
“wanting to show an achievement” before leaving government after losing recent
elections.
Hamouri
expressed his disappointment that France did not make efforts to prevent his
son’s deportation.
He
said that it was “not enough” that the French Embassy and consulate did not
inform the Hamouri family of the deportation decision on Sunday morning, but
instead turned off their phones so that it was impossible to contact them.
Salah’s
mother, a French national, told Arab News that she felt her country had
disappointed the family by abandoning the 37-year-old.
France’s
Foreign Ministry said that the deportation was “against the law,” adding that
officials had been working “to ensure that Salah Hamouri’s rights are
respected, that he benefits from all means of recourse and that he can lead a
normal life in Jerusalem, where he was born, resides and wishes to live.”
A
statement said: “We condemn today the Israeli authorities’ decision, against
the law, to expel Salah Hamouri to France.”
It
expressed France’s “opposition to the expulsion of a Palestinian resident of
East Jerusalem, an occupied territory under the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
Palestinian
officials expressed their concern that the Hamouri deportation would set a
precedent that Israel would use to relocate other Palestinian prisoners.
“Deporting
a Palestinian from their homeland for breach of allegiance to the state of
Israel is a dangerous precedent and a gross violation of basic rights,”
Israel-based human rights organization HaMoked said in a statement.
HaMoked
previously appealed the decision to revoke Hamouri’s residency and requested an
injunction to prevent the deportation. The Supreme Court rejected both pleas.
The
organization said that it would file a new petition to the High Court once the
new Israeli government takes power in the coming weeks.
Hamouri
was born in Jerusalem to a Palestinian father and French mother. He was brought
up and taught in Palestinian schools and universities.
Israeli
authorities began to pursue him several years ago, with repeated arrests and
summons, preventing him from entering the West Bank and deporting his French
wife to her country “despite the legality of her presence” in Jerusalem.
Hamouri
was rearrested and his administrative detention renewed three consecutive times
at the beginning of this year.
With
the approaching end of the detention period, Hamouri was informed of the
decision to deport him to France.
He
was transferred from Hadarim Prison to Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday morning.
“During
his life, he organized, incited and planned to carry out terrorist attacks
himself and for the organization against citizens and prominent figures in
Israel,” an Israeli Interior Ministry statement claimed.
In
a voice message posted on the Instagram account of the official Palestinian
civil society campaign for Hamouri, the lawyer said that he was being “forcibly
deported and uprooted from my homeland.”
Hamouri
added in the message: “I leave you today from prison to exile. But rest assured
that I will always remain the person you know. Always loyal to you and your
freedom.”
The
37-year-old, who had been in the Israeli prison since March on administrative
detention without formal charges, has denied involvement in terrorist organizations.
Human
rights groups have condemned Israel’s actions.
Hamouri
has always maintained his innocence.
In
2005, he was tried and convicted of working on a plan to assassinate Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef, founder of the Shas ultra-orthodox political party.
He
was released in 2011 as part of an exchange of 1,027 Palestinian and other Arab
prisoners held by Israel as part of a deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad
Shalit, whom Hamas kidnapped in 2006.
He
had since been living and working as a lawyer in Jerusalem, including working
as a human rights lawyer for Addameer, an organization that helps Palestinian
prisoners. Israel outlawed Addameer in a move condemned by UN officials.
The
Palestinian National Initiative Movement condemned the deportation of Hamouri.
“This
disgraceful criminal behavior is a dangerous precedent that contradicts all
human and international norms and is a war crime committed by Israel,” said the
movement.
The
condemnation came as PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General Hussein
Al-Sheikh said that calls from extremist Israeli groups to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
to light a menorah aimed to “perpetuate the temporal and spatial division” of
the mosque.
Extremist
groups began storming Al-Aqsa Mosque in large numbers on Sunday.
The
Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it was continuing
international political, diplomatic and legal action to end Israeli violations,
in full coordination with Jordan.
Also
on Sunday, hundreds of Palestinians took part in the funeral of the two
brothers, Mohammed, 37, and Muhannad Youssef Matir, 19, in Qalandia camp.
They
were run over and killed by an Israeli settler near the Za’tara military
checkpoint south of Nablus on Saturday evening.
The
incident took place as the two brothers stood on the side of a road to repair a
tire, accompanied by members of their family.
Mourners
at the funeral chanted angry slogans condemning the Israeli occupation and
settler movement.
A
comprehensive strike to mourn the death of the brothers spread to the town of
Kufur Aqab and Qalandia camp.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2217941/middle-east
--------
Africa
Polling
Units Removed From Politicians’ Homes, Churches, Mosques – Independent National
Electoral Commission
December
19, 2022
By
Francis Ugwu
As
the 2023 general elections draw close, the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, says it has removed polling units from shrines, churches,
mosques, and homes of powerful politicians.
It
said the development is to ensure electoral integrity.
This
was disclosed yesterday by the INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of
Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, while speaking on
Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Okoye
urged voters to support the commission’s efforts to ensure free and fair
elections in the forthcoming elections.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Three
Jordanian policemen killed during a raid: Statement
19
December ,2022
Three
Jordanian police personnel were killed in a raid on hideout of suspected
killers of a policeman in the southern city of Maan, a police statement said on
Monday.
The
police said one of the suspects believed to be a militant was killed. The
statement gave no further details.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Polls
open in Tunisian vote boycotted by opposition
17
December ,2022
Polls
opened on Saturday in a Tunisian parliamentary election that is being boycotted
by political parties which have accused President Kais Saied of mounting a
coup.
Voters
will be choosing a parliament largely defanged by a new constitution, approved
with a low turnout in a July referendum.
Saied
shut the previous parliament down last year.
The
vote appears to have stirred little interest among a population jaded by
political dysfunction and struggling with economic hardship.
Voting
is due to take place from 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. (0700 GMT-1700 GMT).
Saied,
a former law lecturer who was a political independent when elected president in
2019, has described the election as part of a roadmap for ending the chaos and
corruption he says afflicted Tunisia under the previous system.
His
opponents including the Islamist Ennahda party meanwhile accuse him of a coup,
and have rejected the ballot along with all the president's other moves since
last summer, when he dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree.
The
election is taking place against the backdrop of an economic crisis that is
fueling poverty, leading many to attempt the perilous journey to Europe aboard
smugglers’ boats.
With
the main parties absent, a total of 1,058 candidates - only 120 of them women -
are running for 161 seats.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Three
Jordanian police killed in raid on hideout of suspected killers of officer
December
19, 2022
AMMAN:
Three Jordanian police personnel were killed in a raid on hideout of suspected
killers of a policeman in the southern city of Maan, a police statement said on
Monday.
The
police said one of the suspects believed to be a militant was killed. The statement
said investigations were ongoing on the incident.
The
Public Security Directorate mourned the death of three officers and the
wounding of five others during a raid this morning, a statement carried by
Petra News Agency said.
Tensions
have mounted in Maan and several cities in southern Jordan in particular after
sporadic strikes by truck drivers protesting against high fuel prices.
Brigadier
General Abdul Razzaq Dalabeh, the deputy police chief of Maan province and who
was posthumously promoted by the Jordanian Cabinet, was shot in the head on
Thursday as rioters clashed with security forces who had entered a neighborhood
of the desert city of Maan to quell riots.
The
government vowed to take tough steps and redeploy more anti-riot police against
people who protest violently against a squeeze in living conditions.
Police
said over forty security personnel were wounded in the clashes where protesters
smashed cars, burnt tires and mounted roadblocks to close a highway in some of
the most widespread civil unrest in recent years.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2218447/middle-east
--------
Southeast
Asia
RM2
billion Education City for Islamic-based education in Melaka
December
18, 2022
ALOR
GAJAH: An Education City for Islamic-based education, involving an investment
of over RM2 billion, is to be developed in Melaka over the next 15 years.
Melaka
chief minister Sulaiman Ali said the D-8 Education City in Taboh Naning here
would be developed in three phases and cover an area of 150 hectares.
“The
first phase is in progress and is expected to be completed within five years,”
Sulaiman said.
He
said the development of this education city was an initiative of the D-8
Malaysia foundation, following a strategic collaboration finalised in December
2018 between the D-8 Organisation and Al-Hidayah Group.
Sulaiman
said D-8 is an organisation for development cooperation among eight Muslim
countries — Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and
Nigeria.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Minister
for religious affairs to meet relevant ministries to discuss issues concerning
Muslims
18
Dec 2022
MELAKA,
Dec 18 — Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs)
Senator Datuk Mohd Na'im Mokhtar will hold a meeting with relevant ministries
soon to discuss issues concerning Muslims in the country.
He
said the meeting would also discuss matters concerning vaccines and medicines
that were often raised by the Muslim community in the country.
The
ministries would include the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry,
the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Education, he told reporters after
flagging off the “Konvoi Amal @ Promosi Baitulmal” at the Al-Azim Mosque, Bukit
Palah here today.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
URL:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism