Islamic Court Gets Popularity among Ugandan Muslims Because It Has a Better Justice System than Other Courts
New
Age Islam News Bureau
08
October 2021
File Photo: Islamic court gets popularity among
Ugandan Muslims
-----
•
Isolation of Afghanistan Is Failed Policy, Did Not Serve Anyone In Past:
Taliban Nominee for the UN
•
‘Facebook Aware Of Anti-Muslim Content In India; Took Little Action’ – Whistle-blower
Frances Haugen Told the US Authorities
•
Families of Army Public School Attack Victims Oppose Amnesty to
Tehreek-i-Taliban
Africa
•
Nigerian Forces Neutralize 87 Boko Haram Terrorists
•
Algeria urges Morocco to quit Western Sahara buffer zone
•
Nigeria's ban on selling SIM cards to under 18 causes outcry
•
5 killed as Boko Haram terrorists’ storm Cameroonian village
--------
South Asia
•
Afghan Drug Menace Might Worsen As Taliban Indicate Legalising Poppy Farming
•
Cash Airlifts Planned To Bypass Taliban, Help Afghans - Western Powers Can
Demand Concessions in Return
•
Blast in Mosque Kills Local Taliban Religious Leader in Southeastern
Afghanistan
•
Hundreds of displaced families ordered to leave Kabul by Taliban
•
World should not hurry in recognizing Taliban: Qatar
--------
India
•
Sarfaraz Ali Jafri, Who Was Looking After the Work of Global Peace Centre Held
In ‘Illegal Conversion Racket’ Case
•
Pakistani terror outfits using ‘hybrid terrorists’ to carry out targeted
attacks against non-Muslims in Kashmir: Govt sources
•
Targeted attacks in J&K seen as part of new ISI-backed strategy; Amit Shah
Chairs high-level meet
•
Congress, CPI (M) MPs Slam DU Professor's "Mark Jihad" Remarks
against Kerala Education Board
•
'Marks jihad': Delhi University refutes Prof’s claims that Kerala students are
being given preference
•
Parents among those arrested for Muslim man’s murder over his relationship with
their daughter
--------
Pakistan
•
'Wait-And-See Approach' On Afghanistan Tantamount To World Abandoning It: Pakistan
NSA
•
World must maintain contact with interim Taliban govt, NSA Yusuf tells visiting
US official
•
JI to file petition in SC for action against people named in Pandora Papers
•
Pakistan’s National Security Council to discuss Afghanistan
--------
North America
•
US Charges Alleged Taliban Commander with Killing Americans In 2008
•
Dad who fled Afghanistan sues US to reunite with young sons
•
US to stay in Syria, top Kurdish politician says
•
US deputy secretary of state heading to earthquake-hit Pakistan
--------
Europe
•
Radical Islamic Preacher, Mohammad Junaid Thorne, Jailed For Selling Drugs To
An Undercover Cop
•
Turkish mosque under construction in France receives threat letter
•
UK regulator refused to investigate Muslim charity's complaints of police
harassment
•
UK ends self-isolation for vaccinated people from 37 countries, including
Turkey
•
Russia says 'determined' to continue cooperation with Turkey on Syria
--------
Southeast Asia
•
Bank Islam Takes over BHB’s Listing Status, Becoming ‘First Pure-Play,
Full-Fledged Islamic Finance Stock’
•
Human Rights Advocates: Reform ‘Unjust’ Citizenship Laws That ‘Punish’ Malaysian
Mums with Kids Born Abroad Now
•
Don’t sacrifice national stability for a few seats, PAS man tells Umno, Bersatu
ahead of Melaka polls
--------
Arab World
•
Expo 2020: Israeli Pavilion Opens, Ministers Say Fair Can Promote Middle East Peace
•
Iran’s FM says talks with Saudi Arabia have gone a ‘good distance’
•
Egypt denounces Israeli court approving 'quiet' Jewish prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
•
Interpol says lifts restrictions imposed on Assad’s Syria
•
Green List: Abu Dhabi adds 27 new quarantine-free destinations including US, UK
•
US embassy in Saudi Arabia condemns Houthi attacks on Abha airport
•
Al-Azhar's Grand Imam, Archbishop of Canterbury Call to Raise Awareness Of
COVID-19 Vaccine
--------
Mideast
•
Iranian FM meets Ziyad al-Nakhalah, Islamic Jihad leaders
•
Jewish ‘silent prayer’ at Al-Aqsa provocative to Muslims: OIC
•
Iran Blasts US Oppressive Sanctions, Says Hinders Aid to Afghan People
•
Iran must return to Vienna, nuclear talks ‘can’t be dragged out’: US State
Department
•
Iran state TV says IRGC speedboats intercepted US Navy vessel
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sharia-court-uganda-justice/d/125534
--------
Islamic
Courts Gets Popularity among Ugandan Muslims Because It Has a Better Justice
System than Other Courts
Godfrey
Olukya
08.10.2021
KAMPALA,
Uganda
File Photo: Islamic court gets popularity among
Ugandan Muslims
-----
Safina
Namukose, a 30-year-old mother of three, was happy to have won a legal struggle
against her husband, who had stopped paying maintenance and abandoned the
family after marrying a woman from a neighbouring village.
She
initially fought for months but said she did not get justice, blaming her
husband for bribing cops in response to her complaint with a local police
station.
"My
husband married another woman in the next village. He refused to support me and
the children and even stopped coming to home," Namukose told Anadolu
Agency.
She
filed a report against her husband with the local police station, and he was
summoned. "He reportedly bribed the police, and her case was closed
without further action," she alleged.
"After
being disappointed by the police, I went to the district Sharia Court, where he
was dealt with, and he came to his senses. He now returned home and started to
take care of the family," she said.
Now
it is all done, and family life has back to normal, she said, referring to the
local Sharia Court's August 20 ruling in her favour.
Sharia
is a religious law that has its origins in the Islamic tradition. It is based
on Islamic religious precepts, primarily the Quran and hadith. In Arabic,
sharia refers to Allah’s' unchangeable divine law, prepared with the help of
Fiqh, which refers to human intellectual interpretations of it.
The
East African country of over 46 million population, with a Muslim minority
totaling more than 13%, adopted its Constitution in 1995. Although it cited
Muslim Sharia Laws, it required time to properly operationalize due to a lack
of guiding rules. In 2019, the government officially established Sharia Courts
in all districts across the country, which is gradually gaining popularity
among the Muslim population.
In
the previous three months, 140 cases have been settled in Sharia Court in Bugiri
alone, one of the districts in the country with the highest number of Muslims.
In
a phone interview with Anadolu Agency, Uganda Muslim Supreme Council spokesman
Ashraf Muvawala asserted that Sharia Courts have become increasingly popular
across the country.
"Sharia
Courts are very busy nowadays," he remarked, adding. Every day, a lot of
people come to file cases."
Muslims
were initially hesitant to file a petition with Sharia Courts due to legal
issues, he said. "They trust it now because it has a better justice system
than other courts," he added.
"There
is too much corruption in the police and magistrates' courts, which has caused
Muslims to lose faith in them," Muvawala claimed, citing the reasons why
more Muslims are turning to the Sharia Courts.
He
stated that some civil matters involving Muslims are now referred to Sharia
Courts by Civil Courts. He stated that each district has a sharia secretary,
and there is a Directorate of Sharia at the national level, which is led by a
director.
Sharia
Laws deal with civil cases
"The
country's constitution includes Sharia Laws. It, however, exclusively deals
with civil cases and not criminal ones," Shiekh Habib Lugaya, the prayer
leader or Imam of Kitodha mosque in Mayuge's eastern district, described the
situation.
Many
Muslims did not report cases to Sharia Courts with concerns over the legality
and enforceability of the remedies obtained from the Sharia Courts. Article 129
(1) (d) of the Constitution provides for the establishment of Qadhis Courts for
matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody for persons professing
the Mohammedan faith, according to the Muslim Centre for Justice and Law
(MCJL), local non-profit organization dealing with the Muslims family matters.
“Though
there is no specific law operationalizing Qadhis Courts, Section 2 of the
Marriage and Divorce of Mohammedans Act provides that Muslims may handle their
marriage and divorce matters in accordance with their customs (Sharia),” it
added.
In
a recently published article, Hajji Abdul Nsereko Mutumba, a former spokesman
for the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, wrote, “In Sharia courts can be utilized
as an avenue in which Muslims can resolve their disputes promptly. They are
fast, cheap, and can ably address the justice needs of vulnerable persons.
Ugandan
Muslims have advocated Sharia Law to deal with these important issues because
secular laws cannot address them to the satisfaction of our conscience.
Therefore, Sharia Law is inevitable in any community where Muslims are a part.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/islamic-courts-gets-popularity-among-ugandan-muslims-/2386300
--------
Isolation
of Afghanistan Is Failed Policy, Did Not Serve Anyone In Past: Taliban Nominee
for the UN
08
Oct 2021
Suhail Shaheen is the face of the Taliban and is
being seen all over the world as the group's effort to present a more sensitive
and liberal image. AP
-----
Taliban’s
political office member and their nominee for the UN Suhail Shaheen said that
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants to engage with the world and warned
that the isolation of Afghanistan in the past proved to be failed and did not
serve any party.
Shaheen
made the statements in his meeting with ambassadors and representatives of EU,
Norway, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Canada, UK, and the US
in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday, October 7.
In
a series of Twitter posts, Shaheen said that he was accompanied by members of
the political office in Doha and all reiterated their commitments to support
humanitarian aids to Afghanistan.
“I
told the representatives that IEA is a reality and we are ready to engage with
the international community and resolve issues through talks and understanding
based on mutual interests and positive interaction.” Reads a Tweet.
The
UN nominee of the Taliban added that as the winter is approaching in
Afghanistan, people will be in desperate need of humanitarian aids.
Shaheen
also pledged to be also continuing the projects which are left incomplete.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
‘Facebook
Aware Of Anti-Muslim Content In India; Took Little Action’ – Whistle-blower
Frances Haugen Told the US Authorities
7th
October 2021
Hyderabad:
Whistleblower and former Facebook employee Frances Haugen told the United
States (US) authorities on Tuesday that Facebook was well aware of incendiary
anti-Muslim narratives being pushed on the platform in India. However,
“political considerations” prevented Facebook from taking action, Haugen
alleged.
The
whistleblower also cited internal company documents referring to
“fear-mongering content” promoted by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh users, groups
and pages.
The
former Facebook employee further claimed that political considerations
prevented Facebook from providing a designation to this group. She referred to
internal records on hateful content targeting Muslims in India.
“There
were a number of dehumanising posts comparing Muslims to ‘pigs’ and ‘dogs’ and
misinformation claiming the Quran calls for men to rape their female family
members,” she said citing a company document. The document allegedly stated
that no action is taken against much of this content as the company lacks Hindi
and Bengali classifiers or algorithms that detect hate speech.
CBS
News reported that Haugen has filed eight complaints against Facebook with the
US Securities and Exchange Commission. She claimed to base her complaints on
tens of thousands of documents that she secretly copied before leaving Facebook
in May out of which at least four contain references to India, The Wire
reported.
Haugan’s
lawyer reportedly cited internal company documents to show that India is
classified as a Tier-0 country. A Tier-0 country implies that the company will
pay more attention to the county during important election cycles. US and
Brazil are also classified in this category.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/facebook-aware-of-anti-muslim-content-in-india-took-little-action-2203736/
--------
Families
of Army Public School Attack Victims Oppose Amnesty to Tehreek-i-Taliban
October
8, 2021
PESHAWAR:
The parents of the students, who were killed by terrorists during Army Public
School (APS) attack, have rejected the federal government’s proposed amnesty to
proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and warned to continue protest demonstrations
if the terrorists are given amnesty.
Holding
photos of their martyred children, the parents held a protest demonstration
outside Peshawar Press Club on Thursday.
They
chanted slogans against President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.
The
protesters said that federal government could announce conditional amnesty for
TTP members if they gave up their extremist activities and surrender. They said
that terrorists had taken lives of innocent people and they did not deserve any
amnesty.
They
said that ministers had soft corner for TTP which deeply hurt the parents of
APS martyrs. “The rulers don’t realise what decisions they are going to take.
The
killers of our children, personnel of law enforcement agencies and other
Pakistanis do not deserve any kind of pardon,” they said.
The
protesters also expressed their anguish over the escape of Ihsanullah Ihsan
from custody, saying the Taliban spokesman himself admitted to be a facilitator
in army public school tragedy but he escaped safely to surprise of the people.
APS
Shuhada Forum president Advocate Ajoon Khan on behalf of the victims’ parents
told journalist that government should brief the victims’ families on its plan to
give amnesty to TTP.
He
said that TTP was directly involved in merciless killing of the people
including the students. He added that government should avoid adopting
equivocal policy about the terrorists.
“The
government will satisfy us as to who is killer of our children,” he said and
added that the parents wanted nothing else except justice. He said that if the
terrorists were pardoned then the APS victims’ families would hold the
government responsible for neglecting the sacrifices of people, who lost their
lives during the war against terrorism.
The
members of Women Action Forum, a non-governmental organisation, also
participated in the protest to show solidarity with the APS victims’ families.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1650686/families-of-aps-attack-victims-oppose-amnesty-to-ttp
--------
South Asia
Afghan
Drug Menace Might Worsen As Taliban Indicate Legalising Poppy Farming
Oct
8, 2021
KABUL:
When the Taliban overran Kabul in August, concerns were raised that the drug
menace in the country could get worse. However, the group then promised to
eradicate the poppy cultivation will be stopped.
Cut
to October, Taliban leaders have hinted that they are mulling legalisation of
farming of poppy, according to a report.
Afghanistan,
which exports more than 90 per cent of the world's heroin, might get fresh
impetus for the drug trade under the Taliban.
According
to the report in Knews, the Taliban can now freely nourish and cultivate the
raw element of opium and its killer byproduct, heroin.
This
comes despite the Taliban claim that they will annihilate poppy farms in the
southern parcel of the war-ravished country as they endeavour to institute a
hardline interpretation of Islamic Law
Haji
Abdul Haq Akhond Hamkar, Deputy Minister of Counter Narcotics, Ministry of
Interior indicating that the door is still open to potential "legalisation"
of farming -- providing Afghans are not the ones harmed.
"We
either create alternative jobs or legalize it. Then the problem is
solved," Hamkar conjectures. "We are working on it; we are open to
the idea."
Some
in Taliban leadership are of the view that legalising the poppy would help them
in growing the war-battered economy of Afghanistan.
The
high pharmaceutical-contingent nations utilise the poppy fields in countries
such as Australia and Turkey as a legal means to harvest the plants required for
opioids and other critical painkillers.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Cash
Airlifts Planned To Bypass Taliban, Help Afghans - Western Powers Can Demand
Concessions in Return
October
8, 2021
BRUSSELS:
As desperate Afghans resort to selling their belongings to buy food, officials
are preparing to fly in cash for the needy while avoiding financing the Taliban
government, according to people familiar with the confidential plans.
Planning
for the cash airlifts is going ahead against the background of a rapidly
collapsing economy where money is short, although diplomats are still debating
whether Western powers can demand that the Taliban make concessions in return,
according to internal policy documents seen by Reuters.
The
emergency funding, aimed at averting a humanitarian crisis in the face of
drought and political upheaval, could see US dollar bills flown into Kabul for
distribution via banks in payments of less than $200 directly to the poor —
with the Taliban’s blessing but without their involvement.
As
well as flying in cash to stem the immediate crisis, donor countries want to
set up a “humanitarian-plus” trust fund that would pay salaries and keep
schools and hospitals open, two senior officials said.
Many
Afghans have started selling their possessions to pay for ever scarcer food.
The departure of US-led forces and many international donors robbed the country
of grants that financed 75 per cent of public spending, according to the World
Bank.
The
West’s unorthodox strategy reflects the dilemma it faces. Still eager to help
Afghanistan after two decades of war, and to prevent mass migration, it is also
loath to giving money to the Taliban, who seized power in August and have yet
to show significant change from the way they ruled the country between 1996 and
2001.
The
United Nations has warned that 14 million Afghans face hunger. Mary-Ellen
McGroarty, UN World Food Programme’s Afghanistan director, said the economy
could collapse in the face of the cash crisis.
The
cash runs are a trial for larger air deliveries of dollars from Pakistan, the
officials said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1650750/cash-airlifts-planned-to-bypass-taliban-help-afghans
--------
Blast
in Mosque Kills Local Taliban Religious Leader in Southeastern Afghanistan
S.
K. Khan
07.10.2021
A
local Taliban religious leader was killed and seven others were wounded in a
bomb blast inside a mosque in Afghanistan, an official confirmed on Thursday.
According
to Interior Ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosti, the religious leader was
killed in a hand grenade blast in the Deri area in the southeastern Khost
province on Thursday morning.
Separately,
a prayer leader was gunned down by an unknown gunman in Qarghayee district of
Laghman province bordering the country’s capital Kabul, reported the local
Salam Afghanistan radio.
It
was not immediately clear if the killing was politically motivated or a
personal feud.
Zabihullah
Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman and acting deputy minister for information and
culture, said in a statement last week that a hideout of the Daesh-affiliated
militants located in the northern Kher Khana district of Kabul was dismantled.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hundreds
of displaced families ordered to leave Kabul by Taliban
Oct
8, 2021
KABUL:
Hundreds of displaced families who were living in Kabul amid countrywide
fighting that preceded the Taliban takeover in August, have now been ordered to
return to their homes.
Taliban-led
government's Deputy Minister of refugees and repatriation said, "This
process began today and will continue, thus all (displaced) families in Kabul
will go back to their provinces," TOLOnews reported.
Over
2,000 families have been displaced and are living in Kabul, the Taliban said.
The
evacuation of displaced families is being done in cooperation with the donor
organisations.
Mihruddin,
who is a resident of Baghlan, is struggling to receive aid as he is
specially-abled.
"I
haven't received any aid. The little aid that is provided, the able-bodied take
it," he said, TOLOnews reported.
Abdul
Baseer, who is a resident of Kunduz said, "We have a demand to immediately
move the people, the people have become sick, it has been over a month that we
are here."
Hundreds
of displaced families in Kabul are living in tents or in open areas and the
situation is dire as winter is approaching.
The
World Food Program (WFP) said that the country is facing severe economic
conditions and also warned of an economic crisis in the upcoming weeks.
Mary-Ellen
McGroarty, WFP representative and country director for Afghanistan said,
"The economy is on the brink of collapse here in Afghanistan. There is a
cash crisis. Banks had closed their doors, but they are now opened. You can
only take out 200 dollars. Savings are inaccessible for the people that have a
little bit of money in the bank. The Afghan currency has decreased
significantly," TOLOnews reported,
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
World
should not hurry in recognizing Taliban: Qatar
07
Oct 2021
Deputy
foreign minister and spokesperson of the ministry Lolwah Rashid al-Khater in her
interview with Foreign Policy said that they have asked the international
community not to hurry in recognizing the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Al-Khater
in her interview on Wednesday, October 6 asked their international partners not
to hurry in recognizing the Taliban though, she asked the world to continue
engaging with them.
She
said that engagement with the Taliban does not mean approval of their
government but the world can achieve big goals by engaging with the Taliban.
It
has been over 50 days that the Taliban took control over Afghanistan but has
not been recognized by any country yet as the world has its condition that has
not been implemented in Afghanistan.
The
deputy foreign minister has confirmed conflicts among the Taliban and has added
that there is a difference between the behavior of the elderly Taliban members
and younger ones.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/world-should-not-hurry-in-recognizing-taliban-qatar-586568568/
--------
Africa
Nigerian
forces neutralize 87 Boko Haram terrorists
Adam
Abu-bashal
08.10.2021
ABUJA,
Nigeria
Nigerian
forces neutralized 87 members of the Boko Haram terrorist organization in
operations in the country’s northeast, local media outlets reported Thursday.
Operations
against the terrorist organization have been carried out in the Lake Chad
Basin, according to the reports.
In
the latest operations, many members of the organization also escaped with
injuries.
Despite
such operations being carried out in recent years, the organization still poses
a serious security problem in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.
More
than 20,000 people have been killed in mass acts of violence organized by Boko
Haram since 2009.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/nigerian-forces-neutralize-87-boko-haram-terrorists/2386176
--------
Algeria
urges Morocco to quit Western Sahara buffer zone
07
October ,2021
Algeria,
the main backer of Western Sahara’s Polisario Front independence movement,
called on Morocco Thursday to withdraw from a key buffer zone, after the United
Nations named a new envoy.
The
UN on Wednesday named veteran diplomat Staffan de Mistura as its point man on
the decades-old conflict, a job that had remained vacant for nearly two and a
half years as the Polisario and Morocco rejected a dozen other candidates.
The
Algerian foreign ministry noted “with interest” Mistura’s appointment, and
called for the removal of Moroccan troops deployed late last year in the
Guerguerat area in the far south of the territory.
They
had been sent to reopen a key highway leading into Mauritania after it was
blocked by Sahrawi activists who see it as violating a 1991 ceasefire deal.
The
“demilitarization of this zone... is the cornerstone of any credible political
process aiming to find a peaceful solution to the conflict,” the Algerian
ministry said.
It
said Algeria supported UN peace efforts and voiced hope that De Mistura could
“relaunch direct, serious negotiations between the Polisario Front and the
Kingdom of Morocco in order to reach a solution guaranteeing the Sahrawi people
can freely and authentically exercise their inalienable right to
self-determination.”
The
UN sees the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, as a “non-autonomous
territory,” but Morocco regards it as an integral part of its territory and
insists its claim to sovereignty be recognized under any peace deal.
The
kingdom controls some 80 percent of the largely desert territory, which has
mineral reserves and access to rich Atlantic fisheries, as well as providing a
potentially strategic trade route linking Morocco with West African markets.
Rabat
has proposed a plan for autonomy but the Polisario insists on an independence
referendum as called for under the 1990 ceasefire deal.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Nigeria's
ban on selling SIM cards to under 18 causes outcry
Ibrahim
Garba Shuaibu
07.10.2021
KANO,
Nigeria
The
Nigerian Communications Commission said the country's ban on the ownership of
SIM cards by those under 18 years old aims to protect them against legal
liabilities.
Ikechukwu
Adinde, the spokesperson of the commission, said in a statement on Thursday that
the age limit on SIM card ownership for mobile phones is proposed in the draft
regulation and contingent on the constitutional provision.
“We
would like to draw the attention of the public to a publication in a section of
the media, purporting that the Commission is developing a regulation to
disqualify Nigerians below 18 years of age from getting Subscriber Identity
Module (SIM),” the statement read.
“In
accordance with sections 70 and 71 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 and
the Commission’s consultative engagement process, which define its rule-making
process, the public inquiry was held for all relevant stakeholders to provide
input on the draft regulatory instrument.
"...
SIM acquisition is a contract between service providers and their subscribers,
which requires the subscriber to have proper legal status, be of matured mind
and rational enough to bear certain responsibilities, obligations and
liabilities imposed by a contract," the commission statement also noted.
The
Nigerian citizens expressed worry over the new policy which was said to have
contravened the constitution of the country that guarantees the citizens'
rights to freedom.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/nigerias-ban-on-selling-sim-cards-to-under-18-causes-outcry/2385483
--------
5
killed as Boko Haram terrorists’ storm Cameroonian village
Aurore
Bonny
07.10.2021
DOUALA,
Cameroon
Five
civilians were killed when Boko Haram terrorists Wednesday night attacked a
village in Cameroon's far north, security sources said.
A
horde of heavily armed Boko Haram terrorists on motorbikes attacked the
Assigachia village located in the Mayo Moskota canton in the far north, a few
kilometers from the Nigerian border, according to local commander Gen. Bouba
Dobekreo.
Since
2014, Central African country of Cameroon has been engaged in a fight against
Boko Haram terrorists in this poor, far north region.
The
Boko Haram rebellion started in 2009 in north-eastern Nigeria before spreading
to neighboring countries. Since then, more than 36,000 people (mainly in
Nigeria) have been killed, and 3 million had to flee their homes, according to
the UN.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/5-killed-as-boko-haram-terrorists-storm-cameroonian-village/2385411
--------
India
Sarfaraz
Ali Jafri, Who Was Looking After the Work of Global Peace Centre Held In
‘Illegal Conversion Racket’ Case
October
8, 2021
The
Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested one more person in
connection with the alleged illegal conversion racket, taking the total number
of arrests to 15.
In
a statement issued on Thursday, the ATS said that Sarfaraz Ali Jafri, who was
looking after the work of Kaleem Siddiqui’s Global Peace Centre, was arrested
from Lucknow.
Kaleem
Siddiqui was earlier arrested by the ATS.
“We
have found evidence that other than Global Peace Centre, Jafri was involved in
illegal conversion activities in the garb of social work under Humanity for All
organisation. Jafri was involved in using undue influence and misdirection to
convert people into Islam and take care of them by getting them a new identity,
job, arrange their marriage etc. Jafri was provided money for such works by
Siddiqui,” the ATS said.
Claiming
that Jafri was allegedly using foreign funding for illegal conversion, the ATS
said that they have found “evidence” from his phone showing the monthly agenda
of conversion work. “He will be presented before a court. We will be seeking
his custody,” the ATS said.
On
June 20, the ATS had claimed to unearth an alleged illegal conversion racket by
arresting three persons — Delhi’s Jamia Nagar residents Mufti Qazi, Jahangir
Alam Qasmi, and Mohammad Umar Gautam.
Since
then, the ATS has arrested 12 people from UP, Delhi, and Maharashtra in
connection with the case. Among those arrested later included Kaleem Siddiqui,
Rameshwar Kavde, Bhupriya Bando alias Arsalan Mustafa, Kaushar Alam, Hafiz
Idris, Mohammad Saleem, and Dheeraj Jagtap.
Source:
Indian Express
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistani
terror outfits using ‘hybrid terrorists’ to carry out targeted attacks against
non-Muslims in Kashmir: Govt sources
8
October, 2021
Top
government sources on Thursday informed that the Pakistani terror outfits are
now using ‘hybrid terrorists’ to disrupt the atmosphere of peace and prosperity
in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. These are not full-time
terrorists, but people with normal civilian lives who are engaged in specific
terror acts.
In
a statement to ANI, the government source revealed, “The hybrid terrorists used
by these terror groups for these targeted killings are mostly engaged in normal
jobs and are used for such killings using small weapons.” The source further
informed, “They return to their normal routine after carrying out such acts.”
Additionally,
Vijay Kumar, IGP Kashmir, in a statement to The Times of India said, “These
acts are committed by newly recruited terrorists or those about to join
terrorist ranks. In some cases, overground workers were directly involved.
J&K Police are working hard to identify such part-time or ‘hybrid’
errorists and will take the strictest action against them.”
The
statement was given on a day when two non-Muslim teachers were gunned down by
the Islamic terrorists in Srinagar after separating them from Muslim teachers
in a school.
The
source also informed that the number of such youth is quite significant in the
valley. The security forces had received inputs of many such youths and their
identification is being done rapidly.
As
per the Times of India report, in a revised strategy, ISI-backed terrorist
groups are pushing local terror recruits to go after non-local who make for
easy targets.
Union
HM chairs high-level meeting
Reportedly,
Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting with NSA Ajit Doval,
heads of CRPF, BSF and intelligence agencies on Thursday to review the security
situation in J&K.
Some
of the topics believed to have been discussed in the meeting were fine-tuning
of current strategies, the need to keep a closer watch on youths prone to
radicalization and on the ones who are in touch with terrorists.
‘Resisting
change’
It
is said that the terrorist groups have adopted this new strategy to resist any
kind of change brought about with the abrogation of Article 270. This includes
full integration of J&K with the rest of India, the revival of tourism and
emphasis on the development of the region.
In
fact, Pakistan’s new terror outfit ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF) that took the
responsibility for killing a school principal and teacher in a statement
claimed that the teachers were targeted because they had urged students to
attend the August 15th Independence Day function held in the school.
Calling
it a “filthy function”, the Pakistani terror outfit said that despite their
warning and threat, these teachers had “harassed and warned the parents with
dire consequences if any student didn’t attend the occupier regime’s 15th
August filthy function at their school”.
These
terrorist groups aim to create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity, especially
amongst non-Muslims. Reports suggest that Pakistan-based terror sponsors have
been encouraging groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to step up
infiltration into J&K since July.
Source:
Opindia
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Targeted
attacks in J&K seen as part of new ISI-backed strategy; Amit Shah chairs
high-level meet
Oct
8, 2021
NEW
DELHI: The targeted attacks in J&K in which five civilians, including four
from minority religious communities, were killed over the past three days, are
being seen by the security agencies as part of a revised strategy by ISI-backed
terrorist groups to push local terror recruits to go after non-local, easy
targets. The aim, sources said, is to change the narrative of ‘zero-tolerance’
against terrorists or their sympathisers, big development push, revival of
tourism and ‘full integration of J&K with rest of India’ that has gained
ground since the abrogation of Article 370, by creating an atmosphere of fear
and insecurity, particularly for the non-locals.
This
assessment was shared at a meeting chaired by home minister Amit Shah here on
Thursday to review the security situation in J&K in wake of the civilian
killings. The meeting was attended by NSA Ajit Doval and heads of CRPF, BSF and
intelligence agencies. A fine-tuning of strategies, including the need to keep
a closer watch on youths susceptible to radicalization and in touch with
terrorists and gather better intelligence on transfer and supplies of arms, is
believed to have been discussed.
As
many as 28 civilians have been killed so far this year, of which five were from
local Hindu or Sikh community and 2 were non-local labourers.
IGP
Kashmir Vijay Kumar told TOI that terrorists had used pistols in all the recent
civilian killings. "These acts are committed by newly recruited terrorists
or those about to join terrorist ranks. In some cases, overground workers were
directly involved. J&K Police are working hard to identify such part-time
or 'hybrid' terrorists and will take strictest action against them," he
said.
According
to sources, Pakistan-based terror sponsors have been pushing groups like
Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to step up infiltration into J&K since
July. Intelligence inputs however indicate that mostly local youths are being
drafted to carry out attacks on ‘soft’ targets, which may occasionally include
locals suspected to be ‘informers’. While it is claimed that some of these
local recruits are affiliated with The Resistance Front (TRF), J&K police
sources insist that with the top leadership of the outfit neutralized over the
past few months, TRF is only a smokescreen created by LeT to maintain
deniability and project terrorist attacks in J&K as an indigenous job. It
is also associated with Pakistan’s efforts to avert a ‘blacklisting’ by the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
While
the first three attacks this week, involving a Kashmir Pandit chemist, Bihari
street vendor and local taxi stand owner, were linked to TRF, Thursday’s
killings of a principal and a school teacher have been attributed to
Jaish-e-Mohammed. A source said there was an intelligence input prior to
Thursday’s attack that three Pakistani Jaish terrorists were in Srinagar
downtown area. They however left Srinagar before the attack, leading the
agencies to suspect that they had come to only hand over weapons – pistols in
this case – to the locals drafted for the job.
Source:
Times of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Congress,
CPI (M) MPs Slam DU Professor's "Mark Jihad" Remarks against Kerala
Education Board
OCTOBER
08, 2021
CPI(M)
leader have asked for disciplinary and legal actions against the DU professor
for defamatory and communal remarks.
MPs
of the Kerala's ruling CPI(M) and opposition party Congress on Thursday slammed
a Delhi University professor's "mark jihad" remarks against the
southern state's education board, terming it as "ridiculous" and
sought condemnation by the Centre.
After
a large number of students from Kerala applied to DU colleges for higher
studies with good marks, Rakesh Kumar Pandey, a member of RSS-affiliated
teachers' body National Democratic Teachers' Front, had criticised the Kerala
Education Board, calling it a "marks jihad".
While
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described it as "ridiculous", CPI(M)'
Rajya Sabha member John Brittas shot off a letter to Dharmendra Pradhan, Union
Minister for Education, urging him to take disciplinary and legal actions
against Pandey for his "highly deplorable, defamatory and communal
remarks".
Responding
to remarks by Rakesh Kumar Pandey, Mr. Tharoor said, "This anti-Kerala
bias must end now!"
"The
use of "jihad" as a synonym for any trend you don't like is exceeding
all limits: now a DU teacher has got attention by absurdly decrying
#MarksJihad!," Mr. Tharoor tweeted, sharing the link of a news report
carrying Pandey's controversial remarks.
"I've
always decried the over-reliance on marks as the main criterion for DU
admission, but this is ridiculous. If "Jihad" means a struggle (with
yourself above all), the Kerala students scoring 100% have struggled against
the odds to get to DU. Interview them first if you wish before letting them in,
but don't demonise their marks! This anti-Kerala bias must end now!", the
Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
In
his letter to Mr. Pradhan, Mr. Brittas said at no stretch of imagination, those
comments can be considered as accidental but are intended to defame Kerala and
to create polarization in the society.
"In
these circumstances, I request your good self to initiate urgent steps for
ensuring exemplary punishment against the delinquent professor, both penal
actions as well as departmental actions", the RS MP wrote.
He
also urged the Minister to issue a strong condemnation by the Education
Ministry against Mr. Pandey's comment.
Source:
The Hindu
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
'Marks
jihad': Delhi University refutes Prof’s claims that Kerala students are being
given preference
Oct
8, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Following a row over comments on students from a particular state board
being given preference by Delhi University during admissions, a statement was
issued by the varsity on Thursday refuting the same.
DU
registrar Vikas Gupta said over 60,000 students had applied to the university
under the first cutoff list out of which over 46,000 were from CBSE. At the end
of the last day of approvals from college principals, applications of over
31,000 students from CBSE and 2,365 of students from Kerala Board of Higher Secondary
Education were accepted, he added.
There
were 1,540 students from Board of School Education, Haryana and 1,429 from
Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations.
The
remarks by DU professor Rakesh Kumar Pandey on the “inexplicable rush” of
students from Kerala had drawn flak from several quarters. Students’ Federation
of India and National Students Union of India announced that they would hold
demonstrations at DU’s Arts Faculty and Kirori Mal College, respectively, on
Friday.
Meanwhile,
Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had staged a sit-in protest on
Wednesday stating that the high cutoffs had led to students from “only few
state boards” being admitted to the varsity.
In
the statement, Gupta said, “Being a central university, University of Delhi
equally and uniformly values the academic credentials of all candidates
irrespective of their states and school boards. This year, too, equal
opportunity was maintained by accepting applications based on merit only.”
Refuting
the claim of students from a particular state board being “favoured”, Gupta
added, “Being a prestigious central university with a long legacy of quality
teaching and research, candidates across the country aspire to study in our
colleges, departments and centres. It is our utmost responsibility to maintain
justice and equity to all meritorious candidates coming not only from Indian
states, but also from abroad.”
Source:
Times of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Parents
among those arrested for Muslim man’s murder over his relationship with their
daughter
By
Arun Dev
Oct
08, 2021
Days
after a 24-year-old Muslim man’s decapitated body was found on a railway track
in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, 10 people, including the parents of a woman
he was in a relationship with, were arrested for his murder on Friday. Police
first registered a case of unnatural death when Arbaz Mullah’s body was found
on September 28. Later a murder case was filed on the basis of his post-mortem
report and the nature of injuries to his head.
The
Belagavi Police said the woman’s parents, Eerappa and Susheela Kumbhar, and
Maharaja Nagappa alias Pundalik Mutgekar, a member of Hindu group Sri Ram Sena
Hindustan, are the prime suspects in the murder.
In
a statement, police added the parents opposed the woman’s relationship with
Mullah and approached Nagappa to end it. But the woman remained adamant. Police
said the parents met Nagappa multiple times and when Mullah refused to end the
relationship, they threatened him. As the threats did not work, Nagappa
allegedly hired seven contract killers to kill Mullah on September 28. The
killers dumped his body on the railway tracks.
The
arrests come after Mullah’s family complained about the delay in the
investigation. In her complaint to the police, Mullah’s mother, Nazeema
Mohammad Sheikh, accused the woman’s family of murdering her son to end the
relationship.
“We
knew about the relationship, and I had spoken to the woman’s mother to ensure
she does not meet him. I also told my son not to meet her. I shifted from
Khanapur to Azam Nagar in Belagavi with my son. But the two continued to meet,
and we started getting threats from her family,” Sheikh said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
'Wait-And-See
Approach' On Afghanistan Tantamount To World Abandoning It: Pakistan NSA
October
7, 2021
National
Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf has said that a "wait-and-see
approach" on Afghanistan is tantamount to abandoning the war-torn country
and has called for holding a donor conference to formulate immediate
humanitarian and economic relief plans for averting the risks of instability
and threat of terrorism faced by the entire world.
“A
wait-and-see approach, although more politically tenable for many countries,
would be tantamount to abandonment … A starting point could be a major donor
conference where regional players and Western countries sit together and draw
up specific plans for immediate humanitarian and economic relief,” he wrote in
an article published in US-based journal Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
The
NSA further stated that US President Joe Biden was right to end the US military
mission in Afghanistan, and “today, Afghanistan faces a choice: it can either
walk the arduous path of peace or revert to civil unrest. The latter will have
catastrophic repercussions for the Afghan people and spillover effects for the
neighbourhood and beyond.”
He
also pointed out that the "spread of refugees, drugs, weapons, and
transnational terrorism from a destabilised Afghanistan does not serve the
interests of the Afghan people nor the rest of the world, most of all
Pakistan".
While
Yusuf affirmed that Pakistan had the ability and willingness to "assist in
pushing Afghanistan in a positive direction, it alone cannot guarantee the
outcomes we all desire".
"Pakistan
does not wield any extraordinary influence over the new rulers in Kabul, as
both monetary assistance and legitimacy for the Taliban can only come (or not)
from the world’s major powers," he wrote. “History will judge us very
poorly if we do not create the most conducive possible environment to push them
in a healthy direction — for the collective benefit of Afghans and the world.”
The
NSA expressed the concern that that failure to do so would result in Pakistan
bearing the brunt of any negative spillover from Afghanistan.
“We
have already carried more than our share of the burden,” he added, referring to
Pakistan’s sacrifices in US-led in Afghanistan.
Commenting
on former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's regime, the NSA said it had been
unable to sustain itself, and "propping it up with billions more dollars
would only have delayed its inevitable collapse".
'Pakistan
the greatest victim after Afghans'
Speaking
of wars launched in Afghanistan, Yusuf said after the Afghan people, Pakistan
had been the "greatest victim" of those conflicts.
"The
Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent US-led military campaign after 9/11
were not of Pakistan’s making. Yet our society, polity, and economy bore the
brunt of the conflict over the last four decades."
In
2001, he recalled, Pakistan had joined America's war on terror "against
the very same actors who were hailed as freedom fighters when Washington and
Islamabad together trained and backed them to defeat the Soviets in the
1980s".
After
the 9/11 attacks, the US issued an ultimatum to then-president General Pervez
Musharraf that he was either “with us or against us”, the NSA added, saying
that Musharraf, under pressure, provided the US "virtually unconditional
support", including access to airbases and ground and air supply routes.
"The
post-9/11 decision to launch a military campaign against Afghanistan’s
erstwhile freedom fighters, many of whom had deep cultural and ethnic
affiliation with tribesmen in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border regions, resulted
in a massive insurgency against the Pakistani state," he explained.
“Over
50 militant groups sprang up, seeking to punish the Pakistani state for
collaborating with the United States. They targeted our cities and massacred
our children; 3.5 million civilians were displaced from their homes at the
height of this onslaught," he said. " In the last 20 years, Pakistan
has suffered over 80,000 casualties as a result of terrorist attacks, as well
as over $150 billion in economic losses.”
Yusuf
also discussed in the article how Pakistan had to host millions of Afghans
refugees as a result of the war in their country.
"Furthermore,
Afghanistan’s chaos brought a 'Kalashnikov culture' and narco-trafficking to
Pakistan: our country’s addiction rates rose nearly 50 times," he added.
Yet,
Western governments continued to accuse Pakistan of being "duplicitous and
asked us to 'do more' ” he regretted.
"This
disconnect colored the Pakistan-US partnership for the better part of the last
two decades. At its core, it stemmed from a divergence of views on how to end
the war and bring peace to Afghanistan," Yusuf explained.
US-Pakistan
ties
Further
elaborating on US-Pakistan ties, Yusuf wrote in the article that “The United
States’ solution [in Afghanistan] was to achieve a total victory over the
Taliban. Even when Washington began considering negotiations with the group,
many American officials saw it as a means of creating internal fractures within
the Taliban rather than negotiating an even-handed deal.”
The
NSA said Pakistan, on the other hand, had been pointing out to the "the
folly of its plans".
"Pakistan
urged the United States and its Nato ( North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
allies to recognise that Al Qaeda had been dealt a severe blow and that, even
as Western powers continued their mission against international terrorist
groups, they needed to recognise that the Taliban were a political reality in
Afghanistan."
He
also claimed that Pakistan had urged the US a decade ago, when the number of
its troops in Afghanistan was the highest, to use this "leverage to
negotiate an acceptable political settlement to the war".
Washington,
however, had "ignored this advice, and talks never became the principal
pillar of US strategy,” he regretted.
He
also criticrised Western governments for what he described as turning a blind
eye to their and the Afghan government’s failures, which had helped resuscitate
the Taliban.
"Nevertheless,
Pakistan engaged with the government in Kabul with sincerity of purpose,"
he added.
'Blame
shifted to Pakistan'
The
NSA claimed that all of Pakistan’s requests regarding Afghanistan "were
turned down, ignored, or actively resisted".
In
this connection, he gave the example of Afghan authorities physically tearing
down in 2007 border biometric systems Pakistan was installing , "under the
flimsy pretext that Afghanistan did not recognise the international border and
was therefore opposed to physical controls".
"It
stands to reason that if the porousness of the border was really the Afghan government’s
chief concern, it would have moved swiftly to help Pakistan monitor it
effectively," he opined.
He
said that since the government in Kabul was "unwilling or unable to fix
these internal failures, so it shifted attention and blame onto Pakistan".
"This
also suited countries that were pouring billions of dollars into Afghanistan,
with little to show for it in terms of defeating the Taliban."
The
advisor wrote that the focus on the border had also masked the reality that
terrorists based in Afghanistan were collaborating with "our arch rival,
India, and with elements in the Afghan intelligence services to regularly carry
out attacks inside Pakistan".
He
claimed that with Indian support, these groups conducted targeted killings
across Pakistan and high-profile attacks on Pakistan’s largest stock exchange,
a major university, and a luxury hotel in the port city of Gwadar, among many
others.
"Simultaneously,
India worked to taint Pakistan’s reputation through an orchestrated propaganda
campaign, using fake news networks to perpetuate a diversionary narrative that
sought to blame Pakistan for Afghanistan’s failings."
Meanwhile,
he said, the US kept pressing for Pakistan to further escalate its own military
campaign against the Afghan Taliban.
"The
truth, however, is that the group had no organised presence in Pakistan and
military action against a few dispersed individuals — who may, from time to
time, have managed to melt away among the thousands of Afghan refugees — would
not have changed the outcome in Afghanistan, but would have left thousands more
Pakistanis martyred," he added.
Yusuf
said: “An escalation was, therefore, unacceptable to us, as we repeatedly
conveyed to the United States for over a decade. Our alternative of leading
with a political dialogue that forced all sides to compromise, supplemented by
military and other tools as needed, would have produced a naturally inclusive
government while ending the conflict years earlier. And yet every time we
raised this, we were seen as insincere.”
Yusuf
stressed that the "rapid collapse" of the Ghani administration in
Afghanistan "has left no doubt that the [Afghan] government’s failures
were not of Pakistan’s making".
“Corruption,
bad governance, refusal of Afghans to stand behind their government and state,
and the 300,000-strong Afghan National Security Forces’ choice not to fight
against a lightly armed insurgency lie at the heart of the return of the
Taliban.”
Yet,
some voices in Western capitals continued to scapegoat Pakistan for this
failure, he regretted, adding that blaming Pakistan was not only factually
incorrect, but it also "undermines the spirit of international cooperation
necessary to end the cycle of violence that has devastated Afghanistan".
The
way forward
Suggesting
a way forward on this front, the NSA said, "Afghanistan deserves peace and
prosperity, and a blame game among international actors will not get us there.
Nor will a repeat of the mistakes of the 1990s, when the United States
abandoned Afghanistan and sanctioned Pakistan."
He
said the prudent way forward was for the international community to engage
constructively with the new government in Kabul.
"The
goal must be to create the conditions for Afghan civilians to earn a
respectable livelihood and to live in peace. This will require the
international community, especially the countries who were present in
Afghanistan for two decades, to play a positive role in leveraging their
influence to further the cause of peace and stability".
The
adviser further said that Pakistan had been at the forefront of international
humanitarian efforts since the fall of Kabul.
"It
has helped evacuate approximately 20,000 foreign citizens and Afghans from the
country, as well as creating an air and land bridge to channel emergency
supplies to the country.
“These
efforts are important, but diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan must go much
further. Afghanistan does not have the resources or institutional capacity to
stave off economic disaster on its own."
The
NSA said that Pakistan, too, wanted an inclusive setup and protection of human
rights in Afghanistan.
And
the Taliban had repeatedly stated their interest in continued engagement with
the world, he added.
“This
is an opportunity for the international community — the leverage generated
through assistance and the legitimacy Taliban will derive from it can be used
to secure inclusive governance from the new government.”
He
also stressed the need for the Western diplomacy "to be better connected
with regional initiatives to forge a common agenda for [the] engagement and
decide on the multilateral and bilateral avenues available to channel
assistance".
Moreover,
he called for an understanding on the terms of the release of the Afghan
central bank’s reserves, most of which are held by the US.
"Such
a forum could also be used to encourage countries that have unfinished
development projects in Afghanistan to consider completing them for the benefit
of the Afghan people. A coordinated global approach will reduce the risks of
international divisions over how best to engage the Taliban."
Pak-Afghan
ties
On
Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan, Yusuf said the two countries shared a
long border and cultural links that stretched back centuries.
"These
geographical and societal connections compel Pakistan to advocate for peace in
Afghanistan, as instability there risks spilling over into our country,"
he said, adding that “The Pakistani Taliban, the Islamic State, and other
anti-Pakistan groups in Afghanistan cannot be allowed to harm Pakistan."
"Nor
are we in a position to accept more Afghan refugees, who will inevitably be
driven onto our soil by another spasm of violence in their home country,” Yusuf
said.
He
further noted that the livelihoods of millions of Afghans were linked to
Pakistan, as Afghanistan was land-locked country and largely relied on Pakistan
for trade.
"The
country’s (Afghanistan's) geographical position could become an advantage if it
transforms itself into a transit hub that connects Central Asia to Pakistan’s
warm waters."
Vision
for the region
He
blamed the Ghani government for stalling these possibilities, "snubbing
Pakistan’s offers for more streamlined trade and economic cooperation and
fast-tracking of connectivity projects with Central Asia".
However,
Yusuf said, “Such connectivity is not only key to Pakistan’s geoeconomic
vision, but it also corresponds with the US-led regional vision of establishing
economic linkages between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
World
must maintain contact with interim Taliban govt, NSA Yusuf tells visiting US
official
October
8, 2021
National
Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf, in a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of
State Wendy Sherman on Thursday, stressed that the international community
"must maintain contact" with the interim Taliban government in
Afghanistan.
According
to a report by Radio Pakistan, during the meeting both sides expressed the
desire to promote bilateral relations between the United States and Pakistan.
They
also discussed economic cooperation as well as the security situation in the
region, it added.
According
to the report, the US delegation appreciated Pakistan's efforts to evacuate
foreigners from Afghanistan and the help it extended to Afghan refugees.
In
his remarks, Yusuf said that blatant human rights violations in Indian-occupied
Kashmir also posed a threat to regional peace.
Sherman
and her seven-member team arrived in Islamabad on Thursday for a two-day visit
to the country.
She
had earlier visited India for a series of bilateral meetings, civil society
events, and the India Ideas Summit.
Sherman
is the senior-most official in the State Department after Secretary of State
Antony Blinken.
She
is the highest-ranking US visitor to Pakistan under President Joe Biden since
the Taliban's victory in Kabul.
Important
visit
"The
visit is taking place at a very critical time, both in the context of
Afghanistan and developments in the wider region," said a senior
diplomatic source when asked to explain why Islamabad sees this as an important
visit.
The
source pointed out that the Biden administration did "not seem to be
reluctant to travel to both India and Pakistan in one go, which was the case in
the past".
"This
is an important visit, and we look forward to engaging with Deputy Secretary
Sherman," Pakistan's US Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan earlier told Dawn.
"Together, we would explore ways to strengthen and expand our bilateral
cooperation in areas of mutual interest and concern."
According
to sources, the Biden administration is focusing on four major points in its
talks with Pakistan — recognition of the Taliban government in Kabul,
international sanctions on Afghanistan, access to Afghanistan and
counter-terrorism cooperation.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
JI
to file petition in SC for action against people named in Pandora Papers
October
8, 2021
MITHI:
Senator Sirajul Haq, emir of Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan, has said that his party
will file a petition in Supreme Court, seeking action against the people whose
names have been exposed by Pandora Papers.
Haq
said at Miladun Nabi (Peace be Upon Him) conference organised by his party in
Islamkot town on Thursday that they had decided in principle to file the
petition in the apex court to bring all robbers of national wealth to justice.
His party wanted stern action against all the corrupt whose names had surfaced
in all international scams leaked by journalists, he said.
He
said that Imran Khan’s government was least interested in taking any action
against the corrupt exposed by Pandora Papers as, according to him, some people
close to Mr Khan were also found involved in amassing ill-gotten money and
depositing it in offshore companies.
He
said that if Imran Khan had been sincere and honest he would have kicked out
the members of the cabinet the day their names were exposed. The prime minister
wanted to save his chair and that was why he constantly deviated from his
previous principled stance, he said.
“Imran
Khan has once again proved he is not a man of his word,” he remarked and asked
him to behave like a mature leader as he pretended to be before coming to
power.
“It
is prime duty of every patriotic citizen to rise against the people who have
plundered public wealth and then siphoned it off to offshore companies,” he
said.
Haq
came down hard on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government for shying away from
consulting with leaders of opposition parties on important issues of national
interest and termed presidential ordinance on extension to NAB chairman a slap
on the face of democratic norms.
He
warned that bypassing of parliament would prove disastrous for the country
since it required mature policies to run affairs of both government and state.
He
deplored that rulers had nothing to offer to people of Tharparkar, which was
contributing to power generation for the country from its huge coal reserves.
He
lashed out at executives and officials of mining firms for showing indifference
towards locals and warned them to stop meting out step-motherly treatment to
real owners of mines and minerals.
He
said that it was right of Tharparkar people to get drinking water and demanded
they be supplied water through pipeline from irrigation canals. “Certain parts
of Tharparkar can be easily irrigated by constructing an irrigation canal,” he
said.
He
expressed deep grief over increasing incidents of suicide and deaths of infants
in government hospitals and said that his party had launched a number of charitable
projects in Thar which were serving people without discrimination of caste,
colour and creed.
BADIN:
Haq demanded genuine accountability for all capitalists, former and present
rulers, ex-judges and generals whose names were exposed by Pandora Papers and
disclosed that efforts were being made to save skins of tainted advisers and
ministers who should have been sacked from their positions immediately.
He
said at a reception and later told media persons at DC Chowk that PPP and PML-N
and those who had brought them to power were responsible for the economic
catastrophe afflicting this country.
He
praised media for exposing names of the corrupt through Pandora Papers, Wiki
and Panama Leaks and demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan take suo motu action to
establish a commission of inquiry to investigate 700 names of the corrupt in
Pandora Papers and 436 people whose names had appeared in Panama Leaks.
THATTA:
JI emir has said that no poor and common man’s name has been found on Pandora
papers and once again most of the names in the scandal belong to PML-N, PPP and
PTI, who are now staging a political farce but are actually protecting each
other’s interests.
Haq
said at a big gathering of party activists during a stopover in Makli before
resuming journey to Islamkot on Thursday that a corrupt coterie had held
politics and government hostage in Pakistan for years.
He
said that his party was sincerely striving to enforce Nizam-i-Mustafa in
Pakistan as it was the only system that could pull the country and its population
out of crises and restore rights of the downtrodden.
He
said the poor and the have-nots wielded no weapon but they had power of vote
and if they joined hands with Jamaat-i-Islami the party would rid them of all
miseries. PPP had held power in Sindh since long but instead of resolving
chronic issues of the province the party had further increased them, he said.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan’s
National Security Council to discuss Afghanistan
08
Oct 2021
The
National Security Council of Pakistan which will be chaired by Prime Minister
Imran Khan is due to discuss developments in Afghanistan on Friday, October 8.
Pakistani
media have reported that the NSC meeting will be dominated by the recent developments
in Afghanistan, border management Pakistan’s efforts to support the new Taliban
regime, and implications of the situation for the country.
Pakistan
has been one of the biggest lobbyists for the recognition of the Taliban and
encouraging the international community to engage with them.
PM
Imran Khan had recently said that the US has no way but to recognize the
Taliban and engage with them. He has also asked the EU, China, and Russia to
recognize the Taliban.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/pakistans-national-security-council-to-discuss-afghanistan-457457/
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North America
US
charges alleged Taliban commander with killing Americans in 2008
Michael
Gabriel Hernandez
08.10.2021
WASHINGTON
An
alleged Taliban commander has been charged with federal terrorism-related
offenses in relation to attacks on US troops from 2007 to 2009, the US
Department of Justice announced Thursday
Haji
Najibullah was detained in Ukraine and extradited to the US in 2020. He was
previously charged with a 2008 kidnapping of a US journalist and two Afghan
nationals.
A
new superseding indictment unsealed by a grand jury in New York charges
Najibullah with attacks he and Taliban fighters under his command carried out
on US and NATO forces, including one in June 2008 that left three US soldiers
dead as well as their Afghan interpreter.
The
following October, the Taliban commander's troops allegedly shot down a US
military helicopter, but no troops died as a result of that attack.
"Neither
time nor distance can weaken our resolve to hold terrorists accountable for
their crimes and to see justice done for their victims," US Attorney for
the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
"Najibullah will answer for his heinous acts in an American
courtroom."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Dad
who fled Afghanistan sues US to reunite with young sons
07
October ,2021
The
Afghan man was attending a conference in California as part of his job for a
US-government funded project in Afghanistan when the Taliban sent a written
death threat to his home, forcing him to make a heart-wrenching decision: He
would not return to his wife and two young sons and instead would seek asylum
and try to bring them to the United States.
Two
years later, Mohammad said he regrets leaving them, and wished he had never
worked for the US government given the price he has paid.
As
Mohammad tried to get visas for his family, his wife collapsed in 2020 and died
of a heart attack while the Taliban threatened them. Mohammad, who lives in
California, has been fighting ever since to be reunited with his sons, who are
now 9 and 11, and are moving from house-to-house, living in hiding with their
grandmother and uncle, he said. He asked that only his first name be used to
protect them.
On
Thursday, the International Refugee Assistance Project, whose lawyers are
working on his behalf, filed a lawsuit in a federal court in San Francisco
against Secretary of State Antony Blinken, alleging the administration failed
in its legal obligations under the Afghan Allies Protection Act to help his
family despite his work for the US government during the 20-year war there.
“The
only thing that I want is just one hug” from my kids, Mohammad said.
Mohammad
said he has repeatedly asked the US government for help. He contacted the State
Department in August after bullets pierced the home where his sons were hiding
before the Taliban took control of the country.
He
asked for his children to be evacuated as the US military conducted one of the
largest airlifts in history, but they were left behind.
A
State Department spokesperson said in an email to The Associated Press that it
does not comment on pending litigation.
Mohammad
communicates daily with his sons either through calls or texts.
His
youngest has broken down crying, asking, “Dad, are they going to kill me?”
“What
can I say?” Mohammad asks.
He
sent another letter to the State Department on Sept. 9 asking that his sons be
granted humanitarian parole, but again he said he got no response. He also
contacted his California lawmakers.
Mohammad
was approved for a special immigrant visa in January and applied the next month
for his sons, requesting that their visa applications be expedited because they
are in “imminent danger.” Their applications are still pending.
The
lawsuit states that “removing his children from Afghanistan, where they are in
daily peril, and reuniting them with their only remaining parent is essential
to their survival and wellbeing.”
“At
this point the government has known since mid-August at minimum that these kids
are alone and in serious danger, and they didn’t take any action to protect
them,” said lawyer Alexandra Zaretsky of the New York-based International
Refugee Assistance Project.
Zaretsky
said Mohammad is one of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government
in Afghanistan and were forced to leave behind close family members to be able
to get to safety. Many are still fighting to be reunited with them. The
administration has provided no figures for how many special immigrant visa
applicants and their family members are still stuck in Afghanistan a month
after the US withdrew its troops, and it has yet to take substantial action to
protect them, according to the lawsuit.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
to stay in Syria, top Kurdish politician says
07
October ,2021
A
leading Syrian Kurdish politician said on Thursday the United States will stay
on in Syria to destroy ISIS, build infrastructure and remain a player in the
search for a political settlement after more than 10 years of civil war.
The
Kurds, who live in the mountainous region straddling the borders of Syria,
Armenia, Iraq, Iran and Turkey, carved out self-rule across northeast Syria
during the civil war that began in 2011.
President
Bashar al-Assad was supported by Russia and Iran while the Syrian Kurdish YPG
militia was backed by the United States. But in 2019 then-President Donald
Trump pulled most US forces out of Syria to enable a Turkish offensive against
the Kurds.
The
chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan stoked concern across the Middle
East that Trump’s successor Joe Biden might abandon allies across the region as
Washington perceived China to be the main strategic challenge.
But
Ilham Ahmed - president of the executive committee of the Syrian Democratic
Council, the political arm of the YPG - said the United States had given a
clear commitment to the Kurds.
“They
promised to do whatever it takes to destroy ISIS and work to build
infrastructure in Northeastern Syria,” he told Reuters after meetings in
Washington with White House, State Department and Pentagon representatives.
“They
said they are going to stay in Syria and will not withdraw - they will keep
fighting ISIS,” Ahmed said.
“Before
they were unclear under Trump and during the Afghan withdrawal, but this time
they made everything clear.”
Syria’s
minority Kurds, who were discriminated against by Assad’s pan-Arabist ruling
Baath party, run a civilian administration that governs the affairs of several
million Syrians once ruled from Damascus.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
deputy secretary of state heading to earthquake-hit Pakistan
Servet
Gunerigok
07.10.2021
WASHINGTON
US
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will depart for Pakistan late Thursday
after a deadly earthquake hit the country's southwest.
"I
am heartbroken to learn of the deadly earthquake that struck southwest Pakistan
early this morning. I am flying to Islamabad tonight, and will carry with me
the sincere condolences of the American people to the people of Pakistan,"
said Sherman.
At
least 20 people were killed and more than 300 injured when a magnitude-5.9
earthquake struck Baluchistan province.
The
quake was centered about 14 kilometers (9 miles) north northeast of Harnai. The
location is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Quetta, the provincial
capital.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Europe
Radical
Islamic Preacher, Mohammad Junaid Thorne, Jailed For Selling Drugs To An
Undercover Cop
By
Kelly Fedor
Oct
8, 2021
A
radical Islamic preacher has been jailed for a maximum of nine years for
selling drugs to an undercover police officer.
Mohammad
Junaid Thorne, 32 was being watched by a terrorism taskforce in 2018 when he
struck up a partnership with the operative.
The
court heard he arranged a phone with encrypted technology to ensure their
communications were kept under wraps.
Over
the following months, he and his girlfriend of the time sold him $66,000 worth
of cocaine and $34,000 of MDMA in multiple deals at Newington and Guildford.
Thorne
was arrested and charged in July 2019.
The
court heard the Perth-born man was raised in a strict Muslim family which
included a stepfather who was violent.
At
one point they moved to Saudi Arabia but Thorne was deported after protesting
his brother's imprisonment on terror charges.
Shayden
Thorne also spent more than three years in a Victoria jail for involvement in a
2016 plot to join Islamic militants in the Philippines.
Mohammad
Junaid Thorne developed a profile with young extremists and delivered
controversial lectures around the country.
Source:
9News
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Turkish
mosque under construction in France receives threat letter
OCT
07, 2021
Europe's
largest under-construction mosque in the French city of Strasbourg received a
letter including death threats and insults, a report said Thursday.
Eyüp
Sultan Mosque, which is currently being constructed by the Milli Görüş Islamic
Confederation (CIMG), received the letter Wednesday.
The
anonymous letter, titled "Declaration of War," claimed that there is
no space for Islam in France and that Muslims living in the country need to
choose between their religion or France.
"Of
course, a majority of your congregation would choose Islam. Then why are you
still in France?" the letter said.
The
letter also told Muslims to be prepared for "unprecedented attacks"
against mosques in the country, claiming that their crowd is quite large.
"Prepare
well, revenge starts," the letter said.
Eyüp
Şahin, the CIMG's chairperson in East France, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that
they had previously received such threats, and there has been a surge in
threats against Muslims and mosques in Europe.
He
noted that he previously received threats saying that their addresses were
compromised and that the perpetrators threatened to come out and kill their
families, bomb mosques and more.
"Such
threats take place Europe-wide. All Muslims receive such threats, but I believe
this complex receives more attention because it is the largest of its kind in
Europe and the perpetrators want to make their voices heard," Şahin said.
He noted that they have informed the police and relevant authorities about the
letter, as he said they expect statements with common sense from politicians,
rather than provocative remarks that trigger such hatred.
Source:
Daily Sabah
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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UK
regulator refused to investigate Muslim charity's complaints of police
harassment
7
October 2021
The
UK's Charity Commission refused to examine a Muslim aid charity’s complaints of
harassment of its staff by police and security agencies as part of an
investigation into alleged mismanagement, Middle East Eye has learnt.
In
a report published on Thursday, the Charity Commission, which is an independent
British government department, said it had found evidence of misconduct and
mismanagement at Human Aid in relation to the organisation's use of cash
couriers to send money to Gaza in 2019 and its work with a former Turkish
partner organisation sending aid to Syria.
But
the regulator said trustees at the London-based charity had “taken positive
steps to address the failures and weaknesses in the Charity’s governance” and
“shown a willingness to take on board the regulatory advice and guidance
provided by the Commission”.
In
a statement, Human Aid said it welcomed the closure of the inquiry. But it
accused the Commission of “being excessive in its approach and effectively
acting as an extension of police and security services harassment policy”.
It
accused the Commission of using “defamatory and inaccurate” language in the
report and said it had requested a meeting with the Commission and other Muslim
charities to discuss what it described as “a problem of bias and Islamophobia”.
A
spokesperson for the Charity Commission told MEE it strongly rejected any
suggestion of bias in its investigative work. The spokesperson said it had
asked the charity for more details about the proposed meeting.
The
regulator opened a statutory inquiry into Human Aid in August 2019, days after
police confiscated about £15,000 ($20,000) in cash from a charity staff member
and volunteers, under Schedule 7 counter-terrorism powers at Heathrow Airport.
The staff member and volunteers were on an aid mission to Gaza.
The
charity was already subject to Charity Commission monitoring following an
earlier inquiry, which highlighted concerns about Human Aid’s work with
partners delivering aid to Syria via Turkey.
The
commission has also issued regulatory advice against the use of cash couriers.
MEE has previously reported on how cash seizures were used by police to disrupt
aid convoys to Syria.
Human
Aid called for the inquiry to be dropped in May 2020, after police returned the
money and acknowledged it was legitimate charity funds.
The
charity also accused police of abuse of power and harassment. It says its staff
and volunteers have been regularly detained, searched and questioned, and
required to hand over electronic devices and provide fingerprints and DNA
samples during Schedule 7 stops at ports and airports.
MEE
understands that Human Aid submitted evidence to the Charity Commission of
alleged harassment of its staff by police and security agencies.
This
included a report originally filed to the regulator in January 2019 describing
an incident at a police station in which a member of the charity’s staff said
he was threatened with arrest by a police officer and another man, who he
understood to be “someone from MI5”, the British government's domestic spy
agency.
Staff
'leaving out of fear'
The
Charity Commission told the charity during the inquiry that complaints against
the police and security services were a “matter for the trustees to address
with them via their respective complaints procedures and processes”.
Nur
Choudhury, the chair of Human Aid, told MEE that many Muslim charities were
facing “more and more scrutiny, especially when our work may not necessarily be
in line with UK foreign policy”.
“If
we are raising complaints about harassment we should be supported by the
Commission,” said Choudhury.
“Harassment
has led to staff leaving work out of fear. We have had staff who have required
further support because it has affected their mental health. Naturally that has
had an impact on our work.”
The
incident report submitted by Human Aid described a meeting attended by the
charity’s employee at Charing Cross Police Station in central London on 3
January 2019.
The
employee had previously been questioned by police during a Schedule 7 stop at
Gatwick Airport in August 2018, at which his electronic devices were
confiscated.
According
to the report, when he went to collect his devices from Ilford Police Station
in East London the following week he was approached by a police officer called
Warren, who told him that aid sent from the UK to Syria was “being used for
terrorist purposes” and asked him for information.
Warren
made several further attempts to contact him over the next few months. On 2
January 2019, the employee received a phone call from Warren asking him to meet
regarding an urgent matter. He agreed to go to Charing Cross Police Station the
next day.
When
the employee arrived at the police station with his lawyer, Warren told him he
would only speak to him alone, the report said. The employee eventually agreed
to this and entered a room “where Warren is present, alongside an unknown
person, believed to be someone from MI5”.
Warren
then told the employee that Human Aid was working with a Turkish charity he
alleged was linked to al-Qaeda. “When the arrests are made you will be the main
person we arrest,” he told him, according to the report.
'Support
to al-Qaeda aligned individuals'
In
response to the incident, Human Aid stopped working with the Turkish charity
and instructed lawyers to “contact Scotland Yard in writing to get clarity on
the secret meeting… and obtain further information or evidence regarding their
assertions”.
The
Charity Commission’s report acknowledges Human Aid flagged up concerns about
its Turkish partner in January 2019 and took immediate action to end its
relationship with the organisation, but it does not mention the circumstances
that prompted the charity to take this action.
It
said concerns about the Turkish charity were later raised directly with the
regulator by the police in April 2019, who described it as “being used to
provide support to al-Qaeda aligned individuals in Syria”.
The
phrase “al-Qaeda-aligned” is often used by British intelligence agencies to
refer to people and groups it assesses to be linked to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
(HTS), the dominant militant group in opposition-held Idlib province, which
contains factions formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda. HTS is a proscribed
organisation in the UK.
The
Charity Commission also said it found evidence of misconduct in Human Aid’s
relationship with its former Turkish partner because it said trustees had
failed to supply adequate records to account for almost £250,000 ($340,000)
sent to the charity during 2018.
Source:
Middle East Eye
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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UK
ends self-isolation for vaccinated people from 37 countries, including Turkey
Muhammad
Mussa
07.10.2021
LONDON
Fully
vaccinated travelers from 37 more countries, including Turkey, will not be
required to self-isolate in the UK starting next week, the British government
announced on Thursday.
The
UK will accept proof of vaccination from 37 new countries and territories,
including Turkey, Brazil, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, and South Africa,
the Department of Transport said in a statement.
“With
half-term and winter sun around the corner, we’re making it easier for families
and loved ones to reunite, by significantly cutting the number of destinations
on the red list, thanks in part to the increased vaccination efforts around the
globe,” said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
“Restoring
people’s confidence in travel is key to rebuilding our economy and levelling up
this country. With less restrictions and more people traveling, we can all
continue to move safely forward together along our pathway to recovery.”
The
UK removed Turkey from its red COVID-19 travel list last month.
It
will take off 47 more countries from the list from Oct. 11, leaving just seven
countries with a complete travel ban, according to the latest update.
The
end of self-isolation for people entering the UK from countries with recognized
vaccination programs will boost travel in the coming months, especially with
the approaching winter break.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Russia
says 'determined' to continue cooperation with Turkey on Syria
Elena
Teslova
07.10.2021
MOSCOW
Russia
is “determined” to continue close cooperation and coordinated work with Turkey
on diplomatic and military lines to fully normalize the situation in Syria, the
country’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
The
Syrian settlement traditionally occupies one of the central places in dialogue
between Moscow and Ankara, Maria Zakharova told a news conference in Moscow.
She
said: “In particular, we are talking about the northeast of the country, the
province of Idlib,” which falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an
agreement between Turkey and Russia in March 2020.
Zakharova
recalled that both the countries are initiators and members of the Astana
format (talks aimed to end Syrian crisis), stressing that they “are firmly
determined to continue contributing to the advancement of the political process
in Syria” on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
She
welcomed “the beginning of humanitarian supplies to Idlib through the line of
contact in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2585 and the norms of
international humanitarian law.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Southeast Asia
Bank
Islam takes over BHB’s listing status, becoming ‘first pure-play, full-fledged
Islamic finance stock’
Friday,
08 Oct 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd (BIMB) became “the first pure-play,
full-fledged Islamic financial institution listed on Bursa Malaysia’s Main
Market” today after taking over the listing status of BIMB Holdings Bhd (BHB),
marking the completion of the Islamic banking group’s restructuring exercise.
With
an estimated market capitalisation of RM6.3 billion, BIMB will capitalise on
the growth of Islamic finance and the Islamic capital market.
“BIMB
is embarking on a five-year business strategy roadmap (LEAP25) to deliver the
promise of technology, redefine growth and work in new ways to address the
unprecedented challenges brought upon by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said BHB and
BIMB chief executive officer Mohd Muazzam Mohamed in a statement today.
Bank
Islam will be “accorded full autonomy in undertaking and pursuing its corporate
and business strategies and adopt capital management initiatives with the
completion of this corporate exercise,” he added. “With the listing, the bank
would have access to a wider and diverse capital base, allowing for its
efficient use towards greater support of its future expansion programmes and
business growth and in addition, the group would have greater scale and ability
to support its organic growth.”
Mohd
Muazzam explained that the listing also opens opportunities for investors to
participate directly in the equity and future growth of the new Bank Islam
group, which includes BIMB Investment Management Bhd and BIMB Securities Sdn
Bhd.
Through
a synergistic and holistic approach, Bank Islam aspires towards a prominent
position in offering Shariah-ESG total financial solution through renowned
excellence in digital banking and social finance by the year 2025.
“As
the world continues battling the Covid-19 pandemic, the group pursues its focus
on integrating the principles of Shariah, Value-based Intermediation and
environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations to remain resilient
and promote financial inclusion for all,” the bank said.
Source:
Malay Mail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Human
rights advocates: Reform ‘unjust’ citizenship laws that ‘punish’ Malaysian mums
with kids born abroad now
08
Oct 2021
BY
DANIAL DZULKIFLY
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Human rights advocates, lawmakers and concerned mothers
reiterated their stance on the need to reform “outdated” and “unfair” Malaysian
citizenship laws that penalise Malaysian women for having children abroad.
Among
these advocates were Suriani Kempe, president of Family Frontiers, who said the
established citizenship laws, which confer citizenship automatically on
children born overseas to the foreign spouses of Malaysian men — a right not
extended to Malaysian women — are ultimately not sustainable and unjust.
“All
of which is to say this is not a system that is sustainable, fair or just. It
puts unnecessary strain on Malaysian women and punishes them simply for being
women. It also punishes their children and their entire extended family.
“What
we need today is compassion. We need to see past the legal roadblock, past the
antiquated and outdated demands that we place unfairly and solely on Malaysian
women and we need to fix things.
“Malaysian
women have been living with this injustice since independence. Every day the
government maintains its appeal to the High Court decision. Every day the
government delays the Federal Constitution is another day that a child of
Malaysian women goes without access to education, healthcare or therapy.
“It
is another day that Malaysian women are left vulnerable to arbitrary decision
making. It is another day that their mental health and wellbeing and that of
their family continues to be affected. All of which is to say that we cannot
wait any longer and the time for change is now, and implore the government to
either withdraw the appeal or expedite the amendments to the Federal
Constitution. But it needs to happen now,” she said during a forum discussing
the citizenship issue earlier today.
Suriani
was referring to the recent action by the federal government to appeal a
landmark ruling on September 9, which finally recognised children born abroad
to Malaysian mothers and their foreign spouses as Malaysian citizens.
The
lawsuit against the government was filed by Family Frontiers together with six
Malaysian mothers.
Today’s
forum and subsequent press conference dubbed “The Other Side Of The Story — Do
Mothers Have Rights?, were hosted by Penang Women’s Development Corporation
(PWDC) and was attended by representatives from Family Frontiers as well as
affected and concerned mothers.
Apart
from Suriani, other speakers included Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto, Senator
Fadhlina Sidek and Penang social development and non-Islamic religious affairs
committee chairman Chong Eng.
In
her opening speech, Chong urged the government to take its own words seriously
by addressing the concerns of Malaysian women, including recognising their
children with foreign spouses as Malaysian citizens.
She
stated the government should not pay “lip service” by merely including a
section within the 12th Malaysia Plan specifically dedicated to women yet not
address their issues seriously.
“The
(Federal) Constitution can be amended when necessary. So what we want from the
government today is (for them) to take their (own) words seriously. To show
what they really mean when put a women chapter in the RMK12. Don’t pay lip
service,” she said.
Chong
also pointed out that the Malaysian government had previously initiated a
recruitment drive via TalentCorp Malaysia to attract Malaysian talent working
overseas to return.
Through
the recruitment drive, Chong said the government found many talented Malaysian
women working abroad however many could not return as their marriage to foreign
spouses complicates the process of building a future for their family back in
Malaysia
“There
are many talented women overseas and they want to come back and serve but we
have this obstacle and they can’t come back.
“Yes,
they have married someone overseas but if they believe it is their jodoh (fate)
to marry someone overseas, I mean what can they do? It should not be a reason
to give them fewer rights as a mother just because they married a foreigner and
gave birth to a child in a foreign land,” she said.
During
her speech, Dewan Negara Senator Fadhlina also argued against the narrative
presented by the Home Ministry that the issue at hand involves matters of
“national security” and aims to prevent children born abroad from gaining
double citizenship.
Fadhlina
explained the concern stemming from supposed threats to national security or
national sovereignty, or issues of treason can be prevented via enforcement of
the law.
“It
does not make sense that such incidences could happen. Moreover, that the
application is being filed by children that are clearly incapable or present
any sort of threat.
“The
concern that the (foreign) father of the child gaining citizenship from that
process is also unfounded as the established laws do not favour such
conditions,” she said.
Source:
Malay Mail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Don’t
sacrifice national stability for a few seats, PAS man tells Umno, Bersatu ahead
of Melaka polls
08
Oct 2021
BY
BEN TAN
JOHOR
BARU, Oct 8 — Umno and Parti Pribumi Pribumi Malaysia (Bersatu) leaders should
think of the greater good and avoid clashing with each other in the Melaka
state election, a PAS central committee member said today.
Mohd
Mazri Yahya said both political parties should not act so hastily as there is
always room for negotiations.
“Do
not sacrifice [the stability] of the country just because of a few seats. Umno
and Bersatu need to sit down together to find a formula with regards to the
seats that are in dispute.
“This
issue needs to be discussed as it is not only for the good of the individual
parties, but also the whole country,” he said after a Johor Perikatan Nasional
aid programme in Bandar Baru Uda here.
The
programme saw a total of 1,000 packs of aid consisting of chicken, fish and
vegetables that were distributed to more than 50 Bersatu, PAS and Parti Gerakan
branches in the district.
Mohd
Mazri was commenting on Umno president Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s remarks that
there would be no cooperation with Bersatu for the Melaka state election since
there was no official discussion between the two parties.
Mohd
Mazri, who is also the Johor PAS deputy commissioner, indicated that his
Islamist party is open to act as middleman for Umno and Bersatu.
“Our
doors are always open for Umno to work together until even at the last minute
before the general election.
“This
cooperation is not only seen as a hope for our party members, but also the
majority of the people of the country,” said Mohd Mazri.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Arab World
Expo
2020: Israeli pavilion opens, ministers say fair can promote Middle East peace
08
October ,2021
Israel
officially opened its dedicated pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on Thursday,
welcoming visitors from all 191 countries, as ministers said the world fair can
promote peace and prosperity across the Middle East.
Israel’s
Minister of Tourism, Yoel Razvozov, was joined by Elazar Cohen, commissioner
general of the Israel Pavilion, as they hailed the opening of the first Expo to
be held in the Middle East.
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It
comes a year after the US-brokered normalization of ties between the United
Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel under the historic Abraham Accords.
Minister
Razvozov said in his opening remarks: “I'm truly delighted to be standing here
as a representative of the Israeli people and the Israeli government at the
opening of Israel's National Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.”
“Many
things are happening here for the first time. For the first time in history,
the Expo fair is being held in an Arab country.”
It
is also the first time there is an Israeli pavilion in a major fair on Arab
soil, he said, saying the event has marked one of the most sound and robust
steps toward cooperation between the UAE and Israel in history.
“Peace
allows us to forge a new reality in the Middle East that will bring prosperity,
security and stability to all,” he said. “We believe that in order to reach a
better tomorrow, one should choose practical and positive actions today.”
“Tourism
allows us to explore, learn from and accommodate each other. Tourism will build
a human bridge to peace.”
The
event began with a traditional Mezuzah ceremony performed by Rabbi Levi
Duchman.
The
Mezuzah Case was made and designed exclusively for Expo 2020 Dubai by famous
Judaica artist David Roytman. Hanging a Mezuzah on a doorpost is an ancient
Jewish practice that fulfils a biblical commandment from Deuteronomy to write
the words of the Lord on the doorposts of one's home.
This
was followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony, performed by the Minister of Tourism
and Commissioner General.
Cohen
said of the ceremony: “Tonight, by placing the Mezuzah at the entrance of our
pavilion, we turned it into our home.”
“I
have been dreaming of this day for many years and at this historical moment, I
wish to thank Israel and the UAE governments, for making this dream come true.
Our pavilion is open to everyone, and while many things divide us, common
challenges and the hope for ‘tomorrow’ unite us. Together we can and will make
our future, our tomorrow, better.”
The
event concluded with a performance by Hamalgezot, an Israeli band playing
traditional Israeli music for the 250 attendees.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iran’s
FM says talks with Saudi Arabia have gone a ‘good distance’
07
October ,2021
Talks
between Iran and Saudi Arabia have gone a “good distance”, Iranian Foreign
Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told a news conference in Beirut on Thursday.
Saudi
Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said earlier this week that
talks between the Kingdom and Iran remain in the “exploratory phase”.
“The
fourth round of talks took place on September 21. These discussions remain in
the exploratory phase. We hope they lay the foundation to address the issues
between the two sides and we will work to achieve that,” Prince Faisal said in
a joint press conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Egypt
denounces Israeli court approving 'quiet' Jewish prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
7
Oct 2021
Egypt
denounced an Israeli court ruling on Wednesday that gives Jews the right to
pray inside Al-Aqsa Mosque compound , saying it is a violation of the holy
Islamic mosque.
In
a statement issued on Thursday, the Egyptian foreign ministry reasserted the
necessity of respecting the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its
Islamic and Christian holy places in accordance with international resolutions
issued by the United Nations and the UNESCO.
An
Israeli judge ruled on Wednesday that "quiet" Jewish prayer can be
held at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as long as it remains silent and does not
violate Israeli police instruction.
The
foreign ministry also expressed its extreme concern for the repercussions of
such court ruling and its impact on the security and stability in the region.
The
Egyptian foreign ministry also demanded the Israeli government not to implement
the decision or to change the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Source:
Ahram
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https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/426541.aspx
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Interpol
says lifts restrictions imposed on Assad’s Syria
07
October ,2021
International
police organisation Interpol on Thursday said it had reintegrated Syria back into
its information exchange network, lifting restrictions imposed on President
Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2012.
The
curbs were introduced against the background of international sanctions against
Damascus over abuses by the regime in the early phase of the Syrian civil war.
“In
line with the recommendation from the General Secretariat headquarters,
Interpol's executive committee endorsed that corrective measures applied to
Syria be lifted,” an Interpol statement said.
The
move means that Damascus can directly receive and send messages from other
Interpol national offices. These access rights had been suspended since 2012.
The
statement emphasized that it was incorrect to state that Syria had been
readmitted to Interpol as it has been a member country since first joining in
1953.
The
recommendation to lift the “corrective measures” was made following close
monitoring of messages from Syria's national Interpol office, it said.
Individual
national Interpol offices still have the power to decide with which other
countries to share information, the statement said.
And
it added that Syria does not have the power as a member state to issue
international “Red Notice” arrest warrants, though it can, like any member
state, request the general secretariat of Interpol to do so.
All
requests are subject to a thorough compliance review, it added.
Despite
such assurances, the move by Interpol to allow Syria access to informational
networks has aroused disquiet among some activists.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Green
List: Abu Dhabi adds 27 new quarantine-free destinations including US, UK
08
October ,2021
Abu
Dhabi has updated its Green List of countries for travel during the COVID-19
pandemic, adding 27 new quarantine-free destinations, the emirate’s Department
of Culture and Tourism announced late Thursday.
The
emirate removed Romania from the list and added 27 new destinations including
the US, Israel and the United Kingdom.
Abu
Dhabi also recently removed the quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers
coming into the emirate from all international destinations, stating that a
negative PCR test must be taken within 48 hours of departure.
Additionally,
vaccinated travelers coming from Green List countries must also take a PCR test
upon arrival and another on their sixth day in the emirate.
Vaccinated
visitors from other countries that are not on the Green List are required to
tale a PCR test on arrival and further tests on days four and eight of their visit.
Unvaccinated
people from Green List countries will need to take PCR tests on arrival
followed by days six and nine, while those coming from other destinations will
need to take a PCR test on arrival, quarantine for 10 days and then take
another test on day nine of their visit.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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US
embassy in Saudi Arabia condemns Houthi attacks on Abha airport
07
October ,2021
The
US Embassy in Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned the Houthi attacks that
targeted Abha airport in the Kingdom.
Saudi
Arabia’s air defense intercepted a booby-trapped drone launched by the Houthis
towards Abha International Airport early Thursday.
Shrapnel
was scattered and had fallen in the vicinity of Abha airport, according to a
statement released by the Arab Coalition which added that the attack caused
“minor injuries” to four of the airport’s employees and some broke windows.
“The
Houthis tried again to target Abha airport. This attack resulted in the injury
of four innocent civilians. We condemn the outrageous attacks by the Houthis
against civilians,” a Twitter post by the Embassy on Thursday stated.
It
added that it hoped for the injured to recover from the attack.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Al-Azhar's
Grand Imam, Archbishop of Canterbury call to raise awareness of COVID-19
vaccine
7
Oct 2021
Al-Azhar
Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
called for increased awareness about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine,
expressing their fear of some people's refusal to be vaccinated, according to
the Grand Imam's office on Thursday.
In
a meeting held at the Vatican on the sideline of the "Faith and Science: Towards
COP26" summit, the two religious leaders called for practical solutions to
ensure a fair distribution of vaccines, especially for the poorest African countries.
The
Grand Imam and Archbishop agreed during their meeting on the necessity of
spreading awareness about climate change and the dangers facing planet earth,
expressing their concern that speech about the issue has not translated to
actual action on the ground.
Al-Tayyeb
and Welby also stressed that political conflicts between developed countries
have led to the loss of the rights in developing countries as well as the
reemergence of ethnic conflicts. They agreed on the necessity of empowering
religious leaders to work with world leaders in order to bring peace.
Al-Tayyeb
expressed his happiness seeing Welby again, three years after holding "The
Youth Peacemakers" program under the auspices of the Al-Azhar and
Canterbury Cathedral of Britain in London.
According
to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, this program created a group of youth who are
capable of facing challenges.
From
his side, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said that he agreed with Sheikh
Al-Tayyeb about the necessity of continuing the "Youth Peacemakers"
program.
Later
on Thursday, Welby arrived in Egypt to inaugurate a new province for the
Anglican Church.
Source:
Ahram
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https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/426538.aspx
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Mideast
Iranian
FM meets Ziyad al-Nakhalah, Islamic Jihad leaders
October
8, 2021
Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met and talked with Ziyad al-Nakhalah
and a group of leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
According
to IRNA on Thursday evening, Amirabdollahian in continuation of his meetings in
Lebanon conferred with leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement on
bilateral relations and regional developments.
Source:
ABNA
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https://en.abna24.com/news//iranian-fm-meets-ziyad-al-nakhalah-islamic-jihad-leaders_1186750.html
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Jewish
‘silent prayer’ at Al-Aqsa provocative to Muslims: OIC
Muhammad
Majid
08.10.2021
GAZA,
Palestine
A
top Muslim body on Thursday denounced an Israeli court decision allowing Jews
to perform silent prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem.
The
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Yousef
Al-Othaimeen, said in a statement that the ruling is a provocation to Muslims
globally.
“Such
illegal decisions constitute an unprecedented attack on the inalienable
religious rights of the Islamic nation and its heritage, a provocation to the
feelings of Muslims all over the world, and a violation of freedom of worship
and the sanctity of holy places,” he said.
He
expressed his organization's rejection of "any measures taken by the
occupying power, Israel, that affect the status of occupied East Jerusalem and
the Palestinian presence there, or prejudice the Islamic and Christian
sanctities."
On
Wednesday, an Israeli judge ruled in an unprecedented decision that the silent
prayer of Jews at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex was not a "criminal
act."
This
came in an appeal by Rabbi Aryeh Lippo against a police ban on his visits to
the flashpoint site.
The
judge also ordered the police to shorten the ban and allow the rabbi to return
to his prayer there.
The
ruling was condemned by Muslim leaders and organizations in Jerusalem.
Al-Othaimeen
said the Israeli measures "constitute a grave violation of international
law, international humanitarian law and relevant UN resolutions."
He
warned that such decisions will “lead to destabilization and ignite religious
conflict in the region” and held Israel "fully responsible for the
consequences.”
He
also urged international actors to intervene to preserve Al-Aqsa’s historical
and legal status and to facilitate efforts to achieve a two-state solution
between Palestinians and Israelis.
Wednesday’s
decision was the first by an Israeli court to support Jewish prayer at the
Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Recently,
Israeli settlers began to perform silent prayers during their visits to the
site.
The
verdict was welcomed by right-wing Israeli lawyer Moshe Polsky.
Usually,
Israeli settlers storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex every day in the morning and
afternoon through its Al Mughrabi Gate, southwest of the mosque.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Iran
Blasts US Oppressive Sanctions, Says Hinders Aid to Afghan People
2021-October-7
Baqayee
Hamaneh made the remarks at the 72nd session of the Executive Committee of the
High Commissioner's Programme (4 – 8 October 2021), which is held at UN
headquarters in Geneva to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The
Iranian envoy stressed the need to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan
that represents all the people of Afghanistan, including all ethnicities and
religions, that respects human rights and behaves based on good neighborliness
with neighboring countries.
He
also pointed to the negative consequences of military intervention in Afghanistan,
and added, "The Afghan people under such circumstances deserve
international understanding and support. No humanitarian aid will replace
lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan, and the international community
must properly fulfill its responsibility to protect the Afghan people."
Baqayee
Hamaneh said that the negative consequences of oppressive US sanctions affect
the capabilities of host countries to support Afghan refugees and prevent the
realization of the principle of humanitarian solidarity in helping the Afghan
people.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Iran
must return to Vienna, nuclear talks ‘can’t be dragged out’: US State
Department
07
October ,2021
Iran
must return to Vienna to resume negotiations on the nuclear deal because “it
can’t be dragged out,” the US State Department said Thursday.
After
several rounds of indirect talks, mediated by European countries, Russia and
China, Tehran pulled out of the discussions due to ongoing presidential
elections.
They
have chosen not to return to the talks since a new government was formed;
however, senior Iranian officials have said that they were ready to return to
Vienna “soon.”
“It
is important for the parties to come back together … and resume where we left
off. We continue to believe the diplomatic path is open,” Ned Price said during
a briefing from the State Department. “We also think an imminent return to
Vienna is necessary because this is not a process that can go on indefinitely.
It can’t be dragged out,” he added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iran
state TV says IRGC speedboats intercepted US Navy vessel
07
October ,2021
Iran’s
state TV reported Thursday that speedboats belonging to the country’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have intercepted a US vessel in the Gulf. A US
Navy spokesman said he was not aware of any such encounter at sea over the past
days.
The
region remains on edge over Iran’s escalating nuclear program. Talks in Vienna
to revive Tehran’s now-tattered 2015 accord with world powers have stalled
since June, with no date set for their resumption.
Thursday’s
Iranian report aired footage that the TV said was filmed from one of the Guard
speedboats. It shows a vessel with the US flag and several personnel on board
as the speedboat appears to be chasing it.
A
voice is heard in Farsi, saying: “Keep chasing them.” The report did not say
when the encounter took place.
Cmdr.
Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said he
wasn’t aware of any sort of unsafe interaction with Iran in the last two days.
The
report is the first such report in recent months.
In
May, the Guard rejected the US Navy’s claim that fast-approaching Iranian
speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz sparked a tense encounter a day after the US
said the Revolutionary Guard sent 13 armed speedboats too close to US Navy
vessels in the Strait.
The
United States at the time said a Coast Guard cutter fired warning shots when
two of the Iranian boats came dangerously close.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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