Keralite Football Fan Displays ‘Rebuild Babri Masjid’ Banner At World Cup In Qatar
New Age Islam News Bureau
09 December 2022
Photo: Yasar Moidu/Facebook
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• First Group Of 62 Rohingya Leaves Bangladesh For
Resettlement In US
• ‘From The East To The East’ Art Exhibition In Riyadh
Bridges Arab And Chinese Cultures
• Pakistan ‘Disappointed’ Over Inclusion In Religious
Violators List By US
• Rights Group Warns Of ‘Mass Executions’ In Iran
After First Protester Put To Death
India
• KhedawalaFrom Cong To Be Lone Muslim MLA After BJP’s
Landslide Win
• Gyanvapi Case: Existence of Hindu Deities on Mosque
Walls; Old Vishweshwar Temple Map Placed before Allahabad HC
• MCD Polls: Delhi’s 15 Muslim Councillors Split
Between AAP, Congress
• Conduct inquiry on madrasas admitting non-Muslim
students: NCPCR
• BJP against Muslim men having multiple wives:
Himanta
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South Asia
• Hard-Line Policies Implemented; 27 Men and Women
Publicly Lashed in Northern Afghanistan
• Facing Intl Condemnation, Islamic Emirate Defends
Sharia Executions
• US Says It Will Intervene If Terrorists Regroup in
Afghanistan
• Republican Senators Remove the Extension of SIV
Program for Afghan War Interpreters
• Taliban welcome maiden India-Central Asia NSA meet
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Arab World
• Saudi Arabia, China Sign Agreements On Hydrogen
Energy, Direct Investment
• Leaders, Delegates Arrive In Riyadh For Gulf, Arab
Summits With China
• Lebanese court sentences ‘Captagon King’ to seven
years in prison with hard labour
• Saudi Arabia, UAE announce successful mediation
efforts in US-Russia prisoner swap
• Chinese, Egyptian leaders discuss bilateral ties,
Middle East
• Yemen, UAE sign military cooperation,
counter-terrorism agreement
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Pakistan
• Leaked Audio Clip Purportedly Has Ex-PM Imran Khan’s
Wife, Bushra Bibi, Discussing Sale Of State Depository Wristwatches
• President Arif Alvi Wants Politicians To ‘Cash In’
On Army’s ‘Apolitical’ Stance
• Anti-Islam forces plotting to weaken Pakistan: Fazl
• US designates 6 Pakistani firms for 'unsafeguarded'
nuclear proliferation
• Ready to revive SAARC process, says PM Shehbaz
• Qatar to invest $3bn in Pakistan: envoy
• Saudi Arabia To Increase Pakistan’s Pilgrims Quote
For Hajj To Almost 180,000
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Mideast
• Iran says five accused over Shiraz shrine attack
face hanging
• New Israeli finance minister brings religion to the
front of economic strategy
• Israeli troops kill three Palestinians in West Bank
• Israel’s incoming PM Netanyahu secures parliament
majority, closer to forming govt
• UN demands immediate halt to death penalty after
Iran's first execution over protests
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Europe
• Bradford West Muslim Students ‘Exhausted All
Avenues’ After Campaigning For A Multi-Faith • Prayer Room For Five Years
• New Zealand's accommodation of Muslim faith in
mosque terror attack case deemed 'ground-breaking'
• Belgian court suspends controversial Iran prisoner
treaty
• France says EU to add new Iran sanctions on human
rights, drone supplies
• Greece continues to violate human rights of Turkish minority,
says Ankara
• Italian police detain 13 far-right suspects in
attack on Moroccan football fans
• Türkiye takes over presidency of Parliamentary
Assembly of the Black Sea
• UK lawmakers urge govt. to explain about-face on
Saudi torture comments
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North America
• US Defence Budget Trims Millions Of Dollars
Benefiting Terrorist Group PKK/YPG
• US sanctions Erdogan associate over ties to Islamic
Revolutionary Guard
• US imposes sanctions on Turkish businessman, citing
links to Iran’s Quds Force
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Africa
• Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Nigeria Holds 68th Islamic
Conference
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Southeast Asia
• DAP Accepts Position Of Islam, Malay Rights, Says
Zahid
• Suicide Bombing In Indonesia: Security Forces
Suspect ISIS Offshoot Behind Attack
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Keralite Football Fan Displays ‘Rebuild Babri Masjid’
Banner At World Cup In Qatar
Sakina Fatima
7th December 2022
Photo: Yasar Moidu/Facebook
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Doha: A banner in support of rebuilding Babri Masjid
was displayed by Keralite football fan at the Lusail Stadium in Al-Wakrah at
World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
On Tuesday’s game between Portugal and Switzerland,
Kerala youth SaifudheenZaif held up a banner that reads “Rebuild Babri Masjid”
and “30 years of injustice” and drawing of mosque structure.
Facebook user Yasar Moidu posted an image of Kerala
youth holding a banner and wrote, “SaifudheenZaif, a friend and movement
colleague.”
Tuesday, December 6, 2022, marked the 30th anniversary
of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh, one of the prominent
and iconic mosques in India.
Thousands of Hindu Kar Sevak toppled the Babri Mosque
in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. They believed it was built by the Mughal
emperor Babar over the ruins of a Hindu temple that marked the birthplace of
Lord Rama, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Since the 1950s, several Hindu and Muslim petitioners
have been contesting the land on which the Babri Masjid was built. In 2019, the
Supreme Court awarded the disputed piece of land. Ram Mandir is currently under
construction there.
With the Supreme Court judgment in 2019 ending the Ram
Janmabhoomi land dispute, people from both communities appear to be yearning
for peace.
Muslims alleged that demolishing the structure was
injustice, and it should be rebuilt so that ‘injustice could be ended’.
Source:Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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First Group Of 62 Rohingya Leaves Bangladesh For
Resettlement In US
Shehab Sumon
December 08, 2022
Bangladesh security personnel stand guard beside
Rohingya refugees rescued from the sea after a Malaysia bound boat sank off the
Bangladesh coast in Teknaf on October 4, 2022. (AFP/File)
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DHAKA: The first group of Rohingya refugees left
Bangladesh for the US on Thursday, in a move seen as paving the way for further
resettlement of members of the persecuted community to third countries.
Although Bangladesh is not a signatory to the 1951 UN
Refugee Convention, it has been hosting and providing humanitarian support to
1.2 million Rohingya Muslims, most of whom fled Rakhine State in neighbouring
Myanmar during a military crackdown in 2017.
A majority live in squalid camps in Cox’s Bazar
district, a coastal region in the country’s southeast and the world’s largest
refugee settlement.
Despite multiple attempts from Bangladesh, a UN-backed
repatriation and resettlement process was failing to take off for the past few
years, and only individual relocations have taken place in extraordinary cases.
At the same time, pressure on the South Asian nation
has been increasing, as hosting the Rohingya refugees costs Bangladesh an
estimated $1.2 billion a year, multiplying the challenges the developing
country battered by the COVID-19 pandemic is already facing.
While the security situation in the military junta-led
Myanmar does not allow for the repatriation to begin, a deal to start the
relocation process was recently reached by Bangladeshi and US authorities.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen told
reporters earlier this week that he had requested the US to receive 100,000
Rohingya, while similar petitions have been made with the government of the UK
and Japan.
“In the first batch, 62 Rohingyas will be taken by the
USA government,” he said. “It’s expected that every year 300 to 800 Rohingyas
will be relocated to the USA.”
So far, 24 refugees have boarded a flight to their new
home.
“As a part of the relocation to the USA, the first
batch of 24 Rohingyas left Bangladesh on Thursday,” Mainul Kabir, director
general of the Myanmar wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed to
Arab News.
“The date of the next batch is yet to be determined as
it involves the other parties also — the US embassy and International
Organization for Migration.”
While the number of resettled refugees is not
significant, it is seen as the first step to formalize their transfer from
Bangladesh to places where they would be granted not only permanent residence,
but also the right to employment and access to formal education.
“Although the number of relocated Rohingyas is very
low, it has a token value. If these Rohingyas can be resettled in any third
country, it’s good. The big thing is that the process began,” Mohammad Nur
Khan, renowned Bangladeshi rights activist and migration expert, told Arab
News.
“We have been talking quite long about the
resettlement of the Rohingyas to third countries. In reality, the situation in
Myanmar doesn’t seem to allow these Rohingyas to be repatriated with dignity
any time soon. In this context, relocation to any third country can be a good
solution, whatever the number is.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2213171/world
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‘From the East to the East’ art exhibition in Riyadh
bridges Arab and Chinese cultures
RAWAN RADWAN
December 09, 2022
An event titled “From the East to the East and the
Selected Exhibition of Famous Arab Artists Visiting China” was held in the
Palace of Culture. (Supplied)
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RIYADH: While bolstering trade ties and strategic
cooperation during President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia and China have also prioritized cross-cultural exchange to help cement
the diplomatic relationship.
On the sidelines of Xi’s visit, an event titled “From
the East to the East and the Selected Exhibition of Famous Arab Artists
Visiting China” was held in the Palace of Culture to showcase the work of Arab
and Chinese artists and musicians.
Sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Culture, the
Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Arab League, in cooperation
with the Saudi Ministry of Information, the event featured a traditional Ardah
performance and a Chinese dance routine.
With the faint sounds of the Chinese musical strings
of the zheng, the Arabic version of the string instrument, the qanun, and the
oud, a trio of Saudi and Chinese performers created a unique fusion of sounds.
Since 2009, more than 170 well-known artists from 21
Arab countries have been invited to visit the People’s Republic by the Ministry
of Culture and Tourism of China. The artists turned what they saw, felt and
thought into more than 500 paintings, sculptures and ceramic works.
The exhibition features 40 of these works by an
assortment of Saudi, Libyan, Algerian, Palestinian, Egypian, Bahraini, Iraqi
and Jordanian artists alongside works by Chinese artist who visited Arab
countries.
It features Chinese paintings of Manama and Amman, and
one of an Egyptian man with a camel, decorated with colorful strings and bells,
against the iconic backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza.
Influences of the ancient Silk Road were also evident
in several of the artworks and large screens covering the walls showing Chinese
and Arabic calligraphy and heritage objects.
The exhibition was organized by Bauhinia Culture
Holdings Limited, executed by China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd.,
supported by the China Artists Association.
A live art show also took place, highlighting the
distinctive architecture of the Great Wall of China and Diriya’sSalwa Palace.
“I found similarities in the way rock and stone was
used here and in my country,” Chinese painter Wang Haikun told Arab News.
“These similarities prompted me to apply it to my side
of the mural as a symbol of our unity.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2213251/saudi-arabia
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Pakistan ‘disappointed’ over inclusion in religious
violators list by US
December 9, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday called Washington’s
decision to designate Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)
“detached from ground realities” and expressed concern over the exclusion of
India from the list.
“I would now like to express Pakistan’s deep concern
and disappointment on the US State Department’s unilateral and arbitrary
designation of Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC),” said
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during the weekly briefing.
The spokesperson highlighted that Pakistan had a
“multi-religious and pluralistic society with a rich tradition of inter-faith
harmony”.
She added that religious freedom and protection of the
rights of minorities are guaranteed in the Constitution and enforced through a
range of legislative, policy, and administrative measures.
“We have also noted with deep concern and
disappointment that India, the biggest violator of religious freedom, has once
again not been included in the State Department’s designation list despite a
clear recommendation by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF),” deplored the spokesperson.
Baloch said that New Delhi’s “conspicuous omission
raises serious questions about the credibility and transparency” of the
process. She added that the “omission” also makes the list a “subjective and
discriminatory exercise”.
The spokesperson reminded Washington that New Delhi’s
treatment of religious minorities has been the “subject of several hearings of
the US Congress and reports of UN high commissioner for human rights, the
special procedure mandate holders of the UN Human Rights Council, and reputed
international NGOs”.
“We have conveyed our concerns to the US government
regarding this designation,” said the spokesperson.
‘Countries of concern’
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
announced that the United States has designated Pakistan, China, Iran and
Russia, among others, as countries of particular concern under the Religious
Freedom Act over severe violations.
Blinken in a statement said those designated as
countries of particular concern — which also include North Korea and Myanmar —
engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.
Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros and
Vietnam were placed on the watch list.
Several groups, including the Kremlin-aligned Wagner
Group, a private paramilitary organisation that is active in Syria, Africa and
Ukraine, were also designated as entities of particular concern. The Wagner
group was designated over its activities in the Central African Republic,
Blinken said.
“Around the world, governments and non-state actors
harass, threaten, jail, and even kill individuals on account of their beliefs,”
Blinken said in the statement.
“The United States will not stand by in the face of
these abuses.”
He added that Washington would welcome the opportunity
to meet with all governments to outline concrete steps for removal from the
lists.
Source: Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Rights group warns of ‘mass executions’ in Iran after
first protester put to death
08 December ,2022
Mohsen Shekari. (Twitter/ @AlinejadMasih)
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There will be “mass executions” of protesters in Iran
if Tehran does not face “serious consequences” for its execution of a
protester, a human rights group warned on Thursday, after the Islamic Republic
carried out its first death penalty over demonstrations sparked by MahsaAmini’s
death.
Mohsen Shekari, who had been convicted of wounding a
member of the security forces and closing off a street in Tehran, was executed
early Thursday, state media reported.
According to state media, Shekari was arrested on
September 25, nine days after Amini’s death which has led to nationwide
protests against the Islamic Republic.
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died
shortly after her arrest by the morality police for allegedly not complying
with the regime’s strict hijab rules.
Since her death, demonstrators have been calling for
the downfall of the regime in a movement that has become one of the boldest
challenges to the Islamic Republic since its establishment in 1979.
Iran Human Rights (IHR), an Oslo-based rights group,
condemned Shekari’s execution and called on the international community to take
“immediate action” to stop the execution of protesters.
“Mohsen Shekari’s execution took place after a hasty,
unfair trial and without a lawyer. The international community must immediately
and strongly react to this execution,” IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam
said in a statement published on the group’s website.
“This crime should have such consequences for the
(Iranain) government that it prevents further executions,” he added.
Amiry-Moghaddam warned: “If the execution of Mohsen
Shekari does not have serious consequences for the government, we will face
mass executions of protesters.”
At least 11 others who were arrested during protests
have been sentenced to death and are “in serious and imminent danger of being
executed,” IHR said.
At least 458 people, including 63 children and 29
women, have been killed by security forces in the protests, according to IHR.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
Khedawala From Cong To Be Lone Muslim MLA After BJP’s
Landslide Win
Dec 09, 2022
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) record win in the
Gujarat assembly elections on Thursday also brought with a sizeable increase in
the party’s tally in seats with sizeable Muslim populations. However, the
number of Muslims in the state assembly dropped from three to one.
The BJP did not field any Muslim candidates and the
opposition Congress fielded six, of whom one, Imran Khedawala (who contested
the Jamalpur-Khadia seat) secured a win.
Muslims constitute about 9-10% of the state’s
population and, according to estimates by political parties, 15 of Gujarat’s
182 constituencies have Muslim populations above 20%.
The BJP grabbed 12 of those seats this year, building
on its 2017 tally of eight.
The Congress, in turn, saw its count in these seats dip
from eight in 2017 to three this year.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded four Muslim
candidates and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) fielded 14,
all of whom lost, but splitting anti-BJP votes in some cases.
For instance, in the Dariapur constituency, the
Congress’ sitting MLA GyasuddinHabibuddeen Sheikh lost to the BJP’s Kaushik
Jain by a margin of about 5,200 votes — around 700 fewer than the combined
ballots won by the AAP’s candidate TajmohammedHabibbhaiKureshi and the AIMIM’s
HasankhanSamsherkhan Pathan in this seat.
The Congress’s Khedawala beat the BJP’s Bhushan Ashok
Bhatt by about 13,658 votes.
Source: Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Gyanvapi Case: Existence of Hindu Deities on Mosque
Walls; Old Vishweshwar Temple Map Placed before Allahabad HC
DECEMBER 08, 2022
An old map of the Vishweshwar temple was presented by
the counsel for the Hindu devotees before the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday
which indicated the places on the outer wall of the Gyanvapi premises where
worship of Hindu deities used to take place.
The bench of Justice JJ Munir is currently seized with
the revision plea filed by the Committee of Management AnjumanIntezamiaMasajid
Varanasi against the order passed by the Varanasi District and Sessions Judge
rejecting its application challenging the maintainability of the suit by the
Hindu women.
Five Hindu women have filed a suit before the local
court at Varanasi where they have alleged that Maa Shringar Gauri, Lord
Ganesha, Lord Hanuman & other visible and invisible deities reside inside
the Gyanvapi Complex, therefore, they should be allowed to perform all rituals
of these deities inside the complex all year long.
Currently, permission is granted to perform the
rituals of Hindu pooja at Gyanvapi only once a year.
However, the Hindu devotees have claimed that Hindu
deities were regularly worshipped at their respective places at Gyanvapi till
1993, but later this practice was stopped by an order issued by the state
government.
The Hindu women’s claim is being contested by the
Committee of Management AnjumanIntezamiaMasajid Varanasi which manages the
affairs of Gyanvapi mosque and the Waqf Board.
The present reivision plea has been filed by the
mosque management committee challenging the order dated September 12, 2022
passed by Dr. A.K. Vishvesha, District and Sessions Judge, Varanasi, who
rejected its application filed under Order 7 Rule 11 of the Code of Civil
Procedure questioning the maintainability of the suit by the Hindu women.
After conclusion of Wednesday’s arguments, the high
court posted the matter for today (December 8) to continue the hearing in the
matter.
To be noted, another single judge bench of the high
court has reserved the judgment in the five petitions that had been clubbed
together pertaining to the land dispute at Gyanvapi. The issue in the petitions
mainly concerns a survey of the Gyanvapi complex by the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI).
Source:News18
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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MCD polls: Delhi’s 15 Muslim councillors split between
AAP, Congress
Dec 08, 2022
Among the 250 newly elected councillors in the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), 15 are Muslims, seven of whom are from
the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and seven from the Congress while one is an
independent councillor from Seelampur.
In the 2012 MCD polls there were 15 Muslim winners
while in the 2017 MCD polls there were 15 Muslim winners as well (4 in EDMC, 4
in SDMC and 7 in NDMC).
Five of the seven wards that AAP has won are from the
walled city -- Mohammad Sadik won from Ballimaran, Shamim Bano from Quresh
Nagar, Aley Mohammad Iqbal from Chandni Mahal, RafiaMahir from Sitaram Bazaar,
and Sultana Abad from Zama Masjid ward. Intrestingly, while the AAP performed
well in walled city it did not get expected votes in North East Delhi which has
a seizable Muslim population and was affected by the communal riots. Only
Mohammad Amil Mallik from Sri Ram Colony won from the riot hit areas.
In Okhla assembly constituency, which is governed by
the AAP’s Amanatullah Khan, Delhi’s ruling party could not win any of the two
Muslim-dominated wards. Congress won the two wards - NaziaDanis won Zakir Nagar
while Ariba Khan won from Abu Fazal Enclave. Congress candidate Nazia Khatoon
won from Brij Puri, Sabila Begum from Mustafabad, Zarif from Kabir Nagar,
Shagufta Chaudhary Zubair from Chauhan Bangar and Samir Ahmed from Shastri Park
ward.
Out of the six wards falling under riot-hit areas in
north east Delhi which AAP had won in 2017 have slipped out of the AAP’s
control. AAP has lost five of the six wards to the BJP and one among it to the
Congress (Chauhan Bangar, Shubhash Mohalla, Nehru Vihar, Satadpur (earlier
Khajuri Khas), Kardampuri and Nehru Vihar)
The outcome from the Muslim areas throws up a complex
picture -- in some Muslim pockets AAP got good support while in others it could
not. It suggests that multiple factors were at play including the popularity of
the party candidate, and that the people were not happy with the performance of
sitting councillors.
Muslim voters in the Abul Fazal ward in Okhla
constituency seem to have reverted back to the Congress. Congress candidate
Ariba Khan, daughter of former Congress MLA Asif Khan, won the seat with a
margin of 1479 votes over AAP candidate and former councillor Wajid Khan.
Locals in the area said that the residents were disappointed by Khan, who had
failed to resolve the deteoriating sanitation problem in the area. In addition
to local civic issues, there was a sentiment among the many voteers that AAP’s
was increaingly propagating Hindutva’s idealogy.
Tanvir Aeijaz, associate professor of Political
Science at Ramjas College, said: “AAP soft hindutva is not a reflection on the
party but on the civil society. It’s turn to soft hindutva is recent. AAP
definitely has taken a large electoral base of Congress and has also cut into
BJP’s constituency. AAPs welfare subsidies, particularly schools and mohalla
clinic, cuts across religious lines and it is that which has made a huge
difference. Muslims immediately affected by violence and exclusion, as is the
case of North East and Okhla, voted for congress but as a voting strategy it
wasn’t a pragmatic move. All parties are playing competitive communalism game
and AAP is seen as the weakest in this game. AAPs strength lies in its ability
to articulate the welfare subsidies and convert it into potential votes.”
Shahid Ali, a Shaheen Bagh resident, said that Khan
had not worked for the area. “In the past few years, major stretches in the
area have become garbage dumping sites. Earlier, the situation was not so bad.
Asif Mohammad Khan has worked in the area due to which people gave a chance to
his daughter,” said Ali. He added that some residents were of the view that the
party was similar to BJP. “Some people feel that AAP is the B team of the
Congress. However, I am of the view that had the councillor worked for the
area, he would have secured a win,” said Ali.
Source: Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Conduct inquiry on madrasas admitting non-Muslim
students: NCPCR
9th December 2022
New Delhi: The National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the chief secretaries of all states and
union territories and directed them to conduct a detailed inquiry of all
recognized madrasas admitting non-Muslim children.
The NCPCR also recommended the Chief Secretaries to
admit all non-Muslim students in the said Madrasas to formal schools subsequent
to the inquiry besides the mapping of all unmapped madrasas.
The letter undersigned by Chairperson-NCPCR Priyank
Kanoongo on Thursday said based on various complaints received, “…it is noted
that children belonging to Non-Muslim community are attending Government
funded/ Recognised Madrasas.”
Madrasas, as institutions, are primarily responsible
for imparting religious education to children. They are of three types
“Recognised Madrasas”, “Unrecognised Madrasas” and “Unmapped Madrasas”.
The Commissions letter said: “However, it is also learnt
that those Madrasas which are funded by the Government or recognised by the
Government are imparting both religious and to some extent formal education to
children.”
Further, it is also learnt by the Commission that some
State/UT Government/s are providing them with scholarships too.
“This is a clear-cut violation and contravention of
Article 28(3) of the Constitution of India which prohibits educational
institutions from obligating children to take part in any religious
instruction, without the consent of parent.
“It is pertinent to mention that the Constitution of
India makes it an obligation of the State to provide free and compulsory
education to all children without any discrimination or prejudice and ensure
that children go to neighborhood schools for availing formal education as per
Section 6 of the RTE Act, 2009.”
The statutory body constituted under a Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, aimed at protecting child rights,
said: “Conduct a detailed inquiry of all Government Funded/Recognized Madrasas
who are admitting Non- Muslim children in your State/UT.
“The inquiry should include physical verification of
children attending such Madrasas.
“Subsequent to the inquiry, admit all such children in
schools for availing formal education.
It also ordered undertaking of “Mapping of all
Unmapped Madrasas in your State/UT and admit any/all children into Schools for
availing formal education with immediate effect.”
The Action Taken Report by the states and UTs were to
be shared with the Commission within 30 days from December 8, 2022.
The NCPCR letter referred to the Constitution
(Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 wherein Article 21- A, mentions providing of
free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen
years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law,
determine.
Source:Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/conduct-inquiry-on-madrasas-admitting-non-muslim-students-ncpcr-2475686/
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BJP against Muslim men having multiple wives: Himanta
8th December 2022
Morigaon: Assam Chief Minister HimantaBiswaSarma on
Thursday said his party was against men from the Muslim community having
multiple wives.
Launching a scathing attack on Lok Sabha MP Badruddin
Ajmal, Sarma said women can give birth to “20-25 children” as per the AIUDF
chief’s reported advice but all their future expenses on food, clothes and
education will have to be borne by the opposition leader.
“There cannot be any right to a man living in
independent India to marry three-four women (without divorcing the previous
spouse). We want to change such a system. We will have to work to give justice
to Muslim women,” the chief minister said at an official function here.
“We want ‘sabkasaathsabkavikas’. If there are doctors
from Assamese Hindu families, there should be doctors from Muslim families as
well. Many MLAs don’t give such advice because they need the votes of ‘Pomuwa’
Muslims,” Sarma said.
Bengali-speaking Muslims originating from East Bengal
or present-day Bangladesh are colloquially called ‘Pomuwa Muslims’ in Assam.
Speaking about Ajmal’s controversial comments on
women, the chief minister said, “In Assam, we have some leaders like Badruddin
Ajmal. They say women must give birth to children as soon as possible because
that is a fertile land.”
A woman’s childbirth process cannot be compared with a
field, he added.
“I have repeatedly said that our women can give birth
to 20-25 children, but their food, clothes, education and all other expenses
will have to be borne by Ajmal. Then, we don’t have any problem,” Sarma said.
If the perfume baron-turned-Lok Sabha MP does not give
the expenses of the children, then nobody has the right to lecture on
childbirth, he added.
Sarma further said that a family should give birth to
only those many children whom they can provide food, clothes and education to
make them better human beings.
“Our government’s policy is clear. We work for the
indigenous people, but we want progress for all. We don’t want the students of
Muslims, especially the ‘Pomuwa’ Muslims, to study in madrassas and become
‘Jonab’ and ‘Imam’,” he added.
The BJP-led government wants all Muslim children to
get admitted to general schools and colleges to become doctors and engineers.
Ajmal, in an interview with a media house on December
2, had commented on women and Hindu men as well as Sarma, purportedly as a
response to the chief minister’s remarks on ‘Love Jihad’.
The Dhubri MP, who is revered as a ‘Maulana’,
reportedly advised Hindus to marry young to produce more children like Muslims.
As the comments led to a backlash, the MP apologised
the next day and said he was “ashamed” of the controversy it stoked. He,
however, maintained that his comments were twisted and he had not targeted any
community.
Referring to the arrest of some terror elements with
links to a madrassa in the district, the chief minister said, “I am very
concerned about Al-Qaeda links to a madrassa in Morigaon. We can’t transform
the district into a base for Al-Qaeda.
Source:Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.siasat.com/bjp-against-muslim-men-having-multiple-wives-himanta-2475250/
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South Asia
Hard-Line Policies Implemented; 27 Men and Women
Publicly Lashed in Northern Afghanistan
By SaqalainEqbal
December 8, 2022
Local authorities in the Parwan province of northern
Afghanistan reportedly said that 27 people—men and women—were publicly lashed
on Thursday for crimes such as alleged adultery, theft, drug use, and other
offenses.
Abdul Rahim Rashid, an official of the Supreme Court,
told the Associated Press that 18 men and 9 women were sentenced to between 25
and 39 lashes for their crimes after being found guilty by three courts in each
case.
He said that a certain number of those penalized in
Charikar, the provincial capital of Parwan, also received two-year
imprisonment.
The punishments highlight the determination of the new
rulers of Afghanistan to cling to their version of Sharia law and to the
hard-line measures they have undertaken since taking power in August 2021.
According to the court statement, provincial officials
and local residents were present for the public whippings, during which
officials stressed the value of adopting Sharia rule in society.
The public whippings on Thursday occurred a day after
a man convicted of killing another was publicly executed, marking the first
confirmed execution since the incumbent ruling body took control.
Source: Khaama Press
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Facing Intl Condemnation, Islamic Emirate Defends Sharia
Executions
December 8, 2022
Following widespread reactions over a recent
execution, the Islamic Emirate said that the execution of guilty people is a
divine command and that no one should be concerned about it.
A spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Bilal Karimi,
said that the execution, which happened on Wednesday in the western province of
Farah, was carried out after many investigations and assessments.
“The execution yesterday took place after many
investigations, which were aligned with Islamic (law). All sides should not
have any concern in this regard and should respect it,” said Bilal Karimi,
deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
“The supreme leader spoke and said we have struggled
this much and fought for 20 years with the pagans to ensure an Islamic system
and that now that God has given it to us, (God) means for us to ensure his
divine commands,” said Mohammad Ismail Rahmani, a senior member of the Islamic
Emirate.
The public execution of a man charged with murder and
sentenced to death by the Supreme Court faced widespread reactions by human
rights organizations and other countries.
“The UN strongly opposes the death penalty in all
circumstances, and calls on de facto authorities to establish immediate
moratorium with a view to abolishing the death penalty,” the UN Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Twitter.
“The implementation of (Hudud) is a Sharia command and
its implementation is a must, but only if the situation warrants it,” said Aziz
Maarij, a former diplomat.
This comes as Afghanistan's supreme court in a
statement issued on Thursday said 27 people--18 males and 9 females--were
punished by court order in Parwan.
The flogging was in public, sources said.
“Some of them were involved in depravity, running away
from home, or being in (illegal) relationships, and some of them were involved
in robbery,” said Obaidullah Ameenzada, governor of Parwan.
Source: ToloNews
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-181095
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US Says It Will Intervene If Terrorists Regroup in
Afghanistan
By SaqalainEqbal
December 8, 2022
The US State Department expressed concerns that
Afghanistan would once again become a haven for terrorists while simultaneously
warning that it would intervene and take action if terrorists regrouped in
Afghanistan.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, December 7, the
US Department of State spokesperson, Ned Price, reiterated US President Joe
Biden’s pledge to take action in the event of terrorists reassembling in
Afghanistan.
The statement was made on Wednesday in response to a
question regarding the escalation in violence in Afghanistan and the
government’s failure to stop offering “safe havens” to terrorist organizations,
such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and
others.
The US’s overarching objective, according to Price, is
to prevent terrorists and others from using Afghanistan as a “launchpad for
attacks on Pakistan,” and the authorities in Afghanistan have been “either
unable or unwilling to live up to the commitments.”
In terms of regional counterterrorism, Price said that
the US also possesses capabilities that do not make it totally dependent on the
authorities in Afghanistan, referring to the US assassination of Ayman
Al-Zawahiri, the Al-Qaeda chief in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
Price referred to Pakistan as an important partner of
the US in the region and indicated that the US appreciates its relations with
Pakistan when he said, “We are committed to working with partners in the
region” to tackle the problems posed by terrorists.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/us-says-it-will-intervene-if-terrorists-regroup-in-afghanistan-36546/
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Republican Senators Remove the Extension of SIV
Program for Afghan War Interpreters
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
December 9, 2022
The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) a pathway through
which thousands of Afghan translators who worked with the U.S. forces during
the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, resettled in the U.S. is coming to end.
Following the removal of the Special Immigration Visa
extension from the Senate version of the defence spending bill, the Democrats,
veterans, and advocacy groups criticized the republican lawmakers for the
decision.
“The National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) fails
our Afghan allied, today. The Senate removed a provision to extend the Afghan
SIV program as well as bipartisan protection of our wounded Afghan allies.
American veterans will not stand for the abandonment of our partners,” tweeted
No One Left Behind, an advocacy group helping Afghan SIVs to get out of
Afghanistan and reach the United States.
Thousands of SIV-eligible applicants who are waiting
for their cases to be processed are hiding or living in fear in Afghanistan or
moved to Pakistan. The latest decision taken to remove the extension of the
Afghan SIV program beyond 2023 will negatively affect the lives of Afghan
interpreters and their families living in complete ambiguity and desperation.
In May last year, three months before the overthrow of
the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, the SIV program had some bipartisan
support. A letter from 20 senators including seven Republicans called to the
Biden administration for support and to maintain the integrity of the program.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/republican-senators-remove-the-extension-of-siv-program-for-war-interpreters/
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Taliban welcome maiden India-Central Asia NSA meet
Dec 09, 2022
The Taliban have welcomed India’s initiative to hold a
meeting of the National Security Advisors of Central Asian countries held
recently. It also said it would not allow its territory to be used for any
agency or powers to interfere in other nation’s internal affairs
A statement by the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”
welcomed the move aimed at building better coordination for the security of the
region. It also supported the joint communique issued expressing support for a
stable, peaceful, integrated and secure Afghanistan.
Source: TribuneIndia
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https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/taliban-welcome-maiden-india-central-asia-nsa-meet-459096
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Arab World
Saudi
Arabia, China sign agreements on hydrogen energy, direct investment
08
December ,2022
Saudi
Arabia and China have signed several memorandums of understanding including on
hydrogen energy and encouragement of direct investment during Xi Jinping’s
visit to the Kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on
Thursday.
Earlier
on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Xi, who
arrived on Riyadh on Wednesday, at al-Yamamah Palace where they discussed
recent regional and international developments as well joint efforts to
strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
After
their meeting, which was also attended by Saudi and Chinese officials, the
Crown Prince and Xi witnessed signing several agreements and MoUs.
The
agreements signed include a plan to harmonize between the Kingdom’s Vision 2030
and China’s Road and Belt Initiative and an agreement on judicial cooperation
in civil, commercial and
personal
status matters.
The
two countries also signed a memorandum of cooperation to teach the Chinese
language.
Separately
on Thursday, Bloomberg reported that an agreement has also been signed with
China’s Huawei on cloud computing and high speed internet complexes in Saudi
Arabia, and another to build an aluminum plant signed between the Saudi investment
ministry and Shandong Innovation Group.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Leaders,
delegates arrive in Riyadh for Gulf, Arab summits with China
08
December ,2022
Arab
Leaders arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to participate in the China-Gulf
and China-Arab summits, Al Arabiya reported.
Kuwait’s
Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Sudan’s Sovereign Council head
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Iraqi Prime
Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani arrived in Riyadh to attend the summits which
will be held during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the Kingdom.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Lebanese
court sentences ‘Captagon King’ to seven years in prison with hard labour
09
December ,2022
A
Lebanese court handed a man known as the “Captagon King” a seven-year sentence
with hard labor Thursday for producing and trafficking the illegal drug, a
judicial source told AFP.
This
is the first time a major drug baron is convicted in a captagon case in
Lebanon.
Hassan
Dekko, a Lebanese-Syrian drug kingpin with high-level political connections in
both countries, is accused of once running an empire out of a Lebanese border
village in the notoriously lawless Bekaa region.
But
Lebanese security forces arrested him in April last year after several major captagon
hauls.
“Dekko
was handed seven years of hard labor and convicted of manufacturing captagon
pills, and smuggling them abroad,” said the judicial source.
The
Beirut court that issued the verdict is not taking part in a nationwide judges’
strike that has paralyzed the judiciary since August.
Most
of global captagon production originates in Syria, spurring an illegal $10
billion industry, according to estimates drawn from official data by AFP,
making the drug the country’s largest export by far.
In
court documents obtained by AFP, Dekko denied any involvement in drug
trafficking, claiming he worked with the Syrian military.
But
Lebanese security sources claim that some of the businesses he owns, including
a pesticide factory in Jordan, a car dealership in Syria and a fleet of tanker
trucks, are common covers for drug lords.
The
court found that Dekko was in contact with drug smugglers in Syria and that he
asked one of the defendants in the same case to purchase materials used to
produce captagon pills.
Dekko
previously worked with police intelligence in Lebanon, the court found, leaking
information about some captagon shipments smuggled abroad.
But
the investigation showed he purposefully failed to inform them about other
shipments, the source said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Saudi
Arabia, UAE announce successful mediation efforts in US-Russia prisoner swap
08
December ,2022
Saudi
Arabia and the UAE said their joint mediation efforts helped lead to a
successful prisoner exchange between the US and Russia on Thursday.
“The
[two countries] said the success of the mediation efforts was a reflection of
the mutual and solid friendship between their two countries and the United
States of America and the Russian Federation,” a joint Saudi-UAE statement
read. “They also highlighted the important role played by the leaderships of
the two brotherly countries in promoting dialogue between all parties.”
According
to the statement, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed led the mediation efforts.
The
US and Russia finalized a prisoner swap on Thursday, according to officials, in
a deal that freed American basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious
Russian arms dealer Victor Bout.
The
exchange occurred in Abu Dhabi in the presence of “specialists” from the UAE
and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi
Arabia and the UAE thanked the governments of the US and Russia for their
cooperation and response to the mediation efforts by the leadership of the two
countries.
This
is the second time Saudi Arabia has mediated the release of prisoners this
year.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Chinese,
Egyptian leaders discuss bilateral ties, Middle East
İbrahim
Khazen, Ali Semerci
09.12.2022
The
presidents of China and Egypt discussed bilateral relations and developments in
the Middle East on Thursday, according to a statement from the Egyptian
presidency.
Chinese
President Xi Jinping met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in the
Saudi capital Riyadh.
During
the meeting, El-Sisi said Egypt is looking forward to increasing the flow of
Chinese tourists to Egypt and is encouraging Chinese companies to maximize
their investments in the country, the statement said.
El-Sisi
also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and discussed the
importance of implementing joint projects between Egypt and Iraq.
The
Egyptian president expressed his country’s keenness to provide full support for
the Iraqi people at all levels to overcome all difficulties, especially in the
fight against terrorism and restoring security and stability.
On
Wednesday evening, Xi arrived in Saudi Arabia on a three-day official visit to
attend the first China-Arab Summit and China-Gulf Summit in Riyadh as well as
to hold talks with Saudi officials.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Yemen,
UAE sign military cooperation, counter-terrorism agreement
Aziz
Ahmadi, SafiyeKarabacak
08.12.2022
ADEN,
Yemen
Yemen
and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) inked a cooperation deal Thursday concerning
military, security and counter-terrorism, according to media reports.
The
deal was signed during a meeting between Yemeni Defense Minister Mohsen
al-Dairi and UAE’s Justice Minister Abdullah Al Nuaimi in Abu Dhabi, state news
agency Saba reported.
The
agreement is part of efforts to improve military and security coordination
between the two countries and it responds to a desire for cooperation that will
serve the interests of the peoples of Yemen and the UAE, said Saba.
Al-Dairi
arrived in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 26 to hold talks about the Houthis' efforts to
escalate tensions.
Yemen’s
civil war began in September 2014 when Houthi rebels captured much of the
country, including the capital, Sanaa. A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia
entered the war in early 2015 to restore the government to power.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Pakistan
Leaked
Audio Clip Purportedly Has Ex-PM Imran Khan’s Wife, Bushra Bibi, Discussing
Sale Of State Depository Wristwatches
Dec
9, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A new audio clip, purportedly containing the voice of Pakistan ex-PM Imran
Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was leaked on Thursday in which she is allegedly
heard asking a senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf official, Zulfi Bukhari, to
sell her husband’s wristwatches.
The
21-second audio clip revived the controversy related to Imran Khan selling off
his “Toshakhana (state depository)” gifts.
In
the latest audio, Bibi allegedly asked Bukhari to sell some of the watches the
PTI chairman possesses. “There are some watches of Khan Sahib who wants them to
be delivered to you (Zulfi Bukhari) so you could sell them. These watches are
not in his use so he wants them to be sold off,” Bushra Bibi purportedly tells
Bukhari.
In
response, Bukhari assures Khan’s wife that the job will be done. The
conversation ends with Zulfi saying, “Sure, Murshid (spiritual guru). I will do
it.”
Bukhari
later reacted strongly to the purported audio, saying that he had neither sold
nor bought a watch and demanded that the audio clip be subjected to a forensic
audit. “I am ready to pay for it (audit),” he added.
Last
August, a reference was filed against the PTI chief in the Election Commission
of Pakistan (ECP) by the incumbent coalition government for “not sharing
details” of toshakhana gifts and proceeds from their alleged sale.
In
a written reply submitted to the ECP on September 8, Imran had admitted selling
at least four presents he had received during his tenure as PM. In his reply,
Imran had maintained that he had sold the gifts that he had procured from the
state treasury after paying Rs 21.56 million (Pakistani rupees). The gifts
included a Master Graff wristwatch, a pair of cufflinks, an expensive pen, a
diamond ring and four Rolex watches. A month later, the electoral watchdog had
disqualified Khan as a lawmaker after finding his statement and declaration,
submitted annually to the electoral body, to be false and incorrect.
Source:
Times Of India
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President
ArifAlvi wants politicians to ‘cash in’ on army’s ‘apolitical’ stance
December
9, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
President ArifAlvi on Thursday urged politicians to “grab the opportunity”
resulting from the military’s planned retreat from politics and work
together to strengthen democracy.
The
president was speaking at the concluding session of ‘Islamabad Conclave-2022’
organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, a think tank
based in the capital.
“The
army has publicly committed to stay out of politics. It’s now for the
politicians to grab this opportunity with a sense of responsibility,” he said.
The
president was referring to a statement by former army chief retired Gen Qamar
JavedBajwa that the military has decided to remain ‘apolitical’ after
admitting the army’s “unconstitutional” meddling in the politics for almost
seven decades.
Urges
nation to ‘modify’ behaviour to save water; calls for modernising agriculture
sector
In
the context of intense political polarisation, President Alvi said politicians
should talk and discuss all contentious matters.
“There
is nothing which cannot be talked about,” he said while pleading with the
political parties to “take the country out of crises and polarisation.”
On
foreign relations, he underscored the need for engagement and said it was also
important from the security perspective.
“Democracy,
defence, information and communication, security, and economic independence
were essential elements for comprehensive security,” he added.
He
also regretted that debates on national issues, including health, economy,
communication or development are held from “an elitist perspective”.
‘Irresponsible
behaviour’
Separately,
addressing ‘Sustainable Development Conference’ organised by Sustainable
Development Policy Institute (SDPI), an Islamabad-based think tank, the
president advised the nation to conserve water, energy, and other natural
resources.
“We
must realise that our actions and irresponsible behaviour are the reason behind
global warming,’’ the president said, adding that the rectification of such
behaviour was needed to conserve depleting natural resources.
President
Alvi also emphasised the modernisation of agriculture sector to make it more
sustainable and productive.
Our
agriculture practices have a high carbon footprint and the use of AI and modern
technologies can improve yield, develop pest and climate resistance and lead
to resource efficiency, he added.
The
president said food scarcity can be countered by adopting AI and other modern
technologies. He also quoted the example of the Netherlands, which, he said,
was “19 times smaller than Pakistan” but due to the effective use of AI, the
Internet of Things for crop and water management, it was the second largest
food exporter in the world.
Source:
Dawn
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Anti-Islam
forces plotting to weaken Pakistan: Fazl
Saleem
Shahid
December
9, 2022
QUETTA:
The chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has said
that international anti-Islam forces are hatching conspiracies to politically
and economically destabilise Pakistan.
The
agents of these forces, he said, were making efforts to weaken parliament,
political parties and the Constitution.
Addressing
a JUI-F convention at Ayub Stadium on Thursday, Maulana Fazl pledged that his
party would foil all such plots with the help of people and political forces. A
large number of party workers and supporters attended the convention.
The
JUI-F leader said the ‘failed foreign policy’ of the PTI government had
isolated Pakistan and the country lost the trust of its friendly countries,
particularly Saudi Arabia.
Maulana
Fazl said that since it gained power at the Centre in April, the coalition
government of PDM was making all-out efforts to restore the confidence of all
friendly countries.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1725431/anti-islam-forces-plotting-to-weaken-pakistan-fazl
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US
designates 6 Pakistani firms for 'unsafeguarded' nuclear proliferation
Dec
9, 2022
WASHINGTON:
The United States has placed six Pakistani companies on its entity list for
missile proliferation and unsafe-guarded nuclear activity.
These
companies were part of two dozen entities from countries like Russia, Switzerland,
Latvia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, that were added to the Entity List of
the US Commerce Department.
"Today,
the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a rule
that adds 24 new entities to the Entity List under 26 entries, applying
stringent license requirements that will severely restrict these entities'
access to commodities, software, and technologies subject to the Export
Administration Regulations (EAR). These entities are added under the
destinations of Russia, Switzerland, Latvia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates
(U.A.E.)," the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security
(BIS) said in a press release.
Six
Pakistan-based companies which are designed are Dynamic Engineering
Corperation, Rainbow Solutions (Pakistan), Universal Drilling Engineers
(Pakistan), EnerQuip Private, Ltd. (Pakistan), NAR Technologies General Trading
LLC (Pakistan and UAE) and TROJANS (Pakistan and UAE).
These
companies were added to the entity list for "unsafeguarded nuclear activity
and missile proliferation related activities."
"For
the unacceptable risk of using or diverting items subject to the EAR for
Pakistan's unsafeguarded nuclear activities, Dynamic Engineering Corperation
has been added to the Entity List," BIS said in the statement.
"Five
companies are being added to the Entity List for their contributions to
unsafeguarded nuclear activity and missile proliferation related activities
that are contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the
United States," the statement added.
US
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Rozman Kendler
said advancements in missile and nuclear technology must be vigorously
protected from those who seek to cause harm and destruction at a global scale.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Ready
to revive Saarc process, says PM Shehbaz
Baqir
Sajjad Syed
December
9, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reiterated Pakistan’s desire for
revitalisation of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) and
signalled its readiness to contribute to the revival of the seemingly dead
eight-member regional bloc.
In
a tweet he posted to mark the Saarc Charter Day, PM Sharif reminded that the
people of South Asia had suffered because of “missed opportunities” for
regional development, connectivity and cooperation.
Pakistan
is “ready to play its part for revival of Saarc”, he said.
Saarc
has been in a state of limbo for the past six years as India has been blocking
the hosting of its summit by Pakistan.
Pakistan
was to host the 19th summit in November 2016, but India, supported by its
regional allies Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan, forced its postponement.
The
last summit was held in Nepal in 2014.
Meanwhile,
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at the weekly media briefing
reminded about “undeniable proof” of Indian involvement in terrorism in
Pakistan and called on the international community to take notice of it.
She
made the comment in the context of the first-ever India-Central Asia National
Security Advisors’ meeting in New Delhi, which focused on counterterrorism
cooperation.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1725409/ready-to-revive-saarc-process-says-pm-shehbaz
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Qatar
to invest $3bn in Pakistan: envoy
Jamal
Shahid
December
9, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Ambassador of the state of Qatar Sheikh Saoud Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Wednesday
said an investment worth $3 billion would be made in Pakistan.
“During
the recent visit of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to Doha, Qatar has announced
to make an investment in Pakistan worth $3 billion. The Amir of Qatar has
stressed the importance of the brotherly and strategic relations between the
two countries and their aspiration to enhance economic partnership by raising
trade exchange and promoting investments through the Qatar Investment
Authority,” said the ambassador during the celebration of the National Day of
Qatar here.
The
ambassador said Qatar National Day was a great occasion when the people of
Qatar showed cohesion, solidarity and unity in meanings of love for homeland,
loyalty to ancestors and fathers and their unforgettable sacrifices.
“It
is the day of pride of the wise leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad Al Thani, the leader of the process of achievement, development, and
promising future,” he said.
“The
celebration of Qatar National Day is particularly important this year as it
coincides with Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“Both
events are an opportunity for the people of Qatar to show their unity and
culture to the world. During this period, visitors to Qatar will learn about
the bright aspects of our history and culture and our belief in civilised
interaction with other cultures, and our respect and pride in our Arab and
Islamic values.”
About
relations with Pakistan, he said the state of Qatar and Pakistan shared unique
historical ties and enjoyed strong cooperative relations based on solid
foundations.
“Our
relation has seen remarkable development in the recent years in all fields. We
have doubled the number of Pakistanis working in Qatar as the country is now
home to about 210,000 Pakistanis. They are participating in the development of
Qatar and we appreciate their role in this regard,” he said.
Announcing
that the government of Qatar had decided to enhance the number of Pakistanis
working in Qatar gradually, Sheikh Abdulrahman said Qatar’s global education
foundation, Education Above All (EAA), had partnered with the Asia Development
Bank to enroll 960,000 of Pakistan’s poorest out of school children in primary
education over the next four years.
The
new partnership was part of a concerted effort to bring the country’s most
marginalised children into primary level education.
“It
is worth mentioning that EAA has already contributed to the education of about
1.3 million out of school children in Pakistan through various projects
implemented since 2012 in cooperation with different partners and the total
amount of support to education through the educate a child programme was $124
million. Qatar is also supporting Pakistan’s national programme to eradicate
polio,” the ambassador said.
Besides
assistance during the pandemic, Qatar was among the countries which immediately
responded to Pakistan’s call for help two months ago when floods hit the
country and sent medical and humanitarian assistance through C-17 aircraft.
Qatar’s teams of medics and rescuers also remained busy in the flood-hit areas,
he said.
In
February 2021, Qatar Petroleum entered into a new long-term sale and purchase
agreement (SPA) with Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for the supply of up to three
million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Pakistan.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1725348/qatar-to-invest-3bn-in-pakistan-envoy
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Saudi
Arabia to increase Pakistan’s pilgrims quote for Hajj to almost 180,000
December
8, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Saudi Arabia would increase Pakistan’s quota of pilgrims for next year’s Hajj
pilgrimage to almost 180,000 as the kingdom seeks to revive the old Hajj quota
of countries around the world to pre-pandemic levels, a senior official of
Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry confirmed.
At
the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Hajj was restricted to just
1,000 local residents. Last year, the kingdom limited the pilgrimage to 60,000
domestic participants, compared with the pre-coronavirus pandemic figure of 2.5
million.
For
this year’s Hajj, Saudi Arabia allowed 1 million people from both within and
outside the kingdom to perform the pilgrimage. These included 83,132 Pakistani
pilgrims.
“Pakistan
received a “verbal intimation” last week from a Saudi delegation, in a virtual
meeting, that Pakistan’s quota for Hajj pilgrims would be increased,” Secretary
Ministry of Religious Affairs, Aftab Akbar Durrani, was quoted by Arab News on
Thursday.
The
Saudi delegation was led by Dr. Abdulfattah bin SulaimanMashat, Saudi deputy
minister for Hajj and Umrah.
“They
[Saudi officials] have informed us that they are reviving the old Hajj quota
for the whole world including Pakistan,” Durrani said.
After
the revival of the pre-coronavirus Hajj quota, over 179,210 Pakistanis would be
able to perform the pilgrimage next year, he said. However, Durrani added, that
Pakistan is yet to receive written confirmation from the Saudi authorities.
“The
written agreement will be signed in this regard with the Saudi government
during a Hajj conference which is taking place next month on January 9 in
Jeddah,” Durrani said.
Durrani
added that either Pakistan’s religious affairs minister or he would represent
Pakistan at the conference where all Hajj-related details would be finalized
with the kingdom’s officials.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran
says five accused over Shiraz shrine attack face hanging
08
December ,2022
Iran’s
judiciary said Thursday five people faced the death penalty over an October
attack that killed at least 13 people at a Shia shrine in the southern city of
Shiraz.
The
five were charged with “corruption on earth,” a capital offence in Iran, for
the attack on the Shah Cheragh mausoleum on October 26, said the judiciary’s
Mizan Online website.
Kazem
Moussavi, the judiciary chief in Shiraz’s Fars province, said the case was
expedited “in the shortest possible time,” according to Mizan.
The
accused were also charged with membership of ISIS and “conspiracy against the
security of the country,” Moussavi said.
If
found guilty the defendants could appeal to Iran’s supreme court, he added.
The
ISIS-claimed attack came more than a month after protests erupted across Iran
over the death in custody of a young Iranian Kurdish woman.
MahsaAmini,
22, died after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating
the country’s dress code for women.
One
of the attack perpetrators, identified by media in Iran as Hamed Badakhshan,
died of injuries sustained during his arrest, according to authorities.
The
Islamic Republic last month said 26 “takfiri terrorists” from Afghanistan,
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan had been arrested in connection to the attack.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
New
Israeli finance minister brings religion to the front of economic strategy
08
December ,2022
Israel’s
incoming finance minister said his economic strategy will be infused with
religious beliefs laid out in the Torah, saying it will help the country
prosper.
Bezalel
Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, said that as finance
minister he will delve deep into the inner workings of the economy, but, taking
a step back, the Torah - the first five books of the Hebrew Bible - tells that
obeying God brings prosperity.
Smotrich
was tapped by prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu to serve as finance
minister for two years. He will then be replaced by Aryeh Deri, who heads an
ultra-Orthodox party.
Netanyahu
on Thursday secured a parliamentary majority following a November 1 election
win, but has still to finalize the coalition agreements. Until he does, a
caretaker government remains in office.
Smotrich
is more known for his hardline politics than his economic views, which,
according to his party’s platform, are fiscally conservative.
He
spoke about his approach in an interview with an ultra-Orthodox magazine,
Mishpacha. Excerpts of the interview were broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12.
“They
tried many economic theories, right? They tried capitalism, they tried
socialism. There is one thing they didn’t try: ‘if you obey’,” Smotrich said,
referring to Jewish scripture that calls on people to follow God’s will.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israeli
troops kill three Palestinians in West Bank
December
9, 2022
JENIN:
Israeli troops killed three Palestinians on Thursday in their latest deadly
raid on the flashpoint city of Jenin, Palestinian health officials said, as
violence surges in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli
forces said no troops were hurt in an exchange of fire in Jenin, during one of
scores of near-daily raids it has carried out in recent months following a
series of deadly attacks on Israelis.
The
Palestinian health ministry said three people were killed “by bullets from the
Israeli occupation during its aggression in Jenin at dawn today”. The Israeli
military said troops entered Jenin to detain people “suspected of involvement
in terrorist activity”.
“The
soldiers operated while being targeted with direct fire and responded with live
fire,” the army said in a statement.
Mahmud
al-Saadi, head of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jenin, said an ambulance crew
came under fire “from a building where Israeli snipers were present” while it
was evacuating a wounded person. The Israeli military said it was “not aware”
of such allegations. The Islamic Jihad militant group said its fighters engaged
in “fierce clashes” with Israeli forces in Jenin.
Jenin’s
Ibn Sina hospital identified the dead as Atta Shalabi, SidqiZakarneh and Tariq
Damej.
Mourners
gathered as Palestinians carried the body of one of those killed through the
streets for his funeral procession.
The
Israeli army said it had carried out multiple operations across the West Bank overnight
to arrest wanted suspects in cities including Bethlehem and Ramallah.
Palestinian
towns and cities in the West Bank are nominally under the control of the
Palestinian Authority and its security forces.
International
alarm
A
surge in bloodshed this year has seen 26 Israelis and at least 150 Palestinians
killed across Israel and the West Bank.
The
toll includes more than 40 Palestinians killed during Israeli operations in the
Jenin area, among them children as young as 12 and veteran Palestinian-American
journalist Shireen Abu Akleh as well as militants.
Palestinian
prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the international community “to
protect our people” amid ongoing “Palestinian bloodshed”.
In
the West Bank town of Silwad, Palestinians gathered for the funeral of Muhajid
Mahmud Hamed, 32, killed by Israeli troops on Wednesday.
He
was killed following what the army said was a drive-by shooting at a military
post.
The
European Union said it was “greatly concerned about the increasing level of
violence”.
A
US State Department spokesman called Friday “for all parties to do everything
in their power to de-escalate the situation”.
Israel
has occupied the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, since the Six-Day
War of 1967. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which rules Gaza, described
the latest killings in the West Bank as “cowardly assassinations” by Israeli
forces.
“We
call on the masses of our people in the West Bank and the revolutionary youth
to escalate the resistance” against the Israeli occupation, it said.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1725403/israeli-troops-kill-three-palestinians-in-west-bank
--------
Israel’s
incoming PM Netanyahu secures parliament majority, closer to forming govt
08
December ,2022
Israel’s
incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a parliamentary majority on
Thursday after his Likud party said it had reached an agreement with the Jewish
ultra-Orthodox Shas party.
Netanyahu’s
right-wing alliance won a comfortable victory in a November 1 election,
Israel’s fifth in less than four years. His partnership with far-right parties
has stirred concern at home and abroad.
“We
have completed another step towards the formation of a right-wing government
that will act to serve all of Israel’s citizens,” Netanyahu said in the
statement.
The
agreement with Shas gives Netanyahu control over 64 of the Knesset’s 120 seats,
though a final coalition deal has yet to be signed.
According
to the agreement, Shas leader Aryeh Deri will head the interior and health
ministries during the first half of the government’s term, then take up the
finance ministry in the second half. Deri will also serve as deputy prime
minister throughout Netanyahu’s tenure.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UN
demands immediate halt to death penalty after Iran's first execution over
protests
Betul
Yuruk
08.12.2022
The
UN demanded an immediate halt to the death penalty Thursday after Iran executed
a man arrested during nationwide protests.
"We
stand firmly against the use of the death penalty," spokesman Stephane
Dujarric told reporters. "We join our colleagues in the Human Rights
Office calling for an immediate halt to these executions. The death penalty, as
far as we are concerned, can never be reconciled with the right to life."
Mohsen
Shikari was executed in the wee hours of Thursday after he "threatened
citizens with a cold weapon and injured a security guard during protests"
in the Sattar Khan neighborhood of the nation’s capital of Tehran, according to
Iran's Mizan News Agency.
Shikari
was given the death penalty Nov. 20 by a court in the capital for
"disturbing the social order and security."
Iran
has been rocked by widespread protests following the death of MahsaAmini while
in police custody in September for not wearing her attire properly. A
government crackdown has since continued since her death.
Thousands
have been detained, according to human rights groups, while more than 200 have
died, as acknowledged by Iran's Interior Ministry last week.
Foreign-based
NGOs, however, have put the number of fatalities at more than 450, with the US
and EU imposing a slew of human rights-related sanctions on officials and
entities.
At
least 11 death sentences have so far been issued in connection with the
months-long unrest, which authorities say are subject to appeal in the apex
court before execution.
Shikari's
death penalty was upheld by the Supreme Court, while other sentences are
currently under review, according to reports.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
Bradford
West Muslim Students ‘Exhausted All Avenues’ After Campaigning For A
Multi-Faith Prayer Room For Five Years
8th
December
PARENTS
of Muslim students at a Grammar School feel they have ‘exhausted all avenues’
after campaigning for a multi-faith prayer room for five years.
Parents
have campaigned and raised the issue with the head teacher, but claim the matter
has not been solved and students have been told to pray in the corridors during
lunchtime, after it became too cold to pray outside.
Prayer
is a key pillar of Islam and is compulsory five times a day. In winter prayer
times come closer together, falling into school hours, which students struggle
to perform due to the lack of prayer space.
One
parent, said: “We have been asking for this prayer room for a long time and we
just haven’t had any support in the matter.
“We’ve
appealed to the head teacher, we’ve had meetings, MPs have been involved and
still nothing has come from it.
“We
were told that a new building is in the works and there is a chance that it
could have a prayer room but, in the meantime, there are no other provisions.”
Prayers
would not be taking place during school teaching hours, but at lunchtime and
after school, the campaigners say.
Students
have claimed that the lack of a prayer space has impacted their spiritual,
social, health and well-being and feel as though the school is alienating their
needs.
On
previous occasions when the situation had been raised, parents say they have
been told that the main reason behind not being able to provide a prayer space
was due to overcrowding and lack of supervision.
Now
parents claim that some students, from year 10 onwards have been allowed to
pray on the premises, not in a private space, but rather in the corridor.
Naz
Shah, MP for Bradford West, whose constituents attend the school, said: “It has
been five years since parents of students at Bingley Grammar School first
raised their concerns to me about the barriers their children were facing with
prayer on school grounds, outside of learning and teaching time.”
“For
five years, I have been liaising with parents and the leadership at Bingley
Grammar School to help facilitate a mutually agreeable plan.
"However,
despite, the years of dialogue, patience and negotiation, parents and students
in my constituency still feel that they are not any closer to achieving a
dedicated space for students to use for prayer, meditation, mindfulness, and
reflection.
“Instead,
I have been informed by constituents that sixth formers were recently prevented
from praying and that some students have resorted to praying on a field on
school grounds.
“Despite
contemplation and multi-faith rooms being added as key features on our
university campuses, in airports, shopping centers, civic buildings, hospitals,
community centers, and in workplaces across sectors, it saddens me to see the
value of these spaces being undermined in our early education spaces,
particularly when students feel they need such spaces to prioritise their
spirituality, health and well-being to learn better and sharpen their focus.”
Source:
Asian Image
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/education/23178380.students-bradford-school-campaign-prayer-space/
--------
New
Zealand's accommodation of Muslim faith in mosque terror attack case deemed
'ground-breaking'
Jake
Kenny
Dec
09 2022
The
way New Zealand’s judicial system met the needs of the Muslim community during
the mosque terror attack case may provide a model for the rest of the world,
academics say.
At
Brenton Tarrant’s sentencing for the murder of 51 people at the Christchurch
High Court in August 2020, the system was tasked with balancing the principles
of open justice against the need to prevent the hearing becoming a touchstone
for white supremacists.
The
way the Islamic faith was accommodated by state agencies, the courts and New
Zealand media was “groundbreaking” and could be used as a model worldwide, a
New Zealand Law Journal study has found.
“We
believe the ways in which the judicial system met the needs of the Muslim
community may provide a model not only for courts in dealing with communities
of faith but with any group that has been collectively targeted by terrorists,”
media law scholars Dr Gavin Ellis and Dr Denis Muller found.
According
to the article, the New Zealand courts were faced with several imperatives. It
had to ensure it delivered a fair and dignified process and would be recognised
internationally as having done so. It needed to minimise the risk of re-traumatising
victims and families, while giving them a voice.
The
New Zealand justice system drew on Norway’s experience with the trial of Anders
Breivik in 2012. This was given added relevance by Breivik being mentioned
directly in the terrorist’s manifesto.
However,
absent in the Norwegian case was the faith and culture of the Christchurch
victims. Islam was a focus for the attacker and way of life for the victims and
families, and the way this was handled by New Zealand state agencies and court
was “in our view, groundbreaking,” the article said.
Another
element to balance was respecting the right of the media to report while
minimising the risks of re-traumatising the victims and their families.
“To
a very great extent, these tensions were resolved by a remarkable degree of
co-operation between the court system and the New Zealand media,” it said.
Key
to this was the New Zealand Media and Courts Committee, the article found.
Established
in 2001, its composition – five judges, six senior media representatives,
representatives of the Office of the Chief Justice, and a senior registry
official – was a measure of the importance attached to it by both the judiciary
and mainstream media organisations.
The
Committee was essential in agreements between media on how the case would be
reported.
The
second foundation on which the co-operation in New Zealand rested was the
voluntary adoption by New Zealand’s five largest media organisations of the
protocol for covering the case. This was developed in April 2019, the month
after the attack, and was the work of the Media Freedom Committee.
It
was born out of the desire to report on the case while not relaying his white
supremacist views.
“This
culture of restraint by the media reflects a preparedness to act collaboratively
for the common good and to set aside their usual competitiveness in order to do
so.”
There
was no live coverage of the proceedings and two daily windows for reporting.
Overseas
media were also ordered to comply with the same regulations, and all did so.
“The
fact that none of the recipients broke the agreement or court orders suggests
that this system of registration and delivery could be usefully employed in
other jurisdictions in high-profile proceedings with international interest.”
Source:Stuff
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--------
Belgian
court suspends controversial Iran prisoner treaty
08
December ,2022
Belgium’s
constitutional court on Thursday suspended a prisoner exchange treaty with Iran
criticized for opening the way for a bomb-plot mastermind to return to Tehran.
Opponents
of the Iranian government challenged the deal, which they argue was
“tailor-made” to permit the release of AssadollahAssadi, an Iranian diplomat
sentenced last year to 20 years in prison.
An
Antwerp court convicted him of supplying explosives for a foiled 2018 bomb
plot, targeting a meeting outside Paris of Iran’s exiled opposition.
The
Belgian government has said the treaty is the only way to secure the release
aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who was detained in Iran in February.
The
constitutional court ruled that the treaty was “suspended” pending a final
ruling within the next three months.
“There
is for the moment no longer any legal basis allowing this transfer,” Francois
Tulkens, a lawyer acting for the opposition group the National Council of
Resistance of Iran, told AFP.
The
Assadi case sparked a furious reaction in Iran.
The
Antwerp court ruled that he had masterminded the bomb plot under diplomatic
cover as an envoy to Austria -- and thus had no immunity in Belgium.
Tehran
has demanded that Belgium recognize Assadi’s diplomatic status and release him.
Aid
worker Vandecasteele, 41, launched a hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment
by his captors in Iran, his family said last week, expressing worries about his
failing health.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
--------
France
says EU to add new Iran sanctions on human rights, drone supplies
08
December ,2022
The
European Union is set to agree new sanctions targeting Iran over human rights
abuses in its crackdown on protesters in the country and the supply of drones
to Russia, France’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
Speaking
to reporters, Anne-Claire Legendre said foreign ministers would discuss new
designations on individuals and entities involved in the crackdown and entities
exporting drones to Russia.
Iran
has said it shipped a small number of drones to Russia before its invasion to
Ukraine. Russia has denied its forces have used Iranian drones to attack
Ukraine.
The
EU has already imposed two rounds of sanctions since October in the form of
asset freezes and travel bans.
The
protests, triggered by the September 16 death of Kurdish Iranian woman
MahsaAmini while in morality police custody, mark one of the boldest challenges
to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
So
far, 475 demonstrators have been killed in the unrest and more than 18,000
detained, according to the activist HRANA news agency.
Western
powers have also said that they continue to see provision of Iranian drones to
Russia and believe Tehran will also soon supply ballistic missiles.
Two
diplomatic sources said the new sanctions were expected to be approved and
adopted on Monday. One of the sources said 21 individuals and one entity would
be sanctioned over human rights abuses, while there had been 10 proposals on
the drone side.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Greece
continues to violate human rights of Turkish minority, says Ankara
Diyar
Guldogan
08.12.2022
Greece
does not recognize the Turkish community living in Western Thrace as an ethnic
minority, thus violating a major international treaty, Türkiye's top diplomat
said on Thursday.
"Greece
persistently continues to violate the Lausanne Treaty and basic human rights of
Turkish minority. Our brothers in Western Thrace were never and shall never be
alone!" Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.
Cavusoglu's
remarks came after he met with members of the advisory board of the Turkish
Minority of Western Thrace in Türkiye's capital Ankara.
The
Western Thrace region -- located near Greece's northeastern border with Türkiye
-- is home to a substantial, long-established Muslim Turkish minority numbering
around 150,000.
Cavusoglu
also shared a list of discriminatory practices Greece has perpetrated against
the Turkish community, including preventing them from using the words
"Turk" or "Turkish" in the names of their schools and
foundations, as well as barring them from electing their own religious representatives.
The
rights of Turks of Western Thrace are guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of
Lausanne. But over the decades, the situation has seriously deteriorated, with
Greece refusing to carry out rulings by the European Court of Human Rights.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Italian
police detain 13 far-right suspects in attack on Moroccan football fans
Giada
Zampano
08.12.2022
ROME
Italian
police detained 13 far-right activists in the northern city of Verona, suspected
of attacking Moroccan fans celebrating a historic World Cup win against Spain
late Tuesday, media reports said Thursday.
The
Moroccan supporters were attacked by a group of men dressed in black with their
faces covered up, police said in a statement.
The
suspects "were identified by investigators as militants of far-right
groups in the city," it added.
The
detainees were accused of hitting the Moroccan fans’ cars with chains and
sticks, causing damages and injuries. A woman was wounded by shards of broken
windows during the assault.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Türkiye
takes over presidency of Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea
Talha
Ozturk
08.12.2022
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Türkiye
on Thursday took over the presidency of Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).
Turkish
parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop arrived in Serbia's capital Belgrade to
attend the 60th General Assembly of the cooperation to take over the term.
Sentop
said that it is necessary to cooperate internationally and regionally based on
multilateralism of issues that countries cannot overcome alone or bilaterally.
"First
of all, this organization, which we have implemented as a peace project, has
not made any significant progress in contributing to regional peace despite the
past 30 years... The efforts made under the PABSEC prevented the strained
relations between the countries from becoming more complex," said Sentop.
Sentop
said that it is essential for the member countries to evaluate the developments
around them from a comprehensive perspective and to produce rational and
permanent solutions.
"Global-scale
issues such as terrorism, extremism, immigration, economic turmoil are issues
that concern all countries. Now we see much more clearly that the world is
going through a much more difficult period today, and this difficult period
brings with it the need for an important transformation at both the global and
regional levels.
Emphasizing
that Türkiye has built its foreign policy on a peaceful, humanitarian and
entrepreneurial basis with this understanding, Şentop said "We stand by
the right and the just in every issue, we say right to right, wrong to wrong,
and we say our word clearly. We stand for negotiation, peace and stability. In
a geography surrounded by conflict and instability, we are trying to create a
zone of peace and prosperity around us."
Sentop
called the members to increase the international visibility of the PABSEC and
to make the organization more efficient and productive should be sought.
The
assembly was chaired by the president of the National Assembly of Serbia,
Vladimir Orlic.
Orlic,
in his closing remarks, said that Türkiye will make a significant contribution
to PABSEC.
"I
am confident that, as always, Türkiye will certainly make an incredible
contribution to the PABSEC during its term presidency," said Orlic.
Sentop
during his visit met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister
Ana Brnabic.
Established
in the late 1980s as a result of political transformations the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) aims for the nations of
the Black Sea Region to re-emerge on the world scene.
Headquartered
in Istanbul, the group has 13 members; Türkiye, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, North
Macedonia.
The
group's aim is to have good neighborliness, enhance mutual respect and
confidence, dialogue and cooperation among the member states acting in a spirit
of friendship.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UK
lawmakers urge govt. to explain about-face on Saudi torture comments
09
December 2022
A
number of British lawmakers have urged the government to explain to the
parliament why a Foreign Office minister’s claim about Saudi Arabia’s torture
of a death row inmate was struck from the parliamentary record.
MPs
raised their concerns on Thursday while addressing an International Human
Rights Day debate, questioning whether the measure was adopted due to reported
Saudi pressures for the alteration.
David
Rutley, Foreign Office minister for the Americas and the Caribbean, told
lawmakers last week that 57-year-old Jordanian Hussein Abo al-Kheir had
“clearly” been tortured.
Kheir
was arrested in 2014 on drug smuggling accusations when he crossed into Saudi
Arabia from Jordan. He says he did not commit any crime but was under 12 days
of torture to give a confession.
He
is only one of dozens of individuals currently on death row in Saudi Arabia
over drug offences.
We
find that abhorrent and we raised that issue at the highest level and will
continue to do so not just in his case, but in other cases where that might be
happening as well,” Rutley said then.
However,
four days later, he said there was an “error” in his comments as he should have
described the death row inmate’s torture as “alleged”.
‘Not
a correction but a withdrawal’
Labour
MP Chris Bryant believes the minister has been under the influence of pressures
from Saudi Arabia on this case.
“It
wasn’t correcting the record at all. He was withdrawing his comment on Saudi Arabia
and whether the gentlemen concerned had been tortured, which all the evidence
shows he was,” he said.
“What
I fear has happened is that basically they’ve been told off by the Saudi
government and they’ve decided that the Saudi government has more say in this
than we do and I think that’s nonsense,” added the lawmaker. “I'm guessing the
Saudis must be laughing their way to the end of the week.”
Andy
Slaughter, another Labour MP, said the u-turn showcases the challenges facing
British politicians who want to take action on human rights abuses in Saudi
Arabia.
He
criticized the UK government’s “double standards”, noting that Rutley’s changes
were not “ministerial correction”, but rather, “That is tailoring your words to
suit a barbaric regime.”
Meanwhile,
Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael called on the Foreign Office to provide
official explanations to the parliament.
“If
there is evidence that the Foreign Office now has that shows that what the
minister then said is incorrect, there is a mechanism for them to come to the
chamber and explain why the mistake was made," he said.
“Surely,
that would be a more appropriate way to proceed,” added the lawmaker.
'UK
government avoiding upsetting MBS'
Meanwhile,
Maya Foa, director of legal action NGO Reprieve, which is presenting Al-Kheir,
has raised the likelihood of UK government’s efforts to avoid upsetting Saudi
Arabia and its rulers.
“Since
when was the Saudi government allowed to edit statements to parliament? This
looks very much like the British government has abandoned its policy of
opposing torture in all circumstances to avoid upsetting Mohammed bin Salman,”
she told Middle East Eye.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/09/694152/UK-MPs-saudi-torture-Kheir-
--------
North America
US
Defence Budget Trims Millions Of Dollars Benefiting Terrorist Group PKK/YPG
Kasim
Ileri
09.12.2022
WASHINGTON
As
it moves towards final approval, the US military budget for 2023 cuts millions
of dollars in military aid that would have aided terrorist groups in northern
Syria and northern Iraq, but still leaves millions more for the groups, which
threaten the Turkish border and local civilians.
The
US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill, which passed in the House of
Representatives on Thursday by a vote of 350-80, cuts more than $35.81 million
from the Iraqi part of the anti-Daesh/ISIS fund, which the PKK/YPG terror group
will also benefit from, and almost $18.37 million from the Syrian part.
Following
its House of Representatives approval, the $858 billion NDAA bill now heads to
the Senate for a final vote, and if passed there, to President Joe Biden to
sign into law.
Through
many years and several US administrations, Türkiye has strenuously objected to
US military aid – in the form of weapons, ammunition, and training – and
partnering with the terrorist YPG/PKK, a branch of a terrorist group that has
resulted in the deaths of some 40,000 people in its terror campaign against
Türkiye. The US says it works with the YPG/PKK to fight Daesh/ISIS, while
Turkish officials say using one terror group to fight another makes no sense.
In
the US bill, as part of the fight against Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria, $502.92
million of nearly $541.7 million requested to be given to US partners,
including the terrorist group PKK/YPG, was still approved, including an
inflation adjustment.
A
table attached to the bill said $35.81 million of $358.15 million of the
requested for Iraq was found unjustified, so the total was cut to $322.2
million.
The
table also says that $18.37 million of the $183.67 million that PKK/YPG
terrorists will benefit from in Syria is unjustified, so ultimately nearly
$165.31 million was approved for activities including cooperation with the
terrorist group.
Taiwan,
Ukraine, Türkiye
The
wide-ranging bill, which includes raising military salaries by 4.6% and
requires the Pentagon to convert fleets of non-tactical vehicles to
zero-emission standards, also provides for $10 billion in military assistance
to Taiwan by 2027. The status of the self-governing island, which China sees as
its territory, has become increasingly contentious since then-US House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi visited it this August.
On
the Ukraine war, now nearing its 10th month, the bill allocates $800 million to
finance the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative, and also allocates $6
billion in funds to support US military operations in Europe.
Articles
linking the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye to restrictive conditions were
also removed from the final version of the bill – a step that Ankara had
pressed for.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a
terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible
for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
The YPG is its Syrian branch.
Following
after a terrorist attack in Istanbul last month that killed six people and
injured dozens and was blamed on the YPG/PKK, Türkiye launched airstrikes on
terrorist YPG/PKK positions in northern Iraq, near the Turkish border, and has
said a ground operation might come at any time.
In
2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror
group.
The
country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over
300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings,
seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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US
sanctions Erdogan associate over ties to Islamic Revolutionary Guard
8
December 2022
The
Biden administration has slapped sanctions on a prominent Turkish businessman
and close associate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for allegedly
operating a trading network that handled hundreds of millions of dollars worth
of oil for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
On
Thursday, sanctions were placed on Sitki Ayan, his son, and a top lieutenant,
freezing any assets they have under US jurisdiction and inhibiting their access
to global financial and trading markets.
“Ayan’s
companies have established international sales contracts for Iranian oil with
foreign purchasers, arranged shipments of oil, and helped launder the proceeds,
obscuring the oil’s Iranian origin and the (Guard’s) interest in the sales,”
the US Treasury said in a statement.
'Head
of Quds force finance'
A
Politico report says Ayan helped Tehran generate about $1bn in oil revenue
since 2020 by using a network of companies around the globe to disguise the
true origin of Iranian oil, using front companies and banks in India, Russia,
and the UAE.
The
report says that in one case, Ayan used his company's bank in Istanbul to
transfer at least $80m to accounts controlled by Behnam Shahriyari, a senior
commander in Iran’s Quds force, the elite foreign arm of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Sitki
Ayan serves currently as the head of Quds Force’s largest financial network in
Turkey and possibly the entire world,” an unnamed western official told
Politico.
The
US frequently targets businesspeople and entities that help Iran evade
sanctions. The Biden administration has been ramping up sanctions on Iran in
recent months, with prospects for a nuclear deal all but gone and tensions over
Iran’s military support for Russia.
The
new sanctions could complicate ties between the US and Turkey.
Source:
MiddleEastEye
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US
imposes sanctions on Turkish businessman, citing links to Iran’s Quds Force
08
December ,2022
The
Biden administration on Thursday is set to impose sanctions on prominent
Turkish businessman Sitki Ayan and his network of companies, accusing him of
acting as a facilitator for oil sales and money laundering on behalf of Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According
to a Treasury statement due to be released later on Thursday and seen by
Reuters, Ayan’s companies have established international sales contracts for
Iranian oil, arranged shipments and helped launder the proceeds and obscured
the origin of the Iranian oil on behalf of Iran’s Quds Force, an arm of the
IRGC.
“Ayan
has established business contracts to sell Iranian oil worth hundreds of
millions of dollars to buyers,” in China, the United Arab Emirates and Europe,
the statement says, adding that he then funneled the proceeds back to the Quds
Force.
Ayan’s
son Bahaddin Ayan, his associate Kasim Oztas and another individual will also
be designated, along with at least two dozen companies including his ASB Group
of Companies, a Gibraltar-based holding company.
The
Treasury action will freeze any US assets of those designated and generally bar
Americans from dealing with them.
Those
that engage in certain transactions would also risk being hit with sanctions.
The
US measures come at a time when ties between the United States and Turkey are
strained over a host of issues, including disagreement over Syria policy and
Ankara’s purchase of Russian air defense systems.
Most
recently, Washington has warned Turkey to refrain from carrying out a military
incursion into northern Syria after Ankara said it was preparing a possible
ground invasion against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia that it views as
terrorists but who make up the bulk of US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF).
Washington
maintains sweeping sanctions on Iran and has looked for ways to increase
pressure as efforts to resurrect a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran have stalled.
US
President Joe Biden had sought to negotiate the return of Iran to the nuclear
deal after former President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in 2018.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Africa
Ahmadiyya
Muslim Jama’at, Nigeria holds 68th Islamic conference
By
ShakirahAdunola
09
December 2022
The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Nigeria will hold its 68th yearly Islamic conference-
JalsaSalana from December 23 to 25, 2022, at Ahmadiyya Missionary Training
Centre, OwodeIlaro, Ogun State.
The
three-day event, which will be guided by the World head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community Hazrat Worldwide, Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, will be chaired
by the Amir (Head) Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Nigeria, Alhaji AlatoyeFolorunso
Abdul Azeez.
In
a statement, the Team Lead (Publicity), Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Nigeria, Dr
QasimAkinreti, said five lectures are slated for the event. “They are Recognition
of Allah: Panacea to the World problems, The Promised Messiah’s Absolute Trust
in Divine Help Darsul Qur’an (Growing the Jama’at spiritually and spiritually),
Our Paradise is in our God, HadratAbdur Rahman bin ‘Auf and Hadrat Maulana
Ghulam Rasool Raajiki Sahib: Two pious examples of relationship with Allah
Almighty.”
Source:
Guardian Nigeria
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Southeast Asia
DAP
accepts position of Islam, Malay rights, says Zahid
December
6, 2022
ROMPIN:
Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says DAP has provided guarantees to
accept and comply with the four articles enshrined in the Federal Constitution,
including on the position of Islam and the special rights of Malays.
Zahid,
who is also Umno president, said the other two articles relate to the Malay
rulers and the Malay language, adding that the guarantee was provided by DAP
secretary-general Loke Siew Fook during a meeting between Barisan Nasional (BN)
and Pakatan Harapan (PH) before the formation of the unity government.
Umno
deputy president Mohamad Hasan and Umno secretary-general Zambry Abd Kadir were
also present at the meeting.
“My
first question as BN president was what about the position of Islam, Malay
rights, Malay language and the Malay rulers? When the question was posed, the
DAP secretary-general replied, we are the new DAP, new leadership and we accept
all articles in the constitution, including those four,” Zahid said in a speech
at a gathering at Dewan Terbuka Rompin here today. Also present at the
gathering were Mohamad, Zambry and Pahang menteribesar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
He
added that party grassroots need not worry because as Umno president and BN
chairman, he would never sell them out and would ensure the party remains
relevant to continue championing the rights and needs of the people.
“I
told myself and all levels of the party … this is our test. We must persevere.
Do not let our differences in opinion lead to a split.
“Close
ranks and unite so that Umno and BN can continue to be relevant not only in the
unity government but also for the future. We promise to serve the people
together with our friends in the government,” he said, as he reminded BN
elected representatives at state and parliamentary levels to serve the people
throughout their entire five-year term and not just in “seasons”.
Zahid
also urged those voting in the Tioman state elections to choose BN candidate
Johari Hussain as a show of support for the unity government, both in Pahang
and at the federal level.
He
also promised to assist development in Tioman as prioritised by Wan Rosdy,
including upgrading the cargo jetty in Kampung Tekek, PulauTioman, building a
new mosque in Felda Selendang and constructing a mini stadium in Kampung Kolam
here.
The
election for the Tioman state seat will take place tomorrow following its
postponement after the death of Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Yunus Ramli,
61, hours before polling began on Nov 19.
The
election will see a contest between Johari, Nor Idayu Hashim (PN), Osman A Bakar
(Pejuang) and independent candidate, Sulaiman Bakar.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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Suicide
bombing in Indonesia: Security forces suspect ISIS offshoot behind attack
Abhishek
Awasthi
December
07, 2022
Bandung
(Indonesia): A suicide bombing suspected to have been carried out by a banned
Islamic terror outfit inside a police station here on Wednesday morning claimed
two lives and injured as many as eight people, agencies reported.
Reportedly,
the suspected Islamic militant was triggered by the country’s new criminal code
in order to blow himself up at a police station, Indonesian authorities told
news agency Reuters.
Head
of the public information bureau for the National Police, Ahmad Ramadhan said
that the counter-terrorism unit is investigating the incident which killed the
suspected suicide bomber and an Indonesian policeman.
Ibnu
Suhendra of Indonesia’s counterterrorism agency (BNPT) told a TV news channel
that the terror attack was suspected to have been planned by the Islamic
State-inspired JamaahAnsharutDaulah (JAD).
He
said JAD had carried out similar attacks in Indonesia earlier as well.
West
Java police chief Suntana told the TV channel that a blue motor bike found at
the spot is being investigated after it came out that the alleged attacker used
it.
The
investigators also recovered a note attached to the bike. It carried a message
rejecting Indonesia’s new criminal code that was passed just a day before in
the Indonesian parliament.
“There
was a note on the motorbike saying the criminal code is an infidel product,
let’s eradicate the law enforcers,” Suntana said.
Reportedly,
the attacker brought two bombs to the scene but only had time to detonate one.
Footages
of the incident showed damage to the police station, with some debris from the
building on the ground and
smoke
rising from the area.
The
world’s largest Muslim populated country, Indonesia has in the recent while
witnessed several such incidents of terrorism at churches, police stations,
specifically places where foreigners go.
Following
these suicide bombings incidents linked to JAD militants, the Indonesian
government has created a new anti-terrorism law.
Reports
claim that the same group was responsible for a series of suicide church
bombings in the city of Surabaya in 2018 in which three families including
young children bombed their selves, killing at least 30 people.
Source:Firstpost
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