‘Let’s Uproot Hate Politics’: At Muslim Parties’ Meet, Tamil Nadu Politicians Join Hands to Fight BJP ‘Hate Politics’
New Age Islam News Bureau
27 June 2022
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi speaks at the ‘Let’s Uproot Hate Politics’ conference in Tiruchy on Sunday. (Photo | Express)
-----
• Pakistani Academicians Review Social Media Capacity
in Islamic Content Production
• 'Pattern of Hatred': Australian Muslim Advocacy
Group Takes Action against Twitter over Islamophobic Complaints
• Abraham Accords Diplomats (United States, Israel and
Four Arab Countries) to Meet in Bahrain after Israel Meeting
• Head of Higher Islamic Council in Al-Quds Warns Of
Conspiracy Targeting Aqsa Mosque
India
• ‘I Never Seek Muslim Votes’, Says BJP MLA K.S.
Eshwarappa
• Sangh Parivar Trying To Divide Christians, Muslims,
Says CPI (M) State Secretary
• Madhya Pradesh HC Asks SDM to Take Decision on
Mosque Construction Issue In 2 Months
• Row over Muslim Trader Supplying Bananas to Temple
in Mangaluru
• Terrorist 'tasked with attacking police' arrested in
J&K; arms, ammunition recovered
--------
Pakistan
• Fault lines in Pakistan-Taliban ties emerge over
acceptance of Durand Line
• Two soldiers martyred, seven terrorists killed in
North Waziristan gun battle: ISPR
• Reports surface of ex-ISI chief 'joining' Imran's
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
• Turkiye keen to expand trade with Pakistan
• Banigala staffer 'caught installing spy device in
Imran’s bedroom'
• Imran asks workers to teach 'turncoats' a lesson
--------
Europe
• Bradford Cricketing Icon, Adil Rashid, Choose Holy
Mecca for Hajj Instead Of England’s India White-Ball Series
• 27 die trying to cross land border from Morocco to
Spain
--------
Arab
World
• Islamic Coin, Shariah-Compliant Digital Currency,
Gets Fatwa from Muslim Scholars, Launches Private Sale
• Fearful Memories of Torture Still Fresh For Victims
of PKK/YPG Terrorists
• Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid
Discusses Military, Defence Cooperation with Pakistan Military Chief
• Patriarch Al-Rai, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric,
urges politicians to form govt.
• Israel approves housing allowance for South Lebanon
Army veterans
• Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince receives Iraqi PM in
Kingdom to discuss bilateral ties
• Qatar likely to host Iran-US nuclear deal talks
• Saudi Arabia investment gives yoga a new twist
--------
Mideast
• Head of Higher Islamic Council in Al-Quds Warns Of Conspiracy
Targeting Aqsa Mosque
• Over 150 Israeli settlers intrude into al-Aqsa
Mosque in latest act of provocation
• World must take action to stop Israel’s systematic
torture of Palestinians: NGO
• Iran: Bombs, Terrorism, Crime US Souvenirs to
Afghanistan instead of Technology
• Iran conducts test-launch of satellite carrier ahead
of nuclear talks
• Houthis seize properties of late former PM Bajamal
• 15 Palestinian children killed by Israeli regime so
far in 2022: Report
--------
South
Asia
• Kabul Optimistic about Formal Recognition amid
Heightened Situation
• Afghan health official warns of disease outbreak
among earthquake survivors
• China Issues and Facilitates Visas for Afghan
Businessmen
• India can engage the Taliban in a constructive way,
says Afghan envoy to India Mamundzay
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Muslims Should Report Dubious Divorces to Religious
Affairs If Pronounced On Social Media
• CM: Muslim World League invited to hold conference
in Sabah
• Tajuddin case may cause Ismail to hold off on
elections
• Indonesia’s president to visit Ukraine, Russia on
peace-building mission
--------
Africa
• Burkina Faso Shia Muslims Are Followers of Iran’s
Leader Ayatollah Khamenei: Senior Cleric
• Sudan vows to respond as it accuses Ethiopia of
executing seven soldiers, a civilian
• Tunisian judges strike for 4th week to protest
sackings
• Libyan leaders urged to establish legal basis for
elections
--------
North
America
• Israel to Demand US Funding of Its Laser Weapons
during Biden’s Visit
• G7 leaders to discuss prospect of reviving Iran
nuclear talks
• Top Turkish, US diplomats discuss bilateral ties,
NATO enlargement
• Funds frozen in US: Quake-hit Afghanistan faces
disease outbreak
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bjp-hate-politics-muslim/d/127336
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‘Let’s Uproot Hate Politics’: At Muslim Parties’ Meet, Tamil Nadu
Politicians Join Hands To Fight BJP ‘Hate Politics’
School Education Minister
Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi speaks at the ‘Let’s Uproot Hate Politics’ conference
in Tiruchy on Sunday. (Photo | Express)
-----
27th June 2022
TIRUCHY:
Cutting across political lines, various party and outfit leaders
condemned the BJP spokespersons’ (since suspended and expelled) comments on
Prophet Muhammed at the ‘Let’s Uproot Hate Politics’ conference organised by
the Tamil Nadu All Muslim Parties and Organisations here on Saturday.
At the event, Minister for Municipal Administration KN
Nehru called for like-minded parties to unite against the ongoing “hate
politics” in India. “The BJP is spreading
hatred with an aim to consolidate Hindu votes. However, they cannot succeed
here as Chief Minister MK Stalin will always stand by the minorities.”
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi
condemned the now suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s alleged comments on
Prophet Muhammed and warned that the whole of India would rise against the
hatred if such remarks are repeated.
CPI State secretary R Mutharasan said, “The PM has not
condemned Nupur Sharma’s remarks yet, which means he is not opposed to them.
Being at the helm does not mean you can do whatever you like. In history, we
have seen several dictators face a miserable end.”
Madurai MP Su Venkatesan said, “Hatred is the only
weapon of the BJP. If we can defuse it, we can liberate the country. The
present situation is that the BJP is offering higher posts to those spreading
hatred.”
MLA and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader MH
Jawahirullah said, “Research highlights the reign of Prophet Muhammed as
inclusive. He treated people of all faiths with equal respect. In our country,
the BJP stoked hatred by passing remarks against the Prophet himself, instead
of learning from him how to rule.”
Chidambaram MP and VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said,
“The Hindu community should mobilise against the BJP
because the party is anti-Hindu. They want the country to be a Hindutva nation,
which in spirit is against the country’s Constitution. While fraternity is the
soul of our Constitution, Governor RN Ravi argues that Sanatan Dharma, which
divides the people, is its soul.”
Source: New Indian Express
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original story:
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Pakistani Academicians Review Social Media Capacity In
Islamic Content Production
A group of mostly young
students and professors from Pakistan’s Lahore have participated in a course reviewing
capacity of social media platforms in promoting religious activities and
Islamic content production.
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June 27, 2022
A group of mostly young students and professors from
Pakistan’s Lahore have participated in a course reviewing capacity of social
media platforms in promoting religious activities and Islamic content
production.
Talking about main features of the course, organized
by International Deputy of Scientific and Cultural Foundation, Hoj. Rajaeipour,
the instructor of the class, said: “Importance of cyberspace and influence of
this media on today’s minds is the key theme of this course”.
He added: “What we tried to convey in this two-session
class was to make participants aware of dynamic characteristics of the
cyberspace and new methods for production of Islamic contents”.
Pointing to the importance of identifying famous
social networks among members of each nation, he stressed: “Based on social and
cultural tastes, each nation favors a specific type of social platform. An
Islamic activist and a person who wants to be active in the area of Islamic
dissemination has to pay attention to this issue carefully”
Introducing some complementary software for creating
Islamic and religious contents alongside introduction of some communicative
skills were other parts of the class attracting learners’ attention.
Rajaeipour further noted: “It is very important for an
Islamic activist or preacher to be reference-oriented in his words. So it is of
high significance to be reference-based when producing Islamic contents”.
The 30-person group most of whom were medical and
engineering elites was in Mashhad for a one-week pilgrimage-scientific tour
called Imam Reza holy shrine ambassadors.
Source: ABNA24
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original story:
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'Pattern of Hatred': Australian Muslim Advocacy Group
Takes Action against Twitter Over Islamophobic Complaints
Twitter has been accused
of failing to remove more than 400 pieces of content that claim to incite
hatred towards Muslims. Source: AAP / AP / Gregory Bull
------
26 Jun 2022
An Australian Muslim advocacy group has taken action
against Twitter, alleging the social media giant failed to remove more than 400
examples of content from its platform that showed "a pattern of
hatred" towards the Muslim community.
The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN) lodged a
complaint to Queensland's Human Rights Commission on Friday, accusing Twitter
of being responsible for a far-right conspiracy group posting a range of Islamophobic
commentary about Muslims being "an existential threat" to the world.
AMAN said these beliefs are drawn from theories that
incited the 2019 Christchurch mosque terrorist attack that claimed the lives of
51 people, and the 2011 Oslo terrorist attack, killing 77.
Other comments posted include "Islam means
war", motivations to "ban Islam forever", likening the religion
to cancer to "spread and kill the body", claiming all Muslims are
terrorists, and stating the world is "f---ed unless "drastic action"
is taken.
"It's all the same narrative that we've seen in
terrorist manifestos and it's being spread through these disinformation
operations," AMAN legal adviser Rita Jabri Markwell told SBS News.
AMAN said on three occasions in 2021, it reported 419
pieces of content published by "certain accounts that were inciting
hatred, severe ridicule or serious contempt for the Muslim community". In
July 2021, Twitter confirmed to the group it would not be removing any of the
reported accounts or comments, and that the accounts were "consistent with
their policies".
In line with the High Court's landmark ruling last
year, social media companies are liable as publishers for content posted by
third parties on their platforms. Earlier this month, the Federal Court ordered
Google to pay $715,000 to former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro for failing
to remove defamatory content about him on YouTube.
This is the second time AMAN has lodged a complaint in
Queensland, with former senator Fraser Anning ordered by the Queensland Civil
and Administrative Tribunal to remove 141 hateful posts in 2021 after posting
content deemed to incite hatred. Of those, 55 were published on Twitter and
were not taken down until legal orders were made.
Twitter's Hateful Conduct policy states that a user
"may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other
people on the basis of ... religious affiliation".
"We are committed to combating abuse motivated by
hatred, prejudice or intolerance, particularly abuse that seeks to silence the
voices of those who have been historically marginalized," according to its
policy.
But AMAN has argued that Twitter's community
guidelines do not match the human rights granted to Australians set out in
section 124A of the state's Anti-Discrimination Act.
Ms Jabri Markwell said that gap places an "unfair
burden" on marginalised communities to claim justice for their rights.
"It places a really harmful burden on the
community's shoulders and we are arguing the harm is created by their product,
their platform. They should be responsible for fixing it."
SBS News contacted Twitter for comment but had not
received a response at the time of publication.
Ms Jabri Markwell said that "it's painful"
to seek recourse for Australian Muslims when it should automatically be
afforded to them through existing laws, such as the Online Safety Act.
"It's cruel for Twitter to require people who are
targeted by hatred to be the ones who have to read through it and collate the
evidence to beg for action to be taken," she said.
AMAN last Friday requested a meeting with the new
Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland, to push for vilification to be
included in online safety legislation.
Source: SBS
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original story:
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Abraham Accords Diplomats (United States, Israel and
Four Arab Countries) to Meet in Bahrain after Israel Meeting
In this file photo, former
US president Trump talks with UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed,
Bahrain's foreign minister Abdullatif Al Zayani and Israel's former PM
Netanyahu before the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 (Image: Reuters
File)
------
27 June, 2022
Diplomats from the United States, Israel and four Arab
countries will convene in Bahrain Monday, Israeli officials said, three months
after they vowed to boost cooperation at a landmark meeting in Israel.
The talks in the Bahraini capital Manama will bring
together foreign ministry officials from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and
Morocco -- which all normalized ties with Israel in 2020 -- and from Egypt,
which made peace with Israel in 1979.
In March, they met for the first time on Israeli soil
in the Sde Boker kibbutz in the Negev desert, with US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken joining his counterparts.
The UAE and Bahrain forged ties with Israel under the
Abraham Accords, brokered by former US President Donald Trump. Morocco then
re-established relations with Israel under a separate Trump-brokered agreement.
The Abraham Accords infuriated the Palestinians, who
argued that they marked a betrayal of a decades-old Arab consensus to isolate
Israel until it agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state, with its
capital in east Jerusalem.
Washington has said it wanted the meeting to be annual
and to include the Palestinian Authority and Jordan -- another Arab nation that
recognizes Israel, but which has seen rising criticism over the status of
Jerusalem.
Blinken has voiced strong support for the Abraham
Accords but cautioned at the Negev meeting that they cannot replace
Israeli-Palestinian peace-building.
The meetings aim to deepen cooperation on areas
including water, tourism, health, energy, food security and on regional
security.
Israel has also found common cause with Gulf Arab
states in their tense relationship with Iran.
Monday’s “meeting will also serve as a milestone ahead
of the US president’s expected visit to the Middle East,” the Israeli foreign
ministry said in a statement.
President Joe Biden will travel to Israel, the
Israeli-occupied West Bank and Saudi Arabia from July 13 to 16 -- his first
trip to the Middle East since taking office.
Once there, he will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council
summit with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and
Oman, joined by the leaders of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, a US official said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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original story:
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Head of Higher Islamic Council In Al-Quds Warns Of
Conspiracy Targeting Aqsa Mosque
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head
of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem, has warned of a conspiracy
targeting the Aqsa Mosque, accusing the Israeli occupation state of exploiting
the current Arab impotence and connivance to carry out its plots at the Islamic
holy site.
-----
June 27, 2022
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic
Council in al-Quds, has warned of a conspiracy targeting the Aqsa Mosque,
accusing the Israeli occupation state of exploiting the current Arab impotence
and connivance to carry out its plots at the Islamic holy site.
In press remarks on Sunday, Sheikh Sabri added that
“the occupation state is carrying out its plots silently at the Aqsa Mosque in
the midst of the Muslim nation’s preoccupation with other issues.”
He called on the Palestinian citizens frequenting the
Aqsa Mosque to be alert to any malicious Israeli activities taking place at
their Mosque and be ready to take action.
Recently, Jerusalemite activists and institutions have
raised the alarm about suspicious Israeli diggings threatening the foundations
of the Aqsa Mosque, and pointed to the occurrence of new fissures in the
western area of the holy site.
Source: ABNA24
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original story:
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India
‘I Never Seek Muslim Votes’, Says BJP MLA K.S.
Eshwarappa
JUNE 26, 2022
Former Minister and BJP MLA K.S. Eshwarappa has said
he never went to Muslim streets in Shivamogga city to seek their votes and and
would never go in future.
Speaking to presspersons in Shivamogga on Sunday, Mr.
Eshwarappa, who represents Shivamogga city in the Assembly, said in most places
the BJP was not dependent on the Muslim votes to win. “In Shivamogga city, I
have never gone to Muslim streets and I will never go”, he said.
Source: The Hindu
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Sangh Parivar Trying To Divide Christians, Muslims,
Says CPI (M) State Secretary
JUNE 26, 2022
‘CPI (M) Wayanad committee will probe SFI activists’
attack on Rahul Gandhi’s office’
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State
secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has accused the Sangh Parivar forces of
attempting to drive a wedge between Christian and Muslim communities to
splinter minority vote and destroy their cohesion against the Bharatiya Janata
Party’s (BJP) ‘divisive agenda.’
Interacting with the media after chairing the party’s
State committee meeting at AKG Centre on Sunday, Mr. Balakrishnan said Islamist
outfits such as the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and
Jamaat-e-Islami’s Welfare Party of India (WPI) aided the BJP’s cause by
championing a stubbornly insular view of their faith and ‘othering’ those who
adhere to a different belief system.
Mr. Balakrishnan said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) had changed tack after losing political ground in Kerala. Under the cover
of welfare organisations, the RSS tried to woo marginalised communities to
their Hindu majoritarian cause. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had sanctioned the
creation of well-funded frontal organisations to undertake education, housing
and welfare projects for fishers, and those from the Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribe communities. Islamist outfits also pursued a similar strategy.
The CPI(M) would thwart their polarising political gambit.
34 persons arrested
The CPI(M) Wayanad district committee would probe the
attack by Students Federation of India (SFI) activists on the regional office
of Rahul Gandhi, MP, at Kalpetta. However, Mr. Balakrishnan cautioned the local
police against overwhelmingly targetting SFI activists at the behest of local
Congress leaders.
Mr. Balakrishnan said the Congress had not denounced
the Youth Congress bid on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's life on board an
aircraft. Instead, the party hailed the attackers as heroes. It pointed to the
Congress leadership's guilt in the crime. In stark contrast, the CPI(M)
condemned the attack on Rahul Gandhi's office. The government suspended the law
and order officer from his duties pending inquiry. The police have so far
arrested 34 persons in connection with the incident.
Source: The Hindu
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Madhya Pradesh HC Asks SDM To Take Decision On Mosque
Construction Issue In 2 Months
26 JUN 2022
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed authorities
in Kevlari in Seoni district to decide on pending complaints and objections
related to the construction of a mosque on private land, which has been stayed,
within two months. The construction of the mosque was stayed by the Sub
Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Kevlari on March 23 this year and it was
challenged by the local Auliya Ahl-e-Sunnat Committee through its president
Firoz Khan.
The committee, in its plea, had said the SDM must hear
it as it wants to raise objections to the complaints against the construction.
"My client is constructing a mosque on private land for which the Bhu
Adhikar Patra has been issued by the district collector. Some persons have made
complaints on different grounds to stop construction," Amanulla Usmani,
counsel for the petitioner, said. "As per Section 7(2) of Madhya Pradesh
Sarvajanik Dharmik Bhawan Tatha Sthan Viniyaman Adhiniyam 1984, only the
district collector has the authority to order halting of construction of a
mosque if norms are contravened," Usmani added.
Source: Outlook India
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Row over Muslim trader supplying bananas to temple in
Mangaluru
June 27, 2022
A controversy has erupted after it came to light that
a contract to supply bananas to Ananthapadmanabha temple in Kudupu on the
outskirts of Mangaluru city was awarded to a Muslim trader last year.
The temple authorities had given a contract to the
lowest bidder to supply bananas on a regular basis needed for various sevas in
the temple for a period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
Realising lately that the contract was given to the
Muslim trader, right wing Hindu organisations came out in protest.
The temple authorities said they had invited
quotations from traders last year for the supply of bananas. Of the four
bidders who submitted quotations, the Muslim trader had quoted the lowest price
and was awarded the contract.
The news came out recently that the Muslim trader was
supplying the bananas to the temple which went viral, after which Hindu outfits
raised protest.
Source: Indian Express
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Terrorist 'tasked with attacking police' arrested in
J&K; arms, ammunition recovered
Jun 27, 2022
JAMMU: A young man with terror links across the
border, allegedly tasked with attacking police personnel, was arrested during a
naka checking in the district, ahead of Amarnath Yatra, police said on Sunday.
Additional director general of police (ADGP), Jammu
zone, Mukesh Singh said as an increased security measure before the Amarnath
Yatra, personnel from Doda police station laid a naka on the outskirts of the
town where they intercepted a young man carrying arms and ammunition.
"The arrested man has been identified as Fareed
Ahmed, a resident of Koti Doda. The security forces have recovered a Chinese
pistol, two magazines, 14 live cartridges and one mobile phone from his
possession. The accused was taken into custody and a special team started an
investigation. It has come to fore that Ahmad received the arms and ammunition
from a suspect in March and that he was tasked with attacking police personnel
in Doda," the senior police officer said.
He added the initial investigation revealed that the
subject is highly radicalised and used to receive calls from terror commanders
based across the border. “He was motivated to work for terror outfits in
Kashmir valley and Doda region."
A case under relevant sections of law has been
registered in Doda police station, ADGP Singh said.
Earlier on February 20, 2022, the security forces
arrested a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, Adil Iqbal Butt, who was a resident
of Sazan-Bajarni village, during a similar checking of vehicles at Thathri in
Doda district. A pistol, two magazines and nine rounds of bullets were found on
him.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan
Fault lines in Pakistan-Taliban ties emerge over
acceptance of Durand Line
June 27, 2022
The refusal to accept the status of the border between
Pakistan and Afghanistan (Durand Line) by the Taliban regime has clearly shown
the cracks in their relationship.
Pakistan is considered to be the mentor of the
Taliban, however, the student (Taliban) is not behaving as per the wishes of
his master (Pakistan).
Georgia Leatherdale-Gilholy, an associate writer for
Foundation for Uyghur Freedom and a Young Voices contributor, writing in The
National Interest said that the Durand Line remains a thorn in Pakistan's side.
Gilholy is also of the view that the tensions between
the Taliban-led Afghan state and Pakistan is potentially set to spiral over the
coming weeks and months.
Islamabad was partly optimistic in the wake of the
Taliban takeover. It hoped that the Taliban regime would accept the Durand
Line's legitimacy and leverage its links with the proscribed organization
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to broker a peace agreement.
While Taliban links have facilitated Islamabad-TTP
talks, which led to a ceasefire, the Taliban seems reluctant to apply total
pressure on the TTP. The Taliban is also in no mood to grant any concessions on
the issue, given that skirmishes between themselves and Pakistani troops
continue, reported The National Interest.
Perceived as a divisive colonial element intended to
divide the larger Pashtun community, the Durand Line is an emotive issue for
many Afghans.
While the Pashtun-dominated Taliban regime has yet to
announce territorial expansionary designs, many of its leaders make no secret
of their desire for the free flow of people, trade, and cultural exchanges
across the Pashtun belt.
The region is also home to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP). These Wahhabi fundamentalists have pledged allegiance to the Taliban but
maintain a separate structure. They also want the restoration of the special
status of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and its
de-merger with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, not to mention the release of
their detained cadres.
Moreover, the refusal to accept the status of the
border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is not unique to the Taliban regime.
Previous Afghan governments have argued that the
Durand Line's legitimacy expired in 1993, as the validity of the agreement,
inked on November 12, 1893, was for 100 years.
However, the weakness of recent Afghan governments
allowed Pakistan the leeway to construct a fence along the Durand Line, but
that does not mean this status quo is set in stone.
Islamabad, disregarding Taliban sentiments on the
issue of the Durand Line, has repeatedly asked the Taliban regime to act
against the TPP elements currently launching attacks inside Pakistan from
Afghan soil.
At the same time, Pakistani forces have insisted on
completing the fencing work along the border. Indeed, just as winter set in
last December, the temperature began rising along the Durand Line, with
Afghanistan and Pakistan once again locking horns.
Pakistani forces reportedly carried out several
cross-border violations, including artillery shelling, heavy and light weapons
firing, and transgressions in Afghan airspace via reconnaissance aircraft and
drones, reported The National Interest.
Reactions to Pakistan's airstrikes and artillery
attacks were strong, with Afghan mainstream and social media demanding the
expulsion of the Pakistani envoy in Kabul, and the closure of the border with
its eastern neighbour.
The Taliban's spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, also
warned Islamabad "not to test the patience of Afghans on such issues and
not repeat the same mistake again, otherwise, it would have undesired
consequences."
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Army chief, Gen Qamar Bajwa,
previously complained that "the Taliban and TTP were two faces of the same
coin."
As per Gilholy, the Taliban is unlikely to back down
from its position on the Durand Line and will continue to obstruct any attempt
to complete the fence.
Source: Business Standard
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Two soldiers martyred, seven terrorists killed in
North Waziristan gun battle: ISPR
June 26, 2022
RAWALPINDI: Two soldiers were martyred and seven
terrorists killed during an exchange of fire in North Waziristan’s Ghulam Khan
Kalle area, the military’s media affairs wing said on Sunday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR), soldiers “effectively engaged” the terrorists, killing
seven of them and recovering weapons and ammunition from them.
It added that the terrorists were “actively involved”
in terrorism activities against security forces.
The ISPR said that Subedar Munir Hussain, 44, resident
of Parachinar, and Havildar Babu Khan, 38, resident of Dera Ismail Khan,
“fought gallantly” during the battle and were martyred.
“Area clearance is being carried out to eliminate any
other terrorists found in the vicinity,” the statement said.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Reports surface of ex-ISI chief 'joining' Imran's
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
Jun 27, 2022
Retired Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, the former chief of
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), remained in the media spotlight
after reports surfaced that he had apparently waded into the political sphere
and "joined" a political party.
However, Gen Islam has not commented on these reports
so far, reports Dawn news.
On Sunday, journalist Saleem Safi posted a picture of
the former DG ISI on his Twitter account, where the latter could be seen
standing at a podium, ostensibly while delivering a speech at a political
event, that was emblazoned with the flag of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Several commenters assumed that the former general had
waded into politics and announced his support for PTI, however, the party's
information secretary has dispelled this impression.
Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Gen
Islam had participated in a political event in support of a PTI candidate in
the upcoming Punjab Assembly by-polls, Dawn reported.
The candidate he is said to have been supporting is Shabbir
Awan, who is running for MPA from a Rawalpindi constituency.
Chaudhry told Dawn news there was no truth to rumours
that Gen Islam had joined the party, adding that he was merely expressing
support for a PTI candidate who happened to be a relative of the retired
general.
Gen Islam served as the ISI chief from March 2012 to
November 2014.
Source: Tribune India
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Turkiye keen to expand trade with Pakistan
Khaleeq Kiani
June 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan and Turkiye prepare to
conclude the Trade in Goods Agreement (TGA) next month, Ankara is keen on
increasing the number of flights from the three existing cities and adding two
more destinations in Pakistan while a power distribution company wants to
invest in Lahore.
Under the agreement, bilateral trade will be
increased to $5 billion in three years from about $1bn in 2021.
Senior government officials told Dawn that relevant
ministries and agencies were engaged in finalising a visit of the Turkish trade
minister to Islamabad early next month along with a large business delegation.
The guest minister may sign the TGA, an official said, adding that it was being
finalised at the moment.
The two governments had agreed during the visit of
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Turkiye early this month to enhance bilateral
trade to $5bn in three years from the present $1.1bn.
The Prime Minister Office (PMO) and the commerce
ministry are currently in the process of creating a joint task force comprising
relevant politicians, officials and eminent businessmen to achieve the $5bn
trade target.
Simultaneously, the Planning Commission, Board of
Investment (BOI) and CPEC Authority are also working closely to examine how
Turkiye can benefit from CPEC for which the foreign ministry has also been
asked to discuss the matter with China at the relevant forums.
Informed sources said Zorlu Energy Group, which
currently operates about 55mw renewable energy project in Pakistan, had shared
with Prime Minister Sharif during his recent visit that it had a power
distribution company which it wanted to bring to Lahore and was interested in
setting up electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities in Pakistan.
The sources further said Turkish Airlines had
officially requested Islamabad to allow it to increase the frequency of flights
from three existing stations – Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad – and also add two
more stations – Sialkot and Faisalabad – to its flight portfolio.
Secondly, it had sought permission to ‘maintain
profits earned in Pakistan in foreign exchange accounts and repatriate it to
Turkiye’.
The Aviation Division, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP),
Ministry of Finance and BOI were looking into these matters.
Officials said the two sides were working closely on
convening the 7th High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) – led by the
two prime ministers – in September this year in Islamabad to sign about seven
agreements and finalise other pacts and memorandums of understanding.
Before that, the two sides have to review the
implementation status of the existing agreements as well as the strategic
economic framework (SEF) and identifying new areas of cooperation in the SEF.
Some of the upcoming agreements pertain to highway
engineering between the Turkish ministry of transport and infrastructure and
Pakistan’s ministry of communication, technical cooperation between the central
banks, treasury and finance authorities in debt management and knowledge
sharing, cooperation in urbanisation, climate change and environment and
housing sector investment.
Pakistani authorities are seeking Turkish expertise on
how to improve Pakistan’s entire business ecosystem by utilising Turkish
experience with the European Union.
Meanwhile, the ministries of railways and commerce
have been asked to look into the sustainability of Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul
(TI) train project and identification of impediments.
The upcoming business delegation would also include
top Turkish companies, led by a leading businessman-cum-politician Burhan
Kayaturk – a graduate of Lahore University of Technology.
As advance consideration, a leading firm Siyahkalem
has proposed investments in solar, wind and hydropower sector besides low cost
housing through the Naya Pakistan Housing Development Authority.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696937/turkiye-keen-to-expand-trade-with-pakistan
--------
Banigala staffer 'caught installing spy device in
Imran’s bedroom'
Ikram Junaidi
June 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: While former prime minister Imran Khan has
alleged that attempts were being made to assassinate him or stop him from
speaking against the ruling elite, staff at his Banigala residence on Saturday
night caught a man red-handed while installing a spy device in his bedroom.
The chief of staff of the former premier, Dr Shahbaz
Gill, handed over the suspect, an employee of Banigala, to the police.
On the other hand, the police on Sunday decided to
conduct a medical test on the suspect.
A PTI worker, wishing not to be quoted, said the
security head of Banigala was informed that an employee was installing some
device in the bedroom of Imran Khan.
“Immediate action was taken and the employee, who used
to do cleaning work in Banigala, was caught and a device recovered from him.
Later, Mr Gill handed over the suspect to the police along with the device,” he
claimed.
Medical test will be conducted on suspect to ascertain
his mental health, say police
“The PTI chairman and a number of other leaders of the
party have already alleged that Imran Khan’s life is in danger. Security
agencies initially took some steps but later eased down,” he said.
When contacted, PTI legislator from Islamabad Ali Awan
told Dawn that everyone knew how important was the life of the PTI chairman and
efforts were being made to assassinate him.
“Just a month back, efforts were made to arrest Imran
Khan and a contingent of police along with a prison van was sent to Banigala.
Later, First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against him and some
journalists. It is unfortunate that the government is not willing to provide
security to the former prime minister and chairman of the largest political
party of Pakistan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Gill told media that the suspect had
been working in the PTI chief’s residence for the last six years and that was
why “he was paid to install the device in the bedroom.”
He alleged that Rs50,000 were given to the employee
and he was told that once information started coming, more money will be given
to him.
Mr Gill said all intelligence and law enforcement
agencies were already informed about the threats to the life of Mr Khan.
It may be noted that Minister for Interior Rana
Sanaullah has already rejected claims that Imran Khan’s life was under threat
and said he was enjoying the security of the prime minister’s level.
However, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed
has claimed that there is threat to the life of the former prime minister.
Meanwhile, according to police sources, the alleged spy was arrested by the
Banigala police.
The police claimed that a media person had handed over
the person to the police but the suspect was not able to speak properly.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696893/banigala-staffer-caught-installing-spy-device-in-imrans-bedroom
--------
Imran asks workers to teach 'turncoats' a lesson
Mansoor Malik
June 27, 2022
LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday
formally launched its by-election campaign in Punjab with party chairman Imran
Khan making whirlwind visits to four constituencies of Lahore to motivate
workers to teach ‘turncoats’ a lesson with a humiliating defeat.
The PTI has pitched four party diehards against
dissidents (now PML-N candidates), who ditched the party at a crucial juncture
of re-election of Punjab chief minister after Usman Buzdar resigned as chief
minister.
In his speeches at each Lahore constituency, Mr Khan
said these by-elections were not just politics but a “jihad to win real
independence” for Pakistan and in the same breath vowed that he would bring
back Rs1,100 billion laundered abroad by the Sharifs who were “forgiven under
the NRO-2 through the NAB amendment”.
He said the Rs1,100 billion money laundering
allegations against PM Shehbaz Sharif and his son CM Hamza Shehbaz were open
and shut cases but they were imposed on the nation through a conspiracy.
Vows to bring back laundered money from abroad
Earlier, he said, the Sharif family had got NRO-1 from
former president Gen Musharraf and fled to Saudi Arabia to come back again to
plunder the country for 10 more years.
“The entire Sharif family wants to return again for
another round of loot and plunder,” he stated.
Imran Khan asked the youth and women to go door to
door, bring people out of their homes on the polling day and ensure that the
PML-N should not rig the vote with the help of ‘umpires’.
“The PTI needs to defeat all the turncoats who are
actually banking on umpires’ help,” he asserted and added that the turncoats
had not only violated the Constitution and law but also committed treachery
against democracy and voters, who voted them in the 2018 general elections.
He said the nation would never forgive the ‘regime
change conspirators’ as they had insulted the country.
He said the whole nation was looking at the 20
by-elections in Punjab, adding that the PTI’s win through massive public
support would help topple the fake government of Hamza Shehbaz, regain power
and announce fresh general elections.
Mr Khan said the ‘fake’ PML-N government had used
state power against the PTI leaders and workers holding peaceful protest march
on Islamabad. “The incumbent government wants to terrorise masses so that they
should not come out of their homes on the polling day, allowing it to maneuver
election results with the help of umpires,” he added.
The PTI chairman also strongly criticized the Election
Commission of Pakistan for its `leanings’ towards the PML-N and asked his
workers to stay vigilant at polling stations on July 17.
He said the PTI had put the country’s economy on the
path to progress and the recent Economic Survey of Pakistan was witness to the
fact that every sector, including industries, were booming. “Now the economy is
noose diving and inflation sky-rocketing,” he observed.
The dissidents and the PTI diehards contesting
by-election from the four constituencies include former PTI senior leader Abdul
Aleem Khan, who became MPA from PP-158 (Lahore-XV), had voted for PML-N’s chief
minister candidate Hamza Shehbaz and was subsequently de-seated by the Election
Commission of Pakistan. Aleem Khan, however, did not find it appropriate to
contest a by-election. In this constituency, the PML-N has launched Rana Ahsan
against PTI’s Mian Muhammad Akram Usman.
In PP-167 (Lahore-XXIV), the PTI has fielded Shabbir
Ahmad against Nazir Ahmad Chohan now contesting on the PML-N ticket. Nazir
Chohan had remained critical of the Usman Buzdar government and joined the
Jahangir Tareen group.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696933/imran-asks-workers-to-teach-turncoats-a-lesson
--------
Europe
Bradford
Cricketing Icon, Adil Rashid, Choose Holy Mecca for Hajj Instead Of England’s
India White-Ball Series
June
27, 2022
Adil
Rashid will miss England’s white-ball series against India after being given
clearance to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.
The
Hajj is an annual journey to the sacred city in Saudi Arabia that all Muslims
with physical and financial means are expected to carry out once in their
lifetime.
Rashid
has found it difficult to make the pilgrimage due to timings and commitments,
but the leg-spinner and his wife will make the trip this weekend after he got
the green light from both Yorkshire and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The
34-year-old will miss some of Yorkshire’s Vitality Blast games and England’s
Twenty20 and one-day international matches with India but said it felt like a
“big boost” to get such backing from county and country.
Rashid
told ESPNcricinfo: “I’ve been wanting to do it for a little while, but I’ve
found it pretty difficult with the timings.
“This
year, I felt as though it was something that I had to do, and something I
wanted to do as well.
“I
spoke to the ECB and to Yorkshire about it and they were very understanding and
encouraging, like: ‘yep, you do what you’ve got to do and then come back when
you can’.
“Me
and the missus are going and I’ll be there for a couple of weeks.
“It’s
a massive moment: each faith has got their own different thing but for Islam
and being a Muslim, this is one of the biggest ones.
Source:
ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
27
die trying to cross land border from Morocco to Spain
Alyssa
McMurtry
25.06.2022
OVIEDO,
Spain
The
death toll of migrants who died trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish
enclave of Melilla rose to 27 on Saturday, according to the Moroccan
Association for Human Rights (AMDH).
Around
2,000 migrants, many from Sudan, tried to cross the militarized border fence on
Friday.
At
first, five people were reported dead, but later, Moroccan authorities raised
the figure to 18.
Videos
from the Moroccan side of the border show what appear to be dead bodies and
people with severe injuries strewn out on the ground without receiving medical
attention.
Other
images show hundreds of people, some with clear injuries, lying in a pile on
the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.
“The
victims of the tragedy in Melilla agonized for hours under the cruel gaze of
those who were supposed to help them and did not do so,” tweeted founder of
Walking Borders Helena Maleno Garzon, who also confirmed the report of 27 dead.
Dozens
of Moroccan and Spanish police officers were also injured during the storming
of the border, where migrants were armed with homemade knives, sticks, stones
and hooks to climb the border fence, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Moroccan
police used tear gas to disperse those trying to climb the border fence.
Several
NGOs are calling for an immediate investigation into the treatment of migrants
during the incident.
“We
warn against any attempt to order the burial of the Sub-Saharan and Sudanese
migrants who died yesterday without opening a global, rapid and serious
investigation to determine responsibilities and shortcomings,” said the AMDH
chapter in Nador, Morocco.
This
is the largest mass assault on this border since Spain and Morocco boosted their
bilateral cooperation after Madrid decided to support Rabat’s position on the
independence of Western Sahara.
Spanish
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday applauded the “extraordinary work of the
Moroccan government in coordination with Spain to try to stop a violent
assault, which was, in this case, well resolved.”
Last
summer, Moroccan authorities stood passively by as thousands swam into the
Spanish enclave of Ceuta amid a diplomatic spat over Spain treating the
separatist leader of Western Sahara for COVID-19.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/27-die-trying-to-cross-land-border-from-morocco-to-spain/2622443
--------
Arab
World
Islamic
Coin, Shariah-Compliant Digital Currency, Gets Fatwa from Muslim Scholars,
Launches Private Sale
By
Nicole Buckler
26
June 2022
Islamic
Coin (ISLM) is a Shariah-compliant digital currency. The coin has just got
itself a Fatwa, from Muslim authorities.
Translated
from Arabic, a Fatwa is an “opinion.” It is usually given in response to
questions raised by people, businesses or Islamic courts. Fatwas are not binding
judgments, but if it is a positive fatwa, then you can carry onwards and
upwards with the peace of mind that you have been given the seal of approval
from religious leaders.
Islamic
Coin has itself a positive Fatwa and will steam ahead. Building the autonomous,
immutable independent financial system is Islamic Coin’s Management Board. They
will oversee the development of the ISLM coin, which operates on the Haqq
blockchain.
The
Fatwa from authorities was granted based on its use of proof-of-stake mining,
and the decentralized nature of the ISLM coin. And, its charitable activities.
Shariah
compliance has been a recurring issue in crypto. Islamic Coin claims to be a
world-first, by sticking to the principles of the Quran. And “creating an
instrument to serve and empower the Muslim community, while delivering direct
value and promoting the principles of Islam via blockchain and innovation.”
Islamic
Coin Key Figues
Mohammed
Alkaff is the Islamic Coin Co-Founder. “We are proud to build and deliver a
Shariah-compliant, immutable, independent financial system that serves the
Muslim community and beyond. A pillar of stability, intertwined with values
that are future-proof in a changing world.”
Another
figure behind the coin is Sheikh Dr. Nizam Mohammed Saleh Yaquby. He is known
as ‘The Gatekeeper’ of a $2 trillion market for Islamic financial products.
Also
onboard is Islamic Banker of the Year Hussein Mohammed Al Meeza, a key figure
of Dubai Islamic Bank. The bank is the first Shariah-Compliant financial institution
in the world.
Source:
Beincrypto
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://beincrypto.com/islamic-coin-gets-fatwa-from-muslim-scholars-launches-private-sale/
--------
Fearful
memories of torture still fresh for victims of PKK/YPG terrorists
26.06.2022
ERBIL,
Iraq
Despite
the passing of a decade, former prisoners who suffered days of torture by the
PKK/YPG in northern Syria, as well as the loved ones of those who died at the
hands of the terrorist group, are unable to shake off their memories of those
fearful moments.
Ahmed
Kurmi, a committee member of Syrian Kurdistan Democratic Party (SKDP), is one
of those who were abducted and tortured for two days by the PKK in 2013.
While
a group of civil activists, including Kurmi, were protesting the Bashar
al-Assad regime in the northeastern border town of Amuda in June 2013, the
terrorists surrounded the demonstrators and took three of them away, he told
Anadolu Agency.
He
also took part in another demonstration against these three detentions. The
terror group responded by blocking their way with over a dozen vehicles and
shooting into the crowd, Kurmi said.
"The
militants started shooting at people. Many of our friends died. The (terrorist)
organization did not allow the wounded who were taken to the hospital to be
treated, either. That day, five people died and 32 people were seriously
injured," he recounted.
In its
more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a
terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, UK and EU -- has been responsible
for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
The YPG is the PKK terror group's Syrian offshoot.
Wishing
for death
PKK
terrorists later also attacked and abducted Kurmi at his home, making off with
money and household goods, and taking him to an unknown location.
"They
put me in a two-meter cell. We were 30 people in total. When I came to my
senses in the prison where we were taken, I saw that my son had also been
taken. They also broke his nose.
"Then,
they blindfolded me again. I could hear sounds of torture inflicted on my
friends. They were constantly screaming because of the pain they were
suffering...I knew our torturers by their voices. They were people from our
region. I was willing to die because of the torture," he added.
Kurmi
and his fellow inmates were later taken roughly 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) east
to the city of Qamishli.
"We
didn't know exactly where they were taking us because our eyes were closed.
There was greater torture there. They tortured us from morning until night with
no food or water. We weren't allowed to sleep," he said.
Shortly
after his release, he took his family and sought shelter with friends in the
Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, fearing that he would be
killed if he stayed.
Unimaginable
torture
Zeyneb
Sheikh Khalid is a mother from the town of Afrin, a district liberated from
PKK/YPG control by Türkiye's Operation Olive Branch in 2018. Before then, she
lost several members of her family, including her son, to the terror group's
torture.
In
July 2012, 10 PKK terrorists raided Khalid's home and killed her 67-year-old
husband and 41-year-old son, Abdurrahman, she told Anadolu Agency.
The
terrorists whisked away her other son, Nureddin, who they would kill in their
torture chambers.
"After
inflicting all manner of torture on my son, Nureddin, they killed him the next
day and threw his body in the courtyard of our house.
Describing
the gruesome state that they left her son in, Khalid said: "The PKK
tortured my son a lot without killing him. He had stab wounds on his body. They
gouged out his eyes and cut off his lips."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia's Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid Discusses Military, Defence
Cooperation With Pakistan Military Chief
June
26, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman has dicussed
bilateral cooperation in the areas of military and defense with Pakistan's
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa.
Prince
Khalid and General Bajwa also reviewed ways to strengthen historic relations
between their countries, and discussed issues of common concern, the deputy
defense minister tweeted on Sunday.
Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on the directives of King Salman, decorated the
military chief with the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class on Saturday.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2111111/saudi-arabia
--------
Patriarch
Al-Rai, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric, urges politicians to form govt.
27
June, 2022
Lebanon’s
top Christian cleric urged fractious politicians on Sunday to speed up the
formation of a government to allow authorities to prepare for presidential
elections due before the end of October.
Lebanon’s
Najib Mikati was nominated premier for a fourth time on Thursday after securing
the support of 54 of parliament’s 128 lawmakers, including the Iran-backed
Hezbollah, in consultations convened by President Michel Aoun.
But
with splits running deep among Lebanon’s ruling elite, it is widely believed
Mikati will struggle to form a government, spelling political paralysis that
could hamper reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to
unlock aid.
“Again
I demand speeding up formation of a national government with the country’s
pressing need for it and so that the focus can immediately be on preparations
to elect a president who saves the country,” Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros
Al-Rai said at a sermon on Sunday.
“We
call on all parties to cooperate with the premier designate...,” he added.
Analysts
and politicians expect the process of forming a cabinet to be further
complicated by a looming struggle over who will replace Aoun, the Hezbollah-aligned
head of state, when his term ends on October 31.
This
could further delay reforms needed to unlock $3 billion in IMF support needed
to ease the country’s financial crisis.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israel
approves housing allowance for South Lebanon Army veterans
27 June, 2022
Israel
on Sunday approved housing allowances for South Lebanon Army (SLA) veterans
residing in the country, providing “historic justice” to former members of the
Christian-led militia, officials said.
The
decision, passed by the government, would see some 400 former SLA fighters who
did not hold commanding ranks receiving a one-off grant of 550,000 shekels
(around $161,000) towards buying a home over the next four years, the Israeli
army said in a statement.
Defense
Minister Benny Gantz said he was “proud” of the approval, hailing it as
“historic justice to those who fought shoulder to shoulder with us, and were
uprooted from their homes and homeland.”
The
army said the grant provides “a solution for the housing shortage of around 400
families that were not properly accommodated upon their arrival in Israel,”
noting the assistance would be given to SLA widows too, “provided that they
reside in Israel.”
The
SLA was formed in 1976 as a splinter from the Lebanese army, whose ranks were
divided a year after the start of the civil war. Initially it was called the
Free Lebanon Army.
The
conflict shifted dramatically when Israel invaded the south in 1978 to stop
attacks by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) emanating from Lebanon,
and the militia started taking its orders from the Israeli army, which trained,
funded and supported it.
When
the Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, thousands of SLA
members and their families chose to cross the border too, for fear of reprisals
from the groups they once fought -- particularly Hezbollah -- and settle in
Israel or elsewhere.
In
2019, a committee comprised of relatives of exiled SLA members estimated that
between 2,400 and 2,700 Lebanese still lived in Israel.
Many
SLA veterans say they feel Israeli authorities have abandoned them in their
adopted home, often working in low-paying jobs and unable to return to Lebanon.
The
Israeli army said the decision had been four years in the making, with a
military task force also inaugurating an SLA monument and advancing a museum
dedicated to the militia in Israel’s north.
“We
value their contribution to the combat achievements in southern Lebanon,” army
chief Aviv Kohavi was quoted in the statement as saying.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince receives Iraqi PM in Kingdom to discuss bilateral ties
26
June, 2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa
al-Kadhimi met in Jeddah late Saturday to discuss bilateral ties between the
two countries, the official Saudi Press Agency reported early Sunday.
The
two leaders also discussed potential areas for joint cooperation and exchanged
views and opinions on a number of regional and global issues “which contribute
to supporting and strengthening security and stability in the region,” SPA
reported.
The
Iraqi Prime Minister, along with his delegation, were welcomed at Jeddah’s King
Abudlaziz International Airport by the Crown Prince himself and other members
of his delegation on Saturday.
The
talks were attended by Saudi’s Minister of the National Guard Prince Abdullah
bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz; Deputy defense minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin
Abdulaziz; foreign affairs minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah;
Minister of Trade Dr. Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi; General Intelligence chief
Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan; and Saudi Ambassador to Iraq Abdulaziz al-Shammari.
The
session was also attended by Iraq’s foreign minister Dr. Fuad Hussein; National
Intelligence Agency Undersecretary Majid Ali Hussein; Director of the Iraqi
Prime Minister’s Private Office Ahmed Najati; and Adviser to the Prime Minister
for Protocol Affairs Hassanein Rashid al-Sheikh.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Qatar
likely to host Iran-US nuclear deal talks
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
26.06.2022
TEHRAN,
Iran
Qatar
is most likely to host the upcoming talks between Iran and the US, mediated by
the European Union, to close the remaining gaps in efforts to salvage the 2015
nuclear deal.
Nour
News, affiliated with Iran's top security body, said in a statement posted on
Twitter on Sunday that Doha has a "better chance" of hosting the
forthcoming talks than other Gulf countries, given its "ongoing efforts to
resume talks on lifting sanctions."
It
comes a day after Iran and the EU agreed to break a three-month deadlock in the
Vienna nuclear talks, following EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's
meetings in Tehran with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and
the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkani.
In
a presser after the marathon meetings, the top EU diplomat announced that the
next round of talks will be held in coming days in a Persian Gulf country, as
it would take place in a format different from the Vienna talks.
The
forthcoming talks, he noted, will be between Washington and Tehran, mediated by
his EU team, saying the economic and nuclear aspects of the deal have been
fixed and now it all boils down to "political difficulties" between
the two sides.
"But
I still do not know if both will be able to overcome their respective political
difficulties," he added.
The
key disagreements between Iran and the US that have led to the stalemate
include the de-listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked
organizations and guarantees that the future US administration won't walk out
of the deal again.
Borrell
stopped short of specifying the name of the host country, or even the exact
date of the talks, fueling speculations that it could be either Oman or Qatar,
two allies of Tehran.
Pertinently,
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited Tehran last month and held
wide-ranging talks with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, which included nuclear
deal negotiations.
At
a joint press conference, the Qatari leader said his country has "always
had a positive view" of talks in Vienna, and believes that dialogue is the
only way to reach a deal.
The
visit led to speculations about mediation efforts by the Qatari ruler to break
the stalemate in the Vienna talks and unfreeze Iran's frozen assets abroad.
Interestingly,
his visit to Tehran came a day after EU deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora
landed in Tehran to hold talks with Iranian officials.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/qatar-likely-to-host-iran-us-nuclear-deal-talks/2622969
--------
Saudi
Arabia investment gives yoga a new twist
SALEH
FAREED
June
26, 2022
JEDDAH:
Yoga — an ancient art, science and sport combined — is getting a modern twist
as Saudi Arabia begins planning specialist academies and training institutes to
cater for the growing community of devotees in the Kingdom.
As
part of the 8th International Yoga Day, the Saudi Yoga Committee, in
cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, launched its own page on the Nafes
platform to encourage investment in yoga by opening halls, academies and
institutes to train instructors, and to speed up the issuing of licenses for
studios and centers.
“Due
to the strong demand for yoga in the Kingdom, the committee aims to increase
the number of yoga centers and studios in all cities so that it is easier to
access and practice yoga,” said Nouf Al-Marwaai, president of the Saudi Yoga
Committee.
Al-Marwaai
said that these services and centers are concentrated in the main cities, but
growing demand has recently been noticed in southern regions in Asir and Abha,
in the north in Tabuk and Hail, and in the west in Makkah and Madinah, Yanbu
and Rabigh, as well as in smaller cities such as Al-Aflaj and on the outskirts
of the Riyadh region.
“They
all have a community of yoga instructors and practitioners,” she said.
Al-Marwaai
said that the committee has launched other initiatives to promote yoga sports
in Saudi Arabia.
“In
addition to registering yogaasana players in the Saudi Yoga Committee, and
issuing licenses to yoga trainers and teachers in cooperation with the Ministry
of Sport on the Nafes platform, we are also inviting all yoga practitioners to
participate in the first professional yogasana competition in the Kingdom,” she
said.
“The
aim of the competition is to create a platform for yoga professionals in the
Kingdom, and expand the concept of yoga tournaments and competitions, as the
Saudi Yoga Committee cooperates with International bodies such as the Asian
Yogasana Sports Federation and the World Yogasana Sports Federation to form
local, regional and international championships.”
The
competition will be a traditional yogasana competition, consisting of three
compulsory poses. The first three winners will be honored with financial prizes
and will be added to the Saudi Yoga Committee as professional players.
Entrants
simply post a 10-second video while holding the pose on Instagram or Twitter,
mentioning the Saudi Yoga Committee account and the following hashtags
#Saudi_Yoga_Competition.
Al-Marwaai
said that the competition will encourage the practice of different types of
yoga.
The
competition began on June 21 and results will be announced on July 3.
“The
Saudi Yoga Committee expects a great response to these initiatives due to a
large number of yoga lovers, practitioners and trainers in the Kingdom,” she
said.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2111296/saudi-arabia
--------
Mideast
Over
150 Israeli settlers intrude into al-Aqsa Mosque in latest act of provocation
26
June 2022
More
than 150 Israeli settlers, escorted by military forces, intrude into the
al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of al-Quds in the latest act
of provocation against the sacred site.
On
Sunday morning, 151 Israeli settlers were inside the al-Aqsa Mosque in groups
through its Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards under full protection of
police forces, the Palestinian Information Center, citing local sources,
reported.
Israeli
settlers received lectures from rabbis about the Temple Mount during their tour
of the sacred site, the report further said, adding that some settlers
provocatively performed rituals and Talmudic prayers in the Mosque’s
courtyards.
According
to the report, Israeli police also imposed movement restrictions on Muslim
worshipers at the entrances and gates of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Police
closed Maghariba Gate at 10:30 a.m. after the settlers completed their morning
tours at the holy site. Later in the afternoon, the same gate was reopened for evening
tours by Israeli settlers.
Such
mass settler break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel
Aviv-backed temple groups and under the auspices of the Israeli police in
al-Quds.
The
al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses
both the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The
Jewish visitation of al-Aqsa is permitted, but according to an agreement signed
between Israel and the Jordanian government in the wake of Israel’s occupation
of East Jerusalem al-Quds in 1967, non-Muslim worship at the compound is
prohibited.
Israeli
police shoot, wound 3 Palestinians in Tulkarm
Separately
on Sunday morning, three Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire in
Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Information Center said in a
separate report.
In
a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli soldiers at the Tayba
checkpoint in western Tulkarm opened fire at two young men and wounded them.
They also wounded another Palestinian youth by a rubber bullet in his shoulder
during a raid by Israeli forces on Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm City.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/06/26/684586/Palestine-Israel-settlers-Aqsa-Mosque-Tulkarm
--------
World
must take action to stop Israel’s systematic torture of Palestinians: NGO
26
June 2022
Israel
must be held accountable for its systematic torture of Palestinian inmates, a
non-governmental organization based in the occupied territories has said.
The
Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, also known as
‘Miftah,’ which was established in 1998 as an independent Palestinian civil
society institution, issued a report on Sunday to mark the International Day in
Support of the Victims of Torture, detailing various forms of ill-treatment of
Palestinians by the Israeli prison authorities.
Palestinian
inmates are denied basic human rights and continue to languish behind bars.
Israel continues to violate international law regarding the treatment of
prisoners, the report said.
“Despite
the absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment under international law,
Israeli occupying forces and prison authorities employ various torture and
ill-treatment techniques against almost all Palestinian political prisoners and
detainees, including women and children, leaving grave physical and
psychological damage.”
Those
torture techniques include prolonged stress positions, beatings, solitary
confinement, sleep deprivation, deliberate medical negligence, physical and
verbal sexual abuse, force-feeding, humiliation and threat on family members.
“Israeli
prison authorities, occupying forces and interrogators feel emboldened to
commit such acts of torture with full impunity knowing that neither the
complicit Israeli legal system nor the international community will hold them
accountable.”
A
large number of Palestinian prisoners are also being held in Israeli jails
without any charge or trial under the so-called administrative detention where
incarceration periods can be renewed indefinitely.
“Israel
also extensively uses administrative detention to detain hundreds of
Palestinians for indefinite periods of time with no charge or trial based on
‘secret charges,’ something Palestinian human rights organization Addameer has
identified as a cruel form of psychological torture,” the report read.
Advocacy
groups describe Israel’s use of the detention as a “bankrupt tactic” and have
long called on Israel to end its use.
Latest
figures show the Israeli regime has arrested over one million Palestinians,
including women and children, since 1967.
Elsewhere
in the report, Miftah demanded an investigation by the International Criminal
Court (ICC) into the Israeli crimes and its systematic torture of Palestinians.
Over
7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in some 17 Israeli jails, with
dozens of them serving multiple life sentences.
The
Israeli Prison Service (IPS) keeps Palestinian prisoners under deplorable
conditions lacking proper hygienic standards. They have also been subject to
systematic torture, harassment and repression all through the years of Israel’s
occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/06/26/684581/miftah-palestinian-prisoners
--------
Iran:
Bombs, Terrorism, Crime US Souvenirs to Afghanistan instead of Technology
2022-June-27
Addressing
a ceremony marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking in Tehran on Sunday, Vahidi blamed the current dire economic
situation in Afghanistan on the US and its allies.
He
said that they brought bombs, terrorism and crime to Afghanistan instead of
boosting its industries and agriculture.
Vahidi
lashed out at the western governments for their “poor performance” in the fight
against narcotics trafficking.
He
said the main culprits behind the increase in using drugs are certain western
intelligence agencies and politicians.
Vahidi
thanked the UN for its positive efforts in this regard, but meantime, noted
that the West’s fight against narcotics is not genuine.
The
interior minister said an important stage in narcotics today is the production
of industrial drugs, which is being done at labs in western countries.
Vahidi
added that the production of industrial drugs is a lucrative business for the
western countries.
He
demanded the western banks to control the financial operations of narcotics
traffickers, saying it’s questionable that financial institutions in the West
turn a blind eye to the issue.
Vahidi
said Iran is now alone in the fight against narcotics but instead of being
appreciated, it’s getting accused by its adversaries under various pretexts.
He
underscored that 3,850 Iranian security forces have been killed in the war
against drugs and 12,000 others have been injured.
Vahidi
said despite that, Iran has received meager assistance to carry on the fight.
The
Iranian anti-narcotics police have always staged periodic operations against
drug traffickers and dealers, but the latest reports - which among others
indicate an improved and systematic dissemination of information - reveal that
the world's most forefront and dedicated anti-narcotic force (as UN
drug-campaign assessments put it) has embarked on a long-term countrywide plan
to crack down on the drug trade since several years ago.
Iran
is in the forefront of the fight against drug trafficking and thousands of
Iranian police forces have been so far martyred to protect the world from the
danger of drugs.
The
Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has
undergone a 40-fold increase since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
conducts test-launch of satellite carrier ahead of nuclear talks
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
26.06.2022
TEHRAN,
Iran
Iran
on Sunday announced the second test launch of its indigenously-developed
satellite carrier Zuljanah.
Defense
Ministry spokesman Seyed Ahmad Hosseini said in a statement that the launch was
sub-orbital with "pre-determined research objectives.”
He
said the three-stage carrier has two stages of solid propulsion and one stage
of liquid propulsion and is "technically competitive" with the
world's top satellite carriers.
Defense
Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami hailed the launch as a "breakthrough"
that he said proved Iran's "scientific power", as cited by state
media.
The
launch comes less than two weeks after the ministry spokesman announced plans
to carry out two more launches of the satellite carrier that runs on a hybrid
fuel.
The
first test launch of Zuljanah was carried out in February 2021, which was
broadcast live on Iran's state TV.
Hosseini
at the time said the satellite carrier will be able to put payloads weighing up
to 220 kilograms into orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers.
Interestingly,
the announcement about two more launches for Zoljanah came after the Intel Lab
published satellite imagery showing preparations for a satellite launch at Imam
Khomeini Space Center in the central city of Semnan, 216 km east of Tehran.
The
US and its European allies have repeatedly expressed concern over Iran's space
launch vehicles, calling on Tehran to stop sending satellite carrier rockets
into space, and claiming that it violates UN Security Council resolutions.
Iran,
however, maintains that its space program is peaceful in nature and not tied to
the country's ballistic missile development.
The
country has had many failed satellite launches in recent years due to technical
issues.
The
latest launch came a day after Iran and the European Union agreed to break a
3-month deadlock in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Houthis
seize properties of late former PM Bajamal
June
26, 2022
AL-MUKALLA:
An anti-corruption authority controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis in Sanaa has
ordered the seizure of assets belonging to Abdul Qader Bajamal, a late former
prime minister, accusing him of misusing public funds, Yemeni activists and
local media said.
Ahmed
Nagi Al-Nabhani, a Yemeni activist based in the city, told Arab News that the
Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption issued a seizure order
targeting houses, bank accounts and other properties owned by Bajamal over a
failed project during his tenure in 2003.
Bajamal
was a senior member of the General People’s Congress, the former president Ali
Abdullah Saleh’s party, and head of three consecutive governments from 2001 to
2006.
Al-Nabhani
said that the SNACC had sent the case to the Public Funds Court for prosecution,
and called for coordinated local and international rights campaigns, mainly
from Bajamal’s party, to pressure the Houthis to allow the former premier’s
family to access their assets.
“There
must be serious and real solidarity with the family of Bajamal, because they
are now, according to the decision of the SNACC, banned from using their
father’s property,” Al-Nabhani said.
Bajamal
died in September 2020 at the age of 67.
In
a condolence message to his family, Mahdi Al-Mashat, head of Houthi Supreme
Political Council, described Bajamal then as a “sincere, dedicated” national
leader who served his country.
The
seizure order against Bajamal came as the Houthis raided the houses of other
late Yemeni officials in Sanaa and areas under their control.
In
Sanaa, armed Houthis occupied the house of the late Abdul Rahman Bafadhel, an
MP and member of the Islamist Islah party, and expelled his daughter and her
husband, citing a seizure order, a friend of the family told Arab News.
Bafadhel
died in Saudi Arabia in October 2015 in a car accident.
The
militia also raided the house of Ameen Ali Al-Kaderi, a late tribal leader who
opposed their rule in the central province of Ibb, his son Salah said.
Since
taking power militarily in late 2014, the Houthis have issued hundreds of
seizure orders and death sentences against military and security leaders,
politicians, journalists and activists who rejected their coup and supported
the internationally recognized government of the country and military
operations by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
The
Houthis sold or rented some of the seized properties, turned others into secret
detention centers, and gifted others to their leaders.
Abdurrahman
Barman, a Yemeni human rights advocate and director of the American Center for
Justice, told Arab News that the latest string of seizure orders against
Bajamal and Bafadhel show the Houthis are moving to dispossess families of dead
politicians of their property under the pretext of fighting corruption.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2111226/middle-east
--------
15
Palestinian children killed by Israeli regime so far in 2022: Report
27
June 2022
A
notable child rights’ organization says as many as 15 Palestinian children have
been killed so far in 2022 at the hands of the Israeli forces.
The
Geneva-based Defense for Children International’s Palestine chapter (DCI-P) presented
the figure in a report on Sunday.
The
report said the occupying regime had been intensifying its aggression against
the minors in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank, and the holy
occupied city of al-Quds since the start of the year.
The
fatalities, it said, included five children, whom the occupying regime’s forces
have slain in the Palestinian city of Jenin, which is located in the northern
part of the West Bank.
So
far this year, the regime has also arrested 17 Palestinian children during
raids on their homes in Jenin, and injured at least six other Palestinian
minors.
Sixteen
Palestinian children have, meanwhile, been rendered homeless following the
forces’ demolition of their homes across Jenin.
“Israel
continues to enjoy impunity and protection for its crimes against Palestinian
children, which encourages it to further kill, arrest, and injure Palestinian
children,” the organization said.
Support
by the United States, Israel’s biggest ally, has on numerous occasions helped
the regime evade accountability for its rampant and deadly crimes against
Palestinians on the international stage.
Last
year’s figures by the DCI-P puts the number of child fatalities caused by the
regime at 78, including 60 minors, who were killed during a wholesale war
unleashed by the occupying against the Tel Aviv-blockaded Palestinian territory
of the Gaza Strip.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/06/27/684595/Israel-Palestinian-children-killed-2022
--------
South
Asia
Kabul
Optimistic about Formal Recognition amid Heightened Situation
By
Arif Ahmadi
27
Jun 2022
KABUL,
Afghanistan – The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi said he
is optimistic about Islamic Emirate relations with the international community,
hopping for world recognition amid ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
While
the Taliban government seeks formal recognition, world leaders – including
international communities – lay down several conditions which the Taliban
government has not yet complied since the takeover last August.
Muttaqi
believes Kabul’s ties with the world is strengthening and some countries are
expected to reopen their embassies in Kabul.
“We
have good relations with all the world and our relations are getting better,”
he said, as local media quoted. “We hope to have good achievements in the
future too.”
The
acting foreign minister said the Islamic Emirate maintained formal relation
with the world, exclaiming international embassies in Kabul are operational,
though no country has yet recognized the group leadership in Afghanistan.
“Our
relations are official with the world. Although no one announced our
recognition, that is another issue,” he said. “But our embassies are opened in
many countries and many countries have their embassies opened in Kabul.”
Russia,
China, Pakistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan have accredited the Islamic Emirate’s
appointed diplomat in recent months, though all had initially refused to
recognize the 8-month-old government in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
Analysts said for the Taliban government to be recognized, the world leaders
look for the group’s “legitimate government” and a “clear” system that assure
standard procedures of all governing bodies.
“In
order for Afghanistan to be connected with the world and start official
activities, the international community and world powers demanded that the
Taliban establish a legitimate government and the procedures of governing and
that the future government of Afghanistan be clear,” said Javid Sandel, an
international relations’ analyst.
Torek
Farhadi, a political analyst, said regional countries are biding to provide
numerous assistance – including consultative and possibly intelligence presence
– in the country without considering a formal recognition of the group as
authorized rulers, which would be in the form of formal relations.
“The
regional countries want to have a consultative, trade and even intelligence
presence in Afghanistan but this doesn’t mean recognition,” he explained.
Taliban
takeover last August lead the United States and other Western countries to
shutting down their diplomatic posts in Kabul. They, however, have maintained
contact with the group to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aids into the
country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/kabul-optimistic-about-formal-recognition-amid-heightened-situation/
--------
Afghan
health official warns of disease outbreak among earthquake survivors
Jun
26, 2022
WOR
KALI: Thousands affected by a deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan are in
need of clean water and food and are at risk of disease, an Afghan health
ministry official said on Sunday, days after a UN agency warned of a cholera outbreak
in the region.
At
least 1,000 people were killed, 2,000 injured and 10,000 homes destroyed in
Wednesday's earthquake, after which the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) warned
that cholera outbreaks in the aftermath are of particular and serious concern.
"The
people are extremely needy for food and clean water," Afghanistan's health
ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman told Reuters, adding officials had managed
medicines for now but handling those who had lost their homes would be a
challenge.
"We
ask the international community, humanitarian organisations to help us for food
and medicine, the survivor might catch diseases because they don't have proper
houses and shelters for living," he said.
The
disaster is a major test for Afghanistan's hardline Taliban rulers, who have
been shunned by many foreign governments due to concerns about human rights
since they seized control of the country last year.
Helping
thousands of Afghans is also a challenge for countries that had imposed
sanctions on Afghan government bodies and banks, cutting off direct assistance,
leading to a humanitarian crisis even before the earthquake.
The
United Nations and several other countries have rushed aid to the affected
areas, with more due to arrive over the coming days.
Afghanistan's
Taliban administration called for a rolling back of sanctions and lifting a
freeze on billions of dollars in central bank assets stashed in Western
financial institutions.
In
Kabul, hospitals more used to treating victims of war have opened their wards
to earthquake victims, but a majority of people remain in the areas destroyed
by the earthquake.
"Our
houses were destroyed, we have no tent... there are lots of children with us.
We have nothing. Our food and clothes...everything is under rubble,"
Hazrat Ali, 18, told a Reuters team in Wor Kali, a village of the hardest-hit
Barmal district.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
China
Issues and Facilitates Visas for Afghan Businessmen
By
Saqalain Eqbal
26
Jun 2022
Wang
Yu, the Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, in a meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi,
the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, stated that the Chinese embassy is preparing to
begin issuing Chinese visa to Afghan businessmen.
According
to the Taliban official, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesperson of the Taliban’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Wang Yu, the Ambassador
of China to Afghanistan yesterday, 25th June, in Kabul.
Ambassador
Wang offered his sincere sympathies to the families of the deceased and the
injured, and he reiterated that China is determined to do its very best to
offer immediate humanitarian aid.
The
two sides discussed earthquake relief, political issues, Afghanistan-China
cooperative trade, Chinese humanitarian aid, and the return of Afghan students
to Afghanistan from China, according to the Taliban official.
Foreign
Minister Muttaqi called on the Chinese ambassador to expedite the process of
issuing Chinese visas to Afghan businessmen to which the Chinese ambassador
said that they are getting ready to start granting businessmen from Afghanistan
visas.
He
also stated that the first consignment of goods will arrive in Afghanistan on
the 27th through charter flight when discussing the humanitarian relief being
sent to the earthquake victims in Afghanistan, which includes tents, blankets,
folding beds, and other necessary supplies.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/china-issues-and-facilitates-visas-for-afghan-businessmen-584593/
--------
India
can engage the Taliban in a constructive way, says Afghan envoy to India
Mamundzay
NAYANIMA
BASU
27
June, 2022
New
Delhi: With India re-opening its Embassy in Kabul last week and the Taliban
welcoming the move, Afghanistan’s ambassador to India has said that New Delhi
should now “engage” the Taliban in a “constructive way” and “encourage” them to
accept the rule of law and political inclusivity.
In
a freewheeling conversation with ThePrint, Farid Mamundzay, who was appointed
as Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India by the former Ashraf Ghani government,
said the Afghan people felt “they were left alone” when New Delhi shut its
embassy in Kabul in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover on 15 August 2021.
Seated
in front of a portrait of Ghani that still adorns the walls of the Embassy in
New Delhi, along with the old tricolour Afghan flag of the erstwhile Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan, Mamundzay lauded India’s decision to reopen its
Embassy in the Afghan capital, calling it a “positive move”.
This,
he said, will enable New Delhi to directly provide aid to the Afghan people,
who are reeling under a humanitarian crisis, adding that from India’s own
security perspective, the move would allow it to keep a watchful eye at a time
when “terrorist activities have increased in Afghanistan”.
Mamundzay
also spoke about 15 August 2021 – the day Kabul fell to the Taliban after
western troops initiated a hasty withdrawal – and how days before that, the
Ghani government was scrambling for more logistical support and arms to keep
Taliban fighters at bay. Former president Ghani, along with his entire cabinet,
fled Afghanistan on the same day the Taliban entered Kabul.
“The
US did not end the Afghan war, they ended their involvement in the war, the war
continued. They left us at a stage where we continued with the war and sadly,
our part of the world failed due to poor leadership. We were not only failed by
the West but there have been instances when we failed ourselves,” he said.
On
Afghan missions operating seamlessly despite the crisis in Afghanistan,
Mamundzay said that hundreds of Afghan diplomats continue to work relentlessly
for lesser compensation, hoping that the “Taliban will give peace a chance”.
India
needs to ‘capitalise’ on Taliban’s gesture
Mamundzay,
who has been working as Afghanistan’s envoy to India since September 2020, said
the Afghan people “have always desired for greater involvement of India” in
their country. This is why the Afghans “felt they were left alone” when India
left suddenly, he said.
“There
have been very close contacts between our people. The [Afghan] Republic doesn’t
exist today but their [Afghans’] relation with the people of India exists. It
is the relation between India and Afghanistan and not between the Republic of
India and the Republic of Afghanistan.
“Those
relations are several millennia old. Those relations have been there and will
be there regardless of changes in regime and changes in governments,” Mamundzay
told ThePrint.
He
added: “Our expectations from India were high during the time when Kabul fell.
We expected, as a strong and historical friend, India would take certain
initiatives to help the Afghan people in their difficult time. Sadly, that did
not happen.”
Mamundzay
stressed that India did not come forward when the US and European countries
were helping common Afghans flee the Taliban last year.
“Afghans
needed a helping hand to leave the country; the US helped a great deal, the
Europeans – the UK, France, Germany and Italy – and many other European
countries came forward and took their share of responsibility. That, sadly, did
not happen in the case of India. The Afghans felt that they were left alone,”
he said.
He
also recalled how India decided to cancel all valid visas issued to Afghan
nationals and moved towards a system of e-visas, which led to difficulties for
Afghans who wanted to come to India.
“There
has been a blanket approach on the part of New Delhi… The entire country did
not become Taliban overnight. There were students, there were some very
historic friends of India, so they were not supported, they were not given the
right assistance at a required time,” Mamundzay said.
However,
he said, it is good that India has decided to reopen its diplomatic mission
within weeks of a delegation led by J.P. Singh, joint secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran
Division), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), arriving in Kabul earlier this
month.
“For
security reasons, India can’t just turn a blind eye to what is happening in
Afghanistan,” he underlined, adding that many regional countries have chosen to
maintain their presence in the Afghan capital, including China, Pakistan, Iran,
Uzbekistan, Russia and Turkmenistan, among others.
“India
is too big to be left out of that. The Afghan people desire their presence in
Kabul.”
“India
can engage the Taliban in a constructive way. As the world’s largest democracy,
India has a role to play here and that is to encourage the Taliban to come
forward and accept rule of law, accept political inclusivity and encourage them
to take steps that are appropriate,” said Mamundzay.
Cautioning
that “instability in Afghanistan will cost the entire region”, the Afghan envoy
said that India’s outreach is “morally right, it is politically right and
Taliban has welcomed India’s involvement”.
“I
think India needs to capitalise on that for the greater good of this region and
the greater good of Afghanistan,” he added.
‘US
ended its involvement in the war, the war continued’
The
war in Afghanistan continues and with it, the suffering of the Afghan people,
Mamundzay said, referring to the withdrawal of American troops from the country
after two decades of fighting.
“The
collapse of Afghanistan did not happen overnight, the start of the collapse
began when the US reached a peace deal with the Taliban. When the Taliban
realised that if they can take over Kabul forcefully, why negotiate? They were
given a free hand by the Western generals, by the US,” he said.
Mamundzay
explained: “The Taliban realised they could take over the country as soon as
the troops left. We relied on the US and other NATO allies for the war
machinery, ammunition and logistics. And in the last days [before the
collapse], we were having issues with logistics, we were having issues with
ammunition. It was not an Army that existed for hundreds of years or half a
century. It was an army that had been there for almost 15 years.”
The
Afghan army was “more of a counterterrorism force”, he said, adding that it was
“not a conventional army”.
“They
did their best but were left alone. The US did not end the Afghan war, they
ended their involvement in the war, the war continued.”
The
Afghan diplomat also blamed Afghanistan’s “poor leadership” at the time for
accelerating the fall of Kabul. He, however, said former president Hamid Karzai
and Abdullah Abdullah – former chairman of the High Council for National
Reconciliation – are actively talking to the Taliban to bring in a stable
political system there.
Terrorism
on the rise in Afghanistan
Mamundzay
also said that while all eyes are now on the Russia-Ukraine war, terrorist
activities in Afghanistan are on the rise with the active presence of
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and most importantly, Islamic
State-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) in the region.
As
many as 21 terrorist outfits are active in Afghanistan while ISIS-K operatives
have doubled their numbers to 4,000 from 2,000 since last August, he said,
pointing out that we have seen “increasing attacks on places of worship,
including mosques and gurdwaras and other places where Sufism is practised”.
“Afghans
are fed up with more conflict… We, Afghans, were never been involved in any
major terrorist activities.
“There
was not a single Afghan in 9/11, no Afghans hijacked the planes that hit the
twin towers; no Afghans were involved in the London bombing 7/7 (2005), Madrid
bombing (2004), Taj Palace bombing (26/11), Indian parliament attack (2001),
Pulwama (2019) or any other attack in the region or internationally. Yet,
Afghans pay the price for those atrocities. We are the victims. So, we require
help. Our people are held hostage by terrorist outlets,” he told ThePrint.
Source:
The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Muslims
Should Report Dubious Divorces to Religious Affairs If Pronounced On Social
Media
26
Jun 2022
ALOR
SETAR, June 26 — Netizens or members of the public are urged to report directly
to the state or district religious authorities if they know of any dubious
Talaq or divorce pronounced via social media.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Idris Ahmad said
this would enable the religious authorities to investigate the alleged cases.
"Don’t
wait because if we get to know about such cases, Insha’Allah (God willing) we
will take action,” he said at a news conference at the Kedah-level Multaqa
Murabbi Ummah (MMU) 2022 programme, here, today which was officiated by Menteri
Besar, Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
Idris
was commenting on DJ Wong or Noor Aziz Johari, 53, and his wife, DJ Sal, 43,
reconciliating after he was said to have divorced her with talak tiga through a
Facebook live broadcast last April.
On
June 19, Harian Metro reported on the couple’s appearance on a live broadcast
via the Sal Bollywood FB page, thus raising questions among their fans and
followers over the controversy involving the couple’s relationship and marital
status.
DJ
Sal was reported to have referred Talaq issue to her own family members and
Islamic religious experts who then informed that her husband’s divorce
pronouncement was invalid.
Asked
whether the couple was playing around with the Islamic religion, Idris said the
incident might be due to their ignorance but the talak issue should not be
treated lightly by Muslims and he hoped the religious authorities would call
the couple for clarification on the issue.
Earlier
in his speech, Idris said his department and the Malaysia Syariah Judicial
Department (JKSM) had re-established the Syariah Court Empowering Committee
last Wednesday which had ceased to function since 2018, towards strengthening
the Syariah courts.
Source:
Malay Mail
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CM:
Muslim World League invited to hold conference in Sabah
26
Jun 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 26 — Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor met
with the Muslim World League delegation led by its secretary-general, Sheikh Dr
Mohammad Abdul Karim Al-Issa, here on Sunday.
The
Chief Minister has extended an invitation to Sheikh Dr Mohammad and the Muslim
World League to organise the International Interfaith Conference in Sabah.
Both
also discussed matters of mutual interests, amongst others.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Tajuddin
case may cause Ismail to hold off on elections
Sean
Augustin
June
26, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The removal of Tajuddin Abdul Rahman from the Umno Supreme Council is
likely to have strengthened the resolve of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob
to delay calling for a general election, a political scientist said.
Wong
Chin Huat said Tajuddin’s removal makes clear “who’s the boss” in Umno and
Ismail might fear looking like a lame duck now if he agrees to hold the
nationwide polls earlier.
“With
the president controlling the candidate list in GE15, and Ismail’s loyalists
likely to be replaced, he may lose his job after the elections, despite Umno’s
promise to make him their poster boy.
“So
why should Ismail call for an early election knowing he would likely lose his
job even if Umno wins big?” Wong told FMT.
The
Barisan Nasional tradition is for the Umno president to be nominated as prime
minister. Ismail, however, is a vice-president.
The
Umno faction aligned to party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is currently pushing
for GE15 to be held as soon as possible.
As
to whether Umno could make life difficult for Ismail should he continue
delaying the polls, Wong said that at worst, those aligned to Zahid can only
ensure that Ismail is disowned in the party election, which will be held six
months after GE15
This
would be no different from dropping Ismail after an early national election, he
said. Umno could not “dish out a greater disincentive” than post-election
retaliation against Ismail to force the latter’s hand.
“Umno
cannot attack its own prime minister without hurting itself,” he said. Zahid’s faction
would be frustrated “but they really can’t do much”.
Wong
also said those aligned to Ismail might be banking on Zahid being convicted for
graft but the court verdict would not automatically strengthen Ismail’s
position.
He
said Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan would be automatically named acting
president unless the Supreme Council agreed to hold elections, which would be
unlikely, he said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Indonesia’s
president to visit Ukraine, Russia on peace-building mission
June
26, 2022
JAKARTA:
Indonesian president Joko Widodo said on Sunday he will urge his Russian and
Ukrainian counterparts to open room for dialogue during a peace-building
mission to the warring countries and ask Russia’s Vladimir Putin to order an
immediate ceasefire.
“War
has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated,”
Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, said before leaving for Germany to
attend the G7 summit on Monday.
The
president also said he will encourage the G7 countries to seek peace in Ukraine
following Russia’s invasion, and find an immediate solution to global food and
energy crises. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation”.
Separately,
Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said food and fertiliser products
from Russia and Ukraine need to be “reintegrated into the global market,
despite the war”.
“It
is necessary to secure a grain corridor from Ukraine and open food and
fertiliser exports from Russia. All countries must refrain from actions that
further exacerbate this food crisis,” Marsudi said in a statement on Sunday.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Africa
Burkina
Faso Shia Muslims are followers of Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Khamenei: Senior
cleric
June
27, 2022
The
head of Burkina Faso Shia Muslims says Twelver Shiism has taken root among the
people of the West African country ever since the victory of Iran’s Islamic
Revolution in 1979.
“Some
60% of the population in Burkina Faso are Muslims, with the majority being
advocates of Sufism. The next influential Muslim denominations are Shias and
Wahhabis”, said Sheikh Ali Badra, a Shia Muslim leader in the landlocked West
African country of Burkina Faso, in a meeting with Seyyed Mohammad Zolfaghari,
the international deputy of Scientific and Cultural Organization affiliated to
Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, northeast Iran.
The
African Shia cleric expressed happiness that the Shia Muslims could freely
perform religious activities and rituals in the African country without any
government curbs. “The only problem is the troubles and accusations made by
Wahhabis against the Shias”.
Sheikh
Ali Badra continued: “Backed from outside, the Wahhabis are currently
benefiting from television and radio networks and other forms of mass media,
which are out of bounds to Shias. Unfortunately, we lack the means to publicize
the teachings of the holy Prophet’s Infallible Household among the people in
Burkina Faso”. Nevertheless, he asserted that the Shia community was squarely
standing up against hostile measures of the enemies in the African nation.
Sheikh
Badra stated that Imam Khomeini opened the eyes of people across the world with
his revolutionary movement. “Prior to the Islamic Revolution, we didn’t have a
clear understanding of Ashura and Karbala. Yet, we’ve been annually holding
mourning ceremonies during Muharram (the first month on the lunar calendar)
ever since”.
Source:
ABNA24
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Sudan
vows to respond as it accuses Ethiopia of executing seven soldiers, a civilian
27
June, 2022
Sudan
has accused the Ethiopian army of executing seven soldiers and a civilian who
it says were captive and vowed to take action.
“In
an act that contravenes all laws and customs of war and international
humanitarian law, the Ethiopian army executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a
citizen who were their captives,” the Sudanese armed forces said in a statement
late Sunday.
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The
army said “this treacherous act will not pass,” vowing to respond to “this
cowardly behavior.”
Relations
between Khartoum and Addis Ababa have soured in recent years over the contested
border region of Fashaqa, a fertile strip long cultivated by Ethiopian farmers,
but claimed by Sudan.
The
Al-Fashaqa region, which also borders Ethiopia’s troubled Tigray region, has
seen sporadic deadly clashes between the Sudanese and the Ethiopian sides over
the past years.
Tensions
between the two sides especially rose after fighting erupted in Tigray in
November 2020, which sent tens of thousands of refugees fleeing into Sudan.
Khartoum
and Addis Ababa have since been locked in a tense war of words, trading
accusations of violence and territorial violations.
The
border dispute feeds into wider tensions in the region, including over
Ethiopia’s controversial Blue Nile dam.
Sudan
and Egypt, both downstream countries, have been opposed to the project and have
been pushing for an agreement over the filling and operation of the dam.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Tunisian
judges strike for 4th week to protest sackings
Yamena
Salemi
26.06.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisian
judges have extended their strike for a fourth week to protest the sacking of
their colleagues by President Kais Saied.
In
a statement, the Coordination of Judicial Structures said the move was taken
over refusal of the Presidency and the Justice Ministry to respond to their
demands.
“The
strike will include all courts, administrative, financial and judicial
institutions as of Monday,” it added.
The
statement called on all judges to abide by the strike “in order to ensure the
independency of the judiciary.”
On
June 1, the Tunisian president sacked 57 judges, citing corruption and covering
up terrorist cases, accusations that were vehemently rejected by judges.
Tunisia
has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that has aggravated the
country's economic conditions since Saied ousted the government, suspended
parliament and assumed executive authority last year in July. He later
dissolved the suspended parliament.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/tunisian-judges-strike-for-4th-week-to-protest-sackings/2622914
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Libyan
leaders urged to establish legal basis for elections
Moataz
Wanis
25.06.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
The
United States and four European countries have called on Libyan leaders to accelerate
the establishment of a legal basis for holding elections in the war-torn
country.
“We
call on the House of Representatives, the High State Council, and their leaders
to urgently finalize the legal basis so that credible, transparent, and
inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections can be held as soon as
possible,” said a joint statement by the US, France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
The
statement praised progress made in UN-brokered talks of the Libyan
constitutional committee held in Cairo last week to agree on a constitutional
framework for holding the polls.
“We
stress the need for a unified Libyan government able to govern and deliver
these elections across the country, achieved through dialogue and compromise as
soon as possible,” the statement said.
The
five countries reiterated rejection of “actions that could lead to violence or
to greater divisions in Libya, such as the creation of parallel institutions,
any attempt to seize power through force, or refusal of peaceful transition of
power to a new executive formed through a legitimate and transparent process.”
“We
urge Libyan political leaders to engage constructively in negotiations,
including through the good offices of UNSMIL, to unlock the executive impasse
and agree on a pathway to elections,” they added.
Libya
has been plagued by turmoil and divisions since the 2011 ouster of strongman
Muammar Gaddafi.
A
last round of UN-sponsored talks was held in Egypt last week, in an effort to
reach a consensus on the constitutional framework to hold Libya’s long-awaited
elections.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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North
America
Israel
to demand US funding of its laser weapons during Biden’s visit
26
June 2022
The
Israeli regime will demand a special budget for its development of new laser
weapons and raise concerns about Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions when US
President Joe Biden visits occupied Palestine next month, a report unveils.
When
Biden visits the Israeli-occupied Jerusalem (al-Quds) next month, he will not
only be met with a new face as the regime’s prime minister but also with “a
request for a special budget” to help the regime complete its development of
laser weapons to intercept rockets and drones and work in parallel to its
increasingly ineffective anti-air batteries such as the Iron Dome, US-based
military news outlet Breaking Defense reported Friday.
Citing
what is referred to as “the visit plan” shared by Israeli military sources, the
report said Biden is due to “stop by” an Israeli air force base, where two
Israeli weapons makers, Rafael and Elbit Systems, will display the prototypes
of laser systems being developed for the interception of rockets and drones but
need “more money to complete the development.”
The
report further noted that the US annually provides the occupying regime with
$3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF), “including $500 million for
cooperative programs for missile defense.”
The
new funding request “is aimed at adding funds to that portion of the FMF pool,”
the report pointed out, citing Israeli military sources as adding that the
regime “will ask for around $300 million in extra funds.”
According
to the report, the Israeli regime has long been seeking the additional US
funding for its laser capabilities, which “are not tied directly into a
recently-announced regional air defense network, although it is possible that
if such a system is made operational, it would be exported down the line.”
Pointing
to the recent political upheaval in Israel that has led to the downfall of the
regime’s former prime minister Naftali Bennett, the report further underlined,
“The common feeling among Israeli politicians and experts is that whoever
greets Biden at Ben Gurion airport will not impact the national security
priorities that will be discussed.”
“Our
working assumption is still that the trip will go forward as planned,” the US
Embassy in occupied al-Quds said in a statement as cited in the report.
“The
relations between the US and Israel are solid,” added a senior Israeli military
source as quoted by the news outlet. “The issues that will be on the table
during the visit are of utmost importance to both the US and Israel. I’m
confident that the talks will be fruitful for both sides.”
Saudi
Nuclear Concerns
According
to the report, another issue the Israeli regime officials are expected to raise
with the US president during his visit will be “ongoing efforts by Saudi Arabia
to achieve nuclear power.”
Noting
that “the Saudis are promoting a project to build a nuclear reactor to produce
energy” with Russian, Chinese and South Korean companies mentioned as top
contenders to win the project, the report further emphasized that the exclusion
of the US-based Westinghouse Corporation from the competition has raised
concerns in Washington and Tel Aviv.
“When
he visits Riyadh, Biden is expected by Israel to raise the issue, as Washington
does not want companies from its two biggest rivals to win such a sensitive
project with its [Persian] Gulf partner,” the report then emphasized.
It
further underlined that the Israeli regime “shares the same concerns,” citing
sources within the regime as adding that “the Saudis are unhappy with two US
demands for working with the American company: a Saudi commitment not to enrich
uranium in its territory and a signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty.”
The
report goes on to cite the former director of the Israeli regime’s Atomic
Energy Commission, Uzi Eilam, as insisting that Washington would be happy if an
American company is selected to build the Saudi nuclear plant.
“The
American preference is clear and has a solid reason — with an American company
involved the regulations dictated by the international atomic energy agency
will be fulfilled in full,” Eilam said as quoted by the news outlet.
Source:
Press TV
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G7
leaders to discuss prospect of reviving Iran nuclear talks
26
June, 2022
G7
leaders will discuss the prospect of reviving the Iran nuclear talks after the
European Union’s foreign policy chief met senior officials in Tehran to try to
unblock the stalled negotiations, a French presidency official said on Sunday.
Iran’s
indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact will
resume soon, the Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday amid a push by the
Josep Borrell to break a months-long impasse.
The
official said discussions would take place on Sunday at a dinner between the
leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations with more detailed talks taking
place on Tuesday morning between France, Britain, Germany and the United
States.
The
three European powers are parties to the nuclear deal, which then-US President
Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018. Under the accord Iran agreed to curbs on
its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.
The
pact appeared close to being revived in March when the EU - which is
coordinating negotiations - invited foreign ministers representing the accord’s
parties to Vienna to finalize an agreement after 11 months of indirect talks
between Tehran and President Joe Biden’s administration.
But
the talks have since been bogged down, chiefly over Tehran’s insistence that
Washington remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its elite
security force, from the US Foreign Terrorist Organization list.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Top
Turkish, US diplomats discuss bilateral ties, NATO enlargement
Mehmet
Sah Yilmaz
25.06.2022
Turkiye's
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
discussed a range of issues over the phone on Saturday, including bilateral
relations and the enlargement of NATO.
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO last month, a decision spurred by
Russia's war on Ukraine that began on Feb. 24.
But
Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to the
membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting
the terrorist groups.
Cavusoglu
and Blinken also discussed the shipment of grains stuck in Ukraine. Türkiye has
actively engaged with both Kyiv and Moscow to secure the export of millions of
tons of grain from Ukraine and prevent a food shortage of global proportions.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Funds
frozen in US: Quake-hit Afghanistan faces disease outbreak
26
June 2022
Afghan
health officials say thousands affected by a deadly earthquake in eastern
Afghanistan are in need of clean water and food and are at risk of disease.
The
appeal on Sunday came days after the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) warned of a
cholera outbreak in the region.
"The
people are extremely needy for food and clean water," Afghanistan's health
ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman told said.
He
said officials had managed medicines for now but handling those who had lost
their homes would be a challenge.
"We
ask the international community, humanitarian organizations to help us for food
and medicine, the survivor might catch diseases because they don’t have proper
houses and shelters for living," he said.
At
least 1,150 people were killed, 2,000 injured and 10,000 homes destroyed in
Wednesday's earthquake.
The
disaster is a major test for Taliban rulers amid Western sanctions on Afghan
government bodies and banks, cutting off direct assistance which had led to a
humanitarian crisis even before the earthquake.
Afghanistan's
Taliban administration called for a rolling back of sanctions and lifting a
freeze on billions of dollars in central bank assets stashed in Western
financial institutions.
Following
the Taliban takeover in August, US President Joe Biden signed an executive
order, seizing 7 billion US dollars out of more than $9 billion frozen Afghan assets,
to pay compensation to 9/11 victims.
China’s
permanent representative to the United Nations urged the Biden administration
to immediately return Afghanistan's frozen assets.
“The
Afghan people need every bit of these resources. That’s why it’s unjustified to
freeze Afghanistan’s foreign assets,” Zhang Jun told a UN Security Council
session.
He
said the UN chief, human rights experts and humanitarian agencies were all
univocal in their demand to return the assets without any conditions as soon as
possible.
"At
a time when the Afghan people are most in need of resources, it is
unreasonable, unjustifiable, and unacceptable to freeze their sizable overseas
assets. The United States should respond to the appeals of the (UN)
secretary-general, human rights experts, humanitarian agencies, and other
parties by unconditionally returning Afghanistan's overseas assets as soon as
possible," he said.
Hua
Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, tweeted Friday, “Saw
US officials claim that the US ‘stands with the people of Afghanistan’. Then
why not give the $7 billion back to the Afghans?”
China
has described the US decision to seize the Afghan nation's money as “robbery.”
The
Asian country, itself, aims to provide $7.5 million assistance to Afghanistan
in humanitarian aid.
On
Saturday, the Taliban renewed their call on the US to unfreeze the nation's
foreign funds and lift financial sanctions to help the war-torn country deal
with its deadliest earthquake in more than two decades.
"In
these testing times, we call on the United States to release Afghanistan's
frozen assets and lift sanctions on Afghan banks so that aid agencies could
easily deliver assistance to Afghanistan," Taliban Foreign Minister Amir
Khan Muttaqi said in Kabul.
According
to estimates by the EU commissioner for crisis management, around 270,000
people living in and around the earthquake zone need aid.
The
Taliban rulers in Afghanistan have been faced with empty coffers since their
return to power last year.
In
the absence of Western aid, countries in the neighborhood have been extending
relief assistance to support the people of Afghanistan badly affected by the
earthquake.
Iran,
Pakistan, India, as well as other countries, have sent relief batches that
reached Kabul for distribution in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
On
Friday, an EU parliament member criticized the West over its massive financial
support for Ukraine while failing to provide humanitarian aid to the quake-hit
Afghanistan.
“The
Americans spent 300 million a day destroying the place and now we are starving
them," Mick Wallace said.
Source:
Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/06/26/684554/China-US-Afghanistan-Frozen-Assets
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