"Monitor Strictly": Assam Chief Minister To Cops On Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Visit Where A Massive Eviction Had Taken Place
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 September 2025
Himanta Biswa Sarma asked cops to monitor strictly on visiting delegation of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.
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· "Monitor Strictly": Assam Chief Minister To Cops On Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind VisitWhere A Massive Eviction Had Taken Place
· Kashmiri Pandits Reopen J&K Temple After 35 Years, Muslims Invited As Chief Guests During Pran Pratishtha Ceremony
· Agitators Target A Mosque And Assault Muslims in Essex Following Protests Against Asylum Seekers
· US Suspends Most Visas For Palestinian Passport-Holders, Reports Say
· How Violence, Hunger, And Missed Education Are Erasing An Entire Generation In Gaza
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India
· There’s no problem if Muslims accept Indian culture, laws: Assam CM
· Home Minister Asks Security Agencies To Stay Alert, Operate In Coordination To Eliminate Terror In J&K
· ‘Perpetrators, Organisers And Sponsors Must Be Brought To Justice’: SCO Declaration Condemns Pahalgam Terror Attack
· 2020 riots: Delhi High Court to pass order on bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, others
· Vadodara To Turn Into Fortress As Ganesh Immersions And Eid e Milad un Nabi Coincide On Sept 5
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Europe
· Knife Pulled in Racist Attack on Families Outside Portsmouth Mosque
· Pro-Palestine Activists Target Israeli Singer In Poland
· New mosque could be built in this Glasgow area to meet needs
· Police callout 'inaccurate' remarks over video of man allegedly brandishing knife outside Southsea mosque
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North America
· 'I’m Not A Vampire': Zohran Mamdani Responds To Online Racist Attack; NYC Hopeful Could Become First Muslim Mayor
· Mass Shooting: 6 Shot, 1 Stabbed At NYC West Indian Day Parade; Violence Erupts Despite ‘Largest Police Deployment’
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Mideast
· Iraq Reopens Historic Al-Nuri Grand Mosque In Mosul 8 Years After Destruction
· Hamas Rejects Reported Plan For US Takeover Of Gaza
· Tunisian Brutalist Landmark Faces Wrecking Ball, Sparking Outcry
· UK ‘outraged’ at Israel restricting aid as it works to evacuate children from Gaza for treatment
· King Abdullah, French President Emmanuel Macron discuss Gaza, Syria, Lebanon
· Lebanon and Syria to form committees on prisoners, missing persons, and border issues
· 850,000 Syrian refugees have returned home since Assad’s fall, UN says
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South Asia
· Six Witnesses Testify In Purbachal Graft Cases Against Hasina, Family
· Earthquake in East: Mujahid Confirms at Least 800 Dead, over 2,500 Injuries
· Islamic Emirate Announces Major Appointments Across Ministries and Provinces
· Key Appointments Announced in Emirati Posts
· Jamaat threatens demos for PR-based polls
· India Announces 1,000 Scholarships for Afghanistan Students
· UK Suspends Refugee Family Reunions
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Arab World
· Saudi Crown Prince Meets Palestinian Vice President Ahead Of UN General Assembly
· Saudi, Syrian ministers meet in Riyadh to boost digital cooperation
· Saudi, US innovation helps patients manage several drugs with one capsule
· ‘I Came For Football, I Stayed For More’: Ronaldo Headlines Saudi Tourism’s ‘Unreal Calendar’ Campaign
· Saudi Arabia’s healthcare push puts AI in the spotlight
· Saudi culture showcase at Moscow book fair
· International Forum For Authentication Of Qur’anic Licenses Ends In Malaysia
· Saudi Arabia expresses condolences to families of Afghanistan earthquake victims
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Africa
· Siege Tightens On Sudan City With Fiercest RSF Assault: What We Know
· Sudan: At Least 19 Killed In Darfur Region As Fighting Intensifies In el-Fasher
· PFN Group: Christians Should Produce the Next Osun Gov
· ‘Nasir El-Rufai Was The Founder Of Thuggery, Violence And Bloodshed In Kaduna’ – Sani
· Kenyan police officer killed in Haiti accident
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Southeast Asia
· Prabowo holds dialogue with religious organizations, political parties
· Malaysians in Indonesia told to stay vigilant as riots rock Jakarta, major cities
· Anwar says new IIUM institute will strengthen Malaysia’s leadership and Asean unity
· Johor’s smart city plans to prioritise tech, sustainability and community well-being, says infrastructure chief
· From wage regulation to dispute resolution: How the Gig Workers Bill offers safeguards for 1.2 million Malaysians
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/monitor-strictly-jamiat-ulama-i-hind-eviction/d/136692
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"Monitor Strictly": Assam Chief Minister To Cops On Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind VisitWhere A Massive Eviction Had Taken Place
Sep 02, 2025
Himanta Biswa Sarma asked cops to monitor strictly on visiting delegation of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.
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A delegation of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind is visiting Assam's Goalpara district, and the police will strictly monitor the situation, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Mr Sarma asked the police to maintain a strict monitoring on the visiting delegation of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in the state where a massive eviction had taken place last month.
"Considering the upcoming Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) elections and the sensitive situation in the district, the @assampolice will continue to maintain strict monitoring to ensure peace and stability The district administration is also fully alert to ensure that public order is maintained at all times." Assam Chief Minister posted on X.
The seven-member delegation is led by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Mehmood Madani.
The delegation of Jamiat includes- Maulana Mehmood Madani - President, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Hakimuddin Kasimi - General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Mufti Jawed Iqbal Qasmi - President, Jamiat Ulama Bihar, Maulana Khalid Anwar - General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama Kishanganj, Bihar, Qari Naushad Adil - Organizer, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Nawed Alam Qasmi - Member, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Salman - Organizer, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.
Meanwhile, Jamiat has also posted on X about Maulana Mehmood Madani's Assam visit.
"We are ready to go to jail, but will never abandon the fight for justice": Maulana Mahmood Madani said in a statement.
"Our struggle is against ignoring judicial orders, rendering people homeless, and using fear, threats, and force instead of law. This is an assault on both justice and humanity".
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has always stood with the oppressed and will continue to do so. We are ready to face even the gallows for this cause. This has always been the shining and inspiring tradition of our elders." he further added.
Assam Chief minister has earlier stated that several people from outside are trying to come in the state in the wake of the eviction drives that his government has taken against illegal infiltrators, he added that's these people and organisations form outside might try to create a tension in the state so the police is on alert.
Source: ndtv.com
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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-chief-minister-ask-cops-to-monitor-strictly-jamiat-ulama-i-hind-delegation-visit-9201276
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Kashmiri Pandits Reopen J&K Temple After 35 Years, Muslims Invited As Chief Guests During Pran Pratishtha Ceremony
Sep 1, 2025
Devotees participated in pooja and bhajan singing to mark the occasion.
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Kashmiri Pandits have reopened the Sharada Bhawani temple in Ichkoot, Budgam, after 35 years, with local Muslims invited as special guests during the ceremony. The temple, which had fallen into disrepair following the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, is now being restored with the support of local communities.
A video surfaced showing a pran pratishtha ceremony being performed at the temple, during which the idol of Lord Shiva, recovered from the temple premises, was installed. Devotees participated in pooja and bhajan singing to mark the occasion.
The resurrection of the temple and its surrounding area has been carried out by Kashmiri Pandit families, including employees under the Prime Minister's package living in Budgam, with active assistance from local Muslims and the district administration. They helped clean the temple and continue to support its reconstruction.
The Kashmiri Pandit community has announced plans for weekly and monthly gatherings at the temple, aiming to make it a regular site of worship and community events. Local authorities and residents expressed cooperation, highlighting efforts to rebuild communal harmony alongside the physical restoration of the temple.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kashmiri-pandits-reopen-jk-temple-after-35-years-muslims-invited-as-chief-guests-2780371-2025-09-01
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Agitators Target A Mosque And Assault Muslims in Essex Following Protests Against Asylum Seekers
1 Sep 2025
By Taj Ali
England's flag of St George is painted on a sign outside The Bell Hotel, Essex, which is at the centre of protests over housing asylum seekers [File: Jack Taylor/Reuters]
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When Akmal’s* mosque was vandalised last week in Basildon, a town in the English county of Essex, he felt shaken.
“I was so hurt,” said the 33-year-old electrical engineer, who requested Al Jazeera use a pseudonym. “It was so close to home. My local masjid [mosque]. It felt like a real kick in the teeth.”
The South Essex Islamic Centre in Basildon was defaced shortly before midnight on Thursday. Red crosses were daubed across its walls alongside the words “Christ is King” and “This is England”.
The timing, the night before Friday prayers, appeared to many as calculated – an attempt to intimidate a flurry of worshippers in the southeastern English county.
“My wife and baby are growing up here,” Akmal told Al Jazeera. “I want to move out of the area. I just cannot stay here.”
Community leaders condemned the attack.
Gavin Callaghan, the leader of Basildon Council, described it as “pathetic criminal cowardice”.
“Don’t dress it up. Don’t excuse it. It’s scum behaviour, and it shames our town … The cowards who did this will be caught,” he said. “To do this right before Friday prayers is no coincidence. That’s targeted. That’s intimidation. And it’s criminal.”
Wajid Akhter, head of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, “The St George flag is a symbol of England we should all be proud of. For it to be used in this way, [which] echoes how Nazis targeted Jewish homes, is a disgrace to our flag and our nation. Silence has allowed hate to grow.”
Essex police are investigating the incident.
Council staff and volunteers worked in the early hours of the morning to remove the graffiti before worshippers arrived, but a sense of fear is still lingering.
“I was shocked,” said Sajid Fani, 43, who lives in the area. “I didn’t expect something like that to happen here.”
Local bishops decried the misuse of Christian imagery in the attack. They issued a joint statement calling the vandalism “scandalous and profoundly misguided”, saying that invoking Christianity to justify racism is “theologically false and morally dangerous”.
Racism amid flag-raising campaign
The vandalism took place amid a tense atmosphere in the United Kingdom, amid protests against asylum seekers and a social media campaign dubbed #OperationRaisetheColours.
In recent weeks, those heeding the call have pinned the flag of England bearing Saint George’s Cross and Union Jacks to motorway bridges, lampposts, roundabouts and some shops across the UK. Red crosses have been spray-painted on the white stripes of zebra crossings.
According to the anti-far-right HOPE not hate group, the campaign is led by Andrew Currien, a former member of the Islamophobic English Defence League and now a security figure for the political party Britain First, also an anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant group.
While some supporters frame the project as patriotic, it has been tied to racist incidents.
Racist graffiti has appeared in several other locations. Some 300 miles (about 500km) north of Basildon, for example, xenophobic slurs have been sprayed on buildings in County Durham and Houghton-le-Spring in northern England.
Some have blamed the media’s focus on the issue of asylum.
In recent months, British television networks and newspapers have dedicated significant coverage to asylum seekers, as some social media sites allow hateful content to proliferate.
Shabna Begum, head of Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank, said the spate of vandalism is part of a “frightening intensification of Islamophobia” driven by political and media narratives scapegoating Muslim communities.
“The violence being played out on our streets and the vandalism of mosques is the product of a political and media soundtrack that has relentlessly demonised Muslim communities,” she said. “Whether it is policy or narratives, we have been fed a monotonous diet that tells us that our economic problems are caused by Muslims, migrants and people seeking asylum.”
She warned that history shows governments that fail to confront economic grievances while scapegoating minorities ultimately collapse.
“The question is how much will this betrayal cost for the Muslim communities that are served as political fodder,” she said.
Fani in Basildon said, “It’s the fear factor. They [media channels] put terror in the hearts of people when it comes to Muslims. I want to show people we are just like them. We’re just human.”
Days before the mosque was vandalised, a roundabout opposite was painted with a red cross.
“I wasn’t offended by England flags being flown,” said Fani. “But this is different. It crossed a line.”
In the wake of the vandalism, mosque leaders encouraged worshippers to attend Friday prayers in greater numbers as a show of resilience.
Fani said the turnout was larger than usual: “Alhumdulillah [Thank God], it resulted in more people coming to the mosque, so the outcome was positive.”
‘A line between being patriotic and being outright racist’
Maryam*, a Muslim woman who lives in Basildon, lamented the “attack on the Muslim community” as she emphasised that it reflects a dark climate.
“There’s a line between being patriotic and being outright racist or Islamophobic – and some people here are crossing that line.”
In her view, a wave of protests against housing asylum seekers at hotels earlier this summer has coincided with Islamophobic abuse – particularly in Epping, a nearby town where The Bell Hotel has been the focus of violent agitation.
Police data is yet to confirm a link or rise in racist attacks, but locally reported incidents tell a troubling story.
Last week, a man in Basildon was arrested after a hijab-wearing woman and her child were allegedly racially abused, while vandals sprayed St George’s crosses on nearby homes.
At the end of July, residents reported glass projectiles being hurled from the upper floors of a building near Basildon station, apparently targeting Muslim women and families of colour.
Beyond the headline incidents, Maryam reeled off a list of other recent examples of racism she has witnessed – a woman of East African origin called a racial slur, a driver mocking a Muslim woman in hijab as a “post box”.
“Unfortunately, I’ve [also] been subjected to a lot of Islamophobia in Basildon – often in front of my child,” she added. “It has affected my mental health … it’s created a lot of trauma and barriers to simply living a normal life.”
While the mosque attack prompted swift attention from councillors and police, isolated incidents against individuals often go unreported.
“If the police engaged with the community better, explained what hate crimes are, how they’re reported, how investigations work, it would remove barriers to reporting,” said Maryam.
Source: aljazeera.com
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/1/uk-muslims-report-vandalism-attacks-amid-controversial-flag-campaign
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US suspends most visas for Palestinian passport-holders, reports say
1 Sep, 2025
US officials have further restricted visitor visas for Palestinians, by denying them to almost all applicants who use a Palestinian passport, media reports say.
The development comes days after 80 Palestinian officials were denied visas ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Earlier in August, visitor visas were paused for people hoping to travel from the Palestinian territory of Gaza. This newly-reported decree would affect a wider group - including people living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Department of State did not explicitly confirm the move but said it was "taking concrete steps in compliance with US law and our national security".
The decision was issued in a diplomatic cable dated 18 August, the New York Times and CNN reported.
US consular officers were told to refuse non-immigrant visas to "all otherwise eligible Palestinian Authority passport holders", the communication was quoted as saying.
That would apply to Palestinians hoping to come to the US for a range of purposes, including for business, study or medical treatment.
The move meant that officials would be required to perform a further review of each applicant, which amounted to a blanket ban on issuing visas to Palestinians, the New York Times added in its report.
Palestinians who are able to make visa applications using other passports were said to be unaffected.
It is not clear what prompted the reported move, though the Trump administration has been steadfast in its support for Israel's military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
The news also follows last month's announcements by a number of other US allies - including the UK, Canada and France - that they would recognise a Palestinian state on certain conditions. US Vice-President JD Vance has said Washington has "no plans" to follow suit.
The Trump administration has also cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses.
The move represents a further toughening of the president's stance on visas, following two earlier measures.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among a group of dozens of Palestinian officials who were recently blocked from attending the UN General Assembly session in New York later this month, after US officials revoked his visa and accused the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), both of which Abbas leads, of undermining peace efforts.
And the Department of State said on 16 August it had paused approvals of visitor visas for Palestinians from Gaza specifically, so that a review could take place.
Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the US, governed Gaza when hundreds of its armed fighters attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The attack triggered a massive and ongoing Israeli military offensive, in which at least 63,459 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The US visa policy has effectively been extended now to include people from the West Bank and wider Palestinian diaspora.
Asked about the latest move, a Department of State spokesperson's statement said: "The Trump administration is taking concrete steps in compliance with US law and our national security in regards to announced visa restrictions and revocations for PA (Palestinian Authority) passport holders. We refer you to those public announcements for more information on those restrictions and revocations.
"Every visa decision is a national security decision, and the State Department is vetting and adjudicating visa decisions for PA passport holders accordingly."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpv099421pro
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How violence, hunger, and missed education are erasing an entire generation in Gaza
ANAN TELLO
September 01, 2025
Displaced Palestinian children play at a damaged lecture hall at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City on May 1, 2025. (AFP)
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LONDON: Instead of walking to school or playing in the park, Gaza’s children run from bombs. At night, many sleep on bare ground with only a thin sheet separating them from skies lit by explosions. Parents say their children no longer dream of toys but of bread and a warm bed.
While many toddlers around the world are learning to take their first steps and speak their first words, 18-month-old Mohammed arrived at the Patient’s Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in Gaza City in July “nearly lifeless,” doctors diagnosed.
Under Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid, the Palestinian toddler had lost a third of his body weight. He weighed just 6 kg, or about 13 pounds. Volunteers with MedGlobal, a US-based medical charity, said he was severely malnourished when they began treating him.
As his small body withered, “he stopped making happy sounds, stopped laughing, and instead started crying all day,” his mother told doctors. Amid the thunder of airstrikes and the collapse of daily life, her only focus was keeping him alive.
Mohammed’s case is just one among thousands. MedGlobal found that 16.8 percent of children under the age of 5 in four Gaza governorates are suffering acute malnutrition — a 2,000 percent increase from prewar levels.
In a report published on Aug. 21, the group said more malnutrition-related deaths occurred in July alone than in the previous six months combined. Today, one in six children under 5 is severely malnourished, compared to one in 125 before October 2023.
The UN children’s fund, UNICEF, said 5,119 children in Gaza aged 6 months to 5 years were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in May alone. This marks a 150 percent surge from February, when a fragile ceasefire allowed more aid into the enclave.
But when Israel escalated its bombing campaign in March and imposed a near-total closure, all supplies — food, medicine, fuel, water, and electricity — were cut off from the enclave’s 2 million residents. It was the longest complete blockade since the siege began.
Already, 100 children have died from starvation since October 2023, Save the Children said in early August, accusing Israel of deliberately starving Palestinians in Gaza — a claim Israel rejects, instead accusing Hamas of stealing aid and humanitarian agencies of distribution failures.
“What kind of a world have we built to let at least 100 children starve to death while the food, water and medical supplies to save them wait just miles away at a border crossing?” Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s regional director, said in a statement.
He accused Israel of “starving children by design.”
Inger Ashing, the group’s CEO, echoed that message in a speech before the UN Security Council on Aug. 28. “The Gaza famine is here. An engineered famine. A predicted famine. A man-made famine. As we speak, children in Gaza are systematically being starved to death.”
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging war crimes that include deliberate starvation. Israel also faces charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Netanyahu insisted in July that no one in Gaza is starving. “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,” he said. “We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza — otherwise, there would be no Gazans.”
On Aug. 22, the UN formally declared famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas. More than a quarter of the enclave’s population faces “catastrophic” hunger after nearly two years of what the UN called Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid.
About a week later, Israel’s military declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” and launched another assault on the shattered remains of the enclave’s largest city.
The toll on children’s small bodies has been devastating. In June, Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said 16,736 children had been diagnosed with malnutrition between January and May — an average of 112 per day.
“Every one of these cases is preventable,” he said in a statement. “The food, water, and nutrition treatments they desperately need are being blocked from reaching them.”
Hunger is compounded by displacement and trauma. Nearly half of Gaza’s displaced population of nearly 2 million are children. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, more than 39,000 children have lost one or both parents in the conflict.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates 19,000 are unaccompanied or have been separated from their families — left fending for themselves amid the mayhem.
Some were separated through detention. In January, 44 Gaza children were freed in a prisoner exchange, but dozens of Palestinian minors — including children from the enclave — remain in Israeli prisons as of mid-2025, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF’s State of Palestine chief of communication, who visited the enclave in February last year, said unaccompanied or separated children account for 1 percent of the overall displaced population. But statistics only hint at the real human toll.
“Behind each of these statistics is a child who is coming to terms with this horrible new reality,” Crickx said in a statement.
He recounted the traumatic experience of 11-year-old Razan, who lost her mother, father, brother, and two sisters in 2023. “Razan’s leg was also injured and had to be amputated,” Crickx said. “Following the surgery, her wound got infected.”
Razan is not alone. UNICEF estimated in January that up to 4,000 children in Gaza have had one or more limbs amputated — without anesthetic or pain relief. With Gaza’s health system collapsing, injured children lack access to prosthetics, antibiotics, and psychological care.
Only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational, with just over 1,800 beds for 2 million people, according to UN figures. Bombardments and evacuations have damaged or closed many facilities, and shortages of medicine, equipment, and fuel severely restrict care.
The collapse of infrastructure has also fueled disease. Oxfam says waterborne illnesses have risen nearly 150 percent in recent months. With only 127 of UNICEF’s 236 treatment centers still functioning, access to care continues to shrink.
“For children, conditions like malnutrition can lead to lifelong health issues like stunting, weakened immune systems, and organ failure,” Save the Children’s Alhendawi said.
He warned that the effects “can span generations … creating a cycle of poverty for the entire population.”
Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb. Gaza’s health authority says at least 18,885 children have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023, when Tel Aviv launched military operations in retaliation for the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
When child casualties occur, the Israel Defense Forces frequently cites mistakes or misidentification.
For instance, when 10 people, including six children, were killed in a bombing while queuing for water in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in July, the IDF stated it was an error.
“A technical mistake occurred during an operation aimed at an alleged Islamic Jihad terrorist, leading to the munition landing far from its intended target. The incident is currently under investigation.”
Those children who survive have limited prospects. As students around the world prepare for the new school year, Gaza’s children are falling behind.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, said on Aug. 30 that more than 660,000 children in the enclave are now missing school for a third year in a row.
“The war in Gaza is a war on children and it must stop. Children must be protected at all times,” UNRWA said in a statement, warning that Gaza’s youth risk becoming a “lost generation.”
Most schools have been damaged, destroyed, or converted into shelters amid bombardment and displacement. The Palestinian Ministry of Education says Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 17,000 students and more than 1,000 education staff since October 2023.
Each number tells a human story: of Mohammed, whose mother only wanted to hear him laugh again, and Razan, who carries grief and pain beyond her years.
To salvage what remains of childhoods in Gaza, rights groups and several governments have urged Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire and allow unrestricted aid to flow into the enclave.
Until then, survival replaces play, hunger replaces growth, and rubble replaces classrooms. In the process, a generation risks being erased.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2613808/middle-east
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India
There’s no problem if Muslims accept Indian culture, laws: Assam CM
September 01, 2025
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday (September 1, 2025) said there would be no problems for Muslims who respect India’s culture and laws.
On the sidelines of an official event in southern Assam’s Sribhumi district, he also said it was unacceptable that people living in India should pledge allegiance to Bangladesh.
“Muslims who consider India as their motherland are with us. There cannot be any problem if they accept India’s culture and laws, but the problem is that some people find it hard to do so,” the Chief Minister told journalists.
Mr. Sarma was critical of people in southern Assam’s Barak Valley (comprising Sribhumi, Cachar, and Hailakandi districts) who tune in to radio channels from across the border. “Staying in Barak Valley and listening to Bangladeshi radio cannot be accepted. Listen to Indian radio channels,” he said.
The Chief Minister also schooled “one Azharuddin”, who asked him a question on secularism.
“My opinion is absolutely clear. Secularism will be realised when a person can fearlessly sing Rabindra Sangeet and say ‘Sribhumi’ instead of ‘Karimganj’,” he posted on X.
A district bordering Bangladesh, Sribhumi is a Muslim-majority district that was called Karimganj before November 2024.
In Silchar town on Sunday, the Chief Minister said the State authorities were dismantling a network of smugglers who bring in Bangladeshi people illegally. He claimed that a syndicate, whose members include local Hindu youth, has been charging ₹20,000 per person to help them cross the border.
Jamiat team in Assam
On Monday, a Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) team led by its president, Maulana Mahmood Madani, visited several relief camps of people affected by a series of eviction drives in Assam.
Niaz Ahmed Farooqui, the JUH secretary, said the delegation travelled 300 km to meet the victims of “bulldozer demolitions” and assured them of unwavering support.
“Our fight is not against the removal of encroachments, but against the inhuman way in which people are being rendered homeless, taking aside the Supreme Court’s directions, and replacing law with threats, fear, and brute force. Such actions are not only against justice but also against humanity,” Mr. Madani said.
“The JUH has always stood with the oppressed and will continue to do so. We are ready even for gallows and chains if needed, but we will never step back from supporting the victims. This has been the shining legacy of our elders, and we will uphold it,” he said.
The Assam Chief Minister has been critical of Mr. Madani’s views on the eviction drives. “We have a long agenda against ideas like Madani’s... We will work against that idea of turning Assam into a fundamentalist Islamic State,” Mr. Sarma said a few days ago.
Source: thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/assam/theres-no-problem-if-muslims-accept-indian-culture-laws-assam-cm/article70000894.ece
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Home Minister Asks Security Agencies To Stay Alert, Operate In Coordination To Eliminate Terror In J&K
Fayaz Wani
01 Sep 2025
SRINAGAR: , during his visit to Jammu on Monday, reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and directed security agencies to remain alert and operate in a coordinated manner to eliminate terrorism in the Union Territory.
Shah chaired a high-level security review meeting at Raj Bhavan, which was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the Union Home Secretary, Director of Intelligence Bureau, Chief Secretary of J&K, Director General of Police (J&K), heads of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and other senior officials.
During the meeting, security officials briefed the Home Minister on the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including developments along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB).
The review meeting came in the wake of a recent infiltration attempt by militants along the LoC in the border district of Poonch, which was successfully foiled by the Army.
Emphasizing the Centre's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah directed all security forces to intensify operations against the remaining pockets of militancy and dismantle the Over Ground Worker (OGW) network aiding militant groups.
The Home Minister also appreciated the efforts of the UT administration and security agencies for the peaceful and successful conduct of the Amarnath Yatra 2025.
He lauded the role of the Army, police, and CAPFs in recent relief and rescue operations during natural calamities in J&K, particularly their swift response during the flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Chesoti (Kishtwar), which claimed around 100 lives, and the landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine that resulted in the death of 34 pilgrims.
Shah assured the full support of the CAPFs in managing natural disasters in Jammu and Kashmir.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Sep/01/amit-shah-asks-security-agencies-to-stay-alert-operate-in-coordination-to-eiminate-terror-in-jk
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‘Perpetrators, organisers and sponsors must be brought to justice’: SCO declaration condemns Pahalgam terror attack
by Shubhajit Roy
September 2, 2025
Two months after India opted out of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s statement at the defence ministers’ level meeting over differences on terrorism, the SCO declaration Monday took a “strong stance against terrorism” and the member countries — including Pakistan and China — condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO leaders’ summit, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his Pakistani counterpart, Shehbaz Sharif.
The Tianjin declaration, which was adopted by the SCO leaders, said, “They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded. They further stated that perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of such attacks must be brought to justice.”
The joint declaration said, “The Member States, while reaffirming their firm commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, stress the inadmissibility of attempts to use terrorist, separatist and extremist groups for mercenary purposes. They recognize the leading role of sovereign States and their competent authorities in countering terrorist and extremist threats.”
“The Member States strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists.”
This is significant since the Pakistan-China collusion in the Operation Sindoor, which was India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, had been raised by Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, while criticising the government.
Indian military officials had publicly said that Pakistan used Chinese weapons against India during the four-day military confrontation, and also China had supplied live intelligence during the hostilities.
Attacks in Pakistan, ‘catastrophic humanitarian situation’ in Gaza
Referring to the terrorist attacks on Jaffer Express on March 11 and in Khuzdar on May 21 in Pakistan, the joint statement also said that the member states strongly condemned them.
On the issue of territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Tianjin declaration said, “Member States advocate respect for the right of peoples to independently and democratically choose their own paths of political and socio-economic development, and emphasise that the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of states, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference in internal affairs, and non-use of force or threat of force are the basis for the sustainable development of international relations.” This is an important paragraph considering the border standoff and the dispute between India and China.
The Tianjin declaration also expressed deep concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza. “Reiterating their deep concern over the continuing escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the member states strongly condemn the actions that have led to numerous casualties among the civilian population and a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”
“They stress the need to ensure an immediate, complete and sustainable ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid, and intensified efforts to achieve peace, stability and security for all residents of the region. Member States note that the only possible way to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East is through a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian question,” it said.
The SCO leaders also “strongly condemned” the military strikes by Israel and the US against Iran in June 2025. “Such aggressive actions against civilian targets, including nuclear energy infrastructure, which resulted in the death of civilians, are a gross violation of the principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter, and an infringement on the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They undermine regional and international security and have serious implications for global peace and stability.”
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/world/perpetrators-organisers-and-sponsors-must-be-brought-to-justice-sco-declaration-condemns-pahalgam-terror-attack-10223607/
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2020 riots: Delhi High Court to pass order on bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, others
September 02, 2025
The Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce on Tuesday (September 2, 2025) its verdict on bail pleas of activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others facing prosecution in a UAPA case linked to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots.
A Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur, which reserved its order on July 9 after hearing the arguments on behalf of the prosecution and various accused, is scheduled to pass the order at 2:30 p.m.
The court had reserved its order on the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima.
The prosecution vehemently opposed the bail plea saying it was not a case of spontaneous riots but a case where riots were planned well in advance with a sinister motive and well-thought-out conspiracy.
Also read | Delhi court says Sharjeel Imam was ‘one of the kingpins’ inciting violence during 2019 anti-CAA protests
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the prosecution, had contended that it was a conspiracy to defame India on a global level and mere long incarceration is no ground for bail.
"If you do anything against your nation, you better be in jail till you are acquitted," he had argued.
Sharjeel Imam's counsel had earlier argued that he was "completely disconnected" with the place, time and co-accused persons, including Umar Khalid. His speeches and WhatsApp chats never called for any unrest, he had argued.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and several others have been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence had erupted during the protests against the CAA and NRC.
Sharjeel Imam was arrested in the case on August 25, 2020. While challenging the trial court orders refusing bail, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others cited their long incarceration and parity with other co-accused who were granted bail.
The bail pleas by Sharjeel Imam and other co-accused, including Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, and others, have been pending in the High Court since 2022 and were heard by different Benches from time to time.
Police have opposed the bail applications of all accused, saying the communal violence of February 2020 was a case of "clinical and pathological conspiracy".
Speeches by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and other accused created a sense of fear with their common pattern of reference to CAA-NRC, Babri mosque, triple talaq and Kashmir, police alleged.
The Delhi Police has contended that in a case involving such "grave" offences, the principle of 'bail is the rule and jail is the exception' could not be invoked.
It has also stated that there was no material to suggest any attempt by the prosecution to delay the trial court proceedings and right to speedy trial was not a "free pass".
Source: thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/2020-riots-delhi-high-court-to-pass-order-on-bail-pleas-of-sharjeel-imam-umar-khalid-others/article70001760.ece
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Vadodara To Turn Into Fortress As Ganesh Immersions And Eid e Milad un Nabi Coincide On Sept 5
September 2, 2025
In light of an incident of alleged idol desecration besides minor skirmishes during the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi celebration, Vadodara city police is all set to turn the sensitive areas of the city into a fortress, starting Tuesday until Anant Chaturdashi on September 6. Special focus will be on Friday, September 5, when Eid-e-Milad processions will also be taken out through the city.
Police have initiated a dialogue with Muslim religious leaders to seek cooperation in ensuring that the Eid processions are taken out in the afternoon so that they don’t coincide with Ganesh idol immersions.
Tuesday will witness the immersion of the Ganesh idol of the popular Juni Gadi Mitra Mandal, which passes through the communally sensitive old city area and keeps the city police on its toes every year. On Monday, Vadodara city Commissioner of Police Narasimha Komar said that tight security arrangements, including deployment of police officers from outside Vadodara to assist the city force, are in place for Tuesday.
Komar said, “Between September 2 and September 6, detailed security arrangements will remain in place in the city. We have the Juni Gadi Ganesh visarjan on Tuesday and there is Eid procession of the Muslim community scheduled for Friday… Many of the 1,700 registered Ganesh pandals in the city will carry out their immersions on the last day, on September 6. Therefore, the city police is prepared — with help from additional force as well as deployment of paramilitary forces and surveillance through technology, to ensure that the festivals pass off peacefully.”
Komar said that following the incident of the alleged desecration of a Ganesh idol on August 26, the city police had initiated preventive action including identification of individuals with history. “We have undertaken (area) domination exercises and are conducting foot patrolling under leadership of Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) as well as Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) to send out a strong message of law and order to the communities… Anti-social elements, potential troublemakers and criminals have been identified and kept under watch. Preventive action has been taken under all police stations,” Komar said.
The Vadodara city police will be assisted by nine units of Paramilitary forces as well as 700 police personnel from outside the district during the five days of heavy bandobast in the sensitive parts of the city. Komar said, “Four SPs (Superintendent of Police), 10 DSPs (Deputy SPs), 23 DCP and ACP-rank officials along with 109 Police Inspectors and 210 Police Sub-Inspectors and constables from other districts will arrive in Vadodara to assist in policing. About 700 police personnel from outside as well as 1,500 homeguards will be deployed along with the city’s police force… A total of nine units of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force and BSF (Border Security Force) will be on standby.”
He said, “We will also use technology such as 1,900 CCTV cameras of the VMC (Vadodara Municipal Corporation) as well as 550 police CCTV cameras, 750 body worn, drone, eight drone cameras and GPS systems to monitor the processions in sensitive areas and keep eye on criminal activity.”
Stating that a contingency plan has been readied, Komar said that the anti-riot special striking force as well as the Quick Response Teams (QRT) will remain active at various points. “We have identified deep points and vantage points to attend to all roadblock incidents, emergency response systems are active and the cyber cell will monitor social media posts… Traffic diversions have been planned for better management,” he added.
Komar said that since the upcoming days of Ganesh immersions also coincide with Eid-e-Milad procession to be taken out in the city on Friday, the city police has initiated a dialogue with the religious heads and community leaders of the Muslim community to cooperate in the law and order deployment. “We have initiated a dialogue with the Muslim religious leaders and social activists to convey and seek cooperation in ensuring that the Eid processions are taken out in the afternoon and completed before the Ganesh immersions begin,” Komar said.
Police probe complaint of stone hurled at Ganesh pandal
The Vadodara city police on Monday initiated a probe into a complaint received from a Ganesh pandal, alleging that stones had been hurled at the pandal late on Sunday night.
Top police officials, including Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 3, Abhishek Gupta and Assistant Commissioner of Police Pranav Kataria rushed to the spot in Tarsali area of the city from where the complaint on the alleged incident was received.
ACP Kataria told The Indian Express, “We had checked the spot late on Sunday night and following the official complaint received from the organisers of the pandal, we have gone through the CCTV cameras. However, we are unable to clearly establish where the stones were hurled from… A probe is on, using other human and technical sources. If found to be true, action will be initiated accordingly.”
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/tomorrow-onwards-vadodara-city-to-turn-into-fortress-as-high-security-ganesh-immersions-eid-coincide-on-september-5-10224571/
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Europe
Knife Pulled in Racist Attack on Families Outside Portsmouth Mosque
by Harriet Williamson
1 September 2025
A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a knife in a public place after allegedly hurling racist abuse at families praying outside a mosque in Portsmouth, punching one man in the chest and pulling a knife when asked to leave.
On the evening of Sunday 31 August, a man approached Portsmouth Jami Mosque and Islamic Centre, situated opposite a local primary school. He reportedly shouted racial abuse at a group of men, women and children – including a toddler – who were praying outside the mosque.
A member of the group asked the man to leave them alone and was reportedly punched in the chest. The man then pulled out a large knife and menaced two men from the group with it. Portsmouth police have confirmed that an investigation has been launched, and a knife located in the area has been seized by police. No one was seriously injured during the incident.
A video added to the community group post shows a white man with a full beard, wearing a light-coloured sweatshirt and black shorts, brandishing a large knife with a long blade. He can be seen shouting and swearing at two men who attempt to calm him down. At one point, the man holding the knife appears to hurl it away and then, towards the end of the clip, he is led away by one of the men who are attempting to diffuse the situation.
The incident was first reported in a Facebook community group post by local resident Shak Miah. Miah reported that the man made threats to kill all Muslims and to burn down the mosque, and was shouting at people to “go back where they came from”.
Miah wrote in ‘Spotted Pompey’: “These attacks are becoming too common as the far-right carry out their protests. Everyone please be safe!”
A Portsmouth police spokesperson said: “We are aware of a video that is circulating on social media platforms in regards to a racially aggravated assault on Victoria Road North yesterday. We are also aware that people are speculating on the circumstances and that some of this information is inaccurate.
“As such, we would like to dispel any misinformation and clarify the reported account of events. We were called to a report that just before 9:30pm on Sunday 31 August, a man was being racially abusive to a small group of men, women and children who were praying outside of the Jami Mosque.
“It was reported that the man had approached the group and was being verbally abusive and threatening them. A man from the group asked the man to leave them alone, but was then reportedly punched in the chest.
“The man then pulled out a knife and behaved aggressively towards two men from the group, but reportedly discarded the knife before leaving the area. Nobody was seriously injured during the incident.
“An investigation has been launched and police are conducting thorough enquiries to establish the full circumstances. As part of our enquiries, a 29-year-old man from Southsea has been arrested on suspicion of assault and possessing a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place. He remains in police custody at this time. If anyone witnessed this incident or has any information which could assist our investigation, please report this to us by calling 101 quoting 44250294485.”
The attack comes after waves of racist protests over the summer, with crowds demonstrating outside hotels currently housing asylum seekers in London, Norfolk and Epping in Essex.
A number of racist crimes have been reported over the past few weeks. The South Essex Islamic Central in Basildon was vandalised on Thursday 28 August, with red crosses and the words “Christ is King” and “This is England” daubed on its walls. Basildon Council leader Gavin Callaghan called it “scum behaviour” that “shames our town”. The timing of the attack – before Friday prayers – was cited by Callaghan as “no coincidence” and targeted intimidation.
On Friday 29 August, the Dragon House Chinese takeaway in York was vandalised with the spray painted words “go home” and the St George’s cross. The owners of the takeaway thanked members of the local community today who rallied around to clean it off.
A social media campaign known as #OperationRaisetheColours has also seen people hanging the England flag and Union Jack on motorway bridges and lampposts, and spray painting red crosses on roundabouts and road crossings. The organiser of Operation Raise the Colours was revealed by HOPE Not Hate to be former English Defence League (EDL) leadership bodyguard Andrew Currien, who is now running security for far-right party Britain First. Curien was convicted along with five others in 2009 after a 59-year-old man was crushed to death by a car following a violent and racist brawl.
Source: novaramedia.com
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https://novaramedia.com/2025/09/01/knife-pulled-in-racist-attack-on-families-outside-portsmouth-mosque/
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Pro-Palestine activists target Israeli singer in Poland
1 Sep, 2025
A group of pro-Palestine activists attacked Israeli singer David D’Or during a concert in Warsaw on Sunday, dousing him with red paint.
The incident began when at least two activists disrupted D’Or’s performance, which featured classical songs and sung prayers with orchestral accompaniment. Footage from the scene shows one individual throwing paint at the singer, smearing D’Or and several musicians in the orchestra.
As the activist was being tackled by several concertgoers and security guards, a woman carrying a Palestinian flag attempted to scale the stage. However, she was promptly pulled down, and the group was escorted out of the auditorium following a brief scuffle, footage shows.
The Polish authorities remained silent on the incident, and it was not immediately clear whether the activists faced any legal consequences for their actions.
The singer posted footage of the incident on his Instagram page after the concert, stating that it brought him “back to the horrors of the October 7” Hamas attack.
“In the middle of the prayer, Our Father, our King, when I pray for a good year and peace in the world, I closed my eyes, when suddenly I felt a splash on my face, I opened my eyes to see a strong red color, resembling blood,” D’Or said, claiming that the incident left the orchestra members and the audience shaken.
The October 7 surprise attack on southern Israel mounted by the Palestinian militant group left at least 1,200 people dead and prompted Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza. The operation in the Palestinian enclave has inflicted immense material damage and left more than 62,000 dead, according to local health authorities.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/623871-warsaw-israeli-singer-incident/
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New mosque could be built in this Glasgow area to meet needs
1ST SEPTEMBER
By Eszter Tárnai
A new mosque could be built in Glasgow to "meet the needs of the community".
Commissioned by Masjid Noor, the new building would stand next to an existing place of worship at 79 Forth Street in Pollokshields.
A planning application was submitted for the development, explaining that the current building is in bad condition and is no longer sufficient for local demand.
Documents state that, along with the two-storey mosque, a car park would also be formed.
The small two-storey mosque is located on a two-acre piece of land purchased in 1979 by the applicant.
It was described as "relatively small".
The application also said: "Given the inefficient layout of the existing building, its state of disrepair and changing needs of the congregation, a need has arisen for a properly constructed larger mosque."
Currently, the place of worship is used for congregational prayer, Islamic study classes for children, women and men and more.
Papers added: "As a long-standing community facility in Pollokshields, the applicant appreciates the importance of being a good neighbour and should consent be granted for the proposed development, they would look to maintain this relationship with not only its service users, but the wider community."
If successful, the new site would have space in the basement, as well as over the ground and first floors.
The look of the building would align with the wider street and a minaret would be created at the back.
Within this new location, religious and community activities would get a bigger and more suitable space.
A previous bid for the same development was approved in July 2018 and this newer application was handed in as part of a cost-saving initiative.
Glasgow City Council officials are considering the application and a decision is expected by Friday, October 17, 2025.
The last day for comments is Monday, August 18, 2025.
Source: glasgowtimes.co.uk
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https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/25432419.new-mosque-built-glasgow-area-meet-needs/
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Police callout 'inaccurate' remarks over video of man allegedly brandishing knife outside Southsea mosque
By Steve Deeks
1st Sep 2025
Police have moved to clarify an incident captured on video now circling on social media allegedly showing a man brandishing a knife shouting racial abuse outside a mosque.
A 29-year-old man is in police custody following the incident around 9.30pm on Sunday (31 August), outside of the Jami Mosque.
Police said it was reported a white man was being “racially abusive to a small group of men, women and children who were praying outside” the Victoria Road North venue.
The force has now said comments from people speculating on the video footage are “inaccurate” amid fears of growing racial tensions in the community. A spokesperson said: “We are aware of a video that is circulating on social media platforms in regards to a racially aggravated assault on Victoria Road North yesterday.
“We are also aware that people are speculating on the circumstances and that some of this information is inaccurate. As such, we would like to dispel any misinformation and clarify the reported account of events.”
Speaking of the account of events, the force spokesperson added: “It was reported the man had approached the group and was being verbally abusive and threatening them.
“A man from the group asked the man to leave them alone, but was then reportedly punched in the chest. The man then pulled out a knife and behaved aggressively towards two men from the group, but reportedly discarded the knife before leaving the area.
“Nobody was seriously injured during the incident. An investigation has been launched and police are conducting thorough enquiries to establish the full circumstances. A knife was located in the area and has been seized by police.
“As part of our enquiries, a 29-year-old man from Southsea has been arrested on suspicion of assault and possessing a knife blade / sharp pointed article in a public place. He remains in police custody at this time.”
If anyone witnessed this incident or has any information call police on 101 quoting 44250294485.
Source: portsmouth.co.uk
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https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/crime/southsea-man-allegedly-brandishing-knife-arrested-for-racial-abuse-outside-mosque-5297557
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North America
'I’m not a vampire': Zohran Mamdani responds to online racist attack; NYC hopeful could become first Muslim mayor
Sep 2, 2025
Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York mayor, responded on Sunday to a racist post on X aimed at him.
A user tried to target Mamdani by writing “This is for you bone-petite” while quoting another post that showed a picture of bacon and said, “just want to share bacon with you Muslim peeps.”
Bacon is pork, which Muslims do not eat for religious reasons.
Mamdani, who is Muslim, replied with humour, writing, “My brother, this isn’t garlic and we’re not vampires…” His response relates to the idea that vampires are harmed by garlic.
Zohran Mamdani has been at the receiving end of racists attacks by MAGA group. He was born in Uganda and came to the US at the age of seven in 1998. He became US citizen in 2018. The mayoral election will take place on November 4 this year. If elected, Zohran Kwame Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/knowledge-centre/us/im-not-a-vampire-zohran-mamdani-responds-to-online-racist-attack-nyc-hopeful-could-become-first-muslim-mayor/articleshow/123650101.cms
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Mass shooting: 6 shot, 1 stabbed at NYC West Indian Day Parade; violence erupts despite ‘largest police deployment’
Sep 2, 2025
NEW YORK: At least six people were shot and another was stabbed in separate incidents following the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn on Monday, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said.
The violence occurred across four locations in Crown Heights between late afternoon and early evening as parade crowds dispersed, reported to Fox News 5.
No arrests have been made so far.
The first shooting occurred around 5.35 pm near 1098 Eastern Parkway, where a woman in her 40s was grazed in the back and a man in his 20s was shot in the leg. Both were hospitalized in stable condition.
About 40 minutes later, a man was stabbed near Eastern Parkway and Nostrand Avenue but declined medical care.
At 6.46 pm, two men were shot in the shoulder near Classon Avenue, and both were later reported stable. Minutes after, at 6.55 pm, a 53-year-old man was critically wounded in the neck and leg outside a Nostrand Avenue restaurant, while a woman in her 40s was shot in the ankle and treated in stable condition.
The NYPD has not confirmed any links between the incidents as of yet.
The violence unfolded despite an increased police presence along the parade route. There were reportedly 13 checkpoints along Empire Boulevard and Nostrand Avenue, where spectators were screened with handheld metal detectors.
"This will be the largest police deployment of the year, even bigger than our deployments for New Year's Eve in Times Square, even bigger than our deployments for July 4th," police commissioner Jessica Tisch was quoted as saying on Friday.
New York City’s West Indian American Day Parade, one of the world’s largest Caribbean festivals, kicked off on Monday with colourful costumes, flags, and soca and reggae music.
Hundreds of thousands attended, including local politicians with Caribbean roots. Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul cut a ceremonial ribbon as Rev. Al Sharpton looked on. Adams’ mayoral challengers, including State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, also participated in the festivities, reported AP.
Last year’s parade was also overshadowed by a shooting that left a 25-year-old Texas man dead and four others, aged 16 to 69, injured. The NYPD classified the incident as gang-related.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/mass-shooting-6-shot-1-stabbed-at-nyc-west-indian-day-parade-violence-erupts-despite-largest-police-deployment/articleshow/123646557.cms
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Mideast
Iraq Reopens Historic Al-Nuri Grand Mosque In Mosul 8 Years After Destruction
September 01, 2025
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s prime minister presided over the official reopening of the historic Al-Nuri Grand Mosque and its leaning minaret in the heart of Mosul’s Old City on Monday, eight years after the mosque was destroyed by Daesh militants.
For some 850 years, the leaning minaret of the mosque stood as an iconic landmark. The militant group destroyed the mosque by detonating explosives inside the structures as it faced defeat in a battle with Iraqi military forces for control of the city in 2017.
UNESCO, the UN’s scientific, educational and cultural organization, worked alongside Iraqi heritage and Sunni religious authorities to reconstruct the minaret using traditional techniques and materials salvaged from the rubble. UNESCO raised $115 million for the reconstruction project, with large shares coming from the UAE and the EU.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said in a statement that the reconstruction of the mosque “will remain a milestone, reminding all enemies of the heroism of Iraqis, their defense of their land, and their rebuilding of everything destroyed by those who want to obscure the truth.”
“We will continue our support for culture, and efforts to highlight Iraqi antiquities, as a social necessity, a gateway to our country for the world, an opportunity for sustainable development, and a space for youth to innovate,” he said.
At its peak, Daesh ruled an area half the size of the UK in Iraq and Syria and was notorious for its brutality. It beheaded civilians and enslaved and raped thousands of women from the Yazidi community, one of Iraq’s oldest religious minorities.
In addition to the mosque, war-damaged churches were rebuilt as part of the reconstruction project, aiming to preserve the heritage of the city’s shrinking Christian population. Sudani said the city of Mosul embraces all of its communities and “embodies all the characteristics of Iraq’s diverse society.”
UN investigators have said that IS militants committed war crimes against Christians in Iraq, including seizing their property, engaging in sexual violence, enslavement, forced conversions and destruction of cultural and religious sites.
Most of Mosul’s small population of Christians fled when IS launched its offensive in 2014. In 2003, Mosul’s Christian population stood at around 50,000. Today, fewer than 20 Christian families remain as permanent residents in the city, although some who resettled in the semi-autonomous Kurdish area of northern Iraq still return to Mosul for church services.
The reconstruction project in Mosul could serve as a model for restoring other cultural sites in war-torn areas — including neighboring Syria, which is starting to emerge from nearly 14 years of civil war after the fall of former President Bashar Assad last year.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2613800/middle-east
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Hamas rejects reported plan for US takeover of Gaza
September 01, 2025
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Hamas denounced on Monday a plan reportedly being considered by US President Donald Trump for the United States to take control of the devastated Gaza Strip and for its population to be relocated.
Almost two years since Israel began its campaign in Gaza after Hamas militants’ October 7, 2023 attack, swathes of the Palestinian territory have been reduced to rubble and the vast majority of its population has been displaced at least once.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the White House was considering a plan that would see Gaza – home to roughly two million people – become a trusteeship administered by the United States for at least 10 years.
The goal would be to transform the territory into a tourism magnet and high-tech hub, according to the US newspaper, which cited a 38-page prospectus for the initiative.
The outline also calls for at least the temporary relocation of all of Gaza’s population, either through “voluntary” departures to other countries or into restricted, secured zones inside the territory.
Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim slammed the proposal on Monday, asserting “Gaza is not for sale.”
“Gaza is... part of the greater Palestinian homeland,” he added.
Trump first floated the idea in February of turning Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East” after moving out its Palestinian residents and putting it under American control.
The idea drew swift condemnation from across the Arab world, including from Palestinians themselves, for whom any effort to force them off their land would recall the “Nakba,” or catastrophe – the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.
Another official from Hamas, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the group “rejects all these plans that abandon our people and keep the occupier on our land.”
They said such proposals were “worthless and unjust,” adding that no details of the initiative had been communicated to Hamas.
According to the Post, Gaza residents who own land would be given a digital token by the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, or GREAT Trust, in exchange for the right to develop their property.
Recipients could use this token to start a new life somewhere else or eventually redeem it for an apartment in one of six to eight new “AI-powered, smart cities” to be built in the territory.
The State Department did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment.
Qasem Habib, a 37-year-old Palestinian living in a tent in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, said the reported proposal was “nonsense.”
“If they want to help Gaza, the way is known: pressure (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to stop the war and the killing.”
Fellow Gazan Wael Azzam, 60, living in the Al-Mawasi area near the southern city of Khan Yunis, said he had not “heard of the new American plan, but even without knowing it, it is a failed plan.”
“We were born and raised here,” he added, questioning whether the US president would accept displacement from his own home.
But Ahmed Al-Akkawi, 30, said he would back the proposal if it halted the fighting.
“The plan is excellent if the war stops and we are transferred to European countries to live a normal life, and if guarantees are made to rebuild Gaza,” he said.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2613758/middle-east
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Tunisian brutalist landmark faces wrecking ball, sparking outcry
September 02, 2025
TUNIS: Tunisia’s brutalist landmark the Hotel du Lac — a 1970s postcard icon said to have inspired a desert-roving vehicle in “Star Wars” — is being demolished, sparking calls from architects, historians and activists to save it.
Built by Italian architect Raffaele Contigiani in central Tunis, the concrete-and-steel inverted pyramid opened in 1973 during a push to boost post-independence Tunisia’s tourism industry.
Its daring silhouette has since enraptured brutalism and modernizt architecture admirers from across the globe.
But after getting caught up in inheritance disputes and mismanagement, the hotel shut down in 2000, and its 10 floors and 416 rooms have grown decrepit since.
Tunisian historian Adnen El Ghali sees the Hotel du Lac as one of the world’s “top 10 brutalism jewels.”
Its demolition would mean “a great loss for world heritage,” he said.
LAFICO, a Libyan state investment fund that has owned the hotel since 2010, has not made any public announcements about its future.
But earlier this month, its head, Hadi Alfitory, told AFP the fund had “obtained all the necessary permits for demolition.”
When construction fences went up around the building in recent weeks, outrage spread.
A petition on Change.org calling to “save the urban landscape” of Tunis and preserve the “brutalist icon” collected more than 6,000 signatures within days, with a protest set to take place in Tunis in September.
Alfitory said the decision to tear down the structure came after “various expert assessments” determined that “the building is a ruin and must be demolished.”
Its replacement, a 20-story luxury hotel and mall, will keep to its “concept and shape,” Alfitory said, with the Libyan fund pledging $150 million in investment and 3,000 jobs.
Critics say the plan ignores both the building’s engineering achievements and its cultural resonance.
“Investing and modernizing does not mean demolishing and erasing collective memory and architectural heritage,” said Amel Meddeb, a member of parliament and architect who first raised alarms about the demolition permit this year.
Like many, she said the proposed plan was “totally vague,” and therefore difficult to officially challenge.
Safa Cherif, head of Tunisian conservation group Edifices et Memoires, said there was “no official sign explaining the nature of the work underway, nor any indication about the new project.”
The Hotel du Lac has survived other close calls.
Between 2010 and 2020, demolition plans were shelved, and in 2022, a wave of media campaigns led by civil society convinced the Culture Ministry to grant it temporary protection.
That safeguard expired in April 2023, and the ministry declined to renew it despite an expert rebuttal maintaining that the building was indeed restorable.
Parliament member Meddeb said the refusal was “a 180-degree turn,” insisting the hotel was a cultural monument worthy of saving.
To Gabriele Neri, a professor of architectural history at the Polytechnic University of Turin, its loss would be profound.
“These buildings are 50 years old and will soon be 60 or 100,” he said. “They are witnesses of important eras.”
The Hotel du Lac is “the main symbol in Tunisia” of the independence wave that swept across African nations, when leaders like the country’s first president Habib Bourguiba “sought to project a new, modern and international image,” he added.
It is an “engineering feat” with its narrow base supporting a wider top using Austrian-imported steel, said Neri, who urged authorities to preserve “as much as possible.”
Across the world, he pointed out, nations are learning to embrace late 20th-century architecture rather than discard it.
“In Uzbekistan, where I just returned from, the authorities have undertaken efforts to seek UNESCO recognition for Soviet monuments of the 1970s and 80s,” he said.
Brutalism — a style characterised by its use of exposed concrete — had “a very powerful era in many places,” Gabriele added.
It’s now “attracting a growing amount of attention, almost becoming fetishistic,” he added, citing books, magazines and movies like 2024’s “The Brutalist.”
Amid this wave, Hotel du Lac as it stands could “become an attraction for high-level cultural tourism.”
Source: arabnews.com
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UK ‘outraged’ at Israel restricting aid as it works to evacuate children from Gaza for treatment
September 01, 2025
LONDON: British officials are working to get critically sick and injured children out of Gaza so they can receive specialist treatment in UK hospitals, the British foreign secretary said Monday, adding that the first patients will arrive in coming weeks.
David Lammy said he was “outraged” by Israel not allowing enough aid to enter Gaza as he announced 15 million pounds ($20 million) more for medical assistance for Gaza and the region.
“This is not a natural disaster, it’s a manmade famine in the 21st century,” he said. “I’m outraged by the Israeli government’s refusal to allow in sufficient aid.”
“We all know there is only one way out — an immediate ceasefire,” Lammy added.
He told lawmakers that British officials are also supporting students from Gaza who have been granted scholarships at UK universities so that they can start their studies in the fall.
Lammy said a “massive humanitarian response” was needed to prevent more Palestinians from dying and starving after the world’s leading authority on food crises said in late August that the Gaza Strip’s largest city is in the grips of famine.
He did not give specifics about the number of sick children or scholars that Britain is accepting from Gaza. But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament on Monday that officials are expediting visas for those Palestinians, as well as their accompanying family members.
British media have reported that officials are facilitating the evacuation of nine students in Gaza who were awarded Chevening scholarships, funded by Britain’s Foreign Office, but that dozens of other Palestinian students who have offers to study in the UK were still in limbo.
Officials have said they will not give specifics on the evacuation process because the situation was sensitive and complex.
Other European nations including Italy have also evacuated students and sick children from Gaza.
The UK funds field hospital operations in Gaza through a charity and works with the World Health Organization in Egypt to help treat some of the 8,000 people from Gaza who have been medically evacuated there.
Source: arabnews.com
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King Abdullah, French President Emmanuel Macron discuss Gaza, Syria, Lebanon
September 01, 2025
AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II spoke on the phone to French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday to discuss developments in Gaza, the West Bank, and broader regional issues.
The Royal Court said the king stressed the urgent need for intensified international efforts to halt the war in Gaza and guarantee the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid across the enclave, the Jordan News Agency reported.
He reiterated Jordan’s firm rejection of Israeli plans to consolidate the occupation of Gaza, expand military control there, and its continued settlement expansion in the West Bank.
King Abdullah stressed Jordan’s commitment to supporting the Palestinians in securing their legitimate rights and establishing an independent state based on the two-state solution.
He welcomed France’s declared intention to recognize the Palestinian state later this month and commended its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to achieve peace in the region.
The two leaders also focused on the importance of supporting Syria and Lebanon in safeguarding their security, stability, and territorial integrity, Petra added.
Source: arabnews.com
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Lebanon and Syria to form committees on prisoners, missing persons, and border issues
September 01, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon and Syria will form two committees to decide the fate of the nearly 2,000 Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese jails, locate Lebanese nationals missing in Syria for years and settle the shared unmarked border, judicial and security officials said.
Monday’s announcement came as a Syrian delegation, which included two former Cabinet ministers and the head of Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons, visited Beirut, a first since insurgent groups overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government in early December.
Syria’s new administration, under interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, wants to “open a new page” with Lebanon and pave the way for a visit by the Syrian ministers of foreign affairs and justice, though a date is yet to be set, a Lebanese judicial and two security officials told The Associated Press.
The future visit could be a possible breakthrough between the two countries that have had tense relations for decades.
The current Syrian leadership resents Lebanon’s Iran-allied Hezbollah group for taking part in the country’s conflict, fighting alongside Assad’s forces, while many Lebanese still grudge Syria’s 29-year domination of its smaller neighbor, where it had a military presence for three decades until 2005.
Talks on Monday with Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri included Syrians held in Lebanese jails, of which about 800 have been detained for security reasons, such as attacks and shootings, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Many Syrians held in Lebanon are in jail without trial.
They also said the two sides discussed Lebanese citizens missing in Syria and the two countries shared border, where smuggling is common, and the estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon who escaped the uprising-turned-conflict in their home country over 14 years ago.
The Syrian side wanted to review bilateral agreements that were in place during the Assad family’s 54-year dynasty, but Lebanon suggested forming new agreements to deal with pending issues between the two nations, the Lebanese officials said.
Since the fall of Assad, two Lebanese prime ministers have visited Syria. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Al-Sharaa also held talks on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Egypt in March.
The two neighbors had only agreed to open embassies in 2008, marking Syria’s first official recognition of Lebanon as an autonomous state since it gained independence from France in 1943.
Source: arabnews.com
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850,000 Syrian refugees have returned home since Assad’s fall, UN says
September 01, 2025
DAMASCUS: Since the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in December, some 850,000 Syrian refugees have returned home from neighboring countries and the figure could reach 1 million in the coming weeks, a top official with the UN refugee agency said Monday.
Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR Kelly T. Clements told The Associated Press in Damascus that about 1.7 million people who were internally displaced during the 14-year-old conflict have returned to their communities as the interim central government now controls large parts of Syria.
“It’s a dynamic period. It’s an opportunity where we could see potentially solutions for the largest global displacements that we have seen in the last 14 years,” said Clements, who has been in Syria for three days.
Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. More than five million Syrians fled the country as refugees, most of them to neighboring countries.
Clements said everybody has a different reason for coming back now, while some are delaying and waiting to see how things go.
As part of her visit, she went to a border crossing with Lebanon where she said she saw long lines of trucks and people waiting to head back to Syria.
Lebanese authorities had given an exemption to Syrians staying illegally in the country if they left by the end of August. Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, and in the past few days, thousands of Syrians headed back over the border.
“Returns numbers are exceptionally high,” Clements said.
Many Syrians had high hopes after Assad was brought down in an offensive by insurgent groups in early December. However, sectarian killings against members of Assad’s Alawite minority sect in Syria’s coastal region in March and against the Druze minority in the southern province of Sweida in July claimed hundreds of lives.
Clements said that about 190,000 people were displaced in southern Syria as a result of the fighting in July between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters. Since then, 21 convoy of relief supplies, of which UNHCR has been an important part, were sent to Sweida, she added.
She said the Damascus-Sweida highway, blocked for weeks by pro-government gunmen, is now open, “which is very important because that will allow much more relief to come into the area.”
Source: arabnews.com
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South Asia
Six witnesses testify in Purbachal graft cases against Hasina, family
Sep 2, 2025
Six more prosecution witnesses today testified in three graft cases filed against 23 people, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
The witnesses are Delwar Hossain, Lutfor Rahman, Rezaul Haque, Abu Taher, Gautam Kumar Sikdar, and Shoriful Islam.
Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka's Special Judge's Court-5 recorded their statements between 11:38am and 1:03pm, said Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam.
After recording statements, the court also set September 17 for next hearings in three cases in which Hasina has been made common accused.
According to the prosecution, the six testified in the three separate graft cases — one against 12 accused, another against 18, including Putul; and a third against 17, including Joy.
Earlier, 10 other witnesses had given their statements in the same cases.
The ACC lodged six separate cases between January 12 and 14 over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New Town project.
It accused Hasina of colluding with senior Rajuk officials to unlawfully secure six 10-katha plots in Sector 27's diplomatic zone for herself, Joy, Putul, Sheikh Rehana, her children Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby and Azmina Siddiq, despite their ineligibility.
On March 25, the ACC filed charge sheets in all six cases with the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court in Dhaka, naming Hasina as a common accused. The commission listed all accused as fugitives.
The court later issued arrest warrants on April 10, 13, and 15 against Hasina, Rehana, Joy, Putul, Radwan, Azmina, and British MP Tulip Siddiq, among others, after taking cognisance of the charges.
On July 1, authorities were ordered to publish gazette notifications summoning 29 individuals to appear before the court.
Charges were formally framed against them on July 31.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Earthquake in East: Mujahid Confirms at Least 800 Dead, over 2,500 Injuries
September 2, 2025
KABUL: Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, announced that the death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern provinces has risen to 800, with over 2,500 others injured. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mujahid stated that the Islamic Emirate has formed a special emergency committee, led by the Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, under the direction of Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, to facilitate emergency response efforts. The Islamic Emirate has allocated an initial 100 million Afghanis to the committee, with additional funds to be provided as needed, he said, urging national and international organizations to assist in addressing the humanitarian crisis. The Kabul Times
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Islamic Emirate Announces Major Appointments Across Ministries and Provinces
2025-09-01
KABUL(BNA): The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mawlavi Zabihullah Mujahid, announced new high-level appointments across several ministries and provinces based on the decree of the Amir al-Mu’minin (Hafizahullah).
According to the statement: Sheikh Shir Ahmad Haqqani, former governor of Laghman, has been appointed as Minister of Information and Culture.
Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa, former Minister of Information and Culture, has been appointed Governor of Maidan Wardak.
Qari Mohammad Bakhtiyar Muaz, former Governor of Maidan Wardak, has been appointed Governor of Laghman.
Mullah Mohammad Hafiz Mujahid, former deputy commander of the 313 Central Corps, has been appointed Governor of Farah.
Mawlavi Ghausuddin Rahbar, former Governor of Farah, has been appointed Deputy Commander of the 313 Central Corps.
Qari Mohammad Naseem Ezzat, former commander of the 205 Al-Badr Corps’ second infantry brigade, has been appointed Deputy Governor of Jawzjan.
Haji Sher Ali Jandullah, former police chief of Kabul’s third district, has been appointed Police Chief of Paktia.
Mullah Abdul Shakoor Baryalai, former commander of the 209 Al-Fath Corps’ first infantry brigade, has been appointed commander of the 205 Al-Badr Corps’ second infantry brigade.
Mawlavi Nooruddin, former Deputy Governor of Jawzjan, has been appointed commander of the 209 Al-Fath Corps’ first infantry brigade.
Mawlavi Mohammad Omar Mukhlis, former Police Chief of Paktia, has been appointed police chief of Kabul’s third district.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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Key Appointments Announced in Emirati Posts
September 2, 2025
KABUL: The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, announced a series of appointments across key government, provincial, and military posts.
Based on a decree from the IEA’s Supreme Leader, Shaikh Hebatullah Akhundzada, Shaikh Shir Ahmad Haqqani, former Governor of Laghman, has been appointed as the new Minister of Information and Culture, Mujahid said in a statement on Monday.
Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa, previously serving as Minister of Information and Culture, has been appointed as Governor of Maidan Wardak province, he said, adding that Qari Mohammad Bakhtiar Muaz, former Governor of Maidan Wardak, has been appointed as the new Governor of Laghman.
According to the IEA’s spokesman, Mullah Mohammad Hafiz Mujahid, who served as Deputy Commander of the 313 Central Corps, has been appointed Governor of Farah Province, and Mawlavi Ghawsuddin Rahbar, former Governor of Farah, has been named Deputy Commander of the 313 Central Corps.
Mujahid further said that Qari Mohammad Naseem Ezzat, former Commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 205 Al-Badr Corps, has been appointed Deputy Governor of Jawzjan province.
Haji Shir Ali Jundullah, former Chief of Police District 3 of Kabul, will now serve as Police Chief of Paktia Province and Mullah Abdul Shakoor Baryali, former Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 209 Al-Fath Army Corps, has been named as the Commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 205 Al-Badr Army Corps, the spokesman added.
Mawlavi Nooruddin, former Deputy Governor of Jawzjan, has been appointed Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 209 Al-Fath Army Corps, and Mawlavi Mohammad Omar Mukhlis, former Police Chief of Paktia, has been appointed Head of Kabul’s Police District 3, Zabihullah Mujahid concluded.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Jamaat threatens demos for PR-based polls
Sep 2, 2025
Jamaat-e-Islami plans to launch a tougher movement, if necessary, to press for the next national election to be held under the proportional representation (PR) system and in accordance with the July Charter, having first ensured that the document is made legally binding.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of its Central Executive Council, held at the residence of Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman in the capital's Bashundhara R/A yesterday with him in the chair.
The meeting was attended by nayeb-e-ameers, the secretary general, assistant secretary generals, and other council members.
The party also outlined several strategic actions, including increased engagement with like-minded parties, and seminars and discussions to build public support for its demands.
"We hadn't met with our ameer for about a month due to his recovery from open-heart surgery. We presented various party-related and national issues for his guidance," said Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair.
He added that the ameer provided directives on the party's position regarding the July Charter and the PR system.
"As part of our strategy, we've been holding a series of stakeholder meetings to mobilise public opinion," Zubair said. "We're prepared to escalate our movement on the streets if our demands are not met."
Asked whether Jamaat would contest the 13th parliamentary polls without the PR system in place, Zubair responded, "We intend to participate only after its implementation. The election must be timely and conducted under the PR system."
He added that while the party is preparing for the polls, it believes its demands must be met to reflect the people's aspirations.
In a statement, Jamaat said the country's political situation was discussed in detail during the meeting.
Leaders stressed the importance of making the July Charter legally binding and conducting the election in line with it to ensure a free, fair, and credible process.
The party said it wants the election to be held under the PR system out of its commitment to equal opportunities for all political parties.
Later in the day, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said no one would participate in a staged election.
"If a managed, staged election like before is forced on the country after so much blood and struggle, why should the people participate?" he asked during a roundtable discussion at the Jatiya Press Club.
To remove doubts about the PR system, he also called for a national political dialogue under the leadership of the chief adviser with participation from all parties.
"From today's roundtable, I demand that, if needed, PR provisions be added to the July Charter and put to a referendum so the people can decide. We'll accept the verdict.
"If you argue PR isn't in the constitution, then what about the election being held in 2026? The last election was already held in 2024. If you respect the constitution so much, elections should only be held in 2029. On what constitutional basis is an election happening in 2026? On what basis is Yunus Sahib here?"
Source: thedailystar.net
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India Announces 1,000 Scholarships for Afghanistan Students
By Fidel Rahmati
September 2, 2025
The Government of India, through ICCR and the Ministry of External Affairs, announced 1,000 scholarships for Afghanistan students to pursue online UG and PG courses for 2025-26.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has announced 1,000 e-scholarships for Afghan nationals to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate courses online through the e-VidyaBharati (e-VB) i-learn portal under the Special Scholarship Scheme for Afghan Nationals (SSSAN) for the academic year 2025-26.
Continuing the SSSAN program, the Government of India, through the Ministry of External Affairs, announced on Tuesday, 2nd September, that these scholarships would support Afghan students in the academic year 2025-26, enabling them to study at Indian universities and institutes while remaining in Afghanistan.
Interested Afghan students can apply for the e-scholarships via the e-VidyaBharati i-learn portal from September 1 to September 6, 2025. Detailed guidelines and a user manual have been made available on the portal to assist applicants.
The scholarships cover online UG and PG level courses across a wide range of disciplines, enabling Afghan students to gain international-quality education remotely, particularly in times of restricted mobility and limited access to global educational resources.
This effort is part of India’s broader commitment to fostering educational opportunities for Afghan youth, enhancing skill development, and promoting cultural and academic exchange between the two nations.
In the previous academic year, the ICCR allocated a significant number of scholarships for Afghan students, successfully enrolling hundreds in various online courses. This sustained support has helped Afghan students continue their higher education despite local challenges.
The 2025-26 e-scholarships aim to strengthen educational ties, support Afghan students’ academic ambitions, and promote inclusive access to quality education, ensuring that Afghan youth continue to pursue higher learning opportunities despite ongoing challenges in Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
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UK Suspends Refugee Family Reunions
By Fidel Rahmati
September 2, 2025
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper suspended the refugee family reunion scheme, citing human trafficking risks, while critics warn it endangers children, women, and pushes asylum seekers toward smugglers.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced the suspension of the refugee family reunion scheme, drawing significant criticism from humanitarian organizations and political opponents. Cooper stated that the current system, designed years ago to help families separated by war, is now being exploited by criminal gangs to promote dangerous Channel crossings. She emphasized that the suspension is necessary to address immediate pressures on local authorities and reduce the risks associated with human trafficking .
Under the new policy, refugees wishing to reunite with family members in the UK will need to meet standard family migration requirements, including a minimum annual income threshold of £29,000. This move has been met with strong opposition from groups such as the Refugee Council and Safe Passage, who argue that it will push vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children, into the hands of people smugglers .
The suspension also coincides with a reduction in the time allowed for newly granted single adult asylum seekers to vacate government accommodation, from 56 to 28 days. Critics warn that this could lead to increased homelessness among refugees and strain local resources .
In related developments, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has committed to phasing out the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers by the end of the current parliamentary term. However, the pace of this process has been a subject of debate within the government .
Looking ahead, the government plans to introduce new immigration rules next year, aiming to tighten family reunion pathways and address concerns over public service pressures and exploitation by criminal networks. The effectiveness of these measures in balancing security concerns with humanitarian obligations remains to be seen.
The suspension of the family reunion scheme marks a significant shift in the UK’s asylum policy, with potential long-term implications for refugee welfare and international relations. The international community and human rights organizations will likely continue to monitor the situation closely.
Source: khaama.com
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Arab World
Saudi crown prince meets Palestinian vice president ahead of UN General Assembly
September 01, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed developments in Palestine during a meeting on Monday at Al-Yamama Palace in Riyadh with Vice President of the State of Palestine Hussein Al-Sheikh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
During a session attended by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, as well as senior Palestinians and Saudi officials, they discussed efforts to support the Palestinian cause and interests of the Palestinian people.
At least ten countries have made pledges to recognize Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly later this month, including France, Canada and Australia. The announcements were prompted by a Saudi-French chaired conference in July that garnered support for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Al-Sheikh discussed several other issues with the crown prince, including the recent visa ban imposed by the US State Department on holders of Palestinian Authority passports, which would block Palestinian officials from entering the US to attend the General Assembly on Sept. 22.
They also discussed the “dangerous situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem ... including settlement activity, colonizts’ violence, and the withholding of (Palestinian) tax revenues (by Israeli authorities),” the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported.
Al-Sheikh emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the entry of aid, connecting Gaza to the West Bank under Palestinian sovereignty, and the complete Israeli withdrawal from the Mediterranean enclave.
The two sides emphasized their close coordination to enhance efforts to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Wafa added.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi, Syrian ministers meet in Riyadh to boost digital cooperation
September 01, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha received his Syrian counterpart, Abdulsalam Haykal, in Riyadh.
Haykal is visiting the Kingdom with a high-level delegation to participate in the Global Symposium for Regulators, which is being held in Riyadh until Sept. 3.
Discussions focused on strengthening strategic technical partnerships and advancing joint initiatives in digital infrastructure, innovation and entrepreneurship, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Both ministers also emphasized empowering youth to contribute to building a thriving digital economy that supports sustainable development.
Mohammed Abu Nayan, chairman of the Saudi-Syrian Business Council, along with senior officials and executives from Saudi Arabia’s digital economy, space, and innovation ecosystem, attended the meeting.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi, US innovation helps patients manage several drugs with one capsule
September 01, 2025
RIYADH: A joint research team from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the University of California, San Diego, has developed a smart multi-compartment capsule that contains the medications a patient requires throughout the day.
The development is a breakthrough and a new approach in the field of timed drug delivery, customized to each patient’s needs, according to a KACST press release reported by the Saudi Press Agency.
The capsule’s design uses a programmed release mechanism in a single unit, helping patients — especially those on several medications — follow treatment plans more easily.
This innovation improves adherence, enhances drug efficacy, and supports better health outcomes in a personalized care framework, the SPA added.
The US-patented capsule features smart polymer barriers that separate medications, releasing each at the right time. Some parts also self-regulate to relieve pain or respond quickly to urgent needs.
The capsule reduces drug interactions, missed doses, and the risk of an overdose. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 50 percent of chronic illness patients fail to take medications as prescribed, leading to complications and higher healthcare costs.
KACST Bioengineering Institute lead researcher Dr. Amal Abbas said the innovation simplifies medication management through a smart capsule that delivers the right drug, in the right dose, at the right time.
She added that it aims to improve adherence rates and cut costs from unused or improperly used medications.
The capsule will transform how patients manage several medications for chronic and heart conditions, making therapies smarter, simpler, and more effective, driving a shift toward personalized medicine, according to the report.
Abbas said that clinical tests have shown promising results in patients with Parkinson’s, providing rapid and sustained responses to symptom-control drugs.
Aligned with Vision 2030 goals, the capsule could reduce healthcare and pharmaceutical costs by up to 20 percent and hospital operating costs by up to 8 percent, while improving overall health outcomes through advanced technology, the SPA reported.
The team is completing regulatory procedures to begin precise preclinical and clinical trials to confirm the innovation’s safety and effectiveness, the report said.
Source: arabnews.com
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‘I came for football, I stayed for more’: Ronaldo headlines Saudi Tourism’s ‘Unreal Calendar’ campaign
September 02, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s most famous resident Cristiano Ronaldo is the face of a new Saudi Tourism campaign to showcase the Kingdom’s packed events calendar as the country grows into an attractive sporting and cultural destination for foreign and domestic travelers.
Branded “Unreal Calendar,” the marketing campaign features a short video narrated by Ronaldo, who plays for Riyadh side Al-Nassr.
The one minute clip shows the footballing legend enjoying a number of top sporting events hosted in the Kingdom, mixed with scenes of him playing for Al-Nassr.
The video wraps up with all the other non-sporting events that are available for visitors to enjoy, including cultural and heritage events, as Ronaldo declares: “I came for football, I stayed for more”.
The marketing push comes at the start of the Kingdom’s extended season of sports, entertainment, film, fashion and cultural events.
Saudi Tourism Authority said the campaign will be launching across a number of key markets in Europe as well as India and China.
It aims to highlights Saudi’ Arabia’s diverse, year-round sports and entertainment events held across Riyadh, Jeddah and AlUla, with curated packages making it ever easier to visit. As hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2034, AFC Asian Cup 2027, Esports Olympics Games 2027, Asian Winter Games 2029 among others, Saudi is bringing sport home.
Its regular calendar includes largescale international events such as the Esports World Cup, Formula 1, LIV Golf Riyadh, Tennis, Saudi Pro League (RSL) — cementing its position as a hub for largescale events.
Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb said: “Today, Saudi is cementing its place as a global destination that combines cultural authenticity, warm hospitality, and the thrill of world-class events.”
“In the tourism sector, we remain steadfast in our commitment to developing a seamless landscape that inspires the world and provides visitors with unforgettable experiences.”
Ronaldo has become the face of sports in the Kingdom since he joined Al-Nassr in 2022 ahead of a flood of big names from top European teams into the Saudi Pro League.
The Portuguese legend, who has recently extended his contract to stay in the Saudi capital till 2027, said: “Being part of Saudi Arabia’s journey as a global sports hub has been truly special and somehow unexpected for me a few years ago. Today, the truth is, that from the energy of the fans to the scale of ambition — this is where the future of sport is being written.”
“What I admire most about Saudi is how it honors its roots while building for the future. From camels to horses, racing to esports, from the desert to the stadium — this is a place where every young athlete can dream big.”
The Kingdom is investing to become a global hub for sporting and cultural attractions, as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 goal of diversifying the economy and expanding the tourism sector.
It has committed $800 billion to the sector, which is projected to reach $22.4 billion in market value by 2030 and contribute $16.5bn to GDP by 2030, according to Saudi Tourism.
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, said: “This campaign with CR7 is a showcase of Saudi today, and our ambitions. Tourism is a core component of our vision, and we are continuously expanding our offerings.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia’s healthcare push puts AI in the spotlight
WAAD HUSSAIN
September 01 2025
ALKHOBAR: As Vision 2030 accelerates Saudi Arabia’s health transformation, experts say success will depend on blending investment, innovation and patient-centered care.
The Kingdom’s healthcare sector is at a crossroads. Rising rates of chronic disease, surging patient numbers, and a shortage of medical professionals are straining capacity.
Billions of riyals are being poured into new hospitals and clinics, but leaders say bricks and mortar alone will not be enough.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly seen as the lever that could ease the burden. Yet experts caution the technology is no silver bullet. Its success depends on how it is deployed.
“Fragmentation of care, resource shortages, and rising costs driven by chronic diseases remain the Kingdom’s biggest challenges,” said Dr. Mansoor Khan, CEO of Persivia, a US-based healthcare AI company that partners with Saudi Arabia providers.
“AI is not one thing — it’s a set of technologies that need to be used carefully, mapped to specific problems and workflows.”
From the market side, Dr. Gireesh Kumar, associate partner for healthcare advisory at Knight Frank, a global property consultancy with active presence in Riyadh, points to looming capacity gaps.
According to a Knight Frank analysis published in August this year, Riyadh alone will need 4,500 new hospital beds within five years — a SR7 billion ($1.86 billion) investment, 60 percent of it funded by the private sector.
By 2040, the shortfall could climb to 15,300 beds based on global benchmarks.
“The strongest use cases for AI are in hospitals,” Kumar said. “Image recognition, predictive analytics, and workflow automation can help reduce bottlenecks and balance demand across networks.”
Both experts agree predictive AI offers the clearest near-term value. By analyzing patient data, it can identify high-risk individuals and enable early intervention.
Globally, organizations adopting predictive tools report up to a 25 percent reduction in operating costs and a 15 to 20 percent decrease in readmissions.
In the US, some networks have cut readmissions by 14.3 percent after deploying AI-driven outpatient management. For Saudi Arabia, where diabetes and cardiovascular conditions dominate, the gains could be transformative.
Still, Khan stressed nuance: “If you are going to risk-stratify a population, that is not a task for generative AI, but for predictive and prescriptive AI. Success equals empathy plus evidence plus workflow fit.”
Telemedicine is another growth engine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kingdom’s SEHA Virtual Hospital emerged as a flagship. Today it is the world’s largest virtual hospital, linking more than 150 facilities and serving over 480,000 patients a year.
On the private side, the Saudi Arabia-built Labayh mental health app has reached more than 2 million users with over 70 million minutes of counselling delivered, making it one of the region’s prominent digital health platforms according to Knight Frank’s report.
Kumar said digital access points ease pressure on hospitals and extend services into underserved regions. Khan added a caveat: “The human interaction is critical. AI should support that, not replace it.”
Vision 2030 is accelerating the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care. That transition, Khan argues, requires deep private-sector involvement — from funding to management.
Kumar frames public-private partnerships as the catalyst for AI adoption.
“The public sector brings infrastructure and regulation, the private sector brings agility and global expertise. Together, they can fast-track AI solutions across diagnostics, telemedicine and workforce training.”
Gartner research titled “AI in Value-Based Care” published in June this year, reinforces this point, calling AI the critical enabling technology for advanced value-based care.
The global market for value-based healthcare is projected to soar from $12.2 billion in 2023 to $43.4 billion by 2031, with AI driving much of that growth.
Kumar points to lessons abroad: Singapore’s academic pathways that integrate AI with clinical training, China’s use of AI in chest X-rays, and the UK’s adoption of AI dermatology tools.
The Kingdom, meanwhile, is already testing bold ideas such as the world’s first AI-powered doctor clinic in Al-Ahsa, where a digital doctor named Dr. Hua collects symptoms, analyses data, and proposes treatments under physician oversight.
For Khan, this pioneering spirit is the opportunity. “No country has deployed AI at large scale in healthcare yet. Saudi Arabia has the human and financial capital to lead on the global stage.”
Regarding risks, Kumar notes that the Saudi Data and AI Authority established a framework in 2024 to safeguard patient privacy and ethics.
Khan insists adoption must be co-designed with clinicians and patients, starting with narrow, high-value use cases. “AI should enhance, not overwhelm, the human experience,” he said.
Gartner warns that AI models must be continuously monitored for bias and aligned with workflows to avoid clinician fatigue.
By 2030, Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system is projected to look very different.
AI will underpin a shift from reactive treatment to preventative care, empowering clinicians with predictive insights, automating routine tasks, and expanding access through digital platforms.
Yet for all the investment and innovation, the final measure will not be model accuracy but human lives improved, as Khan put it earlier.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi culture showcase at Moscow book fair
September 01, 2025
RIYADH: The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will lead Saudi Arabia’s delegation at the 38th Moscow International Book Fair from Sept. 3 to 7.
The event will showcase the growth of the Kingdom’s cultural sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Abdullatif Alwasel, the commission’s CEO, said the fair is an opportunity to present Saudi Arabia’s literary and creative talent to an international audience.
He said the commission seeks to foster cooperation in literature, publishing, and translation while expanding the global reach of Saudi content.
Alwasel said the initiative is a part of broader efforts to boost Saudi Arabia’s presence in global cultural forums by supporting local publishers and enabling international partnerships.
He said the commission’s initiatives support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, which places culture at the heart of the nation’s development and global exchange.
Source: arabnews.com
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International forum for authentication of Qur’anic licenses ends in Malaysia
September 01, 2025
RIYADH: The International Forum for the Authentication of Qur’anic Ijazah and Honoring ASEAN Qur’an Reciters has concluded in Kuala Lumpur.
A Qur’anic ijazah is a certificate given by a qualified teacher to a student, attesting that the student has memorized the Quran with the correct rules and pronunciation. Ijazahs for correct recitation, without memorization, can also be issued.
Each ijazah lists the continuous chain of transmission from the holder back to the imams of Qur’anic recitation. This makes it easy to identify every teacher in the chain and the shorter the chain, the stronger the ijazah.
As part of the forum, senior Qur’an reciters from countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and who have been granted an ijazah with the continuous chain of transmission, were honored in recognition of their efforts in serving and teaching the Holy Qur’an.
Senior scholars and thousands of male and female memorizers of the Holy Qur’an from ASEAN countries attended the event.
The forum, organized by the Muslim World League, was dedicated to examining the challenges associated with the authentication of Qur’anic ijazahs and to propose effective solutions.
It sought to prevent the uncontrolled granting of ijazahs to those who lack proper mastery, in order to uphold the quality of Qur’anic recitation and teaching, and to serve the Holy Qur’an, the MWL said.
It also aimed to strengthen collaboration among specialized institutions, facilitate the exchange of expertise, and unify efforts.
The secretary-general of the MWL Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, who presided over the forum, witnessed the honoring of a number of prominent Qur’an reciters from ASEAN countries, in recognition of their role in spreading and teaching the holy book, and their contributions to building generations of Quranic reciters.
He also witnessed the graduation of a new group of male and female memorizers who obtained a Qur’anic ijazah through the MWL’s Global Technical Recitation Center.
A group of students from the Institute of Quran Memorization and Recitation at the Islamic Foundation in Malaysia, affiliated with the Muslim World League, also graduated at the forum.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia expresses condolences to families of Afghanistan earthquake victims
ARAB NEWS
September 01, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday expressed its condolences to the families of victims of an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday.
The earthquake has killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800, authorities said on Monday, as rescuers struggled to reach remote areas due to rough mountainous terrain and inclement weather.
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the health ministry in Kabul, called for international aid to tackle the devastation wrought by the quake of magnitude 6 that struck around midnight local time, at a depth of 10 km.
The Foreign Ministry expressed the Kingdom’s solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Source: arabnews.com
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Africa
Siege tightens on Sudan city with fiercest RSF assault: what we know
September 02, 2025
KHARTOUM: The western Sudanese city of El-Fasher has been under siege for more than a year by paramilitary forces seeking to capture it amid a wider war with the army that began in April 2023.
Gripped by brutal violence, the city has become the latest strategic front in the conflict as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) pushes to seize the last major city held by the army in the Darfur region.
The paramilitaries, who lost much of central Sudan including Khartoum earlier this year, are attempting to consolidate power in the west and establish a rival government.
Here are key facts about the situation inside El-Fasher:
The Sudanese army is fighting alongside the Joint Forces, a coalition of former rebel groups led by militia commanders who are part of the army-allied government.
These groups abandoned neutrality in November 2023 following RSF-led ethnic massacres against the Massalit tribe in West Darfur’s El-Geneina, and the RSF’s capture of four Darfur state capitals.
The RSF evolved from the Janjaweed Arab militias, mobilized in the early 2000s by the government to crush a rebellion by non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur, causing an estimated 300,000 deaths amid accusations of genocide.
The current war erupted after a power struggle between former allies, army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, over integrating the RSF into the regular army.
The army and its allies now control less than 13 square kilometers (five square miles) of the city’s total of about 80 square kilomtres, primarily clustered around the airport in the city’s west, according to satellite imagery from Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab.
Their remaining control areas stretch from the famine-hit Abu Shouk displacement camp in the north to Shalla prison in the south and as far east as the Grand Souk.
The area under army control “is the smallest it has been since the siege began,” Nathaniel Raymond, a war investigator and executive director of Yale’s HRL, told AFP.
The RSF captured much of Abu Shouk camp — which came under repeated attacks over the past weeks — seized the police headquarters in the city center and targeted hospitals and densely populated areas near the airport.
Satellite imagery from Yale’s lab shows extensive damage to the city’s water authority, disrupting access to clean drinking water.
The RSF has constructed over 31 kilometers of dirt berms, encircling El-Fasher to trap its population, “creating a literal kill box,” according to Yale’s latest report.
These earth barriers were started by the army, but completed and fortified by the RSF, Yale’s Raymond said.
The berms form “a half-circle crescent” along the northern side, Raymond said, while the southern side is fully under RSF control after it captured Zamzam camp — also struck by famine — in April.
“There is no way out,” said Raymond.
Those trying to scale the berms face likely death as RSF fighters reportedly demand bribes for passage and execute those suspected of army links, he added.
“We can see the choke points from space that the RSF is using for controlling civilian access.”
Some 300,000 civilians remain trapped inside El-Fasher, cut off from food, water, medicine and humanitarian aid, according to the UN.
Famine was declared last year in Zamzam, Abu Shouk and a nearby camp.
In El-Fasher, nearly 40 percent of children under five suffer acute malnutrition, according to UN data. Civilians eat animal fodder and many who flee into the desert die from starvation, exposure or violence.
Satellite imagery shows expanded cemeteries. Starving civilians report hiding in makeshift bunkers to protect themselves from relentless shelling.
The RSF assault on Zamzam displaced hundreds of thousands. Aid agencies fear another mass exodus if El-Fasher falls.
Capturing El-Fasher would also give the RSF control over all five Darfur state capitals, effectively strengthening its push for a parallel administration in western Sudan.
Experts warn of mass atrocities against El-Fasher’s dominant Zaghawa tribe, similar to the 2023 massacres in El-Geneina, in which up to 15,000 people, mostly from the Massalit tribe, were killed.
Political analyst Kholood Khair called the battle “existential” for both sides: the RSF seeks legitimacy and supply lines with backers in Libya, Chad and the United Arab Emirates, while the Joint Forces, mostly composed of Zaghawa fighters, see the city as their last line of defense.
“El-Fasher has become a siege of attrition much like Stalingrad,” Khair told AFP. “And it is only likely to bring more death and destruction before it ends.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Sudan: At least 19 killed in Darfur region as fighting intensifies in el-Fasher
September 1, 2025
Fighting in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher continues to intensify as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces maintain their siege on the capital of North Darfur.
Several recent airstrikes on the Darfur region in western Sudan have killed at least 19 people and injured dozens, according to local NGO Emergency Lawyers.
A drone strike by the Sudanese army on a medical clinic in South Darfur killed 12 people on Saturday around noon.
Later the same day, bombings against el-Fasher killed seven more people. Medical sources said these strikes were most likely carried out by the RSF.
The paramilitary group of General Hemedti has besieged el-Fasher for more than a year, in an attempt ot to take control of the last major Darfur city still in the hands of the Sudanese army.
Observers say the Rapid Support Forces have stepped up their assaults in recent weeks.
The United Nations said el-Fasher faces starvation as the prolonged siege blocks aid delivery. An estimated 6,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition without treatment, according to the UN's children agency.
“We are witnessing a devastating tragedy – children in el-Fasher are starving while UNICEF’s lifesaving nutrition services are being blocked,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said last week.
Around 260,000 civilians – including 130,000 children – are confined in the area’s main camp for internally displaced people, according to the UN.
UN Secretary-Genial Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a ceasefire to protect the city's civilians. In a statement, Guterres said he was "appalled" by the RSF's "relentless attacks."
Source: africanews.com
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PFN Group: Christians Should Produce the Next Osun Gov
September 02, 2025
An arm of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the Directorate of Politics and Governance (DPG), Osun State Chapter has noted that for justice and fairness, the Christian community in the state should produce the next governor.
Besides, the group denounced what it termed a wrong statistics being bandied around that Muslims in the state are 67 per cent, saying that correct data showed that Christian population to be 47 per cent, Muslims 43 per cent and others 10 per cent.
According to a statement signed by the State DPG’s Director, Rev. Isaac Alamu and the Secretary, Rev Walter Aworanti, these were parts of the resolution of the group after a one-day seminar held in Osogbo, the state capital by DPG state executives and its representatives from all the 30 local governments in the state and the area office.
The PFN group noted that out of the seven civilian governors that had ruled the state, only one of them, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was a Christian.
They listed the names of the Muslim governors as Senator Isiaka Adeleke, Chief Abdulkareem Adebisi Akande, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola and Senator Ademola Adeleke.
They noted that by the time the current governor will be completing his tenure in 2026, Muslim governors would have spent 22 years compared to seven years spent by Oyinlola.
The group also frowned on the federal government over the appointments of principal officers for the two new federal universities in the state.
The statement read: “At the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Akem Lasisi, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Monsur Adeleke and the Registrar, Mr. Kassim Kayode Babawale are Muslims”
“At the Federal University of Agriculture and Development, Iragbiji, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Atayese Muftau, the Registrar, Mr. Afolabi Tunde Muritala, the Bursar, Mr. Akem Adeniyi and the Librarian, Mr. Wasiu Olayide Lawal are all Muslims.
“These universities are not Islamic institutions but schools being funded by our commonwealth and one expects the President, Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister, Dr. Moruf Tunji Alausa to be sensitive of the state secularism when making appointments as these” the statement added.
The group promised its support for all Christians who intend to partake in politics no matter the political party they belong.
Also speaking during the one-day event, the State Chairman of PFN, Prophet Isaiah Adelowokan, who was represented by Bishop Adesola Olubadejo and the two resource persons, Segun Durotolu, a former Ila Local Government Chairman and Bishop Seun Adeoye, a one-time chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state admonished Christians to be fully involved in politics, while noting that doing so will help bring sanity to governance.
Source: thisdaylive.com
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‘Nasir El-Rufai Was The Founder Of Thuggery, Violence And Bloodshed In Kaduna’ – Sani
September 2, 2025
By Enioluwa Adeniyi
Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has launched a scathing attack on ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of fostering political violence and lacking a genuine understanding of democracy.
Speaking on TVC’s Politics Tonight on Monday, Sani said El-Rufai had no democratic credentials because he had never participated in the struggles that gave birth to Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
Naija News reports that Sani said, “For people like Nasir, when they found themselves in a position or office, they don’t know what democracy is all about because they didn’t fight for it.
“He was an unknown figure before 1999 and became a PDP member. He has never been in the cell for one day. He has never been in prison. He has never worn handcuffs.”
The former lawmaker contrasted his own journey with El-Rufai’s, stressing that he endured persecution and imprisonment in the fight for democracy.
Sani further stated, “As you see me here, I have been through the rough times of my life. I’ve been through many prisons, many police stations. I wore prison uniforms, leg chains, handcuffs, all as a political prisoner fighting for this democracy that is 25 years old.”
He accused El-Rufai of institutionalising political violence during his time in office, alleging that thugs were nurtured as unofficial enforcers for his administration.
He alleged, “To show you that Nasir El-Rufai was the founder and architect of thuggery, political violence and bloodshed in Kaduna State, within the time he served as governor from 2015 to 2023, he bred a group of thugs that became his unofficial force, used against political opponents.”
The ex-senator also described El-Rufai as arrogant and intolerant, insisting that his governance style was marked by disregard for advice or caution.
Sani added, “He didn’t care when he was in office. He didn’t listen to anybody. Nobody can talk to him. Nobody can caution him. Nobody can restrain him. That’s why he can sack thousands of teachers and go free. He can sack thousands of civil servants and go free. He can demolish anybody’s house.”
Source: naijanews.com
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Kenyan police officer killed in Haiti accident
September 1, 2025
An accident involving two armored vehicles in Haiti’s capital left at least two people dead and eight police officers from Kenya injured, according to officials.
The one dead and all those injured were part of a U.N.-backed mission fighting gangs in the troubled Caribbean country.
The other fatality was a civilian, according to a statement from the mission’s spokesman, Jack Ombaka.
Three of those injured were in serious condition and airlifted to the neighboring Dominican Republic for treatment, authorities said.
The accident occurred Sunday evening along the Kenscoff-Pétion-Ville route in the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Ombaka said it happened when one of the armored vehicles that was towing a disabled one broke down.
It brought to three the number of Kenyan police officers killed in Haiti since the mission began more than a year ago.
One was killed in a gang attack, and another remains missing and is presumed dead.
Source: africanews.com
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Southeast Asia
Prabowo holds dialogue with religious organizations, political parties
September 1, 2025
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto once again invited leaders of religious organizations and several political party figures to the Presidential Palace on Monday for a dialogue focused on national issues, in response to last week’s mass demonstrations.
Some invitees were Buddhist figure Bhante Kamsai Sumano Mahathera, representative of the Bethel Gospel Church of Nusantara Pastor Johnny Lokollo, Chair of the Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama Advisory Council Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Chair of Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) Yahya Cholil Staquf, and Chairman of GP Ansor Addin Jauharudin.
Other invited leaders included President of Syarikat Islam Hamdan Zoelva, President of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) Al Muzzammil Yusuf, Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar, Secretary General of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Raja Juli Antoni, Chair of the People’s Wave Party (Gelora) Anis Matta, Chairman of of the Golkar Party Bahlil Lahadalia, and Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar, among others.
President Prabowo was also scheduled to visit several protest victims at the National Police Hospital (RS Polri) in East Jakarta at 3:30 p.m.
Prior to the meeting, PBNU Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf said that the meeting followed a similar gathering two days earlier at the President's residence in Hambalang, where 16 Islamic mass organizations met with the President.
“Today, all religious organizations, both Muslim and non-Muslim, were invited to coordinate and complement the delivery of public aspirations as we did previously, and how we can work together to overcome and restore the current situation,” Staquf said.
"There is no doubt this is part of Mr. Prabowo’s efforts to ensure the success of his administration. Any disruptions or challenges must be quickly and properly addressed," PKB Chairman, Muhaimin Iskandar, said.
He emphasized that Prabowo's leadership is rooted in strong constitutional and economic principles, aiming to offer constitutional solutions to various political and economic challenges.
Source: antaranews.com
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Malaysians in Indonesia told to stay vigilant as riots rock Jakarta, major cities
02 Sep 2025
JAKARTA, Sept 2— Malaysians residing in or visiting Indonesia are advised to stay alert to current developments and heed local authorities’ advice amid riots in Jakarta and other major cities since Aug 28.
Malaysia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Datuk Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin, said no Malaysians, including students, have been affected by the incidents.
He said local authorities are taking relevant measures to restore order and ensure safety following the unrest.
“They should avoid areas where riots are taking place, whether in Jakarta or in many other cities across Indonesia,” he told Malaysian media in an interview on Tuesday.
For Malaysian students, Syed Mohamad Hasrin said the Education Malaysia office in Indonesia is in constant contact with them to monitor their situation and provide appropriate advice.
“They are also safe,” he added.
Syed Mohamad Hasrin further advised Malaysians planning to visit Indonesia to take the necessary precautions.
This includes planning their travel, ensuring funds are sufficient, obtaining travel insurance, staying updated on the latest developments at their intended destinations, and reporting their whereabouts while in the country.
The embassy, he said, continues to respond to phone calls, emails, and WhatsApp queries from Malaysians in an effort to provide the necessary guidance.
“We will continue doing this and will issue a media statement if necessary,” he said.
In a statement on Aug 29, the embassy said it was closely monitoring the situation following a series of demonstrations that began on Monday in the Senayan area, Central Jakarta. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Anwar says new IIUM institute will strengthen Malaysia’s leadership and Asean unity
02 Sep 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — The establishment of the Institute of International and ASEAN Studies (IINTAS) under the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) marked a significant step in strengthening Malaysia’s leadership within ASEAN, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said IINTAS would strengthen Malaysia’s regional role by producing credible research, policy ideas and strategic insights to support ASEAN’s cohesion and global positioning.
He said that in this time of uncertainty, ASEAN, a long respected zone of peace and cooperation, faces serious challenges, including recent tensions between Thailand and Cambodia that have displaced more than 300,000 people.
“While both sides have agreed to a ceasefire, the region must remain vigilant. Efforts to restore stability must be sustained. Malaysia took early steps by hosting both the Thai and Cambodian leaderships in Kuala Lumpur.
“This was a conscious choice. We are committed to dialogue, to peace, and to preserving the cooperative spirit of ASEAN. I believe this is where IINTAS can contribute,” Anwar said in his keynote address at the launch of IINTAS at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) IIUM here today.
The Prime Minister’s speech was delivered by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir.
The institute’s launch coincided with the opening of a seminar titled ‘ASEAN Futures: Navigating Regionalism, Reconciliation, and Rapprochement’, designed to foster critical reflection on the region’s trajectory amid evolving geopolitical dynamics.
Anwar said that IINTAS could collaborate with other research centres such as the International Institute of Futures Studies, Centre for Peace, Dialogue and Xenophobia Studies, and Centre for Islam-Confucianism Dialogue, as well as partners such as the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, to promote research, dialogue and policy development.
He said that IINTAS should also strengthen engagement with ASEAN’s Strategic Dialogue Partners, including the United States, China, India, the European Union, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Russia, as these relationships are important in shaping how ASEAN responds to global challenges.
Commenting on the seminar, Anwar said it offered a space for serious reflection, raising important questions about how the grouping responds to instability, rebuilds regional trust and plans the way.
“The discussions held here will strengthen ASEAN’s role as a regional community anchored in shared values and steady cooperation.
“Each of today’s milestones contributes to a deeper purpose, bringing knowledge, responsibility and vision together in ways that will shape minds, guide policy and support peace in our region,” he said. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Johor’s smart city plans to prioritise tech, sustainability and community well-being, says infrastructure chief
By Ben Tan
02 Sep 2025
JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 2 — Johor Infrastructure Group’s managing director Datuk Mahadzir Aziz said Johor is on the right track to emerge as a model state in the development of smart cities, in line with the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) initiative.
He said that the effort requires close cooperation between the federal and state governments, as well as strategic industry players.
“The main focus is to ensure the integration of smart infrastructure and the development of smart buildings that can support economic growth and the well-being of the community.
“We see now that industry players, as well as the federal and state governments, are examining how to adapt the construction of smart cities and infrastructure.
“There are certain areas in the context of this smart city that will be developed, especially under the JS-SEZ,” he told reporters after attending the Innovation Day Johor 2025: Digital Transformation and Al for a Smart Johor programme here today.
Mahadzir, who is also the group’s infrastructure technology director, explained that the development of smart cities in Johor is not only focused solely on the use of digital technology, but also includes aspects of sustainability, safety and the well-being of the population.
“The planned smart infrastructure includes an integrated transport system, efficient energy management and public services based on big data,” he said.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said that the state government is committed to making the southern state a leader in smart development in the region.
“The Johor government will ensure that development policies and planning are in line with the desire to transform the state into one that is sustainable and competitive.
“This smart city initiative will also provide great benefits to the people through more efficient public services,” he said.
Onn Hafiz added that the presence of foreign investment, especially from Singapore through the JS-SEZ, will provide added value to the development of smart cities in Johor.
“It will not only increase the flow of the latest technologies, but also strengthen the long-established bilateral economic network between Johor and Singapore,” he said, adding that Johor has the potential to emerge as a regional hub for smart city development, on par with developed countries that stress on green, sustainable and people-friendly technology.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/09/02/johors-smart-city-plans-to-prioritise-tech-sustainability-and-community-well-being-says-infrastructure-chief/189745
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From wage regulation to dispute resolution: How the Gig Workers Bill offers safeguards for 1.2 million Malaysians
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
02 Sep 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — The Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) on August 25 tabled the Gig Workers Bill 2025, which it described as a major milestone in the bid to regulate gig work and protect millions of workers.
The Bill, which was passed on August 28, came after years of protests over what workers alleged to be exploitative practices by internet-based companies, fuelling demand for safeguards in a multi-billion-ringgit industry that largely operates outside laws governing formal employment.
About 1.2 million Malaysians currently earn through gig work, with e-hailing emerging as the most prominent sector, according to Kesuma data.
What is the Gig Workers Bill 2025?
The ministry said the Gig Workers Bill 2025 provides a clear legal framework to protect the rights and welfare of gig economy workers, starting with a clearer and broader definition of what constitutes gig work and which types of workers are protected under this law.
Who qualifies as a gig worker under the new law?
Any individual who:
1. Has entered into a service agreement with an entity or platform provider
2. Performs services for a platform provider or earns income through the following activities:
Acting or singing
Film production crew work
Lyric writing or music composition
Make-up artistry
Hairdressing or styling
Freelance journalism
Care services
Videography
Photography
Why is the Bill important?
This Bill is considered a significant step because it seeks to address several key issues faced by gig workers.
This includes the lack of legal recognition — gig workers do not have a clear legal definition, making it difficult to seek legal recourse in disputes — as well as the absence of social protection.
The new law makes social security contributions — such as those to Perkeso and EPF — mandatory for service providers, giving gig workers a safety net they previously lacked.
The law also establishes a formal dispute resolution mechanism, including a Gig Workers Tribunal, to handle complaints in a structured and transparent way.
When can gig workers escalate complaints for mediation?
Under the Bill, gig workers may seek mediation in cases involving:
1. Issues with individuals or sole proprietors who engage them
Decisions by a platform provider that affect them, such as:
Deactivation of their access
2. Alleged misconduct
3. Absence of an internal grievance mechanism by the contracting entity
4. Dissatisfaction with the outcome of an internal grievance process, if one exists
The Bill also addresses income protection by seeking to regulate payment terms that would require companies to clearly define how they will remunerate those they hire.
The Bill would also prohibit arbitrary deductions.
Suhakam raised concerns about privacy and data protection — the Bill does not explicitly protect a gig worker’s right to privacy and does not prevent the misuse of personal data in rating or scoring systems by platform providers. — Picture by Choo Choy May
The Bill also addresses income protection by seeking to regulate payment terms that would require companies to clearly define how they will remunerate those they hire.
The Bill would also prohibit arbitrary deductions.
Suhakam raised concerns about privacy and data protection — the Bill does not explicitly protect a gig worker’s right to privacy and does not prevent the misuse of personal data in rating or scoring systems by platform providers. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Suhakam raised concerns about privacy and data protection — the Bill does not explicitly protect a gig worker’s right to privacy and does not prevent the misuse of personal data in rating or scoring systems by platform providers. — Picture by Choo Choy May
What are the weaknesses of the Bill?
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), for one, said the Bill is still missing provisions for wage guarantees, timelines for payment and transparency in deductions.
The law prohibits arbitrary deductions, but allows exceptions for overpayments and other legally authorised cases — a provision critics say lacks clarity and may be open to misuse.
Suhakam had also raised concerns about privacy and data protection — the Bill does not explicitly protect a gig worker’s right to privacy and does not prevent the misuse of personal data in rating or scoring systems by platform providers.
It also argued that legal aid and collective bargaining rights are indispensable for ensuring fairness in the gig economy.
Various groups, including e-hailing and p-hailing workers, have called for the Bill to be reviewed by a Parliamentary Select Committee and not rushed through Parliament.
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/09/02/from-wage-regulation-to-dispute-resolution-how-the-gig-workers-bill-offers-safeguards-for-12-million-malaysians/189234
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