Muslim Football Fans Urged to Show Love for the Prophet as Macron Attends Morocco vs France
New Age Islam News Bureau
15 December 2022
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad Al-Thani (R) receives French President Emmanuel Macron (L) at the
Amiri Diwan in the capital Doha on December 3, 2021 [THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via
Getty Images]
-----
• Extremist Hate Speech: A Far-Right Israeli Lawmaker
Vows 1,000 Palestinian Mothers Will Cry
• FIFA WC 2022: Moroccan Players Prostrated To Allah
after Their Defeat against France
• Priest in Bareilly Who Got 64 Muslim Women Married
To Hindu Men Seeks Security
• Afghan Taliban Administration, Myanmar Junta Not
Allowed Into UN for Now
Europe
• Men arrested after pig's head left on Stockport
mosque roof
• Irish peacekeeper killed on UNIFIL mission in
Lebanon
• Over 120 arrested as Moroccans face 'racist
violence' in France after World Cup clash
• Top EU court rejects PKK’s request seeking removal
from terror list
• Iran’s parliament slams EU sanctions on Press TV,
removal of network from Eutelsat
--------
Mideast
• Palestinians Say World Cup Proves Their Cause Not
‘Buried’
• Hamas Leader Urges Palestinians To Resist Zionist
Fascism As Movement Marks 35th Anniv.
• Turkish court orders jail, political ban for Erdogan
rival
• Iran arrests alleged killers of Sunni Muslim cleric,
prosecutor says
• Iran nuclear chief says IAEA officials to visit
Tehran soon: Media
• Saudi-led coalition seizes two more Yemen-bound fuel
ships
• Turkey arrests 44 people with links to Mossad for
spying on Palestinians: Report
--------
Africa
• Army chief says won’t accept deal undermining
Sudan’s stability
• In Kenya, Meta sued for $2B for fueling ethnic
violence
• In Jordan, refugees scan irises to collect aid. But
is it ethical?
--------
India
• Ghaziabad: Do Not Perform 'Nikah' If DJ Music, Bands
Are Played, Muslim Body Asks Clerics
• UP: Muslim scribe booked for cow slaughter; barred
from Meerut for 3 months
• Existing Law Sufficient To Prevent Love Jihad:
Karnataka Home Minister Araga
• 'Hosting Osama bin Laden, Attacking Parliament': J
External Affairs Minister’s Sharp Rebuke as Pakistan Raises Kashmir at UN
• Hyderabad: New police stations to come up in Muslim-dominated
areas
• United Muslim Federation Stages Hunger Strike against
TRS Govt
--------
South Asia
• Taliban Government Metes Out Punishment to 20 Men by
Lashing Them For Alleged Crimes
• MoF Reports Increase in Export Revenue of Afghan
Products
• IRC’s Emergency Watchlist for 2023 Places
Afghanistan in Top 3
• Relaxation and Transparency in Visa Policy to Boost
Pak-Afghan Trade: SCCI
• Islamic Emirate Member Mutasim Agha Jan Returns to
Afghanistan
--------
Arab World
• Saudi’s Etidal and UN to Expand Anti-Terrorism
Projects to Combat Violent Agitators Worldwide
• Saudi Film Commission Hosts Cinema in 2022 Workshop;
Stresses the Need to Focus on Online Platforms and Marketing among Other Issues
• Kazakhstan Exempts Saudi Citizens from Visa
Requirements, Says Ambassador
• Roadside bomb kills Iraq army officer
• Top Israeli general claims recent attack on convoy
at Syria-Iraq border
• Saudi university to provide Arabic-language course
for students in Indonesia
• Japan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia opens Japanese
Art Exhibition
• Egypt takes command of Combined Task Force 153 in
the Red Sea
• ‘Arrest warrant likely for ex-Iraqi PM over US
assassination of Gen. Soleimani'
• Syria renews call for withdrawal of US troops, halt
to plunder of oil reserves
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan State Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar
Calls India 'Biggest Perpetrator Of Terrorism'
• Court admits plea seeking Imran Khan's
disqualification for 'hiding' daughter
• Soldier, civilian martyred in yesterday’s suicide
blast in Miranshah: ISPR
• Former KP minister’s house comes under another
grenade attack
• Pakistan says ‘actively’ pursuing 2011 murder of
Saudi diplomat in Karachi
--------
Southeast Asia
• Linking Malays to Political Islam Challenges
Constitution, Says Lawyer
• Carbon credits can now be traded in line with
Islamic principles
• Israeli drones for 24/7 eye on China border
• Indonesia parliament approves extradition treaty
with Singapore
• New space pact with UAE to help Philippines build
domestic ecosystem
--------
North America
• White House Welcomes Iran's 'Historic' Removal from
Women's Rights Body
• Man pleads guilty to hate crime, arson charges for
setting fire that destroyed Missouri Islamic centre
• Chile's Embassy in Türkiye holds exhibition to mark
500th anniversary of Magellan’s voyage
• US says joint patrols with YPG/PKK in Syria resume
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-football-prophet-macron-morocco-france-/d/128638
--------
Muslim Football Fans Urged to Show Love for the
Prophet as Macron Attends Morocco vs France
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad Al-Thani (R) receives French President Emmanuel Macron (L) at the
Amiri Diwan in the capital Doha on December 3, 2021 [THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via
Getty Images]
-----
December 14, 2022
Ahead of Morocco's historic semi-final World Cup match
against France this evening, activists have called on Muslim spectators in
Qatar to show their respects to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the
stadium, where French President Emmanuel Macron will be in attendance.
One social media influencer, Mahmoud Al-Hasanat,
yesterday urged Muslim football fans to show their support, stating on Twitter:
"I hope to hear from the Moroccan fans in the France-Morocco match,
sending prayers on the Prophet (peace be upon him), as they shake the
stands."
According to Doha News, the influencer also mentioned
that Macron would be present. The French president has previously been accused
of making Islamophobic remarks and introducing anti-Muslim policies. He has
also staunchly defended blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet, despite the
offence they caused Muslims around the world.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Dutch-Moroccan
digital producer Boutaina Azzabi Ezzaouia also called on the many Moroccan
supporters at the World Cup to raise their voices in sending prayers on the
Prophet.
"Dear fellow Moroccans raise your voices, saleew
3la Nabi Mohammed, this coming match against France. Let President Emmanuel
Macron & his entourage know that we let nobody insult our beloved
Prophet," she said yesterday.
Macron's trip to the World Cup host nation was
confirmed by French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera on Sunday.
Morocco has already made history by becoming the first
African and Arab country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, where they
will face defending champions and former colonial ruler France in what is
expected to be a memorable and politically-charged encounter. The Atlas Lions
have so far remained unbeaten in the tournament having already beaten Spain and
Portugal in the knockout stages. If victorious, Morocco will face two-time
winners Argentina in the finals.
Source: Middle East Monitor
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original story:
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Extremist Hate Speech: A Far-Right Israeli Lawmaker
Vows 1,000 Palestinian Mothers Will Cry
A far-right Israeli
lawmaker, Zvika Fogel
-----
14 December 2022
A far-right Israeli lawmaker pledges that the regime
will make many Palestinian mothers cry over the death of their children, in
shockingly extremist comments that come ahead of the formation of an
administration of radical figures to be led by Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
Zvika Fogel, a retired general, opined in an interview
with the UK’s Channel 4 on Friday that Israel is “too merciful” in dealing with
the Palestinians.
“Anyone who wants to harm me, I will harm him back.
And as far as I'm concerned, the concept of proportionality must cease to
exist,” said Fogel.
“So I will tell you something that is very unpleasant
to say. If it is one Israeli mother crying, or a thousand Palestinian mothers
crying, then a thousand Palestinian mothers will cry,” he said.
Such extremist hate speech, even though not
unprecedented, has been on the rise since the right-wing extremists won the
Israeli elections.
Earlier on December 3, extremist member of the Knessed
(parliament) Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party told an Israeli soldier
caught on widely-shared video fatally shooting an unarmed Palestinian that his
“swift and rigorous” actions were “honorable.”
In October, he called for killing Palestinians while
brandishing his loaded gun in the occupied East al-Quds neighbourhood of Sheikh
Jarrah, vowing to strip Palestinians of their citizenship and expel them from
occupied Palestine if he gets a post in the new administration.
On Saturday, Betzalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism
party branded Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups advocating the
cessation of crimes against Palestinians as “swarms of mosquitoes,” vowing a
crackdown on them.
Stark display of fascism, racism
Last week, an Israeli advocacy group said the regime
being formed by Benjamin Netanyahu is a stark display of rising fascism and
racism.
“Netanyahu’s coalition government gives power to
violent, right-wing extremists who seek to incite political violence and who
will put lives at risk…from the top down. Netanyahu and his new coalition
endanger both Israelis and Palestinians," the group’s CEO Rabbi Jill
Jacobs said.
He added that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich who are due to be
ministers in the new coalition are extremists who seek to fuel violence. Their
presence in the new regime, Jacobs said, may also help push through policies
such as annexing large swaths of the occupied West Bank and expanding illegal
settlements.
Israel’s policies of using lethal force against
Palestinians and extrajudicial killings that go unaccountable, also the
vandalism and violence known as price tag attacks which are committed by
Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property, have risen in recent
years.
Since early 2022, the Israeli regime has stepped up
its deadly aggression across Palestinian territories, killing more than 190
people across the West Bank and the al-Quds, according to the Palestinian
health ministry.
Palestinians have vowed to ramp up their resistance
operations in response to Israeli aggression, stressing that the regime's
atrocities will not stop their resistance.
Source: Press TV
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original story:
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FIFA WC 2022: Moroccan Players Prostrated To Allah after
Their Defeat against France
Moroccan players after
their defeat against France. Photo: Twitter
----
Sakina Fatima
15th December 2022
Doha: A photo of Moroccan football players offering
the Sajdah Al Shukr (prostration of gratitude) went viral after their defeat in
a World Cup 2022 semi-final match against France 2-0 on Wednesday.
The Moroccan players doing Sajdah has been widely
praised and circulated on social media platforms.
One of the Twitter user wrote, “Even in defeat, the
players of Morocco show shukr to Allah.”
ESPN FC took to Twitter and wrote, “Morocco’s players
pray and thank their traveling fans for their support after losing to France ❤️.”
In another post, ESPN FC wrote, “This Morocco team may
have not won the World Cup, but they won our hearts ❤️🇲🇦.”
Other Twitter user wrote, “Morocco has made the entire
Muslim world proud. May Allah be with them always. 🇲🇦.”
Another user wrote, “Apart from tonight defeat Morocco
had fantastic journey in world cup, they played excellent football, gave some
beautiful moments and highlighted Palestinian cause, mad respect for them.”
FIFA took to Twitter and wrote, “An unforgettable run.
Thank you for the memories, Morocco 🇲🇦❤️.”
The French national team qualified for the final of
the World Cup Qatar 2022 after defeating its Moroccan counterpart with two
unanswered goals in the match that brought them together on Wednesday, in the
semi-final round, at Al-Bayt Stadium.
The “Atlas Lions” tried to continue writing a new page
in the history of Arab and African football by reaching the World Cup final.
The Moroccans achieved a historic achievement by
qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in the history of
the Arab national teams, after defeating Portugal 1-0 in the exceptional match
that took place last Saturday.
Source: Siasat Daily
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original story:
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Priest in Bareilly Who Got 64 Muslim Women Married To
Hindu Men Seeks Security
Representative photo
----
Dec 15, 2022
BAREILLY: Pandit KK Shankdhar, a priest of Agastya
Muni ashram in Bareilly, who has been solemnising interfaith marriages- he has
performed 64 weddings of Muslim women with Hindu men in the past six years, 20
of such marriages this year itself- met Bareilly senior superintendent of
police (SSP) on Wednesday and sought security, claiming that he is getting
threat calls to kill him.
Shankdhar said, "I was stopped by a few youths
near a shrine a day before CM Yogi Adityanath's visit to Bareilly earlier this
month but I managed to escape."
The priest claimed that since the past few days, he
has been "receiving calls from private numbers where the callers are
threatening to behead me."
"I am suspecting an attack on me anytime and,
hence, sought security from police," he said.
Shankdhar said he was being targeted since he performs
"rituals for non-Hindu women marrying Hindu men and helps them convert
their religion before marriage."
Speaking on the matter, SSP Akhilesh Chaurasia said,
"I have forwarded Shankdhar's application to the circle officer of the
local intelligence unit and asked them to provide a report on it. The decision
to give security to him will be taken on the basis of their report."
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Afghan Taliban Administration, Myanmar Junta Not
Allowed Into UN for Now
Representational image of
the United Nations headquarters building | Photo Credit: AP
------
December 15, 2022
A decision on whether the Afghan Taliban
administration and the Myanmar junta can send a United Nations (UN) ambassador
to New York has been postponed for a second time, but could be reconsidered in
the next nine months, according to a UN credentials committee report.
The 193-member UN General Assembly (UNGA) is on Friday
due to approve the report, which also deferred a decision on rival claims to
Libya’s UN seat. The nine-member UN credentials committee includes Russia,
China and the United States.
The deferment of the decisions leaves the current
envoys in the seats for their countries, diplomats said.
Competing claims were again made for the seats of
Myanmar and Afghanistan with the Taliban administration and Myanmar’s junta
pitted against envoys of the governments they ousted last year. UN acceptance
of the Taliban administration or Myanmar’s junta would be a step toward the
international recognition sought by both.
The UNGA last year backed postponing a decision on the
credentials of Myanmar and Afghanistan.
A rival claim was also made this year for Libya’s UN
seat — currently held by the Government of National Unity in Tripoli — by a
“Government of National Stability” led by Fathi Bashagha and backed by a
parliament in the country’s east.
The UN credentials committee met on December 12 and
agreed, without a vote, to “postpone its consideration of the credentials” for
Myanmar, Afghanistan and Libya “and to revert to consideration of these
credentials at a future time in the seventy-seventh session,” which ends mid-September
next year.
The Taliban seized power in mid-August last year from
the internationally recognised government. When the Taliban last ruled
Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, the ambassador of the government they
toppled remained the UN envoy after the credentials committee deferred its
decision on the seat.
Myanmar’s junta seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s
elected government in February last year.
Source: Dawn
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original story:
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Europe
Men arrested after pig's head left on Stockport mosque
roof
December 14, 2022
Two men have been arrested after a pig's head was left
on the roof of a mosque, leaving worshippers "terrified".
The discovery was made on Friday at Heatons Muslims
Community Trust in Battersea Road, Stockport.
Greater Manchester Police said officers carried out
three simultaneous raids in Stockport earlier and arrested the men, aged 22 and
47.
They remain in police custody for questioning, the
force said.
Speaking after the incident, mosque trustee Tayyab
Mohiuddin, said it was "really painful" to make the discovery as
people were leaving the building.
Source: BBC
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-63971236
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Irish peacekeeper killed on UNIFIL mission in Lebanon
15 December ,2022
An Irish soldier was killed on a UN peacekeeping mission
in Lebanon late on Wednesday when a convoy of two armored utility vehicles
traveling to Beirut came under small arms fire, Ireland’s defense forces said
in a statement.
Another Irish member of the United Nations Interim
Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in a serious condition having undergone surgery
following the incident, the statement said. Two other soldiers are being
treated for minor injuries.
The remaining four personnel from the convoy were not
injured.
“It is with deep regret that Óglaigh na hÉireann [the
Irish defense forces] can confirm the death of one of our peacekeepers in a
serious incident in Lebanon last night,” the defense forces said, adding that a
full investigation will commence.
Irish Defense Minister Simon Coveney, who is in New York
for a UN Security Council meeting, said he will meet UN Secretary General
António Guterres later on Thursday to discuss the incident.
Source: Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
Over 120 arrested as Moroccans face 'racist violence'
in France after World Cup clash
Esra Taskin
15.12.2022
PARIS
More than 120 people were arrested on Wednesday night
for what lawmakers denounced as “racist violence” in Paris and other French
cities after France’s World Cup semifinal win over Morocco.
Some 10,000 police officers were mobilized across
France over fears of possible riots, including 5,000 for Paris and the
surrounding area alone.
Despite the measures, Moroccan fans faced verbal and
physical attacks from some far-right groups as raucous celebrations erupted
across the country after France won the game 2-0.
At least 115 people were arrested in total in Paris
and its surrounding areas, local media reported.
Among them were 40 far-right suspects who were trying
to reach the Champs-Elysees, the capital’s busiest spot that was packed with
football fans, the reports said.
Violence was also reported in major cities such as
Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier.
At least six people, including two members of a
right-wing group, were arrested after a fight between rival fans in Lyon,
according to reports.
French lawmaker Thomas Portes condemned the “planned
attacks” and “racist violence” against Moroccan fans.
“We are close to a tragedy. We must react,” he wrote
on Twitter.
Antoine Leaument, another parliamentarian, said
“fascists … shouting racist remarks” attacked Moroccan fans in Nice.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Top EU court rejects PKK’s request seeking removal
from terror list
Selen Temizer
14.12.2022
BRUSSELS
The European Court of Justice on Wednesday dismissed
the PKK terror group’s request seeking its removal from the EU’s terror list.
The EU General Court, a constituent court of the EU
Court of Justice, announced its decision in the lawsuit filed by the terror
group last year.
The decision, in which the terms "terrorist
act" and "terrorist group" were defined, affirmed that PKK was a
"terrorist organization," referring to the UK's 2014 and the US' 1997
and 2001 decisions banning the terror group.
The decision pointed out that the PKK's actions could
not be seen as part of the “Kurdish people's right to self-determination” and
that resorting to armed force for the exercise of this right could not be
considered legitimate.
The decision also affirmed the assessment of the EU
Council that the terrorist risk regarding the PKK continues.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Iran’s parliament slams EU sanctions on Press TV,
removal of network from Eutelsat
14 December 2022
Iran's parliament (Majlis) has condemned the European
Union's sanctions on Iranian media and removal of Press TV from the satellite
operator Eutelsat, terming it a breach of free speech and media freedom.
Eutelsat is a French satellite operator providing
coverage over the entire European continent, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and
the Americas.
Earlier this month, the satellite operator notified
the Tehran-based broadcaster of its plan to take the network off the air, which
observers saw as an arbitrary move to silence the popular Iranian TV network at
the behest of Western powers.
The move came barely weeks after the European Union
imposed sanctions on Press TV.
The statement by Iran's parliament on Wednesday,
unanimously agreed upon and signed by the lawmakers, is as follows:
The action of the European Union in placing several
Iranian institutions and individuals, including the Press TV network, in the
new list of sanctions, on false pretexts that led to the suspension of the
Press TV channel by the French satellite Eutelsat, is a blatant action against
the freedom of media in reflecting facts.
Contrary to what is claimed by those imposing
sanctions (on Iranian media), they are actually trying to suppress and restrict
any voice that opposes them and prevent it from reaching the people of the
world.
Undoubtedly, the sanctions imposed on Press TV by the
European Union and before that by the Canadian government do not pursue any
goal other than creating more restrictions for the media of the resistance
front centered on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
It is also indicative of the fact that this network
and other similar media have succeeded in achieving their goals to be the voice
of truth-seeking in the international arena because contrary to the practice
and trend of the Western media empire, Press TV has tried to have a logical and
practical confrontation with their distortions.
Now, the European Union, in collusion with the
American government, has cut off Press TV from Eutelsat, so that the noble
people of the world, from the Middle East to Africa and from far Asia to the
heart of America and Europe, will be deprived of hearing and watching this
channel.
But the "truth" is the sun that will come
out and its shining beam will bring light and warmth to the depths of the souls
of all people who are ready to accept it.
We, the representatives of the honorable people of
Iran in the Iranian Parliament, condemn this action that violates freedom of
speech, and is all political and based on false accusations, and tell the
European Union that Press TV will remain the voice of the voiceless louder than
ever.
Source: Press TV
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Mideast
Palestinians say World Cup proves their cause not
‘buried’
December 15, 2022
RAMALLAH: Morocco’s support for the Palestinians
during the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup run shows the cause has not been
“buried,” says Palestinian Football Association chief Jibril Rajoub.
Like several other Arab nations, Morocco has agreed to
full diplomatic ties with Israel — but this has not stopped its players from
making clear their loyalties regarding the decades-old conflict.
They unfurled a Palestinian flag on the pitch after
their stunning Dec. 6 upset victory against Spain, and also after beating
Canada during the group stage.
Moroccan players have also made pro-Palestinian social
media posts during the tournament.
Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gaza
and annexed East Jerusalem have — like much of the Middle East — embraced
Morocco, the first Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinals.
Ramallah sporting goods store owner Saeed Al-Ramahi
said enthusiasm for the Moroccan team seemed unquenchable, with all of their
jerseys sold out. “If I had 300,000 shirts, I would have sold them all in the
last two days,” he said.
Rajoub, the Palestinian top football official, said
this proves the enduring support for the Palestinian cause, regardless of any
decisions made by Arab leaders.
“The World Cup reveals the lie that the Palestinian
cause has been buried by the recent normalization agreements” said Rajoub, who
is also the secretary-general of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah
movement.
Rajoub described the World Cup, including the Moroccan
gestures and the widespread expressions of Palestinian solidarity across Qatar,
as “a slap in the face to the idea of normalization.”
The leading Palestinian public polling group, in a
study released on Tuesday, argued that “the World Cup in Qatar helps restore
Palestinian public trust in the Arab world after years of disappointment.”
“The vast majority of the Palestinians say they have
now regained much, or some, of the lost confidence in the Arab peoples in light
of the solidarity with Palestine expressed by the fans during the football
games,” said the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216286/middle-east
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Hamas leader urges Palestinians to resist Zionist
fascism as movement marks 35th anniv.
14 December 2022
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday called on
Palestinians to resist “Zionist fascism” and brace for “uprooting the
occupation” as thousands took part in a mass rally in the besieged Gaza Strip
to mark the 35th anniversary of the founding of the resistance movement.
Addressing the public function to commemorate the 35th
anniversary, Sinwar said Palestinian resistance movements are facing an “open
confrontation,” adding that the apartheid Israeli regime insists on “turning
the battle into a religious war.”
Stressing that Palestinians must be fully prepared to
defend the nation, the Hamas leader said "all resistance forces and our
nation must be ready to…uproot the occupation," drawing applause from the
crowd.
The rally in al-Katiba Square, west of Gaza City, saw
the participation of thousands of Hamas forces and supporters as well as
members of other Palestinian resistance groups and military wings.
Sinwar lauded the Palestinian resistance group Lions'
Den — a newly-formed faction established to confront the ongoing Israeli
aggression and killings — and said, “They are not only in [the occupied West
Bank city of] Nablus but all over the nation.”
He urged them to “stand in line and get prepared to
resist the Zionist fascism and apartheid.”
Touching on the issue of hundreds of Palestinian
inmates in the Israeli jails, the Hamas leader warned the occupying regime that
there is “a limited time to finish the prisoners’ swap deal, otherwise the
issue of detainees will be closed forever and another way to liberate the
Palestinian detainees will be found.”
Speaking at the glamorous event, Abu Khaled Muhammad
al-Deif, chief of staff of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of
Hamas, called for "unification of all factions for one goal and a great,
noble and holy goal, which is the liberation of Palestine."
Deif assured the Israeli occupation and its supporters
that they are "incapable of succeeding in what your fathers failed in, and
it will be your end, the demise of your entity, and your sweeping away from our
land."
Hamas urges UN, world to do justice to Palestinians
In a separate statement on the occasion of the 35th
anniversary of its inception, Hamas called on the United Nations as well as the
international community to do justice to the Palestinian people and their just
cause of liberation from the illegal occupation.
The popular resistance movement urged support for the
Palestinian people’s right to end the Israeli occupation and establish their
independent state with al-Quds as its capital, as well as the right of return
for refugees.
The Palestinian resistance movement also called for an
end to the double-standard approach adopted by the international community
towards occupied Palestine, including siding with the Tel Aviv regime against
the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Israel’s policies of using lethal force against
Palestinians, extrajudicial killings that go unaccountable, and the vandalism
and violence known as price tag attacks committed by Israeli settlers against
Palestinians and their property have risen in recent years.
Since early 2022, the Israeli regime has stepped up
its deadly aggression in the occupied Palestinian territories, killing more
than 190 people across the West Bank and al-Quds, according to the Palestinian
health ministry.
Source: Press TV
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Turkish court orders jail, political ban for Erdogan
rival
December 14, 2022
ISTANBUL: A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a popular rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, to
more than two years in prison and imposed a political ban for insulting public
officials, in a ruling set to go to an appeal.
The ruling comes just six months ahead of scheduled
presidential and parliamentary elections, in which Imamoglu has been mooted as
a potential strong challenger to Erdogan. A main opposition presidential
candidate has not yet been chosen.
Imamoglu, from the opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP), was tried over a speech after 2019 local elections in Istanbul
when he said those who annulled the vote were “fools.” The charge carried a
maximum prison sentence of four years.
Imamoglu narrowly won the municipal election in March
2019, beating a candidate from Erdogan’s ruling AK Party. After those results
were annulled, he won the re-run vote comfortably. His victory ended the
25-year rule in Turkiye’s largest city by the AKP and its Islamist
predecessors.
The outcome of the 2023 election is seen hinging on
the ability of the CHP and others in opposition to join forces around a single
candidate to challenge Erdogan and the AKP, which has governed Turkiye for two
decades.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216131/middle-east
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Iran arrests alleged killers of Sunni Muslim cleric,
prosecutor says
14 December, 2022
Iran has arrested the alleged killers of a Sunni
Muslim cleric in the restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan as
they tried to flee across the border, a prosecutor said.
Abdulwahed Rigi, who led prayers at Imam Hossein
Mosque in the city of Khash and was seen as a moderate cleric, was kidnapped
and killed on Thursday, the authorities said at the time.
"Agents involved in the assassination… were
identified and captured," Mehdi Shamsabadi, chief prosecutor in the
provincial capital Zahedan, was quoted as saying late on Tuesday by the
official IRNA news agency.
"They were arrested before crossing the
border," he said, adding a pistol had been seized and that it was
"clear that they had been planning other assassinations".
Shamsabadi accused the killers of seeking to stir
trouble between Iran's Sunnis and its predominantly Shia population.
He did not specify how many people were arrested, but
IRNA put the number at three, citing the intelligence ministry.
Sistan-Baluchistan lies on Iran's far southeastern
border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
It is home to the ethnic Baluch minority and had been
the site of often deadly violence even before nationwide protests erupted in
September over the death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa
Amini.
The Islamic Republic has been gripped by
demonstrations since the 16 September death of Amini, whose Kurdish first name
can be spelt "Zhina" or "Jina", after her arrest by the
morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the country's strict dress
code for women.
Iran's top security body, the Supreme National
Security Council, said on 3 December that more than 200 people had been killed
in the unrest, including security personnel.
Source: The New Arab
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https://www.newarab.com/news/iran-arrests-alleged-killers-sunni-cleric-prosecutor
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Iran nuclear chief says IAEA officials to visit Tehran
soon: Media
14 December ,2022
UN nuclear watchdog officials will visit Iran in the
coming days, Tehran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday, to try
to end an impasse over traces of uranium found at Iranian undeclared sites.
“We hope the visit of the International Atomic Energy
officials to Tehran in the coming days can help resolving issues with the
agency,” Eslami told state TV.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi-led coalition seizes two more Yemen-bound fuel
ships
15 December 2022
The Saudi-led coalition has seized two more
Yemen-bound fuel tankers and prevented them from docking at the strategic
western port of Hudaydah, in a fresh act of piracy against the besieged Yemeni
people.
Essam al-Mutawakel, a spokesman for the Yemen
Petroleum Company (YPC), announced on Wednesday that the Saudi-led coalition
impounded the ships named Cosmograph and Daytona, which were carrying thousands
of tons of diesel fuel.
Mutawakil added that the vessels were impounded
despite their humanitarian nature and obtaining necessary permits from the
United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNIVM).
The senior Yemeni energy official further noted that
“the aggressor coalition and the UN are responsible for the continuation of
piracy of ships carrying petroleum derivatives and products, seizing them and
setting financial penalties for them,” stressing that the Yemeni people bear
the suffering caused by this action.
The latest development comes more than two weeks after
the Riyadh-led coalition seized a vessel named Primorye, which was carrying
thousands of tons of mazut, and prevented it from reaching Hudaydah port
despite undergoing inspection and securing UN clearance in Djibouti.
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of Yemen's Supreme Political
Council, has already warned the Saudi-coalition about the continued seizure of
ships carrying fuel, which is in a blatant violation of a UN-sponsored
ceasefire agreement between the parties to the Yemen conflict.
Saudi Arabia launched the devastating war on Yemen in
March 2015 in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics
support from the US and other Western states.
The objective was to reinstall the Riyadh-friendly
regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and crush the Ansarullah resistance movement,
which has been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government
in Yemen.
Source: Press TV
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Turkey arrests 44 people with links to Mossad for
spying on Palestinians: Report
14 December 2022
The Turkish police have arrested 44 people suspected
of working for Israel’s Mossad spy agency to collect information on the
Palestinians living in Turkey, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The Daily Sabah said the suspects pretended to work as
private consultants, but their real mission was to monitor Palestinian
individuals and groups and NGOs managed by Palestinians.
The report said the people received money from Mossad
to spy on Palestinian targets and pass over information to Israeli operatives.
According to the paper, one of the main suspects,
named ‘IY’, started a private detective association in Turkey in the mid-2000s
and is currently the director of the private detective company.
Earlier this year, Turkey and Israel moved to restore
diplomatic relations in principle after years of tension over a host of issues.
Certain regional developments brought Turkey and
Israel closer to each other. Eventually, ambassadors were appointed in August.
And in September, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of
Turkey met with the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in New York. It
was the first meeting with an Israeli prime minister since Ehud Olmert visited
Ankara in 2008.
Last month, Erdogan said he planned to visit the
occupied territories after the November 1 elections, and that Turkey would
maintain good relations based on mutual interests, regardless of the outcome of
the vote.
Israel has long demanded the expulsion of the leaders
of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas as a precondition for establishing
close relations with Ankara, but it eventually abandoned the demand.
In October 2021, the Turkish intelligence agency MIT
arrested 15 men accused of spying for Mossad. Two of the detainees said they
were arrested on charges of “espionage and working for Mossad to gather
information on Palestinian citizens living in Turkey.”
Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador in 2018 over
the killing of 60 Palestinians by Israeli forces during protests on the border
separating the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories
against the opening of the US Embassy in al-Quds.
At the time, Erdogan condemned Israel for carrying out
“genocide” and behaving like a “terrorist” regime. While the Turkish government
declared three-day national mourning over the carnage, Tel Aviv expelled the
Turkish ambassador in a tit-for-tat move.
Source: Press TV
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of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/14/694485/Turkey-Mossad
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Africa
Army chief says won’t accept deal undermining Sudan’s
stability
Bahram Abdel Moneim
14.12.2022
KHARTOUM, Sudan
Sudan’s army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said
Wednesday that the military will not accept any political deal that could
undermine the country’s constants.
Last week, the military and political forces signed a framework
agreement meant to resolve Sudan’s months-long crisis.
The deal pledges a 2-year transition period and the
appointment of a civilian prime minister by the political parties that signed
the framework agreement.
“The framework agreement serves the interests of all
Sudanese without exclusion,” al-Burhan said in a speech to army soldiers.
“No party should try to hijack this agreement for its
own interest,” he warned.
The army chief said the framework agreement aims to
help resolve some current political complexities.
“The Armed Forces will not accept any final political
agreement that could undermine Sudan’s constants,” al-Burhan stressed.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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In Kenya, Meta sued for $2B for fueling ethnic
violence
Andrew Wasike
14.12.2022
NAIROBI, Kenya
A lawsuit filed in a Kenyan court on Wednesday accused
Meta of fueling political unrest in Africa demanding that the company pay over
$2 billion in victims funds and make significant improvements to its service.
In the lawsuit, Facebook, owned by Meta, is accused of
causing death, displacement of families, vilification of individuals and
destruction of communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and across Africa.
Speaking to the media outside the Milimani court in
Kenya on Wednesday, Mercy Mutemi a legal practitioner representing the
petitioners said that the $2 billion would create a restitution fund for
African victims of hate and violence incited on Facebook.
Mutemi said that the lawsuit is targeting Meta
"for prioritizing hateful speech on its Facebook platform, and for its
content moderation decisions or lack of investment in content moderation."
The first petitioner is Abrham Meareg, an Ethiopian
academic, whose father was doxed in a racist attack on Facebook. The posts
called for his father’s murder. Despite reporting the posts to Facebook nothing
was done to remove the posts. Meareg’s father was murdered shortly afterwards.
Fisseha Tekle, the second petitioner, is a former
Ethiopian researcher and legal advisor at Amnesty International.
Katiba Institute, the third petitioner, is one of
Kenya’s eminent legal organizations set up to defend the Kenyan Constitution.
They have also joined the case to set out the implications for Kenya of
unchecked viral hate and violence running rampant from Facebook’s Nairobi hub.
Others who joined as interested parties include a raft
of NGOs across Africa including Global witness, Article 19, the Law Society of
Kenya and Amnesty International among others.
Fueling Ethiopia's ethnic violence
Meta was also sued for fueling the Ethiopian Ethnic
violence that has led to the deaths of close to half-a-million people according
to the UN and other rights organizations.
Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty International’s Deputy
Regional Director of East Africa, Horn, and Great Lakes Region in a statement
said that "the spread of dangerous content on Facebook lies at the heart
of Meta’s pursuit of profit, as its systems are designed to keep people
engaged. This legal action is a significant step in holding Meta to account for
its harmful business model."
In the wake of a landmark, legal action against Meta
submitted in Kenya's High Court, Amnesty International said that Meta must
reform its business practices to ensure Facebook’s algorithms do not amplify
hatred and fuel ethnic conflict.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/in-kenya-meta-sued-for-2b-for-fueling-ethnic-violence-/2763819
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In Jordan, refugees scan irises to collect aid. But is
it ethical?
December 14, 2022
AZRAQ, Jordan: At a grocery store checkout in the
Jordanian refugee camp of Azraq, Sameera Sabbouh stares wide-eyed into a
scanner to pay for her shopping — her iris scan unlocking payment from a
digital aid account with the help of block- chain technology.
Many of the nearly 40,000 Syrians who live in the camp
recognize the convenience of the cashless, card-free payment method, which
verifies recipients’ identity by referencing a UN database, but few said they
like it.
“It’s really tiring. It doesn’t take the eye scan in
the first try — it is two or three times before it takes the scan,” said
Sabbouh, a mother of two from Aleppo who fled the city in 2015. “I would rather
have my fingerprint scanned.”
Introduced in 2017, the World Food Programme’s
Building Blocks initiative was one of the first to harness blockchain technology
in humanitarian aid delivery, and it now reaches more than 1 million refugees
in Jordan and Bangladesh.
The system enables the tracking, coordination and
delivery of multiple types of assistance, including cash, food, water and
medicine, and has saved about $2.5 million in bank fees on millions of
transactions, according to the WFP.
But digital rights groups question the use of such new
technology among vulnerable groups such as refugees, and the need for them to
surrender sensitive biometric data in order to receive vital food aid.
“The refugees are guinea pigs,” said Petra Molnar, a
fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society,
adding that she was troubled that such “experiments” were being conducted on
marginalized groups.
“Imagine what would happen at your local grocery store
if all of a sudden iris scanning became a thing; people would be up in arms.
But somehow it is OK to do it in a refugee camp,” she said.
Others question whether refugees reliant on aid are in
a position to give informed consent.
“The issue of consent has a question mark on it,” said
Dima Samaro, an independent human rights researcher based in Tunisia. “Did they
give consent because they are content, or because they are being forced?”
Responding to such criticism, Roland Schoenbauer, a
spokesperson for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said refugees were informed
about the objectives of gathering their data when they were asked to give
permission.
“UNHCR doesn’t share biometric data with anybody under
the sun,” he said in an interview at the Azraq camp, adding that if refugees
chose to opt out of the program they would still receive the same level of
assistance.
As the number of people fleeing war, poverty,
persecution and environmental disaster reaches record levels worldwide, states
have turned to a range of digital technologies to monitor the flow of people
and control their access to services.
These include smart IDs, GPS monitors and blockchain,
the decentralized database technology that underpins cryptocurrency.
But while states and aid agencies say these
technologies have increased efficiency and reduced waste, the systems have
sometimes exposed vulnerable refugees to surveillance and commercial
exploitation of their data, critics say.
“Imagine if this were to fall in the hands of bad
faith actors,” said Marwa Fatafta, Middle East and North Africa policy manager
at digital rights group Access Now, warning that refugees also had fewer legal
protections and safeguards in countries without strong data protection laws.
“Collecting biometric data to identify someone is a
very invasive form of identification. It is not necessary, it is not
proportionate, and it violates international standards on privacy which UN
agencies should subscribe to,” she said.
UNHCR has already faced criticism over its collection
of Rohingya refugees’ data at the vast refugee camps where they live in
Bangladesh.
Human Rights Watch said in a report last year that the
agency had not conducted a full data impact assessment, and had in some cases
failed to obtain refugees’ informed consent for their data to be shared with
Myanmar, the country they had fled.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216266/middle-east
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India
Ghaziabad: Do Not Perform 'Nikah' If DJ Music, Bands
Are Played, Muslim Body Asks Clerics
Dec 14, 2022
GHAZIABAD: A Muslim organisation in Ghaziabad has urged
clerics to not perform 'Nikah' if "DJ music or brass bands" are
played at the wedding function.
In a statement, the Muslim Maha Sabha said it has
sought the cooperation of 'Ulema' and clerics to convince the community to
conduct wedding functions in a simple manner.
The Muslim Maha Sabha will continue opposing the
wastage of money at wedding functions, it added.
Source: Times Of India
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UP: Muslim scribe booked for cow slaughter; barred
from Meerut for 3 months
14th December 2022
A Meerut court in Uttar Pradesh court has issued an
order against independent journalist Zakir Ali Tyagi, barring him from entering
the district for three months in a cow slaughter case. He was booked in 2020
over charges that he held are false, and for which he spent 16 days in jail.
In Uttar Pradesh, journalists and activists have
charged the BJP-run state government of suppressing dissent over the last few
years especially. According to the Committee Against Assault on Journalists,’ a
total of 138 cases of persecution of journalists were registered in Uttar
Pradesh from 2017 to February 2022.
In Zakir Ali Tyagi’s case, the police filed a First
Information Report against unknown persons on 23 August 2020. The Meerut police
then booked him for alleged cow slaughter, under Sections 8 and 5 of the
Prevention of the Cow Slaughter Act (1955).
The Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Meerut, said
that Zakir Ali Tyagi could disturb law and order in the district. The order was
passed under the Uttar Pradesh Control of Goondas Act. Zakir Ali Tyagi alleged
that the court gave the decision unilaterally.
“I can’t even enter my house or meet my family for 3
months, the decision was given without hearing my side I have been punished for
being innocent, journalism is my only crime. It is often said in judicial
principles that even if 100 guilties are acquitted, no innocent should be
punished. But contrary to this judicial principle, it has been seen that no
matter how many innocent people may be punished, the guilty should not be
punished,” he stated.
Speaking with Siasat.com, Tyagi said, “This was an FIR
against unknown persons, but still the police picked me up in this case and
sent me to jail. The complainant himself reached the police station and gave a
statement that I am being framed because he criticizes the government. But the
police didn’t even listen to him and chased him away.”
Source: Siasat Daily
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Existing Law Sufficient To Prevent Love Jihad:
Karnataka Home Minister Araga
15th December 2022
CHITRADURGA: Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on
Wednesday said, “The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill,
2022, (popularly called the Anti-Conversion Bill) is sufficient to prevent
‘love jihad’ in the state and there is no need of enacting a new law or setting
a separate task force.”
Speaking to mediapersons in the city before addressing
the passing-out parade at Police Training School, Aymangala, he said that there
is a request from a section of society demanding that a task force be set up to
prevent love jihad, however the present law is very stringent and covers all
aspects of conversion, hence there is no need for a new law or task force.
However, the government will look into the matter.
The demand for a task force and a stringent law was
made by pro-Hindu organisations recently. Further, he said that the
Constitution provides opportunity for any individual to practise any religion
that he/she wants, however, before the person starts practising, he/she has to
go through a process of law, said the home minister.
The person who wants to change the religion should
first submit an application on his interest in doing so, and the concerned
officials will find whether the conversion is voluntary or forcible, after
which permission will be granted, he explained.
He said there are complaints of large-scale
conversions in Chitradurga district and other parts of Karnataka, because of
which several religious heads urged for a law and it was enacted.
Source: New Indian Express
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'Hosting Osama bin Laden, Attacking Parliament': J
External Affairs Minister’s Sharp Rebuke as Pakistan Raises Kashmir at UN
DECEMBER 15, 2022
India on Wednesday strongly hit back at Pakistan in
the UN Security Council after it raised the Kashmir issue by saying that a
country that hosted slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and attacked a
neighbouring Parliament does not have the credentials to “sermonize" in
the power UN organ.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the
credibility of the UN depends on its effective response to the key challenges
of our times, be it pandemics, climate change, conflicts or terrorism.
“We are obviously focused today on the urgency of
reforming multilateralism. We will naturally have our particular views, but
there is a growing convergence at least that this cannot be delayed any
further,” said Jaishankar, who is chairing India’s signature event on reformed
multilateralism.
“The credibility of the UN depends on its effective
response to the key challenges of our times, be it pandemics, climate change,
conflicts or terrorism. While we search for the best solutions, what our
discourse must never accept is the normalisation of such threats,” Jaishankar
said.
“The question of justifying what the world regards as
unacceptable should not even arise. That certainly applies to state sponsorship
of cross-border terrorism. Nor can hosting Osama bin Laden and attacking a
neighbouring Parliament serve as credentials to sermonize before this Council,”
he said.
Jaishankar arrived at the United Nations on Tuesday to
preside over two signature events on counter-terrorism and reformed
multilateralism being held under India’s current Presidency of the UN Security
Council, before the curtains come down this month on the country’s two-year
tenure as an elected member of the powerful 15-nation.
His strong remarks came after Pakistan Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto raised the Kashmir issue while speaking in the Council
debate on reformed multilateralism.
The External Affairs Minister presided on Wednesday
over the UN Security Council Open Debate on ‘Maintenance of International Peace
and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism’, a signature event
held under India’s Presidency of the 15-nation Council.
Among the over 60 speakers listed for the debate was
Bhutto, who in his remarks to the Council, raised the Kashmir issue. India’s
Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj was chairing the
debate when Bhutto spoke in the Council.
Later, as Jaishankar presided over the debate, he gave
a strong response to Bhutto’s comments.
He referred to the mastermind behind the September 11
attacks in the US bin Laden, who was living in Pakistan’s Abbottabad city and
was killed in a raid at his hideout in May 2011 by US Navy seals.
Terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) had attacked the Indian Parliament complex in
New Delhi eighteen years ago on December 13, killing nine people.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have spiked since
New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special
status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. India’s decision evoked strong
reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the
Indian envoy.
India has categorically told the international
community that the scrapping of Article 370 was its internal matter. It also
advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
Source: News18
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Hyderabad: New police stations to come up in
Muslim-dominated areas
15th December 2022
Hyderabad: After the approval of the state government’s
recommendation for the re-demarcation of the city police, the move to set up
new police stations has been accelerated. The structure of the Hyderabad City
Police will be completely overhauled as the existing 5 zones and 17 divisions
and 60 police stations in the city will be replaced.
New police stations are being established in the
Muslim-dominated areas of Hyderabad. According to the new structure, the number
of zones will increase from 5 to 7, the number of divisions will increase from
17 to 27 and the number of police stations will increase from 60 to 73.
New police stations are being set up in the areas like
Toli Chowki, Borabanda, Bandlaguda, Masabtank, Tadban, Warisguda, Rehmat Nagar,
and Khairtabad. This new system is most likely to start functioning from the
beginning of the new year and the police stations will start working in the new
limits.
Under the new structure, the existing divisions will
also be changed and new divisions will come into existence and the zone system
has also been prepared.
Source: Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-new-police-stations-to-come-up-in-muslim-dominated-areas-2480096/
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United Muslim Federation Stages Hunger Strike against
TRS Govt
14th December 2022
Hyderabad: The one-day hunger strike was staged by
Muslim United Federation (UMF) at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park on Monday. The
strike was addressed by leaders of various social, religious groups.
According to the press note released by UMF, the
speakers were of the opinion that the TRS government has been deceiving Muslims
since 2014. It has often deviated from its promises. Muslims of the state have
been waiting for 9 years, now their patience is over.
It further states that Muslims are coming out on the
streets for their rights and have understood that no hope can be placed on the
TRS government. Instead of what Government had promised, Muslims were
continuously dragged down, promises of 12% reservation, judicial status to Waqf
Board, promise of second official language status to Urdu, protection of Wakf
properties, all proved to be false.
Instead of protecting the Waqf property, it was stolen. Muslims have
lost 80% of their Waqf properties. They are trapped in the grip of unemployment
and a conspiracy is being made to eliminate Urdu gradually.
Prof. Kodandaram President of Telangana Jana Samiti,
Prof. Anwar Khan, Maulana Hamid Hussain Shutari, Maulana Shafi Masoudi, Mateen
Sharif, Sikandarullah Khan Aleem Khan Falki, Asma Begum, Shamim Sultana, Jafar
Hussain and President Muslim United Federation Maulana Hakeem Sufi Syed Shah
Mohammad Khairuddin Qadri presented a resolution based on 11 demands from the
Telangana government (1) 12% reservations to Muslims (2) 65 sq yard of wakf
land should be given on lease to homeless Muslims in the state (3) Subsidized
loans of 2 lakhs should be issued to small traders from Minority Finance
Corporation (4) Pending applications of imams and muezzins of the state from
2018 It should be approved (5) All the imams and muezzins of the state should
be given 10,000 rupees per month under green channel. (6) Release of fund for the
burial of Muslim dead bodies (7) Strict action should be taken against
corruption in Waqf Board and officials should be investigated by ED (8)
Judicial status should be given to Waqf Board (9) 20 acres of land should be
allotted for a cemetery near the city (10) Appointment of new Chairman for
Minority Commission (11) Protection of Urdu language.
United Muslim Federation resolves that until the
fulfillment of above demands, the protest campaign will be organised not only
in the city of Hyderabad but in every district of the state of Telangana.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/united-muslim-federation-stages-hunger-strike-against-trs-govt-2479704/
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South Asia
Taliban Government Metes Out Punishment To 20 Men By
Lashing Them For Alleged Crimes
14 DEC 2022
Twenty people were lashed in public on Wednesday in
Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as punishment for alleged adultery, theft, and other
crimes, a provincial official said.
Afghanistan's new authorities have set hardline
policies since they took over the country in August 2021 that reflect their
interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.
Mohammad Qasim Riyaz, a Taliban-appointed spokesman
for the governor's office in southern Helmand province, said the lashings took
place at the sports stadium in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand.
Riyaz said each man was lashed between 35 to 39 times,
and the punishments were carried out before provincial Taliban officials,
religious clerics, elders and local people.
An unspecified number of those punished also received
prison terms according to their crimes, Riyaz said.
Wednesday's lashings in Helmand come a week after the
Taliban authorities executed an Afghan convicted of killing another man, the
first public execution since the former insurgents returned to power last year.
The execution, carried out with an assault rifle by
the victim's father, took place in western Farah province before hundreds of
spectators and many top Taliban officials, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the
top government spokesman.
Some officials came from the capital of Kabul.
The execution drew international criticism. U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “the death penalty cannot be reconciled
with full respect for the right to life,” spokeswoman Stephanie Tremblay said.
In comments last week, State Department spokesman Ned
Price said the U.S. condemned the public execution.
Price said the Taliban's future relationship with
Washington depended “largely on their actions when it comes to human rights.”
Source: Outlook India
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MoF Reports Increase in Export Revenue of Afghan
Products
By Arif Ahmadi
December 15, 2022
KABUL, Afghanistan – The Ministry of Finance (MoF)
said the country witnessed increase in exports and imports of Afghan products
through air corridors more recently.
This came a time the current leadership since the takeover last August continue to
explore ways on how to stabilize and improve the economy in the Afghanistan.
Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the MoF, said that
Afghanistan imported commodities worth 7.8 billion Afs over the past 15 months,
as TOLOnews reported.
According to Haqmal, more than 4.3 billion Afghani
worth of commodities has been imported into Afghanistan in over a year, making
around 950 million Afghanis in revenue.
“Within the past 15 months, commodities worth 7.8
billion Afs have been imported to Afghanistan via air corridor,” he said, as
local media quoted. “The Finance Ministry made 950 million in revenue from it.”
Highlighting on the types of goods exported via the
air corridors, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) said that the
commodities included carpets, pine nuts, and handmade crafts – products
Afghanistan is known for.
A spokesman for the MoIC, Ahundzada Abdul Salam Jawad,
said the exports have been made to China and India.
“Over the past eight months, our exports have been to
China and India via air corridor,” he said, as local media quoted.
“We have had around 600 tons of exports via air
corridor to China. We had around 200 tons of exports to India via a private
airline company and also to other countries via Dubai, UAE,” he elaborated.
Meanwhile, Afghan traders expressed hope for the
future of Afghan products in the international markets, saying exporting local
product to Asian and European countries will help grow Afghanistan economy.
“The air corridor is one of the main parts of
business. More exports via air corridor to India, China and the Gulf countries,
as well as the EU and US, will benefit us,” said Zalmai Azimi, a trader.
Based on the statistics of the Afghanistan Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, more than 5,000 tons of pine nuts have been exported via
air corridor in the year 1400.
In Afghanistan, exports account for around 20 percent
of GDP. Afghanistan main exports are carpets and rugs (45 percent of total
exports); dried fruits (31 percent) and medicinal plants (12 percent).
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/mof-reports-increase-in-export-revenue-of-afghan-products/
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IRC’s Emergency Watchlist for 2023 Places Afghanistan
in Top 3
By Saqalain Eqbal
December 14, 2022
As the people of Afghanistan wrestle with one of the
worst humanitarian crises in the world, Afghanistan was listed as one of the
top 3 countries on the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) annual Emergency
Watchlist 2023, which highlights the 20 countries most in danger of aggravating
humanitarian crises in 2023.
IRC ranked Afghanistan after Somalia and Ethiopia on
its list of the 20 countries that would experience the worst humanitarian
disasters in the upcoming year, on Wednesday, December 14, stating that around
340 million people globally would depend on humanitarian aid.
Beyond the specific crises to watch, the IRC report
delves deeply into the three main catalysts for humanitarian crises—armed
conflict, climate change, and economic instability—and shows what can be
undertaken to re-establish defenses against a runaway world.
“On average, countries on the Watchlist have
experienced armed conflict for nearly the entirety of the past decade,” David
Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC said.
“The 2023 Watchlist reveals a need for a step change
in the way the international community approaches humanitarian crises.”
Political unrest and a protracted drought have
contributed to Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, which is further driven by
widespread poverty and high unemployment rates.
Afghanistan topped the list the previous year. It is
now in third place, not because things have changed for the better, but rather
because things have become worse in East Africa.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/ircs-emergency-watchlist-for-2023-places-afghanistan-in-top-3-36643/
--------
Relaxation and Transparency in Visa Policy to Boost
Pak-Afghan Trade: SCCI
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
December 15, 2022
Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has
stated that bringing relaxation in visa policy will boost bilateral trade
agreements between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Shahid Hussain, senior vice president of the SCCI in a
statement expressed that there is an urgent need to bring improvement in visa
issuance to Afghan traders and businessmen, and remove the factors affecting
the process. Ensuring the issuance of visas to the citizens and trade
communities of both countries should be prioritized in order to boost trade and
exchange of goods between the two countries, he added.
According to a recent survey, the trade volume between
Pakistan and Afghanistan has dropped from $2.5 billion in 2012 to $6 million in
2022. This is a matter of grave concern for both nations heavily relying on
bilateral trade and economic engagements now more than before.
It is alleged that $1000 is being charged illegally on
the issuance of visas to Afghan traders, citing that some local and foreign
elements and factors are allegedly involved in this illegal practice, Mr.
Shahid elaborated.
This statement came as Afghan citizens and traders pay
a considerable amount of money in the form of bribes and commissions to get
their visas issued. Meanwhile, Afghan nationals currently residing in Pakistan
face major challenges in extending their stay visas. They have even received
warnings two times from the Pakistani interior ministry to extend their
residential permits and other legal documents before the end of the year,
otherwise, they will face heavy penalties or even imprisonment.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/relaxation-and-transparency-in-visa-policy-to-boost-pak-afghan-trade-scci/
--------
Islamic
Emirate Member Mutasim Agha Jan Returns to Afghanistan
December
15, 2022
A
famous member of the Islamic Emirate, Mutasim Agha Jan, who was working as
finance minister during the first rule of the Islamic Emirate, has returned to
Afghanistan.
Agha
Jan returned with acting Minister of Defence Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid,
who was on an official visit to the UAE.
During
the former government, Mutasim Afgha Jan was considered the head of the
political committee of the Islamic Emirate. Agha Jan was also engaged in talks
between the Islamic Emirate and the former republican government.
“I
was a Taliban, I am a Taliban and I will be a Taliban," he said.
Agha
Jan worked as finance minister in the first round of the Islamic Emirate’s rule
and was one of the senior members of the Quetta Shura of the Taliban’s
leadership until 2010.
Agha
Jan has been living in the UAE.
Aha
Jan is from Kandahar province and was one of the close figures to the founder
of the Islamic Emirate, Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid.
“May
Allah give us brotherhood and intimacy to give our hands to each other and be
supportive of each other instead of being enemies,” Agha Jan said.
“His
return will strengthen unity among the Taliban. If he is provided with a
professional mission or post, he has good capability and ability," said
Asif Nang, a political analyst.
Source:
Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-181184
--------
Arab World
Saudi’s
Etidal and UN to Expand Anti-Terrorism Projects to Combat Violent Agitators
Worldwide
December
14, 2022
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s Global Centre for Combating Extremist Ideology is planning to
expand its work with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre to combat
violent agitators worldwide.
Mansour
Al-Shammari, Etidal’s secretary-general, held discussions on Tuesday in Riyadh
with Vladimir Voronkov, under-secretary-general of the UNCCT, on various joint
measures, including the adoption of advanced technology.
Voronkov,
in a media statement, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a pioneer in the
field of combating extremism at the local and global levels and will continue
its pioneering efforts in this regard in the coming period because extremism is
a continuing threat.”
He
added that no country was immune to terrorism. “Therefore, international
cooperation is an important factor for success in this matter, and this region
is very important to us.”
In
April 2022, Etidal and the UNCCT signed a memorandum of understanding to tackle
the scourge.
Regarding
the MoU, the UNCCT’s Director Jahangir Khan said: “We are working on developing
cooperation programs that will have a global aspect, especially in the most
important matters such as research and development, and we are very much
looking forward to developing more programs in this memorandum of
understanding.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216086/saudi-arabia
--------
Saudi
Film Commission Hosts Cinema in 2022 Workshop; Stresses the Need to Focus on
Online Platforms and Marketing among Other Issues
December
14, 2022
RIYADH:
The Saudi Film Commission hosted a Cinema in 2022 workshop on Tuesday, Saudi
Press Agency reported.
The
workshop was led by Saudi film critic Ahmed Ayyad, who was joined by a number
of critics, directors and media students from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic
University in Riyadh.
Its
first session, “The Arab Film Industry in 2022,” examined the economic
conditions of the industry and the local, regional and international film
projects that were postponed as a result.
The
second session of the workshop, “Arab Film Production 2022,” focused on
critics’ assessments of Saudi cinematic production, the challenges that the
national film industry faces as well as the need to boost the cinema scene on
online platforms.
The
workshop also pointed to the positive elements of those challenges, such as the
diverse tastes of audiences, regional competition, and disparities between
quantity and quality in production.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216146/saudi-arabia
--------
Kazakhstan exempts Saudi citizens from visa requirements, says ambassador
RASHID
HASSAN
December
14, 2022
RIYADH:
Kazakhstan has relaxed visa requirements for Saudis visiting the Central Asian
country.
Kazakhstan
Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Berik Aryn told Arab News: “From this year, we
canceled all visa requirements for Saudi citizens as well as for citizens of
all Gulf countries.”
At
a roadshow titled, “Tourism in Almaty,” organized by the Kazakhstan Embassy in
Riyadh in cooperation with the tourism department of Almaty in Kazakhstan, Aryn
said: “There is no need of a visa to travel to Kazakhstan … up to 30 days just
a stamp at the airport is required. They will go directly to different airports
and it will be stamped there.”
He
added that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with visiting Kazakhstan
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Jeddah in July this year. The two leaders
reviewed bilateral relations and discussed enhancing cooperation between Saudi
Arabia and Kazakhstan in various fields, including tourism.
Aryn
said: “We have organized several roadshows this year in Riyadh, Dammam and
Jeddah on tourism opportunities in Kazakhstan … this is our fourth roadshow.
All these measures allowed us to make Kazakhstan a choice from some of the
Saudi cities. From January to September this year, we witnessed an increase in
tourists to Kazakhstan.
“I
would like also to mention the increase in the number of Kazakh citizens who
visited Saudi Arabia this year, which reached 20,000. We understand that these
figures still do not respond to the potential partnership in tourism.
Nevertheless, we believe that our joint efforts are now providing favorable
conditions for increasing tourism and building up trade and economic
cooperation,” said the envoy.
Sabina
Amankeldi, head of the Almaty Tourism Department, said: “The main purpose of
this event was to demonstrate and promote the interesting potential of Almaty
to people of Saudi Arabia.”
She
added: “This year, we can see an impressive increase in touristic flow from
Arab countries. For example, compared to last year, this year we see tourists
from Saudi Arabia — a 70-times increase. Last year we had 63 tourists from
Saudi Arabia. This year, it’s more than 4,500 so far.
“The
Arab market is one of the main targets for us because of the way how they stay,
how they tribute their respects to our country, to our people.
“As
a destination we can offer a wide range of activities and services. There is
very beautiful accommodation, very nice hotels, restaurants, shopping centers,
and of course, what we drive, our nature.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216256/saudi-arabia
--------
Roadside
bomb kills Iraq army officer
14
December ,2022
An
Iraqi army captain was killed and two soldiers wounded Wednesday when a
roadside bomb hit their vehicle in farmland north of Baghdad, a security
official told AFP.
There
was no immediate claim for the bombing, which struck in the Tarmiya district,
around 30 kilometers (20 miles) outside the capital, as the troops were on
patrol, the official said, asking not to be identified.
The
area is a known hotspot for ISIS sleeper cells, who remain active five years
after Iraqi authorities proclaimed victory over the extremists.
Tarmiya’s
orchards and palm groves are criss-crossed by a network of irrigation channels
that make the area an ideal hideout for militants.
Iraqi
counter-terrorism units carry out regular search operations in the area in a
bid to prevent it being used as a launchpad for attacks but the terrain favors
the sleeper cells.
ISIS
is a shadow of the force that swept through large swathes of Iraq and
neighboring Syria in 2014 and imposed its murderous sectarian rule.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/12/14/Roadside-bomb-kills-Iraq-army-officer
--------
Top
Israeli general claims recent attack on convoy at Syria-Iraq border
14
December ,2022
The
chief of Israel’s armed forces on Wednesday claimed credit for a recent air
strike on a convoy that had entered Syria from Iraq, saying the target was a
truck carrying weaponry.
Though
he did not give a date for the event, describing it only has having taken place
“several weeks ago”, Lieutenant-General Aviv Kohavi appeared to be alluding to
a Nov. 8 attack that Iraqi officials at the time said destroyed two fuel
trucks.
Were
it not for Israeli intelligence, Kohavi told a conference hosted by Reichman
University, “we might not have known that among the 25 trucks (in the convoy),
that was the truck - truck number eight - that was the truck with the arms.”
“There
too, the pilots had to be sent. They had to know how to evade the ground-to-air
missiles,” he added, hinting that piloted jets were used for the distant
mission. Iraqi officials had described the November 8 strike as the work of a
drone.
For
almost a decade, Israel has been carrying out air strikes against suspected
Iranian-sponsored weapons transfers and personnel deployments in next-door
Syria. Israeli officials have rarely acknowledged responsibility for specific
operations.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
Saudi
university to provide Arabic-language course for students in Indonesia
December
14, 2022
RIYADH:
The Saudi Electronic University has signed 45 contracts with universities in
Indonesia to provide them with its Arabic Online language-learning program, the
Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
During
the signing ceremony in Jakarta, SEU President Lilac Al-Safadi said that Arabic
is the language of Islam for the 2 billion Muslims in the world. The program’s
e-learning environment overcomes the challenges created by time zones and
geography, she added, and provides the perfect opportunity for anyone
interested in learning the language.
The
program is split into six stages, from beginner level through to a final
language proficiency test. Its self-learning format includes interactive
exercises, audio files, video-based phonetic learning, and educational
graphics.
The
university said the agreements signed with educational institutions in
Indonesia reflect its desire to contribute to the growth of the Arabic
language, in line with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 development and
diversification project.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216316/saudi-arabia
--------
Japan’s
Ambassador to Saudi Arabia opens Japanese Art Exhibition
December
14, 2022
RIYADH:
Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Fumio IWAI opened the
Japanese Art Exhibition “Variation and Autonomy: The Prints of Contemporary
Japanese Painters,” at L’Art Pur Gallery in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Princess
Adwaa bint Yazid bin Abdallah Al Saud, the founder of L’Art Pur Foundation, was
present during the occasion.
The
exhibition introduces various works of 10 contemporary Japanese artists who
have explored a wide range of possibilities through prints published in the
1970s and expanded the range of expression in contemporary art using the print
medium.
During
his speech in the opening ceremony, Ambassador IWAI said: “While Manga and
Anime gain huge popularity in the Kingdom, I would like you to enjoy different
aspects of Japanese culture through exploring the artworks of contemporary
Japanese painters.”
In
addition, he expressed his hope that this exhibition would contribute in
deepening Saudi people’s understanding of Japanese culture and enhancing
further the existing cordial relationship between the two friendly countries.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216181/saudi-arabia
--------
Egypt
takes command of Combined Task Force 153 in the Red Sea
GOBRAN
MOHAMED
December
14, 2022
CAIRO:
The Egyptian Navy on Dec. 12 took command of Combined Task Force 153 from the
US Navy during a ceremony in Bahrain where multinational staff are
headquartered.
US
Navy Capt. Robert Francis, who led CTF 153 since April, handed command to
Egyptian Navy Rear Adm. Mahmoud Abdelsattar.
The
transition marks the first time Egypt assumes command of Combined Maritime
Forces operational staff since joining the 34-member-country naval partnership
in 2021.
CTF
153 is one of four CMF task forces. It was established on April 17 to enhance
international maritime security and capacity-building efforts in the Red Sea,
Bab Al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden.
CMF’s
other task forces include CTF 150, focused on maritime security in the Gulf of
Oman, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden; CTF 151, which leads regional
counter-piracy efforts; and CTF 152, dedicated to maritime security in the
Arabian Gulf.
“It
is my honor to serve as commander of Combined Task Force 153. The focus of my
efforts will be to work closely together with regional countries, partners and
participating nations to maintain maritime security and stability in the
region,” said Abdelsattar.
The
rear admiral’s 27 years of military experience began following graduation from
the Egyptian Naval Academy in 1995. He has extensive experience in submarine
operations and most recently served as chief of staff of a naval base in
Alexandria, Egypt.
Francis
said: “I am incredibly proud of our efforts since launching this new task force
only eight months ago. It is a true honor to hand over command to an incredibly
strong regional maritime partner like Egypt. I know the task force will
continue to execute as one dynamic team and I will always be celebrating their
accomplishments from afar.”
The
Egyptian Navy said that the handover came within the framework of efforts by
the armed forces, in cooperation with the US and friendly countries, to
confront threats and challenges targeting the security of the region.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216231/middle-east
--------
‘Arrest
warrant likely for ex-Iraqi PM over US assassination of Gen. Soleimani'
14
December 2022
A
senior Iraqi lawmaker says the country’s judiciary is likely to issue an arrest
warrant against former prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi over his complicity in
the assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General
Qassem Soleimani and his associates.
Fazil
Zarijawi, a member of the State of Law Coalition, told the Arabic service of
Shafaq news agency that the 55-year-old Iraqi politician is currently residing
in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone under the protection of the US
embassy.
He
added that the chances are high that an arrest warrant would be issued against
Kadhimi and he would undergo interrogation over his involvement in “the heist
of the century” – a brazen multibillion-dollar plundering of state coffers –
and targeted killings of the two high-profile anti-terror commanders.
On
November 27, a total of 78 Iraqi plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against former US
president, Donald Trump, former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, former US
ambassador to Baghdad Matthew H. Tueller, al-Kadhimi, and former director of
the National Operations Center Dhia al-Musawi over the assignation of
Lieutenant General Soleimani and Muhandis, registering their case at the
Federal Court of Appeal in the capital Baghdad.
Among
the complainants was Muhammad Hassan Jaafar, a brother of Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis, who was also killed in the US drone strike near Baghdad
international airport more than two years ago.
Lieutenant
General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their associates were assassinated
in a US drone strike on January 3, 2020.
The
strike was authorized by then-US President Donald Trump despite his military
advisors warning against the foolhardy move.
Two
days after the attack, Iraqi lawmakers approved a bill that required the
government to end the presence of all US-led foreign military forces in the
country.
Both
Soleimani and Muhandis were highly revered across the Middle East for their key
role in fighting and decimating the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the
region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
On
January 8, 2020, the IRGC targeted the US-run Ain al-Asad base in Iraq’s
western province of Anbar with a wave of missile attacks in retaliation for the
assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani.
Source:
Press TV
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--------
Syria
renews call for withdrawal of US troops, halt to plunder of oil reserves
14
December 2022
Syria
has renewed its call for the withdrawal of US forces from the energy-rich
northeastern part of the country, saying the occupation troops and their allied
Takfiri militants are involved in the systematic looting of oil, wheat crops
and other commodities.
Syrian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in a statement on Wednesday said
the latest figures show that the estimated value of losses suffered as a result
of strikes carried out by US forces and their allied terrorists on Syrian
territory stands at 25.9 billion US dollars.
"The
ongoing looting of crude oil, natural gas and mineral resources has incurred a
loss worth $19.8 billion, while 3.3 billion was lost as a result of acts of
vandalism against essential facilities,” the ministry noted.
It
added that aerial aggression by the US-led military coalition formed on the
pretext of fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has caused damage valued
at $2.9 billion to the Arab country's oil and gas installations.
The
Syrian ministry put the value of indirect losses from the continued presence of
American occupation forces in the country at over 86 billion US dollars, noting
that the figure represents lost proceeds as a result of lower production of
crude oil, natural gas, oil derivatives and minerals.
It
further called on the United Nations to initiate measures aimed at putting an
end to violations of international law by US-led allied forces and giving
Damascus reparations for years of aggression.
The
ministry asked the world body to help end the illegal presence of American
soldiers in Syria, help the Damascus government exercise sovereignty over oil
and gas fields occupied by US military troops, and activate mechanisms aimed at
the immediate and unconditional removal of anti-Syria sanctions in order to
improve the humanitarian situation in the country and provide appropriate
conditions for the voluntary and safe return of refugees to their homeland.
The
US military has for years stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern
Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing
the oilfields in the restive area from falling into the hands of Daesh
terrorists.
Damascus,
however, maintains the deployment is designed to plunder the country’s rich
natural resources. Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several
occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
Syria
says the US occupation has cost Syria over $107 billion in oil and gas sector
losses.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
State Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Calls India 'Biggest Perpetrator Of Terrorism'
Dec
15, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s minister of state for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar called India
the “biggest perpetrator of terrorism”, saying Wednesday that the neighbouring
country’s objective was to undermine peace and security in her country through
terrorist acts.
Her
remarks were seen as an extension of home minister Rana Sanaullah’s recent
accusation that India has been carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan
vis-à-vis an explosion near Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed’s home in
Lahore last year.
Khar
too told reporters in Islamabad about “irrefutable evidence” of RAW’s purported
involvement in the blast, saying it was planned and supported by India with an
aim to target innocent civilians in Pakistan.
She
said the masterminds and facilitators of the blast are at large and “under
Indian state patronage and protection”.
The
minister alleged that India had been paralysing the UNSC sanctions regime by
blocking listing of Indian terrorists actively aided and financed by New Delhi.
She listed four alleged Indians whose names were blocked, namely Govinda
Patnaik, Parthasarthi, Rajesh Kumar, and Dumgara.
“I
don’t think I need to remind anyone that India has a role in destabilising its
neighbouring countries and weakening their economies to try and pursue its
hegemonic designs in the region,” she said, pointing to the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor and Balochistan as examples.
She
asked the international community, particularly UN and FATF, to fulfil its
“responsibility” and “hold India accountable for its terrorist actions”.
“We
are looking for accountability. The Lahore incident, for us, is a test case for
the credibility and integrity of international counter-terrorism and
counter-financing of terrorist regimes. The world must show that efforts to
counter-terrorism are non-discriminating,” she said.
Khan
said the foreign ministry has shared a dossier containing details of India’s
involvement in the Lahore bombing with UNSC members. It will be sent to the UN
secretary general as well.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Court
admits plea seeking Imran Khan's disqualification for 'hiding' daughter
Dec
15, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad high court Wednesday admitted a petition seeking former Pakistan
PM Imran Khan's disqualification as a lawmaker on grounds of him concealing the
existence of his allegedly illegitimate daughter, Tyrian White, while filing
his nomination papers.
The
plea has been scheduled for hearing on December 20, making this the second such
case against Imran after his disputed disqualification by the country's
election commission in October for allegedly withholding information about his assets
and liabilities.
The
high court had issued notice to Imran and the election commission on December
9, seeking details crucial to deciding if a plea seeking the former PM’s
disqualification as lawmaker was maintainable. The court had last month reserved
its verdict on the maintainability of the petition filed by one Sajid Mehmood.
The
petition claims that Imran wrongfully mentioned in his nomination papers that
he had two dependants in sons Sulaiman and Qasim. The plea seeks issuance of
summons to the ex-PM to inquire into the reasons for violation of Article 62,
which states "a person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a
member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) unless — he is sagacious, righteous,
non-profligate, honest and trustworthy".
"Imran
Khan has deliberately and willfully failed to declare his daughter Tyrian White
in the relevant columns of the nomination papers and the affidavit appended
therewith," the petition claims, adding that Imran's daughter had been
residing in London and "he made appropriate arrangements for her but hid
the information about her in the nomination papers and affidavit".
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
Soldier,
civilian martyred in yesterday’s suicide blast in Miranshah: ISPR
Naveed
Siddiqui
December
15, 2022
One
soldier and a civilian were martyred in yesterday’s suicide blast in North
Waziristan district’s Miranshah area, the military’s media affairs wing said on
Thursday.
Earlier,
security officials told Dawn that a convoy of security forces was on its way
from Datta Khel tehsil to Miranshah when the suicide bomber riding a motorbike
hit it. Reports at the time suggested three civilians and 14 others, including
nine security personnel, were injured in the incident.
However,
the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released a statement early on
Thursday saying that the suicide blast occurred in the “general area” of Miranshah
on Dec 14 (Wednesday).
The
deceased soldier was identified as a 30-year-old Havaldar Muhammad Ameer.
Moreover, one civilian also embraced martyrdom while nine others were injured,
the ISPR said.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly denounced the incident. According to state
broadcaster Radio Pakistan, he expressed grief and sorrow over the lives lost
in the incident.
“Those
carrying out suicide attacks on Muslims cannot be Muslims,” the report quoted
him as saying. PM Shehbaz further said terrorists were “playing in the hands of
our enemies who want to destabilise Pakistan”.
He
expressed the commitment to punish the perpetrators. The premier said the
Pakistan’s people and security forces had rendered immense sacrifices to
eliminate terrorism, paying tribute to the martyrs for laying down their lives
for the country.
Interior
Minister Rana Sanaullah also condemned the incident and expressed grief over
the loss of life.
“We
condemn the suicide blast in North Waziristan’s Miranshah area, are saddened by
the martyrdom of Havaldar Muhammad Ameer and a civilian,” he tweeted.
The
interior minister expressed concern regarding the provincial government over
the deteriorating situation of peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and vowed action
against terrorists.
“We
will track down terrorists and defeat their nefarious designs,” he said, adding
that the country’s security forces were fully capable of eliminating militants.
On
Dec 5, at least five terrorists were killed and a soldier was martyred during
an intelligence-based operation in Jhallar Algad area of North Waziristan.
According
to the ISPR, troops effectively engaged the location of terrorists during an
intense exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists. It added that
weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the terrorists.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Former
KP minister’s house comes under another grenade attack
December
14, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Another hand grenade was hurled at the residence of former provincial minister
and businessman Haji Mohammad Javed, Gulbahar police informed on Wednesday.
“This
was the second attack of its kind on the house of the former minister in the
last two days”, said an official of the capital city police. He said no
casualty or damage was reported in the attack on Javed’s house, which is under
construction in Gulbahar. Senior police officials visited the crime scene while
the bomb disposal experts collected evidence from the spot, he added.
The
Tablighi Jamaat’s senior member’s house was attacked with a grenade a couple of
days back while no casualty or damage in that incident was reported. His house
was also attacked many months ago.
It
merits mention that in the last few months, a number of incidents occurred in
which grenades were lobbed into houses, hujras and factories in Peshawar and
other districts of the province. Not all, but most of the victims were those
who had received calls for extortion on WhatsApp numbers from unknown groups.
After
calls to a large number of industrialists, traders, politicians, contractors
and other well-off people, houses are being attacked more frequently for the
past few months.
The
police are on high alert across the province after the recent spike in attacks
in areas, including Peshawar, southern districts, and the Mardan region.
On
the last Sunday, provincial spokesperson of the Awami National Party (ANP)
Samar Bilour said ANP’s provincial president Aimal Wali Khan had received a
call about a plan of attack on his life. “Apart from Aimal, Sardar Hussain
Babak and others have also received threats while the house of MPA Faisal Zeb
was attacked twice in the last few weeks,” Bilour added.
In
September, a hand grenade was thrown at former federal minister Shehryar
Afridi’s house in Kohat, while PTI MPA Aghaz Khan Gandapur’s residence was
attacked by armed men in Dera Ismail Khan, leaving one policeman dead.
Apart
from the attack on the house of ANP MPA Faisal Zeb in Shangla, a grenade was
also hurled at the house of party Senator Hidayatullah in Peshawar in July.
PTI
MPA Malik Liaqat was also wounded in an attack on his vehicle in Lower Dir in
August, while four others, including his brother and nephew, lost their lives
in the attack.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Pakistan
says ‘actively’ pursuing 2011 murder of Saudi diplomat in Karachi
NAIMAT
KHAN
December
15, 2022
KARACHI:
Police in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh are “actively” working to
catch the killers of Saudi diplomat Hassan Al-Qahtani, Sindh Chief Minister
Murad Ali Shah said this week about a 2011 murder case whose main suspects
Pakistani investigators believe are hiding in neighboring Iran.
Al-Qahtani,
an employee of the Saudi consulate in the southern port city of Karachi, was
killed on May 16, 2011, after gunmen opened fire on his car in the city’s
Defense Housing Authority area.
In
January this year, a Counter Terrorism Department official told Arab News Pakistan
had requested of Iranian authorities assistance to arrest three main suspects —
Ali Mustehsan, Raza Imam and Syed Waqar Ahmed — believed to be on the run from
Pakistan and hiding in the neighboring country.
According
to a police report seen by Arab News, Pakistani officials believe the
assassination was masterminded by a group called Al-Mehdi. No public
information is available about the outfit.
“We
are actively pursuing the case and the Saudi mission in Islamabad is being
updated on the progress on a regular basis,” a spokesperson for the chief
minister of the Sindh province said in a statement to Arab News.
“The
case is being taken up on high priority and police are actively working on it
while keeping Saudi authorities in the loop.”
Four
people riding motorcycles opened fire on the Saudi diplomat’s car. The envoy, a
low-ranking security official, was on his way to the consulate when the
assailants struck.
The
shooting, which occurred about 60 meters from the Karachi consulate, came days
after unidentified attackers threw two hand grenades at the consulate in
Pakistan’s commercial hub. No one was hurt in that attack.
A
police officer with direct knowledge of the murder investigation told Arab News
that a senior superintendent of police had met with a Saudi team of
investigators in Islamabad on Oct. 17 and informed them that the prime suspects
in the murder were hiding in Iran. Officials of the Sindh CTD then held a
meeting with the Saudi investigation team at the Kingdom’s consulate in Karachi
on Oct. 20 and presented a progress report.
In
October, Pakistani Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also met a Saudi delegation
and informed them about progress in the investigation, promising that “all
resources” would be utilized to arrest the culprits.
The
investigation, since November 2021, was being overseen by a special team led by
CTD chief Omar Shahid Hamid, but a new team was formed in October this year
under senior CTD official Raja Umar Khattab, “keeping in view the diversity,
seriousness and complexity of investigation required.”
Imam,
alias Manzar, has a 1-million-rupee ($13,400) bounty on his head and has
already been sentenced to death in two different cases, according to a Sindh
police most wanted list. Iman and Mustehsan are believed to be members of the
banned Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan militant organization. It was designated a
terrorist organization in Pakistan 2002 and is also classified as a foreign
terrorist organization under US law.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216291/world
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Southeast Asia
Linking
Malays To Political Islam Challenges Constitution, Says Lawyer
V
Anbalagan
December
15, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: A lawyer says an opposition leader’s view that the Malay-Muslim
community’s political inclination is linked to Islam is a direct challenge to
the Federal Constitution.
Syed
Iskandar Syed Jaafar said Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad
Kamal’s stand also “points the road” to an Islamic state.
“This
is a direct challenge to the Malay rulers, who are part of the basic structure
of our constitution,” he told FMT.
He
said such statements might lead to public disorder.
Wan
Ahmad Fayhsal, the Machang MP, had reportedly said on Tuesday that religion was
part and parcel of the Malay-Muslim community’s political philosophy.
“In
the Quran and Prophetic sayings, there are many references to that. So one
cannot be secular in our approach when campaigning,” he was reported to have
said in an interview with BFM.
Syed
Iskandar said this was a dangerous statement to make in a multi-religious and
multi-cultural society.
He
said the Federal Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, states
that Malaysia is secular.
He
said the 1988 Supreme Court ruling in Che Omar Che Soh vs Public Prosecutor
& Anor affirmed that position.
Then
Lord President Salleh Abas had said Malaysia is a secular state, though Islam
is the religion of the federation.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Carbon
credits can now be traded in line with Islamic principles
December
9, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Businesses will now be able to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve
climate goals the shariah-compliant way.
Under
the Bursa Carbon Exchange (BCX), which was launched by Bursa Malaysia today,
companies will get to trade carbon credits in line with Islamic or shariah
principles.
The
BCX is yet another step in Malaysia’s journey towards achieving net-zero carbon
emission by 2050, simultaneously pivoting corporate Malaysia towards a green
economy, Bursa chairman Abdul Wahid Omar said at the launch.
“Leveraging
on Malaysia’s position as a global Islamic finance marketplace and the world’s
leading exchange for Islamic fundraising and investment, Bursa Malaysia has
become the world’s first exchange to receive shariah approval for its carbon
exchange and standardised carbon products,” he added.
The
rules, auction terms and conditions as well as operational processes have been
finalised and solutions that support the reduction, avoidance or removal of
emissions from the atmosphere can now be traded.
Bursa
CEO Umar Swift said buyers and sellers will now be able to transact
high-quality carbon credits and corporate buyers will be able to use them to
offset their impact on the climate alongside their other internal carbon
reduction initiatives.
“I
strongly urge all market participants to join us in this journey. As we get
closer to auction day, we encourage all corporates to also be a part of this
new carbon marketplace,” Umar added.
Natural
resources, environment and climate change minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said
that under the carbon trading policy, there will be no restrictions on the sale
of carbon credits generated by projects located in Malaysia to buyers outside
the country.
He
said these efforts will help to reduce average temperatures by 2.2 to 3.4
degrees Celsius by 2100.
Nik
Nazmi said the new government is highly committed in implementing climate
actions despite the fact that Malaysia’s share of greenhouse gas emissions is
only 0.69%.
“The
carbon market is evolving fast, and we want our corporate entities to become
sophisticated carbon market players as well,” he added.
Trading
activities, which are expected to begin in March 2023, will be conducted
through an auction to enable price discovery for new standardised carbon credit
products listed on BCX.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Israeli
drones for 24/7 eye on China border
Imran
Ahmed Siddiqui
15.12.22
The
Indian Army is focussing on augmenting its firepower and further fortifying its
defences along the Line of Actual Control across the eastern frontier with
China amid the latest transgression bid by the People’s Liberation Army in the
Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.
Defence
ministry sources said the army had deployed recently procured more advanced
Israeli-made Heron drones which were carrying out round-the-clock surveillance
with real-time images. Heron drones are capable of operating for several hours
at an altitude of up to 30,000ft.
Besides,
the cameras have been relaying live feed in a 20km range at an altitude of over
14,000ft. “We are going to procure more Heron drones to be deployed along the
sensitive areas which have witnessed incursion in the past,” a defence ministry
official said.
“The
objective is to ensure round-the-clock surveillance capability. Additional
surveillance cameras and sensors are being installed on a war footing at the
sensitive zones prone to Chinese transgression in the eastern sector. Besides,
satellite imagery across the LAC in the eastern sector is being used to monitor
the movements of the adversary,” the official added.
Indian
and Chinese troops clashed along the Line of Actual Control in Yangtze in the
Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday — the first combat since the
violent confrontation of June 15, 2020, in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh,
where 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troopers were killed.
Of
the 15-20 Indian soldiers injured in the Tawang face-off, six to seven have
suffered fractures in their hands and legs and are being treated at a Guwahati
hospital, sources said.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/israeli-drones-for-24-7-eye-on-china-border/cid/1903936
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Indonesia
parliament approves extradition treaty with Singapore
December
15, 2022
JAKARTA:
Indonesia’s parliament passed into law a bilateral extradition agreement with
Singapore on Thursday, in a move Jakarta expects to help authorities bring to
justice people accused of stashing offshore billions of dollars of state money
in the city-state.
The
absence of an extradition treaty has been a sensitive issue for Indonesia,
which has complained about the difficulty of going after some fugitives accused
of embezzling large sums during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.
Under
the extradition treaty, signed by the countries’ leaders in January, people who
had committed 31 types of crime will be liable to be extradited and it will apply
to offenses committed up to 18 years ago, Indonesia has said.
The
agreement would also mean that people would not be able to escape justice by
changing their citizenship, it said.
Speaking
after parliament’s approval, Indonesia’s law and human rights minister Yasonna
Laoly said that the law “would give legal certainty for the two countries in
the process of extraditing fugitives.”
Singapore
has said the agreement “will also be helpful to Indonesia’s own efforts to
prevent suspected criminals from fleeing overseas, and for them to be
apprehended in Indonesia.”
Indonesia
has set up a so-called “BLBI” task force that is going after $8 billion of
bailout funds given to bank owners and borrowers after the Asian financial
crisis in the late 1990s that were never repaid.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216391/world
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New
space pact with UAE to help Philippines build domestic ecosystem
ELLIE
ABEN
December
14, 2022
MANILA:
Cooperation with the UAE will help the Philippines build a stronger foundation
for its domestic space ecosystem, a top official of the Philippine Space Agency
has said following a recent agreement between the two countries promoting joint
space research and industry building.
PhilSA
inked a cooperation memorandum with the UAE Space Agency on Dec. 5 during the
Abu Dhabi Space Debate, which gathered representatives from 47 international
institutions and agencies in the Emirati capital to discuss space
sustainability, accessibility and security.
“The
MoU on space cooperation between PhilSA and UAESA promotes joint space research
and development, capacity-building, people-to-people exchange and space
industry-building,” PhilSA Director General Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano said in a
statement to Arab News earlier this week.
“As
we bring people together in these collaborative endeavors, we can build a
stronger foundation for our domestic space ecosystems.”
Marciano
said that the UAE “has been at the forefront of truly groundbreaking and
ambitious missions in space,” as the Gulf state launched the first Arab-built
lunar spacecraft over the weekend.
The
Rashid Rover, designed by an entirely Emirati team from Dubai’s Mohammed bin
Rashid Space Center, was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
in Florida, US, to analyze plasma and lunar dust on the moon’s surface.
In
2020, the UAE successfully launched the Hope mission to Mars.
“These
(missions) further inspire us in our efforts in the Philippines to unlock the
benefits of space and bring space capabilities to the fore in addressing
present, and future sustainability challenges we face on Earth,” Marciano said.
The
space pact between the PhilSA and UAESA is a “pioneering agreement,” he added.
UAESA
Director General Salem Butti Salem Al-Qubaisi, who signed the deal with
Marciano, said at the time that the agreement would provide the scientific
community with data and information “that serves humanity.”
He
told Emirates News Agency: “The UAE Space Agency is committed to constructive
international partnerships with various agencies to exchange experiences, which
reflects positively on the development of the space sector in the country,
through developing qualified talents and human resources that can consolidate
the sustainability of the sector.”
The
deal with the Philippines will help promote collaboration in applications that
include not only space exploration, but also research, access to data, and its
utilization for challenges such as climate change, disaster management,
emergency response and agriculture.
“PhilSA
believes it (the deal) will bolster stronger ties between the space agencies
and maximize the opportunities and potential we can gain from our
counterparts,” Marciano said.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216236/world
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North America
White
House welcomes Iran's 'historic' removal from women's rights body
Michael
Hernandez
14.12.2022
WASHINGTON
The
White House welcomed a "historic" vote Wednesday to remove Iran from
a UN women's rights body, calling it "another sign of the growing
international consensus on Iran and demands for accountability."
"The
United States is working with our allies and partners around the world to hold
Iran accountable for the abuses it is committing against its own people,
notably peaceful protesters, women and girls, and the violence it is enabling
against the Ukrainian people," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
said in a statement.
"The
recent horrifying executions in Tehran only strengthen our resolve to expand
this growing consensus and pursue all possible mechanisms of accountability
against the Iranian regime and its officials responsible for these
atrocities," he added.
The
UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted on a US-drafted resolution to
“remove with immediate effect” Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW) for the remainder of its 2022 - 2026 term.
More
than half of all member states, 29, voted in favor of the resolution. Eight
voted against it, including Russia and China. Sixteen abstained in the
54-member ECOSOC.
The
45-member UN Commission on the Status of Women is dedicated to the promotion of
gender equality and the empowerment of women.
US
Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution answers
appeals from Iranian women and civil society. Iranian Amb. Amir Saeed Iravani
called the expulsion an “illegal move” and accused the US of “trying to use the
UN to advance its political agenda.”
Iran
has carried out two executions, which have been widely condemned by the
international community and rights experts, during ongoing nationwide protests
sparked by the September death of Mahsa Amini. Amini died in police custody
after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran's Islamic dress code.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Man
pleads guilty to hate crime, arson charges for setting fire that destroyed
Missouri Islamic centre
December
14, 2022
A
man has pleaded guilty to hate crime and arson charges for setting a fire that
destroyed an Islamic center in southeast Missouri two years ago, the U.S.
Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Nicholas
John Proffitt, 44, entered the plea in the case of the torching of the Cape
Girardeau Islamic Center on April 24, 2020, which was the first day of the
Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the department said. It was the second time he
had attacked the building.
Security
video showed Proffitt breaking the building's glass window and throwing two
containers inside. He then entered, poured the contents of two gallon-size
containers throughout the foyer and the hallway and lit the blaze, according to
court records.
About
a dozen people were inside at the time but escaped unharmed. The fire made the
building unsuitable for use as a center.
Proffitt
admitted he set the blaze because of the religious nature of the building,
prosecutors said.
His
public defender did not immediately return an after-hours phone call seeking
comment.
Sentencing
is set for May 22. Proffitt faces up to 20 years in prison for damage to
religious property and a mandatory minimum of 10 years, consecutive to any
other sentence, for using fire to commit a federal felony. He also could be
fined up to $250,000 on each charge.
Source:
Fox News
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Chile's
Embassy in Türkiye holds exhibition to mark 500th anniversary of Magellan’s
voyage
Zehra
Nur Duz
14.12.2022
The
Chilean Embassy in Türkiye organized an exhibition Tuesday in the capital of
Ankara to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage.
The
exhibition, “Encounter of Three Worlds: 500 Years After the First
Circumnavigation of the Earth” was held at the Presidential Nation’s Library.
“The
voyage of Magellan represents a milestone in the human history for being the
first-ever circumnavigation of the Earth, in addition to several other
historical geographical, political and economic aspects, which should be
recognized and highlighted,” said Ambassador Rodrigo Arcos.
“With
the completion of the voyage, it was revealed that the roundness of the earth,
the existence of a passage to reach the east by traveling westward as well as
the existence of the new continent, the wide variety of people that are
inhabitants and the cultural difference between them, in other words, the
beginning of a universal story, and the beginning of globalization,” he said.
Arcos
underlined the significance of the feat, saying the territory that is currently
considered the Republic of Chile had never appeared in western history before
Magellan’s expedition.
“The
fact that they held this exhibition in Türkiye has a special meaning since the
Ottoman Empire was one of the central actors in the process of searching the
new ways of communication and trade with Asia, and with the east,” said Arcos.
Arcos
also said that the event is a part of the rapprochement process between the
National Library of Chile and the Türkiye Presidential Nation’s Library.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
US
says joint patrols with YPG/PKK in Syria resume
Busra
Nur Cakmak
14.12.2022
The
Pentagon announced on Tuesday the US has resumed its joint patrols with the
YPG/PKK, which it reduced earlier in the wake of Türkiye’s airstrikes against
the terror group.
“The
partner operations with the Syrian Democratic Forces have resumed, they resumed
in full on Dec. 9. Again, our focus is on working with those local partners to
prevent the reconstitution of ISIS,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, spokesman for
the Defense Department, told reporters in a daily press briefing.
He
was referring to the SDF, the US’ principal partner in Syria, led by the YPG.
The
YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK, a designated terror group in the US, EU,
and Türkiye.
The
US has partnered with the YPG-led SDF in its efforts to counter Daesh/ISIS in
northeastern Syria, drawing Ankara’s anger in a major strain on bilateral relations.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-says-joint-patrols-with-ypg-pkk-in-syria-resume/2763231
--------
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