Muslim World League Aims to Promote Religious Tolerance, Understanding: Secretary General
New Age Islam News Bureau
29
Jun 2020
•
Turkey's Soft Power Weighs Heavy on Europe's Muslims
•
Joe Biden's Election Campaign Refers to Kashmir, Indian Muslims
•
After Floyd, Raw Talk, Racial Reckoning Among US Muslims
•
Museum of London Records Call to Prayer for Ramadan Project
•
China Forces Birth Control on Uighurs To Curb Muslim Population
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Arab
world
•
Muslim World League Aims to Promote Religious Tolerance, Understanding:
Secretary General
•
Saudi Arabia Mulls Crowd Control to Partially Resume Umrah In Mecca
•
Riyadh Attempting to Legitimize Southern Transitional Council's Coup
•
Lebanese Minister: President Michel Aoun protected me after killing two in
civil war
•
Nine Iran-backed fighters killed in another raid in Syria: Monitor
•
Syria demands UN report on legality of US, EU economic sanctions under
international law
•
Americans directly interfering in Lebanon’s affairs, President Aoun says
•
Lebanese foreign minister summons US envoy in growing row over her attack on
Hezbollah
--------
Mideast
•
Turkey's Soft Power Weighs Heavy on Europe's Muslims
•
‘Day of Rage’ protests against Israeli annexation to hit US, Europe
•
Houthis Cage 20,000 Abductees In 790 Jails, Recruit 7,000 Children: Human
Rights Groups
•
Israel Takes Issue with God TV’s Shelanu Station
•
Official: Human Rights Practically Taught to Europeans by Iran's Exports of
Anti-Coronavirus Equipment
•
Zarif: Iran Not to Breach Human Principles to Reciprocate Brutality
•
Concerns growing over two lawyers on ‘death fasts’ in Turkey prison: Activists
•
Strange similarities in the declining fortunes of Syria's Bashar Al Assad and
Iraq's Saddam Hussein
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North
America
•
Joe Biden's Election Campaign Refers to Kashmir, Indian Muslims
•
After Floyd, Raw Talk, Racial Reckoning Among US Muslims
•
Trump denies knowing about Russia-Taliban nexus
•
US envoy renews push for extending arms embargo on Iran
•
Lebanon summons US Ambassador over comments against Hezbollah
•
Trump denies he was briefed on Russia-Taliban bounty intelligence
--------
Europe
•
Museum of London Records Call to Prayer for Ramadan Project
•
UK campaigner investigated over praise for dead Iranian commander Suleimani
•
Thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters in Britain demand justice for
drowned Somali refugee
•
Qatari and Turkish funding for Dutch Muslim Brotherhood exposed in MPs' report
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Southeast
Asia
•
China Forces Birth Control on Uighurs To Curb Muslim Population
•
Churches, temples can open at 1/3 capacity
•
Why Malaysia’s Mahathir just won’t fade away
--------
South
Asia
•
Khalilzad Departs for Doha, Islamabad And Tashkent In Support of Afghan Peace
Talks
•
Taliban’s shadow deputy defense minister, other senior leaders targeted an
airstrike
•
Six security force members killed in Taliban attack
•
Taliban release 21 more prisoners of the Afghan government
•
Death and despair: Rescued Rohingya describe high-seas terror
•
Four Rohingya left dead after gunfight with Bangladeshi police near refugee
camp
•
Bangladesh braced to receive hundreds of thousands of returnee migrant workers
--------
Africa
•
Libya: Clearing Russian Mercenaries Becomes Compulsory
•
Bomb kills two Algerian soldiers in north, says defense ministry
•
Over 10 killed as militants ambush convoy in northeastern Nigeria
•
Civilians among over 100 victims of landmines in Libya's capital: UN
•
Armed gangs kill 12 in northwest Nigeria
•
AFRICOM underlines strong cooperation with Libya gov't
•
Libyan marks liberation of Gharyan from Haftar
--------
India
•
Jammu’s Doda Is Militancy Free, Say Cops After Hizbul Terrorist Masood Killed
In Encounter
•
3 terrorists killed in Anantnag encounter
•
Hizb threatens to abduct J&K cops’ kin over arrest of slain terrorist’s
mother
•
Domicile law unconstitutional, not acceptable: Farooq
•
Religious places to open from July 1 in Rajasthan’s rural areas: Govt
--------
Pakistan
•
Pakistan's National Airline Moves to Assuage Concern On 'Dubious' Pilot
Licences
•
Hike in petrol price injustice with people: opposition
•
Differences exist, but PML-Q will back govt in budget vote
•
Gunmen attack Pakistani stock exchange, six killed
•
Pak Army claims to shoot down Indian 'spying quadcopter' along LoC
•
Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's India-born counsel passes away in
Pakistan
•
Pakistan to hold general polls in Gilgit-Baltistan on August 18
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-world-league-aims-promote/d/122245
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Muslim
World League Aims To Promote Religious Tolerance, Understanding: Secretary
General
27 June 2020
Sheikh
Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, General Secretary of the Muslim World League
-----
The
Muslim World League (MWL) and its campaigns aim to build bridges between
different sects of Islam and promote the values of tolerance, understanding and
friendship with other religions, Mohammad al-Issa, MWL Secretary General told
Al Arabiya.
Al-Issa
said that the MWL campaigns aim “highlight the high values of Islam and to
affirm its positive openness, and that our religious understandings accept God
almighty’s choice in variation and diversity.”
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
conversation builds bridges for understanding, promotes friendship and
brotherhood among all, which is the portal for trust and collaboration that all
of humanity needs,” he added.
Al-Issa
highlighted the “Mecca Document Conference” which took place in May 2019 and
brought together religious scholars from 27 sects of Islam.
The
document detailed Islamic principles and promoted tolerance while repelling
hate preachers and any sect which considered another sect as “inferior”.
Al-Issa
stressed that MWL’s work had no political agenda and no other goals other than
to promote “peace and harmony amongst all.”
He
also emphasized that the MWL cooperates with Saudi Arabia as a leader in all
efforts to combat “extremist ideas, specifically in the Muslim world.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/06/27/Muslim-World-League-aims-to-promote-religious-tolerance-understanding-Al-Issa.html
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Turkey's
soft power weighs heavy on Europe's Muslims
June 29, 2020
Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference in Istanbul. Reuters
-----
Since
the rise of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to power, Ankara has
developed an unrelenting desire to project its influence overseas. From the
shores of Libya to north-eastern Syria and the capitals of Europe, Turkey has
spared no effort to expand its reach and exert control over populations living
beyond its borders.
These
efforts are often supported by Qatari funding. The political ideology espoused
by Ankara, which is inspired by that of the Muslim Brotherhood, an extremist
movement, aligns with those that Doha aims to spread throughout Muslim
communities worldwide. Muslim Brotherhood-linked ideologies preach intolerance,
and preachers have frequently advocated violence.
Doha’s
role in financing the Brotherhood and radicalising the Muslim diaspora has been
documented extensively in the Qatar Papers, an investigation published by
French journalists last year.
Over
the weekend, a report by a committee within the Dutch parliament highlighted
the extent of Turkey’s reach within Dutch society. The report discusses,
amongst other things, tens of millions of euros that were donated to Muslim
organisations and mosques, including Amsterdam's Blue Mosque as well as the
Essalam Islamic Cultural Centre and the Middenweg Centre in Rotterdam.
According to Ronald Sandee, a terrorism expert, the activities equate to “a
kind of soft power” exercised over Europe’s Muslim communities.
In
another instance, the report found that the Islamic Foundation, a Dutch
charity, was nothing more than an offshoot of Diyanet, the Turkish government’s
directorate of religious affairs. All of its preachers are effectively
appointed and employed by Ankara. The notion that a foreign government
department could operate in the guise of a religious charity in a country as
transparent as the Netherlands is alarming. Throughout Europe, more
transparency is needed when it comes to funding religious organisations and
community centres.
Perhaps
most concerning, however, is Turkey’s other main objective in its European
activities, which is to maintain a level of control over Europe’s Turkish
diaspora and to silence any dissidents within it. This manifests itself through
"social pressure and intimidation" directed at the Turkish community,
according to the report.
Witnesses
who testified to the report’s authors experienced further intimidation after
doing so, and pro-Ankara groups went to court in an attempt to stop the release
of files requested by the inquiry.
Europe’s
Turkish community is very large, and European governments benefit a great deal
from their resident Turkish communities, both economically and socially. The
children born into the diaspora become European citizens and participate fully
in European life. But Mr Erdogan’s policies ensure that Turkey’s problems
follow many Turks nonetheless. And while some Turks abroad do support Mr
Erdogan and his government, many others do not, and they find themselves being
harassed and coerced overseas by the very regime they sought to escape. If
Turks and other Muslim communities are to prosper in Europe, this must end.
https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/turkey-s-soft-power-weighs-heavy-on-europe-s-muslims-1.1040690
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Joe
Biden's election campaign refers to Kashmir, Indian Muslims
June 28, 2020
Joe
Biden, the Democratic Party candidate for US President
------
Joe
Biden, the Democratic Party candidate for US President, mentionedKashmir into
his campaign in a religious context rather than as a foreign policy or a
general human rights issue.
His
"Agenda for Muslim American Communities" published by his campaign
also criticises the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of
Citizens.
Biden
is assured of being formally nominated by the Democrats as its candidate at the
party's national convention in August to challenge President Donald Trump in
the November election as he has won the required delegates in the primary
elections.
Unlike
in India, parties are allowed to openly appeal to voters on the basis of
religion.
Turning
what are foreign policy or general human rights matters into a religious issue,
Biden's Muslim agenda says: "In Kashmir, the Indian government should take
all necessary steps to restore rights for all the people of Kashmir.
Restrictions on dissent, such as preventing peaceful protests or shutting or
slowing down the Internet, weaken democracy."
Turning
to other contentious issues, the agenda, which is the basis for outreach to
Muslim voters, says: "Joe Biden has been disappointed by the measures that
the government of India has taken with the implementation and aftermath of the
National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and the passage of the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) into law.
"These
measures are inconsistent with the country's long tradition of secularism and
with sustaining a multi-ethnic and multi-religious democracy."
While
criticising the CAA, Biden's Muslim agenda, however, is silent on a US
legislation similar to the CAA. Tucked into the US budget bill, the Specter
Amendment excludes Muslim refugees from Iran from getting preferential asylum
as religious refugees.
The
Biden campaign has not issued so far an agenda for Hindu-Americans or
Sikh-Americans or Buddhist-Americans.
But
separately, Biden has taken up the issue of persecution of Hindus and Sikhs in
Afghanistan.
After
a terror attack on a gurdwara in Kabul killed at least 25 Sikhs in March, Biden
issued a statement expressing concern over the "intense persecutiona of
the members of the two religions in Afghanistan and urged the State Department
to consider refugee protection for them.
Trump
officials have declined make a commitment to allowing Sikhs and Hindus in
Afghanistan coming to the US as refugees to avoid persecution.
Biden's
Agenda for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities, which is not
religiously-oriented, mentioned Hindus and Sikhs, along with Muslims, as
victims of "discrimination and hate" in the US and said the situation
was made worse by "Trump's dangerous rhetoric".
The
Muslim agenda noted that the administration of former President Barack Obama in
which he was the Vice President began to separately monitor hate crimes against
Hindus and Sikhs.
It
said that the Obama-Biden administration "added 'Anti-Sikh' and
'Anti-Hindu' to the Department of Justice's hate crime reporting
categories".
It
said "his (Biden's) Justice Department will prioritise prosecuting hate
crimes".
But
the Obama-Biden administration had failed to act on anti-Hindu hate crimes like
the placing of a severed cow's head at a Hindu cow sanctuary in 2016 in
Pennsylvania.
Biden's
focus on Kashmir, the CAA and the NRC is driven by the ascendancy of the left
in the Democratic Party, which is led by House of Representatives members like
Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes.
Ocasio-Cortes
has tried to link US arms sales to India with communal violence. She tweeted:
"President Trump is engaging in arms deals with Modi while his administration
is ethnically cleansing the country's religious minorities. We must not enable
this rise in sectarian violence."
Jayapal
and Omar have been at the forefront of the criticism of India in Congress.
A
Hindu member of the campaign has been attacked personally and Biden has been
asked to remove him because he is considered sympathetic to Modi and his
father, according to some media reports, was linked to the Overseas Friends of
the BJP.
But
Amit Jani, the Asian American Pacific Islander outreach director for the Biden
campaign continues so far on the job.
An
organisation called Equity Labs published an open letter that said: "To
hire a supporter and friend of Narendra Modi opens the door to embracing
anti-Muslim and Hindu nationalist politics.
"Progressive
Asian Americans and South Asian Americans cannot stand by a candidate with
relationships to fascists, here or abroad."
A
Change.org online petition calling for Jani's removal received 6,668 signatures
as of Saturday night.
Such
pressures would make it difficult for Biden, if he is elected, to work with
India in the global context, even when the interests of the two countries
intersect.
How
the pressures from the left would translate into Biden policy is an open
question and will have to await a better and comprehensive articulation of his
foreign policy.
According
to the Pew Research Center, Muslims make up 0.9 per cent of the US population
and Hindus 0.7 per cent.
Although
their numbers are not that far apart, Muslims exert more open influence in the Democratic
Party for two reasons: African-Americans, a group that is important in the
party and vocal make up an important segment of American Muslims, and the
party's left wing that is very articulate and increasing in importance is both
pro-Muslim and critical of India.
The
Democratic Party has not made overt overtures to Hindus as it has to other
religious groups.
On
the other hand, Trump attended a Hindu Republican rally during his 2016
campaign.
One
of the sessions of the Republican National Convention that nominated him opened
with a Sikh prayer.
The
State Department has expressed concerns about the detentions and other
restrictions in Kashmir, but in a non-religious context while also
acknowledging India's democracy.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/here-s-what-biden-s-campaign-agenda-for-2020-us-elections-says-on-kashmir-120062800152_1.html
--------
After
Floyd, raw talk, racial reckoning among US Muslims
By
MARIAM FAM
As
a young student, Hind Makki recalls, she would call out others at the Islamic
school she attended when some casually used an Arabic word meaning “slaves” to
refer to Black people.
“Maybe
85% of the time, the response that I would get from people ... is, ‘Oh, we
don’t mean you, we mean the Americans,’” Makki said during a virtual panel
discussion on race, one of many organized in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
“That’s
a whole other situation about anti-Blackness, particularly against African
Americans,” said Makki, who identifies as a Black Arab Muslim.
In
recent weeks, many Muslims in the U.S. have joined racial justice rallies
across the country and denounced racism in sermons, statements and webinars.
American Muslims, Black and non-Black, are also having raw conversations like
Makki’s as they grapple with questions of racial equity, tensions and
representation in their own faith communities.
“Everyone
is talking about this, like from the uncle who’s been here since the early
’70s, was a retired doctor somewhere, a retired board member of a mosque to ...
a high school student in the suburbs,” Makki, an anti-racism and interfaith
educator, said in an interview. “The question needs to be pushed further than
what words, what slurs you’re using, which you shouldn’t be using. How can we
reach equity ... in the spaces that we actually can change?”
Muslims
in America are diverse. No racial or ethnic group makes up a majority of Muslim
American adults, and 20 percent are Black, according to a 2017 survey by Pew
Research Center.
Margari
Hill, executive director of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, says she has
seen a surge of interest, questions and demand from Muslim communities for her
expertise: Can she look at a statement or provide topics for a program? Are
there resources in Arabic or Bengali? Is it more appropriate to say Black or
African American? Can she talk about anti-Blackness?
“There’s
been a lot of calling out and calling in and deep reflection,” she said. “We’re
asking people to be committed to, like, unlearning, you know, and building
authentic relationships” that last beyond the current moment.
Questions
about how much change the flurry of discussions can spark echo those about a
larger, national reckoning.
“The
openness of all different corners of the Muslim community to have this
conversation in a really robust way is unprecedented and it is commendable,”
said Imam Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. “The challenge is when the protests
eventually fizzle and the next calamity hits our country, will the conversation
continue within the Muslim community?”
For
this not to be a fleeting moment, Walid said, the makeup of leadership at
national Islamic organizations must be more representative. He and others have
called for more Black Muslim speakers and not just to talk about race or only
during Black History Month.
At
the Islamic Society of North America, where the current elected board of 10
directors has no African Americans, executive director Basharat Saleem said the
organization has been working to boost diversity but acknowledged that more
must be done.
African
American Muslims have been well represented as speakers at ISNA events, he
said, but attendance from people in that community at annual conventions has
been low.
“We
have to do more work to basically reach out to the community,” Saleem said.
“Also, (the) same thing has to happen from that community.”
Through
the likes of art and social media hashtags, many Black Muslims have worked in
recent years to amplify their stories and highlight a narrative that many of
them say have been overshadowed by that of other Muslims. Some reflect on what
it’s like to be Black and Muslim.
Some
experiences feel “exhausting,” Hill said. She remembers being referred to as a
“slave” in Arabic at a Muslim store. One time, she was asked if she could
“really read” a copy of the Quran she wanted to buy. “No one wants to, you
know, feel like they have to justify their humanity or their faith.”
Ubaydullah
Evans, resident scholar for the American Learning Institute for Muslims, says
he’s experienced “interpersonal racism,” from some Muslims. Still, other
non-Black Muslims “have always sought to build community,” and work with
African Americans, he said.
Walid,
like many others, says Islam sends a clear message of egalitarianism.
Over
the years, there have been efforts to build bridges. More recently, some have
taken an oath against using the Arabic word for “slaves.”
Others
focused discussions on how to improve relations between Arab and Muslim store
owners and the Black communities they serve. Dozens of American Muslim
organizations came together to demand police reform and pledged to support
Black-led groups.
Evans
credits younger Muslims with a lot of work challenging racial inequality. He
hopes “we get the maximum mileage out of this moment,” but says some Black
American Muslims “have been hurt so badly that it’s hard for them to summon
that trust.”
Sylvia
Chan-Malik, who teaches about race and about Islam in America at Rutgers
University, said some of the tensions stem from divergent views of America.
Many African American Muslims have, historically, engaged Islam as a
repudiation of anti-Black racism and “have long viewed the police as a threat
to Black communities,” she said. Meanwhile, some immigrants “really want to
believe in the promise of America” and have faith in the system, she added.
And
because Islam’s history in the U.S. is “marginalized,” Chan-Malik argued,
misconceptions by some about African American Muslims may include thinking that
they are all converts or practice an inauthentic form of Islam.
“Islam
entered this country as a religious presence through the bodies, the culture,
the voices and perspectives of enslaved Africans,” she said. “You cannot
divorce Islam in America from the African American experience.”
On
a recent virtual panel to bring attention to the history of Black American
Muslims and address racism, Imam Jihad Saafir said he was “hopeful and happy”
about Muslims’ response.
Some
imams, he said, have been telling him they want to learn more and better
understand racism. He shared plans to send African American imams to different
California mosques for a day.
“No
co-opting our issues on that day,” he told participants. “The pleasure of Allah
lies in us building community with one another.”
__
Associated
Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the
Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
https://apnews.com/bbf6c92a0523cd8aaf5666f62d65719f
--------
Museum
of London records call to prayer for Ramadan project
June
28, 2020
The
Museum of London is collecting objects to reflect how the Muslim community
experienced Ramadan during lockdown.
It
is part of a project to reflect Londoners’ lives during the pandemic to provide
a record for future generations.
One
strand will be Ramadan, from earlier this year, with the museum recording calls
to prayer at the Musalla an Noor mosque in Hackney, east London, and
documenting the experiences of young Muslims in west London.
“We
are in the process of collecting a range of items ranging from photographs,
film and audio recordings and physical objects to tell the stories of these
families,” Aisling Serrant, who is leading the family strand of the project,
said.
“Some
of the key parts of Ramadan, such as spending time with family and friends and
visiting the mosque, have not been able to take place this year or had to be
adapted to virtual or socially distant means.
“It
was important to capture the experiences of families at this time”.
It
is hoped that all items will go in an online database but there are no plans
for the overall project – to reflect the lives of Londoners during the pandemic
– to go on display.
https://www.faith-matters.org/museum-of-london-records-call-to-prayer-for-ramadan-project/
--------
China
forces birth control on Uighurs to curb Muslim population
Jun
29, 2020
Beijing:
The Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among
Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim
population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have
more children.
While
individual women have spoken out before about forced birth control, the
practice is far more widespread and systematic than previously known, according
to an AP investigation based on government statistics, state documents and
interviews with 30 ex-detainees, family members and a former detention camp
instructor. The campaign over the past four years in the far west region of
Xinjiang is leading to what some experts are calling a form of “demographic
genocide.”
The
state regularly subjects minority women to pregnancy checks, and forces
intrauterine devices, sterilization and even abortion on hundreds of thousands,
the interviews and data show. Even while the use of IUDs and sterilization has
fallen nationwide, it is rising sharply in Xinjiang.
The
population control measures are backed by mass detention both as a threat and
as a punishment for failure to comply. Having too many children is a major reason
people are sent to detention camps, the AP found, with the parents of three or
more ripped away from their families unless they can pay huge fines. Police
raid homes, terrifying parents as they search for hidden children.
After
Gulnar Omirzakh, a Chinese-born Kazakh, had her third child, the government
ordered her to get an IUD inserted. Two years later, in January 2018, four
officials in military camouflage came knocking at her door anyway. They gave
Omirzakh, the penniless wife of a detained vegetable trader, three days to pay
a $2,685 fine for having more than two children.
If
she didn’t, they warned, she would join her husband and a million other ethnic
minorities locked up in internment camps for having too many children.
“God
bequeaths children on you. To prevent people from having children is wrong,”
said Omirzakh, who tears up even now thinking back to that day. “They want to
destroy us as a people.”
The
result of the birth control campaign is a climate of terror around having
children, as seen in interview after interview. Birth rates in the mostly
Uighur regions of Hotan and Kashgar plunged by more than 60% from 2015 to 2018,
the latest year available in government statistics. Across the Xinjiang region,
birth rates continue to plummet, falling nearly 24% last year alone — compared
to just 4.2% nationwide, statistics show.
The
hundreds of millions of dollars the government pours into birth control has
transformed Xinjiang from one of China’s fastest-growing regions to among its
slowest in just a few years, according to new research obtained by The
Associated Press in advance of publication by China scholar Adrian Zenz.
“This
kind of drop is unprecedented....there’s a ruthlessness to it,” said Zenz, a
leading expert in the policing of China’s minority regions. “This is part of a
wider control campaign to subjugate the Uighurs.”
The
Chinese Foreign Ministry referred multiple requests for comment to the Xinjiang
government, which did not respond. However, Chinese officials have said in the
past that the new measures are merely meant to be fair, allowing both Han
Chinese and ethnic minorities the same number of children.
For
decades, China had one of the most extensive systems of minority entitlements
in the world, with Uighurs and others getting more points on college entrance
exams, hiring quotas for government posts and laxer birth control restrictions.
Under China’s now-abandoned ‘one child’ policy, the authorities had long
encouraged, often forced, contraceptives, sterilization and abortion on Han Chinese.
But minorities were allowed two children — three if they came from the
countryside.
Under
President Xi Jinping, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, those
benefits are now being rolled back. In 2014, soon after Xi visited Xinjiang,
the region’s top official said it was time to implement “equal family planning
policies” for all ethnicities and “reduce and stabilize birth rates.” In the
following years, the government declared that instead of just one child, Han
Chinese could now have two, and three in Xinjiang’s rural areas, just like
minorities.
But
while equal on paper, in practice Han Chinese are largely spared the abortions,
sterilizations, IUD insertions and detentions for having too many children that
are forced on Xinjiang’s other ethnicities, interviews and data show. Some
rural Muslims, like Omirzakh, are punished even for having the three children
allowed by the law.
State-backed
scholars have warned for years that large rural religious families were at the
root of bombings, knifings and other attacks the Xinjiang government blamed on
Islamic terrorists. The growing Muslim population was a breeding ground for
poverty and extremism, “heightening political risk,” according to a 2017 paper
by the head of the Institute of Sociology at the Xinjiang Academy of Social
Sciences. Another cited as a key obstacle the religious belief that “the fetus
is a gift from God.”
Outside
experts say the birth control campaign is part of a state-orchestrated assault
on the Uighurs to purge them of their faith and identity and forcibly
assimilate them into the dominant Han Chinese culture. They’re subjected to
political and religious re-education in camps and forced labor in factories,
while their children are indoctrinated in orphanages. Uighurs, who are often
but not always Muslim, are also tracked by a vast digital surveillance
apparatus.
“The
intention may not be to fully eliminate the Uighur population, but it will
sharply diminish their vitality, making them easier to assimilate,” said Darren
Byler, an expert on Uighurs at the University of Colorado.
Some
go a step further.
“It’s
genocide, full stop. It’s not immediate, shocking, mass-killing on the spot
type genocide, but it’s slow, painful, creeping genocide,” said Joanne Smith
Finley, who works at Newcastle University in the U.K. “These are direct means
of genetically reducing the Uighur population.”
For
centuries, the majority was Muslim in the arid, landlocked region China now
calls “Xinjiang” — meaning “New Frontier” in Mandarin.
After
the People’s Liberation Army swept through in 1949, China’s new Communist
rulers ordered thousands of soldiers to settle in Xinjiang, pushing the Han
population from 6.7% that year to more than 40% by 1980. The move sowed anxiety
about Chinese migration that persists to this day. Drastic efforts to restrict
birth rates in the 1990s were relaxed after major pushback, with many parents
paying bribes or registering children as the offspring of friends or other
family members.
That
all changed with an unprecedented crackdown starting in 2017, throwing hundreds
of thousands of people into prisons and camps for alleged “signs of religious
extremism” such as travelling abroad, praying or using foreign social media.
Authorities launched what several notices called “dragnet-style” investigations
to root out parents with too many children, even those who gave birth decades
ago.
“Leave
no blind spots,” said two county and township directives in 2018 and 2019
uncovered by Zenz, who is also an independent contractor with the Victims of
Communism Memorial Foundation, a bipartisan nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.
“Contain illegal births and lower fertility levels,” said a third.
Officials
and armed police began pounding on doors, looking for kids and pregnant women.
Minority residents were ordered to attend weekly flag-raising ceremonies, where
officials threatened detention if they didn’t register all their children,
according to interviews backed by attendance slips and booklets. Notices found
by the AP show that local governments set up or expanded systems to reward
those who report illegal births.
In
some areas, women were ordered to take gynaecology exams after the ceremonies,
they said. In others, officials outfitted special rooms with ultrasound
scanners for pregnancy tests.
“Test
all who need to be tested,” ordered a township directive from 2018. “Detect and
deal with those who violate policies early.”
Abdushukur
Umar was among the first to fall victim to the crackdown on children. A jovial
Uighur tractor driver-turned-fruit merchant, the proud father considered his
seven children a blessing from God.
But
authorities began pursuing him in 2016. The following year, he was thrown into
a camp and later sentenced to seven years in prison — one for each child,
authorities told relatives.
“My
cousin spent all his time taking care of his family, he never took part in any
political movements,” Zuhra Sultan, Umar’s cousin, said from exile in Turkey.
“How can you get seven years in prison for having too many children? We’re
living in the 21st century — this is unimaginable.”
Fifteen
Uighurs and Kazakhs told the AP they knew people interned or jailed for having
too many children. Many received years, even decades in prison.
Leaked
data obtained and corroborated by the AP showed that of 484 camp detainees
listed in Karakax county in Xinjiang, 149 were there for having too many
children - the most common reason for holding them. Time in a camp — what the
government calls “education and training” — for parents with too many children
is written policy in at least three counties, notices found by Zenz confirmed.
In
2017, the Xinjiang government also tripled the already hefty fines for
violating family planning laws for even the poorest residents — to at least
three times the annual disposable income of the county. While fines also apply
to Han Chinese, only minorities are sent to the detention camps if they cannot
pay, according to interviews and data. Government reports show the counties
collect millions of dollars from the fines each year.
In
other efforts to change the population balance of Xinjiang, China is dangling
land, jobs and economic subsidies to lure Han migrants there. It is also
aggressively promoting intermarriage between Han Chinese and Uighurs, with one
couple telling the AP they were given money for housing and amenities like a
washing machine, refrigerator and TV.
“It
links back to China’s long history of dabbling in eugenics….you don’t want
people who are poorly educated, marginal minorities breeding quickly,” said
James Leibold, a specialist in Chinese ethnic policy at La Trobe in Melbourne.
“What you want is your educated Han to increase their birth rate.”
Sultan
describes how the policy looks to Uighurs like her: “The Chinese government
wants to control the Uighur population and make us fewer and fewer, until we
disappear.”
Once
in the detention camps, women are subjected to forced IUDs and what appear to
be pregnancy prevention shots, according to former detainees. They are also
made to attend lectures on how many children they should have.
Seven
former detainees told the AP that they were force-fed birth control pills or
injected with fluids, often with no explanation. Many felt dizzy, tired or ill,
and women stopped getting their periods. After being released and leaving
China, some went to get medical check-ups and found they were sterile.
It’s
unclear what former detainees were injected with, but Xinjiang hospital slides
obtained by the AP show that pregnancy prevention injections, sometimes with
the hormonal medication Depo-Provera, are a common family planning measure.
Side effects can include headaches and dizziness.
Dina
Nurdybay, a Kazakh woman, was detained in a camp which separated married and
unmarried women. The married women were given pregnancy tests, Nurdybay
recalled, and forced to have IUDs installed if they had children. She was
spared because she was unmarried and childless.
One
day in February 2018, one of her cellmates, a Uighur woman, had to give a
speech confessing what guards called her “crimes.” When a visiting official
peered through the iron bars of their cell, she recited her lines in halting
Mandarin.
“I
gave birth to too many children,” she said. “It shows I’m uneducated and know
little about the law.”
“Do
you think it’s fair that Han people are only allowed to have one child?” the
official asked, according to Nurdybay. “You ethnic minorities are shameless,
wild and uncivilized.”
Nurdybay
met at least two others in the camps whom she learned were locked up for having
too many children. Later, she was transferred to another facility with an
orphanage that housed hundreds of children, including those with parents
detained for giving birth too many times. The children counted the days until
they could see their parents on rare visits.
“They
told me they wanted to hug their parents, but they were not allowed,” she said.
“They always looked very sad.”
Another
former detainee, Tursunay Ziyawudun, said she was injected until she stopped
having her period, and kicked repeatedly in the lower stomach during interrogations.
She now can’t have children and often doubles over in pain, bleeding from her
womb, she said.
Ziyawudun
and the 40 other women in her “class” were forced to attend family planning
lectures most Wednesdays, where films were screened about impoverished women
struggling to feed many children. Married women were rewarded for good
behaviour with conjugal visits from their husbands, along with showers, towels,
and two hours in a bedroom. But there was a catch – they had to take birth
control pills beforehand.
Some
women have even reported forced abortions. Ziyawudun said a “teacher” at her
camp told women they would face abortions if found pregnant during gynaecology
exams.
A
woman in another class turned out to be pregnant and disappeared from the camp,
she said. She added that two of her cousins who were pregnant got rid of their
children on their own because they were so afraid.
Another
woman, Gulbakhar Jalilova, confirmed that detainees in her camp were forced to
abort their children. She also saw a new mother, still leaking breast milk, who
did not know what had happened to her infant. And she met doctors and medical
students who were detained for helping Uighurs dodge the system and give birth
at home.
In
December 2017, on a visit from Kazakhstan back to China, Gulzia Mogdin was
taken to a hospital after police found WhatsApp on her phone. A urine sample
revealed she was two months pregnant with her third child. Officials told
Mogdin she needed to get an abortion and threatened to detain her brother if
she didn’t.
During
the procedure, medics inserted an electric vacuum into her womb and sucked her
fetus out of her body. She was taken home and told to rest, as they planned to
take her to a camp.
Months
later, Mogdin made it back to Kazakhstan, where her husband lives.
“That
baby was going to be the only baby we had together,” said Mogdin, who had
recently remarried. “I cannot sleep. It’s terribly unfair.”
The
success of China’s push to control births among Muslim minorities shows up in
the numbers for IUDs and sterilization.
In
2014, just over 200,000 IUDs were inserted in Xinjiang. By 2018, that jumped
more than 60 per cent to nearly 330,000 IUDs. At the same time, IUD use tumbled
elsewhere in China, as many women began getting the devices removed.
A
former teacher drafted to work as an instructor at a detention camp described
her experience with IUDs to the AP.
It
started with flag-raising assemblies at her housing compound at the beginning
of 2017, where residents were forced to chant: “If we have too many children,
we’re religious extremists....That means we have to go to the training
centers.” After every flag-raising ceremony, police rounded up parents with too
many children – over 180 – until “not a single one was left,” she said.
Officers with guns and tasers hauled her neighbours away at night, and from
time to time pounded on her door and swept her apartment for Qurans, knives,
prayer mats and of course children.
“Your
heart would leap out of your chest,” she said.
Then,
that August, officials in the teacher’s compound were told to install IUDs on
all women of childbearing age. She protested, saying she was nearly 50 with
just one child and no plans to have more. Officials threatened to drag her to a
police station and strap her to an iron chair for interrogation.
She
was forced into a bus with four armed officers and taken to a hospital where
hundreds of Uighur women lined up in silence, waiting for IUDs to be inserted.
Some wept quietly, but nobody dared say a word because of the surveillance cameras
hanging overhead.
Her
IUD was designed to be irremovable without special instruments. The first 15
days, she got headaches and nonstop menstrual bleeding.
“I
couldn’t eat properly, I couldn’t sleep properly. It gave me huge psychological
pressure,” she said. “Only Uighurs had to wear it.”
Chinese
health statistics also show a sterilization boom in Xinjiang.
Budget
documents obtained by Zenz show that starting in 2016, the Xinjiang government
began pumping tens of millions of dollars into a birth control surgery program
and cash incentives for women to get sterilized. While sterilization rates
plunged in the rest of the country, they surged seven-fold in Xinjiang from
2016 to 2018, to more than 60,000 procedures. The Uighur-majority city of Hotan
budgeted for 14,872 sterilizations in 2019 — about 34% of all married women of
childbearing age.
Even
within Xinjiang, policies vary widely, being harsher in the heavily Uighur
south than the Han-majority north. In Shihezi, a Han-dominated city where
Uighurs make up just 2% of the population, the government subsidizes baby
formula and hospital birth services to encourage more children, state media
reported.
Zumret
Dawut got no such benefits. In 2018, the mother of three was locked in a camp
for two months for having an American visa.
When
she returned home under house arrest, officials forced her to get gynaecology
exams every month, along with all other Uighur women in her compound. Han women
were exempted. They warned that if she didn’t take what they called “free
examinations”, she could end up back in the camp.
One
day, they turned up with a list of at least 200 Uighur women in her compound
with more than two children who had to get sterilized, Dawut recalled.
“My
Han Chinese neighbours, they sympathized with us Uighurs,” Dawut said. “They
told me, ‘oh, you’re suffering terribly, the government is going way too far!’”
Dawut
protested, but police again threatened to send her back to the camp. During the
sterilization procedure, Han Chinese doctors injected her with anaesthesia and
tied her fallopian tubes — a permanent operation. When Dawut came to, she felt
her womb ache.
“I
was so angry,” she said. “I wanted another son.”
Looking
back, Omirzakh considers herself lucky.
After
that frigid day when officials threatened to lock her up, Omirzakh called
relatives around the clock. Hours before the deadline, she scraped together
enough money to pay the fine from the sale of her sister’s cow and
high-interest loans, leaving her deep in debt.
For
the next year, Omirzakh attended classes with the wives of others detained for
having too many children. She and her children lived with two local party
officials sent specially to spy on them. When her husband was finally released,
they fled for Kazakhstan with just a few bundles of blankets and clothes.
The
IUD still in Omirzakh’s womb has now sunk into her flesh, causing inflammation
and piercing back pain, “like being stabbed with a knife.” For Omirzakh, it’s a
bitter reminder of everything she’s lost — and the plight of those she left
behind.
“People
there are now terrified of giving birth,” she said. “When I think of the word
‘Xinjiang,’ I can still feel that fear.”
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/world/neighbours/290620/china-forces-birth-control-on-uighurs-to-curb-muslim-population.html
--------
Arab
world
Saudi
Arabia Mulls Crowd Control to Partially Resume Umrah In Mecca
29
June 2020
Saudi
Arabia’s Agency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque in Mecca is currently
developing a crowd control plan as it prepares for the partial opening of the
mosque and the holy Kaaba soon, local media reported.
The
plan is part of the Kingdom’s efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
The
Grand Mosque and its courtyards will operate at 40 percent capacity, local
media cited well-informed sources as saying.
Visitors
may be asked to obtain a permit before arriving at the Grand Mosque through the
Tawakkalna app so authorities can limit the number of people entering the
mosque, according to the sources.
Thermal
cameras will be set up at all entrances of the mosque and separate entry and
exit points will be designated for visitors.
Any
individual who records a high temperature will be prevented from entering the
mosque and will be referred to specialists from the health ministry.
Social
distancing measures will be enforced at all times to prevent crowding, while
face masks will be mandatory for all visitors.
The
ground, first, and second floor of the holy mosque will be allocated for those
performing tawaf. Elderly people and people with special needs shall be allowed
to use the second floor.
Tawaf
is the ritual of circumambulating the Kaaba seven times as part of Umrah or
Hajj in Mecca.
The
central Haram area, closest to the Kaaba, may be closed for visitors,
especially on Friday to limit crowding, the sources said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/06/29/Coronavirus-Saudi-Arabia-reviewing-crowd-control-plan-to-partially-resume-Umrah-.html
--------
Riyadh
Attempting to Legitimize Southern Transitional Council's Coup
Jun
28, 2020
The
Arabic-language al-Arabi al-Jadid newspaper reported on Sunday that the
Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighters have staged "a full-fledged
coup" in the strategic island of Socotra.
By
the end of Saturday, the separatist group, which is backed by the UAE had taken
control of most of the remote province from forces loyal to fugitive President
Mansour Hadi, declaring autonomy in those regions.
"It
is not unlikely that Saudi Arabia is the side which has persuaded the STC into
intensified measures to expand the areas under its control by declaring
autonomy in all provinces of Southern Yemen," al-Arabi al-Jadid wrote.
It
added that Saudi Arabia has also provoked the STC into organizing rallies
against the government in certain provinces, including al-Mahrah and
al-Shabwah.
Officials
have said that the secessionist STC also arrested several military personnel
and civilians opposed to the presence of UAE-funded militias on Socotra.
The
STC raises the flag of the former communist state in the South and has pushed
to again split the war-torn country in two, as it was from 1967 to 1990.
Socotra
Governor Ramzi Mahrous condemned the separatist attacks in his province, saying
from his home in the Indian Ocean island that his forces would fight back. He
did not elaborate.
On
Friday, separatists seized several state buildings, including the governor's
headquarters, as they pushed into the provincial capital, Hadibo, and engaged
in fierce fighting with forces loyal to the government of Hadi.
Saudi
Arabia and its allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan,
launched a brutal war against Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall
Yemen’s former president Hadi.
The
aggression initially consisted of a bombing campaign but was later coupled with
a naval blockade and the deployment of ground forces to Yemen. Hundreds of
thousands of people have died since the war began, says Yemen’s Health
Ministry.
The
Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure,
destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The United Nations (UN) has said
that a record 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4
million threatened by severe hunger.
Despite
Riyadh's claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters,
Saudi bombers are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.
Full
report at:
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990408000825
--------
Lebanese
Minister: President Michel Aoun protected me after killing two in civil war
28
June 2020
Lebanese
President Michel Aoun protected the now Minister of Interior Mohamed Fahmi
after he killed two men during the Lebanese Civil War, the minister said in a
TV interview shared online this week.
The
footage raises further questions over the ties between the supposedly
technocratic government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, brought to power after
months of anti-government protests that called for a change of system, and the
pre-existing political elite dominated by figures including Aoun.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Fahmi
told an anecdote of how Aoun stood up for him in 1981, which was during
Lebanon’s Civil War (1975-1990), when describing the “spiritual relationship”
between the two men.
“I
killed two people, and there was a clash with this party. And even though the
party was really strong. [Aoun] called for me to come to his office,” recounted
Fahmi in a television interview shared by Maha Yahya, the director of the
Carnegie Middle East thinktank.
“[Aoun]
said, ‘listen Mohammed, as long as I am breathing no one will even poke you
with a fork.’ This is Michel Aoun,” he explained.
In
1981, Aoun was a brigadier-general in charge of the eight battalion of the
Lebanese army. He later rose to lead the entire army in 1984, before fleeing
the current after losing his “war of liberation” against the Syrian army at the
end of the war (1989-1990).
He
eventually returned to Lebanon in 2005, after Syrian troops withdrew from the
country, entering politics with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) led by his
son-in-law Gebran Bassil. Aoun became president of Lebanon in 2016, ten years
after the FPM signed a memorandum of understanding with Hezbollah that formed
the bedrock of the “March 8” political movement.
New
government, old elite?
Widespread
protests broke out across Lebanon in October, 2019, calling for the fall of the
entire political order, including both the “March 8” alliance and the rival
“March 14” bloc.
While
the protests led to a new government under Diab in January, the government has
been accused of being a front for the old political elite, especially Hezbollah
and the FPM.
Fahmi,
as interior ministry, was reportedly one of Hezbollah’s candidates.
“There
are rumors circulating that the security adviser of Bashar al Assad asked
Hezbollah to push for his name as interior minister,” said Nadim El Kak, a
researcher at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, at the time of his
appointment in January.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/28/Lebanese-Minister-says-President-Michel-Aoun-protected-him-after-he-killed-two-men.html
--------
Nine
Iran-backed fighters killed in another raid in Syria: Monitor
28
June 2020
Air
strikes targeting positions of Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria killed
nine fighters on Sunday in the second such raid in 24 hours, a war monitor
said.
The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel was “likely
responsible” for the strikes near the Iraqi border.
They
came hours after a similar raid killed six other Tehran-backed fighters,
raising the total toll to 15 killed in 24 hours, according to the monitor.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
fighters killed in the early Sunday raids were mostly Iraqi nationals,
according to Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman.
There
was no official comment from Israel.
Israel
has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in
2011.
It
has targeted government troops, allied Iranian forces and fighters from
Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
It
rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria but says Iran’s presence in
support of President Bashar al-Assad is a threat and that it will continue its
strikes.
The
uptick in attacks has prompted concern among Iran-backed forces in east Syria
that Israeli agents may be among their ranks, the monitor said.
These
forces have arrested four people on suspicion of providing intelligence to
Israel, the war monitor reported on Sunday, shortly before the latest raids.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/28/Nine-Iran-backed-fighters-killed-in-another-raid-in-Syria-Monitor-.html
--------
Syria
demands UN report on legality of US, EU economic sanctions under international
law
28
June 2020
Syria
has called on the United Nations to prepare a report on the legality of
economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union against
the country under the international law and relevant Security Council
resolutions.
Syrian
Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja'afari, in two identical letters addressed to
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the rotating President of the
Security Council Nicolas de Riviere on Sunday, urged the world body to assign
competent legal and political authorities with the task of preparing an urgent
report on the extent to which punitive measures imposed by the US
administration and the 27-member EU are compatible with the UN Charter,
international law, international humanitarian fundamentals and the Security
Council decisions.
Ja'afari
highlighted that the report should shed light on the harmful effects that the
sanctions have had on the lives of ordinary Syrians, and on the ability of the
United Nations to implement its humanitarian assistance programs in Syria.
The
Syrian top diplomat further noted that the report should also point to the
serious challenges that coercive measures taken by the US and EU pose to the
political solution of the conflict in Syria, and the work of UN Special Envoy
for Syria Geir Pedersen in this regard.
On
June 23, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem denounced the latest round of
United States economic sanctions against his country, saying they are meant to
revive terrorism in Syria and force Damascus to turn its back on the
anti-Israel resistance front.
Muallem
stressed that the latest US economic sanctions against Syria do not include any
exemptions, and adversely affect the imports of food, medicine and medical
devices.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/28/628454/Syria-UN-economic-sanctions
--------
Americans
directly interfering in Lebanon’s affairs, President Aoun says
28
June 2020
President
Michel Aoun has censured Washington’s ‘direct’ interference in the internal
affairs of Lebanon, against the backdrop of comments by US Ambassador to Beirut
Dorothy Shea.
“The
Americans are directly interfering in the Lebanese domestic affairs; and this
is unacceptable,” Aoun said in an exclusive interview with the Beirut-based
Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network on Sunday.
He
cautioned the US envoy over making more caustic remarks against the Lebanese
resistance movement Hezbollah, emphasizing that the group represents the
Lebanese society and enjoys popularity among people.
Earlier
in the day, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti summoned Shea over her
anti-Hezbollah criticism.
Al-Mayadeen
reported that Hitti will meet with Dorothy Shea at 3:00 p.m. local time (1200
GMT) on Monday to inform her that, under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
Relations of 1961, an ambassador must not interfere in the domestic affairs of
another country, and that her speech must not seek to pit Lebanese people
against each other.
The
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations is an international treaty that
defines a framework for diplomatic relations between countries.
On
Saturday, Lebanese judge Mohamad Mazeh in the southern city of Tyre banned
local and foreign media outlets in the country from interviewing the US
Ambassador for a year, after Shea told Saudi-owned al-Hadath television news
network that Washington has “great concerns” over Hezbollah’s role in the
government.
Hezbollah’s
growing popularity in the Arab and Muslim world after the resistance movement
shattered the Israeli military’s myth of invincibility during the 33-day
military offensive on Lebanon back in the summer of 2006 has been a matter of
serious concern for the Tel Aviv regime and its Western allies.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/28/628443/Lebanon-Aoun-US
--------
Lebanese
foreign minister summons US envoy in growing row over her attack on Hezbollah
June
28, 2020
BEIRUT:
The US Ambassador to Lebanon has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry in
Beirut on Monday amid a growing furor over the envoy’s criticism of Hezbollah.
The
row began when the ambassador, Dorothy Shea, told the Saudi-owned news channel
Al-Hadath that the US had “grave concerns about the role of Hezbollah, a
designated terrorist organization.”
She
added: “It has syphoned off billions of dollars that should have gone into
government coffers so that the government can provide basic services to its
people. It has obstructed some of the reforms the Lebanese economy so
desperately needs.”
Mohamad
Mazeh, a judge in the southern city of Tyre, was widely ridiculed on Saturday
when he ruled that the envoy’s comments incited sectarian strife, and issued an
order banning the media from reporting anything she said for a year.Judicial
sources said the judge’s ruling had no legal force, the US State Department
described it as “pathetic” and on Sunday Lebanese media ignored it.
Local
TV stations broadcast new comments from the ambassador in which she described
the judge’s decision as “unfortunate.”
“I
was contacted yesterday afternoon by a high-ranking and well-placed official in
the Lebanese government who apologized, and said this ruling did not have
proper standing,” Shea said. The official told her the government would “take
the necessary steps to reverse it.”
Hezbollah
is the main political force behind the Lebanese government. Washington
considers the heavily armed pro-Iran movement to be a terrorist group.
Information
Minister Manal Abdel Samad tweeted that while she understood the judge’s
concerns about diplomats meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs “no one had the
right to prevent the media from covering news, or to curb press freedoms.”
In
one of several media appearances on Sunday, Shea told broadcaster MTV that a
senior government official had assured her the court did not have the authority
to order the ban, and that the government would take steps to reverse it.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1696826/middle-east
--------
Mideast
‘Day
of Rage’ protests against Israeli annexation to hit US, Europe
29
June 2020
Protests
condemning the Israeli plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank are set to
take place in the United States and Europe on the same day prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu plans to begin the process.
The
demonstrations will be held on Wednesday in Chicago, San Diego, Brooklyn, Los
Angeles and San Francisco. Other Western cities will also witness similar
protests, including Toronto, Madrid and Valencia.
Students
for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and American Muslims for
Palestine are among the pro-Palestinian groups organizing the protests.
The
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, one of the organizers, urged
"direct actions and popular mobilizations in [Palestinian] refugee camps,
cities and villages," and professed "loyalty to the martyrs" on
its call for the events.
Another
group, Al-Awda or the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition, decried "72
years of genocide, ethnic cleansing and dispossession" of Palestinians.
It
also tied their demonstrations to the protests against anti-black racism in the
US and beyond.
"We
demand the defunding and dismantling of US police alongside the defunding and
dismantling of Zionist colonialism and racist Israeli apartheid," Al-Awda
said on its website.
Netanyahu
has set July 1 as the date for the start of cabinet discussions on the
annexation plan.
He
has been driven ahead by US President Donald Trump, who unveiled a “peace” plan
for the Middle East in January that effectively sidelines the Palestinians
altogether.
The
plan, which Trump himself has described as the “deal of the century,” envisions
Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allows the Tel Aviv
regime to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
The plan also denies Palestinian refugees the right of return to their
homeland, among other controversial terms.
The
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian
state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/29/628478/Anti-annexation-protests-US
--------
Houthis
cage 20,000 abductees in 790 jails, recruit 7,000 children: Human rights groups
June
28, 2020
AL-MUKALLA:
Iranian-backed Houthi militias have incarcerated around 20,000 abductees in 790
prisons in Yemeni areas under their control, human rights chiefs have revealed.
The
rebel fighters were on Saturday accused of carrying out sweeping human rights
abuses against their opponents since seizing power in Yemen by force in 2014.
A
virtual meeting of the Yemeni Coalition to Monitor Human Rights Violations,
known as the Rasd Coalition, heard that tens of thousands of people who had
challenged the Houthis’ rule were being held in secret and known jails.
The
coalition also reported that the armed group had recruited 7,000 children and
was responsible for planting thousands of landmines that had killed 6,000
people.
Speaking
at the gathering, which brought together human rights organizations from inside
and outside of Yemen, the coalition’s Executive Director Mutahar Al-Badhiji said
the meeting aimed to highlight Houthi actions that had fueled the world’s worst
humanitarian crisis at a time when the fragile Yemeni health system was
battling to cope with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Houthis
have repeatedly come under heavy criticism from local and international rights
groups for arbitrarily abducting their opponents and suppressing protests in
the city of Sanaa and other provinces in northern Yemen.
A
Houthi-controlled court recently sentenced four Yemeni journalists to death, a
move that triggered global condemnation. The movement has also vowed to execute
dozens of legislators, journalists, activists, and military officers who
switched sides and backed the internationally recognized government.
Najeeb
Al-Saadi, head of the executive unit in Yemen for internally displaced people,
told symposium delegates that the Yemeni conflict had forced 3.66 million
people to flee their homes and take shelter in 521 displacement camps in the
country.
The
number of displaced Yemenis has increased since the beginning of this year as a
result of heavy fighting between Houthi and government forces in Marib province
and Nehim district, near Sanaa.
Meanwhile,
the main road between the southern Yemeni province of Abyan and Aden was
reopened on Sunday as battles between government troops and separatists ended,
a day after Yemen’s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ordered his military in
Abyan to stop fighting.
“We
are committed to the order of our leadership. We stopped fighting and reopened
the road to Aden,” an army officer, who wished to remain anonymous, told Arab
News.
On
Saturday, Hadi told his troops to commit to the truce in Abyan and urged the
separatists to halt hostilities in the southern province and abide by the terms
of the Riyadh Agreement.
In
April, the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced self-rule
in south Yemen, pushing the government into mounting an offensive to expel its
forces from Aden.
Elsewhere,
fighting broke out on Saturday in Taiz when Houthis shelled the densely
populated southern city before conducting a ground push aimed at seizing
control of new areas on the city’s western edges.
Yemen’s
defense ministry said that army troops pushed back the Houthi attack and killed
and wounded numerous rebels during a two-hour battle. Heavy fighting was also
reported on Sunday in the central province of Al-Bayda amid confirmed reports
that the Houthis had seized control of areas in Qania district.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1696946/middle-east
--------
Israel
takes issue with God TV’s Shelanu station
28
June 2020
The
Israeli regime has announced the closure of a US-based evangelical TV channel,
citing its hidden missionary agenda.
God
TV’s Shelanu station has seven days to shut down, Israeli chairman of the cable
and satellite broadcasting council Asher Biton said Sunday, adding that the
concerned officials had been notified Thursday.
“A
channel that wishes to spread the gospel of Jesus among the Jewish nation
sitting in Israel had never been broadcast on Hot [the Israeli provider], and
the heads of the channel knew that, as was clarified in the hearing we held,”he
said.
This
is reportedly the first time that Tel Aviv is shutting down an evangelical TV
channel.
Biton
added that the station was supposed to be “targeting the Christian population,”
asserting that it is a “complicated and sensitive matter.”
“Therefore,
whether it was a violation of the obligation for fairness, a deliberate
cover-up or a decision to change the nature of programming after the license
was approved, the channel should not be allowed to continue broadcasting based
on the license it was given,” he said.
The
station is set to reapply, according to Ron Cantor, GOD TV’s Israel
representative.
"Our
license, granted by... Israel, says in Hebrew that our target audience is the
audience of Israeli viewers,” he said. “There is no stipulation whatsoever that
we must target Christians. I have read the license over and over and it is very
clear.”
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/28/628462/Israel-to-shut-down-US-evangelical-TV-channel
--------
Official:
Human Rights Practically Taught to Europeans by Iran's Exports of
Anti-Coronavirus Equipment
Jun
28, 2020
"Our
country has been under sanctions for years and the sanctions have sorely
increased in the past two years and the area of sanctions have extended against
our country by the Europeans and Americans, but despite sanctions we could act
successfully by using our past experiences in the (8-year Iraqi-imposed) war
and smart management and after a while, we were even able to export
anti-coronavirus medical equipment to the European states too," Baqeri
said on Sunday.
He
added that the European states are as much as the US an accomplice in imposing
sanctions against Iran.
Baqeri
explained that during his recent meeting with the European countries'
ambassadors to Tehran, he has underlined that Iran does not allow human rights
to be contaminated with politics.
"We
practically taught human rights to these countries by exporting
anti-coronavirus equipment to them," he said.
On
May 19, Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari
announced his country’s self-sufficiency in production of equipment to fight
against coronavirus.
“Now,
our country does not need imports of equipment to fight against coronavirus and
all the country’s needs are met indigenously,” Sattari told reporters in the
Southern city of Bushehr.
He
noted that Iran imported a number of equipment to fight against COVID-19 virus
on the first days of the virus outbreak but it achieved self-sufficiency in
manufacturing the hospital and ICU rooms equipment with the efforts of the
knowledge-based companies.
Sattari
also said that 8 Iranian knowledge-based companies have received necessary permissions
for the exports of kits to diagnose coronavirus infection.
Iran
started exporting of coronavirus-related hygiene products and medical equipment
just a few days after the outbreak of the virus in late February, and the
number of countries requesting Iran-made products keeps increasing.
Full
report at:
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990408000430
--------
Zarif:
Iran Not to Breach Human Principles to Reciprocate Brutality
Jun
28, 2020
Zarif
said that the UN inspected several times Iran's concerns over the Iraqi use of
chemical weapons, as well as Baghdad’s claim that Iran had also used chemical
weapons.
The
UN concluded that Saddam's regime was the only user of chemical weapons and
Iranians didn't do so even as a deterring tool, Iran's top diplomat added.
Zarif
noted that Iran at the time voiced its concerns about Iraq's use of chemical
weapons to the world, the UN and the Security Council, but the world powers
whose interests were dependent on supporting the invasive Iraqi regime, kept
silent.
The
UN Security Council released reports of Iraq's use of chemical weapons one
after another, but it never took action and never condemned Iraq even when they
bombed Iranian cities and civilians, the official stressed.
Zarif
also said that the United States still continues, as it did in those days, to
claim that it is concerned about international laws; while it blocks the supply
of medicine for victims of those chemical attacks and other patients in Iran.
He
stressed that the US does not recognize human basics as it has done even during
the coronavirus epidemic, but Iran has successfully fought the disease just as
it overcame the chemical patients' problem.
Tens
of thousands of Iranians were killed and wounded by chemical weapons during the
1980-1988 Iraqi imposed war on Iran. Around 100,000 Iranians are still living
with the effects, which include long-term respiratory problems, eye and skin
problems as well as immune system disorders, psychological disorders, genetic
disorders, and probably cancers.
Sardasht
is a city in Northwestern Iran. According to the 2006 census, its population
was 37,000. It lies in the West Azarbaijan province. It was the first city in
which civilians were attacked with chemical weapons by former Iraqi dictator,
Saddam Hussein during the imposed Iraqi war on Iran.
The
population of Sardasht is Kurdish. Sardasht is also known for the many villages
around it and their reliability on the city's market.
On
June 28, 1987, Iraqi aircraft dropped what Iranian authorities believed to be
mustard gas bombs on Sardasht, in two separate bombing runs on four residential
areas.
Full
report at:
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990408000337
--------
Concerns
growing over two lawyers on ‘death fasts’ in Turkey prison: Activists
29
June 2020
Concerns
are growing over two lawyers currently on death fasts in prison in Turkey as
activists continue to protest what they say is negligence by Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government in their treatment of prisoners on hunger
strike.
Lawyers
Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal both began a hunger strike on February 3 and a
death fast on April 5, demanding a fair trial.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Last
May, Timtik was sentenced to 13 years, six months, and Aytaç Ünsal to 10 years,
six months.
“Timtik
has lost about 40 kilograms of weight after months of a hunger strike. The
government must move to save her and her colleagues, as they are facing death.
The hunger strikers, including my cousin, are calling for a fair trial and this
is a legitimate right,” said Umran Deniz, a niece of Ünsal.
“The
charges against them are invalid, especially since Turkish judges acquitted
them and ordered their release, but on the same day other courts requested them
and sentenced them to long years in prison,” she added.
According
to the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), death fasts differ from hunger strikes
as those who go through it only drink water with sugar and salt in it compared
to hunger strikers who consume several liquids and take vitamin B.
The
issue of death fasts in Turkish prisons in recent months has been highlighted
following the death of musician Mustafa Koçak in April after 297 days of hunger
strike. Koçak was serving a life sentence over charges related to the killing
of a Turkish prosecutor. He was also part of the politically engaged Yorum
band.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/29/Concerns-growing-over-two-lawyers-on-death-fasts-in-Turkey-prison-Activists.html
--------
Strange
similarities in the declining fortunes of Syria's Bashar Al Assad and Iraq's
Saddam Hussein
June
27, 2020
Ten
years ago, residents of Damascus woke up to a sight most Syrians had never
seen.
People
were lining up at polling centres in the city to vote in free elections.
It
was March 2010, a year before the initially peaceful revolt against five
decades of Assad family rule.
But
the voters were not Syrian: the United Nations had set up the polling centres
for 190,000 eligible voters among Iraqi refugees in the country.
After
almost a decade of revolution and civil war, Bashar Al Assad remains president.
But a renewed currency collapse in the last few weeks is contributing to
economic devastation in regime areas comparable to Iraq during the 1991 to 2003
United Nations embargo.
The
deterioration is affecting core supporters of the Alawite-dominated regime, and
undermining the triumphant posture of the Iranian and Russian backers of the
Syrian president.
Promised
rewards
The
democratic election the Iraqi refugees were taking part in was possible only
because of the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Even
the Syrian opposition is not expecting the economy to bring down Mr Al Assad,
and no American decision-maker is contemplating military action to decapitate
or remove the regime.
But
a new US sanctions law, the Caesar Civilian Protection Act, is limiting
financial channels that had helped shield the regime, Alawite loyalists in
particular, from sharp declines in the economy.
Mr
Assad has been hinting at rewards to his co-religionists for helping deliver
what he terms victory-in-the-making against "terrorism", since the
Russian intervention in late 2015.
But
the new sanctions imposed last week lessened the prospects of western
involvement in the international reconstruction effort that Moscow has been
advocating to support what it describes as Syria’s sovereign government.
Demise
of business hubs
In
the last three years of Saddam’s rule, Syria was a major source of hard currency
for Iraq.
The
regime in Damascus helped Saddam government break the embargo after Bashar Al
Assad inherited power from his father Hafez in 2000, despite mutual hostility
dating to the split of the Baath Party into a Syrian wing and an Iraqi wing in
the 1960s.
Lebanon
acted as a business front for the Assads and their networks for decades, but a
financial meltdown in Beirut has curbed dollar flows to Syrian regime areas and
lowered the value of the Syrian pound.
The
Syrian currency's fall has been staggering, with the average 20,000-pound
salary now equivalent to seven US dollars. The exchange rate is about 2,700
Syrian pounds to the dollar, compared with 650 before the crisis hit Lebanon in
October-November last year, and 50 pounds at the outbreak of the Syrian revolt
in March 2011.
Money
presses let loose
Part
of the collapse is the result of the Syrian regime printing pounds to pay
government salaries and war expenses, regional bankers say.
The
Iraqi currency collapsed from 10 dinars to the dollar before the UN embargo in
1991 to 3,500 dinars to the dollar on the eve of the US-led invasion in March
2003.
The
embargo dealt an all but fatal blow to the economy, and Saddam’s government
printed dinars. The dinar recovered to 1,400 in the months after his fall in
April 2003, and is trading at similar levels today.
Iraqi
central bank figures, shown only to Saddam, revealed that the economy
contracted by 56 per cent in 1991 before reversing some of the decline in 2001
as illicit trade with Syria went into full swing.
The
World Bank classified Syria in 2016 as one of the world’s poorest countries,
due to the “steep decline” in per capita income.
The
bank said the classification "emphasises the sheer scale of the damage the
conflict has done to Syria’s economy”.
A
Syrian businessman supportive of the president said the war economy has been
compensating many Alawites in the military and security apparatus for the
decline in the value of their salaries due to the pound’s collapse.
But
he said some in the Alawite Mountains and in coastal regions have been
resorting to subsistence agriculture.
“More
small plots of land are being harvested by those without a windfall from the
war because they cannot afford their needs of food,” he said.
The
businessman said murmurings in the Alawite community, indirectly against Mr Al
Assad, had started in public and on social media.
He
pointed to an administrator of a loyalist online network called the Latakia
News Group. She recanted this month after complaining about the economic
deterioration in her home city of Jableh on the coast.
Demonstrations
demanding the removal of the president were held in the mostly Druze province
of Suweida before security forces attacked and arrested seven civilians.
The
regime had considered the Druze a natural ally, having marketed itself as
protector of the country’s minorities.
Loyalist
fragmentation
Veteran
Syrian opposition figure Fawaz Tello expects the economic decline to compromise
alliances between the regime and other minority communities, and spark more
turf warfare between Alawite militias who expanded during the conflict.
Mr
Tello told The National that regardless of economic conditions, he expects no
significant movement among Alawites to bring down the president because the
whole regime could come crashing down.
“Their
main problem is that the war subsided and many are living off old loot,” he
said.
The
regime’s economic model since Hafez Al Assad took power in a coup 50 years ago
“has been built on the extortion of the Sunnis whom it emptied the country of”,
Mr Tello said, pointing out that most of Syria’s 12 million refugees and
displaced people are Sunnis.
“The
minority communities will come under pressure to cough up cash” to the Alawites
in charge, he said.
Militias
and business
The
coastal region is home to the Alawite "shabbiha", the nucleus of the
regime’s paramilitary forces. Their smuggling and other illicit activities with
Lebanon expanded after 2011, together with their role as enforcers for the
regime.
The
shabbiha moniker comes from the Arabic word for ghosts, as the black Mercedes
S-Class saloons the militias drive are called.
A
new class of Sunni frontmen and henchmen linked to Saddam’s son Uday emerged in
Iraq after 1991. Their preferred transport was white Toyota Land Cruisers.
The
Takarteh, as they were known, after Saddam’s home city, ran smuggling rings and
struck deals under the UN oil-for-food programme, which was later exposed as
having been significantly corrupt.
Uday’s
network was replaced after 2003 with a more fragmented Shiite equivalent, known
as "hawasem", meaning discounters.
Rise
and fall of the moneymen
As
the feeling grew among some Alawites that they were being sacrificed as foot
soldiers for the survival of the Assads, the regime gave handouts to families
who lost members in the fighting.
The
funds were linked to a business network run by the president’s cousin, the
oligarch Rami Makhlouf.
A
rift between the two men broke out in the open, exposing parts of the huge
fortune accumulated over decades by the inner circle.
Mr
Makhlouf, who is widely seen as the regime’s moneyman, made a series of video
statements in May lambasting the regime for what he saw as a betrayal. He has
gone offline since.
Businessmen
who know Mr Makhlouf’s intricate, and sole, knowledge about where the money is
say this has contributed to sparing him physical harm
Saddam
was not that patient with his relatives.
He
had his two sons-in-law killed in February 1996, although one of them was
entrusted with money Saddam did not recover.
Hussein
Kamel and his brother, known as Saddam Majid, had defected to Jordan, taking
with them Saddam’s two daughters, who were their wives.
Kamel
was in charge of rebuilding the regime’s military-industrial complex, and had
significant cash at his disposal. On behalf of all four, he decided to accept
Saddam’s offer of a “safe return”.
Madeleine
Albright, later US secretary of state, described his decision as one of the
most idiotic she had seen.
Uday
and his brother Qussay led a force that used anti-tank weapons to pulverise
Kamel and Majid in a villa in Baghdad, two days after their return to Iraq, the
same way Saddam’s two sons died nine years later in a US raid on a high-walled
villa in Mosul where they were hiding.
Pragmatic
Kurds
A
main income for Saddam at the time was from fuel smuggled to Turkey via
US-aligned Kurdish Peshmerga leaders in northern Iraq, his sworn enemy, in
contravention of UN sanctions.
A
reverse role is played by the Kurdish militia supported by the United States in
northern Syria, who are selling crude oil to the Assad regime for use in its
refineries.
A
Kurdish faction led by Massoud Barzani even invited Saddam’s forces into
northern Iraq to check the expansion of his rival, Jalal Talabani, who later
became Iraq’s president.
Under
US and British air protection, the de facto ruling elite in Iraqi Kurdistan
enriched themselves and played a major role in the survival of Saddam, despite
his campaign of destruction against northern Iraq the 1980s.
Saddam’s
scorched earth offensive, called Al Anfal, after a chapter in the Quran,
culminated in the chemical weapons attack on Halabja in 1988, which killed at
least 3,000 civilians.
In
northern Syria, the US presence is putting a lid on differences between the
Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its local offshoot, the People’s
Protection Units, said a Kurdish source who works with the two groups to
improve the administration of the region.
“The
YPG has narrower goals than the PKK, and is more willing to strike deals with
Assad, or with Turkey,” he said.
Costs
of risk-aversion
A
view of dictatorship as a lesser evil contributed to George H W Bush’ decision
to hold back from marching unimpeded on Baghdad in 1991. US scholar Christine
Helms cautioned the president that such a move would open what she termed a
Pandora’s box.
The
same rationale was partly behind President Barack Obama’s last-minute decision
not to unleash military retribution against the Syrian regime after the gassing
of 1,400 civilians in rebel suburbs of Damascus in 2013.
French
fighter pilots were in their cockpits before Mr Obama pulled the plug and went
for a Russian-brokered deal with the regime to hand over its chemical weapons.
The
planned American-Franco attack would have been limited but it had the possible,
unintended consequence of bringing down the regime, a European official briefed
on the aborted offensive told The National.
As
the Arab uprisings spread in January 2011, Mr Al Assad indicated that he had
pre-empted a contagion effect by having started what he described as a “dialogue”
with the people, citing a partial lifting of media bans and a draft law to
allow for municipal elections.
He
suggested in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that substantive
political reforms would have to wait for another generation.
Among
the reasons he gave for shelving democratic reform was “chaos and extremism”
caused by the US invasion of Iraq, and a priority to improve the Syrian
economy.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/strange-similarities-in-the-declining-fortunes-of-syria-s-bashar-al-assad-and-iraq-s-saddam-hussein-1.1039765
--------
North
America
Trump
denies knowing about Russia-Taliban nexus
June
29, 2020
WASHINGTON:
US President Donald Trump denied on Sunday he had been briefed on intelligence
that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants
for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan.
In
a pair of early morning tweets, Trump angrily slammed the report by The New
York Times as “Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed
Russia Hoax.”
“Nobody
briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the
so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through
an ‘anonymous source’ by the Fake News @nytimes,” he wrote.
“Everybody
is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us....” “Nobody’s been
tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration.”
Afghan
Taliban, Moscow denounce report
On
Friday, The Times reported that US intelligence had concluded that a Russian
military intelligence unit offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill
troops of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan.
The
rewards were purportedly incentives to target US forces as Trump tries to
withdraw troops from the conflict-torn country, one of the militants’ key
demands, and end America’s longest war.
Citing
anonymous officials, The Times said Trump was briefed on the findings in March,
but has not decided how to respond.
White
House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Saturday issued a denial similar to
Trump’s but left open the possibility that such intelligence existed.
“This
does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy
of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was
briefed on this matter,” McEnany said.
Denials
Others
were skeptical that Trump would not have been informed of such an explosive
conclusion.
“The
idea that Trump wouldn’t be briefed on Russia putting a bounty on US troops is
even crazier than him being briefed and doing nothing,” Ben Rhodes, a former
national security aide to Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter.
The
Taliban have denied the report, reiterating that they were committed to an
accord signed with Washington in February that paves the way for withdrawing
all foreign forces from Afghanistan by next year.
The
militants also said homemade explosives account for most fatalities among US
forces.
“The
19-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any
intelligence organ or foreign country,” the Taliban said in a statement issued
in Kabul.
The
group, widely believed to have received years of support from Pakistani
intelligence, also denied previous US accusations it was given arms by Russia.
“The
Islamic Emirate has made use of weapons, facilities and tools ... that were
already present in Afghanistan or are war spoils frequently seized from the
opposition in battles,” it said.
Russia
has also denounced the report, with its embassy in Washington tweeting that the
“baseless and anonymous accusations” in The Times story had “already led to
direct threats to the life of employees” at its embassies in Washington and
London.
“Stop
producing #fakenews that provoke life threats, @nytimes,” the embassy added in
a later tweet.
Tortured
history
Russia
has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its
final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamist guerrillas,
then backed by Washington.
The
Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban
attacks, including a desire to keep Washington bogged down in war.
It
said Russia may also be seeking revenge over the US killing of Russian
mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad.
According
to the newspaper, the Taliban operation was led by Unit 29155, an arm of
Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU, which has been blamed in numerous
international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain
that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1565878/trump-denies-knowing-about-russia-taliban-nexus
--------
US
envoy renews push for extending arms embargo on Iran
28
June 2020
US
special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, has reiterated Washington’s call
for extending an expiring United Nations weapons embargo on the Islamic
Republic.
Hook
made the comments during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, a close US ally,
as part of a Middle East tour on Sunday, saying the arms embargo on Tehran must
remain in place and that the world should ignore what he described as Iran's
threats to retaliate if the ban is extended.
The
US official repeated his harsh and bogus claims against the Islamic Republic,
saying Iran would become “the arms dealer of choice for rogue regimes and
terrorist organizations around the world,” if the UN arms embargo set to expire
in October was not extended.
The
accusation comes as the United States, the biggest arms exporter in the world,
has been supporting a devastating Saudi-led war in Yemen, which the UN has
described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Hook
also claimed that the import and export ban on Tehran, in place since
2006/2007, must remain in place to secure a wider Middle East.
"If
we let it expire, you can be certain that what Iran has been doing in the dark,
it will do in broad daylight and then some,” the US envoy further claimed.
Washington
has stepped up calls for the extension of the UN arms embargo on Iran, which
will expire in October under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which
endorses Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA).
The
administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened that it may seek to
trigger a "snapback" of all sanctions on Iran if its attempts to extend
the arms embargo fall through.
In
May 2018, President Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the JCPOA,
unleashing the “toughest ever” sanctions against Iran.
While
the US is no longer a party to the 2015 deal, it has launched a campaign to
renew the arms ban through a resolution
at the UN Security Council.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/28/628457/US-Brian-Hook-UN-weapons-embargo-Iran
--------
Lebanon
summons US Ambassador over comments against Hezbollah
28
June 2020
Lebanon’s
Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti has summoned the US Ambassador to Beirut to call
for non-interference in the internal affairs of his country, in the wake of
recent accusations made by the American diplomat against Hezbollah resistance
movement.
The
Beirut-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network reported that
Hitti will meet with Dorothy Shea at 3:00 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) on Monday
to inform her that, under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of
1961, an ambassador must not interfere in the domestic affairs of another
country, and that her speech must not seek to pit the Lebanese people against
each other.
The
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations is an international treaty that
defines a framework for diplomatic relations between countries.
Government
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, also told al-Mayadeen that “the
Lebanese government has not made any apologies, and it respects the
independence of the judiciary and the freedom of the media.”
On
Saturday, Lebanese judge Mohamad Mazeh in the southern city of Tyre banned
local and foreign media outlets from interviewing the US Ambassador for a year,
after Shea told Saudi-owned al-Hadath television news network that Washington
has “great concerns” over Hezbollah’s role in the government.
Mazeh
said Shea's comments incited sectarian strife and threatened social peace.
The
judge noted he acted after receiving a complaint from a citizen who considered
the US ambassador’s comments “insulting to the Lebanese people.”
Mazeh
wrote that the media, which interview Shea, “would be contributing
intentionally or unintentionally to the blatant aggression on the rights of
those who feel insulted from the interview.”
He
underlined that violators would be penalized with a one-year suspension and
asked the Information Ministry to disseminate the order.
Information
Minister Manal Abdel-Samad also wrote on her official Twitter page that the
judiciary may be reacting to the interference of some diplomats in the
country's affairs.
‘Mazeh
not referred to Judicial Inspection Board’
Later
on Sunday, Lebanon’s State Prosecutor Oueidat denied that he had referred Mazeh
to the country’s Judicial Inspection Board over his controversial ruling.
This
came after Mazeh pledged on Sunday that he would resign should he be questioned
over his controversial ruling against the US ambassador.
"Some
news websites have reported that Mr. State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat has
referred me to judicial inspection over ineligibility. I have not been informed
of anything in this regard," Mazeh said in a statement.
He
added, “Should the issue turn out to be true, and before being referred to
inspection over a ruling I issued with a clear conscience and full
conviction... I hereby submit a request to be relieved of my duties at the
judiciary, which I will officially submit on Tuesday."
Hezbollah’s
growing popularity in the Arab and Muslim world after the resistance movement shattered
the Israeli military’s myth of invincibility during the 33-day military
offensive on Lebanon back in the summer of 2006 has been a matter of serious
concern for the Tel Aviv regime and its Western allies.
The
resistance movement’s heroic defense as well as its vehement opposition to any
foreign intervention in Lebanon’s domestic affairs has turned the group into a
major stakeholder in the country’s political and military domains.
Some
have described Hezbollah as the most powerful Arab army in the wake of its
engagement in the fight against foreign-sponsored militancy in Syria.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/28/628431/Lebanon-US-Ambassador-Hezbollah
--------
Trump
denies he was briefed on Russia-Taliban bounty intelligence
June
28, 2020
WASHINGTON:
US President Donald Trump denied Sunday being briefed on intelligence that
reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for
killing US soldiers in Afghanistan.
The
report by the New York Times sparked renewed questions about Trump’s reluctance
to confront Russia over behavior that, if accurate, would represent a serious
national security challenge.
In
a pair of early-morning tweets, Trump angrily slammed the report as “probably
just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax.”
“Nobody
briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the
so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through
an ‘anonymous source’ by the Fake News @nytimes,” he wrote.
“Everybody
is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us....”
“Nobody’s
been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration.”
The
Times, citing anonymous officials, said Trump was briefed on the US
intelligence findings in March, but has not decided how to respond.
According
to the report, US intelligence had concluded that a Russian military
intelligence unit offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill troops of
the US-led coalition in Afghanistan.
The
rewards were purportedly incentives to target US forces as Trump tries to
withdraw troops from the conflict-torn country — one of the militants’ key
demands — and end America’s longest war.
While
Trump cast aspersions on the Times report, neither he nor other top
administration officials denied the underlying intelligence conclusion about
the Russian activities.
John
Ratcliffe, the new director of national intelligence, issued a statement late
Saturday denying Trump or Pence had been briefed “on any intelligence alleged
by the New York Times in its reporting.”
He
also vouched for an earlier White House statement that denied Trump had been
briefed on the matter but left open the possibility that the intelligence
existed.
“This
does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy
of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was
briefed on this matter,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
John
Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser and now peddling a highly critical
tell-all book, said if it’s true Russia was paying to have US troops killed,
“that is a very, very serious matter.”
Speaking
on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bolton said, “To me it looks like just another day
at the office in the Trump White House.
“I’ve
never recalled a circumstance where the president himself goes out of his way
to say he wasn’t briefed on something.”
Top
Democratic lawmaker Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of seeking to “ignore any
allegation against Russia.”
“This
is totally outrageous. You would think that the minute the president heard of
it he would want to know more instead of denying that he knew anything,” she
said on ABC’s “This Week.”
The
Taliban have denied the report, reiterating that they were committed to an
accord signed with Washington in February that paves the way for withdrawing
all foreign forces from Afghanistan by next year.
The
militants also said homemade explosives account for most fatalities among US
forces.
“The
19-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any
intelligence organ or foreign country,” the Taliban said in a statement issued
in Kabul.
The
group, widely believed to have received years of support from Pakistani
intelligence, also denied previous US accusations it was given arms by Russia.
Russia
also denounced the report, with its embassy in Washington tweeting that the
“baseless and anonymous accusations” in the Times story had “already led to
direct threats to the life of employees” at its embassies in Washington and
London.
Russia
has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its
final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamist guerrillas,
backed at the time by Washington.
The
Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban
attacks, including a desire to keep Washington bogged down in war.
It
said Russia may also be seeking revenge over the US killing of Russian
mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar Assad.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1696886/world
--------
Europe
UK
campaigner investigated over praise for dead Iranian commander Suleimani
Paul
Peachey
June
28, 2020
British
police are investigating whether the founder of a human rights group broke
terrorism laws by praising Iranian general Qassem Suleimani after his death in
a US drone strike.
The
National reported last week that charity regulators censured an Islamic centre
that hosted the candlelit event on January 3 to mourn Suleimani, who was killed
that day in an air strike in Baghdad.
The
rebuke came after Massoud Shadjareh, the founder of the Islamic Human Rights
Commission (IHRC), told crowds outside the London centre that “we aspire to be
like him”.
Charity
regulators did not identify Mr Shadjareh but said a speaker at the event
appeared to break the law in his address outside the Islamic Centre of England
under legislation that makes it an offence to glorify terrorism.
Suleimani
was subject to UK sanctions for terrorism and terrorist funding since 2011.
After
the rebuke by regulators, London’s Metropolitan Police said it was continuing
to investigate whether the speaker broke any laws.
“The
Met is aware that the Charity Commission has issued a warning to the Islamic
Centre of England, dated June 10, 2020," the force said.
“It
is aware that within the warning, the Charity Commission references that 'an
individual who had not been authorised to speak by the charity may have
committed an offence under section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006'.
“The
Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is assessing whether any criminal offences
may have been committed."
Mr
Shadjareh, an outspoken supporter of Iran’s leadership, was not authorised to
speak at the event but trustees failed to stop him.
He
credited Suleimani with bringing stability to Iraq and defeating ISIS.
Last
year, London think tank the Henry Jackson Society called for a police
investigation into the IHRC, claiming it had been permeated at “every level” by
extremism, support for overseas terrorist groups and extreme anti-Semitism.
No
one at the IHRC was available for comment on Sunday.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/uk-campaigner-investigated-over-praise-for-dead-iranian-commander-suleimani-1.1040649
--------
Thousands
of Black Lives Matter protesters in Britain demand justice for drowned Somali
refugee
June
28, 2020
Thousands
joined protests across England to mark a year since the death of a 12-year-old
Somali refugee girl who drowned in a river in the north of the country.
Shukri
Yahye-Abdi, who came to Britain in 2017, was found dead in River Irwell in
Bury, north England, on June 27 last year.
She
grew up with her Somali family in a refugee camp in Kenya before she came to
the UK.
Police
initially said there were no suspicious circumstances around her death.
But
her mother claimed she was a victim of school bullying and in February, the
ongoing inquest was told that a child had confessed to threatening her to “get
in the water”.
Police
have been accused by activists of not treating the case fairly because
Yahye-Abdi was black.
The
case has drawn the attention of the Black Lives Matter movement, and more than
a million people signed a petition calling for "justice for Shukri".
Star Wars actor John Boyega is among those urging people to sign it.
Events
marking the anniversary of her death were held on Saturday in cities including
Manchester, London, Cardiff and Bristol, with protesters holding up banners
saying: "Justice for Shukri Abdi", "no justice no peace” and
"silence is violence". Others wore T-shirts with the girl’s face on
it.
Andy
Burnham, the mayor of Manchester, said earlier this month he would further
investigate the case after he received thousands of emails about it.
An
inquiry into the case, launched last August, is looking into whether the police
treated Yahye-Abdi less favourably because of her race. The Independent Office
for Police Conduct, which is leading the probe, said it had shared its results
with Yahye-Abdi’s family and Greater Manchester Police and the report will be
published after the inquest into the child’s death is completed.
IOPC
regional director Amanda Rowe said the complaints had been treated with the
“upmost seriousness and very carefully assessed”.
“Our
final report has been shared with the force, and with Shukri’s family. It has
also been provided to the Coroner to help support the inquest process,"
she said.
“We
plan to publish our report following Shukri’s inquest, a date for which has not
been set at this time. Our thoughts remain with all those affected by her tragic
death.”
British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that many Black and ethnic minority
people felt they were discriminated against, so the country had to break down
barriers.
When
asked if he believed there was institutionalised racism in the British police,
Mr Johnson said: "I think the issue – and it has been really highlighted
by the whole Black Lives Matter campaign – is that people unquestionably feel
in their lives, black and minority ethnic groups feel that there are barriers
to them and to their success.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/thousands-of-black-lives-matter-protesters-in-britain-demand-justice-for-drowned-somali-refugee-1.1040224
--------
Qatari
and Turkish funding for Dutch Muslim Brotherhood exposed in MPs' report
Damien
McElroy
June
26, 2020
A
Dutch parliamentary inquiry has published a report setting out concerns over
ongoing funding by Qatari and Turkish organisations to religious centres and
mosques that appear designed to promote control by the donors and the Muslim
Brotherhood.
The
committee wrapped up months of hearings under the chairmanship of MP Michel
Rog, who has asked Parliament to endorse its report. "The findings
definitely give us cause for concern. It is with that urgency that the committee
presents this report," said Mr Rog.
Payments
running into tens of millions of euros were spread across the country but the
concentration of money by certain donors into a handful of institutions,
including Amsterdam's Blue Mosque and Rotterdam's Essalam Islamic Cultural
Centre and the Middenweg Centre.
In
testimony Ronald Sandee, a terrorism expert, pointed to the purpose behind
providing finance and said there were strategic motivations for a stream of
donations. “For countries like Qatar and Turkey there is also a political
reason to exert influence, which is a kind of soft power through the Muslim
communities they try to control.
"In
doing so, they also try all kinds of other things that are pleasant for their
country."
The
US-based expert Lorenzo Vidino, director of the Programme on Extremism at
George Washington University, said Qatar funding promoted a Muslim Brotherhood
narrative that was divisive and pushed an "us and them" mentality
among recipients.
"Brotherhood-supporting
donors such as the Qatar Charity know full well who the compatible potential
recipients of their funds are in every European country, as they are part of an
informal web of connections and there are overlapping vetting systems and
guarantors," he told the committee. "These ample funds allow
Brotherhood entities to purchase large properties and organise large-scale
activities that attract swaths of the Muslim community well beyond what would
otherwise be its ideological reach.
"At
times it also allows them to take over mosques that do not belong to the
network as funds are used to attempt various forms of buyouts of cash-strapped
competing Islamic institutions.
The
parliamentarians heard that the Islamic Foundation of the Netherlands should be
viewed be an offshoot of the Diyanet, the Turkish state’s religious arm, and
that it exerted a strong political influence on the Turkish religious community
in the Netherlands. All its preachers were effectively appointed and employed
by the Turkish government.
Erik-Jan
Zürcher, an expert in the movements at Leiden University, said Turkey was using
a broad spectrum of institutions to reach people in the Netherlands. “You
should not only think of official government communication but you should also
just think of movies, television series on much-watched Turkish channels and
websites, all of which actually have their own way to convey the same
message."
The
report itself noted the purpose behind the Turkish activity in the Dutch
community.
"A
specific form of influence is that from Turkey," it said. "Although
there is a lot of diversity within the Turkish-Dutch community, it has a large
group of people who feel very strongly connected to the Turkish state.
"This
leads to fear of others and reduces a feeling of freedom to express an opinion
that deviates from the line of the Turkish ruling party and affiliated
organisations. The committee finds that the influence of the Turkish government
leads to social pressure and intimidation in the Netherlands."
It
also revealed there had been intimidation of witnesses and some institutions
had gone to court to stop the release of files requested by the inquiry.
"The
research makes clear that behind the often conscious financial strategy there
is often influence aimed at remaining invisible. There appears to be a great
lack of transparency. For example, it is often unclear who the actual donor is,
whether the money is spent on the purpose for which it was intended or if it is
not accountable to the community.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/qatari-and-turkish-funding-for-dutch-muslim-brotherhood-exposed-in-mps-report-1.1039766
--------
Southeast
Asia
Churches,
temples can open at 1/3 capacity
Nicholas
Chung
June
15, 2020
PUTRAJAYA:
The government has agreed to loosen restrictions for non-Muslim houses of
worship, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced today.
At
his daily press briefing here, he said houses of worship could operate as they
had before the movement control order (MCO) was imposed, but at one-third of
their normal capacities.
He
added that this was still subject to approval by state governments, which might
choose to adjust the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“The
national unity ministry has held discussions with 16 religious bodies and
associations and has requested that non-Muslim houses of worship be allowed to
operate.
“Today’s
meeting agreed to allow some 5,230 houses of worship across the country to
operate,” he said.
Previously,
only 174 non-Muslim houses of worship in green zones were allowed to operate,
with only 30 people allowed on premises at a time.
According
to the SOPs released by the national unity ministry, only houses of worship in
red zones will not be allowed to operate.
While
operational hours may return to normal with measures like social distancing in
place, activities such as religious feasts and processions are still banned.
The
rest of the guidelines will be issued by the respective state governments.
Ismail
also said Putrajaya had decided to allow all mosques and suraus in federal territories
to operate at one-third of their normal capacities, as long as they are not
located in red zones.
He
said checks by the authorities over the past few days had found that SOP
compliance in mosques was high.
Mosques
and suraus in other states are still subject to the decisions of their
respective religious authorities.
Ismail
said 63 individuals have been arrested for breaching the recovery MCO (RMCO),
including 44 people who were detained at pubs and nightclubs.
Twelve
individuals were also detained for visiting reflexology and massage centres,
while seven others were caught doing activities that did not allow social
distancing.
Of
the 63, 49 were remanded and 14 were fined.
Ismail
also announced that Malaysians returning from abroad could choose to get tested
for Covid-19 overseas before returning if they did not want to be tested upon
arrival and wait for their results.
“They
must be screened three days before their flight back and they must show a
letter certifying that they have tested negative. They still have to conduct
the mandatory self-quarantine in their respective homes,” he said.
He
said this would prevent long wait times should there be many citizens returning
at a time.
He
also said those who choose to be tested upon arrival could be made to spend the
night in a quarantine centre if their test results cannot be released on the
same day.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/06/15/restrictions-loosened-for-non-muslim-houses-of-worship/
--------
Why
Malaysia’s Mahathir just won’t fade away
JUNE
26, 2020
Four
months after his shock resignation, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir
Mohamad has his sights set on yet another political comeback. In league with
multi-racial opposition parties, the elder statesman hopes to unseat yet
another ally-turned-foe successor whose rule he claims threatens a return to
corrupt and authoritarian misrule.
Prevailing
in an against-all-odds election win in 2018, Mahathir partnered with his
estranged protégé and former deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, to topple scandal-plagued
Najib Razak’s premiership, heralding Malaysia’s first-ever democratic transfer
of power and bringing an end to the United Malays National Organization’s
(UMNO) 61-year rule.
Mahathir’s
Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, however, fell less than two years into its
mandate, as the leadership of his own party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia
(PPBM), or Bersatu, staged a political coup and formed a new, unelected
government propped by UMNO that brought incumbent Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin
to power in February.
In
a wide-ranging interview with Asia Times’ Nile Bowie and Shawn W. Crispin, the
nonagenarian politician articulated his plans to recapture the premiership for
an unprecedented third term, touching on everything from his relationship with
Anwar, his leadership legacy and Malaysia’s place amid intensifying US-China
superpower rivalry.
This
abridged transcript was edited for clarity. Read the full interview’s many
additional revelations at AT+ Premium here.
AT
Premium
AT:
Are you satisfied with the performance of your previous, recently dissolved PH
government?
Mahathir:
We made a lot of promises. Some of those promises could be carried out, but
some are obstructed by provisions in the constitution, for example, so those we
cannot do. We have done away with all those draconian laws. We have removed all
the corrupt officials in the government.
We
have changed the leadership of government companies and institutions from being
led by politicians, to being led by professionals.We want to stop this
corruption, because all these politicians stole money from these institutions
and the companies who were doing very badly. So, we changed.
And
at the same time, one of the things that I always feel was special about
Malaysia, the transition was smooth and we could form a new government of five
parties, and we could function as a new government. We had the administration
carrying out our policies and doing well, but of course the time was very
short. It wasn’t even two years.
But
what we have achieved within that short period of time, I think it is quite
something by comparison with other countries where, when there is a transition,
a change of leadership, a change of government, there is always a lot of
problems like demonstrations and strikes, bringing down the elected government
and all that.
AT:
If you were to assume a third term, what would you do differently than
incumbent Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government?
Mahathir:
Well, not much different. You see, this present government have reversed all
the things that we have done. For example, they have removed all the
professional chairmen of companies and all that to be replaced by, again, the
politicians.
And
with these politicians, some of them are facing [corruption] charges in the courts,
they shouldn’t be appointed as chairmen, but they have removed all the
professional people we have appointed, so this has got to be reversed again. I
mean, its tedious and very irritating that we should have to do that. But
again, the practice of this government is to try to eliminate opposition to it.
AT:
If Muhyiddin survives a vote of no-confidence brought by you when Parliament
sits in July, what would be your next move?
Mahathir:
Well if we lose, then we’ll have to wait for the general election. But this
vote of no-confidence is valuable because it will give me a chance to list out
all the wrong things that have been done by Muhyiddin, particularly with regard
to his undermining his own coalition government in order to become prime
minister. He does it through the backdoor, not in accordance with normal
democratic practices.
And
there are many other things that he is doing. He has become quite a dictator.
He is dismissing people, appointing people at will, without any reference to
law or party rules and regulations, or constitution. He just gives orders. And
unfortunately people seem to accept his decisions.
For
example, I am the chairman of the (ruling Bersatu) party. For no reason that I
know, he just dismissed me from being a member of the party. What right has he?
He should ask me to go to the disciplinary committee or something. But no, he
dismissed me and many others, even at the branch level…That is not the kind of
government we like to see in Malaysia.
AT:
Do you think Muhyiddin is popular among ordinary Malays, the constituency you
have sought to appeal to as part of your multi-racial coalition?
Mahathir:
Well, initially he was quite popular because he says that he’s going to form a
Malay Muslim government. Of course, the Malays like that. And then he says that
DAP (Democratic Action Party) will destroy the Malays, so we need to bring down
DAP.
A
lot of Malays believe what he says. But now they find that he is worse than the
Najib government in terms of administration. He tends to do things on his own
without any authority, any legal standing. So, people now are beginning to see
the true Muhyiddin.
ATF
AT:
If snap elections were held next week, who would win – you or Muhyiddin?
Mahathir:
[Laughs] I think he will not win. Who will win will be the party that lost the
last election, UMNO, and Najib, provided of course if Najib is found not
guilty. And we feel that that is what they are working towards. They want to
declare Najib not guilty because if he is found guilty, together with five
other people, then Muhyiddin would lose his majority.
So
Muhyiddin has to make sure that Najib is not found guilty. But if he is not
found guilty, then he is going to compete in the election, and I think he’s
going to undermine the leadership of Muhyiddin in particular because he wants
to be again the prime minister.
AT: How much influence and actual control over
this current government would you say Najib wields from behind the scenes?
Mahathir:
Well, quite a lot. Muhyiddin knows that without Najib’s support, his government
will collapse. So he has to support Najib. But to support Najib means you have
to pay a high price, because Najib’s whole idea is that if he can seize the
power from the elected government and be a part of the new government, then he
would have influence.
He
would be able to, somehow or other, wrangle things so that he will not be found
guilty. Of course, at this moment, the trial is still going on. But we have
seen in four other cases where people who were always thought to be guilty
suddenly found himself free of charges. 46 charges were withdrawn from one case
(former UMNO chief minister in Sabah, Musa Aman).
AT:
Anwar Ibrahim has refused to serve as your deputy, and you have declined to
work with him again. Do you see Anwar as being unfit to lead? What is really at
the core of your disagreement with or distrust of your former deputy?
Mahathir:
It’s not about distrust. It’s about getting the support of the people. While
Anwar used to be very popular, now he has lost quite a bit of the support. I
believe these people will not support an attempt to make a comeback by Pakatan
Harapan if he is designated as prime minister.
A
lot of people feel that, for a time at least, I should come back. I have no
wish to come back. I mean, coming back three times is a bit too much. [Laughs]
Again, the appeal by people is there, they all come, they all ask [and say]
that if you are in, we will support. If you are not in, we will not support.
So,
I have to take their views seriously because if we in the opposition now want
to bring down the present government, we need to have a majority. At the
moment, we do not have a majority.
AT:
So why can’t Anwar forge that majority? Why does it take you, not him?
Mahathir:
Well, he has certain support, I agree with that. But there are certain people
who are so strongly against him that if he is named, they will not give the
support. And we need quite a number of supporters from the government party so
that we can have the majority. I fear that there will be no majority if it depends
on him alone. I would like to help him.
AT:
On other ideas for prime minister, do you think your son, Mukhriz Mahathir,
would make a good future prime minister?
Mahathir:
[Laughs] Well, it’s up to him. You see, when I was prime minister, I didn’t
allow my sons to be involved in politics. I don’t want people to accuse me of
nepotism. But I stepped down. They have a right to go into politics and Mukhriz
seems to be the one most interested.
He
has been made chief minister of the state of Kedah, and obviously he is one of
the leaders. If people like him, it is up to them to choose, not for me. I
don’t choose. I have always abided by the choice made by the people.
AT:
But do you think he would have risen to the same national prominence if he was
not your son?
Mahathir:
[Laughs] He has his own way. Actually, he could have done better. During the
time of [former Prime Minister] Abdullah [Badawi], he was competing against
Abdullah’s son in law and he lost, and because of that he is not prominent in
the center. He is only prominent in his own state.
AT:
How would you respond to criticism that you currently run the risk of slipping
into the political wilderness and that your current drive for power is more a
personal power play than your 2018 drive for reform and justice?
Mahathir:
Well, if people don’t want me, that’s okay. [Laughs] I go by the wishes of the
people. I don’t think I will be popular always. In fact, I criticize people
quite a lot and many of them feel very unhappy with me.
I
am not supported 100% by the people, a majority of them used to support me. But
maybe now they have changed their minds. But in politics, of course, sometimes
you go up and sometimes you lose. You have to accept that, and I am willing to
accept that.
AT:
As a two-time premier, who was often popular, sometimes not, what is your
biggest political regret?
Mahathir:
My regret is my attempt to ensure that people are equally benefiting from the
country. That is where I failed. I find that the disparity in terms of wealth
between the different races is still very big. That may cause resentment and
may even lead to a lot of tension and confrontation.
I
tried to do that in my 22 years, but there I only succeed a little. But we need
to do a little bit more because there is a disparity between town and country,
from state to state, between people of different ethnic origins. All these
things will undermine the stability of the country.
That
is what I tried to do, and I did not fail completely, but I failed quite a bit.
Some success, but mostly failure.
AT:
Nothing epitomizes UMNO’s money-driven, patronage politics more than the
1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. Why in your opinion did the US
government recently repatriate US$300 million in seized funds to the same
political party, UMNO, reputedly responsible for their initial theft?
Mahathir:
[The US government] shouldn’t have repatriated the funds, because you’re giving
the stolen money back to the thief. It’s absurd. I think they have stopped now.
They will have to be a little more circumspect in this matter. Yes, you want to
return the money, but not to the thief. You have to return the money to the
people who take action against the thief.
AT:
Do you think Goldman Sachs should be held accountable for its role in the 1MDB
scandal?
Mahathir:
Quite definitely, because they raised the funds and charged a very high
interest rate, 6%. Normally governments are entitled to 3% or even less, and
then they got a commission of 10%. Its absurd.
That
kind of thing has never been done, but they seem to see a chance to take a lot
of money from Malaysia because this government is corrupt. So we feel that to
some extent, Goldman Sachs is responsible. But, of course they are not going to
pay us back the money that they caused us to lose.
AT:
There is rising pressure on smaller countries to take sides in an emerging new
Cold War between the US and China. How should Malaysia position itself as this
rivalry intensifies?
Mahathir:
Well, both China and the US are good trading partners, big markets for us. We want
to sustain that. Unfortunately, the US wants to have a trade war with China,
and China of course has to focus on how to overcome the pressures applied by
the US.
In
doing that, they have to focus more on countering US rather than on building
more trade with Malaysia. But nevertheless we gain sometimes when American
companies operating in China find that they are not very welcomed there, or
they find that their governments do not approve of their investments in China,
they want to go out, and we feel that Malaysia is a good place for them to come
to.
They
can manufacture in Malaysia and export to America. But of course China is
suffering a bit. It’s not growing at the rate it used to grow. So the capacity
to buy our products is much reduced. Of course now with this Covid-19, things
have gotten worse.
AT:
You made big headlines in 2018 when you spoke of China’s “new colonialism.” Do
you still see it that way and should Southeast Asian countries be worried by
China’s rise and America’s coincident decline?
Mahathir:
Well, I have a reputation of saying things which are not very welcomed by many
people. [Laughs] Besides America, I have criticized Russia, I have criticized
China. But on the other hand, we tell China, look, this is not right.
You
shouldn’t claim that you own the whole of the South China Sea, simply because
it is called the South China Sea. On that basis, the Indian Ocean would belong
to India and things like that.
But
of course they are a big power, and there is only a certain amount of pressure
we can apply to them. But we need to have good relations with China because it
is a huge market for us, and we want to continue our trade with China. So, we
have to be a bit diplomatic. You have to say the truth, and on the other hand
you have to reduce the fact by being more diplomatic.
AT:
How concerned are you that this US-China rivalry could devolve into an armed
conflict, including in the South China Sea, making Southeast Asia a potential
superpower proxy theater? How big a risk is this?
Mahathir: I hope it doesn’t lead to armed conflict
because it’s not productive. War is non-productive. Both sides will be
destroyed if they go to war, and there will be collateral damage – that will be
us. We’ll be the collateral damage if they go to war. So we don’t want any
violence.
That
is why our policy is that there should no warships stationed in the South China
Sea. You can come, you can pass through. But please, don’t station warships
because that is an aggressive act. And that will cause a response from the other
side, and some incidents may happen, and before you know it we are at each
other’s throat.
That
is not civilised. To me, killing people to solve problems is very primitive.
When you are savages, maybe. But now even savages don’t do that. These
so-called very highly civilized countries resort to war. I would say that they
are very primitive people.
AT:
Do you find China’s moves in the South China Sea to be “primitive”, because
many say they seem to be tilting the region towards conflict?
Mahathir:
Well, that is a policy which they adopt because all countries want to enlarge
their territories. Of course, China being powerful, they see America bringing
warships there and controlling the South China Sea, they want to claim it for
themselves also.
Although
we don’t agree with them, the fact is that before there were Chinese warships
there, there were American warships, the Seventh Fleet was stationed in that
area. That invites other people to do likewise. It is a Chinese response to the
American policy of dominating this part of the world.
AT:
When you were prime minister in the 1990s, you had a vision of closer East
Asian cooperation which didn’t catch on likely because of the Western
resistance you alluded to. Given the state of the world now, do you not think
that regional cohesion is needed now more than ever?
Mahathir:
We wanted the Northeast Asian countries and the Southeast Asian countries to
come together in certain areas, for example with regard to the currency. We are
dependent on American currency, but we should have our own currency that would
facilitate our trade. But we should grow together.
Northeast
Asia is of course very advanced and I think we can benefit by their investments
here, their transfers of technology to Southeast Asia, and together we can
grow.
But
when we suggested that, America took exception and advised Japan and Korea not
to have anything to do with our proposal, even to the point of saying that
these people wear sarongs, as if wearing sarongs means we are not civilized.
[Laughs] I mean, those kind of remarks are not welcomed. We are independent
countries. We want to do things for our own good. But why is America stopping
this, stopping that?
AT:
You’re going to be 95-years-old next month. Would you ever consider retirement?
Mahathir:
[Laughs] I must consider retirement. I don’t want to be working until the last
day, obviously. But the thing is that… I have to respond to people’s requests.
I would be very selfish, thinking only about my well-being, my wanting to enjoy
the last few years of my life. But people come to see me and ask me please,
please Tun.
I
told them to go find somebody else. But, unfortunately, they find that the
Malays in particular regard me highly in terms of political management. They
think I can contribute much toward the development of Malaysia, and as long as
I’m able to walk about and talk, I should be doing service to them.
https://asiatimes.com/2020/06/why-malaysias-mahathir-just-wont-fade-away/
--------
South
Asia
Khalilzad
departs for Doha, Islamabad and Tashkent in support of Afghan peace talks
29
Jun 2020
The
U.S. envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad left for Doha, Islamabad and
Tashkent as part of Washington’s ongoing efforts to help the Afghan peace
talks.
“U.S.
Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay
Khalilzad departed on June 28 for travel to Doha, Islamabad, and Tashkent. At
all three locations, Ambassador Khalilzad will urge support for all Afghans to
meet their remaining commitments ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations,
specifically reduced violence and timely prisoner releases,” the State
Department said in a statement.
The
statement further added “Ambassador Khalilzad is joined by U.S. International
Development Finance Corporation (DFC) CEO Adam Boehler and his team. Afghan
peace, economic growth, and regional connectivity are closely linked and
mutually supportive. The delegation will explore investment opportunities and
partnerships in a range of sectors to advance the economic recovery of
Afghanistan and support sustained peace and stability in the region.”
“Due
to the challenges of travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ambassador Khalilzad,
CEO Boehler, and their delegation will also conduct meetings with Afghan
officials throughout the trip remotely via video,” the State Department added.
https://www.khaama.com/khalilzad-departs-for-doha-islamabad-and-tashkent-in-support-of-afghan-peace-talks-08929/
--------
Taliban’s
shadow deputy defense minister, other senior leaders targeted an airstrike
29
Jun 2020
An
airstrike targeted the shadow deputy defense minister of Taliban and several
other senior leaders of the group in northern Sar-e Pul province.
The
209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said the security forces targeted a large
gathering of Taliban leaders in Suzma Qala district.
The
statement further added that the security forces conducted the airstrike in
Kata Qala Village.
According
to 209th Shaheen Corps, Mullah Muzamil, the shadow deputy defense of Taliban
was also present when the gathering was targeted.
The
Taliban group has not commented regarding the airstrike so far and it was not
clear if Muzamil was killed in the airstrike or not.
https://www.khaama.com/talibans-shadow-deputy-defense-minister-other-senior-leaders-targeted-an-airstrike-08927/
--------
Six
security force members killed in Taliban attack
Jun
28, 2020
KABUL:
About six security force members were killed in a Taliban attack in northern
Kunduz province on Saturday night.
TOLO
news reported that the attack took place in Imam Sahib district when Taliban
terrorists attacked the security checkpoints.
"The
Taliban attack was pushed back after the arrival of the reinforcements..The
Taliban have escaped from the area," the source was quoted as saying.
"Five
army soldiers and a policeman were killed in the attack," the source said
while adding "Four Taliban were also killed and two others were
wounded."
However,
the Taliban is yet to make any statement on this attack.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/six-security-force-members-killed-in-taliban-attack/articleshow/76673094.cms
--------
Taliban
release 21 more prisoners of the Afghan government
29
Jun 2020
The
Taliban group released 21 more prisoners of the Afghan government as part of
the ongoing prisoners’ release program aimed at aiding the peace process.
“Today,
a total of 21 soldiers and policemen of the Kabul Administration were released
from a prison of the Islamic Emirate in Takhar province and sent to their
families after giving them the usual package of assistance,” Suhail Shaheen, a
spokesperson for the Taliban group said.
The
Afghan government started the release of Taliban weeks after the Taliban group
signed a peace deal with Taliban in a bid to help kick start the intra-Afghan
talks.
However,
a series of attacks in Kabul disturbed the release of prisoners until the
Taliban group announced a ceasefire on the occasion of Eid which was widely
welcomed with the Afghan government vowing to expedite the release of
prisoners.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-release-21-more-prisoners-of-the-afghan-government-08928/
--------
Death
and despair: Rescued Rohingya describe high-seas terror
June
28, 2020
A
group of Rohingya say they were beaten by traffickers and drank their own urine
to stay alive on a perilous four-month journey at sea until their dramatic
rescue near the Indonesian coast.
The
bedraggled survivors -- about 100 in all, mostly women and children --
described a high-seas horror story that saw them reduced to throwing the dead
overboard as their rickety craft drifted thousands of kilometers towards
Malaysia.
Two
survivors claimed that people smugglers paid to transport them had beaten the
Rohingya who were later moved to a new boat and abandoned at sea.
They
were rescued by fishermen in Indonesia on Wednesday and pulled to shore by
locals the next day, thousands of kilometres south of Bangladesh.
"We
suffered so much on that boat," 50-year-old Rashid Ahmad told AFP at an
immigration detention center in Lhokseumawe city on Sumatra's northern coast.
"They
tortured us and cut us. One of us even died.
"There
was food at first but when it was done they [the traffickers] took us onto
another boat and then let us float away alone," he added.
Another
survivor, Habibullah, said: "They beat everyone badly. My ear was cut and
I was beaten on the head."
AFP
could not independently verify the accounts of four members of the vulnerable
Muslim minority group, who said they set off earlier this year near a Rohingya
refugee camp in Bangladesh, next to their native Myanmar.
Survivor
Ziabur Rahman Bin Safirullah, 35, said the group got by on small rations of
rice and nuts while relying heavily on rainwater to survive.
"Sometimes
we squashed wet clothes and drank the water from them," he said, adding
that those who died were thrown into the sea.
Korima
Bibi said at least two people died during the voyage and that some on board
resorted to drinking urine to stay alive, as others got sick from the rough
seas.
"We
didn't get enough food or water," the 20-year-old said, "[but] we
survived."
Among
the roughly 100 in the group were 48 women and 35 children.
They
set off from the Balukhali refugee camp in southern Bangladesh, but were
originally from Myanmar's conflict-torn Rakhine State, according to survivors
and an account given to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
A
spokesperson for the group told the IOM that one woman had died on the way,
leaving behind her two children.
Another
three children, two of them siblings, and a 10-year-old girl were
unaccompanied. The group also included a pregnant woman, according to the IOM.
The
smugglers were charging each person about $2,300 to get them to Malaysia, the
IOM said.
Around
a million Rohingya live in cramped and squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh,
where human traffickers also run lucrative operations promising to find them
sanctuary abroad.
Indonesia,
the world's biggest Muslim majority nation, and neighboring Malaysia are
favored destinations for Rohingya fleeing persecution and violence in mostly
Buddhist Myanmar.
Thousands
try a perilous escape via smugglers across the sea each year.
About
1,400 Rohingya have been stranded at sea this year -- and at least 130 of those
have died, according to IOM figures.
Last
week, a Malaysian coastguard official said dozens of Rohingya were believed to
have died during a months-long journey to that country.
There
had originally been more than 300 people on board the boat that was intercepted
by authorities this month, with the 269 survivors given temporary shelter.
Neighboring
Indonesia has previously allowed Rohingya to land and many to stay.
But
wary officials have turned them away in recent months, worried they could be
carrying the deadly coronavirus.
That
concern played out in dramatic fashion on a beach in Lhokseumawe on Thursday
when the Rohingya survivors were pulled to shore by locals furious at the
refusal of authorities to give them shelter over COVID-19 fears.
They
had spent the night several hundred metres offshore, waiting for a decision on
whether they could land.
Authorities
eventually relented -- a move cheered as a victory by rights groups. All have
since tested negative for the coronavirus, local officials said.
But
the group's fate remains uncertain.
"Äs
a fellow Muslim I felt compassion for them, especially because there were so
many children and women -- it broke my heart," said Lhokseumawe resident
Saiful Hardi.
"I
hope we continue to help them as fellow human beings."
Full
report at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/06/28/death-and-despair-rescued-rohingya-describe-high-seas-terror.html
--------
Four
Rohingya left dead after gunfight with Bangladeshi police near refugee camp
27
June 2020
Four
suspected members of a Rohingya group allegedly involved in kidnapping for
ransom were killed in a gunfight with Bangladeshi police near the sprawling
refugee camps where refugees from Myanmar live, officials said.
The
gunfight took place Friday when a team of security officials was searching for
the gang leader in a forest near the Rohingya camps at Cox’s Bazar, said police
Inspector Pradeep Kumar Das.
Another
inspector, Morzina Akhter, said the suspects opened fire at police, sparking
the gunfight that led to their deaths. Police also recovered about 40,000 drug
pills and locally made guns, he said.
According
to authorities and local media reports, the gang led by Abdul Hakim has
kidnapped many locals for ransom and killed those whose families failed to pay.
It had allegedly abducted at least seven Bangladeshis over the last two months
and killed three hostages. Hakim remains at large.
While
human rights groups acknowledge there are criminal elements among some of the
Rohingya refugees, they have urged authorities to thoroughly investigate such
cases.
In
March, police fatally shot seven suspected members of a Rohingya gang allegedly
involved in drug dealing and human trafficking.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/06/27/Four-Rohingya-left-dead-after-gunfight-with-Bangladeshi-police-near-refugee-camp.html
--------
Bangladesh
braced to receive hundreds of thousands of returnee migrant workers
June
29, 2020
DHAKA:
Bangladesh is bracing itself to receive home hundreds of thousands of migrant
workers laid off in their host countries due to the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) pandemic.
Dr.
A. K. Abdul Momen, the Bangladeshi minister of foreign affairs, told Arab News
on Sunday that the returning workers would be offered training and financial
assistance to help them set up their own enterprises.
“We
have created a fund of around $85 million to ease the plight of the returnees.
They will be provided with soft loans through the expatriates’ welfare bank to
start small businesses here,” he said.
Earlier
this month, the International Organization for Migration warned that due to the
global economic and labor crises created by the COVID-19 outbreak, hundreds of
thousands of migrant workers would be expected to return to Bangladesh by the
end of the year. According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training
(BMET), more than 700,000 Bangladeshis left the country last year to work
abroad.
The
Bangladeshi Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said it
was finalizing the reintegration plan.
“We
will have a meeting in this regard on Monday. The returnees will be provided
with the necessary training through our technical training centers across the
country and later on receive soft loans to get self-employed,” Mosharraf
Hossain, additional secretary at the ministry’s planning and development wing,
told Arab News.
Shahidul
Alam, another ministry additional secretary, said each returnee would receive
up to $3,500 without any collateral. “If needed, they will be provided with a
fund up to $6,200,” he added.
Data
from Bangladesh-based international NGO BRAC indicated that 87 percent of
returnees had no alternative sources of livelihood and more than one-third of
them would run out of savings in less than three months.
“Almost
all of them returned home hastily and were initially promised by employers that
they would be returned when the situation became normal. But after several
months of the pandemic, now they have little hope of joining their work again
anytime soon as employers are not sure when they would be able to resume
operations,” said Shariful Hasan, head of the migration program at BRAC.
According
to BRAC, around 200,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers returned home between
mid-February and mid-March, including 41,000 from Saudi Arabia, 38,000 from the
UAE, and 20,000 from other Gulf countries.
Migration
experts believe that Bangladeshi missions in the workers’ host countries,
especially in the Gulf, should play a more active role in helping them stay in
their duty locations.
Between
mid-April and mid-June, another 17,000 migrant workers returned to Bangladesh
from the Middle East and other Asian countries.
More
than 2 million Bangladeshi workers are currently living in Saudi Arabia, which
is the most popular destination for them in the Middle East.
The
Middle East is also the main source of Bangladesh’s remittances and its
second-largest foreign currency source after the garment sector.
Last
year, $18.32 billion was transferred by Bangladeshi migrant workers, according
to BMET, and 73 percent of remittances were sent from Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) countries.
“In
this context, Bangladeshi missions in the Middle East should make more
synchronized and coordinated efforts to ease the plight of the migrants who are
struggling with the pandemic situation in GCC countries,” Hasan said.
Momen
said that the Bangladeshi government was trying to help workers stay in their
current locations.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1697046/world
--------
Africa
Libya:
Clearing Russian mercenaries becomes compulsory
Gulsen
Topcu
28.06.2020
TRIPOLI
Clearing
Sirte and al-Jufra of Russian mercenaries have become compulsory, according to
a Libyan army spokesperson Saturday.
Mohammed
Qanunu said Sirte, a focal point of criminal provisions and Russian mercenaries
who were defeated in Tripoli and Tarhuna, has become the most dangerous place
for Libya's peace and security, according to a statement issued by the press
office of the Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) Operation.
Qanunu
said the Wagner mercenaries turned the Jufra base and airport into a command
center to take control of southern oil fields.
“We
are determined to save these cities by making peace or with using weapon
power,” he added.
Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi suggested last week that Cairo could launch
"external military missions" into Libya "if required,"
saying that "any direct intervention in Libya has already become
legitimate internationally."
Al-Sisi
said the Sirte and al-Jufra airbases are a "red line," calling on his
army to "be prepared to carry out any mission here within our borders, or
if necessary outside our borders."
The
UN recognizes the Libyan government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj as the country's
legitimate authority as Tripoli battles militias of eastern warlord Khalifa
Haftar.
The
government launched Operation Peace Storm against Haftar in March to counter
attacks on Tripoli, and recently liberated strategic locations, including
Tarhuna, Haftar's final stronghold in western Libya.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-clearing-russian-mercenaries-becomes-compulsory/1892369
--------
Bomb
kills two Algerian soldiers in north, says defense ministry
28
June 2020
Two
Algerian soldiers, including an officer, were killed when a bomb exploded
during an army operation in the north of the country, the defense ministry said
Sunday.
Captain
Fateh Bensmail and Sergeant Zakaria Khaldi were killed Saturday night, the
ministry said in a statement, after a home-made bomb exploded during a search
and sweep operation in the province of Medea, south of the capital Algiers.
The
deaths bring the total number of Algerian soldiers killed this year to four.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
One
soldier was killed on June 20 in a clash with “an armed terrorist group” in the
central province of Ain Defla, the ministry announced last Sunday, while
another died in a February attack in Timiaouine, on the southern border with
Mali.
Algerian
authorities use the term “terrorist” to describe armed Islamists who have been
active in the country since the early 1990s.
A
1992-2002 civil war pitted Islamist militants against the Algerian government,
leaving 200,000 people dead.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/06/28/Bomb-kills-two-Algerian-soldiers-in-north-says-defense-ministry.html
--------
Over
10 killed as militants ambush convoy in northeastern Nigeria
28
June 2020
A
militant attack on a convoy has killed at least nine Nigerian soldiers and two
members of a civil defense militia in the country’s troubled northeastern Borno
state, security sources and local leaders say.
The
attack took place Saturday afternoon outside Komala village near the town of
Damboa, which is located 90 kilometers from the regional capital Maiduguri.
Security
sources said the militants opened fire with heavy guns and rocket-propelled
grenades on the convoy of more than a hundred vehicles in the troubled region.
"It
was an ambush on a civilian convoy escorted by troops and the militia,"
AFP quoted a military officer as saying.
"Nine
soldiers and two (anti-militants) militia were killed in the attack,” the
officer added
Ibrahim
Liman, a regional militia leader said the bodies of victims have been retrieved
from the site.
"The
bodies of nine soldiers and two vigilantes were recovered from the attack along
with others who sustained injuries," Liman said.
The
militants seized several vehicles and looted supplies before withdrawing to
their Sambisa enclave, he added.
Several
civilians were still missing and were presumed killed or abducted by the
attackers, militia leader said.
Damboa
lies on the fringes of Boko Haram's Sambisa forest enclave from where the
Takfiri militant group launches attacks on villages and against troops.
Boko
Haram and its Daesh-linked ISWAP splinter group are notorious for ambushing
military and civilian convoys on highways in addition to abducting travelers at
bogus checkpoints.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/28/628459/Nigeria-Borno-state-Damboa--Sambisa-Boko-Haram-Daesh-
--------
Civilians
among over 100 victims of landmines in Libya's capital: UN
28
June 2020
The
United Nations mission in Libya (UNSMIL) says over 100 people, including
civilians, have been killed or injured due to landmine explosions in south of
the capital, Tripoli.
The
UNSMIL said in a statement on Sunday that "mines and improvised explosive
devices (planted) in or near homes have caused more than 100 victims,"
including civilians and mine disposal experts.
It
further said the toll was for casualties since early June without giving a
breakdown.
The
UNSMIL statement came after a meeting between acting UN envoy Stephanie
Williams and Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by
Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in the Italian capital, Rome on Saturday.
It
came in the midst of the conflict between Libya’s warring sides that continues
to intensify as a result of foreign intervention in the North African country.
Since
2014, two rival seats of power have emerged in Libya, namely the
internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by
Sarraj, in Tripoli, and another group based in the eastern city of Tobruk,
supported militarily by militants under the command of renegade general Khalifa
Haftar.
Since
April last year, Haftar’s forces have been fighting in an all-out offensive to
capture Tripoli and unseat the government, but have remained bogged down on the
city’s outskirts.
The
GNA, as well as the United Nations and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have previously
accused Haftar’s forces of planting landmines in residential southern suburbs
of the capital.
Meanwhile,
at the Rome meeting, acting UN envoy Williams expressed concern over reports
claiming that "mercenaries of various nationalities" had been
deployed in Libyan oil installations.
Williams
said the presence of mercenaries there "threatens" to transform the
country’s “oil crescent” region into a "battlefield".
Also
on Saturday, GNA head, Sarraj held talks in Rome with Italian Prime Minister
Giuseppe Conte during which he stressed that the conflict in Libya has no military
solution.
Libya
has been in chaos since 2011, when a popular uprising and a NATO intervention
led to the ouster of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Fighting
has recently intensified near the Libyan capital as the presence of foreign
patrons with competing regional interests has compounded the conflict.
Haftar’s
forces are backed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates
(UAE).
The
Libyan government, the GNA, receives backing from Turkey that has significantly
helped the Tripoli government by sending sophisticated drones and air defense
systems, as well as dispatching allied militants from Syria.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/28/628442/Libya-UNSMIL-landmine-explosion-civilians-Tripoli
--------
Armed
gangs kill 12 in northwest Nigeria
Adam
Abu-bashal
28.06.2020
ABUJA,
Nigeria
At
least 12 people died Saturday in an armed attack in western Nigeria, according
to local media.
The
deaths occurred when armed gangs attacked the Unguwar Yabo village in Zamfara
state.
The
country’s northwest sees occasional clashes between the herder Fulani people,
one of the largest ethnic groups widely dispersed across West Africa, and
neighboring sedentary tribes.
The
Fulani, who migrated to the south to graze animals, claim farmers have tried to
steal their animals and attack their people.
Armed
groups sometimes take advantage of the conflicts and organize attacks.
Nearly
2,000 people have lost their lives in the region while thousands have been
displaced.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/armed-gangs-kill-12-in-northwest-nigeria/1892379
--------
AFRICOM
underlines strong cooperation with Libya gov't
27.06.2020
TRIPOLI,
Libya
The
US Command in Africa (AFRICOM) on Saturday underlined the strength of bilateral
cooperation with the Libyan government.
In
a statement to the private Libyan February TV, AFRICOM said the US views that
peace should be established in Libya through a political process.
It
warned that the involvement of the Russian Wagner mercenaries in Libya delays
the achievement of peace in the country and prolongs the suffering of the
Libyans.
AFRICOM
said that it has underlined to the Libyan government "the necessity to
return to dialogue".
The
Libyan government, which enjoys recognition by the UN, has been under attack by
warlord Khalifa Haftar's militia since April 2019, with more than 1,000 killed
in the violence.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/africom-underlines-strong-cooperation-with-libya-govt/1892065
--------
Libyan
marks liberation of Gharyan from Haftar
Walid
Abdullah
27.06.2020
TRIPOLI,
Libya
The
Libyan Defense Ministry said Friday that it considered the liberation of
Gharyan last June "the real start for the military collapse of putschist
[Khalifa] Haftar's militia."
Deputy
Defense Minister Salah al-Namroush said "liberating Gharyan was a
strategic shift in the battle to defend Tripoli and western Libyan
cities."
"The
Libyan people won't accept the return of an individual authoritarian rule even
if supported by UAE [United Arab Emirates] drones and Russian Pantsir defence
systems." he said on the first anniversary of the liberation of the city.
Al-Namroush
hailed Gharyan residents who revolted against Haftar and refused that their
city be used as "an incubator to Haftar's gangs" in southern Tripoli.
Forces
of the Internationally-recognized government managed June 26, 2019 to free
Gharyan, which was used as a command operations center for Haftar's aggression
against Tripoli.
The
government launched Operation Peace Storm in March to counter attacks on the
capital and recently retook strategic locations, including the Al-Watiya
airbase and Tarhuna, the final stronghold of Haftar's in western Libya.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libyan-marks-liberation-of-gharyan-from-haftar/1891585
--------
India
Jammu’s
Doda is militancy free, say cops after Hizbul terrorist Masood killed in
encounter
Jun
29, 2020
Masood,
a so-called commander of terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed by
security forces in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Monday
morning. Masood was the last surviving terrorist from the Doda district, Jammu
and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh said.
Masood
was wanted in a rape case in Doda and had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen when he
was on the run, the Kashmir police said. He had shifted his area of operation
to Kashmir.
J&K
police chief Dilbag Singh counted Masood’s elimination as a huge win for the
security forces.
“Doda
district in Jammu Zone becomes totally militancy free once again as Masood was
a last surviving terrorist of the Doda District,” Dilbag Singh said.
Two
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists including a district commander were also killed in
Monday’s encounter with a joint team of Kashmir police and Rashtriya Rifles in
Anantnag’s Khull Chohar. This is not the first time that terrorists from two
groups have been found to be working together in Kashmir in recent months.
Doda,
a district in eastern Jammu region that borders south Kashmir’s Anantnag, has
been a key area of focus for security forces.
Monday’s
encounter less than a fortnight after Dilbag Singh went on to declare that they
were within striking distance of clearing Doda of terrorists.
Security
forces have stepped up the offensive in Kashmir and killed more than 100
terrorists in operations this year, prompting sharp protests from Pakistan’s
foreign office who rushed to describe the terrorists killed in encounters as
‘innocents’. The government had earlier this year tightened the security grid
along India’s border to stop infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan’s terror
factories.
Forty
terrorists were killed this month alone, and most of them were killed in south
Kashmir, which is considered the hotbed of militancy in the region. The
terrorists eliminated this month include so-called commanders of
Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jammu-s-doda-is-militancy-free-say-cops-after-hizbul-terrorist-masood-killed-in-encounter/story-dZsjrZuPZISqGz4mwlnzEL.html
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3
terrorists killed in Anantnag encounter
Jun
29, 2020
SRINAGAR:
Three unidentified terrorists were killed in an encounter with the security
forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday, police said.
The
security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Khul Chohar in the
south Kashmir district following information about the presence of terrorists
in the area, a police official said.
The
operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists fired upon a search
party of the forces, who retaliated, the official said.
Three
terrorists have been killed in the encounter so far, he said, adding that the
identity and group affiliation were being ascertained.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/3-terrorists-killed-in-anantnag-encounter/articleshow/76681348.cms
--------
Hizb
threatens to abduct J&K cops’ kin over arrest of slain terrorist’s mother
Jun
28, 2020
SRINAGAR:
Terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen on Sunday threatened to abduct the family
members and relatives of J&K policemen who had recently arrested the mother
of a slain Hizb terrorist in a criminal case.
Naseema
Bano, the mother of slain terrorist Tauseef Ahmed, was arrested from Rampora
Qaimoh in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on June 20. Tauseef’s sister is also
wanted by police for unlawful activities.
Tauseef
was killed along with Hizb commander Sadam Paddar and Kashmir University
teacher-turned-terrorist Muhammad Rafi in Badigam Zainpora area of Shopian in
May, 2018.
Issuing
the threat in a letter written in its letterhead, Hizbul said that its cadres
were “duty-bound to safeguard the family members of the slain Mujahideen”.
“As
such, we will treat the kins of policemen living over Kashmir, same way as they
have treated militants’ family members (sic),” the threat letter said.
According
to police, Naseema was involved in recruiting several youths into Hizbul
outfit. “A 2018 FIR under various sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention
Act stands registered against the mother of the slain terrorist and his sister
for abetment.”
Police
said that the arrest was done in accordance with provisions of law and Naseema
has been under legally sanctioned custody in women’s police station in Anantnag
ever since her arrest.
“Naseema
is involved in serious offences and her role has surfaced in recruiting youths
into terrorist ranks, besides arranging arms and ammunition, communication and
logistics for terror outfits. We also have a photograph of her holding an
automatic weapon and posing with her terrorist son,” police said.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/hizb-threatens-to-abduct-jk-cops-kin-over-arrest-of-slain-terrorists-mother/articleshow/76679077.cms
--------
Domicile
law unconstitutional, not acceptable: Farooq
Khalid
Gul
June
29, 2020
National
Conference President and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday termed
the domicile law as unconstitutional and said it was not acceptable to him.
“The
law is illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional. So why do you think I am
going to accept something which is unconstitutional?” Farooq said in reply to a
question.
He
was speaking at Larim-Ganjipora village of Qaimoo Kulgam where he had come to
offer condolence to former NC legislator Home Shalibugh, Abdul Majid Bhat
Larmi. Larmi’s mother passed away yesterday.
Abdullah’s
remarks come at a time when the LG’s administration has initiated a process of
issuing domicile certificates to the non-locals under the new domicile laws
notified after the abrogation of J&K’s special status.
He
also said dialogue and not war was the option for the country.
“Whether
it is India-China or India-Pakistan, the only future is in talks. War is not
the solution,” Abdullah said.
India
and China are engaged in a standoff on the LAC in Ladakh for the past two
months.
He
asked political parties to unite for the purpose and not for the sake of
elections.
“I
don’t differentiate between prisoners. They are all the same for me,” he said
when asked whether he seeks release of all Kashmiri prisoners.
Asked
if he will approach separatists too for unity, he said, “You are asking me
silly questions just to please people in New Delhi. Do you know what the charge
sheet put against me was? It had no substance.”
Farooq
was arrested in August last year and detained for seven months at his residence.
Almost
all mainstream leaders arrested post-August 5, barring PDP chief Mehbooba
Mufti, has been released.
Farooq
also appealed to people to turn to Allah and seek his forgiveness.
Full
report at:
https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/front-page-2/domicile-law-unconstitutional-not-acceptable-farooq/
--------
Religious
places to open from July 1 in Rajasthan’s rural areas: Govt
Jun
29, 2020
The
Rajasthan government has allowed religious places and those of worship to open
in the state’s rural areas with a limited number of devotees from July 1,
saying norms of social distancing will have to be followed.
Chief
minister Ashok Gehlot said during a review meeting on the coronavirus pandemic
that a decision has been taken against opening religious places in urban areas
and big religious sites in rural areas based on the suggestions of committees
constituted under district collectors.
Gehlot
said only those religious places will be allowed to open in rural areas where
50 or fewer people visit every day. A limited number of people will be allowed
to worship or do other religious works at a time at these places.
Social
distancing, sanitisation, wearing of masks, and the standard operating
procedure (SOP) issued by the Centre for religious places should be ensured, he
said.
The
chief minister also said that the mandatory 14-day home quarantine period for
people coming from other states to Rajasthan has been lifted.
But
they will have to voluntarily keep their movement limited and adopt all
protective measures to prevent infection and get medical attention immediately
after getting their symptoms checked.
He
also said the period of the coronavirus awareness campaign for a week, which is
being run across the state from June 21 to June 30, will be extended.
Full
report at:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/religious-places-to-open-from-july-1-in-rajasthan-s-rural-areas-govt/story-Mgpg0JAUNY5aT3lqlIJStO.html
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan's
national airline moves to assuage concern on 'dubious' pilot licences
Jun
27, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's national airline has written to foreign missions and global
regulatory and safety bodies, assuring them it has grounded all 141 pilots
suspected of obtaining licenses through unfair means, the carrier's spokesman
said on Saturday.
The
move looks to assuage safety concerns after Pakistan's aviation minister Ghulam
Sarwar Khan said on Friday the government had asked various commercial
airlines, flying clubs and charter companies to ground a total of 262 pilots
until investigations into their qualifications are completed.
The
action was prompted by a preliminary report on the crash of a Pakistan
International Airlines (PIA) aircraft in Karachi last month, which found pilots
had failed to follow standard procedures.
Global
safety and transport bodies expressed concern about the alleged
"dubious" licenses and said they were looking into the matter. PIA
flies a number of international routes, including to the United States, Britain
and Europe.
"It
is also ensured that all pilots flying PIA flights are having genuine licences
endorsed by the government of Pakistan," said a copy of the letter sent to
the USEmbassy in Islamabad seen by Reuters.
The
letter, signed by PIA chief executive Arshad Malik, also promised the airline
would remain compliant with all international aviation safety and regulatory
standards.
PIA's
spokesman said the letter had been sent to all heads of foreign missions in
Pakistan as well as international aviation regulators and safety monitoring
agencies.
Aviation
minister Khan had said the move to ground the pilots would help allay global
concerns and show wrongdoing had been corrected. He added that five officials
of the aviation authority were also suspended for abetting the suspected
pilots.
The
Pakistani pilots' union did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
In
a joint statement, The International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations
and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations
called for the crash probe to be conducted on international standards, urging
against "premature conclusions" based on incomplete or speculative
information.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistans-national-airline-moves-to-assuage-concern-on-dubious-pilot-licences/articleshow/76662079.cms
--------
Hike
in petrol price injustice with people: opposition
June
29, 2020
PESHAWAR:
The opposition parties have condemned hike in petrol price and described it
sheer injustice with people during restrictions on movement in the wake of
Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Pakistan
Peoples Party provincial president Humayun Khan, QWP chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan
Sherpao and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial secretary information
Ikhtiar Wali Khan in their separate statements here on Sunday alleged that all
of a sudden increase in fuel prices proved government’s inability to control
hoarding and exploitation of consumers at the hands of ‘mafia’.
Humayun
Khan said that his party was seriously pondering over a plan to announce a
protest campaign against the price hike in the country. He said that first the
government allowed hoarding of petrol by decreasing its rates and then
benefited the petrol mafia by increasing prices.
The
PPP leader said that government did not decrease the prices of other
commodities when the fuel rates were decreased, but they would rise with the
recent hike in petrol prices and the ultimate sufferers would be people.
Similarly,
Aftab Ahmad Sherpao while speaking at a gathering at his party provincial
secretariat here criticised government for the ‘unprecedented’ hike in petrol
price and said that Prime Minister Imran Khan bowed to pressure of oil mafia.
On
the occasion, former tehsil council member Shaukat Ali Khan, Iqbal Hussain
Balay and scores of people from Swat announced joining QWP.
Aftab
Sherpao said that government was sharing wrong statistics about the number of
the coronavirus deaths and patients as it failed to bring the situation under
control. He said that people were dying but there were no facilities in the
hospitals.
“The
formation of the tiger force is a political gimmick and no relief has been
provided to people,” he said. He added that people were fed up with the
government and would soon take to the streets.
Condemning
the torture of a man in the police custody, he said that the incident belied
the tall claims of the government about the exemplary police.
Similarly,
Ikhtiar Wali Khan said that the hike in price of petroleum products would lead
to unprecedented increase in prices of daily use commodities and as result the
low income group would suffer.
He
said that the country was already in grip of poverty as government failed to
fulfil its commitments regarding provision of jobs while the tariffs of natural
gas, power and liquefied petroleum gas were increased with short interval since
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had come into power.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1565827
--------
Differences
exist, but PML-Q will back govt in budget vote
Zulqernain
Tahir
June
29, 2020
LAHORE:
Differences between the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its ally,
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), surfaced on Sunday as the Chaudhrys did
not attend the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Imran Khan at his Banigala
residence on Sunday to protest against the ‘cold attitude’ of PTI leadership
towards its ally.
However,
the PML-Q has decided in principle to vote for the passage of the federal
budget 2021-21.
The
decision to vote for the passage of the federal budget was taken at a PML-Q
meeting, jointly presided over by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi at
their Zahoor Elahi Road residence, on Sunday.
The
meeting discussed the ‘cold attitude’ of PM Khan towards the PML-Q.
Q-League
keeps away from dinner hosted by prime minister
“The
PML-Q leadership refused to attend the premier’s dinner as he did not bother to
invite the party leadership directly. There is no point of meeting Mr Khan if
he continues to distrust Chaudhrys and not take them onboard on important
national issues,” a party insider told Dawn after the meeting.
He
said the meeting also decided that the PML-Q would remain the ally of the
government despite its concerns over the premier’s “not so good attitude”
towards his ally. “Despite this major concern the meeting agreed to vote for
the passage of the budge in the parliament,” he added.
The
participants also discussed “hypocrites and sycophants” around the prime
minister who they said were giving Mr Khan wrong advice besides creating
differences among allies.
Earlier
this year, the PML-Q had warned that it might review its alliance with the PTI
if its “legitimate” demands were not met. The demands were related to the share
in the administration in constituencies where its (PML-Q) lawmakers had won,
and empowerment of its ministers and implementation of the agreement inked by
both parties prior to 2018 elections.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1565876/differences-exist-but-pml-q-will-back-govt-in-budget-vote
--------
Gunmen
attack Pakistani stock exchange, six killed
June
29, 2020
KARACHI,
Pakistan: Four gunmen attacked the Pakistani Stock Exchange building in the
city of Karachi on Monday but security forces soon killed them all, police
said.
Two
other people were also killed, the military said.
The
gunmen attacked the building, which is in a high security zone that also houses
the head offices of many private banks, with grenades and guns, Karachi police
chief Ghulam Nabi Memon told Reuters.
“Four
attackers have been killed, they had come in a silver Corolla car,” Memon said.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility. Pakistan has long been plagued by
militant violence but attacks have become less frequent in recent years.
The
gunmen initially threw a grenade then opened fire on a security post outside
the building. The four were killed when security forces posted there responded.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1697111/world
--------
Pak
Army claims to shoot down Indian 'spying quadcopter' along LoC
Jun
28, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Army on Sunday claimed to have shot down an "Indian spying
quadcopter" for allegedly violating the airspace along the Line of
Control.
According
to a statement issued by the army, the incident took place in Hot Spring sector
of the LoC.
It
said that the "Indian spying quadcopter" had intruded 850 metres on
Pakistan's side of the LoC when it was brought down.
"This
is 9th Indian quadcopter shot down by Pakistan Army troops this year,” the
statement claimed.
India
has dismissed previous such claims by the Pakistan Army.
The
ties between the two nations strained following the Balakot strike when the
Indian Air Force jets bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Pakistan on
February 26 last year to avenge the killing of 40 Central Reserve Police Force
personnel in the Pulwama terror attack on February 14. Pakistan retaliated on
February 27 by attempting to target Indian military installations.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pak-army-claims-to-shoot-down-indian-spying-quadcopter-along-loc/articleshow/76677705.cms
--------
Mumbai
attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's India-born counsel passes away in Pakistan
Jun
29, 2020
LAHORE:
Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's India-born counsel has passed
away after a brief ailment in this Pakistani city. He was 86.
Abdullah
Khan Dogar, whose family had migrated to Pakistan from India's Rampur in UP
after the Partition, breathed his last at a hospital here on Sunday.
He
was the father-in-law of former chief justice of Lahore High Court Mamoon
Rashid Sheikh. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
Dogar
was the counsel of Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Saeed for many years and defended him
in Pakistani courts following the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people
were killed.
He
was also the lead counsel of Saeed in the terror financing cases in which he
was sentenced to jail for 11 years.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/mumbai-attack-mastermind-hafiz-saeeds-india-born-counsel-passes-away-in-pakistan/articleshow/76682397.cms
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Pakistan
to hold general polls in Gilgit-Baltistan on August 18
Jun
28, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan will hold general elections in Gilgit-Baltistan on August 18, the
government has announced after the country's top court allowed holding of polls
in the region, notwithstanding India's strong protest to Islamabad for its
efforts to bring "material change" to the territories under its
"illegal and forcible" occupation.
The
Pakistan Supreme Court on April 30 allowed the government to amend a 2018
administrative order to conduct general elections in the region.
President
Arif Alvi on Saturday approved August 18, 2020 as the poll day for general
elections to the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Legislative Assembly, according to a
statement from the President House.
The
GB Election Commission will hold the elections in 24 constituencies, according
to the statement.
The
Gilgit-Baltistan order of 2018 provided for administrative changes, including
authorising the Prime Minister of Pakistan to legislate on an array of
subjects.
India
last month issued a demarche to a senior Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi and
lodged a strong protest over the apex court ruling.
India
also clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire Union Territories of Jammu
and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an
integral part of the country.
The
Ministry of External Affairs said the government of Pakistan or its judiciary
has no locus standi on territories "illegally and forcibly" occupied
by it.
President
Alvi last month promulgated an order to form a caretaker government and for
extension of the Elections Act 2017 of Pakistan to Gilgit-Baltistan.
The
GB legislative assembly was dissolved on completion of its term on June 24.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-to-hold-general-polls-in-gilgit-baltistan-on-august-18/articleshow/76672855.cms
--------
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