On 'Bharat Vs India' Row, Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq Cites Example Of Turkiye
New Age Islam News Bureau
07 September 2023
Deputy
Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Farhan Haq, Image: UN
Multimedia
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India
·
Anjuman
Intezamia Masjid Committee asks DM of Varanasi to stop ASI survey of Gyanvapi
Mosque
·
NIA nabs
founder of IS-affiliated Kerala module from Chennai
·
Muslim Man
stabbed to death by Hindu live-in partner
·
Nigeria
hails India's efforts to include African Union in G20
·
'No
mercy': Properties of Jammu and Kashmir militants living in Pakistan to be
seized, says DGP
·
Supreme
Court junks plea for cooling-off period of 2 years for ex-judges
------
Mideast
·
UAE To
Host Global Climate Summit For Faith Leaders From The World’s Major Religions,
Ahead Of COP28
·
Displaced
Syrians forced to build hideouts in the caves of Jabal al-Zawiya
·
Syria’s
ancient adobe houses threatened by war, displacement
·
Kuwait
reaffirms unwavering support for Palestinians
·
Kuwait’s
crown prince to visit China later this month
·
Libya’s
anti-Israel protests and the future of normalising relations
·
Qatari
medical team performs complex surgeries in northern Syria
------
Pakistan
·
Torkham
Crossing Shut As Pakistan And Afghan Border Forces Exchange Fire
·
Dead
British-Pakistani Girl’s Family Releases Video While In Hiding
·
Status of
army, secrets acts stays unchanged, SC told
·
Imran’s
lawyer informs IHC of Attock jail conditions
·
IHC
informed about Imran’s jail conditions
·
Elahi
remanded in police custody till 8th
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South Asia
·
Turkey
Rescues 40 Afghan refugees from drowning
·
Militant
behind Quetta Hazara killings arrested near Afghanistan border
·
Conference
Held in Kabul to Discuss Afghan Business, Banking
·
ARCS
Acting President Discusses Aid with Japan Envoy to Afghanistan
·
Foreign
Investors Can Legally Participate in Bidding Processes in Afghanistan: Mines
Minister
·
Maritime
resources extraction: Dhaka seeks Jakarta's support in capacity building
------
North America
·
Escaped
killer evades US police in huge Pennsylvania manhunt
·
CAIR-NY
Condemns Anti-Asian Hate Crime in Brooklyn
·
Biden
laughs off Covid guidance, fails to mask up after wife tests positive
·
US to
provide controversial depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine
------
Arab World
·
No
Trilateral US-Palestine-Saudi Meeting On Israel Normalisation This Week:
Palestinian Official
·
Saudi vice
minister of foreign affairs attends Arab-Japan Political Dialogue ministerial
meeting
·
Saudi
crown prince, Putin agree to continue efforts to stabilize global energy
markets
·
Sudan army
chief visits Qatar on third trip since war began
·
Saudi
Deputy Foreign Minister Discusses Support For Palestinians With UNRWA Official,
Meets Syrian FM
------
Southeast Asia
·
Agong
Wants Sabah Sharie Judges To Resolve Muslim Cases Fairly, Promptly
·
At ASEAN
Summit, PM Anwar Encourages India To Share Its Phenomenal Success In Digital
Penetration
·
Muhyiddin
denies issuing ‘fatwa’, claims speech not to vote for Pakatan’sPulai candidate
taken out of context
·
High Court
fixes Dec 13 to hear Rosmah's application to strike out 17 charges
·
No Anwar,
no DAP, no Bersatu? Of Umno’s unity govt and selective criticism
------
Africa
·
Scores Of
Soldiers And Volunteers Die In Burkina Faso Attack
·
Army
strikes in Sudan’s Omdurman leaves at least 32 killed
·
Nigeria
court rejects bid to overturn Tinubu's victory
·
Labour
Party, Obi, Atiku reject presidential court’s judgement, head to Supreme Court
·
African
country should embrace ‘one-child’ policy – president
·
Nigeria:
Anxious wait for court ruling on petitions against presidential election
·
How
Na’Allah changed my view of University of Abuja
------
Europe
·
‘Your
fight is our fight’, Danish PM tells Ukrainians
·
Terrorism Suspect
On The Run After Daring Escape From London Jail
·
EU’s top
court makes landmark Russian sanctions decision
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bharat-india-turkiye-un-farhan/d/130625
-----
On 'Bharat Vs India' Row, Deputy
Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq Cites Example Of Turkiye
Deputy
Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Farhan Haq, Image: UN
Multimedia
------
By HT News Desk
Sep 07, 2023
The rumoured plans to replace official
usage of the country's English name ‘India’ with 'Bharat' have triggered a
major political row.
Amid the rumours around a possible name
change of ‘India’ to ‘Bharat’, a top UN official on Wednesday said the world
body considers requests from countries to change their names as and when it
receives them. Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Farhan Haq cited the example of Turkey changing its name to Turkiye and the
United Nations agreeing to the formal request, reported PTI.
“Well, in the case of Turkiye, we
responded to a formal request delivered to us by the Government. Obviously, if
we get requests like that, we consider them as they come,” he said in response
to a question on reports that India’s name could be changed to Bharat, as
quoted by PTI.
A political row erupted on Tuesday after
the invites for the G20 dinner called President Droupadi Murmu the ‘President
of Bharat’ instead of the usual ‘President of India’, triggering speculation
that the government may be about to change the country's name.
As the debate was triggered ahead of the
upcoming special session of Parliament, the agenda of which is yet to be
disclosed, it prompted unconfirmed reports that a change of name could be
discussed and passed during the session. While the members of the ruling BJP
suggested that the name Bharat should take primacy over India, opposition
leaders termed it a distraction saying 'Bharat' is already mentioned in the constitution.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however,
told his ministerial colleagues on Wednesday to avoid the political row around
the ‘Bharat’ issue, noting that it has been the country's ancient name.
The preamble to the English version of
the constitution starts with the words “We, the people of India…,” and then in
Part One of the document it states “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of
States.”
In Hindi, the constitution replaces
India with Bharat everywhere, except the part defining the country’s names,
which says in Hindi, “Bharat, that is India, shall be a Union of States.”
Changing India's name to only Bharat
would require an amendment to the constitution which would need to be passed by
a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/on-bharat-vs-india-row-united-nations-cites-example-of-turkiye-101694056168802.html
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Former Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo : Israel
Enforcing Apartheid System Against Palestinians
Tamir Pardo, former head of Israel's
Mossad intelligence agency, would not say whether he held the same views on
Israel's treatment of Palestinians during his time as Mossad chief [Ariel
Schalit/AP Photo]
------
6 Sep 2023
A former head of the Israeli
intelligence agency Mossad has said the country is enforcing an apartheid
system against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Tamir Pardo has become the latest former
senior Israeli official to claim Israel’s treatment of Palestinians amounts to
apartheid, a reference to the system of racial separation in South Africa that
ended in 1994.
“There is an apartheid state here,”
Pardo said in an interview with the Associated Press news agency, published on
Wednesday.
“In a territory where two people are
judged under two legal systems, that is an apartheid state,” Pardo said,
joining a small but growing list of retired officials to endorse an idea that
remains largely on the fringes of Israeli discourse and international diplomacy
but has gained growing acceptance within human rights circles.
Given Pardo’s background, the comments
carry special weight in security-obsessed Israel.
Pardo, who served as head of Israel’s
spy agency from 2011 to 2016, would not say if he held the same beliefs while
heading the Mossad.
The former spy chief said that he
believed that the question of the Palestinians is among the country’s most
pressing issues – above Iran’s nuclear programme, seen by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu as an existential threat.
Pardo said that as Mossad chief, he
repeatedly warned Netanyahu that he needed to decide what Israel’s borders were
or risk the destruction of a state for the Jews.
“Israel needs to decide what it wants. A
country that has no border has no boundaries,” Pardo said.
Responding to Pardo’s comments,
Netanyahu’s Likud party said that the ex-Mossad chief “should be ashamed”.
“Instead of defending Israel and the
Israeli military, Pardo slanders Israel,” it said.
Pardo has been critical of the Netanyahu
government’s attempts to push through a judicial overhaul this year. The
government has moved forward with the plans, despite mass protests from the
opposition.
Rights groups point to discriminatory
policies within Israel and in occupied East Jerusalem, Israel’s blockade of the
Gaza Strip, which has been ruled by the Hamas group since 2007, and its
occupation of the West Bank.
Israel exerts overall control of the
territory, maintains a two-tier legal system and is building and expanding
illegal Jewish settlements.
Last year, rights group Amnesty called
for Israel to be held accountable for carrying out “the crime of apartheid
against Palestinians”, adding that it was treating them as “an inferior racial
group”.
In a damning investigation, the rights
group detailed how Israeli authorities enforced a system of oppression and
domination against the Palestinians.
“This system is maintained by violations
which Amnesty International found to constitute apartheid as a crime against
humanity,” the group said in a statement.
Israel rejects any allegation of
apartheid and says Palestinian citizens of Israel enjoy equal rights while
calling the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank a necessity for security
reasons.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right minister
who lives in an illegal settlement, said on Israeli television in August that
his right to freedom of movement was “more important” than freedom of movement
for Palestinians.
In 2017, a United Nations report accused
Israel of having established “an apartheid regime that oppresses and dominates
the Palestinian people as a whole”.
Last year, South Africa called for
Israel to be declared an “apartheid state”.
“As oppressed South Africans, we
experienced firsthand the effects of racial inequality, discrimination and
denial and we cannot stand by while another generation of Palestinians [is]
left behind,” NalediPandor, South Africa’s minister of international relations
and cooperation, said.
Source: aljazeera.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/6/former-mossad-chief-israel-enforcing-apartheid-system-against-palestinians
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Pakistan Troops Clash With ‘Hundreds’ Of
Taliban, 12 Terrorists Killed In TTP Attack In Chitral
A Pakistan
Army soldier stands guard at the Afghan border. PHOTO: FILE
-----
Kamran Yousuf
September 07, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday said it
repelled a cross-border raid from Afghanistan by a large group of terrorists
equipped with latest weapons targeting the two military posts located in the
general area of Kalash in Chitral district.
During an exchange of fire, at least 12
terrorists were killed while four Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom,
according to the military’s media wing.
The ISPR said owing to heightened threat
environment, security was already on high alert.
“The valiant soldiers fought bravely and
repulsed the attacks inflicting heavy casualties to the terrorists. During the
fire exchange, twelve terrorists were sent to hell, while a large number has
been critically injured.”
However, during the intense exchange of
fire, four brave soldiers, having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat.
Terrorists’ movement and concentration in Gawardesh, Pitigal, Barg-e-Matel and
Batash areas of Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan had already been
picked up and were timely shared with the Interim Afghan government.
“Sanitization of the area is being
carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area,” the statement
further said.
It said security forces were determined
to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our soldiers
further strengthen our resolve. “The brave people of Chitral also stand firmly
with the security forces in not allowing the terrorists to ruin the peace of
the area.”
It further noted that the interim Afghan
government was expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan
soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.
Earlier, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) claimed to have launched a “grand operation” in
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral district. A spokesperson of the TTP claimed that
the terrorist outfit captured many villages in Chitral that shares border with
Kunar, Nuristan and Badakhshan province of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and the Afghan
forces exchanged fire on the border at Torkham, closing the main crossing point
for trade and people’s movement between the two countries, officials said on
Wednesday.
There was no word yet from either side
over the latest skirmishes but officials privately said the clash was triggered
by the Afghan side’s efforts to construct a post along the border.
As per the understanding between the two
countries, any new construction on either side of the border at Torkham could
only be executed after seeking approval from the other side.
However, according to the officials the
Afghan side started constructing the new post without taking the Pakistani side
into confidence leading to the clashes. There were no reports of casualties
from either side.
However, the exchange of fire shut the
key border crossing between the two countries. Footage circulating on the
social media showed people were running for cover as gun shots could be heard
in the background.
Hundreds of trucks carrying goods on
both the sides were stranded due to the closure of the border. The official
sources said both the sides activated the bilateral mechanism soon after the
incident to calm the situation.
This was not the first time the Torkham
border was shut. Previously, the two countries did exchange fire and there were
casualties too. The silence from both the sides about the latest incident
suggested that both the neighbouring countries were trying to downplay the
incident.
According to Reuters, local residents
reported the sound of gunfire by the Torkham crossing and said people around
the busy border area near the Khyber Pass had fled once the firing started.
Security officials from the area, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Taliban and Pakistani forces had
exchanged fire but there had not yet been any casualties.
A spokesman for the local government in
Afghanistan's Nangahar province, where the crossing is located, and a
spokeswoman for Pakistan's Foreign Office did not immediately respond to the
request for comment.
Disputes linked to the 2,600 km (1,615
miles) border have been a bone of contention between the neighbours for
decades.
The crossing has been closed several
times in recent years, including a closure in February that saw thousands of
trucks laden with goods stranded on each side of the border for days.
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2434583/12-terrorists-killed-as-army-repels-ttp-attack-in-chitral
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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Seizes
Villages, Kills 6 Soldiers In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(Photo by
Aamir Quraishi/AFP)
-----
Fidel Rahmati
September 7, 2023
On September 6, Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) launched a large-scale military offensive called ‘Operation
Malakand’ in Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, targeting Pakistani
army posts. The attack resulted in casualties among Pakistani soldiers, with
reports of fatalities and injuries. TTP additionally asserts control over
multiple villages in the area.
The attack commenced early in the day,
as confirmed by a TTP commander during a telephone interview with The Khorasan
Diary. According to the commander, the operation in the Chitral district began
at 4 AM (Pakistan time) and has captured multiple villages. However, due to
ongoing internet connectivity problems, sharing visual documentation is
currently challenging for the TTP.
In a conversation with The Khorasan
Dairy, a senior Pakistani security official refuted the TTP’s assertions,
stating that the terror group has not captured any areas.
In a statement to local media, TTP
spokesman Muhammad Khurasani urged citizens to stay calm, emphasizing that
their conflict was directed solely at the Pakistani army, which he described as
“usurping” and “oppressive” security forces. This statement coincides with
Pakistan’s observance of its Defence Day on Wednesday.
Khurasani reassured the people of
Chitral, emphasizing their safety, stating, “You should remain calm. No harm
will come to you. Our war is against usurping and oppressive security
agencies,” local media outlets reported.
Unconfirmed videos circulating on social
media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), suggest that Pakistani SSG
commands have been deployed to Chitral in response to reports claiming that
around 500 TTP terrorists have taken control of several villages in the region.
Multiple social media accounts,
including those of well-known journalists with expertise in Pakistani affairs,
have reported clashes between Pakistani forces and TTP along the Durand Line,
leading to the temporary closure of the Torkham border crossing.
The Pakistani army has refuted any
casualties, whereas TTP terrorists assert that they have killed six Pakistani
soldiers.
The Pakistani media has notably
refrained from covering the TTP’s significant offensive against the Pakistani
army. The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, declared war on the military
in November 2022, aiming to establish Sharia laws in Pakistan similar to the
Afghan Taliban’s rule in Kabul. This resurgence of terror activities in
Pakistan is linked to long-standing support for terror outfits by the military
and establishment.
According to UN reports, the TTP
collaborates closely with Al-Qaida and is implicated in numerous lethal attacks
throughout Pakistan. Recent incidents include the deaths of a Pakistan Army
Major and a soldier during an intelligence operation on September 2 in a
northwest tribal district bordering Afghanistan. Moreover, just two days
earlier, nine Pakistani soldiers were reportedly killed in a TTP suicide attack
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Source: khaama.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/tehreek-e-taliban-pakistan-seizes-villages-kills-6-soldiers-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa/
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US Denies Leaving Any Weapons In
Afghanistan During Pull-Out
US denies
leaving any weapons in Afghanistan during pullout. AFP/File
-----
September 07, 2023
WASHINGTON: The United States has
rejected Pakistan’s statements about the weapons American troops had allegedly
left in Afghanistan before pulling out of the war-ravaged country.
Addressing a press conference on
Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said America did not
leave behind any military equipment for terrorist organisations in Afghanistan.
His remarks came after Pakistan’s Prime
Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar and Ambassador Masood Khan had reportedly said the
weapons left behind by America had fallen into the hands of terrorists.
Kirby said the US had left only a
limited amount of equipment and aircraft in Kabul. At the airport, he said,
America had left trucks, and technical and firefighting equipment.
When a journalist drew his attention to
reports that the $7 billion worth of weapons in Afghanistan had fallen into the
hands of terrorists, the National Security Council spokesman said the military
equipment being talked about had been actually handed over to the Afghan
defence forces.
All that military equipment was for the
Afghan defence forces, as it was the US mission to build their capacity and
enable them to fulfil their country’s security responsibility themselves, said
Kirby. He said it the Afghan forces themselves that had abandoned that
equipment.
Pakistan has been facing threats of
terrorism for a long time, and one significant reason for this is its border
with Afghanistan, he remarked.
When asked why President Joe Biden had
said Pakistan was the most dangerous country having nuclear weapons, Kirby said
President Biden realizes Pakistan is still facing threats and is committed to
continuing cooperation with Pakistan. He said the US would continue to work on
all issues with Pakistan, including current security threats.
When asked if President Biden would
discuss Kashmir and human rights violations in India during the G20 summit, and
how the White House viewed the fact that Pakistan had proposed multiple times
to engage in dialogue with India, he said Pakistan and India had to talk on all
issues themselves.
Discussing human rights violations is an
essential part of President Biden’s foreign policy and he will never shy away
from talking about human rights violations.
He said President Biden talked about
human rights violations during Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Washington
and he would not refrain from discussing the issue during his visit to India.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1107571-us-denies-leaving-any-weapons-in-afghanistan-during-pullout
-----
India
Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee asks
DM of Varanasi to stop ASI survey of Gyanvapi Mosque
September 7, 2023
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee
(AIMC) has written a letter to the District Magistrate (DM) of Varanasi seeking
to stop the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) survey of the Gyanvapi
Mosque complex.
The mosque committee said the survey
being done by the ASI after September 2 is “null and void because the heritage
body filed an application in the Varanasi district court seeking another eight
weeks’ time on which hearing is on September 8”.
“So far, neither the time period was
extended by the court nor any order was passed to continue the survey. The
survey conducted by the ASI in the Gyanvapi mosque after September 2 was null
and void. Hence, we requested the district administration stop the survey,”
AIMC joint secretary S.M. Yaseen said on Thursday.
However, Varanasi DM S. Rajalingam said:
“The district administration cannot intervene as the matter is sub-judice. It
can also not pass any instruction to the ASI. This has been communicated to
them (AIMC office-bearers).”
The committee stated that the ASI was to
submit a report of the survey on September 2, but it filed an application in
the Varanasi district court seeking eight weeks’ time for submitting the
report.
As the district judge was on leave, the
matter was put up before the court of additional district judge-I (ADJ).
The ADJ ordered to put up the matter
before the court of district judge.
On September 4, the application was
placed before the district judge.
The court ordered to put up the file on
the next date of hearing on Friday, said S.M. Yaseen. –IANS
Source: muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/aimc-asks-dm-to-stop-asi-survey-of-gyanvapi-mosque/
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NIA nabs founder of IS-affiliated Kerala
module from Chennai
06th September 2023
By Express News Service
KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency
(NIA) probing the recently-formed Kerala module of the Islamic State (IS)
arrested its founder SiyedNabeelAhammad from Chennai on Wednesday.
Thrissur native Nabeel was tracked by
the NIA special squad assigned to track down fugitives involved in terrorism
cases.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) is a transnational terrorist group that is also known as Islamic State
(IS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as well as by its Arabic
acronym Da'ish or Daesh.
NIA officials will bring him to Kochi on
Thursday and will produce him before the NIA court in Kochi. The anti-terrorism
agency has recovered digital devices from Nabeel which will be sent for
forensic analysis after being presented before the NIA court.
It was in July this year that the NIA
found that a new group affiliated with the IS based in Kerala was trying to
recruit youngsters and planning terror strikes and target killings in south
India.
After registering a case, the NIA team
tracked down MathilakathKodayil Ashraf alias Ashif of Thrissur in
Sathyamangalam forest.
Apart from Ashif, the other co-accused
are Nabeel, Shiyas TS, and Rayees.
The NIA questioned has Shiyas as part of
the probe multiple times.
However, after the arrest of Ashif,
Nabeel went underground, leaving Kerala and moving to Karnataka before shifting
to Tamil Nadu.
NIA officers said that Nabeel reached
Chennai to travel to Nepal and that he had arranged a fake passport as well.
They are checking the itinerary of Nabeel to see if he had plans to join the IS
abroad.
Nabeel had switched off his mobile phone
after the NIA arrested Ashif in July this year and he then procured fake SIM
cards.
The group was into dacoities as part of
raising funds for furthering activities of the IS in Kerala, sources said. They
were also on a reconnaissance mission for potential terror strikes.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2023/sep/06/nia-nabs-founder-of-is-affiliated-kerala-module-from-chennai-2612299.html
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Muslim Man stabbed to death by Hindu
live-in partner
07th September 2023
BENGALURU: A 29-year-old man was stabbed
to death with a kitchen knife by his live-in partner after an argument over
their relationship at an apartment at Akshaya Nagar in Hulimavu on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as
Javed. The police have arrested the accused, Renuka, 24.
“Renuka relocated to Bengaluru from
Belagavi after separation from her family five years ago. Javed, a native of
Kerala, was working as a technician at a cellphone servicing shop,” a police
officer said.
The incident came to light around 3:30
pm when their neighbours saw Renuka rushing Javed, who was bleeding profusely,
to hospital.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2023/sep/07/man-stabbed-to-death-by-live-in-partner-2612498.html
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Nigeria hails India's efforts to include
African Union in G20
September 2023
By YeshiSeliExpress News Service
NEW DELHI: The Nigerian President has
arrived in Delhi ahead of the G20 Summit as a guest of India. Nigeria, one of
India’s largest trade partners in Africa, has welcomed India’s commitment to
include the African Union in the G20.
“It’s a significant step forward for the
African Union (AU) to join the G20. Having more diverse voices on the global
stage will be beneficial. India is leading the effort to increase
representation, and credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” stated
ToluOgunlesi, advisor to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment.
India has extended an invitation to
Nigeria as a guest country for the G20 Summit. President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria
is in India ahead of the summit, where he is expected to hold bilateral
meetings with PM Modi, as well as with the leaders of Germany, South Korea and
Brazil on the sidelines of the summit, which commences on September 9.
“This gesture of inviting Nigeria as a
guest country for the G20 Summit demonstrates how much India values our
relationship. Our two nations share similarities, having both been British
colonies, and our societies and cultures are diverse,” added Tolu.
Accompanying the Nigerian President are
four ministers, including the foreign minister, finance minister, industry and
trade minister, and communications and digital economy minister. In addition to
the official delegation, a substantial business delegation has also joined the
President.
The objective is to strengthen trade
partnerships between the two nations. India is the largest importer of crude
oil from Nigeria, and more than 130 Indian corporations, including Airtel,
Mahindra and Tata, have a presence in Nigeria. “Nigeria is eager to collaborate
with India and expand our business ties,” emphasized Nigerian High Commissioner
to India, Ahmed Sule.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/sep/07/nigeria-hails-indias-efforts-to-include-african-union-in-g20-2612519.html
------
'No mercy': Properties of Jammu and
Kashmir militants living in Pakistan to be seized, says DGP
07th September 2023
By FayazWaniExpress News Service
SRINAGAR: Talking tough, Jammu and
Kashmir Police chief Dilbagh Singh on Wednesday said the properties of J&K
militants, who have taken refuge in Pakistan and are living there, would be
seized. The army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in
the border district of Poonch by killing two militants.
“We have got a list of terrorists, who
are residents of J&K and have fled to Pakistan to take refuge there. Their
properties are being seized and this process will continue,” DGP DilbaghSingh
told reporters in Rajouri. He said a close watch is being kept on these
terrorists as they continue to promote terrorism from across the LoC.
“These people are behind the attempts to
revive militancy in J&K,” the DGP said. He said no mercy would be shown to
these militants if they attempted to return. “If they try to come back, they
will be killed,” he added. According to sources, J&K police is compiling a
list of militants from J&K, who are presently living and operating in Pakistan.
Police and security agencies have blamed
Pakistan-based J&K militants for attempting to revive militancy in border
districts of Rajouri and Poonch and other parts of the Jammu region.
Meanwhile, the army today foiled an
infiltration bid along the LoC in the Mandi sector of the Poonch district. “Two
terrorists were observed crossing LoC coming towards this side during the
preceding night in Mandi sub sector of Poonch district,” defence spokesman
Jammu Lt Col SuneelBartwal said.
He said a joint operation was launched
immediately by the Army and police to intercept the infiltrating militants.
“Taking advantage of hostile terrain, dense jungle and steep gradient,
militants fired heavily from automatic weapons towards the troops in an attempt
to escape from the area,” he said.
Continuing, the defence spokesman added,
“The fire was returned by the troops and in the ensuing firefight, which
continued till today afternoon, both militants were killed.” He revealed that the body of one militant and
war-like stores had been recovered during the operation and a search is still
going on to recover the dead body of the second militant who was killed in the
encounter.
‘Revival of militancy’
DGP Dilbagh Singh said a close watch is
being kept on these terrorists as they continue to promote terrorism from
across the LoC. “These people are behind the attempts to revive militancy in
J&K,” the DGP said. He said no mercy would be shown to these militants if
they attempted to return.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Supreme Court junks plea for cooling-off
period of 2 years for ex-judges
Sep 7, 2023
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on
Wednesday dismissed a plea for fixing a cooling-off period of two years for SC
and HC judges before accepting any political appointment, saying it was up to a
judge to take a call on accepting such an appointment and it was for the
government to frame a law.
“Whether a judge should accept an
appointment is best left to the discretion of the judge concerned, or a law may
be brought to regulate the same,” a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and
Sudhanshu Dhulia said while dismissing the petition.
The court noted that there were many
constitutional and statutory posts which had to be manned by retired judges of
the Supreme Court and high courts. “Governor is a constitutional post. Tribunal
appointments should also be stopped then?” the bench said.
The lawyer appearing for the petitioner
said the plea talked about only those appointments that depended on the
discretion of the executive, for which there should be a two year-cooling off
period.
The bench was hearing a plea filed by
the Bombay Lawyers’ Association that submitted that retired judges accepting
political appointments was creating a wrong perception and that judges should
not be allowed to accept such jobs for two years after retirement.
“Unless these constitutional courts are
perceived by citizenry as independent and impartial, free from any kind of
influence of the executive and any other form of economic, political and social
considerations, the enforcement of fundamental rights would remain only statute
book as dead letters,” the plea stated.
The President of India had appointed
former SC judge Justice S Abdul Nazeer as the governor of Andhra Pradesh, a
month after he demitted office. Former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi was also
nominated to the Rajya Sabha after his retirement.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Mideast
UAE to host global climate summit for
Faith leaders from the world’s major religions, ahead of COP28
ARAB NEWS
September 06, 2023
LONDON: Abu Dhabi will host a global
summit for faith leaders on Nov. 6-7 to highlight the critical role of faith
communities in combating climate change, Emirates News Agency reported on
Wednesday.
The two-day summit will take place ahead
of the 28th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change, COP28, in Dubai from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.
It will be organized by the Muslim
Council of Elders in partnership with the COP28 Presidency, the UN Environment
Programme, and the Catholic Church, and under the patronage of the UAE’s
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
Faith leaders from the world’s major
religions, as well as academics and environmental experts, are set to
participate to discuss their ethical responsibilities in dealing with the
climate crisis.
The meeting will also look at how faith
and science can work together to bridge the gap between empirical evidence and
spiritual teachings; discuss ways for raising religious leaders’ voices to
improve climate justice; and ways to involve grassroots communities in sustainable development.
MCE Secretary-General Mohamed Abdelsalam
said: “As our world inches closer to irreversible climate damage that can only
be addressed through collective effort, the preliminary summit of religious
leaders for COP28 comes at a critical moment where scaling up climate action in
all sectors of society, eradicating climate change ignorance, and raising
awareness of environmental issues have become imperative.”
COP28 Director General Majid Al-Suwaidi
said: “Inclusion is the foundation of the COP28 Presidency — faith-based
communities and organizations play a crucial role in helping the world address
climate change.
“Our goal is to provide a global stage
for fostering religious engagement and interfaith dialogue with the aim of
inspiring ambitious goals and concrete actions to address the climate crisis.”
Al-Suwaidi added that the MCE and the
UNEP will co-host the Faith Pavilion at COP28, the first of its kind at a COP
event.
COP28 UAE is expected to attract about
70,000 people, including heads of state, government officials, international
industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts,
youngsters, and non-state players.
It will carry out the first-ever Global
Stocktake, a comprehensive assessment of progress toward climate targets, as
mandated by the Paris Agreement.
Source: arabnews.com
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Displaced Syrians forced to build
hideouts in the caves of Jabal al-Zawiya
By HusamHezaber and Ali Haj Suleiman
6 Sep 2023
Idlib, Syria – In Jabal al-Zawiya there
is a dark, narrow rock passageway that eventually leads to an illuminated cave.
This is where Ahmed Khalil lives with
his family. The 53-year-old father of four from the village of Kansafra south
of Idlib brought everyone here to get away from continuous shelling by Syrian
regime forces.
Khalil dug the cave himself, using
primitive tools, after his son was killed in a shelling on his village five
years ago.
They use battery power to light the
cave, which is furnished simply, with a large rug where the family spends most
of its time, one end of it covered with children’s toys. A shelf bearing the
family’s necessities is in one corner.
The family is not exactly happy staying
there, even temporarily, Khalil told Al Jazeera. “This cave … is like a tomb,
we cannot leave it because of the continuous shelling in the area,” Khalil
said.
“These caves are not suitable for
humans. They’re so damp, people get sick, especially children. But they’re
still safer than our houses,” Khalil said.
Villages and towns in al-Zawiya in the
Idlib countryside, close to the front lines with Syrian regime forces, have
been subjected to an intensive artillery shelling campaign, the strongest in
months, leading to the displacement of some residents to the northern
countryside of Idlib.
In March 2020, Turkey and Russia reached
a ceasefire agreement in the Idlib de-escalation zone after the Syrian regime
took control of vast areas in the countryside of Idlib, Hama and Aleppo.
However, this agreement is constantly
violated by the Syrian regime forces.
“For the past 10 days, we have been
living in this cave, and I only leave to get some bread and water and return
quickly. I fear the shelling and the reconnaissance aircraft that never leave
the area,” Khalil said.
“My children’s mental health is
deteriorating, and I fear for them if our stay here is prolonged,” Khalil told
Al Jazeera.
What he fears most is that the cave he
is in will be hit. It lacks ventilation openings and does not have an emergency
exit, meaning they are trapped if its only entrance is blocked.
“In Idlib province, there is no safe
place to go because the [Bashar al-Assad] regime and Russia have not spared any
city or village from their bombings and displacement of its residents,” Khalil
added.
Escaping death to death
A girl was killed and her sister injured
in a rocket attack by Syrian regime forces on Monday morning that targeted a
tent where the girls’ family lived on the outskirts of the city of Sarmin, east
of Idlib, according to the Syrian Civil Defense.
Abir al-Khalf, a 32-year-old mother of
three from the village of Qumeinas in the Idlib countryside, keeps a tent on
his farmland near Sarmin, where he and his family go when there is shelling on
their village.
“On Sunday, my family and I left the
tent and gave it to my relatives who came fleeing from the shelling by the
Assad regime forces on the nearby village of Afes in the eastern Idlib
countryside,” al-Khalf said.
Al-Khalf told Al Jazeera that 12 of her
relatives slept in the tent only to be woken up on Monday morning by shelling
targeting the agricultural land they were staying in, resulting in the death of
a 12-year-old girl, Fidaa, and the serious injury of her sister.
“They were preparing breakfast when the
shells surprised them, turning their breakfast into a pool of blood and body
parts,” al-Khalf said.
“For about 12 years now, we have been
escaping from death to death, in addition to the displacement that has not
ended due to the continuous shelling of cities and villages in northern Syria,”
she added.
Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the
White Helmets, said a lot of displacement from the towns in Zawiya has been
ongoing for several days as a result of Syrian regime attacks. Civilians from
the countryside of Jarablus and al-Bab in the Aleppo countryside are also being
shelled intensively.
“Since the beginning of this year 2023
until Sunday, August 27th, our teams have documented 491 attacks by the regime
forces, Russia, and their affiliated militias. These attacks have resulted in
the deaths of 55 people, including nine children and five women, and the injury
of 225 people, including 78 children and 32 women,” said Munir al-Mustafa,
Deputy Director of Syrian Civil Defense.
Al-Mustafa told Al Jazeera that, in the
first four days of September, attacks by regime forces and Russia in
northwestern areas have intensified, resulting in the deaths of nine civilians,
including six children, and the injury of 18 others, including 13 children and
four women.
Source: aljazeera.com
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Syria’s ancient adobe houses threatened
by war, displacement
AFP
September 07, 2023
UMM AMUDA KABIRA, Syria: Traditional
mud-brick houses that the people of northern Syria have built for thousands of
years risk disappearing, as 12 years of war have emptied villages and left the
buildings crumbling.
Also knowns as “beehive houses,” the
conical adobe structures are designed to keep cool in the blazing desert sun,
while their thick walls also retain warmth in the winter.
Umm AmudaKabira village in Aleppo
province is among a handful of places where residents long used to live in the
small domed houses, made of mud mixed with brittle hay.
“Our village once had 3,000 to 3,500
residents and some 200 mud houses,” said Mahmud Al-Mheilej, standing beside
deserted homes with weeds growing out of the roofs.
“Everyone left” after the region saw
heavy fighting and was overrun by Daesh group jihadists, the schoolteacher in
his 50s told AFP.
Aleppo province was the scene of fierce
battles between Syrian government forces, rebels and Daesh extremists from 2012
until Russian-backed government forces gradually ousted them.
While the violence has waned in the
area, instability and economic hardship have long become a fact of life across
Syria.
“No more than 200 of us have returned”
to the village, said Mheilej, who now lives in a concrete building close by.
Inside one traditional house, crevasses
snaked along white walls riddled with holes.
All of the mud-brick homes have been
abandoned, Mheilej said, pointing at a tumbledown wall, the remnants of a
collapsed house.
“There is no one left to take care of
the houses, that’s why they are decaying,” he added. “In time, they will
disappear without a trace.”
Syria’s war broke out in 2011 and
quickly escalated into a conflict that pulled in foreign powers and jihadists.
The fighting has killed more than
500,000 people, and millions have been displaced.
“We were born and raised inside the mud
houses,” said Jamal Al-Ali, 66, from outside the ancestral home his family was
forced to abandon in nearby Haqla.
The domed structure kept inhabitants
cool in the summer and warm in the winter, said Ali, as he shared a meal with
his family on a straw carpet.
Local masons were among those who fled
the fighting, leaving the region short of their ancestral know-how.
Issa Khodr, 58, who took refuge in
neighboring Lebanon, is one of the last Syrians with expertise in building the
structures, which require regular upkeep.
With support from local charity
Arcenciel, he has recreated the rustic dwellings in the Bekaa Valley, home to a
large Syrian refugee population.
“I learnt the trade in the village when
I was 14 because every time someone wanted to build a mud house, others would
help,” said the former civil servant.
“Because of the war, the houses are
disappearing, and so is our profession,” said Khodr.
Lebanese architect FadlallahDagher said
the construction technique “is believed to have originated during the Neolithic
period some 8,000 years ago.”
The project aims to pass on knowledge
among the refugees, Dagher said, so that “once they return to their devastated
country, which lacks resources, they can build their own homes.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Kuwait reaffirms unwavering support for
Palestinians
ARAB NEWS
September 06, 2023
LONDON: Kuwait’s foreign minister,
Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has reaffirmed his country’s
unwavering support for the Palestinian people and efforts to secure their
rights.
His comments came during a meeting with
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which took place on Wednesday on the
sidelines of the 160th meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo,
during which officials discussed ways to ensure the sustainability of UNRWA
operations.
During his meeting with the Kuwaiti
foreign minister, Lazzarini reviewed the humanitarian programs his agency
provides to assist Palestinian refugees around the world. He also praised
Kuwaiti authorities for their support of the Palestinian people and commended
the nation for its contributions to aid efforts for refugees.
Sheikh Salem reaffirmed Kuwait’s
commitment to the work of UNRWA, which he said plays an important role in
delivering critical services to Palestinian refugees. In 2022, Kuwait provided
$12 million to help fund the agency’s work, according to official figures.
Source: arabnews.com
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Kuwait’s crown prince to visit China
later this month
ARAB NEWS
September 07, 2023
KUWAIT: Kuwait’s crown prince Sheikh
Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah will visit China later this month, state news agency
KUNA reported on Thursday.
Kuwait’s defense minister Ahmad Fahad
Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah discussed preparations for the crown prince’s visit during a
meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Kuwait Zhang Jianwel.
The visit is “expected to include the
signing of a number of important and vital agreements between the two countries
in several fields,” said the KUNA statement.
The defense minister will lead a
delegation to China that includes Kuwait’s foreign minister Sheikh Salem
Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, oil minister Saad Al Barrak, and finance minister
Manaf Abdulaziz Al Hajri.
Source:
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Libya’s anti-Israel protests and the
future of normalising relations
6 Sep 2023
Libya and Israel have no formal
diplomatic relations – in fact, under Libyan law, it is illegal to hold any
unauthorised discussions with Israeli officials. Yet, in August, Libyan Foreign
Minister Najla al-Mangoush met Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Rome, in
what she thought was a secret meeting. Then, the news got out. Protests erupted
in several cities across Libya, Mangoush was fired and fled the country for
what she claimed were security reasons.
So what does what happened in Libya say
about the growing movement of Arab countries normalising ties with Israel?
Source: aljazeera.com
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Qatari medical team performs complex
surgeries in northern Syria
ARAB NEWS
September 06, 2023
DOHA: A Qatari medical team has
completed a humanitarian mission in northern Syria in a move intended to
alleviate the suffering of displaced patients.
The convoy’s mission was assisted by the
Qatar Red Crescent and in partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar
News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Dr. Abdulla Al Naimi, HMC’s consultant
urologist, headed the medical team which included a group of doctors
experienced in the fields of urology and pediatric surgery.
The team conducted medical checkups,
treated 47 cases and conducted 29 surgeries, some of them complex operations.
These included repairs, through
laparoscopic surgery, of congenital malformations in children, and the repair
of urethral strictures.
The surgical interventions also included
extraction of urinary stones by endoscopic percutaneous nephrolithotomy, which
is a complex surgery unavailable in northern Syria due to lack of medical
equipment or experts.
The consultant physicians also provided
workshops for 12 urology specialists and four pediatric surgeons from medical
centers in northern Syria to transfer expertise and advanced technologies to
help strengthen their capabilities.
Source: arabnews.com
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-----
Pakistan
TorkhamCrossing Shut As Pakistan And
Afghan Border Forces Exchange Fire
Ibrahim Shinwari
September 7, 2023
KHYBER: At least two people, including a
Frontier Corps (FC) official, were injured when a gun battle erupted between
Pakistan and Afghan border forces on Wednesday, shutting the busiest trade
crossing between the two countries at Torkham.
Officials in Pakistan blamed the other
side for starting the midday firefight, which lasted for around two hours and
came after the Afghan authorities started building a checkpoint on their side
in a prohibited area, close to the main border crossing.
Officials said the Afghan authorities
already had a checkpoint, commonly known as the Larram Post, in the vicinity,
but they started building another post over a small hill without discussing it
with the Pakistani side.
They said border security officials had
also held a meeting minutes before the crossfire began. However, it could not
be ascertained what the meeting’s agenda was and what prompted both countries’
border forces to open fire.
Apart from the FC official, a Customs
clearing agent was also critically injured when he was hit by a speeding
vehicle pulling back to safety after the firing started.
Jamshed Khan, a Customs agent at
Torkham, told Dawn that everyone near the Torkham border crossing immediately
vacated their workplaces and ran for cover when the firing started.
He said that it was not clear which side
initiated the firing. “First, we heard the sound of firing from small weapons
and then heavy weapons were also used from both sides,” he said, adding that
the incident caused panic among clearing agents, transporters and ordinary
people, with drivers of loaded and empty vehicles trying to flee the troubled
spot.
Sabir Khan, a resident of the Bacha
Maina residential compound near the border, told Dawn that people had sent
their families to safer locations in LandiKotal when some projectiles fired
from the Afghan side landed inside some homes. He said the projectiles left
minor marks on some houses, but no one was injured.
Blame game
Irshad Mohmand, a local administration
official in Pakistan, told AFP that Afghan forces tried to establish a
checkpoint in an area where it was agreed that both sides would not establish a
post.
“After an objection from the Pakistan
side, the Afghan forces opened fire,” he said, adding that Pakistan border
forces responded with “retaliatory fire”.
However, the Afghan Taliban government
blamed Pakistan. “Pakistani forces attacked the Afghan side when Afghan forces
wanted to reactivate their old outpost with an excavator,” said Quraishi
Badloon, an official for the information and culture directorate in
Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province.
“The attack has resulted in casualties,
but the exact figures are not known yet,” he said.
However, a Taliban government interior
ministry spokesman, Abdul Mateen Qani, said on Wednesday that efforts were
being made “to prevent the causes of this clash and the recurrence of such
incidents,” AFP reported.
A local Pakistan police official told
the news agency that the shooting stopped by late Wednesday afternoon, but the
border remained shut, he said. “The atmosphere is tense” and “forces on both
sides are alert”, he said.
Another local government official said
light and heavy weapons, as well as mortars, were used in the incident.
The crossing at Torkham is a key trading
waypoint, where Afghanistan exports truckloads of coal and receives food and
other supplies from Pakistan.
The crossing has been closed several
times in recent years, including a closure in February that saw thousands of
trucks laden with goods stranded on each side of the border for days.
Both nations are in dire economic
straits, with Afghanistan reeling from a drop-off in aid following the end of
the US-backed occupation and Pakistan crippled by a domestic downturn and
runaway inflation.
Source: dawn.com
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Dead British-Pakistani Girl’s Family
Releases Video While In Hiding
September 7, 2023
Atika Rehman
LONDON: Beenish Batool, the stepmother
of the 10-year-old found dead in her Woking home last month, released a video
message on Wednesday, the first public statement by the deceased minor’s
immediate family.
The video, which appears to have been
recorded on a smartphone, shows Sara’s stepmother with her father Urfan Sharif
beside her. Ms Batool claims the couple are willing to co-operate with UK
authorities, and that their family is in hiding out of fear of torture by
Pakistani police.
Ms Batool is the only one who speaks in
the video, While Urfan sits silently. Reading from a notebook, she describes
Sara’s death as an “incident”, and alleged that police in Pakistan were
harassing the couple’s extended family, illegally detaining them and raiding
their homes.
She spoke briefly of Sara. “Firstly, I
would like to talk about Sara. Sara’s death was an incident. Our family in
Pakistan are severely affected by all that is going on,” Ms Batool said.
“All the media have been giving wrong
statements and making up lies. “Imran [one of Mr Sharif’s brothers] did not
give a statement that Sara fell down the stairs and broke her neck. This was
spread through a Pakistani media outlet. I am very worried about Imran’s
safety.”
She claimed the family is running out of
food and is unable to leave home. “All of our family members have gone into
hiding as everyone is scared for their safety.
“The kids are unable to attend school as
they’re afraid to leave the house. No one is leaving the house.”
“The groceries have run out and there is
no food for the kids as the adults are unable to leave their homes out of fear
for safety.”
Ms Batool said that the reason the
family is in hiding is because they fear that the Pakistan police will torture
and kill them.
But Jhelum police chief Mehmood Bajwa
told the BBC the allegations of “harassment and torture of family members are
false”.
Last month, Urfan Sharif’s father had
petitioned the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court against the harassment
of his family members. The court barred the police from detaining them again
but the officers said they would continue to question them.
Earlier, Sara’s mother Olga, in an
interview with a Polish channel, said the girl had been so badly injured that
she “did not recognise her” in the mortuary.
“One of her cheeks was swollen and the
other side was bruised. Even now, when I close my eyes I can see what my baby
looked like,” Olga said in an interview.
The grandfather and uncle of Sara Sharif
have previously claimed that her death was “accidental”, with one account
reported in the media claiming “she fell down the stairs and broke her neck”.
Urfan, his brother Faisal Malik, Beenish
and five children flew from the UK to Pakistan a day after Sara died. Police
believe the trio left the country on Aug 9, a day before Sara’s body was
discovered.
Surrey Police said a post-mortem
examination revealed Sara “suffered multiple and extensive injuries”, which
they said were “likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period
of time”.
She was previously known to authorities,
according to Surrey County Council, while Surrey Police said they had ‘limited
and historic contact’ with Sara’s family.
Source: dawn.com
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Status of army, secrets acts stays
unchanged, SC told
Nasir Iqbal
September 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Sindh Bar Council (SBC)
has approached the Supreme Court against the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act 2023
and Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023, contending that since both lack the
presidential assent, they remain bills and have not become law.
Additionally, it became one of many
petitioners before the apex court on Wednesday, challenging the trial of
civilians in military courts.
The petition was jointly filed by the
SBC, its Vice Chairman Azhar Hussain, Chairman Executive Committee Naeemuddin
Qureshi and member Judicial Commission of Pakistan Syed Haider Imam Rizvi.
Drafted by senior counsel Salahuddin
Ahmed, the petition is the fifth such plea moved before the Supreme Court.
Earlier, former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Jawwad S. Khawaja through his
counsel Khwaja Ahmad Hosain, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, five members of civil
society through lawyer Faisal Siddiqi as well as former law minister Aitzaz
Ahsan had moved similar petitions before the SC.
Headed by CJP Umar Ata Bandial, a
six-judge bench is hearing the petitions. At the last hearing on Aug 3, the
bench postponed proceedings for an indefinite period.
The SBC argued the President had
publicly stated that he did not sign the two bills since he disagreed with them
and had asked his staff to return them unsigned within the stipulated time to
make them ineffective.
On the other hand, the Law Ministry
asserted that the bills were received by the presidency on Aug 2, 2023 and Aug
8, 2023, respectively. The President is permitted to assent or return the bills
within ten days after they were presented to him.
Even if the date of receipt is counted
as the first day of the period available to the president, at the very
earliest, assent could only have been deemed on Aug 12 and Aug 18,
respectively, the petition argued. However, the gazette notifications state the
President was deemed to have assented to the Army Bill 2023 with effect from
Aug 11 and Official Secrets Act Bill on Aug 17.
Thus no such deeming is possible on
these dates, the petition contended, adding for that reason alone the purported
legislation was unconstitutional, colourable and non-est. Even otherwise there
is no concept of deemed assent under Article 75(1) of the Constitution since
assent must be formally expressed in writing, the petition emphasised, adding
the President reflects the unity of the federation and not permitted to lead a
political party.
Thus the admitted absence of express
presidential assent to both these bills suggests that these are not laws, the
petition said, adding the SC should declare the PAA (Amendment) Act 2023 and
Official Secrets (Amendment) Act (OSA) 2023 lack the presidential assent under
Article 75(1) of the Constitution and thus nullity in the eyes of law.
Or, it said, the SC could alternatively
declare that both PAA and OSA were ultra vires of the Constitution insofar as
they purport to further extend the reach of military laws and military
tribunals over civilians including retired military personnel and thus of no
legal effect.
Access to justice
The petition pointed out that after the
18th Constitution Amendment, the right to fair trial and due process in the
determination of any criminal charge has become a constitutional guarantee on
account of specific proviso in Article 8(3).
The Supreme Court has already held that
access to justice is a fundamental right and it includes the right of trial
before an independent court or tribunal within the adjudicatory hierarchy. It
has also held that military trials of civilians are not permitted within the
scheme of Constitution and military tribunals cannot be considered truly
independent of the executive nor are they within the adjudicatory hierarchy
envisaged under the Constitution.
The fresh petition requested the SC to
declare the trial of civilians under the military laws and military tribunals
as violative of Articles 4, 10, 10A, 25, 175, 202 and 203 of the Constitution
as well as Pakistan’s international treaty and convention obligations.
The petition pleaded that Sections 2(d),
59(4) and 94 of the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 and Sections 2(dd), 71(3) and
1,234 of the Pakistan Airforce Act 1953, Sections 2(3), 78(3) and 107 of the
Pakistan Navy Ordinance 1961 were ultra vires of the Constitution and therefore
the SC strike it down or in the alternative read down these provisions, which
means that these provisions were no longer a valid law.
The SC should also declare that Sections
4(c), 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the amended PAA and Sections 2, 3 and 7 of the OSA
were illegal and against the Constitution and therefore liable to be struck
down, the SBC stated.
The petition requested the Supreme Court
to direct the transfer of custody of all suspects involved in the May 9 and 10
violence to appropriate (civil) courts of criminal jurisdiction and quash any
charges under the OSA and the PAA against them and restrain the respondents
from trying them under the military laws before the military tribunals.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1774514
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Imran’s lawyer informs IHC of Attock
jail conditions
September 07, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s legal counsel Sher Afzal Marwat on Wednesday
complained about the appalling conditions in the Attock jail where the former
premier is being kept.
Speaking during the hearing of his
client’s petition pertaining to the transfer to Adiala jail in the Islamabad
High Court (IHC), Marwat objected to the below-par conditions of the facility
claiming that there’s pest infestation where the PTI chairman has been kept.
He also shared that the former premier
is unable to sleep as the place where Imran Khan “has been kept has no roof”.
The counsel also shared that the Attock
jail lacks a B-class facility altogether.
Contending officials’ narrative that
Khan is being kept in Attock jail due to security concerns, Marwat said that,
“Everyone knows Adiala [jail] is more secure than Attock jail.”
“It’s our right to have a B-class
facility available for him [Khan] and have him transferred to Adiala,” Marwat
said while urging the court to move the former prime minister to the Rawalpindi
facility.
Meanwhile, the IHC adjourned the hearing
till September 12. The petition came up for hearing before Chief Justice IHC Aamer
Farooq on Wednesday. FIA lawyers requested the court to give them one week for
filing a reply.
Justice Aamer inquired what the next
date of cipher case hearing was. Imran’s counsel said some new notification
would be issued on September 13. The prosecutor told the IHC they would get
directives in this regard and inform the court.
Justice Aamer said that on the plea of
PTI chairman, the court was shifted from F-8 to the Judicial Complex.
Adjourning the hearing till September
12, the judge remarked if arguments were completed on September 12, he would
decide the petition on the same day. –ONLINE
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1107574-imran-s-lawyer-informs-ihc-of-attock-jail-conditions
------
IHC informed about Imran’s jail
conditions
September 07, 2023
ISLAMABAD:The Islamabad High Court (IHC)
has sought information regarding the decision to keep PTI Chairman Imran Khan
in jail despite the suspension of his sentence.
In a hearing related to his transfer to
Attock Jail, the court sought clarification on the facilities provided in jail.
Assistant Superintendent from Attock Jail appeared in court.
PTI chief's legal counsel, Sher Afzal
Marwat, appeared before the court and expressed discontent with the conditions
in Attock Jail. He complained about the pest infestation and the lack of a roof
where Imran Khan was being kept.
Marwat also mentioned the absence of a
B-class facility in the jail. Disputing claims of security concerns, Marwat
argued that Adiala Jail is actually more secure than Attock Jail. The lawyer
emphasised the right of his client to have a B-class facility and requested the
court to transfer the former prime minister to the Rawalpindi facility.
He alleged that Khan was transferred to
Attock Jail not due to lack of space, but to cause him more distress. Marwat
also highlighted an incident where Imran Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, faced the
threat of a case when she visited him in jail.
However, the lawyer's claims were
contested by the prosecutor, who stated that the B-class facility no longer
exists in the jail and that Khan is being provided with better-class amenities.
The prosecutor detailed the improvements
made, including raised walls in the bathroom, the installation of a commode, a
21-inch TV, and the provision of five newspapers.
The Assistant Advocate General informed
the court that Imran Khan was given a bed, chair, 21-inch TV, and five
newspapers. He added that the PTI chairman is provided with food according to
his preferences, with chicken and mutton cooked in desi ghee two days a week.
He also mentioned that five doctors have
been appointed for Imran’s medical needs.
Chief Justice Amir Farooq acknowledged
that Imran Khan was not currently serving the sentence as he is in custody for
another case.
The court inquired about the feasibility
of transferring Khan from Attock Jail to each court appearance considering the
distance. To this, the Assistant Advocate General stated that the journey from
Attock to Islamabad takes an hour and a half, with additional time for the
vehicle transporting him.
The court adjourned the hearing and
ordered Marwat to meet with Imran Khan on Thursday (today). The court also
sought information on any notifications regarding the decision to keep Khan in
Attock Jail despite the suspension of his sentence.
The next hearing is scheduled for
September 11.
Imran Khan was sentenced to five years
in prison last month following his conviction in the Toshakhana case. Despite
the suspension of the sentence, he remains in jail due to his rearrest on
August 19 in the "cypher case".
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2434591/ihc-informed-about-imrans-jail-conditions
------
Elahi remanded in police custody till
8th
Saleh Mughal
September 06, 2023
ISLAMABAD:An anti-terrorism court (ATC)
has remanded PTI Central President Parvez Elahi in police custody for two days
based on a first information report (FIR) that Islamabad Police quickly
produced from its satchel right after the capital’s high court suspended his
detention on Tuesday.
The police on Wednesday brought Elahi to
Islamabad Judicial Complex in an armored vehicle amid heightened security and
presented him in the ATC-1 where a duty judge, Shahrukh Arjumand, presided over
the hearing in the absence of Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnanain.
Interestingly, the FIR registered on
March 18 accused various PTI leaders of resorting to acts of vandalism at the
capital’s judicial complex during a court hearing of the party chairman, Imran
Khan.
The original FIR did not nominate Elahi
as an accused.
However, the remand application
submitted by the police on Wednesday stated that the former Punjab chief
minister was named in the complainant's final statement in the case.
The police claimed that on March 18, the
accused provided the PTI chairman with vehicles and armed men, thereby directly
and indirectly aiding the other accused.
They argued that the police wanted to
interrogate Elahi to take possession of the vehicles used in the incident, find
out the means used for the transfer of funds, and identify some unknown
culprits.
The public prosecutor requested the
court to remand the PTI leader in police custody for 15 days.
Elahi's lawyers, Sardar Abdul Razzaq
Khan and Ali Bukhari, opposed the police’s request, contending that a very
frivolous case had been fabricated against the politician.
Providing the background of the case,
the lawyers said the Islamabad Police “abducted” the former Punjab chief
minister on September 1 from Lahore, despite explicit orders from the Lahore
High Court (LHC) not to arrest Elahi in any case.
They contended that in view of an LHC
order for the Attock district and session judge to present Elahi in court,
government authorities shifted the politician to Islamabad Police Lines.
Later, when the Islamabad High Court
(IHC) on Tuesday suspended Elahi’s detention under Section 3 of the Maintenance
of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, the police arrested him in a case in which he
was not even mentioned in the FIR.
They said the government authorities
were violating the law with impunity despite explicit court orders, and the
judiciary is the last hope of the people.
During the hearing, the PTI leader said
the police did not allow him to sleep on Tuesday night. The lawyers said using
these tactics, government authorities were trying to force Elahi to change his
political loyalties.
After hearing arguments from both
parties, the duty judge reserved his verdict while allowing the politician’s
family to meet him. The judge later accepted the police’s request and remanded
the PTI leader in custody for two days.
Meanwhile, an LHC bench issued a show
cause notice to Islamabad chief commissioner for alleged contempt of court
while hearing a petition filed by Elahi’s wife.
The capital’s police had apprehended
Elahi on September 1 in Lahore on the order of a judicial magistrate under
Section 3 of the MPO.
This arrest, which occurred hours after
Elahi’s release from the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),
shocked many, as earlier on that day, September 1, the LHC had explicitly
prohibited authorities from arresting the PTI leader in any case.
Elahi’s wife later filed two separate
petitions in the LHC, which on Monday issued a show cause notice to Islamabad
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan for alleged contempt of
court.
The single-member bench, presided over
by Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf, however, disposed of Qaisara’s second petition
seeking Elahi’s production in the court after declaring it “ineffective."
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2434405/elahi-remanded-in-police-custody-till-8th
-----
South Asia
Turkey Rescues 40 Afghan refugees from
drowning
Fidel Rahmati
September 6, 2023
The Turkish Coast Guard has announced that
they rescued 95 refugees, including 39 Afghan refugees, off the coast of
Ayvacik in Chanakkale.
Turkish media outlets reported on
Saturday that these refugees had been pushed towards Turkish waters by the
Greek Coast Guard.
The Turkish Coast Guard emphasized that
among the 95 rescued refugees, 39 were Afghan and 54 were Iranian citizens.
According to sources, these refugees
were transferred to the “Ayvacik Foreigners’ Transfer Center” after going
through legal procedures.
Previously, the Turkish Coast Guard had
reportedly rescued at least 23 Afghan refugees from drowning in the waters near
Chanakkale.
This comes when the illegal migration of
Afghan citizens and the deportation of refugees have increased. Reports
indicate that Turkey deported over 10,000 Afghan refugees in 2023, while more
than 300,000 refugees live in Turkey.
Since the Taliban took control of
Afghanistan, many people have left the country due to concerns about
persecution, insecurity, threats, and a lack of economic opportunities and
jobs. Most Afghan refugees relocate to neighbouring countries like Iran,
Pakistan, and Turkey.
Upon arriving at their destination,
Afghan refugees often encounter significant challenges. These challenges
include issues related to documentation and legal documents, the risk of
deportation, and experiences of mistreatment and misbehaviour.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/turkey-rescues-40-afghan-refugees-from-drowning/
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Militant behind Quetta Hazara killings
arrested near Afghanistan border
Fidel Rahmati
September 7, 2023
Pakistani intelligence agents apprehended a
militant responsible for orchestrating multiple attacks on Quetta’s Hazara
community. The arrest occurred as he crossed the border near Afghanistan’s Spin
Boldak town.
Abdul Bari, the identified militant, was
captured en route to Quetta from Spin Boldak, as reported by Pakistani News
International on Wednesday. It was revealed that Bari was unaware that his
movements were being monitored, as he intended to visit his family in Mastung.
The captured militant had evaded
authorities due to his involvement in the targeted killings of Pakistan’s
Hazara community in Balochistan province. This included the brutal attack on
coal miners in the Mach area of Bolan district, located approximately 50 km
from Quetta.
In January 2021, 11 Hazara coal miners
were brutally beheaded, their hands bound and blindfolded. This horrific
incident prompted the Hazara community to stage protests, urging then-Pakistani
Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure their safety. Khan eventually visited, and
the victims were laid to rest.
The Islamic State—Khorasan Province
(ISKP) claimed responsibility for the attack in January 2021. This incident
followed a year marked by violence against the Hazara community in Quetta,
where they have endured “deliberate and systematic murders for the past two
decades,” as highlighted in a study published in March.
According to Pakistani media reports,
Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, was responsible for monitoring the
activities of Abdul Bari, who had settled in border areas of Afghanistan after
2021. The agency was awaiting his return, as Abdul Bari intended to reunite
with his family members in the Muzaffarabad region of Pakistan.
Abdul Bari eventually left the border
areas of Afghanistan for Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, where his family resides, and
was unaware that his movements were being monitored by Pakistan’s intelligence
agency, the ISI.
On returning to Kuwait, he was detained
at Spin Boldak, Afghanistan. The exact date of his detention is unclear, but
the news became public on Wednesday.
This individual has been involved in at
least five brutal attacks targeting Hazaras in Pakistan, either as a
perpetrator or the master plan of these attacks. Among these incidents is the
murder of 11 miners in 2021 in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, where all
the victims were Hazaras. Abdul Bari played a significant role in organizing
these five attacks.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/militant-behind-quetta-hazara-killings-arrested-near-afghanistan-border/
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Conference Held in Kabul to Discuss
Afghan Business, Banking
MitraMajeedy
September 6, 2023
A conference was held with the
participation of local businesspeople, foreign traders, members of the Afghan
American Chamber of Commerce, and senior Islamic Emirate’s officials, at Serena
hotel in Kabul to discuss Afghanistan’s economic and trade issues in 2023.
A 32-member delegation of traders
including 12 Americans arrived from the UAE and attended this conference.
Speaking at the gathering, Mullah Abdul
Ghani Baradar, the deputy PM for economic affairs, said that the Islamic
Emirate will provide a variety of facilities for domestic and foreign traders
in a bid to improve economic and commercial development.
According to Baradar, when the Islamic
Emirate came to power in Afghanistan, the economic situation faced a serious
threat, but now it is improving.
With the past two years, he said,
administrative corruption has been eliminated, the cultivation and production
of narcotics has been prevented, the Afghan currency has remained stable
against foreign currencies, the price of food and non-food items has decreased,
and there have been improvements in the banking sector. Also, the amount of
exports and imports have increased as has national income and domestic food
production.
The head of the Afghan business council
in the UAE, Haji Obaidullah SaderKhail, who is also one of the organizers of
the conference, said foreign traders should be reassured about investing in
Afghanistan.
“We request Mullah Baradar to assure
them that the government will support them (foreign traders) if they want to
invest in Afghanistan,” SaderKhail said.
Speaking at the same conference, AACC
President Jeff Greico said that they have been working since August 2021 in in
Washington, with the ABA (Afghanistan Banks Association) and all of the Afghan
banks to help facilitate the return of the frozen assets of Afghanistan.
He said the frozen foreign assets of
Afghanistan were divided into two parts; the beneficiary account deposit, and
the foreign exchange reserves of Afghanistan from the previous government—which
are located in the central bank of the United States and European countries.
According to Greico, the funds of the
foreign exchange reserves “are not going to be returned to Afghanistan for the
time being for a number of different reasons.”
However, he urged the Afghanistan
Banking Association to work together on how to approach the return of the
commercial bank assets “because there has been a change in the government’s
thinking in the last few months and they are now willing to consider the return
of those assets but due to the sanction regimes of both the United States and
the UN, we are not allowed to return those through the Central Bank of
Afghanistan, so we need to find a private sector way for the banks -- and I
would even say the US corresponding banks -- to return that money.”
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/business-184978
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ARCS Acting President Discusses Aid with
Japan Envoy to Afghanistan
2023-09-06
KABUL (BNA): The Acting President of the
Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), MawlaviMati-ul-Haq Khalis, met with Japan’s
Envoy to Afghanistan, Takashi Okada.
During the meeting, Khalis said that
more than 12,000 registered children suffering from heart defects are waiting
for treatment with the support of ARCS.
According to the ARCS Office, Khalis
assured that aid will be provided transparently to those in need. He added that
the Afghan Red Crescent is currently providing food and non-food aid to
vulnerable families, as well as monthly cash assistance to widows and orphans
who have been left without guardians due to the conflicts of the last 40 years.
To solve existing problems,
MawlaviKhalis said that they are trying to provide vocational training to
homeless women so that they can support themselves. The Afghan Red Crescent is
also trying to help homeless families by providing them with monthly cash
assistance.
The Afghan Red Crescent has protection
and care centers for mentally ill people in some provinces of the country. In
the past year alone, hundreds of people have returned to their families after
recovering in these centers.
Khalis reminded that more than 12,000
registered children suffering from heart disease are waiting for treatment with
assistance from ARCS. The charity has decided to build a hospital equipped with
advanced equipment to treat children with heart defects free of charge and on
time.
The Acting President of the Afghan Red
Crescent said that international assistance is necessary in this regard. The
Japanese envoy to Afghanistan expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the
Afghan Red Crescent for transparently providing $7.7 million of Japan’s cash
aid to those in need. He promised his permanent cooperation with the Afghan Red
Crescent in this field.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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------
Foreign Investors Can Legally
Participate in Bidding Processes in Afghanistan: Mines Minister
2023-09-06
KABUL (BNA): Acting Minister of Mines
and Petroleum, Sheikh Shahabuddin Delawar today met with Bai Yen, President of
Apex 2 Company of China, and his accompanying delegation.
According to a statement released by the
Mines and Petroleum Ministry, in the meeting, the president of Apex 2 Company
of China spoke about the investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s mineral
resources, especially fluorite, cement, gold, lead, and copper, and expressed
their interest in investing in mines in Afghanistan.
Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum
welcomed the interest of China’s Apex 2 company in Afghanistan’s mineral
resources and said, that Afghanistan is a rich country in terms of mines, and
all foreign investors can legally participate in bidding processes.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://bakhtarnews.af/en/foreign-investors-can-legally-participate-in-bidding-processes-in-afghanistan-mines-minister/
-----
Maritime resources extraction: Dhaka
seeks Jakarta's support in capacity building
Sep 7, 2023
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has
sought Indonesia's assistance in capacity building in extraction of maritime
resources that has remained mostly untapped in Bangladesh despite its enormous potential.
Momen held a meeting with Indonesian
Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti WahyuTrenggono in Jakarta
recently.
At the meeting, Trenggono expressed
Indonesia's commitment to provide all out support and cooperation to Bangladesh
in reaping maximum mutual benefit from blue economy including through joint
cooperation in the field of marine science and marine biotechnology.
Both ministers emphasised on sharing
technology and technical know-how on marine culture, deep-sea fishing,
long-line fishing and seaweed culture, etc.
They agreed to initiate exchange
programmes to share expertise and best practices in cultivating sea bass and
fishing tuna.
Indonesia has also offered assistance in
combating traditional and non-traditional security challenges in Bangladesh's
territorial water such as unlawful exploitation of marine resources, piracy and
polluting the marine environment.
Both ministers recognised that illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) was one of the several factors that
has serious consequences, not only on a country's economy, but also on the
marine ecosystems of a region.
During the meeting, Momen highlighted
Bangladesh's socioeconomic progress across the board including in food
security.
The ministers emphasised the importance
of collaborative efforts to improve disaster response using modern technology.
Momen also sought Indonesia's assistance
in acquiring advanced technological features, including a real-time vessel
tracking system via satellite.
Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam,
secretary of Maritime Affairs Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and
MdEmdadul Islam Chowdhury, director general (United Nations) of MoFA joined the
foreign minister while Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Heru H Subolo
accompanied Trenggono among other senior officials on both sides.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/maritime-resources-extraction-dhaka-seeks-jakartas-support-capacity-building-3413106
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North America
Escaped killer evades US police in huge
Pennsylvania manhunt
07 Sep 2023
NEW YORK, Sept 7 — A convicted murderer
evaded a huge manhunt in Pennsylvania for a sixth day Wednesday, despite being
glimpsed on outdoor cameras and at one point breaking into a house to raid the
kitchen.
Schools were closed as a precaution and
police warned the public in areas west of Philadelphia to be careful in case
they run into Brazilian national DaneloCavalcante, convicted last month of
stabbing his girlfriend to death.
“You’re dealing with someone who’s
desperate and doesn’t want to be caught,” state police official George Bivens
told a press conference Tuesday in the northeastern state.
“We ask the public to remain vigilant in
reporting suspicious activity and checking their cameras,” the US Marshals
Service in Philadelphia posted on social media.
The latest confirmed sighting of
Cavalcante came Monday night via trail cameras at a botanical garden near
Philadelphia. Footage showed the 34-year-old Brazilian carrying a backpack and
duffel bag in the dark.
The Unionville-Chadds Ford School
District told parents that pupils should stay at home Tuesday and Wednesday,
the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Ryan Drummond, who lives nearby, told
local ABC News television that Cavalcante had broken into his house just before
midnight Friday.
“I woke up my wife and said, ‘I think
there might be someone downstairs,’” he said, describing how Cavalcante stole
peaches, apples and green snap peas from the family kitchen, then walked out.
Even as Cavalcante avoids capture, “that
pressure we put on him is working,” Bivens said. “It’s a large, dark area, with
difficult terrain.”
Cavalcante escaped from Chester County
Prison on August 31 after receiving a life sentence the week before for
stabbing his girlfriend 38 times in front of her children in 2021.
According to the Inquirer, he hopped off
the roof of a prison building in similar circumstances to another inmate who
escaped in May.
The Chester County prosecutor’s office
announced a US$10,000 reward and said that hundreds of officers, backed by
helicopters, drones, night-vision goggles, and dogs, were on the hunt. — AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/09/07/escaped-killer-evades-us-police-in-huge-pennsylvania-manhunt/89442
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CAIR-NY Condemns Anti-Asian Hate Crime
in Brooklyn
Ismail Allison
September 6, 2023
(NEW YORK, NY, 9/6/2023) – The New York
chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today condemned
an anti-Asian hate crime that reportedly took place in Brooklyn.
The alleged incident occurred in
Prospect Park around noon this past Saturday. Images released by the NYPD
reveal a man allegedly shouting anti-Asian remarks at another man. According to
reports, he proceeded to hit him repeatedly with a stick before running away.
The 46-year-old victim was treated on scene, and the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force
has issued an investigation to locate the suspect.
SEE: Suspect Sought in Prospect Park
Hate Crime
SEE: Hate Crime Suspect Caught on Camera
in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
In a statement, CAIR-NY’s Executive
Director, AfafNasher said:
“We strongly condemn acts of xenophobia
and senseless violence against our Asian American brothers and sisters. We
support the Hate Crime Task Force in its ongoing investigation. Racist and
hateful attacks violate the safety of all New Yorkers, and we must counter
these incidents with solidarity and use every recourse available.”
She added that CAIR-NY and the American
Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging white
supremacy, anti-Jewish hate, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and
all other forms of bigotry.
CAIR-NY has condemned several disturbing
incidents in recent weeks:
SEE: CAIR-NY Welcomes Indictment in
Anti-Asian Attack, Condemns Racist Threats Targeting Saratoga Springs
Mayor
CAIR-NY Condemns Suspected Hate Crime
Targeting Yoga Center in Brooklyn
CAIR-NY Condemns Racist Attack on Black
Woman in Brooklyn
CAIR-NY’s mission is to protect civil
rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American
Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY esproteger las
libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y
empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-ny-condemns-anti-asian-hate-crime-in-brooklyn/
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Biden laughs off Covid guidance, fails
to mask up after wife tests positive
07 Sep 2023
WASHINGTON, Sept 6 — When Joe Biden was
criticised this week for failing to mask up after his wife caught Covid, he
didn’t just put a brave face on it.
Rather, the 80-year-old US president did
it again — and then flaunted the fact that he was breaking the guidance.
And by laughing it off the Democrat, who
is running for re-election in 2024, showed he was in touch with Americans who
are fed up with the pandemic.
Biden first raised eyebrows on Tuesday
by removing his mask while draping the Medal of Honor around the neck of an
octogenarian Vietnam War veteran at the White House.
Just hours earlier aides had said he
would obey US masking guidelines following his wife Jill’s positive diagnosis
on Monday, including wearing one around others.
But Biden went further on Wednesday,
waving a black mask in the air as he sauntered in to deliver a speech on a
dockworkers deal.
“I’ve been tested again today, I’m clear
across the board. But they keep telling me, because this has to be 10 days or
something, I got to keep wearing it,” Biden said in his opening remarks to a
small audience.
Then he added with a grin: “But don’t
tell them I didn’t have it on when I walked in, alright?”
The Democrat has hailed the country’s
recovery from the pandemic but the United States has been experiencing a rise
in Covid cases and hospitalisations in recent weeks.
Biden — who had Covid in 2022 — is also
due to fly to India this week for the G20 summit in New Delhi where he will
come face to face with other world leaders.
‘Hypocrisy’
Criticism first came — albeit largely
from right-wing media — after Biden took off his mask to give 81-year-old
former army pilot Larry Taylor the Medal of Honor for saving four soldiers with
a daring helicopter mission in 1968 in Vietnam.
The ceremony on Tuesday took place in a
packed East Room of the White House, attended by dozens of people including
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Fox News accused Biden of “hypocrisy”
for breaching the guidelines his own spokeswoman had said he would follow.
In the New York Post, TV host Piers
Morgan said he had showed “maskless disrespect”, and branded him
“incomprehensibly insensitive” for apparently leaving the medal ceremony early.
The White House faced a barrage of
questions on Biden’s mask at a daily briefing on Wednesday — with the Ukraine
war and US budget shutdown negotiations barely getting a mention.
Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre defended
the president, noting that Biden had again on Wednesday tested negative for
Covid.
“The president is doing all that he can
of course, in consultation with his physician, and so he’s keeping with the CDC
(US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines,” she said.
The president removed his mask for the
medal presentation “to deliver incredibly powerful remarks about this captain,”
while his early departure was planned to “minimise his close contact with
attendees,” she said.
Biden’s G20 travel plans remained
unchanged, she said, without revealing whether he would don his mask to meet
other leaders.
But could Biden’s bare-faced behaviour
also have been sending a message to Americans that the darkest days of the
pandemic are over?
That’s an important message for Biden
too, whose approval ratings remain stubbornly low despite the US economy’s
strong recovery from Covid.
“We are in a different phase,”
Jean-Pierre said. “This is not new, people.” — AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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US to provide controversial depleted
uranium weapons to Ukraine
07 September 2023
The United States says it is sending
depleted uranium ammunition to Kiev, despite global concerns about serious
health problems caused by such ammunition.
Washington said on Wednesday the
controversial ammunitions are part of a new security assistance package worth
up to $175 million.
The package also includes anti-tank
missiles, artillery and mortar rounds, tactical air navigation systems, and
additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
The new military assistance is part of
more than one billion dollars in overall aid announced for Ukraine during US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Wednesday visit to Kiev.
The US aid also includes over $665
million in new military and civilian security assistance and millions of
dollars in support for Ukraine's air defenses and other areas.
The US promise of depleted uranium
rounds comes about two months after Washington said it would provide cluster
munitions to Ukraine.
Kiev has already received more than $43
billion from the US in the form of weapons systems like howitzers and millions
of rounds of ammunition, including widely-banned cluster munitions, since
February 2022 when Russia started a "special military operation" in
Ukraine.
A number of Republican presidential
hopefuls have questioned the US aid to Ukraine, fuelling concerns over whether
Washington will still support Kiev at the same level once the US 2024 election
campaign intensifies.
The US has decided, in contravention of
the Convention on Cluster Munitions, to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions
as part of the latest military aid package.
In reaction to Blinken’s visit to
Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “We have heard
repeated statements that they (the Americans) intend to continue to help Kiev
for as long as it takes.”
“In other words, they are going to
continue to support Ukraine in a state of war and to wage this war to the last
Ukrainian, sparing no money for this. That's how we perceive it, we know it.
It's not going to affect the course of the special military operation,” Peskov
added.
Russia has repeatedly warned that a
continued supply of Western arms and military equipment for the Ukrainian
military would only prolong the war.
Source: presstv.ir
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Arab World
No trilateral US-Palestine-Saudi meeting
on Israel normalisation this week: Palestinian official
06 September, 2023
There will be no trilateral meeting
between US, Palestinian and Saudi officials on a potential deal for Riyadh to
normalise ties with Israel, a Palestinian official has reportedly said, after
diplomats from the three countries arrived in Riyadh for talks on the matter
earlier this week.
Talks between Palestinian and Saudi
officials took place on Tuesday and were due to continue on Wednesday, The New
Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
"We only received an invitation
from Saudi Arabia to hold a [bilateral] meeting, not a Saudi-American
invitation. The tripartite meeting was not on the agenda of the Palestinian
leadership," Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported a Palestinian official as saying
on condition of anonymity.
The official also confirmed that there
was meeting between US and Palestinian officials planned - contrary to Israeli
media reports earlier this week.
Both the US and Israel are pushing for
Saudi Arabia to follow the lead of several other Arab states and normalise
relations with Tel Aviv.
Four Arab states - Bahrain, Morocco,
Sudan and the UAE - agreed to normalise ties with Israel through the Trump
administration-brokered Abraham Accords.
Though ties between Israel and Saudi
Arabia have ostensibly improved, Saudi officials have publicly dismissed any
move towards full-fledged normalisation, saying that only the creation of a
viable Palestinian state could pave the way for such a deal.
Saudi officials have reassured the
Palestinian Authority that it will continue to back their interests.
The Palestinian source said Saudi Arabia
was maintaining this demand in meetings with the US.
"One of Saudi Arabia's conditions
for the US to complete a full normalisation agreement with Israel is full recognition
of the State of Palestine at the United Nations. This condition is a priority
for the Palestinian leadership," the source said.
Riyadh has also reportedly asked that
the US approve a Saudi civilian nuclear programme as a condition of its acceptance
of normalisation with Israel, to some alarm from the Israelis.
Currently, Israel's enemy Iran is
enriching uranium while Israel is believed to possess between 80 and 400
nuclear warheads.
On Tuesday, Israeli opposition leader
and former Prime Minister YairLapid met in Washington with senior White House
officials, where he aired Israeli concerns over the potential inclusion of a
Saudi nuclear program in a normalisation deal.
"I would find it difficult to
support an agreement that would include uranium enrichment on Saudi soil,"
Israeli media reported Lapid as telling US officials.
The meetings came as the Saudi
ambassador arrived in Iran on Tuesday to assume duties, following Saudi
Arabia's diplomatic reconciliation with Israel and the US's longtime adversary.
Source: newarab.com
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Saudi vice minister of foreign affairs
attends Arab-Japan Political Dialogue ministerial meeting
September 06, 2023
CAIRO — On behalf of the Minister of
Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng.
Waleed El-Khereiji headed Saudi Arabia's delegation to the third session of the
Ministerial Meeting of the Arab-Japan Political Dialogue in Cairo, Egypt.
During his speech, Eng. El-Khereiji
noted the importance of continuing the political dialogue that confirms
everyone's keenness to deepen and expand the distinguished cooperation
relations in different fields, as well as to exchange opinions and viewpoints
on political issues of common concern.
He stressed the necessity of making the
Middle East to be a safe, stable and prosperous region that gives hope for a
better future for all.
There are broad agreements with Japan
toward the importance of nurturing peace, encouraging negotiated solutions, and
supporting security, stability, and development, Eng. El-Khereiji said.
Eng. El-Khereiji pointed out that
"It is of great importance to combine efforts to guarantee the
internationally recognized rights of the Palestinian people and bring peace
through negotiations in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative, and the
principles of international law."
He also expressed Saudi Arabia's
aspiration to advance Arab-Japanese cooperation to better levels in various
fields.
It is worth noting that the the Arab
side in the meeting was headed by Egyptian Foreign Minister SamehShoukry and
the Japanese side was headed by Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
As for the Kingdom's delegation, it
included the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the Arab League
Ambassador Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah Al-Matar.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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Saudi crown prince, Putin agree to
continue efforts to stabilize global energy markets
September 06, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to continue
efforts to stabilize global energy markets during a phone call on Wednesday.
They also discussed a number of topics
of common interest including the 2023 BRICS summit. The Kingdom’s keenness to
build economic partnerships and its aspiration for cooperation with BRICS
countries was also discussed.
The distinguished bilateral relations
between the Kingdom and Russia and opportunities to develop them in various
fields were also reviewed.
Source: arabnews.com
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Sudan army chief visits Qatar on third
trip since war began
September 07, 2023
PORT SUDAN: Sudanese army chief Abdel
Fattah Al-Burhan traveled Thursday to Doha for talks with Qatar’s emir, Sudan’s
ruling sovereign council said, his third trip abroad during his nearly
five-month war with paramilitaries.
Burhan and Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad Al-Thani will “discuss bilateral relations, issues of common interest,
and the situation in Sudan,” a council statement said.
Since April 15, Sudan’s regular army has
been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Burhan’s former
deputy, Mohamed HamdanDaglo.
After spending months under seige inside
the military headquarters in Khartoum, Burhan made his first foray outside last
month and has visited regional allies in recent weeks.
He has since been based in Port Sudan in
the country’s east, which has been spared the fighting and to which government
officials and the United Nations have relocated.
It also hosts Sudan’s only functioning
airport.
Late last month, he took his first trip
abroad to Egypt, historically his closest ally, followed by a visit to South
Sudan this week.
Both Cairo and Juba have sought to
mobilize efforts to end the fighting, after attempts to mediate in the early
months of the war repeatedly floundered.
Multiple truces brokered by the United
States and Saudi Arabia were systematically violated, before the two mediators
adjourned talks in June.
So far, the war has killed at least
5,000 people, according to a conservative estimate from the Armed Conflict
Location & Event Data Project.
It has also forced 4.8 million people
out of their homes — one million of whom have crossed borders — according to
the UN, which expects those numbers to rise further.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister discusses
support for Palestinians with UNRWA official, meets Syrian FM
September 07, 2023
CAIRO: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs Waleed bin Abdulkarim El-Khereiji, met with Syrian foreign minister
FayssalMikdad and UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini.
Meetings were held on the sidelines of
the third ministerial meeting of the Arab-Japanese Political Dialogue in Cairo
on Wednesday.
The Saudi minister reviewed the latest developments
in Syria and exchanged views on issues of common interest with Mikdad.
El-Khereiji also discussed Saudi
Arabia's continuous efforts to support the Palestinian people with Lazzarini,
and explored cooperation between the Kingdom and the UNRWA.
Source: arabnews.com
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Southeast Asia
Agong wants Sabah Sharie judges to
resolve Muslim cases fairly, promptly
06 Sep 2023
KOTA KINABALU, Sept 6 — Yang di-Pertuan
Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today expressed
hope that Sharie judges in Sabah can resolve all cases concerning Muslims
fairly, efficiently and promptly.
His Majesty also hoped that the judges could
fulfil their responsibilities diligently, particularly in addressing matters
related to the Muslim community in the state.
“We are all aware that there have been
complaints about delays in court decisions, whether in small or big cases, it
should be a collective responsibility to ensure that all matters related to
family affairs, inheritance, and Shariah laws are managed efficiently and
promptly based on Shariah principles and elements,” stated Al-Sultan Abdullah
while officiating the opening of Sabah State Shariah Court Complex today.
The construction of the four-story court
complex at a cost of RM58.12 million was part of the 10th Malaysia Plan’s
rolling plan and began on Nov 9, 2017, and was completed on July 22, 2021.
The complex includes a Shariah Court of
Appeal courtroom, two Shariah High Court courtrooms, three Shariah Lower Court
courtrooms, judges’ chambers, administrative offices, a reconciliation room, an
information technology room, a library, a prayer room, a cafeteria, and a
childcare centre.
Also present at the event were Sabah
Governor TunJuharMahiruddin, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri FadillahYusof,
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr MohdNa’im Mokhtar.
Al-Sultan Abdullah, who is in Sabah in
conjunction with the KembaraKenali Borneo tour, also said the State Shariah
Court Complex is a manifestation of the presence of Islamic administration in
Sabah, following the enforcement of the Administration of Muslim Law Enactment
in the state 46 years ago.
“This effort was initiated by previous
leaders, including the former Governors, former Chief Ministers, responsible
cabinet ministers, and previous muftis, as well as the current leadership,”
said His Majesty.
It was on Dec 23, 1977, that the Sabah
State Legislative Assembly passed the Administration of Muslim Law Enactment,
which granted the Governor of Sabah the authority to establish Shariah Courts
in the state.
Before leaving the complex, Al-Sultan
Abdullah also signed the inauguration plaque and toured the facilities before
taking commemorative photos with the court personnel.
Al-Sultan Abdullah and Raja Permaisuri
Agong Tunku Azizah AminahMaimunahIskandariah are currently on the KembaraKenali
Borneo tour which began on Sept 3 and will end on Sept 13.
The tour starts in Tawau, Sabah and will
conclude in TelokMelano, Sarawak, covering a distance of 2,154 kilometres along
the Pan Borneo Highway connecting Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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At ASEAN Summit, PM Anwar Encourages
India To Share Its Phenomenal Success In Digital Penetration
07 Sep 2023
JAKARTA, Sept 7 — Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim has suggested India’s phenomenal success in digital
penetration to be shared to benefit all Asean member countries, especially in
digital banking and finance as well as the rural area.
“I would certainly feel this one issue
India needs to explore and can contribute immensely to our common success,” he
said at the 20th Asean-India Summit, which was led by Indonesia’s President
Joko Widodo and attended by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in conjunction
with the Asean Summit here today.
Anwar also encouraged economic
cooperation between Asean and India, especially in concluding agreements like
the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement by 2025, and leveraging India’s
agricultural expertise for smart agriculture in the region.
The Prime Minister stressed that climate
change cooperation is also essential by focusing on renewable energy, water
management and biodiversity conservation.
On geopolitics, Anwar emphasised using
friendly relations to promote dialogue and peaceful coexistence amid
geopolitical challenges, including the South China Sea issue.
During the meeting, Anwar also
highlighted India’s vital role as a strategic ally and congratulated the
country on its historic lunar landing.
“We share the pride as part of the Asian
and Asean venture,” he added.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander
successfully touched down on the lunar surface on August 23, making India the
fourth nation to successfully land on the Moon and the first to land in the
south pole region. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Muhyiddin denies issuing ‘fatwa’, claims
speech not to vote for Pakatan’sPulai candidate taken out of context
By Julia Chan
07 Sep 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — PerikatanNasional
chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claims his controversial speech saying it is
“haram” to vote for a PakatanHarapan candidate in this Saturday’s Pulai
by-election was taken out of context.
The ex-prime minister said that his
speech had been manipulated where it was said that he had issued a fatwa or
Islamic religious decree against voting for the PH candidate in the Pulai
by-election.
“My speech was long. I had touched on
various issues faced by the people at the moment, especially the burden of the
cost of living which the PH government failed to deal with properly.
“That's why I called on the voters in
the Pulai parliamentary seat not to vote for the PH candidate, SuhaizanKayat,”
he said in a statement on his Facebook page last night.
He denied issuing a fatwa on voting for
PH candidates.
“I only figuratively said ‘sayabagihukum
haram’ with no intention of saying it is a fatwa of Islamic law. I know it is
not an official religious decree. I even said that tomorrow, someone will
challenge me and ask where is this fatwa.
“As a person who understands religious
laws, I cannot arbitrarily issue any fatwa,” he said.
He added that there are many specific
Islamic religious authorities that are empowered to issue fatwa, after holding
discussions with scholars and scientists who are experts in related fields.
“I believe the audience who followed my
entire speech during the talk understood what I meant.
“Based on the response of the audience
that night, I am sure they did not take my statement seriously as a fatwa.
“I believe my speech was taken out of
context and manipulated by certain parties to mislead the public,” he said.
Several police reports were made on
Muhyiddin’s speech which he made during a political talk in Kempas, Johor
during the Pulai by-election.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations
Department director, Datuk Seri MohdShuhailyMohd Zain, said an investigation is
ongoing into Muhyiddin’s September 2 statement for elements that touch on the
3Rs (race, religion, royalty).
Muhyiddin is expected to have his statement
recorded by the police next Monday.
Source: malaymail.com
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High Court fixes Dec 13 to hear Rosmah's
application to strike out 17 charges
07 Sep 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has
set Dec 13 to hear Datin Seri RosmahMansor’s application to strike out all 17 graft
charges she is currently on trial for.
This comes after the court heard during
case management on Thursday (Sept 7) that Rosmah’s counsel Firoz Hussein Ahmad
Jamaluddin submitted the application on Wednesday (Sept 6).
Deputy Public Prosecutor PohYihTinn
confirmed that the prosecution has received the application and asked for time
for the filing of a response and a written submission.
When asked by Justice K. Muniandy,
defence lawyer Mohamed Reza Rahim also said they needed time to submit a reply.
Justice Muniandy then set the new
hearing date for the application and said that Rosmah, whose attendance had
been dispensed with on Thursday, had to be present in court.
He also extended Rosmah’s bail.
On Aug 17, the Court of Appeal allowed
Rosmah’s application to temporarily obtain her international passport to be
with her daughter, who gave birth later that month.
In her application filed at the High
Court to strike out all 17 graft charges, Rosmah said the charges against her
were baseless, defective and premature.
Rosmah said in her affidavit that a
criminal court is not a suitable forum to determine whether the amount of money
she received was taxable under the Income Tax Act.
“If the criminal court proceeds with its
findings (whether the amount of money was taxable), the court will usurp the
functions of the Special Commissioners of Income Tax (SCIT) which is an
authorised body under a written law," she said.
“In any circumstances, I also have the
substantive right to refer if the amounts are subject to the payment of tax to
SCIT which is denied to me in these charges,” she added.
Rosmah, 71, is facing 12 money
laundering charges involving RM7,097,750, and five counts of failure to declare
her income to the Inland Revenue Board.
ALSO READ: Over RM1mil deposited into
Rosmah's account between 2014 and 2017, says witness
She allegedly committed the offences at
Affin Bank Berhad, BangunanGetahAsli branch, JalanAmpang here between Dec 4,
2013 and June 8, 2017, and at LHDN KompleksBangunanKerajaan, JalanTuanku Abdul
Halim here between May 1, 2014 and May 1, 2018.
On Oct 4, 2018, she pleaded not guilty
to all the charges at the Sessions Court.
On Sept 1 last year, the High Court
convicted Rosmah on three counts of graft relating to the RM1.25bil solar hybrid
project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.
She was sentenced to 10 years in jail
and fined RM970mil and she is currently out on bail pending her appeal in the
case.
Source: thestar.com.my
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No Anwar, no DAP, no Bersatu? Of Umno’s
unity govt and selective criticism
07 Sep 2023
KUALA LUMPUR – In the evolving scene of
Malaysian politics, Umno’s 2021 resolution of “No Anwar, No DAP” has frequently
taken centre stage, becoming a touchstone for various critics and political
manoeuvrings.
Calls for Umno to re-evaluate its
alliances have grown since the party’s disastrous showing in the recently
concluded state polls.
After the November general election,
Malaysia witnessed a surprising turn of events, with Umno entering into a unity
government with PakatanHarapan (PH), which comprises PKR, DAP and Amanah.
This decision garnered its fair share of
criticisms, yet the loudest among these critics seem to possess selective
memories.
Until now, some have said that Umno had
backtracked on its “No Anwar, No DAP” stance and that it would be better off
for the party to join forces with PerikatanNasional (PN) as it serves the
greater purpose of Malay and the Ummah unity.
However, one needs to remember that
Umno's resolution was not just an aversion towards Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or
DAP; it included a clear and explicit mention of “No Bersatu,” referring to the
outfit led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The full resolution during the Umno 2020
general assembly that was held in March 2021, was “No Anwar, No DAP and No
Bersatu”.
This detail, while conveniently
overlooked by many, is crucial to understanding the intricacies of the
situation and the reasons behind the resolution.
A faction of critics and political
commentators has ardently urged Umno to forge an alliance with PN, which
includes Bersatu, in their bid to provide a stronger opposition against the
present government, or even engineer yet another “coup” to take over Putrajaya.
However, their insistence on this
coalition, while simultaneously decrying Umno’s unity government with PKR and
DAP, exposes a glaring hypocrisy.
Neglecting ‘No Bersatu’
By urging an alliance with PN and
conveniently neglecting the “No Bersatu” stance, these critics are essentially
cherry-picking from the resolution to suit their narratives.
Umno’s decision to work with PKR and DAP
can be interpreted in various ways and could also be seen as political
opportunism or strategic choice.
Whatever the semantics, it is all about
the party, the nation and its people.
We must remember that every political
decision, especially in a post-election scenario, is always taken with multiple
considerations in mind: be it for stability, the rakyat’s welfare, or shared
ideological goals.
Umno’s move could very well be seen in
this light, rather than as an outright betrayal of its previously stated
resolution.
It is looking at stability in a time
when the world is facing economic uncertainty and various global crises.
Furthermore, if one were to argue that
the unity government with PKR and DAP is against the resolution, then by the
same logic, joining forces with PN would be equally, if not more, contentious
due to Bersatu’s involvement, which is basically a splinter party of Umno.
It is somewhat similar to asking PAS and
Amanah to be in a coalition.
They also need to look back on the
reasons Umno had insisted that they did not want to work with Bersatu.
The selective amnesia of critics in this
context points towards a larger issue in political discourse.
Decisions and resolutions from the past
are often weaponised to cater to current agendas without looking at the
complete picture.
It is as though critics have a
buffet-style approach to the resolution, picking elements they find appetising
and discarding those that do not serve their immediate purpose.
This approach not only diminishes the
depth and richness of political discourse but also leads to fragmented and
often misguided narratives.
It is imperative, therefore, to
understand and analyse the resolution in its entirety.
Picking convenient parts while ignoring
others will not do justice to current political dynamics.
While the Malaysian political arena
continues its journey of transformations and realignments, it is crucial for
critics and discussions to be comprehensive, fair, and devoid of convenient oversights.
The “No Anwar, No DAP, No Bersatu”
resolution is not a menu card to order from, but a testament to Umno’s stances
at a specific time.
As dynamics change, political decisions
will evolve, but any critique should be holistic and not suffer from selective
memory. – The Vibes, September 7, 2023
Source: thevibes.com
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Africa
Scores of soldiers and volunteers die in
Burkina Faso attack
6 Sep, 2023
Authorities in Burkina Faso said 53
members of its security forces and dozens of attackers have been killed in
“intense” fighting with suspected jihadists in the northern part of the West
African country.
The casualties include 17 soldiers and
36 volunteer fighters, the Burkina Faso Armed Forces said in a statement on
Tuesday, adding that about 30 others were injured. Ouagadougou also reported
neutralizing dozens of attackers.
The clashes occurred on Monday in
Yatenga province during a national forces operation to retake the town of
Koumbri “to allow the resettlement” of residents who had been displaced “for
more than two years,” according to the army general staff.
“During its progression, [the 12th
Commando Infantry Regiment] experienced several incidents and harassment
fire... The bravery and determination of our fighters made it possible to put
up fierce resistance, repel the attack, and neutralize several dozen terrorists,”
it added.
The nation in the Sahel region has been
battling an Islamist insurgency since 2015, thought to have spread from
neighboring Mali and which, the United Nations says, has killed thousands of
people and forced the displacement of nearly two million more.
Burkina Faso’s military government
announced a “general mobilization” in April as part of an effort to recapture
40% of the national territory, which it lost to armed groups.
African nation passes bill to send
troops to NigerREAD MORE: African nation passes bill to send troops to Niger
The move came after Paris withdrew its
troops and ended operations in the West African country on the orders of its
military rulers, amid claims that the French army had failed to fight the
jihadist insurgency.
The former French colony has
increasingly relied on the support of the Volunteers for the Defense of the
Homeland (VDH), civilian auxiliaries of the national army legally created in
2020, in the fight against violent militancy.
Last Saturday, the army announced that
four VDH officers and a police officer were killed in an attack in Silmiougou,
a city in the country’s center. In April, 34 volunteer fighters died in a raid.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/africa/582490-militants-kill-burkina-faso-soldiers/
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Army strikes in Sudan’s Omdurman leaves
at least 32 killed
07 September 2023
An airstrike by the Sudanese army in the
Ombadaneighborhood in western Omdurman left at least 32 civilians killed and
dozens injured, says an activist group, as violence continues unabated across
the African country.
In a statement on Wednesday, the
Emergency Lawyers condemned Tudesday's attack as a “war crime”, calling for the
army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to be brought to justice.
“The use of heavy and light artillery in
areas packed with civilians is a war crime … and reflects a disregard for their
lives,” the legal group said.
Sudan's army and the RSF have been
fighting since April 15 over a power struggle between army chief, General Abdel
Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads the
paramilitary force.
According to Sudanese activists, an
airstrike in the south of the capital Khartoum killed at least 20 civilians
including two children.
The latest strike was part of the
ongoing war between the two warring sides.
Following the attack, the United States
imposed sanctions on RSF’s senior commanders for committing “extensive” rights
violations during the months-long conflict.
The US Treasury said in a statement on
Wednesday that the measures will freeze and block any assets held by Abdelrahim
Dagalo in the United States.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
also said in a parallel statement that the US was also imposing visa
restrictions on fellow RSF commander, Abdul Rahman Juma, barring him from
entering the country.
Blinken further called on all sides to
“comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect
civilians, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities or other abuses,
allow unhindered humanitarian access, and negotiate an end to the conflict”.
Separately on Wednesday, the United
Nations’ migration agency said more than 5 million people have been displaced
by the fighting in Sudan.
The UN refugee agency says over 1.8
million people are expected to flee Sudan to five neighboring countries by the
end of 2023.
According to the International
Organization for Migration (IOM), over 4 million people have been internally
displaced since the conflict erupted in mid-April while another 1.1 million
have fled to neighboring countries. More than 750,000 have traveled to either
Egypt or Chad, the agency said.
The agency further said about 24.7
million Sudanese, roughly half the country’s population, were in need of
humanitarian aid and protection.
So far, most mediation efforts have
largely failed and a few instances of the temporary humanitarian ceasefires
were violated by the warring factions.
Source: presstv.ir
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Nigeria court rejects bid to overturn
Tinubu's victory
7 Sep, 2023
An appeals court in Nigeria rejected two
out of the three petitions Wednesday challenging the legitimacy of President
Bola Tinubu's victory in the February election, with the last petition still
under deliberation in a case that has put Africa’s most populous country on
edge.
Three opposing parties challenged the
election results which they said was illegally announced and argued that Tinubu
was not qualified to run for president because he was a citizen of Guinea and
allegedly did not have the required academic credentials. The opposition has
hinted at possible protests if the court rules in his favor.
In the Court of Appeal in the Nigerian
capital, Abuja, a five-member justice panel ruled that the third-place finisher
Peter Obi and his Labour Party were not able to prove his claims that the
Nigerian election commission did not follow due process in announcing the
results of the vote nor that the voting was marred by irregularities and that
he — not Tinubu — won the election with a majority of votes.
The court also rejected witness
statements called by Obi, saying they were “incompetent” and ruled that he
failed to prove his claim that Tinubu was once indicted on drug charges in the
United States, thereby disqualifying him from running for president.
“It is clearly evident that the
petitioners have failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on them by
law,” said HarunaTsammani, head of the panel. “They have not been able to leave
any cogent, credible and acceptable evidence.”
It also rejected a petition by the
Allied Peoples Movement which sought to nullify Tinubu's victory on the ground
that his running mate — Vice President KashimShettima— was not legally
nominated to contest. It said Shettima met the minimum constitutional
provisions allowing him to run.
"Where the constitution has
qualified a candidate to contest an election, no other law except the
constitution can disqualify him,” Tsammani said.
Tinubu, who is currently attending the
G20 summit in India, has denied all the allegations.
Amid tight security in Abuja, various
support groups chanted songs near the court premises to show solidarity with
their political parties and to urge the judiciary to “do the right thing.”
A Protester, James Mike, said they stood
by the court to let the judiciary know “the last hope of the common man depends
on” them.
The tribunal is empowered to either
uphold Tinubu’s election win, declare someone else the winner, annul the vote,
or to order a new election. Whatever decision they make can be appealed at
Nigeria’s Supreme Court within 60 days.
If the judges uphold the last petition
and annul the presidential election, it would be a first in Nigeria's history.
A presidential election can be annulled
only on the basis of evidence that the Independent National Electoral
Commission did not follow the law and acted in ways that might have affected an
election's outcome.
Since Nigeria returned to democracy in
1999, all presidential elections but one have been contested in court. None
were overturned.
Police in Abuja issued a statement
Tuesday warning citizens “to be cautious in their actions and statements,”
saying security forces would not “condone activities capable of inciting
violence or causing a descent into anarchy.”
The 71-year-old Tinubu won the election
with less than 50% of the vote, also a first in Nigeria’s history.
The opposing candidates filed separate
petitions arguing that Tinubu was not qualified to become president and
claiming the electoral commission did not follow due process in announcing the
winner. The delays in uploading and announcing election results could have
given room for ballot tampering, critics say.
The opposition has also alleged that
Tinubu was indicted for drug trafficking in the United States, that he is a
citizen of Guinea which disqualifies him to run in presidential elections in
Nigeria, and that his academic qualifications were forged.
Since taking office, he introduced
measures that he said would reform the country's ailing economy but which have
further squeezed millions of poor and hungry Nigerians during his first 100
days in office. Most of the Nigerian leader’s reforms, though well-intentioned,
have been poorly implemented, critics have said.
On Tuesday, Nigeria Labor Congress
workers launched a two-day “warning strike” to protest the growing cost of
living due to the removal of gas subsidies, threatening to “shut down” Africa’s
largest economy if their demands for improved welfare are not met. It was their
second strike in over a month.
The Nigerian government urged citizens
to be patient with Tinubu. Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s minister of information,
said though steps taken by the government “to save the country from hitting the
rocks brought momentary discomfort to Nigerians,” the president has “never
failed in his appeal to Nigerians to see the current inconveniences as a price
we must all pay to save our country from disappearing.”
Source: africanews.com
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Labour Party, Obi, Atiku reject
presidential court’s judgement, head to Supreme Court
BakareMajeedandAmehEjekwonyilo
September 7, 2023
The presidential candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), AtikuAbubakar, and his Labour Party
counterpart, Peter Obi, rejected Wednesday’s court judgement declaring Bola
Tinubu as duly elected Nigeria’s president.
The Labour Party similarly criticised
the judgement on Wednesday, stating that the verdict did not reflect the
“desires of the people”.
They have vowed to appeal against the
judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court at the Supreme Court, the
final court on presidential election disputes.
The five-member panel of the court, led
by HarunaTsammani, in a unanimous ruling on Wednesday, dismissed the petitions
of the opposition candidates.
The court cited the inability of Atiku
and Mr Obi to prove the substance of their respective cases.
The court equally dismissed the third
petition filed by a political party, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), for
being unmeritorious.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja after
the pronouncement of the tribunal, the National Publicity Secretary of the
Labour Party, ObioraIfoh, said the judgement did not reflect the law and the
desire of the people.
Mr Ifoh said the party would not relent
until the people’ will prevail because “justice was not served” in the
judgement delivered.
“The Labour Party watched with dismay
and trepidation the dismissal of petitions by the five-person panel of the
Presidential Election Petition Court led by Justice HarunaTsammanitoday, and we
reject the outcome of the judgment in its entirety because justice was not
served, and it did not reflect the law and the desire of the people.
“Nigerians were witnesses to the
electoral robbery that took place on February 25, 2023, which was globally
condemned, but the Tribunal, in its wisdom, refused to accept the obvious. What
is at stake is democracy, and we will not relent until the people will
prevail.”
He said the party would present a more
detailed position when it gets the certified true copy of the judgment.
We will appeal at the Supreme Court—Obi,
Atiku
Meanwhile, Atiku and Mr Obi also
announced that they will challenge the judgement of the tribunal at the Supreme
Court
Addressing journalists shortly after the
verdict, which lasted 13 hours, Atiku’s lead lawyer, Chris Uche, a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said he had already got his client’s instruction to
appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
“We have our client’s strong instruction
to appeal the judgement,” Mr Uche said.
In the same vein, Mr Obi’s lead counsel,
Livy Uzoukwu, a SAN, expressed the Labour Party’s presidential candidate’s
displeasure over the court decision.
“Our clients are dissatisfied with the
judgement just delivered. I have the firm instruction of our client to
challenge the judgement on appeal,” the senior lawyer said.
Speaking on the difficulties of
electoral litigants to prove their suits, Mr Uzoukwu warned that “electoral
jurisprudence” would disappear.
“We have to be very careful in this
country, otherwise, electoral jurisprudence will disappear.
“When those who contest elections find
it difficult to establish their case, they may resort to other means which
might not be quite good,” he said.
The panel had announced that the
certified true copy of the judgement would be made available to all the
parties.
Earlier in the courtroom, Mr Uche
requested a copy of the judgement from the panel to enable him to immediately
begin the filing process and beat strict deadlines for such filing.
But responding to the request, Mr
Tsammani, the head of the five-member panel of the presidential election petition
court, said copies of the judgement would be made available to parties in the
suit Thursday.
Shettima hails decision
Vice President KashimShettima described
the court’s decision as the triumph of democracy.
Mr Shettima, who was in court throughout,
lauded the judiciary for upholding constitutional democracy.
Conveying Mr Tinubu’s joy over the
outcome of the petitions, the Vice President noted that fulfilling their
electoral promises had just begun.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
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African country should embrace
‘one-child’ policy – president
6 Sep, 2023
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has urged
Egyptians to have far fewer children, arguing that the current birth rate will
create a “catastrophe” for the North African country.
“We need 400,000 births per year,”
al-Sisi told the Global Congress on Population, Health and Development (PHDC),
which opened in Cairo on Tuesday.
“I do not agree with your idea that
having children is a matter of complete freedom,” the president said,
addressing Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, as quoted by
AFP.
“Leaving their freedom to people who
potentially do not know the extent of the challenge? In the end, it is the
whole of society and the Egyptian state which will pay the price,” al-Sisi
said. “We must organize this freedom, otherwise it will create a catastrophe.”
He cited the example of China, which
“succeeded in their population control” by imposing a harsh one-child policy in
the 1970s. Beijing abandoned the policy in 2015, and has since encouraged
population growth.
According to PHDC conference materials,
population growth can “put a strain on resources and infrastructure, leading to
health and social challenges.” A rapidly growing population “compromises the
availability and quality of basic services including, health, education, social
security” and contributes to the “rapid depletion of natural resources,” the
documents said.
The gathering, which began on Tuesday
and is scheduled to run through September 8, is sponsored by multiple UN
agencies, USAID, and several major pharmaceutical companies.
Egypt is by far the most populous Arab
nation, with an estimated 113 million residents. It recorded almost 2.2 million
births in 2022. Al-Sisi has pointed to the economic pressures the population
growth has placed on the country, which has become reliant on importing food
from abroad.
Cairo has sought greater investments
from Russia as a way of dealing with the economic challenges. In January, it
will join BRICS along with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Argentina, and
Iran.
Source: rt.com
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-----
Nigeria: Anxious wait for court ruling
on petitions against presidential election
6 Sep, 2023
Protesters gathered Wednesday (Sep. 05)
outside Abuja's Court of Appeal, where judges were expected to rule on whether
President Bola Tinubu's election victory was legitimate
The opposition challenged the election
results, arguing that Tinubu was not qualified to run for president because he
was a citizen of Guinea and allegedly did not have the required academic
credentials.
Tinubu has denied all the allegations.
"We are here to witness the
judgement from the judiciary to let them know that the last hope of the common
man, or a common Nigerian depends on the hands the judiciary. So, we are here
to let them know that they should do the right thing, not to force Nigerian
youths to occupy everywhere," a protester named James said.
"We are waiting, we are keeping
vigil, and we hope the right thing should be done. Judiciary must be
responsible as Nigerians have decided to make, their children are Nigerians,
they are Nigerians, they are part of this rot. Let them help us to rewrite this
wrong for once," a member of the Nigerian-American Coalition for Justice
and Democracy doubled down.
The tribunal is empowered to either
uphold Tinubu's February election win, declare someone else the winner, annul
the vote or order a fresh one.
Whatever decision they make can be
appealed at Nigeria's Supreme Court.
The opposition has hinted at possible
protests if the court rules in Tinubu'sfavor.
Since Nigeria returned to democracy in
1999, all presidential elections but one have been contested in court. None
were overturned.
Source: africanews.com
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-----
How Na’Allah changed my view of
University of Abuja
September 7, 2023
TOORCHUKWU KIPUCHI
FOR several years, my view of the
University of Abuja remained that of a small community too timid to embrace the
warm touch of the 21st century advancement in tertiary education. The main
campus of the university, which sits strategically on Airport Road, looked too
quiet, with scattered, aesthetically poor buildings and structures dotting the
large expanse of over 11,000 hectares, while students and staff tended to have
no sense of pride among themselves.
I often wondered whether it was not only
those who lacked decent taste that chose the university for their studies. Then
three weeks ago, I attended the matriculation ceremony of a friend’s daughter,
Nnenna, who was offered admission without knowing anyone in this institution,
and I took time to listen to the vice-chancellor’s address, went round the
campus, engaged in chats with some students and staff, and my view of this
university changed positively.
First, as I got through the gate of the
main campus of the university, the infrastructural development here struck me
immediately, especially since it was in early 2019 that I last visited the
campus. There were big physical structures rising everywhere: large trucks
carrying heaps of sand and gravel and dumping them somewhere deep into the
campus; new roads stretching several kilometres; portions of land getting
cleared in preparation for more works, making the university look like a huge
construction site; while electricity poles are adorned with boards showcasing
the unique selling points of the university in various forms.
I could not fail to see the new building
of the Academic Conference Centre by the right of the gate, the Academic Staff
Office Complex for the Faculty of Agriculture, a new Senate building under
construction, the Indoor Sports Hall, the Lecture Theatre for the Faculty of
Law, the Academic Staff Office Complex for the Faculty of Law, and the long
fence around a reasonable part of the front view of the main campus. I could
also notice that a series of repairs and maintenance of structures were being
carried out on buildings, bringing out their beauty.
Furthermore, I saw the edifices of some
faculties that the university has recently set up. They are those of the
faculties of pharmacy, environmental sciences, communications, and media
studies, though I learned later that the results of the verification exercises
for these programmes, including nursing and allied health services, and over 20
others were being awaited after the recent visit of the National Universities
Commission, NUC. All of these massive changes taking place on this campus were
brought about in the last four years that the present vice chancellor,
Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, has presided over the affairs of the
institution. Na’Allah seems to be a chief executive in a hurry to change the
face of the university for the better, fast-tracking the slow pace of
development that has characterized the history of the university since it took
off in 1988 from the temporary site in Gwagwalada.
Of course, the University of Abuja has
suffered at the hands of a couple of lazy, uninspiring leaders in the past who,
rather than work to notch it up, almost strangled its growth and development.
That such a strategically located university in the Federal Capital Territory is
not able to capitalise on its closeness to the seat of power and has remained
backward is distastefully shocking, a development that has given some concerned
people like me nightmares. Ordinarily, given its slow pace of development, one
little effort of the vice chancellor would seem so great and likely to earn
such a leader much accolade, but it is incredibly remarkable to see what is
happening in the university at the moment: great strides, different from a
one-off touch, something like combining the performance of three
administrations together or the first big rain after a prolonged drought,
something like a product of pragmatic, effective, and transformational
leadership.
Perhaps all this is possible because
Na’Allah isn’t your ordinary leader and administrator. The passion and tenacity
with which this professor of comparative literature spoke at the matriculation
ceremony about raising the university to enviable heights, leading it to join
the league of world-class universities, and empowering the students to be
global citizens demonstrated that he would not forgive himself if he failed to
achieve such promises. It is good to know that one of the ways to ensure this
global citizenship of the students is by making mandatory the study of a
foreign language such as Arabic, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and recently,
Kiswahili. In studying the Japanese language, particularly, the students are
said to be travelling out and winning awards.
I am amazed at the rapid progress of the
University of Abuja despite the twin effects of COVID-19 and almost one year of
strikes that paralysed activities and finances of most universities. I wonder
what this vice chancellor would have done without the strike by the university
staff and without COVID-19, which conspired to steal almost 22 months of his
five-year tenure. Despite these massive developments, there are things that
worry me. One is the increasing encroachment on the university land, which is
being launched from various axes of the campus, including Ido, Gwagwalada, and
Giri, especially the last two, where I learned the local government authorities
have employed every instrument, including thuggery, to confiscate swathes of
land and sell them off to cronies. If the pace at which these intruders enter
its land is anything to go by, the management of the university will soon find
itself in great shock if it does not declare a more holistic and decisive war
against these encroaching forces.
Another issue that worries me is the
high cost of fees being charged by the management of the university. Many
students complained to me about the difficulty they face paying, while some are
dropping out. Though this review of school fees is understandable and somehow
forgivable, especially given the high inflationary trends in the country and
the evidence of the value internal revenue generation in the university is
adding to the system, it will not be out of place if the management can come up
with alternative means to cushion the effect for the students.
Lastly, I am worried about what may
happen to the institution when a new vice chancellor takes over next year and
drives the university back to the path of yesterday. On this, we can maintain a
let’s-wait- and-see attitude. Moving forward, one remarkable thing that can
happen to this institution is for the present management led by Professor
Na’Allah to work harder to consolidate on the great developments so far and
ensure that they remain very sustainable and difficult to be reversed by even a
most vindictive leader, if such ever find themselves in the seat of power here.
Source: vanguardngr.com
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------
Europe
‘Your fight is our fight’, Danish PM
tells Ukrainians
September 6, 2023
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
visited Kiev on Wednesday, assuring Ukrainians the world was in awe of their
“incredible strength” and their “will never to give in” in the face of the
full-scale Russian invasion.
“Your fight is our fight,” the Danish
leader said in a speech to parliament.
Denmark announced in August it would
supply Kiev with 19 F-16 fighter jets, an aircraft Ukraine has long been
pressing its Western allies for to improve its air defences.
Ukrainian pilots are currently being
trained on the jets in Denmark.
When Mette addressed the jet issue, she
was met with applause from lawmakers.
Source: tribuneonlineng.com
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Terrorism suspect on the run after
daring escape from London jail
07 Sep 2023
LONDON, Sept 7 — British authorities on
Wednesday issued an all-ports alert to track down a former soldier awaiting
trial on terrorism charges, after he escaped from jail by clinging to the
bottom of a delivery van.
Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, was reported to
have been working in the kitchen of Wandsworth prison and wearing a chef’s
uniform of a white t-shirt and red and white chequered trousers when he
absconded.
The Metropolitan Police said ports and
airports had been put on high alert after his disappearance from the south
London jail at about 7.50am.
He was likely to still be in the London
area, although they did not rule out he had travelled outside the British
capital, the force added.
The public was warned not to approach
him but to call police immediately.
“We have no information which indicates,
nor any reason to believe that Khalife poses a threat to the wider public,”
said Dominic Murphy, the head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Khalife appeared in court in London on
January 28 and was remanded in custody over two incidents at the Royal Air
Force (RAF) base in Stafford, central England, near the army barracks where he
lived.
Urgent investigation
Khalife is accused of “attempting to
elicit information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or
preparing an act of terrorism” in August 2021.
He was also charged with a bomb hoax by
placing a suspect device at the RAF base on January 2 this year.
His trial had been set to begin on
November 13 at Woolwich Crown Court in south London.
The Prison Service said it was working
with police to recapture Khalife and was “urgently investigating how he
escaped”, a spokesperson said.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk will also
speak to the governor of the Category B prison, the second highest level of
security.
One of Wandsworth’s most famous recent
inmates was tennis superstar Boris Becker, who was jailed for flouting
insolvency rules. He was released and deported to Germany last year.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is
believed to have been taken to Wandsworth after his 2019 conviction for
breaching bail conditions.
Previous high-profile prison escapes
include one of the so-called Great Train Robbers, Ronnie Biggs, who scaled the
wall of Wandsworth prison using a rope ladder and escaped in a removals van.
His disappearance in 1965, just 19
months into a 30-year sentence for his part in the robbery of a mail train two
years earlier, saw him spend 36 years on the run.
He voluntarily returned to Britain from
Brazil in 2001 and was released in 2009 on compassionate grounds.
Former British spy George Blake escaped
from Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London in 1966, again using a rope ladder.
He fled to the Soviet Union, where he died in 2020.
In 1983, 38 members of the Irish
Republic Army escaped from the maximum security Maze prison in Northern Ireland
after taking several guards hostage.
Most were later captured or tracked
down. — AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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------
EU’s top court makes landmark Russian
sanctions decision
6 Sep, 2023
The European Union’s Court of Justice
issued a landmark ruling on Wednesday, to lift sanctions that had been imposed
by the bloc on a Russian businessman.
Aleksandr Shulgin, the former head of
Russian e-commerce firm Ozon, featured on a blacklist in April 2022 as part of
sanctions targeting Moscow following the beginning of its military operation in
Ukraine.
It’s the first time that EU sanctions
have been lifted by a court ruling in relation to a Russian businessman.
Previously, such decisions have been made only regarding their sanctioned
relatives.
“The effect of decision 2023/572 remains
in relation to Shulgin until the expiration date for filing an appeal or until
it is rejected,” the court stated, adding that “the rest of the appeal is
dismissed.”
The EU had targeted Shulgin as a
“leading [Russian] businessman” and the CEO of a company “involved in economic
sectors that provide a significant source of income” for the Russian government.
The bloc also noted when imposing the sanctions that on February 24 – the day
Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine – Shulgin was among a number
of Russian businessmen who met with President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
However, three days after the
introduction of restrictions, Shulgin stepped down as Ozon’s chief executive
and resigned from the company’s board of directors. He has since been trying to
legally challenge the notion that he is a “leading businessman.”
According to experts, it was the fact
that Shulgin left Ozon that proved decisive in the European court’s decision to
lift restrictions.
The case will set a precedent in
relation to the numerous EU sanctions affecting Russian citizens, YuryShumilov,
a partner at Brussels law firm Acquis, told RBK.
The EU has sanctioned close to 1,800
individuals and entities as part of its anti-Russia policy and recently
targeted what were vaguely defined as “leading” businesspeople, along with
their families and friends.
Source: rt.com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bharat-india-turkiye-un-farhan/d/130625