Over 100 People, Accompanied By Police, Barged Into A Christian Family Dinner Gathering Over Conversion Rumour In Jamshedpur
New Age Islam News Bureau
01-08-2025
A church member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the group was harassed by the mob and that some were beaten after being taken to the Golmuri police station. (Representational Photo)
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· Over 100 People, Accompanied By Police, Barged Into A Christian Family Dinner Gathering Over Conversion Rumour In Jamshedpur
· From ‘Bhagwa’ To Bhagwat: Day After Swinging To Pragya Thakur’s Defence, BJP Throws Weight Behind RSS Chief
· Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami And All Its Affiliated Organisations Banned, Protests Surge, Death Toll Mounts
· UN Experts Warn ISIS-K Growth in Afghanistan Threatens Global Security
· ‘No Innocents In Gaza’: Israeli Minister Denies Famine Amid Rising Starvation Deaths
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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India
Rule Of The Mob: Chhattisgarh Conversion Row And Violence On Pune Family
To Justify Dismissal Of Constable Who Married Pakistan National, CRPF Cites National Security
NIA Attaches Properties Of Pakistan-Based Dawood Ibrahim Gang's Operative In Gujarat
Pakistan, Bangladesh Among 50 Countries Now With Lower US Tariffs Than India
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South Asia
Islamic Emirate Halts Forced Marriage in Ghazni
UNHCR: Nearly 1.2 Million Afghans Returned From Pakistan in Nine Months
287 Afghan Prisoners Released From Jails in Pakistan and Iraq
Man remanded over threats to DU teacher
Protesters block Shahbagh, demand July Charter
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Mideast
Slovenia says will ban weapons trade with Israel over Gaza conflict
Portugal makes cautious move toward recognizing Palestinian state
Jordan welcomes Swedish court’s life sentence against Daesh over pilot’s killing
Islamic Jihad publishes video of Israeli hostage held in Gaza
Lebanon’s UN refugee agency chief hopes at least 200,000 Syrian refugees return under new plan
Jordanian authorities summon individuals suspected of hiding banned Muslim Brotherhood’s assets
Expert says recognition of Palestinian state will not change things in short term
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Arab World
Madinah Wins New WHO ‘Healthy City’ Accreditation
Saudi Arabia welcomes Canada, Malta’s intentions to recognize State of Palestine
Saudi FM seeks global support for final document of ‘Two-State Solution’ conference
Saudi interior minister visits Interpol head office
Focus on emotional power of movie soundtracks at Riyadh Film Music Festival
Madinah Book Fair offers a literary haven of culture and creativity
Over 151m trees planted under Saudi Green Initiative
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Europe
Slovenia Becomes First EU Member To Ban Arms Trade With Israel
UK Government Minister Rejects Claims By Peers That Palestine Recognition Unlawful
West ‘planting time bomb’ in ties with India – Russian envoy
FBI was ‘weaponized’ in Obama-Clinton conspiracy to ‘stop Trump’ – top US senator
Ukraine says draft ‘normal’ as abuse reports mount
EU ‘not feared enough’ – Macron
US could offer Russia enormous economic deal – Politico
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North America
US sanctions Palestinian Authority officials, PLO members
Discover Iran: Seymareh, Iran's 'hidden Pompeii' that offers window into ancient times
Qalibaf: Knesset speaker ‘disgrace to humanity’ for denying Gaza starvation
'One-State Palestine': A pragmatic blueprint to end apartheid and establish equal justice
NYPD officers line streets to honor colleague killed in Park Ave shooting
Does Young Cardamom Help Zohran Mamdani?
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Africa
African Union Rejects RSF’s Rival Government In Sudan Amid Escalating Conflict
At least six South Sudan soldiers killed in border clashes with Uganda
Meloni and Saied discuss migration and development during Tunis meeting
Court sentences Kwara Islamic cleric to death for killing Facebook lover
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Southeast Asia
Penang CM hails US tariff cut as relief for Malaysia and Penang’s export sector, urges deeper trade concessions
Mais welcomes SIS Forum (Malaysia)’s move to drop ‘Islam’ from name
Malaysia’s neutral diplomacy praised as Trump confirms ASEAN summit visit
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/christian-family-dinner-conversion-jamshedpur/d/136375
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Over 100 People, Accompanied By Police, Barged Into A Christian Family Dinner Gathering Over Conversion Rumour In Jamshedpur
Written by Shubham Tigga
Ranchi | August 1, 2025
A church member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the group was harassed by the mob and that some were beaten after being taken to the Golmuri police station. (Representational Photo)
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Over 100 people, accompanied by police, barged into a Christian family dinner gathering at a Jamshedpur housing society, alleging that religious conversion was taking place. However, police later said they found no evidence of conversion.
The incident took place on July 26, in an area of Jamshedpur that comes under the Golmuri police station, when members of the Christian community were having dinner to mark the end of a 21-day fasting prayer. Some residents of the housing society where the dinner was being held raised concerns over what they claimed were suspicious gatherings in two flats, where around 50 people were present.
Jitu Lima, a pastor from the local church in Govindpur, told The Indian Express that 40-50 individuals, mostly relatives and acquaintances of church members from other states, were staying in two flats at CF Flats during the fasting prayer period observed by their fellowship.
“No prayer meeting or religious activity was taking place at the time. The flats were being used only for lodging, and everyone had gathered for dinner as it was the concluding day. From small children to the elderly, everyone was present,” he said.
“Suddenly, a mob, along with police personnel, barged into the flats and began questioning the gathering. After about three hours of inquiry, they took six people to the police station,” Lima said.
A church member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the group was harassed by the mob and that some were beaten after being taken to the Golmuri police station.
He said the people barged into the room where the dinner gathering was taking place at around 9 pm, and that police then locked the room, instructing everyone not to leave. “There were more than 100 people (in the group that barged in). Some police personnel were in plainclothes, so it was hard to tell who was police and who was part of the mob,” he said.
“For about three hours, we were confined to the room. At around 12.30 am, six of us, including me, were taken to the station. There, some of us were slapped and beaten,” he claimed. He alleged that a senior police officer beat them and asked them why they were “converting people”.
Golmuri Station House Officer (SHO) Rajendra Kumar said he was “not aware” of anyone being assaulted.
“I am not aware of that. I offered them water and treated them respectfully. It is possible that when I stepped out, someone from the society may have assaulted them,” Kumar said.
He said police went to the housing society that night after getting a verbal complaint from some residents about a gathering of around 50 people from states like Odisha and Bengal.
“We visited the site but did not find any immediate evidence of wrongdoing. No written complaint was filed either,” the SHO said.
“We made a station diary entry, which is a preliminary step before filing an FIR. Five-six individuals were brought in for questioning. We’re investigating the nature of the gathering, the booking of the premises, and under whose name it was done. So far, nothing conclusive has emerged,” he said.
DSP Sunil Chaudhary said the matter was registered at the police station and was being looked into by the officer in charge.
Ajit Tirkey, vice president of the All India Christian Minority Front and a minority rights activist, submitted a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday, alleging that oppression of Christians is on the rise under the guise of false conversion charges.
“These incidents are a reaction to the Chief Minister’s decision to rename the Atal Mohalla Clinic Scheme after Mother Teresa. There was no evidence of conversion in this case, yet no action has been taken against the attackers or the police,” he said.
Jamshedpur Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi told The Indian Express that police had submitted a report related to two recent incidents in Golmuri and Bhuyadi involving alleged religious conversion.
“In the Golmuri case, police responded immediately and found around 100-150 people from one group and about 50 from another. Some members of the Christian community were taken to the station for their safety, not because they were accused of anything,” Satyarthi said.
He also said that the preliminary police inquiry found no evidence of forced conversion. “Only two or three non-Christian individuals were present, and they were participating voluntarily in the prayers. The majority were Christians. The report does not suggest any coercion,” he said.
Asked about the allegation of physical assault at the police station, the DC said, “If that happened, it is wrong. There is a clear difference between how criminals and ordinary citizens should be treated. We will take cognisance and follow up with the police administration.”
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From ‘Bhagwa’ To Bhagwat: Day After Swinging To Pragya Thakur’s Defence, BJP Throws Weight Behind RSS Chief
Written by Jatin Anand
August 1, 2025
Patra alleged Mujawwar “was directed…to arrest Mohan Bhagwat ji at any cost” despite his name not being part of the chargesheet or any relation whatsoever to its investigation. (PTI Photo)
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A day after it defended of its former MP Pragya Singh Thakur following her acquittal in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, the Bharatiya Janata Party Friday launched another attack on the Congress and the Gandhi family for seeking to “forcefully disrespect, arrest and seek revenge from” the BJP, “believers of Hinduism and the top officials of the Sangh” in the case.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s national headquarters, BJP MP Sambit Patra alleged that investigating officials had been “pressured” by the then-Congress government to allegedly implicate RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the Malegaon blast case in consideration of its “vindictive, appeasement and vote bank” driven politics.
“It was the Gandhi family’s intent to attack Sanatan and the Hindu community, which has fallen flat on its face after yesterday’s verdict,” Patra said.
On Thursday, the BJP demanded a public apology from the Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, for “conspiring” to impose the narrative of “Hindu terror” on the country. Its demand came after a special court designated under the NIA Act acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.
Also Read | 2008 Malegaon bomb blast: special court acquits all 7 accused, says strong suspicion, but not enough to punish them
Among those acquitted were former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sudhakar Dhardwivedi.
The senior BJP leader said ‘two new political developments” have taken place since Thursday “which have shed new light”.
“ATS, which investigated the incident, one of its officials, Mehboob Mujawwar, has today made a shocking revelation,” Patra said, accusing the Congress of spreading “the narrative around saffron terror in the country” at the behest of “the Gandhi family”.
“After the 2008 Malegaon blast, he (Mujawwar) was a crucial part of the investigation team. This morning, he revealed that top officials both in the agency and the government had exerted tremendous pressure on him and the ATS to arrest Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagat to advance this ‘saffron terror narrative’,” he alleged.
Patra alleged Mujawwar “was directed…to arrest Mohan Bhagwat ji at any cost” despite his name not being part of the chargesheet or any relation whatsoever to its investigation.
“Mehboob Mujawwar cited the Constitution and refused to do so because it was neither constitutional nor legal, and he would not do anything that would hurt the Constitution of India, refusing to carry out this order…in reaction, some damning charges were pressed upon this officer…stalling his promotion. He later went to court and was acquitted…Just look at the vindictive attitude of the then-Congress government,” he added.
How to “forcefully disrespect, arrest and seek revenge from” the BJP, believers of Hinduism, and the top officials of the Sangh, Patra said, it was with this “vindictive attitude” that the then-Congress government was working “at the directions of the Gandhi family.”
‘Catchphrases of appeasement’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, Patra said, during his statement related to Operation Sindoor, mentioned the statement of “a big leader” amid the intelligence establishment in the US that for India, saffron terror was a bigger problem than the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
“You all know who this big leader, who told the American ambassador this, is. It was clearly the agenda of the Gandhi family for the sake of vote bank politics to insult Sanatan at any cost,” he said.
Taking on Prithviraj Chavan, he said statements such as “terrorism has no religion” were the “catchphrases of appeasement” which were “utilised by Congress leaders following each terror attack to keep their vote bank intact”.
“On one hand you say that terror has no religion but in the same breath…Prithviraj Chavan says ‘Hindu and Sanatan terrorists’… but you simply must repeat ‘Hindu terrorist’ and ‘Sanatan terrorist’,” he said.
“(Former Union home minister) Sushil Kumar Shinde, during a party meeting, had said ‘saffron terrorism’. When asked whether he believed he had done the right thing or not by saying so last year, he smiled and said, ‘I did not do it on my own; I feel I did wrong, but whatever the high command said, what my party said, I did’…there is only one high command in the Congress,” he alleged.
Patra also cited the 2007 Samjhauta Express train blasts, in which the accused were released within 14 days, and the Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blasts the same year, in which alleged Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) members who were allegedly behind it were also let go.
He added that senior Congress leaders were “giving Pakistan a clean chit” in the 26/11 Mumbai attack as well, as they “released books on saffron terror” and “turning terrorists loose”.
“This is natural…for a party which views Zakir Naik as an ‘apostle of peace’ and from whose NGO…the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepts donations, to expect that they will not say ‘Hindu, Saffron, Sanatani terrorist’ is a bit too much,” he said.
‘Those who have been released in the case include a person from the Army, a sadhvi. …Sena, Sant, Sanatan and Samvidhan — for 17 years, the Congress attacked these four…as per a calculated conspiracy. But Satyamev Jayate (truth always prevails)… Their objective is to end Sanatan…but Sanatan is invincible and cannot be defeated,” he added.
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Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami And All Its Affiliated Organisations Banned, Protests Surge, Death Toll Mounts
Aug 1, 2025
University teachers under the banner of “Teachers Against Repression” held a rally at the base of the Raju Bhaskarja on August 1, 2024, demanding the immediate release of students detained during block raids, justice for those killed, and an end to the ongoing harassment of students and educators. Photo: File/Rashed Shumon
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The day marked a turning point in Bangladesh's deepening political crisis, as the government officially banned Jamaat-e-Islami and all its affiliated organisations, including Islami Chhatra Shibir. The decision, formalised through a home ministry gazette notification, came amid escalating public unrest, growing demands for justice over student killings, and continued mass demonstrations across the country.
In a separate development, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the media that both the United Nations and any interested country were welcome to send experts to Bangladesh to investigate recent incidents of violence. "I want all incidents to be investigated because it should be found out what was behind those incidents and how those happened," she said.
It may be noted that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk had earlier offered to deploy an independent fact-finding team to help restore public trust and de-escalate tensions. "In these challenging times, my office is ready to support your efforts in resolving the current crisis," he wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister dated July 23.
Meanwhile, six coordinators of the quota reform movement who had been in Detective Branch custody were released around 1:30pm. Badrul Islam, father of one of the organisers, Nahid Islam, confirmed their release to this newspaper.
On campuses across the country, teachers and students staged demonstrations under the "Remembering Our Heroes" campaign. At least five public universities saw teachers organising human chains, silent marches, and rallies demanding justice for the victims of state violence and an end to the harassment of both students and faculty.
At Rajshahi University, teachers intervened to prevent the detention of students during a protest. However, in Barishal University, police detained 12 students during a demonstration. In the capital, the Bangladesh University Teachers' Network held a rally near the Raju Sculpture, demanding the immediate release of arrested students, the withdrawal of law enforcement from campuses, and the reopening of educational institutions.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir issued a strong statement accusing the government and pro-ruling party officials in law enforcement agencies of spreading misinformation to obscure the truth about the student killings. He urged government officials, including those in the administration and police, to refrain from following "unjust and illegal" instructions. He also warned that as the repression intensified, so too would public resistance.
Tragically, one more life was lost to the violence. Selim Talukder, a 31-year-old factory worker from Narayanganj, succumbed to his injuries at Popular Hospital in Dhanmondi. He had suffered 56 shotgun pellet wounds to his chest and 18 to his head after being caught in clashes between police and protesters on July 18 while on his way to work. With his death, the confirmed death toll since July 16 rose to at least 201.
Amid growing outrage, a group of eminent citizens demanded the immediate release of all detainees within 24 hours. Speaking at a human chain in front of the Detective Branch office on Minto Road under the banner of Aggrieved Citizens' Society, they noted that while the six student leaders had been freed, many teachers, students, and civilians remained in custody.
Later that evening, Abdul Kader, a coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, announced fresh programmes for the following day. These included prayers at mosques, temples, and churches, followed by a mass procession after Juma prayers to press home their nine-point demand. Kader urged citizens from all walks of life—teachers, workers, professionals, cultural activists, human rights defenders, intellectuals, and madrasa students—to support the initiative.
Source: thedailystar.net
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UN Experts Warn ISIS-K Growth in Afghanistan Threatens Global Security
31/07/ 2025
UN experts told the Security Council ISIS-K is recruiting online and drawing foreign fighters to Afghanistan, calling it the “most serious threat” to U.S., Europe, and regional stability.Traditional Afghan cuisine
UN experts have warned that Afghanistan is again becoming a hub for foreign terrorists, posing new dangers to both regional stability and global security.
In a report to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, July 30, the experts said ISIS-K is actively using online platforms to recruit and radicalize extremists.
They described ISIS-K as the “most serious threat” to Europe and the United States, citing its expanding network and capacity to inspire attacks abroad.
The report linked a number of recent terror plots to either the Gaza-Israel conflict or individuals radicalized through ISIS propaganda.
Experts also warned that the growing return of foreign fighters to Afghanistan and Central Asia is intended to destabilize the region and widen ISIS-K’s influence.
ISIS-K has even issued warnings of possible attacks on Americans, highlighting its ambition to extend violence beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
U.S. officials caution that since the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan risks reverting into a safe haven for ISIS, a “serious and growing threat” to international security.Traditional Afghan cuisine
Source: .khaama.com
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‘No innocents in Gaza’: Israeli minister denies famine amid rising starvation deaths
31 July 2025
Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, an 18-month old child in Gaza who faces life-threatening malnutrition. (Photo by Getty Images)
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An Israeli minister has rejected reports of famine in Gaza, contradicting UN agencies that warn the territory faces starvation under Israel’s gempcidal aid blockade.
"There is no famine. There is no humanitarian disaster. And according to the [captives’] testimonies – there are also no innocents or uninvolved people," Israeli minister Miri Regev write in a post on her X account on Thursday.
Posting The New York Times front page photo showing a Gazan woman cradling her malnourished child, she claimed, “We are not waiting for an apology, not from the New York Times, not from 'Haaretz,' and not from the hundreds of media outlets that echoed the lie of famine in Gaza."
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously echoed similar assertions, denying any starvations in Gaza.
“There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza – otherwise, there would be no Gazans,” he claimed.
This comes as UN agencies have said Gaza is currently on the brink of famine, due to the Israeli-imposed blockade on aid.
On Tuesday, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the Food and Agriculture Organization warned hat "time was running out" and Gaza stood "on the brink of a full-scale famine."
Seven more people had died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according Gaza Health ministry on Thursday. At least 155 Palestinians—including 89 children—have died from starvation.
The youngest in Gaza are bearing the brunt of the starvation crisis triggered by Israel’s months-long blockade, as supplies of baby formula have run out in hospitals and mothers have nothing to feed newborns.
Since launching its genocidal war on Gaza, Israel has killed more than 60,200 Palestinians and injured more than 146,000, most of them women and children.
Source: presstv.ir
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India
Rule Of The Mob: Chhattisgarh Conversion Row And Violence On Pune Family
Aug 1, 2025
Two incidents, a day apart, show the police in two states, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, in poor light. They failed to uphold a basic precept of modern governance — only law enforcement agencies have the power to detain and question suspects and investigate crime, and they must also do so only according to due process. Last week, policemen in these two states appear to have acted at the behest of the mob. On July 25, the Chhattisgarh police arrested three people, including two nuns, on charges of forced conversion and human trafficking. Reports in this paper have raised questions about the neutrality of the law enforcers in a situation rife with tension. Instead of calming tempers and probing the charges, the Chhattisgarh police drew up their FIR almost entirely on the basis of statements of Bajrang Dal members. One of the women at the centre of the row later admitted she was coerced by a member of a right-wing outfit to give a statement against the accused. A day after the Chhattisgarh arrests, a group of around 60-70 people, several of them allegedly belonging to the Bajrang Dal, barged into the house of a Kargil War veteran’s relative in Pune, demanded identity proofs from the family, and called them Bangladeshis. The police personnel present at the site participated in the humiliation of the family by taking them to a police station in the dead of the night.
The Supreme Court has, on several occasions, underlined the dangers of mob vigilantism. But whether in cow protection cases or in matters related to religious conversion, or now in the increasingly contentious issue of illegal migration, law enforcement agencies show a disturbing tendency to let self-proclaimed community leaders take over. The Pune incident reportedly occurred after a “tip-off” about Bangladeshis in the city. The role of the Bajrang Dal in this episode — as well as in the conversion-related arrests in Chhattisgarh — points to the same worrying tendency of the state law enforcement apparatus ceding vital space to vigilantes.
On more than one occasion, including in December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined the contributions of the Catholic community in social welfare. Instances such as the episode in Chhattisgarh pose question marks on that outreach. It’s also a cruel irony that at a time when members of all political parties are applauding the valour of the armed forces in Operation Sindoor, a war veteran’s relatives were targeted with impunity. The police in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra have much to answer for.
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To Justify Dismissal Of Constable Who Married Pakistan National, CRPF Cites National Security
Written by Arun Sharma
Jammu | Updated: August 1, 2025
To justify dismissal of constable who married Pakistan national, CRPF cites national security: ‘Our security will get compromised…’In a letter dated July 23, 2024, the Jammu Sector CRPF had resubmitted Munir’s file to the J&K Zone CRPF, asking the latter not to grant an NOC to him for the marriage.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has justified the dismissal from service of constable Munir Ahmed, saying that he married a Pakistani woman despite apprehensions from seniors that it may raise a national security issue and before any decision was made on his applications seeking permission for the marriage.
The CRPF opposed Munir’s writ petition in the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, challenging his dismissal from service.
While the DIG (Adm) had clarified that under the CCS (Conduct) Rules 1964, there is no requirement for an NOC and that a government servant marrying a person who is not of Indian nationality has to just inform the government, the CRPF said that in this case, since the woman is a Pakistani national, it opposed the marriage.
In a letter dated July 23, 2024, the Jammu Sector CRPF had resubmitted Munir’s file to the J&K Zone CRPF, asking the latter not to grant an NOC to him for the marriage. In the letter, the Jammu Sector CRPF said, “CCS Conduct Rule 1964 was framed 60 years ago, and at that time, Pakistan was not a hostile country”.
Bollywood starlet was pushed into prostitution, died penniless and alone at 34; her body was transported on ‘thela’ for funeral
“However, after the eruption of militancy in J&K, the neighbouring country has become a hostile nation and is abetting terrorism in J&K, which has claimed thousands of innocent lives, as well as of police personnel, political activists and paramilitary forces,” it said.
“Besides terrorism, Pakistan has also indulged in various means and efforts to gather intelligence of our strategic locations, campuses, deployment, and our weaponry, and keeps our forces (engaged) in proxy war,” it wrote, adding that the petitioner was employed in the executive staff in the CRPF and had access to confidential information.
“Therefore, there is apprehension that once he gets married to a Pakistani girl, our security will get compromised and… (this) could endanger our national security,” it said.
It also claimed that there had been “some instances of women working as spies to lure such boys into marriage, even though in this case, he states she is a relative”.
In a subsequent response to further questions from the J&K Zone CRPF, it was told that Ahmed solemnised nikah with Pakistani national Menal Khan on May 24, 2024, through video conferencing and that he had requested an NOC for the same. It said that it came to know through a newspaper on February 28, 2025, that Menal Khan had entered India through the Wagha Border on a 15-day tourist visa and was residing with the petitioner at his residence.
The CRPF on May 3 this year dismissed Ahmed, a resident of Jammu district’s Bhalwal tehsil, from service without a formal inquiry, saying that his actions were found to be detrimental to “national security”. The dismissal came in the aftermath of the attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people were shot dead by terrorists from Pakistan.
Ahmed had denied the allegations, claiming he had informed the CRPF Directorate last year of his marriage with Menal Khan and that the latter had acknowledged it in a communication. He also claimed that he had first told the DG of the wedding on December 31, 2022 and had sought an NOC from the organisation.
But he had also admitted that his wife’s short-term visa had ended earlier this year and the couple was trying to get a long-term one.
Meanwhile, with her short-term visa now ended, Minal had been issued a ‘Leave India’ notice in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and was taken to Attari, but the deportation was stalled after Ahmed moved the High Court.
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NIA Attaches Properties Of Pakistan-Based Dawood Ibrahim Gang's Operative In Gujarat
PTI
01 Aug 2025
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached two immovable properties belonging to an aide of Pakistan-based fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim in connection with 2015 double murder case in Gujarat's Bharuch, officials on Friday said.
The properties of the arrested accused, Mohammad Yunus alias Manjro, have been attached under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on the orders of NIA special court, Ahmedabad, in the case, they said.
"The attached properties include his residential house in ward no 3, city survey no 3614, Bharuch City (Total area: 143.96 sq.mt.) and ward no 3, city survey no 3615, Bharuch City (Total area: 29.59 sq.mt.)," said a statement issued by the probe agency.
Manjro was arrested for his role in the criminal conspiracy and murder of the BJP workers -- Shirish Bengali and Pragnesh Mistry -- in November 2015, it said.
"These attachments by the NIA are a very important step towards dismantling the terror ecosystem of D-company gang operating from Pakistan," the probe agency said.
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Pakistan, Bangladesh Among 50 Countries Now With Lower US Tariffs Than India
Written by Ravi Dutta Mishra
New Delhi | Updated: August 1, 2025
The Trump adminThe Trump administration has set lower tariffs on several competitors in the American market, which could hurt Indian exports, especially in the labour-intensive and high-value electronics sectors. (AP)
US New Tariff Policy 2025: After securing trade deals on his terms with partners such as the European Union (EU), Japan and South Korea, US President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on India by imposing lower tariffs on more than 50 countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh, compared to the 25 per cent levied on India, a new set of reciprocal tariffs released on Friday showed.
The US has set lower tariffs on several competitors in the American market, which could hurt Indian exports, especially in the labour-intensive and high-value electronics sectors. Even without a trade deal, the US has announced 20 per cent tariffs on Bangladesh — a key competitor in the readymade garments (RMG) category not just in the US but also in several Western markets.
The new tariffs are set to come into effect on August 7.
Even Pakistan, with whom the US has announced a trade deal, will have lower tariffs set at 19 per cent. Trump had said that Pakistan and the US would work together on developing large Pakistani oil reserves. However, Pakistan has seen a number of unsuccessful oil exploration attempts.
Moreover, Vietnam at 20 per cent, and Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines at 19 per cent each, are Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries that have also been assigned lower tariffs, potentially giving them better market access in the US in the electrical and electronics sectors compared to India.
While lower duties on Bangladesh and Pakistan could impact India’s RMG exports to the US, a beneficial duty structure for Vietnam and Malaysia is expected to hurt India’s fast growing non-leather footwear manufacturing along with the electronics manufacturing sector.
This comes after White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett on Wednesday said Trump has been frustrated with how trade talks with India are progressing. “I think President Trump is frustrated with the progress we’ve made with India but feels that a 25 per cent tariff will address and remedy the situation in a way that’s good for the American people,” Hassett said, as per Reuters.
The notification said that some trading partners that have agreed to, or are on the verge of concluding, meaningful trade and security agreements will remain subject to the fresh duties announced “until these agreements are finalised and subsequent orders are issued”.
The India-US trade deal is stuck over sensitive sectors such as agriculture and automobiles. The Indian Express had reported last week that India is unlikely to agree to US demands during the ongoing trade negotiations to accept genetically modified (GM) agricultural products such as corn and soya.
This assumes significance as agriculture remains one of the contentious issues between the two countries, and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has previously flagged restrictions on its GM products by countries as discriminatory.
“The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 includes specific provisions for regulating food products derived from genetically engineered (GE) sources; however, as of 31 December 2024, the FSSAI was still in the process of establishing its regulations. India’s biotechnology approval processes are slow, opaque, and subject to political influences, and do not appear to take into account science-based approval processes for GE products in exporting countries,” the USTR report earlier this year had said.
While India is seeking greater market access for its textiles, leather and footwear, the US is pushing for access to India’s agricultural and dairy markets — a major hurdle, as Indian farmers often operate on small land parcels with limited technological support. In contrast, the US has demanded that India drop its GM regulation.
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South Asia
Islamic Emirate Halts Forced Marriage in Ghazni
31/07/ 2025
GHAZNI(BNA): The Department Vice and Virtue in Ghazni province intervened to stop the forced marriage of a widowed woman, reportedly defusing a growing dispute between two families.
In a statement issued to Bakhtar News Agency, provincial officials said they acted swiftly after learning that a family in Ghazni city was attempting to arrange a marriage without the woman’s consent.
“On investigation, our officers were able to halt the forced marriage and mediate a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the two families,” the statement read.
Officials praised the outcome, emphasizing that protecting Islamic values — including consent in marriage — is central to their mission. “We will continue our efforts to uphold Islamic principles and social justice within the community,” the department said.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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UNHCR: Nearly 1.2 Million Afghans Returned From Pakistan in Nine Months
By Fidel Rahmati
01 Aug 2025
Nearly 1.2 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan since September 2023, UNHCR reports, warning many face dire conditions and urging urgent aid to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says nearly 1.2 million Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan between September 15, 2023, and June 30, 2025.Traditional Afghan cuisine
According to its report released Thursday, more than 156,000 returnees, including 98,000 registered cardholders, have received humanitarian assistance since crossing back into Afghanistan.
UNHCR said women and girls make up about half of those receiving aid, while roughly 2.2 percent of all returnees are people with disabilities.
The agency added that over 315,000 Afghans returned in 2025 alone, including 51,000 who were forcibly deported by Pakistani authorities.
Mounting political and security pressures in Pakistan are threatening the status of more than two million Afghan refugees who have lived there for decades.
UNHCR warned that many returnees face bleak conditions, lacking proper housing, jobs, and access to essential services in an already fragile Afghanistan.
Aid agencies are urging both Afghan authorities and the global community to increase support, cautioning that without sustained help, the wave of returns could deepen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Source: .khaama.com
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287 Afghan Prisoners Released From Jails in Pakistan and Iraq
By Fidel Rahmati
01 Aug 2025
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees reported 287 Afghans freed from Pakistan and Iraq prisons, including women and children, returning home after receiving aid and support from humanitarian organizations.Traditional Afghan cuisine
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced Thursday, July 31, that 287 Afghan citizens have been released from prisons in Pakistan and Iraq and returned home.
According to the ministry, 275 of those freed came from prisons across Pakistan, including in Islamabad and Karachi, and re-entered Afghanistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings.
Officials said the group included women and children who had been imprisoned for lacking valid residency documents, with sentences ranging from two days to three years.
Another 12 Afghans were freed from Iraqi prisons, where they had been held between two and six months, and crossed back into Afghanistan via the Silk Bridge in Nimroz.
The ministry said the returnees received immediate assistance from aid agencies before being transported back to their home regions.
Human rights groups continue to urge regional governments to protect Afghan migrants, noting that thousands remain imprisoned across neighboring countries under harsh conditions and without proper legal representation.Traditional Afghan cuisine
Source: .khaama.com
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Man remanded over threats to DU teacher
Aug 1, 2025
A Dhaka court has placed Aman Ullah, a furniture store manager, on a two-day remand in a case filed under the Cyber Security Ordinance for allegedly issuing threats to a Dhaka University teacher online.
Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mahbubur Rahman issued the order yesterday after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sought a three-day remand for interrogation, said a sub-inspector at the court.
The case was filed on June 29 with Dhanmondi Police Station by Anowar Hossain, manager of Essa Garden CNG Filling Station in Cumilla, accusing five to six unidentified individuals of posting derogatory remarks about DU professor Chowdhury Saima Ferdous on Facebook and issuing threats via WhatsApp.
Saima is the daughter of BNP leader and former Cumilla-9 MP Monirul Haque Chowdhury. According to the case documents, she owns the Cumilla filling station.
CID officials said Aman, 28, who is originally from Chandpur, was arrested in the Sonaimuri area in Noakhali on the same day the case was filed.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Protesters block Shahbagh for 2nd day, unveil July charter proposals
Aug 1, 2025
Protesters under the banner of "July Warriors" continued their demonstration for a second consecutive day in the capital's Shahbagh intersection today, demanding immediate finalisation of the proposed July charter.
During the protest that disrupted vehicular movement in one of busiest areas in Dhaka, they also announced a July charter proposal that comprises three key sections -- recognition, state responsibility, and justice.
A section of the demonstrators stayed overnight at the intersection, while others joined them in the morning, said Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station.
Despite intermittent rain, around 100 protesters continued the blockade programme at the intersection, disrupting vehicular movement in one of Dhaka's busiest areas.
No buses or other vehicles were allowed through, and traffic was diverted to alternative routes, the OC said in the morning.
The protest began around 11:00am yesterday, leading to severe traffic congestion in the surrounding areas. Commuters were stranded for hours, with many forced to walk long distances.
However, today's disruption was comparatively less severe as it coincided with a public holiday, the OC said.
Around 2:00pm, Masud Rana Shourav, chief organiser of July Joddha Songshod, addressed a press briefing at Shahbagh and said that the July charter stands as a solemn national commitment to honour the sacrifices made during the mass uprising.
"We, the people of Bangladesh, remember with deep gratitude the injured and fallen of July. Their blood and courage reopened the path to freedom, democracy, and justice," he said.
In the recognition section, they proposed those who died to be declared "July Martyrs" and officially recognised as national heroes, while the injured would be honoured as "July Warriors (Bir)."
The second section outlined the duties and commitments of the state, including lifelong honour, healthcare, education, and welfare support for both the martyrs' families and those who were injured. It said that the government must take full responsibility for their well-being, covering medical treatment, rehabilitation, and employment opportunities.
It proposed a dignified lifelong allowance, establishing it as a legal right. Furthermore, any form of negligence, discrimination, or denial of these rights would be treated as treason or a serious criminal offence. To ensure this, a dedicated legal aid and protection centre is proposed for their continued support.
In the final section on justice and accountability, the charter demanded prosecution of those responsible for violence against protesters, in accordance with international legal standards. It also proposed forming an independent truth and justice commission to record testimonies and investigate abuses.
Demonstrators have vowed to continue their protest until the authorities formally accept and begin implementing the provisions laid out in the July charter.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Mideast
Slovenia says will ban weapons trade with Israel over Gaza conflict
August 01, 2025
LJUBLJANA: Slovenia said Thursday that it will ban all weapons trade with Israel over the war in Gaza, in what it said is a first by an EU nation.
Slovenia’s government has frequently criticized Israel over the conflict, and last year moved to recognize a Palestinian state as part of efforts to end the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible.
“Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export and transit of weapons to and from Israel,” the government said in a statement late Thursday.
It said it was moving ahead “independently” because the bloc was “unable to adopt concrete measures... due to internal disagreements and disunity.”
Amid the devastating war in Gaza, where “people... are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied them,” it was the “duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others,” the statement said.
It added that the government had not issued any permits for the export of military weapons and equipment to Israel since October 2023 because of the conflict.
Early in July, Slovenia — also in a EU first — banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country.
It declared both Israelis “persona non grata,” accusing them of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” with “their genocidal statements.”
In June 2024, Slovenia’s parliament passed a decree recognizing Palestinian statehood, following in the steps of Ireland, Norway and Spain, in moves partly fueled by condemnation of Israel’s bombing of Gaza after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Source: arabnews.com
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Portugal makes cautious move toward recognizing Palestinian state
July 31, 2025
LISBON: Portugal’s center-right government will consult the main political parties and conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa about the potential recognition of a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Thursday.
Unlike neighboring Spain, whose leftist government recognized Palestinian statehood in May 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway and called on other EU countries to do the same, Portugal has taken a more cautious approach, saying it wanted to work out a common position with other EU countries first.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week his country, a heavyweight in the EU, plans to recognize a Palestinian state, becoming the first major Western state to do so.
His move came amid a rising global outcry over starvation and devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war against Hamas militants there. Britain and Canada have since said they could also recognize a Palestinian state.
“The government decided to promote consultations with the president and the political parties represented in parliament with a view to consider the recognition of the Palestinian state in a process that could be concluded ... at the UN General Assembly in September,” Montenegro said in a statement.
About 144 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognize Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India.
But only a handful of the 27 European Union members do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.
The UN General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to “non-member state” from “entity.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Jordan welcomes Swedish court’s life sentence against Daesh over pilot’s killing
August 01, 2025
LONDON: Jordan welcomed a Swedish court’s ruling on Thursday that sentenced a member of the Daesh terror group to life in prison for his involvement in the horrific killing of Jordanian Air Force pilot Lt. Moaz Al-Kasasbeh.
Osama Krayem was implicated in the killing of Al-Kasasbeh, 26, who was burned alive in a cage after being captured in 2014 following his plane’s crash in Syria during a mission against the Daesh group.
Mohammad Al-Momani, the Jordanian government’s spokesman, added that Jordan fully trusted the Swedish legal and judicial processes that resulted in the decision.
Al-Momani said that Jordanians will always remember the tragic incident and that the ruling is a crucial step toward holding all accountable.
Krayem, a Swedish citizen, is already incarcerated for his involvement in other terrorist attacks in Europe, specifically the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016.
The killing of Al-Kasasbeh shocked Jordanians after Daesh released a gruesome video showing him being burned alive in a cage. The Swedish court said that while the evidence indicated that another person ignited the fire that killed him, Krayem was also implicated in the murder.
Source: arabnews.com
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Islamic Jihad publishes video of Israeli hostage held in Gaza
August 01, 2025
GAZA CITY: The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad published a video Thursday of an Israeli-German hostage who was abducted to Gaza in October 2023 during the attack that sparked the Gaza war.
In the six-minute video, the male hostage, speaking in Hebrew, is seen watching recent news footage of the hunger crisis in Gaza. He identifies himself and pleads with the Israeli government to secure his release.
AFP was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the video nor the date it was filmed, but was able — along with several Israeli news outlets — to identify the hostage as Rom Braslavksi, a German-Israeli dual national.
Islamic Jihad announced last week that it had lost contact with the hostage and repeats this in commentary at the beginning of the latest video, suggesting the images were filmed more than a week ago.
A previous video of Braslavski was released on April 16.
Originally from Jerusalem, Braslavski was a security agent at the Nova music festival, one of the sites attacked in October 2023 by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters, including members of Islamic Jihad.
The footage, distributed by a movement considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, shows the young man watching an Arabic-language television channel broadcasting a report on hunger in Gaza.
Before his abduction, he rescued several festivalgoers, according to witnesses who managed to escape.
Of the 251 people taken from Israel that day, 49 are still held in Gaza, 27 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli army.
Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since the kidnappings, but a truce from January 19 to March 17 allowed the return of 33 hostages to Israel, eight of them dead, in exchange for the release of approximately 1,800 Palestinians from Israeli jails.
Source: arabnews.com
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Lebanon’s UN refugee agency chief hopes at least 200,000 Syrian refugees return under new plan
July 31, 2025
BEIRUT: The UN refugee agency’s representative in Lebanon said Thursday he hopes that at least 200,000 Syrian refugees return from Lebanon by the end of the year under a new government-backed return plan.
Before former President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgent offensive in December, only about 1 percent of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon said they were planning to return, UNHCR’s outgoing Lebanon Representative Ivo Freijsen said.
“That has now changed ... 24 percent of the Syrian refugee community in Lebanon is now thinking or planning about going back during the next 12 months. So that’s a very positive shift,” Freijsen told The Associated Press in an interview.
Syria’s uprising-turned-conflict displaced half of the country’s prewar population of 23 million over the last 14 years. Lebanon hosted an estimated 1.5 million refugees, making up roughly a quarter of Lebanon’s six million people at one point. Officials estimate that at least 1 million refugees are still in the country today.
Scaling up a new return plan
The UNHCR had said for years that Syria was not yet safe for return, despite mounting pressure from Lebanese authorities since the country plunged into an economic crisis in 2019.
hat policy has changed since the Assad dynasty’s decades-long autocratic rule came to an end. Many of the refugees in Lebanon had fled because they were political opponents of Assad or to avoid forced conscription into his army.
Freijsen said that the agency was able to confirm at least 120,000 Syrian refugees leaving Lebanon since Assad’s fall without any help from UN groups or charities.
“But we now have this scheme available, and we hope to be able to scale up,” Freijsen said. “Collectively, we have now made it as easy as possible for Syrians to go back to Syria, to their home country.”
Under the plan, the UNHCR and International Organization for Migration will provide $100 for each family member and transportation by bus, while the Lebanese authorities would waive any outstanding fees or fines that they owe for violating residency requirements.
Once they cross the border, the UN agencies will help the returning refugees secure missing documents, offer legal and mental health support, and some aid.
At least 17,000 Syrians have signed up so far, with most opting to take their own vehicles. Freijsen observed a small test run on Tuesday of 72 Syrians leaving by bus through Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing with Syria. He said about a quarter of surveyed Syrian refugees want to return or plan to do so in the next year, a surge from almost none less than a year ago.
“We have a most ambitious target, objective and hope, of 400,000 (returns) by the end of this year. Again that’s most optimistic,” he said. “But if we get a final figure by the year between 200,000 and 400,000, that would be very positive.”
Syria’s economy still far from recovered
The UN estimates it will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild Syria and make its economy viable again, when 90 percent of its population lives in poverty. A new administration led by interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa has restored diplomatic ties with Arab Gulf nations and Western nations. US President Donald Trump recently announced that Washington would lift sanctions from Syria, which swiftly paved the way for large business deals with Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.
But Syria will need time for its economy to bounce back, and its new authorities are still struggling with exerting their authority across the entire country as they try to reach a settlement with various groups. UN agencies have also faced massive budget cuts which have scaled down the size of their teams and the amount of aid they can give. All that could hamper the sustainability of refugees returning home, Freijsen warned.
“People are prepared to go back with lots of issues and struggle and issues to overcome, provided that they can also earn a living. And that is still difficult,” said Freijsen.
Source: arabnews.com
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Jordanian authorities summon individuals suspected of hiding banned Muslim Brotherhood’s assets
July 31, 2025
LONDON: Jordanian authorities have begun summoning individuals suspected of hiding assets belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood group who did not resolve their status during a grace period.
Jordan’s Public Prosecution is targeting individuals who are found to be knowingly concealing assets for the banned group and could face criminal charges such as money laundering and breach of trust, especially if they refuse to confess the truth after being presented with financial report evidence.
The move follows a one-month grace period that ended on June 14, allowing those holding assets for the Muslim Brotherhood to regularize their status before the case went to the judiciary.
During the grace period, several individuals submitted written declarations to authorities, indicating that they held, either solely or jointly with others, properties and funds on behalf of the group, according to an informed source who spoke with the Petra news agency. Settlements were reached, and the assets were subsequently transferred to the Associations Support Fund at the Ministry of Social Development.
In April, Jordan banned the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood after authorities thwarted a series of plots that posed a threat to the country’s national security. Individuals connected to the group were found to be involved in the manufacturing of missiles and amassing a cache of weapons.
In mid-July, Jordanian authorities cracked down on the complex financial network of the Muslim Brotherhood, both domestically and internationally, seizing financial assets worth more than 30 million Jordanian dinars ($42.3 million).
Source: arabnews.com
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Expert says recognition of Palestinian state will not change things in short term
01/08/2025
A recent push by Western nations to recognise a Palestinian state is unlikely to change conditions on the ground in the short term, a leading expert said on Thursday.
"Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank will probably not feel the effects of this decision," said Julie Norman, an associate professor of Middle Eastern politics at University College London.
But she said moves by several key countries to recognise its statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September, could give Palestinians more diplomatic clout in the long-term.
Norman's comments came as Canada became the latest traditionally pro-Israel Western democracy to declare its intention to do so.
She said, however, that this does not mean it will become a full state under the United Nations, where it is currently considered an observer state.
It would need all members of the five-nation Security Council, who each have veto powers, to agree, and the United States has consistently said it will not support the move.
"And it really does highlight how just isolated the US is in that decision in comparison to the rest of the world," she said.
More than 140 countries have already recognised a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe.
Norman said, however, that recognition by these Western countries would give Palestinian negotiators a better position in any future talks with Israel.
French President Emmanuel Macron last week said Paris would recognise a Palestinian state, the first Group of Seven country and the largest in Europe to say so.
A day later, Britain said it would recognise Palestine’s statehood if the fighting in Gaza, part of the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, had not stopped by then.
As with France and the United Kingdom, Canadian recognition would be largely symbolic, but it’s part of a push by countries against Israel and could increase diplomatic pressure for an end to the conflict.
Norman downplayed criticism that recognition of Palestinian statehood was merely symbolic, arguing that aside from economic pressure, diplomatic pressure is the other main lever available to Western nations.
"And just because this won't resolve things immediately doesn't mean they shouldn't use that lever when they think it's the right thing to do," she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government rejects a two-state solution on nationalistic and security grounds.
Hamas triggered the war with its attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others.
They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive and in Gaza. Most of the rest of the hostages were released in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas government.
The United Nations and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
Source: .foxnews.com
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Arab World
Madinah wins new WHO ‘healthy city’ accreditation
August 01, 2025
MADINAH: The World Health Organization has renewed its accreditation of Madinah as a “healthy city,” with Islam’s second-holiest location scoring an impressive 80 points, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Salman bin Sultan, governor of Madinah region, received the WHO accreditation certificate from Minister of Health Fahad AlJalajel during a ceremony on Thursday.
Prince Salman said Madinah’s renewed accreditation exemplifies the leadership’s dedication to enhancing quality of life for the Kingdom’s people in urban centers.
He emphasized Madinah’s ongoing transformation as a leading development model regionally and internationally, aligning with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.
Madinah has solidified its position as the second-largest healthy city in the Middle East, after Jeddah, the SPA reported.
To win the WHO’s nod, an entrant must meet 80 criteria, including parks, walking areas, and the promotion of health through primary care centers and schools.
The WHO has also recognized 14 other healthy cities in Saudi Arabia. These include Taif, Tabuk, Ad-Diriyah, Unaizah, Jalajel, Al-Mandaq, Al-Jumum, Riyadh Al-Khubra and Sharurah, according to Leaders MENA Magazine.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia welcomes Canada, Malta’s intentions to recognize State of Palestine
August 31, 2025
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the announcement made by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela regarding their countries’ intentions to recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.
Malta and Canada were among 15 Western countries that signed a statement following a high-level international conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France this week.
The conference in New York aimed to advance efforts toward achieving a two-state solution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Riyadh commended the Canadian and Maltese “positive decisions that establish the path of the two-state solution, and affirms the agreement of the international community on the need to end the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people.
“The Kingdom renews its call on the rest of the countries to take such serious steps in support of peace,” the ministry added.
Meanwhile, Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Thursday that the country’s centre-right government will consult the main political parties and conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa about the potential recognition of a Palestinian state.
The Kingdom welcomed the consultation and said it is a positive step that would support the process of implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace.
Other countries that signed the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine include Andorra, Australia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, and Spain. However, not all of these countries have officially recognized Palestinian statehood yet.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi FM seeks global support for final document of ‘Two-State Solution’ conference
August 31, 2025
NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, has called on all United Nations member states to support the joint declaration issued at the UN on Tuesday calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.
The document includes an agreement to work jointly toward ending the war in Gaza and reaching a just, peaceful, and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution, and to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis, and all peoples of the region.
The declaration’s plan says conference co-chairs France and Saudi Arabia, the European Union and Arab League, and 15 countries that led the working groups agreed “to take collective action to end the war in Gaza.”
Prince Faisal urged the rest of the 193 UN member nations “to support this document” before the start of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in mid-September.
“These outcomes reflect comprehensive proposals across political, humanitarian, security, economic, legal, and strategic narrative tracks, and they form an integrated and actionable framework for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and security for all,” the foreign minister said, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of all attacks by any party targeting civilians, including indiscriminate attacks, all assaults on civilian infrastructure, provocative actions, incitement, and acts of destruction.
The declaration condemns “the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians” in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. It marks a first condemnation by Arab nations of Hamas, whose attacks killed about 1,200, mainly Israeli civilians, and whose militants took about 250 people hostage. Some 50 are still being held.
It also condemns Israel’s attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and its “siege and starvation, which have produced a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection crisis.”
Israel’s offensive against Hamas has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
It's plan envisions the Palestinian Authority governing and controlling all Palestinian territory, with a transitional administrative committee immediately established under its umbrella after a ceasefire in Gaza.
“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority,” the declaration says.
It also supports deployment of “a temporary international stabilization mission” operating under UN auspices to protect Palestinian civilians, support the transfer of security to the Palestinian Authority and provide security guarantees for Palestine and Israel — “including monitoring of the ceasefire and of a future peace agreement.”
The declaration urges countries to recognize the state of Palestine, calling this “an essential and indispensable component of the achievement of the two-state solution.” Without naming Israel but clearly referring to it, the document says “illegal unilateral actions are posing an existential threat to the realization of the independent state of Palestine.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi interior minister visits Interpol head office
August 01, 2025
LYON, France: Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif visited Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France on Thursday where he was received by the organization’s president, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi.
During the visit, Prince Abdulaziz affirmed the Kingdom’s ongoing support for Interpol and its efforts to strengthen international cooperation in combating transnational crime.
He praised its role in supporting international security efforts and enhancing cooperation among security agencies around the world.
Interpol's current president is from the United Arab Emirates. Al-Raisi was elected at the 89th General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkiye, in November 2021. His term ends this year.
Source: arabnews.com
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Focus on emotional power of movie soundtracks at Riyadh Film Music Festival
August 31, 2025
RIYADH: The second annual Riyadh Film Music Festival began at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University’s Red Hall Theater on Wednesday. The opening night featured a live orchestral performance that blended visuals with sound as music from “Top Gun: Maverick” was performed live on stage alongside a screening of the film.
The event, which is organized by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and continues until Aug. 9, features composers, directors, filmmakers and enthusiasts from the Kingdom and beyond.
The event is attracting “diverse audiences, (providing) opportunities for local talent, and (contributing) to building a thriving cultural economy in line with Vision 2030,” said Ahmed Al-Ghaith, a live-performance advisor at the commission.
Talking about the powerful effects of a live performance of a film score, he added: “When music is played in front of an audience, the spotlight is directly on its role as a hidden narrator that expresses emotions, enhances the plot and deepens the visual experience.”
He explained that the festival aims to promote an appreciation of the movie soundtrack as an art form in its own right, and encourage young talent to explore the fields of musical composition and sound production.
The Riyadh Film Music Festival is taking place this year in conjunction with the hosting in the capital of the Esports World Cup, as part of the commission’s efforts to foster cultural and artistic momentum in line with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan for national development and diversification.
The event aims to deepen the audience’s appreciation of the musical dimension in films through explorations of four movies in particular: “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Back to the Future” and “The Lion King.”
Each film is being screened accompanied by a live orchestral performance of its score, allowing audiences to experience the films in a new way and discover the power of music in cinematic storytelling.
The commission said the festival forms part of its work to enhance cultural and entertainment offerings for residents and visitors to the capital, while reinforcing Riyadh’s status as a global destination for arts and culture.
Source: arabnews.com
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Madinah Book Fair offers a literary haven of culture and creativity
August 31, 2025
MADINAH: Literary and other creative offerings from more than 300 local, regional and international publishing houses and agencies are being showcased at the fourth annual Madinah Book Fair at King Salman International Convention Center.
Organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, the fair, which began on Tuesday and continues until Aug. 4, and features more than 200 pavilions, offers visitors a chance to explore a rich cultural and literary experience that reflects Saudi Arabia’s vibrant intellectual scene. Prince Salman bin Sultan, the governor of Madinah Region, was among the early visitors.
Bassam Al-Bassam, the general manager of publishing at the commission, told Arab News that the organization is committed to the continuing development and enhancement of the event.
“At the end of last year’s book fair, we collected feedback and comments from visitors and publishing houses, and based on them we introduced improvements,” he said.
“This year … we have introduced the Saudi publishing corner, which is focused on self-publishing authors, where they can present and sell their books.
“We (are) presenting rich and diverse cultural programs that will touch the people of Madinah. We also have a lot of activities and games for the kids. This comes from our belief that we need to invest in the love of books and a love of reading for the new generations.”
bdul Latif Al-Wasel, the commission’s CEO, said: “This year’s Madinah Book Fair embodies the ongoing and unwavering support that the cultural sector in the Kingdom enjoys, further underscoring the importance of Madinah and its standing within the Saudi cultural landscape.”
The fair offers readers and cultural enthusiasts an opportunity to explore latest book releases while engaging with authors, intellectuals and industry experts. Organizers said this year’s event features a diverse cultural program designed to appeal to all interests, with the aim of fostering dialogue and strengthening Saudi Arabia’s role in the regional and global literary landscape.
Seminars, panel discussions and workshops cover a broad range of topics, from the power of language and the role of artificial intelligence in the advancement of knowledge, to the challenges of translation in efforts to bridge cultures. Other sessions explore the cultural impact of Hajj and Umrah, and historical stories about Madinah itself.
The fair shines a spotlight on other creative offerings besides books. UK publisher Harper’s Books and Creativity Products, for example, has been making waves this year among visitors looking for a creative outlet of their own. This is the third year the business has taken part in the event and its booth features a range of innovative products that combine art with relaxation.
“Everyone here is very nice, and every time we come we see great revenue,” said Motasem Abudahab, a representative of the company.
“We sell paintings that are easy to draw, or paint by numbers, allowing everyone to create their own art. It’s therapeutic and the joy on people’s faces is priceless.”
The Harper’s booth is once again proving popular this year, he added, attracting visitors looking for a way to unwind and engage in a fulfilling activity.
“There are a lot of happy people here. It’s wonderful to see them enjoy the process of creating art.”
Another booth attracting attention at the fair is that of Ana Al-Madinah, which specializes in virtual reality experiences that transport visitors 1,400 years back in time to the era of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions.
“Our participation offers a unique chance to live the experience of Madinah and Makkah as they were,” said company representative Ammar Mohammed.
The experience gives visitors a chance to embark on a seven-minute journey through Madinah and an 11-minute exploration of Makkah, during which they visit historical landmarks as they appeared at the time and get a taste of what daily life was like back then. The immersive experience offers education and engagement in a novel format that has captivated attendees.
The Ministry of Culture’s display, the theme for which is the “Year of Handicrafts,” has also been proving popular, officials said.
“This booth showcases traditional crafts from different regions of Saudi Arabia,” said Ghalya Kanaani. “Each craft exemplifies the rich and diverse culture of our Kingdom, with a particular focus on the contributions of women in handicrafts.
“The vibrant displays celebrate the artistry and heritage of Saudi craftsmanship, making it a must-visit for those interested in cultural traditions.”
Marvin Pepito, a representative of UAE-based publishing house Little Puffin, which specializes in English-language books, said: “Madinah Book Fair is attracting many people eager to explore our diverse range of genres, from self-help to fantasy.
“The audience here is respectful and engaged, which makes my first experience truly memorable.”
He noted a growing interest in English-language literature among attendees, adding: “There are so many people who love books and are eager for quality content.”
In line with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan for national development and diversification, the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission says it aims to build a solid and sustainable national publishing industry based on empowerment, rights exchanges, the marketing of Saudi content and its enhanced presence in international markets.
From this perspective, the Madinah Book Fair represents not only a significant cultural event but a milestone in a long-term project to build a cultural sector that believes in the power of words and invests in the future of knowledge.
Source: arabnews.com
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Over 151m trees planted under Saudi Green Initiative
August 31, 2025
RIYADH: More than 151 million trees have been planted and 500,000 hectares of land rehabilitated under the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to plant 10 billion in total, the Kingdom’s environment minister said on Wednesday.
The Kingdom has made significant progress under the National Environment Strategy, en-route to achieving Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals in conservation, water sustainability and food security, said Environment, Water and Agriculture Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadley.
During a press briefing, Al-Fadley also announced the establishment of five specialized environmental centers, including the Middle East’s first Regional Center for Climate Change Studies and the world’s fourth Regional Center for Sand and Dust Storms.
“The Kingdom has (also) established an environmental fund that is the largest of its kind in the region, reflecting a serious commitment to supporting environmental initiatives,” the minister added.
Protected terrestrial areas went from covering 4.5 percent of the Kingdom’s territory to 18.1 percent, and the number of national parks has increased from 18 to 500.
Since the establishment of the National Center for Environmental Compliance in 2020, more than 40,000 permits have been issued, an increase of 660 percent.
Over 8,000 endangered species have been reintroduced into their natural marine habitats since 2016 as protected zones have grown by 260 percent.
Monitoring services have expanded in all sectors across the Kingdom. There are now 240 air-quality monitoring stations, a new marine program to detect and respond to oil spills, and advanced meteorological sensing and prediction systems.
“We conducted 711 cloud‑seeding flights across regions and increased strategic (water) storage capacity by 600 percent,” increasing rainfall by 6.4 million cubic meters to encourage vegetation and nourish water resources, he said.
New developments have been made in city-level waste management as well, with 21 strategic management plans, and the identification of 330 investment opportunities worth SR450 billion ($119.9 billion).
A number of grants, incentives and environmental funds have been created to support academic collaboration and private sector innovation on mechanisms to divert 90 percent of waste from landfills by 2040.
Al-Fadley also confirmed that water projects worth over SR230 billion have been completed, which includes public and private sector investments for infrastructure and reuse systems.
“Saudi Arabia was chosen by the UN Water Committee as a global model for water sustainability,” he said.
The minister announced that the Kingdom was building 1,000 rainwater-harvesting dams with an annual capacity of 4 million cubic meters.
The Kingdom is the world’s top producer of desalinated water with production capacity reaching 16.6 million cubic meters per day in late 2024, an increase of nearly 100 percent compared to 2016.
And strategic water storage capacity has jumped to 600 percent, with most cities having an average supply coverage of three days rather than one.
In addition to being a large producer, Saudi Arabia also delivers water to 22,000 population centers through an 18,000-km pipeline network.
Reused water now makes up 32 percent of total usage.
The National Center for Water Efficiency and Conservation saves 120,000 cubic meters of water daily, with plans to increase it to 300,000, the minister added.
Over 65 percent of those working in the water sector are citizens, and Saudi Arabia engineers make up 97 percent of engineering roles, marking an emphasis on self-reliance.
The minister said 25 public–private partnership agreements were signed involving SR100 billion in investments.
Energy reduction is also a big focus for the country. Since 2016, the amount of electricity consumed has been cut by half.
The agricultural sector now makes up SR118 billion of the nation’s gross domestic product, an 8 percent increase from the previous year, and food production increased to 12 million tonnes.
Al-Fadley said a major economic and cultural achievement was that the Kingdom was now the world’s top date exporter, completely self-sufficient in date production and distribution, as well as in milk and eggs.
For key vegetables self-sufficiency was between 70 to 100 percent, and poultry and seafood exports were growing, he added.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Slovenia becomes first EU member to ban arms trade with Israel
01 August 2025
In a significant development in the ongoing global boycott of Israel, Slovenia has officially become the first European Union member state to ban the import, export, and transit of weapons and military equipment to and from Israel.
The groundbreaking decision made on Thursday marks a notable shift in Slovenia's foreign policy and highlights the growing support for Palestinian rights within Europe.
The Slovenian government underscored that the ban was prompted by the dire humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, coupled with the European Union's perceived inaction regarding Israel's war in Gaza.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob emphasized that this move showcases Slovenia’s unwavering commitment to upholding international law and human rights.
"Responsible states must act, even if it means stepping ahead of others," he remarked, signaling Slovenia's willingness to take a stand for what it deems morally and legally right.
The Slovenian government said the decision was prompted by the European Union's inability to adopt concrete measures on Israel.
"Due to internal disagreements and disunity, the European Union is currently unable to fulfill this task," the statement said.
The Slovenian government condemned the denial of humanitarian access, saying: "The result of this is shameful: people in Gaza are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied to them. They are dying under the rubble, without access to drinking water, food, and basic healthcare."
"This is a complete denial of humanitarian access and a conscious prevention of basic conditions for survival. In such circumstances, it is the duty of every responsible state to act, even if this means taking a step ahead of others."
It said the government will prepare some more national measures against the current Israeli government, "whose actions constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law," in the coming weeks.
Slovenia's decision builds on its previous recognition of Palestinian statehood in 2024 and follows a recent ban on the entry of two far-right Israeli ministers who have been accused of inciting violence against Palestinians.
This illustrates Slovenia’s increasingly proactive approach towards addressing issues related to human rights and international law in the conflict.
The ban aligns Slovenia with a growing chorus of voices calling for accountability for Israel, as several countries—including Ireland, Norway, and Spain—are also taking measures to diplomatically isolate the Israeli government.
This trend marks a significant shift in European attitudes toward the ongoing genocide of the people of Gaza and reflects an increasing concern for the humanitarian implications of military actions.
Furthermore, Slovenia has indicated that it plans to introduce additional national measures targeting Israel in the weeks to come, signaling a potential shift that could inspire other EU nations to follow suit.
As Slovenia takes this historic step, it sets a precedenOKt for a tougher stance on the genocide within the European Union, potentially reshaping the region’s diplomatic landscape.
Israel unleashed its Gaza genocide on October 7, 2023, after the Hamas resistance group carried out its historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
The Tel Aviv regime has so far failed to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing all captives in Gaza, despite killing 60,249 Palestinians, mostly women, and children, and injuring 146,894 others.
A mass starvation is also gripping Gaza due to Israel’s blockade of the territory.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Furthermore, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice regarding its actions in the besieged coastal territory.
Source: presstv.ir
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UK government minister rejects claims by peers that Palestine recognition unlawful
July 31, 2025
LONDON: A government minister in the UK has rejected claims that plans to recognize Palestine breach international law.
It came after an influential group of House of Lords peers wrote to the attorney general warning against the move by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had earlier this week pledged to recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel fails to reach a ceasefire with Hamas, among other conditions.
The group of 38 peers wrote to Lord Hermer in a letter that said Starmer’s pledge may be unlawful under the 1933 Montevideo Convention.
The treaty mandates certain conditions for statehood, which the peers warned a Palestinian state may not fulfill.
Business Minister Gareth Thomas, however, told Sky News on Thursday that the UK is not signed up to the Montevideo Convention.
“I respect the views of those lawyers, but in the end, recognition of a state is a political judgment, and we’ve been very clear that our judgment is that the Palestinians have an inalienable right to statehood,” he said.
“I don’t think we are in breach of international law. We’re not signed up to the Montevideo Convention. We’re clear what needs to happen,” he added.
“The fact that so many other countries have either already recognized the state of Palestine, or are joining our efforts to recognize the state of Palestine, I think is very significant.”
Among other conditions demanded by Starmer from Israel are the entry of more aid into Gaza, an end to land grabs in the West Bank, and a commitment to a long-term peace process.
The peers’ letter claimed that Palestine “does not meet the international law criteria for recognition of a state, namely, defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.” There is no certainty over Palestine’s borders and no single government, they added.
Source: arabnews.com
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West ‘planting time bomb’ in ties with India – Russian envoy
31 Jul, 2025
The West is undermining its relations with India by issuing threats and sanctions connected to New Delhi's relationship with Moscow, Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, has told RT.
The EU and US are exposing themselves as unreliable actors and will fail to compel India to sever ties with Russia, he added.
Alipov’s remarks on Tuesday came after the EU unveiled its 18th sanctions package targeting India’s Vadinar refinery – partly owned by Russia’s Rosneft – and coincided with US President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs over India’s energy and defense trade with Russia.
”Through these threats and measures, the West is planting a time bomb under its own relations with India, deliberately demonstrating its unreliability,” he said. “The threats coming from the US certainly do not inspire trust... They only further highlight the unreliability of the US as a partner.”
Alipov added that Moscow has never built its ties with New Delhi at the expense of others, while Washington, in pursuit of its own economic gains, is undermining not only Russia’s interests but also those of India.
He noted that while India cannot sacrifice its ties with either the US or Russia, its reliance on Moscow for oil and gas means its foreign policy decisions will ultimately hinge on energy security.
India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, imports around 80% of its energy and has never taken part in the Western sanctions on its top supplier, Russia.
On Wednesday, Trump announced 25% tariffs on Indian goods and additional penalties starting on Friday over its energy and defense trade with Russia. Later in the day, he said on Truth Social that Moscow and India “can take their dead economies down together for all I care.”
The move came as Washington and New Delhi sought a trade deal after Trump’s earlier tariff hike on Indian goods. New Delhi responded by reaffirming its commitment to a “fair, balanced and mutually beneficial” agreement with the US, while vowing to do whatever is necessary to protect its national interests.
Source: rt.com
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FBI was ‘weaponized’ in Obama-Clinton conspiracy to ‘stop Trump’ – top US senator
31 Jul, 2025
The newly released annex to John Durham’s 2023 Special Counsel report exposes the “weaponization” of the FBI under the Obama administration and the agency’s involvement in an attempt to ruin Donald Trump's presidency in 2016, US Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has said.
The senator, a key figure behind the release of the 29-page document, made the remarks to Fox News on Thursday shortly after the annex was published. The file outlines the alleged effort by the Hillary Clinton campaign to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia, and the FBI’s failure to properly investigate the activities despite having solid intelligence.
“[The Durham annex] gives us information that the FBI had eight to ten years ago that they never followed up on. It actually brings attention to the fact that there was either a Clinton conspiracy to make this happen, or Russian disinformation. Either way, it was an attempt to stop Trump, and it proves that the FBI had a hand in it,” Grassley stated.
Source: rt.com
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Ukraine says draft ‘normal’ as abuse reports mount
31 Jul, 2025
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denis Shmigal has dismissed media reports that focus on hundreds of cases of forced conscription and claimed that the country’s mobilization process is proceeding “absolutely normally” 90% of the time.
Kiev's general mobilization requiring all able-bodied men ages 25 to 60 to serve in the armed forces has not been enough to offset continued frontline losses and has prompted Ukrainian commanders to complain of manpower shortages. Numerous videos posted on social media show uniformed press gangs chasing men, dragging them into unmarked minibuses, assaulting both recruits and bystanders – who increasingly defend the victims – in a practice now widely dubbed ‘busification’.
Shmigal defended the process in a BBC Ukraine interview published on Wednesday. “People receiving summons come to serve. They are not grabbed, they are not dragged,” he said, claiming that “scandalous” incidents involving beatings and coercive recruitment tactics account for just 5-10% of all cases. He added that media reports on these scandals are harmful to national security.
He attributed the incidents of abuse to the “human factor,” and maintained that without the the forced recruitment, “we would have lost this war a long time ago.”
Ukraine is believed to mobilize 17,000 to 30,000 men per month, according to TASS estimates based on statements from Ukrainian and Western sources. If Shmigal’s 10% estimate is accurate, this would indicate up to 3,000 cases of forced conscription each month – an average of around 100 per day – suggesting the phenomenon is more widespread than previously reported.
Last month, Ukrainian MP Yury Kamelchuk told local media that only 20-25% of recruitment targets are met through voluntary enlistment. “The rest, unfortunately, the TCRs are ordered to provide,” he said. “The quality of their work is abysmal, because they draft everyone.”
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky signed a law allowing men over 60 to enter contract-based military service to address recruitment shortfalls.
Source: rt.com
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EU ‘not feared enough’ – Macron
31 Jul, 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized the newly signed EU-US trade deal, stating that the bloc was not “feared enough” during negotiations, according to sources cited by Euractiv.
The agreement, concluded on Sunday during talks between US President Donald Trump and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, sets a 15% tariff on the majority of EU exports to the US. As part of the deal, Brussels also committed to investing $600 billion in the US economy and buying $750 billion in American energy over the next three years. The US, however, will not face any EU tariffs on its exports.
“To be free, you have to be feared, and we haven’t been feared enough,” Macron told the Council of Ministers in Paris on Wednesday, according to two attendees present during the meeting.
Macron reportedly expressed regret that the EU “does not yet see itself sufficiently as a power.” He urged Brussels to “work tirelessly” to rebalance its relationship with Washington.
he French president also called for an acceleration of the “European agenda on sovereignty and competitiveness,” in what some have interpreted as a veiled critique of von der Leyen’s leadership and priorities, Euractiv reported.
“France has always maintained a firm and demanding stance. This is not the end of the story, the negotiation has to continue,” Macron added.
Government spokesperson Sophie Primas later confirmed at a press conference that Macron welcomed elements of the deal, particularly the increased visibility it offers to French businesses. However, she emphasized that the president considered the agreement “incomplete.”
Criticism of the deal has continued to mount within the French government. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou described it as a “submission” on Monday, while several ministers have questioned both its content and the process behind it.
“We would have preferred that these negotiations take place in an official setting and not in a private golf course in Scotland,” Primas said, calling the location “unusual.”
Source: rt.com
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US could offer Russia enormous economic deal – Politico
31 Jul, 2025
Eastern European diplomats are concerned that US President Donald Trump could offer Moscow sweeping concessions and “enormous economic deals” to settle the Ukraine conflict, Politico has reported.
Citing Eastern European officials, US experts, and industry insiders, the outlet suggested on Thursday that a Trump-led peace initiative might involve lifting sanctions on Russian energy – a move described as a “sledgehammer that could smash” Western efforts to isolate Moscow.
“Of course, we are concerned about the talk of a return to Russian energy, and the lack of clarity about the US’ position,” an Eastern European official said.
Since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia – with a heavy focus on energy – in a bid to cripple its economy and isolate it politically. The EU, once heavily reliant on Russian supplies, has sought to cut ties. However, Russia still accounts for 17.5% of its LNG imports, second only to the US, which holds a 45.3% share. In May, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed phasing out all remaining Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. The plan drew strong criticism from several member states.
The EU has invested heavily in LNG infrastructure, linking terminals to Central and Eastern Europe, with countries such as Lithuania prepared to pay a premium for American gas over the cheaper Russian alternative. However, Politico noted that Brussels’ latest $750 billion energy deal with Washington would require the bloc to slash purchases from other suppliers, including cheaper sources, and more than triple its US imports.
READ MORE: EU considering full ban on Russian gas – Bloomberg
Still, the economic pull of Russian gas remains strong. In Germany, some politicians have signaled an openness to resuming imports to revive the country’s struggling industry. Russian energy, the sources noted, remains more affordable than US supplies, once shipping and processing costs are factored in.
Russia maintains it is a reliable energy supplier and has denounced Western restrictions as illegal under international law. Moscow has redirected most exports to ‘friendly’ markets, mostly in Asia.
Source: rt.com
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North America
US sanctions Palestinian Authority officials, PLO members
July 31, 2025
WASHINGTON: The US imposed sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization on Thursday, saying the groups are undermining peace efforts as American officials separately seek to salvage ceasefire talks in Gaza.
The move prevents those targeted from receiving visas to travel to the United States, the US State Department said, although it did not list any specific individuals.
“It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,” the department said in a statement.
The State Department said the two Palestinian groups had “taken actions to internationalize its conflict with Israel,” including through the International Criminal Court, and said both had continued “to support terrorism.”
Representatives for the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization could not immediately be reached for comment.
The sanctions come as US special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday in a bid to save Gaza ceasefire talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
Israel faces growing world pressure over the war in Gaza, and several Western powers have said they will recognize a Palestinian state.
Source: arabnews.com
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Discover Iran: Seymareh, Iran's 'hidden Pompeii' that offers window into ancient times
31 July 2025
The ancient city of Seymareh, often referred to as “Iran’s hidden Pompeii,” lies in western Ilam province, known for advanced Sassanid-era urban planning evident in its remarkably preserved palaces, baths, and fire temples.
Nestled in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, on the southern bank of the Seymareh River in Ilam, lies the weathered outline of the city.
Known in antiquity as Madaktu, this sprawling ruin was once a thriving urban center, a cultural and economic heart of the region.
Today, beneath its stones, the city still whispers the stories of Elamites, Sassanians, and the early Islamic world.
Seymareh is located southeast of the modern town of Darreh Shahr, framed by the towering peaks of Kabir Kuh.
Archaeologists estimate that the city, at its height, spanned between 142 and 200 hectares, making it the largest archaeological site in Ilam province.
Its location, at the meeting point of mountain passes and river valleys, once gave it both strategic and commercial significance.
From Madaktu to Seymareh
Long before it was known as Seymareh, this city thrived under the name Madaktu, the capital of one of the Elamite provinces.
In the 7th century BCE, the city fell to the Assyrian armies, its walls shattered and streets emptied. But the city’s story did not end there.
Centuries later, during the Sassanian era, it was rebuilt and renamed Seymareh.
The new city reflected the empire’s prosperity: broad streets lined with markets, elegant stuccoed buildings, and advanced urban planning, including water channels and an early sewage system.
The earthquake that ended an era
Seymareh’s fortunes ended abruptly in the mid-10th century CE.
Historical records and geological evidence point to a devastating earthquake in 334 AH (945 CE) that reduced much of the city to rubble.
Achaeological evidence suggests that parts of the population had already begun leaving before the quake struck, perhaps due to economic or political shifts that we may never fully understand.
The city earned the nickname the “hidden Pompeii of Iran”, due to its sudden destruction following the earthquake and remarkable preservation.
Much like the Roman city of Pompeii, which was buried under volcanic ash, Seymareh was devastated by the earthquake and abandoned.
Its ruins, left untouched for centuries beneath layers of soil, have preserved streets, buildings, and artifacts that the city is today known for.
Unearthing the past
Since the early 20th century, Seymareh has drawn the attention of explorers and archaeologists alike.
Figures such as Henry Rawlinson, Jacques de Morgan, and the Holmes Archaeological Mission recorded their impressions of the site, while modern excavations have revealed its hidden treasures.
Nine seasons of systematic excavation have brought to light remnants of one of the earliest mosques in Iran, the remains of a nobleman’s residence, workshops for pottery and glass-making, flood defenses, and striking examples of Sassanian and early Islamic stucco decoration.
Each discovery adds another thread to the city’s complex historical tapestry. Among the most fascinating finds are the city’s industrial installations.
Kilns for pottery and glass production reveal that Seymareh not only served as a political center but also a hub of craftsmanship and trade.
The sophistication of these workshops hints at a city deeply connected to regional and perhaps even international commerce.
Seymareh and world heritage
Seymareh’s significance was recognized early in Iran’s efforts to preserve its heritage. In 1931, it became one of the first archaeological sites to be registered on the National Heritage List.
Today, Iran is working toward having the Seymareh and Kabir Kuh Cultural Landscape inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which would bring global attention—and much-needed conservation—to this remarkable site.
For travelers, Seymareh offers a rare experience: to walk through the bones of a city that has been silent for a millennium.
More than 150 registered monuments surround Darreh Shahr, from the Sassanian Gavmishan Bridge to the Chahar Taqi Fire Temple of Sarkhabad.
Nature lovers will find the landscape just as captivating.
In spring, the valleys bloom with fields of Fritillaria imperialis—the iconic crown imperial lily—set against the dramatic cliffs of Kabir Kuh.
Waterfalls like Marbareh and dramatic gorges such as Bahram Chobin complete the picture of a place where history and nature are inseparable.
Seymareh is far more than a ruin. It is a rare glimpse into the urban life of ancient Iran, from the Elamites to the dawn of Islam.
Its vast streets, industrial remains, and religious buildings speak of a society that was dynamic, connected, and sophisticated.
Source: presstv.ir
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Qalibaf: Knesset speaker ‘disgrace to humanity’ for denying Gaza starvation
31 July 2025
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has blasted the Israeli Knesset speaker as a “disgrace to humanity” for denying the starvation of Gaza’s children.
“Criminal Knesset speaker claims the starvation of Gaza’s children is “fake news”. Shame on you!” Qalibaf wrote on his X account on Thursday.
Qalibaf noted that the world is “witnessing the greatest #Genocide in history” at the hands of the Israeli regime.
Citing four UN reports confirming the genocide and famine in Gaza, Qalibaf exposed the Israeli official’s lies, saying “Are UN experts, UNICEF and aid organizations lying, while only you tell the truth? You are a disgrace to humanity.”
On Tuesday, addressing the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Qalibaf called the Israeli regime the “Nazis of the 21st century,” displaying images of starving Palestinian children.
In response, the Knesset speaker furiously rejected child starvation in Gaza, ignoring UN evidence while lashing out at The New York Times publishing one of the harrowing images.
The overall death count resulting from starvation and malnutrition in Gaza has currently reached 155, including 89 children, and it is projected to escalate rapidly as the siege and the closure of crossings persist.
On Tuesday, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the Food and Agriculture Organization warned that "time was running out" and Gaza stood "on the brink of a full-scale famine."
More than 60,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 146,000 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Source: presstv.ir
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'One-State Palestine': A pragmatic blueprint to end apartheid and establish equal justice
31 July 2025
On July 18, 2025, George Galloway and I launched the "One-State Palestine" campaign alongside Professor David Miller.
Ten days later, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his government would recognize the state of Palestine in September.
I’m not claiming our campaign forced Starmer’s hand. It’s the public outrage against the Israeli regime—now reaching fever pitch—that seems to be concentrating Starmer’s mind.
He has refused to describe the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians as genocide, and he has previously publicly stated his unqualified support for Zionism.
So, Starmer’s announcement was nothing more than political expediency—an attempt to give the impression that he is responding to public pressure.
Recognizing the state of Palestine while allowing the genocidal Zionist colony to remain in place would be wholly inadequate.
But even Starmer’s mealy-mouthed proposition will not go ahead, it seems, if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and revives what he described as “the prospect of a Two-State Solution.”
But, importantly, there is no such thing as a “Two-State Solution.”
The 1993 and 1995 Oslo Accords were supposed to pave the way for a two-state solution, but Israel reneged on the agreement signed by then-Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and then-US President Bill Clinton.
The only credible and long-term resolution to this 77-year-long injustice is one singular state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea where all citizens have equal rights.
It must also afford the absolute right of return for all Palestinians and their descendants who have been ejected from their homes, going right back to the Nakba in 1948.
The truth is that the creation of Israel was an abomination from the very start. There was no justification for Britain to offer a land that didn’t belong to it to a people who had no legitimate claim to it, at the expense of the people who lived in it.
The decision followed a lengthy campaign of terrorism by Zionist extremists that went on for decades.
Not content with the UN’s proposed borders for the planned Israeli "state," which encompassed a significantly larger area than that allocated to the Palestinians, Zionists made a land grab in 1948. Yet the Jewish population was around half that of the indigenous Palestinian population.
Zionists then made a further land grab in 1967 and have been illegally occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights ever since. Now, the Knesset has voted by a majority of 71 to 13 to formally annex the occupied West Bank.
The arrogance of the Zionist regime is off the scale. In addition to its illegal occupations, the Knesset passed the so-called "Nation-State Law" in 2018. This legislation officially relegated non-Jewish inhabitants to second-class citizens.
It enshrined Jewish supremacy into law by asserting that only Jews have the right to national self-determination and downgraded Arabic from an official language.
The international community has shamefully turned a blind eye to Israel’s failure to abide by its legal obligations, which has led directly to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. These failures are numerous and have allowed Israel to think it can act with impunity.
They have stood by while Israel atomised the occupied West Bank, constructed a 9-metre-high separation wall, and populated the territory earmarked for a future Palestinian state with 700,000 Zionist settlers.
This illustrates the implausibility of a Palestinian state being established alongside a Jewish supremacist state.
By contrast, the One-State Palestine campaign advocates a unitary democratic state—a single sovereign body encompassing Israel and the Palestinian territories, guaranteeing equal citizenship to all inhabitants, irrespective of ethnicity or religion.
This model draws inspiration from other historical transitions from outright racist regimes to democracies, such as the end of apartheid in South Africa.
It was Nelson Mandela himself who said, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
Under such a system, all residents would enjoy equal voting rights, freedom of movement, access to land and resources, and protection under the same laws.
Jews and Palestinians alike could maintain their cultural and religious identities within a shared civil framework. Hebrew and Arabic could remain co-official languages, and both historical narratives could coexist in public discourse and education.
But there is a crucially important caveat: just as it would be inconceivable to establish a sovereign Palestinian state alongside a Jewish supremacist state, the same is true for Palestinians and Jewish supremacists coexisting in a unified state.
It would be entirely wrong to expect Palestinians to live alongside the very people who have been oppressing them since the Zionist colony was created.
At the end of World War Two, the Allied powers initiated a denazification process to remove Nazi ideology and influence from German and Austrian society.
It involved eliminating Nazi symbols, Nazi laws, and Nazi personnel from public institutions in order to dismantle the Nazi regime's structures and prevent the resurgence of Nazi ideology. It also saw prominent Nazis being tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
There are clear parallels with Israel today. When the Zionist entity is eventually toppled, I suspect that those Israelis with dual nationality will go back to where they originated.
But for those who remain, there will need to be a comprehensive de-Zionisation process similar to the denazification of Germany and Austria, because Jewish Israelis have been radicalised.
A poll published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in June this year found that 82% of Israeli Jews support the expulsion of the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries. Furthermore, 56% even wanted to see the forced expulsion of Arab citizens of Israel to other countries, too.
It is clear that a dangerous derangement has gripped the Jewish Israeli population, which will have to be exorcised to secure a long-term, harmonious future for a unitary state.
Achieving the goal of a One-State Palestine is undeniably difficult and will be beset by enormous challenges. But the principle at stake is the moral imperative of the twenty-first century.
No group should have supremacy over another, and everyone should be treated as equals under the law.
I believe that the One-State Palestine proposal that we are advocating offers the best chance of achieving that. I know that some people say that our idea is outlandish and unachievable.
So, let me conclude by quoting Mandela again, who said, “It always seems impossible until it's done.”
Sign up to support One-State Palestine here: onestatepalestine.org
Chris Williamson is a former Labour MP and Shadow Minister, who served in British Parliament from 2010–2015 and 2017–2019. He also hosts Palestine Declassified show on Press TV.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/07/31/752199/-One-State-Palestine---A-pragmatic-blueprint-to-end-apartheid-and-establish-equal-justice
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'One-State Palestine': A pragmatic blueprint to end apartheid and establish equal justice
31 July 2025
On July 18, 2025, George Galloway and I launched the "One-State Palestine" campaign alongside Professor David Miller.
Ten days later, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his government would recognize the state of Palestine in September.
I’m not claiming our campaign forced Starmer’s hand. It’s the public outrage against the Israeli regime—now reaching fever pitch—that seems to be concentrating Starmer’s mind.
He has refused to describe the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians as genocide, and he has previously publicly stated his unqualified support for Zionism.
So, Starmer’s announcement was nothing more than political expediency—an attempt to give the impression that he is responding to public pressure.
Recognizing the state of Palestine while allowing the genocidal Zionist colony to remain in place would be wholly inadequate.
But even Starmer’s mealy-mouthed proposition will not go ahead, it seems, if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and revives what he described as “the prospect of a Two-State Solution.”
But, importantly, there is no such thing as a “Two-State Solution.”
The 1993 and 1995 Oslo Accords were supposed to pave the way for a two-state solution, but Israel reneged on the agreement signed by then-Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and then-US President Bill Clinton.
The only credible and long-term resolution to this 77-year-long injustice is one singular state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea where all citizens have equal rights.
It must also afford the absolute right of return for all Palestinians and their descendants who have been ejected from their homes, going right back to the Nakba in 1948.
The truth is that the creation of Israel was an abomination from the very start. There was no justification for Britain to offer a land that didn’t belong to it to a people who had no legitimate claim to it, at the expense of the people who lived in it.
The decision followed a lengthy campaign of terrorism by Zionist extremists that went on for decades.
Not content with the UN’s proposed borders for the planned Israeli "state," which encompassed a significantly larger area than that allocated to the Palestinians, Zionists made a land grab in 1948. Yet the Jewish population was around half that of the indigenous Palestinian population.
Zionists then made a further land grab in 1967 and have been illegally occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights ever since. Now, the Knesset has voted by a majority of 71 to 13 to formally annex the occupied West Bank.
The arrogance of the Zionist regime is off the scale. In addition to its illegal occupations, the Knesset passed the so-called "Nation-State Law" in 2018. This legislation officially relegated non-Jewish inhabitants to second-class citizens.
It enshrined Jewish supremacy into law by asserting that only Jews have the right to national self-determination and downgraded Arabic from an official language.
The international community has shamefully turned a blind eye to Israel’s failure to abide by its legal obligations, which has led directly to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. These failures are numerous and have allowed Israel to think it can act with impunity.
They have stood by while Israel atomised the occupied West Bank, constructed a 9-metre-high separation wall, and populated the territory earmarked for a future Palestinian state with 700,000 Zionist settlers.
This illustrates the implausibility of a Palestinian state being established alongside a Jewish supremacist state.
By contrast, the One-State Palestine campaign advocates a unitary democratic state—a single sovereign body encompassing Israel and the Palestinian territories, guaranteeing equal citizenship to all inhabitants, irrespective of ethnicity or religion.
This model draws inspiration from other historical transitions from outright racist regimes to democracies, such as the end of apartheid in South Africa.
It was Nelson Mandela himself who said, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
Under such a system, all residents would enjoy equal voting rights, freedom of movement, access to land and resources, and protection under the same laws.
Jews and Palestinians alike could maintain their cultural and religious identities within a shared civil framework. Hebrew and Arabic could remain co-official languages, and both historical narratives could coexist in public discourse and education.
But there is a crucially important caveat: just as it would be inconceivable to establish a sovereign Palestinian state alongside a Jewish supremacist state, the same is true for Palestinians and Jewish supremacists coexisting in a unified state.
It would be entirely wrong to expect Palestinians to live alongside the very people who have been oppressing them since the Zionist colony was created.
At the end of World War Two, the Allied powers initiated a denazification process to remove Nazi ideology and influence from German and Austrian society.
It involved eliminating Nazi symbols, Nazi laws, and Nazi personnel from public institutions in order to dismantle the Nazi regime's structures and prevent the resurgence of Nazi ideology. It also saw prominent Nazis being tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
There are clear parallels with Israel today. When the Zionist entity is eventually toppled, I suspect that those Israelis with dual nationality will go back to where they originated.
But for those who remain, there will need to be a comprehensive de-Zionisation process similar to the denazification of Germany and Austria, because Jewish Israelis have been radicalised.
A poll published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in June this year found that 82% of Israeli Jews support the expulsion of the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries. Furthermore, 56% even wanted to see the forced expulsion of Arab citizens of Israel to other countries, too.
It is clear that a dangerous derangement has gripped the Jewish Israeli population, which will have to be exorcised to secure a long-term, harmonious future for a unitary state.
Achieving the goal of a One-State Palestine is undeniably difficult and will be beset by enormous challenges. But the principle at stake is the moral imperative of the twenty-first century.
No group should have supremacy over another, and everyone should be treated as equals under the law.
I believe that the One-State Palestine proposal that we are advocating offers the best chance of achieving that. I know that some people say that our idea is outlandish and unachievable.
So, let me conclude by quoting Mandela again, who said, “It always seems impossible until it's done.”
Sign up to support One-State Palestine here: onestatepalestine.org
Chris Williamson is a former Labour MP and Shadow Minister, who served in British Parliament from 2010–2015 and 2017–2019. He also hosts Palestine Declassified show on Press TV.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/07/31/752199/-One-State-Palestine---A-pragmatic-blueprint-to-end-apartheid-and-establish-equal-justice
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NYPD officers line streets to honor colleague killed in Park Ave shooting
July 31, 2025
A friend on behalf of slain New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Didarul Islam's wife spoke a message from her at his funeral on Thursday, and he was promoted posthumously at the service that dignitaries attended.
New York City police officers lined city streets to honor their colleague who was killed when a gunman entered a Midtown Manhattan office building and opened fire earlier this week.
Officer Islam was one of four people killed inside the building on Monday evening. Islam, a 36-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, was a father of two whose wife is pregnant with their third child.
"Though my heart is broken, I find comfort knowing that his sacrifice may have saved others in that lobby," the wife's message, read aloud, said.
"People who are able to go home to their families that day. I want to thank the NYPD and our entire community for standing beside us. The NYPD is a vital part of the city," the message said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch promoted Islam to detective first grade during the service.
"Detective first grade is one of this department's most respected honors. It is a symbol of trust, of excellence and the kind of judgment that others depend on. And while detective first grade Didarul Islam didn't have the time to walk the full path, he embodied those qualities and more steadiness, selflessness, and a commitment to serve the night that he was killed," Tisch said.
On Thursday, services for Islam began with a viewing at Parkchester Jame Masjid, a mosque in the Bronx.
Officers in dress uniform lined up four rows deep in front of the mosque before viewings began.
The viewings on Thursday will be followed by a prayer service. Islam will then be buried at a cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey.
Islam was off duty, working security for the building when he was killed. The office building housed both Blackstone, an investment firm, and the NFL headquarters, among other companies.
Islam served as a school safety agent before becoming a patrol officer less than four years ago. He was assigned to a precinct in the Bronx, where he lived with his wife and two sons.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, met with Islam’s family and attended the dignified transfer of the slain officer. Adams said that Islam "embodies what this city is all about. He’s a true blue New Yorker, not only in the uniform he wore."
Police have identified the gunman as 27-year-old Shane Tamura. Tamura, a Las Vegas resident with a history of mental health issues, began shooting in the lobby before moving to another floor and later turning the gun on himself.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source; .foxnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.foxnews.com/us/nypd-officers-line-streets-honor-colleague-killed-park-ave-shooting
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Does Young Cardamom Help Zohran Mamdani?
Jul 31, 2025
Zohran Mamdani is charming much of New York City, and young people all over the world. The Indian-African American, who identifies as Muslim, uses the affectionate "habibi" in his campaign videos, smiling goofily and using big hands while taking down the establishment. Almost exactly 10 years before he was grooming the city to become its first Muslim mayor, the would-be Democratic Socialist was speaking his mind under the rap alias Young Cardamom, dropped to Mr. Cardamom as a solo performer in 2019.
Cardamom is named for a rather innocuous spice dominant in South Asian and Middle Eastern desserts. His sole remaining YouTube video extols the virtues of the world's greatest gangster, the Nani, or Desi grandmother, who slaps men in the reel. According to its review in the New York Times, the video was inspired by his grandmother, retired Delhi social worker Parveen Nair, shot for free in a Bangladeshi Kabab King.
Such is his gift: to straddle the line of comic tragedy, of elite art and systemic class inequity.
Family is a big part of Mamdani’s trajectory. His musical breakthrough came for the Disney+ release of Queen of Katwe in 2016, directed by his mother Mira Nair, and starring Lupita Nyong'o. Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Gujrati-born Muslim academic celebrated in Uganda, the setting for the true story used in the film. Lupita is the daughter of a Kenyan academic, Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, who once taught at the University of Nairobi before transitioning into politics. One of her first opportunities was on the production crew of Mira Nair's 2006 film, The Namesake. Nair has been quoted in Variety as saying that it was teenaged Zohran Mamdani who encouraged her to take the project and cast Kal Penn. Madamani saw past the "stoner" persona of Kumar in the cult classic Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, and the narrative significance to Muslim Americana.
“It was such a valuable, beautiful piece of advice,” Nair said of Mamdani’s recommendation. She added, “I always definitely hear him when [we] talk about the story I’m making, or who I’m thinking of, or who’s good — or who’s not.”
At 23, Mamdani collaborated with rapper HAB, releasing an album in the Luganda language titled “Sidda Mukyaalo”, meaning, “I Shall not Return to the Village”, or "No Going Back to the Village." Mamdani told Okay Africa at the time that the title was inspired by a boda, or motorcycle driver, a few weeks prior, with the slogan written on the back of his jacket in Kampala.
"And it’s true for the two of us as well, although for different reasons," Mamdani told the interviewer. "I can’t go back to the village because, as an Asian Ugandan, I simply do not have any village. The city is all I have."
Mamdani says he is a third generation Ugandan, presumably through his father, whose family fled colonial India in the early 1900s. Political opponents in the United States, including Black American Mayor Eric Adams, have lambasted Mamdani for identifying as partly African on his rejected Columbia University application, evoking parallels to the 'birther' movement, with paranoia surrounding Barack Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate during his successful presidential campaign.
But Mamdani certainly walked the walk in Africa. As Young Cardamom, he and his partner HAB rapped in six different languages: Luganda, the language of Uganda, Hindi, the language of his parents, Swahili, Runyoro, and Nubi. He sought to find the complicated voice of a city, and continues to do so now in New York.
Mamdani’s mother, Mira Nair, has always amplified her filmmaking storytelling with bold musical choices. The 2001 film Monsoon Wedding features a robust blend of Indian sounds, from trance-like background character songs to poppy Bollywood choreography. In the 2012 film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a hauntingly good Pakistani Qawwali opens the mysterious and shadowy themes.
In tandem with Mamdani's interest in music was his lens on the world through race. He said he was "mistaken for white growing up in Africa," but that, "in the U.S...it’s the opposite."
The language Mamdani determined for New York was not one of the African dialects he used back in Uganda...not even Hindi.
It was the language of terror.
"Security clearly understands me as brown and Muslim," he told Okay Africa about New York, "And so views me as a threat."
Mamdani pointed out Young Cardamom and HAB's song Askari, about the security guards in Kampala and their implicit bias against Black faces.
"This song came out of our personal experiences," he explained. “Whenever any of my non-black friends or family come home, the gate swings open immediately. When it’s a black friend or family member, it always takes a bit longer.”
In 2017, one year after the Queen of Katwe soundtrack, Mamdani released Salaam under his middle name, Zohran Kwame. He has described himself as a "C-list rapper," and certainly, this solo track is musically uninspired.
Lyrically, Mamdani references his mother in the track. But controversially, he also sends his "love" to the Holy Land Five, a group of Palestinian Americans who sent 12 million USD to Hamas and were imprisoned for terrorism.
It is unclear whether Mamdani actually speaks Arabic, the origin of the word Salaam, which means "peace", although his wife, Rama Duwaji, is of Syrian origin. Despite the six languages of Young Cardamom, there is no mention of "Shalom," the Hebrew greeting for peace, linguistically from the same Aramaic root.
In his 2019 Times' feature, it was noted that Mamdani was professionally focused on dispossessed people in New York at risk of losing their homes. The New York Post, which continues to lambast his platform, noted that as a member of the New York Assembly, he introduced a bill to end the tax-exempt status of the charities with ties to Israeli settlements "that violate international human rights law".
In childhood, it was Mamdani who encouraged his mother to focus on more independent, Muslim-oriented stories. He told her to turn down Harry Potter, starring ethnically Jewish Daniel Radcliffe, and she rejected The Devil Wears Prada, starring Jewish convert Anne Hathaway and based on the autobiographical book by Jewish author Lauren Weisberger.
Throughout his campaign, Mamdani has insisted he is not Anti-Semitic, and has received endorsements from Jewish politicians and regular New Yorkers. Rather, he insists he is asking larger questions about free speech and unlawful detainment, derailing biased power structures in the name of justice.
Alas, music is no longer his primary vehicle for self-expression.
Source: .foxnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandrabregman/2025/07/31/does-young-cardamom-help-zohran-mamdani/
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Africa
Madinah wins new WHO ‘healthy city’ accreditation
August 01, 2025
MADINAH: The World Health Organization has renewed its accreditation of Madinah as a “healthy city,” with Islam’s second-holiest location scoring an impressive 80 points, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Salman bin Sultan, governor of Madinah region, received the WHO accreditation certificate from Minister of Health Fahad AlJalajel during a ceremony on Thursday.
Prince Salman said Madinah’s renewed accreditation exemplifies the leadership’s dedication to enhancing quality of life for the Kingdom’s people in urban centers.
He emphasized Madinah’s ongoing transformation as a leading development model regionally and internationally, aligning with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.
Madinah has solidified its position as the second-largest healthy city in the Middle East, after Jeddah, the SPA reported.
To win the WHO’s nod, an entrant must meet 80 criteria, including parks, walking areas, and the promotion of health through primary care centers and schools.
The WHO has also recognized 14 other healthy cities in Saudi Arabia. These include Taif, Tabuk, Ad-Diriyah, Unaizah, Jalajel, Al-Mandaq, Al-Jumum, Riyadh Al-Khubra and Sharurah, according to Leaders MENA Magazine.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.arabnews.com/node/2610220/saudi-arabia
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At least six South Sudan soldiers killed in border clashes with Uganda
01/08/2025
A deadly firefight erupted along the Uganda–South Sudan border, leaving at least six soldiers dead, according to Uganda's military.
The clash, which occurred in Uganda’s remote West Nile region, was reportedly sparked when South Sudanese forces crossed into Ugandan territory and refused to withdraw.
Uganda's army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, said three South Sudanese troops were killed in retaliation after a Ugandan soldier died in the incursion. However, a South Sudanese official claims five of their soldiers were killed in what he called a “surprise attack.”
Both countries’ militaries have agreed to a ceasefire and promised an investigation into the incident. The two neighbors have long disputed stretches of their shared border, despite a joint demarcation committee working toward a 2027 resolution.
While minor clashes have occurred in the past, such deadly confrontations between the two allied forces remain rare.
Source: .foxnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.africanews.com/2025/07/31/deadly-border-clash-erupts-between-uganda-and-south-sudan-troops/
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Meloni and Saied discuss migration and development during Tunis meeting
01/08/2025
On Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis to discuss Italy’s ambitious Mattei Plan for Africa and ways to strengthen cooperation between the two nations. The talks, held at the Tunisian presidential palace, centered on economic development, energy diversification, and curbing irregular migration.
Named after Enrico Mattei, founder of Italy’s state-owned energy giant Eni, the Mattei Plan is Rome’s flagship strategy to foster sustainable development in Africa.
The initiative aims to reduce migration pressures by creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and establishing what Meloni describes as a “non-predatory” partnership between Europe and Africa.
Key sectors targeted under the plan include education, healthcare, water and sanitation, agriculture, and energy infrastructure.
Italy hopes these investments will provide alternatives for African youth, discouraging dangerous Mediterranean crossings.
Migration: A Central Challenge
Italy has long been on the front lines of Europe’s migration debate, with thousands of asylum seekers and economic migrants arriving annually via North Africa.
Meloni’s government has pushed for a dual approach—tightening border controls while addressing root causes through economic development.
Tunisia, a major transit point for migrants, plays a crucial role in this strategy.
Strengthening ties with President Saied’s administration is seen as vital to managing migration flows and advancing joint projects under the Mattei Plan.
Next Steps in Italy-Tunisia Relations
While details of new agreements were not immediately disclosed, both leaders emphasized the importance of collaboration.
The meeting signals Italy’s determination to position itself as a key partner for African nations, balancing geopolitical interests with development goals.
As the Mattei Plan moves forward, its success may hinge on tangible improvements in living conditions—and whether it can offer a viable alternative to migration for Africa’s youth.
Source: .foxnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.africanews.com/2025/07/31/meloni-and-saied-discuss-migration-and-development-during-tunis-meeting/
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Court sentences Kwara Islamic cleric to death for killing Facebook lover
31st July 2025
A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the murder of 24-year-old Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.
Delivering judgment on Thursday after four months of trial, Justice Hannah Ajayi found Bello guilty of killing the victim, who was reportedly his Facebook lover.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted four co-defendants: Ahmed Abdulwasiu (41), Suleiman Muyideen (28), Jamiu Uthman (29), and Abdulrahmon Jamiu (31), who were initially arraigned alongside Bello.
Bello had confessed at the beginning of the trial to killing Lawal for money rituals, claiming he needed human hands for the purpose.
He identified himself as an Islamic cleric and admitted to carrying out the act alone.
According to testimonies, the incident occurred on February 13, 2025.
Lawal had gone to attend a friend’s naming ceremony when Bello invited her to his residence around the Offa garage area of Ilorin.
During the trial, Bello gave conflicting accounts of the events, initially saying he choked her to death after multiple rounds of sex before dismembering her body.
At another point, he claimed she died of an asthma attack and that he dismembered the body out of fear.
Source: kwara-islamic
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://punchng.com/court-sentences-kwara-islamic-cleric-to-death-for-killing-facebook-lover/
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Southeast Asia
Penang CM hails US tariff cut as relief for Malaysia and Penang’s export sector, urges deeper trade concessions
01 Aug 2025
GEORGE TOWN, Aug 1 — The United States’ (US) decision to reduce the tariff rate from 25 per cent to 19 per cent is a positive development for Malaysia’s export sector, particularly in Penang, which is active in industries such as electrical and electronics (E&E), manufacturing, and medical devices.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the move places Malaysia on par with other Asean countries, helping to create a level playing field in regional trade.
“This is a welcome development that provides relief to the country’s export sector, particularly in Penang, and it is a blessing. The tariff rate has been reduced and is now comparable to those of other Asean countries.
“This development has therefore placed most Asean countries on an equal footing in terms of Asean regional trade relations, and it marks a step towards enhancing Malaysia’s trade competitiveness,” he told reporters here today.
He said this after launching the National Month and the Penang-level Raising of the Jalur Gemilang ceremony, which was also attended by the Penang State Legislative Assembly Speaker, Datuk Seri Law Choo Kiang, who is also chairman of the Penang State Government Official Councils.
how was responding to media reports that the US will impose a reduced 19 per cent tariff on Malaysian imports, effective Aug 1, 2025.
On July 7, Washington had announced a 25 per cent tariff on all Malaysian products entering the US, in addition to existing sectoral tariffs, effective Aug 1 this year. This figure was one percentage point higher than the tariff rate announced in April.
Commenting further, Chow said that the revised tariff is just the beginning, as Malaysia still faces stiff competition from other regional countries that enjoy lower or zero tariff rates under various trade agreements.
“We are awaiting further details from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Federal Government regarding which sectors may be affected or benefit,” he said.
He noted that the state government has urged the Federal Government to continue negotiations to secure greater tariff concessions for strategic sectors, in order to maintain Malaysia’s competitiveness in the global supply chain and its ability to attract high-value investments.
“The state government remains committed to supporting local industries and exporters as they adapt to the ever-evolving global trade landscape,” Chow said.
On a related note, he described US President Donald Trump’s reported intention to attend the upcoming Asean Summit as a positive sign that trade challenges between both sides can still be addressed through negotiation and mutual understanding.
“This tariff reduction has exceeded expectations and gives renewed hope for the future of Malaysia’s international trade,” he added. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/08/01/penang-cm-hails-us-tariff-cut-as-relief-for-malaysia-and-penangs-export-sector-urges-deeper-trade-concessions/186094
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Mais welcomes SIS Forum (Malaysia)’s move to drop ‘Islam’ from name
01 Aug 2025
SHAH ALAM, Aug 1 — The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) has welcomed the decision by SIS Forum (Malaysia) to drop the word “Islam” from the name “Sisters In Islam”, which the non-profit organisation had previously used.
Mais chairman Datuk Salehuddin Saidin described the move as appropriate and a reflection of the organisation’s willingness to respect the decree of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who is the Head of Islam in the state.
Following the decision, Mais has advised all parties to refrain from using the name “Sisters In Islam” when referring to the organisation in any future statements or publications.
Salehuddin said the Sultan had also reminded SIS Forum (Malaysia), along with other companies, organisations and entities, to respect the position of Islam as the religion of the federation and the state, and to consult state religious authorities on matters relating to Islam.
“His Royal Highness also advised SIS Forum (Malaysia) and all parties to exercise greater caution when issuing statements or publications related to Islam.
“This is to ensure that any message conveyed to the public does not conflict with the true teachings of Islam, in accordance with the beliefs and practices of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He added that the Sultan, through Mais, had expressed hope that SIS Forum (Malaysia) would continue its efforts to raise awareness on women’s rights and Islamic family law in accordance with authentic Islamic teachings.
“As an organisation with influence in society, SIS Forum (Malaysia) should also focus on fostering unity among the community in support of national harmony,” he said.
Earlier, the media reported that SIS Forum (Malaysia), during an extraordinary general meeting on July 11, had decided to remove the word “Islam” from its name, in line with the Sultan’s earlier decree.
The organisation now operates under its registered name, SIS Forum (Malaysia). — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/08/01/mais-welcomes-sis-forum-malaysias-move-to-drop-islam-from-name/186008
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Malaysia’s neutral diplomacy praised as Trump confirms ASEAN summit visit
01 Aug 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: United States President Donald Trump’s confirmation to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October has been hailed as a diplomatic milestone for Malaysia.
The move reinforces the country’s role as a neutral mediator amid rising US-China strategic competition.
Analysts view Trump’s participation as a significant endorsement of Malaysia’s diplomatic credibility, especially following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s balanced engagement with both Washington and Beijing.
Geostrategist Dr Azmi Hassan called it a “diplomatic coup,“ crediting Anwar’s inclusive leadership for ensuring superpowers remain engaged in regional discussions.
Trump’s attendance was confirmed after an invitation extended via US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his July 10 visit.
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have also accepted Malaysia’s invitations, signaling growing global interest in ASEAN under Malaysia’s chairmanship.
However, Dr Brice Tseen Fu Lee of Universidad del Desarrollo cautioned that ASEAN nations may adopt a “wait and see” approach, wary of Trump’s transactional diplomacy potentially undermining regional unity.
Despite concerns, the summit presents Malaysia an opportunity to steer dialogue toward constructive outcomes.
The last US president to attend an ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur was Barack Obama in 2015. - Bernama
Source: malaysia-news
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