Pakistan behind Human Rights Violations in Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan, European Think-Tank Told UNHRC
New Age Islam News Bureau
09 March 2022
Photo: The Print
----
• 'All Fundamental Rights as per Islamic Rules':
Taliban’s International Women’s Day Message
• Mohammed bin Salman: Personal Status Law Stems from
Islamic Sharia, Modern Practices
• Western Culture Has Deprived Women of Their Rights: Pakistan
Jamaat-e-Islami Chief
• Saffron-Clad, Hijab-Wearing Students Face Off At
Karnataka College amid Tensions
Europe
• Brooklyn's Muslim and Jewish communities unite for
Ukrainian humanitarian aid
• UFC Lightweight Contender Islam Makhachev Crushes
Conor McGregor In Interview
• France says further delays could jeopardize Iran
nuclear talks
• Bosnia asks EU to consider granting it candidacy
status
• Spanish court backs Twitter’s temporary ban on Vox
party over Islamophobic tweet
--------
South
Asia
• Fire at Bangladesh Rohingya camp kills boy, leaves
2,000 homeless
• FM Mottaqi calls on China’s ambassador to Kabul
• Russia’s Embassy in Kabul: Russia’s Operation in
Ukraine Is “Legitimate”
• IOM: over 120k Afghans return to Afghanistan in past
two months
• Clashes reported between Iran, Afghanistan’s border
guards in Nimrouz province
--------
Arab
World
• Saudi, UAE leaders reject calls with Biden as US
seeks help on oil price surge
• UAE Envoy Says Trade, Investment Deal with Israel
Will Be Signed This Month
• With no evidence, Hezbollah chief claims Lebanon
letter on Ukraine written by US
• Saudi Arabia, Egypt reaffirm cooperation to
strengthen region’s security, stability
• Saudi Arabia Signs 10 Defence Contracts worth $1.8
Billion with the South Korean Conglomerate Hanwha
• US remaining silent on Israeli atrocities against
Palestinians, massacres taking place in Yemen: Nasrallah
--------
Pakistan
• Every Second Accused Of Blasphemy in Pakistan a
Muslim, Says Centre for Social Justice
• Pakistani Government’s Silence on Crimes against
Women Shameful: Report
• Pakistan launches national gender policy framework
to empower women
• Pak parties move no-trust motion against Imran,
agree to prop up Shahbaz Sharif
• IC-814 hijacker Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim shot dead in
Karachi: Report
• Adding permanent members would enhance UNSC’s
paralysis: Pakistan
• 7 terrorists killed in intelligence-based operation
in Turbat: ISPR
• Qureshi, Wang Yi discuss ways, means for resolution
of Russia-Ukraine conflict
--------
India
• Arrested member of B’desh radical group had gone to
UP & Bengal before Assam
• India hits out at Pakistan at UNHRC: One who
‘trained terror groups to fight in Afghanistan’ is commenting on human rights
in India
• Telangana: Muslims Didn’t Get Budget Allocation On
Par With Dalits, Says MBT
• GitHub cases: Chargesheets filed against men who
‘created apps to auction Muslim women’
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Chinese President Strongly Condemns Terror Attack on
Shia Mosque In Peshawar
• Final bid by KJ to set aside award to Anwar over
‘main belakang’ remark
• Indonesia still hopes pope will visit soon
• UNHRC chief to visit China's Xinjiang in May to
probe rights allegations against Uygur Muslims
--------
Mideast
• Report: UAE Constructing Settlement on Yemen’s
Socotra Island to Accommodate Israeli Forces
• President: Iran Not to Backtrack from Redlines in
Vienna Talks
• Top Diplomat: Iran Welcomes Political Initiatives to
End War in Ukraine
• Israel says it is ready to host up to 25,000
Ukrainians temporarily
• Israeli troops demolish homes of Palestinian accused
of carrying out attack
• Israeli president's stance ease reconciliation
between Turkiye, Israel
--------
Africa
• UN And US Press South Sudan To Prepare For Elections
Or Risk ‘Catastrophe’
• 16 killed in tribal clashes in Sudan’s Darfur
region: Doctors group
• Ennahda leader hails release of party official as
‘new start’ for Tunisia
• Armed bandits kill at least 62 vigilantes in
Nigeria's Kebbi state
--------
North
America
• UAE FM discusses Ukraine and bilateral relations
with US Secretary of State Blinken
• US should return long-suffering Afghan people’s
money: Karzai
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Pakistan behind Human Rights Violations in
Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan, European Think-Tank Told UNHRC
Photo: The Print
----
8 March, 2022
Geneva [Switzerland], March 8 (ANI): The human rights
violations in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is the brainchild of neighbouring
Pakistan which played a key role in shaping both the radical ideas of the
Taliban in religious seminaries and the fate of the terrorist group through
steadfast support to its violent ways, European think-tank told the United
Nations on Monday.
In her virtual intervention during the 49th Session of
UN Human Rights Council, Yoana Barakova, a senior research analyst at European
Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said, “Amidst the debate and
speculation over whether the new Taliban dispensation will be more moderate
than the last destructive one that ruled Afghanistan, the role that Pakistan
played in shaping both the radical ideas of the Taliban in religious seminaries
and the fate of the terrorist group through steadfast support to its violent
ways, is being swept under the carpet”.
She added, “As the dark shadow of a brutal Taliban
regime looms over Afghanistan along with the ensuing humanitarian crisis, the
UN would do well to take a moment to imagine what Afghanistan could have looked
like had Pakistan not kept the Taliban afloat, well oiled, and well-armed”.
Simply put, without Pakistan, there would be no
Taliban, Yoana said while adding “Pakistan did all that it did to support,
sponsor and sustain terrorism only because it was allowed to do so”.
“If terrorists holding guns are vile, those egging
them on to kill and be killed can certainly be no better or no less damaging.
The recognition that the bigger problem than the Taliban was its benefactor, Pakistan,
ought to have come and been acted upon in the past two decades. It sadly never
did”, said Yoana.
The research analyst said, “It is about time that
countries supporting terrorism, especially those that are members of this
august Council, are made to face tangible, punitive consequences, and are
designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism”. (ANI)
Source: The Print
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original story:
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'All Fundamental Rights as per Islamic Rules':
Taliban’s International Women’s Day Message
Women in Afghanistan are
protesting for their fundamental rights to work and education under the Taliban
rule (File)
----
Sumana Nandy
March 8, 2022
On International Women’s Day, the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan had a message for women - that they are ‘committed to providing a
secure environment to deliver the legitimate needs and demands of women’.
“On the occasion of International Women’s Day, I would
like to say, women have all their fundamental rights as per the Islamic rules.
They can avail that. The IEA is committed to providing a secure environment to
deliver their legitimate needs and demands,” Afghanistan’s Permanent
Representative-Designate to the UN and the Taliban’s spokesperson Suhail
Shaheen tweeted.
This comes less than two months after the Taliban
forces used pepper spray to disperse a group of women protesting in Kabul,
demanding rights to work and education, news agency AFP had reported.
Since seizing control of Afghanistan in a stunning
sweep to power last August by overthrowing a democratically elected government
headed by President Ashraf Ghani, the Taliban had quashed any possibility of a
woman being included in its government and imposed crippling restrictions on
women. A spokesperson had also controversially said that women should only
restrict themselves to giving birth to children.
Amid protests and outrage over the Taliban’s all-male
government since taking over Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson Sayed Zekrullah
Hashimi, in an interview to Tolo News, had said, “A woman can't be a minister,
it is like you put something on her neck that she can't carry.”
Girls woke up to shut schools as the Taliban only
allowed schools to reopen for boys and male teachers after forming the
government last year. However, schools reopened for girls in Afghanistan's
third largest city, Herat, last November, in an apparent localised change, reported
news agency Associated Press.
The Taliban's speedy takeover of Kabul and Afghanistan
prompted an unprecedented exodus of people who left their country overnight to
escape another brutal regime. Heartbreaking visuals emerged from airports and
land borders as people, desperate to flee, were separated from families. Some
were even killed.
Source: India Today
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original story:
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Mohammed bin Salman: Personal Status Law Stems from
Islamic Sharia, Modern Practices
A handout picture provided
by the Saudi Royal Palace on December 24, 2020
-----
08 March, 2022
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said
that the recently announced Personal Status Law stems from the provisions and
purposes of Islamic Sharia, taking into account the latest legal trends and
modern international judicial practices, state news agency SPA reported on
Tuesday.
“This law will contribute to preserve and stabilize
the family in its capacity as the basic component of society. It will also work
to ameliorate the status of the family and the child as well as control the
discretionary power of a judge in a way that limits the discrepancy of judicial
rulings in this regard,” the Crown Prince said.
He stressed that the introduction of the Personal
Status Law reflects the leadership's commitment to the development and reform
approach in accordance with the latest legal trends and modern international
judicial practices, adding that the Personal Status Law constitutes a major
qualitative leap in preserving and protecting human rights, family stability,
women's empowerment and promotion of rights.
The Crown Prince explained that the law was inclusive
in addressing all problems from which families and women were suffering,
affirming that the new law has carefully - and in detail- organized personal
status issues.
Source: Al Arabiya
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original story:
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Western Culture Has Deprived Women Of Their Rights:
Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami Chief
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)
chief, Sirajul Haq
------
Abdul Rasheed Azad
09 Mar, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief, Sirajul Haq
on Tuesday, calling for the protection of women’s rights has said that Islam
1,400 year ago has not only acknowledged women’s rights but also ensured their
provision.
Addressing a large number of JI activities on the eve
of International Women’s Day, which was attended by female doctors, teachers,
lawyers, students, and other JI workers from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, he said
that Western culture has stripped women of their rights but has only turned
them into “a sex symbol”.
He said that in contrast with the Western society and
culture, Islam has strengthened the women in every sphere of life and has honoured
her as mother, sister, wife, and daughter. He added that Islam not only
guarantees women’s rights but Islam also ensures rights of humanity.
He also asked the Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP) to enrol women votes in accordance with their ratio in the national
population. He further said that separate educational institution for women
including vocational training institutes, universities and colleges must be
built on priority basis for the uplift of the society. He said that rapists
must be given capital punishment and there should be an end to Western culture
in Pakistan.
The JI chief said on the occasion that steps should be
taken at government level to provide all the rights to women in accordance with
the Islamic teachings. “In the current capitalist system, the rights of both
men and women are being exploited. These incidents take place mostly in the
areas of Waderas and Jagirdars.”
He said that at present, around 4,000 women in the
country were in the list of missing persons, adding that Pervez Musharraf even
sold Doctor Afia Siddque to America but the Western-funded non-governmental
organizations never expressed any concern over such issues, but they start huge
hue and cry and malign Islam if an untoward incident takes place in any religious
seminary or by religious persons.
He lamented that protecting the rights of women as
well as providing them with equal opportunities of development are not among
the priorities of the current government. “The government is not willing to
provide basic facilities to working women. It is the responsibility of the
government to take immediate steps to provide facilities such as medical
coverage to women in the private sector.”
He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the
Pakistan People’s Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and other parties had blocked the
Zainab Alert Bill, proving that they did not want to provide protection to
female members of society.
“In a society based on justice and Islam, both men and
women are respected. The so-called social activists who have [other] ambitions
under the guise of women’s emancipation will never succeed,” he said.
“We will never be blind to the imitation of the West.
We can achieve success only by connecting with our religion, family and
society, and not by following in the footsteps of others,” JI Women Wing Sindh
Deputy Nazima Atiya Nisar said that a family is the foundation of a society.
“Islam has given women the responsibility to build generations. The number of
divorces, Khula and orphans is increasing due to distance from Islam and
imbalance in society.”
She said that Islam gives all rights to women, but no
woman is more important than Islam. “Some so-called liberal women influenced by
the Western civilisation are violating the sanctity of women through immoral
slogans and demands under the guise of women’s rights.”
Source: Brecorder
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40159513
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Saffron-Clad, Hijab-Wearing Students Face Off At
Karnataka College amid Tensions
The principal of the
college speaking with hijab-clad students. (AFP)
------
Feb 08, 2022
By Sharan Poovanna
UDUPI: Saffron-clad and hijab-wearing students at
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in Karnataka’s Udupi faced off on Tuesday as
they raised “we want justice” and “Jai Shri Ram” slogans while the former
jumped the institute’s gates and forced police and teachers to separate them.
At least 30 students, aged between 17 and 21 years and
dressed in bright saffron turbans and scarves, stormed the college campus. They
earlier staged a protest demanding they be allowed inside the college. “They
[Muslim] girls were allowed inside with hijab, then why are we not allowed?”
asked a student. “This is wrong and the rules should be equal for everybody,”
said another, requesting not to be named.
The students said ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s
ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and their affiliates
Bajrang Dal and: Hindu Jagarana Vedike gave them saffron shawls and turbans.
Protests at the college began in December when at
least six students were barred from attending classes for wearing hijabs or
headscarves. The counter-protests followed later.
The Karnataka high court was expected to hear a plea
over the ban on Tuesday.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Europe
Brooklyn's Muslim and Jewish communities unite for
Ukrainian humanitarian aid
Mar 09, 2022
Brooklyn's Muslim and Jewish communities have come
together to provide humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Mohammad Razvi is a leader in Brooklyn's diverse
Muslim and Arab community. He's been working to help Ukrainians since the beginning
of the Russian invasion.
"It was devastating to see such human life loss
because of one man's ambitions for power," Razvi says.
Desperate to help, Razvi called a friend from the
World Diasporas Association who put him in touch with Mitya Bykov, chairman of
the Holocaust Remembrance Association and a Holocaust survivor himself.
"Bogdanovka is where 54,600 people were killed in
less than 45 days. Only 127 survived and Mr. Bykov is one, his sister and his
mother," says Goodwill Ambassador for Ukraine Bill Tingling.
What they really needed was space for donated goods.
An alliance of Brooklyn leaders and groups came up with a 25,000-square foot
office space in Midwood to house the new clothing, medical supplies and canned
goods that will make their way overseas.
"Mohammad and his community showed to us such
good hospitality and such good care. We are ready to sit here 24/7," Bykov
says.
Source: Brooklyn
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UFC Lightweight Contender Islam Makhachev Crushes
Conor McGregor In Interview
MARCH 8, 2022
Islam Makhachev is a fighter that hardcore UFC fans
have expected to see in title contention for a long time. He hasn’t lost a
fight in over 6 years and ran through much of his competition on his way up the
UFC ladder.
It wasn’t until recently that he began to gain some
real traction among more casual fans and start to really see his name thrown
around for a title fight. His last two fights have especially impressed fans.
First, Islam submitted Dan Hooker in the first round
at UFC 267 to claim his first win over a top-10 opponent. That led him to be
scheduled against Beneil Dariush for his first matchup with a top-5 opponent.
Unfortunately Dariush was injured and had to withdraw, leading Bobby Green to
take his place on short notice.
Makhachev needed just 3:23 to become the only fighter
other than Dustin Poirier to finish Green in his UFC career that has stretched
across 9 years. That win has many expecting Makhachev to take on the winner of
Charles Oliveira’s fight with Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title.
Unfortunately, there could be one thing standing in
the way of him getting that title shot. Dana White has said it could got to
Conor McGregor instead. Islam was asked about McGregor getting a title shot in an
interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
“I think this fake. For the fans that make some
interesting. But I think this fake. It’s gonna be hard for him make 155
[pounds] because he drunk all days and lot of people are gonna smash him in
this situation. He just gonna fight versus Nate Diaz or you know, some old
people, for make some money and that’s it. He’s never gonna be champion. He’s
never gonna be compete this level.”
I don’t know what Conor McGregor’s drinking habits are
like these days, but I can say that Makhachev is pretty spot on about the rest
of it.
Source: Brobible
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://brobible.com/gear/article/blue-diamond-superfan-sweepstakes/
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France says further delays could jeopardize Iran
nuclear talks
08 March ,2022
France on Tuesday warned that further delays in talks
to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could jeopardize the chances of reaching
an agreement, after Russia announced extra demands that stalled negotiations.
“We are very close to an agreement. It is essential we
conclude while we still can,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre
told reporters in a daily briefing. “We are concerned by the risks that further
delays could weigh on the possibility of concluding.”
Iran's top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani left the talks
unexpectedly on Monday for consultations in Tehran with the talks' coordinator,
Enrique Mora of the European Union, saying the time had come for political
decisions to be taken to end the negotiations 11 months after they began.
Diplomats say several differences still need to be
overcome in the talks, which were also hit by a last-minute demand from Russia for
a guarantee from the US that Russian trade, investment and military-technical
cooperation with Iran would not be hindered by sanctions over its invasion of
Ukraine.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Bosnia asks EU to consider granting it candidacy
status
Zehra Adılovıc
09.03.2022
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
A Croatian member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
Presidential Council sent an official request Tuesday to the European Union to consider
granting the country candidate status, the first step in applying to become a
member state of the bloc.
Noting that obtaining the status of a candidate to the
EU would strengthen the country's security and sovereignty, Zeljko Komsic said
that although it does not imply any special procedure in practice, it is an
appropriate way to accelerate the process towards full membership, considering
geopolitical trends.
Komsic sent the letter to European Council President
Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU foreign
policy chief Josep Borrell and EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and
Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
In the letter, Komsic emphasized the need for seeing
the Western Balkans as part of Europe amid Russia's war on Ukraine.
"Considering the circumstances, I would like you
to consider the possibility of granting candidate status to Bosnia and
Herzegovina within the institutions of the European Union," he said.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/bosnia-asks-eu-to-consider-granting-it-candidacy-status/2528346
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Spanish court backs Twitter’s temporary ban on Vox
party over Islamophobic tweet
Alyssa McMurtry?
08.03.2022
OVIEDO, Spain
The Supreme Court of Spain on Tuesday backed Twitter’s
decision to temporarily block the account of Vox party for hate speech.
The social media platform decided to block the
far-right party from tweeting for eight days in early 2021 during the party’s
electoral run in Catalonia.
In one of the tweets related to its “Stop
Islamization” campaign, Vox shared the inaccurate statistics that Muslim
immigrants make up just 0.2% of the population in Catalonia, but were
responsible for 93% of crimes committed.
After Twitter blocked the party’s account for inciting
hatred against Muslims, Vox decided to take Twitter to court.
“The billionaires in the tech world don’t want people
to understand the consequences of the migration invasion that they promote
alongside certain governments,” responded Vox leader Santiago Abascal at the
time, slamming the move as “censorship.”
Now, more than a year later, the Supreme Court threw
out Vox’s case.
The court’s main argument for backing Twitter’s
decision was that Vox agreed to the rules of the social media platform when it
opened the account.
Twitter also suspended Vox from tweeting in 2020,
after it accused the ruling Socialist Party of “promoting pedophilia with
public money.”
All suspensions have been temporary and Vox continues
to gain traction on social media and in the polls.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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South
Asia
Fire at Bangladesh Rohingya camp kills boy, leaves
2,000 homeless
9 Mar 2022
A blaze has swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in
southeastern Bangladesh, killing a six-year-old boy and leaving about 2,000
people homeless in the sixth fire this year to hit the world’s largest refugee
camp, officials and witnesses said.
The fire on Tuesday gutted parts of the Kutupalong
camp in Cox’s Bazar, a border district where more than a million mostly Muslim
Rohingya refugees live — most having fled a military-led crackdown in
neighbouring Myanmar in 2017.
The blaze follows a massive fire in January, which
destroyed 1,200 shelters and left more than 5,000 people homeless, and four
smaller fires between January and March.
Save the Children said some of the homeless families
were staying with relatives, while others had been taken to other camps.
“The shelters made of dry bamboo and tarpaulin are
incredibly flammable. More fire-resistant materials must be permitted and additional
openings in the fencing need to be built so that refugees can reach safety in
an emergency,” Save the Children’s Country Director in Bangladesh, Onno van
Manen, said in a statement.
“The risk of fires in these densely populated and
confined areas is enormous, but it is avoidable with the right support and
infrastructure in place.”
Mohammed Shamsud Douza, a Bangladeshi government
official in charge of refugees, said emergency workers had brought the fire
under control after several hours.
The cause was not immediately clear, he added.
“Unfortunately, one child died. And more than 300
houses were burned in the fire,” Douza told the Reuters news agency by
telephone.
Source: Al Jazeera
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FM Mottaqi calls on China’s ambassador to Kabul
08 Mar 2022
Chief spokesperson and Deputy Minister of Information
and Culture Zabiullah Mujahid said that acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan Amir khan Mottaqi met with China’s ambassador to Kabul
Wang Yu on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
Amir Khan Mottaqi and Wang Yu have discussed
political, economic, and other relevant issues along with the upcoming
conference on Afghanistan planned to be hosted by China by the end of March.
“Amir Khan Mottaqi said that the upcoming conference
of China on Afghanistan will have positive outcomes for Afghanistan.” Reads a
Twitter post of Mujahid.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/fm-mottaqi-calls-on-chinas-ambassador-to-kabul-68576876/
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Russia’s Embassy in Kabul: Russia’s Operation in
Ukraine Is “Legitimate”
09 Mar 2022
Russia’s embassy based in Kabul in a press release
justified the ongoing “operations” in Ukraine and said that they aim to protect
innocent people, carry out disarmament, and to fight Nazism in Ukraine and has
added that the “operation” is legitimate.
A copy of the press release that is seen by Khaama
Press reads that since the transformation of the quasi coup regime that took
place in 2014 backed by the west, the ideology of neo-Nazism has developed in
the country. Further, the rights of Russian-speaking people have been violated
and genocide is going on in Ukraine.
The press release also claims that the republics of
Donetsk and Luhansk that were declared in 2014 have been subject to constant
fires and have been besieged by Ukraine in the past eight years.
Over 14 thousand people of the two republics have been
killed during the past eight years thus, they needed to be protected and
defended by Russia.
“Russia’s operations in Ukraine are in accordance with
article 7 item number 51 of the convention of the UN and have also been
ratified by the Russian parliament. Russia is implementing a request made by
Donetsk and Luhansk.” Reads the statement.
The statement has defended the ongoing operation
saying the Russian forces only target military bases and infrastructure of
Ukraine but accused Ukraine forces of creating their firing wall behind
schools, kindergartens, and other civil infrastructures.
“Russian side is doing its best to protect lives of
civilian people in the war. We have been ready for humanitarian corridors both
for Ukrainian civilians and citizens of other countries in Ukrainian cities. To
evacuate Chinese, Indian, African, and Asian students from Kharkiv city,
Russian forces have prepared 150 buses.”
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/russias-embassy-in-kabul-russias-operation-in-ukraine-is-legitimate-75487567/
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IOM: over 120k Afghans return to Afghanistan in past
two months
08 Mar 2022
International Organization of Migration in its latest
report said that 120 thousand and 341 Afghans have returned or have been
deported from neighboring Pakistan and/or Iran.
In the report, statistics from January 1st until
February 25th of 2022 have been counted that include both returnees and those
deported.
Iran is at the top of the two countries from where 108
thousand and 715 people have come back to Afghanistan among them over 70,000
were deported while the rest have spontaneously been returned.
Meanwhile, 11 thousand and 626 people have come back
from Pakistan through Torkham and Chaman crossings among them only 250 have
been deported whereas the remainder is returned spontaneously.
The IOM further said that those returned from the two
countries have been assisted at the crossing points.
“44 thousand and 697 returnees have been assisted in
general. Nearly 35 thousand returnees from Iran and over nine thousand of these
people from Pakistan have been assisted with upon their return to Afghanistan.”
Reads the report.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/iom-over-120k-afghans-return-to-afghanistan-in-past-two-months-658667/
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Clashes reported between Iran, Afghanistan’s border
guards in Nimrouz province
08 Mar 2022
Sources have confirmed to Afghan media that armed
clashes erupted between border guards of Iran and Afghanistan in the Keng
district of Nimrouz province on Monday.
As per sources, four Iranian forces have been reported
killed and their vehicle has been destroyed but the Iranian and Islamic Emirate
of Afghanistan has not commented on the killing yet.
Local residents of the Keng district said that the
one-hour armed clashes erupted after Afghan people tried to dig a local channel
called Sikhsar.
People say that Iranian border guards opened fire in a
bid to stop people digging the channel.
The Iranian and Afghan forces have for a long time
been at loggerhead over the channel.
Source: Khaama Press
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Arab
World
Saudi, UAE leaders reject calls with Biden as US seeks
help on oil price surge
09 March 2022
The leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates have reportedly declined calls with US President Joe Biden as
Washington tries to ease surging oil prices amid Russia’s military operation in
Ukraine.
Citing Middle East and US officials, The Wall Street
Journal (WSJ) reported on Tuesday that both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have been
unavailable to Biden in recent weeks.
“There was some expectation of a phone call, but it
didn’t happen," an American official said of a plan for bin Salman and
Biden to speak. “It was part of turning on the spigot [of Saudi oil].”
US relations with the two Persian Gulf countries have
soured over the Biden administration's dwindling support for the Saudi-led war
on Yemen and the talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran deal,
according to the report.
Saudi Arabia has also been pushing for legal immunity
in the US for bin Salman, who is accused of ordering the gruesome murder of
dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
“The Saudis have signaled that their relationship with
Washington has deteriorated under the Biden administration, and they want more
support for their intervention in Yemen…, help with their own civilian nuclear
program as Iran’s moves ahead, and legal immunity for Prince Mohammed in the
US,” the journal quoted Saudi officials as saying.
On Tuesday, Biden announced an immediate ban on
Russian oil and other energy imports.
The ban pushed oil prices to $130 a barrel, the
highest level in 14 years. Retail gasoline prices in the United States also
surged to an all-time record, with the average cost of a retail gallon of
gasoline hitting $4.173.
“We’re moving forward with this ban understanding that
many of our European allies and partners may not be in a position to join us,”
Biden said. “The United States produces far more oil domestically than all of
European countries combined. In fact we are a net exporter of energy, so we can
take this step.”
Source: Press TV
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UAE envoy says trade, investment deal with Israel will
be signed this month
09 March ,2022
The United Arab Emirates and Israel will sign a broad
trade and investment pact by the end of the month, the Gulf state’s Ambassador
to Israel said on Wednesday.
“The #UAE and #Israel are looking forward to conclude
the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement “CEPA” before the end of the
month,” Mohamed Al Khaja wrote on Twitter.
Source: Al Arabiya
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With no evidence, Hezbollah chief claims Lebanon
letter on Ukraine written by US
08 March, 2022
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah,
criticized the Lebanese government, on Tuesday, for voting to denounce Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine during a UN Security Council resolution earlier this month.
“You could have abstained. What are you worried about?
That America will cut electricity at a time when it is cut or to cut the flow
of dollars which is the case, or gas,” Nasrallah said during a televised
speech.
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He said that Lebanon should have abstained the vote.
Nasrallah claimed that the western countries “pushed Ukraine into the mouth of
the dragon.”
He claimed that the western countries “pushed Ukraine
to reject any agreement between Ukraine and Russia.”
“America and its ally Britain, the rest of the
European Union, pushed Ukraine into the mouth of the dragon and of course
through delicate calculations because Biden had announced his strategy in which
he said that his priority is the battle with Russia and China,” Nasrallah said.
Nasrallah also claimed that a statement issued by the
Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemning Russia’s invasion in Ukraine was amended
at the request of Lebanon’s US embassy to make it harsher.
“What is bad is that it was not only a dictation, but
I have confirmation it was sent to the US embassy and the US embassy asked for
some amendments in the content in order for it to be harsher. This statement
that was issued by the Lebanese foreign ministry was written at the US
embassy,” he alleged without providing any evidence.
Hezbollah is closely allied with Syria’s Russian-backed
President Bashar Assad.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia, Egypt reaffirm cooperation to strengthen
region’s security, stability
08 March ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reaffirmed the significance of
bilateral cooperation and coordination to strengthen the region’s stability and
security, state news agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
In a joint statement issued following their meeting in
Riyadh where al-Sisi arrived earlier on Tuesday, the two leaders said they will
continue to work to coordinate stances to serve the interests of Egypt and the
Kingdom and strengthen stability in the region and the world.
They also voiced their rejection of any regional
parties’ attempts to interfere in Arab countries’ internal affairs or to
threaten their stability via “sectarian and racist incitement or via the tools
of terrorism and terror groups.”
Al-Sisi and the Crown Prince also discussed the
situation in Yemen and voiced their rejection of the Iran-backed Houthi
militia’s continuous efforts to threaten navigation in the Red Sea.
“It’s not possible to overlook [the fact] that these
terrorist Houthi militias have... military capabilities that pose a direct
threat to the security of the Kingdom and countries in the region,” they said,
adding that they are keen on enhancing military cooperation and strengthening
strategic partnerships.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in
Lebanon and voiced their support to the role of state institutions.
“Lebanon must not be [a launchpad] for terrorist acts,
and it must not be an incubator for terrorist groups and organizations which destabilize
the region. It must also not be a source or a passage for smuggling drugs,”
they said.
Al-Sisi and the Crown Prince also discussed investment
and trade and agreed to strengthen economic partnership between the two
countries.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia Signs 10 Defence Contracts worth $1.8
Billion with the South Korean Conglomerate Hanwha
08 March, 2022
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry signed 10 contracts
worth 7 billion Saudi riyals ($1.8 billion) with local and international
companies during the third day of the World Defence Show, state news agency
(SPA) reported on Tuesday.
The largest contract is worth three billion SAR,
approximately $800 million, and it was signed with the South Korean
conglomerate Hanwha to strengthen the Kingdom’s defence capabilities and supply
chains.
According to the report, the ministry signed three
contracts worth 1.7 billion Saudi riyals ($453 million) with Saudi Arabia’s
Alsalam Aerospace Industries and a contract worth 400 million Saudi riyals
($106 million) with GDC Middle East, a Saudi company that specializes in
aerospace engineering.
Three contracts were signed with a Chinese corporation
and a South Korean company to secure various types of ammunition to the
Kingdom’s General Department of Weapons and Explosives.
The first one, worth 430 million Saudi riyals ($114
million), was signed with China’s Norinco (China North Industries Corporation
Limited), while the other two, worth 460 million Saudi riyals ($122 million),
were signed with South Korea’s Poongsan Corporation.
“These contracts, which were signed upon the
directives of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin
Salman, aim to strengthen the armed forces and localize military industries,”
Dr. Khaled Al-Biyari, assistant defense minister for executive affairs, said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US remaining silent on Israeli atrocities against
Palestinians, massacres taking place in Yemen: Nasrallah
08 March 2022
The secretary general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah
resistance movement has sharply criticized the United States for exercising
double standards on human rights, saying Washington has remained silent on
decades of Israeli atrocities against Palestine as well as the horrendous
criminal acts that the Saudi-led coalition is perpetrating in war-torn Yemen.
“While US officials accuse Russia of committing war
crimes in Ukraine, they tend to turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed
against civilians in all their wars. The United States has carried out crimes
worldwide, spanning from Japan to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Somalia. US
warplanes have bombed Afghan weddings, turning them into funerals,” Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech broadcast live from Beirut on
Tuesday evening.
He added, “What can Americans say about the massacres
being perpetrated by Zionists in Palestine and Israel’s war crimes? What can
they say about the siege of the Gaza Strip? What can they say about the
massacres of the Saudi-American aggression in Yemen? What can they say about
the blockade of Yemen?”
The Hezbollah chief noted that thousands of trials
should be held to bring American and European military officials to justice for
crimes committed in Algeria, Libya and elsewhere in the world.
He also lambasted the international community’s apathy
towards Friday’s attack on a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of
Peshawar, which killed at least 61 people and injured another 196, stating that
the bombers who carried out the attack were US creations and instructed to play
out the scenario.
“Trusting Americans translates into stupidity,
foolishness and ignorance,” Nasrallah said, adding, “Ukrainians have been let
down by those who they counted on, and they have started to announce their
readiness for discussions with Moscow,” Nasrallah said.
“The treatment of the recent wave of refugees from
Ukraine exposes discrimination based on religion, race, and color. Is this the
Western civilization?” he said.
The Hezbollah secretary general emphasized that
subjugation to US dictates will not rescue Lebanon, but will rather increase
its woes instead. “The US demands do not stop at any limit,” he noted.
Nasrallah said Lebanon voted against Russia’s military
operations in Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly, although it could
have chosen to abstain.
“Lebanese representatives should have told Americans
that Lebanese people are not their slaves. This is what sovereignty calls for.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry’s condemnation of Russian military operations in
Ukraine had also been demanded and drafted by the US embassy in Beirut,” the
Hezbollah head said.
“Where is the dissociation policy that the Lebanese
government calls for? Why did neutrality advocates remain silent regarding the
foreign ministry’s statement?” Nasrallah asked.
“The remarks about neutrality are an excuse to evade
responsibilities regarding the Palestinian cause and wars on Syria and Yemen.
What happened puts an end to the great lie that Hezbollah is practicing
hegemony over the Lebanese state’s decisions,” he pointed out.
“What have Lebanese officials obtained from Americans
who are only offering false promises? The US State Department has not yet given
Egypt and Jordan document exempting them from the Caesar law if natural gas
transferred from Syria into Lebanon,” the Hezbollah chief said.
“A year and a half ago, a Russian company offered to
construct an oil refinery, costing approximately two billion dollars. The
facility would have refined crude oil into various derivatives. Lebanon could
then export the oil derivatives.
Source: Press TV
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Pakistan
Every Second Accused Of Blasphemy In Pakistan A
Muslim, Says Centre For Social Justice
8 March, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 8 (ANI): A report titled
‘Human Rights Observer 2022’ prepared by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ)
has revealed that every second accused of blasphemy happened to be a Muslim.
According to the report, in the year 2021, Muslims
made up the largest chunk of people accused of blasphemy, followed by Ahmadis,
Hindus and Christians.
The study says that a total of 84 persons had been
booked under blasphemy out of which 42 people accused of blasphemy were
Muslims, 25 Ahmadis, seven Hindus and three Christians, reported The Express
Tribune.
The report not only covered the data for blasphemy but
also mentioned the cases of lynching. The study includes three cases of
lynching, including the notorious lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyanka
Kumara in Sialkot, reported in 2021.
In the Kumara lynching case, the accused persons
included one transgender person and six women. Out of them, the transgender and
two women happened to be Muslims by faith whereas four were Christians.
The study suggests that the issues of ‘unverified and
speculative accusations’ of blasphemy have increased over the years. Because of
these issues, the incidents of lynching and extrajudicial settlements have
deepened.
The misuse of the draconian blasphemy laws against
minorities and even members of the Muslim community to settle personal grudges
is rampant in Pakistan.
Many people have been lynched to death in Pakistan on
the mere accusation of blasphemy. Countless others languish in jails for years
on end with no hope of getting justice as the lawyers, fearing for their own
lives, refuse to defend them, reported The Express Tribune.
Source: The Print
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Pakistani Government’s silence on crimes against women
shameful: Report
9 March, 2022
Karachi [Pakistan], March 9 (ANI): The silence of the
Pakistani government in the face of increasing aggression against women is
shameful, an editorial in The Dawn said on the occasion of International
Women’s Day on Tuesday.
Highlighting the opposition that the ‘Aurat March’
(Women’s March) faces from radical Islamist organisations, the editorial said
that it has become clear there is no tolerance for women collectively demanding
their rights in such a visible and inclusive way, even when they do so entirely
peacefully.
Earlier, Pakistan’s opposition party Tehreek-i-Labbaik
Pakistan (TLP) voiced its opposition to the Aurat March, a women’s rights
movement in Pakistan saying it was against the norms of society and Islam.
This came after other parties like Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which
are at loggerheads, also come together to oppose the ‘Aurat March’.
The editorial further attacked the hypocrisy of Imran
Khan’s PTI which had criticised the regressive elements of the society while
not in power.
“Clearly, the women were useful for political
point-scoring at the time; otherwise, regressive elements can incite violence
against them at will and face no consequences,” the editorial said.
The editorial went on to talk about the misogynistic
heart of Pakistani society, saying that “despite all the ‘pro-women’ laws that
have been enacted over the last few years, their rights in actual practice
remain circumscribed by narrow mindsets and hidebound tradition.”
Notably, since the Imran Khan government came to power
in August 2018, Pakistan’s Global Gender Gap Index has worsened over time. In
2017, Pakistan ranked 143, slipping to 148 in 2018.
According to the last year’s ‘Global Gender Gap Report
2021’, Pakistan ranked 153 out of 156 countries on the gender parity index,
that is, among the last four.
The country has become more conservative since Imran
Khan came to power. Islamist parties such as TLP and Jamaat-e-Islami, among
others, are feeling emboldened and have gained more popularity across the
country in the last three years, spreading harsher versions of Islam,
especially targeting women and minorities.
Source: The Print
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Pakistan launches national gender policy framework to
empower women
March 8, 2022
Pakistan on Tuesday launched the country's National
Gender Policy Framework, an initiative aiming to empower women across the
nation and intensify the gender's participation in the public sphere.
The framework, which was launched on the occasion of
International Women's Day, was prepared by the Ministry of Planning,
Development and Special Initiatives and unveiled by the minister of the
department Asad Umar at a press conference here.
This framework aims at providing equal opportunities
to all segments of society, particularly women, to prosper and progress, Umar
said during the launch.
Umar during the unveiling of the framework stressed
the need for the implementation of legislation that had been enacted to ensure
gender equality.
"If a person doesn't feel protected then he/she
cannot work to the best of their potential," he said.
He said that increasing women's participation in the
public sphere was an important goal, stressing that it should be addressed in a
systematic way rather than on wishes.
Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida
Mirza, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, Lieutenant General Nigar
Johar, who is the first-ever female general to be appointed the colonel
commandant of Army Medical Corps, and several other dignitaries also attended
the ceremony.
The International Women's Day was observed throughout
the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing an event in Rawalpindi said that
empowerment of women was a key to success.
Our country cannot progress unless the women are
educated," he said, adding that the parents should send their daughters to
schools.
The Foreign Office in a statement on the occasion paid
tribute to the women around the world whose resilience, sacrifices and efforts
have made it possible for humankind to progress and build a better future for
all.
No society or nation can succeed and achieve
sustainable development without realisation of gender equality and women
empowerment, it said.
Separately, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari
said it was a day to honour women from all walks of life, adding it was also
the right of every woman to demand rights and work for her development.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President
Maryam Nawaz said every woman was the epitome of strength and courage.
"To every woman out there... You define the very
fabric of society. You make the world beautiful. It is said that being a woman
itself is a superpower. Make the most of it. You go girls," she wrote in a
message on Twitter.
Source: Business Standard
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Pak parties move no-trust motion against Imran, agree
to prop up Shahbaz Sharif
Mar 9, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition lawmakers submitted a
no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan in the National Assembly on Tuesday,
claiming they have more than the required strength of numbers to replace the
leader of the House.
Although the opposition hasn't officially disclosed
its next move, sources said the chiefs of the parties involved had agreed to
elect Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif as the
country's next PM. They are also understood to have arrived at a consensus to
hold national polls as scheduled in 2023.
For Imran to be dethroned, the opposition parties
require the support of 172 legislators in the 342-member National Assembly.
Several opposition leaders claim to have the support of 202 members, including
28 disgruntled lawmakers of Imran's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and some
members of an ally.
Imran described the no-trust motion against him as the
opposition’s last move. "After this, nothing will happen against our
government till 2028. I have completed my preparation, but a captain does not
reveal his strategy all at once," he told reporters, vowing that his party
would sweep the next election as well.
Imran said the opposition was playing "a mind
game", not realising that "I am a master of mind games".
Imran also claimed "multiple foreign hands"
behind the opposition's move. "Those who do not want independent foreign
policy support the opposition."
Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) chief Maulana
Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan Peoples Party’s president Asif Ali Zardari and Shahbaz
Sharif explained the reasons behind tabling the motion at a joint press
conference. The PML-N president lashed out at Imran's for suggesting a
"foreign" push to the no-confidence motion. "I believe no
accusation can be more foolish than this one," he said.
Imran had voluntarily sought a trust vote following an
upset in the senate elections in March 2021. In a show of strength, he secured
178 votes – six more than required – to win the vote of confidence in the Lower
House of Parliament.
"There’s often been noise about threats to
Imran's hold on power over his nearly four years in office, and each time it’s
ended up being much ado about nothing. So there’s that," said Michael
Kugelman of the Wilson Centre, a US-based think tank.
Najam Sethi, a prominent Pakistani journalist, termed
the opposition’s move the declaration of a constitutional war on the
government. "If Imran adheres to the constitution, he will lose within
maximum 21 days. If he plays foul, the war will drag on for longer. But he will
still lose it," Sethi said.
PPP’s anti-government march that had started from
Karachi on February 27 reached Islamabad on Tuesday. "We will remove the
impure Imran Khan and bring a sharif (pure) person; we will relieve people of
pain," Zardari told the participants during his address.
Source: Times Of India
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IC-814 hijacker Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim shot dead in
Karachi: Report
Mar 8, 2022
NEW DELHI: Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim, one of the hijackers
of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, was shot dead in Pakistan's Karachi on March
1, according to reports.
Zahoor was shot by two unidentified attackers inside a
furniture store in Karachi's Akbar Colony, according to reports. As per
reports, Zahoor was living as Zahid Akhund and was the owner of Crescent
Furniture.
According to CCTV footage, the two bike-borne men were
seen conducting a recee in the area. The attackers used face mask and helmet to
hide their identities.
The attackers pumped two bullets at Zahoor Ibrahim
inside the store. However, TOI could not independently verify the news.
Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim, along with four others,
hijacked IC-814 on December 24, 1999 when it was en route from Kathmandu, Nepal
to New Delhi. According to officials, Zahoor Ibrahim stabbed Indian passenger
Rupin Katyal after hijacking the flight.
Yusuf Azhar alias Mohammad Salim, Jaish-e-Mohammed top
leader and mastermind of IC-814 hijack, was killed in the Indian Air Force
(IAF) air strike at the Balakot camp of the outfit in February 2019.
Source: Times Of India
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Adding permanent members would enhance UNSC’s
paralysis: Pakistan
Anwar Iqbal
March 9, 2022
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has warned the UN Security
Council (UNSC) that adding new permanent members would “multiply the prospects
of paralysis” in the council.
Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram underlined
Islamabad’s preferences for UNSC reforms at an informal meeting of the
Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) in New York on Monday.
The decades-long debate got a new impetus last week
when Russia vetoed a US-backed resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal
of its troops from Ukraine. Russia, Britain, China, France and the United
States are the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers.
Pakistan is a core member of the Uniting for Consensus
(UfC) group, which accepts the five permanent members but rejects further
increases. Instead, it suggests increasing non-permanent members to 20. Created
in July 2005, the group now has more than 120 states, with Italy as its
coordinator.
“As witnessed only a few days ago, the veto profoundly
affects the efficiency of the Security Council, with a paralysing effect on its
decision-making abilities,” said Italy’s UN Ambassador Maurizio Massari in
reference to the decision-making deadlock on the Ukrainian crisis in the
council.
He said that while it would be ideal to abolish the
veto, the UfC countries recognised that this was unlikely. “Therefore, the
proposal is to adopt a gradual approach on the issue of veto and try to define
the best ways to limit its use by the five countries that enjoy this power.”
Ambassador Akram said that principles and structures
built to strengthen peace 75 years ago were “under extreme stress now” and the
veto power prevented the Security Council and the General Assembly from
“playing a critical and constructive role in restoring and maintaining
international peace and stability”.
He also referred to various suggestions proposed for
reforming the Security Council, which include normal two-year non-permanent
seats; longer-term non-permanent seats; re-electable non-permanent seats;
permanent seats for a region; permanent seats for individual states; permanent
seats with a veto; permanent seats without a veto or a deferred veto and
floating seats for one or more groups of states.
Source: Dawn
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7 terrorists killed in intelligence-based operation in
Turbat: ISPR
Naveed Siddiqui
March 8, 2022
Seven terrorists were killed during an
intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Turbat's Gorchop area in Balochistan, the
military's media affairs wing said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)
said that security forces conducted an operation to apprehend "externally
sponsored enemies of peace in Balochistan" after receiving information
about a terrorists' hideout in "general area Gorchop".
"Once the troops started [the] clearance
operation in the area, terrorists tried to escape from their camp and opened
indiscriminate fire onto security forces," the statement said.
The ISPR said that seven terrorists, including
commanders Hasil Doda and Washdil, were killed during the exchange of fire.
"These terrorists were involved in recent firing and attacks on security
forces in Makran Division," the military said.
In addition, a significant cache of arms and
ammunition was recovered which was "intended to be used in terrorist
activities".
"Operations to eliminate such perpetrators of
terrorist acts in Pakistan will continue and they will not be allowed to
sabotage peace, stability and progress of Balochistan," the ISPR statement
concluded.
Source: Dawn
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Qureshi, Wang Yi discuss ways, means for resolution of
Russia-Ukraine conflict
March 8, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on
Tuesday held telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and
discussed situation in Afghanistan, Ukraine crisis and other matters of mutual
interest.
The two foreign ministers discussed bilateral ties and
exchanged views on the regional and global situation, the foreign office said
in a statement.
“State Councillor Wang Yi conveyed his condolences on
the loss of precious lives in the cowardly terrorist attack in Peshawar and
sympathies with the families of the victims,” it added.
FM Qureshi underlined that the terrorist act was an
attack on the peace-loving people of Pakistan who had rendered tremendous
sacrifices to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from Pakistan.
He shared the resolve of the government to continue
its unrelenting counter-terrorism efforts and bringing the perpetrators to
justice.
Recalling the successful visit of the Prime Minister
Imran Khan to China in which various important decisions were taken to advance
bilateral practical cooperation, Foreign Minister Qureshi stressed the
importance of close coordination between the two sides for early realisation of
agreed ventures and projects.
He expressed satisfaction on the high-quality
development of CPEC and accelerating industrial relocation and investments to
Pakistan.
Qureshi conveyed Pakistan’s concern at the situation
in Ukraine and underscored the need for a diplomatic solution in accordance
with the relevant multilateral agreements, international law and provisions of
the UN Charter. He also shared Pakistan’s concerns over the adverse economic
consequences for developing countries resulting from escalating fuel and food
costs and disruption of supply chains.
Qureshi apprised FM Wang Yi of his outreach to the
foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Russia and the high
representative of the European Union.
Maintaining the principled position based on respect
for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, Pakistan had called
for de-escalation and resolution of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
Source: Pakistan Today
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India
Arrested member of B’desh radical group had gone to UP
& Bengal before Assam
Mar 9, 2022
Guwahati: Bangladesh-based radical Islamic group Ansar
al Islam member Saiful Islam, who was arrested along with four others by Assam
Police from Barpeta district on Friday night, had first gone to Uttar Pradesh,
after “illegally entering” India from Bangladesh in 2018, from where he moved
to West Bengal and then to Assam in 2019-20 to carry out their activities,
police sources said.
Ansar al Islam is known to be the Bangladesh chapter
of al-Qaida in the Indian sub-continent.
Islam alias Harun Rashid alias Mohammed Suman also
took shelter in Guwahati around two years ago. The investigating agency is now
investigating the entire network from Bangladesh to Deoband in UP, West Bengal
and Assam.
“We had inputs of two Bangladesh nationals illegally
entering India and getting engaged in carrying out jehadi activities in Barpeta
district around six months ago. We were searching for them for the last six
months. Finally, we have been able to nab Islam along with four other members
on Friday night. However, one of the two Bangladesh nationals fled,” the source
said.
After entering Assam, Islam, who originally hails from
Narayanganj in Bangladesh, married a girl of Chirang district and settled at
Howli in Barpeta. “He has a minor daughter also at his home. He is an expert on
Islamic religious matters and also started working as a teacher in Dhakaliapara
Masjid in Barpeta,” the source added.
Source: Times Of India
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India hits out at Pakistan at UNHRC: One who ‘trained
terror groups to fight in Afghanistan’ is commenting on human rights in India
Mar 8, 2022
NEW DELHI: Using its Right to Reply at the United
Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India hit out at Pakistan on Tuesday
saying that it was shameful a country, whose top leadership has openly admitted
to “training terrorist groups to fight in Afghanistan”, has the audacity to
comment about the human rights in India.
“Shameful that a country, whose top leadership has
openly admitted that its military and intelligence agency has created terrorist
groups and trained them to fight in Afghanistan and India’s Jammu and Kashmir,
has audacity to comment about the human rights in India. India is a secular
state and safeguarding the rights of minorities forms an essential core of
democracy,” said India's permanent representative to the United Nations,
Indramani Pandey, during the 49th session of the UNHRC.
"Our Constitution has enshrined basic human
rights as fundamental rights. Our democratic institutions, including the
watchful Parliament and independent judiciary, vibrant media and civil society
ensure the enjoyment of human rights by all Indian citizens, including
minorities. We have robust internal mechanisms to address any grievance faced
by any citizen of India, including minorities," he added.
He further said that Pakistan’s attempts at raking up
bilateral issues in multilateral forums and engaging in disinformation and
propaganda against India are not new. “But now it has increasingly become more
desperate, baseless and malicious.”
India also reminded the UNHRC of the terror attacks in
Mumbai, Pathankot and Pulwama. “The perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai terror attack
have remained unpunished. The world remembers the horrors of the 2016 Pathankot
terror attack. We all know where the perpetrators of these attacks came from.
In February 2019, 40 brave men of Indian security forces were killed in a
dastardly terrorist attack in Pulwama carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammad, a
Pakistan based terrorist organisation proscribed by the UN,” said India, adding
the country has failed in meeting global demand for “dismantling the terrorism
mill that churns out terrorists responsible for violating the most fundamental
of human rights, the right to life, of people in our region and around the
world”.
India also showed concerned that Pakistan has ignored
the reality that it has become a victim of its own state policies to nurture terrorist
organisations.
India went on to “categorically” reject the reference
to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in OIC’s statement. “Regrettable
that session after session the OIC has allowed its platform to be exploited by
Pakistan for serving its own anti-India agenda. I reiterate that the entire
territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has been and shall remain an integral
and inalienable part of India,” said the Indian envoy to the UNHRC.
Source: Times Of India
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Telangana: Muslims didn’t get budget allocation on par
with Dalits, says MBT
8th March 2022
Hyderabad: The Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) party on
Tuesday cried foul over the allocations made to Muslims in the latest Telangana
Budget 2022-23 and questioned the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on why
there isn’t a scheme like Dalit Bandhu for them.
Speaking on the Budget, the party spokesperson Amjad
Ullah Khan on Monday said that Dalits got ten times more than the amount that
Muslims were allocated. “Minorities received Rs 1728 crores in the budget. Under
the Dalit Bandhu scheme, Dalit families get Rs 10 lakhs per household, and
overall, a sum of Rs 17700 crores has been allocated. That means, the Dalits
got ten times more than Muslims did,” he said.
Amjed further said that he has no problem with Dalits
getting the allocation. “We have no problems with Dalits getting such
allocation. You can give them as much you want to. For the welfare of Scheduled
Tribes (ST) Rs 12000 crores and for Backward Castes welfare, Rs 5000 crores has
been given. But now, for the Muslims who have voted the TRS to power, what is
the crime that we have committed KCR Saab? Why are you not giving budget to us?
Why are you not giving budget on par with Dalits?” he questioned the state
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The MBT spokesperson then criticized Muslim leaders
who got very happy with a mere increase in minority allocation of Rs 122 crores
compared to the last budget. “In the last 7 years, only 50 percent of the
allocation has been utilized. So, looking at the last 7 years, there is not
much to feel happy about. There is a big difference between announcement and
implementation,” he remarked.
Source: Siasat Daily
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GitHub cases: Chargesheets filed against men who
‘created apps to auction Muslim women’
by Jignasa Sinha
March 9, 2022
Nearly two months after a 25-year-old man from Indore
and a 21-year-old student in Assam were arrested for allegedly creating
uploading photos of Muslim women on an app alongside objectionable comments,
the Delhi Police Special Cell has filed chargesheets against the accused for
defaming the women, harassing them and creating a “rift” between communities.
The first app was created in July last year using GitHub,
and was soon pulled down by the software firm after several Muslim women lodged
complaints with the Delhi and Noida police. A similar app was again created in
December last year, which had photos of more than 100 women that the creators
insinuated were being “auctioned”. The second app was also pulled down by
GitHub.
Sources told The Indian Express that a 700-page
chargesheet has been filed in the first case against 25-year-old Aumkareshwar
Thakur, who was arrested on January 9 from his home. He is a freelancer who
worked with IT companies and ran a web-developing company. He has been named as
the “main accused” in the chargesheet.
“Though he wiped out all the data from his laptop and
other devices, we interrogated him and found that he wrote the code for the
first app. He was also found as a member of a ‘trad’ group called
‘tradmahasabha’. We have evidence related to the group that proves that he
created the app with the help of a few other group members,” claimed an officer
who had access to the chargesheet.
The chargesheet has been filed under IPC sections 153
A (promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion), 153 B
(Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 354 A (sexual
harassment) and sections of the IT Act.
In the second case, a chargesheet has been filed
against 21-year-old engineering student Niraj Bishnoi and his alleged
associates, some of whom have been arrested by the Mumbai Police. Bishnoi was
arrested from his house in Jorhat, Assam on January 6 this year.
DCP (Cyber Cell) KPS Malhotra had earlier told the
media that Bishnoi was the “main conspirator” in this case. Using one of his
Twitter accounts, he had also challenged police online to arrest the culprits.
In the chargesheet, police said they found “firm”
technical evidence against Bishnoi. “We have the database and the code script
used to make the app. He used the Gurumukhi script while creating the app. This
was done to create a rift between communities,” claimed an officer.
Source: Indian Express
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Southeast
Asia
Chinese President strongly condemns terror attack on
Shia mosque in Peshawar
March 8, 2022
Chinese President strongly condemned a terrorist
attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar on Friday, expressing firm support for the
Pakistan government in combating terrorism.
Chinese President Xi sent a message of condolence to
his Pakistani counterpart, Arif Alvi, and said he was shocked to learn about
the terrorist attack in Peshawar, which had caused heavy casualties, the
official Xinhua news agency reported.
“On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi
expressed deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the injured
and the bereaved families,” Xinhua reported, quoting the Chinese President’s
message.
Earlier in the day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had
also sent a condolence message to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, it said.
A suicide bomber, who claimed to be affiliated with
the ISIL terrorists, blew himself up inside a Shia mosque in Qissa Khwani
bazaar in Peshawar, capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, in one of
the deadliest attacks in the restive region, bordering Afghanistan.
The attack killed 63 people and injured over 200
others, security officials in Pakistan said.
Source: ABNA24
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Final bid by KJ to set aside award to Anwar over ‘main
belakang’ remark
V Anbalagan
March 8, 2022
PUTRAJAYA: Khairy Jamaluddin has gone to the Federal
Court in his final bid to set aside the findings of liability in a defamation
suit filed by Anwar Ibrahim over a “main belakang” remark which he allegedly
made 14 years ago.
Khairy, who is now health minister, has filed seven
legal questions for the apex court to give him leave to have the merit of the
appeal heard.
Applicants must satisfy the court by framing novel
legal questions that are of public importance and raised for the first time as
required under Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act.
Counsel J Leela, a member in Anwar’s legal team, said
Khairy’s lawyers served a copy of the legal papers to her office yesterday
evening.
On Feb 7, the Court of Appeal affirmed a 2017 High
Court ruling and the RM150,000 in damages to the now opposition leader.
Justice Darryl Goon, who delivered the judgment of the
three-member bench, said the trial judge had taken the impugned statement in
the right context, including taking into account the analogy and the figure of
speech employed to conclude it was defamatory.
Khairy, who was Umno Youth leader at the time, made
the remarks during a ceramah at Lembah Pantai during the 2008 general election
campaign.
On Jan 17, lawyer Gopal Sri Ram submitted to the Court
of Appeal that Khairy defamed Anwar in front of a Malay crowd by depicting him
as a homosexual and a person of low morals.
He said Khairy was addressing a crowd who understood
the context in which the reference against Anwar was made.
In a statement of claim, Anwar said Khairy had uttered
that the then opposition coalition comprising PAS, DAP and PKR, “undergoes
mutaah marriage as practised by the Shia sect.”
“They marry at night and divorce the following day to
legitimise a vice. PAS plays DAP from the left and DAP plays PAS from the
right. Anwar plays both from the back.”
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Indonesia still hopes pope will visit soon
By Ryan Dagur
March 09, 2022
Indonesia's minister of religious affairs says he
hopes Pope Francis can visit the Muslim-majority country to see "the
beauty of diversity" in the lives of religious people.
Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said his ministry was working to
make the Holy Father's visit possible.
"I want to bring Pope Francis to see first hand
the beauty of diversity in Indonesia as well as to greet Indonesian Catholics
directly," he said.
"Hopefully under normal conditions
[post-pandemic], he can be present in Indonesia," said Quomas, a member of
Nahdatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest moderate Muslim organization with around 80
million members and known for its support for pluralism.
The minister made the comments during a national
meeting of the Indonesian bishops’ Commission on Interreligious Relations and
Beliefs in Bali on March 7, which discussed religious moderation.
It was attended by commission chairman Archbishop
Yohanes Harun Yuwono of Palembang, priests and lay Catholics.
The minister met the pope in 2019 at the Vatican where
he and other Nahdatul Ulama representatives expressed support for the Document
on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb in Abu
Dhabi in 2018. He described the meeting as an “amazing experience.”
“We were received very kindly. I told him about the
beauty of tolerance in Indonesia and he admitted that he really loves
Indonesia," he said.
Quomas' statement underscored the Indonesian
government's previous invitation to the pope.
Laurentius Amrih Jinangkung, Indonesia's ambassador at
the Vatican, told UCA News the Indonesian government had officially invited the
pope to visit in 2020 and the visit was planned for September 2020.
“However, it was delayed due to the pandemic.
Hopefully, after the pandemic passes, the visit can be realized," he said
on March 9.
Quomas, the younger brother of current Nahdatul Ulama
chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf, is known for his policies that accommodate many
minority groups, with his frequent assertion that he is a minister for all
religions.
Last month he responded to complaints by religious
minorities about noisy mosque loudspeakers by issuing new guidelines governing
their use in nearly 750,000 mosques across the country.
Source: UCA News
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UNHRC chief to visit China's Xinjiang in May to probe
rights allegations against Uygur Muslims
March 8, 2022
UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) chief Michelle
Bachelet will make her much-awaited visit to China, including a trip to
volatile Xinjiang province where Beijing has been accused of committing human
rights violations against Uygur Muslims.
“I am pleased to announce that we have recently
reached an agreement with the government of China for a visit,” Bachelet said
in a video address to the UN’s Human Rights Council, adding that the trip is
expected to take place in May.
“The government has also accepted the visit of an
advanced (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) team to prepare
(for) my stay in China, including a visit to Xinjiang and other places. This
team will depart for China next month,” Bachelet was quoted as saying by the
Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
The UN’s top human rights official had been
negotiating with Beijing since September 2018 about a visit to Xinjiang, where
over a million mainly Uygur Muslims are alleged to have been held in mass
detention camps.
The US, the EU and allied countries have alleged that
Beijing’s treatment of Uygurs, the Turkic speaking Muslims, amounted to a
genocide.
China has defended its policies in the region, saying
they are designed to counter terrorism and extremism.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
during his visit to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter
Olympics told Chinese leaders that he expects them to allow Bachelet to make a
“credible” visit to China, especially the Xinjiang region.
Guterres met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and
Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The UN chief “expressed his expectation that the
contacts between the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the
Chinese authorities will allow for a credible visit of the High Commissioner to
China, including Xinjiang,” a UN statement said.
Media reports last month said that China has extended
a conditional invitation to Bachelet to visit Xinjiang preferably after the
Winter Olympics and insisted she should not release her report on Xinjiang
before the February 4 Winter Olympics opening ceremony as demanded by the US
politicians.
Source: India Today
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Mideast
Report: UAE constructing settlement on Yemen’s Socotra
Island to accommodate Israeli forces
09 March 2022
The United Arab Emirates is reportedly constructing a
settlement on the strategic Yemeni island of Socotra to accommodate dozens of
Israeli soldiers, officers and military experts, more than a year after the
aggressor kingdom normalized ties with Tel Aviv.
Local sources, requesting anonymity, said Khalifa bin
Zayed Institute has launched a plan to build housing units for the Israeli
forces at the joint Emirati-Israeli military base on the island, according to
Yemen News Portal website.
The sources noted that construction of the residential
complexes is in line with the UAE's efforts to accommodate the families of
Israeli officers. Dozens of Israeli families have arrived in Socotra in recent
weeks as tourists.
The sources pointed out that the aim of the UAE plan
is to expand the Israeli military presence in Socotra, as the Tel Aviv regime
is trying to turn the island into a center of its espionage operations in order
to dominate maritime routes.
Recently, informed sources announced that the UAE has
officially started financing the construction of a military base in Yemen. The
sources said the base was to be built on Abd al-Kuri island, which is part of
the Socotra Archipelago.
Back in September last year, Yemen News Agency
reported that the UAE was helping Israel set up a center for military and
maritime reconnaissance on the Socotra Island.
Citing local sources, the agency said the Red Crescent
Society of the United Arab Emirates had signed a contract with the Tel Aviv
regime in order to create an intelligence center for the Israeli air force at
Socotra airport.
Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab
el-Mandeb Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf
of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.
The French-language news outlet JForum said in August
2020 that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build
intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.
The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is
to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.
Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical
preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across
the Gulf of Aden, including Bab el-Mandeb and south of Yemen, which is under
the control of forces backed by the UAE, the report said.
Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE
and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich
island.
Source: Press TV
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President: Iran Not to Backtrack from Redlines in
Vienna Talks
2022-March-8
Tehran will not back down from the redlines that the
Leader has drawn in the Vienna talks on the removal of anti-Iran sanctions,
Rayeesi said, addressing a meeting of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran.
He also rejected as false the claim that his
administration only looks to the East in its foreign policy, stressing that the
government seeks to develop relations with all countries and establish a
balance in the country's foreign policy.
"In the first step, the government has seriously
pursued the lifting of sanctions, and in the second step, it is seeking to get
the sanctions removed in a very dignified manner," Rayeesi said.
He also touched upon the issue of New Year's budget
bill, and said that "the budget bill for 1401 was prepared with predicting
no budget deficit and considering the realization of 8% economic growth, while
in previous years, the average economic growth of the country has been less
than 1% or 1.04%".
Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA --
Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- started talks in the Austrian
capital of Vienna last April on the assumption that the US, under the Joe Biden
administration, is willing to repeal the so-called maximum pressure policy.
Tehran says it will not settle for anything less than
the removal of all US sanctions in a verifiable manner. It also wants
guarantees that Washington would not abandon the agreement again.
The eighth round of talks between Tehran and the G4+1
group of countries continues in Vienna on the JCPOA revival and removal of
sanctions.
Last month, the Iranian legislators issued a
statement, calling on the administration of President Rayeesi to adhere to
Iran’s red lines as the talks inched forward in Vienna.
They said the US government and its European allies
had shown that they were not bound by any agreement over the past few years, so
Iran was obliged to learn from the experience and set clear red lines.
The red lines, according to the lawmakers, include
guarantees by the United States and the three European signatories of the JCPOA
that they would not abandon a potential agreement again and seek recourse to
“the snapback mechanism”, which would reinstate the UN Security Council’s
sanctions against Iran. They also asserted that all sanctions imposed under
“false excuses” had to be removed.
Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir
Abdollahian said that the hurriedness by the western countries to reach an
agreement via the Vienna talks would not make Tehran turn a blind eye to its
redlines.
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone call with
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
"We are ready to immediately finalize a good
agreement," he said, adding, "But the Western side's rush and haste
cannot prevent Iran's redlines from being observed."
The Iranian foreign minister also said that the
presence of foreign ministers in Vienna and the announcement of a final
agreement would depend on the full observance of the declared redlines of the
Islamic Republic, including an effective guarantee that would secure Iran's
economic benefits from the JCPOA.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council
(SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said on Monday that the prospect of reaching an agreement
in Vienna talks is still unclear, blaming Washington.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Top Diplomat: Iran Welcomes Political Initiatives to
End War in Ukraine
2022-March-8
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone
conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday.
During the phone talks, they discussed the latest
developments in bilateral relations, as well as some regional and international
issues of mutual interest, including the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
They also exchanged views on the forthcoming visit of
the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iran which will take place to
further develop Tehran-Ankara relations.
The Iranian foreign minister also expressed
satisfaction with the developing ties between the two countries, and wished
success for to trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of Turkey, Ukraine and
Russia to be held in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday.
He said Iran supported a political initiative to stop
the war, and stressed that sanctions are no problem for Iran.
Cavusoglu, for his part, said sanctions are no
solutions to any problems, and expressed concern over the escalating crisis in
Ukraine which might lead to a humanitarian catastrophe and the rising tide of
refugees and migrants.
He also renewed his invitation for Amir Abdollahian to
visit Turkey.
In relevant remarks on Wednesday, Amir Abdollahian
underlined the country's opposition to the war in Ukraine, saying that Tehran
is ready to assist the relief operations in the war-stricken European state.
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone
conversation with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) Peter Maurer.
He discussed aid delivery in border areas of Ukraine
and the humanitarian situation in Yemen and Afghanistan as well as ways to
boost bilateral relations.
The Iranian foreign minister stressed the importance
of resolving the Ukraine crisis politically, and said, “War is not a solution."
Maurer, for his part, briefed the Iranian foreign
minister on his talks with the Russian and Ukrainian officials about the
dispatch of humanitarian aid, the exchange of dead soldiers and the provision
of access to prisoners of war.
The ICRC president said Ukraine is grappling with a
tough and critical situation.
Amir Abdollahian and Maurer agreed that medical and
relief teams of the IRCS and the ICRC would be deployed in border areas to help
the displaced.
Right after the conflict broke out, Iran began making
efforts to support its citizens in Ukraine and set up a special committee in
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to improve the humanitarian situation, he said.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Israel says it is ready to host up to 25,000
Ukrainians temporarily
08 March ,2022
Israel said on Tuesday it was ready to take in up to
5,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion and allow 20,000 other Ukrainians
who arrived prior to the fighting to remain temporarily.
The policy was outlined by Interior Minister Ayelet
Shaked at a news conference, in which she also said Israel was bracing for the
possible influx of tens of thousands of Ukrainians whose Jewish heritage
affords them immigrant status under Israeli law.
“Israel will host temporarily about 20,000 Ukrainian
citizens who resided, most of them illegally, in Israel before the fighting
broke out,” Shaked said, in a reference to visitors and workers, such as
caregivers for the elderly, who overstayed their visas.
“In addition, if, God forbid, the battles don’t end
within a reasonable time, we will allow them to work in Israel,” she said.
Shaked said the up to 5,000 Ukrainian citizens allowed
in to escape the current fighting would receive a three-month visa and be
allowed to seek employment if the situation did not change in Ukraine.
The European Union said on Tuesday its member states
had so far taken in two million refugees fleeing the Russian invasion and
expected millions more to follow.
Israel has been engaged in diplomatic efforts to try
to end the war in Ukraine. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoke by phone
with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Putin and Bennett discussed the conflict in Ukraine
again, by telephone, on Tuesday.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli troops demolish homes of Palestinian accused
of carrying out attack
08 March ,2022
The Israeli military said Tuesday it has demolished
the homes of two Palestinians accused of carrying out a deadly shooting attack
in the occupied West Bank last year.
The residences of Mohammed Jaradat and Jit Jaradat in
the West Bank were demolished Monday, the military said. The men are accused of
shooting at a car driving near the outpost of Homesh, killing a Jewish seminary
student and wounding two others.
During the demolition, the military said armed
Palestinians fired at the troops, who fired back. The military also said dozens
of Palestinians threw rocks, firebombs and grenades at the troops who responded
with live fire and other means. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Israeli officials say home demolitions deter future
attacks, while rights groups view the tactic as a form of collective
punishment.
The demolitions came hours after a Palestinian stabbed
two police officers in Jerusalem’s Old City before he was shot and killed by
police, the second such incident in as many days.
On Sunday, police shot and killed a 19-year-old
Palestinian after he stabbed an officer in the Old City. The officer was
lightly injured.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move
not recognized by most of the international community.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli president's stance ease reconciliation between
Turkiye, Israel
Burak Dag
08.03.2022
Israel's 11th President Isaac Herzog stands out as a
politician who comprehends regional dynamics and the importance of Turkiye well,
unlike his predecessors.
Many experts consider the Israeli president's two-day
historic visit to Turkiye as a turning point for the Ankara-Tel Aviv relations,
which has been fluctuated for nearly a decade.
As the decades of ties were firstly established in
1949, a year later the establishment of the State of Israel, Turkiye became the
first Muslim majority country to recognize Israel as a sovereign country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli
counterpart Isaac Herzog's moves for reconciliation seems to become a beacon of
hope for regional stability and more steady ties for Turkiye and Israel.
Both leaders are expected to discuss crucial issues
ranging from bilateral ties to energy cooperation, which may be a solution to
Europe's energy crisis.
Erdogan Herzog have chance to play central role in
regional stability
Unlike the other populist Israeli leaders such as
Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog's stance give an opportunity to restore
long-deteriorated relations of Turkiye and Israel.
An experienced Israeli politician Isaac Herzog, just
like his father, Chaim Herzog, had the honor to take oath as Israel's president
on July 7, 2021.
Having served in different ministerial portfolios,
Herzog became the opposition leader in 2013, with his being elected as the
chairman of the Israeli Labor Party.
Following his election as the opposition leader,
Herzog had met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to pledge his
support for the two-state solution.
Considering Turkiye's stance on the Palestinian issue,
which will surely be on the agenda of both leaders, Herzog's distinctive pose
from other Israeli politicians stands out.
Although Turkiye and Israel differ in some issues,
including Palestine, many agree that restoring ties would bring mutual benefits
for both countries and stability to the region.
Interestingly, the bilateral ties between Turkiye and
Israel reached their peak during the current president's father Chaim Herzog's
term in the 90s as Israel continued Madrid and Oslo Processes to revive
Israeli-Palestinian peace through negotiations involving some Arab states.
Thirty years after Chaim Herzog's visit to Ankara in
1992, the late president's son Isaac Herzog got the opportunity to play a
central role for reconciliation and regional stability along with Turkiye's
Erdogan.
Cooperation in energy might take relation to next
level
As the US administration withdrew support from the
EastMed gas pipeline project that was signed by Israel, Greece, and the Greek
Cypriot Administration on Jan. 2, 2020, for the transport of Israeli natural
gas to the European market via the Mediterranean Sea and Greece, Ankara
reiterated over and over its readiness on cooperation to carry Israeli gas to
Europe via Turkiye.
Last month, President Erdogan emphasized on his way
back from Ukraine visit that "we can use Israeli natural gas in our
country, and beyond using it, we can also engage in a joint effort on its
passage to Europe." He added that these issues will be on their agenda
with Herzog during his visit.
The cooperation based on the win-win situation in the
field of energy might take the relationship to the next level in the long run.
Another indicator for the restored ties between
Turkiye and Israel will be the appointment of ambassadors, which is most likely
to be announced after the meeting of both leaders in Ankara.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Africa
UN and US press South Sudan to prepare for elections
or risk ‘catastrophe’
08 March ,2022
The United Nations and United States urged the leaders
of South Sudan Monday to do more to prepare for elections due to be held in
less than a year or risk “catastrophe.”
“As I have stated before, elections have the potential
to be a nation-building moment, or a catastrophe,” the UN envoy for South
Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, told the Security Council.
“Much depends on the political will and leadership of
the South Sudanese working together,” he said.
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield,
said that in order to “work toward a true democracy,” the South Sudanese
government needed to move swiftly to implement the provisions set out in an
agreement on revitalizing the peace process.
“That means an inclusive constitution drafting
process, public financial management reform, transitional security
arrangements, and transitional justice mechanisms” she said.
“Unfortunately, the government of South Sudan is
behind in meeting key electoral benchmarks” set out in the agreement, she
added.
With a Security Council decision expected on March 15
on renewing the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for a year – one of the
most expensive on the UN’s books, with an annual budget exceeding $1 billion –
Haysom pleaded for the deployment to remain at current levels of 17,000 troops
and 2,100 police.
“We anticipate a mandate flexible enough to support
the conduct of free and fair elections, upon the request of the government,” he
said.
With less than a year until elections, South Sudan,
which has been independent since only 2011, risks plunging back into war, the
UN warned in February.
The youngest country in the world, it has experienced
chronic instability since its independence from Sudan.
Source: Al Arabiya
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16 killed in tribal clashes in Sudan’s Darfur region:
Doctors group
Mohammed Amin
09.03.2022
KHARTOUM, Sudan
Tribal clashes in Sudan’s troubled West Darfur region
have left at least 16 people dead and wounded 16 others, a Sudanese medical
group said Tuesday.
“A new series of attacks from March 5-7 in Romi
locality in West Darfur has led to the killing of at least 16 people and the
wounding of another 16,” said a statement by the Committee of Doctors in West
Darfur.
Adam Rigal, the spokesman for the General Committee of
the IDPs and Refugees in Darfur, accused pro-governmental militias of being
involved in the mass killing in West Darfur.
“Since last year, the Janjaweed militia has been
waging systematic attacks against civilians and IDPs (internally displaced
people) across the region, especially in West Darfur state,” he said in a
statement sent to Anadolu Agency.
Local authorities in West Darfur state have not
commented on the incidents.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Ennahda leader hails release of party official as ‘new
start’ for Tunisia
Alaa Hammoudi
08.03.2022
TUNIS, Tunisia
Ennahda party leader Rached Ghannouchi on Tuesday
hailed the release of a senior party official by Tunisian authorities as “a new
start” for the North African country.
Noureddine el-Beheiry, Ennahda’s deputy leader, was
released on Monday evening after being under house arrest since Dec. 31, 2021
over "terror" accusations related to the illegal issuing of passports
and travel documents to a Syrian national and his wife.
The former Interior Ministry official Fathi al-Baladi,
who was detained on the same day el-Beheiry was arrested, also released
alongside him.
Ennahda, el-Beheiry's family, and his defense team
denied the terror accusations, describing them as "politicized" and
called for his immediate release.
In protest against his detention, el-Beheiry went on
hunger strike, causing his health to deteriorate.
"It is a historic moment,” Ghannouchi told
Anadolu Agency while visiting el-Beheiry at his house in Bizerte province,
describing the official’s release as if he “returned to us from another world.”
“Our hope in him staying alive was dim as he was
slowly dying before our eyes while we were unable to do anything," he
added.
Ghannouchi, who is also the Parliament Speaker,
slammed “revenge” actions pursued by Tunisian authorities.
"We believe that Tunisia does not need such
revenge to address its economic, social and political problems,” he said. “What
happened reminds us of things against which revolutions took place."
He stressed the need for tolerance and dialogue to
solve the crisis in the country while also calling for the release of all other
detainees.
Meanwhile, Saeeda Al-Akrimi, el-Beheiry's wife and a
lawyer, told Anadolu Agency she was happy to see her husband released after his
67-day detention.
Last July, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the
government, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority amid mounting
public anger over economic stagnation and political paralysis.
While Saied insists that his "exceptional
measures" were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused
him of orchestrating a coup.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Armed bandits kill at least 62 vigilantes in Nigeria's
Kebbi state
08 March 2022
At least 62 members of a volunteer vigilante group in
Nigeria’s northwestern Kebbi state have been killed by unidentified gunmen in
the worst violence to hit the African country this year.
According to the head of the group and a police
spokesman, the motorcycle-borne armed assailants ambushed the group on Sunday
night and opened indiscriminate fire at them.
Many restive northwestern states in the country have
groups of vigilante volunteers who defend villages and towns from the marauding
groups, including the Daesh and Boko Haram.
According to Usman Sani, who heads the “Yan Sa Kai”
vigilante group in Kebbi, the Nigerian volunteers had planned to attack bandits
in the Sakaba area on Sunday night before they came under attack.
“They circled us and opened fire from different
directions,” said Sani, a retired soldier. “At least 62 people have been killed
by this group who hid their motorcycles in the shrubs.”
Kebbi police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar confirmed the
incident but said he had no exact details on the number of casualties from the
shootout.
In January, a group of gunmen on motorcycles ravaged a
village in Kebbi, killing more than 50 people.
These armed gangs have spread a reign of terror across
the northwest over the years, carrying out kidnappings of hundreds of school
children and villagers.
Northwestern states of Nigeria have long been battered
by violence, including clashes over land between rival communities, attacks by
heavily-armed criminal gangs, and reprisal killings by vigilante groups.
Source: Press TV
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North America
UAE FM discusses Ukraine and bilateral relations with
US Secretary of State Blinken
09 March ,2022
The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates
discussed developments in Ukraine and ways to strengthen two-way ties during a
telephone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, the
state news agency said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US should return long-suffering Afghan people’s money:
Karzai
08 March 2022
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai expresses strong
objection to the United States’ ongoing confiscation of billions of dollars of
the Afghan central bank’s assets.
“The assets that the US has confiscated belong to the
Afghan people. These assets used to buttress the central bank and Afghanistan’s
coffers,” Karzai told Iran’s Arabic-language news network al-Alam on Tuesday.
“These assets do not belong to any certain government,
but to the Afghan nation only,” he added.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has
frozen nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank since
the hasty withdrawal of its occupation forces from the country in August 2021.
On Wednesday, Deborah Lyons, the special representative
of the United Nations secretary-general and head of the United Nations
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), warned that Afghanistan's economic
collapse was "approaching a point of irreversibility."
“We hope that the US president changes his decision
and returns the long-suffering Afghan people’s money,” Karzai urged.
US departure from Afghanistan
He also described the manner of America’s sudden
departure from Afghanistan as “irresponsible.” “They definitely could have left
in a better manner so that the Afghan people would not have suffered.”
He pointed to the trail of destruction left by the US
at the Kabul airfield right before taking out its forces, saying, “We bore
witness to some heart-wrenching scenes at the airfield that deeply upset the Afghan
people. Unfortunately, the US’s departure from the country did not take place
as it should.”
Iran’s role in Afghanistan
Unlike the United States—Iran has, over the past 20
years, enjoyed an unparalleled friendship with the Afghan people, Karzai said.
Source: Press TV
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