Pirana Shrine, an Epitome of Syncretic Tradition of India, Essentially A Hindu Place of Worship, Trust Submits Before Gujarat HC
New Age Islam News Bureau
09 August 2022
To rebut the claims made
in a PIL that the Pirana shrine is essentially a Muslim place of worship, the
trust that manages the large religious precinct on the outskirts of Ahmedabad
-----
• Har Ghar Tiranga: BJP to Hoist Tricolour in 5 Lakh
Muslim Households, Madrasas & Shrines Of UP
• Sharia Law Returns To Afghanistan As Taliban
Confirms Public Whippings Of Five People, Including Two Women
• Cop's Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts Were Free Speech
under the U.S. Constitution, Court Rules
• UNSC Must Condemn Palestinian Islamic Jihad as
Terror Group, US Says
India
• NIA Arrests Two Bangladeshi Nationals from Bhopal in
Madhya Pradesh for Spreading Jihad in India
• PM Modi Recalls Sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain on
Day of Ashura
• A First: Akal Takht to Hold Prayers for Sikhs,
Hindus, Muslims Killed During Partition
• Both Hindus and Muslims Together Drove British Out
Of India: All India Tanzeem Ulama-E-Islam on ‘Quit India Movement’ Anniversary
• Pasmanda Muslims to Spiritual Heads, BJP Walks the
Extra Mile
• On Muharram, PM's ‘brotherhood’ tweet; Nitish bows
to Imam Hussain’s sacrifices
• AMU suspends four students over firing incident on
campus
• Film Hum Do Hamare Baarah Targets Muslims, Say
Netizens; Director Denies
• BJP MP demands NPR stating ‘infiltration’ of
Bangladeshi Muslims in Jharkhand
• Bangalore: Hindu activists demand demolition of
Idgah Maidan tower
--------
South
Asia
• Prospects of Employment; Taliban Supreme Leader
Issues Order to Round up Beggars in Kabul
• Afghanistan: One year since the Taliban takeover
• Pakistan Army and Taliban Clash in Eastern
Afghanistan along Durand Line
--------
Europe
• EU Submits ‘Final Text’ At Iran Nuclear Talks,
Tehran Examining Document
• Russia launches Iranian rocket into orbit, amid Western
concerns
• EU proposes ‘final text’ for agreement in Iran
nuclear negotiations
• Germany to deploy military contingent to EU
peacekeeping mission in Bosnia
• ‘Stranded’ Afghanistan translators sue UK government
--------
North
America
• One Year after Afghan War, Biden Struggles to Find
Footing
• 'Targeted killings' of Muslim residents rock New
Mexico community
• Muslim community expresses fear after killings of
men in Albuquerque
• US, Iran face a deadline after nuclear talks end
without agreement
• Türkiye 'deeply concerned' over 'serial' killings of
4 Muslim individuals in US
--------
Pakistan
• Senior Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan Leader Omar Khalid
Khorasani Killed In Afghanistan, Taliban Spokesperson Confirms
• 4 soldiers martyred in North Waziristan suicide
attack: ISPR
• COAS, Bill Gates discuss Polio eradication,
healthcare in Pakistan
• Imran Khan's Party to Hold 'Haqeeqi Azadi Jalsa'
Rally in Lahore on August 13
• Hindu family in Pakistan attacked after they tried
to overtake vehicle of politician's relative
• Army unwilling to allow rally at Islamabad's Parade
Ground, alleges PTI
• Victim families await justice as 2009 Ashura blast
case file gathers dust
• ISI, IB, FIA to jointly probe negative social media
campaign post helicopter crash
• Shuhada-e-Karbala Conference pays tributes to
Karbala martyrs
• Muharram teaches to stand firm in face of tyranny:
speaker
--------
Arab
World
• Palestinian Official Assassinated In Lebanon Just
Hours after Gaza Truce
• Sadr Rival Demands Parliament Reconvene As Sit-In
Continues
• Saudi Arabia wins Special Olympics football gold in
first appearance
• Defying warnings, Erdogan highlights ‘permanent’
plan to establish ‘secure line’ at Syria border
--------
Mideast
• Iran: Ceasefire in Gaza Result of Israel's Fear from
Resistance Movement's Missiles
• Iran Condemns Sacrilege of Islamic Sanctities in
Germany
• Iran Commemorates Diplomats Martyred in
Mazar-i-Sharif Terrorist Attack
• Turkish president commemorates historical
'martyrdom' of Imam al-Hussein
• Two Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West
Bank: Army
• UN Security Council meets over Gaza fighting
• Iran: Police arrest Afghan suspected of stabbing 10
to death
• Yemen Houthis must act on Taiz to show commitment to
UN-brokered truce: Minister
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Hilarious, Retorts Najib after Rafizi Says He
Weakened National Defence
• Ruling on overseas-born kids against Keluarga
Malaysia spirit, says Suhakam
• End patronage politics, say youth leaders of
Bersatu, Umno
• 50 years on, Mahathir’s Malay dilemma never seems to
end
--------
Africa
• NCC Warns Users on New Ways Hackers Infiltrate,
Jeopardise Privacy through Google Play Store
• Kenya's general polls begin, with Odinga and Ruto
locked in close contest for presidency
• Islamic police confiscate 384 bottles of alcohol in
Jigawa
• Suspected militants kill 4 Mali soldiers, 2
civilians
• FACT refuses Chad government's peace deal with rebel
groups
• Several killed as Nigerian troops attack Ashura
procession in Kaduna
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pirana-shrine-ahmedabad-worship-syncretic/d/127681
--------
Pirana Shrine, an Epitome of Syncretic Tradition of
India, Essentially A Hindu Place of Worship, Trust Submits Before Gujarat HC
To rebut the claims made
in a PIL that the Pirana shrine is essentially a Muslim place of worship, the
trust that manages the large religious precinct on the outskirts of Ahmedabad
-----
Aug 9, 2022
AHMEDABAD: To rebut the claims made in a PIL that the
Pirana shrine is essentially a Muslim place of worship, the trust that manages
the large religious precinct on the outskirts of Ahmedabad - the Imamshah Bawa
Roza Trust - on Monday told the Gujarat high court that it is a Hindu place of
worship.
Before the division surfaced between the Hindu and
Muslim trustees of the shrine, Pirana was viewed as the epitome of the
syncretic tradition of India.
In a reply filed by the trust in response to a PIL
filed by a Muslim outfit, Sunni Awami Forum, the trust maintained that the
Pirana shrine, which houses a 600-year-old mosque, Dargah and various temples,
is essentially a Hindu place of worship. To say it is fundamentally a Muslim
institution is wrong, said the trust's advocate S K Patel. The trust based its
claims on a scheme approved by the authorities in 1939, based on which the
trust was formed. It suggested the Pirana shrine is an institution of Hindu
Satpanthi or Satsangis.
The petitioner approached the HC in June with the
complaint that the present trust is trying to convert the Islamic character of
the place to a Hindu religious place and invoked the Places of Worship Act. To
counter this claim, the trust stated that the Saiyed trustees had approached
the charity commissioner to get the religious place declared a waqf property,
but it was declined. The charity commissioner's decision was confirmed by a
district court, the high court and the Supreme Court.
The PIL was filed claiming that for the past few years
there have been efforts for "unconstitutional and illegal conversion of
Pir Imamshah Bawa Dargah and its surrounding Muslim religious places to Hindu
structures". Even the existing dargah is being converted to Shree
Nishkalanki Maharaj and Imamshah Bawa Roja is being converted to the Shree
Nishkalanki Narayan Tirthdham Pranpith.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Har Ghar Tiranga: BJP to Hoist Tricolour in 5 Lakh
Muslim Households, Madrasas & Shrines Of UP
IN DELHI: Workers
manufacture national flags at a shop in Sadar Bazar ahead of Independence Day.
The sale of national flags has increased immensely | shekhar yadav
-----
08th August 2022
By Namita Bajpai
LUCKNOW: In order to give impetus to the ‘Har Ghar
Tiranga’ campaign to mark the 75th year of the country’s independence, the BJP
in Uttar Pradesh has decided to rope in its Muslim Morcha to ensure that the
tricolour is hoisted in around 5 lakh Muslim households, madrasas and Dargahs
(shrines) on August 15. The BJP Muslim Morcha would undertake the three-day
exercise starting from August 12.
Party sources say that the minority wing of the ruling
party has also been asked to get the photos of the unfurling of the flag
clicked in madrasas and Dargahs and get it uploaded on social media platforms,
said the party sources.
UP BJP Minority Morcha president Kunwar Basit Ali
confirmed the plan and claimed that the exercise was planned for Madrasa and
Dargahs as those were the centres with a wide outreach and could help spread
the message far and wide as people throng the shrines in large numbers.
Ali said that prior to this in 2017, immediately after
coming to power in the state, the BJP had made flag hoisting and rendition of
the national anthem mandatory in state madrasas on Independence Day.
According to BJP sources, the party’s intent is to cut
through the religious lines in carrying out the `Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign
which seeks to cover more than 4 crore households and government offices in the
state.
Meanwhile, reacting to the ruling party’s plan,
Samajwadi Party chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary termed it as a ploy to
politicise the tricolour. He said that it was the national flag which was
highly respected. “The BJP should avoid putting pressure on people to unfurl
the tricolour and leave it to their wish,” said Chaudhury.
However, SP's reaction comes two days after party chief
Akhilesh Yadav had called the BJP’s ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign a sham
expressing the apprehension that the ruling party could incite communal
tensions in its garb.
Source: New Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Sharia Law Returns To Afghanistan As Taliban Confirms
Public Whippings Of Five People, Including Two Women
The Taliban has been
enforcing Sharia law since seizing power by ousting the government last summer Credit:
Daniel Leal /AFP via Getty Images
------
By Joe Wallen
8 August 2022
Five people, including two women, have been whipped in
Afghanistan in the first confirmed public punishment under Sharia law since the
Taliban returned to power last August.
A man and a woman were whipped 39 times in front of
dozens of local residents before being sentenced to two and six years in prison
respectively on Sunday, Taliban officials in Zabul province confirmed.
According to local media. the couple were living
together unmarried and engaging in a sexual relationship, which is classed as
illegal adultery under Sharia law, a series of strict Islamic laws based on the
Quran.
A second woman who lived in the same building as the
couple, was whipped 20 times and also sentenced to six years in prison for
allegedly permitting the sexual relationship to occur.
Separately. two men were given 20 lashes after being
arrested on charges of robbery in the same province. They were sentenced to one
month in prison.
“The decision [was] made based on Sharia, it is
natural that it will come into effect in Islamic governments,” Bilal Karimi,
deputy spokesman for the Taliban, told local news outlet Tolo News on Sunday.
Existing laws scrapped
The Taliban has been enforcing Sharia law for a while
since seizing power by ousting the government last summer.
However, although there have been unconfirmed reports
of similar punishments being carried out elsewhere in the country, this is the
first time the Taliban has officially said public whippings are being used.
It came just days after Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada,
the Taliban’s leader, ordered all existing laws to be scrapped and submitted a
series of six new articles for how the country should be governed in accordance
with Sharia law.
When the Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan in the
1990s, they had implemented a draconian version of Sharia law which saw
convicted murderers publicly executed in Kabul’s sports stadium, while thieves
had their limbs amputated.
Women were forbidden from working or attending school,
while they could only leave the home in a full-length burqa, accompanied by a
male chaperone.
The Taliban’s decision to re-introduce Sharia law is
said to have been sparked by their struggles to maintain law and order in
Afghanistan since returning to power.
At least 120 people have died after a series of
coordinated attacks by the Islamic State’s regional affiliate on Afghanistan’s
Shi’a Muslim minority since Friday, according to the United Nations.
Source: Telegraph UK
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Cop's Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts Were Free Speech
under the U.S. Constitution, Court Rules
REUTERS/Dado
Ruvic/Illustration
----
By Daniel Wiessner
August 9, 2022
Posts that a Phoenix, Arizona, police sergeant made on
his personal Facebook page denigrating Muslims were protected free speech under
the U.S. Constitution even though they were offensive, a U.S. appeals court has
ruled in reviving his lawsuit against the city.
A unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals said on Friday that the 11 posts by Juan Hernandez, which he
made years before the police department moved to discipline him, touched on
matters of public concern and had nothing to do with his job duties.
The court reversed a Phoenix federal judge who said
that because Hernandez's posts were incendiary and mocked Muslims, they were
not protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
One of the 2014 posts stated that most men convicted
of rape in England are Muslim and criticized British media for calling
convicted rapists "Asian," and another mocked scientific contributions
by Muslims.
The 9th Circuit said Hernandez's posts, many of which
reflected bias against racial or religious minorities, added little value to
public discourse and the Phoenix police department may be warranted in
disciplining him, but that U.S. District Judge Michael Liburdi had thrown out
his lawsuit too early.
The court sent the case back to Liburdi to determine
whether the city's interest in regulating the conduct of police officers
outweighed Hernandez's free speech rights.
Hernandez had sued Phoenix in 2019, after the police
department determined that he should face disciplinary action over the posts
but before it actually imposed any. The discipline could range from a one-week
suspension to termination, according to filings in the case.
The Phoenix police department and a lawyer for the
city did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did a lawyer
for Hernandez.
The 9th Circuit panel included Circuit Judges Richard
Paez, Richard Clifton and Paul Watford.
Courts have increasingly been asked to grapple with
the free-speech implications of public employees' social media posts, and have
largely sided with workers in high-profile cases.
The 11th Circuit in April said posts two Florida
firefighters made in a private Facebook group criticizing a union official were
protected free speech and revived their lawsuit claiming they should not have
been disciplined over them.
And in 2020, the 6th Circuit ruled that a Cleveland
emergency medical service worker's Facebook posts supporting police officers
who had shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was wielding a toy gun,
involved a matter of public concern and were protected.
The case is Hernandez v. City of Phoenix, 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 21-16007.
Source: Reuters
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
UNSC Must Condemn Palestinian Islamic Jihad as Terror
Group, US Says
United States Ambassador
to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during the Security
Council meeting due to the situation in Middle East and Palestine, at the
United Nations headquarters in New York, US, August 8, 2022
(Photo credit:
REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)
-----
By Tovah Lazaroff
AUGUST 9, 2022
The United Nations Security Council must condemn the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a terror group, particularly given that it is an
Iranian proxy group that has persistently attacked innocent civilians, United
States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
"This Council should be able to come together and
unconditionally repudiate the terrorism of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose
reckless actions have put the lives of civilians, on both sides, at risk,"
Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UNSC during a special emergency meeting it
held on the Gaza violence over the weekend between the IDF and the Islamic
Jihad.
"Their actions must be condemned by all countries
in no uncertain terms. And no country should be expected to tolerate or
passively accept such brazen attacks on its civilians," she said.
The meeting was held even though an Egyptian-brokered
ceasefire, created with the help of the UN, the US and Qatar, had been in
effect since late Sunday night.
Thomas-Greenfield recalled that her country and many
other nations had already designated the Islamic Jihad as a terror group.
'It is also an Iranian proxy group, which has
conducted attacks against innocent civilians for years. It is telling that
Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders were in Tehran the last several days while
the people they claim to be protecting were left in harm’s way.
'I would also note that it was the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad, not Israel, that held up agreement on a ceasefire designated to save
lives and resume shipments into Gaza, callously prolonging these
hostilities," she charged.
Thomas-Greenfield also commended the efforts of
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, explaining that his efforts "ultimately
prevented further casualties and suffering."
She added that the fully supports "Israel’s right
to defend its people against terrorist threats, including from rocket fire
aimed at civilians or without regard to them."
Many of the countries that spoke condemned Israel's
actions against the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, including its pre-emptive strike on
Friday, in which the IDF killed senior Islamic Jihad commander Tayseer al-Jaabari.
At issue in particular, was the death of 46 Palestinians during the two-day
conflict, which the IDF called Operation Breaking Dawn and which it said was
specifically targeted against Islamic Jihad militants and infrastructure.
Israel has said that some 21 of those killed were Islamic Jihad operatives.
The Islamic Jihad, in turn, launched 1,100 rockets
against Israeli towns and cities of which 200 backfired into Gaza, killing
civilians including four children.
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan
said that Israel's killing of Tayseer al-Jaabari, as well as its fatal strike
against Islamic Jihad commander Khaled Mansour, was comparable to the US
targeted killing the previous week of Al-Qaeda's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri in
Afghanistan.
Thomas Greenfield said that the US was "deeply
saddened by reports of civilian casualties," adding that their deaths
should be "thoroughly investigated."
She cautioned, however, against jumping to
conclusions.
"Just one example, Israel was originally blamed
for an attack that inflicted civilian casualties in Jabaliya refugee camp. It
now appears to have been caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket. So let
us be sure to follow the facts and see where they lead us."
British Ambassador to the UN James Kariuki also spoke
strongly in defense of Israel. "We strongly condemn the firing of over
1,100 rockets at civilians by Islamic Jihad, and the ongoing campaign of terror
attacks by the group, which has resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians,
Israelis and Palestinians alike.
"As my Foreign Secretary has been clear, the UK
stands by Israel and its right to defend itself in the face of such terrorism
and violence," Kariuki said.
Source: J Post
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-714245
--------
India
NIA
Arrests Two Bangladeshi Nationals from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh for Spreading
Jihad in India
08
AUG 2022
Ahead
of the Indian Independence Day, two "highly radicalised" Bangladeshi
nationals allegedly involved in propagating jihad in India by posting hateful
and incriminating materials online were arrested from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh,
said a spokesperson of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday.
Hamidullah
alias 'Raju Gaji' of Narayanganj district and Mohammad Sahadat Hussain alias
"Abidullah" of Madaripur district in Bangladesh were arrested on
Sunday, the spokesperson said.
They
were arrested in a case related to the arrest of six active cadre of
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), including three illegal Bangladeshi
immigrants, from Aishbagh in Bhopal early this year, the spokesperson said.
The
Union government banned terror group JMB in May 2019. At the time, the Ministry
of Home Affairs said, "The Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and its
formations like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India or Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Hindustan
and their manifestations have committed acts of terrorism, promoted acts of
terrorism and have been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youth(s)
for terrorist activities in India."
The
NIA said Hamidullah —also known by aliases 'Muffakir', 'Samad Ali Miyan' and
'Talha'— and Hussain were close associates of the six arrested JMB members and
were found using encrypted apps to communicate with their associates in India
and Bangladesh.
"The
arrested accused are highly radicalised individuals and involved in propagating
Jihad by posting hateful and incriminating materials online in various groups
on different social media platforms to radicalise other people," the
spokesperson said.
With
the latest arrest, a total of nine accused have been held in the case so far,
the official said.
Source:
Outlook India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PM
Modi recalls sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain on day of Ashura
August
9, 2022
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday recalled the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam
Hussain on the day of Ashura.
The
prime minister said that Hazrat Imam Hussain is remembered for his unwavering
commitment to truth and his fight against injustice.
In
a tweet, Prime Minister Modi said, “Today is a day to recall the sacrifices of
Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS). He is remembered for his unwavering commitment to
truth and his fight against injustice. “He also placed great importance on
equality and brotherhood.”
Source:
The Statesman
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/pm-modi-recalls-sacrifices-hazrat-imam-1503098385.html
--------
A
first: Akal Takht to hold prayers for Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims killed during
Partition
by
Kamaldeep Singh Brar | Amritsar
August
9, 2022
To
mark the 75th anniversary of the Partition, Akal Takht will hold common prayers
on August 16 for the peace of souls perished during the division of Punjab
between India and Pakistan in 1947.
“Around
10 lakh Punjabi men, women and children were killed during the Partition of
Punjab between India and Pakistan in 1947. Common prayers for the peace of
souls lost during the Partition will be held at Akal Takht Sahib on August 16,”
reads the poster released by Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal seat of
Sikhs, on Monday.
Sikh
activist Parmpal Singh said, “Akal Takht has already issued instructions to all
the gurdwaras across the world to hold such prayers during this week. Gurdwaras
can hold prayers whenever it is convenient to them to remember those killed
during the Partition. The concluding ceremony will be held at Akal Takht on
August 16. Representatives from Hindu and Muslim communities will also be part
of these prayers.”
Alami
Punjabi Sangat, a group of Punjabi activists, had offered prayers for the
victims on the 70th anniversary of the Partition in 2017.
Gangveer
Rathour, one of the founders of Alami Punjabi Sangat, said the Akal Takht
prayer initiative will be a big step in understanding the Partition and the
problems created due to it.
“Akal
Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh understands the phenomenon of the Partition
very deeply. So when we made a request to him to hold prayers for the Partition
victims, he not only agreed to it but also chalked out the idea of prayer at
Akal Takht,” said Rathour, who belongs to a Hindu family from Rahon near
Nawanshahr.
He
said, “Personally I am not a victim of the Partition. No-one from my family
migrated during the Partition. But my hometown Rahon still has many symbols of
civilisation depicting coexistence of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs before 1947.
Rahon helped me develop my understanding about the Partition, and I think every
single Punjabi is still affected by the two-nation theory whether their family
members migrated or not in 1947.”
Talking
to The Indian Express about the idea of prayer, Giani Harpreet Singh said, “The
Partition is the biggest blot in the history of India and Pakistan. The then
top leadership completely failed to foresee the large-scale ill-effects of
dividing the country on the basis of two-nation theory. While leaders on both
sides managed to get top posts for themselves after the division, lakhs of
Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims from Punjab perished without a trace during the Partition
with many not even getting the solace of the customary last rites. The problems
of today’s Punjab have their origin in the two-nation theory.”
He
said, “The story of the Partition is still untold. We are suffering the effects
of the Partition even today. What we call the border area now, it was the most
prosperous region of Punjab before the Partition. Now, this border belt is
infamous for smuggling. Relations between India and Pakistan are not allowing
smooth official trade between the two countries which is again affecting
Punjabis on both sides economically. While Urdu has taken over Punjabi language
in West Punjab, the monopoly of Hindi has been threatening Punjabi in East
Punjab. All these have their origins in the Partition.”
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Both
Hindus and Muslims together drove British out of India: All India Tanzeem
Ulama-e-Islam on ‘Quit India Movement’ anniversary
9
August, 2022
Bareilly
(Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 8 (ANI): All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Islam
organized a big programme on Monday on the anniversary of the Quit India
Movement, where Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, Secretary General of the Tanzeem,
recounted the importance and history of the Quit India Movement.
Razvi
said that both Hindus and Muslims together liberated India and sent the British
across the seven seas, now again the people of both communities will work
together for the progress and prosperity of India and will take India to new
heights.
Razvi
said that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi started the ‘Quit India’ movement on
August 8, 1942, at the All India Congress Committee session in Bombay.
The
next day, Gandhi, Nehru and several other leaders of the Indian National
Congress were arrested by the British government. In the following days, there
were disorderly and non-violent demonstrations across the country, he added.
By
mid-1942, Japanese troops were approaching India’s borders. There was
increasing pressure from China, the United States and Britain to resolve the
issue of India’s future status before the end of the war, he stated.
Further,
he said, in March 1942, the Prime Minister sent Sir Stafford Cripps, a member
of the War Cabinet, to India to discuss the draft declaration of the British
government.
The
draft gave India Dominion status after the war but otherwise accepted some
changes in the British Government Act 1935. The draft was unacceptable to the
Congress Working Committee which rejected it. The failure of the Cripps Mission
further alienated Congress and the British Government.
Gandhi
captured the failure of the Cripps Mission, the progress of the Japanese in
South-East Asia, and the general frustration with the British in India. He
called for a voluntary British withdrawal from India. From 29 April to 1 May
1942, the All India Congress Committee gathered in Allahabad to discuss the
proposal of the Working Committee.
Although
Gandhi was absent from the meeting, several of his points were included in the
resolution, the most important of them being a commitment to non-violence. On
14 July 1942, the Congress Working Committee met again at Wardha and resolved
that it would authorize Gandhi to take charge of the non-violent mass movement.
The resolution, commonly referred to as the ‘Quit India’ motion, was to be
approved by the All India Congress Committee meeting in Bombay in August.
From
August 7-8 1942, the All India Congress Committee met in Bombay and ratified
the ‘Quit India’ resolution. Gandhi called for ‘do or die’. The next day on 9
August 1942, Gandhi, members of the Congress Working Committee and other
Congress leaders were arrested by the British Government under the Defense of
India Rules.
The
Working Committee, the All India Congress Committee and the four Provincial
Congress Committees were declared unlawful associations under the Criminal Law
Amendment Act of 1908. The assembly of public meetings was prohibited under
Rule 56 of the Defense of India Rules.
The
arrest of Gandhi and Congress leaders led to massive demonstrations across
India. Thousands were killed and injured in the wake of the ‘Quit India’
movement. The strike was called in many places. The British swiftly suppressed
many of these demonstrations by mass detention; More than 100,000 people were
imprisoned.
The
‘Quit India’ movement, more than anything, united the Indian people against
British rule. Although most of the demonstrations were suppressed by 1944,
after his release in 1944, Gandhi continued his resistance and went on a 21-day
fast. By the end of World War II, Britain’s place in the world had changed
dramatically and demands for independence could no longer be ignored.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pasmanda
Muslims to spiritual heads, BJP walks the extra mile
9th
August 2022
By
Preetha Nair
NEW
DELHI: In a major outreach to the Muslim community, the BJP on Friday held a
meeting of several Pasmanda (backward) leaders in the capital. The meeting
‘Pasmanda Muslim Sneh Samman Samroh’ was in accordance with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s call for his party cadres to reach out to the deprived sections
among the minority communities, such as Pasmanda Muslims.
The
effort was clearly to highlight Uttar Pradesh, which has the first Pasmanda
Muslim minister, Danish Azad Ansari, in the state cabinet and a few community
members at the organizational level.
The
Delhi meeting is seen as a part of the ongoing outreach plans for the backward
sections ahead of the 2024 general election.
Sources
said the party has taken cognizance of the support extended by the backward
Muslim community to the BJP in the recent by-elections and assembly polls,
which played a crucial role in its victory.
The
socially and economically backward Pasmanda Muslims account for nearly 80% of
the Muslims in the country. The BJP also highlights the fact that Muslim
leaders in various parties come from the upper caste Ashrafs that comprise the
Syeds, Mughals, and Pathans.
BJP
spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan told TNIE that in the coming years, the party
would cultivate leaders from the Pasmanda community in leadership roles, though
it already has substantial representation at the organization and government
levels. He pointed out that in UP, the chairpersons of the state minority
commission and madrasa board belong to the Pasmanda community.
“The
BJP’s victory in the Lok Sabha by-polls in Azamgarh and Rampur illustrates that
the backward Muslim community has reposed faith in us and the welfare
programmes of the government,’ said Paswan.
Analysts
point out that Pasmanda Muslims, who are being historically neglected by all
ruling dispensations, will grab the opportunity for their uplift.
However,
Ali Anwar Ansari, former Rajya Sabha MP and head of All India Pasmanda Muslim
Mahaz (AIPMM), doesn’t agree. He said the PM’s outreach to the backward Muslims
is only posturing as it lacks sincerity. “On one hand, the BJP makes false
promises and on the other, it is attacking the backward Muslims in the name of
mob lynching, love jihad, and so on. The PM once said that Muslims could be
identified from their clothes. It is sheer hypocrisy,” said Ansari.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
On
Muharram, PM's ‘brotherhood’ tweet; Nitish bows to Imam Hussain’s sacrifices
Aug
09, 2022
As
the Muslims around the world observe Muharram today, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi highlighted the “great importance” Hazrat Imam Hussain placed on equality
and brotherhood. In a tweet, Prime Minister Modi said that Muharram is a day to
recall the sacrifices of Imam Hussain, a 7th century revolutionary leader and
grandson of Prophet Muhammad, and his unwavering commitment to truth and his
fight against injustice.
“Today
is a day to recall the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS). He is remembered
for his unwavering commitment to truth and his fight against injustice. He also
placed great importance on equality and brotherhood,” PM Modi tweeted.
Imam
Hussain is known for his sacrifice for social justice against Yazid. On this
day, Muslims are prohibited from taking part in activities like warfare and use
it as a period of prayer and reflection.
Several
political leaders, including Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi chief
minister Arvind Kejriwal also remembered Imran Hussain's sacrifice for truth
and justice.
“On
the occasion of Muharram, I bow to the martyrs of Karbala and the sacrifices of
Hazrat Imam Hussain. It is an appeal to the people of the state to remember the
sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain and adopt his ideals,” Kumar posted on
Twitter in Hindi.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
AMU
suspends four students over firing incident on campus
Aug
08, 2022
The
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) suspended four students on Monday, following
charges of violence and attack on fellow students on Saturday. The charges
include firing, kidnapping and physical assault leading to indiscipline and
misconduct on the university campus.
“We
had received two complaints and in one of them Mohd Kashif, a student of BA
(Hons) at AMU had blamed students Ashraf Ali (BTech), Atif Jamal (BA) and
Farhan Ali (BSc) for physically assaulting him with a pistol butt at 5pm on
August 6, 2022. Moreover, they also attempted to kidnap him at gunpoint while
he was returning from the faculty of arts examination centre on the Aligarh
Muslim University campus on Saturday,” informed Wasim Ali, the Proctor at
Aligarh Muslim University.
It
has come to light that the accused students had opened fire while running away
from the spot creating a panic situation on the campus.
“University
took note of the incident and prima facie these three students were found to
have committed the act of indiscipline and misconduct according to AMU
Student’s Conduct and Discipline Rules, 1985 thus these students were placed
under suspension with immediate effect from rolls of university pending enquiry
and are not allowed to enter the university campus and its maintained
institutions till then,” stated the proctor.
The
second complaint was filed by Ashraf Ali against another student Saqlain (BA),
in which he accused him of attempting to kill him by opening fire on him and
threatening dire consequences.
“In
this complaint, prima facie Saqlain was found guilty of indiscipline and
misconduct and was placed under suspension with immediate effect from rolls of
university pending enquiry and is not to have an entry in the university campus
and its maintained institutions till enquiry pending,” stated Proctor, AMU
Wasim Ali.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Film
Hum Do Hamare Baarah Targets Muslims, Say Netizens; Director Denies
8th
August 2022
Mumbai:
The poster of the upcoming Hindi movie – Hum Do Hamare Baarah – starring
veteran actor Annu Kapoor launched on August 5, has created a stir and has
given rise to several Twitter feuds. The poster for the movie shows the head of
a Muslim family (played by Annu Kapoor) surrounded by his 11 children and a
pregnant wife.
The
poster caught the eyes of many as it depicted a Muslim family and evoked
outrage among Twitteratis. Many eminent journalists including Rana Ayyub have
slammed the censor board, saying that the poster was a blunt representation of
Islamophobia.
Ayub
questioned how films that depict Muslims in a bad light get an easy pass.
Reacting
to the criticism, Hum Do Hamare Baarah’s director, Kamal Chandra, defended the
poster and refuted claims that it targets a certain section of society.
Speaking to ETimes, he said the film talks about the ‘population explosion’ in
the country.
“The
film is not objectionable at all. It needs to be seen in the right context,” he
said.
Confident
that his film ‘Hum Do Hamare Baarah’ will be received with a positive response
from the public, Chandra said, “I am sure people will be happy to see one of
the most relevant issues of our times on population growth and we are making it
without any prejudice and hurting sentiments of any particular community.”
When
asked why he chose a Muslim family to depict his idea of population explosion,
Chandra said, “Today, people from one particular community are feeling that
they are being targeted through our film. If we would have made a poster
reflecting any other community, they would have said the same thing. I feel
that cinema is the best medium to express our thoughts and feelings. I urge
everyone to not make an issue out of this.”
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hum-do-hamare-baarah-targets-muslims-say-netizens-director-denies-2385593/
--------
BJP
MP demands NPR stating ‘infiltration’ of Bangladeshi Muslims in Jharkhand
8th
August 2022
New
Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday raised in Lok Sabha the issue of
“infiltration” of Bangladeshi Muslims in Jharkhand, demanding that the
government carry out the National Population Register exercise there and
dismiss the Hemant Soren-led state government for aiding “Islamization”
activities.
Raising
the issue under rule 377 in the House, Dubey said he has been flagging the
issue of infiltration from adjoining Bangladesh into Jharkhand for the last
13-14 years.
“This
issue has nothing to do with Hindu-Muslim as those who infiltrate take away the
employment of both Hindus and Muslims,” Dubey said.
Bangladeshi
Muslims by marrying “gullible” tribal girls are looking to change the
demography of the region, the BJP MP from Godda said.
He
cited the example of a head of zila parishad in Sahibganj elected on tribal
quota and married to a Muslim. “There are thousands of such examples,” he
added.
Dubey
also raised the issue of cyber crimes as well as cows and sand being sent to
Bangladesh from Jharkhand illegally.
“There
is Islamization with students being taught in Urdu in government schools and
weekly holiday now shifted to Friday. Due to these four-five issues, there is
unrest in the region and it is moving toward Islamisation,” he said.
“I
request the government to carry out NPR there, there should be a National
Investigation Agency office there, and since the Jharkhand government (led by
the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) along with the Congress is aiding these activities,
president’s rule be applied under article 356,” Dubey said.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bangalore:
Hindu activists demand demolition of Idgah maidan tower
8th
August 2022
Bengaluru:
Following the decision of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that the
property of Idgah Maidan belongs to the revenue department of the state
government, Hindu activists are now demanding demolition of the tower at the
controversial site.
Vishwa
Sanatan Parishat President Bhaskaran on Monday said that when there was a
declaration that the Idgah Maidan is a property of the state government, then
why should there be an Idgah tower in Idgah Maidan of the Chamarajpet locality
of Bengaluru.
“We
have been fighting over the issue since 2017. Muslims have been given separate
Idgah Maidan and kabristan (funeral ground) by the state government. If they
are still insisting on conducting prayers here and stake claim, then their
intention is very clear. They don’t want any other community to make use of
this property,” he said.
“The
state government has allotted an alternative site for Idgah Maidan though
Muslims did not own the previous Idgah Maidan considering that they are also
citizens of this country,” he said.
“We
will write a letter to BBMP and state government and also file a petition
before the High Court making the state government and revenue department as
parties to take down Idgah tower,” Bhaskaran explained.
“If
Idgah tower is allowed to stand there, which is now a property of the revenue
department, it will create a permanent problem and lead to communal clashes. It
will lead to the murders of Hindus. We all know how violence flared up after
laser light was flashed on a mosque during Ganesh festival in Hubballi city.
Hence, the Idgah tower must be demolished in the interest of society,” he
added.
Talking
about the Wakf Board approaching court against BBMP’s decision, Bhaskaran said
the Wakf board and the Muslim Central Board were not even parties when the
Supreme Court gave its order in 1965. If they approach the court, they will be
rapped by the court, Bhaskaran said. Idgah tower will stand as an impediment to
the celebration of Hindu festivals, he added.
Meanwhile,
the Muslim leaders have claimed that Idgah tower has hundreds of years of
history and “what will be the gain from the demolition of Idgah tower. If the
ground is utilised for other purposes it’s fine but why seek the demolition,”
they ask.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/bangalore-hindu-activists-demand-demolition-of-idgah-maidan-tower-2385774/
--------
South
Asia
Prospects
of Employment; Taliban Supreme Leader Issues Order to Round Up Beggars in Kabul
By
Saqalain Eqbal
08
Aug 2022
Taliban
supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, has assigned the deputy prime
minister of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, to round up beggars from
the streets of Kabul, the Afghan capital.
According
to the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency, the Deputy Prime Minister of the
group has been directed to coordinate with respective agencies to begin work on
rounding up panhandlers from Kabul city, addressing and solving their problems.
After
biometrics, beggars with skills and abilities will be given jobs and their
guardians will be asked to give up and swear off begging in the future,
according to Bakhtar.
Per
the statement, street children beggars would receive an education, and beggars
who are extremely underprivileged and unable to work will receive a monthly
salary.
According
to a recent Save the Children report, 13 million children are among the 24.4
million people in Afghanistan who urgently need humanitarian assistance.
After
the Taliban took control of Afghanistan it put the nation in a sharp decline in
international aid, loss of access to foreign reserves, and disruption of
financial links.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghanistan:
One year since the Taliban takeover
Aug
9, 2022
KABUL:
The Taliban stormed back to power a year ago as US-led forces withdrew from the
country, two decades after first ousting the hardline Islamist regime.
Here
are the key events of the past 12 months:
As
the United States and its allies begin withdrawing their forces from
Afghanistan, the Taliban launch a final offensive to win back control of the
country they ran between 1996 and 2001.
In
August, the Islamists accelerate their campaign, seizing a string of cities in
a lightning 10-day sweep across the country that culminates with the fall of
the capital, Kabul, on August 15, 2021.
President
Ashraf Ghani flees to Abu Dhabi, admitting the "Taliban have won".
Thousands
of terrified Afghans and foreigners rush to Kabul airport in a frenzied
scramble to board the last flights out of the country.
Washington
freezes some $7 billion in Afghan reserves in US banks, and donors suspend or
dramatically reduce their aid to the country.
Chaos
reigns at the airport, where several people are crushed to death while trying
to get onto the tarmac as the United States and its allies hastily evacuate
their citizens and Afghan nationals who aided the ousted government.
On
August 26, a suicide bomb rips through the crowds, killing more than 100
people, including 13 US service members.
The
Islamic State group's chapter in Afghanistan and Pakistan, rivals of the
Taliban, claims responsibility.
Four
days later, the Taliban celebrate as the last American forces and their allies
leave on August 30.
Despite
the Taliban's claim to have ended their repressive ways, the signs are
inauspicious. A new interim government is unveiled in September, with hardliners
in all key posts and no women.
The
Taliban also bring back the feared Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the
Prevention of Vice, enforcing the group's austere interpretation of Islam.
The
actions spark protests in Kabul and Herat, where two people are shot dead.
In
October, blasts tear through a Shiite mosque in Kandahar during Friday prayers,
killing 60 people in the deadliest attack since the departure of US troops.
The
attack claimed by Afghanistan's IS chapter comes a week after a suicide attack
at another Shiite mosque in the northern city of Kunduz claimed by the
jihadists in which dozens were killed.
Deprived
of aid, Afghanistan is plunged into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis.
Norway
invites the Taliban to talks with members of Afghanistan's civil society and
Western diplomats in Oslo.
An
all-male Taliban delegation travels to the meeting, during which officials from
the United States and Europe explore the possibility of providing aid directly
to the Afghan people.
In
March, the Taliban block secondary school girls from returning to class, hours
after schools reopen. The Islamists also instruct that government employees
must grow beards.
In
May, women and girls are ordered to wear the hijab and cover their faces when
in public, with the religious police saying they prefer women to stay at home.
Women
TV presenters are among those targeted by the measure, sparking an
international outcry.
Women
are also banned from making long-distance journeys alone and can only visit
public parks in the capital on days when men are not allowed.
More
than 1,000 people are killed and thousands left homeless when an earthquake
strikes Afghanistan's border with Pakistan on June 22.
The
disaster poses a huge logistical challenge for the Taliban government, which
has not been formally recognised by any country.
International
aid agencies come to the rescue, sending food, tents and medical supplies.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Army and Taliban Clash in Eastern Afghanistan along Durand Line
By
Saqalain Eqbal
08
Aug 2022
Taliban
officials in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan say that the Pakistani army
and the Taliban forces engaged in an armed clash in the province along the
Durand line.
According
to Najibullah Hanif, the Taliban’s Head of Information and Culture Department
in Kunar province, there were no casualties and the situation is now resolved.
Taliban
official, Hanif, stated that the incident occurred because the Pakistani
military planned to construct a post and put up barbed wire in the Bain-e-Shahi
region of Dangam district in Kunar province close to the Durand Line.
Locals
in Kunar province, on the other hand, said that the skirmish went on until
10:00 PM and that both sides utilized light and heavy weapons.
After
the clash, Najibullah Hanif stated that Pakistani forces fired mortar shells,
attacking various areas in the Dangam district.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
EU submits ‘final text’ at Iran nuclear talks, Tehran examining document
August
08, 2022
VIENNA:
The European Union submitted a “final text” at talks to salvage a 2015 deal
aimed at reining in Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Tehran said Monday it was
reviewing the proposals.
Britain,
China, France, Germany, Iran and Russia, as well as the United States
indirectly, resumed talks on Thursday in Vienna, months after they had stalled.
The
European Union has submitted a “final text,” a European official said on
Monday. “We worked for four days and today the text is on the table,” the
official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
“The
negotiation is finished, it’s the final text... and it will not be
renegotiated.”
“Now
the ball is in the court of the capitals and we will see what happens,” the
European official added. “No one is staying in Vienna.”
The
official said he hoped to see the “quality” text accepted “within weeks.”
Iran
said it was examining the 25-page document.
“As
soon as we received these ideas, we conveyed our initial response and
considerations,” state news agency IRNA quoted an unnamed foreign ministry
official as saying.
“But
naturally, these items require a comprehensive review, and we will convey our
additional views and considerations.”
On
Sunday, Iran demanded the UN nuclear watchdog “completely” resolve questions
over nuclear material at undeclared sites.
Iranian
sources have suggested a key sticking point has been a probe by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on traces of nuclear material found
at undeclared Iranian sites.
“That
has nothing to do with” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
agreement of 2015, the European official said.
“I
hope Iran and the IAEA will reach an agreement because that will facilitate a
lot of things.”
The
UN agency’s board of governors adopted a resolution in June, censuring Iran for
failing to adequately explain the previous discovery of traces of enriched
uranium at three previously undeclared sites.
“We
believe that the agency should completely resolve the remaining safeguard
issues from a technical route by distancing itself from irrelevant and
unconstructive political issues, Iran’s foreign minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian said on Sunday.
Kelsey
Davenport, an expert at the Arms Control Association, warned against abandoning
the IAEA probe in a bid to revive the JCPOA, which she called “the most
effective way to verifiably block Iran’s pathways to nuclear weapons.”
If
the United States and the other signatories to the 2015 deal do not support the
UN body, it will “undermine the agency’s mandate” and broader non-proliferation
goals, she wrote on Twitter.
The
EU-coordinated negotiations to revive the JCPOA began in April 2021 before
coming to a standstill in March.
The
2015 accord gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic
program to guarantee Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon — something it
has always denied wanting to do.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2138536/middle-east
--------
Russia
launches Iranian rocket into orbit, amid Western concerns
09
August, 2022
A
Russian rocket carrying an Iranian satellite successfully launched into space
on Tuesday as Moscow and Tehran seek to build closer ties in the face of
Western sanctions.
The
remote sensing satellite, called “Khayyam” was launched by a Russian Soyuz
rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the home of Russian space launches located
in southern Kazakhstan, at 08:52 a.m. Moscow time (0552 GMT) on Tuesday,
according to a video broadcast by Russia’s Roscosmos space agency on YouTube.
Tehran
has rejected claims the satellite could be used by Moscow to boost its
intelligence capabilities in Ukraine, saying Iran will have full control and
operation over it “from day
one.”
The
Washington Post reported last week that US officials are concerned by the
fledgling space cooperation between Russia and Iran, fearing the satellite will
not only help Russia in
Ukraine
but also provide Iran “unprecedented capabilities” to monitor potential
military targets in Israel and the wider middle east.
Iran
says the satellite is designed for scientific research including radiation and
environmental monitoring for agricultural purposes.
Russia
has sought to deepen its ties with Iran since February 24, when the Kremlin
ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.
In
July, President Vladimir Putin visited Iran in his first international trip
outside the former Soviet Union since the start of Russia’s military campaign
in Ukraine.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
EU
proposes ‘final text’ for agreement in Iran nuclear negotiations
Askin
Kiyagan and Zehra Nur Duz
08.08.2022
VIENNA,
ANKARA
EU
foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has offered a "final text" to the
parties to reach a consensus in the ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations, an EU
official said on Monday.
“During
these four days we have worked on these issues with technical questions and
today the high representative (Borrell) is putting into table basically the
same text with some improvements for these technical questions,” said the EU diplomat,
who asked not to be identified, referring to Borrell’s official title, high
representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
Now
the parties to the talks will consider this text, said the official, calling it
the best possible effort by the EU to reach a compromise between the parties.
Underlining
that the text covers every single aspect of the deal, he said the parties’
response will determine whether a final agreement is reached or not.
The
text put forward by Borell will not be changed or negotiated, the official
added.
The
diplomat said he expects the process to "come to a conclusion very, very
soon.”
The
US and Iranian delegations, as well as EU officials, will leave Vienna on
Monday or Tuesday, the EU diplomat noted.
“So
we are leaving Vienna because the negotiation is over. We have finished the
negotiations. We have produced a text,” the official added.
Referring
to then-President Donald Trump’s unilateral US withdrawal from the deal –
officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – in 2018, he
said: “When we arrived here, there were many questions of what we can do for
the US go back to full compliance with the JCPOA and what we can do for Iran to
go back to meeting its commitments under the nuclear agreement.”
“It's
my strong conviction that all the questions have been answered in the best
possible way for the JCPOA,” he added.
After
a five-month break, negotiations resumed last Thursday in Vienna to revive the
Iran nuclear deal by finding a compromise between the US and Iran.
‘What
can be negotiated has been negotiated’
“Negotiators
used these days of discussions and proximity talks between the US and Iran to
fine tune and address – with technical adjustments – a handful of issues
remaining in the text that I have put on the table last July 21, as coordinator
of the JCPOA nuclear deal,” Borrell said Monday on Twitter.
“What
can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text. However,
behind every technical issue and every paragraph lies a political decision that
needs to be taken in the capitals. If these answers are positive, then we can
sign this deal,” he added.
The
nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK,
Germany, and the EU.
Under
the agreement, Tehran committed to limit its nuclear activity to civilian
purposes and in return, world powers agreed to drop their economic sanctions
against Iran.
Trump’s
withdrawal in 2018, with the US reimposing sanctions on Iran, prompted Tehran
to stop complying with the nuclear deal.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Germany
to deploy military contingent to EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia
Mustafa
Talha Öztürk
08.08.2022
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Germany
will deploy a military contingent to the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (EUFOR).
"This
new EUFOR personnel will provide additional capacity in EUFOR HQ and for
EUFOR’s network of Liaison and Observation Team (LOT) Houses which are located
on an impartial basis all over Bosnia and Herzegovina," EUFOR said on
Monday.
Germany's
move will bring the total number of nations contributing troops to the mission
to 20.
"The
number of personnel to deploy will be up to a maximum of 50," said the
statement.
The
deployment will take place in phases starting mid-August.
Germany
had withdrawn troops from EUFOR 10 years ago.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘Stranded’
Afghanistan translators sue UK government
August
09, 2022
LONDON:
Several Afghan translators who worked with the British army during their
deployment in Afghanistan and who were allegedly left behind during last year’s
evacuation are reportedly suing the UK government.
According
to Sky News, the solicitor for at least six translators said the processing
system they had been through was “appalling” after four of them were initially
rejected, and then later approved to come to the UK after legal papers were
lodged.
One
of the translators, who was not on an evacuation flight with his family last
August, and who lodged a legal appeal following an ARAP (Afghan Relocations and
Assistance Policy) scheme rejection, told the channel he felt “stranded” in
Afghanistan.
According
to the report, he successfully applied for relocation in February and in May
was told to await instructions regarding how to leave Afghanistan via a third
country, but is still awaiting those instructions.
“I’m
really afraid and I’m in hiding,” he told Sky News. “I’m feeling so unhappy, I
live like in a prison, my message to the British Army ‘we saved the lives of
the British soldiers and now it’s time to save my life and my family’s life.’”
Another
man, who has also lodged a legal appeal, had to be assisted by the Canadian
government to escape Afghanistan, and has since been living in a hotel room in
Pakistan with his wife and five children.
“The
overall handling of the scheme, in spite of reassurances, has been appalling,”
solicitor Qays Sediqi told Sky News.
“These
individuals — if they didn’t have legal representation — would be left stranded
in Afghanistan or a third country where they have no right of residence,” he
added.
ARAP
was launched in April 2021 and, since then, more than 10,000 people have
successfully relocated, from around 120,000 applications. However, it is
believed a further 8,000 are eligible.
Delays
were “regrettable,” according to the UK Ministry of Defense, which also said it
was putting more resources into identifying and assisting eligible applicants.
“We
continue to relocate eligible Afghans who worked with the UK armed forces under
the ARAP scheme and are working with partners in the region to bring out as
many people as we can on a regular basis,” a spokesperson said.
“All
applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Processing timelines vary
due to the complexity and personal circumstances of each applicant and we
regret any delays as we work through complex cases.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2138891/world
--------
North
America
One
year after Afghan war, Biden struggles to find footing
Aug
9, 2022
WASHINGTON
- The 12 months since the chaotic end to the US war in Afghanistan haven't been
easy for Joe Biden.
The
new president was flying high early in the summer of 2021, the American
electorate largely approving of Biden's performance and giving him high marks
for his handling of the economy and the coronavirus pandemic.
But
come August, the messy US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan seemed to mark the
start of things going sideways for him.
It
was a disquieting bookend to the 20-year American war: the U.S.-backed Afghan
government collapsed, a grisly bombing killed 13 US troops and 170 others, and
thousands of desperate Afghans descended on Kabul's airport in search of a way
out before the final US cargo planes departed over the Hindu Kush.
The
disastrous drawdown was, at the time, the biggest crisis that the relatively
new administration had faced. It left sharp questions about Biden and his
team's competence and experience - the twin pillars central to his campaign for
the White House.
As
the one-year anniversary of the end of the Afghan war nears, the episode - a
turning point in Biden's presidency - continues to resonate as he struggles to
shake dismal polling numbers and lift American confidence in his administration
ahead of November's critical midterm elections.
"It
was a pivotal moment that he hasn't ever really recovered from," said
Christopher Borick, director of the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg
College in Pennsylvania. "Things were going really well in terms of how
voters viewed him in terms of bringing stability to the economy and how the
government addressed the pandemic, issues that are higher priorities to the
American electorate than the war in Afghanistan. But Afghanistan cracked that
image of competency, and he hasn't ever really been able to repair it."
The
Afghanistan debacle was just the start of a series of crises for Biden.
As
Biden was still dealing with fallout from the Afghan withdrawal last summer,
Covid-19 cases began spiking again. Layered over that in coming were months
were strains on the economy caused by inflation, labor shortages and the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. The sum of it left Americans weary.
In
the weeks before Afghanistan went sideways, Biden was riding high. His approval
rating stood at 59% in a July 2021 poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for
Public Affairs Research. An AP-NORC poll conducted last month put his rating at
36%.
White
House officials and Biden allies hope the president is now at another turning
point - this one in his favor.
The
administration has recently racked up high-profile wins on Capitol Hill,
including passage of the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act designed to boost
the U.S. semiconductor industry. Congress also passed a program to treat
veterans who may have been exposed to toxic substances from burning trash pits
on U.S. military bases.
And
over the weekend the White House sealed the deal on far-reaching legislation
addressing health care and climate change that also raises taxes on high
earners and large corporations, a package the administration says will also
help mitigate the impact of high inflation.
The
legislative victories followed Biden ordering the CIA drone strike in Kabul
that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, who along with Osama bin Laden
masterminded the 9/11 attacks. Biden says the operation validates the decision
to withdraw from Afghanistan.
"I
made the decision to end America's longest war ... and that we'd be able to
protect America and root out terrorism in Afghanistan or anywhere in the
world," Biden told a Democratic National Committee virtual rally last
week. "And that's exactly what we did."
Biden
had other big legislative wins after the Afghanistan debacle.
In
November, he signed into law a $1 trillion infrastructure deal to fund
rebuilding of roads, bridges and other big projects In April, the Senate
confirmed Biden's history-making U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Jackson
Brown, who became the first Black woman to serve on the high court. And in
June, Biden notched another win as Congress passed the most significant changes
to gun laws in nearly 30 years.
But
those legislative accomplishments weren't rewarded with a boost in his standing
with voters.
Eric
Schultz, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, argues that there's
reason for the White House to hope that momentum is shifting with the recent
legislative wins.
"The
question is, 'What did Democrats deliver when they swept into power in
2020?'" Schultz said. "And I think for Democrats running in November,
we have an even better answer to that question than we did just a few weeks ago."
Schultz
added that the operation that killed al-Zawahri also offered strong evidence
that Biden's instincts as commander in chief were correct.
"Nobody
thought Afghanistan was going to be a panacea of rainbows and unicorns after we
left," Schultz said. "But the president made the right decision that
based on U.S. national security interests we could execute our counterterrorism
imperatives without having thousands of troops on the ground."
William
Howell, a political scientist and director of the Center for Effective
Government at the University of Chicago, said the biggest drag on Biden's
standing with Americans has been runaway inflation and an unrelenting pandemic.
But
the Afghanistan debacle became a defining moment in the Biden presidency, he
said, marking when the American electorate began questioning Biden's ability to
fulfill his campaign promise to usher in an era of greater empathy and
collaboration with allies after four years of President Donald Trump's
"America first" approach.
"Afghanistan
remains significant going forward as he tries to make that central 2020
argument of competency," Howell said. "The images of Afghanistan are
going to remain Exhibit A in the other side's rebuttal of the competency
claim."
The
administration, for its part, has pushed back that lost in the criticism of the
U.S. withdrawal effort is that in the war's final days, the United States
pulled off the largest airlift in American history, evacuating some 130,000
U.S. citizens, citizens of allied countries, and Afghans who worked with the
United States.
Biden
continues to face criticism from immigrant refugee advocates that the
administration has fallen short in resettling Afghans who assisted the US war
effort.
As
of last month, more than 74,000 Afghan applicants remained in the pipeline for
special immigrant visas that help military interpreters and others who worked
on government-funded contracts move to the United States and pave the way for
them to receive a green card. That total counts only the principal applicant
and does not include spouses and children. More than 10,000 of that pool of
applicants had received a critical chief of mission approval, according to
State Department data.
Days
after the unexpected fall of Kabul last year, national security adviser Jake
Sullivan promised the White House would "conduct an extensive hot
wash" and "look at every aspect" of the withdrawal from top to
bottom." But that effort has dragged on and is not expected to be
completed before the Aug. 30 anniversary of Biden ending the war.
The
White House has yet to detail how the president will mark the anniversary of a
war that cost the lives of more than 2,400 U.S. troops and wounded nearly
21,000 more. Republicans are certain to resurrect criticism of the
administration's drawdown.
Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell noted to reporters that while taking out
al-Zawahri was a triumph for the intelligence community, the moment also
confirmed that the Taliban - ousted from power by U.S. forces after 9/11 to
deny al-Qaida a haven - are once again harboring al-Qaida.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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'Targeted
killings' of Muslim residents rock New Mexico community
8
August 2022
The
murders of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have sent shockwaves
throughout the Muslim community, with police investigating a potential link
between the killings.
The
latest victim, 25-year-old Naeem Hussain, was gunned down on Friday night,
shortly after attending funeral services for two other victims - Aftab Hussein,
41, fatally shot on 26 July and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, fatally shot on 1
August. All three men are of South Asian descent and Muslim.
Police
believe the killings could be linked to the November 2021 murder of Mohammad
Ahmadi, 62, a Muslim man from Afghanistan, who was ambushed outside a halal
supermarket and cafe in Albuquerque.
The
victims were all "ambushed with no warning, fired on and killed",
said Kyle Hartsock, deputy commander of Albuquerque Police Department's
criminal investigations division.
'Targeted
killings'
Police
have so far refrained from calling the murders hate crimes, but Arizona
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has characterised them as "targeted
killings of Muslim residents".
On
Monday, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said, ”in my opinion, clearly it is
hate-driven”.
"They
are obviously targeting Muslim men, and they are happening right here in our
own refugee community," Keller said in a CNN interview.
"We
know that folks in our community, in the Muslim community especially, they are
afraid to even leave their house, especially at night. They are afraid to pray.
They are afraid to go to school,” he added.
The
Albuquerque area is home to around 3,000-5,000 Muslims who make up about 85
percent of the entire state's Muslim population.
The
brutal killings have torn through the tight-knit community. The three latest
victims attended the same mosque, according to Tahir Gauba, a spokesperson for
the Islamic Center of New Mexico.
Naeem
Hussain, who was gunned down on Friday night, arrived in the US as a refugee
from Pakistan in 2016, fleeing persecution as a minority Shia Muslim. He became
a US citizen just last month, according to his brother-in-law, Ehsan Shahalami.
"He
was the most generous, kind, giving, patient, and down-to-earth person that I
could ever meet," said Shahalami.
"He
was very hardworking. He shared whatever he made with his family back home.”
Naeem
Hussain had started his own trucking business this year, and intended to bring
his wife to the US from Pakistan, Shahalami said.
Muhammad
Afzaal Hussain, who was killed on 1 August, worked as the planning and land use
director for the city of Espanola, New Mexico, and has been described as a
diligent and committed public servant.
He
also worked on the campaign team of Representative Melanie Ann Stansbury.
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, the congresswoman described him as “a
kind, funny, brilliant, amazing young man from Pakistan who came to the United
States to pursue his career and his life’s dream and to study at the University
of New Mexico".
The
Albuquerque Police Department is asking the public for help. They have released
a photo of a "vehicle of interest” believed to be a Volkswagen Jetta that
could have been used in the killings. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is
assisting in the investigation.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/targeted-killings-muslim-residents-rock-new-mexico-community
--------
Muslim
community expresses fear after killings of men in Albuquerque
NEELAM
BOHRA, Vimal Patel | New York
09.08.22
Muhammad
Imtiaz Hussain is afraid to step outside his home in Albuquerque to water his
plants. Or retrieve books from his car. Or even venture out onto his balcony.
“My
kids won’t let me go outside of my apartment,” said Hussain, 41, whose younger
brother Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, was fatally shot a week ago Monday just a
few blocks away. He was one of four Muslim men who were killed recently in the
city — three in the past two weeks — and authorities believe the deaths are
connected and meant to target the Muslim community.
The
latest victim, a Muslim man in his mid-20s from South Asia whose name has not
been released by the police, was killed on Friday just before midnight. Another
man, Aftab Hussein, 41, was fatally shot on July 26. Authorities say that the
killings of all three might be connected to the November 2021 killing of
Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, outside a business he and his brother ran.
As
the Albuquerque Police, the FBI and the State Police appealed to the public for
help in finding the killer or killers — on Sunday authorities described a
vehicle of interest, a dark-coloured, four-door Volkswagen sedan — the attacks
have left Muslims in a state of terror.
One
member who attended the Islamic Center of New Mexico, the same mosque as all
four of the victims, said that he may never return, citing fear of becoming
“bait”.
Other
members have temporarily left the state to stay with family members in other
parts of the country to wait out the investigation. One man, who immigrated
from Iraq, said that he felt safer back when he first came to the country in
the 1980s. Another member, Salem Ansari, said that some who attend the mosque
and work night shifts have quit their jobs.
“This
situation is getting so much worse,” Ansari said.
Ahmad
Assed, president of the mosque, said that he grew up in Albuquerque attending
the Islamic Center but never felt isolated as a Muslim in the city. But now, he
said, the community is going through a “sort of managed panic”.
The
elder Hussain said that he had lived safely in his neighbourhood for eight
years since moving to the United States with his wife and children. His brother
Muhammad arrived in 2017, and both men would go to the library at midnight or
buy coffees late into the evening while attending the University of New Mexico
as international students.
“Now,
I look outside the window and think, ‘Oh, this is the place where my brother
was killed. Should we move?’” he said.
Hussain
said that he had initially hoped to send his brother’s body back to be buried
with family in Pakistan, but the numerous gunshot wounds had made his brother
unrecognisable, and Hussain did not want his family to see him. The killer
“wanted to finish him — the whole nine yards,” he said.
In
general, anti-Muslim hate crimes in the US have been trending downward. Brian
Levin, a professor of criminal justice at California State University at San
Bernardino and the director of the school’s Center for the Study of Hate and
Extremism, said that the number of hate crimes reported against Muslims was
lower in 2020 than in any year since 9/11, though he added that those numbers
may be skewed because of pandemic restrictions.
But
he said that hate crimes remain a concern: They rose more than 20 per cent in
2021 and increased another 4.7 per cent in the first half of 2022, the centre
reported. Also, “underlying anti-Muslim attitudes” are pervasive and resurface
during times of national hardship, according to Professor Levin’s studies.
The
authorities said that they are refraining from using the term “hate” in
labelling the crimes until a motive could be established.
Just
last year, the Islamic Center faced an attempted arson from a woman who the
police say set three fires on the mosque playground and one fire at the
mosque’s main entrance. No one was injured, and the woman was arrested and
charged with arson. The case is pending.
The
Islamic Center has instructed its nearly 2,500 members to stay home as much as
they can, use the “buddy system” when going out and refrain from “engaging with
or agitating” anyone, Assed said.
He
added that he still felt supported by other communities but that this time he
also was feeling a sense of “hopelessness and despair”.
“I
do watch my back and get in the car. I’m watching all my surroundings,” he
said. “You don’t know whether they’re following you from the mosque if they’re
actually watching people going in and out of the mosque and following them
elsewhere. The pattern is unknown.”
Some
community members have expressed frustration about the lack of details from the
police investigation, but Assed said he was in contact with authorities and
understood why they have kept any developments under wraps. Authorities have
neither elaborated on why they believe the killings are linked nor indicated
whether there were any witnesses.
Hussain
said that he wanted the federal and state governments to pour as many resources
as possible into catching the killer.
But
until someone is caught, nothing is likely to lessen his fear — or his grief.
“My
5-year-old keeps asking, ‘Hey, where is my uncle?’” he said. “She’ll see me
crying and say, ‘Are you a crybaby? Why are you crying?’ But we can’t tell her.
Not yet.”
Governor
Michelle Lujan Grisham has characterised them as “targeted killings of Muslim
residents”.
US
President Joe Biden posted a message on Twitter on Sunday expressing solidarity
with the Muslim community, adding, “These hateful attack have no place in
America.”
“There
are several things in common with all four of the homicides,” city police
spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told reporters on Sunday.
Asked
whether investigators consider the killings to be hate crimes, city police
spokesman Gallegos said, “Hate is determined by motive, and we don’t know that
motive at this point.”
Source:
Telegraph India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US,
Iran face a deadline after nuclear talks end without agreement
08
August, 2022
The
US and Iran have just weeks to decide whether they want to revive their nuclear
deal, after European Union diplomats presented parties with a final draft
accord that could deliver a major expansion of Iranian oil exports to global
markets.
Negotiators
wrapped up more than 15 months of talks in Vienna on Monday with a blueprint
that requires the sign-off of US President Joe Biden and his Iranian
counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, according to two European Union diplomats familiar
with the process, who asked not to be identified in exchange for discussing
sensitive topics.
The
2015 nuclear pact granted the Persian Gulf nation relief from punishing
economic sanctions, including on oil sales, in exchange for limits to its
nuclear program. It slowly unraveled after the Trump administration exited four
years ago.
The
potential deal on the table spells out the steps that Iran and the US would
each take, with the former eliminating its stockpiles of enriched uranium in
return for economic concessions from the latter.
EU
foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will send a message telling leaders that
they now have a few weeks to choose whether or not to re-enter the deal,
according to the officials. US special envoy Robert Malley and Iran’s top
negotiator are expected to return to their capitals within the next day, the
officials said.
Tehran’s
insistence that International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors end their
investigation into decades-old nuclear activities remains a key sticking point
that the talks failed to resolve. The IAEA has for years been probing traces of
uranium found at several undeclared locations, with the Vienna-based agency’s
board formally censuring Iran over its lack of cooperation in June.
Diplomats
from China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and US are mediating talks between
the IAEA and Iran in an attempt to resolve the inquiry, according to the EU
diplomats. But those discussions are continuing on a separate track and there’s
no guarantee that the IAEA -- which operates as an independent nuclear auditor
-- will agree to a compromise.
Iran
ramped up its nuclear activities and restricted international monitoring of
atomic sites after the US left the original deal, known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action.
It
has accumulated enough enriched uranium to fabricate multiple weapons, if the
country’s leadership chose to militarize its atomic work. While Iran has always
said its program is entirely peaceful, world powers pursued the 2015 agreement
to verify the claim.
Iran’s
growing stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity -- a level that IAEA
inspectors call technically indistinguishable from weapons grade -- shows why
sides need to urgently agree now rather than let an agreement fester in limbo,
according to the EU officials.
But
politics may prevent either side from taking up the EU proposals.
Diplomats
say that Iran is keenly aware that relinquishing its nuclear gains will mean
sacrificing negotiating leverage built up over years.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Türkiye
'deeply concerned' over 'serial' killings of 4 Muslim individuals in US
Seda
Sevencan
08.08.2022
Türkiye
said on Monday that it is "deeply concerned" over the suspicious
killings of four Muslim individuals since November in the US city of
Albuquerque.
“We
are deeply concerned about the suspicious consecutive killings of 4 Muslim
individuals since November in the US city of Albuquerque, three of which have
been in the past week,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We
want the perpetrators of these serial murders, which are stated to be related
to each other and may be hate crimes, to be found immediately and brought to
justice,” the statement said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Senior
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan Leader Omar Khalid Khorasani Killed In Afghanistan,
Taliban Spokesperson Confirms
Tahir
Khan
August
8, 2022
Senior
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Omar Khalid Khorasani and two others
members of the banned outfit were killed in a roadside bomb attack in
Afghanistan on Monday, according to Taliban spokesman Muhamamad Khorasani.
Omar's
real name was Abdul Wali Mohmand and he previously headed the TTP in the
Mohmand Agency bordering Afghanistan.
In
a statement today, TTP officials said that the car carrying Omar came under
attack in the eastern Paktika province near the Barmal district on Sunday
evening.
They
urged the Taliban government in Afghanistan to investigate the incident and
unearth “spies” who could be responsible for the death of senior TTP leaders.
Apart
from Omar, the two other men killed in the attack have been identified as Mufti
Hassan and Hafiz Dawlat Khan. They were among several TTP leaders who had
joined the outlawed Daesh in 2014.
It
is pertinent to mention here that Omar was a member of the TTP team involved in
negotiations with Pakistani officials, Pashtoon jirgas and recently with
religious scholars over the past few weeks.
Read
more: TTP talks’ oversight
Recently,
a jirga member had posted the TTP leader's photo on the sideline of its meeting
with Pakistan's side which had held two rounds of talks in Kabul in the first
week of June and late July.
Omar
and a majority of the TTP members from Mohmand agency had parted ways with the
TTP and formed a splinter faction Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat Ahrar
(TTP-JA) in 2014.
The
then TTP chief Maulvi Fazalullah had sacked him after he had announced the
formation of his own group Jamaat ul Ahrar, which comprised of almost all the
Taliban leaders from the Mohmad Agency. Omar had accused the TTP leadership of
deviating from the outfit's ideology.
The
group received prominence when Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan
claimed responsibility for the Wagah border suicide attack in November 2014, in
which over 70 people, almost all civilians, were killed.
The
TTP leader's killing could be seen as a major blow to the group, especially at
a time when it is involved in talks with the Pakistani government.
Omar
was wanted by the Pakistani government for his involvement in a series of
attacks on security forces, tribal elders and members of the peace committee in
the area.
In
July 2017, one of the UN Security Council’s sanctions committees, upon
Pakistan’s request, had approved the addition of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in the list of
entities and individuals subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms
embargo.
Meanwhile,
the United States added Omar's name to the US State Department's Rewards for
Justice wanted list in March 2018. The US had announced a reward of up to $3
million for information on him.
In
recent years, several TTP leaders, including former chief Maulvi Fazallah, have
been killed in Afghanistan after they crossed into the border due to military
operation in the tribal areas, Swat and parts of the Malakand division.
Fazlullah, who served the TTP chief in Swat, was killed in a US drone strike in
Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province in June 2018.
TTP
leaders killed in the last few years
In
January this year, the TTP confirmed the death of senior leader Mufti Khalid
Balti alias Mohammad Khorasani in the eastern Nangarhar province of
Afghanistan.
Earlier
in July 2016, Umar Mansour, alias Khalifa Mansour, the mastermind of the 2014
attack on the Army Public School Peshawar, in which more than 150 people were
martyred, was killed in an American drone strike in Afghanistan.
Besides
the TTP, the Daesh Khorasan chief Hafiz Saeed Khan was also killed in July 2015
in a US drone strike in the Nangarhar province.
Separately,
former TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid and 24 other militants were killed
in a US drone strike in Nangarhar in July 2015. Shahid had joined Daesh along
with Saeed Khan in October 2014.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
4
soldiers martyred in North Waziristan suicide attack: ISPR
Naveed
Siddiqui
August
9, 2022
Four
soldiers were martyred in a suicide blast at a military convoy in the Mir Ali
area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media
affairs wing said on Tuesday.
The
martyred soldiers have been identified as 22-year-old Lance Naik Shahzaib, a
resident of Mansehra, 26-year-old Lance Naik Sajjad, hailing from Ghizer,
25-year-old sepoy Umair, a resident of Kohat and 30-year-old sepoy Khurram, a
resident of Narowal.
According
to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR),
intelligence agencies have commenced investigations to find out details about
the suicide bomber who carried out the attack and his handlers and
facilitators.
The
“Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such
sacrifices of our brave soldiers will not go unpunished,” the ISPR said.
Attacks
on security forces and clashes with suspected terrorists in the North
Waziristan tribal district have become quite frequent in recent months.
On
July 4, at least 10 security personnel were injured when a suicide bomber
attacked a convoy of security forces in the area.
Officials
said at the time that the convoy was going from Mirali to Miramshah, the
district headquarters, when the suicide bomber, who was on a motorcycle, blew
himself up near one of the vehicles.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1704039/4-soldiers-martyred-in-north-waziristan-suicide-attack-ispr
--------
COAS,
Bill Gates discuss Polio eradication, healthcare in Pakistan
August
8, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Mr. Bill Gates,
Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) had a telephone
conversation on Monday and discussed matters related to healthcare particularly
Pakistan’s commitment for comprehensive Polio eradication.
Mr
Gates appreciated Pakistan’s Army for supporting national polio drive and
ensuring proper reach and coverage of polio campaigns, particularly through
involvement of community leaders .
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan's party to hold 'Haqeeqi Azadi jalsa' rally in Lahore on August 13
Aug
9, 2022
ISLAMABAD
(PAKISTAN): Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will now hold its "Haqeeqi
Azadi jalsa" rally in Lahore on August 13.
The
party had earlier announced to hold the rally at Islamabad's Parade Ground.
Azhar
Mashwani of the PTI said that party chief Imran Khan after a political
committee meeting with other party members has decided to shift the venue of
the rally from Islamabad's Parade Ground to the Lahore Hockey Ground, the Dawn
reported.
"The
decision was taken by chairman Imran Khan in a meeting today after the party
learnt about the federal government's "insufficient" plans for
celebrations on Independence Day," Mashwani said on Monday.
"The
proud Pakistanis of Lahore will celebrate the 75th Independence Day in a grand
manner at Hockey Stadium Lahore," he said, adding that Imran Khan will
attend the rally and address the supporters as well.
According
to sources, the change in PTI's plan comes after Pakistan Interior minister
Rana Sanaullah warned the PTI of "dire consequences" if its workers
disrupted law and order or resorted to violence during the party's August 13
rally in Islamabad.
"PTI
chief approved the proposal to organise the rally in Lahore instead of
Islamabad amid fears that the federal government could create obstacles," sources
said.
Earlier,
on August 6, PTI announced that it will hold a public gathering in Islamabad on
August 14. Later, the party declared through its Twitter handle that it will
hold the rally on the country's Independence Day.
On
Sunday, the PTI chief had said that he would announce a strategy to
"counter this fascism" during the August 13 rally, the Dawn reported.
It
is pertinent to mention here that the PTI is trying to up the ante against the
incumbent government, demanding them to hold early elections in the country.
PTI
chief Imran Khan has over time, reiterated that "only early election can
end economic, political crises in Pakistan" adding that timely elections
would have saved the country from the economic crisis that it is facing today.
The
ousted prime minister claimed that there is only one way for Pakistan to come
out of the prevailing situation and that is to ensure fresh general elections
in the country.
It
is pertinent to mention here that the PTI chief Imran Khan has over time,
reiterated on conducting fresh elections in the country saying that "only
early election can end economic, political crises in Pakistan".
The
ousted prime minister claimed that timely elections would have saved the
country from the economic crisis that it is facing today.
On
July 25, the party held a long Azadi March, towards Islamabad which faced stiff
resistance from the PML-N-led federal government from entering the capital.
However,
PTI remained successful in entering the capital, only to be cancelled later by
the PTI Chairman Imran Khan who said that to avoid confrontation he cancelled
the rally and announced that he would return to the capital again.
Imran
Khan said that his party will continue protests against Pakistan's 'imported'
government till the announcement of fresh elections.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hindu
family in Pakistan attacked after they tried to overtake vehicle of
politician's relative
Aug
9, 2022
KARACHI:
A Hindu family was attacked allegedly by a relative of a Pakistani politician
and his guards in Pakistan's Sindh province after the family tried to overtake
his vehicle, police said on Monday. The Inspector General of Sindh Police has
ordered an inquiry into Sunday's incident after the incident triggered an
uproar on social media as a video of the harassment went viral and people
demanded justice for the victims, which included a man, three women and two children,
belonging to the minority community.
The
alleged attacker named Shamsher Pitafi, said to be a cousin of Sindh's Minister
for Livestock and Fisheries Abdul Bari Pitafi, and his guards allegedly
harassed and misbehaved with the family near Ghotki area after they tried to
cross his vehicle but they were repeatedly denied the right to overtake.
"Apparently,
as the family's car overtook Pitafi's car on the highway, one of the children
threw an ice cream wrapper outside, which hit the windshield of Pitafi's vigo
car and he was upset that the family did not even stop and sped away,"
police said.
The
family, which lives in Sanghar, was returning after visiting a temple known as
Raharki Sahib, later stopped at a roadside restaurant in Ghotki.
Pitafi
followed them there, and he and his men then allegedly misbehaved with the
Hindu family and broke the windows of their car.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Army
unwilling to allow rally at Islamabad's Parade Ground, alleges PTI
Ikram
Junaidi
August
9, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
After failing to get permission for its public meeting scheduled for the eve of
Independence Day despite proposing three venues in the twin cities of Islamabad
and Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided to shift the
event to Lahore.
“We
have been told that the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has already applied
for its public meeting at Parade Ground on Aug 13. However, we have reached the
conclusion that the permission was conditional to the nod of the 111 Brigade
that is not willing to allow us. Otherwise, we would have been allowed one of
our proposed venues,” PTI Islamabad president Ali Awan said while talking to
Dawn.
On
Aug 6, the PTI’s political committee had announced plans to hold a power show
in the federal capital on Aug 13, the eve of Independence Day. The decision was
taken at a meeting chaired by PTI chairman Imran Khan and attended by its
senior leadership, including Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Omar
Ayub, Saifullah Niazi and others. Mr Khan had also stated that he would
announce his party’s future strategy during the event, and that is why
directions were issued to party leaders to ensure an “impressive” show of
power.
Mr
Awan said the PTI had sought permission from the district administration to
hold its public meeting at the Parade Ground, but it was informed that the TLP
had already applied for the venue.
Aug
13 power show moved to Lahore
“Then
we requested [the administration] to shift the public meeting to Rawalpindi
Cricket Stadium, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) objected to it and we
were told that their curators were working there as a security team is expected
to visit before the English team’s visit to the country,” he maintained.
“Then
we started considering holding the public meeting at Liaquat Bagh, but were
told that recently, plantation has been undertaken at the park and there will
be very little space for the public meeting,” he added.
The
PTI leader further said he reached the conclusion that it was not possible to
get permission in the twin cities, as the nod of the army’s 111 Brigade was
also required.
“Although
we have been told that confirmation has not been given to the TLP yet, it is
strange that the TLP can hold a public meeting at the Parade Ground, but not
the PTI. So now we have decided to hold the public meeting at Hockey Ground,
Lahore,” he announced.
He
further said that former premier Imran Khan will address the Lahore gathering,
which will be telecast across the country.
Source:
Dawn
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Victim
families await justice as 2009 Ashura blast case file gathers dust
Naeem
Sahoutara
August
9, 2022
KARACHI:
Senior journalist and Karachi bureau chief of Geo News Faheem Siddiqui is busy
in planning for the coverage of the religious events of Ashura in the city.
However, the activity every year reminds him of the painful events of 2009
Muharram he would never want to repeat in his life as a father, but has to go
through as a newsman.
“Obviously,
it causes pain. I lost my first child on this day. I lost my niece too,” says
Mr Siddiqui referring to the Ashura bomb blast in which more than 45 people
were killed on M.A. Jinnah Road on December 28, 2009. Mr Siddiqui’s
six-year-old son, Bazil Ahmed Siddiqui, and 13-year-old niece, Anzalna Hanif,
were among those killed in the attack.
“We
remained issueless for five years after the martyrdom of our son,” the
49-year-old tells Dawn in a gagged voice. Then, Allah, the Almighty, blessed us
with three kids, all of them are boys,” he says. “But, the pain for losing our
firstborn still haunts us. If Bazil were alive, he would have been 19 today,”
adds the father, helplessly.
Mr
Siddiqui is among dozens of families of the victims of the tragic incident that
shook the nation in general. And they are all awaiting justice for the past 13
years, as the country’s security establishment fails to re-arrest the three
Jundullah militants allegedly involved in the bombing, who had escaped from the
custody of the police days after their arrest.
13
years on, no progress made to arrest absconders; three ‘Jundullah militant’
reportedly killed
The
high-profile Ashura bombing case files are gathering dust in the storeroom of
an antiterrorism court (ATC) as Rangers and police are yet to re-arrest the
suspects, who had escaped from City Courts.
Four
Jundullah men — Murtaza alias Shakil, Mohammad Saqib Farooqui, Wazir Mohammad
and Murad Shah — were arrested in January 2010 and booked in four cases
pertaining to a series of attacks on Muharram processions in Karachi in 2009.
“The
four cases pertaining to the targeted attacks on the mourning processions,
including the one on the main Ashura procession, remain shelved in the court’s
custody since October 2010 for want of accused,” judicial staffers told Dawn.
Witnesses
had reportedly identified four detained suspects during an identification parade
held before a judicial magistrate at a pre-trial stage in the cases, according
to prosecution officials.
The
Jundullah militants, who were arrested after a shoot-out at Hawkesbay in 2010
and had allegedly confessed to the attacks, had escaped from the City Court the
same year.
All
the suspects were reportedly got freed from police custody by their accomplices
after a gun attack on the premises of the crowded City Courts judicial complex
on M. A. Jinnah Road, where the police had produced them in another case
registered against them by the Anti-Car Lifting Cell on June 20, 2010.
Case
still on dormant file
One
of the four suspects, Murad Shah, was killed while fleeing, but his alleged
accomplices were never caught again.
“After
the suspects managed to flee, the investigating officer (IO) informed the
ATC-III about it,” said an official.
“Subsequently,
the court kept the cases ‘dormant’ because the police and other law enforcement
agencies have yet to show any progress regarding the arrest of the suspects, who
remain at large after a decade,” added the official.
“The
case is still ‘dormant’, as there is no progress till the day,” a judicial
official at the trial court told Dawn. “It means the accused are still
absconding and have not been brought to the court,” the official added.
The
trial court had issued life warrants for the arrest of the three suspects on
Oct 7, 2010 directing the police to produce them in court “as soon as
possible”.
The
Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of police had at the time of their arrest
claimed that the suspects were ‘high-profile’ criminals associated with the
proscribed outfit. However, they were not tried in a court inside the central
prison and jail authorities sent them to the city courts without making proper
security arrangements.
It
was the responsibility of the IOs to ask or recommend to the home department
through a letter to notify the jail trial of hardened criminals in high-profile
cases or if the jail authorities had insufficient security arrangement to take
them to courts.
Delay
favours accused
Legal
experts believed that the prolonged suspension of the proceedings in such
high-profile cases always benefited the accused party as prosecution witnesses
might change their residences or go underground.
Also,
it is hard for a witness to remember the exact evidence for years while it is
also a difficult task for the IOs to maintain the case property, police files
and stay in touch with their witnesses, they added.
The
SIU arrested the suspected militants following a shoot-out on Hawkesbay Road on
Jan 23, 2010 and claimed that they had allegedly confessed to have carried out
the attacks on the Muharram processions.
Subsequently,
they were charge-sheeted under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and their cases
were sent to the ATC-III for trial. However, they escaped before their
indictment.
Murtaza
and Saqib were booked for killing over 45 people and wounding about 100 others
in the bomb attack on the main Ashura procession on Dec 28, 2009.
Police
filed a charge sheet against the duo in the Paposh Nagar blast that took place
on Dec 26, 2009 when an 8th Muharram procession was passing by and it left 13
people wounded.
They
also filed a charge sheet against deceased Murad Shah in a case pertaining to a
low-intensity blast that targeted a 9th Muharram procession in Qasba Colony on
Dec 27, 2009.
Besides,
the four suspects were also booked in a case registered under Sections 4/5 of
the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of
terrorism) of the ATA at the Sir Syed police station, as the police claimed to
have recovered explosive material on a lead provided by them.
Prosecutor
general says absconders killed Sindh Prosecutor General Dr Faiz Shah had last
year made a disclosure about the three fleeing suspects by saying that “they
were also killed in a shootout with law-enforcers”.
Without
elaborating further, Mr Shah had said that according to the IO of the case the
absconding suspects had been killed in an encounter.
Talking
to Dawn, Dr Shah said that the “situation is the same” and the case was still
dormant as there was no progress.
After
the lapse of 13 years, Mr Shah’s claim gives the case yet another interesting
twist as to whether the law-enforcers have failed to re-arrest the fleeing
suspects or they have been killed in an encounter.
In
both conditions, the relatives of the victims as well as the survivors of the
main Ashura attack still await justice.
Source:
Dawn
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ISI,
IB, FIA to jointly probe negative social media campaign post helicopter crash
August
8, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Federal government on Monday notified a six-member committee comprising members
from the FIA, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and ISI to help probe a negative
campaign being launched post helicopter crash in Lasbela that saw martyrdom of
six Pakistan Army officials including Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali.
According
to the notification, the six-member committee formed to probe the negative
campaign would be led by Additional Director General (DG) of FIA cybercrime
unit Muhammad Jaffar.
The
members included Lieutenant Colonel Saad from ISI, Deputy Director IB Waqar
Nisar, Director FIA Waqaruddin Syed, deputy director Ayaz and Imran Haider.
The
committee will identify those who launched the negative campaign on social
media and arrest them and launch legal proceedings against them. The Inter
Service Public Relations (ISPR) has condemned negative propaganda over social
media after the Helicopter crash in Lasbela leaving five Army officers martyred.
A
statement issued by ISPR said that the propaganda hurt the sentiments of the
families of the martyrs. Pakistan Army’s ranks and files have expressed severe
displeasure over the negative propaganda, ISPR said.
They
added that the nation stands with the Pakistan Army in this difficult time. The
negative callous propaganda is unbearable and condemnable, they added.
The
wreckage of an unfortunate Army helicopter that went missing during a relief
and rescue operation in the flood-hit Balochistan area has been found in Musa
Goth, Winder, Lasbela.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Shuhada-e-Karbala
Conference pays tributes to Karbala martyrs
August
8, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Bacha Khan Islamic Research Foundation (BKIRF) Monday organized ‘Karbala
Martyrs (Shuhada-e-Karbala) Conference’ to pay tribute to Hazrat Imam Hussain
(RA) and his companions who rendered sacrifices of their lives for the sake of
Islam.
The
conference was held at Bacha Khan Center here. Provincial President of Awami
National Party (ANP) Amil Wali Khan in his address as a chief guest said that
the Karbala incident gives us the lesson of resistance against injustice and
unfairness in society.
He
said the best way to pay tribute to the martyrs of Karbala is to make
commitment on this day to work and devote oneself for the development and
strength of the country. “We have to forget our trivial differences and adopt
the teachings of Islam and promote peace, security and brotherhood,” he added.
Yazid’s
name is not even today but the followers of Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain are
still alive today. Bacha Khan has also taught us through his teachings that we
have to fight for the truth through non-violence.
Senior
Executive Officer of Bacha Khan Trust Syed Masoom Shah Bacha, Maulana Qari
Roohullah Madani, Maulana Mohsinuddin Sahib Haq, Maulana Muhammad Yunus Hanif,
and Maulana Qari Farmanullah participated in the conference.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Muharram
teaches to stand firm in face of tyranny: speaker
August
8, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said Imam Hussain (RA) and his
companions were the noblest models in preaching and practising the Islamic
philosophy of patience and sacrifice.
In
his message on Youm-i-Ashura, Ashraf said their unflinching faith in Allah and
the Day of Judgment, their exemplary devotion, dauntless courage, and unfailing
patience in the way of Allah was a unique exhibition of the spirit of patience
and martyrdom described in the Quran.
The
speaker said the Battle of Karbala reminded us of the great sacrifices of
Hussain (RA) and his companions for the sake of truth and justice.
He
said it was our collective responsibility to stand firm in the face of the
tyrannical forces spreading chaos in society to achieve their evil designs.
He
said the best way to pay tribute to the martyrs of Karbala is to make a
commitment on this day to work and devote oneself to the development and
strength of the country. “We have to forget our trivial differences and adopt
the teachings of Islam and promote peace, security and brotherhood,” he added.
The
speaker termed the martyrdom of Hussain (RA) as a great sacrifice against
falsehood, and said it would be a beacon for those who would come until the Day
of Judgment.
Meanwhile,
Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani, in a separate message, said the battle was
fought between the forces of truth and falsehood which would continue to impart
to Muslims a lesson of sustained struggle against oppression.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Arab
World
Palestinian
official assassinated in Lebanon just hours after Gaza truce
08
August, 2022
A
Palestinian security official was shot dead late on Monday in a refugee camp in
southern Lebanon, three Palestinian security officials said, just hours after a
truce between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Saeed
Alaeddine was an officer in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah
movement, in charge of liaising between the group and Lebanese security.
He
was killed by a gunman, who fired at him while he was praying at a friend’s
house in the camp, said senior Fatah official Mounir Makdah.
An
unknown gunman shot him several times, and Alaeddine was rushed to hospital,
where he died.
The
perpetrator fled the scene and details on his identity and motive were not
immediately clear.
An
AFP correspondent heard more gunshots in the camp after Alaeddine’s killing.
The
camp has seen intermittent clashes in recent years between the Fatah party of
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and allied factions against Sunni Islamist
factions. It is home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees, who
have been joined in recent years by thousands of Palestinians fleeing the conflict
in Syria.
By
long-standing convention, the Lebanese Army does not enter Palestinian refugee
camps in Lebanon, leaving the factions themselves to handle security.
That
has created lawless areas in many camps, and Ain al-Helweh has gained notoriety
as a refuge for extremists and fugitives.
More
than 450,000 Palestinians are registered in Lebanon with the UN agency for
Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Sadr
rival demands parliament reconvene as sit-in continues
09
August, 2022
Former
Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday called for the resumption of
legislative sessions, after his political rivals occupied parliament for almost
a week, deepening political tensions.
Though
supporters of the powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have not camped inside
the legislative complex since Friday, they continue a sit-in in the gardens
around it, inside Baghdad’s normally secure Green Zone.
They
are protesting a nomination for the post of prime minister by the rival Shia
Coordination Framework, to which Maliki belongs and which is backed by Iran.
The
protest is part of pressure tactics by al-Sadr after months of negotiations
following October elections failed to produce a new government, prime minister
and president.
Last
Wednesday al-Sadr called for the dissolution of parliament and early polls.
But
in televised remarks Monday, Maliki said: “Neither the dissolution of
parliament nor the change of the regime nor early elections will be possible
without the resumption of parliamentary sessions.”
Parliament
“alone discusses these demands and what it decides we will execute,” he
continued in his speech marking the Shia mourning ritual of Ashura.
Sadr’s
bloc had emerged as the largest in parliament following the October ballot but
in June 73 of his lawmakers quit in a bid to break the deadlock over forming a
new government.
That
led to the Coordination Framework becoming the largest bloc in the legislature.
On
Thursday the Framework had said they were conditionally open to al-Sadr’s call
for new elections, signaling a potential de-escalation.
But
they suggested the occupation of parliament must end.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Saudi
Arabia wins Special Olympics football gold in first appearance
09
August, 2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Special Olympics football team won gold after competing in the
tournament for the first time on Saturday in the US, the Saudi Press Agency
(SPA) reported.
The
Kingdom took first place in the Unified Cup in Detroit in the state of Michigan
beating Romania by three goals to one.
It
was the second time the teams had faced each other, after Saudi Arabia beat
Romania with a 1-0 penalty in the group stage.
Muhammad
al-Mutairi scored a hat trick for the team in the final, after scoring his
first goal in the 36th minute.
Teams
from Brazil, Jamaica, Korea, Morocco, Nigeria, Paraguay, Singapore, and the USA
also competed.
Dr.
Maha al-Juffali, President of the Saudi Special Olympics Federation,
congratulated the team in a statement on Tuesday and highlighted the efforts of
the federation to promote sports for people with intellectual disabilities in
the Kingdom.
The
Unified Cup is a competition featuring both athletes with intellectual
disabilities and those without.
Saudi
Arabia’s Director of Special Olympics, Abdulrahman al-Quraishi, also
congratulated players, technical staff, and administrative staff for their
efforts in winning the gold.
Saudi
Arabia’s ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar took part in the
opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in Detroit on Sunday, July 31.
“So
happy to see our @saudiarabiasco athletes at the @SpecialOlympics @UnifiedCup
2022 in Detroit, Michigan. Thrilled to be able to share their excitement and
achievements on this special occasion,” Princess Reema tweeted on Wednesday.
In
a speech addressing the Saudi team, Princess Reema praised its “good
performance throughout this tournament” after it won its first match against
Singapore, according to SPA.
Saudi
Arabia’s Special Olympics body was established in 1994, and accredited by
Special Olympics International.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Defying
warnings, Erdogan highlights ‘permanent’ plan to establish ‘secure line’ at
Syria border
09
August 2022
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has underlined his determination to carry on
with his plan for a new cross-border offensive in neighboring Syria to remove
members of the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militant group
from border areas.
“We
will continue our fight against terrorism. Our decision to establish a
30-kilometer-deep (18.6-mile) secure line along our southern border is final,”
Erdogan said in an address to Turkish diplomats attending the 13th Ambassadors
Conference in the capital Ankara on Monday.
He
went on to say that he hoped Turkey would soon eliminate the remaining pockets
of the militant group in Syria.
Last
month, Erdogan hinted that a new Turkish operation against the YPG militants
will remain on the agenda until security concerns are addressed.
Back
on July 19, the Turkish president earned a rebuke for his push for the
offensive from Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei,
whose country has been helping Syria in its anti-terror campaign, in a
bilateral meeting.
Ayatollah
Khamenei told Erdogan that any Turkish offensive on Syria would be
“detrimental” to Syria, Turkey itself, and the entire region, calling for the
issue to be resolved through dialog between Ankara, Damascus, Moscow, and
Tehran.
Moscow
has also previously called on Ankara to “refrain” from an attack.
Erdogan
on May 23 signaled a new Turkish cross-border operation in northern Syria with
the declared aim of creating a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) wide safe zone along
Turkey’s border with Syria.
He
did not provide further details but said the operation would be launched as
soon as military, intelligence, and security forces have completed their
preparations.
Turkey
has deployed forces in Syria in violation of the Arab country's sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
Ankara-backed
militants were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019 after Turkish
military forces launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion in a declared
attempt to push YPG fighters away from border areas.
Ankara
views the YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in
Turkey since 1984.
Source:
Press TV
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Mideast
Iran:
Ceasefire in Gaza Result of Israel's Fear from Resistance Movement's Missiles
2022-August-8
"Israel
launches blind attacks against women and children in order to cover up the
multi-layered crises in the occupied territories, but the assaults fail every
time and further lead to its isolation," Amir Abdollahian wrote on his
Instagram account on Monday.
Amir
Abdollahian's remarks came after holding separate phone calls with United
Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his Qatari, Syrian and Lebanese
counterparts to discuss Israel’s recent deadly attacks on the besieged Gaza
Strip.
Iran’s
top diplomat said the Islamic Republic condemns the Israeli crimes and
reiterated its support for an “active resistance that stops the malice of the
occupiers” during talks with its allies and neighboring counties.
The
Iranian foreign minister also renewed his earlier remarks that the Israeli
regime "only understands the language of force".
Tel
Aviv's regime has been trying to "change the balance of power and
terror" since the 33-Day war in Lebanon in July 2006, during which Israel
was forced to accept a ceasefire without achieving any of its declared goals,
he said.
"Only
just, wise observers can testify whether they have won or have been defeated”,
Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that the ceasefire took effect “because the
Zionists only understand the language of force," the Iranian foreign
minister added.
On
Friday, the Israeli regime launched airstrikes targeting residential areas in
the Gaza City, killing dozens of people, including Taysir al-Jabari, a senior
commander of the Palestinian resistance movement of Islamic Jihad, and fifteen
children.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Iran
Condemns Sacrilege of Islamic Sanctities in Germany
2022-August-8
The
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the heinous act is a clear example
of sedition and spreading hatred and it is strongly condemned by all Muslims,
monotheists and those with a pure conscience, as well as those who believe in
coexistence and dialogue between religions.
He
also warned about the dangerous consequences of such seditious actions, and
added that such audacities towards Islamic sanctities are another aspect of
extremism, ISIL-Takfiri violence, and dealing with such heinous acts shall be
borne by the governments as claimants of human rights, freedom and democracy.
Holding
the German government accountable for this incident, Kana'ani said that the
Iranian foreign ministry is waiting for Germany's immediate, strong and clear
reaction in dealing with the perpetrators of this insulting act and quick
judicial follow-up to prevent the repetition of such heinous actions.
"The
seditious acts, which are aided and abetted by global arrogance and Zionism,
show that Muslims and Islamic states should enhance unity in the face of
enemies’ plots," he concluded.
According
to reports, ten people desecrated the Holy Quran in front of the Islamic Centre
of Hamburg on Sunday.
German
police forces, who were present in the place, did not take any action to
prevent the blasphemous act, which is prohibited under Germany’s law, nor
reacted to those who committed it.
The
desecration of the Islamic sanctities took place on the ninth day of the
mourning month of Muharram, which is called Tasua.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010517000186/Iran-Cndemns-Sacrilege-f-Islamic-Sanciies-in-Germany
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Iran
Commemorates Diplomats Martyred in Mazar-i-Sharif Terrorist Attack
2022-August-8
The
Iranian foreign ministry in a statement issued on Monday paid tribute to the
diplomats and the journalist who were killed in Afghanistan back in 1998 while
renewing its condemnation of the "unforgettable crime".
The
Iranian foreign ministry also demanded measures by Kabul to clarify the
circumstances that led to the incident.
The
nine Iranian citizens were killed after Taliban militants entered the city of
Mazar-i-Sharif in an incident that sparked worldwide condemnations.
Elsewhere
in its statement, the Iranian ministry stressed that Tehran has always backed
"the oppressed nation of Afghanistan", expressing the Islamic
Republic’s support for "any solution" that would restore peace,
stability, and tranquility to the war-torn country.
The
ministry also stressed the importance of the formation of an inclusive
government that would represent all ethnic groups.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Turkish
president commemorates historical 'martyrdom' of Imam al-Hussein
Diyar
Guldogan
08.08.2022
ANKARA
The
Turkish president on Monday commemorated the anniversary of the historical
"martyrdom" of Imam al-Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad
who was killed in the year 680 during the Battle of Karbala in what is now
Iraq.
"I
hope the Day of Ashura and the (Muslim) month of Muharram, which are symbols of
unity and solidarity, will be auspicious for the entire Muslim world,"
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.
The
10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, also known as Ashura, marks the
anniversary of the passing of Mohammad’s grandson Hussein in the desert plains
of Karbala, some 113 kilometers (70 miles) from the modern-day capital Baghdad.
Erdogan
added: "On the anniversary of his martyrdom, I commemorate Imam
Al-Hussein, the lord of the martyrs and the grandson of the Prophet, and all
the martyrs of Karbala with mercy and reverence."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Two
Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank: Army
09
August, 2022
Two
Palestinians including a senior militant commander were killed Tuesday as
Israeli forces raided a house in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the
army said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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UN
security council meets over Gaza fighting
09
August, 2022
The
UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the situation
in Gaza, with several members raising concerns despite the tenuous truce
between Islamic Jihad militants and Israel after three days of deadly conflict.
Speaking
via video at the start of the meeting, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland
warned that a resumption of hostilities will have “devastating” consequences.
“The
ceasefire is fragile,” he warned.
Russian
ambassador Vasily Nebenzia stressed the council is “deeply concerned by this
turn of events, which could lead to the resumption of a fully fledged military
confrontation and a further worsening of the already dire humanitarian
situation in Gaza.”
Israel
had since Friday launched a heavy aerial and artillery bombardment of Islamic
Jihad positions in Gaza, leading the militants to fire over a thousand rockets
in retaliation, according to the Israeli army.
The
violence was Gaza's worst fighting since an 11-day war last year.
An
Egypt-brokered ceasefire reached late Sunday ended the intense fighting that
killed 44 people, including 15 children, and wounded 360 in the enclave
according to Gaza's health ministry.
Both
sides have reserved the right to respond if the ceasefire is violated.
Wennesland
said that the UN's assessment of the violence was ongoing, noting that “some 20
percent” of the approximately 1,100 rockets fired by armed Palestinian groups
had fallen within the Gaza Strip.
Ahead
of the meeting, Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan called for the council
to place “full accountability” on Islamic Jihad, accusing the Iran-backed group
of using Gazans as “human shields.
“There
must be one outcome and one outcome only, to condemn the (Islamic Jihad) for
its double war crimes while placing the full accountability ... for the murder
of innocent Palestinians on the shoulder of the radical terror group,” he said
at a press briefing.
“They
fire rockets at Israeli civilians while using Gazans as human shields. This is
a double war crime,” he said.
The
United States' UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield supported “Israel's right
to defend its people against terrorist threats.”
“This
Council should be able to come together and unconditionally repudiate the
terrorism of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose reckless actions have put the
lives of civilians, on both sides, at risk,” she said.
But
Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour slammed Israel's “unjustified aggression.”
“Are
you ready to say enough is enough? As the highest authority responsible for the
maintenance of international peace and security?” he demanded. “How many more
children do we have to bury until someone says enough is enough?”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran:
Police arrest Afghan suspected of stabbing 10 to death
08
August, 2022
Police
in Iran arrested an Afghan man suspected of stabbing 10 other farm laborers to
death following a quarrel over land, Iranian state media reported Monday. The
rampage in a remote village in southeastern Iran was a rare such incident in
the Islamic Republic.
The
official IRNA news agency said four Iranians and six Afghans were killed, and
one farm worker was wounded in the rampage on Sunday and was in hospital.
According to the report, the suspect was mentally unbalanced.
A
decades-long drought in Iran has caused increased disputes over water resources
and land with better access to water. Hunting rifles are the only weapon that
Iranians are allowed to possess legally.
Violent
acts have escalated in recent years in Iran as the country’s economic
conditions deteriorate amid crushing American sanctions that helped spark
soaring inflation and increasing unemployment.
In
May, an employee fired from one of Iran’s largest state-owned financial
conglomerates went on a shooting rampage at his former workplace in western
Iran, killing three people and wounding five before turning the gun on himself.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Yemen
Houthis must act on Taiz to show commitment to UN-brokered truce: Minister
08
August, 2022
War-scarred
Yemen’s internationally recognized government accused the Iran-aligned Houthi
movement on Monday of failing to reopen roads to the besieged city of Taiz, a
key element of a truce agreed between them.
Yemen’s
warring parties, who have traded accusations of non-compliance with the two-month
UN-brokered truce, agreed last week to renew it for a further two months.
They
are under international pressure to agree on extended and expanded deal that
would build on the longest stretch of relative calm in over seven years of
conflict.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Hilarious,
retorts Najib after Rafizi says he weakened national defence
August
7, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Najib Razak had a two-word retort to PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli
who had claimed that national defence was weakened under Najib’s watch.
“That’s
hilarious!” Najib responded in a Facebook post.
In
return, he questioned what Pakatan Harapan (PH) had done to strengthen the
nation’s defences when it was in power for 22 months.
“What
did PH do? What assets were added? Was there an increase or decrease in the
number of security officials?” he said.
However,
Najib did not respond to a threat by Rafizi that he would divulge details of shell
companies used to launder money from the RM9 billion littoral combat ship
project, which entails the construction of six corvette-class ships for the
navy.
He
said earlier today that he would provide details on the misappropriation of
funds, including the establishment of shell companies to launder money. He said
the methods used were similar to those in the 1MDB scandal.
Rafizi
said that his upcoming expose on the LCS project would put the former prime
minister in a spot.
Najib
responded to Rafizi’s claim that the former prime minister had been “slandering
others” about the sale of national assets, by pointing out that Khazanah
Nasional had sold a 16% stake in IHH Healthcare Bhd to Japanese conglomerate
Mitsui for RM8.42 billion and also disposed of RM364 million in CIMB shares.
He
said the finance ministry under PH had wanted to sell a 28-storey office tower
in Hong Kong belonging to China Evergrande Group for RM1.6 billion, and had
held talks to sell a 60% stake in the Bandar Malaysia mixed commercial project
for RM7.41 billion to property developer Iskandar Waterfront Holdings and China
Railway Engineering Corp.
The
LCS project was the subject of a report by Parliament’s watchdog, the Public
Accounts Committee, which said that not a single ship had been completed
despite RM6 billion being spent since 2011.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Ruling
on overseas-born kids against Keluarga Malaysia spirit, says Suhakam
August
7, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has called on the
government to expedite the proposal to amend the Federal Constitution to
provide citizenship to children born overseas to their Malaysian mothers.
The
commission expressed its disappointment in the recent Court of Appeal ruling to
uphold the current law that children derive citizenship from only their
Malaysian fathers.
“This
is not in line with the intent and spirit of the Keluarga Malaysia concept.
Malaysian women are also forced to migrate because their children are not
accepted here.
“Many
children are separated from their families and even suffer mental health issues
due to their uncertain future,” it said in a statement.
“They
are deprived of their basic needs, including access to medical services,
education, citizenship and other rights guaranteed to all Malaysian citizens
under the law.”
In
view of this, Suhakam urges the government to provide a permanent solution to
the plight of Malaysian mothers and their overseas-born children in order for
them to remain a family.
“The
government must expedite its proposal to amend the Second Schedule of the
Federal Constitution in line with Malaysia’s current membership in the United
Nations Human Rights Council and its responsibility to achieve gender equality
and fulfil the rights of children,” it added.
On
Friday, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling in September in
which judge Akhtar Tahir had held that mothers were entitled to confer citizenship
by operation of law in all processes, just like fathers.
He
said the word “father” in the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution must
mean and include mothers.
However,
the Court of Appeal ruled by a 2-1 majority that the word “father” is “clear
and unambiguous” and could not be construed to include “mother”. It held that
children born overseas to Malaysian mothers can be denied citizenship.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
End
patronage politics, say youth leaders of Bersatu, Umno
Predeep
Nambiar
August
6, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Malay-based parties have been urged by two rival youth wing leaders to
get rid of patronage politics and feudalistic ways.
The
calls came from Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal and Umno
Youth deputy leader Shahril Hamdan at a debate hosted by the United Kingdom and
Eire Council for Malaysian Students.
Wan
Fayhsal said that as long as political patronage exists, the moral decay among
leaders would fester and further perpetuate a Malay political crisis that might
be hard to reverse.
Shahril
said young Malay politicians can start by ridding the Malay political system of
feudalistic ways. He said support should be given instead based on best
policies.
Wan
Fayhsal said patronage was the biggest problem in Malay politics and Malay
identity. “Look at all the cases involving 1MDB. It has to do with the way we
Malays conduct our politics,” he said. “A drastic change is needed, which I
believe is the common cause for everyone.”
Earlier,
Wan Fayhsal had asked Shahril for his thoughts on patronage and what Umno would
do about it.
Shahril
said young politicians can start by ridding feudalistic ways in the Malay
political system such as the notion “Umno exists because only the party can
help Malays”.
He
said while some of his party colleagues subscribed to this notion, he would
never support it. “I want Malays to support Umno and not because they’re
Malays. I want Malays to support Umno because Umno has the best policies and
formulas.
“We’ve
got to talk to our Malay constituency in a language that doesn’t scare them or
create fearmongering. But instead, persuade them to support our parties based
on a positive idea, not a scary, negative defensive idea,” he said.
Wan
Fayhsal agreed that the belief in a need for a “protector” of the Malays ran
deep in the community. He said Malaysia could not move forward with such a
mentality: a better future required citizens to transcend race-based
considerations.
The
two youth leaders also exchanged jibes about the similarity between their two
parties.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
50
years on, Mahathir’s Malay dilemma never seems to end
K.
Parkaran
August
9, 2022
Young
people do not really know who Dr Mahathir Mohamad is, beyond the fact that he
was prime minister twice, and was the longest in office.
It’s
important that they know who he really is, and was, more so because he has, yet
again, launched a new race-based political platform for the next general
election.
Five
million new young voters have been added to the rolls since the voting age was
lowered to 18; some will be voting for the first time.
Mahathir’s
new Malay-only coalition is called Gerakan Tanah Air. Loosely translated in
English, it means Homeland Movement. Lacks some oomph, many are saying.
Social
media reaction was generally one of “Oh no! Not another racially-based
political outfit in an already highly charged environment.” Many people now
wonder if the only way to win elections in Malaysia is by using the race and
religion cards.
The
formation of the Pejuang-led GTA as a Malay-only coalition has come under criticism
from several quarters, including opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who said a
more multiracial approach is needed to resolve the country’s woes.
However,
Federal Territory Pejuang deputy chief Rafique Rashid Ali was quick to ask why
the critics are not picking on the many other political parties which are also
racially-based.
He
claims being a racial party does not make it a racist one, and that it is open
to cooperation with all.
Mahathir’s
return to the Malay base comes half a century after his book, the Malay
Dilemma, which he wrote a year after the May 13 racial riots had put the nation
in a perilous mode.
In
it, Mahathir openly advocated affirmative action policies for Malays.
The
book was banned in Malaysia by then prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. It was
lifted 11 years after Mahathir became prime minister.
Since
then, historians have noted its influence on Malaysian society and governance,
particularly the New Economic Policy which widened the affirmative action of
special quotas for Bumiputeras in all fields. Mahathir’s open and unapologetic
thrust was:
Malays
are the indigenous people (Bumiputeras) of Malaysia, and by definition follow
Islamic faith.
The
sole national language is the Malay language and people of all other races are
to learn it;
The
tolerant and non-confrontational nature of the Malays has allowed them to be
subjugated in their own land by people of other races, with the collusion of
the British; and
A
programme of affirmative action is required to correct the hegemony of Chinese
Malaysians in business, and create a bigger Malay professional class.
Well,
the rest is history. Malaysians are grappling with the racial impact these
policies have caused. No prime minister or party will dare undo these embedded
privileges as it will mean a huge voter backlash.
Some
say the prospect of a Malay community deprived of special privileges is a
potential time bomb. They may have a point but questions arise why after 50
years, the imbalance has not been corrected. In fact, it has led to a much more
politically divided community.
In
Mahathir’s early years as prime minister, he had to whet the appetite of the
Malays as the government was faced with a pressing need to provide jobs. He
launched a massive recruitment exercise for the public services, called Operasi
Isi Penuh, to fill all vacancies in the civil service.
Veteran
union leaders say the policy was the cause of the racially lop-sided civil
service today.
After
retiring in 2003, he returned to active politics in 2016 as one of the founders
of Bersatu, formed by those who left Umno. Again it was a Malay-only party but
with a weak exception: others could join as associate members without voting
rights
But
it was his presence at the highly contentious Malay Dignity Congress in 2019
while he was the prime minister of the multiracial Pakatan Harapan government
that courted criticism. He stated that the Malays had accepted outsiders as
citizens in exchange for independence from the British.
He
not only defended his presence at the congress, he gave a pro-Malay speech and
berated some non-Malays who had called the gathering racist, saying others
could freely organise their gatherings and speak in their mother tongue without
being labelled as bigots.
To
some, this gathering was the start of a move by Umno, PAS, Bersatu and some
Malay-based NGOs to oust PH claiming there were just too many non-Malay
ministers in the Cabinet. Umno and PAS leaders were meeting Mahathir often to
tell him the Malays were unhappy with the PH racial equation and it was a
dangerous situation.
True,
his government contained the largest number of non-Malay ministers in a
Malaysian cabinet, mainly from the DAP. But they were legitimately elected to
Parliament by Malaysians.
It
was obvious that Mahathir did not put in enough effort, intentionally or
otherwise, to stop the eventual “Sheraton Move” that ousted PH from power after
22 months, resulting in a near all-Malay government.
When
asked at that time why he did not hand over power to Anwar Ibrahim as promised
to the voters in the general election campaign, Mahathir said Anwar could not
be prime minister because he is from a multiracial party and that PKR was not a
Malay outfit.
After
leaving Bersatu with his son and a small group of hardcore supporters, Mahathir
formed Pejuang, another Malay-only party. Again, his theme was to “defend” the
Malays from the so-called “marauding” Umno politicians who he claimed were
corrupt.
Now
at 97, Mahathir, who suffered a life-threatening illness last year, has just
announced the formation of the Malay-based GTA coalition which currently
comprises Pejuang, Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa), Parti
Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) and the National Indian Muslim Alliance
Party (Iman).
The
movement also consists of Malay NGOs, academics and professionals. The aim is
to change the government, going up against Umno at GE15.
For
a man who publicly referred to Indians using the derogatory term “keling” a
month before the 2018 general election and who later said it was “normal” for
Malays to use that term on Indians, it must have come easy to form a race-based
party or political platform over and over again.
But
to keep on using the same old template, claiming that the move is to “save the
Malay race” is actually an insult to the Malays themselves, let alone other
races.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
NCC
warns users on new ways hackers infiltrate, jeopardise privacy through Google
Play Store
August
8, 2022
By
John Owen Nwachukwu
The
Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team
(NCC-CSIRT) has flagged a new malware, HiddenAds, which has infiltrated Google
Play Store that can impact device performance and jeopardize users’ privacy.
In
its advisory of August 8, 2022, NCC-CSIRT classified the virus, first
identified by the McAfee Mobile Research Team, as high in probability and
damage potential.
The
malware infiltrated the Google Play Store in the form of several device
cleaners or optimization apps.
According
to the summary provided by NCC-CSIRT “Upon installation, it can run malicious
services without the user opening the app. It also spams the user with
irrelevant advertisements. The apps have received downloads ranging from
100,000 to over a million.
“Some
of the apps HiddenAds masquerades as are: Junk Cleaner, EasyCleaner, Power
Doctor, Carpet Clean, Super Clean, Meteor Clean, Strong Clean, Windy Clean,
Fingertip Cleaner, Keep Clean, Full Clean – Clean Cache, Quick Cleaner, and
Cool Clean.
“When
a user installs any of the aforementioned apps, whether the user has opened the
app or not, a malicious service is immediately installed on the device. The app
will then attempt to blend into the app tray by changing its icon to the Google
Play icon that every Android user is familiar with. Its name will also change
to ‘Google Play’ or ‘Setting’. The device will then be bombarded with ads in a
variety of deceptive ways, severely impairing the user experience,” the advisory
stated.
Anyone
that installs the compromised app will experience their device performance
suffering significantly, clicking on the ads may result in stealth
downloads/installation of other malware, users may inadvertently subscribe to
services and be billed on a monthly basis, and the privacy of users will be
jeopardized.
NCC-CSIRT
advised users to avoid downloading questionable apps or apps they are unsure
about while those who have installed any of the identified malicious apps
should immediately delete them.
It
further disclosed that where the malicious app’s icon and name have changed, it
can be identified by the fact that it is removable while the legitimate Google
Play app cannot be uninstalled.
The
advisory recommended the installation of anti-virus/anti-malware software with
a proven track record for detecting and removing malware.
The
Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) is the telecom sector’s cyber
security incidence centre set up by the NCC to focus on incidents in the
telecom sector and as they may affect telecom consumers and citizens at large.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Kenya's
general polls begin, with Odinga and Ruto locked in close contest for
presidency
Andrew
Wasike
09.08.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya
Long
queues of voters were seen at different polling stations in Nairobi as voting
to elect Kenya's president for the next five years began on Tuesday morning.
The
country's election commission said the voting process began at 6 a.m. local
time (0300GMT) and will continue until 5 p.m. local time (1400GMT) across
46,229 polling stations.
The
commission reports that 22.1 million registered voters are exercising their
democratic rights in the general elections, which are being monitored by 18,000
observers, including 1,300 international observers.
Electorates
are casting ballots for the president, governor, members of parliament, and
members of county assemblies.
The
National Assembly is made up of 290 elected members, each representing a part
of a county, 47 elected women from each of the 47 counties, and at least 12
members nominated to represent women, youth, and the marginalized. This gives
the country 349 members to govern its affairs.
Many
political pundits believe the elections will be a two-horse race between the
country's 77-year-old former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the deputy
president, 55-year-old William Ruto.
For
the past 10 years, Kenyans have been governed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and
his deputy, William Ruto. During his presidency, enormous expenditures on
infrastructure were made, leaving Kenya more developed but also in debt.
Two
other candidates have also been cleared by the Independent Electoral and
Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to contest the race.
Odinga,
who is running for the presidency with the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance
party, and his running mate Martha Karua, 64, have promised a government that
focuses on manufacturing to promote wealth and fight unemployment.
Ruto,
who is running for president with his Kenya Kwanza coalition, says his
government will focus on a manifesto that is aimed at transforming the
country's economy to achieve durable growth while maintaining macroeconomic
stability and empowering the people at the bottom of the pyramid.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Islamic
police confiscate 384 bottles of alcohol in Jigawa
August
8, 2022
By
Khaleel Muhammad
Jigawa
State Hisbah Board has seized 384 bottles of alcohol in Kazaure Local
Government.
This
was contained in a press statement signed by the command’s spokesman, Muhammad
Sale Korau on Monday.
He
said the personnel, while on patrol led by the state commandant Ibrahim Dahiru,
succeeded in apprehending the alcohol on the route from Katsina to Kazaure
town.
Korau
said one person was arrested in connection with smuggling the alcohol into the
state.
He
said the suspect was handed over to the police for further investigation and
would be charged to court for prosecution.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://dailypost.ng/2022/08/08/islamic-police-confiscate-384-bottles-of-alcohol-in-jigawa/
--------
Suspected
militants kill 4 Mali soldiers, 2 civilians
August
9, 2022
At
least four soldiers, two civilians and five assailants were killed on Sunday in
an attack in a strategic border zone between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger,
Mali’s army said. The army blamed the attack on “terrorists” in an announcement
late Sunday, using the term it typically uses for militants.
Earlier,
it had said its troops had been repelling an attack by the Islamic State in the
Greater Sahara (ISGS) group, affiliated with the Daesh organization. The army’s
death toll could be “much higher,” an elected official said, asking not to be
named for security reasons.
The
two civilians killed were local elected officials, their relatives said. Tessit
is located on the Malian side of the so-called three-border area in a vast
gold-rich region beyond state control.
Armed
groups under the umbrella of Al-Qaeda aligned militants Jama’at Nasr Al-Islam
wal Muslimin, or JNIM, are fighting ISGS there. The Malian army, which has a
military camp next to the town of Tessit, has frequently been attacked in the
area.
UN
peacekeepers and, until a few months ago, French soldiers from Operation Barkhane,
have also been deployed there. Thousands of residents have fled the area, many
heading to the town of Gao, some 150 kilometers away.
The
Tessit area, like the whole of the so-called three-border zone, is even more
isolated during the rainy season when heavy rainfall prevents passage.
Source:
Pak Observer
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://pakobserver.net/suspected-militants-kill-4-mali-soldiers-2-civilians/
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FACT
refuses Chad government's peace deal with rebel groups
09
August 2022
The
Chadian main insurgent group has refused to join a peace deal signed between
the government and rebel groups.
More
than 40 rebel groups signed the national reconciliation deal in the Qatari
capital, Doha, on Monday, but the Central African country’s main rebel group,
the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), refused to take part in the
deal despite all efforts by the mediators.
Under
the new deal, the opposition groups and the military government of Mahamat
Idriss Deby Itno, also known as Kaka who seized power following his father's
death, will initiate reconciliation talks aimed at paving the way for a smooth
democratic transition within 18 months.
Kaka,
38, who leads the Transitional Military Council (TMC), took power in April last
year after FACT fighters led a rebel offensive in which his father, Idriss Deby
Itno, who had been president for 30 years, was killed.
He
proposed the start of the national dialog with rebels and members of the civil
society, trade unions, political parties and government officials to agree on a
constitutional framework to hold a presidential election.
Under
the Doha peace deal, the national reconciliation dialog is scheduled to begin
its work on August 20 in N’Djamena. The deal commits signatories to a ceasefire
during the talks. The military government has also guaranteed the safety of
rebel leaders who attend the talks.
Fadoul
Hissein, from the National Council for Reform, one of the groups that inked the
peace deal, said, “All Chadians will be happy with this deal.”
He
said the FACT group, which is estimated to have between 1,500 and 2,000
members, is welcome to join the deal.
“The
peace agreement is still open for anyone to come and join in the future. I urge
anyone who has not signed to do so. They [FACT] are welcomed in the future to
sign this agreement,” he added.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/08/687030/Chad-Peace-Deal-FACT-Qatar-Doha
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Several
killed as Nigerian troops attack Ashura procession in Kaduna
08
August 2022
Nigerian
troops have reportedly attacked Shia Muslims, killing several people and
injuring many others during a peaceful annual Ashura procession in Zaria,
Kaduna state in the northwest.
Sheikh
Abdulhamid Bello, a spokesman for the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN),
confirmed that at least four Shia mourners were killed by security forces in
the attack on the peaceful mourners' procession held in Zaria's Central Market
on Monday.
"Many
of our members were attacked, and at least four people have been confirmed
dead," Sheikh Bello, who is the representative ofIMN leader Ibrahim
al-Zakzaky in Zaria, was quoted as saying.
Bello
said the death toll from the attack had risen to six, while at least 50 more
had sustained varying degrees of injury and were receiving medical attention in
health facilities.
He
accused the soldiers of “sporadic shooting at innocent citizens, including Shia
members”. Unconfirmed reports said Sheikh Zazaky's nephew was among the dead.
An
eyewitness cited by Iranpress, Abdulhakam Muhammad, said the procession had
already finished peacefully when the police moved in and started firing
teargas.
He
said that after the police initiated the attack, the soldiers who were
initially stationed in front of Emir of Zazzau Palace, starting firing live
bullets, killing and injuring the mourners who were leaving the marketplace via
the Babban Dodo roundabout.
Ashura
mourning processions are held each year in many cities and towns in Nigeria.
The mourning procession held on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram the first
month in the Islamic lunar calendar, marks the day Imam Hussein (AS), the
grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was unjustly assassinated by the tyrant of
the time Yazid in Karbala, Iraq.
A
human rights activist, Ali Musa, also shared the information on his Twitter
handle.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/08/687025/Nigeria-Ashura-Procession-Shia-Kaduna-Zaria
--------
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