New Age Islam News Bureau
04 April 2023
Image used for representational purpose only.
-----------
• Sri Lankans Celebrate Unity As Several Communities
Come Together For Ramadan Iftar
• Syrian Refugee, RyyanAlshebl, Becomes Mayor In
Germany
• Saudi Arabia Executes Saudi Man During Ramadan;
‘Rare’ Decries Rights Group
• President Rayeesi Accepts King Salman's Invitation
to Visit S. Arabia
India
• UP: Hindu Man Killed 18-Year-Old Muslim Wife For
Insisting To Eat Meat
• Cattle Trader Lynching: Karnataka Congress Tweets
Photos Of Prime Accused
• Protect Muslims During Ramazan, Mamata Banerjee Urges
Hindus
• 'Plot to Evacuate Muslims from Surat Before Planting
Nuclear Bomb': Court's Charges Against Yasin Bhatkal
• Centre to issue forex cards for 1.4 lakh Hajj
pilgrims
--------
South Asia
• Bangladesh says Myanmar must build trust, safety for
Rohingya repatriation
• Spokesperson of IEA Claims Daesh Threat in
Afghanistan is ‘Propaganda’
• Afghanistan: 2 children killed in mortar mine blast
in Wardak province
• Afghan Security Forces Kill 6 Key Daesh Fighters in
Balkh Province
• Afghanistan to Handover Iranian Prisoners to Iran
Soon
• Russia, Tajikistan Troops Hold Military Exercises
Near Afghanistan Border
--------
Europe
• Ukrainian Muslims Mark Ramadan, Pray For Victory
• Turkish Community Gathers At Iftar Event In London
• UK minister under fire for singling out Pakistani
men
• UK set to deport Nepalese guards who risked lives
protecting Kabul embassy
• Germany, Jordan call for 2-state solution to
Israel-Palestine conflict
• France expresses regret for French journalists'
expulsion from Burkina Faso
--------
Arab World
• PM Sudani: No Need For US Forces In Iraq As Iraqi
Troops Fully Ready, Daesh Vanquished
• El-Sadat’s passport returns to Egypt after US
auction controversy
• Islamic Ministry hosts Iftar banquets in Kosovo,
Philippines
• Two Islamic State suicide bombers killed in Syria
amid group’s resurgence
• Bus attack in Syria injures 16 near Jordan border:
State media
• Israeli air strikes kill two civilians in Syria’s
government-held areas
• Syria's deputy FM urges immediate withdrawal of
Turkish forces, non-interference in domestic affairs
--------
Mideast
• Tehran Vows Revenge for Israeli Terror Attack
Against Iranian Military Advisors in Syria
• Rayeesi: Holy Qur’an, Spirituality Of Ramadan Can
Promote Unity Within Muslim Ummah
• Deputy Minister: Total $80bln Oil Investment
Agreements Signed with Foreign Parties
• Senior Diplomat: Ancient Treasure Seized in UK to
Return to Iran
• Israel detains Passover sacrifice campaigner as
al-Aqsa tensions simmer
• Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank
gunfight, medics says
• Houthis must reveal location of all mines to save
lives, say activists and government
• The inspirational strength of the victims of Houthi
landmines in Yemen
• Hamas targets Israeli warplanes after resistance
group’s drone shot down over Gaza Strip
--------
Pakistan
• Militant Attacks Drop by 36 Pc in Pakistan,
Casualties Remain Same: Report
• Ruling on PTI’s election petition likely today
• SC registrar removed after Justice Isa’s blistering
rejoinder
• Voices from within ruling coalition call for
‘de-escalation’
• NAB on notice as Imran, Bushra challenge summons
• Karachi Chapter OfPTI Unhappy Over Move To Contact MQM-P
• Terror-stricken Sikh community weary of its safety
• 125 policemen martyred in militant attacks in three
months in KP
--------
Southeast Asia
• Law Ministry Seeks To Spur Economy Through Ramadan Bazaar
• Malaysia says Beijing expresses concerns about its
energy projects in South China Sea
• Malaysian parliament approves bill to scrap
mandatory death penalty
• As Japan ages, young Indonesians train to fill
caregiver jobs
--------
Africa
• Tunisia’s Saied Reappears In Public, Dismisses ‘Mad’
Speculations
• UN calls for accountability push in Libya as war
crimes probe ends
• Algerian president discusses Syrian developments
with al-Assad
• KSrelief continues humanitarian efforts in
Indonesia, Nigeria
--------
North America
• Surrey Throat Slashing Suspect Charged With
Terrorism Linked To Islamic State Group
• US says its forces killed ISIS leader in Syria
behind planning attacks in Europe
• After attacks by Iranian-backed forces, US carrier
repositioned near Syria: Pentagon
• US vows to act against human rights abusers in Libya
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Probe Reveals Karnataka 'Love-Jihad' Case To Be Fake;
Afjal Sollapura Died And Nethravathi Waddar - Is Battling For Life
03rd April 2023
Image used for representational purpose only.
------------
BAGALKOT (Karnataka): The police investigations into
the alleged 'love-jihad' case reported from Bagalkot district in Karnataka have
revealed that the Muslim youth and Hindu girl were in love for three years,
according to sources.
The 26-year-old AfjalSollapura died on Monday at a
hospital and the girl - 22-year-old NethravathiWaddar - is battling for life.
Afzal and Nethravathi had torched themselves on
February 27 at Guduru village in Ilkal taluk. They were admitted to a hospital
by the locals. Afzal and Nethra were treated at the district hospital and later
shifted to the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) at Hubballi.
Afzal who suffered 70 per cent injuries succumbed on
Monday. The girl is battling for life with severe burn injuries.
The Hindu organisations had claimed it to be a case of
'love-jihad' and alleged that the boy had poured petrol and set the girl ablaze
for rejecting his love proposal.
The family members of the girl had stated that Afzal
was behind her and their daughter did not love him. They also alleged that he
threatened her as well that he will not let her live.
But, the police probe revealed that both were in love
and Netharavathi had not revealed about Afzal to her family. She also agreed
for marriage to be fixed by her family. Further investigation in the case is
on.
Source:New Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Sri Lankans Celebrate Unity As Several Communities
Come Together For Ramadan Iftar
Mohammed Rasooldeen
April 03, 2023
Sri Lankans gather at Independence Square in the
capital Colombo for an iftar event on April 2, 2023. (AN photo)
--------------
COLOMBO: Thousands of people from several communities
in Sri Lanka came together for iftar over the weekend, an occasion they say
conveyed unity and optimism in a country that faced economic collapse and
political upheaval in the past year.
Muslims make up less than 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s 22
million people, who are predominantly Sinhalese Buddhists.
As the minority community celebrates the holy month of
Ramadan, which involves fasting during daylight hours, around 3,000 Sri Lankans
gathered in the capital Colombo on Sunday for the fast-breaking evening meals
of Iftar.
“We organized this to bring unity amongst all
communities. We always believe that humanity is beyond religion,” Rizan Nazeer,
a chief organizer of the event, told Arab News.
The gathering, which was organized by the Sri Lanka
Muslim Civil Society, the Soup Kitchen Sri Lanka and the Torrington Walkers’
Team, aims to “show the unity in this country,” he said.
Former Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena, who
was among the participants, said the iftar event “will contribute a lot to
strengthen intercommunal amity.”
Sirisena told Arab News: “Ramadan is a holy month for
Muslims but today we enjoy the companionship of members of all communities for
a common goal.
“This joint initiative by all communities is a good
signal that the country will forge ahead in the future.”
Calm has returned for the most part in Sri Lanka, an
island nation facing its worst economic crisis that, only last year, saw
months-long mass protests which eventually ousted then President Gotabaya
Rajapaksa.
Sunday’s iftar event was a celebration of diversity,
said Thailand’s Ambassador in Colombo PojHarnpol.
“What I witness, I see people from all places and all
walks of life to join together and it’s a blessing that we have a pluralistic
society,” Harnpol told Arab News. “I’m so glad to be part of the national
unity.”
For Y.M. Jayaratne, a Sinhalese Buddhist, seeing the
larger Sri Lankan community come together was a boost of optimism.
“I can see all the communities are involved here, it’s
a good sign of how this country is coming up after difficult times,” Jayaratne
told Arab News.
“We had our ups and downs as a country but we have to
come out, we have to look forward,” he said. “I’m glad that I take part in this
evening with the community, with my friends.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280666/world
--------
Syrian
Refugee, RyyanAlshebl, Becomes Mayor In Germany
April
03, 2023
Syrian
refugee Ryyan Alshebl won an outright majority in the mayoral contest in
Ostelsheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. (Twitter Photo)
------------
LONDON:
A Syrian refugee has been elected mayor of a village in southwest Germany.
RyyanAlshebl,
29, arrived in the country in 2015 after fleeing the conflict in his homeland.
He settled in the region of Baden-Wurttemberg, where he has worked for seven
years in the town hall in Althengstett.
Standing
as an independent candidate on a platform of improving access to digital
services, he won an outright majority in the mayoral contest in the village of
Ostelsheim on Sunday, securing 55.4 percent of the vote.
He
described his win as “sensational,” and praised the village as having “set an
example for broad-mindedness and cosmopolitanism for the whole of Germany.”
Originally
from As-Suwayda in southwest Syria, Alshebl — a non-practicing member of the
Druze religious minority and the son of a secondary school teacher and an
agricultural engineer — was forced to abandon his studies in finance and
banking because of the war.
He
is the first Syrian refugee to have applied for asylum in Germany between 2015
and 2016 — of whom there are at least 430,000 — known to have been elected to
office.
He
is also among just 1.2 percent of Germany’s elected mayors to be from a migrant
background, as opposed to 27 percent of the country’s total population,
according to Mediendienst Integration.
The
most high-profile German politician with Syrian roots, Frankfurt’s Mayor Mike
Josef, was born in Qamishli in 1983 but moved to Germany with his family soon
after as political refugees for their Christian faith.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280636/world
--------
Saudi
Arabia Executes Saudi Man During Ramadan; ‘Rare’ Decries Rights Group
By
Mallika Soni
Apr
04, 2023
Saudi
Arabia Execution: The man, a Saudi national who had been convicted of murder,
was put to death in the Medina region. (AFP)
-------------
Saudi
Arabia executed a man during the holy month of Ramadan, Guardian reported
citing a rights group which said that the execution was rare. The execution
took place on 28 March – five days into Ramadan- the report claimed. The man, a
Saudi national who had been convicted of murder, was put to death in the Medina
region. The man had stabbed the victim and set him on fire, the report added.
“Saudi
Arabia executed a citizen during Ramadan,” European Saudi Organisation for
Human Rights (ESOHR) said in a statement, citing Saudi interior ministry
capital punishment data. “No sentence has been implemented during the holy
month” since 2009 in Saudi Arabia, , the group said.
Saudi
Arabia has one of the world’s highest rates of executions and with the latest
case, the number of executions in 2023 rose to 17, the group said. In 2022,
Saudi Arabia executed 147 people in- over double the 2021 figure of 69, news
agency AFP earlier reported.
Since
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed power as the country's de facto ruler
in 2015, more than 1,000 death sentences have been carried out, according to a
report published by Reprieve and ESOHR.
Although
in March 2022, the Crown Prince had said in an interview with The Atlantic
magazine that Saudi Arabia “got rid of” the death penalty. It only applied to
cases of murder or when someone “threatens the lives of many people”, he had
said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
President
Rayeesi Accepts King Salman's Invitation to Visit S. Arabia
2023-April-3
TEHRAN
(FNA)- First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber said that President Seyed Ebrahim
Rayeesi has accepted an invitation from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to visit the
kingdom following the reconciliation deal between Tehran and Riyadh.
------------
"King
Salman has invited the president, and there has been a positive response to
this invitation, and hopefully good things will happen," Mokhber stated on
Monday.
"The
main strategies of Mr. Rayeesi since the first day he was elected as the
president have been to improve relations with the countries of the
region," he added.
The
two regional heavyweights announced on March 10 a Chinese-brokered agreement to
restore ties seven years after they were severed.
According
to a joint statement, Tehran and Riyadh have stressed the need to respect the
national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of
one another.
The
two countries have agreed to implement a security cooperation agreement signed
in April 2001 and another accord reached in May 1998 to boost economic,
commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports, and youth
affairs cooperation.
Saudi
Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian
protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir
Al-Nimr by theRiyadh government, stormed its embassy in Tehran.
The
foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia have also agreed to hold a meeting
within the coming days.
In
a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan on
Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian expressed pleasure
with the positive trend of ties between Tehran and Riyadh.
He
also stressed Iran’s resolve to expand its policy of neighborliness.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
UP:
Hindu Man Killed 18-Year-Old Muslim Wife For Insisting To Eat Meat
3rd
April 2023
A
Hindu man was arrested on Sunday after he murdered his 18-year-old Muslim wife
in Uttar Pradesh’s Banti Khera village.
According
to police, the incident took place on March 21. Naima wanted to have
non-vegetarian food which was objected to by her husband Ajit.
“The
couple had a heated argument and Naima threatened to leave the house. In a fit
of rage, Ajit murdered Naima and dumped her body at a nearby well. He tried to
eradicate the evidence by sprinkling salt over the body,” police said.
Source:
SiasatDaily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/up-man-killed-18-year-old-muslim-wife-for-insisting-to-eat-meat-2560772/
--------
Cattle
trader lynching: Karnataka Congress tweets photos of prime accused
K.M.
Rakesh | Bangalore
04.04.23
The
Karnataka Congress on Monday tweeted a collage of pictures showing the prime
accused in Friday night’s lynching of a Muslim cattle trader, by alleged cow
vigilantes, with several senior state and national BJP leaders, including state
home minister AragaJnanendra.
The
photographs show Puneeth Kerehalli, head of the Rashtra Rakshana Pade (Nation
Protection Army), who police sources say is a well-known cow vigilante, with
Jnanendra, BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi, Lok Sabha member and BJP
youth icon Tejasvi Surya, state energy minister V. Sunil Kumar, Lok Sabha
member Pratap Simha and some other party functionaries.
Puneeth
and four unnamed others have been booked on the charge of murdering Idrees
Pasha, 38, at Sathanur village in Ramanagara district, about 150km from
Bangalore. All five accused are in hiding. The police have formed two teams to
trace them. The BJP had till evening not reacted officially to the Congress
charge of links with Puneeth.
A
senior BJP leader said Puneeth “has nothing to do with the party” and stressed
that “there is nothing unusual in political leaders posing for pictures with
members of the general public”. Pasha’s lynching comes a month after state
animal husbandry minister Prabhu Chavan had declared that the May 10 Assembly
elections were “a battle between cow protectors and cow slaughterers”.
State
Congress president D.K. Shivakumar, whose Assembly constituency of Kanakapura
includes Sathanur, has demanded the resignation of home minister Jnanendra, the
immediate arrest of the accused, and compensation of Rs 25 lakh to Pasha’s
family.
“(Chief
minister) Basavaraj Bommai is responsible for this. He has encouraged it. We
had raised our voice when he made that statement on moral policing,” Shivakumar
told a news conference, where he held up pictures of Puneeth with BJP leaders
that his party had earlier tweeted. Bommai had in 2021 justified a surge in
acts of moral policing — mainly the harassment of interfaith couples at public
places — by saying: “Action and reaction are bound to happen if sentiments are
hurt.”
Asked
about the BJP’s silence on the pictures, a party source said all the senior
leaders were busy finalising the candidates’ list, which would be sent to Delhi
in a couple of days. Puneeth’s Facebook page has a video, posted on March 18,
of what appears an act of cow vigilantism. It shows a mini-truck laden with
cattle, its rear hatch open.
The
cattle are tied to one another and to the vehicle itself. Puneeth unties the
cattle, which are later seen at a cattle shelter. Pasha and two companions were
travelling in a mini-truck with 16 heads of cattle when the five accused
allegedly stopped them at Sathanur late on Friday night and attacked them,
telling them to “go to Pakistan”.
The
companions — Syed Zaheer, 38, and Irfan, 37 — say they somehow managed to run
away. Pasha’s body was found on Saturday morning on a roadside in Sathanur.
Former chief minister and Janata Dal Secular leader H.D. Kumaraswamy tweeted in
Kannada: “If he was transporting cattle illegally, he could have been caught
and handed over to the police or information could have been provided (to the
police). What is the meaning of this murder?” He added: “Anyone can understand
the conspiracy behind this during election time.”
Kumaraswamy
slammed the police’s inaction while cow vigilantes ran amok in the state.
“These people masquerading as cow protectors do not care for the cows on the
streets, which have neither food nor shelter. But their objective is to keep
the fire of caste and religion burning. Is the police system fast asleep?”
Hundreds of Muslims carried Pasha’s body in a funeral procession in his native
Mandya town on Sunday.
Source:TelegraphIndia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Protect
Muslims during Ramazan, Mamata Banerjee urges Hindus
Devadeep
Purohit | Calcutta
04.04.23
Chief
minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged “Hindu brothers and sisters” to
protect Muslims during the holy month of Ramazan.
The
appeal was issued ahead of Hanuman Jayanti, scheduled on April 6, and against
the backdrop of sporadic communal clashes in the state during the Ram Navami
celebrations in Howrah and Rishra in Hooghly.
“I
would like to put our people on alert for April 6. We do respect Bajrangbali.
But they (the BJP) may have plans to create riots,” Mamata said, seeking to
sensitise people about the saffron camp’s polarisation agenda.
The
chief minister not only instructed the state administration to be vigilant to
thwart any attempts to create communal disharmony but also appealed to the
people at large to help the minority community.
“There
should not be any atrocities against Muslims in the month of Ramazan. My Hindu
brothers and sisters will protect them and save them in every village. They are
a minority. They should get justice,” Mamata said at a programme in Khejuri,
around 120km from Calcutta, in East Midnapore.
With
her appeal, the Bengal chief minister touched upon a topic that B.R. Ambedkar,
the father of the Indian Constitution, had broached in the immediate aftermath
of India’s independence when the country was reeling under communal conflict.
Referring
to the growing fanaticism against minorities in the turbulent days after
Independence, Ambedkar had said: “... the minorities in India have agreed to
place their existence in the hands of the majority…. They have loyally accepted
the rule of the majority, which is basically a communal majority and not a
political majority. It is for the majority to realise its duty not to
discriminate against minorities.”
Against
the backdrop of the strife in parts of Bengal over the past few days over Ram
Navami — a festival that was never part of the cultural legacy in the state and
was imported by the saffron camp since it became a potent force after the 2014
Lok Sabha elections — Mamata’s appeal to the majority community assumes
significance.
The
chief minister took care to explain the various facets of intolerance witnessed
in the past few days in the name of Ram Navami celebrations.
“We
have seen riots in the BJP regime. I want to know why Ram Navami processions
are continuing even five days after the festival. And that too with guns and
bulldozers.... There have been instances of people dancing with guns,” Mamata
said, referring to footage from the Ram
Navami procession in Howrah on Thursday.
“They
are entering minority areas…. They are setting fruit carts on fire,” she added,
suggesting that deliberate efforts are being made by the saffron ecosystem to
create a rift between the two communities.
Mamata
was in Khejuri —adjacent to Nandigram, from where she lost to the BJP’s
SuvenduAdhikaroi in the 2021 Assembly polls — for a government programme during
which she unveiled a slew of projects in the district and handed over benefits
under various welfare schemes to a select group of beneficiaries.
Although
Mamata began her address by describing the “relentless efforts” of her
government to offer a better deal to the people of the state, she spent
considerable time explaining how the BJP was trying to create disharmony among
Hindus and Muslims.
Sources
close to her said that the chief minister, who doesn’t follow a written script,
probably spoke on the issue as she was receiving constant reports from the
administration about the rising tension in various parts of the state after
scores of saffron camp leaders hit the streets to capitalise on clashes over
Ram Navami celebrations.
Several
BJP leaders — both at the state and the central levels — spent the day talking
about the RamNavami clashes, which the state administration managed to control
without any loss of life, and criticising the state administration’s alleged
policy of pampering “one particular community”.
From
demanding the chief minister’s resignation to spreading the word about the
Centre’s possible intervention in Bengal because of the “alleged deterioration
“in the law and order situation”, the saffron ecosystem went on an overdrive to
create an impression that the majority Hindu community was not safe in the
state.
Such
a perception is the menacing backdrop for large-scale communal violence, said a
retired IPS officer.
Source:TelegraphIndia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/hindus-protect-muslims-mamata-banerjee/cid/1927073
--------
'Plot
to Evacuate Muslims from Surat Before Planting Nuclear Bomb': Court's Charges
Against Yasin Bhatkal
APRIL
03, 2023
Delhi’s
Patiala House Court recently framed charges against Indian Mujahideen (IM)
operative Yasin Bhatkal and 10 others in a UAPA case for designing and executing
terror plots to wage a war against India.
Special
NIA Judge Shailendra Malick, who also discharged three accused in the case,
noted while framing charges that Bhatkal was repeatedly involved in terror
activities to wage a war against India.
“…Extraction
report of the data in digital devices seized from A-6, as per the report of
CERT-In show that many folders containing video clips of jihadi literature,
including writings for justifying killing of non-Muslims, in the name of jihad.
Videos of Talib and Al Qaida on necessity of violent jihad," the court
noted.
After
analysing various electronic and digital evidence, the court also observed that
Bhatkal was involved not only in a larger conspiracy for committing terrorist
activities but also instrumental in preparing of IEDs and explosives.
The
court noted that a chat between Yasin Bhatkal and Mohd Sajid (Bada Sajid)
reflect IM was planning to evacuate Muslims from Surat town before planting a
nuclear bomb.
Another
chat between Bhatkal and Sajid on June 1, 2013, showed them discussing a Maoist
attack on a Congress leader in Chhattisgarh and also planning to kill leaders
instead of the general public for “shaking the government”.
Appearing
for Bhatkal, advocate MS Khan, during arguements, submitted that Bhatkal has
faced prosecution in other cases of bomb blast and has also been convicted in
one of the matters. He submitted that evidence in those cases cannot be relied
upon in the present case as it would
tantamount
to trial of Yasin Bhatkal on the second occasion, based on the same evidence.
Source:News18
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Centre
to issue forex cards for 1.4 lakh Hajj pilgrims
Apr
04, 2023
Emphasising
on a "cashless Hajj", the government has made special arrangements to
meet the foreign exchange requirements of those going on the annual pilgrimage,
including the issuance of a forex card through the State Bank of India (SBI).
The
Ministry of Minority Affairs has taken several initiatives to make Haj 2023
more comfortable, convenient and affordable for Indian Muslims, according to an
official statement.
Dedicated
efforts have also been made to make the process of pilgrim selection objective,
transparent, efficient, timely and free from human involvement.
The
process of applying for Haj and selection of pilgrims was carried out online
and of the 1.84 lakh applicants, 14,935 have been given assured allotment,
including 10,621 in the 70-plus category and 4,314 women who will perform the
Haj without a "Mehram" (male companion).
This
is the largest ever contingent of women proceeding on Haj alone, not
accompanied by men, the ministry said in a statement.
The
applications received over and above the Haj quota have been finalised through
an online randomised digital selection (ORDS) process, without any human
intervention, it added.
For
the first time, the list of selected and waitlisted applicants was published on
the official portal immediately after the selection process in the interest of
increased transparency, the statement said.
All
1.4 lakh selected pilgrims have been sent a text message with the information
of their selection for Haj 2023. A text message has also been sent to the
waitlisted applicants, informing them about their position on the list, the
statement said.
The
ministry has partnered with the SBI to make special arrangements to provide
foreign exchange to the pilgrims.
Unlike
previous years, when each pilgrim was given 2,100 Saudi riyals by the Haj
Committee of India in lieu of Indian currency, irrespective of his actual
requirements, the Haj Policy 2023 gives the option to the pilgrims to arrange
their own foreign currency or take a lesser amount of foreign exchange,
according to their requirements.
The
government has collaborated with the SBI to ensure the supply of foreign
exchange to the pilgrims at the most competitive rates, the statement said.
With
more than 22,000 branches across the country, the SBI shall facilitate
providing foreign exchange and the mandatory insurance to all the pilgrims to
meet their requirements during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
The
bank will reach out to the pilgrims through text messages, the ministry said.
The
facility of a forex card is also being provided to the pilgrims, eliminating
the possibility of theft or loss of physical currency, it added.
In
case the card is lost during the pilgrimage, the pilgrim can get his money
refunded from the bank.
An
official said the government's aim is to support a "cashless Haj" to
make it convenient for the pilgrims.
The
SBI will also set up stalls at all the embarkation points with dedicated nodal
officers of an appropriate level to help the pilgrims collect the foreign
exchange in cash or through the forex card and also to provide any guidance and
assistance as may be required.
A
helpline shall be operated by the SBI and the contact details of these nodal
officers will be made public soon, the statement said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Bangladesh
says Myanmar must build trust, safety for Rohingya repatriation
SHEHAB
SUMON
April
04, 2023
DHAKA:
The government in Myanmar must build trust and ensure safety for Rohingya
refugees, Bangladesh’s refugee commissioner has said following calls to suspend
the community’s potential return to their homeland.
Bangladesh
has been hosting and providing humanitarian support to 1.2 million Rohingya
Muslims, most of whom fled violence and persecution in neighboring Myanmar
during a military crackdown in 2017.
A
leading human rights watchdog last week urged authorities in Bangladesh to halt
plans to send Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, after a junta delegation
visited Bangladeshi refugee camps in March to verify hundreds of potential
returnees for a process ostensibly aimed at jumpstarting a stalled repatriation
agreement.
“Repatriation
must be dignified, voluntary and sustainable — this is the stand of
Bangladesh,” Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mizanur
Rahman told Arab News.
“For
this, the major part of responsibilities lies on the shoulders of Myanmar
authorities…It’s the responsibility of the destination country to take their
people in confidence and build an atmosphere of trust, safety, and dignity.”
Bangladesh
is prepared for repatriation to begin, but “the question remains whether the
Rohingya are ready for repatriation,” Rahman said, adding that the UN refugee
agency will be involved to check their willingness if the process were to take
place.
Human
Rights Watch said voluntary, safe and dignified returns of Rohingya refugees to
Myanmar “are not possible while the military junta is carrying out massacres
around the country and apartheid in Rakhine State.”
In
a statement, HRW said Rohingya refugees were “lied to, deceived, or otherwise
coerced” by Bangladeshi authorities to meet with the Myanmar delegation last
month.
“For
future returns to be truly voluntary, the Bangladesh authorities need to allow
Rohingya to live freely, without enforcing pressures pushing them to go back,”
said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW South Asia director.
Bangladesh
has been pressing for the repatriation of Rohingya for years as it has been
hosting the refugees despite not being a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee
Convention.
The
developing country spends an estimated $1.2 billion a year to support the
Rohingya, as international aid for the community has been dropping since 2020.
The UN World Food Programme cut food rations for the group earlier this year,
as its pleas for donations had not been met.
Though
the recent verification process appeared to signal a potential return for the
Rohingya to Myanmar, the actual process may still be delayed further, said
Dhaka-based migration expert Asif Munir.
The
process has been “very faulty” so far, Munir said, adding that Myanmar may only
be looking to “demonstrate to the international community that they are willing
to take the Rohingya back.”
Munir
told Arab News: “We have seen before that there was a date fixed and there was
no repatriation because eventually, the people were not willing to go.
“We
already know that on the other side, there has not been any improvement in the
overall situation regarding the recognition of their identity.
“It’s
not a question of just physical movement. It’s more about the conditions and
the support they get from both authorities and local communities.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280781/world
--------
Spokesperson
of IEA Claims Daesh Threat in Afghanistan is ‘Propaganda’
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
3, 2023
The
Daesh group’s activities in Afghanistan have been reduced, and the organization
is being dismantled, said Zabihullah Mujahid, a senior spokesperson of the
interim government.
In
an interview with state-run TV RTA, Mujahid stressed that some countries are
attempting to exaggerate and take advantage of the false propaganda about
Daesh’s threats in Afghanistan.
“Some
countries accuse Daesh of their activities or claim Daesh has increased
activity and is a threat to the world after six months; we deny this
propaganda,” stated Mujahid.
He
added that these countries want to exaggerate the Daesh phenomenon and its
danger of exploiting their existence either against the country’s people or
against the regime.
Earlier,
he said to Voice of America, Pashto, since August 2021, the Taliban forces have
arrested and imprisoned 1,600 to 1,700 Daesh militants and killed more than
1,100 fighters.
But
in a recent speech to Congress, Michael Kurilla, the head of the US Central
Command, asserted that ISIS is now more powerful than it was in Afghanistan.
Kurilla
said “at least hundreds of thousands” of US people could be at risk from an
attack by ISIS, which has the “ultimate goal of striking on the US homeland.”
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/mujahid-claims-daesh-threat-in-afghanistan-is-propaganda/
--------
Afghanistan:
2 children killed in mortar mine blast in Wardak province
2
April, 2023
Kabul
[Afghanistan], April 2 (ANI): Two children in Afghanistan were on Saturday
killed in a mortar mine blast, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.
Yusuf
Israr, the provincial police spokesperson, said the explosion caused by a
mortar mine of past wars resulted in the death of two children in Sayedabad
district on Saturday evening while the children were playing with it.
A
similar incident occurred on Friday evening in the Sarkhakan area of the Shah
Joi district of Zabul province, resulting in one child’s death and three
others’ injuries, according to Khaama Press.
Meanwhile,
according to local sources, another blast that happened on Tuesday, March 28,
caused the death of two children and injured four others in the northern
Jawzjan province.
Recently,
the incidence of unexploded devices from past wars has increased in several
parts of the country, resulting in the death and hurt of men and women,
including children.
The
presence and existence of unexploded devices and the remnant in war-torn
Afghanistan pose significant threats to people’s lives, particularly children,
according to Khaama Press.
International
bodies have since last November, contributed to support demining in the
country, including Australia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Sweden, the United States,
the UK, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Source:
ThePrint
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
Security Forces Kill 6 Key Daesh Fighters in Balkh Province
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
4, 2023
The
Taliban Security forces in the Northern Province of Afghanistan, Balkh, killed
six Daesh key fighters in a special operation late Monday.
Mohammad
Asif Waziri, a spokesperson for Balkh provincial police, confirmed that in a
special raid by the Taliban security forces, six key fighters of Islamic State
Khorasan were killed in Nahr-e-Shahi District of Balkh province on late Monday.
The
operation occurred after one of the perpetrators was arrested on Sunday by the
Taliban intelligence Department which was involved in several deadly attacks in
the Balkh province, including the assassination of Mohammad Dawood Muzamal,
governor of the province.
The
accused person allegedly said that he had contributed blast in the office of
the Balkh governor, Tebyan Cultural Center and several others.
Earlier
in March, the Taliban governor of Balkh, Mohammad Dawood Muzmal, was killed in
the blast with two of his aide. Two days after the Balkh governor blast, a
journalists’ gathering was targeted in Tebyan Cultural Center, leaving at least
three people dead and more than 30 others injured.
Daesh,
or the group also known as Islamic State-Khorasan, claimed responsibility for
both incidents.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-security-forces-kill-6-key-daesh-fighters-in-balkh-province/
--------
Afghanistan
to Handover Iranian Prisoners to Iran Soon
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
3, 2023
The
deputy ambassador, Sayed Hasan Murtazavi, on Sunday met with the Afghan
Attorney General MawlavishamsuddinPahlavan in Kabul to discuss judicial and
legal cooperation and handing over the Iranian prisoners in Afghanistan to Iran
authorities, Iranian Embassy said in a statement.
Pahlavan
promised that the handing over of the Iranian prisoners in Afghanistan would
begin soon to the Iranian side while adding that Afghan authorities would
follow the demands of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the “expansion of
relations and commonalities between the two countries,” the statement read.
In
the meeting, the deputy ambassador, Murtazavi, said, “For Tehran, the pursuit
of issues relating to Iranian prisoners in Afghanistan has in the past been
accompanied by disturbances, but we hope that in the current circumstances, the
problems of Iranian prisoners are solved in the shortest period so they can
return to Iran.”
It
is worth mentioning that the Afghan Attorney General’s Office, led by Pahlavan,
visited Iran two months ago. As a result, 857 Afghan inmates were handed over
by Iran authorities to Afghan officials.
Meanwhile,
according to the statement of the Iran Embassy in Kabul, around 6,000 Afghan
prisoners are currently serving their sentences in Iranian prisons.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-to-handover-iranian-prisoners-to-iran-soon/
--------
Russia,
Tajikistan Troops Hold Military Exercises Near Afghanistan Border
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
3, 2023
Russia
and Tajikistan held military exercises at the Kharb-Maidon training ground in
Tajikistan, 20 Km from the border with Afghanistan, that will continue till
April 7, Officials said on Monday.
At
the Kharb-Maidon training facility in Tajikistan, 20 kilometres from the Afghan
border, military contingents from Russia and Tajikistan began joint drills that
will last through April 7, according to a Monday press release from the Central
Military District of Russia, TASS News Agency reported.
“During
the practical stages, the military contingents from Russia and Tajikistan will
practice preparing and carrying out a joint operation on mountainous terrain to
eliminate outlawed armed gangs intruding into the territory of an allied state
and also exercising command and control of joint forces in blocking and
destroying an illegal armed formation,” according to the press office.
According
to the press office, the majority of the Russian military contingent taking
part in the exercises is made up of the Central Military District’sDistrict’s
mobile electronic warfare groups, armoured, artillery, radiation, chemical, and
biological protection troops, and motor rifle units, all of which total more
than 300 personnel.
Russia’s
most extensive military base is stationed in the cities of Dushanbe and
Bokhtar, and according to the agreement signed in October 2012, the military
bases in Tajikistan will remain through 2042.
The
military manoeuvre came after the security concerns expressed by the Russian
envoy and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Chief on Friday,
saying that an increased risk of terrorist groups’ infiltration from
Afghanistan threatens the security of the organization’s member countries.
“There
is an increasing risk that terrorist groups and extremist ideas will infiltrate
the territories of our CSTO allies. Complex threats from Afghanistan are of
particular concern,” the CSTO chief said.
The
Russian and Central Asian countries reiterated their concerns over the security
threats and risks emanating from Afghanistan and stressed watching the
situation in Afghanistan closely.
Since
the return of the de facto government in Afghanistan, Russia’s bloc expressed
their security concerns about ISIS militants in the country, including
“terrorism, illegal arms, drug trafficking, illegal migration and the spread of
extremist ideology,” according to Russian officials.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/russia-tajikistan-troops-hold-military-exercises-near-afghanistan-border/
--------
Europe
Ukrainian
Muslims mark Ramadan, pray for victory
04
Apr 2023
KYIV:
Muslims are observing Ramadan in war-ridden Ukraine for a second year, and most
people praying at a mosque near the eastern frontline this week were soldiers
in camouflage fatigues.
“I
ask Allah to protect our mosque. I ask Allah to protect Ukraine… and to punish
tyrants,” Mullah Murat Suleymanov said in prayers for the holy month.
“Ramadan
is a month of victory,” he told the small congregation of 16 people, 11 of them
in uniform including one woman.
The
mosque has numerous boarded-up broken windows and walls pitted by shrapnel. A
rocket exploded nearby two days earlier.
Among
the worshippers was Said Ismagilov, formerly one of Ukraine’s Muslim spiritual
leaders.
When
the war began, he quit and now works as an ambulance driver with volunteer paramedics,
evacuating wounded soldiers from the frontline.
Sandy-haired
and wearing glasses, 44-year-old Ismagilov is a Tatar, a Muslim ethnic group.
He
wore a sleeve patch from his ASAP Rescue battalion and showed his ambulance
parked outside, with taped-over dents caused by shrapnel.
‘Allah’s
protection’
He
said he feels “Allah’s will and protection” amid the danger.
“There
were times when my ambulance got riddled with shrapnel. Thank God, I wasn’t
injured.”
When
the war broke out, he had been serving as mufti of Ukraine’s Umma religious
administration for 13 years.
But
the mosque where he served emptied as many evacuated the area.
“I
realised I was useless,” he said, opting to “stand up and defend my
motherland”.
“Now
I evacuate wounded people.”
Last
year he spent Ramadan in Lysychansk, a city that saw extremely heavy shelling
before Ukraine’s military eventually withdrew.
One
of the most important Muslim festivals, Ramadan requires believers to abstain
from food and water from dawn to nightfall for a month.
Despite
his wartime job, Ismagilov said he can still observe the Ramadan fasting rules.
“I’d
got used to spending Ramadan at war, so this year was nothing new to me,”
Ismagilov said.
“I
have all I need for fasting according to all Muslim traditions.”
“I’m
not in the trench now. I spend most of my daytime driving or at the
stabilisation point,” a building where paramedics take wounded for initial
medical care, he said.
He
also tries to fit in a couple of hours praying at night.
‘Hard
to be Muslim’
“It’s
hard for those Muslims who have to stay in the trenches. They are cold and
there is a lot of water in the trenches as it often rains… It’s hard to be a
Muslim there,” he said.
Ismagilov
said he did not know how he would celebrate the end of Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr,
later this month.
“You
are lucky if you can visit a mosque now and you never know how many people will
come, or if they will come,” he said.
“If
there is heavy shelling, we will probably gather in a basement to pray there.”
Ismagilov
grew up in the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Intrigued
by his family’s Muslim heritage – which his parents knew little about – he went
to study theology at an Islamic university in Moscow and later became an imam
in Donetsk.
While
he grew up in a largely Russian-speaking region, he now prefers to speak
Ukrainian.
“I
think it’s disgusting when Russian Muslims support the war”, he said.
Russia
treats its ethnic minorities, many of them Muslims, as “people of low quality”
and “uses them as cannon fodder” in the war, he said.
“It’s
no secret that most of the dead enemy soldiers are ethnically from Buryatia,
Tuva, Dagestan, Tatarstan, Chechnya,” he said, naming Russian regions with
large numbers of Muslims and Buddhists.
“I’m
absolutely sure that many Muslim fighters taking part in combat would like to
fast… because in this case they feel even better with Allah’s help,” the Mufti
Suleymanov told AFP.
Dressed
in long robes and a white hat, he was elected mufti last November, replacing
Ismagilov.
A
soldier standing outside the mosque said he was fasting and that most Muslim
soldiers do, unless they are on combat missions.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
community gathers at iftar event in London
Burak
Bir
04.04.2023
LONDON
Around
200 people attended a fast-breaking meal Monday for the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan organized by a Turkish community in London.
Türkiye's
Ambassador to the UK Osman KorayErtas, Kemal Ergun, head of the Islamic
Community Milli Gorus (ICMG), Nasim Ali, the mayor of Camden, and Humaira
Garasia, speaker of the London Borough of Hackney, were among the attendees.
After
the call to prayer was recited, Muslims broke their fast at the iftar, which
was organized by ICMG UK.
Speaking
at the event, UbeydeBilaloglu, the head of ICMG's UK organization, mentioned
the deadly earthquakes that struck Türkiye on Feb. 6 which killed more than
50,000 people.
Thanking
all non-governmental organizations, including non-Turkish and non-Muslim NGOs,
for their help to fundraise money for the quake-hit victims, he said that ICMG
has so far collected €23 million ($25 million).
Touching
on the importance of the holy month, he said: "Ramadan is a good time and
good opportunity to change. It's a time where we can analyze ourselves."
Noting
there are people who are facing many problems around the world, including
Palestinians and Ukrainians, he said they will continue to fight for peace and
the well-being of people.
Ambassador
Ertas meanwhile thanked everyone who took part in organizing the event, saying
compared with the Ramadan atmosphere in Türkiye, it is not easy to observe
Ramadan abroad.
Also
touching on February's earthquakes, he said everyone has made huge efforts to
help heal the wounds in the quake-hit areas of Türkiye.
"Hopefully,
we will heal all the wounds," he noted, also thanking Ali and Garasia for
attending the event.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-community-gathers-at-iftar-event-in-london/2862706
--------
UK
minister under fire for singling out Pakistani men
Atika
Rehman
April
4, 2023
LONDON:
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s remarks that British-Pakistani men
“hold cultural values at odds with British values” have been criticised by
political commentators and children’s charities as “inflammatory” and akin to
initiating “race wars”.
Ms
Braverman came under fire when, during a Sky News interview about plans to
tackle child sexual abuse, she spoke about “the predominance of
British-Pakistani males who hold cultural values totally at odds with British values”.
“[British-Pakistani
men] see women in a demeaned, illegitimate way, and pursue an outdated and
frankly heinous approach to the way we behave,” Ms Braverman commented after
she was informed that a Home Office report in 2020 concluded that most child
sexual abuse gangs are made up of white men under the age of 30, and that there
was not enough evidence to suggest members of grooming gangs were
disproportionately more likely to be Asian or black.
Ms
Braverman instead pointed to reports from Rotherham, which was rocked by a
child sexual exploitation scandal in which five British-Pakistani men were
convicted of grooming, raping and exploiting young girls. The home secretary
also cited a 2015 report penned by Dame Louise Casey CB, which ironically noted
how British-Pakistani community had been “harmed by association” in the
scandal.
Braverman’s
remarks akin to triggering ‘race wars’
Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak, who is expected to roll out new measures to tackle sexual
violence against children, said the grooming gang crackdown would defy
“political correctness”. However, he did not repeat Ms Braverman’s comments
targeting Pakistanis.
The
government vowed that experienced specialist officers and members of the
National Crime Agency will assist police forces with their investigations into
child sexual abuse cases.
Reaction
Speaking
on a Sky News show after Ms Braverman, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said,
“It feels very dog whistle, if I may say, and it doesn’t deal with what is
happening on the ground.”
British
actor and presenter Adil Ray was one of many who pointed out that, as per the
Home Office report in 2020, most perpetrators are white. Braverman was attorney
general at the time [it was published].“
British-American
political commentator Mehdi Hasan tweeted, “Despite heavy competition, and
despite her own ethnicity, Suella Braverman may be the most bigoted, cynical,
and dangerous politician to emerge from the modern UK Conservative Party in
many decades. This is vile and dishonest stuff.”
Former
chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, too, drew attention to the predominance of white
male perpetrators in child sexual abuse case data.
“Suella
Braverman knows that 84% of child sex offenders are white British, but chooses
to focus on those who are not,” he posted.
For
The Independent, journalist Adam Forrest penned a column titled “Is Sunak’s
grooming gangs crackdown just ‘dog whistle’ politics?”, in which he wrote, “The
suspicion remains that the Tories have latched upon the grooming gangs issue
again in order to create controversy, rile up voters in the Midlands and north
of England and demonstrate they are the party willing to say the “unsayable”.
Chief
Executive of the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Sir
Peter Wanless, said government’s focus on tackling such crimes was welcome, but
race should not be the focus.
“Child
sexual exploitation by organised networks is one pernicious form of abuse and
it’s welcome to see the government focus on disrupting perpetrators and
protecting victims. This must be backed up with funding for services to help
child victims recover and support for a justice system that is struggling to
cope.
“It’s
also vital we remember that any child can be a victim of child sexual
exploitation and adult perpetrators do not just come from one background.
Sexual predators will target the most vulnerable and accessible children in
society and there must be a focus on more than just race so we do not create
new blind spots that prevent victims from being identified.”
Sabah
Kaiser, an ethnic minority ambassador to the independent inquiry into child
sexual abuse led by Professor Alexis Jay, who investigated child abuse in
Rotherham, said, it was “very, very dangerous” for the government to turn child
sexual abuse into a matter of colour.
“Child
sexual abuse does not have a skin colour, it doesn’t have a religion. It
doesn’t have a culture. Child sexual abuse does not discriminate. And so
therefore, it is really, really important that we as a nation have a singular
societal response to this issue,” she told Today on BBC 4.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745812/uk-minister-under-fire-for-singling-out-pakistani-men
--------
UK
set to deport Nepalese guards who risked lives protecting Kabul embassy
April
03, 2023
LONDON:
The UK is preparing to deport Nepalese security guards who were airlifted from
Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover after helping to protect Western
embassies in Kabul, The Guardian reported on Monday.
Eleven
Nepalese and two Indian guards, several of whom risked their lives protecting
British personnel and embassy staff in Kabul, were detained as a result of
government decisions on their immigration statuses and warned of their imminent
deportations.
After
being transported to the UK following the Western withdrawal almost two years
ago, at least two of the former guards were granted indefinite leave to remain,
while others were left waiting for decisions on their immigration status.
The
pending deportations are believed to be the first concerning people who were
successfully evacuated from Afghanistan.
The
UK government has previously faced criticism over its apparent failure to
evacuate those who have been forced into hiding in Afghanistan and neighboring
countries due to the Taliban’s rise to power.
One
of the 13 guards, 37-year-old Bam Bahadur Gurung, worked in Afghanistan for
more than 10 years, partly serving as a security guard at the British and
Canadian embassies in Kabul.
In
2016, several of his colleagues were killed in a suicide bombing that targeted
consular guards.
Gurung
was evacuated to the UK in the wake of the Taliban takeover and was provided
with a hotel stay in London alongside other people who were evacuated.
He
was employed by the hotel as a worker and was told that his application to
resettle in the UK was “progressing” early last year.
However,
he was informed by authorities several months later that his evacuation had
only been a “gesture of goodwill,” and that he was ineligible to stay in the
country over a long-term period.
On
March 27, Gurung and the 12 other former guards were arrested and detained by
the UK Home Office. He is now being held at an immigration removal facility
near Gatwick Airport.
Gurung
said: “I was getting ready for work when I was arrested. I am in a state of
shock and am very sad about what the UK has done to me.
“I
helped to protect British Embassy staff in Kabul for many years. None of us
have criminal records. My dreams is to remain in the UK and serve with the
British Army.”
Jamie
Bell, who is legally representing Gurung and another Nepalese national in the
same circumstances, said: “After being allowed to build a life in the UK, they
have been betrayed and detained. Those responsible should be ashamed of how
they have been treated.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280626/world
--------
Germany,
Jordan call for 2-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflict
03.04.2023
BERLIN
Germany
and Jordan on Monday called for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine
conflict, urging all parties to take steps to de-escalate the situation in the
region.
German
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi
expressed their concern over recent developments in the region, following their
meeting in Berlin.
"Unfortunately,
it is a bitter reality that this year, Ramadan was not marked by peace, family,
and happiness as one would have wished for," Baerbock said, adding that
recent tensions and violence claimed more lives in the region.
She
thanked Safadi for his diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, and
announced Berlin's plan to actively support the "Aqaba process" and
host a conference with Jordan, Egypt, and France, in the so-called Munich format.
"Our
two countries agree that the two-state solution still offers the best basis for
Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, with dignity and security,"
Baerbock said.
Jordan's
Safadi criticized recent controversial statements from Israeli ministers, and
Tel Aviv's policy of illegal settlements, warning that the situation was very
explosive.
"We
are at a crossroads. Either we will let extremists, racists, and hate preachers
to chart the path of the future, or we will work together with those who want
peace, and do everything to achieve this goal," he said.
Safadi
underlined Jordan's commitment to a two-state solution to ensure peace and
stability in the region.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
France
expresses regret for French journalists' expulsion from Burkina Faso
Nur
AsenaErturk
03.04.2023
France
voiced regret for a recent decision by Burkina Faso to expel correspondents of
French newspapers from the West African nation.
"France
reaffirms its constant and determined engagement in favor of the press freedom
and the protection of journalists everywhere in the world," the French
Foreign Ministry said on Sunday in a statement.
French
media had reported earlier in the day that Burkina Faso had expelled reporters
of French dailies Le Monde and Liberation.
The
ministry noted that Burkina Faso had also suspended, a few days earlier,
broadcasts by France 24 channel.
Sophie
Douce of Le Monde Afrique and Agnes Faivre of Liberation were ordered by Burkinabe
authorities to leave the capital Ouagadougou on Saturday, according to Le
Monde.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
PM
Sudani: No need for US forces in Iraq as Iraqi troops fully ready, Daesh
vanquished
03
April 2023
Iraqi
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani says the Arab country does not need
US-led foreign combat troops on its soil, as the Iraqi forces are fully capable
of preserving Iraq’s security.
Sudani
said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Iraqi security forces have the
necessary capability to ensure security throughout the country after the
elimination of the Daesh terrorist group.
In
early 2003, the US invaded Iraq under the later debunked pretext that the
regime of Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.
The
US withdrew soldiers from Iraq between 2007 and 2011 but redeployed them in
2014 along with other partners to allegedly counter the threat of Daesh.
Iraq
managed to end the territorial rule of the Takfiri outfit in the country thanks
to the sacrifices of the national army as well as the anti-terror Popular
Mobilization Units (PMU), which had the backing of Iran.
However,
Washington kept its forces inside Iraq in defiance of a resolution that required
its withdrawal.
The
US military declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021,
but it still maintains a number of troops there under the guise of playing an
advisory role.
Iraq
no launch pad for attacks on neighbors: Sudani
Also
in his remarks, Sudani said attacks on any country from Iraqi territory are
unacceptable, noting that Iraq, as a legal and moral obligation, does not allow
the use of its soil for invading neighboring states.
The
Iraqi constitution does not accept the presence of armed individuals in camps,
where they receive military training, as well as their infiltration into
Iranian soil, he said, adding that no one is meddling in the country’s national
decisions and independence.
Iran-Saudi
deal will contribute to regional stability: Sudani
Also
in his comments, the Iraqi prime minister described a recent agreement between
Tehran and Riyadh to revive ties as "very important".
The
deal will help boost regional stability, he said, adding that development and
economic growth can only be realized through cooperation between the countries
of the region.
Last
month, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume their diplomatic relations and
reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions after seven years of
estrangement. China mediated the rapprochement between the two Middle Eastern
powers.
‘Syria
should rejoin Arab League’
The
Iraqi premier underlined the need for Syria’s return to the Cairo-based Arab
League as well as interaction with the Damascus government, emphasizing that
the most serious security challenge now is the security situation in Syria.
The
Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in November 2011 following the
outbreak of foreign-backed militancy in the country.
Currently,
after more than a decade, reports say Saudi Arabia is planning to invite Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad to an Arab League summit hosted by Riyadh next month.
Corruption,
Iraq’s main challenge: Iraqi PM
Sudani
also said the main challenge now facing the Iraqi government is corruption,
with much of it perpetrated by political or official sides.
He
assured that the Iraqi judiciary will issue arrest warrants for the officials
who were involved in a corruption case dubbed the “theft of the century”
regardless of their position and affiliation with different parties.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/04/03/700886/Iraqi-PM-Iraqi-forces-no-need-for-US-combat-troops
--------
El-Sadat’s
passport returns to Egypt after US auction controversy
GOBRAN
MOHAMMED
April
04, 2023
CAIRO:
The passport of the late Egyptian President Mohammed Anwar El-Sadat was handed
to his museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the city of Alexandria, a month
and a half after it was controversially sold at auction in the US.
In
a statement, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina said it had been “instructed to
include the recovered passport in the collection of the late president’s
holdings in the library.”
Ahmed
Zayed, the library’s director, said that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had
directed state agencies to move quickly to retrieve the passport after it was
sold by the American Heritage Auction Hall in February.
How
the passport came to be at a US auction house is not clear, nor has it been
revealed how Egyptian authorities were able to retrieve it.
After
it became known the item would be auctioned, Karim Talaat El-Sadat, a member of
Egypt’s House of Representatives and the grandson of the late president, said
in a statement: “El-Sadat gave a lot to the homeland throughout the years of
his life, and he does not deserve to have his passport sold in a foreign
auction house.
“This
is an insult that we will not accept as a family or as representatives of the
Egyptian people who adore the late president.
“We
will not accept, as Egyptians, the sale of El-Sadat’s rich history in this
humiliating way without taking action to stop it.”
He
denied the late president’s family had nothing to do with the passport’s exit
abroad or its sale at auction, and called on Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the concerned authorities to immediately intervene to retrieve it.
The
Bibliotheca Alexandrina also denied that it had ever previously held the
passport in its El-Sadat collection.
Zayed
added: “The Bibliotheca Alexandrina did not obtain, in any way, the passport of
President El-Sadat (in the past), and it was not among the holdings that his
wife Jehan El-Sadat gave to the library.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280806/middle-east
--------
Islamic
Ministry hosts iftar banquets in Kosovo, Philippines
April
03, 2023
RIYADH:
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, represented by the
religious attache in Sarajevo, has held an iftar banquet in Kosovo.
Saudi
Ambassador to Albania Faisal Ghazi Hifzi, Grand Mufti and President of the
Islamic Sheikhdom in Kosovo Naim Ternava, and more than 100 guests attended the
event, which was part of King Salman’s iftar program.
Ternava
expressed appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for
their unwavering support for Muslims in Kosovo.
He
also thanked the ministry for its cooperation with the Islamic sheikhdom in
implementing several programs to help Muslims in the region during Ramadan.
Several
Islamic figures from Kosovo also expressed their gratitude to the Saudi
government for its efforts in serving Muslims.
The
ministry also hosted iftar banquets at Masjid Al-Dahab, known as the Manila
Golden Mosque and Cultural Center, in the Philippines.
Islamic
dignitaries, officials, and worshippers attended the events, which were part of
the Kingdom’s efforts to serve Muslims worldwide.
Masjid
Al-Dahab, named after the golden dome that crowns its roof, is one of the
largest mosques in Manila.
Turki
Al-Sweileh, religious attache at the Saudi Embassy in Manila, said that the
iftar program this year aimed to serve more than 100,000 fasting people during
the holy month of Ramadan.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280776/saudi-arabia
--------
Two
Islamic State suicide bombers killed in Syria amid group’s resurgence
April
3, 2023
The
US military said on Sunday that its Syrian allies thwarted an attack by the
Islamic State. The group is seeing a resurgence and has carried out numerous
attacks in Syria in the last few months.
The
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed two
IS suicide bombers in Hasakah in the northeast. The SDF ambushed the would-be
bombers before they were able to detonate their explosives, CENTCOM said in a
tweet.
The
SDF did not appear to comment on the incident.
Background:
The Islamic State lost its formal territory in Syria in 2019, but remains
active in the country. IS has a particularly strong presence in the vast desert
region known as the Badia in central and eastern Syria. The US continues to
back the Kurdish-led SDF in its fight against IS.
Why
it matters: Syria has been experiencing a resurgence of Islamic State attacks
in the past few months. Al-Monitor contributor Khaled al-Khateb reported from
Aleppo in October on the Islamic State bombing businesses in northeast Syria in
demand of money, for example.
The
following is a list of notable attacks in Syria that have been attributed to IS
in 2023:
Feb.
17: IS killed 53 people who were collecting truffles east of Homs in central
Syria, the official SANA news outlet reported.
Mar.
9: IS killed three people and stole hundreds of sheep easy of Hama in central
Syria, SANA and the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Mar.
23: IS killed 15 people who were collecting truffles via a knife attack,
according to the observatory.
Source:
AlMonitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bus
attack in Syria injures 16 near Jordan border: State media
04
April ,2023
A
bus attack in Syria’s south near the Jordan border wounded at least 16 people
on Monday, Syrian state media said.
“Sixteen
employees of the joint Syrian-Jordanian duty free zone were injured after
terrorists planted an explosive device near the bus they were on,” state news
agency SANA said.
The
attack took place “near the Saida bridge on the Damascus-Amman highway,” an
area in Syria’s Daraa province, SANA said.
Daraa
was the cradle of Syria’s 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, but
it returned to Damascus’s control in 2018 under a ceasefire deal backed by Russia.
But
the province has been wracked by violence for years.
ISIS,
whose third leader was killed in Daraa in October, sometimes claims
responsibility for attacks in the region.
Monday’s
attack comes one day after a rare car bombing rocked the capital Damascus, with
no deaths reported and no side claiming responsibility.
On
January 30, a bomb attack on a bus carrying Syrian police wounded 15 officers
in Daraa province, which is mostly controlled by Syrian government forces and
former rebels who have reached understandings with the regime.
The
Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful
anti-government protests, and escalated into a deadly armed conflict that
pulled in foreign powers and global extremists.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
air strikes kill two civilians in Syria’s government-held areas
04
April ,2023
Two
Syrian civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike Tuesday, state media
reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn
country in less than a week.
“At
00:15 (2115 GMT Monday) the Israeli enemy carried out an air strike... and the
attack resulted in the death of two civilians,” state news agency SANA said,
quoting a military source.
The
strike came from the direction of “the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some
points in the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region”, it said, adding
that air defense intercepted “most of” the missiles.
During
more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air
strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and
Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.
SANA
had earlier reported “an explosion heard in the vicinity of Damascus”.
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor gave the same civilian death
toll, with its director Rami Abdel Rahman adding that “an unknown number of
Iran-backed fighters were also killed” in the strike.
Israel
fired “barrages of missiles targeting military areas controlled by Iran-backed
groups and regime air defense,” said the Britain-based monitor with a wide
range of sources inside Syria.
An
Israeli missile targeted a radar in the countryside of Sweida, while another
hit a glass factory in the al-Kiswah area of the Damascus countryside, killing
the two civilians, it said.
The
monitor had earlier said the missiles also targeted the vicinity of Damascus
International Airport and an Iranian complex near the Sayyida Zeinab area, with
Syria’s air defense intercepting at least two missiles.
On
Sunday, two Iran-affiliated fighters were killed in an Israeli air strike on
targets in Syria, according to the monitor, with SANA reporting five Syrian
soldiers wounded.
Israel
struck early Sunday near the western city of Homs, after striking the Syrian
capital Thursday and early Friday.
A
rare car bombing also rocked Damascus on Sunday, with no deaths reported and no
side claiming responsibility.
While
Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has
repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in
the war-torn country.
The
Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful anti-government
protests, and escalated into a deadly armed conflict that pulled in foreign
powers and global extremists.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syria's
deputy FM urges immediate withdrawal of Turkish forces, non-interference in
domestic affairs
03
April 2023
Syrian
Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan has reiterated the Damascus government’s
calls for Turkey to immediately withdraw its forces from the northern regions
of the Arab country, and non-interference in Syria's internal affairs by other
countries.
Sousan
made the remarks in a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special
Presidential Representative for the Middle East and African countries Mikhail
Bogdanov in Moscow on Monday.
The
senior Syrian official stressed the need for Turkish military forces to quickly
pull out of the Syrian soil, non-interference in the domestic affairs of the
country as well as practical measures in order to counter all forms of terrorism.
Bogdanov,
for his part, underscored Russia’s determination to continue efforts aimed at
protection of Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
The
two sides also exchanged viewpoints on coordination of quadrilateral talks
aimed at normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey.
Last
Monday, Bogdanov said a quadrilateral meeting to be attended by the deputy
foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria will be held in Moscow soon
as a major step to help normalize ties between Ankara and Damascus.
“We
are getting ready (for a meeting). I think it will be held soon. We are
hoping,” Bogdanov told Russia’s TASS news agency, adding, “We are hoping that
our mediating mission, which is directed at a very important strategic goal –
the normalization of Syrian-Turkish relations – will result in our shared
success.”
Turkey
severed its relations with Syria in March 2012, a year after the Arab country
found itself in the grip of deadly violence waged by foreign-backed militants.
Now,
after 11 years, the two neighboring countries are taking steps toward
reconciliation.
Turkey
has deployed forces in Syria in violation of the Arab country's 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 militants of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) away from
border areas.
Ankara
views the US-backed 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.
The
Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria says the Turkish offensive has
killed hundreds of civilians, including dozens of children since it started.
Turkey
has played a major role in supporting terrorists in Syria ever since a major
foreign-backed insurgency overtook the country more than ten years ago.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Tehran
Vows Revenge for Israeli Terror Attack Against Iranian Military Advisors in
Syria
2023-April-3
In
a post on his Twitter account on Sunday, BahadoriJahromi stated that the Tel
Aviv regime is used to carry out acts of terror in a bid to divert the public
from its internal crises.
“The
Zionist regime and other terrorist states have the habit of carrying out
terrorist acts abroad at critical times in order to deflect public attention
and not let the depth of their domestic problems be revealed,” he wrote.
“Terrorist
acts will not go unanswered,” the spokesperson added.
The
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) military advisers Milad Heidari and
MeqdadMehqani were martyred in Friday’s aerial assaults conducted by Israel on
the suburbs of Damascus, Syria.
Earlier,
Spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry Nasser Kana'ani stressed that Tehran
reserves the right to respond to state terrorism of the Israeli regime in due
time and place following the martyrdom of the Iranian military advisers.
He
vowed Iran's legal and political action against the Israeli regime’s criminal
and aggressive acts.
Israel’s
air raids in Syria came at a time of mass rallies against Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judiciary, which undermines the
Supreme Court, weakens judicial oversight over policymaking, and gives the
party in power – currently Likud – greater authority.
Since
2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy, as a result of which
Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and other terror groups emerged in the Arab
country.
Iran
maintains an advisory mission in the war-ravaged country at the request of
Damascus, helping it in the face of foreign-backed terrorism. Several members
of the IRGC have so far martyred in battle against terrorists in Syria.
Israel
has been a key supporter of the terrorist groups during the war and has
frequently targets military positions inside Syria, especially those of the
Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah which has played a key role in helping
the Syrian Army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rayeesi:
Holy Qur’an, Spirituality Of Ramadan Can Promote Unity Within Muslim Ummah
03
April 2023
Iranian
President Ebrahim Raeisi says leaders of Muslim countries should rely on the
teachings of the Holy Qur’an and revere the spirituality of Ramadan in order to
promote unity within the Muslim community during the sacred fasting month.
Raeisi,
in a message to the head of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat
on Monday, extended his felicitations on the occasion of the holy month of
Ramadan, saying that it is the month of emancipation from worldly
entanglements.
“I
wish growth and development for the Yemeni nation, Muslims and all those who
tread the path of righteousness,” the Iranian president said.
He
also noted that the leaders of Muslim countries should rely on the teachings of
the Qur’an and venerate the spirituality of Ramadan in order to foster unity
and integrity within the Muslim Ummah during the blessed month.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Deputy
Minister: Total $80bln Oil Investment Agreements Signed with Foreign Parties
2023-April-3
“The
policy of the Ministry of Petroleum in the 13th government has been to make
maximum use of the financing capacity from within the country. Hence, we have
directed the capital of banks and large holdings of the country to the oil
industry. For example, we opened the door to steelmakers to invest in the
development of gas fields,” Falahat Pour told Fars news agency.
“It
is necessary to use the financial power of these industries to provide them
with stable gas. As a result, if the steel company invests in the development
of gas fields, it will be exempted from applying restrictions on gas supply in
the cold season of the year, because it will receive its gas from the developed
field,” he added.
The
government also contacted large banks and holding companies to participate in
the construction of oil refineries, the senior official continued.
“In
addition, we have had detailed discussions with foreign countries to attract
investment,” he said.
“So
far, we have signed more than $80 billion of memorandums of understanding with
foreign investors to participate in the financing of oil projects, including
the development of fields and the construction of refineries. More than $5
billion of this amount has been converted into contracts, and the rest, God
willing, will be converted into contracts one after the other,” Falahat Pour
added.
Iran
is the holder of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves combined, and at
current recovery rates, it can continue to produce hydrocarbon resources for
another 100 years, according to state officials. However, sustainable
production in the industry requires investment and the use of modern equipment.
Falahat
Pour added that the government is trying to make up for the backwardness in the
field of investment by making maximum use of domestic capacities and developing
relations with neighboring and Asian countries.
“God
willing, good things will happen in the coming months and years,” he said without
elaboration.
Last
week, Head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Mohsen Khojasteh Mehr
stated that Tehran plans to increase its oil and gas production capacity by
50%, for which it needs $160 billion of investment.
To
achieve this, the country needs to invest $89 billion in the oil industry and
$71 billion in the gas sector, he confirmed.
Iranian
officials say US attempts to disturb Tehran's trade through sanctions have
failed. They state Washington has been defeated in the maximum pressure policy
against their country, and confirm that Iran's oil exports has come closer to
the figures prior to the re-imposition of the US sanctions.
In
quitting the 2015 nuclear deal, former President Donald Trump restored
sanctions on Iran as part of what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign
against the country. Those sanctions are being enforced to this day by the Joe
Biden administration, even though it has repeatedly acknowledged that the
policy has been a mistake and a failure.
Tehran
says it will not be able to trust Washington as long as President Biden
continues the wrong policy of maximum pressure and sanctions practiced by Trump
against Iran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Senior
Diplomat: Ancient Treasure Seized in UK to Return to Iran
2023-April-3
Seyed
Mahdi Hosseini Matin, who serves as Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Britain, stated
on Sunday that the rock relief, known to archaeologists in Iran and around the
world as the Sasanian Soldier, will be handed over to Iranian officials in
London for repatriation to Tehran within the next months.
Hosseini
Matin added that the antiquity had been seized by the British border police in
January 2016 at Stansted airport near London, noting that Iran was forced to
fight a legal battle in British courts to prove that it owns the relief.
“This
relief had not been registered in Iran’s national museum and it is clear that
it has been smuggled out of the country illegally,” he continued.
His
comments came a day after a report was published by The Guardian about the
Sasanian rock relief and how British Museum officials have been taking care of
the antiquity.
The
report said the Interpol and the UK National Crime Agency have been investigating
the case but no one has been arrested in relation to the case.
Experts
believe the carving may have come from Iran’s Fars province where a majority of
Sasanian rock reliefs exist.
They
suspect the piece may be part of a big sequence that has been cut from a cliff
in an area near Fars provincial capital Shiraz.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14020114000111/Senir-Diplma-Ancien-Treasre-Seized-in-UK-Rern-Iran
--------
Israel
detains Passover sacrifice campaigner as al-Aqsa tensions simmer
03
April ,2023
An
Israeli campaigner for Jewish prayer rights at the Jerusalem compound that
houses al-Aqsa mosque was detained on Monday, in an apparent bid to preempt any
attempt to hold a Passover sacrifice at the site while Palestinians mark
Ramadan.
The
compound, revered by Jews as a vestige of their two ancient temples, is a
flashpoint of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is monitored especially
closely by authorities during religious holidays.
Since
capturing the site in a 1967 war, Israel has maintained a long-standing status
quo arrangement preventing non-Muslim worship there.
But
a fringe Jewish religious group, the Temple Mount Administration, has been
calling for fellow activists to bring Paschal lambs to sacrifice at the site on
Wednesday, the beginning of the Passover festival.
That
would clash with Palestinian observances of the Ramadan month, when Muslims
fast during daylight hours.
Israeli
media aired cellphone footage taken by Refael Morris - whom the Temple Mount
Administration describes as the leading Passover sacrifice campaigner - that showed
him being pulled over in his car by plainclothes policemen.
In
the video an officer says Morris is suspected of disrupting public order and
that his house would be searched. Police said the video was authentic but did
not make further comment on the reasons for the detention.
Morris
was stopped while driving near Latrun, about 35 kilometer (20 miles) from
Jerusalem, the Temple Mount Administration said.
Growing
numbers of Jewish visitors who flout the ban on prayers in the compound have
stoked rancor among Palestinians and in Jordan, al-Aqsa’s custodian. So has
Israel’s appointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-rightist who once opposed the
ban when he was minister for police.
On
Sunday, the Temple Mount Administration circulated a protest statement after
Ben-Gvir told Channel 12 TV the Passover sacrifice campaigners should “cool it”
on what he dismissed as their “protest stunt”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank gunfight, medics says
03
April ,2023
Israeli
forces killed two Palestinians during a clash in the occupied West Bank on
Monday, medics said, and the military said troops shot gunmen who fired on them
as they detained suspects in connection with a drive-by ambush last month.
The
was no word of Israeli military casualties in Nablus, a city that has been a
focus of intensified raids by Israel following a spate of Palestinian street
attacks in its cities last year.
The
Lion’s Den, a coalition of Palestinian gunmen active in Nablus and elsewhere in
the northern West Bank, said on Telegram it was battling the troops. Palestinian
officials did not immediately name the two fatalities.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Houthis
must reveal location of all mines to save lives, say activists and government
MOHAMMED
AL-SULAMI
April
03, 2023
RIYADH:
The Houthis must reveal the location of all the mines they have planted to
prevent further bloodshed and assist in Yemen’s economic recovery, say
activists and government officials.
Yemen’s
Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani said recently that the mines were
manufactured by Iran and Hezbollah, and not his government, and that there have
been “indiscriminate” planting of these devices since the Houthi’s 2014 coup.
He
said the Houthis have not been “differentiating between military and civilian
areas, (which is) one of the most serious crimes committed against the Yemeni
people’s present and future.”
“The
militia has planted mines in quantities not seen since World War II. They
planted them inside people’s homes, schools, mosques, markets, grazing areas,
agricultural fields, water sources, public service buildings and sovereign
institutions. They also did so along main and secondary roads as well as
international maritime navigation corridors.”
Al-Eryani
said the National Mine Action Program has recorded “more than 7,000 cases where
civilians, mostly women and children, were either killed or injured due to the
Houthi’s land mines network. The program’s reports confirmed that these mines
were not among the Yemeni army’s equipment before 2014 and that they were
manufactured locally by the Houthis, under the supervision of experts from
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
“The
Houthis, under the supervision of the Iranian experts, turned anti-tank mines
into anti-personnel mines, innovatively manufactured improvised explosive
devices using conventional explosives, such as rockets, tank shells and
artillery shells and camouflaged the mines and explosive devices to make them
seem like rocks that naturally fit in the environment.”
Al-Eryani
said the Houthis also “manufactured naval mines and planted them in the Red Sea
and Bab Al-Mandab strait, targeting commercial ships and oil tankers, while
also threatening the security of international maritime navigation routes.”
This resulted in “dozens of accidents” over the past few years where
“commercial ships and fishing boats hit naval mines, killing and injuring
hundreds of fishermen.”
He
said that the “legitimate government, through its National Mine Action Program
and the Defense Ministry’s military engineering teams, has been exerting
significant efforts to remove and destroy mines, raise awareness about their
danger and assist the victims by providing them with the necessary plastic
surgeries, prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation services. It has been doing so
in partnership with the UN Development Program, the Saudi Project for Landmine
Clearance in Yemen (or Masam), and the supporting countries and organizations.”
“I
would like to seize this opportunity to express my deep appreciation for the
support that our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been providing,
through the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid and Masam
project, to the Yemeni government and people in terms of clearing the mines
planted by the Houthi militia. This comes as a continuation of their
constructive role in Yemen,” Al-Eryani said.
He
lambasted the Houthis for the manner in which they have endangered the
country’s people. “I stress that the Houthi militia’s excessive indiscriminate
planting of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines and explosive devices in
populated villages and cities … constitute a constant risk to the lives of
millions of civilians. They also paralyze public life, bring the operations of
people’s businesses to a complete halt, exacerbate their humanitarian suffering
and hinder developmental efforts. The devastating repercussions and risks of
these problems will prevail for dozens of years to come, even after the war
ends,” he said.
Mohammed
Askar, Yemen’s former minister of human rights, said the biggest threat posed
by the mines was to “the most vulnerable groups, including children and women.
The problem with mines is that not only do they affect the present of the
war-torn country significantly, but also its future and sustainable
development. The Yemeni government had signed the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban
Convention, and had begun disposing of its mine stockpiles. (This was) until
the Houthi militia arrived with an Iranian technology and opened the gates of
hell in Yemen.”
“Unfortunately,
the Houthi militias have widely planted millions of mines of all kinds and
forms, including camouflaged mines, personnel mines, rock-shaped mines and
mines that look like toys. Around 30 percent of mine victims in Yemen are among
women and children who returned to their valleys, villages and homes after
wars, and were targeted by these explosive mines that (resulted in their limbs
being) amputated and (now they are) unable to move in highly difficult humanitarian
conditions. Some of them are no longer able to learn and go to schools located
many kilometers from their homes in rural and tribal areas.”
Askar
called on the Houthis to prevent further “misery” in the country. He said more
work should be done to raise awareness of the risk posed to lives and
livelihoods by these devices, and praised the Masam project for providing
medical assistance to victims.
Yemeni
political activist Wissam Basounda echoed the view that little economic
progress could be made without tackling this issue, with women and children
remaining the most vulnerable group. “The problem of mines remains an obstacle
to any peace plan or sustainable development programs, and must be urgently and
intensively addressed so it wouldn’t linger for generations.
“While
the world’s women celebrated their political, social and economic achievements
on International Women’s Day on March 8, the Yemeni women live in a state of
misery and fear in an environment filled with the Houthi mines, lying in wait
for them and their children, thus aggravating their overall suffering.”
According
to the statistics of the legitimate government, over 1,800 women and girls have
fallen victim to mines during the years of war waged by the Houthi militia in
several Yemeni governorates. The Executive Mine Action Center in Taiz revealed
that just between 2017 and February 2023, 1,222 had been injured or killed by
Houthi mines.
Journalist
Badr Al-Kahtani, a Yemeni affairs expert, agreed that the mines remain a
lingering threat to the country’s future, with many victims having to now wear
prosthetic limbs. “The main problem is that the (location) of these mines are
missing. I think that the Masam project is playing a very important role in
land mine clearance. What is remarkable also is that the project is following
precise criteria in statistics and is in direct contact with the Yemeni
government and the Yemen Executive Mine Action Center to update the figures.
That’s a very big process, and the Saudi project, Masam, deserves to be highly
praised.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2278916/middle-east
--------
The
inspirational strength of the victims of Houthi landmines in Yemen
MOHAMMED
AL-SULAMI
April
03, 2023
RIYADH:
When one first meets the victims of landmines and other explosive devices in
Yemen, there are often smiles on their faces. But as one spends more time with
them, and listens to their harrowing stories, it is hard to avoid the feeling
that they have lost all hope.
As
they recall the details of the life-changing incidents that caused often
devastating injuries, and describe their daily struggles to overcome the
disabilities they have been left with, the smiles disappear, replaced by tears
for their own plight and that of their war-torn country.
Amal,
a young women from Taiz, was preparing for her wedding when a chance encounter
with an unexploded shell changed everything.
“I
went to the city’s entrance to take care of some things for my wedding, as one
of the neighborhood’s young men, who is an expat living outside Yemen, had
asked for my hand in marriage,” she said.
“While
I was out, I came across some children who had a suspicious object. It looked
like something my father had been holding a while ago. He had warned us against
touching these weird objects we might see in the streets.
“I
was scared for the children’s safety and hurried to take it from them so it
wouldn’t explode and hurt them. However, one of the playful children jumped and
forcibly snatched it out of my hand, causing it to fall to the ground and
explode. I no longer felt anything until I woke up at the hospital, where I
realized that my arm and eye had been injured … I had to wear a prosthetic
eye.”
Amal
said the accident had a huge effect on her life.
“My
fiance cut contact with us and my marriage never happened,” she said. “After a
while, we heard that he got engaged to another girl.
“I
decided to continue my university studies. However, in the beginning I faced a
lot of bullying at university and on the streets. The questions I was asked
were very difficult and I wanted to stop going to university, but my father
supported me until I graduated from university and worked at a private school.
“This
explosion affected my ability to deal with people, as I was afraid to talk to
them. It destroyed my life.”
Jamila
QassemMaheeb, who is in a wheelchair, began to weep as soon as she started to
share her story.
“I
went out to bring back my sheep from an area close to my house,” she said. “I
took the same road I always take. On my way back home, I stepped on a mine with
my left leg. The mine exploded and threw me up in the air and I landed on a
second mine that hit my right leg.
“I
started shouting for people to help me and they took me to the hospital. I was
not aware of where I was or what had happened to me until I discovered that I
will not be able to walk ever again and that this wheelchair will stay with me
forever.
“I
used to comfortably walk around the area. Now, however, I am no longer
comfortable as I am confined to this wheelchair. I used to walk and herd my
sheep but now I cannot do that.
“This
mine has dramatically affected me. I miss everything in this life. You feel
like you are dead while alive. How can I be comfortable?”
Maheeb
said the hostilities in Yemen “leave everyone, men and women, young and old,
either injured or disabled. They are killing people in their houses, on their
farms and at their workplaces. However, those who suffer the most are the
children, women and civilians.”
After
suffering his own traumatic experience, Omar Bashir Saeed, a child from Taiz
governorate, now dreams helping others by becoming a doctor who specializes in
landmine injuries.
“I
was playing on the street when a missile hit us,” he said. “I did not realize
what happened and I still don’t know how we reached the hospital. I then
discovered that my foot was amputated and I freaked out.
“However,
I got used to my new situation, one day after another. I am no longer playing
as much as I used to. Sometimes, playing with my friends might worsen the case
of my foot, so I leave them to play without me.”
Yet
brave Omar says that feels he got off relatively lightly compared with some of
his friends who were with him at the time of the incident.
“I
am doing much better than them, as some of them can no longer walk … while
others are paralyzed,” he said. “My condition is better than theirs.
“I
dream of becoming a doctor in the future to help those who are injured and lose
limbs due to mines. I hope I excel in my school studies, and at university, so
I can make my dream come true.”
Hamza
Mohammed Ghaleb said that when combatants plant mines, the victims are always children,
women, civilians and the elderly. He speaks from personal experience.
“We
were gathered at my cousin’s house and upon exiting the house I was walking in
front, and I suddenly felt that I was stepping on a mine planted in the road,”
he said.
“I
was taken to the hospital and when I woke up from the anesthesia I was told my
foot had been amputated. The mine affected my studies as I couldn’t go to
school, to the supermarket or do anything else.
“After
I received the prosthesis, my life returned to normal and I went back to school
and to my friends.”
Despite
the adversity she has faced, Hadeel Mohammed Abdul Wase, from Al-Kedha, was
perhaps the boldest and most self-confident all the people we met. She told how
she was left in a coma after a missile strike hit her home at about 3.00 a.m.
one night.
“My
uncle and villagers took me to the hospital located in the nearest city,” she
said. “Two days after the incident, I woke up from my coma to realize that both
of my hands had been amputated.
“I
asked my mom: ‘How will I ever be able to write again?’ I started imagining how
I would face life and I couldn’t believe that I lost both hands to the missile.
“I
finally managed to adapt to my new life after facing very challenging obstacles
at first, as I couldn’t eat or drink. I used to rely on my mother until I
finally managed to rely on myself.”
There
is still some anger about what happened to her but Abdul Wase directs her rage
toward the Houthis.
“Instead
of planting seeds of hope in our land, they are planting seeds of obscenity and
evil,” she said. “Our land is no longer safe. We are stepping on exploding
mines. We have lost all forms of safety.
“The
majority of the people have lost an arm or a leg, while others met death, lost
sight or other parts of their bodies. The world is no longer a safe place.
“They
select the paths people take as locations to plant chains of mines instead of a
single exploding device. They are ruthless and cold-hearted. All they want is
to raze the nation to the ground, including military personnel and citizens.”
Abdul
Wase said she fears what the long-term effects of the violence will be on her
country and its people.
“Mines
leave no space for the future; with all these explosions, deaths, and wounds,
is there really any future left in Yemen?” she asked.
“The
seeds of failure are planted in our land. Plant hope and future seeds instead
of these demolishing mines. There is no future in Yemen until mines are
completely removed from our land.”
Mohamed
Saleh Maraani, who lives in Moussa district, says: “The terrorist Houthi
militia had reached us … and planted mines on roads and in houses, farms,
schools, water wells and hospitals. We could not return to our homes, to our
mosques, and to our schools. Our ways of life were destroyed.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280046/middle-east
--------
Hamas
targets Israeli warplanes after resistance group’s drone shot down over Gaza
Strip
03
April 2023
The
Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says it has fired a number of
surface-to-air missiles towards Israeli fighter jets flying over the Gaza Strip
after an unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the group was shot down.
The
al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced in a Monday statement
that one of its Shehab (Meteor) drones, while on a training flight, was shot
down by Israel's air force earlier the same day.
It
noted that the incident occurred as members of the al-Qassam Brigades were
conducting training in the southern Gaza Strip.
After
Israeli fighter jets targeted the drone, the Brigades responded by firing
anti-aircraft missiles towards the Israeli planes.
No
Israeli aircraft were apparently damaged in the incident.
The
Israeli military said the Hamas drone was spotted in the airspace over the
besieged coastal enclave, and was monitored up until the moment it was shot
down.
The
regime's army added that the aircraft did not enter Israeli airspace and did
not pose a threat.
This
came a day after Israeli combat helicopters and planes downed an unidentified
aircraft that appeared to have crossed into Israeli airspace from Syria's
Golan.
The
unidentified aircraft was tracked by the Israeli military and “taken down over
an open area,” without posing a threat to residents of the area, the regime's
army said in a statement on Sunday.
The
remnants of that drone were collected by the army on Monday morning and
transferred for additional checks.
Tensions
in northern Israel have escalated after a series of airstrikes in Syria.
Israel
launched air raids on outposts in Syria’s central province of Homs early on
Sunday, wounding at least five soldiers, according to the Syrian Ministry of
Defense.
The
raids were the third in recent days, including an attack on Friday that killed
two military advisers with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Israel
launched “an aerial aggression from the direction of northwest Beirut,
targeting some outposts in Homs city and its countryside at 00:35 a.m. local
time on Sunday (2135 GMT Saturday) and Syrian air defenses had intercepted some
of the missiles,” the ministry said in a statement carried by Syria’s official
news agency SANA.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Militant
Attacks Drop by 36 Pc in Pakistan, Casualties Remain Same: Report
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
3, 2023
According
to a new statistic by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security (PICSS),
Pakistan saw a relatively calm March, with fewer militant attacks than in
February, while resultant casualties remained almost the same as in February
2023.
The
report revealed that there had been a 36 per cent decline in militant attacks
during March in comparison to the previous month. However, the number of
causalities remained the same, the report said.
The
report added that 37 attacks had been recorded during March, in which 57 people
lost their lives, and 72 others were injured. In February, 59 people were
killed in 58 attacks, and 134 were wounded, local media reported.
As
per the report, the number of suicide attacks has declined compared to March,
one such attack was reported during March, but there were three attacks in
February.
The
document also shows that security forces foiled several deadly attacks by
eliminating 38 suspected militants and arresting more than 35 others during the
March.
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are among the highest-recorded attack in Pakistan.
In
comparison to February, the KP witnessed a rise in militancy with 16 attacks,
killing 21 people and injuring 30 others. In February, the number of attacks
was 13, killing six and wounding 8 eight others.
Balochistan
recorded the second-most province with the highest number of attacks after KP.
Though there was a 50 per cent decline in the number of attacks compared to
February, the number of causalities remained the same. The militants carried
out 11 attacks in March, killing 28 people and injuring 35.
Most
of the attacks were carried out by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and some
other was claimed by Balochistan Liberty Army (BLA).
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/militant-attacks-drop-by-36-pc-in-pakistan-casualties-remain-same-report/
--------
Ruling
on PTI’s election petition likely today
Nasir
Iqbal
April
4, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court is likely to announce its verdict on a PTI petition against a
delay in Punjab Assembly elections today (Tuesday) after a three-member bench
reserved the ruling, while refusing to entertain a request for a full court
hearing into the matter.
Before
it reserved the judgement, the three-judge bench took the wind out of the
ruling coalition’s sails by asking whether they have trust in the bench or not.
“Have
you withdrawn your boycott… if you want to argue then bring it in writing
whether you have confidence in the bench or not,” observed Chief Justice of
Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial when Senator Farooq H Naek, who was
representing the PPP, appeared before the bench in the morning.
The
remarks by the top judge were in reference to a meeting of government allies in
Lahore on Saturday, wherein the Pakistan Democratic Movement as well as its
partners, dropped hints that they would not accept the court decision while
expressing “complete no-confidence” in the bench.
Farooq
Naek, however, tried to dissuade the bench by stating that the coalition
partners had expressed reservations on the bench in view of the jurisdictional
point of view by asking that a larger bench be formed to hear the matter.
Justice
Munib Akhtar — a member of the bench while referring to the statement issued
after the Lahore meeting — wondered if the ruling coalition did not trust the
bench then how could they make a submission before the court.
While
closing proceedings, the CJP regretted that it was rather a sense of loss that
the court could not hear lawyers of the PDM partners, saying “political
agendas” always come in the way during cases of political nature, resultantly
depriving the court of able assistance from the other side.
Outside
the top court, lawyers belonging to PTI and the ruling parties turned up in
large numbers holding placards in support of the Constitution and rule of law,
as well as expressing solidarity with the CJP.
However,
the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) distanced itself from the gathering, saying it
did not ask lawyers to converge on Constitution Avenue.
No
‘constitutional disharmony’
When
Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan was asked about his
position, the AGP said there could be no constitutional disharmony between the
executive and judicial branches. At this, the CJP observed that this was what
could be expected from a “serious-minded” AGP.
However,
the court closed its proceedings with a direction to Defence Secretary Hamood
Zaman and Finance Additional Secretary Amir Mehmood to convince the court about
the overwhelming impediments blocking the holding of the elections in Punjab.
The
defence secretary requested the court for an in-camera briefing but the court
asked him to furnish what he wanted to say in a sealed envelope which would be
returned to him in the same manner.
During
the hearing, the CJP again offered to slash the salary of judges as well as
that of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from the employees-related
expenditure head to bridge the gap of Rs20 billion required for polls.
CJP
Bandial reiterated that the court was not here to create any difficulty for the
government since it “understands that the entire burden would be on the
judiciary” if any untoward incident happened during the elections.
“There
is still time that the political parties should come to a settlement in the
wake of acrimony and violence,” the CJP observed.
During
the hearing, the CJP also mentioned his meeting with senior judges, like
Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, wherein issues faced
by the judiciary were identified. The CJP also hinted that though a full court
hearing was not possible, a full court meeting of all judges was possible that
could be held soon for amendments to the Supreme Court Rules.
No
recusals’
The
AGP requested the bench the case should be heard by the other six judges who
have not heard the election matter, or the current petition of PTI must also be
dismissed given the majority judgement of 4-3 passed on March 1.
He
stressed that the provincial governments of the Punjab and KP were dissolved to
achieve a political objective i.e. to force general elections.
The
AGP added that even though there was nothing wrong with such a political
objective, under the constitutional scheme conducting free and fair general
elections — likely to be held later this year — may not be possible in the
presence of elected governments in Punjab and KP.
However,
the CJP brushed aside the 4-3 controversy and said nobody had recused from the
nine-judge bench, besides all judges had requested him to reconstitute the
bench.
The
bench was reconstituted by him using his discretion as the CJP for which he was
not answerable, Justice Bandial said, adding the opinion of Justice Yahya
Afridi and Justice Athar Minallah were part of the record but not a part of the
judgement.
The
CJP also rubbished the concept of order of the day in case of dissenting
judgement by asking the AGP to come up with any law requiring the issuance of
an order of the court.
Referring
to the March 31 circular issued by the registrar, the CJP observed that Justice
Qazi Faez Isa’s order was on the administrative side and expressed a desire to
postpone all cases under Article 184(3) instead of mandatory directions.
Therefore,
the circular had to be issued to disregard the direction, especially in light
of an earlier five-judge order, he added. Justice Bandial further observed that
the full court comprising 15 judges was not possible since all the judges were
not available for already taking different stands.
Later,
Irfan Qadir, who was representing ECP, urged the top court to resolve its
internal conflict and added that this case of “immense importance should not be
proceeded with”.
“I
am not attacking the integrity of judges but there is some misconception about
bias,” he said, stressing that the fundamental rights of a group or a political
party should not be construed as the fundamental rights of the entire nation.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745817/ruling-on-ptis-election-petition-likely-today
--------
SC
registrar removed after Justice Isa’s blistering rejoinder
Syed
Irfan Raza | Nasir Iqbal
April
4, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The government went into ‘defiance mode’ on Monday and recalled the services of
the Supreme Court registrar, following a demand put forward by the second
senior-most judge of the apex court.
In
a tersely worded letter, written in response to a March 31 circular that asked
to disregard the decision of a Justice Qazi Faez Isa-led bench, the senior
puisne judge urged the Cabinet Division to recall Ishrat Ali to “prevent him
from further damaging the reputation and integrity of the Supreme Court”.
The
judge also sought disciplinary proceedings against Mr Ali for apparently
violating the Constitution and the order of the Supreme Court of March 29.
The
two-page letter, addressed to the registrar, was also copied to the cabinet
secretary through the Attorney General for Pakistan and Chief Justice Umar Ata
Bandial.
Cabinet
calls on president to sign new bill clipping CJP’s powers, into law
In
a subsequent meeting of the federal cabinet on Monday night, held after the
CJP-led Supreme Court bench reserved its judgement on a PTI petition against a
delay in Punjab Assembly elections, PM Shehbaz Sharif and his advisers agreed
on two main points — withdrawing charge from the incumbent Supreme Court
registrar and urging President Dr Arif Alvi to give his nod to the newly-passed
bill clipping the CJP’s powers of suo motu.
An
official statement issued after the meeting said: “The federal cabinet Monday
asked President Dr Arif Alvi to immediately sign the Supreme Court Practice and
Procedure Bill 2023 so that the country could be taken out of the
constitutional and political crisis. The cabinet also decided to withdraw the
services of Registrar Supreme Court and asked him to report to the
Establishment Division.”
Later,
the Establishment Division issued a notification saying that Mr Ali’s services
had been withdrawn from the Supreme Court and he had been directed to report to
the Establishment Division with immediate effect.
Justice
Isa’s letter
In
his letter, Justice Isa said he was astonished to receive the circular that
purports to “negate, undo, disobey and violate” the March 29 order of a
three-member Supreme Court bench headed by him.
He
argued that the registrar does not have the power or authority to undo a judicial
order and the CJP cannot issue administrative directions with regard thereto.
“As
a senior officer, the registrar is expected to know what the constitution
stipulates, act in accordance therewith and abide by the decisions of the
Supreme Court under Article 189 of the Constitution.”
In
your best interest and that of the Supreme Court, the letter said, the
registrar should withdraw the circular immediately and inform all those who
have been sent it since his conduct demonstrates that he did not have the
requisite competence, ability and understanding to hold the office of
registrar.
Moreover,
a bureaucrat holding the office of the registrar violates Article 175(3) of the
Constitution, which mandates the complete separation of the judiciary from the
executive, the letter emphasized.
Parliamentary
party meeting
Earlier,
speaking in the National Assembly Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar had lashed out
at the President Alvi for not signing the bill.
Meanwhile,
addressing a meeting of the PML-N parliamentary party, the PM categorically
said the ruling coalition had no confidence in three-member bench of the
Supreme Court.
Drawing
a stark comparison, the prime minister said Nawaz Sharif’s daughter was
implicated in corruption cases, but contrary to that the PTI wanted to save
Imran Khan’s wife by claiming that she was not a public officeholder.
The
PM told PML-N parliamentarians that before coming to power, he could not have
imagined the severity of the crisis – in form of a destroyed economy and
strained foreign relations with brotherly countries – that faced Pakistan last
year.
He
said the government had fulfilled all the conditions imposed by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the previous regime had violated its
commitments and accused the PTI regime of derailing China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor projects, which he said impacted Pak-China relations.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745818/sc-registrar-removed-after-justice-isas-blistering-rejoinder
--------
Voices
from within ruling coalition call for ‘de-escalation’
Syed
Irfan Raza
April
4, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Voices have started emerging from within the ruling coalition calling for
de-escalation and finding ‘amicable solutions’ to the prevailing political,
economical and judicial crises.
Six
parties in the ruling alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement, on Monday urged
the political forces to sit together after a meeting with a civil society
group, Mediators, at the National Press Club.
The
meeting was attended by the representatives of MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM),
Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal), National Party (NP), National
Democratic Movement (NDM), Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and Pashtunkhwa Milli
Awami Party (Pk-MAP).
In
a joint statement after the meeting, the political parties and the group
stressed the need for holding a multiparty conference (MPC) to overcome the
crises.
The
meeting also expressed concerns over the judicial crisis and urged the need for
unity within the judiciary and safeguarding its independence.
Six
allies urge political forces to sit together, overcome crises
The
Mediators, a group of over 100 civil society organisations including the Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Bar Council, Pakistan Federation of
Union of Journalists and others, has been making efforts to bring warring
parties to the table and defuse the political tension which erupted since on
the issue of holding general elections to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
assemblies within the constitutional timeframe of 90 days after the dissolution
of assemblies.
The
Mediators’ coordinator Imtiaz Alam urged the ruling PDM to do legislation to
ensure the supremacy of the Constitution. He asked PML-N, PTI and PPP to accept
the invitation for the proposed MPC.
The
meeting was apprised that invitations for the proposed MPC have been sent to
PTI Chairman Imran Khan, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari. However, the date of the MPC was yet to be announced.
This
is the second such effort by the group to build a consensus among political
parties to overcome the prevailing crises.
Earlier
in March, the group met with PTI Chairman Khan and urged him to sit with the
rival parties for the sake of “greater national consensus” on elections.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745749/voices-from-within-ruling-coalition-call-for-de-escalation
--------
NAB
on notice as Imran, Bushra challenge summons
Malik
Asad
April
4, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought a reply from the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with an inquiry initiated against
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi,
for ‘illegally’ retaining Toshakhana gifts.
The
IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman
RafatImtaiz heard the petitions of Mr Khan and Bushra Bibi.
Khawaja
Haris Ahmed, counsel for the petitioners, requested the court to stay the
inquiry till the final decision on the complaint of Election Commission of
Pakistan in the Toshakhana case.
He
argued that the NAB’s notices didn’t state in which capacity the information
was being sought.
Counsel
asks IHC to stay probe until final decision in Toshakhana case
He
pointed out that superior courts had made it mandatory for NAB to explain
details of the inquiry and for what reason the bureau was summoning
individuals.
Justice
Farooq inquired as if the procedure of serving notices provided in the NAB law
amendments of 2022.
The
counsel replied that the amendments made it mandatory for NAB to establish a
reason and communicate it to the suspect.
“As
per the amended law, it should be mentioned whether anyone was summoned as an
accused or summoned for any other reason,” he said.
The
NAB’s prosecutor informed the court that a reminder had been sent to the former
prime minister for sharing details of Toshakhana gifts.
The
PTI chairman and his wife challenged the NAB case initiated against them for
retaining and ‘illegally’ selling the Toshakhana gifts.
On
Feb 17, NAB issued notices to Mr Khan and Ms Bushra Bibi for retaining state
gifts. The anti-corruption watchdog sought details from Mr Khan of wrist
watches and a mobile phone, presented to him by various foreign dignitaries.
The
bureau also sought details of jewellary sets presented to Ms Bushra Bibi,
including a Rloex watch, a gold and diamond locket presented by Emir of Qatar,
and two necklace sets gifted by the Saudi crown prince.
In
the identical petitions before the IHC filed through his attorney Khawaja Haris
Ahmed and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the former prime minister and his wife
pleaded that NAB had issued the notice in violation of Section 19 of the
National Accountability Ordinance.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745813/nab-on-notice-as-imran-bushra-challenge-summons
--------
Karachi
chapter of PTI unhappy over move to contact MQM-P
Imran
Ayub
April
4, 2023
KARACHI:
Local leaders of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf are unhappy over
attempts by the party’s high command to re-establish contacts with the MuttahidaQaumi
Movement-Pakistan as they accused their former ally of backstabbing the party’s
federal government last year.
The
fresh move from the PTI-Karachi came following the statement of party president
Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in which he claimed to have restored links with the MQM-P
in line with its ongoing campaign to engage different political parties to
build the momentum for general elections.
Within
hours of Mr Elahi’s statement, party lawmakers, city leaders and senior workers
held a meeting with PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was in the city
on Sunday to meet different political leaders, and conveyed him their opinion
before “anything becomes final”.
A
party leader confirmed that the majority of legislators and leaders from
Karachi had expressed their serious reservations over the fresh development.
“We
had a meeting with vice chairman Qureshi the other day and it was attended by
all legislators elected from Karachi,” PTI MPA and deputy information secretary
of Sindh chapter Shahzad Qureshi told Dawn. “I can say that almost everyone
showed reservations.”
He
said that the local leadership told the former foreign minister that the MQM-P
was a part of the PDM government. “Considering Karachi politics and its future,
we have conveyed our reservations and opinion in this regard,” he said.
Another
PTI leader, on the condition of anonymity, said that most participants of the
meeting were not in favour of “any fresh partnership” with the MQM-P.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745734/karachi-chapter-of-pti-unhappy-over-move-to-contact-mqm-p
--------
Terror-stricken
Sikh community weary of its safety
Ibrahim
Shinwari
April
4, 2023
KHYBER:
While relatives and well wishers of slain Diyal Singh mourned his targeted
killing, many of them said they now felt more insecure than before.
Herjeet
Singh, a young imitation jewellery dealer in Peshawar’s Karkhano market told
Dawn that his entire community was ‘heart broken’ and terrorised by the killing
of Diyal Singh whom he described as a ‘harmless soul’.
He
said that minority community and especially Sikhs were feeling very insecure in
Peshawar and surrounding localities as a minority person was killed after every
seven or eight months with the security agencies failing to provide them much
needed protection.
Harjeet
Singh’s family had migrated to Peshawar from Bara some 17 years back when Bara
was under effective control of the proscribed Lashkar-i-Islam, led by Mangal
Bagh.
He
said that Diyal Singh had four children, including three sons and a daughter
and he was the only breadwinner for his family.
“Owing
to his poor financial status, our community would hire him as watchman during
festive occasions so that he could earn some extra money apart from his small
herbal shop,” he said.
Malak
Balendar Singh, a spokesman for Sikh community in Bara told Dawn that the grandfather
of the deceased migrated from Tirah some three decades back and settled down in
Kalanga, Akkakhel area of Bara.
He
said that Diyal Singh was running his herbal shop in Bhatta Thal locality,
adjacent to Bara Bazaar but had to shift to MuhallahJogan Shah in Peshawar in
May last year when two of his close relatives Ranjeet Singh and Kulgeet Singh
were killed by unidentified gunmen.
He
said the deceased was very concerned about the safety of his family and had
thus shifted to Peshawar with the hope that he would be safe while living close
to other Sikh families in MohallahJogan Shah.
Jaspal
Singh, another Sikh trader in Karkhano market, told Dawn that while majority of
the Sikh families had long shifted to either Peshawar or other cities of the
country, 29 Sikh shopkeepers were still running their small businesses in Bara
while another 19 had their shops in Bhatta Thal market.
He
said none of these Sikh shopkeepers had residences in Bara or any other
locality of Khyber as they come back to Peshawar in the evening.
“Our
relationship with the local community is very cordial and friendly but still we
feel insecure as a number of the minority community members had fallen victims
to targeted killing in recent past,” he explained.
He
said hundreds of Sikh families previously residing in Tirah valley for over a
century had now deserted their homes and had migrated to other comparatively
safer places.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745804/terror-stricken-sikh-community-weary-of-its-safety
--------
125
policemen martyred in militant attacks in three months in KP
April
4, 2023
PESHAWAR:
One hundred and twenty-five police personnel embraced martyrdom and 212 others
sustained injuries in different militant attacks across the province during the
first quarter of 2023. A total of 25 cases of militant attacks have been
registered with the police during the three months, police data shows.
According
to the data, 15 militant attacks were reported against police in January 2023,
in which 116 personnel embraced martyrdom and 189 were injured.
Three
militant attacks were reported in February 2023, in which two police personnel
embraced martyrdom and five others were wounded.
Seven
cases were registered by the police in March 2023, wherein seven policemen
embraced martyrdom and 18 others were wounded.
Meanwhile,
a senior police official told Dawn that following a surge in attacks on the
police in January after the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called
off the ceasefire, the police were equipped with latest weaponry, leading to
reduction in the number of attacks in February and March.
“There
were fewer attacks reported in February and March,” the police official said,
adding the force was carrying out intelligence-based operations and hunting
down the militants.
Of
the 125 personnel, who embraced martyrdom during last three months, 84
personnel, including officers, laid down their lives on January 30 alone when a
suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque at Peshawar’s police
headquarters.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745798/125-policemen-martyred-in-militant-attacks-in-three-months-in-kp
--------
Southeast Asia
Law
Ministry seeks to spur economy through Ramadan bazaar
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - The Law and Human Rights Ministry is seeking to assist in the effort
to recover the people's economy and support micro, small, and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) by organizing a Ramadan bazaar.
The
bazaar is expected to be an event for forging social connections among people,
the ministry's secretary general Police Commissioner General AndapBudhiRevianto
said during the bazaar’s opening here on Monday.
According
to his statement, the event that was earlier routinely held during Ramadan was
discontinued for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Revianto
lauded and expressed full support for the three-day event, which has been put
together by the ministry's Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP), an organization of
civil servants’ wives, from Monday to Wednesday (April 5, 2023).
Before
opening the event, he visited several booths at the bazaar and directly
reviewed the prices of goods.
"I
also just checked the price from the participants in the bazaar, monitoring the
disparity between the price (in the bazaar) and the market price," he
said.
Several
processed food products, Muslim clothes, prayer equipment, daily necessities,
and fasting and Eid al-Fitr goods made by MSMEs were exhibited in the lobby and
hall of GrahaPengayoman as part of the bazaar.
Revianto
also expressed his gratitude over no COVID-19 case being detected at the
ministry.
"However,
we still need to be careful, we cannot be arrogant. We still need to be
disciplined in implementing the health protocols," he said.
This
year’s Ramadan bazaar has drawn 94 participants, including representatives from
11 of the ministry's main units and 2 of the ministry’s regional offices in
Jakarta and Banten.
Source:
AntaraNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://en.antaranews.com/news/277569/law-ministry-seeks-to-spur-economy-through-ramadan-bazaar
--------
Malaysia
says Beijing expresses concerns about its energy projects in South China Sea
04
April ,2023
Malaysian
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday said Beijing has expressed concerns
about energy activities by Malaysian state firm Petronas in the South China
Sea, even though Kuala Lumpur believes the projects are in its territory.
Anwar’s
remarks come after he opened the door for negotiations with China earlier this
week, in a sign of mounting pressure on Malaysia’s energy operations in waters
that Beijing claims as its own.
China
claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which about
$3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually. Malaysia, Brunei, the
Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have some overlapping claims.
Petronas
operates oil and gas fields within Malaysia’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) and has in recent years had several encounters with Chinese vessels.
China
was worried that “Petronas has carried out a major activity at an area that is
also claimed by China,” Anwar said, responding to a parliamentary question
about his discussions on the South China Sea during his visit to China last
week.
“I
stressed... that Malaysia sees the area as Malaysian territory therefore
Petronas will continue its exploration activities there,” Anwar said, without
specifying an offshore project or a location.
But
Malaysia is open for negotiations “if China feels this is their right”, Anwar
said, adding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc feels that overlapping
claims should be resolved by negotiations.
Petronas
declined to comment and the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur was not immediately
available for comment.
China
claims its territory via a “nine-dash line” on its maps, which cuts into the
EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
The
Permanent Court of Arbitration, however, ruled in 2016 that the nine-dash line,
which stretches as far as 1,500 km off its coastline, has no legal basis.
US
think tank, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), last week said a
Chinese coast guard vessel was for the past month operating near Petronas’
Kasawari gas development off Malaysia’s Sarawak state, and came as close as 1.5
miles of the project. A Malaysian navy ship was in the area, AMTI said.
The
Kasawari field holds an estimated 3 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and is
expected to start production this year.
China
foreign ministry on Monday said they were not aware of the specific incident
but said the conduct of the China coast guard is beyond reproach.
Anwar,
in his parliamentary comments, said China believes its ships were in
international waters.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Malaysian
parliament approves bill to scrap mandatory death penalty
NOR
ARLENE TAN
April
04, 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysian lawmakers voted on Monday in favor of abolishing the
mandatory death penalty, paving the way for landmark legal reforms the
government said are aimed at respecting each individual’s right to life.
The
lower house of Malaysia’s Parliament passed the bill, which will now be brought
to the government-controlled Senate, or upper house, for approval, before it is
presented to the king and passed into law.
Under
the revised law, which applies retroactively, 11 offenses that previously carried
a mandatory death penalty will instead have alternative punishments, including
whipping and imprisonment between 30 and 40 years.
The
new measures will also remove capital punishment as an option for some serious
crimes that do not cause death, such as the discharging and trafficking of
firearms and kidnapping.
“The
abolition of the mandatory death penalty aims to respect the right to life for
every individual in Malaysia while ensuring justice for all parties,” Deputy
Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh said during a wrap-up of parliamentary debates on
the bill.
“The
basic principle for every sentence in Malaysia is rehabilitation so that they
can return to society and become individuals who can serve the family,
community and country after completing their sentence.”
A
moratorium on the death penalty has been in effect since 2018 in Malaysia,
where over 1,300 prisoners are on death row, representing a disproportionately
high number compared to other countries in the region.
While
the new bill does not completely remove capital punishment, which remains for
offenses ranging from drug trafficking and terrorism to murder, it allows
judges the discretion to pass alternatives.
“We
commend the government, which has shown political will and determination to reform.
The abolition is a move toward the advancement of Malaysia’s human rights,”
Ngeow Chow Ying, an executive committee member of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia
Network, told Arab News.
However,
Ying said officials could do more in their efforts to reform Malaysia’s
criminal justice system, as the use of caning in the law is “barbaric” and an
“ultimately cruel and inhuman punishment.”
Though
Monday’s vote was “a long time in the making,” Amnesty International Malaysia’s
Executive Director Katrina JoreneMaliamauv said that “there is still more to be
done.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280771/world
--------
As
Japan ages, young Indonesians train to fill caregiver jobs
April
04, 2023
JAKARTA:
Speaking in Japanese and bowing, 24-year-old Siti Maesaroh offers a tray with a
mug and two bowls to a fellow student pretending to be an elderly person,
before asking him if he wanted chopsticks and a spoon to eat with.
The
role play is an example of the type of training being offered by vocational
institutions across Indonesia catering to students seeking to fill job
vacancies in Japan.
“I
think the reason Japan chooses us is because Indonesian youths are very capable
of caring for the elderly,” said Maesaroh, who is attending the Onodera User
Run school in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.
The
school, established in 2022, also offers Japanese language training for its
students seeking to enrol in a Japanese government program to employ foreigners
with special skills to work in sectors like care giving.
Japan
is one of the world’s most rapidly aging societies, with people who are 65 or
older now accounting for 28 percent of the population, according to UN data.
Births
in Japan fell to fewer than 800,000 for the first time last year, according to
official data, as Japan’s working-age population shrinks.
Hiroki
Sasaki, labor attache at the Japanese embassy in Jakarta, estimates only about
130,000 of the 340,000 special skilled job vacancies in Japan have been filled.
A
foreign workforce, therefore, is becoming increasingly necessary, he said.
As
of December 2022, there were more than 16,000 Indonesians working under Japan’s
special skilled worker scheme, the second-highest number behind Vietnam.
Indonesia
is the world’s fourth most populous country with some 280 million people and
Kamila Mansjur, the principal of the school, said sending workers to Japan to
care for the elderly benefited both countries.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280861/world
--------
Africa
Tunisia’s
Saied reappears in public, dismisses ‘mad’ speculations
April
04, 2023
TUNIS:
Tunisian President Kais Saied appeared in a video posted Monday on his official
Facebook page, dismissing “mad” reports over his health following almost two
weeks with no public engagements.
The
North African country’s main opposition coalition had pressed the government
earlier to explain Saied’s public “absence,” saying it had information that he
was sick.
“These
people deserve nothing but contempt,” Saied said in the video, referring to his
political rivals.
“The
president is absent for two or three days, he gets a cold and that becomes a
problem, a power vacuum?“
Saied,
65, had not appeared in public or held any meetings since March 22, according
to posts on Facebook — the presidency’s only official channel of communication.
The
lack of statements or videos has sparked rumors over the state of Saied’s
health.
Speaking
alongside Prime Minister NajlaBouden, the president said the reports reflected
“a level of madness never seen before in Tunisia.
Earlier
on Monday, Ahmed Nejib Chebbi of the National Salvation Front opposition
coalition told journalists: “We ask the government to address the Tunisian
people and say if the president has health problems that have forced him to be
absent.”
Chebbi
said Bouden would run Tunisia in the event of a temporary power vacuum, but
that a permanent vacancy would present the country with a “great catastrophe”
due to a legislative void.
In
his video, Saied accused unnamed people of “trying to create crises” by talking
of a power vacuum.
“These
people have lost the plot, they’re obsessed with power,” he said.
Saied,
who staged a dramatic power grab in July 2021 and has since ruled by decree,
last year rammed through a constitution giving his office unlimited powers and
neutering parliament.
Since
February, security forces have arrested over 20 public figures, including top
members of the opposition.
Those
targeted include members of the once-powerful Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party
and political activists, as well as lawyers, businessmen and the head of a
popular radio station known for giving a platform to criticism of the
president.
Source: Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280811/middle-east
--------
UN
calls for accountability push in Libya as war crimes probe ends
April
03, 2023
GENEVA:
The UN rights chief called Monday for Libyan authorities and the international
community to step up accountability efforts in the conflict-ravaged country, as
a probe into war crimes wrapped up.
“Libyan
authorities, armed groups, smugglers and human traffickers should not assume
that the eyes of the international community have now left Libya,” Volker Turk
said.
“It
is crucial that we redouble efforts to secure accountability for past
violations and continue to monitor the reality on the ground to prevent future
violations.”
Turk’s
comments came as the so-called UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya,
set up by the UN Human Rights Council in 2020, wound up its operations and
handed over its archives and the evidence it had collected to his office in
Geneva.
Instead
of prolonging the investigation, the rights council is expected this week to
adopt a resolution calling merely for the UN to provide “technical assistance”
toward improving the rights situation in Libya.
In
its final report issued last week, the fact-finding mission voiced deep concern
about the deteriorating human rights situation in the conflict-torn North
African country.
The
mission concluded that there were “grounds to believe a wide array of war
crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed by state security forces
and armed militia groups.”
It
warned among other things that migrants stuck in Libya while trying to reach
Europe are being systematically tortured and forced into sexual slavery.
The
team recommended that the UN rights office “establish a distinct and autonomous
mechanism with an ongoing mandate to monitor and report on gross human rights
violations in Libya.”
That
effort should be aimed at “supporting Libyan reconciliation efforts and
assisting the Libyan authorities in achieving transitional justice and accountability,”
it said.
Turk
voiced support for that recommendation Monday, and said his office also
remained committed to working with authorities to create a victim-centered plan
for transitional justice and accountability.
Libya
has seen more than a decade of stop-start conflict since the 2011 revolt that
toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi, with a myriad of militias forming opposing
alliances backed by foreign powers.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280481/middle-east
--------
Algerian
president discusses Syrian developments with al-Assad
Hassan
Jebril
03.04.2023
ALGIERS,
Algeria
Algerian
President AbdelmajidTebboune discussed developments in Syria on Monday with
head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad.
An
Algerian presidential statement said al-Assad briefed the Algerian leader on
the current situation in Syria.
The
two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations between the two countries, the
statement said.
Al-Assad
thanked Algeria for its support to Damascus following the Feb. 6 earthquakes
that killed thousands in both Syria and Türkiye, the statement said.
Algeria
has maintained relations with Syria following the outbreak of the country’s
civil war in 2011.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
KSrelief
continues humanitarian efforts in Indonesia, Nigeria
April
04, 2023
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief)
recently distributed food packages in Indonesia and Nigeria as part of its
continuing aid efforts for depressed communities and needy individuals.
In
Indonesia’s Bandung city in West Java province, KSrelief distributed more than
16 tons and 480 kilograms of food baskets as part of the Food Basket Project
for the Hijri calendar year 1444.
Some
1,600 people – or 400 families – have benefited from the initiative that has
programmed the distribution of 6,687 food baskets that will help 33,435
individuals in the provinces of Jakarta, West Java, Benten and Central Java.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280881/saudi-arabia
--------
North America
Surrey
throat slashing suspect charged with terrorism linked to Islamic State group
Apr
03, 2023
Kim
Bolan
A
man arrested after a bus passenger was seriously injured in a knife attack in
Surrey on Saturday now faces four terrorism charges.
The
charges of “committing an offence for the benefit of a terrorist organization”
— specifically the Islamic State — were sworn against Abdul Aziz Kawam on
Monday. He also made an appearance in Surrey provincial court.
Kawam,
born in 1995, was already facing four other charges, laid Saturday after a man
had his throat slashed while on a bus travelling on Fraser Highway at 156th
Street at about 9:30 a.m. Another person had a knife held to his throat at a
bus stop about four blocks away.
The
weekend charges include one of attempted murder, two of assault with a weapon
and one of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Const.
Amanda Steed of Metro Vancouver Transit Police said Monday that investigators
reached out to the RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team
because of disturbing comments made by Kawam.
“During
the course of our investigation, it was determined that the suspect made quite
a few concerning statements, which is why we notified the RCMP INSET,” Steed
said. “So they have taken on an investigation as well. And we’re working with
them. But from here on, they will be in charge of the investigation and they
have forwarded their own charges along with ours.”
Steed
said she couldn’t specifically comment on what the suspect allegedly said.
“I
can only say that it was concerning enough to notify INSET.”
RCMP
Supt. David Teboul said INSET continues to work with Metro Vancouver Transit
Police on the case.
“We
remain committed to uncovering all the facts relating to this disturbing and
unprovoked assault.”
He
said Kawam is being held in custody.
About
10 minutes before the bus attack, the other victim was standing at a bus stop
at Fraser Highway and 152nd Street when a person approached “and held a knife
to his throat,” she said.
“That
victim was able to break free and run away. And then the suspect ran from there
and boarded the bus with the second victim at 156th and Fraser. They both
boarded at the same place.”
While
the injured man is listed on LinkedIn as a bus driver, he was not on duty nor
wearing a driver’s uniform, Steed said.
Source: Toronto Sun
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
says its forces killed ISIS leader in Syria behind planning attacks in Europe
04
April ,2023
The
United States carried out a military operation that killed a senior ISIS leader
in Syria on Monday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement early
on Tuesday.
Khalid
Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri was responsible for planning ISIS attacks into Europe and
developed the leadership structure for ISIS, the statement said.
Last
week, the TASS news agency said Russia had protested to the American-led
coalition against ISIS about “provocative actions” by US armed forces in Syria.
No
civilians were killed or injured in this strike, CENTCOM said, and added that
the group “continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
After
attacks by Iranian-backed forces, US carrier repositioned near Syria: Pentagon
ServetGünerigök
04.04.2023
WASHINGTON
The
Pentagon said Monday that the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in the
Mediterranean has been repositioned near the Syrian coast as a precaution after
Iranian-backed forces launched attacks on American military bases in Syria.
"We
saw increased attacks from (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) IRGC-affiliated
groups targeting our service members across Syria, and as a precaution, we did
move the carrier to be slightly closer," Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman
Sabrina Singh told a press briefing.
Singh
stressed that the reason for positioning the carrier was in response to the
attacks.
Asked
by Anadolu whether the vessel is being kept in the region for a possible
military strike on Iran, Singh said: "This was about the attacks that we
saw on our service members in the region and the response to that.”
Late
last month, a drone attack killed one American contractor and wounded at least
six US military personnel. The Pentagon blamed Iran for it.
The
US carried out airstrikes in response.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
vows to act against human rights abusers in Libya
Ahmed
Asmar
03.04.2023
The
US Embassy in Libya on Monday voiced deep concern over alleged abuses against
migrants in Libya and vowed to use its powers to hold perpetrators accountable.
A
report by a UN fact-finding mission cited evidence on crimes against humanity
committed against migrants in Libya, including women being forced into sex
slavery.
The
UN mission said its investigators collected nearly 2,800 items of information
documenting numerous cases of abuse against migrants, including arbitrary
detention, murder, torture, rape, enslavement, sexual slavery, extrajudicial
killings, and enforced disappearances.
"We
stand with the Libyan people and will continue to use the tools and authorities
at our disposal, including in the HRC [Human Rights Council], to seek
accountability for all human rights abusers," the embassy said in a
statement.
On
Sunday, the Libyan Foreign Ministry rejected the UN report on abuses against
migrants and called on the UN mission to present its information about the
victims of violence and sex slavery to the authorities.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-vows-to-act-against-human-rights-abusers-in-libya/2862492
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/reveals-karnataka-love-jihad-afjalsollapura/d/129488
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism