Protesting against the Saudi Monarchy, Shia Personal Law Board asks to build Jannat-ul-Baqi Replicas in Every Shia Populated Area
New Age Islam News Bureau
06 March 2023
Jannatul Baqi/ Photo: Zamzam.com
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• Saudi TV Series about Mu'awiya bin Abi Sufyan
Triggers Iraq’s Sectarian Divide
• Even Prophets Gave Political Sermons in Mosque, Hadi
Says After Terengganu Becomes Latest State to Impose Ban
• ‘Saudi-US Relationship Is A Catholic Marriage,’ Says
Former White House Official
• Crisis over Suspected Iran Schoolgirl Poisonings
Escalates
India
• India’s Defence Ties with Middle East Deepen as
Security Engagements on Rise
• ‘Muslims Support Uddhav Thackeray as They Perceive
Him as a Liberal Leader’: Maulana Azad Vichar Manch
• Muslims to keep prayerful vigil at Shab e Baraat on
Tuesday in Mumbai
• UNHRC: India regrets Turkiye's J&K remarks,
slams Pakistan 'propaganda'
--------
Arab World
• Opposition Group Says Bahrain Turns into Graveyard
of Human Rights, Incarcerations
• Saudi Arabia Executes Two Nationals for Sexual
Assault, Murder Offenses
• King approves distribution abroad of 1m copies of
Holy Qur’an during Ramadan
• Egypt to strengthen Jordan power link to up to three
gigawatts: Prime Minister
• Kuwait re-appoints Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as
PM: KUNA
• Qatari ruler urges int'l community to help Türkiye
overcome quake devastation
--------
Southeast Asia
• Local Group Linked To Islamic State Already Under
Watch, Malaysian Police Say
• More Help for Malay/Muslims in Public Rental Flats,
New Digital Repository For Asatizah: MCCY
• Anwar, PH’s hands tied over recognising UEC, say
analysts
--------
North America
• US defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Jordan at start
of Middle East tour
• Top US general visit American occupation forces in
Syria after Israel meetings
• Syria condemns ‘illegal’ visit of US General Mark
Milley
--------
Mideast
• Iran: US in No Position to Lecture Others on Human
Rights, Democracy
• Iran Supreme Leader says poisoning of schoolgirls is
an unforgivable crime: IRNA
• New cases of poisoning in different Iran regions:
Media
• Netanyahu Raps IAEA Chief, Claims Israel Free to
Attack Iran’s Nuclear Sites ‘In Self-Defence’
• Iran Rejects IAEA's Claims over Access to
Individuals, Reinstalling Cameras at N. Sites
• Al Qaeda confirms killing of top commander in Yemen
• Israeli ministers approve bill on $270,000 gift to
Netanyahu
• Israel’s Netanyahu rebuffs IAEA chief’s remarks
against possible attack on Iran
• Netanyahu tries to calm outcry over minister’s ‘inappropriate’
Palestine remarks
• Palestinians cautiously watching anti-Netanyahu
protests in Israel
--------
Pakistan
• Terrorism a Major Problem: Pakistan Facing Blowback
from a Resurgent Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
• ARY News Licence Suspended for Violating Ban on
Airing Imran’s Speeches
• Saudi Prince Launches Saudi-Pakistan Tech House in
Islamabad Tomorrow
• Pakistan: PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz mocks Imran Khan
for avoiding arrest
• Pakistan: 32 per cent more militant attacks recorded
in February compared to January
• 9 policemen martyred, 13 wounded in blast near
Balochistan Constabulary van in Bolan: police
• Qatar to help Pakistan tackle economic challenges
--------
South Asia
• Big Fire Erupts At Rohingya Camp in Bangladesh,
12,000 People Homeless
• US Accuses Islamic Emirate of Violation of Doha Deal
• Over 1600 Afghan Nationals Return to Country from
Iran: Afghanistan
--------
Africa
• Jordan’s Royal Court Reveals Wedding Date of King
Abdullah’s Daughter Princess Iman
• Senegal police release activists and MP arrested at
Tunisia embassy
• Tunisian labour union holds biggest protest yet
against president
• Uganda sends 13 tons of aid supplies for Türkiye
quake survivors
• Jordan sends relief plane to quake-affected people
in Türkiye
--------
Europe
• Greece’s foreign minister corrects himself after
using wrong name for Istanbul
• Bosnia and Herzegovina sends more aid to quake-hit
Türkiye
• Belgian court upholds prisoner swap treaty with Iran
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-monarchy-shia-jannat-baqi/d/129258
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Protesting against the Saudi Monarchy, Shia Personal
Law Board asks to build Jannat-ul-Baqi Replicas in Every Shia Populated Area
Jannatul Baqi/ Photo: Zamzam.com
-----
Mar 6, 2023
LUCKNOW: All India Shia Personal Law Board has
appealed to the Shia community to build replicas of Jannat-ul-Baqi in every
Shia populated area. The call was made in Lucknow, while holding a protest
meeting against the Saudi monarchy for demolishing the Islamic cemetery Jannat
ul Baqi 100 years ago in Madina.
The board members also asked Shia Muslims to continue
to protest in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of demolition of the
holy site. Around 1,000 men gathered at Asifi Imambara on Sunday and staged
protests against the Saudi Arabian monarchy.
Maulana Yasoob Abbas, general secretary of the board,
said, "The sacrilege of holy shrines is against the preaching of the Quran
as well as against the tradition of the prophet. Saudi Arabia provides funds to
terror outfits in Pakistan and Afghanistan for the genocide of Shias."
Protesters were carrying placards in their hands
depicting anti-Saudi slogans. They also showed their anger against the Saudi
regime by chanting slogans.
Maulana Saim Mehdi, the president of the board, sent a
letter to PM Narendra Modi and demanded that he mount diplomatic pressure on
the Saudi Arabian government to reconstruct the Baqi cemetery.
Maulana Ejaz Athar, vice president of the board, said
that the United Nations Organization should ask Pakistan and Afghanistan to
take measures to curb and stop the Shia genocide.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Saudi TV Series about Mu'awiya bin Abi Sufyan Triggers
Iraq’s Sectarian Divide
Shiite Muslim pilgrims
gather to pray at the shrine of the 8th-century Imam Musa al-Kadhim in the
Kadhimiya district, north of Baghdad, on February 17, 2023. - AHMAD
AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images
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Ali Mamouri
March 5, 2023
MBC Media Group has announced a drama series about
Mu'awiya bin Abi Sufyan, the first Umayyad caliph, during the upcoming Islamic
month of Ramadan, set to begin in about 20 days. The Saudi media conglomerate's
decision has faced massive criticism in Iraq and other countries with large
Shiite communities, due to the Shiite belief that Mu'awiya was an enemy to
Islam.
Iraq’s government media watchdog, the Communication
and Media Commission, warned MBC Iraq, which is a part of MBC group, that the
show went against the country’s regulations. Consequently, MBC Iraq announced
that it will not broadcast the series. However, other MBC channels will
broadcast it due to commitments with the producer. MBC is currently referring
to it as "Mu'awiya," but the official name will be released before it
airs. The series, directed by Tarek Alarian, cost nearly $100 million and took
over two years to produce. It features several well-known Arab actors,
including Lujain Ismail (playing Mu'awiya), Iyad Nassar (Imam Ali), Suhair bin
Amara (Hind, Mu'awiya's mother) and Wael Sharaf (Amr Aas).
The controversial Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
demanded that MBC halt the series. “Broadcasting such series is contrary to the
new, moderate policies pursued by the brotherly country of Saudi Arabia,” Sadr
tweeted Feb. 14.
Why this matters for Shiites
Mu'awiya was the first caliph of the Umayyad
Caliphate, which ruled a large part of what is today the Middle East from
661-750 CE. He established Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus after a war with Imam
Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shiite imam who was the caliph in Kufa, in
southern Iraq. Imam Ali was assassinated in 661 AD and buried in nearby Najaf,
which has become the heart of the Shiite religious institution, similar to the
Vatican. Imam Ali occupies a similar authority and role for Shiites as St.
Peter the Apostle does for Catholics. The enmity between subsequent Umayyad
caliphs and Imam Ali’s children and grandchildren continued for about 100
years.
Given this history, many Shiites hold a lasting grudge
against the Umayyads in general and Mu'awiya in particular. However, for the
Sunnis, the Umayyad period is considered a part of glorious Islamic
history.
Iraqi Shiites were outraged at the plans for the
series, sparking concerns that it could ignite a new wave of sectarianism in
the region.
The Iraqi Shiite TV channel Al-Shaaer announced that
it would not air the Mu'awiya series and that it had started producing a rival
series about Abu Lu'lu'a Firuz, a Persian slave who assassinated the second
Islamic caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, in 644 AD. While Sunnis respect Umar as a
religious and political leader, Shiites claim he was an illegitimate
caliph.
Iraq’s government media watchdog, however, also sent a
directive to Al-Shaaer against the series, stating that “licensed media
organizations are prohibited from belittling, distorting, or denigrating the
religious beliefs of other sects.” In response, Al-Shaaer confirmed that they
will commit to the directive as long as MBC does not air the Mu’awiya series.
Iraqi militia Telegram channels also slammed Saudi
Arabia and the MBC group, calling for a demonstration in front of MBC’s
headquarters if they go ahead with plans to air it.
The headquarters building in Baghdad was attacked and
burned in 2020 by pro-militia groups after the channel broadcast a documentary
about a terrorist attack targeting the Iraqi embassy in Lebanon in 1980s,
accusing the former head of the Popular Mobilization Units, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis,
of leading the attack.
History as a weapon
During the last two decades, producing historical
movies and series to be used against rival powers in the region has become
common.
Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in particular have
produced dozens of dramas and TV series, in addition to documentaries, about
Islamic history in order to glorify their nations and attack the rival powers
in the region, not to mention the West.
Movies and TV series about Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Marwan
ibn al-Hakam and Umar ibn al-Khattab, who are rejected by the Shiite, had
raised their anger. And movies and TV series about Shiites like Imam Ali and
Imam Hassan that narrate their life (and insult against their enemies, who are
mostly respected by Sunnis), raised Sunnis’ discontent.
The Mu'awiya series has already woken up the sectarian
conflict in the region that had been quiet in the last few years, particularly
after the defeat of the Islamic State. Sufian Samarrai, the chairman of
BaghdadPostPlus, slammed Shiite figures who oppose the series.
Faisal Al-Farhoud, a famous Saudi blogger, also
expressed support for the series in a tweet. He praised Mu’awiya and asked,
"Who are you, Muqtada al-Sadr, the bucket?”
Source: Al Monitor
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Even Prophets Gave Political Sermons in Mosque, Hadi Says
After Terengganu Becomes Latest State to Impose Ban
The MP for Marang said
even prophets were known to give political sermons in mosques and that Muslim
leaders are obliged to “speak up” including through political sermons, as he
responded to the news of the ban. — Picture by Hari Anggara
------
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
05 Mar 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul
Awang insists that political sermons should be allowed in mosques and suraus,
in defiance of the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council’s
(Maidam) decision to bar politicians from speaking in the Muslim houses of
worship.
The MP for Marang said even prophets were known to
give political sermons in mosques and that Muslim leaders are obliged to “speak
up” including through political sermons, as he responded to the news of the
ban.
“We must realise in Islam, politics and religion are
inseparable. Even prophets gave political sermons,” he told reporters in
Marang, Terengganu, last night.
“When we talk about Islam and politics, then that’s
Islam’s politics. It’s not wrong and we are obliged to speak up.
“What is wrong we must speak up about it. Be it about
economics, politics or whatever, Muslims are obliged to speak up if they see
something wrong,” he added.
A video of the news conference was aired on his
Facebook account.
He said the necessity to voice out against “wrongness”
is part of the Islamic teaching called “amar makruf nahi mungkar”, Arabic for
“enjoining good and forbidding wrong”.
Some Muslim scholars interpret it as the duty of a
Muslim to prevent and disapprove of transgression or indecency.
Politicians have been barred from delivering religious
lectures or ceramahs in mosques and suraus in Terengganu, Maidam announced last
Tuesday.
In a statement announcing the ban, Terengganu Ruler
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin said he “was upset” that some politicians delivered
religious lectures or classes and led Friday prayers without the council’s
approval.
In Malaysia, the sultan is the supreme religious
leader of his respective state. A state’s Islamic affairs body has complete
autonomy over religious affairs, often dictated by a mufti.
Most states ban political leaders and activists from
giving religious ceramahs or lectures without its permission.
Earlier this month, Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin
Idris Shah Alhaj decreed that mosques and suraus in the state be free of
political influence and elements to prevent fights among Muslims.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah
Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah issued a similar call in September last
year, saying mosques should be used to promote goodness and not used as a
political arena or a place to insult fellow Muslims.
Back in October 2019, Perak Ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah
told Islamic preachers to step down if they wished to use mosques in the state
for political purposes.
Source: Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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‘Saudi-US Relationship Is A Catholic Marriage,’ Says
Former White House Official
Joe Biden with Salman, now
the Saudi king, in 2011. ‘The Saudi-US relationship is in the throes of a crisis,’
one critic wrote. Photograph: Hassan Ammar/AP
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March 05, 2023
DUBAI: The American financier and entrepreneur Anthony
Scaramucci has reiterated that he considers the US-Saudi relationship a
“Catholic marriage” in the latest episode of “Frankly Speaking,” the weekly
current-affairs talk show of Arab News that engages with leading policymakers
and business leaders.
Reminded that he had described Saudi-US ties as
“crucial” in a 2021 interview with Arab News, and asked what advice he would
give to President Joe Biden in order to improve the relationship today, he
said: “I called it a Catholic marriage. We can fight with each other, but we
are staying permanently married. Whatever the interregnum rubs are between the
sovereigns, they are temporary. We need each other.”
In the interview from Abu Dhabi, where he was
attending the second Investopia conference, Scaramucci touched on a wide range
of topics, lauded the economic opportunities in the Gulf region, and confirmed
plans to take the SALT thought-leadership forum to Riyadh.
ALSO READ: 2023 will be the ‘year of recovery’ for
cryptocurrency industry, says SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci
Elaborating on the Saudi-US relationship, he said:
“We’ve figured out a way over the last 80 to 90 years to be interwoven. Our
economies, our governments, our intelligence communities, our defense
departments are very much entwined. So, I would just ask people in the White
House, and also in the UAE and in Riyadh, to just think about these things in
long periods of time.”
Scaramucci, who briefly served as the White House
director of communications in July 2017 when Donald Trump was the US president,
added: “We’ve had a tendency in the world lately to … devolve back into
tribalism and to devolve back into a little bit of a rub with each other. It’s
sort of ‘my way or no way.’ We’ve got to get back to thinking about more of the
spirit of the cooperation and recognizing how much better we are together and
how much more prosperous we can be. That would be my general recommendation (to
the Biden White House).”
As a regular visitor to Saudi Arabia, Scaramucci
applauded the Kingdom’s leadership for its policy innovations and reforms.
“As they start to create these reforms and they build
more infrastructure, and they move to a zero-carbon emissions standard, and
they build these beautiful cities like NEOM, the Kingdom is opening to the rest
of the world. It’s a beautiful, hospitable culture in the Kingdom,” he said.
He said Saudi Arabia’s prioritization of its tourism
industry has allowed for greater cultural exchange and understanding with the
global community.
“I applaud the Kingdom for the reforms (it is) making.
And I think the best years for the Kingdom are ahead of itself,” he told Katie
Jensen, the host of “Frankly Speaking.”
The way Scaramucci sees it, besides simply
diversifying the economy toward sectors such as tourism and away from oil and
carbon fuels, the Kingdom’s economic strategy aims to create a positive
environment for foreign direct investment.
Since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030 in 2016, Saudi
Arabia has taken multiple steps toward encouraging foreign investment,
including allowing foreign companies to list on the Saudi Stock Exchange and
granting hundreds of international companies license to operate in the Kingdom
in 2020.
Asked where Saudi Arabia stood as a destination for
foreign direct investment and what his advice would be for it to reach its full
potential, Scaramucci said: “If you study the best governments, they have a low
taxation strategy, they have an enabling strategy with private enterprise, and
then they stick to the rule of law.
“Ultimately, business leaders want to believe if they
cut contracts or they buy property, or they make a capital investment in an
area of the world, that it’s safe from a property perspective and it’s safe
from a legal perspective.
“(Saudi Arabia is) doing that. And that is why capital
is going to flow into the country.”
Scaramucci acknowledged that the Federal Reserve rate
increases in the US as well as the Ukraine-Russia conflict have been a dampener
of the global investment spirit. “There’s a certain sluggishness that’s going
on but it’s more macroeconomic-related than industry or region-specific,” he
said.
“Once the Fed addresses this inflation problem in the
US and lets go of the brakes, if you will, on the economy and we start to see
an interest rate pivot … the money will flood into this area because I do
believe (the Gulf region) is well-positioned geographically,” Scaramucci said.
“It’s well-positioned in terms of the way the
governments are working with the private sector to help enhance innovation.
Capital will flow (again), but we have to get through this macroeconomic period
right now.”
Only two months in and 2023 is proving to be the year
of the conference for the Gulf region. February saw tech giants gather for the
LEAP conference in Riyadh; the Investopia x SALT investment event just
concluded in the UAE capital; and an international conference is drawing legal
luminaries to the Saudi capital to discuss how justice can harness the power of
digital change.
Speaking about his experience at the Investopia
conference, which brought together big names such as former US Secretary of
State John Kerry, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and UAE Minister of
Economy Abdullah bin Touq, Scaramucci said: “We have a great partnership with
the government. Our groups work very well together, and it’s a very interesting
hybrid between a … sort of a public entity, a governmental entity, and a
private enterprise. The synergies there are quite good. And so, I am hopeful
that it will be a long-lasting relationship.”
As the founder and chairman of SALT, a global
networking forum for finance, technology and public policy, Scaramucci is
optimistic that conferences of the kind he is associated with could be held in
the Gulf region.
While he declined to confirm if Investopia x SALT Abu
Dhabi was going to be an annual event from now on (“the synergies there are
quite good, so I am hopeful that it will be a long-lasting relationship”), he
said that were he to take his conference to Riyadh, “they won’t compete with
each other.”
Scaramucci said: “They would be separate events,
well-spaced in terms of the calendar, and will be (making sure) the flavor of
that event (is) more like what the Saudis would like, sort of a Riyadh focus
the same way that we do in the UAE.
“It’s very important for us as partners to infuse
local elements into the conference. I don’t want to be that Westerner that
comes over and sort of arrogantly puts a program together without having a lot
of input from the local authorities and from the local idea generation.”
With the Gulf countries playing host to many of the
most influential events in the world, several economic figures believe that the
road to the future of commerce and investment could pass through the Kingdom.
Does Scaramucci too think the future of investment is shifting east toward
countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
“I think it is, but it has been over the last three
decades. It’s starting to now grow more exponentially as there’s a greater
outreach to the international community,” he said.
“I first got to the UAE in 2005. There was a
tremendous amount of growth and development, but there’s been exponential
growth since then. And so, the next 10 or 15 years here in the region,
including Saudi Arabia for that matter, are going to be quite good.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2262906/world
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Crisis over Suspected Iran Schoolgirl Poisonings
Escalates
Hasan Sarbakhshian / AP/
Iran schoolgirl poisonings escalates
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Mar 5, 2023
DUBAI: A crisis over suspected poisonings targeting
Iranian schoolgirls escalated Sunday as authorities acknowledged over 50
schools were struck in a wave of possible cases. The poisonings have spread
further fear among parents as Tehran has faced months of unrest.
It remains unclear who or what is responsible since
the alleged poisonings began in November in the Shiite holy city of Qom.
Reports now suggest schools across 21 of Iran's 30
provinces have seen suspected cases, with girls' schools the site of nearly all
the incidents.
The attacks have raised fears that other girls could
be poisoned apparently just for going to school. Education for girls has never
been challenged in the over 40 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran has been calling on the Taliban in neighbouring
Afghanistan to have girls and women return to school.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Saturday said
without elaborating that investigators had recovered “suspicious samples” in
the course of their investigations into the incidents, according to the
state-run IRNA news agency.
He called for calm among the public, while also
accusing the “enemy's media terrorism” of inciting more panic over the alleged
poisonings.
However, it wasn't until the poisonings received
international media attention that hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi announced
an investigation into the incidents on Wednesday.
Vahidi said at least 52 schools had been affected by
suspected poisonings. Iranian media reports have put the number of schools at
over 60. At least one boy's school reportedly has been affected.
Videos of upset parents and schoolgirls in emergency
rooms with IVs in their arms have flooded social media.
Making sense of the crisis remains challenging, given
that nearly 100 journalists have been detained by Iran since the start of
protests in September over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She had been
detained by the country's morality police and later died.
The security force crackdown on those protests has
seen at least 530 people killed and 19,700 others detained, according to Human
Rights Activists in Iran.
Attacks on women have happened in the past in Iran,
most recently with a wave of acid attacks in 2014 around Isfahan, at the time
believed to have been carried out by hard-liners targeting women for how they
dressed.
Speculation in Iran's tightly controlled state media
has focused on the possibility of exile groups or foreign powers being behind
the poisonings.
That was also repeatedly alleged during the recent
protests without evidence.
In recent days, Germany's foreign minister, a White
House official and others have called on Iran to do more to protect schoolgirls
— a concern Iran's Foreign Ministry has dismissed as “crocodile tears.”
However, the US Commission on International Religious
Freedom noted that Iran has “continued to tolerate attacks against women and
girls for months” amid the recent protests.
"These poisonings are occurring in an environment
where Iranian officials have impunity for the harassment, assault, rape,
torture and execution of women peacefully asserting their freedom of religion
or belief,” Sharon Kleinbaum of the commission said in a statement.
Suspicion in Iran has fallen on possible hard-liners
for carrying out the suspected poisonings.
Iranian journalists, including Jamileh Kadivar, a
prominent former reformist lawmaker at Tehran's Ettelaat newspaper, have cited
a supposed communique from a group calling itself Fidayeen Velayat that
purportedly said that girls' education "is considered forbidden" and
threatened to “spread the poisoning of girls throughout Iran” if girls' schools
remain open.
Iranian officials have not acknowledged any group
called Fidayeen Velayat, which roughly translates to English as “Devotees of
the Guardianship.”
However, Kadivar's mention of the threat in print
comes as she remains influential within Iranian politics and has ties to its
theocratic ruling class. The head of the Ettelaat newspaper also is appointed
by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Kadivar wrote Saturday that another possibility is “mass
hysteria." There have been previous cases of this over the last decades,
most recently in Afghanistan from 2009 through 2012.
Then, the World Health Organization wrote about
so-called “mass psychogenic illnesses” affecting hundreds of girls in schools
across the country.
"Reports of stench smells preceding the
appearance of symptoms have given credit to the theory of mass poisoning,"
the WHO wrote at the time.
"However, investigations into the causes of these
outbreaks have yielded no such evidence so far."
Iran has not acknowledged asking the world health body
for assistance in its investigation. The WHO did not immediately respond to a
request for comment Sunday.
However, Kadivar also noted that hard-liners in
Iranian governments in the past carried out so-called “chain murders" of
activists and others in the 1990s.
She also referenced the killings by Islamic vigilantes
in 2002 in the city of Kerman that saw one victim stoned to death and others
tied up and thrown into a swimming pool, where they drowned.
She described those vigilantes as being members of the
Basij, an all-volunteer force in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
“The common denominator of all of them is their
extreme thinking, intellectual stagnation and rigid religious view that allowed
them to have committed such violent actions,” Kadivar wrote.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
India’s Defence Ties with Middle East Deepen as
Security Engagements on Rise
SANJAY KUMAR
March 05, 2023
NEW DELHI: India is deepening its defense ties with
the Middle East, experts said on Sunday, following a number of recent security
engagements with Gulf countries.
In the past few weeks alone, Indian forces have
engaged with their counterparts in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
On Feb. 20, INS Sumedha, a patrol vessel of the Indian
Navy, arrived in Abu Dhabi to participate in the Naval Defense Exhibition and
International Defense Exhibition.
A week later, eight fighters, tankers and transport
planes of the Indian Air Force were extended hospitality by the Royal Saudi Air
Force for refueling and interaction with Saudi airmen.
On Feb. 28, an Indian submarine made a call for an
operational turnaround in the Salalah port of Oman.
Indian defense engagements with the Middle East have
been on the rise for the past few years but have deepened lately as the US is
downsizing its presence in the region.
“The US is minimizing its security role in the region
and there is a vacuum,” said Zakir Hussain, a Middle East expert and former
fellow of the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi.
One of the reasons India is trying to fill this
“vacuum” is also to balance the influence of its rival China.
“The China factor is playing a key role in attracting
India to engage in defense and security affairs,” Hussain told Arab News.
“China is a growing influence in the region. It has (prompted) India also to
increase its presence.”
But the three Gulf countries are important to India
also due to geostrategic reasons, with access to their ports.
“The 21st century is known as the maritime century,
and if India is not increasing defense cooperation with these countries, then
merely economic cooperation is not going to succeed,” Hussain added. “It is not
surprising, and it is the demand of the time.”
For defense expert and senior journalist Ranjit Kumar,
the relationship between India and Gulf countries was like one of “distant
neighbors,” while now is the time to “play a bigger role.”
Kumar said: “Till now, Arab countries have aligned
with either the American or Russian camp. Now, both of them have already
started withdrawing from the area. The Arab world finds India a natural
partner.”
Security engagements are also vital for India’s huge
diaspora residing in the region.
Nearly 9 million Indians live and work in the Middle
East, with some 3.4 million in the UAE and 2.5 million in Saudi Arabia, and
send back home about $80 billion in remittances every year.
“The Arab world is a major source of remittance
revenue for the Indian economy. That reason is also important in this context,”
Kumar said.
“India needs peace and stability in that region for
the welfare of the overseas Indians and its economy.”
The increased security cooperation is also reflecting
diplomatic efforts and the strengthening of bilateral ties, especially with
Saudi Arabia.
“Military diplomacy is extremely important between
India and Saudi Arabia…All the three services in India now are engaging with
Saudi Arabia in defense, which is an extremely important moment for bilateral
ties between the two countries,” said Kabir Taneja, strategic studies fellow
and Middle East expert at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
“Defense ties are always a good barometer to see how
bilateral ties are going between two states. Defense is something that is
important for India and it’s also very critically important for West Asia.”
He sees the increasing defense engagements as aligned
with changing economic relations. India, he said, wishes to change the
perception that it is a country that solely provides labor for development projects
in the Middle East.
“India wants to be seen as an investor, as an economic
power where the big sovereign funds of the region like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE
are attracted to India as an economy,” Taneja said.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2262886/world
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‘Muslims support Uddhav Thackeray as they perceive him
as a liberal leader’: Maulana Azad Vichar Manch president Husain Dalwai
by Shubhangi Khapre
March 6, 2023
The president of Maulana Azad Vichar Manch, Husain
Dalwai, has always been at the forefront of any campaign championing the cause
of minorities. In an interview with Shubhangi Khapre, the two-time Congress MP
warns against the danger of polarisation in Maharashtra. Excerpts from the
interview:
What explains the public show of support by Muslims to
the Shiv Sena (UBT) rally at Khed in the Konkan region?
Dalwai: Yes, it is a fact that Muslim organisations
have extended support to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). Muslims are
not against anybody’s religion or political ideology. In Uddhav Thackeray,
Muslims see a liberal leader who is not using Hindutva to attack Muslims, Dalits,
and Christians. They do not see Thackeray threatening communal harmony.
Will Muslim support for Shiv Sena (UBT) impact
Congress-NCP vote bank?
Dalwai: I do not think so, as the Congress, the NCP,
and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have declared that they will contest all elections
together as Maha Vikas Aghadi. It is a pragmatic step in current times to
consolidate secular forces. The minorities have strong reservations against
RSS/BJP ideology. They disapprove of their communal agenda that fragments
society and people.
How would you describe the Sakal Hindu Samaj-led
ongoing ‘anti-love jihad’ campaign in Maharashtra?
Dalwai: Under the Sakal Hindu Samaj banner, right-wing
organisations including the RSS and the BJP have set in process a dangerous
agenda of communal divide. The entire campaign is being run with an eye on the
elections. It is a plot to instil hatred against Muslims and exploit
large-scale polarisation to one’s advantage. It is a very well-planned agenda
pushed by right-wing parties to serve their stated political objective. But
what is unfortunate is its ramifications on the social structure as it will
leave people divided. This is detrimental for a civilised, progressive state
like Maharashtra.
What is the way to counter such campaigns?
Dalwai: All like-minded secular parties and
organisations should come together and fight against any campaign that
threatens communal harmony. Unfortunately, I must admit that political parties
including the Congress are not doing enough. As a result, it emboldens the
other side to get away with its nefarious agenda. When the love jihad rally was
held in Mumbai, various social organisations led by Maulana Azad Vichar Manch
approached the Mumbai police commissioner. We expressed our concerns and urged
the police to disallow such rallies. But till now, nothing has happened. The
Sakal Hindu Samaj is going ahead with its campaign uninhibited.
You mean the police are allowing such rallies?
Dalwai: It is obvious. After the Mumbai rally in
January, another rally was held in Navi Mumbai. Just two days ago, there was a
rally on ‘land jihad’ at Nariman Point. So, my point is these rallies are
taking place across Mumbai and Maharashtra. The law-enforcement agencies are
silent. It is obvious there is political patronage from the ruling BJP. BJP
MLAs, MPs, and leaders spew venom against minorities in such rallies. The
question is would the police and government allow such rallies if they had been
organised by Muslims and Dalits. They would be subjected to stern action. I
firmly feel there should be no tolerance for any kind of hatred from any
organisation against anyone.
What explains the support Sakal Hindu Samaj has
elicited from the masses in Maharashtra?
Dalwai: When you weave false narratives to push an
agenda, it may mislead people. I do not think the majority of Hindus support
such campaigns. Those who are rational and secular do not participate in such
protests. Look, reactions from Muslim organisations alone will not help. On the
contrary, protests by Muslims will prove detrimental. Instead, there should be
a collective approach cutting across party lines, communities, castes, and
religions to defeat such campaigns.
But there is pressure on the government to bring in an
anti-conversion law.
Dalwai: The Constitution written by Dr BR Ambedkar has
clearly laid down laws to effectively address social challenges. It has laid
down marriage acts. There is a provision for registered marriages. So, on what
basis can these acts enshrined by the Constitution be challenged or overruled?
Ambedkar himself believed in inter-caste and inter-religious marriages.
Reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule also advocated marriages between members of
different castes and religions. Maharashtra reformers were of the opinion that
inter-caste and inter-faith marriages bring two different families together and
unshackle the barriers of caste and community.
What about the ‘land jihad’ issue? Right-wing outfits
have alleged that Muslim organisations have encroached on historic places and
forts.
Source: Indian Express
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Muslims to keep prayerful vigil at Shab e Baraat on
Tuesday in Mumbai
Mar 5, 2023
MUMBAI: The ceremonial Islamic festival of Shab E' Baraat
falls on the night of Tuesday March 7. Devout Muslims pray and keep wakeful
vigil, for this is when Allah Almighty opens the door to forgiveness and
showers blessings, calling out to true seekers.
Laylat ul' Baraat or Badi Raat, as it is also called,
is when the Book of Deeds for the following year is written, including birth,
marriage, death and significant life events. Thousands of Muslims will also
visit graveyards to pray for the well being of their dear departed. Shab E'
Baraat is colloquially called "murdon ki Eid" so Muslims make charity
of food and clothing in their honour.
Bada Qabrastan opposite Marine Lines station is the
largest in the city with 8,000 graves on its seven acre plot. Chairman of the
trust Shuaib Khatib shared a video of the site being spruced up ahead of Shab
E' Baraat. Nariyalwadi Sunni cemetery opposite Reay Road with 3,500-4,000
graves will also receive thousands of visitors, said trustee Shaikh
Fareeduddin. Bright lights and new coats of paint are in evidence here too.
Source: Times Of India
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UNHRC: India regrets Turkiye's J&K remarks, slams
Pakistan 'propaganda'
Mar 6, 2023
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has the "unique
distinction" of hosting the most number of UNSC-designated terrorists and
terror organisations, and its policies are directly responsible for thousands
of civilian deaths in the world, India has said as it slammed Islamabad for its
"malicious propaganda" against it. The government also slammed
Turkiye for making unsolicited remarks on J&K.
Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on
Friday, India said when it is not entirely focused on suppressing its own
population, Pakistan actively lends its energies to aid, host and abet
international terrorists.
In the statement, India also expressed regret over a
statement made by Turkiye at the UN session.
"We regret the comments made by Turkiye on a
matter that is an internal affair of India and advise it to refrain from making
unsolicited comments on our internal matters," Seema Pujani, first
secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN said.
Pakistan has the unique distinction of hosting the
most number of UNSC designated terrorists and terror organisations, said the
government. Osama bin Laden lived next to Pakistan's premier military academy.
Its security agencies have nurtured and sheltered Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar
for decades," Pujani said.
Source: Times Of India
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Arab World
Opposition
Group Says Bahrain Turns into Graveyard of Human Rights, Incarcerations
2023-March-5
Al-Wefaq,
in an open letter, addressed to participants in the 146th IPU Assembly which
will be held from March 11 to 15 in the Bahraini capital city of Manama, stated
that Bahrain has turned into a graveyard of human rights as thousands of people
are now being kept behind bars in various prisons and detention centers across
the country, presstv reported.
“Representatives
of Bahraini people are now imprisoned, and a quarter of the country's citizens
are now barred from running in the parliamentary elections. Bahrain, as the
host country of the upcoming IPU Assembly, does not have a genuine legislature
that represents the will of the nation as real representatives are either in
prison or exile,” the letter read.
It
went on to point to the cases of prominent Bahraini Shia clerics and opposition
leaders Sheikh Ali Salman and Sheikh Hassan Issa, noting that they have been
incarcerated over their demands for legal and political reforms in Bahrain.
“The
current National Assembly is not a representative of the will of the Bahraini
nation. The latest parliamentary elections [held on November 12 last year]
lacked popular legitimacy, and the current legislature is thus a complete sham
at the service of the Al Khalifah regime to conceal its repression, violations
of human rights and criminal acts,” the letter added.
“Bahrain
lacks peaceful coexistence due to government policies rooted in repression,
absence of political pluralism, lack of social solidarity and erosion of civil
and political principles as a result of an authoritarian regime. All these
contradict with the overall theme of the 146th IPU Assembly, which is promoting
peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies, and fighting intolerance,” Wefaq
underscored.
The
opposition group also urged participants in the next week’s event to call a
face-to-face meeting with jailed Bahraini lawmakers, and to demand Bahraini
officials to undertake legislative reforms.
“Bahrain
is suffering from acute economic, political, security, constitutional and
legislative crises. Bahrain’s abuses and crimes should not be overlooked in
light of the Al Khalifa regime's attempts to polish its image by means of hosting
the 146th IPU Assembly,” Wefaq highlighted.
Anti-monarchy
demonstrations began on February 14, 2011, and have been held on a regular
basis ever since the popular uprising started.
Demonstrators
demand that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power, and a democratic, just
system representing all Bahrainis be established.
The
ruthless Manama regime, however, has responded to demands for social equality
with an iron fist, clamping down on voices of dissent.
In
March 2017, Bahrain’s parliament approved the trial of opposition civilians at
military tribunals in a measure blasted by human rights campaigners as being
tantamount to the imposition of an undeclared martial law.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Saudi
Arabia executes two nationals for sexual assault, murder offenses
04
March ,2023
Saudi
Arabia has executed two nationals for sexual assault and murder offenses, the
interior ministry said on Saturday.
Omar
bin Abdullah bin Obeidallah al-Barakati was convicted of luring and kidnapping
minor boys and of sexually assaulting them and harming them, according to the
ministry.
The
Criminal Court sentenced him to death, and the verdict was approved by the
Appeal Court and Supreme Court, the ministry said, adding that a royal order
was issued to implement the verdict accordingly.
Al-Barakati
was executed on Saturday in Jeddah.
The
Kingdom also executed another national in Jeddah after he was convicted of
several crimes including murder.
Mohammed
bin Abdelrazaq bin Saad Faydi was convicted of the premediated murder of a
security officer while he was on duty and of opening fire on security patrols,
according to the interior ministry.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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King
approves distribution abroad of 1m copies of Holy Qur’an during Ramadan
March
05, 2023
RIYADH
— Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved the distribution
of one million copies of the Holy Qur’an from the publications of the King Fahd
Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an in various sizes.
Copies
of the Holy Qur’an and its interpretations into 76 languages will also be
distributed to religious attachés, Islamic centers, and guidance offices
abroad, supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance in 22
countries during Ramadan, 1444AH.
On
this occasion, the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, and General
Supervisor of the Complex, Dr. Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh commended the
support received by Islamic attachés, centers and guidance offices abroad from
the wise leadership to help them carry out their duty and achieve their noble
mission.
He
added that this gesture is an extension of the Kingdom's efforts to serve the
Holy Qur’an and contribute to delivering it to millions of Muslims worldwide.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
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Egypt
to strengthen Jordan power link to up to three gigawatts: Prime Minister
05
March ,2023
Egypt
is working on strengthening its electricity interconnector with Jordan to
handle up to three gigawatts, with plans to extend a connection to Iraq,
Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Sunday.
The
current capacity of the interconnector between Egypt and Jordan stands at 550
megawatts.
A
second interconnector between Jordan and Iraq would allow some of Egypt’s
electricity to reach Iraq, with the first phase of the second power link
expected to be completed in June, said Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia
al-Sudani, who was visiting Cairo.
Iraq,
which also has electricity supply agreements with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and
other Gulf states, suffers from an electricity shortage that worsens during the
hot summer months.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Kuwait
re-appoints Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as PM: KUNA
05
March ,2023
Kuwait’s
crown prince re-appointed Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as prime minister and
asked him to nominate a cabinet, state news agency KUNA reported on Sunday,
more than a month after the government resigned due to renewed friction with
parliament.
Crown
Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah moved last year to end feuding by naming
Sheikh Ahmad as premier, dissolving parliament and calling early polls, in
which opposition members made gains.
Tensions
resurfaced when lawmakers pressed the government sworn in last October for a
debt relief bill, under which the state would buy Kuwaiti citizens’ personal
loans, and sought to question two ministers, prompting the government to resign
in January.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Qatari
ruler urges int'l community to help Türkiye overcome quake devastation
Burak
Dag
05.03.2023
DOHA,
Qatar
The
Qatari ruler on Sunday called on the international community to help Türkiye
and Syria overcome the devastation left by the Feb. 6 earthquakes.
Speaking
at the opening plenary session of the 5th UN Conference on the Least Developed
Countries (LDC5), Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said: "I call on you all
to support Turkey’s efforts to overcome the effects of this catastrophe."
Reaffirming
solidarity with the people of Türkiye and Syria, Al Thani said: "Our
meeting is being held as our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria continue
to suffer from the effects of the huge earthquake that hit them."
He
went on to say: "I would also like to confirm the need to lend assistance
with no hesitation to our brotherly Syrian people."
"I
am puzzled by the delay in aid given to these people and I confirm that it is
wrong to abuse a humanitarian tragedy for political purposes," he noted.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
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Southeast Asia
Local
group linked to Islamic State already under watch, Malaysian police say
By
Justin Ong
05
Mar 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR, March 5 — Malaysian authorities were already monitoring a local group
allegedly involved with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, Tan Sri
Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said today.
Commenting
on news reports citing Finland’s Nordic Counter-Terrorism Network, the
inspector-general said the Royal Malaysia Police has been vigilant in observing
the possible spread of IS’s influence in the country and taking action to
contain this.
Malaysian
police also collaborated with other security agencies in the region to exchange
information and intelligence about possible terrorist activity in the region,
Acryl said in a statement today.
“The
public are advised not to be upset by reports about the spread of propaganda by
the group supporting the IS.
“Based
on the current situation, the PDRM guarantees that national security is under
control,” the IGP said.
Malaysian
police were also fully committed towards curbing any activity that may threaten
public order, the IGP said.
Earlier
today, reports citing the Nordic Counter-Terrorism Network alleged that the IS
has launched a media presence in Malaysia via a group that was also active in
Indonesia and the Philippines.
Source:
Malay Mail
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More
help for Malay/Muslims in public rental flats, new digital repository for
asatizah: MCCY
Syarafana
Shafeeq
SINGAPORE
– The expansion of a project that helps needy families in public rental
housing, a new digital repository for religious teachers, and more employment
opportunities are among the moves relating to Malay/Muslims which were
announced during the debate on the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s
budget on Monday.
1.
Nurturing future leaders in the religious and community sector
A
digital repository will be launched later in 2023 to provide greater support
for research fellows under the Research Programme in the Study of Muslim
Communities of Success and asatizah, so that they can provide religious guidance
with confidence.
The
repository will contain resources on Islamic and social sciences covering
emerging issues related to governance, society, science and technology.
Minister-in-charge
of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said the research fellows will also be given
training opportunities in research methodologies and data visualisation, along
with mentorship with local and international academics.
2.
Improving coordination across public agencies, community organisations
Project
Dian@M3, an initiative to support Malay/Muslim families living in public rental
flats, will be expanded to six more blocks in three towns – Chua Chu Kang,
Jurong and Tampines.
The
expansion will support 500 more households, up from around 250 households
today.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman said: “Often times these families
face complex issues that require support from many different government and
non-government agencies. We will improve coordination across public agencies
and community organisations, to provide more integrated wrap-around support for
the vulnerable.”
Project
Dian was launched in December 2021 and focuses on three groups of households –
elderly who live alone, middle-aged parents with adult children, or
multi-generational families, and young families with young children.
Dr
Maliki said young families, who have an average of three children or more with
the mean age of the oldest and youngest at 11 and four years old respectively,
are a key priority.
“During
our house visits, we further observed that some children demonstrate
developmental delays, or did not attend preschool regularly.”
The
Dian Ambassador programme was launched last October to provide home-based
support to families with children between three- and six-years-old, over a
six-month period. Since its pilot, 30 volunteers have been trained.
The
ambassadors will visit the families fortnightly to read with the children and
engage them in activities to develop their cognitive and social skills.
3.
Developing a strong volunteer corps
The
number of volunteers across the 11 M3@Towns has increased from 700 to 800 last
year, reaching close to 7,000 Malay/Muslim households.
A
framework has also been put in place to equip these volunteers with the right
skill sets to engage target families, and more than 150 volunteers have gone
through the training programmes since September 2021.
The
training has helped these volunteers become more confident in building rapport
with the residents, said Dr Maliki.
4.
Building a strong network of community partners
Dr
Maliki said the network of Malay/Muslim organisations and Indian/Muslim
organisations play an important role in corralling resources and implementing
programmes to meet the diverse needs of the community.
He
said that the organisations can play a greater role in community building
through partnerships.
In
December, the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association (PPIS) collaborated with
Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board (LBKM) to launch a
new post-graduate scholarship to support women in achieving their aspirations.
Financial
advisors were invited to conduct financial literacy talks at M3@Towns,
alongside volunteer lawyers who conducted sharing sessions to guide residents
in applying for a lasting power of attorney.
“Such
collaborative partnerships between Government and various community nodes often
have a multiplier effect on the community,” said Dr Maliki.
5.
Providing a strong educational foundation for the young, youth mentoring
A
programme to prepare Malay/Muslim children for mathematics has supported close
to 4,000 children since 2018.
About
eight in 10 graduates of the programme did not need to get learning support for
the subject when they entered Primary 1.
The
KelasMateMatika programme, for children aged four to six, prepares them for
Primary 1 mathematics.
Besides
early exposure to maths, students go through specially curated online coding
camps and learning journeys.
The
programme targets to enrol 2,500 students into the programme this year.
Dedicated
runs of the programme will be organised at targeted preschool centres,
including mosque-based kindergartens.
The
Mendaki Tuition Scheme (MTS) has supported more than 7,600 students across
Singapore. The programme fees were also reduced to $10 per year, from $210,
last year.
Senior
Minister of State for Manpower and Defence Zaqy Mohamad said: “Besides academic
achievements, it is important for our youth to have a good social support
system. Besides their families, mentors can guide and help our youth expand their
world view.”
Mentoring
programme #amPowered has been set up at all three Institute of Technical
Education colleges and across three M3 Towns in Jurong, Chua Chu Kang and
Marsiling-Yew Tee.
The
mentoring sessions will be held fully physically this year, shifting out of its
online format during the pandemic.
Mendaki
will also organise one youth mentoring programme in each of the 11 M3 Towns by
the end of this year, bringing support closer to Malay/Muslim youth.
6.
Helping Malay/Muslim professionals through wider networks
Mendaki
will expand its Professional Networks programme to connect young workers to a
wider range of career pathways.
In
2022, the programme, which connects Malay/Muslim professionals to others in
their field and helps younger workers enter the industry, connected with more
than 400 Malay/Muslim professionals in the care, green and digital sectors.
This
year, the network will expand to include other in-demand industries such as
finance, sustainability and engineering.
Urging
early- and mid-career professionals in these sectors to join the effort, Mr
Zaqy said: “This will create more opportunities to connect our youths with
professionals who can inspire and guide them to pursue a wide range of career
pathways.”
Source:
Straits Times
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Anwar,
PH’s hands tied over recognising UEC, say analysts
Danial
Azhar
05
Mar 2023
PETALING
JAYA: The government’s decision not to recognise the Unified Examination
Certificate (UEC) should not come as a surprise given that Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim and his coalition, Pakatan Harapan, have their hands tied by the
current political situation, analysts said.
Wong
Chin Huat of Sunway University pointed out that the government was made up of
various coalitions, while James Chin of University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute
said Anwar lacked the political capital to pursue policies that would not sit
well among the Malay community.
On
March 1, education minister Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry had no plans to
recognise the UEC. In a parliamentary reply, she said this stand was based on
the National Education Policy, and the Education Act 1996.
Recognising
the UEC was among the key pledges in PH’s manifesto for the 15th general
election (GE15).
The
coalition promised to make public higher education institutions recognise the
UEC, on the condition that applicants had at least a credit for the Bahasa
Melayu paper in their SPM examination.
Wong
said it was understandable for Putrajaya not to pursue plans to recognise the
UEC as it would not only be futile but could even harm the government’s
survival.
“The
government is vulnerable to Perikatan Nasional’s nationalist attack, it’s
politically wise not to pursue it (recognising UEC),” he told FMT.
He
said there was “no way” the government could recognise the UEC given that
Anwar’s government did not win a majority of the Malay vote in GE15.
If
the certificate was recognised, PN would use it to attack the government and
claim that Malay-Muslim rights were being marginalised.
Chin
said PH component DAP was the biggest loser as it had been vocal about
recognising the UEC, adding that it now had a lot of explaining to do.
However,
he said, not recognising the certificate was unlikely to discourage PH’s
non-Malay supporters from casting their votes in the six state elections to be
held in the next four months.
When
PH was previously in government, it formed a task force to gather views on
recognising the UEC, which was one of its pledges in its manifesto for the 14th
general election (GE14) in 2018.
The
task force was led by sociologist Eddin Khoo, and included then Malaysian
Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) president Raimi Abdul Rahim and then Dong Zong
deputy president Tan Yew Sing.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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North America
US
defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Jordan at start of Middle East tour
05
March ,2023
US
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Jordan on Sunday at the start of a
Middle East tour that will also take him to Israel and Egypt in a show of
support for its main regional allies against the growing threat posed by Iran,
US officials said.
Austin
wrote on Twitter before his departure that he would meet key leaders and
“reaffirm the US commitment to regional stability and advancing the shared
interests of our allies and partners.”
The
US Defense Department said ahead of the visit that discussions would focus on
the growing threat Iran poses to regional stability, and on advancing
multilateral security cooperation with integrated air and missile defenses.
Central
to discussion will be the “full constellation of Iran-associated threats..,” a
senior defense official was quoted as saying on the Pentagon’s official site
ahead of the visit.
“Those
threats include Iran’s arming, training and funding of violent proxy groups,
aggression at sea, cyber threats, its ballistic missile program and drone
attacks,” he added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Top
US general visit American occupation forces in Syria after Israel meetings
05
March 2023
Top
US military officer General Mark Milley has visited American occupation forces
in northern Syria a day after he met with the Israeli regime’s officials in the
occupied territories.
The
chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff made a stop at an undisclosed occupied
base in northern Syria on Saturday to talk with American troops and commanders
about recommendations for the future of the Pentagon’s operations in the
war-wracked Arab country.
The
US military has more than 900 troops at various locations in northeastern Syria
without the consent of the Syrian government for what it claims to be
"counter-terrorism operations and fight against the remnants of the
Takfiri Daesh terrorist group". It also trains and advises the so-called
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of militants that oppose Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Asked
by reporters accompanying him about the deployment of American troops to Syria,
Milley tied the mission to the security of the United States and its allies,
saying, "If you think that that's important, then the answer is
'Yes.'"
"I
think that an enduring defeat of ISIS (Daesh) and continuing to support our
friends and allies in the region ... I think those are important tasks that can
be done," Joe Biden's top military adviser added.
The
US and its allies invaded Syria in 2014 under the pretext of fighting Daesh.
The Takfiri terrorist group had emerged as Washington was running out of
excuses to extend its regional meddling or enlarge it in scale.
The
US-led coalition sustains its illegal presence on the Arab country's soil,
although, Damascus and its allies defeated Daesh in late 2017.
Damascus
has repeatedly urged the United Nations Security Council to end the US-led
military presence in the country, saying that illegal US deployment is
tantamount to occupation and aimed at plundering Syria’s natural resources.
Former
US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces
were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
Milley’s
visit to Syria came a day after he met with the Israeli regime’s officials in
the occupied territories, during which they discussed Iran and what they
claimed to be ways to stem Iran’s reach to “nuclear weapons.”
In
his trip, the top US general also tried to prepare the ground for the visit of
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to the occupied territories. Austin is set to enter
the occupied territories next Wednesday.
Milley’s
visit came as tensions are running high in the occupied Palestinian territories
amid Tel Aviv's efforts to legitimize the illegal settlements and statement of
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right minister of finance, on “wiping out” the
Palestinian village of Hawara.
Israel
minister walks back call for Hawara to be 'wiped out'
On
Saturday, Smotrich was forced to retract his comments about the destruction of
the Palestinian village of Huwara, days after illegal settlers went on a
rampage in the village near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich
was quoted as saying by the Israeli media that his comments earlier this week
to “wipe out” Huwara was a “slip of the tongue”.
The
Times of Israel newspaper reported that Smotrich had told local media that his
“word choice was wrong, but the intention was very clear. It was a slip of the
tongue in a storm of emotions.”
Hundreds
of armed Israeli settlers attacked Huwara and nearby villages on Sunday night
and torched dozens of houses and cars. They had been angered at the killing of
two Israeli brothers by a Palestinian gunman in Huwara.
One
Palestinian was killed during the settler rampage and at least 390 others were
injured, with Palestinian media reporting stabbings and attacks with metal rods
and rocks.
The
Israeli regime's forces and settlers have escalated their deadly acts of
aggression against the Palestinians since late December 2022, when Benjamin
Netanyahu staged a comeback as the regime's prime minister at the head of a
cabinet of hard-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/05/699322/Pentagon-surprise-visit-Mark-Milley-Syria-
--------
Syria
condemns ‘illegal’ visit of US General Mark Milley
05
March 2023
Damascus
has condemned a recent visit by top US military officer General Mark Milley to
northeast Syria, saying the move is “illegal” and a "flagrant
violation" of the country's sovereignty.
The
Syrian Foreign Ministry made the remarks in a statement on Sunday, a day after
the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff made a surprise visit at an
undisclosed base in the occupied Syrian territory to talk with American troops
and commanders about recommendations for the future of the Pentagon’s
operations in the Arab country.
“Syria
strongly condemns this flagrant violation by the US military official of the
sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said, calling on
Washington to immediately stop its systematic and continuous violations of
international law as well as its support for militant groups in Syria.
The
ministry said such practices will not make Damascus stop its fight against
terrorism and it will remain steadfast in protecting its sovereignty, security
and stability.
The
US and its allies put boots in Syria in 2014 under the pretext of fighting
Daesh. The Takfiri terrorist group had emerged as Washington was running out of
excuses to extend its regional interference. The US-led coalition keeps its
illegal presence on the Arab country's soil, although Damascus and its allies
defeated Daesh in late 2017.
Damascus
has repeatedly urged the United Nations Security Council to end the US-led
military presence, saying the illegal US deployment is tantamount to occupation
and aimed at plundering Syria’s natural resources.
Former
US President Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces
were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
Damascus
also complains that Washington's theft of Syrian oil, natural gas and other
resources has led to energy shortages.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/05/699341/Syria-US-Mark-Milley
--------
Mideast
Iran:
US in No Position to Lecture Others on Human Rights, Democracy
2023-March-5
“There
was a time the US was backing the apartheid regime in South Africa, the CIA
helped it arrest Mandela,” Kana'ani wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday.
New
details being published Monday by TIME appear to strengthen claims that the CIA
helped South Africa's racist regime capture anti-apartheid leader Nelson
Mandela in 1962. The report adds to evidence that President John F. Kennedy's
administration played a role in Mandela's arrest at a time when US officials
were coming to grips with an increasingly intense civil rights movement in
America.
Mandela
wound up spending 27 years in prison for leading the African National Congress
(ANC), which opposed apartheid policies that kept South Africa's Black
residents segregated, often in inhumane conditions. He finally was released in
1990 as apartheid crumbled, and was elected South Africa's first Black
president in 1994, serving for five years. He died in 2013 at age 95.
“Today,
it is a strategic ally and supporter of the apartheid Zionist regime. The US
does not deserve to defend human rights and democracy," the spokesperson
added.
"It
does not believe in them at all,” he stressed.
Iran
describes Israel as the root cause of the region’s instability and insecurity,
but also stresses Israel's US-supported barbarity will not change the
inevitable fate of the Tel Aviv regime.
Tehran
says the history of the apartheid regime is full of assassinations, massacre,
torture and killing of Palestinian kids, and described Tel Aviv regime's
atrocities and massacre of Palestinian women and children as indicative of the
destitute of Zionists.
The
increased attacks of Israeli soldiers and settlers against the occupied
territories have made 2022 the deadliest year for the Palestinians since 2005,
according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA). The raids have claimed the lives of at least 220 Palestinians,
including at least 50 children.
Kana'ani's
remarks came after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the
Palestinian village of Huwara "needs to be wiped out", adding that he
thought "Israel should do it".
It
comes after hundreds of armed Israeli settlers attacked Huwara and nearby
villages and torched dozens of houses and cars. One Palestinian was killed
during the settler rampage and at least 400 others were injured, with
Palestinian media reporting stabbings and attacks with metal rods and rocks.
The
Israeli regime's forces and settlers have escalated their deadly acts of
aggression against the Palestinians since late December 2022, when Benjamin
Netanyahu staged a comeback as the regime's prime minister at the head of a
cabinet of hard-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011214000356/Iran-US-in-N-Psiin-Lecre-Ohers-n-Hman-Righs-Demcracy
--------
Iran
Supreme Leader says poisoning of schoolgirls is an unforgivable crime: IRNA
06
March ,2023
Iran
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei says that poisoning of schoolgirls is an
unforgivable crime, calling for maximum punishment of those responsible,
Reuters reports citing state-run IRNA news agency.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
New
cases of poisoning in different Iran regions: Media
05
March ,2023
More
cases of mysterious poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls were reported Sunday in
several provinces, local media reported, sparking calls for the authorities to
act amid growing concern among parents.
Since
late November, hundreds of cases have been reported, mainly in the holy city of
Qom south of the capital Tehran, with at least 52 schools targeted, according
to an official tally published on Saturday.
Some
of the students have required hospitalization.
The
latest spate of poisonings affected several students in two high schools in the
western city of Abhar and in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, ISNA news agency
said, quoting local health officials.
Schoolgirls
at a primary school in the city of Zanjan in the west were also targeted, ISNA
added.
More
cases were reported in the holy city of Mashhad in the northeast, Isfahan in
the center and Shiraz in the south, according to Mehr and Ilna news agencies.
Dozens
of schoolgirls were taken to local hospitals for treatment, the reports said.
On
Friday, President Ebrahim Raisi said he had asked the ministers of intelligence
and interior to follow up on the poisoning cases, dubbing them “the enemy’s
conspiracy to create fear and despair” among the people.
Interviewed
by the Fars news agency, Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi said the
“plotters of the poisoning of girls” were seeking “to close the schools.”
He
added, however, that those behind this action were also trying to spark more
protests in the Islamic republic.
Mirahmadi
was referring to the protest movement triggered in Iran by the September 16
death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young ethnic Kurd arrested for an alleged
breach of strict dress rules for women.
Mirahmadi
said that most of the affected students suffered complications due to “anxiety
and stress.”
Last
week, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Younes Panahi said the poisonings were
aimed at shutting down education for girls.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Netanyahu
Raps IAEA Chief, Claims Israel Free to Attack Iran’s Nuclear Sites ‘In
Self-Defence’
05
March 2023
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced as “unworthy” the recent
comments by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi, who
said any military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be illegal.
The
chief of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Saturday that any military attack on
Iran’s nuclear facilities would be “illegal” and “outlawed,” as he was
responding to US and Israeli threats to target them.
“I
think any attack, any military attack on a nuclear facility is outlaw [sic], is
out of the normative structures that we all abide by,” Grossi said at a joint
news conference with the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran,
Mohammad Eslami, in Tehran.
The
remarks came amid reports that the Biden administration has drawn closer to
Israel in recent weeks, conducting large-scale joint military exercises with
the regime as talks on the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear program have hit
a deadlock.
“Rafael
Grossi is a worthy person who made an unworthy remark,” Netanyahu said in a
meeting with his extremist cabinet on Sunday.
“Outside
what law? Is it permissible for Iran, which openly calls for our destruction,
to organize the tools of slaughter for our destruction? Are we forbidden from
defending ourselves? We are obviously permitted to do this,” he added.
Last
month, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said “all options are on the table”
against Iran and that “Israel can and should do whatever they need to deal
with, and we’ve got their back.”
Israel,
which possesses nuclear weapons and has refused to sign the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), has made various covert attempts in recent
years to sabotage Iran’s peaceful nuclear program by assassinating Iranian
scientists and carrying out cowardly attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Israel
has also overtly threatened on numerous occasions to carry out attacks against
Iranian facilities and infrastructure and claimed that Iran was close to
building nuclear weapons.
This
is while Iran showed to the world the peaceful nature of its nuclear program by
signing the JCPOA in 2015 with six world powers — the US, Germany, France,
Britain, Russia and China. Iran fully observed its nuclear obligations under
the JCPOA until 2019, a year after the US, under Israel’s influence, withdrew
from the accord and targeted Iran with a “maximum pressure” campaign.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
Rejects IAEA's Claims over Access to Individuals, Reinstalling Cameras at N.
Sites
2023-March-5
Director
General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi held talks with AEOI Head Mohammad Eslami,
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
during a two-day visit on Tehran.
On
his return to Vienna on Saturday, Grossi claimed that Tehran has pledged to
restore cameras and other monitoring equipment at its nuclear sites and
increase the pace of inspections. He also added that Iran is supposed to
provide access to information, locations and people.
Iran
announced in early June that it has removed the IAEA surveillance cameras that
functioned beyond the safeguards agreement in response to a decision by the US
and its three European allies, Germany, France and the UK, to ratify a
resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors against Tehran. The IAEA's BG adopted
the resolution in early June, accusing Tehran of not cooperating with the
agency.
Dissmissing
Grossi's claims, Kamalvandi said on Sunday that the latest agreements reached
between Tehran and the IAEA during the nuclear agency's head trip comply with
the strategic law passed by the Iranian parliament.
The
law, dubbed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions was adopted by
Iranian lawmakers to counter sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and
its Western allies, and promote the country’s peaceful nuclear program.
The
spokesperson rejected allegations that Tehran has agreed to give the nuclear
agency access to certain individuals, saying, “During the two days that Mr.
Grossi and his accompanying delegation were in Iran, no discussion was made of
access to people and no text has been drawn up on this issue.”
“Of
course, even if such a request had been made, it would have been definitely
turned down [by Iran],” he emphasized.
The
official also explained about a 50-percent increase in the IAEA's inspections
of Iran's nuclear sites, noting, “Since [uranium] enrichment to 60-percent
purity level had been started for the first time at Fordow [nuclear] facility,
the number of inspections had to increase in line with the Safeguards
[Agreement between Iran and the agency].”
“Basically,
when the enrichment level increases or more sensitive materials are introduced
into a facility, the number of inspections increases based on a mutual
agreement between the two sides,” he continued.
Therefore,
the spokesperson added, the number of Fordow inspections, which previously
stood at 8, was increased to 11 in view of the increased level of enrichment
there.
The
AEOI spokesman also rejected allegations about an agreement with the nuclear
agency on access to “three alleged locations” as many times as the IAEA
demanded, saying, “No discussion was made about the frequency of [the IAEA's]
access to three alleged locations.”
“In
view of the previous access to these locations, more extensive access [to them]
does not seem to be necessary, and the agency has made no request [in this
regard] so far,” he added.
It
was Grossi’s fourth visit to Tehran since assuming office in December 2019 and
comes ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on Monday. The trip came
after the IAEA claimed in a confidential quarterly report that it had detected
particles of uranium enriched to 84 percent during an inspection of the Fordow
nuclear facility in January.
Tehran
has dismissed the report about 84% uranium enrichment, and rejected any
deviation in Iran's civilian nuclear program.
Iran
has numerously slammed the IAEA for publishing misleading reports on the
country's peaceful nuclear program, and described the UN nuclear watchdog's
approach in disclosing confidential and unverified information as
unprofessional and unacceptable.
Iran
has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and allowed it to visit the
country’s nuclear sites, but calls the nuclear agency's approach unconstructive
and destructive. Tehran has asked the watchdog to avoid politicizing the issue
and focus on technical aspects in line with the organization’s mandate.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Al
Qaeda confirms killing of top commander in Yemen
March
6, 2023
DUBAI:
Al Qaeda on Sunday confirmed the death of a senior figure in the network’s
Yemen branch in a suspected US air strike last month, SITE Intelligence Group
reported.
Security
and local government sources said on Wednesday Hamad bin Hamoud al Tamimi had
been killed, identifying him as a top leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington regards as among the group’s most dangerous
branches.
Tamimi,
a Saudi also known as Abdel Aziz al Adnani, died in a drone strike on February
26 that targeted his residence in war-torn Yemen’s northern Marib province,
according to the statement reported by SITE, which monitors jihadist websites.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1740643/al-qaeda-confirms-killing-of-top-commander-in-yemen
--------
Israeli
ministers approve bill on $270,000 gift to Netanyahu
05
March ,2023
Israeli
Cabinet ministers on Sunday advanced a bill that would allow Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to keep a $270,000 donation he received from a relative to
pay for his legal bills as he fights corruption charges.
The
bill is part of a proposed overhaul of Israel's legal system by Netanyahu's new
government. The plan has drawn fierce protests for over two months in Israel,
the largest seen in years.
Netanyahu
has been on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes
for almost three years. He denies wrongdoing and says the accusations are part
of a “witch hunt” orchestrated by a biased media, law enforcement and justice
system.
Last
year, Israel’s high court ordered Netanyahu to pay back the funds given by a
late cousin to cover the legal expenses for him and his wife, Sara. Sara
Netanyahu became a target of the protests last week when demonstrators gathered
outside a Tel Aviv salon where she was having her hair done. Scores of police
officers were called in to escort her out of the salon and away from the
jeering crowd.
On
Sunday, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill that would
let public officials accept donations for legal or medical bills, despite vocal
objection by the country’s attorney general that it would promote corruption.
A
committee in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, also advanced bills to curtail
the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review and give parliament the ability to
override high court decisions.
Netanyahu's
allies say these changes are needed to reduce the power of unelected judges.
But critics say they will eliminate checks and balances, concentrate power with
the ruling majority and defang the Supreme Court. They also say that Netanyahu,
as a criminal defendant, has a conflict of interest.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israel’s
Netanyahu rebuffs IAEA chief’s remarks against possible attack on Iran
05
March ,2023
Israel
rebuffed as “unworthy” on Sunday comments by the UN nuclear watchdog chief that
any Israeli or US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be illegal.
Having
visited Tehran in a bid to loosen deadlocked talks on renewing its 2015 nuclear
deal with world powers, International Atomic Energy Agency chairman Raphael
Grossi on Saturday said “any military attack on nuclear facilities is
outlawed.”
He
was responding to a reporter’s question about threats by Israel and the United
States to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities if they deem diplomacy meant to deny
it the bomb to be at a dead end. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
“Rafael
Grossi is a worthy person who made an unworthy remark,” Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet in televised remarks on Sunday.
“Outside
what law? Is it permissible for Iran, which openly calls for our destruction,
to organize the tools of slaughter for our destruction? Are we forbidden from
defending ourselves? We are obviously permitted to do this.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Netanyahu
tries to calm outcry over minister’s ‘inappropriate’ Palestine remarks
05
March ,2023
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought on Sunday to soften international
outcry over a call by a far-right member of his cabinet for a flashpoint
Palestinian village to be “erased,” saying those remarks had been
“inappropriate.”
But
Netanyahu also pushed back against censure of Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich, accusing foreign powers of playing down Palestinian violence like the
February 26 killing of two Israeli brothers in Huwara village that sparked a
settler rampage there.
Smotrich
said last week that while he opposed vigilantism, he believed “that Huwara
needs to be erased” by Israel.
The
US State Department called the comments “irresponsible,” “repugnant” and
“disgusting” and said Netanyahu should reject and disavow them.
The
UN human rights chief said Smotrich had made “an unfathomable statement of
incitement to violence.”
With
Israeli media speculating that Smotrich, who is due to visit Washington next
week, would be snubbed by the US administration and complicate its ties to the
Netanyahu government, he offered a retraction on Saturday but no apology.
“Being
upset, I misspoke,” Smotrich told Channel 12 TV.
The
Palestinians have urged the US administration not to receive Smotrich.
Netanyahu has said that he - and not coalition partners like Smotrich - calls
the shots on Israeli diplomacy.
“It
is important for all of us to work to tone down the rhetoric, lower the
temperature," Netanyahu tweeted on Sunday, thanking Smotrich “for making
clear that his choice of words ... was inappropriate.”
“I
am still waiting to hear a condemnation from the Palestinian Authority for the
murder of the Yaniv brothers," Netanyahu added. “And Israel is waiting for
the international community to insist that the PA condemn that attack. Not only
has it not done so, it continues to turn a blind eye to the PA’s rampant
incitement.”
On
Thursday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price tweeted: “Just as we condemn
Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn Finance Minister Smotrich’s
provocative remarks that also amount to incitement of violence. It is
imperative that Palestinians and Israelis work together to restore calm.”
At
least 62 Palestinians, including gunmen and civilians, have been killed since
the start of 2023, the Palestinian health ministry said. Thirteen Israelis and
a Ukrainian tourist died in Palestinian attacks in the same period, according
to Israel.
The
brothers killed in Huwara were from a nearby Jewish settlement, a community the
Palestinians consider interlopers on occupied West Bank land that they want for
a future state. Most world powers deem the settlements illegal. Israel disputes
this.
Hours
after the brothers were shot in their car by a gunman who fled the scene,
settlers rioted in Huwara. A Palestinian man was shot dead, dozens of others
were wounded and houses and cars were set ablaze. Israel has arrested 10
suspects in the rampage.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Palestinians
cautiously watching anti-Netanyahu protests in Israel
MOHAMMED
NAJIB
March
05, 2023
RAMALLAH:
Palestinians in the occupied territories and inside Israel are cautiously
watching the escalation of angry mass protests by Israelis.
Tens
of thousands of Israelis are demonstrating against Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s contentious plan to overhaul the country’s legal system, as the
government presses on with the proposed changes.
The
protesters oppose legislation that Netanyahu and his right-wing and religious
allies hope to pass that would limit the Supreme Court’s powers to rule against
the legislature and executive, while giving lawmakers decisive powers in
appointing judges.
Supporters
of the move say the Supreme Court needs to be reined in from overreaching into
the political sphere. But its critics say the plan will weaken the courts,
endanger civil liberties and harm the economy, along with Israel’s ties to its
Western allies.
Some
Palestinians are wary as the policies of the extreme right-wing Israeli
government are related to judicial reforms and might affect their political and
existential future, while others are optimistic about the protests and support
them.
Others
consider the demonstrations an internal problem for Israel in which they should
not show interest.
However,
Palestinians in general agree that everything that happens in Israeli politics
directly affects them, be it security, life, economics or even politics, as
they live under Israeli occupation.
Esmat
Mansour, a Palestinian expert on Israeli affairs, told Arab News: “A large part
of the reforms that are intended to be implemented will weaken the Israeli
judiciary, which is a destination for Palestinians to file grievances and
appeals against the Israeli occupation’s measures against them.”
Some
of the laws enacted by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) and the military
decisions taken by the Israeli army against Palestinians in the occupied
territories could be annulled by the Israeli Supreme Court, he added.
Most
Palestinians do not trust the Israeli judiciary and tend not to go to Israel’s
courts to challenge the occupation’s moves against them.
Mansour
said Israel’s Supreme Court canceled the deportation of dozens of Palestinians
to Marj Al-Zuhur in Lebanon in 1993.
It
also supported changing the route of the separation wall that Israel built
between it and the West Bank over Palestinian lands and evacuating the random
outpost of Amona near the settlement of Ofra, east of Ramallah, four years ago,
he added.
Similarly,
it evacuated the outpost of Avitar near Jabal Abu Sbeih, south of Nablus, in
the fall of last year, Mansour said.
“Therefore,
when this extreme right-wing government passes legislation that weakens the
Israeli judiciary, this enables the Israeli government, army and settlers to
persist in their attacks against the Palestinians.”
Israeli
public opinion was the most important audience for the Palestinians because it
elected and overturned governments, Mansour said.
Another
Palestinian expert agreed, saying that the Israeli protests “leave the
Palestinians with some hope that there are those in Israel who oppose the
annexation of the West Bank and the elimination of the two-state solution.”
Another
observer said that the Supreme Court had in the past responded to a Palestinian
petition regarding the deportation of Palestinians abroad and the return of
Palestinian bodies Israel was holding.
A
senior Fatah leader, who asked not to be named, told Arab News: “We do not want
to interfere with their internal disputes, especially since they do not revolve
around our situation and our future. The Israeli Supreme Court was established
to provide legal cover for the occupation’s crimes against our people.”
Palestinian
sources told Arab News that the Israeli organizers of the demonstrations had
asked Palestinians in Israel not to join the anti-Netanyahu rallies so as not
to intimidate members of the Israeli right-wing who were taking part in them.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2262866/middle-east
--------
Pakistan
Terrorism
a Major Problem: Pakistan Facing Blowback from a Resurgent Tehrik-i-Taliban
Pakistan
Seema
Guha
05
MAR 2023
Terrorism
is becoming a major problem in Pakistan, adding to the general feeling of
pessimism within the country. Attacks by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
were stepped up across Pakistan, especially in the tribal belt adjoining
Afghanistan, after the group called off a ceasefire with government forces last
November.
The
ceasefire, signed in June 2022, was shaky from the start. Islamic terror groups
across the region were reinvigorated after the Afghan Taliban’s victory over
the US. The fact that the Taliban could win against the world’s most powerful
army was a morale booster. The TTP now felt that it was only a matter of time
before the Pakistan forces could also be overrun. The added advantage was that
the TTP could now operate from Afghanistan where a friendly government was in
charge.
Yet
the Pakistan Army had, more or less, broken the back of the Taliban in 2014,
when it launched operation Zarb-e-Azb after an audacious attack by the TTP and
assorted militant groups on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. The
successful army operation was launched on June 15, 2014, and involved 30,000
troops. It was confined to North Waziristan along the tribal-dominated lands
between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Here, the TTP and various militant groups had
for years done much as they pleased and terrorized the people into obedience.
The government and army turned a blind eye until the attack on the Karachi
international airport. The military operation flushed out terrorists and
strikes across the country came down dramatically.
However,
the Taliban victory in 2021 has strengthened the TTP. Many of the fighters
jailed by the previous Afghan government were released. The TTP is hand and
glove with the Taliban and gets the support of powerful sections within the
Afghan government. TTP fighters can easily slip across the border to safety
after a strike inside Pakistan. This has emboldened the TTP and led to an
increase in attacks on the police and security establishment.
A
report by the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said
that January 2023 was one of the deadliest months, with 44 militant attacks
across the country. In January alone, 134 people were killed and 254 injured.
In February, 80 policemen were killed in a strike on a mosque in Peshawar’s
police lines. On February 18, there was a daring suicide attack on the Karachi
police chief’s office, showing the reach of the TTP beyond the tribal areas to
the commercial hub of Pakistan.
The
TTP ceasefire was brokered by the all-powerful former ISI chief and Imran Khan
loyalist Faiz Hameed and the details of the pact are not known to many in the
current government. Despite the euphoria in Pakistan, when the Taliban took
power in Kabul in August 2021, that a pro-Islamabad government was installed,
the expectations of the establishment were soon belied.
The
problem for Pakistan is two-fold. Despite repeated assurances from the Taliban
leadership, that terror outfits will not be allowed to operate against Pakistan
from Afghan soil, nothing has been done to rein in the TTP. That group is
closely affiliated with the Taliban and many within the current ruling party
support the TTP’s desire to topple the government and make Pakistan a truly
Islamic state like Afghanistan. The situation is further complicated by the
Taliban’s refusal to accept the Durand line as the border between Pakistan and
Afghanistan. Incidents of firing on Pakistani forces by the Taliban have
increased in recent months.
Last
month, a high-level delegation comprising Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja
Asif, ISI chief Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, foreign secretary Asad Khan, as well as
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, visited
Kabul to talk to the Taliban leadership. They met deputy prime minister Mullah
Abdul Ghani Baradar (who had spent years in a Pakistani prison and was released
ahead of the US-Taliban talks), defence minister Mohammad Yaqoob, son of Mullah
Omar (the founder and spiritual leader of the Taliban), interior minister
Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is known to be close to the ISI, and foreign minister
Amir Khan Muttaqi.
At
the end of the discussions was the growing threat of terrorism in both
Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISPK), the
South Asian version of the ISIS, is spreading its wings across Afghanistan and
challenging the authority of the government in Kabul. Taliban has not succeeded
in turfing the group out of the country. The Pakistan team stressed on the TPP,
which gets support and refuge from the Taliban government. The ISPK established
itself in Afghanistan around 2015 when the US and NATO forces were still
operating in the country. The Islamic force is opposed to the nationalist view
of the Taliban and is much more focused on creating a global caliphate.
This
is not the first time that the Taliban rulers had promised Islamabad action
against the TTP. But till now, assurances have shown little action on the
ground. The fact is, there are many within the Taliban who are close to the
TTP. There is also infighting between the various factions.
In
a recent report, the US Institute of Peace has said that while Interior
Minister Siraj Haqqani, known to be close to the ISI, had restrained the TTP on
Pakistan’s requests, others do not see eye to eye with him. “Yet the balance of
opinion within the Taliban is strongly in favour of the TTP and its campaign.
In particular, Taliban Amir Hibatullah Akhundzada agrees with the TTP that the
Pakistani system is un-Islamic,” the report said.
Radicalism
of the religious variety has been the bane of Pakistan for decades. Political
parties played the religious card whenever it suited them. Military dictator
Zia Ul Haq promoted a hardline Islamic ideology and cracked down on liberal
politics in an effort to consolidate his power base. Pakistan’s liberals point
to him as the man who gave rise to Islamic fundamentalism in the country. The
Pakistan military used jihadi groups against India in Kashmir. Islamic terror
outfits, supported by the establishment, were sent into India to inflict a
thousand wounds.
The
US, too, played a major role in turning Pakistan into a haven of Islamic
extremism. Washington used Pakistan and its military as a conduit to supply
weapons and training to the Afghan mujahideen when they were fighting the
Soviet army in Afghanistan. Pakistan helped the US to fight its proxy war in Afghanistan
and the radical Islamic groups of Afghanistan crossed over for sanctuary to
Pakistan. Funds, weapons and Islamic fighters filled Pakistan’s border areas.
By the time the Soviet troops were forced out of Afghanistan, radical Islam was
well entrenched in Pakistan’s border areas. The Taliban was the creation of
Pakistan.
While
Zia was a willing partner to the Americans during the soviet invasion, General
Pervez Musharraf sided with the US in the war against terror in 2001. The
Pakistan Army profited by helping the US and NATO forces. Funds poured in from
the US and NATO forces but by now, radicals in Pakistan turned against their
government for helping the US. Anti-Americanism was rampant in the country,
especially among the common people. The border areas neighbouring Afghanistan
saw local extremist groups take control.
Source:
Outlook India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
ARY
News licence suspended for violating ban on airing Imran’s speeches
Syed
Irfan Raza
March
6, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Sunday slapped a
ban on the broadcast of speeches and press talks of PTI chairman Imran Khan
after he lashed out at former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa for what he called
“protecting incumbent rulers in their alleged corruption cases” and hours later
suspended the licence of ARY News for airing the clips of his speech at Zaman
Park in bulletin.
It
is the third ban on broadcasting and rebroadcasting of Mr Khan’s speeches and
press talks on all satellite TV channels, though the first such restriction was
set aside by the Islamabad High Court on Sept 6, 2022 and the other was
withdrawn hours after being imposed by the government.
In
its latest ‘Prohibition Order’, Pemra directed all the licencees to refrain
from airing/broadcasting/rebroadcasting of speech(s)/press talks (recorded or
live) of Imran Khan on their respective TV channels with immediate effect.
“In
case of non-compliance, the licence will be suspended under Section 30 of the
Pemra Ordinance, 2002 without any show cause notice in public interest,” the
order said.
The
authority noted that Imran Khan was “levelling baseless allegations and
spreading hate speech through his provocative statements against state
institutions and officers which is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and
order and is likely to disturb public peace and tranquillity.”
PTI
leader Fawad Chaudhry termed the Pemra move “an attempt to silence Imran’s
voice” and decided to challenge it in a court of law, asking the media
fraternity to do the same.
ARY
News licence suspended for ‘wilful defiance’ of prohibition order
In
a late-night development, Pemra issued a suspension order to ARY News for
“wilful defiance” of the prohibition order. The suspension order stated: “It is
also evident that Mr Ammad Yousaf, senior executive vice president, had shared
Pemra’s Order on his twitter account at 8:26pm.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1740629
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Saudi
Prince Launches Saudi-Pakistan Tech House in Islamabad Tomorrow
March
5, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Saudi Prince Fahad bin Mansour Al-Saud is all set to launch the Saudi-Pakistan
Tech House in Islamabad at a ceremony scheduled to be held here on Monday
(today), according to the Saudi tech firm.
The
Saudi Prince is the co-founder of tech giant ILSA Interactive, which was first
founded in 2009 by a Pakistani entrepreneur and has offices in Lahore and
Riyadh.
The
company aims at enhancing cooperation between the two countries in diverse
technical fields. ILSA Interactive stands as a great hallmark of Pakistan-Saudi
digital collaboration excellence.
“HRH
Prince Fahad bin Mansour Al-Saud is visiting Pakistan to launch Saudi-Pakistan
Tech House to enhance cooperation between the two countries in diverse
technical fields,” the firm said in a statement.
The
company said it reflects the determination of both Pakistani and Saudi leaders
to further deepen the existing strategic relationship in all fields.
Federal
Minister for Investment Mr Chaudhry Salik Hussain will the chief guest at the
ceremony, while Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Ms Shaza
Fatima will be the guest of honour.
The
Saudi Prince has strategic plans to forge partnerships with IT companies,
universities and big enterprises in Pakistan.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Pakistan:
PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz mocks Imran Khan for avoiding arrest
Mar
6, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML) leader Maryam Nawaz has said that there is
no comparison between Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif as the PML-N supremo was a
brave person, The News International reported. She even mocked Imran Khan on
social media for avoiding arrest by the Islamabad Police on Sunday.
Maryan
Nawaz said Imran Khan's "Jail Bharo Tehreek" was the most
unsuccessful movement in history. She said that Nawaz Sharif was a brave person
as he faced jail in a bad condition while Imran Khan had never been to jail, as
per the news report.
She
even mocked Imran Khan on social media for avoiding arrest by the police on
Sunday. Taking to her official Twitter handle, she asked her father and party
supremo Nawaz Sharif to lend some courage to Imran Khan.
Tagging
Nawaz Sharif in a tweet, Maryam Nawaz stated, "Listen @NawazSharifMNS,
please lend a little courage to Imran Khan." She said that even if the
lion is innocent, he holds his daughter's hand and comes to Pakistan from
London to get himself arrested.
In
another tweet, Maryam Nawaz said, "Even if the lion is innocent, he holds
his daughter's hand and comes to Pakistan from London and arrests him. Get out
you coward! The nation knows the difference between a leader and a
gatherer."
In
a another tweet, Maryam Nawaz said, "If a jackal is a thief, he hides
behind other's daughters and uses them as a shield for fear of his
arrest," according to The News International report. She added that the
nation had now come to know the difference between a lion and a jackal.
A
high drama continued at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran
Khan's residence for hours on Sunday after the Islamabad Police arrived there
for his arrest in the Toshakhana case. However, Imran Khan avoided the arrest,
as per the news report.
Later,
Imran criticized state institutions while addressing the party workers and
supporters. Addressing PTI loyalists, Khan said he had never "bowed before
any man or institution, and will never let you do so as well",
Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported.
The
PTI chief was addressing his party workers and supporters at his Zaman Park
residence in Lahore despite being "unavailable" to the police present
outside to arrest him.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Pakistan:
32 per cent more militant attacks recorded in February compared to January
5
March, 2023
Islamabad
[Pakistan], March 5 (ANI): In Pakistan, 32 per cent more militant attacks were
recorded in the month of February as compared to January 2023, Pakistan-based
newspaper, The Nation reported.
However,
despite an increase in militant attacks last month, the resultant deaths
declined compared to January.
Militants
carried out 58 terrorist attacks during the past month in which 62 people were
killed including 27 civilians, 18 security forces personnel and 17 militants.
In addition to that, as many as 134 people were injured in these attacks
including 54 civilians and 80 security forces personnel, according to the
statistics released by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies
(PICSS), an Islamabad- based think tank, Dawn reported.
According
to PICSS’s militancy data, this is for the first time after June 2015, that
Pakistan faced 58 attacks in a single month. In February, 32 per cent more
militant attacks were recorded but the number of deaths declined by 56 per cent
compared to the preceding month.
The
country’s security forces in February, further stepped up their actions against
the militant groups and killed at least 55 suspected militants. As many as 75
suspected militants were also arrested from across the country. The majority of
the suspects were arrested from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KB).
The
highest number of militant attacks were reported from Balochistan where at
least 22 attacks were recorded in which 25 people were killed and 61 injured,
according to PICSS statistics.
Afghan
Diaspora Network recently reported that the resurgence of Taliban in
Afghanistan is proving fatal for Pakistan, as the militant affiliate of Afghan
Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is gaining leverage not only in
the tribal zones of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan but also in other places.
The
TTP, along with its foot soldiers, is finding safe havens in Afghanistan
without any constraints, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network.
Source:
The Print
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9
policemen martyred, 13 wounded in blast near Balochistan Constabulary van in
Bolan: police
Ismail
Sasoli | Ghalib Nihad
March
6, 2023
At
least nine personnel of the Balochistan Constabulary (BC) were martyred and 13
were wounded in a bomb attack in Bolan on Monday, police said.
Kachhi
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahmood Notezai confirmed the casualties
to Dawn.com.
“The
constabulary van was on its way back to Quetta from Sibi when an explosion
occurred near the vehicle on the Kambri bridge in the area bordering the Sibi
and Kachhi borders,” he said.
According
to the official, preliminary evidence suggested that the blast was a suicide
attack. However, he said the exact nature of the attack will be ascertained
after investigation.
SSP
Notezai said the injured persons are being moved to the Sibi Civil Hospital,
while bomb disposal squads and security personnel have arrived at the site.
The
area has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway, he added.
A
government helicopter has been sent to Bolan to move the injured persons to
Quetta, a statement issued by the Balochistan Information Department said.
An
emergency has also been imposed at hospitals across Quetta.
The
Balochistan Constabulary (BC) is a department of the provincial police force
that provides security at important events and in sensitive areas, including
jails.
So
far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The
blast comes on the heels of attacks in KP and areas bordering Afghanistan.
Since the talks with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down
in November last year, the militant group has intensified its attacks while
insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and
formalised a nexus with it.
Condemnation
Balochistan
Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo has condemned the attack and expressed
grief at the number of casualties.
He
said terrorist elements wanted to accomplish their wicked aims through cowardly
actions, adding that they were conspiring to keep Balochistan under-developed
by creating unrest and instability in the province.
“All
such conspiracies will be made unsuccessful with the public’s support,” the
chief minister vowed in a statement.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Qatar
to help Pakistan tackle economic challenges
Syed
Irfan Raza
March
6, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Qatar will help Pakistan during the current economic crisis and contribute to
the country’s progress and development, its emir said on Sunday.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
on the sidelines of the 5th UN Least Developed Countries (LDC) Conference.
The
premier is on a two-day official visit to Qatar to attend the conference.
According
to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the emir
reiterated his resolve to continue Qatar’s complete cooperation and support in
the “development and progress agenda of Pakistan”.
He
welcomed the prime minister and reiterated his keen interest in strengthening
economic cooperation between the two countries.
During
the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral
cooperation, investment, trade and employment opportunities for skilled
manpower.
According
to the PMO, the two leaders deliberated upon an array of mutually beneficial
issues and exchanged views to diversify cooperation in economic and investment
sectors.
The
prime minister appreciated Qatar’s support for development projects in Pakistan
and highlighted the vast opportunities for cooperation between the two
countries.
The
emir lauded the contributions of the Pakistani diaspora in Qatar’s
development and hailed the contribution of Pakistani security authorities
during the FIFA Football World Cup, 2022 hosted by Qatar, the press release
added.
The
emir also accepted the prime minister’s invitation to visit Pakistan.
Earlier
on Sunday, the prime minister arrived in Doha where he was greeted by Qatari
officials.
“Just
reached Doha on the invitation of my brother HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad
Al-Thani, the [e]mir of Qatar to attend the 5th UN Conference on Least
Developed Countries (LDCs),” the PM said in a series of tweets.
“I
will share Pakistan’s perspective on the socio-economic challenges facing LDCs
in Asia & Africa,” he added.
“Least
Developed Countries have been badly affected by climate change, post-pandemic
& geo-strategic disruption in food & energy supply chains. These global
events have left them vulnerable. LDCs will be better served by putting welfare
of people at the centre of public policy.”
The
conference will be held from March 5-9 to consider steps for accelerating
sustainable development in the LDCs and put them on the road to prosperity.
PM
meets investment chief
After
his meeting with the Qatar emir, Mr Sharif met Qatar Investment Authority (QIA)
Chief Executive Officer Mansoor Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud.
They
exchanged views on progress made on various investment proposals in multiple
sectors of Pakistan’s economy, a statement from the PMO said.
During
the meeting, Mr Al-Mahmoud and PM Sharif highlighted investment opportunities
in energy and infrastructure sectors of Pakistan.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1740665/qatar-to-help-pakistan-tackle-economic-challenges
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South Asia
Big
fire erupts at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh, 12,000 people homeless
Mar
6, 2023
KUTUPALONG:
A fire destroyed 2,000 shelters at a Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern
Bangladesh on Sunday, leaving around 12,000 people homeless, an official said.
The fire broke out around 2.45pm (local time) at camp number 11 in Kutupalong,
one of the world's largest refugee settlements, and rapidly engulfed the
bamboo-and-tarpaulin shelters, Mijanur Rahman, Bangladesh's refugee
commissioner, said. At least 35 mosques and 21 learning centres for the
refugees were also destroyed, though there were no reports of any injuries or
deaths, he added.
"My
shelter was gutted. (My shop) was also burnt," said Mamun Johar, a
30-year-old Rohingya man. "The fire took everything from me,
everything."
The
blaze was brought under control in less than three hours. It was not clear how
the fire started. The authorities have ordered an investigation. Fires are
common in the camps where nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in squalid
conditions. Most of them fled a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state
in 2017 and took refuge in Bangladesh.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US
Accuses Islamic Emirate of Violation of Doha Deal
By
Fatema Adeeb
The
US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, accused the “Taliban” of
violations of the Doha agreement, saying that “even though the Taliban
committed” not to harboring “terrorists,” it is still happening.
West
made the remarks in an interview with TOLOnews.
“Even
though the Taliban committed not to host terrorists that wish other countries
harm, and not to allow training, or recruiting or fundraising in their
territory, all of that is happening and let’s recall that three countries,
three neighbors, have experienced the attacks from terrorists inside
Afghanistan; Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and now increasingly Pakistan as well,” he
said.
But
the Islamic Emirate said that there is no evidence to show that the Afghan soil
is being used against other countries.
“The
Islamic Emirate wants good relations with all countries particularly with the
neighboring countries. There is no evidence regarding threats from Afghan soil
to the neighboring countries,” Karimi said.
Regarding
the flying of US drones in Afghan air space, West said that the US wants to
make sure that Afghanistan is not becoming a haven for the terrorists.
“There
are issues that I can’t say publicly given they are classified. So, the Afghan
people have to take me at my word, I am not a person who is misleading. Ayman
Al-Zawahiri was living in downtown Kabul under the shelter of the Taliban
leadership and we took him out,” West said.
Source:
Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-182351
--------
Over
1600 Afghan Nationals Return to Country From Iran: Afghanistan
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
March
5, 2023
Afghanistan’s
Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation on Saturday announced that 1,682 Afghan
refugees returned to the country from Iran.
The
returnees entered Afghanistan through the ‘Islamqala’ crossing point in western
Herat province, and the needy families have been introduced to the United
Nations Agency for Refugees for help.
The
Afghan refugee authorities have reported that thousands of Afghan citizens have
returned from Iran in the recent past. However, it is still not clear whether
the returnees were forced to leave Iran, or willingly came back to Afghanistan.
After
the Islamic Emirate seized power in August 2021, thousands of Afghans migrated
to the neighboring countries including Iran and Pakistan, mostly through Chaman
and Torkham crossing points. A large majority of these migrants did not have
legal stay documents including visas or stay permits, now facing serious
challenges in the host countries.
Furthermore,
the Iranian government forcefully extradites those Afghan refugees who fail to
provide legal stay documents (visa or refugee card) from UNHCR.
Meanwhile,
Afghanistan’s Consulate General in Karachi on Saturday said that 137 Afghan
nationals were released and will be extradited to Afghanistan in the coming
days.
Since
the return of the Taliban to power, more than 250,000 Afghan migrants have
entered Pakistan, some legally, others without valid passports and visas,
according to The Guardian reports.
Since
last summer, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has taken serious steps to arrest
undocumented Afghan nationals and forcefully deport them to Afghanistan. It is
believed that more than 600 Afghan refugees have been extradited in three days
in January alone, and detentions have increased throughout Pakistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/over-1600-afghan-nationals-return-to-country-from-iran-afghanistan/
--------
Africa
Jordan’s
royal court reveals wedding date of King Abdullah’s daughter Princess Iman
05
March ,2023
Jordan's
Royal Hashemite Court announced on Sunday the date of the royal wedding of
Princess Iman bint Abdullah II.
The
wedding will be held in a week’s time according to a statement by the court.
The
RHC said: “The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that the wedding of
Her Royal Highness Princess Iman bint Abdullah II and Mr. Jameel Alexander
Thermiotis will take place on 12 March 2023.”
“The
Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations to Their Majesties
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah on this occasion and wishes Her
Royal Highness Princess Iman and Mr. Thermiotis a lifetime of happiness,” the
statement added.
The
engagement of Princess Iman, the eldest daughter of King Abdullah II and Queen
Rania, to Jameel Alexander Thermiotis was announced in July 2022.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Senegal
police release activists and MP arrested at Tunisia embassy
05
March ,2023
More
than a dozen activists and a member of parliament arrested Saturday outside the
Tunisian embassy in Senegal’s capital were released Sunday, a local official
and a defense lawyer said.
Lawyer
Moussa Sarr said 14 people including MP Guy Marius Sagna were arrested Saturday
and held at the central police station after turning up to deliver letters of
protest over recent violence against sub-Saharan Africans in Tunisia.
“Guy
and the 13 others were released by the police at 5:00 am,” he told AFP on
Sunday.
On
Saturday, he said they were “arrested for participating in a banned
demonstration”.
The
prefect of Dakar, Mor Talla Tine, confirmed the arrests and their release
Sunday.
Sarr
said two journalists had also been arrested but were immediately released.
The
incident followed international outcry over a wave of attacks against
sub-Saharan Africans in Tunisia triggered by a February 21 tirade by Tunisian
President Kais Saied.
In
the speech, Saied ordered officials to take “urgent measures” to tackle
irregular migration, claiming without offering evidence that “a criminal plot”
was under way “to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup”.
The
Senegal activists belong to several organizations that had called on their
members to bring letters of protest to the embassy after Senegalese authorities
banned a rally planned for Saturday.
“We...
are writing this letter to protest against the hunt for black Africans in
Tunisia following the racist and hateful remarks made by the Tunisian
president”, said one of the letters an activist shared with AFP.
Since
Saied’s speech, rights groups in Tunisia have reported a spike in vigilante
violence, including the stabbings of sub-Saharan Africans.
Many
lost their jobs and homes overnight.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Tunisian
labor union holds biggest protest yet against president
04
March ,2023
Tunisia’s
powerful UGTT labor union rallied in the capital on Saturday in what appeared
to be the biggest protest yet against President Kais Saied, staging a show of
strength after his recent crackdown on opponents.
Many
thousands of protesters filled Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main street in
central Tunis, holding banners that read “No to one-man rule” and chanting
“Freedom! End the police state.”
They
were marching after weeks of arrests targeting prominent opponents of Saied,
who has staged his first major crackdown since he seized wide-ranging powers in
2021, shutting down parliament and moving to rule by decree.
“We
will continue to defend freedoms and rights, whatever the cost. We do not fear
prisons or arrests,” UGTT leader Noureddine Taboubi told the crowd.
“I
salute the jurists and politicians in Mornaguia prison,” he added, referring to
recent detainees.
Hamma
Hammami, head of the Workers Party, said protests were the answer to what he
called Saied’s “creeping dictatorship.”
“He
wants to spread fear but we are not afraid,” he said.
The
crackdown is the biggest since Saied’s seizure of powers and his opponents say
it is increasingly clear that he has dismantled the democracy won in the 2011
revolution that triggered the Arab Spring and will end the freedoms it brought.
Saied
has denied his actions were a coup, saying they were legal and necessary to
save Tunisia from chaos.
Crackdown
The
UGTT was initially slow to criticize Saied while political parties accused him
of staging a coup, but as the president consolidated his grip while ignoring
the union and other players, it began to openly challenge him.
A
senior union official was detained last month for organizing a strike by
highway tollbooth operators, prompting the UGTT’s newspaper to accuse Saied of
declaring war on the organization and its million members.
This
week authorities barred foreign labor union leaders from entering Tunisia to
take part in the rally in solidarity with the UGTT, and Saied said he would not
accept foreigners joining protests.
The
size of Saturday’s rally underscored that the union remains a powerful
adversary that Saied may struggle to bat aside as he moves to sideline other
opponents in the wake of a parliamentary election that had very low support.
With
Tunisia’s economy in crisis, state finances on the brink of bankruptcy and
shortages of key goods, the potential for public anger may grow.
Over
recent weeks police have detained more than a dozen prominent opposition
figures, mostly tied to the coalition of parties and protesters that is
planning to rally on Sunday, accusing them of conspiring against state
security.
Those
arrested include politicians from the Ennahda, which was the biggest party in
the shuttered parliament, leaders of a protest group, the head of Tunisia’s
main independent media outlet and a prominent businessman.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Uganda
sends 13 tons of aid supplies for Türkiye quake survivors
Hamza
Kyeyune
05.03.2023
KAMPALA,
Uganda
Uganda
on Sunday sent 13 tons of aid supplies to Türkiye, which was struck by twin
earthquakes last month.
“This
morning we sent via Turkish Airlines, 13 tons of in-kind aid, including 750
mattresses and 550 blankets donated by our Ugandan friends for the victims of
the earthquake. On behalf of the Turkish people, we thank our Ugandan sisters
and brothers,” the Turkish Embassy in Kampala said in a statement.
Mehmet
Fatih Ak, the Turkish ambassador in Uganda, told Anadolu that Indian community
in the East African country played a vital role in the mobilization of relief
supplies.
He
thanked Turkish Airlines for facilitating the aid delivery, and the Ugandan
people who share the pain of the Turkish nation and for their valuable
contributions to those who survived one of the deadliest disasters in Türkiye.
Ali
Ozdemir, the Turkish Airlines manager in Uganda, said through partnership with
the Turkish embassy the national flag carrier contributed air freight capacity
to deliver critical supplies to Türkiye.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Jordan
sends relief plane to quake-affected people in Türkiye
Laith
Al-Jnaidi
06.03.2023
AMMAN,
Jordan
Jordan
on Monday sent a cargo plane loaded with relief materials to help the victims
of twin earthquakes that killed thousands in Türkiye.
The
plane was carrying 11 tons of food and health supplies which will be delivered
to Hatay province in southern Türkiye, Jordan Hashemite Charitable Organization
said in a statement.
"More
aid is being worked on during the coming period, which covers the basic needs
of the afflicted," Secretary-General Hussein Al-Shibli said in a
statement.
Since
the second day of the earthquake disaster, Jordan has sent to Türkiye and Syria
13 aid cargo planes, 110 relief trucks, 10 ambulances, and 10,000 tents.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Europe
Greece’s
foreign minister corrects himself after using wrong name for Istanbul
Tugba
Altun
06.03.2023
Greece’s
foreign minister corrected himself after using the wrong name for the Turkish
city of Istanbul.
Nikos
Dendias said over the weekend on Twitter that he would travel to
“Constantinople” to attend a Orthodoxy Patriarchal and Archieratic Divine
Liturgy and meet with Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew.
Expectedly,
his post received criticism due to his wording, particularly from Turkish
people.
However,
he used “Istanbul” in his Twitter posts on Sunday.
Dendias
on Sunday paid a visit to the Turkish metropolis.
He
attended the Feast of Orthodoxy (the Sunday of Orthodoxy) -- the first Sunday
of Great Lent -- at the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Bosnia
and Herzegovina sends more aid to quake-hit Türkiye
Talha
Ozturk
05.03.2023
Bosnia
and Herzegovina continued Sunday to send aid to quake-hit Türkiye.
A
donation drive was launched in Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, for those affected in the Feb. 6 disaster.
In
the city of Banja Luka, the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina
collected a truckload of aid materials with the support of volunteers and the
United Women's Association.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/bosnia-and-herzegovina-sends-more-aid-to-quake-hit-turkiye/2837787
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Belgian
court upholds prisoner swap treaty with Iran
Ömer
Tuğrul Çam
04.03.2023
BRUSSELS
Belgium's
Constitutional Court ruled Friday that a prisoner transfer treaty with Iran is
legal.
The
court rejected an appeal to suspend the treaty with Iran, paving the way for
the release of Belgian national Olivier Vandecasteele in exchange for Iranian
diplomat Assadolah Assadi, who was convicted in Belgium for a planned bomb
attack on the Iranian opposition in France.
But
the court ruled that any possible swap involving Vandecasteele and Assadi would
be subject to a legal analysis.
Tehran
sentenced Vandecasteele in January to 40 years in prison plus 74 lashes and a
fine for spying for the US, money laundering and currency smuggling.
The
deal between Belgium and Iran was suspended by the Court last year after
opponents of the Iranian regime living abroad appealed its legality.
Belgian
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo hailed the decision and said, "we are
happy."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/belgian-court-upholds-prisoner-swap-treaty-with-iran/2836778
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