Qatar Curriculum Promotes Intolerance of Religious Minorities, UAE Curriculum Teaches Tolerance: Watchdog
New
Age Islam News Bureau
14
September 2020
Students
learning in a classroom in the United Arab Emirates. (File photo: UAE Ministry
of Education)
-----
• Real
Hard Work Begins at The Afghan-Taliban Peace Talks
•
Trump Says Bahrain Joining UAE In Normalizing Ties with Israel
• Madhya
Pradesh: Minor Alleges Rape, BJP Cries Love Jihad, The Accused Mansuri Took Up
Hinduism in 2011 And Identified Himself as Sameer Singh
• Morocco
Busts ISIS-Linked Cell Plotting Suicide Attacks
• Ex-IRGC
Commander: Al-Khalifa Not Able to Keep Monarchy by Betraying Islam
• PAS
Chief: Only Malay-Muslim Unity Can Lead and Save The Country
Arab
world
• Qatar
Curriculum Promotes Intolerance of Religious Minorities, UAE Curriculum Teaches
Tolerance: Watchdog
• Three
soldiers killed in Lebanon during raid on militant's house: Army
• Top
Iraq cleric al-Sistani backs early election after UN meeting
• Macron
calls Lebanese parliamentary speaker as new government deadline approaches
• Lebanon's
Nabih Berri says his Hezbollah-allied Amal will not be part of next govt
• 60th
anniversary: Saudi-led OPEC now doing US bidding
--------
South
Asia
• Real
Hard Work Begins at The Afghan-Taliban Peace Talks
• Taliban
Could Exchange Inmates for Truce: Afghan Govt Peace Chief Abdullah Abdullah
• Afghan
govt remains grateful to India's commitment, solidarity with Afghanistan:
Acting FM
• War
Amid Peace Negotiation Illogical: Stanekzai
• Logar
Clashes Claim 4 People Uprising Forces
• Afghan
forces, Taliban clash as Doha peace talks continue
--------
North
America
• Trump
Says Bahrain Joining UAE In Normalizing Ties with Israel
• FM
Abdullah Bin Zayed Arrives in Washington To Sign US-Brokered UAE-Israel Peace
Deal
• CENTCOM
commander admits growing attacks on US troops in Iraq, warns Iran
• US
Government More Loyal To Saudi Arabia Than To Its Own People: Scholar
--------
India
• Madhya
Pradesh: Minor Alleges Rape, BJP Cries Love Jihad, The Accused Mansuri Took Up
Hinduism in 2011 And Identified Himself as Sameer Singh
• A
Case Just Fell Flat, But VHP Push Makes UP Police Probe ‘Love Jihad’
• Farooq
Abdullah Attends Parliament 1st Time After Article 370 Abrogation
• ‘Threats
Won’t Deter Cadres from Defeating Nefarious Designs of Terrorists’: Congress
• Pak
using underground tunnels to push terrorists, drones to drop arms: J&K DGP
• Wajid
Ali Shah’s great grandson dies of Covid
--------
Africa
• Morocco
Busts ISIS-Linked Cell Plotting Suicide Attacks
• Libya’s
Haftar committed to ending oil blockade, US says
• Mali
Military Junta Backs 18-Month Transition Government
• Libyan
protesters torch Haftar-backed govt. headquarters in Benghazi
• Group
says Zakzaky’s health 'seriously deteriorating', urges his release
• Daesh-linked
militants seize two islands in Mozambique
--------
Mideast
• Ex-IRGC
Commander: Al-Khalifa Not Able to Keep Monarchy by Betraying Islam
• Israel
Forces Palestinian Brothers to Demolish Own Home In Jerusalem Al-Quds
• Palestinians
call for protests against Arab-Israeli deals
• Iran
Welcomes Intra-Afghan Talks, Underlines Non-Interference of Foreign States
• Israeli
protesters keep up pressure on PM Netanyahu over alleged corruption
• Four
civilians killed in Saudi air raid on Yemen’s Ma'rib
• Dozens
injured as Israeli officers assault Palestinian inmates in Ofer Prison
• Outrage
growing over Bahrain’s normalization with Israel
• Saudi
warplanes attack Houthi sites in Yemeni capital: Report
--------
Southeast
Asia
• PAS
Chief: Only Malay-Muslim Unity Can Lead and Save The Country
• PAS
Muslimat chief tells party to be dominant, keep control of three state govts
--------
Europe
• Greece
To Acquire 18 French-Made Rafale Jets as Turkey Tension Rises
• EU
wants ‘credible’ Lebanon government before giving more blast aid
• UK
to ‘triple’ size of Oman military base
--------
Pakistan
• Pak
Opposition Leader Moves Court Seeking Daily Hearings In Defamation Case Against
Imran Khan
• Jamaat
decides to keep away from opposition conference
• Armed
forces kill terrorist commander Ihsan Sanray, three others, in 'breakthrough'
operation
• Terrorist
commander among 4 killed: ISPR
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Qatar Curriculum Promotes Intolerance Of Religious Minorities, UAE Curriculum Teaches Tolerance: Watchdog
Emily
Judd
Sep
14, 2020
Students
learning in a classroom in the United Arab Emirates. (File photo: UAE Ministry
of Education)
-----
New reports from a non-profit education watchdog reveal Qatar’s government curriculum promotes intolerance of religious minorities, while the UAE educational system champions acceptance of the other.
The
Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education
(IMPACT-se) recently reviewed 238 Qatari textbooks from the last four academic
years.
It
also reviewed textbooks from the UAE’s “Moral Education” curriculum – a
government initiative launched in 2016 for public and private schools in the
country.
The
organization found glaring differences between how the two Gulf countries are
teaching young people about people of different religions and backgrounds.
Intolerance
in Qatari textbooks
IMPACT-se
concluded that Qatar’s “curriculum does not meet international standards of
peace and tolerance” and that “elements of the Muslim Brotherhood are evident.”
While
Turkey and Iran are presented in a positive light in the texts, religious
minorities are viewed negatively.
Christians
are seen as “infidels” who are “expected to go to hell,” according to the
IMPACT-Se report on Qatar’s curriculum.
“Christians,
along with Jews…are blamed for causing divisions among Muslims,” the report
said.
IMPACT-se
CEO Marcus Sheff told Al Arabiya English that the textbooks “propagate
anti-Semitic conspiracies that Jews control and manipulate world powers and
markets.”
“I
would describe it as falling short of UNESCO standards of peace and tolerance
in school education,” Sheff said in an interview with Al Arabiya English.
IMPACT-se
measured educational content by international standards based on UNESCO and UN
guidelines and recommendations on education for peace and tolerance.
Acceptance
in UAE textbooks
In
contrast, the UAE’s Moral Education curriculum - launched in 2006 under the
direction of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan -
“aligns with UNESCO standards and UN declarations,” according to IMPACT-se.
Students
in the UAE, from grades one to 12, are introduced to “the values of tolerance
and respect for themselves, and others, both national and global” through the
course, the report found.
For
example, a textbook for eight-grade students teaches “one of the core strengths
of the UAE is being a home for a diverse and united society, and that the
government takes a clear line of tolerance as a fundamental value.”
Students
in ninth-grade are taught Article 2 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, which states that “every human being is entitled to all the rights
without any regard to race, color, sex, language, religion, belief, family
background, social status, economic status, nationality, or the land in which
he was born.”
Social
justice, particularly with regard to women is highlighted, such as two case
studies of young female leaders: UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs Shamma
bint Suhail Faris Mazrui and Pakistani Nobel Prize winning women’s rights
activist Malala Yousafzai.
Sheff
said that the textbooks were a model for all education systems across the
Middle East.
“The
material we have reviewed so far is a roadmap for young Emiratis towards
moderation, respect for the 'Other', peace-making and tolerance,” he said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/13/Qatar-education-promotes-hate-of-religious-minorities-UAE-teaches-tolerance-Reports
--------
Real Hard
Work Begins at The Afghan-Taliban Peace Talks
Sep
14, 2020
Members
of the Taliban delegation attend the opening session of the peace talks between
the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha. Credit: AFP
Photo
-----
DOHA:
Afghan government negotiators expressed cautious optimism for progress on
thorny issues including ceasefires as peace talks with the Taliban got underway
in Doha on Sunday. But the Taliban did not mention a truce as they came to the
negotiating table.
The
head of the peace process for the Afghan government, Abdullah Abdullah,
suggested the Taliban could offer a ceasefire in exchange for the release of
more of their jailed fighters. The talks should continue in the “spirit of
moving towards peace”, he said. “But there should first be a significant reduction
in violence.” The Afghan government side tweeted that schedules for the talks
and a code of conduct were discussed.
Taliban’
spokesman Mohammad Naeem also confirmed the beginning of technical talks.
“We’ll encounter many challenges in the talks over the coming days and months,”
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/real-hard-work-begins-at-the-afghan-taliban-peace-talks/articleshow/78097407.cms
--------
Trump
Says Bahrain Joining UAE In Normalizing Ties with Israel
11
September 2020
Palestinians
burn pictures depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US
President Donald Trump during a protest against Bahrain's move to normalize
relations with Israel, in the central Gaza Strip September 12, 2020.(REUTERS)
------
US
President Donald Trump has announced the normalization of bilateral ties
between Bahrain and the occupying regime of Israel, the second Arab state to
join a deal widely censured as a betrayal of the Palestinian nation and the
Palestinian cause.
Trump
said in a tweet on Friday that Bahrain had agreed to join the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) in striking what he called a peace deal to normalize relations
with Tel Aviv.
Another
HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of
Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal – the second Arab country to make peace with
Israel in 30 days!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020
The
White House said the US president had tweeted out the news after speaking by
phone to Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump
also attached to a separate tweet a joint statement, whereby the three had
agreed on and expressed commitment to “the establishment of full diplomatic
relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain."
They
also boasted the deal in the statement as a “historic breakthrough,” and
claimed the agreement was aimed at increasing “stability, security, and prosperity
in the region.”
Bahrain
has agreed to formalize the deal with Israel at a ceremony on September 15 at
the White House, where the United Arab Emirates would also sign off on its own
thaw with the occupying regime announced in mid-August.
Israel
and the UAE agreed to a US-brokered deal to normalize relations on August 13.
Under the agreement, the Tel Aviv regime has purportedly agreed to
"temporarily" suspend applying its own rule to further areas in the
occupied West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley that the Israeli premier had
pledged to annex.
The
Palestinians have unanimously censured the UAE-Israel peace deal, which runs
counter to a long-standing Arab consensus that any normalization of ties with
the Tel Aviv regime has to come in the context of the settlement of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian
state.
They
say the UAE, as an important Arab player in the region, has stabbed fellow
Palestinians in the back with an agreement that does not serve the cause of the
Palestinians.
The
UAE-Israel agreement has also sparked protests and condemnations from Muslim
and other Arab countries, who described it as an act of treason against the
Palestinians.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/11/633878/US-Donald-Trump-Bahrain-Israel-normalization-deal
--------
Madhya
Pradesh: Minor Alleges Rape, BJP Cries Love Jihad, The Accused Mansuri Took Up
Hinduism In 2011 And Identified Himself As Sameer Singh
by
Iram Siddique
September
14, 2020
A
rape case lodged by a 16-year-old against a 40-year-old man in Satna district
of Madhya Pradesh has been termed a case of “love jihad” by BJP leaders,
including the state unit president.
The
accused, Mohammad Ateeq Mansuri alias Sikander Khan alias Sameer Singh, was
arrested within four hours after the victim registered a complaint on September
11. In her complaint, the 16-year-old has alleged that she was raped on the
pretext of marriage over the past two years.
Speaking
to reporters, state BJP president V D Sharma termed the incident “inhuman” and
a “blot on humanity”. “This matter of love jihad will not be tolerated in
Madhya Pradesh and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken serious note
of it. The government will look into the network of this love jihad and work seriously
on it.”
In a
press meet late Sunday night, police informed that investigation has revealed
that Mansuri “took up Hinduism in 2011 and identified himself as Sameer Singh”.
He then married a Hindu girl but divorced her in 2017, police said.
A
police officer said the 16-year-old complainant met the accused in 2018. The
accused took her to a secluded house on the pretext of introducing her to his
family and raped her, but after the girl protested, he promised to marry her,
the officer said.
He
allegedly threatened to kill her family if she told anyone about the incident.
In June 2020, the girl learnt that he was married and had children and then
registered a complaint.
After
reports emerged that the accused allegedly committed similar crimes with other
women, SP Iqbal Riyaz constituted an SIT. Police are now set to book him under
the National Security Act (NSA). He was produced before the court and sent to
police custody for two days.
On
Sunday, four more cases were registered against Mansuri. He was booked for
possessing fake letterheads of political leaders which he used to send requests
for ticket confirmation under emergency quota. He was also booked for having
identity documents in two different names. Police have found the farmhouse
where the 16-year old was raped was constructed illegally and have ordered its
demolition.
Meanwhile,
police sources said the SIT is talking to at least three women who have been
victims of harassment by Mansuri, but did not lodge a formal complaint.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/madhya-pradesh-minor-alleges-rape-bjp-cries-love-jihad-6595018/
--------
Morocco
busts ISIS-linked cell plotting suicide attacks
10
September 2020
Morocco
on Thursday dismantled an ISIS-affiliated cell that was planning suicide
bombings, police said, adding explosive belts had been seized and five men
arrested.
The
five “extremists,” aged between 29 and 43, were detained in simultaneous
operations at sites in Tangiers and the Rabat region, said the Central Bureau
of Judicial Investigations.
Explosive
belts, three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of ammonium nitrate, electronic equipment
and bladed weapons were seized in raids on homes and businesses of the
suspects, the bureau said.
The
cell’s alleged leader “had planned with his accomplices to target sensitive
installations and sites with explosive devices and belts to destabilize... the
kingdom,” it added.
The
group had “carried out reconnaissance missions of targets to be attacked by
suicide bombers... in order to serve the destructive agenda of Daesh,” it said,
using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
A
police officer was reportedly stabbed and wounded during one of the arrests,
according to a local media outlet present during the operation, which
reportedly involved a large number of Moroccan special forces.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/09/10/Morocco-busts-ISIS-linked-cell-plotting-suicide-attacks
--------
Ex-IRGC
Commander: Al-Khalifa Not Able to Keep Monarchy by Betraying Islam
Sep
13, 2020
“The
failure to contain coronavirus, anti-racism protests and the economic recession
have left Trump behind his Democrat rival, and to make up for it, he is seeking
a fake foreign policy achievement by pressuring the weak regional Arab states
to compromise with the Zionist regime,” Rezayee wrote on his twitter page on
Sunday.
He
added that establishment of relations with the Zionists is an election gift by
certain Arab countries to Trump, from the blood and pockets of the Palestinians
and is a dagger on the back of unity and aspirations of the Islamic Ummah which
encourages the Zionist regime to continue its occupation plans (the process of
annexation and Judaization of the holy Quds).
Rezayee
noted that today the Bahraini regime lacks popular legitimacy and seeks to win
this legitimacy from outside and the most evil enemies of the Islamic Ummah,
the Zionists.
“This
is not the agreement of the honorable people of Bahrain, but the agreement of
the country’s regime with the Zionists,” he said.
“The
regimes that make these relations public (now) already had ties with the
Zionist regime, but hypocritically denied these ties and hid it. But history
has shown us that their throne will not be preserved by betraying Islam and the
Islamic Ummah. This is the tradition of God,” he underscored.
US
President Donald Trump tweeted the news of the Israel-Bahrain normalization
deal on Friday after he spoke by phone to Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al
Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Following
the announcement at the White House, Palestinian officials condemned the
Israel-Bahrain normalization deal announced by US President Donald Trump as
another "stab in the back" by an Arab state.
Friday's
accord normalizing diplomatic ties between Israel and Bahrain comes one month
after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to normalize ties with Israel under
a US-brokered deal.
US
President Donald Trump on August 13 announced a deal brokered by his government
between Israel and the UAE which he said would lead to full normalization of
ties between the two.
Critics
see the deal as the latest attempt by Trump to save his presidential campaign
against the Democrat Joe Biden.
Bahrain's
main opposition group, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, in a statement
condemned a deal between Israel and Bahrain as an “ultimate betrayal of Islam
and Arabs and a departure from the Islamic, Arab and national consensus".
It
also said that the Israel-Bahrain agreement is void of any legitimacy
whatsoever.
“Bahraini
people, with all their religious, political, intellectual and societal
differences, are unanimous in adhering to Palestine and rejecting the entire
Zionist entity and standing with Palestine until the last piece of land is
liberated from it,” the group added.
Al-Wefaq
concluded that normalization with Israel is “a blatant contradiction to the
will of the Bahraini people and a coup against their principled creed in
rejecting the occupation of Palestine”.
The
Iranian foreign ministry also in a statement strongly condemned the
normalization of relations between Bahrain and Israel, and said that it is a
shameful and humiliating act by the Manama government.
"Undoubtedly,
the oppressed and right-seeking people of Palestine and the freedom-seeking
Muslims of the world will never accept the normalization of relations with the
usurper regime of Israel, and this shameful act will forever remain in the
historical memory of the oppressed nation of Palestine and the freedom-seeking
nations of the world," the statement read.
The
Iranian foreign ministry pointed out that instead of gaining legitimacy from
its people, the Bahraini government, in a fundamental mistake, has established
diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime and sacrificed the Palestinian
cause for the US internal elections.
"The
rulers of Bahrain will henceforth be complicit in the crimes of the Zionist
regime as a source of the constant threat to security in the region and the
Islamic world and the root of decades of violence, killing, war, assassination,
and bloodshed in Palestine and the region," the statement reiterated.
It
added that certainly, the result of this action of the Bahraini government will
only cause the growing anger and lasting hatred of the oppressed people of
Palestine, the Muslims, and the free nations of the world.
"The
responsibility for all the consequences of this action lies with the Bahraini
government and other accompanying governments," the statement further
said.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990623000749
--------
PAS
chief: Only Malay-Muslim unity can lead and save the country
13
Sep 2020
BY
RADZI RAZAK
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 13 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang today said that a
Malay-Muslim unity is needed to save and lead the country to the right
direction.
Speaking
at the party’s annual general meeting (Muktamar) this morning, Abdul Hadi said
based on Al-Quran’s Islamic politics, philosophy and history the Arabs and
Turks who first dominated the world using Islam lost their mandate as their
leaders started abandoning the religion.
“The
nation that is with Islam must rise so that it is not swept away by the
influence of non-Muslims who lose their identity.
“The
nation may also be saved by other races who embrace and accept Islam without
letting them be drowned by non-Muslims who are forbidden to be guardians or
leaders of Muslims based on the word of Allah,” he told the 66th Muktamar in
Kota Bharu that was streamed live online today.
Abdul
Hadi, however, insisted that in this case, non-Muslim rights are still
guaranteed.
He
said Islam allows to establish relations with a non-Muslim plural society with
strong boundaries, to maintain Islam as the aqeedah (creed) of the country.
“The
role of non-Muslims in politics is allowed to the extent of holding the
positions of Cabinet Minister, State Government EXCO and Local Government
Council Member related to management and administrative matters that are not
related to policy matters in Islam.
“What
Islam emphasises is not racist fanaticism. The most important thing is that
Islam accepts the nature of love for one’s own race and specifically takes care
of one’s own family,” he said.
In
Sept last year, PAS signed a cooperation pact with their traditional rival –
Umno in the name of Muslim Unity.
Earlier
this year, PAS joined the Perikatan Nasional coalition after taking over the
government together with Umno, Bersatu and Sarawak parties.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/13/pas-chief-only-malay-muslim-unity-can-lead-and-save-the-country/1902766
-------
Arab
world
Three
soldiers killed in Lebanon during raid on militant's house: Army
14
September 2020
Three
Lebanese army soldiers were killed when they came under fire while raiding the
home of a wanted militant in northern Lebanon, the army said in a statement
overnight.
The
patrol from Lebanese army intelligence was attacked with gunfire and a hand
grenade when it raided the house near the city of Tripoli in the Minyeh Jabal
al-Bedawi area, the army said. A fourth soldier was seriously wounded.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/14/Three-soldiers-killed-in-Lebanon-during-raid-on-militant-s-house-Army
--------
Top
Iraq cleric al-Sistani backs early election after UN meeting
13
September 2020
Iraq’s
top Shia cleric on Sunday endorsed early parliamentary elections set for June
2021, following his first meeting in nearly a year with a senior United Nations
official.
“The
parliamentary elections scheduled for next year are of great importance,” said
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, 90, in an online statement after the bilateral
meeting.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Iraqis
should be encouraged to participate “widely,” he added, while warning that
failing to hold the polls on time or in a free and fair way would “threaten the
unity and future of Iraq’s people.”
Al-Sistani
does not make public appearances and typically issues a weekly Friday sermon
through a representative.
He
avoids meeting political figures, but has traditionally made an exception for
the UN, which is seen as unbiased.
This
year, the cleric has been quieter than usual - weekly prayers stopped in late
February with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which also sparked fears
for al-Sistani’s health.
On
Sunday, al-Sistani hosted the UN’s top representative in Iraq Jeanine
Hennis-Plasschaert in his modest home in the shrine city of Najaf, 10 months
since their last meeting.
“If
done in the right way, in the right and credible way, they could open an
important chapter for the country,” she said, referring to early elections.
Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi had announced in late July that Iraq would hold
parliamentary elections nearly a year early, seeking to make good on one of the
main promises he made when he came to power earlier this year.
Al-Sistani
has himself been a proponent of early elections since last year, when
unprecedented anti-government protests rocked Baghdad and the Shia-majority
cities of the south.
The
cleric had been increasingly sharp in his criticism of the current fragmented
parliament, which was elected in May 2018.
The
329-member body has voted in favor of electoral reform ahead of next year’s
elections but has yet to decide on key elements, including district size.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/13/Top-Iraq-cleric-al-Sistani-backs-early-election-after-UN-meeting
--------
Macron
calls Lebanese parliamentary speaker as new government deadline approaches
13
September 2020
French
President Emmanuel Macron has held a call with Lebanon’s parliamentary speaker
to try to remove an obstacle to meeting this week’s deadline for forming a new
government to drag the nation out of crisis, a Lebanese politician said on
Sunday.
Speaker
Nabih Berri leads the Amal Movement, a Shia Muslim party allied to the powerful
Hezbollah group.
Lebanon’s
leadership promised Macron in Beirut on September 1 that they would form a
government of technocrats without party loyalties in about two weeks. They have
just days left.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
A
senior political source said it would take a “miracle” to meet the deadline.
Forming a cabinet usually takes months.
Kassem
Hachem, a senior figure in Berri’s parliamentary bloc, said Macron, who has led
international efforts to help fix Lebanon’s crippling economic problems made
worse by a huge blast in Beirut last month, spoke to Berri on Saturday.
Hachem
said Berri insisted that the finance ministry, at the center of the impasse,
should stay in the hands of the Shia community, which has typically held the
post under Lebanon’s sectarian power sharing arrangements.
The
cabinet is being formed by Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adeeb, a Sunni who
quit as ambassador to Berlin to take the post. He has made few public comments,
but sources have said he wants to shake up the leadership of ministries, some
of which have been controlled by the same sectarian factions for years.
France
has drawn up a roadmap of measures to tackle endemic state corruption and deal
with a host of other economic problems so Lebanon, facing its worst crisis
since the 1975-1990 civil war, can secure desperately needed international aid.
Donors
pledged billions of dollars in 2018 but funds were not disbursed because
Lebanon failed to deliver reforms.
The
finance minister will be central to building the reform program needed to end a
banking crisis that sent the currency into tailspin, plunging many Lebanese
into poverty.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/13/Macron-calls-Lebanese-parliamentary-speaker-as-new-government-deadline-approaches0
--------
Lebanon's
Nabih Berri says his Hezbollah-allied Amal will not be part of next govt
13
September 2020
Lebanon's
parliamentary speaker said his group opposed the way the prime minister-designate
was forming a new cabinet and that it would not join on those terms, but that
he would still cooperate to stabilize the nation in crisis, his office said.
The
office of Nabih Berri, head of the Muslim Shia Amal Movement which is allied to
the powerful Hezbollah group, listed in a statement criticisms of the way the
cabinet was being formed by Mustapha Adib, including a lack of consultations.
“The
problem is not with the French, the problem is internal,” Berri's office said
in its statement, after an ally said Berri had held a telephone call with
French President Emmanuel Macron who is pressing for Lebanese reforms.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/13/Lebanon-s-Nabih-Berri-says-his-Hezbollah-allied-Amal-will-not-part-of-next-government
--------
60th
anniversary: Saudi-led OPEC now doing US bidding
14
September 2020
With
Iran and Venezuela sidelined in OPEC under sanctions, Saudi Arabia has shown it
would rather guarantee US interests through the oil grouping than risk losing
American support, current and former OPEC officials say.
OPEC
is marking its 60th anniversary and today (Monday) is the day oil ministers
from Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran gathered in Baghdad in 1960
to found the group to counter the colonial power of seven US and British oil
companies.
This
was a historic moment which would transform the oil industry and oil markets,
where the countries owning the minerals did not benefit commensurately from the
riches which belonged to them and their people.
The
founding resolutions stipulate that member countries study how to stabilize
prices “by the regulation of production, with due regard to the interests of
the producing and of the consuming nations and to the necessity of securing a
steady income to the producing countries.”
That
was how in 1973, Arab members of OPEC brought the US economy to its knees when
they imposed their famous oil embargo as retribution for American support for
Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
OPEC
as a bloc also resisted US pressure to tamper with market prices for decades,
notably in 2011 during the uprising against Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, but its
record over the past three years has largely been one of capitulation - only
under the Saudi domination.
Saudi
Arabia and other like-minded OPEC members have repeatedly yielded to pressure
from Washington to pump more oil since US President Donald Trump took office at
the start of 2017.
Trump
has regularly called on Saudi rulers to ensure lower gasoline prices to help
him win over US consumers.
"And
when prices got too low for US drilling companies to make money this year, OPEC
hashed out a deal to bring them back up slightly, in an agreement spurred on by
Washington's threat to reduce its military backing for Riyadh," Reuters
said Sunday, citing sources which it did not identify.
“Trump
orders from Saudi Arabia what he needs for the oil price - and he is served,”
Chakib Khelil, who was Algeria’s oil minister for a decade and OPEC’s president
in 2001 and 2008, told the news agency.
“So
indeed OPEC has changed,” Khelil stressed.
OPEC
weakened amid sanctions on Iran, Venezuela
Saudi
Arabia has been the leading OPEC producer for decades, giving it the biggest
sway over policy, but the US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela have only
increased its domination much to Washington's delight.
Trump
has developed a close relationship with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Mohammed
bin Salman or MBS who relies on the US for weapons and protection.
According
to a forthcoming book detailing a veteran journalist’s interviews with Trump,
the US president bragged that he had protected MBS from congressional scrutiny
after the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi two years ago.
Trump
also boasted about how much Saudi Arabia relied on the United States, saying
that the country "wouldn’t last a week if we’re not there, and they know
it”.
That
reliance, however, comes with an exorbitant cost and Saudi rulers are always
amenable to paying that.
In
2018, as oil prices spiked over $70 a barrel, a level Washington viewed as too
high for US consumers, Trump thundered with a barrage of tweets directed at
Saudi Arabia.
“Oil
prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!” he tweeted on June 13,
2018, nine days ahead of an OPEC meeting.
As
OPEC gathered in Austria on June 22, Trump wrote: “Hope OPEC will increase
output substantially. Need to keep prices down!” Later that day, OPEC agreed to
raise its output by a million barrels a day.
Two
OPEC officials, cited by Reuters, said a Trump intervention on oil prices
effectively nudges the Saudi-led organization to discuss or even adjust its
production policy.
Earlier
this year, Trump wanted something new from OPEC: a production cut, to help US
oil companies make money.
According
to Reuters, Trump gave Saudi leaders an ultimatum as the United States pressed
Saudi Arabia to end its oil price war with Russia.
The
threat to upend a 75-year strategic alliance was central to the US pressure
campaign that led to a landmark global deal to slash oil supply, scoring a
diplomatic victory for the White House, the news agency said.
“Just
spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President
Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back
approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it
happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry!” Trump tweeted on April
2.
“In
sum, OPEC does not make decisions anymore on what is best for its members
economically, as it is supposed to according to its statutes,” Algeria’s Khelil
said.
Reuters
cited Iran’s former OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili telling the news
agency in 2018, when OPEC+ had just raised output following pressure from
Trump, that both OPEC and the broader group had begun acting against the
interests of their smaller members.
“They
gave an oil price gift to Trump while inflicting revenue loss on all OPEC
members,” he said.
Even
so, most members are unanimous in keeping the organization in one piece,
believing that OPEC's old good days will come back.
“It’s
important to be a member of OPEC or OPEC+ so that you can maximize your
interests,” Reuters quoted what it called a source familiar with Iran’s oil
policy as saying.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/14/634047/Saudi-OPEC-US-interests
--------
South
Asia
Taliban
could exchange inmates for truce: Afghan govt peace chief Abdullah Abdullah
12
September 2020
The
Taliban could offer a truce in exchange for the release of its jailed fighters,
the head of the peace process for the Afghan government said as talks opened
Saturday.
The
beginning of the US-backed negotiations were marked with a slick ceremony in a
luxury hotel in Doha, but major differences divide the two camps meaning a
quick breakthrough is unlikely.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Abdullah
Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National
Reconciliation, said “it could be the case” that the Taliban would demand further
prisoner releases before committing to a temporary halt to violence.
Under
the terms of the force withdrawal deal struck between the US and the Taliban in
Doha in February, 5,000 Taliban prisoners have already been released in
exchange for 1,000 government forces.
“This
could be one of their ideas or one of their demands,” Abdullah told AFP in the
interview without ruling out the idea.
“It
is for the negotiating team to find out what are the things which can help us
seize the moment.”
In
his opening speech, Abdullah called for an immediate, humanitarian ceasefire –
but his plea went unanswered by Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
who made no mention of a truce in his opening remarks.
The
Taliban have long worried that reducing violence could lessen their leverage
but have implemented two temporary ceasefires in the past year alone.
Asked
if the approaching US presidential elections in November were the reason for
the vigor of Washington’s diplomacy, Abdullah said “they have intensified it in
the past few months.”
“But
the urgency is really with the Afghan people,” he added.
“The
Moria camp (is) the destiny of many Afghan families, large numbers of them,
because of the continuation of the war,” he said referring to Greece’s Moria
camp which burned down this week and was home to many Afghans
“It
couldn’t be more timely or more urgently needed,” Abdullah said.
Both
sides got to work immediately after the opening ceremony, Abdullah said, with
wrangling already underway on a code of conduct and timetable for the talks.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/12/Taliban-could-exchange-inmates-for-truce-Afghan-govt-peace-chief-Abdullah-Abdullah
--------
Afghan
govt remains grateful to India's commitment, solidarity with Afghanistan:
Acting FM
Sep
13, 2020
KABUL:
The Afghan government remains grateful to India's commitment and solidarity
with Afghanistan, the country's acting foreign minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar.
Taking
to Twitter, Atmar appreciated external affairs minister S Jaishankar for
reaffirming India's support for peace and to the people of Afghanistan.
"My
sincere appreciation to EAM @DrSJaishankar and @MEAIndia for reaffirming
India's support for peace and the free will of the Afghan people. We profoundly
remain grateful to India's commitment and solidarity with Afghanistan,"
Atmar tweeted.
My
sincere appreciation to HE EAM @DrSJaishankar and @MEAIndia for reaffirming
India’s support for peace and the fr… https://t.co/fbLVlDPUX0
—
Mohammed Haneef Atmar محمد
حنیف اتمر (@MHaneefAtmar) 1599996608000
Atmar's
appreciation for India comes when the peace talks between the Afghanistan
government and the Taliban have opened in Qatar's capital Doha to end the
decades of war that has killed tens of thousands.
Jaishankar
on Saturday participated during the opening ceremony of Afghan peace
negotiations in Doha through video conferencing and reiterated that the peace
process should be Afghan-led and ensure the interests of minorities and women.
He
said Afghan soil should never be used for carrying out anti-India activities
and supported the need for an immediate ceasefire in order to establish
long-lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Taking
to his Twitter, the external affairs minister said, "Addressed the
conference on Afghan peace negotiations at Doha today. Conveyed that the peace
process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled, respect
national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, promote human
rights and democracy, ensure the interest of minorities, women and the
vulnerable and effectively address violence across the country."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/afghan-govt-remains-grateful-to-indias-commitment-solidarity-with-afghanistan-acting-fm/articleshow/78092142.cms
--------
War
Amid Peace Negotiation Illogical: Stanekzai
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
13
Sep 2020
DOHA,
Qatar – Head of the Afghan negotiating team Masoom Stanekzai in a press
conference Sunday said peace negotiation while war still going on in the
country is not logical.
Stanekzai,
in joint press conference with chairman of the High Council for National
Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in Doha, Qatar, said an agenda is being worked
on to facilitate Intra-Afghan talks on peace in the country.
He
hoped the initial talks will agree on a comprehensive ceasefire in Afghanistan,
leading the talks to and end with no deadlock or hindrance.
Addressing
the ongoing war, mostly claimed by the Taliban, stanekzai said war amid peace
talks in the country is unacceptable.
Meanwhile,
Abdullah said the doors for negotiation will not be closed despite conflicting
thoughts of both parties.
He
stressed on the joint effort, saying it is a responsibility for both sides to
push through the process of Intra-Afghan talks after the initials settings have
been made on Saturday.
Abdullah,
furthermore, denied any exclusive meeting with the Taliban head Mullah Abdul
Ghani Baradar in Doha, saying there was no meeting as such.
His
remark came at a time sources suggested Abdullah, Baradar and Mike Pompeo of
State Secretary attended a trilateral meeting.
On
Saturday, the opening session of Intra-Afghan talks were held in Qatari capital
Doha, where the Afghan and the Taliban delegation team, including international
allies, came together to start the long-waited peace negation that will end the
roughly two decades of war in Afghanistan.
https://www.khaama.com/war-amid-peace-negotiation-illogical-stanekzai-2343/
--------
Logar
Clashes Claim 4 People Uprising Forces
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
13
Sep 2020
LOGAR,
Afghanistan – At least four People’s Uprising Forces were killed during clashed
with the Taliban insurgents in Logar province, local authorities confirmed.
Dedar
Lung, Logar Governor, said the clashes begin in Pul Matani area of Pul Alam
city in Logar province.
The
Taliban raided PUF post in the area at late Saturday night, which killed at
least four uprising forces and wounded further a number.
The
battle, which lasted a few hours, has been warded off after security forces
were deployed at the scene.
Taliban
did not immediately comment on the incident.
Logar
is considered one of the most insecure provinces, where armed Taliban have
active influences in some cities.
https://www.khaama.com/logar-clashes-claim-4-people-uprising-forces-34534/
--------
Afghan
forces, Taliban clash as Doha peace talks continue
13
September 2020
Peace
talks between Afghan government and the Taliban were held for the 2nd day, but
reports of ongoing violent clashes back in Afghanistan are stark reminder of
obstacles ahead.
The
peace talks resumed Sunday in the Qatari capital Doha, where the Taliban have a
representative office.
The
talks are expected to tackle thorny issues, including a permanent cease-fire,
the rights of women and minorities, and the disarming of tens of thousands of
Taliban militants and militias loyal to warlords.
Constitutional
changes and power sharing are expected to be on the agenda as well.
Abdullah
Abdullah, the country's former chief executive officer who is heading the
Afghan negotiating team, earlier said that achieving a significant reduction in
violence and a permanent ceasefire would be among the first issues in Sunday talks.
He
said the Taliban could offer a truce in exchange for the release of more of
their jailed militants.
"This
could be one of their ideas or one of their demands," said Abdullah, who
also heads Afghanistan's peace council.
The
first day included a formal ceremony and efforts to agree on a framework of the
first direct negotiations between the two sides since a deal clinched between
the United States and the militant group earlier this year.
At a
ceremony opening the talks on Saturday, the Afghan government called for a
ceasefire, but the Taliban did not mention a truce as they came to the
negotiating table.
Diplomats
and delegates warned during the opening ceremony that the negotiations will be
arduous and messy.
"We
will undoubtedly encounter many challenges in the talks over the coming days,
weeks and months," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Doha.
Observers
said that although getting both sides to the negotiating table was a major
achievement, this does not mean the path to peace will be easy, especially with
violence increasing around Afghanistan.
President
Donald Trump made the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan a promise before
the 2016 presidential election. In the countdown to the November presidential
election, Washington has ramped up pressure to start intra-Afghan negotiations.
Afghan
forces, Taliban continue to clash amid talks
The
Afghan Defense Ministry said that Taliban and the government forces were still
fighting in many places across the war-ravaged country.
"With
the start of intra-Afghan talks, we were expecting the Taliban to reduce the
number of their attacks, but unfortunately their attacks are still going in
high numbers," Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry
said.
"We
don't have exact information about the Taliban attacks on Saturday, but I can
say the number of attacks has increased instead of decreased.”
Local
Afghan officials said Sunday at least six police were killed in a Taliban
attack in Kunduz overnight, while five officers were slain in another attack in
Kapisa province.
A
roadside mine blast in the capital Kabul also wounded two civilians, while
another explosion in Kabul district resulted in no casualties.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the militant group
attacked a convoy of Afghan forces that had arrived to launch an anti-terror
operation along a key highway in Kunduz.
He
added that security forces carried out air and artillery strikes on Saturday
night in the provinces of Baghlan and Jowzjan
On
Friday, the eve of the inauguration of the talks, the Taliban carried out 18
attacks against government forces and installations across the country,
inflicting heavy casualties.
The
peace talks were held one day after the 19th anniversary of the September 11
terrorist attacks on the United States that triggered the US military invasion
of Afghanistan.
The
intra-Afghan talks were set to take place in March but have repeatedly been
delayed over a prisoner exchange agreement made as part of the United States-Taliban
deal signed in February.
Under
the deal with the US, the Taliban agreed to stop their attacks on US-led
foreign forces in return for the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and
prisoner swap with the government.
The
Afghan government was a party neither to the negotiations nor to the deal, but
it has been acting in accordance with its terms, including by agreeing to free
the Taliban prisoners.
Official
data shows that bombings and other assaults by the Taliban have surged 70
percent since the militant group signed the deal with the United States in
February.
Washington
invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban-run government in 2001 on the
pretext of fighting terrorism following the September 11 attacks in New York.
Afghanistan
has been gripped by insecurity since the US and its allies invaded the country
as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror in 2001. Many parts of the
country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops.
American
forces have since remained bogged down in Afghanistan through the presidencies
of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now, Donald Trump.
About
2,400 US soldiers have been killed, along with unknown numbers of Afghan troops
and Taliban militants. More than 100,000 Afghans have been killed or injured
since 2009 when the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began documenting
casualties.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/634008/US-Afghanistan-Taliban-Doha-Abdullah-Abdullah-Fawad-Aman
--------
North
America
FM
Abdullah bin Zayed arrives in Washington to sign US-brokered UAE-Israel peace
deal
Tuqa
Khalid
Sep
14, 2020
UAE’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin
Zayed arrived in Washington on Sunday, leading the delegation to the signing
ceremony of the UAE-Israel peace deal hosted by US President Donald Trump.
The
signing ceremony will take place on Tuesday, in the presence of Israeli Prime
Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The
high level delegation comprises Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Cabinet Member and
Minister of Economy, Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial
Affairs, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International
Cooperation, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Cabinet Member and Minister of
Industry and Advanced Technology, Ali Said Matar Al Neyadi, Commissioner of
Customs and Chairman of the Federal Customs Authority, Yousef Al-Otaiba, UAE
Ambassador to the United States of America, Omar Saif Ghobash, Assistant
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Cultural Affairs,
Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the
United Nations, and Hend Al-Otaiba, Director of Strategic Communications at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, along with a number
of officials,” the UAE’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
As
part of the US-brokered peace deal, announced at the White House on August 13
following what officials said were 18 months of talks, the UAE agreed to
normalize relations with Israel, while Israel agreed to continue with plans to
suspend its annexation of the West Bank.
The
UAE also abolished on August 29 a previous law that mandated an economic
boycott of Israel.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/13/FM-Abdullah-bin-Zayed-arrives-in-Washington-to-sign-US-brokered-UAE-Israel-peace-deal
--------
CENTCOM
commander admits growing attacks on US troops in Iraq, warns Iran
13
September 2020
Commander
of US military forces in the Middle East has again raised concerns about
surging attacks against American installations in Iraq, linking it to Iran’s
vow to drive out US forces from the region but rejecting it as the reason for a
major US troop reduction in the region.
"We
have had more indirect fire attacks around and against our bases the first half
of this year than we did the first half of last year," said commander of
US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Frank McKenzie in an interview with the
US-based NBC News published on Friday. "Those attacks have been higher."
"They
have not been particularly lethal and that's a good thing, but they are
continuing," McKenzie stated during the interview conducted while he
toured the Middle East, and when asked why the attacks have not been lethal, he
claimed: "They're not hitting us."
"We
know they have very good weapon systems and they are not employing their
high-end weapon systems. They're employing things like 107 mm rockets and
mortars, which are not as sophisticated as some of their other weapon systems
they have," McKenzie further alleged.
"For
whatever reason, it may be by design, we don't know, they're just not that
successful at hitting anyone. And that's a blessing," claimed the American commander "I don't
know how long we can count on that continuing."
The
allegations were made just hours after
he declared the reduction of nearly half of US forces in Iraq by the end of
this month, with almost 2,200 of them leaving the war-ravaged country.
This
is while a US military official was cited as saying that the frequency of
attacks on American installations has increased, but the overall number of
rockets in each attack is generally lower.
Blaming
Iran for the persisting attacks on US forces in Iraq, he further claimed that
Iranians have pursued political means to influence Baghdad government to demand
the withdrawal of US forces.
Following
the US terror killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, along with a
number accompanying Iraqi and Iranian military officials, Iran launched missile
strikes against the US-held al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, inflicting major losses,
including what Washington has described as traumatic brain injuries on more
than 100 American service members.
McKenzie
went on to say that the US military has brought in additional defensive
capabilities, such as Patriot missile defense systems, to be ready.
"We've
done what we need to do to protect our forces," he claimed.
Warning
Iran against US “red lines”
The
top US commander in the Middle East then expressed concern that Iran could
"pursue other objectives by inflicting a level of pain below what they
think is the US red line."
"That's
very dangerous, because I don't think they have an appreciation for where our
red line would be," McKenzie claimed.
According
to NBC News, the US has been moving American forces out of its bases around
Iraq throughout 2020, consolidating them to a few locations, namely in Baghdad
and Erbil.
The
US has already left al-Qaim, Qayyarah Airfield West, K-1 near Kirkuk, al
Taqqadum, and Camp Taji.
Reducing
the number of bases, McKenzie said, has allowed American forces to decrease
their "attack surface," or the number of possible targets.
As to
whether the US will respond to these attacks, McKenzie stated, "I think
the United States will take whatever steps are necessary to protect our forces
in Iraq."
Tehran
has time and again asserted that it stands ready to defend its interests in the
region.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/633964/US-CENTCOM-commander-Gen--Frank-McKenzie-attack-in-Iraq-Iran
--------
US
Government More Loyal To Saudi Arabia Than To Its Own People: Scholar
12
September 2020
The
United States government has “more loyalty to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia than
it has to its own people,” according to an American human rights expert and
peace activist.
Daniel
Kovalik, who teaches international human rights at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Law in the state of Pennsylvania, made the remarks in an interview
with Press TV on Friday, September 11.
US
President Donald Trump has bargged he shielded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman over the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to an
explosive new book.
Talking
to journalist and writer Bob Woodward, Trump defended bin Salman over the
assassination inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey.
"I
saved his ass," Trump told Woodward for his upcoming book
"Rage," according to an excerpt published on Thursday by Business
Insider.
"I
was able to get Congress to leave him alone. I was able to get them to
stop," Trump said.
Khashoggi,
who was a critic of bin Salman, was hacked to death and his body was
dismembered at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
A UN
report found that there was "sufficient credible evidence" to pin the
murder on bin Salman and he should be investigated for it.
The
Washington Post, for which he was a columnist, reported in November 2018 that
the CIA had concluded that bin Salman had personally ordered his killing by a
hit squad at the consulate.
The
victim used to criticize bin Salman’s policies, including the deadly war the
kingdom is leading against its impoverished southern neighbor Yemen.
Kovalik
said that “it's pretty clear that in fact the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was
behind torture and brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi who was a journalist for
the Washington Post, obviously a very important American paper and the evidence
is clear that he ordered this killing.”
“And
yeah, Trump is now admitting that he ran interference for him to make sure that
Congress would not investigate, and then otherwise he would not be brought to
justice, which is a pretty incredible admission given that he killed an
American journalist,” he said.
“I
think all those responsible including the Crown Prince should be brought to
justice. I mean that's very clear. It is within the power of the US law
enforcement agencies to do that, but again the US doesn't want to do that,
because the US government is so close to Saudi Arabia,” he stated.
“I
mean think about it today's 9/11. Let’s remember that this is the anniversary
of the 9/11 attacks. Fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 attackers were from Saudi
Arabia. There is evidence that in fact Saudi Arabia provided some assistance,
certainly for the planning of that attack, even paid for dry run of the attack,
and yet the US never went after Saudi Arabia instead they went after countries
that opposed al-Qaeda like Libya and Iran,” he added.
“And
of course you have the US continued support of Saudi Arabia's war crimes in
Yemen. So the US turns the other way when it comes to Saudi crimes again, even
Saudi crimes against the US itself in the form of 9/11 or against an American
journalist. It's a very incredible. What it shows is the US government has more
loyalty to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia than it has to its own people,” he
noted.
“In
truth, it doesn't matter who is president for purposes of US ties with Saudi
Arabia. We have to remember that under Obama, his administration was close to
Saudi Arabia, his administration sold weapons to Saudi Arabia for their war in
Yemen, and assisted Saudi Arabia with setting up the blockade of Yemen, which
has caused untold suffering and death in that country,” he said.
“So
this is a bipartisan issue. This is not about Trump. This is about both
parties. This is about the military industrial complex, that Eisenhower was
talking about in the 1950s which has only grown greater since then,” he
concluded.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/12/633922/%E2%80%98US-govt--more-loyal-to-Saudi-Arabia-than-to-its-own-people%E2%80%99
--------
India
A
Case Just Fell Flat, But VHP Push Makes UP Police Probe ‘Love Jihad’
by
Manish Sahu
September
14, 2020
Armed
with a list of cases from Kanpur police stations involving Hindu-Muslim couples
in the past two years, a nine-member team headed by a Deputy Superintendent of
Police-rank officer is looking into allegations of “love jihad”. The probe
follows claims about such cases in the area by right-wing Hindu organisations,
including the VHP.
One
of those alleged cases fell flat recently after the woman testified before a
magistrate that she was a major and had married a Muslim youth of her own
volition.
Inspector
General, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal said, “The inquiry would find out if is
there any connection between Muslim youths involved in such cases. The probe
team would also look into the conspiracy part and see if youths are being
funded from abroad.”
The
police team, headed by DySP Vikas Kumar Pandey, is looking at allegations
regarding 11 such cases. The investigation includes collecting information on the
couples, recording statements of their family members, as well as checking call
detail records of the Muslim youths, Pandey said. Sources said their bank
accounts will also be checked.
IG
Agarwal said a group of people had met him recently to seek such a probe. He
refused to say who they were, except that they were “locals”.
Assistant
Superintendent of Police, Kanpur, Deepak Bhuker said the team was only
conducting an “inquiry” to see if there was any “planning” behind the
incidents, and not an “investigation”. “The team started its inquiry around a
week back and will soon complete it,” Bhuker said.
DySP
Pandey, who heads the team and is Circle Officer, Govind Nagar (Kanpur), said
they had contacted local police stations and sought a report from them on “such
cases” and then collected information on the couples.
“We
are finding out where and how they met. Has any person played the role of a
middleman? The police team is also collecting details from their relatives and
friends. We are also finding out if any of the Muslim youths had hidden their
real identity. We are also studying call detail records of the youths found
involved in such matters,” said Pandey, adding that they could look at cases
other than the 11 they were probing now, depending on what they find.
One
of the alleged cases involves a 21-year-old who left home in July and put up a
video a few days later saying she had married a Muslim man and converted. She
sought protection saying her parents had lodged a false FIR of kidnapping
against him.
Suresh
Singh, the Senior Sub-Inspector of Babupurwa Police Station, which probed the
case, said the couple had approached the court and the woman had told a
magistrate that she had married as per her choice. Since the woman is a major,
there was nothing for the police to do and they would conclude the
investigation, Singh said.
Another
case the team is looking at is from Naubasta, of a Muslim youth called Fateh
Khan, who is accused of passing himself off as Aryan Malhotra, and owning
separate Aadhaar cards under the two names. The Hindu family in whose house he
had rented a room for the past two years had later accused him of abusing their
minor daughter.
Station
House Officer, Naubasta Police Station, Kunj Bihari Mishra said they had
recovered both the Aadhaar cards carrying the same photo. He had since been
booked on rape charges and jailed, Mishra said.
VHP
sah mantri of Kanpur region, Deen Dayal Gaur, said they had gone to meet the
IG, Kanpur range, last month because they “suspected that Muslim youths were
targeting Hindu girls who are from poor backgrounds”. Muslims youths involved
in such cases hid their real identities from the girls, Gaur said. “We
requested the IG to look into such cases, and also check if these youths are
being funded from anywhere,” he said.
Bajrang
Dal’s Kanpur zila sahyojak Naresh Tomar said, “We demanded from the IG Kanpur
to conduct a thorough investigation into such cases so that the conspiracy
could unearthed.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/a-case-just-fell-flat-but-vhp-push-makes-up-police-probe-love-jihad-6595005/
--------
Farooq
Abdullah attends Parliament 1st time after Article 370 abrogation
Sep
14, 2020
NEW
DELHI: National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Monday attended the
Monsoon Session of Parliament for the first time after a gap of more than a
year since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah
was among the various Jammu and Kashmir leaders who claimed to have been put
into pre-emptive detention in the erstwhile state after the Centre on August 5
last year abrogated Article 370 which gave special status to the region.
Abdullah
seemed to seek attention in this session in the backdrop of allegations that
some leaders in Jammu and Kashmir were kept under illegal detention after Jammu
and Kashmir's status was changed. He was welcomed by senior leaders, including
Congress' Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, NCP's Supriya Sule, DMK's A. Raja
and Muthuvel Karunanidhi Kanimozhi and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
(AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi in the Lok Sabha chamber where he was
sitting at his designated seat in the second row of opposition benches.
During
the debate on the revocation of Article 370 in last year's Winter Session,
several opposition leaders had demanded that Abdullah, a seasoned
parliamentarian, be allowed to attend Parliament. Abdullah had then spoken to
the media in an emotional interview in Srinagar, saying he had to break the
door of his house to come out of detention and had rejected Union Home Minister
Amit Shah's claim that he was free to move.
Farooq
Abdullah was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 from Jammu and Kashmir and
re-elected in 2009. He resigned from the Rajya Sabha in May 2009 and won a seat
in the Lok Sabha from Srinagar. Abdullah joined the United Progressive Alliance
government as a Cabinet Minister of New and Renewable Energy. Abdullah's
presence will boost opposition's support when it will hit out at the Centre on
various issues during the Monsoon Session which started on Monday and will be
held till October 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Abdullah's
presence is also likely to bring focus back to Peoples Democratic Party
president Mehbooba Mufti's continued detention. While most of the mainstream
political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir have been released, including Farooq
and his son Omar Abdullah, on March 13 and March 24, 2020, Mufti continues to
be held under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
The
last parliamentary session was cut short on March 25 following the spread of
the deadly Covid-19 disease. The government has decided to do away with the
Question Hour and instead only written replies will be given in the Monsoon
Session which will hold 36 sittings -- 16 each for both the Lok Sabha and the
Rajya Sabha -- without Saturday and Sunday break.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/farooq-abdullah-attends-parliament-1st-time-after-art-370-abrogation/articleshow/78099624.cms
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‘Threats
Won’t Deter Cadres From Defeating Nefarious Designs Of Terrorists’: Congress
Sep
13, 2020
Congress
has strongly condemned the threat to several political leaders including
Congress party and termed it a cowardly act of frustrated cadres of
Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
Reacting
to Hizbul’s letter, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief
spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that such cowardly acts would not deter the
Congress cadres committed to defeating the designs of terrorists and their
mentors in Pakistan.
However,
Sharma said that the top leadership of the Congress party and party cadres are
carrying on the political activities against militants at a great risk to their
lives. He said the present dispensation under the command of ruling BJP has
either withdrawn or downgraded the security cover of most of the party leaders.
Sharma
hoped the security agencies would take due cognizance of the situation and do
the needful required in such matters to ensure proper security cover to all
those who are vulnerable to terrorist threats.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/threats-won-t-deter-cadres-from-defeating-nefarious-designs-of-terrorists-congress/story-vPjw3gda9nVRnLbfDHMrwO.html
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Pak
using underground tunnels to push terrorists, drones to drop arms: J&K DGP
Posted
by Kanishka Sarkar
Sep
13, 2020
Pakistan
is using cross-border underground tunnels to push terrorists into India and
drones to drop weapons for them, the chief of Jammu and Kashmir police said
Sunday.
Director
general of police Dilbag Singh, however, said the anti-infiltration grid is
active and anti-tunnelling operations are underway to scuttle “nefarious
designs”.
“Digging
of tunnels beneath the IB is part of the nefarious designs of Pakistan to
facilitate infiltration of terrorists into this side to step up terrorism,”
Singh told reporters in Samba district after inspecting the recently discovered
170-metre tunnel at Galar village along the IB.
The
tunnel with a depth of 20-25 feet and originating from Pakistan was found by a
BSF team near the border-fencing on August 28.
“I
saw this huge tunnel which is almost similar to the one detected in Chanyari in
2013-14. After the Nagrota encounter, we had received specific inputs that
infiltration had taken place through a tunnel and was searching for it,” the
DGP said.
Three
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists were killed in the encounter in Nagrota in
January this year.
“The
investigation is on but the ground indicators suggest that the tunnel was used
by Pakistan in the past to push infiltrators,” he said but did not rule out the
possibility of more such tunnels.
He
said BSF and police personnel are searching the area for any other tunnel.
On
the recent recovery of sophisticated weapons, including an M-16 rifle, from a
Kashmir-bound truck near Qazigund, he said the investigation is going on and it
is believed that the arms were airdropped using drones in Samba sector.
Two
overground workers of JeM, who were transporting the weapons in a truck, have
identified the place in Samba from where they picked up the consignment for
delivery to terrorists active in south Kashmir, officials said.
Asked
about the possibility of presence of overground workers of terrorists in Jammu,
Singh said the region has always been on the radar of Pakistan and it is
evident from suicide attacks on military installations in Jammu, Samba and
Kathua districts over the years.
“We
have made adequate deployment and are taking all necessary precautions to
frustrate the designs of Pakistan both along the border and in the hinterland,”
he said.
Officials
said the DGP reviewed the overall security situation, especially along the IB,
in the district during his visit and was also briefed by senior police and BSF
officers.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pak-using-underground-tunnels-to-push-terrorists-drones-to-drop-arms-j-k-dgp/story-Nb1FgwRQUtGsLtkLYtZ1SN.html
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Wajid
Ali Shah’s great grandson dies of Covid
Sep
14, 2020
Lucknow:
The great grandson of Awadh's last king Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and grandson of
Nawab Birjis Qadr, Prince Kaukab Quder Sajjad Ali Meerza, died in Kolkata on
Sunday evening. The last surviving great grandson of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum
Hazrat Mahal, the 87-year-old had tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago, his
family said.
He is
survived by his wife, Badr-un-Nissa 'Badr' who belongs to Lucknow's famous
Khandan-e-Ijtihad and is the daughter of poet Fazl Naqvi. The couple has two
sons and four daughters.
He
last visited Lucknow in May 2017 at the screening of a film on his great
grandmother Begum Hazrat Mahal. The 26-minute documentary was commissioned by
the Films Division and premiered in Lucknow for the first time on the 137th
death anniversary of the queen.
Kaukab
was also a senior trustee of the Sibtainabad Imambara Trust in Matiaburj,
Kolkata, where his great grandfather, King Wajid Ali Shah lies buried.
After
doing his doctorate in Urdu from Aligarh Muslim University on the 'Literary
& Cultural Contributions of Wajid Ali Shah', he joined the same university
as a teacher and retired as professor of Urdu in 1993.
"Also
known as Dr M Kaukub, he was a popular figure in the billiards and snooker
fraternity of the country. He was the founder-secretary of The Billiards &
Snooker Federation of India, The West Bengal Billiards Association and also The
Uttar Pradesh Billiards & Snooker Association," his son Irfan Ali
Mirza said.
He
was the chief referee of the first World Snooker Championship held at the
iconic Great Eastern Hotel in Calcutta in 1963-64. He remained the chief
referee of the National Billiards & Snooker Championship till it left the
Palm Court of the Great Eastern Hotel in the 70s.
The
rolling trophy of the IBSF World Snooker Championship, the M M Baig Trophy, was
designed by him, and to this day remains the prestigious rolling trophy of the
World Championship.
He
had made his daughter Manzilat Fatima play the Junior National Snooker
Championship in 1980 in Ahmedabad, thus making her the first female ever to
participate in the National Snooker Championship, the son said.
He
had also taken out a pioneering Billiards magazine, The Baulkline, in the
1970s.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/wajid-ali-shahs-great-grandson-dies-of-covid/articleshow/78096438.cms
--------
Africa
Libya’s
Haftar committed to ending oil blockade, US says
12
September 2020
Libyan
commander Khalifa Haftar has committed to ending a months-long blockade of oil
facilities, the US embassy in the country said in a statement on Saturday, but
oil ports and fields remained shut.
The
statement said the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) had conveyed “the
personal commitment of General Haftar to allow the full reopening of the energy
sector no later than September 12”.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It
comes after the United States has led efforts to end the oil shutdown amid a
wider diplomatic push to cement a ceasefire and a political agreement between
rival factions based in the east and west of the country.
Haftar’s
LNA and its backers imposed the blockade in January, reducing Libya’s oil
output from more than one million barrels per day (bpd) to less than 100,000
bpd, and further deepening Libya’s economic collapse.
Although
authorities in eastern Libya have allowed some stored oil products to be
exported in order to ease a power generation crisis in eastern Libya, they have
stopped short of lifting the blockade.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/energy/2020/09/12/Libya-s-Haftar-committed-to-ending-oil-blockade-US-says
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Mali
military junta backs 18-month transition government
12
September 2020
The
head of Mali’s military junta, Colonel Assimi Goita, vowed to establish an
18-month transition government Saturday, at the close of talks on returning the
country to civilian rule following last month’s coup.
An
expert group appointed by the junta adopted a charter for an 18-month
transition government, the president of which would either be a military
officer or a civilian.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“We
make a commitment before you to spare no effort in the implementation of all
these resolutions in the exclusive interest of the Malian people,” Goita said.
Last
Monday, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS issued a new appeal for Mali to
make a “swift” transition to civilian rule following a military coup on August
18.
The
15-nation Economic Community of West African States slapped sanctions on Mali
after the putsch, including closing borders and a ban on trade and financial
flows, and has called for elections within 12 months.
Mali
has long been plagued by instability, a simmering extremist revolt, ethnic
violence and endemic corruption, with widespread unrest building until a clique
of rebel soldiers detained President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last month.
Within
hours of taking control, the military junta pledged to enact a political
transition and stage elections within a “reasonable time.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/12/Mali-military-junta-backs-18-month-transition-government
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Libyan
protesters torch Haftar-backed govt. headquarters in Benghazi
13
September 2020
Libyan
protesters have reportedly set fire to headquarters of the eastern
administration backed by rebel forces under the command of renegade general
Khalifa Haftar in the country’s second city of Benghazi.
Speaking
on condition of anonymity, an official from the interior ministry in the
eastern government said a group of demonstrators attacked the cabinet building
in the early hours of Sunday and set it ablaze before fleeing the scene.
Police
and firefighters quickly arrived but the fire had destroyed the main entrance
to the building, according to the official.
Reports
also said protests erupted in the northeastern city of al-Marj, with police
forces opening fire on demonstrators after they forced their way into the
police station.
Protests
in Benghazi began late Thursday in the wake of rising anger at regular power
cuts, cash shortages and high fuel prices as Haftar imposed blockade against
most of the country's oil facilities in January.
Libya
— which sits atop the largest oil reserves in Africa — has been forced to halt
its oil production as a result of the illegal blockade.
The
violence-wracked country used to produce nearly 1.2 million barrels per day
last year but that figure plunged to about 90,000 daily barrels since the rebel
forces forced the halt to the operations at the eastern oilfields and ports.
The blockade has cost the North African nation at least eight billion dollars.
Libya
first plunged into chaos in 2011, when a popular uprising backed by a NATO
intervention led to the ouster of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Two
rival seats of power have emerged in Libya since 2014, namely the internationally-recognized
government run by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and the parliament based in
the eastern city of Tobruk, supported militarily by Haftar’s rebels.
The
Libyan rebels are supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Jordan.
They launched an unsuccessful military offensive to seize the capital, Tripoli,
and unseat the government in April 2019.
The
Libyan military has undone many of the rebels’ gains with crucial support from
its own patron, Turkey.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/634027/Libyan-protesters-eastern-administration-Khalifa-Haftar-Benghazi
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Group
says Zakzaky’s health 'seriously deteriorating', urges his release
Sunday,
13 September 2020
A
Shia group affiliated with the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has expressed
concern about the worsening health conditions of prominent cleric Sheikh
Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife, demanding their "unconditional release"
from prison.
The
Academic Forum, which is a branch of the IMN and focuses on intellectual, cultural
and civilizational advancement of the movement, raised fresh concerns on
Saturday over the deteriorating health of the 67-year-old leader and his wife,
Zinat, in a jail in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kaduna.
The
group said information at its disposal revealed that bullets lodged in
Zakzazy's skull and body during the December 2015 clash with Nigerian soldiers
were threatening his life.
“Available
information reaching us revealed that the health condition of Sheikh Ibrahim
Zakzaky and his wife Malama Zinat Ibrahim is seriously deteriorating,” the
Academic Forum’s spokesperson Abdullahi Muhammad Musa said.
"Our
concern over the deteriorating health of Sheikh Zakzaky is growing, as a person
with this critical condition is not supposed to remain in incarceration. How on
earth will he continue to be in prison with bullet shrapnel causing more harm
to an already worsening situation. This is not implausible that there are some
sinister motives behind the regime’s insistence on keeping him in the highly
congested jail in Kaduna. How else can the actions of the regime be explained,”
he added.
The
Shia group’s spokesman said the Nigerian government had prevented physicians from
providing medical assistance to the top Muslim cleric, adding that a team of
Indian doctors that came to Nigeria for the investigation and review of
Zakzaky’s case were not permitted to visit him.
“Take
for instance the aborted trip to India. From the beginning, after the travel
permit was granted by a court, moves were made by the government to frustrate
it… The team of doctors that came to Nigeria for the investigation and review
of his case were refused access to him. Instead they were substituted with very
unusual set of unfamiliar doctors that acted in ways that caused the sheikh and
his wife to become suspicious,” Musa said.
“It
is obvious that the Sheikh's critical health condition has not been given the
attention it so requires… His wife suffers from severe arthritis in her knee
joints, which her doctors have said can only be treated with knee replacement
surgery since at least three years ago. She also has loose fragments of bullet
pieces in her abdominal area which cause a large number of episodes of periodic
life-threatening complications with her organs,” he added.
The
Academic Forum’s spokesperson pointed to the two strokes the IMN’s leader had
already suffered while in detention, and said both Zakzaky and his wife needed
“urgent and critical interventions to salvage their health.”
“In
view of the deteriorating health condition of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky and his
wife Malama Zinat Ibrahim, we are demanding for unconditional release of the
couple,” the Shia group said.
Zakzaky
has been in detention since December 2015 after his residence in the city of
Zaria was raided by Nigeria’s forces, during which he was beaten and lost
vision in his left eye.
During
the brutal arrest, three of his sons were also killed, his wife sustained
serious wounds, and more than 300 of his followers lost their lives.
The
Nigerian government has been cracking down on Shia Muslim ceremonies for
several years and has also banned the IMN, whose members regularly take to the
streets of the capital Abuja to call for the release of their leader.
Zakzaky
was charged in April 2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly,
the disruption of public peace, and other accusations. He has pleaded not
guilty, vehemently rejecting all the accusations brought up against him.
In
2016, Nigeria’s federal high court ordered Zakzaky’s unconditional release from
jail following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.
The
IMN members say the Nigerian government has turned a deaf ear to all protests
calling for the top cleric’s release.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/633975/Nigeria-Academic-Forum-IMN-Muslim-cleric-Sheikh-Ibrahim-Zakzaky
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Daesh-linked
militants seize two islands in Mozambique
12
September 2020
Daesh-linked
militants in northern Mozambique have seized two tiny islands in the Indian
Ocean, threatening sea traffic in an area where a multi-billion-dollar offshore
gas exploration project is under development.
The
seizure of Mecungo and Vamisse islands comes a month after the terrorists occupied
the strategic port town of Mocimboa da Praia, which was used for cargo
deliveries for the development of the gas project.
Witnesses
said the militants arrived in small fishing boats at night Wednesday and
removed people from their houses before torching them.
They
ordered residents to leave the islands mostly inhabited by internally-displaced
people who fled their villages on the mainland where attacks have escalated.
“They
got us together and told us to run away if we want to live. I think everyone left
the island,” one witness told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Government
forces are still battling to retake the Mocimboa da Praia port since it was
occupied on August 12.
France's
energy company Total, which is investing $23 billion in the gas exploration
project, stated that it no longer relies on the occupied port.
The
Takfiri terrorists have carried out attacks in the region since 2017,
displacing more than 250,000 people and killing at least 1,500.
There
have been a growing number of attacks by militant groups in former colonized
countries across East and Central Africa amid the persistent presence of
foreign military forces to protect their interests in the mineral-rich yet very
impoverished nations.
Following
a coup against French-backed Mali’s president last month, the European Union
suspended its military missions in the former French colony aimed at training
the country’s army and police forces under the pretext of stabilizing the
impoverished nation.
Drawn
up in late 2012 to help Mali's army regain control of the country after France
drove out militants in the north, the EU military mission (EUTM Mali) has more
than 600 soldiers from 28 European countries including EU and non-member
states.
Its
headquarters in Mali's capital Bamako was targeted by militants in 2016.
The
coup in Mali has raised the prospects of further political turmoil in the
country which, like other countries in the region, is facing an expanding
threat from Daesh-linked militants.
Militants
and inter-ethnic violence in Mali and neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso killed
at least 4,000 people in 2019, according to the United Nations.
This
is while the entire Sahel region is seeing ever more brazen attacks by
Daesh-linked militants despite the beefing up of national armies and the
deployment of 5,100 French troops.
Other
countries in the region, such as Nigeria, Somalia, and Mozambique have also
seen a major surge in militancy and many instances of deadly attacks against
military and civilian targets in the past decade.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/12/633897/Mozambique-Daesh-linked-militants-gas-exploration-project-Total-oil-company
--------
Mideast
Israel
forces Palestinian brothers to demolish own home in Jerusalem al-Quds
13
September 2020
Israeli
authorities have forced two Palestinian brothers to tear down their own home in
the occupied the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds, a local media report says.
The
Palestinian Information Center, citing sources, reported on Sunday that Israeli
authorities left Palestinian brothers Mohamed and Mustafa al-Salayma no choice
but to demolish their two-story apartment building in Silwan town, a
predominantly Palestinian neighborhood on the outskirts of the Old City of
Jerusalem al Quds.
The
municipality’s order to raze the building was issued under the pretext of
lacking the necessary construction license, which is almost impossible to
obtain.
The
municipality had ordered them to raze their building and if they refused to do
as ordered, demolition crews from the municipality would do the job, and in
that case, the two brothers would have to pay the sum of 15,000 US dollars as
demolition costs.
The
brothers said that they had tried multiple times to obtain the construction
permit but were always denied permission.
The
Israeli regime routinely demolishes Palestinian houses in the occupied West
Bank, claiming that the structures have been built without permits, which are
nearly impossible to obtain. They also sometimes order Palestinian owners to
demolish their own houses or pay the costs of the demolition if they do not.
The
United Nations (UN)’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) said in a recent report that there had been a sharp increase in the
number of Palestinian houses being demolished by Israel in the occupied West
Bank during the coronavirus pandemic.
OCHA
further said that in August alone, 205 Palestinians had been displaced, more
than in any other single month since January 2017.
“The
period from March to August 2020 saw the demolition or confiscation of 389
Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, on average, 65 per month, the
highest average destruction rate in four years,” the UN office said on Friday.
Meanwhile,
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories Jamie McGoldrick
warned that Israel’s demolition of Palestinian houses during the pandemic would
make the Palestinians more susceptible to health risks.
Back
in May last year, the Israeli rights group, B’Tselem, said in a report that the
Tel Aviv regime uses other strategies to block Palestinian use of land, or
demolish the homes Palestinians have already built, thus, clearing the way for
new illegal Israeli settlements in the region.
Armed
Israeli settlers torch Palestinian farm
Separately,
Palestinian media reports said a group of Jewish settlers on Saturday set fire
to swaths of agricultural land belonging to Palestinian citizens in Mikhmas
town in the northeast of Occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.
Many
olive trees were burned in the fire after the local residents faced difficulty
in containing the flames due to the rugged nature of the area and the presence
of Israeli forces who prevented them from reaching some parts of the land.
According
to human rights groups, incidents of sabotage and violence by extremist Israeli
settlers against Palestinians and their property are a daily occurrence
throughout the occupied territories.
The
heightened violence comes amid Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied
West Bank.
In
pursuing his aggressive plan, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
been driven ahead by US President Donald Trump, who unveiled a so-called Middle
East plan in January that effectively sidelines the Palestinians altogether.
The
plan, which Trump himself has described as the “deal of the century,” envisions
Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allows the Tel Aviv
regime to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the strategic Jordan
Valley. The plan also denies Palestinian refugees the right of return to their
homeland, among other controversial terms.
Trump’s
plan has been rejected by all Palestinians factions.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security
Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied
territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians
want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/634018/Palestine-Israel-Jerusalem-al-Quds-Mohamed-and-Mustafa-al-Salayma-OCHA--
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Palestinians
call for protests against Arab-Israeli deals
14
Sep 2020
JERUSALEM:
Palestinian leaders on Sunday called for demonstrations against the “shameful”
deals the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are set to sign with Israel.
Officials
from both Gulf states are due to attend a ceremony at the White House on
Tuesday to formalise ties with Israel, prompting Palestinian factions to unite
in appeals for protest.
“We
invite our population, in particular those in (Palestinian) refugee camps, to
denounce these shameful agreements,” a statement read, signed by groups
including the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Gaza’s rulers Hamas.
The
statement also called for rallies outside embassies of the US, Israel, Bahrain
and the UAE.
The
Palestinians last month accused Abu Dhabi of a “stab in the back”, as the Gulf
country became only the third Arab nation after Egypt and Jordan to announce it
would have formal relations with Israel.
Bahrain
followed suit on Friday, breaking with the long-held stance of Arab leaders
that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is a prerequisite for normalising
relations.
But
in recent years, Israel and the US have been courting Gulf states over their
shared animosity towards Iran.
The
deals with Israel were dubbed “peace for protection” by Saeb Erekat, PLO
secretary-general.
“Some
decision-makers now in the Arab world do believe that Arab national security
metrics will depend on the protection of Israel,” he told journalists on
Sunday.
Erekat
referred to Washington’s longstanding policy of ensuring Israel is militarily
stronger than other countries in the Middle East.
Arab
nations are not permitted “to have any superiority on Israel on any field,”
noted Erekat.
However,
the policy has come under the spotlight in recent weeks, over reports that the
US could sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Abu Dhabi as part of the deal with
Israel.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1579510/palestinians-call-for-protests-against-arab-israeli-deals
--------
Iran
Welcomes Intra-Afghan Talks, Underlines Non-Interference of Foreign States
Sep
12, 2020
“The
Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes start of intra-Afghan talks among the Afghan
government, the political groups and Taliban and hopes that the talks will lead
to desirable results to the benefit of the establishment of endurable peace and
stability in Afghanistan and security in the region, without foreign meddling
and within the framework of comprehensive understanding among Afghans,” the
Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The
statement reiterated Iran’s position that the problems in Afghanistan cannot be
resolved militarily, adding, “Continued presence of foreign forces is one of
the main reasons for continued war in Afghanistan.”
“The
Islamic Republic of Iran hopes that the government, political groups and the
Taliban can reach a lasting agreement by preserving the valuable achievements
of the Afghan people, including the constitution, democratic structures,
inclusive political participation, the rights and dignity of women, and the
rights of ethnic and religious minorities to ensure peace, tranquility,
well-being and prosperity of the Afghan people and in turn enable Afghan
refugees to return to their country and play their part in the reconstruction,
growth and development of Afghanistan,” it added.
The
statement said that Iran reemphasizes its readiness to assist the advancement
of the peace process in Afghanistan, and strongly condemns the US
administration for using the intra-Afghan talks as a winning card in the
upcoming presidential elections.
In
relevant remarks last month, Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister and Foreign
Ministry’s Director-General for West Asia Seyed Rasoul Mousavi reiterated his
country’s support for the peace process in Afghanistan, saying that problems in
the war-hit country should be settled through talks.
“We
support the peace process by Afghans with the participation of all Afghan
groups, including the Taliban, and without any foreign influence and
interference,” Mousavi said, addressing a meeting of the Heart of Asia -
Istanbul Process via a video conference.
He
underlined that the problems in Afghanistan have no military solution, adding,
“We consider the responsible withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan as a
necessary step towards peace.”
Mousavi
said that Iran invites the Taliban to join the Afghan-Afghan talks, view peace
talks as the only way to reach an acceptable political solution and avoid
violence during the negotiations.
“We
are ready to help strengthening the peace negotiations by the help of our
capacity and capability upon the demand of participants,” he said.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990622000519
--------
Israeli
protesters keep up pressure on PM Netanyahu over alleged corruption
13
September 2020
Thousands
of Israelis protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on
Saturday over his alleged corruption and the government’s handling of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The
crowd rallied outside Netanyahu’s residence, blowing whistles, waving signs and
flags and calling for his resignation. Smaller protests were held along bridges
at major intersections in cities across Israel.
Israeli
media estimated that about 10,000 people attended what has become a weekly
demonstration in Jerusalem.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
protests built up over the summer as COVID-19 cases spiked. With a population
of nine million, Israel has reported almost 150,000 infections cases and more
than 1,000 deaths. The country is in a recession as a result of the pandemic
and the unemployment rate is hovering above 20 percent.
A
survey published in August by the Israel Democracy Institute found that 61
percent of Israelis did not trust Netanyahu to manage the coronavirus crisis.
Some
critics of the prime minister say he is preoccupied with his corruption trial
on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The
70-year-old was indicted in November in cases involving gifts from wealthy
friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favors for media tycoons in return
for favorable coverage. His trial opened in May and is set to resume in
January.
Netanyahu
denies any wrongdoing. He has described his trial as a leftist political
witch-hunt aimed at unseating a popular right-wing leader.
He
has also condemned the demonstrations against him, accusing protesters of
trampling democracy.
A
diplomatic breakthrough with the United Arab Emirates in August - followed by
Bahrain on Friday - has largely been welcomed by Israelis but has been
overshadowed by the economic fears stirred by the coronavirus crisis.
After
a media backlash, Netanyahu scrapped plans to travel on an executive jet with
his family to Washington on Sunday for a signing ceremony of the Israel-UAE
accord, separately from an airliner chartered for the Israeli delegation.
Some
media commentators criticized the travel plans as extravagant at a time when
Israelis are heading into their second lockdown since March.
The
prime minister’s aides said the plans to travel separately had been a health
precaution. But Netanyahu’s office said on Friday he would travel with the rest
of the delegation.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/13/Israeli-protesters-keep-up-pressure-on-PM-Netanyahu-over-alleged-corruption
--------
Four
civilians killed in Saudi air raid on Yemen’s Ma'rib
13
September 2020
The
Saudi-led coalition’s warplanes have targeted an area south of Yemen's Ma'rib
province, killing four civilians and wounding four others.
In
the Sunday attack, a truck parked in a road in Mahliyah district of Ma'rib
province was hit by the Saudi-led coalition's jet fighters.
The
warplanes also struck a gas station and several shops located in the district.
In a
separate incident, the Saudi warplanes have also attacked the international
airport of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a on Sunday night.
No
further details have been released yet.
The
attacks came shortly after Saudi fighter jets conducted airstrikes on positions
belonging to the Houthi Ansarullah movement in Sana’a.
Saudi-owned
Al Arabiya TV channel reported that the aerial assaults targeted Houthi
barracks and military sites early on Sunday and destroyed four drones at
al-Delmi air base north of Sana’a.
On
Saturday, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported six Saudi air raids on
the Military Engineering Department in Sana’a’s Shoub district.
Saudi
warplanes, the report said, also targeted a citizen's farm in Sana’a’s Bani
Heshaesh district.
The
strikes come a few days after Yemeni armed forces launched missile and drones
strikes against a strategic target in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in retaliation
for the regime’s deadly bombing campaign and inhumane siege on their country.
Since
early 2015, Riyadh and a coalition of its vassal states have been engaged in a
military campaign against Yemen in a futile attempt to reinstall a
Saudi-friendly government there.
The
Western-backed war, which has been accompanied by a crippling blockade of
Yemen, has killed tens of thousands of people and afflicted the already-poorest
Arabian Peninsula nation with the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis,”
according to the UN.
Backed
by the armed forces and allied popular groups, the Houthi movement has been
defending Yemen against the Saudi-led offensive.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/634032/https---www-presstv-com-Detail-2020-09-13-633976-Saudi-Arabia-Yemen-Sana-a
--------
Dozens
injured as Israeli officers assault Palestinian inmates in Ofer Prison
13
September 2020
Dozens
of Palestinian prisoners have suffered injuries after Israeli military forces
raided the cells of Palestinian inmates at a detention facility in the central
part of the occupied West Bank.
The
Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said in a statement that Israeli
commandos, accompanied by a group of attack dogs, assaulted the detainees at
Ofer prison, located west of Ramallah, on Sunday.
The
PPS noted that the Israeli forces unleashed the dogs during the attack,
physically assaulted the Palestinian prisoners and used pepper spray, which
left scores of the inmates injured, with some of them suffering from breathing
difficulties.
Dozens
of other Palestinian detainees were also forcibly transferred to other sections
in the prison by the attacking Israeli troops.
The
society highlighted it was the third such incident at Ofer Prison since
Palestinian political prisoner Daoud al-Khatib died of heart attack on
September 3 as a result of deliberate medical negligence by Israeli prison
authorities.
Back
on September 6, the PPS reported that Israeli guards had violently raided cells
at the prison, confiscating all electronic devices and personal belongings of
the inmates.
Khatib,
45, had been serving a sentence of 18 years and eight months for his resistance
activities against the Israeli occupation. He had been in Israeli jails since
2002.
He
was a member of the Palestinian Fatah movement, and was arrested during the
Second Intifada, also known as the al-Aqsa Intifada.
More
than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in some 17 Israeli jails,
with dozens of them serving multiple life sentences.
Over
350 detainees, including women and minors, are under Israel’s administrative
detention, which is a form of imprisonment without trial or charge, allowing
authorities to incarcerate Palestinians for up to six months. The duration
could be extended for an infinite number of times.
The
detention takes place on orders from a military commander and on the basis of
what the Israeli regime describes as ‘secret’ evidence.
Some
prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/634011/Dozens-injured-as-Israeli-officers-assault-Palestinian-inmates-in-Ofer-Prison
--------
Outrage
growing over Bahrain’s normalization with Israel
13
September 2020
Palestinian
factions and the broader international Muslim community have expressed outrage
at a fledgling trend of Arab-Israeli normalization that has so far seen the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain cozying up to the occupying regime under
Washington’s auspices.
Palestinians
have declared the upcoming Tuesday a “day of rage” over an earlier decision by
Bahrain to normalize its ties with Israel under a US-brokered agreement,
according to Israel’s Walla! website. A similar deal helped the UAE take the
same move last month.
"The
Palestinian flag will be raised in all Palestinian cities and refugee camps… to
emphasize the objection to raising the Israeli flag in Abu Dhabi and Manama,” a
Palestinian statement read, according to the Israeli outlet, which did not
specify the faction or factions releasing it.
The
statement also called on Palestinians to hold protests in front of embassies of
the US, Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain around the world.
The
Central Committee of the Fatah movement -- that leads the Palestinian Authority
in the West Bank -- also lamented that the string of Arab betrayal served to
compromise the Islamic and even Christian connections to the occupied holy city
of Jerusalem al-Quds in the Israeli-occupied territory.
The
Arab states, the committee added, were, meanwhile, encouraging the Israeli
regime to rev up its illegal land grab and settlement construction activities.
Amid
Manama and Abu Dhabi’s boast of their “peace” with Tel Aviv, the committee
noted that any regional attempt towards peace and stability in the region has
to primarily safeguard the rights of the Palestinians.
'Resistance,
best way to confront Israel'
The
Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, also condemned the
normalization campaign.
The
group reflected on the trend in a statement that it released on the anniversary
of the Oslo Accords, which were signed between the Israeli regime and the
umbrella group of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the early 1990s.
In
the same way that the Oslo agreements failed to take away the Palestinian
refugees’ right to return to their homeland, the current Arab-Israeli
normalization drive will also fail to deprive them of this entitlement, Hamas
said.
The
normalization bandwagon, the resistance group said, is nothing but treachery
against Palestine and Palestinians that would bring about nothing but ignominy
for the Arab regimes.
The
campaign can only be confronted through Palestinian unity, Hamas said,
insisting on commitment to the results of a recent plenary Palestinian meeting
in Beirut that was held to help close up existing rifts among Palestinian
factions.
“Al-Quds
will remain Palestine’s eternal capital and no one can change it into the
occupying Israeli regime’s capital,” Hamas said, identifying resistance as the
best means of confronting Israel and liberating Palestine.
Jordan,
Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq join chorus
Jordan’s
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Israel had to stop acts that undermine the
“two-state solution and end its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands,”
Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency said.
Morocco’s
Islamic Tawheed and Islah Movement also described the agreement between Bahrain
and Israel as an act of betrayal targeting Palestinians. The party’s head,
Abdurrahim Sheyhi, told Anadolu that the Persian Gulf Arab states’ decision was
helping out US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu during their difficult election campaigns.
On
Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also said the Manama-Tel Aviv deal would
administer a fresh blow to efforts aimed at defending the Palestinian cause.
“It
will further encourage Israel to continue illegitimate practices towards
Palestine and its efforts to make the occupation of Palestinian lands
permanent,” the ministry said in a statement.
Islamabad
also reiterated its commitment to the Palestinian cause and people.
“Islamabad
is committed to supporting Palestine and Palestinians’ legitimate right to
independence and freedom,” said the Pakistani Foreign Ministry’s spokesman
Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry.
Pakistan
backs creation of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders,
he added, referring to the year when the Israeli regime grabbed huge swathes of
Palestinian and Arab territory.
Last
month, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan reacted to the Emirates’
normalization decision, saying his country would never recognize Israel.
Addressing
a meeting of Iraqi elites, senior Iraqi Shia cleric and political leader Ammar
al-Hakim called the Persian Gulf states’ decision a strategic mistake, adding
that Baghdad would never normalize its relations with Tel Aviv.
“The
agenda of State of Palestine will prevail,” Hakim, who leads the Iraqi National
Wisdom Movement, was quoted as saying.
Bahrain
'betrayed blood of martyrs'
Yemen’s
Foreign Ministry echoed an earlier condemnation by the country’s popular defensive
Houthi Ansarullah movement, denouncing Manama’s decision in the “strongest”
terms, Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported.
With
the decision, the Bahraini regime betrayed the blood of the martyrs, who
sacrificed their lives for the Palestinian cause, and helped embolden Tel Aviv
in its violations, the ministry said.
Normalization
unmasks ‘enemies of Islam’
In
Iran, which was among the first to lash out at both Arab states over their
move, World Assembly of Islamic Awakening -- an international Islamic body that
was formed following the 2011 mass protests across many regional countries --
reiterated Tehran’s outrage at the betrayal.
Ali-Akbar
Velayati, who advises Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali
Khamenei on foreign affairs besides leading the body, said in a statement that
the normalization had served to unmask “the enemies of pure Islam and
hypocrites.”
Bahrain’s
ruling Al Khalifah regime took the decision towards normalization by investing
“vain hope in the promises of the criminal US regime that is guilty of
murdering thousands of Muslims in the region and beyond,” the statement read.
This
is while American strategists, it added, had started off the trend of
normalization just to curry favor with the Zionist lobby in the US and secure
its vote in the run-up to the US’s elections as well as to save Israel’s
politically-embattled prime minister.
The
Assembly, meanwhile, called on Arab nations and the international Muslim
community to invest in their ability to realize the Palestinian cause and
“bring about annihilation and fall of the usurping Zionist regime [of Israel].”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/633984/Palestine-Israel-Bahrain-normalization-UAE-Jordan-Morocco-Turkey-Pakistan-Yemen-Iran-Velayati
--------
Saudi
warplanes attack Houthi sites in Yemeni capital: Report
13
September 2020
Saudi
fighter jets have reportedly conducted airstrikes on positions belonging to the
Houthi Ansarullah movement in Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a.
Saudi-owned
Al Arabiya TV channel reported that the aerial assaults targeted Houthi
barracks and military sites early on Sunday and destroyed four drones at
al-Delmi air base north of Sana’a.
On
Saturday, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported six Saudi air raids on
the Military Engineering Department in Sana’a’s Shoub district.
Saudi
warplanes, the report said, also targeted a citizen's farm in Sana’a’s Bani
Heshaesh district.
The
strikes come a few days after Yemeni armed forces launched missile and drones
strikes against a strategic target in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in retaliation
for the regime’s deadly bombing campaign and inhumane siege on their country.
Spokesman
for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Thursday that a
domestically-developed Zofaqar ballistic missile and four Samad-3 drones were
used to hit the “important target” in Riyadh.
The
Saudi-led coalition, however, claimed that it had intercepted and destroyed
ballistic missiles and explosive drones launched towards the kingdom.
Since
early 2015, Riyadh and a coalition of its vassal states have been engaged in a
military campaign against Yemen in a futile attempt to reinstall a
Saudi-friendly government there.
The
Western-backed war, which has been accompanied by a crippling blockade of
Yemen, has killed tens of thousands of people and afflicted the already-poorest
Arabian Peninsula nation with the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis,”
according to the UN.
Backed
by the armed forces and allied popular groups, the Houthi movement has been
defending Yemen against the Saudi-led offensive.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/13/633976/Saudi-Arabia-Yemen-Sana-a
--------
Southeast
Asia
PAS
Muslimat chief tells party to be dominant, keep control of three state govts
12
Sep 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 12 — PAS’ participation in the Federal Government and control of
the state governments in Kelantan, Terengganu dan Kedah is something the party
should be proud of and maintain going forward.
PAS
Dewan Muslimat chief Senator Nuridah Mohd Salleh said the responsibility,
however, should be borne by all party members, and not just the leadership.
“PAS
needs to be more dominant so as not to be seen as being sidelined — by leading
at the executive and the legislative levels.
“The
direct involvement of Muslim women in the management of local governments is
very important, and drastic and thorough improvements need to be designed and
achieved,” she said when officiating the 60th PAS Muslimat Muktamar (annual
general assembly) here last night. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/12/pas-muslimat-chief-tells-party-to-be-dominant-keep-control-of-three-state-g/1902460
--------
Europe
Greece
to acquire 18 French-made Rafale jets as Turkey tension rises
12
September 2020
Greece
is set to acquire 18 French-made Rafale warplanes, four multi-purpose frigates,
and four navy helicopters amid tension with Turkey in the eastern
Mediterranean, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced.
Mitsotakis
on Saturday announced the "robust" arms purchase program and an
overhaul of the country's military.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
"The
time has come to reinforce the armed forces... these initiatives constitute a robust
program that will become a national shield," the PM said in a keynote
address in the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Mitsotakis
said Greece would also recruit 15,000 new troops and pouring resources into the
national arms industry and cyber-attack defense.
New
anti-tank weapons, navy torpedoes, and airforce missiles will be secured, the
PM said.
The
program, which includes upgrades of another existing four frigates, is also
designed to create thousands of jobs, he said.
More
details on the cost of the program and origin of the weapons purchases will be
announced at a news conference Sunday, a government source told AFP.
Mitsotakis
is believed to have hammered out the program after talks with French President
Emmanuel Macron during a southern European leaders summit in Corsica this week.
In
contrast to other EU and NATO allies, France has strongly backed Greece in its
burgeoning showdown with Turkey, as well as Cyprus.
Macron
has told Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to cross "red
lines" and has sent warships and fighter jets to the region.
Turkey
in August sent an exploration ship and a small navy flotilla to conduct seismic
research in waters which Greece considers its own under postwar treaties.
Greece
responded by shadowing the Turkish flotilla with its own warships, and by
staging naval exercises with several EU allies and the United Arab Emirates in
its own show of force.
Turkey
"threatens" Europe's eastern border and "undermines"
regional security, Mitsotakis said Saturday.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/12/Greece-to-acquire-18-French-made-Rafale-jets-as-Turkey-
--------
EU
wants ‘credible’ Lebanon government before giving more blast aid
13
September 2020
The
European Union’s commissioner for crisis management on Saturday called for the
urgent formation of a “credible” government in Lebanon before a second phase of
financial support for the crisis-hit country can be released.
Janez
Lenarcic said the EU had mobilized 64 million euros ($79 million) for the
emergency response to a devastating port blast that killed more than 190 people
and wounded thousands in Beirut on August 4.
The
next round of funding would be for reconstruction, he said, but warned it would
have to go hand in hand with reforms because the international community was
not willing to support practices “that led to financial collapse and economic
crisis.”
The
tragedy occurred when hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that
had been left unattended in a port warehouse exploded.
It
came as the Lebanese people were already reeling from the country’s worst
economic crisis in decades and rekindled smoldering rage over official neglect
and a political class accused of corruption.
The
government resigned in the wake of the disaster, but Lebanon has rejected an
international investigation, saying it would carry out its own probe aided by
foreign experts.
“We
need a credible government that enjoys the confidence of the Lebanese people
and is determined to take the country in the right direction,” Lenarcic told
AFP after arriving in Lebanon on board a humanitarian aid flight.
“Lebanon’s
political class has to provide what people demand and this is also what the
international community expects. I’m talking about governance, not only
economic reforms. There has to be a change in the way this place is governed,”
he said.
Lebanon’s
worst economic crunch since the 1975-1990 war has seen the local currency
plummet against the US dollar and poverty double to more than half of the
population. The government has blamed central bank governor Riad Salameh for
the crisis, though he has rejected all charges.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/13/EU-wants-credible-Lebanon-government-before-giving-more-blast-aid
--------
UK to
‘triple’ size of Oman military base
12
September 2020
The
UK is planning to significantly expand the size of its military base on the
coast of Oman ostensibly to enhance the Royal Navy’s presence “east of Suez”.
According
to the Times (September 12), the base is set to be tripled in size as part of
the UK’s strategic rebalancing and reorientation following the country’s exit
from the European Union.
—
Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher) September 12, 2020 ">http://
NEW:
Britain is to triple the size of its military base in Oman to enhance Royal
Navy’s presence “east of Suez” post Brexit.
Gvt
has unveiled new investment into Duqm port, which is deep enough to receive
aircraft carriers & submarines.
UK
hub to expand from 30 to 90 hectares. pic.twitter.com/9zwiYAopAI
—
Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher) September 12, 2020
UK
defense secretary, Ben Wallace, has announced that an additional £23.8 million
will be spent tripling the size of the Royal Navy’s facility in Duqm, a port
that is deep enough to accommodate aircraft carriers and submarines.
Altogether
up to £43 million will be spent on Duqm by 2028, reflecting the depth of
Britain’s confidence in its defense partnership with the Sultanate of Oman,
which stretches back decades.
Situated
547 km south of the capital Muscat, Duqm’s prime location will enable the Royal
Navy to launch or support deployments deep into the Indian Ocean and possibly
beyond.
In
addition, Duqm has a dry dock facility which could support the UK’s two
aircraft carriers – HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales – especially in
relation to missions to the East China Sea where the carriers could be used to
apply military pressure on China.
Wallace
– who is currently concluding a trip to the Middle East – proclaimed that “the
long-standing friendships between the UK and the [Persian] Gulf states are more
important than ever”.
“With
shared defense and security interests, it is vital we work together for both
regional and global stability”.
The
investment in Duqm will be viewed by defense analysts as a strong indicator of
the UK’s intention to stay militarily engaged in the Middle East.
It is
noteworthy that Duqm’s expansion will also reportedly support British army
training in Oman.
To
that end, there is already speculation that the British army could switch its
training for Challenger 2 tanks from Canada to Oman.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/12/633944/UK-Oman-Duqm-Royal-Navy-Facility-Expansion
--------
Pakistan
Pak
opposition leader moves court seeking daily hearings in defamation case against
Imran Khan
Sep
13, 2020
LAHORE:
Pakistan's opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif has appealed to a sessions court,
hearing his defamation suit against Prime Minister Imran Khan, to conduct daily
hearings.
In a
tweet on Saturday, Sharif alleged that he filed the defamation case against
Khan for "his blatant lies of offering him Rs 10 billion".
"In
a defamation case that I filed against Imran Khan for his blatant lies of
offering him Rs 10 billion, he has sought 33 deferments so far. I have
petitioned the court to hear the case on daily basis. IK failed to submit his
written reply to the court despite the passage of three years," he wrote.
Sharif
had filed a Rs 10 billion defamation suit against Khan in 2017.
The
petition, filed under Sections 4 and 9 of the Defamation Ordinance, 2002, said
that Imran falsely accused Sharif of making him a financial offer for his
"silence over the Panama Papers case", Geo News reported.
It
stated that "the facts and circumstances giving rise to the filing of the
instant suit are that since the last week of April 2017, the Defendant (Imran
Khan) started uttering, spreading and resorting to the publication,
communication and circulation of maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral
statements and representations against the plaintiff (Shehbaz)."
According
to the suit, Khan claimed that Sharif "offered to pay a sum of (Rs 10
billion) to the defendant in exchange for his withdrawing/backing-off from, or
remaining silent on the issue of the Panama Papers' case."
In
April 2017, Khan had alleged that he had been made an offer in the Panama case.
He made the comments while addressing a gathering at Shaukat Khanum Hospital in
Lahore.
"Just
imagine how much money he offered me to be silent - Rs 10 billion! If he can
offer me this much money, just imagine how much he could offer to others. That
is why if we do not maintain public pressure on this issue, then after two
months it will be dragged to the next year," Khan was quoted by Geo News
as saying.
In an
interview after making the comments, Khan did not disclose the name of the
person who made the offer, but said the individual was close to the Punjab
chief minister.
Sharif
had served as Punjab chief minister from 2013 to 2018.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-opposition-leader-moves-court-seeking-daily-hearings-in-defamation-case-against-imran-khan/articleshow/78087930.cms
--------
Jamaat
decides to keep away from opposition conference
14
Sep 2020
TAXILA:
While the opposition parties are contemplating efforts to convene a multi-party
conference (MPC), the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Sunday announced its decision of
distancing itself from the opposition’s anti-government front, blaming major
opposition parties — the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz — for disunity among opposition ranks.
Talking
to the media in Wah on Sunday, JI deputy chief Liaquat Baloch said that his
party would not participate in the proposed MPC and instead would launch its
own solo flight against the government.
He
said that the JI had decided to play the role of “true opposition” in the light
of its past experiences of alliance with the PPP and the PML-N. “We will keep
in touch with all opposition parties but at this stage, the JI will not attend
the MPC of the opposition parties. Rather, we will contact [Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-F chief] Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other opposition leaders
separately to discuss national issues if and when required.”
Liaquat
says party will hold protests on its own
Mr
Baloch said that the JI would not join the opposition alliance against the
government as many parties in opposition ranks were not serious to this cause.
He
said that the JI would extend moral support to the movement of the opposition
parties against the government but it would launch its own protests against the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government as it was unable to address the
issues of the poor masses of the country.
Mr
Baloch said that the JI Majlis-i-Shura had decided to continue political
activities under its own flag.
He
said that no legislation had been made to address genuine public issues in the
past two years of the PTI government. He said that the masses had witnessed the
PTI, the PML-N and the PPP uniting on the foreign- imposed agenda of the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-related legislation.
Mr
Baloch said that the PTI government had disappointed the masses as it had
destroyed the economy and every state institution.
He
said that a weak and incapable government, which had been imposed on the
country, was unable to resolve the crises the country was facing. Therefore,
the national leadership should join hands and develop a united strategy to
bring the country out of the existing system.
The
JI leader said that unemployment and inflation had made it impossible for a
common man to afford even one meal per day. He said that the country was being
run on the dictation of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the
FATF.
He
said that the PTI government had burdened the nation with Rs4,300 billion loan
and the interior and foreign policies of the government had no logic.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1579488
--------
Armed
forces kill terrorist commander Ihsan Sanray, three others, in 'breakthrough'
operation
14
Sep 2020
Four
terrorists, including militant commander Ihsanullah alias Ihsan Sanray, were
killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO), the army's media wing said on
Sunday.
The
operation was carried out in Ghariom, Shaktu, near the inter-district boundary
of North and South Waziristan, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)
Director-General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said in a tweet.
The
slain terrorist commander Ihsanullah was the mastermind behind several
terrorist activities, the ISPR said. Recently, he had planned terrorist attacks
in Shaktu which led to the martyrdom of several soldiers as well as officers,
including Lt Nasir and Capt Sabih.
Last
week, the armed forces had killed terrorist mastermind Waseem Zakeria and four
of his accomplices in an IBO in North Waziristan.
The
forces had also arrested 10 militants during the operation near Mirali.
According to an ISPR statement, Zakeria was the mastermind of 30 attacks,
including the targeted killings of government officials and security forces
personnel.
Zakeria
was also believed to be involved in the assassination of Zubaidullah Khan, a
CSP officer of the Federal Information Group, posted as director of the
Pakistan Housing Authority in Islamabad.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1579476/armed-forces-kill-terrorist-commander-ihsan-sanray-three-others-in-breakthrough-operation
--------
Terrorist
commander among 4 killed: ISPR
Sep
14, 2020
RAWALPINDI:
In a breakthrough, terrorist commander Ihsan Ullah, alias Ihsan Sanray, along
with three other terrorists, was killed during an intelligence-based operation
(IBO) in Ghariom, Shaktoi area, near the inter-district boundary of North and
South Waziristan on Sunday.
In a
tweet, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Major
General Babar Iftikhar said that Ihsan Sanray masterminded numerous terrorist
activities. Recently, the terrorist commander was involved in the planning and
execution of terrorist attacks in the Shaktoi area which led to the martyrdom
of several soldiers and officers, including Lt Nasir Shaheed and Capt Sabih
Shaheed, said the ISPR DG.
A
Pakistan Army soldier, Sepoy Sajid, 33, embraced martyrdom on Saturday during
an improvised explosive device (IED) attack near a check post of the security
forces in the Miranshah area of North Waziristan, according to the ISPR.
Security
forces cordoned the area for clearance operation after the incident.
Earlier
on September 7, security forces killed five terrorists including a high-profile
terrorist Wasim Zakaria, and arrested ten others in Mir Ali, the ISPR said.
Commander
Wasim Zakaria hailed from the Haider Khel area and had been the mastermind of
30 terrorist attacks since September 2019.
“Terrorist
Wasim was involved in target killing activities and the martyrdom of CSS
officer Zubaidullah Dawar,” said the ISPR in a statement, adding that the
militant was also directly involved in attacks on security forces.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/09/13/terrorist-commander-among-4-killed-ispr/
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