Rising Attacks On Christians In BJP-Run States: United Christian Forum Reports 834 Incidents In 2024
New Age Islam News Bureau
24 January 2025
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• Rising Attacks On Christians In BJP-Run States: United Christian Forum Reports 834 Incidents In 2024
• Muslim Population In India To Surpass Indonesia To Become The Country With The Largest Muslim Population By 2050
• ‘Minorities Targeted, Bid To Rewrite History In Bangladesh, Take Revenge For 1971 Events’
• 'Gonna Lose My Mind': Elon Musk Over Nazi Salute Posts On His X Feed
• Syria's New Leaders Turn To Islamic Law In Effort To Rebuild Assad's Police
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India
• "Those Who Spread Hindu-Muslim Enmity Can't Be Hindu": Uddhav Thackeray
• 4 Boys Detained In Assam For Forcing Muslim Boy To Chant 'Jai Shree Ram'
• When Saif Ali Khan Said It's Difficult For A Muslim To Buy A Home In India In Old Interview
• 10 opposition MPs suspended following ruckus in Waqf board JPC meet
• Muslim Groups in Karnataka Demand Religion-Based Budgeting, BJP Alleges
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South Asia
• Red Flags In Delhi As A 4-Member Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Team Makes A Quiet Visit To Dhaka
• Afghan Refugees Feel 'Betrayed' By Trump Order Blocking Move To US
• Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in Afghanistan
• ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan
• "If Assam Did Not Check Illegal Infiltrators From Bangladesh...": Biren Singh
• ‘Not criminals’: Saif Ali Khan attacker's father to approach Bangladesh govt?
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North America
• Mar-a-Lago security breach: Man charged with trespassing just days after US President Donald Trump’s swearing-in
• Kamala Harris consulted Hillary Clinton to overcome brutal loss to Donald Trump: Report
• President Trump for a third term? Congressman introduces resolution to amend term limit rules
• Google restores Joe Biden's name in presidential search history, blames data error
• Old video surfaces with false claim it shows 'Muslims praying during LA fires'
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Mideast
• United Arab Emirates Ready To Manage Gaza Strip After War, Rebuild It Without Radical Islam – Report
• Iran says Trump’s ‘terrorist’ designation of Yemen’s Houthis is ‘baseless’
• VOA Kurdish: Crackdown in Iran's Kurdistan: Arrests amid protests of death sentences
• Trump Revokes Security Detail for Pompeo and Others, Despite Threats From Iran
• Trump says ‘would be nice’ to solve Iranian nuclear crisis without Israeli strikes
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Pakistan
• Criticism By The Press Key To Better Governance, Says PM Shehbaz
• Negotiations Come To A Halt After PTI Storms Off
• HRCP report shines light on selective curbs on media
• Journalists, rights bodies denounce Peca changes
• IBCC, ICESCO collaborate to revolutionize education and assessment across Muslim World
• Climate change and conflict drive leishmaniasis in Pakistan
• JCP approves appointment of 12 additional judges for Sindh High Court
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Africa
• Ekiti Denies Existence of Sharia Court or Its Resemblance the State
• When Brazil’s African Muslims Scared The World
• Ibadan North Houes of Rep Bye-Election: We’ll not be partial – Oyo APC Chair assures
• Sharia court, panel not recognised under Ekiti law -Commissioner
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Arab World
• Anti-Aggression Parties Condemn US Reclassification Of Ansar Allah As Terrorist Organization
• Fatah Intifada: US Decision Against Ansar Allah Came In Response To Zionist Pressures
• Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque Under Enemy Police Protection
• How Saudi Arabia is tapping AI to monitor the environment and extreme weather
• Saudi Arabia eyeing trade hub with trillion-riyal investments, transport official tells WEF
• Saudi Ministry Signs Two Agreements To Enhance Social Responsibility In Non-profit Sector
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Southeast Asia
• PM Anwar Says ‘Go Ahead, Protest Against Corruption’ Ahead Of Anti-Graft Rally, Criticises
• Imams stress the importance of maintaining prayers
• Judge swap in 1MDB’s US$8b case against Najib and former staff
• After countless questions, Najib wraps up marathon testimony in 1MDB case
• Probe on cop’s obscene gesture at protest heads to AGC, says KL police chief
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Europe
• Central Asia Joins Islamic Arts Biennale in Saudi Arabia
• Police Arrest Teen Outside Scottish Islamic Centre Under Terrorism Act
• UK Envoy Visits Libya’s Fatwa House
• Belgium arrests 14-year-old with far-right links for alleged mosque attack plot
• 'Risk to life is extreme': Millions in UK warned of storm Éowyn's deadly impact
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/attacks-christians-states-christian-united/d/134424
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Rising Attacks On Christians In BJP-Run States: United Christian Forum Reports 834 Incidents In 2024
January 24, 2025
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The 2024 report by the United Christian Forum (UCF) paints a grim picture of escalating violence against Christians in India. The report warns that, without immediate political will and decisive government action, the very identity and existence of the Indian Christian community could be under threat well before 2050.
The data is stark:
Attacks against Christians have risen sharply from 127 incidents in 2014 to 834 by December 2024. Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have emerged as epicenters of hate, with 209 and 165 cases, respectively, reported in these states. According to UCF officials, these numbers barely scratch the surface, as many incidents go unreported due to fear of retaliation and the prevailing climate of impunity.
This atmosphere of fear pervades the Christian community. Cultural policing, which seeks to define who is a “true Indian,” has led to the marginalization and victimization of Christians, often branded as “outsiders.” The complicity of law enforcement and judicial delays exacerbate this crisis, with over 100 innocent pastors and their family members languishing in jail without bail. In such cases, the judicial process itself becomes a form of punishment, eroding faith in the justice system.
UCF President Dr. Michael Williams expressed deep concern, stating, “The Christian community, which has always been a peaceful and integral part of India’s diverse society, is now living in fear. These are not just numbers; they represent real people, families torn apart, and lives shattered because of their faith.”
The violence appears to follow a grim pattern, peaking during significant religious occasions. During Christmas 2024 alone, 14 attacks on Christian gatherings were reported across the country. Despite periodic outreach efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team to Christian leaders in Kerala and New Delhi, the reality on the ground tells a different story.
In response to this escalating violence, over 400 senior Christian leaders and 30 church groups submitted an urgent appeal to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi on December 31, 2024. The appeal called on the nation’s conscience to put an end to the persecution and uphold India’s democratic values.
The UCF’s annual report documents 834 incidents, of which only 392 were registered as First Information Reports (FIRs). The discretion of police officers in deciding whether a complaint merits an FIR has left many cases uninvestigated, further discouraging victims from coming forward.
The UCF emphasized the urgent need for transparent enforcement of laws protecting religious freedom and minority rights. Only through impartial investigations and holding perpetrators accountable can the cycle of violence be broken.
India’s international standing as a democracy that upholds the rule of law and guarantees fundamental rights is at stake. The escalating violence against Christians, if left unchecked, risks tarnishing the nation’s image and undermining its constitutional ideals.
Source: Muslimmirror.Com
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Muslim Population In India To Surpass Indonesia To Become The Country With The Largest Muslim Population By 2050
January 24, 2025
Muslim population to become highest in India by.... surpassing Indonesia, Hindu population to remain just...
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New Delhi: Religion plays a significant role in everyone’s lives. There are various religions that individuals can follow, each with its own customs, traditions, and beliefs. India, with its rich diversity, is a prime example of this, where people from different faiths celebrate a wide array of festivals and uphold unique practices. Religion in India is incredibly diverse, with people following a variety of faiths. Major religions include Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Sikhism.
Have you ever wondered which religion will have the largest following in India by 2050? According to a report published by the Pew Research Centre, India is expected to surpass Indonesia to become the country with the largest Muslim population by 2050, reaching 311 million Muslims. The report, titled The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050, also forecasts that Pakistan will have the second-largest Muslim population, with 273 million. Indonesia, which currently has the largest Muslim population, is projected to drop to third place by 2050, with 257 million Muslims.
Furthermore, the report states that Hindus will become the third-largest religious group in the world. In addition, the report states that by 2050, India will have 31 crore Muslims, making up 11% of the global Muslim population. Additionally, the report also mentions that India will continue to have the largest Hindu population, which will grow to 1.03 billion. Currently, Indonesia holds the title for having the largest Muslim population.
‘The number of Muslims around the world is projected to increase rapidly in the decades ahead, growing from about 1.6 billion in 2010 to nearly 2.8 billion in 2050,’ reads the research.
India is projected to have the world’s largest Muslim population in 2050 (311 million), while Pakistan is expected to have the second-most Muslims (273 million). Indonesia – the country with the largest number of Muslims in 2010 – is expected to fall to third place by 2050, with 257 million Muslims. Nigeria is forecast to rank fourth, with about 231 million Muslims at mid-century.
According to a study by the Pew Research Centre, the growth of the Muslim population can be largely attributed to factors such as a younger average age and higher fertility rates. The average age of Muslims is 22 years, compared to 26 years for Hindus and 28 years for Christians. In India, Muslim women have an average of 3.2 children per woman, while Hindu women have 2.5 children, and Christian women have 2.3 children on average. These factors play a significant role in the rising Muslim population.
The statement added, “The Muslim fertility rate in India (3.2) is around the same as the global rate for Muslims (3.1); in part because Muslims in Indonesia are having fewer children (2.0), India is expected to pass Indonesia and become the country with the world’s largest Muslim population by 2050. ”
The Muslim population in India is expected to grow rapidly due to high fertility rates. In 2010, Muslims made up 14.4% of India’s total population, and by 2050, this figure is projected to increase to 18.4%. It is also anticipated that India’s Hindu population will surpass the Muslim populations of the largest Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, India’s Christian population, which currently stands at 2.5% of the total population, is expected to decrease to 2.3% by 2050.
By 2050, Iraq and Afghanistan are expected to join the list of countries with the 10 largest Muslim populations. All told, more than six-in-ten of the world’s Muslims (62%) are projected to live in the 10 countries with the most Muslims in 2050, slightly smaller than the share of the world’s Muslims that lived in the top 10 countries in 2010 (66%).
In another report, the Pew Research Centre highlighted that Muslims are the fastest-growing religious group worldwide. The Muslim population is expected to grow at a rate faster than the global population. While Islam is currently the second-largest religion after Christianity, it is also the fastest-growing major religion. If current demographic trends continue, the Muslim population is projected to surpass the Christian population by the end of this century. In 2010, there were 1.6 billion Muslims globally, making up around 23% of the world’s population.
The global population is projected to grow by 35% over the next few decades, while the Muslim population is expected to rise by 73%, reaching 2.8 billion by 2050. A majority of Muslims around the world live in the Asia-Pacific region, which makes up about 72% of the global Muslim population, including large communities in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, and Turkey. While Indonesia currently has the largest Muslim population, India is expected to surpass it by 2050, with an estimated 310 million Muslims, securing the top position.
The number of Hindus around the world is projected to rise from slightly more than 1 billion in 2010 to nearly 1.4 billion in 2050. This increase will roughly keep pace with overall population growth. As a result, Hindus will remain fairly stable as a share of the world’s population over the next four decades, at about 15% in both 2010 and 2050.
By 2050, the United States – with 4.8 million Hindus – is expected to have the world’s fifth-largest Hindu population. In addition, Canada, with a projected 1 million Hindus in 2050, is forecast to join the list of countries with the 10 largest Hindu populations.
Source: Www.India..Com
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‘Minorities targeted, bid to rewrite history in Bangladesh, take revenge for 1971 events’
by Ritu Sarin
January 24, 2025
Activists during a protest march against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government in Dhaka on August 2. (File photo)
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As the new dispensation in Dhaka comes under increasing criticism for attacks on minorities in the wake of the regime change, the plight of the 19 minority MPs of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League is a telling story.
Among those sent to jail were veteran Awami League leaders and former Cabinet Ministers: Ramesh Chandra Sen, Narayan Chandra, and Sadhan Chandra Majumdar.
Awami League leaders The Indian Express spoke to say there were around 2,000 incidents of arson, loot and burning involving the minorities (Hindus, Buddhists and Christians) between August 5 and August 20, 2024 and “scattered attacks” were still taking place every day.
According to Pankaj Nath, three-time MP from Barishal constituency (a former general secretary of the Bangladesh Awami Volunteers League, he fought the 2024 elections as an independent), almost all minority MPs have witnessed attacks on their properties and have had their bank accounts frozen.
In hiding, Bangla Awami top brass connect with Hasina, wait for ‘rule of law’ to return Sheikh Hasina fled to India after protests toppled her government in August 2024
Nath’s residence in Dhaka was among them and while he himself is underground, his family, too, is “taking precautions” moving from “place to place” in Bangladesh. His personal anguish continues as he could not attend the last rites of his mother when she passed away on December 28.
On the continuing persecution of minorities and Dhaka’s request for extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nath said: “If Sheikh Hasina announces that she will return to Bangladesh, will the interim Government be ready to receive her? Millions will rush to the border and the Government will not be able to handle the situation.”
“It is very clear,” Nath said, “that there is an attempt to rewrite history and take revenge for the historic events of 1971. The caretaker Government, led by Muhammad Yunus, is patronizing the attacks on minorities. Besides the rest of the international community, we now look to India to stop these crimes and restore equal rights of the minorities.”
India & Hasina: a 50-year-old bond Smoke rising from Ganabhaban, the PM’s residence, which was stormed by public shortly after Hasina’s resignation. (Reuters)
Last December, in the first high-level visit by India since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met his Bangladesh counterpart in Dhaka and conveyed “India’s concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities”. India also flagged “some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious and diplomatic properties”.
Referring to the alleged incidents against minorities as “propaganda… false and misleading facts”, Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary, on his part, responded that “other countries” should refrain from commenting on Dhaka’s “internal matter”.
There is a sense of insecurity and foreboding among the Hindu community which, at about 8 per cent, is the largest minority population in the country of 170 million people. About (91.04%) of Bangladeshis are Muslims, and the remaining 9 percent has Hindus at (7.95%), Buddhists (0.61%) and Christians (0.30%) and others (0.12%) as per the 2022 census.
Source: Indianexpress.com
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'Gonna lose my mind': Elon Musk over Nazi salute posts on his X feed
Jan 24, 2025
Tech mogul Elon Musk expressed frustration over X's algorithm on Friday for seeing posts about his controversial gesture at President Donald Trump's inaugural rally.
After being heavily criticized for making a hand gesture, which many interpreted as resembling the fascist salute used in Nazi Germany, he said, "If I see one more damn Nazi salute in my feed, I'm gonna lose my mind. This algorithm sucks!!"
He then went on a spree to troll his critics by posting clips and memes in an attempt to defend himself. He replied to a video of French President Emmanuel Macron extending his arm from his heart to a crowd, saying "Seriously" when a news aggregator questioned if anyone had also called Macron a Nazi.
Further, Musk posted a Gif of Arnold Schwarzenegger extending his right arm upward, along with the caption, "He's Austrian too," seemingly drawing a comparison between the interpretation of his own gesture and Schwarzenegger's motion.
Making light of the situation Musk had earlier posted, "Don't say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down! Stop Gőring your enemies! His pronouns would've been He/Himmler! Bet you did nazi that coming," referencing notorious Nazi figures, which caught the attention of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The ADL, initially defending Musk earlier in the week, changed their stance and criticized his jokes. Quoting a post calling out Elon Musk over his "joke", ADL said, "Making inappropriate and highly offensive jokes that trivialize the Holocaust only serve to minimize the evil and inhumanity of Nazi crimes, denigrate the suffering of both victims and survivors and insult the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah."
Previously, the organization had described Musk's hand gesture as "not a Nazi salute" but an "awkward" moment resulting from excitement, calling for understanding and unity in the face of heightened tensions.
Musk had earlier also defended himself by rubbishing the claims of any connection to the Nazi salute. He compared his action to ones used by Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren during their speeches in the past and criticized the "legacy media" for "pure propaganda".
Source: timesofindia.com
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Syria's new leaders turn to Islamic law in effort to rebuild Assad's police
By Amina Ismail
Jan 24, 2025
Syrian police members attend their graduation ceremony at the Police Academy under the Syrian Salvation Government in Damascus, Syria, on Jan. 14. | REUTERS
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DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria's new authorities are using Islamic teachings to train a fledgling police force, a move officers say aims to instill a sense of morality as they race to fill a security vacuum after dismantling ousted president Bashar Assad's notoriously corrupt and brutal security forces.
Police they brought into Damascus from their former rebel enclave in the northwestern region of Idlib are asking applicants about their beliefs and focusing on Islamic sharia law in the brief training they offer recruits, according to five senior officers and application forms.
Ensuring stability and winning the trust of people across Syria will be crucial for the Sunni Muslim Islamists to cement their rule. But the move to put religion at the center of policing risks seeding new rifts in a diverse country awash with guns after 13 years of civil war and alienating foreign governments they have been trying to woo, regional analysts warn.
"There are many Syrians who will find this concerning," said Aron Lund, a fellow at Century International, a Middle East-focused think tank, when asked about the findings. "Not just minorities — Christians, Alawites, Druze — but also quite a lot of Sunni Muslims in places like Damascus and Aleppo, where you have a fairly large secular, cosmopolitan population that's not interested in religious law."
The religious foundations of the police training are also making Western governments wonder how big a role Islam might play in Syria's constitution, which the former rebel faction now in power plans to revise, said one diplomat, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reassure Western officials and Middle Eastern governments worried about their own Islamist movements that his faction has renounced its former ties to al-Qaida and will rule with moderation, including protecting minorities.
The group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has a track record of pragmatism, backing away from enforcing some strict interpretations of Islamic law in areas it controlled during the war.
Syria's Interior Ministry, which oversees police, and Information Ministry did not respond to questions about the focus on religion in police recruitment and training, or whether there are plans to incorporate Islamic law into the legal code.
The interviewed senior police officers said the intention was not to impose it on the general population but rather to teach recruits ethical behavior.
Hamza Abu Abdel Rahman, who helped set up the group's police academy in Idlib before transferring to Damascus, said an understanding of religious matters — "what is permissible and what is not" — is crucial for recruits to "act justly."
Assad's myriad security forces were widely feared for tyrannical and predatory behavior, ranging from arrests of dissidents who ended up tortured or killed to demanding bribes to resolve minor infractions.
The extent of public anger against them was evident in the days after Assad was toppled on Dec. 8. Most of the capital's police stations were ransacked by looters, with equipment and records pillaged or destroyed.
Police said half of the roughly 20 stations have since reopened, but they are each staffed by around 10 officers, mostly brought in from Idlib, instead of their previous complement of 100 to 150 officers.
At three stations in late December, a handful of exhausted officers was trying to deal with a welter of issues, from complaints of rampant crime to a garbage collector who brought in two bags of hand grenades he found on the street.
More than 200,000 people have registered to join a new police service they are establishing, said Hesham Hilal, who is leading courses for recruits at a police academy in Damascus.
Those who did not have been asked to complete a "reconciliation" process, including signing a document accepting the change of regime and handing in their gun. It is not yet clear whether any will be allowed to join the new force.
Seven officers who manage police stations or are involved in recruitment said they needed more members and welcomed applications from people of any faith.
A 45-year-old Christian, who worked in Assad's traffic police, said he wouldn't apply for the new force even if he could. Speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, he said he was worried that even people in lowly roles like his would be seen as part of Assad's regime, and that the focus on Islamic law meant there would be discrimination against those of other faiths.
No one is against Islam, but we are certainly against a religious rule based on specific texts and hadiths" — sayings and actions attributed to Islam's Prophet Muhammad — one participant, Ali al-Aqabani, said when asked about using sharia in policing.
At the same time, Syria's new authorities need to train police quickly, because Assad's forces "evaporated completely, and stability is a major, major issue," said Lund of Century International. "Going with what they know and have always done may be the easiest way of doing that."
In Idlib, which HTS has dominated since 2017, the group initially carried out patrols to enforce strict Islamist views on public behavior, said Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Sharaa, HTS' leader, has spoken out against a rigid approach to public behavior, but the coalition he leads includes members regarded as more extreme, adding to the fears of minorities.
At the Damascus police directorate, and at Marja and Kafr Sousa stations, rooms were strewn with paperwork, broken glass, abandoned uniforms, ammunition and smashed furniture. Officers had cleared a few rooms to work from, but the computers and telephones had been stolen.
At the Damascus directorate, the new police chief, Basel Faoury, and operations head Abu Ahmed al-Sukkar said they had barely slept since arriving from Idlib.
Sukkar had a mattress propped up against a cupboard because he was sleeping in his office. At least 20 people entered with requests, problems or complaints in the space of two hours.
A businessman wanted approval to hire a private security company to protect his restaurants and shopping malls from thieves. Others wanted permission to organize neighborhood protection groups. Police said they mostly welcomed this for now but would not allow such groups to bear arms.
All the senior officers interviewed said they expected staffing levels to improve and more stations to reopen as recruitment and training expand this year.
On Jan. 14, the Damascus academy celebrated the graduation of around 500 police cadets, who paraded before their trainers in new black uniforms. During a visit in December, a dozen men were lined up at the academy's gates to interview for the force.
One of them, 19-year-old Zakaria al-Hiji from the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, said he had disliked Assad's rule but liked what he had seen so far of the new authorities. He said his cousins, who already worked for HTS, had told him the police would offer good salaries.
Application forms contain a section on "beliefs, orientations and opinions" in which recruits are asked to provide their "referential authority," an expression often used for Muslim religious leaders who are considered authoritative by different sects.
Three HTS officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to address media, said the question is intended to help identify applicants who will need closer scrutiny, especially Alawites, who come from the same sect as Assad and may have had ties to his regime.
Houmaida Antara al-Matar, who was interviewing police defectors who want their old jobs back at the Damascus academy, said it was "merely a routine question" and was not intended to discriminate against any faith or sect, including Alawites.
When security improves, the aim is to increase the training to nine months, using a system introduced by the rebels in Idlib, said Ahmed Latouf, who headed the police academy in the former rebel enclave before he was appointed police chief in Aleppo.
The religious instruction offered to recruits includes principles of Islamic jurisprudence, the biography of Prophet Muhammad and rules of conduct, Latouf said by phone from Aleppo.
The head of Marja police station in Damascus, Ayman Abu Taleb, said he was worried that many Syrians would see HTS as extremists and would not accept their rule. But he said he did not understand why their reliance on Islam would be a concern.
Source: Www.Japantimes.Co.Jp
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India
"Those who spread Hindu-Muslim enmity can't be Hindu": Uddhav Thackeray
Jan 24, 2025
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 24 (ANI): Shiv Sena (/topic/shivsena) (UBT) chief Udvav Thackeray (/topic/udvav-thackeray) launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that anyone who spreads communal disharmony "can't be a Hindu", while also affirming that the 'Hindutva' of his party is "clean". The former Maharashtra Chief Minister also challenged the BJP (/topic/bjp)-led Centre of holding elections (/topic/elections) on ballot papers (/topic/ballot-papers). He was addressing a public meeting, on the occasion of Shiv Sena (/topic/shiv-sena) founder Balasaheb Thackeray's birth anniversary. "If you have any shame, keep EVM (/topic/evm)s aside and hold elections (/topic/elections) using ballot papers (/topic/ballot-papers). Anyone who spreads Hindu-Muslim enmity cannot be a Hindu. Our Hindutva is clean," Thackeray said. Notably, the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Election was a huge drubbing for Shiv Sena (/topic/shiv-sena) (UBT), which itself reduced to 20 seats as the BJP (/topic/bjp)-l edMahayuti, registered a landslide victory with 235 seats. Meanwhile, several opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc, have been questioning the 'fairness' of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM (/topic/evm)s) in elections (/topic/elections) and demanding that elections (/topic/elections) be held with ballot papers (/topic/ballotpapers). Earlier this month, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar dismissed the suggestion of returning to paper ballots for voting, saying, "Returning to the outdated paper ballot system is unwarranted and regressive. This is aimed at derailing the election process." This week, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court dismissed an appeal challenging the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM (/topic/evm)s) in elections (/topic/elections) across constituencies. The petitioner had raised concerns regarding the use of EVM (/topic/evm)s, arguing that Section 61-A of the relevant law requires the respondent (Election Commission of India) to provide specific justifications for the use of EV M (/topic/evm)s in each constituency individually. The bench, led by Acting Chief Justice VibhuBakhru and comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, dismissed the appeal, stating, "We find no merit in the present appeal, and the same is dismissed." (ANI)
Source: Www.Aninews.Com
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4 Boys Detained In Assam For Forcing Muslim Boy To Chant 'Jai Shree Ram'
Jan 23, 2025
Ratnadip Choudhury
Four boys have been detained in Assam for assaulting a Class 8 student, a Muslim, for refusing to chant "Jai Shree Ram", said the police.
According to reports, the student was accosted by a group of four boys while on his way home from school on Wednesday. According to the attackers, the boy wrote something "objectionable" on the classroom wall. They assaulted him on the street, grabbed him by the ear and made him sit and then forced him to chant "Jai Shree Ram."
Source: Www.Ndtv.Com
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When Saif Ali Khan Said It's Difficult For A Muslim To Buy A Home In India In Old Interview
Jan 23, 2025,
Mumbai: Saif Ali Khan, who has been in the news recently for the attack at his Mumbai residence, is now making headlines for a resurfaced old interview in which he opened up about the discrimination Muslims face when trying to buy homes in India.
During an interview promoting one of his films, Saif was asked whether he had experienced discrimination as a Muslim in the United States. Responding candidly, Saif said, “Not in the USA, but I face it in India. Try to buy a house in Juhu being a Muslim, and you will be denied, saying, ‘We don’t give houses to Muslims.’”
Saif further elaborated on the broader issue of religious tensions in India. He remarked, “There are religious tensions in India, and maybe that is the thing about India—to tolerate it, deal with it. I mean, human nature is not simple and it will never be simple. A man fights with his wife, and brothers fight with each other, so it’s natural one country will fight with another, and one religion will fight with another. Fighting is not unusual. I think peace is unusual, understanding is unusual, so it’s fine.”
Saif’s statements highlighted the persistent issue of housing discrimination against minorities, particularly Muslims, in India. Areas like Juhu, known for being affluent and cosmopolitan, are still not immune to these biases. His remarks reflect the challenges faced by many Muslims who encounter rejections based on stereotypes, even in urban and multicultural settings. Even actor Emraan Hashmi had spoken about this discrimination long back.
Source: Zeenews.India.Com
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10 opposition MPs suspended following ruckus in Waqf board JPC meet
Jan 24, 2025
NEW DELHI: 10 opposition MPs were suspended for a day on Friday following a ruckus during the Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.
The suspended MPs include Kalyan Banerjee, Md. Jawaid, A Raja, Asaduddin Owaisi, Nasir Hussain, Mohibullah, M. Abdullah, Arvind Sawant, Nadimul Haq, and Imran Masood.
Following the meeting, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, accused the JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal of not listening to the opposition and conducting the proceeding like a "jamindari."
"After 21st January late session, chairman informed the members that meeting will be held on 24th and 25th January. Other members protested and wrote a letter. We request to schedule the meeting after 30th or 31st but the chairman did not listen to us. So we came by postponing all our programmes. Yesterday midnight we got the message that there is a change of agenda, there won't be a clockwise discussion but meeting will be held on 24th and 27th but not on 25th (January). What is happening inside is like undeclared Emergency proceedings," Banerjee said.
Source: Timesofindia.Com
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Muslim Groups in Karnataka Demand Religion-Based Budgeting, BJP Alleges
Uma Devi
24 January 2025
Bengaluru: The BJP has raised strong objections to a recent meeting between Muslim community leaders and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, where the delegation requested increased budgetary allocations for minorities. The BJP claims that such demands constitute religion-based budgeting.
Amit Malviya, BJP’s National Information and Technology Department head and a member of the party’s National Executive, criticized the meeting on social media platform X. He wrote, “This kind of Muslim assertion and religion-based demands led to India’s partition along religious lines in 1947. We can’t afford it again.”
Malviya explained that a delegation of Muslim community leaders, including Ministers Rahim Khan, Zameer Ahmed Khan, and Chief Minister’s Political Secretary Naseer Ahmed, met with Siddaramaiah to request increased funding for minorities in the state’s budget.
Source: Munsifdaily.Com
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South Asia
Red Flags In Delhi As A 4-Member Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Team Makes A Quiet Visit To Dhaka
By Rezaul H Laskar
Jan 23, 2025
Major General Shahid Amir Afsar, the ISI’s director general of analysis who previously served as Pakistan’s defence attache in Beijing, is part of the team.
A delegation from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, including a two-star general, flew to Bangladesh on Tuesday, marking a sudden upgrade in military-to-military engagements between Dhaka and Islamabad that is unlikely to go down well in New Delhi.
Major General Shahid Amir Afsar, the ISI’s director general of analysis who previously served as Pakistan’s defence attache in Beijing, is part of the team that is on a four-day visit to Bangladesh amid a marked thaw in relations between the two countries, people familiar with the developments said on condition of anonymity.
Source: Www.hindustantimes.com
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Afghan refugees feel 'betrayed' by Trump order blocking move to US
AzadehMoshiri
24-01-2025
"It's like the United States doesn't actually understand what I did for this country, it's a betrayal," Abdullah tells the BBC.
He fled Afghanistan with his parents amid the US withdrawal in August 2021 and is now a paratrooper for the US military. He worries he can't help his sister and her husband escape too, because of President Donald Trump's executive order suspending a resettlement programme.
But Abdullah and several other Afghan refugees have told the BBC they feel the US has "turned its back" on them, despite years of working alongside American officials, troops and non-profit organisations in Afghanistan. We are not using their real names, as they worry doing so could jeopardise their cases or put their families at risk.
As soon as Abdullah heard about the order, he called his sister in Afghanistan. "She was crying, she's lost all hope," he said. He believes his work has made her a target of the Taliban government which took power in 2021.
During the war, Abdullah says he was an interpreter for US forces. When he left Afghanistan, his sister and her husband couldn't get passports in time to board the flight.
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesperson for the Taliban government, told the BBC there is an amnesty for anyone who worked with international forces and all Afghans can "live in the country without any fear". He claims these refugees are "economic migrants".
But a UN report in 2023 cast doubt on assurances from the Taliban government. It found hundreds of former government officials and armed forces members were allegedly killed despite a general amnesty.
Abdullah's sister and her husband had completed the medical exams and interviews required for resettlement in the US. The BBC has seen a document from the US Department of Defense endorsing their application.
Source: Www.Bbc.Com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0l97ee2xmo
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Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in Afghanistan
23 January 2025
Today, I can announce that my Office has filed two applications for warrants of arrest before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court in the Situation in Afghanistan. These filings have benefited from the contributions of our dedicated Afghanistan Unified Team under the supervision of Deputy Prosecutor NazhatShameem Khan, and multiple experts, including Special Adviser on Gender and Other Discriminatory Crimes Professor Lisa Davis.
Since the 31 October 2022 decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber to authorise the resumption of my Office’s investigation, after a period of deferral, my Office has been independently and impartially examining alleged crimes committed against Afghan civilians.
After a thorough investigation and on the basis of evidence collected, my Office submits that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah AKHUNDZADA, and the Chief Justice of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, Abdul Hakim HAQQANI, bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds, under article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute.
My Office has concluded that these two Afghan nationals are criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women, as well as persons whom the Taliban perceived as not conforming with their ideological expectations of gender identity or expression, and persons whom the Taliban perceived as allies of girls and women. This persecution was committed from at least 15 August 2021 until the present day, across the territory of Afghanistan.
This ongoing persecution entails numerous severe deprivations of victims’ fundamental rights, contrary to international law, including the right to physical integrity and autonomy, to free movement and free expression, to education, to private and family life, and to free assembly.
Source: Www.Icc-cpi.int
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ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan
By Stephanie van den Berg
January 23, 2025
THE HAGUE, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Thursday he had applied for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.
A statement issued by the office of chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said investigators found reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, who has served as chief justice since 2021, "bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds."
They are "criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women...and persons whom the Taliban perceived as allies of girls and women," the statement said.
Source: Www.Reuters.Com
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"If Assam Did Not Check Illegal Infiltrators From Bangladesh...": Biren Singh
by:Ratnadip Choudhury
Jan 24, 2025
Guwahati:Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday said that the state on its eastern side has been facing illegal infiltration problems from Myanmar, adding an alert is also being maintained in the state's western as well as southern regions to block the illegal entry of people from the neighbouring country.
The Chief Minister said that Manipur has an inter-state border (204 km) with Assam. He said that Assam, along with Tripura, has also been facing infiltration problems from Bangladesh.
Assam and Tripura share a 263 km and 856 km border with Bangladesh, respectively. Most parts of the international frontiers of the two states have been fenced off, but some areas still remain unfenced.
Source: Www.ndtv.com
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‘Not criminals’: Saif Ali Khan attacker's father to approach Bangladesh govt?
Jan 24, 2025
Saif Ali Khan stabbed: Mohammad Ruhul Amin Fakir maintained that his son has been falsely arrested as he was an easy target as he had entered India illegally.
Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Father of the Bangladeshi man arrested for allegedly stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan has said he was in contact with senior politicians of his country to raise the case as a diplomatic issue.
Mohammad Ruhul Amin Fakir maintained that his son, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, has been falsely arrested, claiming that he was an easy target as he had entered India illegally.
Source: Www.ndtv.com
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North America
Mar-a-Lago security breach: Man charged with trespassing just days after US President Donald Trump’s swearing-in
Jan 24, 2025
US President's Mar-a-Lago estate's security has been breached once again as a man was arrested for trespassing the estate, just two days after Donald Trump was sworn in.
The Palm Beach Police Department announced that probable cause exists to book Bijan T. Arceo, 32 for unlawfully entering Mar-a-Lago estate.
Mar-a-Lago, situated at 1100 South Ocean Avenue, received federal protection status in July 2024 during Trump's presidential campaign. The United States Secret Service established a security zone under Title 1752, with clear signage "No Trespassing" and active security measures, Fox News reported.
Source: timesofindia.com
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Kamala Harris consulted Hillary Clinton to overcome brutal loss to Donald Trump: Report
Jan 24, 2025
In the aftermath of her election defeat, former Vice President Kamala Harris has engaged in several conversations with Hillary Clinton while contemplating her next steps following President Trump's return to office.
The specifics of these discussions remain private, though reports from New York Magazine indicate Harris has been consulting with family and close associates about her future direction.
Harris, aged 60, made history as America's first female vice president and became the second woman to lead the Democratic presidential ticket. Both women ultimately lost their respective races to Trump, 78.
According to New York Magazine, Harris has indicated to close associates her desire to keep options open for a potential 2028 presidential campaign. Some supporters suggest she might pursue the California governorship in 2026, when Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom reaches his term limit.
Source: timesofindia.com
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President Trump for a third term? Congressman introduces resolution to amend term limit rules
Jan 24, 2025
Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, introduced a resolution on Thursday to amend the US Constitution to allow President Donald Trump and any future president to be elected to a third term.
"No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice," read the language of the proposed amendment, according to a press release available on Congressman Ogles website, which also explained his reasoning.
Ogles stated that Trump "has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal."The resolution comes just days after Trump was sworn in for a second, non-consecutive term, becoming only the second US president to achieve this feat. It also follows a resolution introduced two months ago by Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, reaffirming that the 22nd Amendment applies to two terms in the aggregate as President of the United States and applies to the 78-year-old Trump.
Source: timesofindia.com
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Google restores Joe Biden's name in presidential search history, blames data error
Jan 24, 2025
A complete 4 year tenure of US former President Joe Biden has been temporarily vanished from the Google searches, according to the internet users. After Donald Trump returned to his President throne, social media users noticed that Google had completely removed Joe Biden from its presidents lists, displaying Barack Obama’s term followed by both of Trump’s presidencies—but nothing for Biden.
Several users shared the screenshots of the Google searches and accused the company of being paid to remove Biden's complete tenure.
One of the user sharing the screenshot said, "More WTF is happening... When you Google "US President 2020-2024", it's all tRump...Biden's name only appears on the Wikipedia results on the search page. Who paid Google to initiate this SEO bullsh*t to help erase an entire presidency?"
Source: timesofindia.com
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Old video surfaces with false claim it shows 'Muslims praying during LA fires'
January 24, 2025
As deadly wildfires wreaked havoc in a wide area of Los Angeles in January 2025, social media users have shared an old video with a false claim it shows a group of Muslim men trying to put out the fire by offering prayers. But the clip has circulated online since 2022 and was filmed in Pakistan.
"American Muslims give the call to prayer. When technologies failed to control the wildfires in California, Muslims living there prayed to their 'Allah' to control the fire," read the Hindi caption of the video shared on Facebook on January 12, 2025.
The 36-second clip shows a group of men in Muslim attire and high-visibility jackets praying, with thick plumes of smoke and a fire tender behind them.
Wildfires have ravaged 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) in the Los Angeles area after it erupted on January 7 and killed at least 27 people (archived link).
Source: Factcheck.afp.com
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https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.36UY3G2
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Mideast
United Arab Emirates ready to manage Gaza Strip after war, rebuild it without radical Islam – report
January 24, 2025
The United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed that the Gulf emirate would take over the management of the Gaza Strip after the war, according to a report by Israel Hayom.
The question of who will govern and rebuild the devastated enclave has once again received much attention in the wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
On Wednesday, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office denied reports that Israel had agreed for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to run the Rafah border crossing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed calls to return control over Gaza to the PA, while Israeli and U.S. officials repeatedly floated the idea of regional powers, particularly the UAE, to take over temporary control.
Source: Allisrael.Com
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Iran says Trump’s ‘terrorist’ designation of Yemen’s Houthis is ‘baseless’
January 24, 2025
Iran on Thursday condemned the move by US President Donald Trump to re-designate Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organisation (FTO)”, terming it as “baseless”.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson EsmaeilBaghaei criticised the decision, claiming it would impose harsher economic penalties on the Houthis compared to those applied under the Biden administration. He labelled the move as “an excuse to apply anti-human sanctions against the Yemeni people”.
“Such arbitrary and baseless unilateral actions will further weaken the rule of law in international relations and threaten regional peace and stability,” Baghaei was quoted by state media as saying.
Source: Www.Timesofisrael.Com
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VOA Kurdish: Crackdown in Iran's Kurdistan: Arrests amid protests of death sentences
By Bafraw Noori
January 23, 2025
Several individuals in Sanaa, Saqiz and Sardasht, in Iran’s Kurdistan region, have been arrested for participating in strikes protesting the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and VarishaMoradi, two ethnic Kurdish women.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported the detention of six citizens in Sanaa, while three others were arrested in Saqiz and Sardasht by the Ministry of Intelligence.
The strikes, organized by six Kurdish political parties, aimed to prevent the executions through peaceful civil action. In response, Iranian security forces threatened market representatives, sealed shops and took measures to suppress the protests.
Source: Www.Timesofisrael.Com
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Trump Revokes Security Detail for Pompeo and Others, Despite Threats From Iran
By Maggie Haberman
Jan. 23, 2025
President Trump revoked security protection for his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and a former top aide despite warnings from the Biden administration that both men faced ongoing threats from Iran because of actions they took on Mr. Trump’s behalf, four people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.
Mr. Pompeo and the aide, Brian Hook, had been part of an aggressive posture against Iran during the first Trump presidency, most notably the drone strike that killed the powerful Iranian general Qassim Suleimani in early 2020.
Mr. Trump also remains under threat because of General Suleimani’s killing, and his advisers have stressed the seriousness of the situation in the years between his two terms in office. Mr. Trump repeatedly asked for more protection during those years, including seeking military assets for the final months of the campaign because of the threats from Iran. That kind of protection is usually reserved only for a sitting president.
Source: Www.Jnytimes.Com
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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/us/politics/trump-pompeo-security-iran.html
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Trump says ‘would be nice’ to solve Iranian nuclear crisis without Israeli strikes
By Jacob Magid
23 January 2025
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he hopes the Iranian nuclear crisis can be solved without Israel having to carry out a military strike against the Islamic Republic.
The remarks came after it was reported that Trump is planning to name his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as his point man on Iran, signaling the new administration’s resolve to address Tehran’s nuclear program diplomatically rather than militarily.
“I’m not going to answer that,” Trump first replied when asked by reporters in the Oval Office whether he would support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, adding that he would be holding meetings with various senior officials on the matter shortly.
“Hopefully that can be worked out without having to worry about it. It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step,” Trump continued.
Source: Www.Timesofisrael.Com
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-said-set-to-tap-mideast-envoy-steve-witkoff-as-iran-point-man/
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Pakistan
Criticism by the press key to better governance, says PM Shehbaz
January 24, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Acknowledging that press criticism of its policies was essential for improving governance, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the government welcomed constructive criticism by the media.
Speaking to a delegation of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), which called on him at the Prime Minister Office, the prime minister said the relationship between government and the media was based on mutual trust.
He claimed that there was complete freedom of expression in the country, and that his government believed that the media was the fourth pillar of the state.
Source: Www.Dawn.Com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1887278/criticism-by-the-press-key-to-better-governance-says-pm-shehbaz
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Negotiations come to a halt after PTI storms off
January 24, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The nearly month-long dialogue process between the government and the opposition came to a standstill on Thursday after the PTI called off talks due to the “non-cooperation” of the government, while the latter urged the party to reconsider its decision, for the sake of political stability.
The decision to abandon talks came a day after the PTI threatened to walk away from the process due to non-compliance with its demand to form judicial commissions to probe the violence on May 9 and November 26 — a key component of its written charter of demands submitted to the government earlier this month.
According to a statement posted on the X account of party founder Imran Khan, the talks were scuttled due to a raid on the residence of Sunni Ittehad Council chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, an ally of the PTI and its spokesperson for the talks committee.
Source: Www.Dawn.Com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1887317/negotiations-come-to-a-halt-after-pti-storms-off
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HRCP report shines light on selective curbs on media
Imran Gabol
January 24, 2025
LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Thursday released its report on the state of freedom of expression in the country during the past two years, identifying “new battlegrounds and unholy alliances”, with the tightening of restrictions on selected media outlets.
Researched and authored by journalist Mahim Maher, the report provides a detailed account of the deteriorating state of freedom of expression since the vote of no confidence against former prime minister Imran Khan in April 2022.
The HRCP report identifies new battlegrounds and unholy alliances — with tightening restrictions on some sections of the media and carte blanche for others.
Source: Www.Dawn.Com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1887277/hrcp-report-shines-light-on-selective-curbs-on-media
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Journalists, rights bodies denounce Peca changes
Syed Irfan Raza
January 24, 2025
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: After the party itself supported the passage of the bill in the National Assembly, the PPP’s human rights cell expressed its disagreement with amendments to the cybercrime law.
Journalists and rights bodies have also criticised the government for passing the amendments without taking stakeholders on board.
During voting on amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in the assembly on Thursday, PPP members could be heard saying “aye” and expressing their support for the passage of the law.
On the other hand, PPP HR Cell President Farhatullah Babar has said the changes to Peca were aimed at further stifling the freedom of expression by setting up multiple authorities under executive control.
Source: Www.Dawn.Com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1887276/journalists-rights-bodies-denounce-peca-changes
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IBCC, ICESCO collaborate to revolutionize education and assessment across Muslim World
January 24, 2025
ISLAMABAD - The Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) hosted Dr. HaddyJatouSey, Head of the Education Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), at its Islamabad headquarters.
Dr. Sey, a globally recognized educationist with over 28 years of experience at the World Bank and former Minister of Basic and Secondary Education for the Republic of Gambia, engaged in strategic discussions with Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah, Executive Director of IBCC, and his team to explore avenues for addressing educational challenges across ICESCO’s 53 member states.
During her visit, Dr. Mallah presented IBCC’s groundbreaking initiatives, including the Model Assessment Framework (MAF), which aims to transform Pakistan’s educational assessment system by moving away from rote learning and adopting a conceptual, skills-based approach aligned with national curriculum objectives.
The meeting highlighted the shared vision of IBCC and ICESCO to develop a unified Model Assessment Framework for ICESCO member states. This framework will standardize assessments, enhance education quality, and equip students with essential skills to succeed in a globalized world. Both organizations agreed on the importance of capacity-building initiatives, proposing collaborative training programs, workshops, webinars, and seminars for educators. These initiatives will focus on areas such as standards-based assessment design, item writing, psychometric analysis, and the integration of digital tools to modernize education.
Source: Www.Nation.Com
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Climate change and conflict drive leishmaniasis in Pakistan
January 24, 2025
Shabnam Bibi sits silently waiting for medical assistance. She is queuing in a crowded health facility in LandiKotal, a city in the Khyber tribal district of northern Pakistan. Her face a canvas of despair, the 19-year-old mother of three reluctantly reveals a large lesion. It marks her left cheek and is spreading towards her nose – a painful hallmark of the skin infection cutaneous leishmaniasis, spread by the sandfly.
The face lesion appeared around 46 days ago. Shabnam (Bibi is a general term of respect used for South Asian women) overlooked it at first, but it gradually worsened, forcing her to isolate from her children; she feared the disease might affect them. Shabnam’s youngest child, a seven-month-old boy, is in the lap of his grandmother.
Two months ago, he was also bitten by a sandfly, leading to a nodule on his tiny hand. Clutching her scarf tightly, Shabnam is concerned about her appearance, and she deeply misses her other children.
Shabnam hails from Shalman, a far-flung, mountainous and deprived area of this district, which lies within the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There are many others like her in the facility, going through a similar ordeal: pain and poverty in an increasingly harsh land of heatwaves and droughts.
Source: Www.Dawn.Com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1887381/climate-change-and-conflict-drive-leishmaniasis-in-pakistan
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JCP approves appointment of 12 additional judges for Sindh High Court
January 24, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Thursday approved appointment of 12 additional judges for the Sindh High Court, including the one who previously served in the SHC but was not confirmed as a judge of the high court.
According to a press release issued by JCP, two sessions judges: Tasneem Sultana and Khalid Hussain Shahani and 10 lawyers Miran Muhammad Shah, Abdul Hamid Bhrgari, Ali Haider Ada, Jan Ali Junejo, Mohammad Hassan Akbar (Advocate General), Mohammad Jaffer Raza, Mohammad Osman Ali Hadi, Nisar Ahmed Bhanbhro, Syed Fiaz ul Hassan Shah (Prosecutor General) and Riazat Ali Sahar were approved for appointment in SHC.
According to Dr Rana Mohammad Shamim, who was a member of the PBC at that time, the JCP was not satisfied with Mr Sahar’s performance and, therefore, his name was dropped.
Source: Www.Dawn.Com
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Africa
Ekiti Denies Existence of Sharia Court or Its Resemblance the State
January 24, 2025
Ekiti State Government has denied the existence of either the Sharia Court or the proposed Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in the State.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. DayoApata (SAN), said that the Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel is not in the judicial structure of the State, noting that “Arbitration and/or Mediation issue is a Quasi-Judicial matters which are regulated by Law” in the State.
Apata said there is an existing legal structure in Ekiti State (i.e. Customary Court, Customary Court of Appeal and High Court) that has been handling issues relating to Islamic, Christian and Traditional Marriages and inheritance without any rancour or agitation.
Source: Thenewsnigeria.com
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When Brazil’s African Muslims scared the world
By Ana Lucia Araujo
January 24, 2025
On January 24, 1835, rumors that Africans were planning a revolt for early the following day started circulating in Salvador, the capital of the then province of Bahia, in Brazil. The news quickly reached the city’s enslaved and free Black people, then the majority of the city’s population. As slave owners panicked, the police quickly responded to the threat by frantically searching the houses of African-born formerly enslaved men and women, whom they suspected of participating in the plot.
But the police couldn’t stop the conspiracy right away. As the hunt for suspects continued, groups of Africans armed with swords, spears, pistols, and other weapons took to the streets of Salvador, which quickly became a battleground. Led by a group of Yoruba-speaking enslaved and formerly enslaved Muslim men, the insurrection was the largest urban slave uprising in the Americas. It became known as the Malê Revolt, after the term used in Bahia to refer to African-born Yoruba speakers and followers of Islam.
The revolt’s international repercussions and the panic it provoked derived from slaveholders’ persisting fear that a slave insurrection could end slavery and lead to another Haiti, the first Black independent nation free of slavery in the Americas. My book Humans in Shackles: An Atlantic History of Slavery shows how several international newspapers reported the news about Brazil’s African Muslim uprising. The Malê Revolt evolved from a series of smaller revolts that took place in Bahia during the first three decades of the 19th century.
Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822, but the negotiated process of independence maintained the monarchy as the form of government. The post-independence period was marked by divisions and instability. Droughts provoked food shortages, therefore causing an economic crisis that affected Bahia.
After the Portuguese court escaped the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte to relocate in Brazil in 1808, Britain put pressure on Portugal to end the slave trade to Brazil, therefore signing several treaties to stop the trade in enslaved Africans. This process increased the prices of enslaved Africans, and eventually culminated with the passage of new legislation, which prohibited transporting enslaved Africans to Brazil in 1831. As the Bahia sugar economy was growing, slave owners increased the workload of the scarcer enslaved workforce, thereby worsening their working conditions. Enslaved people resisted by escaping, joining runaway slave communities, and organizing revolts.
Source: Africasacountry.com
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https://africasacountry.com/2025/01/when-brazils-african-muslims-scared-the-world/
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Ibadan North Houes of Rep Bye-Election: We’ll not be partial – Oyo APC Chair assures
By OlusesanLaoye
January 24, 2025
As preparations for the bye-election to to fill the vacant Ibadan North Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, gathers momentum and stakeholders warm up for the contest, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state, AlhajiOlayide Abas, has assured that the party would be fair in picking the candidate to represent it.
He said only the constitutional and democratic option would be employed to pick the party candidate among the crowd of aspirants who have indicated their individual interest to secure the APC ticket.
The meeting, according to the party chairman, was organized to kickstart the process of reclaiming the seat which became vacant following the transition of HonorableOlaideAkinremi who was on his second term in office under the platform of the Progressive party.
Source: Hallmarknews.com
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Sharia Court: Ekiti Govt Reveals Way Forward
Jane Ibe
January 23, 2025
The government of Ekiti State has reaffirmed that the neither the Sharia Court nor its Arbitration Panel is not recognised in the state.
DayoApata, the state’s Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General in a statement said the uproar and reports about Sharia legal system in the state are only a hoax.
Reacting to reports of the state’s Sharia public sitting on two marriages last week, Apata said there is a legal structure in Ekiti that handles issues of Christian, Islamic and traditional marriages.
Source: Politicsnigeria.com
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https://politicsnigeria.com/sharia-court-ekiti-govt-reveals-way-forward/
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Arab World
Anti-aggression parties condemn US reclassification of Ansar Allah as terrorist organization
23 Jan 2025
Sana'a - Saba:The coalition of anti-aggression political parties and forces condemned the US administration's decision to reclassify "Ansar Allah" as a terrorist organization, considering the decision a continuation of the US policy supporting terrorism and Zionist crimes against the Palestinians and the peoples of the nation.
The statement indicated that the classification targets the entire Yemeni people because of their positions supporting the Palestinian cause, stressing the Yemeni people's continued support for their leadership, armed forces, and all forces opposing the Zionist-American project, led by "Ansar Allah".
The coalition stressed that the decision will not deter Yemenis from performing their national role under wise Quranic leadership, holding the US administration and the United Nations responsible for the humanitarian and economic repercussions resulting from the decision.
Source: Www.Saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3427966.htm
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Fatah Intifada: US decision against Ansar Allah came in response to Zionist pressures
23 Jan 2025
Gaza - Saba:The Palestinian Fatah Intifada movement confirmed that "the US decision against Ansar Allah came in response to Zionist pressures, to represent a clear bias from the US government towards the Zionist entity that does not stop practicing aggression and terrorism, in light of an international system that is complicit and unable to take any step to stop the Zionist violations and attacks on our countries and peoples."
The movement said in a statement: "The Ansar Allah movement is carrying out its role and duties in confronting aggression and terrorism, and is also carrying out its legitimate role in resisting the occupation and confronting its ongoing threats against the Palestinian people."
Source: Www.Saba.ye
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Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque under enemy police protection
23 Jan 2025
Occupied Quds - Saba:Groups of Zionist settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning, Thursday, from the Moroccan Gate, under heavy guard from the Zionist enemy police.
Local sources reported that dozens of settlers, including Jewish students, stormed Al-Aqsa, organized provocative tours in its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals.
The Zionist enemy forces continue to tighten their restrictions on the entry of Palestinians to the mosque, and detain their personal IDs at its external gates.
The people of intensified their calls to stay and travel to Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the aim of confronting the plans of the occupation and its settlers aimed at imposing Judaization facts on it.
Source: Www.Saba.ye
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How Saudi Arabia is tapping AI to monitor the environment and extreme weather
SulafaAlkhunaizi
January 23, 2025
RIYADH: Since the launch of Vision 2030, technological innovation and sustainability have been central to Saudi Arabia’s transformative plan, with artificial intelligence emerging as a key tool to tackle a range of issues, including environmental challenges.
With nearly 90 percent of its territory covered by desert, the Kingdom is utilizing AI to combat land degradation, improve water resource management, and promote sustainable practices.
Its Center of Excellence for Generative AI adopts a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on technologies like multimodal foundation models and AI-assisted Earth observation systems to address challenges, including water scarcity and land degradation.
Source: Www.arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2587596/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia eyeing trade hub with trillion-riyal investments, transport official tells WEF
Nadia Al-Faour
January 24, 2025
DUBAI: Savvy logistics investments and business-friendly policies are transforming Saudi Arabia into a global trade hub, a Davos panel was told on Thursday.
Nouf Al-Fares, assistant deputy minister at the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services; and Ehab Aziz, chief financial officer of Agility, were speaking at Saudi House during the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.
Al-Fares said: “A strategy was announced in mid 2021 by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At the beginning I thought it to be intimidating having to raise SR1 trillion ($266 billion) in investments, but we are already halfway there through various established projects like the Riyadh Metro, and the new expansions of seaports and airports.
“Chinese companies have already entered the Saudi market, with investments so far reaching over SR1 billion, and there are still more incoming projects.”
Source: Www.arabnews.com
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Saudi ministry signs two agreements to enhance social responsibility in nonprofit sector
Arab News
January 23, 2025
Saudi Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mushaiti, witnessed the signing of two memoranda of understanding between the ministry and the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Foundation for Developmental Housing and Kaaf Strategy, respectively.
The signing of the two MoUs aims to enhance the role of the nonprofit sector in fulfilling its social responsibilities and contributing to the development of its operations through community projects and initiatives.
Source: Www.arabnews.com
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Southeast Asia
PM Anwar says ‘go ahead, protest against corruption’ ahead of anti-graft rally, criticises attempts to blame him for pre-administration cases
By Malay Mail
24 Jan 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he has no objection to the ‘People Against Corruption’ rally scheduled for tomorrow, reaffirming his commitment to combating corruption at all levels.
“Permission has been given... it’s just that some locations later were not approved. For me, there’s no problem. Go ahead, protest against corruption,” Anwar told reporters after performing Friday prayers at UniversitiTeknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Islamic Centre in Dengkil today, when asked about the rally.
Anwar emphasised his administration’s efforts in tackling corruption, stating, “I’ve been Prime Minister for two years now. What corruption issues have arisen during this period? That’s the focus.
Source: Www.malaymail.com
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Imams stress the importance of maintaining prayers
January 24, 2025
In today’s Friday sermon, the significance of maintaining and performing prayers was emphasised as a reflection of our obedience and gratitude to Allah the Almighty. Prayers are not only a symbol of devotion but also serve as a cornerstone of discipline, time management, and personal improvement.
The sermon highlighted that on the Day of Judgment, prayer will be the first act to be accounted for. For those who fulfill their prayers perfectly, it will bring immense blessings and success. However, negligence in prayers will result in dire consequences.
Time management: Prayer teaches us to prioritise and value time. Performing prayers at their prescribed times instills discipline and mindfulness.
Source: Borneobulletin.com
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Judge swap in 1MDB’s US$8b case against Najib and former staff
By Malay Mail
24 Jan 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and its subsidiaries are set to have a new judge presiding over their lawsuit against former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former management staff.
Judge Datuk MohdAriefEmranArifin will replace Judge AtanMustaffaYussof Ahmad, as confirmed by 1MDB’s counsel, Siva Kumar Kanagasabai, in a statement to The Edge. The reason behind the change of judges was not disclosed.
Prior to handing the case over to AriefEmran, AtanMustaffa had granted a Mareva injunction of US$681 million (RM2.99 billion) against Najib, which is currently under appeal.
According to The Edge, AriefEmran, the son of former Chief Justice TunArifin Zakaria, previously worked as a partner at Wong & Partners, the law firm representing 1MDB, before his appointment to the judiciary. However, no objections have been raised against AriefEmran presiding over the case.
Source: Www.malaymail.com
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After countless questions, Najib wraps up marathon testimony in 1MDB case
By Malay Mail
24 Jan 2025
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 24 — Najib Razak concluded his time on the witness stand today after 26 days of testifying in his defence against charges of abuse of power and money laundering involving alleged 1MDB funds.
His testimony began on December 2 last year, during which he spent 16 days presenting his examination-in-chief and answering re-examination questions. Additionally, he underwent 10 days of cross-examination by the prosecution.
According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), this morning, lead counsel Shafee Abdullah informed High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that the defence planned to call 25 witnesses.
Source: Www.malaymail.com
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Probe on cop’s obscene gesture at protest heads to AGC, says KL police chief
By Malay Mail
24 Jan 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — The investigation paper (IP) concerning a policeman accused of making an obscene gesture at a woman during a protest last month has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).
As reported by The Star, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk RusdiMohd Isa stated that the officer, based in WangsaMaju, remains on active duty while awaiting the AGC’s decision.
“We will take appropriate action once we have received further instructions from the AGC on the matter,” he was quoted as saying today.
Source: Www.malaymail.com
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Europe
Central Asia Joins Islamic Arts Biennale in Saudi Arabia
By Aiman Nakispekova
24 January 2025
JEDDAH – Kazakh and Uzbek creative industry representatives will participate in the second Islamic Arts Biennale Jan. 25 – May 25. Hosted by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the event will be held at the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, showcasing how faith is experienced, expressed, and celebrated through emotions, ideas, and artistic creation.
The 2023 Islamic Arts Biennale at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Photo credit: The Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
More than 30 major international institutions will take part in the Biennale, with more than 20 new commissions by artists from Saudi Arabia and worldwide complementing the historical objects on display.
Source: Lastanatimes.com
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https://astanatimes.com/2025/01/central-asia-joins-islamic-arts-biennale-in-saudi-arabia/
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Police arrest teen outside Scottish Islamic centre under Terrorism Act
23rd January
Police Scotland issued a statement on Thursday and said the teen had been arrested outside Inverclyde Islamic Centre in Greenock.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Freeburn said: “Shortly after 9am on Thursday, 23 January, 2025, a 16-year-old male youth was arrested outside the Inverclyde Islamic Centre, Laird Street, Greenock, in connection with offences under the Terrorism Act.
“We are speaking to members of the local community to provide reassurance and I would urge anyone with information or who has any concerns to please come forward and speak to officers.”
Source: www.thenational.scot
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UK envoy visits Libya’s Fatwa House
BY Libyan Express
Jan 24, 2025
The British Ambassador to Libya, Martin Longden, met with Mufti Sadiq Al-Ghariani at the Fatwa House headquarters in Tripoli, according to a statement released by the Fatwa House.
During the meeting, Al-Ghariani emphasised the need for constitutional elections to end Libya’s transitional period and tackle corruption.
Source: Www.Libyanexpress.com
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https://www.libyanexpress.com/uk-envoy-visits-libyas-fatwa-house/
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Belgium arrests 14-year-old with far-right links for alleged mosque attack plot
Selen Valente
24.01.2025
A 14-year-old child, reportedly influenced by far-right movements, was arrested on Friday in Brussels on suspicion of preparing an attack on a mosque.
Authorities received a tip on Jan. 22 that the child, believed to be affiliated with far-right groups, was planning to carry out an attack on a mosque during Friday prayers, according to a statement by Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office Spokesperson AmauryVerhoustraeten to Anadolu.
Based on the evidence available, an investigation was launched the same day, and a search was conducted at the suspect’s home yesterday morning.
Source: www.aa.com.tr
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'Risk to life is extreme': Millions in UK warned of storm Éowyn's deadly impact
Jan 24, 2025
Storm Éowyn is set to bring severe weather conditions to Ireland and the UK, with the Met Office issuing warnings about destructive winds and heavy rainfall.
Educational institutions across Ireland and Northern Ireland closed on Friday as authorities advised residents to remain indoors due to severe weather alerts.
Hundreds of planes and thousands of trains have been cancelled, with a map revealing the path the extreme weather system will take as it batters the country.
According to a report in Daily Mail, the Met office has issued a rare red weather warning for wind in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland, as the storm is set to bring hurricane-force winds, torrential rain, and heavy snow.
Source: timesofindia.com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/attacks-christians-states-christian-united/d/134424