SC Grants Nupur Sharma Interim Protection from “Coercive Action”; Clubs FIRs across Different States for Remarks on the Prophet
New Age Islam News Bureau
11 August 2022
Suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma
----
• Ulema Resolve to Counter Disinformation Campaign
against Pak Army: PM’s Special Representative
• Alleged Fourth Islamic State ‘Beatle’ Aine Davis
Arrested In UK on Terror Charges
• Iraq Cleric Al-Sadr Calls On Judiciary to Dissolve
Parliament by End of Next Week
• US’s Afghan Adjustment Act Allows Afghan Evacuees to
Apply for Permanent Status
India
• Mosque Located For Nearly 40 Years on Temple Land
Faces Threat of Demolition in Chennai
• Chamarajpet Police, Muslim Leaders Hold Peace
Meeting
• Big success, say Kashmir police after gunning down 3
LeT terrorists, including wanted Lateef Rather, in Budgam encounter
--------
Pakistan
• Whosoever Talks Against Army Is an Enemy of Pakistan
and Islam: Punjab Chief Minister
• Don’t spread fake news on state institutions —
Pakistan watchdog warns in diktat to media
• Pakistan: Protest continues in North Waziristan for
23rd day against target killings
• Ambassador Masood Khan Thanks US Leadership for
Standing with Muslims
--------
Europe
• European lawmakers press for facts on Israeli
spyware firms in Greek Cypriot administration
• UK accidentally leaks personal data on Afghan
teacher in hiding from Taliban
• Alaska Airlines faces discrimination lawsuit over
removal of Muslim passengers from flight
• Pro-Palestine activists in UK urge govt. to
introduce anti-Israel sanctions
--------
Arab
World
• Iraq’s Constitution Is Causing a Cycle of
Dysfunctionality
• Islamic State leader ‘blows himself up’ in Syria
• Order to seize Hezbollah-allied Lebanon MPs’
property over port blast
• Mass displacement of civilians from YPG/PKK-held
areas in Syria: NGO
• Turkish forces 'neutralize' 9 YPG/PKK terrorists in
northern Syria
• Saudi charity KSrelief launches medical program
combatting blindness in Bangladesh
--------
North
America
• Shock, shame among some Muslims as Afghan accused of
New Mexico murders
• A 'primary suspect' in the killings of Muslim men in
Albuquerque makes his first court appearance
• Archbishop mourns killings of Muslim men in New
Mexico
• American-Egyptian man convicted of murder for
killing two teenage daughters
• China delays bid by US and India to sanction
Pakistan-based JeM militant at UN
• US uncovers Iran ‘plot’ to kill ex-White House
official John Bolton
--------
South
Asia
• Former Afghan President Karzai Says Taliban Seeks
US’s Trust but Needs Afghan People’s First
• More Than 70 Economists Ask Biden to Release Afghan
Central Bank Funds
• Afghanistan: Two dead, 9 injured following clash
between two families
• One year into Taliban rule- misery and disease
conquer Afghanistan
• Taliban fighters swap guns for books as hundreds
return to school
• China delays bid by US and India to sanction
Pakistan militant at UN
--------
Mideast
• IRGC Commander Vows to Continue Arming Palestinian
Factions
• Iran parliament speaker commends Islamic Jihad on
victory in latest Gaza war
• Despite truce, Israeli forces kill commander, three
other Palestinians
• Minister: Iran, Russia to Launch Production Line of
Khayyam Satellite
• Iran's Human Rights Chief Decries Global Inaction on
Israeli Aggression against Palestinians
• Iranians Strongly Condemn Israeli Massacre of Gazans
• Israel 'concerned' over Iran-Russia space
cooperation
--------
Africa
• 42 Malian Soldiers Killed In Suspected Jihadist
Attacks
• Tunisian Administrative Court Suspends President’s
Dismissal of 50 Judges: Lawyer
• 8 killed, more than 800 prisoners escape after
terror attack in Congo
• Algeria says keen to develop ties with Türkiye
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Ex-Navy Chief Rubbishes Claims 2017 LCS Launch Was
To Deceive Public
• Too soon to decide on targeted subsidies, says
Tengku Zafrul
• MACC’s report led to probe on ministers, civil
servants, says witness
• Loke’s stance on joining forces a ‘recognition’ of
Umno’s strength, says Ahmad
• Japan provides $3m aid for makeshift clinics in
Yemen
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/nupur-interim-firs-prophet-sc/d/127695
--------
SC Grants Nupur Sharma Interim Protection from
“Coercive Action”; Clubs FIRs across Different States for Remarks on the
Prophet
Suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma
----
By: Express News Service | New Delhi
August 11, 2022
THE Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that all
existing and future FIRs against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for
her remarks on the Prophet should be clubbed together and transferred to the
Delhi Police.
The bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala
also extended interim protection from any coercive action to Sharma till the
Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police
completes its investigation.
Multiple FIRs have been filed against Sharma, across
different states including Delhi, West Bengal and Maharashtra, for her remarks
on the Prophet during a TV show on May 26.
On July 1, the bench had declined to entertain
Sharma’s plea for clubbing the FIRs against her, and had reprimanded her,
saying she has a “loose tongue” and is “single-handedly responsible for what is
happening in the country”. But on July 19, the bench had granted her interim
protection from “coercive action”, and clarified that it “never wanted” Sharma
to go to “every court” to seek relief in the cases.
“Since this court has already taken cognizance of a
serious threat to the life and liberty of the petitioner, and specific
instances in relation thereto have been cited in our previous order dated July
19, 2022, besides those contained in the additional affidavit filed by the
petitioner today, we direct that all the FIRs…be transferred and clubbed for
the purpose of investigation by Delhi Police,” the bench said on Wednesday.
Sharma’s counsel, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, told
the bench that the petitioner had come to know about two more FIRs filed
against her. “The most important consideration is threat to life,” he
submitted, and urged the court to club all the FIRs with the one registered in
Delhi.
Appearing for West Bengal, Senior Advocate Menaka
Guruswamy said the FIR registered in Maharashtra was the first one in which
Sharma was named as an accused.
However, considering the threats pointed out by
Sharma, the court granted her relief, and asked the Delhi Police to ensure that
the FIR in Maharashtra and the one filed by its IFSO unit are investigated
together, and the other FIRs are clubbed with these.
Referring to the storm over Sharma’s remarks,
Guruswamy urged the court to set up an SIT to probe the matter. “…There have
been various politicians on either side who have come out in support. May I
suggest the constitution of a joint SIT with members from different forces,”
she said.
But the bench said that “since IFSO of Delhi Police
appears to be a specialised agency, it shall be appreciated if all the FIRs are
investigated by the said unit”.
“The IFSO, as a specialised investigating agency,
shall be at liberty to collect… any information if so required for the purpose
of reaching a logical conclusion,” it said.
Rejecting West Bengal’s request that the investigation
be monitored by the SC, Justice Surya Kant said: “Monitoring by the court of
investigation of an FIR… even as a High Court judge, I have never appreciated
it, because it puts undue and undesirable pressure on the investigative agency.
Investigative agencies should have complete faith, trust and independence, and
dispassionate atmosphere for investigation”.
The bench said the directions “shall also extend to
any other FIR/ complaint which may be registered/ entertained against the
petitioner… in respect to the same subject matter… and in that event, the
investigation of the FIR or complaint to be registered in future shall also
stand transferred to the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police for the purpose of
investigation”.
On Sharma’s plea that the FIRs be quashed, the court
said she should approach the Delhi High Court.
Guruswamy pointed out that the court had rejected
Sharma’s plea earlier. “We would have agreed but for the circumstances that led
to our order of July 19. It says ‘petitioner has now filed miscellaneous application…
pointing out, inter alia, that it has become nearly impossible for her to avail
the alternative remedy granted by this Court and that there is an imminent
necessity for this Court to intervene and protect her life and liberty as
guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. In support of her plea, the
petitioner has averred in the miscellaneous application that after the order
dated 01.07.2022 passed by this Court, various subsequent events have
occurred…’ Today’s affidavit again mentions that. This is the reason that
compelled or persuaded us to intervene and give it a kind of a second thought…
for limited purposes,” the bench said.
Guruswamy argued that no new circumstance had arisen
after the last order and said that “in terms of the threat, we will give
whatever security they need. But the problem here is that they are forum
shopping”.
“Let’s not create a situation where you are under
stress, the entire system is under stress, the states are under stress, the
petitioner is under stress,” the court said.
“What has happened to the atmosphere of the rule of
law and our constitutional democracy by the petitioner’s statements,” the
senior counsel said.
The court said it was confident that the states and
constitutional authorities would take care of that.
“Some states are supporting this conduct. That is the
problem here,” said Guruswamy.
Source: Indian Express
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Ulema Resolve To Counter Disinformation Campaign against
Pak Army: PM’s Special Representative
Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith
Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi
-----
10 Aug 2022
ISLAMABAD, Aug 10 (APP): Prime Minister’s Special
Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood
Ashrafi on Wednesday said Ulema had resolved to counter disinformation campaign
against Pakistan Army through thick and thin.
Addressing a press conference here, Ashrafi who is
also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), said Ulema and Mashaykh from
all schools of thought in collaboration with PUC, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Muttahida
Jamiat Ahlehadis, Jamiat Ulema Pakistan and Jaferia were observing ‘Youm-e-Dua’
on Friday for the departed souls of Pakistan Army officers who lost their
precious lives in the helicopter crash in Balochistan while performing beyond
the call of duty in the flood affected areas of the province.
He said they will express solidarity with Pakistan
Army and counter the negative propaganda drive being run by some miscreants
with malafide intentions against them from Mehrab-o-Mimber.
He made it clear that Pakistan Army was redline for
all of us and certain elements who were talking to disintegrate Pakistan Army
would be no more successful in their nefarious designs come what may.
He said the efforts for creating disintegration in
Pakistan Army were not new ones as the anti-state elements were trying their
social, political, economical and even religious jargons to meet their purposes
since the day one but they had badly failed due to blind trust of the nation on
their defense and security forces.
Giving the living example of fall of Libya, Ashrafi
said once the Libyan dinar was stronger than the United States dollar but due
to division between the people and army, today, it was under irreversible
crisis.
He assured that Ulema and Mashaykh were standing by
their defense and security forces and give a befitting response to those who
were trying to create division between the nation and Pakistan Army at all
costs.
He proposed that there were some non-controversial
elements, they should come forward and play their role to ease undue hype,
raised in the country.
Responding to a question, he said Dr Shabaz Gill had
crossed his limits which was totally unjustified, even his party was not
standing by his anti-state remarks as Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi had
condemned it in the strongest terms.
On the peaceful observation of Muharram processions
and gatherings, he thanked the federal and provincial governments including
Pakistan Army for providing foolproof security and managing all the affairs in
a better way.
He also lauded the Ulema, Mashaykh, Zakir and
religious scholars for following the ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan Code of Conduct’
pertaining to Muharram-ul-Haram in letter and spirit.
Ashrafi said the National Minorities Day would be
celebrated with zeal and zest across the country in a bid to show solidarity
with them on Thursday.
Source: APP
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original story:
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Alleged Fourth Islamic State ‘Beatle’ Aine Davis Arrested
In UK On Terror Charges
Aine Davis was detained by
counter terror officers at Luton airport on Wednesday night following his
release from a Turkish jail CREDIT: HO VIA MET POLICE
-----
10 August 2022
A British man accused of being a member of a notorious
Islamic State terror cell dubbed "The Beatles" has been arrested on
terror charges after landing in the UK.
Aine Davis was detained by counter terror officers at
Luton airport on Wednesday night following his release from a Turkish jail.
The 38-year-old is believed to have been deported
after serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for terror offences.
During his trial, Davis denied being part of the
Beatles, so-called by their hostages because of their British accents.
The terror cell was infamous internationally for
torturing and beheading American journalists and British aid workers in Syria.
Davis is being held in custody after being arrested by
officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command.
He was detained under the Terrorism Act and was taken
to a south London police station and remains in custody.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We will always
ensure the safety and security of the UK, and will not allow anything to
jeopardise this."
"We can confirm that a British national has been
deported from Turkey to the UK, but it would be inappropriate to comment
further while police enquiries are ongoing."
Davis was arrested in Turkey in 2015, hiding in a
villa on the outskirts of Istanbul, he was convicted in 2017 of being a senior
member of a terrorist organisation.
It is claimed that he is the Islamic State Beatle
dubbed "Paul" by the Western hostages, the others being
"John", "George" and "Ringo". The four are all
though to have grown up in west London.
They are accused of being responsible for beheadings
in Iraq and Syria, as shown in the beheading videos of American journalists
James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid workers David Haines and Alan
Henning, in 2014.
The leader of the cell, Mohammed Emwazi, known as
Jihadi John, was killed in an airstrike in 2015.
The two other members, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee
Elsheikh, were convicted earlier this year in the US of executing hostages,
torture and kidnap.
Davis, the son of a school dinner lady and a father
who briefly worked for John Lewis, was born in Hammersmith in February 1984 and
spent his early years in Fulham.
He was one of 13 children his father had by four
different mothers. Aged five, he was sent to Gambia, his father’s birthplace,
to live with his grandmother because he was “driving his mother crazy”.
He returned to the UK aged eight before going back to
Gambia and then returning to London for good aged 17.
Back in the capital, he became involved in local
gangs, adopting the nickname “Biggz”.
He pleaded guilty in 2004 to possessing a firearm
after being caught by police travelling in a taxi with a handgun.
At the time he was working for gangsters running
Britain’s biggest “gun factory”, selling a handgun a day to gangs, until it was
raided by police.
At some stage, he is thought to have converted to
Islam and he became increasingly radicalised while in prison.
In all, between 2002 and 2010, he was convicted on six
separate occasions of possessing cannabis and on each occasion given a fine.
In April 2010, police responding to reports of gangs
“fighting with weapons”, chased Davis from the scene.
As he fled, he threw a large quantity of cannabis from
his trousers before being arrested with £680 in his pockets.
He was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs with
intent to supply but was only charged with possession following advice from the
Crown Prosecution Service and was given a fine after pleading guilty.
He worked only sporadically.
His private life was just as chaotic. He had two
children with one woman before marrying a second he met at a local mosque in
west London in 2006.
Davis had by then converted to Islam and was calling
himself Hamza.
In 2009, Davis travelled to Yemen, enrolling at a
religious Islamic school and later embarked on further travels to the Middle
East, visiting Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage, and then Yemen, Egypt and Qatar.
He had two children with his second wife before
announcing in 2013 he was off to Syria via Turkey.
Source: Telegraph UK
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Iraq Cleric Al-Sadr Calls On Judiciary To Dissolve
Parliament By End Of Next Week
Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr (Image Credit:
Reuters)
-----
10 August, 2022
Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on the
country’s judiciary to dissolve the parliament by end of next week, he said in
a statement on Wednesday.
The judiciary “must dissolve parliament by the end of
next week... if not, the revolutionaries will take another stance,"
al-Sadr said in a statement on his Twitter account, without elaborating.
Al-Sadr has called for early elections and unspecified
changes to the constitution after withdrawing his lawmakers from parliament in
June.
The withdrawal was a protest against his failure to
form a government despite holding nearly a quarter of parliament and having
enough allies to make up more than half the chamber.
Protesters rallied by al-Sadr and his Sadrist Movement
tore down concrete barriers and entered the Green Zone, which houses government
departments and foreign missions, before breaking into parliament last month.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US’s Afghan Adjustment Act Allows Afghan Evacuees to
Apply for Permanent Status
Photo: The Khaama Press
----
By Saqalain Eqbal
10 Aug 2022
Prior to the first anniversary of the Taliban takeover
of Afghanistan, the Afghan Adjustment Act has been sponsored by the US Senate
and House of Representatives. This law will allow eligible Afghan evacuees to
apply for permanent residence after one or two years of being physically present
in the country as parolees.
A pathway to citizenship has been established for
thousands of Afghan evacuees who have been granted temporary legal status in
the United States, according to the sponsors of legislation that has been
submitted in both houses of the US Congress.
The legislation will also broaden eligibility for
Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) much further than Afghans who worked for the
U.S. government to include commandos and air force professionals who fought
with American forces as well as women who operated in special counterterrorism
teams.
Similar drafts of the bill were presented days before
the first anniversary of the disorderly evacuation operation.
“We are deeply grateful to Congressional leaders for
recognizing the urgency and moral imperative to keep our promise to our Afghan
allies,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, who is the president of a resettlement
agency that has welcomed over 13,500 Afghan refugees.
“This vital legislation addresses the legal limbo that
tens of thousands of evacuees still face, and offers them the stability and
peace of mind they need to thrive in their new communities,” she further said.
Following the military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan,
more than 70,000 Afghans were granted “humanitarian parole” status. The status
allows them to enter the US temporarily but does not provide a means of
obtaining a legal right to stay permanently.
Source: Khaama Press
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India
Mosque Located For Nearly 40 Years on Temple Land
Faces Threat of Demolition in Chennai
Mohamed Imranullah S.
AUGUST 11, 2022
Former tenant had played fraud and sold the land to
Nungambakkam Muslim Welfare Association in 1981
A mosque located for nearly 40 years on Valluvar Kottam
High Road at Nungambakkam, a prime locality in the heart of Chennai city, is
facing the threat of demolition since the Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal
preferred by Nungambakkam Muslim Welfare Association (NMWA).
What’s more is that the Supreme Court has confirmed
the Madras High Court’s January 2017 order declaring that the land on which the
mosque had been constructed belonged to the Agastheeswarar Prasanna Venkatesa
Perumal Devasthanam.
Dismissing NMWA’s second appeal pending since 1998,
Justice G. Jayachandran of the High Court had on January 5, 2017, directed it
to demolish the mosque and other superstructures and then hand over the vacant
possession of the land to the Devasthanam.
Though NMWA was a bona fide purchaser of the property
from V.G. Ramalingam, a former tenant of the Devasthanam, in 1981, the High
Court ruled that the purchase would get nullified since Ramalingam had obtained
a sale deed in his favour through fraudulent means.
The judge agreed with counsel for the Devasthanam A.K.
Sriram that Ramalingam had cleverly invoked the Madras City Tenants Protection
Act, 1921, and got a fraudulent sale deed executed in his name by the Registrar
of Small Causes Court in 1980 without notice to the Devasthanam.
Thereafter, Ramalingam sold the property to NMWA in
1981 for a valuable consideration. Since the former tenant himself had no right
to the property, the subsequent sale that had taken place at his instance would
naturally have no leg to stand on, Justice Jayachandran held.
The judge also stated that NMWA would not be entitled
to any compensation for the demolition of the mosque because the Devasthanam
had filed a suit before the City Civil Court (CCC) as early as in 1982 and yet
the mosque was constructed at the risk of being demolished any time.
The original suit was decreed in favour of the
Devasthanam by an Assistant Judge of the CCC on November 29, 1991. A subsequent
appeal suit, filed by NMWA in 1993, was dismissed by an Additional Judge on
September 27, 1996, leading to the second appeal in the High Court in 1998.
A special leave petition was filed in the Supreme
Court in 2017 itself against the High Court’s order. After five years, a Bench
of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and J.K. Maheshwari dismissed it on July 28 this
year as they did not find any merit in it.
The dismissal by the highest appellate court has now
empowered the Devasthanam to file an execution petition before the CCC for the
enforcement of its 1991 decree to demolish the mosque and take vacant
possession of the land.
Source: The Hindu
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Chamarajpet police, Muslim leaders hold peace meeting
11th August 2022
BENGALURU: A day after holding a peace meeting with
Hindu groups, including the Sanathana Parishad, Srirama Sene and Chamarajapet
Nagarikara Okkoota, the police conducted a similar exercise for Muslim leaders
and organisations on Wednesday. The peace meetings are being held after
confusion arose over the ownership of Idgah grounds in the area and the
decision of a section of residents to celebrate the Independence Day there.
The police said they appealed to the leaders to
maintain peace during Independence Day celebrations. If law and order is not
maintained, action will be taken as per law, the police told the leaders. The
meeting was held by DCP, West, Laxman Limbargi, who warned members of both
communities against making any provocative speeches.
Source: New Indian Express
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Big success, say Kashmir police after gunning down 3
LeT terrorists, including wanted Lateef Rather, in Budgam encounter
August 10, 2022
Srinagar: All the three LeT terrorists hiding at
Waterhail in the Kahnsahib area in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir have
been neutralised. "Bodies being retrieved from the site, identification
yet to be ascertained," Kashmir Zone Police said.
Three Lashkar terrorists, including most wanted Lateef
Rather gunned down in Budgam encounter
Calling it a "big success" for Kashmir
Police, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar
said, "Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition recovered. A big
success for us."
The encounter broke out in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Police said that three terrorists of LeT (TRF), including terrorist Lateef
Rather, were trapped in the ongoing encounter in Budgam district.
A police spokesman said security forces launched a
cordon and search operation at Waterhail in the Khansahib area of the district
after receiving information about the presence of terrorists there.
The police spokesman said that the hiding terrorists
fired at the security forces, leading to a gunfight.
Lateef Rather is involved in several civilian killings
including that of Rahul Bhat and Amreen Bhat.
Source: Firstpost
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Pakistan
Whosoever Talks Against Army Is an Enemy of Pakistan
and Islam: Punjab Chief Minister
AUGUST 11, 2022
Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that
the Pakistan Armed Forces are the guarantors to safeguard the frontiers of our country
and are also a symbol of our pride adding that only an enemy to the country can
indulge into a propaganda against the army. He stated that whosoever talks
against the army, should be declared as an enemy of Pakistan and to the
religion of Islam. He said that no one can talk against the Pakistan Army under
any circumstances.
He denounced that PML-N are making a false and a
baseless propaganda. CM highlighted that Imran Khan, PTI and the whole nation
is standing with the Pakistan Army. CM stated that we will not allow anyone to
attain political motives by defaming the army adding that a false propaganda is
being launched from the PML-N media cell.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi
personally supervised the security arrangements on Ashura Muharram and remained
in touch with the concerned officials till late at night to issue necessary
instructions for maintaining peace in the province.
The CM went to the Punjab Safe Cities Authority to
monitor the security arrangements for the and expressed the satisfaction that
Ashura has passed peacefully. ‘I congratulate the political and administrative
team,’ he added.
While appreciating the cabinet committee for law and
order for the best arrangements, he expressed satisfaction over the foolproof
security arrangements across the province. The police, administration and law
enforcement agencies, together, maintained the atmosphere of peace and harmony
by maintaining the best security arrangements in every city, he noted. The
government ensured the safety of people’s lives and property by working day and
night during Muharram, especially on the 10th of Muharram. The law and order
situation remained under control as the best coordination was maintained by the
line departments to ensure a peaceful atmosphere, he mentioned. The CM noted
that the officials of peace committees and parliamentarians also played their
role to maintain the atmosphere of harmony during Ashura Muharram. The ulema
played their role as well and peace was maintained due to the coordinated work
of all sections of the society, he concluded.
Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has
announced eight lakh rupees each for the heirs of seven people who lost their
lives in flash floods in the Esa Khel area of Mianwali.
The CM has telephonically contacted Speaker Punjab
assembly Sibtain Khan and directed to disburse Rs 5.6 million among the heirs
without delay. The damages to houses and crops would also be compensated and
the owners of completely destroyed houses would be given financial assistance
of six lakh rupees per person. Similarly, owners of partially damaged houses
would get four lakh rupees per person and damages to livestock will also be
redressed, he added.
The Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi
strongly condemned the suicide attack on the military convoy in the Mir Ali
area of North Waziristan and paid tributes to the martyred security officials.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the CM extended
heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families and added that the nation salutes
the brave sons who laid down their lives for the country.
Earlier, Former chairman of Lahore-Chicago sister city
committee and former district Nazim Mandi Bahauddin Riaz Asghar Chaudhry and
member of Lahore-Chicago sister city committee and central joint secretary of
PMLQ Rana Shiraz Hafeez called on Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.
The methodology of the proposed nurses’ training
program in Chicago and the collaboration of American institutions with
technical universities of Punjab were discussed.
The CM observed that it is the need of the hour to
develop the nursing sector on modern lines and added that the proposal of
sending nurses to Chicago for training will be reviewed. The modern training
opportunity would help them to find jobs there, he said. In order to improve
the quality of the nursing sector in Punjab, there is a need to work on the
faculty and syllabus for attaining international standards, he noted. Lahore
and Chicago were declared Sister Cities during my previous tenure and we would
move forward by finding new avenues of bilateral cooperation, the CM concluded.
It may be added that Lahore and Chicago were declared Sister Cities in the
previous tenure of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.
Source: Daily Times Pakistan
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Don’t spread fake news on state institutions —
Pakistan watchdog warns in diktat to media
ANUPRIYA CHATTERJEE
11 August, 2022
New Delhi: Pakistan has released a slew of directives
to news channels asking them to refrain from indulging in “spreading
misinformation and disinformation” against the state institutions.
In its directives Tuesday, the Pakistan Electronic
Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) hinted at news reports that allegedly “cast
aspersions” and “engaged in a planned propaganda campaign” to malign government
institutions.
Earlier in the day, PEMRA had issued a show-cause
notice to ARY News for its “hateful, seditious and malicious content”. The
Pakistani news channel had gone off air in many parts of the country on Monday
evening itself after it aired a programme in which Shahbaz Gill, a close aide
of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, made what the police called
“statements against the state institutions”, “inciting the people to
rebellion”.
Karachi Police arrested ARY News head Ammad Yousuf
from his residence in the early hours of Wednesday. Later, ARY Digital Network
founder and CEO Salman Iqbal and anchors Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghuman were
also booked for sedition.
Several Pakistani journalists have condemned the
action and sought immediate restoration of ARY News, which is currently being
broadcast on YouTube.
Speaking to ThePrint, one Pakistani journalist said
that these events were not new in the country struggling with media freedom.
“Even in the previous government under Imran Khan,
media professionals suffered from fear psychosis. Journalists were beaten and
often threatened. Some even had to lose their jobs, and all of us have to be
very careful with reportage,” the journalist said. “This government is no
different. However, the speed with which it acted and slapped sedition charges
has shaken the fraternity. The directives are stifling in nature, and will
invite court cases in the future.”
Accountability, the journalist added, also lies with
media personnel who don’t realise when to draw a line. “They exaggerate and
pick up subject matters that will surely provoke the government and people in
the wrong manner. TV channels have their own loyalties. There are many channels
that engage with topics similar to what ARY had chosen. It is interesting to
note that they were never touched by law enforcement agencies,” the journalist
added.
Speaking to ARY News Tuesday, Imran Khan condemned the
arrest of his aide Gill and the suspension of the news channel’s transmission,
saying it is “not acceptable in a democratic society”.
Also Read: Press freedom in Pakistan has latest
casualty — the arrest of ARY News journalist
‘Trend in news channels’
There is a “trend” in the media, especially satellite
TV channels, where anchors and analysts have indulged in spreading fake news on
governmental institutions, the PEMRA observed.
“Such trend on channels not only tantamount to casting
aspersions against state institutions but also a planned propaganda campaign
against the state institutions. Airing of such content is in violation of the
directives issued by the Authority, provisions of PEMRA Electronic Media
(Programmes and Advertisement) Code of Conduct 2015 and the principles laid
down by the Superior Courts,” read the directive shared by PEMRA on Twitter.
It also highlighted how freedom of speech is not
absolute in Pakistan and that there are restrictions under the law, which would
be used against those flouting sentiments and spreading fake news.
“It is pertinent to mention here that freedom of
speech and expression is the fundamental right of every citizen as per Article
19 of the Constitution…. However, this right is subject to restrictions imposed
by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or
defence of Pakistan, or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign
states, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to the contempt of
court (Commission of) or incitement to an offence,” the directive added.
What led to these actions
A political blame game has started between the Shehbaz
Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and Imran Khan’s PTI
ever since Gill criticised the government on air Monday for trying to pitch the
former prime minister against the Army and his subsequent arrest.
While PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had tweeted Tuesday
that Gill was allegedly “abducted”, Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah
Khan announced that the police have arrested Gill on sedition charges. On
Tuesday, Sanaullah Khan also claimed in a tweet that a script was prepared
under Khan’s supervision and was propagated by Gill on the news channel.
A day later, an Islamabad court granted two-day
custody of Gill to the police.
Khan spoke to ARY News Tuesday about the suspension of
the channel’s transmission.
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Pakistan: Protest continues in North Waziristan for
23rd day against target killings
11 August, 2022
North Waziristan [Pakistan], August 11 (ANI): Protests
continued for the 23rd day in Pakistan’s North Waziristan against the targeted
killings.
Taking to Twitter, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement said
that the locals had busted the fake encounter drama in North Waziristan.
“Protest movement continues on 23th day in North
Waziristan against target killings. Locals had busted the fake / staged
security situation drama in North Waziristan & deep state role in target
killings,” PTM tweeted.
PTM, a rights-based resistance movement in Pakistan,
which has been critical of state policies in the tribal belt has ruffled
feathers among the Pakistan military with its demand for a probe into gross
human rights violations conducted by the Army.
The protests had begun against the growing incidents
of targeted killings in the district as dozens of people lost their lives in
those incidents.
Earlier, on August 4, tens of thousands of agitators
took to roads suspending vehicular traffic for long hours and also burning old
tyres. A fifty membered-strong committee led the protest as the residents
placed boulders on the Bannu-Miramshah Road, Thall-Mirali Road, Ghulam Khan Road,
Razmak Road, and Datakhel Road in the region.
According to Dawn, business centres, markets and shops
were closed in Miramshah, Mirali and other small towns of the district on the
call of a jirga of the Uthmanzai tribe.
Initially, the residents had organised protests in
Eidak village but later extended them to the entire district. Senior officials
of the district administration also held several meetings with tribal elders in
an attempt to persuade them to call off the protests on Wednesday. However, committee
head Malik Rab Nawaz said the North Waziristan Political Alliance, transporters
and other associations ‘fully’ supported the protest.
Locals in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal district
staged a sit-in blocking the main highway connecting Miramshah with other areas
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the previous week as well to protest against the targeted
killings and lawlessness in the area.
A 30-member jirga comprising elders of all branches of
the Uthmanzai tribe was constituted to discuss the situation with the local
officials.
Notably, there have been several cases of such
killings in North Waziristan over the past months. Earlier, the workers of
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Utmanzai tribes also been protesting in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan against the killing of its local leaders and
lawlessness in the district.
The protest movement has been started under the
direction of the Uthmanzai tribe’s elders, the main tribe from which the Dawar
and Ahmadzai Wazir tribes of North Waziristan descend, Dawn reported.
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Ambassador Masood Khan Thanks US Leadership For
Standing With Muslims
AUGUST 11, 2022
WASHINGTON: Ambassador Masood Khan has thanked New
Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for the measures taken to apprehend the
suspect of recent killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque city. He also paid
tribute to Albuquerque Police Department (APD) for their professional
excellence and swift action to track the suspect.
“The measures have addressed concerns of the Muslim
community, in general, and Pakistani Americans, in particular, living in
Albuquerque”, he said.
“We condole with the families of the victims, two of
whom are of Pakistani origin. This is an irreparable and unacceptable loss”, he
added. “We attach highest importance to the safety and security of Pakistani
Community in the US and are grateful to the US authorities for ensuring that”,
the Ambassador observed.
The Pakistan envoy also spoke to the families of
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Naeem Hussein and assured them of full support.
Consul General Abrar Hashmi went to the Albuquerque
city where he attended the interfaith and condolence event held at city’s
Islamic Center. The event was attended by Governor Michelle Grisham,
Albuquerque city officials, relatives of the victims and interfaith community
leaders of the city.
In his meetings, he conveyed condolences and assured
support from the Ambassador and leadership of Pakistan.
Earlier, in a letter to Governor Grisham, Ambassador
Masood Khan thanked her for her resolve in pursuit of justice for the victims
and their families as well as her solidarity with the Muslim community at this
difficult time. He also urged Albuquerque Police to apprehend the killer(s) as
soon as possible.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris
in their strongly worded statements have denounced those horrific incidents.
President Biden said “these hateful attacks have no
place in America”.
Source: Daily Times Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/980056/masood-khan-thanks-us-leadership-for-standing-with-muslims/
--------
Europe
European lawmakers press for facts on Israeli spyware
firms in Greek Cypriot administration
Ahmet Gençtürk
10.08.2022
The European Parliament has demanded an explanation on
the presence of Israeli spyware companies in the Greek Cypriot administration
and the extent of their operations, local media reported on Wednesday.
The European legislative assembly is tightening its
scrutiny into the country, known to be hosting firms that market in illegal
phone-hacking spyware.
The company in the spotlight is Intellexa, run by CEO
and former Israeli intelligence officer Tal Dilian. It sells notorious Predator
spyware, most recently involved in a surveillance scandal in Greece that led to
the resignation of the country's intelligence chief.
Greek Cypriot daily Politis reported that the head of
the European Parliament's surveillance software committee, Sophie In't Veld,
sent a letter to Dilian questioning him on his role in a network of several
companies under Intellexa's umbrella, and their operations in the Greek Cypriot
administration.
Another of question was about Intellexa's relations
with its subsidiaries, Wispears/Passitora and Cytrox Peterbald, and whether
they have a corporate presence and/or financial connections to Israel, the
daily added.
According to the daily, the questions raised in the
letter directly interest the Greek Cypriot administration, as Dilian continues
to maintain a corporate presence there.
In a press conference on Tuesday, European Parliament
member Dimitris Papadakis of the Movement for Social Democracy demanded the
list of people who have been subject to surveillance software provided by
Intellexa.
He also asked the government to clarify whether it was
true that political parties have purchased such spyware systems.
Papadakis did not rule out the possibility of the EU
imposing sanctions on the Greek Cypriot administration over the operations of
firms involved in illegal wiretapping.
"We are talking about a very serious accusation,
which is accompanied by a violation of individual rights," he said.
Furthermore, Greek Cypriot presidential candidate
Giorgos Kolokasides called for more light to be shed on the allegations of
illegal spying, saying that officials in Greece have resigned over their role
in unlawful surveillance, according to the daily Kathimerini.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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UK accidentally leaks personal data on Afghan teacher
in hiding from Taliban
August 10, 2022
LONDON: An Afghan teacher has been told by a UK
government department that his personal details were passed to a member of the
public in Afghanistan “in error.”
The man, who has worked abroad, has been in hiding in
Afghanistan with his wife and two children since the Taliban takeover in August
last year.
The data breach has been acknowledged by the UK
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and is the first known leak under
the government’s Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, which prioritizes those
who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and vulnerable people, including
members of minority groups.
Those wishing to apply for transfer to the UK through
the scheme must complete an “expression of interest” form. The family’s
personal details from this form were leaked to another Afghan citizen, putting
them at risk of being found by the Taliban.
The ACRS team alerted the man to the leak, saying: “In
accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, I am writing to inform
you that some of your personal data has, in error, been forwarded on to another
member of the public who had submitted an expression of interest for the ACRS …
which contained personal data, including your name and background details.
“We have reviewed our processes in light of this event
and taken steps to avoid it happening again.”
The man said: “What is really upsetting and unsettling
is the fact that instead of being the source of comfort and sanctuary, the
British government has regrettably become the source of unimaginable pain and
danger for us. These errors could be lethal.
“I am so frustrated with the blunders and
non-responsiveness from the government during such a difficult year. Now I am
lost for words that this has happened. I am more exposed and at risk of being
misidentified as a British spy, because I worked abroad for so long. We are
extremely shocked … It is so distressing for us all.”
The FCDO and the UK Home Office have joint
responsibility for processing ACRS applications.
The government says it aims to resettle more than
5,000 people through the scheme in the first year, once the window for
expression of interest forms closes on August 15.
Anyone resettled through the scheme will receive
indefinite leave to remain in the UK, and under existing rules be able to apply
for British citizenship after five years.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140246/world
--------
Alaska Airlines faces discrimination lawsuit over
removal of Muslim passengers from flight
August 11, 2022
LONDON: Two Muslims have filed a lawsuit accusing
Alaska Airlines of discrimination for allegedly removing them from a flight
prior to takeoff because they were “talking and texting in Arabic.”
According to Abobakkr Dirar and Mohamed Elamin, the
incident occurred after they boarded a flight from Seattle to San Francisco in
February 2020. They said the airline’s staff humiliated them “before their
fellow passengers by unnecessarily deplaning (them) and allowing (other
passengers) to observe plaintiffs surrounded by uniformed law enforcement
personnel.”
The men said that they had been talking and texting in
Arabic in the first-class cabin when a fellow traveler informed flight
attendants about the text messages. They allege that an Alaska Airlines
employee subsequently removed them from the flight due to a “ticket issue.”
This is not the first time that Arab passengers have
complained about the way they were treated by airline staff in the US. In 2019,
for example, Issam Abdallah said he was “humiliated” when an American Airlines
flight to Texas he boarded in Alabama was canceled because crew members felt
“uncomfortable” with him on the flight.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140401/world
--------
Pro-Palestine activists in UK urge govt. to introduce
anti-Israel sanctions
11 August 2022
London rights groups including the Palestine
Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa and Stop the War Coalition have joined
forces to call on the British government to stop supporting Israel in its
aggression against the Palestinians.
The latest Israeli bombardment of Gaza was the worst
it’s been since the May 2021 war that killed 260 Palestinians and destroyed
thousands of homes and business. This new assault cost the lives of at least 47
Palestinians. A third of the scores killed were children.
Those attending the demonstration near the Downing
Street - the official residence of the British prime minister - needed to be
present to raise their voice against the injustice.
One of the main themes linking the speakers at this
event is the fact that the Israeli aggression is only possible with the tacit
support of states like Britain. Palestinian blood remains on British hands.
Source: Press TV
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of the original story:
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Arab
World
Iraq’s constitution is causing a cycle of
dysfunctionality
By Ben Joseph
August 10, 2022
The sectarian distribution of the main political
offices in Iraq has proved its biggest bane, taking its toll on the war-scarred
Middle Eastern nation and its people.
Despite holding polls 10 months ago, the beleaguered
country may be heading for another election as the political leadership failed
to cobble together a government.
The oil-rich nation’s 2005 constitution, influenced by
the US, is only helping to prevent the formation of a unified and
representative government.
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the patriarch of the
Chaldean Church, has said that the quota system (muhasassa) has produced “corruption
and injustice.”
Iraq needed new approaches and new ways in which to
place its top offices at the service of the people, and not partisan interests,
the cardinal said on July 31.
Baghdad's Green Zone, which is home to diplomatic
missions and government buildings, including the parliament, has been occupied
by followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, whose Saarirun (Arabic acronym for
Alliance toward Reform) movement tried to elect a Kurdish president — the first
step in forming a government.
The Saarirun, an electoral alliance formed ahead of
the 2018 general election, emerged as the largest block in last year’s polls
but fell far short of a majority. Al Sadr’s efforts were marred by a rival
Shiite alliance, the Coordinating Framework, backed by Iran.
Since 2005, the president has been a Kurd, the prime
minister a Shiite, and the president of the parliament a Sunni. However, deep
political fissures exist between and within the sectarian groups.
The traditional tensions between minority Sunni and majority
Shiite communities have escalated and are spreading to other areas of Iraq as
armed factions of both groups are active and thriving in areas outside their
geographical and societal boundaries.
Al-Sadr once headed the powerful militia, the Mehdi
Army, which fought against the US occupation. Though the Mehdi Army was
disbanded in 2008, its armed fighters joined its successor group, the Peace
Brigades.
They are roaming freely in the country to take on the
rival Coordinating Framework which includes Iran-aligned politicians like
former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, paramilitary groups, the Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan and a few Sunni outfits.
The Sunnis and the Kurds, although favoring Al-Sadr’s
victory, are leaving no stone unturned to prevent Shiite infighting which may
outweigh any potential gains accrued by them from the general election.
Global and regional actors like the US, Turkey and
Saudi Arabia have exploited the strategically weak and divided Iraqi state to
their advantage. Iran is hoping to empower the Shiites in Iraq through
state-sponsored militias and proxies who have infiltrated the Iraqi military
and security services.
After his 73 lawmakers quit to make way for a
government by the rival Coordination Framework, it named former cabinet minister
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister. This angered the Sadrists and
created the current logjam and the occupation of parliament. Al-Sadr opposed
his candidacy alleging that al-Sudani would serve the interests of Iran.
On Aug. 5, tens of thousands assembled at the Green
Zone as Al-Sadr used the Friday prayers to press for his demand to hold fresh
elections. Even Baghdad's 42 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) heat did not
prevent his followers, mostly men, from staging the new power play to score over
their rivals.
The Iraqi political blocs must start a national
consultation to end the institutional stalemate that is paralyzing the country,
before "a tsunami wipes us all away," Cardinal Sako observed.
The scenario is frightening, and delays cannot be
tolerated, the Iraqi cardinal said.
As political parties are following narrow sectarian
agendas, people in the country are plagued by nepotism, corruption,
unemployment; physical insecurity; and a dismal state of affairs in healthcare
and education, he said.
When Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, was overthrown in 2003,
the Shiites, who are the majority in Iraq, saw it as a chance to take revenge.
The Kurds, who feared that any intra-Shiite fighting would backfire on them,
capitalized on it to push for autonomy for Kurdistan in Eastern Iraq, and the
Sunnis felt sidelined and began to make amends to stave off the repercussions.
The only people left empty-handed in the
ethnoreligious political bargaining in Iraq were the minority Christians who
ended up with little representation in political institutions, which often came
with multiple threats that dramatically dwarfed their number.
Christians are less than 5 percent of Iraq’s
population, while Shiites cover nearly 60 percent.
Currently, Iraq earns record oil income because of
high prices and the nation has been passing through a period without major
conflict since the defeat of the Islamic State group five years ago.
The skyrocketing global oil prices would have helped
alleviate the acute social crisis in the country. But there is little appetite
for major changes.
According to the Ministry of Petroleum, Iraq exported
oil worth US$11.3 billion, a figure not seen for decades, in June-end.
State-owned oil firms sold a barrel of oil for $112 in June, while it was a
whopping $140 in March.
Source: UCA News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/iraqs-constitution-is-causing-a-cycle-of-dysfunctionality/98343
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Islamic State leader ‘blows himself up’ in Syria
10 August 2022
A leader of the Islamic State group blew himself up in
southern Syria after being surrounded by government forces, state media
reported on Wednesday, citing a security source.
The official SANA news agency said security forces
carried out a "special operation" in the Daraa area that led to the
death of "the terrorist Abu Salem al-Iraqi".
Iraqi "triggered his explosive belt after being
surrounded and wounded", the agency said.
The security source said Iraqi had been the military
chief of the extremist group in the country's south.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
war monitor, which has a vast network of sources on the ground, said Iraqi died
on Tuesday.
It said he had been hiding out in the area since 2018,
and had taken part in killings and attacks there.
Daraa province has mostly been under regime control
since 2018, but rebel groups still control some areas under a truce deal agreed
with Russia, an ally of Damascus.
After a meteoric rise in 2014 in Iraq and Syria that
saw it conquer vast swathes of territory, IS saw its self-proclaimed
"caliphate" collapse under a wave of offensives.
It was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years
later, but sleeper cells of the extremist Sunni Muslim group still carry out
attacks in both countries.
Last month, Maher al-Agal, said to be one of the
terror group’s ‘top five leaders’, was killed by a US drone strike in Syria.
Source: Telegraph UK
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/08/10/islamic-state-leader-blows-syria/
--------
Order to seize Hezbollah-allied Lebanon MPs’ property
over port blast
10 August, 2022
Judicial authorities in Lebanon Wednesday ordered the
temporary seizure of the property of two deputies allied with Hezbollah in the
case of the deadly explosion which destroyed Beirut port two years ago.
“Judge Najah Itani has issued a temporary seizure
order worth 100 billion Lebanese pounds on the property of MPs Ali Hassan
Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter,” a judicial source told AFP.
The source said the decision was issued in the context
of a complaint filed by the Beirut Bar Association to question the two for
having “used their rights... in an arbitrary manner by filing complaints
intended to hinder the investigation.”
Compensation of 100 billion Lebanese pounds is being
sought.
On Thursday, crisis-hit Lebanon marked two years since
the massive port blast ripped through Beirut.
The dockside blast of haphazardly stored ammonium
nitrate, one of history’s biggest non-nuclear explosions, killed more than 200
people, wounded thousands and decimated vast areas of the capital.
After the tragedy, the bar launched legal proceedings
against the state on behalf of nearly 1,400 families of victims.
However, an investigation into the cause has been
stalled amid political interference and no state official has yet been held
accountable over the tragedy.
Khalil and Zeaiter, of Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri’s Amal party, filed a total of 20 complaints against Judge Tarek Bitar
for obstructing the investigation which he himself was carrying out.
Politicians on all sides have refused to be questioned
by the judge.
Officials close to the powerful Hezbollah movement
have also curtailed Bitar’s work with a series of lawsuits.
His investigation has been paused since December 23.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Mass displacement of civilians from YPG/PKK-held areas
in Syria: NGO
Mehmet Misto
10.08.2022
A human rights organization has reported a massive
displacement of civilians in areas occupied by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in
eastern Syria.
“Areas held by YPG/PKK have recently seen mass
displacement of civilians towards neighboring countries and Europe,” Farhad
Osu, head of the Rasd Syria Network for Human Rights, told Anadolu Agency.
“Most of the migrants are young people who are
forcibly recruited by the terror group,” he said.
Osu said the terrorist group forces migrants to pay
hefty sums of money to be allowed to leave their areas “as most traffickers are
members of the organization.”
He also cited the deteriorating economic conditions,
taxes imposed by the YPG/PKK and lack of jobs for pushing residents to leave the
areas held by the terror group.
“Arbitrary measures taken by the terrorist group
against civilians such as detentions are making the situation even worse,” he
added.
“YPG/PKK terrorists plant landmines in towns and
cities and terrorizing residents, making them eager to leave the area in search
for safety,” Osu said.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Turkish forces 'neutralize' 9 YPG/PKK terrorists in
northern Syria
Zehra Nur Düz
10.08.2022
Turkish security forces "neutralized" at
least nine YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria near the Turkish border,
authorities said on Wednesday.
The terrorists attempted to attack and infiltrate
border line in eastern Mardin province before being "neutralized,"
the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Twitter.
Turkish authorities use the term
"neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were
killed or captured.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful
anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the
formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents:
Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi charity KSrelief launches medical program
combatting blindness in Bangladesh
August 11, 2022
RIYADH: A new scheme combatting blindness and its causes
in Bangladesh was launched on Monday by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and
Relief Center (KSrelief).
The KSrelief voluntary medical team examined 6,600
cases, and performed 150 successful cataract procedures.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140461/saudi-arabia
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North
America
Shock, shame among some Muslims as Afghan accused of New
Mexico murders
August 10, 2022
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: Muslims in New Mexico interviewed
on Wednesday said they felt shock and shame at the arrest of a Muslim immigrant
from Afghanistan in connection with the murders of four Muslim men.
Police on Tuesday said they detained 51-year-old
Muhammad Syed. A motive for the killings remains unclear, but police said he
may have acted on personal grudges, possibly with intra-Muslim sectarian
overtones.
Syed denied being involved with any of the four
killings when questioned by police, according to the New York Times.
“We’re in complete total disbelief. Speechless. You
know, kind of embarrassed to say he was one of our own,” said Mula Akbar, an
Afghan-American businessman who said he had helped Syed settle in the city.
“His hatred of Shiites might have had something to do
with it,” Akbar said.
Syed was from the Sunni branch of Islam and prayed
together at Albuquerque’s Islamic Center of New Mexico mosque with most of the
victims, three of whom were from the Shiite branch of Islam. All four victims
were of Afghan or Pakistani descent. One was killed in November, the other
three in the last two weeks.
Syed, who made his first appearance in court
Wednesday, was formally charged with killing Aftab Hussein, 41, on July 26 and Muhammed
Afzaal Hussain, 27, on Aug. 1.
Police said on Tuesday they were working with
prosecutors on potential charges for the murders of Naeem Hussain, 25, a truck
driver killed on Friday, and Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, shot dead on Nov. 7, 2021,
outside the grocery store he ran with his brother in southeast Albuquerque.
It was not immediately clear if Syed had retained a
lawyer. His family did not immediately respond to a request for comment but
local television station KRQE News 13 quoted them as saying they believed he
was innocent.
Palestinian-American Samia Assed said the Muslim
community of around 4,000 in the city of over half a million people had work to
do to prevent violence they left behind in countries like Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
“This took me back to 9/11 when I just wanted to hide
under a rock,” said the human rights activist after she hosted an interfaith
memorial at the Islamic Center of New Mexico (ICNM) in Albuquerque,
Albuquerque’s oldest and largest mosque.
“For this to happen it’s like setting us back 100
years,” she said.
The mosque is nonsectarian, serves mainly Sunnis from
over 30 countries and has never before experienced violence of this kind,
according to congregants interviewed by Reuters.
Police on Tuesday declined to comment on rumors Syed
was angry one of his daughters had eloped and married a Shiite man.
Syed is a truck driver, has six children, is from
Pashtun ethnicity and arrived in the United States as a refugee about six years
ago from Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, said Akbar, a former US
diplomat who worked on Afghan issues and helped found the Afghan Society of New
Mexico.
Syed developed a record of criminal misdemeanors over
the last three or four years, including a case of domestic violence, police
said.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140386/world
--------
A 'primary suspect' in the killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque
makes his first court appearance
August 11, 2022
The man accused of fatally shooting two Muslim men in
Albuquerque appeared in court for the first time Wednesday as investigators
continued to search for a motive and probe whether he's connected to two other
killings.
Muhammad Syed, 51, of Albuquerque, is the
"primary suspect" in the killings of four Muslim men that took place
in the city between November and August, according to police.
He is being charged with two of the homicides, the
August 1 killing of 27-year-old Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and the July 26 killing
of 41-year-old Aftab Hussein.
Syed was arrested Tuesday following tips from the
public, authorities said. He was stopped by police while driving near Santa
Rosa, New Mexico, more than 100 miles east of Albuquerque.
Authorities found firearms during a search of his
home, as well as information showing Syed may have known the victims "to
some extent" and that interpersonal conflict may have led to the killings,
police said Tuesday
One of the firearms recovered has been linked to
bullet casings found at the scenes of two of the killings, while casings for a
handgun found in his car when he was stopped were linked to one of the scenes,
according to the arrest affidavit.
Syed told police "he was driving to Texas to find
a new place for his family to live because the situation in Albuquerque was
bad," referring to the killing of Muslim men, the affidavit said.
On Wednesday, he appeared in court via video from a
detention center.
Through a Pashto interpreter, he asked to address the
court during his hearing. His attorney Megan Mitsunaga followed up asking the
court not to take statements from her client.
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court Judge Renée
Torres also advised Syed that remaining silent would be the best thing for him
to do. "Sounds good," Syed said in response.
Syed's case will be transferred to a district court.
He is being held without bond in the meantime.
In announcing Syed's arrest Tuesday, Albuquerque
Police Chief Harold Medina said the department is working with the district
attorney's office on potential charges in the deaths of the two other men,
62-year-old Mohammad Zaher Ahmadi, killed November 7, 2021, and 25-year-old
Naeem Hussain, killed August 5 after attending a funeral for the two other
victims.
There is evidence "strong enough that"
authorities are continuing to view Syed as the "most likely person of
interest or suspect" in those killings as well, deputy commander of the
Albuquerque Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division Kyle Hartsock
said.
Syed denied any involvement in the killings during an
interview with police on Tuesday, according to the arrest affidavit.
The killings and how the investigation unfolded
The killings that Syed is being charged with -- of
Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain -- happened just days apart and
police quickly connected them after determining that casings found at both
crime scenes were likely fired from the same firearm, Hartsock said.
"We quickly started looking at other cases that
could be similar and identify that there might be a really active public
threat," Hartsock added.
That's when police turned their attention to a
different unsolved homicide in the city: the November 7 killing of Mohammad
Ahmadi, an Afghan man who was found with a gunshot wound in the parking lot
behind the business he ran with his brother.
All three of the killings involved Muslim men who were
"ambushed with no warning, fired on and killed," Hartsock said.
Aftab Hussein was found July 26 with multiple gunshot
wounds, lying next to a car, according to police. Detectives learned the gunman
had waited behind a bush near the driveway where the victim usually parked his
vehicle and fired multiple times through the bush, according to the complaint.
Muhammud Afzaal Hussain was found on August 1 with
multiple gunshot wounds by officers who responded to reports of a drive-by
shooting, the complaint states.
While police were still trying to piece together
whether the three killings were connected, a fourth Muslim man, Naeem Hussain,
was shot and killed before midnight on August 5.
The shootings caused panic within Albuquerque's Muslim
community, while also triggering hundreds of tips to law enforcement,
authorities said Tuesday.
Who is Muhammad Syed?
Syed is a father of six whose family has been in the
US for about six years since moving from Afghanistan, his daughter told CNN.
Hours before police announced Syed was a suspect, CNN
was inside his home and spoke to his daughter, who offered insight on her father
and what happened when they last saw each other, which was before his arrest
and before authorities executed a search warrant on their family's home. CNN
has chosen not to name the daughter out of concern for her safety.
"My father is not a person who can kill somebody.
My father has always talked about peace. That's why we are here in the United
States. We came from Afghanistan, from fighting, from shooting," she told
CNN.
The daughter told CNN she married a man in February
2018, and her father was not happy with the marriage at the time but had come
to accept it more recently. She said her husband was friends with two victims,
Aftab Hussein and Naeem Hussain.
Source: CNN
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of the original story:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/11/us/albuquerque-muslim-men-killings-thursday/index.html
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Archbishop mourns killings of Muslim men in New Mexico
August 11, 2022
During a Mass for peace, Archbishop John C. Wester of
Santa Fe decried the killings of four Muslim men in New Mexico since last
November.
"We in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and all of us
here are appalled at these hateful and horrific crimes and utterly condemn
them," Archbishop Wester said at the start of his homily during a Mass
Aug. 9 marking the 77th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.
Police arrested Muhammad Syed, 51, a Muslim immigrant
from Afghanistan, Aug. 9 and said in a statement that he was charged with two
of the murders. Police continued to investigate whether all four killings were
related.
Until the arrest, the murders rattled the Islamic
community in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, whose members feared the
violence was fueled by anti-Muslim sentiment.
The four victims were either Afghani or Pakistani. One
man was killed in November and the other three men in late July and early
August.
Authorities said the incidents may have been fueled by
sectarian differences and that the investigation was continuing.
During a search of the suspect's home, investigators
"discovered evidence that shows the offender knew the victims to some
extent and an interpersonal conflict may have led to the shootings," the
Albuquerque Police Department said in a statement Aug. 9.
Archbishop Wester offered a prayer for the victims'
families and Albuquerque's Muslim community.
Source: UCA News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.ucanews.com/news/archbishop-mourns-killings-of-muslim-men-in-new-mexico/98355
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American-Egyptian man convicted of murder for killing
two teenage daughters
11 August, 2022
A US court in the state of Texas earlier this week
convicted an American-Egyptian of capital murder for the 2008 killing of his
two teenage daughters, Amina and Sarah.
After a six-day trial, Yaser Abdel Said was sentenced Tuesday
to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of
capital murder, according to a statement from the office of Dallas County
Criminal District Attorney.
“He must now spend the rest of his days confined to a
prison cell living under the control of the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice,” the statement said, adding that the jury deliberated for three hours
before reaching a verdict.
The 65-year-old man was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted
Fugitives list in 2014 when he was arrested in Justin, Texas, in 2020. He was
identified by the FBI as a capital murder suspect wanted in connection with the
homicide of his daughters, 18-year-old Amina and Sarah, 17.
The FBI in 2020 also arrested Yaser’s son, Islam, and
his brother, Yassin, for harboring an alleged fugitive.
Said took his daughters for a taxi-ride on New Year’s
Day 2008 under the pretext of taking them to get something to eat, according to
an FBI statement issued at the time of his capture.
“He drove them to Irving, Texas, where he allegedly
shot both girls inside the taxicab. They both died of multiple gunshot wounds,”
the statement said.
The girls’ bodies were discovered several hours later
in the cab, which was abandoned outside a hotel in Irving.
Before succumbing to her wounds, Sarah managed to make
a chilling 911 call in which she was screaming and saying that her father shot
her and her sister.
Local media had reported that Said was not satisfied
with his daughters’ American lifestyle and alleged that he was very controlling
of what they did.
The Associated Press reported that in an email sent on
December 21, 2007, Amina told a teacher that she and her sister planned to run
away.
“She said they didn’t want to live by the culture of
their father, who was born in Egypt, nor did they want arranged marriages, as
he planned,” the Associated Press reported.
Her father, she said, had “made our lives a
nightmare.” The email added: ”He will, without any drama nor doubt, kill us.”
The girls’ mother, Patricia Owens, told her ex-husband
in a victim impact statement given after the verdict and sentence that she was
no longer scared of him.
Source: Al Arabiya
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China delays bid by US and India to sanction
Pakistan-based JeM militant at UN
11 August, 2022
China delayed on Wednesday a proposal by the United
States and India to sanction at the UN Security Council a top commander in the
Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group, diplomats said.
India and the United States wanted Abdul Rauf Azhar to
be subjected to a global travel ban and asset freeze. Such a move has to be
agreed by all 15 members of a Security Council sanctions committee.
“We placed a hold because we need more time to study
the case. Placing holds is provided for by the Committee guidelines, and there
have been quite a number of similar holds by Committee members on listing
requests,” a spokesperson for China’s mission to the United Nations told
Reuters.
The US Treasury designated Azhar in 2010, accusing him
of urging Pakistanis to engage in militant activities and organize suicide
attacks in India.
The United States respects other countries needs to
verify that a sanctions proposal meets their “domestic evidentiary threshold to
justify a listing at the UN,” a spokesperson for the US mission to the United
Nations said on Wednesday.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US uncovers Iran ‘plot’ to kill ex-White House
official John Bolton
August 10, 2022
WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department said Wednesday
it had uncovered an Iranian plot to kill former White House National Security
Adviser John Bolton, and announced charges against a member of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Justice Department said 45-year-old Shahram
Poursafi, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, had offered to pay an individual in the
US $300,000 to kill Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN.
The Justice Department said that plan was likely set
in retaliation for the US killing of top Guard commander Qassem Soleimani in
Iraq in January 2020.
Prosecutors say the scheme unfolded more than a year
after Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force and an
architect of Tehran’s proxy wars in the Middle East, was killed in a targeted
airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport in January 2020. After the strike,
Bolton, who by then had left his White House post, tweeted, “Hope this is the
first step to regime change in Tehran.”
The allegation came as Iran weighs a proposed
agreement in Vienna talks to revive the 2015 agreement that aims to prevent
Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
For months Tehran has held up the deal, demanding that
the US remove its official designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
as a sponsor of terrorism.
“This is not the first time we have uncovered Iranian
plots to exact revenge against individuals on US soil and we will work
tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts,” said US Assistant
Attorney General Matthew Olsen.
According to the charges, Poursafi tried to arrange
Bolton’s murder beginning in October 2021, when he contacted online an
unidentified person in the US, first saying he wanted to commission photographs
of Bolton.
Poursafi provided the person with Bolton’s office
address, including the name and contact information for someone who worked in
the office, and took screenshots of surveillance photographs of Bolton’s
office, the affidavit says.
He offered $250,000, which was then negotiated up to
$300,000.
“Poursafi added that he had an additional ‘job,’ for
which he would pay $1 million,” the Justice Department said.
But that second person, court documents say, was a
confidential source for the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The ostensible assassin stalled, waiting for an
initial payment, but only in late April did Poursafi send money, paying a total
of $100 in cryptocurrency.
Poursafi was charged with the use of interstate
commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, which brings up to 10
years in prison, and with providing and attempting to provide material support
to a transnational murder plot, which carries a 15-year sentence.
In his own statement, Bolton thanked the FBI and
Justice Department for their work in developing the case and the Secret Service
for providing protection.
“While much cannot be said publicly right now, one
point is indisputable: Iran’s rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the
United States,” he said.
He urged President Joe Biden to not restore the
nuclear agreement.
Bolton, one of the leading “hawks” of the US foreign
policy establishment and a strong critic of Iran, was national security adviser
in the White House of president Donald Trump from April 2018 to September 2019.
In the
administration of president George Bush, he was ambassador to the UN from
2005-2006.
He was strongly opposed to the 2015 agreement between
Tehran and major powers to limit its nuclear program, and supported the Trump
administration’s unilateral pullout from the pact in May 2018.
The court documents indicated Bolton was aware of the
plot and cooperated with investigators, allowing photographs of himself outside
his Washington office to be sent to Poursafi.
Over the months Poursafi discussed the plot with his
US contact, he disclosed that it related to Tehran’s desire for revenge for the
US killing of Soleimani.
Since that strike on Soleimani Tehran has vowed to
extract revenge, and US officials have said that the country had been looking
to kill one or more US officials.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140076/world
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South
Asia
Former Afghan President Karzai Says Taliban Seeks US’s
Trust but Needs Afghan People’s First
By Saqalain Eqbal
10 Aug 2022
In an interview with American NPR on Monday, the
former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, stated that every Taliban leader
he had spoken to had expressed an intention for improved relations with the US.
But he insisted that there were steps the group needed to take to achieve the
trust of their own people first.
“We must make sure that all the Afghan people see
themselves belonging to this country and represented by the government, and
that we take all the necessary steps to prove to the rest of the world that we
mean well for Afghanistan,” former president Karzai said.
One example is the education of girls. The NPR
reported that Karzai expressed concern that the ban causes the entire nation to
fall behind, saying, “A decade from now, we’ll be worse than what we are now.”
Although it would have been logical if Karzai had
expressed concern for his safety as a result of the Taliban, who arrested and
killed former president Mohammad Najibullah in 1996 when they seized control of
Kabul, the Afghan leader stated he was afraid for his own safety, not because
of the Taliban.
Last August, when the Taliban took control of Kabul,
the previous government fell and tens of thousands of Afghans fled their
homeland. Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014,
was not one of them.
Source: Khaama Press
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More than 70 economists ask Biden to release Afghan
central bank funds
10 August, 2022
More than 70 economists and experts, including Nobel
Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, called for Washington and other nations to release
Afghanistan’s central bank assets in a letter sent to US President Joe Biden on
Wednesday.
The letter said foreign capitals needed to return the
roughly $9 billion in Afghan central bank assets to Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB)
to allow the economy to function, despite criticism of behavior by the ruling
Taliban towards women and minorities.
“The people of Afghanistan have been made to suffer
doubly for a government they did not choose,” the letter said. “In order to
mitigate the humanitarian crisis and set the Afghan economy on a path toward
recovery, we urge you to allow DAB to reclaim its international reserves.”
The letter, also addressed to US Treasury Secretary
Janet Yellen, was signed by 71 economists and academic experts, many based in
the United States as well as Germany, India and the United Kingdom.
Among them was former Greek finance minister Yanis
Varoufakis and Stiglitz, a Columbia University professor who received the Nobel
Prize in economics in 2001 and is on the advisory board to the Washington-based
think tank the Center for Economic and Policy Research, which organized the
letter.
Afghanistan’s economy has plunged deep into crisis
since the Taliban took over almost a year ago as foreign forces withdrew. The
sudden cut in aid and other factors including inflation driven by conflict in
Ukraine have contributed, but economists say the country is severely hampered
by the inability of its central bank to function without access to its
reserves.
This has resulted in a sharp depreciation of the
Afghan currency, pushing up import prices, and led to a near collapse of the
banking system with citizens facing problems accessing their savings and
receiving salaries.
“Without access to its foreign reserves, the central
bank of Afghanistan cannot carry out its normal, essential functions ... the
economy of Afghanistan has, predictably, collapsed,” the letter said.
Washington and other capitals say they want to find a
way to release the funds for the benefit of the Afghan people while not
benefiting the Taliban, whom they have condemned for imposing severe
restrictions on women’s freedoms in the last year and allegedly carrying out
human rights abuses including vendettas against former enemies.
The Taliban say they respect rights in accordance with
their interpretation of Islamic law and that individual abuses would be
investigated.
Despite their widely differing stances, both sides are
engaged in detailed discussions over plans to possibly release the central bank
assets, around $7 billion of which is held in the United States. Roughly half
of that is currently set aside as it is the subject of a court battle related
to the 9/11 attacks.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Afghanistan: Two dead, 9 injured following clash
between two families
10 August, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], August 10 (ANI): Two persons were
killed and seven injured following a clash between members of two feuding
families, Khaama Press reported.
The two families are residents of the Paktia province
of Afghanistan and were reportedly involved in a legal dispute which eventually
turned into a violent and fatal confrontation.
As per the local sources, the incident occurred in one
of the Zurmat district’s villages in Paktia province on Tuesday, reported
Khaama Press.
The Paktia police spokesperson told the media that the
incident has left two fatalities and wounded seven other people.
According to a health official in the province, seven
injured people and two dead bodies were taken to the Gardiz District Hospital,
and as per the local sources five of the wounded were critical. The critically
injured were later transported to a hospital in Paktia for treatment.
Under the Taliban’s rule, domestic violence, honour
killings, personal and social enmity, family blood feuds, and suicide reports
have seen a massive surge recently.
Since the Taliban seized power in Kabul last year, the
human rights situation has been exacerbated by a nationwide economic, financial
and humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. Acts of terror, killings,
blasts and attacks have become a regular affair with unabated human rights
violations involving ceaseless murder of civilians, destroying mosques and
temples, assaulting women, and fueling terror in the region.
With the US troop’s withdrawal from the country, a
large-scale violence has been unleashed creating political uncertainty in
different parts of the country.
Source:
The Print
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One year into Taliban rule- misery and disease conquer
Afghanistan
Aug 10, 2022
The heaving wards of a ramshackle clinic in southern
Afghanistan are just one sign of the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has
gripped the war-ravaged country since the Taliban returned to power a year ago.
Last month, the Musa Qala District Hospital in Helmand
province was forced to shut its doors to all except those suffering from
suspected cholera.
The infirmary was soon jammed with listless patients,
intravenous drips needled into their wrists as they recuperated on rusting
gurneys.
Though the clinic lacks facilities to test for
cholera, about 550 patients presented themselves within days, showing symptoms
of a disease caused by a lack of basic sanitation needs: clean drinking water
and an adequate sewerage system.
"It's very difficult," hospital chief
Ehsanullah Rodi, run ragged on just five hours of sleep a night since the
influx began, told AFP.
"We didn't see this from last year, or another
year."
The United Nations says Afghanistan's humanitarian
crisis is the world's worst.
- Hungry children -
Poverty in the country -- felt most keenly in
Afghanistan's south -- has been driven to desperate new levels, exacerbated by
drought and inflation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Since the Emirate (Taliban) came into power, we
can't even find cooking oil," said one woman, perched on a hospital cot
next to her malnourished six-month-old grandson in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's
provincial capital.
"Poor people are squashed under their feet,"
the 35-year-old said.
Her grandchild is being treated for the fifth time at
Boost Hospital, a sun-baked maze of paint-peeled buildings run jointly by the
health ministry and Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Many of the beds on the malnutrition ward host two
tiny, frail patients -- some suckling gamely on syringes of milk, while others
heave onerous breaths as they fight to regain their strength.
"We can't even find dry bread," said
Breshna, the mother of another patient, who guesses her age at between 15 and
20.
"We haven't had anything to eat in three or four
days."
Assistant nursing supervisor Homeira Nowrozi, fighting
to be heard above wailing infants, said staff "have not any rest".
"We have a lot of patients that come in
critical," she said, because parents could not afford to travel sooner.
"We don't know how many mortalities ... we have
in the districts, because they didn't come to hospital."
- A moral tangle -
Afghanistan's plight began well before August 15, 2021
when the Taliban captured Kabul on the heels of a hasty withdrawal of US-led
troops and the collapse of the government they propped up.
But the Taliban's takeover pushed the country -- home
to 38 million people -- over the precipice.
The United States froze $7 billion in central bank
assets, the formal banking sector collapsed, and foreign aid representing 45
percent of GDP stopped overnight.
Over the past year, would-be donors have grappled with
the conundrum of funnelling fresh funding to the ailing nation, which the
Taliban rebranded the "Islamic Emirate" in line with their austere
theocratic beliefs.
"How do you provide assistance in a country where
you don't recognise the government?" asked Roxanna Shapour of the
Afghanistan Analysts Network.
Importing humanitarian aid to address crises such as
the June earthquake -- which killed more than 1,000 people and left tens of
thousands more homeless -- is relatively simple, she said, as it is
"non-political, it's life-saving assistance".
Cash is also airlifted to fund food aid and
healthcare, but development aid for long-term projects that could transform the
economy is more complex.
"If you go in and say, 'I'm going to pay all
teacher salaries', that's great. But then what will the Taliban do with the
money they save from not having to pay teacher salaries?" asked Shapour.
- A souring mood -
In Musa Qala -- a dusty farming outpost with a
shipping container bazaar staffed by child shopkeepers -- the deprivation is
visible.
The local economy seems to barely subsist on
motorcycle repairs, the sale of pallid poultry carcasses, and canisters of
energy drinks kept tepid in grimy chest freezers.
The town witnessed some of the bloodiest chapters of
the 2001-2021 war, and is connected to Lashkar Gah by a makeshift track up a
desiccated riverbed lined with jagged rocks.
The road begins again further south at Sangin, a place
where mud-walled compounds have been so badly ravaged by gunfire and artillery
that they are crumbling back into the earth.
In a cruel irony, desperation and the demand for
humanitarian services have only deepened with the arrival of peace.
"Now we can visit the hospital whether it's night
or day," said Maimana, whose eight-year-old daughter Asia was being
treated at Musa Qala.
"Before, there used to be fighting and mines --
the roads were blocked."
Helmand public health director Sayed Ahmad told AFP
that the flood of new patients means there is "less space" and that
"there are fewer staff, so there are difficulties".
Nevertheless, Ahmad -- a soft-spoken doctor whose
office is lined with medical tomes -- insists "the overall situation is
better" than under the previous government, when corruption was rife.
He blames economic sanctions against the Taliban for
some of their woes, saying "the needs and demands of people have
increased".
But analysts say the Islamists are far from blameless.
"The Taliban's repressive social policies have
made it more difficult to reach a deal on getting those frozen assets
unlocked," said International Crisis Group's Graeme Smith.
"This is really just about the emotions of
policymakers -- and shutting millions of girls out of secondary schools really
soured the mood."
- Unable to rule -
The Taliban flag now flies openly across Helmand
province, staked on bullet-ridden buildings.
But after coveting control for two decades, they are
ruling the nation at its most ruined.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Taliban fighters swap guns for books as hundreds
return to school
11th August 2022
KABUL: Gul Agha Jalali used to spend his nights
planting bombs -- hoping to target an Afghan government soldier or, better
still, a foreign serviceman.
These days, the 23-year-old Taliban member is studying
English and has enrolled in a computer science course in the capital, Kabul.
"When our country was occupied by infidels, we
needed bombs, mortars and guns," says Jalali, an employee at the Ministry
of Transport and Civil Aviation.
Now there is a greater need for education, he told
AFP.
Since the Taliban swept back to power in August last
year, hundreds of fighters have returned to school -- either on their own or
pushed by their commanders.
The word "Taliban" actually means
"students" in Arabic, and the hardline Islamist movement's name stems
from the religious schools in southern Afghanistan it emerged from in the
1990s.
Most Taliban fighters were educated in these
madrassas, where studies are largely limited to the Koran and other Islamic
themes.
Many conservative Afghan clerics -- particularly among
the Taliban -- are sceptical of more modern education, apart from subjects than
can be applied practically, such as engineering or medicine.
"The world is evolving, we need technology and
development," said Jalali, who planted bombs for five years but is now
among a dozen Taliban studying computers at the transport ministry.
- 'Motivated mujahideen' -
The desire of fighters like Jalali to go back to
school showed Afghans yearned for education, government spokesman Bilal Karimi
said.
"Many motivated mujahideen who had not completed
their studies reached out to educational institutions and are now studying
their favourite courses," he told AFP.
But education is a hugely problematic issue in the
country, with secondary school girls barred from classes since the Taliban
returned to power -- and no sign of them being allowed back despite promises
from some in the leadership.
While the earlier curriculum largely remains the same,
studies on music and sculpture have been scrapped at schools and universities,
which are suffering a paucity of teachers and lecturers following an exodus of
Afghanistan's educated elite.
But some Taliban students, like Jalali, have big
plans.
Kabul's Muslim Institute has a student body of around
3,000 -- half of them women -- and includes some 300 Taliban fighters, many
distinctive with their bushy beards and turbans.
On a recent tour, AFP saw one Taliban fighter retrieve
a pistol from a locker room at the end of his lessons -- an incongruous sight
in a pastel-coloured room adorned with posters of smiling co-ed students.
"When they arrive, they hand over their weapons.
They don't use force or take advantage of their position," said an
institute official who asked not to be named.
- Desire to study -
Amanullah Mubariz was 18 when he joined the Taliban
but never gave up his desire to study.
"I applied to a university in India, but I failed
my English test," said Mubariz, now 25, declining to reveal his current
position in the Taliban.
"That's why I enrolled here," he said,
referring to the Muslim Institute.
Mohammad Sabir, in contrast, is happy to admit he
works for the Taliban's intelligence agency despite also being a student at the
private Dawat University.
"I resumed my studies this year after the victory
of the Islamic Emirate," he says, his long hair and eyes lined with
traditional kohl eyeliner peeking out from beneath a white turban.
Like Jalali, he paused his education to join the
Taliban and also planted bombs and carried out ambushes with his brother in
Wardak province.
Source: New Indian Express
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China delays bid by US and India to sanction Pakistan
militant at UN
Aug 11, 2022
UNITED NATIONS: China delayed on Wednesday a proposal
by the United States and India to sanction at the UN Security Council a top
commander in the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group,
diplomats said.
India and the United States wanted Abdul Rauf Azhar to
be subjected to a global travel ban and asset freeze. Such a move has to be
agreed by all 15 members of a Security Council sanctions committee.
"We placed a hold because we need more time to
study the case. Placing holds is provided for by the committee guidelines, and
there have been quite a number of similar holds by committee members on listing
requests," a spokesperson for China's mission to the United Nations told
Reuters.
The US treasury designated Azhar in 2010, accusing him
of urging Pakistanis to engage in militant activities and organize suicide
attacks in India.
The United States respects other countries needs to
verify that a sanctions proposal meets their "domestic evidentiary
threshold to justify a listing at the UN," a spokesperson for the US
mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Source: Times Of India
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Mideast
IRGC
Commander Vows to Continue Arming Palestinian Factions
2022-August-10
Addressing
a gathering in Tehran on Tuesday in support of the Palestinians and denouncing
the Israeli regime’s latest military raid on the Gaza Strip, Rear Admiral
Fadavi said that the IRGC will continue supplying Palestinians with arms.
The
general pointed to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali
Khamenei’s emphasis on supporting Palestine and the assistance that late
Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani provided for
Palestinians, noting that “this process is permanent. The Islamic Revolution
(Guards) Corps will steadily support them (Palestinians), and this is our
duty".
Top
commander then criticized some Islamic governments for supporting the Zionist
regime at the expense of the Palestinians.
"The
Islamic Revolution of Iran is doing the right thing and the Islamic governments
must not follow in the footsteps of the falsehood," Fadavi continued.
He
also stated that the “Zionist regime’s evils” took a stupid measure by
attacking Gaza and once again suffered a defeat.
He
said that the falsehood front will have to accept the terms of the
righteousness front, and this happened in the case of the latest Israel war on
Gaza which ended after Tel Aviv gave in to a truce.
Iran’s
Leader Vows End of ‘Virus of Zionism’ in Near Futurehttps://t.co/5iPxSRavma
pic.twitter.com/1dnmfLJH8L
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) May 22, 2020
The
Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that the Israeli regime’s attacks had
since Friday left at least 45 people, including women, children and two senior
commander, dead and 350 wounded.
In
response to the Israeli strikes, Palestinian resistance forces fired almost
1,000 rockets at the occupied territories, setting off air raid sirens and
sending settlers running to bomb shelters.
Iran
describes Israel as the root cause of instability in the region, but says the
regime's US-supported barbarity will not change the inevitable fate of the Tel
Aviv regime.
Iranian
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi strongly condemned the new crime committed by
Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip, and noted the Israeli regime is on a fast-track
towards decline because of the resistance of the Palestinian people in the
besieged enclave.
"Through
its crime last night, the Zionist regime once more showed its occupationist and
aggressive nature to the world," President Rayeesi stated on Saturday.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010519000329/IRGC-Cmmander-Vws-Cnine-Arming-Palesinian-Facins
--------
Iran
parliament speaker commends Islamic Jihad on victory in latest Gaza war
10
August 2022
Iranian
parliament speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf has commended the Palestinian
resistance group Islamic Jihad on achieving an honorable victory in the latest
confrontation with the Israeli regime.
Qalibaf
made the remarks on Wednesday during a telephone call with the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad Secretary General Ziad al-Nakhala.
He
hailed the Gaza-based resistance group as one of the “most effective”
resistance movements fighting the apartheid Israeli regime.
The
remarks came after the movement rained hundreds of rockets in response to the
Israeli regime’s unprovoked and indiscriminate aggression that killed dozens of
civilians and assassination two of the Islamic Jihad commanders.
The
counterattack forced the Israeli regime to seek a truce with the movement, on
the condition of releasing two of the resistance group's prisoners.
Iran's
parliament speaker expressed condolences with Nakhala over the martyrdom of the
group’s commanders while commending it for its victory in the face of the
occupying regime.
“The
Islamic Republic has stood by the Palestinian nation and the Palestinian
Islamic resistance under all circumstances and with all its might,” the top
parliamentarian asserted.
The
resistance leader, for his part, expressed gratitude to the Islamic Republic
for his unwavering support of the Palestinian nation’s resistance against the
Zionist regime.
Addressing
the issue of the resistance’s defensive operations during the Israeli regime’s
recent deadly incursion into Gaza, Nakhala said the Zionist regime "was
forced to request a ceasefire and accept the Islamic Jihad’s conditions.”
He
also noted how the resistance’s retaliatory rockets delivered blows to the
occupying regime “in the depth of the occupied territories".
"The
Islamic Jihad showed during the recent battle that it can withstand a great and
drawn-out war with the occupying regime and deliver heavy blows to them (the
Zionists)," he said in the call.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/10/687143/Iran-Palestine-Israel-Qalibaf-Islamic-Jihad-Nakhala
--------
Despite
truce, Israeli forces kill commander, three other Palestinians
August
11, 2022
NABLUS
(West Bank): Despite the truce, Israeli security forces on Wednesday killed a
Palestinian commander and another fighter in a gunbattle in the occupied West
Bank on Tuesday, the military said, triggering further clashes in which
Palestinians said two teens were killed in separate incidents.
Israeli
forces surrounded the house of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, a senior commander of
Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militant group long on Israel’s wanted list.
The
shootout, in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, was the deadliest incident
in the West Bank since Israel and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad
ended three days of fighting in Gaza, the worst in more than a year.
Palestinian
officials said at least 44 Palestinians, half of them civilians, were killed
during three days of Israeli strikes on Gaza, which ended with an Aug 7 truce
between Israel and Islamic Jihad.
16
children among 44 Palestinians killed in conflict prior to truce
Al-Nabulsi
was a member of the recently formed “Nablus Brigade”, a Palestinian militant
alliance in the city which also includes Islamic Jihad’s militants. Hours after
the shootout, tens of thousands attended his funeral and called for revenge.
Al-Nabulsi,
barricaded inside, refused to surrender and was killed along with another
militant during a gunbattle with Israeli forces, who also used shoulder-fired
missiles in the fighting, the Israeli military claimed.
The
gunbattle was followed by clashes during which the military said its troops
responded with live fire against Palestinians throwing rocks and explosives at
soldiers.
Islamic
Jihad said a 16-year-old was killed while participating in a confrontation with
Israeli troops.
In
the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian health officials said a 17-year-old
succumbed to his wounds after Israel shot him with live fire.
The
military said it responded to a “violent riot” in the area and “a hit was
identified”. Palestinian health officials confirmed the four deaths and said 40
more people were injured in total. There were no reports of Israeli casualties.
16
children killed
The
latest conflict between Israel and Islamic Jihad militants has left 16 children
dead. One of them was five-year-old Ala who was the first to be killed in the
three days of intense fighting.
“It
was a Friday like any other,” said Rasha Qadoom, 27, the mother of Ala,
clutching tight the tiny pink rucksack belonging to her five-year-old daughter.
She
said Alaa had been dressed in a pink T-shirt to match her pink bag with a pink
ribbon tied in her hair.
“She
was happy, she wanted to go to the park with her aunt.” But as she went to her
aunt on Friday afternoon, Israel launched an intense “pre-emptive” bombardment
of militant positions.
Alaa
was knocking on the door of her aunt’s home when a missile smashed down from
the sky.
Later
that day — hours after Alaa was killed — militants began firing barrages of
rockets in retaliation. The violence raged until a tenuous truce came into
force on Sunday.
The
Israeli army claimed it “only strikes military targets” and that Alaa’s father
Abdullah, who was wounded in the strike, was a high-ranking member of Islamic
Jihad.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Minister:
Iran, Russia to Launch Production Line of Khayyam Satellite
2022-August-10
Zarepour
told reporters on Wednesday that plans are underway to launch a joint
production line between Iran and Russia to build three updates of the remote
sensing satellite with pinpoint accuracy.
The
high-resolution Iranian satellite was successfully launched into space from a
base in Kazakhstan on board a Russian rocket on Tuesday. The Iranian Ministry
of Information and Communications Technology confirmed that first telemetry
data from the satellite was received at Iran's ground stations.
Minister
noted that the signals have been received “three or four times” at Iran’s
Mahdasht station near Tehran.
He
also added Iran will test a new satellite carrier within weeks that can place
satellites weighing less than 100 kilograms in orbit.
Meanwhile,
Head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Hassan Salarieh told a press conference,
“The remote sensing 'Khayyam' satellite can fulfill many of the country’s needs
that require high-precision data.”
"Iran
is planning on domestically designing and manufacturing satellites with the
accuracy of the 'Khayyam' satellite within the next few years," he said on
Wednesday.
"Since
the satellite industry is one of the most important industries, cooperation
with the world's leading countries and companies regarding the space industry
will continue," he continued.
Also
on Wednesday, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi said the new achievements
in the aerospace industries will be unveiled in the future.
"In
the future, the country will witness new space achievements," he noted at
the cabinet session in Tehran.
Rayeesi
described the successful launch of the "Khayyam" satellite into orbit
as source of pride and power.
Iranian
president underscored the government’s serious determination to advance space
technology.
Meantime,
the ISA confirmed the proper functioning of the entire systems of the
"Khayyam" satellite.
All
the systems in the "Khayyam" satellite are functioning properly,
according to the initial assessments of technicians at the station. After
analyzing the telemetric data received from the satellite it was made clear
that all its systems are functioning exactly as programmed and that the
satellite's situation is on its ideal orbit.
The
first signals from the "Khayyam" satellite were received about 90
minutes after it was launched at Iran’s Mahdasht Space Station that is in
charge of controlling the satellite.
Imagery
from the "Khayyam" satellite will be used to monitor Iran’s borders
and improve the country’s capabilities in management and planning in the fields
of agriculture, natural resources, environment, mining, and natural disasters.
Iran
Preparing Three Remote-Sensing Satellites for Launch into
Orbithttps://t.co/hofC3O9UQX pic.twitter.com/s68q6UZ2Xx
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) August 3, 2022
Iran
has taken giant strides in the field of science of technology in recent years,
despite US sanctions.
In
early June, the ISA announced that work was underway to prepare seven more
satellites for launch into the orbit.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran's
Human Rights Chief Decries Global Inaction on Israeli Aggression Against
Palestinians
2022-August-10
"Days
have passed since the fanatic Israeli regime waged an incessant deadly blitz on
innocent Palestinians," Deputy Chief of Iran's Judiciary and head of the
country's Human Rights Headquarters wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
"The
question is, how many children have to die so that the international community,
UNSC (United Nations Security Council) and HRC (United Nations Human Rights
Council) hold the bloodthirsty regime accountable for its’ unspeakable
crimes?" he asked.
The
Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that the Israeli regime’s attacks had
since Friday left at least 64 people, including women, children and two senior
commander, dead and 350 wounded.
Iran
Blasts Int'l Community for Keeping Mum on Israeli Aggression Against
Palestinianshttps://t.co/U4XK9MPCTD pic.twitter.com/rgIxUe48Kr
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) August 7, 2022
Iran
describes Israel as the root cause of instability in the region, but says the
regime's US-supported barbarity will not change the inevitable fate of the Tel
Aviv regime.
Iranian
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi strongly condemned the new crime committed by
Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip, and noted the Israeli regime is on a fast-track
towards decline because of the resistance of the Palestinian people in the
besieged enclave.
"Through
its crime last night, the Zionist regime once more showed its occupationist and
aggressive nature to the world," President Rayeesi stated on Saturday.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iranians
Strongly Condemn Israeli Massacre of Gazans
2022-August-10
The
protesters gathered near Palestine Square in Tehran, where the Palestinian
Embassy is located, on Tuesday, carrying placards and flags of Palestine and
the resistance movements.
The
demonstrators chanted slogans against the US, the UK and the Israeli regime and
reiterated their support for the Palestinian people, who stood firm against
Israel’s latest wave of strikes on the besieged enclave.
In
their final statement, the protesters said the decades-long resistance of
Palestine in the face of the usurpers of Al-Quds has today become more powerful
thanks to unity among the Palestinian resistance groups.
In
the recent Israeli war, the resistance movement fired more than 1,000 rockets
and forced the Zionists to humiliatingly beg for a ceasefire based on the
conditions of Islamic Jihad, the statement read, adding that this shows the
hit-and-run era has come to an end for the Zionists and their supporters.
It
noted the enhanced capacities and deterrence power of the Palestinian
resistance has changed the equations and showed that the zealous and brave
Palestinians would give crushing responses to the slightest moves of the
Israeli regime.
Israel
unleashed a wave of air raids on the Gaza Strip since Friday, killing more than
40 people, including several children and women, and wounding over 350 others.
In response to the Israeli aggression, Palestinian resistance forces fired
almost 1,000 rockets at the occupied territories, setting off air raid sirens
and sending settlers running to bomb shelters.
After
three days of heavy Israeli bombardment on the besieged enclave, the Tal Aviv
regime and the Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad declared a truce
late Sunday.
The
international community has strongly condemned the latest Israeli air raids in
the Gaza Strip, voicing its deep concern over the latest rounds of violence by
the Tel Aviv regime against Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave.
Iran
describes Israel as the root cause of instability in the region, but says the
regime's US-supported barbarity will not change the inevitable fate of the Tel
Aviv regime.
Iranian
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi strongly condemned the new crime committed by
Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip, and said the Israeli regime is on a fast-track
towards decline because of the resistance of the Palestinian people in the
besieged enclave.
"Through
its crime last night, the Zionist regime once more showed its occupationist and
aggressive nature to the world," President Rayeesi stated on Saturday.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010519000111/Iranians-Srngly-Cndemn-Israeli-Massacre-f-Gazans
--------
Israel
'concerned' over Iran-Russia space cooperation
Said
Amouri
10.08.2022
JERUSALEM
Israeli
officials on Wednesday voiced concern over Russian-Iranian space cooperation, a
day after the launch of an Iranian satellite by a Russian rocket.
The
Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted an Israeli official as saying that the
satellite would "increase Iran's capabilities to potentially launch
intercontinental ballistic missiles."
He
warned that such Russian-Iranian cooperation may reduce the ability of Israel's
"spies” to penetrate Iran’s border with operations “to hold back its
nuclear progress."
On
Tuesday, Russia launched Iran’s Khayyam satellite by a Soyuz rocket from the
Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, according to Russia's space agency.
Russia's
Roscosmos space agency chief Yury Borisov hailed the launch as a "landmark
event in the Russia-Iran bilateral cooperation that paves the way for
implementing new" joint projects.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-concerned-over-iran-russia-space-cooperation/2658318
--------
Africa
42
Malian soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attacks
August
11, 2022
BAMAKO,
Mali: Forty-two Malian soldiers died in a sophisticated weekend attack by
suspected jihadists using drones artillery, authorities said Wednesday, the
latest violent incident to rock the troubled Sahel country.
The
toll is one of the bloodiest in Mali’s decade-long insurgency, which has spread
from the north of the country to the center and south and into neighboring
Burkina Faso and Niger.
A
document naming the dead was authenticated to AFP by several senior military
officials, while the government later confirmed the toll in a statement that
said 22 soldiers were injured and 37 “terrorists” were neutralized.
The
attack occurred on Sunday in the town of Tessit, in the troubled “three-border”
region where the frontiers of the three nations converge.
On
Monday, the army had said 17 soldiers and four civilians had died. Relatives of
the victims, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that some of the
civilians had been elected officials.
Monday’s
statement pointed the finger of blame at the Islamic State in the Greater
Sahara (ISGS), saying its members had deployed “drone and artillery support and
(used) explosives and an explosives-laden vehicle.”
The
last time Mali’s armed forces sustained such losses was in a string of attacks
in the same region in late 2019 and early 2020.
Hundreds
of soldiers were killed in assaults on nearly a dozen bases, typically carried
out by highly mobile fighters on motorbikes.
The
raids prompted the Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabe forces to fall back from
forward bases and hunker down in better-defended locations.
In
January 2020, France and its Sahel allies agreed on a push against the ISGS at
a summit in Pau, southwestern France.
Several
of its leaders were targeted and killed, including its founder, Abu Walid
Al-Sahraoui, but local people say the group has continued to recruit and carry
out its operations.
Tessit
is one of the hotspots in the three-border area.
The
ISGS is fighting for control of the strategic, gold-rich area against an
Al-Qaeda-linked alliance, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM).
In
March 2021, 33 soldiers were killed in an ISGS-claimed ambush as units were
being rotated, and in February this year, around 40 civilians — suspected by
the ISGS of being in league with Al-Qaeda — were massacred.
Mobile
phone connections to the area have been frequently cut over the last few years
and physical access is hard, especially during the mid-year rainy season.
Thousands
have fled Tessit to the nearest large town, Gao, which is located some 150
kilometers (90 miles) to the north.
Across
the Sahel, the jihadist campaign has claimed thousands of lives and forced more
than two million to flee their homes.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140371/world
--------
Tunisian
administrative court suspends president’s dismissal of 50 judges: Lawyer
10
August, 2022
A
Tunisian court has halted President Kais Saied’s dismissal of around 50 judges,
a lawyer said on Wednesday, underscoring the continued independence of courts
despite Saied’s moves to assume wider authority over the judiciary.
Saied
dismissed 57 judges on June 1, accusing them of corruption and protecting
terrorists - charges that the Tunisian Judges’ Association said were mostly
politically motivated.
The
lawyer, Kamel Ben Massoud, told Reuters that the Tunis administrative court had
rejected the appeals of at least seven judges but blocked the dismissal of the
others, pending a final ruling by a higher court.
Saied
last month pushed through a new constitution through a referendum giving
himself nearly unchecked powers, which his critics say will spawn one-man rule
and the end of meaningful democracy.
The
constitution has given him ultimate authority over both the government and
judicial appointments, while making the parliament largely toothless.
The
moves, which Saied and supporters say were needed to end years of political
paralysis and economic stagnation in Tunisia, formalize temporary powers that
he assumed after shutting down the elected parliament a year ago.
Among
those moves was the replacement in March of several members of the Supreme
Judicial Council, the body responsible for overseeing judges and the guarantor
of judicial independence.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
8
killed, more than 800 prisoners escape after terror attack in Congo
Aurore
Bonny
10.08.2022
DOUALA,
Cameroon
Eight
people, including two policemen and a civilian, were killed in an attack by the
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) at the central prison of Kakwangura in Butembo
in the Congo, according to an army spokesman.
Eighty
members of the "ADF terrorists" attacked the prison overnight Tuesday
to free 13 comrades, including 12 women inmates, Capt. Anthony Mualushayi said
at a news conference.
The
ADF is a terror group affiliated with the Daesh-aligned Islamic State in the
Central African Province (ISCAP) that has been committing atrocities for years
in Congo.
Congolese
media reported that in addition to the deaths, 822 prisoners escaped from the
facility, compared to the 874 who were registered at the facility Tuesday.
The
military intervened "with a delay" against the enemy who had already
broken the prison's door and evacuated the inmates, according to Mualushayi,
who was quoted by Congolese media outlet, Actualite.cd.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Algeria
says keen to develop ties with Türkiye
Abderrazak
Boulkemh
10.08.2022
ALGIERS,
Algeria
Algerian
Prime Minister Ayman Ben Abdul Rahman said Wednesday he had informed Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the desire of his counterpart Abdelmadjid
Tebboune to open new horizons in relations between the two countries.
The
Algerian premier conveyed the message during his meeting with President Erdogan
on Tuesday on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Islamic Solidarity
Games held in Konya, central Türkiye, according to a statement published by the
Algerian premier’s Facebook account.
Stating
that the meeting focused on many files especially trade and investment, Ben
Abdul Rahman said: "I conveyed to him (the Turkish president) the
greetings of his brother Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his will to move forward in
order to dedicate new horizons to Algerian-Turkish relations."
Ben
Abdul Rahman said his participation in the opening ceremony of the Islamic
Solidarity Games "reflects the depth of relations between Algeria and
Türkiye and the desire to strengthen them."
Tebboune's
visit to Türkiye culminated in mid-May, with the signing of 15 cooperation
agreements between the two countries, covering various economic, cultural and
social sectors.
Tebboune
said in a recent interview with the state TV that “Algeria’s strive for
developing ties with Türkiye is normal given the long history between the two
countries.”
In
June, Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay said his country's investments in
Algeria reached $5 billion.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/algeria-says-keen-to-develop-ties-with-turkiye/2658260
--------
Southeast
Asia
Ex-Navy
Chief Rubbishes Claims 2017 LCS Launch Was To Deceive Public
August
10, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Former navy chief Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin has rubbished
claims that a 2017 launch event for the littoral combat ship (LCS) project was intended
to deceive the public.
Pictures
of the launch event in Lumut, Perak, have been making the rounds on social
media. Netizens have claimed a fully commissioned ship is seen in the pictures.
However,
Kamarulzaman, who was at the launch, said the ship was not fully complete at
the time.
“It
has long been tradition and practice for the navy to launch and name a warship
before it is fully completed,” he said in a statement.
“In
fact, this is also a common practice in other countries.”
Kamarulzaman
cited the testimony of navy captain Azhar Jumaat in the Public Accounts
Committee (PAC) report, which also stated that it was tradition to launch and
name a ship before its completion.
He
said any claims that the launch was intended to deceive the public were “untrue”.
“The
ship at the launch event in Lumut was a real LCS unit that was under
construction, not a dummy,” he said. “All this was explained during the last
PAC session.”
The
LCS project has come under much scrutiny after PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh
recently revealed that not a single ship had been completed although Putrajaya
had spent RM6 billion on the project, which was given to Boustead Naval
Shipyard through direct negotiations.
Meanwhile,
in his testimony to the PAC, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd CEO
Sharifuddin Md Zaini Al-Manaf said the mast on the ship at the 2017 launch
event was a “waste of money”.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Too soon to decide on targeted subsidies, says Tengku Zafrul
August
9, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: The decision to introduce targeted subsidies will only be made when the
economic situation permits after the rate of inflation can be properly
controlled, finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said.
He
said it was too early to make a decision to introduce targeted subsidies in the
coming 2023 federal budget as it would be inappropriate to do so at a time of
high global inflation.
“We
also need to understand that non-targeted subsidies in the long-term will not
benefit the country’s economic growth.
“We
are still in the recovery process and this matter needs to be discussed in the
Cabinet as to whether targeted subsidies will be introduced in the 2023
Budget,” he said in an RTM talk show.
He
said structural reforms would be implemented to help the vulnerable if the
economic situation in 2023 permits, the global geopolitical conflict eases and
the country’s economic growth stabilises.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
MACC’s
report led to probe on ministers, civil servants, says witness
V
Anbalagan
August
10, 2022
SHAH
ALAM: The High Court in Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption trial heard today that the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigated allegations that
bribes were paid to ministers and senior civil servants.
Investigating
officer V Mahendran said he was directed on Sept 27, 2018 by the then MACC
deputy director of special investigations to probe the matter following a
report by another MACC officer, S Vijaya Kumar.
“This
was in relation to bribes paid by Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) to ministers and
civil servants in the home ministry in relation to the processing and issuance
of visas for tourists from China,” he said in his witness statement.
“The
main aim of this investigation was to secure documents in relation to the
contract to process and issue visas to tourists from China from 2010 and 2018
and also to identify the witnesses involved.”
He
said the investigation was classified under Section 16(b)(B) of the MACC Act as
it is an offence for those holding public office and civil servants to accept
bribes.
Mahendran,
the 18th and last prosecution witness, said MACC also took statements from
several senior officers from the home ministry.
Zahid
is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42
million) from UKSB as the then home minister to extend the firm’s contract as
the operator of the one-stop centre in China and the foreign visa (VLN) system
as well as to maintain the contract agreement for the supply of the VLN
integrated system.
The
Umno president and Bagan Datuk MP is also accused of another seven counts of
obtaining for himself S$1.15 million, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and
US$15,000 from the same company in connection with his official duties.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Loke’s
stance on joining forces a ‘recognition’ of Umno’s strength, says Ahmad
August
11, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: DAP’s recent stance of not ruling out any cooperation with Umno was a
“recognition” of the latter’s strength, its secretary-general, Ahmad Maslan,
said.
Ahmad
claimed that DAP had finally realised that Umno had the strongest grassroots
support compared to other parties.
The
Pontian MP said Umno’s 22,000 branches made it difficult for its rivals to
topple the party regardless of whether there was a “political tsunami”.
“Whether
they like it or not, they are forced to admit this,” he said in an interview
last night.
Ahmad
said this in response to his DAP counterpart, Loke Siew Fook, stating that DAP
and Umno could join forces after the 15th general election due to the absence
of a single, dominant party.
In
an interview with FMT, Loke said collaboration between different parties was
now more likely.
On
Aug 7, FMT reported Loke as “implying” that any cooperation between DAP and
Umno might happen after GE15 since Malaysian politics had experienced drastic
changes post-GE14 with the absence of a single, dominant party.
He
said there might be higher chances of cooperation between political coalitions.
DAP
was open to working with any party pursuing these same agendas, he said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Japan
provides $3m aid for makeshift clinics in Yemen
August
11, 2022
The
Japanese government has provided $3m in aid to help set up eight temporary
clinics in Yemen.
The
cash was provided through the United Nations Office for Project services, the
Yemen News Agency (SABA) reported.
The
clinics will operate in Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Dhale’, Marib, Shabwa, Hadhramout
and Mahra, the Ministry of Public Health said.
Every
clinic will be equipped with a fully equipped laboratory, ultrasound and x-ray
equipment, and an ECG and examination room.
Meanwhile
Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muamar Al-Eryani has
praised Japan’s humanitarian efforts in Yemen during a meeting with Charge
D’Affairs of the Japanese Embassy in Yemen Kazohiro Higashe on Wednesday,
according to SABA.
The
two discussed mutual relations between Japan and Yemen, as well as ways to
enhance the countries’ bilateral ties.
Al-Eryani
also shared the latest developments in Yemen, including the Houthis’ violations
of the UN Truce and the militia’s refusal to end the siege in Taiz, SABA
reported.
Source:
Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2140491/world
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