Second 'Hindu Mahapanchayat' Called By Bajrang Dal and VHP for Monu Manesar, Calls for Anti-Muslim Violence
New Age Islam News Bureau
24 February 2023
Participants at the Hindu
Mahapanchayat in Hathin, Haryana. Photo: Yaqut Ali/The Wire
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• Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court Hands Down
Death Sentence to Shia Activist Mohammed Abdullah al-Faraj
• Religious Scholars Can Play a Role in Govt Policies
Because They Act As A Reference Group, Says Malaysian Dy PM
• Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Regime Should be
punished through Political Pressures and Sanctions: EU Official
• Prince Harry ‘Boasting’ Over Taliban Kills: UK
Defence Minister
India
• Uddhav’s Mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ Calls Javed Akhtar
‘True Patriot’ For Taking Potshots at Pakistan
• No Aid to Pakistan: External Affairs Minister Ruled
Out Any Kind of Rapprochement with Pakistan
• India Slams Pakistan after It Rakes Up J&K during
UNGA Session on Ukraine
• Trust wants Muslim Library unlocked till revamp, NMC
says plan lapsed
• India slams Pakistan after it rakes up J&K
during UNGA session on Ukraine
--------
Arab World
• Israel thanks Oman for opening airspace to all
carriers
• Death Toll from Turkey, Syria Earthquake Tops 47,000
• Lebanese judge charges long-time central bank
governor with money laundering: Source
• Arab states support UN resolution condemning
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
• Turkey’s main opposition leader sends condolence
letter to Syria’s Assad
• France's NGE announces deal to build 330km of
high-speed train line in Egypt
--------
Southeast Asia
• Man sent to Henry Gurney School for stealing mosque
fund
• Ministry to build integrated Islamic school in new
capital Nusantara
• Earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hits Indonesia
• UPI may extend to UAE, Mauritius & Indonesia
-------
South Asia
• Taliban Ministry: Books against Islam, National
Interest Will Be Collected
• Top IS-Khorasan Commander Killed in Southern
Afghanistan
• IEA Authorities to Initiate Investment Consortium in
Afghanistan
• Explosion at least kills four in Afghanistan’s
Takhar Province
--------
Europe
• Vatican establishes diplomatic ties with Oman
• UK ruling delivers rare victory for Beirut port
blast victims
• Post-quake climate allows restart of dialogue
between Ankara, Athens: Greek foreign minister
• Türkiye rescues 30 irregular migrants after illegal
Greek pushbacks
• Germany jails Syrian man for war crimes in Damascus
• Court convicts UK firm over cataclysmic 2020 blast
in Beirut
--------
Pakistan
• Eight Terrorists Killed In Operation after
‘Foiled-Ambush’ In Kech
• Pakistan Minister’s Private Jail Had 3 Dead;
Balochistan Case Shows ‘Law of the Jungle Supreme’
• Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing shut after
brief reopening
• Fly economy: Pakistan’s belt-tightening begins in
high places
• Pakistan rubbishes US State Dept ‘concerns’ about
China loans
--------
Mideast
• Nuclear Chief: IAEA Left with No Excuse for Adoption
of Anti-Iran Resolution
• Israeli Excavations and Blocking Of Restoration Eat
Away At the Fabric of Al-Aqsa Mosque
• Islamic Jihad: No one can suppress resistance in
West Bank
• Iran's Leader Underlines Necessity for IRGC to Boost
Military Power
• Israel-Gaza border heats up after West Bank violence
• Tens of millions still use Instagram in Iran despite
crackdown: Meta
• Iran executes two political prisoners in two days
• Israel passes bill in 1st reading to ban funding of
medical treatment for Palestinian detainees
• US intentionally prolonging Yemen conflict to earn
substantial profits from arms deals: Ansarullah leader
--------
Africa
• Jordan’s PM And British Minister Highlight Strong
Strategic Relationship between Their Nations
• Zambia Says Stands By Türkiye Following Devastating
Earthquakes
• US calls for ‘immediate’ cease-fire in Somalia’s
Lasanod town
• Burkina Faso’s former revolutionary leader Thomas
Sankara reburied
• Jordan sends humanitarian aid to quake-hit Syria
--------
North America
• US Transfers Two Guantanamo Bay Detainees Affiliated
to Al-Qaeda to Pakistan
• Canada relaxes immigration rules for Iranian
temporary residents
• US commends Oman’s decision to open airspace to
Israel
• Blinken to travel to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India
next week
• US says robust trade relationship important to
bolster Pakistan’s economic stability
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindu-mahapanchayat-bajrang-muslim-violence/d/129189
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Second 'Hindu Mahapanchayat' Called By Bajrang Dal and
VHP for Monu Manesar, Calls for Anti-Muslim Violence
Participants at the Hindu
Mahapanchayat in Hathin, Haryana. Photo: Yaqut Ali/The Wire
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Yaqut Ali
Hathin (Haryana): A second ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’,
called by members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad at Hathin in
Haryana on February 22, in support of cow vigilante Monu Manesar, saw open
calls for violence against Muslims and police who try to take action against
Monu.
The Hathin event was attended by more than 400 members
and leaders of the Bajrang Dal, VHP and Hindu Sena from across north India. It
was also attended by locals.
The first such ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ was held in the
Manesar town of Haryana on Tuesday, February 21. In it, speakers warned police
against acting against Monu, a Bajrang Dal leader and member of the Haryana cow
protection task force. Monu is named in an FIR on the brutal killing of Junaid
and Nasir, two Muslim men who cow vigilantes allegedly set ablaze after
accusing them of illegally transporting cows.
Shortly after this ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ ended,
Rajasthan Police released a new list of eight ‘wanted’ persons in this case
along with their photographs. The names and photos of Monu Manesar and Lokesh
Singhla were missing from the list, even though they have not been arrested
yet. Bharatpur Police (in Rajasthan) has claimed that investigations are still
on against Monu and Lokesh.
“The news which is being circulated is misleading, we
have also clarified it through Twitter and Facebook. He is still wanted,”
Bharatpur SP Shyam Singh told The Wire.
In the first ‘Mahapanchayat’, speakers had also
threatened to block the highway if Monu – who has been linked to more than one
incident of cow vigilantes killing Muslim men after raising cow transporting
accusations – is arrested.
A speaker at the Wednesday ‘Mahapanchayat’ identified
as Bajrang Dal leader Aastha Maa said, “If a Muslim man as much as looks at a
Hindu daughter or sister, a skewer will be driven into his eyes.”
Aastha Maa also began her speech with the line, “Yes,
Bajrang Dal and VHP workers are indeed gundas [gangsters].”
Speakers enthused the crowds to participate in chants
that went, “We are Hindus and Hindustan is ours.”
A large number of young men were seen filming the
event. Some told The Wire that they wanted to share the speeches with others
through social media.
One Prateek Sharma told this reporter that he didn’t
know about the details of the Junaid-Nasir case.
“We don’t know about the case, but we are here to
support Monu Manesar,” Prateek said. He was at the event with his friend, Rahul
Pandit.
Prateek then revealed that he did know some details of
the case and made a declaration.
“This is a conspiracy by Rajasthan’s Police against
Monu Manesar. We are ready to take lives and give our lives for Monu Manesar,”
he added.
When asked about whether the speakers calling for
Muslim genocide were flouting the law, Prateek said, “We have no problem with
Haryana Police. They are with us.”
Another participant told The Wire that those who
arrest cow vigilantes should be shot.
Yet another participant asked this reporter to stop
recording, in spite of the large number of people recording the event.
One of the speakers, Acharya Azad, who is also the
vice-president of the Haryana wing of the ‘Gau Raksha Dal’ called for
bulldozers. Recently, bulldozers have been used in anti-encroachment drives in
several Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states. Many have alleged that such drives
have targeted Muslims and the poor.
“I request Haryana CM [Manohar Lal] Khattar to learn
from Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and bring bulldozers to the
houses of cow smugglers. Drive the bulldozers through their houses,” he said.
Loud applause followed his words.
Ved Nagar, who is the national president of the ‘Gau
Raksha Dal’, added, “I want to tell Haryana Police to take training from UP’s
DGP and bring the UP model here too.”
Meanwhile, the picture in Ghatmeeka, Rajasthan, was in
sharp contrast. This is the village Junaid and Nasir were residents of.
Villagers have been out on the streets asking for justice for the two for a
week now.
“We want Bajrang Dal to be banned in India so that
Muslims can live safely in the country, and all accused to be arrested by
Rajasthan Police,” Wasim Akram, one of the protestors, told The Wire. He added
that they have been protesting since February 17.
Source: The Wire
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court Hands Down
Death Sentence to Shia Activist
Saudi Shia dissident
Mohammed Abdullah al-Faraj (Photo via Twitter)
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Mohammed Abdullah al-Faraj
23 February 2023
Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court has
sentenced an anti-regime activist from the kingdom’s oil-rich and Shia-populated
Eastern Province to death, as the House of Saud is pressing ahead with a
heavy-handed crackdown against members of the religious community.
The Riyadh-based tribunal found Mohammed Abdullah
al-Faraj guilty of trumped-up charges of “membership in a terror cell, attempts
to assassinate Judge Mohammad al-Jirani, shooting at security forces and their
cars, chanting slogans against the government, setting tires on fire, and
providing medical support to convicted criminals.”
This comes as the Saudi Prosecutor's Office levelled
other charges of “attempts to instigate public opinion, participation in
sit-ins and funerals, incitement of demonstrations, and contacting opposition
groups on social networks.”
Saudi regime forces in plainclothes raided Faraj’s
workplace in the city of Dammam on February 28, 2017, arrested him without a
warrant and took him to prison.
He was not allowed to contact his family until a week
after his arrest. Later on, Saudi authorities put him in solitary confinement,
and he had no contact with his family for 4 months.
The Shia dissident used to be severely tortured and
beaten with his hands tied to the door of his cell. Prison guards would also
hang him from the ceiling with a rope, and mercilessly beat him unconscious.
Saudi authorities threatened to arrest her sisters if
he did not make a confession. One of his sisters was also summoned for
questioning on the charge of hiding Mohammed’s personal laptop.
The systematic brutal torture inflicted on him
resulted in a laceration on his knee. He was not allowed to receive treatment
for the injury. Interrogators reportedly forced Faraj to sign confession papers
without letting him read them.
After four years of detention and repeated requests,
Saudi authorities appointed a defense lawyer for him. The lawyer, however, did
not cooperate and did not inform the family of the dates of his hearings.
The first trial session was held on September 6, 2019,
alongside five other defendants in a mass trial.
Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.has been the scene of
peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. Protesters have been demanding
reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political prisoners, and an end
to economic and religious discrimination against the region.
The protests have been met with a heavy-handed
crackdown, with regime forces increasing security measures across the province.
Ever since Mohammed bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s
crown prince and de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has arrested dozens of
activists, bloggers, intellectuals, and others perceived as political
opponents, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in the face of
international condemnations of the crackdown.
As a result, Islamic scholars have been executed,
women’s rights campaigners have been put behind bars and tortured, and freedom
of expression, association, and belief continue to be denied.
Over the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its
anti-terrorism laws to target activism.
In January 2016, Saudi authorities executed Shia
cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, who was an outspoken critic of the Riyadh
regime. Nimr had been arrested in Qatif in 2012.
Source: Press TV
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original story:
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Religious Scholars Can Play a Role In Govt Policies because
they act as a reference group, Says Malaysian Dy PM
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said
cooperation between leaders and scholars can ensure that every problem faced by
the country could be overcome based on the teachings of Islam. (Bernama pic)
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18 Feb 2023
PUTRAJAYA: Religious scholars play an important role
in a government because they act as a reference group before a policy is
implemented, says Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
In delivering a welcoming speech at the Liqa’ Perdana
Ilmuwan Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah ceremony at his official residence Sri Satria
here last night, Ahmad Zahid said that scholars’ views can ensure the direction
in policies guided by the Quran and Sunnah (Islamic practices) so that all
efforts made achieve the set goals.
Cooperation between leaders and scholars can ensure
that every problem faced by the country could be overcome based on the
teachings of Islam. All criticism and advice from scholars were welcomed to
ensure that the country’s leadership is always blessed, he said.
In order to strengthen the check and balance mechanism
of policies introduced by the government, he said religious councils with
scholars would serve as an important platform to help the government to come up
with various ideas for dignifying Islam.
He said scholars were a beacon for the community and
played a role in providing enlightenment in all aspects of human life based on
the Quran, Sunnah, ijma (consensus) and qiyas (jurisprudence or analogy).
However, Zahid warned scholars not to misuse the
verses of the Quran or use religion to justify an immoral action, or to use
ijma and qiyas to achieve political goals, but to apply the relevant knowledge
to strengthen and maintain the purity of Islam.
He said the unity government led by Prime Minister
Anwar Ibrahim was created to ensure that people of all races and religions in
Malaysia stay united and respect one another.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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original story:
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Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Regime Should be
punished through Political Pressures and Sanctions: EU Official
U.S. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and a
former deputy to Mullah Omar. Baradar
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By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 24, 2023
Josep Borrell, the EU Representative for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy on Thursday in New York said that senior Taliban
leadership does not agree with their Supreme Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada’s
latest decisions restricting women and girls from education and work.
In order to pressurize the Taliban regime, the
existing difference among the Taliban leadership should be utilized, the civil
society should be contacted, and the people of Afghanistan should be supported,
Borrell said.
The high-ranking European official believes that
Hibatullah Akhundzada’s latest decrees restricting the rights of women and
girls from work and education have caused differences among the Taliban
leadership.
“Taliban senior leadership do not agree with the
Supreme leader’s ideas on key matters, because they know that the
implementation of such decrees would further isolate the country and cause new
problems for the ruling regime. We have to utilize the intergroup differences,”
Borrell said.
In the recent past, Bloomberg news channel had
reported that the Taliban’s verdicts against women have intensified the
differences among the Taliban leadership, and each group is trying to mobilize
its supporters. The source said that Mullah Yaqoob, Defense Minister, and
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister oppose the decisions of the group’s
leader.
Whereas, some Taliban leadership, including Abbas
Stanikzai, the Deputy Foreign Minister has rejected the inter-group issues
among the Taliban senior leaders, and has said that they willingly accept the
Supreme leader’s orders.
Borrell criticized the Taliban leadership in a biting
tone in front of reports. “The Taliban Supreme leader believes that girls do
not deserve to live as human beings in the world. Girls love to attend school
and learn,” he said.
He further added, “we cannot cut off the cash aid to
Afghanistan, aimed at meeting the basic requirements, because we do not want to
punish the ordinary people of Afghanistan. However, the point is how to punish
Afghanistan’s ruling regime, which would not affect the Afghan populace.
Maintaining a balance between the two is difficult.”
Source: Khaama Press
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original story:
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Prince Harry ‘Boasting’ Over Taliban Kills: UK Defence
Minister
Prince Harry speaks with
U.S. military cadets during a visit to the United States Military Academy in
West Point, N.Y., June 25, 2010. (AP Photo)
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February 23, 2023
LONDON: Prince Harry was “boasting” over his
recollection of killing 25 Taliban fighters and has “let down” his former
military colleagues, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in a radio
interview, The Times reported.
The minister is the most senior figure to criticize
the prince over his comments, which were part of the recently released memoir
“Spare.”
In the book, Prince Harry claims to have killed 25
fighters while serving as an Apache helicopter pilot during the War in
Afghanistan.
He said: “So my number is 25. It’s not a number that
fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me.
“When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion
of combat, I didn’t think of those 25 as people. They were chess pieces removed
from the board. Bad people eliminated before they could kill good people.”
Wallace, who served with the armed forces in Northern
Ireland and elsewhere, said during the interview on LBC: “Look, I think you’d
have to ask Prince Harry … I frankly think boasting about tallies or talking
about tallies does two things.
“It distorts the fact that the army is a team game.
For an infanteer to go over the top, that person is supported by hundreds of
people behind them, whether they’re in headquarters in Britain, whether they’re
in the royal logistic corps, who helped them get there.
“It’s a team, and so it’s not about who can shoot the
most or who doesn’t shoot the most.
“If you start talking about who did what, what you are
actually doing is letting down all those other people, because you’re not a
better person because you did and they didn’t.”
In a previous interview with The Sunday Times, Wallace
spoke about his military experience in Northern Ireland.
He said: “The (Irish Republican Army) were very, very
active. We had over 100 incidents: would-be bombings, shootings, riots.
“We had two soldiers die, one murdered, one committed
suicide. There were some scary times, but I never felt scared.
“I can remember lying in bed and hearing a machine gun
open up against the fence a few meters away from me. I was on the way to the
cookhouse and they threw some grenades against the fence that blew up. Someone
tried to throw a bomb at me once.”
Prince Harry has faced criticism from the UK’s
military community over his memoir.
Derek Hunt, who campaigns for veteran mental health
welfare, and whose son Nathan served in Afghanistan and later committed
suicide, condemned “Spare” in comments to MailOnline.
He said: “However he tries to justify his comments,
what he said cannot be unsaid. This is too painful for too many people to be
discussed so loosely in public.
“Veterans were not crying out for this debate, they
have spent years trying to forget about the realities of combat, such as taking
people’s lives.
“If the disclosure was part of his therapy, then it
should have stayed between him and his therapist.
“I think he has brought back a lot of memories for
those men and women who served and are trying to forget. If all this was for
their benefit, then Harry has made a mistake.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2256746/world
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India
Uddhav’s Mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ Calls Javed Akhtar ‘True
Patriot’ For Taking Potshots at Pakistan
23rd February 2023
Mumbai: ‘Saamna’, the official newspaper of Uddhav
Thackeray faction on Thursday appreciated Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar for
showing the mirror to Pakistan during the ‘Faiz’ festival in Lahore as he
slammed the country for 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Saamna’s editorial stated, “A Muslim writer-poet did
what PM Modi and his blind devotees could not do to Pakistan. Senior
poet-lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar was invited to Lahore’s celebration on
poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s commemoration day.”
The publication hailed Javed Akhtar’s guts to accuse
Pakistan in Lahore and slammed the Modi-led central government for only
indulging in narratives and wrote, ” It is not easy to go to Pakistan and utter
such strong words’ as Akhtar did. It is easy to threaten Pakistan by sitting
here in Delhi and Mumbai. A roar of “Ghuskar Marenge” by doing a ‘surgical
strike’ during elections is common but saying the enemy,’ You are the enemy of
our country on their face is not easy. Only a true patriot can do this.”
Saamna in its latest editorial further took on
Bharatiya Janata Party for having different definitions for nationalism and
treason as “for them who do not follow them (the party) or are not ready to be
their slaves are termed traitors in their eyes. According to BJP, one who is not
a Modi devotee does not belong to be in the country”.
“On the occasion, Akhtar said, “The mastermind of the
26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai is still roaming freely in Pakistan. We are
Mumbaikars. We have seen the attack on our city. The attackers didn’t come from
Norway or Egypt, they came from your country. If Indian people have a complaint
about this, then the people of Pakistan should not consider it an insult,” the
editorial read further.
“Akhtar also said, ‘I wouldn’t hesitate to say that
though we have organised so many grand functions of Nusrat (Fateh Ali Khan)
sahab and Mehdi Hassan sahab in our country, you couldn’t organise a single
event of Lata (Mangeshkar) ji,” Akhtar said. The audience also gave a loud
round of applause to Javed Akhtar. The courage of the audience who supported
Akhtar must also be appreciated. Akhtar has set an ‘example’ of patriotism and
courage in front of the country,” the letter reads further.
Meanwhile, questioning India’s leaders Saamna said,
“The special thing about Pakistani’s audience and their rulers is that they
tolerated these statements on their land, but is there so much tolerance and
restraint left in our country today?”
Attacking on BJP, Saamna wrote, “BJP’s leaders and
ministers openly say ‘we eat beef’, and burn innocent Muslim youths in the name
of cow protection. They create Hindu-Muslim, and India-Pakistan tussle to win
elections.”
“Pakistan is the enemy of the country, and so is
China, but Modi only stands against Pakistan and is afraid of China. Modi government’s
courage against China is only limited to the banning of some Chinese ‘apps’.
These people create a raging atmosphere against the common Muslims of Pakistan
and India for political benefits,” the editorial added.
Source: Siasat Daily
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No Aid to Pakistan: External Affairs Minister Ruled
Out Any Kind of Rapprochement with Pakistan
Anita Joshua
| New Delhi
24.02.23
External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday
ruled out any kind of rapprochement with Pakistan, which is going through
economic difficulties, pointing out that terrorism remains its basic industry
and the public sentiment in India is also not in favour of such “walk-arounds”.
Essentially also ruling out any offer of assistance
without saying so in as many words, Jaishankar made it clear that Pakistan has
to make very tough choices. He was responding to a question at the inaugural
Asia Economic Dialogue on whether Pakistan’s economic difficulties are at a
point where there can be some kind of rapprochement between the two countries
in keeping with India’s “neighbourhood-first” policy.
“The reality of this particular relationship is that
it has a fundamental issue which we cannot and we must not avoid. And that
issue is that of terrorism. Because the moment we start doing this walkarounds
— let’s find the joint statement which will get us agreed language, let us
reach out at this point and see where this goes — that’s been the talk of the
last 75 years and look where it got us.
“We need clarity and we mustn’t be in denial of what
are very fundamental problems in that relationship. Just as a country has to
fix its economic issues, a country has to fix its political issues too. A country
has to fix its social issues. No country is ever going to come out of a
difficult situation and become a prosperous power if its basic industry is
terrorism. Among the changes which need to be made are also changes pertaining
to all of that. That remains a very major problem. Also, as someone in
politics, if I were to look at any big decision I’m making, I would also look
at what is the public sentiment,” Jaishankar said.
At the same time, the minister also made it clear that
it is in nobody’s interest that any country — least of all a neighbouring
nation – get into severe economic difficulties. “Nobody sensible, nobody mature
would even nurse that thought.”
Having said this, Jaishankar went on to add that no
one can help a country out of the doldrums if it is not prepared to solve the
problems itself.
“This is not a Pakistan point, it is a generic global
point,” he said.
The world can provide options and support systems but
the bottom line, he said, has to be done by that country and often it will
require very tough choices.
Source: Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/pulse-of-public-no-aid-to-pakistan/cid/1918534
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India
slams Pakistan after it rakes up J&K during UNGA session on Ukraine
Feb
24, 2023
UNITED
NATIONS: Exercising its "Right of Reply" during a special session of
the United Nations General Assembly on Ukraine, India on Thursday slammed
Pakistan for raking up Jammu and Kashmir issue and advised the neighboring
state to examine its track record of harbouring and providing safe havens to
terrorists with impunity.
“I'm
taking the floor today to say that India chooses this time not to respond to
Pakistan's mischievious provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is
to refer to our numerous Rights of Reply that we have exercised in the past,”
Pratik Mathur, counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, said.
Govt
bans Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force for terror acts
Mathur
exercised India's "Right of Reply" after Pakistan's envoy at the UN
Munir Akram referred to Jammu and Kashmir while delivering the explanation of
vote on the UN General Assembly resolution on Ukraine during the emergency
special session.
Mathur
described Pakistan's uncalled-for provocation as regrettable and stated that
after two days of intense discussions, all members present at the UN agreed
that the only path to resolve conflict and discord is through peace.
India
has prioritized the listing of Pakistani-based terrorists during its tenure in
the UNSC in 2021-22, and five names, including Makki, were submitted for
designation under 1267 in 2022.
Source:
Times Of India
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Trust
wants Muslim Library unlocked till revamp, NMC says plan lapsed
Feb
24, 2023
Nagpur:
The Muslim Library Trust sought unlocking of the facility in its affidavit
submitted before the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on January 16, but the
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) rejected the proposal while making a U-turn
of its redevelopment plan.
The
trust, now having newly elected office-bearers, proposed to run the library as
it was being done before the NMC locked the facility after taking back
possession of the 13,000sq ft prime land on September 15 last year. The land
was leased out to the library 94 years ago and its ground rent had been
accepted till 2023. In its affidavit, the trust said possession of the library
continues to be with it and all books and other materials are retained in the
locked structure.
In
a bid to convince the NMC, the petitioner submitted that it was ready to vacate
the premises on one-month notice for the construction of a new building
consisting of a modern full-fledged library and a community hall. The
petitioner also sought 5,000sq ft area in the new building for running the
Muslim Library.
Dr
Sarfaraz Ahmed, secretary of the trust, said the proposal was made keeping
board and other exams in mind. “Muslim students don’t have any other library in
the area to study,” he said.
On
October 18 last year, the NMC’s plan to build a modern complex with a library
and hall came to fore in its submission before the lower court, where the trust
had moved soon after the civic body sealed the library alleging misuse of the
land and violation of lease conditions.
The
district court had upheld the NMC’s move while rejecting the appeal. The trust
then moved the HC which ordered status quo while seeking verification of the
NMC’s disclosure on the library’s makeover plan before the district court.
SS
Ahmad, representing the petitioner, said the civic body informed the court that
it doesn’t have a specific project for the land right now. “The respondent
changed its stand thrice. It accepted the ground rent till 2023 but still
sealed the library before that. Then, NMC told the lower court that it has
planned a modern library and hall on the land. On November 15 last year, the
civic body handed over a letter stating that the proposal for construction of
library has lapsed because of pending litigations,” he said.
NMC
takes back possession of Muslim Library after 94 years, on September 15, 2022
Informs
lower court its plan to build a modern complex with library and community hall.
Says Rs50 lakh received from DPC fund for the purpose
Source:
Times Of India
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India
slams Pakistan after it rakes up J&K during UNGA session on Ukraine
Feb
24, 2023
UNITED
NATIONS: Exercising its "Right of Reply" during a special session of
the United Nations General Assembly on Ukraine, India on Thursday slammed
Pakistan for raking up Jammu and Kashmir issue and advised the neighboring
state to examine its track record of harbouring and providing safe havens to
terrorists with impunity.
“I'm
taking the floor today to say that India chooses this time not to respond to
Pakistan's mischievious provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is
to refer to our numerous Rights of Reply that we have exercised in the past,”
Pratik Mathur, counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, said.
Govt
bans Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force for terror acts
Mathur
exercised India's "Right of Reply" after Pakistan's envoy at the UN
Munir Akram referred to Jammu and Kashmir while delivering the explanation of
vote on the UN General Assembly resolution on Ukraine during the emergency
special session.
Mathur
described Pakistan's uncalled-for provocation as regrettable and stated that
after two days of intense discussions, all members present at the UN agreed
that the only path to resolve conflict and discord is through peace.
India
has prioritized the listing of Pakistani-based terrorists during its tenure in
the UNSC in 2021-22, and five names, including Makki, were submitted for
designation under 1267 in 2022.
Source:
Times Of India
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Arab World
Israel
thanks Oman for opening airspace to all carriers
23
February ,2023
Israel’s
foreign minister on Thursday thanked Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said for
opening Oman’s airspace to all carriers, including Israeli airlines, which will
now be able to offer shorter routes to Asia.
“It’s
an historic and significant decision for the Israeli economy and the Israeli
traveler,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Death
toll from Turkey, Syria earthquake tops 47,000
23
February ,2023
The
death toll from the massive earthquake that hit parts of Turkey and Syria on
February 6 continues to rise as more bodies are retrieved from the rubble of
demolished buildings.
A
magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck the already battered province of Hatay
this week damaged or demolished more buildings, compounding the devastation.
Here’s
a look at the key developments Thursday from the aftermath of the earthquake.
Death
toll tops 47,000
Turkish
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has raised the number of fatalities in Turkey
from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake to 43,556.
The
combined death toll in Turkey and Syria now stands at 47,244.
In
an interview with state broadcaster TRT late on Wednesday, Soylu said teams
were sifting through two buildings in hard-hit Hatay province in search of
further bodies. Search operations elsewhere have come to an end, he said.
Meanwhile,
at least 164,000 buildings have either collapsed or are so damaged that they
need to be demolished, said Murat Kurum, Turkey’s minister for the environment
and urbanization.
Syrians
shelter in tents and cars
The
local civil defense in northwestern Syria, known locally as The White Helmets,
said Thursday that thousands of children and tens of thousands of families have
taken shelter in cars and tents “fearing they would face a repeat of the
earthquake.”
In
government-held Syria, a first plane from Bahrain loaded with aid landed in
Damascus. The Gulf monarchy is among many Arab countries that in recent years
have tried to thaw relations with President Bashar al-Assad.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Lebanese
judge charges long-time central bank governor with money laundering: Source
23
February ,2023
Longtime
central bank governor Riad Salameh, his brother Raja and one of his assistants
have been charged with money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment, a
senior judicial source said on Thursday.
The
charges come after an 18-month investigation into whether Salameh and his
brother embezzled more than $300 million from Lebanon’s Central Bank between
2002 and 2015.
Judicial
authorities in at least five European countries are investigating Salameh and
his brother Raja on the same allegations.
The
Salameh brothers have denied the charges.
“As
I declared previously, I am innocent of these charges,” Salameh said in a text
message to Reuters on Thursday, adding that Thursday’s step was “not an
indictment.”
“I
am respectful of the laws and of the judicial system and will abide by the
procedure, and as you know one is innocent till proven guilty by a court of
law,” he wrote.
He
has dismissed accusations of illicit enrichment as part of an effort to
scapegoat him for Lebanon’s financial collapse, which has brought new scrutiny
to his three-decade tenure.
The
preliminary investigation carried out by Lebanon’s judiciary was completed in
June 2022 but had since stalled.
The
country’s prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat had at the time referred Salameh and a
number of unidentified associates to a Beirut prosecutor to file charges
including illicit enrichment, embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion.
But
the prosecutor recused himself and was later removed from the case following a
complaint from Salameh.
Oueidat
said in January he was planning on naming a new prosecutor to take the case
forward.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Arab
states support UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
24
February ,2023
A
UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was adopted on Thursday,
with an overwhelming majority of member states voting to call for the Kremlin
to withdraw its troops immediately.
Ahead
of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine, 141 UN members voted in
favor of the resolution, which calls for an immediate end to Moscow’s
hostilities. Seven countries opposed the resolution, with 32 others abstaining,
including China, India, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Turkey’s
main opposition leader sends condolence letter to Syria’s Assad
23
February ,2023
The
head of Turkey’s main opposition party on Thursday sent a condolence letter to
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country was also devastated by the Feb.
6 earthquake, saying he felt the pain of the Syrian lives lost.
The
rare communication from Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who may emerge as Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rival in the country’s upcoming election, came after the
7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing
more than 49,000 people and leaving millions homeless.
“As
this disaster and the pain we have experienced show once again, we are partners
and neighbors in our grief, we share the common pain of our peoples,”
Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), said.
“Therefore,
I take this opportunity to express my condolences to you and your people and
hope that we will not share our sorrows but our hopes in the future.”
There
has been no regular contact between the main Turkish opposition and Assad, but
Kilicdaroglu has urged Erdogan “not to pick a fight” with Syria and CHP
officials have called on the government to open a dialogue with Damascus.
After
providing military and political support to the Syrian opposition fighting
Assad for over a decade and sending Turkish troops into swathes of northern
Syria, Erdogan in early January said he might meet the Syrian president.
The
defense ministers of the two countries met late last year for the highest-level
talks between the two foes since the Syrian war began in 2011.
Turkey
hosts more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees who have become increasingly
unwelcome amid economic hardship in Turkey.
Erdogan
has talked about returning some refugees, although neither the president nor
the opposition has set out how that could safely take place.
Russia
helped Assad turn the tide of the war in his favor and says it is seeking a
political end to the conflict and wants to bring the two leaders together for
talks.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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France's
NGE announces deal to build 330km of high-speed train line in Egypt
23
February ,2023
French
construction company NGE has signed a contract to build 330km of a high-speed
train line connecting the Red Sea Port of Sokhna with Borg al-Arab near the
Mediterranean port of Alexandria, it said on Thursday.
Egypt's
National Authority for Tunnels in May signed a contract with Siemens Mobility,
Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors to build about 2,000km of high-speed
railway for what would be the world sixth-largest such network.
A
section awarded to NGE is part of a 600km double-track line that will further
extend to Marsa Matrouh on Egypt's northwest coast, an NGE statement said.
Egypt
will later build another line from Cairo to Luxor and a third between Luxor and
Hurghada on the Red Sea coast.
The
construction will be carried out by NGE subsidiary TSO, the statement said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Southeast Asia
Man
sent to Henry Gurney School for stealing mosque fund
23-02-
2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: The teenager who was caught stealing from a mosque’s donation box and
was ‘bathed like a corpse’ by mosque officials, who recorded the act and posted
it on social media as punishment, has been ordered by the Selayang Magistrate’s
Court here to be sent to Henry Gurney School after he pleaded guilty to
stealing from a surau.
Magistrate
Nur Hafizah Rajuni handed down the decision yesterday after examining the
social report by the Social Welfare Department (JKM) Kon Daniel Iskandar, now
20.
“The
accused is a young offender. Therefore, the court orders that he be sent to the
Henry Gurney Scholl until he reaches the age of 21,” said the magistrate.
Daniel
was ordered sent to the Henry Gurney School at Telok Mas, Melaka, yesterday.
He
was charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code with stealing RM74 from the
donation box of Surau Al Munir, Batu 17 Kuang, Rawang, at 12.44 pm on Dec 5,
2020.
The
charge provides imprisonment for up to 10 years and shall also be liable to
fine, and for a second or subsequent offence, shall be punished with
imprisonment and shall also be liable to fine or to whipping, upon conviction.
During
mitigation, lawyer Suhaida Mohd Sobri, from the Selangor Legal Aid Department,
said her client is a young offender and has remorse.
“Before
he was arrested, he worked at a car workshop and was cared for by his
grandfather. His parents have divorced and he is the oldest of three siblings,
with one of them a person with disabilities (PwD).
JKM
officer Mohamad Hanafi Sedi requested for Daniel to be sent to the Henry Gurney
School, while deputy public prosecutor Wan Nur Iman Wan Ahmad Afzal requested a
deterrent sentence.
On
Jan 13 last year, Daniel was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined RM4,000 for
attempting to steal money from the donation box of the Al Islahiah Mosque in
Kuang, Rawang.
Source: The Sun Daily
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https://www.thesundaily.my/local/man-sent-to-henry-gurney-school-for-stealing-mosque-fund-IA10672802
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Ministry
to build integrated Islamic school in new capital Nusantara
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - The Ministry of Religious Affairs will immediately build an
integrated madrasah (Islamic school) at the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara,
East Kalimantan, at the direction of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).
The
integrated madrasah includes madrasah ibtidaiyah (elementary school level),
madrasah tsanawiyah (junior high school level), and madrasah aliyah (high
school level).
"Several
days ago, (I was) asked by the president to build an integrated school in IKN,
from madrasah ibtidaiyah to madrasah aliyah," Religious Affairs Minister
Yaqut Cholil Qoumas noted in a written statement received here on Wednesday.
Qoumas
conveyed the statement at the Coordination Meeting of the Heads of Religious
Affairs Ministry's Regional Offices of East Kalimantan in Balikpapan City, East
Kalimantan, Wednesday.
The
minister spoke of having called on the ministry's Directorate General of
Islamic Education to follow up on the project.
He
urged the regional office heads in East Kalimantan to coordinate regarding the
construction of the integrated madrasah in terms of the budget, location, and
other technical aspects.
He
expressed hope that the construction project would be realized in 2023, thereby
necessitating swift action of all relevant parties.
"There
are only 10 months left this year. Thus, all (parties) must work hand in hand
in order to realize the task from the president," he remarked.
The
minister laid emphasis on paying attention to several aspects in the project,
including the requirement for vast land. Qoumas appealed to his staff to
immediately coordinate with the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing
regarding this matter.
Source:
Antara News
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Earthquake
of magnitude 6.2 hits Indonesia
Feb
24, 2023
HALMAHERA:
February 24 (ANI): An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale occurred
North of Halmahera, Indonesia on Friday, the National Center for Seismology
(NCS) said.
According
to the NSC, the earthquake originating at a depth of 99 Km, was felt at
01:32:47 IST.
"Earthquake
of Magnitude:6.2, Occurred on 24-02-2023, 01:32:47 IST, Lat: 3.28 & Long:
128.36, Depth: 99 Km, Location: North of Halmahera, Indonesia," NCS
tweeted.
Source:
Times Of India
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UPI
may extend to UAE, Mauritius & Indonesia
Feb
24, 2023
BENGALURU:
After Singapore, the RBI is in talks with several countries, including
Indonesia, UAE and Mauritius, for establishing a direct payment link of the
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with networks in these countries to enable
quicker and cheaper fund transfers using mobile phones.
A
senior RBI officer told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting of G20
finance ministers and central bank governors that some Latin American countries
have also shown interest. The central bank is showcasing UPI and the Central
Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), or the digital rupee, to delegates at the event
and also allowing foreigners to use UPI.
The
regulator and the government are keen to expand UPI payment links to aid fund
transfers and do away with the high costs charged by banks and reduce the time
taken. The move is seen to be especially beneficial for the Indian diaspora.
The
RBI official said use of UPI for non-resident Indian will also be
operationalised next month, which will allow the use of the tool through
international phone numbers. Although the tool was enabled, it could not be
implemented due to technical issues.
Asked
about the central bank digital currency, RBI officials said they are trying to significantly
ramp up the pilot to cover as many cases as possible in a closed user group. On
the retail side, pilots are going on in several cities and the RBI is now
looking to expand to more areas and include more banks.
Source:
Times Of India
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South Asia
Taliban
Ministry: Books Against Islam, National Interest Will Be Collected
By
Hadia Ziaei
Books
that are opposed to Islam and the interests of the country will be collected,
said officials of the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Officials
said that publishers have handed thousands of such books to the Ministry of
Information and Culture.
"There
are still hundreds of books on the market that are written against Islam,
against Islamic principles, or that promote other ideologies like secularism.
And also, there are some books that lead to the immorality of youth,” said
Abdulhaq Hemad, the ministry's head of media and publication control.
Meanwhile,
the Afghanistan Publishers and Booksellers Union said that books with such
content were either imported or published in the nation during the last 20
years.
The
union said that steps would be taken to stop such books from being published in
the country.
"If
books are published that add to national tension, political problems, and
controversies that drive the nation to a crisis, we will attempt to not publish
such books again,” said Sayed Ahmad Saeed, the head of the Afghanistan
Publishers and Booksellers Union.
"We
are ready to carry out any order that has been approved by the Publishers'
Union and the Ministry of Information and Culture. We have never published such
books. Those who printed it should understand this,” Inayatullah, a publisher,
told TOLOnews.
Some
young people urged the Ministry of Information and Culture to focus on
fostering the nation's reading culture.
Source:
Tolo News
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-182195
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Top
IS-Khorasan Commander Killed in Southern Afghanistan
By
Fidel Rahmati
February
23, 2023
A
Top Kashmiri commander of the Khorasan Brach of ISIS has been killed in
southern Afghanistan, a report said on Tuesday.
The
senior commander Ejaz Amin Ahangar, known as Abu Osman Al-Kashmiri, is a senior
member of the Islamic State of Khorasan in the southern province of
Afghanistan.
According
to intelligence authorities and members of his family, Abu Osman is thought to
have been slain in southern Afghanistan. He is accused of being the leader of
an Islamic State cell responsible for a string of suicide attacks by Indian
nationals in Kabul and Jalalabad.
Abu
Osman was previously a part of the “Mujahideen Movement” in Kashmir, Pakistan.
In 2015, he eventually joined ISIS after initially joining Al-Qaeda.
Abu
Osman has reportedly been slain by the Taliban and was discovered dead in
Afghanistan’s Kunar Province.
Recently,
the group has increased their attacks in different parts of Afghanistan,
particularly Kabul city, targeting Taliban officials and foreign nationals and
people.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/top-is-khorasan-commander-killed-in-southern-afghanistan/
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IEA
Authorities to Initiate Investment Consortium in Afghanistan
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
24, 2023
Afghanistan’s
Ministry of Commerce and Investment has announced that the Islamic Emirate
authorities plan to initiate an investment consortium in which investors from
Afghanistan, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran will participate.
Nooruddin
Azizi, the Acting Minister of Commerce and Investment on Wednesday said the
ministry has signed memorandums of understanding with foreign companies to send
representatives to Kabul for assessing the project worth a billion
dollars.
According
to Commerce and Industry Ministry’s officials, representatives of this
consortium from Russia, Iran, and Pakistan will come to Kabul to initiate the
infrastructural works of the project in the near future.
“The
initial investment of the consortium is estimated to be one billion dollars,
and representatives of the foreign investment companies will soon initiate
their work,” Akhundzada Abdul Salam, the spokesperson of the ministry said.
Minister
Azizi said in an interview with Reuters that 14 Afghan businessmen are involved
in this consortium, and their participation in this mega project instills
positive energy in other Afghan investors to return to the country.
He
further added that besides power and mining projects, the consortium will
assess the possibility of a second tunnel in Salang which connects the north of
Afghan to the rest of the country, a project that transfers water from Panjshir
to Kabul, and the reconstruction of Kabul-Herat high way.
Azizi
also stated that the Islamic Emirate is planning on creating special economic
zones to attract foreign investment to the country.
This
comes as foreign investment in Afghanistan is almost zero since the return of
the Taliban to power in August 2021. The late regime change forced foreign and
national investors to leave the country fearing their safety.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/iea-authorities-to-initiate-investment-consortium-in-afghanistan/
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Explosion
at least kills four in Afghanistan’s Takhar Province
By
Fidel Rahmati
February
23, 2023
According
to local media on Thursday, an explosion was reported in Taloqan, the centre of
Takhar province in Afghanistan.
A
bomb attached to a vehicle in the Sar Chowk area of Taloqan city reportedly
caused the explosion.
In
the blast, at least four people were killed, and several others were injured,
according to the report. The injured people have been transported to the local
hospital.
Currently,
no groups or individuals have taken responsibility for the incident.
The
incident comes a day after the high Pakistani delegation visited Kabul to
discuss security and cooperation with the interim government.
A
statement after the meeting indicated that “matters relating to the growing by
TTP and ISKP came under discussion. The two sides agreed to collaborate to
effectively address the threat of terrorism posed by various outlets and
organizations.”
On
the other hand, recently, the Kashmiri leader related to the IS-K known as Abu
Osman, was killed in the Kunar province of Afghanistan in an operation by the
Taliban government.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/explosion-at-least-kills-four-in-afghanistans-takhar-province/
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Europe
Vatican
establishes diplomatic ties with Oman
24
Feb 2023
VATICAN
CITY: The Vatican and Oman established diplomatic ties on Thursday, marking a
further widening of the Holy See’s official relations with the Arab Muslim
World.
In
a joint statement, both sides said they wanted to promote mutual understanding
and cooperation and that ambassadors would be named.
The
Vatican, a sovereign city-state surrounded by Rome, now has diplomatic
relations with every country on the Arabian Peninsula except Saudi Arabia.
Oman,
a Sultanate, is predominately Muslim, like the other countries on the
peninsula. Oman has only four Catholic parishes and 12 priests, the Vatican
said in a separate statement.
The
Vatican hopes that with the upgrading of relations, the Church could continue
to contribute to the social well-being of the country, the statement added.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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UK
ruling delivers rare victory for Beirut port blast victims
23
February ,2023
A
British court has ruled a London-based company that delivered the explosive
ammonium nitrate to Beirut’s port is liable towards the victims of a
devastating blast in 2020, Lebanon’s Beirut Bar Association said Thursday.
On
Aug. 4 that year, hundreds of tons of the chemical, typically used in fertilizers,
detonated, killing more than 200 people, injuring over 6,000 and damaging large
parts of Beirut. Families of the explosion’s victims saw the development as a
rare step towards justice and against the political intervention that has
obstructed the investigative judge leading a probe in Lebanon for over two
years.
The
ruling in London is an unusual judicial success for the victims’ families,
members of whom have advocated for an unimpeded national investigation. Some
have opted to file lawsuits abroad.
The
London-registered chemical trading firm, Savaro Ltd., is suspected of having
chartered the shipment of the ammonium nitrate in 2013 that ended up in Beirut.
Documents show a handful of senior political, judicial and security officials
were aware of the substance in the port for years, but did not take decisive
action to get rid of it.
The
Beirut Bar Association, alongside three victims’ families, filed a lawsuit
against Savaro Ltd. over a year ago.
The
judgment by the High Court of Justice in London means that the proceedings now
move to a “damages phase” of the case that determines the firm’s compensation
for the families, Camille Abousleiman, one of the lawyers involved in the case,
told The Associated Press.
“It’s
the first time there is an actual judgment on this matter in reputable courts,”
Abousleiman, also a former Lebanese labor minister, said. The ruling “certainly
will open the door for potential justice in courts overseas.”
Mariana
Foudoulian, whose sister Gaia died in the explosion, called the judgment a
“very important step.”
“Through
this judgment, we can try to access more important details,” Foudoulian told
the AP. “This does give us some hope.”
The
civil suit against Savaro Ltd. was filed in August 2021. Soon after, UK
authorities blocked the firm’s attempts to dissolve the company. It remains
unclear who the owner of the company is. The listed owners are agents from a
corporate services firm, investigative journalists from Lebanese and
international outlets reported. The High Court of Justice in June 2022 ordered
the company to reveal its true owners, though the firm never has done so.
Elsewhere,
the Swiss foundation Accountability Now and some of the victims’ families filed
a lawsuit in Texas against US-Norwegian geophysical services group TGS, which
owns a company that allegedly sub-chartered the ship carrying the ammonium
nitrate in 2012.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Post-quake
climate allows restart of dialogue between Ankara, Athens: Greek foreign
minister
Ahmet
Gençtürk
24.02.2023
The
climate that emerged following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye, during which
Greece became one of the first countries to offer aid, allows Athens to restart
its dialogue with Ankara, the Greek foreign minister said Thursday.
Even
though both countries are now preparing for general elections, which limits the
chances of making long-term moves, it is still possible to restart negotiations
on confidence-building measures or explanatory talks, Nikos Dendias said during
an interview with Skai TV, one of the country’s major private broadcasters.
Underlining
that now a positive climate is prevailing in bilateral relations thanks to
contributions by both parties, he said: “For me, the main task right now is not
finding solutions, it is protecting the (positive) climate.”
When
he was reminded about the tensions between the two countries before the quakes,
Dendias said: “I want to stick to the positive part: that at the moment, there
is an excellent climate. Within this climate, I think unified approaches to
extremely difficult issues can be built.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Türkiye rescues 30 irregular migrants after illegal Greek pushbacks
Mustafa
Gungor
23.02.2023
The
Turkish Coast Guard rescued 30 irregular migrants who were illegally pushed
back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek authorities, officials said
Thursday.
According
to the Turkish Coast Guard Command, teams were dispatched off the coast of
Cesme, Izmir after detecting 30 foreign nationals in a boat.
After
they were rescued, all migrants were taken to provincial migration offices.
Türkiye
has been a key transit point for irregular migrants wanting to cross into
Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Germany jails Syrian man for war crimes in Damascus
Ayhan
Simsek
23.02.2023
BERLIN
A
German court on Thursday sentenced a 55-year-old Syrian man to life in prison
for committing war crimes in Syria.
Mouafak
D. was convicted of four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder,
by intentionally firing a grenade into a group of civilians.
The
Berlin Higher Court ruled that there was sufficient evidence to prove that
Mouafak D. carried out the attack in 2014, in the Yarmouk refugee camp near
Damascus.
At
that time, the camp was controlled by armed opposition groups, and it was
encircled by the Syrian regime forces.
At
least four civilians were killed in the grenade attack, but the actual number
could be higher, the presiding judge said.
The
Berlin court ruled out any parole before Mouafak D. serves 15 years -- the
average life term in Germany -- “due to the exceptional severity of the crimes”
he committed.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-jails-syrian-man-for-war-crimes-in-damascus/2829272
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Court
convicts UK firm over cataclysmic 2020 blast in Beirut
23
February 2023
The
UK High Court has ruled a London-based company that delivered the explosive
ammonium nitrate to Beirut’s port is liable towards the victims of a
devastating blast in 2020.
Lebanon’s
Beirut Bar Association said on Thursday the high court had ruled the
London-registered chemical trading firm, Savaro Ltd., will have to pay
compensations now.
The
huge Beirut port blast on August 4, 2020 killed more than 200 people, injuring
over 6,000 and damaging large parts of the port city.
Friends
and families of the blast's victims saw the legal development as a rare step
towards justice and against the political intervention that has obstructed the
investigative judge leading a probe in Lebanon for over two years.
The
court ruling in London is an unusual judicial success for the victims'
families, some of whom opted to file lawsuits abroad.
The
Beirut Bar Association, alongside three of the victims' family members, filed a
lawsuit against the British firm more than a year ago.
The
ruling by the High Court of Justice in London means the proceedings now move to
a “damages phase" of the case that determines the firm's compensation for
the families, Camille Abousleiman, one of the lawyers involved in the case,
told media.
Head
of the Bar Association Nader Kaspar considered the ruling a "great
achievement," paving the way to continue the quest for justice and the
truth about what caused the devastating explosion in Beirut's port.
“It’s
the first time there is an actual judgment on this matter in reputable courts,”
Abu Suleiman, also a former Lebanese labor minister, said. The ruling
"certainly will open the door for potential justice in courts overseas.”
Mariana
Foudoulian, whose sister Gaia died in the explosion, called the judgment a
“very important step."
“Through
this judgment, we can try to access more important details,” Foudoulian told
media. “This does give us some hope.”
Court
documents showed Savaro chartered a huge shipment of ammonium nitrate in 2013
which eventually ended up in Beirut’s port area.
Documents
show officials were aware of the highly inflammable chemical substance docked
at the port for years, but did not take decisive action to have it removed.
The
lawsuit against Savaro was lodged in August 2021. It remains unclear who own(s)
Savaro. Probes into the company's ownership listed agents from a corporate
services firm.
Accountability
Now, a Swiss organization, said some of the Beirut blast victims’ families had
filed a lawsuit in Texas against US-Norwegian geophysical services group TGS.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/23/698772/UK-court-Savaro-Beirut-blast
--------
Pakistan
Eight
terrorists killed in operation after ‘foiled-ambush’ in Kech
February
24, 2023
RAWALPINDI:
As many as eight terrorists were killed by the security forces in a follow-up
operation launched after foiling an ambush on convoy of security forces in Kech
District, Balochistan.
According
to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release on Thursday, the
terrorists on the evening of Wednesday (Feb 22), attempted to ambush a convoy
of security forces in Kech District.
The
alert and combat-ready troops foiled the cowardly attempt without any loss of
life and then immediately commenced a follow-up operation to hunt down the
fleeing terrorists, using ground and aviation assets.
Resultantly,
on Thursday morning a suspected hideout of the terrorists was identified in
Mazaaband Range where a sanitisation operation was launched. In the ensuing
exchange of fire, eight terrorists were killed with a large cache of arms and
ammunition, including explosives, recovered.
“The
security forces of Pakistan will continue to thwart such attempts by inimical
elements, on the behest of hostile intelligence agencies, to disrupt the
hard-earned peace in the province,” the ISPR said.
The
development comes amid a surge in terrorist activities in the country,
especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since the outlawed
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in
November.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Minister’s Private Jail Had 3 Dead; Balochistan Case Shows ‘Law of the Jungle
Supreme’
Unnati
Sharma
23
February, 2023
A
twisted triple murder involving a top minister who allegedly held people as
prisoners in an illegal private jail near his house has shocked Pakistan. On 22
February, three bodies—of two men and one woman—were recovered from a well in
the Haji Kot area of Barkhan district near Minister Sardar Abdul Rehman
Khetran’s residence. But a day after they were identified as the wife and sons
of a local tribesman who accused the minister of murder, the police tracked
down and “recovered” his family members. They were very much alive.
Meanwhile,
Khetran, who is the member of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan, holds the
post of Provincial Minister for Science and Technology and Food and Population
Welfare, was arrested Thursday. The identity of those found dead is yet to be
established.
The
bodies were ridden with bullets and trussed up in sacks. Medical reports showed
that the victims had been tortured.
Dead
or alive?
When
the bodies were first discovered, they were identified as Giran Naz, wife of
tribesman Khan Muhammad Marri and their two sons, Mohammad Nawaz, in his 20s,
and teenager, Abdul Qadir believed to be between 15-20 years old.
In
a report in Dawn, Khan Muhammad alleged that in 2019 his wife and seven
children had been imprisoned in Khetran’s private jail. He had claimed that
they were ‘arrested’ for not testifying in a case involving Khetran and his
son, Sardar Inam Khetran.
Muhammad
said that a video of his wife had surfaced on a website after which his
family’s bodies were found, said the Dawn report.
However,
the post-mortem report revealed that the deceased female was not a woman but a
teenage girl.
In
an interesting turn of events, the Levies Force (parliamentary forces of
Pakistan) “recovered” his wife, Giran Naz — who had been presumed dead — and
their five children including a girl— all allegedly abducted by Khetran.
The
strongman minister
The
triple murder case is just the latest in a string of controversies that have
been associated with Khetran.
In
2014, women and children had been rescued from his ‘private jail’. Police had
registered cases against Khetran, his son and eight others for kidnapping three
policemen and snatching weapons from them. Seven people, including two women,
three children were recovered from the private jail.
Khetran
has been the Minister of Science and Information Technology since August 2018.
In the past, he won from constituency PB-17 as a candidate of Jamiat Ulema-e
Islam (F) and became Minister in Provincial Assembly of Balochistan from 2013
to 2018.
The
powerful minister is now being interrogated, said Abdul Khaliq Sheikh,
Inspector General of Balochistan. He added that the police had conducted raids
on all suspected places for the recovery of Khan Muhammad Marri’s five
children, including four sons and a daughter.
As
per a viral video, the woman Girnar Naz is seen holding a copy of the Quran and
urges the authorities to save their lives.
Jungle
law reigns supreme
Former
PM Imran Khan condemned the incident saying: “Strongly condemn illegal
incarceration, physical abuse & killing of a poor Baloch woman & her
children in Khetran, Balochistan in private jail of Sardar Abdul Rehman
Khetran, a prov minister. Immediate action must be taken against this law of
the jungle.”
Jamaat-e-Islami
Pakistan leader Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan said the bloodshed is the responsibility of
Balochistan Federal Government, Supreme Court and the entire state.
The
Humans Rights Commission of Pakistan said it is” horrified by the discovery of
three bullet-ridden bodies” and the related alleged illegal detention of Khan
Muhammad Marri, urging that the serious allegations must be investigated
promptly.
Senator
Omar Ahmadzai called Tribal Jirga (council) after the tragic murder. The tribal
chieftains and elders gave two days ultimatum to the government to accept the
demands of relatives of the slain family.
A
Dawn editorial said that the incident confirms that the law of the jungle
reigns supreme in the hapless province.
“One
wonders how such a gruesome state of affairs can exist in a nation which claims
to be ruled by the law. In large swathes of Pakistan, particularly Balochistan,
the law has no meaning. This is not the first time Abdul Rehman Khetran has
been accused of running a private jail,” the editorial said.
Source:
The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan-Afghanistan
border crossing shut after brief reopening
Feb
24, 2023
PESHAWAR,
PAKISTAN: Pakistan shut down a key border crossing with Afghanistan just hours
after it was reopened on Thursday, officials said, the latest twist in the
controversial closure of the Torkham junction that started earlier this week.
The
issue of the crossing, a key trade route for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, has
added to increasing tensions between the two countries, which share a troubled
and volatile boundary.
Afghanistan's
Taliban rulers on Sunday closed the crossing, claiming Islamabad was not
abiding by an agreement with Kabul to allow Afghan patients and their caretakers
to cross into Pakistan without travel documents for medical care. On Monday,
Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards exchanged fire, which wounded
a Pakistani soldier.
On
Wednesday, Pakistan's defense minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, and secret
service chief, Lt general Anjum Nadeem, travelled to Kabul and met senior
Taliban officials to discuss the border issue.
On
Thursday morning, Torkham was reopened by Afghan Taliban forces, allowing some
of the thousands of trucks that had lined up for days at the border — many with
vegetables, fruits and other perishable food items — to cross over and ease the
backlog.
The
Afghan embassy in Pakistan tweeted the news of the reopening and on the
Pakistani side, truck drivers rejoiced as their vehicles began moving along the
Khyber Pass.
However,
the crossing closed hours later. Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, director of the
Pakistan-Afghanistan joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that Pakistan
was unable to make the border crossing “fully functional because of
administrative issues." He did not explain.
Other
officials in Islamabad were not immediately available for comment.
“The
Torkham gate has been closed by the Pakistani side after it was opened today by
the officials of the Islamic Emirate,” the media center in Afghanistan’s
Nangarhar Province said on Twitter.
For
Pakistan, the Torkham border crossing is a vital commercial artery and a trade
route to Central Asian countries. But Islamabad has also accused the Afghan
Taliban of providing sanctuary for Pakistani militants whose cross-border
attacks have led to a spike in violence in Pakistan.
The
Afghan Taliban administration has said the Pakistani delegation was told during
Wednesday's meeting that it was up to Pakistan to provide all the “necessary
facilities" for travelers at Torkham and also at Spin Boldak, another
crossing further south, as well as special facilities for the transportation of
patients needing emergency medical care. The Pakistani side promised to resolve
these matters quickly, Kabul said.
Closures,
cross-border fire and shootouts are common along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Pakistan's
Foreign Ministry said its delegation to Kabul also raised during Wednesday's
talks “the growing threat of terrorism in the region," particularly by the
Pakistani Taliban, known as Tahreek-e Taliban-Pakistan or TTP, and the Islamic
State group.
On
Thursday, senior security officials told The Associated Press that the
Pakistani delegation demanded the Taliban prevent Pakistani Taliban militants
from launching cross-border attacks on Pakistan from within Afghanistan.
The
demand, the officials said, is urgent as the Pakistani Taliban allegedly plan
to launch their “spring offensive” in March. The officials spoke on the
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Pakistan
has recently warned that it has the right to target TTP sanctuaries in
Afghanistan if the Taliban administration fails to rein in the militants,
increasing the prospect of more cross-border violence.
The
Pakistani Taliban are a separate group, but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who
seized power more than a year ago as the U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from the
country after 20 years of war.
The
Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the TTP, which in recent months
stepped up attacks in Pakistan, where security forces often raid their
hideouts. In the latest raid in the northwestern district of Lakki Marwat,
security forces on Thursday killed six Pakistani Taliban militants, police
said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Fly
economy: Pakistan’s belt-tightening begins in high places
Feb
23, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistani ministers can no longer fly business class or stay in five-star
hotels abroad. And the government thanks them for taking salary cuts.
The
South Asian nation fighting to stay solvent and avoid a debt default has
unveiled $764 million of cost-cutting measures needed to help revive a $6.5 billion
of International Monetary Fund bailout. The government will follow up with
further austerity measures in the next budget in July, Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif said Wednesday.
“This
is need of the hour,” he said after a cabinet meeting in Islamabad. “We have to
show what the time demands from us and that’s austerity, simplicity and
sacrifice.”
The
world’s fifth most populous country has descended dangerously close to a debt
default in recent months. The $350-billion economy, with just $3 billion of foreign-exchange
reserves by one estimate, also faces a dollar squeeze that tests its external
stability. Supply disruptions caused by flooding, food shortages and steps the
government took to meet IMF’s preconditions for the rescue may push inflation
above 30% for the first time on record, according to Bloomberg Economics.
As
common people come out on streets to protest crippling conditions, the
government is trying to show austerity begins at the highest levels. Several
federal and state ministers besides high-ranking government officials have
volunteered to forgo salaries and perks, Sharif said. The government has also
banned the purchase of luxury items and cars until next year, he added.
Parliament
this week voted to roll out tax increases including higher levies on luxury
imports. The government had raised energy prices and let the currency weaken
after the IMF called on the nation to scrap subsidies and enable a
market-determined exchange rate.
Meanwhile,
the State Bank of Pakistan has raised the benchmark rate by 725 basis points
since the start of 2022 and signaled more monetary tightening is coming. SBP
will hold its next policy review on March 16.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
rubbishes US State Dept ‘concerns’ about China loans
FEBRUARY
24, 2023
Pakistan
on Thursday rubbished controversial remarks by a US official about China’s
loans under CPEC, asserting that Islamabad is proud of its friendship with
Beijing which has always come to assistance whenever needed.
“China
has always come to Pakistan’s assistance whenever needed. Pakistani nation is
proud of its friendship with China,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra
Baloch told a weekly press briefing when asked about the US State Department
Counselor Derek Chollet’s recent statement regarding Pakistan-China relations
The
spokesperson said Pakistan being a sovereign state exercises the right to
choose its economic partners from around the globe on mutually beneficially
basis. “Pakistan considers China as an all-weather strategic cooperative
partner,” she reiterated. “China has been a consistent, generous and steadfast
friend that has stood by Pakistan for the last several decades,” she added.
It
is worth mentioning here that US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet had
said last week during visit to Islamabad that United States was concerned about
debt owed to China by Pakistan and other countries. He had also said that
Washington was talking to Islamabad about the “perils” of a closer relationship
with Beijing, but would not ask Pakistan to choose between the United States
and China.
While
commenting on the recent violence in the West Bank where 11 Palestinians people
have been martyred by Israeli forces, the spokesperson said Pakistan condemns
all acts that lead to the killing of innocent civilians including in occupied
Palestinian territories. She said Pakistan’s position on Palestine is
consistent. “We support a comprehensive approach for resolution of Palestinian
issue,” she added.
The
spokesperson said Pakistan remains concerned over the ongoing human rights
violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. She said Pakistan
will continue to raise its voice against grave human rights violations in the occupied
territory. “We will also continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral
support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful
settlement of Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security
Council Resolutions,” she added.
Source:
Daily Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/1066149/pakistan-rubbishes-us-state-dept-concerns-about-china-loans/
--------
Mideast
Nuclear
Chief: IAEA Left with No Excuse for Adoption of Anti-Iran Resolution
2023-February-23
Eslami
was asked by reporters on the possibility of the adoption of an anti-Iran
resolution at the upcoming quarterly meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors,
which will begin next Monday.
“We
do not give any excuse to them” to adopt an anti-Tehran resolution at the IAEA
BoG, the nuclear chief said.
Back
in mid-November, the IAEA passed a resolution called on Iran to cooperate with
an investigation into alleged traces of uranium found at three nuclear sites.
The resolution criticized Tehran for what it called a lack of cooperation with
the nuclear agency. It was put forward by the United States, Britain, France
and Germany, in continuation of their political pressures on Iran. Russia and
China voted against the motion.
AEOI
Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi has repeatedly stated that Tehran has fully
cooperated with the IAEA about three sites in question inside the country,
adding that detection of nuclear traces at Iranian sites does not mean Tehran
has undeclared nuclear material.
The
AEOI began enriching uranium to 60% purity at Fordow nuclear site in a
tit-for-tat move against the IAEA BoG's resolution against Tehran. (READ MORE)
The
IAEA Board of Governors has also passed a resolution in June, accusing Iran of
not cooperating with the UN body. Iran, in response, turned off a number of
IAEA’s cameras which were functioning outside the Safeguards Agreement.
Iran
has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and allowed it to visit the
country’s nuclear sites, but calls the nuclear agency's approach unconstructive
and destructive. Tehran has asked the watchdog to avoid politicizing the issue
and focus on technical aspects in line with the organization’s mandate.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israeli excavations and blocking of restoration eat away at the fabric of
Al-Aqsa Mosque
February
23, 2023
The
Israeli occupation authorities are continuing their criminal, racist policies
against Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and attempting to implement
the Talmudic plans to fulfil the dream of extremist Jewish settlers to demolish
the mosque and build a temple on its ruins, the Palestinian Information Centre
has revealed. Every possible crime is committed with this objective in mind,
including excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque and its courtyards to undermine the
foundations, said the news outlet, as well as in the surrounding neighbourhoods
to change the demography. Moreover, the Islamic Religious Endowments Department
is prevented from carrying out essential restoration work on the fabric of the
ancient structures in the Noble Sanctuary.
Recent
heavy rain has exposed serious cracks in the sanctuary's buildings, facilities,
walls, ceilings and floors; rainwater has leaked into the Marwani Mosque and
soaked the carpets. Paving stones on Via Dolorosa near Al-Ghanamwa Gate have
collapsed and stones on the Western side of the Dome of the Rock have fallen.
Israeli
excavations have also recently caused the collapse of retaining walls and floors
in houses in Jerusalem's neighbourhoods. In Silwan, part of the house of
Jerusalem resident Kayed Al-Rajabi collapsed in the Batn Al-Hawa area, and a
retaining wall collapsed in Ain Al-Lawza neighbourhood. There is a real danger
of homes belonging to Palestinian Jerusalemites collapsing, and this threat has
increased after the occupation forces demolished a retaining wall belonging to
the Abu Tayeh family a few days ago.
The
Elad illegal settlers' association revealed earlier that it had concluded its excavations
in Jabal Mukaber and Silwan, and that it had obtained the approval of the
occupation-controlled municipality in Jerusalem to start building a huge
tourist centre at the top of Jabal Mukaber. Settlers' groups are working to
link illegal settlements between Silwan and Jabal Mukaber, blocking any
expansion of Palestinian residential areas.
"The
[Israeli] occupation is deliberately preventing the restoration in conjunction
with the continuation of its excavations under Al-Aqsa and its surroundings, in
order to have an impact on the buildings of the mosque and expose them to
collapse," Muhammad Hamada, the spokesman on Jerusalem issues for Hamas,
told the Palestinian Information Centre. He also referred to the Talmudic plans
to demolish the mosque and build a temple in its place.
Hamada
explained that the rain damage is an example of the deliberate Zionist policy
and "crimes" against Al-Aqsa Mosque. Alarm bells should be ringing
every time there is any bad weather, he insisted. "What are we waiting for
in order to protect the mosque and prevent a catastrophe after which regret
will not be of any use?" He stressed the need for action at all levels to
force the Israeli occupation authorities to allow restoration and repair work
and the entry of the necessary equipment to carry this out. "All gaps and
holes need to be closed as a matter of urgency. Stonework needs to be
strengthened, including the walls. Proper, regular maintenance should start
without delay."
The
Hamas spokesman said that the Zionist occupation is fully responsible for what
is happening to the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa, as it has prevented restoration
work for years.
"This
is serious. It poses a risk to the mosque as well as the worshippers and those
who stay in religious seclusion and work there. The occupation's continued
escalation of its Judaisation plans and systematic excavations in Al-Aqsa
expose its facilities and the fabric of the buildings to many dangers. It is a
heinous crime being done to provoke the Palestinians and Muslims around the
world."
Nevertheless,
added Hamada, the people and the nation will support Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
"And our people will continue to act as a barrier to defend them by all
means."
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Islamic
Jihad: No one can suppress resistance in West Bank
February
23, 2023
Senior
Islamic Jihad leader, Mohammad Allan, yesterday warned that no one can suppress
the Palestinian resistance in the occupied West Bank, Al-Resalah newspaper
reported.
Speaking
to the Gaza-based newspaper, Allan said: "The increasing number of martyrs
will only lead to the increasing and development of resistance until it reaches
martyrdom operations."
"If
the Israeli crimes against Palestinians do not stop, the occupation has to wait
for martyrdom bombers who will return to Tel Aviv."
Allan,
who hailed the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, stressed: "The occupied
West Bank will return to be the capital of martyrdom operations."
He
concluded: "We say to the Americans and the Israeli occupation … your
efforts to suppress resistance in the occupied West Bank have failed, and no
one will be able to extinguish the fire of West Bank resistance."
Israeli
warplanes launched several air strikes on alleged Palestinian resistance
targets and sites in a number of areas across the besieged Gaza Strip before
dawn today. The attack followed the Israeli occupation army's announcement
earlier that six rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Ashkelon and
settlements near the besieged enclave.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran's
Leader Underlines Necessity for IRGC to Boost Military Power
2023-February-23
Ayatollah
Khamenei sent a message to a gathering of the IRGC commanders and military
officials, which was read out by IRGC Commander Brigadier General Hossein
Salami as the session opened on Thursday.
The
Leader urged the IRGC to double its efforts to strengthen its military and
moral power with the goal of protecting the ideals of the 1979 Islamic
Revolution.
“The
convening of the meeting, which is aimed at outlining the horizons of the IRGC
and the Basij Force’s movement toward a bright future for the Islamic
Revolution, is a source of joy and will, God willing, bring blessings,” the
message read.
"The
IRGC is expected to attract, train and educate the talented youth at a level
that befits the Islamic Revolution, enable the IRGC to achieve all capabilities
[required] to fortify the Revolution, and bolster its own spiritual,
revolutionary and military power,” the Supreme Leader added.
The
call comes after the European Parliament adopted an amendment, calling on the
European Union and its member states to include the IRGC on their terror list.
It also passed another resolution later, calling for more sanctions against
Iranian individuals and entities and putting the IRGC on the EU terrorist list
over alleged human rights violations during the recent riots.
The
EU has not acted on the decision, arguing that the bloc lacks the necessary
legal basis for such designation. However, it has imposed sanctions against a
number of Iranian officials and entities for what it claims to be a crackdown
on the recent foreign-backed unrest, which were triggered after the death of
Mahsa Amini in Tehran in September.
The
move has been strongly condemned by Iranian officials, commanders and the Armed
Forces.
Tehran
has repeatedly announced that the IRGC is an official state body which has had
and will continue to have an important and key role in ensuring the security of
Iran and the region.
Iranian
officials have warned the EU that its plan to blacklist the IRGC as a
“terrorist organization” may have unbearable consequences, urging Europe to
avoid repeating the past mistakes.
They
cautioned the European governments against falling into the trap of a plot
hatched by the US and Israel, calling on the EU to maintain its independence
from the US.
Tehran
stresses the European states enjoy safety because of the elite forces' efforts
in the fight against terror groups in the region.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israel-Gaza
border heats up after West Bank violence
Feb
23, 2023
GAZA:
Gaza militants fired rockets and Israel carried out air strikes across the
Israel-Gaza frontier on Thursday, a day after 11 Palestinian were killed during
a Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank, renewing concerns of broader
escalation.
Mediation
efforts were underway by Egypt and the United Nations to calm the situation,
officials said.
Israel's
military said six rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip overnight, setting
off air raid sirens in southern Israeli communities. Five rockets had been
intercepted by missile defences and the other had fallen in an open area. No
injuries were reported.
The
Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad stopped short of directly claiming
responsibility for the rocket attack on Thursday but said it had the right to
defend against Israeli aggression.
Israeli
fighter jets had later struck a weapons manufacturing site belonging to Hamas,
the Islamist group that controls Gaza, the Israeli military said. No injuries
were reported.
The
cross-border attacks followed an Israeli operation in the West Bank city of
Nablus on Wednesday. Israeli troops had killed 11 Palestinians, including at
least four gunmen and four civilians, and wounded more than 100 people,
Palestinian sources said.
The
Israeli army said troops there had tried detaining militants suspected of
planning imminent attacks when they had come under fire and shot back.
The
Islamic Jihad said Israeli troops had surrounded two of its Nablus commanders
in a house, triggering a clash that drew in other gunmen. Explosions sounded
and youths pelted armoured troop transports with rocks.
Palestinian
sources said the two Islamic Jihad commanders had been killed along with
another gunman. The four civilian fatalities had included a 72-year-old man and
a 14-year-old boy, they said.
"I
am continuing my engagement with all concerned parties to de-escalate the
situation. I urge all sides to refrain from steps that could further enflame an
already volatile situation," said U.N. envoy Tor Wennesland in a
statement.
Palestinian
groups in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza called for a general strike on
Thursday. Schools, universities and banks in Gaza did not open after activists
walked the streets with loudspeakers calling on businesses to remain shut.
Nablus
and nearby Jenin have been a focus of raids that Israel has intensified over
the past year following a spate of lethal Palestinian street attacks in its
cities.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Tens
of millions still use Instagram in Iran despite crackdown: Meta
23
February ,2023
Meta
on Thursday said that tens of millions of people in Iran are using Instagram
despite government efforts to block the service due to months-long protests.
Iran
has been rocked by citizen outrage since the September 16 death in custody of
22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest for an alleged breach of dress
rules for women.
“Instagram
has been widely used by Iranians to shed light on the protests and the brutal
response to them,” Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg said during a
briefing.
“People
have also shared Instagram footage of the protests with international media
outlets, many of whom can’t report directly from Iran.”
Protests
triggered by Amini’s death resulted in authorities clamping down on speech and
freedom of assembly, and limiting the use of the internet and apps such as
Instagram, Clegg noted.
“Despite
attempts to block Instagram, we’re seeing tens of millions of people still
finding ways to access it,” Clegg said.
Tactics
to access the image-centric social network service include using virtual
private network software that encrypts and conceals online activity, said Meta
head of security policy Nathaniel Gleicher.
People
in Iran are also using a “light” version of the Instagram app released in Iran
last year that is designed for places where internet bandwidth is meager,
Gleicher added.
Meta
has also put policies in place to remove posts that “outs” activists,
journalists.
“It’s
an unfortunate reality that when a government wants to prevent its citizens
from having access to public debate, they have a lot of tools in place that
they can use to do that,” Gleicher said during the briefing.
“But,
we are seeing the Iranian efforts not be as effective as I’m sure they would
like.”
Since
Amini’s death, hashtags related to protests in Iran have been used on Instagram
more than 160 million times, according to Meta.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
executes two political prisoners in two days
23
February ,2023
Iran
said it executed on Wednesday a Kurdish militant who had been convicted of
killing a police officer, a move condemned by rights groups who called him a
political prisoner.
This
came two days after activists reported the execution of another political
prisoner.
“Arash
Ahmadi, also known as Sarkot, a member of the Komala terrorist group, was
executed this morning,” Iranian state television said.
It
said Ahmadi, 29, had assassinated police major Hassan Maleki in Ravansar, a
town in the western province of Kermanshah, in August 2018.
The
channel showed videos of Ahmadi “confessing” that he had been behind the
attack.
Such
videos are common in Iran and are frequently condemned by rights groups,
arguing that confessions are often forced and the result of torture.
Foreign-based
rights groups said Ahmadi was arrested in early 2021 while attempting to flee
overland to Europe after being convicted of the murder.
He
had always denied the charges.
Ahmadi
was hanged on Wednesday morning at a prison in the western city of Kermanshah,
the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group, Kurdish-focused Hengaw group
and Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network said in separate statements.
The
execution was carried out in secret without his family being notified in
advance, they added.
A
political activist, he had been a member of the Kurdish Komala political party,
which pushes for greater autonomy for Iran’s Kurdish minority but is banned as
a terror group by Tehran, they said.
He
had spent some time in neighboring Iraq where Komala’s leadership is based,
before returning to Iran, they added.
“The
execution of this Kurdish political prisoner was carried out without notifying
the family and conducting a last meeting,” IHR said.
Kurdistan
Human Rights Network said, citing relatives, that Ahmadi had been “subjected to
severe torture to accept the accusations against him and make forced
confessions.”
On
Monday, Iran executed Hassan Abeyat, an ethnic Arab, the Ahwaz Human Rights
Organization (AHRO), which monitors human rights violations in Arab-populated
regions in southwest Iran, said.
Abeyat
had been in prison since 2011-2012 on charges of membership in an opposition
group, it said.
The
executions come weeks after state media reported that Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei had pardoned “tens of thousands” of prisoners, including many arrested
in recent anti-regime protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in
September.
Rights
activists expressed skepticism over that announcement at the time, pointing out
that many prominent figures remain in jail and activists continue to be
arrested.
Iran
executes more convicts every year than any other country except than China,
according to rights groups including Amnesty International.
Campaigners
have also accused Tehran of using the death penalty as a weapon to suppress the
protests that erupted after the death of Kurdish-Iranian Amini, who had been
arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.
It
has already executed four men on charges related to the protests while IHR says
87 people have been executed so far in 2023 alone.
Amnesty
said Wednesday that Iranian authorities had “forcibly disappeared” four Kurdish
dissidents linked to Komala who were now at “grave risk” of unfair trials on
charges that carry the death penalty.
The
four men -- Pejman Fatehi, Vafa Azarbar, Mohammad Faramarzi and Mohsen Mazloum
-- were arrested in July 2022 and are believed to be facing spying and terror
charges.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Israel
passes bill in 1st reading to ban funding of medical treatment for Palestinian
detainees
23.02.2023
JERUSALEM
The
Knesset (Israel's parliament) on Thursday passed a bill in the first reading to
stop the state funding of medical treatment for Palestinian detainees.
According
to public broadcaster KAN, the bill, when enacted into law, will prohibit the
state funding of unnecessary medical treatment, including cosmetic treatment,
for Palestinian prisoners.
The
bill still needs two more rounds of voting before becoming law.
Qadura
Fares, the head of the Palestinian Prisoner Society NGO, decried the bill as a
violation of the rights of Palestinian detainees.
"Although
international laws and norms guarantee the right to medical treatment and
health care, the [Israeli] occupation authorities continue to violate what the
international community has approved," Fares said in a statement.
He
added that there are nearly 200 Palestinian detainees who suffer from chronic
diseases and 24 who are diagnosed with cancer.
Hamas
group, which rules the Gaza Strip, said the bill “is part of the occupation’s
policy of deliberate medical negligence, and reflects the Israeli government’s
fascist plans against the Palestinian people."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
--------
US
intentionally prolonging Yemen conflict to earn substantial profits from arms
deals: Ansarullah leader
23
February 2023
The
leader of Yemen’s popular Ansarullah resistance movement says the United States
is deliberately prolonging the world's worst humanitarian disaster in war-torn
Yemen in order to reap huge profits from arms deals with Saudi Arabia and its
regional allies, which are engaged in the devastating war on the country.
Abdul-Malik
al-Houthi made the remarks in a Thursday televised address as people attended a
ceremony in the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a to pay homage to late chairman of
Yemen's Supreme Political Council Saleh al-Sammad.
“The
US is trying to take advantage of the prolonged Yemen crisis. Washington has
already made enormous profits from the war through arms deals [with the Riyadh
regime and its allies]. US statesmen intend to install a vassal state in Yemen
so as to bring the nation under their control. They have no good intentions at
all,” Houthi said.
He
added that the US continues to torpedo any initiative by the Sultanate of Oman
and others to restore nationwide peace and stability to Yemen.
“The
United States, Britain and the United Arab Emirates need to take on commitments
in any future agreement. Yemen’s natural reserves have been occupied by the
Saudi-led coalition of aggression, and the alliance is accountable for
depriving Yemenis of sale proceeds,” Houthi said.
“We
cannot accept the presence of occupying forces on the Yemeni soil, as their
deployment translates into interference in our domestic affairs. We will spare
no effort to drive occupying American and British forces out of our country,”
the Ansarullah chief pointed out.
Houthi
added that Washington is directing the devastating military campaign against
Yemen, stressing that the Riyadh and Abu Dhabi regimes are simply executing its
orders.
“It
was the US which provoked Saudi officials to assassinate Sammad [in a drone
airstrike in late April 2018]. Americans have also commanded the Saudi-led
bombing raids against various Yemeni regions ever since the aggression started
back in March 2015,” he said.
“The
Saudi-coalition mistakenly thought it would be able to break the willpower of
the Yemeni nation through Sammad’s targeted killing. The result was strikingly
different from what it had expected, and Sammad's assassination made Yemenis
more determined and courageous in their struggle against aggressors,” the
Ansarullah chief stated.
Houthi
also denounced the extent of the Saudi-led coalition’s brutality, stating, “The
alliance of aggression has perpetrated absolutely horrendous and horrifying
crimes and acts of savagery in Yemen under the auspices of the US, the Israeli
regime and Britain. Nothing can justify their crimes.”
He
underscored that Yemen is demanding the release of its assets frozen abroad,
and that Yemeni Armed Forces have beefed up their military capabilities in the
face of the Saudi-led aggression.
“Humanitarian
issues must be given top priority over any other matters during negotiations
over ending the Yemen war. The US should come to terms with the fact that it is
an occupier and complicit in the Saudi-led onslaught against Yemen. It cannot
present itself as a peace broker,” Houthi said.
Saudi
Arabia, in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics
support from the US and other Western states, launched a devastating war on
Yemen in March 2015.
The
objective was to crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement, which has
been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government in Yemen,
and reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
The
Saudi-led coalition has failed to achieve any of its objectives, leaving
hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and spawning the world’s worst
humanitarian crisis.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, the Ansarullah leader highlighted the Yemeni nation’s
unflinching support for oppressed Palestinians, and lambasted certain Arab
countries for normalization of ties with Israel's apartheid regime.
Source:
Press TV
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--------
Africa
Jordan’s
PM and British minister highlight strong strategic relationship between their
nations
February
23, 2023
AMMAN:
Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh highlighted the strong strategic
relationship between his country and the UK when he met the British minister of
state for development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, in Amman on Thursday.
Khasawneh
praised the UK for its support of his nation, and its development, during his
talks with Mitchell, who is on an official visit to the country, the Jordan
News Agency reported. The PM also reiterated his commitment to the enhancement
of bilateral cooperation to serve the interests of the countries and their
peoples.
He
briefed Mitchell on the challenges the Jordanian economy faces as a result of
the large number of Syrian refugees it hosts, and the effects this has on the
country’s budget, its health and education sectors, and the labor market. He
stressed the importance of the ongoing support from the international community
for refugees and their host communities.
He
also highlighted the comprehensive national project, under the leadership of
King Abdullah II, to modernize Jordan’s political, economic and administrative
systems.
Mitchell
hailed the strategic partnership between the two countries and the UK’s
commitment to the enhancement of cooperation in all fields.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2256836/middle-east
--------
Zambia
says stands by Türkiye following devastating earthquakes
James
Kunda
23.02.2023
Zambia
said Thursday it stood by Türkiye following the devastating effects of two
earthquakes that struck earlier this month.
Foreign
minister Stanley Kakubo signed a book of condolences at the Turkish Embassy in
Lusaka in honor of the victims.
"Zambia
stands by Türkiye during this difficult period. As we wish quick recovery to
the injured and fortitude to the survivors, we pray that the bereaved families
and indeed the entire Turkish nation, are granted God’s wisdom, strength and
comfort at this time of great sorrow,” he wrote in part.
Kakubo
was received by Türkiye's Ambassador to Lusaka Istem Circiroglu who led him
through the book's signing.
President
Hakainde Hichilema conveyed his condolences and solidarity to Turkiye's
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syria Arab Republic's Bashar al-Assad on
Feb. 8 for the tragic loss of lives and injuries in the earthquakes.
At
least 43,556 people have been killed and more than 105,000 injured by the
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, according to officials.
The
7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected
more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman,
Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa and Elazig.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
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US
calls for ‘immediate’ cease-fire in Somalia’s Lasanod town
Mohammed
Dhaysane
23.02.2023
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
The
US diplomatic mission in Somalia demanded an “immediate” unconditional
cease-fire Thursday in Somalia’s northern town of Lasanod.
The
remarks came after a delegation from the mission, led by Chargé d’Affaires Tim
Trenkle arrived in the Somaliland capital of Hargeisa and held a series of
political and civil society discussions.
The
delegation met Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi and discussed violence in
Lasanod.
“Frank
discussions this morning with #Somaliland President @musebiihi about the tragic
loss of lives and violence in Lascanood. The United States joins the
international community in calling for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire
& unhindered humanitarian access,” said the US Embassy in Somalia.
The
Somaliland presidency said the Somaliland president and Trenkle discussed
Somaliland-US engagement, violence in Lasanod, and regional security.
“They
also discussed resuming Somaliland-Somalia negotiations,” it added.
Lasanod,
the provincial capital of the Sool region in the breakaway region of
Somaliland, has seen fierce fighting between Somaliland forces and local
militias that have been ongoing for the past three weeks. The violence has
killed more than 100 people, including women and children from both sides.
The
fighting started after a group of traditional leaders announced they would no
longer recognize the Somaliland government and declared the territory of the
Sool and Sanaag region will be ruled from Mogadishu.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/us-calls-for-immediate-cease-fire-in-somalia-s-lasanod-town/2829463
--------
Burkina
Faso’s former revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara reburied
James
Tasamba
23.02.2023
KIGALI,
Rwanda
The
remains of Burkina Faso’s former revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara were
buried Thursday at the site where he was assassinated in a coup more than three
decades ago.
Sankara
was buried along with 12 former comrades at the Thomas Sankara Memorial in the
nation’s capital of Ouagadougou.
Several
officials of the military government led by Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem
attended the ceremony that was boycotted by Sankara’s family.
The
13 caskets containing the remains were draped in the national flag colors with
portraits placed against each for officials to pay their respects before
reburial.
Religious
leaders of different denominations urged reconciliation of the Burkinabe people
to achieve peace in the West African country plagued by insecurity.
Sankara's
family said earlier they would not attend because they are not satisfied with
the site.
But
the government said the choice of the burial site was “mainly based on
socio-cultural and security imperatives of national interest.”
Sankara,
who assumed power in 1983, was killed Oct. 15, 1987, during a coup led by
Blaise Compaore, a former ally. He was 37.
Campaore
seized power and was deposed in 2014 in a popular uprising after 27 years in
office.
The
13 bodies were exhumed from a cemetery on the outskirts of the capital
following Compaore's downfall.
An
investigation that followed culminated in the trial of 14 people accused of
plotting Sankara’s assassination. In April 2022, Compaore, who was the main
defendant, was handed a life term in absentia.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Jordan
sends humanitarian aid to quake-hit Syria
Laith
Al-Jnaidi
23.02.2023
AMMAN,
Jordan
Jordan
dispatched 14 aid trucks to neighboring Syria on Thursday following the Feb. 6
earthquakes that killed thousands there and in Türkiye.
The
trucks prepared by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization are loaded with
medicines, foodstuffs, blankets and drinking water, the Jordanian Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
The
humanitarian aid was delivered to the quake-hit areas in Syria via the
Jaber-Nassib border crossing, it added.
According
to the statement, seven aid trucks were delivered to the High Relief Commission
in Syria, while the remaining trucks were given to UN agencies operating in
Syria.
Ministry
spokesman Sinan Majali said Jordan will continue its support and assistance to
the quake victims in both Syria and Türkiye.
Jordan
has dispatched 13 relief aid planes, 75 aid trucks and 10 ambulances, in
addition to an air bridge to transport 10,000 tents for the quake victims.
More
than 43,500 people have been killed in the deadly earthquakes in Türkiye,
according to the country’s disaster management agency AFAD.
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/jordan-sends-humanitarian-aid-to-quake-hit-syria/2829486
--------
North America
US
Transfers Two Guantanamo Bay Detainees Affiliated to Al-Qaeda to Pakistan
February
24, 2023
The
United States has transferred two brothers from the Guantanamo Bay U.S.
detention facility in Cuba to Pakistan, bringing the total number of people
held at Guantanamo down to 32, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
The
Guantanamo camp was established by Republican President George W. Bush in 2002
to house foreign terrorism suspects following the 2001 hijacked plane attacks
on New York and the Pentagon that killed about 3,000 people.
It
came to symbolise the excesses of the US “war on terror” because of harsh
interrogation methods that critics have said amounted to torture.
There
were 40 detainees when President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021.
Biden has said he hopes to close the facility. The federal government is barred
by law from transferring Guantanamo detainees to US mainland prisons.
On
Thursday, the Pentagon announced the repatriation of Abdul Rabbani and Mohammed
Rabbani to Pakistan.
Both
were arrested in 2002. Abdul Rabbani was an al Qaeda facilitator while Mohammed
Rabbani was a financial and travel facilitator for prominent al Qaeda leaders,
according to the Pentagon’s website.
“The
United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Pakistan and
other partners to support ongoing US efforts focused on responsibly reducing
the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,”
the Pentagon said in a statement.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1738879/us-transfers-two-guantanamo-bay-detainees-to-pakistan
--------
Canada
relaxes immigration rules for Iranian temporary residents
24
February ,2023
The
Canadian government announced on Thursday a relaxation of immigration rules for
Iranians in Canada, amid “gross and systematic human rights violations” in
Iran.
“These
measures will make it easier for Iranians who wish to extend their temporary
status in Canada,” the immigration department said in a statement.
Iranians
will be able to apply for a new permit to study or work in Canada and will be
exempt from certain processing fees.
They
will be also able to apply for a work permit that allows them to pursue any
occupation and for any employer of their choice.
“Canada
will not stand idly by in the face of these aggressions as the Iranian regime
continues its ongoing human rights violations,” Immigration Minister Sean Fraser
said.
“Applications
from Iranians in Canada will also be processed on a priority basis,” the
statement said, noting the measures will take effect March 1.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
US
commends Oman’s decision to open airspace to Israel
24
February ,2023
The
US on Thursday praised Oman’s decision to open its airspace to all civilian
planes, including those flying to and from Israel.
Oman
announced that its airspace would be open to all carriers that meet the
civilian aviation authority’s requirements for overflying.
The
White House said Oman’s “historic step” completed the process begun last year
during US President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East when Saudi Arabia
opened its airspace to all civilian planes.
“Oman’s
announcement promotes President Biden’s vision of a more integrated, stable,
and prosperous Middle East region, which is vital for the security and
prosperity of the American people and our regional partners,” National Security
Council Spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
She
added: “For the first time in history, passengers flying to and from Israel
will now be able to travel on direct routes between Israel, Asia, and points in
between.”
Washington
supported these efforts through months of “quiet diplomatic engagement,”
according to Watson.
The
White House also voiced particular gratitude for their partnership with Oman
and for the leadership of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
--------
Blinken
to travel to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India next week
Servet
Gunerigok
24.02.2023
WASHINGTON
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and
India next week, the State Department announced Thursday.
Blinken’s
first stop will be Astana, Kazakhstan set for Feb. 28, where he will meet with
senior Kazakh officials to deepen bilateral cooperation, according to a
statement.
"He
then will participate in a C5+1 Ministerial (meeting) with representatives of
each of the five Central Asian states," said the statement, referring to
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, plus the US.
Blinken
will then travel to Tashkent, Uzbekistan to meet with Uzbek officials “to further
advance our partnership on a range of bilateral and regional issues,” the
statement said.
On
March 1, he will travel to New Delhi, India to participate in the G20 Foreign
Ministers’ Meeting.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/blinken-to-travel-to-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-india-next-week/2829691
--------
US
says robust trade relationship important to bolster Pakistan’s economic
stability
February
24, 2023
A
“robust trade relationship” between the United States and Pakistan is important
to bolster the latter’s economic stability, especially after last year’s
devastating floods, and expose American businesses to new markets, the US State
Department has said.
State
Department spokesperson Ned Price made the remarks in response to a query at a
weekly press briefing on Thursday.
“We
believe that a robust trade relationship between the United States and Pakistan
is more important than ever to bolster Pakistan’s economic stability as it
recovers from devastating floods, while at the same time also providing an
opportunity to Americans and to American businesses in this country, exposing
them to new markets — Pakistani markets in this case,” he said.
The
comments come at a time when Pakistan is looking for breakthroughs in talks on
the US-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).
The
two sides on Thursday held their first ministerial-level meeting of a Pak-US
trade and investment body in seven years, where Commerce Minister Syed Naveed
Qamar sought greater cooperation in the IT sector.
Speaking
to the press today, Price referred to the meeting and reiterated the US
commitment to “deepening our economic and commercial ties with Pakistan”,
adding the trade relationship has “helped both Pakistani industries and
consumers”.
“We
have long been Pakistan’s largest export market, with potential for even
further growth. And we believe there is great potential to expand bilateral
trade with Pakistan further, particularly in energy, agricultural equipment and
products, franchising, retail trade, information and communications technology
products and services,” he said.
Furthermore,
Price pointed out that the US was a leading investor in Pakistan for the past
two decades, with investments increasing to 50 per cent in the past year.
“US
investment in Pakistan is the highest it’s been in over a decade, and US
corporations have announced more than $1.5 billion in investment plans in
Pakistan since 2019.
“US
companies and their local affiliates, moreover, are among Pakistan’s largest
employers, with roughly 80 US companies directly employing more than 120,000
Pakistanis,” the spokesperson added.
‘Afghan
Taliban should live up to their commitments’
In
response to a question on the rise in terror incidents in the region, Price
said that the US and Pakistan “have a shared interest in ensuring the [Afghan]
Taliban live up to the commitments that they have made”.
“That
terrorist groups that may be active in Afghanistan […] are no longer able to
threaten regional stability.
“Our
engagement on this subject is rooted in the fact that terrorism is a threat
that has taken many Pakistani, Afghan, and other innocent lives over the course
of far too many years now,” the spokesperson added.
On
Wednesday, a high-ranking Pakistani delegation met Taliban Deputy Prime
Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar Akhund, Defence Minister Mawlavi Mohammad
Yaqoob Mujahid, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir
Khan Muttaqi in a [one-day visit to Kabul][4].
The
delegation among others included ISI Chief Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Foreign
Secretary Asad Majid, Special Envoy on Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq and
Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan Obaid Nizamani.
During
the meeting, the two sides agreed to collaborate to effectively address the
threat of terrorism.
Over
the past few months, terrorism has been rearing its head again in the country,
especially in KP and Balochistan. There has been a rise in terrorist attacks
believed to have been planned and directed by Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) leaders
based in Afghanistan.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
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