Shia Waqf Board Chief Wasim ‘Ex-Communicated’ From Islam
New Age Islam News Bureau
2
Sept 2018
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• Shia Waqf Board Chief Wasim ‘Ex-Communicated’ From Islam
• ‘Islam Emphasises Preservation of Environment’: Pakistan Supreme Court
• 9/11 Hijackers Were Brought To US from Saudi Arabia by CIA: American Scholar
• Balloon of Mayor Khan Flies Over London
• More Than 50 Militants Killed, Wounded In U.S. Airstrike In Paktia
India
• Shia Waqf Board Chief Wasim ‘Ex-Communicated’ From Islam
• Uttarakhand HC Ban on Fatwas: Darul Uloom Cites 2014 SC Order
• Terrorists flee from encounter site in J&K's Shopian
• 3 LeT terrorists, one soldier killed in J&K operation
• J&K journalist held for ‘harbouring terrorists’
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Pakistan
• ‘Islam Emphasises Preservation of Environment’: Pakistan Supreme Court
• Pentagon Cancels Aid to Pakistan over Record on Terrorists
• Pakistan Army’s job ad specifying minorities as sanitation workers sparks outrage online
• US slaps sanctions on two Pakistan firms for nuke, missile-related activities
• Fazl cautions against jibes at him for accepting presidential nomination
• Imran asks Punjab CM, cabinet to implement PTI agenda of change
• First Lady Bushra Imran Visits Shelter House, Data Darbar
• TV Anchor Claims Religio-Political Leader Contacted TTP for PM Imran’s Assassination
• Delegation size reduced to 4 members for foreign visits: govt
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North America
• 9/11 Hijackers Were Brought To US from Saudi Arabia by CIA: American Scholar
• Pompeo ‘Deeply Concerned’ About Reports of Iran Smuggling Missiles into Iraq
• Amsterdam train station stabbing attack victims were Americans
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Europe
• Balloon of Mayor Khan Flies Over London
• UK Minister Holds Talks in Iran In First Visit Since US Quit Nuclear Deal
• Dutch ex-defence minister appointed UN Iraq envoy
• 2 US citizens hurt in Dutch ‘terrorist’ knife attack
• British elite committed to defense of Israel: Political activist
• Amsterdam stabbing suspect had 'terrorist' motive, officials say
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South Asia
• More Than 50 Militants Killed, Wounded In U.S. Airstrike In Paktia
• Demonstrators Call On Myanmar To Release Reuters Journalists
• Bangladeshis fearful as Malaysia targets illegals
• 4 Al-Qaeda network members killed in U.S. drone strikes in Kunar
• Report regarding the security of Kabul, other provinces presented to Ghani
• Helicopter crashes in Afghan army base in Balkh province
• Helicopter crashes in northern Afghanistan, killing three
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Africa
• Rockets Pummel Libya's Tripoli as Rival Militias Clash
• 30 Nigerian Soldiers Killed In Boko Haram Raid
• Jordan Says US Move to Halt UN Refugee Agency Funding Fuels Radicalism
• UN chief says ‘indiscriminate’ violence in Libya has led to child deaths
• US, France, Italy, UK condemn violence in Libyan capital Tripoli
• 30 Soldiers Killed In Militant Ambush In Nigeria
• Car bomb attack strikes local government office in Mogadishu
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Southeast Asia
• There’s more To ‘New Malaysia’ Than Mahathir and Anwar
• Thousands throng Umno’s ‘Melayu Bangkit’ night rally in Perak
• Umno doesn’t need Anwar, says Annuar Musa
• Scott Morrison has big shoes to fill in Indonesia — but he started off on the right foot
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Arab World
• Terrorists Receive Over 200 Drones from Turkey to Use against Syrian Army in Idlib Battle
• US Expanding Military Build-up in Northeastern, Eastern Syria
• Syrian Military Denies Israeli Missile Attack on Mezzeh Airport near Damascus
• Syrian Army Tightens Noose on ISIL in Eastern Deserts of Sweida
• Northeastern Syria: US Conducts another Heliborne Operation to Rescue ISIL • Terrorists
Explosions rock Syrian military airport close to Damascus
• Iraq, Russia, Iran, Syria military chiefs discuss security, intel cooperation
• Explosions rock ammo depot at Damascus military airfield
• Gas containers smuggled to Idlib for false-flag operation: Syria FM
• US-trained militants to attack Syria’s central city of Palmyra: Russian military
• Iraqi security forces kill senior Daesh leader in Salahuddin
• Saudi Grand Mufti Praises MWL’s Control Of Halal Meat Imports
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Mideast
• Israel Welcomes End of US Funding For UN Palestinian Refugee Agency
• Scores of Houthi Militants Killed In Clashes with Yemeni Army in Saada
• Over 140 Houthi Militiamen Killed While Yemeni Army Advances In Saada
• Coalition’s Assessment Team: Saada bus carried armed Houthis
• Yemeni army liberates areas in Saada province after Houthi battle
• Turkey calls for a new chapter in relations with Greece
• Palestinian pilgrims pay tribute to Saudi Arabia
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/shia-waqf-board-chief-wasim/d/116261
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Shia Waqf Board Chief Wasim ‘Ex-Communicated’ From Islam
Sep 2, 2018
Lucknow: The chairman of the UP Shia Waqf Board, Waseem Rizvi, has been “ex-communicated” from Islam for not accepting the fatwa issued by Iraq’s top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani against handing over Waqf properties for the construction of a temple or shrine.
Senior Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad announced Waseem Rizvi’s “ouster” from the Shia community, following the controversy over his offer of disputed land at Babri Masjid site for Ram Temple construction.
Later, talking to reporters, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad said Shias all around the world were “embarrassed” by Rizvi’s pro-temple stand.
“People like Waseem Rizvi are working against Islam, either under pressure or just to please their masters. On my recent visit to Iran, people were asking me questions and I am answerable to them on the kind of things he is doing here”, he said.
Maulana Jawwad also said that since Waseem Rizvi was “not a Shia anymore”, he must be removed from the post of Shia Waqf Board chairman.
“A fatwa from Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani cannot be rejected. Anyone who opposes his fatwa has no right to be called a Shia anymore. Hence, I have asked the government to remove him from the post. We have already said that whatever the court decides will be acceptable to us, but Waseem Rizvi seems to be in a hurry. How can he donate land of which he is not even the owner? He is just the caretaker. He is fooling the entire nation by saying that he is donating the land. He can donate his own house if he wants, but he cannot donate land which does not belong to him”, the Maulana said.
Meanwhile, Mr Waseem Rizvi rejected ‘ex-communication’ and said, “Maulana Kalbe Jawwad is a witness in the Babri Masjid demolition case, which is why he is trying to put pressure on the Shia Waqf Board. Nobody has the right to throw anyone out of Islam, no matter how big the cleric is”.
The controversy began some months ago when Mr Rizvi announced that he would offer the disputed land at Babri Masjid site for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
A Kanpur-based educationist, Dr Mazhar Naqvi, had posted a query on the legality of the announcement and Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani’s fatwa was in response to this query.
http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/020918/shia-waqf-board-chief-wasim-ex-communicated-from-islam.html
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‘Islam Emphasises Preservation Of Environment’: Pakistan Supreme Court
September 02, 2018
LAHORE - Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court on Saturday said Islam has strongly emphasised preservation of nature and environment and made it clear to its followers not to litter streets and fell trees.
“This universe belongs to Allah. And what value we Muslims have given it. Can anyone show me a single nullah clean anywhere in the country?”
He was speaking on the topic of climate change, conservation of water and environmental principles in Islam at the 1st Lahore High Court Environmental Conference” held at Dr Javed Iqbal Auditorium at Lahore High Court Bar Association.
“Plantation of a tree is a perpetual virtue for a Muslim who gets its reward even after the death,” said Justice Isa.
However he said that he never saw such concept in any other religion except Islam which ordains us to preserve fruit plants even during a war.
Justice Isa gave a number of references from Holy Quran and Sunnah to describe very close connection between nature and the human beings, saying that Islam strongly emphasizes over preservation of nature. He defined climate change that it is increasing temperature which is turning our environment into a threat.
“The temperature has increased from 2 degrees Celsius to 3 C that if continued to increase will be a looming threat to human life,” said Justice Isa. He said he personally observed that how Climate Change has turned disastrous for Pakistan and how fast the glaciers have been melting down in northern areas of the country.
“Insects, trees, pigeons, camel and horses are very important. And we know that how a spider built a net outside the cave where our Holy Prophet (PBUH) stayed during his migration to Madina to save himself from the enemies. That tiny insect provided a great service,” said the senior judge while philosophically contending on preservation of nature and environment. He said human being is “Naib of Allah” on earth and he is not Naib only for the fellow human beings and Holy Prophet (PBUH) is ‘Rahmat-ulil-Aalmeen,” (blessing for the Worlds)—which also indicates that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is not “Rehmat” only for human beings but for the entire universe. Islam clearly orders its followers not to waste water, he said. Justice Isa also gave presentation on climate change, presenting the facts of a German Research in which it was claimed that there would be more plastic in water than fishes in 2050.
The use of plastic is the major reason of environmental pollution and that glaciers store 75 per cent of the world’s fresh water. He showed many nullahs filled with plastic bottles in his presentation, saying that it was very unfortunate that entire Indus water was going directly into sea and there was no system yet to save it.
“Pakistan is a very beautiful country but we are not caring of it,” said Justice Isa. Karachi has worst water crisis and the adjoining sea has turned into a threat for fishes and other animals there. He urged every citizen to play his role to protect the environment.
Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, LHC Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan, Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi, Justice Ali Baqar Najfi, international law expert Ahmer Bilal Soofi, known environmentalist Dr. Pervez Hassan and Lums School of Law Dean Martin Lau also spoke on the occasion.
A large number of lawyers were also present there on the occasion.
https://nation.com.pk/02-Sep-2018/-islam-emphasises-preservation-of-environment
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9/11 Hijackers Were Brought To US from Saudi Arabia by CIA: American Scholar
Sep 1, 2018
Fifteen of the 9/11 “hijackers” from Saudi Arabia were CIA agents who were brought to the United States by the American spy agency, says Dr. Kevin Barrett, an American academic who has been studying the events of 9/11 since late 2003.
Dr. Barrett, a founding member of the Scientific Panel for the Investigation of 9/11, made the remarks in a phone interview with Press TV on Friday while commenting on a Newsweek report about a new explosive book on 9/11 that has revealed a US government-wide cover-up of Saudi complicity in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The 9/11 attacks were a series of strikes in the US which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused about $10 billion worth of property and infrastructure damage.
US officials assert that the attacks were carried out by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists – 15 of them were Saudi citizens -- but many experts have raised questions about the official account.
They believe that rogue elements within the US government, such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, orchestrated or at least encouraged the 9/11 attacks in order to accelerate the US war machine and advance the Zionist agenda.
In The Watchdogs Didn’t Bark: The CIA, NSA, and the Crimes of the War on Terror, John Duffy and Ray Nowosielski dismissed the official story that 9/11 was merely “a failure to connect the dots.” The book claimed that the CIA and Saudi Arabia conspired to keep 9/11 details secret.
“It’s a welcome development that we are getting some skeptical reportage in the mainstream about 9/11 during the run-up to the holy, sacred anniversary. The 9/11 human sacrifice event has been turned into a sort of religious myth here in the United States—and that has been done so that they can demonize the people who question the official story as heretics. And that way they can prevent any rational scrutiny of the story, because the official story falls apart instantly. It crumbles to dust under the most superficial scrutiny,” Dr. Barrett said.
“So it’s great that Newsweek is at least poking another at least couple of small holes in the story. The interesting part of this is that what it is about is that FBI agents are now going on the record expressing their extreme anger at the fact that they were prevented from looking at the alleged 9/11 hijackers, apparently by the CIA. These alleged hijackers were Saudi agents. According to reports that I find convincing, they were actually CIA agents,” he stated.
"They were CIA assets from Saudi Arabia who were brought to the United States. And the FBI saw that they were actually sheep-dipped in al-Qaeda, that is that they were made to look like they had some kind of relationship with al-Qaeda, and the FBI wanted to investigate them, and they were told by higher-ups not to, hands off,” the analyst noted.
“And there were all sorts of reports about this. Congressman Curt Weldon tried to investigate this about ten years ago and then his career was destroyed as a result. So this is a sensitive topic. But it becomes even more sensitive when we go one step beyond what Newsweek is reporting and what this book is reporting and ask: ‘Why were higher-ups telling the FBI to stay away from these guys who would be later blamed for the alleged 9/11 hijackings?’” he said.
“The reason they are giving is that, well, perhaps the CIA was interested in recruiting these guys, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi among them, and therefore the FBI would be getting in the way of their recruitment. But that is a baby-step towards the actual truth, which is of course that the people who ordered the FBI not to investigate these patsies, did so precisely because these guys were being set up as proxies to be blamed for the September 11 events that they really had nothing to do with other than playing the role as patsies,” he stated.
“So this information does lead to the destruction of the official story of 9/11. And it leads towards the full truth that this was a false flag event, that the World Trade Center was blown up with explosives. It just did not fall down because of the minor office fire kindled by kerosene,” Dr. Barrett argued.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/01/572838/911-hijackers-were-brought-to-US-from-Saudi-Arabia-by-CIA
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Balloon of Mayor Khan Flies Over London
September 02, 2018
LONDON: - Critics of London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Saturday launched a big balloon caricaturing him in a yellow bikini "in retaliation" for the "Baby Trump" blimp he let fly over Westminster in July. The stunt was staged by Yanny Bruere, who describes himself as a free speech advocate, and funded through nearly £60,000 ($78,000) in donations on a crowdfunding website. It follows activists flying a giant balloon depicting US President Donald Trump as an orange nappy-clad baby during demonstrations on July 13 against his visit to Britain.
To the fury of Trump supporters, Khan authorised the flying of the caricature, arguing Londoners had a right to peaceful protest.
https://nation.com.pk/02-Sep-2018/balloon-of-mayor-khan-flies-over-london
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More than 50 militants killed, wounded in U.S. airstrike in Paktia
Sep 01 2018
More than fifty militants were killed or wounded during the airstrike conducted by the U.S. forces in southeastern Paktia province of Afghanistan.
The 203rd Thunder Corps of the Afghan Military in the Southeast said the latest airstrike was carried out in the vicinity of Syedabad district.
A statement by 203rd Thunder Corps stated that the militants were targeted in Zargul area of the district, leaving at least 30 militants dead.
The statement further added that 22 militants also sustained injuries during the same airstrike.
The anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban militants have not commented regarding the report so far.
Paktia has been among the relatively calm provinces in southeaster parts of the country since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.
However, the security situation of the province has deteriorated during the recent years amid ongoing efforts by the anti-government armed militant groups to expand their insurgency in key provinces in southeastern parts of the country.
https://www.khaama.com/more-than-50-militants-killed-wounded-in-u-s-airstrike-in-paktia-05870/
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India
Uttarakhand HC Ban On Fatwas: Darul Uloom Cites 2014 SC Order
Sep 1, 2018
MEERUT: Two days after Uttarakhand high court issued a ban on fatwas and declared them illegal, Darul Uloom has strongly reacted to the development and cited a Supreme Court order of 2014 to this effect.
According to Ashraf Usmani, In-charge, Organisation and Development Department of world renowned Deoband based Islamic Seminary Darul Uloom, "I think Uttarakhand HC has given this order out of some confusion. In its 2014 order The SC had clearly stated, 'A fatwa is an opinion, only an expert is expected to give. It is not sanctioned under our Constitutional scheme. It is an informal justice delivery system with an objective of bringing about amicable settlement between the parties. It is within the discretion of the persons concerned either to accept, ignore or reject it.' Even Supreme Court did not ban fatwa and allowed its prevalence as it has no legal status then how can a lower court give an order contradictory to the SC order? I feel that Uttarakhand HC must reconsider its decision under the light of this judgement."
Another Deoband based cleric who did not wish to be quoted said, "Media is twisted the meaning of fatwa out of proportion.
Today fatwa is seen as some kind of an evil diktat but reality is that it is nothing more than a religious advice. And, giving or taking religious advice is an integral part of any religion. How can it be banned?"
The high court in its Thursday order had stated, "In Uttarakhand all religious bodies, the statutory panchayat, and any other groups of people are banned from issuing fatwas, since they infringe upon statutory rights, fundamental rights, dignity, status, honour and obligation of individuals."
The two judge bench comprising acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma was responding to a PIL pertaining to a fatwa issued by a local panchayat that banished a rape victim's family from a village.
Waseem Rizvi, Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board while reacting on the issue told TOI, "The real meaning of fatwa is an opinion or advice in the light of Islam but many Mullas or clerics try to impose this opinion by force which is wrong. Regarding HC order, in any case every citizen of India is governed by the Constitution of India and not by Islamic Sharia so fatwas have no legal standing.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/uttarakhand-hc-ban-on-fatwas-darul-uloom-cites-2014-sc-order/articleshow/65637213.cms
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Terrorists flee from encounter site in J&K's Shopian
September 2, 2018
Three terrorists who had been hiding in a house at Laddi Imamsahib village of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district managed to flee amid clashes near encounter site.
Among the terrorists was Hizbul top commander Zeenat ul-Islam.
An encounter was underway Sunday morning. Security forces had launched search operations.
Yesterday, three terrorists were killed by the army in Danda forests of Bandipore, Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu & Kashmir Shesh Paul Vaid said.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/jammu-and-kashmir/story/jammu-and-kashmir-terrorists-flee-from-encounter-site-in-j-k-s-shopian-1329802-2018-09-02
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3 LeT terrorists, one soldier killed in J&K operation
Sep 2, 2018
SRINAGAR: Three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists and a jawan were killed in an anti-terror operation in the Danna forest area ofKashmir’s Bandipora district. Two other soldiers also sustained injuries.
For the past one week, a joint team of the Army’s 31 RR and 27 RR were conducting a cordon-and-search operation in the woods. On Friday, a gunfight ensued when the forces encountered the terrorists hiding in the forest. The gunfight continued till Saturday.
“Rifleman Shiv Kumar of 31 RR was injured and was evacuated to... (a) hospital where he succumbed to injuries,” Army sources said. Army’s Srinagar-based spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said the bodies of the slain terrorists, several weapons and other material, had been recovered.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/3-let-terrorists-one-soldier-killed-in-jk-operation/articleshow/65640825.cms
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J&K journalist held for ‘harbouring terrorists’
by Bashaarat Masood
September 2, 2018
A journalist has been arrested in Srinagar for allegedly “harbouring terrorists”, the police said.
Asif Sultan, a young journalist working with Srinagar-based news magazine Kashmir Narrator, was detained a few days ago. On Saturday, the police said he had been arrested. They have also got his remand.
“On 31/8/2018 Asif Sultan S/O Mohammad Sultan Saida R/O Firdousabad Batamaloo has been arrested by Police Station Batamaloo in case FIR No 173/2018,” a police statement said. “Initial questioning of the accused, subsequent searches and disclosures, made in the case, so far have led to seizure of incriminating materials from various locations. It also establishes his complicity for harbouring known terrorists involved in serious terror crimes. Further investigation of the case is going on.”
‘Kashmir Narrator’ Editor Showkat Motta told The Indian Express that Asif was framed. “This (police version) is a cock and bull story. They (police) are not happy with our reportage,” he said. “We have taken up his arrest with CPJ, IFJ and other global organisations. We will fight it in the court of law.”
Full report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jk-journalist-held-for-harbouring-terrorists-5335604/
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Pakistan
Pentagon cancels aid to Pakistan over record on terrorists
Sep 2, 2018
WASHINGTON: The US military said it has made a final decision to cancel $300 million in aid to Pakistan that had been suspended over Islamabad's perceived failure to take decisive action against terrorists, in a new blow to deteriorating ties.
The so-called Coalition Support Funds were part of a broader suspension in aid to Pakistan+ announced by President Donald Trump at the start of the year, when he accused Pakistan of rewarding past assistance with "nothing but lies & deceit."
The Trump administration says Islamabad is granting safe haven to insurgents who are waging a 17-year-old war in neighboring Afghanistan, a charge Pakistan denies.
But US officials had held out the possibility that Pakistan could win back that support if it changed its behavior. US defense secretary Jim Mattis, in particular, had an opportunity to authorize $300 million in CSF funds through this summer - if he saw concrete Pakistani actions to go after insurgents. Mattis chose not to, a US official told Reuters.
"Due to lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy the remaining $300 (million) was reprogrammed," Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner said.
Faulkner said the Pentagon aimed to spend the $300 million on "other urgent priorities" if approved by Congress. He said another $500 million in CSF was stripped by Congress from Pakistan earlier this year, to bring the total withheld to $800 million.
The disclosure came ahead of an expected visit by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and the top US military officer, General Joseph Dunford, to Islamabad. Mattis told reporters on Tuesday that combating militants would be a "primary part of the discussion."
Experts on the Afghan conflict, America's longest war, argue that militant safe havens in Pakistan have allowed Taliban-linked insurgents in Afghanistan a place to plot deadly strikes and regroup after ground offensives.
Increasing pressure
The Pentagon's decision showed that the United States, which has sought to change Pakistani behavior, is still increasing pressure on Pakistan's security apparatus.
It also underscored that Islamabad has yet to deliver the kind of change sought by Washington.
"It is a calibrated, incremental ratcheting up of pressure on Pakistan," said Sameer Lalwani, co-director of the South Asia program at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.
Reuters reported in August that the Trump administration has quietly started cutting scores of Pakistani officers from coveted training and educational programs that have been a hallmark of bilateral military relations for more than a decade.
The Pentagon made similar determinations on CSF in the past but this year's move could get more attention from Islamabad, and its new prime minister, Imran Khan, at a time when its economy is struggling.
Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have plummeted over the past year and it will soon decide on whether to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or friendly nations such as China.
"They are squeezing them when they know that they're vulnerable and it is probably a signal about what to expect should Pakistan come to the IMF for a loan," Lalwani said. The United States has the largest share of votes at the IMF.
Khan, who once suggested he might order the shooting down of US drones if they entered Pakistani airspace, has opposed the United States' open-ended presence in Afghanistan. In his victory speech, he said he wanted "mutually beneficial" relations with Washington.
A Pakistani official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he was unaware of a formal notification of the US decision on assistance but said one was expected by the end of September.
Pakistan has received more than $33 billion in US assistance since 2002, including more than $14 billion in CSF, a US Defense Department program to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-insurgency operations.
Pakistan could again be eligible next year for CSF.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pentagon-cancels-aid-to-pakistan-over-record-on-terrorists/articleshow/65640366.cms
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Pakistan Army’s job ad specifying minorities as sanitation workers sparks outrage online
September 1, 2018
A recent job advertisement in a popular Pakistani daily has become a raging debate online. The advertisement by the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) for their recruitment programme published in a national daily is going viral but not for the right reasons. The ad specifies “non-Muslims only” for the post of sanitation workers and is being seen as a major snide towards the minorities in the country.
The advertisement, which was published in Dawn on August 26 listed vacancies for various posts in both combatant and non-combatant services. However, among all the designated job only the work of sanitation worker specified the preference for minorities. A photo of the ad went viral after a minority rights activist, Kapil Dev, shared the clip on Twitter.
“So, the criteria for job of a sweeper/sanitary workers in Pakistan is just you should be “NON-MUSLIM ONLY”!! Your job is to make filth only, and our is to clean only!” Dev tweeted.
The photo started a debate online with even people across the border participating in it and some questioning the authenticity of the photo. A similar version of the ad has been put up on the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) website and the ad appeared under miscellaneous section of the daily.
Full report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/pakistan-rangers-ad-minorities-debate-5335284/
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US slaps sanctions on two Pakistan firms for nuke, missile-related activities
Sep 1, 2018
WASHINGTON: The US on Saturday slapped sanctions on two Pakistani companies by placing them on the export entities list for activities related to nuclear and missile trade.
The two companies - Technology Links Pvt Ltd and Techcare Services FZ have been placed under the Entity List by the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
In a federal notification, the US Department of Commerce said that the entities added to the EAR list have been determined by the US government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the US.
The move comes days ahead of the visit of secretary of state Mike Pompeo to Pakistan.
The EAR determined that Technology Links Pvt. Ltd., located in Pakistan, be added to the Entity List based on the company's involvement in the supply of items subject to the EAR to nuclear and missile-related Entity List parties in Pakistan without the required license, the federal notification said.
Full report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/us-slaps-sanctions-on-two-pakistan-firms-for-nuke-missile-related-activities/articleshow/65636549.cms
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Fazl cautions against jibes at him for accepting presidential nomination
Sep 01 2018
Refusing to withdraw from the presidential run, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Fazlur Rehman explained that all parties in the grand anti-PTI alliance support him except Pakistan Peoples Party.
The decision to withdraw Aitzaz Ahsan’s nomination has to be done by only one party [PPP] while 10 parties will have to consent for his nomination withdrawal, Fazl said in Geo News show Jirga.
Fazl was responding to PPP’s requests to him to withdraw in favour of its candidate, Ahsan, after the opposition failed to field a joint candidate against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Arif Alvi.
Fazl cautioned against sneer comments against him, which mocked him for taking up the opportunity himself when he was supposed to mediate between the two main opposition parties, PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Aitzaz Ahsan is the one whom no one is agreeing upon, he said, adding that there should be consensus on the nominee agreed upon by all opposition parties.
Full report at:
https://www.geo.tv/latest/209509-fazl-cautions-against-jibes-at-him-for-accepting-presidential-nomination
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Imran asks Punjab CM, cabinet to implement PTI agenda of change
Mansoor Malik
September 02, 2018
LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the Punjab chief minister and his cabinet members to rein in the corrupt and land grabbers besides coming up to people’s expectations in terms of relief and service delivery.
Presiding over a meeting of Punjab cabinet members alongside Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar at the CM secretariat on Saturday, Mr Khan said it was a matter of concern for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government that mafias and the influential continued to usurp the rights of have-nots, who ran from pillar to post for their due rights.
“Immediately launch an anti-encroachment drive and action against land grabbers across the province,” he directed the government and assured it of his full support.
“People have attached high hopes with the PTI government and they must not be disappointed,” the prime minister said. He, however, stressed that the chief minister should be allowed at least three months to show result before criticism was directed at him.
The prime minister also said that all mega projects being run on subsidy in Punjab should be audited.
Mr Khan, who was on his first visit to Lahore after becoming chief executive of the country, said that the police should be made independent of political and elite pressure and asked to deal with issues on merit.
Explaining his 100-day agenda of ‘change’, the prime minister said a huge responsibility was on the shoulders of the chief minister and provincial ministers to deliver with the sole objective of serving the poor and downtrodden. “I want that each of the 23 ministers should work hard and emerge as stars,” he said, adding he did not want a one-man show as was in the case of the Shahbaz Sharif government.
Emphasising the need for making the police a result-oriented force, the prime minister claimed that reforms in the police department as well as health and education sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had helped the PTI get re-elected in the province. “KP’s health and education ministers did not need to make much effort to get re-elected just because of their unparalleled performance,” he added.
Mr Khan said he would frequently visit the province and remain at the forefront to oversee the 100-day change agenda. He reiterated his resolve of observing simplicity and urged the cabinet members to set examples by shunning extravagance on taxpayers’ money. The ministers should use only one official car and auction the additional vehicles. “When we will start saving, every penny will count,” he stressed.
The premier said the government would focus on investing state resources on human development, adding that Pakistan ranked low on Human Development Index in the region.
The chief minister and cabinet members assured the prime minister of their commitment to implementing the PTI’s reforms and development agenda. The ministers also shared their ideas concerning their departments.
Full report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1430491/imran-asks-punjab-cm-cabinet-to-implement-pti-agenda-of-change
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First Lady Bushra Imran Visits Shelter House, Data Darbar
September 02, 2018
LAHORE: On her maiden visit to Lahore after her husband Imran Khan took oath as prime minister, the First Lady Bushra Imran on Saturday spent time with orphans at the Darul Shafqat and visited Data Darbar, the shrine of Ali Hajveri.
Accompanied by her friend Farah Khan, Mrs Imran brought food for the children at the shelter house and also had lunch with them.
She patiently heard problems of the children and expressed her affection for them.
She promised better facilities for the children at the orphanage.
Later, she also visited Data Darbar and offered fateha there.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1430385/first-lady-visits-shelter-house-data-darbar
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TV anchor claims religio-political leader contacted TTP for PM Imran’s assassination
Sep 2, 2018
Journalist and TV anchor Sadia Afzaal on Friday night claimed that a renowned religio-political personality of Pakistan has contacted the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to assassinate Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“I cannot reveal the name of that person but it has been stated in a Military Intelligence (MI) report,” she said, adding that this news has been confirmed by “very reliable sources”.
Another female TV anchor Jasmeen Manzoor also made a similar claim stating that there are serious security threats to Imran Khan.
On Friday, Manzoor tweeted: “High placed sources have disclosed that severe security threat to PM Imran Khan. I will also disclose who contacted TTP local groups for planning to assassinate him. May Allah protect him, Ameen.”
Full report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/09/01/famous-religious-political-personality-contacted-ttp-to-assassinate-pm-imran-claims-tv-anchor/
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Delegation size reduced to 4 members for foreign visits: govt
SEPTEMBER 2, 2018
ISLAMABAD: As per its frugal policies, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government announced on Sunday to keep a limited team for foreign visits.
PTI government had decided that delegations that are to attend seminars, conferences and meetings overseas will consist of no more than four members.
The step has been taken to reduce the overall expenditure on foreign visits.
The four members will include a federal minister, a secretary and two respective officers of the concerned ministry or department.
Full report at:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/291821/delegation-size-reduced-to-4-members-for-foreign-visits-govt/
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North America
Pompeo ‘deeply concerned’ about reports of Iran smuggling missiles into Iraq
1 September 2018
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Saturday that he was ‘deeply concerned’ about reports of Iran transferring missiles into Iraq and warned that if true, it would be a ‘gross violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.
“Deeply concerned about reports of #Iran transferring ballistic missiles into Iraq. If true, this would be a gross violation of Iraqi sovereignty and of UNSCR 2231. Baghdad should determine what happens in Iraq, not Tehran,” Pompeo wrote.
This comes one the same day as the top US diplomat spoke with two Iraqi leaders to express support for Iraq’s efforts to form a “moderate, nationalist” government that would serve all Iraqis.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says in statements that Pompeo spoke with Iraq’s prime minister and vice president.
The results of Iraq’s elections were ratified two weeks ago, paving the way for a new parliament to convene and elect a president and a prime minister, who would form a new government. The process is complicated by political wrangling. A coalition led by a maverick Shiite cleric won the largest number of seats.
In Pompeo’s call with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, he made clear “the importance of safeguarding Iraq’s sovereignty during this critical time.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2018/09/01/Pompeo-deeply-concerned-about-reports-of-Iran-smuggling-missiles-into-Iraq.html
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Amsterdam train station stabbing attack victims were Americans
1 September 2018
Two bystanders who were seriously injured in a knife attack at Amsterdam's Central Station are US citizens, the US ambassador said Saturday.
"We are aware that both victims were US citizens and have been in touch with them and their families," Pete Hoekstra said in a statement.
Police shot and wounded a 19-year-old Afghan man, who stabbed the two people at the Dutch capital's busy station in the city center on Friday.
Police said the man seemed to have randomly picked his two victims in the busy hall of Amsterdam central station at around midday.
He was shot and taken to a hospital by police where he was being interrogated, police and the Amsterdam city council said in a joint statement.
“The investigation into the incident is ongoing”, the authorities said. “All scenarios are taken into consideration, including a terrorist motive.”
Earlier this week, Dutch police arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of threatening to attack far-right politician Geert Wilders over his plan to hold a contest of cartoons depicting Islam’s Prophet Mohammad.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2018/09/01/Amsterdam-identify-stabbing-suspect-as-19-year-old-Afghan.html
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Europe
UK minister holds talks in Iran in first visit since US quit nuclear deal
1 September 2018
A junior British minister held talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Saturday, Iran’s television reported, the first visit by a UK minister since US President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Britain and other European signatories are trying to keep the nuclear deal alive, despite Trump’s reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.
Junior Foreign Minister Alistair Burt met Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the state television reported
“The talks mainly covered economic cooperation and mechanisms of financial and monetary dealings between the two countries after the US withdrawal from the nuclear accord,” the television report said.
The two sides also discussed regional developments, it added.
‘Safe, secure future for the region’
In a statement before his visit, Burt said: “As long as Iran meets its commitments under the deal, we remain committed to it as we believe it is the best way to ensure a safe, secure future for the region.”
Burt was also expected to discuss the cases of dual nationals detained in Iran.
Britain is seeking the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation who was arrested in April 2016 at a Tehran airport as she headed back to Britain with her daughter, now aged four, after a family visit.
She was convicted of plotting to overthrow Iran’s clerical establishment, a charge denied by her family and the Foundation, a charity organization that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News.
Burt is due to meet non-governmental organizations (NGOs) during his two-day visit when he will also discuss Iran’s role in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/09/01/UK-minister-holds-talks-in-Iran-in-first-visit-since-US-quit-nuclear-deal.html
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Dutch ex-defence minister appointed UN Iraq envoy
Sep 2, 2018
BAGHDAD - A Dutch former defence minister has been appointed as the United Nation's envoy to Iraq, to head a mission which plays an essential role in the country's political and economic spheres.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert was named special representative and will head up the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), a statement from the organisation said on Saturday. She will replace Jan Kubis, a Slovak former foreign minister who took up the post in February 2015. During his tenure the mission tried to curb internal conflicts, such as the crisis which erupted between the autonomous Kurdish region and the central government in Baghdad. Hennis-Plasschaert, 45, served as the Netherlands' defence minister from 2012 until 2017. She was also a lawmaker in her home country and at the European Parliament, as well as working for the European Commission.
UNAMI was established in 2003 by a UN Security Council resolution, at the request of the Iraqi government, and the mission was expanded four years later.
Full report at:
https://nation.com.pk/02-Sep-2018/dutch-ex-defence-minister-appointed-un-iraq-envoy
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2 US citizens hurt in Dutch ‘terrorist’ knife attack
Sep 2, 2018
AMSTERDAM - Dutch officials Saturday said a knife-wielding attacker who wounded two US citizens at Amsterdam Central Station a day before “had a terrorist motive”.
“Following an initial statement by the suspect it has emerged that the man had a terrorist motive,” Amsterdam City Hall said in a statement after police had questioned the suspect.
US ambassador Pete Hoekstra earlier confirmed both the victims, who were rushed to hospital after Friday’s attack, were American citizens. The pair are in a satisfactory condition, officials said.
Panic broke out at the Dutch capital’s main station shortly after midday Friday when the suspect stabbed two bystanders before he was shot and wounded by officers.
Police later identified the man as a 19-year-old Afghan with a German residency permit. His name was released by Dutch authorities as “Jawed S.”.
Amsterdam City Hall said the suspect was being held in hospital under police guard and would briefly appear in court Monday behind closed doors.
Dutch authorities said they were in close contact with their German counterparts who raided the suspect’s home Saturday at an unknown location in Germany.
“Among other things, several data carriers have been confiscated and are being investigated,” they said.
Initial investigations also indicated the man had not specifically targeted the Americans - suggesting a random attack.
Amsterdam police spokesman Frans Zuiderhoek had already told AFP late Friday that authorities were “seriously taking into account that there was a terrorist motive”.
Further details of the two Americans injured were not immediately known, although one was reported to be a young man.
Full report at:
https://nation.com.pk/02-Sep-2018/2-us-citizens-hurt-in-dutch-terrorist-knife-attack
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British elite committed to defense of Israel: Political activist
Sep 1, 2018
An expert has told the Press TV that British elites do not actually need any puppeteering from outside to stay committed to Israel as they always see any threat to the regime in Tel Aviv as a threat to the old alliance between the Zionists and Britain.
“I don’t think certain British MPs and opinion-makers need to be prodded by the Israeli state they are always loyal to Israel and they are committed to defending Israel,” Chris Bambery, an author and poetical activist from London said on Friday.
The comments come amid a row over positions of leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn on Israel and its crimes against the Palestinians, which some in the UK have sought to depict as racist and against Jews.
Corbyn has lashed out at those criticisms, saying Israel controls even the speeches made by certain lawmakers of the British parliament.
Bambery said attacks on Corbyn over his pro-Palestinian position were systematic and stemmed from the fact that certain people in Britain could under no circumstances tolerate any criticism of Israel.
“I think what we are seeing is a very sustained track on Jeremy Coryn because of his position on Palestine and generally on the Middle East,” he said.
The expert said the British elites have remained loyal to Israel for the past 100 years and since Israel was created as a result of the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration at the end of the first world war which paved the way for the partition of the Palestinian lands.
“So this is an old alliance which goes back a very long way and runs very deep,” he said, adding, “Britain was the chief ally of the Zionists, then replaced by the French and then by the United States.”
Bambery said such a deep alliance would make it very easy for the elites in Britain to be influenced by Israel and its policies.
Full report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/01/572880/UK-Corbyn-Semitism-row-expert-view
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Amsterdam stabbing suspect had 'terrorist' motive, officials say
Reuters | Sep 1, 2018
AMSTERDAM: An Afghan man shot by police at Amsterdam's central station on Friday after stabbing two American tourists had a "terrorist" motive, city officials said on Saturday.
The suspect, who was identified as a 19-year-old Afghan with a German residence permit, was questioned on Saturday in hospital where he was being treated for gunshot wounds to his lower body.
"First statements made by the suspect indicate he had a terrorist motive," Amsterdam city council said in a statement.
German police searched the man's house at the request of their Dutch colleagues and seized several data carriers, the authorities said.
The suspect, who is being held in solitary confinement, will be brought before a judge on Monday to decide whether he should remain in custody.
The two people injured in the incident were US citizens, the US ambassador to the Netherlands said in a statement on Saturday.
Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said the pair were tourists visiting the city. They remained in hospital on Saturday with serious injuries, local police said.
Earlier this week, Dutch police arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of threatening to attack far-right politician Geert Wilders over his plan to hold a contest of cartoons depicting Islam's Prophet Mohammad.
Wilders on Thursday cancelled the contest citing security risks, as thousands of people in Pakistan marched in protest of his plan, while the Taliban in Afghanistan called for attacks on Dutch troops serving in the country.
The National Coordinator for Counter-terrorism and Security Policy said the national threat level in the Netherlands was unchanged at "substantial", or one notch below the highest.
Since attacks by Islamist radicals in France, Belgium, Britain and Germany, the Netherlands has been considered a target, because it supports US-led military operations against Islamic State in the Middle East.
Full report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/amsterdam-stabbing-suspect-had-terrorist-motive-officials-say/articleshow/65639659.cms
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South Asia
Demonstrators call on Myanmar to release Reuters journalists
September 2, 2018
YANGON: Dozens of people marched through Myanmar’s largest city Yangon on Saturday, calling on the government to release Reuters journalists on trial for allegedly collecting state secrets, and to demand press freedom.
Black-clad protesters marched with banners, flags and balloons with the faces of the two jailed Reuters journalists – Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo – printed on them.
They chanted: “The right to know the news! The people’s right! The people’s right!”
Some carried banners that read “Immediately release imprisoned journalists. Immediately release them.”
A Yangon court is on Monday expected to hand down the verdict in the case against Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, who have been charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act.
Press freedom advocates, the United Nations, the European Union and countries including the United States, Canada and Australia have called for the Reuters journalists’ acquittal.
Myo Myint Maung, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information told Reuters by phone: “No matter what side you are on, freedom of the press is important.”
“In the current situation, you can say that we have it (freedom of the press), but there may also be things that we can improve on.”
Government spokesman Zaw Htay has in the past said of the case against Wa Lone and Kyaw So Oo that Myanmar’s courts are independent and the case will be conducted according to the law.
At the time of their arrest, the reporters had been working on an investigation into the killings of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys in a village in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The killings took place during an army crackdown that United Nations agencies say sent over 700,000 people fleeing to Bangladesh.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2018/09/02/demonstrators-call-on-myanmar-to-release-reuters-journalists/?fmt=1
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Bangladeshis fearful as Malaysia targets illegals
September 01, 2018
DHaka: As many as half-a-million Bangladeshi migrant workers face an uncertain future in Malaysia following a crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country.
The operation, dubbed Ops Mega 3.0, started on Saturday when the 3+1 voluntary surrender program for illegal immigrants ended.
The 3+1 program began in 2014 and allowed illegal immigrants who surrendered voluntarily to obtain a special pass for 100 Malaysian ringgits ($24) and be charged a compound fee of 300 ringgits, which would enable them to return home without prosecution.
According to the local TV network NST, 840,000 illegal immigrants have surrendered through the program, including 148,774 who surrendered this year.
“I applied to legalize my papers about 10 months ago and spent $1,300, said Mohammad Shohag, a Bangladeshi worker living in Kuala Lumpur for the past three years.
“In the past last 10 months I have visited the immigration office at least 20 times, but have yet to receive permission from the authority. “I am worried what happens if the police come to me,” he said.
Shohag and his colleague Mahfuj Ahmed are frightened to leave their workplace and sleep on the floor of the shop.
“Bangladeshi employers are facing a lot of trouble from the Malaysian immigration department and they don’t provide any timely service due to a bureaucratic problem,” said Bangladeshi immigrant businessman Abdullah Al-Mamun, who has lived in the country for 23 years.
Al-Mamun, Shohag’s employer, said: “Every time I visited the immigration authority along with my employees. But they (immigration authority) have kept our papers pending for 10 months.
“Now I am waiting for the moment to get the call from the authority to receive permission for my workers.”
At the outset of the crackdown, the Malaysian authority adopted a tough stance on Mega 3.0 operation.
“The amnesty deadline will not be extended. We will intensify our operations against illegal immigrants starting on Friday. We have given them ample time to sign up for the program,” said Datuk Mustafar Ali, Malaysian immigration director-general, on Thursday.
Ali Haider, former secretary-general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agents (BAIRA), told Arab News: “Illegal migration always hampers the legal migration process of the workers. We are dead against of this sort of migration.”
He said “illegal syndicates” are depriving poor workers struggling to legalize their visa status in Malaysia.
Syndicates that treat workers like “modern-day slaves” will be targeted in the operation, Mustafar said.
The immigration department arrested 28,063 undocumented immigrants and 799 employers in 9,200 raids between January and Aug. 15 this year, he said.
Several sources in Malaysia said over one-third of those arrested were likely to be Bangladeshis.
Bangladesh’s High Commissioner in Malaysia, Shahidul Islam, told Arab News he had no knowledge of the Malaysian government’s operation.
“It is obvious that the authority will run a drive against illegal migrants. They (Malaysian authority) conduct this type of operation throughout the year,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1365401/world
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4 Al-Qaeda network members killed in U.S. drone strikes in Kunar
Sep 01 2018
At least four members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network were killed during the airstrikes conducted by the U.S. forces in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.
The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Military in the East said the Al-Qaeda network members were killed in the vicinity of Watapur district.
According to a statement released by 201st Silab Corps, the coalition forces based in Afghanistan carried out airstrikes using unmanned aerial vehicles, leaving at least 4 Al-Qaeda network members dead.
The statement further added that the airstrikes were carried out on Friday in Khaki Bandi area of the district.
The 201st Silab Corps also added in its statement that the Al-Qaeda network members killed during the airstrikes have been identified as Habib Ur Rehman also famous as Malik, Syeda Jan, Nematullah, and Mullah Jan.
The security situation in eastern Kunar province has started to deteriorate sharply during the recent months amid growing insurgency activities by the Taliban and ISIS militants.
Full report at:
https://www.khaama.com/4-al-qaeda-network-members-killed-in-u-s-drone-strikes-in-kunar-05871/
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Report regarding the security of Kabul, other provinces presented to Ghani
Sep 02 2018
A report was presented to President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani regarding the security situation, existing threats, and security developments in Kabul and other provinces of Afghanistan.
The Office of the President, ARG Palace, in a statement said the report was presented by the security and defense officials during a meeting of the National Security Council.
The statement further added that meeting of the National Security Council was organized late on Friday in ARG Presidential Palace.
According to ARG Palace, the meeting emphasized on further coordination among the security and defense institutions and forces to curb the enemies’ plots.
The participants of the meeting also hailed the bravery and efforts of the national defense and security forces and necessary instructions were issued to the security and defense officials to thwart the plots of the enemies, ARG Palace added in its statement.
The Office of the President has not provided further details regarding the latest meeting of the National Security Council.
Full report at:
https://www.khaama.com/report-regarding-the-security-of-kabul-other-provinces-presented-to-ghani-05874/
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Helicopter crashes in Afghan army base in Balkh province
Sep 02 2018
A helicopter crashed in an Afghan army base in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan amid fears several people on board have been killed or wounded.
A spokesman for the 209th Shaheen Corps Mohammad Hanif Rezaie confirmed the incident and said the helicopter crashed at around 7:30am local time in the Shaheen Corps headquarters.
Rezaie further added that the helicopter belonged to a foreign firm and was about to leave for Faryab province when it crashed and caught fire.
According to Rezaye, four public order police soldiers, 4 army soldiers, and 2 national police soldiers were on board when the helicopter crashed.
Full report at:
https://www.khaama.com/helicopter-crashes-in-afghan-army-base-in-balkh-province-05873/
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Helicopter crashes in northern Afghanistan, killing three
2 September 2018
An Afghan official says a foreign pilot and two Afghan soldiers were killed when a helicopter contracted by NATO crashed inside an army base.
Maj. Hanif Rezaie, an army spokesman, says three others, including another foreign pilot, were wounded when the MI-14 helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from the base near the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Rezaie says the crash was caused by a technical problem and the helicopter caught fire after it hit the ground. He says there was no enemy fire.
Seven other security forces on board the helicopter were rescued.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2018/09/02/Helicopter-crashes-in-northern-Afghanistan-killing-3.html
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Africa
Rockets pummel Libya's Tripoli as rival militias clash
September 02, 2018
TRIPOLI - Rockets rained on several parts of the Libyan capital Saturday despite a truce to end fighting between rival militias, with one projectile hitting a popular hotel and wounding three people, rescuers and medics said.
The renewed violence came as Britain, France, Italy and the United States denounced the violence and warned that an escalation would hamper the political process in North African country.
Rescuers and witnesses said three people were wounded when a rocket hit the Al-Waddan Hotel, which overlooks the bay of Tripoli and is popular with foreigners.
It was not immediately clear if they were clients of staff members.
Rockets also hit other areas of the city, which has been at the epicentre of a bitter power struggle since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.
On Friday, at least 15 rockets rained on Tripoli and its immediate surroundings, including the capital's only operational airport, according to rescue workers and an airport source.
Since then, authorities have suspended all flights in and out of Mitiga airport, just east of Tripoli, and rerouted them to the airport in Misrata, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) further east.
The fighting broke out on Monday in suburbs south of Tripoli and continued into Wednesday evening after a truce collapsed, despite the United Nations appealing for calm.
The clashes had paused on Thursday after a ceasefire agreement announced by officials from western Libya, but by late afternoon the hostilities had resumed.
In a joint statement, Britain, France, Italy and the United States said they "warn those who tamper with security in Tripoli or elsewhere in Libya that they will be held accountable for any such actions."
They also called on all sides "to refrain from any action that would jeopardise the political framework established by the UN-led mediation to which the international community is fully committed". The interior ministry of Libya's UN-backed unity government, the Government of National Accord (GNA), also denounced the renewed violence Saturday. In a statement, it blamed unnamed factions for "undermining the ceasefire (announced on Thursday)... by blindly launching rockets and shells on Tripoli and its suburbs".
According to the GNA's health ministry, around 40 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded since the fighting first broke out on Monday in the capital's southern suburbs.
Human Rights Watch said four children were among at least 18 civilians killed in the fighting. "The recklessness of armed groups currently fighting each other for power appears to have no boundaries, and civilians are paying the price," said the rights group's Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson.
"All sides need to do everything they can to spare civilian lives."
https://nation.com.pk/02-Sep-2018/rockets-pummel-libyas-tripoli-as-rival-militias-clash
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30 Nigerian soldiers killed in Boko Haram raid
September 02, 2018
KANO - At least 30 Nigerian soldiers died in combat with Boko Haram militants who overran a military base in the northeast near the border with Niger, two military sources told AFP on Saturday.
Scores of militants in trucks stormed the base at Zari village in northern Borno state late Thursday and briefly seized it after a fierce battle, they said.
"They came in large numbers in trucks and carrying heavy weapons and engaged soldiers in a battle that lasted for an hour," a military officer said. "We lost at least 30 men," the officer said, adding that the attack took place at around 4:00 pm.
"They overwhelmed the troops who were forced to temporarily withdraw before reinforcements arrived," said the officer who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak.
Boko Haram has intensified attacks on military targets in recent months.
The attacks appear to undermine repeated claims by the military that Boko Haram had been defeated.
The militants took weapons and military equipment before they were pushed out of the base by troops with aerial support, said a second military source who gave a similar death toll. The militants were pursued and bombarded by a fighter jet, said the military sources.
"The terrorists also suffered heavy casualty from the bombardment", one of the military officers said.
Zari is located 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the town of Damasak on the border with Niger.
The militants are thought to have attacked the base from the nearby Garunda village, where 17 troops were killed and 14 injured in an attack on another military base last month, the sources said.
In a statement late Friday the Nigerian military confirmed troops fought Boko Haram "insurgents...on rampage to loot the community and extort money from villagers".
"Troops...have successfully routed Boko Haram insurgents in an encounter that ensued yesterday evening at Zari village," the military said in the statement.
It did not speak of military casualties and the raid on the base but maintained "several Boko Haram fighters and weapons" were destroyed in the fight.
The Nigerian army has on several occasions disputed reports on losses to Boko Haram and has in some cases played them down.
On July 14 Boko Haram militants overran a military base in Jilli village, in neighbouring Yobe state when dozens of troops were said to be been killed, wounded or missing.
The army at the time conceded the base was attacked but said troops remobilised and succeeded in repelling the attackers.
In a short statement on Wednesday, IS-affiliated Boko Haram militants claimed to have killed "several" Nigerian troops in mortar strikes on a military base in the town of Arge in the Lake Chad area. AFP could not independently verify the claim.
Full report at:
https://nation.com.pk/02-Sep-2018/30-nigerian-soldiers-killed-in-boko-haram-raid
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Jordan says US move to halt UN refugee agency funding fuels radicalism
2 September 2018
Jordan said on Saturday it regretted a US decision to halt funding to a United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, saying it would only fuel radicalism and harm prospects for Middle East peace.
Foreign Minster Ayman Safadi told Reuters his country, which hosts more than 2 million of the over 5 million registered refugees whom the agency supports, would continue to rally donor support to ease the acute financial crunch faced by the agency.
The US announced on Friday it would no longer support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Earlier this year the United States, long its biggest donor, had slashed funding.
“Disruption of UNRWA services will have extremely dangerous humanitarian, political and security implications for refugees and for the whole region,” Safadi said.
“It will only consolidate an environment of despair that would ultimately create fertile grounds for further tension. Politically it will also further hurt the credibility of peacemaking efforts.”
Safadi said a meeting on Sept. 27 in New York in the United Nations which the kingdom was co-sponsoring with Japan, the European Union, Sweden and Turkey would seek to “rally political and financial support for the agency”.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/09/02/Jordan-says-US-move-to-halt-UN-refugee-agency-funding-fuels-radicalism.html
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UN chief says ‘indiscriminate’ violence in Libya has led to child deaths
2 September 2018
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for an end to violence in Libya in accordance with a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement.
According to a health ministry toll at least 39 people have been killed and some 100 injured in five days of clashes among rival militias, which broke out Monday in suburbs south of Tripoli.
"The Secretary-General condemns the continued escalation of violence in and around Libya's capital and, in particular, the use by armed groups of indiscriminate shelling leading to the death and injury of civilians, including children," a statement from Guterres' office said.
"The Secretary-General calls on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and abide by the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United Nations and the Reconciliation Committees."
In a joint statement Britain, France, Italy and the United States have said they "warn those who tamper with security in Tripoli or elsewhere in Libya that they will be held accountable for any such actions."
Fighting continues on in Tripoli
Fighting between rival militias in Libya escalated on Saturday, with the forces of the seventh brigade seizing control of large parts of the capital Tripoli, including the airport road and a number of military camps as it continues to advance towards the city center.
In a related development, at least three people were injured in random shelling when a rocket hit the Al-Waddan Hotel, which overlooks the bay of Tripoli and is popular with foreigners, and only 100 meters away from the Italian embassy.
It was not immediately clear if they were clients or staff members.
The rival militias reached a cease-fire agreement, but continued rocket attacks breached the agreement, with more than 15 rockets hitting other parts of the city on Friday and early Saturday morning, which has been at the epicenter of a bitter power struggle since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2018/09/02/UN-chief-says-indiscriminate-violence-in-Libya-has-led-to-child-deaths.html
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US, France, Italy, UK condemn violence in Libyan capital Tripoli
1 September 2018
The United States, France, Italy and Britain on Saturday condemned what they called an escalation of violence in and around the Libyan capital Tripoli, warning that armed groups which undermined Libyan stability would be made accountable.
“These attempts to weaken the legitimate Libyan authorities and hinder the ongoing political process are not acceptable,” Washington, Paris, Rome and London said in a joint statement published by the French foreign ministry.
“We are calling on the armed groups to immediately stop all military action and warn those who seek to undermine stability, in Tripoli or elsewhere in Libya, that they will be made accountable for it,” the statement said.
Libyan authorities closed Tripoli airport on Friday after some rockets were fired in its direction, a spokesman for the state airline Libyan Airlines said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/09/01/US-France-Italy-UK-condemn-violence-in-Libyan-capital-Tripoli.html
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30 soldiers killed in militant ambush in Nigeria
Sep 2, 2018
Suspected militants have ambushed a military base in northeastern Nigeria, and killed as many as 30 soldiers.
The attack targeted a base in Zari village in the Guzamala local government area of Borno State on Thursday.
But details emerged later because the village is located in a remote area near the border with Niger.
"The battle lasted for about two hours and our colleagues fought them, but things became bad before the fighter jets arrived. We lost about 30 of our soldiers and about 10 were wounded," an unidentified military source confirmed on Saturday.
The violence, which has been attributed to a militant group identified as ISWA, undermines Nigeria's ongoing efforts to improve security and defeat militancy in the region, ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
ISWA is an offshoot of Boko Haram, the notorious group linked to the Takfiri terrorist group Daesh.
The Zari attack highlights the challenge to secure the northeast, months ahead of the February election in which security looks set to be a main issue.
President Muhammadu Buharia, a former general, who came to power in 2015 on a platform of stamping out rampant militancy, plans to seek a second term in office in the upcoming vote.
Militancy is still rife in the West African country despite the government's announcement in late 2015 that militants in the region had been largely defeated.
In July, Nigeria appointed the fourth commander in 14 months to lead the campaign against militancy.
Full report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/02/572930/Nigeria-Boko-Haram-Takfiri-Militants-Borno
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Car bomb attack strikes local government office in Mogadishu
September 02, 2018
MOGADISHU: A car bomb struck a local government office in Mogadishu in a suicide attack on Sunday, police said.
A Reuters witness said there was a huge blast and clouds of smoke could be seen in the city.
"A suicide car bomb (rammed) into the district office of Hawlwadag in Mogadishu. It is too early to know casualties," major Abdullahi Hussein, a police officer told Reuters.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1365566/world
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Southeast Asia
There’s more to ‘new Malaysia’ than Mahathir and Anwar
September 2, 2018
I would like to invite my fellow Malaysians to very seriously ponder over the question of who should lead Malaysia in the future. Most Malaysians will obviously think of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim, but I have a different candidate in mind.
But before I reveal it, let me say that for the first time since 1998, I bought a Malaysian flag, costing RM1.80, and flew it on one of my cars. I am elated with the result of the recent general election, where the people threw out Umno and gang.
I am mostly happy with the first 100 days of the new government as it is all about fixing up a house that has been badly broken by a terrible storm and neglect. Knocking nails into doors, fixing up windows and plugging leaks on roofs seem to be the order of the day for the first 100 days.
I am willing to let the new government float for another 100 days to see some real institutional reforms take place – such as the cleansing of the judiciary, the revamp of an inept police force, the restructuring of our “worthless” public universities and education system, and the dressing down of our gigantic and arrogant public service.
One hundred more days. After that, for the next 100 days, I wish to see the new government come up with a new blueprint on how Malaysians are going to live and prosper over the next 50 years. Can the PH government do it?
So far, what I have been witnessing is simply drama after drama being played out in our Parliament. There is absolutely nothing of worth for us to chart our future coming from the parliamentarians, except street fighting with the empty-minded opposition.
Let’s face it Malaysians, PAS and Umno are the poorest excuse for an opposition in the history of our nation. Umno harps on Malay supremacy and PAS on so-called Muslim morality, ill-defined and ill-understood.
If the opposition is useless, can the new PH government come up with more sound ideas? Forget it. The new PH parliamentarians are certainly more civilised than their opposition counterparts, but with respect to visions of the future, there is none whatsoever.
Rahim Noor and PH morality
The appointment of former inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor as special envoy to mediate peace talks in southern Thailand signalled the end of the PH morality and ideas management.
I thought the introduction of the third national car was the end but apparently the new leader still has his 1980s thinking in high gear.
What’s next, Malaysians will ask. I think we have to sit through a Mahathir versus Anwar Saga 2.0 for the next 10 years!
When Mahathir said he would relinquish the seat of the prime minister in two years, I knew he was not serious. I mean, the man is healthier than most of the parliamentarians and has grey matter that outsizes the whole defunct National Professors Council.
I had predicted that Anwar would make his bid for the prime ministership by December 2018 and that he would be a parliamentarian by October. I thought that Anwar would go on a nationwide tour to rally the members of Amanah and PKR to his side, for I think the leadership of those parties which have substantive cabinet appointments are mostly in Mahathir’s pocket.
Anwar has the royals behind him but the royals are not the kingmakers. It will be the members of the political parties of Amanah, DAP and PKR. The wild card is the DAP. Who will the leadership support? It has a poker face.
Even if Rafizi’s team sweeps the PKR election, Anwar and company will have to face off against the Mahathir-Azmin-Mat Sabu tag team. With Mahathir and Azmin solidly holding Khazanah, will we see money politics once again becoming the bane of Malaysia?
Rebirth of money politics and race rhetoric
I think we will, sad to say, see a rebirth of money politics and who knows a rebirth of race and religious rhetoric once again.
The future is looking bleak for Malaysians. To me the answer lies in a new leadership for Malaysia. Who is the new personality? Well, that’s the wrong question. We, Malaysians must get away from personality cults and political party cults.
There is more than one way to rule Malaysia. Alvin Tofler predicted that the internet would topple governments and he was right. In the face of the drama of Malay politics of Mahathir-Anwar and the next era of Azmin-Mukhriz, we, Malaysians must pull the brakes. We, Malaysians, must reject reliance on party politics outright. We, Malaysians must determine the discourse and we, Malaysians must put forth OUR own visions for Malaysia.
We are still talking about marrying off 11-year-old girls and canning LGBTs. Do we have enough food production to feed our people? Do we have enough clean water to serve our needs? Should we work in offices and let our young graduates trap themselves in housing and car loans?
Are Malays forever suspicious of the non-Malays next door? What is our agenda for the next 50 years?
It is time for Malaysians to draft our education policies, food production strategies, healthy lifestyle living and sustainable existence within a universalistic spiritual construct of mutual acceptance and respect. We cannot hope for the PH politicians to come up with these plans as they will eventually succumb to the temptations of their offices.
In a democracy, WE are the masters in our own country! Is that not so? Let us treat our ministers as our workers, and not as our leaders. They cannot lead us into prosperity and harmony. Only we can, because it is we who are at the receiving end.
This Merdeka, let us free ourselves from the present leadership of PH and lead ourselves to our own promised land. Negara Kita, Tanggugjawab Kita!
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2018/09/02/theres-more-to-new-malaysia-than-mahathir-and-anwar/?fmt=1
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Thousands throng Umno’s ‘Melayu Bangkit’ night rally in Perak
02 September 2018
PASIR SALAK, Sept 2 — For a political party that is still finding its feet as a member of the Opposition, Umno drew thousands of Malays to its “Melayu Bangkit” rally at the Kampung Gajah taxi stand here last night.
Organiser and Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman claimed there were 10,000 attendees who came from all over the country, not just Perak, adding that they included non-party members.
“They gathered here to show their support in protecting the Malay rights, Malay Rulers and Islam.
“As the organiser for the gathering, I’m pleased with overwhelming response from the crowd which came from Perlis right until to Johor,” he said in his speech.
The Pasir Salak MP said the gathering was held to show that Malays will unite when their rights, Islam and Malay institutions are under threat or disrespected.
Other Umno leaders present at the gathering were party secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa, its youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and another supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam.
Full report at:
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1668433/thousands-throng-umnos-melayu-bangkit-night-rally-in-perak
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Umno doesn’t need Anwar, says Annuar Musa
02 September 2018
PASIR SALAK, Sept 2 — Umno will not cooperate with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim if he is appointed as prime minister, party secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said.
Annuar, in his speech during the ‘Melayu Bangkit’ rally at Kampung Gajah here last night, said that the PKR president is the one who will need Umno’s help for political purposes someday.
“Anwar said he doesn’t need Umno, but the reality is, Umno never wanted him. But a time will come where he will need Umno.
“Umno is not dead yet. Instead it appears to be more powerful because the party did not depend on any individuals or leaders,” he said.
Recently, a newspaper reported that Anwar will reject any cooperation with Umno if he is appointed as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s successor.
However, Anwar said his statement on Umno was misinterpreted.
Annuar said Umno’s strength lay in the loyal commitment shown by the Malay community.
“Today’s gathering is the perfect example. People claim Umno attracts crowd by bribing them, but today Umno is no longer the government yet thousands of people gathered. This is where our strength lies,” he said.
Annuar also said Umno will not be racist if Malay rights were not questioned or challenged.
“Most of the rich people in the country are Chinese and Indians. We never questioned them why they are rich.
“The Malays are willing to remain as farmers and do other jobs as long as their rights and interests were not threatened,” he said.
Annuar also said when Barisan Nasional was the government, Malays never had to worry about having their rights or interests threatened.
Full report at:
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1668455/umno-doesnt-need-anwar-says-annuar-musa
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Scott Morrison has big shoes to fill in Indonesia — but he started off on the right foot
Sep 2, 2018
Just three days ago Scott Morrison tweeted a picture of his Australian flag lapel pin, saying he wears it every day as a reminder of whose side he is on.
So, the sight of dozens children enthusiastically waving Australian flags as he walked the red carpet, up the marble steps into Joko Widodo's Presidential Palace in Indonesia must have been quite the reminder.
Mr Morrison's first port-of-call as Australian Prime Minister has been a success.
Whether it was clapping along to singing children at an Indonesian school funded by Australia, or making small-talk for the cameras with the president of the world's most populous Muslim nation, Mr Morrison appeared relaxed and confident.
Sources close to his office have told the ABC there was no time to prepare for the trip, almost until they got on the RAAF jet, following what Malcolm Turnbull called the "form of madness" that resulted in Mr Morrison being thrust into the prime ministership.
The school visit, which provided the media with folksy pictures of the Prime Minister, away from the manicured lawns of the Presidential Palace, was pulled together by the team at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in a matter of hours.
Just minutes before the new prime minister arrived, a teacher was spotted rubbing the well-worn plaque about Australia's funding of the school with an old rag.
When SBS political editor Brett Mason asked the school principal how she felt about the visit she replied, "Surprised … very surprised. But proud."
That sense of surprise at Mr Morrison's visit went all the way up the Indonesian ranks to the President himself.
Mr Widodo had been preparing the red carpet for his good friend Mr Turnbull.
Of course, he had no option but to roll it out for Mr Morrison, a man he'd never met, instead.
Still, the business end of the trip went off without a hitch.
The leaders concluded an "economic partnership", eight years in the making, that will reduce or abolish 99 per cent of tariffs on trade between the two nations.
It should be signed by the end of the year.
But Mr Morrison was cautious not to take the credit, paying tribute to those who laid the foundations, namely Mr Turnbull, the former foreign minister Julie Bishop and former trade minister Steve Ciobo who, up until this week, had monthly meetings with his Indonesian counterpart.
But it is, Mr Morrison said, "a landmark agreement and Indonesia's most ambitious to date."
Complementing the deal, the two leaders also agreed to elevate the diplomatic relationship by way of a "comprehensive strategic partnership".
It basically puts Jakarta on the same level as Beijing in Australia's power ranking of relationships.
The timing is interesting.
Australia has been seeking closer ties with India and Vietnam, and belatedly, some Pacific countries, as concerns rise about China's influence, and investment, in this region.
Not that China was mentioned in the four-page declaration following the signing ceremony.
In fact, Mr Morrison did not want to be drawn on the deeply held concerns within security and diplomatic circles about Beijing's expansionist agenda and militarisation of the South China Sea.
"I don't accept the zero-sum game of dealing with our partners and our neighbours."
He went on to tell a business breakfast that Australia would "deepen" its strategic partnership with China, after talking up the "economic miracle" of the east.
So, if he has concerns, he is not sharing them.
To be fair, it would have taken a monumental misstep by Mr Morrison to screw up this visit, after years of relationship building by Mr Turnbull and hard-fought negotiations by his trade and foreign ministers.
Any observer of Indo-Australian relations, from either side of the Timor Sea, will tell you of the "special relationship" Mr Turnbull enjoyed with the Indonesian President, all the more remarkable as it followed a low-point in relations under the Abbott Government.
Full report at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-02/scott-morrison-indonesia-visit-was-a-success/10191320
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Arab World
Terrorists Receive Over 200 Drones from Turkey to Use against Syrian Army in Idlib Battle
Sep 01, 2018
The Arabic-language website of Sputnik reported that large trucks, carrying more than 200 drones, left the town of Sarmada in Northern Idlib for a Tahrir al-Sham base in al-Mohandesin neighborhood in Idlib city.
It further said that the drones were brought to Syria from Turkey, adding that five Turkish and two Chechen experts are in Tahrir al-Sham base, checking the drones to be later sent to Jisr al-Shughour in Western Idlib and a region in Northern Hama.
The Russian air defense at Humeimim airbase in Western Syria and the Syrian army have shot down tens of drones in recent months.
The Syrian army has also targeted a number of combat and spying drones of the terrorists in Northern Hama in the last few days.
Field sources reported on Thursday that the Turkish army dispatched a military convoy, consisting of 15 military vehicles to Northern Syria through Kafr Lousin passageway.
They added that the convoy also included truckloads of Turkish army soldiers and officers and building blocks transferred to the Turkey-occupied region in the town of Morek.
According to the report, also another military convoy of the Turkish army, which included several military vehicles, was sent to the town of al-Sarman in Eastern Idlib.
The developments came as the Syrian army is preparing for a major fight in Idlib and is sending large volume of military equipment to its positions.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970610000647
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US Expanding Military Build-up in Northeastern, Eastern Syria
Sep 02, 2018
The Arabic-language al-Watan daily quoted opposition sources as reporting that the US-led coalition has reinvigorated its military presence on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River in the second half of the current year via setting up 18 bases in the Northeastern and Eastern provinces of Syria.
The US-run bases are in Ein al-Arab (Kobani), Kharab Ashak, Manbij, Ein Issa, Raqqa and Tabaqa in Raqqa province, al-Shadadi, al-Houl, Tal Tamar, Tal Bidar and Romeilan in Hasaka province and al-Amr oilfield and al-Bahrah region in Deir Ezzur province, al-Watan went on to say, adding that some of the bases have runways for the take-off and landing of military aircraft.
It further said that the US-run bases are under tight military protection via ground and aerial patrol and are surrounded by a circle of checkpoints.
The London-based pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday that the US-led coalition dispatched a large military convoy to the SDF-occupied regions in Hasaka province.
It added that the convoy which included over 150 vehicles, carrying military and logistic equipment, moved towards the town of al-Shadadi and its military airport which has been set up by the Americans in Southern Hasaka.
The report also said that over 1,450 vehicles carrying US-made military equipment were sent to the SDF-occupied regions in Syria in August.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970611000241
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Syrian Military Denies Israeli Missile Attack on Mezzeh Airport near Damascus
Sep 02, 2018
SANA quoted the military source as rejecting reports on Israeli forces' missile attack on Mezzeh airport West of Damascus, adding that the blasts in the ammunition depot near the airport started after a short-circuit incident in the power grid.
Israeli media, including The Times of Israel, claimed that the Israel fighter jets targeted Mezzeh airport by several missiles, causing huge blast in the airport last night.
In the meantime, Israeli media activists claimed that the Israeli fighter jets' missiles targeted a convoy of long-range missiles that had recently been sent to the base.
In July, Israel launched another strike against the Syrian territories to support the terrorist groups stationed in the region.
An Israeli drone launched missile strike against a Syrian army positions in the Northern parts of Quneitra province.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970611000327
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Syrian Army Tightens Noose on ISIL in Eastern Deserts of Sweida
Sep 02, 2018
The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in Toloul al-Safa in the Eastern deserts of Sweida, and imposed control over several key points in the rocks.
In the meantime, the army's artillery and aircraft pounded ISIL's positions and movements in Toloul al-Safa, and destroyed several strongholds after inflicting heavy casualties on the terrorists.
Other units of the army managed to repelled ISIL's heavy offensive aimed at lifting the government forces' siege in the newly-freed Hatil Dam in Toloul al-Safa.
ISIL suffered heavy casualties in the failed attack.
In a relevant development on Saturday, the army men opened heavy fire at a group of terrorists that tried to prevail over the government forces' positions in the rocks in the Eastern deserts of Sweida, inflicting major losses on them and repelling their attack.
The terrorists further failed to lift the army siege and move towards al-Tanf region in Southern Homs near the border with Jordan and Iraq.
In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units pounded ISIL's positions in Toloul al-Safa, inflicting heavy casualties on the terrorists and destroying their military equipment.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970611000153
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Northeastern Syria: US Conducts Another Heliborne Operation to Rescue ISIL Terrorists
Sep 01, 2018
The US-led coalition conducted a new heliborne operation between the village of Hazimeh and Tishrin Farm and took away Abu Zeid, a commander of ISIL, to an unknown location with the cooperation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Abu Zeid is one of the senior ISIL commanders in Raqqa that was once in charge of the terrorist group's arms supply.
In the meantime, the SDF also released over 150 captured ISIL terrorists, including their commander Jom'ah al-Sarmoudi, in Raqqa city.
In July, the sources said that an American military helicopter, accompanied by several military vehicles of the Washington-backed Kurdish militias, conducted a heliborne operation between the villages of Tal Mashhan and Tal Dowayem in al-Ya'arabiyeh region in Eastern Hasaka near the border with Iraq.
The sources further said that three ISIL members, including an Iraqi terrorist, were rescued in the US heliborne operation and were transferred to an unknown destination.
Full report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970610000831
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Explosions rock Syrian military airport close to Damascus
2 September 2018
Explosions rocked a Syrian military airport near the capital Damascus late Saturday, with an NGO saying it was a "possible Israeli missile" but state media blaming a technical issue at a munitions depot.
The military airport of Mazze, in the west suburbs of Damascus, was hit by a "possible Israeli missile, which hit a munitions store setting off successive explosions," the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdel Rahmane told AFP.
The airport houses Syrian Air Force intelligence, and in early 2017 the Syrian regime accused neighboring Israel of bombing the base.
A Syrian military source said that "the Mazze airport was not the target of Israeli aggression," according to a Saturday report by the official Sana news agency.
"The explosions heard were due to an explosion at a munitions deposit close to the airport which was due to an electrical short circuit," the source said.
Israel has sought to avoid direct involvement in the conflict but acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes in Syria to stop what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to its Lebanese enemy Hezbollah.
It has also pledged to prevent its arch foe Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, and a series of strikes that have killed Iranians in Syria have been attributed to Israel.
Earlier this week, Israel reiterated its threat to hit Iranian military targets in Syria.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to take strong and determined action against Iran's attempts to station forces and advanced weapons systems in Syria," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
In July, Syria accused Israel of bombing a military post in the northern province of Aleppo, where the Observatory reported at least nine pro-regime fighters died.
More than seven years since the conflict began, regime forces have managed to retake entire regions from rebels and jihadists and now control nearly two-thirds of the country.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/09/02/Explosions-rock-Syrian-military-airport-close-to-Damascus-.html
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Iraq, Russia, Iran, Syria military chiefs discuss security, intel cooperation
Sep 2, 2018
Senior military commanders from Iraq, Russia, Iran and Syria have met in Baghdad and exchanged views on security and intelligence cooperation.
The commanders from the four countries, which have joint operation rooms to coordinate the fight against the Daesh terror group, attended the conference on Saturday.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry said it had received delegations led by deputy chiefs of staff to "strengthen cooperation and coordination in terms of security and intelligence among these countries."
Lieutenant General Salim Harba, head of the Syrian delegation to the conference, said that the four countries are in agreement over tackling terrorism, which is a threat to humanity.
He also warned that US proxies were planning a new chemical attack in Syria to pin the blame on Damascus and justify a new aggression against the Arab country.
At the request of Damascus, Iran has been offering advisory military assistance to the Syrian government fighting an all-out militancy.
Russia, too, has military advisers in the Arab country, beside carrying out aerial bombardments on behalf of the Syrian government.
The support by Tehran and Moscow has enabled the Syrian army to speed up its gains on various fronts against Takfiri militants.
Daesh started its campaign of terror in Iraq and Syria in 2014, occupying territory in the two Arab countries and establishing a self-proclaimed “caliphate.”
The Takfiri group was gradually driven out of all the land it had occupied in Iraq and Syria and both countries announced Daesh’s territorial collapse in December 2017.
Daesh remnants, however, are now believed to be hiding in the Iraqi-Syrian border region.
A recent report by the United Nations estimates that between 20,000 and 30,000 Daesh members are still holed up in Iraq and Syria.
Iraq risks Daesh re-emergence
On Saturday, a study warned that extremist groups such as Daesh may re-emerge in Iraq if the country fails to tackle a critical drought and other climate-related issues.
The study, conducted by the Expert Working Group on Climate-Related Security Risks, was presented to the UN Security Council.
“The combination of its hydrological limitations, increasing temperatures and extreme weather events puts pressure on basic resources and undermines livelihood security for Iraq’s population,” the report said.
"Failure to monitor and manage these climate-related risks will increase the risk of Daesh and post-Daesh terrorist groups gaining support and regaining strength within resource-constrained communities."
Full report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/02/572934/Iraq-Iran-Russia-Syria-Daesh
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Explosions rock ammo depot at Damascus military airfield
Sep 2, 2018
Syrian state media said loud blasts coming from an airbase early on Sunday, September 2, were from an explosion at an ammunition dump caused by an electrical problem, but an official in the regional alliance backing Damascus said they were from Israeli strikes.
The state media cited a military source as saying there was no "Israeli aggression" directed at the Mezzeh airbase near Damascus, after the sound of explosions was heard across the Syrian capital.
The official had said the blasts were caused by Israeli missile fire from across the occupied Golan Heights frontier and by Syrian air defenses responding.
A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also attributed the blasts to Israeli strikes, which it said caused deaths and injuries.
Israel has previously acknowledged having carried out air strikes in Syria aimed at degrading the capacity of Iran and its allies, including Lebanon's Hezbollah group, which are backing Assad in the country's seven-year civil war.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on reports of Sunday's blasts or that it was behind them.
Full report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/02/572926/Syrian-state-media-denies-blasts-caused-by-Israeli-strikes
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Gas containers smuggled to Idlib for false-flag operation: Syria FM
Sep 1, 2018
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has warned that terrorists operating in the northwestern province of Idlib have managed to smuggle containers of chemical gas to use them in a false-flag operation against the Syrian government.
Speaking to Russia’s RT news channel on Saturday, Muallem said British intelligence services had helped terrorists of the Nusra Front group to transfer gas canisters to areas in Idlib that are currently controlled by the so-called White Helmet troops.
He said the move was meant to stage a gas attack on civilians and then blame it on the Syrian government as soon as it begins its long-anticipated operation to retake Idlib from the terrorists.
For months, Syria has been planning a decisive operation to purge terrorists from Idlib, the last of its provinces that still remain under the control of militants.
The government has been accused of attacking civilians with chemicals in previous operations, including in Douma near Damascus and in Khan Sheikhun, in Idlib. Syrian authorities have denied any involvement in the two cases, saying the attacks had been carried out by militants to slow Syria’s progress in the fight against terror.
Syria and its allies, including Russia, believe a similar scenario could be staged in Idlib.
Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said last week that terrorists had smuggled eight canisters of chlorine gas into a village near Jisr al-Shughur, south-west of Idlib city. The official said the transfer of the weapons into the province was in line with a plan to prompt Western intervention in Idlib operation.
During his Saturday interview with the RT, Muallem said plots like staging false-flag gas attacks would help the objectives of Western governments like the United States who maintain an “illegal” presence in Syria.
Muallem said there was clear evidence that the US was continuing to support terrorist groups like Daesh and Nusra Front, adding that the US would certainly use a chemical weapons incident as a pretext to attack Syria.
Full report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/01/572916/Syria-Muallem-Idlib-terrorists-gas-attack
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US-trained militants to attack Syria’s central city of Palmyra: Russian military
Sep 1, 2018
The Russian Defense Ministry says newly-obtained information from captured militants has revealed that the US-trained militants are set to conduct a terrorist attack on Palmyra, a city in Syria’s central province of Homs, almost a year after it was liberated from the clutches of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
According to the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation, part of the Russian Defense Ministry, the information was received from two militants of the Lions of the East Army group, affiliated with the so-called Free Syrian Army, a Turkish-backed militia fighting against Damascus.
The captured militants, along with their comrades, were heading toward Palmyra from a settlement of 500-strong militants near the US-led international coalition’s Tanf military base, when they were ambushed in early morning by the Syrian government troops, said a spokesman of the center in a press conference on Saturday.
“One of the terrorists said US instructors were involved in training their group, weapons and ammunition were delivered from the US base. The militants’ objective was to commit a series of terrorist attacks near the inhabited community of Palmyra and ensure the passage of about 300 militants to capture the city within the next week,” he added.
The militants were to carry out “a series of terrorist attacks in Palmyra area” and ensure the passage of around 300 militants to seize the city within the next week, he further revealed.
The Tanf base is close to the Rukban refugee camp, which is home to more than 60,000 internally displaced women and children from the cities of Raqqah and Dayr al-Zawr.
Full report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/01/572913/Syria-Russia-Palmyra-FSA-US
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Iraqi security forces kill senior Daesh leader in Salahuddin
Sep 1, 2018
Iraqi security forces have killed a high-ranking commander of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the country’s north-central province of Salahuddin as government troops, backed by allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, are seeking to purge the war-ravaged Arab country of remnants of the extremist outfit.
Colonel Mohammed al-Bazi, a provincial police source, said members of the Federal Police force and pro-government fighters – more commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi – engaged in a fierce exchange of gunfire with Daesh Takfiris in a rural area west of Shirqat town, located some 280 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, early on Saturday.
Bazi added that Iraqi soldiers and their allies managed to fatally shoot Salih Karkaz, wanted by Iraqi forces as the leader of the so-called Nahavand Battalion.
Over two dozen Daesh terrorists captured northwest of Mosul
Meanwhile, at least 26 Daesh terrorists have been arrested during a counter-terrorism operation near Badush village, situated 24 kilometers west of Mosul.
Captain Omar Sabah of the Nineveh Operations Command said Iraqi security forces also seized weapons and hand grenades from the captured Takfiris.
Sabah added that the extremists have been transferred to prison pending trial.
Daesh terrorists murder Hashd Sha’abi cmdr., family
Elsewhere in Khuwair village of the northern province of Nineveh, Daesh terrorists executed a senior Hashd al-Sha’abi commander and seven members of his family.
A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language Baghdad Today news website that the Takfiri militants, disguised as security forces, stormed the house of Hussein al-Hamad, shooting him, his wife, five children and his father to death.
The source added that Iraqi army troops and police forces have been dispatched to the village, and launched an operation to capture the perpetrators.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, pledged on June 30 to hunt down Daesh terrorists across Iraq after a series of attacks and abductions carried out by the terrorist group.
“We will chase the remaining cells of terrorism in their hideouts and we will kill them, we will chase them everywhere, in the mountains and the desert,” Abadi said.
Abadi declared the end of military operations against Daesh in the Arab country on December 9, 2017.
On July 10 that year, the Iraqi prime minister had formally declared victory over Daesh in Mosul, which served as the terrorists’ main urban stronghold in the conflict-ridden Arab country.
In the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters had made sweeping gains against Daesh.
Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January 2017 after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19 last year.
Full report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/01/572900/Iraqi-security-forces-kill-prominent-Daesh-leader-in-Salahuddin
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Saudi grand mufti praises MWL’s control of halal meat imports
September 01, 2018
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who is also the head of the Supreme Council of Scholars, praised the efforts of the Muslim World League (MWL) to unify Muslims, advocate for their cause and protect them, making sure that everyone is aware of the league’s blessed efforts and great achievements.
Al-Asheikh said: “The Muslim World League is performing its role to impose the Islamic halal slaughter, by making sure animals are slaughtered according to the halal standards and trusted mechanisms.”
MWL reaffirmed its commitment to applying the highest standards of halal slaughter. When issuing halal certificates, MWL adheres to regulations and standards set by the GCC Standardization Organization.
MWL recently suspended several abattoirs and slaughter companies around the world for violating the rules of halal slaughter.
A royal decree gave the MWL sole responsibly for issuing halal certificates, in recognition of its international-relations expertise in coordinating and cooperating with local and international bodies, and having met Shariah requirements for producing, manufacturing and marketing halal products.
The Supreme Council of Scholars issued a fatwa through the Ifta permanent committee, presided over by Al-Asheikh, stating that the only authority responsible for imported slaughtered halal products is the MWL, as it represents the older Islamic organization working in the field of halal and foods and has an expertise of more than 30 years as well as partners, centers and offices around the world.
The MWL works on finalizing the largest center for halal in the world, as part of its headquarters in Makkah.
The center’s functions include supervising slaughter and the production of halal goods, and issuing certificates, directly or through its offices and representatives abroad, according to the halal certification mechanism and international standards.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1365281/saudi-arabia
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Mideast
Israel welcomes end of US funding for UN Palestinian refugee agency
September 01, 2018
Israel welcomed Saturday a US decision to end funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), accusing the organisation which supports some five million Palestinians of perpetuating the Middle East conflict.
Israel and the United States have accused the nearly 70-year-old agency of maintaining the idea that many Palestinians are refugees with a right to return to the homes from which they fled or were expelled during the 1948 war that accompanied Israel's creation, an idea they both oppose.
On Friday, Washington, which until last year was by far the agency's biggest contributor announced it was ending funding to the "irredeemably flawed operation."
"Israel supports the US move," an official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on condition of anonymity.
"Consolidating the refugee status of Palestinians is one of the problems that perpetuates the conflict."
Palestinian ambassador Hossam Zomlot accused the United States of "reneging on its international commitment and responsibility" towards a body that was set by UN General Assembly resolution in 1949.
"By endorsing the most extreme Israeli narrative on all issues including the rights of more than five million Palestinian refugees, the US administration has lost its status as peacemaker and is damaging not only an already volatile situation but the prospects for future peace," he said.
UNRWA now supports some five million registered Palestinian refugees and provides schooling to 526,000 children in the Palestinian territories as well as in camps in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the agency had his "full confidence" and called on "other countries to help fill the remaining financial gap, so that UNRWA can continue to provide this vital assistance."
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness tweeted: "We reject in the strongest possible terms the criticism that UNRWA's schools, health centres and emergency assistance programmes are 'irredeemably flawed.'"
Washington, which had already frozen $300 million in funding this year throwing the agency into financial crisis, said it would seek ways to prevent its decision from hurting "innocent Palestinians".
Israel expressed support for a new conduit for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.
"It would be good to allocate the funds to other elements that would use the money properly for the benefit of the population, and not for perpetuating the notion that they are refugees," the official in Netanyahu's office said.
https://nation.com.pk/01-Sep-2018/israel-welcomes-end-of-us-funding-for-un-palestinian-refugee-agency
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Scores of Houthi militants killed in clashes with Yemeni army in Saada
September 02, 2018
DUBAI: Yemen’s army, backed by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, killed more than 140 Houthi militants during clashes in the northwestern province of Saada, according to Saudi state-news channel Al-Ekhbariya.
A Yemeni military source said the army continued its advance toward Hajjah province, where it liberated several villages and other strategic locations.
Elsewhere, the army launched artillery raids targeting Houthi reinforcements sent to Sufyan directorate in an effort to retake strategic sites it had lost.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1365541/middle-east
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Over 140 Houthi militiamen killed while Yemeni army advances in Saada
2 September 2018
Yemen’s legitimate army continues to advance in several areas west of Saada, a military source said.
The source confirmed that the army carried out a wide-scale operation during which several key areas were liberated including the Hbeish and al-Safiah mountains that look over Miran.
Army forces also continue to advance in the Hajjah governorate, where they have taken control of several villages and valleys, while intense battles continue in areas adjacent to the Haidan directorate in Saada.
A military commander stated that over 140 Houthi militiamen were killed during battles in the Zaher directorate, while hundreds more were wounded and Houthi weapons and equipment were destroyed by Arab Coalition air raids.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/09/02/Over-140-Houthi-militiamen-killed-while-Yemeni-army-advances-in-Saada.html
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Coalition’s Assessment Team: Saada bus carried armed Houthis
1 September 2018
The Arab Coalition’s Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen, held a press conference on Saturday, in the Saudi capital Riyadh, to release its assessment of the investigations conducted into the air strike targeting a building in Dhahian, Saada.
The official spokesman of the JIAT, Legal Counsellor Mansour al-Mansour said during the press conference that video footage from the plane which conducted the strike was analyzed.
Mansour Al-Mansour said: “The investigation involved flights in the area of Dhahyan on the day of the incident.”
“We have checked videos from the plane that was flying in the area at the time of the incident.”
He said the coalition launched the raid in Dhahyan based on intelligence.
“The presence of Houthi leaders in the region was reported. Sources reported that the Dhahyan bus was transporting elements of armed Houthis, targeting the bus inDhahyan led to the killing of a number of Houthi leaders.”
The raid on Dhahyan targeted several training camps for the Houthis.
He addeded that the bus Dhahyan was a legitimate military target because it has Houthi leaders.
Mansour confirmed that targeting the bus led to the killing of a number of Houthi leaders. He said that “the raid on Dhahyan does not comply with the coalition’s rules of engagement,” adding that the bombing was not justified at the time, since the target was not a threat to the coalition forces in this case.
The spokesman called on the coalition to provide assistance to civilians affected by the raid.
The official spokesman of the JIAT also called on the coalition to hold accountable those responsible for the mistakes in the Dhahyan raid.
He added “There was a significant delay in preparing the fighter jet assigned to target the bus in Dhahyan.”
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/09/01/Arab-Coalition-s-Assessment-Team-releases-its-report-on-Saada-incident.html
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Yemeni army liberates areas in Saada province after Houthi battle
1 September 2018
Yemeni National Army forces liberated al-Dhaher directorate, north-west of Saada province, after a large-scale military operation, in which Houthi militias suffered heavy losses.
A military source confirmed that the legitimate forces, backed by the Arab coalition completed liberating the whole of the district from the Houthis, following the liberation of a number of other posts controlled by the pro-Iranian militias.
According to the military source, the Yemeni army defeated the militias in Hajjah governorate and Razih directorate, with many field commanders in the Houthi militias killed, most notably the commander responsible for arms supply known by the name Abu Dia, who was killed along with seven others in addition to commander Hassan Ali Hassan.
Full report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/09/01/Yemeni-legitimate-forces-liberate-al-Dhaher-directorate-in-Saada.html
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Turkey calls for a new chapter in relations with Greece
September 01, 2018
ATHENS: Turkey’s foreign minister called for a new chapter in testy diplomatic ties with Greece on Saturday, even as he berated the neighboring country for providing a safe haven for Turkish “criminals.”
Eight Turkish commandos are seeking asylum in Greece after commandeering a helicopter to flee Turkey following a failed coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016.
Turkey describes the fugitives as criminals involved in the coup plot, and has demanded that Greece hand them back. Greek courts have so far rejected Ankara’s requests.
“The situation in our relations today is not to the benefit of our countries. Building trust is important. We should open a new chapter in our relations,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told Ta Nea newspaper in an interview released on Saturday.
“We should continue the process of bilateral talks without any conditions. This is the way to solve our problems.”
He repeated demands, however, for the eight commandos to be sent to Turkey to face trial.
“The Greek justice system, contrary to the rules and the principles of the international law, is letting the culprits go unpunished and is violating the victims’ rights,” Cavusoglu was quoted as saying.
“We remain determined in our effort to make sure that the fugitive coup perpetrators will be extradited and stand trial in Turkey,” he added.
Long-time regional rivals, the two neighbors have been at odds over a host of issues from ethnically divided Cyprus to rights in the Aegean Sea.
Rhetoric on both sides in recent months has taken a marked turn for the worse, particularly after the collapse of peace talks in Cyprus in July 2017.
The European Union depends on Turkey to keep a tight lid on immigration from the Middle East, where the war in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands and pushed millions from homes.
Under a 2016 deal, Ankara has to take back all migrants and refugees, including Syrians, who cross to Greece illegally across the sea. In return, the EU has to take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and faster progress in EU membership talks.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1365251/world
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Palestinian pilgrims pay tribute to Saudi Arabia
September 01, 2018
JEDDAH: Palestinian pilgrims returning to camps in Lebanon expressed thanks to Saudi Arabia for the care offered to them and other worshippers during Hajj.
Pilgrims returning to Shatila, Burj Al-Barajneh, Miyyah Miyyah, Ain Al-Hilweh, Rashidiya and the Bader River camps in Lebanon were welcomed with decorations, banners, confetti and songs that filled the public squares.
The pilgrims praised the Kingdom, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for its “goodness and leadership.”
Head of the delegation of Palestinian martyrs’ families Sheikh Iyad highlighted the care provided by the Kingdom during the performance of the rituals of Hajj.
High-level organization and technological innovations were major factors in the success of this year’s Hajj, he said.
This year, King Salman hosted 1,000 female and male pilgrims who were relatives of Palestinian martyrs.
The initiative was part of the King Salman Hajj and Umrah Program, supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1365326/saudi-arabia
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