Three Minors Beaten And Forced To Chant Religious Slogan Jai Shri Ram In MP's Ratlam District
New Age Islam News Bureau
7 December 2024
Screengran from the video that went viral
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· Three Minors Beaten And Forced To Chant Religious Slogan Jai Shri Ram In MP's Ratlam District
· Ayodhya Turns Into Virtual Fortress On 32nd Anniversary Of Babri Masjid Demolition
· Palestinian Israelis Of Lod In Israel, Vow To Resist Attempts To Muzzle Mosque Azans
· Saudi Commission Showcases Taif Rose Heritage At UNESCO Meeting In Paraguay
· N.J. Town Disbands Police Chaplain Program After Imam’s Comments Spark Controversy
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India
· Muzaffarnagar: TeacherTripta Tyagi, Who Asked Students To Slap Muslim Boy, Surrenders, Gets Bail
· A Mosque And 4 Shops Declared "Enemy Property": Ownership Traces Its Roots to Ex Pak PM Liaquat Ali Khan
· Jaunpur Mosque Moves HC Against Local Court Order To File Suit Claiming It Was Ancient Hindu Temple
· Gyanvapi Plea To Hold Fort: Law Last Safeguard To Protect Unity, Supreme Court Told
· Samajwadi Party To Quit MVA Over Shiv Sena (UBT)'S Stand On Babri Mosque Demolition
· December 6 'Mere Footnote' In History; Ayodhya's Muslims Want To Move Beyond Temple-Mosque Rhetoric
· Section of students demand removal of mosque from Varanasi college campus
· Gyanvapi mosque managing committee moves SC against pleas challenging Places of Worship Act
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Mideast
· Damascus Gripped By Anxiety In Face Of Militant Offensive
· US tells citizens leave Syria ‘now while commercial options remain available’
· Syrian government loses control of southern city of Daraa: monitor
· UK to join US-Bahrain Middle East security agreement
· Ailing kids wait months for Israeli permission to leave Gaza for treatment
· Lebanese defense minister condemns Israeli truce violations
· Three killed in clashes between Druze militias and Syrian security forces in Sweida
· Turkish diplomat named OSCE head after tense Malta talks
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Arab World
· What A Saudi Marine Scientist Has Uncovered About The Role Of Algae In Coral Reef Health
· Misk Art Week Returns For Artists, Enthusiasts In Riyadh
· Saudi foreign minister arrives in Bahrain for Manama Dialogue 2024
· Saudi Arabia poised to expand manufacturing ecosystem with inaugural CPHI Middle East
· Tourism Development Fund celebrates Saudi handicrafts
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North America
· Global Imams Council Selects Toronto As Western Headquarters
· Trump taps China critic Perdue as next ambassador to Beijing
· TikTok set to be banned in the US after losing appeal
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Europe
· Muslim Leaders And UKHealth Security Agency Urge Communities To Get Winter Vaccines
· Embattled Macron seeks boost from Notre Dame reopening
· Alleged Russian election-meddling in Romania resurrects dark memories
· EU countries pressing US to drop sanctions on Russian bank – Bloomberg
· Ukrainian museum chief explains not returning from trip abroad
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Africa
· Air Strike On Khartoum Mosque Kills 7: Sudan Lawyers’ Group
· Military Personnel Are Trained To Be Aggressive, Bring Out Animal In Them – Gen Musa
· Abuja National Mosque Gets 5 New Imams
· Kano Emir, Sanusi II Speaks Hours After Police Barricaded His Palace
· Police File 12 Fresh Charges Against Dele Farotimi At Federal High Court
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Pakistan
· Kurram Warring Tribes Agree On 'Indefinite Ceasefire' Following Days-Long Debacle
· Shah Mahmood Qureshi calls on govt to lay groundwork for PTI talks
· Judicial Commission Approves Committee To Draft Rules For Appointing Judges
· Constitutional bench to take up PTI’s petitions on 'election rigging', May 9 riots
· No decision yet on ‘long march’ over seminary bill delay: Fazl
· Supreme Court to hear Imran Khan’s petition for May 9 probe on Dec 10
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South Asia
· Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan Strengthen Diplomatic Ties in Islamabad Meeting
· Afghanistan’s economy growing despite challenges
· More should be done to strengthen security forces
· Discussions on Strengthening Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade Relations
· World Bank Reports 2.7% Growth in Afghanistan’s GDP
· 28 Families Return to Afghanistan Via Spin Boldak Crossing
· AL leader held over attempted murder
· Bangladeshi killed by BSF at Panchagarh border
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Southeast Asia
· Sultan Nazrin Graces Hospital Fatimah’s Golden Jubilee Celebration
· RM250,000 to empower Penang Muslim League Youths with digital, entrepreneurial skills – PM
· Fama launches Ihsan Madani sales to aid flood victims with discounted essentials
· PM Anwar urges northern universities to boost ties with industry for semiconductor growth
· PM Anwar meets Sabah chief minister amid corruption claims
· PM Anwar announces RM50m for Penang Silicon Design initiative
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religious-slogan-jai-shri-ram-ratlam/d/133963
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Three Minors Beaten And Forced To Chant Religious Slogan Jai Shri Ram In MP's Ratlam District
06 Dec 2024
Screengran from the video that went viral
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BHOPAL: A viral video purportedly showing three minors being beaten by a teenager with slippers and forced them to chant a religious slogan, triggered protest by the Muslim community in the communally sensitive Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday evening.
Acting on the matter, the local police lodged a criminal assault case, abusive behaviour and hurting religious sentiments under BNS Sections against two accused.
“The 16-year-old boy has been detained and sent to the juvenile reform centre, while the other teenager too is being searched,” Ratlam district police superintendent Amit Kumar told this newspaper on Friday.
According to a senior police officer in Ratlam district, the video which went viral on Thursday evening, actually pertains to an incident that happened a month and a half back at Amrit Sagar Garden in Ratlam.
Initial probe has revealed that the three boys aged 6,9 and 11 years were caught by the two teenagers (aged 16 and 17 years) while smoking cigarettes in the big park cum garden which also houses a pond and a place of worship. Subsequently, the 16-year-old boy mercilessly hit the three minors with a slipper and forced them to chant a religious slogan. The entire brutality was shot by the 17-year-old teenager and possibly made viral by him only on Thursday evening.
Once the video went viral, Muslim community members protested outside the local police station on Thursday evening, demanding immediate action against those involved in the incident.
Meanwhile, the incident happened a month and a half back, and none of the three minors or their kin reported it to the police.
The police came to know about it only after the video went viral on Thursday evening.
The video which shows the teenager hitting the minors with slippers, using abusive language and forcing them to chant a religious slogan, revived the chilling memories of April 2023, when an 11-year-old boy from the minority community was allegedly stripped, flogged with belt and made to chant religious slogans by a group of minors from the other community in Indore.
In April 2023 also, the entire savagery with the 11-year-old boy in Indore was shot on camera and posted on social media.
Source:newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Dec/06/three-minors-forced-to-chant-religious-slogan-sparks-protest-in-mps-ratlam-district
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Ayodhya Turns Into Virtual Fortress On 32nd Anniversary Of Babri Masjid Demolition
06.12.24
Police convoy patrols an area amid tight security on the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary, in Ayodhya, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.
PTI
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The holy city of Ayodhya was turned into a virtual fortress on the 32nd anniversary of the Babri mosque demolition on Friday with police deploying drones for surveillance, patrolling the Saryu River in boats, and conducting multiple flag marches.
This year's anniversary was particularly significant as it was first after the consecration of the Ram temple earlier this year.
To ensure that the day passes off without any untoward incident, especially in the wake of pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun allegedly issuing a threat to attack the temple, the local administration significantly bolstered security measures at every entry checkpoint in the city.
Police personnel were stationed at various locations to check the vehicles entering the town, although access to the Ram temple vicinity remained restricted throughout the day.
A local intelligence officer said, "We have been asked to monitor the railway station, dharamshalas, and hotels. The security forces are also cautious, considering the threat posed by Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun." In a purported video, Pannun, the founder of the banned outfit ‘Sikhs for Justice’ warned of potential bloodshed at the Ram Temple last month.
Superintendent of Police (Security) Balachari Dubey said, "ATS commandos, PAC, and CRPF personnel conducted flag marches on the streets to ensure no issues would arise. We have been checking vehicles and suspicious individuals to ensure the safety of pilgrims and maintain overall security." The Babri mosque was demolished by 'Kar Sevaks' on December 6, 1992, triggering a deep divide between the two communities, with the Muslims observing it as Yaum-e-Gham and the Hindus calling it Shaurya Diwas.
However, after the Supreme Court's 2019 verdict favouring the Ram Lalla idol, both sides have ceased these observances.
Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi, told PTI Videos, "The demolition of the disputed structure led to the celebration of Shaurya Diwas by Hindus and Yaum-e-Gham by Muslims. However, after the court's decision in favour of Ram Lalla, both sides respected the verdict and stopped the celebrations. Now, neither the Hindu community celebrates Shaurya Diwas, nor do Muslims observe Yaum-e-Gham." Iqbal Ansari, a supporter of the Babri side, expressed a similar sentiment, and told PTI Videos, "In Ayodhya, there is no longer any debate or dispute between Hindus and Muslims. There is peace now, and all religions, including Hinduism and Islam, are revered here." "The temple has been built, and people are offering prayers. Those who used to create division have now stopped, and we hope for brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims," Ansari added.
Sharad Sharma, provincial media in charge of Vishva Hindu Parishad, said in light of the court's decision, Shaurya Diwas was no longer needed on December 6.
"Now we have integrated Shaurya Diwas with the annual festival of Lord Ram. The celebration will take place on the Pratishtha Dwitiya of Paush, where we will incorporate Shaurya Diwas," Sharma said.
Balachari Dubey, the security officer for the Ram Mandir premises, said routine security checks were being carried out.
"We are conducting surprise checks with Uttar Pradesh Police, SF, ATS commandos, and CRPF jawans. This type of checking is done daily for security purposes. We remain vigilant, ensuring devotees are not inconvenienced," the officer said.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/ayodhya-turns-into-virtual-fortress-on-32nd-anniversary-of-babri-masjid-demolition/cid/2068844
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Palestinian Israelis Of Lod In Israel, Vow To Resist Attempts To Muzzle Mosque Azans
December 07, 2024
Ibrahim al-Masri, the chief muezzin of the Al-Jazzar Mosque, calls Muslims to prayer on the last day of his work before he was relieved of his duties, at the mosque in Acre, northern Israel January 31, 2019. / Photo: Reuters
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In the narrow streets of Lod in Israel, where Jewish and Muslim populations coexist in uneasy proximity, defiance is brewing inside the small mosque Mohamed Sarsour calls home. For the past week, every call to prayer now draws a swelling tide of worshippers.
Sarsour, a local who spends significant portions of his days in this mosque, attributed the sudden surge in worshipers to Israel's recent ban on mosques broadcasting the adhan, or the Muslim call to prayer.
The increase in turnout, he warns, is a quiet but powerful resistance to the Israeli government's latest attempt to silence Muslim religious expression.
"This decision will not pass easily. If the Israeli police tried to remove the loudspeakers and prevent the call to prayer, chaos would erupt. The issue has become a matter of tit-for-tat, and the youth of Lod are known for their courage," the 27-year-old told TRT World.
Police enforcement
On Sunday, Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, ordered police forces to confiscate speakers from mosques as a step towards blocking the adhan from being broadcast in regions where there are Jewish residents.
The far-right minister's posts on X said the move is in line with what has been done "in Europe, as they do in every civilised country in the world, as they do in Arab countries."
According to the decision, which still needs Knesset's approval, police forces are authorized to enter mosques to take away speakers and fine those who do not abide by the new policy. This, Gvir said, is in response to "dozens of complaints from residents in mixed (Jewish-Muslim) cities" about the adhan.
However, many Muslims and Arabs within Israel, including a quarter of Lod's 81,000 people, see the move as a restriction on their right to worship and another attempt to erode their culture and traditions.
Muslims in territories under Israeli legal control were quick to denounce the decision. Leaders of the Muslim and Arab communities took to social media to warn against enforcement of the policy, which is the latest in years-long efforts by the minister to silence mosques' calls to prayer.
"This decision will not be implemented: Not today. Not in a million years," Sarsour warned.
'Racism and racists'
Sami Abu Shehade, head of the National Democratic Assembly party, was unequivocal in his condemnation of the move. In comments to TRT World, the Jaffa-based leader said the confiscation of speakers from mosques is unlawful, and tantamount to "theft under the pretext of social harmony."
He added that "the voices that should be silenced are those of racism and racists like Ben-Gvir."
The Israeli politician is known for his inflammatory rhetoric and actions provocative to Muslims worldwide, including unannounced visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque, which have been seen as blatant violations of international law, and incendiary to Muslims in the occupied territories and beyond.
According to Abu Shehada, removing loudspeakers from mosques won't promote harmony, and would negatively impact social interaction in neighbourhoods.
"It will reduce social gatherings, weaken the collective spirit among residents, and individuals will feel discriminated against, which could lead to feelings of anger and resentment, and affect relations between neighbours,” he noted.
The decision could also change cultural dynamics due to the lack of social activities in mosques, which he said would prompt people to seek alternatives for interaction, such as organising events at home.
Additionally, with Muslims accounting for nearly a fifth of the roughly 10 million people living within the recognised territories of Israel, the move could trigger wide protests and chaos, he warned.
Past failed attempts
According to Israeli political analyst Ihab Jabareen, the new adhan policy is partly performative, designed to appease right-wing constituencies while garnering media attention.
"Ben-Gvir is always seeking headline-grabbing moments," Jabareen said, highlighting the politically calculated nature of such provocations.
The Israeli politician's targeting of the adhan is also not new. In 2013, nearly a decade before joining the cabinet, a group of Jewish extremist activists led by Ben-Gvir broadcasted the adhan loudly and deliberately in a Tel Aviv neighbourhood in a stunt which they said demonstrated how upsetting the call is for Israeli citizens.
Earlier bids to limit the volume of the adhan have also come before the Knesset, but didn't pass. In 2017, a so-called "muezzin bill" that sought to regulate the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes at certain times of the day managed to win a preliminary vote, but then faced opposition from ultra-orthodox Israeli members who worried it would affect the weekly sirens on Friday announcing the commencement of Shabbat.
Jabareen said the timing of the latest adhan ban attempt coincides with mounting pressure on the Muslim population of Israel and Palestine, especially from the expanding influence of the far-right in Israel.
Palestinian citizens of Israel already face multifaceted forms of discrimination that impact various aspects of life. This is in addition to growing settler violence encouraged by the far-right and targeting of Palestinians in the occupied territories, which spiked even before the ongoing war was waged by Israeli forces against Gaza.
Source:trtworld.com
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https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/palestinian-israelis-vow-to-resist-attempts-to-muzzle-mosque-adhans-18240802
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Saudi commission showcases Taif rose heritage at UNESCO meeting in Paraguay
December 06, 2024
Taif roses have secured a place on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. (SPA)
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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Culinary Arts Commission has unveiled a pavilion celebrating the newly recognized Taif rose at the 19th UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
According to the SPA, visitors in the Saudi pavilion are discovering a curated selection of traditional rose-based culinary creations.
The exhibition features specialty beverages including rose-infused tea and lattes, alongside traditional sweets such as rose-flavored Saqudanah, all representing elements of Saudi national identity and contributing to global cultural diversity.
The commission’s presence at the forum highlights the importance of preserving the Kingdom’s natural resources while promoting sustainable environmental practices in the cultivation of Taif roses.
By marketing local Saudi products internationally, the commission is highlighting the Kingdom’s position as a source of premium agricultural products and stimulating investment in the national agricultural sector, the SPA reported.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2582066/saudi-arabia
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N.J. Town Disbands Police Chaplain Program After Imam’s Comments Spark Controversy
Dec. 06, 2024,
A New Jersey town has ended its police chaplain program after a controversy over social media comments made by one of its religious leader volunteers.
“After much discussion, we have made the decision to disband the program,” Interim Township Manager Michael Lapolla said during the Dec. 3 township council meeting in Montclair. “The conflicts between freedom of speech and freedom of religion are sometimes too difficult for anyone to handle, let alone us in government. And, none of us want to be the arbiter of those conflicts.”
The decision comes after residents and local groups brought attention to comments and social media posts made by a chaplain, Kevin Dawud Amin, an imam at Masjid al Wadud.
An investigation by the Montclair Civil Rights Commission "found that multiple posts on the Facebook page were considered antisemitic, and the Township of Montclair states its opposition - in the strongest way possible - to antisemitism or any kind of hate speech,“ township spokesman Matthew Amaral told NJ Advance Media.
The imam has repeatedly denied his comments were antisemitic, reports by the outlet Montclair Local say. He could not be reached for comment on Friday.
The town and police department, Lapolla said in the streamed meeting, are not in a position to monitor social media accounts of their volunteers and determine which posts may or may not be offensive.
“It’s unfortunate, but we just do not see a way around this,” Lapolla said at the meeting.
The Civil Rights Commission declined to make someone available for an interview, referring NJ Advance Media to township meeting minutes.
“The Civil Rights Commission continues to condemn all acts of bias, discrimination, and hate in Montclair Township,” the advisory board said in a statement posted earlier this week.
Montclair Police Chief Todd Conforti said at the Dec. 3 council meeting that the department will maintain its relationship with religious leaders, even though the program is ending. So, if when police are responding to an incident, a resident requests to see a religious leader, officers can still attempt to make that connection.
“We still have our same community partners,” he said. “We still have the ability to reach out to people and help people.”
Mayor Renee Baskerville made statements alluding to the controversy at an earlier town meeting, on Nov. 26.
“I stand against hate in all of its forms,” she said at the meeting. “...Any behaviors that cause harm, fear or hurt are unacceptable.”
According to the township’s website, the chaplain program allowed community religious leaders to work with police and other law enforcement officials “during times of crisis or incidents, to provide a more comprehensive response to those in need.” The website lists seven chaplains of various faiths, though the imam is not among those listed online.
The chaplain program started in 2017, town officials said. Amin was approved as a chaplain in 2023, Montclair Local reported.
The controversy has gained some wider attention, with U.S. Rep Mikie Sherrill, a candidate for governor, posting on X about it Thursday.
“I denounce the antisemitic statements made on social media by the outgoing police chaplain in Montclair,” she posted.
“Montclair is a town that prides itself on inclusivity and diversity — antisemitic, homophobic, or racist comments have no place in our community.”
Council members said at the Dec. 3 meeting they would, in coming weeks, take whatever legal steps were necessary to officially disband the program, but that it would be defunct before the process is complete.
Officials also said they are opening to reinstituting the program at some point in the future.
Source:nj.com/
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https://www.nj.com/essex/2024/12/nj-town-disbands-police-chaplain-program-after-imams-comments-spark-controversy.html
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India
Muzaffarnagar: TeacherTripta Tyagi, Who Asked Students To Slap Muslim Boy, Surrenders, Gets Bail
06.12.24
A teacher who asked other students to slap a Muslim boy in a school here surrendered at a POCSO court and was released on bail, an official said on Friday.
Tripta Tyagi was caught last year in a video asking children to slap a boy in a school where she taught.
Additional District Judge (POCSO) Alka Bharti on Thursday granted her bail and ordered her to furnish two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.
She posted the matter for further hearing on Saturday.
Kapil Ahlawat, Tyagi's lawyer, told PTI that Tyagi had surrendered in the Special POCSO court on Thursday and sought regular bail.
On November 23, the Allahabad High Court rejected her plea for anticipatory bail and directed her to surrender within two weeks.
According to the prosecution, Tyagi has been booked under the charges of voluntarily causing hurt, insult, malicious acts, and intending to outrage religious feelings.
She was also booked under the Juvenile Justice Act last year.
According to a video which surfaced on social media on August 23, 2023, Tyagi instructed her students to slap a Muslim boy and made a communal remark at Neha Public School at Khubbapur village under Mansurpur Police Station in Muzaffarnagar district.
The incident was denounced from all quarters, including political parties.
The school was served a notice by the education department in connection with the matter.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/muzaffarnagar-teacher-who-asked-students-to-slap-muslim-boy-surrenders-gets-bail/cid/2068719
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A Mosque And 4 Shops Declared "Enemy Property": Ownership Traces Its Roots to Ex Pak PM Liaquat Ali Khan
December 07, 2024
Muzaffarnagar: In western Uttar Pradesh, the district of Muzaffarnagar is at the centre of a property dispute that stretches back to the tumultuous years of the Partition. The property in question, a mosque and four shops located near the Muzaffarnagar railway station has recently been declared "enemy property" following an investigation. The ownership of the land traces its roots to the family of Pakistan's first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, with claims that it was illegally occupied after the Partition in 1947.
The dispute has triggered debates over the legitimacy of its ownership, with one faction claiming the land belongs to the Waqf Board, while another argues it is a product of unlawful encroachment.
Historical Backdrop
The property dispute can be traced back to 1918 when the land was first occupied by Rustam Ali Khan, the father of Liaquat Ali Khan. Liaquat Ali Khan was born in Haryana's Karnal and was the second son of Rustam Ali Khan and his wife Mahmoodah Begum, the daughter of Nawab Quaher Ali Khan UP's Saharanpur.
He had a deep connection with Muzaffarnagar, where he campaigned successfully for the United Provinces Legislative Council in 1926. His association with the region was not just political but also familial, as his extended family lived in the area for decades.
In 1932, Liaquat Ali Khan was elected Deputy President of the United Provinces Legislative Council and continued his political career until his elevation to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1940. The Khan family's political influence in the region was substantial, and their holdings in Muzaffarnagar were significant, spanning several properties, including the one in question. However, after the Partition of India in 1947, the fate of these properties changed dramatically.
Liaquat Ali Khan's migration to Pakistan turned his Indian properties into "enemy properties," a designation under Indian law that applies to the assets of individuals who left the country for Pakistan after the Partition. In the years following his migration, his family's assets in India became a point of contention.
Liaquat Ali Khan was shot twice in the chest while addressing a 100,000-strong rally in Rawalpindi in 1951. His assassin, Said Akbar Khan, was fatally shot by Pakistani security forces seconds later.
The Mosque And Shops
The controversy surrounding the land escalated when a mosque was constructed on the property in question, situated directly across from the Muzaffarnagar railway station. Sanjay Arora, the convener of a group called the Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, brought attention to the construction in 2023, alleging that the mosque and shops were built illegally on enemy property. Mr Arora argued that the mosque, which he claimed was "constructed like a hotel", did not adhere to the legal regulations governing construction in the area, as it had not received approval from the Muzaffarnagar Development Authority (MDA).
"There are no documents for this property with the Waqf Board," Mr Arora claimed. "When an individual has moved to Pakistan, their land is either illegal property or enemy property."
Mr Arora, without providing any evidence to back his claim, made further allegations that the property and the mosque that it hosts are a "threat to national security".
His complaint to the district administration led to a multi-tiered investigation by local authorities, which included representatives from the Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate's Office, the Revenue Department, and the Municipal Corporation. The investigation was escalated when it was referred to the Enemy Property Office in Delhi, where a team was dispatched to survey the land.
The exact worth of the property has not been calculated yet.
The Enemy Property Act
The Enemy Property Act, 1968, governs the appropriation of properties in India belonging to Pakistani nationals. Introduced in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan War of 1965, the Act transfers ownership of such properties to the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, a designated government authority.
According to the Enemy Property Agency, the land in question had indeed been declared enemy property. The property was found to be under the ownership of Rustam Ali Khan, Liaquat Ali Khan's father, who had left India for Pakistan after the Partition.
In response to these findings, the government moved to issue a legal notice to the occupants of the land, directing them to vacate the premises.
The Counter-Claim
Despite the declaration of the land as enemy property, there remains a counter-narrative. Those occupying the mosque and the shops argue that the land was legally waqf (a form of Islamic endowment), which means it was donated for religious purposes. According to the individuals on the Muslim side of the dispute, the property had been registered with the Waqf Board, and they have submitted documentation to that effect, including a letter from 1937 to bolster their claims.
One of the key figures defending the status of the property as waqf is Mohammad Athar, a local businessman who runs a shop on the land. He insists that the property belonged to Rustam Ali Khan, who had endowed it to the Waqf. Mr Athar dismissed the claim that the land belongs to Liaquat Ali Khan and claimed that political motivations and misinformation are driving the entire dispute.
"The land did not belong to Liaquat Ali Khan but his father Rustam Ali Khan who donated the land to waqf," Mr Athar claimed. "The mosque at this property has existed before the partition of the country. We have presented all the evidence to prove this, and we hope the government rethinks its decision and deliberates on the matter once again as the livelihoods of several families depend on it."
The claimants argue that the mosque, which has existed for decades, was not built in violation of any law and that the rent collected from the shops is legitimate. They maintain that the designation of the land as enemy property is an incorrect claim based on misinterpretation of historical records.
Legal Ramifications
The legal complexities surrounding the ownership of enemy property are not unique to Muzaffarnagar. Across India, several properties previously owned by individuals who migrated to Pakistan after the Partition have been caught in similar disputes.
In a landmark case, the Indian Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that the property of Mohammed Amir Mohammed Khan, the erstwhile Raja of UP's Mehmoodabad, was classified as enemy property. The Supreme Court ruled on the ownership of valuable properties in Sitapur and Lucknow, which were controlled by the state government. These properties were valued at no less than ₹ 3,000 crore.
Source:ndtv.com
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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/a-mosque-and-4-shops-ex-pak-pm-liaquat-ali-khan-at-centre-of-up-land-row-7191887
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Jaunpur mosque moves HC against local court order to file suit claiming it was ancient Hindu temple
Scroll Staff
December 07, 2024
The managing committee of the Atala mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur has moved the Allahabad High Court challenging a local court’s order directing the registration of a lawsuit by the Swaraj Vahini Association in representative capacity, Live Law reported on Friday. The suit claims that the mosque was originally an ancient Hindu temple.
The mosque committee argued before the High Court that the petitioner is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, and therefore, not a “juristic person” under law who can engage in legal action of this nature. A juristic person is a legal entity that is treated as a person.
The mosque authorities argued that the property in question has always been a mosque since its construction in 1398 and that it has never been in the possession of followers of any other religion, nor do they have any title over the same.
The original suit filed by the Swaraj Vahini Association in May before the Jaunpur Civil Court sought that the property be declared as a temple and that followers of the Sanatan religion have the right of worship therein. Sanatana Dharma is a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism.
The association had also sought a direction that would restrain non-Hindus from entering the premises.
It claimed that Raja Vijay Chandra built the Atala Devi temple in the 13th century, where Hindu rituals such as puja, sewa and kirtan were performed.
The temple was demolished during the rule of Firuz Shah Tughlaq in the second half of the 14th century, allowing for the construction of the mosque, the association claimed.
On July 25, a court-appointed team had reached the site to conduct a survey but had to return because the gates were closed, Dainik Bhaskar reported.
Several such disputes of similar nature have come to the fore in recent weeks.
On November 24, violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal after a group of Muslims objected to a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi town.
A trial court had ordered the survey in response to a suit claiming that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babar on the site of the “centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”.
Five persons were killed in the violence during the survey.
On November 27, a Rajasthan court also admitted a petition claiming that the shrine of 13th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer was built over a Shiva temple.
Source:scroll.in
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https://scroll.in/latest/1076536/jaunpur-mosque-moves-hc-against-local-court-order-to-file-suit-claiming-it-was-ancient-hindu-temple
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Gyanvapi plea to hold fort: Law last safeguard to protect unity, Supreme Court told
07.12.24
The Gyanvapi Masjid management committee has moved the Supreme Court in support of a three-decade-old law that has stood as a bulwark against attempts by the Hindutva family to take over Muslim religious sites on the plea that they were established by demolishing temples.
In an intervention application, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Varanasi has sought the dismissal of a batch of petitions moved by Hindu litigants that have challenged the constitutional validity of the Place of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
The act, framed by the P.V. Narasimha Rao government at the peak of the Ram temple movement, forbids the conversion of any place of worship barring the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri site in Ayodhya.
Hindu petitioners have already laid claim to 14 Muslim religious places, and striking down the 1991 act will have the “drastic” consequence of triggering a litany of similar claims, the mosque committee said. The filing of the application was made public on Friday, coinciding with the 32nd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition.
Since the Supreme Court in 2019 transferred to Hindus the plot where the Babri mosque stood, multiple court cases have been filed seeking similar handover of other Muslim sites, including the Gyanvapi, which stands beside the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
A local court-ordered survey in 2022 at the Gyanvapi claimed to have found evidence of a Shivling on the premises, triggering tensions. The case is now in the apex court.
Allahabad High Court ordered a survey of the Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura in December last year after Hindu petitioners claimed it stood on Sri Krishna’s birthplace and should be shifted. The apex court stayed the survey in January but allowed the case to continue in the high court.
Section 3 of the 1991 act bars the conversion of any place of worship of any religious denomination or segment of it into a place of worship for a different religious denomination or a different segment of the same religious denomination. Section 4 mandates the preservation of the religious character of a place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
Hindu petitioners led by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay have challenged the 1991 law, arguing that by restricting Hindus’ right to reclaim places of worship that had been forcibly converted to those of another religion, it validates alleged vandalism
by invaders.
In its application, moved through advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, the Gyanvapi management has cited the November 24 violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. Four people were killed when a mob clashed with police during a local court-ordered survey of the town’s Jama Masjid to ascertain whether it was built over a demolished temple.
Striking down the 1991 act “would mean such disputes raising their head in every nook and corner of the country and ultimately obliterat(ing) the rule of law and communal harmony”, the Gyanvapi application says. It adds that 20 suits have been filed in the Gyanvapi dispute alone.
It refers to the five-judge constitution bench ruling in the Babri case that said: “This court cannot entertain claims that stem from the actions of the Mughal rulers against Hindu places of worship in a court of law today. For any person who seeks solace or recourse against the actions of any number of ancient rulers, the law is not the answer.”
The Gyanvapi management’s application adds: “It is submitted that during the debates in both Houses of Parliament, a number of issues were discussed, including the existing disputes at Varanasi and Mathura. It was only after thorough deliberation and debate that Parliament… enacted the 1991 Act as a conscious decision to let the past not haunt the future of the country….”
The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind had earlier filed intervention applications opposing the petitions challenging the 1991 Act. Preliminary hearings have been held in the case but no substantive arguments have yet been heard.
Apart from the disputes relating to the Gyanvapi, Shahi Idgah and Sambhal mosque, the Gyanvapi application mentions those involving the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Qutb Minar, Delhi; Kamal Maula Mosque, Bhojshala Complex, Madhya Pradesh (MP); Bija Manda Mosque, Vidisha, MP; Teeley Wali Masjid, Lucknow; Ajmer Sharif dargah, Rajasthan; Jama Masjid and dargah of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti at Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh (UP); Baba Budangiri dargah, Hosakaoti, Karnataka; Badruddin Shah’s dargah, Baghpat, UP; Atala Masjid, Jaunpur, UP; Pirana dargah, Gujarat; Jama Masjid, Bhopal; Hazrat Shah Ali’s dargah, Telangana; and the Ladle Mashak dargah, Karnataka.
In 2022, a Hindu group moved court saying the 13th-century Jama Masjid Shamsi in Budaun, UP, stood over a destroyed Neelkanth Mahadev temple. It sought a survey but the local court is yet to decide on the plea’s maintainability.
In March, Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered a survey of the Kamal Maula Mosque in Dhar on a petition claiming it stood on the site of a Vagdevi temple. The mosque is located in the Bhojshala archaeological complex which has monuments dating from around the 11th to 15th centuries.
In April, the apex court cautioned the ASI against any excavation as part of the survey. In July, a Jain petitioner approached the high court asking that Jains be allowed to worship there as well.
Recently, a local court issued notices on a petition from a Delhi-based activist claiming that the 13th-century Ajmer Sharif dargah, a shrine to Sufi saint Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti, stands over the ruins of a Shiva temple.
As for Baba Budangiri, both Hindus and Muslims worship in these caves. Muslims believe it is the resting place of 11th-century Sufi saint Baba Budan. Hindus worship the deity Dattatreya here. Hindu groups vandalised the dargah in 2017 during a BJP-backed agitation demanding it be declared a Hindu place of worship.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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Samajwadi Party To Quit MVAOver Shiv Sena (UBT)'S Stand On Babri Mosque Demolition
07 December 2024
The Samajwadi Party is going to quit opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi over Shiv Sena (UBT)'s stand on the Babri mosque demolition, Maharashtra SP chief Abu Azmi said on Saturday, as per news agency PTI.This comes after Shiv Sena UBT leader and Uddhav Thackeray's close aide Milind Narvekar's post on social media platform X where a photo of Balasaheb Thackeray, his son Uddhav Thackeray and grandson Aaditya Thackeray is edited in a way to show them standing along side the Babri Masjid demolition site.
The text on the post read, "The ones who did this, I am proud of them."
Source:deccanherald.com
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December 6 'mere footnote' in history; Ayodhya's Muslims want to move beyond temple-mosque rhetoric
06 December 2024
Lucknow: Azam Qadri, 40, the president of the Sunni Central Waqf Board's sub-committee in Ayodhya, was barely eight years old when the Babri mosque was razed in the temple town on December 6, 1992.religious structure was brought down so blatantly, yet one has to move on. Much water has flown down the Saryu river since that day more than three decades ago. I think Ayodhya's Muslims, like the rest of their brethren in this temple town, want to embrace development and move beyond the templemosque rhetoric," Qadri, whose son studies in an English-medium school in Ayodhya, told PTI. "It is not as if everything is right. There are land grabs and encroachments and other things but then yes, as for December 6, we all stand for peace and want to move on," he said. The Shaurya Diwas (valour day) and the Kala Diwas (black day) -- the former celebrated by the VHPBJP and the latter by a section of Muslims on December 6 -- are things of the past, replaced by a more positive approach.A fact check with young Muslims of Ayodh ya, which sprang a surprise in the Lok Sabha polls in June, preferring the Samajwadi Party (SP) over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) barely four months after the high-profile and grand consecration ceremony of the Ram temple, revealed that fed up with the vexed dispute that simmered for years, they want to move on. "Now, along with the sound of conch shells being blown, bhajans from temples and azaan from mosques, the overriding sound is that of construction and new development taking place -- all symbolising the ongoing transformation of an ancient city to a sprawling modern pilgrimage centre. Why talk of others, my business has certainly gone up as there are more events now," Khan told PTI. "Previously, Muslim weddings did not take place on December 6. That is no longer the case now as the laptop-tablet generation seems least interested in religious talks. I am a proud Muslim, but then my religious identity never comes in the way of my duties. I was way too young on December 6, 1992 to actually realise what happened. Now, some 32 years later, December 6 is a mere footnote in Ayodhya's history," Khan said. "The Ram temple promises to bring newer employment opportunities, newer development. And we are already witnessing how this city, where Hindus and Muslims have co-existed peacefully all these years, is marching rapidly towards development. This development would benefit one and all," said Iqbal Ansari, a litigant in the Babri mosque-Ram Janmabhoomi case who had attended the January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony. "Ayodhya is happy and at peace. God never advocates violence," said Mohammad Azam, who makes "khadau" (footwear) that are worn by many, mostly priests, in Ayodhya. Mohammad Hafeez has been making a living by supplying flowers to temples for years. "We earn our living from this city. We want peace and coexistence," he said, adding, "Ram toh sabke hain (Lord Ram belongs to all)
Source:deccanherald.com
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Section of students demand removal of mosque from Varanasi college campus
06.12.24
A large number of students on Friday staged a protest at Udai Pratap College in Varanasi demanding removal of a mosque located on the institute's campus.
About 500 students carrying saffron flags and raising 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans assembled at the college gate on Friday.
However, a large police force already present there prevented them from entering the college, officials said.
The development came days after tension gripped the college when a section of students on Tuesday recited Hanuman Chalisa near the mosque when 'namaaz' was being offered there, prompting the police to detain seven persons for a brief period.
Former student union leader Vivekanand Singh contented that since the land for the tomb does not belong to the Waqf Board, it should be removed from the campus.
"The students and alumni of the college together staged a protest demanding removal of the tomb from the campus. But the police did not allow us to enter the college. If 'namaaz' can be offered at the tomb, students should also be allowed to recite Hanuman Chalisa there," Singh said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cantt), Vidush Saxena, said, "Adequate police force was deployed at the college gate. A group of students came to express their views, with some of them turning a little aggressive. But police calmed them down." Amid tension in the college, police on Thursday restricted outsiders' entry to the campus, allowing only students with valid identity cards.
In a related development, students of the college have formed a 'student court' and sent an 11-point letter to the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board, demanding a response within 15 days on the status of the mosque and its ownership.
Separately, Mohammad Yaseen, Joint Secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, said he wrote to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board on Tuesday itself to check the status of the mosque.
"The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board has clarified that its 2018 notice claiming the mosque as Waqf property was cancelled on January 18, 2021. There is no reason for the current controversy," Yaseen said.
Tension broke out after students protested against "outsiders" offering prayers at the mosque, citing concerns about unauthorised entry into the college campus.
A local official said the college management reached out to the administration, seeking verification of those entering the campus and that police have since been vigilant to prevent further disruptions.
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board claimed the mosque on the college campus and the land in its vicinity as Waqf properties, a claim rejected by the college administration.
A notice was sent to Udai Pratap College in 2018, claiming that the mosque on its campus and the college land were donated to the Waqf Board by the Nawab of Tonk and therefore, the college campus is Waqf property, principal DK Singh said earlier.
"The notice came from Wasim Ahmed Khan, a resident of Varanasi. The then secretary of the college responded to the notice, saying the mosque was built illegally and the property of the college belonged to a trust which could neither be bought, nor sold," Singh said, adding that the Waqf Board tried to build a mosque in 2022 but police stopped it after the college administration complained.
The principal also alleged that the mosque is stealing electricity from the college and using it illegally.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Varuna Zone), CK Meena, said the dispute dates back to 2022, when the mosque's construction was stopped on the college administration's complaint.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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Gyanvapi mosque managing committee moves SC against pleas challenging Places of Worship Act
Scroll Staff
December 6, 2024
The managing committee of the Gyanvapi mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi has moved the Supreme Court against the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Places of Worship Act, saying that the consequences sought by it were “bound to be drastic”, Live Law reported on Friday.
The Places of Worship Act, 1991, does not allow the religious character of a place of worship in India, as it existed on August 15, 1947, to be changed. The only exception to the law was the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, where a Ram temple is now being built following a Supreme Court judgement.
In 2020, a lead petition was filed challenging the Act. A year later, the court issued notice to the Union government on the petition. Subsequently, several similar pleas were filed against the statute.
In an intervention application on these petitions, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which takes care of the Gyanvapi mosque, noted that it was a key stakeholder in the legal deliberation on the Act, Live Law reported.
In August 2023, an order of a Supreme Court bench headed by DY Chandrachud, who was the chief justice at the time, permitted a survey to be carried out at the mosque to examine whether the religious structure was built on a temple.
While hearing the matter in 2022, Chandrachud also maintained that ascertaining the religious character of a place of worship was not barred under the Places of Worship Act. The court is yet to hear the challenge mounted to the Gyanvapi survey on the basis of the Act.
Chandrachud retired as the chief justice on November 10.
The managing committee, in its intervention application, said that several suits had been filed demanding the removal of the mosque despite the prohibitions under Section 3 and Section 4 of the Act, according to Live Law.
While Section 3 prohibits the conversion of a place of worship from one religious denomination to another, Section 4 mandates that any pending legal proceedings related to the conversion of a place of worship’s religious character before August 15, 1947, will be terminated.
Twenty civil suits have been filed in the Varanasi district court so far seeking to overturn the protection granted to the Gyanvapi mosque under the Places of Worship Act, and have it removed, Live Law reported.
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee said that the applications filed seeking to remove the mosque, along with similar petitions registered against other mosques and dargahs in the country, were being done due to a misinterpretation of the Places of Worship Act.
“In the past few years, a number of claims have already been made with regard to various mosques/dargahs claiming them to be ancient temples,” The Indian Express quoted the committee as having said.
The claims were “rhetorical and communal”, the committee added.
It also referred to a court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal allowing an application on November 19 asking for Hindus to be given access to and survey the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi town.
The petitioners claimed that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babar on the site of the “centuries old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”. Five persons were killed in violence during protests against the survey of the mosque on November 24.
“As seen recently in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh where a court permitted survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid by allowing an application for appointment of Survey Commissioner the very day when the suit was presented, in ex parte proceedings, the incident led to widespread violence...,” the intervention application said.
It added: “The declaration sought by the petitioner would mean such disputes rising their head in every nook and corner of the country and ultimately obliterate the rule of law and communal harmony.”
Opposition leaders have claimed that Chandrachud’s remarks in 2022 stating that the determination of the religious character of a place of worship was not barred under the Places of Worship Act had opened a “Pandora’s box”.
They also alleged that the law was being “violated brazenly” by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
On November 27, a Rajasthan court also admitted a petition claiming that the shrine of 13th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer was built over a Shiva temple.
Source:scroll.in
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Mideast
Damascus gripped by anxiety in face of militant offensive
December 07, 2024
DAMASCUS: Like many others in the Syrian capital Damascus, student Shadi chose to stay home so he could keep up with the pace of events since militants launched a shock offensive last week.
“I had no wish to go out and everyone chose to stay in to follow the news surrounded by their loved ones,” said Shadi, who did not wish to give his full name.
As the militants have taken city after city in quick succession, many Syrians have been wracked by uncertainty, fearing a revival of the worst days of Syria’s grinding civil war now in its 14th year.
“We don’t understand anything anymore. In just one week, the twists and turns have been so overwhelming that they are beyond all comprehension,” the young man said.
“The worry is contagious but we have to keep our cool,” he said, never once taking his eyes off the alerts on his mobile phone.
Syrian militants, led by Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), launched the shock offensive on November 27, sweeping from their stronghold in the northwest to capture swathes of northern and central Syria including the major cities of Aleppo and Hama.
Government forces have launched a counteroffensive seeking to repel the militants but at the cost of relaxing their grip on other parts of the country, notably the east where Kurdish-led forces have taken over.
“Whenever rumors spread, people rush to buy various products, bread, rice, sugar and detergents,” said Amine, 56, who runs a grocery store in the Sheikh Saad neighborhood of the capital.
“Today, I bought twice from my wholesaler to keep up with demand.”
The offensive has already sent food prices skyrocketing by 30 percent in Damascus, according to residents.
The Syrian pound is trading at an all-time low of 19,000 to the dollar, down from 15,000 before the militants launched their offensive on Wednesday of last week.
Security measures — already strict before the offensive — have been beefed up, with extra car searches, particularly on vehicles coming from outside the capital, according to residents.
Concerns have been further driven by the spread of disinformation and rumors.
The Syrian defense ministry has denounced “fabricated” videos, including of explosions at the headquarters of the general staff, calling on citizens not to fall prey to “lies” that “aim to sow chaos and panic among civilians.”
In the usually lively neighborhood of Bab Sharqi, restaurants and cafes are near-deserted in the evening, with some even closing up early due to the absence of customers.
Damascus University has delayed end-of-term exams and the Syrian football federation has postponed matches until further notice.
State news agency SANA reported that at Friday prayers, imams called on the faithful “not to panic... and to stand as one behind the Syrian Arab Army to defend the homeland.”
Georgina, 32, said she had “heard a lot of rumors.”
“I went to Old Damascus and saw a normal situation,” she said, adding that nonetheless “everyone was keeping an eye on the news.”
Meanwhile, some radio stations have switched from variety programming to non-stop news segments.
On state television, programs host analysts and witnesses on the ground, including those denying “rumors” of fresh territorial losses to the advancing militants.
Source:arabnews.com
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US tells citizens leave Syria ‘now while commercial options remain available’
December 07, 2024
WASHINGTON: US citizens in Syria should immediately leave the country “while commercial options remain available,” the State Department said Friday, as militant forces continue their offensive against President Bashar Assad’s troops.
“The security situation continues to be volatile and unpredictable with active clashes between armed groups throughout the country. The Department urges US citizens to depart Syria now while commercial options remain available,” the department said in a security alert posted on social media.
Source:arabnews.com
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Syrian government loses control of southern city of Daraa: monitor
December 07, 2024
BEIRUT, Lebanon: The Syrian government lost control Friday of the symbolic southern city of Daraa and most of the eponymous province, which was the cradle of the country’s 2011 uprising, a war monitor said.
“Local factions have taken control of more areas in Daraa province, including Daraa city... They now control more than 90 percent of the province, as government forces successively pulled out,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
In Daraa province, only the Sanamayn area is still in government hands, Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the British-based monitor with a network of sources in Syria, told AFP.
Earlier Friday, local factions seized the Nassib-Jaber border crossing with Jordan, the Observatory said, with Jordan closing its side of the crossing, Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said.
Daraa province was the cradle of the 2011 uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s rule, but it returned to government control in 2018 under a ceasefire deal brokered by Assad ally Russia. It was a militant bastion at the height of the civil war in the early 2010s.
Former militants there who accepted the 2018 deal were able to keep their light weapons.
Daraa province has been plagued by unrest in recent years, with frequent attacks, armed clashes and assassinations, some claimed by the Daesh group.
Source:arabnews.com
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UK to join US-Bahrain Middle East security agreement
December 07, 2024
LONDON: The UK is set to join a security pact between Bahrain and the US designed to build “long-term stability in the Middle East.”
The UK government said it would sign a deal to join the US-Bahrain Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement on Saturday in Manama.
The original agreement between the US and Bahrain, which have long-standing security ties, was signed in September last year.
At the time the State Department said it would “enhance cooperation across a wide range of areas, from defense and security to emerging technology, trade, and investment.”
Bahrain’s foreign minister confirmed on Friday that the UK had been invited to be a partner in the agreement, Reuters reported.
“The comprehensive security integration and prosperity agreement is designed not as a bilateral arrangement, but as the beginning of a multilateral framework that aims to bring together countries with an equal interest in delivering stability and prosperity,” Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.
Hamish Falconer, the UK’s minister for Middle East and North Africa, will travel to Bahrain on Saturday to sign the agreement with officials from Bahrain and the US.
He said the pact was a “joint commitment to be at the forefront of global efforts to promote the rule of law and contribute to regional stability and prosperity.”
Falconer added: “The Middle East is subject to instability and the risks of escalation and miscalculation are high. It is more important than ever for the UK to join efforts to build long-term regional security in the region, alongside key partners Bahrain and (the) US.”
Both the UK and the US have major naval bases in Bahrain, home to America’s Fifth Fleet. Bahrain has supported American and British efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which has been targeted by attacks from Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen for more than a year.
By entering the agreement the UK will bolster its strong security and economic cooperation with Bahrain, the British government said.
The first UK Bahrain Strategic Investment Partnership agreed in 2023 has provided over £1 billion of investment in the UK, the announcement added
The security agreement comes as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to deepen relations with Arab Gulf states.
The emir of Qatar this week took part in a two-day state visit to Britain, during which the two countries signed an agreement for Qatar to invest £1 billion in British climate technologies.
Source:arabnews.com
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Ailing kids wait months for Israeli permission to leave Gaza for treatment
December 06, 2024
DEIR AL-BALAH: The 12-year-old Palestinian boy was lying in a hospital bed in central Gaza, wracked with leukemia, malnourished, and whimpering in pain despite the morphine doctors were giving him, when Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF official, said she saw him in late October.
Islam Al-Rayahen’s family had asked Israeli authorities six times over the past months for permission to evacuate him from Gaza for a desperately needed stem cell transplant, Bollen said.
She said the request was refused six times for unexplained security reasons.
Islam died three days after she saw him, Bollen said.
Thousands of patients in Gaza are waiting for Israeli permission for urgently needed medical evacuation from Gaza for treatment of war wounds or chronic diseases they cannot get after the destruction of much of the territory’s health care system by Israel’s 15-month military campaign.
Among them are at least 2,500 children who UNICEF says must be transported immediately.
“They cannot afford to wait. These children will die. They are dying in waiting, and I find it striking that the world is letting that happen,” Bollen said.
The Israeli military often takes months to respond to medical evacuation requests, and the number of evacuations has plunged in recent months. In some cases, the military rejects either the patient or, in the case of children, the caregivers accompanying them on vague security grounds or with no explanation.
The Israeli decisions appear to be “arbitrary and are not made on criteria nor logic,” said Moeen Mahmood, the Jordan country director for Doctors Without Borders.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency in charge of humanitarian affairs for Palestinians, said in a statement that it “makes every effort to approve the departure of children and their families for medical treatments, subject to a security check.”
It did not respond when asked for details about Islam’s case.
A military official said Israel’s internal intelligence service reviews whether the patient or their escort has what he called “a connection to terrorism.”
If one is found, they are refused.
Osaid Shaheen, who is nearly 2, now faces having his eyes removed after Israel rejected his evacuation for treatment of cancer in his retinas.
The toddler was diagnosed with cancer in April after his mother, Sondos Abu Libda, noticed his left eyelid was droopy.
The World Health Organization requested his evacuation through the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, but the crossing was shut down in May when Israeli troops took it over in an offensive, Abu Libda said.
WHO applied again, this time for Osaid to leave through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel, now the only route for evacuees to travel. During the long wait, the cancer spread to the child’s other eye and reached stage 4.
Abu Libda was told Osaid was rejected on security grounds in November, and there was no further explanation.
She was stunned, she said. “I did not expect that a child could get a security rejection.”
Doctors have given the boy three doses of chemotherapy. But with supplies short in Gaza, they’re struggling to get more. If they can’t, they will have to remove Osaid’s eyes, or cancer will spread to other parts of his body, Abu Libda said.
“He’s just a child. How will he live his life without seeing? How will he play? How will he see his future, and how will his life turn out?” Abu Libda asked, standing outside the house where her family is sheltering in the Beni Suheil district of southern Gaza.
Nearby, little Osaid — who so far still has his sight — toddled around in the rubble of a building destroyed by Israeli forces, smiling as he played with chunks of debris.
When asked about his case, COGAT did not reply.
WHO says 14,000 patients of all ages need medical evacuation from Gaza.
The territory’s Health Ministry puts the number higher, at 22,000, including 7,000 patients in extreme need who could die soon without treatment, according to Mohammed Abu Salmeya, a ministry official in charge of evacuation referrals.
Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, 5,230 patients have been evacuated, said Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson.
Since May, when the Rafah crossing shut down, the rate has slowed, with only 342 patients evacuated, she said, an average of less than two a day. Before the war, when Israeli permission was also necessary, around 100 patients a day were transferred out of Gaza, according to WHO.
More than 44,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 105,000 wounded by Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives, launched in retaliation for Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
The casualty toll, by Gaza’s Health Ministry, does not distinguish combatants from civilians — but more than half are women and children.
Gaza’s health system has been decimated, with only 17 of the territory’s original 36 hospitals functioning — and those only partially.
They struggle with the waves of war wounded on top of patients with other conditions.
Carrying out specialized surgeries or treatments in Gaza is difficult or impossible, with equipment destroyed, some specialist doctors killed or arrested, and medical supplies limited.
Gaza’s only dedicated cancer hospital was seized by Israeli troops early in the war, heavily damaged, and has been shut down.
Doctors without Borders said in August it sought to evacuate 32 children along with their caregivers, but only six were allowed to leave. In November, it applied for eight others, including a 2-year-old with leg amputations, but Israeli authorities blocked evacuation, it said
The military official said five of the eight requests in November were approved, but the caregivers trying to travel with the children were rejected on security grounds.
The official said Doctors Without Borders would have to resubmit the requests with alternate escorts.
The official didn’t say why the other three children weren’t approved.
The rejected caregivers were the children’s mothers and grandmothers, said Mahmoud, the Doctor’s Without Borders official, who said no explanation was given for the security concern.
Children long waiting for permission face dire consequences if they don’t get treatment.
Nima Al-Askari said doctors told her that 4-year-old Qusay could become paralyzed if her son doesn’t get surgery in the next two or three months for a heart defect that constricts his aorta.
“Should I wait until my son becomes paralyzed?” Al-Askari said.
“Everyone is telling me to wait until he gets evacuated. ... This is my only son. I can’t see him in a wheelchair.”
Asma Saed said she has been waiting for three months to hear whether her 2-year-old son, Al-Hassan, can travel for treatment for kidney failure. In the meantime, they are living in a squalid tent camp in Khan Younis, with little clean water or food.
She said her son doesn’t sleep, screaming all night.
“I wish I could see him like any child in the world who can move, walk, and play,” she said.
“He’s a child. He can’t express his pain.”
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Lebanese defense minister condemns Israeli truce violations
NAJIA HOUSSARI
December 06, 2024
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army will continue to cooperate with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, government figures said on Friday in a meeting with visiting Italian officials.
Caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim highlighted Lebanon’s full adherence to UN Resolution 1701 during talks with his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto.
He condemned recent Israeli actions on Lebanese territory as a “blatant violation of the ceasefire terms.”
The meeting reviewed “military cooperation between Lebanon and Italy, along with the important role of the UNIFIL Italian contingent,” according to Slim’s office.
Crosetto briefed Slim on Italian efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and “establish stability, particularly in the south, through existing cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.”
Italy “will continue to support the Lebanese Army by organizing further conferences to enhance its capabilities, especially during this critical stage,” said Crosetto.
Slim said the Lebanese Army “will cooperate as much as possible with UNIFIL, particularly at this critical juncture, as the army plays a central role in maintaining security and stability in the south.”
Crosetto also met Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun.
Italian Army Chief Gen. Luciano Portolano was also present.
They discussed “ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ armies.”
The diplomatic efforts continued as Lebanon said it closed all land border crossings with Syria on Friday except for the central route linking Beirut to the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The General Security Directorate said the Masnaa crossing will remain open for entries and exits.
The decision follows a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted Lebanese-Syrian border crossings on Friday morning.
Closing all but one border crossing will ensure the safety of civilians, the directorate said.
Public Works Ali Hamieh Minister told Reuters that the Israeli strikes targeted the Syrian side of the Aridah border crossing in the north and the Jousieh crossing on the eastern side.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the Lebanese Army set up checkpoints and dispatched patrols amid strict measures and procedures.
The agency said that the army was intensively deployed along the border area in Akkar and other villages and towns adjacent to Syrian territory.
In parallel to the Lebanese security measures, rapid military developments were taking place in Syria.
Armed opposition factions were advancing toward the Homs governorate, close to the Lebanese border.
Fears of infiltration attempts into Lebanese territory and illegal immigration also mounted in Lebanon.
Lebanese Army Command said on Friday that “two army units, backed by two military intelligence units, arrested 36 Syrians, including 24 people detained at the Deir Ammar checkpoint in the north, for residing in Lebanon without legal documentation, as well as 12 others in Beit Al-Tashm, Hermel, for clandestinely entering the country.”
Israeli Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that Israel targeted Syrian routes used for transporting combat equipment, as well as infrastructure established near the border with Lebanon.
The ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel was signed more than a week ago but Israeli violations by air and land continue.
On Thursday night, Israeli drones and jets flew at low altitudes across Lebanese airspace, from Shebaa in the far south to Hermel in the far northeast, passing through Beirut and its southern suburb.
The number of Israeli violations exceeded 60 since the early hours of Nov. 27, resulting in the deaths of 15 people in a series of airstrikes, including one in Haris, which killed six civilians.
On Friday morning, Israeli military vehicles and tanks advanced into Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil district.
Aitaroun had been subjected to extensive Israeli combing operations with medium-caliber machine guns during the night.
The Israeli Army had prohibited residents of the border area from returning until further notice, continuing the demolition of buildings, houses and facilities it had begun before the ceasefire.
Lebanese Army Command said that the five-party committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, chaired by the US, would hold its first meeting early next week.
The committee conducted an aerial tour by helicopter over the South Litani sector and assessed the field situation.
It includes US Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, French Brig. Gen. Guillaume Ponchin, and Lebanese representative and commander of the South Litani sector, Brig. Gen. Edgar Lowndes.
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Three killed in clashes between Druze militias and Syrian security forces in Sweida
December 06, 2024
AMMAN/BEIRUT: At least three people were killed in clashes between Druze militias and security forces in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Friday, two witnesses and a local activist said.
They said anti-government fighters also took control of the main police station and the biggest civilian prison hours after hundreds of people protested in a main square demanding the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
“People are seeing what is happening in the rest of Syria as liberation of Syria and a chance to bring down the regime,” activist Ryan Marouf, editor of Suwayda 24, a website that covers the province, told Reuters.
The outlet further showed footage of staff leaving the police headquarters building and a clip of fighters destroying a picture of Assad.
“The Sweida governor, the police and prison chiefs, and the local Baath Party leader left their offices in the city of Sweida, as local fighters took control of some checkpoints in the province,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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Turkish diplomat named OSCE head after tense Malta talks
December 06, 2024
TA’QALI, Malta: The OSCE, the world’s largest regional security organization, agreed Friday on Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu as its next leader, after a meeting marred by outrage over Russia’s participation.
The 57-nation Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has been paralyzed since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and has been without a secretary general since September.
Ian Borg, Malta’s foreign minister, told reporters the OSCE faced “fundamental geopolitical divisions and institutional paralysis.”
He said the agreement on a new secretary general and three other top posts had been “no easy feat” but hailed it as proof members could come together.
Borg did not rule out a deal on the budget — which has not been agreed since 2021 — by the end of the year.
Sinirlioglu, who has served as foreign minister and as Turkiye’s ambassador to Israel and the United Nations, said he hoped to act as “a bridge and a facilitator” between participating states.
Sinirlioglu, who takes over from Germany’s Helga Maria Schmid, also called on Russia to release three OSCE officials held in Russian-controlled Ukraine since 2022.
The Malta meeting was dominated by criticism of Russia, represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on his first trip to a European Union country since the invasion.
Ukraine boycotted last year’s OSCE meeting in North Macedonia over Lavrov’s presence.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga was present in Malta, but he and several allies walked out during Lavrov’s address.
Poland has led calls for Russia to be excluded from the OSCE, but Borg said it was vital to keep talking.
“I’d rather have the other... (members) telling Russia on the same table to stop this war,” he said.
“It’s easy to discuss and agree among friends,” he added, but it was important also, “especially with the backdrop of raging wars, to engage with those who started and can stop the war immediately.”
Malta took the 2025 chairmanship at the last minute after Russia blocked NATO member Estonia.
Finland, which joined NATO last year, is chair for 2025.
The OSCE was founded in 1975 to ease East-West tensions during the Cold War, and now counts members from the United States to Mongolia.
It helps coordinate issues such as human rights and arms control, but Moscow has accused the group of being politicized by the EU and NATO.
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Arab World
What a Saudi marine scientist has uncovered about the role of algae in coral reef health
SULAFA ALKHUNAIZI
December 06, 2024
RIYADH: The Red Sea’s rich marine life depends on maintaining a balanced environment to protect biodiversity and delicate habitats, with the survival of each species closely tied to the health of its surroundings.
This interdependence prompted a Saudi researcher to explore the critical role of algae in shifting ecosystems and investigate the impact of nighttime hypoxia on macroalgae and crustose algae, especially during the hot summer months.
Taiba Alamoudi, a Saudi PhD candidate in marine science at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and her colleagues examined how algae play a vital role in coral reef ecosystems, contributing to nutrient cycling and stability.
However, climate change has been linked to ocean warming and deoxygenation, causing greater stratification and reduced oxygen solubility, which ultimately harm algal health.
Alamoudi told Arab News that the inspiration for her research, titled “Impacts of Climate Change and the Biotechnological Potential of Seaweed,” was “the phase shifts occurring in coral reef ecosystems, where algae begin to dominate areas once rich with corals.”
She said: “While it might seem that algae have an advantage over corals in warmer oceans, I believe the situation is more complicated. Algae, like corals, are also impacted by environmental stressors such as nighttime hypoxia, a drop in oxygen levels after sunset when photosynthesis ceases but respiration continues.”
Alamoudi’s research seeks to “explore what a balanced ecosystem should look like amid climate change” and deepen understanding of the vulnerabilities and strengths of both corals and algae.
This insight, she said, provides a deeper understanding of reef ecosystem dynamics and supports the development of more effective strategies to preserve their balance and health for the future.
The two main criteria for the studied species were their association with reefs and the limited research on them in the Red Sea region.
“Specifically, we placed special emphasis on crustose coralline algae due to their critical role in reef-building and maintenance,” Alamoudi said.
“These algae deposit calcium carbonate in their cell walls, effectively acting as natural cement that strengthens reef structures and provides essential substrates for coral larvae to settle and grow.”
The researchers used “gas buffering” methods to simulate natural reef oxygen dynamics and replicate nighttime hypoxia.
“By bubbling the seawater stock with the specific concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen gases, we can adjust the dissolved oxygen and pH levels in our setups to the required experimental levels.”
The study also measured metabolic respiration rates, oxygen production, photosynthetic efficiency, and metabolomic processes to assess the impact on algal health and functionality.
In addition, Alamoudi said, “we examine changes in their associated microbial communities and observe visual cues like discoloration or tissue degradation.”
The experiments’ results showed that “macroalgae and crustose algae significantly mitigate the impacts of ocean warming through substantial daytime oxygen production, often leading to oxygen supersaturation that enhances reef resilience.”
However, she said, this benefit is offset at night when photosynthesis stops.
Climate change worsens nighttime hypoxia by raising sea temperatures, which in turn lower oxygen solubility and increase metabolic rates. Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen, reducing its overall availability.
“Elevated temperatures increase the metabolic demands of the entire reef community, intensifying oxygen consumption and leading to nighttime hypoxia,” Alamoudi said.
“This hypoxic stress disrupts the algae’s physiological processes and associated reef microbial communities, making them more vulnerable to additional stressors.”
She added: “While they help maintain current reef conditions, prolonged nighttime hypoxia compromises their ability to support reef expansion and long-term ecosystem vitality.
“Understanding the balance between their daytime benefits and nighttime vulnerabilities is crucial for defining a truly balanced ecosystem.”
During the day, photosynthesis by algae produces oxygen that helps offset increased consumption. “However, at night, no new oxygen is produced while organisms continue to consume it at elevated rates,” said Alamoudi.
“This combination of decreased oxygen solubility, increased metabolic demand, and reduced oxygen production exacerbates nighttime hypoxia, making it a significant stressor intensified by climate change.”
During peak summer temperatures, the research team observed that hypoxia worsens.
“Warmer water reduces oxygen solubility and increases the metabolic rates of the reef community, leading to greater oxygen consumption,” Alamoudi said. “At night, without photosynthesis to produce oxygen, this intensifies hypoxia.
“Consequently, marine organisms experience increased stress during the hottest months, making them more vulnerable to hypoxic conditions compared to cooler seasons.”
Moreover, Alamoudi’s research shows how changes in the health of macroalgae and crustose algae can have cascading effects on marine organisms, particularly herbivorous species and invertebrates, potentially impacting their population.
“Coralline algae are crucial for coral larval settlement. Their decline could hinder coral recruitment and reef regeneration,” she said. “This, in turn, affects species dependent on healthy coral reefs for habitat, potentially reducing biodiversity and altering the ecosystem’s balance.”
By studying the impact of nighttime hypoxia on algae, Alamoudi aims to uncover their true role in these shifting ecosystems.
She said her research helps scientists “explore what a balanced ecosystem should look like amid climate change,” noting that “understanding the vulnerabilities and advantages of both corals and algae allows us to better comprehend the dynamics of reef ecosystems and develop more effective strategies to preserve their balance and health for the future.”
One of the biggest challenges Alamoudi and her colleagues faced in this research was the need for continuous monitoring, as even slight fluctuations can greatly impact dissolved oxygen and pH levels.
She added that “collecting samples from deeper ocean zones demanded substantial technological resources.” However, her team’s collaboration with the Saudi National Center for Wildlife enabled them to “access these depths and gather the necessary data and specimens.”
Alamoudi said she found it interesting how mesophotic coralline algae, which live in deeper, lower-light reef zones, respond differently from shallow-water species.
“Even short-term hypoxic stress at the microscale can have substantial impacts, potentially leading to significant ecological consequences that are not yet widely studied,” she said.
“This highlights the importance of examining subtle environmental stressors across different habitats, as they may reveal vulnerabilities in marine ecosystems that could affect overall reef health and resilience.”
Alamoudi is one of six winners of the 2024 L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program. Currently a PhD student under the mentorship of Ibn Sina Distinguished Professor Carlos Duarte, she earned her undergraduate degree in marine biology from Oregon State University in 2018.
She gained experience in environmental consulting and aquaculture in the Kingdom before joining KAUST in 2020.
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Misk Art Week returns for artists, enthusiasts in Riyadh
NADA ALTURKI
December 06, 2024
RIYADH: The eighth annual Misk Art Week began on Thursday and runs until Dec. 10, featuring a spectacular display of what is all the latest on the local art scene.
Enthusiasts rushed to Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall and its neighboring venue to explore new exhibitions, art fairs, markets, and educational programs, while the soothing sounds of oud music added charm to the evening
Ibrahem Al-Suhaibani, executive director for marketing, communication, and user experience at Misk Art Institute, told Arab News: “We do have artists who are now establishing their career in the art and design market.
“So, we see ourselves supporting and bridging between the establishment and the mature galleries, and in between we support the artists through all the value chain.”
This year’s event is curated around the theme of art and technology, pushing artists to contemplate the aspects of digital and media through an artistic lens.
Al-Suhaibani added: “We tackle the topic from different angles: from a research angle, before internet, post-internet, what’s the impact of the technology and the media, how this is helping artists to boost their creativity or even block them in any way, and how they really reveal their creativity after that blocking.”
At the entrance of the space, inspired by how nature is alive and ever-changing, the Canadian art studio Iregular presents “As Water Falls,” a free-flowing digital waterfall that continuously evolves with alternating patterns and visuals that will never be the same for at least 100 years.
While the digital installation has been presented in seven countries around the world this year, an addition was created especially for Misk Art Week, Al-Suhaibani said, and is being shown for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
Further into the outdoor space, the studio presents “Alternative Realities,” an interactive experience that invites visitors to explore and create parallel worlds in real-time through generative artificial intelligence.
By combining word prompts and arranging a variety of props at their disposal, participants can craft infinite combinations of realities that range from slightly different to wildly surreal.
Al-Suhaibani said: “We have four shows in total for Misk Art Week, all of them around media and technology in a different format.”
The exhibitions include the Masaha Residency’s “Obsolete Technologies” showcase, which features works from local and international artists; the “Seeing Riyadh” exhibition, which explores the city’s significant transformation over the past decade through photography; the Misk Art Grant’s “Digital Civilizations” outdoor exhibit, which taps into phenomena shaped by modern technology; and “The Silent Age of Singularity” exhibition, which investigates the post-internet era.
Al-Suhaibani said: “Riyadh has been evolving in the past few years, especially now with the announcement of the metro starting to operate.
“Riyadh is hosting big events and has become a hub. So, we felt this year that we needed to highlight Riyadh, especially at the beginning of the ’80s and ’90s.”
Additionally, the event includes an art book fair featuring a number of international, regional, and local publishers to celebrate the rich and diverse Arab art culture; and an extended art and design market with 92 artists and entities at which the local community can engage, sell, and commission unique works.
“We designed it in a way that anyone walking by the market can see everything. And there is a diversity between painting, photography, sculpting projects, and even design,” Al-Suhaibani said.
The educational program and mentorship sessions are also part of the institute’s strategy to educate, enable, and encourage new generations of artists.
The art fair space is bigger this year, and features works from 11 Saudi-based galleries including Hewar Art, Mono, Hafez, WRD Art, ATHR, and Dawi.
Al-Suhaibani added: “We believe today the market desires to have galleries more specialized to support artists and to showcase their artwork.”
The Misk Art Week mural is also a feature and an interactive space crafted to showcase the creativity of young talents. As children contribute unique visions that are then displayed on a wall, they collectively shape a masterpiece that evolves with each individual contribution. With the help of augmented reality tech, the artwork comes to life in an entirely new dimension.
Misk Art Institute’s goal is to create a cohesive environment in which all artists, regardless of their background, can thrive.
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Saudi foreign minister arrives in Bahrain for Manama Dialogue 2024
December 06, 2024
MANAMA: Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Bahrain on Friday to participate in the Manama Dialogue 2024 Forum, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Upon his arrival at Bahrain International Airport, Prince Faisal was received by Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullatif Al-Zayani, and Fahd bin Munikher, the Charge d'Affaires of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Manama.
The IISS Manama Dialogue is an annual security summit organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in collaboration with Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The forum brings together government officials, policy experts, and academics from across the globe to discuss pressing regional and international security challenges.
Since its inception in 2004, the dialogue has served as a platform for fostering dialogue, enhancing cooperation, and shaping policies to address critical issues such as Middle East security, economic stability, and international diplomacy.
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Saudi Arabia poised to expand manufacturing ecosystem with inaugural CPHI Middle East
RASHID HASSAN
December 06, 2024
RIYADH: Efforts to build a new manufacturing and research and development hub in Saudi Arabia and across the wider Middle East are accelerating as more than 30,000 pharma professionals and decision-makers are expected to attend the inaugural CPHI (Convention on Pharmaceutical Ingredients) Middle East at Riyadh Front Exhibition and Convention Center.
CPHI Middle East, which is to be held from Dec. 10-12, will be the largest-ever gathering of pharma companies in the region as government officials, global pharma companies, biotechs and manufacturing partners meet to begin the next phase in the Kingdom’s plans to build a world-class R&D and manufacturing infrastructure.
Tahaluf, Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing business event organizer, has been behind the event which has garnered the support of the Saudi Ministry of Health.
April Hung, brand manager for CPHI Middle East, said: “CPHI Middle East is set to be the portfolio’s most successful launch to date, with incredibly impressive attendee and exhibitor numbers. This level of interest reflects the region’s ambitions and strong demand for partnerships.”
Hung added: “The public-private collaboration here is impressive, and by bringing CPHI to Saudi Arabia we are helping accelerate the development of partnerships and supply ecosystems that will fuel growth over the next five years.
“We are thrilled to launch the show and play a role in building a new ‘heart of pharma’ in the Middle East.”
The event is expecting over 400 exhibitors, and representatives from more than 100 countries.
Pharma leaders predict that the first CPHI event in the Kingdom will help speed up efforts to establish a robust domestic manufacturing base.
Hala Audi, the CEO of Unizima, a consultancy specialising in public and private partnerships for bioproduction facilities in emerging markets, said: “The event’s success is just another indicator of the significant investment underway in the region.
“The rate of change is only accelerating, and the Kingdom is building pharma infrastructure at pace. The government is rightly driving the momentum, by focusing on its strengths — a sizable domestic market, growing scientific and medical talent, and financing power.
“I believe that with the right technology partnerships, the region is poised to build a biotech ecosystem that will compete with the best globally. Next generation technologies for vaccines and therapeutics, including for instance RNA-based treatments, offer an opportunity for the Kingdom and the region to leapfrog and lead the way in biotech.”
More than 150 experts are presenting at the event and a ministerial panel on Dec. 10 will outline the Kingdom’s strategy to develop a biopharma ecosystem, in alignment with the Kingdom’s vision to be the leading biotech hub in MENA (Middle East and North Africa) by 2030 and globally by 2040.
The Kingdom has ambitious plans to reduce its reliance on imported drugs. Saudi Arabia relies heavily on imports for its pharmaceutical needs, with only 30 percent of drugs manufactured locally. To address this, the government aims to increase local production to 40 percent as part of its Vision 2030 plan.
Among the event’s highlights, Audi will share insights on building biologics capabilities in emerging markets, while Greg Licholai, chief medical and innovation officer at Icon and faculty member at Yale School of Management, will explore “The Patient Singularity: How the Middle East can use AI to Improve Bio-Pharmaceutical Outcomes.”
The event will also feature prominent panel discussions, including a session on expanding Saudi Arabia’s domestic manufacturing hub, moderated by Eleonora Brero, head of consulting and financial institution consulting at IQVIA Middle East and Africa.
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Tourism Development Fund celebrates Saudi handicrafts
SULAFA ALKHUNAIZI
December 06, 2024
RIYADH: The Tourism Development Fund recently celebrated the achievements of 15 Saudi startups in the Tourism Growth Accelerator for Handicrafts and Souvenirs program, in partnership with AlMashtal Creative Incubator in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter.
Over 560 entrepreneurs and creators applied to the program, with 40 participants advancing to the final challenge phase and 15 projects being completed.
The program provided a competitive training framework involving a range of creative activities that aided local innovators in presenting their ideas with the aim of delivering them in high-quality formats that could find a place in the global market.
Additionally, the fund organized a specialized workshop in collaboration with the Al-Mushtal Creative Incubator focusing on intellectual property protection.
During the event, Qusai AI-Fakhri, CEO of the Tourism Development Fund, expressed his pride in the participants.
“We are proud of what the participants have accomplished through the Tourism Growth Accelerator for Handicrafts and Souvenirs program. The creative entrepreneurs have demonstrated their ability to transform ideas into products that tell inspiring stories,” said Al-Fakhri.
Princess Nourah bint Saud bin Nayef Al Saud, founder and CEO of the Al-Mushtal Creative Incubator, highlighted the importance of collaborating with Saudi brands, as it “contributes to supporting small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector, enabling them to be ambassadors of contemporary Saudi identity through their products,” she said.
Kholoud Attar, CEO of DRB Saudiverse and Souvenirs, one of the event’s spotlighted Saudi brands, presented products inspired by the Arabic love story “Majnun Layla,” in which lovers Qays and Layla, although born into the same tribe, are unable to be together.
“Today in the accelerator, we are doing a product concept called ‘Diar Layla,’ which is inspired by … Saudi culture. We were surprised to find that the poet Qays is from an area in Saudi Arabia called Alflag (a village near Riyadh), which a lot of people, including us Saudis, don’t know,” she said.
In the classic story, Qays becomes obsessed with Layla, and his tribe gives him the nickname “Majnun Layla,” a term that is still used to this day to describe someone who is madly in love.
The souvenirs are a necklace in the shape of a lock and a brooch that serves as a key with a design inspired by the iconic Najdi doors, known for their geometric patterns and colors.
“We created the lock to be the necklace, and the keyhole is the brooch for the men to wear, so it’s a two-in-one gift. She gets to keep the necklace, and he gets to keep the lock,” Attar said.
Attar said that the accelerator provided her with an educational experience that was curated for each brand and individual.
“I have been in several accelerators before, but what was really special about this was that … it was customized to each person … I learned how to create a product, design it, and (pitch) it to the market successfully.”
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North America
Global Imams Council selects Toronto as western headquarters
Dec 06, 2024
OTTAWA – A prominent cross-denominational Muslim NGO – known for its active rejection of extremism – has chosen Toronto for its western headquarters.
Speaking at a press conference on Parliament Hill this week, Imam Mohammad Tawhidi of the Global Imams Council (GIC) said the new Toronto HQ will be a means for the organization to continue their work.
“This will be our hub to continue and extend our international work promoting interfaith dialog and respectful interfaith cooperation and pursuit of our shared interests – peace, international recognition, and mutual acceptance,” said Tawhidi, who is better known on social media as the Imam of Peace.
“We fully and wholly reject violence, extremism and Islamism in all its forms, and we maintain that Islamism as an ideology is a misrepresentation and corruption of the true Islamic faith, which is based on peace and acceptance,” he added.
The GIC is comprised of faith leaders and scholars of all Islamic sects, and actively advocates against Islamic extremism and promotes peaceful and meaningful relations with Israel.
In a statement issued in October, the GIC applauded Canada’s decision to declare Vancouver-based Samidoun as a terrorist organization.
“Samidoun’s active presence in Canada, coupled with its direct ties to other groups already designated as terrorist organizations under Canada’s criminal code, poses a clear and present danger to the Muslim community and the wider public,” the statement read.
“This group’s activities, which promote extremism and glorify terrorism, threaten to undermine the moral and ethical values we seek to instill in our communities.”
GIC have likewise publicly condemned Hamas, this August’s bomb threats targeting Canadian Jews, and October’s funeral prayers at a few Canadian mosques honouring dead terror boss Yahya Sinwar.
Spadina-Fort York MP Kevin Vuong, who hosted this week’s press conference, said the time’s come for Canada to stop tolerating public displays of hatred.
“We must stop tolerating the intolerant and giving credence to a loud and hateful minority who neither represent their ethnic community nor their faith,” he told the Toronto Sun.
“In the dangerous vacuum that has been created by the Trudeau government’s inaction, civil society, religious leaders, and peace-loving Canadians are standing up – I am proud to stand with the Global Imams Council and other organizations who refuse to bow to hate.”
“Together, we will fight for the peaceful and tolerant country that we all knew and love,” Vuong added.
Source:torontosun.com
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Trump taps China critic Perdue as next ambassador to Beijing
Dec 07, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump has named former Georgia Senator David Perdue to become ambassador to China, a key role for how the US deals with one of its biggest global rivals.
Perdue, who was labelled "anti-China" by a Chinese think tank while in Congress, has advocated for a stronger US navy, partly over China's work to increase its military strength.
He is the latest China "hawk" tapped for foreign policy in Trump's next term, as the world wonders if the incoming president will start a trade war with the country.
Earlier this week, Trump said Peter Navarro - who backs high tariffs and taking a hard line on China - would return to the White House as a trade and manufacturing adviser.
Both men tapped by Trump for cabinet roles on foreign policy - Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Fox News weekend host Pete Hegseth for defence secretary - are also China critics, along with Michael Waltz, who is expected to become national security adviser.
In announcing his choice, Trump said Perdue would be "instrumental" in maintaining peace and a "productive working relationship" with China.
The President-elect has vowed to impose stiff tariffs on products entering the US from Canada, Mexico and China during his first days back in office.
A massive trade imbalance between the two countries has persisted for decades. The US imported more than $420b worth of goods from China in 2023, and exported less than $150b, federal data shows.
The Chinese embassy in the US recently warned that both countries would suffer consequences if a trade war were to ensue.
"China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature," Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu posted on X earlier this week. "No will win win a trade war or a tariff war."
On Thursday night - following Perdue's nomination - Mr Liu said China stands "ready to engage in dialogue, expand cooperation, and manage differences with the incoming US government so as to maintain stability in China-US relations to the benefits of the two countries and the world at large".
If confirmed by the Senate, Perdue will take over the ambassadorship in Beijing from Nicholas Burns, a veteran diplomat.
Perdue - who lost his senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff in 2020 - ran unsuccessfully to unseat Brian Kemp as the state's governor in 2022.
During his failed gubernatorial bid, Perdue repeated Donald Trump's false claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 election.
Who has joined Trump's top team?
Prior to getting involved in politics, he was a high-level executive at Dollar General, Reebok and other firms.
Source:bbc.com
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TikTok set to be banned in the US after losing appeal
Dec 07, 2024
TikTok's bid to overturn a law which would see it banned or sold in the US from early 2025 has been rejected.
The social media company had hoped a federal appeals court would agree with its argument that the law was unconstitutional because it represented a "staggering" impact on the free speech of its 170 million US users.
But the court upheld the law, which it said "was the culmination of extensive, bipartisan action by the Congress and by successive presidents".
TikTok says it will now take its fight to the US Supreme Court, the country's highest legal authority.
The US wants TikTok sold or banned because of what it says are its owners links to the Chinese state - links TikTok and parent company Bytedance have always denied.
The court agreed the law was "carefully crafted to deal only with control by a foreign adversary, and it was part of a broader effort to counter a well-substantiated national security threat posed by the PRC (People's Republic of China)."
But TikTok said it was not the end of its legal fight.
"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.
They added that the law was based on "inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information" and a ban would censor US citizens.
Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 US Presidential Election may also present a lifeline for the app.
Despite unsuccessfully attempting to ban TikTok during his first term in 2020, he said in the run-up to the November elections he would not allow the ban on TikTok to take effect.
Trump will be inaugurated on 20 January - the day after the law says TikTok must be be banned or sold.
However, it remains to be seen whether he will follow through on his pre-election vow.
Professor James Grimmelmann of Cornell University said the president-elect would be "swimming upstream to give TikTok a reprieve".
"The anti-China sentiment in the US Congress is very strong, so there are now substantial constituencies in both parties that want TikTok to be restricted from the US market," he told BBC News.
Users and rivals
The court case has been closely watched both by those who use TikTok- and the app's rivals.
Tiffany Cianci, a small business advocate and TikTok creator, said she was "not shocked" by Friday's decision - but told BBC News she would not be shifting her TikTok content or presence to the platform's rivals, such as Instagram.
"I'm not going to do what they want and take my content to their platforms where it's not as successful where it's more likely to be censored, where I am more likely to have less control over my audience," she said.
Nonetheless, other platforms are positioning themselves for a post-TikTok social media landscape.
Meta, which owns Facebook as well as Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, has sought to build rivals to TikTok's short form videos within its own apps, and made changes that users have likened to TikTok amid questions over the app's US future.
Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at eMarketer, said there would be "major upheaval" if a TikTok appeal were to fail at the Supreme Court and a ban was enforced.
She said this would be "benefitting Meta, YouTube and Snap, while hurting content creators and small businesses that rely on the app to make a living."
But TikTok won't be easily recreated, said Cory Johnson, Chief Market Strategist at Epistrophy Capital Research. Johnson said deep learning models power TikTok's recommendation engine.
"Enabling such complex AI and big data processing at TikTok's immense scale requires a colossal and expensive technical infrastructure," Johnson said.
He said TikTok's hyper-targeting and China's data laws pose significant risks, and pointed to Elon Musk's alterations to algorithms at his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, as a cautionary tale.
In the run-up to the U.S. election, Musk's political posts received more views than all U.S. political campaign ads on X's disclosure dataset, Johnson said.
"We have very real and very recent experience in America with a social media network tweaking its algorithms to favor certain voices," he added.
Source:bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ldnq5095xo
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Europe
Muslim Leaders And UKHealth Security Agency Urge Communities To Get Winter Vaccines
6 December 2024
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) are urging members of the Muslim community to prioritise their flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to help boost their immunity against winter viruses and get winter strong.
People eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations are advised to book their jab as soon as possible, as the NHS online vaccination National Booking System will end on 20 December.
The latest UKHSA data shows over the past 2 winters (Oct to May 2023-2024 and 2022-2023) at least 18,000 deaths were associated with flu while over 19,500 deaths were associated with COVID-19. Muslim leaders and health experts are keen on ensuring that communities are not vulnerable to serious winter illnesses this year.
Everyone aged 65 and over is eligible for a free flu and COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnant women and those with certain long-term health conditions (such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease) are also eligible. Both vaccines are the best defence we have to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death from these viruses.
Every winter, thousands of children go into hospital for treatment, including intensive care, with children aged under 5 having one of the highest rates of hospital admissions due to flu. By getting your child vaccinated, you are not only helping to protect them but also others around them, including babies, grandparents and others with health conditions that put them at greater risk.
School-aged children (from reception to year 11) are also eligible for a free flu vaccine – given as a quick and painless nose spray – delivered in schools by local immunisation teams. If your child has missed their opportunity for a vaccine in school, there will be local NHS community clinics where they can get the flu vaccine free of charge.
Parents should ensure their children’s vaccination consent forms are returned to their school, and that 2 and 3 year-olds are booked for flu vaccine appointments at their GP practice.
If parents have any concerns about the vaccine, they should speak to a trusted religious leader or NHS nurse or doctor. Children who can’t have the nasal spray for medical or faith reasons can request an alternative flu vaccine instead, that does not contain any porcine.
For the first time this year, pregnant women and older people aged 75-79 are eligible for the new RSV vaccination, with the maternal vaccine providing vital strong protection for newborns in their first few months, when they are most at risk of serious illness from RSV.
Dr Naveed Syed, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at UKHSA, said:
Vaccination against flu and COVID-19 remains the most effective way to safeguard yourself and your loved ones from these serious infections this winter. We know that the numbers getting the vaccines in many communities is far below what we need it to be to protect vulnerable family and friends, so I urge everyone eligible to book their vaccinations as soon as possible.
As well as protecting yourself, it’s important that your children are vaccinated too. Each winter thousands of children require treatment in hospital caused by flu. Many of these cases could be prevented by a simple vaccine. Beyond keeping your child healthy, the flu vaccine also helps stop the spread of flu in the community, protecting more vulnerable members such as elderly relatives.
Dr Salman Waqar, GP and President of the British Islamic Medical Association, said:
Our faith encourages us to consider the implications of our actions on the people around us. That is why we encourage eligible Muslim children, vulnerable adults, and those over the age of 65 not to delay their decision to get vaccinated for free against COVID-19 and seasonal flu. Please take up this offer to reduce your chances of hospitalisation this winter.
We know many people in our community have religious concerns about the porcine content of the children’s nasal flu spray, but they should know that the flu injection for both children and adults is free of this and can be requested.
Source:gov.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/muslim-leaders-and-ukhsa-urge-communities-to-get-winter-vaccines
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Embattled Macron seeks boost from Notre Dame reopening
7 December 2024
Hugh Schofield
A gravely weakened President Emmanuel Macron hopes to win a new lease of political life from Saturday's ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame.
Joined by US President-elect Donald Trump, Prince William and other international figures, he will seek to present the renovated cathedral as a symbol of France's inner reserves of creative strength.
In a speech marking the occasion, he will urge the world to see beyond the country's current political crisis and admire the determination, organisation and hard graft that have rescued one of France's most famous buildings in just five years.
The long-awaited event comes just as France enters a period of deep uncertainty triggered by the fall of Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government on Wednesday. A replacement has yet to be named.
Five-and-a-half years after the devastating fire, Macron had planned to make the cathedral's reopening the optimistic climax of 2024 – a year also marked by the Paris Olympic Games.
But while he seeks to capitalise on the project's undoubted success, a contrast is unavoidable between the depressed state of the country as a whole, and the soaring achievement of fixing this magnificent Gothic cathedral.
The ceremony marks the moment that the Catholic Church retakes possession of the cathedral, ahead of the first Mass to be celebrated on Sunday.
Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will knock on the front portal using a staff made from one of the rescued roof-timbers. Answered by the choir, which will already be inside, he will enter the cathedral and bid the organ "ring forth praises of God".
Macron had originally intended to make an address inside the cathedral, but was advised that this would contravene France's strict rules on secularity.
As a compromise, he visited the cathedral eight days ago to thank hundreds of craftsmen and women – a televised tour which allowed the world a first glimpse of the stunningly rejuvenated interior.
The evening's religious ceremony will be followed by a concert featuring Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Canadian singer Garou.
Sunday's Mass – which the president will attend – will be conducted by Archbishop Ulrich in the presence of 170 French bishops and priests from 106 Paris parishes. The first Mass for the public is on Sunday evening, but booking was required – as it is for all the Masses planned for the week ahead.
One dignitary who will not be attending is Pope Francis, though he has sent a message that will be read out on Saturday.
The Pope's relations with France are cordial rather than friendly. He is reported to have been angered by French policies to cut immigration, and by Macron's decision to put the right to abortion in the constitution.
In the French press, the Pope is said to be more interested in the younger and growing Christian communities of the southern hemisphere than the medieval Churches of Europe.
The fire on 15 April 2019 destroyed the medieval roof-timbers, the spire and three sections of stone vaulting. An appeal for donors raised €850m ($897m; £704m), and 2,000 masons, carpenters, art-restorers, engineers and architects worked on the project.
"The moment I looked inside on the day after the fire, I knew that everything would be all right. The damage was nothing like as bad as I had feared," said cathedral chief architect Philippe Villeneuve, who disputes the widespread theory that Notre-Dame came close to total collapse.
"Apart from replacing the roof and spire, the main task was decontamination. Everything was covered in lead oxide powder. But that meant we could restore and clean – which explains why the cathedral looks so beautiful today."
Before the fire, the cathedral was already deemed to be in a state of severe disrepair, and scaffolding was in place to renovate the spire and other external parts much damaged by corrosion.
Some 12 million people per year were visiting the cathedral, a number which is now expected to rise. A new route around the building has been devised to cope with the 100 visitors a minute expected to come here at the height of the tourist season.
Source:bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clykrydz7lpo
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Alleged Russian election-meddling in Romania resurrects dark memories
6 December 2024
Sarah Rainsford
Romania's constitutional court has scrapped the recent presidential election and ordered its rerun, following allegations and evidence of possible Russian interference.
This is a shock ruling by Romania's constitutional court, but it comes after two weeks of high political tension here.
All predictions, any certainty, have flown out of the window.
So far, the streets are calm in Bucharest as people absorb the news.
Annulling the entire presidential election is a bold choice, but it follows another unprecedented move when the outgoing president ordered intelligence documents to be declassified and made public.
The document that talked of a massive online influence campaign to sway the vote in favour of fringe politician Calin Georgescu blamed a "state-sponsored actor".
Another, on attempts to hack electoral websites, talked of links to cyber-crime sites in Russia. A third file said that Russia was engaged in hybrid war here.
Romanians have joined the dots and they blame Moscow. That brings dark memories for many people.
At a rally on Thursday night, outside the university, I met people who recalled their years living under communist dictatorship and were genuinely scared that today's Russia could be meddling here.
In a bookshop, a children's writer told me she would "leave the country immediately" if there was any sign Romania was turning away from its European path, becoming less free.
It's certainly true that Georgescu's policies – ending aid to Ukraine, comments that question the point of Nato or undermine the EU – are helpful to Moscow.
In the Kremlin, though they deny any role in these events, I am sure people are happy Russia is seen as so powerful; its tentacles so far-reaching they can even stir up Romanian politics. A Nato country, long seen as a stable and reliable partner.
But when I met the man at the heart of all this controversy, Calin Georgescu brushed off any idea his meteoric rise – from fringe to election frontrunner - was down to Russian meddling.
In fact, he laughed out loud.
He did tell me that Vladimir Putin was a "leader and a patriot", though he claimed he was "not a fan".
Suave and smooth-talking, he says he's being blocked because he's challenging the political establishment. He thinks his "Romania First" politics have genuine appeal to people here.
On that last point, he's probably right.
I haven't actually met anyone in Bucharest – outside Georgescu's immediate team – who's admitted to voting for him. But his online content – which flooded TikTok – had many messages that will appeal in a culturally conservative country, especially beyond the capital.
He talks of sovereignty and of God and of fighting "the System". He tells people their lives should be better.
Will his followers, whoever they are, believe the reports that he is a Russian project and accept the cancellation of the vote? Or might they emerge from behind their computer screens and phones to protest?
So far, the calls are to stay at home and stay calm. The election re-run might not be until spring. That's a long time in Romanian politics.
Source:bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vee5n5lp0o
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EU countries pressing US to drop sanctions on Russian bank – Bloomberg
7 Dec, 2024
The EU is pressuring the US to ease sanctions on Russia’s Gazprombank, which until recently was used by the bloc's members to pay for Russian natural gas, Bloomberg wrote on Friday.
Gazprombank was the last Russian bank to retain access to the SWIFT interbank messaging system, but was blacklisted by Washington last month, preventing it from receiving further gas supply payments or transit fees.
Despite President Vladimir Putin’s subsequent decision to open other financial institutions to be able to convert rubles for buying Russian gas, EU banks are still concerned about the legal risks, Bloomberg wrote.
The bloc is in talks with the US about “mitigation measures after some European governments and companies warned that the sanctions would pose a risk to the region’s security of supply,” the news agency said, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
Washington had until last week held off on sanctioning Gazprombank, under pressure from Europe, as countries faced a “severe gas shortage” following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Bloomberg noted.
Putin said on Wednesday that cutting ties with Russia has played “a serious role” in the “difficult period” faced by the German and other European economies. Without “stable and reliable supplies of affordable Russian energy resources” energy-hungry industries in the EU are suffering losses, the Russian leader said.
The European Commission’s November forecast stated that “after a prolonged period of stagnation,” the EU economy’s growth is expected to be modest. The latest data from the EC suggests the bloc’s GDP will grow by 0.9% in 2024.
Despite facing unprecedented international pressure, the Russian economy is expected to grow by 3.6% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Moscow has repeatedly slammed Western sanctions as one-sided and illegal. The Kremlin has stressed that the measures have failed in their goal of destabilizing the Russian economy, and ultimately backfired on the states that introduced them.
Source:rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/608868-eu-pressing-us-drop-sanctions/
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Ukrainian museum chief explains not returning from trip abroad
6 Dec, 2024
The Director of Ukraine’s National Museum of History, Fyodor Androshchuk, who went missing during a work trip to the EU, has said he was a Swedish citizen who, in fact, was on a business trip to Ukraine, according to local media.
In an interview with Ukrainskaya Pravda published on Thursday, Androshchuk claimed he had submitted his resignation three months ago.
Verkhovna Rada deputy Solomiya Bobrovska wrote on Facebook this week that Androshchuk, who went on a business trip abroad, had not returned as expected by September 20.
”Apparently, he used his other citizenships for their intended purpose (why he has them at all is another question), went on a business trip to Italy and Sweden, and, according to the response to my parliamentary appeal, ‘got lost’ at the opening of an exhibition in Lithuania,” Bobrovska posted.
She further appealed to the country’s Minister of Culture Nikolay Tochitsky and asked him to take immediate decisions regarding the missing museum chief.
Reacting to the accusations, the Kiev-born Androshchuk claimed that his stay in Ukraine was temporary and subject to a contract with the ministry, which in turn was notified about his Swedish citizenship and, he claims, knew that “my home was there.”
“Therefore, in fact, I am not in Sweden on a business trip, but in Ukraine. I live permanently in Sweden, not in Ukraine,” he explained.
According to Androshchuk, his work at the museum was a “humanitarian aid” to Ukraine. “The fact that [the museum] works during the war, also earns money for the state and became famous in the world is thanks to my Swedish citizenship and my name, not Ukrainian,” he emphasized.
54-year-old Androshchuk is not the first Ukrainian to go on a work trip abroad and fail to return to the country. In March, Ukrainian ballet dancers, including two men of conscription age, disappeared during a tour of Finland, their theatre company reported at the time.
In another such case, a popular Ukrainian TV host Aleksey Pechiy decided not to return home last December after a trip to Brussels, where he was covering an EU summit. He said it was a “difficult decision” to stay in the EU to promote “Ukraine’s agenda” in the media.
Kiev declared a general mobilization in February 2022, barring most men between 18 and 60 from leaving the country. Recruitment has been marred by widespread bribery and draft-dodging, with some Ukrainians trying to flee the country at all costs, even at a serious risk to their lives. Social media is filled with videos of military patrols trying to catch eligible men in the streets, shopping malls, and gyms, often resulting in clashes.
This spring, faced with manpower shortage at the front, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and significantly tightened mobilization rules.
Source:rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/608863-ukraine-museum-chief-missing/
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Africa
Air strike on Khartoum mosque kills 7: Sudan lawyers’ group
December 06, 2024
PORT SUDAN: A Sudanese military air strike on a north Khartoum mosque killed seven civilians on Friday, pro-democracy lawyers said, in a toll also confirmed by an activists’ committee.
“The attack occurred as worshippers were leaving the mosque” after Friday noon prayers, said the Emergency Lawyers, who have been documenting human rights abuses during the 19-month war between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The local resistance committee, one of hundreds of volunteer groups across Sudan delivering frontline aid during the war, confirmed the death toll and said “a number of wounded” had also been transported for treatment.
The attack was “part of a series of arbitrary military assaults that do not discriminate between civilians and military targets,” the lawyers said in a statement, calling the strike a “crime against humanity and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
Both the army and the RSF have been accused of deliberately targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas.
Friday’s attack occurred on a mosque in Khartoum North, also known as Bahri, which has been under near-total control of the RSF since the war began in April 2023.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the war and more than eight million internally uprooted in what the United Nations calls the world’s largest displacement crisis, with another three million having fled abroad.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2582079/middle-east
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Military Personnel Are Trained To Be Aggressive, Bring Out Animal In Them – Gen Musa
6 December 2024
By Udeze Ekene
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has said the aggressive nature of personnel of Nigeria Armed Forces was in line with their training.
General Musa said military personnel are trained to be aggressive by bringing out the “animal” in them.
He stated that military personnel cannot be docile, otherwise, the essence of the military would be gone.
Nigeria’s CDS stated this in an interview with News Central while speaking on aggressive attacks on civilians by some military personnel. He, however, explained that efforts are made to contain the aggressiveness.
He highlighted that the training nature, the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health were reasons for military personnel aggressiveness.
“It has also to do with the training. I don’t think anybody wants a docile military, I mean then there shouldn’t be military anymore. So somehow the training brings out that animal aspects of the military. And then for the junior ones these are things that we have to curtail; because of the nature of the training they are made to be aggressive. That’s their nature.
“So unfortunately sometimes.. and then we are doing that we are also teaching them on how to also contain themselves, respect for human rights, protection of the sick and wounded, all the things that have to do with the rules of war and all this together just to make them.
“But it is the nature of training that does that. So again we have this prolonged war. When you have prolonged warfare in a place, PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder come in. These are things you have to manage. Sometimes you see somebody become very aggressive because he has stayed, he has seen war, he has seen blood, he has seen corpses.
“It affects your human mind and that’s why you talked about the health of the human. Mental health issues. So these are things that we consistently try and check to make sure that the soldiers are above board, the soldiers are doing well,” he said.
The Chief of Defence Staff stressed that every military personnel faces punishment for wrong actions.
He said there is a reward and punishment mechanism put in place to ensure personnel behave disciplined.
“Again we have the reward and punishment system; you do well you are rewarded, you do badly, you are punished, and that has really curtailed.
“In the military and nobody assumes because whatever it is you do, you know the repercussions. We have our Armed Forces Acts that take care of every offense that could be committed. And then we do not shy away in punishing defaulters,” he added.
Source:naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/12/06/military-personnel-are-trained-to-be-aggressive-bring-out-animal-in-them-gen-musa/
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Abuja National Mosque Gets 5 New Imams
6 Dec 202
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has appointed five new imams for the Abuja National Mosque.
This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the 10th meeting of the Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) of the NSCIA held at the Abuja National Mosque.
“The EGPC proposed, subject to the clearance of the Fatwa Committee of the Council, five additional resident and visiting Imams for the National Mosque as a way of increasing the capacity of the Mosque in discharging its religious and social responsibilities to the ummah,” the communique signed by Prof. Salisu Shehu, Deputy Secretary-General, NSCIA said.
The new imams are Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu (visiting imam, North Central); Dr. Abdulkadir Salman Sholagberu (visiting imam, North Central); Prof. Luqman Zakariyah (resident imam, Southwest), and Ustadh Haroun Muhammad Eze Esq. (resident imam, SouthEast).
The existing four imams are Prof. Ibrahim Makari (visiting imam, Northwest); Prof. Muhammad Kabir (visiting imam, Northeast); Prof. Ilyas Usman (visiting imam, Southeast); while the last, in this category, Sheikh Ahmad Onilewura (resident imam) from Southwest Nigeria is on a sick leave and has not been leading prayers for a while.
The meeting, which was presided over the President-General of NSCIA and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, was attended by Muslim leaders across the country including the Deputy President General, NSCIA (South), Alh. Rasaki Oladejo; Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; Secretary General of NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede; Deputy Secretary General of NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu; Secretary-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Prof. Khalid Abubakar; and Executive Secretary of Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), Prof. Muslih Yahaya, among others.
The council urged the federal and state governments, the National Assembly and the political class to immediately deflate the current unnecessary tension and unwarranted polarization when what is urgently needed are trust building, extensive consultation and matured and genuine dialogue on the tax reform bills before the national assembly.
The council commended the Federal Government, traditional and religious leaders for the remarkable decrease in cases of communal clashes across the country which could not have been achieved without their critical roles at various levels.
It noted that Nigerians are suffering due to the harsh economic climate and urged the government at all levels to address the concerns of the citizens by making the environment more conducive to business in order to hasten the ease expected from the reforms.
The council “highlighted the relationship between mining and the out-of-school children and urged Muslims to assist the government in curbing the activities of illegal miners in different parts of the country.”
The council urged governments across the three tiers to prioritise food security and education in order to safeguard the immediate and ultimate wellbeing of the citizens.
Source:dailytrust.com
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https://dailytrust.com/abuja-national-mosque-gets-5-new-imams/#google_vignette
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Kano Emir, Sanusi II Speaks Hours After Police Barricaded His Palace
6 December 2024
By Richard Ogunsile
Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has sent a message of peace to his supporters, urging them to avoid taking the law into their hands following the presence of security operatives at his palace on Friday.
Naija News reported earlier that there were tensions in Kano today as security operatives blocked the palace of the Emir, preventing him from attending a royal ceremony in Bichi Local Government Area.
Emir Sanusi II was scheduled to preside over the presentation of a staff member of office to a newly appointed district head in Bichi.
However, heavily armed security personnel, including Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), were deployed to the palace gates, effectively barring his movement.
Emir Sanusi II was scheduled to accompany the newly appointed Wamban Kano, Munir Sanusi, to his official district posting in Bichi.
The incident comes after recent developments in Kano’s traditional leadership.
However, Sanusi, while delivering the Friday sermon at the Emirate’s Jummaat Mosque, said: “I warn you against falling into the traps of the enemies of Kano, who want to see Kano on fire.
“They always want to see killings, destruction of public properties and maiming of innocent lives.”
The first-class traditional ruler and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria insisted that living peacefully with one another, no matter the provocation is far better than violence.
“Islam admonishes you to be patient at any given time, whether in a difficult situation or at peace.
“If you are attacked, with patience, one becomes great but refusing to be patient creates uncertainty, difficulties and at the end, everyone loses out.
“That is why anybody who loves us and supports us, we ask him to at any given time shun violence no matter what,” Sanusi said.
Source:naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2024/12/06/kano-emir-sanusi-ii-speaks-hours-after-police-barricaded-his-palace/
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Police File 12 Fresh Charges Against Dele Farotimi At Federal High Court
6 December 2024
By Rachel Okporu Fadoju
The Nigerian police have filed 12 fresh charges against human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, before the Federal High Court In Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, over allegations of cybercrime.
It would be recalled that Farotimi was arrested in Lagos on Tuesday and transferred to Ekiti State.
The activist appeared before the court on Wednesday following charges brought against him by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afe Babalola (SAN), under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
Naija News learned that the police filed fresh charges on Friday to frustrate Farotimi’s bail application and keep him in remand.
According to SaharaReporters, some of the fresh counts read “That you Dele Farotimi ‘m’ on 28th August 2024 knowingly and intentionally transmitted communication in an online interview on Mic On Podcast by Seun Okinbaloye on your YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4USuxBfZCOA) in respect of a book authored and published by you titled: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System” wherein you stated in the interview that: “Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the judiciary” which you know to be false information for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1) (b) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 as amended.
“COUNT II: That you Dele Farotimi ‘m’ on 28th August 2024 knowingly and intentionally transmitted communication in an online interview on Mic On Podcast by Seun Okinbaloye on your Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4USuxBfZCQA) in respect of a book authored and published by you titled: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System” wherein you stated in the interview that “Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the judiciary” with the intention of bullying and harassing the named persons thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (a) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 as amended.
“COUNT III: That you Dele Farotimi ‘m’ on 2nd December, 2024 intentionally sent a message in the course of a press conference held on Online on your YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k6HzdQXLEK) where you stated that: “It came to my knowledge that there is a charge preferred before a court in Ekiti State against me at the instance of Chief Afe Babalola.”
Source:naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2024/12/06/breaking-police-file-12-fresh-charges-against-dele-farotimi-at-federal-high-court/
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Pakistan
Kurram warring tribes agree on 'indefinite ceasefire' following days-long debacle
By Syed Yasir Shah
December 06, 2024
Following days of deadly clashes that claimed at least 133 lives, rival tribes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district have finally agreed to an "indefinite ceasefire", the Kohat region commissioner confirmed on Friday.
The development came following a grand Jirga, organised to ensure sustainable peace in the restive territory, under the chairmanship of the Kohat Region Commissioner.
The jirga was attended by over 100 individuals, including elders, from the rival tribes.
The recent episode of clashes triggered by ambush on two separate convoys under police escort, resulting in 52 deaths on November 21. Subsequently, clashes between the warring clans escalated despite efforts to broker a ceasefire.
The violence claimed at least 133 lives and injured 186 others, in total.
In a statement, the commissioner said: "Tribal elders from both sides have agreed on an indefinite ceasefire," adding that the parties have expressed resolved to "sit together" to establish lasting peace in the region.
Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur hailed the peace efforts of the grand jirga and met the members of the body, said adviser to KP Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif quoting the provincial chief executive.
“Over 100 people from both sides attended the jirga,” he said, adding that it was decided that firing posts would be vacated until the final decision of the jirga.
Taking credit of the development, Barrister Saif said: “Peace has been restored in the region due to the sincere efforts of the CM.”
It is pertinent to mention here that a ceasefire was reached on November 24 between the warring tribes but it could not last long as violence gripped the region again.
Later, the rival tribes in the violence-hit district agreed on a ceasefire deal again on December 1 after the deadly clashes. This time, the tribes agreed to a peace deal for indefinite period.
Last week, KP CM Gandapur emphasised the need for establishing peace in the area and ordered authorities to demolish dugouts of rival tribes and seize their weapons.
The provincial chief executive had issued the directives during a grand jirga, organised in Kohat district, which was attended by elders of the rival tribes.
He also directed the authorities concerned to take measures for the "immediate resettlement" of homeless victims in Kurram. "People’s loss of life and property should be compensated immediately," he added.
Furthermore, he said, the weapons in the possession of the rival tribes should be immediately seized. "The administration will keep those weapons in its custody until peace is restored," he had added.
Violence erupted in the district after ambushes on two separate convoys travelling under police escort on November 21.
Since then, violence between the feuding communities escalated, with police struggling to maintain the law and order situation.
Citizens were facing trouble due to scarcity of different commodities, including food items, medicines and fuel, as Parachinar-Peshawar highway was closed amid skirmishes.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1258848-kurram-warring-tribes-agree-on-indefinite-ceasefire-following-days-long-debacle
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Shah Mahmood Qureshi calls on govt to lay groundwork for PTI talks
Mansoor Malik
December 7, 2024
LAHORE: PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has put the onus on the government to create a conducive environment for talks with his party.
Talking to the media after his appearance in an Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore, the incarcerated PTI leader said a favourable response from the government can pave the way for dialogue with PTI.
He reiterated the demand put forward by PTI founder Imran Khan for a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 riots and punish only those involved in violence.
He also sought relief for himself and other PTI leaders, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ijaz Chaudhry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, who have been in jail for over a year.
“I have been in jail for the past one-and-a-half-year. I should be punished if found guilty. Otherwise, I have a right to get relief,” said Mr Qureshi.
Separately, in a handwritten statement, Mr Qureshi said the current leadership was incapable of dealing with the challenges being faced by Pakistan.
“Pakistan today is fragile and needs careful handling,” said the PTI vice-chairman, who is incarcerated in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail.
The federal coalition government had failed to provide the leadership that could pull the country out of the political and economic mess.
He claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was “a follower and not a leader” as the leadership of PML-N “had always remained in the hands of Nawaz Sharif”.
Similarly, he said, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was the chairman of the PPP, but the group representing the party in parliament was led by President Asif Ali Zardari.
“Mr Zardari’s word is final, and he remains the decision-maker in the party,” he said.
“Our economic managers have failed to develop a home-grown solution to our economic challenges and keep following the agreements negotiated with the IMF, regardless of its impact on ordinary Pakistanis,” he observed.
Mr Qurehsi said Balochistan was facing insurgency, but despite sufficient evidence, the political leadership had failed to expose those fostering the discord.
The PTI vice chairman regretted that terrorist activities were on the rise once again, but the federal government was merely talking about National Action Plan 2.0 despite being in power for 10 months.
He said people in Sindh were protesting over new projects on the Indus river in Punjab.
Yet the federal government was “unwilling” to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests.
He said the federal cabinet was debating Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without realising that it would only aggravate a complex situation in the province and further alienate its people.
Mr Qureshi said law enforcement agencies were targeting and arresting Pakhtuns after checking their ID cards.
“The government is [racially] profiling Pakhtuns and arresting them,” he said.
He said there were rumours about a possible ban on PTI and warned that any such move would be a “historic blunder”.
The federal government is “underestimating” PTI’s support in all four federating units, as well as Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
The PTI founder has a “massive following among overseas Pakistanis”. He said overseas Pakistanis protested in over 30 countries on November 24. “Our diaspora is our strength and we cannot afford to alienate them.”
Saif lambasts MPC
Meanwhile, the adviser to KP chief minister on information, Barrister Saif, has criticised KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi for holding a multi-party conference on the issues of the province.
According to media reports, Mr Saif warned the governor “not to violate his constitutional limits”.
“The MPC is not the mandate of the governor but of the elected government,” Dr Saif emphasised.
“Governor Kundi should not behave like the chief executive of the province as the Constitution does not allow him to indulge in any such activity,” Mr Saif said in a statement.
He warned the governor to stay within his constitutional role and not try to become the chief executive.
Reacting to the MPC, which brought together various political groups, Dr Saif called it a meeting of parties rejected by the province. It was a “failed attempt to score political points” and undermine the ruling PTI.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1877184/shah-mahmood-qureshi-calls-on-govt-to-lay-groundwork-for-pti-talks
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Judicial Commission approves committee to draft rules for appointing judges
Umer Mehtab
December 6, 2024
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan on Friday approved the formation of a committee to constitute rules and criteria for appointing judges, according to a press release issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Last week, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi called the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s meeting to consider Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan’s nomination to become eighth judge of the constitutional bench, formed under the 26th amendment.
In its maiden session on November 5, the Judicial Commission — reconstituted under the 26th Amendment — appointed Justice Aminuddin Khan as head of the seven-judge constitutional bench by a majority vote of seven to five, with the CJP among the dissenting members.
Friday’s meeting was attended by CJP Afridi, Supreme Court justices including Mansoor Ali Shah, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and the chief justices of the Sindh and Peshawar high courts. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Senator Ali Zafar were also present.
The press release stated that alongside forming the committee, the commission also approved the nomination of Supreme Court judge Shahid Bilal Hassan for the apex court’s constitutional bench.
“The Judicial Commission of Pakistan unanimously decided to accord highest priority towards framing of rules relating to regulating its procedure including the procedure and criteria for assessment, evaluation and fitness for appointment of judges,” the press release read.
The CJP was authorised to select members of the Judicial Commission for the new committee. The five-member committee will be led by Supreme Court Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and comprises Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Senators Ali Zafar and Farooq Naek and lawyer Akhtar Hussain.
According to the press release, Judicial Commission Secretary Niaz Muhammad Khan and two Supreme Court research officers will provide the committee support.
The committee has been instructed by the CJP to produce a draft of the rules by December 15.
“The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (Peshawar High Court) the agenda of appointment of Additional Judges for the Peshawar high court was deferred till 21st December, 2024,” the press release added.
The deadline to submit nominations for the appointment of additional judges was extended until December 10.
Similarly, it was decided that appointments for additional Sindh High Court judges was deferred until December 21. The deadline to submit nominations was also extended until December 10.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1877116/judicial-commission-approves-committee-to-draft-rules-for-appointing-judges
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Constitutional bench to take up PTI’s petitions on 'election rigging', May 9 riots
By Web Desk
December 06, 2024
LAHORE: A set of pending petitions seeking the formation of separate judicial commissions to probe alleged rigging in February 8 general elections and May 9 riots has been fixed for hearing before a seven-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.
A seven-member bench, headed by Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan, will hear PTI founder Imran Khan’s plea against election rigging on December 11.
Meanwhile, the constitutional bench will take up the second petition on December 10, which also seeks "annulment of civilians trial in military courts".
The constitutional bench comprises Justice Amin-Ud-Din, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.
The incarcerated PTI founder had moved the Supreme Court in March 2024, requesting the formation of a judicial commission to "inquire, audit and examine" the manner and process of the February 8 general elections held in the country.
The petition, filed by senior lawyer Hamid Khan on behalf of the PTI founder, urged that the apex court form of a judicial commission — consisting of serving SC judges holding no bias towards anyone — to "inquire, audit and examine the manner and process of general elections of 8 February 2024 and the developments that took place thereafter of compiling false and fraudulent results rendering winners into losers and losers into winners".
The PTI-backed independent candidates won the most National Assembly seats in the February 8 elections followed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
However, the PML-N with the support of the other parties including the PPP formed a coalition government in the Centre and later became the single largest party in the lower house of the parliament following the allocation of the reserved seats.
Meanwhile, the former prime minister — in another petition — prayed the apex court to appoint a judicial commission to probe into the "horrendous and terrible incidents of May 9-10 and actions leading to those unfortunate incidents, which caused loss of precious human lives of dozens of persons and damage to the state and private property."
In the petition, he also submitted that the arrests, investigation and trial of civilians in peacetime under the Army Act 1952, read with the Official Secret Act 1923, is unconstitutional and void and of no legal effect and amounts to negation of the Constitution, rule of law and independence of judiciary.
Other petitions
Furthermore, the constitutional bench will also take up other petitions, including a plea seeking the transfer of Imran from Adiala Jail to prison in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to security reason.
The scheduled cases also include two separate petitions, seeking action against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Raja Sultan for alleged rigging in the general elections 2024.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1258872-constitutional-bench-to-take-up-pti-s-petitions-on-election-rigging-may-9-riots
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No decision yet on ‘long march’ over seminary bill delay: Fazl
Muqaddam Khan
December 7, 2024
• Slams coalition government for its delaying tactics
• Says govt’s failed to ensure security in KP
• PM Shehbaz assures JUI-F chief of early approval of the bill
SWABI/ISLAMABAD: Amid threats from his party leaders to protest delays in the presidential assent to the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act 2024, which pertains to seminaries, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Friday that JUI-F has not yet decided to launch a long march on Islamabad.
The statement came hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the JUI-F chief and assured him that the government would expedite the approval of the madressah bill.
Maulana Fazl had earlier warned that if the bill was not signed into law by Dec 7, he would announce his next course of action at a rally scheduled for Sunday in Peshawar.
Speaking to the media during his visit to Swabi, where he offered fateha for the late JUI-Nazriati chief and former MNA Maulana Khalil Ahmad Mukhlis, The JUI-F chief said there had been an agreement on the madressah bill before the general election, and a draft was prepared.
“When we resumed discussions, regular negotiations were held for five hours, with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also present. Everything was resolved with consensus. So, where have these objections come from now?” he questioned.
He hinted at tackling the issues surrounding the madressah bill with force, expressing frustration over the government’s failure to approve the legislation. Maulana Fazl criticised the coalition government for its delaying tactics, noting that the bill, which had already been passed by parliament, was yet to be signed into law — a delay he vehemently resented.
In response to a question, Maulana Fazl said the JUI-F had made it clear that, based on the earlier consensus developed with the government, there should be no confusion regarding the madressah bill. “The delaying tactics of the federal government regarding the approval of the madressah bill are unacceptable to us. We want its approval as soon as possible.”
He added that the bill is intended to regulate the country’s religious institutions, and the ruling coalition government had initially agreed to it but was now delaying its passage, which he termed as an unfortunate development. “The government is consciously leading the people towards protests,” he warned.
When asked about potential changes in the country, Maulana Fazl said the JUI-F would not be a part of such changes, though he did not elaborate further.
Commenting on the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said that people were facing numerous problems due to the government’s failure to ensure security.
He also questioned the role of the KP governor. “Why did the governor have to call a meeting [multi-party conference] when he lacks such authority? The governor is not in a position to gather all stakeholders on a single platform,” he said, asserting that the governor’s rule is not a permanent solution to the current situation.
PM’s assurance
Earlier in the day, PM Sharif called Maulana Fazl and assured him that the government would address the loopholes in the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act. The prime minister also assured the JUI-F chief that the bill would be approved at the earliest.
JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri told the media that Mr Rehman conveyed the concerns of religious seminaries regarding the reservations raised by President Asif Ali Zardari on the bill.
“The PM was informed that the government should avoid making this agreed bill controversial. We have a principled stance and will not allow any harm to the freedom and liberty of religious seminaries,” he added.
Sources in the JUI-F said the prime minister had assured them that the madressah registration bill would be passed in the joint session of parliament, which is expected to be held on Dec 13.
President Zardari had returned the bill to the National Assembly with certain objections on Oct 29, before proceeding to the UAE.
The bill was approved by the Senate on Oct 20, along with the 26th amendment. It passed through the National Assembly on Oct 21 and was forwarded to the president on Oct 22.
JUI-F parliamentarians had overlooked Article 75 of the Constitution, which states: “President shall give his assent within 10 days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given”.
Interestingly, both the top leadership of the PPP and JUI-F had failed to track the bill’s progress.
During a meeting on Dec 4, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari assured Maulana Fazl that he would speak with the president to ensure the enactment of the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act in the coming days.
The amended act pertains to the registration of seminaries by the relevant deputy commissioner office, as it was prior to 2019.
In the same year, the PTI-led government, after thorough deliberations and with the consent of the seminaries’ management, shifted the registration of madrasas to the relevant education departments.
According to sources, the key objection raised by the Presidency regarding the bill was that seminaries are educational institutions, and ‘education’ is a provincial subject. The federal government can only enact laws related to the federal capital.
Under the 18th amendment, the federal government can only formulate laws on devolved subjects after obtaining consent from at least two provincial assemblies.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1877189/no-decision-yet-on-long-march-over-seminary-bill-delay-fazl
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Supreme Court to hear Imran Khan’s petition for May 9 probe on Dec 10
Umer Mehtab
December 6, 2024
The Supreme Court on Friday scheduled a hearing on a petition filed by PTI founder Imran Khan, which requests the formation of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023.
On Thursday, the former prime minister uploaded a message to his X account demanding judicial commissions to probe the events on May 9 and during the PTI’s recent “final call” protest on November 26.
He said that he was forming a five-member negotiating committee on two points: release of under-trial political prisoners … establishment of judicial commission for transparent investigation of the events of 9th May and 26th November.
A five-member negotiation team comprising Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja and Asad Qaiser has been formed to negotiate with the government.
The PTI founder reiterated his demands in a similar post to X on Friday. “We have two demands … a commission should be formed under the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court to conduct an independent inquiry into the events of May 9 and November 26 … unjustly imprisoned political prisoners should be released,” Imran wrote.
Imran warned in his post on X that if his demands are not met, “civil disobedience, reduction of remittances and boycott movement will be initiated” by the PTI.
Following the arrest of the ex-premier on May 9, 2023 from the Islamabad High Court’s premises, riots erupted across the country that went on for at least 24 hours.
According to a Supreme Court cause list issued on Friday and seen by Dawn.com, a hearing on Imran’s petition has been fixed for December 10, to be heard by the seven-member constitutional bench led by Justice Aminuddin Khan.
Another hearing has been fixed for December 11 on the PTI founder’s petition alleging rigging in February’s General Elections.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1877117/supreme-court-to-hear-imran-khans-petition-for-may-9-probe-on-dec-10
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South Asia
Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan Strengthen Diplomatic Ties in Islamabad Meeting
2024-12-07
KABUL(BNA): Sardar Ahmad Shakeb, Acting Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Pakistan, met with Avazbek Atakhanov, the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan, to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.
According to a statement released by the Afghanistan Embassy, the two diplomats engaged in discussions on Afghanistan-Kyrgyzstan relations, their shared historical and cultural ties, and broader connections between Afghanistan and Central Asian nations. They also examined existing opportunities for cooperation and challenges affecting the region.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/afghanistan-and-kyrgyzstan-strengthen-diplomatic-ties-in-islamabad-meeting/
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Afghanistan’s economy growing despite challenges
December 7, 2024
Afghanistan’s economy is showing signs of growth, the World Bank says in a report. According to the report, the average growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been 2.7 percent. Issued late Wednesday, the report noted the slight recovery and declining food prices helped spur household welfare in a gradual manner. In 2023-24, the report said, the country’s exports remained stable, but imports rose, leading to a trade deficit. Reliance on imports for essential goods such as fuel, food and machinery, might hamper the country’s economic stability, the World Bank warned. World Bank’s Country Director for Afghanistan Faris Hadad-Zervos stressed the need for improving the overall business environment to ensure long-term growth. He also called for increased investment, providing access to finance to small businesses and supporting educated and skilled women entrepreneurs. In the last three years, one of the serious debates following the great political change in the country has been the stability of Afghanistan’s currency against foreign currencies, especially against the U.S. dollar, while the neighboring countries’ currencies have continually lost their value against the U.S. dollar. Besides, another serious debate has been continued easing deflation and stabilization of staple prices in the two years, increasing hopes that Afghanistan is moving towards the right direction and its economic situation is improving by passing each day. Recently, the World Food Program (WFP) has said in a report that since April 2023, inflation has remained negative in Afghanistan. According to the report, in July 2024, the deflationary trend in headline inflation including food and non-food and essential commodities improved to -6.6 percent, easing from a low of -10.2 percent in January 2024. This easing deflationary trend might potentially be attributed to a recovery in demand and the stabilization of the Afghani. In July 2024, WFP reported that the deflation rate in headline inflation, encompassing food and essential goods, “improved to – 6.6 percent,” compared to a low of -10.2 percent in January 2024. This trend, the WFP suggested, “might potentially be attributed to a recovery in demand and the stabilization of the Afghani.” With the stabilization of the value of Afghani, the prices of staple food items have been stable in the past two years as the World Food Program has also observed a steady decrease in the national average prices of key staples over the past year. As all seen, the prices of most staple items have significantly decreased, with costs returning to levels similar to those before the collapse of the previous government. With the Islamic Emirate takeover, measures have been put in place to keep the value of Afghani as well as the prices of staple food items stable, and now the report of the World Bank shows that the country’s economy is growing despite challenges. For the further economic growth of the country, the international community and stakeholders are urged to support measures that alleviate economic pressures and ensure sustainable solutions for Afghanistan’s economic environment. Mokhtar Safi
Source:thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/afghanistans-economy-growing-despite-challenges/
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More should be done to strengthen security forces
December 7, 2024
Afghanistan has to build a strong military force to address internal turmoil and chaos and defend the country against foreign interference. The Islamic Emirate’s heroic forces are known around the world for fighting and ousting foreign invaders and regaining their territory from the occupants in the course of history. All necessary reforms should be brought in different units of the country’s security forces, including the army, police, and intelligence. They should be reformed, well-trained, modernized, and strengthened to defend national unity and territorial integrity, fight all kinds of militancy and border insurgencies, and ensure that Afghanistan is resilient in the face of any future threats. The three security institutions of the Islamic Emirate should work in concert to prevent alien and suspicious border influence and invest in any future planning, as now peace and security have returned to the country. Together, they should prepare a joint roadmap covering the Islamic Emirate newly joining Mujahidin and the former experienced troops as well as any professionally trained cadets joining forces in the future. Our military equipment should be modernized and the process of integrating and reforming the different units of the country’s security forces should be strengthened, as certain malicious groups relied on foreign powers are still seeking the disruption of order and security of the country. The Islamic system should also draw up a national strategy to determine the size and type of forces necessary to meet all defense and security needs to prevent any military interference and insurgent infiltration. At the same time, the security forces’ existing capacity-building initiative including training, equipment, and training should be developed further than ever within the ministries of interior, national defense, and the general director of intelligence (GDI), as there is much more to accomplish in this field. On the other hand, in close coordination with the neighboring and regional allies, the country should do its best to develop a comprehensive strategy involving both border security and counter-terrorism efforts, as threats are still available along the borders and are feared to endanger border and regional stability. Moreover, the Islamic system has to conduct all these activities for the country’s security forces, besides fully considering the real culture of the Afghans of various tribes and their traditions violating no Islamic sharia law. In the end, the country will have a stronger armed force that can ensure the security of the country, and the well-being of the people with the support of a united nation consisting of all tribes, ethnics, races, and languages. Such a stronger and more disciplined armed force can also contribute to the future safety and stability of the region and prevent the aliens’ military interference in the country.
Source:thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/more-should-be-done-to-strengthen-security-forces/
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Discussions on Strengthening Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade Relations
2024-12-07
KABUL(BNA): Mawlawi Sayeed Abdul Jabbar Takhari, Acting Consul General of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Karachi, met with Junaid Makda, President of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chambers of Commerce, to discuss enhancing trade ties between the two countries.
According to a statement by the Afghan Consulate in Sindh Province, the meeting focused on strengthening commercial relations, resolving challenges faced by investors, and removing barriers for traders operating between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Both sides expressed a commitment to fostering closer economic cooperation and finding practical solutions to promote mutual trade interests.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/discussions-on-strengthening-afghanistan-pakistan-trade-relations/
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World Bank Reports 2.7% Growth in Afghanistan’s GDP
2024-12-07
KABUL (BNA): The World Bank, in its latest report, highlighted a 2.7% average growth in Afghanistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite challenges, the report acknowledges that the country has achieved moderate economic growth.
Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, First Deputy of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines, remarked, “There were significant concerns initially regarding Afghanistan’s economy. However, fortunately, we have reached a stage where our GDP growth is positive, monetary stability is maintained, and inflation has decreased. These are key positive indicators.”
Similarly, Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, attributed Afghanistan’s economic improvement to multiple factors, including eradicating corruption, launching major economic and employment-generating projects. These measures, he noted, are pivotal in reducing poverty and enhancing livelihoods across the nation.
Furthermore, over the past three years, Afghanistan has strengthened economic ties with neighboring countries, leading to an increase in trade, including both exports and imports. These developments underscore the growing resilience of Afghanistan’s economy in a challenging environment.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/world-bank-reports-2-7-growth-in-afghanistans-gdp/
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28 Families Return to Afghanistan Via Spin Boldak Crossing
2024-12-07
KABUL(BNA): Officials from the Registration, Verification, and Reception Committee in Kandahar reported the return of 28 families to Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak crossing yesterday, Friday.
According to the committee operating in the Anjargi camp of Takhta Pul district, these families, comprising 145 individuals, returned from Pakistan. Additionally, ten Afghan prisoners were also repatriated.
The committee has referred these returning families to various organizations for assistance and support.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/28-families-return-to-afghanistan-via-spin-boldak-crossing/
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AL leader held over attempted murder
Dec 7, 2024
Police have arrested Nasir Uddin Ahmed Ferdous, president of the central executive body of Bangabandhu Matsyajibi Parishad, an associate body of Awami League, in a case filed over an attempted murder of a protester in Dhaka on July 19.
He was arrested around 8:00pm on Thursday from the capital's Dhanmondi area, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of DMP.
Nasir was among the 180 accused in the case filed with Khilgaon Police Station for shooting at the protester, Ahadul Islam, 25.
Ahadul's father, Mohammad Baker, filed the case on October 17.
According to the case statement, Ahadul and others were protesting near Meradia Bazar on July 19 when "many of the named accused along with other unnamed members of Border Guard Bangladesh, police personnel and Awami League leaders and activists opened fire as per the instructions of some other accused."
Ahadul suffered bullet wounds in his left leg and was also beaten up as he fell on the ground. He later received treatment at multiple hospitals, Baker said in the case statement.
Source:thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/al-leader-held-over-attempted-murder-3770136
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Bangladeshi killed by BSF at Panchagarh border
Dec 6, 2024
A Bangladeshi man was killed by the Indian Border Security Force along the Mominpara border in Panchagarh's Sadar upazila early today.
The deceased was identified as Anwar Hossain, 40, son of Rafiqul Islam of Debnagar Amjuani village in Panchagarh's Tentulia upazila, Border Guard Bangladesh and police said.
Citing BSF sources, BGB Battalion 56 in Nilphamari said in a press release that some troops from Chanakia BSF camp stopped a group of alleged Indian and Bangladeshi cattle smugglers in the Singpara area on the Indian side of the border around 5:25am.
As the alleged smugglers attacked the BSF troops, the Indian border guards first charged stun grenades and later fired three to four rounds of bullets, the press release said, citing the BSF sources.
A Bangladeshi was killed in the gunfire, and the BGB later learnt from locals that the deceased was Anwar.
The BGB also fired warning shots after hearing the sound of gunfire, the press release added.
The Bangladeshi border force strongly condemned the killing in a protest note handed to the BSF at a flag meeting, said Lt Col Sheikh Md Badruddoza, commander of Nilphamari 56 BGB Battalion.
Locals found the body at the Mominpara border around 7:30am and informed the BGB about the matter.
On information, police went to the spot and recovered the body, said SM Masud Pervez, officer-in-charge of Panchagarh Sadar Police Station.
A deep injury mark was found on the deceased's collarbone, the OC said.
OC Masud also said the body would be handed over to the family today after a post-mortem.
Anwar's brother Arif Hossain filed a murder case at the police station against unidentified individuals over the incident.
Source:thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/cross-border/news/bangladeshi-killed-bsf-panchagarh-border-3769801
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Southeast Asia
Sultan Nazrin graces Hospital Fatimah’s Golden Jubilee Celebration
BERNAMA
07-12- 2024
IPOH: The Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah graced the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Hospital Fatimah here today.
Accompanying him was the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim.
Also present were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, Hospital Fatimah’s Board of Directors chairman Datuk Michael Cheah and the hospital’s medical director Dr Liaw Kok Toon.
Sultan Nazrin officially launched the celebration and signed a commemorative plaque before touring an exhibition held at the hospital.
Earlier, in his speech, Michael said that Hospital Fatimah was officially opened in 1974 by the late Sultan Idris A’fifullah Shah.
He said the hospital has since expanded its services, offering a wide range of medical treatments and care.
“We have maintained ISO Certification annually from 1999 to 2022 without fail and have received continuous MSQH Certification Awards from 2006 to 2028,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr Liaw highlighted that the hospital currently provides nearly 30 medical specialties and sub-specialties, alongside various surgical services and healthcare facilities.
“The hospital has 236 beds and is supported by 641 staff members across various categories. Equipped with the latest medical assets, we remain committed to delivering the highest healthcare standards,” he said.
He also said that Hospital Fatimah has partnered with the Health Ministry (MOH) to expand healthcare services to the public through outsourcing programmes.
These include offering magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans and ultrasound services to MOH hospital patients, which will help improve healthcare quality and reduce patient appointment waiting times, he said.
Source:thesun.my
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RM250,000 to empower Penang Muslim League Youths with digital, entrepreneurial skills – PM
BERNAMA
07-12- 2024
GEORGE TOWN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced an initial allocation of RM250,000 to support entrepreneurship and digital training for youths under the Penang Muslim League.
He said the allocation aims to ensure that all opportunities provided by the government are fully utilised, bridging the digital divide between the wealthy elite and the general public.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said the funds could be coordinated with relevant ministries and departments to offer early training and exposure to the target group.
“I have approved RM250,000 as a basic starting point, which I believe can be used to strengthen efforts focusing on entrepreneurship training.
“I also urge the Muslim League to continue playing an active role in education, culture, history and entrepreneurship, especially in the current digital era,” he said at the 70th anniversary dinner of the Penang Muslim League held at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Bayan Lepas, near here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Anwar called on Malaysian youths to sharpen their skills and gain exposure in entrepreneurship, engineering, digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure the nation has sufficient experts in line with Penang’s status as a leading semiconductor hub in the region.
“We have emerged as an important player and are considered one of the most significant semiconductor hubs in the region. Investments are flowing in, so we need our people, including your members, young members, and children to be involved in this activity.
“It is to make sure that we have adequate training exposure in this new field such as engineering, digital, AI to make sure that we fully utilise these facilities and the new opportunities,” he said.
On the Indian Muslim community’s application for Bumiputera status for those born in Malaysia, Anwar said the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) and its minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail would review and manage the matter.
“Whether one qualifies or not, they have to observe the normal process. It is an individual application, it’s not a time frame. It depends on the individual application. It is not group or association, individual,” he told reporters after the event.
Earlier, Malaysian Muslim League president Datuk Seri Najmudeen Kader urged the government to address the issue following several complaints from the Indian Muslim community.
Also present at the event were Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid.
Source:thesun.my
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Fama launches Ihsan Madani sales to aid flood victims with discounted essentials
07 Dec 2024
JERTIH, Dec 7 — The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) is organising the Ihsan MADANI Sales Programme, offering daily necessities at low prices for flood victims.
Its chairman, Aminuddin Zulkipli, said the initiative is an extension of the Agro MADANI Sales Programme, which was implemented during the northeast monsoon season.
“Today, we are holding this sale at the AgroBazar Pasar Tani Kekal (PTK) Nyiur Tujuh, featuring various fresh produce items with discounts between 10 and 30 per cent. For example, local beef is sold at only RM19.90 per kilogramme.
“The programme’s offerings have been expanded to include controlled goods, fresh produce and selected essential items,” he told a press conference after officiating the Ihsan MADANI Sales Walkabout Programme today.
He added that PTK Nyiur Tujuh is the only PTK facility affected by the flood disaster to date.
Aminuddin further said that FAMA plans to expand the Ihsan MADANI Sales Programme to other states.
“This initiative can help alleviate the high cost of living, especially for flood victims, and assist the local community in obtaining essential goods at affordable prices,” he said.
He also said that FAMA entrepreneurs from the Klang Valley contributed RM15,000 worth of food items, which were handed over to the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) for distribution in Terengganu.
In another development, Aminuddin said the National Disaster Management Agency would increase its order of food aid kits from the initial 60,000 prepared by FAMA due to the growing number of flood victims in affected states.
Source: malaymail.com
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PM Anwar urges northern universities to boost ties with industry for semiconductor growth
07 Dec 2024
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 7 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged public universities, particularly those in the northern region, to give ample space for industry players to cooperate in exploring new disciplines related to high-tech industries.
Anwar stressed the importance of synergy between universities, industry players and the private sector, especially in developing the semiconductor industry as well as the related ecosystems, in line with Penang’s position as a semiconductor hub in the region.
He said that this was also to meet the country’s urgent need, which requires sufficient qualified engineers in high-tech industries, including the integrated circuit design industry.
“Universities must give the necessary space for the industry to come in a more aggressive manner. We make the necessary adjustments as time goes by but (the) best way to educate, train, upscale and rescale is to ensure the synergy, the working collaboration between the industries and the education institutions.
“It is important for the mission of education to ensure that this happens at a fast pace and the preparedness to adjust,” he said at the launch of the Penang Silicon Design @5km+ in Bayan Lepas near here today.
Anwar, also the Finance Minister, said that while political stability and clear national policies won’t have any difficulties in attracting investors, the issue of ecosystems still poses a challenge for them to invest in the country.
“Ensure the basic infrastructure is carried out at a fast pace. What is the training? Whether universities can focus on the new disciplines at a rapid pace.
“So, this is to remind USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia), UUM (Universiti Utara Malaysia) and related centres here in Penang, universities in Perak and Kedah, which could be utilised to ensure that these new disciplines must be approved at a fast pace,” he said.
He also expressed surprise with the ability of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), which managed to approve the setting up of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Faculty and start the programme within four months, which Anwar described as an extraordinary achievement in the country.
Meanwhile, Anwar also approved a matching grant of RM50 million for a five-year period, with RM10 million a year, for the Penang Silicon Design @5km+ initiative.
According to him, the Penang Silicon Design @5km+ initiative is a project that Penang can be proud of and one that is capable of boosting the economic strength of the state, and the country in general.
The Penang Silicon Design @5km+ initiative, which is spearheaded by the Penang Government through its main agency, InvestPenang, was created to revolutionise the Malaysian semiconductor industry in line with the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS).
This comprises three main components, namely the Integrated Circuit (IC) and Digital Design Park, Penang Chip Design Academy and Silicon Research and Incubation Space.
Among the objectives of the Penang Silicon Design @5km+ are to ensure that Penang remains the main hub for global IC design, thus strengthening Malaysia’s position in the international semiconductor ecosystem; develop an ecosystem and support infrastructure that is conducive and dynamic; create high-value employment opportunities; attract foreign direct investment; and enhance existing talent according to future industry needs.
Elaborating, Anwar said Penang has been known as a semiconductor centre for a long time and this Penang Silicon Design @5km+ initiative is a momentous occasion in the industry’s history to lift Penang and Malaysia to become a global semiconductor hub.
The total amount of investment for the Penang Silicon Design @5km+ is projected to be RM120 million for a five-year period and the state government has provided an allocation of RM60 million to drive this initiative.
Also present at the event were Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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PM Anwar meets Sabah chief minister amid corruption claims
By Malay Mail
07 Dec 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim met yesterday with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and two state lawmakers linked to corruption claims.
Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun confirmed that the meeting took place at the prime minister’s office in Putrajaya, but insisted it was routine discussion.
“It was just a normal meeting,” he was quoted as saying to Malaysiakini.
Masidi is among the lawmakers implicated. The other at the meeting was Sabah Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Datuk Ariffin Arif.
Last month, Malaysiakini released a series of videos alleging bribery in the award of state mining concessions involving Masidi, Hajiji, and other state lawmakers.
Hajiji has rejected the allegations, portraying them as a smear campaign to destabilise his state administration.
Anwar previously insisted that there will be no cover-up in the investigations.
Source: malaymail.com
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PM Anwar announces RM50m for Penang Silicon Design initiative
07 Dec 2024
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 7 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced the approval of a RM50 million allocation for the Penang Silicon Design @5km+ initiative, aimed at boosting economic growth through the development of the integrated circuit (IC) design industry in the state.
Anwar, who also serves as finance minister, made the announcement during the launch of the GBS TechSpace as the Silicon Research and Incubation Space, a key element of the initiative, at a hotel today.
The event included the signing of a memorandum of understanding between InvestPenang, strategic partners, and recipients of incentives under Penang Silicon Design @5km+, along with the introduction of new investors for the programme, Bernama reported.
Source: malaymail.com
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