Tunisha Sharma Wanted To Know Islam, Wore Hijab To Get Into The Skin Of Her TV Rolein Ali Baba: Dastaan-e-Kabul: Source
New Age Islam News Bureau
31 December 2022
Tunisha Sharma and Sheezan Khan were co-stars in Ali
Baba Dastaan-E-Kabul.
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• Afghan Journalists Develop A Mobile App To Empower
Citizen Journalism
• Favourable View Of Muslims In The US Ticks Up, Even
As Islamophobic Incidents Rise
• In Turkey, Islamic Mystic Rumi’s Whirling Connects
Even Iranians And Israeli Jews
• Ronaldo ‘Excited’ To Start New Chapter With
‘Inspiring’ Saudi Arabia’s Club Al Nassr
India
• Concern at attack on Kashmiri students in Aligarh
Muslim University
• Sheikh Abdullah was a popular leader but still he
committed unfair democratic practices: Arif Mohammad Khan
• Row over EC’s Assam delimitation plan — ‘BJP trying
to tinker with Muslim-majority seats’
• Foreign-Based Pro-Khalistani Elements Plotting Court
Strike, Says Intel
• Jammu SIA files chargesheet against four LeT
terrorists
--------
South Asia
• Taliban's Reversion to Sharia-Based Public
Punishments Dominated
• Taliban divisions inflamed by sweeping restrictions
on women
• Taliban District Governor Dies in Traffic Accident
in Herat
--------
North America
• Pakistani diplomatic property in US going to
‘highest bidder’
• Türkiye's foreign minister to attend Sunday
inauguration of Brazil's president-elect
• US military base in eastern Syria comes under heavy
rocket fire
--------
Mideast
• Marchers In Southeast Iran Denounce Supreme Leader
In Renewed Protests
• East Jerusalem man with Islamic State ties charged
over deadly twin bombings in city
• UN vote on Israel’s occupation ‘a victory’,
Palestinians say
• General Assembly refers Israeli occupation to UN
court
• Seven dead in restaurant blast in Turkey, gas leak
suspected
• Israel indicts soldiers for attempting to bomb
Palestinian home
• Who are the members of Israel's far-right 37th
government?
• Results of Palestine census will cause concern for
Israel, analyst says
• Palestinians condemn ‘extremist’ Israeli government
amid escalation in West Bank
• Netanyahu cabinet facing opposition even from
hawkish Zionists: Analyst
--------
Arab World
• Al Azhar plays key, pivotal role towards Egyptian
Muslim families abroad: minister
• Attack blamed on IS kills 12 oil workers in Syria
• Security staff and marine boats: Dubai gears up to
man New Year’s celebrations
• Saudi Arabia is all set to welcome the new year with
fine food, fireworks and live music
• Riyadh Season launches humanitarian drive for
children
• Saudi leaders offer condolences to Indian PM after
death of his mother
• 12 oil workers killed in Daesh terror attack in
eastern Syria
• Ten workers killed in militant attack near oil field
in Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr
• Three US-backed SDF militants shot dead amid ongoing
protests in northern Syria
--------
Africa
• Allah Severe In Penalty – Imam Warns Muslims
Imitating Western Marriages
• Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years in
prison; death in absentia given to 3
• Niger detains suspected Libyan people smuggler:
French police
• 2023: Miyetti Allah endorses Tinubu
--------
Europe
• Interior Ministry Reviews Firings Of Alleged Gulen Supporters
By Muslim Minority Mayor
• France Must Get Rid Of Its 'Colonizer Complex': Algerian
President
• Albanian court upholds extradition of fugitive
crypto exchange founder to Türkiye
• Activist Moradi’s Death InFrance Shakes Distressed
Members Of Iranian Diaspora
• British-Palestinian doctor says he was set up by MI5
--------
Pakistan
• Four Police Officials Injured In Militant Attack On
Dera Ismail Khan Check Post
• Rival Parties Term MQM Factions’ Merger ‘Political
Engineering’
• Turkish Navy Ship conducts naval drills with
Pakistan Navy
• Pakistan's Provincial Government In Balochistan Bans
Protest, Imposes Curfew After Clashes: Official
• Islamabad LG elections: PTI begins mobilising voters
as govt appeals IHC ruling
• Swabi families seek govt help for youth stuck in
Libya
--------
Southeast Asia
• Indonesia Lifts All Coronavirus-Related Restrictions
• PM receives warm welcome at nostalgic Kampung
MelayuMajidee mosque
• Indonesia to tighten palm oil exports from Jan. 1 to
shore up supply ahead of Ramadan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Tunisha Sharma Wanted To Know Islam, Wore Hijab To Get
Into The Skin Of Her TV Role in Ali Baba: Dastaan-e-Kabul: Source
Dec 30, 2022
Tunisha Sharma and Sheezan Khan were co-stars in Ali
Baba Dastaan-E-Kabul.
---------
TV actress Tunisha Sharma hanged herself in the
make-up room of her former boyfriend and co-star Sheezan Khan. Her mother
Vanita Sharma addressed the media during a press conference on December 30 and
claimed that Sheezan forced her to follow Islam and she had also started to
learn Urdu. However, a source has now alleged that it was only due to her
character in Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul that Tunisha learnt the Urdu language
and wore a hijab.
Source Claims Tunisha Wore Hijab Only For Her
Character
Tunisha Sharma was a character actor, claims a source.
After the late actress’ mother Vanita Sharma claimed that Sheezan Khan forced
her to follow Islam and she had also started to learn Urdu, a source has stated
that Tunisha wore a hijab to perfect her character as Princess Mariam in Ali
Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul.
The source revealed that Tunisha followed Islamic
culture to better herself in her show, Alibaba. It was further mentioned that
Tunisha, who played Mariam's character, would spend hours learning Urdu and
would also wear the hijab just to get into the skin of her character. It was
due to this reason that people had wrong ideas. Ali Baba started in August 2022
and since then, Tunisha had been trying to do her best. The source further
revealed that as an artiste, she would give her 100% and to understand her
Muslim character better and deliver better, she would prepare by doing the said
things.
Sheezan Forced TunishaTo Follow Islam: Vanita Sharma
During a press conference on Friday, Tunisha Sharma's
mother Vanita said, "Tunisha informed me that Sheezan used to consume
drugs on the sets. There were changes in Tunisha's behaviour. Sheezan forced
her to follow Islam. She also posted on her Instagram that morning but what
happened after that, we have no idea."
Tunisha died by suicide on December 24.
Source:IndiaToday
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Afghan journalists develop a mobile app to empower
citizen journalism
December 30, 2022
Two Afghan journalists have developed a mobile app
which would help citizens broadcast live-streaming of what they may want to
share with others.
The app named ‘Orsy‘ is designed for Android and iOS
devices was launched by Afghan journalists, Abdullah Khudadad and Sami Mahdi on
Thursday.
The app aims to break down the barriers between the audience
and reporter by allowing citizens get engaged in sharing non-filtered
live-broadcasting videos from what they notice around them.
According to the information published on Orsy’s
website, reporting on this app is financially rewarding by receiving tips
online.
“Orsy is not only an application, it is a new method
to access and learn about the world around you”, Abdullah Khudadad, one of the
founders said in a post on his Facebook wall.
With real-time and multi-angle updates, powerful
geolocation features, Orsy stand out from the rest, Abdullah said.
This comes as with the rapid developments in internet
technology and social media, the citizens have now been more engaged in
reporting of what they see around them through different social media platforms.
These development have helped with the speedy circulation of information
globally.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-journalists-develop-a-mobile-app-to-empower-citizen-journalism/
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Favourable View Of Muslims In The US Ticks Up, Even As
Islamophobic Incidents Rise
30 December 2022
Women wear US flag headscarves at city hall for World
Hijab Day in New York City, on 1 February 2017 (AFP)
----------
The number of US residents holding Islamophobic and
anti-Semitic views has flatlined, and may actually be shrinking, even as hate
crimes increase, according to a 2022 poll conducted by Brookings Institute.
Favourable views of Muslims in the US have risen
substantially over the past seven years. In 2016, 58 percent of those polled by
Brookings held favourable views of Muslims, by May 2022 that number had ticked
up to 78 percent.
Authors of the new report, "The anti-Semitic and
Islamophobic fringe is alarmingly emboldened - but it's shrinking",
suggested that Americans' views on Muslims were shaped by a rise in Islamophoic
rhetoric during the years of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
"As Trump targeted Muslims in his campaign, more
Americans, especially Democrats and Independents, seemed to rally behind
Muslims, even as anti-Muslim discourse expanded," they said.
An increase in anti-Semitic rhetoric also does not
appear to have impacted the views held by the general public.
Those polled by Brookings expressed the least
opposition to a Jewish presidential candidate compared with any other religion.
Just five percent of Republicans and seven percent of Democrats said they would
vote against a Jewish presidential candidate. That number was lower than those
who would oppose a Catholic or Protestant candidate.
Opposition to a Muslim presidential candidate was
substantially higher, with 44 percent of Republicans and 26 percent of
Democrats saying they would reject a candidate based on their Islamic faith.
Despite the high opposition, the poll indicates that
both Republicans and Democrats are slowly warming to the idea of voting for a
Muslim candidate. The total number of those opposed dropped from 31 percent in
2016 to 26 percent in 2022.
Despite the trend in favourability, there has been a
significant increase in attacks on Muslim and Jewish groups, suggesting an
increased intensity of Islamophobic and anti-Semitic attitudes.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has documented an
increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the US, rising 34 percent from 2020 to
2021, including a 43 percent increase in harassment and a 167 percent increase
in anti-Semitic assaults - the highest recorded number of anti-Semitic
incidents since ADL first began tracking them in 1979.
Muslim-Americans have also been increasingly targeted.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) documented a nine percent increase in
Islamophobic incidents from 2020 and the highest number of civil rights
complaints in 27 years, including a 28 percent increase in hate and bias
incidents.
"It may be easy to conclude that there has been
an increase in the number of people who express these beliefs, but the
intensity of hate, what we call a vertical expansion, has not led to an
increase in the number of people who express such views," the authors
noted.
Source: MiddleEastEye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/favourable-view-muslims-us-ticks-even-islamophobic-incidents-rise
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In Turkey, Islamic mystic Rumi’s whirling connects
even Iranians and Israeli Jews
By TOBIAS SIEGAL
30 December 2022
During a 10-day annual commemoration ceremony known as
the Şeb-i Arus or ‘the night of the union,’ Konya is Turkey’s most buzzing
pilgrimage center. This year, ToI was there, too
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KONYA, Turkey — In the usually sleepy southern
Anatolian city of Konya, scenes of colorful people and distinct cultures filled
the streets for a few chilly days in mid-December. While usually separated by
borders, politics, and language, most were in Konya with one common purpose – paying
respect to the late Islamic scholar Rumi and discussing his timeless messages
of unity and love.
In December, followers of Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi
Rumi, or Mevlânâ as he’s known in the East, marked the 749th death anniversary
of the 13th-century Persian Sufi thinker, whose influence has transcended
borders and ethnic differences and whose teachings are still seen as relevant
today, perhaps more than ever.ADVERTISEMENT
Addressing reporters in Konya on December 16, Rumi’s
22nd-generation granddaughter EsinÇelebi, who also serves as a teacher of his
writings, said she has “visited many countries” to spread Rumi’s ideas and was
actively “working with Turkish authorities to introduce [Rumi] to the entire
world.”
Noting that Rumi’s books have been translated into 26
languages, she said, “The works of Rumi are still very popular, as if they were
just written.”
During a 10-day annual commemoration ceremony known as
the Şeb-iArus or “the night of the union,” Konya becomes Turkey’s most buzzing
pilgrimage center. The city, dubbed “the City of Hearts” by locals, draws in
thousands or people from across Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and other Asian Muslim countries, as well as
non-Muslims from the West seeking spiritual enlightenment or simply a unique
experience.
The Times of Israel was invited as a guest of the
Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry to report on the events surrounding Rumi’s
749th death anniversary in Konya, Turkey, on December 15-19.
While Rumi’s teachings are inherently based on the
Quran, many New Age practices in the West have adopted his ideas as
translations have made his work increasingly accessible in recent years.
Described by American biographer Brad Gooch as “a poet of joy and of love,”
Rumi has become the best-selling poet in the United States today — “the warm
and fuzzy ecumenical poet of choice for weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies and
funerals,” as the Washington Post put it in 2017.
But despite what some may perceive as cultural
appropriation by the West, it’s hard to imagine Rumi himself opposing the
circulation of his ideas. One of his best-known quotes reads: “Come, come,
whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours
is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand
times. Come, yet again, come, come.”
His ideas emphasize the importance of human dignity
and social justice. Some consider him an early defender of human rights. He
considered all humans to be manifestations of the divine and as such viewed all
people as complex, spiritual, and equal beings. His teachings encourage
self-observation and self-discovery as the main ways of reaching spiritual
enlightenment and connecting to God.
‘Challenging high politics’
While Rumi’s teachings have always drawn Muslims
seeking a different approach to their daily and religious routines, they have
also established a foothold in some unexpected places, including the Jewish
state.
Dr.RonieParciack, a professor at Tel Aviv University’s
Department of Asian Studies and for the past seven years an active practitioner
of the Mevlevi Sama ceremony — a form of worship in Islamic Sufism that is
believed to have started with Rumi — says there is an active community of
Israelis who follow Rumi and practice Sama.
“We have a direct link to the Mevlevi order in Konya,”
she says in an interview with The Times of Israel after returning from a trip
to Turkey with her group.
“The community in Israel is a direct outcome of
several historic events,” she explains, citing the establishment of the modern
Turkish republic in 1923 and the subsequent banning of Sufi orders by the first
Turkish president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in 1925, and the shift of Sufi
centers and prominent scholars to the West, primarily the US, in the second
half of the 20th century.
Western influence “led to certain changes within the
communities,” Parciack says. “For the first time, women started appearing in
Sama ceremonies… The presence in the West changed the approach toward gender.
It allowed women to enter the ceremony actively while performing publicly.”
In Turkey, official public Sama ceremonies are still
performed by men. Still, Parciack says she was able to perform a private
ceremony in Konya and describes a meaningful experience.
“We held a ceremony with local Mevlevi Turks. The news
of our arrival in Konya spread quickly and drew a lot of curious people,
including people from across the Arab world – Emiratis, Saudis, Iranians,
Afghans, Iraqis… People came and left, we created a dialogue with them,” she
says.
Contrary to what one might expect, Parciack says none
of her encounters were political in nature. “In some spaces the meaning we give
high politics is overrated. Definitions, political issues, all those were put
aside. What was left was the joy of meeting, of talking.”
She continued, “Our presence in Konya created this
happy event that challenged concepts of high politics… We’ve become so
accustomed to thinking in categories – Muslim, Israeli, Jewish – but it’s not
that important… There are plenty of spaces where these levels are completely
useless.”
“And that’s one of the purposes of the Sama ceremony,”
she says, “to dismiss categories.” She mentions that the group she is part of
was established by an Israeli-Palestinian couple, a form of dismissing
preconceptions in itself. They meet in Jaffa once a week to practice Sufi
whirling.
Other than that, a festival celebrating Rumi and the
Sama ceremony is held in Israel every year in May. It has been running for a
decade and is gaining popularity every year, according to its website.
And while Sama has allowed Parciack to avoid politics,
for a group of young Iranians visiting Konya, the notion of letting go of
existing definitions was an expression of seeking justice back home, where
nationwide protests have swept the Islamic Republic since the death of
MahsaAmini in the custody of the so-called morality police in mid-September.
“We’re here seeking meaning,” one Iranian who asked
not to be identified tells The Times of Israel. “We’re not after any specific
person, it’s not about Rumi or [prophet] Muhammad. It’s only about us, the
people, those looking for justice and trying to follow their heart.”
Another member of the group adds, “When you connect
with your heart everything becomes a reflection of love and you can love
everything.”
Someone from the group, meanwhile, hands out flyers
with a symbol of what he calls “DerafshKaviani,” a banner of the Sassanid
Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians, which was the last Iranian
empire to rule before the Muslim conquests during the 7th and 8th centuries CE.
“It’s the oldest flag of Iran,” he says.
Sufi whirling
Sufi whirling is at the center of the Sama. It is
performed by Dervishes – a broad name given to members of an Islamic Sufi
group. The ceremony is considered the means through which its performers shed
their ego and any existing preconceptions to reach a state of mind that
illuminates their connection with Allah. The Sama, which literally means
“hearing” in Arabic, also includes repeated chants of certain prayers and
phrases from the Quran – referred to as Dhikr, or “remembrance” – that
accompany the ceremony.
Despite seeming like an ecstatic dance to the
untrained eye, those who practice Sama describe it more as a prayer that
requires a great level of self-discipline and control.
“Many people today know Sama as a dance, as a show,
but it’s not. It’s a prayer, it’s the remembrance of God,” Turkish Mevlevi
Dervish Osman Sariaj tells The Times of Israel.
Sariaj says the unique position whirling Dervishes put
themselves in during the ceremony – holding one hand toward the sky and the
other toward the ground while tilting their head sideways – reflects its
meditative and religious purpose.
“All people want something from God. We also want
something. But we don’t look at what he gives us. Our head position means that
we don’t look up or down. The other hand is pointed down, we’re not looking at
what we give others as well. We only look toward our hearts, inward,” he says,
reiterating Rumi’s saying: “Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”
Asked if anyone can tap into these ideas through the
Sama, Sariaj says all are all welcome to try.
“I practiced a single movement with my leg for six
months, just one turn,” he says.
“Religion is not important. Just come and visit Rumi.
Close your eyes and feel him. If you do that you’ll be rewarded,” he
guarantees.
Still, it might not be for everyone, Parciack says.
“Learning how to master the act of whirling takes
time. The technique requires changing one’s sensory perception… It requires a
very specific kind of passion. Anyone can come and try it, but I’ve seen many
try and fail to stick with it.”
Sufism in Jewish tradition
A Jewish sect that was active in Egypt in the
12th-13th centuries and was led by Abraham Maimonides, the son of noted sage
Maimonides, is believed to have integrated Islamic Sufi ideas of the time into
their practices. They have been referred to as Hasidic Egyptians by some
scholars, raising interesting albeit completely theoretical questions about the
possible influence of Islamic Sufism on the development of the present-day
Hasidic movement which, like Mevlevi Dervishes, puts an emphasis on the
individual’s state of mind during the process of worship, with happiness and
joy playing a central role in religious practices. Song and dance are central
in Hasidic tradition, not unlike the Sama ceremony in Mevlevi Sufism.
According to Dr. Michael Laitman, founder and
president of the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute, the
connection between Sufism and Jewish mysticism is biblical.
“Both Sufism and the wisdom of the Kabbalah speak
about the same thing. They both originated from Abraham. He taught Sufism as
spiritual teachings to his eldest son Ishmael and the wisdom of Kabbalah to his
other son, Isaac. But both practices are connected, they don’t contradict each
other,” Laitman says.
Today, these ideas are carried on by a group of
academics, rabbis, and sheiks who call themselves “Derech Avraham” (Abraham’s
Journey). The group promotes interfaith dialogue based on common ideas and
practices from Judaism and Islam. Its goal, according to its website, is to
“facilitate a reunion of Isaac & Ishmael – the nations of the Middle East –
that will build a highway to bless the nations.”
‘Spreading this message to the entire world’
Addressing the crowd at the main event commemorating
Rumi in Konya on December 17, Turkish officials argued that Rumi’s ideas were
necessary in today’s world more than ever.
“[Rumi’s] teachings are crucial values for humanity
and the world is starting to realize this,” said Konya Governor Muammer Erol.
“It’s no trivial thing that [Rumi] is read with the
same excitement as he was hundreds of years ago,” said Turkish Culture and
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
“And that’s the line that connects us all. We don’t
discriminate. We are always seeking to cooperate with our neighbors. We don’t
consider those who think and live differently as enemies. These values are
needed in today’s world. So many people are on the verge of starvation, many
are migrating, and we see endless forms of discrimination… Certain things have
to change and [Rumi] had the answer for what we need – love. It is the sigil of
humanity. We are proud to be taking an active role in spreading this message to
the entire world,” he added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was among
several world leaders to send Hanukkah greetings to the Jewish people earlier
this month, as the ties between Jerusalem and Ankara have improved in recent
months.
As Israel seeks to foster more normalization
agreements with its Muslim neighbors, Konya, Rumi, and the spirit they
represent suggest that regional harmony is not only possible but an emerging
reality, and only requires us to look in the right direction.
Or as Rumi put it: “Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have
built against it.”
Source:TimesOfIsrael
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Ronaldo ‘Excited’ To Start New Chapter With
‘Inspiring’ Saudi Arabia’s Club Al Nassr
31 December ,2022
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts at a UEFA Nations
League match Portugal v Switzerland in Lisbon, Portugal on June 5, 2022. (File
photo: Reuters)
----------
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has said he is
‘excited’ to join the ‘inspiring’ Saudi club Al Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year
contract.
The club announced details of the contract on Friday.
The five-time Ballon D’or winner is now set to undergo a medical at Mrsool
Park, home of Al Nassr, before completing any formalities. He will appear in
the club’s yellow and blue colours in the Saudi capital Riyadh in the coming
days.
“I am excited to experience a new football league in a
different country,” said Ronaldo, in a statement issued by the club. “The
vision of what Al Nassr [is] doing and developing in Saudi Arabia both in terms
of men’s and women’s football is very inspiring.”
“We can see from Saudi Arabia’s recent performance at
the World Cup that this is a country with big football ambitions and a lot of
potential.”
“I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out
to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share
my experience in Asia. I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and
together with them help the Club to achieve success.”
Ronaldo’s contract has been estimated by media to be
worth more than €200 million ($214.04 million).
Al Nassr Football Club President MusalliAlmuammar
said: ”This is more than history in the making. This is a signing that will not
only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league,
our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of
themselves.”
“He is a special footballer and a special person whose
impact is felt far beyond football. Cristiano is joining a club with big
ambitions, a competitive club amongst the very best in Asia and will be
welcomed to a country that is making massive progress on and off the pitch with
opportunities for all.”
“But first and foremost, we can’t wait to see him in
the number 7 shirt of Al Nassr doing what he does best, scoring goals, winning
titles and bringing joy to those who love the beautiful game.”
Ronaldo departed Old Trafford last month following an
explosive television interview in which the 37-year-old forward said he felt
betrayed by the club and did not respect their Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo will arrive in Saudi Arabia with a vast
collection of club honours after a glittering spell at Spanish giants Real
Madrid from 2009-18 where he won two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Cups, four
Champions League titles and three Club World Cups.
He went on to score a club record 451 times for Real
and has more than 800 senior goals overall for club and country.
Ronaldo claimed two Serie A titles and a Copa Italia
trophy in three years at Juventus before rejoining United with whom he had
bagged three Premier League crowns, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions
League and Club World Cup.
He played for Portugal in Qatar, where he became the
first player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in his side’s
opening Group H game against Ghana. Portugal was knocked out in the
quarterfinals by Morocco.
Ronaldo said Qatar would probably be his last World
Cup as he plans to retire at 40, with a move to Saudi Arabia likely to mark the
swansong in the career one of the game’s greatest current players alongside
Lionel Messi.
As the number one sport in Saudi Arabia, football has
continued to gain prominence and momentum in recent years especially following
the recent victory for the national team over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup
Qatar 2022, with the entire squad based in Saudi Arabia.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
Concern at attack on Kashmiri students in Aligarh
Muslim University
Piyush Srivastava
| Lucknow
31.12.22
The Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association has
expressed concern over the attacks on students from the Valley at Aligarh
Muslim University and said it has sought the intervention of Union home
minister Amit Shah to protect them.
Nasir Khuemahi, national convener of the association,
said there were 1,400 Jammu and Kashmir students in different courses in AMU
and they were living in fear.
“They are being harassed and intimidated here. The
university administration doesn’t listen to their problems. We have written
four letters to the AMU VC (Tariq Mansoor) in recent months but they were
ignored. We recently heard of a fourth attack on Jammu and Kashmir students,”
he told reporters in Aligarh on Thursday.
“We have written to the home minister requesting him
to form a special committee at AMU to keep a watch on the safety of the
students from the Valley,” he added.
Khuemahi claimed that some students on the campus had
recently used pistols and kattas (country-made revolvers) to threaten Kashmiri
students.
A group of students from Uttar Pradesh had clashed
with students from Jammu and Kashmir who were organising a dharna at the
Centenary Gate of AMU on Monday against the attacks on them.
The students of Jammu and Kashmir demanded that the
authorities chalk out a plan to stop “targeted attacks” on them.
Source: TelegraphIndia
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Sheikh Abdullah was a popular leader but still he
committed unfair democratic practices: Arif Mohammad Khan
SHABIR IBN YUSUF
31 Dec, 2022
Srinagar: Kerela Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who is
on a visit to Kashmir, said that the abrogation of Article 370 empowered people
of Jammu and Kashmir and maintained that the special status of J&K would
always be there.
“People of J&K should understand that the special
status is not determined by a law but a rich legacy which will never end,” Khan
told Greater Kashmir in an exclusive interview. “Kashmiris will always have the
special status.”
Khan, who has “close association” with J&K, said
mistakes committed by some political leaders “complicated Kashmir issue”.
“Foundation of Kashmir issue was unfair elections in
1952 in which Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah rejected nomination papers of all
opposition candidates. Sheikh was a popular leader and ruled the hearts of the
people but still he indulged in this unfair practice,” Khan said without
mincing words.
“It was Article 370 which stopped those candidates
whose nominations were rejected in 1952 to challenge it. Article 370 only
empowers politicians, rulers, and bureaucrats. Pakistan and separatists tried
to use the abrogation of Article 370 to show that Kashmir is an unresolved
issue but failed,” he said.
Khan said Article 370 abrogation had empowered people
of J&K and made politicians and bureaucrats accountable. Since 1947, plan
expenditure of J&K is six times more than the rest of the states and union
territories in the country.
“Minds are changing, situation will normalise, and
statehood too will be restored gradually. Kashmir isn’t known for values of
politics but Rishiyat, its traditions, lifestyle and no one can snatch it,” he
said.
After students complete graduation in Sanskrit
universities in Banaras, Khan said they have to mandatorily march eight steps
towards the direction of Kashmir and then they will get a degree.
“Whole India sees Kashmir as the centre of knowledge
and the highest seat of learning,” he said.
Khan said Kashmiris were peace-loving people.
“As an outsider, about 13-14 years ago, I was invited
to an RSS convention in Nagpur on its last day. I met two Kashmiri leaders. I
told them that Kashmiris are peace-loving and that they believe in tolerance
and are known for hospitality and we committed some mistakes and Pakistan used
some of them. They were surprised to hear me,” he said.
Elaborating, Khan said, “Kashmiris were afraid of even
knives.”
“I was Minister of States Home Affairs in 1985. The
internal security division was under me. In Central Jail in Srinagar, there was
a staff of over 200 and there were just 15-20 prisoners including under-trials.
Kashmiris didn’t know of any crime. We cannot wholly blame Kashmiris for the
present situation, but now there is a need to reach out to them and remove
their confusion,” he said.
Khan praised Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj
Sinha and termed him a people-centric man.
“He (LG Sinha) is a sensitive and honest person. He
has been working hard for the development and peace of J&K,” he said.
Khan hit out at Pakistan blaming it for the “trouble”
in J&K.
“It is a fact that every Indian treats Kashmir as a
jewel in India’s crown. Kashmir should have been our leader and there shouldn’t
be a deficit of democracy. Pakistan got divided in 1971 due to its internal
problems and since then its leadership is unsuccessfully using the Kashmir
issue to take revenge from India,” he said.
Khan said that majority of the people of Kashmir want
development.
“Kashmir will have thriving democracy and New Delhi is
committed to take Kashmiris along. Kashmiris are extremely talented and they
only need exposure and platform. The Centre will ensure overall development of
Kashmir and make it one of the top Information Technology hubs. It is an era of
global village and time is ripe to end differences and work together to make
Kashmir a paradise again,” he said.
Source:GreaterKashmir
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Row over EC’s Assam delimitation plan — ‘BJP trying to
tinker with Muslim-majority seats’
SHANKER ARNIMESH
31 December, 2022
New Delhi: A row has broken out over the Election
Commission’s (EC) decision to begin the delimitation of assembly and
parliamentary constituencies in Assam on the basis of the 2001 Census,
following a request from the law ministry on 15 November.
Opposition parties are accusing the BJP-led state
government of attempting to “tinker with Muslim-majority seats in Assam for its
own advantage”.
They are also questioning why the delimitation
exercise is being conducted using data from the 2001 Census and not the more
recent 2011 Census, according to which the population of Muslims in Assam has
increased by 3.3 per cent — the highest growth in the country.
“When 2011 Census data is available, why is the
government using the 2001 Census data?” Congressman and Leader of Opposition in
Assam DebabrataSaikia told ThePrint. In Assam, the last delimitation of
constituencies was done in 1976 on the basis of the 1971 Census.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Aminul
Islam asked, “when seats are to be increased in 2026 (when the next national
delimitation is due) and the process for the (deferred) 2021 Census is about to
begin, to what extent is it appropriate to make the census of 20 years ago
(2001) the basis of delimitation in Assam?”.
He added that “this clearly shows the master plan of
the BJP government is something else, for which this delimitation is being
started. Their intention is only to tamper with the population of
Muslim-dominated seats”.
Assam BJP president BhabeshKalita termed the allegations
regarding delimitation in the state as baseless.
He referred to the EC’s direction of a “complete ban
on the creation of new administrative units with effect from January 1, 2023,
till the completion of delimitation exercise in the state (Assam)”.
Asserting that Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats and 126
assembly seats “which will remain intact”, Kalita told ThePrint: “No seat has
to be changed in this delimitation. When the exercise was conducted across the
country (in 2008) on the basis of the 2001 Census, Assam should also get the
benefit of the 2001 data first.”
‘Raising questions, doubts only meant to spread
confusion’
The Muslim population in Assam has seen the highest
surge in the decade between the 2001 Census and 2011 Census. While the Muslim
population across India surged only 0.8 per cent in the 10 years — from 13.4
per cent to 14.2 per cent — the maximum rise was in Assam.
The state’s percentage of Muslims was 30.9 per cent in
2001, which jumped to 34.2 per cent in 2011. In the meantime, the population of
Hindus saw a decline in the state.
The Muslim community is currently in majority in nine
of the state’s 35 districts. Assam chief minister HimantaBiswaSarma has
repeatedly talked about the increase in Muslim population in the border areas
of the state, underlining the possible effects of it on the Assamese community
and culture.
Talking about the need for delimitation, Kalita said:
“Only those assembly seats where the proportion of the population is high have
to be made in proportion. There are 3 lakh voters in some seats and 1.5 lakh in
some others. This way it becomes difficult for MLAs to use government funds
where there are more voters. That’s why the need for delimitation has arisen.”
He added: “The Election Commission will do the whole
process, and raising questions and doubts is only meant to spread confusion”.
All about delimitation
Delimitation is key for the conduct of polls in India
and is aimed at providing fair representation to all segments of society. The
exercise involves redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and assembly seats to
represent changes in the population. The demographic reworking also changes the
number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
According to The Delimitation Act of 2002, there can
be no change in the seats of any state assembly or the Lok Sabha till 2026.
Delimitation was completed in the entire country in
2008, on the basis of the 2001 Census, but four Northeastern states and Jammu
& Kashmir were then excluded from the exercise.
This was done after several organisations from
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland challenged the 2001 Census in
the Gauhati High Court. Political parties in Assam, including the BJP, had also
met then home minister Shivraj Patil and demanded that the delimitation
exercise be postponed as the National Register of Citizens (NRC, meant to
identify illegal immigrants) had not been revised.
Keeping the demands in mind, the Centre had postponed
delimitation in the four states and J&K by amending the Delimitation Act in
2008.
On March 6, 2020, the BJP-led central government
reconstituted the Delimitation Commission for the four states as well as the
Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
In February this year, President Ram Nath Kovind
ordered the delimitation process to be restarted, scrapping the 2008 order.
In May, the delimitation exercise was completed for
Jammu & Kashmir on the basis of the 2011 Census — a fact that opposition
parties are highlighting while protesting the use of 2001 data for delimitation
in Assam.
Earlier this month, the Assam government informed the
Centre that there is a favourable environment for delimitation in the state.
2001 and 2011 Census
Hindus are in the majority in Assam and their
population is 61.47 per cent, according to the 2011 Census. Assam has a total
population of 3.1 crore, of which 1.07 crore people are Muslims and are in
abundance in districts like Dhubri Barpeta, Karimganj, Goalpara, Morigaon,
Darrang, Hailakandi, and Bongaigaon.
According to the statistics of 2001, Muslims were in
abundance in six districts, which rose to nine in 2011.
The challenge for the BJP is to reduce the influence
of the Congress and AIUDF in Muslim-majority areas.
The AIUDF has a large Muslim following in Assam and,
in the 2021 state elections, it won 16 seats, increasing its tally from the 13
it had won in the 2016 polls in the state.
According to Pallab Lochan Das, BJP MP from Tezpur,
Assam, “Delimitation is meant to remove disparities where there is an imbalance
of population, whether it is minority or majority, so that the benefits of
governance can reach all the people.”
Another senior BJP leader from Assam pointed out the
“error of not having delimitation on the basis of 2001 data” and the “need to
correct the old records”.
“It is beneficial for the party to use the 2001 Census
not only politically but also for the next census, when the seats of Lok Sabha
and Vidhan Sabha would have increased (in 2026),” he said.
Saikia, however, wondered that “by the time
delimitation is completed in Assam, the process of collating new census data
would start, so why is the government wasting so much money (now)?”
Or, he added, “behind the exercise, is the government
trying to draw up seats for its benefit by dividing the proportion of the
population of Muslim-majority seats among other seats?”
“We have demanded that the Election Commission
undertake delimitation on the basis of latest census data,” he said.
Saikia also pointed out that while delimitation in
Assam was in the works, no decision had yet been taken on the fate of the 19
lakh people excluded from the Assam NRC.
Source:ThePrint
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Foreign-Based Pro-Khalistani Elements Plotting Court
Strike, Says Intel
Dec 31, 2022
NEW DELHI: The intelligence establishment is learnt to
have issued an alert that foreign-based pro-Khalistani elements are planning to
carry out an IED blast at a court complex, most likely in Delhi, Ludhiana or
Jalandhar. The inputs have been communicated to the local police, asking them
to step up the security apparatus.
"The possibility of such an attack at any other
court complex in Punjab also cannot be ruled out. No further indicators exist
as of now," says the alert. Sources said the alert had stemmed from some
chatter linked to Germany-based Khalistani terrorist Jaswinder Singh Multani.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on
him.
The alert comes a year after a blast rocked the
Ludhiana court premises last December. A man, supposedly the bomber himself,
was killed and five were seriously injured in the blast inside a bathroom on
the second floor of the building on December 23, 2021. The explosion ripped
through a whole section of the complex and shattered the windows in nearby
rooms.
The Special Task Force of Punjab Police had
apprehended five people, including a juvenile, this May. NIA had charged
Multani, a member of the banned Sikhs for Justice, who was subsequently
detained in Germany on December 28 last year following a request from Indian
agencies. According to NIA, the blast was carried out at the behest of Multani,
who had allegedly arranged the logistics remotely with the help of his contacts
in Pakistan. He was released later.
In Delhi, at least 15 people were killed and 79
injured on September 7, 2011 in an explosion outside gate 5 of the high court
complex. Delhi Police has since reviewed the security of the courts multiple
times.
Source: Times Of India
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Jammu SIA files chargesheet against four LeT
terrorists
Dec 31, 2022
JAMMU: The State Investigation Agency (SIA), Jammu,
has filed a chargesheet against four Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who were
allegedly involved in carrying out numerous terror attacks in the Union
Territory, said an SIA officer on Friday.
“The case was initially registered at Mahore PS in
Reasi district, but later transferred to SIA Jammu on the orders of J&K
Police Headquarters. The investigation established that Pakistan-based
terrorist Mohammad Qasim and Zia-ul-Rehman — both J&K natives who went to
Pakistan after joining terror ranks — were using drones to supply arms,
ammunition, and explosives in J&K. The consignments were being collected by
the accused Talib Hussain Shah and his associates,” said an SIA spokesperson.
“On the directions of Pak-based handlers, Talib
Hussain Shah had recruited many J&K youths and revived the terror ecosystem
in Chenab Valley and Peer Panjal area,” the spokesperson said, adding that the
investigation also proved that the accused were involved in killing members of
the minority community to create an environment of fear among masses. The
accused were directed to carry out attacks on security forces and vital
installations to meet the objective of the secession of J&K from the Union
of India.
Source: Times Of India
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South Asia
Taliban's Reversion to Sharia-Based Public Punishments
Dominated
December 30, 2022
ISLAMABAD —
The Taliban have consolidated power and overseen an
enormous improvement in security across Afghanistan this year. At the same
time, the Islamist rulers have failed to gain formal international recognition
and sanctions relief by refusing to remove restrictions on women’s freedoms to
public life and education.
The insurgent group returned to power in mid-August
2021 as the United States and NATO-led Western allies completed their military
withdrawal after two decades of involvement in the war with the Taliban.
More than 16 months into renewed Taliban rule, fears
of an economic collapse, widespread famine and massive migration of Afghans
stemming from U.S. sanctions and suspension of foreign aid seem to have eased.
The lack of crisis is largely attributed to a series
of exemptions granted by President Joe Biden in the U.S. sanctions and to the
delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance by Western allies.
A Taliban crackdown on corruption, a marked reduction
in violence and an unprecedented increase in coal exports to neighboring
Pakistan have also contributed to slowing Afghanistan’s economic free fall and
stabilizing the conflict-torn nation.
But the Taliban regime continues to face severe
criticism for its human rights record, especially for its treatment of women.
New restrictions on women in public
Norway hosted Taliban diplomats in January for
meetings with European delegates on Afghan humanitarian and human rights
issues. The initiative generated hopes the Islamist Taliban would live up to
their pledges of ensuring women’s freedoms and opening schools for girls in
return for Western economic cooperation.
But the developments in the months that followed
strained an already fragile relationship between the Taliban and the outside
world. The new regime in Kabul, known as the Islamic Emirate, began curtailing
women’s freedoms in breach of repeated commitments.
HibatullahAkhudzada, the reclusive Taliban supreme
leader, abruptly decided against allowing teenage girls to resume classes when
public secondary schools across the country reopened in March.
Afghanistan’s rulers continued to tighten restrictions
on women, banning them from public places, including parks, bath houses, and
gyms. Women are required to cover their faces in public and can attend health
facilities or undertake road travel beyond a certain distance only if
accompanied by male chaperones. Most female government staff say they have
effectively been confined to their homes or rendered unemployed.
The United Nations and Western governments have persistently
decried women’s exclusion from public life as a “human rights crisis” in
Afghanistan and called for reversing the rules.
“The country’s economic and social stability and the
Taliban’s domestic and international legitimacy depend enormously on their treatment
of Afghanistan’s mothers and daughters,” Thomas West, the U.S. special Afghan
representative, told Taliban Defense Minister Mohammed Yaqub in a December
meeting in Abu Dhabi.
The Taliban have also curbed media freedoms and space
for civil society activists to operate has increasingly shrunk.
In a rare mid-year speech, Akhundzada rebuked
international outcry and calls for him to remove curbs on women and girls.
“I am not here to fulfill your [foreigners'] wishes,
nor are they acceptable to me. I cannot compromise on Sharia [Islamic law] to
work with you or even move a step forward,” he told an all-male gathering of
thousands of religious clerics in the Afghan capital.
Floggings, executions return
Akhundzada also directed Taliban courts toward the end
of the year to begin applying Islamic law to criminal justice, leading to
public floggings of dozens of Afghans, including women, in crowded sports
stadiums for allegedly committing “moral crimes” such as adultery and theft.
In December, the Taliban staged their first public
execution of a convicted murderer, effectively reviving the practices of the
previous Taliban rule in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
The reversion to harsh punishments drew international
outrage but Taliban rulers rejected the outcry as “reprehensible” and an
“insult” to their religious beliefs.
Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister AnnikenHuitfeldt
told an event in Oslo this past week that her government believes in continued
engagement with authorities in Kabul in order to ensure much-need aid reaches
Afghans.
“On many levels women are basically erased from public
life. This is a human right crisis,” Huitfeldt told an event in Oslo this past
week. She defended her government’s decision to host the Taliban meetings in
January and to advocate continued engagement with them, saying there is no
alternative to dialogue in order to help the Afghan people.
"But the Taliban have not delivered on their
promises. They have not opened the schools for girls. They have not moved
towards a representative government. They do not respect human rights, as
illustrated most recently by the public execution,” Huitfeldt said.
Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi
defended his government’s policies and stressed the need for other countries to
work toward bridging the mutual trust deficit.
“It is imperative the West revisit its policy of
collective punishment and allow Afghans their most basic human right — the
right to life,” Balkhi told VOA in written comments.
“After experiencing half a century of crisis and
violence caused by foreign interference and great power politics, Afghans must
be given an opportunity to rebuild their lives and heal their trauma through
assistance, cooperation and integration so trust deficits can be narrowed and a
way forward forged in tandem with the world,” Balkhi added.
Taliban hardliners in control
Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia
Institute at Washington’s Wilson Center, says he is not optimistic the Taliban
and the international community will come to an understanding next year. He
says the Taliban polices are being driven by the religious hardliners,
including Akhundzada, who have the upper hand within the ruling group.
“The trend lines are not good, and the Taliban appear
to be intensifying the draconian policies that so concern the international
community,” Kugelman stated.
“And the Taliban don’t care about reconciliation,
recognition, and assistance from the international community. Unless the
Taliban’s internal dynamics change next year in a way that allows the moderates
to gain more control over policy, I doubt much will change, sadly,” he added.
Torek Farhadi, a former Afghan official and political
commentator, says the Taliban leadership is using the strictest interpretation
of Sharia to please hardliners, in an effort to avoid creation of splinter
groups within the movement.
“However, it gives the wrong image of the Islamic
faith overall. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation [the Muslim-majority
nations’ grouping] has also been reluctant to extend recognition to the Taliban
regime so long as the teenage girls’ schools remain closed,” Farhadi said.
“Needless to say, Western countries are not interested
in having Taliban regimes' representatives and emissaries sitting as
ambassadors in their own capitals,” Farhadi said.
Taliban leaders dismiss as Western media propaganda
reports of rifts in their ranks.
The Islamist rulers take credit for ending years of
war in the country, but they have not been able to counter growing terrorist
attacks by ISIS-K, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group. ISIS-K has
staged high-profile deadly bombings in recent months targeting Taliban members,
the Afghan Shiite minority community, Russian and Pakistani diplomatic missions
as well Chinese nationals in the country.
Balkhi rejected the criticism of their
counterterrorism actions and renewed his government’s resolve to not allow
anyone to use Afghan soil against other countries.
“The Islamic Emirate has been far more effective in
combatting ISIS than any other state through adoption of sound policies,
preemptive operations and quick reaction to incidents,” he said.
The Taliban are also battling a low-level insurgency,
known as the National Resistance Front or NRF, which is active in parts of
northern Panjshir province and surrounding areas. The insurgent leadership is
believed to be operating out of bases in neighboring Tajikistan, but they have
not been able to pose much of a threat to the Kabul regime.
The international community has also discouraged
continuation of violence, fearing it could spark another Afghan civil war and
eventually create space for increased transnational terrorist activities.
Norway’s Huitfeldt also noted in her December 12
speech in Oslo the Islamic State group “poses an even greater threat” in
Afghanistan and it can spread internationally over time if not contained.
Source: VOANews
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Taliban divisions inflamed by sweeping restrictions on
women
Dec 31, 2022
The Taliban’s sweeping orders to restrict women’s
rights have exacerbated divisions in the militant group to the point where
rival factions are surrounding themselves with loyal troops, according to people
familiar with the matter.
The Taliban last week prohibited women from attending
universities or working in non-governmental organizations, adding to directives
this year banning them from using gyms, amusement parks and public baths — as
well as the ability to travel more than 70 kilometers (43 miles) without a male
escort. The moves sparked outrage among Afghans and the international
community, with even some friendly Islamic countries expressing opposition.
The conservative decrees were ordered by the militant
group’s rarely seen supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, who rules from the
southern city of Kandahar and issues edicts via a religious council of Taliban
clerics, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive
matters.
A group of Taliban leaders is pushing back against
Akhundazada, the people said, led by defence minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob,
the son of the group’s deceased founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, and interior
minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani Network, who is on the FBI’s
most-wanted list for terrorism. Their attempts to meet with the supreme leader
to discuss the matter have so far been rebuffed, the people said.
Tensions are so acute now that both factions are
gathering loyal personnel in case the conflict escalates into fighting, the
people said. Yaqoob and Haqqani hold fort in the capital Kabul, while
Akhundzada’s base is Kandahar — where the Taliban movement arose in the early
1990s.
While Afghanistan has a national army made up of
Taliban soldiers and some troops from the US-trained force that was defeated
last year, many top ministers in the current government are former warlords or
militia leaders that still command the loyalty of thousands of fighters.
Due to their positions in government, the younger
Taliban leaders — Yaqoob and Haqqani — have access to billions of dollars worth
of military equipment left behind by the American military. Akhundzada’s
loyalists are mostly drawn from local armed militias in Kandahar and
like-minded religious leaders who have fighters of their own, the people said.
Bilal Karimi, a spokesman for the Taliban-run
government, denied any “disunity and discord among Taliban leaders” over the
orders on women, and said he wasn’t aware of any attempts by Yaqoob and Haqqani
to meet Akhundzada.
“Every member of the Islamic Emirate respects and
obeys the supreme leader’s orders,” Karimi said in a phone call. “The power of
obedience is unbreakable.”
Still, Yaqoob and Haqqani have expressed a difference
on issues of women’s rights. A spokesman for the interior ministry, Abdul
NafiTakor, said by phone that Haqqani “wants a resolution to the issue of
female education and employment, and the creation of a pure Islamic environment
in which girls and women can study and work.”
A defence ministry spokesman, Enayatullah Khwarizmi,
declined to comment on Yaqoob’s views on the latest restrictions on women. In
an interview with National Public Radio in August, Yaqoob said he was “serious”
about preparing the ground for all girls to return to school.
Neither spokesperson would comment on suggestions of
discord between the two ministers and supreme leader Akhundzada.
This isn’t the first time that fissures have erupted
within the Taliban over issues including women’s rights. The New York Times
reported earlier this year that Mahdi Mujahid, a Shia Taliban commander,
severed ties with the group’s leadership and led an uprising in his northern
hometown of Balkhab. That resulted in weeks of fierce fighting until Mujahid
was apprehended while fleeing to Iran and later killed.
When the Taliban took over Kabul last year, leaders of
the group sought to reassure the world that it would have more respect for
woman’s rights, including ensuring they receive an education. But Akhundzada
earlier this year hinted at a return to the harsh laws in place when the
Taliban ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s.
“Why are you meddling in our affairs? I am not here
because of your orders, nor do I accept them, nor do I take one step forward
based on them,” he said at an extremely rare appearance at a religious event in
capital Kabul in June, referring to international calls for more freedom for
Afghan women. “Nor do I compromise on Sharia even if you use an atomic bomb.”
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the decisions
barring women from education and work could be “devastating” for the Afghan
people and stymie the Taliban’s efforts to gain recognition and support.
Nations such as Pakistan and Qatar, which both have close ties with the
Taliban, expressed disappointment and called for the decisions to be
reconsidered.
Within Afghanistan, some men have also protested the
decision to ban women from attending universities. Several aid organizations —
including the largest group working in the country, the International Rescue
Committee — suspended operations following the move to bar female employees,
potentially disrupting humanitarian aid to millions of people during the harsh
winter months.
Many Taliban officials educate their families —
including daughters — in places like Pakistan, Qatar or the United Arab
Emirates, according to Graeme Smith, a senior consultant with the International
Crisis Group’s Asia Program, focusing on Afghanistan.
Source: Times Of India
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Taliban District Governor Dies in Traffic Accident in
Herat
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
December 30, 2022
Local officials have reported that Asadullah Waris,
the Taliban district governor for “Zindajan” district, and his two security
guards died in a traffic accident earlier today.
Mawlana Naeemulhaq Haqqani, head of the information
and culture department of Herat province tweeted that the incident took place
on the Herat-Zindajan highway late Thursday night.
Mr. Haqqani has reported that Asadullah Waris and his
two companions died in the traffic incident. Officials have reported that
over-speeding was the reason behind the incident, however, they avoided
providing further information in this regard.
As per the reports, the number of traffic incidents is
quite high in Afghanistan, taking the lives of scores of passengers mostly on
highways. Experts have linked the high number of traffic incidents to a lack of
traffic rules, damaged roads, and careless drivers.
A number of Herat residents expressed their concern
over the increase in traffic accidents in the province and called on officials
to take measures to prevent such incidents and save lives.
Source: Khaama Press
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North America
Pakistani diplomatic property in US going to ‘highest
bidder’
Anwar Iqbal
December 31, 2022
WASHINGTON: The highest bidder for a Pakistan embassy
property in the US capital is Shahal Khan of Burkhan World Investments and he
is also the likely winner of this bid, sources privy to the development told
Dawn.
Mr Khan is believed to have offered $6.8 million for
the property. Burkhan World is based in Washington and claims to “invest in
projects that it believes will have a positive impact on our society”.
A Jewish group, which presumably wanted to build a
synagogue at this site, submitted the ‘second-highest’ and not the ‘highest
bid’, as reported earlier. The third bidder was an American investment company,
which apparently employs US citizens of Indian origin as well.
Official sources told Dawn that “the process of
implementing the bid has started”, which can be interpreted as “the highest
bidder will get the property”, as agreed.
In an emailed response to Dawn, Devin Orrego Guevara,
a representative for Burkhan World, also confirmed that the highest bid for the
property was submitted by Shahal Khan.
Shahal Khan of Burkhan World Investments said to have
offered $6.8m
Mr Khan “would like to make the building the centre of
peace and it will also be tied to the Khan Institute of Economic Security and
Peace at American University”, Mr Guevara wrote.
Mr Guevara also sent a newspaper clipping, confirming
that Burkhan Investments had submitted a bid of $6.8m for the building.
Reports in the Pakistani media stated that on Nov 30,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) informed the federal cabinet that the
Pakistan embassy in Washington relocated to its present site in April 2003.
Since then, two old chancery buildings, at 2201 R
Street and 2315 Massachusetts Avenue, have remained unoccupied.
In 2010, the then-prime minister approved the repair
and renovation of both buildings through a loan of $7m secured from the
National Bank of Pakistan in Washington.
About 60 per cent of the repair/renovation work at the
R-Street property was completed by the end of 2012 and then it was abandoned.
The former embassy building, however, was completely renovated.
In 2018, the diplomatic status of the R-Street
property was revoked, rendering it liable to local taxes.
In 2019, the embassy paid $819,833, and since then,
$1.3m in taxes have accumulated.
Source: Dawn
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Türkiye's foreign minister to attend Sunday
inauguration of Brazil's president-elect
MerveAydogan
30.12.2022
Türkiye’s foreign minister this weekend will visit
Brazil to attend the inauguration ceremony of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the
nation’s president-elect.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement on Friday,
Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend the ceremony set for Sunday, Jan. 1.
"On the occasion of the visit, H.E. Minister
Cavusoglu is expected to hold meetings with the Brazilian authorities and
Foreign Ministers of other countries who will attend the inauguration
ceremony," the statement added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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US military base in eastern Syria comes under heavy
rocket fire
31 December 2022
A military facility housing US forces in Syria’s
eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr has reportedly come under rocket fire from
nearby areas.
The Arabic service of Russia’s Sputnik news agency,
citing local sources, reported that several massive explosions were heard in the area
close to the US-controlled al-Omar oil field late Friday, after barrages of
projectiles struck the site.
Local sources said a number of ambulances were
dispatched to the site as rocket sirens were sounded out.
All roads leading to the occupied military facility
were sealed by US-backed Kurdish militants affiliated with the so-called Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF).
The sources did not rule out the possibility of
serious injuries and damage.
US military jets and reconnaissance drones flew
intensely over the field following the attacks. No group has yet claimed
responsibility for them.
The US military has for long stationed its forces and
equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment
is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of
Daesh terrorists.
Damascus, however, maintains that the deployment is
meant to plunder the country’s natural resources. Former US president Donald
Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab
country for its oil wealth.
Report: Turkey to completely withdraw forces from
northern Syria
Meanwhile, Syria’s pro-government al-Watan daily
newspaper reported that Turkey had agreed to completely pull out its military
forces from areas in northern part of the war-ravaged Arab country.
The report comes as Russian, Turkish and Syrian
defense ministers met in Moscow on Wednesday, the first such talks since the
Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011.
Turkey has deployed forces in Syria in violation of
the Arab country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern
Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a long-threatened
cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push members of the YPG, which
forms the backbone of the SDF, away from border areas.
Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization tied
to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been seeking an
autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.
Source: Press TV
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Mideast
Marchers in southeast Iran denounce supreme leader in
renewed protests
30 December ,2022
Demonstrators shouted slogans denouncing Iran’s
supreme leader in the restive southeast of the country on Friday, while a human
rights group said at least 100 detained protesters were facing possible death
sentences.
There have been demonstrations across the country against
the clerical leadership since mid-September after the death in detention of a
22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman arrested for wearing “inappropriate attire”
under Iran’s strict Islamic dress code for women.
“Death to the dictator, death to Khamenei!” protesters
chanted in reference to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a social media video
said to be from Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province. Reuters could
not verify the footage.
The impoverished province is home to Iran’s Baluch
minority of up to 2 million people, who human rights groups say have faced
discrimination and repression for decades.
Some of the worst unrest in recent months has been in
areas home to minority ethnic and religious groups with long-standing
grievances against the state, such as in Sistan-Baluchistan and in Kurdish
regions.
The protests, in which demonstrators from all walks of
life have called for the fall of Iran’s ruling theocracy, have posed one of the
biggest challenges to the Shia Muslim-ruled Islamic Republic since the 1979
revolution.
The government has blamed the unrest on demonstrators
it says are bent on destruction of public property and are trained and armed by
the country’s enemies including the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Separately, a rights group said at least 100 detained
protesters in Iran faced possible death sentences.
“At least 100 protesters are currently at risk of
execution, death penalty charges or sentences. This is a minimum as most
families are under pressure to stay quiet, the real number is believed to be
much higher,” the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said on its website.
Source: Al Arabiya
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East Jerusalem man with Islamic State ties charged
over deadly twin bombings in city
By MICHAEL HOROVITZ
30 December 2022
Prosecutors on Friday charged a Palestinian resident
of East Jerusalem affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) terror group for a
fatal double bombing attack in the capital last month.
In the attack on November 23, Eslam Froukh, 26,
allegedly set off bombs at two bus stops near entrances to the capital. The
attacks killed two people — 16-year-old Aryeh Schupak and 50-year-old
TadeseTashume Ben Ma’ada — and wounded over 20.
Froukh was charged with membership of a terror group,
the use of weapons for the purposes of terror, aggravated murder and attempted
murder through terrorist acts.
Prosecutors requested Froukh remain in police custody
until the end of legal proceedings.
According to the indictment, Froukh, a resident of
KafrAqab in East Jerusalem who lived much of the time in the Ramallah area,
committed the attack because of his loyalty to IS.
As a holder of an Israeli residency card, Froukh was
not hampered by the same restrictions on movement that apply to West Bank
Palestinians.
Froukh studied mechanical engineering in Israel, and
used his knowledge to teach himself how to make the bombs used in the attack,
the indictment said.
He established a laboratory near Ramallah where he
could produce and test the explosives necessary to build a bomb, according to
prosecutors.
Froukh decided in September to carry out an attack,
according to the charges. He purchased the required products and produced eight
kilograms of explosive material at his lab.
As part of his escape plan, Froukh bought a used
motorcycle, repainted it and tried to scratch off the chassis number to
disguise it. He also hid a change of clothes along Route 1 towards the Dead Sea
in the West Bank.
On the night before the bombings, Froukh rode his bike
to the scene intending to place three explosives across two attack sites,
planning to detonate one bomb and then another as security and medical forces
treated the victims at the scene.
After noticing a technical problem with one of the
bombs, he decided to combine it with one of the others to create a more
powerful explosive, and placed it at the Ramot Junction, an entrance to
Jerusalem. After that, Froukhtraveled to GivatShaul Junction, the main entrance
to Jerusalem, and placed the other bomb.
Froukh then followed his escape plan and collected his
change of clothes that he placed earlier. However, his motorcycle broke down
while driving in the Judean Desert and he was forced to crash it near the
Bedouin hamlet of Khan al-Ahmar.
He then scattered his clothes, his helmet, a gun and
remaining explosive charges in the area. In the days after the attack, security
forces near the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleAdumim found the discarded
belongings.
According to the charges, the first explosion occurred
prematurely at GivatShaul, shortly after 7 a.m. during peak commuter hour,
where Schupak and Ben Ma’ada were killed, and over 20 were injured.
Five people were lightly hurt by shrapnel or suffered
from anxiety in the second explosion at Ramot Junction, shortly after 7:30 a.m.
According to the prosecutors, a day after the attack
Froukh sent a message on the Telegram messaging app to Nasher news, which
carries IS news releases, to claim responsibility for the bombing.
Source: TimesOfIsrael
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UN vote on Israel’s occupation ‘a victory’,
Palestinians say
31 December ,2022
The Palestinians on Saturday welcomed a vote by the
United Nations General Assembly to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
for an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the
Palestinian territories.
“The time has come for Israel to be a state subject to
law, and to be held accountable for its ongoing crimes against our people,”
said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Source: Al Arabiya
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General Assembly refers Israeli occupation to UN court
31 December ,2022
The UN General Assembly on Friday asked the
International Court of Justice to consider consequences for Israel over its
occupation of Palestinian territories, a day after the Jewish state’s most
right-wing government ever took over.
The General Assembly voted 87-26 with 53 abstentions
on the resolution, with Western nations split but virtually unanimous support
in the Islamic world -- including Arab states that have normalized relations
with Israel -- and backing from Russia and China.
The resolution calls on the UN court in The Hague to
determine the “legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel
of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” as well as of its
measures “aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status”
of the holy city of Jerusalem.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations,
Riyad Mansour, said the vote sent a signal to the new government of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over its efforts to “accelerate colonial and racist
policies” and hailed nations that were “undeterred by threats and pressure.”
“We trust that regardless of your vote today, if you
believe in international law and peace, you will uphold the opinion of the
International Court of Justice when delivered,” Mansour said.
Speaking ahead of the vote, the Israeli ambassador,
Gilad Erdan, called the resolution “a moral stain on the UN.”
“No international body can decide that the Jewish
people are occupiers in their own homeland,” Erdan said.
“Any decision from a judicial body which receives its
mandate from the morally bankrupt and politicized UN is completely
illegitimate,” he said.
The resolution also demands that Israel cease
settlements but General Assembly votes have no legal force -- unlike those in
the Security Council, where US ally Israel wields veto power.
The United States, Britain and Germany opposed the
resolution, while France abstained.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Seven dead in restaurant blast in Turkey, gas leak
suspected
30 December ,2022
An explosion at a restaurant in western Turkey killed
seven people on Friday, with one official saying a gas leak may have caused the
blast.
The governor of Aydin province told Turkish
broadcaster CNN Turk that five others were injured, with one of them in
critical condition.
Governor Huseyin Aksoy said initial testimonies from a
restaurant worker suggested there was a leak in a cooking gas canister, leading
to an explosion at around 3:35 p.m. (1235 GMT; 7:35 a.m. EST).
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israel indicts soldiers for attempting to bomb
Palestinian home
30 December ,2022
Israel’s military said its prosecutor has filed
indictments against two soldiers who allegedly hurled an explosive device at a
Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank, a rare instance of Israeli troops
facing serious charges over an offense against Palestinians.
Prosecutors charged the two soldiers with making an
explosive device, aggravated intentional assault, intentional harm to property
and impeaching the investigation, the army announced late Thursday.
The court ordered the soldiers to remain in detention
until a hearing next month. They were arrested on November 28.
The indictment said the two defendants acted out of
revenge for the abduction of the body of an Israeli schoolboy in the flashpoint
West Bank city of Jenin on November 22.
Palestinian militants in Jenin had snatched the body
of 17-year-old Tiran Fero, a member of Israel’s Druze Arab minority, from a
local hospital where he was receiving treatment after a car crash.
Fero’s father accused the militants of removing his
son from his life-support machine while he was still alive.
The Israeli military had said he was already dead when
the militants took him.
The seizure of the boy's body spread alarm among
Israel’s Druze community. As anger rose, videos circulated on social media of
Druze men threatening to take revenge against Palestinians.
Police said Druze villagers even attacked and tied up
three Palestinian laborers in northern Israel.
Amid the standoff over Fero’s body, the two defendants
— reportedly Druze soldiers — teamed up with another soldier to assemble an
explosive device, the military said on Thursday.
The soldiers identified a Palestinian home near the
West Bank city of Bethlehem as their target and lobbed stones at it. A few days
later, they threw the explosive into the crowded house “with the intent of
starting a fire in the home,” the military added.
The extent of the damage or any casualties was
unclear.
There were no details about the targeted family in
Palestinian media. The military said it would issue an indictment against the
third soldier in the coming days.
The three soldiers were not named. The military did
not immediately respond to request for comment on the penalties they could
face.
Such a swift military prosecution is highly unusual
and underscored the seriousness of the case.
Rights groups long have alleged that Israeli military
investigations into the killings of Palestinians reflect a pattern of impunity.
Earlier this month, Israeli human rights group Yesh
Din reported that Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians in the
occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip over the last five years have been indicted
in less than one percent of the 1,260 complaints against them.
Critics have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of
using excessive firepower in the West Bank as violence in the occupied
territory reaches its highest level in years.
The Israeli military has conducted near-daily raids
into Palestinian cities and towns, killing more than 150 Palestinians.
The Israeli army says most of the Palestinians killed
have been militants.
But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions
and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed.
Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks using knives, bombs and
shootings have killed 29 Israelis in 2022, both soldiers and civilians,
Israel’s Foreign Ministry reported. Most of the Palestinians were killed during
Israeli military raids and fighting in the northern West Bank cities of Jenin
and Nablus.
On Friday, the Israeli military entered Nablus to
carry out an arrest of a wanted Palestinian, authorities in the city reported,
sparking fierce clashes with Palestinian militants who shot at Israeli soldiers
and hurled stones and explosive devices at Israeli vehicles. The streets were
ablaze with gunfire and burning tires.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Who are the members of Israel's far-right 37th government?
Burak Dag
30.12.2022
With Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu once again at the country’s helm, Israel's 37th government is being
called the most right-wing administration in its history.
The important ministerial posts that were fully
finalized immediately before his swearing-in are mainly filled by right-leaning
or ultra-Orthodox politicians. The new Cabinet includes 30 ministers.
Here are some notable figures that will serve in
Israel’s next Cabinet:
Eli Cohen
Eli Cohen, who held two ministerial roles – head of
intelligence and economy minister – in previous governments, was announced by
Netanyahu for the Foreign Ministry post only hours before his swearing-in.
Cohen, 50, will serve as foreign minister for only a
year and rotate with another Knesset member for Likud, current Energy Minister
Israel Katz.
As former intelligence minister, Cohen played a
crucial role in normalization with Arab countries including the United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco under the Abraham Accords.
Yoav Galant
Retired top general Yoav Galant, a 35-year Israeli
army veteran, entered politics from the centrist Kulanu Party, known as hawkish
on security issues.
Galant, 64, is also known as staunch supporter of
Jewish settlements in the occupied regions and formerly served as housing and
construction minister. In 2019 he joined the six-time premier's Likud party.
Bezalel Smotrich
One of Israel’s most controversial figures, Religious
Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich has taken the finance ministry post.
Smotrich also got another ministerial post in the
Defense Ministry with comprehensive administrative control over the occupied
West Bank. He has the power to name the coordinator of government activities in
the territories (COGAT).
Despite his Wall Street Journal op-ed seeking to
reassure that there will be no change in “the political or legal status of” the
West Bank, the far-right Netanyahu ally is known as an ardent supporter of
annexation of the entire West Bank.
Smotrich, 42, was born in the occupied Golan Heights
and raised in another illegal settlement in the West Bank.
Aryeh Deri
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party leader assumed the
Interior and Health Ministry portfolios in Israel’s hard-line government.
Deri, previously convicted of bribery, fraud, and
breach of trust, will assume the finance minister role in two years as part of
a rotation deal with Bezalel Smotrich. In 2000 Deri was sent to prison for
bribery and this year got a suspended sentenced for tax offenses.
In 1988, when he was just 29 years old, Deri was
appointed interior minister without being elected to the Knesset. His
appointment to the portfolio made him the country’s youngest minister ever.
He will also serve as deputy prime minister of
Israel’s 37th government.
Itamar Ben-Gvir
Israel’s new National Security Minister Itamar
Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Strength Party, will serve in a
ministerial portfolio for the first time in his political career.
One day after the Knesset passed into law a bill
expanding his authority over the police, Ben-Gvir now has unprecedented power
over police units, including the ones in the occupied West Bank.
Ben-Gvir holds far-right views on the Palestinians and
has called for their displacement. He has repeatedly joined Israeli settlers in
storming the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.
The far-right politician also stirred controversy in
occupied East Jerusalem after setting up an office in the Sheikh Jarrah
neighborhood.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Results of Palestine census will cause concern for
Israel, analyst says
MOHAMMED NAJIB
December 30, 2022
RAMALLAH: The results of a 2022 census carried out by
the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics will worry Israel’s leaders,
according to a Palestinian political expert.
“Israelis are constantly concerned about Palestinian
demographic superiority as they want control over the Palestinians … still, at
the same time, they want a pure Jewish society,” Ghassan Al-Khatib told Arab
News.
“The most important fact is that we are equal to the
Jews in terms of demography,” he said.
The survey showed a high growth rate among
Palestinians and that half of them were part of the diaspora living outside
Palestine, he added.
The figures also indicate that Palestinian society is
young, with more than a third of its population aged under 15.
Al-Khatib said Israel was unable to give up the West
Bank for political reasons but also unable to annex it for demographic reasons,
which constituted an embarrassment for Israel.
“There is a great contradiction between demographic
aspects and democratic principles in Israel,” he said.
The survey shows that there are now about 14.3 million
Palestinians around the world. Of those, 5.4 million are in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip — an increase of 2.4 percent from the previous year — while 1.7
million are in Israel, 6.4 million in Arab countries and 761,000 elsewhere in
the world.
It is expected that by the end of this year the number
of Jews living in Israel and its settlements in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem will be 7.1 million, or about the same number as there are
Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip and Israel.
Israel, whose leaders reject the idea of Palestinians
establishing an independent state, has always feared their becoming a majority.
A senior official at the statistics bureau, who asked
not to be named, told Arab News that the survey’s key revelation was the
demographic equality between the number of Jews living in Israel and the
occupied Palestinian territories.
“The most important fact is that we are equal to the
Jews in terms of demography and the high growth rate of Palestinians, and that
half of Palestinians live in the diaspora outside Palestine,” the person said.
The survey shows that children aged 14 or under
account for 38 percent of the population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while
those aged 65 years and above represent just 3 percent in Palestine, 4 percent
in the West Bank and 3 percent in the Gaza Strip.
It also shows that the average size of a Palestinian
family dropped to five members in 2021, from six in 2010.
The survey also highlights the growing problem of
unemployment, especially among young graduates. In the Gaza Strip, 45 percent
of people of working age are jobless, with the figure standing at 14 percent in
the West Bank.
The unemployment rate is 21 percent among men and 39
percent among women.
The survey shows that Israeli authorities destroyed
1,058 buildings — 353 of them residential properties — in the West Bank and
East Jerusalem in 2022, the largest proportion of which (29 percent) were in
the Jerusalem governorate.
Israel, meanwhile, is building hundreds of settlement
units. At the end of 2018, there were more than 700,000 settlers living in 151
settlements on Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, as of
Monday, 224 Palestinians had been killed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Source: Arab News
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Palestinians condemn ‘extremist’ Israeli government
amid escalation in West Bank
MOHAMMED NAJIB
December 30, 2022
RAMALLAH: Palestinian leaders have called on the
international community and human rights groups to intervene to stop the
‘extremist’ Israeli government from escalating violence in the West Bank.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said
that it had warned previously that the new right-wing government in Israel
would “escalate its crimes in an unprecedented manner against our people” and
called for “unity at the highest levels to repel this aggression.”
The appeal came as the Israeli army targeted the
Lions’ Den armed group with an attack in Nablus involving dozens of soldiers
and armored vehicles on Friday.
The offensive took place hours after Benjamin
Netanyahu was sworn in as Israel’s prime minister, heading what analysts call
the most right-wing government in the country’s history.
Violent clashes erupted as the Israeli military used
drones to drop tear gas and the operation ended with the arrest of Ahmed
Al-Masry, 17, a Lions’ Den member.
Ahmed Jibril, director of ambulance and emergency at
the Red Crescent in Nablus, said that 35 people were injured during the
storming of the city.
Two of those were shot by Israeli forces, he said,
including a volunteer paramedic who was shot in the back and chest.
Jibril said that 25 people suffered the effects of
tear gas, while one was hit on the head by a canister and suffered shrapnel
injuries.
Taysir Nasrallah, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary
Council in Nablus, told Arab News that the Israeli army’s use of overwhelming
force to arrest a 17-year-old indicated the magnitude of the escalation that
awaited Palestinians at the hands of the new Netanyahu government.
“We expect Nablus to witness more security escalations
in the coming days, which will lead to more wounded, martyrs, and detainees,”
he said, adding that Palestinians were ready to fight back.
“The youth who attacks an Israeli armored vehicle with
a stone is fully aware that it will not harm it, but he is determined to impede
the army and their security activities that target Palestinian resistance
fighters.
"Just as 2022 was a bloody year during which 225
Palestinians were killed, we expect a hot, bloody winter after the advent of
the Netanyahu government and his extremist gang of ministers.”
On Thursday night, the Israeli army handed over the
body of a young man, Ammar Mufleh, who was shot dead by an Israeli soldier at
point-blank range on Dec. 2 in the main Hawwara Street.
It fueled local and international anger, with
Palestinian leaders describing his death as an execution.
Meanwhile Salah Hamouri, a Palestinian with French
citizenship, criticized the failure of France and the Palestinian Authority to
help after he was deported by Israel to France after being freed from jail
about two weeks ago.
“I will keep struggling until I can return to my
country Palestine,” Hamouri, a human rights lawyer, told Arab News from Paris.
Hamouri said he was considering approaching the
international criminal court against the Israeli deportation decision, stating
that it was a war crime.
He criticized the negligence of the French government
and its lack of pressure on Israel to prevent his deportation, adding that no
French official had spoken to him.
Hamouri told Arab News that the Israeli authorities
had only told him he was being deported hours before being thrown out.
Source: Arab News
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Netanyahu cabinet facing opposition even from hawkish
Zionists: Analyst
30 December 2022
Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, the most right-wing in
the Israeli regime's history, is facing opposition even from regime officials
in the occupied Palestinian territories who hold fascist views, according to a
political commentator.
Sa’d Nimr, professor of political science at Birzeit
University, made these remarks in an interview with Press Tv’s Spotlight
program aired on Thursday.
In the past days, he said, many Israeli regime
officials have protested against Netanyahu's cabinet and called it a sign of
weakness in the political structure of this regime and warned that it could
pose serious dangers to the regime's survival.
“Many Israelis start to think about leaving Israel
because they said...it's a kind of a regime that is hard for the Israelis
themselves to deal with,” said Nimr.
“Netanyahu himself is a sick person who doesn't care
about Israel, about Palestinians, about the whole world. The most important
thing for him is to come back to the government, he doesn't care about
[political] parties that he's having the coalition with."
In recent days, thousands of protesters staged a
demonstration in the port city of Haifa in the Israeli-occupied territories
against the regime's incoming right-wing administration led by Netanyahu.
The protesters and left-wing activists blocked roads
near the center of Horev, marched with burning torches and chanted against the
initiatives of the Likud political party and its partners.
The main focus of the demonstration was a series of
controversial bills that would give the right-wing coalition more power over
the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, and police policies.
“It's horrifying. The whole world will stand against
them because the Palestinians by the end of the day have the right by
international law to resist the occupation but being there he wanted to do the
execution of the Palestinians when they act actively against the
occupation," Nimr said.
Netanyahu has pledged to approve a law that will
sanction the death penalty for all Palestinians, especially those lodged in
prisons.
“It’s not only the execution but also he's promising
on the other hand to make the life of the Palestinian prisoners like hell.”
Netanyahu, 73, who is facing corruption charges in
court, told the Knesset that his top goal would be to thwart Iran's nuclear
program and “ensure Israel's military superiority in the region.”
He also voiced hopes of expanding the circle of
normalization with Arab countries following US-brokered agreements with the
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Opponents heckled him with chants of "Weak!
Weak!". They said Netanyahu had to make costly deals to secure new
partners after centrist parties boycotted him over his legal woes.
“Netanyahu’s cabinet is the real face of Israel.
Israel is a colonialist regime, a racist regime, which is based on hatred and
violence," Nimr added.
Netanyahu was ousted in June 2021 by a motley
coalition of leftists, centrists and Arab parties headed by right-winger
Naftali Bennett and former TV news anchor Yair Lapid. It didn't take him long
to come back.
Following his November 1 election win, Netanyahu entered
into talks with ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right parties.
His allies include the Religious Zionism formation and
Jewish Power Party, whose leaders Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir oppose
Palestinian statehood and both have a history of inflammatory remarks about
Palestinians.
Smotrich will now take charge of Israeli settlement
expansion policies in the West Bank, and Ben-Gvir will be the national security
minister with powers over the police, which also operate in the occupied
territories since 1967.
Senior security officials have already voiced concern
over the new Israeli administration’s direction, as have Palestinians.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir “have a very strong thirst for
power,” and their priority remains the expansion of West Bank settlements,
Denis Charbit, professor of political science at Israel's Open University,
said.
Source: Press TV
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Arab World
Al Azhar plays key, pivotal role towards Egyptian
Muslim families abroad: minister
December 30, 2022
Minister of State for Emigratio and Egyptian
Expatriates’ Affairs SohaGendy has underscored Al Azhar’s key, pivotal role
towards Egyptian Muslim families abroad, especially amid the existence of
different cultures and extremist groups that may affect some weak minds and
easily influenced people.
Gendy added that she has discussed with Al Azhar Grand
Imam Ahmed elTayyeb some issues of interest for Egyptian expats, foremost of
which are the family ones emanating from their move to external societies of
different cultures.
The minister made the remarks as she received Al Azhar
imam’s adviser on foreign students affairs Nahla elSaeedy.
The meeting touched on means of fostering bilateral
cooperation, with the emigration minister praising Al Azhar imam for appointing
Saeedy as his adviser; to be the first woman ever to hold such a post at Al
Azhar.
Source: Egypt Independent
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Attack blamed on IS kills 12 oil workers in Syria
December 31, 2022
BEIRUT: An attack in eastern Syria killed 12 oil field
workers, a war monitor said on Friday, a day after Syrian Kurdish-led forces
announced an offensive against militants.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,
which draws on extensive sources inside Syria, gave the toll of 12 dead in the
assault near an oil field west of Deir Ezzor.
It blamed cells linked to the militant Islamic State
(IS) group. The militants have previously carried out attacks in the area, and
a similar deadly assault took place last year.
Syria’s state news agency SANA gave a toll of 10 dead
in the “terrorist attack that targeted three buses transporting workers” from
al Taim oil field, which is under Syrian government control.
Despite the defeat of its “caliphate” in Syria by
US-backed Kurdish forces nearly four years ago, IS continues to claim attacks
in Syria and across the border in Iraq.
“The attack began with explosive devices that went off
as the buses drove by, and then the group’s militants shot at them,”
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
On Thursday the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) said they had begun an offensive against IS, following a recent assault
on a prison in Raqa, northwest of the attack on the bus.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1729154/attack-blamed-on-is-kills-12-oil-workers-in-syria
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Security staff and marine boats: Dubai gears up to man
New Year’s celebrations
31 December ,2022
Thousands of staff are gearing up to man Dubai’s New
Year’s Eve celebrations, including security guards, volunteers and fire and
rescue services, state press agency WAM reported on Friday.
Dubai will host a number of celebrations to ring in
the end of 2022 and welcome 2023 including its famed fireworks displays,
concerts and parties taking place across the emirate from the Burj Khalifa, to
JBR, to the Palm.
In a bid to manage celebrations, authorities will
deploy more than 10,500 staff including 5,800 security guards and 1,420
volunteers, Major General SaifMuhair al Mazrouei of Dubai police said at a
press conference, WAM reported.
Al Mazrouei, the acting assistant commandant for
operations affairs at Dubai Police, said there will also be more than 3,600
security patrols and vehicles as well as 45 marine boats across the 30
locations where celebrations and fireworks will take place.
In a bid to ensure maximum protection for spectators,
the “Dubai Civil Defence carried out several evacuation drills with various
strategic partners at event sites to ensure the safety, protection and
happiness of the public,” Ali Hassan Al Mutawa, assistant director general of
Dubai Civil Defense for Fire and Rescue, said at Friday’s press conference.
A number of streets including Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Boulevard The Lower Deck of the Financial Centre Road and Al Sukook
Street ill also close early in the evening as well as Dubai Mall metro station.
NYE fireworks in Dubai
Burj Khalifa - the tallest building on the planet –
will be at the center of celebrations with onlookers to experience a
cutting-edge laser light and fireworks show to illuminate the famed facade,
with the Dubai Fountain at the building’s base earmarked to dance in sync with
the show.
Residents can also be dazzled by night with the
sparkles and glitters of a huge, organized display at The Beach, opposite JBR
and Bluewaters, where visitors and residents can await the DSF Drones Light
Show.
Global Village on December 31 will mark the New Year
aligned with different time zones of the countries that have a presence at the
fair.
At The Pointe, visitors will be able to catch the
fireworks at Atlantis, the Palm; Palm West Beach and Club Vista Mare, plus be
treated to a cool fountain show, live entertainment and plenty of dining
options.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Saudi Arabia is all set to welcome the new year with
fine food, fireworks and live music
December 30, 2022
ALULA/ ALKHOBAR/ DIRIYAH/ RIYADH/ JEDDAH: It’s time to
ring in New Year 2023 with style! Cities across the Kingdom have prepared a
wide variety of events for the occasion, with restaurants and hotels offering a
plethora of dining options and live musical performances.
The Arab News team has highlighted a few places across
the Kingdom where you can celebrate with friends and family like never before.
AlUla
The ancient city of AlUla has transformed from a
historic remnant to the hottest new holiday destination in Saudi Arabia, and
today, the city is buzzing with options for New Year’s celebrations.
Winter at Tantoura, the Kingdom’s first annual winter
music and culture festival, has returned for a fourth edition with a host of
festive experiences.
Visitors can usher in New Year at the Kingdom’s first
roller rink at the open-air “AlUla on Wheels,” with a dance experience curated
by Swizz Beats alongside the region’s hottest performers, and explore the heart
of AlJadidah, a lively cultural hub.
Another must-try for those new to the city is Habitas,
a luxury resort that is one of the key hotspots of AlUla. Whether guests are
staying in an eclectic caravan or in one of the villa options, they are met
with a picturesque view of the mountainous terrain.
The site offers endless leisurely activities, such as
unique dining experiences, music performances and wellness activities. Art
lovers can walk through the interactive Desert X artworks including artist
Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim’s vibrant “Falling Stones Garden” or Manal Al-Dowayan’s
“Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” puddle installation.
Visitors can also stargaze as the clock strikes
midnight at the resort. Driven to the secluded Gharameel area, groups and
individuals are encouraged to connect constellations under AlUla’s night sky,
free of light and air pollution.
Mamzel will be offering a luxurious New Year’s dinner
in AlUla’s hidden canyons for a chance to experience Spanish culture. Straight
from Marbella, the restaurant will be holding live entertainment shows for
diners as they feast on a set menu for SR600 ($160) per person for extended
hours on Dec. 31.
Alfa’s Lounge, the city’s newest hangout spot, is
another great option to prime your palette for New Year. The hidden
establishment dazzles with its desert scenery and fairy light-like ambiance
under the stars.
If an active lifestyle is on your 2023 resolutions
list, AlUla’s adventure and outdoor experiences are the perfect opportunities
to kickstart the journey to your fitness goals. Visitors can take an eight-hour
Twisted Maze hike, trek through the Hidden Valley, cycle across the city’s sand
dunes or get their hearts pumping with activities like ziplining, abseiling or
rock climbing.
Winter at Tantoura’s celebrations don’t end with New
Year. AlUla visitors will be tempted to walk the Incense Road in the area’s Old
Town, lined with both heritage attractions and innovative activities, or
indulge in a night of storytelling, historical lore of the Nabataean era, and
carriage rides at Hegra after dark.
Shoppers are welcome to sample the exclusive items of
the Ashar Valley Fashion event, featuring distinctive luxury pop-up stores from
4 p.m. to 11 p.m., with required ticket bookings in advance.
The city’s first-ever food festival, Flavors of AlUla,
brings international cuisines to locals, as well as myriad masterclasses by the
food industry’s finest, palate-testing activities and food stalls. The
festival, launched on Thursday, will conclude on Jan. 14.
Legendary Saudi musician Mohammed Abdo will hold a concert
at the world’s largest mirrored architectural wonder, Maraya Music Hall. The
opportunity to secure another fine dining booking at the venue’s restaurant,
Maraya Social, is also available.
Alkhobar
When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31 in Sharqiya,
what’s a better way to celebrate than to fill a cup with Saudi champagne and
indulge in a great meal among loved ones? Sakana House at the Grand Hyatt
Khobar promises to offer a fine time.
With a fun countdown to midnight, a “fire show” and
interactive sushi stations, visitors will have a fully immersive experience to
work up an appetite.
The Sakana House Asian restaurant has been an elegant
eatery since it opened its doors. While it has hosted a New Year’s Eve
festivity before, this year, customers will enjoy a live DJ live musical
performance by flutist Anastasia and DJ Vika.
Diners will start with a special selection of
tantalizing dishes, including manchow soup, creamy and spicy shrimp salad,
black pepper beef, crispy fish and egg-fried rice. For dessert, sphere
enchocolat with raspberry jam and mango milk is on the list. Fresh seasonal
fruit planners will be available all around, and hot and cold beverages are
all-inclusive.
John Paulo Francisco Mendoza, the restaurant manager,
told Arab News: “This Dec. 31, Sakana House invites you to a new era of
superior Asian cuisine.”
The experience can be enjoyed at SR320 per person, and
operating hours are between 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.
Riyadh
Those looking forward to celebrating New Year’s Eve in
Riyadh will also have plenty of fine-dining options, music concerts and
firework shows to savor.
Mega concert “Trio Arabic Night” will take place on
Dec. 31 in Boulevard Riyadh City at the Mohammed Abdo Arena.
The concert features some of the biggest music artists
from around the Arab world such as Nancy Ajram, Elissa, AsalaNasri, Najwa
Karam, Angham, Latifa, Nawal Al-Zoghbi, SaberRebai, Wael Kfoury, Assi
El-Hallani, Bahaa Sultan and Waleed Tawfeek.
Fireworks will light up the sky as the countdown to
New Year begins at Boulevard Riyadh City.
Here are some dining options to ring in New Year in
the capital.
Billionaire Riyadh is hosting a night full of engaging
entertainment and music performances with a taste of eclectic Asian-Italian
cuisine.
Coya Riyadh is offering its guests an exclusive set
menu that reflects the vibrant, bold choices of Latin American fare.
Critically acclaimed contemporary Japanese restaurant
Sumosan is calling its New Year’s Eve celebration “Sakura Sky,” with a set menu
and live DJ music.
Italian cuisine enthusiasts can hop over to Villa
Signor Sassi or to Cipriani, which is serving classic Italian dishes during its
“Grand Venetian Gala.”
Diriyah
Tucked away in the northwestern region of Riyadh is
Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was also the first capital of the
Saudi dynasty.
It was recently opened to the public after a little
over a decade post-redevelopment. For New Year’s Eve, visitors can spend time
walking around mudbrick buildings and a restored palace that once housed the
Al-Saud dynasty to learn about the country’s history and its ruling family.
They can also experience modern-day luxury in the form
of high-end eateries, hotels, shopping outlets and state-of-the-art
infrastructure.
The Bujairi Terrace — featuring over 20 restaurants,
including international ones like Angelina Paris, Sarabeth’s and Villa Mamas,
or local brands like SUGAR, GRIND and TAKYA — offers diners a wide variety to
choose from.
Just 15 minutes away from Riyadh, Diriyah is easy to
access for residents of the capital.
Jeddah
From lavish dinners at fine restaurants, parties at
beachfront hotels and rooftop soirees to stargazing in desert camps, Jeddah has
it all to make New Year’s celebrations as memorable as possible.
If you are looking for fancy food in a posh environment,
Shang Palace restaurant offers a set menu option complete with sparkling
beverages to enjoy alongside live music. The experience will start at 6 p.m.
and will last till midnight.
Guests also have an a la carte option with a
complimentary beverage upon arrival and will be presented with gifts as a
gesture of good wishes for the coming year.
The Quarter restaurant at the Swissotel Living Jeddah
also offers memorable dining in a chic atmosphere. Guests are treated to a live
DJ performance and are spoiled for dining choices with a massive buffet.
The event starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 2 a.m.,
allowing guests ample time to enjoy everything the place has to offer.
A countdown will also be held at The Quarter
restaurant and at the rooftop NEST lounge so that guests can enjoy the view of
the city.
Obo Beach house restaurant at the Yacht Club has also
organized special events to entertain guests with a perfect ambiance and sea
view. The menu will offer an array of appetizing dishes and plenty of main
courses including seafood, chicken and meat options.
Party in Asian style at Dabao restaurant, where you
can enjoy an amazing Asian fusion dinner with a live DJ performance. To top it
all off, deserts are on the house!
Noug Cafe and Jazz Bar, Noun and Kabana are also among
the many restaurants in the city that are offering a variety of gastronomic
experiences and live music all through the night.
Jeddah is home to some of the most beautiful
properties and is offering seasonal discounts for anyone wishing to wake up to
2023 in the embrace of comfort and luxury.
Bay La Sun and VIEWS residences at the King Abdullah
Economic City allow guests access to the private beach and an array of food
options from the buffet at the Seasons Restaurant.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2224376/saudi-arabia
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Riyadh Season launches humanitarian drive for children
December 31, 2022
RIYADH: Riyadh Season 2022, in conjunction with the
National Environment Recycling Company (Tadweer), launched a community
initiative called Donate Your Toy and Make Another, inviting children to donate
old or new toys and build a new item of their choice.
The initiative comes as part of the Riyadh Toy
Festival and aims to impart the spirit of giving, solidarity and cooperation to
today’s generation and tomorrow’s builders.
Filled with fun and creativity, the initiative lets
children explore a new world in the toy industry while bringing joy to the less
fortunate.
Children can enjoy making their favorite toy by
themselves, following specific steps with the help of guides available at the
festival. To make a new toy, children first donate a preloved toy in a
designated box and begin the process of making a new toy through available
machines.
Organizers allocate tables for each child to help them
make their personalized toys. The initiative also allows parents to watch their
children make a difference and celebrate the virtue of giving.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2224461/saudi-arabia
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Saudi leaders offer condolences to Indian PM after
death of his mother
December 31, 2022
RIYADH: King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman on Saturday offered condolences to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
after the death of his mother, the Saudi Press Agency.
Heeraben Modi had been in hospital since Wednesday,
according to Indian media.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2224491/saudi-arabia
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12 oil workers killed in Daesh terror attack in
eastern Syria
December 30, 2022
JEDDAH: Daesh fighters killed 12 oil workers in an
attack on Friday near an oil field west of Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, a day
after Syrian Kurdish-led forces launched an offensive against the terror group.
Syrian authorities said the attack targeted three
buses transporting workers from Al-Taim oil field, which is under Damascus
regime control.
“The attack began with explosive devices that went off
as the buses drove by, and then the group’s militants shot at them,” said Rami
Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring
group in the UK with extensive sources inside Syria.
Despite the defeat of its so-called caliphate by
US-backed Kurdish forces nearly four years ago, Daesh continues to claim
attacks in Syria and across the border in Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces launched a
new offensive against Daesh on Thursday, following a recent militant attack on
a prison in Raqqa, northwest of the attack on the bus.
It said it had arrested 52 Daesh “mercenaries and
facilitators” in residential areas on the first day of the operation.
The SDF, which regularly launches attacks against the
militants, said its latest offensive aimed to eliminate Daesh from areas that
had been “the source of the recent terrorist attacks.”
In addition to the thwarted Raqqa prison attack, the
SDF said Daesh fighters had recently carried out eight assaults in the Deir
Ezzor area, Hasakeh and the Al-Hol camp for displaced people, which houses
family members of Daesh militants.
On Monday, the SDF said six Kurdish fighters were
killed when Daesh attacked a security complex in Raqqa, the militants’ former
de facto capital in Syria, in an attempt to free imprisoned terrorists.
It said Daesh was trying to “take advantage” of recent
Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2224141/middle-east
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Ten workers killed in militant attack near oil field
in Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr
30 December 2022
Nearly a dozen workers were killed in Syria’s
northeastern province of Dayr al-Zawr after militants attacked three buses
transporting the workers in an oil-rich area controlled by the so-called Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF).
Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that the
terrorist attack took place on Friday as vehicles transporting workers from the
al-Taim oil field came under attack. Two oil workers were also wounded in the
incident.
SANA did not provide any information on the nature of
the assault in the SDF-held area or who may be behind it, but a British-based
war monitor said remnants of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group carried out the
attack near the oil field.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
(SOHR) recorded 12 fatalities, adding that several people were wounded.
“The attack began with explosive devices that went off
as the buses drove by, and then the group’s militants shot at them,” Rami Abdel
Rahman, director of the SOHR, told AFP news agency.
The attack comes days after talks were held in Moscow
between oil ministers from Syria, Russia and Turkey.
The meeting helped to thaw relations between Ankara
and Damascus after the outbreak of the foreign-sponsored Syrian conflict more
than a decade ago had raised tensions.
Back on December 2 last year, ten Syrians were killed
and at least one wounded in an attack on an oil field near Dayr al-Zawr city,
which lies on the Euphrates River to the east of the country.
According to the SOHR, an explosive device targeted a
bus transporting workers in the al-Kharrata oil field, situated roughly 20
kilometers (12.4 miles) southwest of Dayr al-Zawr.
SANA also confirmed the casualty numbers at the time.
Security conditions have been deteriorating in the
areas controlled by the US-led SDF in Syria’s northern and northeastern
provinces of Raqqah, Hasakah, and Dayr al-Zawr amid ongoing raids and arrests
of civilians by the US-sponsored militants.
Locals argue that the SDF’s constant raids and arrest
campaigns have generated a state of frustration and instability, severely
affecting their businesses and livelihoods.
Residents accuse the US-backed militants of stealing
crude oil and failing to spend money on service sectors.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/30/695417/Ten-workers-killed-militant-attack-Syria-Dayr-Zawr
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Three US-backed SDF militants shot dead amid ongoing
protests in northern Syria
30 December 2022
At least three US-sponsored militants affiliated with
the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been shot dead by a group of
unidentified assailants in Syria’s northern province of Raqqa, amid ongoing
protests in the area against US occupation forces and their allies.
Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing local
sources, reported that the incident occurred on the outskirts of Jadeed
al-Kahit village, east of the provincial capital city of Raqqa, on Thursday
when armed men riding a motorcycle approached a checkpoint manned by SDF
militants and shot at them indiscriminately.
Local authorities cordoned off the area after the
shooting attack and launched a manhunt to capture those responsible.
Meanwhile, people in Syria’s northeastern province of
Dayr al-Zawr have staged protests against the SDF militants, renewing demands
for their expulsion from the area.
According to Russia’s Sputnik news agency, sporadic
clashes broke out between locals and the Kurdish-led militants in the rural
Granich area of the province, after a villager was fatally shot by armed men
affiliated with the SDF.
The report added that locals also demonstrated against
SDF forces, blocking roads with burning tires and chanting slogans calling for
the militants’ expulsion and an end to the US occupation of the region.
Security conditions have been deteriorating in the
areas controlled by the US-led SDF in Syria’s northern and northeastern
provinces of Raqqah, Hasakah, and Dayr al-Zawr amid ongoing raids and arrests
of civilians by the US-sponsored militants.
Locals argue that the SDF’s constant raids and arrest
campaigns have generated a state of frustration and instability, severely
affecting their businesses and livelihoods.
Residents accuse the US-backed militants of stealing
crude oil and failing to spend money on service sectors.
Source: Press TV
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Africa
Allah Severe In Penalty – Imam Warns Muslims Imitating
Western Marriages
December 30, 2022
By Wale Odunsi
The Chief Imam of Area 10 Garki Mosque, Yahya
Al-Yolawi has chided Muslims imitating western styles of weddings and other
ceremonies.
The cleric, during his sermon on ‘Innovations in
Islamic Marriage’ on Friday in Abuja, warned that Allah is severe in
punishment.
NAN quoted Yolawi stating that Islam is very clear on
the activities that are lawful and forbidden.
He said current “creations and additions” were not
originally found in Islam or from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
The religious leader listed such unIslamic activities
as unlawful things, western styles, bad cultures and traditions.
Others are “unnecessary delay of marriage in the name
of colleges and university studies; waiting for a ready-made husband or wife;
reckless spendings and display of class and status”.
Yolawi insists what some Muslims practice in recent
years negate Islamic teachings, discourage those intending to marry, promote
hardship, immoralities and adultery.
The Imam demands that the problem be addressed by the
youth, parents, royal fathers, religious and community leaders and other
stakeholders.
“We need to educate ourselves on the true Islamic
teachings in marriage, starting from the process of getting married on the
wedding day, and what follows after that.
Source: DailyPost Nigeria
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Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years in
prison; death in absentia given to 3
Aurore Bonny
31.12.2022
DOUALA, Cameroon
Forty-six Ivorian soldiers in Mali were each sentenced
Friday to 20 years in prison by a Malian court for attacking the security of
the nation.
Three others who were previously released were given
the death penalty in absentia.
The soldiers also received fines of more than $1,600
apiece following two days of hearings, according to the ruling signed by public
prosecutor Ladji Sara.
They were convicted of "attacking and plotting
against the government", "undermining the external security of the
state,” and "possession, carrying and transporting weapons and munitions
of war or defense."
Their intent was "to disturb public order by
intimidation or terror," said the prosecutor who sentenced them to pay a
symbolic franc.
A total of 49 soldiers were detained in July following
their arrest at the airport in Bamako for possessing war weapons. Authorities
accused them of being mercenaries.
The Ivorian government had claimed they were on a
mission for the UN.
Among them were three female soldiers who were
released in September. They were given the death penalty in absentia on Friday
and ordered to pay more than $10 million in fines.
A West African bloc of 15 nations had previously given
Mali an ultimatum to release the soldiers by January.
An agreement between the Malian and Ivorian
authorities was reached Dec. 22 for their release.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Niger detains suspected Libyan people smuggler: French
police
December 31, 2022
PARIS: Niger has arrested a Libyan suspected of
smuggling thousands of migrants through the Sahel country toward Europe after a
joint probe with the French and Spanish authorities, French police said on
Friday.
The 29-year-old, who was detained on Dec. 20 in the
Nigerien city of Agadez, told investigators he had overseen the departure of
“60 migrants per week for seven years,” said Jean-Christophe Hilaire of the
International Security Cooperation Directorate at the French Interior Ministry.
Pickup trucks had driven the migrants — most from
Nigeria or Cameroon — to the border with Algeria or war-torn Libya for a fee of
€1,500 to €2,000 ($1,600 to 2,100), he said.
The suspect is now being held in the capital Niamey,
Hilaire said.
The EU-funded operation had been carried out with the
help of three French and three Spanish policemen.
Many West African migrants try to reach Libya in the
hope of making it across the Mediterranean to a better life in Europe.
They typically flock to the Nigerien city of Agadez,
where smugglers offer to take them onwards to the Libyan border.
The government in Niamey adopted a law in 2015 to make
migrant smuggling a crime, with sentences of up to 30 years in prison.
But a Nigerien security source has said the measure
had only pushed smugglers to use “new, more dangerous routes.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2224431/world
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2023: Miyetti Allah endorses Tinubu
December 30, 2022
By Ochogwu Sunday
Miyetti Allah KautalHore, a Fulani socio-cultural
group on Friday, endorsed Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, APC.
The group also endorsed the Nasarawa State governor,
Abdullahi Sule, for a second term.
National president of the group, Alh. Abdullahi Bello
Bodejo made this known during a press briefing on Friday.
According to him, the endorsement followed the track
records of the two APC candidates in the offices they had occupied in the past.
The Miyetti Allah president also said that Gov Sule of
Nasarawa had given priority to security and created an enabling environment for
the Fulani people and farmers in the last three years of his administration.
Source: DailyPost Nigeria
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https://dailypost.ng/2022/12/30/2023-miyetti-allah-endorses-tinubu/
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Europe
Interior Ministry reviews firings of alleged Gulen
supporters by Muslim minority mayor
30.12.2022
Interior Minister Makis Voridis has intervened to
ascertain the legality of the decision by a mayor in Rodopi, northeastern
Greece to fire workers accused of being supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a
self-exiled cleric and preacher that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
accused of masterminding a coup attempt in 2016.
Iasmos Mayor Oder Mumin also called for the
resignation of municipal officials and elected officials who are involved or
associated “with the global terrorist organization FETO” – the acronym assigned
by Turkey to the “Fethullahist Terrorist Organization.”
Source:Ekathimerini
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France must get rid of its 'colonizer complex':
Algerian president
EsatFırat
30.12.2022
ALGIERS, Algeria
The Algerian president has said "France must get
rid of its colonizer complex," according to local media.
"The relations between the two countries need --
in order to cool down -- France to liberate itself from its colonizer complex
and Algeria from its colonized complex," AbdelmadjidTebboune told the
French daily Le Figaro in an interview on Thursday.
He added that the image of Algeria must change as
"the country is far more different than what it was in 1962."
The Algerian leader announced his plans for an
official visit to Paris in 2023, and said his French counterpart Emmanuel
Macron "is the incarnation of a new generation that can save the relations
between the two countries."
Tebboune also noted the need to "depoliticize and
leave to history certain parts of the colonization," justifying the
decision to set up commissions of historians on both sides.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Albanian court upholds extradition of fugitive crypto
exchange founder to Türkiye
Talha Ozturk
30.12.2022
BELGRADE, Serbia
The Durres Court of Appeals in Albania upheld a
decision to extradite to Türkiye the founder of the crypto exchange Thodex.
Faruk Fatih Ozer, 27, the founder of Thodex, sought on
charges of fraud and founding a criminal organization, fled Türkiye last year
and left investors unable to get their funds.
Türkiye issued an international arrest warrant after
he fled with a reported $2 billion in money investors poured into Thodex.
In November this year, the Elbasan Court of First
Instance decided the extradition of Ozer, who was arrested in Albania in
August.
On Dec. 7, he filed a petition to the Durres Court of
Appeals against the extradition ruling.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Activist Moradi’s death in France shakes distressed
members of Iranian diaspora
December 31, 2022
PARIS: When a 38-year-old man anguished over the
protests in Iran took his own life in the French city of Lyon, fellow members
of the Iranian diaspora felt his pain.
Three months into the anti-regime protests, Iranians
abroad are going through a spectrum of emotions.
Activists and counselors hope Mohammed Moradi’s desperate
act this week inspires others to reach out for help and to raise awareness of
what is happening in Iran.
In videos in Farsi and French recorded before his
death, Moradi criticized Iran’s leadership and called for solidarity from
Western governments against it. The recordings featured him saying, “When you
see this video, I will be dead.”
The Iranian Kurdish man arrived in France in 2019 with
his wife and was pursuing a PhD in history.
His death on Monday resonated near and far.
Other Iranians in the Lyon region, activists and
friends brought flowers and candles to the site where he died in what police
were investigating as an an apparent suicide.
Many members of the Iranian diaspora have experienced
distress since the unprecedented protests began, sparked by the death of
22-year-old MahsaAmini in Iranian police custody in September.
Police had detained Amini for allegedly violating
Iran’s strict dress code for women.
“Mohammed Moradi is the image of all of us, what we
live today, as the Iranian diaspora across the world,” HengamehYahyazadeh, said
the lead organizer of solidarity protests against Iran’s clerics in the French
city of Toulouse.
Moradi’s Instagram profile tells of a person
interested in literature, poetry and politics.
Like many Iranians abroad, he took to Instagram to
relay messages criticizing the regime’s clerical rule, chronicling his
participation in demonstrations in Lyon, and expressing his indignation at the
treatment of protesters in Iran.
The feeling is widespread.
“Some days I wake up and I’m scared,” Yahyazadeh said.
“I have a dozen friends in Iranian prisons, I’m scared
of knowing how I will face the possible news that one of my friends was
executed.”
Since the start of the protests, at least 507
protesters have been killed and more than 18,500 people have been arrested,
according to Human Rights Activists, a group in Iran that has closely monitored
the unrest.
Iranian authorities have not released figures for
those killed or arrested.
A dozen people are also facing the death penalty for
their involvement in the protests.
Hanae El-Bakkali, a psychotherapist who heads a
France-based organization that works with migrants, says the news from back
home has caused many Iranians in the diaspora to experience “decompensation,” a
psychological state that results from being unable to process stressful events.
“When important events are happening back home, it
reactivates past trauma, it pressurizes parts that are buried, that one thought
they left on the side but actually didn’t,” said El-Bakkali told the AP.
“People relive what they experienced back home through
flashbacks. They can have nightmares, looping thoughts, trouble sleeping,
memory issues, anxious and depressive symptoms, and might harm themselves.”
As a result, those who become militant abroad
“advocate with a deteriorated psychological state,” El-Bakkali said.
A prominent Iranian Kurdish activist in London,
Halaleh Taheri, hopes Moradi’s death will encourage those experiencing distress
to come together and to get involved politically.
“His name is with all of the people lost in the
revolution,” said Taheri, who took part in the 1979 revolution against the shah
of Iran and then fought against the clerics’ rule before she had to go into
exile.
She is the founder of MEWS, a London-based charity
advocating for the rights of women from the Middle East in the UK.
“I am hoping that in the future, instead of
sacrificing blood and ourselves and our life, we just fight against the Iranian
regime by helping each other, uniting, showing solidarity, working in groups,
in networks, raising awareness about Iran,” Taheri said.
“The country needs us as well,” she said.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2224426/world
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British-Palestinian doctor says he was set up by MI5
December 30, 2022
LONDON: A British-Palestinian doctor has said an MI5
agent tried to ensnare him as part of a plan to arrest multiple members of the
New Irish Republican Army.
IssamHijjawiBassalat, 65, a doctor and political
activist, was arrested in August 2020 at Heathrow Airport in London for alleged
involvement with Saoradh, considered the political wing of the Irish terrorist
group.
He claims to have been set up by Dennis McFadden, an
undercover MI5 operative, after McFadden drove him to an “army council” meeting
at a rented house in Northern Ireland in July 2020.
Bassalat, who worked for the National Health Service
in Scotland since 2010 as an ophthalmologist, said he was asked by McFadden to
speak at a public meeting in 2020 in Belfast after the doctor was told he would
need to travel to the Northern Irish capital from his home in Scotland to
collect a new UK passport for his daughter.
But on the day of the meeting, Bassalat, who said he
previously attended Saoradh public meetings to discuss non-violent and
democratic political change, claims to have been driven out of the city to the
secluded site to meet a handful of individuals who, it is believed, included
New IRA members.
“It is clear he was lured to Belfast on a false
pretence. For a prolonged period, Dennis McFadden persuaded him to come to
meetings, kept in contact with him on visits to Scotland and finally brought
him into the middle of an MI5 undercover operation,” Bassalat’s lawyer Gavin
Booth told The Times.
“Despite this attempted entrapment, Dr.Bassalat only
spoke to the meeting about the need for peaceful and democratic change. He did
not speak in support of violence or terrorism.”
Prosecution lawyers argue that Bassalat had been in
regular contact with members of the New IRA for years, and had discussed ways
of establishing links with other paramilitary groups around the world.
Bassalat lost his license to practice medicine in the
UK following his arrest, and the father of four has been forced to live off
state benefits since he was released from custody from Maghaberry prison near
Belfast following a heart attack, where he had been remanded on charges of
assisting a terrorist organization.
Nine members of Saoradh were arrested in Northern
Ireland on the same day as Bassalat was detained in London.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2224301/world
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Pakistan
Four Police Officials Injured In Militant Attack On
Dera Ismail Khan Check Post
December 31, 2022
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Four policemen were injured when a
group of terrorists attacked a checkpost with rockets and grenades in Kulachi
tehsil here on Friday, an official said.
District police spokesman Yaqoob Shah told Dawn that
an unknown number of militants stormed the Takwarracheckpost early in the
morning. He said the police personnel retaliated the attack, and after an
intense exchange of fire, the militants escaped the scene.
The spokesman said that four policemen sustained
injuries during the exchange of fire.
“About 17 to 18 rocket-propelled grenades and about 25
to 27 hand grenades were used by militants in the attack,” the police spokesman
said, adding the police had also launched a search operation in the area.
Soon after the incident, district police officer
Mohammad Shoaib Khan and DSP Saddar circle Hafiz Mohammad Adnan arrived at the
site and supervised the search operation.
On Thursday, a search and strike operation was
conducted in the same Takwarra area, in which six suspects were held along with
an SMG rifle, a pistol and 20 cartridges.
On December 25, militants had attacked a mobile van of
the Kulachi police station in the same Takwarra area, and also attempted to
blow up an armoured personnel carrier of the police with an improvised
explosive device.
Separately, two labourers were killed in a firing
incident in Qayyum Nawaz Colony of the city, an official said on Friday.
A Cantonment police official said that two labourers,
namely Amanullah and Mohammad Arshad, residents of Dhotar area of Paharpur,
were fatally attacked by unknown persons when they were digging a plot to build
a house.
Source: Dawn
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Rival parties term MQM factions’ merger ‘political
engineering’
Imran Ayub
December 31, 2022
KARACHI: As the merger of factions of the
MuttahidaQaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) almost looks certain, rival parties
have called it a work of ‘political engineering’ devised by the ‘powers that
be’ and being executed by former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)
leader Asif Ali Zardari.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and
Jamaat-i-Islami strongly criticised the ‘political manoeuvring’ wondering over
the leaders of the different MQM factions who had ‘agreed to sell’ their
ideology due to their fast receding popularity.
PTI’s parliamentary party leader in the Sindh Assembly
Khurram Sher Zaman called the MQM “a relic of the past” and said that the
recent meetings at Governor House for the merger of its factions were nothing
but a ‘drama’.
“The existence of the MQM in Karachi has become a
relic of the past,” he said in a statement.
“The recent meetings in Governor House are nothing but
a political drama. The MQM caused most damage to the people of Karachi in the
past. The party had made the city a living hell and everyone is well aware of
its crimes. It’s not very long ago when Dr Farooq Sattar was questioning Wasim
Akhtar that where he had spent Karachi’s money as city mayor.”
PTI, JI see involvement of ‘powers that be’, former
president Zardari
He said the MQM leaders used to call each other ‘evil’
and over the past five years their politics had been badly exposed which was
rejected by the people of Karachi.
The political situation in Karachi today without MQM,
he said, was much better than the past.
“Imran Khan lives in the hearts of the people of
Karachi. The PTI will wipe out all these political parties in the upcoming
elections. Mohajirs know that the so-called leaders of the MQM are not their
true representatives,” said Mr Zaman.
Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman
described the attempt to merge MQM factions as “a Zardari-Tessori move”
spotting the two who brokered the deal between various factions and splinter
groups of the party saying it would ultimately benefit the PPP.
“Merger among various factions of a political party is
the right of a party, but the unnatural forced merger of various groups of the
MQM was a different case,” he told a press conference.
“Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori
are brokering a deal for the merger and their active involvement exposes the
nefarious agenda behind the scheme. This merger, though, is bound to reverse in
near future.”
He said that the political move was played to plunder
the resources of the economic hub of the country.
He added that the next step, if the merger took place,
would be depriving Karachiites of a very bright future, due rights, development
and progress only for the sake of monetary benefits and perks to a few key
leaders of the MQM and the PPP leadership.
He claimed that key officials at the K-Electric and
some retired officers were playing nefarious roles under the Zardari-Tessori
doctrine.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1729119/rival-parties-term-mqm-factions-merger-political-engineering
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Turkish Navy Ship conducts naval drills with Pakistan
Navy
December 30, 2022
KARACHI: The Turkish Navy Ship TCG BURGAZADA on Friday
visited Karachi Port and participated in bilateral naval Exercise TURGUTREIS –
VII.
The Turkish ship port was earlier called Karachi
harbour and was welcomed by senior officers of the Pakistan Navy along with
officials of the Turkiye Consulate, a Pakistan Navy news release said.
During the stay at port, the Commanding Officer of the
Turkish Ship called on Commander Pakistan Fleet and matters of mutual interest
and bilateral collaboration were discussed.
In port activities, joint professional interactions
including the planning of bilateral exercises at sea, tabletop discussions on
professional topics, sports & social events including a wreath laying at
the Mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam were conducted with an aim to strengthen mutual
cooperation and integration between the two navies.
On completion of the port visit, Pakistan Navy and
Turkish Naval ship participated in bilateral Exercise TURGUTREIS-VII and
conducted joint patrolling in the North Arabian Sea to further hone
professional skills and enhance interoperability.
The exercise comprised of various naval operations
including defence against Asymmetric Attacks, Visit Board Search & Seizure
(VBSS), Air Defence Exercises, and Joint Coordinated Patrol.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pakistan's provincial government in Balochistan bans
protest, imposes curfew after clashes: Official
Dec 30, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's provincial government in
Balochistan has banned protests and imposed a curfew in the port city of Gwadar
after a policeman was killed in clashes with protestors during the week, an
official statement said on Friday. Protesters linked with the Haq Do Tehreek
(HDT) led by a cleric MualanaHidaytur Rehman have been demonstrating for nearly
two months against illegal fishing by trawlers at the cost of local fishermen
who have been dependent on the fish trade for generations for their livelihood.
The normally peaceful protests became violent this
week when police tried to push them away, leading to clashes which resulted in
the killing of a policeman on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Aslam Khan said that constable
Yasir was shot in the neck after violence erupted during the protest at the
Hashmi Chowk and thereafter he passed away on the spot.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir ZiaullahLangove said
that the provincial government already accepted all the demands of the HDT and
there were no reasons for protests.
However, the protestors refused to go away, forcing
the authorities on Thursday to impose Section 144 in the city, banning all sort
of gathering for one month.
"Sit-ins and any other public gathering of over
five people have been prohibited under Section 144. It also banned the display
of all sorts of weapons," Balochistan's home ministry said in a statement.
The HDT has become popular in Gwadar as its demands
like ending illegal fishing in Gwadar's water got immediate support.
Its other demands include ending some security
checkpoints and opening up of trade on the Pak-Iran border have also resonated
with the locals.
Source: Times Of India
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Islamabad LG elections: PTI begins mobilising voters
as govt appeals IHC ruling
December 31, 2022
Despite orders from Islamabad High Court (IHC),
staffers of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) remained “missing” from
polling stations across the capital as residents came out of their houses to
vote for their representatives, the PTI claimed on Saturday.
A day earlier, after a whirlwind of court proceedings,
the IHC had instructed the ECP to hold Islamabad local government elections
today (Dec 31).
The verdict, which was pronounced by IHC Justice Arbab
Muhammad Tahir on petitions filed by PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami, quashed the
electoral body’s notification regarding the postponement of the polls.
In response to the development, an ECP official had
told Dawn that it was “practically impossible” to hold an electoral exercise,
even within Islamabad alone, on such short notice. Separately, the federal
government had decided to file an intra-court appeal against the verdict.
On Saturday morning, Dawn.com learnt that the
government and ECP have filed intra-court petitions against the verdict but
their pleas have not yet been fixed for hearing.
Meanwhile, the PTI complained that voters had gathered
outside polling stations in the city but the election staff was missing.
Party Chairman Imran Khan, in a tweet, said that by
not implementing the IHC orders, the ECP had proven that it was a “B team of
the imported government and its backers”.
“PDM, fearful of the people, is running away from all
elections. The right to vote is a fundamental democratic norm and PTI stands
committed to it,” he said.
Separately, in a video message earlier today, PTI
General Secretary Asad Umar said his party’s teams were present outside polling
stations since morning but no one from the electoral body showed up.
“This imported government is scared of people […] they
run away whenever elections are held […] they make excuses,” he claimed,
demanding why the ECP’s preparations were not complete.
“We want the court to initiate contempt of court
proceedings against the election commission and throw them out,” Umar added.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also urged the IHC to take
action against the ECP.
“This government, along with its puppet election
commission, is making a joke of the nation and the Constitution,” he tweeted.
On the other hand, former human rights minister
Shireen Mazari said the ECP should immediately resign after “playing politics
with holding elections”.
Federal govt files intra-court appeal
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has said
that the federal government’s legal team arrived at the IHC earlier today and
filed an intra-court appeal against yesterday’s verdict.
Talking to reporters in Islamabad, he said that the
government respected court orders but it was not possible to hold local
government elections in a day.
“We will follow whatever the next ruling of the court
turns out to be,” Chaudhry added.
Talking about the “impracticality” of holding the
polls, the PML-N leader explained that more than 20,000 people had to be
mobilised for the exercise but all of them had gone on vacation.
Moreover, he said delimitations had to be carried out
from the scratch after the increase in the number of union councils in
Islamabad, which according to him would take nearly three to four months.
Chaudhry underlined that the Local Government Act 2015
had been amended, however, the president’s assent to it was still awaited.
He also called out the PTI for suspending local
government bodies after coming to power in Punjab in 2018, despite the Supreme
Court’s directives for the reinstatement of such bodies.
The PML-N leader claimed that the PTI had no
performance in Islamabad and other parts of the country to seek votes from the
masses.
IHC’s orders
The elections were earlier scheduled to be held on Dec
31. However, the federal government, earlier this month, increased the number
of union councils (UCs) — from 101 to 125 — in the capital, effectively putting
off the elections.
Following the decision, the ECP postponed the polls as
they couldn’t have been held without fresh delimitations.
On Friday, the IHC not only quashed the federal
government’s decision but also the subsequent ECP notification to postpone the
polls. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir also directed the federal government to
facilitate the ECP in holding the polls.
In a detailed verdict issued today, the court said:
“The Federal Government was aware of the schedule issued for the conduct of
local bodies elections issued by the ECP.
“However, at fag end, issued the notification dated
19.12.2022 based on unconfirmed statistics / information provided by the
Administrator MCI, in haste without realizing that elections are going to be
held after twelve days.”
It pointed out that the federal government’s conduct
over the matter was in conflict with the law, adding that the matter of holding
elections lay with the ECP as per the Constitution.
“The Courts are under obligation to enforce the
constitutional safeguards and preserve and protect the institutional
imperatives of the ECP unless there is a case involving illegality or injury to
the public interest. If the Provincial Government or the Federal Government
overstepped its legislative or executive authority to make the local government
powerless, such exercise would fall foul of Article 140A of the Constitution
and liable to be struck down by the Court,” the IHC maintained.
Hence, it added, the ECP notification was not legally
sustainable and was liable to be set aside.
The polls were expected to take place as per the
announced schedule before the federal cabinet, on Dec 19, approved a summary to
increase the number of UCs, leaving both the candidates and the ECP surprised.
Source: Dawn
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Swabi families seek govt help for youth stuck in Libya
December 31, 2022
SWABI: Four youth, who are being held in Libya by a
group, need Rs5.6 million to be paid to their captors for their safe release,
the aggrieved families told Dawn here on Friday.
Aamir Hayat, Waleed Khan, Bilal Khan and Afzal Junaid,
aged between 22 to 25 years, belong to ManeriBala village.
Their family members claimed they had sold their land
to finance their journey to Italy. They said they paid about Rs7.2 million to
an agent, who assured to take the youth to Europe via Libya.
Saleh Hayat, a brother of Aamir Hayat, said: “We are
not aware who was that agent, but we were lured and deceived with assurance
that our relatives will reach Europe at any cost.”
However, he said when the youth reached the Libyan
coast about three months ago they were held by the group and shifted to a
so-called jail on the outskirts of Tripoli, the Libyan capital.
The families of the ill-fated youngsters said a few
youths of the area had earlier succeeded to reach Europe, and the agent used
that ‘success’ to attract the parents to pay according to his demand.
Saeedullah Jan, father of Bilal Khan, appealed to the
Pakistani high commissioner in Libya to play his role in release of the four
youngsters as they didn’t have enough money to get them freed from their
captors.
They recalled that another four youth from Swabi,
namely Haroon Khan, Uzair Khan, Shah Faisal and Naseem Khan, were burnt to
death when their boat caught fire mid-sea in the first week of October when
they set out on a journey to reach Italy.
Two weeks ago, only the body of Shah Faisal was
brought here after great hardship and payment of huge money.
Meanwhile, Famid Khan of Pirtab village told Dawn that
he had managed to get his son, Sohaib Khan, freed from his captors. He added he
paid a total of Rs4.1 million on his son’s journey to Libya and back home.
Sohaib told Dawn that there were numerous groups, who
had made their own jails, where they kept the people in tiny space, sometimes
without food for days.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1729095/swabi-families-seek-govt-help-for-youth-stuck-in-libya
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Southeast Asia
Indonesia lifts all coronavirus-related restrictions
30 December ,2022
Almost three years after officials announced the first
confirmed case of COVID-19 in Indonesia, the country’s leader said Friday they are
lifting all coronavirus-related restrictions nationwide.
President Joko Widodo said Indonesia’s COVID-19
situation is under control after observing improvements over the past 10
months, allowing the country to abandon the large-scale social restrictions on
crowds and people’s movement it had adopted in April 2020.
However, Widodo called on people to remain careful and
alert as “the pandemic has not ended completely.” He told a news conference at
the presidential palace in the capital, Jakarta, that the use of masks in
crowds and closed spaces should continue, though it wouldn’t be required.
During the pandemic, instead of implementing a
nationwide lockdown, his administration applied two systems: PSBB, which refers
to large-scale social restrictions, and then PPKM, a tiered system to curb
public mobility. Both policies were critical in the government’s pandemic
response.
The PSBB was first imposed in the world’s fourth-most
populous nation in April 2020, a month after the first case was recorded, as a
compromise to growing calls for a stringent lockdown. It was reworked into the
emergency PPKM scheme in July 2021, when the delta variant-fueled second wave
of infections swept the country.
The emergency status was then replaced by the
four-level PPKM system, which Widodo announced would be abandoned immediately.
A study found that almost all Indonesians have
developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,
boosting confidence that an explosion of cases in Southeast Asia’s largest
economy could be avoided.
In July, researchers with the health ministry and the
University of Indonesia examined blood samples from 20,501 individuals in 100
cities across the archipelago and found that 98.5 percent of the respondents
had antibodies against the virus, due to either vaccination or past infection.
The figure is 10.2 percentage points higher than the
87.8 percent found in the previous survey from December 2021. The country plans
to conduct a third survey next month.
The government will also shift its response efforts to
an “endemic” approach as the virus still exists in a community but becomes
manageable as immunity builds, COVID-19 Handling Committee chair
AirlanggaHartarto said in a separate news conference Friday.
Based on the World Health Organization criteria,
Indonesia’s risk assessment status is at “Level One.”
“Nationally, that means COVID-19 in Indonesia has
reached the endemic stage,” said Hartarto, who is also Coordinating Minister
for Economy.
He said the health ministry’s upcoming serology survey
would be used as the basis for future mitigation policies.
Indonesia had largely recovered from its delta surge,
which was among the worst in Southeast Asia. In July 2021, a then-record of
about 56,700 daily new cases saw the delta variant overwhelming hospitals on
the main island of Java. In February, omicron set a new high of over 64,700 new
infections.
Indonesia confirmed 552 daily cases and 10 deaths from
COVID-19 on Friday. Overall, the country has had more than 6.7 million
infections — the second highest in Southeast Asia behind Vietnam.
The daily cases of 1.7 per 1 million residents, the
weekly positivity rate at 3.35 percent and the death rate at 2.39 percent are
all “below the WHO standard,” Widodo said.
With 160,583 deaths, the country ranks No. 2 in Asia
and No. 11 in the world. However, scientists’ data indicated that the number of
deaths may be much higher than what has been reported because those who died
with acute COVID-19 symptoms but had not been confirmed or tested were not counted
in the official death figure.
Source: Al Arabiya
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PM receives warm welcome at nostalgic Kampung
MelayuMajidee mosque
30-12- 2022
JOHOR BAHRU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
received a warm welcome from about 3,000 Johoreans during his visit to the
Kampung MelayuMajidee mosque today where he was involved in officiating the
building’s groundbreaking ceremony 27 years ago.
He officiated at the ceremony in his capacity as
Deputy Prime Minister in 1995.
Anwar, who was on a working visit to the state for the
first time after his appointment as the 10th Prime Minister, performed Friday
prayers at the mosque along with Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and
Johor Bahru Member of Parliament and Local Government Development Deputy
Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
Before performing prayers at the mosque, he spent
about half an hour having lunch with the local folks and leaders at
RestoranMurtabak Kampung Melayu Azo 96.
The mosque was attended by an extraordinary
congregation, many of whom wanted to see the country’s top leader up close.
There was a bit of a commotion after the prayers when
the crowd surged towards the Tambun Member of Parliament to take photos and
videos and some of them also chanted the word ‘Reformasi’.
The mosque’s chief Imam and secretary Mohamad Izuddin
Hassan said Anwar was delighted by the warm welcome.
“We had a chat and the prime minister was also happy
to have sampled the famous ‘murtabak’,” he told reporters after the prayers.
Source: TheSunDaily
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Indonesia to tighten palm oil exports from Jan. 1 to
shore up supply ahead of Ramadan
December 30, 2022
JAKARTA: Indonesia will tighten export rules for palm
oil from Jan. 1 by allowing less shipments overseas for every tonne sold
domestically, to ensure sufficient and affordable cooking oil supply at home,
officials said on Friday.
Exporters will be allowed to ship six times their
domestic sales volume, less than the current ratio of eight times, according to
officials and a new regulation reviewed by Reuters.
“This is a preventive measure against the potential
increase in domestic cooking oil prices as demand goes up during the month of
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, which will fall in March and April 2023,” said Trade
Ministry senior official Budi Santoso.
SeptianHarioSeto, a senior official at the
Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs said the move is
aimed specifically at securing domestic supply for the first quarter of 2023.
The government will continue to evaluate the export
ratio periodically, taking into account cooking oil availability and prices,
Seto said.
The move caused Malaysian palm oil futures to jump on
Friday and hit their highest since Dec. 1 at 4,193 ringgit ($950.79) a tonne.
Indonesia earlier this year battled to keep cooking
oil prices from spiralling out of control and introduced export measures on
palm oil products with varying degrees of success to try to shore up supply and
bring prices down.
A brief ban on exports of the edible oil from
Indonesia shook markets and exacerbated existing global supply concerns, but it
also led to ballooning domestic inventory.
Indonesia currently imposes a so-called domestic
market obligation (DMO) requiring businesses to sell a portion of output
locally in return for export permits.
Palm oil drops after hitting 4-week high
The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) Secretary
General Eddy Martono said that concerns were voiced during a meeting with
government last week about cooking oil supply, related to the government’s
biodiesel programme and expectations of lower palm oil output in the first
quarter.
Indonesia is planning to increase a mandatory palm oil
component in biodiesel to 35% starting Feb. 1. While businesses will comply
with the regulation, Eddy said the new export ratio should be evaluated
regularly in the short term to avoid a supply glut.
Source:Brecorder
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