UK Think Tank Lists India in ‘Difficult 4’; Clubs India with China, Saudi, Turkey
New
Age Islam News Bureau
13
January 2021
• Pak Court Sentences Three JuD Leaders, Yahya Mujahid, Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Makki for Terrorism Financing
•
Bangladesh: 1st Transgender Islamic School in Bangladesh Starts Academic Year
•
Indonesia's Road to Harmony Means Removing Radical Potholes
•
UAE's Flag Carrier Suspends Tunisian Pilot for Refusing To Fly To Israel
•
US Top Diplomat Pompeo Says Al-Qaeda Has New Home Base In Iran
•
Almost Two Years after Defeat, ISIS Resurfaces in Syria’s Badia
•
How Israel Is Using Social Media to Woo the Middle East
India
•
UK Think Tank Lists India in ‘Difficult 4’; Clubs India with China, Saudi,
Turkey
•
Allahabad HC to Hear Plea against Acquittal of 32 Babri Mosque Demolition
Accused including L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi
•
Muslim Man, a Labourer, Beaten In Gujarat for Refusing To Answer Their Question
about His Identity
•
Muslim Man Who Flew To UP From Bengaluru to Meet Girl He Met Online Lands in Police
Station
•
In 8-point action plan against terrorism, Jaishankar slams Pak, takes a dig at
China
•
‘Some Muslims Do Not Trust Indian Scientists, Can Go To Pakistan’: Sangeet Som
•
NIA chargesheets doc for ‘app to guide IS missiles’
•
Jaishankar: Those behind 1993 Mumbai blasts enjoying 5-star hospitality
•
SP govt stopped me from visiting UP 12 times: Owaisi
•
Pakistan national held at Bhuj JIC dies after complaining of breathlessness
--------
Pakistan
•
Pak Court Sentences Three JuD Leaders, Yahya Mujahid, Zafar Iqbal and Abdur
Rehman Makki for Terrorism Financing
•
Police Officer Escorting Polio Vaccine Team Shot Dead In Pakistan's Northwest
•
Pakistan Court Jails Three For Vandalising Gurdwara Nankana Sahib
•
PTI senators defend promulgation of ordinances
•
Broadsheet revelations about ruling elite only 'tip of the iceberg': PM Imran
•
Rs180bn corruption unearthed in AGP office: PM
•
With Geographical Indication rules Pakistan can secure export markets
•
Pakistan urges warring Afghan sides to reduce violence
•
Sikh girl’s marriage case: Three jailed for leading mob attack on gurdwara
•
Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey FMs to attend trilateral meeting in Islamabad
tomorrow
--------
South
Asia
•
Bangladesh: 1st Transgender Islamic School in Bangladesh Starts Academic Year
•
Taliban See Ghani as 'Obstacle' to Afghan Peace
•
Afghan Shia leader visits Pakistan after massacre of Hazara miners
•
8 Taliban Killed, 300 Rocket Shells Discovered: MoD
•
NDS ‘Foils Assassination Plot’ against US Ambassador to Kabul
•
Why Afghanistan-Taliban peace talks have not reached breakthrough
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
Indonesia's Road to Harmony Means Removing Radical Potholes
•
More tinder for extremist fires in Indonesia
•
Johor Sultan Issues Religious Restrictions for Muslims during MCO 2.0
•
Selangor Islamic Enforcers Probed For Violence against Nur Sajat In Arrest For
‘Insulting Islam’
•
Malaysian comedian ‘Uncle Roger’ sparks China censorship row with deleted video
•
Emergency declaration unjustified as general election avoidable, groups say
•
Indonesian President Joko Widodo Receives Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Shot
--------
Africa
•
UAE's Flag Carrier Suspends Tunisian Pilot for Refusing To Fly To Israel
•
How Qaeda-Friendly GSIM Became the Sahel’s Leading Jihadists
•
Jordanian sentenced to death for 2019 tourist stabbing
•
Ethiopia warns Sudan against igniting war at disputed border region
•
Roadside blast kills 7 Kenyan soldiers in Somalia
•
Libyan jailed for life for UK attack that killed three
•
ISWAP Jihadists Kill 13 Soldiers in Northeast Nigeria
--------
North
America
•
US Top Diplomat Pompeo Says Al-Qaeda Has New Home Base In Iran
•
The Capitol Riot Shows The Growing Danger Of Right-Wing Extremism
•
UN Calls For Enhanced International Cooperation To Tackle Terrorism
•
Hillary Clinton touts documentary on Khashoggi killing
•
US: Turkish-American tapped for Treasury chief of staff
•
US re-designates Cuba state sponsor of terrorism
•
Law enforcement braces for more extremist violence in DC and around the US
ahead of Inauguration Day
--------
Arab
World
•
Almost Two Years After Defeat, ISIS Resurfaces in Syria’s Badia
•
ISIS increases attacks in Raqqa as Turkish-backed forces shell Ain al-Issa
•
Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s approval of new settlements in West Bank
•
Lebanon files complaint with UN Security Council over Israeli violations
•
Israeli strikes on Syria kill seven soldiers, 16 Iran-backed fighters: Monitor
•
World Bank approves $246 mln project to support vulnerable Lebanese households
•
Israeli patrol kidnaps Lebanese shepherd from border town: Lebanon state media
•
Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Syria’s east: SANA
•
Kuwait’s cabinet members resign en masse
--------
Mideast
•
How Israel Is Using Social Media to Woo the Middle East
•
Israelis protest outside of PM Netanyahu’s home amid corruption trial
•
Iran: Pompeo’s claims of al-Qaeda ties preposterous, shows failure of pressure
policy
•
Iran’s FM: 9/11 Caused by Pro-Pompeo Terrorists
•
Lawyer: Assassinated Nuclear Scientists' Families Suing US to Receive $100mln
in Compensation
•
840 Academics Ask IRGC Aerospace Commander to Target Any Intruding US Army
B-52s
•
Ex-US Envoy to Yemen: Designation of Houthi Ansarullah as Terrorist Group 'A
Big Mistake'
•
Erdogan hopes new Turkey-Greece talks will herald new era
•
Israel’s PM Netanyahu removes joint photo with Trump from his Twitter banner
•
Palestinian refugees in Gaza protest UNRWA cuts
--------
Europe
•
EU Slams US Blacklisting Of Yemen’s Houthis, Warns Of Aid Delivery Disruption
•
UK to review export controls on goods from Xinjiang
•
'Turkey is determined to press ahead on EU reforms'
•
EU extends security training mission in Mali until 2023
•
Turkey, Greece to hold exploratory talks in Istanbul
•
Halt evictions edict on Palestinian families: UN expert
•
Former Al-Qaeda spokesman living in £1m house in London: Report
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
UK
Think Tank Lists India in ‘Difficult 4’; Clubs India With China, Saudi, Turkey
Jan
13, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Even as UK and India appear to be resetting their relations post Brexit,
a major British think tank has a word of caution for the British government.
“While giving India the attention it deserves, the UK government needs to accept
that gaining direct national benefit from the relationship, whether
economically or diplomatically, will be difficult,” says the new report by
Chatham House.
The
report, “Global Britain, Global Broker” questions whether the UK, despite its
inherent strengths, would be able to avoid losing influence in the world. It
observes that despite the evident shortcomings, “Britain has remained
influential because it is one of the few countries capable of combining its
diverse national assets — diplomatic, military, intelligence and humanitarian —
to pursue its interests beyond its shores.”
Calling
for a “shift in strategic focus” the UK, the report says, should have more
realistic goals about developing deeper ties with India, which it clubs with
China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey as the “difficult four”.
“India’s
importance to the UK is inescapable. … But it should be obvious by now that the
idea of a deeper relationship with India always promises more than it can
deliver. The legacy of British colonial rule consistently curdles the
relationship. In contrast, the US has become the most important strategic
partner for India, as recent US administrations have intensified their
bilateral security relations, putting the UK in the shade,” says the report.
The
report goes on to say that India’s “complex, fragmented domestic politics have
made it one of the countries most resistant to open trade and foreign
investment.” In addition, “the overt Hindu nationalism of the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party is weakening the rights of Muslims & other minority religious
groups, leading to a chorus of concern that intolerant majoritarianism is
replacing the vision of a secular, democratic India bequeathed by Nehru.”
The
British foreign policy establishment is currently in the process of re-writing
its foreign policy focus, bringing the Indo-Pacific front and centre of the new
policies.
The
report is critical of Boris Johnson’s initiative of setting up a D10 club of
democratic countries, and particularly, including India in it. “Including India
in a D10 at this time could make building any meaningful consensus on policy or
joint actions that much harder. India has a long and consistent record of
resisting being corralled into a ‘Western’ camp. It led the Non-Aligned
Movement during the Cold War and, in 2017, India formally joined the China-and
Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.”
In
a critique of India’s diplomatic behaviour, the report points out that despite
border clashes with China, “India did not join the group of countries that
criticized China at the UN in July 2019 over human rights violations in
Xinjiang. India has also been muted in its criticism of the passage of the new
national security law in Hong Kong. With Indian domestic politics also having
entered a more ethno-nationalist phase, as noted earlier, a D10 might end up
functioning as a D9 at some point in the future, with all the damaging knock-on
effects this would have on the UK’s relations with India.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/uk-think-tank-lists-india-in-difficult-4-clubs-india-with-china-saudi-turkey/articleshow/80242202.cms
--------
Pak
Court Sentences Three JuD Leaders, Yahya Mujahid, Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman
Makki for Terrorism Financing
Jan
13, 2021
Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud Dawah
chief Hafiz Saeed. File Photo
----
ISLAMABAD:
A Lahore-based Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday convicted Yahya Mujahid,
spokesperson of banned outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa, in a terror financing case and
sentenced him to 15 years in jail.
The
court also convicted Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Makki, two other leaders of
JuD and key aides of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, in
the same case. Iqbal was sentenced to 15 and a half years and Makki to
six-month imprisonment.
The
Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab had registered a number of cases related
to terror financing against leaders of militant outfits who remained active in
terrorist activities in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. The courts,
however, convicted and sentenced them on charges not linked to any specific
militant attack.
Pakistan
has intensified action against Punjab-based militant leaders in an attempt to
meet the conditions set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global
terror watchdog, which will review Pakistan’s case next week. Pakistan is
currently on grey list of the watchdog and trying to avoid being put on the
FATF’s black list.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-court-sentences-three-jud-leaders-for-terrorism-financing/articleshow/80239606.cms
--------
Bangladesh:
1st Transgender Islamic School in Bangladesh Starts Academic Year
SM
Najmus Sakib
09.01.2021
DHAKA,
Bangladesh
Excitements
is running high among students as the first-ever transgender Islamic school in
Bangladesh has been inaugurated and handed out books to its students at the
start of the new academic year.
The
Dawatul Quran Third Gender Madrasa, located in the capital Dhaka, started its
journey last November in the hand of a group of Muslim clerics and trainers
with support from a local charity.
“The
first such an initiative for transgender Muslim students has created huge hopes
and opportunity for members of the discriminated minority in Bangladesh. We can
now believe that we could be treated as human souls and integrate into the
mainstream,” described a student, while addressing the event echoing many
others of her community.
The
founding Principal and Director Mufti Abdur Rahman Azad presided over the
inauguration ceremony of the new academic year on Friday while Mufti and other
senior Islamic clerics and local government officials spoke at the event
welcoming and appreciating the launching of the Madrasa.
All
Islamic clerics described that there is no discrimination among human beings
before God while society creates obstacles and discriminations among us. And,
every human being will be judged before God on consideration of one’s deeds,
not on gender, Azad said.
The
aim of launching the school is an eye-opening initiative to the society that
transgender people are capable human beings to get integrated into the society,
said teachers and officials.
The
schools started providing Quranic education under the Qawmi syllabus --
curriculum for religious schools -- and students will gradually be provided
other academic knowledge and skills, including Bangla, English, and science.
The
new academic year inaugural drew the huge presence of dozens of its transgender
students and all Madrasa students while Imams handed over the Muslim holy book
of Quran to transgender students as they completed their primary learning.
According
to government figures, there are some 10,000 member Hijras -- third gender --
in Bangladesh, which is disputed by Abida Sultana Mitu, the president of the
Bangladesh Hijra Kalyan (Transgender Welfare) Foundation, who claims it to be
at least 1.5 million people.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bangladesh-1st-transgender-school-starts-academic-year/2103968
--------
Indonesia's
road to harmony means removing radical potholes
Siktus
Harson
January
12, 2021
Indonesia's
most notorious hardline group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), was
officially disbanded at the end of last year. Its officials and members,
however, are refusing to go quietly.
They
started 2021 with a new group and with a slightly different name — the Islamic
Unity Front, also known as FPI for short — but the same spirit, people and
goals remain.
The
question is whether, after all the legal pressure put on them, the new outfit
will survive. That remains to be seen. The core of the matter is that the
radicalism embodied in this notorious group and beyond has reached the age of
maturity and can easily be transformed into new forms, even without any
legalized structure.
Co-founded
by now-jailed leader Muhammad Rizieq Syihab 23 years ago, the original FPI was
banned due to its association with violence, long-standing disregard for
democratic principles and alleged support for terrorist activities.
It
was officially terminated at the end of last year through a joint decree signed
by three ministers and the heads of several key institutions.
The
Islamic Defenders Front is now on a list of banned mass organizations in
Indonesia, the first of which under President Joko Widodo was Hizb ut Tahrir,
which was outlawed in 2017.
Violence
was associated with the group for a long time. It would not hesitate to
intimidate or attack democracy activists, freedom of speech advocates or
religious minority groups — Christians, Ahmadis, Shia and traditional
religions.
They
were often behind rallies against the establishment of new churches.
The
government claimed that hundreds of FPI members had been convicted of various
crimes while the public had branded the group as “thugs in religious outfits”
rather than defenders of Islam.
A
few weeks before the end came, group members were involved in a deadly police
shooting in which six of them died. The case is still under investigation.
The
most damning charge was terrorism. Authorities claimed that at least 35 former
officials and regular members of FPI were part of a terrorism network.
Coordinating
Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD — President Joko
Widodo's sharpshooter in fighting extremism — said many FPI members had sworn
allegiance to the Islamic State group in early 2015.
The
government's decision to bar radical groups was the result of a scrupulous
study, including their impacts on society and the economy.
Indonesian
businessmen have expressed concerns over the impact of radical groups on
investment. This could be seen with mass protests that forced many commercial
centers to shut down temporarily for fear of being the target of attacks.
Fighting
extremism has been one of Widodo's priorities since becoming president in 2014.
For him, a peaceful society and investment are two sides of the same coin. He
was aware that previous leaderships did not pay much attention to eradicating
intolerance and radicalism.
A
year before Widodo was elected president, and while still governor of Jakarta,
a national congress organized by Hisb ut Tahrir attracted thousands of young
people.
Despite
the group being banned in many countries for its goal to establish an Islamic
caliphate and not recognizing Indonesia’s secular ideology, the government did
nothing.
Soon
after Widodo was inaugurated, he launched several awareness campaigns on
extremism through educational, religious and political institutions. The
culmination was the dissolution of Hisb ut Tahrir in July 2017.
His
re-election in 2019 naturally did not go down well with radical groups,
particularly the Islamic Defenders Front, which saw the ax fall on Dec. 30,
2020, when it joined the communist party and Hizb ut Tahrir as a banned
organization.
The
FPI ban won public support, with many saying it came before it could transform
itself into a gigantic extremist group.
It’s
hoped the group’s demise will pave the way for the reform agenda of Religious
Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, who has emphasized promoting tolerance
and interfaith harmony.
Qoumas,
a respected member of Indonesia's largest moderate Islamic group Nahlatul Ulama
and an avid supporter of Widodo, was sworn in as minister two days before
Christmas.
His
aims will be possible when all traces of the FPI are shut down. The government
is highly aware of this and efforts to stamp out the group continue, including
the freezing of all its accounts.
Indonesia's
financial authorities recently deactivated 79 bank accounts belonging to the
Islamic Defenders Front and its affiliates.
Radicalism
has been an acute disease in Indonesia and is often exacerbated by the
politicization of religion in the Muslim-majority nation.
Hence,
efforts to subdue radical groups, even the smallest ones, are appreciated but
must be followed by effective measures to prevent a similar group from
indoctrinating millions of kind-hearted Muslims.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/indonesias-road-to-harmony-means-removing-radical-potholes/90959#
--------
UAE's
flag carrier suspends Tunisian pilot for refusing to fly to Israel
13
January 2021
The
United Arab Emirates' flag carrier has suspended a Tunisian pilot for refusing
to fly a plane to Israel, in a controversial move that has prompted
condemnation in the Arab world.
Tunisian
pilot Monem Sahib al-Taba wrote on his Facebook page that Emirates Airline
suspended him “due to my refusal to participate in a flight to Tel Aviv.”
“God
is [the] only [one] who takes care of me… I do not regret it,” he wrote.
Al-Taba
was suspended pending his presentation to the disciplinary committee.
Arab
activists denounced the suspension, and praised al-Taba for his “heroic stance”
to refuse to recognize the Israeli regime despite Abu Dhabi's normalization of
ties with Tel Aviv.
“Whoever
leaves something for God, God will compensate him with something better,” said
Palestinian activist Tamer Almisshal.
“This
honorable free pilot and many others like him are the obstacle to normalization
with the Israeli entity that the occupiers fear,” wrote another activist,
Chiheb Eddinne Mellouli.
Back
in September, Israeli airlines began operating direct flights between Tel Aviv
and Dubai.
Abu
Dhabi signed an agreement to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel last
year.
Bahrain,
Sudan, and Morocco later announced normalization agreements of their own with
the Tel Aviv regime.
All
Palestinian factions have condemned the normalization deals, calling them a
betrayal of their cause.
Tunisia
has made it clear that it will not follow suit in normalizing relations with
Israel, and that its position on the Palestinians' legitimate rights will not
be affected by any international developments.
Palestinians
seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/13/642907/UAE-s-flag-carrier-suspends-Tunisian-pilot-for-refusing-to-fly-to-Israel
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US
top diplomat Pompeo says al-Qaeda has new home base in Iran
Tuqa
Khalid
12
January 2021
US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that al-Qaeda terrorist group
established a home base in Iran, but did not provide concrete evidence.
"Al-Masri’s
presence inside Iran points to the reason that we're here today... al-Qaeda has
a new home base: it is... Iran," he said in remarks delivered at the
National Press Club in Washington.
He
added: "Today, we are drawing attention to the nature of the Iran-al-Qaeda
relationship and are taking the actions necessary to crush al-Qaeda and its
links to Iran. We urge all nations to do the same – for the good of our
nations, and of the free world."
The
New York Times reported in November that al-Qaeda's Abu Muhammad al-Masri,
accused of helping to mastermind the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in
Africa, was gunned down by Israeli operatives in Iran. Iran denied the report,
saying there were no al-Qaeda "terrorists" on its soil.
Pompeo
said: "Tehran gives sanctuary to the terror group’s senior leaders as they
plan attacks against America and our allies. Indeed, since 2015, Tehran has
allowed al-Qaeda figures in the country to freely communicate with other
al-Qaeda members and perform many functions that were previously directed from
Afghanistan and Pakistan, including authorization for attacks, propaganda, and
fundraising."
"The
Iran-al-Qaeda axis poses a grave threat to the security of nations and to the
American homeland itself, and we are taking action," he added.
Iran's
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Pompeo's accusations were
"warmongering lies" and claimed that no September 11
"terrorists" came from Iran.
"(With)
fictitious Iran 'declassifications' and AQ (al-Qaeda) claims, (Pompeo) is
pathetically ending his disastrous career with more warmongering lies,"
Zarif tweeted.
Pompeo
announced designating al-Qaeda leaders Muhammad Abbatay, also known as Abd
al-Rahman al-Maghrebi, and Sultan Yusuf Hasan al-Arif as Specially Designated
Global Terrorists. He also announced a reward of up to $7 million for any information
leading to the location and identification of "Iran-based key leader of
al-Qaeda terrorist group" Abbatay - also known as al-Maghrebi.
Earlier
accusations by the George W. Bush adminstration of Iranian links to al-Qaeda's
September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States have been discredited. But
reports have surfaced over the years of al-Qaeda operatives hiding out in Iran.
Shia
Iran and al-Qaeda, a Sunni Muslim group, have long been sectarian foes.
On
Twitter, Pompeo said US sanctions on Iran took over two million barrels of
Iranian oil a day off the market. He added: "Thanks to our sanctions,
Iran's proposed military budget is down 24 percent this year. We've targeted
more than 1,500 individuals and entities, depriving the regime of $70 billion
that would've been used to fund terrorism, ballistic missiles, and nuclear
programs."
Pompeo
stressed: "The US will never allow the world's largest state sponsor of
terrorism (Iran) to freely buy and sell planes, tanks, missiles, and other
kinds of conventional weapons."
The
administration of outgoing President Donald Trump has further increased its
pressure on the Iranian regime with more sanctions targeting several industries
and officials in Tehran.
Tensions
between Washington and Tehran, which have been increasing since 2018 when Trump
unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, reached historic heights
last January when the US killed Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds
Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/12/US-top-diplomat-Pompeo-says-al-Qaeda-has-new-home-base-in-Iran
--------
Almost
Two Years After Defeat, ISIS Resurfaces in Syria’s Badia
11
January, 2021
For
weeks, ISIS has managed to escalate its attacks against Syrian regime forces
and their allies in the Syrian Badia, largely suggesting that the terror group
has succeeded in reorganizing its ranks in the vast desert region.
This
resurgence comes less than two years after ISIS suffering a crushing defeat in
the town of Baghouz, which was the organization’s final stronghold on the banks
of the Euphrates river in the Deir Ezzor countryside in eastern Syria.
In
addition to the terror group’s hit-and-run attacks against pro-regime forces in
the Badia, ISIS fighters have also been active in areas extending from the east
of the Euphrates river to Iraqi borders.
These
areas are controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces which had driven
ISIS out of Baghouz in 2019.
Tough
to secure, long stretches of desert in the Syrian Badia have proven an ideal
environment for ISIS to keep cover and regroup. Isolated villages and convoys
traveling the desert have become popular targets for ISIS terrorists.
Since
2017, forces of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, significantly backed by
Russia and Iran, succeeded in retaking all strategic towns in the Badia, but
effectively failed to control the whole desert region, which makes up almost
half of Syria’s total geographic area.
Simply
put, regime forces did not have enough troops to chase down ISIS militants
across such a massive terrain.
The
terror organization’s fighters were openly operating in the south, starting
from the extremely rugged desert of Sweida, through the countryside of
Damascus, Homs, and Deir Ezzor, in the east, reaching Raqqa and Hama in central
Syria.
Regime
forces, most likely, decided that ISIS had isolated itself in the desert and no
longer posed an existential threat. In their assessment, confronting the
terrorist group could come at a later time.
Consequently,
regime forces shifted their attention towards remaining opposition strongholds.
They
went on to mount a widespread military campaign that targeted the northwestern
Idlib province and saw regime forces seize vital areas that were formerly held
by opposition factions.
A
research paper published by Chatham House in 2019 stated that ISIS dens in the
Syrian Badia are mainly concentrated in three regions made up of tough
mountainous terrain that is perfect for establishing hideouts.
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2734351/almost-two-years-after-defeat-isis-resurfaces-syria%E2%80%99s-badia?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
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How
Israel is using social media to woo the Middle East
January
12, 2021
Working
in close quarters, surrounded by maps of the Middle East, a small team based in
Israel’s foreign ministry are focusing their sights on the Arab world.
Their
mission: using social media to convince Arabs to embrace the Jewish state.
The
team is spearheading an Arabic-language campaign via platforms such as
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as part of a multi-pronged diplomatic effort to
win over popular acceptance in the Middle East.
But
overturning decades of hostility is no easy feat, despite Israel in recent
months having secured landmark Washington-brokered deals with the governments
of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
The
magnitude of the task was underscored by a recent online backlash after
photographs of Egyptian actor and rapper Mohamed Ramadan partying with Israeli
celebrities at a Dubai bar surfaced on social media in November, along with a
video showing guests partying as the Jewish song “Hava Nagila” played.
The
Israeli Arabic-language social media team re-posted the photos from its main
Facebook and Twitter accounts, including one of Ramadan hanging an arm around
the neck of Israeli pop star Omer Adam with the caption “art always brings us
together.”
Israeli
officials acknowledge the challenges of the task in a region where there is
widespread support for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation or as
refugees across the Middle East.
Yonatan
Gonen, who heads the Arabic-language social media unit, said in an interview
that they posted the photos of Ramadan with the Israeli celebrities to show
“normalisation” between Israelis and Arabs. He acknowledged that the furore was
disappointing but said there were also positive responses and that “it takes
time, people change their minds over generations".
Ofir
Gendelman, a spokesman for Israel’s prime minister, said increasing numbers of
Arabs view Israel as an ally and many publicly show their support on social
media.
“As
regional peace expands further, talking to our neighbours in their own language
becomes even more important,” said Gendelman, adding that Israel plans to
expand its outreach in Arabic.
Ramadan
didn’t respond to requests for comment. He said on social media at the time
that he did not ask people taking photographs where they came from. “I salute
the brotherly Palestinian people,” he added.
Dr
Ala’a Shehabi, a London-based academic researcher with dual Bahraini and
British nationality, said public sentiment in Arab countries remains
pro-Palestinian. Of Israel’s social-media campaign, she added: “It is not a
success if it hasn’t changed popular opinion.”
Digital
diplomacy
Israel
wants to gain broader Arab support for the new deals than it has with formal
peace treaties it signed with Egypt and Jordan, in 1979 and 1994, respectively.
Those treaties are upheld by the countries’ leaders but are regarded with
little enthusiasm by many Egyptians and Jordanians.
An
October report by Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs found that during
August and September more than 90 per cent of Arabic social media commentary
regarding the “normalisation” deals was negative.
“Israel
must prepare to commence a protracted campaign online to win hearts and minds
in favour of creating stronger ties with Israel,” according to a detailed
summary of the report shared with Reuters by the ministry. A ministry official
said that by January the level of negative commentary had fallen to 75pc.
That
foreign ministry’s 10-member Arabic-language team includes both Jews and Arabs.
With
messages such as “Salam, Shalom” — the Arabic and Hebrew words for peace — the
campaign heavily features what Gonen refers to as “soft content” such as music,
food and sport. The team also posts about Israel’s adversaries such as Iran,
Hamas and Hezbollah.
Established
in 2011, the Arabic-language unit has significantly ramped up activity since
late summer when news of the first accord was made public. The team currently
publishes up to 700 or so social media posts a month, about 15pc to 20pc more
than before the deals, Gonen said.
During
a recent visit to Dubai, team member Lorena Khateeb posted to Twitter a photo
of herself outdoors with the Israeli flag draped over her back. “Never imagined
that I would raise the Israeli flag in an Arab country,” she said in the
November 21 post in both Arabic and English. Days later, one Israel’s official
accounts — called @IsraelintheGulf and which she operates — tweeted a similar
flag-draped photo of her.
Khateeb
told Reuters that responses to her posts are mostly positive but some are
negative.
Gauging
success
Gonen
says the aim is to create “engagement, interactions and dialogue” with Arab
audiences. He said his team reaches 100 million people monthly via its social
media accounts, which is double what it was a year ago.
It’s
main Twitter account, which uses the handle @IsraelArabic and posted the
Ramadan photos, has more than 425,000 followers.
Still,
the Jewish state still faces widespread opposition to its reconciliation
efforts across the region, which is home to more than 400 million Arabic
speakers.
Michael
Robbins of the Arab Barometer, a non-partisan research network that studies
attitudes across the Arab world, said a post-normalisation survey by his group
in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan and Lebanon suggested that the
efforts of Israel and its regional allies “have had little if any effect on the
views of ordinary citizens".
He
said they lacked data from Gulf countries, which did not permit them to ask
questions that name Israel, but that attitudes in the countries they did
conduct surveys had changed little from previous years.
“Overall,
these results suggest that Israel’s strategy to win hearts and minds is
failing. Few Arab citizens regardless of age or geography have positive views
toward Israel,” Robbins said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601119/how-israel-is-using-social-media-to-woo-the-middle-east
--------
India
Allahabad
HC to Hear Plea against Acquittal of 32 Babri Mosque Demolition Accused
including L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi
13
January 2021
The
Allahabad High Court will hear a plea against the acquittal of all 32 accused
in the Babri mosque demolition case today. This includes BJP veterans L K
Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
On
January 8, a petition was filed by Ayodhya residents Haji Mahmood Ahmad and
Syed Akhlaq Ahmad. It will be heard by the Lucknow bench of the high court.
Their
counsel is All India Muslim Personal Law Board executive member Zafaryab
Jilani, who has also been the convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee.
The
petition, challenging the verdict of a special CBI court last year, was on Tuesday
listed for hearing before Justice Rakesh Srivastava.
While
filing the petition, Jilani had said the two Ayodhya residents moved court
because the CBI has not yet appealed against the September 30 judgment. The
petitioners have claimed that they are witnesses in the trial.
The
trial judge had refused to accept newspaper clippings and video clips as
evidence because the originals were not produced in court.
He
also held that the CBI could not produce any evidence that the accused had a
meeting of minds with the `kar sevaks’ who demolished the structure.
The
petitioners have pleaded that the CBI court committed an error in not
convicting the accused despite the presence of ample evidence on record. “The
trial judge did not appreciate the evidence of conspiracy in the right
perspective,” their petition said.
The
petitioners have sought that the record from the trial court be summoned, its
judgment set aside and the all the 32 accused held guilty and punished
accordingly.
Former
deputy prime minister L K Advani, the then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan
Singh, former Union ministers Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti and Ram
Janmaboomi Teerth Kshetra Trust president Nritya Gopal Das were among those
cleared by the lower court.
The
Babri mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992 by a mob of kar sevaks who
believed that the 16th century structure stood at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
In
November 2019, a Supreme Court ruling on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land
dispute paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple at the contested
site.
Meanwhile,
the CBI court had continued to hear the separate case related to the
destruction of the mosque.
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-allahabad-hc-to-hear-plea-against-acquittal-of-babri-mosque-demolition-accused/370341
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Muslim
Man, a Labourer, Beaten In Gujarat for Refusing To Answer Their Question About
His Identity
Jan
13, 2021
Ahmedabad:
A labourer from Chanakyapuri was allegedly beaten by four men after they asked
him about his origin and he could not give them an answer they deemed proper.
In
his FIR with Sola police, Arafat Shaikh, 23, a resident of Cheharnagar and a
daily wage labourer who has been staying here with his wife here for eight
months, stated that the incident took place on Monday.
“When
I was having tea at a shop in the Chanakyapuri vegetable market at 2.30pm on
Monday, two men asked me where I had come from. I asked them why they were
asking me that. They then began abusing me,” states Shaikh in the FIR.
Shaikh
alleged that they then got more aggressive and phoned someone. After a few
minutes, two more men came on a motorcycle with sticks. The four then beat
Shaikh with sticks.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/muslim-man-beaten-in-sola/articleshow/80239251.cms
--------
Muslim
Man Who Flew To UP From Bengaluru to Meet Girl He Met Online Lands in Police
Station
12th
January 2021
LAKHIMPUR
KHERI: A 21-year-old man was slapped with a case and had to spend a night at a
police station after he landed with birthday gifts at the home of a minor girl
whom he had befriended online, police said Tuesday.
Salman
travelled 2,000 km -- taking a flight from Bengaluru to Lucknow and then a bus
to Lakhimpur Kheri -- to be able to reach her home in time for her birthday,
but her family refused to recognise him.
He
had brought with him chocolates, a teddy bear and other such items.
The
girl's family reprimanded him and called the police and he had to spend the
Sunday night at the police station.
"The
girl's family members refused to file a first information report (FIR) against
the youth. He was produced before the sub-divisional magistrate's court
Monday," Kotwali Police Station in-charge Sunil Kumar Singh told PTI
Tuesday.
"The
youth was released on Monday on personal bond," Singh added.
Salman
hails from Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district and works as a mechanic in
Bengaluru.
He
told the police he developed a friendship with the girl through a virtual
platform and travelled the distance to offer her birthday gifts.
"However,
the girl's family, got suspicious about him and called the police," the
SHO said.
Singh
said a return ticket to Bengaluru for January 11 and some cash were found on
him.
Singh
said the girl's parents asked the police to warn the man against any recurrence
of such incident.
The
youth was booked under section 151 of CrPC (arrest to prevent the commission of
cognizable offences) and later released on bond, Singh said.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/jan/12/muslim-man-who-flew-to-up-to-meet-girl-he-met-online-lands-in-police-station-2249163.html
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In
8-point action plan against terrorism, Jaishankar slams Pak, takes a dig at
China
Jan
13, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Describing terrorism as the greatest threat to mankind, foreign minister
S Jaishankar on Tuesday proposed an eight-point action plan at the UNSC to
ensure effective action against the menace of terrorism. Even without naming
either Pakistan or China, the minister slammed the former for aiding terrorism
and took a dig at the latter as he said that there can be no double standards
on the issue of terrorism and that the practice of blocking requests for
designation of terrorists “without any rhyme or reason” had to end.
China
had earlier at least on four occasions blocked a UN ban on JeM chief Masood
Azhar even though he headed an organisation already designated by a UNSC
sanctions committee. The minister accused Pakistan of providing 5-star
hospitality to the 1993 Mumbai blasts accused.
In
an intervention at a UNSC debate on combating international terrorism,
Jaishankar called upon the council to first summon up the political will to
combat terrorism, saying there must be no ifs and buts in this fight. “Nor
should we allow terrorism to be justified and terrorists glorified. All member
states must fulfill their obligations enshrined in international counter
terrorism instruments and conventions,” he said.
Second,
he said, it was important to not countenance double standards in this battle as
there are no good or bad terrorists. He said those who propagate this
distinction have an agenda and those who cover up for them are just as
culpable.
Thirdly,
he called for a reform of the working methods of committees dealing with
sanctions and counter terrorism, saying transparency, accountability and effectiveness
were the need of the day. He said blocking listing requests only eroded the
collective credibility of the members.
“Four,
we must firmly discourage exclusivist thinking that divides the world and harms
our social fabric. Such approaches facilitate radicalisation and recruitment by
breeding fear, mistrust, and hatred among different communities. The council
should be on guard against new terminologies and misleading priorities that can
dilute our focus,” he said. He called upon countries to walk the talk against
terrorism and commit to zero tolerance to the menace.
The
minister also said that enlisting and delisting individuals and entities under
the UN sanctions regimes must be done objectively, not for political or
religious considerations, and that linkages between terrorism and transnational
organised crime must be fully recognised and addressed vigorously.
“We,
in India, have seen the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb
blasts not just given state protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality,” he
said, without naming Dawood Ibrahim, the main accused in the blasts, or
Pakistan.
Jaishankar
said the FATF should continue to identify and remedy weaknesses in anti-money
laundering and counter-terror financing frameworks and the enhanced UN
coordination with FATF could make a big difference. Lastly, he said, adequate
funding to UN counter-terrorism bodies from UN regular budget required
immediate attention.
Hitting
out at Pakistan again, Jaishankar said that while some states lacked the legal
and operational frameworks and technical expertise needed to detect,
investigate, and prosecute terrorist financing cases, there were others clearly
guilty of aiding and supporting terrorism, and wilfully providing financial
assistance and safe havens.
“While
we must enhance capacities of the former, the international community must
collectively call out the latter and hold them accountable,” said the minister.
Jaishankar
was participating in a UNSC open debate on “International Cooperation in
combating terrorism 20 years after the adoption of 1373”. UNSC Resolution 1373
against terrorism was passed in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the US.
This was the first time that the minister made an intervention in the UNSC
after India assumed membership on January 1 this year.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/in-8-point-action-plan-against-terrorism-jaishankar-slams-pak-takes-a-dig-at-china/articleshow/80241500.cms
--------
‘Some
Muslims do not trust Indian scientists, can go to Pakistan’: Sangeet Som
January
13, 2021
In
provocative remarks apparently made over opposition to COVID-19 vaccine, BJP
MLA Sangeet Som on Tuesday said “some Muslims” did not trust the country’s
scientists.
“Unfortunately
some Muslims do not have faith in the country’s scientists and police. They do
not have faith in the prime minister also. They have faith in Pakistan and can
go there, but doubt the scientists,” Som told reporters in Chandausi without
substantiating his charge.
On
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti who was arrested on Monday, Som said he has
spent “some months” in jail and so he is speaking the language used by
‘gundas’.
The
BJP leader also took aim at the Delhi chief minister, saying that Arvind
Kejriwal’s intellect has been corrupted with regard to Somnath Bharti.
Som
has made similarly provocative remarks in the past as well.
On
the ongoing farmers’ agitation over new farm laws, he claimed that none among
those staging dharna are farmers. “Rather they are anti-farmers,” he said.
Earlier
addressing a program of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) at Ashish Garden in
Chandausi as the chief guest, Som attacked Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh
Yadav.
“During
his government, Uttar Pradesh turned into a Mughal sultanate but he would be
the last ruler of the Mughal rule as he would not get another chance now,” Som
claimed.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/some-muslims-do-not-trust-indian-scientists-can-go-to-pakistan-sangeet-som-7144462/
--------
NIA
chargesheets doc for ‘app to guide IS missiles’
by
Deeptiman Tiwary
January
13, 2021
The
NIA on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against an MBBS doctor from Bengaluru for
his alleged association with the Islamic State and for allegedly preparing an
app that could guide IS missiles.
Dr
Abdur Rehman alias Dr Brave, 28, was arrested by the agency last year in
connection with its probe into the affairs of Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami
and Hina Kausar Beg, who were arrested from Delhi’s Jamia Nagar in March last
year on the allegations of being IS members and instigating violence at the
anti-CAA protests.
“The
accused has been chargesheeted for furthering ideology and activities of
proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS/ISKP (Islamic State in Khorasan
Province) in connivance with co-accused Jahanzaib Sami and others for
committing subversive/anti national activities in India,” an NIA statement
said.
The
NIA has claimed that Rehman got radicalised listening to “online lectures of
hardline Islamic preachers” such as Anwar al Awlaki and travelled to Syria in
2013 and “participated in various terrorist activities of ISIS”. After his
return to India, NIA has claimed, Rehman continued to remain associated with
the ideology of IS.
“Utilizing
his knowledge of Ophthalmic Lasers and Medical Science, he made efforts to
develop applications for medical and military requirements of ISIS. To this
end, he was in regular communication with ISIS terrorists located abroad as
well as in India, including Jahanzaib Sami, on Threema, a secure messaging
platform. Consequently, he had achieved significant progress towards developing
a medical application for treatment of ISIS terrorists and also a Laser Guided
Anti-Tank Missile application for controlling the trajectory of the missiles
for enhancing their effectiveness for furthering the cause of ISIS,” the NIA
chargesheet has claimed.
The
agency had earlier filed a chargesheet on September 2 last year against five
accused, including Sami and Beigh. Both were arrested first by Delhi Police in
March last year. Later NIA had taken their custody in connection with its probe
into an IS terror conspiracy involving Hyderabad youth Abdullah Basith. NIA has
claimed that during this probe, Rahman alias Dr Brave from Bengaluru was
arrested in August last year. His examination had led to further arrests of
people who allegedly supported his travel to Syria.
“Further
investigation resulted in busting of a module wherein it was revealed that
accused Ahamed Abdul Cader, Irfan Nasir and their associates were members of
Hizb-ut-Tehrir, and they had formed a group called ‘Quran Circle’ which
radicalised gullible Muslim youth in Bengaluru and funded their visit to
conflict zone in Syria to aid and assist the ISIS terrorists,” NIA had earlier
said.
NIA
claimed that Cader and Nasir similarly funded other youths. “Two of such youths
got killed in Syria,” it claimed.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/nia-chargesheets-doc-for-app-to-guide-is-missiles-7144061/
--------
Jaishankar:
Those behind 1993 Mumbai blasts enjoying 5-star hospitality
by
Shubhajit Roy
January
13, 2021
In
his first intervention at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) since
India assumed membership on January 1, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar,
slammed Pakistan on Tuesday saying the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993
Mumbai bomb blasts was “not just given State protection but enjoying 5-star
hospitality”.
He
was was referring to fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, who — according to
Delhi — lives in Pakistan. In August 2020, Pakistan had for the first time
acknowledged the presence of Ibrahim on its soil after the government imposed
sweeping sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders — which also
included Ibrahim’s name.
“Linkages
between terrorism and transnational organised crime must be fully recognised
and addressed vigorously. We, in India, have seen the crime syndicate
responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given State protection but
enjoying 5-star hospitality,” he said, while speaking at a UNSC open debate on
‘International cooperation in combating terrorism 20 years after the adoption
of resolution 1373’.
Jaishankar
said the international community must not allow terrorism to be justified nor,
terrorists glorified.
He
proposed an eight-point Action Plan for the UN to credibly address the menace
of terrorism. “Some states lack legal and operational framework and technical
expertise to detect, investigate and prosecute terrorist financing cases.
However, there are other states that are guilty of aiding and supporting
terrorism and provide financial assistance and safe havens,” he said.
“We
must summon the political will to combat terrorism. There must be no ‘ifs and
buts’ in the fight… All members must fulfill the obligations enshrined in
international counter-terrorism instruments,” he said.
Iterating
that there is no space for “double standards”, he said: “Terrorists are
terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this
distinction have an agenda and those who cover up for them are just as
culpable.
“Enlisting
and delisting individuals and entities under the UN sanctions regimes must be
done objectively, not for political or religious considerations. Proposals in
this regard merit due examination before circulation,” he said.
Jaishankar
said the situation was worsened globally as people were more susceptible to
“radicalised narratives” due to the uncertainty, distress and economic impact
of the pandemic.
The
minister also said that combating terrorist financing will only be as effective
as the weakest jurisdiction. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should
continue to identify and remedy weaknesses in anti-money laundering and
counter-terror financing frameworks, he added.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/s-jaishankar-unsc-mumbai-blast-terrorism-7143865/
--------
SP
govt stopped me from visiting UP 12 times: Owaisi
January
12, 2021
All
India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday
claimed that Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former chief minister Akhilesh
Yadav’s government had stopped him from visiting Uttar Pradesh 12 times. The SP
government was in power from 2012 to 2017.
The
Hyderabad MP made the claim in Azamgarh, Yadav’s Lok Sabha constituency, during
his day-long visit to the state’s Purvanchal region with ally and Suheldev
Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar. The stated objective of
Owaisi’s visit is to “gauge the mood in the state” in preparation for next
year’s state elections.
After
landing in Varanasi, Owaisi told reporters outside the airport, “When there was
the Samajwadi Party government, they stopped us 12 times from visiting. They
cancelled our permission 28 times. Now, we have got a chance, and hence I am
here.”
From
Varanasi, the two leaders headed to Jaunpur, and then went to Azamgarh. An
AIMIM leader said the two visited two madrasas in Jaunpur and Azamgarh and
interacted with students and teachers. “He [Owaisi] also held some closed-door
meetings in both districts with party workers along with Rajbhar ji,” added the
leader.
Akhilesh
Yadav, who was also in Purvanchal, refused to respond to Owaisi’s allegation.
Asked about the AIMIM chief’s visit to his constituency, the former chief
minister told reporters outside the Varanasi airport, “The people of Azamgarh
are the family of Samajwadis. The relationship with the people of Azamgarh is
not new. The party had relations with the people of Azamgarh even when I was
not in politics… This is Uttar Pradesh. The people of the state want to remove
BJP. The farmers, youth, traders and minorities of the state and all other
sections too want to remove them. We are ready to remove the BJP government.”
Asked
about the three farm laws that are being protested by farmer groups on the
Delhi border, and the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter earlier in the day,
the SP chief said, “The government should withdraw the laws immediately. They
should remember that they were the ones who said that farmers’ income will be
doubled.”
Yadav
said he did not know about the Covid vaccination protocol when asked if he
would take the vaccine. “I don’t know the protocol for that. The government
will decide that. But the government should tell that when the poor will get
the vaccine…The government should give details about the arrangements for the
vaccine, its budget and other things first.”
On
January 2, Yadav had said he would not take the “BJP’s vaccine”, and promised
free vaccination for everyone if his party gets elected in next year’s
elections.
Commenting
on Owaisi and Yadav’s visit to Purvanchal the same day, state labour minister
Swami Prasad Maurya told reporters in Bhadohi, “This is Uttar Pradesh.
This
is the area [Purvanchal] of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath. No matter how much one tries, they will not benefit here…The
people of the state have defeated them in the past and will do so in the future
too.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sp-govt-stopped-me-from-visiting-up-12-times-owaisi-7143872/
--------
Pakistan
national held at Bhuj JIC dies after complaining of breathlessness
January
12, 2021
ARAB
ALIAS Arbas Misribhai Jat, a 60-year-old Pakistani national being held as a
detainee at Bhuj’s Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) after his arrest in 2013,
died at a hospital at Bhuj town in Kutch district Monday following complaints of
breathlessness. Officers said Jat also suffered from a mental illness. The
sexagenarian is the fourth Pakistani national lodged at JIC to have died within
a nearly two-month period.
Officers
at the JIC said Jat seemed to suffer from breathlessness late Sunday evening.
“He was rushed to GK General Hospital at 10.30 pm Sunday with complaints of
difficulty in breathing. He died around 3 am Monday while undergoing treatment
at the hospital,” police inspector MB Jani, who is in-charge of JIC, told The
Indian Express Tuesday.
A
native of Jumagam village at Badin in Pakistan’s Sindh province, Jat was
apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) for allegedly crossing over to
India near Khavda on October 18, 2013, and was later on lodged at the JIC.
“Since the day he was admitted here, he was found to be suffering from some
mental illness and doctors were treating him since. He was in no state to
complain about his problems himself. We came to know about his breathlessness
only after fellow detainees alerted us,” Jani said.
On
November 4, 50-year-old Riyaz, a native of Kantiyar village in Muzaffargarh
district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, died after being admitted to GK General
Hospital following difficulty in breathing. He was caught in 2016 for allegedly
illegally crossing the Indo-Pakistan border near Rapar. The JIC officers had
said that Riyaz also suffered from a mental illness. Riyaz’s death was followed
by death of Ashiq Ali Sadiq Ali on November 19, who had tested positive for
Covid-19. On January 1, Saiyad Abdul Rahim (32), a native of Bugga in Pakistan
had died after being taken to hospital from JIC. Officers of JIC had said Ali
and Saiyad, too, had mental illnesses as well as problems in the respiratory
system.
In
October 2019, Himmat Gul Hussain, a middle-aged Pakistani national with an
alleged mental illness, had died at Ahmedabad-based Civil Hospital due to
Hepatitis B, with none to claim his body at the time. He, too, was being held
at JIC in Bhuj after being arrested for crossing over to India in Kutch in
2015.
As
per 2017 NCRB data, Gujarat reported the highest number of undertrial prisoners
who are Pakistani nationals as compared to other states. Sixty-six of the total
101 overseas prisoners (80 undertrials and 21 convicts) in the state were
Pakistani nationals, it stated.
‘B’
Division police station in Bhuj Tuesday said they have registered a case of
accidental death in connection with Jat’s death and launched an investigation.
Jatin
Desai, the former secretary of India chapter of Pakistan India Peoples Forum
for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), said similar reasons of deaths of Pakistani
nationals “inspires suspicion” and demanded that teams of doctors from Pakistan
should be allowed to visit and assess Pakistani nationals being held in India
and vice versa.
“At
least three detainees dying due to similar reasons within a short period of
time can raise suspicion in minds of the other country even if reasons cited
officially are genuine. This is the reason we have been demanding that both the
countries should allow teams of doctors to visit prisoners in each other’s
country and assess them. Both India and Pakistan have agreed to such a
mechanism around three years ago. A statement issued by Ministry of External
Affairs of India on January 1 regarding exchange of list of prisoners also
stressed on this. We hope the governments of both the countries take urgent
steps and allow doctors’ visits,” Desai, a Mumbai-based activist working for
promoting friendly ties between the two neighbouring countries, said.
Similar
pattern of deaths
THE
FOUR recent deaths of Pakistani nationals who were being detained at JIC in
Bhuj has a similar pattern — they were held for crossing over to India through
land border, were assessed to be suffering from mental illness, and died due to
breathing problems after brief hospitalisation. Peace activists have long been
demanding exchange of visits of doctors between India and Pakistan to assess
medically prisoners of one country held by the other. With the Pak prisoners,
who died recently having mental illnesses, makes a case for such an assessment
and their repatriation, in they face no charges or on humanitarian grounds.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/third-pakistan-national-to-die-since-november-pakistan-national-held-at-bhuj-jic-dies-after-complaint-of-breathlessness-7143806/
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Pakistan
Police
officer escorting polio vaccine team shot dead in Pakistan's northwest
Jan
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a police officer escorting a polio vaccination
team in Karak district of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
on Tuesday.
According
to police, the attack took place at 10:00am local time in Latumbar area, about
12 miles west of Karak town. “The attackers came on motorcycles and opened fire
on him, while the polio vaccination team was in the van,” said a police
officer.
Last
year, Karak and its adjoining districts saw 15 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s
22 cases of polio, according to official data.
The
anti-polio drive in Pakistan has been fraught with grave risks, with militants
claiming it to be anti-Islamic, affecting child fertility. At the same time,
the anti-polio workers are suspected by people mostly in rural parts of the
country to be spying for the American.
This
opposition to polio vaccination grew after the CIA had organised a fake
inoculation drive which helped them track down the al-Qaida founder Osama bin
Laden in the cantonment area of Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
Large
numbers of security personnel are now frequently deployed with vaccine teams –
particularly in the restive northwest of the country.
The
ongoing polio effort aims to vaccinate more than 40 million children under the
age of five across Pakistan with the help of around 285,000 front-line workers.
With
the latest attack, the number of people being killed for being part of polio
vaccination teams and those providing them security since 2012 to rose to 102.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/police-officer-escorting-polio-vaccine-team-shot-dead-in-pakistans-northwest/articleshow/80239522.cms
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Pakistan
Court Jails Three For Vandalising Gurdwara Nankana Sahib
January
12, 2021
Lahore:
Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday sentenced up to two years
imprisonment to three convicts involved in vandalizing Gurdwara Nankana Sahib
in the country's Punjab province.
Gurdwara
Nankana Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Janam Asthan, is a site near Lahore where
the first Guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak, was born.
In
January 2020, a violent mob had attacked the Gurdwara and thrown stones and
threatened to destroy the minorities worship place (Gurdwara Janamasthan) to
build "Ghulaman-e-Mustafa" shrine there. However, police had
controlled the situation.
"On
Tuesday a Lahore's ATC handed down two years jail term to prime accused Imran
Chishti and imposed a fine of 10,000 Pakistani Rupees. Two other accused -
Muhammad Salman and Muhammad Ahmed - were convicted for six months. However,
four other accused were acquitted for want of evidence," a court official
told PTI.
All
the suspects were present in the court when the sentence was announced. Strict
security measures were taken to handle any protest by the religious elements in
the wake of their conviction.
Imran
Chishti, a government employee working in the Fisheries Department, and other
suspects were arrested under terrorism and blasphemy charges following the
attack on the Gurdwara last year. They faced charges under sections 295A, 290,
291, 341,506, 148 and 149 of Pakistan Penal Code and 7-ATA (anti-terrorism act).
According
to the FIR, Chishti had incited the mob. He wanted to settle his family issue
and created a law-and-order situation in the Nankana city. Police said Chishti
had deliberately misled the area's Muslim people against the Sikhs for his
"family matter".
Convict
Chishti is the elder brother Mohammad Hassan who married a teenage Sikh girl,
Jagjit Kaur, in September, 2020 after allegedly abducting and converting her to
Islam. The Muslims and Sikhs of Nankana Sahib, some 80kms from Lahore, had a
face-off over the matter.
Chishti
had claimed that his brother has been beaten up by police for "lawfully
and consensually" marrying the daughter of the gurdwara's granthi.
Jagjit
Kaur has been living in Darul Aman (government shelter house) in Lahore. Her
new name is Ayesha. She reportedly has refused to convert back and return to
her house.
Mohammad
Hassan has been pressured by police and authorities to divorce her.
India
had strongly condemned the incident of vandalism at the revered Gurdwara and
called upon the Pakistan government to take immediate steps to ensure the
safety and security of the Sikh community there.
Hundreds
of protesters had also thronged the streets near the Pakistan High Commission
in New Delhi demanding that Islamabad provide adequate security to Sikh shrines
and community members there.
Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee, the top body which manages Sikh shrines in
India, had also urged the Pakistan government to take stringent action against
the culprits who attacked the gurdwara - one of the holiest sites in Sikhism.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pakistan-court-jails-three-for-vandalising-gurdwara-nankana-sahib-2351554
--------
PTI
senators defend promulgation of ordinances
Iftikhar
A. Khan
January
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
A ruling party’s senator shamed the opposition for the hue and cry over ‘rule
through ordinances’, saying the PPP government led by Benazir Bhutto
promulgated as many as 357 ordinances in three years — from Oct 1996 to Nov
1996.
Senator
Waleed Iqbal, while taking part in a discussion on the issue in the lower
house, said Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, who was now raising questions over
constitutional power of the president, was law minister at that time.
He
said 26 ordinances had been promulgated each year on average during the 10-year
rule of the Pakistan People Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. On the
other hand, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government had promulgated less
than 20 ordinances per year.
Senator
Rabbani challenged the figure of 357 ordinances which Mr Iqbal said had been
promulgated by the PPP government in three years.
Opposition
accuses govt of taking country towards presidential system
Minister
of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan, in his speech, objected
to the use of words ‘subversion and usurpation’ of parliamentary rights in the
opposition’s motion against the president’s act of promulgating ordinances.
“If
you think it is subversion, you should have removed Article 89 of the
Constitution,” he said.
Reminding
the opposition that President Dr Arif Alvi hailed from Karachi, he assured the
house that the legal rights of Sindh would not be denied.
Earlier,
senators from the opposition slammed the government for relying on ordinances
for legislation and alleged that it wanted to take the country towards
presidential system.
They
specifically opposed the Pakistan Island Development Authority Ordinance and
warned that any move to grab assets of smaller provinces would be forcefully
opposed by the people.
“Pakistan
needs to be run by the parliament but this government has tried its best to
make it redundant by bypassing the parliament,” parliamentary leader of the PPP
in the Senate Sherry Rehman said. “This government has made a record of passing
around 40 ordinances and 38 bills. They are focused on ordinances which is a
clear indication of their preference for presidential system. The ordinances
keep expiring, just like how the PIDA Ordinance expired recently. If it has
expired, then why are they defending it?” she asked.
The
senator said the government’s non-serious attitude (to the parliament) was
shocking. “How many times has the prime minister attended a Senate session?
Hardly once. What is he scared of? Through which executive authority do they
want to run the country?”
She
asked the government to explain as to what was going on in the United Nations:
“This is the first time that India has been made chair of three committees —
UNSC Taliban Sanctions Committee, Counter Terrorism Committee and Libya
Sanctions Committee. Lobbying is done for these committees all year around.
What is our foreign ministry doing?”
Ms
Rehman said she was in Malakand yesterday and the people there had given a
referendum against the incompetent government.
She
asked as to what happened to the Billion Trees Tsunami project and said the
climate change department had been paralysed due to mismanagement.
Taking
part in the debate, Senator Rabbani said he was forced to say that the
“parliament is dead.”
“This
is because neither the government talks on public interest issues in the
parliament nor is ready to take either house into confidence,” he said. Talking
about the power breakdown on Saturday night, he said the incident showed how
the country’s power sector was crumbling and called for a thorough inquiry into
the episode to fix responsibly.
Mr
Rabbani said the ruling PTI should have given a policy statement on this fiasco
in the house and told the reasons for this breakdown. “But neither this
happened not action was taken against senior officials. Instead, the government
suspended small managerial level officials of the Guddu Power Plant. He said
the minister concerned came to the house the other day but did not bother to
make a statement. “Even the government has not ordered a thorough inquiry into
the matter and only a departmental probe has been ordered for an eyewash.”
The
house will meet again on Friday at 10.30 am.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601137/pti-senators-defend-promulgation-of-ordinances
--------
Broadsheet
revelations about ruling elite only 'tip of the iceberg': PM Imran
January
13, 2021
Prime
Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said revelations by United Kingdom based firm
Broadsheet had once again exposed the "massive scale of our ruling elites'
corruption and money laundering", adding that these were just the
"tip of the iceberg".
In
a series of tweets, the premier said that the same people had earlier been
exposed by the Panama Papers. "These elites cannot hide behind the
'victimisation' card on these international revelations."
Imran
said these revelations had repeatedly exposed what he had been saying in his
"24-year fight against corruption which is the biggest threat to the
country's progress".
"These
elites come to power & plunder the country. They do money laundering to
stash their ill-gotten gains abroad, safe from domestic prosecution. Then they
use their political clout to get NROs. That is how they kept their plundered
wealth safe," he said, adding that the nation suffered as a consequence.
"Not
only is the nation's wealth stolen by the elites, taxpayer money, paid for
recovering this wealth, is wasted because of NROs. These revelations [are the]
tip of the iceberg. We want complete transparency from Broadsheet on our
elites' money laundering and on who stopped investigations," he wrote.
A
day earlier, the premier formed an inter-ministerial committee after Broadsheet
LLC’s Kaveh Moussavi said his firm was influenced by former prime minister
Nawaz Sharif and others and that it had evidence of money laundering by some
other Pakistanis.
The
prime minister discussed the issue during ‘zero hour’, after completing
discussion on the agenda of the cabinet meeting, and in the presence of cabinet
members only.
“The
cabinet formed an inter-ministerial committee, which will reveal details of the
individuals mentioned in the Broadsheet scandal,” Information Minister Shibli
Faraz said, adding that the premier had now decided to make the names public
after thorough scrutiny of the available material.
Broadsheet
saga
Broadsheet
LLC, a UK company that was registered in the Isle of Man in the Pervez
Musharraf era, helped the-then government and newly established National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) track down foreign assets purchased by Pakistanis
through alleged ill-gotten wealth.
Broadsheet
claims that it was established to enter into an Asset Recovery Agreement dated
June 20, 2000, and did so with the-then president of Pakistan, through the NAB
chairman, for the purposes of recovering funds and other assets fraudulently
taken from the state and other institutions, including through corrupt
practices, and held outside of Pakistan.
Broadsheet
maintains that it was created to be a company specialising in the recovery of
assets and funds, and was therefore engaged to trace, locate and transfer such
items back to the state.
A
lawyer associated with the company earlier told Dawn that the Sharifs were the
“top target” of the Broadsheet investigation. Its contract was terminated in
2003 by NAB.
Earlier
this week, the controversy took another turn after the firm's owner alleged
that a person who claimed to be associated with Nawaz approached him in 2012
and offered a sum of money to drop the probe against him.
Speaking
to Dawn, Moussavi repeated the allegations. He said: “A gentleman named Anjum
Dar purporting to be Nawaz Sharif’s nephew turned up in 2012. I met him twice,
once in Canterbury and then in London.” He said the individual offered him $25
million.
“He
showed me a picture of him hugging Nawaz Sharif at home and sitting with him.
He produced a tape recording as well — it was in Urdu so I didn’t know what it
was saying.”
In
response to a question about whether he considered the offer, Moussavi said:
“When we realised that he was basically offering some money for us to go away,
my response was that any money being offered should come by way of lawyers in
the arbitration.”
When
asked why he did not report the development to authorities in the United
Kingdom, or to the court-appointed arbitrator, he said: “I certainly discussed
it with lawyers but we decided not to take it up with the authorities.”
Moussavi did not elaborate on why, but when asked who the gentleman is, he said
to ask the Sharif family.
On
the question of why the Sharifs or their representative would offer him a bribe
in 2012, many years after his asset recovery contract with the government had
ended in 2003, Moussavi said: “We were in arbitration and the arbitrator would
have to probe into the whole issue. They didn’t want that to come up.”
Commenting
on the development, Nawaz's son, Hussain Nawaz, told Dawn: “This is absolutely
not true. We have no relative named Anjum Dar. If an individual claiming such a
thing had come to him [Moussavi], was it difficult for his investigative
company to determine who he is before making such an allegation?”
He
added: “Nawaz Sharif has two brothers and one sister and all their children’s
names are in the public domain. Is Moussavi such a poor investigator that he
wasn’t able to determine this simple fact even after nine years?”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601268/broadsheet-revelations-about-ruling-elite-only-tip-of-the-iceberg-pm-imran
--------
Rs180bn
corruption unearthed in AGP office: PM
Syed
Irfan Raza
January
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The federal cabinet on Tuesday expressed no confidence in the office of Auditor
General of Pakistan (AGP), with Prime Minister Imran Khan saying that
corruption amounting to over Rs180 billion had been unearthed in the
institution, according to Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry.
A
cabinet meeting, presided over by the prime minister, decided to form an
inter-ministerial committee in the light of recent revelation of the owner of
UK-based assets recovery firm, Broadsheet LLC, that some people, including
former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had tried to influence the inquiry.
The
cabinet also considered lifting ban on export of wheat and wheat flour to
Afghanistan to eliminate smuggling and generate revenue through exports.
A
participant of the meeting told Dawn on condition of anonymity that Prime
Minister Khan was annoyed with the AGP’s performance and was of the view that
it made audit paras only for news headlines and not to improve working of
relevant departments.
Some
of the paras, he said, were being raised in the audit reports for over a decade
and nothing was being done to address them.
Another
source quoted the prime minister as saying: “Audit paras of those departments
are removed which bribe audit officials while paras of those are carried
forward which fail to appease the officials.”
He
said the prime minister informed the meeting that on receiving complaints, he
had ordered a probe and found corruption of more than Rs180bn in the AGP
office.
Later,
Information Minister Shibli Faraz, in a press conference held after the cabinet
meeting, said amendments to the relevant laws were approved to enhance powers
of the AGP and ensure transparency.
He
said after the amendments, the AGP’s purview would be extended to autonomous
bodies which had till now been getting their accounts audited from private
firms.
“Some
of the audit paragraphs are about procedural issues which when reported create
unnecessary sensation,” he said, adding that the functioning of AGP would be
digitalised and automated and issuance of cheques would be done through
automation, with reduced human involvement to increase transparency.
Mr
Faraz said the government was vigorously working on institutional reforms as
promised in its manifesto and the cabinet had decided that its details be
shared with the public.
He
said most institutions were following obsolete methods which compromised efficiency,
transparency and accountability.
The
minister said the PM’s Adviser on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain
informed the meeting that over 100 federal government institutions had either
been merged or abolished to reduce burden on the exchequer.
He
said the cabinet was informed that about 71,000 posts from grade 1 to 16 which
had remained vacant for over a year would be abolished.
“After
passage of the 18th Amendment, many ministries were devolved but the number of
federal government employees increased,” he added.
Broadsheet
scam
In
view of the fresh revelation of Broadsheet LLC’s Kaveh Maussavi that his assets
recovery firm was influenced by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and others
and that it had evidence of money laundering by some other Pakistanis, Prime
Minister Khan formed an inter-ministerial committee to ascertain the matter.
The
prime minister discussed the issue during ‘zero hour’, after completing
discussion on the agenda of the meeting, and in the presence of cabinet members
only.
“The
cabinet formed an inter-ministerial committee, which will reveal details of the
individuals mentioned in the Broadsheet scandal,” the minister said, adding
that Prime Minister Khan had now decided to make the names public after
thorough scrutiny of the available material.
Mr
Faraz said the cabinet was briefed about the steps being taken to control
smuggling of petroleum products.
The
cabinet was informed that oil smuggling had inflicted Rs180bn loss to the
exchequer, caused environmental pollution and damaged engines of vehicles.
“The
cabinet was informed that a crackdown had been launched with 192 pumps having
been sealed so far,” he said.
The
minister said the prime minister expressed his annoyance over the killing of
Osama Satti, a student, at the hands of the police in Islamabad.
Minister
for Planning Asad Umar had raised the issue in the meeting.
A
joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe Osama Satti’s death had
presented its report to the interior secretary. However, the prime minister expressed
the resolve to conduct a new probe if the youth’s family was not satisfied with
the JIT’s findings.
The
minister quoted the prime minister as saying: “An inquiry will be conducted to
the satisfaction of Osama Satti’s family.”
Wheat
export
The
information minister said the cabinet discussed legal measures to ensure that
in future no province created shortage of edible commodities by not releasing
its share, as the Sindh government did which resulted in wheat crisis.
A
cabinet member said the government was considering lifting ban on export of
wheat and flour to Afghanistan to curb smuggling.
The
meeting was told that 700,000 tonnes of wheat was being smuggled to Afghanistan
yearly, therefore, export should be allowed so that the commodity could be sent
there through proper channel.
PM
meets Tabish Gohar
Prime
Minister Khan met Tabish Gohar and directed him to continue serving as his
special assistant on power.
Mr
Gohar had recently sent his resignation to the prime minister from Dubai due to
personal reasons.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601217/rs180bn-corruption-unearthed-in-agp-office-pm
--------
With
Geographical Indication rules Pakistan can secure export markets
Kalbe
Ali
January
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has finally notified the Geographical Indication (GI) Rules
strengthening its case against India over safeguarding its claims of basmati
rice and Himalayan pink salt.
The
rules, prerequisite for any GI claims, will allow Pakistan to fight India in
the European Union as the latter asserts that basmati rice is an Indian
product. Meanwhile, Pakistan has already challenged India’s claims over the
rice.
“Now
as the GI Rules have been notified, Pakistan will be able to secure its export
markets with legal backing,” a senior official of the Intellectual Property
Organisation of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) told Dawn.
The
formulation of GI rules have been pending in the county for almost 18 years,
but the move picked pace after India submitted an application with the EU,
claiming sole ownership of basmati rice.
Though
the Indian claim was challenged in December 2020, there was a serious lacuna in
the Pakistan argument, as the country did not have GI protection of Basmati
rice inside its boundary due to its failure to notify GI rules.
“The
international laws call for local protection of the product before filing for
international protection of any product, but that could not be achieved because
there were no rules to register basmati rice in Pakistan,” the official added.
After
the formulation of the rules, the Commerce Division will now establish a GI
Registry under the management and control of IPO Pakistan.
Apart
from the registration of domestic products, the rules also define laws about
registering foreign GI. As per the rule, a GI of a foreign country shall be
registered in Pakistan as long as it is registered in accordance with the local
legislation in its country of origin. The registry shall not allow the
registration of a foreign GI which is not or has ceased to be protected in its
country of origin or which has fallen into disuse in that country.
The
rules also state that the application for registration of foreign GI will be
made at the registry by its legal representative in the country and during the
registration procedure, the registry may require the applicant or its legal
representative to submit any information related to registration in the country
of origin which may affect its registration in Pakistan.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601184/with-geographical-indication-rules-pakistan-can-secure-export-markets
--------
Pakistan
urges warring Afghan sides to reduce violence
Baqir
Sajjad Syed
January
13, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Tuesday again urged Afghan warring sides to reduce violence so that
the peace process could progress.
Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while talking to the visiting leader of
Hezb-i-Wahdat-i-Islami, Afghanistan, Ustad Karim Khalili, asked “all sides” for
reduction in violence leading to ceasefire.
“The
Afghan leadership should seize this historic opportunity to establish lasting
peace in Afghanistan through intra-Afghan negotiations,” the foreign minister
emphasised.
The
call followed the start of the second round of negotiations between the Afghan
government and Taliban negotiators in Doha to settle the priority arrangement
of the agenda items they intend to discuss in their parleys.
Visiting
Hazara leader from Afghanistan meets PM, army chief
Reduction
of violence is Kabul’s key priority, but the Taliban are not ready to discuss
it unless some understanding on future political arrangement is reached. The
Taliban fear that agreeing to reduction of violence can make them lose their
main leverage in the dialogue.
However,
Pakistan, which has facilitated the peace process over the past couple of
years, starting with the US-Taliban talks, has regularly urged all sides to
agree to reduction of violence.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan too, in a separate meeting with Mr Khalili, said that he
had in all his recent interactions with Afghan leaders underlined that
Pakistan’s message to all sides was to work together for a peaceful solution.
Mr
Qureshi, in his conversation with Mr Khalili in the meeting at Foreign Office,
cautioned against the role of ‘spoilers’ both within and outside Afghanistan.
Mr
Khalili is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Pakistan government as part
of Islamabad’s efforts to reach out to major Afghan figures.
Mr
Khalili is the leader of Hazara community in Afghanistan. His trip is also
significant because the Hazara community has historically had problems with Taliban
and has concerns about its safety in case of a settlement of the conflict.
FM
Qureshi told Mr Khalili that Pakistan supported “an inclusive, broad-based and
comprehensive” political solution of the 19-year-old conflict.
Pakistan,
he said, would continue to facilitate the Afghan peace process.
He
reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with
Afghanistan in all fields and recalled the various steps taken by Islamabad to
strengthen bilateral and transit trade and introduction of revised visa policy
to facilitate Afghan nationals.
Mr
Khalili was, meanwhile, assured by Prime Minister Khan of continued support for
human resource development through scholarships and socio-economic development
projects in Afghanistan.
Mr
Khalili later visited GHQ for a meeting with Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar
Javed Bajwa.
“Matters
of mutual interest, peace and stability in the region, connectivity and current
developments in Afghan Peace Process were discussed during the meeting,” the
Inter-Services Public Relations, said.
Gen
Bajwa told Mr Khalili that peace in Afghanistan meant peace in Pakistan and
that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan at peace with itself and its
neighbours was in Pakistan’s national interest.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601221/pakistan-urges-warring-afghan-sides-to-reduce-violence
--------
Sikh
girl’s marriage case: Three jailed for leading mob attack on gurdwara
January
13, 2021
LAHORE:
An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday convicted three persons for leading an angry
mob to besiege a gurdwara in Nankana Sahib following a disputed marriage of a
Sikh girl with a Muslim boy last year.
Presiding
Judge Ijaz Buttar handed down two-year imprisonment to Imran Chishti along with
a fine of Rs10,000 while six-month each to Muhammad Salman and Muhammad Ahmad.
The judge acquitted five other suspects for want of evidence.
Jagjeet
Kaur of Nankana Sahib, after embracing Islam, had married Muhammad Hassaan and
there were protests by local Sikh and Muslim communities. With a local court’s
order, the girl was later shifted to Darul Aman.
Before
the Lahore High Court, the family of the girl claimed she was under pressure
and needed to be given more time to make a final decision. However, the girl
maintained before the court that she did not want to go with her family.
JuD:
An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday convicted three leaders of Jamatud Dawa
(JuD) in another case of terror financing.
Presiding
Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta awarded 15-and-half-year imprisonment each to Zafar
Iqbal and Yahya Mujahid while six-month term to Abdul Rehman Makki in FIR No 88
of 2019.
Several
leaders of the JuD including its chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed have been convicted
in many FIRs registered by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on charges of
terror financing while trial proceedings in others are still pending.
The
CTD had registered 41 cases against the leaders of the JuD in different cities.
The trial courts have so far decided 29 cases.
In
a recent verdict, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of defunct Lashkar-i-Taiba has been
convicted of five-year imprisonment on three counts in a case of terror
financing.
Sharif’s
mills plea: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought further arguments from the
counsel for Chaudhry Sugar Mills, owned by the Sharif family, on the
maintainability of its petition challenging a notice for audit inspection
issued by the commissioner of the Inland Revenue.
The
mills in the petition filed through its secretary questioned the intention of
the department for selecting it for the audit inspection. The counsel said the
impugned action was a result of political victimisation.
A
deputy attorney general objected to the maintainability of the petition for
being premature. He said the matter could be assailed before the court only
after the holding of the audit inspection.
Justice
Abid Aziz Sheikh observed that the commissioner had the power to hold an audit
inspection of any company or the individual.
However,
the petitioner’s counsel argued that the mills had been subjected to vindictive
actions at the behest of the government. He asked the court to set aside the
notices issued by the commissioner Inland Revenue.
The
judge adjourned the hearing for a week and directed the counsel to come up with
more arguments to establish the maintainability of the petition.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601158/sikh-girls-marriage-case-three-jailed-for-leading-mob-attack-on-gurdwara
--------
Pakistan,
Azerbaijan, Turkey FMs to attend trilateral meeting in Islamabad tomorrow
Naveed
Siddiqui
January
12, 2021
The
foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan will meet for the second
Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan Trilateral Meeting on January 13, a press statement
by the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.
The
foreign ministers will discuss various issues including "new and emerging
threats to regional peace and security", challenges due to the Covid-19
pandemic and climate change. The three sides will also discuss measures that
should be taken to achieve development targets.
Additionally,
the three countries will also explore possibilities of deepening trilateral
cooperation in all areas of common interest, including peace and security,
trade and investment, science and technology, education and cultural
cooperation, the press release stated.
The
first trilateral meeting between the three countries was held in Baku in 2017.
Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is arriving in Islamabad on a three-day visit
today.
During
his visit, Cavusoglu will also hold bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Shah
Mehmood Qureshi and call on Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi.
According to the FO, it would be Cavusoglu's third visit during the last two
and half years.
Azerbaijan
FM Jeyhun Bayramov, who is visiting on the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah
Mahmood Qureshi, will arrive on a two-day trip tomorrow. This will be the first
bilateral visit from Azerbaijan at foreign minister level since 2010, an FO
press release stated.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601114/pakistan-azerbaijan-turkey-fms-to-attend-trilateral-meeting-in-islamabad-tomorrow
--------
South
Asia
Taliban
See Ghani as 'Obstacle' to Afghan Peace
By
Ayaz Gul
January
09, 2021
ISLAMABAD
- The Taliban warned Saturday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s resolve to
remain in office until the completion of his tenure was detrimental to peace
talks aimed at finding a negotiated end to four decades of war in Afghanistan.
The
insurgent group’s warning came on a day when its leaders held fresh discussions
in Qatar with representatives of the Ghani government on developing “a joint
agenda” for what are officially known as intra-Afghan negotiations.
The
talks between the two Afghan warring sides have led to media speculation that
Ghani might have to relinquish power to allow for an interim government to
oversee the peace process.
But
the Afghan president in an apparent rebuttal repeatedly vowed this week that he
was legally bound to transfer power to his “elected successor.”
“This
[presidency] is not mine. This seat belongs to the nation of Afghanistan. This
system has dignity. You all voted for me,” Ghani told a public gathering in
eastern Nangarhar province Wednesday.
“My
basic goal is to be able to hand power, through the will of the people, to my
elected successor,” he told CNN in an interview broadcast Friday.
'Nothing
but poverty, misery'
The
Taliban in their commentary said Ghani’s insistence on clinging to power could
obstruct the way to a “negotiated and peaceful solution” to the long Afghan
war.
“Ashraf
Ghani's rule has brought nothing but poverty, misery, bloodshed, notoriety and
problems to Afghanistan,” the insurgent group said.
For
its part, the Afghan government condemns the Taliban for intensifying insurgent
activities and killing thousands of civilians and security forces across the country.
The United Nations again held the insurgents responsible for causing most
civilian causalities in 2020.
The
intra-Afghan peace negotiations started in September. The process stemmed from
a deal U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration signed with the Taliban in
February 2020 to encourage a political settlement to the war and bring American
forces home.
The
U.S.-Taliban agreement requires all U.S. and NATO-led troops to leave
Afghanistan by May 2021. In return, the insurgent group has pledged to sever
ties with the al-Qaida terror network and prevent other transnational terrorist
groups from using Afghan soil as a sanctuary.
The
Taliban have also promised to negotiate a political power-sharing deal with
rival Afghan groups in order to end the conflict.
'Peace
of the graveyard'
“One
thing needs to be clear: Afghan society is not willing to go back, and we are
not a type of society that the Taliban-type approach of the past can be imposed
on us. That was the peace of the graveyard,” Ghani said in his CNN interview.
The
Afghan president referred to the Taliban’s harsh Islamic rule in most of
Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, barring girls from seeking education and women
from working outdoors, among other controversial restrictions.
The
Taliban were ousted from power in late 2001 when a U.S.-led international
military alliance invaded the country to punish the Islamist group for
harboring al-Qaida leaders accused of plotting the deadly September 2001
attacks on the United States.
The
Taliban, however, have since waged a deadly insurgency, taking control of or
extending their influence on nearly half of Afghanistan territory. The
insurgents justify their violent campaign by arguing the existing governance
system in Kabul is illegitimate and a product of “U.S. occupation” of the
country.
However,
the U.S.-Taliban deal has ended attacks on international troops in Afghanistan.
The number of U.S. soldiers in the country is expected to drop to around 2,500
by mid-January from more than 12,000 at the time of the signing of the pact.
During
his election campaign, President-elect Joe Biden spoke in favor of a U.S.
military drawdown in Afghanistan but stressed the need for maintaining a small
counterterrorism force.
The
Taliban have said presence of even a single foreign soldier on Afghan soil
beyond the agreed- upon deadline would mean continuation of the war.
https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/taliban-see-ghani-obstacle-afghan-peace
--------
Afghan
Shia leader visits Pakistan after massacre of Hazara miners
12
January 2021
A
prominent Afghan Shia Muslim leader has held talks with Pakistan’s foreign
minister days after the brutal massacre of several coal miners from the Hazara
community by the Daesh terrorist group in southwestern Pakistan.
Karim
Khalili, a former vice president of Afghanistan under ex-President Hamid
Karzai, and also a member of the ethnic Hazara community, met with Pakistani
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday.
The
visit comes days after the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group killed nearly a dozen
coal miners from the Shia Muslim group in a targeted attack near the
southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta earlier this month.
The
Hazara community on both sides of the border has suffered decades of
persecution and attacks by violent militant groups operating across the
troubled region.
Shia
Muslims across the country later joined in the demonstrations against the
massacre, demanding that Prime Minister Imran Khan visit the grieving community
in Quetta and assure them of protection.
Authorities
on Friday promised the arrest of the attackers, the payment of compensation to
the bereaved families, and better security for the Hazara.
Thousands
of people attended the funeral of the miners, whose bodies were laid to rest amid
tight security six days after their deaths.
Ethnic
Hazaras in Balochistan, Pakistan’s poorest province, have long been persecuted
for their faith, facing targeted attacks and large-scale bombings that have
killed hundreds in the past two decades.
Quetta
is home to roughly 600,000 Shia Hazara Muslims, largely confined to two
fortified enclaves on either side of the city, Hazara Town and Alamdar Road.
Khalili
discusses intra-Afghan dialog
Khalili,
who heads the Afghan Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami political party, also discussed the
continuing peace process between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban.
“During
the meeting, views were exchanged on Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and
progress in the Afghan peace process,” read a Pakistani statement on the meeting.
“Foreign Minister [Qureshi] reiterated Pakistan’s consistent support for a
peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”
Pakistan
had reportedly helped bring the Taliban to the table first with the United
States, resulting in an agreement in February last year.
The
Afghan government and the Taliban held the first round of the intra-Afghan
negotiations in Doha on September 12 last year. The two sides took a break
after striking a preliminary deal but resumed earlier.
Meanwhile,
the intra-Afghan peace negotiations in Doha have had no progress over the past
three days.
Under
that preliminary deal, the Taliban agreed to negotiate a permanent ceasefire
and a power-sharing formula with Kabul.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642876/Afghan-Shia-leader-visits-Pakistan-after-massacre-of-Hazara-miners
--------
8
Taliban Killed, 300 Rocket Shells Discovered: MoD
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
13
Jan 2021
Afghan
Security officials said that eight Taliban insurgents have been killed in an
Afghan Air Force airstrike in Faryab province.
The
209th Shaheen Corps said in a statement, the Afghan Air Force targeted Taliban
checkpoints in Almar district, near the Nahrin Bridge area in Faryab province,
yesterday.
Mohammad
Hanif Rezaei, a spokesman for the 209th Shaheen Corps, told the media that
eight Taliban fighters had been in the air raid.
Rezaei
added that a Taliban hideout, a motorcycle, and a number of group’s weapons
were destroyed during the airstrike.
Almar
district is specifically one of the most insecure regions in Faryab province,
the area is evident to repeated offensives from the Taliban affiliated members.
This
Comes as Afghan National Army discovered and seized 45 IEDs in the outskirts of
Logar province.
The
Taliban IED manufacturing location and stronghold were identified by the Afghan
security members on Tuesday night.
During
the operation, Afghan Security members also found 300 Rocket shells in the
targeted areas.
https://www.khaama.com/8-taliban-killed-300-rocket-shells-discovered-mod/
--------
NDS
‘Foils Assassination Plot’ against US Ambassador to Kabul
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
13
Jan 2021
Afghan
National Directorate of Security says NDS’ 02 Unit has arrested a number of
Daesh operatives during a special operation conducted in eastern Nangarhar province.
The
culprits were planning to target American chargé d’affaires to Kabul, Ross
Wilson.
A
statement issued by 02 unit of NDS indicates that conducted a special night
operation in Kama district of Nangarhar on Tuesday night, as a result of which
Abdul Waheed, A group’s member and coordinator in targeted killings, and
further Three other suspects have been detained.
NDS
said, they foiled an assassination plot against the American ambassador, the
special forces unit of NDS also retrieved a Berretta Pistol, an AK7, and a
shotgun from the suspects, the statement said.
Detainee
Wahed, was a member and mastermind of the group’s targeted killing operations,
he reportedly planned to target and assassinate the US ambassador to
Afghanistan and some other senior high ranked officials in the country.
It
is noteworthy, that two of Wahed’s family members were also part of the Daesh
leadership in Afghanistan, both were reportedly killed in Afghan security air
raids.
This
comes as, prominent political activist, Ahmad Saeedi survived an assassination
attempt on Tuesday, in Kabul city.
Saeedi
escaped unhurt but one of his bodyguards was wounded during the shootout,
Saeedi told media.
Tariq
Arian, a spokesman to the Interior Ministry said, that the incident happened
around 7:30 pm in the 3rd Makroryan area of Kabul city near Saeedi’s residence.
https://www.khaama.com/nds-foils-assassination-plot-against-us-ambassador-to-kabul-445543/
--------
Why
Afghanistan-Taliban peace talks have not reached breakthrough
By
Osama Bin Javaid
12
Jan 2021
Doha,
Qatar – It has been almost a week since negotiators arrived back in Doha to
resume a second round of peace talks between the Afghan government and the
Taliban, with a United States team talking separately to both sides.
But
top Afghan government officials and Taliban leaders have been conspicuous by
their absence from this round of meetings.
On
the Taliban side, chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Hakim and the head of the
Taliban office in Qatar, Mullah Baradar, have not yet returned from their trip
to Pakistan.
In
recent weeks, US diplomats and military leaders have also visited Pakistan. In
a meeting between Pakistan’s military and acting Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs David Helvey, the two sides discussed an
urgent need for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan.
Islamabad
insists it is “playing a positive role and its leadership is committed to
helping Afghans find a solution” through talks.
Meanwhile,
US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and his entourage have returned to Doha after
brief stopovers in Islamabad and Kabul.
An
Afghan official told Al Jazeera “the committee members are in Qatar and others
are arriving as the talks proceed”.
“We
are ready and prepared for the talks, there is no delay from [us] and no new
proposals have been conveyed to us,” Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem told Al
Jazeera.
Those
close to the talks said the sense of urgency from either side to find common
ground, reduce violence and move forward seems to be missing in the current round
of negotiations.
New
US administration
The
reason for a lack of urgency in the continuing talks is being attributed to the
change in the US administration led by President-elect Joe Biden and their
policy on Afghanistan.
Biden
will inherit a situation where just 2,500 US soldiers will be left in
Afghanistan after the outgoing Trump administration ordered an accelerated
withdrawal of troops.
Jake
Sullivan, the National Security Advisor-designate for Biden’s administration,
recently said the US will support diplomacy along the lines of the US-Taliban
peace deal signed in February last year to ensure “Afghanistan never again
becomes a safe haven for terrorists to attack the US”.
The
first round of talks, which kicked off in September, ended in December after
the two sides agreed on procedural rules.
A
road map for post-war Afghanistan, a nationwide ceasefire and disarmament of
the Taliban and other armed groups were part of the agenda of the latest round
of talks which opened on Tuesday.
During
his trip to Kabul, US special envoy Khalilzad met Afghanistan’s national
security adviser Hamdullah Mohib, foreign minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar and
other leaders, but President Ashraf Ghani did not meet him.
While
scheduling issues and health concerns were cited as reasons, people close to
the presidency said Khalilzad’s discussions on an interim government – a
longstanding Taliban demand – has not gone down well with Ghani.
Khalilzad
was praised for his shuttle diplomacy during the signing of the US-Taliban
deal, which paved the way for intra-Afghan dialogue. But the pace of progress
has slowed, with record violence in the war-torn country.
Members
of the Afghan government delegation in Doha say the US diplomatic team led by
Khalilzad has conceded too much to the Taliban.
Sources
in the Afghan presidency say the Ghani administration released 5,000 Taliban
prisoners at the insistence of the US, but there has been no reduction in
violence.
But
there has been a spike in violence during the past few months – including targeted
killings of officials, activists and journalists – blamed by the Afghan
government and the US on the Taliban.
Sources
added that a further release of thousands of more prisoners in exchange for a
short-term ceasefire is an option on the table.
A
source close to the president told Al Jazeera that if releasing prisoners
brings an end to violence and paves the way for a permeant ceasefire, then
Ghani could avail such an opportunity.
An
alternative deal that sees more Taliban prisoners freed alongside an extension
of the Ghani government’s tenure could possibly work, according to officials
close to the talks.
But,
despite the outgoing Trump administration pushing for a ceasefire agreement
before it leaves office on January 20, there has been a lukewarm response from
the Taliban and the Afghan government.
The
Taliban said that – as per its agreement with the US – the reduction of
violence is incumbent on the release of prisoners, as well as the removal of
their names from global financial blacklists.
End
to violence?
According
to the US-Taliban deal, all American soldiers are supposed to leave Afghanistan
by April.
But
more recently, the Pentagon has hinted that the Taliban had not met pledges to
reduce violence or taken concrete steps to sever links with al-Qaeda.
The
US government’s plan to fully withdraw its forces from Afghanistan has even
faced criticism from Republicans at home and NATO’s secretary-general.
But
the stakes are high if the US decides to alter its plans to leave Afghanistan,
with the likely result being yet more violence.
Although
almost all victims of the recent increase in violence have been Afghans, the
Taliban has insisted that it is fighting a foreign occupation and those who
help it.
Before
the breakthrough talks, one Taliban leader told Al Jazeera, “My father was a
fighter, I fought against the Soviets and then the US occupation. If the
occupiers fail to see that they must leave, my children will fight them as
well.”
Both
Taliban and government leaders have said that these talks are a “unique,
historic opportunity” for Afghans to solve their differences.
Future
generations will judge them on whether they succeed or fail.
For
now, both sides are biding their time.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/12/why-have-the-afghanistan-taliban-peace-talks-stalled
--------
Southeast
Asia
More
tinder for extremist fires in Indonesia
By
JOHN MCBETH
JANUARY
11, 2021
JAKARTA
– Indonesia’s Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has tossed a political hot
potato back in the lap of President Joko Widodo by accusing police of the
unlawful killing of four members of the extremist Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)
during an early morning highway altercation last December.
In
a January 8 report, the commission found that two FPI bodyguards were gunned
down during an exchange of fire on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, but that
four others were detained and later shot in what the FPI has always called an
“extrajudicial killing.”
As
nominal head of the National Police, the president must now decide how to react
to the commission’s demands for a full-scale investigation into the December 7
shooting and to prosecute the as-yet-unnamed undercover officers who allegedly
carried it out.
Despite
widespread public ambivalence towards a violent group that had long been a law unto
itself, well-placed sources say a more comprehensive report, apparently
covering many of the obvious holes in the initial report, will be handed to
Widodo this week.
Former
attorney general Marzuki Darusman, who has been involved in United Nations probes
into human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and North Korea, believes Komnas
HAM will be tasked with forming its own team of independent investigators to
pursue the case.
“This
has been a fast-track investigation and lacks a timeline,” said Darusman, a
member of the first human rights commission formed by president Suharto in
1994. “There are too many gaps. They have to bring out the context because it
doesn’t go back far enough.”
The
six victims were in two cars that sought to block a police surveillance team
from overtaking a convoy containing the family of FPI leader Rizieq Shihab, who
had ignored two police summons to answer complaints of breaching Covid-19
health protocols.
The
55-year-old cleric had returned only a month before from three years’ exile in
Saudi Arabia after fleeing Indonesia to escape what he claims were a string of
politically-inspired charges, including one accusing him of sex-texting on the
internet.
The
tumultuous airport welcome he received from 50,000 unruly supporters shocked
Widodo and has since led to a concerted crackdown on the FPI, with Shihab now
facing a six-year prison term for inciting a crime by holding a series of mass
gatherings in the days after his return.
On
December 30, the government outlawed his organization, saying it had no legal
standing since its permit expired in mid-2019 and citing links to terrorism and
violent acts against civilians, which go back more than 20 years.
The
Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), established in 2002
to combat money laundering and other financial crimes, has since identified and
blocked 68 bank accounts related to the FPI and affiliated groups.
Komnas
HAM reacted surprisingly quickly to the early morning shooting. The following
day, its searchers found shell casings, shards of car parts and broken glass
strewn along the side of the highway, which police had apparently made no
effort to collect.
According
to the commission, two of the FPI members died in a shootout when ramming
maneuvers brought the cars to a halt after a prolonged, high-speed game of cat
and mouse. But it questions the official version of what happened next.
Police
claim the four others were taken to a nearby rest area, where they were
transferred to another vehicle. It was then, they say, that one of the
detainees tried to seize an officer’s weapon, triggering a scuffle that ended
in the shooting of all four at close range.
Komnas
HAM quoted witnesses as saying that the detainees had not been handcuffed when
they were pushed into the vehicle through the rear and side doors, but the
report does not explain events leading up to the shooting itself and where it
actually took place.
The
commission said witnesses claimed police had cleaned up blood from the scene
and had directed bystanders to remove images and recordings of the incident
from their phones, telling them it was variously a “drug” and “terrorism”
operation.
Pathologists
found 18 gunshot wounds in the bodies of the six victims. But Komnas HAM
stopped short of confirming media reports that each of them had taken between
two and four shots on the left side of the chest, all of the wounds bearing
tell-tale powder burns.
Witnesses
also recalled observing separate police teams at the Kilometer 50 rest area and
at several other rest sites closer to the town of Karawang, Shihab’s eventual
destination, from as early as midday on the day of the shooting.
The
report questioned the malfunction of toll road operator Jasa Maga’s CCTV
network on the 23-kilometer stretch of the expressway where the pursuit took
place and also the origins of the two home-made .38 caliber revolvers that were
allegedly seized from the FPI.
“Komnas
HAM demands accountable, objective and transparent law enforcement in the case
in accordance with human rights standards,” Muhammad Choirul Anam, the
commissioner in charge of the investigation, told a press conference.
It
is generally accepted that any credible inquiry cannot involve the police,
particularly after detectives failed to uncover the identity of the high-ranking
officer suspected of ordering the 2017 acid attack on Anti-Corruption
Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan.
Analysts
say there is little confidence in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) either.
That leaves Komnas HAM, which has the authority to mount an investigation under
the 2000 Human Rights Law, but would have to draw on credible figures from
outside the commission.
Back
in 2018, Komnas HAM joined a chorus of concern over the rise of religious
extremism, warning that it had got to the point where many children were
refusing to play with friends of other faiths.
“In
future, our country is facing a serious problem from
systematically-manufactured extremist views that can be manipulated for various
purposes, not just elections,” said commissioner Sandrayati Moniaga at the
time.
https://asiatimes.com/2021/01/more-tinder-for-extremist-fires-in-indonesia/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
--------
Johor
Sultan issues religious restrictions for Muslims during MCO 2.0
13
Jan 2021
BY
BEN TAN
JOHOR
BARU, Jan 13 — Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor today spelt out the religious
restrictions on Muslims in the state that is now under the revived movement
control order (MCO).
Expressing
his concern over the recent surge in new Covid-19 positive cases, Sultan
Ibrahim who is also the head of Islam in Johor said his decree is to safeguard
the welfare of Muslims during the pandemic.
He
said the imposition of the MCO by the government in Johor, which starts today
until January 26, is an effort to stop and break Covid-19 chain.
“I
fully support efforts to make sure that the country, especially the state, is
protected and free from the pandemic,” he said in a statement on his official
Facebook page today.
Sultan
Ibrahim said in order to comply with the MCO, several considerations have been
made in accordance with the principle of maqasid Syariah, which is to safeguard
lives.
The
restrictions included the daily five prayers, including the Friday
congregational prayers at mosques and suraus, where there must not be more than
12 congregants, that will include those involved as the mosque and surau
officials as well as their respective committee members.
The
62-year-old state Ruler said that among the activities that can be held at
mosques and suraus statewide were the solat jenazah, where only 12 people were
allowed to perform the prayers while the tazkir and tahrim must be done by the
mosques or surau officials.
He
added that the solat hajat to accompany the five daily prayers and Friday
prayers were allowed, but activities which requires longer time such as
religious classes and talks, Quranic programmes and other events will not be
allowed.
“For
activities at Muslim cemeteries, the burying of a decease will be limited to
not more than 20 people consisting of workers and relatives,” said Sultan
Ibrahim, adding that visiting a grave will not be allowed during the MCO
period.
On
Muslim marriages in the state, Sultan Ibrahim said that solemnisation or the
akad nikah ceremony were only allowed at the district kadi’s office, where it
is only limited to the couple and their wali coming from the same district and
have the approval for the marriage prior to the MCO.
He
explained that for couples that have their marriage approved prior to the MCO
but they are either outside the district or state, their solemnisation ceremony
must be postponed and rescheduled to another date by the office.
“For
those wanting to apply for marriage approval, including registration and
polygamy, it will be postponed during the entire MCO period,” he said.
On
a related matter, Sultan Ibrahim said other religious affairs including those
involving divorce, nikah certification cards, or collecting of documents can be
done at the district kadi‘s office.
The
latest lockdown initiative under the MCO was announced two days ago by Prime
Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The
strictest conditions, which prohibits all non-essential movement and businesses
from operating, have been placed on Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya, Penang,
Johor, and Labuan where daily Covid-19 cases have been the highest.
Six
others ― Pahang, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Terengganu, and Kelantan ― have
been placed under conditional MCO or CMCO, a slightly relaxed iteration of the
order. Only two states: Perlis and Sarawak, are currently in the recovery phase
of the MCO.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/13/johor-sultan-issues-religious-restrictions-for-muslims-during-mco-2.0/1939985
--------
Selangor
Islamic enforcers probed for violence against Nur Sajat in arrest for
‘insulting Islam’
13
Jan 2021
BY
JERRY CHOONG AND SHAHRIN AIZAT NOORSHAHRIZAM
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 13 — The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) said today it
has summoned its enforcers involved in the recent alleged violence during
arrest of cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat last week.
In
a statement, the department said it has been informed that Nur Sajat has since
filed a police report over the incident, where she claimed she had been roughed
up by the religious officers.
“The
enforcers related to the matter have also been called in to give their
statements on [Nur Sajat's] report,” Jais said in a statement.
It
also confirmed that Nur Sajat is being investigated under Section 10 of the
Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995, after several complaints
were made against her in 2018 and 2020.
Section
10 refers to the Shariah offence of insulting Islam or causing Islam to be
insulted either by mocking or blaspheming the faith and its associated
practices and rituals either in a written, pictorial or photographic form.
It
carries the penalty of fine not more than RM5,000, no more than three years'
imprisonment, or both.
Nur
Sajat had earlier this week uploaded a video on her social media stating that a
report was lodged on February 23, 2018 during her religious event held at her
guest house in Seksyen 16, Shah Alam.
She
further claimed that the state religious officers had denied her her rights
even when she fully cooperated during the whole process on January 6 this year
in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor.
“Long
story short, I was treated unfairly even though I gave testimony and
cooperation to the Jais.
“As
a human being who has cooperated, I was instead remanded in a temporary
detention center in Kuala Kubu Bharu,” she said.
Sajat
added that she was allegedly handcuffed and assaulted by the state religious
officers during the investigation process, causing bruises all over her body.
“I
deserve to be given human rights to live like other humans too.
“I
am deeply saddened and disappointed with this incident as it has affected my
business and mental health,” she posted a caption on her Instagram post.
Nur
Sajat continues to be hounded by authorities and some in the public over her
gender identity.
Last
year, religious affairs minister Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad said Islamic enforcers
would not merely be conducting arrests but also provide religious education so
that the transgender community can “return to the correct path”.
Zulkifli’s
remark appeared to be in response to risqué photos on social media by cosmetics
entrepreneur Nur Sajat, which prompted the ire of some Muslim hardliners.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/13/selangor-islamic-enforcers-probed-for-violence-against-nur-sajat-in-arrest/1940004
--------
Malaysian
comedian ‘Uncle Roger’ sparks China censorship row with deleted video
January
13, 2021
HONG
KONG: A UK-based comedian has sparked a censorship row after he apologised to
Chinese fans and removed a video featuring a fellow YouTube star who had been
critical of Beijing.
Malaysian-born
stand-up comedian Nigel Ng has become a viral sensation in recent months with
his character “Uncle Roger”, an alter-ego based on a disapproving middle-aged
man who critiques bad attempts at making Asian cuisine.
His
video of a horrified Uncle Roger watching a BBC presenter butcher fried rice
has racked up more than 20 million views on his YouTube channel. The video was
also widely ripped and shared inside China.
But
Ng now finds himself at the centre of a storm over digital content creators
bowing to Chinese censorship — even on platforms that cannot be accessed inside
the authoritarian mainland.
The
comedian’s presence in China is relatively small: His account on the
Twitter-like Weibo platform has just 125,000 followers compared to the three
million subscribers on YouTube, a website that is blocked by China’s censors.
On
Tuesday Ng posted a message on Weibo announcing he had deleted a video which
featured Mike Chen, a popular American food blogger and YouTuber.
“During
the cooperation between me and the YouTuber, I wasn’t aware of his political
thoughts and the incorrect remarks he had made on China,” Ng wrote, adding the
video featuring Chen had created “negative social impact”.
During
the video — copies of which were still available online — Ng and Chen review
another food presenter’s attempts to make dumplings. There is no discussion of
politics.
But
Chen is frequently critical of Beijing on its own social media platforms,
writing posts about human rights abuses in Hong Kong and against China’s Uighur
Muslim minority.
He
also highlights Beijing’s pursuit of the Falun Gong, a religious sect that has
been banned by mainland authorities.
Ng
did not respond to requests for comment.
But
Chen decried the decision to delete the video and said it illustrated China’s
growing sway over artistes beyond its borders.
“I
do think that what happened here is the result of the Chinese Communist Party’s
censorship, even if it wasn’t direct censorship,” he said.
“(China)
uses many tactics to silence those who disagree with them or challenge them.
They will use online mobs to bully or intimidate people. They will use their
soft power to get people to self-censor because they are afraid of losing
business in China or offending Chinese people,” he added.
Badiucao,
a dissident Chinese artist based in Australia, posted a cartoon showing the
character Uncle Roger in front of a Chinese flag.
“The
Chinese government makes it clear to all creators outside of China that the
only way to have a share in its market inside wall is obedience,” Badiucao told
AFP, accusing Ng of “self-censoring for renminbi from the Chinese market”.
The
renminbi is China’s official currency.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2021/01/13/malaysian-comedian-uncle-roger-sparks-china-censorship-row-with-deleted-video/
--------
Emergency
declaration unjustified as general election avoidable, groups say
12
Jan 2021 08:10 PM MYT
BY
R. LOHESWAR
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 12 — The Proclamation of Emergency to suspend legislatures and
elections in Malaysia was excessive and possibly abusive, said several
non-governmental organisations.
In
a joint statement, Bersih 2.0, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia, Pertubuhan Ikram
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia
said the move undermined democracy in the country.
They
noted reports suggesting that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s
government has lost majority support in Parliament.
“Since
mandatory elections can be conducted safely as demonstrated by many countries,
and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has discretion not to dissolve Parliament
mid-term, the suspension of elections with an emergency declaration is
unjustified.
“If
this is indeed to prevent elections, then the discretionary royal power to withhold
consent to the prime minister's request of dissolution is effectively removed,”
the groups said in a statement.
Under
the Emergency declaration, Parliament and state legislative assemblies will not
convene until such a time as decided by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
This
means that lawmakers, both at the state and federal levels, will not be able to
make new laws or change any existing law.
The
group argued that despite not having a majority support, the ruling government
could also still continue to function by negotiating a confidence and supply
agreements with the opposition in order to continue until the general election
when it is due.
They
suggested that the proclamation could be a disguised attempt to prop up the
Muhyiddin administration.
“If
this is the true underlying reason, the declaration of a national emergency is
not only an overkill but an abuse of executive power that places the country at
great peril in the midst of the worst health and economic crisis this country
has ever faced.”
Yang
di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah
consented to the proclamation of Emergency in the country until August 1, or
until the current wave of Covid-19 infections subside.
The
Emergency was invoked under Article 150(1) of the Federal Constitution which
states that the Agong can call it if he is “satisfied that a grave emergency
exists whereby the security, or the economic life, or public order in the
Federation or any part thereof is threatened”.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/12/emergency-declaration-unjustified-as-general-election-avoidable-groups-say/1939804
--------
Indonesian
President Joko Widodo Receives Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Shot
13
January, 2021
Jakarta
[Indonesia], January 13 (ANI): The Indonesian President Joko Widodo received
his first shot of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, Sinovac, on Wednesday, marking
the launch of the country's mass immunization programme.
"I
have received the Sinovac vaccine injection. BPOM evaluation, the efficacy is
65.3 per cent, above the WHO standard of 50 per cent," tweeted Widodo.
Indonesia's
Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) chief Penny Lukito announced on Monday
that the Sinovac vaccine was 65.3 per cent effective during late phase clinical
trials conducted in Indonesia, reported Sputnik.
The
Muslim-majority nation's top religious body also approved the vaccine as halal
-- meaning permissible under Islam -- in a move that could help convince wary
citizens.
"Indonesian
Ulema Council (MUI) also declared the Sinovac vaccine halal," tweeted
Widodo.
Previous
vaccination drives have met resistance in the world's fourth-largest populous
country. After the clearance from MUI, the Indonesian President "ordered
that the COVID-19 vaccination be carried out immediately throughout the
country".
As
per Sputnik, live footage of the vaccination was broadcast on Indonesian
television channels.
Earlier,
BPOM granted Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19 for emergency use approval on
Monday. The Indonesian government has 125 million doses of the
Chinese-developed vaccine on order and 3 million doses have been delivered so
far, reported Sputnik.
Since
the start of the pandemic, more than 846,000 cases of COVID-19 have been
registered by public health officials in Indonesia, including the 10,047 new
positive tests added to the case total on Tuesday, reported Sputnik. (ANI)
http://www.businessworld.in/article/Indonesian-President-Joko-Widodo-receives-Chinese-COVID-19-vaccine-shot/13-01-2021-364981/
--------
Africa
How
Qaeda-Friendly GSIM Became the Sahel’s Leading Jihadists
JANUARY
11, 2021
A
group of jihadists close to Al-Qaeda has emerged as the West’s most formidable
enemy in the Sahel, taking over from the Islamic State as the region’s major
threat.
The
Group to Support Islam and Muslims, also known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, is a
sworn enemy of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
It
made headlines most recently when it killed five soldiers of the French-led
Barkhane force in two attacks within a week.
The
killings are the latest example of GSIM’s rise to a position that experts say
make it an unavoidable partner in — or the biggest obstacle to — any peace
negotiations for the restive Sahel region, the arid expanse south of the Sahara
that is roughly the size of Europe.
‘Gained
in Influence’
“It
has gained in influence and territorial power these past few months,” a
high-ranking French officer told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that
GSIM had become both “more combative and better structured.”
This
is a far cry from the situation only a year ago, when France and the G5 Sahel
force, which groups Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Burkina Faso, named ISGS
their number one enemy in the region.
But
after successful French-led campaigns against the Islamic State offshoot, ISGS
activity has been much reduced, making GSIM the new group to beat.
“Today
it is the worst enemy for Barkhane, international forces, and Mali,” General
Marc Conruyt, the commander of Barkhane, France’s 5,100-member counterterrorism
force, told parliament in November.
Created
in 2017 via the merger of several jihadist groups under the leadership of
veteran Tuareg militant Iyad Ag Ghaly, GSIM has become one of Al-Qaeda’s most
active affiliates anywhere.
“Based
on what he has accomplished so far, continuing to expand and to exist despite
the aggressive counterterrorism operations, he is among the most respected
Al-Qaeda leaders currently,” Rida Lyammouri, an associate fellow at the
Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands, said of Ag Ghaly.
His
accomplishments have even allowed his group to overtake al-Qaeda’s original
local representation, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said Djallil
Lounnas, a researcher at the Al Akhawayn university in Morocco.
When
France claimed the killing of longstanding AQIM boss Abdelmalek Droukdel last
June, “this confirmed the definitive rise of GSIM over Al-Qaeda in the region,”
he said.
‘Extremely
Powerful’
GSIM
is “extremely powerful, structured, and well-organized,” Lounnas added, not
least because its leaders are now mainly from the Sahel region itself, which
has helped in setting up loyal and well-trained cells and intelligence
networks.
The
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, citing experts, reported that
GSIM-affiliated groups “jointly earn between $18 and $35 million annually,
mostly through extortion of the transit routes under their control, communities
engaged in artisanal mining, and to a lesser extent kidnapping for ransom.”
GSIM’s
membership is estimated at 1,000 or more, much more than that of ISGS. And its leadership
has shown exceptional resilience, recovering relatively easily from losing its
military commander Ba Ag Moussa, who was killed by France in November.
One
of GSIM’s biggest coups was a swap of 200 prisoners — including many jihadists
— for two Italian hostages, the Malian opposition figure Soumaila Cisse, and
Frenchwoman Sophie Petronin, to the dismay of many French soldiers who had
taken the jihadists prisoner only to see them walk free a few months later.
The
swap was a “master stroke” by Ag Ghaly, Lounnas said.
“The
message is that the group now will have the loyalty of these members, in
addition to showing other members that even if they get arrested, the group
will do everything possible to get them free,” added Lyammouri.
‘Mission
Impossible’
In
fights with ISGS, the GISM — whose capacity for action appears both solid and
lasting — has been coming out on top in recent months, analysts and military
experts told AFP.
France,
which is hoping to cut its troop size in the region and rely on local and EU
partners to take up the slack, has recently told AFP it was no longer opposed
to including some jihadist elements in peace talks, except for their top
leaders, such as Ag Ghaly.
But
if France and its allies are entertaining hopes of taking down GSIM’s
leadership and then proceed to sow divisions in the rank-and-file, they should
think again, Lyammouri warned.
“It
will be almost a mission impossible to try to weaken them among the support
base,” he said.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/11/gsim-leading-jihadists-sahel/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
--------
Jordanian
sentenced to death for 2019 tourist stabbing
12
January 2021
A
state security court in Jordan on Tuesday sentenced a Jordanian to death and
jailed two others for their role in a stabbing rampage against foreign tourists
in 2019, judicial sources said.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Military
judge Lieutenant Colonel Muwafaq al-Masaeed told the court the men, in their
early 20s, were involved in planning the attack in the ancient Roman city of
Jerash in November 2019 that wounded three Mexican tourists and one Swiss along
with four local people, including a police officer.
The
state security court found them guilty of “committing terrorist acts”,
sentencing the main defendant to death by hanging and handing a life prison
sentence to one accomplice and a seven year jail term to another.
The
convicted men had pleaded not guilty in January 2020 at an earlier session of
the security court, which is a form of military tribunal. Rights activists say
Jordan’s military courts lack proper legal safeguards and say some confessions
are extracted from detainees under duress.
Jordan
had seen a surge in tourism before coronavirus hit global travel earlier last
year and was considered by tour operators as one of the safest tourist
destinations in the Middle East. Attacks on foreign tourists have been rare.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/12/Jordanian-sentenced-to-death-for-2019-tourist-stabbing
--------
Ethiopia
warns Sudan against igniting war at disputed border region
13
January 2021
Ethiopia
has accused Sudan of a military build-up in a contested border region, warning
that a military confrontation could be imminent as its “peaceful” approach to
the decades-old dispute “has its limit.”
Ethiopian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said on Tuesday that Sudanese forces
continued to push further into al-Fashqa area.
“The
Sudanese side seems to be pushing in so as to inflame the situation on the
ground,” Mufti said. “Is Ethiopia going to start a war? Well, we are saying
let’s work on diplomacy.”
“How
long will Ethiopia continue to resolve the issue using diplomacy? Well, there
is nothing that has no limit. Everything has a limit,” he added.
Sudan’s
Information Minister and government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Saleh warned that
Khartoum would respond to any aggression.
“We
fear that these comments contain a hostile position toward Sudan. We ask
Ethiopia to stop attacking Sudanese territory and Sudanese farmers,” he said.
The
dispute between the two countries has been revolving around the agricultural
land in al-Fashqa, which falls within Sudan’s international boundaries but has
long been settled by Ethiopian farmers.
The
dispute has led to fierce fighting between Sudanese and Ethiopian forces in
recent weeks, with each side blaming the other for instigating the violence.
Sudan’s
Foreign Ministry accused Ethiopian “gangs” of launching an attack in al-Fashqa
on Monday. It said five women and a child had been killed, and two other women
who had been harvesting crops were missing.
Khartoum
said in late December last year that it had taken control of all Sudanese
territory in the area.
Ethiopia,
however, accuses Sudan of taking advantage of its forces being distracted by an
internal conflict in the northernmost region of Tigray to occupy Ethiopian land
and loot property.
Tigray
has been beset by armed conflict between Ethiopian troops and local rebels
since November last year.
The
region, with a population of six million — some one million of them now thought
to have been displaced — has been cut off from the world since the armed
conflict began.
The
United Nations (UN) said in a report last week that there were reports of a
military build-up on both sides of the border around the area.
Dispute
over dam
Separately,
Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan are engaged in a three-way dispute over a mega-dam
Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance
Dam (GERD).
Egypt,
which gets more than 90% of its scarce fresh water from the Nile, says the dam
could devastate its economy.
The
three sides said on Sunday that they had reached an impasse in the dispute.
Cairo
and Addis Ababa separately blamed Sudanese objections to the framework for the
talks.
Ethiopia
accused Egypt and Sudan of delaying the negotiations.
“Are
the two speaking the same language? More or less. The two are speaking the same
language when it comes to stalling it,” said the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry
spokesman on Tuesday.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/13/642901/Ethiopia-warns-Sudan-against-igniting-war-at-disputed-border-region
--------
Roadside
blast kills 7 Kenyan soldiers in Somalia
Mohammed
Dhaysane
12.01.2021
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
At
least seven Kenyan military personnel serving under African Union peacekeeping
mission forces in Somalia (AMISOM) were killed when a bomb targeted military
vehicles in southern Somalia on Tuesday.
The
blast targeted “a convoy on the road between Dhobley and Hosingow Tuesday, 2nd
attack on KDF in Lower Juba region, south of #Somalia in 24hrs," radio
station Garowe Online tweeted about the attack in the vicinity of Hosingow,
Middle Jubba near the Somali-Kenyan border.
Somali-based
al-Qaeda affiliated militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the
attack.
Officials
in the region confirmed the attack to Anadolu Agency but did not disclose
casualty figures.
Al-Shabaab
claimed it killed 17 Kenyan soldiers in a bomb attack Sunday near the town of
Dhobley, Lower Juba, located 191 kilometers (118 miles) from the port city of
Kismayo, the administrative capital of Jubaland.
At
least two people, including a police officer, were killed and seven were others
wounded in a landmine explosion on Monday that targeted a vehicle carrying
police officials in Mogadishu's Dharkinley district.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/roadside-blast-kills-7-kenyan-soldiers-in-somalia/2107510
--------
Libyan
jailed for life for UK attack that killed three
JANUARY
12, 2021
LONDON
(Reuters) - A man who fought for a Islamist militant group as a teenager in
Libya was jailed for the rest of his life on Monday for murdering three men in
a stabbing spree in a park in England last year in what the judge said was a
terrorist attack.
Libyan
Khairi Saadallah, 26, used an 8-inch (20 cm) knife to kill the three men and
attacked others in the park in the southern English town of Reading on a balmy
summer evening on June 20.
Witnesses
heard him shout “God is greatest” in Arabic during the incident, and he later
told police that what he had done was “Jihad” and he would go to paradise as a
result, Judge Nigel Sweeney said.
“His
attack was so swift, ruthless, and brutal that none of them had any chance to
react, let alone to defend themselves,” Sweeney said.
Saadallah
pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in November and his defence team
argued that he was suffering from a mental disorder. But the judge rejected
this and said he had made crude attempts to portray himself as “mad” in police
interviews.
“Having
no doubt that this is a rare and exceptional case in which just punishment
requires that you must be kept in prison for the rest of your life, (I) make a
whole life order,” Sweeney told him.
Whilst
in Libya as a teenager in 2011, Saadallah fought as a member of the Islamic
militia Ansar al Sharia, which is now banned, during and after the uprising
against Muammar Gaddafi.
He
came to Britain in 2012 and was granted asylum after lying about his past, and
maintained his extremist views, Sweeney said in sentencing remarks. Saadallah,
who had six previous convictions, had only been released from prison for
another offence 15 days before the attack.
During
the 2020 attack in Britain, Saadallah targeted a group of seven friends,
stabbing three fatally - James Furlong, 36, and David Wails, 49, from Britain,
and U.S. national Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39.
Another
of the group required 28 stitches to a head wound. Two other men who were
sitting with friends nearby were also stabbed, one in the back while the other
suffered a cut to his cheek.
“It
took him less than 10 seconds to kill three innocent men, and he then went on
to attack and tried to kill another three men before running off towards the
town centre,” said Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing in the south
east of England.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-security-reading/libyan-jailed-for-life-for-uk-attack-that-killed-three-idUSKBN29G2BO?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
--------
ISWAP
Jihadists Kill 13 Soldiers in Northeast Nigeria
JANUARY
11, 2021
Thirteen
soldiers have died in an ambush by jihadist fighters from the Islamic State
West Africa Province (ISWAP) group in volatile northeastern Nigeria, two army
sources told AFP on Monday.
Heavy
gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades hit a military convoy in Gazagana
village, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Yobe state capital Damaturu on Saturday.
“We
lost 13 soldiers in this ambush and several were injured,” an officer said.
The
convoy was headed for a military base at Buni Yadi, another 20 kilometers from
Damaturu, said the second army source, who gave the same death toll. “It was a
fierce battle and the terrorists also suffered casualties,” he said, without
giving a figure.
The
ISWAP group carries out regular attacks in Buni Yadi region on soldiers and
travelers, with the violence spilling over into Borno state.
Since
2009, the jihadist campaign in northeast Nigeria has focused on Borno where the
Boko Haram group is also active.
ISWAP
split from Boko Haram in 2016 and rose to become a dominant group.
The
violence has spread into neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting a
regional military coalition to fight the militants.
At
least 36,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has displaced about
two million from their homes since 2009.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/11/iswap-kills-13-soldiers-nigeria/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
--------
North
America
The
Capitol riot shows the growing danger of right-wing extremism
By
STEVE CHAPMAN
JAN
11, 2021
In
2009, Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security published a report on the
rising danger posed by right-wing extremists. The Great Recession, the authors
warned, “could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing
extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government
authorities.”
Maybe
they were onto something.
But
a lot of people didn’t want to hear it. Critics accused DHS of slandering
American troops by suggesting that violent groups might recruit veterans
returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. The national commander of the American
Legion declared: “I think it is important for all of us to remember that
Americans are not the enemy. The terrorists are.”
Daryl
Johnson, a domestic terrorism expert who helped produce the report, recalled
years later: “Work related to violent right-wing extremism was halted. Law
enforcement training also stopped. My unit was disbanded.”
Americans
were preoccupied with the threat from radical Islamist terrorists. They had
trouble believing there was a worse danger from homegrown extremists who
portray themselves as patriots.
Apparently
many people still have trouble believing it — notably the U.S. Capitol police.
For weeks, unhinged people mesmerized by bizarre conspiracy theories had been
openly organizing for mass protests aimed at keeping their hero Donald Trump in
power. Just last month, Trump supporters rallied and fought with opponents in
Washington. The leader of the white nationalist Proud Boys was arrested just
Monday on charges related to that episode.
But
law enforcement officials couldn’t seem to process the peril. Rep. Maxine
Waters, D-Calif., said that when she called the chief of the Capitol Police
days before, “He assured me that they have everything under control, that they
were on top of everything.”
If
only. When the mob stormed the building Wednesday, the cops were outmanned and
underprepared, and many had to stand by or retreat. “Policing experts noted a
lack of crowd-control tools such as mounted officers, police dogs or a heavily
manned perimeter,” reported The New York Times. One police officer died from
his injuries.
In
the past decade, the threat of violence from right-wing extremists has only
grown. Trump and his allies depict leftist Antifa groups as a raging menace.
But acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf testified in September that white
supremacists constitute “the most persistent and lethal threat when we talk
about domestic violent extremists.”
The
evidence of the danger has been accumulating for years. A report from the
Center for Strategic and International Studies found, “Right-wing extremists
perpetrated two thirds of the attacks and plots in the United States in 2019
and over 90 % between January 1 and May 8, 2020.”
In
2014, there was a tense standoff between federal agents and Nevada rancher
Cliven Bundy, who grazed his cattle on Bureau of Land Management land but
refused to pay fees. Bundy told armed supporters, “We’re about ready to take
the country over with force!” His son Ammon led a takeover of the headquarters
of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon, and one of his militants was shot dead
resisting arrest.
Lethal
attacks were made on synagogues and a Jewish community center. The alleged
killer in a mass shooting last year in El Paso was suspected of writing a
manifesto expressing anger at a “Hispanic invasion.”
The
COVID-19 pandemic provided more fertile ground for radical right groups. In
April, hundreds of protesters, some of them openly carrying military-style
rifles, entered the Michigan Capitol and tried to get into the legislative
chambers.
The
worst was yet to come. In October, 14 men with ties to a paramilitary group
were arrested for allegedly plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer,
a Democrat. Whitmer had been a target of Trump, and at a Lansing campaign rally
after the arrests, he attacked her again, prompting his audience to chant,
“Lock her up.”
By
now it should be clear that the threat from right-wing radicals has not only
persisted but has gained considerable ground. The Capitol rioters were inspired
by election disinformation spread not only by Trump but by Republican members
of Congress.
The
attack on the Capitol might have been a moment for the GOP rank-and-file to
draw back in horror. But a YouGov poll found that 45% of Republican voters who
responded supported the actions of the mob.
Right-wing
extremism is no longer a fringe movement; it’s a major influence on the
Republican Party. Donald Trump will soon leave office. But the poison he helped
inject into our politics is here to stay.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/steve-chapman/ct-column-capitol-riot-right-wing-extremism-chapman-20210111-rygjyo7ohzb6ld5pm53ukuwts4-story.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
--------
UN
calls for enhanced international cooperation to tackle terrorism
January
13, 2021
NEW
YORK: The terrorism threat has evolved and spread in the 20 years since the
9/11 attacks, causing “unspeakable human suffering and loss,” according to
Vladimir Voronkov, under-secretary-general of the UN Office of
Counter-Terrorism.
Al-Qaeda
has proven to be resilient despite the loss of many of its leaders, he said. It
has “pioneered a dangerous transnational model of regional franchises exploiting
local fragilities and conflicts.”
Meanwhile
new groups have emerged in the past two decades, Voronkov added, including
Daesh. Though defeated in Iraq and Syria, he said, the group is using social
media to recruit and radicalize followers around the globe and, as it seeks to
rebuild and re-establish itself, it continues to carry out attacks.
Voronkov
was speaking on Tuesday at a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council
marking the 20th anniversary this year of Resolution 1373, which was unanimously
adopted on Sept. 28, 2001 in response to the 9/11 attacks. Considered a
watershed in the international fight against terrorism, it includes a number of
counterterrorism measures.
The
council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee was established at the same time to
monitor implementation of the resolution and enhance the institutional capacity
of member states to prevent and counter threats by criminalizing terrorist
activity, bringing terrorists to justice and denying them safe havens and
financial support.
Voronkov
urged the ministers, many of whom have witnessed terrorist attacks in their own
countries, to work to ensure Daesh is held accountable for its crimes.
He
also called on them to repatriate the thousands of their citizens, mostly women
and children, who remain in limbo as a result of their prior connections with
the terror group.
About
70,000 women and children associated with Daesh are being held in camps in
Northern Syria. Of those, about 13,000 are from countries other than Syria or
Iraq. The camps suffer from severe overcrowding and high rates of child
mortality, but many nations refuse to accept the return of their citizens who
are held there.
Richard
Mills, the US deputy ambassador to the UN, said that repatriating these foreign
nationals would not only “prevent fighters from going back to battle, but also,
for humanitarian reasons, the situation in those camps is untenable.”
He
added that the US has so far repatriated 12 teenagers and 16 adults, six of
whom face criminal charges.
Tarek
Ladeb, permanent representative to the UN for Tunisia, which holds the
presidency of the Security Council this month, highlighted Daesh’s
“considerable financial capacities, their use of sophisticated methods for
recruitment, financing and planning, and their ability to adapt to national and
international counterterrorism mechanisms.”
He
added that the group’s activities cause ongoing conflicts to escalate, making
them more violent, complex and difficult to resolve. He also talked about
more-recent trends in global terrorism, including the mobilization of so-called
“sleeper cells” or “lone wolves,” the growing links between terrorism and
transnational organized crime, and the emergence of ethnically or racially
motivated terrorism.
Michele
Coninsx, the UN’s assistant secretary-general and executive director of the
Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, also highlighted “the
proliferation of extreme right-wing (or racially and ethnically motivated)
terrorism” which, she said, is “also a cause of increasing concern.”
To
face these challenges, Ladeb called for a holistic approach in which
civil-society groups, the private sector, women and young people all have a
say, and urged states to balance their counter-terrorism measures with a
commitment to the principles of international human-rights laws.
“(Terrorism)
cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality,
civilization or ethnic group,” he added.
Voronkov
said that terrorists adapt quickly and are “keen to exploit cyberspace and new
technologies, linkages with organized crime, as well as regulatory, human and
technical gaps in national capacities. Their tactics are appealing to new
groups across the ideological spectrum, including racially, ethnically and
politically motivated violent extremist groups.
“The
COVID-19 crisis has magnified these trends, just as it has been a stress test
for international cooperation and solidarity.”
He
called for enhanced international cooperation in counterterrorism efforts,
given that “even better-equipped states are challenged to keep pace with
evolving and emerging threats, both offline and online.”
Voronkov
also stressed the need to “look beyond terrorism as a tactic” and address the
underlying factors that cause it to spread, while also continuing with efforts
to make progress on “the interlinked peace and security, sustainable
development, and human-rights agendas.”
“It
is time for the international community to walk the talk,” said Subrahmanyam
Jaishankar, India’s minister of external affairs. He presented an eight-point
action plan as he called on members to summon the political will to address
terrorism in a spirit of transparency and accountability, and to reject double
standards.
“Terrorists
are terrorists, and those who cover up for them are just as culpable,” he
added.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1791681/world
--------
Hillary
Clinton touts documentary on Khashoggi killing
Beyza
Binnur Donmez |
13.01.2021
Hillary
Clinton sang the praises of a new documentary on the October 2019 murder of
Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, urging everyone to see it.
"If
you haven't seen The Dissident, I hope that you will," the former US
secretary of state and presidential candidate said late Tuesday on Twitter
“This
incredibly powerful documentary about the assassination of journalist Jamal
Khashoggi at the hands of the Saudi government is available to watch now,” she
added, linking to a site where the film is available.
The
Dissident, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Bryan Fogel, explores
"the labyrinth of deceit behind the murder" of Khashoggi inside the
Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, according to the film synopsis.
The
documentary, available on Apple TV, is described as telling the untold story of
the crime that shook the world and, featuring "never before seen"
surveillance footage and "unprecedented access to a wealth of other
damning information previously unavailable to the public."
Khashoggi,
59, was killed and dismembered on Oct. 2, 2018 by a group of Saudi operatives
shortly after he entered the country's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Activists
and human rights groups have said the murder was premeditated and carried out
upon the directives of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a charge Riyadh
denies.
Turkish
prosecutors and leaders have pressed for a full accounting of the murder and
for its perpetrators to face justice.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/hillary-clinton-touts-documentary-on-khashoggi-killing/2108298
--------
US:
Turkish-American tapped for Treasury chief of staff
Beyza
Binnur Donmez
12.01.2021
A
Turkish-American with extensive experience in finance policy has been chosen as
the Treasury Department chief of staff under incoming President Joe Biden,
Bloomberg News reported.
Didem
Nisanci, currently global head of public policy for Bloomberg LP, will be chief
of staff for incoming Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a key position,
Bloomberg said late Monday.
Citing
people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that Nisanci, 47, has been
offered the position and accepted.
If
confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to head the Treasury
Department in its 231-year history, and would bring in Nisanci, whose post does
not require Senate confirmation.
Nisanci
worked for four years as chief of staff at the US Securities and Exchange
Commission in the Obama administration, where among other duties she served as
chief White House liaison.
She
also served as staff director of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and
Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment, including
in the wake of the 2007-2009 global financial crisis.
From
1998 to 2001, she worked as a deputy to the assistant treasury secretary.
No
official statement has been made on the matter yet.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-turkish-american-tapped-for-treasury-chief-of-staff/2107021
--------
US
re-designates Cuba state sponsor of terrorism
Övünç
Kutlu
12.01.2021
In
an apparent parting shot to its conservative base, the Trump administration on
Monday re-designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, claiming that Havana
grants safe harbor to international terrorists.
Re-branding
Cuba a sponsor of terrorism – a designation ended in 2015, under then-President
Barack Obama – marks another step in reversing Obama’s softened stance towards
the tiny island state, and perhaps the Trump administration’s final step before
it ends on Jan. 20.
Cuba
quickly denounced the controversial move.
“We
condemn the US announced hypocritical and cynical designation of Cuba as a
State sponsoring terrorism,” said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Twitter.
“The
US political opportunism is recognized by those who are honestly concerned
about the scourge of terrorism and its victims,” he added.
Announcing
the change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "The Trump Administration
has been focused from the start on denying the Castro regime the resources it
uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign interference in
Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere."
He
added: “With this action, we will once again hold Cuba’s government accountable
and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for
international terrorism and subversion of U.S. justice."
Cuban
intelligence has infiltrated Venezuela’s security and military forces to assist
President Nicolas Maduro, Pompeo added.
The
department's designation subjects Cuba to sanctions that would penalize
individuals and countries engaging in certain trade with Cuba, restricts US
foreign assistance, and bans defense exports and sales.
In
his final days as secretary of state, Pompeo has made announcements designed to
appeal to a hard-right base ahead of a possible 2024 presidential run,
according to some analysts.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-re-designates-cuba-state-sponsor-of-terrorism/2106541
--------
Law
enforcement braces for more extremist violence in DC and around the US ahead of
Inauguration Day
January
11, 2021
(CNN)Calls
for new protests in Washington, DC, and states across the country have law
enforcement bracing for more possible violence in the coming days after rioters
stormed the US Capitol last week leaving five people dead, including a Capitol
Police officer.
Authorities
are preparing for additional personnel to help secure the nation's capital in
the coming days. A Department of Homeland Security official told CNN that the
breach of the Capitol will sharpen the response and planning for inauguration.
"Now
that it happened people will take it much more seriously," the official
said, referring to last week's violence. "Now, the planners, they are all
going to take it much more seriously."
Rep.
Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said in a statement Sunday that the Department
of Defense is aware of "further possible threats posed by would-be
terrorists in the days up to and including Inauguration Day." Crow spoke
with Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy about the January 6 events and
planning for the coming days.
Wednesday's
riot has set off a shockwave of concern among federal, state and local
officials for more possible bloodshed over the outcome of the 2020 election
that ousted President Donald Trump from office. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has
asked for additional security measures with 10 days to go before Inauguration
Day and is asking people to avoid the city.
At
the Capitol Police's request, DHS helped install fencing, which was seen going
up around Capitol Hill Thursday.
At
the Pentagon, officials are assessing what number of National Guard forces are
needed for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, with 10,000 troops
planning to be in the city by the end of the week and a possibility that a
total of 13,000 might be activated for the event.
More
than 6,000 members have already been mobilized in the wake of the Capitol being
stormed by pro-Trump rioters to work in 12-hour shifts on Capitol grounds and
work traffic control points throughout the city.
At
the state level, security officials have been working closely with federal
partners as they prepare for increasing online chatter calling for protests in
all 50 states, plus Washington, DC, said one state law enforcement official
with direct knowledge of conversations between federal and state partners.
Plans
for future armed protests, including a proposed secondary attack on the US
Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, began proliferating on and
off Twitter last week, the social media company said.
Still,
extremism experts are fearful of what will happen on and around January 20 when
Biden is sworn into office, given surging calls for violence as many extremists
see the Capitol incursion as a success.
"Trump
WILL be sworn in for a second term on January 20th!!," said a commenter on
thedonald.win, a pro-Trump online forum, on Thursday, the day after the siege.
"We must not let the communists win. Even if we have to burn DC to the
ground."
DC
seeking additional assistance
In
response to Wednesday's security breach at the Capitol, authorities have
arrested dozens of people connected to the unrest after pro-Trump rioters
charged through barricades, assaulted police officers and shattered windows.
The
president's supporters were in Washington, DC, to protest Trump's election loss
in response to Trump and his surrogates urging his supporters to fight against
the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that confirmed Biden's win.
"Law
enforcement was ill prepared for an event the entire country knew was coming,
and one that POTUS had been signaling for weeks," said Brian Harrell,
former DHS assistant secretary for infrastructure protection. "The normal
'layers of security', with each inner layer being tougher to breach, was nearly
non-existent. It's shocking, that in a post 9/11 world, we witnessed the
'people's house' be breached and ransacked with ease."
Layers
of security, standoff distancing and tactical teams on standby will be used to
minimize violence near the inaugural events, he said, adding that the biggest
concerns should be an active shooter scenario, vehicle ramming and the
deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure.
In
light of the week's events, Bowser asked the Trump administration for an
emergency declaration for DC and called on the Department of Homeland Security
to extend their preparations. Intelligence suggesting further violence is
likely during the Inaugural period, she wrote in a letter to Trump Sunday.
"I
will tell you that given the events of this last week that this inauguration
preparation has to be different than any other inauguration," Bowser said
in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
The
Mayor asked DHS to extend the "National Special Security Event"
period from January 11 to 24 in a letter to acting Homeland Security Secretary
Chad Wolf -- an extension of the original plan from January 19 to 21.
The
inauguration is designated as a National Special Security Event, which allows
for greater federal security cooperation and law enforcement resources.
Additionally,
Bowser asked Wolf for DHS to cooperate with the Department of Defense, Congress
and the Supreme Court to establish a security perimeter with federal forces
around federal property, freeing up the local Metropolitan Police Department to
focus on its normal city duties.
Bowser
added that DC regularly works with federal partners on intelligence sharing but
will work to improve that relationship ahead of the inauguration.
The
National Park Service announced Monday that it will close the Washington
Monument to visitors for more than two weeks, a time period that includes the
inauguration, in an effort to prevent potential violence from occurring there.
NPS
said it also "may institute temporary closures of public access to
roadways, parking areas and restrooms within the National Mall and Memorial
Parks if conditions warrant, to protect public safety and park resources."
DHS'
second-in-command, Ken Cuccinelli, said that Wednesday's violence would be a
"one time event," and assured Americans that Inauguration Day would
be safe.
"You're
going to see immediate improvement, fully aggressive posture by the Department
of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice as well, because we accept
violence from no one," he said in an interview on Fox News Thursday.
On
Wednesday, the Capitol Police asked for additional law enforcement help from
DHS, but by the time the request was made, "it was just too close to when
everything began to heat up," Cuccinelli said.
The
threat of more violence
Experts
warn that the calls for violence, which circulated ahead of Wednesday's siege
of the Capitol, have intensified ahead of Inauguration Day. Twitter said it was
tracking the latest plans for armed protests when it announced the permanent
suspension of Trump's account on Friday.
White
supremacists and far-right extremists feel emboldened in this moment, said
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks and
counters hate. "We fully expect that this violence could actually get
worse before it gets better."
A
former DHS official told CNN that from the perspective of extremists, the
purpose of an attack like last week's is not necessarily to destroy the Capitol.
"It's to show that a relatively small number of people can actually take
over the system. It's supposed to be a rallying cry for -- 'join us, or you are
now the enemy.'"
The
former official pointed to images of members of the White power movement amid
the crowd during the storming of the Capitol, adding that they were exploiting
the election protest for their own purposes.
"We
could start to see a lot of lives lost because of the moment that occurred on
Wednesday, so very, very concerned about the cascading effects," the
former official said. "It's a very concerning moment."
Protests
happening around the country
Outside
of Washington, DC, local authorities have also had to grapple with threats and
increased security needs.
On
Saturday afternoon, an unlawful assembly was declared in San Diego after
protesters clashed and threw objects at police officers. According to tweets
from the San Diego Police Department, protesters threw rocks, bottles and eggs
at officers shortly after they were asked to leave the area. The tweets also
said that pepper spray was being dispersed from the crowd toward the officers.
The
unlawful assembly was declared about an hour and a half after the pro-Trump and
counter protesters gathered near the beach, according to CNN affiliate KGTV.
On
the same day as the siege in Washington, DC, the Texas State Capitol building
and grounds were closed to the public "out of an abundance of
caution," according to a statement from the Texas Department of Public
Safety. Protesters took to the Capitol grounds after an "Operation Occupy
The Capitol Texas" event was created on Facebook.
Washington
State Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday that he was mobilizing up to
750 members of the National Guard to provide security for the beginning of the
state's legislative session, which starts Monday.
"The
actions we saw in both Washington, D.C. and Olympia earlier this week were
completely unacceptable and will not be repeated in our state again,"
Inslee said in a written statement.
Protesters
occupied the steps of the state Capitol on Wednesday, and dozens of people
broke through the outer grounds of the governor's mansion before being
peacefully turned back by state troopers.
"In
light of the most recent insurrection activity, the state cannot tolerate any
actions that could result in harm, mayhem or interruption of function of
democratic institutions," Inslee said Friday evening. In addition to
Guardsmen, the governor says a "large number of Washington State Patrol
troopers will be on hand."
In
New Jersey, state homeland security officials are tracking planned events for
both January 17 and January 20, as well as "several one-off protests that
we're still determining credibility," said a New Jersey law enforcement
official with direct knowledge of the state's security efforts.
"Some
of the online rhetoric has called for protests at all 50 capitols plus
DC," the official said. "FBI in particular has been continuing to put
our threat assessments and we are at the state level as well."
"I
think DC Is bracing for large scale protests and potential violence," the
official said, adding that briefings state officials have received "have
outlined a much larger scale prevention and response to minimize a recurrence
of last Wednesday."
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/law-enforcement-preparations-violence-capitol-riot/index.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
--------
Arab
World
ISIS
increases attacks in Raqqa as Turkish-backed forces shell Ain al-Issa
January
12 2021
ERBIL
(Kurdistan 24) – The so-called Islamic State has claimed seven terrorist
attacks in Syria’s Raqqa province in the past ten days, amid increased shelling
of Kurdish-led security forces by Turkish-backed groups in the town of Ain
al-Issa.
The
attacks terrorist attacks included improvised explosive device (IEDs) bombings
and hit-and-run assaults against the Internal Security forces (ISF), also known
as Asayish, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) both inside Raqqa city and
the province’s countryside.
The
Raqqa Asayish has confirmed at least two of the incidents. According to the
ISF, one of the attacks occurred on January 6, in eastern rural of Raqqa,
resulting in the deaths of two of their Arab members. Another one took place on
January 4, later claimed by the Islamic State inside the city, resulted in the
injury of several civilians.
The
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported that a
civilian was injured in an IED explosion that targeted a vehicle in the
al-Malahi area of Raqqa city on Sunday.
“The
considerable increase in attacks in Raqqa is a significant indicator of ISIS’s
rising capability of conducting attacks beyond its active operating zone of
Deir Ez-Zor,” Mohammad Ibrahim, a Syrian researcher and analyst who focuses on
northeast Syria, told Kurdistan 24.
“ISIS
repeatedly proves its swift resilience and ability to hit various regions
whenever it finds security gaps. The ISF and SDF are currently hugely
distracted in northern rural Raqqa, in Ain Issa, where there are daily clashes
between SDF and Turkey-backed Islamist armed groups,” he added.
Over
the past two months, there have been increased Turkish-backed shelling and
fighting near the Ain al-Issa town in the Raqqa province.
Read
More: Local military official in north Syria says Turkish-backed attacks
continue in Ain Issa
According
to Ibrahim, the increasing pressure by Russia and Syrian regime forces to push
the SDF to withdraw from the Ain al-Issa area and shelling by Turkish-backed
rebels is “giving ISIS cells more ability to conduct attacks deep behind the
SDF lines.”
Raqqa
was liberated from the Islamic State in October 2017 by the SDF with support
from the US-led coalition.
Despite
the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the US-led coalition announcing the
defeat of the extremist group’s so-called caliphate on March 23, 2019, Islamic
State sleeper cell attacks continue in areas that were liberated from the
militants, including in Raqqa.
In
2020, most Islamic State activities took place in Deir al-Zor province, with
Raqqa province coming in second place. The terror group’s propaganda outfit,
al-Bayan, suggested that it had claimed 389 attacks in Deir al-Zor in 2020 and
another 59 in Raqqa.
Charles
Flynn, a Syria-based researcher at the Rojava Information Centre(RIC), told Kurdistan
24 that the Islamic State has also increased its attacks in the southern Raqqa
countryside, controlled by the Syrian government.
“We’ve
seen increasing number of Russian airstrikes against ISIS targets west of the
Euphrates, as well as several ambushes conducted by ISIS that have produced
large number of casualties against the SAA (Syrian Arab Army).”
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/23768-ISIS-increases-attacks-in-Raqqa-as-Turkish-backed-forces-shell-Ain-al-Issa?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1894022_
--------
Saudi
Arabia condemns Israel’s approval of new settlements in West Bank
Reem
Krimly
13
January 2021
Saudi
Arabia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Israel’s decision to approve the
establishment of 800 new settlement units in the West Bank, the official Saudi
Press Agency (SPA) reported.
“We
strongly condemn Israel’s decision to approve the establishment of 800 new
settlement units in the West Bank, and we reiterate our categorical rejection
of this step as a new violation of international legitimacy decisions, a threat
to peace, and an undermining of efforts for the two-state solution,” the
Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said in a Twitter post.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered on Monday that plans be advanced to
construct some 800 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, an
official statement said.
It
said the 800 homes would be built in the settlements of Beit El, Tal Menashe,
Rehelim, Shavei Shomron, Barkan, Karnei Shomron and Givat Zeev, but gave no
starting date for construction.
In
October 2020, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the
Kingdom has always envisioned that normalization with Israel would happen, but
the current focus should be on bringing Palestinians and Israelis back to the
negotiating table.
“We
have always envisioned that normalization [with Israel] would happen, but we
also need to have a Palestinian state and a Palestinian-Israeli peace plan,”
the Saudi FM said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/13/Saudi-Arabia-condemns-Israel-s-approval-of-new-settlements-in-West-Bank
--------
Lebanon
files complaint with UN Security Council over Israeli violations
13
January 2021
Lebanese
caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe has filed a complaint with the UN
Security Council (UNSC) and UN Secretary-General António Guterres against the
Israeli regime’s repeated violations of the Arab country’s sovereignty.
The
complaint, lodged through Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United
Nations Amal Mudallali on Tuesday, pointed to “the recurrent and dangerous
airspace violations carried out over the past few days,” describing them as “a
flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution 1701.”
“This
requires the Security Council to condemn Israel for these violations and put an
end to them immediately in order to preserve stability, security, and peace in
the region,” it said.
Moreover,
caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar on Tuesday vehemently condemned the
Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
“Since
the beginning of last week, Lebanon’s airspace has witnessed intensive Israeli
enemy overflights at low very altitudes, which constitute a blatant violation
of the Lebanese sovereignty, and have caused panic among Lebanese citizens,
especially children,” she said in a statement.
Separately,
the Lebanese Armed Forces command said at least eight air violations were
recorded on Tuesday by Israeli warplanes, which carried out low-altitude
flights over the south and Mount Lebanon,
It
added, “The airspace violations are accompanied by sea violations. An Israeli
gunboat violated Lebanese territorial waters off Ras al-Naqoura in two stages
and for a maximum distance of about 240 meters.”
The
army command said “the issue of the violations will be followed up in
coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).”
UNIFIL
spokesman Andrea Tenenti also said the Israeli military’s acts are in violation
of the Security Council Resolution 1701 and the Lebanese sovereignty.
“We
have once again called on the Israeli army command to cease the overflights.
The continued violations increase fear among the local population and undermine
our efforts to reduce tensions and establish a stable security environment in
southern Lebanon,” he noted.
“In
this tense period in the region, UNIFIL’s efforts are to maintain a calm and
stable situation along the Blue Line. To this end, UNIFIL strongly cautions the
parties against any activities that could trigger incidents and endanger the
cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel,” Tenenti said.
Lebanon’s
government, the Hezbollah resistance movement and the UNIFIL have repeatedly
condemned Israel’s overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN
Security Council Resolution 1701 and the country’s sovereignty.
The
resolution, which brokered a ceasefire in the war Israel launched against
Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Beirut’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
Tensions
have been running high between Israel and Hezbollah since July 20 last year,
when Tel Aviv killed Hezbollah member Ali Kamel Mohsen in an airstrike in
Syria.
The
Israeli military has placed its forces near the Lebanese and Syrian borders on
high alert after Hezbollah promised retaliation.
Israeli
forces shelled the Lebanese village of Habaria in late July to stop an alleged
Hezbollah offensive, but the Lebanese movement dismissed the allegation,
calling it the result of tension and confusion among Israeli forces.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/13/642906/Lebanon-files-complaint-to-UN-Security-Council-as-Israeli-warplanes-violate-airspace
--------
Israeli
strikes on Syria kill seven soldiers, 16 Iran-backed fighters: Monitor
13
January 2021
Israeli
night raids targeting arms depots and military positions in eastern Syria
killed at least seven Syrian soldiers and 16 allied fighters, in the deadliest
raids this year, a war monitor said Wednesday.
The
Israeli air force carried out more than 18 strikes against multiple targets in
an area stretching from the eastern town of Deir Ezzor to the Iraqi border, the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The
raids killed seven Syrian soldiers and 16 non-Syrian militia fighters whose
nationalities were not immediately known, the Britain-based monitoring group
said.
Paramilitaries
belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and the Fatimid Brigade, which is
made up of pro-Iranian Afghan fighters, operate in the region, the Observatory
said.
The
Syrian state news agency SANA reported the strikes but gave few details.
“At
1:10 am, the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial assault on the town of Deir
Ezzor and the Albu Kamal region,” SANA said, citing a military source.
“The
results of the aggression are currently being verified,” it added.
It
was the second wave of Israeli raids in Syria in less than a week.
The
last strikes on January 7 targeted positions in southern Syria and in the
southern outskirts of the capital Damascus, killing three pro-Iran fighters.
Israel
routinely carries out raids in Syria, mostly against targets linked to Iran in
what it says is a bid to prevent its arch foe from consolidating a foothold on
its northern border.
Israel
hit around 50 targets in Syria in 2020, according to an annual report released
in late December by the Israeli military.
Israel
has carried out hundreds of air and missile strikes on Syria since civil war
broke out in 2011, targeting Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces as well as
Syrian government troops.
Israel
rarely acknowledges individual strikes but has done so when responding to what
it describes as aggression inside Israeli territory.
The
war in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions more
since it erupted after the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/13/Syria-crisis-Israeli-strikes-kill-seven-Syrian-soldiers-16-Iran-backed-fighters-Monitor
--------
World
Bank approves $246 mln project to support vulnerable Lebanese households
Rawad
Taha
13
January 2021
The
World Bank approved a US$246 million new project to provide emergency cash
transfers and access to social services to approximately 786,000 poor and
vulnerable Lebanese reeling under the pressure of Lebanon’s economic and
COVID-19 crises, the World Bank reported in a press release.
The
World Bank added that the Emergency Crisis and COVID-19 Response Social Safety
Net Project (ESSN) will also support the development of a comprehensive
national social safety nets system to allow a better response to ongoing and
future shocks.
Lebanon
has been facing compounded and unprecedented crises. A severe economic and
financial crisis led to a projected 19.2% decline in GDP in 2020, triple digit
inflation and a projected increase in poverty to 45% and in extreme poverty to
22%. Approximately 1.7 million people are estimated to fall under the poverty
line, of which 841,000 people will be under the food poverty line.
The
situation has been further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the aftermath
of the Port of Beirut explosion on August 4, and the repercussions of a 10-year
long Syria crisis causing a severe drain on public service delivery and
resources: Lebanon hosts the largest per capita share of displaced Syrians,
accounting to a quarter of its population.
The
ESSN project will provide 147,000 extreme poor Lebanese households
(approximately 786,000 individuals) with cash assistance for one year.
Eligible
households will receive a monthly transfer of LBP 100,000 per household member,
in addition to a flat amount of LBP 200,000 per household.
The
World Bank added that the transfer value per household will be uploaded monthly
onto a pre-paid card issued by a financial service provider and distributed to
beneficiary households who can cash out the amount at automated teller
machines, or use it to make electronic payments for purchases in a network of
food shops.
Furthermore,
87,000 children between the ages of 13-18 year will receive a top-up cash
transfer to cover the direct costs of schooling including school registration
fees, parents’ council fees, school textbooks costs, transport and school
uniform expenses, and computer equipment and/or internet connectivity to enable
remote learning. School fees will be paid directly to the respective schools.
“More
importantly, to ensure sustainability, the ESSN will support the development of
a comprehensive social safety net delivery system that can respond to future
shocks”, said Haneen Sayed, World Bank Lead Operations Officer and Task Team
Leader.
“Such
a system will be based on an integrated National Social Registry to be
established by the Government of Lebanon that would allow the prompt and
efficient identification of households to receive social assistance based on an
assessment of their needs and living conditions,” Sayed added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/13/World-Bank-approves-246-mln-project-to-support-vulnerable-Lebanese-households
--------
Israeli
patrol kidnaps Lebanese shepherd from border town: Lebanon state media
Rawad
Taha
12
January 2021
An
Israeli patrol kidnapped a Lebanese shepherd near the border in the South
Lebanon village of Kfarshouba and took him into Israeli territory, Lebanon’s
state-owned news agency NNA reported.
Israeli
army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the Israeli army arrested a Lebanese shepherd
who “intentionally infiltrated the borders” from Lebanon into Israeli territory
and was transferred to the security forces for investigation.
Tensions
are flaring this week between Israel and Lebanon. Lebanon will file an urgent
complaint with the United Nations against Israel’s daily violations of its
airspace amid intensifying drone reconnaissance and mock raids around the
country.
Adraee
added that Hezbollah “uses sheep herders on missions” to gather information and
monitor IDF forces.
“The
arrested Lebanese shepherd belongs to a group identified as collaborating with
Hezbollah, in the last attempt of Hezbollah terrorists to infiltrate into
Israel in the area of Mount Ross several months ago in order to carry out an
attack, a Lebanese shepherd provided assistance to the terrorists of the
organization in that attempt,” Israeli army spokesman added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/12/Israeli-patrol-kidnaps-Lebanese-shepherd-from-border-near-Lebanese-town-of-Kfarshouba
--------
Israel
launches fresh airstrikes on Syria’s east: SANA
13
January 2021
Syrian
media say the Israeli regime has launched fresh airstrikes on eastern parts of
the country near the Iraqi border, with reports falling short of providing the
number of possible casualties.
Syria's
official news agency SANA said the air assault was carried out on the city of
Dayr al-Zawr and the town of al-Bukamal, along the border with Iraq, in the
early hours of Wednesday.
Citing
a military source, SANA said that “exactly 01:10 at dawn today, the Israeli
enemy launched an air aggression against Dayr al-Zawr and Bukamal, and the
results of the aggression are currently being verified.”
Syria’s
air defenses have in the past intercepted many of the Israeli missiles shot
from the occupied territories onto the Arab country.
Syria’s
missile defense systems thwarted on Wednesday an Israeli missile attack on
southern Damascus, shooting down most of the projectiles.
Israel
frequently targets military positions inside Syria, especially those of the
resistance movement Hezbollah which has played a key role in helping the Syrian
army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.
The
Arab country has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The
Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies
are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.
Israel
mostly keeps quiet about the attacks on Syrian territories which many view as
knee-jerk reaction to Syrian government’s increasing success in confronting
terrorism in country.
The
Tel Aviv regime has been a main supporter of terrorist groups that have opposed
the government of President Bashar al-Assad since militancy erupted in Syria
nine years ago.
Syrian
government forces have taken back many areas once controlled by the terrorist
groups.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/13/642896/Syria-SANA-Israeli-regime-airstrikes-Bukamal-
--------
Kuwait’s
cabinet members resign en masse
12
January 2021
Kuwaiti
ministers have resigned en masse after the parliament moved to question Prime
Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid Al Sabah over the makeup of his cabinet.
The
government communications office (CGC) said on Tuesday that the government had
submitted its resignation “in light of developments in the relationship between
the National Assembly and the government.”
“Today,
his Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad Al Sabah, prime minister, received at
the Seif Palace His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense
Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al Sabah… where he raised to his Highness the
resignation of all of cabinet’s members,” the CGC announced in an Arabic tweet.
Sabah,
who has been premier since late 2019, must submit the resignations to the
country’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed Al Sabah, for approval.
Earlier
this month, three Kuwaiti lawmakers put forward the motion to question the
prime minister. Sabah was expected to be questioned at a parliamentary session
on January 19.
Over
30 other lawmakers backed the motion to question the premier on issues such as
forming a cabinet “not reflective” of poll results and allegations of
government “interference” in electing the speaker and members of parliamentary
committees, Reuters reported.
Sabah
was first appointed as premier on November 19, 2019, after the resignation of
his predecessor Jaber al-Mubarak al-Hamad Al Sabah. He was reappointed as prime
minister on December 8, 2020, following general elections that saw the
opposition win almost half of the parliament’s seats.
Sheikh
Nawaf al-Ahmed Al Sabah was sworn in as the new emir of Kuwait on September 30
after Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah passed away at the age of 91.
Members
of the al Sabah ruling family retain full control over key government and
executive posts in the Arab country. They have been in power for the past 250
years.
Under
the Kuwaiti constitution, the emir has the final say in state matters and can
dissolve the parliament at the recommendation of the government.
The
prime minister traditionally helps navigate the often tense relationship
between the government and the parliament in Kuwait.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642874/Kuwait%E2%80%99s-cabinet-members-resign-en-masse
--------
Mideast
Israelis
protest outside of PM Netanyahu’s home amid corruption trial
13
January 2021
Dozens
of Israeli protesters carrying lit torches, megaphones and flags gathered at
dawn Wednesday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence
to highlight his corruption trial, which is set to resume next month.
Police
said at least seven demonstrators were arrested for disorderly conduct. The
demonstration was organized by Crime Minister, one of several groups that have
sprung up in recent months calling for Netanyahu to resign over the trial and his
government’s handling of the coronavirus.
The
protesters read the indictment outside his residence. He was supposed to appear
in court Wednesday, but the hearing was postponed to Feb. 8 because of a
coronavirus lockdown that heavily restricts public gatherings.
For
months, protesters have held weekly demonstrations outside the prime minister’s
office and at major road intersections and bridges across the country.
Netanyahu
was indicted last year on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust linked
to three corruption cases. He has denied any wrongdoing and accuses the media,
law enforcement and judicial officials of waging a “witch hunt” against him.
Netanyahu
is once again fighting for re-election ahead of a nationwide vote in March —
the fourth to be held in Israel in less than two years. Polls show his Likud
party winning the most seats but being unable to form a coalition government
because of rivalries with other right-wing leaders.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/13/Israelis-protest-outside-of-PM-Netanyahu-s-home-amid-corruption-trial
--------
Iran:
Pompeo’s claims of al-Qaeda ties preposterous, shows failure of pressure policy
13
January 2021
Iran
says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s latest “preposterous” accusations against
the Islamic Republic are part of the Trump administration’s “failed policy of
Iran-bashing” and show the lame-duck diplomat’s “hysterical” anger at his
failure.
Alireza
Miryousefi, a spokesperson for the Iranian permanent mission to the United Nations,
told Newsweek that Pompeo’s claims about Tehran’s links to al-Qaeda terrorist
group were part of last-ditch attempts by President Donald Trump’s
administration to further vilify the Islamic Republic before a transition of
power.
“These
preposterous, false accusations are nothing new, and only reinforce the fact
that the Trump administration is desperately continuing their failed policy of
Iran-bashing,” Miryousefi said shortly after Pompeo’s rant against Iran on
Tuesday.
Pompeo
used his last days in office to accuse Iran, without any evidence, of being the
al-Qaeda terrorist group’s “new home base,” and said the claims were part of,
what he called, publicizing “declassified US intelligence.”
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry denounced the accusations as “baseless,” saying the
claims show Washington’s frustration and the failure of its so-called maximum
pressure campaign against Iran.
Miryousefi
said Iran was, in fact, a bulwark against such organizations, which Tehran has
also fought in countries like Iraq and Syria.
It
is the US and its partners who are responsible for the conditions that allowed
such groups to thrive in the region, the Iranian diplomat added.
“It
is a well-known fact that Iran was and is the extremist terror groups’ most
hated enemy and that the founder of al-Qaeda and many of its followers hail
from what is the US’ close ally in the Middle East,” Miryousefi said. “Needless
to say, US officials have repeatedly acknowledged their role in creating
extremist groups in the region, including al-Qaeda.”
Pompeo
vents his anger with tweet spree
Shortly
after his anti-Iran speech, the US secretary of state further vented his
outrage by posting at least 16 anti-Iran tweets, in which he leveled more
accusations against the Islamic Republic.
In
these tweets, which he posted in less than 10 hours, Pompeo rehashed earlier
claims about “advocating for the Iranian people”, but made no mention of the
devastating impact of Washington’s “maximum pressure” on ordinary people.
He
also alleged that the world is “awakening to the threat posed” by Iran thanks
to his State Department’s “clear-eyed and aggressive” diplomacy.
Pompeo
also boasted about the impact of sanctions, saying the US has deprived Iran of
$70 billion in assets and revenues by blacklisting “1,500 individuals and
entities.”
While
Pompeo was posting the anti-Iran tweets, the US Treasury imposed even further
sanctions on five people it tied to Iran, labeling them each as a Specially
Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
Iran
to Pompeo: Be angry and die of this anger
The
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Pompeo’s tweets are the result of his
“hysterical anger” at the end of his embarrassing term in office as US
Secretary of State as well as his anger caused by the failure of Washington’s
maximum pressure policy against Iran.
“As
martyr Beheshti [former Iranian Judiciary chief] aptly put it, Mr. Pompeo! Be
angry and die of this anger,” Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/13/642903/Iran-US-accusations-Pompeo
--------
Iran’s
FM: 9/11 Caused by Pro-Pompeo Terrorists
2021-January-13
"All
the terrorists involved in 9/11 event were from Mike Pompeo’s favorite
countries in West Asia, and none from Iran,” Zarif wrote on his Twitter page on
Tuesday.
Zarif
added that the US warmongering government is engaged in branding others as
terrorists and taking famous terrorist groups out of their
classifications.
From
designating Cuba to fictitious Iran "declassifications” and AQ claims, Mr.
“we lie, cheat, steal" is pathetically ending his disastrous career with
more warmongering lies.
No
one is fooled. All 9/11 terrorists came from @SecPompeo's favorite ME
destinations; NONE from Iran.
—
Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 12, 2021
On
Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Al Qaeda’s new base of
operations is inside Iran, however, he offered no underlying intelligence as
evidence and his conclusions were contradicted by other American officials.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991024000203/Iran%E2%80%99s-FM-9-Cased-by-Pr-Pmpe-Terrriss
--------
Lawyer:
Assassinated Nuclear Scientists' Families Suing US to Receive $100mln in
Compensation
2021-January-13
"More
than 15 Iranian lawyers and attorneys are cooperating on the case that was
opened and registered in a court of law in Tehran on Sunday," Somayyeh
Afzali Nikoo said.
The
case, as she said, is against Israel and the US government and the US
presidents in the case of the assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientists,
as well as other American officials, including the US treasury and the US State
Department who are financing the Zionist regime.
"Committing
criminal acts against the innocent people for any reason is a terrorist act and
can be prosecuted," Afzali Nikoo pointed out.
"On
the way to impede the improvement of our scientists, these assassinations cause
terror among the nation," she said, adding, "These assassinations are
planned and targeted actions that affect a wide range of people around the
world."
Referring
to the fact that the US government is a member of 19 counterterrorism
conventions, Afzali Nikoo said the US is required not only to combat terrorism
but also to prevent it.
Early
in 2018, the Israeli sources had acknowledged that Mossad had tried to
assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist, but its operation failed.
According
to Fars News Agency, Mossad had gained access to Iran's prominent nuclear
scientist Fakhrizadeh's name via a UN list which referred to him as a senior
scientist of Iran's Defense Ministry's Physics Research Center.
After
the terrorist attack on Friday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami underlined that assassination of
Fakhrizadeh may not undermine Iranians' resolve, and said revenge for the
terror attack is already on the country's agenda.
General
Salami extended condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, martyr Fakhrizadeh's family, and the Iranian
nation over the martyrdom of Head of the Research and Innovation Organization
of Iran's Defense Ministry, Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated in an
organized and pre-planned terrorist attack by the child-killing Israeli regime.
"The
enemies of the Iranian nation, specially the masterminds, perpetrators and
supporters of this crime, should also know that such crimes will not undermine
the resolve of the Iranians to continue this glorious and power-generating
path, and harsh revenge and punishment is on agenda for them," the IRGC
chief commander stressed.
Also,
Ayatollah Khamenei in a message condemned assassination of Fakhrizadeh,
ordering officials to take action to punish the masterminds and perpetrators of
the terror attack.
“Mr.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent nuclear and defense scientist of the country,
was martyred by criminal and cruel mercenaries. The unique scientific figure
gave his dear and precious soul in the way of God for his great and lasting
scientific efforts, and the high position of martyrdom is his divine reward,”
Ayatollah Khamenei said in his message on Saturday.
“Two
important issues should be seriously put on the agenda by all relevant
officials; first, probing the crime and the definite punishment of those who
perpetrated and ordered it; and second, pursuing and continuing the martyr's
scientific and technical efforts in all the sectors in which he was engaged,”
he added.
Ayatollah
Khamenei also extended his condolences to martyr Fakhrizadeh’s family, students
and the scientific society of the country, wishing him the highest position
before God.
President
Rouhani had on Saturday condemned assassination of Fakhrizadeh, vowing
retaliation for the criminal act.
“All
think-tanks and enemies of Iran should know well that the Iranian nation and
officials are too brave and too couragous to leave this criminal act
unanswered,” Rouhani said, addressing a meeting of the national coronavirus
campaign headquarters in Tehran.
“The
relevant officials will give a response to their crime in due time, and in
addition, the Iranian nation is too wise and too smart to fall into the trap of
the Zionists’ plot,” he added.
President
Rouhani said that it seems some parties are after stirring chaos but “they
should know that we are aware of their plots and they will not succeed in
attaining their malicious goals”.
“The
Zionist regime and those standing against Iran should know that the path of the
country’s development and research will be paved rapidly” and a large number of
other Iranian scientists like Fakhrizadeh will emerge to help, he added.
Iranian
nuclear scientists have been the target of the western and Israeli spy
agencies' assassination attempts in recent years.
In
June 2012, Iran announced that its intelligence forces had identified and
arrested all terrorist elements behind the assassination of the country's
nuclear scientists.
"All
the elements involved in the assassinations of the country's nuclear scientists
have been identified and arrested," Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced
in a statement.
"A
number of countries, whose territories and facilities had been misused by the
Mossad-backed terrorist teams, have provided the Iranian officials with
relevant information," the statement added.
"Over
the course of the investigations, all other elements behind the assassinations
of the Iranian scientists Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari and Mostafa
Ahmadi Roshan as well as Reza Qashqaei (Roshan's driver) have been
apprehended," the statement read.
"Some
of the perpetrators of the assassination of Dr. Fereidoun Abbasi, the current
head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, are among those arrested," the
ministry added.
According
to the statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry had detected some of Mossad's
bases within the territories of one of Iran's Western neighbors, which provided
training and logistical support to the terrorist networks.
In
the fifth attack of its kind in two years, terrorists killed a 32-year-old
Iranian scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and his driver on January 11, 2012.
The
blast took place on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Iranian
university professor and nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, who was also
assassinated in a terrorist bomb attack in Tehran in January 2010.
The
assassination method used in the bombing was similar to the 2010 terrorist bomb
attacks against the then university professor, Fereidoun Abbassi Davani – who
became the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization - and his colleague Majid
Shahriari. While Abbasi Davani survived the attack, Shahriari was martyred.
Another
Iranian scientist, Dariush Rezaeinejad, was also assassinated through the same
method on 23 July 2011.
In
a relevant development in January, 2015, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) announced that it had thwarted an attempt by the Israeli intelligence
forces to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist.
“In
the last two years, the Zionist enemy (Israel) was trying hard to assassinate
an Iranian nuclear scientist, but the timely presence of the IRGC security
forces thwarted the terrorist operation,” Deputy Chief Liaison Officer of
Flight Guards Corps Colonel Ya’qoub Baqeri told FNA in 2015.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991023000735/Lawyer-Assassinaed-Nclear-Scieniss'-Families-Sing-US-Receive-$00mln
--------
840
Academics Ask IRGC Aerospace Commander to Target Any Intruding US Army B-52s
2021-January-12
A
sum of 840 university professors in the fields of soft power and soft war, in a
letter to Brigadier General Hajizadeh, urged him to shoot down any hostile
warplane and warship, especially the American B-52s, as soon as they are
detected in the territorial waters and skies of Iran.
The
top academics addressed the top General as the 'Conquerer of Ein Al-Assad' in
their letter, implying the last year IRGC Aerospace Force's missile strikes on
the US Airbase in Southwestern Iraq that came in reprisal for the US
assassination of Iran's top Anti-terror Commander Lieutenant General Qassem
Soleimani who commanded the IRGC Qods Force.
The
academicians pointed to the United States' empty awe and power which has been
magnified by the Western, Zionist and Arab media outlets, and asked General
Hajizadeh to shatter this unreal and fabricated image.
On
Thursday December 10, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) had said that two B-52
bombers had been flown nonstop from Louisiana to the region as on an alleged
short-notice mission.
In
2019, the IRGC shot down a US Navy’s Northrop Grumman MQ4-C Triton drone that
had entered Iranian airspace in the Gulf of Oman to gather intelligence, using
Sevvom Khordad (Khordad 3) indigenous surface-to-air missile system.
The
United States had confirmed that one of its reconnaissance planes was shot down
by Iranian air defenses, but denied that it intruded into Tehran’s airspace at
the time.
Commander
of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said at the
time that his forces could have also shot down a US P8 aircraft with 35 on
board which was violating Iran’s airspace, but decided to shoot down the drone
to only send a message to Washington.
“We
intended to send a message to American terrorists in the region,” Brigadier
General Hajizadeh said on June 21, 2019, adding that his forces had also traced
a military P8 aircraft violating the airspace of Iran.
“Along
with the American drone was an American P8 aircraft with 35 on board, and it
was also violating our airspace and we could have downed it too,” he said,
adding, “But we did not do (shoot down) it, because our aim was to warn the
terrorist forces of the US.”
General
Hajizadeh also stressed on June 22, 2019, that Iran was not after war but was
fully ready to defend itself, adding that the fate of the downed US spy drone
was waiting for any intruding flying object.
“Our
response to anything trespassing Iranian territory is like this, and if such
acts of aggression are repeated, our response will also be the same,"
General Hajizadeh said.
“We
don’t embrace war but we are ready to fully defend the country,” he said.
"We
possess a collection of US drones which is a proof that US has violated Iran’s
airspace and shows that they don’t want to respect the international law,”
General Hajizadeh said.
“If
such an aggression is repeated, we will add other US (military) products to
complete this collection,” he noted.
“The
US measure was in violation of international law and we acted according to our
legitimate responsibility,” General Hajizadeh said, adding, “It is possible
that a US general or some operators were behind this American aggression, we
don’t know that. But that measure (intruding into Iranian airspace) is a
violation of international aviation rules by a spy drone which then received our
natural response."
Meantime,
IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami stressed that the move should alert
Washington officials to stay away.
The
incident sent "a clear message" to the US and other enemies that Iran
will show a firm and crushing response to any aggression, he stated.
"Borders
are our red lines and any enemy which violates them will not go back home and
will be annihilated. The only way for enemies is to respect Iran's territorial
integrity and national interests," the major general noted.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991023000715/40-Academics-Ask-IRGC-Aerspace-Cmmander-Targe-Any-Inrding-US-Army-B
--------
Ex-US
Envoy to Yemen: Designation of Houthi Ansarullah as Terrorist Group 'A Big
Mistake'
2021-January-12
The
US administration will designate Yemen's Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist
organization in a move that diplomats, members of Congress and international
aid groups fear could further inflame the situation on the ground, upend UN
peace talks, and likely to severely worsen the war-torn country’s humanitarian
crisis.
"It's
a big mistake," Feierstein told CNN on Monday.
"It
mostly is a problem for the US government more than for the Houthis," the
former envoy added.
"The
Houthis will be more or less unaffected by this. Obviously, Iran doesn't care
whether we designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization or not," he
said.
"But
it does make it much more complicated for the US government to play a positive
role in helping to resolve the conflict," he continued.
In
a statement released just before midnight Sunday, Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo said that the State Department would notify Congress of its intent to
designate the group as a foreign terrorist organization as well as a Specially
Designated Global Terrorist entity. Pompeo added he also intends to designate
three of the group's leaders --- Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr
al-Din al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al Hakim --- as specially designated global
terrorists.
The
Houthis responded to the announcement by denouncing the US administration and
its behavior as “terrorist”. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Yemen's
Supreme Political Council, stated they “reserve the right to respond to any
designation” issued by Washington.
Lawmakers
in the United States have also called on President-elect Joe Biden to overturn
the Trump administration’s decision to label the movement a “foreign terrorist
organization”, slamming it as “short-sighted” and “a death sentence” for
millions of people already reeling from years of war.
In
recent months, the Trump administration was facing mounting calls to abandon
threats to sanction Houthi to avoid an imminent danger of extreme famine in the
country, where almost two-thirds of the population are in need of food aid.
Senior
UN officials and NGOs had stressed the move would complicate the delivery of
essential aid in large parts of the poor country
The
United Nations warned in December that the number of people facing catastrophic
food insecurity could triple in the first six months of 2021, and the
opportunity to prevent famine in Yemen "is slipping away with every day
that passes".
Saudi
Arabia has been leading a war on Yemen since March 2015. The war, which the UN
calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has claimed the lives of hundreds
of thousands of people in the impoverished Arab country over the last six
years.
The
US and a number of European countries are major suppliers of weapons to the
Riyadh-led coalition, and observers say Washington's recent move is aimed at
justifying any form of aggression against Yemen and paving the way for further
attacks by Saudi-led coalition on the impoverished nation.
As
admitted even by former US military officials, the Houthi Ansarullah Movement
has so far been the only force fighting against the Al-Qaeda in Yemen, known as
the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), while the Saudi and UAE armies
have stood in alliance with the AQAP in parts of the country in support of the
illegal government of Mansour Hadi.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991023000704/Ex-US-Envy-Yemen-Designain-f-Hhi-Ansarllah-as-Terrris-Grp-'A-Big
--------
Erdogan
hopes new Turkey-Greece talks will herald new era
12
January 2021
President
Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he hoped the resumption of talks between Turkey
and Greece over maritime disputes would herald a new era, and he urged Athens
not to escalate tensions in the region.
NATO
members Ankara and Athens announced on Monday they had agreed to resume on Jan.
25 long-suspended exploratory talks over disputed offshore rights in the
Mediterranean, which brought them close to conflict last year.
Turkey
angered Greece and the European Union last year when it deployed a seismic
survey vessel to waters also claimed by Athens. The ship has returned to shore
but the NATO members still disagree over continental shelves and rights to
resources.
The
new round of talks are set for Istanbul later this month.
“We
must stop the Mediterranean from being an area for competition and turn into
waters that will serve our long-term interests,” Erdogan told EU ambassadors in
Ankara.
“We
urge Greece to refrain from actions that will escalate tensions. I believe the
exploratory talks with Greece that will start on Jan. 25 will herald a new
era,” he said.
Ankara
and Athens held 60 rounds of talks from 2002 to 2016, but plans last year for a
resumption foundered over the survey vessel and disagreements over topics to be
covered.
Last
year, the EU threatened potential sanctions on Ankara over the dispute but has
postponed any measures to March. Turkey has in recent weeks repeatedly called
for better ties with the bloc.
Erdogan
also said he would host EU Council President Charles Michel and European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turkey at the end of January,
adding that he had offered to show von der Leyen the housing units built in
northwest Syria’s Idlib region for displaced people.
He
said the EU had offered to build a portion of the houses during clashes last
year between Russia-backed Syrian government forces and Turkey, but that the
bloc had not kept its promise.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/12/Erdogan-hopes-new-Turkey-Greece-talks-will-herald-new-era
--------
Israel’s
PM Netanyahu removes joint photo with Trump from his Twitter banner
12
January 2021
Israeli
Prime Benjamin Netanyahu dropped US President Donald Trump from the banner
photo of his Twitter account on Tuesday in an apparent break with a political
ally facing possible impeachment.
A
photo of Netanyahu sitting next to Trump at a White House meeting had long
taken pride of place on the official @netanyahu account, testimony to the
conservative Israeli leader’s close ties with the Republican president and his
popularity in Israel.
Early
on Tuesday, another photo, showing Netanyahu being injected with the
coronavirus vaccine, topped the page, along with the slogan for Israel’s
inoculation campaign: “Citizens of Israel, we are returning to life.”
The
photo was briefly replaced with a Hanukkah holiday-themed image last month,
raising media speculation that Netanyahu had decided to distance himself from
Trump.
But
when the eight-day Jewish festival was over, Trump reappeared - although no
longer alone with Netanyahu in a photo.
Instead,
Netanyahu posted a banner image of himself with the president and the foreign
ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signing an agreement at the
White House in September on normalizing ties with Israel.
No
explanation was given on Netanyahu’s site for Trump’s disappearance, a day
before the US House of Representatives was expected to begin considering his
second impeachment on after last week’s storming of the Capitol.
Trump’s
own account was permanently suspended by Twitter on Friday due to what the
social media giant described as the risk of further incitement to violence.
In
televised remarks on Thursday, Netanyahu called the events at the Capitol a
“rampage” and said he was certain American democracy would prevail.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/12/Israel-s-PM-Netanyahu-removes-joint-photo-with-Trump-from-his-Twitter-banner
--------
Palestinian
refugees in Gaza protest UNRWA cuts
12
January 2021
Ashraf
Shannon
Palestinian
refugees in the Gaza Strip have slammed UN cuts to aid and services provided to
them. The majority of Gazans are refugees who were kicked out of their towns
and villages upon the establishment of Israeli regime in 1948.
Palestinian
refugees demonstrated in the Gaza Strip against UNRWA, the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees.
They
protested the agency’s cuts to vital services, aid and employment. The UN
agency provides education, health and welfare services to millions of
Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem al-Quds , the Gaza
Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. More than 1.3 million Palestinian refugees
live in the Gaza Strip and rely on UNRWA aid to survive.
UNRWA
is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly decades ago and
mandated to provide assistance to Palestine refugees. According to UNRWA there are
over five million registered Palestinian refugees.
The
Israeli regime has been campaigning to defund the UN agency in an attempt to
end the refugees’ right of return. The crisis worsened after US president
Donald Trump decided to cancel funding to UNRWA in 2018.
The
crisis of Palestinian refugees began in 1948 upon the creation of the Israeli
regime on occupied Palestinian land.
Palestinian
refugees say that UNRWA cuts will only increase their suffering after more than
seven decades of displacement.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642887/Palestinian-refugees-Gaza-UNRWA
--------
Europe
EU
slams US blacklisting of Yemen’s Houthis, warns of aid delivery disruption
12
January 2021
The
European Union has censured a US decision to blacklist Yemen’s Houthi
Ansarullah movement, warning that the move could hinder aid deliveries to the
war-torn country.
Josep
Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, criticized on Tuesday the US decision to
label the popular Yemeni movement as a foreign “terrorist” organization and
said the designation "risks rendering UN-led efforts to reach a
comprehensive solution to the Yemen conflict more difficult.”
Borrell
added that the US move would complicate the necessary diplomatic engagement
with Houthi Ansarullah movement in Yemen
as well as the work of the international community on political, humanitarian
and developmental matters.
"The
designation is likely to have disruptive effects on the delivery of
humanitarian aid funded by the international community and further aggravate the
economic crisis which has resulted from over five years of conflict," the
EU’s top diplomat underlined.
US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said he intends to designate the
Houthi movement as a foreign “terrorist” group, and that the move will come
into effect on January 19 — one day before the inauguration of President-elect
Joe Biden, whose aides have hoped to mount a fresh push to end Yemen’s
devastating six-year war.
Washington’s
decision has drawn criticism from the United Nations and aid groups as well as
lawmakers inside the United States. Under US law, Congress has seven days to
review and reject a designation of a terrorist group.
Yemen’s
Ansarullah movement has also condemned the move, saying it reserves the right
to respond.
Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — a key party to the Riyadh-led coalition
waging the war on Yemen — have welcomed the US administration’s decision to
blacklist Yemen’s Ansarullah movement.
Saudi
Arabia has been leading a war on Yemen since March 2015, in hopes of
reinstating former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and destroying the Houthi
movement.
The
war, which the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has claimed the
lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the impoverished Arab country over
the last six years.
The
United States and a number of European countries are major suppliers of weapons
to the Saudi-led coalition.
The
Houthi Ansarullah movement, backed by armed forces, has been defending Yemen
against the Saudi-led alliance, preventing the aggressors from fulfilling the
objectives of the atrocious war.
Diplomats
and aid groups worry the US designation of Ansarullah could threaten peace
talks and complicate efforts to combat the world’s largest humanitarian crisis
caused by the Saudi-led coalition’s aggression against the Yemeni nation.
In
November, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Yemen was in “imminent
danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades,” warning against any
unilateral moves as the United States threatened to blacklist the Houthis.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/12/642890/EU-Josep-Borrell-Yemen-Houthi-Ansarullah-blacklist
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UK
to review export controls on goods from Xinjiang
Ahmet
Gurhan Kartal
12.01.2021
LONDON
The
UK on Tuesday said it would conduct an urgent review of export controls on
goods from China’s Xinjiang province, home to the Uighur minority community,
because of human rights violations there.
Speaking
at the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the government
would do everything in their capacity to make sure the UK is not receiving
goods from the region.
Focusing
on human rights abuse of Uighur Muslims, Raab said “internment camps, arbitrary
detention, political reeducation, forced labor, torture and forced sterilization"
were all occuring on an industrial scale.
Calling
the treatment of Uighurs “truly horrific barbarism", he warned China that
the UK will not support any form of human rights violations.
"The
Government will conduct an urgent review of export controls as they apply
specifically geographically to the situation in Xinjiang,” Raab said.
"This
is to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to prevent the export
of any goods that could directly or indirectly contribute to human rights violations
in the region.”
He
added: "This package put together will help make sure that no British
organisation, Government or private sector deliberately or inadvertently are
profiting from or contributing to human rights violations.
"The
overwhelming majority of British businesses would not dream of it, today’s new
regulations will penalise any reckless business that does not take those
regulations seriously."
Uighur
issue
China
has been widely accused of putting Uighurs into camps and there have been
reports of the forced sterilization of Uighur women.
Rights
groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW), accuse
Beijing of oppressing 12 million Uighurs in China, most of whom are Muslims.
A
2018 HRW report focused on what it said was a Chinese government campaign of
"mass arbitrary detention, torture, forced political indoctrination, and
mass surveillance of Xinjiang's Muslims."
Similarly,
Amnesty International has published reports on a "campaign of mass
internment, intrusive surveillance, political indoctrination and forced
cultural assimilation," saying that the "true scope and nature of
what is taking place in Xinjiang remains obscured".
Many
Uighurs – around 1 million to 1.6 million, according to the World Uyghur
Congress – have left China to live abroad.
China
has repeatedly denied allegations that it is operating detention camps in its
northwestern Xinjiang autonomous region, claiming instead that it is
"re-educating" Uighurs.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/uk-to-review-export-controls-on-goods-from-xinjiang/2107508
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'Turkey
is determined to press ahead on EU reforms'
Dilara
Hamit
12.01.2021
Turkey
is determined to press ahead on EU accession reforms, the country's foreign
minister told a group of diplomats from the bloc on Tuesday.
"We
are determined [to apply the] reform agenda," Mevlut Cavusoglu told the EU
member state ambassadors, meeting at the official Cankaya Palace in the capital
Ankara.
"The
EU should not hinder but give support to us," he added.
Saying
that the bloc and Turkey are tied closely, he explained: "Turkey is in
Europe, and Europe is part of our destiny. The same thing applies to
Europe."
Turkey,
an EU candidate country since 2005, plays a large role in the security of Syria
and Libya plus the Caucasus, Balkans, Middle East, and Black Sea regions, and
also has a key part in migration, energy, trade, supply chains, transportation,
communication, security, counter-terrorism, NATO, and defense, he stressed.
"All
these issues are vital for both the security and prosperity of Europe. If we
act together, we can make significant changes in all areas. As Turkey, we are
ready for this partnership," he said.
Unfortunately,
he said, the desired cooperation between Turkey and the EU had failed to
materialize over the years due to some bilateral issues that remained unsolved,
and this was also a loss for Europe.
Cavusoglu
said they have repeatedly urged the use of dialogue to solve these bilateral
issues, and in this process, they expect progress in concrete areas in
relations with the EU.
"Turkey
is dependent on the EU accession process. If we find a positive response from
the EU, we also show the necessary will," he said.
EU-Turkey
relations have experienced political difficulties over the past few years despite
their similarities, Cavusoglu said, adding that this trend had also continued
last year.
Cavusoglu
pointed out that the problems had emerged because some of the bloc's members
who had issues with Turkey transferred these issues to the union.
"They
tried to set the EU against Turkey," Cavusoglu said.
Referring
to a recent EU summit in October, Cavusoglu said the threatening language used
against Turkey there had been the final straw and that Ankara had responded
accordingly.
He
asserted that the events that followed the October summit had showed that
threatening language and escalation did not benefit anyone, noting that the EU
side had adopted more reasonable discourse at a later summit in December.
Cavusoglu
added that though there were parts of the EU's December declaration that they
did not approve of, many EU states acted sensibly because they were aware of
Turkey's importance.
"We
responded well to this outreach. The president [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] announced
a new beginning in relations with the EU. We said that we saw our future in the
EU and that we want to build this future together," he said.
Turkey's
2021 expectations of the EU
Ankara
has made clear its determination to introduce reforms, Cavusoglu said,
underlining that Turkey hoped that this year with the EU, they could step up
cooperation, as well as renew confidence and build win-win situations.
He
said Turkey had concrete expectations from the EU in 2021, including for talks
on updating the Customs Union, visa liberalization for Turkish nationals,
fulfilling the 2016 migration agreement, updating cooperation on migration,
initiating high-level dialogue, progressing in membership talks and cooperating
in security and counterterrorism.
Cavusoglu
noted that he would pay a visit to Brussels on Jan. 21, followed by a later
meeting with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias.
He
also added that work was ongoing for a roadmap to normalize and then advance
relations with France.
Despite
its EU candidate status, Turkey's progress towards accession has been stalled
for years.
After
a year of ups and downs, including a push by some EU member states to impose
sanctions on Turkey over bilateral issues, Turkish leaders have said they hope
for progress in ties with the bloc this year, and expect the EU to take steps
towards this end.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-is-determined-to-press-ahead-on-eu-reforms/2107157
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EU
extends security training mission in Mali until 2023
12.01.2021
The
Council of the European Union said Monday it has decided to extend the EU
Capacity Building Mission in Mali (EUCAP Sahel Mali) for training the country’s
security forces until Jan. 31, 2023.
On
the decision for the extension, the European Council said it has allocated the
mission a budget of more than €89 million (US$108 million) for the period from
Jan. 15, 2021 to Jan. 31, 2023.
The
Council has also decided “to adjust the mission's mandate […] by supporting a
gradual redeployment of Mali's civilian administrative authorities to the
center of Mali,” according to the council’s statement.
It
also announced that the objectives of the Regional Advisory and Coordination
Cell have been adapted to enhance “the cooperation and coordination between G5
Sahel structures and G5 Sahel countries and the regionalization of CSDP [European
Union Common Security and Defense Policy] action.”
The
Bamako-based EUCAP Sahel Mali is an EU "civilian mission" which was
launched in January 2015 within the CSDP after an official invitation by Mali’s
government at the time seeking the EU’s support for its internal security
forces in reasserting the government's authority over the whole of the country
when the 'Northern Mali Crisis' had left large parts of Mali under the control
of various armed factions, according to the European Council.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-extends-security-training-mission-in-mali-until-2023/2106607
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Turkey,
Greece to hold exploratory talks in Istanbul
Faruk
Zorlu
11.01.2021
Exploratory
talks between Turkey and Greece will restart in Istanbul two weeks from today,
Turkey has announced.
"The
61st round of the Exploratory Talks will take place in Istanbul on 25 January
2021," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.
Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier Monday that Turkey was inviting Greece
to attend new talks hosted on Turkish soil.
The
60th round of talks, the last of the exploratory talks initiated between the
two countries in 2002, took place in Athens in March 2016.
Afterward,
bilateral negotiations continued in the form of political consultations but did
not return to an exploratory framework.
The
issue of energy rights and maritime boundaries are certain to loom large in any
Turkish-Greek talks.
Turkey,
which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has
rejected the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot
administration in the region, stressing that these excessive claims violate the
sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
Ankara
last year sent several drillships to explore for energy on its continental
shelf, asserting its own rights in the region, as well as those of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Turkish
leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving all
outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly
relations, dialogue, and negotiation.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-greece-to-hold-exploratory-talks-in-istanbul/2106451
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Halt
evictions edict on Palestinian families: UN expert
Peter
Kenny
11.01.2021
GENEVA
A
UN expert on Monday called on Israel to reverse eviction orders for Palestinian
families living in occupied East Jerusalem, saying they are part of an
“alarming pattern” to change the city's demography.
"These
evictions are extremely alarming and appear part of a broader pattern of
forcing Jerusalemite Palestinian families from their homes to clear the way for
more illegal Israeli settlements," said Michael Lynk, UN special
rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territory.
"Time
is running short for these orders to be reversed."
The
UN rapporteur's office noted that Israeli courts have upheld eviction orders to
force 16 Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan
neighborhoods over the last few months.
They
include several extended families and two women raising children alone.
In
most cases, the Palestinian families have lived in their homes for decades as
owners or long-term tenants.
Wider
plan
"The
eviction orders are not random but appear to be strategically focused on an
area in East Jerusalem known as the Historic Basin," Lynk said.
"They
seem to be aimed at clearing the way for the establishment of more illegal
Israeli settlements in the area and physically segregating and fragmenting East
Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank."
With
the increase in evictions, home demolitions, and settlement expansion, historic
Palestinian neighborhoods such as Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan are either gradually
disappearing or are becoming surrounded and isolated by Israeli settlements,
said the UN expert.
Applications
by settler organizations for evictions have intensified, he said, citing
reports by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that 877
people, including 391 children, are presently at risk of forced evictions
because of such lawsuits.
Evictions
in East Jerusalem have already affected hundreds of Palestinian families,
especially in the Old City areas, Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan said in the report.
The
most recent litigation has been initiated by settler organizations seeking to
enforce provisions of an Israeli law, which allows Israeli Jews to start claims
in East Jerusalem for properties that may have been owned by Jewish families
before 1948.
Israeli
law does not allow Palestinians to make similar claims for appropriated
family-owned property in Israel.
The
two Israeli organizations that have brought many of the eviction lawsuits,
Nahalat Shimon and Ateret Cohanim, function as land ownership companies and
settler associations.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/halt-evictions-edict-on-palestinian-families-un-expert/2106358
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Former
Al-Qaeda spokesman living in £1m house in London: Report
January
11, 2021
LONDON:
A former spokesman for Al-Qaeda who worked closely with the group’s late leader
Osama bin Laden is now living freely in London after being released early from
a US jail due to the high COVID-19 risk posed by his weight and asthma,
Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported on Monday.
Egyptian
national Adel Abdel Bary, 60, was jailed in the US for 25 years over the 1998
attacks on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people.
He
was released three years early and returned to the UK after it was deemed that
his obesity and asthma put him at high risk from COVID-19.
Abdel
Bary and his family are now living in a £1 million ($1.3 million) house paid
for by the local council in Maida Vale, northwest London, the Daily Mail
reported.
The
newspaper added that he had been spotted walking around the local area and looked
to be in good health, despite his lawyers citing his ill health as an
“extraordinary and compelling” reason for “compassionate” early release.
The
lawyer for the father of six has claimed that Abdel Bary wants to live a quiet
life with his family now that he has finished his sentence.
But
Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper reported that his activity is likely to be
closely scrutinized by the state for a number of years, and security measures
will have to be put in place for his safety.
Abdel
Bary was granted asylum from Egypt in Britain in 1991, and soon after he
arrived he established a terrorist cell that later merged with Al-Qaeda.
He
was arrested in 1999 for transmitting Al-Qaeda’s claims of responsibility for
the 1998 embassy bombings to the media, and was later extradited to the US,
where he faced trial.
He
was charged with 285 offenses by an American court but pleaded guilty to just a
handful, including threatening to kill by means of explosive and conspiracy to
murder US citizens abroad.
The
judge overseeing his case said the 25-year sentence was the result of an
“enormously generous plea bargain.”
Abdel
Bary is the father of convicted Daesh terrorist Abdel-Majed Abdel, who was
arrested in Spain after traveling to Syria, where he posed with the severed
head of a government soldier. Abdel has been stripped of his British
citizenship for fighting for the terrorist group.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1790826/world
--------
URL:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism