UK ‘To Ban’ China Imports Linked To Uighur Camps: Reports
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 January 2021
In this September. 21, 2018, photo, Uighur women use
carts to transport cement for home renovations at the Unity New Village in
Hotan, in western China''s Xinjiang region [Andy Wong/AP]
-----
• Nargis Mohammad Hasan Killed an American in 2012;
Why Was She Freed in the Taliban Deal?
• Pak Sikhs To Challenge Sentence Given To Nankana
Sahib Assaulters
• Saudi Arabia Amends Anti-Harassment Law, To Name And
Shame Offenders
• ‘Hezbollah boosted missile power as Israel
intensified aggression in Syria’
• Iranian Official: Saudis Better Trust Iran Instead
Of Acting As The Killing Machine Of The Zionist Regime
• 46 Killed In Suspected Daesh-Related Attack In
Eastern DR Congo
• Dozens Of People On FBI Terrorist Watch List Came To
D.C. The Day Of Capitol Riot
Europe
• UK ‘To Ban’ China Imports Linked To Uighur Camps:
Reports
• Greece arrests suspected Syrian extremist wanted in
the Netherlands
--------
South Asia
• Nargis Mohammad Hasan Killed an American in 2012;
Why Was She Freed in the Taliban Deal?
• 13 Police Officials Killed By Taliban In
Afghanistan's Herat
• 12 pro-govt militiamen killed by Taliban in
Afghanistan insider attack
• Roadside bomb kills two policemen in Afghanistan:
Officials
• Taliban kills at least nine Afghan security
personnel: Officials
------
Pakistan
• Pak Sikhs To Challenge Sentence Given To Nankana
Sahib Assaulters
• FM terms UK debate on IIOJK diplomatic win for
Pakistan
• NAB summons UAE firm’s MD in Khawaja Asif case
• BBC ends Sairbeen broadcast on Aaj TV alleging
interference
• Pakistan reaffirms support for Afghan peace process
• Sindh Assembly makes manufacture, sale of ice drug
capital offence
-----
Arab World
• Saudi Arabia Amends Anti-Harassment Law, To Name And
Shame Offenders
• ‘Hezbollah boosted missile power as Israel
intensified aggression in Syria’
• EU adds Syria’s foreign minister to sanctions
blacklist
• Coronavirus: Lebanon’s parliament approves law on
COVID-19 vaccines
• Syrian-Russian businessmen with ties to Assad regime
linked to Beirut blast: Report
• Israel frees Lebanese shepherd detained in border
area: UN
• Bahrainis protest appointment of Israeli chargé
d'affaires to Bahrain
• Hamas will support Syria as it confronts Israeli
regime, senior leader says
--------
Mideast
• Iranian Official: Saudis Better Trust Iran Instead
Of Acting As The Killing Machine Of The Zionist Regime
• Israel ‘Systematically Repressed’ Palestinians In
2020: HRW
• FM Zarif: Earth to See Better Days without Trump
Team
• 1st Phase of Great Prophet 15 Drills Starts with
Ballistic Missiles Mass Firing
• Turkey’s Erdogan hopes for positive steps on F-35
jet program during Biden’s term
• Palestinians to hold first elections in 15 years,
presidential vote on July 31
• Yemenis protest US blacklisting of Houthis
• Israeli forces injure Palestinian protesters in
occupied West Bank
--------
Africa
• 46 Killed In Suspected Daesh-Related Attack In
Eastern DR Congo
• Ethiopian refugee children at risk of exploitation,
trafficking in Sudan
• Trump receives Morocco’s highest award for Middle
East peace efforts: Official
• Clashes in Tunisia after police beat shepherd, spark
anger
• Tunisian protesters, security forces clash after
police beating of shepherd
--------
North America
• Dozens Of People On FBI Terrorist Watch List Came To
D.C. The Day Of Capitol Riot
• Pentagon Increasing Efforts To Stamp Out Extremism
Among Active-Duty Troops And Veterans
• US will impose sanctions on Iran over conventional
arms, metals industry: Sources
• US CENTCOM area of responsibility to include Israel
after warming of Arab ties
• US troops in Afghanistan at lowest level in 19
years: Trump
• Uzbek national sentenced to over 12 years for
helping aspiring ISIS fighter
--------
Southeast Asia
• With Emergency Ordinance In Malaysia, Law Experts
Say Democracy Suspended, Unlimited Power Lies With Cabinet
• Former Lord President Salleh Abas laid to rest in
Terengganu
• Indira Gandhi seeks IGP’s answers on ex-husband’s
probe in suit against PDRM
• Selangor Sultan, Tengku Permaisuri Selangor convey
condolences to family of Salleh Abas
• Social media influencers among priority vaccine
groups in Indonesia
--------
India
• Gujarat Too May Enact Law Against ‘Love Jihad’
• Muslim Groups Call For Bandh On Jan 22 Over
Bengaluru Riots Crackdown, Farmers' Protest And Love Jihad Law
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/uk-to-ban-china-imports/d/124087
--------
UK ‘To Ban’ China Imports Linked To Uighur Camps: Reports
11 Jan 2021
In this September. 21, 2018, photo, Uighur women use
carts to transport cement for home renovations at the Unity New Village in
Hotan, in western China''s Xinjiang region [Andy Wong/AP]
-----
Britain is set to announce plans outlawing the
importation of goods suspected of using forced labour in China’s Xinjiang
province, media reported on Monday, in a move which would further strain ties
between London and Beijing.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is expected to reveal
his plans, which are also set to include tougher laws on exporting goods or
technology that could be used for repression, to MPs this week, according to
The Sun and Guardian newspapers.
Britain and China’s relationship has grown
increasingly frosty over the last two years, particularly over London’s
criticism of the crackdown on democracy campaigners in Hong Kong and its offer
of citizenship for its residents.
Britain has also criticised the treatment of Uighur
Muslims in Xinjiang province, with the government calling evidence that they
are being forced to produce cotton “deeply troubling”. Beijing has denied
allegations of forced labour.
The British government is concerned that the textile
industry is not checking carefully enough whether goods from Xinjiang, which
supplies nearly a quarter of the world’s cotton, are made using forced labour.
Proposals could include fines if companies fail to
show due diligence in checking their supply chains, according to The Guardian.
But Raab’s plans are expected to stop short of
sanctioning Chinese officials linked to “re-education” camps and forced
sterilisation programmes, according to The Sun.
“Our approach to China is rooted in our values and
interests,” an official at the Foreign Office was quoted as saying.
“However, where we have concerns, we raise them and
hold China to account.”
‘Growing problem’
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith –
an outspoken China critic – told The Sun he welcomed the plans but said they
were insufficient to “deal with the growing problem we face with China”.
China’s outgoing ambassador in London, Liu Xiaoming,
last week said relations between the two countries “depend on whether the UK
sees China as a partner or a rival”, adding that the “ball is in the court of
the UK side”.
China denies forced labour is used in its cotton
industry, saying that the camps from where the pickers are drawn are “vocational
training schools” and that factories are part of a poverty alleviation scheme.
British retailer Marks and Spencer said last week it
would not use cotton from Xinjiang as concern grows in the fashion industry
about supply chains.
Two years ago, US firm Badger Sportswear announced it
would stop sourcing clothing from the Chinese apparel company Hetian Taida,
over concerns it was using forced labour from internment camps in Xinjiang.
Meanwhile last month, French footballer Antoine Griezmann
announced that he would “immediately terminate (his) partnership” with telecom
giant Huawei, citing “strong suspicions” that it was involved in the Chinese
authorities’ surveillance of the Uighur minority.
Uighurs are the principal ethnic group in Xinjiang, a
huge region of China that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to experts and human rights groups, at least
one million Uighurs have been imprisoned in recent years in political
re-education camps.
British MPs are increasingly turning their focus on
China, and a group of Conservative backbenchers, including Duncan-Smith, are
supporting calls for Britain not to strike bilateral trade deals should a
British court rule Beijing is guilty of genocide.
The government has resisted the calls, arguing that
international courts are the proper institutions for determining genocide.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/11/uk-to-ban-china-imports-linked-to-uighur-camps-reports
--------
Nargis Mohammad Hasan Killed an American in 2012; Why
Was She Freed in the Taliban Deal?
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Julian E. Barnes and Adam
Goldman
Jan. 15, 2021
A portrait of Nargis Mohammad Hasan hanging in her
home in 2012. Ms Hasan, an Iranian woman who served as an Afghan police
officer, has been in prison until this past fall. Mohammad Ismail/Reuters
------
KABUL, Afghanistan — Nargis Mohammad Hasan was serving
as an Afghan police officer when she shot and killed an American civilian
adviser on Dec. 24, 2012, in Afghanistan’s capital. It was considered the first
known attack by a woman in the Afghan security forces on a coalition member
since the U.S. invasion in 2001.
Ms. Hasan’s possible motives for the killing have
always been murky. Having emigrated from Iran, she was portrayed by internal
investigations and Afghan and U.S. officials as someone who was either mentally
unwell, or was an Iranian agent, or both — theories that were further clouded
by the Taliban’s decision last year to call for her release even though they
acknowledge that she was not a member.
Originally sentenced to death by Afghan courts, she
had remained in prison. Then this past summer, she was freed as part of the
United States’ peace deal with the Taliban after U.S. State Department
negotiators dismissed the F.B.I. and diplomats’ opposition to her release,
according to U.S. and Afghan officials.
As peace negotiations between the Afghan government
and the Taliban continue in Qatar, the internal debate in Washington over Ms.
Hasan’s fate illustrates one of the difficult decisions that efforts to end a
war can bring. To some officials, particularly those inside the F.B.I. and
other national security organizations, her release by the Afghan government,
under pressure from the Trump administration, was an affront to justice.
Other American officials, though they acknowledged
that her crime was egregious, saw Ms. Hasan as not being the kind of high-level
terrorist figure who could pose a future threat to Americans. So her release,
despite her conviction, became part of the price the United States was willing
to pay for the prospect of peace in Afghanistan.
The quiet acceptance of the release of people who
killed Americans over the course of the long war has been a byproduct of the
U.S. government’s push to accelerate its departure from Afghanistan.
Unclaimed attacks on U.S. bases in the country have
gone mostly unacknowledged by the American military, most likely in an effort
to prevent further scrutiny of the U.S.-Taliban deal made in February,
especially of the insurgent group’s compliance with one of the deal’s core
tenets: not attacking American or coalition forces as they depart.
Last month, a car bomb detonated at Camp Chapman, an
important C.I.A. base since the early days of the war, according to a U.S.
official. There were no American casualties, and several Afghans were wounded
and at least one was killed. News of the attack was earlier reported by Foreign
Policy.
Under Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. peace envoy, the
American government has been willing to take dramatic steps, even in the face
of opposition from the military and law enforcement, to extricate the United
States from its longest war and bring about some type of peace in Afghanistan.
In addition to the large-scale prisoner releases, the
Trump administration has pushed for a quick withdrawal of military forces in
the country, often over the objections of the Pentagon. The U.S. military has
drawn down to 2,500 troops, still stationed at roughly a dozen bases in the
country, despite opposition from U.S. lawmakers.
But as President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. prepares to
take office, a key question remains — whether he will keep Mr. Khalilzad in
place, or, push for a veteran diplomat of his own choosing. Mr. Biden has long
had a skeptical view of a sizable American presence in Afghanistan, but unlike
President Trump, he has also argued for a counterterrorism force in the
country.
The F.B.I., according to U.S. officials, placed Ms.
Hasan on a list of people who should not be released as part of the Feb. 29
deal between the United States and the Taliban, in which the U.S. agreed to
push the Afghan government to free 5,000 prisoners. Officials in Australia and
France also pushed, to no avail, for a small number of the 5,000 prisoners,
those who were convicted of killing their citizens, to remain locked up.
But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who oversaw the
negotiations and guided them based on his interpretation of what Mr. Trump
wanted, told foreign governments that “there was no alternative but to move
forward with the prisoner releases as the parties had agreed,” according to an
official who worked on the February agreement.
Internally, the State Department eventually overruled
the request to keep Ms. Hasan behind bars, as well. The decision was part of a
broader effort by the White House to expedite talks between the Afghan
government and the Taliban before the November presidential election in the
United States, the officials said.
In a statement to The Times, a State Department
spokesperson said the prisoner swap was “a difficult decision for the Afghans
to make” and for the United States to accept, adding that it was “not something
we are happy about.”
In a visit to Kabul earlier this month, Mr. Khalizad
met with several Afghan officials, though not the country’s president, Ashraf
Ghani, who refused to see him, according to an Afghan official. Mr. Khalizad
weighed the prospect of a future interim government in Afghanistan and the
further release of another roughly 7,000 Taliban prisoners on the chance that
it might persuade the Taliban to agree to a nationwide cease-fire, according to
Afghan officials.
The chargé d’affaires in Kabul, Ross Wilson, later
said on Twitter that the United States had not “advocated” for an interim
government.
For now, it’s unclear whether Ms. Hasan could be
arrested and charged in the United States for the 2012 shooting of the American
contractor: Joseph Griffin, 49, of Mansfield, Ga.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban,
denied that Ms. Hasan had even carried out the killing, saying she was one of a
handful of women released under the deal who were “imprisoned on false charges
for being members of Taliban families.” Mr. Mujahid provided no evidence
explaining the assertion.
But the shooting was recorded by at least one
surveillance camera, according to U.S. military documents detailing the attack.
Mr. Griffin’s death came at the end of a watershed year when such attacks by
Afghan security forces accounted for 15 percent of coalition troops who were
killed or wounded, threatening to derail the war effort.
American military, Afghan intelligence service and
court documents paint a conflicting picture of Ms. Hasan and her motivations
for killing Mr. Griffin. In one account outlined in investigation documents,
Ms. Hasan, a uniformed police officer who is also known as Narges
Rezaeimomenabad, according to her Iranian passport, was trying to kill herself
after a fight with her husband and said she had fired on Mr. Griffin so she
herself would be killed by security forces.
In another theory, she was trying to secure an Iranian
visa for her family. To do so, according to the documents, she was directed by
an Iranian employee at the embassy in Kabul to kill a high-profile Afghan
official or foreign adviser.
But it is unclear whether Ms. Hasan has any ties to
Iranian intelligence operatives. Some American intelligence officials are
deeply skeptical that she is an agent of Tehran, or was at the time of the
shooting, according to American officials.
Iran’s involvement in the Afghan war has shifted since
2001, underscoring the changing geopolitical currents over the war’s duration.
On one hand, Tehran’s official line has denounced the return of the Taliban as
a direct threat to Iran. But on the other, Iranian operatives have made quiet
overtures to the insurgent group, offering weapons and other equipment, in
Afghanistan’s southwest, Afghan officials say.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/world/asia/afghanistan-prisoner-exchange-taliban.html
--------
Pak Sikhs to challenge sentence given to Nankana Sahib
assaulters
Jan 15, 2021
AMRITSAR: The Sikh community in Pakistan has decided
to challenge the sentence given to three Muslim men for attacking the Gurdwara
Nankana Sahib.
The accused, meanwhile, have decided to file a
petition for the abolition of their sentence.
On Friday, the Sikh leadership of Pakistan held a
meeting at Nankana Sahib in which it decided to file a petition seeking an
increase in the sentence of the culprits.
In January 2020, a violent mob had attacked the gurdwara
where the first Guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev, was born. The mob pelted stones
and threatened to destroy the gurdwara to build an Islamic shrine there.
"These miscreants had stormed our most revered
place. They can’t get away with meagre punishments," said Pakistan Sikh
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Satwant Singh.
An anti-terrorism court had on Tuesday sentenced
Muhammad Imran for two years of imprisonment while his younger brother Salman
and cousin Muhammad Ahmad Raza were six months of imprisonment each for the
attack on Nankana Sahib.
The court had set free four other accused Zulfiqar,
Irfan Adil Javed and Muhammad Aslam.
All of them were accused of attacking Gurdwara Nankana
Sahib in January 2020.
“We will seek a minimum of ten years imprisonment for
everyone. Their crime is outrageous, highly disgraceful and inexcusable” said
Singh.
On the other hand, Mohammad Sultan Sheikh, counsel for
the accused said his clients would be filing a petition for overturning the
sentence.
“We are preparing the petition and will file in the
court by tomorrow,” he said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-sikhs-to-challenge-sentence-given-to-nankana-sahib-assaulters/articleshow/80288659.cms
--------
Saudi Arabia amends anti-harassment law, to name and
shame offenders
Ismaeel Naar
16 January 2021
Saudi Arabia has recently amended its anti-harassment
laws to include the naming and shaming of those found guilty by forcing them to
publish their sentences in local media at their own expense.
The changes to the rules came in a statement from
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet late last week which added a new paragraph to Article 6
of the Kingdom’s Anti-Harassment Law, stating that the judgment may be
summarized in local newspapers at the expense of the convicted person.
“It is permissible to include the sentence issued
determining the penalties referred to in this article and to publish its
summary at the expense of the convicted person in one or more local newspapers,
or in any other appropriate means, according to the gravity of the crime and
its impact on society,” read the new amended article to the law, according to
the Saudi Press Agency.
The amendment also includes clauses against those who
file false harassment claims.
Many in the Kingdom have welcomed the news, saying it
was long overdue.
“The new defamation clause against the harasser is
long overdue and now transforms the stigma from the victim to the harasser and
this represents one of the paradigm shifts in perceptions in our society now in
Saudi Arabia,” said Areej al-Jahani, an academic and writer who first called
for the law more than two years ago on Al Arabiya.
The Kingdom’s Anti-Harassment law which came into
effect in 2018 stipulates severe penalties, including imprisonment for up to 5
years and heavy fines on convicted persons, but did not include at the time
articles that allow for the naming and shaming of harassers under any
circumstances.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission,
the new changes to the law allows for the publishing of sentences against
convicted harassers in one or more local newspapers, or in any other means.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/16/Saudi-Arabia-amends-anti-harassment-law-to-name-and-shame-offenders
--------
‘Hezbollah boosted missile power as Israel intensified
aggression in Syria’
16 January 2021
A new article published in Israeli media says
Lebanon’s Hezbollah has in recent years been strengthening its missile power
while the Israeli regime has been intensifying its aggression against Syria.
Titled “Is Israel ignoring the biggest strategic
threat it faces?” the opinion piece is written by Alon Ben-David, a military
commentator of Israel’s Channel 13 TV.
Israel is intensifying its acts of aggression against
Syria, but they have not stopped Hezbollah's efforts to establish an
independent capability of producing and manufacturing accurate missiles on
Lebanese territory, the article read.
“The main strategic threat facing Israel is not
located in Syria, but in Lebanon, and as it stands, Israel is avoiding dealing
with it,” it added.
“Several estimations indicate that the organization
has managed to accumulate a few hundred mid to long range accurate missiles by
now. It seems that the organization does not yet have complete manufacturing
capabilities of such missiles but it continues its efforts of converting
"dumb" missiles into accurate ones.”
Lebanon fought off two Israeli wars in 2000 and 2006.
On both occasions, battleground contribution by Hezbollah proved an
indispensable asset, forcing the Israeli military into a retreat and shattering
the myth of Israel’s invincibility.
Lebanon and the occupying entity are technically at
war since the latter has kept the Arab country’s Shebaa Farms under occupation
since 1967.
“In the past, the IDF (the Israeli military) defined
the threat of accurate missiles from Lebanon as a strategic threat on Israel.
When Hezbollah is able to make it rain missiles on the Kirya in Tel Aviv - not
somewhere around it, between Kaplan Street and King Shaul Avenue, but exactly
on the IDF's headquarters located at the heart of the base - that would be a
capability that can shut down complete strategic arrays crucial to Israel,” the
article read.
“In the years that followed the retreat from southern
Lebanon, the IDF watched as Hezbollah was hastening its efforts to arm itself
and told itself that "the rockets will rust in warehouses." But then,
in 2006, those non-rusty missiles dropped on us in the thousands, and took us
by surprise. Hezbollah then owned about 14,000 rockets. Today it has about
70,000 rockets and missiles.”
'Resistance not futile'
Another article released by the American CounterPunch
magazine on Friday said Hezbollah’s successes, both on the battlefield and on
the electoral field, demonstrate that resistance against imperialism has not
been futile.
“From its birth as an armed resistance to Israeli
attacks on Lebanon over 35 years ago, Hezbollah developed into an institution
that provided health and education services to the country’s neediest. After
defeating the Zionist … in successive conflicts, it rode great mass support
into the electoral sphere and now constitutes the key political force in
Lebanon,” it underlined.
Hezbollah was established following the 1982 Israeli
invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon. Since then, the popular resistance
group has grown into a powerful military force.
The article also noted that Hezbollah has forged close
ties with Syria through their battle against Wahhabi contras—such as Daesh or
al-Qaeda—largely funded by Sunni extremists in Saudi Arabia.
“Through meticulous planning, battlefield tactics,
courage in combat, and surprising intelligence and communications capabilities,
Hezbollah soundly defeated the Zionist army and established a heroic stature
for the Resistance, not just among Shias in Lebanon or Iran, but throughout the
Muslim world and beyond,” it added.
“The IDF’s veneer of invincibility was shattered, and
by extension the myth of US military might—the US had contributed $2.3 billion
in military aid to Israel in 2006 alone, and over $100 billion since 1967.”
Hezbollah also contributed to Lebanon’s reconstruction
after the 2006 war and founded a network of commercial and social
organizations, the article emphasized, saying, “In the diminutive nation of
Lebanon, which contains less than seven million inhabitants, the Resistance
organized and defeated the military might of Israel and their US and European
backers, and of Wahhabi and Salafist terrorists.”
It further quoted Beirut-based political analyst Laith
Marouf as saying that Hezbollah enjoys public support in Lebanon.
“The majority of Lebanese support Hezbollah and its
resistance to the Israeli occupation and plans to dominate Lebanon,” he said.
“Hezbollah symbolizes sovereignty to the majority of Lebanese, no matter what
their sect is.”
Marouf explained, “One of the most important things
that Hezbollah did, beyond the liberation of Lebanon in 2000 from the Israeli
occupation, and from Wahhabi contras’ occupation—what they call the second
liberation, in 2016—is the network of social services it provides, not only to
the Shia communities and their ghettos, towns and villages, but to a majority
of the working class, because it offers all these services to anybody no matter
what their sect it. That’s a huge achievement. Hezbollah created a parallel
economy outside the control of the Americans… Remember that the central bank of
Lebanon is basically controlled by the United States.”
“Some of the social services, beyond health, education
and housing, that Hezbollah provides are banking, with zero interest loans for
working class people, and even gas stations,” he added.
“In the last few years, the gas prices went up, under
pressure from the United States and the collapse of the Lebanese lira. But it
was Hezbollah’s network of gas stations that continued to provide gasoline.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/16/643121/Lebanon-Hezbollah-missile-Israel
--------
Iranian Official: Saudis Better Trust Iran Instead Of
Acting As The Killing Machine Of The Zionist Regime
2021-January-15
"Riyadh had better trust the Islamic Republic of
Iran that has helped regional stability and global security," Amir Abdollahian
said, warning the Saudis against acting as the killing machine of the Zionist
regime.
He made the remarks in response to the Saudi Foreign
Minister Faisal Bin Farhan’s recent baseless accusations against the Islamic
Republic of Iran, and said, "Riyadh must end the war against the oppressed
people of Yemen and killing the Yemeni women and children."
"Riyadh’s overt and covert support for terrorists
and the ISIL terrorism in the region has been clearly proven in many years,
especially in Iraq and Syria," Amir Abdollahian said.
He advised Riyadh to have constructive conduct and
friendship with neighbors and the regional countries, stressing that the Saudi
leaders would better stop waging wars and breeding terrorism.
The Saudi regime’s Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan
on Thursday said that Iran is ‘wreaking havoc’ in West Asia with its
‘interventions’. He made the remarks at a joint press conference with his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991026000386/Official-Sadis-Beer-Trs-Iran-Insead-f-Trning-in-Israel%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9CBlldzer%E2%80%9D
--------
46 killed in suspected Daesh-related attack in eastern
DR Congo
15 January 2021
Armed rebels, with suspected links to the Daesh
Takfiri terrorist group, have killed dozens of civilians in an attack in
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a senior provincial official says.
The fatalities took place in the village of Abembi in
eastern DR Congo's Ituri province on Thursday and local security forces were
dispatched to the site to investigate the massacre, according to provincial
Interior Minister Adjio Gidi.
“The death toll as of this afternoon is reported to be
46,” Gidi said, adding that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which was
driven out of Uganda and moved into the DR Congo in the late 1990s, were behind
the raid.
United Nations figures show the Ugandan armed rebel
group has carried out a string of massacres in the eastern DR Congo since the
start of 2019, claiming the lives of more than 1,000 civilians.
Many of the attacks attributed to the ADF have been
claimed by Daesh, although UN experts have not been able to confirm any direct
link between the two groups.
DR Congo’s eastern borderlands with Uganda, Rwanda and
Burundi are home to an assortment of more than 100 different rebel groups, many
remnants of its brutal civil wars that officially ended in 2003.
Moreover, the DR Congo has one of the highest rates of
internal displacement in the world, according to the UN.
Over five million people within the country's borders
have been uprooted by insecurity, while nearly a million more have sought
safety in neighboring countries as refugees.
The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, previously active
in Iraq and Syria, has established strongholds across the African continent
despite the presence of French forces to contain the violence.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643072/Congo-armed-rebels-massacre-Ituri-province-
--------
Dozens of people on FBI terrorist watch list came to
D.C. the day of Capitol riot
By Devlin Barrett, Spencer S. Hsu and Marissa J. Lang
Jan. 15, 2021
Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in
Washington for pro-Trump events Jan. 6, a day that ended in a chaotic crime
rampage when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to people
familiar with evidence gathered in the FBI’s investigation.
The majority of the watch-listed individuals in
Washington that day are suspected white supremacists whose past conduct so
alarmed investigators that their names had been previously entered into the
national Terrorist Screening Database, or TSDB, a massive set of names flagged
as potential security risks, these people said. The watch list is larger and
separate from the “no-fly” list the government maintains to prevent terrorism
suspects from boarding airplanes, and those listed are not automatically barred
from any public or commercial spaces, current and former officials said.
The presence of so many watch-listed individuals in
one place — without more robust security measures to protect the public — is
another example of the intelligence failures preceding last week’s fatal
assault that sent lawmakers running for their lives, some current and former
law enforcement officials argued. The revelation follows a Washington Post
report earlier this week detailing the FBI’s failure to act aggressively on an
internal intelligence report of Internet discussions about plans to attack
Congress, smash windows, break down doors and “get violent . . .
go there ready for war.”
Other current and former officials said the presence
of those individuals is an unsurprising consequence of having thousands of
fervent Trump supporters gathered for what was billed as a final chance to
voice opposition to Joe Biden’s certification as the next president. Still, the
revelation underscores the limitations of such watch lists. Although they are
meant to improve information-gathering and -sharing among investigative
agencies, they are far from a foolproof means of detecting threats ahead of time.
Since its creation, the terrorist watch list, which is
maintained by the FBI, has grown to include hundreds of thousands of names.
Placing someone’s name on the watch list does not mean they will be watched all
of the time, or even much of the time, for reasons of both practicality and
fairness, but it can alert different parts of the government, such as border
agents or state police, to look more closely at certain individuals they
encounter.
It’s unclear whether any of the dozens of individuals
already arrested for alleged crimes at the Capitol are on the terrorist watch
list.
“The U.S. Government is committed to protecting the
United States from terrorist threats and attacks and seeks to do this in a
manner that protects the freedoms, privacy and civil rights and liberties of
U.S. persons and other individuals with rights under U.S. law,” a U.S. official
said, adding that because of security concerns, the government has a policy of
neither confirming nor denying a person’s watch list status. The official, like
others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to
discuss an ongoing investigation.
The FBI declined to comment.
The riot’s political aftershocks led the House of
Representatives on Wednesday to impeach President Trump for allegedly inciting
the violence — his second impeachment in a single four-year term — and may have
significant consequences within law enforcement and national security agencies.
Inside the FBI and the Department of Homeland
Security, officials are grappling with thorny questions about race, terrorism
and free-speech rights, as some investigators question whether more could have
been done to prevent last week’s violence.
While some federal officials think the government
should more aggressively investigate domestic terrorism and extremists, others
are concerned the FBI, DHS and other agencies may overreact to the recent
violence by going too far in surveilling First Amendment activity such as
online discussions.
Several law enforcement officials said they are
shocked by the backgrounds of some individuals under investigation in
connection with the Capitol riot, a pool of suspects that includes current and
former law enforcement and military personnel as well as senior business
executives and middle-aged business owners.
“I can’t believe some of the people I’m seeing,” one
official said.
The TSDB, often referred to within government as
simply “the watch list,” is overseen by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center,
which was created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. The
watch list can be used as both an investigative and early-warning tool, but its
primary purpose is to help various government agencies keep abreast of what
individuals seen as potential risks are doing and where they travel, according
to people familiar with the work.
Often that can be done as a “silent hit,” meaning if
someone on the watch list is stopped for speeding, that information is
typically entered into the database without the individual or even the officer
who wrote the ticket ever knowing, one person said.
After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, for instance,
the FBI quickly searched a similar database to see which people on it had
recently traveled to that city or raised other suspicions about possible
involvement.
Before the Jan. 6 gathering of pro-Trump protesters,
FBI agents visited a number of suspected extremists and advised them against
traveling to the nation’s capital. Many complied, but according to people
familiar with the sprawling investigation, dozens of others whose names appear
in the terrorist watch list apparently attended, based on information reviewed
by the FBI.
Separately, while the FBI is hunting hundreds of
rioting suspects who have dispersed back to their hometowns, federal agents are
increasingly focused on alleged leaders, members and supporters of the Proud
Boys, a male-chauvinist group with ties to white nationalism, these people
said.
Proud Boys members participated in last week’s
protests, and FBI agents are taking a close look at what roles, if any, the
group’s adherents may have had in organizing, directing or carrying out
violence, according to people familiar with the matter.
The group’s chairman, Enrique Tarrio, had planned to
attend Trump’s Jan. 6 rally but was arrested when he arrived in D.C. and
charged with misdemeanor destruction of property in connection with the burning
of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a Black church during an earlier
protest in Washington. He is also accused of felony possession of two extended
gun magazines.
Tarrio told The Post on Wednesday that his group did
not organize the Capitol siege.
“If they think we were organizing going into the
Capitol, they’re going to be sadly mistaken,” he said. “Our plan was to stay
together as a group and just enjoy the day. We weren’t going to do a night
march, anything like that. That’s it as far as our day.”
Tarrio said he’s actively discouraging members from
attending planned armed marches scheduled Sunday, and the Million Militia March
next week when Biden is inaugurated. Proud Boys, he said, are on a “rally
freeze and will not be organizing any events for the next month or so.”
It is unclear how many Proud Boys devotees will abide
by the freeze, or if such a shutdown might lessen the FBI’s interest in the
group. Even before the Jan. 6 riot, federal and local investigators were
working to understand the group’s plans, goals and activities. Privately, some
federal law enforcement officials have described the group as roughly
equivalent to a nascent street gang that has garnered an unusual degree of
national attention, in part because Trump mentioned them specifically during
one of his televised debates with Biden during the campaign. Other officials
have expressed concern that the group may be growing rapidly into something
more dangerous and directed.
The FBI has already arrested dozens of accused
rioters, and officials have pledged that in cases of the most egregious
conduct, they will seek to file tough, rarely used charges such as seditious
conspiracy, which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
The bureau continues to face blowback over its
handling of a Jan. 5 internal report warning of discussions of violence at
Congress the next day. Steven M. D’Antuono, the head of the FBI’s Washington
Field Office, claimed in the days after the riot that the bureau did not have
intelligence ahead of time indicating the rally would be anything other than a
peaceful demonstration.
The Jan. 5 FBI report, written by the bureau’s office
in Norfolk, and reviewed by The Post, shows that was not the case, and the
Justice Department took other steps indicating officials were at least somewhat
concerned about possible violence the next day. The Bureau of Prisons sent 100
officers to D.C. to supplement security at the Justice Department building, an
unusual move similar to what the department did in June to respond to civil
unrest stemming from racial-justice protests.
Mindful of the criticism that law enforcement took a
heavy-handed, all-hands-on-deck approach to Black Lives Matters protests in
D.C. in the spring and summer, Justice Department officials deferred to the
Capitol Police to defend their building and lawmakers. Some former officials
have questioned whether the FBI and Justice Department should have done more.
“It would not have been enough for the bureau simply
to share information, if it did so, with state and local law enforcement or
federal partner agencies,” said David Laufman, a former Justice Department
national security official. “It was the bureau’s responsibility to quarterback
a coordinated federal response as the crisis was unfolding and in the days
thereafter. And it’s presently not clear to what extent the FBI asserted itself
in that fashion during the exigencies of January 6 and in the immediate
aftermath.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/terror-watchlist-capitol-riot-fbi/2021/01/14/07412814-55f7-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1905672_
--------
Europe
Greece arrests suspected Syrian extremist wanted in
the Netherlands
15 January 2021
Greek authorities have arrested a 37-year-old Syrian
asylum seeker wanted in the Netherlands for suspected terrorism offenses, a
police official said on Friday.
The man arrived on the island of Samos from Turkey on
Oct. 4, 2018, and was later transferred to a migrant facility near Thessaloniki
where he was arrested on Wednesday under an international arrest warrant issued
by Dutch authorities, according to the official.
Two earlier applications for asylum in Greece had been
rejected, he added.
The unnamed man was suspected of terrorist offenses
and being a member of the al-Nusra Front, a Syrian group affiliated with al
Qaeda as well as migrant trafficking. Extradition procedures were underway.
Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in Greece
in recent years, many fleeing the civil war in Syria.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/15/Greece-arrests-suspected-Syrian-extremist-wanted-in-the-Netherlands
--------
South Asia
13 Police Officials Killed By Taliban In Afghanistan's
Herat
16 January, 2021
Herat [Afghanistan], January 16 (ANI): Thirteen
members of Afghan Local Police were killed in an attack by Taliban
"infiltrators" in their outpost in Ghorian district of Herat province
on Friday night, Security officials in Herat said on Saturday.
"At least 13 members of Afghan local police were
killed in an attack by Taliban "infiltrators" in Ghorian district,
Herat province, on Friday night, Herat police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walidaza
said," tweeted TOLO News.
The attack comes hours after the United States
announced that it has reduced the number of its troops to 2,500 in Afghanistan
as per the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha last year in February.
Meanwhile, an explosion happened near an Afghan forces
facility in Daman district, Kandahar province, on Saturday morning.
At least 14 members of Afghan National Defense and
Security Forces were killed in Taliban attacks in Kunduz and Kandahar over the
last 24 hours, sources and provincial council members said.
In the last few months, Afghanistan has witnessed a
surge in violence despite the ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks to resolve the
conflict in the country.
Taliban continues to carry out attacks on Afghan
government targets, make territorial gains, and target Afghan National Defense
and Security Forces (ANDSF) bases. (ANI)
http://www.businessworld.in/article/13-police-officials-killed-by-Taliban-in-Afghanistan-s-Herat/16-01-2021-366120/
--------
12 pro-govt militiamen killed by Taliban in
Afghanistan insider attack
JAN 16, 2021
Two Taliban fighters who had infiltrated a base of
pro-government Afghan militiamen killed 12 of them, officials and the insurgent
group said Saturday.
The night-time attack at a post manned by the
militiamen occurred in the district of Ghorian in the western Herat province
late on Friday, the governor for the district Farhad Khademi told AFP.
"Twelve pro-government militiamen were killed in
the Taliban attack in Ghorian district last night," he said.
Herat provincial council member Mohammad Sardar
Bahaduri confirmed the attack and said it was carried out by two Taliban
fighters who had infiltrated the base.
"The militiamen were dining when the attack
happened," he said.
The Taliban also said two of its fighters had carried
out the attack and then returned.
In a separate incident, a vehicle carrying policemen
was struck by a roadside bomb in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul, police
spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told reporters.
Two policemen were killed and one wounded in the
attack, he said.
Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent
months, especially in Kabul, which has been rocked by a new trend of targeted
killings.
The bloodshed comes even as the Taliban and government
negotiators engage in peace talks to end the nearly two-decades-long war in the
country.
Representatives from two warring sides are currently
in the Qatari capital Doha discussing the agenda for the talks.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/12-pro-govt-militiamen-killed-by-taliban-in-afghanistan-insider-attack-101610787691997.html
--------
Roadside bomb kills two policemen in Afghanistan:
Officials
16 January 2021
A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle in the
Afghan capital killed two policemen Saturday, officials said, as violence
continues unabated in Afghanistan despite peace talks between the Taliban and
government.
The vehicle carrying the policemen was struck by the
bomb in the centre of the capital on the road to the prestigious Kabul
University, police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said.
Two policemen were killed and one wounded, Faramarz
said.
Violence has surged across the country in recent
months, especially in Kabul which is also rocked by a new trend of targeted
killings that has sown fear in the city.
The bloodshed comes even as the Taliban and government
negotiators engage in peace talks to end the nearly two decade war in the
country.
The two warring sides are currently in the Qatari
capital Doha discussing the agenda items of the talks.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/16/Roadside-bomb-kills-two-policemen-in-Afghanistan-Officials
--------
Taliban kills at least nine Afghan security personnel:
Officials
15 January 2021
At least nine Afghan security personnel were killed
when Taliban militants attacked two police checkpoints overnight in restive
northern Kunduz province, officials said Friday.
The militants launched simultaneous raids on the
checkpoints in Kunduz, a region bordering Tajikistan that has seen regular
clashes between the insurgents and government forces.
The fighting left nine Afghan security personnel dead,
Kunduz governor Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal told AFP.
Kunduz provincial council member Khaluddin Hakimi said
10 security personnel were killed in the fighting while 10 others were wounded.
The Taliban did not offer any immediate comment.
The insurgents have regularly attacked security forces
in the province, often attempting to enter Kunduz city, which has briefly
fallen twice to the militants in recent years.
In recent months, violence has surged across several
provinces of Afghanistan even as the Taliban and government engage in peace
talks to end the war.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/15/Taliban-kills-at-least-nine-Afghan-security-personnel-Officials-
--------
Pakistan
FM terms UK debate on IIOJK diplomatic win for
Pakistan
January 15, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday hailed
Thursday’s debate in British parliament on the worsening situation in the
Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), terming it “another
diplomatic victory" of Pakistan against India.
In a statement, the foreign minister emphasised that
India was propagating that IIOJK was its internal issue but the British
parliamentarians made it clear that it was a global issue on which many United
Nations Security Council resolutions had been passed.
“This is not an internal matter of India at all,”
Qureshi said, adding that India had been giving the impression to the world
that the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir has returned to normal but the
British parliamentarians exposed India’s false claims.
In an unprecedented development, Britain’s House of
Commons debated the “critical situation” in IIOJK on Thursday and rejected the
“argument that Kashmir is an internal matter of India”. The debate proposed by
Labour MP Sarah Owen, saw all parliamentarians in agreement “to hold the Indian
government accountable for its abusive behaviour, especially in the Kashmir
Valley”.
They also hoped that British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson, who is due to visit India at some point, will raise the IIOJK issue
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek his reassurance that “all is being
done to seek a permanent solution to the Kashmir dispute”.
Qureshi termed the development a “success of
Pakistan’s diplomatic approach” and a “source of encouragement” for the
Kashmiris. “Pakistan has been exposing the Indian atrocities in IIOJK for long
and now these are being raised in the British Parliament, endorsing Pakistan’s
stance,” he said.
He added that the life in IIOJK was marked by the
extrajudicial killings, illegal arrest of Kashmiri youth, abuse of women,
communication blockade and denial of access to independent observers and
international media to the occupied territories.
Incoming US administration
About the next US administration of President-elect
Joe Biden, who is due to take office on January 20, the foreign minister said
that many Congressmen were familiar with the region and the atrocities
perpetrated against the Kashmiris.
“We expect them to raise voice in the US Congress to
save the unarmed Kashmiris from Indian tyranny and the prolonged military
siege,” he said. He stressed the need for the visit of delegations from the US
Congress, British Parliament and European Parliament to IIOJK.
Regarding Afghanistan, the foreign minister said that
Pakistan would continue to play its conciliatory role in this peace process.
“India is playing the role of a spoiler in peace efforts in Afghanistan, by
making a vicious attempt to use Afghan territory against Pakistan,” Qureshi
said. “We have informed the Afghan authorities about this situation and are
continuing to present this evidence to the world.”
PDM protest
Qureshi said that disappointment had spread within the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the opposition alliance was holding
rallies only to prevent a sense of frustration among its workers. “We are aware
of the PDM’s internal turmoil,” he said.
“[There are] differences among them [PDM leadership]
on the issue of resignations,” Qureshi said, adding that difference between the
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F)
leaderships were visible to everyone.
He stressed that the Supreme Court had taken a clear
stand on the sit-ins, whereas the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also given its
opinion on the inconvenience caused to the people due to sit-ins. Talking about
the law and order situation in the region, Qureshi said that Pakistan was
satisfied that the world had supported the country’s narrative of the past two
years.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2280095/fm-terms-uk-debate-on-iiojk-diplomatic-win-for-pakistan
--------
NAB summons UAE firm’s MD in Khawaja Asif case
Zulqernain Tahir
January 16, 2021
LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has
summoned the managing director of a United Arab Emirates-based company in which
parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Khawaja
Muhammad Asif worked for 14 years as a legal adviser, seeking the foreigner’s
statement for his (Asif’s) prosecution in the court in the income beyond means
case.
The anti-graft body arrested the former foreign
minister in this case last month and he is currently under its custody at the
Thokar Niazbaig office here on physical remand.
In a call-up notice to Elias Salloum, managing
director of International Mechanical and Electrical Company (IMECO), Abu Dhabi,
UAE, NAB said: “During inquiry proceedings accused Khawaja Muhammad Asif has
claimed that he was Iqama (work permit) holder in UAE from 2004 to 2018 and
remained an employee of your company (IMECO) as legal advisor/consultant. Asif
has further claimed Rs136million as salary income from said employment. He also
submitted a photocopy letter issued by you showing your willingness to appear
before any forum regarding his claim of employment.”
NAB asked Mr Salloum to appear before a combined
investigation team at its Lahore office on Jan 28. “You are requested to bring
the following record — M/S IMECO’s incorporation/registration documents with
UAE authorities, certified financial statements from 2004 to 2019 filed with the
UAE authorities, attested copies of claimed job/Iqama agreement of Khawaja Asif
from 2004 to 2017, including documents containing termination of Iqama and a
brief job description and tasks accomplished by Asif while working with IMECO.”
NAB said as per the claimed Iqama agreement, the
employee had to work for the company (IMECO) within the UAE and there would be
one-day rest in a week. However, in this case the employee (Asif) did not join
office on a regular basis in violation of Iqama agreement, but claimed receipt
of salary. “You (Salloum) are required to provide an explanation of this
violation of Iqama agreement, mode of payment of salary to Asif. Also provide
IMECO’s bank account statements, bank vouchers/cheques showing payment of
salary to him.”
NAB’s preliminary investigation has also revealed that
Khawaja Asif made transactions of millions of shares with 10 companies during
the last 10 years. “Accused Asif was confronted with the record provided by JS
Global Limited, a private brokerage firm. The accused replied that he was not
able to provide details of investments, how payments were made and amount of
investment made by him.
“Before assuming the public office in 1991, the total
worth of Khawaja Asif’s assets was Rs5.1 million which increased to Rs221m in
2018 after serving on different posts which do not match with his known sources
of income,” NAB said and also alleged that Khawaja Asif was also running a
benami firm “Tariq Mir and Company” which was registered in the name of his
employee. It said that an amount of Rs400m was deposited in the account of
Tariq Mir and no sources of this huge amount were disclosed.
PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz had strongly reacted
to the arrest of Khawaja Asif and declared that her party would not accept this
and hold protest demonstrations in this regard. The 11-party Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM) had also announced holding protests outside NAB
offices, but it is yet to materialise its warning.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601757
--------
BBC ends Sairbeen broadcast on Aaj TV alleging
interference
January 16, 2021
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Friday
said it would no longer broadcast bulletins of its famed news and current
affairs programme – Sairbeen – on Aaj TV owing to "interference" with
its bulletins.
The move means the programme will not be available
anymore for television viewers in Pakistan.
BBC World Service Director Jamie Angus said the BBC
had experienced "interference in our news bulletins since October
2020" and that the organisation had given "ample time" to Aaj TV
to resolve the issue.
"[We] gave Aaj TV ample time for their efforts to
facilitate returning the programme to air. Since this interference continued,
despite efforts in good faith on both sides, the BBC had no alternative but to
end the partnership with immediate effect. We regret any disruption to our
loyal audiences in Pakistan."
He said viewers could continue to access the BBC
Urdu's programme through their website, Facebook page and YouTube channel.
"Any interference in our programmes represents a
serious breach of trust with our audiences, which the BBC cannot allow,"
the director said in his message.
According to a report by BBC Urdu, the BBC World
Service had started broadcasting the programme on Aaj TV under a partnership
agreement in 2014.
"According to the agreement, which is based on
similar policies as the BBC's arrangements with several countries, the BBC
structures the programme according to its independent editorial policy and in
accordance with the local language and local audience, and the local TV channel
[then] broadcasts that programme," the report stated.
The BBC has inked such agreements with private
channels in several countries but the editorial policy remains under the
control of the BBC, it added.
In 2019, BBC Urdu had ended radio broadcasts of
Sairbeen, saying its priority going forward would be digital media platforms
and television.
The decision to end the media outlet's shortwave
broadcasts was taken "to better serve the BBC's listeners, readers and
viewers in Pakistan and to achieve the objective of proper utilisation of our
resources", a BBC Urdu report had said at the time.
According to that report, a BBC public survey in 2018
revealed that the number of listeners of radio on shortwave had vastly fallen
in Pakistan due to rapidly increasing TV audiences and widespread access to
digital media.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601847/bbc-ends-sairbeen-broadcast-on-aaj-tv-alleging-interference
--------
Pakistan reaffirms support for Afghan peace process
January 16, 2021
PESHAWAR: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed
Bajwa has said that Pakistan would continue supporting the ongoing intra-Afghan
dialogue as peace in the neighbouring country means peace in Pakistan.
Talking to officers here at Corps Headquarters on
Friday, Gen Bajwa highlighted the dividend of border control measures.
According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)
statement, the army chief was given an update at Corps Headquarters on the
security situation, border management including fencing, capacity enhancement
of Frontier Corps and police in merged districts as a result of transition to
stability.
Praising officers and men of Peshawar Corps, the COAS
lauded efforts of law enforcement agencies, including FC and police, for
bringing stability to the tribal districts.
Hailing sacrifices of local populace for peace and
their earnest support to the armed forces in the war against terrorism, Gen
Bajwa said that ongoing consolidation efforts shall take hard-earned gains
towards enduring peace and stability.
On arrival at Peshawar, the COAS was received by Corps
Commander Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601754/pakistan-reaffirms-support-for-afghan-peace-process
--------
Sindh Assembly makes manufacture, sale of ice drug
capital offence
Tahir Siddiqui
January 16, 2021
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed
the Control of Narcotic Substances (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2021, making the
manufacturing, selling and dispatching of methamphetamine drug, commonly known
as ice or crystal, a punishable offence as a person involved in the heinous
crime could get death penalty.
According to the statement of objects and reasons of
the government bill, the culprits are given no punishment in trial courts as
neurotoxic synthetic drugs including ice, crystal and meth were not defined in
the laws.
“Punishment for drug-related crimes in the law are
also assigned as per quantity whereas severity of addiction and harm is not
considered and drugs like heroin and cannabis are treated in same category,” it
added.
It also said that rigorousness of punishment may vary
with respect of quantity, that’s why it was very difficult for police to prove
the heinousness of the crime and get desired conviction.
“No person shall extract, prepare, process,
manufacture, sell, purchase, deliver on any terms whatsoever, transport or
dispatch the drug”, the bill said, adding that the people found involved in
violating the law could be given death penalty, or imprisonment of three years
to life term, depending upon the quantity of drugs.
As per the bill, a person could be given capital
punishment, or life imprisonment, if the drug’s quantity exceeded to 10
kilograms. The fine up to Rs1 million may also be imposed on the law violators.
PTI, GDA boycott proceedings; TLP questions why
Bhutto’s shrine is open when all other mazars are closed
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla,
who moved the bill after the standing committee on law presented its report,
said that the legislation was the need of the hour.
He said that there was no law for punishing the people
involved in manufacturing and sale of recreational drugs.
“It [the bill] is for the betterment of our new
generation,” he added.
PA passes
succession certificate law
The house also unanimously passed the Letter of
Administration and Succession Certificate (LASC) Bill, 2021 that would enable
people to obtain the document directly from the National Database and
Registration Authority (Nadra), bringing an end to the lengthy process of
obtaining it from courts.
Currently, LASCs are being issued under the Succession
Act 1925 by the courts having jurisdiction.
The parliamentary affairs minister, who presented the
bill in a very thinly attended house, said that obtaining the LASCs from the
courts had been a lengthy process and the new law was enacted to make it easy
and speedy to curtail fraud and forgery.
He said that it was also a time-consuming procedure,
adding that the provincial government decided to enact the law keeping in view
miseries of the citizens.
“Under the law the heirs of a deceased person could be
able to apply directly in Nadra for obtaining a succession certificate,” he
added.
The minister said that the people could approach the
court if Nadra failed to issue them certificates on time.
MPAs’ lack of interest in legislation
Only 18 lawmakers were present during the legislative
proceedings.
While the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial
government claims to have carried out the legislation in larger interest of the
people of Sindh, only 13 party legislators were present in the house and hardly
five other PPP MPAs took part in the voting through a video link for passage of
the bills.
The PPP’s strength in the house is 96 as three of its
MPAs had died.
The opposition parties also showed a lack of interest
in the lawmaking as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Grand Democratic Alliance
boycotted the proceedings against adoption of an adjournment motion of PPP
member Nida Khuhro on the federal government’s ‘intention’ to alter the 18th
Amendment.
Members belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement-Pakistan, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal
distanced themselves from legislation and seemed less bothered in the
proceedings.
Earlier, GDA and PTI lawmakers boycotted the
proceedings as they were not allowed to speak on Ms Khuhro’s adjournment motion
that was admitted for discussion.
TLP slams shrines’ closure
In his calling-attention notice, Mufti Mohammad Qasim
Fakhri of the TLP criticised the provincial government for closing the shrines
under the garb of Covid-19.
“Why is Bhutto’s (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) mausoleum open
while shrines are closed across the province?” he asked.
Mufti Qasim thought that the coronavirus would not
spread through shrines but public gatherings of the Pakistan Democratic
Movement.
Parliamentary Secretary for Auqaf Heer Soho said that
it was very unfortunate that the government had to close the shrines, adding that
the decision was taken by the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC).
“The shrines are closed for public till January 31 and
hopefully, they would be opened after that,” she added.
Later, the proceedings were adjourned till Monday.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601703/sindh-assembly-makes-manufacture-sale-of-ice-drug-capital-offence
--------
Arab World
EU adds Syria’s foreign minister to sanctions
blacklist
15 January 2021
The European Union has added recently-appointed Syrian
Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to its sanctions blacklist, as Damascus has
repeatedly said the Western restrictions come in clear disregard of
international law and the UN Charter.
On Friday, the European Council in a statement
announced its decision, which includes a travel ban and asset freeze, against
the top Syrian diplomat who became foreign minister in November, shortly after
his predecessor Walid al-Muallem passed away.
The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions against
the Arab country, the first of which came in May 2011. They include travel
bans, asset freezes, and measures targeting operations like oil imports,
certain investments as well as technology transfer.
The sanctions are subject to annual review.
The European body has since October imposed sanctions
against more than a dozen Syrian ministers. The restrictive measures ban the
ministers from traveling to Europe and will see their assets frozen.
The latest decision by the EU on Friday against
Damascus brings to 289 the total number of Syrian individuals targeted by a
travel ban and an asset freeze. Seventy entities in the Arab country are also
subject to an asset freeze by the European body.
The US, for its part, has imposed rounds of crippling
sanctions against Syria. Parts of the sanctions have been imposed under the
so-called Caesar Act, an American piece of legislation that alleges to support
the Syrian people by protecting them against the Syrian administration’s way of
governance.
Damascus has time and again said that the US and its
allies have defied calls from the UN chief and the UN human rights council for
the lifting of such restrictive measures, particularly at the time of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643108/Syria-EU-sanctions-Faisal-Mekdad-US-UN
--------
Coronavirus: Lebanon’s parliament approves law on
COVID-19 vaccines
16 January 2021
Lebanon’s parliament on Friday approved a law that
paves the way for the government to sign deals for coronavirus vaccines as it
battles a steep increase in infections.
Lebanon said in mid-December it was expecting to sign
a deal for supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and hoped to receive
the first batch eight weeks after that.
But the country, now struggling with a severe spike in
infections that has overwhelmed hospitals, hit a legal stumbling block that has
so far prevented it from finalizing the agreement.
The new law would give Pfizer-BioNtech, and other
companies that provide vaccines to Lebanon, protection from any future
liability claims for two years.
It includes a clause that points to the Lebanese
health ministry as the only entity responsible for compensation.
Lebanon is under a three-week lockdown that ends on
Feb. 1 and a strict 24-hour curfew until Jan. 25 after lax measures over the
Christmas and New Year’s holiday period led to a spike in cases.
Hamad Hasan, the country’s caretaker health minister,
has previously said the ministry had secured about 2 million doses of
Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, to cover 20 percent of Lebanese nationals,
but the government has yet to announce a starting date for a national
vaccination program.
Hasan on Friday tweeted his thanks to the parliament
for approving the law. He has been hospitalized since Wednesday with
coronavirus but is in stable condition and continuing to work from his hospital
bed.
Apart from the anticipated Pfizer-BioNtech deal,
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun approved on Friday the transfer of 26.4 billion
Lebanese pounds ($17.53 million) to COVAX to book 2.73 million vaccines, his
official twitter account said.
The country had previously signed up for COVAX, the
global scheme backed by the World Health Organization to provide vaccines to
poorer countries.
As of Thursday, Lebanon had recorded 237,132 cases of
coronavirus and 1,781 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The latest spike in infections has hit the country
hard as its medical system was already reeling from a severe financial crisis
that led to supply shortages, and a port explosion in August that damaged major
hospitals in Beirut.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2021/01/16/Coronavirus-Coronavirus-Lebanon-s-parliament-approves-law-on-COVID-19-vaccines-
--------
Syrian-Russian businessmen with ties to Assad regime
linked to Beirut blast: Report
15 January 2021
Three Syrian-Russian dual citizens close to the Assad
regime had a role in purchasing the ammonium nitrate that exploded at the Port
of Beirut last August, according to a new report by a Lebanese investigative
journalist.
Two of those men were sanctioned in late 2015 for
their ties to the Syrian regime and “facilitating Syrian government oil
purchases” from ISIS.
Mudalal Khuri, one of the three men, was sanctioned
for “materially assisting and acting for or on behalf of previously designated
entities and individuals including the Government of Syria, Central Bank of
Syria” and others, the US Treasury Department said in 2015.
The Treasury Department went further to accuse Khuri
of being an “intermediary” between a Syrian Central Bank official and a Russian
firm “on an attempted procurement of ammonium nitrate in late 2013.”
That happens to be the same year that the
highly-explosive material arrived in Beirut aboard the Rhosus ship.
In the report aired by the Lebanese journalist, a
company named Savaro Limited purchased the 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in
July 2013.
Savaro was led by Khuri’s brother, Imad, and another
man by the name of George Haswani, according to the report.
The US designated Imad in July 2016 for providing
services in support of his brother.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Interpol issued
red notices for the captain and owner of the ship that carried the chemicals.
Five months since one of the biggest non-nuclear
blasts on record, big questions remain about the ammonium nitrate that
detonated after being stored at the port for years.
The Interpol notices, which are not international
arrest warrants, ask authorities worldwide to provisionally detain people
pending possible extradition or other legal actions. Interpol issues them at
the request of a member country.
Lebanese officials have faced accusations of
negligence, with some port and customs employees detained in connection to the
blast, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands more. Families
of the victims are still waiting for the results of the investigation.
Lebanon’s public prosecution asked Interpol in October
to issue arrest warrants for two people it had identified as the Russian
captain and owner of the Rhosus ship, which arrived in Beirut in 2013, security
and judicial sources said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/15/Syrian-Russian-businessmen-with-ties-to-Assad-regime-linked-to-Beirut-blast-Report
--------
Israel frees Lebanese shepherd detained in border
area: UN
15 January 2021
The Israeli army on Friday released a Lebanese
shepherd it had detained this week in a border area between the two countries,
the UN peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon said.
“Today, the Israel Defence Forces released a Lebanese
shepherd to UNIFIL at the Ras Naqoura (border) crossing,” the mission said in a
statement.
“UNIFIL in turn handed him over to the Lebanese
authorities through the International Committee of the Red Cross,” it added.
The Israeli army announced the shepherd’s release in a
post on Twitter.
It said he had been detained on Tuesday because he had
“intentionally crossed the border from Lebanese territory to Israel”.
UNIFIL said it had launched an investigation to
establish the circumstances of the incident, “including the exact location
where the shepherd was apprehended”.
The Lebanese army had identified the shepherd as
Hassan Qasem Zahra and said he was guarding livestock when he was “kidnapped”
in the Kfarchouba area of south Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities called for the shepherd’s release
in a complaint to the UN Security Council on Wednesday against repeated Israeli
violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
Israeli military aircraft have routinely entered
Lebanese airspace in recent days, sometimes flying at low altitude.
Israel and Lebanon are still technically at war and
the border region is the site of sporadic incidents, including arrests in
disputed areas.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/15/Israel-frees-Lebanese-shepherd-detained-in-border-area-UN
--------
Bahrainis protest appointment of Israeli chargé
d'affaires to Bahrain
15 January 2021
People in Bahrain have taken to the streets to
denounce the appointment of an Israeli chargé d'affaires to the country and the
normalization of ties with the Tel Aviv regime.
Protesters staged rallies across Bahrain on Friday to
express their support for the Palestinian people.
Banners were carried reading “Zionist occupiers, you
have no place in our land!” and “We will throw you out.”
The development came after the Israeli foreign
ministry said in a post on its Arabic-language Twitter account that Itay Tagner
had been appointed as the Israeli chargé d'affairs to Bahrain and that he had
met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah.
Bahrain normalized relations with the Israeli regime
last year. But Tel Aviv was already believed to have been running a secret
diplomatic mission in the Arab country for more than a decade through a front
company listed as a commercial consulting firm.
Bahrain was the second Arab government to normalize
ties with the Tel Aviv regime. The United Arab Emirates normalized its own ties
earlier last year, and Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco followed suit later.
The normalization deals drew condemnation from all
Palestinian factions and people, who seek an independent state in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital. The Palestinians say the deals ignored their
rights and exposed the Arab regimes’ lies about backing the Palestinian cause
against Israeli occupation.
In Bahrain, several angry street protests have been
held against the normalization deal with Israel, slamming the regime in Manama
for turning a deaf ear to the nation’s calls against establishing relations
with the occupiers of Palestine.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643083/Bahrainis-protest-appointment-of-Israeli-charg%C3%A9-d-affaires-to-Bahrain
--------
Hamas will support Syria as it confronts Israeli
regime, senior leader says
15 January 2021
A senior leader from the Palestinian Islamic
Resistance Movement, Hamas, says his group will stand by the Syrian government
in its struggle against the conspiracies and occupation of the Israeli regime.
“We are not at the stage of political, military and
security prosperity, in which we can make our own choices. We are the enemies
of Israel, just like Palestinian people, Lebanon, the Lebanese resistance
movement [Hezbollah], Iran and Syria,” Mahmoud al-Zahar told Lebanon-based and
Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network late on Thursday.
He added, “We must have good relations with the
enemies of Israel. We stand with anyone who opposes Israel. We, therefore,
support Syria in the face of the Israeli occupation, and any party that stands
up against Israel.”
“What unites us is hostility toward Israel, and what
separates us is cooperation with it,” Zahar stressed.
Throughout their long struggle against the Tel Aviv
regime, Palestinian political factions have found support in Syria, often
maintaining headquarters on its territory.
Syria would give Palestinian groups logistical
assistance, training, and political backing to the level that no other Arab
country would.
After much internal deliberation, Hamas chose to leave
Syria as the foreign-sponsored militancy broke out there in March 2011.
Even though Hamas has maintained this position for
more than nine years now, it feels growing pressure to change it. There are
some members who already regret the movement’s decision to withdraw from Syria.
Zahar’s remarks would, therefore, mean that Hamas and
Damascus are willing to change course and restore relations.
Elsewhere in his interview with al-Mayadeen, the
senior Hamas official highlighted that his movement has responded to appeals
for the unity of Palestinians.
“We must not repeat failed experiences that were at
the expense of the Palestinian cause. We have responded to the demands and
advice that Palestinian factions must be united as it strengthens the
resistance (front) and eases strain on West Bank, Jerusalem al-Quds as well as
besieged Gaza Strip,” Zahar pointed out.
He stated that Hamas is ready to resume talks for
healing the inter-Palestinian rift with the rival Fatah movement, saying, “There
is no objection to the venue of the meeting. Our decision is fixed and known,
and we do not pose obstacles to choosing the place.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643070/Hamas-will-support-Syria-as-it-confronts-Israeli-regime-senior-leader-says
--------
Mideast
Israel ‘systematically repressed’ Palestinians in
2020: HRW
15 January 2021
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the Israeli regime
“systematically repressed and discriminated” against Palestinians last year.
HRW said in a report on the year 2020 that the Israeli
regime’s practices “far exceeded the security justifications” it often gave.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem al-Quds,
Israeli troops killed 20 Palestinians and injured at least 2,001 as of October
5, HRW cited figures presented by the United Nations (UN) Office of
Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“Israeli authorities have rarely held accountable
security forces who used excessive force or settlers who attacked
Palestinians,” HRW said.
It also cited the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights
Center as saying that Israel held, as of September, the bodies of 67
Palestinians killed since 2015.
The Israeli regime said in September last year that it
would use the bodies of deceased Palestinians as bargaining chips to have the
bodies of Israeli soldiers purportedly held by resistance factions in Gaza
released.
Gaza siege
The HRW also criticized Israel’s 13-year-old siege of
the Gaza Strip and other restrictions imposed on the Palestinians in the
enclave.
“These restrictions, not based on an individualized
assessment of security risk, robbed with rare exceptions the 2 million
Palestinians living there [the Gaza Strip] of their right to freedom of
movement, limited their access to electricity and water, and devastated the economy,”
the organization said.
The HRW also denounced the Israeli move to tighten the
restrictions in August as “unlawful collective punishment.”
The report added that, “Egypt also sharply restricted
the movement of people and goods at its Rafah crossing with Gaza.”
Settlement expansion
The New York-based group also said that the Israeli
regime facilitated the further transfer of Israelis into settlements
constructed in the occupied West Bank, slamming the practice as “a war crime.”
The HRW referred to a report by Peace Now in which the
Israeli rights group said Israel last year approved the construction of more
settler units in the West Bank — 12,159 as of October 15 — more than in any
other year since the group began tracking those statistics in 2012.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under
international law as they are built on occupied land.
The HRW also cited OCHA as saying that Israel
demolished 568 Palestinian houses and other structures in the West Bank,
including in East Jerusalem al-Quds, as of October 19, 2020, leaving 759 people
displaced.
Most buildings were demolished under the pretext of
lacking Israeli building permits, which are almost never given.
Referring to about 600 checkpoints and other permanent
obstacles set up by Israel within the West Bank as of June, the HRW said,
“Israeli forces routinely turn away or humiliate and delay Palestinians at
checkpoints without explanation.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643087/Israel-%E2%80%98systematically-repressed%E2%80%99-Palestinians-in-2020--HRW
--------
FM Zarif: Earth to See Better Days without Trump Team
2021-January-16
Zarif wrote on his Twitter account on Friday that the
Trump regime has not yet become content with its harmful performance during the
previous years as it is continuing to help extremists in its final days.
He went on to say that, labelling others as terrorists
by Trump’s State Secretary Mike Pompeo has been a blatant affront against
peace.
In relevant remarks on Tuesday, Mohammad Javad Zarif
lashed out at the outgoing US Secretary State Mike Pompeo’s recent claims
against Iran, stressing that the perpetrators of the Sep. 11 incidents were
terrorists who had come from the countries that are Pompeo’s favorites.
"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.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991027000138/FM-Zarif-Earh-See-Beer-Days-wih-Trmp-Team
--------
1st Phase of Great Prophet 15 Drills Starts with
Ballistic Missiles Mass Firing
2021-January-15
The first stage of the Great Prophet (Payambar-e Azam)
15 drills of the IRGC kicked off on Friday morning with the codename of “Ya
Fatimah al-Zahar”, during which ground-to-ground ballistic missiles were fired
and offensive drone bombers operations were put into action in the general area
of Iran’s Central Desert.
During the drills that began in the presence of IRGC
Commander Major General Hossein Salami, IRGC Aerospace Commander Amir Ali
Hajizadeh and a number of senior commanders and officials of the Iranian Armed
Forces, a new generation of ground-to-ground ballistic missiles and drones were
used in compound offensive against hypothetical enemy bases, destroying all the
specified targets.
During this stage of the wargames, after the attack of
the IRGC Aerospace’s offensive bomber drones from all sides to the missile
shield of the hypothetical enemy and complete destruction of targets, the new
generation of the IRGC ballistic missiles of the classes of Zolfaqar, Zelzal
and Dezful were mass fired at targets dealing fatal blows to the hypothetical
enemy bases.
The missiles were Multiple Re-entry Vehicles (MRVs)
with the capability of jamming and going through the enemy missile shield.
Great Prophet (Payambar-e Azam) wargames are annual
missile tests and exercises conducted by Iran's IRGC. The first series of the
wargames began in July 2008.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in
its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential
military equipment and systems.
The Iranian Armed Forces several times a year test
their preparedness and capabilities as well as newly-manufactured weapons
systems in different wargames.
The Iranian Armed Forces recently test-fire different
types of newly-developed missiles and torpedoes and tested a large number of
home-made weapons, tools and equipment, including submarines, military ships,
artillery, choppers, aircrafts, UAVs and air defense and electronic systems,
during massive military drills.
Iranian officials have always stressed that the
country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes.
Defense analysts and military observers say that
Iran's wargames and its advancements in weapons production have proved as a
deterrent factor.
In a relevant event, Eqtedar 99 naval wargames kicked
off in Makran Coast of the Sea of Oman and the Northern Indian Ocean on
Wednesday morning, as the Iranian Navy received its largest warship, Makran.
The two-day naval drills began on Wednesday in the
Southeastern region of Makran Coast and the Northern Indian Ocean while a
home-grown giant vessel, Makran, was delivered to the Navy.
In the first phase of the exercises, the Army's surface,
subsurface and flight units were expanded to the general zone of the wargames
to continue their specialized exercises according to the specified scenario.
The huge warship Makran is a domestically-manufactured
helicopter carrier that can be used for logistical purposes in support of the
naval forces' maritime missions.
The wargames were attended by Chief of Staff of the
Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Army Commander
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, and other senior commanders.
According to Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein
Khanzadi, Makran can carry seven helicopters and can support the Navy’s
missions in high waters, such as the Northern part of the Indian Ocean, the Bab
al-Mandab Strait, and the Red Sea.
On the second day of massive wargames dubbed as
Eqtedar 99 on Thursday, the Iranian naval forces successfully fired several
types of cruise missiles.
A variety of cruise missiles with different ranges
successfully hit their targets in the Northern Indian Ocean and the exercises
general zone.
In addition, the Iran-designed class of semi-heavy
submarine, Fateh, shot its first-ever torpedo during the drills that
successfully hit the target.
Deputy Navy Commander for Coordination and Spokesman
of the Drills Rear Admiral Hamzeh Ali Kaviani told reporters on the sidelines
of the drills that Iran is in possession of different naval cruise missiles,
adding that their high destruction power has turned them into effective and
decisive weapons in any wars in the sea.
He added that information about some of the weapons
and systems used in this exercises are classified as confidential, saying that
enemies should know that in case of any aggression against the maritime borders
of the Islamic Republic of Iran, they will be targeted by cruise missiles from
the coast and sea.
Rear Admiral Kaviani said that various types of
home-made drones were also used in the wargames which displayed proper
performance.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991026000230/s-Phase-f-Grea-Prphe-5-Drills-Sars-wih-Ballisic-Missiles-Mass-Firing
--------
Turkey’s Erdogan hopes for positive steps on F-35 jet
program during Biden’s term
15 January 2021
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he
hoped positive steps will be taken on Turkey’s role in the F-35 jet program
once US President-elect Joe Biden takes office, describing Ankara’s exclusion
for purchasing Russian defenses as a “serious wrong”.
Last month, Washington imposed long-anticipated
sanctions on Turkey’s defense industry over its acquisition of S-400 missile
defense systems from Moscow, in a move Turkey called a “grave mistake”.
The United States has also removed fellow NATO member
Turkey from the F-35 program over the move.
Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35
fighter jets and to NATO’s broader defense systems. Turkey rejects this, saying
S-400s will not be integrated into NATO and purchasing them was a necessity as
it was unable to procure air defense systems from any NATO ally on satisfactory
terms.
“No country can determine the steps we will take
toward the defense industry, that fully depends on the decisions we make,”
Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, adding Ankara was in talks to procure a second
shipment of S-400s from Russia and would hold talks on the issue later this
month.
“We don’t know what the Biden administration will say
at this stage (on the S-400s),” he added. “Despite having paid a serious fee on
the F-35s, the F-35s still have not been given to us. This is a serious wrong
the United States did against us as a NATO ally,” he said.
“My hope is that, after we hold talks with Biden as he
takes office, we will take much more positive steps and put these back on
track.”
Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, replacing
incumbent Donald Trump, with whom Erdogan had a close relationship.
Ankara has said it hopes for better with Washington
then.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/15/Turkey-s-Erdogan-hopes-for-positive-steps-on-F-35-jet-program-during-Biden-s-term
--------
Palestinians to hold first elections in 15 years,
presidential vote on July 31
15 January 2021
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced
parliamentary and presidential elections on Friday, the first in 15 years, in
an effort to heal long-standing internal divisions.
The move is widely seen as a response to criticism of
the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian political institutions, including
Abbas’s presidency.
It also comes days before the inauguration of US
President-elect Joe Biden, with whom the Palestinians want to reset relations
after they reached a low under President Donald Trump.
According to a decree issued by Abbas’s office, the
Palestinian Authority (PA), which has limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied
West Bank, will hold legislative elections on May 22 and a presidential vote on
July 31.
“The President instructed the election committee and
all state apparatuses to launch a democratic election process in all cities of
the homeland,” the decree said, referring to the West Bank, Gaza and East
Jerusalem.
Palestinian factions have renewed reconciliation
efforts to try and present a united front since Israel reached diplomatic
agreements last year with four Arab countries.
Those accords, brokered by the outgoing Trump
administration, dismayed Palestinians and left them increasingly isolated in a
region that has seen allegiances shift to reflect shared fears of Iran by
Israel and Sunni-led Gulf Arab states.
Hamas, the Islamist militant group which is Abbas’s
main domestic rival, welcomed the announcement.
“We have worked in the past months to resolve all
obstacles so that we can reach this day,” a Hamas statement said.
It called for fair elections, in which “electorates
can express their will without restrictions or pressures, and with full justice
and transparency.”
With Biden taking office on Jan. 20, “it is as if the
Palestinians are telling the incoming US administration: we are ready to
engage,” Gaza political analyst Hani Habib said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/15/Israel-Palestine-Palestinian-President-Abbas-says-will-hold-legislative-elections-on-May-22
--------
Yemenis protest US blacklisting of Houthis
15 January 2021
People have taken to the streets in Yemen to denounce
the US decision to designate the Houthi Ansarullah movement as a “terrorist”
organization.
Yemeni people staged several protests in the
northwestern province of Sa’ada after the Muslim Friday prayers to denounce the
US decision.
The protesters said the decision of the outgoing
administration of President Donald Trump was prompted by Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates, which is a key party to the Riyadh-led coalition waging
war on Yemen.
They also described the US as “the mother of terrorism”
and the main cause of all sedition and crimes in the world.
The demonstrators also denounced the continued Saudi
aggression against and siege of their country, condemning the silence of the
United Nations and rights groups regarding the brutal war.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that
the designation would take effect on January 19 — one day before the
inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Washington’s decision has drawn criticism from the
United Nations, the European Union, and aid groups, as well as lawmakers inside
the United States.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have
welcomed the US administration’s decision to blacklist the Houthi Ansarullah
movement.
Since late 2014, the Houthi movement has been running
state affairs, after former Riyadh-back president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi
resigned and fled to the Saudi capital.
Months later, the Saudi regime and a number of its
allies launched the deadly war on Yemen to reinstall Hadi, but the US-backed
campaign has flatly failed in the face of stiff resistance by the Yemeni armed
forces, led by the Houthis and allied popular groups.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643094/Yemenis-protest-US-blacklisting-of-Houthis
--------
Israeli forces injure Palestinian protesters in
occupied West Bank
15 January 2021
Israeli forces have injured a number of Palestinians
taking part in protests against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
On Friday, Israeli forces clashed with protesters
taking part in weekly demonstrations against the Tel Aviv regime’s land grab
policies in the village of Kafr Qaddum, in the the occupied West Bank.
Every Friday, Palestinians organize anti-settlement
protests in a number of villages and towns in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli troops use force to disperse the protesters.
Some Palestinians sustain bullet wounds, while others suffer breathing
difficulties due to inhaling tear gas.
Residents of Kafr Qaddum regularly hold weekly protest
rallies against the Israeli occupation.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
The United Nations Security Council has condemned
Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several
resolutions.
Emboldened by the anti-Palestine policies of US
President Donald Trump, Israel has stepped up its settlement expansion
activities in defiance of Security Council Resolution 2334, which pronounces
settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant violation
under international law.”
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future
independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643092/Israeli-forces-injure-Palestinian-protesters-in-occupied-West-Bank
--------
Africa
Ethiopian refugee children at risk of exploitation,
trafficking in Sudan
16 January 2021
Dozens of children are still waiting to be reunited
with their families after crossing into Sudan alone to flee conflict in
Ethiopia’s Tigray region, aid agencies said, warning that they could be at risk
of abuse, trafficking and child labor.
More than 58,000 Ethiopian refugees have crossed into
Sudan - about a third of them children - since fighting erupted in the northern
region in November between federal troops and the Tigray People’s Liberation
Front (TPLF).
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said more than 100
unaccompanied minors had been reunited with their families since the beginning
of the conflict, but roughly the same number were still on their own in Sudan
at the end of last year.
“Children travelling alone with no protection from an
adult are more exposed to exploitation, trafficking and different types of
abuse,” said Vanessa Coeffe, senior child protection manager at the
International Rescue Committee (IRC).
Aid workers said the additional movement of refugees
from transit centers to camps in Sudan had complicated ongoing tracing efforts.
Since early January, the UNHCR has moved thousands of refugees to the new
Tunaydbah camp.
Bakary Sogoba, child protection specialist at the UN
children’s agency (UNICEF) in Sudan, said the lack of access to Tigray - where
some of the children’s relatives remain - could present a further challenge to
family reunification work.
In the meantime, aid workers said it was crucial to
look into alternative care options for children - some of them traumatized -
whose parents could still not be found.
Living conditions in the camps can protract traumatic
experiences, and gender-based violence and sexual exploitation are additional
risks, said Anika Krstic, country director for Plan International Sudan.
“As responders, (we need) to make sure that there is
prevention, that there is awareness and that there are ways of seeking recourse
and assistance,” Krstic told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“We need to do more but all of the prevention measures
that are usual in such emergency situations are being set up.”
Some unaccompanied and separated children have already
been placed in foster care or communal centers, while child-friendly spaces and
temporary learning centers have been set up in camps.
“A strong network of able social animators and social
workers – when possible also within the same refugee community – is pivotal to
keep the children safe from risks such as abuse or exploitation,” said Giulia
Raffaelli, senior external relations officer at UNHCR in Sudan.
Still, the IRC voiced concern that the lack of
services, education and safe areas for children in the new Tunaydbah camp had
pushed some refugees into child labor.
Fighting is still going on in several parts of Tigray
and almost 2.3 million people, or nearly half of the region’s population, need
aid, a UN report said last week.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/16/Ethiopian-refugee-children-at-risk-of-exploitation-trafficking-in-Sudan
--------
Trump receives Morocco’s highest award for Middle East
peace efforts: Official
16 January 2021
US President Donald Trump on Friday received Morocco’s
highest award for his work in advancing a normalization deal between Israel and
Morocco, a senior administration official told Reuters.
In a private Oval Office ceremony, Princess Lalla
Joumala Alaoui, who is Morocco’s ambassador to the United States, gave Trump
the Order of Muhammad, an award given only to heads of state. It was a gift
from Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Middle
East envoy Avi Berkowitz received other awards for their work on the
Israel-Morocco deal, which was reached in December.
The United States in the last five months helped
broker deals between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and
Morocco. The agreements are aimed at normalizing relations and opening economic
ties.
Trump, who leaves office on Wednesday, has drawn some
criticism over the Morocco agreement because to seal the deal, he agreed that
the United States would recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Western Sahara has been the site of a decades-old
territorial dispute between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, a
breakaway movement that seeks to establish an independent state in the
territory.
The Kushner team had been working on reaching more
agreements between Israel and the Arab world. But time has run out and no more
are expected before Trump’s departure.
Media were not allowed to witness the award ceremony.
Trump has been limiting his public appearances since losing the election on
Nov. 3.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/16/Israel-relations-Trump-receives-Morocco-s-highest-award-for-Middle-East-peace-efforts-Official
--------
Clashes in Tunisia after police beat shepherd, spark
anger
15 January 2021
Tunisian police fired tear gas to disperse protesters
in the northern city of Siliana on Friday after a policeman beat a shepherd,
witnesses said, in an incident that sparked anger, as the country celebrate the
tenth anniversary of the transition to a full democracy.
Hundreds of protesters burned wheels, blocked roads,
and threw stones at the police, who followed the protesters and fired gas,
witnesses added.
A decade ago, massive protests against corruption,
injustice and the repressive regime toppled the late President Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali, after a fruit seller set himself ablaze in the central town of Sidi
Bouzid after an altercation with a policewoman.
The Tunisian revolution in 2011 inspired a wave of
revolt in Arab countries as people rose up to demand democracy.
A video posted on social media showed a policeman
scolding and pushing a shepherd whose sheep had entered the governate
headquarter.
The video caused a wave of anger on social media.
Activists said that it is unacceptable to harm the dignity of any citizen, a
decade after Tunisians revolted against injustice and oppression.
The Public Prosecution office opened an investigation
into the incident.
Despite the incident, Tunisia is an example of
peaceful transition in a region struggling elsewhere with violence and
upheaval, its economic and social situation worsened, and the country became on
the verge of bankruptcy and the protests increased.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/16/Clashes-in-Tunisia-after-police-beat-shepherd-spark-anger
--------
Tunisian protesters, security forces clash after
police beating of shepherd
16 January 2021
Hundreds of protesters in northern Tunisian city of
Siliana have clashed with police, burned wheels and blocked roads following the
beating of a shepherd by an officer.
Officers fired tear gas to disperse rock-throwing
demonstrators Friday in the city as well as in the coastal city of Sousse,
where night clashes occurred between police and youths who threw stones at the
security forces.
Also, smaller protest rallies took place in the Karm
neighborhood of the capital Tunis where security forces detained a number of
protesters, according to local media reports.
This comes after a video clip posted on social media
showed a police officer scolding and pushing a shepherd whose sheep had strayed
into the governorate headquarter.
The video triggered a wave of fury on social media,
with activists saying it is unacceptable to harm the dignity of any citizen, a
decade after the Tunisian people revolted against injustice and oppression
imposed on the country by a Western-backed dictator that was toppled in January
2011.
The country’s Public Prosecution office has reportedly
opened an investigation into the incident.
The protests took place as the North African nation
celebrated the tenth anniversary of its popular revolution and the transition
to a full democracy.
A decade ago, Tunisia was beset by violence following
a massive uprising – sparked after a fruit seller set himself ablaze in the
central town of Sidi Bouzid following an altercation with a police officer --
that led to the downfall of long-time ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
The revolt inspired other revolutions in a host of
Arab dictatorships across the Middle East and North Africa. However, Tunisia
was the only nation among other Arab countries in the region that maintained a
smooth, peaceful transition to democracy.
The Tunisian economy, which has been crippled in
recent years by high debt and declining public services, deteriorated due to
the coronavirus pandemic, and a year of political instability has complicated
efforts to address such issues.
Tunisia’s tourism-dependent economy shrank 21.6
percent in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the same period last year,
due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The country's parliament approved a new, technocratic
cabinet last September - led by Prime Minister-designate Hichem Mechichi - in a
bid to end months of political instability in the nation.
The formation of the latest cabinet was the third try
since the country’s 2019 parliamentary polls. Lawmakers had rejected one
proposed cabinet last January, and a second administration resigned in July
after less than five months in office.
While previous cases of political discord in Tunisia
have focused on the split between Islamic and secular forces as well as
economic reforms, the current tensions appear to be more rooted in the division
of powers between the president and legislators.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/16/643129/Tunisia-protest-rallies-police-beating-of-shepherd-tear-gas-unrest
--------
North America
Pentagon increasing efforts to stamp out extremism
among active-duty troops and veterans
January 15, 2021
The Department of Defense is increasing its efforts to
find and eliminate extremism within its ranks, particularly among those who
espouse White supremacist beliefs, according to two senior defense officials
who wanted to underscore the message that the military will not tolerate
extremism within the services.
The effort, which started long before the riots of
last week, has taken on increased urgency after a violent mob of President
Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an assault that left five
dead, including a Capitol Police officer. CNN has reported that the mob
included veterans and Thursday's briefing comes two days after an extraordinary
intervention from the country's most senior generals, who issued a statement
reminding service members of their obligation to support and defend the
Constitution and reject extremism.
CNN also reported Tuesday that the Army is taking
additional steps to screen the National Guard contingent that's providing
security at Biden's inauguration for extremism.
"We in the Department of Defense are doing
everything we can to eliminate extremism in the Department of Defense,"
said Garry Reid, the director for defense intelligence. "DoD policy
expressly prohibits military personnel from actively advocating supremacist,
extremist or criminal gang doctrine, ideology, or cause."
Extremist groups, including White supremacists, place
a premium on recruiting current and former members of the military, a senior defense
official said, while also trying to get their group's extremist members into
the armed forces. The groups want the experience and expertise of the military.
"We know that some groups attempt to actively
recruit our personnel into their cause, or actually encourage their members to
join the military for purposes of acquiring skills and experience," the
senior defense official said. "We recognize those skills are prized by
some of these groups not only for the capability it offers them, but it also brings
legitimacy to them in their mind for their cause."
Increasing white supremacist beliefs
The Department of Defense has observed an increase in
White supremacist beliefs among active-duty service members and veterans, a
senior defense official said, partly because of the growing prevalence of these
beliefs in the country but also because of increased efforts to find and track
extremism within the ranks.
"We clearly recognize the threat from domestic
extremists, particularly those who espouse White supremacy or White nationalist
ideologies," the official said.
"We cannot let these things fester within
organizations and become OK. Once that happens, then your reporting does
suffer. So our emphasis within all the ranks is that it is not OK," the
official added.
The officials were not able to immediately provide
data on the number of service members who are facing disciplinary action for
supporting extremist beliefs or how many military applicants are screened out
because of a connection to extremism.
The Department of Defense is also reviewing its
current policies, laws and regulations regarding extremism to better prohibit
and prevent service members from becoming associated with extremist ideologies.
A report is due by the end of March. The review was initiated before the
storming of the Capitol on January 6.
The general counsel at the Department of Defense is
also working on drafting legislation that would update the Uniform Code of
Military Justice to address extremism and extremist activity within the military.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/pentagon-extremism/index.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1905672_
--------
US will impose sanctions on Iran over conventional
arms, metals industry: Sources
15 January 2021
The United States plans to announce additional Iran
sanctions on Friday related to conventional arms and to the metals industry,
sources familiar with the matter said.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did
not provide details on the sanctions, the latest in a series that US President
Donald Trump has imposed on the Iranian economy to try to force Tehran into a
new negotiation on curbing its nuclear program as well as its missile and
regional activities.
Trump in 2018 abandoned the Iran nuclear agreement
that Tehran struck with six major powers in 2015 to rein in its nuclear program
in return for relief from US and international sanctions that had crippled its
economy.
When he walked away from the deal, Trump said he was
open to negotiating a much wider pact that would seek more extensive
constraints on Iran’s nuclear program as well as limits on its development of
ballistic missiles and its sponsorship of militias in regional nations such as
Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.
The Republican president’s administration plans to
unveil the new sanctions five days before Trump is to hand over the White House
to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. Biden has said he will return to the
2015 pact if Iran resumes strict compliance with it.
The State and Treasury Departments did not immediately
respond to requests for comment on the announcement.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/15/US-will-impose-sanctions-on-Iran-over-conventional-arms-metals-industry-Sources
--------
US CENTCOM area of responsibility to include Israel
after warming of Arab ties
Joseph Haboush
15 January 2021
The Pentagon announced Friday that the US Central
Command's area of operation- responsible for military operations and
coordination in the Middle East and Central Asia - will now include Israel, in
a turn of events after multiple peace treaties were signed between Tel Aviv and
Arab states.
Previously, Israel was under the US European Command
area of responsibility due to the animosity and tensions between Arab states
and Israel.
The Pentagon said that it reviews its Unified Command
Plan every two years and “reassesses all boundaries and relationship against
the operational environment.”
And last September’s signing of the Abraham Accords
was a factor in the recent decision to include Israel in the CENTCOM’s area of
responsibility.
“The easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab
neighbors subsequent to the Abraham Accords has provided a strategic
opportunity for the United States to align key partners against shared threats in
the Middle East,” the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon said the move will open up “additional
opportunities for cooperation with our US Central Command partners while
maintaining strong cooperation between Israel and our European allies.”
Brokered and mediated by the US and the Trump
administration, the United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed to normalize ties
last year. Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco also followed suit.
Despite attempts and statements by the Trump
administration that Saudi Arabia would also reach an agreement with Israel, the
Kingdom has not budged on its call for an independent state for Palestinians.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin
Farhan has 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’ve always been open to full normalization with
Israel, and we think Israel will take its place in the region, but in order for
that to happen, and for it to be sustainable, we do need the Palestinians to
get their state and we need to settle that situation,” Prince Faisal said last
month.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/15/US-CENTCOM-area-of-responsibility-to-include-Israel-after-warming-of-Arab-ties
--------
US troops in Afghanistan at lowest level in 19 years:
Trump
15 January 2021
US President Donald Trump says the number of American
troops in Afghanistan has reached a 19-year low while his tenure ends next
week, with thousands of boots still on the ground in the county.
Trump ordered the reduction of US troops in November,
when there were about 4,000 troops in Afghanistan.
He said in a brief statement on Thursday that troop
levels in Afghanistan reached a 19-year low.
“I will always be committed to stopping the endless
wars,” he said.
Trump did not mention the number of remaining troops
in the country, though.
There are about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan by Friday.
Acting US Defense Secretary Chris Miller also
confirmed the withdrawal in a statement on Friday.
“This force reduction is an indication of the United
States’ continued support towards the Afghan peace process,” he said.
The US reached a deal with the Taliban in February
last year on the withdrawal of 12,000 US troops from Afghanistan in exchange
for the Taliban’s halting of their attacks on international forces.
Under the deal, the Trump administration promised to
bring the number of US forces in Afghanistan to zero by May 2021.
Miller also said Friday that the Pentagon is planning
for additional troop reductions to zero by Ma.
He said that “any such future drawdowns remain
conditions based.”
The Pentagon is facing a legal prohibition on
completing the drawdown.
The Congress passed a legislation two weeks ago that
prohibits the Pentagon to use money from this year’s or last year’s budget on
reducing the number of soldiers below 4,000.
Trump vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act,
but the House and the Senate voted to override his veto.
The Pentagon could only continue withdrawal under two
conditions, provided by the legislation; a presidential waiver or a report to
Congress assessing the effect of a further drawdown on the US mission in
Afghanistan and the risk to U.S. troops there.
As of Thursday, the Pentagon had met neither of those
conditions.
The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 under the
pretext of the so-called war on terror, overthrowing a Taliban regime.
Since the US invasion of Afghanistan, Washington has
spent more than two trillion dollars waging the war on the impoverished
country. Over 2,400 American soldiers and tens of thousands of Afghan civilians
have been killed.
The US, Taliban agreement signed in the Qatari capital
Doha last year, was intended to result in the reduction of bloodshed in the country,
but violence continues to take a heavy toll in the country.
Earlier this month, the US accused the Taliban of
carrying out a spate of attacks that targeted government officials, civil
society leaders, and journalists in Afghanistan.
The Taliban denies the allegation, saying that US
forces had conducted airstrikes against its members in non-military zones.
President-elect Joe Biden, who will take the office
next week, is an advocate of keeping a number of forces in Afghanistan.
It is now not clear how Biden will proceed with the
deal.
During his time as vice president, Washington pushed
the number of its troops in Afghanistan to 100,000.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/15/643093/US-Afghanistan-troops-withdrawal-Donald-Trump-Pentagon-Taliban-peace-
--------
Uzbek national sentenced to over 12 years for helping
aspiring ISIS fighter
January 14, 2021
An Uzbek national was sentenced Thursday in Brooklyn
federal court to 12 1/2 years in prison for supporting a wannabe ISIS fighter.
Azizjon Rakhmatov, 33, of New Haven, Connecticut,
previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material
support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to Seth
DuCharme, the acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
In 2015, Rakhmatov gave aspiring terrorist Akhror
Saidakhmetov $400 cash to help bankroll a trip to Syria to join ISIS and to buy
a gun once he arrived.
Saidakhmetov, who had pledged his allegiance to ISIS,
had said if he couldn’t make it to Syria to wage jihad, he’d turn his homicidal
urges on cops and FBI agents in the US, according to court papers.
Saidakhmetov flew from JFK Airport to Istanbul,
Turkey, on Feb. 25, where he was picked up by authorities before he could sneak
across the border. He was sentenced in 2017 to 15 years in prison.
Both men are expected to be deported once they’ve
completed their sentences, prosecutors said.
https://nypost.com/2021/01/14/uzbek-national-sentenced-for-helping-aspiring-isis-fighter/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1905672_
--------
Southeast Asia
With Emergency Ordinance In Malaysia, Law Experts Say
Democracy Suspended, Unlimited Power Lies With Cabinet
16 Jan 2021
BY SOO WERN JUN AND JOHN BUNYAN
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 ― With the gazettement of yesterday’s
Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, law experts warned that Malaysia
could be in for a rough time with unlimited and unchecked powers concentrated
in the hands of the Muhyiddin Cabinet.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had announced
the suspension of Parliament and all state legislative Houses as well as
elections during the nationwide state of Emergency, scheduled to last till
August 1.
Constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari said the
Ordinance has fully shielded the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration from
any legal action and effectively rendered the Opposition powerless to challenge
it in court ― third arm of the government ― even if there are abuses.
“We can oppose, but that’s it. The court is powerless
as its the constitution itself which allows all the breaking down of barriers
and limitations which were available in a non-Emergency situation,” he told
Malay Mail when contacted.
The problem with the Emergency Ordinance, he said, is
that its powers are so wide.
“Also it’s not subject to checks and balances, and it
may remain forever unless revoked,” said the Tebing Tinggi assemblyman who is
also Perak Opposition leader.
“But the revocation might be too late after the damage
has been done, which again cannot be compensated,” the DAP man added.
He said this was the reason the Pakatan Harapan (PH)
coalition is opposed to the invocation of Emergency powers just to arrest the
Covid-19 pandemic.
Democracy suspended
Constitutional lawyer Lim Wei Jiet expressed similar
views to Aziz. He said democracy in Malaysia is practically suspended at the
moment for as long as the Emergency lasts.
He added that the Ordinance also upholds Muhyiddin’s
suspension of Parliament, preventing legislators from convening and questioning
the Cabinet’s decisions.
“Parliament acts as a very important check because Art
150(3) of the Constitution provides that the proclamation of Emergency shall be
tabled in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, so that it can
either be ratified or annulled.
“By preventing Parliament from convening, the prime
minister is literally circumventing the legislature from holding the executive
to account in its decision on declaring a state of Emergency,” he told Malay
Mail.
He also said that with the state of Emergency declared,
the prime minister and his Cabinet are insulated from any attempts for their
removal from office.
Muhyiddin’s support in Dewan Rakyat had waned just
prior to the Emergency announcement, as two Umno MPs ― Datuk Ahmad Jazlan
Yaakub of Machang and Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz of Padang Rengas ― had openly
declared they did not back him nor his PN government any more. Their withdrawal
left the PM with only 109 out of 220 MPs. Two seats are vacant as their
incumbents died.
Lim said that while the judiciary continues to
function, what is seen today is that one of the provisions in the Ordinance
effectively usurps the court’s right to hear land acquisition cases.
“Now, the value of properties possessed by the
government will be done by someone appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, no
longer the courts.
“There is hence an overwhelming, almost unlimited,
concentration of power in the executive,” he added.
Asked if the Emergency Ordinance “made sense”, Lim
replied that it does only if one wanted total control over the country with no
accountability.
Unnecessary Emergency
Like Lim, fellow lawyer Surendra Ananth said the
Emergency Ordinance 2021 has put the brakes on democratic practices in the
country with Section 14 preventing Parliament from convening throughout this
period.
“This is inconsistent with article 150 itself. Clause
(3) makes it mandatory for any Emergency proclamation and ordinances made by
the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to be laid before Parliament.
“To suspend Parliament throughout the Emergency would
be to render that clause otiose,” said the Kuala Lumpur Bar Practice Reform
Committee chairman.
Otiose means serving no practical purpose or result.
Surendra also said the government did not have to
invoke the Emergency to contain the pandemic.
“Public health is not a ground to declare an Emergency
under Article 150 [of the Federal Constitution],” he said.
However, the government had cited Covid-19 as a threat
to Malaysia’s economy as a reason for the Emergency.
Salim Bashir, president of the Malaysian Bar,
expressed apprehension at the powers granted to the Armed Forces during this
Emergency period.
“As provided under Section 7(1) of the Ordinance, as
long as the Emergency is in force, the armed forces will have the authority to
arrest and detain, and possess the right of a police officer under the Criminal
Procedure Code, as well as the authority vested in them under the Armed Forces
Act 1972.
“We are concerned about the excessive use of powers by
the armed forces when carrying out their duties,” he said in a statement last
night.
He pointed out that while police officers are trained
in handling civilians and day-to-day disputes, soldiers do not have that
experience.
Salim said the Bar hopes the government will respect
individual rights during the Emergency and in the course of implementing the
Ordinance.
“The rule of law is not some kind of receding mirage,
but a fountain from which the nation draws its sustenance. Emergency or not, it
forms the basis of a democratic system.
“In light of the above, the Malaysian Bar calls upon
the government to exercise its executive powers to only such an extent that is
necessary to meet the particular needs of handling the Covid-19 pandemic, while
upholding the rule of law and democratic rights of its citizens,” he added.
However, lawyer Andrew Khoo indicated there is a
silver lining to public anxiety about this Emergency.
“An end date IS specified in the Proclamation. 1
August 2021. But this does not mean it can’t be ended earlier or extended,”
Khoo who is also co-chair of the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee told
Malay Mail today when contacted.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/16/with-emergency-ordinance-law-experts-says-democracy-suspended-unlimited-pow/1941055
--------
Former Lord President Salleh Abas laid to rest in
Terengganu
16 Jan 2021
KUALA TERENGGANU, Jan 16 ― Former Lord President Tun
Mohamed Salleh Abas was buried at the Sheikh Ibrahim Muslim Cemetery in Jalan
Pusara here at 10.40am today.
The body of Mohamed Salleh, 91, who died of pneumonia
at 3.20am today, was taken to the cemetery at about 10.15am.
The burial process was handled by some 10 personnel
from the Terengganu Health Department who were wearing personal protective
equipment (PPE).
However, his family members and journalists were not
allowed to be at the burial ground.
His son-in-law Wan Pauzi Yahya said Mohamed Salleh,
who was chairman of as-Salihin Trustee Berhad, was admitted to Hospital
Sultanah Nur Zahirah (HSNZ) here on Thursday after he tested positive for
Covid-19.
“After he was taken to hospital, his children and
other family members could still talk to him but then he was not admitted to
the intensive care unit (ICU) yet. We were told he had breathing difficulty,
declining blood pressure and other problems. Furthermore, he was born with only
one kidney,” he told reporters after the burial.
Wan Pauzi said his father-in-law was put on a
ventilator last night.
He said Mohamed Salleh was buried next to his first
wife, Toh Puan Azimah Mohd Ali, who died in 2016.
Wan Pauzi said the family hoped that the relevant
quarters would preserve Mohamed Salleh’s legacy by collecting the books written
by him and his personal items like photographs for the benefit of future
generations.
Mohamad Salleh leaves behind his wife Toh Puan
Junaidah Wan Jusoh, five children and 26 grandchildren.
In 1984, Mohamed Salleh was appointed the Lord
President (now known as Chief Justice), a post he held until his expulsion
during the constitutional crisis in 1988.
He was also one of the drafters of the Rukun Negara in
1970.
In the 10th general election in 1999, he won the
Jertih state seat in Terengganu on a PAS ticket but did not contest in the next
polls in 2004 on health grounds. ― Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/16/former-lord-president-salleh-abas-laid-to-rest-in-terengganu/1941019
--------
Indira Gandhi seeks IGP’s answers on ex-husband’s
probe in suit against PDRM
12 Jan 2021
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Kindergarten teacher, M. Indira
Gandhi is seeking answers from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to 48
questions pertaining to investigations on her Muslim convert ex-husband,
Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, in a suit filed against the Royal Malaysia Police
(PDRM).
The suit was filed pursuant to her claims that PDRM
failed to execute the committal warrant to arrest Muhammad Riduan and bring
back their 13-year-old daughter, who was abducted by the man, 12 years ago.
Indira filed the interrogatories application yesterday
through the law firm Messrs Raj & Sach to obtain a court order for the IGP,
as the first defendant, to answer the questions in written form via affidavit
under Order 26 of the Rules of Court 2012.
In the application, Indira, among others, requested
the IGP to answer questions pertaining to the probe, including the location of
her ex-husband, formerly known as K. Patmanathan, who is alleged to be in
southern Thailand.
Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, who is representing Indira,
when contacted, said the court set January 14 for case management before Deputy
High Court Registrar Idamasliza Maarof via e-review.
Indira, 46, as the plaintiff filed the suit on October
28 last year and named the IGP, PDRM, Home Ministry and the Government of
Malaysia as the first to fourth defendants.
In her statement of claim, Indira claimed that the IGP
had deliberately and negligently ignored the mandamus order from the Federal
Court by failing to investigate or take appropriate action to return her
daughter, Prasana Diksa, to her.
She claimed that all defendants had played a role in
making decisions or giving orders to PDRM to execute the committal warrant
against Muhammad Riduan as ordered by the Federal Court on April 29, 2016.
The plaintiff also claimed that the behaviour of all
defendants had directly caused her separation from her youngest daughter to
continue until today, and also caused Mohd Riduan to flee.
She is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary
damages, as well as a declaration that the first defendant had committed tort
of nonfeasance in public office, and the second, third and fourth defendants
were also vicariously liable for the tort of nonfeasance committed by the first
defendant. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/12/indira-gandhi-seeks-igps-answers-on-ex-husbands-probe-in-suit-against-pdrm/1939826
--------
Selangor Sultan, Tengku Permaisuri Selangor convey
condolences to family of Salleh Abas
16 Jan 2021
SHAH ALAM, Jan 16 — Selangor Sultan Sultan Sharafuddin
Idris Shah and Tengku Permaisuri Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin have
conveyed their condolences to the family of former Lord President Tun Dr
Mohamed Salleh Abas who died early today.
The royal couple hoped that his family would remain
calm in accepting the fate and prayed that the deceased’s soul be showered with
blessings from Allah and placed among the righteous and the pious,
Sultan Sharafuddin described Mohamed Salleh as a
person with integrity and principles who had always placed priority on the
Federal Constitution in every action that he takes.
“The late Tun Salleh was a great Malaysian jurist and
a man of principle who fought for the independence of the judiciary, which
safeguards the rights and privileges provided in the Constitution. He upheld
the rule of law and the separation of powers under our Constitution,” according
to a statement uploaded on the Selangor Royal Office official website here
today.
Mohamed Salleh died of pneumonia at 3.20 am today. He
was 91.
The remains of the as-Salihin Trustee Berhad chairman
were laid to rest at the Sheikh Ibrahim Muslim Cemetery in Jalan Pusara, Kuala
Terengganu at 10.40am today. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/16/selangor-sultan-tengku-permaisuri-selangor-convey-condolences-to-family-of/1941089
--------
Social media influencers among priority vaccine groups
in Indonesia
JAN 14, 2021
Deciding who should be first in line for limited
vaccine doses has been a challenge around the world, with many countries
prioritizing vulnerable health care workers and the elderly. Indonesia, on the
other hand, has gone down an interesting route. Among the first in the queue
for coronavirus vaccines in Indonesia has been one conspicuous group – social
media influencers.
As the world's fourth most populous country, Indonesia
kicked off its vaccination drive Wednesday, and alongside President Joko Widodo
was Indonesian television personality, Raffi Ahmad, who boasts almost 50
million followers on Instagram.
"Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God) a vaccine ...
Don’t be afraid of vaccines,” the 33-year-old celebrity wrote under a video of
him receiving the shot, next to a heart emoji and another emoji of Indonesia's
red and white flag.
A senior health ministry official, Siti Nadia Tarmizi,
said the decision to include influencers alongside almost 1.5 million health
care workers in the first round of inoculations was a deliberate government
communications strategy.
Although Indonesia faces the most severe coronavirus
outbreak in Southeast Asia – with more than 869,000 cases and 25,000 deaths –
there has been skepticism around the safety and efficacy of vaccines, and
whether it is halal (allowed under Islam), as Indonesia is the world's biggest
Muslim-majority nation.
So, the decision has been made to calm the public and
encourage them to get vaccinated. Indonesians are among the top global users of
social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The health ministry did not say how many influencers
would be first in the vaccine line, but others due to receive a shot on
Thursday included musicians Ariel, of the band Noah, and Risa Saraswati.
Ahyani Raksanagara, head of Bandung’s health agency,
told Reuters the artists would "hopefully convey positive influence and
messages” about the vaccines, and especially to young people.
A poll last month showed just 37% of Indonesians were
willing to be vaccinated, while 40% would consider it, and 17% refused.
Some doctors have raised doubts over Indonesia's
initial use of Chinese company Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac vaccine – with
studies from Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey showing efficacies ranging from
50%-91%.
However, in another possible boost for chances of
acceptance, the country's top Islamic council has deemed the vaccine halal.
Meanwhile, the decision to include social media
influencers on the priority list backfired somewhat when photos of Raffi showed
him partying hours after he was given the injection – which does not confer
immediate immunity.
The images of him unmasked and flouting social
distancing protocols with a group of friends drew criticism on social media,
with calls for him to set a better example.
"It also shows the government is inconsistent in
prioritizing who gets the vaccine first,” said Irma Hidayana, co-founder of
pandemic data initiative LaporCOVID-19. "They should’ve done it with
another health worker, maybe, not an influencer."
Health ministry official Nadia noted that "when
you’re vaccinated, you still have to abide by health protocols and not be
careless in enforcing them."
Zubairi Djoerban of the Indonesian Medical Association
said the strategy to hire influencers could only work if "influencers are
briefed about vaccine and COVID-19 so they can be agents of change."
Police said they are investigating whether Raffi broke
the law, while he has offered a public apology.
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/health/social-media-influencers-among-priority-vaccine-groups-in-indonesia
--------
India
Gujarat too may enact law against ‘love jihad’
January 16, 2021
The BJP-ruled Gujarat government too may bring in laws
to prevent what is known in right wing parlance as ‘love jihad’, marriage of a
Hindu woman to a Muslim man. BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh have recently enacted laws to stop conversion of Hindu women through
marriage to Muslim men.
Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said that the
Gujarat government is examining the laws recently implemented in Uttar Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh. He was speaking to journalists at an event by the Viswa
Hindu Parishad (VHP), organised to launch the fundraising drive for
construction of the Ram Temple.
Patel said that the laws enacted in Uttar Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh are meant to curb “forced religious conversions through
marriage”. But, long before the laws were enacted in UP and MP, foot soldiers
of VHP and Bajrang Dal in Gujarat were active in stopping what they thought to
be ‘love jihad’, ever since the BJP came to power here in 1995. The government
has received many representations about such marriages and forced conversions,
he said.
The Gujarat Government is studying the long-term
effects and legal sanctity of the laws enacted in UP and MP, said the Deputy
chief minister adding that a final decision would be taken at the appropriate
time.
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/gujarat-may-enact-law-love-jihad-1502946739.html
--------
Muslim Groups Call For Bandh On Jan 22 Over Bengaluru
Riots Crackdown, Farmers' Protest And Love Jihad Law
Jan 15, 2021
New Delhi: A conglomerate of around 28 Muslim groups
issued an appeal to Muslim shop owners to close their shops on January 22 in
support of the “innocents” who have been jailed in the DJ Halli and KJ Halli
riots case. They further said that the bandh is also in support of agitating
farmers and against the love jihad law.
Demanding the release of innocent youth who were
arrested after the KG Halli and DJ Halli violence the groups said that
businesses and shops owned by Muslims will remain closed till 5 pm. There won’t
be any meeting, rally or propaganda, said one of the groups.
Last year in August, violent clashes took place in
India’s IT capital after Pulikehsinagar's Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas
Murthy's nephew Naveen posted a derogatory message on the social media.
Bandh called in support of 'innocents' jailed in DJ
Halli & KJ Halli riots case
The mobs resorted to stone pelting, injured 60
policemen, and committed acts of vandalism and arson in DJ Halli, KG Halli,
Pulikeshinagar and Kaval Byrasandra areas.
Four persons were killed after police opened fire on
the night of August 11 to quell a mob.
The Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) has also
arrested Congress party leader and former corporator, Abdul Rakeeb Zakir in
connection with the Bengaluru Riot case after arresting former Bengaluru mayor
and Congress leader R. Sampath Raj.
421 arrested so far
So far, 421 people have been arrested, including the
Social Democratic Party of India leader Muzammil Pasha.
The NIA also seized incriminating materials relating
to the SDPI and PFI besides weapons like swords, knives and iron rods during
the raids, reported IANS.
In September, Congress leader Siddaramaiah had
appealed to the state government to take immediate steps to release “innocents”
who were arrested in connection with the Bengaluru riots.
https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/muslim-groups-call-for-bandh-on-jan-22-over-bengaluru-riots-crackdown-farmers-protest-and-love-jihad-law/707710
--------
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/uk-to-ban-china-imports/d/124087
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