Unknown Person In UP Defaces Mosque Wall with Provocative Graffiti against Prophet Mohammad
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 June 2022
Representational image.
(File Photo | AP)
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• Pak Muslim Yogis to Celebrate International Yoga Day
to Create Awareness about Benefits of Physical and Mental Health
• World Islamic Human Rights Body Condemns
Discrimination against Indian Muslims
• OIC Calls for Outlawing Wilful Provocations and
Defamation of Islamic Holy Personalities and Religious Symbols at United
Nations
• Sikh and Philanthropist Organizations Move To
Preserve Sikh, Hindu Religious Places in Afghanistan
India
• With Help from US, France and UK, Delhi Thwarts
Islamabad Bid To Tag Indian ‘Global Terrorist’
• India rejects OIC criticism, warns against ignoring
hate aimed at Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism
• Jammu and Kashmir: One terrorist killed in Sopore
encounter, operation underway
• NIA raids 7 locations in Pulwama, arrests ‘4 OGWs of
JeM’
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan repatriates 20 Indian fishermen
• Pak-TTP 'peace deal' doomed to fail despite
Afghan-Taliban's push
• Pakistan: 4 social activists killed in North
Waziristan
• PM stresses global support for refugees from Syria
to Afghanistan
• Govt summons parliamentary body for briefing on
talks with TTP
• Hina and Hamza discuss progress on FATF action plan
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Arab
World
• UAE, Saudi to Be ‘Major Players’ In Metaverse; Will Invest
and Reap Billions: Expert
• UAE teens offered a ‘menu’ of crystal meth, hashish,
as police step up drug crackdown
• Kurdish Democratic Union Party Elects Asya Abdullah
and Salih Muslim as New Co-Chairs, Syrian Kurdistan
• UN launches $3.2 billion plan for crisis-hit Lebanon
to support families, refugees
• Egyptian trade delegation makes rare Israel visit
• Syrian state media say attack on army bus kills 13
troops
• Saudi visit a sign of ‘optimism and hope,’ says
Egyptian minister of international cooperation
• Nearly dozen military personnel, two civilians
killed in attack on bus in Syria's Raqqah: SANA
--------
Europe
• Dutch PM Apologizes To Troops Involved In Srebrenica
Massacre, Rubbing Salt into Wound of Muslims in Europe
• Increase in violent attacks on mosques and Muslims
in Germany
• Islamic school leader banned for misogynistic and
homophobic sermons
• Terror group YPG/PKK supporters hold demonstration
in Sweden
• Renewal of Syria cross-border aid mandate is ‘moral
imperative,’ UN chief tells Security Council
• Iraqi migrant in UK fears Rwanda deportation,
despite reprieve
--------
South
Asia
• Sikh and Philanthropist Organizations Move To
Preserve Sikh, Hindu Religious Places in Afghanistan
• UN revokes travel privileges for two Taliban education
officials
• Hasina to visit India in early Sept, says B'desh
minister
• Photo exhibition in Dhaka highlights plight of
Rohingya in Bangladesh
• Man Hanged in Iran for Stabbing Three Clerics
• Explosion in Eastern Afghanistan Kills Two and
Injures At Least Twenty-Eight People
• Employees at an Airport in Southern Afghanistan
Resign Due to Non-Payment of Their Salaries
• Taliban launches fresh attacks in Panjshir Valley to
rescue its commander
--------
Africa
• Militants Kill 132 Villagers In Mali Weekend Rampage
• UAE to build Red Sea port in Sudan in $6 billion
investment package: Report
• No agreement as UN’s latest Libya mediation effort
ends
• Tunisia president receives draft constitution
--------
North
America
• UN Chief to Security Council: ‘We Cannot Give Up On
People of Syria’
• Many Black Americans living abroad say they will not
return to US
• Hearing on Muslim cemetery in south metro draws
standing-room-only crowd
• US Navy and Iran have tense encounter in Strait of
Hormuz
--------
Southeast
Asia
• South Korean Food Company Invested $31 Million to
Enter Malaysia’s Halal Market
• 169-year-old mosque in Malacca struck by lightning
• Johor Exco: RM28m Allocated For Monthly Allowance of
Mosque, Surau Officials In State
• Johor PAS rejects ‘big tent’ approach, to focus on
Malay-Muslim unity
• Strengthen Malay for unity’s sake, says Amanah man
--------
Mideast
• Israel's Parliament to Dissolve, Foreign Minister
Lapid to Become Prime Minister
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad Conducts Large-Scale Military
Drill in Gaza
• Hamas: No sovereignty for Palestine as long as
Israeli occupation continues
• Spokesman: US Should Remove All Anti-Iran Sanctions
• Iran prepares enrichment escalation at Fordow plant,
IAEA report shows
• Israel PM says thwarted Iranian attacks in Turkey,
suspects arrested
• Israel building US-led ‘Middle East air defence
alliance:’ Defence minister
• Iranian engineer’s death at military site due to
‘industrial sabotage’: Agency
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/up-deface-mosque-graffiti-prophet-mohammad/d/127287
--------
Unknown Person In UP Defaces Mosque Wall with
Provocative Graffiti against Prophet Mohammad
Representational image.
(File Photo | AP)
-----
20 JUN 2022
Aligarh (UP), Jun 20, A case has been filed against an
unidentified person for defacing the wall of a mosque here with objectionable
and provocative comments against Prophet Mohammad, police said on Monday.
The incident happened in a mosque in Keshopur Gadrana
under Mahua Khera police station area, they said.
The caretaker of the mosque, Habibur Rehman, on Sunday
found inflammatory graffiti on the mosque wall and immediately reported the
matter to the police, they said.
A case has been registered and several persons are
being questioned in this regard, police said.
Source: Outlook India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Pak
Muslim Yogis to Celebrate International Yoga Day to Create Awareness about
Benefits of Physical and Mental Health
Preparations
for IYD at Yoga Xone, Lahore.
----
Jun
20, 2022
AMRITSAR:
Muslims Yogis of Pakistan are all set to celebrate International Yoga Day (IYD)
on Tuesday with a few holding special Yoga therapeutic sessions in a bid to
bring awareness among people about the benefits of Yoga to improve their
physical and mental health.
The
Times of India talked to a couple of Pakistani Yogis on the eve of IYD on their
enthusiasm to celebrate the festival of mind, body, and soul.
Ibreez
Rumi of Lahore based Rumi Yoga and Wellness talked about the prevalent
childhood depression in the society and how Yogic exercises can help to improve
it. He said there were certain Yoga poses that could not only help to alleviate
the severity of the depression but also heal it. He said several Yoga postures
were helpful in improving the overall physical and mental health and total
well-being. “In therapeutic Yoga, we heal the patient with a particular posture
and holistic healing,” said he.
Nausheen
Khattak who runs Yoga Xone in Lahore said she had organized a free Yoga Open
House for people of all age groups to mark the day .“Yoga is simply about
finding yourself! Access to yourself! The greater you. The physical part of
yoga begins to refine you and connect you to something greater than yourself.
The brain is nature’s brilliance so we really need to un-learn to learn.
Lately, there is a lot of Yoga awareness in Pakistan” said Nausheen. At the
same time, she expressed gratitude toward India for spreading the teachings of
Yoga.
“Thank
you India for bringing us this outstanding knowledge of the human body and
mind,” said she.
A
molecular biologist and a Yoga teacher in Pakistan Yogi Safana Farooq said “If
you want to know yourself and take a deep dive into yourself there is no better
way than Yoga”.
Safana
said she was attracted to Yoga after she had developed severe anxiety due to
her overstretched research work. “In Pakistan majority of people believe that
Yoga is helpful for body transformation, to look young and make certain
postures but we need to bring awareness among the that Yoga has the ability to
transform mental health and dedicated days like IYD are much helpful to
motivate people towards Yoga,” said Safana.
In
India, Minister of State for Tourism and Defence Ajay Bhatt will attend the
International Yoga Day celebrations at the Indo Pak International border at
Attari.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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World
Islamic Human Rights Body Condemns Discrimination against Indian Muslims
A
bulldozer is being used to demolish the residence of Javed Ahmed, a local
leader who was allegedly involved in the recent protests against BJP
spokeswoman Nupur Sharma's remarks about Prophet Mohammed, in Allahabad on June
12, 2022. (AFP)
----
Rashid
Hassan
June
20, 2022
RIYADH:
The human rights wing of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has
strongly condemned discriminatory acts against Indian Muslims, calling on the
international community to hold India accountable for violations of minorities’
human rights and to end their hostilities.
The
Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), one of the principal
organs of the 57-member OIC, tweeted that it “condemns these brazen acts of
discrimination, flouting all pluralistic ideals with impunity!! It calls upon
the Intl. Community and relevant UN Special Procedures to urge Indian govt to
protect the HR of its Muslim minority and immediately put an end to hostilities
against them.”
The
commission also shared an Al Jazeera clip of Arundhati Roy, a famous Indian
activist and author, describing how India is becoming a “Hindu fascist
enterprise.”
Roy,
best known for her award-winning book “The God of Small Things,” said: “The
bulldozing of Muslim homes marks a moment in time where you are seeing a
transition from a sort of fragile, flawed democracy transitioning pretty
openly, pretty brazenly into a criminal Hindu fascist enterprise. Earlier
Muslims were punished by vigilante mobs or the police. But when you say that
you are going to bulldoze a house or a locality or a set of shops, then what
you are doing is you are saying who are the people who are going to be involved
in that.”
She
added: “There are going to be the municipal authorities, there are going to be
local magistrates, there are going to be people watching, there is going to be
media beaming this into people's homes, and above all, there are going to be
the courts that are looking away and not doing anything.
“In
effect what you are doing is you are telling Muslims you are on your own. There
is no help. There is no law for you. And all the institutions that were part of
the checks and balances of that old democracy are now going to be used as
weapons against you.”
Authorities
in states governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) have in recent months started bulldozing homes, shops and businesses that
belong to Muslims, on suspicion of participating in anti-government protests.
Last
week, after running bulldozers in Kanpur and Saharanpur, the Uttar Pradesh
administration demolished the house of student activist Afreen Fatima in
Prayagraj after serving just one day’s notice to vacate it, following protests
against derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad by BJP spokespersons.
Rights
activists have noted a trend of dual standards, where anti-government
protesters from other communities are not targeted in a similar way.
On
June 16, tens of thousands of young men furious with the BJP government’s new
army recruitment policy went on a violent rampage across India. They burned
trains and vehicles, attacked police stations, blocked roads, and in one town
they even burned the BJP’s offices, but their homes were not bulldozed in
retaliation.
The
IPHRC’s statement on anti-Muslim abuse in India comes after the commission
endorsed condemnation and outrage expressed by the OIC and members of the
international community over defamatory remarks made by BJP leaders against the
Prophet Muhammad.
On
June 6, it tweeted: “OIC-IPHRC urges the UN & intl’ HR community to
pressurise India to squarely counter Islamophobia and blasphemous speech,
prosecute those involved without impunity and deal with its systematic and
systemic persecution of Muslim minority.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2107396/world
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OIC
Calls for Outlawing Wilful Provocations and Defamation of Islamic Holy
Personalities and Religious Symbols at United Nations
A
view of a high-level United Nations meeting on countering hate speech convened
on Monday. — Photo courtesy United Nations General Assembly President Abdulla
Shahid's Twitter
----
Anwar
Iqbal
June
21, 2022
UNITED
NATIONS: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urged the international
community on Monday to outlaw all wilful provocations and incitement to hate
and violence.
In
a statement read at a high-level UN meeting on countering hate speech, the OIC
also expressed grave concern on the “denigration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)” by
officials of India’s ruling Bhartiya Janta Party. Pakistan’s UN Ambassador
Munir Akram read the statement on OIC’s behalf. The OIC demanded that all
“wilful provocations and incitement to hate and violence must be universally
outlawed.”
Ambassador
Akram reminded the international community that the OIC “remains concerned
about wilful provocations and defamation of Islamic holy personalities and
religious symbols.”
On
Saturday, June 18, the OIC joined the international community in commemorating
the first ever international day for countering hate speech in pursuance of a
General Assembly resolution passed recently.
The
resolution for observing this day was presented by the Kingdom of Morocco, and
the OIC described it “as an important milestone in advancing global efforts to
address and counter hate speech.”
The
OIC argued that observing this day would promote inter-religious and
intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech and would
underline the need to counter all kinds of discrimination and xenophobia.
In
his message to the high-level meeting, UN Secretary General António Guterres
said that “hate speech is in itself an attack on tolerance, inclusion,
diversity and the very essence of our human rights norms and principles.”
“Hate
speech,” he added, “undermines social cohesion, erodes shared values and can
lay the foundation for violence, setting back the cause of peace, stability,
sustainable development and the fulfilment of human rights for all”.
Ambassador
Akram pointed out that “the scale and impact of hate speech is amplified today
by new technologies of communication, so much so that hate speech has become
one of the most frequent methods for spreading divisive rhetoric and ideologies
on a global scale.”
He
warned that “if left unchecked, it can erode peace and development, since it
creates the conditions for conflicts, religious tensions and wide scale human
right violations, and can be a precursor for crimes of atrocity.”
The
statement noted that while hate speech had proliferated across the globe, “the
OIC is particularly alarmed at the sharp rise in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim
hatred in many parts of the world.”
Such
Islamophobic acts, the OIC added, “hurt the sensitivities of over 1.5 billion
Muslims and constitute a gross abuse of the right of freedom of expression.
They also reinforce extremist narratives.”
The
OIC group condemned “the practice of insulting Islam, Christianity, Judaism and
any other religion alike,” adding that it “stands against all acts of hate and
violence on the basis of religion or belief.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1695940/oic-calls-for-outlawing-wilful-religious-provocations
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Sikh
and Philanthropist Organizations Move To Preserve Sikh, Hindu Religious Places
In Afghanistan
Several
blasts tore through Gurudwara Karte Parwan in Kabul's Bagh-e Bala neighbourhood
on June 18.
-----
Jun
20, 2022
AMRITSAR:
Anxious over the fate of Gurudwara, temples, and buildings of Sikh and Hindu
heritage in Afghanistan post-departure of remaining minority Sikhs and Hindus
from the terrorists-infested nation, various Sikh and philanthropist
organizations have come forward to pre contrive the measures for the
maintenance of these buildings and uninterrupted performance of religious
services.
Joginder
Singh Salaria founder of Dubai-based PCT Humanity, a philanthropist body,
informed that he had taken up the issue with several Sikh religious bodies to
join hands and ensure that all the gurdwaras and temples were preserved in
Afghanistan.
“There
are around 10 Gurdwaras and 5 temples in Afghanistan, Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita
Guru Gobind Singh at Karte Parwan in Kabul was the only operational Gurdwara
which has now been destroyed after terrorists attack while only an ancient
Asamai Temple is still operational, “said Salaria adding that his organisation had
assigned duties to prepare the list of Sikh and Hindu heritage building,
gurdwaras and temples across Afghanistan so that necessary steps could be
taken.
Salaria
said he had proposed to form an international committee to take up the issue
with Afghanistan’s Taliban government so that these buildings could be
preserved and religious services continues to be performed even after the
evacuation of Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan.
Echoing
with Salaria, president of SAD(D) Paramjit Singh Sarna said “After 1947 Indo
Pak partition, Pakistan government preserved the gurdwara’s and Hindu temples
similarly we expect from the Taliban government in Afghanistan to preserve our
religious places “. He said besides the formation of an international committee
for the purpose, the SAD(D) had also urged the prime minister Narendra Modi to
intervene and take up the issue of preservation of gurdwaras and Hindu temples
with the Afghan government through diplomatic channel without any delay.
Sources
informed that there were around a dozen families of Sikhs and Hindus who didn’t
wish to evacuate Afghanistan despite being targets of terrorists.
“Many
of our relatives have been martyred by the terrorists in Afghanistan, we are
constantly under attack yet we will prefer to live and die here than to abandon
our houses, gurdwaras and temples,” said an Afghan Sikh who didn’t wish to give
his name due to obvious reasons.
Several
blasts tore through Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul's Bagh-e Bala neighbourhood
on Saturday while Afghan security personnel thwarted a bigger tragedy by
stopping an explosive-laden vehicle from reaching the place of worship of the
minority community. Two persons were killed in the attack.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
With
Help from US, France and UK, Delhi Thwarts Islamabad Bid To Tag Indian ‘Global
Terrorist’
Jun
21, 2022
NEW
DELHI: With help from US, France and UK, India managed to thwart another move
in the UNSC at the behest of Pakistan to designate an Indian national as
‘global terrorist’.
Islamabad
has in the past too, with China’s help, sought to include the name of Gobinda
Patnaik Duggivalasa, along with three other Indian nationals, in the UNSC 1267
sanctions committee list, accusing them of planning terror strikes in Pakistan.
The fresh proposal to proscribe Duggivalasa is seen as a tit-for-tat move by
Pakistan and China following the joint India-US proposal in the UNSC to
sanction Abdul Rehman Makki, the deputy chief of terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The proposal was put on “technical hold” by China.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
rejects OIC criticism, warns against ignoring hate aimed at Hinduism, Sikhism,
Buddhism
Jun
21 2022
By
Arul Louis
United
Nations, Jun 21 (IANS): Rejecting Organisation for Islamic Cooperation's (OIC)
criticism as "divisive," India has said that efforts to combat
religiophobia will not succeed if the rising hatred against Hinduism, Sikhism
and Buddhism is ignored.
"It's
time that UN member states condemned hatred against non-Abrahamic religions as
well and stop from being selective in combating religiophobias," India's
Permanent Representative T. S. Tirumurti told the General Assembly on Monday.
"There
cannot be double standards on religiophobias if you truly want to combat
hate," he said at the informal high-level meeting commemorating the first
International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
India
has promoted a culture of tolerance and respect for all religions under its
constitution and its legal system deals with violations, he added, reacting to
a criticism voiced by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC.
"Aberrations
are dealt with within our legal framework and we reject selective outrage from
outside, especially when they are motivated and pursuing a divisive agenda just
as we heard today's references against India by OIC," he said.
Pakistan
was referring to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who has been suspended by the
party's leadership and is facing criminal charges in several cities of hurting
religious sentiments.
Tirumurti
said, "India has time and again emphasised that combating religiophobia
can never succeed if it continues to be exclusionary and remains restricted to
one or two religions only, while completely ignoring the rise in hatred and
discrimination against non-Abrahamic religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism
and Sikhism."
The
Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which trace their
origins to the Jewish Prophet Abraham.
Tirumurti
cited the attack by the Islamic State on a gurdwara in Kabul on Saturday, the
very day designated by the General Assembly to combat hate speech.
"We
condemn in the strongest terms this cowardly, dastardly attack where lives were
tragically lost," he added.
A
Sikh worshipper was killed in the attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan, as was also
a member of the ruling Taliban's forces trying to protect it.
It
was also targeted with a car bomb that went off nearby.
The
international reaction to it has been muted with the only notable condemnation
of the attack coming from the UN Mission in Afghanistan.
"We
firmly believe that a society based on principles of democracy and pluralism
provides an enabling environment for diverse religions and communities to live
together," Tirumurti said.
"Today,
every one of the world's major religions has a home in India, making it a
nation of unparalleled diversity. India has, over centuries, provided refuge to
all, whether Zoroastrians or the Jewish community or Tibetan Buddhists or many
from our own neighbourhood," he added.
Pakistan's
Permanent Representative Munir Akram speaking on behalf of the OIC said that
"denigration of Prophet Mohammad by India's ruling party's official"
along with republishing cartoons of Mohammad by a French satirical publication
and burning copies of the Quran in Sweden were "willful provocations and
defamation of Islamic holy personalities and religious symbols".
He
called them "gross abuse of the right of freedom of expression" that
hurt the sensitivities of Muslims and "reinforce extremist
sentiments".
UN
General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid said, "Cyberspace and social
media together with the proliferation of disinformation and fake news have
aggravated the effects of hate speech to unprecedented heights."
Source:
Daiji World
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=970940
--------
Jammu
and Kashmir: One terrorist killed in Sopore encounter, operation underway
Jun
21, 2022
BARAMULLA:
An unidentified terrorist was killed by security forces after an encounter
broke out in the Tulibal area of Sopore town in the Baramulla district of Jammu
and Kashmir on Tuesday.
The
police said that the operation is underway.
"Sopore
Encounter Update: 01 terrorist killed. #Operation in progress. Further details
shall follow," Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.
Earlier
on Monday, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that
seven terrorists including three Pakistanis were killed in encounters with
security forces in the Valley.
"An
encounter began in Kupwara on Sunday. Two LeT terrorists from Pakistan were
killed yesterday itself. Another Pakistani terrorist was gunned down early
morning today. A local terrorist from Shopian, Showkat was gunned down along
with him," IGP Kashmir told ANI.
"In
Pulwama, a local terrorist of LeT was gunned down. In Kulgam, a local terrorist
of Jaish-e-Mohammed and one Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist were killed. A
total of seven terrorists killed so far. Three of them were Pakistanis and four
were local terrorists. Encounters concluded in Kupwara and Pulwama. Search is
underway in Kulgam," added the official.
According
to Jammu and Kashmir Police, encounters broke out between terrorists and
security forces in Chatpora area of Pulwama and in DH Pora area in Kulgam on
Sunday.
Meanwhile,
Kupwara Police launched a joint anti-terrorist operation alongwith the Army's
28RR on the disclosure of an arrested terrorist Showket Ahmed Sheikh.
Security
forces are on alert as there have been incidents of targeted killings in
Kashmir and sections of the minority community had threatened that they were
preparing for mass migration if the government did not relocate them.
Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh, who was on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, had
urged the people not to allow inimical forces to break the social fabric and
noted that the electoral process is likely to begin in the coming months.
Rajnath
Singh also made a veiled reference to Pakistan and said some forces were trying
to sow seeds of hatred in the Union Territory.
He
said there is a foreign conspiracy in the recent targeted killings in Jammu and
Kashmir and such attempts would be foiled.
He
was addressing an event held here today to mark the 200th anniversary of
Maharaja Gulab Singh's 'Rajyaabhishek ceremony'.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NIA
raids 7 locations in Pulwama, arrests ‘4 OGWs of JeM’
Jun
21, 2022
SRINAGAR:
The National Investigation Agency raided “seven locations” in south Kashmir on
Monday and “arrested four” alleged over-ground workers (OGWs) of the terrorist
organisation Jaish-e-Muhammed, a spokesperson for the NIA said.
According
to an NIA statement, the raids and arrests were made in connection with the
terrorist activities of JeM in south Kashmir and a gun battle in which two
terrorists were killed by security forces at Chewa Kalan, Pulwama, on March 11
this year. The militants slain on March 11 had been identified as Aquib Mushtaq
Bhat of Pulwama and Kamal Bhai of Pakistan.
During
Monday’s searches, the NIA claimed, a large quantity of incriminating material
was seized. Based on these searches, four people were arrested — Sahil Ahmed
Khan, alias Sohail, and Jahangir Ahmed Dar, both residents of Gudoora, in
Pulwama, Shahid Ahmed Shergojri of Ugragund, in Pulwama, and Inayat Gulzar Bhat
of Pinglena.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
repatriates 20 Indian fishermen
Jun
20, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Pakistan on Monday said it has repatriated 20 Indian fishermen to India
after completion of their jail terms.
The
Pakistan high commission in India said the Indians were repatriated through the
Wagah-Attari border transit point.
"Pakistan
has released & repatriated 20 Indian prisoners (fishermen), who had
completed their sentences, via Wagah/Attari Border, today," it said on
Twitter.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pak-TTP
'peace deal' doomed to fail despite Afghan-Taliban's push
21
Jun, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's sheer desperation for peace with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) comes as the country's economy continues to remain in shambles and the
prevailing political instability has made the Pakistani state "weak and
vulnerable." The differences between the coalition partners - Pakistan
People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on the
transparency issue of the TTP talks led Bilawal Bhutto and Asif Zardari to
reach out to other political parties in the parliament over Pakistan's talks
with the TTP and constitute a three-member committee.
After
much criticism over the absence of the government's response to the ongoing
'peace talks' between the Pakistan Army, Afghan Taliban, and TTP, political
stakeholders have finally decided to take cognisance of the matter. Under
Pakistan's constitution, the civilian government cannot negotiate -- at least
not directly with those waging an insurgency against it. While PPP seems
concerned about the concessions TTP is getting from the army establishment for
the success of the dialogue, PML-N has largely ignored the matter.
In
addition, the security establishment fears that the Afghan Taliban may support
TTP in its quest to impose the 'Sharia Law', on the lines of Afghanistan, in
Pakistan as well. There is also a reported push from China to tame TTP to avoid
any nefarious activities against China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
projects and targeting of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Lastly, the
possibility of 'Pashtun' nationalism may prove a grave threat to the
Punjabi-dominated army establishment in Pakistan. Therefore, Rawalpindi is opting
for a peace agreement with TTP, like the US-Taliban Doha accord, instead of
military operations as the Pakistan army does not want to lose its
"strategic depth" in Afghanistan by angering its "trusted"
Islamist proxy elements.
Even
retired officers from the defence forces and law enforcement agencies have cast
aspersions over the dialogue and advised to "only negotiate the terms of
surrender [of TTP militants]." Overall, the talks have not yielded much in
the last month as differences remain despite the Afghan Taliban's push and
participation of a suspicious 50-member delegation of tribal elders, dubbed as
a Jirga, in Kabul. As a saving grace for the military establishment, the TTP
has reportedly agreed to extend the ceasefire "indefinitely" to continue
negotiations.
Nevertheless,
the ceasefire may not hold for long unless TTP's demands are not met soon.
Based on the past experiences of negotiations between the Pakistan army and TTP
- over a dozen agreements - this time as well the deal will eventually fall apart,
leading to more bloodshed in the country. Sirajuddin Haqqani, Taliban's deputy
Emir and minister of the interior, has played a critical role in facilitating
the 'peace talks' between Pakistan and TTP, considering his historical
closeness to both the TTP and Pakistan's security establishment.
Therefore,
Haqqani's role in bringing peace between the two warring parties will be
critical in deciding the future of the dialogue. Sirajuddin's appointment as
the new interior minister of Afghanistan was not a coincidence but a planned
move by Rawalpindi to put their "trusted men" at the helm in Kabul.
However, the historical ties between the Haqqani Network and TTP, both eastern
Pashtuns, may prove a roadblock for Pakistan to pressure Sirajuddin on fulfilling
their objectives with the TTP.
Pakistan's
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province has seen an uptick in terrorism-related
activities since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021. In the
ongoing negotiations with Pakistan, TTP has put forth the following key
demands: the reversal of the merger of former Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) with KPK as per the 25th Constitutional Amendment; substituting
all military presence from the region with frontier corps; enforcement of
Sharia law in the Malakand division; release of 102 commanders and fighters and
presidential pardon to two key militant commanders; and complete freedom of
movement for the TTP's members in the Malakand division.
Source:
Dtnext
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan:
4 social activists killed in North Waziristan
20
June, 2022
North
Waziristan [Pakistan], June 20 (ANI): At least four volunteers of a social
organisation were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire at their car in
Pakistan’s North Waziristan district on Sunday, a local media reported.
District
Police and residents said that unidentified men on two motorcycles opened fire
on a moving car in the Haiderkhel area of Mirali tehsil, Dawn reported.
All
the deceased activists were part of a social organisation, the Youth of
Waziristan. They all have been identified as Waqar Ahmad Dawar, Sunaid Ahmad
Dawar, Aamad Dawar and Assadullah.
The
bodies were shifted to a hospital in Mirali town.
The
Youth Organisation, formed after the Zarb-i-Azb military operation, has worked
for the restoration of peace in the militancy-hit region. The organisation has
also staged a protest and sit-in against target killings, reported Dawn.
About
two years ago security agencies took action against a sit-in organised by the
Youth of Waziristan and arrested its founding president, Noor Islam Dawar.
Meanwhile,
another case has been registered in the town, where bullet-riddled bodies of
two people, who were kidnapped from a market, were found near the Tochi river,
also called the Gambila River on Sunday.
The
residents in Mirali town said that the unidentified gunmen had kidnapped the
two people from Khadi market. Till now no group has so far claimed
responsibility for the killing.
The
deceased belonged to the Lakki Marwat district.
The
same incident has been reported on Sunday when two people were gunned down in
South Waziristan.
One
incident was reported from Khaisoor village where gunmen shot dead Abdur
Rehman. The deceased owned a mobile phone shop in the village, according to
dawn.
In
another incident, an unidentified assailant killed a person in the Shaktoi area
of the district.
The
Pakistani police are also becoming the main target of terrorists. Recently,
terrorist activities are on surged in Pakistan border areas, especially in the
North Waziristan district.
A
Pakistani soldier was killed when terrorists targeted security forces in the
North Waziristan district of the country’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province, the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said
in a statement.
“On
night June 1-2, terrorists fired at a military post in general area Datta Khel,
North Waziristan District,” the statement read on Thursday.
During
an intense exchange of fire, a young soldier who was 28 years old lost his
life. Actions had been carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the
area, said the statement.
Hamid
Ali, 28 was a resident of Sargodha city in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-4-social-activists-killed-in-north-waziristan/1003953/
--------
PM
stresses global support for refugees from Syria to Afghanistan
June
20, 2022
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for renewed policy focus and
arrangement of resources to address the suffering of refugees across the world.
“From
Syria to Palestine to Afghanistan, their plight calls for renewed policy focus
and resources,” he said in a tweet, on World Refugee Day.
The
prime minister termed refugees as “the worst victims of wars and conflicts”
besides inflicted by poverty and economic inequality.
He
called for global efforts to the developing countries that were extending
support to refugees.
“The
world should help developing countries who continue to host a large number of
refugees,” he said.
The
Foreign Office in a statement issued on the World Refugee Day said Pakistan
joined the international community in commemorating the day and expressed
solidarity with refugees all around the world.
“This
Day behooves us to reflect on the drivers of forced displacements and to
reaffirm our commitment towards finding sustainable solutions for refugee
situations, including through conflict prevention and resolution,” it said.
The
FO said the day was also an occasion to reiterate collective resolve for
refugee protection under the principle of international burden- and
responsibility-sharing.
“Pakistan
has shouldered the responsibility of one of the largest and most protracted
refugee situations in the world for over four decades. Pakistan continues to
host more than three million Afghans,” it said.
The
FO said another 0.4 million Rohingyas had also found refuge in Pakistan and the
people of Pakistan had demonstrated exemplary generosity, hospitality, and
compassion towards the refugees in the country.
It
emphasized that as new situations emerged around the globe, the long-standing
Afghan refugee situation must not be forgotten by the international community.
“There
is a need for renewed international commitment, especially in the context of
COVID-compounded socio-economic and health challenges, through regular,
predictable and adequate financing for Afghan refugees including their safe and
dignified return,” it said.
The
FO said it was equally important to undertake necessary measures for the
stability and sustainable socio-economic development of Afghanistan, in order
to avert the possibility of any future refugee exodus from the country.
“On
this Day, Pakistan pays special tribute to UNHCR – the United Nations refugee
agency – for its commendable work in support of refugees and host communities
throughout the world. Pakistan looks forward to further strengthening its
valuable partnership with UNHCR,” it said.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Govt
summons parliamentary body for briefing on talks with TTP
June
20, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government has summoned an in-camera session of the Parliamentary
Committee on National Security (PCNS) on Tuesday (today) to give briefing on
ongoing talks with banned outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), sources said
on Monday.
The
in-camera session of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS)
has been summoned tomorrow to give a briefing on TTP-government talks.
The
movement for summoning the PCNS in-camera session at the National Assembly (NA)
Hall was presented by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Javed Abbasi.
The movement was approved by the NA lawmakers.
Sources
said that the PCNS in-camera session is being summoned after Pakistan People’s
Party (PPP) raised objections over the secrecy of the government’s ongoing
talks with the banned TTP. In the upcoming session, a briefing will be given to
the outlawed TTP, sources added.
Earlier,
PPP had mounted pressure on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to summon the meeting
of the National Security Committee (NSC) and an all-parties conference (APC)
regarding the talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The
coalition party of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) led government, PPP
has strongly reacted to ongoing talks with the banned TTP without taking it
into confidence.
Sources
told PPP expressed serious reservations over the secrecy on the progress of
ongoing talks with the banned TTP. Following the PPP’s reservations, pressure
has been mounted on PM Shehbaz Sharif to summon an NSC meeting and an APC for a
briefing on TTP talks.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hina
and Hamza discuss progress on FATF action plan
June
20, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar called on Punjab Chief
Minister Hamza Shahbaz on Monday and discussed the progress on getting Pakistan
out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Punjab
CM Hamza Shahbaz appreciated the efforts of State Minister Hina Rabbani Khar
and the entire team on the positive progress on the matter of FATF.
During
a meeting, the Punjab CM said that the positive development of FATF from the
grey list to the white list is a victory for the country.
Hamza
Shahbaz said he hopes Pakistan will return to the white list after the FATF
team’s tour to Pakistan in October.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/06/20/hina-and-hamza-discuss-progress-on-fatf-action-plan/
--------
Arab
World
UAE,
Saudi to be ‘major players’ in Metaverse; will invest and reap billions: Expert
21 June,
2022
The
UAE and Saudi Arabia will lead the region will it comes to investing in the
metaverse, with the Middle East to become a “major player” in the online
virtual world, a futurist expert told Al Arabiya English.
In
an interview with Al Arabiya English, Ian Khan, author of ‘Metaverse for
Dummies,’ said the region has also seen several firsts in the immersive virtual
world, including the first-ever metaverse wedding.
Meanwhile,
Dubai is now home to MetaIncubator; the first Metaverse Incubator in the Middle
East, designed to foster the development of early-stage Metaverse and Web3
applications.
The
metaverse, which is being seen as the future of business and human interaction,
is projected to reach $5 trillion by 2030, according to the latest report from
McKinsey & Company.
And
Khan believes the Middle East can capitalize on the market.
“The
Middle East is one of the fastest technology adoption regions in the world and
this is true also for the metaverse,” he told Al Arabiya English. “From being
part of the conversation to taking part in the metaverse, we are seeing a lot
of activity from the region.”
This
is especially true for the UAE, he said.
“So
far, the UAE is taking bold steps towards experimenting with the metaverse and
also examining the short and long-term economic benefits this new technology
area can bring.”
“The
buzz is very much real, and this is being converted to reality through some of
the activity that is taking place right here in the UAE and the broader
region.”
Khan
said both public and private sector entities are engaging in metaverse-related
initiatives in the region.
This
includes the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), which leads foresight and
technology exploration for emerging technologies, and government entities such
as the police department in Ajman, which recently introduced an initiative
where members of the public can also meet and interact with Ajman Police in the
metaverse, where avatars of officers will answer people's queries.
“The
leadership in Dubai has recently created a committee to investigate the
opportunities of the Metaverse and how this could support economic growth in
the future,” said Khan. “This is a great step not just for the region but as a
global industry overall to help build the foundations of a highly fast-growing
industry.”
“From
a thought leadership perspective and leading the conversation, this year Sheikh
Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the deputy ruler of Dubai, has announced the
organizing of a first futurists conference organized by the Dubai Future
Foundation in October 2022. This conference will cover many topics about the
future, including the metaverse and its impact.”
“We
also have private and public sector entities conducting pilot tests and
experiments with the matters.’
“This
includes the example of the Ajman police department interacting with the public
through the metaverse, while Dubai Municipality has also suggested it will be
participating in the Metaverse and creating a virtual city. Dubai has also been
the home to the first wedding on the metaverse. Now that’s a first.”
Regionally,
Saudi Arabia is also taking a big step toward developing the gaming ecosystem,
said Khan.
“Saudi
is organizing a week-long gaming festival in Riyadh this summer. These and many
other activities are fueling big growth in the Kingdom.”
“Bloomberg
predicts that by 2024 the metaverse will generate in excess of $800 billion,
and I believe there is an opportunity for the Middle East to take some part of
that projected growth and create opportunities in the region that will support
it.”
The
Middle East’s foray into the metaverse will have wide-ranging economic benefits
for the region, said Khan.
“Global
gig tech giants including Microsoft, Facebook, NVIDIA, Google, and others who
have a stake in the Metaverse through their hardware or solution offering
perspective will find the region abundant in opportunity and are likely to
expand their reach in the Middle East as a result.”
“We
are already seeing mega technology conferences such as LEAP, HACK, GITEX, and
dedicated gaming and metaverse events taking place. These are being attended by
thousands of attendees and professionals from the world over and are a
testimony of the region’s focus on emerging technology.”
In
the not-to-distant future, the metaverse will also create jobs in the virtual
world, said Khan.
“Jobs
in the metaverse are likely to be in various sectors. This will include the
gaming industry, retail, and professional services. With the rise in metaverse
usage, both private and public entities can see growth in their user base,
offering more experiential ways of engagement and serving the needs of
participants in the metaverse.”
“There
is also an opportunity to establish the Middle East as a hub for gaming, which
in turn would open up multiple opportunities for economic growth.”
“The
government of Dubai has estimated that the metaverse could add as many as
42,000 virtual jobs and an upwards of $4 billion by 2030. I do however believe
that if things go the way they are currently being planned, these numbers may
rise.”
“The
metaverse serves as a channel of engagement, therefore is it highly likely that
there will be people and participants in the metaverse that would want to
interact with the metaverse.
“This
could include making purchase decisions, buying digital or physical goods over
the metaverse, and receiving and delivering services. We may not be far from
the era where the metaverse becomes a sizeable channel for such exchanges.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
teens offered a ‘menu’ of crystal meth, hashish, as police step up drug
crackdown
21
June, 2022
Parents
in the UAE have told how their teenage children are being spammed with messages
on their mobile phones, offering a cocktail of illegal drugs including crystal
meth and hashish.
The
messages come as Dubai Police are stepping up initiatives to tackle the
criminals who target the public through an illicit WhatsApp drug delivery
service.
Earlier
this year, police revealed 100 such criminals were targeted during a major
anti-narctics campaign.
Videos
shown to Al Arabiya English from concerned parents, who filmed their children’s
screens, show the unsolicited messages and images of an array of Class A to
Class C drugs – all strictly prohibited in the UAE – offering teenagers access
to narcotics.
“You
need this. Good quality and good price. All UAE available,” the caption on one
video read, depicting images of narcotics piled high. “Hasheesh, crystal…lyrica
etc.”
One
mother spoke to Al Arabiya English on the condition of anonymity.
She
said her 14-year-old son’s friends received a video on his phone from an
unknown number, offering him an array of drugs.
“He
was scared, he didn’t want to get into trouble, so he showed them to his dad,”
the mother told Al Arabiya English.
Weeks
later, her son started receiving the same messages.
“He
is always open with us, and he showed us straight away,” she said. “They were
messages from WhatsApp. Of course, it was frightening.”
She
blocked the number, but days later a different unknown caller then left several
voice notes via WhatsApp in Arabic.
“The
person was saying, ‘Habibi, I have this, I have that. What would you like? He
was offering all different substances,” according to the mom.
“This
time I went to the CID at Barsha police station. They told me it is a citywide
problem and took the numbers down.”
There
she was told to block the numbers of anyone offering narcotics.
The
phone numbers, she said, suggested the calls had been placed from outside the
country, perhaps from Pakistan or Bangladesh.
“I
just want it to stop; my son has been contacted about five or six times,” she
said. “It is bad enough in the age of social media of what your son can be
exposed to, but when these people are seeking out and finding your children,
offering them drugs, it is concerning.”
She
continued, “I trust my son completely, but it is still a worry. These are
substances no one should be exposed to, let alone a teenager.”
While
initially concerned that drug dealers were exclusively contacting
impressionable teenagers, she said that she has spoken to several acquaintances
who had also received similar messages.
“My
friend’s husband has similar messages, even the police officer at CID said he
had received the same messages,” the mother added.
There
is no legal use for crystal meth, also known as, ‘glass,’ ‘shards,’ ‘ice,’ or
‘Tina’ among those who make, distribute, and use the highly addictive drug,
which can damage your body and cause severe psychological problems.
Hashish,
also known as hash, is a cannabis-based drug, while Pregabalin, also known by
the brand name Lyrica, is an anti-epileptic drug also used to relieve chronic
pain. It has been linked to deaths in the UK.
Even
very small possessions of medications such as codeine can be deemed illegal in
Dubai and can result in imprisonment, fines, and deportation.
Dubai
Police has worked closely in conjunction with the UAE’s telecommunications
providers, Etisalat and du, as well as the Roads and Transport Authority and the
Central Bank to raise awareness of the WhatsApp drug networks as part of a
high-profile initiative run from July 15 to November 1, 2021.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kurdish
Democratic Union Party Elects Asya Abdullah And Salih Muslim As New Co-Chairs,
Syrian Kurdistan
June
20, 2022
HASAKA,
Syrian Kurdistan,— The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekîtiya
Demokratîk, PYD) in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) elected new co-chairs during its
three-day Congress which was held in Hasaka city.
On
the second day of the 9th congress and with the participation of 700 delegates,
Asya Abdullah and Salih Muslim were elected on Sunday as the new co-chairs and
145 members were elected to the PYD General Assembly.
The
PYD’s 9th Congress concluded on Monday and issued a final statement to the
public opinion.
In
2020, Ayşe Hiso and Anwar Muslim were elected as co-chairs of the PYD at the
8th party Congress.
In
2015, Salih Muslim and Asya Abdullah were re-elected as co-chairs of the PYD at
the 6th party Congress.
The
worldwide-respected PYD-led Autonomous Administration in Syrian Kurdistan has a
secular decentralized self-rule, where equality between men and women, direct
democracy, and environmental responsibility are emphasized.
In
2013, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD — the political branch of
the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — has established three autonomous
Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian
Kurdistan in 2013. On March 17, 2016, Kurdish and Arab authorities announced
the creation of a “federal region” made up of those semi-autonomous regions in
Syrian Kurdistan. Turkey on January 20, 2018 launched an operation against the
YPG in the Kurdish canton of Afrin and on March 18, the Turkish troops
supporting Syrian Islamic mercenary fighters drove the YPG out of Afrin city.
On
September 6, 2018, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East
Syria was proclaimed in Ain Issa. Since then, the Autonomous Administration has
been responsible for implementing the model of democratic confederalism in the
municipalities and regions in North-East Syria.
The
PYD and its powerful military wing YPG/YPJ, considered the most effective
fighting force against IS in Syria and U.S. has provided them with arms. The
YPG, which is the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces SDF forces, has
seized swathes of Syria from Islamic State.
The
Kurdish forces expelled the Islamic State from its last patch of territory in
the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz in March 2019. An estimated 12,000
suspected IS members are still held in Kurdish prisons since 2019.
So
far over 11,000 Kurdish male and female fighters had been killed in five years
of war to eliminate the Islamic State “caliphate” that once covered an area the
size of Great Britain in Syria and Iraq.
Source:
Ekurd
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://ekurd.net/pyd-elects-asya-abdullah-2022-06-20
--------
UN
launches $3.2 billion plan for crisis-hit Lebanon to support families, refugees
21 June,
2022
The
United Nations has announced a $3.2 billion plan for Lebanon to address ongoing
impacts from the long-running economic crisis and the war in neighboring Syria,
the international body said in a statement on Monday.
The
announcement was made by the country’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the Minister
for Social Affairs Hector Hajjar, and the UN Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinator Najat Rochdi in Beirut, Lebanon.
The
2022 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) aims to deliver critical assistance to
more than three million people and to support services, infrastructure, and the
local economy overall as the crisis continues to cripple the country’s economy,
depriving people of their basic needs.
The
plan is a multi-stakeholder response co-led by the Lebanese government and the
UN, and will include the contribution of several other entities, including
local and international NGOs.
The
approach will address the needs of displaced Syrians, Palestinian refugees from
Syria, and the Lebanese host communities through humanitarian and stabilization
interventions, focused primarily on the maintenance of service provision
through public institutions at the local level.
Support
will be provided to 1.5 million Lebanese, 1.5 million displaced Syrian, and
over 209,000 Palestinian refugees.
“Lebanon
has been hosting displaced Syrians now for more than 11 years. As resources are
further stretched by the economic crisis, increased support to the displaced
and for the Lebanese host communities remain a top priority for the Government
of Lebanon and its partners. It remains essential for a fair distribution of
support without any discrimination to people affected by the crisis, including
Lebanese villages and towns hosting the displaced, in order to alleviate the
burdens placed upon them,” Hajjar said.
The
economic crisis has worsened in Lebanon as more people fall deeper into poverty
due to currency depreciation, high inflation, loss of incomes and rising costs.
“With
the continuing impact of the Syria crisis and the current economic crisis in
Lebanon pushing everyone to the brink, partners’ joint efforts to support
refugees and the host community through the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan remain
essential,” Rochdi said.
“Nine
out of ten Syrians in Lebanon are living in poverty, while poverty levels have
also risen substantially for Lebanese, migrants and Palestinians. These
circumstances are driving negative coping mechanisms, as families are forced to
send their children to work instead of school, skip meals or incur debt,” the
UN coordinator added, stressing that municipalities needed to be supported to
keep basic service running amid massive capacity gaps.
Over
the next two months, the Lebanese government has pledged to scale up the number
of Lebanese families benefiting from regular cash-based assistance under the
government-led National Poverty Targeting Program, which donors fund under the
LCRP, providing aid to up to 75,000 families.
According
to the UN, the $9 billion provided through the LCRP plan in 2015 showed
“tangible results” for Lebanon’s population of displaced people.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Egyptian
trade delegation makes rare Israel visit
20
June, 2022
A
delegation of Egyptian business leaders was in Israel on Monday, the first such
visit in a decade, in a sign of “warming” ties between the two countries,
Israeli officials said.
The
trip was part of a trade agreement known as QIZ (Qualifying Industrial Zone),
which was initiated in 1996 between Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the US to foster
Middle East peace.
The
deal allows Egypt to export some products to the US duty free, so long as they
include 10.5 percent Israeli inputs.
The
visiting Egyptian delegation includes executives from the textile and clothing
industries, the Israeli foreign and economy ministries said in a joint
statement.
Israel's
Minister of Economy and Industry, Orna Barbivay, said the visit “will
contribute to the promotion of shared interests for both countries.”
Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Sharm
el-Sheikh in September 2021, the first visit to Egypt in over a decade by an
Israeli head of government.
Egypt
was the first Arab country in 1979 to sign a peace treaty with Israel, after decades
of enmity. Jordan was the second, establishing full diplomatic relations with
Israel in 1994.
Egypt
now regularly serves as an intermediary between Israel and Palestinian leaders,
notably from the Hamas group that rules Gaza and has no direct communication
with the Jewish state.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Syrian
state media say attack on army bus kills 13 troops
20
June, 2022
An
attack on a military bus in northern Syria on Monday killed 13 soldiers and
wounded two, Syrian state media reported.
According
to state TV, the attack occurred in the province of Raqqa, which was once
controlled by the extremist ISIS. The report did not say whether the bus was
ambushed and attacked with machinegun fire, or whether it was hit by a missile
or a roadside bomb.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility but the attack had all the hallmarks
of ISIS militants who have carried out similar attacks over the past months,
leaving dozens dead or wounded.
The
militants proclaimed a so-called “caliphate” in a third of both Iraq and Syria
in 2014 and the city of Raqqa was their de-facto capital. They were defeated in
2019 but ISIS sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
visit a sign of ‘optimism and hope,’ says Egyptian minister of international
cooperation
NOOR
NUGALI
June
20, 2022
CAIRO:
The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman is on a
tour of the Middle East, where he will visit Egypt before continuing on to
Jordan and Turkey. The upcoming visit's discussions will cover fields of
economy, tourism and bilateral investment.
Arab
News was granted an extensive interview with Egyptian Minister of International
Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, who described the relations between the two
countries “a very strategic one.”
She
said: “It’s a very old one. And every time there’s a summit, there’s always a
sense of optimism and hope, and alignment when it comes to the debate on the
future.”
She
added that the visit is “extremely significant.”
Al-Mashat
said: “The other point is, this visit is coming at a time when the global
situation is very complicated. It’s very challenging. There are winners, there
are losers. There are concerns that everybody is thinking about: The world’s
economic growth, the world’s employment, the world’s inflation. So such a
summit is one that I think involves a lot of anticipation. But, as happened
with previous visits, there’s always outcomes which are very favorable for both
nations.”
Egypt
is president and host of the UN Climate Change Conference COP 27, which will be
held in November. Al-Mashat said that Egypt, as host, will continue the goals
laid out at last year’s COP 26 conference held in Scotland. “We want this COP
to be one of implementation. There were many pledges made in Glasgow,” she
says.
She
added that there are three key items on the agenda: “First, of course, Egypt as
president is impartial. But adaptation and resilience are extremely important.
And this has become even more so with what’s happening globally, given what
we’re seeing with respect to food security, and what we’re seeing with respect
to how food is related to any vulnerability, including issues related to water.
Egypt being in Africa, adaptation and resilience for Africa is quite
significant. So that’s going to be an opportunity.”
COP
27 being presided over by an African country also holds great significance for
Al-Mashat. “The voice of the (Global) south is more prominent in G20, as well
as from Indonesia, another country from the south. So between the G20 and COP
27, two big nations, two voices, will speak on behalf of middle-income
countries, on behalf of developing economies,” she said.
Al-Mashat
added that the goal of the upcoming conference will be shifted from the making
of pledges to implementation. “Implementation here includes how we can see all
the commitments when it comes to financing, making their ways to investable
projects in middle-income countries and low-income countries, in countries that
are not just focusing on mitigation, but on adaptation, given the climate risks
related to water scarcity and desertification, which is also a big risk for
countries.”
On
the topic of Gulf bilateral joint committees, Al-Mashat said that “there are
discussions always around different types of strategic investments.
“So,
what we saw during the months of March and April were directions in line with
what Egypt wants to do when it comes to opening up the private sector more to
foreign investments.”
Gulf
investment in Egypt is a very strong sign of confidence, said Al-Mashat, adding
that Gulf countries’ prioritization of diversification of the economy,
purchasing power and technology is good news for the continual development of
foreign investment in Egypt.
“Gulf
investments are always looking for good opportunities, and it also opens the
door for other investors. So it’s a very favorable step forward,” she said.
Arab
tourists, especially those from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations, could also
play a vital role in Egypt’s economy. The number of Russian and Ukrainian
tourists — who make up 40 percent of beach holidaymakers in Egypt, according to
the Ministry of Tourism — has declined since the start of the war in Ukraine.
However,
Al-Mashat said that an “influx of tourists coming from Europe, other than
Russia and Ukraine, has been extremely favorable and positive.”
As
the world slowly recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, “everybody
wants to travel,” Al-Mashat added.
“Different
countries have been seeing a surge, of course, relatively speaking to before,
when it comes to tourism. On that front, there has been some mitigation of the
impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict,” she said, adding that markets other
than Ukraine and Russia have helped alleviate the drop in the numbers of
tourists.
Although
the number of European tourists has been particularly high, Arab tourists in
Egypt still play a big role, “particularly visitors from Saudi and from the
Gulf, which will hopefully continue,” Al-Mashat added.
Before
the pandemic, Saudi Arabia ranked fifth in terms of numbers of tourists
visiting Egypt. Being a female minister in the Arab world is no easy task.
However,
Al-Mashat has gracefully climbed the ranks in leadership positions in
distinguished economic institutions, first obtaining her master’s degree and
Ph.D in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
She
worked as the adviser to the chief economist of the IMF from 2016 to 2018,
after which she became Egypt’s first female minister of tourism in January
2018. Her journey to becoming one of the most influential women in Egypt’s
economy did not stop there, as she was appointed minister of international
cooperation in December 2019.
As
for the future, Al-Mashat said: “I don’t know what the next step is. But I know
that in whatever one is doing, now, we try and address any challenges and any
issues to always move forward in a positive manner, and try to accomplish and
achieve this for both men and women.
“Have
faith and stay positive and optimistic as much as possible, because each one of
us has many who are looking up to them or trying to find strength in what they
do. So we should not wane or feel beaten up, despite our world looking like a
very tough place now.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2107356/saudi-arabia
--------
Nearly
dozen military personnel, two civilians killed in attack on bus in Syria's
Raqqah: SANA
20
June 2022
More
than a dozen people have lost their lives and several others sustained injuries
when a terrorist attack targeted a civilian transit bus in the northern Syrian
city of Raqqah.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military source, reported that 11
government troops and two civilians were killed in the explosion that happened
at around 6:30 a.m. local time (0330 GMT) on Monday when the bus was traveling
in the Jabal al-Bishri region and along the road linking Raqqah and Homs.
It
added that another three soldiers were wounded in the terrorist attack.
Later
on Sunday, the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the
attack.
The
so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the ambush had been carried
out by remnants of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, who launch hit-and-run
attacks in the country’s desert areas.
Last
month, a rocket attack on a military bus killed 10 soldiers and wounded nine
more in northwest Syria.
The
bus was attacked in the west of Aleppo province on May 13, SANA reported at the
time.
Attackers
hit the bus with an anti-tank missile, the news agency said.
There
was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place near the
frontier with militant-held territory close to the Turkish border.
Back
on October 20 last year, a bomb attack on a bus carrying troops in the Syrian
capital Damascus killed at least 14 military personnel and wounded three
others.
Two
explosive devices went off as the bus was near the Hafez al-Assad bridge,
Syrian state TV said, adding a third device was defused by an army engineering
unit.
Since
2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy, leading to the
emergence of Daesh and other terrorist groups in the Arab country.
The
Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the United States and the European
Union for waging economic terrorism on the country through their unilateral
sanctions, holding them responsible for the suffering of the Syrian people.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Europe
Dutch
PM apologizes to troops involved in Srebrenica massacre, rubbing salt into
wound of Muslims in Europe
June
21, 2022
The
Dutch government has formally apologized to hundreds of former soldiers who
were sent to defend the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica, rubbing salt into the
wound of Muslims in Europe.
Despite
sharp criticism directed at the Dutch soldiers over their shortcomings and
association with criminals in the Bosnian war, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutter
on Saturday tendered an apology to the veterans, depicting their mission in
Bosnia as “impossible”.
“Today,
I apologize on behalf of the Dutch government to all the women and men of
Dutchbat III. To you and the people who can’t be here today," he said
while addressing the veterans of the Dutchbat III peacekeeping unit in the
central Netherlands.
"With
the greatest possible appreciation and respect for the way Dutchbat III under
difficult circumstances kept trying to do good, even when that was no longer
possible."
In
July 1995, around 8,000 Muslims were massacred after Dutch forces handed them
over to the Bosnian Serb troops, which the international war crimes tribunal labeled
as genocide.
Rutter
defended the former soldiers and stressed that their firepower and manpower
were insufficient.
“Your
mandate, your equipment, and the military support you received during your
mission were all inadequate (for a mission) that ultimately proved impossible
to carry out,” Rutter asserted.
In
addition to the apology, soldiers deployed to Srebrenica were also given the
Bronze Medal of Honor by Dutch defense minister Kajsa Ollongren.
The
Dutch premier’s apology comes a year after a report made a series of
recommendations on how to support the 850 troops of Dutchbat III, who suffer
from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Increase
in violent attacks on mosques and Muslims in Germany
Ela
Maartens
June
21, 2022
There
was a total of 768 violent attacks on mosques and Muslims in Germany between
January 2014 and June 2021. In particular, the years 2020 and 2021 stand out,
with over 140 attacks, although the unreported number of such hostile
actions—including vandalism, incitement, arson attacks and bodily harm—is
likely to be significantly higher.
There
have already been numerous attacks on mosques this year. In January, the WSWS
reported that the Islamic Cultural Centre Halle Saale e.V. was shot at with an
air rifle.
The
figures were published by Brandeilig.org, the first nationwide reporting centre
for anti-Muslim racism. The independent anti-discrimination organisation
Federation against Injustice and Racism e.V. (FAIR), based in Cologne, had
launched the initiative to raise awareness of anti-Muslim racism in society.
According
to the Interior Ministry, between 4.4 and 4.7 million Muslims live in Germany,
which is slightly more than 5 percent of the total population. Most originate
from Turkey, although one in two Muslims now comes from another country. There
are also about 2,350 mosques nationwide. Germany thus has the second largest
Muslim population in Western Europe after France.
Through
annual reports, Brandeilig.org now wants to close existing information gaps
regarding mosque attacks and violence against Muslims. Last May, the initiative
published the inaugural Brandeilig report, for 2018, as this was the first year
in which a reliable amount of information was available; further reports are to
follow.
Information
was collected on the numerical extent of the attacks, in which federal states
they occurred, the motivation for the crime as well as the sequence of events
and types of attacks.
For
2018, Brandeilig.org registered a total of 120 violent attacks. Overall,
violence of varying degrees was used in 84 percent of cases, in addition to
considerable damage to property and personal injury. In 4 percent of cases, the
perpetrators left pig limbs in the vicinity of the mosques—a particularly
disgusting action, as many Muslims do not eat pork for religious reasons.
Bavaria
had the highest incidence of violence against Muslims or mosques, with 25
attacks, or 21 percent of the total. North Rhine-Westphalia follows close
behind with 23 attacks (19 percent). There were 14 attacks in Lower Saxony and
12 in Baden-Württemberg, each corresponding to about one tenth of the total
number.
Violence
against Muslims also occurred in 10 other federal states, with some people
fearing for their lives. Only in Brandenburg and Saarland were there no attacks
against Muslims or mosques recorded by Brandeilig.org in 2018.
A
total of 54 attacks—almost half of all incidents—can be attributed to the
right-wing extremist spectrum. In seven cases, the offence was characterised by
the use of racist vocabulary or racist symbolism (e.g., daubing buildings with
swastikas).
The
most frequent type of attack (44 percent) was vandalism of various kinds. This
included graffiti, leaving an animal carcass or broken windows, whereby the
overall crime patterns are subject to a broad spectrum. There have also been
nine attacks in the form of arson, e.g., the use of homemade Molotov cocktails
against mosques, in which two people were injured.
Other
types of attacks recorded were incitement (21), insults (7) or threatening
behaviour (7). Two people were injured through the use of air rifles. Premises
associated with a mosque—such as libraries, function rooms or residential
units—were also attacked.
A
particularly repulsive act, which according to the report cannot be assigned to
any category but apparently has a right-wing extremist background, occurred in
Bavaria. On the building site for a mosque in Regensburg, crosses were erected
bearing the names of victims of the 2016 terrorist attacks in Brussels. At the
time, the right-wing Identitarian Movement of Bavaria had claimed
responsibility for the Regensburg incident. This was an attempt to tar all
members of the Muslim religious community as terrorists and stigmatise them,
even if this is not stated in the report.
By
conducting an additional survey of 68 of the 120 affected communities, the
Brandeilig initiative was also able to paint a more detailed picture of the
vast extent of violence against Muslims.
In
the process, 77 percent of those surveyed stated they had repaired the damage
themselves because the insurance company would not cover the costs. About €211,230
were raised through donations to pay for such repairs. While the report does
not give any information on the financial scale of the property damage, the
money raised for repairs gives at least a rough idea of its extent. In one
case, the insurance company cancelled the contract with the affected
municipality after the costs were covered.
It
is also alarming that about half of respondents answered “yes” to the question
whether there had been previous attacks. Moreover, in some cases, the police
were only notified when the attacks had become more frequent. This underlines
the assumption that there was far more hostility than documented by
Brandeilig.org.
While
the Brandeilig report presents the attacks on mosques and Muslims in Germany in
detail, making an important contribution to publicising such crimes, the causes
of this wave of violence are only superficially hinted at and largely obscured.
The
report’s authors state that the “right-wing populist wing in Germany’s
party-political landscape is gaining strength and that extra-parliamentary
right-wing extremist and Islamophobic groups” are also a cause for concern.
However, the report also states that there is hardly any “awareness in society
as a whole of the seriousness of the situation.”
The
main responsibility for the increasing violence against Muslims lies with the
ruling class, which has moved further and further to the right in recent years.
It has created the ideological climate and political structures in which
violence against Muslims and other minorities is now taking place.
Leaders
of all the establishment parties and the media have joined in the agitation
against Muslims. At the same time, the federal and state governments have de
facto adopted the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) anti-refugee policy.
Since its entry into the Bundestag in 2017, the AfD has been included in all
parliamentary work, even functioning as the official opposition under the last
government.
Source:
WSWS
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/06/21/asib-j21.html
--------
Islamic
school leader banned for misogynistic and homophobic sermons
20
Jun 2022
The
National Secular Society has welcomed a decision to ban a former faith school
proprietor after he published hateful sermons about women and gay people.
The
Department for Education today announced Waheed Alam, also known as Abu
Khadeejah, has been prohibited from managing schools for engaging in conduct
that is "aimed at undermining the fundamental value of individual
liberty".
Alam
is the former proprietor of Redstone Educational Academy, an independent
Islamic school in Birmingham.
The
DfE said Alam produced a number of online sermons and articles between 2015 and
2019 which "fail to show tolerance of, and respect for, the rights of
others".
This
includes material expressing views that seek to "restrict the activities
of women" and "denigrate and demonise gay men".
Alam's
views came to light during an Ofsted inspection in 2019, as part of Redstone
Educational Academy's move to register separate boys' and girls' schools.
Redstone
Educational Academy had been segregating boys and girls within the same school
despite a 2017 judgement finding such segregation to be unlawful
discrimination.
The
inspection found the proposed girls' school was "unlikely to meet"
all independent school standards because the proprietor "publicly extols
views that should not be promoted by the owner of an independent school in
England".
Ofsted
said Alam's views are "well known, published widely and pupils are more
able to access them as the proprietor is known to them".
Ofsted
cited material published by Alam that equated homosexuality with paedophilia.
He
also said Muslim scholars "state that homosexuality comes about due to a
corruption of the natural state which can be triggered by various events",
including "school indoctrination of children from an early age that goes
against nature, health and wellbeing".
In
a 2019 sermon he said women should not leave the home without permission from
their husband or father, and that the ways of Western women are worse
"even than the beasts".
Redstone
Educational Academy also failed its inspection in 2020 after Ofsted found boys
at the school were "treated favourably", "have more
privileges" than girls and "enjoy school more than girls".
In
the 2019 inspection, Ofsted said the school "has a history of failing to
meet standards since 2014".
NSS
comment
NSS
head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "It is shocking that the proprietor
of a school in the UK could openly publish these hate-filled sermons that
contradict the fundamental values schools are meant to teach: equality, liberty
and tolerance.
"It's
not hard to see why this school has a substantial history of failure –
particularly in regard to discrimination against female pupils.
Source:
Secularism UK
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Terror
group YPG/PKK supporters hold demonstration in Sweden
Atila
Altuntas
20.06.2022
STOCKHOLM
A
group of supporters of the YPG/PKK terror group held a demonstration at
Gotaplatsen square in Gothenburg, calling on Sweden to impose an arms embargo
on Türkiye.
The
protest continued for about two hours, with participants carrying banners and
symbols of the terror group.
Reacting
to the development, Mikail Yuksel, chairman of the Party of Different Colors
(Nyans) in Sweden, said "the Swedish government says it considers the PKK
a terrorist organization, but implements a two-faced policy."
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO last month, a decision spurred by
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24.
But
Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to the
membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting
terrorist groups.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a
terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible
for the deaths of over 40,000 people. The YPG/PKK is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/terror-group-ypg-pkk-supporters-hold-demonstration-in-sweden/2618495
--------
Renewal
of Syria cross-border aid mandate is ‘moral imperative,’ UN chief tells
Security Council
June
21, 2022
NEW
YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged members of the
Security Council to stand united and extend for another year a cross-border
mechanism for delivering aid to Northwestern Syria.
He
described the need for the renewal of the mandate as a “moral imperative” to
help the 4.1 million Syrians in the area who need aid and protection to
survive, 80 percent of whom are women and children.
“Needs
are at their highest since the start of the war 11 years ago,” Guterres told
council members.
“The
world’s largest refugee crisis continues to impact the region and the world.”
The
secretary-general’s most recent report revealed that 14.6 million people in
Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 12 million of them classed
as food insecure, “unsure where their next meal is coming from,” and 90 percent
of the population living below the poverty line.
Guterres
said infrastructure is falling apart after years of war, and economic activity
is dwindling as a result of the continuing conflict, regional financial crises,
Western sanctions and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People
are living on the brink, no longer able to cope,” he added.
The
UN requires $4.4 billion in funding to provide assistance to people inside
Syria and an additional $5.6 billion to support Syrian refugees elsewhere in
the region.
“The
generous pledges made at the Brussels VI donor conference need to be paid,”
said Guterres. “I appeal to donors to follow through and increase their
support.”
Monday’s
meeting of the Security Council was its last about the situation in Syria
before a vote is held on whether to extend the cross-border mechanism, which is
due to expire on July 10.
The
diverging views of council members about cross-border aid remains a constant
feature of its discussions on Syria. Several members, in particular the US and
the Europeans, maintain that cross-border assistance is of vital importance to
millions of people living in the northwest of the country.
However,
Russia and China argue that the mechanism violates Syria’s sovereignty and that
terrorist groups manipulate the system and confiscate aid deliveries. Instead,
they advocate for all aid to be channeled through the regime in Damascus, a
process known as cross-line assistance, rather than cross-border aid that goes
directly to the areas that need it.
Linda
Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, asked her fellow council
members to “put politics aside” and come together to address “a clear
humanitarian need.”
She
recently returned from her second visit to the Bab Al-Hawa crossing, the only
remaining cross-border gateway for international aid into Northwest Syria. She
painted a bleak picture of the situation there, including children on the brink
of famine, and warned that “babies will die” if the checkpoint closes.
“Some
votes are difficult and complex but this vote could not be more
straightforward,” Thomas-Greenfield told the 15-member council.
“This
is our chance to live up to the ideals of the UN charter and provide
life-and-death assistance to the Syrian people.”
She
concluded her remarks by thanking Turkish authorities for hosting “so many
Syrian refugees.”
Dmitry
Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, lamented the
fact that the secretary-general’s report did not assign responsibility for the
food and fuel crisis in Syria to the “ongoing American occupation” in the
northwest of the country.
He
said humanitarian organizations deplore the Western sanctions, and accused the
US of the “inhumane treatment of civilians in Syria.”
Polyanskiy
repeated the allegation that cross-border aid is enriching terrorist groups,
including Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham. He also said he was astonished by the “lack of
reaction” from some council members to an Israeli airstrike on Damascus
International Airport on June 10, as a result of which runways continue to be
out of commission, and the repercussions of this on humanitarian operations
across the country. He described their silence as “double standards.”
Meanwhile,
Norway and Ireland, the chief advocates within the Security Council of the
humanitarian effort in Syria, have begun negotiations for a new resolution that
would renew the mandate for the Bab Al-Hawa crossing for another year, a source
at the Irish mission told Arab News.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2107506/world
--------
Iraqi
migrant in UK fears Rwanda deportation, despite reprieve
June
20, 2022
SULAIMANIYAH:
Nearly a week ago, Iraqi Kurd Barham Hama Ali found himself in the unimaginable
position of being aboard a deportation flight set to take off for Kigali,
thousands of miles from home.
The
25-year-old was among a handful of asylum seekers who were due to be the first
of many sent from the United Kingdom under a controversial resettlement deal
with Rwanda.
"We
were seven migrants, each one of us was escorted by four guards," Ali
said. "They put us on the plane by force."
"We
were all crying. We faced psychological and physical pain," he said.
But
he and his fellow passengers got a reprieve when the flight was cancelled at
the 11th hour, thanks to an "urgent interim" ruling by the European
Court of Human Rights.
Like
thousands of Kurds, Syrians, Afghans and others fleeing war-torn or
impoverished homes, Ali had arrived in Britain from France in the spring.
"The
economic situation is bad and unemployment is rampant" in northern Iraq's
autonomous Kurdistan region, he told AFP in a phone interview from a detention
centre outside London.
He
said he was also fleeing "attacks by foreign forces" -- namely
Turkey, which has launched successive offensives in the Kurdistan region
targeting insurgents from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), at times causing
civilian casualties.
He
left his small town of Sayyed Sadiq, "taking many risks" by trekking
north to Turkey, then making his way to France and the UK.
"I
spent about $15,000 on my trip," he said.
But
the journey would prove to be only the first of his hardships. Once he arrived
on May 23, British authorities placed him in a camp.
"I
stayed there for two days, after which they... asked us to appoint a lawyer
with whom to discuss our situation and the issue of asylum," Ali said.
He
was later transferred to Colnbrook migrant detention centre, close to Heathrow
Airport.
Early
this month, he was handed "a ticket to Rwanda", unwittingly becoming
one of the first contingent of irregular migrants that the government of Prime
Minister Boris Johnson is seeking to send to the tiny East African country.
The
deal between London and Kigali has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups,
the UN refugee agency and church leaders in England.
Rwanda,
which suffered a genocide in 1994, has won praise for rapid economic development
in recent decades. But the government has also repeatedly been accused by
rights groups of widespread abuses, extending to targeting exiled dissidents.
Rwanda
insists that it is a safe country for migrants.
On
June 14, Ali was aboard the Rwanda-bound plane with six other migrants at a UK
military base, when the European court order arrived and the "voyage was
cancelled".
"Aside
from me, there was another Kurd from Sulaimaniyah (in Iraqi Kurdistan), two
Iranian Kurds, one Iranian, one Vietnamese and one Albanian," he
recounted.
The
migrants were returned to Colnbrook, where Ali remains.
UK
Home Secretary Priti Patel later slammed the ECHR ruling as "politically
motivated" and vowed to introduce legislation to override some of the
court's orders.
Nearly
a week after the planned flight, Ali said he demands "to stay in Great
Britain".
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2107401/world
--------
South
Asia
Sikh
and Philanthropist Organizations Move To Preserve Sikh, Hindu Religious Places
in Afghanistan
Jun
20, 2022
AMRITSAR:
Anxious over the fate of gurdwara, temples, and buildings of Sikh and Hindu
heritage in Afghanistan post-departure of remaining minority Sikhs and Hindus
from the terrorists-infested nation, various Sikh and philanthropist
organizations have come forward to pre contrive the measures for the
maintenance of these buildings and uninterrupted performance of religious
services.
Joginder
Singh Salaria founder of Dubai-based PCT Humanity, a philanthropist body,
informed that he had taken up the issue with several Sikh religious bodies to
join hands and ensure that all the gurdwaras and temples were preserved in
Afghanistan.
“There
are around 10 Gurdwaras and 5 temples in Afghanistan, Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita
Guru Gobind Singh at Karte Parwan in Kabul was the only operational Gurdwara
which has now been destroyed after terrorists attack while only an ancient
Asamai Temple is still operational, “said Salaria adding that his organisation
had assigned duties to prepare the list of Sikh and Hindu heritage building,
gurdwaras and temples across Afghanistan so that necessary steps could be
taken.
Salaria
said he had proposed to form an international committee to take up the issue
with Afghanistan’s Taliban government so that these buildings could be
preserved and religious services continues to be performed even after the
evacuation of Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan.
Echoing
with Salaria, president of SAD(D) Paramjit Singh Sarna said “After 1947 Indo
Pak partition, Pakistan government preserved the gurdwara’s and Hindu temples
similarly we expect from the Taliban government in Afghanistan to preserve our
religious places “. He said besides the formation of an international committee
for the purpose, the SAD(D) had also urged the prime minister Narendra Modi to
intervene and take up the issue of preservation of gurdwaras and Hindu temples
with the Afghan government through diplomatic channel without any delay.
Sources
informed that there were around a dozen families of Sikhs and Hindus who didn’t
wish to evacuate Afghanistan despite being targets of terrorists.
“Many
of our relatives have been martyred by the terrorists in Afghanistan, we are
constantly under attack yet we will prefer to live and die here than to abandon
our houses, gurdwaras and temples,” said an Afghan Sikh who didn’t wish to give
his name due to obvious reasons.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
revokes travel privileges for two Taliban education officials
21
June, 2022
The
United Nations on Monday banned two Taliban officials from traveling in
response to the heavy restrictions the hardliners have imposed on Afghan women,
diplomats told AFP.
Travel
exemptions permitting 15 Taliban officials to go abroad for negotiations were
set to expire Monday.
For
thirteen officials, the travel exemptions were extended for at least two
months, but they were scrapped for two education officials as the Taliban
curtails girls’ and women’s access to schools.
According
to a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, the officials now banned
from traveling are Said Ahmad Shaidkhel, the acting deputy education minister,
and Abdul Baqi Basir Awal Shah, also known as Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the acting
Minister of Higher Education.
Since
seizing power in August, the Taliban have rolled back marginal gains made by
Afghan women during the past two decades, limiting their access to education,
government jobs and freedom of movement.
After
difficult negotiations, the UN’s Taliban Sanctions Committee compromised on an
extension for the 13 Taliban leaders for “60 days + 30 days,” diplomats told
AFP.
Some
countries were in favor of revoking all of the travel exemptions due to the
deterioration of women’s rights, but others objected, according to diplomats.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hasina
to visit India in early Sept, says B'desh minister
Jun
21, 2022
DHAKA:
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina is expected to visit New Delhi in early September
at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, foreign minister AK
Abdul Momen said on Monday.
"The
possible dates of the PM's New Delhi visit could be within the first 10 days of
September," he said at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon his
arrival from New Delhi after attending the seventh round of the
India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC).
The
foreign minister said the premier's office would finalise the date, while the
timeline was proposed during talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in
New Delhi.
He
said Dhaka and New Delhi have decided to implement the bilateral decisions
ahead of PM Hasina's India visit, and Dhaka expected the much-awaited Joint
River Commission (JRC) meeting to be held by then.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Photo
exhibition in Dhaka highlights plight of Rohingya in Bangladesh
Md.
Kamruzzaman
20.06.2022
DHAKA,
Bangladesh
The
UN refugee agency and the Liberation War Museum of Bangladesh jointly organized
a photo exhibition on Monday in the capital Dhaka to highlight the plight of
Rohingya refugees on the occasion of the World Refugee Day.
The
exhibition titled “We are Rohingya” presented the work of 10 Rohingya refugees,
who had photographed people living in the cramped camps of Cox’s Bazar, the
world's largest refugee settlement and home to above 1.2 million displaced
Rohingya Muslims, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s
Rakhine State in August 2017.
The
display included a total of 50 photographs, capturing the culture, identity,
hopes, and dreams of the persecuted people, who found refuge in neighboring
Bangladesh.
On
the occasion, a UNHCR statement said: “More than 50% of Rohingya refugees in
Bangladesh are children under the age of 18 with no access to formal education
and a very limited access to skill development activities or higher education.”
“Art
and photography are for them a mode of expression, to deal with emotions and
feelings in a positive way and ease the trauma they have experienced. Photography
is also a way of keeping their culture and history alive, by documenting their
community’s daily lives,” it added.
The
photo exhibition explores themes of memory, hope, dreams, faith, beauty,
craftsmanship, grief, loss, and love among the Rohingya refugees, the statement
added.
The
exhibition also includes 11 photographs from the Liberation War Museum archives
that capture the lives and stories of Bangladeshi nationals, who were forced to
flee and live as refugees during the Liberation War in 1971 between Bangladesh
(then East Pakistan) and West Pakistan (present Pakistan).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Man
Hanged in Iran for Stabbing Three Clerics
By
Saqalain Eqbal
20
Jun 2022
The
capital punishment for the perpetrator of an attack on three clergymen was
applied in Iran, today, according to the Iranian media.
Consistent
with the IRNA Iranian News Agency, which cited the countries Chief Justice, the
perpetrator, named Abdul Latif Muradi, was hanged in a public execution on
Monday, 20th June.
The
report states that the hanged person brutally attacked three Iranian clergies
during the month of Ramadan, this year.
He
killed two of the three attacked clergymen, and was hanged after the legal
proceedings.
Abdul
Latif Muradi is said to be a man of Uzbek descent, who had entered Iran
illegally from Pakistan, and resided in northeast Iran, Mashhad.
Muradi’s
execution comes as the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Watch claims to have
discovered proof that 12 persons convicted of murder or drug-related offenses
were executed in a mass execution on June 6 in Zahedan, in the country’s
southeast.
11
men and 1 woman were allegedly executed in Iran on June 6.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/man-hanged-in-iran-for-stabbing-three-clerics-22470/
--------
Explosion
in Eastern Afghanistan Kills Two and Injures At Least Twenty-Eight People
By
Saqalain Eqbal
20
Jun 2022
A
huge explosion in Nangarhar province, the east of Afghanistan, killed two
people and wounded at least 28 others present at the explosion site, according
to the local sources.
The
explosion, as per the sources, took place in the Ghani Khail district of
Nangrahar province around 9:30 today, June 20th.
A
Taliban senior official for the Ghani Khail district, Mawlawi SediqUllah
confirmed the explosion and stated that the wounded were taken to a nearby
hospital.
The
explosion targeted the Head of the Ghani Khail hospital, but no group has yet
claimed the responsibility for the explosion which killed and wounded at least
30 people in eastern Afghanistan.
The
explosion comes at a time when the Sikh temple in Kabul was targeted and
attacked by the ISKP also known as the Daesh-Khorasan, killing at least two
people.
In
addition to that, Kabul has lost 4 people to two separate explosions which are
reported to have injured at least 10 other people.
Despite
the Taliban’s assertions that security has been maintained since their control
of Afghanistan, explosions have occurred in certain places, including Kabul,
the capital of Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Employees
at an Airport in Southern Afghanistan Resign Due to Non-Payment of Their
Salaries
By
Saqalain Eqbal
20
Jun 2022
Due
to non-payment of salary and remuneration, the staff at the Ahmad Shah Baba
International Airport in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province have
resigned.
According
to the local sources, the number of the employees resigning from their jobs in
the Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport in Kandahar province, for not
receiving their salaries reaches up to 35.
The
employees said that they were in dire financial straits and that the caretaker
Taliban government had failed to pay them for the previous eight months service
they had provided for the airport.
The
caretaker government’s Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation, however,
reported the number of resignations at 15, claiming that the resigned employees
were housekeepers, maids and janitors, while not specifying whether the workers
were paid.
The
resignation of the staff at the Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport in
Kandahar comes at a time when the food prices in Afghanistan have soared more
than double.
According
to sources, if employees’ salaries are not paid on time, the number of
resignations may rise owing to financial difficulties.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
launches fresh attacks in Panjshir Valley to rescue its commander
Jun
20 2022
By
Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha
New
Delhi, Jun 20: The Taliban has launched fresh air and ground attacks in the
Panjshir valley in a bid to rescue one of the senior commanders and four crew
members who are under the custody of the National Resistance Front (NRF).
Two
days ago, the anti-Taliban NRF led by Ahmad Massoud had claimed that they had
shot down a MI-17 chopper and arrested a senior Taliban commander along with
the helicopter's crew. The NRF video shows an Mi17 helicopter engulfed in smoke
somewhere in Panjshir mountains of northern Afghanistan. The group also released
the pictures of captured Taliban pilots and a commander who were onboard the
chopper.
"The
brave forces of the NRF shot down a Taliban occupier's helicopter in the Arezoo
valley of Panjshir. Unlike the Taliban, we are treating the arrested Taliban
commander and others as the law of prisoners of war," Sibghatullah Ahmadi,
the NRF's spokesperson told local Afghan media. He added that the NRF was ready
to exchange these prisoners under the supervision of the Red Cross.
The
Taliban has admitted that their chopper was shot down but did not reveal the
identity of their captured commander. According to NRF, the Taliban commander
was a "high value" prisoner. It warned the Taliban of dire
consequences if they try to launch any rescue operation.
According
to unverified reports, the NRF has killed three Taliban commanders including a
key aide of Abdul Haq Waseq, the Taliban's intelligence chief who is very close
to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's Interior Minister.
"The
NRF fighters are spread around the Kuhsar village, Paryan, Panjshir. The
freedom fighters have about 20 heavily defended bases in the Panjshir mountains
and during the last 10 months the Taliban terrorists did not manage to capture
even one base," tweeted Frenkie Mark,a French journalist who is there in
Panjshir.
Over
the past few weeks, NRF fighters have launched many attacks on Taliban in the
erstwhile Northern Alliance bastion.
"We
do not recognise this Taliban government because they have not gained their
legitimacy from people '', Ahmad Massoud said. He added that he is ready to
stop the war if the Taliban agree to form an inclusive government where all
ethnic groups and women have a decisive participation.
The
NRF, an armed coalition of several militias and former Afghan military
personnel, was formed after the Taliban recaptured Kabul last August. The
alliance is led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, a legendary
anti-Taliban fighter, who used the Panjshir Valley as a base to fight the
Soviets in the 1980s and the Taliban in the 1990s. Panjshir is a predominantly
ethnic Tajik region, whereas the Taliban are dominated by Pashtuns.
Ahmad
Massaod says that his fight is for the inclusive government in Afghanistan
which the Taliban has failed to form despite their promises made to the world.
"We
do not recognise this Taliban government because they have not gained their
legitimacy from people '', Ahmad Massoud told Al Arabiya TV.
He
said that the NRF Council has released a charter that states that armed
resistance will be used if the Taliban do not comply with the wishes of the
inclusive transitional government. "We have proposed the charter which has
a detailed report on the political system, the decentralized parliamentary
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan." he said.
But
the Taliban has called the attacks by the NRF as minor local skirmishes.
"These
claims are untrue. There was some gunfire from the mountains. We have taken
steps to suppress them," was the version of a spokesman in the Panjshir
government office. Six Islamic Emirate troops have died in the clashes so far.
"The claims of much higher casualties made by opponents are untrue".
But various posts on social media have shown pictures of top Taliban leaders
visiting those areas where the battles are raging.
In
the last two weeks, the Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar,the Defence
Minister of the Taliban, Mullah Yaqoob and other top leaders of the group were
seen in the Panjshir valley.
Source:
Daiji World
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=970808
--------
Africa
Militants
kill 132 villagers in Mali weekend rampage
June
21, 2022
DAKAR:
Extremists killed 132 civilians in multiple attacks on villages in central Mali
over the weekend, the government said yesterday, in the latest major incident
in a worsening security situation.
Members
of the Katiba Macina Islamist group assaulted at least three villages in the rural
commune of Bankass, in Mali’s central Mopti region, on the night between
Saturday and Sunday, the government said in a statement.
The
cumulative death toll is 132 civilians and some of the perpetrators have been
identified, it added.
Mali
is struggling to stem an Islamist insurgency that took root after a 2012 coup
and has since spread from the West African country’s arid north.
Thousands
have died and millions have been displaced across the Sahel region.
Some
of the groups have links to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
The
insurgency has also spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger despite
international efforts led by France to quash it.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
to build Red Sea port in Sudan in $6 billion investment package: Report
20 June,
2022
The
United Arab Emirates will build a new Red Sea port in Sudan, as part of a $6
billion investment package, said DAL group chairman Osama Daoud Abdellatif, a
partner in the deal which marks the first major foreign investment since the
military took power in an October coup.
Abdellatif
said the package includes a free trade zone, a large agricultural project and
an imminent $300 million deposit to Sudan's central bank.
Western
donors suspended billions in aid and investment to Sudan after the coup,
plunging an economy that was already struggling into further turmoil and
depriving the government of much needed foreign currency.
Ibrahim
told Reuters on Wednesday that a memorandum of understanding had been signed
with the UAE for a port and agricultural project, but the details have not
previously been reported.
The
finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on
details of the deal.
The
$4 billion port, a joint project between DAL group and Abu Dhabi Ports, owned
by Abu Dhabi's holding company ADQ, would be able to handle all kinds of
commodities and compete with the country's main national port, Port Sudan,
Abdellatif said.
Located
about 200 km (124 miles) north of Port Sudan, it would also include a free
trade and industrial zone modelled after Dubai's Jebel Ali, as well as a small
international airport, he said. The project is in “advanced stages,” with
studies and designs complete, he said.
Rumours
of Gulf investments in Port Sudan, and in agricultural projects elsewhere in
the country, have in the past stirred opposition and sometimes protests.
Port
Sudan has long been plagued with infrastructure challenges and was shut by a
political blockade for six weeks late last year, losing business from major
international shippers.
The
UAE deal also includes the $1.6 billion expansion and development of an
agricultural project by Abu Dhabi conglomerate IHC and DAL Agriculture in the
town of Abu Hamad in northern Sudan, Abdellatif said.
Alfalfa,
wheat, cotton, sesame, and other crops would be grown and processed on the
400,000 acres of leased land, he said. A $450 million, 500 km (310 mile) toll
road connecting the project to the port would be built as well, financed by the
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
Under
the agreement, the Fund would also make a deposit of $300 million to the
Central Bank of Sudan, Abdellatif said.
After
the military ousted Omar al-Bashir in 2019, the UAE and Saudi Arabia pledged a
combined $3 billion in grants and in-kind aid to Sudan, which military and
civilian leaders say was not delivered in full.
Two
high-level Sudanese government sources told Reuters the outlines of the new
deal had been agreed between Sudanese leader General Abdelfattah al-Burhan and
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed during a recent visit to the Gulf state.
A
representative for Abu Dhabi Ports said the company had no comment, while
representatives for ADQ, the Abu Dhabi Fund, IHC, and the Abu Dhabi and UAE
governments did not immediately respond to requests.
“Ourselves
and our partners in the UAE, we have already invested in a bank, a hotel,
mining,” said Abdellatif, whose conglomerate has also bid for control of one of
Sudan's largest telecom companies, Zain Sudan.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
No
agreement as UN’s latest Libya mediation effort ends
20 June,
2022
The
presidential and parliamentary elections, originally set for December 2021,
were meant to cap a UN-led peace process following the end of the last serious
round of violence in the country from 2019-2020.
But
the vote never took place due to the presence of contentious candidates and
deep disagreements over the polls’ legal basis between rival power centers in
the east and west of the country. Representatives of the Tripoli-based High
Council of State and of the parliament, based in eastern Libya, began meetings
in Cairo more than a week ago, but without success.
“The
third and final round of negotiations between the Joint House of
Representatives and High Council of State Committee on the Libyan
Constitutional Track drew to a close in the early morning of 20 June,” said
Stephanie Williams, the UN’s top official on Libya. “Differences persist on the
measures governing the transitional period leading to elections,” she said in a
statement.
She
insisted that the sides had “achieved a great deal of consensus on the
contentious articles in the Libyan Draft Constitution” and thanked them for
their “efforts to resolve their differences on a number of complex issues.”
She
urged the two sides to meet again within 10 days “to bridge outstanding
issues.”
Williams
noted that some 2.8 million of Libya’s nearly 7 million people had registered
to vote amid a rare period of optimism following a landmark October 2020
ceasefire.
The
political standoff has deepened since March, when parliament appointed a new
administration to replace that of interim leader Abdulhamid Dbeibah, arguing
that his mandate has expired.
But
Dbeibah has refused to hand over power to anything other than an elected
government.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tunisia
president receives draft constitution
June
20, 2022
TUNIS:
A legal expert charged with writing a new constitution presented a draft to
Tunisian President Kais Saied Monday, less than a month before a referendum on
the document.
The
planned referendum is set for July 25, the one year anniversary of a power grab
by Saied that saw him sack the government and suspend an elected parliament.
Sadeq
Belaid, the legal expert appointed to head a committee drafting the new
document, handed the draft to the president at his palace in the coastal Tunis
district of Carthage.
“We
hope (it) will satisfy the president,” Belaid said in a video published by the
presidency following their meeting.
In
a statement, Saied said the draft “is not final, and some sections may be
revised or given further thought.”
Under
his own timeline, Saied has until June 30 to approve or edit the draft
constitution, which has not yet been disclosed in any form to the public.
The
constitution for a “new republic” is at the center of Saied’s program for
rebuilding Tunisia’s political system, more than a decade after the revolution
that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.
Saied
this year consolidated his power grab by dissolving parliament, moving to rule
by decree and seizing control of the judiciary.
His
moves have been welcomed by some Tunisians tired of their dysfunctional
post-revolution democracy, but others have warned he is returning the country
to autocracy, little more than a decade after the ouster of dictator Zine El
Abidine Ben Ali.
Saied
wants to replace the current constitution, the product of a hard-won 2014
compromise between bitter political rivals that enshrined a mixed
parliamentary-presidential system that often produced deadlock.
Tunisian
Bar president Ibrahim Bouderbala, who headed a committee taking part in Saied’s
“national dialogue” over the constitution, told AFP that under the draft, “the
president of the republic will control the executive.”
The
draft also “takes particular interest in economic questions,” he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2107371/middle-east
--------
North
America
UN
Chief to Security Council: ‘We Cannot Give Up On People of Syria’
21 June,
2022
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the Security Council on Monday
to extend its approval of aid deliveries from Turkey to millions of people in
need in northwest Syria, telling the body: “We cannot give up on the people of
Syria.”
The
UN mandate, which has allowed deliveries from Turkey to Syria's
opposition-controlled northwest, expires on July 10.
Syria's
ally Russia argues the long-running operation violates Syria's sovereignty and
territorial integrity. It says more aid should be delivered from inside the
country, raising opposition fears that food and other aid would fall under
government control.
Guterres
said that in the past year the United Nations had carried out five such
deliveries - known as cross-line - into the opposition controlled northwest,
but it was not “at the scale needed to replace the massive cross-border
response.”
“I
strongly appeal to the members of the council to maintain consensus on allowing
cross-border operations,” he said. “It is a moral imperative to address the
suffering and vulnerability of 4.1 million people in the area who need aid and
protection.”
Guterres
said 80 percent of those in need in northwest Syria are women and children.
Some 800 trucks a month deliver aid from Turkey under the UN operation, which
Guterres asked to be extended for another year.
US
Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who visited the
Turkish border crossing earlier this month, told the council it had to make a
“life or death decision” and that more aid, not less, was needed.
“Cross-line
aid alone cannot come close to meeting the dire needs on the ground. It can
reach thousands, but not millions. Much more help is needed,” she said.
In
2014 the Security Council authorized humanitarian aid deliveries into
opposition-held areas of Syria from Iraq, Jordan and two points in Turkey. But
veto powers Russia and China have whittled that down that down to just one
Turkish border point.
Russia's
Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy described as “pitiful” the UN efforts to
deliver aid to the northwest of Syria from within the country.
China's
UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said the cross-border aid operation was an
“extraordinary arrangment” and that a timeline needed to be agreed to end it
and transition to deliveries from within the country.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Many
Black Americans living abroad say they will not return to US
June
21, 2022
Black
Americans living overseas see the Juneteenth holiday as an opportunity to
educate people in their host countries on African American history and
oppression against Blacks, the Associated Press said in a report.
Juneteenth,
a portmanteau of June and 19th, commemorates the US abolition of slavery under
President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Black Americans
have been celebrating the holiday since the last enslaved people were told they
were free in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.
While
there are no official statistics tracking Black Americans moving abroad, many
are discussing it more openly after the police killing of George Floyd. In the
aftermath, many African Americans saw the U.S. “from the outside in” and made
up their minds not to return.
Chrishan
Wright in New Jersey regularly speaks with Black Americans who plan to or
already have made the move abroad.
Wright,
47, hosts the podcast “Blaxit Global” and said many of her guests are tired of
the U.S.
“They’ve
done all the things to achieve what is supposed to be the American dream, and
that yardstick keeps moving. They don’t feel like they’re on solid ground in
terms of being able to retire comfortably or pay off student debt or just cover
their bills.”
Wright
plans to move in 2023 to Portugal. Through her podcast, she already knows of
Juneteenth celebrations this weekend in Lisbon, the capital.
LaTonya
Whitaker, from Mississippi, has lived in Japan for 17 years. She is executive
director of Legacy Foundation Japan, an organization that connects all Black
communities in Japan and works for the betterment of people of African descent,
both in the United States and abroad.
Source:
ABNA24
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hearing
on Muslim cemetery in south metro draws standing-room-only crowd
JUNE
20, 2022
More
than 100 people of varying faiths and ethnicities packed a south metro township
hall Monday evening to discuss a cemetery that people of Muslim faith hope to
call their own.
Castle
Rock Township in southern Dakota County held a public hearing regarding a
conditional use permit for Al Maghfirah Cemetery, a planned Islamic cemetery
that has seen attempted arson and vandalism over the last several years.
Holding
signs that read "Hate has no home in our community" and "We support
the Al Magfirah Cemetery," the majority of the standing-room-only crowd
spoke in support of the changes to a conditional use permit (CUP) for the site.
The
73-acre cemetery in a rural area of the county would provide a final resting
place for members of the Muslim community.
Amendments
to the CUP asked for the construction of a space for a prayer room or mosque,
space for bodies to be washed without chemicals or embalming, and to waive the
requirement for metal or concrete vaults for burials. Organizers also hope to
have no tree line blocking the property from view.
Many
audience members spoke in support of Muslims' desire to naturally bury their
family members — often as "green" burials, without using caskets —
and with dignity and respect.
A
handful of people expressed concerns that groundwater could be contaminated for
those who drink from wells nearby. Other neighbors mentioned that the property
has not been well kept in the years since it was purchased in 2014.
Council
on American-Islamic Relations-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein, who has
advocated for the cemetery since 2015, said there are few other burial options
for the state's Muslim community.
"The
Muslim community is growing, and the cemetery will serve that purpose to
accommodate us. We currently have [one cemetery, in] Burnsville right now;
there's no plans for another cemetery. This is it," Hussein said.
Other
communities have many options to bury their loved ones with dignity and respect
— and those communities do not experience violent pushback from the community,
Hussein said.
When
Bishara Mohamed's aunt died in April, her family went to the cemetery in
Burnsville on a cold day to honor her life. She was Mohamed's first close
family member to die, and she hoped to have adequate time to remember her life,
she told the crowd.
"We
had to rush through the ceremony, the burial, our prayer. We never really got
to spend time and appreciate and pray for her enough because it was really cold
for us," Mohamed said. "I just imagine what it would mean to have a
room to take our time and pray for our family members."
Source:
Star Tribune
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.startribune.com/public-hearing-held-on-permit-for-castle-rock-muslim-cemetery/600183779/
--------
US
Navy and Iran have tense encounter in Strait of Hormuz
21
June, 2022
The
US Navy said Tuesday its forces had a tense encounter with Iran’s paramilitary
Revolutionary Guard in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The
Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said three Guard vessels had an “unsafe and
unprofessional” encounter as the USS Sirocco and USNS Choctaw County transited
Monday through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf.
The
Navy said one of three of the Guard fast crafts raced head-on at the Sirocco
before changing course. The Navy said the Sirocco fired a warning flare during
the encounter as well.
A
short video released by the Navy showed the encounter.
Iran
did not immediately acknowledge the incident in the strait, through which a
fifth of all oil traded passes.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
South
Korean food company invested $31 million to enter Malaysia’s halal market
June
21, 2022
South
Korean food company SPC group said on Monday that it has invested 40 billion
won ($31 million) to enter Malaysia’s halal market with its bakery brand Paris
Baguette.
Halal
refers to the types of food Muslims are permitted to eat in accordance with the
Islam religion. As Muslims account for almost 24 percent of the world’s
population, the SPC group plans to target the promising halal food market by
using Malaysia as a launch base.
Malaysia
is Paris Baguette‘s eighth overseas destination. The company plans to build a
Paris Baguette factory in Johor Bahru, adjacent to the country’s border with
Singapore and home to the Tanjung Pelepas port. The city’s location and port
makes it a strategic point for efficient logistics transfer throughout
Southeast Asia and the Middle East, according to officials.
The
factory, designed to produce more than 100 items including bread, cakes and
sauces, is scheduled to be completed in June next year.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
169-year-old
mosque in Malacca struck by lightning
06-
20- 2022
JASIN:
Four worshipers at Masjid Jamek Datuk Andak Kampung Serkam Pantai escaped
unhurt early today when fragments of concrete from the top of the minaret fell
into the main prayer hall of the 169-year-old mosque believed to be due to
lightning.
Speaking
to reporters here today, the mosque committee’s deputy chairman Zakaria Abu
Bakar said that during the 6.45 am incident, he was still in the prayer hall
with the imam and a few others as 30 other pilgrims had left after performing
the Subuh prayers.
“At
the time, we heard a very strong thunder and the electricity got tripped. We
also felt a little tremor but only became aware of the incident after rainwater
began pouring in from a hole in the roof caused by the incident.
“We
found several pieces of concrete, one of which weighed about 1.5 kg as well as
many small stone fragments on the floor,“ he said, adding that he was grateful
there were no injuries inflicted during the incident.
He
also thanked the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM), Tenaga Nasional
Berhad (TNB), representatives of the Chief Minister’s office and others who had
come to look at the mosque’s condition.
In
the meantime, he hoped that relevant parties such as the Malacca Museums
Corporation (PERZIM) and the Heritage Department would assess the safety of the
structure for subsequent repair as the mosque was gazetted as an Old Historic
Land Monument under the Antiquities Act No. 168/1976 on March 27, 1980.
Meanwhile,
Mohd Sufian Hashim, 43, who lived nearby the mosque said he happened to see the
incident through the window of his house after Subuh prayers today.
Source:
The Sun Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/169-year-old-mosque-in-malacca-struck-by-lightning-YB9355753
--------
Johor
Exco: RM28m Allocated For Monthly Allowance of Mosque, Surau Officials In State
20
Jun 2022
ISKANDAR
PUTERI, June 20 — A total of RM28 million has been allocated for the payment of
a monthly allowance for imam, muezzins and noja (mosque assistants) in Johor
this year.
State
Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said of the
total, RM12.6 million was channelled by the state government and the Johor
Islamic Religious Council.
The
balance was provided by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) to
pay the allowance of mosque officials, namely imam 1 and imam 2, he added.
Mohd
Fared also said that the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) had
submitted a proposal to review the allowance rate last year and the state
government did intend to increase the rate as soon as the economic situation
permits.
“Even
though we were not able to increase the allowance rate for mosque and surau
officials this time, they have received one-off assistance of RM500 each from
Jakim, involving an allocation of RM1.3 million.
“They
have also received RM500 from the state government under the Bantuan Kasih
Bangsa Johor initiative this year with an allocation totalling RM2.295
million,” he said at the Second Meeting of the First Session of the 15th Johor
State Assembly, at the Sultan Ismail Building here today.
He
was responding to a question from Senator Datuk Jefridin Atan (BN-Kukup) on the
rate of allowance paid by the state government to imam, muezzins and noja and
the last time the rate was reviewed and increased.
Mohd
Fared (BN-Semerah) said the state government was committed to promoting Islamic
teachings in Johor by enlivening mosques and surau throughout the state.
In
this regard, he said the state government has appointed 5,710 officials to hold
the posts of imam, muezzins and noja in 838 mosques and 1,961 surau.
“Johor
is the single state in Malaysia that provides a monthly allowance to imam and
muezzins in surau, whereas other states only provide allowance to mosque
officials.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Johor
PAS rejects ‘big tent’ approach, to focus on Malay-Muslim unity
By
Ben Tan
20
Jun 2022
JOHOR
BARU, June 20 — Johor PAS said it will shun the ‘big tent’ approach in favour
of focusing on uniting Malay-Muslim political parties after the party was
openly criticised by several political party leaders recently.
Its
state chapter commissioner Abdullah Husin said this was because PAS had not
forgotten the experience of life under Pakatan Harapan (PH) rule.
He
claimed that the 22-month period created instability in the country.
“Johor
PAS stands firmly behind the decision of our party’s central leadership to
reject the ‘big tent’ approach and focus on the unification of the Ummah in
facing the coming 15th general election (GE15),” said Abdullah in a statement
issued here today.
He
was referring to Malay-Muslim unity that has been a top priority for PAS.
The
statement came on the heels of the Islamist party’s vice-president Datuk Mohd
Amar Abdullah saying yesterday that PAS will not join a grand coalition of
political parties that PH is proposing to take on Barisan Nasional (BN) in the
GE15.
PAS
also appeared to be addressing a statement by its ally Parti Pribumi Bersatu
Malaysia (Bersatu) in which it said that it was prepared to entertain the ‘big
tent’ approach with PH for the coming polls.
Abdullah,
who is also Johor Perikatan Nasional (PN) state coalition chief, said PAS
abides by the principle of struggle to see Islam preserved as enshrined in the
Federal Constitution.
“PAS,
through the concept of a mature and prosperous political culture, continues to
strive and call for a comprehensive unification of the Ummah.
“This
is important to ensure the stability and prosperity of the country.
“PAS
has also not given up on continuing to court its Malay-Muslim and Bumiputera
party partners such as Umno and Bersatu, as well as Sabah and Sarawak parties.
“PAS
also does not side-line its non-extreme non-Muslim friends.
“A
comprehensive Ummah unification is where all parties respect each other and are
tolerant, equally upholding the country’s Constitution and respecting the
status quo,” said Abdullah.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Strengthen
Malay for unity’s sake, says Amanah man
June
20, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: An Amanah assemblyman has objected to Kebun Bunga assemblyman Jason Ong’s
suggestion that the Penang government declare English as its second official
language.
Permatang
Pasir assemblyman Faiz Fadzil said such a move would gradually affect the use
of Malay and efforts to strengthen the language.
“As
we are facing a serious issue of unity, the Malay language should be strengthened
to resolve this,” he told FMT. “Malay is recognised as the national language
enshrined under the Federal Constitution, every sector must respect it.”
Ong
had said earlier today that Penang residents were highly proficient in English
and state civil servants should not be penalised for using the language.
However,
Faiz urged the government to proactively strengthen Malay as the national
language, especially as a formal medium, without sidelining other languages.
However,
Seri Delima assemblyman Syerleena Abdul Rashid of DAP said there were more
pressing issues worth debating rather than the use of English.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Mideast
Israel's
parliament to dissolve, Foreign Minister Lapid to become prime minister
20
June, 2022
Israeli
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid have agreed to
dissolve parliament, triggering a new election, and Lapid will in the meantime
take over as prime minister, an official said, confirming local media reports.
A
vote will be held in parliament next week, after which Lapid will take over the
premiership, the official said. Lapid and Bennett were expected to issue
statements at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).
Lapid
and Bennett in June 2021 had formed an unlikely coalition after two years of
political stalemate, ending the record reign of former Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.
The
government of right-wing, liberal and Muslim Arab parties was fragile from the
start.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Palestinian
Islamic Jihad conducts large-scale military drill in Gaza
20
June, 2022
The
Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ) on Monday launched large-scale
military manoeuvres in the besieged Gaza Strip, with the participation of
several military formations of Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the
movement.
Dubbed
"Azm Al-Sadiqin", the military
drills simulate multiple field military operations, with the participation of
several military formations, most notably the missile and artillery units,
according to Abu Hamza, the military spokesman for the Al-Quds Brigades.
In
a press statement sent to The New Arab, Abu Hamza said "the manoeuvres are
a preparation for any future battle with the Israeli occupation."
Al-Quds
Brigades shared short videos on its website showing the firing of "rockets
and missiles towards the sea" at supposed targets at nine in the morning.
PIJ
is considered the second most powerful military faction in the coastal enclave,
as it has strong ties with the Gaza-run Hamas and often cooperates with Hamas
during the majority of the military confrontations with the Israeli army.
Source:
The New Arab
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https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/palestinian-islamic-jihad-conducts-military-drill-gaza
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Hamas:
No sovereignty for Palestine as long as Israeli occupation continues
20
June 2022
The
Hamas resistance movement says Palestine's liberation and sovereignty cannot be
achieved as long as the Israeli regime continues to occupy Palestinian
territories.
During
a press briefing in the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday, member of Hamas’s
political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk stressed that “there is no sovereignty as
long as the Israeli occupation is still there in Palestine.”
Elsewhere
in his remarks, the Hamas official said every inch of the Palestinian territory
will be liberated from the occupying Israeli regime forces very soon.
“The
Palestinian people’s resistance has been going on for more than one hundred years
and its ultimate goal is to liberate the land and restore the Palestinian
people’s sovereignty over every inch of their geography.”
Hamas
has time and again warned the Israeli regime of serious consequences of its
criminal acts and repressive measures against Palestinians across the occupied
territories. The movement has stressed that the Israeli regime will never
succeed in bringing the Palestinian nation to its knees.
Rights
groups say Israel has pursued a policy of establishing and then maintaining a
Jewish demographic majority, and maximizing control over land and resources to
benefit extremist Israeli settlers since its illegal establishment in 1948.
Israel
occupied the West Bank and East al-Quds during the Six-Day War in 1967. It
later annexed East al-Quds in a move not recognized by the international
community.
Over
the weekend, Hamas condemned Israel’s plans to build more settlements in the
occupied Palestinian lands, saying the resistance will counter such plans in
order to preserve the Islamic identity of the occupied city of al-Quds. It
further called on the Palestinian people and factions to rise against the new
Israeli Judaization plan and resist it by all means possible.
The
Israeli regime has accelerated the construction of its illegal settlements in
occupied al-Quds in recent years.
Palestinian
Islamic Jihad and Hamas have already warned that Israel’s house demolitions and
its expansion of illegal settlements in al-Quds will trigger an “explosion” of
the situation in the occupied territories.
Human
rights activists say Israel’s settlement expansion policies amount to
apartheid. However, some Arab countries have remained silent in the face of the
inhumane Israeli measures.
Palestinians
want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state, with East
al-Quds as its capital.
But
Israel’s aggressive settlement expansion and annexation plans have dealt a
serious blow to any prospects of peace.
The
Gaza Strip has also been under an inhumane Israeli land, air and sea siege
since 2007 and witnessed three wars since June 2007. Since imposing the siege,
it has also brought Gaza under three full-fledged wars, killing many
Palestinians in each.
However,
despite the massive destruction carried out against Gaza, Israel has failed to
eliminate the Palestinian resistance, suffering heavy casualties, among its
soldiers, virtually every time they engaged in on-the-ground fire-fights with
the resistance.
In
the latest Israeli bombardment campaign against the Gaza Strip, at least 260
Palestinians, including over 60 children, were killed in a time span of 11 days
that began on May 10 last year.
Source:
Press TV
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Spokesman:
US Should Remove All Anti-Iran Sanctions
2022-June-20
Khatibzadeh
blamed the US for the delay in reaching an agreement and blasted Washington's
double-standards.
"Ahead
of the meeting of the Board of Governors, Iran's initiative was conveyed to the
other side via Borrell, and for the first time, through two foreign ministers,
Iran's initiative and proposal was conveyed and a roadmap was submitted, but
the US once again decided to delay this agreement," he said at a weekly
press conference.
"If
the US fulfills its commitments under the JCPOA and lifts sanctions imposed on
the Iranian nation, We can finalize an agreement based on Iran’s
initiative," he added.
In
relevant remarks last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
said that the recent resolution approved by the UN nuclear watchdog against
Tehran was a US plot to force Tehran to make concessions in the Vienna talks.
Amir
Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone conversation with Iraqi Foreign
Minister Fuad Hussain during which they discussed bilateral and regional issues
and talks on lifting sanctions.
He
referred to the Vienna talks on removal of sanctions, saying, "While
exchanging messages between the United States and Iran through the EU envoy was
underway, the White House suddenly came up with the idea of issuing a
resolution at the IAEA."
According
to him, the Americans drafted the resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors to
achieve political goals at the negotiating table.
Tehran
has always called on the West to pursue diplomacy, Amir Abdollahian said,
adding that in recent days leading to the meeting of the IAEA BoG, Iran, as an
initiative measure, proposed a political plan to continue the talks until
reaching a final agreement.
"Iran
believes that diplomacy is the best way to reach a good, strong, and lasting
agreement, but in the face of bullying, we will give an authoritative
response," he asserted.
The
US, France, Britain, and Germany spearheaded a resolution at the IAEA’s Board
of Governors on Wednesday, which accused Iran of not cooperating with the UN
nuclear watchdog.
Iran
has denounced the resolution and blamed the US and its three European allies
for the crisis created over its nuclear program, which was under an
unprecedented level of inspections before Washington withdrew from the JCPOA.
The
resolution was passed only few days after the IAEA’s chief Rafael Grossi
traveled to Israel and met the regime’s hawkish Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Iran
had previously warned that Grossi's visit to Israel ahead of the meeting of the
Board of Governors was in contradiction with the agency’s principles of
observing impartiality and maintaining its technical and professional status.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010330000777/Spkesman-US-Shld-Remve-All-Ani-Iran-Sancins
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Iran
prepares enrichment escalation at Fordow plant, IAEA report shows
21
June, 2022
Iran
is escalating its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use advanced IR-6
centrifuges at its underground Fordow site that can more easily switch between
enrichment levels, a United Nations nuclear watchdog report seen by Reuters on
Monday showed.
The
move is the latest of several steps Iran had long threatened to take but held
off carrying out until 30 of the 35 countries on the International Atomic
Energy Agency's Board of Governors backed a resolution this month criticizing
it for failing to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites.
With
indirect US-Iran talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal long stalled, any
further escalation in Tehran's standoff with the West risks killing off hopes
of reining in the Islamic republic's nuclear advances and lifting US sanctions
against it.
IAEA
inspectors verified on Saturday that Iran was ready to feed uranium
hexafluoride (UF6) gas, the material centrifuges enrich, into the second of two
cascades, or clusters, of IR-6 centrifuges installed at Fordow, a site dug into
mountain, the confidential IAEA report to member states said.
Iran
informed the IAEA on Monday that passivation of the cascade, a process that
precedes enrichment and also involves feeding UF6 into the machines, had begun
on Sunday.
Importantly,
the 166-machine cascade is the only one to have so-called “modified
sub-headers”, which make it easier to switch to enriching to other purity
levels. Western diplomats have long pointed to that equipment as a source of
concern since it could enable Iran to quickly enrich to higher levels.
Awaiting
clarification
Iran
has also not told the agency clearly what purity the cascade will enrich to
after passivation. Iran had previously informed the IAEA that the two IR-6
cascades could be used to enrich to 5 percent or 20 percent purity.
“The
Agency has yet to receive clarification from Iran as to which mode of
production it intends to implement for the aforementioned cascade, following
the completion of passivation,” the report said, which the IAEA confirmed.
At
a different site, Iran is already enriching to up to 60 percent, close to the
roughly 90 percent of weapons-grade and far above the 2015 deal's cap of 3.67
percent. Iran has breached many of the deal's limits in response to the US
withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and its reimposition of sanctions. Iran denies
seeking nuclear weapons.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
PM says thwarted Iranian attacks in Turkey, suspects arrested
20
June, 2022
Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett said on Monday that Israel and Turkey have already
thwarted several attempts by “Iran-backed terrorists” to attack Israelis and
arrested suspects.
“The
operational efforts with the Turkish security forces have borne fruit. In
recent days, in a joint Israeli-Turkish effort, we thwarted a number of
terrorist attempts and numerous terrorists were arrested on Turkish ground,”
Bennett said according to the Jerusalem Post.
“We
are continuing to work together with the goal of bringing the situation in
Turkey and Israeli tourism back to normal. We have to finish the
counterterrorism operations,” Bennett added.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
days in which [Iran] funded terror, equips terrorists, trains and sends them,
and is left unscathed is over. Now, the one sending [terrorists] pays. We will
go anywhere we need to.”
Last
week, Israel warned its citizens against traveling to Turkey, citing the danger
of possible Iranian “revenge attacks” after the assassination of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Colonel Sayad Khodai.
Tensions
between the two countries have heightened in recent weeks amid a shadow war
where Israel targets Iran’s military personnel and officials and scientists
related to the country’s nuclear program, and Iran retaliates by targeting
Israelis abroad.
Biden’s
visit to region
US
President Joe Biden is set to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia next month.
Bennett
said: “The central goal of [Biden’s] visit [to Israel next month] is to lock
down a clear shared plan of action... to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear
power.”
The
West’s negotiations to revive the abandoned 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been
stalled for months. Israel has largely opposed any deal with its arch enemy
Iran.
“In
the short term, Israel wants to stop Iran from continuing to enrich uranium and
develop a nuclear bomb through diplomatic and other tools,” Bennett said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israel
building US-led ‘Middle East air defence alliance:’ Defence minister
20
June, 2022
Israel
is building a “Middle East Air Defense Alliance” under the leadership of the
United States, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday, adding that
the apparatus has already foiled attempted Iranian attacks.
The
remarks, which appeared in an official transcript of a briefing Gantz gave
parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, did not name any other
partners in the alliance.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Iranian
engineer’s death at military site due to ‘industrial sabotage’: Agency
20 June,
2022
The
death of an Iranian Defense Ministry engineer in May 2021 was the result of
“industrial sabotage” at a military site in Parchin near the capital Tehran, an
Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted on Monday as saying.
In
his comments to the semi-official Entekhab news agency, the commander, Hassani
Ahangar, did not say who was believed to be behind the sabotage.
“The
martyr from the Ministry of Defense was himself not the target but was affected
by an act of industrial sabotage. We must prevent such threats with artificial
intelligence methods,” Ahangar was quoted by the agency as saying.
“Engineer
Ehsan Ghadbeigi was martyred and one of his colleagues was injured in an accident
that took place in one of the Ministry of Defense’s research units at the
Parchin area on May 25 [2021],” Entekhab added.
Parchin
is a sensitive military site housing several industrial and research units,
where Western security services believe Iran carried out tests related to
nuclear bomb detonations more than a decade ago.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/up-deface-mosque-graffiti-prophet-mohammad/d/127287