Upanishads, Advaita Philosophy, Gita, Sanskrit Taught In Kerala-Based Islamic Institute Run by a Sunni Organisation
New Age Islam News Bureau
27 August 2022
Onampilly Muhammad Faizy interacting with students of Academy of Sharia Advanced Studies in Thrissur | Express
-----
• UK 'Secretly' Doubles Funding To Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain for Unknown Reasons: Report
• Islamic Group Hefazat-e-Islam Poses Challenge for
Bangladesh: Think Tank
• As Terrorism Continues Pakistan Army Eye Tougher
Stance against Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan after Talks Fail
• Malaysia Supports Rohingya Struggle to Return to
Myanmar: Foreign Minister
India
• IIM Bangalore Faculty Stunned, Deeply Anguished On
Remission of Bilkis Bano Gang Rape and Mass Murder Convicts
• Quran does not say mosque needed in every nook and
corner: Kerala HC
• Srinagar: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Exposes ‘No House Arrest’
Lie
• Delhi Police deny permission to comedian Munawar
Faruqui's show
• Conversion case: Madras High Court grants bail to
Muslim youth
• Indian Security Agencies on High Alert after Uzbek Bomber
Revelations
• About 120 terrorists waiting across LOC to enter
J&K: GOC 19 Division
--------
Europe
• ‘Ball in Iran’s Court’ On Nuclear Deal: France’s
Macron
• Germany to return stolen bronze artefacts to Nigeria
--------
South
Asia
• China Supports UNSC Travel Ban Exemptions for
Islamic Emirate Leaders
• Islamic Emirate Not against Women’s Education: Head
of the Emirate’s Political Office
• Ahead of Hasina visit, India-Bangladesh finalise
text of Kushiyara water MoU
• Amnesty calls out Taliban for its atrocities on
Afghans, says country at brink of irreversible ruin
--------
Pakistan
• Imran Khan calls himself ‘very dangerous’ amid
terrorism charges
• Awami Workers Party to hold protest against Pakistan
government over constitutional amendment
• Govt slams PTI for ‘jeopardising IMF deal’
• 'Misleading and incorrect': Nawaz dissociates
himself from 'negative comments' about PM Shehbaz
• US says it backs ‘democratic’ order in Pakistan
after Imran Khan charged
• Punjab lodges terrorism case against Sanaullah for
‘threatening judiciary, officials’
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Pundits: Right-veering PAS a handful even for Umno,
Bersatu as Malay ruling parties hunker down for GE15
• Police report lodged over ‘leaked Rosmah judgment’
• PM Ismail Sabri: Jihad against inflation showing
positive results
--------
Arab World
• Kurdish Forces Arrest Suspected ISIS Extremists in
Sweep of Syria’s Al-Hol Camp
• Iraq’s Sadrists refile call for judiciary to suspend
parliament amid political crisis
• Turkish forces neutralize 6 PKK/YPG terrorists in
northern Syria
• Russian forces: Syria intercepted nearly half of
Israeli projectiles during recent strike
--------
Mideast
• Islamic Jihad Looks to Hezbollah after Disastrous Gaza
War
• FM: Iran Very Serious about Safeguards Issues
• Iran Strongly Criticizes UN Conference for Refusing
to Urge Israeli Regime to Join NPT Treay
• Iran, Qatar Vow to Broaden Mutual Cooperation
• Turkey dismisses concerns over a US sanctions
warning
• 'Extreme tension' in Israeli jails as Palestinian
prisoners protest abuses
• Iran-IAEA standoff last major hurdle in reviving
nuclear deal
• Dozens of Palestinians injured as Israeli forces
attack anti-settlement protesters
--------
Africa
• UN Slams Movement Restrictions in ‘Security Ops’
Around Sirte
• Somalia seeking more support to join regional bloc
• Rival Libyan groups deploy forces on outskirts of
Tripoli
• South Sudan diplomat recalled from US over ‘alleged
rape’
• Airstrike reported in capital of rebel-held
Ethiopian state amid renewed fighting
--------
North
America
• New Mexico Man, Herman Leyvoune Wilson, Accused Of
Planning Islamic State Training Centre
• US Insisted On Failed Nation-Building, Western Model
In Afghanistan: Former CENTCOM Commander
• Arab Americans Can Improve Their Image by Telling
Their Own Stories, Egyptian-American Actor Says
• Pro-Palestine activists rally in Minnesota, demand
US divest from Israel
• US ran disinformation campaign against Iran, Russia
and China, research reveals
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/upanishads-advaita-gita-sanskrit-islamic-sunni/d/127817
--------
Upanishads, Advaita philosophy, Gita, Sanskrit Taught
In Kerala-Based Islamic Institute Run by a Sunni Organisation
Onampilly Muhammad Faizy
interacting with students of Academy of Sharia Advanced Studies in Thrissur |
Express
-----
27th August 2022
By MP Prashanth
KOZHIKODE: Rinshad C P, a native of Pattambi in
Palakkad, is pursuing a course on Islamic Sharia. He is also taking classes on
the Upanishads, Advaita philosophy and Bhagvad Gita, besides learning Sanskrit.
It is not simply out of personal interest that Rinshad is studying Indian
philosophy and Hindu scriptures. This is how the Islamic Sharia course, offered
by Thrissur-based Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies (ASAS), is designed.
In a world where people are quick to ridicule beliefs
that differ from theirs, ASAS shows how learning about such views widens a
person’s knowledge. This also makes the institution stand apart from other
Islamic institutes. Run by Malik bin Dinar Islamic Complex, ASAS is under the
management of Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema, a Sunni organisation.
Samastha Ernakulam district secretary Onampilly
Muhammad Faizy, a Sanskrit scholar himself, is the brain behind ASAS. “Here, we
try to make our students aware of the rich diversity of Indian culture and
inculcate a positive vibe in them at a time when they are bombarded with
information that leaves them bitter,” said Faizy, who did graduation and
post-graduation in Advaita from Sree Sankara College, Kalady.
Knowing only Islamic terminology hinders Muslim
students: Faizy
Faizy said Sanskrit is taught in a systematic way,
beginning with Sidharoopam. “Those more interested in learning it are sent to
higher levels. Yatheendran, the disciple of Sanskrit scholar K P Narayana
Pisharodi, is one of our faculty members. I teach the Bhagvad Gita,” he said.
ASAS holds workshops on Sanskrit regularly and
encourages students to learn how to speak it. “Prophet Muhammad had told a
youth to study the Syrian language. The more we delve into other systems, the
more our horizons are widened,” Faizy said.
He said one of the hindrances Muslim students studying
Islamic subjects face is that fact that they know only Islamic terminology.
“This creates limitations in their interactions with other sections in
society,” he said.
Students are admitted to ASAS after they clear the
SSLC examination. Upon completing the eight-year course, they get a university
degree besides a religious degree tiled ‘Maliki.’ The graduate degree is
provided under the distance education stream of Calicut University. Rinshad, a
sixth-year student, said: “I was fortunate to join the course as we are getting
an opportunity to learn Sanskrit from experts and know about other beliefs and
branches of knowledge here.”
Source: New Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
UK 'Secretly' Doubles Funding To Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
for Unknown Reasons: Report
Photo: Fars News
---
26 August 2022
The UK government’s funding for Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain has more than doubled this year through Persian Gulf Strategy Fund
(GSF) for unknown reasons, according to a report.
GSF spending for Saudi Arabia increased from £813,605
to £1.8m and from £710,028 to £1.8m for Bahrain in 2021-2022, the Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) disclosed in response to Freedom of
Information requests made by Middle East Eye.
“The UK works with partners around the world to
improve their human rights records, including in the Persian Gulf,” FCDO
claimed in response to MEE.
“All cooperation through the Persian Gulf Strategy
Fund is subject to rigorous risk assessments to ensure all work meets our human
rights obligations and values,” it added.
Scottish National Party MP Brendan O’Hara, who chairs
the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Persian
Gulf, told MEE that despite previous concerns raised by the APPG about the
fund, the increase in funding to the two Arab countries is “astounding.”
He reiterated a call he made last year to suspend the
fund, saying the Select Committee should investigate the fund’s activities “as
a matter of urgency.”
“The fact that the UK government has chosen to spend
millions more pounds of taxpayers’ money on projects in the Persian Gulf during
a cost-of-living crisis is astounding,” he said.
“I will be writing urgently to the foreign secretary
to raise my concerns regarding this alleged funding increase, and to ask for a
breakdown of where and to whom this funding has been allocated.”
The report comes as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain remain
close allies of the UK despite widespread criticisms leveled against the two
Persian Gulf countries over their human rights violations.
A Saudi court recently sentenced Salma al-Shehab, a
Ph.D. candidate at Leeds University and mother of two children, to 34 years in
prison and a 34-year travel ban due to tweets that were critical of Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia has also been leading an all-out war and
economic siege against Yemen for many years in cooperation with some Arab and
Western countries.
Also, the case of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a
Washington Post columnist, still remains in an aura of ambiguity.
Sayed al-Alwadaei, advocacy director of the UK-based
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird), said: “Despite an outcry in
parliament, raising alarm over this fund’s support of Persian Gulf bodies
implicated in serious rights violations including torture and whitewashing of
war crimes, the UK government has chosen to quietly reward rich Persian Gulf
states with millions more in taxpayer money.”
Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and
communications at UK-based rights group ALQST, said that now is the time for
the UK government to provide answers.
“The fact that the UK has increased its funding to
Saudi Arabia at a time when the human rights situation in the kingdom has
continued to deteriorate raises alarm bells about its impact,” she said.
“Whether the funding has gone to bodies directly
implicated in abuses, or is now used to fund other activities, there are
serious questions about the human rights measures it is contingent upon.”
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/26/688061/UK-doubles-funding-Saudi-Arabia-Bahrain
--------
Islamic
Group Hefazat-E-Islam Poses Challenge For Bangladesh: Think Tank
Representational
image by Fredrik Rubensson via Wikimedia Commons
-----
August
26, 2022
Bangladesh
is gripped by challenges posed by hardline Islamic group Hefazat-e-Islam as the
country continues to witness frequent outbursts of massive violence, increase
in religiously motivated illiberalism, and a general shrinking of free,
liberal, and secular thinking, a thinktank South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF)
reported.
The
South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) is a Brussels-based think tank devoted to
South Asia and its relationship with the European Union (EU) in the context of
a global, changing world. As per a report written by Dr. Siegfried O. Wolf,
Director of Research at SADF, though in recent years, the number of terrorist
incidents and related casualties have steadily declined in Bangladesh yet the
problem of Islamist extremism remains.
Under
the research report titled “The Hefazat-e-Islam and the Islamist challenge in
Bangladesh”, the SADF research director noted that HeI is the most recent and
largest entity in Bangladesh’s complex web of ultra-conservative, radicalised
Islamist groupings.
He
defined the group as by a large variety of terms, for instance — a Islamist
pressure group, an Islamist advocacy movement, an ultraconservative Islamist
group, a socio-political extremist group, or an Islamic social movement.
According
to his analysis, there are demands to designate the Islamic radical group as a
terrorist group.
While
speaking on the challenges posed by the group, the SADF director said the terms
used for the group do not really give out the complete picture as to how HeI is
challenging the secular and democratic foundations of the state – and how it is
contributing to the menace of violent Islamism in Bangladesh.
In
retrospect, he noted that for over a decade, Bangladesh witnessed not only
violent mass protests and vandalism stirred by HeI supporters but also a firm
counter-reaction by the government – so as to protect the state, citizenry, and
law and order more generally speaking.
Many
senior members of the HeI were arrested for their role in public unrest, and as
the organisation also suffered from a leadership crisis, some analysts even
concluded that the Islamist organisation became much less of a threat.
However,
he pointed out, that such an assessment is short-sighted since it does not
consider the facts on the ground. It also fails to understand the Islamist
menace in Bangladesh (and beyond) in general – and the the HeI organisation in
particular.
The
SADF director was educated at the Institute of Political Science (IPW) and
South Asia Institute (SAI), both at Heidelberg University.
Additionally,
he is a member (affiliated researcher) of the SAI as well as a former research
fellow at IPW and Centre de Sciences Humaines (New Delhi, India). Dr Wolf works
as a consultant to NATO-sponsored periodic strategic independent research and
assessment of Afghanistan-Pakistan issues.
Source:
Indian Arrative
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
As
Terrorism Continues Pakistan Army Eye Tougher Stance against Tehreek-I-Taliban
Pakistan after Talks Fail
Pakistan
army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa (L) and PM She ..
-----
Aug
26, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
After several failed efforts to conclude a long-term peace deal with
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistan army is mulling a tougher stance
against the outlawed group as terrorism continues in the country.
The
shift in the Pakistan army's approach comes amid the three-month ceasefire, as
TTP fighters return to Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa and Balochistan, the Dawn newspaper
reported.
"Directed
formations to maintain operational readiness and efforts to counter terrorism,
particularly in KP and Balochistan must continue," said Pakistan Army
Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa during the 250th Corps Commanders' Conference, as quoted
by Dawn.
TTP,
popularly known as Pakistan Taliban, recently set alarm bells ringing in
Islamabad after the outlawed group reappeared in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat
valley.
Taliban
terrorists reportedly had occupied hilltops of Swat district's Matta
subdivision a few months ago which created panic in a number of neighbouring
districts, The News International newspaper reported.
The
Taliban's unexpected appearance led to anger among the people and caused damage
to tourism as the day Taliban were reported to have arrived in the valley, the
report added.
Initially,
both the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Shehbaz Sharif governments kept quiet on the
issue. After the issue came to the limelight, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja
Asif said that they were in touch with the Afghan government about the
Taliban's appearance in Swat.
"The
Taliban accepted requests of the local elders and agreed to leave Swat
peacefully. By Saturday afternoon, the Taliban started leaving Swat via
Dir," a Pakistan senior government official told The News on condition of
anonymity. The Pakistani newspaper said the government had moved additional
troops to Swat and deployed them in different places for a likely offensive
against the Taliban.
"Luckily,
the situation returned to normal and there was no incident of violence in the
valley. The role played by the people of Swat for peace is remarkable," he
added.
Since
the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Pakistan has increasingly complained
of attacks across the border from Afghanistan, an issue that has become a
source of diplomatic tension.
Talks
between the two sides began in October 2021 to seek a political solution to the
issue. The talks that were held at the request of the Afghan Taliban led to a
one-month ceasefire in November. However, the truce could not last long as
differences emerged soon.
The
ongoing peace talks between the TTP and Pakistan government reached a stalemate
as the outlawed group refused to give in on its demand for the reversal of the
merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with the
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Despite
a series of meetings between the two sides in recent weeks to break the
impasse, there has also been a stalemate over the issue of TTP laying down arms
in case of a peace deal.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Malaysia
Supports Rohingya Struggle to Return to Myanmar: Foreign Minister
Foreign
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah
-----
27
Aug 2022
KUANTAN:
Malaysia supports the struggle of the Rohingya community to return to Myanmar
as citizens of that country, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin
Abdullah (pic).
He
said the international community should also not forget the plight of the
Rohingya, as more than a million were now refugees in Bangladesh, while 150,000
are in Malaysia and some in several other countries.
"They
are denied citizenship and we support their efforts and struggle to become
citizens like everyone else in Myanmar, besides supporting several efforts to
bring those who are guilty to justice.
"These
efforts should be jointly supported by the international community, especially
ASEAN, because this is a big issue in the Myanmar conflict," he said at a
press conference in conjunction with the Familiarisation Visit Programme for
Diplomatic Corps here, on Friday (Aug 26) night.
Malaysia,
said Saifuddin also supports the efforts of the Rohingya who want to work
together with the National Unity Government (NUG) and Myanmar's National Unity
Consultative Council (NUCC) to restore 'normal life' and uphold democracy in
Myanmar.
Saifuddin
who is also the Member of Parliament for Indera Mahkota informed that he had
participated in several events organised by the Rohingya community via video
conference on Thursday, which is the fifth anniversary of the 'genocide'
killing of the Rohingya population living in Rakhine State, Myanmar that
occurred in 2017.
In
addition to Gambia's initiative to bring the issue of devastating cruelty
against the Rohingya to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Saifuddin
said the legal process is also being initiated in Argentina by Rohingya
activists.
A
mass exodus of the Rohingya began on Aug 25, 2017 after the Myanmar army launched
an operation against the Muslim minority, killing, raping and torturing
Rohingya men, women, and children. – Bernama
Source:
The Star
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
IIM
Bangalore Faculty Stunned, Deeply Anguished On Remission of Bilkis Bano Gang
Rape And Mass Murder Convicts
Basant
Kumar Mohanty | New Delhi
27.08.22
Over
50 faculty members and staff of IIM Bangalore have said they are “stunned and
deeply anguished” by the remission granted to the 11 life convicts in the
Bilkis Bano gang rape and mass murder case and appealed to the Supreme Court to
“respond most urgently” to her “right to live without fear and in peace”.
In
a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India, the 54 signatories said they
were writing in their personal capacity and expressed “solidarity with Bilkis
and her fight for justice”.
The
Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the Gujarat government’s grant of
remission to the 11 convicts, who were serving a life term for gang-raping
Bilkis and killing seven members of her family, including her three-year-old
daughter, during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
In
the letter to the CJI, the 54 signatories said: “The crimes committed by the
eleven men granted remission were no ordinary crimes. They were accused and
convicted of gang rape and murders of the most depraved and inhumane kind. The
Supreme Court itself upheld their conviction in 2008.
“Bilkis
Bano, who survived to tell the tale, fought for justice for over seventeen
years. This remission is not only a denial of justice but also presents a real
and immediate danger to Bilkis Bano and her family. The sympathetic treatment
these convicted men have received is shocking. What kind of a nation are we turning
into if Bilkis Bano is left to defend herself while her violators are given a
hero’s welcome?
“We
are stunned and deeply anguished by this act of the Government of Gujarat. We
look to our legal system and courts to deliver on the promise we as a nation
‘have solemnly resolved’, ‘to secure to all its citizens: justice, liberty,
equality and fraternity’. The horrors that Bilkis Bano underwent in 2002 should
not be experienced by any woman anywhere. This remission is bound to embolden
perpetrators of such heinous crimes while simultaneously extinguishing the hope
of millions of Indians who look up to the courts to deliver justice.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Quran
does not say mosque needed in every nook and corner: Kerala HC
26th
August 2022
Kochi:
The Kerala High Court on Friday denied permission to construct a mosque in a
locality that has many mosques, observing that the state already has a large
number of religious structures and their ratio to the population is very high.
Justice
P.V. Kunhikrishnan opined that Kerala, that is termed as “God’s own country”,
is crammed full of religious places.
“Because
of the peculiar geographical situation of Kerala, it is known as ‘God’s own
country’. But we are exhausted with religious places and prayer halls and we
are not in a position to allow any new religious places and prayer halls except
in the rarest of rare cases,” he said.
The
court observed that even though mosques are important to the Muslim community,
it is not necessary, as per the Holy Quran, that there be a mosque in every
nook and cranny.
“The
verses of the Holy Quran clearly highlight the importance of the mosque to the
Muslim community. But it is not stated in the above verses of the Holy Quran
that a mosque is necessary for every nook and corner…. It is not stated in the
‘Hadis’ or in the Holy Quran that the mosque is to be situated adjacent to the
house of every Muslim community member. Distance is not the criteria, but
reaching the mosque is important,” it said.
The
court also referred to a study on religious structures, based on the 2011
Census, which it termed as “alarming” as it said that Kerala has 10 times the
number of religious structures as villages and 3.5 times the number of hospitals.
“Kerala
is exhausted with religious institutions and prayer halls… If every devotee …
Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Parsi, etc. starts to construct religious places
and prayer halls near their residence, the state will face serious consequence
including communal disharmony. In this case, the intelligence report and the
police report says that if the present conversion of the commercial building to
a religious prayer hall is allowed, there is chance for communal disharmony. It
is a sensitive issue,” it noted.
In
the instant case, since 36 mosques were existing within the vicinity in
question, the court held that there was no need of another mosque in that
vicinity because the adherents of Islam can go to other nearby mosques,
especially considering the fact that most citizens have access to some kind of
vehicle or public transportation.
“It
is true that Article 26(a) of the Constitution of India states that subject to
the public order, morality and health, every religious denomination or any
section thereof shall have the right to establish and maintain institutions for
religious and charitable purposes. That does not mean that they can construct
religious places in every nook and corner of the country. Kerala is a very
small state,” it said.
Justice
Kunhikrishnan also referred to a movie song by acclaimed poet, late Vayalar
Ramavarma which speaks of how man created religions, religion created God, and
together they divided the world and humanity.
The
verdict was given on a petition seeking to change a commercial building to a
Muslim place of worship so as to enable Muslims in the vicinity to access a
mosque to offer prayers.
The
District Collector considered the request and denied it, based on reports of
the district police chief who noted that there are about 36 mosques situated
within 5 kilometre radius from the existing commercial building of the
petitioner.
This
prompted the petitioner to approach the High Court.
The
court went through the ‘The Manual of guidelines to prevent and control
communal disturbance and to promote communal harmony’ issued by the state, via
a Government Order, and found that even for a change of occupancy, the
permission from district authorities is necessary.
In
the present case, the court found no reason to interfere with the decision of
the state authorities and dismissed the petition.
It
then asked to issue the following directions to the state government and police
authorities, including, that the Kerala Chief Secretary and the state police
chief shall issue necessary orders/circulars directing all the officers
concerned to see that there is no illegal functioning of any religious places
and prayer halls without obtaining permission from the competent authorities as
per the Manual of Guidelines.
If
any such religious place or prayer hall is functioning without necessary
permission, they should take necessary steps to close down the same forthwith,
it said.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/quran-does-not-say-mosque-needed-in-every-nook-and-corner-kerala-hc-2399162/
--------
Srinagar:
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq exposes ‘no house arrest’ lie
Muzaffar
Raina | Srinagar
27.08.22
Moderate
Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was on Friday allegedly barred from stepping
out of his home to address his first sermon at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid in years,
calling into question lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha’s public claim that he
was a free man.
A
large contingent of police and paramilitary forces prevented the separatist
leader, allegedly under house arrest for over three years, from leaving his
home at Nagin in Srinagar. The government has persistently denied his house
arrest, as it had done in the case of several other top politicians in the
past.
A
large crowd waited for Mirwaiz Farooq at the mosque and many of them were seen
waving placards reading “Stop Telling Lies, Release Mirwaiz”. There was heavy
deployment of forces around the mosque.
Sinha
had recently told a foreign channel that the Mirwaiz was not under house arrest
but had apparently locked himself in.
Mirwaiz
Farooq was among thousands of politicians and activists who were arrested or
put under house arrest following the August 5, 2019, scrapping of Jammu and
Kashmir’s special status. But he alone allegedly remains under house arrest.
Videos
on Friday showed Mirwaiz Farooq arguing with police officers as he urged them
to let him visit Jama Masjid, where he is the chief cleric. He is heard telling
them that his basic human rights and religious freedoms are being violated and
that he has not been informed about the charges.
“There
has been a statement at the highest level. It is not by police or bureaucrat
but by Mr Governor, who has said it very responsibly. People are waiting for me
but why are you stopping me?” the mirwaiz is seen telling the police.
“If
I am a free man, then why such restrictions? You (government) claim people are
enjoying (after the 2019 dilution of Article 370). If they are happy, let me
join in their happiness,” Mirwaiz Farooq adds, sarcastically.
The
Hurriyat leader, dressed in his traditional religious attire, is seen reminding
the cops of how he was prevented from visiting the graves of his near ones who
died in the past three years.
In
an interview to BBC Hindi Service last week, Sinha was asked why Mirwaiz Farooq
continued to be under house arrest.
“If
you look back, certain incidents happened, including the unfortunate killing of
his father (in 1990). We keep police around (his residence) so that he is
secure. He should himself decide what he wants. From our side, he is neither
under house arrest nor arrested,” the lieutenant governor said.
Over
the next few days, several journalists who tried to visit the Mirwaiz's home
for interviews were stopped by security forces from going in.
On
Thursday, the organising committee of Jama Masjid announced that Mirwaiz Farooq
would address the Friday gathering, apparently to expose Sinha’s claims.
In
2020, the issue of house arrest, deemed illegal, had reached the Supreme Court
where the government claimed that Congress leader Saifuddin Soz was not under
such detention.
The
next day, Soz was heckled by policemen as he tried to speak to the media from
behind the barbed wires around his home, purportedly to call out the alleged
bluff of the government.
Srinagar’s
Jama Masjid, seen as ground zero of Kahsmir’s azaadi (freedom) struggle, was
shut for months for Friday prayers after the 2019 scrapping of special status.
There were protests at the mosque this April with pro-azaadi slogans being
raised.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/mirwaiz-umar-farooq-exposes-no-house-arrest-lie/cid/1882705
--------
Delhi
Police deny permission to comedian Munawar Faruqui's show
Aug
27, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The Delhi Police have denied permission to stand-up comedian Munawar
Faruqui's show which is scheduled to take place on August 28 in the national
capital.
The
permission was denied after the local central district police wrote a report stating
that "the show will affect communal harmony in the area".
The
joint commissioner of police, licensing, OP Mishra told ANI that the permission
had been denied as it can have an effect on the communal harmony in the region.
The
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had on August 25 written to the Delhi Police
commissioner Sanjay Arora to cancel Faruqui's show.
In
its letter, the VHP alleged that "Communal tension arose in Bhagyanagar
because of Munawar's jokes on Hindu Gods."
The
VHP letter further said that if the show was not cancelled members of the VHP
and Bajrang Dal will hold protests.
Last
Saturday, Munawar Faruqui hosted a standup comedy show in Hyderabad, amidst
tight security.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Conversion
case: Madras High Court grants bail to Muslim youth
AUGUST
27, 2022
The
Coimbatore police had booked him on the charge of planning to murder an elderly
man who objected to his son’s conversion to Islam
The
Madras High Court on Friday granted bail to a Muslim youth, under judicial
custody since March 7, observing that there were no reasonable grounds for
believing that he had conspired to kill a Hindu elderly man who had opposed his
son’s conversion to Islam to marry a woman of that faith.
The
court said that by no stretch of imagination could such an accusation be termed
a terrorist act as defined under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,
1967.
Allowing
an appeal against a Sessions Court’s refusal to grant bail, Justices S.
Vaidyanathan and A.D. Jagadish Chandira wrote, “Taking into consideration the
facts and circumstances of the case... and on a perusal of the case diary, this
court is of the opinion that the allegations against the appellant (Sadam
Hussain of Coimbatore) do not fall within the definition of ‘terrorist act’ and
there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation is prima
facie true.”
Pointing
out that the Selvapuram police in Coimbatore city had arrested the youth on the
basis of his alleged confession after he was picked up for questioning during a
vehicle check at the junction of Indira Nagar and Amul Nagar First Street, the
judges said, “There was no complaint from any person, and nobody was injured in
this case... The provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act have
been included only in order to deny/delay the appellant from getting bail.”
They
also took note of the submission of R. Karthikeyan, Special Public Prosecutor
for the National Investigation Agency, that the Coimbatore police had sent a
proposal asking the NIA to take up the investigation in the case, but the
agency refused to do so. They concurred with S.M.A. Jinnah, counsel for the
appellant, that the two motives attributed by the prosecution, for the
appellant having planned to kill Kumaresan of Indira Nagar, were contradictory
to each other.
It
was the prosecution’s case that the intention of the appellant was also to warn
people against marrying those professing faith in Islam and get them converted.
If the motive was to kill Kumaresan just because he objected to his son’s
conversion to Islam, the modus operandi would have been to keep the operation a
secret. On the other hand, if the motive was to warn people against attempting
to convert Muslims, the offence would have been committed openly.
“A
logical analysis would reveal that both the limbs of motive travel vice versa
and they cannot be meeting at any point,” the judges said. They also said the
police had initially booked the appellant only under the provisions of the
Indian Penal Code. Later, the provisions of the Arms Act were included after
reported recovery of three bill hooks on the basis of the confession of the
co-accused who were part of Indian Muslim Development Association, a
self-styled body for promotion of the religion.
Source:
The Hindu
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Indian
security agencies on high alert after Uzbek bomber revelations
Aug
27, 2022
By
Shishir Gupta
The
national security agencies are on high alert as pan-Islamic terrorist
organizations like Islamic State and Al Qaida are trying to radicalize Muslims
within and outside India to target the country in the name of blasphemy.
The
security agencies are not alone in this effort as other friendly countries like
US, Jordan, Russia, UAE, and Saudi Arabia are sharing footprints of Islamic
radicalization in cyber-space and encrypted communications with New Delhi to
prevent any untoward incident in hinterland India.
Investigations
into the detention of Islamic State suicide bomber Mashrabkon Azamov by Russian
Federal Security Service, or FSB, has revealed that there was one more
Kyrgyzstan national who was trained to target India by Islamists in Turkey
along with the detained Uzbek national. It is learnt that the Kyrgyz national
returned to his country from Moscow, which was the route to India being used by
the two attackers. While the Indian security agencies are still awaiting the
interrogation report of 30-year-old Azamov, they have sent a list of specific
questions to their Russian counterparts so that the attacker could be
interrogated on those lines. Indian security agencies are also in touch with
their Uzbek and Kyrgyz counterparts to seek permission to join investigations.
While
the plan to attack India was foiled by the Russian agency, the Jordanian
intelligence alerted their Indian counterparts towards the online
radicalization of engineering student Meer Anaas Ali, resident of Ambur Town in
Tamil Nadu, by the Islamic State. The third-year engineering student was being
brainwashed by the Islamic State online radicalizers to punish India for
insulting the Prophet. The student was arrested on July 31 July by the Tamil
Nadu police and is currently remanded in judicial custody. According to local
police, Anaas had links with the ultra-conservative Wahhabi proscribed outfit
and was communicating with his online handlers using social media platforms
like Telegram and Instagram. He was tasked by his Islamic State handlers to
target non-Muslims and kill an important personality to instill fear among the
communities and polarize them on religious lines.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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About
120 terrorists waiting across LOC to enter J&K: GOC 19 Division
Aug
27, 2022
SRINAGAR:
Indian forces have tightened the security grid along the LoC following
intelligence reports that about 120 armed terrorists were assembled at
Pakistani “launch pads” across the border and waiting for an opportune time to
enter J&K, GOC of the Army’s 19 Infantry Division Major General Ajay
Chandpuri said in Baramulla on Friday.
He
told reporters in the north Kashmir town that the forces guarding the border
have upped surveillance and stakeout with frequent patrols and modern stealth
equipment to foil any cross-border “infiltration” attempt.
He
attributed Thursday’s killing of three terrorists in the Uri sector to the
watchfulness of the forces. The GOC said the confiscation of an M16 rifle from
a slain terrorist is an “unusual” development that the Army will examine.
Terrorists are generally known to carry AK-47s, but American weapons may have
passed hands as the Taliban captured power after last year’s US troop
withdrawal from the war-torn country.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Europe
‘Ball
in Iran’s court’ on nuclear deal: France’s Macron
26
August, 2022
French
President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday the ball was in Iran’s court to revive
a nuclear deal with world powers, and that the offer on the table, even if it
would not resolve all differences, was better than no offer at all.
Iran
received Washington’s response to an EU-drafted final offer for salvaging the
2015 deal, the foreign ministry in Tehran said on Wednesday, giving no firm
indication of how close remaining gaps were to being narrowed.
After
16 months of indirect US-Iran talks, with EU officials shuttling between the
sides, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on August 8 the bloc had laid
down its “final text.”
Iran
responded last week with “additional views and considerations” while calling on
the United States to show flexibility to resolve three remaining issues.
Macron
held talks on Thursday with Rafael Grossi, head of UN atomic watchdog the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whose organization inspects Iran’s
nuclear program and investigates its possible past activities.
“We
have been very careful to ensure the balance of a serious accord has been met,”
Macron told reporters during a visit to Algeria. “The ball is now in Iran’s
court.”
He
said Paris would back the IAEA to ensure outstanding issues were not impacted
by political pressure.
Iran
has sought for months to link the issue of an investigation into uranium traces
to the talks on reviving the deal. The IAEA has always said they are separate.
“I
think that this accord if it’s concluded in the terms presented today is useful
and is better than no agreement,” Macron 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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Germany
to return stolen bronze artefacts to Nigeria
26.08.2022
BERLIN
Germany
has signed an agreement with Nigeria to return ownership of over 500 looted
Benin bronze artifacts.
The
deal signed by the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage and Nigeria’s
National Commission for Museums and Monuments on Thursday will see almost a
third of the artifacts remain in German museums on loan, while the rest will be
returned to Nigeria starting later this year.
“This
represents the future concerning artefacts issue; a future of collaboration
among museums, a future of according respect and dignity to the legitimate
requests of other nations and traditional institutions,” said Abba Isa Tijani,
director general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
German
Culture Minister Claudia Roth echoed similar views, adding that “further
agreements to return such collections will follow over the coming months.”
“This
return will serve as an example for all museums in Germany which hold
collections from colonial contexts,” she said.
The
pieces are sophisticated plaques and sculptures made of bronze, an important
genre of art dating back to the 13th century.
The
artifacts were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin, located in modern-day Nigeria,
by British soldiers in 1897 and ended up in museums all over Europe. Thousands
of objects were also shipped to London as war booty and sold.
For
decades, European countries have been under pressure from campaigners and
former colonies to return looted artifacts.
Some
experts estimate that 80-90% of Africa’s cultural heritage is currently in
European museums.
Berlin’s
Humboldt Forum has been at the center of a debate surrounding the colonial-era
items – some 20,000 African and Asian artifacts – in its exhibition halls.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/germany-to-return-stolen-bronze-artifacts-to-nigeria/2670039
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South
Asia
China
Supports UNSC Travel Ban Exemptions for Islamic Emirate Leaders
Aug
27, 2022
China
hopes that the UN Security Council will extend travel ban exemption for the
leaders of the Islamic Emirate in a bid for the international community to
remain engaged in Afghanistan.
Talking
to reporters at the Security Council Media Stakeout, the Chinese Ambassador at
the UNSC, Zhang Jun, said that the humanitarian situation is critical in
Afghanistan.
“We
cannot say that we want the Afghanistan government to do something but
meanwhile we don’t give them any chance to have access to the international
community. We cut off their linkage with other countries, so that is not
reasonable, I said,” the Chinese envoy Zhang Jun said.
The
Islamic Emirate said that imposing pressure and restrictions on Afghanistan is
not a solution.
“The
time to impose restrictions is passed—it had no result. Over the past 20 years,
the restrictions extended even to bombardments. It was negotiations and
engagement that changed the situation and saved Afghanistan and released the
Americans from major fighting. The door for negotiations from our side is still
open and they should not use a heavy hand,” Islamic Emirate’s spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid said.
Analysts
said that disputes between West and East caused the disagreement over the
travel ban exemption of the Islamic Emirate’s leader.
“The
lack of extension of the travel ban exemption for the leaders of the Islamic
Emirate is due to strong disagreements between the West, led by the US, and the
East, led by Russia and China. This shows that Afghanistan has become a center
of rivalry between West and East once again after 20 years,” said Noorullah
Raghi, an international relations analyst.
“If
the Taliban don’t reconsider their policy as soon as possible and don’t lift
restrictions on women’s rights, rights of citizens, political inclusion,
society and cultural matters, Afghanistan will be driven to isolation with each
day passing,” said Wali Frozan, an international relations analyst.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-179564
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Islamic
Emirate Not against Women’s Education: Head of the Emirate’s Political Office
Aug
27, 2022
The
head of the Islamic Emirate’s political office, Suhail Shaheen, said that the
Islamic Emirate is not against the education of women and that the “picture is
not as it is portrayed by our opponents.”
Talking
to FOX News, Shaheen said millions of girls are studying in primary schools all
over Afghanistan.
“We
have never said we are against the education of women. It is a universal right
for all. So, secondly, the picture is not as it is portrayed by our opponents.
Right now, there are 450,000 students of private and public universities all
over Afghanistan. And there are millions of girls studying in primary
schools," he said.
Female
students above grade six have been deprived of school for more than one
year.
“When
we talk about the rights of women in Afghanistan, the discussion is beyond half
of the Afghan population,” said Farah Mustafavi, a human rights defender.
“Undoubtedly,
the return of girls back to school is the first wish but this is not the only
wish of the people of Afghanistan of the Afghan government and international
community,” said Mohsina Sabor, a human rights defender.
The
European Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, commented on
the opening of girls' schools:
“Sometimes
I wonder whether we talk too much about schools for girls as if it were the
only human rights concern, and as if Afghans should be satisfied once the
Taliban addressed that. But then I realise that until they do, other rights
will also not be respected. It is Grade One,” Niklasson tweeted.
This
comes as the female students have once again called on the Islamic Emirate to
reopen their schools.
“A
society without educated humans that includes men and women cannot improve and
we have the right to improve and develop our society,” said Tamana, a
student.
“We
call on the international community to put pressure on the Taliban to start the
schools above grade six,” said Wizha, a student.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-179563
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Ahead
of Hasina visit, India-Bangladesh finalise text of Kushiyara water MoU
Aug
27, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Ahead of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s visit, the Indian government on
Friday said that the two countries have finalised the text of the MoU on
interim sharing of Kushiyara river water. This followed the 38th meeting of the
ministerial-level Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) of India and Bangladesh here
this week.
The
meeting was significant as it was held after a long gap of 12 years, though
technical interactions under the framework of JRC have continued in the
intervening period, according to the Indian government. The meeting was
preceded by water resources secretary-level interaction on Tuesday (August 23).
Discussions
during this meeting were held on a number of ongoing bilateral issues of mutual
interest, including sharing of water of common rivers, sharing of flood data,
addressing river pollution, conducting joint studies on sedimentation
management, river bank protection works, etc.
“Both
sides also welcomed finalization of the design and location of water intake
point on the Feni river to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in
Tripura as per the October 2019 India -Bangladesh MoU on this subject,” said
the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Amnesty
calls out Taliban for its atrocities on Afghans, says country at brink of
irreversible ruin
26
August, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], August 26 (ANI): Amnesty International in a recent report has
called out the Taliban to provide women and girls in Afghanistan the right to
work and get an education, as well as participate in politics and society as
the human rights of the community are being stripped since the country fell in
the Taliban’s hands.
According
to a petition filed by Amnesty International, the Taliban began a new era of
human rights abuse after taking over on 15 August 2021 in Afghanistan and now,
a year later the country is on the brink of irreversible ruin.
“Not
only the Taliban de-facto authorities have broken their promise of protecting
Afghan people’s rights, especially women’s rights, but they have also resumed
the cycle of violence and committed a litany of human rights abuses and
violations with full impunity,” the petition read.
Afghan
residents including artists, journalists and religious minorities, are also
having a rough time as the ruling officials of the country continue to snatch
away the basic rights of the citizens.
Meanwhile,
an Afghan member of the organization Samira Hamidi said that in the past years,
there had been a lack of respect for the rights of Afghan residents,
particularly those of women, artists, journalists, and minorities.
“With
this petition, we seek to put pressure on the Taliban to end human rights
violence and pressure on the international community to hold (the Islamic
Emirate) accountable for human rights violations,” she said, as Khaama Press
quoted.
Supporting
the petition, Farah Mustafawi, another women’s rights activist, said “the
United Nations can force the Taliban to abide by international law.”
“Any
action taken to protect women’s rights in this circumstance would be helpful,
provided it is not temporary, it will increase the unity among the human rights
defenders, and it would support women’s internal protests,” said Maryam Arween,
another activist.
However,
responding to the petition, the Taliban said the organization’s report is far
from the truth and the current leadership has respected human rights,
especially women’s rights, within the framework of Islamic Sharia.
“All
of these reports are false,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman of the Islamic
Emirate. “Since the Islamic Emirate took control, Afghanistan has preserved its
two decades of human rights.”
In
earlier statements, Amnesty International has urged the Islamic Emirate to
provide women and girls in Afghanistan the right to work and get an education
as well as participate in politics and society. according to Khaama Press.
Taliban
has suspended the secondary education of girls and enforced a strict form of
Hijab.
They
also provide no opportunities for Afghan women to participate in political and
public life, to fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation that is aimed at
making women invisible in society.
Notably,
Afghan women are staring at a bleak future due to a number of restrictions
imposed by the Taliban governing aspects of their lives they are no longer
allowed to travel unless accompanied by men related to them and are being
curtailed from wearing make-up as well as their reproductive rights.
Source:
The Print
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan
Imran
Khan calls himself ‘very dangerous’ amid terrorism charges
26
August, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], August 26 (ANI): Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is
currently facing terrorism charges, went bombastic on the ruling government
with his words and warned the ruling coalition saying, “I am very dangerous.”
This
threat by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan came when he
was speaking to the media at the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad where he was
present in regards to the extenstion of his pre-arrest bail which the court
granted till September 1.
“I
am very dangerous”, said Imran Khan, reported The New International. Though he
made a furious commentary over the troubled situation, Imran Khan avoided
answering many questions which were being asked by the reporters.
PTI
chairman Imran Khan has said the people who are taking decisions or finalizing
them should think about the country. A terrorism case was filed against Imran
Khan for giving threatening remarks about a woman additional sessions judge.
The
court accepted the pre-arrest bail till September 1 against surety bonds worth
Rs 100,000. The PTI head had moved his bail petition through his lawyer Dr
Babar Awan and Ali Bukhari, Advocate.
When
reporters emphasized Imran Khan made a statement about the situation, Imran
only uttered one sentence, “I am very dangerous.”
Afterwards,
he said, “They are trying to arrest the head of the largest party of the
country in this case.” He contended that Pakistan was being mocked all over the
world at this time. He accused the government of trying to score a “technical
knockout” against him.
Meanwhile,
the police on Thursday registered a terrorism case against Interior Minister
Rana Sanaullah after he threatened the government officials to kill their
children and said that Pakistan’s court and its judiciary will not help them.
The
case was filed by a citizen in the Industrial Area Police Station of Gujrat.
The police registered a case of terrorism and interference in government
matters against Sanaullah, reported Geo News.
According
to the first information report (FIR), the interior minister threatened the
government officials to kill their children and said that Pakistan’s court and
its judiciary will not help them.
The
FIR added that Sanaullah said they [government] will surround those judges who
are going to promote PTI’s agenda, reported Geo News.
“Rana
Sanaullah’s statement was to terrorise the judiciary, chief secretary and other
government officials and to not let them do their job so that they are unable
to fulfil their judicial commitments,” stated the report citing an old video of
the PML-N leader.
The
FIR mentioned that the minister’s statement has caused fear and terror among
the judiciary, authorities, police, bureaucracy and the nation, reported Geo
News.
Soon
after the news came out, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) senior leader
Moonis Elahi said that the interior minister will be arrested soon, reported
Geo News.
“You
make false cases against Imran Khan, now the Pakistani nation has registered a
true case against you,” he wrote on Twitter.
The
PML-Q was referencing the case registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, last week, for threatening an additional sessions
judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police at a rally in the
federal capital’s F-9 Park.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/imran-khan-calls-himself-very-dangerous-amid-terrorism-charges/1101621/
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Awami
Workers Party to hold protest against Pakistan government over constitutional
amendment
26
August, 2022
Gilgit-Baltistan
[PoK], August 26 (ANI): The Awami Workers Party and Awami Workers Party of
Gilgit-Baltistan will hold a joint conference in Islamabad on August 27 to
register their protest against the Pakistan Government’s “conspiracy” of
capturing all the resources of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) through its
constitutional amendment.
Earlier,
the Pakistani government passed the 15th Constitutional Amendment bill to the
Interim Constitution of PoK, which envisaged the establishment of a separate
election commission for local bodies (LB).
The
amendment was tabled by the government on August 13, 2022, with the backing of
the Opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N).
PoK
Awami Workers Party Chairperson Nisar Shah Advocate and Awami Workers Party GB
leader comrade Baba Jan after a meeting recently announced that they will
launch an all-out resistance movement against Pakistani rulers’ plot of
occupying PoK and Gilgit Baltistan directly under the cover of tourism policy and
constitutional amendments, Islam Khabar reported.
Both
of the party’s leaders said that presently PoK and GB are passing through the
worst kind of tyrannical period in history. The identity of people of the both
regions will come to an end if Pakistan’s conspiracy of occupying these areas
succeeds.
PoK
and GB will be in the grip of a neo-colonial system. People of these areas will
have to put up a strong fight against this slavery. They warned that if their
people do not resist the repressive acts of the Pakistani government, their
coming generations will always remain victims of subjugation and suppression.
According
to the publication, the crime ratio in the Jhelum valley has increased almost
by 100 per cent. Incidents of murders, thefts and extortion are happening daily
in the valley. A large number of people have disappeared in the last couple of
years.
A
large number of people have disappeared in the last couple of years. The
incidents of ghastly murders in the last 2-3 months have terrorized the whole
area as such incidents have never happened in the past, reported Islam Khabar.
People
of Jhelum Valley are highly disappointed and terrorized and they alleged that
the government and police have failed to improve the situation, which rather
had gone bad to worse due to PoK Premier Tanveer Ilyas and his ministers’
concentrating on political developments in Islamabad.
Meanwhile,
PoK courts are also being accused of prolonging the cases and granting bail to
the accused in most of the cases.
The
people of Jhelum Valley said that their area has been converted into a
slaughterhouse. There is great anarchy and mismanagement in Hattian Bala,
Chinari, Chakothi, Leepa and Chikkar. They warned that if the government didn’t
pay heed to their grievances in the context of the deteriorating situation in
Jhelum valley, the situation can become grave.
In
addition to increasing activities of criminals and Islamists in Jhelum Valley,
Islamists and their leaders are active in Rawalakot and Bagh in the guise of
relief operations for flood affectees.
In
Mirpur district too, the situation is explosive and volatile because of
sectarian tension between Sunnis and Shias in the context of mourning
procession by Shiites.
According
to the publication, not only the PoK government but the media is also avoiding
highlighting the tension between the two communities.
Last
month, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’ government of PoK organized a tourism festival in
Jhelum Valley but it miserably failed to achieve the required targets,
according to Islam Khabar.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Govt
slams PTI for ‘jeopardising IMF deal’
Mubarak
Zeb Khan
August
27, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The coalition government on Friday took exception to PTI’s “attempts to
jeopardise the IMF loan programme” just days ahead of the Fund’s board meeting
on Monday, with Finance Minister Miftah Ismail making an impassioned appeal to
shun politics at a time when unprecedented floods have wreaked havoc on every
nook and cranny of the country.
In
a joint statement, the ruling parties criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
government for “playing politics” after it allegedly refused to implement the
terms of the IMF agreement in a letter as part of “a ploy to plunge Pakistan
into a flood of economic crisis”.
The
late-night statement was part of a series of events emerging out of the letter
written on Friday by KP Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra to his federal
counterpart Miftah Ismail.
In
the letter, Mr Jhagra informed Mr Ismail that his KP administration might find
it difficult to run a provincial surplus this year in view of flood-related
damages.
Ensuring
surpluses by provinces this fiscal year is a key requirement previously agreed
upon to revive the IMF programme.
Mr
Jhagra said running a surplus would be “next to impossible” if the federal
government didn’t resolve certain issues, such as budget allocations for
ex-Fata, monthly transfers of net hydel profits as per agreed terms,
immediately reviving the National Finance Commission award, etc.
Reacting
to the letter in his second presser of the day late in the night, Finance
Minister Ismail criticised what he called PTI’s “attempts to sabotage the IMF
deal”.
Addressing
the press conference alongside Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, the
finance minister said throwing a spanner in the works at this stage might
destroy Pakistan’s economy.
He
regretted that the PTI was “doing politics” at a time when rain-induced floods
have affected millions of families across the country. “If you can’t stop
politics even at this time, let the country go to default,” he thundered.
However,
Mr Ismail hoped the matter would be settled when he meets Mr Jhagra on Monday.
“Taimur Jhagra is an honourable man,” he said, adding the KP minister had told
him that he hadn’t forwarded the letter to the IMF, an allegation earlier doing
the rounds on the media. “I hope the IMF will approve the programme on Monday,”
he said.
Mr
Ismail also slammed PTI leaders and former ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Shaukat
Tarin for suggesting that Punjab and KP governments would not cooperate with
the federal government over the IMF programme.
Earlier
in the press conference, Miftah Ismail said the government would provide 1.15
million flood-hit families with Rs25,000 cash assistance each in the next week.
Relief
to power users
Meanwhile,
the government announced on Friday that it would provide relief to the
consumers using up to 200 units of electricity in 24 hours and constituted a high-level
committee to address their complaints.
The
announcement by the prime minister came following the severe countrywide
criticism of his government’s decision to raise the power tariff multiplying
the miseries of the masses.
In
another press conference earlier in the day, Mr Ismail said decisions about the
increase in electricity tariff as well as petroleum products were taken with
the approval of the prime minister.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif also directed the officials of power distribution companies
(Discos) to work round the clock for correcting the bills. He directed that
holidays of the Discos staff be cancelled for immediate completion of this task
and a report in this regard be submitted to him.
Mr
Sharif said banks should also be directed to remain open on holidays to receive
the payment of electricity bills.
The
correction of the bills of 16.6 million consumers is being done as per the
relief given in the fuel price adjustment (FCA).
At
the press conference, Miftah Ismail said the government was also weighing
options to provide further relief to the people burdened by high electricity
bills. The committee will deliberate what relief can be given to the power
consumers using between 200 and 300 units per month, he added.
The
finance minister said the increase in power tariff was in line with the
conditions of the International Monetary Fund and expensive electricity
generation combined with higher temperatures in May.
“Our
anticipated charges were Rs6 per unit, but actual charges were around Rs100
because coal became very expensive and gas prices were the highest on record.
May was very hot,” he said, adding that there was a day when the electricity
demand rose beyond 30,000 megawatts.
“We
generated 25,000MW which was the maximum we can. We have informed the IMF about
the removal of FCA on those using less than 200 units,” the minister said,
adding this would cost the national exchequer Rs20-21 billion.
The
corrected bills will be sent to the consumers soon, while the amount already
paid would be adjusted in the bill for the month of September.
The
last date for the payment of bills is now Aug 31.
IMF
bailout package
The
finance minister said the IMF executive board would meet on the night between
Aug 29 and 30 and approve the loan tranche for Pakistan. He said Pakistan had
fulfilled all the requirements of IMF and would receive the next tranche after
the board meeting.
He
refuted rumours that the government was planning to sell Roosevelt Hotel in New
York, which is owned by Pakistan International Airlines, or the airline itself,
to Qatar. There have been no talks in this regard, he added.
The
Gulf country was primarily interested in leasing Pakistan’s airports for
long-term and managing them, constructing terminals at ports, LNG plants and
large-scale solar farms, he said, adding that Qatar may also invest in the
stock market.
The
minister welcomed Qatar’s announcement of investing $3bn in Pakistan, saying
that with this amount, Pakistan had collected $5bn in funding compared to the
IMF’s demand of $4bn.
Responding
to criticism by PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali for his “anti-people policies”, Mr
Ismail said the country needed $40bn to deal with its current account deficit
and debt repayments.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1707003/govt-slams-pti-for-jeopardising-imf-deal
--------
'Misleading
and incorrect': Nawaz dissociates himself from 'negative comments' about PM
Shehbaz
August
26, 2022
PML-N
supremo Nawaz Sharif has dissociated himself from "negative comments"
about his younger brother and incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,
expressing hope that the premier would steer the country out of the
present-day's challenging circumstances.
"The
negative comments attributed to me about PM Shahbaz Sharif are misleading and
incorrect," Nawaz said in a late-night tweet on Thursday, without
elaborating on what comments he was referring to.
The
former prime minister added that he remained hopeful that "sincere and
tireless efforts by SS (Shehbaz Sharif) under the most challenging
circumstances will bear fruit and he will steer the country out of the mess
created by Imran Khan".
Nawaz's
clarification comes amid indications of an internal rift within the party.
Signs
of the purported friction were visible as early as May, less than two months
into a PML-N coalition coming to power following the ouster of former prime
minister Imran Khan through a no-confidence vote.
PML-N
Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who was once seen as the party supremo's heir
apparent, had openly endorsed at a May 19 rally in Sargodha Imran's demand for
fresh elections while the new coalition setup was struggling in the face of an
economic crisis.
The
new regime, since the start of its term, was presented with grave economic
challenges and had been under pressure to make a hard choice between going for
early elections or taking tough decisions to save the country from default at
the cost of losing political capital.
Editorial:
To be or not to be
At
the Sargodha rally, Maryam had been of the view that it was wiser to opt for
fresh elections than burden the masses with price hikes.
“Nawaz
Sharif is listening to my speech in London. He will say goodbye to the
government but not pass on the economic burden to the people of Pakistan,” she
had said.
Maryam's
remarks had come a day after the ruling coalition decided to complete its term,
which ends in August 2023.
More
recently, there were reports of Nawaz being upset over the PML-N's loss in the
crucial by-polls on 20 seats of the Punjab Assembly — a defeat that paved the
way for his party to lose the country's most populous province to the PTI.
According
to a Dawn report, Shehbaz's son and Punjab's embattled chief minister at the
time Hamza Shehbaz left for London earlier this month to reportedly give an
explanation to Nawaz for the PML-N's loss in the by-polls and him losing the
CM's office to Parvez Elahi, the joint candidate of the PTI-PML-Q alliance.
"Hamza
will have to satisfy his uncle for his poor performance being the CM and his
father's flawed strategy in the face of Khan’s aggressive campaign during the
by-polls,” a PML-N insider told Dawn.
Conjecture
about rifts in the PML-N found further ground after the Shehbaz government
announced yet another increase in the price of petrol on August 15.
Following
the raise, Maryam tweeted that Nawaz had strongly opposed the decision and even
said he couldn't burden the people further and that he was not in favour of the
decision.
A
day later, a Dawn editorial said: "It is unfortunate, then, that his
(Finance Minister Miftah Ismail) main opposition has come not from the PTI but
from a camp within his own party that remains beholden to the ideas of former
finance minister Ishaq Dar.
"It
seems that Dar has the ear of party supremo Nawaz Sharif and that he has been
filling it with some troubling opinions about how the economy really ought to
be managed. The Nawaz camp’s hostility towards Ismail also seems to flow from
Dar’s well-known contempt for his younger counterpart."
And
it was as recent as yesterday that another PML-N leader, Abid Sher Ali,
criticised Ismail for his "anti-people" policies, urging him to think
of the masses who were "agonised" because of inflated electricity
bills and poverty.
Addressing
a press conference alongside party leader Talal Chaudhry in Faisalabad, he
said, "I have appealed to Mian Nawaz Sharif to intervene and get it
(increase in electricity prices) reversed."
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
says it backs ‘democratic’ order in Pakistan after Imran Khan charged
August
27, 2022
WASHINGTON:
The United States said Thursday that it backed democratic principles in
Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan, an outspoken critic of
Washington, was slapped with charges.
“We
support the peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional and legal
principles,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
“The
United States values our longstanding cooperation with Pakistan and has always
viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests,” he
said.
He
declined to weigh in more specifically on charges against Imran Khan, who was
ousted in a parliamentary vote in April but hopes to stage a comeback in
elections.
Imran
Khan has staged rallies to rail against his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, and has
alleged a conspiracy against him orchestrated by the United States, allegations
repeatedly dismissed in Washington as baseless.
Imran
Khan was granted interim bail after being slapped with charges by an
anti-terror court over comments against a magistrate over the detention of an
official in the former prime minister’s party.
A
couple of days ago, the United States had also declined to comment on the
terrorism-related charges against Imran Khan, saying it does not side with a
political party and it is an internal matter of Pakistan.
US
State Department spokesperson Ned Price had said that the country was “of
course” aware of the reports about the charges. But he said this is a matter of
the Pakistani legal and judicial system.
“It
is not directly a matter for the United States, and that’s because we don’t
have a position on one political candidate or party versus any other political
candidate or party.”
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Punjab
lodges terrorism case against Sanaullah for ‘threatening judiciary, officials’
August
26, 2022
LAHORE:
The Punjab government on Thursday registered a terrorism case against Interior
Minister Rana Sanaullah for allegedly threatening judiciary and government
officials in his speeches delivered on April 15, 2021 and January 29, 2022.
The
FIR was registered at Gujrat Industrial Area Police Station on the complaint of
a citizen namely Sheikh Shekaz Aslam, under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act
(punishment for acts of terrorism), and sections 353 (assault or criminal force
to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public
servant in discharge of public functions), 189 (threat of injury to public
servant) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal
Code.
The
complaint stated that Rana Sanaullah, during his speeches on April 15, 2021 and
January 29, 2022, had threatened to stop the judiciary from doing its job and
kill children of the Punjab police officials.
The
FIR also reproduced his remarks, which according to it were aired on Geo News
programme Naya Pakistan recently.
“The
purpose of Sanaullah’s statements was to terrorise the judiciary, chief
secretary, commissioner and people of the country,” the FIR said. “His aim was
to stop the officials from working and prevent them from fulfilling their
lawful responsibilities.”
It
added that the minister’s speeches had created fear in the judiciary,
bureaucracy, police, administration and the nation. Furthermore, it was pleaded
in the FIR that Sanaullah should be probed for his comments and be punished “to
create an example for other citizens speaking against government officials”.
The
development was also shared by Punjab Home Minister Hashim Dogar on Twitter.
“Today, the police have registered an FIR (first information report) at the
Industrial Area police station in Gujrat for threatening the honourable
judiciary and government officials,” he said.
“The
allegations are very serious and action will be taken according to the
Constitution and law,” Dogar added.
Separately,
he told Dawn.com that the minister would also soon be arrested.
PML-Q
leader Moonis Elahi also took to social media with the news saying that
Sanaullah made a “false case” against PTI chief Imran Khan. “Now the people
have made a true case against you,” he said, adding that the minister would
soon be arrested.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Pundits:
Right-veering PAS a handful even for Umno, Bersatu as Malay ruling parties
hunker down for GE15
By
Shahrin Aizat Noorshahrizam
27
Aug 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 27 — The racial rhetoric revived by PAS this week is likely to
damage its tenuous ties with Umno and Bersatu as all three Malay Muslim ruling
parties prepare for the 15th general election, three political analysts told
Malay Mail.
Azmi
Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, said
the Islamist PAS is not doing itself any favours by blaming non-Muslims and
non-Bumiputera for corruption and demanding the government ban foreign artistes
from holding international concerts here, especially when its political allies
have been advocating harmony for multicultural Malaysia.
“The
ministers and the deputy ministers statements do not bode very well with their
capabilities to help the government as they did not show any finesse or
expertise to govern on a federal level.
“So
it does not matter whether they have Umno or Bersatu, it still doesn’t help
them. Compared to Bersatu or Umno ministers, I think PAS is currently way
behind in terms of credibility,” he said.
He
was referring to PAS government officials rallying behind their party president
Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, who said non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera were the
“roots of corruption” in the country.
PAS
Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari followed up the provocative statement a few
days later by warning the government of a nationwide “resistance” unless it
promises to cancel all scheduled international concerts that go against Muslim
values.
The
demand was made after American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish’s sold-out debut
performance before a 25,000-strong crowd at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, which was
not the first to draw PAS’ disapproval.
Universiti
Malaysia Sabah political analyst Lee Kuok Tiung said PAS’ hardline stance could
even be seen as a liability going into GE15 for its Perikatan Nasional (PN)
coalition partner Bersatu and theoretical ally Umno under the flagging Muafakat
Nasional banner.
“Of
course PAS wishes to collaborate with certain political coalitions to go
stronger in GE15 but I believe any political coalition that wishes to team up
with PAS need to consider that PAS is an Islamist party and their political
ideology might be suited to certain seats only,” he said.
He
said that Bersatu — the youngest Malay party out of the three — would need to
strike a deal with the ruling coalitions in Borneo Malaysia to have a chance to
reclaim Putrajaya without the Umno-led Barisan Nasional.
“Bersatu
will prioritise the relationship with Sabah and Sarawak, but most probably
they’ll continue working together with PAS for GE15 because they need to win
seats in the peninsula,” Lee said.
The
Bersatu-led Gabungan Rakyat Sabah controls the north Borneo state while Parti
Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu leads the Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition in the
southern Borneo state.
Both
coalitions have been vocal in condemning PAS’ racially inflammatory rhetoric
with one Sarawak deputy minister even demanding Hadi be sacked as the prime
minister’s special envoy to the Middle East and blacklisted for life from
entering Sarawak.
But
Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Awang Azman Pawi said that PAS will
need to rein in its Islamist conservatism if it wants to win over non-Malay
voters in the peninsula.
Awang
Azman pointed out that PN is not wholly Muslim or Malay as there is still the
multiracial Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia as a component partner, even though
the latter party failed to win a single seat in Election 2018.
“The
relationship between PAS and Bersatu will definitely become cold because now PN
still needs the support from non-Malay voters. So this situation might increase
the tension between both parties.
“Not
just that, the relationship between Gerakan also will definitely worsen,” he
said.
Bersatu
associate wing chief Chong Fat Full has condemned Hadi’s corruption remark as
outrageous and not reflective of Malayisia.
The
associate wing comprising non-Muslims does not have any voting power within
Bersatu but is tasked with recruiting non-Muslim support for general elections.
Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia political analyst Kartini Aboo Talib offered a dissenting
view.
She
pointed out that PAS has managed to survive all these decades despite adverse
politics and has managed to build up strong grassroots support.
She
said that it is Bersatu that needs to lean on PAS if PN is to capture Putrajaya
in GE15 and not the other way around.
“PAS
knows that it has hardcore supporters. PAS can strategically manoeuvre for an
alliance with other parties to form a mixed government should PAS win more than
17 seats,” Kartini said, providing a possible outcome if the Islamist party
were to forgo PN and contest in GE15 solo.
The
five-member PN coalition is celebrating its second anniversary with a
convention at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang, Selangor today.
The
component parties are Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan and Sabah-based entities Parti
Progresif Sabah and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Police
report lodged over ‘leaked Rosmah judgment’
August
27, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The chief registrar’s office of the Federal Court has lodged a police
report over an alleged leak of a court ruling in Rosmah Mansor’s corruption
trial involving a Sarawak solar project worth RM1.25 billion.
In
a statement, it said that the alleged leak was a deliberate attempt to
compromise the integrity of the court’s operation and administration of
justice.
“Thus,
a police report has been lodged in relation to the reports on the website in
question,” it said, referring to a document said to be a copy of a judgment
delivering a guilty verdict against Rosmah. The report with the alleged leaked
document was posted by the Malaysia Today website run by fugitive blogger Raja
Petra Kamarudin.
Yesterday,
the police urged the public to lodge reports related to an alleged leak of
Rosmah’s court ruling on her corruption trial involving the Sarawak solar
project.
Kuala
Lumpur police chief Azmi Abu Kassim said as of yesterday, no reports had been
made and any investigation would only begin once a report is lodged, Sinar
Harian reported.
The
purported leak came less than a week after another leak allegedly of the
Federal Court ruling of Rosmah’s husband Najib Razak’s SRC International case
appeal ahead of the decision by the apex court on Aug 23.
Rosmah
was charged with three counts of corruption linked to the RM1.25 billion
Sarawak rural schools’ solar energy project.
She
is accused of soliciting RM187.5 million through her former aide Rizal Mansor,
as an inducement to help a company secure the solar project, and of receiving
bribes amounting to RM5 million on Dec 20, 2016.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PM
Ismail Sabri: Jihad against inflation showing positive results
27
Aug 2022
BERA,
Aug 27 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said the Special
Task Force on Jihad against Inflation, created to help Malaysians deal with the
rising cost of living, is beginning to show positive results.
He
said the establishment of the special task force had succeeded in controlling
the price hike and guaranteeing adequate supply of goods, especially chicken
and bottled cooking oil.
“The
government continues to implement various initiatives to help the people face
the cost of living challenge and inflation crisis that is affecting the whole
world.
“The
government expands and rebrands the Keluarga Malaysia Sales Programme (PJKM) to
the Keluarga Malaysia Cheap Sale Programme (JMKM) involving 600 state
constituencies across the country and 13 parliamentary constituencies in the
Federal Territories,” he said.
Ismail
Sabri said this when launching the national-level Retail Sector Digitalisation
Initiative (ReDI) Programme and the rebranding of JMKM programme here today.
The
JMKM programme that starts in the third week of this month until December
offers essential items up to 20 per cent below the local market price.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Kurdish
forces arrest suspected ISIS extremists in sweep of Syria’s al-Hol camp
26 August,
2022
Kurdish
forces said Friday they had arrested dozens of suspects at a camp in Syria
housing relatives of ISIS members as part of a crackdown on extremists.
Al-Hol
is the largest camp for displaced people who fled after ISIS was dislodged from
its last scrap of Syrian territory in 2019 by Kurdish-led forces backed by a
US-led coalition.
It
is still home to more than 56,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis but also
including other foreigners linked to the extremists.
The
camp located in northeastern Syria has grown increasingly volatile this year,
with at least 26 people murdered, according to the United Nations.
The
sweep launched on Thursday “aims to arrest IS operatives in the camp who are
behind terrorist attacks,” said Siyemend Ali of the People’s Protection Units
(YPG), a Kurdish group.
So
far at least 27 suspects had been detained, he said from al-Hol.
“Our
forces began to dismantle empty tents used by IS during attacks and started
registering the names of residents... and collecting their fingerprints,” said
Ali.
Kurdish
security forces were heavily deployed in the camp on Friday, AFP correspondents
said.
They
mounted black armored vehicles and restricted the movement of people to carry
out the operation, they added.
Women
and children were patted down by security forces who ushered them to special
rooms to get their fingerprints.
The
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced the start of the operation to
clear al-Hol on Thursday.
In
a statement, the SDF called al-Hol a “hot bed” for ISIS terrorists and their
supporters, arguing it was a fertile ground for the group to gain new recruits.
The
operation followed earlier campaigns launched in al-Hol to flush extremist
fighters out of the camp, it added.
The
IS group’s self-declared governate, established from 2014, once stretched
across vast parts of Syria and Iraq and administered millions of inhabitants.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iraq’s
Sadrists refile call for judiciary to suspend parliament amid political crisis
26 August,
2022
Populist
Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s camp on Friday refiled a petition for Iraq’s
judiciary to suspend parliament to clear the way for fresh elections amid a
months-long political deadlock.
A
source within the judiciary said it would give its response on Tuesday to the
second such motion within a month submitted by the Sadrists.
At
weekly Friday prayers near parliament attended by thousands of al-Sadr
supporters, an aide to the cleric urged the justice system to pay heed to his
calls.
“I
will give you some advice,” Mohaned al-Mussawi, a Sadr loyalist, said in a
sermon on Friday. “We expect the judiciary to confirm the (people’s) rights and
give hope to the people.”
“We
will not abandon our rights,” he added.
The
judiciary already said last Sunday that it lacks the authority to dissolve
parliament as demanded by al-Sadr, who is engaged in a standoff with Shia
political rivals.
Followers
of al-Sadr, in defiance of the rival pro-Iran Coordination Framework, have for
weeks been staging a sit-in outside Iraq’s parliament, after initially storming
the legislature’s interior.
On
Tuesday, the Sadrists also pitched tents outside the gates of the judicial
body’s headquarters in Baghdad for several hours.
The
judiciary, in its ruling on Sunday, said “the Supreme Judicial Council has no
jurisdiction to dissolve parliament,” citing “the principle of a separation of
powers.”
Under
the constitution, parliament can only be dissolved by an absolute majority vote
in the house, following a request by one-third of deputies or by the prime
minister with the approval of the president.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
forces neutralize 6 PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria
Diyar
Guldogan
26.08.2022
Turkish
forces "neutralized" six PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria, the
Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Friday.
The
terrorists were targeted in Türkiye's Euphrates Shield anti-terrorism operation
zone, the ministry said on Twitter.
Turkish
authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in
question surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Russian
forces: Syria intercepted nearly half of Israeli projectiles during recent
strike
26
August 2022
Russian
forces stationed in Syria say the Arab country’s air defenses managed to
intercept nearly half of incoming Israeli projectiles during a recent attack by
the occupying regime against a western Syrian city.
The
Thursday attack saw four Israeli warplanes blitzing a “research center” in the
city of Maysaf, Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency reported, citing the Russian
servicemen as saying on Friday.
The
aircraft launched a total of four cruise missiles and 16 guided aerial bombs
against the facility, they added.
Using
Russian-made anti-aircraft weapons, Syrian soldiers shot down two missiles and
seven guided bombs, the report added, quoting a senior Russian officer.
The
Israeli aerial assault took place at 19:15 local time (16:15 GMT) on Thursday,
the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported, adding that two civilians
had been injured in the attack.
The
attack “[also] caused some material damages and [led to eruption of] a blaze…,”
the report added.
Syria
and the Israeli regime are technically at war due to the latter’s
1967-to-present occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights.
Israel
maintains a significant military presence in the territory, which it uses as
one of its launchpads for its attacks against Syrian soil.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/26/688099/Syria-Israel-Russia-attack-Maysaf
--------
Mideast
Islamic
Jihad looks to Hezbollah after disastrous Gaza war
August
26, 2022
Iran
nuclear deal timeline
As
both Washington and Tehran inch toward a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal, the spotlight will soon turn to the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve an investigation into
Iran’s past nuclear weapons research.
Iran’s
position on the investigation is "nothing to see here" and Tehran
wants the file closed and detached from the JCPOA. IAEA Director General Rafael
Mariano Grossi told CNN this week that “so far, Iran has not given us the
technically credible explanations that we need to explain the origin of many
traces of uranium.” In other words, the investigation will continue.
For
Iran, there is precedent in separating the files. In
2015, the IAEA resolved an eerily similar concern into the past military
dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, allowing implementation of the JCPOA to
proceed.
Here
are three dates to note in the weeks ahead as benchmarks for progress toward an
agreement:
Sept.
12-16, IAEA Board of Governors meeting (Vienna): If the IAEA and Iran can work
out an agreement in the in the next three weeks, it could be announced here.
Sept.
20-27, UN General Assembly "High Level" Debate (New York): World
leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Iran President Ebrahim Raisi,
will both be in New York (assuming Raisi gets a visa; Elizabeth Hagedorn has
the story). Expect more frantic diplomacy on the sidelines of the session and
talk of a possible Biden-Raisi meeting, even if it's a long shot.
Nov.
8, US legislative elections: If there is a return to the JCPOA, US law requires
that it be submitted to the Congress for a 30-day review period. While Congress
can’t block an agreement, as Hagedorn explains, a debate close to elections
could be ill-timed for Biden and congressional Democrats. Virtually all
Republicans and even some Democrats, most notably Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Chairman Robert Menendez of New Jersey, oppose reentering the
agreement.
PIJ
looks for an assist from Hezbollah
Palestinian
Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah met with Hezbollah leader Hassan
Nasrallah met on Aug. 24 in Lebanon, looking for guidance as PIJ seeks to
recover its tattered standing after a costly three-day war with Israel earlier
this month.
Nasrallah,
Iran’s top ally in Lebanon, is calling for unity among Gaza’s Islamist
resistance factions after Hamas sat out the conflict, as Adam Lucente reports.
Hamas,
the Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, governs the Gaza strip.
PIJ is ideologically aligned with Hamas, but holds no formal political office
or role. The two groups coordinate on their operations and actions toward
Israel. Both the United States and Israel consider Hamas and PIJ terrorist
organizations.
The
costs for PIJ go beyond the battlefield to its already shaky standing in Gaza,
which is ruled by Hamas.
The
spark came on Aug. 2, when Israeli forces arrested one of PIJ’s leaders, Bassam
Al-Saadi, at the Jenin refugee camp. PIJ decided to retaliate from
Gaza, not the West Bank. From Aug. 5 to 7, PIJ fired 1,100 rockets and mortars
into Israel and the IDF carried out 147 air strikes against targets in Gaza in
response. According to the United Nations, 47 Palestinians were killed,
among them 12 PIJ fighters, with 360 wounded. Palestinian deaths included 15
children and four women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health
in Gaza. Among the Palestinians wounded, 151 were children and 56 women.
The
Associated Press, based on its own investigation and an Israeli military
assessment, reported that 14 of the Palestinians killed, including some of the
children, came as a result of errant PIJ missiles rather
than Israeli airstrikes.
According
to the Palestinian Ministry of Health,
the PIJ missile killed seven Gazans, including
four children, and injured 21.
That
a PIJ missile killed innocent Palestinians, including children, undermined the
group’s claim as a leader of the "resistance" to Israel. Some
Palestinians have called for an investigation into the incident, but most
criticism stayed under the radar, as our correspondent reports from Gaza,
fearing retribution from PIJ or Hamas. The Hamas media office warned
journalists against adopting the Israeli narrative of events.
Israel
claimed a "strategic victory" in the war by keeping Hamas out of the
fighting, as Ben Caspit reports.
Hamas
and Islamic Jihad, which historically have coordinated their actions against
Israel, claim all is fine between them, despite reports to the contrary.
Hamas
political bureau member Mahmoud al-Zahar told Al-Monitor’s Ahmed Melhem, “Israel
has failed miserably in achieving this rift. If there was a dispute between the
two movements, this would have been [officially] reported by the media or in
the statements of officials. On the contrary, Hamas leaders participated in
funeral gatherings of Islamic Jihad leaders
and gave speeches emphasizing the unity of the resistance. The two movements
only disagreed on the timing of the battle against Israel.”
Meanwhile,
Palestinian activists, journalists and media institutions claim they have been
the target of a coordinated campaign by Israel to close down and restrict their
social media accounts in the weeks following the war, as Taghreed Ali reports.
Amany
Mahmoud reports from Gaza that PIJ is claiming Israel reneged on the terms of
the cease-fire, but few are taking notice.
As
long as Hamas isn’t interested in picking up the fight, PIJ is likely to keep
its powder dry, at least in Gaza.
Since
the cease-fire, Israel announced that it was increasing the number of work
permits for Gazans in Israel from 14,000 to 20,000, including as many as 500
permits for women, as Mai Abu Hasaneen reports from Gaza.
The
wages earned in Israel can be five times more than in Gaza, where unemployment
is was 46.9% last year.
Whatever
differences Hamas and PIJ may have about the last war in Gaza, they agree that
their most promising future franchise may be in the West Bank.
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
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https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/08/islamic-jihad-looks-hezbollah-after-disastrous-gaza-war
--------
FM:
Iran Very Serious about Safeguards Issues
2022-August-26
"The
Iranian government is following two paths at the same time, making efforts to
render the sanctions ineffective and bring about economic prosperity and
development in the country without focusing merely on the JCPOA," Amir
Abdollahian told a meeting of Iranian nationals at the Tanzanian city of Dar es
Salaam.
“The
reason as to why this policy was initially adopted is because assuming that our
agreement reaches a final point in a few days or a few weeks, the secondary
sanctions will be removed but the primary sanctions will remain in place within
the framework of the JCPOA,” he added.
The
Iranian foreign minister underscored the Iranian administration’s determination
to continue the sustainable economic development program with a view to
neutralizing the sanctions.
Amir
Abdollahian said the administration has followed the path of negotiations in
the past months and the talks have reached a point where "we have received
a response from the American side to our written proposals through the European
Union’s coordinator".
Amir
Abdollahian arrived in Tanzania early on Thursday on the second leg of his
three-nation tour. The top diplomat wrapped up a visit to Mali and is scheduled
to travel to Zanzibar.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010604000269/FM-Iran-Very-Seris-ab-Safegards-Isses
--------
Iran
Strongly Criticizes UN Conference for Refusing to Urge Israeli Regime to Join
NPT Treay
2022-August-26
The
Iranian foreign minister made the remarks in a telephone conversation with UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
During
the phone call, Amir Abdollahian lamented that the NPT conference's
President-designate Gustavo Zlauvinen had, unlike the conference’s previous
editions, omitted to press the occupying regime of Israel to become a signatory
to the treaty.
He
pointed out that by leaving out all criticism of the Israeli regime, Zlauvinen
had set all of the previous conferences’ achievements aside, and said,
"This is not acceptable by us at all.
The
Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT began on August 1 and is
slated to wrap up on Friday.
The
UN chief, for his part, said he would address the Islamic Republic’s concerns
about the Israeli regime’s refusal to join the NPT.
Israel,
which pursues a policy of deliberate ambiguity about its nuclear weapons
program, is estimated to possess 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal,
making it the sole possessor of non-conventional arms in the Middle East
region.
The
illegitimate entity has, however, refused to either allow inspections of its
military nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or
sign the NPT.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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--------
Iran,
Qatar Vow to Broaden Mutual Cooperation
2022-August-26
During
the phone talk, Amir Abdollahian and Sheikh Mohammed explored avenues for
bolstering and reinvigoating mutual cooperation various areas.
During
the telephone conversation, the top Iranian and Qatari diplomats discussed the
latest developments about the ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at removing
anti-Iran sanctions.
The
two sides also discussed and exchanged views about some bilateral and regional
issues of interest between Tehran and Doha.
Iran
and the five remaining parties to the nuclear deal have held several rounds of
negotiations since April last year to restore the agreement, which was
unilaterally abandoned by Donald Trump in May 2018.
In
quitting the agreement, Trump restored sanctions on Iran as part of what he
called the “maximum pressure” campaign against the country. Those sanctions are
being enforced to this day by the Biden administration, even though it has
repeatedly acknowledged that the policy has been a mistake and a failure.
Iranian
officials say the ball is in the US' court, and the Biden administration should
assure Tehran that it will not repeat Trump's past mistakes.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010604000351/Iran-Qaar-Vw-Braden-Mal-Cperain
--------
Turkey
dismisses concerns over a US sanctions warning
26
August, 2022
Turkey’s
finance minister said on Friday it is “meaningless” for local businesspeople to
be concerned by a letter sent by Washington to a Turkish business group that
warned of sanctions if companies establish relations with penalized Russians.
NATO-member
Turkey has sought to strike a balance between Moscow and Kyiv by criticizing
Russia’s invasion and sending arms to Ukraine, while opposing the Western
sanctions and continuing trade, tourism and investment with Russia.
Some
Turkish firms have purchased or sought to buy Russian assets from Western
partners pulling back, while others maintain large assets in the country.
Ankara has repeated that Western sanctions will not be circumvented in Turkey.
The
US Treasury warned both the country’s largest business group TUSIAD and the
finance ministry this month that Russian entities and individuals were
attempting to use Turkey to bypass Western sanctions.
“It
is meaningless for a letter relayed to Turkish business groups to create
concern in our business circles. We are pleased to see that the United States,
our ally and trade partner, is inviting its businesses to invest in our
economy,” Nebati said in a tweet.
“Separately,
we are determined to improve our economic and commercial relations with our
neighbors especially in the areas of tourism and various sectors within a
framework that is not subject to sanctions,” he said.
All
actors in Turkey’s economy are tied to free market principles and are working
to obtain a bigger share of global trade, Nebati added.
Turkey,
which has close ties and Black Sea borders with both Russia and Ukraine, has
said sanctioning Russia would have hurt its already strained economy and argued
that it is focused on mediation efforts between the sides.
One
benefit for Turkey has been a jump beyond pre-pandemic levels in foreign
visitors last month, thanks largely to Russian visitors with little other
option due to Western flight restrictions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
'Extreme
tension' in Israeli jails as Palestinian prisoners protest abuses
Qais
Abu Samra
26.08.2022
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
There
is “extreme tension” in Israeli prisons amid a growing standoff between
officials and Palestinian detainees, a Palestinian NGO said on Friday.
Palestinian
prisoners in various Israeli jails kicked off a series of protests this week
against persistent mistreatment by officials.
Israeli
authorities have responded with even harsher steps, including “doubled
isolation and removal of electrical devices” from jail cells, according to the
Palestinian Prisoner Society.
Additional
personnel have also been called in at different prisons, the group said in a
statement.
In
retaliation, Palestinians have decided to disband all their different
“factions” in Israeli jails from Sunday, forcing officials to deal with each
prisoner separately.
Throughout
this week, detainees have refused to take part in daily security checks,
returned their meals, and organized sit-ins in prison yards.
They
accuse Israeli authorities of reneging on understandings reached after previous
protests in March.
Palestinians
cite arbitrary transfer of detainees, particularly female prisoners, as one of
the abuses by Israeli officials.
According
to Palestinian figures, there are nearly 4,550 Palestinian detainees in Israeli
jails, including 175 minors and 27 female detainees, along with 670 detainees
held under Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran-IAEA
standoff last major hurdle in reviving nuclear deal
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
26.08.2022
TEHRAN,
Iran
After
more than a year of indirect talks marked by frequent interludes, Iran and the
US see an agreement aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal as closer than
ever.
On
Wednesday, Washington responded to Tehran’s comments on a draft proposal by the
European Union that was submitted right after the latest round of talks in
Austria’s capital by top EU diplomat Josep Borrell.
Borrell
termed Iran’s response “reasonable,” and reports suggest that the US' response
to Iran’s comments, which is currently being reviewed in Tehran, could help in
clinching the deal.
While
disagreements between Iran and the US appear to be narrowing, including on key
sticking points, the standoff between Tehran and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, is now emerging as a
roadblock.
"Give
us the necessary answers, people and places so we can clarify the many things
needed for clarification," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said
Monday.
Grossi
– who has made multiple trips to Iran since taking office in December 2019 –
said Iran must answer the IAEA over uranium traces found at previously
“undeclared sites” as part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
safeguards agreement.
"Dropping
probes is not something the IAEA does or will ever do without a proper process.
The key to this lies in a very simple thing: Will Iran cooperate with us?” he
told CNN.
A
day later, Sayed Mohammad Marandi, an adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating
team, took to Twitter to declare that Iran’s nuclear program “will not be
dismantled” and the IAEA probe must be dropped.
“No
deal will be implemented before the IAEA Board of Directors permanently closes
the false accusations file,” he wrote, referring to a resolution passed by the
watchdog against Iran in June.
On
Wednesday, Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization,
refuted reports that Iran has dropped its demand to shelve the probe as the
parties to the nuclear deal gear up for a major breakthrough.
“We
don't expect the director general of the agency (Grossi) to make statements
that are exactly what the Zionist regime (Israel) wants,” Eslami told local
media, echoing a claim made by many Iranian officials that the UN nuclear
watchdog works “under the influence” of Israel.
IAEA-Iran
standoff
The
marathon negotiations between Iran and the P4+1 countries (Russia, China, the
UK, France plus Germany) in Vienna since April last year have run parallel to
the standoff between Tehran and the IAEA.
But
tensions escalated after an anti-Iran resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors
meeting in June, which prompted calls in Tehran for reduced cooperation with
the UN watchdog.
The
resolution, which followed the IAEA's quarterly report which criticized Iran
for non-compliance with the NPT safeguards agreement, urged Tehran to fully cooperate
with the UN watchdog body and give IAEA inspectors access to three
"undeclared sites."
Iran's
Foreign Ministry at the time termed it a "miscalculated and
ill-advised" move and warned of a “firm and proportionate" response.
Eslami said the UN nuclear body was "taken hostage" by Israel.
As
the parties to the 2015 accord race to the finish line, the standoff between
Iran and the IAEA threatens to play spoilsport, with both sides unwilling to
budge from their respective positions.
“Almost
16 months after the talks began, Iran and the US, with the mediation of the
European Union, are close to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, but that doesn’t
mean all gaps have been plugged,” Humayoun Zamaani, a Tehran-based strategic
affairs analyst, told Anadolu Agency.
“Besides
some issues that still need to be ironed out between Tehran and Washington,
which I hope will take place in the coming days as the two sides discuss the EU
draft proposal, the standoff between Iran and the UN nuclear agency needs to be
resolved without further dilly-dallying,” he said.
Deal
or no deal?
Iran
has significantly ramped up its uranium enrichment activities from 3.67%
stipulated under the 2015 nuclear deal to nearly 60% in response to the US
withdrawal from the deal in 2018.
This
has raised concerns in the West about possible military dimensions (PMD) of
Iran’s nuclear program, putting Tehran and the UN nuclear agency on a collision
course.
Nour
News, affiliated with Iran’s top security body, on Tuesday criticized Grossi
for “not seeing Iran’s goodwill” and “acting on the basis of reports” provided
by Israel.
“With
the continuation of this approach, the IAEA’s Rafael Grossi alongside ‘the
Zionist regime’ have turned into main obstacles to finalizing talks,” the
agency stated, insisting on resolving the PMD case.
On
the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has expressed concern that
the US and other parties are going to offer more concessions to Iran to reach a
deal in Vienna.
Abolfazl
Amouei, a senior lawmaker and member of the Iranian parliament’s foreign policy
and national security committee, told Anadolu Agency that Iran is seeking a
“beneficial and sustainable agreement” that will be “challenged” if issues
between Iran and the IAEA are not resolved.
“Since
the (UN nuclear) agency can disrupt the implementation of the agreement and
Iran's benefits from it by making unsubstantiated claims, Iran insists that
these remaining issues (between the two sides) be resolved before the
implementation of the agreement,” he asserted.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Dozens
of Palestinians injured as Israeli forces attack anti-settlement protesters
26
August 2022
Israeli
forces have attacked anti-settlement protesters in several areas of the
occupied West Bank, injuring dozens of Palestinians.
The
troops attacked protesters in several towns and villages near Qalqilia and
Nablus. During anti-regime protests in the town of Kafr Qaddum, the Israeli
forces fired rubber bullets at demonstrators, injuring dozens of Palestinians,
including Palestine TV journalist Anal al-Jadaa.
Local
sources said the Israeli troops also fired tear gas at anti-settlement
protesters.
Residents
of Kafr Qaddum and neighboring villages have been staging weekly marches since
2011 to protest against Israeli expansionism and illegal Israeli settlement
activities.
In
a separate attack against anti-settlement protesters in the village of Beit
Dajan, in the east of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, several
Palestinians were tear-gassed, sources confirmed.
Ahmad
Jibril, director of the ambulance service with the Red Crescent in Nablus, told
WAFA news agency on Friday that at least 18 Palestinians suffered from
suffocation due to inhaling tear gas bombs.
The
town of Beita in southeast of Nablus was also the scene of Israeli violence
against Palestinian protesters.
Also
in the city of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces opened fire at
Palestinian shepherds from military towers, forcing them to leave the area,
WAFA reported.
Israeli
forces have recently stepped up deadly violence against Palestinians killing
dozens of them over the past months.
The
Tel Aviv regime faces growing resistance over its land grab policy and demolition
drive as anti-settlement sentiments run high in the occupied territories.
Between
600,000 and 750,000 Israelis occupy over 250 illegal settlements that have been
built across the West Bank since the 1967 occupation.
Source:
Press TV
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--------
Africa
UN
slams movement restrictions in ‘security ops’ around Sirte
26
August, 2022
The
United Nations’ Libya mission warned Friday that armed groups in the sensitive
region of Sirte were preventing civilians from accessing vital services.
“UNSMIL
is following closely reports of restrictions on freedom of movement of
civilians as part of security operations in Qasr Bouhadi,” about 20 kilometers
(12 miles) from Sirte city.
Libyan
media have reported arrest campaigns targeting the Gadadfa, the tribe of former
Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, whose fall and killing in a 2011 revolt
plunged the country into more than a decade of turmoil.
UNSMIL
said it had “received worrying reports that these restrictions are preventing
access by civilians to hospitals, schools, shops, and other essential
facilities.”
It
said civilian freedom of movement should be restored and called “for the
release of all arbitrarily detained individuals.”
Libya
has seen two years of relative peace since the last major combat between
eastern and western camps ended with a ceasefire in mid-2020 along a line from
Sirte to the city of Jufra.
But
this year a new struggle has emerged between a Tripoli-based interim government
and another administration appointed by the eastern-based parliament which has
so far failed to take up office in the western capital.
The
parliament-backed government of former interior minister Fathi Bashagha is
backed by Libyan General Khalifa Haftar who controls much of the country’s east
up to Sirte.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Somalia
seeking more support to join regional bloc
Hamza
Kyeyune
27.08.2022
KAMPALA,
Uganda
The
Horn of Africa nation of Somalia recently renewed its bid to join the East
African Community (EAC), an intergovernmental seven-nation bloc it has been
seeking membership in for over 50 years.
The
bloc rejected Somalia’s application over a decade ago, in March 2012, citing
sporadic conflicts and weak institutions, but with the admission of equally
troubled South Sudan in 2016, Mogadishu now has high hopes.
Over
a half-century ago, attempts to get Somalia into the EAC at the group’s 1967
inception failed, as at the time it was agitating for a “Greater Somalia” and
making territorial demands of its neighbors.
It
was seeking both Kenya’s North Eastern Province and Ethiopia’s Ogaden Province
to join its territory.
Currently,
the EAC is made up of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan,
and Congo.
In
2017, Somalia again applied to join the EAC but has faced resistance from both
Kenya and Tanzania, based on security concerns.
Concerns
Somalia
and Kenya, which share a long border, have as many differences as they have
characteristics in common, along with flareups and good relations.
They
share similar populations, businesses, and trade.
But
Kenya has faced countless terror attacks from the al-Shabaab terrorist group
from across Somalia’s border. The two countries also have a maritime
territorial water dispute at the International Court of Justice.
Experts
say public opinion in Tanzania, which lies southeast of both countries, is more
skeptical than Kenya’s about Somalia joining the EAC.
“It
appears contradictory that Tanzania agreed to an EAC expansion in South Sudan
but not Somalia, probably because Juba has substantial oil reserves,” Kibuuka
Muhammad, a political analyst at Kampala International University, told Anadolu
Agency.
Ugandan
President Yoweri Museveni, however, said that Somalia has all the
qualifications necessary to join the EAC, including sharing a border with one
of another EAC member state and being a democratic country with a private
sector-led economy. He pledged earlier this month to back Somalia’s bid to join
EAC.
Uganda
has contributed to the relative stability in Somalia since 2007, although the
trade volume between the two countries remains low.
Somalia,
which as the second-longest coastline in Africa and the continent’s easternmost
point at Cape Ras-Hafun, it not as dependent on neighboring countries for
imports as landlocked South Sudan.
Türkiye,
China, India, Oman, and Kenya are the main sources of Somalia’s imports, while
Oman is its main export market.
Landlocked
South Sudan imports heavily from neighboring EAC countries, with Uganda and
Kenya as the main sources.
Rebecca
Kadaga, Uganda’s minister for East African Community Affairs, told Anadolu
Agency that Somalia has been doing business with EAC member states, which lays
the basis for its bid to join the inter-governmental bloc.
She
said if the bloc verifies that Somalia has fulfilled conditions for membership,
it will definitely be allowed to join.
Overcoming
hurdles
Anisa
Osman Dirie, an African Union administrator of Somali origin, said Somali
should overcome its hurdles to join the EAC, urging unity, peace and friendly
coexistence, adding that Mogadishu should take leadership of regional bodies.
“Somalia
is not without internationally recognized learned intellectuals who could lead
these regional and international bodies. Their knowledge and experience are
abundantly available,” she said.
“The
missing bridge is a coordinated strategy to create this awareness. Granted, the
collapse of the political system in Somalia stunned the world, but that doesn’t
mean that viable patriotic visionary leaders don’t exist. They do abundantly
exist but most of them are victims of the problem they haven’t created.”
She
continued: “It is therefore necessary that whoever wishes for Somalia to go out
of the present instability to support its access to EAC membership and
leadership, as well as other intergovernmental organizations like the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), UN, and the African Union or
different commissions, (as) this would set the agenda for Somalia’s
state-building struggle.”
Amina
Hersi, a Somali businesswoman who runs several businesses in Uganda, told
Anadolu Agency that joining the EAC reduces the cost of doing business,
provides a huge market that all member states can exploit, and contributes to
the integration and growth of economies.
Under
the 1999 EAC Treaty, if Somalia joins the bloc, the country would have
visa-free entry to EAC countries and be eligible for East African passports, as
well as the tax-free access to EAC markets .
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somalia-seeking-more-support-to-join-regional-bloc/2670463
--------
Rival
Libyan groups deploy forces on outskirts of Tripoli
Walid
Abdullah
26.08.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
The
outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli has witnessed in recent days a military
build-up of rival forces who are jostling for power.
One
group is affiliated with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and the
other is loyal to Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed by the Tobruk-based
parliament as prime minister in March.
A
military source in Dbeibeh's government told Anadolu Agency on Thursday that
forces were deployed to the southern areas of Tripoli in anticipation of
possible attacks by the forces loyal to Bashagha.
The
source added that the aim of the military deployment in the southern
neighborhoods of Tripoli is to protect the civilians.
On
Wednesday, Bashagha sent a letter to Dbeibeh requesting him to hand power.
Observers
say Bashagha's letter is a prelude before any possible military action by his
forces which were deployed in several areas near Tripoli.
Oil-rich
Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi
was ousted after four decades in power.
The
situation has worsened since March when the Tobruk-based House of
Representatives appointed a new government led by former Interior Minister
Fathi Bashagha.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/rival-libyan-groups-deploy-forces-on-outskirts-of-tripoli/2670184
--------
South
Sudan diplomat recalled from US over ‘alleged rape’
26
August, 2022
South
Sudan’s foreign ministry said it has recalled a US-based diplomat after “an
alleged rape incident” in New York City, suspending the official until an
ongoing investigation is completed.
“It
is with regret that our diplomat was involved in an alleged rape incident
with... (a) New York City resident,” the ministry said in a statement published
on the government’s official Twitter page late Thursday.
“The
diplomat in question is now back in South Sudan and has been suspended from his
duties, awaiting the outcome of this investigation,” the statement said.
“Sexual
misconduct in any shape or form is heinous and wholly unacceptable,” it said,
adding that “a specialized committee” was examining the case.
The
statement did not elaborate on the allegations, but US media reports said the
diplomat was accused of forcibly entering the victim’s Manhattan apartment and
raping her on Sunday.
Police
initially took him into custody before releasing him hours later after he
invoked diplomatic immunity.
The
US State Department said Wednesday that it was “aware of the incident...
involving a diplomat accredited to the UN.”
“We
take these allegations very seriously and are working closely with the New York
Police Department and the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs,” State
Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, without offering further details.
In
March, the UN accused members of South Sudan’s government of committing human
rights violations “amounting to war crimes” in the country’s southwest, urging
investigations against dozens of individuals, including for sexual violence and
abuses against children.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Airstrike
reported in capital of rebel-held Ethiopian state amid renewed fighting
Addis
Getachew
26.08.2022
An
airstrike allegedly hitting buildings has been reported in the capital of the
rebel-held Tigray region in northern Ethiopia on Friday, according to local
reports.
Collapsed
buildings and medical personnel attending to injured people in the city of
Mekele were shown in a report by Tigray TV, the broadcaster of the Tigray
People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been engaged in armed conflict with
the Ethiopian government since November 2020.
The
government has so far neither confirmed nor denied the strike, which came a day
after both sides declared that a five-month cease-fire had been broken.
Both
the government and rebels traded blame for initiating a military escalation
along the administrative border between the Amhara and Tigray state that ended
the truce.
An
earlier statement issued by the Government Communication Service said Ethiopian
forces would conduct surgical operations targeting military training centers
and arms depots in Tigray.
The
government has expressed readiness to engage in talks with the rebels in the
past several months without any pre-conditions as long as they are held under
the sole mediation of the African Union.
But,
the Tigray rebels rejected the African Union as a mediator, recommending that
talks be held with Kenyan outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta acting as a
mediator.
Thousands,
mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced since the conflict
began, with the UN blaming both sides for the deaths.
The
UN has warned that Tigray "stands on the edge of a humanitarian
disaster," with more than 40% of the region's estimated 6 million people
in need of emergency assistance.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
New
Mexico Man, Herman Leyvoune Wilson, Accused Of Planning Islamic State Training
Centre
By
Andrew Hay
August
27, 2022
Aug
26 (Reuters) - A New Mexico man was charged with attempting to set up a
training centre for people wishing to fight for Islamic State, the Department
of Justice said on Friday.
A
federal grand jury on Aug. 23 charged Herman Leyvoune Wilson, 45, of
Albuquerque, with trying to provide material support to a designated foreign
terrorist organization by setting up an “Islamic State Center” in New Mexico,
according to a DOJ statement.
The
center aimed to teach Islamic State ideology, provide training in
"tactical maneuvers and martial arts," and serve as a safe haven for
individuals preparing to travel and fight on behalf of the group in the United
States and abroad, the statement said.
Wilson,
also known as Bilal Mu’Min Abdullah, helped run an online platform that
promoted Islamic State recruitment and discussed attacks in the United States
and overseas, the statement said.
Devon
Fooks, a federal public defender representing Wilson, did not immediately
respond to a request for comment.
Two
men sentenced in July for providing support to Islamic State said Wilson
brought them into the group, prosecutors said.
Kristopher
Matthews, 36, of South Carolina and Jaylyn Molina, 24, of Texas said Wilson
radicalized them to "ISIS ideology," the statement said.
Separately,
Awais Chudhary, 22, of New York on Friday pleaded guilty to planning a knife
attack in the Queens borough on behalf of Islamic State, the Department of
Justice said in a statement.
Source:
Reuters
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
insisted on failed nation-building, Western model in Afghanistan: Former
CENTCOM commander
Vakkas
Doğantekin
27.08.2022
Frank
McKenzie, a former top general who led US Central Command from 2019 to April
2022, has said that Washington engaged in failed nation-building in Afghanistan
and insisted on a Western model for the country which was wrong.
"We
began to engage in nation-building operations and maybe some of that was
necessary in a narrower sense to protect our interests but the broader things
we did probably ultimately in the long term didn't help us. They diffused our
efforts," McKenzie told NBC News on Friday.
"I
don't know that Afghanistan is governable or sustainable with a Western model.
I know that Afghanistan is governable and sustainable from an Afghan model. But
we paid too little attention to Afghan realities on the ground," he said.
McKenzie
said that overlooking the Afghan reality was costly and was a "hubris on
our part, and on the international community."
He
went on to say that he was "proud of" American men and women on the
ground on the day of the controversial withdrawal from Afghanistan, when
Afghans died trying to hold on to the plane. He said that the fact it was a
highly politicized event was "regrettable."
McKenzie
admitted that getting Afghan allies out of the country is a very
"slow" process but did not promise anything on that "moral
obligation."
The
top general agreed that Afghanistan was a bipartisan failure for four US
administrations in two decades and added that it was a combination of
"military and diplomatic failures."
Stressing
that the war-torn country is still a breeding ground for threats to the US, he
said it is still too early to say what is going to happen in Afghanistan.
Extremist groups protected by the Taliban will pose new dangers for future US
leadership, he said.
The
US declared the completion of the Afghanistan pullout Aug, 30, 2021, ending the
20-year war.
Pakistan
was right
He
said the Taliban always had a haven in Pakistan and the US was never able to
resolve that in the two decades of the conflict or come to an agreement with
Pakistan on the issue.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
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Arab
Americans can improve their image by telling their own stories,
Egyptian-American actor says
RAY
HANANIA
August
26, 2022
Chicago
-- Amr El-Bayoumi began his life as a successful but overworked lawyer on the
East Coast when he was asked by friends to fly to Los Angeles to enjoy a party
with other law firm colleagues.
El-Bayoumi
had booked a flight on American Airlines 77 to travel to LA, but as he prepared
to leave his mother intervened, complaining about him working too hard, losing
weight and not taking care of his health. That evening, on Sept. 10, 2001,
El-Bayoumi cancelled his flight, saving his life.
He
is also working on producing his own movie short about the experience called
“CloseCall,” which tells the story of his close escape. Leaving from Washington
DC for Los Angeles, American Airlines Flight 77 was intentionally crashed by
hijackers into the US Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, killing 64 passengers and
crew, and 125 Pentagon employees.
“Me
as an Egyptian-American Muslim almost died on 9/11 had it not been for my mom,
thankfully. I had been working as a lawyer, completely burnt out, and I was
going to fly to visit a friend in LA,” El-Bayoumi said during an interview with
Arab News on the Ray Hanania Radio show on Wednesday.
“But
my mom saw me after having lost a lot of weight, not sleeping and the usual
lawyer stuff. And I told her, ‘I am going to visit Jim tomorrow’ and she said,
‘No you are not.’ She stopped me there and said you are not going. And the next
morning was 9/11. So that plane I was supposed to go on was American Airlines
Flight 77. That is the seed of my film called ‘CloseCall’.”
El-Bayoumi
said that it was the reason why he left the legal industry to become an actor,
although he has had to carefully accept and reject roles; he said that he will
not perpetuate anti-Arab or anti-Muslim stereotypes.
“There
are two kinds of issues to identify. There is representation of Arab artists in
mainstream roles, which is something that we are seeing more of. It is
increasing but not nearly as much as it should be, such as Rami Malek playing
the lead singer in Queen. And the other part is how Arabs are portrayed as
characters, Arabs or Muslims . . . Really what we are seeing is a very narrow
representation of Arabs and Muslims when they do appear as characters in
mainstream film and TV. And that typically is in the context of terrorism,” El-
Bayoumi said.
“We
lose on all fronts. We are represented in a narrow box as ugly or brutal or
lesser or savage or violent terrorists. And when it comes to our own stories,
‘Gods of Egypt’ and ‘Aladdin’ recently, which got some press about how the producers
regret not casting Arab actors. We don’t get to play those roles or we are
absent.”
Citing
recent studies, El-Bayoumi said: “Between 2017 and 2019 only 1.6 percent of
almost 9,000 speaking characters were Muslim compared to the world population
of 24 percent. Either we are missing, or we don’t tell our own stories, or we
are in this box of the ugly terrorists. So, I have encountered that several
times and I have seen an evolution of this ugly terrorist character, just this
bloodthirsty, ‘I want to destroy Western civilization.’ And I have also noticed
a feeble attempt at humanizing or showing balance, where the main character is
a bloodthirsty Taliban guy bent on destroying the entire world violently but he
has a soft spot for his daughter.”
El-Bayoumi
said that he has turned down many acting roles based on violence and terrorism
and “ugly stereotypes . . . layers of racism . . . and the one-dimensional Arab
stereotypes” that Hollywood tries to script for movies involving Arabs and
Muslims.
It
was a struggle at first, El-Bayoumi conceded, but his acting career grew. He
studied acting in London and then moved to New York where he did some work on
TV series, and then to Los Angeles. He now lives between Washington D.C. and
New York City, where he pursues acting roles that meet his vision while
developing his own scripts and stories.
El-Bayoumi
is performing in the new 10-episode Apple series “Dear Edward,” a story about a
falafel truck driver. The character is based on The New York Times best-selling
novel by Ann Napolitano, which explores the life of a 12-year-old boy who
survives a devastating commercial plane crash that kills every other passenger
on the flight, including members of his family.
He
has also appeared in several TV productions, including the popular NBC Series
“Law & Order,” the CBS Series “The Code,” and in “El Mahal” (The Store), a
film that has won multiple awards, including best foreign language short at the
Marina Del Rey Film Festival.
El-Bayoumi
said that he is comfortable in acting, noting his path was paved by many
Egyptian actors who led the way in defining powerful Hollywood film images.
Among the most famous are Omar Sharif, Sayed Badreya, Rami Malek and Ahmad
Ahmad, who is also the country's leading Arab-American comedian.
He
said that Arab Americans can redefine how they are portrayed and stereotyped in
Hollywood, which casts them in narrow roles contextualized by violence and
terrorism, by telling their own stories and changing the context in which Arabs
and Muslims are portrayed.
“My
problem with that fundamentally is that the context remains violence and
terrorism. And with the 7,000 different kinds of narratives, it still comes
back to that context. I refuse to reinforce in the viewers’ mind that it is just an inherent Arab or Muslim trait. It
is absurd. It is ludicrous. No one people have this kind of trait. It is how it
is portrayed and then how people are taught to hate,” he said.
“I
welcome the chance to be able to expose these issues and to offer my support to
fellow Arabs and Muslims who want to become artists. Maybe because I was a
lawyer for 20 years and becoming an actor is really to me such a pleasure, I go
out of my way to support anyone, especially Arabs and Muslims that are
interested in being artists and being involved and writing their own stories.
That is really my ultimate message to younger and older generations. We have to
tell our own stories. We can’t wait for Hollywood. It’s a business.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2150851/world
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Pro-Palestine
activists rally in Minnesota, demand US divest from Israel
26
August 2022
Pro-Palestine
activists have rallied in Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota in the US,
protesting against the state’s support for Israel and demanding it divests from
the occupation regime.
The
protesters, who gathered outside the governor’s mansion, called on Minnesota’s
State Board of Investment (SBI) to sell off its shares in Israeli corporations.
The
protest action, which was initiated by the Anti-War Committee (AWC), came just
a day before the August meeting of the Minnesota SBI in order to raise
awareness of the state of Minnesota’s large holdings in a variety of Israeli
companies, most notably Elbit Systems, which is a weapons manufacturing and
cybersecurity firm.
Minnesota’s
SBI currently owns 10,396 shares in Elbit Systems, which are worth $1,170,705
at current market value.
Several
petitions have been gathered showing signatures of over 1000 Minnesotans
demanding that their taxpayer dollars no longer be used to bankroll Israeli
apartheid.
At
Wednesday’s SBI meeting, Meredith Aby-Kierstaad of the AWC told the board: “For
years, when peace activists, Palestine solidarity activists, and related groups
have called upon to divest from Israel, you have used the excuse of ‘fiduciary
responsibility.’”
The
development comes on the heels of several military raids conducted by Israeli
forces against seven civil society organizations (CSOs) in Palestine last week.
Explaining
about the targeted humanitarian organizations, the AWC representative Erin
Stene said “these seven humanitarian groups advocate for Palestinian women,
children and farmers; document human rights offenses, and strengthen
democracy.”
“In
pillaging and outlawing these organizations, Israel is frantically trying to
dismantle Palestinian society,” Stene noted, condemning the Israeli raids on
these organizations.
“By
investing the pension funds of Minnesotans in Israel bonds, banks, and
companies, the Minnesota State Board of Investments is complicit in Israel’s
cowardly assault on and oppression of the Palestinian people,” she added.
Meanwhile,
Jess Sundin of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar – which is a US
community group dedicated to the fight for justice for those who have been
harmed by police - brought attention to the program of “deadly exchange”
between the US government and Israel.
“If
Black lives really do matter in 21st century America, then the ‘deadly
exchange’ programs with Israel should be brought to an end without delay,”
Sundin said, referring to a bilateral program between the US and Israel, which
brings together police, ICE, border patrol, and FBI from the US with soldiers,
police, border agents, etc. from Israel.
“I’m
talking about the direct training of thousands of police forces, including
hundreds from here in Minnesota, by the Israeli occupation forces,” Sundin
added.
In
a website established to protest against the so-called US-Israeli police
partnership program, it reads: “In these programs, ‘worst practices’ are shared
to promote and extend discriminatory and repressive policing in both countries.
These include racial profiling, massive spying and surveillance, deportation
and detention, and attacks on human rights defenders.”
The
US has supported the Israeli regime for decades, burying its head in the sand
every time the regime commits atrocities against Palestinians.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
ran disinformation campaign against Iran, Russia and China, research reveals
26
August 2022
Recent
research has revealed details of what appears to have been long-running US
disinformation campaigns aimed at Iran, Russia, and China on social media
platforms, as well as the use of dozens of fake accounts to propagate
pro-Western narratives.
According
to a study carried out by researchers from the Stanford Internet Observatory
and the research company Graphika, the pro-US covert influence operations ran
for almost five years and used “deceptive tactics” to shape public opinion in
the Middle East and Central Asia.
The
accounts behind the operations often posed as news outlets or took on the personas
of people who didn’t exist, posting content in at least seven languages,
including Farsi, Russian, Arabic, and Urdu.
In
some cases, the accounts shared news articles from Washington-funded media
outlets, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, and links to
websites run by the US military.
Meta,
which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, said the “country of origin” of
the accounts was the United States, while Twitter said the “presumptive
countries of origin” for the accounts were the United States and Britain,
according to the report.
The
report added that Twitter and Meta removed dozens of fake accounts in July and
August as they were pushing the deceptive pro-US influence campaign.
The
other platforms that were used in the operations were Telegram, Google’s
YouTube, and the Russian social media networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki.
YouTube
said it had terminated several channels posting in Arabic, Farsi, and Russian
to promote US foreign affairs, including channels linked to a US consulting
firm.
The
researchers said the accounts tailored their language and messaging to
different regions.
A
set of 21 Twitter accounts, six Instagram accounts, five Facebook profiles, and
two Facebook pages targeted Iranian audiences between November 2020 and June
2022, according to the report.
It
disclosed that some of the personas used profile pictures that were likely
created using artificial intelligence.
Many
tried to present themselves as real people by interspersing Iranian poetry and
photos of Persian food between political messages.
On
Facebook and Instagram, dozens of posts also negatively compared opportunities
for Iranian women with those for women abroad.
Moreover,
12 Twitter accounts, 10 Facebook pages, 15 Facebook profiles, and 10 Instagram
accounts were created between June 2020 and March 2022 to focus on Central
Asia.
Those
accounts then published posts in bitter criticism of Russia’s military campaign
in Ukraine and cheered on pro-Ukrainian protests in Central Asian countries.
Another
group of accounts focused on the Middle East, applauding US activities in Iraq
and pointing to interactions between American troops and Syrian children to
justify Washington’s occupation of Syrian territories and the looting of the
Arab country’s natural resources.
According
to the report, none of the propaganda campaigns reached a large audience.
Most
of the posts and tweets received a “handful” of likes or retweets, researchers
noted, and only 19 percent of the covert accounts that were identified had over
1,000 followers.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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