Violence Erupts In Murshidabad As Humayun Kabir Faces 'BJP Agent', 'Go Back' Slogans
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 April 2026
Security personnel present at the site after clashes broke out between supporters of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and the ruling TMC during the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, at Naoda, in Murshidabad district, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (PTI Photo)
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· Violence erupts in Murshidabad as Humayun Kabir faces 'BJP agent', 'go back' slogans
· Boko Haram has killed more Muslims than Christians, no genocide in Nigeria — Lai Mohammed
· Iran fires on 3 ships in the Strait of Hormuz as US maintains blockade and diplomacy stalls
· Pakistan strikes damage homes in eastern Afghanistan as border tensions persist
· Saudi envoys to Doha and Sarajevo hold discussions with Spanish, Bosnian officials
· Ireland at risk of ‘lone wolf’ attacks and Islamist terrorism, new security review warns
· CAIR Condemns Israeli Settler Murder of Palestinian Boy, Attack on Mosque and on Workers Rescuing Journalist in Lebanon
· Selangor adopts diplomatic approach to resolve non-Muslim worship issues
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India
· Both 'Love Jihad' and 'Land Jihad' will end after May 4, says Amit Shah in Bengal's Saptagram
· Can’t frame rules on state’s role in religion: SC
· BJP plans bear Hitler's imprint: Baby compares CAA, NRC moves to Nazi Germany
· ‘A dead end’, ‘contradictory versions’: Why Bombay High Court discharged last 4 accused in 2006 Malegaon blasts case
· Only Muslim, only Hindu tenants: Sting Op exposes illegal ads by Indians in London
· NIA tells Delhi HC Yasin Malik used Pakistan leadership links to push secessionist agenda
· Day after BJP complaint, ECI issues notice to Kharge over 'terrorist' remark on PM Modi
· On attack anniversary, Pahalgam misses visitors as public response remains muted
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Africa
· Stop fuelling religious division, Muslim League tells foreign critics of Tinubu govt
· Egypt condemns raising of Israeli flag at Al-Aqsa compound
· 'You are not alone': Pope Leo XIV delivers message hope to prisoners in Equatorial Guinea
· Mali and Niger accuse neighbours of backing terrorism in Sahel rift
· Troops Neutralise 24 Terrorists, Foil Kukareta Attack In Borno
· ‘No Retreat’ – Military Urged To Sustain Pressure On Bandits
· Kano Assembly To Screen Garo As Deputy Gov Nominee Monday
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Mideast
· Iran hangs ex-nuclear employee on spying charges
· Report says US blocked $500mn cash shipment to Iraq over pro-Iran attacks
· Gaza civil defence says children among 5 killed in Israeli strike
· With ciggies in short supply, Gaza smokers turn to dried jute
· Airlines cancel flights amid Iran conflict
· Jordanian authorities arrest dealers in nationwide crackdown on drugs
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South Asia
· EU Envoy Warns of Militant Presence in Afghanistan After Kabul Visit
· Bangladesh provides emergency medical assistance to Iran
· Trump for taking ties with Bangladesh to next level
· Tarique flags measles test kit shortage
· Kenya court approves extradition of ex-Afghan MP Zahir Qadir to US
· US senator says sending Afghan allies to Congo is “cruel and shameful”
· 3 Afghans deported by Poland despite European court order
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Arab World
· Swiss President Guy Parmelin visits Saudi Arabia
· Saudi, Dutch foreign ministers discuss regional developments
· MWL chief meets Malaysian scholars in Kuala Lumpur
· Saudi Arabia gets its first W Hotel in Riyadh’s KAFD
· Hajj minister focuses on readiness of camps in Mina
· Makkah meeting reviews animal health risk plan for Hajj
· KSrelief extends healthcare, food aid to thousands across crisis zones
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Europe
· How student loans are forcing Muslims into a religious dilemma over university
· West London Islamic school ‘puts pupils at significant risk of harm', report finds
· Landlords caught advertising for ‘Muslim only’ tenants
· Football clubs thanked after trolls targeted Ramadan meal
· Leicester man allegedly urged terrorist attack over cartoon ‘mocking Muslims’
· PM's ex-chief of staff to give evidence on Mandelson vetting
· Belgium’s defense chief stands by €50 million drone scare
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North America
· CAIR-Houston Welcomes Removal of Houston Police Officer Over Racist N-Word Rant
· CAIR-MI Welcomes Charges for Neo-Nazi Vandalism in Sterling Heights
· 2 people critically injured, 3 fire-fighters injured in Mott Haven mosque fire
· Trump creates NATO ‘naughty’ list – Politico
· US Navy secretary abruptly ‘departing’ amid Iran blockade
· CAIR-NJ Visits Capitol Hill for National Muslim Days of Advocacy
· CAIR-SFBA Welcomes City of Colma Decision to Cancel Israeli Flag Raising, Urges Withdrawal of Proclamation
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Southeast Asia
· ABIM demands systemic reform for Muslim fund management
· Private-Sector Bloc Targets $9.5 Trillion Halal Market by 2030
· Tuanku Muhriz urges leaders to base decisions on facts, not emotions
· Sultan Ibrahim to personally oversee appointment of new MACC chief
· Malaysian rights group joins legal push against Israeli officials
· Youth cabinet committee boosts youth role in national policy
· Malaysia’s balanced West Asia stance wins US, Iran approval
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Violence erupts in Murshidabad as Humayun Kabir faces 'BJP agent', 'go back' slogans
23 Apr 2026
Security personnel present at the site after clashes broke out between supporters of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and the ruling TMC during the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, at Naoda, in Murshidabad district, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (PTI Photo)
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Clashes broke out between supporters of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (Aam Janata Unnayan Party) and the ruling All India Trinamool Congress in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Thursday during the first phase of Assembly polls, prompting police and central forces to resort to baton charge to disperse the mob, officials said.
The violence was reported from Shibnagar village in the Naoda Assembly constituency, where tension had been building since morning after AJUP chief Humayun Kabir visited a polling booth after casting his vote.
Kabir was met with protests by TMC supporters, who raised “go back” slogans, surrounded his vehicle and branded him a “BJP agent”, leading to heated exchanges near the polling station.
The situation escalated later in the day as supporters of both parties clashed, with stones and bricks allegedly hurled from both sides. Several incidents of vehicle vandalism were also reported.
Police and central forces intervened and carried out a lathicharge to bring the situation under control. Additional security personnel were deployed in and around the area to prevent further escalation. The Election Commission has sought a report on the incident, officials said.
Kabir later staged a sit-in at the spot, accusing the ruling party of intimidating voters and indulging in electoral malpractices. He also alleged that the TMC had bribed several of his party candidates to keep them out of the contest.
Earlier in the day, Kabir claimed that 27 of his candidates had been “purchased” for amounts ranging from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, reducing his party’s tally from 142 candidates to 115. The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
AJUP workers also alleged that one of their booth-level leaders was assaulted, while Kabir denied accusations that his supporters were involved in the violence.
The clashes come amid polling in 152 Assembly constituencies across the state in the first phase of elections. While voting has been largely peaceful, sporadic incidents of tension have been reported from some areas. The second phase of polling is scheduled for April 29, with counting set for May 4.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2026/Apr/23/tmc-purchased-27-of-my-candidates-ajup-chief-alleges-bribery-hindu-appeasement-by-mamata
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Boko Haram has killed more Muslims than Christians, no genocide in Nigeria — Lai Mohammed
April 22, 2026
By Dapo Akinrefon
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, stating that insurgent groups, particularly Boko Haram, have killed more Muslims than Christians.
Mohammed made the remarks on Wednesday in the United Kingdom while engaging with students of Abbey College Cambridge during an interactive session focused on governance and youth participation in Nigeria.
Responding to questions on alleged religious persecution, the former minister described the narrative of a “Christian genocide” as false and misleading.
“There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. People say there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” he said.
He argued that Nigeria’s security challenges are complex and not driven by any deliberate attempt to eliminate a religious group.
“Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion,” he added.
Mohammed explained that Boko Haram initially emerged as a movement targeting Muslims who embraced Western education, noting that its early victims were predominantly Muslims.
“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims like me,” he said.
He further explained the ideological roots of the group, noting that “Boko Haram” roughly translates to Western education being forbidden, making educated Muslims targets of the sect.
According to him, the group later extended its attacks to Christians to attract wider global attention.
“They realised that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes an uproar. That is the honest truth,” he stated.
On banditry, Mohammed rejected claims that it is religiously motivated, describing it as a criminal enterprise largely affecting people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion,” he said.
He maintained that available records indicate Muslims account for the highest number of victims of insurgent attacks in Nigeria.
Mohammed also highlighted what he described as Nigeria’s long-standing culture of religious tolerance, arguing that religion rarely drives everyday conflicts among citizens.
“In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian only disagree over money, not theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life,” he said.
Citing an example, he pointed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, noting their interfaith marriage as reflective of Nigeria’s diversity.
“Look at our president, Bola Tinubu. He is a Muslim while his wife is a leader in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. That is the Nigeria I know and I am very proud of,” he said.
He reiterated that claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria are unfounded and should be countered through accurate public communication.
Source: vanguardngr.com
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https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/04/boko-haram-has-killed-more-muslims-than-christians-no-genocide-in-nigeria-lai-mohammed/
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Iran fires on 3 ships in the Strait of Hormuz as US maintains blockade and diplomacy stalls
April 23, 2026
This handout photo released by US Central Command via their X account (@CENTCOM) on April 18, 2026 shows AH-64 Apaches flying above the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol on April 17, 2026. (FILE/AFP)
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DUBAI: Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway. The attacks came a day after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.
The standoff between the US and Iran has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the strait — where 20 percent of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime — with no end in sight. Iranian media said the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was bringing the two ships to Iran, marking a further escalation, though the White House said the seizures didn’t violate ceasefire terms.
The conflict has already sent gas prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products. The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, nosed over $100 per barrel, marking a 35 percent increase from prewar levels, but stock markets still appear to be shrugging it off.
The European Union energy commissioner, Dan Jørgensen, warned of lasting impact for consumers and businesses, likening it to other major energy crises over the last half-century. He said the disruption is costing Europe around 500 million euros ($600 million) each day.
Iran holds firm in apparent tit-for-tat with US
Iranian media said the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas were being escorted to Iran. The US had earlier seized two Iranian vessels as the ceasefire talks were due to take place in Pakistan.
Technomar, the management company behind the Liberian-registered Epaminondas, said it was “approached and fired upon by a manned gunboat” off the coast of Oman. It said the ship’s bridge was damaged.
A second cargo ship came under fire hours later, with no report of damage, though it was then stopped in the water. No injuries to the crews of either vessel were reported. Panama condemned what it called the “illegal seizure” of the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, and said it represented a serious attack on maritime security.
The Guard attacked a third ship, identified as the Euphoria, which had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, Iranian media reported, without elaborating.
Still, Iran’s seizure of the ships didn’t violate truce terms because “these were not US or Israeli ships, these were two international vessels,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Channel.
There have been more than 30 attacks on ships in the Mideast since the US and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28 with a surprise attack on Iran. Before then, the strait was open for all traffic.
Vortexa, an analytics firm focusing on global energy and freight markets, said it has recorded 34 movements of sanctioned and Iranian-linked tankers in and out of the Arabian Gulf in the week after the US imposed its blockade on April 13.
The firm identified 19 outbound and 15 inbound movements. Six of the outbound movements were “confirmed laden with Iranian crude, representing about 10.7 million barrels,” it said in an email. It was not immediately clear whether all those barrels reached markets overseas.
It’s not clear when talks will restart
Iran’s ability to restrict traffic through the strait — which leads from the Arabian Gulf to the open ocean — has proved a major strategic advantage
While the ceasefire means American and Israeli airstrikes have stopped in Iran — and Tehran’s missiles no longer target Israel and the wider Middle East — the maritime standoff continues and could escalate.
Without any diplomatic agreement, the attacks will likely deter ships from even attempting to pass through the waterway, further squeezing global energy supplies.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker who met with US Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan earlier this month, said a complete ceasefire “only makes sense” if it is not violated by the US blockade of Iranian ports.
“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such flagrant breach of the ceasefire,” he wrote on X.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told state TV that Iran has not decided whether to take part in a new round of negotiations, and accused the US of a “disregard and lack of good faith” in the negotiations.
Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian mission in Egypt, earlier told The Associated Press no delegation would go to Pakistan until the US lifts its blockade.
The US has turned back 31 vessels since its blockade began, US Central Command said Thursday.
In the Iranian capital, Tehran, many grappled with the uncertainty.
“We should know where we stand. Is it going to be a ceasefire, peace, or the war is going to continue?” said Mashallah Mohammad Sadegh, 59. “The way things currently are, one doesn’t know what to do.”
Casualties mount in Lebanon amid plans for new talks
In southern Lebanon, three separate Israeli strikes killed at least six people and wounded others, according to local authorities. Israel denied carrying out one of the strikes and did not immediately comment on the others.
The attacks came as Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors prepared for a new meeting in Washington on Thursday toward extending a fragile 10-day ceasefire that began last week and provided an opening for Iran and the United States to move toward ending the wider war.
An Israeli drone struck the village of Jabbour, killing one person and wounding two others, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. Israel’s military denied it attacked the area.
Lebanon’s health ministry said two Israeli strikes on Al-Tiri village killed three people, including a newspaper correspondent, and injured one other journalist.
Authorities said the body of Lebanese reporter Amal Khalil, who worked for the daily Al-Akhbar, was pulled from the rubble hours later. Lebanon’s health ministry said a team searching for her was unable to reach her while Israeli forces fired at an ambulance. Khalil had been covering Israel-Hezbollah hostilities since October 2023 and was reporting during the latest war, the newspaper said.
Israel’s military alleged people in Al-Tiri violated the ceasefire and posed a risk to its troops safety. It denied it prevented rescue teams from reaching the area or that it targets journalists.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said a separate Israeli strike on the village of Yohmor killed two people and injured two others.
Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel from Lebanon days after the war’s outbreak, sparking retaliatory strikes and an Israeli ground invasion. The ceasefire that started Friday has been marred by several Israeli strikes and Hezbollah claimed its first attack Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said a French peacekeeper wounded in a weekend attack in Lebanon died of his wounds. Another French peacekeeper was killed in the attack Saturday when the force came under small-arms fire in southern Lebanon.
Macron blamed the attack on Hezbollah, which denied involvement.
Since the war started, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, according to authorities. More than 2,290 people have been killed in Lebanon, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen have died in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members have been killed.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640931/middle-east
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Pakistan strikes damage homes in eastern Afghanistan as border tensions persist
By Fidel Rahmati
April 23, 2026
Local sources in Kunar Province say fresh Pakistani strikes have damaged several homes in the Sarkano district, as cross-border hostilities continue to escalate.
Residents reported that the attacks began around midnight and continued into Wednesday morning, with explosions heard across multiple regions of the district.
Sources added that Pakistani forces also targeted areas in Asadabad, though no casualties were immediately reported there. Video footage shared with local media shows at least one residential house heavily damaged.
Officials from the Taliban administration in Kunar have not yet commented on the latest strikes, and independent verification of the extent of damage remains limited.
Tensions between Taliban and Pakistan have intensified over the past two months, with repeated exchanges of fire reported along the disputed border areas.
Islamabad has accused militant groups operating from Afghanistan territory of launching attacks inside Pakistan, while Taliban authorities deny providing safe havens and blame Pakistani forces for violating Afghanistan sovereignty.
Over recent weeks, Kunar has emerged as a key flashpoint, with multiple reports of artillery shelling and airstrikes targeting border districts, forcing families to flee their homes.
Residents in affected regions say repeated attacks have disrupted daily life, damaged infrastructure, and heightened fears of a broader humanitarian crisis if clashes continue.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-strikes-damage-homes-in-eastern-afghanistan-as-border-tensions-persist/
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Saudi envoys to Doha and Sarajevo hold discussions with Spanish, Bosnian officials
April 22, 2026
Saudi Ambassador to Qatar Prince Saad bin Mansour bin Saad received Spain’s ambassador to Qatar, Alvaro Renedo Zalba, at his office. (SPA)
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Saudi Ambassador to Qatar Prince Saad bin Mansour bin Saad received Spain’s ambassador to Qatar, Alvaro Renedo Zalba, at his office.
During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as regional and international developments, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Saudi Ambassador Anas bin Abdulrahman Al-Wasidi was received by Kemal Ademovic, chairman of the House of Peoples in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Saudi Embassy said in a statement on X.
During the meeting, they discussed parliamentary cooperation between the two countries and other issues of mutual interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640906/saudi-arabia
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Ireland at risk of ‘lone wolf’ attacks and Islamist terrorism, new security review warns
Apr 23 2026
Islamist terrorism is a “significant cause of concern” for Ireland, along with threats from “lone wolf” attacks and “hostile state actors”, a former High Court judge responsible for reviewing security legislation has said.
Extreme rightwing and leftwing terrorism are also now real concerns for Ireland, according to the Independent Examiner of Security Legislation, George Birmingham.
At the same time, he said, the legislation designed to give Ireland’s investigative and security agencies the powers to minimise those threats was weak and outdated.
For example, there are no provisions in law for the interception of WhatsApp, Telegram and Snapchat messages, he noted. Furthermore, EU-imposed restrictions meant the Garda could not access mobile phone data stretching back more than 12 months. This greatly weakened the investigation of terrorism and other crimes.
In his first formal remarks since taking up his role last year, Birmingham, president of the Court of Appeal until 2024, said the new terror threats had emerged after the era in which the IRA “in its various manifestations” was the biggest threat to the State.
“Now the threats are multipronged,” he said. “Today, Islamist terrorism is a significant cause of concern.”
The threat from Islamist terrorism was so pressing “because of the possibility of attacks within this jurisdiction”, following several “such attacks within the past number of years”. There was also “the possibility of an attack on a neighbouring jurisdiction being planned or launched from this State”.
“There is also unease about the activities of hostile state actors. The possibility of actions undertaken by so called ‘lone wolves’, whether motivated by terrorist ideology or not, also requires consideration,” he said.
Birmingham was appointed to his post last year as part of Government reforms arising from recommendations by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. It recommended creating a new office to oversee the operation, and review, of security legislation.
Birmingham has made his remarks about the risk to State security and safety in his first annual report, which covers the period from last April, when his office became operational, to the end of the year.
Part of his role is to review and audit how the powers provided for under three pieces of legislation are used.
The legislation includes the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993 as well as the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009, which covers the use of tracking devices and other forms of surveillance, and the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, dealing with mobile phone data.
The security and enforcement services in Ireland, including the Garda and Defence Forces and Fiosrú, which investigates complaints made about Garda members, have powers under the legislation.
Birmingham’s report was very critical of the 2011 legislation in that it placed no obligation on mobile phone service providers “to retain data for the purpose of access in the course of investigations of serious crime”.
It pointed to the role that accessing historic data had in the Garda’s ability to solve the 2012 murder by Graham Dwyer of Elaine O’Hara. However, because of the legal scenario imposed at EU level, historical data could now not be accessed in the same way it was during that investigation.
If a crime occurred now, but the offence or suspects only came to light years later, the inability to access relevant phone data would significantly “disadvantage” criminal or terrorist investigations, he said.
The Independent Examiner’s annual report also criticised the 2009 Act, saying it “predates modern digital communications”. It only provided for the interception of voice and other traditional messages sent by mobile phone but did not cover messaging apps and social media platforms.
The Act also does not provide for IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) catchers, which are legal in many other countries, the report said. These are a telephone eavesdropping devices used for intercepting mobile phone traffic. They also track location data, as well as identifying linked devices whose users may be working together and pose a risk.
“In relation to postal interceptions, the legislation only covers An Post and not couriers or other delivery services,” the report adds, highlighting a key legislative black spot around the work of courier firms, whose services have greatly expanded over the last 20 years.
Source: irishtimes.com
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https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2026/04/23/ireland-at-risk-of-lone-wolf-attacks-and-islamist-terrorism-security-law-review-warns/
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CAIR Condemns Israeli Settler Murder of Palestinian Boy, Attack on Mosque and on Workers Rescuing Journalist in Lebanon
April 22, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the murder of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy by illegal Israeli settlers in an attack on a school in the West Bank.
CAIR also condemned an attack on a mosque in south Lebanon by Israeli forces and a reported Israeli strike on rescue workers attempting to assist a wounded journalist in Lebanon.
Aws al-Naasan, 14, and Jihad Abu Naim, 32, were killed in the attack on the village of al-Mughayyir, in which three others were wounded. The head of the local council said that illegal Israeli settlers had entered the village and opened fire near a school, first at students, and later at others who arrived at the scene. Witnesses said settlers were later followed by Israeli soldiers.
Israeli forces severely damaged the Sheikh Ragheb Harb mosque in southern Lebanon.
An ?Israeli ?drone dropped a grenade on ?rescuers trying to ?lift a wounded journalist from the rubble in southern Lebanon.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“CAIR unequivocally condemns the reported killing of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy and a 32-year-old man in an illegal settler attack near a school in the West Bank. We also condemn the reported attack by Israeli forces on a mosque in southern Lebanon, a house of worship that should be protected, not subjected to military force.
“Equally disturbing are reports that an Israeli strike targeted rescue workers attempting to aid a wounded journalist in southern Lebanon. Attacks on first responders and members of the press represent a blatant disregard for human life and the principles of humanitarian protection.
“We call on our government and the international community to hold the perpetrators accountable, and take immediate steps to protect civilians, religious sites, journalists, and humanitarian workers. Silence and inaction in the face of such crimes only embolden further abuses.”
This week, CAIR called on the Trump administration and Congress to stop ignoring and enabling Israel’s longstanding “war on Christians” after Israeli occupation forces were shown smashing a statue depicting Jesus in Lebanon.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-condemns-israeli-settler-murder-of-palestinian-boy-attack-on-mosque-and-on-workers-rescuing-journalist-in-lebanon/
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Selangor adopts diplomatic approach to resolve non-Muslim worship issues
23 Apr 2026
Selangor is using a diplomatic, win-win approach to resolve 178 cases involving non-Muslim houses of worship, aiming to preserve state harmony.
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government is adopting a diplomatic approach to address issues related to Non-Muslim Houses of Worship (RIBI).
The strategy aims to ensure fair resolutions while preserving harmony among all communities.
State Human Resources and Poverty Alleviation Committee chairman V. Papparaidu said authorities are currently handling 178 cases involving such infrastructure. All cases will be managed carefully with a win-win approach.
He stressed that the state is not relying on unverified information or fake news circulating on messaging platforms. Papparaidu warned that some individuals may attempt to create confusion, so these matters must be handled responsibly.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Dr Gunarajah R. George (PH-Sentosa) in the state assembly. The question sought clarification on the number of illegally built RIBIs in Selangor.
Papparaidu also urged all parties to uphold the spirit of unity and diversity that has long defined the state. He cautioned against any actions that could undermine these fundamental values.
“Selangor is a plural society. When Hindus celebrate Thaipusam, large crowds gather in Selangor and Batu Caves without issue,” he said.
He added that Muslims perform Friday prayers peacefully across the state. The Chinese community also carries out worship activities in various settings without problems.
“We practise flexibility, and that is what makes Selangor unique,” Papparaidu concluded.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/selangor-adopts-diplomatic-approach-to-resolve-non-muslim-worship-issues/
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India
Both 'Love Jihad' and 'Land Jihad' will end after May 4, says Amit Shah in Bengal's Saptagram
Apr 22, 2026
Saptagram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led state government, asserting that once the BJP comes to power, issues like "Love Jihad" and "Land Jihad" brewing in the state under "TMC ruling" would come to an end.
Addressing a public meeting in Saptagram, Shah also said that farmers and state government employees will benefit from the schemes which will be put in place by the BJP after coming to power.
"Both Love Jihad and Land Jihad will come to an end. Government employees will get the benefits of the 7th Pay Commission and DA. Farmers will be given ₹9,000 instead of ₹6,000 under the Kisan Samman Nidhi. Pensions for widows, senior citizens, and the disabled will be set at ₹2,000. The BJP will also work to free us from the syndicate," he said.
Referring to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's "terrorist remark", Shah said, "Kharge ji says that Modi ji is a terrorist. Kharge sahab, shame on you, the man who devoted his entire life to ending terrorism, you call him a terrorist. The public will settle the full account."
Once again raking up the infiltration issue, Shah said, "Modi ji has freed this country from terrorism and Naxalism. Today I say as I go, the BJP will also free this country from infiltrators."
He further raised the issue of border fencing, alleging delays from the state government.
"The BSF needs 600 acres of land to build the fence. Mamata Didi is not giving it. I promise you that if you form a BJP government, we will get the job done of handing over the entire land to the BSF for building the fence within 45 days," Shah said.
"The infiltrators are taking away jobs, consuming resources meant for the poor, and threatening the internal security of the country," he added.
Shah also accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of corruption. "Mamata Banerjee is involved in a slew of scams worth ₹10,000 crore. They believe that nothing will happen to them. On 5th May, BJP will form the government, and Didi will have to return the money she devoured through various scams," he said.
Attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress, Shah further said, "Don't fear the goons of Mamata. Vote with confidence. BJP is going to form the government, and the goons of Mamata will be sent behind bars."
He also criticised the state government on women's safety, stating, "Mamata Didi says that mothers should not step out of their homes after 7 PM. You form a BJP government, strengthening Modi's hands. Even at night, a little girl should be able to go out on her scooter, and no thug should have the courage to even glance up at her."
On welfare promises, Shah said, "Elect the BJP government, and I assure you 33% reservation in government jobs for women. Unemployed youths will be credited ₹3000 per month in account. Women, too, will get ₹3000 per month in their account. In the entire Bengal, women will be able to travel free in the government buses."
In Balikukhari, Shah reiterated his attack on the ruling party, saying, "Mamata Banerjee is going, lotus is coming... On the 29th, vote to drive out the infiltrators from Bengal... Mamata Banerjee brings in the infiltrators herself. But on the 5th, our BJP's promise is not just Bengal, but across the whole of India, we will handpick and drive out the infiltrators." The polling for the 294-member Assembly in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), the first phase covers 152 Assembly constituencies, while the second phase includes 142 seats.
The state is set to witness a high-voltage contest between the incumbent Trinamool Congress, which is seeking a fourth consecutive term, and the BJP, which is aiming to form the government after a strong showing in the previous elections.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is aiming for a fourth consecutive term, while the BJP, which secured 77 seats in the previous election, is making a renewed push to form the government in the state.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/both-love-jihad-and-land-jihad-will-end-after-may-4-says-amit-shah-in-bengal-saptagram-101776869505948.html
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Can’t frame rules on state’s role in religion: SC
Suchitra Kalyan Mohanty
23 Apr 2026
NEW DELHI: On the seventh day of hearings in the Sabarimala review petitions, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would be hard to lay down universal or prospective guidelines on when the state can intervene in religious practices in the name of social reform, saying such questions are case-specific.
The nine-judge bench of the apex court was hearing arguments from the petitioners on the point and scope of the State’s power under Article 25(2)(b) of the Constitution, which permits legislation for social welfare and reform affecting religious practices.
During the hearing, the court noted that Part III serves as an embargo on Article 25(1) regarding individual devotees’ rights. The court added that the State, as a representative of the people’s will, may legitimately act to address social evils, but judicial assessment would always remain context-specific.
“So far as social welfare or reforms are concerned, it is a very wide term, and the State is not a stranger or an alien. The State represents the will of the people, and if the people want certain social evils reformed, that power can be exercised. But it is very difficult for us to lay down any future guidance. It will always depend on case to case as to whether the reforms fall under Article 25(2)(b) or, in the name of reforms, it amounts to an infringement of a religious practice,” the CJI said.
Justice B. V. Nagarathna asked whether a State law that expressly permits entry of young women into the Sabarimala Temple, in the name of social reform, would amount to an invasion of religious practice or could be sustained as a valid reform measure.
“Suppose the Kerala rules had said, in the name of social reforms, that the entry of women between the ages of 10 to 50 to the temple is permitted. Is it an invasion, or could we say it is not an essential practice and therefore upheld? What is the extent of invasion there?” she asked.
Replying to the court’s queries, Senior Advocate Gopal Subramanium said that even in such cases, the court would need to undertake a careful inquiry into the nature and basis of the practice before determining whether State intervention qualifies as social reform. He argued that the court must examine whether the exclusion is part of an ancient tradition.
Appearing for the President of VHP Kerala and General Secretary of the Sabarimala Karma Samiti, Senior Advocate Aryama Sundaram contended that while the Constitution seeks to achieve gender equality in areas like employment and social life, this principle does not extend to access to places of worship or the exercise of religious freedom, even under the Directive Principles.
Sundaram further highlighted that temples are fundamentally “a board of the deity,” where worship is shaped by the specific form and tradition associated with that deity, and therefore religious practices must be understood within that framework.
Mukul Rohatgi, senior lawyer and former Attorney General appearing for one of the petitioners, argued that “my lords have said don’t enter a political thicket; rather, I would say don’t enter a religious thicket to decide what is essential practice.”
He stated that the question also arises whether the rights of a religious denomination under Article 26 are subject to other provisions of Part III, apart from public order, morality, and health.
“Constitutional morality has no place in creating a restriction. The moment you add constitutional morality, you are either expanding or adding another restriction,” Rohatgi submitted. The hearing continues on Thursday.
Also in top court
UP govt told to pay Rs 1L cost to employee
The SC on Wednesday expressed anguish over an employee being made to run from pillar to post since 2011 for a preferred posting in his home state, and directed the UP government to pay Rs 1 lakh to him. It directed the state chief secretary to facilitate forthwith the reallocation of the employee to the state of Uttarakhand.
End to battle over TN land transaction
Bringing closure to a legal battle over disputed land transactions, the SC on Wednesday vacated a status-quo order that had left thousands of homebuyers in the lurch at Thazhambur in Tamil Nadu. The bench said a “professed welfare state” cannot attempt to undo land transactions from decades ago.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2026/Apr/23/cant-frame-rules-on-states-role-in-religion-sc
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BJP plans bear Hitler's imprint: Baby compares CAA, NRC moves to Nazi Germany
Joyjit Ghosh
23.04.26
CPM general secretary MA Baby on Wednesday saw imprints of Germany under Adolf Hitler in the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah were using the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens, census evaluation process, special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and delimitation to establish a "fascist, majoritarian Hindu rashtra".
Speaking in Calcutta, Baby said: "This reminds us of Germany. In the month of September 1935, Nuremberg Laws were initiated. What was the purpose? In the name of protecting Aryan purity, others were declared to be non-citizens, especially Jews. And we all know what happened. In 1933, Hitler came to power. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were implemented. This is a copybook project of (Hitler's Germany), what (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are doing."
The CPM leader said that the elections being conducted in Bengal were unprecedented in the history of Independent India, and the SIR was part of the bigger Hindutva design to target and disenfranchise people belonging to a particular community.
"Poor people from distant places are coming and lining up in queues as they value their voting rights. What Narendra Modi and company are doing in India regarding voters' rights and citizenship needs to be viewed in the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC, census process and the SIR, which is nothing but special intensive removal from the voters' list... This is to say, in Amit Shah's words — chronology samjhiye," Baby said.
The CPM has been branding the Modi government's defeated effort to enhance the number of Lok Sabha seats through the delimitation exercise and tying it to the women's bill as the RSS project to push their agenda of turning India into a Hindu rashtra.
"Through delimitation, they want to do gerrymandering. The ruling party at the Centre has already practised it partially in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. Now they want to do it for the entire country... whereby they can use the huge majority to establish Hindu rashtra as they wish. This was the plan (behind increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 850)," he said.
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to give one party or group an unfair advantage
Accusing chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of being part of the "evil design" of Modi, Baby said instead of "conducting himself as a constitutional head, the referee joined a team" in Bengal.
"Mr Gyanesh Kumar is now exercising his office in support of the ruling party at the Centre. And in West Bengal it is evident. Even the Supreme Court expressed its surprise how, unlike in any other states, there is a special category of people under suspicion. Lots of 'logical explanations' have been brought in to keep lakhs of voters in suspended animation... This is an extraordinary, disturbing and threatening situation in West Bengal, unlike in any other state," he added.
He also attacked chief minister Mamata Banerjee for advancing the RSS agenda by spending government funds to build temples.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/bjp-plans-bear-hitlers-imprint-ma-baby-compares-caa-nrc-moves-to-nazi-germany-prnt/cid/2157345
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‘A dead end’, ‘contradictory versions’: Why Bombay High Court discharged last 4 accused in 2006 Malegaon blasts case
Omkar Gokhale
Apr 23, 2026
In a significant blow to the long-running 2006 Malegaon blasts trial, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday quashed the charges against the last four remaining accused, observing that the conflicting investigations by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) could not be reconciled.
A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Shyam C Chandak quashed the September 30, 2025, order of the special NIA court, holding that it showed “no application of judicial mind.”
The bench discharged Manohar Narwaria, Rajendra Chaudhary, Dhan Singh, and Lokesh Sharma—leaving no accused currently facing trial in the case. The four, who were granted bail by the high court in 2019, were the last remaining accused after nine Muslim men were discharged by a special court in 2016.
‘Mostly hearsay witnesses’
The bench noted it was a “mystery” why NIA failed to collect fresh evidence after taking over the probe in 2011 and instead relied largely on retracted statements, including those of four of the nine Muslim men who had been discharged.
The court, in its judgment copy made available late Wednesday, observed NIA had proposed “mostly hearsay witnesses”.
ATS had initially arrested nine Muslim men after the September 8, 2006, blasts near a mosque and cemetery in Malegaon, which killed 31 people and injured 312. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which later took over, continued with the same line of investigation.
However, after assuming the probe, the NIA shifted focus to a Hindu right‑wing angle, naming Sunil Joshi, who later died, and the present appellants and three others still at large.
‘Special court overlooked the inherent contradiction’
The Bombay High Court said NIA’s case “solely rested on circumstantial evidence,” including statements by four appellants and a 2010 statement to a magistrate by then accused Swami Aseemanand in other blast cases. Aseemanand claimed Joshi said “his boys” carried out the 2006 Malegaon bombing, but later retracted it, and other courts discarded the confession.
The bench observed that NIA also relied on reversed statements of witnesses, which were “non‑admissible,” along with the first set of accused named by ATS and CBI. “A witness who gives two versions of a story and retracts his previous statement becomes an unreliable witness, and his testimony is liable to be discarded,” the HC noted.
The bench observed that no one came forward to depose before NIA, identifying any of the appellants at the scene. The bench also observed that the special court “overlooked the inherent contradiction and intrinsic improbability in the prosecution’s story as put forth by the NIA.”
It also questioned how material collected by ATS and CBI, such as voice samples and forensic reports, could be ignored by the trial court.
“The things as they stand today give two contradictory versions of the incident. Both stories as floated by the ATS and NIA cannot be reconciled by any stretch of imagination…The diagonally opposite stories in the charge‑sheet filed by the ATS and the NIA lead nowhere,” the judgement reads.
“The evidence collected by the ATS in the course of the investigation is not wiped out from the record and has to be considered by the trial Court even if the appellants are required to face the trial. There seems to be no answer in law as to how the trial Judge can deal with the materials collected by the ATS, which implicates another set of accused persons. The case seems to have reached a dead end,” the Bombay High Court held.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/legal-news/malegaon-2006-blasts-hc-quashes-charges-ats-nia-contradictions-10651273/
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Only Muslim, only Hindu tenants: Sting Op exposes illegal ads by Indians in London
Apr 23, 2026
A sting operation has uncovered an alarming practice in London, where landlords of Indian descent were allegedly advertising rental properties exclusively for specific religious groups. The listings reportedly carried tags such as "Muslims only" and "Hindus only".
According to an investigative report by UK-based daily The Telegraph, listings on platforms such as Facebook, Gumtree, and Telegram openly included phrases like "only for Muslims", "for two Muslim boys or two Muslim girls", and "Muslims preferred", violating the UK's Equality Act 2010.
Some advertisements also targeted specific regional or linguistic groups, with references to Punjabi and Gujarati speakers or people from Kerala and Haryana.
A company, named Roshan Properties, which also operates on TikTok, had posted multiple listings stating "prefer Muslim boy", "one double room is available for Muslims", and "suitable for Punjabi boys," The Telegraph reported. The Facebook page was later removed after The Telegraph published the report.
A reporter working with The Telegraph contacted a landlord advertising a room for £450 per month marked "Muslim boy or girl". The landlord reportedly refused to consider non-Muslim tenants and ended the call.
The investigative report also uncovered listings specifying "Hindus only", while some prospective tenants were themselves seeking accommodation along religious lines.
All such ads breach the Equality Act 2010 in the United Kingdom, which prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, and other protected characteristics. According to The Telegraph, landlords and letting agents are not allowed to specify a preference for a particular religion or race when letting a property, and adding phrases like "Muslim only" is considered "unacceptable and discriminatory".
There is, however, a limited exception under the law. A person renting out a room in their own home and sharing accommodation, such as a kitchen or bathroom, with the tenant can take dietary preferences, like wanting only vegetarians, in order to avoid meat in the kitchen.
A spokesperson for Gumtree, a UK-based online classified advertisement and community website, told The Telegraph, "Gumtree has clear policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination, and we take reports of inappropriate listings very seriously." The spokesperson added that some listings might relate to shared accommodation, where "existing occupants may express preferences about who they live with," which is treated differently from renting out an entire property.
The Gumtree spokesperson said, "We expect all users to advertise responsibly and inclusively."
The advertisements were found across several parts of London, including Ilford, Newham, Barking, Dagenham, East Ham, Redbridge, Walthamstow, Upton Park, Harrow, and Newbury Park.
"These adverts are disgusting and anti-British. It goes without saying that there would be national outrage if the tables were turned. All forms of racism are unacceptable, and no religious group should get a special exemption to discriminate in this way," the Reform UK political party's Economic Spokesperson, Robert Jenrick, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/muslim-hindu-only-tenants-advertisement-indian-landlords-london-uk-news-indians-in-england-2900372-2026-04-23
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NIA tells Delhi HC Yasin Malik used Pakistan leadership links to push secessionist agenda
Udayan Kishor
23 Apr 2026
NEW DELHI: The NIA has told the Delhi High Court that Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik was using his contacts with top Pakistani leadership, including its Prime Minister and President, to propagate the secessionist agenda in the Valley.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) made the allegations in its plea seeking capital punishment for Malik for funding terror. The trial court had sentenced Malik to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty.
The NIA further opposed his argument that several Indian PMs engaged him to resolve the Kashmir issue, saying it did not have any bearing on the case against Malik and did not absolve him of his crimes.
The agency alleged that Malik’s claims about proximity to several senior Indian politicians, foreign delegates, bureaucrats and media persons were for gaining popularity and drawing sympathy.
“Malik was in contact with the top leadership of Pakistan, including the PM, the President, senators of the Pakistani Senate, and the CMs of all provinces, and was using such contacts to propagate narratives against India and to further the secessionist agenda in Jammu & Kashmir,” the NIA told HC.
The affidavit added that mere mention of senior politicians and bureaucrats does not negate the fact that Malik had links with militants like Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen’s Syed Salahuddin.
The case listed for hearing before a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja, was adjourned for July after Malik claimed that he had not received NIA’s rejoinder.
Malik who is arguing his case in person had earlier told the court that he met Saeed and other terrorists in 2006 at the request of then-Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director VK Joshi.
He said Ajit Doval visited him in jail in the early 2000s and broke the news of his release. The NIA has opposed Malik’s claim, saying the matters pertain to the accused’s personal communications with senior politicians and other forums of the Indian government, which were within his exclusive knowledge, and “appear to have been raised solely to elicit public sympathy.”
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/delhi/2026/Apr/23/nia-tells-delhi-hc-yasin-malik-used-pakistan-leadership-links-to-push-secessionist-agenda
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Day after BJP complaint, ECI issues notice to Kharge over 'terrorist' remark on PM Modi
Mukesh Ranjan
22 Apr 2026
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India on Wednesday issued a stern notice to Mallikarjun Kharge over his alleged “terrorist” remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The poll body directed Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, to submit his reply within 24 hours.
The ECI said in its notice, “The commission is prima-facie of the opinion that Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also a star campaigner of the INC in the elections to the Tamil Nadu legislative Assembly has violated the aforesaid provisions of the MCC and relevant instructions issued by the commission brought out earlier.” It also noted that in the event of no response “from your side within the time limit stipulated, it will be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter.”
The move came shortly after a BJP delegation met the Commission’s full bench and demanded strict action. The delegation included Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, as well as other party leaders. A senior official said the Commission had taken serious note of Kharge’s statement and issued a formal notice asking him to explain his position within the given time.
The official added that such remarks were being examined in context of poll conduct. After meeting the Commission, Rijiju said that calling the Prime Minister a “terrorist” was a serious insult to the nation. He described the remark as unacceptable and urged immediate action, stating that such language should not become normal in political discourse.
The row began on Tuesday when Kharge, speaking at a press conference in Chennai, criticised the alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP. During his remarks, he referred to the PM using the disputed term. When questioned by journalists, Kharge clarified that he did not mean it literally but was referring to what he described as the prime minister “terrorising” democratic institutions.
Kharge said the government was misusing its power. The Congress alleged that the EC notice was evidence of its functioning as an attached office of the Union home ministry, and its behaviour is an assault on the Constitution.
Move follows BJP demand for an apology
The BJP had earlier urged the commission to intervene and direct Kharge to apologise publicly. The BJP also argued that using terms associated with terror against political opponents could harm the electoral atmosphere. It further requested steps to prevent wider circulation of the remark across media and digital platforms.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2026/Apr/22/day-after-bjp-complaint-eci-issues-notice-to-kharge-over-terrorist-remark-on-pm-modi
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On attack anniversary, Pahalgam misses visitors as public response remains muted
Muzaffar Raina
23.04.26
Public response to the Pahalgam attack anniversary on Wednesday remained muted as grief seemed to have shifted to a more restrained mood, with the BJP’s seniormost Kashmir leader, Sofi Yousuf, blaming “Jaichands (traitors)” within the administration and officers allegedly linked to Hizbul Mujahideen for derailing a major anti-militancy protest in Pahalgam.
Pro-India and separatist politicians on Wednesday expressed solidarity with the families of the victims of last year’s April 22 attack but there were few signs of street demonstrations, unlike last year, and a few that occurred were largely led by local BJP leaders.
Kashmir had observed a maiden shutdown last year against the militant attack, with residents taking to the streets in large numbers to protest against the attack that left 25 non-local tourists and a local guide dead.
A businessman, who had participated in the protests last year, said the Valley went through a difficult phase after the attack that impacted tourism and the wider economy, while stringent security measures affected a significant number of people.
“We feel sorry for what happened in Pahalgam but we have been overwhelmed by tribulations. Our economy is under extreme strain, more so the tourism industry. But it does not end here. There were so many attacks on Kashmiris outside. Within the Valley too, dozens of homes were blown up as reprisal against the attack, although no local militant was involved in the attack,” he said.
“Dozens of people died on the border (during Operation Sindoor). There is not a day without raids or arrests here.”
The BJP on Wednesday staged a few protests in Jammu and Kashmir, with Sofi, its vice-president in the Union Territory, leading a protest in Anantnag town, where he blamed some officers in the administration for disallowing a major protest in Pahalgam.
Some locals in Pahalgam said they had planned a protest in the town but it was not allowed. Officials have not reacted to the claims.
Sofi told The Telegraph that a large protest was planned in Pahalgam but claimed it was not allowed by the administration. “There are still some Jaichands in the administration here. They work at the behest of Hizbul Mujahideen. I requested Amit Shahji and LG Manoj Sinha in my speech (today) and even Prime Minister Modi that you should keep an eye on these officers. There are still one to two per cent (such) people who are on top positions in administration.
“It was not Sofi Yousuf’s programme or of the BJP. It was a programme for the country and countrymen, for martyrs. It was not allowed because there are still some Jaichands here. It is the government’s job to identify them,” he said.
Sofi is a resident of Anantnag’s Dachnipora, which is close to Pahalgam. The area was once a major militancy hub but has flourished as a key tourism zone in recent years, as the shorter route to Pahalgam passes through its villages. The road has largely remained closed for non-local tourists during the year for security reasons, affecting the livelihood of hundreds of families.
“Some 10,000 survive on tourism in the area spreading from Bijbehara to Langanbal in Pahalgam. A lot of hotels and apple valley’s (juice vends in orchards) have come up on this road. They have been badly hit. My own hotel is empty,” Sofi said, urging the government to reopen it. “The tourism was thriving here…The road’s closure can have adverse consequences.”
Chief minister Omar Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir remains in “eternal solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones a year ago in that cowardly attack”.
“One year on, we remain united against terror & against violence. We remain resolute in our desire to rid J&K of suffering & innocent deaths. We remain committed to doing everything to ensure it never happens again,” he said on X. “We are committed that similar attacks do not happen again.”
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/pahalgam-attack-anniversary-sees-muted-response-bjp-flags-admin-lapses-in-kashmir-tourism-hit-prnt/cid/2157355
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Africa
Stop fueling religious division, Muslim League tells foreign critics of Tinubu govt
April 22, 2026
A Muslim advocacy group, the Muslim League Unity Group, has cautioned foreign-based actors against what it described as attempts to inflame religious tensions in Nigeria through misinformation and politically motivated narratives.
In a statement jointly signed by Professors Ahmed Umar Daudu and Yunusa Bala Maikafi, the group alleged that some international Christian organizations, particularly in the United States, are circulating what it termed “doctored reports” on the alleged mistreatment of Christians under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The group maintained that Nigerians of different faiths have historically coexisted peacefully, warning that such narratives risk breeding distrust and unnecessary divisions among citizens.
According to the statement, some of the organizations behind the reports are relatively obscure groups spreading claims of targeted violence against specific religious communities.
It described the development as “dangerous and capable of plunging the country into chaos,” especially as the 2027 general elections draw closer.
The group also faulted recent remarks attributed to United States Senator Ted Cruz, which it said alleged attacks on Christian schools and places of worship by Muslims in Nigeria.
It argued that such comments are part of a broader agenda to incite division and promote religious intolerance.
Similarly, the statement took issue with allegations reportedly linked to Kimberly Daniels, accusing her of calling for the dismissal of Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Mohammed Bello Matawalle.
The group dismissed the claims as unfounded and politically motivated.
It stressed that while public officials, including Matawalle and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, should be held accountable, such scrutiny must be based on verifiable evidence and due process rather than what it described as external pressure or religious bias.
The group further alleged a pattern of foreign-driven accusations against prominent Nigerian figures, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and President Tinubu.
Defending Matawalle’s record, the group said there is no court conviction, official indictment, or audit report directly implicating him in wrongdoing, either during his tenure as Zamfara State governor or in his current position.
It expressed confidence in his capacity to serve effectively and contribute to ongoing national security efforts.
The statement also questioned attempts to link the Federal Government or its officials to extremist activities, challenging critics to provide credible evidence to substantiate such claims.
While acknowledging that security challenges are a global phenomenon, including in the United States, the group urged both domestic and international stakeholders to refrain from narratives that could deepen religious fault lines in Nigeria.
It called for restraint, mutual respect, and a renewed commitment to preserving the country’s long-standing culture of religious coexistence.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/stop-fueling-religious-division-muslim-league-tells-foreign-critics-of-tinubu-govt/
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Egypt condemns raising of Israeli flag at Al-Aqsa compound
April 22, 2026
Egypt on Tuesday condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers and the raising of the Israeli flag inside its courtyards, warning that such actions fuel tensions in the region and undermine efforts to restore calm.
In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the storming of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by settlers under the protection of Israeli police, and the raising of the Israeli occupation flag in its courtyards”.
It described the incident as “a blatant violation” of international law and international humanitarian law, an unacceptable provocation to the feelings of Muslims worldwide, and an escalation that risks inflaming tensions and undermining efforts to de-escalate and restore stability.
Egypt stressed its complete rejection of any attempts to alter the historic and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
The statement called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to stop repeated Israeli violations and put an end to practices that increase tensions and weaken prospects for calm.
Egypt also reaffirmed its firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to establish an independent state on the 4 June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, as part of a just and comprehensive settlement to the Palestinian issue.
Earlier on Tuesday, settlers raised the Israeli flag during a raid on the Al-Aqsa compound in occupied East Jerusalem, under police protection.
Source: middleeastmonitor.com
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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260422-egypt-condemns-raising-of-israeli-flag-at-al-aqsa-compound/
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'You are not alone': Pope Leo XIV delivers message hope to prisoners in Equatorial Guinea
April 23, 2026
Pope Leo XIV told inmates at one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious prisons that they are not alone, as he drew attention Wednesday to prison conditions, human rights abuses and injustices that campaigners have denounced for years here.
Leo’s visit to the prison in the Central African port city of Bata followed in the tradition of Pope Francis, who frequently met with inmates on his foreign visits to give them a message of hope.
But Leo’s stop, at the end of his four-nation African tour, took on added significance after it emerged that Equatorial Guinea was one of several African nations that have been paid millions of dollars in controversial deals with the Trump administration to receive migrants deported from the US to countries other than their own.
While none of those migrants are being held at Bata, the visit put the spotlight on Equatorial Guinea’s overall human rights record and its judiciary, which rights campaigners have criticized for its lack of independence, arbitrary detentions and other abuses.
Leo said he had a simple message for the inmates: That they are loved by God and remain precious in his eyes, despite their mistakes, sufferings and errors.
“You are not alone. Your families love you and are waiting for you. Many people outside these walls are praying for you,” Leo told them in Spanish.
“If any of you fear being abandoned by everyone, know that God will never abandon you, and that the Church will stand by your side,” he said.
The inmates, all dressed in new neon orange and beige uniforms, had gathered in a central courtyard of the prison, which appeared to have been recently painted salmon pink.
As soon as Leo started to speak, the heavens opened and a rainstorm poured down, drenching them but providing some relief from the intense humidity and heat.
In his remarks, Leo also reminded authorities that justice is meant to protect society, but that incarceration is not meant to be punishment alone.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2026/04/23/you-are-not-alone-pope-leo-xiv-delivers-message-hope-to-prisoners-in-equatorial-guinea/
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Mali and Niger accuse neighbours of backing terrorism in Sahel rift
April 23, 2026
A widening diplomatic rift is emerging in West Africa as Niger and Mali level new accusations against neighbouring states over terrorism in the Sahel. Speaking at a security forum in Senegal, Mali’s foreign minister said some neighbouring states are “harbouring” and “supporting” armed groups active in the Sahel.
He did not name specific countries, but also suggested foreign powers outside the region are involved.
Niger’s foreign minister echoed similar claims, saying some nations cooperating on counterterrorism are also, in his words, “fuelling and sustaining” the violence.
He later clarified he was referring to France, which has not responded.
The accusations come as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso continue to distance themselves from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS after forming their own alliance following military coups.
All three countries have faced years of jihadist violence across the central Sahel.
Despite the sharp rhetoric, Mali’s foreign minister said limited cooperation with ECOWAS is still possible
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2026/04/22/mali-and-niger-accuse-neighbours-of-backing-terrorism-in-sahel-rift/
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Troops Neutralise 24 Terrorists, Foil Kukareta Attack In Borno
April 23, 2026
Troops of Sector 2 under Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised 24 terrorists and successfully repelled a coordinated attack on Kukareta community in Borno State.
Sources disclosed to Zagagola Makama that the attack began around midnight and lasted until about 3:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, with troops engaging the insurgents in a prolonged firefight.
The soldiers were said to have decisively contained the assault, inflicting heavy casualties on the attackers during the encounter.
Following the operation, troops recovered a significant cache of weapons from the fleeing terrorists, including:18 AK-47 rifles, Three General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), Two PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, Three Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) tubes, Two mortar tubes, Four hand grenades, 18 AK-47 magazines.
A large quantity of 7.62mm belted ammunition used for anti-aircraft weapons was also recovered.
The sources added that two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds during the engagement and are currently receiving medical treatment.
The successful defence of Kukareta has been described as a major operational gain, highlighting the resilience and effectiveness of troops in ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.
The development comes amid intensified military efforts to dismantle terrorist networks and restore stability across affected communities.
Source: naijanews.com
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‘No Retreat’ – Military Urged To Sustain Pressure On Bandits
April 22, 2026
A civil society coalition, the Northern Peace and Security Accountability Network (NPSAN), has commended the Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, for his directive to troops to intensify operations against bandits across the North-West.
Speaking at a press conference in Kano, the group’s Zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Mahmood Sani, said the CDS’s instruction to troops to pursue criminal elements relentlessly reflects the urgency required to tackle insecurity in the region.
He noted that communities in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and parts of Kaduna have suffered years of attacks, kidnappings and displacement.
“The Chief of Defence Staff has shown that leadership is not exercised from afar,” Sani said.
The coalition praised ongoing military operations under Operation Fansan Yamma, describing it as a critical framework in Nigeria’s counter-banditry efforts.
According to the group, improved coordination among security agencies and increased pressure on criminal hideouts have begun to yield results in some areas.
NPSAN also commended the CDS for emphasising discipline, professionalism and improved welfare for troops, noting that these factors are essential for maintaining morale during prolonged operations.
“The fight against banditry is not a short-term assignment. It requires sustained commitment,” Sani added.
The group urged residents of the North-West to support security agencies by providing credible intelligence and avoiding collaboration with criminal groups.
It stressed that local participation remains key to dismantling bandit networks and restoring stability.
While backing the military’s approach, the coalition called on security agencies to maintain professionalism and ensure civilian protection during operations.
“The success of this mission depends not only on firepower but also on trust,” the group said.
NPSAN expressed optimism that sustained military pressure, stronger inter-agency collaboration and active citizen engagement could gradually restore stability in the North-West.
The group reaffirmed its support for Oluyede’s leadership, describing it as decisive and necessary in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
Source: naijanews.com
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Kano Assembly To Screen Garo As Deputy Gov Nominee Monday
April 23, 2026
The Kano State House of Assembly has fixed Monday for the screening of Murtala Garo following his nomination as deputy governor by Governor Abba Yusuf.
Naija News reports that the development was disclosed in a statement shared on Wednesday by Kamaludden Shawai, spokesperson to the Speaker, Jibril Falgore.
The statement confirmed that the Assembly had received official communication from the governor regarding the nomination.
It read, “The Kano State House of Assembly has officially announced a correspondence of His Excellency’s nominee for the office of deputy governor for proper screening and approval.”
According to the statement, Garo’s screening has been scheduled for Monday as part of the confirmation process.
Earlier, the governor transmitted Garo’s name to the Assembly in line with constitutional provisions.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mustapha Muhammad, the governor said the nomination was in accordance with Section 191(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The statement read, “The nomination is in line with Section 191(3)… which empowers the governor to nominate a deputy governor where a vacancy exists.
“Following wide consultations with key stakeholders, the governor has requested the assembly to grant the necessary approval for Garo’s nomination.”
The deputy governorship position became vacant after the resignation of former deputy governor, Abdussalam Gwarzo, on March 27, 2026.
Muhammad described Garo as an experienced political administrator with over two decades of public service.
The 48-year-old politician has served as state organising secretary of his party, special adviser to the governor, and chairman of Kabo Local Government Area.
He also served as chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in Kano State and commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs.
Garo was the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 general elections.
The nomination, according to the statement, is part of efforts by the administration to strengthen governance and sustain effective service delivery in the state.
Source: naijanews.com
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Mideast
Iran hangs ex-nuclear employee on spying charges
April 22, 2026
PARIS: Iran hanged a man on Wednesday convicted of links to Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said, with two NGOs based outside the country saying he worked for the Iranian atomic energy organization.
The execution of Mehdi Farid was the latest in a number of hangings of high-profile convicts in an accelerating trend that has alarmed rights groups.
“Mehdi Farid... was hanged this morning for extensive cooperation with the terrorist spy service Mossad after the case was examined and the final verdict was approved,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said, adding that he had been convicted of the capital offence of “corruption on earth”.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, which monitors executions in Iran, said Farid had been working for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization when he was arrested on May 31, 2023.
It said he was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison but then, in a new trial in July 2025, was sentenced to death on charges of spying for Israel.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency also said Farid, 55, was an employee of the atomic energy organization and that the new trial was a result of an appeal from the prosecutor.
Since executions resumed on March 19 amid the war against the US and Israel, Iranian authorities have executed eight men on charges related to mass protests earlier this year and another eight men who were members of the People’s Mujahedin, an opposition group which is banned in Iran.
Iran also executed an Iranian-Swedish citizen on charges of spying for Israel. Two of the MEK members were executed on similar spying charges, an accusation the group has described as absurd.
“Since the conflict began, the implementation of death sentences has entered a new and worrying stage marked by a complete focus on prisoners with political and security charges and a noticeable acceleration in the implementation of sentences,” HRANA said.
Mizan said Farid was a manager in the Passive Defense Organization, a civil defense body, which issued a statement denying that he had “any membership, responsibility or position” there.
Iranian officials have warned there will be no leniency for anyone deemed to have collaborated with Israel.
A number of top officials were killed in targeted strikes during Israel’s June 2025 war against Iran and the latest US-Israeli war, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, the first day of the current conflict.
Source: arabnews.com
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Report says US blocked $500mn cash shipment to Iraq over pro-Iran attacks
April 23, 2026
BAGHDAD: The United States blocked a plane carrying nearly $500 million in banknotes from delivering the cash to Iraq, US media reported on Tuesday, piling pressure on Baghdad to fight Iran-backed militant groups.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has suspended cash shipments to Iraq and frozen funding for security programs following attacks on US interests in the country by groups showing solidarity with Iran.
Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and the United States.
However, Iraqi leaders have struggled to maintain that delicate balance as war engulfs the Middle East.
An Iraqi government official told AFP only one shipment has not arrived, citing “logistical reasons due to the war” and airspace closure.
An Iraqi central bank official also downplayed the issue, telling AFP that dollar shipments have ceased during the regional war “due to the suspension of flights and the security situation.”
He added that the central bank has not requested more US dollars as it has sufficient reserves and there is “no current need to boost them.”
But an Iraqi security official confirmed to AFP that the United States has suspended its security cooperation with Iraq over factions targeting US interests.
US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott acknowledged efforts by Iraqi security forces to respond to attacks but said that some elements in the Iraqi government “actively provide political, financial and operational cover for the militias adversely impacts the US-Iraq relationship.”
“The United States will not tolerate attacks on US interests and expects the Iraqi government to immediately take all measures to dismantle the Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq,” he said.
The State Department said this month it had summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Washington to express “strong condemnation” of attacks by pro-Iran groups on US interests, including an “ambush” on US diplomats in Baghdad on April 8.
Pigott did not comment on any actions. The US Treasury Department declined comment.
Damage in war
Iraq was drawn into the Middle East war with strikes targeting Iran-backed groups, which in turn have claimed attacks on US interests, mostly in Iraq but also across the Gulf states.
The US embassy in Baghdad and a logistical and diplomatic center inside the city’s airport have been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones, with most intercepted.
Missile and rocket attacks also targeted the US consulate in Erbil in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, as well as the city’s airport, where US-led anti-jihadist coalition troops are deployed.
The United States has leverage over Iraq because the country’s oil export revenue is largely held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, under an arrangement reached after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled former ruler Saddam Hussein.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting unidentified sources, said that the blocked shipment involved nearly $500 million in cash from Iraqi oil sales.
The Central Bank of Iraq said Tuesday it was not lacking US dollars and that it had “fulfilled all requests from banks and exchange companies for US dollars, which are intended for pilgrims, travelers and foreign transfers.”
The funding freeze to security programs includes training for Iraq’s army and counter-terror efforts against the Islamic State group, The New York Times reported.
Fighting IS jihadists is a key part of Washington’s military cooperation with Iraq, after the group swept across Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014.
Iranian commander Esmail Qaani arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for meetings with political leaders and commanders of armed factions, a senior Iraqi official said, aiming to “address regional de-escalation and its impact on Iraq.”
Pro-Iranian armed groups announced on April 8 that they would suspend their attacks for two weeks, following the announcement of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
Source: arabnews.com
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Gaza civil defense says children among 5 killed in Israeli strike
April 23, 2026
GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense agency said an Israeli airstrike targeted a group of civilians in a northern part of the Palestinian territory late on Wednesday, killing five people including three children.
Despite an October 10 ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as both the Israeli military and Hamas accuse one another of breaking the truce.
“Five Palestinians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of civilians near Al-Qassam mosque in Beit Lahia,” the agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas authority, said in a statement.
“Their bodies were taken to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City,” it said, without specifying how old the children were.
The hospital confirmed it received the bodies.
The Israeli military told AFP it was checking the reports.
A fragile truce has largely halted the Gaza war that began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, but both sides regularly accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
At least 786 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
The Israeli military has reported five soldiers killed in Gaza since the start of the truce.
Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.
Source: arabnews.com
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With ciggies in short supply, Gaza smokers turn to dried jute
April 23, 2026
GAZA STRIP: Though Gazans normally use molokhia, or jute leaves, for soup, Abu Yahya Helles coats the crumbled, dried leaves in liquid nicotine and rolls them into cigarettes as a tobacco alternative.
In war-ravaged Gaza, where shortages are still acute, some are now smoking Helles’ home-made roll-ups as a cheaper option as cigarette prices have skyrocketed due to Israel’s blockade of many basic goods.
Helles knows his smokes are no replacement for the real thing, but with the price of a single cigarette soaring from 1 Israeli shekel to between 30 and 40 shekels (from 33 cents to $10-13), he has plenty of customers.
“This is in no way a substitute for cigarettes because at the end of the day, this is molokhia with nicotine added to it,” he told AFP while preparing a batch.
At his makeshift stall on a busy Gaza City street, he uses a syringe to inject liquid nicotine into a bag of dried jute leaves, using a large 1-kg bottle of the type often confiscated by the Israeli military from trucks entering Gaza.
He gives the small plastic bag a shake to infuse the leaves, then uses cigarette papers to roll the “tobacco.”
Although the street is lined with massive piles of broken concrete from apartment buildings destroyed during over two years of war in Gaza, it is busy.
Despite the October 2025 ceasefire, the local authorities say they have been unable to bring in the equipment they need to remove the rubble nor the materials they need to start rebuilding the tiny territory.
Nivin Samir, 53, says she smoked a pack a day for 20 years, but recently switched to molokhia cigarettes.
“They taste and smell awful. I smoke several a day, maybe to vent my anger, or to live out my fantasy of enjoying them with a cup of coffee,” said Samir, who has lived in a tent in the southern city of Khan Yunis since her home was razed in an air strike.
Toxic substances?
Another Gaza City cigarette seller called Mohammed Helles said people weren’t smoking molokhia out of choice.
“We’ve resorted to smoking dried molokhia leaves laced with nicotine as a substitute for imported cigarettes. We want cigarettes to be imported again so we can smoke normal tobacco,” he said.
But even the supply of molokhia is not guaranteed —whether it’s grown in Gaza or imported —because Israel controls all access points as well as about half of the territory.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), only 4.0 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land is accessible to Palestinians and not damaged by war.
Abu Muhammad Saqr, 47, told AFP he smoked to find solace in post-war Gaza.
“I’ve been smoking since I was 13. Now I smoke molokhia cigarettes and leaves. If they gave me poison, I’d smoke it. I have no life or future to save my health for.”
But Gaza City resident Walid Al-Naizi told AFP he was wary of such homemade products.
“These cigarettes are made from herbs such as molokhia, castor leaves, and other varieties and we don’t know whether they are toxic or not,” he said.
“Unknown liquid substances are added to them; we can’t tell if they are actually nicotine, poisons or even cockroach insecticide,” he added.
Source: arabnews.com
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Airlines cancel flights amid Iran conflict
April 22, 2026
WASHINGTON: Global air travel remains severely disrupted, with many people unable to fly as ?planned to destinations after the Iran war forced the closure of major Middle Eastern hubs, including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.
Below is the latest on flights, in alphabetical order:
Greece’s largest carrier Aegean Airlines has canceled flights to Beirut until June 26, to Riyadh and Amman until June 28, to Dubai until June 29, and to Irbil and Baghdad until July 2.
Latvia’s airBaltic says flights to Tel Aviv have been canceled until May 31. Flights to Dubai are canceled until October 24.
Air Canada canceled flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai until Sept. 7.
Spain’s Air Europa has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until May 31.
Air France has suspended its Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh flights until May 3.
KLM has suspended flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Dubai until June 14.
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific has suspended flights to Dubai and Riyadh until June 30 and cargo freighter services to Dubai and Riyadh until May 31.
To cater for a surge in demand to Europe, it will operate extra passenger flights to London, Paris and Zurich in ?April. It plans ?to operate all scheduled flights beyond June.
The US carrier Delta has canceled its New York-Tel Aviv flights and ?delayed ?the restart of its ?Atlanta-Tel Aviv route until Sept. 5.
Israel’s El Al said it is continuing to gradually expand operations, and from April 27 will operate flights to about 40 active gateways. All flights to Dubai are canceled until May 31.
The UAE’s Emirates has said it is operating a reduced flight schedule, flying to more than 100 destinations.
The UAE carrier Etihad said it is operating a commercial flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and around 80 destinations.
Finland’s Finnair has canceled its Doha flights until July 2, while continuing to avoid the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Israel. The airline only restarts its Dubai flights in October.
British Airways is reducing flights to the Middle East when services resume, permanently dropping Jeddah as a destination, while adding capacity to India and Africa.
It plans to reduce services to Dubai, ?Doha and Tel Aviv to one daily flight from July? 1, and to cut Riyadh services ?from two daily flights to one from mid-May.
Changes apply through the summer season that ends on ?Oct. 24, with one Dubai service restarting on Oct. 16.
IAG’s Spanish low-cost ?airline Iberia Express has canceled flights to Tel Aviv through May 31.
Japan Airlines has suspended scheduled Tokyo-Doha flights until May 31 and Doha-Tokyo flights ?until June 1. The airline will also operate extra flights between Tokyo and London on April 25.
The Polish airline Lot suspended its flights to Tel Aviv until May 31. It also canceled flights to Riyadh until June 30 and to Beirut from March 31 to May 30. The airline plans to operate its winter route to Dubai in October.
Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Edelweiss suspended flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv until May 31, and to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Riyadh, Irbil, Muscat ?and Tehran until Oct. 24.
ITA Airways has extended the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv and Riyadh until May 10. Flights to and from Dubai are suspended until May 31.
Low-cost carrier Eurowings plans to suspend flights to Tel Aviv until May 11, to Beirut and Irbil until May 14 and to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until Oct. 24.
Malaysia Airlines suspended flights to Doha until June 14.
The low-cost Norwegian Air has pushed back planned launches of its Tel Aviv and Beirut services to June 15.
Turkiye’s Pegasus Airlines canceled its Iran, Iraq, Amman, Beirut, Kuwait, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah flights until June 1.
The Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc says flights to Doha are canceled until June 30 and those to Dubai until May 31.
Australia’s Qantas is adding flights to Rome and Paris to meet an upswing in demand for European routes. Flights to Paris will increase to five return flights per week from three and the Perth-Singapore service will increase from daily to 10 flights per week. An updated schedule will come into effect progressively for flights from mid-April and run until late July.
Qatar Airways said it was expanding its international flight network, with services to more than 150 destinations from June 16.
Singapore Airlines extended its Singapore-Dubai flights suspension until May 31, while adding services on the Singapore-London Gatwick and Singapore-Melbourne routes from late March until October 24 to meet higher demand.
SunExpress, Turkish Airlines’ joint venture with Lufthansa, has canceled ?flights to Dubai until April 30.
The low-cost airline Wizz Air is delaying ?the return of flights to Israel until May 4, and is suspending flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman from mainland European destinations until mid-September. All flights to Madinah have been suspended indefinitely.
Source: arabnews.com
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Jordanian authorities arrest dealers in nationwide crackdown on drugs
April 22, 2026
LONDON: Jordan’s Anti-Narcotics Department arrested multiple drug dealers in a nationwide crackdown this week, amid intensified efforts to protect national security.
In the capital, Amman, police arrested two crystal meth dealers and seized 1,000 narcotic pills. In the Madaba Governorate, another dealer was detained and authorities confiscated 1 kg of crystal meth and 30 packages of hashish.
Authorities also arrested six suspects at seven locations in the Ruwaished district of Mafraq governorate, near the border with Iraq. They seized nearly 25,000 narcotic pills, smuggling balloons, and firearms during the raids. The offenders are suspected of smuggling drugs into the country using airborne balloons, according to the Petra news agency.
In separate operations, security forces arrested four drug traffickers in the Balqa Governorate, while in the Karak Governorate, authorities arrested another dealer, and seized 1,100 narcotic pills and a firearm, Petra added.
Jordan is known as a transit point for smuggling drugs that are typically bound for the Gulf countries from Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Smugglers are increasingly employing drones and balloons, which are guided by basic devices, to transport narcotics into Jordan from neighboring countries.
In February, security forces arrested 35 suspects nationwide for drug production, dealing, and smuggling, while seizing large quantities of drugs and firearms.
Source: arabnews.com
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South Asia
EU Envoy Warns of Militant Presence in Afghanistan After Kabul Visit
By Fidel Rahmati
April 23, 2026
EU envoy Gilles Bertrand said the European Union is concerned about militant groups continuing to operate inside Afghanistan.
Gilles Bertrand said the European Union remains concerned about the continued presence of militant groups in Afghanistan following a five-day visit to Kabul.
In meetings with Taliban officials, Bertrand raised security risks, human rights issues, and rising tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, urging restraint and renewed dialogue to avoid harm to civilians.
He also stressed concerns over restrictions on women and girls, warning that limits on education and employment violate international standards and could hinder Afghanistan’s long-term development.
The envoy reaffirmed EU support for continued humanitarian assistance, focusing on health, education, livelihoods, and support for vulnerable communities amid a deepening economic and human crisis.
Afghanistan continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions relying on aid as poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity remain widespread following years of conflict and economic isolation.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that humanitarian needs remain acute, while large-scale returns of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries are adding pressure on already fragile systems.
Bertrand’s visit, his third since appointment, included meetings with UN officials, diplomats, and civil society representatives, covering security, regional dynamics, and economic challenges.
The EU also highlighted concerns over cross-border militant activity and called for de-escalation between Taliban authorities and Pakistan, while welcoming mediation efforts by countries including Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and China.
The envoy reiterated backing for UN-led diplomatic efforts, including the Doha process, and emphasized the role of international coordination in shaping engagement with Afghanistan.
Despite ongoing engagement, the EU continues to reassess its role in Afghanistan nearly five years after the Taliban’s return to power, balancing humanitarian support with security and human rights concerns.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/eu-envoy-warns-of-militant-presence-in-afghanistan-after-kabul-visit/
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Bangladesh provides emergency medical assistance to Iran
23 Apr 2026
Bangladesh today handed over emergency medical relief supplies to the Iranian Ambassador in Dhaka, Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi, for dispatch to Iran following the decision of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The assistance is being sent through the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, foreign ministry's press release said.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Trump for taking ties with Bangladesh to next level
23 APRIL 2026
US President Donald Trump has set forward a clear vision to take relations with Bangladesh to the next level, said Brent Christensen, the American ambassador to Bangladesh.
“After 100 days, I am even more optimistic about the future of US-Bangladesh relations. I can’t wait to see what we all accomplish next,” he said in a video message released on Wednesday, marking 100 days since his arrival as the US ambassador to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and the US signed a ‘historic trade agreement’ that will balance their trade deficit and make both the countries more prosperous.
“I have tirelessly advocated for US businesses across Bangladesh to build those trade ties.”
The US envoy said they are working together to combat the illegal migration and securing a ‘closer security partnership’ for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“We are combating diseases like tuberculosis and measles through a new health partnership with Bangladesh.”
Christensen said they remain the largest donor supporting Bangladesh’s hosting of the Rohingya people and they will continue to push for a political solution.
“I came at an important time, just before Bangladesh’s historic February election,” he said, adding that the US was the first country to recognise the results of the election, and congratulate the new government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
On January 15, Christensen presented his credentials to President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban.
In over 50 years of partnership, the US ambassador said they have worked together to promote regional stability, economic growth benefiting both the two countries and the sovereignty of their great nations.
For over two decades, Christensen has had the privilege of working closely on US policy toward Bangladesh and the broader region.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/trump-taking-ties-bangladesh-next-level-4158446
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Tarique flags measles test kit shortage
23 APRIL 2026
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday told parliament that the country is facing a shortage of measles testing kits and that vaccine imports had been halted for years under previous governments.
He said measles vaccines for children had not been imported for several years under the Sheikh Hasina-led autocratic government and the interim administration headed by Prof Muhammad Yunus.
During the question-answer hour in parliament, the PM said some kits have arrived and steps are being taken to release those currently held at customs.
The Leader of the House made the remarks while responding to a supplementary question from Salah Uddin, Jamaat-e-Islami MP from Gazipur-4.
In his question, Salah Uddin said the issue is now a “crucial question” for the health sector. He said in Chattogram, the country’s only infectious disease treatment centre and specialised institute, as well as most other facilities, measles detection systems have been shut down.
As a result, samples are being sent from different institutes and hospitals to the National Polio and Rubella Laboratory at the Public Health Centre in Dhaka. This means patients must wait for diagnosis even after vaccines are available.
In reply, the prime minister said all political parties -- in and outside parliament -- worked together to remove an autocratic regime from the country.
“The sad reality is what happened during that autocratic period. Even more unfortunate is that the interim government we supported, hoping it would ensure a fair and neutral election, failed in a crucial responsibility. During its tenure, measles vaccines for children were not imported,” he said.
“Naturally, when this crisis emerged, we had to act quickly,” he said, adding that Unicef provided support by sending measles vaccines on an urgent basis.
“As a result, we were able to vaccinate nearly two crore children.
“Many kits have already arrived. One kit can be used to test three children. Some kits are stuck at customs at the Dhaka airport, and we are taking steps to release them quickly,” Tarique added.
“Tragically, many children have already lost their lives. But going forward, the government is making every effort to manage this situation and has taken necessary measures,” the prime minister said.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Kenya court approves extradition of ex-Afghan MP Zahir Qadir to US
By Fidel Rahmati
April 23, 2026
Kenya’s High Court upholds extradition of former Afghan lawmaker Zahir Qadir to the United States over alleged drug trafficking and weapons charges.
The High Court in Kenya has approved the extradition of Zahir Qadir to the United States, where he faces charges related to arms and narcotics trafficking.
According to local media, the judge ruled that Kenya is bound by international obligations to combat illicit drug and weapons trade, affirming an earlier court decision.
Qadir had challenged the ruling, calling the accusations politically motivated, but his appeal was rejected, clearing the way for his transfer to US authorities.
Kenya is a signatory to multiple international conventions targeting transnational crime, including drug trafficking networks that operate across Africa, the Middle East and beyond.
The United States has increasingly pursued foreign suspects linked to global narcotics and arms smuggling, often seeking extradition through bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks.
Qadir was arrested in Nairobi in April 2025 after arriving on a commercial flight, following a US warrant issued by a court in New York.
Prosecutors in the United States accuse him of conspiracy to import norcotics and possession of heavy weapons, charges that could carry significant prison sentences if proven.
Qadir previously served as a member and deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament, representing Nangarhar province before the Taliban takeover.
Analysts say the case highlights expanding international cooperation on law enforcement, even as political sensitivities remain around former officials linked to Afghanistan’s previous government.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/kenya-court-approves-extradition-of-ex-afghan-mp-zahir-qadir-to-us/
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US senator says sending Afghan allies to Congo is “cruel and shameful”
By Fidel Rahmati
April 23, 2026
US Senator Andy Kim says Afghan allies risked their lives for US forces, warning plans to relocate them to Congo would be unjust.
Andy Kim said Afghan allies who supported US forces put their lives at risk and should not face forced relocation to unsafe destinations.
Writing on social media, Kim said he had witnessed firsthand during his time at the US State Department how Afghan partners assisted American missions under difficult and dangerous conditions.
He described proposals to send them to countries where they have no ties or guaranteed protection as “cruel and shameful,” urging Washington to uphold its commitments.
The remarks follow a report that the US is considering relocating more than 1,100 Afghan refugees from a camp in Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as an alternative.
Following the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States evacuated over 190,000 Afghans, including interpreters, contractors and their families who worked alongside US forces.
Many were resettled in the US or third countries, but a number remain in temporary facilities abroad awaiting permanent solutions amid delays in processing and resettlement pathways.
Rights groups warn that returning these people to Afghanistan could expose them to retaliation, persecution or severe hardship under current conditions.
They also caution that relocation to unfamiliar countries with limited support systems could create new humanitarian risks, particularly for vulnerable families and former US partners.
The uncertainty surrounding the remaining Afghan refugees in Qatar highlights ongoing challenges in resolving one of the most complex humanitarian legacies of the US withdrawal.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/us-senator-says-sending-afghan-allies-to-congo-is-cruel-and-shameful/
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3 Afghans deported by Poland despite European court order
By Fidel Rahmati
April 23, 2026
Poland deported three Afghan nationals despite a European court order halting removals, raising concerns over compliance with international human rights obligations.
Poland has deported three Afghan nationals to Kabul despite an interim ruling by the European Court of Human Rights ordering a halt to their removal.
Polish media reported the individuals were first flown on a military aircraft to Uzbekistan before being transferred onward to Afghanistan. Lawyers said border authorities were informed of the court’s decision, but the deportations proceeded.
Poland’s foreign ministry acknowledged the situation, while border guards claimed the ruling was not received in time and said the individuals had been classified as “undesirable.”
Legal experts say the move could breach international law, as rulings from the European Court of Human Rights are binding on member states and require immediate compliance.
Several European countries have in recent months stepped up deportations of Afghan migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected, citing domestic political pressure and migration controls.
Reports indicate the European Union is exploring coordination with Taliban authorities to facilitate returns, despite concerns from rights groups and UN agencies about the safety of deportees.
Afghanistan remains in a severe humanitarian crisis, with limited economic opportunities and widespread restrictions, particularly affecting women and vulnerable groups.
Human rights organisations warn that many returnees, including journalists and activists, may face persecution or serious threats upon return, raising questions about the safety of forced deportations.
Diplomatic sources say discussions are ongoing within the EU about logistical arrangements, including flight capacity and coordination with authorities in Kabul, though no formal agreement has been finalised.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/3-afghans-deported-by-poland-despite-european-court-order/
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Arab World
Swiss President Guy Parmelin visits Saudi Arabia
April 22, 2026
RIYADH: Swiss president Guy Parmelin arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for an official visit.
He was greeted on arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah by Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, the deputy governor of Makkah Region, and other officials.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640910/saudi-arabia
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Saudi, Dutch foreign ministers discuss regional developments
April 22, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Tom Berendsen, the Netherlands’ foreign minister, in Riyadh on Wednesday.
The parties reviewed areas of bilateral cooperation and discussed regional developments, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Berendsen reaffirmed Amsterdam’s condemnation of Iranian aggression against Saudi Arabia and the region’s countries. He discussed with Prince Faisal efforts to maintain the security and safety of international waterways, the SPA added.
The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil chokepoint for the global economy, remains closed by Iranian forces due to their conflict with the US and Israel, shaking markets and prolonging instability in the Middle East.
The UK and France convened military planners from over 30 nations in London on Wednesday — including the Netherlands, Bahrain, and Australia — to outline a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640904/saudi-arabia
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MWL chief meets Malaysian scholars in Kuala Lumpur
April 22, 2026
JEDDAH: Muslim World League Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa recently met in Kuala Lumpur with senior Malaysian scholars from across the country, led by Sheikh Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil, grand mufti of Malaysia.
The meeting was followed by a discussion session on themes from Al-Issa’s scholarly lecture, as well as other issues of interest to the broader Islamic world.
Earlier, the MWL chief met Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur. The discussions focused on Islamic and international issues aligned with the league’s mission, including promoting dialogue and cooperation.
They also addressed preparations for a third summit of religious leaders, set to take place in Kuala Lumpur soon. The summit will coincide with the fourth session of the ASEAN Council of Scholars, an MWL initiative to enhance regional scholarly collaboration.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640876/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia gets its first W Hotel in Riyadh’s KAFD
April 22, 2026
RIYADH: The first W Hotel has opened in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, marking the entry of the chain into Saudi Arabia.
KAFD said in a statement that the opening represents a significant step in strengthening the district’s hospitality offerings and cementing its status as a premier business and leisure travel destination.
The master plan for the financial district was officially approved in 2007 and has since evolved into a leading mixed-use development under Vision 2030.
Among other major hotel chains to open branches in the district recently include the opening of Kimpton KAFD Riyadh in September 2025.
A hotel management agreement was also signed with Hilton at the Future Investment Initiative conference in October 2025 to operate a 450-key hotel in KAFD.
The new hotel is close KAFD’s offices, residences, retail and cultural venues. It also has direct access to the KAFD Metro linking it to the wider city and King Khalid International Airport. The hotel has 210 rooms, including 17 suites and two penthouses.
Its seven restaurants and lounges include Sira, a Latin American restaurant centered on open-fire asado cooking; Beni, an all-day coffee house serving craft coffee and artisanal ice cream; and WET Deck, an open-air poolside venue with Mediterranean-inspired bites and skyline views.
The hotel also has more than 1,000 square meters of event space and a range of wellness and lifestyle amenities.
Sultan Al-Obaida, chief commercial officer of KAFD DMC, said in a statement: “We are pleased to welcome W Hotels to KAFD as the brand makes its debut in the Kingdom.
“The opening of W Riyadh — KAFD reflects our continued ability to attract globally recognized brands that enhance the district’s business and lifestyle ecosystem.
“With Saudi Arabia targeting 150 million visitors annually by 2030 and tourism projected to contribute over 10 percent of GDP, demand for high-quality, centrally located hotels continues to grow.”
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640872/saudi-arabia
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Hajj minister focuses on readiness of camps in Mina
April 22, 2026
JEDDAH: Saudi authorities have begun early preparations for the Hajj season, launching coordinated initiatives aimed at improving service quality, crowd management and spiritual services for pilgrims.
Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has inspected the readiness of camps in Mina during field visits to assess service levels ahead of the pilgrimage, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Rabiah said preparations started early this year, contributing to improved camp readiness and operational efficiency through coordination among relevant entities.
He noted the introduction of electronic systems to monitor pilgrims’ movement and regulate entry and exit from camps.
Signage has also been installed at entrances and exits, indicating departure and return times along with other instructions.
The measures aim to support crowd management and enhance pilgrim safety, in line with efforts to advance the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program.
In a parallel effort, the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites has announced the completion of preparations at miqat sites to receive pilgrims.
The commission said prayer areas at the miqat locations can accommodate more than 6,600 men and around 3,200 women.
Thousands of parking spaces and hundreds of restrooms have been provided to support pilgrim movement and services during their journey.
Additional improvements include directional signage, seasonal kiosks at key sites, strengthened staffing and expanded partnerships to support water services.
The commission said the operational system reflected its efforts to deliver services that helped pilgrims perform their rituals with ease and comfort.
Efforts to improve service standards have also included human capital development. The Institute of Research, Studies and Consulting Services at Umm Al-Qura University, under the supervision of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, has launched a training program for workers serving pilgrims.
The program includes courses in communication, crowd management and crisis response, as well as modules on cultural awareness and service quality.
It has drawn participation from government, private sector and nonprofit organizations, reflecting a coordinated effort to serve visitors to the Two Holy Mosques.
Spiritual preparation is also part of the Kingdom’s early planning. President of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais has inaugurated a scientific course at the Grand Mosque as part of programs preparing for Hajj.
Al-Sudais said the course aimed to enhance pilgrims’ religious awareness and help them perform their rituals with understanding based on Islamic legal evidence and principles of jurisprudence, supporting their spiritual experience.
The lessons are broadcast via digital platforms, translated into several languages and made accessible through QR codes, allowing wider access for pilgrims and visitors.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640858/saudi-arabia
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Makkah meeting reviews animal health risk plan for Hajj
April 22, 2026
MAKKAH: The National Center for the Prevention and Control of Plant Pests and Animal Diseases in Makkah held a coordination meeting and simulation to implement a hypothetical plan for reducing animal health risks ahead of the Hajj season.
Hosted at the headquarters of the Saudi Arabia Project for the Utilization of Hady and Adahi, the meeting aimed to strengthen interagency coordination to mitigate potential animal and zoonotic diseases.
Participants discussed specific roles and responsibilities to ensure a rapid field response and efficient execution of the center’s approved emergency plans, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The simulation involved a broad range of government bodies, including the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the Ministry of Health,Makkah Municipality, the Public Health Authority, and the Makkah Health Cluster.
These proactive measures are designed to verify risk management strategies and emergency readiness at the holy sites, the SPA said.
By achieving the highest standards of prevention, the center aims to protect public health and ensure a safe, disease-free environment for pilgrims throughout the upcoming Hajj season.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640846/saudi-arabia
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KSrelief extends healthcare, food aid to thousands across crisis zones
April 22, 2026
Riyadh: The mobile clinics of Saudi aid agency KSrelief in Hairan district of Yemen’s Hajjah governorate provided medical services to 472 beneficiaries in one week.
The facilities handled infectious disease cases and provided emergency, internal medicine, and reproductive health services, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
KSrelief-backed mobile nutrition clinics in Al-Khawkhah district of Hodeidah governorate also served 3,201 beneficiaries in one week.
They offered internal medicine, emergency, pediatric, epidemiology, reproductive health, maternity, nutrition, immunization, wound care, referrals, and health education services.
Meanwhile, KSrelief delivered 24,800 hot meals to vulnerable families in central and southern Gaza, and distributed 1,132 food baskets in Khan Younis, benefiting 6,792 people affected by Israel’s war.
In Sudan, KSrelief distributed 1,100 cartons of dates in Al-Jazirah state, benefiting 4,483 people, and 1,200 food baskets in Khartoum state, benefiting 8,611 people.
In the Syrian Arab Republic, KSrelief distributed 826 cartons of dates to vulnerable groups in Deir ez-Zor governorate.
KSrelief also delivered 25 tonnes of dates to Bulgaria and another 25 tonnes to the Philippines as a gift from the Kingdom.
Since its establishment in 2015, KSrelief, in partnership with nearly 349 organizations, has implemented more than 4,260 projects in 113 countries, with a total value exceeding $8.4 billion.
These programs cover food security, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, camp coordination, education, protection, and emergency relief.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640842/saudi-arabia
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Europe
How student loans are forcing Muslims into a religious dilemma over university
April 23, 2026
University students in 2026 face what many would see as a perfect storm: the highest student debt burdens in UK history, a stuttering economy and a new 40-year Plan 5 loan system that guarantees decades of salary deductions.
But on top of these financial challenges, one group faces a religious dilemma too.
Islam prohibits paying or receiving interest (riba), with the Quran describing the act as declaring “war on God”, due to the view that money is a means of exchange – not a commodity to be rented for guaranteed profit.
Because of the fact that student loans accrue interest – often well above inflation – many Muslims have had to turn down prestigious opportunities, find other forms of funding, or attempt to justify interest theologically.
But the issue is complex. So complex that a study carried out by the British Board of Islamic Scholars found almost a 50/50 split amongst scholars on the permissibility of student loans.
The board “strongly recommended’” that the Government provide an “alternative finance’’ version of the student loan that would “replace the words that are objectionable to Muslims with words that are neutral”.
For now, prospective students are having to wrestle with the dilemma themselves.
For Amina Benhammouda, 21, being the child of immigrants from a working-class background in Leeds, getting in to Oxford to study law was the ultimate ticket to social mobility.
After applying for scholarships and only receiving a small amount, she felt she had no choice but to rely on the Islamic principle of Darurah to take out a loan. This is the allowance of normally prohibited actions in cases of absolute necessity.
She says: “Given my parents’ background and my siblings, I put a lot of responsibility on myself to progress financially and in my career to be able to support my family.
“It’s almost the pressure of: your parents have immigrated here and given you a better life, so why would you not take advantage of all the educational opportunities you have?”
“From an Islamic standpoint, I don’t think they’re too problematic because they are necessary. It’s not like I took the loan out to make a financial gain or to gain capital in any way. If you compare education to other reasons why people take out interest loans, I think it is more morally and religiously justifiable.”
Coming to the end of her degree, she now admits she would perhaps rather have taken an alternative route.
“Had I gotten an offer at a top law firm for an apprenticeship, I absolutely would have taken it instead. When I entered university, things like degree apprenticeships weren’t as advertised as they are now. Not a lot of us had that option when we finished A-levels, or at least it wasn’t as prominent as an option,” she says.
Suleman Ahmed, 21, is someone who took the apprenticeship route. After receiving an offer from Cambridge to study engineering, he saw taking student finance as the only viable way of attending, even though he saw it as “wrong” in religious terms.
But after stumbling upon a degree apprenticeship with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in partnership with University of Warwick, Suleman began to rethink his path.
The apprenticeship offered a fully funded degree providing a competitive salary and a guaranteed job. But most importantly, it offered a way to graduate completely debt-free, entirely avoiding the moral burden of riba.
Suddenly, the interest he considered unavoidable was suddenly entirely avoidable.
The decision to reject Cambridge did, however, lead to pushback from peers.
“A lot of the people I spoke to were obviously non-Muslim, so I didn’t really discuss with them the interest problem that was in my head. Some of my teachers would be like, ‘Are you silly? Go to Cambridge!'” he explains.
Even within the Muslim community, he faced a backlash, with peers saying that the UK student loan system did not constitute riba, framing it merely as a graduate tax.
“Some would say that interest is allowed, that riba is [only] excessive interest, whereas some sort of interest on things like the university loan is not prohibited,” he said.
To soften the blow for his baffled teachers and peers, he deferred his Cambridge offer as a “safety net”. Internally, however he had made his decision. By the end of his first year at JLR, studying at Warwick without a penny of debt, he emailed Cambridge to reject his offer.
He now spends his spare time mentoring sixth-formers for free, helping with applications, mock interviews and assessments. His goal is to prove that young Muslims don’t have to choose between their faith and their future.
For Marafie El-Hussain, 22, the path was less straightforward. After securing a place to study maths at Queen Mary University of London, she initially took out a loan.
However, this changed when she joined the Islamic Finance Society at university and took an Islamic finance advisory course.
As she learnt more about the concept of interest and Islam’s position on it, she stopped taking out a loan in her second year.
‘’Once I let my parents know that I didn’t know if taking a loan was something I wanted to carry on doing, they were quite open to exploring other options.’’
She was able to continue her studies with financial support from her parents as well as part-time jobs, bypassing the need for a loan. However, she is still sympathetic to those who are reliant on them.
“Islam allows for exceptions in cases of necessity. It becomes a lot more about what is necessary for a person. Everyone makes their own judgment based on their circumstances,” she says.
Now serving as co-president of her university’s Islamic Finance Society, as well as interning at Islamic Finance Guru, a leading Islamic finance hub, she has been able to think more about the alternatives people should take before taking out loans.
She does, however, strongly advise against Muslims completely withdrawing from higher education, due to financial worries.
“If as Muslims we boycott universities, then realistically that leaves a lot of us working retail or low-paying jobs,” she explains.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “We are committed to introducing a system that enables all students to access higher education in a fair way, regardless of their beliefs.
“This reform will follow the January 2027 launch of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. Once the new flexible loan framework is in place, our priority will be introducing the ASF scheme to ensure inclusive financial support for every student who needs it.”
Source: inews.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/student-loans-forcing-muslims-religious-dilemma-university-4364021?ITO=newsnow
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West London Islamic school ‘puts pupils at significant risk of harm', report finds
23 Apr 2026
A west London primary school is putting pupils at “significant risk of harm”, Ofsted has concluded.
Suffah Primary School, on Wellington Road in south Hounslow is an Islamic independent day school. The main primary area is situated on the first floor of the Hounslow Jamia Masjid & Islamic Centre, which is also the school’s proprietor.
At the time of the inspection, which took place in January 2026, the school had 92 pupils, operating at around half of its capacity of 186 pupils. The school charges an annual fee of £4,200 per pupil, and provides all of its education in-house.
The education watchdog found that the school’s approach to safeguarding is ineffective, due to a lack of leadership oversight and inadequate administrative systems.
The report states that whilst the newly formed safeguarding team has received appropriate training, the proprietor has “not provided sufficient support” to ensure that the leaders with responsibility for safeguarding have acted on the priorities for improvement swiftly.
Inspectors said three areas assessed “need attention” while four others were graded as requiring “urgent improvement”.
The inspection found that “leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding” which “puts pupils at significant risk of harm”. The report states that the Hounslow Jamia Masjid & Islamic Centre, as the school’s proprietor, has failed to ensure that staff are “vigilant to the sign of a pupil being at risk”.
Academic concerns such as “the teaching of phonics [being] disjointed” was raised. Inspectors found that assessment practices are “inconsistent”, which means gaps in pupils’ learning are “not identified or addressed quickly enough”. As a result, older pupils “lack the depth of subject knowledge and the essential skills… needed for a smooth transition into secondary learning”.
Ofsted added: “Leaders, including the proprietor, do not have a clear understanding of the priorities for improvement in the school’s curriculum or how it should be delivered.”
Inspectors found that pupils feel safe in school, and that adults in school care for them and will help them if they have any worries. The school is “generally calm” and “incidents of bullying or any discriminatory behaviour rarely happen”, the report adds.
However, despite having established systems to monitor attendance and follow up on absences, school leaders’ analysis of attendance at a group or school level is “not sufficiently developed” to identify broader patterns or trends. This means the chance for early intervention and results in some pupils being absent from school too often is limited.
When it comes to supporting vulnerable students, Ofsted says the school falls short because “leaders have not ensured that staff have the training and expertise so that they know how to meet pupils’ individual needs”.
While leaders are making improvements to the provision for pupils with SEND, there is limited consideration of other barriers to learning and wellbeing that pupils may face, such as disadvantage and/or vulnerability due to their specific circumstances.
The early years program has a contrast between its indoor and outdoor environments. The indoor classrooms are praised as “pleasant, purposeful and well-organised learning spaces”.
However, the outdoor provision fails to meet legal requirements. Inspectors said: “Recent construction on the area previously being developed for the early years outdoor provision has severely limited children’s learning opportunities.”
The report also states that “the proprietor has not ensured that the independent school standards are consistently and securely met across all aspects of the school’s work”. Despite some recent changes in interim leadership, essential actions have not been implemented with urgency, they said.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted the school for comment.
A statement from the governors said: “Our priority is, and always will be, the children. The recent Ofsted inspection reflects what we see every day: children who are safe, supported, and happy in their school environment.
“This remains our greatest measure of success. The inspection identified areas for improvement that we were already fully aware of and actively addressing.
“Like many schools across London and the wider country, we have faced challenges; what matters is how those challenges are managed. In our case, the findings align with a clear and established school improvement plan already in progress, which Ofsted itself acknowledged.”
They added: “For the school, our focus remains on working closely with Hounslow Council and safeguarding partners to ensure strong oversight and the highest standards of care for every child. We are also entering a new and positive phase of development, supported by an organisation with a proven record of strong Ofsted outcomes.
“This represents a confident step forward in strengthening leadership and securing long-term success for our pupils.”
Ofsted provided a series of steps the school should take to improve, including improving safeguarding oversight, teacher training and improving the outdoor area. Ofsted also advised redesigning the curriculum, improving phonics teaching and tackling absences.
Source: standard.co.uk
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https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/west-london-islamic-school-ofsted-report-b1279601.html
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Landlords caught advertising for ‘Muslim only’ tenants
23 Apr 2026
A national newspaper investigation has revealed landlords in London advertising rentals for “Muslims or Hindus only”.
The Daily Telegraph found ads on Facebook and Gumtree, and one on an official estate agency website, with a “Muslims preferred” condition taken out.
Listings were also discovered on messaging app Telegram, with stipulations including Punjabi and Gujarati speakers, or potential tenants from Indian states Kerala or Haryana.
A company called Roshan Properties advertised dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy”, “one double room is available for Muslims” and “suitable for Punjabi boy”.
BREACH ACT
The adverts would appear to breach the Equality Act 2010, and Facebook took a page down after being alerted by the Telegraph.
The rentals are being advertised in different parts of London, including Ilford, Newham, Barking, Dagenham, East Ham, Redbridge, Walthamstow, Upton Park, Harrow and Newbury Park.
Some landlords were contacted by the Telegraph directly and did not deny that they were advertising for Muslims only.
CLEAR POLICIES
A spokesman for Gumtree told The Neg: “Gumtree has clear policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination, and we take reports of inappropriate listings very seriously.
“The ads referenced appear to relate to private rooms within shared homes, where existing occupants may express preferences about who they live with. This is different from renting out an entire property, which is subject to stricter rules under the Equality Act.”
Roshan Properties was approached by the Telegraph.
Under the Renters’ Rights Act, which comes into force next month, it will be illegal to discriminate against tenants with children or those in receipt of benefits.
Source: thenegotiator.co.uk
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https://thenegotiator.co.uk/news/marketing-news/landlords-caught-advertising-for-muslim-only-tenants/
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Football clubs thanked after trolls targeted Ramadan meal
22 APRIL 2026
The decision by two Scottish football clubs to host a communal meal during Ramadan last year wasn’t fully approved by some fans.
Both Motherwell and Rangers, posted footage on their official social media platforms, of attendees breaking fast and praying inside their respective stadiums.
There was concern amongst organisers, the Well Foundation and the Scottish Asian Business Chamber, that the clubs could be deterred from further engagement due to the online backlash.
However, it was the response to the trolls from senior figures at Fir Park and Ibrox, that reassured them of their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Fahim Baqir, chair of the Well Foundation said “Both Dawn Middleton (CEO of Motherwell Football Club Community Trust) and Patrick Stewart (former Chief Executive Officer at Rangers) told us that they would be expecting a [negative] reaction, but they wouldn’t be intimidated by it.
“They recognised that Scotland has become more diverse and that they can’t solely rely on their traditional fan base for growth. There are other sections of society, some literally on their doorstep, which they can build relationships and a future with.
“I personally know of people who live within walking distance of both grounds, but the Ramadan event was the first time they had been there.
"Some of the ‘traditional’ supporters may not feel comfortable at such outreach work, and I appreciate Rangers are now under new ownership, but both clubs say they are committed to the opportunities that come by engaging with different communities.”
He added: “I’m a Rangers supporter so some will accuse me of being biased but they have gone above and beyond when it comes to partnering with ourselves.
"We hold regular sessions with their coaches at Ravenscraig, which on average attracts 140 participants aged between 5-14. We have also held session at the Rangers Training Centre.
“We were given tickets to attend home games and some of our youngsters were flagbearers in a European game against Braga November (2025). We also arranged for Syrian refugee families to visit Ibrox. For many it’s an experience of a lifetime.
“Last year it was the Well Foundation that presented Lennon Miller with the Management Player of the Year awards at Motherwell’s end of season awards.”
Following on from last year's success, Motherwell hosted an Iftar last month.
Baqir is looking to forge new relationships with other sporting institutions with the aim opening doors for underrepresented groups.
He continued: “I recently attended the Scottish Sports Awards and was approached by various organisations, who were keen to discuss views on attracting a different demographic, as well as tapping into talent that can be nurtured to create the next generation of athletes. I’m intending to follow up on such discussions as well as reach out the to the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Rugby.
“The Commonwealth Games are due to be held in Glasgow and Scotland are at the World Cup, so it’s an exciting time to get involved, whether that be volunteering, attending or watching with family and friends on the TV.”
Baqir acknowledges some parents will be reluctant for their children to participate in sporting activities, given the experiences of two Asian cricketers, with Cricket Scotland found to be institutionally racist.
In November last year the Well Foundation was awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a volunteer group can receive in the UK.
Other examples of faith-based and ethnic minority charities partnering up with a football club include the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society and Nepal Scotland Foundation, who work alongside the Hibernian Community Foundation.
Source: asianimage.co.uk
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https://www.asianimage.co.uk/sport/26044332.football-club-thanked-trolls-target-ramadan-meal/
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Leicester man allegedly urged terrorist attack over cartoon ‘mocking Muslims’
Dylan Hayward
22 Apr 2026
A Leicester man allegedly encouraged a repeat of a deadly terror attack on a French newspaper over a cartoon which was reportedly “mocking Muslims in Gaza”.
Majid Freeman, who is also known as Majid Novsarka, allegedly shared the drawing published by French paper Liberation on March 11 2024 via his X account – which had more than 58,000 followers at the time, a trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard.
In that same post, the 37-year-old referred to the terrorist attack against French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo - a 2015 attack which was carried out in retaliation for the newspaper's irreverent caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
Freeman allegedly posted about the cartoon again the following day on Instagram, saying: "France's left-wing newspaper Liberation published a cartoon mocking Muslims fasting in Gaza, who are being starved to death by Israel in Ramadan..."
Prosecutor Tom Williams, opening the trial on Wednesday (April 22), said: "The defendant's Instagram post shows a larger version of the cartoon, with a Muslim man in Gaza chasing two rats and being told by a woman with a child sitting next to her not to do so 'before sunset', as Ramadan has begun, the 'start of a month of fasting'."
Mr Williams added: "The defendant identifies a cartoon in a French newspaper which is arguably offensive to Muslims, and in the same post, he identifies that when Charlie Hebdo did the same thing almost 10 years before, people who worked at the magazine were shot and killed.
"What did he want his followers to take from his Twitter post? He wanted them, the prosecution suggest, to do the same.
"There is, if you think about it, no other sensible explanation for deliberately putting these two things in exactly the same post."
Mr Williams told the court that the post on X included a video of the attack "showing the two killers firing their weapons, dressed all in black, at one point shouting something about 'the prophet Mohammed', and then driving off in a black car."
Jurors were told Freeman's X account had 58,500 followers at the time of the alleged offence, which made him "somebody with significant influence online".
Freeman, who prosecutors allege has been a supporter of Hamas since at least May 2021, is also accused of inviting support for the proscribed organisation in posts and messages on Twitter, Instagram and Telegram.
Jurors were provided with a timeline which contained more than 200 entries, including a link the defendant allegedly shared on a WhatsApp group in December 2023 which led to a Hamas recruitment post.
In another post dated December 31 2023, Freeman allegedly shared a video of Hamas firing rockets at Tel Aviv saying "Happy new year from Hamas to Israel".
The video itself seems to have come from Hamas, Mr Williams told jurors.
Freeman was arrested on July 9 2024 by police officers from Counter Terrorism East Midlands at his home address in Leicester.
He was interviewed under caution but made no comments, the court heard.
He denies one count of encouraging terrorism under section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006, one count of inviting support for Hamas under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and a third alternative count of expressing support for a proscribed organisation.
The Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack on January 7 2015 took place at the offices of the magazine in Paris, where 12 people, including some of France's most beloved cartoonists, were shot dead.
The massacre was carried out by two brothers claiming allegiance to al Qaida and signalled the beginning of a wave of extremist violence in France, culminating in the co-ordinated November 2015 attacks and the Bataclan atrocity.
Source: leicestermercury.co.uk
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https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-man-allegedly-urged-terrorist-10929813
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PM's ex-chief of staff to give evidence on Mandelson vetting
23 Apr 2026
Kate Whannel
The prime minister's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney will give evidence to MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee next week about his role in the security vetting of Lord Mandelson.
McSweeney, who advised the prime minister to appoint Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US, is likely to face questions about whether he put pressure on civil servants to speed up the vetting.
It comes after former senior Foreign Office civil servant Sir Olly Robbins accused No 10 of a "dismissive" attitude towards the process - a claim Downing Street has denied.
Cat Little, the most senior civil servant at the Cabinet Office, will appear before the committee on Thursday.
Last week, Little told Sir Keir Starmer that the UK Security and Vetting (UKSV) team had raised concerns about Lord Mandelson, but the Foreign Office had still granted him security clearance.
Committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry has said the Foreign Office's Chief Property and Security Officer Ian Collard and former Foreign Office top civil servant Sir Philip Barton have also been asked to give evidence.
The prime minister effectively sacked Sir Olly last week, expressing anger that the Foreign Office had not told him that Lord Mandelson failed security vetting.
Giving his version of events to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Sir Olly said he had not seen UKSV documents but had, in an oral briefing, been told that Lord Mandelson's case was "borderline" and the risks could potentially be managed.
He added that under civil service guidance he would not have been allowed to tell the prime minister about details of the vetting, only his final decision on the case.
Sir Olly also said that his department faced "an atmosphere of pressure" over completing the process to clear Lord Mandelson to start his new role in Washington.
Seven months after starting the position, Lord Mandelson was sacked due to his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir faced criticism for giving Lord Mandelson the role and in February, McSweeney quit his Downing Street job, saying he took "full responsibility" for advising the PM to make the appointment.
The row over Lord Mandelson's vetting has re-ignited questions among Labour MPs about Sir Keir's judgement and leadership.
Speaking to GB News, Labour MP Jonathan Brash, said: "Ultimately, we are in a situation where I don't think anyone reasonably expects the prime minister to lead the party into the next election and I think we have to refocus this government on the priorities of the British people."
Defending his actions at Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said that if the Foreign Office had told him about the vetting concerns "Mandelson would not have been committed to post."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Olly had been "sacked for the prime minister's own failings" and that his own MPs "know that is not fair".
Expressing a similar sentiment, Reform leader Nigel Farage said Sir Olly Robbins was "the fall guy for Sir Keir Starmer".
Speaking to broadcasters in Barnsley, he said it "does seem that whether it's Morgan McSweeney or Olly Robins this Prime Minister sacks everybody around him and never takes the blame for anything".
Some former senior civil servants have expressed concern that Sir Olly's sacking will damage relations between ministers and the civil service.
Lord Butler, who led the service between 1988 and 1998, told the BBC's World at One, he thought it had done "a great deal of harm".
"Things work better, obviously, when politicians and civil servants work together harmoniously with mutual respect in the national interest... this is an episode which will make this more difficult."
Asked about the sacking, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told BBC Newsnight: "This situation is going to really damage trust between officials and ministers and I think that means that everything becomes slower and harder.
"If there's a breakdown of trust between the political teams and the civil service teams, that just makes everything harder and slower which is again damaging to our ability to get things done."
Asked whether he was sympathetic to the prime minister's argument that he did not know about the outcome of Lord Mandelson's security vetting, Sunak said "it would be wrong for me to be sitting here, in the role that I've had, to rush to a judgement".
Source: bbc.com
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Belgium’s defense chief stands by €50 million drone scare
22 Apr, 2026
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has defended the costly drone scare, which cost some €50 million (some $ 58.5 million) in emergency spending, and offered a lackluster apology for personally disseminating images purporting to picture the UAVs, which turned out to be false.
The drone craze gripped the country, as well as several other EU nations, late last year with numerous sightings of mysterious UAVs reported from military and critical infrastructure sites. The Belgian government declared an emergency situation over the sightings and swiftly allocated €50 million for anti-drone procurement.
The scare prompted allegations of Russian involvement, yet no evidence to back up such claims, as well as to prove the very existence of the elusive aircraft, has ever emerged. Moscow at the time dismissed the “drone hysteria” as paranoia.
The drone affair was explored by VRT News’ program Pano, which reignited the controversy over the drones and the government’s handling of the crisis. According to the documentary, in several instances the alleged UAVs turned out to be police helicopters. The investigation also raised questions over emergency spending, pointing at inflated pricing allegations in multi-million contracts awarded without any due public tender process.
Francken was grilled over Pano’s revelations on Wednesday in Parliament’s Defense Select Committee. The minister defended the handling of the scare, yet acknowledged that many of the more than 550 reported sightings turned out to be false.
The defense chief cited findings by the country’s military intelligence, which claimed that at least 42 out of 250 drone sightings over military barracks were legitimate. While no physical evidence has been collected, there was “no other plausible explanation than a drone” for them, he claimed.
“Anyone who claims today that there were no drones is therefore ignoring the findings of our own intelligence service. And let’s be honest: as long as you don’t have the means to detect and neutralize drones, it stands to reason that you cannot immediately produce physical evidence,” Francken said.
The minister also offered a lackluster apology for his role in fueling the scare, admitting it had been “painful” that he personally circulated images of alleged drones that turned out to be false. In particular, Francken disseminated an image of an aircraft above Brussels Airport, which turned out to be a police helicopter.
Source: rt.com
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North America
CAIR-Houston Welcomes Removal of Houston Police Officer Over Racist N-Word Rant
April 22, 2026
The Houston office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) today welcomed reports that a Houston police officer has been removed from duty following the circulation of a video allegedly showing the officer engaged in a rant in which she repeatedly used the “N-Word” and racial slurs.
In a statement, CAIR-Houston Operations Director Imran Ghani said:
“We welcome the swift action taken in removing this officer from duty pending further investigation. Incidents like this undermine public trust and highlight the urgent need for continued accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform within law enforcement agencies.”
He added that Washington, D.C., based CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Source: cair.com
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CAIR-MI Welcomes Charges for Neo-Nazi Vandalism in Sterling Heights
April 22, 2026
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the filing of charges against two individuals accused of spray-painting Nazi swastikas and neo-Nazi phrases in multiple locations in Sterling Heights.
According to local reports, the suspects allegedly spray-painted the swastikas, the number 88 (neo-Nazi shorthand for “Heil Hitler”), “National Socialism is the way,” and “HEIL,” on a fence.
In a statement, CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid said:
“We welcome the filing of charges in this case and commend law enforcement for taking these disturbing incidents seriously. Hate crimes and the promotion of hate-filled ideologies must be met with accountability to send a clear message that bigotry and intimidation have no place in our communities.”
Earlier this month, CAIR-MI welcomed the filing of a hate crime charge against a man accused of directing a racist tirade targeting a Black woman last month at an Aldi in Cascade Township.
He said Washington, D.C., based CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
Last week, CAIR-MI condemned the reported racist vandalism of a biracial couple’s home in Brown City.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-mi-welcomes-charges-for-neo-nazi-vandalism-in-sterling-heights/
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2 people critically injured, 3 firefighters injured in Mott Haven mosque fire
Apr 22, 2026
The FDNY says five people were injured, including three firefighters, after a fire broke out inside a mosque in Mott Haven.
Firefighters responded to 677 Elton Ave. just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Investigators say the building is a commercial space and a place of worship.
Two people suffered serious injuries, and three firefighters suffered minor injuries. They were all taken to hospitals.
Source: news12.com
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https://bronx.news12.com/2-people-critically-injured-3-firefighters-injured-in-mott-haven-mosque-fire
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Trump creates NATO ‘naughty’ list – Politico
22 Apr, 2026
The White House has reportedly drawn up a NATO “naughty and nice” list, sorting member states into tiers as it considers how to reward countries that backed the US war against Iran and punish those that did not.
According to Politico, the internal paper was prepared ahead of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s recent trip to Washington. It reportedly lays out members’ contributions to the bloc and appears to reflect Pentagon rhetoric about “model allies” deserving “special favor,” while others face “consequences.”
The administration has not publicly spelled out what punishments are on the table. But officials cited by Politico said options could include shifting troops, scaling back exercises, or redirecting military cooperation away from “bad” members and toward more obedient ones.
That could benefit countries such as Poland and Romania, both seen as being in Trump’s good graces. Poland already hosts around 10,000 US troops, while Romania’s expanded Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base has been singled out as a potential site that could take more American forces.
For years, Trump has berated European NATO members for allegedly not paying enough for their own “defense,” even as they poured billions upon billions into arming, financing, and sustaining Kiev in its conflict with Russia. At the same time, many of those same governments have invoked the specter of a looming Russian threat to justify fresh militarization and bigger military budgets.
Now the split has widened over Iran. Spain was among the clearest holdouts, while Britain and France were also reported to have rejected or stalled US requests for support. Other states, including Romania and Bulgaria, were portrayed as more helpful with regards to basing or logistics.
In practice, the reported “naughty list” could give Trump another way to hollow out NATO without formally quitting it and turn the treaty into a more openly transactional arrangement.
Trump has made little secret of his contempt for members he sees as freeloaders or cowards. Earlier this month, he blasted NATO over its reluctance to join the Iran fight, while Rutte again found himself trying to smooth things over after already being ridiculed for calling Trump “Daddy.”
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/638949-trump-nato-naughty-list/
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US Navy secretary abruptly ‘departing’ amid Iran blockade
22 Apr, 2026
US Navy Secretary John C. Phelan has stepped down in an abrupt move announced by the Pentagon without any public explanation or indication that his exit was linked to the naval blockade of Iran.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that Phelan was “departing the administration” at once and that Undersecretary Hung Cao would become acting secretary of the Navy.
“On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” Parnell said in the statement.
No reason for Phelan’s departure was included in the announcement, which was reposted without further comment by Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Phelan, a businessman and investor with no prior military service, was sworn in as the 79th secretary of the Navy on March 25, 2025, after being nominated by President Donald Trump. He had overseen the Department of the Navy for just over a year.
The sudden personnel change comes at a sensitive moment for US naval operations in the Middle East, where Washington is maintaining a blockade on Iranian ports. The confrontation in and around the Strait of Hormuz remains active despite an extended ceasefire and stalled diplomacy.
The post is not directly responsible for authorizing combat operations, which under US law flow through the president, the defense secretary and the relevant combatant commander. But the Navy secretary oversees the Department of the Navy’s core affairs, meaning Phelan would likely have been involved in readiness, deployments and policy execution during the standoff with Iran.
Cao, who had been serving as undersecretary of the Navy, will now take over in an acting capacity. Phelan had previously praised him as a key part of the department’s effort to rebuild the “warrior ethos” and improve quality of service across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Phelan’s departure also comes just weeks after Hegseth forced out Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and two other senior Army generals in a separate Pentagon shake-up.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/638947-us-navy-secretary-steps-down/
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CAIR-NJ Visits Capitol Hill for National Muslim Days of Advocacy
April 22, 2026
The New Jersey?Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, along with Young Muslims (YM) led a delegation of nearly 100 constituents from New Jersey to Capitol Hill for the 11th Annual #MuslimHillDay.
Every year, CAIR-NJ, as part of the broader United States Council of Muslim Organizations, meets with House and Senate offices to advocate for ways to strengthen and protect Muslim American communities. This year, the New Jersey delegation met with 8 of our elected Representatives’ and Senators’ offices to ask them to:
Oppose the anti-Muslim Caucus and discriminatory legislation;
Defend free speech, and protect immigrant communities;
End endless wars and reassert congressional war powers.
In a statement, Naureen Akhter, Public Affairs Director for CAIR-NJ, said:
“While on the Hill, one of our 15-year-old advocates was told to go back home – highlighting the type of Islamophobia our community experiences every day. We urged our elected officials to lead the fight against Islamophobia, protect our constitutionally guaranteed right to protest, and to use their Congressional authority to end the war in Iran and stop further arms transfers to Israel. We were happy to have met with 8 of our elected officials and/or staff. We encourage Representatives Norcross, Gottheimer, Smith, Van Drew and Kean Jr. to meet with their constituents to better understand the challenges we face every day.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-nj-visits-capitol-hill-for-national-muslim-days-of-advocacy/
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CAIR-SFBA Welcomes City of Colma Decision to Cancel Israeli Flag Raising, Urges Withdrawal of Proclamation
April 22, 2026
The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the city of Colma’s decision to cancel a planned Israeli flag raising ceremony, while urging city officials to take the additional step of rescinding a proclamation recognizing “Israeli Independence Day,” which falls on April 22 this year.
CAIR-SFBA, along with International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Palestinian Youth Movement, Peninsula for Palestine, San Bruno for Palestine, and others, had raised concerns about the impact of the planned ceremony and proclamation on members of the local community, particularly Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim residents.
“We welcome the city of Colma’s decision to cancel the flag raising ceremony and appreciate the city’s responsiveness to community concerns,” said CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo. “At the same time, cancelling the ceremony without withdrawing the proclamation leaves in place an official action that many in the community experience as deeply harmful. We urge the city to take this final step.”
While the date is commemorated by some as a celebration, it also marks the Nakba (catastrophe in Arabic) for Palestinians, referring to the mass displacement and dispossession that began in 1948. For many, that history remains unresolved and continues to be experienced in the context of ongoing violence and what numerous human rights organizations have described as genocide in Gaza.
CAIR-SFBA noted that local government actions carry significant weight and can impact how residents experience inclusion and belonging in their communities.
“Decisions like this should bring communities together, not deepen division,”Billoo added. “We encourage the city to engage with affected community members and ensure that future actions reflect the full diversity and lived experiences of its residents.”
CAIR-SFBA calls on the Colma City Council members to rescind the proclamation and to engage in dialogue with impacted communities before taking similar actions in the future.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-sfba-welcomes-city-of-colma-decision-to-cancel-israeli-flag-raising-urges-withdrawal-of-proclamation/
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Southeast Asia
ABIM demands systemic reform for Muslim fund management
23 Apr 2026
ABIM calls for urgent reforms in Muslim fund management, proposing a dedicated oversight body and technological tracking to prevent misuse and restore public trust.
KUALA LUMPUR: Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) has called for urgent systemic reforms in the management of Muslim funds. The organisation emphasised the need to expedite the establishment of a dedicated oversight body like a Charity Commission Malaysia.
ABIM president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin said such steps are vital to ensure charities operate with the highest transparency and integrity. He stated the oversight body must be backed by technology to track fund flows and more consistent audits.
“ABIM takes seriously reports of arrests linked to alleged large-scale zakat fund misuse,” he said in a statement. He warned these developments signal deeper flaws in managing public trusts and community funds.
“Flaws in internal controls, patchy oversight and inconsistent standards leave the door open to abuse. Fail to fix them, and these risks will keep recurring,” he added. Ahmad Fahmi suggested aligning cross-state fundraising with clearer, uniform guidelines.
He stressed that gazetting and consistent monitoring are about protecting public trust. The goal is to ensure aid reaches those who genuinely need it.
“Managing community funds like zakat isn’t just about money, it’s about trust and the lives of those in need,” he said. He argued that when funds leak, the harm hits public confidence and the intended beneficiaries.
“Integrity goes beyond ticking procedural boxes; it’s about core values and responsibility,” Ahmad Fahmi stated. He called for strengthening a culture of trust and accountability at every level of fund management.
He also reaffirmed ABIM’s full support for authorities’ investigations to ensure justice is upheld. All parties should be given space for transparent and professional investigations, he said.
“But if misuse is proven, firm action must follow, as it involves public trust that cannot be taken lightly,” he added. ABIM remains committed to transparent and accountable governance in all charity work.
The group asserts that public trust is the bedrock of humanitarian efforts and must be protected with complete integrity.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/abim-demands-systemic-reform-for-muslim-fund-management/
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Private-Sector Bloc Targets $9.5 Trillion Halal Market by 2030
Faisal Maliki Baskoro
April 22, 2026
Jakarta. A private-sector alliance linking Muslim-majority economies is stepping up efforts to tap the fast-growing global halal industry, targeting a market projected to reach $9.5 trillion (Rp 163 quadrillion) by 2030, as B57+ Asia Pacific Regional Chapter positions Indonesia at the center of that push.
The initiative, backed by business leaders and policymakers, aims to strengthen trade, investment, and cross-border collaboration among the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and beyond, amid rising geopolitical fragmentation.
Speaking at a business forum in Jakarta on Wednesday, Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said the launch of the Asia-Pacific chapter earlier this year marked a key milestone in building a private-sector platform capable of connecting Islamic economies.
“I am optimistic that this form of Islamic economic multilateralism can respond to global challenges, drawing from past crisis experience,” he said.
The halal economy, once largely associated with religious compliance, is increasingly being viewed as a mainstream global industry spanning food, finance, cosmetics, and lifestyle sectors. Its value is estimated to exceed $3 trillion in 2026, indicating strong demand across both Muslim and non-Muslim markets.
Arsjad Rasjid, chairman of the B57+ Asia Pacific Regional Chapter, said the bloc aims to translate that potential into tangible economic gains through structured collaboration.
“In a world of uncertainties, building trust and economic cooperation is more important than ever. The halal economy is one of the most ready and promising markets,” he said.
Arsjad added that while the sector’s growth cuts across religion, culture and geography, unlocking its full value will require stronger institutional frameworks and more integrated supply chains.
“Our mission is simple but ambitious: to turn collective strength into shared prosperity through trade, investment and real business connectivity,” he said.
As part of its regional strategy, the group plans to expand its footprint beyond OIC countries by establishing representative offices in non-member markets, including Southeast Asian economies such as Vietnam, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The move signals a broader push to position halal standards as a global benchmark for quality and integrity.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, is seeking to leverage its domestic market and policy support to become a leading hub for halal production and trade. Officials say the country’s role will be critical in driving productivity and scaling up the sector globally.
Eka Sastra, secretary-general of B57+ Indonesia, said achieving that ambition will require coordinated efforts across governments, businesses and international partners.
“This is not something we can do alone. Collaboration is essential to turn this potential into real economic benefits,” he said.
The B57+ platform operates under the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development and is designed to bridge policy and business, focusing on boosting intra-OIC trade, expanding cross-border investment and developing practical economic frameworks.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
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https://jakartaglobe.id/business/privatesector-bloc-targets-95-trillion-halal-market-by-2030
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Tuanku Muhriz urges leaders to base decisions on facts, not emotions
23 Apr 2026
The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan has called on state leaders to ensure all decisions are fact-based and guided by established laws, warning against actions driven by personal emotion.
SEREMBAN: YANG Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir has issued a firm reminder to state leaders.
He stressed that all decisions and actions must be based on a thorough evaluation of facts and relevant information.
His Royal Highness said actions must be guided by established rules and laws. He delivered this message at the opening of the First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the 15th State Legislative Assembly at Wisma Negeri.
“Decisions or actions must never be influenced solely by personal desires or emotions,” Tuanku Muhriz stated in his royal address. He warned that failure to adhere to these principles could undermine administrative integrity and the state’s wellbeing.
The ruler’s remarks were directed at individuals entrusted with high office. He emphasised the significant responsibilities that accompany such positions.
Tuanku Muhriz also offered advice to the general public. He urged that comments on issues be made with a strong sense of responsibility and thorough understanding.
“Do not be quick to believe or disseminate information without proper investigation and verification,” he cautioned. He stated that rash information sharing could have adverse effects on society and the state.
Addressing global economic challenges, His Royal Highness said the state government must stay focused. He emphasised implementing projects that deliver tangible benefits to the people.
All leaders share the responsibility of guiding the state towards unity, prosperity and wellbeing. He reminded them that their actions are closely observed by the people.
“In today’s borderless digital world, everything you do is easily known,” Tuanku Muhriz noted. The Tunku Ampuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud, was also in attendance.
The ruler further advised all state assemblymen to conduct debates rationally and intellectually. He said arguments should be constructive and aimed at addressing the people’s concerns.
They were also reminded to uphold, protect and defend both the Federal and State Constitutions. Tuanku Muhriz instructed them to adhere to the Standing Orders throughout the assembly proceedings.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/tuanku-muhriz-urges-leaders-to-base-decisions-on-facts-not-emotions/
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Sultan Ibrahim to personally oversee appointment of new MACC chief
23 Apr 2026
King to personally select new MACC chief, urges non political appointment for anti corruption agency leadership
PETALING JAYA: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia has decreed that he will take a direct role in selecting the next individual to lead the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The King stressed the gravity of the appointment, asserting that the selection process should remain free from political interference.
He stated that there is no requirement for any group or individual to politicise the transition.
Sultan Ibrahim highlighted that the leadership of the MACC is vital to the organisation’s mission, ensuring it remains the country’s pre-eminent body for tackling corruption, financial embezzlement and the misuse of authority.
“I will personally identify the most suitable candidate to lead the MACC moving forward,” His Majesty stated in an interview with the Royal Press Office (RPO) today.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/sultan-ibrahim-to-personally-oversee-appointment-of-new-macc-chief/
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Malaysian rights group joins legal push against Israeli officials
23 Apr 2026
A Malaysian human rights organisation has joined an international legal coalition to pursue accountability for alleged violations of international law by Israeli officials.
BRUSSELS: A Malaysian human rights organisation has joined an international legal coalition pursuing accountability for alleged violations of international law by Israeli officials.
The Centre for Human Rights Research and Advocacy signed a memorandum of understanding with several groups at the Global Sumud Parliamentary Congress.
The MoU establishes a framework for international legal cooperation aimed at prosecuting serious crimes. This initiative coincides with a legal complaint filed in France targeting Israeli officials over legislation introducing the death penalty for Palestinian detainees.
CENTHRA founder Azril Mohd Amin said the organisation’s participation focused on strengthening legal frameworks. He stated the coalitions are highly committed to legal action and have recently filed several criminal complaints.
He added that the efforts in Brussels opened opportunities to strengthen international networks among lawyers and activists. Azril expressed hope that a stronger network would make efforts to seek justice for Palestinians more successful and robust.
Azril also said CENTHRA would begin taking other forms of action to prosecute alleged crimes. He noted constraints in directly implementing the principle of universal jurisdiction in Malaysia.
“God willing, although we are not yet able to apply or implement the principle of universal jurisdiction directly in Malaysia due to certain constraints, Malaysia will begin by taking action to seek justice for Malaysian participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla who were detained and abducted in international waters,” he said.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/malaysian-rights-group-joins-legal-push-against-israeli-officials/
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Youth cabinet committee boosts youth role in national policy
23 Apr 2026
The Youth Development Cabinet Committee strengthens young people’s voice in national policy-making, with new programmes approved to enhance political literacy and data systems.
KUALA LUMPUR: The newly formed Youth Development Cabinet Committee (JKPB) is amplifying the voices of young Malaysians at the highest levels of government.
Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin, president of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), said the committee provides direct government access to youth input and insights.
He noted existing platforms like the National Youth Consultative Council already unite youth groups to elevate proposals.
“All motions and working papers presented by youth can be escalated to higher levels, allowing grassroots voices to be considered in government policies,” he said on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the JKPB has approved three key focus papers.
These papers centre on youth democracy, empowering youth as change agents, and strengthening data systems. Approved initiatives include the Young People Power Programme (KOM) and the Malaysia Generasi Sejahtera Programme (MyGENTERA).
A not in employment, education or training (NEET) youth profile will also be developed to strengthen the national youth development ecosystem. Commenting on the KOM programme, Ahmad Fahmi emphasised that political literacy extends beyond elections.
He said it shapes values like social concern and awareness of the impact of decisions. Ahmad Fahmi proposed creating more face-to-face discussion labs on national issues to channel youth ideas actively.
He believes democracy education should start early in schools to build an understanding of civic responsibility. Dr Mohd Fauzi Fadzil, a senior lecturer featured on the programme, said the cabinet-level committee could cut bureaucratic red tape.
He noted this approach previously made it difficult for youth voices to reach top policymakers. Mohd Fauzi stressed that involving various parties, including NGOs, contributes to a more inclusive and impartial process.
He also said political education must distinguish between teaching about politics and teaching to do politics. Mohd Fauzi emphasised that the focus should be on democracy, nationhood and the Federal Constitution.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/youth-cabinet-committee-boosts-youth-role-in-national-policy/
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Malaysia’s balanced West Asia stance wins US, Iran approval
23 Apr 2026
Malaysia’s impartial diplomatic stance on the West Asian conflict has been positively received by both Iran and the US, ensuring national interests are protected.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s balanced diplomatic position regarding the conflict in West Asia has been well received by most nations, including Iran and the United States.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated the country’s stance is also respected by Gulf Cooperation Council member countries.
He explained that Malaysia’s position is firmly based on the principles of international law and peace. The stance explicitly states that actions by Israel and the US contravene United Nations resolutions and violate international law.
“Although at the initial stage the GCC countries were quite worried about the stance, they are now clear that Malaysia’s stance is good,” he said during a keynote address.
Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia continues to strengthen diplomatic ties with Gulf nations, the US, and Iran despite challenging geopolitical developments. He emphasised that relations with Gulf countries remain cordial.
Malaysia also maintains its diplomatic and economic relations with the United States. The nation simultaneously continues its good relations with Iran.
This balanced approach has yielded practical benefits for Malaysia’s energy security. Ahmad Zahid highlighted the recent release of several Malaysian oil tankers that were blocked in the Strait of Hormuz.
“What is the result of our good relations with Iran? There are seven oil tankers that were unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz but thank God they have been released,” he stated.
He confirmed that although not all vessels have been freed, crucial oil supplies have now been delivered to Malaysia. The government hopes all seven ships will be released soon if the blockade is lifted.
Ahmad Zahid asserted that Malaysia’s impartial yet principled approach is the correct strategy. He said it ensures the country’s national interests continue to be preserved effectively.
The approach also strengthens Malaysia’s position among the nations directly involved in the conflict. It solidifies relationships with other friendly countries globally.
“So the step was the right step because relatively speaking, even though Malaysia is a small country, the stance and international relations are indeed a bold move,” he concluded.
Source: thesun.my
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