When Hindus Sang Praises Of Prophet Muhammad; From “La Illaha Il Allah’’ To “Nabi Nabi Nabi Nabi’’
New Age Islam News Bureau
12 October 2022
The hall of Islam Gymkhana
resonated with “wah wahs’’ as Alka ‘Sharar’ recited “Hamesha naam lab par ho
tumhara/ Ya Rasul Allaha at Naatiya Mushaira on Sunday. (Bhushan Koyande/ht
photo)
----
• Muslim Husband Who Marries another Woman Can’t Compel
First Wife to Live With Him: Allahabad High Court
• Radical Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir Insists On Enforcing
Islamic Law in Indonesia
• Council of Europe and Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe Official Concerned Over Rising Anti-Muslim Racism
• Intl. Rights Group Releases Shocking Report on Human
Rights Violations in Saudi Arabia
India
• Zakat is catalyst for change; helps Muslim students
secure jobs in IT industry
• How the BJP Is Banking on Gujjar-Pahari Politics to
Enter the Muslim Belt in Jammu
• Court Verdict on Plea for Carbon Dating 'Shivling'
At Gyanvapi Mosque On October 14
• Russian FSB to allow India access to detained IS
bomber
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Un-Islamic To Be Hostile To Followers Of Other
Religions, Says Selangor Sultan
• Prayers, release of birds to mark Bali bombing
anniversary
• Parliament was dissolved to prevent ‘disharmony’
after PN ministers objected to polls this year: Ismail Sabri
• Bar to oppose UK lawyer’s appeal to represent Najib
• Ex-council deputy president charged with 11 counts
of graft
--------
Europe
• UK Parliament Report Focuses on Afghan Economy under
Islamic Emirate
• Türkiye questions legitimacy, purpose of EU mission
off Libya's coast
• Turkish president receives Albanian premier for
talks
• Norway-based NGO supports Türkiye's stand against
militarization of Greek islands
--------
Arab
World
• Saudi FM Defends OPEC+ Decision, Says Ties with US
Are Strategic
• Iraq’s parliament to convene Thursday to elect
president, says speaker
• Maritime border deal between Lebanon, Israel marked
by compromises
• Iraqi Parliament to elect new president on Thursday
• Egypt seeks increased cooperation with WHO to
improve healthcare sector
--------
Mideast
• Hamas, Islamic Jihad Slam Israelis' Desecration of Qur’an
after Extremist Settlers Burn Muslim Holy Book
• ‘Act of Israeli Terrorism’: Al-Azhar University
Slams Settlers’ Burning Of Holy Quran
• Israeli soldier shot dead near settlement in West
Bank, army says
• Iran arrests alleged Mossad spy
• Iranian journalist who broke news on Mahsa Amini
pays heavy price
• Some 300 rights groups, civil organizations demand
immediate release of Palestinian prisoners
• Palestinian gunmen kill another Israeli trooper in
occupied West Bank
• Palestinian groups Fatah, Hamas meet in Algeria to
heal rift
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan, Saudi Arabia to Continue To Play Role in
Ummah's Betterment
• Swat schools shut to protest attack
• Pakistan's ousted PM Imran Khan booked for receiving
prohibited funding from abroad
• Pakistan has significant place in Muslim world: Dr
AI-Issa
• Rivals making ‘dirty videos’ to malign me: Imran
• Pakistan values UK’s balanced role in regional
affairs: Gen Bajwa
• Ample opportunities available to boost Pak-Iran
trade ties: SCCI chief
--------
South
Asia
• Human Rights Council Elections: Afghanistan, a
Prospective Member
• Taliban Kabul Municipality Closes Down Dozens of
Wedding Halls and Hotels
• US slaps more sanctions on Taliban over treatment of
women
• Islamic Emirate Leader Meets with Provincial
Intelligence Heads
• Bangladeshi minorities want justice for Catholic
politician
• Taliban Official Receives Honorary Doctorate Degree
--------
Africa
• Somalia: Lifting Arms Embargo Key to Battling
Islamist Militants
• Long petrol queues in Tunisia infuriates motorists
after promise of fuel deliveries
• Sheikh Zakzaky: Riyadh was involved in Zaria
massacre but only on US, UK orders
--------
North
America
• US Student Body Calls For Boycotting Israel over
Occupation of Palestine
• Biden Re-Evaluating Relationship with Saudi Arabia
after OPEC Decision On Oil Output: White House
• Biden hails Israel, Lebanon on maritime border deal
• US prosecutors drop all charges against Serial
podcast subject Adnan Syed
• Amendments to condition US sale of F-16s to Türkiye
removed from Senate defense bill
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindus-prophet-nabi-allah-naatiya-mushaira/d/128165
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When Hindus Sang Praises Of Prophet Muhammad; From “La
Illaha Il Allah’’ To “Nabi Nabi Nabi Nabi’’
The hall of Islam Gymkhana
resonated with “wah wahs’’ as Alka ‘Sharar’ recited “Hamesha naam lab par ho
tumhara/ Ya Rasul Allaha at Naatiya Mushaira on Sunday. (Bhushan Koyande/ht
photo)
----
Oct 10, 2022
By Jyoti Punwani
Mumbai: From “La Illaha Il Allah’’ to “Nabi Nabi Nabi
Nabi’’, the hall resounded with invocations to Prophet Muhammad on Saturday
evening. Not surprising, considering the venue was Islam Gymkhana and the
Naatiya Mushaira (Naat is a hymn in praise of the Prophet) was being held on
the eve of Eid-e-Milad, Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
What was unique about this event though, were the
participants. “La Illaha Il Allah’’ was a refrain in Richa Sinha’s Naat, and
“Nabi Nabi Nabi Nabi’’ was the chorus of Pandit Sagar Tripathi’s song. All nine
artistes on stage were Hindu and Tripathi, who anchored the Mushaira, made it a
point to mention that some were Brahmins.
While this Naatiya Mushaira was perhaps the first in
India to have only Hindu poets, the practice of Hindus writing Naats and other
Islamic genres of prayer is not new.
Farid Ahmed Khan, who had conceived of the programme,
mentioned names from the 18th century, and among the two inaugural Naats sung
by Anushka Nikam was the late award-winning Marathi ghazal writer Suresh Bhatt’s
“Akhercha aasara Muhammad’’.
Editor of ‘Hindustan Urdu Daily’ Sarfaraz Arzu,
praising this unique mushaira, hoped that “a whole hearted appreciation of this
dwindling tribe of non-Muslim poets who sing the praises of Prophet Muhammed,
would attract newer poets to this genre.’’
The Mushaira had both types of poets, the old and the
new. Anant Nandurkar ‘Khalish’ from Amravati, had composed a naat specially for
the occasion, as this was the first time he was reciting one on stage; at the
other end of the spectrum was Pandit Sagar Tripathi, the senior most of the
poets, who has recited naats in all Islamic countries including Saudi Arabia.
He had also, he told the audience, seen at close hand the clothes of Prophet
Muhammad as well as his sword, preserved in Istanbul.
The Mushaira was the penultimate programme of the
“Prophet for All’’ campaign that began on September 28 in the Islam Gymkhana,
aimed at removing misconceptions about Prophet Muhammad among non-Muslims, and
bringing the two communities closer. Coincidentally, “Mohammed Sab ke Liye’’ is
also the title of a book of naats by Pune’s Uddhav Mahajan ‘Bismil’ which was
released in 2018.
The hall resonated with “wah wahs’’ and
“subhanallahs’’ as a bindi-sporting Alka ‘Sharar’ recited “Hamesha Naam Lab Par
Ho Tumhara/ Ya Rasul Allah’’; Dr Laxman Sharma ‘Wahid’ sang: “Rab Ki Raza Bhi
Mere/ Nabi Ki Raza Mein Hai’’; Uddhav Mahajan ‘Bismil’, with his black prayer
topi, sang “Mujhse Madina Jaake/ Phir Aaya Na Jaayega’’ and Siddaarth Shandilya
tied a handkerchief over his head to recite: “Safina doob sakta hi nahin jab
nakhuda tum ho.”
The ugly controversies over Nupur Sharma,
loudspeakers, Navratri, all seemed part of another world as Anant Nandurkar
Khalish’s Naat spoke of the Azam spreading love and Sagar Tripathi repeated
throughout the programme: “Koi Bhi Paak Saaf Hindu Hai/ Woh Kabhi Dushmane
Rasul Nahin.”
Source: Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Muslim
Husband Who Marries another Woman Can’t Compel First Wife to Live With Him:
Allahabad High Court
Allahabad
High Court
----
Oct
12, 2022
The
Allahabad high court has observed that a Muslim man, who marries for the second
time against the wishes of his first wife, cannot seek a decree from any civil
court to compel her (the first wife) to live with him.
The
bench of Justices Surya Prakash Kesarwani and Rajendra Kumar, made this
observation while dealing with an appeal filed by a Muslim man challenging a
family court’s order dismissing his case for restitution of conjugal rights, on
Tuesday.
The
bench, while dismissing the plea, said as per the mandate of the Holy Quran a
man can marry up to four women but if he fears that he will not be able to deal
with them justly then can marry only one. “If a Muslim man is not capable of
fostering his wife and children, then as per the mandate of the Holy Quran, he
cannot marry another woman.”
The
court also opined that a Muslim husband has the legal right to take a second
wife even while the first marriage subsists. But if he does so, and then seeks
the assistance of a civil court to compel the first wife to live with him
against her wishes, she is entitled to raise the question of whether the court,
as a court of equity, ought to compel her to submit to co-habitation with such
a husband,” the judges said.
The
bench also observed that when the appellant has contracted the second marriage
suppressing this fact from his first wife, then such conduct of the plaintiff-appellant
amounts to cruelty to his first wife. “Under the circumstances, if the first
wife does not wish to live with her husband, then she cannot be compelled to go
with him in a suit filed by him for restitution of conjugal rights. If the
contention of the husband for grant of decree of conjugal rights is accepted,
then from the point of view of the wife, it would amount to breach of her
fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,”
it added.
Source: Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Radical
Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir Insists On Enforcing Islamic Law in Indonesia
Abu
Bakar Bashir (Kyodo)
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By
Rudy Madanir
Oct
11, 2022
A
radical Indonesian Muslim cleric, thought to be behind the 2002 terrorist
bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali, said in a recent
interview that he still believes Indonesia should implement Islamic law, vowing
to work to make it happen.
Abu
Bakar Bashir, 84, who was freed last year after serving time in a separate case
for funding a militant training camp, spoke with Kyodo News last month near
Solo on the main island of Java ahead of the bombings' 20th anniversary on
Wednesday.
Bashir
is the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant group to which
the perpetrators of the Bali attack belonged. The group is also linked to the
international terrorism network al-Qaida.
The
attack on Bali nightclubs crowded with foreign tourists killed 88 Australians,
the most among foreign nations. Two Japanese also died. Indonesia experienced a
slew of terror attacks in subsequent years, including the bombing of an upscale
hotel in Jakarta in 2003 that killed 12 people.
Days
after the Bali attack, Bashir was arrested over a separate case and later
imprisoned. After being released in 2004, he was sent to prison again in 2005
for conspiracy over the Bali bombings but was acquitted by the Supreme Court the
following year.
In
the interview, Bashir said the attack was wrong but that he believes three men
executed in 2008 for their involvement in the bombings had "good
intentions and purposes" because they were trying to "get rid of
sinful deeds" such as music and alcohol that go against Islamic law.
During
his trial over the bombings, Bashir was found to have given his blessing when
the plan was insinuated prior to the attack. The Supreme Court overturned the
determination, finding no orders given by the cleric or conspiracy involving
him.
Bashir
repeated in the interview that he is not a leader of Jemaah Islamiyah and never
ordered the attack.
About
Indonesia being a secular democracy and the world's most populous
Muslim-majority country, with more than 230 million adherents who primarily
practice a moderate form of Islam, Bashir rejected it as a mistake.
"What
we have to do now is work hard to make Indonesia implement Islamic law because
Indonesia is actually supposed to be an Islamic state. But successive governments
have not been willing to implement it," the cleric said.
"I
have sent two letters to the president after being released from prison,"
Bashir said, adding he plans to write more letters to President Joko Widodo to
urge him to accept his idea.
Bashir
said Indonesia partially implements Islamic law, such as through religious
affairs offices, which deal with Islamic marital registration. He called for
establishing an Islamic state, saying that is the only way to practice perfect
Islamic law.
Wearing
a white robe, the white-bearded Bashir still routinely leads an Islamic prayer
five times a day at a big mosque at the center of his Al-Mukmin Islamic school.
Despite
a worsening health condition, he forces himself to receive guests and walk
within the school complex and around his residence located inside the complex.
He uses a wooden stick and is aided by his son to walk.
The
school, which he founded, marked its 50th anniversary this year. It is attended
by hundreds of students coming from all over the country.
In
August, an association of school alumni, now numbering around 14,000, held an
Independence Day flag-raising ceremony in the school compound, attended by,
among others, members of the military and police, and government officials in
addition to some 600 students, Bashir said.
In
2011, Bashir was handed a 15-year jail term after being found guilty of funding
a terrorist training camp in the westernmost province of Aceh. He was released
in January last year after his sentence was shortened for good behavior.
Source: Kyodo News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Council
of Europe and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Official
Concerned Over Rising Anti-Muslim Racism
Photo:
aa.com
-----
Rabia
İclal Turan
11.10.2022
High
level officials from the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Tuesday agreed to take concrete
steps to combat rising anti-Muslim racism in Europe.
Daniel
Holtgen, CoE's special representative on antisemitic, anti-Muslim and other
forms of religious intolerance and hate crimes, held an online meeting with
Ismail Hakki Musa, the new personal representative of the OSCE
chairperson-in-office on combating intolerance and discrimination against
Muslims.
In
a tweet he posted following the meeting, Holtgen said they have observed a
worrying increase in racism against Muslims in Europe, similar to the rise in
antisemitism.
"The
Council of Europe and the OSCE are committed to stop the trend," he wrote.
In
a separate statement, Holtgen said he congratulated Musa on his appointment,
adding that they agreed to continue and build on the excellent relations
established with his predecessor, and exchanged views on freedom of religion
and belief, in particular anti-Muslim racism.
"We
both stressed the importance of civil society and engaging young people in
combatting all forms of intolerance," the statement said, adding that they
looked into "possible avenues of cooperation", such as establishing
best practices in "combatting anti-Muslim racism."
On
July 27, Turkish ambassador Musa was appointed by Poland, OSCE's 2022 chair, as
the personal representative of the OSCE chairmanship-in-office on combating
intolerance and discrimination against Muslims
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Intl.
Rights Group Releases Shocking Report on Human Rights Violations in Saudi
Arabia
This
picture shows a general view of the maximum-security al-Ha'ir Prison, located
approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (By
Reuters)
----
2022-October-11
The
European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) said in a report that
Saudi citizens are subject to all kinds of torture ever since they are arrested
on trumped-up charges, and the torments do not stop even after rulings are
passed and include the families and relatives of the detainees as well, presstv
reported.
The
group added that Saudi officials carry out various types of mental and physical
torture against the detainees who later face the death penalty. They are
severely beaten and forcibly disappeared for long periods of time during
detention.
ESOHR
went on to note that Saudi authorities make use of different methods of
physical torture, including electric shocks, sleep deprivation, beatings,
extraction of nails from fingers and/or toes, and hanging from the feet to
force the imprisoned activists into signing confessions.
The
human rights organization pointed to the case of Saudi teenager Mustafa
Al-Darwish, who was executed in June 2021 and was forced to sign a confession
under the threat of a retrial.
Apart
from physical torture, ESOHR has observed the employment of psychological
torture against a number of detainees, including threats to their families.
Haider
Al-Leif, a protester who was executed on April 23, 2019, was threatened that if
he did not sign the confession, his wife would be summoned to prison to divorce
him.
According
to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, detainees endure other
brutal measures such as deprivation of contact with their families and and
daily insults.
In
many cases, torture results in permanent disability, injury, pain, coma and
loss of consciousness. The prisoners are denied the right to medical treatment.
The
report added that Munir Al-Adam, a young man who was executed along with 36
other men on April 23, 2019, lost his hearing due to torture, and Abdullah
Al-Tarif, another young man who was executed in the same mass execution, was
tortured.
Torture
caused damage to his spinal vertebrae and deviation of his left eye, and other
parts of his body were also harmed.
Since
Mohammad bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom
has arrested hundreds of activists, bloggers, intellectuals and others for
their political activism, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in the
face of international condemnation of the crackdown.
Muslim
scholars have been executed and women’s rights campaigners have been put behind
bars and tortured as freedom of expression, association, and belief continue to
be denied by the kingdom's authorities.
Over
the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws to target
activism.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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India
Zakat
is catalyst for change; helps Muslim students secure jobs in IT industry
JS
Ifthekhar
11th
October 2022
Hyderabad:
Zakat for education is the buzzword these days. Using zakat funds to leverage
the prospects of deserving students has caught the imagination of funding
agencies. The Indian Muslim Relief and Charities (IMRC), US is one such agency
that has come forward to extend monetary support for the modern education of
community students with the zakat fund.
Zakat
forms one of the five basic tenets of Islam wherein every Muslim is enjoined to
pay 2.5 percent of his savings for the welfare of society.
Last
year the IMRC teamed up with the Hyderabad-based Full Stack Academy and reaped
a good dividend when 65 of the hundred engineering and B.Sc (Computers)
graduates landed plum jobs in top IT software companies. Buoyed by the success,
IMRC has now decided to provide IT skill development scholarships and job
placement to 100 zakat eligible students.
Thanks
to their financial literacy, IMRC and its Indian branch, Sahayata Trust, is
turning more frowns into smiles every day. They have succeeded to a great
extent in taking Muslim students from their comfort zone to the growth zone.
Over the years they have brought cheer into the lives of many poor and average
students in Telangana by throwing open doors of opportunities for them. IMRC
works to assess the needs of Muslims and minorities in poverty-stricken areas
of India and develops projects based on their needs.
Bushra
Nayyer of Hyderabad is all smiles at landing a job in Tata Consultancy
Services. “Training at the Full Stack Academy helped me gain confidence and
employability skills in my domain of interest,” she says.
Scores
of students from Telangana and other states like Syeda Arjuman, Baderul Islam,
Ameena Tabassum, Khaja Wasiq, Syed Gazanfar, Abdul Riaz, Ayesha Moiz, Saleema
Arshad have secured jobs in companies such as Value Labs, MSR Cosmos. TCS,
Skuad, Mindtree, Verizon, HCL, Infosys, Cognizant, Amazon. Most of them are now
drawing a decent salary package starting from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs. 7 lakh per
annum. “After just three months of training we could successfully crack the interview,”
the students say.
They
are unanimous in their views that the training provided by IMCR and Full Stack
Academy helped them overcome their diffidence, frustration and fear of
rejection and failure. They are grateful for receiving monetary help in time to
pursue their dream of securing a good job. A good number of students couldn’t
have afforded the fee for the IT skill development course but for the zakat
fund.
Of
late there is a growing trend and acceptance of using the zakat money to fund
modern education.
Normally
a major chunk of the zakat money is cornered by madrassas. In recent years
there is a demand in the community to use the zakat fund to facilitate modern
education.
“It
is the best way to help the poor students and ensure the economic uplifting of
the community,” says Aijaz Ahmed, co-founder and managing director, Full Stack
Academy.
“Skill
development is the need of the hour. But there are a lot of issues in securing
good jobs. Therefore, we want to train our students to get good jobs,” says
Syed Aneesuddin, CEO, Sahayata Trust. He wants Muslim youth to avail the Rs
15,000 per student being provided by the Trust under the zakat programme.
The
scholarship programme has evoked good response with more than a hundred
applications received.
The
last date to apply for the scholarship is October 20. The three-month course
will commence from November 1. The course is open to students who have passed
BCA, MCA, B.Sc. (Computers) and engineering in different streams in the
academic year 2021 to 2023. Those who clear the interview will be selected for
training with a placement assistance programme. The training courses are:
DEVOPS+AWS, MERN –Full Stack Development and Azure Admin+Azure Devops. The
course fee is a whopping Rs. 40,000 but those who get the IMRC zakat
scholarship will have to pay just Rs 5000.
Upon
completion of the three-month course and internship, the students will be
trained in employability skills and taught resume writing, opening LinkedIn
profile and tackling technology related interview questions.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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How
the BJP Is Banking on Gujjar-Pahari Politics to Enter the Muslim Belt in Jammu
Rekha
Chowdhary
Oct
12, 2022
Union
home minister Amit Shah’s rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on
October 4 was not only very well-planned but also very participatory. Much
before the rally was held, many were anticipating that something special would
be announced for the Pahari community with respect to their long-pending demand
of granting them Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Around
thousands of people from the Pahari community had arrived at the rally, some of
whom had reportedly walked long distances. So effective was the participation
of the Paharis from the Poonch-Rajouri belt – also known as the Pir Panchal
area – that the Bharatiya Janata Party had to ask its workers from other
districts of the Jammu not to come for the rally.
The
highly enthused Paharis who attended the rally were not disappointed. The home
minister announced that they will be granted the ST status after a due
administrative process.
Shah
said that the Justice G.D. Sharma-headed Commission had submitted its report
and recommended reservation for the Paharis, Gujjars and Bakerwals, and that
these recommendations were being accepted by the Government of India.
Gujjar
versus Pahari politics
Paharis
form a linguistic community of Hindus and Muslims (a large number of them are
Muslims). They reside in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and are mainly
concentrated in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Of the total Pahari
population in J&K, around 70% live in these two districts. They also have a
visible presence in the peripheries of the Kashmir Valley.
Rajouri
and Poonch in the Pir Panchal area are the Muslim-majority districts. Poonch
and Rajouri have 90.44% and 62.71% of the Muslim population, respectively.
These districts, however, are not known not for the Hindu-Muslim divide, but
for the Gujjar-Pahari divide, especially since 1991 when the Gujjars and
Bakerwals (the 100% Muslim communities) were granted the ST status along with
most of the Ladakhis.
While
the erstwhile state government had recommended ST status for Paharis along with
Gujjars and Bakerwals, the case of Paharis was not accepted by the then
Government of India.
It
was informed that the ST status had not been granted to the Pahari community of
the erstwhile state because the Registrar General of India (RGI) had not
accepted their claim to be a tribe. The RGI was of the view that the Pahari
community is a linguistic rather than an ethnic group.
However,
the Paharis argued that there was not much difference between the Gujjars and
the Paharis and they share a common socio-economic environment. And the case of
Gujjars was accepted because they had the support of a powerful advocate Rajesh
Pilot.
Further,
they made a distinction between the Gujjars and the Bakerwals, saying that if
anyone can claim the status of ‘marginality’, they are the Bakerwals, who are
really backward and not the Gujjars.
Gujjars,
on their part, referred to their ethnic history and the continued nomadic
condition of a substantial number of Gujjars (at least one-third of the Gujjar
population is still nomadic) as well as their continued backwardness,
illiteracy and poverty as the basis of their distinction from Paharis to claim
the ‘Tribe’ status.
Although
the communities of Paharis, Gujjars and Bakerwals are spread all over the Union
territory, they are concentrated in the two districts Poonch and Rajouri.
Living side by side, the Paharis have been watching the impact that reservation
has had on the Gujjar community.
Notwithstanding
the fact that a large majority of Gujjars have remained untouched by the
reservations, a small section of middle-class among the community has emerged
over the last three decades – with many of them not only getting government
jobs but also holding important positions in the local administration.
This
has resulted in aggressive articulation of the Paharis’ demand for a similar ST
status. Gujjars, on the other hand, have been opposing this demand fearing that
this would result in diluting the advantages that they have got from the
reservation.
The
issue appears to have fragmented the politics of Pir Panchal into Gujjar versus
Pahari politics. Every situation is being seen as a zero-sum relationship.
Banking
on the Gujjar-Pahari politics
The
Paharis’ quest for ST status has been politically used by almost all political
parties in Jammu and Kashmir. Since 1991 when their case was rejected at the
Central level, successive governments have pleaded with the Union government
for granting the ST status to Paharis.
Last
in the list was the National Conference (NC) government led by Omar Abdullah,
who, in a letter written to the Prime Minister in 2011, had pleaded for an
early resolution of the issue in favour of the Paharis.
Almost
every political party during successive assembly elections has shown its
commitment to the ‘Pahari cause’ and the issue has been debated within the legislative
assembly with a resolution in favour of reservation for Paharis being passed by
the legislative council and a Bill (that later lapsed) also being introduced in
the legislative assembly.
In
the post-2019 situation where the BJP is seeking to expand its political
constituency beyond the traditional Hindu areas of Jammu, it has found in the
Pahari cause a very potential support base.
By
signalling the possibility that the Union government can consider the granting
of ST status to the Paharis, the party could think of creating a space for
itself in the community, not only in Jammu but also in Kashmir. It had taken
the initial step in enticing the community by starting with the process of
reservation at a small scale in March 2020.
In
January 2020, the state administration had provided a 4% reservation for the
Pahari speaking people in jobs and educational institutions.
In
March that year, the J&K government had constituted a three-member
commission headed by Justice Sharma to look into the issues relating to the
socially and educationally backward classes, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled
Castes.
The
local BJP president, Ravinder Raina, a pahari himself, had also been taking the
lead in demanding ST status for the Paharis, hinting at the Union government’s
decision on this matter.
Ahead
of Shah’s rally on October 4, the BJP held an intense campaign on a house to
house basis, and thus, a highly enthused Pahari community in Rajouri and
Baramulla attended the rally in anticipation of the grant of ST status to Paharis.
The
announcement of the grant of ST status to the Paharis is great news as they
have been politically engaged in this issue for the last three decades. Their
involvement had almost taken the form of desperation, which was quite evident a
few months back when Syed Mushtaq Bukhari, a senior NC leader, a former MLA and
a former minister, and the most prominent Pahari face of the party in Poonch
and Rajouri districts, had resigned from the party and declared a possibility
of supporting the BJP if it party helps the Paharis in getting ST status.
Certainly,
it appears that the fulfilment of this demand has resulted in a pro-BJP
response among the Paharis.
Interestingly,
it is not the Paharis alone that the BJP is interested in. It is as much
politically invested in the Gujjars as it is now investing in the Paharis.
It
may be pertinent to note that before mobilising the Pahari community, the BJP
has been projecting itself as the saviour of the rights of the Gujjar-Bakerwal
community. It made a commitment of fulfilling its long-pending demand of
political reservation to the STs in J&K and extending the welfare
legislations related to them to the Union territory.
However,
despite granting ST status to the Gujjar-Bakerwals, the political reservation
was denied to them on the ground that the state was having its autonomous
constitutional status. In May, nine of the 90 assembly seats were reserved for
the STs, following recommendations of the Delimitation Commission. This is seen
as a major step taken by the BJP to politically empower the community.
The
extension and application of the Forest Rights Act (2006) is another step that
is cited to have been taken by the BJP for the welfare of the Gujjar-Bakerwal
community. Last month, just days before Shah’s announcement on reservation for
the Pahri community, Gujjars were given another booster with the nomination of
Gulam Ali, a Gujjar leader, to the Rajya Sabha.
Therefore,
it becomes easier to understand why the BJP needed to assure the Gujjars while
promising ST status to the Paharis.
As
earlier mentioned, ahead of Shah’s rally, there were voices of resentment among
the Gujjars as many of them had taken to the streets fearing dilution of their
reservation status. However, the home minister had clarified that the reservation
quota of Gujjars and Bakerwals won’t be affected.
“It
will not impact the reservations of the Gujjar community; not even by 1%,” Shah
said. But how that would be done, he did not make it clear. But it appears that
the assurance is sufficient for the Gujjars for the time being.
The
political value of Paharis and Gujjars
With
the BJP simultaneously wooing the two communities that have been engaged in
bitter rivalry, the question arises as to why are these communities important
for the saffron party?
The
political value of Paharis, Gujjars and Bakerwals lies in their consolidated
number and their value in the BJP’s project of winning a larger number of seats
in the next assembly election, so as to make a claim in the government
formation on its own. So far, it has its support base in the predominantly
Hindu-majority areas of Jammu.
It
was mainly from the Hindu-majority districts of Jammu that it was able to win
most of its seats in the 2014 assembly elections (21/25).
Despite
its vocal political slogan of ‘Mission 44 plus’, it could not enter Kashmir.
And even after the reading down of Article 370 in August 2019, notwithstanding
the shrill against the ‘dynastic parties’ in Kashmir, there hasn’t been much
opening for it in the Valley.
The
Gujjars-Pahari project in the Pir Panchal region is an easier one. And the BJP,
therefore, is using all its cards to win over these communities.
The
importance of these two communities cannot be undermined. Taken together, these
two communities form a substantial part of the population of the Union
territory and in terms of assembly seats – a total of 13-15 constituencies
where they can have some influence. That is the reason why Shah, after
announcing the grant of ST status to Paharis and assuring the Gujjars that
their interest would be protected, said: “I hope you [Paharis and Gujjars] will
join hands and support us now to end the three-family rule in J&K.”
With
the support of Gujjars, Bakerwals and Paharis, the BJP is seeking to enter the
Muslim belt of Jammu.
In
the Hindu-majority districts, it already has a near-hegemonic control at the
moment. Though there is an undercurrent of resentment against the BJP in this
area, there is no competition or challenge that the party is facing here.
With
senior leaders like Devender Rana and Surjeet Singh Slathia having shifted from
the NC to the BJP, the little possibility that NC had in this predominantly
Hindu belt has been cancelled out. Congress has, too, weakened with its senior
leaders joining Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Azad Party (DAP).
DAP
is also too new to give any challenge to the BJP, at least in the predominantly
Hindu belt. The Panthers Party, which at one time could win few seats in Jammu,
has been fully decimated, and the Aam Aadmi Party has not yet made any impact.
The
grant of political reservation to the Gujjar-Bakerwals and ST status to Paharis
is a masterstroke that the BJP has played to have an entry into the Muslim
pockets of Jammu. That it has succeeded to some extent could be seen from the
voluntary presence of a large number of Paharis in Shah’s rally, and the
softened response of the Gujjar Bakerwals on this matter.
The
constraints
However,
it still faces many challenges. First, and most importantly, the balancing act
of keeping the two rival groups of Gujjars and Paharis happy is quite
precarious. The Gujjars, despite the assurance that their interests would not
be compromised, may not be fully convinced and would keenly watch the way the
Paharis will be delivered their share of benefits.
There
is also the question of political reservation for STs. Though Shah has
announced that Paharis will get reservation for jobs, education and election
purposes – it has not been made clear how the political reservation will be
granted.
Since
the delimitation process is based on the 2011 census, will the grant of ST
status to Paharis in 2022 enable them to be considered for reserved
constituencies? And in case they are considered, will it be possible to create
an additional ST quota?
This
does not seem to be possible since the process of delimitation is already over.
And if that is not done, would they be sharing the seats reserved for the
Gujjar-Bakerwals? And would that not generate resentment among the
Gujjar-Bakerwals?
There
is also the question of the definition of ‘Paharis’. Would the Paharis who
reside in the Pir Panchal area and the identified areas of Kashmir be given the
ST status? And would the refugees who
have crossed over from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, who also are Paharis, be
included?
Source:
The Wire
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--------
Court Verdict On Plea For Carbon Dating 'Shivling' At Gyanvapi Mosque On
October 14
October
11, 2022
Court
Verdict On Plea For Carbon Dating 'Shivling' At Gyanvapi Mosque On October 14
Varanasi
court to give its verdict on a plea for carbon dating of a "Shivling"
found at Gyanvapi mosque
Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh: A district court in Varanasi will pronounce on October 14 its
verdict on a plea for the carbon dating of a "Shivling", claimed to
be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
Hindu
petitioners had during a court-mandated videography survey of the mosque
premises claimed that a "Shivling" was found close to the
"wazookhana", a small reservoir used by Muslim devotees to perform
ritual ablutions before offering the namaz.
The
claim was disputed by the Muslim side, which said the object was part of a
"fountain".
Arguments
on the plea were complete on Tuesday and the court will pronounce its verdict
on October 14, District Government Counsel Mahendra Pratap Pandey said.
Advocate
Mumtaz Ahmed, who appeared for the Muslim side, said they told the court that
carbon dating of the object cannot be done.
If
the object gets damaged in the name of carbon dating, it amounts to the
defiance of the order of the Supreme Court, he said.
Earlier,
the Muslim side had contended that the Supreme Court had asked the Varanasi
district magistrate to keep the object safe. In such a situation, getting it
examined cannot be justified, they had said.
The
Muslim side also said the original case is about the worship of Shringar Gauri
while the structure in the mosque has nothing to do with it.
Source:
ND TV
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Russian
FSB to allow India access to detained IS bomber
Oct
12, 2022
By
Shishir Gupta
Russia
has agreed into principle to allow Indian security agencies access to detained
Islamic State terrorist, who was planning to target members of the ruling BJP
or the RSS for alleged blasphemy, after securing approval from the country of
radical’s origin Uzbekistan.
On
July 27, 2022, the Russian security agency, the FSB, informed their Indian
counterparts about the detention of 30-year-old Uzbek national Mashrabkon
Azamov, who was planning to commit a suicide bombing against the ruling party
representatives in India for alleged blasphemy. Azamov along with another
Kyrgyzstan national was radicalized by an IS handler in Turkey as well as
through online channels for the mission against India. The terrorist chose the
Moscow route to enter India to avoid maximum scrutiny by the Indian immigration
authorities.
With
India and Russia partners against religious fundamentalism and terrorism, the
FSB has conveyed to its Indian counterpart that they will allow access to
Azamov after taking approval from Uzbekistan. The Kyrgyzstan national was not
picked up by the FSB and apparently went back to Turkey.
Even
though Russia has shared parts of Azamov’s interrogation report relevant to the
Indian context, the security agencies are keen to dig out the Indian local link
that was supposed to supply explosives as well as single out the VVIP target to
be hit. The Indian intelligence also wants to find out who is behind the
radicalization against India in Turkey, a close ally of Pakistan. The Islamic
State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) terrorist group has its footprint in
Telangana and Kerala and is growing in numbers in Afghanistan as a counter to
the Taliban. A terror group that wants to capture land and power in the name of
propagating medieval Islam, ISKP believes in Sunni supremacy and is against all
other sects of Islam. The ISKP in Afghanistan also plays the cat’s paw for the
Pakistani deep state to check the Taliban and keep the Sunni Pashtun force
under control with savage indiscriminate violence against the Shia Hazaras
community including school children and others.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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--------
Southeast
Asia
Un-Islamic
to be hostile to followers of other religions, says Selangor Sultan
12
Oct 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The Sultan of Selangor has called on Malaysians to practice respect and
tolerance to accommodate the differences brought forth by the country's
multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies.
Sultan
Sharafuddin Idris Shah said differences in religion and race should not prevent
Malaysians from living in harmony.
"If
the multi-ethnic and multi-religious community in Malaysia is ready to work
together and respect each other's religious beliefs, Insyallah, all good
intentions and efforts in dignifying religion and strengthening close
relationships in the community of various religions, cultures and this nation
can be attainable," he said during the Institute of Islamic Understanding
Malaysia (Ikim) 30th anniversary ceremony here on Wednesday (Oct 12).
The
Sultan said from an Islamic point of view, the existence of a multi-racial
society is the nature of the human event, and our differences should not be
used as an excuse to be cruel or hostile towards the followers of other
religions.
He
said Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution has stated that Islam is the
religion of the Federation but other religions can be practised peacefully.
Respect
between races and religions, he added, was also the core of the Rukun Negara.
The
Sultan said that the royal institution plays an important role in preserving
our unity which has been the main pillar of the nation's prosperity.
"The
Royal Institution will continue to remain a neutral body that transcends
politics and plays a role in giving advice to the government and religious
institutions, especially in the matter of preserving racial unity," he
said.
Source:
The Star
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Prayers,
release of birds to mark Bali bombing anniversary
October
12, 2022
KUTA:
Commemorations will be held on the Indonesian island of Bali today as
survivors, alongside families and friends of the victims, gather to mark the 20-year
anniversary of the Bali bombing – one of the world’s deadliest militant
attacks.
A
total of 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians, were killed
when a car bomb exploded outside the Sari Club in Bali’s Kuta Beach area and
from another almost simultaneous blast at the Paddy’s Bar across the road.
A
ceremony including peace prayers and the symbolic release of 20 birds will be
among several events taking place on the predominantly Hindu island, including
at a memorial erected in the area of the blasts.
“The
memorial for us is to remember, to remind everyone there was a terrorist attack
there and that we don’t want it to happen again,” said Ni Luh Erniati, who lost
her husband in the attack and will join morning prayers with her children.
Two
decades on from the bombings, which were blamed on the Al Qaeda-linked jihadist
network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), memories of the attack continue to haunt
survivors.
Balinese
father of two, I Dewa Ketut Rudita Widia Putra, was caught in traffic on the busy
strip in Kuta, when the bombs were detonated. After crawling out of his
smouldering car, he was rushed to hospital with burns covering a third of his
body.
“To
this day, I still feel traumatised and scared when I take the car out and get
caught in a traffic jam,” said the now 55-year-old.
“Even
when I realise I am not in Kuta traffic, I can shake in fear, break out in a
cold sweat and feel really scared.”
Indonesian
police and the Australian consulate general in Bali will also hold memorials.
In
the wake of the Bali attacks and with backing from Australia and the United
States, Indonesia set up an elite anti-terrorism unit called Special Detachment
or Densus 88 that weakened JI and resulted in scores of suspected Islamic
militants being arrested or killed.
The
world’s biggest Muslim-majority country has also pioneered deradicalisation
schemes for convicted militants, though these have been both praised and
criticised for their effectiveness.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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--------
Parliament
was dissolved to prevent ‘disharmony’ after PN ministers objected to polls this
year: Ismail Sabri
12
Oct 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysian caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday
(Oct 11) that he opted to dissolve parliament in order to prevent disharmony in
the Cabinet, after Perikatan Nasional (PN) ministers wrote to the king to voice
their objections over holding polls this year.
In
a statement, Mr Ismail Sabri said the actions of these ministers showed that
they have turned their backs on the prime minister, who was appointed by the
king. This eroded the spirit of solidarity in the administration, he added.
“There
were others in the Cabinet who had openly criticised government decisions and
policies.
“In
fact, a remark by PN’s chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, which declared that the main
enemy of Perikatan is Barisan Nasional (BN), had sown division despite his
party being a part of the government,” he said.
Mr
Ismail Sabri also noted that Mr Muhyiddin, as the chairman of the National
Recovery Council, had urged the dissolution of parliament by claiming that the
government had failed in managing the country and its economy.
“The
government could only function smoothly through togetherness and unity in
providing the best services and benefits to Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian
Family),” he added.
On
Monday, Mr Ismail Sabri declared the parliament dissolved in a televised
address, after receiving consent from the king.
Shortly
after Mr Ismail Sabri announced the dissolution of parliament, Comptroller of
the Royal Household of Istana Negara, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said that the king
had no choice but to consent.
“The
king expressed his disappointment in the current political developments of the
country and had no choice but to consent to the prime minister’s request to
return the mandate back to the people for a stable government,” he said.
IRRESPONSIBLE
FOR CARETAKER PM TO PUT THE BLAME ON ME: MUHYIDDIN
In
response to Mr Ismail Sabri’s statement, Mr Muhyiddhin said that the caretaker
prime minister was irresponsible in accusing him and PN ministers of making the
government unstable.
He
claimed that Mr Ismail Sabri is resorting to finger-pointing after the United
Malays National Organisation (UMNO) saw backlash from the people who were upset
the election was called during the monsoon season.
“This
(blame) is because they are facing severe attack and anger from the public at
large. You have to blame yourself. You have to bear the burden of the people
who are unhappy,” he was quoted as saying by Malaysian media on Tuesday night.
Mr
Muhyiddin added that he did not want to prolong the argument as the king had
consented to the dissolution of parliament.
An
election is not due until September 2023, but Mr Ismail Sabri has been under
pressure from some factions of his ruling coalition to hold the vote earlier.
In
the weeks leading up to the dissolution of parliament, opposition parties
criticised the possibility of an early election, arguing that the monsoon
season will impede voters’ ability to access polling stations.
On
Sep 30, the UMNO supreme council decided that parliament must be dissolved soon
so that GE15 can be held this year.
UMNO’s
call for an early GE15 has been criticised by the opposition and Mr Ismail
Sabri’s own Cabinet members as Malaysia’s Meteorological Department has warned
of floods during the north-east monsoon season, which typically starts in
November and ends in March.
The
presidential council of the main opposition bloc Pakatan Harapan (PH) said in a
statement last Wednesday that the three states controlled by the coalition -
Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang - will only dissolve their state
assemblies next year due to concerns over floods.
State
assemblies led by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) - Kelantan, Terengganu and
Kedah - will also not be dissolved if a general election is held soon, said
party deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man last Wednesday, according to a
report by Free Malaysia Today.
PN’s
Cabinet ministers sent a letter to the king to voice their objections over
holding GE15 this year, Mr Tuan Ibrahim said then.
Source:
Channel News Asia
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--------
Bar
to oppose UK lawyer’s appeal to represent Najib
V
Anbalagan
October
11, 2022
PUTRAJAYA:
The Malaysian Bar is to make an objection at the Federal Court to an appeal by
UK lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw to allow him to represent Najib Razak in the SRC
International criminal case.
Bastian
Pius Vendargon, representing the Malaysian Bar, said it viewed the Laidlaw
appeal as having been rendered academic by the Federal Court decision on
Najib’s case in August.
The
court had upheld Najib’s conviction, 12-year jail sentence, and RM210 million
fine on various corruption charges relating to funds of SRC International, a
government-owned company.
Laidlaw,
who is a King’s Counsel, had applied in July to represent Najib. Foreign
lawyers must apply for ad hoc admission to the Malaysian Bar before they can
represent clients in Malaysia.
His
application was rejected by the High Court on July 21 as the court held that
Laidlaw did not possess special qualifications and experience that were
unavailable among local lawyers.
Laidlaw
filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Court on Aug 23, the day of the Najib
decision. However, his lawyers have yet to file the appeal records, said
Vendargon.
He
said notice of the Bar’s objection had been handed to the deputy registrar of
the Federal Court Suhaila Haron.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ex-council
deputy president charged with 11 counts of graft
October
11, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: A former Kuala Langat district council deputy president was charged in
the Kuala Lumpur sessions court today with 11 counts of corruption totalling
RM22,100.
Zain
Hamid, 48, was accused of accepting kickbacks from a company owner when he was
with the council, which has since been elevated to municipal status.
He
pleaded not guilty before judge Azura Alwi.
Zain,
who was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, faces a jail term of up to
two years or a fine, or both, if convicted.
In
a statement, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said Zain had
allegedly accepted bribes from Azizul Abd Majid, owner of Kenali Yakin
Enterprise, in the form of eight payments made to his girlfriend’s account
totalling RM9,000.
He
is also alleged to have accepted three payments for his credit card bills
totalling RM13,100 from Azizul.
The
alleged bribes were kickbacks for helping companies linked to Azizul to bid for
jobs at the council, MACC said.
The
offences were allegedly committed between Sept 28, 2018 and May 6, 2020.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
UK
Parliament Report Focuses on Afghan Economy Under Islamic Emirate
October
12, 2022
The
UK parliament released a report under the title: “Afghanistan: One year under a
Taliban government” in which it highlighted the Afghan economic and
humanitarian situation alongside human rights and political development.
The
report said that a combination of sanctions, frozen assets abroad, access to
foreign remittances and economic and humanitarian challenges has caused a cash,
or liquidity, crisis in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
the Islamic Emirate said that efforts are underway to lift sanctions on
Afghanistan and release the Afghan assets.
According
to the report, the UK provided £140 million to Afghanistan from April to July
2022.
“£50
million to the Afghanistan humanitarian fund. £70 million to the World Food
Program, to support 4 million people with food assistance. £12 million to the
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF),” the report cited.
The
report said that even before the Islamic Emirate swept into power, the
country’s economy was in extremely poor shape. “In 2020, its gross national
income per person was $500, making it the fifth poorest country in the world by
this measure, and well below even the average for low-income countries ($689),”
the report reads.
“The
economic commission, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Ministry of
Finance has a special plan in this regard and is working with the World Bank,”
said Nooruddin Azizi, acting Minister of Industry and Commerce.
Economists
said that there has been slow progress in Afghanistan’s licit economy over the
past two decades.
“Overwhelming
corruption in the government departments, lack of support for Afghanistan’s
industry meant that the Afghan economy did not progress as it should,” said
Darya Khan Baheer, an economist, speaking of the past 20 years.
“Opportunities
were provided for Afghanistan by the international community. The injection of
more than $140 billion was not used properly and we were just heading towards a
fake GDP,” said Sayed Masoud, an economist.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/business-180255
--------
Türkiye
questions legitimacy, purpose of EU mission off Libya's coast
Ahmet
Gençtürk
11.10.2022
Türkiye
on Tuesday questioned the legitimacy, purpose and impartiality of the EU’s
maritime mission off Libya's coast.
“After
the unlawful boarding of a Turkish-flagged commercial vessel without the flag
state Türkiye's consent in November 2020, Türkiye, as a matter of principle,
rejects all similar requests,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilginc
on Twitter.
The
remark apparently came as a response to a tweet by EU's Operation Irini on
Monday claiming Ankara denied the request to inspect the ship, MV MATILDE.
The
European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation (IRINI) was launched in the
Mediterranean Sea on March 31, 2020, following the Berlin Conference on Libya
to oversee the UN's arms embargo on Libya.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Turkish
president receives Albanian premier for talks
Diyar
Guldogan
11.10.2022
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday received Albanian Prime Minister Edi
Rama for talks in the capital Ankara.
The
closed-door meeting at the presidential complex lasted around three hours.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-president-receives-albanian-premier-for-talks/2708744
--------
Norway-based
NGO supports Türkiye's stand against militarization of Greek islands
11.10.2022
A
Norway-based NGO has supported Türkiye’s opposition to the militarization of
Greek islands in the Aegean, saying such a move can be “provocation.”
In
response to a tweet by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Aegean
Boat Report wrote: “Filling the islands with American military equipment can be
seen, by some, as a provocation, especially since it’s a violation of the 1923
Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty.”
Türkiye
has been arguing that the militarization of the islands violation of the 1923
Lausanne Treaty.
The
NGO was targeted by Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi after its response
to Mitsotakis.
Mitarachi
claimed that the Aegean Boat Report helps people smuggle and “may be (it's)
financed by the East.”
Aegean
Boat Report strongly denied accusations, saying Mitarachi's claims are “lies”
in a statement.
“Both
claims Mr. Mitarachi has made about us are false, and it is impossible to
believe that he does not know this. Deliberately spreading false information is
lying,” said the statement.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Arab
World
Saudi
FM defends OPEC+ decision, says ties with US are strategic
11
October, 2022
Saudi
Arabia’s ties with the US are strategic and have supported the security and
stability of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin
Farhan told Al Arabiya, defending the recent decision by OPEC+ to cut oil
output.
Prince
Faisal’s comments came shortly after Biden administration officials repeatedly
said that Washington needed to review its relationship with Saudi Arabia after
last week’s decision by OPEC+.
“Our
relationship with the United States has been institutionalized since it was
established,” Prince Faisal said.
US
officials have publicly hit out at Saudi Arabia following the OPEC+ move, with
several American lawmakers calling for an immediate freeze on arms sales to
Riyadh. On this, Prince Faisal said that the US-Saudi military cooperation
served the interests of both countries.
Last
week, OPEC+ agreed to decrease their output target by 2 million barrels daily.
Addressing
the OPEC+ decision, Prince Faisal denied it was a political move. “The OPEC+
decision was purely economic and was taken unanimously by the [organization’s]
member states.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iraq’s
parliament to convene Thursday to elect president, says speaker
11
October, 2022
Iraq’s
parliament will meet on Thursday to “elect the President of the Republic,” a
press release from speaker Mohammed al-Halbussi’s office said on Tuesday, after
months of political impasse.
More
than a year after the last general election in Iraq, Halbussi’s office said
Thursday’s parliamentary session would have “a single item on the agenda, the
election of the President of the Republic.”
Iraqis
last voted on October 10, 2021 in an election triggered by a wave of mass
protests against endemic corruption, rampant unemployment and decaying
infrastructure.
Ahead
of Tuesday’s surprise announcement, the United Nations mission had urged
political factions to end the deadlock paralyzing the oil-rich country, warning
that “Iraq is running out of time.”
The
country has yet to form a new government after last year’s election, leaving
caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi in charge.
Rival
Shia Muslim factions in parliament have been vying for influence and the right
to select a new premier and government.
The
standoff has seen both sides set up protest camps and at times has sparked
deadly street clashes in Baghdad.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Maritime
border deal between Lebanon, Israel marked by compromises
12.10.2022
Over
two years, Lebanon and Israel engaged in indirect negotiations on the maritime
boundary between them, with the talks sponsored by the UN and mediated by the
US.
On
Tuesday, Beirut and Tel Aviv agreed on the final version of the deal provided
by US mediator Amos Hochstein.
Israeli
Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced reaching a "historic deal" with
Lebanon on their maritime border dispute.
Earlier
Tuesday, Lebanon also said it was satisfied with a US draft on maritime border
demarcation with Israel, noting that it preserves the country’s "rights to
its natural wealth."
The
following are some of the terms of the deal according to informed Lebanese
sources:
1.
Line 23 will be the official maritime line between Lebanon and Israel.
2.
Lebanon will fully retain its rights in the Qana gas field, including the part
located south of Line 23 in the Israeli economic zone.
3.
In return for Israel's concession on this, it will receive financial
compensation from French company TotalEnergies, which is carrying out gas
extraction in the Qana field.
4.
Israel will fully acquire the Karish gas field, including exploration and
drilling rights south of Line 23 within Israel's economic zone.
5.
The withdrawal from the final version of the deal of the section concerning the
“line of buoys” that Israel had demanded to start demarcating the maritime
borders from and which it used to prevent fishermen from crossing.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iraqi
Parliament to elect new president on Thursday
Omar
Alothmani
11.10.2022
The
Iraqi Parliament will hold a session on Thursday to elect the country’s new president,
Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi said in a statement on Tuesday.
The
statement said Thursday’s session will have a “single item on the agenda, the
election of the President of the Republic.”
The
move comes as part of efforts to resolve a months-long political crisis that
gripped Iraq since last year’s general election.
Iraqi
political parties have failed to agree on electing a new president and prime
minister since the Oct. 10, 2021 elections.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraqi-parliament-to-elect-new-president-on-thursday/2708691
--------
Egypt
seeks increased cooperation with WHO to improve healthcare sector
October
12, 2022
CAIRO:
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi discussed strengthening cooperation
with the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve the country’s healthcare
sector.
The
president met with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Cairo on
the sidelines of the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern
Mediterranean (RC69).
According
to a statement by the spokesperson of the Egyptian presidency, improving
medical services to citizens has been a national priority under Egypt Vision
2030.
“Ending
the waiting lists for critical surgeries and providing comprehensive health
insurance for all citizens across Egypt are among the top priorities,” said the
Egyptian presidency spokesperson.
During
the meeting, El-Sisi praised WHO’s efforts in addressing COVID-19 pandemic and
providing access to vaccines.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2179611/middle-east
--------
Mideast
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad Slam Israelis' Desecration of Qur’an After Extremist Settlers
Burn Muslim Holy Book
2022-October-11
In
a press release on Monday, Hamas Spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanu said the
desecration of the Muslim holy book was an “unprecedented escalation” and a
“disrespectful racist behavior”, stressing that such a crime showed that the
occupying regime and its settlers want “a religious war on Islam”, presstv
reported.
Qanu
also said that the Jewish religious holidays “involve attacks on the
Palestinian people and their holy sites”.
In
yet another blasphemous act and provocation against Palestinian Muslims, the
Israeli settlers tore and burned the copies of the Holy Qur’an on Monday before
"throwing them in a trash container" in the Old City of Al-Khalil.
Islamic
Jihad official Khader Adnan said in a statement that the burning of the Holy
Qur’an by Zionist extremists is “an [at of] aggression targeting our true
religion and the eternal message of our Prophet (PBUH), and a dangerous
escalation in the context of the aggression against the sanctities, and the
storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque”.
Adnan
stressed the need to boost resistance in all its forms in the areas of clashes
with the occupation and its settlers in response to the crime of burning the
Muslim holy book and targeting of holy sites.
The
Islamic Jihad official said the crime had targeted the “most sublime religions
and heavenly missions”, calling for a responsible stance by Muslim scholars in
the face of the blasphemous act.
The
sacrilegious move took place following a series of recent violations committed
by groups of Israeli settlers against Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of
Al-Quds.
Over
the past couple of weeks, hundreds of settlers escorted by the Israeli police
have intruded into the holy site on a daily basis and provocatively performed
rituals during the Jewish holidays.
Meanwhile,
Palestinian media said scores of Israeli settlers in different groups intruded
into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of Al-Quds on Monday
morning and later in the afternoon.
The
reports said at least 278 extremist settlers, under tight protection from the
Israeli military forces, broke into the compound through the Moroccan Gate and
performed rituals and Talmudic prayers.
The
Israeli occupation police imposed movement restrictions on Muslim worshipers at
Al-Aqsa Mosque’s entrances and gates while the intrusion was taking place.
More
than 4,400 Israeli settlers made their way into the holy site and prayed there
last month.
Such
mass settler break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel
Aviv-backed temple groups and under the auspices of the Israeli police in
Al-Quds.
The
Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses
both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010719000240/Hamas-Islamic-Jihad-Slam-Israelis
--------
‘Act
of Israeli terrorism’: Al-Azhar University slams settlers’ burning of Holy
Quran
11
October 2022
Al-Azhar
University, Egypt’s chief center of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world,
has condemned Israeli settlers’ burning and tearing up of copies of the Holy
Quran in the West Bank city of al-Khalil.
In
a statement on Tuesday, Al-Azhar said the desecration of the Holy Quran is
perpetrated under the unacceptable silence of the international community,
which has failed to play a serious role regarding the inviolability of peoples
and their sanctities.
“Al-Azhar
Al-Sharif expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the misdeed of
Zionist terrorists, in Hebron [al-Khalil], Palestine, who tore up and burned
copies of the holy Quran, in a scene that demonstrates Zionism’s barbarism,
terrorism and hateful racism,” it said.
It added
that the Holy Quran “will remain a sublime scripture that guides humanity and
steers it to the values of goodness, truth and beauty. So, its sanctity will
not be compromised by the grudges of lowly people or the misconduct of those
who fan intolerance, grudges, hatred and perversion. Those people have a dark
history of murder and terrorism, and their hands are stained with the blood of
innocent Palestinians.”
Al-Azhar
warned that “these Zionist crimes fuel the sentiments of violence and hatred
and contradict international covenants.” It underlined the importance of unity
between Arabs and Muslims in the face of those who violate their sanctities.
On
Monday, extremist Israeli settlers desecrated copies of the Holy Quran before
throwing them in a garbage container in the Old City of al-Khalil.
Nidal
Al Jabari, director of Waqf Department in al-Khalil said that burnt copies of
the Quran were found near the Qaytoun mosque and Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil,
suggesting that the copies were burnt during celebrations of a Jewish holiday
in recent days, calling for an investigation into the incident.
He
also said that such serious settler attacks on the Holy Quran happened
following a series of recent violations committed by groups of settlers against
the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Palestinian homes around it.
The
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas also termed the act as “unprecedented”
and a “provocation of sentiments of Muslims.”
Al-Khalil,
known as Hebron in Hebrew, is the biggest city in the West Bank and home to
more than 200,000 Palestinians. About 1,000 Zionist settlers, who engage in
frequent attacks on Palestinians, also live there under heavy military
protection.
Al-Khalil
has seen regular unrest, and the Ibrahimi Mosque, believed to be the burial
site of prophets including Abraham, is the focal point of tensions.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
soldier shot dead near settlement in West Bank, army says
11 October,
2022
An
Israeli soldier was shot dead Tuesday near a settlement in the occupied West
Bank, the second deadly attack on armed forces in less than a week, the Israeli
army said.
“Two
assailants arrived in a vehicle adjacent to the community of Shavei Shomron and
shot live fire at IDF (Israeli military) soldiers,” the army said, announcing
one of the soldiers was killed.
The
shooting was claimed by “The Lions’ Den,” a loose coalition of Palestinian
fighters which has emerged in recent months.
“We
announce carrying out a second shooting operation targeting occupation
(Israeli) soldiers in the Deir Sharaf area, west of Nablus,” the group said.
Israeli
forces are in pursuit of the assailants following the attack near Nablus in the
northern West Bank, the military added in its statement.
An
AFP journalist saw security forces deployed in the area and checking vehicles.
The
killing comes three days after an Israeli soldier was shot dead at a checkpoint
in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
Israeli
forces are continuing a manhunt for the alleged gunman, identified by police as
a 22-year-old Palestinian resident of the city.
East
Jerusalem and the West Bank have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day
War.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
arrests alleged Mossad spy
11
October, 2022
Iran
has arrested a man for allegedly working with the Israeli Mossad to undermine
security in the southern Kerman province, state media reported on Tuesday,
citing a judiciary official.
The
defendant had planned to carry out “subversive measures” in Kerman before he
was arrested by the intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC), Ebrahim Hamidi, Kerman’s prosecutor general, was cited by the
semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying.
Hamidi
did not specify the nationality of the person arrested.
Iran
does not recognize Israel and has in the past accused it of attacking nuclear
facilities and carrying out assassinations inside Iran.
The
announcement comes amid ongoing anti-government protests that erupted across
Iran mid-September after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died
in police custody.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/10/11/Iran-arrests-alleged-Mossad-spy
--------
Iranian
journalist who broke news on Mahsa Amini pays heavy price
October
11, 2022
DUBAI:
Niloofar Hamedi, an Iranian journalist specializing in women’s rights, got away
with hard-hitting stories for years — until the day she took a photo of Mahsa
Amini’s parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital, where their daughter
was lying in a coma.
The
photo, which Hamedi posted on Twitter on Sept. 16, was the first sign to the
world that all was not well with 22-year-old Amini, who had been detained three
days earlier by Iran’s morality police for what they deemed inappropriate
dress.
Amini’s
death later that day would unleash a wave of mass protests across Iran that
continue nearly three weeks later in different parts of the country, despite a
government crackdown.
The
photo of Amini’s parents was also one of the last things Hamedi, who worked for
the pro-reform Sharq daily, would post before she was arrested some days later
and her Twitter account listed as suspended.
“This
morning, intelligence agents raided my client Niloofar Hamedi’s house, arrested
her, searched her house, and confiscated her belongings,” Hamedi’s lawyer
Mohammed Ali Kamfirouzi tweeted on Sept. 22. Hamedi has not been charged and is
being held in solitary confinement in Iran’s Evin prison, he wrote.
Facing
one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979
revolution, the authorities have used force to suppress the biggest public show
of dissent in years.
At
least 185 people, including 19 children, have been killed, hundreds injured and
thousands have been arrested by security forces, according to rights groups.
The
Iranian government said more than 20 members of the security forces have been
killed and that it will investigate civilian deaths. The Committee to Protect
Journalists has called on Iranian authorities to “immediately and
unconditionally release ... all journalists arrested because of their coverage
of Mahsa Amini’s death and the protests that have followed.”
It
said last month that at least 28 journalists had been detained by the security
forces, including Hamedi.
Friends
of Hamedi described her as a brave journalist who is passionate about women’s
issues and rights. Her investigative articles covered topics such as
self-immolation among women suffering domestic abuse, and she interviewed the
family of Sepideh Rashno, an Iranian writer and artist who was arrested in July
for defying the Islamic dress code.
“She
always went beyond her limit to be the voice of voiceless women who were
deprived of their rights, whether by their fathers, husbands or by social
limitations,” one friend of hers told Reuters, her name withheld for fear of
reprisals.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2179501/middle-east
--------
Some
300 rights groups, civil organizations demand immediate release of Palestinian
prisoners
12
October 2022
Nearly
300 human rights groups and civil organizations have denounced the continued
detention of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and the Tel
Aviv regime’s contentious policy of "administrative detention" that
means incarceration without charge or trial.
The
292 human rights organizations and civil institutions, in a joint statement,
said the Palestinian inmates include 32 women and girls, about 180 minors under
the age of 18, as well as 780 administrative detainees – among them two women
and four children.
Moreover,
there are 600 prisoners suffering from various diseases, of whom 22 have
cancer. A total of 549 Palestinian prisoners have also been once or several
times sentenced to life imprisonment.
The
organizations went on to urge international bodies, particularly the United
Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention, to “pressure the occupying and apartheid Israeli regime to
stop the exercise of administrative detention against Palestinians.”
The
statement highlighted that Israel is holding about 780 Palestinian detainees
without charge or trial, and Israeli authorities have issued nearly 1,350
administrative detention orders against Palestinians since the beginning of the
current year.
The
organizations also called for an immediate end to “the outdated colonial-era
emergency law, and demanded a concerted international campaign in solidarity
with Palestinian prisoners in general and administrative detainees in
particular."
They
noted that dozens of prisoners have gone on hunger strikers since September 25
in protest against the administrative detention policy, and in defense of more
than 700 Palestinian inmates who are jailed under administrative detention.
The
statement underlined that the continued detention of Palestinian prisoners
constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, especially the
Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war and
detainees, and is a war crime according to Article 85, Paragraph 5 of Protocol
I to the Geneva Conventions, and in accordance with Article 8 of the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The
organizations also stated that Palestinian prisoners are subjected to physical
and psychological torture, cruel and inhuman treatment and punishment, as well
as flagrant violation of international human rights principles, especially the
Convention against Torture (1984-1987), and the standards adopted by the
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
They
went on to condemn the Israeli regime’s policy of medical neglect against
Palestinian prisoners, solitary confinement in cells that lack the slightest
decent conditions, deprivation of prisoners’ families of visits, and systematic
abuse and torture of male and female prisoners.
The
Israeli Prison Service (IPS) keeps Palestinian prisoners under deplorable
conditions lacking proper hygienic standards. The prisoners have also been
subjected to systematic torture, harassment and repression all through the
years of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinian
gunmen kill another Israeli trooper in occupied West Bank
11
October 2022
A
coalition of Palestinian fighters has claimed gunning down another Israeli
trooper in the north of the Tel Aviv-occupied Palestinian territory of the West
Bank.
"The
Lions' Den," as the fighters call themselves, claimed responsibility for
the killing on Tuesday. "We announce carrying out a second shooting
operation targeting occupation soldiers in the Deir Sharaf area, west of
Nablus," it said.
The
Israeli military identified the trooper as 21-year-old Ido Baroukh, saying he
was killed when "two assailants arrived in a vehicle adjacent to the
community (settlement) of Shavei Shomron and shot live fire."
The
killing came three days after an 18-year-old Israeli soldier was shot dead at a
checkpoint near the Palestinian refugee camp of Shuafat in central West Bank.
The
Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas hailed the Saturday
operation as a “reaction to the Israeli occupation’s crimes against the
Palestinian people and its desecration of the al-Aqsa Mosque.” The mosque's
compound that is located in the holy occupied city of al-Quds' Old City is
considered by Muslims to be their third-holiest site.
So
far this year, more than 100 Palestinians have been shot dead by the Israeli
military, in what the United Nations has described as "mounting
violence" across the occupied territories.
The
fatalities include four Palestinian teenagers, whom the Israeli forces have
shot dead in less than a week. A fifth Palestinian, a 12-year-old boy, died on
Monday from the wounds he had sustained last month during an Israeli military
raid on the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
The
Israeli military has also put Shuafat and the nearby town of Anata, which
together house more than 100,000 Palestinians, under a complete lockdown,
hunting for the person responsible for the Saturday killing.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/10/11/690792/Palestine-Israeli-soldier-killed-West-Bank
--------
Palestinian
groups Fatah, Hamas meet in Algeria to heal rift
11
October 2022
The
leaders of two major Palestinian groups, the Hamas resistance movement and
Fatah political party, have begun a new round of talks in Algeria in a bid to
discuss a proposal for reconciliation and national unity.
Palestine's
ambassador to Algiers Fayez Abu Aita said in an interview with the Voice of
Palestine radio station on Saturday that the two-day dialog meetings will be
attended by representatives of twelve Palestinian groups, including the
Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and Fatah, which rules the
occupied West Bank.
He
went on to say that the proposal to discuss ways to end the Palestinian
division and achieve unity was drawn up after “months of effort by Algeria to
reach a common vision for boosting the Palestinian national action.”
The
latest intra-Palestinian discussions are occurring ahead of the annual Arab
League summit being held early next month which "Algeria wants to be a
purely Palestinian summit," Abu Aita said.
The
Palestinian leadership has been divided between Fatah and Hamas since 2006,
when the latter scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in the
Gaza Strip. Hamas has ever since been running the coastal enclave, while Fatah
has been based in the autonomous parts the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Previous
reconciliation attempts by the two sides to form a power-sharing unity
government in Gaza and the West Bank have failed.
The
initiative is the latest attempt to solve a years-long rift that has caused
division among Palestinian factions.
Earlier
this year, the Algerians hosted a similar meeting of Palestinian factions to
try to bring to an end the rivalry between Fatah and Hamas, but it ended
without agreement.
Algerian
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune launched the initiative to unite the
Palestinians in January. Algerian officials held separate dialogues with
officials from Fatah and Hamas to discuss the outlines of the proposal in
advance of the talks.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia To Continue To Play Role In Ummah's Betterment
Oct
11 2022
RAWALPINDI:
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Tuesday resolved to continue playing their part for
peace and stability and betterment of the Muslim Ummah, the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The
development, according to the military's media wing, came during a meeting
between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League and President of the Organisation
of Muslim Scholars (Saudi Arabia) Sheikh Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa.
During
the meeting at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, matters of mutual
interest, bilateral security cooperation, and regional peace and stability came
under discussion.
The
secretary-general said Pakistan has a significant place in the Muslim world,
and it is playing a vital role in peace and stability in the region.
In
response, the army chief said the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
are based on bonds of brotherhood and mutual trust.
Moreover,
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner also called on the
army chief at the GHQ, the military's media wing said.
According
to ISPR, during the meeting, matters of mutual interest and regional security
situation, including bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed.
The
COAS said that Pakistan values UK's balanced role in regional affairs and the
country looks forward to enhancing mutually beneficial relationships based on
common interests.
The
visiting dignitary expressed his grief over the devastation caused by floods in
Pakistan and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims.
Source:
Geo TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.geo.tv/latest/445701-pakistan-saudi-arabia-to-continue-to-play-role-in-ummahs-betterment
--------
Swat
schools shut to protest attack
Oct
12, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Over 1,200 private schools remained shut in Pakistan’s northwestern Swat
district Tuesday in protest against an attack on a school van on Monday, with
the agitators warning of a march to Islamabad if the culprits were not arrested
within 24 hours and peace restored.
The
attack left the van driver dead and two students injured. The latest violence
gripping Swat Valley in recent days revived memories of the horrors seen in the
years when the area was controlled by the Pakistani Taliban.
The
school van was targeted a day after the 10th anniversary of the shooting of
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Swat
when she was a schoolgirl.
Locals
blamed the banned TTP for Monday’s attack, but it denied the allegation. Nor
has any other group claimed responsibility so far. In a second incident on
Monday, two boys and a girl were injured as their school van was caught in
crossfire between two groups in Dir district.
The
protests, which had erupted hours after the attacks on Monday, continued
Tuesday with a sit-in on the main road connecting the upper reaches of Swat
with the lower, blocking it to traffic.
The
protesters refused to bury the van driver until their demands were met. “We
have given 24 hours to the government. If the demands are not met, we will
march to Islamabad,” one protester said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan's
ousted PM Imran Khan booked for receiving prohibited funding from abroad
Oct
11, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan and other senior leaders of his
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have been booked by the Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday for allegedly receiving prohibited
funding from abroad.
The
case was filed by the state through FIA's Corporate Banking Circle in
Islamabad. According to the first information report (FIR), one Arif Masood
Naqvi, who is the owner of the Wooton Cricket Limited, transferred
"ill-gotten" money to a bank account registered under the name of the
PTI, the Dawn newspaper reported.
"The
purpose stated in the swift messages of the transactions is 'agreed transfer'
to disguise the true nature, origin, location, movement and ownership of these
funds," the complaint said.
According
to the FIR, the former ruling party leaders have violated the Foreign Exchange
Act and they were declared as the beneficiaries of suspicious bank accounts.
The
FIR further said that Naqvi was also facing trials in the UK and the US
defrauding investors.
The
complaint named Imran Khan, Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan, Saifullah Khan Nyazee,
Syed Yunus Ali Raza, Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Tariq Rahim Sheikh, Tariq Shafi,
Faisal Maqbool Shaikh, Hamid Zaman and Manzoor Ahmad Chaudhary as
signatories/beneficiaries of the PTI account in question.
"PTI
submitted an affidavit of Arif Masood Naqvi before the Election Commission of
Pakistan stating therein that all the amounts collected in the accounts of WCL
were submitted into PTI's account in Pakistan. This affidavit has been proved
to be false/forged as two more transactions were also made from WCL to two
different accounts in Pakistan in May 2013," the FIR said.
Last
month, the Election Commission in its verdict in the prohibited funding case
against PTI stated that the party did indeed receive prohibited funding.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
has significant place in Muslim world: Dr AI-Issa
October
11, 2022
Secretary-General
of the Muslim World League Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim AI-Issa has said that
Pakistan has a “significant place in the Muslim world”, a statement issued by
the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
“Pakistan
is playing a vital role for peace and stability in the region,” said Dr AI-Issa
who is also president of the Organisation of Muslim Scholars, Saudi Arabia,
during a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the
General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
During
the meeting, the ISPR said, matters of mutual interest, bilateral security
cooperation and regional peace and stability came under discussion.
The
army chief said the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are “based on
bonds of brotherhood and mutual trust”.
“Both
nations will continue to play a part for peace and stability and betterment of
Ummah,” Gen Qamar was quoted as saying by the ISPR.
On
Monday, President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday conferred Hilal-e-Pakistan on Dr
Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa in recognition of his services to Pakistan in
different fields at a special investiture ceremony in Islamabad at
Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The
award was conferred in recognition of his services in strengthening the
brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; for being an instrument
for the award of scholarships to Pakistani students in educational institutions
and higher learning in Saudi Arabia; for pursuing and safeguarding the rights
of Pakistani expatriates in the Kingdom; for promoting peace and harmony by
holding conferences, seminars and dialogues within the Muslim societies and
also with rest of the world with the objective to create harmony and unity in
the Islamic world, and showcasing a peaceful harmonious and tolerant picture of
Muslims in the world.
Later,
Dr Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa and his delegation called upon the
president. Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul
Shakoor, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Nawaf bin Saeed Al Malki
also attended the meeting.
Read
more: Umrah pilgrims can now stay in Saudi Arabia for three months
Talking
to the secretary-general, the president termed “Islamophobia” one of the
biggest challenges being faced by Muslims, and urged the need to allay the
fears of the world regarding Islam.
Source:
Tribune Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2381028/pakistan-has-significant-place-in-muslim-world-dr-ai-issa
--------
Rivals
making ‘dirty videos’ to malign me: Imran
Amjad
Mahmood
October
12, 2022
LAHORE:
In a pre-emptive move to counter the impact of ‘indecent’ video clips allegedly
prepared by his opponents to stop his “revolution”, former prime minister Imran
Khan on Tuesday claimed the ruling coalition was allegedly making ‘deep fake’
videos to malign him and his party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
“All
of the thieves have joined hands to defame me and my party… they are making
[my] dirty videos [through the use of] deep fake technology,” Imran Khan said
in Nankana Sahib during a political gathering.
“The
videos will be shown to the public… but they will fail to achieve the
objective,” he said, adding that the government could stoop to every low but it
would not be able to stop his long march.
Mr
Khan also shared some ‘deep fake’ audio clips of the Sharif family with the
audience. In one clip, Nawaz Sharif was speaking against himself, while in
another Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was speaking ill of his brother, whereas
in the third clip, Maryam Nawaz was praising Imran Khan. “Just for fun – 100
per cent fake” was written on these clips while they were being played by Imran
Khan to prove his point about the deepfake technology.
The
PTI chief also referred to the recent audio clips leaked to the social and
mainstream media and said that he will go to court for an inquiry into the
audio leaks.
The
former premier said that he wanted to find out which spy agency was responsible
for tapping the secure phone line of the prime minister’s official office and
added that “surveillance of the premier was fine” but leaking these clips was
criminal.
Referring
to the money laundering case registered against him and some other PTI leaders
by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), he said that the ruling coalition
was treating him like a hostile element by registering cases against him and
his aides.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1714570/rivals-making-dirty-videos-to-malign-me-imran
--------
Pakistan
values UK’s balanced role in regional affairs: Gen Bajwa
October
11, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner called on Chief of Army
Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at General Headquarters (GHQ), ISPR said
on Tuesday.
During
the meeting, matters of mutual interest and regional security situation
including bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed, according to
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
COAS
Bajwa said that Pakistan values UK’s balanced role in regional affairs and
looking forward to enhancing mutually beneficial relationship based on common
interests.
The
visiting dignitary expressed his grief over the devastation caused by floods in
Pakistan and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims.
The
dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for regional stability and also
pledged to play his rule enhancing cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.
In
another meeting on Tuesday, Sheikh Doctor Mohammad bin Abdulkarim AI-Issa,
Secretary General of the Muslim World League & President of Organization of
Muslim Scholars, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) called on General Qamar Javed
Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at GHQ.
During
the meeting, matters of mutual interest, bilateral security cooperation and
regional peace & stability came under discussion.
Sheikh
AI-Issa said Pakistan has a significant place in the Muslim world and it is
playing a vital role in peace and stability in the region.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ample
opportunities available to boost Pak-Iran trade ties: SCCI chief
October
11, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Pakistan and Iran possess vast opportunities to further enhance mutual economic
and trade relations in various sectors, emphasized Muhammad Ishaq, President
Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Tuesday.
He
emphasized that promotion of bilateral trade between neighbouring countries is
the need of the hour and Pakistan and Iran should take joint initiatives to
boost up mutual cooperation with Pakistan.
The
SCCI chief was speaking to the Commercial Attaché/First Consul of Iranian
Consulate in Peshawar, Hussein Maliki here at the chamber’s house. Ejaz Khan
Afridi, vice president of the chamber was also present during the meeting.
Muhammad
Ishaq and Maliki during the meeting discussed avenues and opportunities to
further strengthen mutual economic and trade relations between Pakistan and
Iran.
Both
sides have stressed the need of making joint and concerted efforts to further
improve the mutual cooperation and trade relations.
SCCI
is going to organise a trade expo, aiming to promote locally manufacturing
products, which would also help to enhance trade with regional countries,
Muhammad Ishaq disclosed on the occasion.
Ample
opportunities are available to boost up bilateral trade between Pakistan and
Iran, said Hussein Maliki.
However,
he stressed that serious attempts are needed to be taken to remove hurdles in
the way of bilateral trade between Iran and Pakistan.
He
continued to say that mutual understanding and harmony can eradicate
impediments in the mutual trade.
Hussein
Maliki urged SCCI to give concrete proposals and share details of the upcoming
trade expo in order to ensure maximum participation of Iranian businessmen in
the event.
Mr
Ishaq appreciated the Iranian diplomat’s commitment toward enhancing bilateral
trade between Pakistan and Iran. He opined that hurdles to Pak-Iran mutual
trade can be removed with joint efforts and coordination.
Stressing
the need for promotion of formal trade, the SCCI chief viewed the legal trade
would boost up the economy of the both countries. He asked Islamabad and Iran
to take initiatives for signing economic and trade agreements.
The
SCCI chief thanked the Iranian consul general for felicitating him for becoming
president of the SCCI and expressed the hope that Pak-Iran mutual trade would
be further strengthened during one year remaining in office.
Earlier,
the Iranian diplomat briefed the SCCI chief about opportunities and potentials
for further enhancing mutual trade between the two neighbouring countries.
He
informed the president of Iran Chamber would soon visit different cities of
Pakistan and I have desired that he will also visit Peshawar and meet with
businessmen in SCCI.
Hussein
Maliki vowed to take joint efforts and initiatives to bring the Iran-Pak
bilateral trade to new heights. He said the entire team of Iranian Consulate in
Peshawar is fully committed and making vigorous efforts to further bilateral
economic and trade ties with Pakistan.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Human
Rights Council Elections: Afghanistan, a Prospective Member
By
Saqalain Eqbal
11
Oct 2022
Afghanistan
is a candidate for the Human Rights Council and a prospective member from the
Asia-Pacific region; the General Assembly of the United Nations will vote to
elect 14 new members on Tuesday.
According
to a General Assembly resolution, the Human Rights Council is composed of 47
Member States, each of which is elected directly and individually by a vast
bulk of the General Assembly’s members using a secret ballot.
The
membership of Human Rights Council is determined based on geographical
distribution, with 13 seats allocated to the Asia-Pacific region.
Of
these 13 seats, there are currently 4 seats vacant for the elections, in which
Afghanistan along with other Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh,
Republic of Korea, Maldives and Vietnam are candidates.
According
to the Human Rights Council, each of the newly elected members will serve for a
period of three years, starting from January 2023.
The
Human Rights Council seat for Afghanistan will enable the amplification of
concerns, demands, and voices of Afghan people experiencing human rights
violations, according to the diplomatic representative of Afghanistan in
Geneva, appointed by the overthrown republic regime.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/human-rights-council-elections-afghanistan-a-prospective-member-46754/
--------
Taliban
Kabul Municipality Closes Down Dozens of Wedding Halls and Hotels
By
Saqalain Eqbal
11
Oct 2022
The
Taliban-run Kabul Municipality has stated that it has closed down dozens of
wedding halls and hotels in the Afghan capital due to violations.
The
Kabul Municipality issued a statement on Monday, the 10th of September, stating
that the operations of 128 hotels had been assessed.
As
many as 115 of the hotels and halls had complied with the standards of the
Taliban Kabul Municipality while 23 others have been closed down as a result of
failing to comply and violations.
The
municipality further issued a warning to the wedding halls stating that if they
fail to adjust their operations to the applicable regulations of the city, they
will face serious legal action.
The
announcement stated that among the standards for hotels and wedding halls that
have been established by the municipality are avoiding the use of plastic
dishes, having tiled kitchens and clean dishwashing places.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
slaps more sanctions on Taliban over treatment of women
12th
October 2022
WASHINGTON:
The United States announced new sanctions Tuesday against the Taliban as
punishment for their repressive treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Secretary
of State Anthony Blinken unveiled the new visa restriction policy for current
or former members of the Taliban and others involved in repressing women
through restrictive policies and violence.
Blinken
made the announcement on the UN's International Day of the Girl Child.
"As
a grim example, for more than a year, Afghanistan remains the only country in
the world where girls are systemically barred from attending school beyond the
sixth grade, with no return date in sight," Blinken said.
After
coming back to power in August 2021 following the retreat of US forces, the
hardline Taliban have barred girls from attending secondary school. But women
are allowed to attend university.
A
recent suicide bombing on a Kabul classroom killed and wounded dozens of pupils
as they prepared for exams.
The
United Nations has put the death toll at 53, including 46 girls and young
women.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Islamic
Emirate Leader Meets with Provincial Intelligence Heads
October
12, 2022
Islamic
Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Twitter that the Islamic Emirate
leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada met with officials of the general intelligence
department and provincial intelligence heads.
According
to a statement issued by Mujahid, Akhundzada ordered the officials to protect
the rights, culture, religion and property of the citizens.
Mawlawi
Hibatullah said that no one should be detained and jailed without solid proof.
“They
should treat the people with good conduct. The people should not be disturbed
and detained due to weak allegations, and if it happened, it should be
compensated. Until the information is complete-- no one should be allowed to
interfere in any institution and disturb the people. The order is issued and I
hope it will be useful," Mujahid told TOLOnews.
In
the meeting, the need to help the challenges of poor people and treat addicts
was emphasized.
The
Islamic Emirate leader also emphasized the implementation of his six-principle
decree regarding women, according to Mujahid’s statement.
"The
intelligence personnel were told to focus on this to implement the decree.
There have been violations of the decree in some areas. In some cases, the
voices of women have not been heard and teenage girls were married. The
intelligence should pay attention to this,” Mujahid said.
The
political analysts believe that the meeting between the leader of the Islamic
Emirate and intelligence officials is important for the country.
“The
duty of intelligence is very important for a country. It should be provided
with guidance and thus this meeting has been important,” said Sayed Bilal Ahmad
Fatimi, a political analyst.
Some
citizens of the country urged the Islamic Emirate to treat the people with good
conduct.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-180256
--------
Bangladeshi
minorities want justice for Catholic politician
October
10, 2022
Minority
groups in Bangladesh have demanded justice for an ethnic Garo Catholic
politician, who died ten days after he was brutally attacked by his political
rivals.
Subrata
Sangma, 48, died on Oct. 8, while undergoing treatment in a hospital. He was a
former elected chairman of the Kullagora Union Council, a local government body
in Durgapur of northeastern Netrakona district.
Sangma’s
relatives alleged that a group of criminals sent by current chairman Abdul Awal
and his brother Shamim Ahmed beat him up with iron rods and sharp weapons twice
on Sept. 29, leaving him seriously injured. He was rushed to a hospital by
local people and died there 10 days later.
One
day later, his sister Keya Sangma filed an “attempt to murder” case against
Awal, his brother, and 15 others. The accused have secured bail, police said.
“The
dead body has been kept at the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital morgue for
post-mortem. The accused in the attack case are currently out on bail. Since
Subrata Sangma is dead, the case will now be converted into a murder case,”
Durgapur police station officer-in-charge Mohammad Shibirul Islam told UCA
News.
Sangma,
a member of the ruling Awami League party, is the nephew of late Promod Mankin,
a prominent Garo Catholic politician, and former state minister of social
welfare.
Raymond
Areng, a Garo Catholic and central committee leader of the Awami League,
alleged Sangma was killed because of his politics.
“We
respect the law of the land and hope to get fair justice,” Areng told UCA News.
Bangladesh
Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC), the country’s largest
religious minorities forum, issued a statement deploring the murder. It alleged
the main perpetrator and his associates are members of the opposition
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The
BNP has not commented on the killing yet.
“We
express deep concerns and fear over the brutal killing of Subrata Sangma. We
demand immediate arrest and exemplary punishment for the culprits,” the group
said in a statement on Oct. 9.
Bangladesh
Christian Association (BCA), the largest Christian forum, also condemned the
killing.
“The
government must immediately arrest those involved in the murder and hand down
exemplary punishment,” its Oct. 9 statement read.
The
brutal assault on Sangma is a part of the ongoing oppression of ethnic
minorities, said Garo Student Union.
Apurba
Mrong, secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission in the predominant Garo
Mymensingh Diocese said the political murder discourages minorities from
getting involved in politics.
“The
minorities of Bangladesh, especially the Christians, are already few in
politics. They will not come to politics if such killings happen. So the
government should pay more attention to this aspect,” Mrong told UCA News.
In
Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Christians make up less than one percent or an
estimated 600,000 of the more than 165 million people, according to the 2022
census.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/bangladeshi-minorities-want-justice-for-catholic-politician/99038
--------
Taliban
Official Receives Honorary Doctorate Degree
By
Saqalain Eqbal
11
Oct 2022
The
Taliban Acting Minister of Higher Education, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, received an
honorary doctorate degree from Nangarhar University in recognition of his “scientific
and academic” contributions.
The
Taliban Ministry of Higher Education announced in a tweet on Tuesday, October
11, that the leadership of the ministry had received an honorary degree in
recognition of his contributions to Afghanistan’s higher education system.
According
to the Taliban government’s Ministry of Higher Education, Abdul Baqi Haqqani,
in a ceremony attended by the Taliban deputy governor for Nangarhar, was
awarded this honorary degree in law and jurisprudence.
In
recognition of the Taliban official’s “scientific and academic” services to the
government, Nangarhar University reportedly awarded him an honorary doctorate
degree in law and jurisprudence.
The
Taliban official was given a “service award” in addition to his honorary
doctorate degree in order to acknowledge his alleged efforts and achievements.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-official-receives-honorary-doctorate-degree-45743/
--------
Africa
Somalia:
Lifting Arms Embargo Key to Battling Islamist Militants
Ahmed
Mohamed
October
11, 2022
MOGADISHU,
SOMALIA —
Somalia
is getting support for its campaign to have an arms embargo lifted after
Ethiopia joined Uganda in backing the action. The U.N. Security Council is set
to vote in November on renewing the partial ban, which Somalia says should be
removed so it can better fight al-Shabab terrorists.
Ethiopia's
support came after a rare July incursion by Islamist militants into Ethiopia
amid a large-scale offensive by Somalia and its allies against the group.
Somali
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed say the
three-decades-long U.N. Security Council sanctions should be removed so Somalia
can better fight the militant Islamist group al-Shabab.
The
two leaders issued a joint statement September 30 amid an offensive by Somali
troops and their allies.
Somalia
called on African Union member states in July to support its campaign to lift
the embargo, which includes bans on high-caliber weapons and military vehicles.
The
Somalia-based security research group Hiraal Institute said in a February
report the arms embargo was failing to stop al-Shabab from smuggling weapons
that federal forces were not allowed to buy.
The
institute's Samira Gaid said Somalia's capabilities are limited because it
needs permission from U.N. security council members to buy certain arms.
"But
on the other hand, you have al-Shabab, that is able to purchase from the local
markets and illegally smuggle these weapons from, say, Yemen or
elsewhere," Gaid said. "And so for them, they have access to anything
without any obligations. But on the other hand, the government is
restricted."
Despite
the restrictions, Somali forces and their allies have been making gains against
the militants.
Somali
President Mohamud's "all-out war" against al-Shabab has seen scores
of villages recovered from the militants in recent weeks of intense fighting.
The
terrorist group says it has inflicted losses on the Somali military, though
casualty figures cannot be confirmed.
Mohamed
Muse Matan, who teaches political science and international relations at the
University of Somalia, said the sanctions mean Somali forces do not have enough
firepower to defeat the militants.
But
Matan admits allowing Somalia to get high-caliber weapons is risky.
He
said giving high-caliber weapons to Somalia is dangerous due to lack of
regulatory mechanisms, but that it is essential that the government's weapons
be better than those of al-Shabab if the government is to win the war against
al-Shabab.
The
U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Somalia in 1992 because of
civil war and factional violence. The embargo was partially lifted in 2013 to
help Somalia's security forces develop and fight the Islamist militants.
The
remaining sanctions, which require requests for certain weapons to be approved,
are renewed annually.
While
Somalia has for years called for the embargo to be lifted, Mohamud has been
campaigning since he was elected in May for the support of neighbors.
In
August, Mohamud and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called for the embargo to
be removed during Mohamud's visit to Kampala.
Former
Somalia national intelligence deputy director Abdisalam Guled said Somalia
needs heavy weapons like battle tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs).
Guled
said the arms embargo on Somalia was mostly supported by neighboring countries
because they were afraid if Somalia got heavy weapons, it could use those
weapons against its neighbors. Now that Ethiopia, which is among the strongest
countries in the region, is campaigning for lifting the arms embargo, it's a
good step that has already been taken, Guled added.
Analysts
say al-Shabab's July incursion into Ethiopia's Somali state, one of the
deadliest reported in recent memory, was a major factor in Prime Minister
Abiy's public call for lifting the embargo.
Ethiopian
officials say they repelled the invasion, killing more than 800 of the Islamist
militants. It's not possible to confirm the casualty figures directly because
the area is off-limits to journalists.
At
the last U.N. Security Council vote on the embargo's renewal in November 2021,
Kenya was among the 13 council members that endorsed the extension of the
partial ban.
With
the next vote just weeks away, it's not clear if Kenya will back Somalia's push
to have the embargo lifted. There was no response to requests for comment from
Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Even
if Nairobi supports the move, Somalia would need more support on the council
for the embargo to be lifted.
Source:
VOA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Long
petrol queues in Tunisia infuriates motorists after promise of fuel deliveries
11
October, 2022
Frustrated
motorists queued in long lines outside Tunisian petrol stations on Tuesday even
after the energy minister had said a shortage would end on Monday with a new
delivery of fuel.
Many
petrol stations started running out of fuel over the weekend as imports slowed
and national supplies dropped, leading to lines of cars stretching kilometers
in some places, causing bad traffic in Tunisian cities.
“I
didn’t go to work today,” said Mohamed Neji, who had been waiting for an hour
and a half in the Ariana district of Tunis.
“We’ve
become like refugees in our own country,” he added, alluding to other shortages
that have struck Tunisia in recent weeks including flour, sugar, butter, milk
and cooking oil.
Tunisia
faces a crisis in public finances and the labor union which has branches in
government and national supply sectors says the state has struggled to pay for
imports of goods that it sells at subsidized rates.
President
Kais Saied has blamed hoarders and speculators for goods shortages.
Tunisia
hopes soon to finalize a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) for a rescue program that could also unlock billions of dollars in
bilateral support from other countries.
However,
it is not clear if it can push through the reforms that the IMF wants,
including reductions in subsidies that are opposed by the labor union.
Near
petrol stations in Tunis on Tuesday there was furious honking from cars as
lines of waiting motorists blocked traffic lanes, with vehicles crammed into
the spaces around.
Cars
at many petrol stations were only allowed to fill up to 30 dinars ($9) worth of
petrol, or about 13 liters. At some, petrol station workers were distributing
petrol from plastic bottles to ease congestion at the pumps.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sheikh
Zakzaky: Riyadh was involved in Zaria massacre but only on US, UK orders
12
October 2022
Nigeria’s
most senior Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky says that although Saudi
Arabia was involved in the Zaria massacre in the Nigerian capital Abuja, the
kingdom was only acting on the orders of Washington and London.
“We
believe that Saudi Arabia was not the main cause of the [massacre], but acted
on behalf of the US and the UK and carried out the orders of Washington and
London,” Sheikh Zakzaky said in an interview with Al-Alam news network
published on Tuesday.
He
said the US and the UK were not willing to pay the price of the plot and,
therefore, compelled Saudi Arabia to implement it.
In
December 2015, Nigerian army troops attacked Sheikh Zakzaky’s residence and a
place of worship belonging to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, killing hundreds
of his supporters and detaining the cleric and his wife.
The
Nigerian troops burned Zakzaky’s house down and afflicted him and his wife with
serious injuries that caused the cleric to lose his left eye. Sheikh Zakzaky
and his wife Zeenat also lost three sons during the Zaria massacre.
During
the interview, he recalled that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
once claimed that the kingdom suppressed a movement in Africa similar to the
Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah and prevented him as the leader of the
movement from establishing an Islamic government similar to the one in Iran.
“We
did not see a single person from the Saudi army there, but it was the Nigerian
army that carried out the massacre and this means that the Saudi government
paid for it,” he said.
The
prominent Nigerian cleric added that his country’s government has told various
lies about the massacre. “First, they said that not a single person had been
killed, but then they said the army had killed 17 people because they chanted
slogans in support of their leader.”
According
to Sheikh Zakzaky, however, more than 1,000 people were killed in the massacre,
with at least 800 Shias and more than 200 others.
‘Muslims
see Islamic Republic as role model’
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Zakzaky thanked the Iranian government and nation’s support for
the Nigerian resistance movement, saying Muslims around the world see the
Islamic Republic as a role model.
“Thank
God, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the government and the people, are all
with us. They are doing everything in their power to support our oppressed
people,” he said.
“They
have done everything they could, and we thank them for that, and we thank the
government that was and still is by our side,” he added.
The
cleric also said that Muslims see Iran as a role model, arguing that even
non-Muslim nations, like Nicaragua and the Philippines, have been inspired by
the Islamic Republic.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
US
Student Body Calls For Boycotting Israel over Occupation of Palestine
11
October 2022
The
student body at Wellesley College of Liberal Arts in the US has called for the
liberation of Palestine and listed companies supporting the Israeli occupation
in an effort to encourage students to boycott them.
In
an editorial published by the student body established at the liberal women's
university, the group called for the liberation of Palestine and for boycotting
the occupation, especially in Boston, Massachusetts, where the university is
located.
The
student body expressed support to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement
(BDS), the Mapping Project in particular, which puts pressure on the Israeli
regime through non-violent means.
According
to the independent student newspaper of Wellesley College, Wellesley’s Students
for Justice in Palestine (SJP) raise awareness on campus of the mistreatment of
Palestinians and the illegal nature of Israel’s settlements.
The
editorial said that the student body “unequivocally supports Palestinian
students on campus, especially international students who may hesitate to speak
in fear of retribution.”
Touching
on the Mapping Project, the editorial said it provides a vital service through
collecting data about institutions that support Israeli apartheid, tracing
their financial and political activities, and publicizing the information,” and
stressed that it is of great importance.
The
Mapping Project, unveiled earlier in June 2022, identifies policing
institutions, universities, weapons manufacturers, and Zionist lobby groups in
the New England region that work in tandem to fortify structures of oppression
and occupation in Palestine and across the world.
The
hallmark of the project that is creating ripples is an interactive map that
shows the physical locations of pro-Zionist groups in the Massachusetts area,
sparking fears and concerns among pro-Israel lobbyists.
According
to key members of the project, the idea is to build a knowledge base of institutions,
corporations, and other entities that contribute to the colonization of
Palestine, US imperialism, policing displacement, and other forms of
oppression.
Giving
an example on such institutions, the editorial read “The Mapping project notes
that MIT is complicit in the militarization, propaganda/normalization,
surveillance and US imperialism and has an active role in developing the
technologies used to harm Palestinians.”
Moreover,
the student body journalists wrote that they have an obligation to document the
truth, and that they are fortunate so far for being able to do it without
facing violence, unlike journalists covering Israeli atrocities committed in
occupied Palestine, such as Shirine Abu Akleh who was killed in May by Israeli
occupation forces fire while covering an Israeli raid on Jenin.
The
student body also expressed they are disheartened “to witness Wellesley’s
administration refusal to acknowledge the occupation of Palestine and the
brutality that has been occurring under Israel’s settler-colonial regime for
decades.”
“Wellesley’s
News Editorial Board called on our fellow students, professors and the
Wellesley’s administration and board of Trustees to acknowledge the atrocities
of the Israeli regime and call for the liberation of occupied Palestine,” the
editorial concluded.
Following
a widespread Israeli media attack, which slammed the College and claimed it was
"a beacon of anti-Semitism, the university administration said it did not
support the project.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/10/11/690770/US-student-body-calls-for-boycotting-Israeli-regime-
--------
Biden
re-evaluating relationship with Saudi Arabia after OPEC decision on oil output:
White House
11
October 2022
The
White House says that President Joe Biden is re-evaluating the US relationship
with Saudi Arabia after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
and allies (OPEC+), in which Riyadh is a top producer, announced last week it
would cut oil production.
"I
think the president's been very clear that this is a relationship that we need
to continue to re-evaluate, that we need to be willing to revisit," White
House national security spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN on
Tuesday. "And certainly in light of the OPEC decision, I think that's
where he is."
The
spokesman added that Biden is willing to work with Congress on the future of
Saudi relations.
The
oil-exporting alliance, which includes the 13 OPEC nations and 11 non-members
including Russia, made the production cut announcement on Wednesday. The group
agreed to cut output by 2 million barrels per day, equal to 2 percent of global
supply.
Independent
observers believe the Biden administration is worried that the decision to cut
oil production will cause a gas price hike in the US ahead of the November
midterm elections which Democrats are already set to lose to the Republicans.
The
OPEC move was a large blow to the administration of Biden, who visited oil-rich
Saudi Arabia on a July trip to appeal to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman.
Bob
Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
on Monday, urged the country to freeze its cooperation with Saudi Arabia,
including most arms sales, accusing the kingdom of helping to underwrite the
Russian war in Ukraine.
"The
United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi
Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is
absolutely necessary...," Menendez said.
Kirby
said Biden was disappointed in the OPEC+ decision, and "he's willing to
work with Congress to think through what that relationship ought to look like
going forward."
"And
I think he's going to be willing to start to have those conversations right
away. I don't think this is anything that's going to have to wait or should
wait, quite frankly, for much longer," Kirby added.
The
White House spokesman said the issue does not only concern the war in Ukraine
but it is a matter of US national security interests.
Earlier,
independent US Senator Bernie Sanders called for the withdrawal of American
troops from Saudi Arabia and an end to military aid to the conservative kingdom
for lowering oil production.
“If
Saudi Arabia, one of the worst violators of human rights in the world, wants to
partner with Russia to jack up US gas prices, it can get Putin to defend its
monarchy,” the Vermont senator tweeted Friday after the OPEC+ bloc announced a
cut in daily oil production.
“We
must pull all US troops out of Saudi Arabia, stop selling them weapons &
end its price-fixing oil cartel,” he added.
In
a related move, a group of lawmakers has introduced a new bill that aims to end
the US military support to Saudi Arabia.
House
Representatives Tom Malinowski, Sean Casten and Susan Wild launched the motion
on Wednesday.
“We
see no reason why American troops and contractors should continue to provide
this service to countries that are actively working against us,” they said.
Several
congressional Democrats have had similar remarks on the announcement, which is
poised to counter-sanctions on Russian oil and potentially drive up gas prices
ahead of the midterm US elections.
On
Sunday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cried foul over the decision by
OPEC+ to lower oil production, saying it will hurt the global economy.
“I
think OPEC’s decision is unhelpful and unwise — it’s uncertain what impact it
will end up having, but certainly, it’s something that, to me, did not seem
appropriate, under the circumstances we face,” Yellen said in a phone interview
with the Financial Times, adding, “We’re very worried about developing countries
and the problems they face.”
In
August, the United States approved massive arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates worth more than $5 billion, amid criticism of their
ongoing military aggression in Yemen which has inflicted heavy civilian casualties.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Biden
hails Israel, Lebanon on maritime border deal
Laura
Gamba
11.10.2022
BOGOTA,
Colombia
US
President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday to
congratulate them for having reached a “historic” deal to establish a permanent
maritime boundary, ending a long-running dispute between both countries.
"I
am pleased to announce a historic breakthrough in the Middle East," Biden
said in a statement after speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and
Lebanon President Michel Aoun.
“After
months of mediation by the United States, the Governments of Israel and Lebanon
have agreed to formally end their maritime boundary dispute and establish a permanent
maritime boundary between them,” he said.
It
took years to achieve the agreement that will allow the countries to obtain
revenue from potentially rich Mediterranean gas fields and could ease military
tensions between them.
The
agreement "will provide for the development of energy fields for the
benefit of both countries, setting the stage for a more stable and prosperous
region, and harnessing vital new energy resources for the world," Biden
said.
The
US president spoke Tuesday to Lapid and Aoun to congratulate them on the deal
that was praised by both leaders.
“This
is a historic achievement that will strengthen Israel's security, inject
billions into Israel's economy, and ensure the stability of our northern
border," Lapid said in a statement.
President
Aoun said in a tweet Tuesday that the final version of the agreement was
“satisfactory” for Lebanon. In the phone call, Biden told Aoun that “the United
States remains committed to the Lebanese people and to supporting stability and
sovereignty with Lebanon."
The
agreement, the first one on border demarcation between the two nations that
have been at war since 1948, still needs to be formally ratified, for which no
date has been set yet.
Negotiations
over the territory in the Mediterranean Sea, which contain part of the Karish
gas field and Qana, a prospective gas field, have been ongoing since 2020. The
Karish field has been threatened by Hezbollah, the Iran-allied militant group
that controls a part of Lebanon.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/biden-hails-israel-lebanon-on-maritime-border-deal/2708965
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US
prosecutors drop all charges against Serial podcast subject Adnan Syed
Michael
Gabriel Hernandez
11.10.2022
WASHINGTON
Prosecutors
in the US city of Baltimore announced on Tuesday that they have dropped all
charges against Adnan Syed, the man at the center of hit podcast Serial.
Marilyn
Mosby, the State's Attorney for Baltimore City, said the decision to drop the
charges was based on new DNA evidence, and new information that has come to
light supporting alternative suspects in the 1999 murder of Syed's
ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.
"The
fundaments of the criminal justice system should be based on fair and just
prosecution and the crux of the matter is that we are standing here today
because that wasn’t done 23 years ago," Mosby said in a statement.
"Although,
my administration was not responsible for neither the pain inflicted upon Hae
Min Lee’s family nor the wrongful conviction of Mr. Syed, as a representative
of the institution, it is my responsibility to acknowledge and apologize to the
family of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed," she added.
Baltimore
Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn threw out last month Syed's conviction in Lee's
murder, setting in motion a 30-day window to schedule a new trial or drop the
murder charge.
Phinn
said her decision was based on the grounds that the state had failed to share
exculpatory evidence -- known as a Brady violation -- that could have helped
his defense at trial.
Laura
Nirider, the co-director, of the Center on Wrongful Convictions non-profit
legal group, said that the charges are being dropped based on another tranche
of DNA testing confirming that Syed is not the individual who killed Lee.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Amendments
to condition US sale of F-16s to Türkiye removed from Senate defense bill
Kasim
Ileri
11.10.2022
WASHINGTON
Two
amendments introduced by Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Chris van Hollen
making potential F-16 sales to Türkiye contingent on a series of conditions
were removed from the Senate version of the annual US defense spending bill.
The
Senate convened on Tuesday to finalize the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) bill, which includes the 2023 defense budget.
Nearly
900 amendments submitted for inclusion in the bill continue to be discussed. No
votes are scheduled until Nov. 14 when the chamber re-convenes following a
break for the US midterm elections.
According
to information obtained from congressional sources, the amendments presented by
Menendez and van Hollen were dropped from the bill.
After
the Senate passes the NDAA, it will be made into a joint text with a previous
version passed within the House of Representatives before it is sent to US
President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.
A
similar amendment to those put forward by Van Hollen and Menendez, which sought
to impose conditions on Türkiye’s F-16 purchase, was added to the House of
Representatives version of the NDAA bill, but these additions are expected to
be removed in the joint text.
The
amendments sought to impose several restrictions on the sale of F-16s and
modernization kits to Türkiye, including requiring the president to inform
Congress of “concrete steps” he has taken to ensure the warplanes “are not used
by Turkey for repeated unauthorized territorial overflights of Greece or
military operations against United States allies."
The
amendment put forward by van Hollen pointed in particular to Syrian forces led
by the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, a designated terrorist organization
in Türkiye, the US and EU. The US has partnered with the YPG-led SDF in its
efforts to counter Daesh/ISIS in northeastern Syria, drawing Ankara's anger in
a major strain on bilateral relations.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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