India Asks Oman to Arrest and Extradite Islamist Preacher ‘Zakir Naik’ Who Is Accused Of Propagating Extremism In India
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 March 2023
Islamist Preacher Zakir Naik
----
• Pashtun Activist, Fazal-Ur-Rehman Afridi, At UN
Exposes Pakistan’s Ties With Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
• Biden Vows To Support Disaster-Hit Türkiye, Syria,
Pakistan In Ramadan Wish
• Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque Decorated For Muslim
Fasting Month Of Ramadan
• In A First, London's Piccadilly Circus Decked Out
With Ramadan Lights
India
• Muslim Inmates Participate In Navratri Fast At Prayagraj's
Naini Central Jail
• Ramzan Moon Not Sighted, Muslims In India To Begin
Fasting From Friday
• 2024 Lok Sabha Polls: BJP’s Muslim Outreach In UP With
PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat Book
• Halal Vs Jhatka Row Surfaces Again During Festive
Season In Karnataka
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Pakistan
• Saudi Embassy Organizes Video Competition To
Celebrate 70 Years Of Pak Saudi Relations
• Govt plotting to assassinate me, claims Imran Khan
• Pakistan: PDM leaders fail to reach consensus on
banning PTI over violence
• Nation celebrates Pakistan Day as PM, president
invoke ‘spirit of service’
• Govt pushes ahead with fuel subsidy scheme
• Commission to probe ‘threats’ to Imran’s life
• JI protests after stampede in Swabi flour
distribution
• Sanaullah asks parliament to ’empower’ law enforcers
to deal with Imran
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North America
• President Biden expresses ‘solidarity’ with China’s
Uyghurs as Ramadan begins
• Muslim told he cannot pray in Canadian train station
• Blinken says US ‘actively’ working to re-establish
diplomatic presence in Libya
• US judge orders $1.68 bln payout to families over
1983 Beirut bombing
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Mideast
• Attack On Hospital: Israel’s Ramadan Gift To
Palestinians
• Supreme Leader Calls for Ditching US Dollar in Trade
Ties
• N. Chief: Iran Exporting Nuclear Medicine to 9
States
• Iran Strongly Condemns Israeli Official's Racist
Comments on Palestinians
• Iranian FM Holds Talks with Emirati, Kuwaiti,
Pakistani Counterparts on Regional Issues, Bilateral Ties
• No plan for new settlements in West Bank area
evacuated in 2005: Israel
• In election setback for Erdogan, Turkey’s
pro-Kurdish HDP will not field candidate
• 10 dead in new attack by Houthis in Yemen
• Jordanian MPs vote for expulsion of Israeli
ambassador over 'racist' remarks by minister
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Europe
• UK police question suspect after Muslim man set
alight
• UK begins inquiry into British troops' alleged
extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan
• German police conduct raids to arrest right-wing
extremists
• Iran reiterates its opposition to continuation of
war in Ukraine
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South Asia
• Islamic Emirate Seeking to Hire Professionals, says
Administrative Office of the President
• Taliban acting finance minister becomes central bank
governor
• Sri Lanka wants 5m tourists a year, envoy tells
Riyadh event
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Southeast Asia
• 'Try It And See The Consequences': Johor Sultan Warns
Against Defying Ban On Political Talk In Mosques
• King, Queen remind Muslims not to waste food during Ramadan
• Malaysia seeks closer ties with Saudi Arabia as PM
arrives on first visit
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Arab World
• Saudi, Iran FMs Hold Ramazan Call, Vow To Meet
‘Soon’: Riyadh
• Hezbollah leader vows immediate response to any
Israeli military aggression on Lebanon
• Top UAE diplomat: Iran-Saudi rapprochement to
benefit entire Middle East region
• Two sentenced to death in Iraq over activist’s
abduction
• UAE President exchanges Ramadan greetings with Arab
leaders
• Public Security chief: Begging at Grand Mosque will
be dealt with firmly
• Prophet's Mosque agency sets date of grouping for
Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah
• Is Zakir Naik Likely To Be Deported From Oman? Know What
His Lawyer Says
• Armed Russian jets violated US airspace over base in
Syria 25 times in March: General
• Lebanon’s police fire tear gas as protesters try to
storm govt headquarters
• Egypt’s Suez Canal economic zone and Abu Dhabi ports
partner to develop projects
• Saudi Arabia’s King Salman arrives in Jeddah, shares
message to nation as Ramadan begins
• ‘Starving’ retired army personnel protest against
Lebanon’s ‘corrupt’ political elite
• Saudi Arabia strongly condemns Israel’s decision to
allow re-settlement in northern West Bank
• OIC chief calls water conservation awareness
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Africa
• Jordanian MPs vote to expel Israeli envoy in Amman
over Palestine denial speech
• US Secretary Of State Blinken Says Tunisia Risks
‘Deep End’ Without IMF Deal
• Ramadan: Buhari sends message to Muslims as fasting
begins
• Algeria’s police dismantle Syria-Europe human
trafficking network
• Five migrants drown, 28 missing off Tunisia
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/oman-islamist-preacher-zakir-naik-extremism/d/129386
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India Asks Oman to Arrest and Extradite Islamist
Preacher ‘Zakir Naik’ Who Is Accused Of Propagating Extremism In India
Islamist Preacher Zakir Naik
----
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
March 22, 2023
India has asked the authorities in Oman to arrest and
extradite the renowned Muslim preacher and scholar Dr. Zakir Naik, accused of
propagating extremism in India and beyond, according to News 18.
It is reported that Zakir Nai will travel to the
Sultanate of Oman on Thursday (March 22), which marks the beginning of Ramadan,
the holy fasting month for Muslims worldwide. Reportedly, Naik will deliver two
important religious sermons at the commencement of Ramadan.
Dr. Naik is an Indian citizen who fled India in 2017
fearing detention allegedly accused of spreading hate speech and terrorism in
India.
According to Business Today Daily, the Indian
Consulate is in contact with Oman officials and has told them after Naik’s
detention, a legal team will be sent to investigate and extradite him to India.
Furthermore, the ministry of foreign affairs of India
has had a meeting with the Ambassador of Oman in this regard in the recent
past.
It is reported that Naik had received an invitation to
deliver two religious sermons in Oman– “The Quran a Global Necessity” and
“Prophet Muhammad a Mercy to Humankind”. His first lecture is set for March 23,
the first day of Ramadan on March 23 and the second lecture will be held on
March 25 at Sultan Qaboos University.
Currently, the renowned Muslim preacher resides in
Malaysia and is set to travel to Oman on Thursday, with the news of his
detention spreading all over.
In 2018, the governments of the UK and Canada
announced that Indian Cleric Dr. Zakir Naik, a popular Salafi television
preacher, was banned from entering both countries, accused of propagating
violence and hate speeches among the people.
Meanwhile, Naik’s invitation to give religious sermons
at the FIFA World Cup 2022 had become controversial. However, after New Delhi
raised concerns with Doha that it would be compelled to terminate Vice
President Jagdeep Dhankar’s trip to the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony if
Islamist Zakir Naik were to be formally invited to watch the event’s opening
from the VVIP box, Qatar responded that Zakir Naik had not received any formal
invitation to attend the event.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/india-asks-oman-to-arrest-and-extradite-islamist-preacher-zakir-naik/
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Pashtun Activist, Fazal-Ur-Rehman Afridi, At UN
Exposes Pakistan’s Ties With Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
Pashtun political activist Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi
(Photo/ANI)
----
23 March, 2023
Geneva [Switzerland], March 23 (ANI): A Pashtun
political activist during the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in
Geneva, exposed Pakistan for its close ties with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP).
In his intervention, Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi said, “We
would like to turn the council’s attention towards a deteriorating security
situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Pakistan having grave implications for
the basic fundamental rights and lives of the Pashtun ethnic minority.”
“We express our concerns about the unannounced deal
between the state of Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to hand over
Ex-FATA to TTP to be ruled under Sharia Laws,” he said.
He informed the Council that as per the deal, about
44,000 TTP militants and their families have to be re-settled in KPK. Thousands
of Pashtuns, particularly the Pashtun Protection Movement have demonstrated all
over Pakistan against this deal and demonstrated their strong urge for peace in
their land.
“On January 30, 2023, TTP considered to be the proxy
of Pakistani Military Establishment carried out one of the bloodiest suicide
attack resulting in killing of at least 101 and injuring of 217 Pashtuns in
Civil Lines Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”, he said.
Afridi said that TTP, in a recently released report
claimed to have executed 367 attacks; with 348 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
12 in Balochistan, five in Punjab and two in Sindh province of Pakistan
resulting in the killing of 446 and injuring of 1015 persons in 2022. Earlier
in December 2014, the same group in one of the deadliest attacks killed 147
students and teachers of APS in Peshawar.
“We request UN to investigate these abuses through the
impartial mechanism and if possible bring the perpetrators to justice,” said
the Pashtun activist.
Sydney-based Institute for Economics & Peace
(IEP)’s recent Global Terrorism Index (GTI) – 2023 highlighted Afghanistan and
Pakistan to be among the ten countries most affected by terrorism in 2022, with
deaths in Pakistan rising significantly to 643, a 120 per cent increase from
2021.
It referred to this significant increase as
predominantly driven by a rise in attacks by the ethno-nationalist organisation
the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Deaths by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) doubled
while Islamic State-Khorasan (ISK) increased sevenfold in Pakistan. The BLA was
responsible for a third of these deaths in Pakistan.
BLA is Pakistan’s own creation. It is the result of
politics in Pakistan of the ethnic minority which turned into fighting for its
own survival against the suppressive attitude of Pak authorities.
It continues to bleed the country at a time when the
country is facing serious issues on economic and political fronts. Similar are
the cases of TTP and ISK which are promoted for ideological reasons.
The report also stated that terrorism continues to be
concentrated mainly along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, accounting for 63
per cent of attacks and 74 per cent of terrorism deaths in 2022. (ANI)
Source: The Print
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Biden Vows To Support Disaster-Hit Türkiye, Syria, Pakistan
In Ramadan Wish
"Today, Jill and I
extend our best wishes to Muslim communities across the country and around the
world," says Biden in a statement. (AFP Archive)
-----
23 March 2023
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have
marked the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, wishing Muslims
worldwide "Ramadan Kareem."
"Today, Jill and I extend our best wishes to
Muslim communities across the country and around the world as they begin the Islamic
holy month of Ramadan — a time of fasting, renewal, charity, worship and
growth," said Biden in a statement on Wednesday.
The president said the US reaffirms its support to
Muslim communities suffering hardships and devastation.
"We will continue to stand with the people of
Türkiye and Syria — who have lost many loved ones during the recent devastating
earthquakes — and with the people of Pakistan, who are rebuilding their lives
following last summer's floods.
"To my fellow Americans observing Ramadan, and to
Muslims around the world: Ramadan Kareem — we wish you a blessed and peaceful
Ramadan," said Biden.
Millions of Muslims across the world welcomed the holy
month of Ramadan late on Wednesday.
Fasting, held from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, is one
of Islam's Five Pillars [fundamental religious duties]. It is a time of
self-examination and increased religious devotion.
Solidarity with Uighurs, Rohingya
Biden also expressed "solidarity" with
China's Uighur minority in his message.
"Today especially, we remember the universal
human right to practice, pray and preach our faiths peacefully and openly. And
together with our partners, the United States stands in solidarity with Muslims
who continue to face oppression — including Uighurs in the People's Republic of
China, Rohingya in Burma [Myanmar] and other Muslim communities facing
persecution around the world," he said.
Biden's highlighting of the Uighurs came at a time of
strong tension between Washington and Beijing.
According to rights groups, Uighurs are subjected to
mass incarceration in forced labour camps and banned from expressing their
culture. China rejects such allegations.
Beijing says the ethnic minority is not being
repressed and that any security measures in their northwestern Xinjiang Uighur
Autonomous Region respond to a terrorism threat.
Source: Trt World
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Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque Decorated For Muslim Fasting
Month Of Ramadan
Hagia Sophia/ Photo: aa.com
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Busra Nur Cakmak
22.03.2023
The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque has been decorated for
the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The video of the decorated mosque was shared by
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya on Twitter.
“We are happy to meet the blessed month of Ramadan.
The minarets of Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque will illuminate both our Istanbul and
our hearts with #mahya, reading 'La Ilahe Illallah' this year. Welcome,
Ramadan,” said Yerlikaya.
Hagia Sophia was built in the year 532 CE. It was
turned into a mosque in 1453 after the conquest of Istanbul.
It served as a church for 916 years and 86 years as a
museum. But for most of its existence – from 1453 to 1934, or nearly 500 years
– it served as a mosque.
In 1985, Hagia Sophia was added to the UNESCO World
Heritage List.
Hagia Sophia is also among Türkiye's top tourism
destinations and remains open for domestic and foreign visitors.
Last year, Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque held its first
tarawih prayer in 88 years, a special evening prayer during the Muslim fasting
month of Ramadan.
The mosque regained its status as a mosque in 2020,
when it was opened for worship on July 24 of that year.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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In A First, London's Piccadilly Circus Decked Out With
Ramadan Lights
First ever Ramadan lights
installation at Piccadilly Circus is pictured on the eve of the first day of
Ramadan, in London, Britain, March 21. (REUTERS)
------
By Yagya Sharma
Mar 22, 2023
London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday switched on the
capital's Ramadan lights to celebrate the start of the Islamic holy month. This
is the first time ever that celebratory lights in Piccadilly Circus will
illuminate the city for the month of Ramadan, reported the Mirror.
With this, London has also become the first European
city to put on such a display for the festival which Includes the installation
of 30,000 sustainable lights. Aisha Desai of Ramadan Lights UK, who was
motivated by her love of Christmas lights and started the project three years
ago, organised the display, which was staged in partnership with Heart of
London Business Alliance and featured the words “Happy Ramadan.”
“I just had the ambition to do it like the Christmas
lights,” Desai was quoted as saying by the Mirror.
I remembered going to visit the Christmas lights with
my sister when I was growing up and I also had an opportunity to live in the
Middle East and I wanted to bring that joy and magic to London, the city that
I'm from, she added.
Stating that she wanted to raise awareness about the
holy month, Desai said, "I wanted to raise that awareness as well to let
our neighbours know that this is a really important month for us, it's my
favourite month of the year and I'm just grateful that we're here today.”
"As a child, a trip into central London to see
the festive lights was an annual treat. My sister and I would lie in the back
of the car looking at the lights through the sunroof. It was magical.”
Ramadan, also known as Ramazan or Ramzan, is the ninth
month of the Islamic calendar. It is celebrated all across the globe by Muslims
as a month of fasting (called Roza in India and Pakistan), prayer, reflection
and community. It takes place for four weeks and two days - during which the
followers of Islam fast between dawn and sunset.
Source: Hindustan Times
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India
Muslim inmates participate in Navratri fast at Prayagraj's Naini Central Jail
Mar 23, 2023
PRAYAGRAJ: At Prayagraj's Naini Central Jail the
season of fasts throws up an unusual picture of communal harmony. While some Muslim
inmates join Hindus in observing Navratri fast some Hindu inmates reciprocate
by joining the Muslim brethren in Ramzan.
This time as many as 1,159 inmates, including 13
Muslims, have observed fast on the first day of Navratri on Wednesday.
Similarly, 436 inmates, including 23 Hindus, would be observing Roza this time.
All these inmates, including 13 Muslims (12 men and one woman), followed the
Navratri rituals religiously and around 40% of them are said to continue their
fast for nine days. However, most are expected to observe fast on the last day
of Navratri.
Senior jail superintendent at Naini Central Jail,
Shashi Kant Singh told TOI: “Every inmate observing fast is being offered 750
gm potato, two bananas, 500 gm milk and 60 gm sugar. Similarly, inmates
observing roza will be offered evening meals along with additional diet like
200gm milk, two bananas, 30gm dates (khajoor), pav-roti, biscuits, etc.” Singh
said inmates observing Navratri fast also took part in bhajans and other
rituals at their barracks as well as on the jail campus.
As Navratri is considered as one of the most
auspicious days of Hindu calendar, inmates were quite excited to perform all
rituals, Singh said adding that the inmates woke up early in the morning, took
bath and performed puja.
“Many fasting inmates also recited Durga Saptashati
and bhajan-kirtan will be part of their nine days life,” said Singh adding that
they are permitted to perform all rituals as per discipline and security norms
of the jail.
Source: Times Of India
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Ramzan Moon Not Sighted, Muslims In India To Begin
Fasting From Friday
22 MAR 2023
Muslims in India will begin fasting from Friday as the
Ramzan moon was not sighted this evening, clerics said.
At a meeting of the Ruyat-e-Hilal Committee,
Imarat-e-Sharaiyah-Hind held at 1, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg here, it was
announced that the moon has not been sighted in Delhi or in any other part of
the country, a statement from Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind said.
The committee's secretary Maulana Najeebullah Qasmi
declared that the month of Ramzan will begin from March 24.
Every year, the sighting of the Ramzan moon brings
great cheer for Muslims as they scamper to make preparations for fasting and
head to mosques to begin special 'Taraweeh' prayers, which will start from
Thursday evening.
These special prayers start on the eve of the first
day of fasting.
Source: Outlook India
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2024 Lok Sabha Polls: BJP’s Muslim outreach in UP with
PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat book
by Lalmani Verma
March 23, 2023
In a bid to connect with Muslim voters in Uttar
Pradesh ahead of the next year’s Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s minority wing
has compiled a book of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Mann Ki Baat” speeches
in Urdu with an aim to distribute them among the Muslim community.
The book titled, “Wazir-e-Azam Aali Janaab Narendra
Modi Ke Mann Ki Baat Urdu Ke Saath”, is a compilation of 12 episodes of PM’s
speeches that were broadcast on radio in 2022.
The party has printed one lakh copies of the 150-page
book, which will be distributed during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan. “The
objective of this book is to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat
reach every section of the community, which maintains a distance from him and
the BJP. When they will read this book, they will understand that Modi-ji
speaks and works for all the sections of the society and he takes everyone
along,” Basit Ali, the president of BJP’s UP unit of minority wing, told The
Indian Express.
The book will be released in a “grand ceremony” during
Ramzan and it will be distributed among Muslim scholars, students and Urdu
readers across the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, Ali said,
adding the focus will be primarily on the Muslim-dominated areas in 14 Lok
Sabha constituencies where the BJP lost in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Source: Indian Express
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Halal vs Jhatka row surfaces again during festive
season in Karnataka
21st March 2023
Bengaluru: The Halal versus Jhatka row surfaced again
in Karnataka with Hindu activists giving a call to the community members not to
consume meat prepared through Halal cut by Muslims but to instead eat meat
prepared through Jhatka cut by Hindus.
The call has been given on the occasion of the ‘Ugadi’
and ‘Hosa Toduku’ festivals. Meat is eaten during the celebration of festivals
across Karnataka. While celebrating ‘Hosa Toduku’ entire villages, cities and
towns cook non-vegetarian food and invite friends and relatives to feast on it.
The call for a ban on Halal meat is perceived to affect thousands of Muslim
traders.
Karnataka Hindu Janjagruthi Vedike members have
submitted a memorandum to the Bengaluru district magistrate demanding not to
give Halal certificates to meat shops. They also demanded a ban on Halal meat
and Jhatka meat for Hindus during the Ugadi festival.
Ugadi will be celebrated on Wednesday and Hosa Todaku
the next day. Hindu activists have carried out an awareness march and
distributed handbills in Bengaluru.
Puneeth Kerehalli, a Hindu activist, claimed that
Muslim traders are dominating through Halal-cut meat shops. To prevent this, an
awareness campaign is being carried out, he added.
Source: Siasat Daily
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Pakistan
Saudi Embassy organizes video competition to celebrate
70 years of Pak Saudi relations
March 22, 2023
By Shahzad Paracha
Islamabad: Saudi Embassy in Pakistan has organized a
video competition to celebrate 70 years of Pakistan Saudi relations.
According to details, the Royal Embassy of Saudi
Arabia in Pakistan has received 114 videos during two weeks depicting
historical relations between two brotherly Muslim Countries.
The royal Embassy has shortlisted 10 best videos
subsequently, the Saudi Ambassador in Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki along
with the chief guest Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Maryam
Aurangziab on Tuesday night distributed the gifts including air tickets of
Saudi Arabia to successful Pakistani and Saudi nationals.
The Saudi Ambassador in Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed
Al-Malki in his brief address to audience said that March 1953 is a significant
event in the history of relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in which
the Governor General of Pakistan during his first official visit met with the
founder of Saudi Arabia Shah Abdul Aziz bin Abdur Rehman Al Saud.
He said that we have organized the competition in
memory of this event by which Pakistan and Saudi youth living in Pakistan are
given an opportunity to use their skills so that they can express their
feelings on bilateral relations.
The Saudi Ambassador said that Saudi Arabia considers
Pakistan close to its heart and I wish for the stability of both brotherly
countries.
Ambassador Nawaf bin saeed also said that such sort of
event or other initiatives will be able to further deepen the relationship
between both countries.
The chief Guest of the event Federal Minister for
information and Broadcasting Maryam Auranzeb also shed light on the strategic
relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
She also congratulated the Saudi Ambassador for the 70
years relationship between both countries.
She said that Saudi Arabia always helps Pakistan in
difficult times. I also visited Saudi Arabia in April with the Prime Minister
of Pakistan and the Saudi government warmly welcomed us and I have felt that I
am not in some other country, she added.
The information minister said that this competition
also symbolises Riyadh and Islamabad relationship and i congratulate all the
winners of this video event.
She also said that “I am heading one committee
including the Saudi information minister, in the fields of film and media and
both countries can have joint ventures in film making.
She also offered to air the documentaries on state
television PTV in order to further boost people to people interaction.
I have also studied the model of Saudi film making and
we can have joint ventures to make long term partnership, she added.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Govt plotting to assassinate me, claims Imran Khan
Mar 23, 2023
LAHORE: Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan on
Wednesday alleged that the PML-N-led government was plotting to assassinate him
on the pattern of Murtaza Bhutto, who was killed in police firing when his
sister Benazir Bhutto was in power in 1996.
Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, made
these startling allegation in a video address to his supporters. Khan survived
an assassination attempt in November last year when unidentified gunmen opened
fire on the container-mounted-truck carrying him during a protest march in
Punjab province.
“Now another plan has been hatched. I am telling
everyone, the judiciary [and] especially Punjab police," 70-year-old Khan
claimed in the video address.
He alleged that the police chiefs of Islamabad and
Punjab, and their “handlers” had planned another operation outside Zaman Park
residence.
“What is the plan? That there is another operation
outside Zaman Park either today or tomorrow. They have made two squads who will
mix among our people, and then shoot and kill four to five police
officials," Khan claimed.
Khan said this would then prompt an attack from the
other side, following which PTI workers would be killed in a Model Town-like
situation.
"They will create a situation similar to the
assassination of Murtaza Bhutto and kill me," he warned.
Murtaza, the brother of former prime minister Benazir
Bhutto, was was killed in a police encounter in Karachi in 1996.
Ironically, Benazir was in power that time.
She was killed 11 years later in a terrorist attack
during an election rally in Rawalpindi in 2007.
The elements in the military establishment are blamed
for their assassinations.
Khan urged his party workers to show restraint and not
get provoked by the "operation."
“Whatever the police do. Don't get provoked.
Understand their plan. I am ready to go to jail but do not want
bloodshed," he said.
A few days ago, he claimed that a "death
trap" was being laid out during his appearance in Islamabad's court.
"A death trap was laid out at the Federal
Judicial Complex, Islamabad where I had to attend a hearing in the Toshakhana
case. Some 20 unknown people -- a reference to intelligence agencies men --
were present in the complex to kill me," he asserted.
Last week, clashes were reported between his defiant
supporters and security personnel after Khan arrived at the Islamabad judicial
complex to attend hearing in the Toshakhana case.
As he left Lahore for Islamabad, the Punjab police
launched a search operation at his sprawling premises in the upscale Zaman Park
area.
On Wednesday, a total of 143 cases were registered against
Khan, mostly on terrorism charges.
“I don't care about my cases but the way PTI workers
are being arrested on false cases, we are now writing to all international
human rights organisations against these atrocities,” he said.
Khan also claimed that the PML-N government is going
to adopt a resolution in a joint session of the parliament to delay elections
in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The PTI chief has been in the dock for buying gifts,
including an expensive Graff wristwatch, he had received as the premier at a
discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them
for profit.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan: PDM leaders fail to reach consensus on
banning PTI over violence
Mar 22, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The top leadership of the Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM) has failed to reach a consensus on a proposal to ban
Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after the recent clashes between
PTI workers and the police at Islamabad judicial complex and Zaman Park,
Pakistan Today reported.
The PDM leaders on Monday held a meeting with Pakistan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the current political situation.
Sharif had summoned a session of the heads of the coalition parties of the
Pakistan government to discuss the prevailing political situation, the report
said.
At the meeting, the PDM leaders discussed the proposal
to ban the PTI in threadbare, Pakistan Today reported citing sources privy to
the meeting. However, the sources revealed that the Pakistan People's Party and
another party opposed the decision to ban the PTI, reported Pakistan
Today.Further, according to sources, the meeting was informed that the proposal
was flawed as the courts would strike down the government's decision to ban the
PTI and Imran Khan's party would emerge victorious out of the crisis, as per
the Pakistan Today report. The sources said that most of the people who
attended the meeting were of the opinion that they should not be blackmailed by
former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statements.
"We should not be afraid of such a statement, as
PTI was exposing itself," the sources quoted the PDM leaders as saying.
During the meeting, the participants raised questions regarding the
"instant relief" the PTI chairman was getting from courts, stressing
Imran Khan gets bail when he files an application in court, the report stated
further.
Most of the PDM leaders said elections in national and
provincial assemblies should be held "at the same time". Earlier,
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz held a meeting to discuss the country's current
political situation, as per the Pakistan Today report.
According to sources, Maryam Nawaz visited Shehbaz
Sharif's house to attend the meeting while Nawaz Sharif virtually participated
in the meeting. Sources revealed that matters regarding Pakistan's political
and economic situation were discussed during the meeting. The PML-N leaders
raised "serious concern" over "assault" on law enforcement
agencies by PTI workers.
In the meeting, Nawaz Sharif called on his brother and
PM Shehbaz Sharif to ensure the "enforcement of law" at any cost. In
the meeting, the PML-N supremo said, "We have always respected
institutions and the judiciary. We had always appeared before the court
whenever summoned."
Meanwhile, the Islamabad Police filed an FIR,
including terrorism charges, against Imran Khan and over a dozen other PTI
leaders for allegedly attacking police officers and causing chaos outside the
Federal Judicial Complex (FJC), Dawn reported.
Clashes were reported between PTI workers and the
capital police on Saturday after the former prime minister reached the FJC to
appear before the court in the Toshakhana case, as per the report.
Source: Times Of India
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Nation celebrates Pakistan Day as PM, president invoke
‘spirit of service’
March 23, 2023
As the nation celebrates Pakistan Day on Thursday,
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Dr Arif Alvi paid homage to the
“relentless struggle” of the founding fathers of the country.
Pakistan Day commemorates the passing of the Lahore
Resolution on March 23, 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a
separate nation for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire.
According to Radio Pakistan, the day started off with
a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in the provincial
capitals.
A change of guards ceremony was also held at the
mausoleums of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal in Karachi and
Lahore, respectively.
Special prayers were offered in mosques after Fajr
prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country.
However, the Pakistan Day Military Parade of the Armed
Forces at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, scheduled to be held today, has been postponed till
Saturday (March 25) due to bad weather.
Meanwhile, the prime minister, president and other
leaders conveyed their greetings and congratulated the nation.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also conveyed
his well-wishes to the citizens on the occasion.
In a tweet today, he wished for the country to “grow,
prosper and thrive in peace and harmony consistent with the vision of our
founding fathers”.
Let us awaken the spirit of service to the nation: PM
PM Shehbaz felicitated the nation on the occasion,
saying that today was a reminder that no matter what the challenges, human will
was capable of attaining the impossible.
“Today the nation pays homage to Pakistan’s founding
fathers for their political wisdom, sagacity & determination to wage a
relentless struggle for a separate homeland,” the premier tweeted.
“Living nations put themselves to rigorous audit by
comparing their performance to the ideals. This is their way of introspection
& accountability,” he said and expressed “unwavering faith” in the idea of
the country defeating the odds.
“On 23rd March today, let us awaken the spirit of
service to nation,” the PM added.
Earlier, in a message to the nation, PM Shehbaz
described March 23 as an “epoch-making day in our national history”, saying
that it reminds us of our past, invites us to ponder over our present state of
affairs and inspires us to build a prosperous future.
He said this day is also the day to renew our pledges
and takes us back to 1940 when Muslims of the sub-continent approved a
resolution for the establishment of a separate homeland they could call their
own under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The prime minister said it was Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s
dream of freedom that manifested itself in the form of a resolution
representing Muslims’ demands, and aspirations for a separate homeland.
The consequential seven years witnessed history in the
making as the Quaid-i-Azam led a struggle to translate the dream of Iqbal into
reality, he said.
He also highlighted that being a member of the
international community, Pakistan had played the role of a responsible nation
in the resolution of problems facing humanity and in establishing global peace.
He stressed that we should not lose sight of the
challenges staring us in the face while celebrating this day and asked the
nation to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the country’s founding fathers.
There was no doubt that Pakistan was destined to
achieve great heights and said that this day should be used to introspect and
hold ourselves to account as only those nations that are capable of analysing
their past, learning from their mistakes and making amends can achieve true
glory, he added.
A long way to go: President Alvi
In his message to the nation, President Dr Arif Alvi
recalled that the country established state institutions, made its defence
impregnable, achieved nuclear deterrence, curbed terrorism, overcame the
Covid-19 pandemic, and displayed the spirit of sacrifice and cooperation in the
face of natural calamities.
However, he said, we still have a long way to go to
ensure the rule of law, strengthen democracy, reduce inequalities in our society,
empower women, provide the rights of persons with disabilities, eradicate
terrorism and extremism, ensure the political and economic stability of the
country, and protect the human rights of our citizens.
Today, we pay tribute to the founding fathers of our
nation whose struggles and sacrifices led to the creation of Pakistan, he said.
The president said the persecution of minorities,
especially the Muslims in India, the rising wave of violence against Muslims,
the violation of human rights, and the brutalities being committed by the
Indian security forces in the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir proved that the
Muslim leadership of that time made a prudent decision.
Source: Dawn
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Govt pushes ahead with fuel subsidy scheme
Khaleeq Kiani
March 23, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik
Malik on Wednesday conceded some shortcomings in the government’s proposed fuel
subsidy scheme in the first phase but said the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) should not have objections as the initiative “has no budgetary impact”.
Speaking at a presser, the minister also denied that
the finance ministry had raised concerns over the subsidy scheme. He said the
affluent — owners of cars with engine capacity of 800 cubic centimetres or
above — would be charged Rs100 per litre higher than those using bikes,
rickshaws and cars below 800cc.
This meant consumers with 800cc cars and above would
be charged Rs50 per litre higher than the base price and the amount so charged
would be diverted to subsidise others.
The minister agreed that there were some fault lines
in the proposed scheme that could give an unfair impression in the first phase
but would be addressed in the second phase as the scheme evolved.
He was responding to weaknesses like depreciated
values of decades-old cars of higher engine capacity whose owners are unable to
upgrade because of limited financial resources and yet could not benefit the
subsidy scheme.
For instance, an owner of a new 660cc car worth almost
Rs3.2 million can avail the subsidy, whereas someone using Rs300,000 worth of
Suzuki Khyber or Toyota Corolla of 1,000-1,300cc of 1985 model will not be
covered under the scheme.
Mr Malik said this was a valid concern and the issue of
a car’s value and model would be considered in the next phase.
In response to another question, he said the
government would increase the tax rate on the affluent if they give up big cars
or reduce petrol consumption on the one hand or, on the other hand, consumption
on the part of bikers, rickshaws and up to 800cc cars went up. He also agreed
that the number of unregistered motorbikes could be higher than registered
ones.
He said the idea behind the government’s petroleum
relief programme for lower-income people was to make petrol expensive for the
rich and cheaper for the poor. The higher prices paid by the rich would be used
to provide the petroleum subsidy to low-income people, and therefore the IMF
“should not have any objection”, he said.
Around 51pc of the population, he said, would benefit
from the discounted fuel pricing and they accounted for 60pc total petrol
consumption in the country. The programme will target roughly 20 million
motorcycles and rickshaws (with a maximum limit of 21 litres of petrol per
month) and 1.36m small vehicles (with a capping of 30 litres of fuel), he said.
He said that the strategy of lower petrol prices for
motorcycles, rickshaws and small-car owners would be finalised in six weeks and
then submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for approval.
Explaining the mechanism, the minister said the Oil
and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) would determine two different prices for
high- and low-income people. For example, if the petrol price was Rs300 per
litre, rich consumers would pay Rs350, whereas poor consumers would pay Rs250.
The fuel relief initiative is purely led by the
petroleum division, and other line ministries and divisions were not involved
due to the limited time frame to finalise recommendations.
When asked what kind of legal protection was being
provided to the proposed relief package, as the people may move to the court
against discrimination, the minister replied that “we foresee no court cases in
two-tier tariff by the rich”.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1743669
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Commission to probe ‘threats’ to Imran’s life
Zulqernain Tahir | Mansoor Malik
March 23, 2023
LAHORE: The caretaker government of Punjab has decided
to appoint a commission to conduct an inquiry into the “assassination threats”
to PTI chief Imran Khan.
The ex-prime minister has repeatedly stated over the
past few days that a conspiracy has been hatched to assassinate him.
The announcement regarding the inquiry commission was
made by interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi soon after the home department
constituted a five-member joint investigation team led by SSP Imran Kishwar to
conduct and finalise probe into 10 FIRs registered in Lahore.
A senior leader of PTI rejected the investigation
team.
A joint investigation team has also been set up to
probe cases registered in Lahore
“The government of Punjab has decided to appoint a
Commission to conduct inquiry of assassination threats as alleged by Mr. Imran
Khan. We want to ensure that such serious allegation be thoroughly
investigated. And strict action will be taken either way,” Mr Naqvi tweeted.
The FIRs were registered at Racecourse, Civil Lines
and Shadman police stations on Feb 22, March 8, March 14, March 15, March 16,
March 18 and March 19.
SSP Kishwar, who will lead the five-member joint
investigation team, was recently appointed focal person on behalf of the
police. However, he remained missing during the police raid on the PTI
chairman’s residence the day Mr Khan travelled to Islamabad to attend hearing
in the Toshakhana case.
Other JIT members are SP Aftab Phularwan, and
representatives of Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence and Military
Intelligence.
According to the notification, the JIT can also co-opt
any member for the team.
When contacted, PTI central Punjab president Dr Yasmin
Rashid rejected the team. “How could an officer directly working against PTI be
a convener of JIT,” she asked. “An enemy has been posted to adjudicate on
excesses committed against the PTI. What else could be more injustice,” she
added.
PTI lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer alleged that SSP Kishwar
had got seven sections of Anti-Terrorism Act included in the FIRs registered
under different bailable sections.
He said SP Aftab Phularwan was also part of all raids
being conducted against the PTI leaders and workers.
Rana Umer said it was a simple investigation matter
and did not require representatives of intelligence agencies. This inquiry
requires collecting videos and facts and identifying those who had committed
the wrong.
Meanwhile, sources in the PTI legal team told Dawn
that police had also got a decision of the ATC judge, wherein she had ordered
an inquiry into the death of Ali Bilal, also known as Zille Shah, and allowed
sending three suspects on physical remand and two on judicial.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1743697/commission-to-probe-threats-to-imrans-life
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JI protests after stampede in Swabi flour distribution
March 23, 2023
SWABI: A stampede broke out during the distribution of
subsidised wheat flour outside the offices of Razaar tehsil’s headquarters here
on Wednesday.
However, no one was injured in the incident.
Residents complained that mismanagement marred the
distribution of subsidised flour to their misery.
Riaz Khan said people queued up for flour outside the
THQ offices and a stampede occurred when they jumped the queue.
He said many people tried to get more and more flour
bags.
Also in the day, the Jamaat-i-Islami workers protested
the “unjust and mismanaged” distribution of subsidised flour here.
Shouting slogans, the protesters demanded of the
district administration to ensure the provision of flour to deserving people
only.
Spokesman for the JI Zafar Bukhari claimed that
district naib emir of the party Mian Iftikhar Bacha met the assistant
commissioner of Razaar tehsil on the issue but the latter misbehaved and
threatened the former with “serious consequences.”
The JI workers staged a sit-in on the Swabi-Mardan
Road. They, however, dispersed after officials of the administration promised
fair flour distribution.
Meanwhile,the six people, who suffered injuries in
earthquake-related incidents, were admitted to the Bacha Khan Medical Complex
Shahmansoor.
The doctors said the condition of all the injured had
improved.
Officials of the administration and political leaders
inquired after the injured and promised them the best possible treatment.
SOLAR ENERGY: Experts in the concluding ceremony of a
four-day conference on Tuesday called for an increase in the share of solar
power in the energy mix to protect the environment and promote sustainable
economic development.
The Conference in Emerging Solar Cell Technologies was
held at the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology
and attended by scientists, researchers and industry experts from across the
country as well as China, Japan, the US, Europe, Middle East, Turkey, African
countries.
It was jointly organised by the GIK Institute and
China’s Soochow University.
The speakers said renewable energy was
environmentally-friendly and the fastest-growing source of energy worldwide, so
Pakistanis should adopt it fast to boost the economy.
They said renewable energy was derived from the
natural resources available everywhere for social and economic development.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1743644/ji-protests-after-stampede-in-swabi-flour-distribution
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Sanaullah asks parliament to ’empower’ law enforcers
to deal with Imran
March 22, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Blaming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
chairman Imran Khan for creating chaos in the country, Interior Minister Rana
Sanaullah on Wednesday demanded the Parliament to amend the Constitution to
regulate and empower law enforcement agencies to control “armed groups”.
“Parliament should give [full powers] to the law enforcement
agencies to control “armed groups”, Rana Sanaullah said during the joint
session of Parliament on a motion related to key national issues including law
and order on Wednesday.
The interior minister said Parliament is the supreme
institution and other institutions have their own domains, responsibilities and
authorities as per the Constitution framed by parliament. “Parliament wields
the authority to amend the Constitution and regulate the authority of other
institutions,” the minister added.
The minister said Parliament had the responsibility to
guide the nation in various affairs and would have to play a role now to check
the attempts by one party in creating an administrative crisis in the country.
He said that attempts were being made to create
political and administrative crises, asking for Parliament’s guidance to
resolve these issues as well as give directions to overcome the ongoing
economic crisis.
He also urged parliament to take stock of the overall
situation of the country and provide directions to all institutions on their
basic roles.
“One person (Imran Khan) is trying to create a law and
order situation along with his group,” he said, adding that Imran Khan has been
involved in creating chaos and unrest in the country for the last ten years.
Sanaullah accused PTI chief Imran of marching on
Islamabad with armed groups as his workers fired bullets and pelted stones at
law enforcers during a police raid at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
He added that not a single shot was fired by the
police at the PTI supporters during the resistance.
“Although there is no political or administrative
crisis right now, attempts are being made [to create such crisis] which should
be curbed,” he said.
“Sit-in for 126 days, foul language in the speeches and
disrespect for the parliament, long marches and protests from 2013-18 were
aimed at creating anarchy in the country,” he added.
The minister alleged that elections were “rigged and
managed” to bring Imran Khan into power in 2018.
Source: Pakistan Today
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North America
President Biden expresses ‘solidarity’ with China’s
Uyghurs as Ramadan begins
23 March ,2023
President Joe Biden expressed “solidarity” Thursday
with China’s embattled Uyghur minority in a message to Muslims around the world
as they celebrate the holy month of Ramadan.
“Together with our partners, the United States stands
in solidarity with Muslims who continue to face oppression, including Uyghurs
in the People’s Republic of China, Rohingya in Burma, and other Muslim
communities facing persecution around the world,” Biden said in a statement.
“During this sacred time of reflection, the United
States also reaffirms our support to Muslim communities suffering hardships and
devastation,” Biden said, referring to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria,
and flood victims in Pakistan.
“Today especially, we remember the universal human
right to practice, pray, and preach our faiths peacefully and openly.”
Biden’s highlighting of the Uyghurs – who the US
government says are being subjected to genocide by the Chinese communist
authorities – came at a time of strong tension between Washington and Beijing.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Muslim told he cannot pray in Canadian train station
Barry Ellsworth
22.03.2023
TRENTON, Canada
A Muslim man received an apology after he was told he
could not pray in an Ottawa train station but Canada’s largest Muslim
organization said more needs to happen, according to a report Wednesday.
Viral video of the encounter between the man and a
security guard was posted to TikTok by the National Council of Canadian Muslims
(NCCM).
"It's hard to watch," NCCM spokesperson
Fatema Abdalla told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "To think that,
no, individuals can't feel safe being able to practice their religion .. .is
disturbing -- not just to the individual in the video, but to every single Muslim
who thinks that they are at peace and safe to pray in public spaces."
After the video was posted Monday, VIA Rail, a
government corporation, apologized “unreservedly … to the entire Muslim
community” and promised an investigation.
The security guard told the man he could not pray in
the train station because “you’re bothering our other customers.”
The man said he prayed at the end of the hallway and
no one objected.
“Pray outside next time, OK?” said the guard. The man
refused and the guard said he would tell the man’s employer. But it was the
guard’s employer that got upset.
"Via Rail strongly condemns and will not tolerate
any form of discriminatory behaviour," VIA Rail said in a statement.
"Freedom of religion, including the ability to worship, is a human right
and is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."
But Abdalla said the apology is insufficient.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/muslim-told-he-cannot-pray-in-canadian-train-station/2853097
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Blinken says US ‘actively’ working to re-establish
diplomatic presence in Libya
22 March ,2023
The US is “actively” working on re-establishing a
diplomatic presence in Libya, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on
Wednesday, although he declined to provide an exact time on when the US embassy
can be reopened.
Libya has had little peace since the 2011 NATO-backed
uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi and it split in 2014 between rival eastern
and western factions, with the last major bout of conflict ending in 2020 with
a ceasefire.
Washington shut its embassy in Tripoli in 2014 and
moved to its mission to neighboring Tunis following intensifying violence
between rival factions. US Special Envoy for Libya, Richard Norland, has
operated out of the Tunisian capital, and took occasional trips into Libya.
A September 2012 assault on the US consulate in
Benghazi, since closed, killed four Americans including the then US ambassador
to Libya, Chris Stevens.
“I can't give you a timetable other than to say that
this is something we're very actively working on. I want to see us be able to
re-establish an ongoing presence in Libya,” Blinken said at a Senate
Appropriations subcommittee hearing.
Blinken did not provide any details on the active work
he referred to.
Assistant Secretary Barbara Leaf, top diplomat for the
Middle East and North Africa, is currently touring the region, traveling to
Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, and Tunisia March 15-25.
In Libya, the State Department said, Leaf will meet
with senior Libyan officials “to underscore US support for UN-facilitated
efforts to promote consensus leading to elections in 2023.”
“There's also an important moment where through the
work of the UN envoy, there may be, and I emphasize maybe, a path forward to
moving Libya in a better direction including getting election for legitimate
government and our diplomats are deeply engaged in that,” Blinken added.
The OPEC member country has been locked in political
stalemate since late 2021 when a scheduled election was canceled because of
disputes over the rules and the eastern-based parliament, the House of Representatives,
withdrew support from the interim government.
Peacemaking efforts have focused on getting the House
of Representatives and the High State Council to agree on a constitutional
basis for elections and on voting rules.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US judge orders $1.68 bln payout to families over 1983
Beirut bombing
22 March ,2023
A federal judge in New York ordered Iran’s central
bank and a European intermediary on Wednesday to pay out $1.68 billion to
family members of troops killed in the 1983 car bombing of the US Marine Corps
barracks in Lebanon.
US District Judge Loretta Preska said a 2019 federal
law stripped Bank Markazi, the Iran central bank, of sovereign immunity from
the lawsuit, which sought to enforce a judgment against Iran for providing
material support to the attackers.
Attorneys for the parties did not immediately respond
to requests for comment.
The October 23, 1983, bombing at the Marine Corps
barracks killed 241 US service members.
Victims and their families won a $2.65 billion
judgment against Iran in federal court in 2007 over the attack.
Six years later, they sought to seize bond proceeds
allegedly owned by Bank Markazi and processed by Clearstream Banking SA, a
Luxembourg-based unit of Deutsche Boerse AG , to partially satisfy the court
judgment.
Bank Markazi has argued that the lawsuit was not
allowed under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), which generally
shields foreign governments from liability in US courts.
In January 2020, the US Supreme Court overturned a
lower court ruling in the families’ favor, and ordered the case to be
reconsidered in light of the new law, which was adopted the month before as
part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Preska said the 2019 law authorizes US courts to allow
the seizure of assets held outside the country to satisfy judgments against
Iran in terrorism cases, “notwithstanding” other laws such as FSIA that would
grant immunity.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Mideast
Attack on hospital: Israel’s Ramadan gift to
Palestinians
MOHAMMED NAJIB
March 22, 2023
RAMALLAH: As the Muslim world was celebrating the
advent of Ramadan on Wednesday, the Israeli army launched a massive campaign of
incursions into the occupied West Bank and arrested 28 Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces intensively lobbed
tear gas shells toward a hospital in Ramallah, affecting dozens of patients,
including newborns in incubators, and medical personnel. Several patients
complained of acute chest pain.
Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila called on
human rights institutions and the International Committee of the Red Cross to
act urgently against Israel’s increasing attacks on health centers, patients
and ambulance personnel.
The ministry said in a statement: “Since the beginning
of this year, dozens of cases of direct deliberate assault on treatment centers
in various governorates have been documented.”
Ambulances were targeted and crews were prevented from
reaching and treating the wounded, which led to the injury of dozens of
patients inside treatment centers and during their transfers between cities and
medical centers, it added.
The mother of a sick child said: “We did not sleep all
night because of the heavy toxic gas fired by the occupation forces toward the
hospital. My son is still suffering from its effects. Its smell is still
lingering in the patients’ wards, obstructing the work of the nurses.”
One of the patients said: “The smell of gas woke me up
and I felt shortness of breath and pain in my chest.”
Eyewitnesses reported that the most affected areas
were the cardiac surgery, resuscitation and children’s departments.
Meanwhile, 2,000 prisoners will go on a hunger strike
on Thursday, the first day of the fasting month, in protest against the
repressive measures announced by Israel at the recommendation of its Minister
for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Prison authorities have threatened to take punitive
measures against prisoners who intend to start a general strike coinciding with
Ramadan.
“The orders of the prison administration will
discipline the prisoners on hunger strike. The prison administration will not
tolerate disturbances and disciplinary violations and will work professionally
and resolutely against any threat,” a statement said.
Since Feb. 14, prisoners have been protesting after
the prison administration announced the implementation of harsh measures —
including rationing water, reducing shower times, keeping bathrooms locked and
providing stale bread for prisoners to eat — at the behest of Ben-Gvir.
In some prisons, the administration doubled crackdowns
using stun grenades and sniffer dogs.
Prisoners have carried out over 26 coordinated strikes
since 1970, through which they succeeded in changing their conditions in
detention.
As of the end of January, the number of prisoners in
the occupation’s prisons reached 4,780, including 29 female prisoners and 160
children.
The Palestine Liberation Organization Executive
Committee Secretary-General Hussein Al-Sheikh called on the Israeli government
to stop its harassment of and escalatory measures against prisoners amid brutal
living conditions that defy international conventions.
In a tweet, Al-Sheikh called on international bodies
to intervene immediately.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian
presidency, said the systematic Israeli escalation “against our heroic prisoners,
led by the fascist extremist Ben-Gvir, will have serious repercussions.”
Rudeineh added that the international community,
including the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council, “must
immediately intervene and stop these crimes against our prisoners before it’s
too late.”
He said President Mahmoud Abbas was in constant
contact with all relevant international parties to stop the Israeli attacks
against Palestinian prisoners and people.
The spokesman added that the “extremist Israeli
government is trying, through this deliberate escalation, to thwart all
international efforts to reduce tension.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273746/middle-east
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Supreme Leader Calls for Ditching US Dollar in Trade
Ties
2023-March-22
In a televised annual New Year address on Tuesday –
the first day of the Iranian New Year – at the holy shrine of Imam Reza in the
city of Mashhad, the Leader emphasized that dependence on the US dollar is one
of the problems the country's economy is suffering from.
"Some of the sanctioned countries put an end to
their dependence on the US dollar and their situation got better. We know
certain countries, which I won’t name, that have been heavily sanctioned by the
West," he stated.
"Their link to SWIFT, which is a Western-led
international mechanism, was cut. They then put aside the US dollar and
conducted transactions and imported and exported with national currencies, and
their situation got better. We should do the same thing," Ayatollah
Khamenei stressed.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Supreme Leader pointed out
that the main objective of the enemies in broaching the concept of “structural
transformations” is to change the identity of the Islamic Republic.
“The goal of the enemy is to eliminate the country and
establishment’s points of strength and to get issues that remind the people of
the Revolution, pure and revolutionary Islam fade into oblivion,” he noted.
Underlining that the ultimate goal of the apparently
pro-change and transformation statements by the Arrogant Powers is to turn
Islamic democracy into one-man and submissive government or one that is
superficially democratic but is submissive to the West in practice, he said,
“In everything they do, they seek to politically and economically dominate Iran
and plunder it.”
The Leader considered “the strong and firm internal
foundation of the Iranian nation” as one of the country’s prominent points of
strength.
“This intrinsic firmness and strength stems from the
people’s faith because even those of individuals who apparently do not fully
practice some of Islam’s laws, they do believe in God, the Qur'an, and the
[Twelve] Imams,” he added.
In explaining the overt indications for the internal
cohesion and strength of the Iranian nation, the Supreme Leader pointed to “the
overcoming by the nation over the cycle of the enemy’s consecutive and
decades-long hostilities of the world’s Arrogant Powers".
“Which country and revolution do you know that has
been able to resist the blows of the world's most powerful countries? The
Iranian nation has stood firmly against a long chain of the enemy's schemes,
including coup attempts, sanctions, and media assaults,” he further stated.
Ayatollah Khamenei considered “coups, political
pressures, unprecedented media assault, security conspiracies, and
unprecedented economic sanctions” as being dimensions of the enemies’ nonstop
conspiracies.
“During recent unrest, US president and heads of
states of certain European countries openly offered weapons, and financial and
security support to rioters to at least weaken the Islamic Republic. But what
happened was the opposite,” he added.
The Leader described making progress under economic
siege and the most severe pressures possible as indicative of the Iranian
nation’s bright performance.
"The US said the economic pressures they've put
on Iran are unprecedented in history. Despite all their lies, they were true on
this," he continued.
Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the progress made in
science and technology and Iran ranking among the top countries of the world in
fields such as Nano and Biotechnology, health, aerospace, nuclear, defense,
infrastructure, medical centers, oil refineries, etc.
“With regard to foreign relations, the West’s efforts
to isolate Iran have failed,” he underscored, adding, “Our relations with Asia
became 100 percent stronger and we will continue to do so.”
Referring to Iran’s membership in important treaties,
the Supreme Leader said the strengthening of ties with Africa and Latin America
is one of the definite plans.
“We haven't refused to have any relations with Europe.
We are ready to work with any European country or government that does not
blindfoldedly follow US polices,” he continued.
Ayatollah Khamenei also underlined the need for
raising awareness among the people regarding hybrid warfare and the enemy’s
policies in this regard.
“There is no military attack in hybrid warfare. But
foreign propagandists and their followers in the country attack the political
and religious beliefs of the people with temptation so that they undermine the
nation’s will, sow despair among the youth, and make them disappointed at the
future, work, and progress by fudging the facts,” he underscored.
"In a hybrid warfare, the enemy uses the media
and cultural, security, and economic elements as well as its influence to bring
blockades against the nation, to cause despondency, and to cause a people to
ignore their own potential," he further said.
Dismissing the allegations of the ill-wishers, the
Leader noted, “It’s been years that the enemy vociferously asserts that they
want to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees. But the Leader says in
response that 'You can’t do a damn thing.' This is not a repetition but
endurance and insistence on the righteous thing as per order of God.”
Emphasizing Iran’s support for the Axis of Resistance,
the Supreme Leader rejected the lie that Iran is involved in the Ukraine war.
“We categorically deny any presence in the Ukraine
war. And such a thing is not true at all,” he stressed.
Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the US role in the
Ukraine war, stating that America waged the Ukraine war in order to expand NATO
to the East.
"And now while the people of Ukraine are in
trouble and grappling with problems, America and its weapons manufacturing
companies are making the most of this war in terms of profits. And for this
reason, they stand in the way of the necessary things to end this war," he
added.
Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed to the Americans’
confusion in the region.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14020102000076/Spreme-Leader-Calls-fr-Diching-US-Dllar-in-Trade-Ties
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N. Chief: Iran Exporting Nuclear Medicine to 9 States
2023-March-22
Eslami made the remarks in an interview with the
IRIB’s Arabic service, Al-Alam.
Referring to messages Iran has received from the Saudi
side that shows Riyadh is pleased with the recent rapprochement with Tehran,
the AEOI head said the country will definitely engage in nuclear cooperation
with Saudi Arabia.
He added in order to serve the people of Saudi Arabia,
the two countries will work in the field of radio medicine.
Eslami further spoke of Iran’s progress in nuclear
technology, stating that the country has made a pet san machine that is used
for diagnosis of cancer.
"Iran is now exporting nuclear medicine products
to 9 countries," the official said.
On the sanctions removal talks that were mostly held
in Vienna, Iran’s nuclear chief underlined that there are no hurdles to
negotiations.
He noted that what matters is political determination
and “if the other sides stop acting illegally and being oppressive, then we can
reach an agreement”.
In an apparent reference to the US and the European
troika, Eslami underscored that the other parties to the Vienna talks are
addicted to sanctions.
"They impose sanctions on Iran daily and they do
not get tired [of doing so],” he added.
Back in December, Eslami said that Tehran is seeking
to become a deuterium drugs hub in the world.
“In a not too distant future we will turn into a hub
for manufacturing drugs based on deuterium which are good alternatives to
chemical drugs and have lower side effects in comparison (to those drugs),” he
stated.
The nuclear head added the AEOI will continue to
provide technologies and equipment to domestic suppliers to help them in their
effortsb to manufacture sophisticated drugs and medical appliances.
In mid-October, the AEOI chief blasted the Western
countries' efforts to impede Iran's acquisition and development of new
technologies.
He stated that there is a firm determination to
prevent Tehran from gaining access to new technologies, criticizing big powers
for their opposition in this regard.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14020102000205/N-Chief-Iran-Expring-Nclear-Medicine-9-Saes
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Iran Strongly Condemns Israeli Official's Racist
Comments on Palestinians
2023-March-22
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
has claimed that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people, history or
culture.
He said Palestinians are “an invention of the past
century”, adding, “There are no Palestinians because there are no Palestinian
people."
In response, Kana’ani wrote in a post published on his
Twitter page on Tuesday such remarks clearly show the aggressive and avaricious
nature of the occupying regime regarding all nations in the region, including
Jordan.
The spokesperson also urged unity among Islamic
countries and resistance against the Zionist regime as the key to victory.
Smotrich is part of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s hard-right government that took office in December. The minister
had already faced international rebuke in early March after calling for a
Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank to be “wiped out” after its settlers
rampaged through it, killing one Palestinian and setting fire to cars and
homes.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Iranian FM Holds Talks with Emirati, Kuwaiti,
Pakistani Counterparts on Regional Issues, Bilateral Ties
2023-March-22
During a telephone conversation with UAE Foreign
Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Amir Abdollahian congratulated the
upcoming fasting month of Ramadan and asked his UAE counterpart to convey the
Iranian president's warm regards to the UAE head of state.
"Fortunately, the two countries' relations in the
political, economic, and commercial fields are growing and the recent constructive
dialogues between the security and economic officials of the two countries,
too, paved the path for their further development," the Iranian minister
reiterated.
The top diplomat also announced Iran's readiness for
hosting the joint meeting of the two countries' merchants and businessmen.
He stated that the recent agreement between Iran and
Saudi Arabia was in line with strengthening regional cooperation and proximity
among regional countries, expressing satisfaction over the strengthened relations
between the UAE and Syria.
The senior official added that the expanded and
broadened consultations between Tehran and Abu Dhabi is of great importance in
broadening the constructive bilateral ties.
The Emirati official, for his part, congratulated the
Nowruz and its coincidence with the holy month of Ramadan to the Iranian
government and nation.
He evaluated the development in Iran-Saudi Arabia
relations positive for the region and to the benefit of the regional countries.
The minister also expressed hope that the Damascus-Abu
Dhabi relations will be in line with strengthening the regional stability and
security, as well as serving the interests of the Islamic countries and
upgrading it to the satisfactory level.
The senior diplomat invited Amir Abdollahian to visit
the UAE at his earliest convenient opportunity.
In a telephone call with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister
Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al Jaber Al Saba, Amir Abdollahian congratulated the
fasting month of Ramadan and expressed satisfaction over holding meetings of
the Consular Committee, the Coast Guard, and the Legal Committee between Iran
and Kuwait.
He added that they are ready to hold a joint high
commission between Iran and Kuwait.
Referring to positive steps in the region, the Iranian
diplomat noted that Iran-Saudi ties are in natural direction, adding that he
will meet with his Saudi counterpart soon, and embassy activities will be
resumed.
Constructive agreements are being made in the region,
Amir Abdollahian said, welcoming the Saudi-Syrian agreement to normalize
relations and reopen consulates.
Al Sabah, for his part, congratulated the fasting
month of Ramadan and welcomed the Iran-Saudi agreement.
Emphasizing the continuation of talks to further
expand and develop ties, he welcomed the proposal and initiative of the Islamic
Republic of Iran on facilitating consular affairs.
In a phone talk with Pakistani Foreign Minister
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Amir Abdollahian said that the expansion of relations
with regional countries is a constructive factor leading to development and
security.
The Iranian foreign minister conveyed the president's
warm regards to the high-ranking Pakistani officials and congratulated Nowruz
and the National Day of Pakistan also to him and the Pakistani nation.
Amir Abdollahian expressed satisfaction over the
expanding Tehran-Islamabad relations, and said that after a five-year hiatus in
successful holding of Iran-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission its near future
convening in Tehran will be quite welcome.
Zardari, for his part, congratulated Nowruz to his
Iranian counterpart and the Iranian nation.
The top Pakistani diplomat also expressed hope that
the joint border project agreements between the two countries will soon be
officially opened, so that both countries could take advantage of their
interests.
He added that the restoration of Tehran-Riyadh full
relations is an important move, which is to the benefit of both the region and
the Islamic world.
The administration of President Seyed Ebrahim Rayessi
has made ties with neighbors a top priority of its foreign policy.
Iranian officials have repeatedly reiterated that
President Rayeesi's foreign policy is basically built on good neighborliness.
They stated that Tehran is willing to further expand relations and cooperation
with its neighbors despite enemies' opposition.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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No plan for new settlements in West Bank area
evacuated in 2005: Israel
22 March ,2023
Israel sought on Wednesday to calm international
concern over its amending of a law that had ordered the 2005 evacuation of
settlers from an area of the occupied West Bank, saying it had no intention of
building new settlements there.
Tuesdays repeal in parliament of elements of the “is
engagement law” would in principle allow Israelis to return to the four
evacuated settlements in the northern West Bank on condition of approval by the
military.
That drew protests from the Palestinians, who seek
statehood in the West Bank, as well as from Western powers that have been
closely watching the impact on long-stalled peace-making of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition government.
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the Knesset
vote “at long last put an end to the discriminatory and humiliating law that
forbade Jews from living in areas of northern Samaria, which is part of its
historic homeland.”
“With that said, the government has no intention of
establishing new communities in these areas.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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In election setback for Erdogan, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish
HDP will not field candidate
22 March ,2023
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)
and allies will not field a presidential candidate in May 14 elections,
co-leader Pervin Buldan said on Wednesday, in a potential setback for President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s re-election bid.
Speaking at a news conference, Buldan did not openly
say whether their alliance will support opposition candidate Kemal
Kilicdaroglu, after they had met at the weekend.
Source: Al Arabiya
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10 dead in new attack by Houthis in Yemen
March 23, 2023
JEDDAH: At least 10 Yemeni government soldiers were
killed on Wednesday in a renewed Houthi militia offensive in the contested
central province of Marib.
The new attack shattered a truce that had largely held
since last April, and came amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the
eight-year war.
“The Houthis launched an attack on hills overlooking
Harib district, south of Marib, and made progress on that front, causing the
displacement of dozens of families,” a Yemeni military source said. “At least
10 soldiers were killed, in addition to an unknown number of attackers.”
The fighting comes a month after at least four
soldiers were killed in the same district, and dents new optimism after Saudi
Arabia and Iran, who back opposing sides in the war, agreed to restore
diplomatic ties.
“The Houthis are interested in sending a clear
political message that ... the Riyadh-Tehran deal does not mean they will just surrender,”
said Maged Al-Madhaji, an analyst at the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies
think tank. “The Houthis lean more toward the option of a military
confrontation than current negotiations.”
An exchange of hundreds of prisoners was agreed this
week and Hans Grundberg, the UN secretary general’s special envoy for Yemen,
has said “intense diplomatic efforts” were underway to reach a peace deal.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273931/middle-east
--------
Jordanian MPs vote for expulsion of Israeli ambassador
over 'racist' remarks by minister
22 March 2023
Jordanian lawmakers have called for the expulsion of
the Israeli ambassador following “racist” remarks by a far-right Israeli
minister, who recently denied the existence of the Palestinian people.
During the legislative session on Wednesday, Jordanian
House of Representatives Speaker Ahmed al-Safadi called on the government to
take action in response to Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich who said
on Sunday there was "no such thing as a Palestinian people," or
Palestinian history or culture.
The Palestine Committee and a large number of MPs in
the Jordanian Parliament had submitted several proposals asking for the
expulsion. The House of Representatives almost unanimously approved the motion.
The Jordanian Parliament said that it was united in
rejecting Smotrich’s comments, calling his actions a reflection of “Israeli
arrogance.”
The bill now requires the approval of the Senate and
the signing of the Jordanian king in order to be implemented.
During a conference in Paris, Smotrich denied the
existence of Palestine and stood beside a map of Israeli-occupied territories
that included the West Bank, Gaza and most of Jordan.
“There are no Palestinians because there are no
Palestinian people,” the far-right Israeli minister said. “There are Arabs
around who don't like it, so what do they do? They invent a fictitious people
and claim fictitious rights to the land of Israel, only to fight the Zionist
movement," he added.
The Israeli ambassador was also summoned due to what
Amman called "racist" and "extremist" behavior by the
regime’s finance minister.
"These statements are provocative, racist and
come from an extremist figure and we call on the international community to
condemn it," Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said at a news
conference on Tuesday.
The governments of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates
also issued statements condemning Smotrich’s words and actions.
Speaking before a cabinet meeting on Monday,
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh also said Smotrich’s “inflammatory
statements are consistent with the first Zionist sayings of a land without a
people for a people without a land.”
He said the comments were “conclusive evidence of the
extremist, racist Zionist ideology” of the current Israeli cabinet.
Smotrich was sworn in last year as a member of the
regime’s new far-right cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He and his Zionist group have a history of making
incendiary remarks about the Palestinians.
In February, Smotrich called for the Palestinian town
of Huwara in the occupied West Bank to be “wiped out.”
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/22/700276/Palestine-Jordan-Israel-Bezalel-Smotrich-West-Bank
--------
Europe
UK police question suspect after Muslim man set alight
March 23, 2023
The UK police arrested a suspect on Wednesday who set
on fire an elderly Muslim man while he was walking towards his home from a
mosque in Birmingham. The victim suffered serious burn injuries on his face, Al
Jazeera reported.
A video of the incident is widely circulating on
social media platforms. The CCTV camera footage shows a suspected young man
wearing a blue hoodie approaching a victim who is in his 70s, walking on
Shenstone road, and seen arguing with the old man.
Later, the victim’s jacket is set alight and an old
man is heard screaming in pain.
Richard North — Chief Superintendent at Birmingham
police said investigators were “keeping an open mind to the motive of the
attacker”, he warned against speculation.
According to the West Midlands Police, “He [suspect]
spoke to [the victim] briefly before spraying with an unknown substance and
then his jacket was set alight, causing burns to his face.”
The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries
and is expected to survive.
“For 35 years he’s been going to that mosque to pray
and there’s never been a problem … Suddenly this happens. His hair, beard and
eyebrows are badly burnt. We’re praying he’s OK”, a victim’s nephew told BBC.
An MP of the opposition Labour Party, Zarah Sultan
expressed her concern over the incident and said she was “horrified”.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1743678/uk-police-question-suspect-after-muslim-man-set-alight
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UK begins inquiry into British troops' alleged
extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan
Burak Bir
23.03.2023
LONDON
A judge in the UK on Wednesday launched an independent
probe into allegations of dozens summary killings by British troops in
Afghanistan.
Speaking to reporters in London, Lord Justice
Haddon-Cave, the chair of the inquiry, issued a call for anyone with evidence
to come forward.
It is "critical" that those who have
violated the law be referred to authorities "for the reputation of the
armed forces and the country," he said, referring to "extremely
serious" allegations of more than 50 summary killings by the British
Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers in Afghanistan.
"Either the allegations are untrue, or if some of
them are true then the military and the country can hold its head high and say
we have looked into these properly and thoroughly. It's about, ultimately,
reputation," Haddon-Cave said.
Last December, Britain's Defense Ministry ordered an
independent inquiry after a BBC TV documentary reported that soldiers from SAS
had killed dozens of people during raids carried out by one SAS squadron in
Helmand in 2010-11.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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German police conduct raids to arrest right-wing extremists
22.03.2023
BERLIN
German police conducted raids across the country on
Wednesday to arrest right-wing extremists involved in plots to overthrow the
democratic system.
Raids in eight federal states targeted five members of
the far-right Reichsburger (Reich Citizens) movement and more than a dozen of
other right-wing extremists, according to the Federal Prosecutor’s office.
In the southwestern city of Reutlingen, a police
officer was slightly injured after a suspect fired shots at officers as they arrived
to search his home, public broadcaster ARD reported. The suspect was later
arrested.
The raids were conducted in connection with an
investigation into last year’s coup plot, and several active soldiers and
police officers were among the suspects, according to the report.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the latest
developments have shown that the far-right Reichsburger movement poses a
serious threat to democracy.
“We will continue our tough approach until we will
completely uncover and dismantle these structures. No one in this extremist
circle should believe that they are safe,” she said.
Faeser said followers of the Reichsburger movement
were not “harmless lunatics” but dangerous extremists who possess many weapons,
and make plans to overthrow the democratic system.
“We must be determined to disarm these extremists. To
do that, we need to tighten our gun laws,” she said.
Suspects have ties to Reuss group
“The names of the suspects arrested on Wednesday were
recently uncovered by the police during investigations into the far-right
“Reuss group” which authorities believe planned a coup in Germany.
Key members of the group were arrested last December
over plans to storm the German parliament, cause civil war-like conditions in
the country, and overthrow the government.
Heinrich Reuss – a descendant of a noble family who is
also known as Prince Heinrich XIII – was the leading figure in the group.
The 72-year-old was known for his sympathy toward the
Reichsburger movement and promoted far-right and conspiratorial ideas.
A former lawmaker of the right-wing Alternative for
Germany (AfD), several ex-military officers, and an active soldier from the
Special Forces Command were among the 23 suspects detained last year.
Followers of the Reichsburger movement reject the
legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany and believe that the country is
governed by members of a so-called “deep state.”
Many refuse to pay taxes and they are often in
conflict with authorities.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-police-conduct-raids-to-arrest-right-wing-extremists/2852739
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Iran reiterates its opposition to continuation of war
in Ukraine
23 March 2023
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reiterates
Iran's opposition to the continuation of the war in Ukraine, repeating the
Islamic Republic's readiness to help resolve the conflict.
The top diplomat made the remarks during a telephone
conversation with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis early Thursday.
"Based on this (Iran's opposition to the
continuation of the war), we are ready to offer whatever instance of assistance
to help expedite the resolution of the crisis," Amir-Abdollahian said.
Cassis, for his part, welcomed the Islamic Republic's
position of preparedness for contribution to the realization of peace in
Ukraine.
Russia started a military campaign in neighboring
Ukraine last February to defend the pro-Russian population in eastern Ukrainian
against persecution by Kiev.
Ever since the beginning of the war, Western
countries, led by the United States, have been pumping Ukraine full of tens of
billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons, a step that Moscow says would
only prolong the hostilities.
Throughout the course of the conflict, Iran has
invariably communicated its opposition to either its continuation or
exacerbation, expressing willingness to contribute to whatever intermediary
efforts that could help spell an end to it.
The Islamic Republic has also consistently rejected
allegations championed by the West, especially the US, of, what the allies have
called, Tehran's "provision of drones" to Russia throughout the
course of the warfare.
Most recently, Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei weighed in on the allegations during a televised
New Year address on Tuesday. The Leader categorically dismissed the repetitive
claims that have been made by Western countries about alleged Iranian drone
shipments to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. Ayatollah Khamenei rather held
the US responsible for fuelling the flames of war and profiting from the misery
and blood of Ukrainians.
Still touching on the issue of the conflict during a
separate phone call with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg,
Amir-Abdollahian again expressed hope for the acceleration of the process of
cessation of the warfare.
The Iranian foreign minister reiterated the Leader's
remarks concerning the Western accusations targeting Iran, saying, in line with
Ayatollah Khamenei's assertions, the Islamic Republic emphatically rejects any
involvement in the war.
Source: Press TV
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South Asia
Islamic Emirate Seeking to Hire Professionals, says
Administrative Office of the President
By Hadia Ziaei
The deputy head of the Administrative Office of the
President for policy monitoring, Saifuddin Tayib, said that the Islamic Emirate
is seeking to incentivize the technical and professional sectors through the
appointment of professional experts.
He made the remarks in an event at the Ministry of
Urban Development and Land.
“We are trying to reduce the vacancies in (supportive)
sectors and increase the openings for professional and technical figures. We
are telling the administration --as many posts as you need, refer it here,”
Tayib said.
The Administrative Reforms and Civil Service
Commission (ARCSC) said that it has implemented an electronic system for the
appointment of government employees in a bid to ensure transparency.
“Those who are selected ... will be selected for
talent,” said Abdul Hanan Arif, head of the Administrative Reforms and Civil
Service Commission.
This comes as the applicants called for ensuring
transparency in the appointment process.
“This electronic examination (appointment process)
should be just once because it will create problems for us in later terms,”
said Mohammad Nabi, an applicant.
“If it is transparent, it will be a successful
examination. It is both good for the country and employment,” said Hassan
Behishti, an applicant.
Source: Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-182624
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Taliban acting finance minister becomes central bank
governor
22 March, 2023
KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban administration’s former
acting finance minister, Mullah Hidayatullah Badri, has been appointed as
governor of Afghanistan’s central bank, a finance ministry spokesman said on
Wednesday.
Badri, who acted as the Taliban’s finance minister and
oversaw budgets after they regained power in 2021, had already taken up his new
role, finance ministry spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal told Reuters.
The reason for the appointment and who would replace
Badri at the finance ministry were not immediately clear. His predecessor as
central bank governor was Haji Mohammad Idris.
Badri was head of the economic commission of the
Islamic Emirate, as the Taliban refer to their government, as they conducted a
20-year insurgency against the former Western-backed government of Afghanistan,
according to Taliban officials. In that time he ran most of the Taliban’s
fundraising, they say.
Afghanistan’s central bank appointments have been
closely watched by Washington, which froze billions of the bank’s reserves held
in the U.S. and later transferred half of the money to a trust fund in
Switzerland overseen by U.S., Swiss and Afghan trustees.
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/taliban-acting-finance-minister-becomes-central-bank-governor/1463472/
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Sri Lanka wants 5m tourists a year, envoy tells Riyadh
event
HAIFA ALSHAMMARI
March 22, 2023
RIYADH: Sri Lanka is planning to increase visitor
numbers to 5 million a year in a bid to revive its tourism sector and
struggling economy, according to the island’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Pakeer Mohideen Amza was speaking at an event
organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh on Monday to promote tourism to
the South Asian country, which has faced an economic crisis and widespread
social unrest since 2022.
The embassy is hoping to encourage visitors from the
Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, to visit Sri Lanka.
In a presentation, the ambassador shared statistics on
tourism, and highlighted the country’s heritage, architectural history and
natural attractions.
Tourism will contribute to the country’s economy,
which has suffered because of the global pandemic and Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine, Amza said.
“This year has started very well. I can say we had
some challenging times in 2019. 2020 was the pandemic year. Then, in 2021, the
tourism sector started to crumble. I think, in 2022, we started getting back,
but, still, we had a bad economic situation. So, that hampered our tourism
development,” he said.
However, the country had more than 100,000 visitors in
January and February this year, signalling a stronger tourism market.
“We think tourism is a very important sector for our
economy,” he said.
As for what visitors can expect in Sri Lanka, the
ambassador said: “We are small, but we are rich in resources. And that’s what
we say, come and explore.”
Asked about future projects or plans to attract
tourists, he replied: “We have a plan to develop the tourism sector. It will
attract 5 million tourists a year. I’m sure we need to do a lot about that. At
the moment, we are bouncing back. So, come and hold our hands. Work together
with us. Tourism is one area where we can work together.”
Zafra Zafeen, an embassy official, talked about the
culture, food, climate and sightseeing locations in Colombo, the Sri Lankan
capital.
Attendees included diplomats and stakeholders from the
tourism sector.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273631/saudi-arabia
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Southeast Asia
'Try it and see the consequences': Johor Sultan warns
against defying ban on political talk in mosques
23 Mar 2023
JOHOR BAHRU: Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum
Sultan Iskandar on Thursday (Mar 23) warned politicians against defying the
order made by state rulers to stop using mosques and surau (small prayer halls)
as political platforms.
“If anyone dares to challenge this directive in Johor,
try it and see the consequences,” Sultan Ibrahim told The Star.
No political talks or speeches are allowed in mosques
and surau in the southern Malaysian state, following a ban on Jan 18 by Johor
Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim who is also chairman of the state’s Islamic
Religious Council.
A prohibition order against political talks had been
sent to about 850 mosques and 2,000 surau across Johor, said Sultan Ibrahim as
reported by The Star.
He added that mosques and surau should serve as
information centres for dakwah (Islamic propagation) and places for religious
talks by certified lectures and speakers, besides being a place for worship.
“If political talks are allowed, it will create
uneasiness and disunity among Muslims.
“Do not tell me that politics is part of Islam and
(that) politicians can talk freely,” he reportedly said, adding that he had a
responsibility as the head of Islam in the state to protect the sanctity of the
mosques.
According to The Star, Sultan Ibrahim also called on
politicians to focus on solving bread-and-butter issues faced by the public
instead of using race and religion to be divisive.
“Focus your attention on resolving the people’s
burdens, such as the cost of living, meeting daily needs, their struggles to
pay their household bills and economic concerns,” he said.
“Instead of dividing the people by harping on race and
religion, tell me what are your plans to bring harmony?”
Sultan Ibrahim also expressed his displeasure over a
preacher who allegedly insulted the royal institution and said that sultans,
prime minister and ministers were all beneath religious scholars in standing.
State police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat has said that
16 police reports have been lodged against the preacher, reported The Star.
Besides Johor, the east coast state of Terengganu has
also banned politicians from delivering religious talks and sermons in mosques
and surau.
The edict was announced on Mar 2 by Terengganu’s
Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIDAM), as ordered by state ruler
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
This came after some politicians had given religious
lectures or classes and led Friday prayers without the council’s approval.
“Therefore, MAIDAM has decided to disallow all state
assemblymen, Members of Parliament (MPs), and senators from delivering any
religious lectures in mosques and surau in Terengganu,” said MAIDAM president
Shaikh Harun Shaikh Ismail.
He added that all political leaders and activists are
also not allowed to lead and deliver the Friday sermon in mosques as well as
deliver religious talks without the council's permission.
According to the Malay Mail, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia
(PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang said that he will continue to give sermons in
Terengganu despite the ruling.
“We must realise (that) in Islam, politics and
religion are inseparable. Even prophets gave political sermons,” he told
reporters in Marang, Terengganu on Mar 4.
Source: Channel News Asia
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-johor-sultan-ibrahim-defy-ban-politics-mosque-3368286
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King, Queen remind Muslims not to waste food during
Ramadan
23-03- 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah
Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah advised Muslims in the country to not waste
food when breaking fast during the Ramadan month.
The King decreed that wastage of food while breaking
of fast among Muslims is a major contributor to food wastage during the Ramadan
month because it is against the spirit of Ramadan which should be a month that
teaches Muslims to be modest and not wasteful.
“Such wastage is against the principles of Ramadan
because the fasting month is supposed to teach the people to be prudent and not
waste food,” according to a posting on Istana Negara’s Facebook.
The Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial
Syed Ahmad announced today that Muslims in Malaysia will begin fasting tomorrow
(March 23).
Syed Danial said the starting date of the fast for
states throughout Malaysia was set on the order of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,
Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah after being consented to
by the Rulers.
The Ramadan moon sighting took place in 29 locations
across the country including Pontian Kecil, Johor and the Falak Al-Khawarizmi
Complex in Kampung Balik Batu, Tanjung Bidara, Malacca.
The King also urged the Muslim community to increase
charitable activities and not divulge in non-beneficial activities or be
extravagant in spending.
Source: The Sun Daily
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Malaysia seeks closer ties with Saudi Arabia as PM
arrives on first visit
March 22, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
arrived on Wednesday on his first visit to Saudi Arabia, as Kuala Lumpur seeks
closer ties with Riyadh.
Anwar began his trip with a stop in Jeddah, where he
and members of his delegation, including first lady Wan Azizah Wan Ismail,
Foreign Minister Zambry Abd Kadir and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil
performed Umrah.
In Riyadh, the Malaysian premier is scheduled to meet
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the three-day visit,
which is also his first outside Southeast Asia since taking office in November.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that
the trip “reflects the special bond and long-standing relationship with the
Kingdom and will provide an excellent opportunity for both sides to elevate
bilateral relations and cooperation.”
As he reached the Kingdom, Anwar took to Twitter to
say that the visit will hopefully “strengthen the relationship between the two
countries” and “give an opportunity for both countries to discuss existing
issues and cooperation as well as explore various new forms of cooperation.”
Saudi Arabia is Malaysia’s largest trading partner in
the Middle East, with total trade valued at more than $10 billion in 2022, and
Malaysian officials have been expressing intentions to strengthen ties and
explore new areas of cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
The two countries last month agreed to finalize
discussions on forming the Saudi Arabia-Malaysia Coordination Council.
With Anwar’s visit, Kuala Lumpur is likely seeking to
become involved in the developments taking place in Saudi Arabia, said
Shahriman Lockman, a director at the Institute of Strategic and International
Studies in Kuala Lumpur.
“Anwar also probably believes that Malaysia should be
plugged into the economic and social transformations that are taking place in
Saudi Arabia,” Lockman told Arab News.
“Saudi Arabia obviously plays an indispensable role in
the Muslim world, especially in relation to the annual Hajj. Unsurprisingly,
the Malay-Muslim majority in Malaysia expects their prime ministers to maintain
a stable relationship with Saudi Arabia.”
James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the Middle East
Institute of the National University of Singapore, highlighted how Anwar has
fostered good ties with Saudi Arabia throughout his three-decade-long political
career.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273831/saudi-arabia
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Arab World
Saudi, Iran FMs hold Ramazan call, vow to meet ‘soon’:
Riyadh
March 23, 2023
The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers spoke by phone
to mark the beginning of Ramazan, vowing to meet “soon” to implement a landmark
bilateral reconciliation deal, Riyadh said on Thursday.
The Saudi minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, called
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the pair “exchanged congratulations on the
occasion of the holy month of Ramadan”, which begins Thursday in both
countries, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“The two ministers agreed to hold a bilateral meeting
soon in order to pave the way for the reopening of embassies and consulates
between the two countries,” the statement said.
Saudi officials have said the ministers’ expected
meeting is the next step in a surprise Chinese-brokered rapprochement announced
on March 10 intended to fully restore diplomatic ties seven years after they
were severed.
Riyadh cut relations after Iranian protesters attacked
Saudi diplomatic missions in 2016 following the Saudi execution of Shia cleric
Nimr al-Nimr — just one in a series of flashpoints between the two longstanding
regional rivals.
The deal is expected to see Iran and Saudi Arabia
reopen their embassies and missions within two months and implement security
and economic cooperation deals signed more than 20 years ago.
On Sunday, an Iranian official said President Ebrahim
Raisi had favourably received an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia from King
Salman, though Riyadh has yet to confirm.
Amir-Abdollahian told reporters the same day that the
two countries had agreed to hold a meeting between their top diplomats and that
three locations had been suggested, without specifying which.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1743739/saudi-iran-fms-hold-ramazan-call-vow-to-meet-soon-riyadh
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Hezbollah leader vows immediate response to any Israeli
military aggression on Lebanon
22 March 2023
The leader of the Lebanese resistance movement has
dismissed recent threats issued by Israeli officials concerning possible
military aggression on Lebanon, saying any Zionist strike will be met with an
immediate response.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
made the remarks while delivering a speech on Wednesday after the Tel Aviv
regime blamed the resistance movement for a bombing in northern Israel.
Nasrallah said a war in Lebanon could lead to "a
war throughout the region."
He warned that "any Zionist aggression, whether
military or security, that affects any area in Lebanon and any person, whether
he is Lebanese, Palestinian or of another nationality, the resistance will
definitely and quickly respond to it."
Nasrallah said the attack in the northern city of
Megiddo on March 13 shows Israel is in its weakest position ever.
According to Israeli media reports, an Israeli was
seriously injured when a man infiltrated Israel from Lebanon last week and
planted a roadside bomb near the Megiddo junction.
Israel authorities recently claimed the suspected
perpetrator of a roadside bomb attack could have been a Palestinian refugee
from Lebanon. The suspect was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the aftermath
of the bombing. Israel had not formally announced whether its investigation had
confirmed the origins of the bomber.
Nasrallah also told Israeli officials to "go to
the sea and do whatever you want" and stressed that Hezbollah is "not
afraid to go into battle."
The Hezbollah chief said, "our silence is part of
the psychological media war with the enemy."
"It is not our responsibility to answer what
confuses the enemy, and sometimes our answer is in not commenting on the
incident."
"It is not our responsibility to answer what
confuses the enemy, and sometimes our answer is in not commenting on the
incident."
Elsewhere in his remarks, Nasrallah pointed to the
ongoing protests and internal political crisis in Israel. "The Israeli
entity is in crisis, and there has not been in the history of this entity such
weakness and debilitation as there is today."
In July 2006, Israel launched a full-scale war on
Lebanon following the abduction of two Israeli soldiers on Lebanese territory.
According to a 629-page report of the Winograd Commission, appointed by the
Israeli regime itself, Hezbollah fighters involved in defending Lebanon against
the Israeli war defeated the enemy, and Tel Aviv was compelled to withdraw
without having achieved any of its objectives.
The Winograd Commission was set by former Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in September 2006 to examine the events during
Israel’s 33-day war on Lebanon.
The 2006 war is not only seen as a complete military
failure for Israel but a point of transition in the entire region. People in
Lebanon look at it as a major victory that could even impact the outcome of the
current US economic war on Lebanon.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/22/700290/Nasrallah-Hezbollah-Israel
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Top UAE diplomat: Iran-Saudi rapprochement to benefit
entire Middle East region
22 March 2023
The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
says his country welcomes an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore
diplomatic ties, adding the deal is of great benefit to the entire Middle East
region.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan made the remarks
in a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian late on Tuesday, after Tehran and Riyadh decided on March 10
to restore bilateral ties severed seven years ago.
Al Nahyan expressed hope that growing relations
between Abu Dhabi and Damascus will result in enhancement of regional stability
and security, and will serve the interests of Muslim countries in a
satisfactory manner.
He extended an official invitation to Amir-Abdollahian
to pay a visit to the UAE.
The Emirati foreign minister also offered his
felicitations on the occasion of Nowruz or the Persian New Year, and its
coincidence with the the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
For his part, the Iranian foreign minister said the recent
normalization of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia will further expand
cooperation and convergence among the regional countries, voicing his
satisfaction with developing relations between Syria and the UAE.
“Fortunately, bilateral relations between Tehran and
Abu Dhabi are developing in political, economic, and trade spheres, and the
recent constructive talks between security and economic officials from the two
countries will pave the way for their further promotion,” Amir-Abdollahian
said.
The Iranian foreign minister also announced Tehran's
readiness to hold a joint meeting of merchants and businessmen from the two
countries.
The two senior diplomats later exchanged viewpoints on
common areas of interest concerning regional and international developments.
In January 2016, Iranian protesters, enraged by the
execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi
government, stormed its embassy in Tehran. Since then Saudi Arabia severed
diplomatic relations with Iran.
To restore relations, the two sides had held five
rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since April 2021.
Following the recent deal to restore bilateral ties,
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-open embassies and missions within two
months and implement a security cooperation agreement signed in April 2001 and
another accord reached in May 1998 to boost economic, commercial, investment,
technical, scientific, cultural, sports, and youth affairs cooperation.
Kuwait hails Iran-Saudi reconciliation
Separately, the Kuwaiti foreign minister hailed
reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia as a good development that could
benefit regional nations.
During a telephone conversation with Amir-Abdollahian,
Sheikh Salem Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah also welcomed Iran’s initiative to
facilitate consular affairs. He stressed the need for further development of
bilateral relations.
Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, stated that the
restoration of Iran’s diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia is proceeding
normally, expressing hope that he will meet with his Saudi counterpart Prince
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in the near future and that the two countries will
soon reopen their embassies.
“Good steps have been taken in the regional arena, and
are being followed up,” the Iranian foreign minister added.
Source: Press TV
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Two sentenced to death in Iraq over activist’s
abduction
22 March ,2023
An Iraqi court has sentenced two men to death in
absentia for the 2020 kidnapping and disappearance of an anti-government
activist, the judiciary said Wednesday.
A criminal court in southern Dhi Qar province ordered
Idriss Kurdi and Ahmed Mohammed Aboud, “who abducted activist Sajjad al-Iraki,”
to be hanged, in a March 16 ruling, according to a statement released by the
Supreme Council of Iraq.
A prominent activist in anti-government protests that
rocked Iraq in October 2019, Iraki, aged in his 20s, has not been seen since
September 2020, when witnesses and security force sources say armed men forced
his car to stop and kidnapped him near Dhi Qar’s provincial capital, Nasiriyah.
Kurdi and Aboud remain at large and lawyers working on
their behalf have 30 days to appeal the sentences before the decree authorizing
their execution is signed by Iraq’s president.
In October 2019, young Iraqis led a nationwide protest
movement that vented frustration at inept governance, endemic corruption and
interference by Iran, sparking a bloody crackdown that left more than 600 dead
and tens of thousands wounded.
Some activists died in targeted assassinations,
including former government adviser Hisham al-Hashemi who was shot near his
home in July 2020.
Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the prime minister until October
2022, had pledged to hunt down the perpetrators of the murders.
Last October, a man was sentenced to death for the
murder of an activist in the protest movement, and in November 2021, another
man received the same sentence for killing two journalists during protests in
Basra in Iraq’s south.
In June 2022, the United Nations mission in Iraq
denounced an “environment of fear and intimidation” that has stifled freedom of
expression in the conflict-scarred country.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UAE President exchanges Ramadan greetings with Arab
leaders
23 March ,2023
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has
exchanged Ramadan greetings with heads of state across the Arab world.
Sheikh Mohamed exchanged phone calls with King Hamad
bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain; King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of Jordan;
Egyptian President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi; and President of Tunisia Kais Saied,
state news agency WAM reported.
Sheikh Mohamed and the Arab leaders reciprocated good
wishes for sustained prosperity and progress to Arab and Muslim nations and
prayed to God Almighty for the blessing of stability to prevail across the
world, WAM reported.
The holy month of Ramadan began on Thursday.
Ramadan is observed by more than 1.8 billion Muslims
worldwide and is considered a month of fasting and spirituality.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Public Security chief: Begging at Grand Mosque will be
dealt with firmly
March 23, 2023
MAKKAH — Director of Public Security Lt. Gen. Muhammad
Al-Bassami has said that perpetrators of negative phenomena, including begging,
will be dealt with firmly at the Grand Mosque and its courtyards in Makkah and
punitive measures will be strictly applied to them.
Al-Bassami was addressing a press conference with the
commanders of the Umrah security forces at the Unified Operations Center 911 in
Makkah on Tuesday.
Al-Bassami and other senior security officials spoke
about the Interior Ministry’s plans and preparations for the peak annual Umrah
season that culminates in the holy month of Ramadan. Director General of Civil
Defense Maj. Gen. Hamoud Al-Faraj and Deputy Director General of Passports Maj.
Gen. Saleh Al-Murabba also attended the press conference.
Al-Bassami said the Umrah security plan for the year
1444 included major aspects of security such as crowd management, traffic
control, and provision of humanitarian services, in addition to supporting and
empowering parties participating in the implementation of the plan, and making
available necessary human resources.
Source: Saudi Gazette
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Prophet's Mosque agency sets date of grouping for
Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah
March 22, 2023
MADINAH — The Agency of the General Presidency for the
Affairs of the Prophet's Mosque has set the date of grouping pilgrims for
Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah during the holy month of Ramadan.
The agency said that the pilgrims, who hold the
Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah permit, are the ones who will be able to visit and pray
in it.
It clarified that the date it has set will be only for
the first day of Ramadan until the 19th of the holy month.
The grouping of men at the Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah will
be from 2:30 a.m. until the Fajr prayer, then, from the 11:30 a.m. until Isha
prayer.
While women will be able to visit and pray in the
Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah after the Fajr prayer, until 11:00 a.m., then from 11
p.m. until 2:00 a.m.
Source: Saudi Gazette
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Is Zakir Naik likely to be deported from Oman? Know
what his lawyer says
Sameer Khan
23rd March 2023
Recently, reports started surfacing that Islamic
preacher Zakir Naik is likely to be deported from the Sultanate of Oman to
India. Many media outlets claimed that Indian Intelligence Agencies were in
conversation with the authorities in Oman to detain Zakir Naik during his visit
to the country. Naik has been invited to deliver two religious lectures in
Muscat on March 23 and 25.
However, Naik’s lawyer Mubin Solkar has refuted these
reports, calling them fake, The Quint reported.
Who is Zakir Naik?
Zakir Naik is an Islamic preacher who has been in the
news for various reasons over the years. He fled India in 2016 amid charges of
spreading hatred and money laundering.
Naik was born in Mumbai and completed his MBBS degree
in the city. He also founded the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), which is
currently banned in India.
He landed in a major controversy after it was revealed
that one of the accused in the 2016 Dhaka cafe attack was inspired by his
speeches.
In the same year, IRF was banned under the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.
He received asylum in Malaysia
In 2017, Naik received asylum in Malaysia and became a
permanent resident. Though, he was banned from speaking in public in Malaysia,
and the country has refused to extradite him.
Source: Siasat Daily
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Armed Russian jets violated US airspace over base in
Syria 25 times in March: General
23 March ,2023
Armed Russian jets violated the US airspace over Tanf
base in Syria 25 times so far in March, a senior US general told NBC on
Wednesday, adding that a main concern is a “miscalculation or unprofessional or
immature action by somebody” in light of the incident of the US drone crash
into the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian fighter jets.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, combined forces air
component commander for US Central Command, said in the interview that the
Russians violated a years-old agreement between the US and Russia, risking
escalation.
The US and Russian militaries had signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) that set out air safety procedures in Syrian skies to
avoid any accidents or encounters between the two forces’ jets.
“The Russians have over the last several months seemed
to abandon that tenet of the protocols,” Grynkewich said.
To put the number of Russian flights over the US
airbase in perspective, the US commander said there were zero violations in
February, and 14 in January. Grynkewich said it was a “substantial increase”
and that if the Russians kept up this rate they would be “on track to be double
what has been in the past”.
“They’re regularly flying directly overhead of our
units, and I’ve defined directly overhead, as within about a mile, no more than
a mile offset one side or the other, while we’ve got forces right there on the
ground at ATG [al-Tanf Garrison],” Grynkewich told NBC, adding: “So, it’s an
uncomfortable situation.”
The commander said the violations “increase the risk of
miscalculation,” adding: “and given things like the MQ-9 incident in the Black
Sea, it’s not the kind of behavior that I’d expect out of a professional Air
Force.”
A US military surveillance drone (MQ-9 Reaper) crashed
into the Black Sea on March 14 after an encounter with Russian Su-27 fighter
jets in international airspace near territory Russia claims to have annexed
from Ukraine.
The US and Russian offered different versions of
events diverging over the cause of the drone’s crash. The US maintains that a
Russian Su-27 jet clipped the propeller of the drone which led to the crash;
while Russia denies any physical contact between its jets and the drone, and
says, “the device went out of control as a result of sharp maneuvering,” then
crashed.
This was the first such incident between Washington
and Moscow since the latter launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On Monday, the Russian defense ministry said a Russian
Su-35 fighter jet was scrambled over the Baltic Sea to intercept two US B-52H
strategic bombers flying towards the Russian border. Washington denies the
incident took place.
The general explained that US forces or international
coalition against ISIS forces respond to the Russian aircraft, usually by
shadowing them from a distance. However, he warned that if they had to respond
to a Russian flight during an ongoing US military operation on the ground, the
mission could be in jeopardy.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Lebanon’s police fire tear gas as protesters try to
storm govt headquarters
22 March ,2023
Lebanese security forces fired tear gas on Wednesday
to disperse hundreds of protesters, mainly retired soldiers, who tried to break
through the fence leading to the government headquarters in downtown Beirut.
The violence came amid widespread anger over the harsh
economic conditions in the country, where mismanagement by the ruling class has
been rampant for years, preceding the economic meltdown that started in late
2019.
The retired soldiers and policemen demanding better
pay clashed with riot police and troops. Several people suffered breathing
problems from the tear gas.
The protesters hurled stones at the officers protecting
the government headquarters and repeatedly tried to break through the fence.
There was no immediate information about any injuries
during the violence. The protest was called for by retired soldiers and
depositors who have had limited access to their savings after local banks
imposed informal capital controls amid the crisis.
The controls restrict cash withdrawals from accounts
to avoid folding amid currency shortages. People with dollar accounts can only
withdraw small sums in Lebanese pounds, at an exchange rate far lower than that
of the black market.
Since early Wednesday, riot police and army special
forces were deployed around the government headquarters, an Ottoman-era
three-story building known as the Grand Serail of Beirut.
The Lebanese pound hit a new low on Tuesday, selling
for more than 143,000 pounds to the dollar before making some gains.
The pound has lost more than 95 percent of its value
over the past three years. The official rate is 15,000 pounds to the dollar.
“My monthly salary is $40. How can I survive,”
screamed a retired army officer.
Most people in Lebanon get paid in Lebanese pounds and
have seen the value of their salaries drop over the past years as the pound
crashed.
With trust in the pound declining, most grocery
stores, restaurants and other businesses have opted to start pricing their
goods and services in dollars.
While this “dollarization” aims to ease inflation and
stabilize the economy, it also threatens to push more people into poverty and
deepen the crisis.
Lebanon, a small Mediterranean nation of 6 million
people, including 1 million Syrian refugees, is in the grips of the worst
economic and financial crisis in its modern history, rooted in decades of
corruption and mismanagement by a political class that has ruled the country
since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.
The political class has also resisted the
implementation of reforms demanded by the international community.
Since the economic meltdown began, three-quarters of
the population, which includes 1 million Syrian refugees, now lives in poverty
and inflation is soaring.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Egypt’s Suez Canal economic zone and Abu Dhabi ports partner
to develop projects
22 March ,2023
Egypt’s Suez Canal economic zone said on Wednesday
that it partnered with Abu Dhabi (AD) ports to develop several projects in
ports within the zone.
Abu Dhabi ports will develop projects in the ports of
East Port Said, West Port Said and Al Areesh, it said in a statement.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman arrives in Jeddah, shares message
to nation as Ramadan begins
March 22, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman traveled from
Riyadh to Jeddah on Wednesday. Later, the Kingdom’s minister of media, Salman
Al-Dosari, delivered a speech on behalf of the king to citizens and residents at
the start of Ramadan.
In the address, the king thanked God for all His
blessings and said he was honored to serve the two holy mosques and pilgrims
from all around the world. He said Saudi Arabia spares no effort as it strives
to ensure the comfort and safety of pilgrims, and takes care to provide them
with all the services they require from the moment they arrive until they
return home.
The ruler said the holy month is a blessed one and
that he asks God to help all Muslims to take advantage of its days and nights
to do good deeds. He also asked God to protect Saudi Arabia and the world from
evil.
King Salman later posted a tweet in which he asked God
to “make Ramadan a month of goodness, blessings and peace for our people, the
Muslim nation and people all over the world.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273556/saudi-arabia
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‘Starving’ retired army personnel protest against
Lebanon’s ‘corrupt’ political elite
NAJIA HOUSSARI
March 22, 2023
BEIRUT: Retired military personnel took to the streets
of downtown Beirut on Wednesday to protest against the increasing financial
hardships they said they are facing as a result of Lebanon’s economic crisis
and rampant corruption.
Their angry demonstration followed the latest sharp
decline in the value of the Lebanese pound on Tuesday, which prompted calls on
social media for civil disobedience and public protests. Many of the protesters
carried Lebanese flags and placards denouncing the government and its financial
policies.
“Where is the conscience of the ruling powers?” said
one of the demonstrators Arab News spoke to.
“Don’t they feel guilty about the retired members of
the military who have served their country all their lives, given that they are
currently starving and not able to access medical care services? Hospitals are
holding their bodies in morgue freezers because their families cannot afford
the hospital bills.”
Another retired military man told Arab News: “Retired
soldiers are now paid peanuts amid the sharp increase in the dollar exchange
rate and the dollarization of food prices.
“We need international protection to save us from
corrupt politicians. We are no longer able to secure our food. We do not follow
any political party or militia. We only belong to our homeland. They are
criminals, endangering their country. Let it be known that the people will have
no mercy on the tyrants.”
The drastic collapse of the exchange rate of the
Lebanese pound against the dollar means that the value of monthly salaries paid
to retired military personnel, and public-sector workers, has fallen to between
$20 and $60.
“We came to discover whether there is still any state
and to claim our salaries and rights to medical care with dignity,” retired
Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz told Arab News: “The state has a duty toward us.
Taking to the streets was our only solution.”
The protesters refused to meet any representatives of
the Forces of Change, new members of parliament who were elected last year with
the promise of representing the popular mood of opposition to the political
status quo, because “they did nothing to benefit the people.” They said that MP
Paula Yacoubian and the activist Wassef Al-Harakeh had been expelled from the
demonstration.
The protesters breached barbed wire fences surrounding
the Grand Serail, the headquarters of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati,
and declared their intent to break in. In response, security and riot control
officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd. The majority of the protesters
were elderly and a number were treated by the Red Cross for suffocation.
“Wouldn’t it be better if they had given hungry
soldiers money instead of spending it on bombs?” said one injured demonstrator.
Later, the protesters met Mikati and warned of “an
unprecedented escalation if promises to fulfill the demands are not met,
notably paying the public sector and retirees’ salaries based on the Sayrafa
platform’s exchange rate, which is 25,000 pounds against the dollar, instead of
the current rate of 90,000 pounds.”
In a separate incident, in the Jnah neighborhood in
the southern suburbs of Beirut, fishermen blocked a road in protest against
their deteriorating financial situation.
Elsewhere, members of an association that represents
public administration employees protested in front of the Finance Ministry,
demanding that the government “give public sector employees their rights by
revising their salaries and transportation allowance, and securing their
healthcare and education grants.”
Similar protests took place in Sidon, Tyre and
Nabatieh.
An International Monetary Fund delegation, headed by
Ernesto Rigo Ramirez, on Wednesday met the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid
bin Abdullah Bukhari. Embassy sources said that they discussed “the (overall)
developments and conditions needed for Lebanon to recover from the political
and economic crisis, in addition to issues of common concern.”
Meanwhile, in an address to the nation at the start of
the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Deryan warned
of “the emerging chaos whose price will be paid by citizens.” It is necessary
to “resort to the constitution immediately, elect a president and stop wasting
time,” he said.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273471/middle-east
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Saudi
Arabia strongly condemns Israel’s decision to allow re-settlement in northern
West Bank
March
23, 2023
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday strongly condemned a decision taken by the occupying
Israeli authorities to allow re-settlement in the areas of the northern West
Bank in Palestine.
“The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation of this
decision, which is a flagrant violation of all international laws, contributes
to undermining regional and international peace efforts, obstructs political
solutions based on the Arab Peace Initiative, and guarantees the establishment
of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,”
it said in a statement.
The
settler movement scored a victory Tuesday in the Israeli parliament, which
rolled back law banning Israelis from an area in the northern West Bank from
which Jewish residents were evacuated in 2005.
UN
Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland said he does “remain deeply troubled by
continued Israeli settlement expansion,” including the recent authorization of
nine settlements in the occupied West Bank and the construction of thousands of
new housing units in existing settlements.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273906/saudi-arabia
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OIC
chief calls water conservation awareness
March
22, 2023
JEDDAH:
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim
Taha said that the theme of this year’s International World Water Day, “Be the
change,” is a call to promote awareness about water conservation and to seek
alternative water sources and regulations for a water-secure future.
He
underlined that the water crisis, like any other global crisis, requires a
cohesive international community that enables its stakeholders to work
collectively toward common goals by facilitating knowledge-sharing and
capacity-building.
The
OIC chief emphasized that water security has assumed strategic importance for
the organization’s member states. The challenges of ensuring access to water
and managing unpredictable water-related risks are becoming more pronounced, he
added.
The
“enormity of the challenge requires indeed a collective response within a
framework of cooperation at global, regional and sub-regional levels,” Taha
said.
He
reiterated that the OIC remains committed to ensuring the realization of its
Water Vision Implementation Plan, approved in Egypt in 2018, “which provides a
framework for promoting cooperation for a water-secure future through increased
collaboration, exchange of best practices, technology transfer, capacity-building
and development of expertise in various water-related disciplines.”
Meanwhile,
Saudi Arabia is participating in the UN Water Conference, which is being held
at UN headquarters in New York between March 22-24.
The
Kingdom’s delegation is led by Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani, the undersecretary for
water affairs at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and
includes other representatives from the water sector in the Kingdom.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273776/saudi-arabia
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Africa
Jordanian
MPs vote to expel Israeli envoy in Amman over Palestine denial speech
March
22, 2023
AMMAN:
The Jordanian Parliament’s Lower House has voted to expel Israel’s ambassador
in Amman in protest over Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s reference
to a map of Israel that included the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan.
During
a speech in Paris on Sunday, Smotrich claimed the notion of a Palestinian
people was artificial.
He
said: “There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. There is no Palestinian
history. There is no Palestinian language.”
The
minister was speaking at a memorial event for a French Israeli right-wing
activist who had denied the existence of a Palestinian nation and advocated
annexation of the West Bank.
During
the Jordan Parliament session on Wednesday, MPs described Smotrich’s words as
reflecting “an Israeli arrogance and disrespect of international treaties and
conventions,” the Jordan News Agency reported.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273646/middle-east
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US Secretary of State Blinken says Tunisia risks ‘deep end’ without IMF deal
22
March ,2023
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Wednesday that Tunisia urgently needs
to reach a deal with the IMF, adding to dire EU warnings about the country’s
future.
“The
most critical thing they can do on the economic side is actually get an IMF
agreement,” Blinken said in response to a question at a Senate hearing.
“We
would strongly encourage them to do that because the economy risks falling off
the deep end,” he said.
Tunisia
has been struggling under mounting debt and rising prices worsened by Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine. It reached an agreement in principle in mid-October for a
nearly $2 billion package from the International Monetary Fund.
The
international lender has sought reforms in Tunisia and more recently has voiced
alarm over a wave of racist attacks after remarks by President Kais Saied
against “illegal migrants” from sub-Saharan Africa.
European
Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Monday that Tunisia risks
collapse “economically or socially” that could trigger a new flow of migrants
to Europe – an assessment rejected by Tunis.
Blinken
also renewed concerns about the political turn of Tunisia under Saied, who
consolidated power in 2021 and has since granted himself almost limitless
powers.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Ramadan:
Buhari sends message to Muslims as fasting begins
March
22, 2023
By
Seun Opejobi
President
Muhammadu Buhari has sent greetings and best wishes to Muslims as they commence
30 days of Ramadan fasting.
Buhari
urged Muslims to use the season “to project the best and finest virtues of
Islam by personal conduct, and not precept.”
In
a goodwill message to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, Buhari
says “let us use this opportunity to put the best teachings of Islam into
practice, such as kindness and the love of humanity.”
According
to the President, “This is an occasion for deep reflection and greater fear of
Allah and avoidance of all evils that harm humanity.
“Ramadan
is characterised by abstention from food and drinks from dawn to dusk, which
brings both the rich and poor to share the experience of hunger together,
thereby strengthening the bonds between haves and have-nots.”
Buhari
explained that “as we begin these 30 days fasting season, let us not forget
that Ramadan is not only about abstention from eating and drinking, but it is a
reminder to refrain from all kinds of evil and transgressions that harm
humanity.
“I
am particularly aware of the activities of traders who artificially increase
the prices of their goods, including food at the beginning of every month of
Ramadan. This kind of exploitation is against the spirit of the Ramadan and the
spirit of Islam.”
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://dailypost.ng/2023/03/22/ramadan-buhari-sends-message-to-muslims-as-fasting-begins/
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Algeria’s
police dismantle Syria-Europe human trafficking network
23
March ,2023
Algerian
authorities have dismantled an international network specializing in
trafficking people through Algeria to Europe, local media reported on
Wednesday.
The
agency specializing in tackling organized crime arrested nine Syrians and six
Algerians suspected of belonging to the group which trafficked Syrians and
Lebanese, the report said.
Millions
of Syrians have been uprooted by 12 years of war in their country, and almost
one million are in Germany. Lebanese have also been fleeing their country’s
economic collapse.
During
a five-month investigation, the Algerian police uncovered a network
transporting the migrants to Benghazi airport in Libya, according to news
website Ennaharonline.
The
migrants would then be taken by road to the Libyan town of Ghadames, from which
they would cross the border on remote paths through the desert to Debdeb on the
Algerian side.
Finally,
they would be taken to the western Algerian city of Oran to prepare for
clandestine sea crossings to Europe, according to Ennaharonline.
Such
crossing attempts claim the lives of thousands of migrants each year.
The
website said migrants had to pay “exorbitant” sums in foreign currency to reach
Europe.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Five
migrants drown, 28 missing off Tunisia
March
22, 2023
TUNIS:
Five migrants from sub-Saharan Africa drowned and another 28 were missing
Wednesday after their boat capsized off Tunisia, a rights group said.
“Five
migrants’ bodies were recovered and five other migrants were rescued, but 28
are still missing,” said Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for social and
economic rights (FTDES).
He
said it had sunk “because it was overloaded” with 38 people, mostly from the
Ivory Coast.
The
boat had set off from the coastal region of Sfax in the direction of the
Italian island of Lampedusa, a popular launchpad for people from people
escaping war and persecution across Africa to try to reach safety in Europe.
The
sinking is the latest such tragedy on the central Mediterranean, known as the
world’s deadliest migration route.
It
comes a month after President Kais Saied made an incendiary speech accusing
migrants from sub-Saharan Africa of representing a “plot” against Tunisia and
causing a wave of crime.
His
comments sparked a wave of violence against black migrants, and landlords
fearing fines evicted hundreds of people who are now camping in the streets of
Tunis.
Migrants,
many of whom fear they will face violence if they go home, have called on the
United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR to evacuate them.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2273856/middle-east
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