Quran Not Recited At Karnataka Temple Fest As Hardline Groups Oppose Old Custom
New Age Islam News Bureau
05 April 2023
• Kuwait Bans Imams From Reading Quran From Phones
During Obligatory Prayers
• US Muslim Group Sues Prison For Denying Ramadan
Accommodations To Inmate
• Iran’s Khamenei Reaffirms Mandatory Hijab Law, Says
Unveiling ‘Forbidden’
• Significant Number Of German Police Prejudiced
Against Muslims: Study
India
• Telangana: 3 Muslim Fruit Sellers Thrashed;
Allegedly Forced To Drink Alcohol
• Malyana Riots: Victims Despair After Court Order of Setting
Free 41 Hindu MenIn Which 72 Muslims Were Massacred
• Uttarakhand: Muslims Thrashed By Hindutva Mob While
Offering Taraweeh
• UP BJP Bets OnMuslim Candidates In Municipal Polls,
Blueprint Ready: Sources
• Hurriyat leaders’ premises among 5 locations raided
in Kashmir in terror funding case
• Communal tension erupts in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani;
case filed against 40 people
• Muslim cattle trader murder: Accused Kerehalli
releases video, claims innocence
• 'Communal Mindset': 'India Slams Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation For Remark Over Ram Navami Violence
--------
Arab World
• UAE’s Sheikh Mohamed Holds Phone Call With Israel’s
Netanyahu
• ‘New Mideast’: Syria’s Rapprochement With Arab
Neighbours Leaves Israel Jittery
• Iran holds funeral for IRGC officers killed by
Israel in Syria
• Lebanon investigates embezzlement of over $300,000
at Ukraine embassy
• Bus attack in Syria injures 16 near Jordan border:
State media
• Syria: Israeli aggressive policies threaten region
with all-out escalation
• Amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, Iran's deputy
minister says Tehran to help Syria boost air defences
--------
North America
• Canada slashing suspect charged with terrorism
linked to Islamic State
• US Welcomes Finland Into NATO, Urges Turkey To Let
Sweden Join ‘Without Delay’
• Who is the Iraqi lawyer in the eye of the latest
Donald Trump legal storm?
• ISIS/Daesh senior leader killed in airstrike
northwestern Syria: US
• After attacks by Iranian-backed forces, US carrier
repositioned near Syria: Pentagon
• US sends warship to Syria amid Tehran-Washington
tension over attacks on Iranian advisors
--------
Mideast
• Iran, Saudi Arabia to Set Up Joint Chamber of
Commerce Following Diplomatic Agreement
• Iran: Violent attack on al-Aqsa Mosque worshipers
reveals inhumane nature of Israel
• Rockets fired at Gaza border towns following clashes
inside Al-Aqsa Mosque
• Breakaway Candidate Could Give Erdogan A Lifeline In
Tight Election
• Military Chief: Israel's Crumbling Inevitable
• Iran Vows to Take Decisive Measures to Guard
Military Advisors in Syria
• Iranian VP: Israeli Assault Against Syria
Constitutes Blatant Violation of Int'l Law
• At least 537 killed in Iran protest crackdown:
Rights group
• UN rights council denounces rising number of
executions in Iran
• Emissions cuts can slash heat deaths in Middle East,
Iran at highest risk: Study
• Palestinian stabs two Israelis near army base south
of Tel Aviv
• Israeli warplanes strike Hamas positions, prompt retaliation
--------
Europe
• Saudi Club In London Holds Iftar For Scholarship
Students During Ramadan
• UK peer brands Afghan pilot’s deportation ordeal
‘totally cruel, appalling’
• Turkish charity holds iftar event in London
• PKK terror suspects face trial for extortion, forced
recruitment in France
• Effective cooperation against terrorism 'a must'
with Sweden: Turkish foreign minister
• 'Positive agenda' with Türkiye to improve diplomatic
ties, daily lives, says Greek diplomat
--------
Africa
• Hisbah Shuts Beer Parlours, Bans Prostitution In
Jigawa, Nigeria
• Jordan’s foreign minister presses EU to support end
of Israeli escalation
• 4.7M people in Burkina Faso will need humanitarian
assistance this year: UN
• 10 students abducted in northern Nigeria
--------
Pakistan
• Govt Vows Not To Let Chief Justice Of Pakistan Have
His Way
• JUI-F Moves Court To Seek Disqualification Of Imran
Khan
• Pakistan Supreme Court orders snap polls in two
provinces by May 15
• Imran makes cover of Time, but supporters not happy
• Police begin probe as two personnel martyred in
Kohat militant attack
• UK channel apologises to Dar over graft allegations
• Assassination attempt on Imran: Home dept proposes
one-man tribunal to probe charges
• Iftar feast lights up Ramadan for Pakistani kids in
impoverished city neighbourhood
--------
South Asia
• Failed To 'Liberate' Even An Inch Of Kashmir From
India: Taliban Taunts Pakistan Army
• Afghan Taliban Raid Kills 6 Members OfIslamic State Group
• UN Tells Afghan Staff To Stay Home Over Women Worker
Ban Concerns - Sources
• 57000 Afghan Civilians Killed, Injured by Landmines
in Afghanistan: UN
--------
Southeast Asia
• Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Joins Muslim
Community In Breaking Of Fast At Mosque
• Saudi Arabia Hosts ‘World’s Longest’ Iftar Table In
Indonesia
• J-KomChief Pans Islamist Group For Fearmongering,
Urges Youths To Reject Ethnoreligious Sentiments
• Court orders Loh Siew Hong's Muslim convert
ex-husband to pay RM20,000 fine for contempt
• Orphans, caregivers treated to Ramadan dinner
• Expect inflation to remain under control amid
Ramadan: Ministry
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Quran Not Recited At Karnataka Temple Fest As Hardline
Groups Oppose Old Custom
TNN | Apr 5, 2023
HASSAN: The management committee of Chennakeshava
temple in Karnataka's Belur said verses of the Quran were not recited during
the annual Brahmarathotsava that ended on Tuesday amid tight security,
following hardline groups' demand to do away with the age-old custom of a
Maulvi attending the event and saying portions from the holy book.
"After accepting cash and grains handed over by
the temple committee, he only offered 'Mujure' (thanksgiving prayer),"
said Narayana Swamy, head of the committee. He said Maulvi Sajjad Basha Khadri
Saheb had issued a written confirmation that he didn't recite the Quran. The
groups had earlier submitted a memorandum to register their opposition to the
ritual of reciting Quranic verses during Rathotsava.
Source:TimesOfIndia
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Kuwait Bans Imams From Reading Quran From Phones
During Obligatory Prayers
04 April, 2023
The announcement came during the holy month of
Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset [Getty]
------------
Kuwait’s Ministry of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic
Affairs have prohibited imams in Kuwait from reciting Quranic verses by reading
from their phones or paper copies of the Quran during obligatory prayers.
The ministry called on Thursday for imams to memorise
the verses of the Islamic holy book well before performing them during optional
Ramadan Taraweeh prayers and recite the Quran from memory as much as possible,
Al Rai newspaper reported.
The announcement came during the holy month of
Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and can choose to pray
Ramadan ‘Taraweeh’ prayers, or night ‘Tahajjud’ prayers in addition to the five
obligatory prayers per day.
The Assistant Undersecretary for Mosques Affairs,
Salah Al-Shilahi, called on imams across the country to make every effort to
fulfil the message of the mosque and correctly perform their role.
He also stressed that imams should read the Quran
appropriately and not transgress from provisions of intonation by overly
raising their voice or stretching words.
Many Muslims hold the belief that it is disliked for
leader of an obligatory prayer to read from the Quran without having memorised
it, however deem that if there is a need, it is permissible to consult ther
text.
As Ramadan continues, a seemingly never-ending
political crisis is harming Kuwait's economy, affecting basic services and
causing mounting public concern.
Despite its large oil reserves, hospitals and
educational services are in decay as squabbling paralyses Kuwait's parliament.
Source: The New Arab
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.newarab.com/news/kuwait-bans-imams-reading-quran-phones
--------
US Muslim group sues prison for denying Ramadan
accommodations to inmate
ServetGünerigök
05.04.2023
WASHINGTON
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
it sued the Virginia Department of Corrections and officials at a correctional
facility for their refusal to provide Ramadan accommodations to a Muslim
inmate.
The Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham has
denied accommodations to Alexander Crichlow during the month-long religious
observance, CAIR said Monday.
Crichlow, a Muslim who converted to Islam in January,
fasts from before dawn until sunset during Ramadan.
Since January, he has repeatedly asked prison
officials to provide him with the same Ramadan accommodations as dozens of
Muslims at Green Rock, including receiving breakfast before dawn, a double
serving of dinner at sunset and permission to gather daily for evening prayers
with other Muslims.
"But prison officials reportedly refuse to
accommodate Critchlow because he converted to Islam after their arbitrary
deadline to sign up for Ramadan accommodations, which fell on Nov. 18,
2022—over four months before Ramadan," CAIR said in a statement. "According
to them, an exception-free statewide policy refuses Ramadan accommodation to
any incarceree who converted to Islam after Nov. 18, 2022."
The group said that "there is nothing difficult
about prison officials providing Crichlow exactly what they already provide to
dozens of other Muslims."
"Virginia’s inflexible policy barring recent
converts to Islam from receiving Ramadan accommodations is ridiculous and
unlawful," said CAIR senior litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Iran’s Khamenei reaffirms mandatory hijab law, says
unveiling ‘forbidden’
04 April ,2023
This handout picture provided by the office of Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shows him speaking during a meeting with members of
the Iranian government in Tehran on April 4, 2023. (AFP)
-------------
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reaffirmed on
Tuesday the country’s mandatory hijab law, saying that removing the Islamic
head covering is “forbidden” as Tehran continues to signal its inflexibility on
the issue.
Iran has recently indicated that it will not retreat
from its strict dress rules for women. On Saturday, President Ebrahim Raisi
said that adherence to the hijab is obligatory. Earlier the same day, state
media cited Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, as saying that
unveiling is “tantamount to enmity with the regime and its values” and that
women who do not cover their hair “will be punished.”
The messaging from Iranian officials comes amid an
increasing number of women in Iran appearing in public without the hijab after
the death in police custody of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman MahsaAmini.
Khamenei, the highest-ranking authority in the Islamic
Republic, was the latest official to stress Iran’s mandatory hijab law, saying
that the hijab is a “religious and legal restriction, not a government
restriction.”
“Removing the hijab is forbidden religiously and
politically,” state media quoted him as saying during a meeting with senior
officials.
Khamenei accused “the enemy’s spies” of being behind
an anti-hijab campaign in Iran. “Many (women) who remove their hijab do not
know this. If they did, they would definitely not do it,” he said.
Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, died on September 16
shortly after being arrested by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly
breaching the country’s dress rules for women. Her death triggered months of
nationwide anti-regime protests during which some women removed and even burned
their headscarves. The demonstrations eventually subsided due to a deadly
crackdown by the regime.
Khamenei dismissed those protests as a “conspiracy”
instigated by Western governments who used women’s rights as an “excuse.” He
had previously accused the US and Israel of orchestrating the protests.
Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said
on Tuesday that Iranian security forces had killed at least 537 people in their
crackdown on the protests.
Iran made it compulsory for women to wear the hijab
shortly after the country’s 1979 revolution. Women who break Iran’s strict
dress code risk being harassed and arrested by the country’s morality police.
Under this dress code, women are required to fully cover their hair in public
and wear long, loose-fitting clothes.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Significant Number Of German Police Prejudiced Against
Muslims: Study
04.04.2023
BERLIN
Interim results of a long-awaited, comprehensive study
on attitudes of police officers in Germany show that a significant slice of
police officers are prejudiced against Muslims.
According to the interim results released Tuesday, 18%
of German police officers said they feel as if Germany is being “overrun” by
foreigners.
At total of 13% agreed with the statement that Muslim
culture fits in with Germany, while just under half of the sample disagreed,
and just under 40% were ambivalent.
Some 4% "fully agreed" with the statement,
"The many Muslims here sometimes make me feel like a stranger in my own
country," while 13% "somewhat agreed" and 21% expressed
ambivalence.
The study's researchers conclude that "at best,
there are only a small number of people who have a worldview that is
consistently hostile to humanity and democracy."
But at the same time, they said they definitely see
"more than just individual cases in which the individual attitude can
hardly be reconciled with the guiding principles of the police."
"For me it is clear: There is zero tolerance for
right-wing extremism, racism and other forms of misanthropy. Any such incident
must have clear consequences," said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
Researchers from the German Police University had been
commissioned by the Interior Ministry to interview police officers from almost
all German states and the federal government about their experiences and world
views, and to observe them in their everyday work.
The interim report now published covers the status of
the empirical survey at the current time.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
India
Telangana: 3 Muslim fruit sellers thrashed; allegedly
forced to drink alcohol
4th April 2023
Hyderabad: A Hindu right-wing group allegedly thrashed
three Muslim fruit sellers in Sangareddy on Monday reportedly grievously
injuring one. However, police have refuted any communal connection to the
attack.
According to accounts, the group also forced the
traders in Patancheru to drink alcohol during the assault.
The fruit sellers filed a complaint and a case has
been registered.
“The event was not motivated by hatred, but rather by
a disagreement over fruit costs. According to him, the dispute resulted in a
few individuals attacking the fruit sellers,” Patancheru DSP Bheem Reddy was
quoted by India Today.
The suspects have been booked under sections 324
(voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 341 (wrongful
restraint), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the
peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Malyana Riots: Victims Despair After Court Order of
Setting Free 41 Hindu Men In Which 72 Muslims Were Massacred
By Geeta Pandey
The recent order of a trial court in the northern
Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, setting free 41 Hindu men accused of religious
violence against Muslims 36 years ago, has plunged the survivors and families
of victims into despair.
The violence on 23 May 1987 in Malyana village on the
outskirts of Meerut town, in which 72 Muslims were massacred, allegedly by
local Hindus and members of the state's armed police force, has been described as
a "blot on Indian democracy". And critics say Friday's sessions court
order is "a travesty of justice".
Vibhuti Narain Rai, a former director general of the
Uttar Pradesh police, described it as a "total failure on the part of the
state".
"The victims have been miserably failed by all
the stakeholders - the police, the political leadership, a partisan press, and
now the judiciary," he told the BBC.
Mr Rai, along with senior journalist Qurban Ali who'd
extensively covered the riots, and a couple of survivors of the massacre, had
petitioned the Allahabad high court in 2021 complaining about the slow pace of
the proceedings.
"The investigation had been faulty from the start
and the trial was pending for three-and-a-half decades so we petitioned the
high court to order a fresh investigation, hold a fair trial and pay
compensation to the victims," Mr Rai said.
Mr Ali said one of their demands was to revisit the
role of the police in the carnage. Survivors allege that the violence was
started by members of the state's Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) - a
police force created to deal with insurgencies and religious and caste
conflicts.
Civil liberties organisations, including Amnesty
International, have documented the PAC's involvement in the Malyana riots. Mr Ali
also points out that "post-mortem reports submitted in court of at least
36 bodies show bullet wounds" - at a time when villagers had no access to
guns.
The BBC reached out to the PAC for their response to
allegations of involvement in the Malyana violence. A senior official said he
was "not competent enough to talk about the case". An email has also
been sent to the head of the force.
In the complaint registered by police after the
killings, only 93 local Hindus were named as accused - 23 died during the trial
and 31 "could not be traced".
Defence lawyer Chhotey Lal Bansal told the BBC that
the prosecution case fell through because the main witness said he had
"named the accused under police pressure" and that "police had
included names of four people who had died seven-eight years before the carnage
and one man who was gravely ill and in hospital".
"What happened to Malyana's Muslims was very
painful and was highly condemnable. But my clients were also victims, living
under threat of prosecution for 36 years," he said.
"Both the defence and the prosecution repeatedly
blamed the police and the PAC for the killings, but their names were not
included," he added.
The 26-page judgement has distressing details of
violence narrated in court - a young man killed when a bullet pierced his neck,
a father cut into pieces with swords, a five-year-old thrown into a fire.
So the judgement has shocked the survivors of the
violence and members of victim's families.
Vakeel Ahmed Siddiqui, who carries scars from two
bullet wounds, says "gloom has descended on the community in
Malyana".
"I know all those who died and all those who
killed," he tells me, adding that he weeps every time he talks about 23
May 1987.
For some days, he says, anti-Muslim rumours had been
swirling around in their village and attempts were being made to create
animosity between the two communities.
"Meerut had been a powder keg for years and had
seen riots, but we didn't think there would be any violence in our village. But
on that day, PAC personnel arrived in three vehicles and surrounded Muslim
areas, shutting down all exit routes," he says.
"Some entered Hindu homes and others took
position on rooftops of Hindu homes. Bullets were raining from all sides,"
he says.
Mr Siddiqui was among a handful of witnesses who was
called to testify in court.
"I gave evidence over a year, I told them about
the PAC's role, identified the men and the weapons they were carrying."
The judgement, he says, has "disappointed
everyone" in Malyana.
"I think there was enough evidence to pin the
guilt. We must find out where we went wrong. When Malyana was set on fire, the
smoke was seen by the entire world. How could the court not see it?" he
asks.
Mohammad Ismail lost 11 members of his family in the
massacre, including his grandfather, parents, seven younger siblings and a
cousin. The oldest victim, his grandfather, was around 85; the youngest was his
sister, a toddler. He survived because he was travelling.
News of the killings reached Mohd Ismail the day
after, but he could visit his village only "four-five days later because
Meerut was sealed and a curfew was imposed". What he saw on his return, he
says, still haunts him.
"Our house was burnt, the walls were splattered
with blood. Some of my Muslim neighbours who had survived had been moved to a
nearby madrassa [a religious school."
Mohd Ismail says even though riots were being reported
from other parts of Meerut, his family didn't think that they would be
targeted. "We had no animosity with anyone, so we were not worried."
Mr Ali, the journalist, told me that when he visited
the village two days after the massacre, he found a place that was "devastated…
it looked haunted".
"Most Muslim residents had either died or were in
hospital being treated for injuries, including bullets wounds, or run
away."
The violence in Malyana that summer, he said, was not
an isolated incident.
Religious tensions had begun in Meerut weeks earlier
after riots broke out on 14 April during a religious procession.
A dozen people, including Hindus and Muslims, were
killed and a curfew was imposed, but tensions remained and riots continued to
break out sporadically over the next several weeks.
According to official records, 174 people were killed
- but unofficial reports say more than 350 people died and property worth
billions of rupees was destroyed.
Initially, Mr Rai says, "both sides suffered
casualties, but it later became organised violence against Muslims by the
police and PAC".
On 22 May, a day before the Malyana massacre, PAC
personnel had descended on Hashimpura, a Muslim-dominated locality just 6km
away.
They took away 48 men - 42 were shot dead and their
bodies were thrown into a river and a canal. Six survived and lived to tell the
tale.
Photojournalist Praveen Jain, who was beaten up and
told to leave by the police, hid in the bushes and took pictures of Muslim men
being assaulted and being marched through the streets.
"When I left, I didn't know that they were going
to be killed," he told the BBC.
In 2018, the Delhi high court convicted 26 former PAC
personnel for abducting and killing Muslims in Hashimpura and sentenced them to
life imprisonment.
Sharat Pradhan, a senior journalist in the state
capital Lucknow, remembers the PAC being widely criticised for being
"communal and anti-Muslim".
"Most of its personnel came from Hindu
backgrounds and - unlike in the army - they were not trained in
secularism."
Mr Pradhan says the fact that justice was delivered in
the Hashimpura massacre was mostly due to the efforts of Mr Rai who in 1987 was
the superintendent of police in Ghaziabad where the bodies of the murdered men
- and a survivor - had turned up.
Mr Ali says he hopes that some day, justice will also
be delivered in the Malyana case.
Source: BBC
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65173980
--------
Uttarakhand: Muslims Thrashed By Hindutva Mob While
Offering Taraweeh
4th April 2023
A group of Muslim men offering Taraweeh, special
prayers offered during the holy month of Ramzan, were assaulted by a Hindutva
mob on Monday night in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani district. The Imam was also
reportedly beaten up.
According to a report by Scroll.in, the incident took
place in Sarna Kothi, a Hindu-dominated area.
Taraweeh was being offered at a lawyer’s house. The
lawyer – Zafar Siddique – said they were attacked by members of the right-wing
organisation Bajrang Dal.
“There were around 50-60 people. Even the Imam was not
spared. When they tried to hit me, someone from the crowd shouted that I was a
lawyer. Upon hearing this, they backed out,” Siddique was quoted by Scroll.in.
Blaming the police and district administration for
their lack of proactiveness Siddique alleges that the police remained mute
during the assault. “The mob was led by Hindutva leader Mukesh Bhat,” he
claimed.
Based on a complaint, police registered a case under
Sections 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal
intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Nanital Senior Superintendent of Police Pankaj Bhatt
said that an investigation is underway based on the CCTV footage from the area.
Muslims demand justice
Soon after the attack, several Muslims gathered
outside the police station demanding justice against the assaulters.
Siddique told Scroll.in he was informed by the local
police that they had received complaints regarding Namaz being offered.
“I received a call a day before the incident (Sunday)
from the police. They asked me to meet the Superintendent of Police,” Siddique
was quoted by Scroll.in.
City magistrate seals three rooms
According to the SP, the city magistrate has sealed
three rooms of the building where the prayers were being offered alleging the
structure was built on ‘Nazul land’.
Nazul Land means Abadi land within the limits of a
municipality or a panchayat circle or a village, town, or city, vesting in the
state government. It can be used as a building, road, market, playground or any
other public purpose.
Lawyer refutes claims
Stressing that it is his private property, Siddique
told Scroll.in that prayers were being held in the area for the last 20 years.
“The basement is a prayer hall where we have been
holding Namaz regularly,” Siddique said.
“Five years ago a few people had objected to us
offering Namaz. At that time the police ensured safety and we continued our
prayers without any disturbance,” Siddique said.
Fourth reported incident
This is the fourth reported incident since the
beginning of the holy month.
On February 25, Rashtriya Bajrang Dal workers led by
its state president Rohan Saxena barged into the godown of a Muslim man
alleging new Paramparas (traditions) were brewing in the city.
The incident took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad
district. However, instead of controlling the Hindutva men who created a ruckus
notice was sent to Zakir Hussain and nine others.
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Moradabad
Hemraj Meena, while speaking to reporters said that upon investigation, police
found that the information given by Saxena was false.
Source:Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/uttarakhand-muslims-thrashed-by-hindutva-mob-while-offering-taraweeh-2561326/
--------
UP BJP bets on Muslim candidates in municipal polls,
blueprint ready: Sources
Abhishek Mishra
Apr 4, 2023
The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) will field maximum number of Muslim candidates in the upcoming civic elections
in the state in which the main target of the saffron party will be the Pasmanda
Muslims.
The BJP has organised the Pasmanda Muslim Intellectual
Conference on behalf of the Minority Morcha, followed by dialogue with Sufi
saints and recently preparations are on to distribute the translation of 12
volumes of PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat in the form of an Urdu book. All these
methods are being seen as a big exercise of the BJP to connect with the Muslim
section.
A strategy has been chalked out to field Muslim candidates
in about 800 wards, municipality and nagar panchayat seats in Muslim-majority
areas. State President Bhupendra Chaudhary and UP BJP general secretary
Dharampal Singh recently reviewed the preparations for the civic elections
through a virtual meeting.
In the same Muslim community, consent has been
expressed regarding the tickets, for which the work of finalising the tickets
has begun for the applicants.
BJP President Bhupendra Chowdhary has already said
that this time BJP will field Muslim candidates in the civic elections, in
which the party will give tickets to Muslim sections in view of political
participation, or their numbers are more and winnable and where backward
Muslims political representation not been given.
The BJP has prepared a blueprint for civic and
cooperative elections and now Muslim candidates will also appear in the list of
candidates as soon as the civic body elections are announced, sources said.
Speaking to India Today, Minister of State for
Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari said that the BJP does not work for an
electoral vote bank but works for every section of society.
"The work of benefiting Muslims was done only
during the Modi and Yogi governments in the Centre and state respectively. This
is the faith of Muslims that we won in the Azamgarh Rampur by-election and due
to this faith, a large number of Muslims, including Pasmanda, will be given
tickets in the civic elections," he said.
Ansari said that many tickets will be given,
applications are coming, the state president has started finalizing the names,
the effect will be visible in the list of candidates coming soon and many
Muslim candidates will be in the fray.
At the same time, it has been decided to give shares
to Muslims in the party up to councillor, nagarpalika, nagar panchayat level.
"The Samajwadi Party used them for appeasement,
they were only used to get votes and the political share of Muslims was given
only to one person by SP and workers were not allowed to grow. SP has done the
work of making Muslims wear caps, BJP is honestly taking them forward", he
added.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party has questioned the
strategy of the BJP. SP spokesperson Ameek Jamai said that the BJP is lying
about giving tickets to Pasmanda.
"It will give tickets only to the backward seats,
if that is all, then they will give a seat to a Muslim on a general seat.
Mulayam Singh Yadav gave reservation at the panchayat level," Jamai said.
"BJP is doing politics only in the name of
Pasmanda. The BJP made VC of AMU as MLC but forgot that VC of AMU, BHU, JNU
were made governor to vice president, the BJP could also give ticket of BDC or
village head ticket to the next VC", he accused.
On the other hand, on BJP giving tickets to Muslims in
the civic elections, Darum Uloom spokesperson Maulana Sufiyan Nizami said that
any party has the right to come close to Muslims, but there should be no
difference between their words and actions. "Everyone is free to connect
Muslims with their political views but if the leaders of any party do not want to
change their views over a particular community, then there is no use of any
exercise. Such people of the party who spread poison against Muslims should
also be banned; the party should clear its intention on this", he added.
Speaking to India Today, political expert Ratan Mani
Lal on the BJP's strategy said that the saffron party had told Muslims to live
without fear under their rule and claimed to benefit them from their schemes.
"Now this is a move to give political stake which will benefit the party in
upcoming polls. If BJP win, it is okay, but even it loses, the effect of the
exercise of connecting Muslims will be visible," he said.
Source:IndiaToday
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Hurriyat leaders’ premises among 5 locations raided in
Kashmir in terror funding case
Apr 5, 2023
SRINAGAR: The J&K State Investigation Agency on
Tuesday conducted raids at five locations in three districts of Kashmir, including
the residences of two Hurriyat leaders in Srinagar, in connection with a terror
funding case.
The premises of Hurriyat leaders Bilal Sidique in
Rajbagh locality and Bashir Molvi at Alochibagh were raided early morning, an
official said.
Searches were also conducted at other locations in
Kupwara, Baramulla and Srinagar districts “to unearth the logistic and funding
support channels of terrorism, emanating from Pakistan and its ISI network”, an
official statement said.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Communal tension erupts in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani;
case filed against 40 people
Apr 04, 2023
Communal tension erupted at Haldwani in Uttarakhand’s
Nainital district on Monday night after a group of people protested outside a
house used by Muslims for offering prayers, accusing them of illegally
constructing a mosque at the site, police said.
A ruckus was created in BhotiaPadao area around 9pm
when 30-40 protestors gathered outside the house belonging to a lawyer, which
was allegedly situated on a ‘nazul land’ (government land given on lease for
non-agricultural purposes). Earlier, officials had stopped the construction at
the site and sealed the building, saying that it did not have an approved map.
Right-wing activists alleged that Muslims had been using this house for
offering prayers.
Members of the Muslim community said that they had to
stop the Taraweeh namaz (Ramzan special prayers) due to the protests. Around
10-12 people including the lawyer and the imam came out stopping the prayers,
they said. They also alleged that the imam was slapped by someone during the
ruckus.
Following this, the Muslims gheraoed the Haldwani
police station and started raising slogans against police. They blocked the
Nainital highway outside the police station around 2am demanding immediate
arrest of the attackers. The police force surrounded the gate from all sides to
prevent people from entering the police station. Police also used lathi-charge
to control the crowd.
Haldwani city magistrate, Richa Singh, and Kumaon
inspector general (IG) of police, Nilesh Anand Bharne, reached the spot.
Nainital senior superintendent of police (SSP), Pankaj
Bhatt, called the city imam of Jama Masjid, Mufti Azam Qadri, to diffuse the
matter. He also addressed the crowd through the loudspeaker installed in the
police vehicle and asked them to let the police do their work. Following this,
the angry protesters calmed down and started going towards their respective
homes.
The SSP said that a first information report (FIR) has
been lodged against 40 people on the complaint of Mohammad Shahid, the imam of
the area who was leading Ramzan prayers in the area.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nanital
district president, Pratap Bisht, rejected the allegations that one of the
people involved in the ruckus was a member of his party. “Mukesh Bhatt, whose
name is coming up in the incident, is currently not in the BJP. He had switched
over from the BJP to the Congress in the last assembly election. He has nothing
to do with the BJP,” he said.
Abdul Mateen Siddiqui, a senior Muslim leader in
Haldwani said, “The incident that happened on Monday night here is very
condemnable. It can spoil atmosphere of not only the city but in whole of
Kumaon. People of any community should not act like this. Action should be
taken against the people who did all this.”
Source: Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Muslim cattle trader murder: Accused Kerehalli
releases video, claims innocence
4th April 2023
Runaway cow vigilante and Hindutva worker Puneeth
Kerehalli who is the main accused in the Idrees Pasha murder case released a
video claiming innocence.
In a 15-minute video, Kerehalli can be seen sitting
inside a car and explaining why his phone was switched off after the murder
case came to light. He accused Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) behind Idrees
Pasha’s death.
“I was visiting temples due to which my phone was
switched off. I came to know about the murder only after switching my phone on.
I am willing to cooperate with the police investigations. I will deal with
questions in a straightforward manner. I will always protect cows and even in
the future I will do it,” Kerehalli said in the video.
On April 1 cattle trader Idrees Pasha’s body was found
dead after being allegedly murdered by Hindutva workers. According to an FIR
lodged by his brother Yunus Pasha, Idrees was killed despite carrying a
document that stated he was transporting cattle from Mandya to Tamil Nadu.
The incident happened in Sathanur village in
Kanakapura taluk of Ramanagara district, Karnataka.
A case was filed by the Sathanur police against Kerehalli
who is currently absconding.
In the video, Kerehalli termed the whole incident as a
‘political vendetta’ against him. Accusing the Congress and Janata Dal
(Secular) behind Idrees’s murder he said, “I live-streamed the incident on
Facebook. I was with the police till 5 am on Saturday until the cattle were
safely released. If I had really killed him (Idrees Pasha) why will I go to the
police in the first place?”
Source:Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
'Communal Mindset': 'India Slams Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation For Remark Over Ram Navami Violence
05 APR 2023
India on Tuesday slammed the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) for its statement on Ram Navami violence in the country,
calling it "communal mindset" and "anti-India" agenda.
"We strongly condemn the statement issued by OIC
Secretariat today regarding India. This is one more example of their communal
mindset and anti-India agenda," external affairs ministry spokesperson
Arindam Bagchi said.
India's sharp reaction came after the OIC secretariat,
in a statement, alleged that the Muslim community was being targeted in several
states in India during Ram Navami processions.
"The OIC only does its reputation damage by being
consistently manipulated by anti-India forces," the MEA spokesperson
added.
Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka
and Uttar Pradesh were among the states marred by communal clashes and violence
amid Ram Navami festivities. Men with swords and ‘trishuls’ were seen marching
the streets as mosques and madrasas were attacked, vehicles were torched and
stones were pelted in many areas.
At least 14 devotees were killed in separate incidents
in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and clashes and arson in some parts of the
country.
Meanwhile, a Hindu organisation has moved the Supreme
Court seeking the registration of FIRs in recent incidents of violence on Ram
Navami in different parts of the country.
Source:OutlookIndia
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Arab World
UAE’s Sheikh Mohamed holds phone call with Israel’s
Netanyahu
04 April ,2023
United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed
bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday discussed ways to enhance relations with Israel
during a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, official press
agency WAM reported.
Sheikh Mohamed “affirmed the UAE’s ongoing commitment
to bilateral relations with Israel,” WAM said.
The UAE president said that the US-brokered Abraham
Accords - signed in 2020 to normalize relations between UAE, Bahrain, Morocco
and Sudan with Israel - “provides further framework for the countries to
collaborate across multiple fields and sectors,” according to WAM.
During the phone call Sheikh Mohamed also “reaffirmed”
that the UAE will work with Israel and other Arab nations to ensure peace in
the region.
In January this year, national security advisors of
the US, UAE, Bahrain, and Israel met to discuss deepening regional integration
as the administration of US President Joe Biden was looking to increase the
number of Arab states normalizing ties with Israel.
Discussions between the nations touched on clean
energy, emerging technology, regional security, and commercial relations,
according to a joint statement from the four countries.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
‘New Mideast’: Syria’s Rapprochement With Arab
Neighbours Leaves Israel Jittery
04 April 2023
Concerns have mounted in Tel Aviv over the
rapprochement between Syria and several Arab states after years of tension and
hostilities, according to Israeli media.
Hebrew-language daily Maariv described the wave of
rapprochement between Syria and its Arab neighbors as the "New Middle
East", referring to Saudi Arabia's plan to invite Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad to attend the Arab League summit in Riyadh in May.
The newspaper said Assad's participation in the summit
would constitute "a significant development" in the resumption of
ties between Damascus and other Arab states, noting that "it reflects a
change in the regional position towards Syria", as reported by Russia's RT
news channel.
Some Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, severed
diplomatic ties with Damascus following the eruption of foreign-backed
militancy in Syria in 2011.
The Arab League also suspended Syria’s membership in
November 2011, citing an alleged crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests.
Syria, one of the six founding members of the Arab League
in 1945, denounced the move as “illegal and a violation of the organization’s
charter.”
Maariv also commented on Syrian Foreign Minister
Faisal Mekdad's visit to the Egyptian capital of Cairo, the first in over a
decade, saying the high-stakes trip was aimed at laying the ground for the
return of Syria to the Cairo-based 22-member Arab League.
Mekdad's meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh
Shoukry in Cairo on Saturday came amid growing Arab engagement with the Syrian
government. The two top diplomats discussed the strengthening of bilateral
relations as well as the latest regional and international developments.
The Syrian president also visited the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) for an official visit in late March, amid a thaw in relations
between Syria and the rest of the Arab world.
Heading a Syrian delegation, Assad, accompanied by his
wife Asma al-Assad, was received by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan upon his arrival at the presidential airport in Abu Dhabi..
Israel Hayom newspaper also said that inviting Assad
to the Arab League summit comes as part of a big change in Saudi Arabia's
foreign policy that would boost its ties with China and comes after Riyadh's
recent resumption of diplomatic ties with Iran.
Last month, Riyadh and Damascus reached an agreement
to reopen their embassies and resume consular services after the holy month of
Ramadan.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran holds funeral for IRGC officers killed by Israel
in Syria
04 April ,2023
Thousands of Iranians attended a funeral procession in
Tehran on Tuesday for two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers
killed in Israeli strikes in Syria last week.
Israel launched several missiles on Friday from the
occupied Golan Heights against positions near Damascus, part of a series of
attacks over recent days including early Tuesday.
“The Zionists are trying to target the resistance
front, but the resistance will become stronger and more motivated,” said IRGC
spokesman Ramazan Sharif, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“We will avenge the blood of martyrs Milad Heydari and
MeghdadMahghani,” he vowed, while thousands gathered in central Tehran to mourn
them, chanting “down with Israel.”
“Follow their path,” Heydari’s mother told the large
crowd at the funeral, urging them to ensure the victims’ blood was not spilled
in vain.
During more than a decade of civil war in Syria,
Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, targeting
Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army
positions.
Iran, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
says it only deploys military advisers in the conflict-ravaged country.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani,
accused arch enemy Israel of bringing “war and insecurity” to the Middle East
and of “creating discord in the region.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Lebanon investigates embezzlement of over $300,000 at Ukraine
embassy
04 April ,2023
Lebanon is investigating alleged embezzlement of over
$300,000 at its Ukraine embassy, a judicial official told AFP on Monday, as
sources say cash-strapped Beirut is trying to cut costs at diplomatic missions.
The probe was launched after financial irregularities
came to light in September, the official said, requesting anonymity as they
were not authorized to speak to the media.
Preliminary investigations showed “an estimated
$318,000” had been embezzled from funds including for consular services such as
“passport renewal fees,” the official said.
The foreign ministry had apparently failed to notice
or investigate the missing funds, according to the official.
A diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that “judicial
investigations are underway into a financial matter at the Ukrainian embassy.”
Ambassador Ali Daher – who had been recalled to Beirut
pending the completion of the probe – and one of his assistants have been
questioned, the judicial official said.
Citing initial investigations, the official said the
money had been transferred to a Ukrainian bank account belonging to the embassy
employee who claimed the funds had been sent to Beirut.
The assistant has returned to Lebanon but since
disappeared, the official said, adding that Lebanon’s top prosecutor has issued
a travel ban against the assistant and his Ukrainian wife.
Rent paid for the ambassador’s residence in Kyiv was
also under investigation, the official said.
Work has largely been suspended at the Lebanese
diplomatic mission in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion last year, the
diplomatic source said also on condition of anonymity.
Since late 2019, Lebanon has faced a devastating
economic crisis that has plunged more than 80 percent of the population into
poverty, according to the United Nations.
The local currency has lost much of its value and
public sector employees, whose salaries remained largely stagnant, have had
their purchasing power slashed.
Since last year, the foreign ministry has proposed
suspending work in 17 foreign missions to help rein in expenditure, according
to the diplomatic source, with Kyiv being one of them according to media
reports.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Bus attack in Syria injures 16 near Jordan border:
State media
04 April ,2023
A bus attack in Syria’s south near the Jordan border
wounded at least 16 people on Monday, Syrian state media said.
“Sixteen employees of the joint Syrian-Jordanian duty
free zone were injured after terrorists planted an explosive device near the
bus they were on,” state news agency SANA said.
The attack took place “near the Saida bridge on the
Damascus-Amman highway,” an area in Syria’s Daraa province, SANA said.
Daraa was the cradle of Syria’s 2011 uprising against
President Bashar al-Assad, but it returned to Damascus’s control in 2018 under
a ceasefire deal backed by Russia.
But the province has been wracked by violence for
years.
ISIS, whose third leader was killed in Daraa in
October, sometimes claims responsibility for attacks in the region.
Monday’s attack comes one day after a rare car bombing
rocked the capital Damascus, with no deaths reported and no side claiming
responsibility.
On January 30, a bomb attack on a bus carrying Syrian
police wounded 15 officers in Daraa province, which is mostly controlled by
Syrian government forces and former rebels who have reached understandings with
the regime.
The Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal
repression of peaceful anti-government protests, and escalated into a deadly
armed conflict that pulled in foreign powers and global extremists.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Syria: Israeli aggressive policies threaten region
with all-out escalation
05 April 2023
Amid the Israeli regime's back-to-back attacks against
Syria, the Arab country warns that the occupying regime's aggressive policies
threaten the region with all-out escalation and a new phase of instability.
Syria's foreign ministry issued the warning on Tuesday
while making mention of the regime's several rounds of aggression against the
capital Damascus, the western Syrian city of Homs, and the cities' suburbs over
the past few days, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
The latest of the attacks hit the vicinity of Damascus
earlier in the day, causing the death of two civilians and leaving some
material damage.
This was the fourth missile strike to be carried out
by the occupying regime against Syria in less than a week.
The attack came after the regime conducted an
airstrike against positions across the country's central Homs Province on
Sunday, injuring five soldiers.
Two earlier attacks on Damascus were carried out on
Thursday and Friday. The Friday attack led to the martyrdom of two members of
the Iranian military advisory mission that is present in the Arab country at
Damascus' request to help its forces in their fight against foreign-backed
terrorist groups.
On Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) issued a stern warning to the Israeli regime, vowing retaliation for Tel
Aviv's killing of the advisors.
The Tel Aviv regime mostly keeps quiet about its
attacks on Syrian territory, which many views as a knee-jerk reaction to the
increasing success of the country's government and its allies in confronting
terrorism.
To escape from the repercussions of its acts of
aggression, however, the Israeli regime tries to "hide behind the umbrella
of immunity and unlimited support from its protectors," the Syrian foreign
ministry added.
The ministry was referring to the United States and
its allies and their provision of unreserved protection for the regime against
the slightest instance of accountability across the international organizations
for its violations and atrocities.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/04/05/700980/Syria-warning-Israel-aggressive-policies
--------
Amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, Iran's deputy
minister says Tehran to help Syria boost air defences
04 April 2023
A senior Iranian defense official has reaffirmed Tehran’s
commitment to the security of friendly countries, saying the Islamic Republic
considers itself “obliged” to help reinforce Syria’s air defense capabilities
in repelling Israeli attacks on the Arab country.
Brigadier General HamzehQalandari, deputy defense
minister for international affairs, made the remarks on the sidelines of a
ceremony to mark the International Mine Awareness Day and Assistance in Mine
Action in the capital, Tehran, on Tuesday.
“We find ourselves committed to help friendly countries,
like Syria, improve their air defenses and fend off aerial attacks,” he said,
as he talked about the export of defense products at the event.
The deputy defense minister further noted that Syria
used to be a “defenseless” country in the face of Israeli aerial attacks in the
past, but now Damascus is repelling a large number of air strikes carried out
by the occupying Israeli regime.
Elsewhere in his remarks, General Qalandari stated
that Iran has assisted many of its neighbors and friendly countries “not only
in terms of equipment and arms, but also in the field of technology of
manufacturing military equipment.”
He also highlighted the growing interest in the
purchase of Iranian military and defense equipment, saying “After the removal
of a UN arms embargo against Iran in 2020, we are witnessing many countries
that seek to employ Iranian weapons."
The Israeli regime frequently violates Syrian
sovereignty by targeting military positions inside the country, especially
those of the resistance movement Hezbollah, which has played a key role in
helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.
Syria's official SANA news agency quoted an unnamed
military source as saying that the Israeli regime had launched a fresh missile
strike against Syria, this time targeting positions in the vicinity of the
country's capital city of Damascus.
The new missile attack was carried out early Tuesday
from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, and in addition to Damascus,
hit some other areas in the southern part of the country.
The military source added that the country's air
defenses intercepted Israeli missiles, shooting down most of them. The attack,
however, left two civilians dead and caused some material damage.
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
has warned Israel against the consequences of these attacks, saying such
hostile policies will lead to insecurity and instability in the region.
Israel mostly keeps quiet about its attacks on the
Syrian territories, which many view as a knee-jerk reaction to Syrian
government’s increasing success in confronting terrorism.
The Tel Aviv regime has been a main supporter of
terrorist groups that have battled the government of President Bashar al-Assad
since foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria in early 2011.
Syrian has repeatedly complained to the UN over
Israeli assaults, urging the Security Council to take action against Tel Aviv’s
crimes. The calls have, however, fallen on deaf ears.
Iran and Syria signed a comprehensive agreement to
enhance their cooperation in the military and defense sectors in July 2020.
Back in February, Iranian and Syrian military
officials agreed on the delivery of missile systems to Damascus to boost the
Arab country's air defenses amid increased Israeli air raids.
Iran was the first country to rush to Syria's
assistance following the outbreak of the foreign-backed violence in the Arab
country.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
North America
Canada slashing suspect charged with terrorism linked
to Islamic State
April 4, 2023
A suspect accused of slashing a person’s throat on a
bus in the Canadian province of British Columbia has been charged with four
terrorism-related counts in the attack that left a man with life-threatening
injuries.
Provincial court documents show that Abdul Aziz Kawam,
born in 1995, is accused of four counts of acting "for the benefit of, at
the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group, to wit: the Islamic
State."
He also faces one count of attempted murder, one count
of assault and one count of aggravated assault for slashing the neck of a man
with a knife on Saturday.
The court documents show that Kawam is accused of
assault in a separate case for allegedly attacking another person on that same
day.
Kawam, who was back in court in Surrey, British
Columbia on Monday, remains in custody and will appear in court again on
Wednesday.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police say they discovered
during their investigation that "the suspect made several concerning
comments," leading investigators to notify the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.
RCMP said the enforcement team consulted with the
Public Prosecution Service of Canada on the terrorism charges.
"The amended charges relate to allegations the
assaults were carried out for the Islamic State," police say in a
statement issued Monday.
Supt. David Teboul, acting deputy criminal operations
officer for the federal policing branch, said they are committed to
"uncovering all the facts relating to this disturbing and unprovoked
assault."
The terror charges carry a maximum penalty of life
imprisonment.
Transit police say one man allegedly took out a knife
and slashed the other across the throat, before being arrested at the scene by
transit police and Surrey RCMP officers.
Source: FoxNews
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/canada-slashing-suspect-charged-terrorism-linked-islamic-state
--------
US welcomes Finland into NATO, urges Turkey to let
Sweden join ‘without delay’
04 April ,2023
The US on Tuesday formally welcomed Finland as NATO’s
31st ally, but called on Turkey and Hungary to swiftly approve Sweden’s
ascension as well.
Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership last
May following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Their membership was held up by
Turkey and then Hungary for different reasons. American and European lobbying
efforts helped remove the Turkish veto.
US President Joe Biden praised the Nordic countries
for being “strong democracies” with highly capable militaries that “share our
values and vision for the world.”
Biden added: “When Putin launched his brutal war of
aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and
NATO. He was wrong.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was a
historic day and took a jab at Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I’m tempted
to say this may be the one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for, because he, once
again here, has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent,” Blinken
said ahead of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in
Belgium.
The US president said Europe and NATO were more united
than ever while vowing to preserve transatlantic security and defending “every
inch of NATO territory” together.
Finland became a member of NATO in record time, less
than one year.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Who is the Iraqi lawyer in the eye of the latest
Donald Trump legal storm?
RAY HANANIA
April 05, 2023
CHICAGO: Iraqi attorney Alina Habba has been on the
front lines of the legal battles surrounding Donald Trump over the past two years,
as one of the former president’s most tenacious defenders.
A managing partner of New York law firm Habba Madaio
and Associates, she is married to attorney Matthew Eyet, who manages his own
law firm in New Jersey. Habba and her two siblings were born in Summit, New
Jersey, to Chaldean Catholic parents who fled Iraq in the early 1980s to escape
the religious persecution of Christians. Her father, Saad F. Habba, is a
gastroenterologist.
Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury in
Manhattan on more than 30 counts related to allegations he paid “hush money” to
adult movie star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from disclosing details of their
relationship. Trump turned himself in to authorities in Manhattan on Tuesday
and later appeared before Judge Juan Merchan, entering a plea of not guilty to
all charges.
Habba, 39, has been one of Trump’s most vocal
defenders and it has put her in the legal cross hairs. She was lead attorney on
a legal team that was sanctioned, along with Trump, on Jan. 19 in Florida by US
District Court Judge Donald Middlebrook, who ruled the lawyers and their client
were jointly liable for $937,989 in damages over a lawsuit they filed accusing
31 defendants of “trying to destroy” Trump’s life and “rigging the 2016
election in favor of Hillary Clinton.”
The judge dismissed their case, saying it had “fatal
substantive defects,” and accused the lawyers of ignoring his order not to
advance the allegations that had been rejected.
On Tuesday, Trump became the first former president to
be charged with a crime. His indictment came after a grand jury considered
evidence presented by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The charges
relate to payments allegedly made to Daniels on Trump’s behalf to prevent her
speaking publicly about their relationship. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
Asked recently if she believes her client can get a
fair trial in New York, Habba said: “No, no, I think it’s very difficult. I’d
like to have faith in this state but I’ve been practicing for him now for a
couple years and gone to court in New York for a few years, and I can tell you
it’s not the same as representing anybody else.”
Habba’s legal expertise covers many types of cases,
including corporate litigation and formation, commercial real estate, family
law, the financial services industry and construction-related matters.
Before entering private practice, she was a law clerk
for Eugene J. Codey, Jr., the presiding judge of the Civil Superior Court in
Essex County, New Jersey.
In September 2021, Habba represented Trump in a $100
million lawsuit filed by the former president against his niece, Mary Trump,
and The New York Times Company, accusing them of “an insidious plot” and
conspiracy to publish information about his tax records. Mary Trump in turn
filed a lawsuit against her uncle claiming she had been defrauded of her
inheritance but a judge dismissed the case.
Although she is not lead counsel in the case
surrounding Trump’s indictment on Tuesday, she has spearheaded investigations
designed to clear his name and dismiss many of the lawsuits brought against him
in recent years.
Celebrity gossip website TMZ reported this week that
Habba found herself at the center of a social media storm of criticism when she
compared Trump’s legal problems to those of African American rappers Tupac
Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., and said his arrest would serve only boost his
popularity, a view that many conservative commentators embrace.
Habba also represents Trump in a defamation lawsuit
brought against him by E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist who
accused the former president of sexually assaulting her in New York in the
mid-1990s. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation. He was deposed in
October last year by attorneys representing Carroll.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281511/world
--------
ISIS/Daesh senior leader killed in airstrike
northwestern Syria: US
FirdevsBulutKartal
04.04.2023
TORONTO, Canada
ISIS/Daesh terror group senior leader Khalid Ayyd
Ahmad al-Jabouri was killed in an airstrike in Syria, US Central Command said
Tuesday.
CENTCOM said the ISIS leader was killed in
northwestern Syria early Tuesday.
There were no civilian casualties in the attack, it
said. Al-Jabouri was responsible for attacks that ISIS carried out in Europe
and Türkiye. He played a key role in the so-called senior staff of Deash in
Türkiye, it added.
"The death of Al-Jabouri will temporarily disrupt
the organization's ability to plot external attacks," according to
CENTCOM. "DAESH/Isis continues to represent a threat to the region and
beyond.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
After attacks by Iranian-backed forces, US carrier
repositioned near Syria: Pentagon
ServetGünerigök
04.04.2023
WASHINGTON
The Pentagon said Monday that the USS George H.W. Bush
aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean has been repositioned near the Syrian
coast as a precaution after Iranian-backed forces launched attacks on American
military bases in Syria.
"We saw increased attacks from (Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps) IRGC-affiliated groups targeting our service members
across Syria, and as a precaution, we did move the carrier to be slightly
closer," Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told a press briefing.
Singh stressed that the reason for positioning the
carrier was in response to the attacks.
Asked by Anadolu whether the vessel is being kept in
the region for a possible military strike on Iran, Singh said: "This was
about the attacks that we saw on our service members in the region and the
response to that.”
Late last month, a drone attack killed one American
contractor and wounded at least six US military personnel. The Pentagon blamed
Iran for it.
The US carried out airstrikes in response.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US sends warship to Syria amid Tehran-Washington
tension over attacks on Iranian advisors
04 April 2023
The United States has relocated a warship in the
Mediterranean to the coast near Syria as tensions rise between Tehran and
Washington over deadly attacks on Iranian military advisors in Syria.
Iran’s envoy to the UN Amir SaeidIravani earlier on
Monday warned that the Islamic Republic will take "decisive measures"
to protect its forces and interests in Syria against any threats posed by the
United States or others.
Last week, two Iranian military advisers stationed in
Syria were killed in an Israeli airstrike near the country’s capital Damascus.
Following the attack, the IRGC issued a stern warning to the Israeli regime on
Sunday, vowing retaliation for the killing of its military advisers in Syria.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told a
press briefing on Monday that, “We saw increased attacks from IRGC-affiliated
groups targeting our service members across Syria, and so as a precaution we
did move the carrier to be slightly closer.”
She added that the relocation of the carrier was in
response to what she claimed to be increasing attacks on American service
members in the region.
The Pentagon spokeswoman also emphasized that the US
has no plans to change its footprint at this time in Syria.
Singh made the remarks on the same day that Iravani
warned the United States and others.against attacks on Iranian advisors in
Syria, stressing that Iran's presence in the Arab country is totally legal and
at the request of Damascus.
In a Monday letter to the UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres and the head of the Security Council, Amir SaeidIravani pointed out
that Iran’s presence in Syria is totally legal and at the request of Damascus.
The relocation of the US warship came as US President
Joe Biden claimed in March that the United States was not seeking a conflict
with Iran
He made the remarks after more than 20 rockets were
fired against two illegal bases belonging to American occupation forces in
eastern Syria, killing an American contractor.
US warplanes subsequently launched several strikes on
the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr, targeting the positions of resistance
fighters.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the strikes were
carried out at the direction of President Biden, claiming that they targeted
facilities used by groups affiliated with the IRGC.
However, local sources pointed out that the target was
not an Iran-aligned military post, but rather, a rural development center and a
grain center in the Hrabashneighborhood, near Dayr al-Zawr military airport. No
Iranian was killed in the act of aggression.
An Iranian official has later rejected US allegations
that Tehran was involved in the attack, saying the US is trying to divert
attention from its illegal occupation of Syria.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran, Saudi Arabia to Set Up Joint Chamber of Commerce
Following Diplomatic Agreement
2023-April-4
Kashefi said on Monday Tehran and Riyadh will soon
launch a joint chamber of commerce, adding that the move will mark a fruitful
step toward furthering the economic goals of the two nations.
He described the rapprochement between Tehran and the
kingdom as the most important political and economic development in Iran over
the past month.
The official stated that the private sector of Iran
will welcome the constructive interaction, adding that the political decision
will have positive implications for the Iranian economy.
Kashefi voiced hope that such interactions will
continue with other foreign countries.
The member of Iran chamber of commerce said the return
of calm to the financial markets, including currency and gold, and stability in
those markets counts as a positive result of the normalization of relations
between Tehran and Riyadh.
He noted that this shows how correct political
decisions can affect a nation’s economy.
While stressing that Iran and Saudi Arabia are two big
and important countries in the region, Kashefi said political and economic
cooperation between the two countries paves the way for regional stability and
security.
He reiterated that Iran and Saudi Arabia plan to start
the exchange of business delegations immediately after the reopening of their
embassies.
Kashefi went on to describe Saudi Arabia as a big
economy whose capacity has not been used as it should, stressing Saudi Arabia’s
trade balance capacity of 300 billion dollars can yield Iran in the coming
years a market worth at least 2 to 3 billion dollars.
The two regional heavyweights announced on March 10 a
Chinese-brokered deal to restore ties seven years after they were severed.
First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber said on Monday
that President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi has accepted an invitation from Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman to visit the kingdom following the reconciliation deal
between Tehran and Riyadh.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran: Violent attack on al-Aqsa Mosque worshipers
reveals inhumane nature of Israel
05 April 2023
Iran has censured Israeli forces’ vicious assault on
dozens of Palestinian worshipers inside al-Aqsa Mosque, where they were
peacefully observing the holy month of Ramadan, saying that the violent raid
attests to the inhumane nature of the Tel Aviv regime.
“The brutal attack by the usurping Zionist regime’s
military on Palestinian pilgrims and worshipers inside al-Aqsa Mosque has once
again laid bare the criminal and inhumane nature of the regime before the eyes
of the world,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani tweeted on
Wednesday.
“This crime is strongly condemned, and deserves the
immediate reaction of the Muslim world, freedom-loving people around the world
as well as responsible international bodies,” he added.
Dozens of heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the
al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday night before firing tear gas and stun
grenades into the Qibli prayer hall, where hundreds of men, women, elderly
people and children were staying overnight to pray. Some eyewitnesses said
rubber-coated steel bullets were also fired.
Israeli officers then beat worshipers with batons and
riot guns, wounding many, before arresting them.
Videos from inside the mosque showed Israeli officers
repeatedly hitting people with batons while they appeared to lie on the floor.
In the meantime, the cries for help from women and children could be heard in
the background.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it
received multiple reports of injuries at al-Aqsa Mosque but has not been able
to determine the number of casualties as Israeli forces continue to block
medics from reaching the wounded.
Local media outlets said dozens were wounded and the
injuries have included bruises, fractures and breathlessness from inhaling tear
gas.
One of the female worshipers who was at the scene told
local media that women were eventually let out but the men were harshly beaten
and arrested.
“Every single one of them was harshly beaten. Every
single man,” she said.
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs
estimates that at least 400 people have been arrested.
After the raid, local mosques around al-Quds called on
Palestinians through speakerphones to stage a mass rally in the occupied city
and support those assaulted in the mosque.
Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets across
the occupied West Bank to condemn the assault and confront Israeli troops at
checkpoints and military posts.
Elsewhere in the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinian
resistance fighters launched a volley of rockets toward the occupied
territories.
At least one rocket landed inside the territories and
caused damage to a food factory. No casualties were recorded, according to
Israeli media outlets.
Palestinians slam al-Aqsa Mosque raid
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Hamas resistance
movement, said in a statement, “What is happening in al-Aqsa Mosque is an
unprecedented crime. Everyone must bear their responsibility, Palestinians and
Muslims alike.”
He urged Palestinians in the West Bank and the 1948
Israeli-occupied territories to march to al-Aqsa Mosque and “protect it.”
Ziyad Nakhalah, the leader of the Islamic Jihad
movement, echoed a similar message.
“The events at al-Aqsa Mosque are a threat to our
sacred places of worship and the Palestinian people must be prepared for the
imminent decisive confrontation [with Israel],” he said in a statement.
The Fatah movement said what happened was “dangerous”
and warned that the occupying Israeli regime “will pay the price.”
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the presidential spokesperson of
the Palestinian Authority, said Israeli forces “crossed the red lines.”
“What the occupying regime is doing right now at holy
sites such as in al-Aqsa, and the attacking of worshipers is an example of the
relentless war against Palestinian people and Arab nations, which will ignite
fires across the region,” Abu Rudeineh said.
Arab countries condemn ferocious attack
Moreover, several Arab countries have condemned the
attack against Muslim worshipers and said they are following up the
developments with concern.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that
the kingdom condemns the incursion and expresses its categorical rejection of
such practices, which undermine peace and are contrary to international
principles and values that call for respect of religious sanctities.
It reiterated Riyadh’s position in supporting all
efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and reaching a just and
comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also said in a statement
that such hateful and reprehensible scenes and repeated Israeli violations of
the sanctity of the holy places fuel feelings of anger among all Palestinians
and Muslim nations.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also
strongly condemned the ferocious assault and called on Israel to stop such acts
against worshipers, which it said violate international principles.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Rockets fired at Gaza border towns following clashes
inside Al-Aqsa Mosque
Terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at several
towns in southern Israel early Wednesday morning, following clashes between
police and Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Hours later, an Israeli soldier was wounded in a
suspected shooting near the West Bank city of Hebron, amid heightened
Israeli-Palestinian tensions during Ramadan and the start of Passover.
The launches set off alert systems in Sderot and a
number of nearby communities. Around 20 minutes later, further warning sirens
sounded at a kibbutz in the area.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, five
projectiles were launched in the initial salvo, four of which were intercepted
by air defense systems. The military said four more rockets were fired shortly
after, all of which fell in open areas.
The Sderot Municipality said one of the rockets struck
a factory in the industrial area, causing damage. There were no reports of
injuries.
In response, Palestinian media reported Wednesday
morning that Israeli forces struck targets in Gaza, after which sirens were
again triggered in a number of southern communities. There was no immediate confirm of the strikes
from the IDF.
Prior to the sirens, the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror
group denounced the police’s actions at the flashpoint Jerusalem holy site as
“an unprecedented crime” and urged Palestinians “to go en masse to the Al-Aqsa
Mosque to defend it.” People started gathering in the streets, with calls to
head for the heavily guarded Gaza-Israel frontier for more violent
demonstrations.
Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based terrorist
organization, similarly called for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West
Bank, and Israel to go and gather around the mosque and confront Israeli
forces.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s
spokesman warned Israel against “crossing red lines” at holy sites, saying this
could trigger a “big explosion.”
“We hold the occupation government fully responsible
for any deterioration, and it must act responsibly and stop this absurdity,
which will have dangerous consequences for everyone,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh said
in a statement carried by the Ramallah-based PA’s official Wafa news agency.
Jordan, which controls the body that administers the
Temple Mount, also denounced Israel, accusing police of “storming” Al-Aqsa and
assaulting worshippers. Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued a condemnation
that used nearly identical language.
“The foreign ministry calls on Israel to immediately
withdraw its police and special forces from the compound,” the Jordanian
statement said.
According to police, dozens of masked youths
barricaded themselves inside the mosque atop the Temple Mount with fireworks,
clubs and rocks following evening prayers, while locking the doors and placing
barricades at the entrances.
The force said in a statement that officers tried to
convince those inside to leave but were ultimately forced to enter the mosque,
where they were attacked with rocks and fireworks.
Police added that dozens of suspects were arrested and
that “the rioters caused damage to the mosque and desecrated it.”
During the clashes, an officer was struck in the leg
by a rock, according to police, who did not provide any details on his
condition. Palestinian reports said dozens were wounded, many of them
apparently from smoke inhalation.
“Unfortunately at the same time many police are
working to allow freedom of worship while maintaining security, the law and
[public] order… There are those who choose to riot and disturb public order.
These same rioters are first and foremost harming the Muslim public which comes
to pray at the mosque,” the police statement said.
The violence at the mosque came after officers shot
and wounded a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the nearby Silwan neighborhood
late Tuesday. Police said the teenager was among a group of suspects who threw
rocks and Molotov cocktails at a security vehicle, with officers opening fire
after they tried to open one of the car’s doors.
The suspect was in stable condition and taken to the
hospital for treatment, according to police.
In the shooting near Hebron, the military said the
soldier was taken to a hospital in Jerusalem after being struck by gunfire
during clashes between troops and Palestinians in the village of Beit Ummar. No
word was given on his condition.
The IDF said troops were searching the area for
suspects.
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last
week and will end April 21, often sees elevated Israeli-Palestinian tensions,
with frictions already high this year in Jerusalem and across the West Bank
following months of deadly violence.
Palestinian terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank
in recent months have left 15 Israelis dead and several more seriously hurt.
Source: TimesOfIsrael
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-clash-with-palestinians-inside-al-aqsa-mosque-dozens-arrested/
--------
Breakaway candidate could give Erdogan a lifeline in
tight election
April 5, 2023
ANKARA: A second-time presidential candidate who lost
out to Tayyip Erdogan in a 2018 vote could push Turkiye’s May election to a
second round, potentially boosting the president’s prospects of winning,
according to analysts and polls.
Muharrem Ince, formerly of the main opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP), joined the fray last month and secured a spot
on the ballot at the weekend, fuelling concerns among Erdogan’s opponents about
a split in the opposition vote.
Some surveys put Ince’s support at more than 5 per
cent, with one by Panoramatr giving him 10pc last month.
Pollsters and analysts say his backers would mostly
otherwise vote for CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is the main opposition
candidate seen as the biggest electoral challenge to Erdogan in his 20 years in
power. “The fundamental consequence of Ince’s (candidacy) is sending the
elections to a second round,” Panoramatr research director Osman Sert said.
He said Ince’s support could slide from 10pc, where it
has mostly held over the last month, as the vote approaches. “But even if there
is such a meltdown it would not prevent the election going to a second round,”
Sert said.
Some analysts say Ince might agree a deal with
Kilicdaroglu and withdraw before the vote to boost the opposition which, polls
suggest, retains an edge over the incumbent Erdogan. But Ince indicated he
would not bow to such pressure.
“There is no situation that would require us to
withdraw and technically this isn’t possible,” he told broadcaster Haberturk on
Monday, noting that an official draw on Saturday formalised his spot on the
ballot.
Ince, whose blunt speeches and impromptu dances have
drawn social media attention, resigned from the CHP two years ago and formed
the Homeland Party after twice failing to become CHP leader.
“They are saying, ‘Muharrem Ince, withdraw’,” he said
on Haberturk, referring to opposition critics. “Their only concern is, ‘We’ll
lose the election, let’s declare the guilty party now’.” A senior opposition
party official, declining to be named due to the issue’s sensitivity, said
Ince’s candidacy would make it difficult to defeat Erdogan in the first round
but this can be overcome if, as the opposition alliance expects, his support
and that of the fourth candidate Sinan Ogan drops to near 5pc by election day.
A senior official from Erdogan’s AK Party said its
internal polls put Ince’s support at some 8-9pc, but did not provide the data.
If no presidential candidate gets more than 50pc in
the May 14 vote, the top two would compete in a second round two weeks later.
Voters will also select parliamentarians.
Analysts say that whichever alliance — ruling or
opposition — controls parliament will be well placed for its candidate to win a
second presidential round given they could campaign on stability. Polls
indicate the AKP will remain the largest party in parliament.
Data from closely-watched pollster Metropoll showed
Ince and undecided voters would determine the presidential vote, its head Ozer
Sencar said.
In its March survey, 44.6pc of respondents said they
would vote for Kilicdaroglu and 42.0pc for Erdogan, if just given a choice
between the two, while nearly 6pc planned a “protest” vote. Erdogan was 2.9
points ahead in a similar January survey by Metropoll.
Support for Erdogan dipped after February’s
devastating earthquake amid perceptions of an initially slow response. More
than 50,000 people were killed and millions left homeless.
Among voters opposed to Erdogan, some voice
dissatisfaction with the diverse main opposition alliance, partly as it
includes parties led by former Erdogan allies and an Islamist party.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Military Chief: Israel's Crumbling Inevitable
2023-April-4
“Last year was a tumultuous juncture during which
[Iranian] Armed Forces took major steps to boost their defensive power and
readiness,” Maj. Gen. Baqeri stated on Monday.
“What one sees at global and regional levels … is
[indicative of] the fact that global and regional developments are weakening
the global arrogance and pushing the Zionist regime toward collapse…. On the
opposite, the power of our country and the resistance axis is increasing,” the
Iranian general underlined.
The senior military official underscored that many
American thinkers and even politicians have acknowledged this fact and “even
the president of this fake regime has admitted time and again that Israel is on
the verge of collapse… This is exactly our Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Seyed Ali
Khamenei]'s promise that they will not see the next 25 years".
His remark came as the occupied territories have been
the scene of massive protests for the past 13 consecutive weeks over Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul.
Demonstrations have showed no sign of abating, despite
its suspension by the embattled premier.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14020115000146/Miliary-Chief-Israel's-Crmbling-Ineviable
--------
Iran Vows to Take Decisive Measures to Guard Military
Advisors in Syria
2023-April-4
Iravani made the remark in a Monday letter to the
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the head of the Security
Council, stressing that Iran's presence in Syria is totally legal and at the
request of Damascus.
His remarks came after two Iranian military advisers
stationed in Syria were martyred in an Israeli strike near the country’s
capital Damascus. Following the attack, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) issued a stern warning to the Zionist regime, vowing retaliation for the
killing of its military advisers in Syria.
Iravani’s letter also came after the US ambassador to
the UN wrote a letter addressed to the president of the Security Council in an
attempt to legitimize his country's ongoing violation of international law in
Syria by accusing Iran of supporting the so-called non-State militia groups.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its inherent
right to self-defense under international law and will take decisive measures
to protect its forces, interests, and facilities from any threat or unlawful
act perpetrated by the United States or others,” Iravani underscored.
He also strongly condemned “the unlawful military
strikes by the US forces against civilian infrastructure in Syria … which
resulted in the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives and severe damage to
Syria's infrastructure".
“The United States must bear its responsibility for
committing such a heinous crime that has violated Syrian national sovereignty
and territorial integrity, the UN Charter as well as the basic rules of
international humanitarian law,” Iran's UN envoy added.
The Iranian diplomat went on to say that Syria has
explicitly and repeatedly stated that the presence of US forces on its soil is
illegal and constitutes a violation of Syrian national sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
On the other hand, he stated, “Iran's presence in
Syria is fully legal and based on a formal request and consent from the Syrian
government to provide assistance and support [to Damascus] in the fight against
terrorism”.
He emphasized that Iran is totally committed to
“Syria's national sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence".
"The United States must acknowledge that the
continued plunder of Syrian resources, the ongoing occupation of Syrian
territory, and its support for separatists are the main causes of the
confrontation of the Syrian people against the United States military forces
and it cannot place the responsibility for its blunders and crimes on
others," Iran's UN ambassador continued.
Since 2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed
militancy, as a result of which Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and other
terror groups emerged in the country.
US forces were first sent to Syria in 2014, beginning
with a contingent of special operators followed by more conventional ground
troops the next year, most embedded with Kurdish fighters in the country’s
oil-rich Northeast. Though then-President Barack Obama maintained the
deployment was focused only on combating the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS,
ISIL or Daesh) terrorists, Washington had long intervened in Syria’s war
against terror groups, sending and overseeing countless arms shipments to
militants seeking to overthrow the government in Damascus.
Though American involvement in the conflict slowed
under the next administration, in 2019 President Donald Trump noted some US
troops would remain in Syria “for the oil”, openly suggesting Washington would
simply “keep” the energy resources.
Subsequent reporting in 2020 would later reveal that
the Trump administration had approved a deal between a US energy firm and
Kurdish authorities controlling Northeast Syria to “develop and export the
region’s crude oil” – a contract immediately condemned as “illegal” by
Damascus. However, while that particular deal would later fall through after
President Joe Biden took office, Syrian authorities have continued to accuse Washington
of plundering its resources and some 900 US troops remain in the country
illegally.
Syria, Iran, Russia and China have repeatedly called
on Washington to stop plundering Syria’s national resources and respect the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Arab country, calling on foreign
occupation forces and their mercenaries to leave the war-ravaged country.
Israel frequently targets military positions inside
Syria, especially those of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah which has
played a key role in helping the Syrian Army in its fight against
foreign-backed terrorists.
The Tel Aviv regime rarely comments on its cowardly
attacks on Syrian territories, which many see as a knee-jerk reaction to the
Syrian government’s success in confronting and decimating terrorism.
Israel has been one of the main supporters of
terrorist groups that oppose the democratically-elected government of President
Bashar Al-Assad since the foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iranian VP: Israeli Assault Against Syria Constitutes
Blatant Violation of Int'l Law
2023-April-4
Massive crowds of Iranian people have on Tuesday taken
part in a funeral procession held for the two military advisors who were
martyred in Damascus by the Israeli military.
The ceremony for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) military advisers Milad Heidari and MeqdadMehqani which was held in
Tehran, was also joined by senior government and military officials, including
IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami, IRGC Qods Force Commander
EsmayeelQaani and Mokhber.
Mokhber described the Zionist regime’s attack on
Syrian soil as a "violation of international law".
"Such an attack is also an indication of the
occupying regime’s collapse," he told reporters on the sidelines of the
funeral ceremony.
The Iranian officials have underscored that Tehran
reserves the right to respond to state terrorism of the Israeli regime in due
time and place following the martyrdom of the Iranian military advisers.
Since 2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed
militancy, as a result of which Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and other
terror groups emerged in the Arab country.
Iran maintains an advisory mission in the war-ravaged
country at the request of Damascus, helping it in the face of foreign-backed
terrorism. Several members of the IRGC have so far martyred in battle against
terrorists in Syria.
Israel has been a key supporter of the terrorist
groups during the war and has frequently targets military positions inside
Syria, especially those of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah which has
played a key role in helping the Syrian Army in its fight against
foreign-backed terrorists.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
At least 537 killed in Iran protest crackdown: Rights
group
04 April ,2023
Iranian security forces have killed at least 537
people in a crackdown on protests that erupted in September, a rights group
said on Tuesday, sharply revising upwards its previous toll.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) also said that
while four people had been executed in this period on protest-related charges,
over 300 more had been hanged on other accusations in the same time frame in
what it described as a broad tactic to “intimidate” society.
The protest movement began in mid-September after the
death in custody of MahsaAmini, a young Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for
allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Protesters took to the streets urging not just an end
to clothing obligations like the obligatory headscarf for women, but also the
ousting of Iran’s Islamic theocracy which has ruled the country since 1979.
The authorities responded with a crackdown which
rights groups say saw protesters directly targeted with live ammunition across
the country.
IHR’s previous toll was of 488 protesters killed in
the crackdown, and it said the new figure of 537 was due to new deaths being
openly verified.
The most deaths took place in late September with 223
killed, October when 100 lost their lives, and November when 173 died, it said
in a report marking 200 days since Amini’s death.
The most deaths -- 134 -- were recorded in
Sistan-Baluchistan province in the southeast, where the Baluch Sunni minority
has held weekly protests.
At least 69 deaths were recorded in Tehran, and 57 and
56 in the provinces of Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan which are populated by the
Kurdish minority.
Four men were executed in protest-related cases after
what IHR described as “show trials” that prompted an international outcry.
But the group said in the same period 309 people were
also put to death on other charges, including 180 for drug-related offenses,
without a murmur of dissent from the international community.
The group said this showed how capital punishment in
Iran was used as a “tool to intimidate society”.
“These are the ‘low-cost’ victims of the regime’s
execution machine,” IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam told AFP.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UN rights council denounces rising number of
executions in Iran
04 April ,2023
The UN Human Rights Council denounced Tuesday the
rising numbers of executions in Iran, including of people who received the
capital punishment in connection with protests that have rocked the country.
The top United Nations rights body approved a
resolution voicing “deep concern at the reported surge in the number of executions,
including of individuals sentenced to death in relation to their alleged
involvement in the recent protests.”
The resolution, which also extended the mandate of the
UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in Iran for another year, passed
with 23 of the council’s 47 members voting in favor.
Another 16 abstained, and eight opposed the text,
including China, Cuba, Pakistan and Vietnam.
Iran’s ambassador Ali Bahreini took the floor to slam
the resolution as a “weaponization of human rights as a foreign policy tool.”
The resolution echoed strong international
condemnation over the country’s crackdown on the protest movement that erupted
last September.
Iran has executed four people over the protests,
sparked by the September 16 death of MahsaAmini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who
had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress rule for women.
Rights groups have warned that executions on all kinds
of charges are on the rise, arguing this seeks to intimidate society into not
protesting.
According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR)
organization, at least 144 people have been executed this year.
Tuesday’s resolution called on Tehran to “take all
necessary legislative, administrative and other measures” to ensure no one is
executed for “offences that do not meet the threshold of the most serious
crimes.”
Iran must also ensure no executions are carried out
“for alleged offences committed before the age of 18 years” and that sentences
are only handed down by “courts that are competent, independent and impartial,”
it said.
Beyond executions, the council deplored “systematic
discrimination and violence based on gender, ethnicity, religion or belief or
political opinion” in Iran.
It urged authorities to guarantee and uphold the right
to freedom of expression and opinion and to address “systematic impunity.”
The resolution also extended the mandate of special
rapporteur Javaid Rehman, who in a report presented to the council last month
warned Iran had committed serious violations since Amini’s death.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Emissions cuts can slash heat deaths in Middle East,
Iran at highest risk: Study
04 April ,2023
Meeting world targets to limit climate change would
avert hundreds of thousands of heat-related deaths in the Middle East and North
Africa, scientists said on Tuesday, urging the region to adapt better.
A modelling study published in The Lancet Planetary
Health journal found slashing carbon emissions to limit the rise in Earth’s
average temperature to two degrees Celsius would reduce heat-related deaths in
the region by 80 percent compared to a high-emissions scenario.
The regional focus on the heat risk came as Dubai
prepares to host the United Nations COP28 climate summit in November.
Countries have pledged to limit global warming to 1.5C
under the Paris climate accords, prompting efforts to switch to low-carbon
energy sources.
In the highest-emissions scenario without cuts, around
123 people per 100,000 in the region would die per year from heat-related
causes by the end of this century, according to the study, led by specialists
at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
That would be 60 times greater than the current
heat-death rate and far higher than in other regions of the world.
Of the 19 countries analyzed, Iran was expected to
have the highest annual death rate under a high-emissions scenario -- 423
deaths per 100,000 of population.
Lead author Shakoor Hajat told AFP temperatures were
projected to be very high in parts of Iran. Ageing will also occur at a faster
rate there than in many other countries in the region.
Hajat said health impacts would be “catastrophic” if
the 2C target were not reached.
“Even with stronger action, countries in the region
need to develop ways other than air-conditioning to protect their citizens from
the dangers of extreme heat,” he said.
“Public health measures such as national heat
protection plans and heat alert warning systems could be introduced.
“These are common in countries in Europe and North
America and parts of Asia, but not in the Middle East,” he said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Palestinian stabs two Israelis near army base south of
Tel Aviv
04 April ,2023
A Palestinian suspect stabbed two Israelis near an
army base south of Tel Aviv on Tuesday in the latest incident in a yearlong
spate of violence that shows no sign of abating.
The Magen David Adom paramedic service said first
responders treated two men for stab wounds in the incident on a highway near
the Tsrifin military base. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment
their injuries.
Israeli media identified the two victims as soldiers.
The suspect’s condition was unclear.
Palestinians have carried out numerous attacks on
Israeli security personnel and civilians in the past year as violence has
surged.
On Monday, Israeli troops killed two Palestinian
gunmen during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israeli warplanes strike Hamas positions, prompt
retaliation
05 April 2023
Israeli warplanes carried out a fresh round of
airstrikes against the besieged Gaza Strip, drawing retaliatory rocket fire
from Palestinian resistance fighters in the impoverished coastal enclave.
Explosions were heard west of Gaza City after the
Israeli army’s drones targeted a resistance site in that area.
The Israeli occupation army bombed the “Abu Jarad”
site, west of Gaza City, in addition to the “Areen” site, northeast of the
Nusseirat refugee camp, in the central strip.
Rocket sirens blare across Israeli settlements
Rocket sirens were activated in the settlements around
the Gaza Strip, warning of the firing of a missile salvo from the strip, which
followed the raids launched by the Israeli warplanes on resistance sites in
Gaza.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Israeli occupation
army confirmed that nine rockets were launched from Gaza in two waves, noting
that the Iron Dome system intercepted only four of them.
According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the
current trend in Israel is a limited response to the rocket fire from Gaza so
that matters do not escalate on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday.
Palestinian resistance responds to Israeli airstrikes
Meanwhile, the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza
Strip responded to the Israeli aggression by launching surface-to-air missiles
at the warplanes.
The escalation comes after the occupation forces
stormed the al-Qibli prayer hall in al-Aqsa Mosque, at dawn today, Wednesday,
forcibly removed the worshipers from inside, and arrested hundreds, while
firing stun grenades at them, which led to injuries among the worshipers.
During the attack, the occupation police prevented the
medical staff from entering al-Aqsa Mosque and stormed the medical clinic
adjacent to al-Qibli Mosque in al-Aqsa Mosque.
Palestinian resistance: We bombed the settlements in
retaliation
The National Resistance Brigades (Martyr Omar Al-Qasim
Forces), the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, announced that it bombed the settlements around the Gaza Strip with
a rocket barrage this morning, in response to the Zionist raids that targeted
the Gaza Strip.
“The National Resistance Brigades and the Nasser Salah
al-Din Brigades announce that they bombed the city of Asqalan with a rocket
barrage a while ago in response to the Zionist aggression that targets our land
and our al-Quds,” the statement read.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem also said that “the
Zionist bombing of the Gaza Strip this morning is a failed attempt to prevent
Gaza from continuing to support our people in al-Quds and the West Bank by all
means.”
Qassem went on to say that the Palestinian people and
their valiant resistance in the Gaza Strip and all of Palestine will remain a
sword and a shield for al-Quds.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
Saudi Club In London Holds Iftar For Scholarship
Students During Ramadan
April 05, 2023
LONDON: The Saudi Club in London organized a group
Iftar for scholarship students and their companions to mark the Muslim fasting
month of Ramadan at the Islamic Centre in London, the Saudi Press Agency
reported on Tuesday.
The Iftar was held in the presence of the Saudi
cultural attache to the UK Dr. Amal Fatani and was attended by a large number
of scholarship students and Saudi citizens from London and all parts of the UK.
The head of the Saudi Club in London, Reem Al-Kharji,
said that the event was organized for the scholarship students who were fasting
during the holy month while away from their families.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281446/saudi-arabia
--------
UK peer brands Afghan pilot’s deportation ordeal
‘totally cruel, appalling’
April 04, 2023
LONDON: A member of the British House of Lords who
fled the Nazis in the build-up to World War II has branded the UK government as
“totally cruel” over its treatment of an Afghanistan war hero threatened with
deportation.
The Afghan pilot, who fought alongside British troops
against the Taliban after the 2001 invasion of his country, arrived in the UK
on a small boat, but faces being relocated to Rwanda in east Africa under the
government’s controversial asylum policy.
The airman was deemed by officials to have arrived in
the country via an illegal route, which he said he was forced to do as there
were “no safer legal routes into the country.”
British Labour peer, Alfred Dubs, told the Independent
newspaper the fact the pilot faced deportation was “absolutely shocking.”
He said: “If he risked his life for us, how can we
possibly not consider giving him safety? The government must think again.”
Dubs urged British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home
Secretary Suella Braverman to “stop hiding behind bureaucracy” and help war
veterans in need.
Last week, following a report by the Independent,
Sunak told a House of Commons liaison committee that the Home Office would
“have a look” at the case, but refused to comment on the pilot’s plight, while
officials in Braverman’s department said they could not comment on individual
cases while a claim for asylum was being considered.
According to a Times newspaper report on Friday,
British defense secretary, Ben Wallace, said the former lieutenant would
receive the right to permanently remain in the UK as soon as he applied through
the government’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
But Dubs, a campaigner for refugee rights, claimed the
pilot’s ordeal had been “terrible” and “not right,” and described the British
Conservative Party’s Rwanda policy as “appalling.”
He said: “The strongest possible claim someone can
have is that they fought to help British forces, and it’s totally cruel for
bureaucracy to stop him from claiming asylum.
“To which country should they flee but Britain – the
one country they thought they would be welcome?
“My own story makes it ever more painful, because I’m
shocked what we have come to, we’re turning our backs on the basic human rights
principles that have characterized this country,” Dubs added.
A recent Home Office statement said: “We remain
committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing
Afghanistan and so far have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the
situation back to the UK.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281231/world
--------
Turkish charity holds iftar event in London
ZuhalDemirci
05.04.2023
LONDON
A non-profit Turkish charity held an iftar, or
fast-breaking meal, on Tuesday for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The event, organized by the West London Turkish
Volunteers, took place in Hounslow, west London.
Türkiye's Ambassador to the UK Osman KorayErtas,
Consul General to London Bekir UtkuAtahan and the Embassy's Religious Services
Counsellor EnsariYeniturk were among the attendees along with Turkish people
living in London.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Ertas mentioned the
devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and reminded those
attending of the solidarity among the Turkish community after the quakes.
Touching on Britain's King Charles III's visit to the
West London Turkish Volunteers in February, Ertas hailed their work and
campaigns.
He said the visit showed how they represented Türkiye
and the Turkish people very well at that time.
Following the devastating earthquakes, Charles on Feb.
14 met in London with members of the Turkish and Syrian communities, including
the West London Turkish Volunteers, to show solidarity with the quake-hit
people.
For his part, Atahan said the West London Turkish
Volunteers was among the organizations that played a key role in fundraising
campaigns for the quake victims.
He also thanked women volunteers for their active role
during donation and fundraising campaigns.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-charity-holds-iftar-event-in-london/2863807
--------
PKK terror suspects face trial for extortion, forced
recruitment in France
Nur AsenaErturk
04.04.2023
A French court started judging PKK terror suspects on
Tuesday for extortion and forced recruitment, local media reported.
The trial for terrorism financing will continue until
April 14 at the correctional court, while the suspects do not openly
acknowledge being members of the PKK terror group, the Le Figaro newspaper
said.
Investigators, however, are convinced of their
membership and that the PKK is using France, Germany, and the Netherlands as
its backyard for clandestine cells to mobilize the support of local Kurdish
communities, reported the daily.
The investigation began in 2020 after two statements
in southeastern France, about the disappearance of two young women, Le Figaro
added.
Investigators say they have uncovered a network aiming
to form recruitment camps across Europe to imbue the recruits with the
terrorist group's ideology, before they are incorporated into its armed
organization.
Many of the so-called recruits were actually abducted
and taken away from their families, the probe also showed.
It revealed that PKK members harassed people to
provide funds for the group, the investigation found, with around €2 million
($2.18 million) collected annually in southeastern France.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Effective cooperation against terrorism 'a must' with
Sweden: Turkish foreign minister
BeyzaBinnurDonmez
04.04.2023
GENEVA
The Turkish foreign minister on Tuesday said
"effective cooperation" against terrorism is "a must" with
Sweden for the country's NATO bid.
Mevlut Cavusoglu's remarks came after his meeting with
Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom on the sidelines of a two-day NATO foreign
ministers meeting in Brussels.
"Reiterated our expectations for Sweden's NATO
accession to Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom," Cavusoglu said in a
tweet. "Effective cooperation against terrorism is a must."
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
'Positive agenda' with Türkiye to improve diplomatic
ties, daily lives, says Greek diplomat
Derya Gulnaz Ozcan
04.04.2023
Greece believes expanding the "positive
agenda" with Türkiye will yield major benefits in both recently thawing
diplomatic relations and the daily lives of people in both countries, a senior
Greek diplomat told Anadolu.
In an exclusive interview, Deputy Foreign Minister
Kostas Fragogiannis said Athens was keen to "find solutions to the matters
covered by the positive agenda. Because we believe that in this way, we
strengthen the good atmosphere and help fight any problems that may
arise."
Pointing to a recent trip across the Aegean Sea to
meet with his counterpart BurakAkcapar in Türkiye's capital Ankara,
Fragogiannis underlined that progress had been made in many fields, including
the economy, commerce, energy, tourism, transportation, culture, and sports.
"I and the accompanying Greek delegation were
welcomed very sincerely in Ankara by our Turkish colleagues," said
Fragogiannis, who focuses mainly on economic matters.
Relations between Athens and Ankara have warmed
significantly in recent weeks after the rapid assistance that Greece provided
in the wake of twin earthquakes that shook southern Türkiye in early February.
Likewise, Türkiye was the first country to offer condolences and aid following
a deadly Feb. 28 train accident in northern Greece that left dozens dead.
Underlining that the two neighboring countries respected
and listened to each other's perspectives on various matters, Fragogiannis said
they were planning a series of joint events in such fields as environmental
protection, natural disasters, and civil protection.
"Greeks and Turks will see the agreements we have
in basic matters will positively affect their daily lives," he added.
"This can manifest in issues like the ability of
the businesses to invest in the other country or a third country, the
development of economy and trade, touristic visits, or sea
transportation."
Fragogiannis also underscored that the positive agenda
was a dynamic process.
"When some matters are fully agreed upon, new
topics will be incorporated into the positive agenda to be dealt with," he
said.
Referring to a ferry line between the port city of
Izmir on Türkiye's western coast and Thessaloniki in northern Greece, which
came to a halt after operating for a limited time last year, Fragogiannissad
this could be revived by the summer.
The line can be a good alternative not just for
connecting people, but also as means of transportation, he argued.
Fragogiannis also said that Greece wanted to host more
Turkish tourists on its islands and that talks had taken place with Ankara on
loosening visa measures to this end.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Africa
Hisbah Shuts Beer Parlours, Bans Prostitution In
Jigawa, Nigeria
April 4, 2023
By Khaleel Muhammad
Jigawa State Hisbah Corps has ordered the immediate
closure of all beer parlours and prostitution spots during the month of
Ramadan.
The state’s Hisbah commandant, Ibrahim Dahiru, stated
this on Tuesday in an exclusive interview with the DAILY POST.
He said the move is part of the corps’ efforts to stem
social vices during Ramadan.
Dahiru explained that the Hisbah corps has conducted
sensitisation for commercial sex workers and alcohol sellers.
According to him: “We have gone round to such areas
across the state and warned the perpetrators of the offences to quit their
illegitimate businesses during [this] the holy month of Ramadan or leave the
state.”
Source: DailyPost Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://dailypost.ng/2023/04/04/ramadan-hisbah-shuts-beer-parlours-bans-prostitution-in-jigawa/
--------
Jordan’s foreign minister presses EU to support end of
Israeli escalation
April 04, 2023
BRUSSELS: Jordan’s foreign minister and the EU’s top
diplomat have discussed Israel’s illegal measures against Palestinians and
efforts to end the Syrian crisis in a meeting in Brussels.
The Jordan News Agency reported that Ayman Safadi and
Josep Borrell held extensive talks as part of the minister’s tour of Europe
promoting partnership with the EU to help resolve regional crises and achieve
security and stability.
Safadi said that it was important for the EU to
support the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, reject
settlement and land confiscation and commit to respecting Jerusalem’s
historical and legal status quo and its Islamic and Christian sanctities.
He also warned against the dangers of the continued
deterioration in the occupied Palestinian territories. Illegal Israeli measures
are fueling violence and undermining the two-state solution and need to be
stopped, said Safadi.
The pair discussed the Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh
meetings, and efforts made by the Kingdom to prevent escalation and activate
the peace process. Europe has an “important and major” role, Safadi said.
They also reviewed Jordan’s initiative to solve
Syria’s humanitarian, security and political issues and preserve its integrity
through direct Arab-Syrian engagement, said Safadi.
Safadi and Borrell, the EU High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also discussed the refugees’ crisis and
highlighted the need to provide continued international support for them and
the host countries.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281366/middle-east
--------
4.7M people in Burkina Faso will need humanitarian assistance
this year: UN
James Tasamba
05.04.2023
The UN and partners announced a $877 million response
plan Tuesday to meet the urgent needs of millions of people in Burkina Faso who
will require humanitarian assistance this year.
In a statement, the UN said the funding will support
some 3.1 million people amid the worst humanitarian crisis in the country’s
history.
At least 4.7 million people in the West African
country, a fifth of the population, will need humanitarian support this year as
the country grapples with insecurity, according to the UN.
“The humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso in 2023 is
more worrying than ever,” said AbdouraoufGnon-Konde, the top UN aid official in
the country.
“In line with humanitarian principles, our sole
objective is to provide assistance to vulnerable civilians based on their
needs, wherever they are.”
He said half of those in need are children.
Burkina Faso has been struggling with an insurgency
that has spread from neighboring Mali over the past decade.
The country has been ranked most affected by terrorism
on the continent and the second most affected worldwide in 2022, according to
the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023, a report published by the
Australia-based Global Institute for Economics and Peace that was released last
week.
Armed group activity and military operations have led
to widespread displacement, with nearly two million citizens driven out of
their homes.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
10 students abducted in northern Nigeria
Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu
04.04.2023
At least 10 students have been abducted by
unidentified people in northern Nigeria, an official said on Tuesday.
Students of Awon Government Secondary School in Kaduna
state were abducted on Monday under unclear circumstances, according to Samuel
Aruwan, the state commissioner for internal security.
Abductions and kidnappings for ransom are frequently
reported in Kaduna, a state where several criminal gangs are known to operate.
In a statement, Aruwan said the exact location of the
incident is yet to be ascertained.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/10-students-abducted-in-northern-nigeria/2863537
--------
Pakistan
Govt Vows Not To Let Chief Justice Of Pakistan Have
His Way
Amir Wasim | Syed Irfan Raza
April 5, 2023
ISLAMABAD: In an act of open defiance, the National
Assembly and the federal cabinet — dominated by members of the ruling coalition
— refused to abide by the Supreme Court ruling that fixed May 14 as the
election date in Punjab, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling the verdict
a “murder of justice”.
Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, where the
judiciary came under intense criticism for its latest judgement, categorically
declared that the decision would not be implemented at any cost and demanded a
full court to hear the issue — a demand long held by the government.
They asked Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to “rethink
and constitute a full court bench” to resolve the crisis while also drawing
comparisons between the decision which led to the hanging of Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto and the ruling on polls date.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, PM
Shehbaz Sharif equated the decision with that of the ‘judicial murder’ of
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and said that “his murder took place on April 4, 1979, and
on the same date (today), the unfortunate episode was repeated” through the
polls ruling.
“Two decisions were made today, murder of Bhutto and
murder of justice, which is highly regrettable,” the premier said while
speaking at the National Assembly session.
During a meeting of the federal cabinet that
categorically rejected the verdict, the apex executive body directed the legal
team to find ways to repulse the decision.
“The prime minister has directed me and the attorney
general to give a legal opinion on the Supreme Court’s decision that has been
made in such a way that it negated the judicial system of the country,” Law
Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on the floor of the National Assembly following
the cabinet huddle.
The verdict regarding elections in Punjab would
further deepen the constitutional and political crises in the country, he said,
adding: “We have reservations about the decision and our legal team will decide
about the future course of action after consultations”.
Mr Tarar said the government wanted free and fair
elections across the country simultaneously.
The law minister said according to Article 224,
general elections should be held at the same time across the country, while as
per Article 254, polls could be postponed due to some extraordinary situation.
‘Judicial martial law’
“Swear to God, we will restore the Constitution and
democracy. We will not let this illegitimate and un-Islamic decision get
implemented in Pakistan, come what may. We will fight till last as far as
Constitution and the law permit us,” declared Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F)
leader Asad Mehmood amid desk-thumping by the members.
Lawmakers, including ministers, questioned the CJP’s
reluctance to form a full bench and accused the judiciary of having a “clear
tilt” towards the PTI and its chairman Imran Khan.
“You [the CJP] could have proved your impartiality
with just one decision. But you preferred to get your name included in the list
of lovers of Imran and PTI,” said Mr Mehmood, who is the son of JUI-F chief
Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
“We have struggled against military martial laws in
the country, and now we are announcing a revolt against judicial martial law.
We will never accept judicial martial law,” said the JUI-F leader, who alleged
that the CJP had divided the judiciary and wanted to divide the nation.
PML-N stalwart and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad
Rafique said his party had succeeded in getting the judiciary restored through
a movement during the military rule of dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf, but it
failed to make it “independent and impartial.”
Mr Rafique recalled that veteran politician Javed
Hashmi had disclosed in 2014 when he was still in the PTI that a decision had
been made that the PML-N government of that time would be ousted through a
“nexus between the judges and generals”. He added the claim later proved true.
He said once again efforts were being made to impose
one person on the nation which no political party would tolerate. “We don’t
want a repeat of the 2018 elections,” he added.
Climate Change Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party
(PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman alleged that the court’s verdict was an effort to
“split Pakistan down in the middle”. “Heavens will not fall if you constitute a
full court,” she said, adding: “You [the judiciary] have created this
constitutional crisis and now you need to find a way out.”
‘Black day’
Criticising the verdict, opposition leader and PTI
dissident Raja Riaz termed April 4 another “black day” in the country’s
history, stating that instead of “uniting all the political forces, one ladla
(blue-eyed) had been rewarded”.
MQM’s Salahuddin said, “It seems that the military
establishment has become neutral, but the judiciary which carried out the
judicial murder [of Mr Bhutto] in the past is still making wrong decisions.”
Paying tributes to the late Bhutto, PTI dissident
Ahmed Hussain Deharr said unfortunately those who were given the task of
interpreting the constitution hanged the creator of the Constitution. PPP’s
Agha Rafiullah said that today “every Pakistani” was ready to commit contempt
of court. He challenged the judges to summon him to any court.
Lone opposition voice
The sole voice in defence of the apex court came from
recently-elected PTI MNA from Rajanpur, Mohsin Leghari who asked Speaker Raja
Pervaiz Ashraf not to allow the members to talk about the conduct of judges as
per the Constitution.
The PTI MNA also defended his party chairman Imran
Khan and asked the members not to target the SC judges and Mr Khan as they were
not present in the house to defend themselves.
“I pay tributes to the CJP. There is no room and no
doubt that the elections should be held within 90 days,” said the PTI MNA,
adding the courts should make decisions based on justice without fearing their
consequences. The speaker adjourned the NA session till Wednesday (today)
morning.
Judicial murder of Z.A. Bhutto
The cabinet decided that the government would write to
the court for the hearing of a presidential reference regarding the judicial
murder of the slain PPP founder by a full court.
It was agreed that a reference over the judicial
murder of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, which had been pending for the last
12 years, should be taken up and decided by the full court.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745992/govt-vows-not-to-let-cjp-have-his-way
--------
JUI-F moves court to seek disqualification of Imran
Khan
April 5, 2023
PESHAWAR: Two leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl
(JUI-F) on Tuesday moved Peshawar High Court, seeking disqualification of
former prime minister Imran Khan from contesting National and provincial
assemblies’ elections on multiple grounds.
A petition was jointly filed by JUI-F office secretary
Ahmad Ali and former candidate of the party during by-polls in Kurram tribal
district in October last year Jamil Khan, requesting the court to declare that
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan was not qualified under Article 62 (1)
(d), (e), (f) and (g) of the Constitution and thus he should be disqualified
from contesting elections in the country.
The petitioners stated that Election Commission of
Pakistan had notified Mr Khan as the returned candidate from the constituency
NA-45 Kurram in by-polls on October 31, so he was a public office holder.
They said that Mr Khan had portrayed himself as a
religious, honest and a patriotic man, who was ‘Sadiq and Ameen’ in terms of
Article 62 of the Constitution, however, in light of certain revelations and
confessions of various people involved in his personal life, he was not a man
of good character within the meaning of Article 62(1) (d).
Petitioners want former premier barred from contesting
polls on multiple grounds
They claimed that the respondent violated Islamic
principles and committed a major sin as he solemnised Nikkah with his present
spouse at a time when her Iddat period of four months and 10 days after divorce
from her previous husband was not covered.
In support of their contentions, the petitioners
stated that recently a confession as made by the NikkahKhwan, Mufti Saeed Khan,
on a private television channel that he was not informed of the situation at
that time, therefore, he termed it unlawful and offered the Nikkah ceremony again.
They also referred to the memoir of Reham Khan, former
wife of Mr Khan, stating that it was published in 2018, and therein his several
“affairs” were mentioned, showing that he was not sagacious, righteous,
non-profligate and honest within the meaning of Article 62 (1) (f) of the
Constitution.
The petition is filed through senior lawyer Kamran
Murtaza.
The petitioners mentioned that the respondent had also
made “U-turns” on important issues including the “cipher conspiracy and regime
change”, “Gen Bajwa and establishment role”, “nepotism and corruption”,
“electable”, “Russia visit”, “metro bus and BRT”, and many others.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745959/jui-f-moves-court-to-seek-disqualification-of-imran-khan
--------
Pakistan Supreme Court orders snap polls in two provinces
by May 15
Apr 4, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court said on Tuesday
the election commission's decision to delay snap polls in two provinces was
"illegal" and ordered that the elections be held between April 30 and
May 15, Geo TV reported.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Imran makes cover of Time, but supporters not happy
Anwar Iqbal
April 5, 2023
WASHINGTON: The renowned Time magazine on Tuesday
published a cover story on former prime minister Imran Khan in its latest
edition, putting his picture on the title page with the caption: ‘The
Astonishing Saga of Imran Khan’.
The article caught the attention of PTI leaders as well,
and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry immediately put it on his
Twitter account, along with a picture of the title page.
It’s an article like most articles in Western
magazines are; containing some praise and some criticism, analysing the current
political situation in Pakistan and projecting the future, both for Pakistan
and Mr Khan.
The magazine also did a Zoom interview with Mr Khan,
but instead of a Q&A format, it used quotes from the interview throughout
the article, some to highlight his achievements and some to back claims of his
failures.
Some quotes were also used to back their projections,
both positive and negative for Pakistan and Mr Khan.
But Mr Khan’s supporters did not like this approach
and, as they often do with Pakistani publications, unleashed their wrath on
the magazine and the author, Charles Campbell.
Time’s commentary “does not (go) beyond the West’s
binary, myopic and fallacious view of the Muslim world,” wrote a PTI supporter,
MaazUd Din, on his Twitter account. “This article is a perfect example of
pathetic Orientalism.”
Another PTI supporter, Bia Agha, claimed that the
article displayed “the orientalist art of obfuscating facts and hiding disdain
under a cloak of objectivity”.
PTI opponents were not far behind in highlighting
Imran Khan’s flaws mentioned in the article. “The article blames (Khan) and
only (Khan) for Pakistan’s economic crisis,” wrote one such opponent.
MaazUd Din’s point-by-point rebuttal of the Time
article became immediately popular and had registered almost 50,000 views
within hours. It was also retweeted by hundreds of PTI supporters, some of
those tweets were also viewed by thousands.
The article, however, did project Imran Khan’s
position that only elections can end the bitter political divide that the
entire country is suffering from.
“Political stability in Pakistan comes through
elections,” he said in the interview. “That is the starting point for economic
recovery.”
The article, however, noted that Pakistan is “the
world’s fifth most populous country,” which “has only $4.6 billion in foreign
reserves —$20 per citizen”, indicating that this crisis cannot be solved by the
elections alone.
“If they default, and they can’t get oil, companies go
bust, and people don’t have jobs, you would say this is a country ripe for a
Bolshevik revolution,” Cameron Munter, a former US ambassador to Pakistan, told
Time.
The article was published hours before the Supreme
Court rejected the Election Commission’s order to delay elections in Punjab and
KP. So, it generated much debate in the social media and among scholars of
South Asian affairs in the US.
The debate focused on three key points: Will the PDM
government implement the Supreme Court’s verdict and hold elections in Punjab
on May 14, as ordered? Will the army persuade the government to implement the
order? And who will the US support?
The article answered the last question, saying that
“from the US perspective, he (Mr. Khan) may be far from the ideal choice to
helm an impoverished, insurgency-racked Islamic state”.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745974/imran-makes-cover-of-time-but-supporters-not-happy
--------
Police begin probe as two personnel martyred in Kohat
militant attack
April 5, 2023
KOHAT/LOWER DIR/DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa police have begun an investigation into the martyrdom of two Kohat
policemen in Monday night militant attack.
Also, an official of the traffic police was martyred
in a gun attack in Lower Dir district, while a militant was killed and two
injured in a police crackdown in Dera Ismail Khan district.
SHO of Kohat’s Mohammad Riaz Shaheed police station
Islamuddin told Dawn that police personnel Ayaz and Qasim were attacked by
militants on the Bannu Road in Mirozai area on Monday night when they’re on the
way to the Abu Bakar and Hamza mosques to perform security duty for taraveeh
prayers.
He said the bullets fired by the attackers pierced the
helmets and bulletproof vests worn by the policemen.
Traffic cop shot dead in Dir; militant killed, two
injured in DI Khan action
The SHO said funeral prayers for the deceased were
offered at the police lines on Tuesday.
Provincial police chief Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur
formed a two-member committee to probe the militant attack.
A notification issued by the Central Police Office
said a fact-finding committee comprising DSP (Logistics) at the CPO Sanaullah
and sub-inspector Safdar Khan would look into the attack and submit its report
within a week.
It added that the committee would visit the place of
crime, ascertain the kind of weapons used to kill police personnel, and examine
the helmets and jackets issued to the deceased.
It will check what “security gadgets” the two police
personnel received from the department for permanent and temporary use.
Meanwhile, a motorcyclist shot a traffic police constable
dead in the Talash Bazaar of Lower Dir district and fled.
The police identified the deceased as Bakht Zamin, a
35-year-old resident of Ouch Sharqi, and said he was attacked while performing
duty at a busy intersection.
They said they had registered a case and started a
search for the gunman.
Local SHO Tauhid Khan told Dawn that Bakht Zamin was a
victim of targeted killing.
The deceased’s family claimed that it had no enmity.
Also, the Dera Ismail Khan police said it killed a
militant group’s member and injured others in a pre-dawn operation in the Kot
Essa area in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The operation was launched by the provincial police’s
Albarq Unit at 3am in the jurisdiction of the Daraban police station on a
tip-off about the presence of militant commander Mazhar Gandapur.
The police said militant Ansar Abbas, a resident of
Kot Essa area, was killed in an exchange of fire with police, while other
members of the militant group, including its commander Mazhar Gandapur, fled.
District police officer Rauf QaiseranitoldDawnthat
Mazhar Gandapur and another militant were believed to be wounded by the police
gunfire.
He said the sub-machine guns snatched from the police
were also seized along other unlicensed arms.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UK channel apologises to Dar over graft allegations
April 5, 2023
LONDON: A Pakistani TV channel with broadcast rights
in the United Kingdom apologised to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar this week after
a string of allegations against him.
Former PTI minister Farrukh Habib had in September
last year alleged that Mr Dar was involved in criminal activities and opening
of fake accounts.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745972/uk-channel-apologises-to-dar-over-graft-allegations
--------
Assassination attempt on Imran: Home dept proposes
one-man tribunal to probe charges
Asif Chaudhry
April 5, 2023
LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department has proposed the
government to appoint a one-man tribunal to investigate the serious allegations
of assassination of former prime minister Imran Khan.
In a summary moved by Punjab additional chief
secretary (home) Shakeel Ahmed, it has been asked to place the matter before
the provincial cabinet for approval of the appointment of the tribunal to begin
the investigations into the ‘serious’ threats to the life of the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman as alleged by him off and on.
The Punjab government initiated the move when the
former PM repeatedly asserted that a plot has been hatched for his assassination,
alleging that the sitting prime minister and the interior minister had been
behind the conspiracy.
The issue further drew attention of the federal and
provincial governments when Imran Khan and his other senior party leaders came
hard on them, raised fingers on some senior officers of the law-enforcement
agencies, particularly, of the police officers serving against top positions
alleging that they may play a ‘key role’ in his assassination.
A month back in the first week of March, PTI chief Imran
Khan had also reportedly taken up the same matter with the Chief Justice of
Pakistan (CJP).
Through a letter, he sought intervention of the CJP
for adequate security arrangements for his appearance in the court due to the
possible assassination attempt on him.
He had alleged that the current premier and the
interior minister were involved in the failed assassination attempt on him. He
further informed the CJP about ‘more such grave threats’ to his life saying
that another plot was being hatched for his assassination.
Later, many other senior leaders of the PTI also
alleged that the party chairman was facing ‘serious’ life threats and accused
the provincial and federal government high-ups in this regard.
“The Punjab government has desired to constitute a
one-man tribunal to conduct an inquiry into assassination threats as alleged by
PTI chairman Imran Khan,” reads the summary letter of the home department.
It stated that the government intends to ensure that
such serious allegations be thoroughly investigated and strict action be taken
either way.
The department proposed that the one-man tribunal
under section 3 of the Punjab Tribunals of the Inquiry Ordinance1969 may be
appointed for the purpose of making an inquiry with the Terms of References
(TORs) to investigate assassination threats as alleged by PTI chief Imran Khan,
to ascertain the fact(s) and cause (s) of the assassination threats, to fix
responsibility, and to make recommendations to avert such incidents in future.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iftar feast lights up Ramadan for Pakistani kids in
impoverished city neighbourhood
BURAQ SHABBIR
April 04, 2023
KARACHI: With beaming smiles on their faces, around
300 children in the Pakistani port city of Karachi sat in long lines along a
narrow street festooned with lights, bunting, and banners waiting to enjoy a
meal of biryani and rice pudding arranged by a local charity.
The communal children’s street iftar gatherings in the
impoverished, crime-ridden Lyari neighborhood, are run twice weekly by the
Faryal Kamran Initiative in collaboration with Lyari-based welfare
organizations Dreams of Youth, and the Kiran Foundation.
The iftar program, which takes place on what has been
dubbed Dream Street, was launched last year in Lyari’s Block-C, and is held
every Tuesday and Thursday during Ramadan.
Up to 300 children are invited, based on tokens
distributed to households in the vicinity according to the number of kids in
each home, Kamran told Arab News.
Around 100 of the children also support Kamran and her
team with the arrangements, blocking off the street near sunset, and only
letting children with tokens enter and settle on the dastarkhwan, or floor
spread.
Kamran said: “We saw the conditions here and how the
children were deprived of so many things.
“So, we had the idea of setting up an iftar on the
road ... I wanted to spend some time with these kids and give them the festive
feeling of Ramadan.”
In Pakistan, evening street meals are widely organized
by charities for the poor, while others, similar to the one in Lyari, are run
by local communities which pool food donations.
Kamran sought the help of local organizations and
volunteers to launch the initiative, especially the task of decorating the
streets.
“First of all, we painted and renovated the streets.
We got them cleaned and then we put out the dastarkhwan.
“The main purpose was to add colors, to bring
happiness to the children for all of Ramadan. The lights and decor keep hanging
here. So, whenever the kids walk by this street, they smile, and Ramadan is
memorable for them,” she added.
This year, she noted, several confectionaries were
supporting the project by providing gifts, biscuits, and goodie bags for
children, and a different menu was offered every day which included burgers,
cupcakes, rice, and juices.
Unaisa Bibi, a fourth-grader, told Arab News: “We come
here for iftar. We have rice, biryani, kheer (rice pudding), and we have it
with the kids.”
One of the children, Nashra, said the program gave her
the opportunity to make new friends. “I have come to play with friends. I
really like it with my friends here.”
Javeria Rauf, a high school student who helps with
serving meals, said seeing the children happy filled her with gratitude.
“They come here full of energy. They are excited about
what the meal will be. They are full of hope … The colorful cupcakes, when the
children see that, they are so happy.”
Sabeer Ahmed, the founder of the Dreams of Youth
welfare society, said: “We all are divided within Karachi, in different
partitions. Events like this bring everyone together irrespective of caste and
color.
“It’s not just the kids, their families are also
involved in this with them. This is where we spread happiness and tell everyone
to come together.”
Kamran said that next year they planned to provide
iftar meals for children in other neighborhoods.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281386/world
--------
South Asia
Failed To 'Liberate' Even An Inch Of Kashmir From
India: Taliban Taunts Pakistan Army
AjeyoBasu
April 04, 2023
Peshawar: Mocking the Pakistan Army’s inability to
‘liberate’ Kashmir, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has dismissed
allegations by the Pakistani military that it is being backed by India.
In a statement by its propaganda wing TTP Umar Media,
the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – also known as the Pakistan Taliban – has
rejected the Pakistan Army’s claim that it is a proxy of India’s intelligence
agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
Countering the Pakistan Army’s claim, the TTP said
that if it is being backed by India, then why is the Pakistani establishment
talking to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan regarding TTP sanctuaries on
Afghan soil.
The TTP also questioned the competence of the Pakistan
Army, pointing out that it has not been able to ‘liberate even an inch of
Kashmir’ from India and claimed that the Pakistani military is only capable of
oppressing its own people.
The TTP also blamed the Pakistan Army for the economic
crisis and political chaos in the country.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid
urged the international community to establish diplomatic ties with the current
regime in Afghanistan.
Source: Firstpost
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Afghan Taliban raid kills 6 members of Islamic State
group
Apr 4, 2023
ISLAMABAD: An overnight raid by Taliban forces in
Afghanistan's northern Balkh province killed six members of the extremist
Islamic State group, a Taliban spokesman said on Tuesday.
The regional affiliate of the IS group - known as the
Islamic State in Khorasan Province - has been the key rival of the Taliban
since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. The militant group has
increased its attacks, targeting both Taliban patrols and members of
Afghanistan's Shiite minority.
According to Mohammad Asif Waziri, a spokesman for the
police chief in Balkh, the operation late Monday night targeted an IS hideout
in Nahri Shahi district and six members of the militant group were killed.
The Taliban swept across Afghanistan in August 2021,
seizing power as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrew after 20 years of war.
The international community has not recognized the
Taliban government, wary of the harsh measures they have imposed since their
takeover - including restricting rights and freedoms, especially for of women
and minorities.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UN Tells Afghan Staff To Stay Home Over Women Worker
Ban Concerns - Sources
Apr 4, 2023
KABUL: The United Nations has told all Afghan staff
not to report to work in Afghanistan for 48 hours for security reasons while it
seeks information from the Taliban about a ban on Afghan women working for the
world body, UN sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The United Nations Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA)
earlier on Tuesday expressed concern that female staff in the eastern province
of Nangarhar had been stopped from reporting to work.
"We remind de facto authorities that United
Nations entities cannot operate and deliver life-saving assistance without
female staff," UNAMA said in a statement. Spokespeople for the Taliban
administration, the Afghan information ministry and Nangarhar's provincial
administration did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
"National UN staff (male and female) will not
come to UN offices for 48 hours due to a threat of enforcement of a ban on
female national staff in light of enforcement starting today in
Jalalabad," said a senior UN official, referring to Nangarhar's capital.
A second UN source said the United Nations was seeking
further information from the Taliban authorities.
Since toppling a Western-backed government in 2021,
the Taliban administration has tightened controls over women's access to public
life, including barring women from university and closing most girls' high
schools.
In December, Taliban authorities stopped most female
NGO employees from working, which aid workers say has made it more difficult to
reach female beneficiaries and could lead donors to hold back funding.
The restrictions did not initially apply to the United
Nations and some other international organisations. The UN Deputy
Secretary-General in January flagged concerns that authorities could next
restrict Afghan women from working at international organisations.
A scheduled UN briefing to update member states on the
situation in Afghanistan in New York on Tuesday was postponed at the last
minute without explanation.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
57000 Afghan Civilians Killed, Injured by Landmines in
Afghanistan: UN
By Fidel Rahmati
April 4, 2023Since 1989, about 57000Afghan civilians,
have been recorded to have been killed or injured by landmines and explosive
remnants of war, according to the United National Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
On the International Day for Mine Awareness and
Assistance In Mine Action, the UN said in a series of tweets that mine action
partners have removed over 19 million unexploded devices from the country.
“Today, on International Day for Mine Awareness &
Assistance in Mine Action, we remember the lives lost and forever changed by
explosive contamination. Since 1989, almost 57K Afghan civilians have been
killed or injured by landmines & explosive remnants of war & mine
action partners in Afghanistan have cleared over 19M items.”
Moreover, the organization stressed that “more than
4,150 identified hazards remain, posing a lethal threat to communities,
particularly children in Afghanistan, OCHA added.
According to earlier studies, the United Nations
estimates that 150 people are killed by land mines in Afghanistan every month.
Eight out of every ten victims are children who unintentionally pick up an
unexploded bomb that resembles a toy.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
called for broader global efforts to safeguard people from mines.
“For the millions living amidst the chaos of armed
conflicts, especially women and children, every step can put them in danger’s
path,” he said.
“Even after the fighting stops, conflicts often leave
behind a terrifying legacy: landmines and explosive ordnance that litter
communities,” he said. “Peace brings no assurance of safety when roads and
fields are mined, unexploded ordnance threatens the return of displaced
populations, and when children find and play with shiny objects that explode.”
Guterres added, “I urge Member States to ratify and
fully implement the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on
Cluster Munitions and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.”
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/57000-afghan-civilians-killed-injured-by-landmines-in-afghanistan-un/
--------
Southeast Asia
Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Joins Muslim
Community In Breaking Of Fast At Mosque
APR 5, 2023
SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined
around 300 Muslim leaders and congregants at Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon for
bukapuasa, or the breaking of fast during the Ramadan period, on Tuesday
evening.
Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, was accompanied
by Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs MasagosZulkifli.
They were given a tour of the building, including a
heritage wall displaying the mosque’s history and origins.
Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon has been gazetted as one
of Singapore’s national monuments.
Mr Wong wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he
had a good chat with mosque volunteers and management board members.
“They are stepping up to make a difference in the
community through various programmes,” he said.
“Many thanks also to the team at the Islamic Religious
Council of Singapore (Muis) for putting together this bukapuasa, and also for
their dedication in supporting the Muslim community through the last three
years of the pandemic.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and
Terms and Conditions.
“To all our Muslim friends, I extend my heartfelt
wishes for a blessed Ramadan. May this holy month bring peace and happiness to
all.”
Around 20 Muslims with disabilities from the Bedok
Youth Society for the Disabled (BYSD) were also invited by the mosque to join
in the bukapuasa.
Ustaz MohaiminTokyan, 59, a volunteer tutor at BYSD,
said he was honoured to be invited back by the mosque. In 2018, he was a
braille teacher of the Quran for the visually impaired at the mosque.
“Physical classes have not returned yet, the
(teaching) programme shifted online because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But I
really hope that physical classes can come back again,” he said.
As the sun began to set, sounds of the azan, or
Islamic call to prayer, began filling the halls of the mosque.
Congregants then broke their fast with food prepared
by the mosque, including Briyani, porridge, dates and tea.
Source: StraitsTimes
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/dpm-wong-joins-muslim-community-to-break-fast
--------
Saudi Arabia hosts ‘world’s longest’ iftar table in
Indonesia
April 04, 2023
JAKARTA: Saudi Arabia hosted what appears to the
world’s longest iftar table spanning 1,200 meters, attended by more than 8,000
Indonesian citizens, on Monday in the country’s West Sumatra city of Padang.
The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and
Guidance, represented by the religious attache in Jakarta, has been hosting
iftar in several cities in Indonesia, according to a report by the Saudi Press
Agency.
West Sumatra Governor MahyeldiAnsharullah and
Religious Attache Ahmed bin Isa Al-Hazmi attended the event in the presence of
several politicians, Islamic organization leaders and heads of universities.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281246/world
--------
J-Kom chief pans Islamist group for fearmongering,
urges youths to reject ethnoreligious sentiments
By John Bunyan
05 Apr 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff has
today slammed hardline Islamist group Pembela for scaremongering, after the
latter warned Muslims that the floodgates of apostasy would open under the
current Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim administration.
The director-general of the Community Communication
Department (J-Kom) in the Prime Minister’s Department also urged youths to
reject such ethnoreligious sentiments, and to become agents of compassion in
nation-building.
“As a student of politics, I reject racist politics. I
dream of a united Malaysian nation. I am bored with the political narrative
that tries to sow hatred among us,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Therefore, I urge the youth and Malaysians who want
to see us progress to reject this racial and religious sentiment, let alone
sentiment without facts and data. To me, this is the view of those whose minds
remain under captive.”
Mohammad Agus said that the article published on
Pembela's website had falsely claimed that the position of Islam in Malaysia is
under threat because of several unnamed cases that are purportedly challenging
the constitutionality of Islamic laws.
“This article is irresponsible and misleading. The
statistics are not stated. How many court cases? What has the government or
non-Malay done that Islam is threatened?” he asked.
“The title was also scaremongering, used only to
incite racial emotions so that the Malays would reject the current government
that is allegedly not taking care of the interests of Malays and Muslims.”
To back his argument, he pointed to the commenters on
that article which he founds to be very emotional and ugly.
He also pointed out that the reactions of commenters
supporting the article are emotional and ugly.
“Among them are those asking the government to protect
the religion, not to follow the directions of the infidels. There are also
those who claim that this government is envious of the rise of Islam and this
is an act of treason. Further, some ask where the Agong is.
“In the end, they are calling for the Malays to rise
because Islam is threatened,” he warned.
Mohammad Agus said that there are individuals who use
racial issues to intimidate the ethnic majority Malay by claiming their race
and religion are endangered almost every day.
“This kind of sentiment if it is coordinated can
create racial tension. Our country has gone through tragedies due to these
ethnic tensions such as the events of May 13, 1969, Memali 1985, and Operation
Lalang 1986,” he said.
Source: MalayMail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Court orders Loh Siew Hong's Muslim convert ex-husband
to pay RM20,000 fine for contempt
By Ida Lim
05 Apr 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — The High Court today ordered
Hindu mother Loh Siew Hong's Muslim convert ex-husband Muhammad
NagahswaranMuniandy to pay a RM20,000 fine for contempt of court within 14
days, and said failure to do so would result in him being jailed for 14 days.
Loh was pursuing contempt of court proceedings against
the ex-husband, over his failure to comply with a previous court order which
granted her sole custody of her three children. Instead, the ex-husband had
taken the children away and kept them separated from Loh.
Today, High Court judge Evrol Mariette Peters ruled
that the ex-husband was actually well aware of what he had done, and that he
had gone missing in order to avoid being detected and to evade the court order
granting custody of the children to Loh, news portal Malaysiakini reported.
Among other things, Malaysiakini reported the judge as
saying that the ex-husband had got a family member involved to prevent the
children from being returned to Loh.
The judge said the ex-husband's failure to comply with
the child custody order had resulted in Loh having to run around and to file
different court applications just to reunite with her children and also noted
that the children were deprived of their mother when they were passed around
from one person to another, Malaysiakini reported.
Malaysiakini cited the judge as saying that the
ex-husband had tried to avoid being served with court documents on the contempt
of court matter, and that he could not use his own conduct to complain that he
was not given those court documents.
The judge reportedly said the ex-husband had
interfered with the administration of justice.
According to Malaysiakini, the ex-husband is seeking a
stay of the court's order for him to pay RM20,000 for contempt of court, as he
is pursuing an appeal at the Court of Appeal against today's decision.
Loh’s three children were taken away from her in 2019
while she was hospitalised with injuries she claimed were inflicted by her
former husband. The three children were born to the couple when they were still
non-Muslims.
The former husband converted to Islam and on July 7,
2020 secretly converted the three children to Islam without Loh's consent.
In December 2019, Loh obtained interim custody of her
children pending her divorce, but her court case was delayed when the country
went into Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020; she finally obtained an order
granting her full and sole custody of the three children in March 2021.
Despite the March 2021 decision which gave her full
custody of the three children, Loh was still separated from them.
Loh was only reunited with her three children when the
High Court on February 21, 2022 ordered the trio's immediate release from
alleged unlawful detention.
Source: MalayMail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Orphans, caregivers treated to Ramadan dinner
ArinaMusthafa
05-04- 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Ramada Suites by Wyndham KLCC (Ramada
KLCC) continued its yearly tradition of spreading hope and kindness during
Ramadan by hosting a breaking of fast dinner for orphans from RahomaDarul Fakir
organisation on March 29.
Seventeen girls aged between seven and 17, and an eight-year-old
boy were invited to join the event with their caretakers. They were treated to
a buffet dinner, a magic show and balloon art performance.
Trinidad Group of Companies CEO Datuk Indera Naresh
Mohan said Ramadan is the month of giving and forgiveness.
“It’s the perfect time to show the group’s commitment
to delivering on our social obligations, especially to the underserved
community.”
RahomaDarul Fakir organisation president Datuk Faridah
Omar Shah said the orphanage is honoured to be invited to enjoy an evening of
happiness and togetherness during Ramadan.
“Every little help for the children is taken as a
blessing,” she said, thanking Trinidad Group and Ramada KLCC for the
initiative.
Established in 2008, the organisation is an
independently managed all-girls orphanage that runs on public funds and
donations.
To date, there have been more than 200 children that
have passed through its doors.
The home provides shelter and education to orphaned
and underprivileged children from low-income families.
“Rahoma, which is a combination of my parents’ names
Rahmah and Omar, began as my post-retirement project. As a pensioner in the
shipping sector, I am used to being busy and occupied all the time.
“By managing this orphanage, I can make use of the
remaining time in this world by doing good deeds and serving the
underprivileged,” she told theSun.
“The orphanage seeks volunteers who are willing to
provide free tuition, motivational support and counselling sessions, and
conduct after-school classes such as arts and crafts, cooking, religious
lessons and environmental awareness.
“We need monetary contributions, which will go to
purchasing food, school supplies such as uniforms and stationery, and paying
for rent and utilities. This year, the orphanage did not receive as many
donations compared with the years before Covid-19 hit us,” she said.
Source: TheSunDaily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/orphans-caregivers-treated-to-ramadan-dinner-CK10832725
--------
Expect inflation to remain under control amid Ramadan:
Ministry
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Finance Ministry's
Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF), FebrioKacaribu, has said he expects the inflation
rate to remain under control during the fasting month of Ramadan 1444 Hijri.
The government will keep maintaining the stability of
the prices of food commodities during the national religious holidays (HBKN) of
Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr 1444 Hijri, he added, according to a statement released
on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Religious Affairs Ministry announced that
the fasting month started on March 23, 2023. Meanwhile, Eid al-Fitr is
estimated to fall on April 22.
"Price stability during national religious
holidays is an important key for maintaining food security and people's
purchasing power," the BKF head remarked.
The central and regional governments will continue to
monitor the prices and availability of food, carry out market operations and
hold cheap basic commodities bazaars, as well as improve the stocks and
distribution of commodities.
In addition, the rice assistance program, which
started disbursing aid on March 31, is also expected to help control rice
prices and help the community in obtaining staple food.
Kacaribu noted that inflation during Ramadan this year
has remained quite stable, as reflected by the inflation rate in March 2023,
which reached just 4.97 percent year-on-year (yoy), a decline from inflation of
5.47 percent yoy in February.
The inflation rate of volatile food prices also
decreased significantly from 7.62 percent yoy in February to 5.83 percent yoy
in March.
However, on a month-to-month (m-t-m) basis, there was
a slight increase in the prices of several food commodities due to increasing
demand from the community ahead of Ramadan.
Apart from food, the decline in the inflation rate in
March compared to February was also caused by a fall in the inflation rate of
core components, which reached 2.94 percent yoy in March.
Source:AntaraNews
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://en.antaranews.com/news/277713/expect-inflation-to-remain-under-control-amid-ramadan-ministry
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/quran-recited-karnataka-temple-group-custom/d/129497
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism