'Ramadan Mubarak': Trump hosts Iftar dinner at White House
New Age Islam News Bureau
28 March 2025
US President Donald Trump at Iftar dinner in White House (AP)
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· 'Ramadan Mubarak': Trump hosts Iftar dinner at White House
· Passports, driving licences may be cancelled if Eid namaz offered on streets, warns Meerut Police
· Alleged insult to Prophet Muhammad on social media: All must respect Islam as religion of the federation, says religious affairs minister
· No Global Threats from Afghanistan Since Islamic Emirate Takes Power
· 11 terrorists killed in security operations across KP
· How Syria’s sectarian violence spread to capital, terrorizing Alawites
· Saudi Ministry of Health provides 65,000 health services for worshippers during Ramadan
· Muslim groups reject push for new Islamophobia definition at Australian universities
· UNICEF warns 825,000 children trapped in battle around North Darfur
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North America
· CAIR Urges Congress and All Government Bodies to Issue Eid Welcoming Statements, Resolutions
· Did Pete Hegseth get a new tattoo that says 'Kafir'?
· Canada PM Mark Carney says old relationship with US 'is over'
· How will carmakers be affected by Trump's tariffs?
· Germany leads defiance of Trump car tariffs, saying it 'will not give in'
· Trump withdraws Elise Stefanik's nomination to be UN ambassador
· Marco Rubio says US revoked at least 300 foreign students' visas
· Senior Trump officials ordered to preserve Signal group chat
· Muslims in Altadena look for normalcy at the end of Ramadan after mosque burned down
· Chicago Muslim Civil Rights Group Condemns Trump’s Immigration Crackdown of Pro-Palestinian Students
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India
· Asaduddin Owaisi on Waqf Bill: Every amendment is to destroy Waqf Board
· Uddhav Thackeray accuses BJP of abandoning Hindutva for electoral gains
· Shab-e-Qadr prayers not allowed at Jamia Masjid; extremely regrettable, says Mirwaiz
· Legal Article: Arrest of Mr Zafar Ali necessitates immediate implementation of the Advocate Protection Act
· Debating Aurangzeb: Learning from history or avenging the past
· AIMPLB urges Muslims to wear black bands on Alvida Juma to protest Waqf bill
· Not even poor Muslims spared under present waqf law: Pralhad Joshi
· Delhi HC refuses to stay criminal proceedings against activist Sharjeel Imam in 2019 Jamia violence
· Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu attends iftar dinner, vows to protect Waqf board properties
· Muslim boy returning from Eid shopping brutally assaulted by policemen in Uttarakhand
· After ordering Mosques to be covered during Holi, Police imposes new restrictions on Eid prayers
· Thackeray slams BJP’s ‘Saugat-E-Modi’ kits, calls it Satta Jihad
· Umbrella body of 12 Muslim organisations in Gujarat to hold awareness programmes against proposed UCC
· Authorities bar night-long prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid
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Southeast Asia
· Freelance preacher remanded two days from today over alleged sedition in Hindu temple relocation post on Facebook
· Don’t use ‘ummah’ as bargaining chip after dividing Umno, Tok Mat says after Hamzah’s approach
· Will Raya be on Monday? All eyes on moon sighting as Malaysia prepares for Aidilfitri announcement
· ‘Charity should never come with conditions’: Shafie claims Warisan faces hurdles in securing venues
· ‘Restore harmony after temple relocation dispute’
· Groundbreaking for mosque a 'historic' moment, says Zaliha
· Five killed, eight injured in four-vehicle crash on PLUS Expressway
· Police arrest freelance preacher over alleged seditious post
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South Asia
· IEA’s engagement with world moving in positive direction: Muttaqi
· Muslims across Bangladesh observe Shab-e-Qadr with prayers, devotion
· Court declares Ishraque DSCC Mayor
· 2 journos attacked at Barishal court
· Dhaka dwellers will be safe during Eid
· CJ relaxes obligation for SC lawyers to wear gowns due to heat wave
· Agreements Signed for Construction of Seven Power Plants in the Country
· Health Minister Signs MoU to Simplify Healthcare Processes and Improve Services
· Amnesty International urges Pakistan to end abuse and expulsion of Afghan Refugees
· WFP warns of potential suspension of malnutrition programs in Afghanistan due to funding shortage
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Pakistan
· Armed robbers allegedly gang-rape woman before husband in Faisalabad
· Naqvi, Baker discuss Pak-US ties, counter-terrorism efforts
· Pakistan assails ‘unfair’ US curbs, brushes off bill targeting officials
· Doctor among three killed in Quetta blast
· Laylatul Qadr observed with religious devotion
· Jaffer Express back on track from Quetta with 400+ passengers
· ‘PTI united under leadership of Imran’, Gohar rubbishes rumours of forward bloc
· Former foreign secretary Najmuddin Shaikh passes away in Karachi
· Acting IHC CJ halts contempt action against court official
· Power levy would have cut consumer costs
· Man killed as rain, snow trigger landslides in GB
· Panel on medical education reforms caps fee at Rs1.8m
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Mideast
· Residents of Gaza Strip cautioned against helping Israel with protests
· US Senator Sanders to force Senate votes on blocking arms for Israel
· 5 Syrian siblings suffocate in house fire in Tripoli
· Chinese ambassador affirms respect for Syria’s sovereignty during meeting with FM
· Egypt sees positive signals on Gaza ceasefire talks, sources say
· Lebanon Druze leader accuses Israel of exploiting minority in Syria
· Aoun: Hezbollah is cooperative on the weapons issue
· Lebanon cabinet appoints wealth manager central bank governor: official media
· Palestinian Red Crescent staff members missing in Rafah during Israeli onslaught
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Arab World
· Haram authority provides diverse services to 4000 itikaf observers from 120 countries at Prophet's Mosque
· Saudi minister awards ICDO medal to acting representative of the National Guard
· How researchers in Saudi Arabia leveraged AI in the fight against plastic pollution
· Environment ministry intensifies inspection campaigns in Hail
· Al-Baha prepares massive holiday celebration
· KSrelief enables Zakat donations to Yemen, Somalia
· Kingdom celebrates Saudi Green Initiative
· Saudi Arabia issues royal orders
· Saudi Supreme Court urges sighting Shawwal crescent on Saturday evening
· Pilgrims discover Makkah’s cultural treasures during Ramadan
· Saudi Supreme Court calls on public to sight Shawwal crescent on Saturday
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Europe
· New Muslim reveals why he chose to embrace 'beauty of Islam'
· First mosque for Muslim servicemen opens in Ukraine – video
· King experiences temporary side effects of cancer treatment
· Five people injured in stabbing in Amsterdam, police say
· Russia will ‘finish off’ Ukrainian forces – Putin
· Putin's move: Why Ukraine fears the ceasefire deal it helped shape
· Eid al-Fitr 2025: UK date, how moon sighting works and how to say 'happy Eid'
· Starmer accuses Putin of 'playing games' over Ukraine peace deal
· UK child poverty numbers reach a record high
· David Dimbleby: I thought the free market was with us forever - then Trump came along
· Putin says Greenland 'nothing to do with Russia' in nod to US
· Grandparents released in probe into toddler's death in France
· Germany leads defiance of Trump car tariffs, saying it 'will not give in'
· Macron urges Algeria to free writer jailed for Morocco comments
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Africa
· Oyebanji promises more appointments for Muslims
· ‘Nigerians should strengthen faith in Allah’
· Etsu Nupe urges Muslims to move closer to God
· Interior Minister urges Muslims to support Tinubu
· Makinde: Sharia Law in Oyo as Alternative Dispute Resolution Will Reduce Cases in Court
· Sudan paramilitaries vow ‘no surrender’ after Khartoum setback
· Tinubu Goes Spiritual As He Marks 73rd Birthday
· Tinubu’s Second Term Assured – Akpabio
· Alternative Bank hosts special iftar to celebrate inclusion, ethical banking
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ramadan-mubarak-trump-white-house/d/135003
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'Ramadan Mubarak': Trump hosts Iftar dinner at White House; watch video
Mar 28, 2025
US President Donald Trump at Iftar dinner in White House (AP)
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US President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted the annual Iftar dinner at the White House and expressed gratitude to American Muslims for their support in the November 2024 presidential elections."I want to extend a very special thanks to the hundreds of thousands of Muslim-Americans who supported us in record numbers in the 2024 presidential election. It was incredible. We started a little slow with you, but we came along. The Muslim community was there for us in November, and while I'm president, I will be there for you," Trump said.
"Everyday during the sacred month, the Muslims fast from dawn to dusk deepening their focus on prayer and devotion to God. Then Muslims all over the world join families and friends each night and give thanks to the almighty, break their fast with Iftar dinner. We are all looking for peace for the entire world," he stated.
Trump highlighted his administration's diplomatic efforts to establish peace in the Middle East, where conflict between Israel and Hamas has persisted since October 2023. The fighting resumed after a US, Egypt, and Qatar-mediated January ceasefire ended on March 18.
The president expressed his commitment to creating an optimistic future for everyone.
"You have someone in the White House who loves you", he said.
"Muslims join family friends each night at sundown to give thanks to the Almighty and break their fast with an Iftar dinner. Just like this one. This is what we have tonight. I hope you like it. If you don't like it, don't complain, OK? You're still in the White House," Trump remarked lightheartedly.
Previously this month, the president extended his "warmest greetings" to Ramadan observers.
The traditional iftar celebration marks the conclusion of daily fasting during Ramadan, culminating in Eid-ul-Fitr. The festival will be celebrated on March 31.
Source:indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/ramadan-mubarak-trump-hosts-iftar-dinner-at-white-house-watch-video/articleshow/119625818.cms
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Passports, driving licences may be cancelled if Eid namaz offered on streets, warns Meerut Police
Scroll Staff
Mar 28, 2025
Representative image. | Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
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The police in several districts in Uttar Pradesh have said that no prayers will be permitted on the streets during the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, The Indian Express reported.
The festival, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, will be celebrated on Monday.
In Meerut, police said on Wednesday that violators will face legal action if found praying on the streets, which could lead to criminal cases, and the cancellation of passports and driving licences, The Indian Express reported.
“We have appealed to people that they offer namaz at a nearby mosque or reach the eidgahs on time,” the newspaper quoted Meerut City Superintendent of Police Ayush Vikram Singh as saying. “We have given strict instructions that under no condition will prayers be allowed on roads.”
Eidgahs are open-air enclosures reserved for Eid prayers that are usually situated outside a city or in its outskirts.
The police also submitted a list of eight persons to the district magistrate for allegedly violating a similar order issued last year prohibiting prayers on the streets during the festival. Steps have been taken for the cancellation of their driving licences and passports, The Indian Express reported.
“We registered an FIR [first information report] against them,” the newspaper quoted Singh as saying. “This time too if someone sits for prayers in the open, very strict action will be taken. We are making continuous appeals.”
If a criminal case is registered against a person, it could lead to the cancellation of their driving licence and passport, Singh said. Those booked will not be given a no-objection certificate to apply for these documents, he added.
Commenting on the restrictions on social media, Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Singh Chaudhary said: “Policing towards Orwellian 1984!”.
He was referring to George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
On Wednesday, the Sambhal Police also said that prayers for Eid-ul-Fitr and Alvida Jummah will be permitted only inside mosques or eidgahs and not on streets or rooftops.
Alvida Jummah, or the last Friday of Ramzan, is on March 28.
The permission for the use of loudspeakers during the festivals was also not granted, the police added.
Sambhal was the site of the violence that broke out on November 24 after a group of Muslims objected to a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi town.
A trial court had ordered the survey in a lawsuit claiming that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babar on the site of the “centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”.
Five persons were killed in the violence during the survey.
In Aligarh, Superintendent of Police Mriganik Shekhar Pathak said that there was no specific order regarding Eid prayers, The Indian Express reported. However, he added that an advisory issued by the state government about not permitting prayers in public places would be followed.
“A peace committee meeting was called and the advisory was conveyed to people,” Pathak added.
Hathras Superintendent of Police Chiranjeev Nath Sinha also noted that no specific order had been issued.
“We will not be allowing anyone, irrespective of community, to offer prayers on roads or in any public place,” the newspaper quoted Sinha as saying. “It is a people’s festival and they can celebrate in their house.”
The police in Ghaziabad said that the public would be asked to offer prayers in shifts if there was crowding.
“We have deployed forces in all sensitive areas and near mosques and the eidgah,” Dasarath Nimish Patil, the Trans-Hindon deputy police commissioner, said. “There will be continuous surveillance by drones.”
Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, who belongs to the Opposition Samajwadi Party, also criticised the orders, saying that the BJP government did not want Muslims to offer prayers, Deccan Herald reported.
Source:scroll.in
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https://scroll.in/latest/1080743/passports-driving-licences-may-be-cancelled-if-eid-namaz-offered-on-streets-warns-meerut-police
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Alleged insult to Prophet Muhammad on social media: All must respect Islam as religion of the federation, says religious affairs minister
28 Mar 2025
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) would continue to strengthen efforts and community awareness programmes to ensure that the public is more vigilant in using social media and always maintain social etiquette and respect the limit of religious sensitivity. — Bernama pic
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PUTRAJAYA, March 28 — All parties must respect the position of Islam as the religion of the federation as enshrined in the Constitution and followed by the majority of the people in Malaysia, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.
In fact, he said all parties must avoid raising any issues that could trigger religious sensitivity as they could be subject to legal action.
Referring to the recent incidents insulting Prophet Muhammad on social media, he said it was indeed an irresponsible and extremely disappointing act.
“I feel very sad that such incidents are still happening among Malaysians who should have understood the limits of religious sensitivity and the legal implications in making any statement or comment, especially on social media platforms,” he said in a statement today.
In this regard, Mohd Na’im said agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) would continue to strengthen efforts and community awareness programmes to ensure that the public is more vigilant in using social media and always maintain social etiquette and respect the limit of religious sensitivity.
“These efforts are important to preserve racial and religious harmony and well-being in our country,” he said.
Last week, National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang called on the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to investigate and take strict action against a Facebook account owner who allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad through comments on social media.
Aaron said that insulting any religion not only violates the principles of national harmony and unity but can also have very serious consequences for peace and public order.
Following that, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said that the police had arrested a civil servant suspected of posting insulting comments about the prophet on Facebook. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/03/28/alleged-insult-to-prophet-muhammad-on-social-media-all-must-respect-islam-as-religion-of-the-federation-says-religious-affairs-minister/171191
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No Global Threats from Afghanistan Since Islamic Emirate Takes Power
2025-03-27
KABUL(BNA): Since the Islamic Emirate took control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the country has come under the authority of a centralized and stable government. As a result, Afghanistan—once plagued by insecurity due to foreign occupation—has transitioned from turmoil to a path of peace and stability.
During this period of Islamic Emirate rule, no threat to any country has originated from Afghan soil, officials assert. The leadership maintains the position that Afghanistan can become a reliable partner for regional and global security.
Islamic Emirate officials emphasize that Afghanistan is not only focused on resolving its internal issues but also seeks positive relations with the international community based on mutual respect. They maintain that Afghanistan should align with global political, economic, and social developments as a sovereign state—free from external pressure or conditions.
Authorities believe Afghanistan should align with the political, economic, and social progress of other nations—but as an independent state, not under external pressure or conditions.
The Islamic Emirate has consistently stated that Afghanistan does not interfere in the domestic affairs of other nations and expects the same in return.
Afghan officials argue that the country should be recognized as a sovereign state under international norms, and world nations should establish formal relations with Kabul without preconditions.
The Islamic Emirate calls on the international community to recognize the current government, citing improved security and a transformed political landscape. It urges regional countries to trust in Afghanistan’s stability.
Furthermore, global nations should take practical steps to support Afghanistan’s economic development, provide humanitarian aid, and engage politically to help the country emerge from isolation and integrate into the world economy.
Given its geopolitical significance, Afghanistan remains a key player in the region. Expanded economic and trade ties would benefit not only Afghanistan but also promote stability and prosperity across the region.
Afghanistan could serve as a vital corridor for trade, transit, and energy transfer—but only if the international community respects its legitimate sovereignty and maintains constructive engagement.
Ultimately, the Islamic Emirate aims to be a credible, independent, and stable actor in global politics and asks the world to acknowledge these efforts.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/no-global-threats-from-afghanistan-since-islamic-emirate-takes-power/
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11 terrorists killed in security operations across KP
Umer Farooq
March 28, 2025
PESHAWAR: Eleven terrorists were killed in four different encounters with security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.
A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the encounters took place on March 26 and 27.
The first encounter between security forces and terrorists took place in the Mir Ali area of the North Waziristan district during an intelligence-based operation, the ISPR said, adding that the troops effectively engaged the militants’ locations and gunned down five armed assailants in an exchange of fire.
It said that troops carried out another operation in the same area, killing three more terrorists.
The third engagement between the security forces and militants took place in the Miramshah area, where the troops neutralised two attackers in the crossfire.
The fourth encounter took place in the Daraban area of the Dera Ismail Khan district, where one assailant was killed.
The troops recovered weapons and ammunition from the killed terrorists.
The military’s media wing said that sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area as the security forces were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1900763/11-terrorists-killed-in-security-operations-across-kp
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How Syria’s sectarian violence spread to capital, terrorizing Alawites
March 27, 2025
DAMASCUS: Close to midnight on Mar. 6, as a wave of sectarian killings began in the west of the Syrian Arab Republic, masked men stormed the homes of Alawite families in the capital Damascus and detained more than two dozen unarmed men, witnesses said.
Those taken from the neighborhood of Al-Qadam included a retired teacher, an engineering student and a mechanic, all of them Alawite — the minority sect of toppled leader Bashar Assad.
A group of Alawites loyal to Assad had launched a fledgling insurgency hours earlier in coastal areas, some 200 miles (320 km) to the northwest. That unleashed a spree of revenge killings there that left hundreds of Alawites dead.
Syria’s interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa told Reuters he dispatched his forces the next day to halt the violence on the coast but that some fighters who flooded the region to crush the uprising did so without defense ministry authorization.
Amid fears of wider sectarian conflict across Syria, Sharaa’s government took pains to emphasize in the wake of the violence that the killings were geographically limited. It named a fact-finding committee to investigate “the events on the coast.”
According to accounts from 13 witnesses in Damascus, however, the sectarian violence spread to the southern edges of Syria’s capital, a few kilometers from the presidential palace. The details of the alleged raids, kidnappings and killings have not been previously reported.
“Any Alawite home, they knocked the door down and took the men from inside,” said one resident, whose relative, 48-year-old telecoms engineer Ihsan Zeidan, was taken by masked men in the early hours of March 7.
“They took him purely because he’s Alawite.”
All the witnesses who spoke to Reuters requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals.
The neighborhood of Al-Qadam is well-known to be home to many Alawite families. In total, the witnesses said, at least 25 men were taken. At least 12 of them were later confirmed dead, according to relatives and neighbors, who said they either saw photographs of the bodies or found them dead nearby.
The rest of the men have not been heard from.
Four of the witnesses said some of the armed men who came to Al-Qadam identified themselves as members of General Security Service (GSS), a new Syrian agency comprising former rebels.
A spokesperson for the interior ministry, under which the GSS operates, told Reuters the force “did not target Alawites directly. The security forces are confiscating weapons from all sects.”
The spokesperson did not respond to further questions, including why unarmed men were allegedly taken in these operations.
Yasser Farhan, spokesman for the committee investigating the sectarian violence, said its work has been geographically limited to the coast, so it had not investigated cases in Al-Qadam. “But there may be deliberations within the committee at a later time to expand our work,” he told Reuters.
Alawites comprise around 10 percent of Syria’s population, concentrated in the coastal heartlands of Latakia and Tartus. Thousands of Alawite families have also lived in Damascus for decades, and in provincial cities such as Homs and Hama.
CYCLE OF IMPUNITY
Human Rights Watch researcher Hiba Zayadin called for a thorough investigation of the alleged raids, in response to Reuters’ reporting.
“Families deserve answers, and the authorities must ensure that those responsible are held accountable, no matter their affiliation,” she said. “Until that happens, the cycle of violence and impunity will continue.”
Four of the men confirmed dead in Damascus were from the same extended family, according to a relative who escaped the raid by hiding on an upper floor with the family’s young children.
They were Mohsen Mahmoud Badran, 77, Fadi Mohsen Badran, 41, Ayham Hussein Badran, a 40-year-old born with two fingers on his right hand, a birth defect that disqualified him from army service, and their brother-in-law Firas Mohammad Maarouf, 45.
Relatives visited the Mujtahid Hospital in central Damascus in search of their bodies but staff denied them access to the morgue and referred them to the GSS branch in Al-Qadam, the witness said.
An official there showed them photographs on a phone of all four men, dead. No cause of death was given and none could be ascertained from the images, the relative said.
The official told the family to collect the bodies from the Mujtahid hospital but staff there denied they had them.
“We haven’t been able to find them, and we’re too scared to ask anyone,” the relative told Reuters.
Mohammad Halbouni, Mujtahid Hospital’s director, told Reuters that any bodies from Al-Qadam were taken directly to the forensic medicine department next door. Staff there said they had no information to share.
The interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the forces at Al-Qadam station were linked to the deaths.
Sharaa has announced the dissolution of all rebel groups and their planned integration into Syria’s restructured defense ministry. But full command-and-control over the various, sometimes rival, factions remains elusive.
Four other men seized the same night were found in an orchard near Al-Qadam, with gunshot wounds indicating they were killed “execution-style,” according to a second resident, who told Reuters the family swiftly buried the bodies.
Reuters was unable to confirm independently the details of her account.
Another set of four men were confirmed dead by their relatives, who received photographs of the bodies on messaging platform WhatsApp on Thursday, nearly three weeks after they were taken.
The pictures, reviewed by Reuters, depicted four men on the ground with blood and bruises on their faces. One of them was identified by the relative as Samer Asaad, a 45-year-old with a mental handicap who was taken on the night of March 6.
Most of those seized remain missing.
They include university student Ali Rustom, 25, and his father Tamim Rustom, a 65-year-old retired maths teacher, two relatives told Reuters. “We have no proof, no bodies, no information,” one said.
’ALL I WANT IS TO LEAVE’
A relative of Rabih Aqel, a mechanic, said his family had inquired at the local police station and other security agencies but were told they had no information on Aqel’s whereabouts.
She drew parallels with forced disappearances under Assad, when thousands vanished into a labyrinthine prison system. In many cases, families would learn years later their relatives had died in detention.
She and the other witnesses said they have not been approached by the fact-finding committee.
Farhan, the committee spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday its members had interviewed witnesses in several coastal districts and had two more cities there to visit.
All the witnesses said they felt under pressure to leave Al-Qadam specifically because they were Alawite. Some already had.
One young resident said armed men had come to his home several times in the weeks after Assad’s ouster, demanding proof the family owned the house and had not been affiliated to the ousted Assad family.
He and his family have since fled, asking Sunni Muslim neighbors to look after their home.
Others said they had stopped going to work or were only moving around in the daytime to avoid possible arrest.
Another woman in her sixties said she was looking to sell her house in Al-Qadam because of the risks her husband or sons would be taken. “After what happened, all I want is to leave the area.”
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2595062/middle-east
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Saudi Ministry of Health provides 65,000 health services for worshippers during Ramadan
March 27, 2025
RIYADH: Thousands of Umrah pilgrims and other visitors to the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah have benefited during Ramadan from medical assistance provided by the Saudi Ministry of Health.
The ministry said on Wednesday that more than 65,000 health services were provided for mosque visitors during the first 25 days of the holy month, which will conclude this weekend. The care forms part of the ministry’s commitment to the safety and well-being of visitors to Makkah and Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The provided health services included 52,000 visits to emergency departments, 10,000 cases of first aid, 3,000 dialysis sessions, 400 surgeries, and more than 150 cardiac catheterizations.
In addition, the Saudi Red Crescent Authority has handled more 46,000 emergency calls in Makkah and Madinah since the start of Ramadan. Paramedics responded to 31,000 calls in an average of 5 minutes and 48 seconds, and to the remaining 15,000 calls in an average of 5 minutes and 26 seconds.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2595039/saudi-arabia
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Muslim groups reject push for new Islamophobia definition at Australian universities
27 March 2025
A coalition of Muslim and Palestinian organisations have rejected a push by universities to adopt a new definition of Islamophobia, arguing it would “shield” the institutions from criticism of their contentious new antisemitism definition, and that a unified standard that rejects all racism is what is needed.
Last month, Australia’s universities confirmed they would unilaterally enforce a new definition of antisemitism on campuses after an inquiry recommended higher education providers “closely align” with the contentious International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition.
The eight organisations, which include the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (Aman), the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), Muslim Women Australia and the Muslim Legal Network, are urging universities to replace the antisemitism definition with a unified anti-racism standard that would apply to all communities – regardless of race and religion.
In a joint statement, they said adopting an antisemitism definition or any separate definitions for racism – including one for Islamophobia – would “perpetuate double standards” by leveraging groups against each other.
“The antisemitism definition, soon to be part of university education and complaint schemes, risks suppressing legitimate criticism of Israel,” they said.
“Developing such narrow definitions will result in gaps and a failure to protect all persons from racism, bigotry and discrimination.”
The definition adopted by universities states that criticism of the policies and practices of the Israeli government or state is “not in and of itself antisemitic” but “can be” when “grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel’s actions”.
Chief executive of the Group of Eight (G08), Vicki Thomson, said the Go8 developed the new definition at the request of the special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, after a rise in antisemitism on campuses after 7 October 2023.
“This does not take away from the fact that our universities have been undertaking important work to address Islamophobia, as well as other forms of racism on our campuses,” she said.
“It is not a matter of either/or.”
Universities have been consulting with Muslim students and staff as to whether to develop a separate definition for Islamophobia as part of their antiracism commitments, as has been done at Monash University.
The University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney are seeking to do the same.
The Muslim and pro-Palestinian groups strongly opposed implementing a separate Islamophobia definition, arguing it would “shield” universities from criticism of the antisemitism definition, while also excluding Palestinian voices.
Legal adviser to Aman, Rita Jabri Markwell, said it would “make matters worse”.
“The antisemitism definition encroaches on Palestinian rights and freedom of expression, it’s unlikely any Islamophobia definition could remedy that problem,” she said.
“Allowing universities to adopt different standards for different groups is not the answer.
“If there is an institutional bias that already exists, universities will be able to use whichever definition they prefer. We need one unified standard that rejects dehumanisation and promotes equality for all, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.”
In its place, the organisations have backed the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network’s definition of dehumanisation, which has been used since the Christchurch massacre in 2019 to push back against hate speech and harmful stereotypes among any group based on race, religion or ethnicity.
It defines dehumanisation as “material produced or published, which an ordinary person would conclude, portrays the class of persons identified on the basis of a protected characteristic as not deserving to be treated equally to other humans because they lack qualities intrinsic to humans”.
President of Apan, Nasser Mashni, said universities weren’t responding to the “pervasiveness” of anti-Palestinian racism.
He said any separate definition of Islamophobia, if it were to be adopted alongside the antisemitism definition, would be “piecemeal” and wouldn’t address the root of the issue.
“It’s Palestinian racism,” he said. “You can experience it as a Muslim, also as a teacher who’s scared to teach a class because of the antisemitism definition, or a student who decides to self-censor,” he said.
“We don’t want any separate definitions, there should not be this hierarchy of hate.”
The CEO for Universities Australia, Luke Sheehy, said racism had “no place” in Australia’s universities.
“Sadly, university campuses are not immune to racism in all forms, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and the experience of First Nations people,” he said.
“Universities Australia wrote to TEQSA [Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency] to seek their support to assist our 39 member universities to combat racism and to ensure we have a harmonised approach to dealing with these issues, consistent with our collective efforts to address all forms of discrimination.”
Some Jewish groups that had pushed for the IHRA definition to be adopted are lukewarm on how effective the new antisemitism definition will be.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which acts as the umbrella organisation for more than 200 Jewish groups across the nation, said the body hoped to see “better identification of antisemitic conduct and more effective complaints-handling at universities” and would wait to see the new definition in practice.
Source:yahoo.com
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https://uk.news.yahoo.com/muslim-groups-reject-push-islamophobia-140025562.html
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UNICEF warns 825,000 children trapped in battle around North Darfur
March 28, 2025
NEW YORK: At least 825,000 Sudanese children are trapped by fighting around the beleaguered state capital of North Darfur, threatened by violence or starvation, UNICEF has warned.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to this hell on earth,” said Sheldon Yett, the UN children’s agency representative for Sudan, demanding an end to the conflict.
“An estimated 825,000 children are trapped in a growing catastrophe in and around Al-Fasher,” said Yett, adding that more than 70 children have been killed or maimed this year.
“With these numbers reflecting only verified incidents, it is likely the true toll is far higher, with children in a daily struggle to survive,” he said.
In North Darfur, more than 60,000 people have been displaced in the past six weeks, adding to the more than 600,000 displaced — including 300,000 children — since the war started in April 2023.
A few weeks ago, Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, and the UN World Food Programme suspended their work in a vast displaced people’s camp in Zamzam, just south of El-Fasher.
UNICEF, however, continues to operate there and in the city itself, but food supplies are expected to run out within weeks.
“UNICEF delivered ready-to-use therapeutic food, or RUTF and other lifesaving supplies to Al-Fasher three months ago, but these stocks are now depleted,” Yett said.
“Repeated efforts by UNICEF and partners to deliver more supplies have been unsuccessful given threats from armed fighters and criminal gangs.”
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2595100/middle-east
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North America
CAIR Urges Congress and All Government Bodies to Issue Eid Welcoming Statements, Resolutions
March 27, 2025
Muslim civil rights organization provides toolkit for Muslim community members and elected officials
Today, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, announced it has sent a message urging all U.S. House and Senate congressional offices to welcome Eid ul-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of the month-long Ramadan fast, and to issue statements and resolutions recognizing this important holiday for the American Muslim community.
This year, Eid ul-Fitr 2025 is expected to begin on or about Sunday, March 30, or Monday, March 31.
[NOTE: Because the start of Islamic lunar months depends on the actual sighting of the new moon, the dates for Eid ul-Fitr may vary. CAIR advises elected officials to consult local Muslim communities for precise dates. For more details, visit: Islamic Events 2025 – Muslim Holidays 2025 & Festivals.]
Every year, Congressman André Carson and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell introduce resolutions extending best wishes to Muslims celebrating Eid holidays on behalf of Congress.
CAIR also calls on government bodies at every level—including local city councils, school boards, mayoral and county executive offices, state legislatures, and governors’ offices—to issue welcoming statements, proclamations, and resolutions commemorating the Eid holiday.
“Eid ul-Fitr is a time for celebrating community bonds, charity, and spiritual renewal. We encourage elected officials and governmental bodies nationwide to issue statements and resolutions acknowledging Eid ul-Fitr, reinforcing our shared values of religious freedom, mutual respect, and inclusivity. By marking this significant holiday, leaders can help foster understanding and strengthen the diversity and unity of our nation.”
As part of its ongoing efforts, CAIR released its updated 2025 Ramadan Toolkit, a comprehensive resource for Muslim community members and elected officials seeking practical guidance on religious accommodations and public acknowledgment of Islamic observances. The toolkit includes:
Template letters and resolutions to help commemorate Ramadan and Eid
Guidance for working with local institutions—including schools and workplaces—to secure necessary religious accommodations
Information on the significance of Ramadan and Eid for Muslim Americans
CAIR invites individuals, organizations, and community leaders to explore the toolkit, utilize its resources, and contribute to creating spaces that honor and respect religious traditions. By working together, we can ensure Eid ul-Fitr is a time of unity, understanding, and joyous celebration for all.
Source:cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-urges-congress-and-all-government-bodies-to-issue-eid-welcoming-statements-resolutions/
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Did Pete Hegseth get a new tattoo that says 'Kafir'?
Mar 27, 2025
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth, embroiled over the leak of US' apparent war plan against the Houthis, has been snapped with reportedly a new tattoo on his right arm that says 'Kafir'. Hegseth is not new to tattoos and neither to controversies because of them but the new one comes at a time when he is facing resignation calls from the Democrats for the embarrassing Signalgate that the Trump administration dismissed and played down.
But has Hegseth got a new tattoo at all?
The new tattoo has been spotted in photos of him from his recent visit to Joint Base Pearl Harbour. Just below his Deus Vult tattoo on his right biceps, the new tattoo in question appears. Social media posts claimed that the new tattoo translates to Kafir. There has been no confirmation about this.
'Kafir' means infidel in Arabic.
Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani said this tattoo can't be just a personal choice. “Hegseth just got a kafir (uS) tattoo under his Deus Vult tattoo-a Crusader slogan. This isn’t just a personal choice; it’s a clear symbol of Islamophobia from the man overseeing US wars."
“Kafir” has been weaponized by far-right Islamophobes to mock and vilify Muslims. It’s not about his personal beliefs. It’s about how these beliefs translate into policy—how they shape military decisions, surveillance programs, and foreign interventions targeting Muslim countries," Kiswani wrote.
"The US just bombed Yemen. This is the real-world impact of officials who glorify imperialist violence. These tattoos aren’t harmless—they reflect the policies that continue to kill and oppress Muslims worldwide.
"This is the normalization of Islamophobia at the highest levels of power. What else is this supposed to mean besides U.S. foreign policy being a crusade against Muslims?"
Hegseth's tattoos and their controversy
A war veteran and a former Fox News host, Pete Hegseth is covered in tattoos. Among them, the most controversial one so far was the Jerusalem Cross on his chest, which he defended as a historic Christian symbol. On his right bicep there is 'Deus Vult' which means 'God will it'.
Hegseth’s arm features a cross with a sword that references the New Testament verse Matthew 10:34, which reads “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
On his upper arm, he inked the Greek letters chi and to, standing for Christianity.
Source:indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/did-pete-hegseth-get-a-new-tattoo-that-says-kafir/articleshow/119609669.cms
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Canada PM Mark Carney says old relationship with US 'is over'
28 Mar, 2025
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada's old relationship with the United States, "based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over".
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa after a cabinet meeting, Carney said Canadians must "fundamentally reimagine our economy" in the face of US President Donald Trump's tariffs.
He said Canada would respond with retaliatory tariffs that will have "maximum impact" on the US.
Trump announced on Wednesday he would target imported vehicles and vehicle parts with a 25% tax, stating: "This is permanent."
Carney, the Liberal Party leader, called the original Canada-US Automotive Products Agreement signed in 1965 the most important deal in his lifetime.
"That's finished with these tariffs," he said in French.
He continued that Canada can sustain an auto industry with the US tariffs provided the government and business community work to "reimagine" and "retool" the industry.
Canada needs to build an economy Canadians can control, he said, and that would include rethinking it's trade relationship with other partners.
It remains to be seen whether Canadians can have a strong trading relationship with the United States going forward, he added.
Carney has switched his campaign plans ahead of next month's general election to confront the latest import duties.
The US has already partially imposed a blanket 25% tariff on Canadian goods, along with a 25% duty on all aluminium and steel imports. Canada has so far retaliated with about C$60bn ($42bn; £32bn) of tariffs on US goods.
The new car tariffs will come into effect on 2 April, with charges on businesses importing vehicles starting the next day, the White House said. Taxes on parts are set to start in May or later.
Early on Thursday morning, Trump warned Canada and the EU against joining forces versus the US in the trade war.
"If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both," he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Carney met his ministers in Ottawa on Thursday morning to "discuss trade options". He had originally been scheduled to campaign in Quebec.
He said during his press conference that President Trump had reached out to him last night to schedule a call, and that it would take place in the "next day or two".
If it takes place, this would be the first call between the pair.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservatives, the main opposition party, called the tariffs "unjustified and unprovoked".
The NDP, a left-wing party that previously helped prop up the minority Liberal government of ex-PM Justin Trudeau, also switched its campaign plans on Thursday.
Jagmeet Singh, the NDP leader, spent the day meeting union leaders and car workers in Windsor, Ontario, an auto manufacturing hub across from Detroit, Michigan.
He said the US tariffs are a "betrayal" against a close ally, saying that "Donald Trump has started an illegal trade war with Canada" for "absolutely no reason".
He said any auto company that moves their operations out of Canada because of the tariffs should be blocked from selling cars in the country.
Canadians go to the polls on 28 April.
The US imported about eight million cars last year - accounting for about $240bn in trade and roughly half of overall sales.
Earlier this month, after he became Liberal leader and before he was sworn in as prime minister, Carney gave a victory speech in which he lambasted the US president.
"A person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him," he said, while assailing his main rival, Poilievre.
Mexico is the top supplier of cars to the US, followed by South Korea, Japan, Canada and Germany.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, in a news conference on Thursday morning, declined to comment directly on the new auto tariffs.
She vowed her government would "always defend Mexico", and fight to maintain job creation and protect Mexican companies affected by import taxes.
She said Mexico would provide an "integral response" to the Trump administration's tariffs on 3 April, the day after many are due to come into effect.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly noted that many US car companies have operations in both Mexico and Canada, which are bound by a North American free trade agreement that Trump himself negotiated during his first term in the White House.
"Of course, there shouldn't be tariffs," she said on Thursday. "That's the essence of the free trade agreement."
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y41z4351qo
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How will carmakers be affected by Trump's tariffs?
28 Mar, 2025
A day after US President Donald Trump said he would hit foreign cars and car parts with a new import tax of 25%, many of the world's biggest automakers appeared stunned into silence, as they took in a move expected to wreak havoc across the industry.
Investors sold off shares of carmakers in Japan, Germany and the UK on Thursday, wiping billions of value off names such as Toyota, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover.
Firms in America were some of the hardest hit, with General Motors down more than 7%.
Shares in Tesla, which is known for its US factories and whose boss Elon Musk is one of Trump's biggest donors and closest advisers, were notably spared from the hit, ending the day flat.
But Musk warned that even his company would not be immune from the tariff disruption.
"Important to note that Tesla is NOT unscathed here," Musk wrote on social media. "The cost impact is not trivial."
Tesla's Model Y, which topped Cars.com's 2024 index of American-made cars for the third year running, only sources 70% of its parts from the US, according to Patrick Masterson, lead researcher for the list.
"The major takeaway I think people should know about this is no vehicle is 100% US-made," he said.
"The consumer is going to feel it across the board and I really don't think that any automaker is going to be spared from this, Tesla included."
The latest tariffs could affect roughly $300bn-$400bn in imports, depending on what parts are affected by the order, according to Macquarie. That amounts to almost 10% of everything the US brings into the country each year.
It is expected to push up prices by roughly $4,000 to $12,000, depending on the vehicle.
Many major car companies have operations in the US, while also bringing in models, or parts from outside of the US.
Japan's Toyota, for example, has 10 manufacturing plants in the US and its Highlander SUV ranks highly on the American-made list.
But its Prius ships in from Japan.
General Motors also brings in significant parts and cars from Korea and Mexico, which Volkswagen also relies on heavily, despite assembling the Atlas SUV in the US.
Some firms may be able to redirect work to factories in the US, Oxford Economics has suggested, but it warned that such a move was likely to lead to higher prices and "significantly lower production in the US's main trading partners".
The action is likely to have a more significant impact on carmakers exporting from Germany and the UK, which are known for selling fewer, more premium and luxury brands at higher prices, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
Ferrari, which ships its cars from Italy, immediately announced a 10% price hike, to help cover the new cost of the duty.
As companies are forced to respond to the 25% tariffs, by raising prices or accepting lower profits, some may decide to pull some models out of the US entirely, leading to fewer choices for American consumers, warned Patrick Anderson, chief executive of the Anderson Economic Group.
This could also lead to carmakers without a current large manufacturing presence in the US, such as Jaguar Land Rover or Porsche, reducing production in their home countries, potentially affecting jobs.
All Mitsubishi cars sold in the US are imported, while Hyundai, which announced plans for a plant in the US earlier this week, ships most of its cars from South Korea.
Trump, who started discussing tariffs on cars in his first term, said his latest tariff enforcement would be permanent, claiming it will boost America's manufacturing base.
It follows previous moves to impose tariffs of at least 20% on goods being imported into the US from China along with 25% levies on some goods from Canada and Mexico.
A 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering America is also already in force.
He is also set to introduce so-called reciprocal tariffs against individual countries based on their trade balance with the US.
The White House said the car duties would start on April 3, while tariffs on certain car parts are set to come into effect a month later.
For now, parts made in Mexico and Canada - which have traditionally entered the US under a free trade agreement - will be spared, while officials get custom systems prepared.
The carve-out for parts from Mexico and Canada, which the White House said would be temporary, was a relief to some in the industry.
But General Motors is still facing potential increased costs starting at about $10.5bn, according to JP Morgan.
Ford's bill would start at roughly $2bn, more than doubling over time as tariffs on parts come into effect, according to estimates from the banking giant.
It said the added cost across the industry would amount to more than $80bn.
Jennifer Safavian, president of Autos Drive America, which represents international carmakers, said her members were still working out the repercussions of the move and other tariffs that have been recently announced or are looming.
But she warned that the measure would lead to higher prices, fewer sales, and less production across the industry.
"They're trying to digest this," she said. "But again there's no question that these tariffs are going to have an impact on the US auto industry."
Source:bbc.com
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Germany leads defiance of Trump car tariffs, saying it 'will not give in'
28 Mar, 2025
Germany has said it "will not give in" and that Europe must "respond firmly" as US President Donald Trump targets imported cars and car parts with a 25% tax in his latest tariffs.
Other major world economies have vowed to retaliate, with France's president branding the move "a waste of time" and "incoherent", Canada calling it a "direct attack", and China accusing Washington of violating international trade rules.
Carmaker stocks from Japan to Germany dipped. In the US, General Motors dropped 7%, while Ford fell more than 2%.
Trump has threatened to impose "far larger" tariffs if Europe works with Canada to do what he describes as "economic harm" to the US.
The fresh car tariffs will come into effect on 2 April, with charges on businesses importing vehicles starting the next day. Taxes on parts are set to start in May or later.
Trump has long maintained the tariffs are part of a drive to help US manufacturing and says if cars are made in America there will be "absolutely no tariff".
Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries.
While the measures can protect domestic businesses, they also raise costs for companies reliant on parts from abroad.
The firms that bring the foreign goods into the country pay the tax to the government. Firms may choose to pass on some or all of the cost of tariffs to customers.
The US imported about eight million cars last year - accounting for about $240bn (£186bn) in trade and roughly half of overall sales.
Mexico is the top supplier of cars to the US, followed by South Korea, Japan, Canada and Germany.
Analysts have estimated that tariffs on parts just from Canada and Mexico could lead to costs rising by $4,000-$10,000 depending on the vehicle, according to the Anderson Economic Group.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the European Union must "respond firmly".
"It must be clear that we will not give in to the US. We need to show strength and self-confidence," he added.
France backed this joint approach, with its finance minister saying Europe must retaliate with tariffs on US products.
At a press conference on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was "not the time" for the US to be imposing tariffs.
"Imposing tariffs means breaking value chains, it means creating in the short term an inflationary effect and destroying jobs," he said in Paris.
"All of this is rather a waste of time and will create a lot of worry," he added, urging Trump to reconsider.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the tariffs a "direct attack" on his country and its car industry, adding it "will hurt us", but trade options were being discussed.
In the UK, car industry body the SMMT said the car tariffs announcement was "not surprising but, nevertheless, disappointing".
Uniparts founder John Neill said the Trump tariffs were "a gift to the Chinese", because international consumers would respond to a trade war by buying Chinese alternatives.
Meanwhile, China accused Trump of violating World Trade Organization rules.
"There are no winners in a trade war or a tariff war. No country's development and prosperity has been achieved by imposing tariffs," a spokesman for the foreign ministry said.
There are warnings from Japan that there will be a "significant impact" on the economic relationship it shares with the US. A government spokesman described the measures as "extremely regrettable" and said officials had asked the US for an exemption.
In South Korea, a day before the latest levy, Hyundai announced it would invest $21bn (£16.3bn) in the US and build a new steel plant in Louisiana.
Trump hailed the investment as a "clear demonstration that tariffs very strongly work".
Bosch - based in Germany - said it had confidence in the "long-term potential" of the North American market and would continue to expand its business there.
The International Monetary Fund said it was not projecting a US recession, but warned a trade war could have a "significant adverse effect" on Canada and Mexico's economic outlooks.
Source:bbc.com
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Trump withdraws Elise Stefanik's nomination to be UN ambassador
28 Mar, 2025
President Donald Trump has pulled the nomination of New York Rep Elise Stefanik to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Announcing his decision in a post on social media, Trump said it was essential that Stefanik retain her seat in the House of Representatives to protect Republicans' razor-thin majority.
"I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations."
Calling her one of his biggest allies, the president said Stefanik would rejoin the House leadership team.
In preparation for the UN role, she had forfeited her position as the third most senior member, the House Republican Conference chairperson.
Speaker Mike Johnson praised her in statement. "There is no doubt she would have served with distinction as our ambassador to the United Nations, but we are grateful for her willingness to sacrifice that position and remain in Congress to help us save the country."
Stefanik, a onetime Trump critic turned MAGA darling, was the president's first cabinet pick. She was expected to sail through Senate confirmation, but the vote on her nomination was delayed because her support was needed in the House to pass Republican-backed legislation.
Her confirmation was supposed to move to a vote after a pair of special election races in Florida on 1 April. Former Rep Mike Waltz - the current national security advisor - is one of the congressmen to leave the two Republican-safe seats empty.
But discussions were held at the White House on Thursday about whether Stefanik should remain in Congress, given the president's agenda and the need to protect the narrow 218-213 Republican majority in the House.
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the decision showed Republicans were in panic mode, and Trump feared losing a district he won by 21 points in November 2024.
"He withdrew her nomination to be U.N. Ambassador because the extremists are afraid they will lose the special election to replace her. The Republican agenda is extremely unpopular, they are crashing the economy in real time and House Republicans are running scared," Jeffries said.
Stefanik will continue to represent her solidly Republican upstate New York district, where she recently held a farewell tour in preparation for the UN role. She also attended a White House cabinet meeting last month.
During her confirmation hearing, Stefanik said she would make Trump's agenda her own, particularly his "peace through strength" approach to US foreign policy.
As a member of Congress, she has been one of the international body's toughest critics and a staunch defender of Israel.
She has previously called for the US to cut funding to the UN, describing it as a "cesspool of anti-Semitism" and a "corrupt, defunct and paralyzed institution".
The Trump administration has already ordered a review of US funding to the UN's regular budget and sweeping cuts to foreign aid that has dramatically impacted the work and staff of several UN agencies.
The organization is seriously examining what the effects of further cuts or delayed payments would mean. It is facing a cash crunch and has moved with urgency to reduce planned spending by up to 20% and to impose a hiring freeze.
The White House has not announced who the president might nominate to serve as ambassador to the UN next.
One diplomat told the BBC it would be good to have a US ambassador there soon so they can better engage with the Trump administration.
Stefanik's nomination is the fourth nominee who did not make it through a confirmation process.
Former congressman Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, withdrew after Trump nominated him to serve as attorney general. Chad Chronister withdrew from leading the Drug Enforcement Administration, and David Weldon withdrew from serving as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Source:bbc.com
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Marco Rubio says US revoked at least 300 foreign students' visas
28 Mar, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US has revoked at least 300 foreign students' visas as part of President Donald Trump's effort to clamp down on pro-Palestinian protesters on university campuses.
"Maybe more than 300 at this point," he said while speaking to reporters on a visit to Guyana. "We do it every day, every time I find one of these lunatics."
Rubio was asked to confirm how many student visas the administration had revoked in its crackdown on rhetoric at universities that it considers anti-Israeli.
The remarks follow immigration officials detention of a doctoral Turkish student attending Tufts University - an arrest the secretary defended.
A video of the student, Rumeysa Ozturk, being taken away by masked, plain-clothes officers to an unmarked car outside Boston, Massachusetts, has gone viral and sparked protests online.
Ms Ozturk is a Fullbright Scholar on an F-1 student visa and is in a doctoral program for Child Study and Human Development at Tufts.
Rubio was asked on Thursday why the Turkish student's visa was revoked.
"Here's why: I've said it everywhere, and I'll say it again," Rubio said. "If you apply for a student visa to come to the United States and you say you're coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos, we're not giving you that visa."
It is currently unclear whether Ms Ozturk has been charged with anything.
Rubio did not provide any of the specific allegations against the 30-year-old, who has participated in pro-Palestinian protests. The Tufts student also co-wrote an opinion piece in the student newspaper last year that called for her university to divest from companies with ties to Israel and acknowledge "Palestinian genocide".
"Based on patterns we are seeing across the country, her exercising her free speech rights appears to have played a role in her detention," Mahsa Khanbabai, Ms Ozturk's lawyer, told Reuters.
This arrest is the latest in a string of actions taken against international students in the US who have expressed support for Palestinians.
Trump officials have said they are making use of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the State Department to deport non-citizens who are "adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests" of the US.
The arrests are a part of Trump's pledge to combat what the administration has classified as antisemitism, which was written into an executive order in January.
Since then, the White House has also revoked $400m (£308m) in Columbia funding over allegations the university failed to combat antisemitism on its campus, and threatened to do the same to other universities.
One of the highest profile arrests involves Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist, who remains in a Louisiana detention facility without charges.
Ms Ozturk was also taken to a detention centre in Louisiana. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Massachusetts ordered that Ms Ozturk be detained in Massachusetts, but federal records show she is still being held in Louisiana.
The government has been ordered to provide more information on Ms Ozturk's arrest by Friday.
US Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this week that Ms Ozturk "engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans".
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, called the arrest "the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties".
"The Trump administration is targeting students with legal status and ripping people out of their communities without due process. This is an attack on our Constitution and basic freedoms - and we will push back," she said in a statement.
On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt its efforts to deport and arrest another student, Yunseo Chung of Columbia University. The 21-year-old is a legal permanent resident who moved to the US from South Korea as a child.
On Thursday, Rubio said the US gave students visa to earn a degree and "not become a social activist tearing up our campuses".
"If you lie, get the visa, and then engage in that kind of behaviour once you're here, we're going to revoke it," he said.
Source:bbc.com
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Senior Trump officials ordered to preserve Signal group chat
28 Mar, 2025
A federal judge ordered White House officials involved in a group chat on military strikes in Yemen to preserve the messages after a bombshell report revealed that they potentially shared classified information.
US District Judge James Boasberg ordered members of President Donald Trump's national security team to keep any messages sent or received over the Signal messaging app between 11 and 15 March.
The order stems from a lawsuit filed by American Oversight, which alleges that Trump officials' use of Signal violated federal records laws.
"The Trump Administration has and will continue to comply with all applicable record-keeping laws," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.
The Atlantic, which first reported the existence of the chat group, noted that messages in the chat were set to disappear after a certain period of time. That has raised concerns that the messages could vanish.
Judge Boasberg said at the hearing that the order was intended to ensure no messages were lost, and not a finding of wrongdoing.
On Monday, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic reported he was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat along with other accounts that appeared to belong to top Trump administration officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
Members of the Signal chat discussed an imminent strike against the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, and an account purporting to belong to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted detailed attack and weapons plans for a 15 March strike.
The National Security Council later confirmed the chat's authenticity.
American Oversight's lawsuit names several of the chat's primary participants: Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The suit also named the National Archives and Records Administration, which is tasked with overseeing the preservation of government documents.
American Oversight argues that the Signal chat was covered by the Federal Records Act.
The suit argues that using a "private, encrypted, auto-deleting platform for official communications" without forwarding it to an official government system violated that statute.
"Without court action, they - and many like them - will be automatically destroyed or lost forever," the suit states.
Hegseth and other administration officials have maintained that no sensitive information was shared. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that "no war plans" were discussed on the chat, and she insisted to reporters that the information shared should be characterised as "sensitive policy discussions".
At a Thursday afternoon hearing, Judge Boasberg ordered the officials named in the lawsuit to preserve 11-15 March Signal messages.
He followed up with a written order, stating that his decision would expire on 10 April "in the event that Defendants' measures are satisfactory to the Court".
"This order marks an important step toward accountability," Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, told the BBC in a statement. "We are grateful for the judge's ruling to halt any further destruction of these critical records."
Judge Boasberg is also handling a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador earlier this month.
That case sparked accusations that the Trump administration had violated the judge's order to immediately return the immigrants to US soil, and to turn around planes if necessary. Judge Boasberg had first verbally ordered their return, before following with a written order.
The White House had argued it did not violate Judge Boasberg's order, and has issued escalating attacks against the judge. President Donald Trump suggested that the judge should be impeached, prompting a rare rebuke from US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.
Judge Boasberg addressed the situation at Thursday's hearing over the Signal chat, noting that he had been assigned the new Signal case at random.
After ordering the Trump officials preserve their Signal communications, Judge Boasberg assured parties that his verbal order would be followed up in writing.
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9de770q9e0o
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Muslims in Altadena look for normalcy at the end of Ramadan after mosque burned down
MARCH 27, 2025
Wildfires in Los Angeles destroyed the only mosque in the Altadena area. As the community prepares to celebrate the end of Ramadan, it's finding ways to give kids — and adults — a sense of normalcy.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Ramadan is a time when many Muslim families gather together, but when the fires in Los Angeles destroyed the only mosque in the Altadena area, it almost upended the community's ability to uphold tradition. Well, as the community prepares to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan this weekend, they're finding ways to give the kids and the adults some sense of normalcy. From member station KCRW, Megan Jamerson reports.
(CROSSTALK)
MEGAN JAMERSON, BYLINE: Daarina Abdus-Samad stands between two long lunch tables of kids, ranging from age 2 to 14. They are using a school's outdoor cafeteria for their mosque's iftar, the meal eaten at dusk to break fast during Ramadan.
DAARINA ABDUS-SAMAD: First of all, I want you to think of at least one good thing that you've done to help your parents.
JAMERSON: Kids aren't required to fast from dawn to dusk until they hit puberty, but they attend iftars and are encouraged by their elders to do good deeds.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: I took three bags of trash out.
ABDUS-SAMAD: High five. What else? Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: I helped my mom clean the mess.
JAMERSON: These kids are part of the mosque called Masjid Al-Taqwa. It was founded over 40 years ago by Black Muslims. Now, it's well known for being a multicultural congregation that varies between 50 to 200 people. In a normal year during Ramadan, they hold nightly community iftars at their mosque. But with their spiritual home destroyed, they've been using the facilities at a local school.
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) When we eat, we say Bismillah. When we're done, we say Alhamdulillah.
JAMERSON: Throughout the evening, little bursts of joy, like this song, were intermingled with the reality that this community is still trying to heal. The Eaton Fire wasn't just devastating because they lost their mosque. Four local families can't return home because it's not safe, and another eight lost everything, including Delores Abdus-Shakoor. Her family was part of the group that founded this mosque, and now her family's home and their business are also gone.
DELORES ABDUS-SHAKOOR: It's almost like a film. It's almost unreal because life goes on. It just continues to go on.
JAMERSON: Tonight, Abdus-Shakoor is one of the adults helping prepare the mosque's children for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. She says this is a much-needed positive distraction. Every year, she takes donations from the congregation to buy each child one gift. Despite all the losses faced by this community, enough money was donated to continue the tradition.
ABDUS-SHAKOOR: This has been a blessing. I would love to be able to go home. I would love to be able to go to our masjid and have our community all together in the masjid. But the reality of it is that's just not how it is.
JAMERSON: The community is doing their best to observe Ramadan like they normally would. Every year, the kids paint a mural for the Eid party and decorate paper bags for Eid gifts. Right now, the kids are writing down their gift wish lists. Abdus-Shakoor says it brings her joy to see what they ask for. So she takes a peek over their shoulders.
ABDUS-SHAKOOR: If you put skinny jeans, you have to say what size. But I have to check with your mom first.
JAMERSON: The Eid celebrations and gifts that come this year are a little heavier. But being together in community during Ramadan is helping the adults and kids cope with the traumatic experience of the fires, says mom of three, Raniyah Copeland.
RANIYAH COPELAND: My kids are very scarred by the experience. Whenever there's high winds or there's something about a fire, they're very scared.
JAMERSON: She says her 11-year-old son was worried they couldn't have Ramadan or eat because the mosque was gone. She says the tragic loss has given her kids a chance to learn an important lesson about their spirituality.
COPELAND: They're seeing that it's not just about the kind of physical location, but it really is about the community. It's kind of about your spirit and your heart and that that can go anywhere with you.
JAMERSON: After Masjid Al-Taqwa's Eid celebration, they'll be looking for their next temporary home to hold weekly Friday prayers. And then, they'll be focused on rebuilding a permanent home for their mosque. For NPR News, I'm Megan Jamerson, in Altadena, California.
Source:npr.org
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https://www.npr.org/2025/03/27/nx-s1-5339811/muslims-in-altadena-look-for-normalcy-at-the-end-of-ramadan-after-mosque-burned-down
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Chicago Muslim Civil Rights Group Condemns Trump’s Immigration Crackdown of Pro-Palestinian Students
March 27, 2025
Members of a Chicago-based Muslim civil rights organization and advocacy group on Thursday called on local elected officials to stand up against the Trump administration’s arrests of students who have shown support for Palestinian causes.
The calls, made during a news conference hosted by the Council On American Islamic Relations in Chicago, come as Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University in Massachusetts, became the latest to be detained by federal agents.
A widely circulated video of the arrest on Tuesday shows Ozturk walking outside before being approached and handcuffed by several masked federal agents.
“We really call on our elected officials to stand up for what America is all about, which is freedom of expression and speech and not extrajudicial punishment of those whom those in power do not like or whose views [they] do not like,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab.
A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said federal authorities detained Ozturk after an investigation found she had “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.”
The department did not provide evidence of that support.
President Donald Trump has pledged to deport students who, he said, engage in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity,” a label the administration has applied broadly to those who criticize Israel and protest its military campaign in Gaza.
This month, federal immigration authorities also arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. A University of Alabama student from Iran was also detained by federal authorities, the university confirmed, but it is not clear why the student Alireza Doroudi, as reported by the student newspaper the Crimson White, was detained.
CAIR-Chicago released a statement calling for Illinois elected officials to investigate and halt the Trump administration’s “politically motivated deportations of international students and scholars for their protected Free Speech,” in addition to demanding their release.
The organization also condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza and called for a permanent ceasefire and the end of a blockade on humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
“We’ve been at this podium several times over the past few months making the same demands, the same calls to our public officials, and these calls seem to fall on deaf ears,” Rehab said.
Source:wttw.com
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https://news.wttw.com/2025/03/27/chicago-muslim-civil-rights-group-condemns-trump-s-immigration-crackdown-pro-palestinian
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India
Asaduddin Owaisi on Waqf Bill: Every amendment is to destroy Waqf Board
Mar 28, 2025
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi strongly opposed the proposed Waqf Bill, asserting that every amendment introduced by the government is aimed at "destroying the Waqf Board" and taking away Muslim management of religious affairs. In an interview with India Today Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Owaisi argued that the bill violates Article 26 of the Constitution, interferes with the autonomy of the Waqf Board, and grants excessive powers to government officials.
"Every amendment this government is bringing is to destroy the Waqf Board, to take away Muslim management. How can we trust this government which doesn't have a single Muslim MP, no Muslim minister and doesn't give a ticket to Muslims and uses bulldozers to destroy everyone," he said.
Owaisi criticised the provision allowing non-Muslims to be appointed to the Waqf Board, calling it unconstitutional. He pointed out that Hindu religious boards in states like Bihar, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh require their members and staff to be Hindu, yet the same principle is not being applied to Waqf.
"Under Article 26 of the Constitution, I have the right to manage my own religious affairs. Now they can appoint non-Muslims to the Waqf Board, which is a violation," he said.
Sardesai questioned Owaisi about why there was such resistance to regulating the Waqf Board, asking whether there was anything to hide.
In response, Owaisi accused the government of hypocrisy, stating that BJP had previously supported the 1995 Waqf Act and the 2013 amendment but was now using its Hindutva ideology to interfere in Muslim religious matters. "Because they have subscribed to the ideology of Hindutva, they want to make India a country that doesn't believe in diversity," he said.
The discussion also touched on allegations of encroachment on Waqf land. Sardesai pointed out that several cases of land misuse had emerged in recent years, and the government claimed that regulation would ensure transparency and development of education and healthcare institutions.
Owaisi dismissed these justifications as "hogwash",stating that existing laws already prescribe strict penalties for encroachment. "The current law says that if someone unlawfully encroaches on Waqf property, it is a non-bailable offence with a two-year sentence. How can you take away my rights and give regulatory control to someone else? There is no such mechanism for Hindu or Christian religious boards," he argued.
Addressing claims that the government was trying to make the Waqf Board more accountable, Owaisi countered that no genuine efforts had been made to support Waqf properties.
He claimed that while the government allocates significant funds to Hindu religious boards, it has failed to release budgeted grants for Waqf development. He also dismissed the widely circulated claim that Waqf is India's third-largest landholder as "propaganda".
Owaisi further alleged that the government's ultimate goal was to seize Waqf properties, citing a legal dispute over a mosque near Parliament and the mosque in Sambhal over which violence broke out in November last year.
"If this bill is passed, the district collector will have the power to declare Waqf land as government property. This is about grabbing mosques, creating controversies, and dividing Hindus and Muslims," he warned.
In a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Owaisi questioned the government's approach towards Muslims. "Mr Modi says, 'If you are a Muslim, then show us for five years.' Who the hell are you? I will demonstrate myself! For five years, I can give property to Hindu endowments but not to Muslims?" he said.
Concluding his remarks, Owaisi said the bill, if passed, would be unconstitutional and would dangerously undermine India's social fabric. "It will lead to more Hindu-Muslim fights. Every amendment this government is bringing is to destroy the Waqf Board and take away Muslim management," he asserted.
Source:indiatoday.in
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/asaduddin-owaisi-on-waqf-bill-every-amendment-is-to-destroy-waqf-board-2700283-2025-03-28
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Uddhav Thackeray accuses BJP of abandoning Hindutva for electoral gains
March 27, 2025
VINAYA DESHPANDE PANDIT
Shiv Sena(UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the ‘Sougat-e-Modi’ programme on Thursday (March 27, 2025). “This is not ‘Saugat-e-Modi’, but ‘Saugat-e-Satta’ (power). Is this done only till the elections, like the Bihar elections? The BJP should now officially announce that it has abandoned Hindutva,” Mr. Thackeray said at a press conference in Mumbai.
Also Read | Maharashtra govt summons Kunal Kamra for insulting `traitor’, remains silent on Solapurkar: Uddhav Thackeray
He said that the saffron party should remove the green colour from its flag, and also asked who will visit the houses of those Muslims who had lost their houses to ‘bulldozer action’.
“When Narendra Modi had come to Maharashtra during elections, he had spoken about ‘batengetohkatenge’ [We will be finished if we are divided]. You have spread hatred against the Muslims all your life. Modi had also asked the women in Maharashtra about who will protect their mangalsutras [the sacred necklace worn by married women]. Now, I ask him, who will protect the mangalsutras? Is this a permanent stance or is this a stance before the elections? Is the Sougat-e-Satta only till Bihar elections? BJP should officially announce that it has abandoned Hindutva,” he said.
He accused the BJP of creating animosity between the Hindus and the Muslims, and said several people had lost their lives due to the strife between the communities. “When the Muslims had voted for the Shiv Sena during elections, you called it ‘satta jihad’ [struggle for power]. What else is this?” he asked.
He was speaking about a programme launched by the BJP on the background of Ramzan where the minorities cell of the BJP is to distribute kits to the Muslim community.
The BJP hit back at Mr. Thackeray saying the criticism emanated out of frustration due to lack of future for the party. “The BJP is not against Muslims but against those who carry Pakistan’s flag here. Uddhav Thackeray cannot see a future for his party anymore. So he criticises Eknath Shinde. Mr. Thackeray should focus on growing his party base, rather than criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Devendra Fadnavis, and DCM Eknath Shinde,” he said.
Source:thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/uddhav-thackeray-accuses-bjp-of-abandoning-hindutva-for-electoral-gains/article69382582.ece
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Shab-e-Qadr prayers not allowed at Jamia Masjid; extremely regrettable, says Mirwaiz
Mar 28, 2025
The authorities have denied permission to hold prayers at the grand mosque in Srinagar, Jamia Masjid, on the auspicious occasion of Shab-e-Qadr, the chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Thursday.
Mirwaiz took to X to express his anger over the development particularly owing to the holy month of Ramadan.
“Conveyed to Auqaf by authorities, that on the highly revered night of Lailatul Qadr when Muslims around the world supplicate and seek Allah’s forgiveness throughout the holy and blessed night, the central Jama Masjid Srinagar will be closed to the people and no shab or prayers will be allowed there,” Mirwaiz said.
“It is extremely regrettable and condemnable that the insensitivity of those in power will deprive tens of thousands of Muslims who for generations visit Jama Masjid on this night, of spiritual solace and worship, causing them and me great grief and dismay. #ShabeQadr,” he said.
In the month of February, the police had not allowed Shabe Barat prayers as well at Jamia Masjid triggering outrage with even chief minister Omar Abdullah expressing his criticism.
Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti, a body of Kashmiri pandits living in Kashmir, criticised the J&K authorities for closing Jamia.
“Is this normalcy in J&K as authorities banned to celebrate Shani Qadr inside the Jama Masjid in Srinagar,” it said in a statement.
PDP president and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the decision.
“The shutdown of Jamia Masjid on the sacred night of Laila-tul-Qadr represents another example of collective punishment imposed on Kashmiris. The government which claims & celebrates that it has eradicated separatism persists in viewing every Kashmiri as a potential separatist. Their false narrative of having restored total normalcy is exposed when a historic mosque is closed off to worshippers on a night so deeply cherished by all,” she said on X.
Source:hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/shabeqadr-prayers-not-allowed-at-jamia-masjid-extremely-regrettable-says-mirwaiz-101743104410595.html
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Legal Article: Arrest of Mr Zafar Ali necessitates immediate implementation of the Advocate Protection Act
March 28, 2025
The unwarranted and unjustified arrest of Shahi Jama Masjid Committee President and senior lawyer Mr. Zafar Ali has sparked widespread outrage. A respected legal professional with decades of experience, Ali commands immense respect across communities. His arrest in connection with the November 24 violence in Sambhal—following a court-ordered survey of a 500-year-old Mughal-era mosque—raises serious concerns about the increasing vulnerability of advocates in India. The fundamental question remains: Was his arrest truly necessary, or was it an attempt to silence him?
The growing trend of ordering surveys of mosques at the slightest provocation is leading to communal tensions and unrest, as witnessed in Sambhal. Courts must exercise caution in such matters to prevent unnecessary conflict and loss of life. Mr. Zafar Ali is a person of integrity, not a fugitive, making his abrupt arrest even more questionable.
Lawyers’ Protest and Allegations of Suppression
In response, lawyers across Sambhal and other districts staged a pen-down protest, condemning the arrest as an attempt to prevent Ali from testifying before a judicial commission investigating the incident. Chandousi Court Bar Association President Mohammad Nazar Qureshi emphasized that no FIR had been filed against Ali, yet he was jailed under unspecified charges—an act deemed wrongful by legal professionals. Hapur Bar Association also abstained from work in solidarity.
The arrest of an advocate without due process is an affront to justice. Section 11 of the proposed Advocate Protection Act explicitly states: “No police officer shall arrest an advocate or investigate a case against an advocate without the explicit direction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate.” Had this Act been in place, Mr. Zafar Ali would not have been subjected to such treatment. His experience of practicing law for decades should have been enough to prevent such an arbitrary arrest.
Concerns Over His Well-being in Custody
Alarming reports suggest that Ali’s family was denied permission to meet him, further raising concerns about his safety. His brother, Mr. Mohammad Tahir Ali, a fellow lawyer, alleged that Ali’s life is at risk in Moradabad jail and that he is being denied essential medicines. These actions violate fundamental human rights and must be condemned unequivocally.
Eminent lawyer Mohammad Islam, President of the District Bar Association of Sambhal, has expressed strong support for Ali. The Bar Council of India and the UP Bar Council must intervene to ensure that Ali receives fair treatment and due legal process.
The Urgent Need for the Advocate Protection Act
The Supreme Court must take suo motu cognizance of increasing violations of advocates’ rights in India. The immediate implementation of the Advocate Protection Act is essential to prevent further arbitrary arrests and harassment of legal professionals. If law enforcement wrongfully detains an advocate, officers responsible must face legal consequences.
Many countries already provide legal safeguards for advocates. For example:
Russia: Article 296 of the Criminal Code protects lawyers and participants in the justice system.
United States: Section 1503 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code ensures protection for court officers.
Egypt: Article 54 of Law No. 17 of 1983 (Advocacy Law) safeguards legal professionals.
Indonesia: Article 15 of Law No. 18 of 2003 guarantees protection for advocates.
European Union: The Charter of Core Principles of the European Legal Profession mandates the independence of lawyers.
Pakistan: The Lawyers Welfare and Protection Act, 2023, ensures that advocates can work without fear or external influence.
Given the escalating attacks on advocates in India, it is imperative that the country follows suit. The Advocate Protection Act must be enacted without further delay to preserve the dignity and security of legal professionals. The legal fraternity must unite in demanding swift action before another advocate faces similar injustice.
Source:muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/legal-article-arrest-of-mr-zafar-ali-necessitates-immediate-implementation-of-the-advocate-protection-act/
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Debating Aurangzeb: Learning from history or avenging the past
March 28, 2025
By Ram Puniyani
Since the demolition of Babri mosque by RSS Combine(1992), history has started dominating the social space. A particular version of history which looks at history through the Kings, their religion, is being imposed on the social common sense. This too is being done in a selective way. Taking a step further now the communal forces are linking it up with the nationalism. Interestingly the history of era of Kingdoms is being linked to Nationalism, forgetting the fact that Nation state is a modern phenomenon and the concept of India emerged as a parallel to the struggle against colonial powers.
The communal forces are presenting the Hindu kings who fought against Muslim rulers as being presented as patriots and great nationalists, as national icons. Earlier Nathuram Godse, who put three bullets in the chest of Mahatma Gandhi; in his, “May it please your honour”, the book based on his testimony in the court, while commenting on Mahatma Gandhi, said that was a pigmy in contrast to the Nationalism of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj or Maharana Pratap.
Now those belonging to his ideology are reiterating the same in a more intensified form. UP Chief minister Adityanath Yogi recently launched a sharp attack “on those glorifying historical invaders, calling it an act of treason that ‘new India’ will not tolerate. The firebrand BJP leader’s remarks came amid rising demands for the removal of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.”
On similar lines Dattatray Hosabale, the Sarkaryavah (General Secretary) of RSS went on to question, “if ionizing someone who was against the ethos of India was right. He asked why those who advocate Ganga-Jamuni culture (fusion of Hindu and Islamic cultural elements) never thought of idolizing Dara Shikoh, the elder brother of Aurangzeb who is said to be a pioneer of such an idea.”
All this is being said in the din of presenting Aurangzeb as an invader, cruel villain. Let’s deconstruct the whole statement. Who were invaders, was Aurangzeb an invader? The simple fact is Aurangzeb had inherited the empire from his father, Shahjahan. The dynasty began with Babar, who was ruling in Kabul Rana Sanga sent him a letter to come to defeat Ibrahim Lodi, the ruler of Delhi. As it happened Babar landed up fighting with Rana Sanga and Ibrahim Lodi to rule over Delhi Empire.
Even before Babar, we had Greeks, Kushans, Huns, and Shakas who invaded from North West and became part of the populace here. Mughals were not the only rulers who came here; there were Khilji, Ghulam, and Gazanavid who have come after defeating the local kings. India in the present form was not there, a nation ruled from Delhi. The Kings were fighting with each other for power and pelf, while the interaction of different people Shakas, Huns, Kushans and Ahoms on the East created the mixed, syncretism prevalent here.
Who is the icon of Indian Nation? Yogi and Godse present Shivaji and Rana Pratap as the national icons. Shivaji had many Muslim Generals and officers in his administration. He fought against Aurangzeb, whose army was led by Mirza Raja Jaising. Rana Pratap’s Haldighati bravery is worth eulogizing, but does it represent fight for Indian Nationalism? His army had 3000 soldiers, 1000 of which were Pathans commanded by Hakim Khan Sure. Akbar on the other side had Mansingh as his Commander in Chief? The baatle was not on the issue of Nationalism, it was for Mansab. Even if Hindu Nationalists want to present those who fought against Muslims as National icons, the story is more complex, it was Kings versus kings not Hindu versus Muslims!
It is not that all Muslims Kings were cruel and Hindu kings as messengers of peace. Ashok is also infamous for his Kalings war. Chola Kings war with Chalukya was again and example for many things as winning Shri Rajendra Chola’s army cut the head of defeated Chalukya kings General Samudra Raj and cut the nose of his daughter.
Aurangzeb is demonized for political purpose and a section of Muslims intimidated and ghettoized due to the violence and issues like cow-beef, love Jihad, land jihad and what have you try to find in Aurangzeb a bit of self prestige in him. The major process is that of demonization of Aurangzeb for political purpose and to reflect it on today’s hapless Muslim community.
Talking of history there are various ways of presenting it. The Hindu communalists over project the kings as they want to hide the brutalities of caste-Varna hierarchies and the subjugation of women in the past. Ambedkar presents the history of India as a battle between Buddhism and Brahmanism. As per him against the Brahmanical caste- Varna values Buddhism came as a revolution. This made the spread of Buddhism as the major religion of India. After Ashok spreading it in South East Asia it became a World religion as well. As per Ambedkar, this revolution was followed by Counter-revolution led by Pushyamitra Shung who physically wiped out Buddhists and Buddhism was made to disappear from Indian till Ambedkar brought it back.
The brutalities inflicted on dalits and women were the major phenomenon in India. The social reforms during colonial period ensured that the insecurities were diluted though they persist in some form even today. Is Raja Ram Mohan Roy not a great icon of India? What about Jyoti Rao Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar struggling against caste Varna system not the icons of India? And where will you place the tribe of Bhagat Singh and Ashfakullah? And the place of Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel, Nehru and Subhashchandra Bose etched in the memory of India in the letters of Gold?
The overplaying of the cruelties of Muslim kings serves two purposes for the project of Hindu Nation. On one hand it targets the religious minorities. And second, more importantly it hides the brutalities of the Brahminical system (base of Hindu Nationalism) against the weaker sections of society. From the Prime Minister to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra all appreciated the film Chaava. Now the Chief Minister is blaming the same for communal tension in Nagpur. Will such worthies promote films which show the atrocities against dalits and women in the past? As a matter of fact the then BJP leader, Vijayaraje Scindia upheld the Sati (immolation of wife on the funeral pyre of her husband). At present Yogi-Fadnavis- Hosable are playing the communal card to the hilt!
Source:muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/debating-aurangzeb-learning-from-history-or-avenging-the-past/
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AIMPLB urges Muslims to wear black bands on Alvida Juma to protest Waqf bill
Mar 28, 2025
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has called upon Muslims nationwide to don black armbands during Alvida Juma, Ramzan's final Friday, opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.
AIMPLB in a post on X, said, "It is the responsibility of every Muslim in the country to strongly oppose this bill (Waqf Amendment Bill 2025). The All India Muslim Personal Law Board appeals to all Muslims to wear a black armband while coming to the mosque on Jumu'atul Wida as a silent and peaceful expression of grief and protest."
The letter further said that the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 was "a sinister conspiracy aimed at depriving Muslims of their mosques, eidgahs, madrasas, dargahs, khanqahs, graveyards, and charitable institutions."
It also noted that, "the strong protests by Muslims at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Dharna Sthal in Patna have at least caused a stir among BJP's allied parties. Now, a massive protest is also scheduled to take place in Vijayawada on March 29, 2025."
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has also adopted a resolution on Thursday opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, introduced by Chief Minister MK Stalin. During the assembly session, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister said that the bill discriminates against Muslims.
"The central government is inserting schemes that are against state rights, culture, and tradition. In India, various cultures, traditions, and languages are present, but they are doing it with the intention of taking revenge on the states. The Waqf (Amendment) bill is against Muslims," CM Stalin said in the assembly.
The 1995 Waqf Act, which governs Waqf properties, has faced criticism regarding property mismanagement, corruption, and unauthorised occupations.
The proposed amendments introduce a series of changes designed to modernise the Waqf system. Among the key provisions are stricter regulations governing the registration and monitoring of Waqf properties.
Source:indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/all-india-muslim-personal-law-board-urges-muslims-to-wear-black-bands-on-alvida-juma-to-protest-waqf-bill/articleshow/119626912.cms
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Not even poor Muslims spared under present waqf law: Pralhad Joshi
Mar 28, 2025
New Delhi: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill aims to protect properties of all communities from falling prey to “arbitrary” waqf claims, as even poor Muslims have not been spared under the current law, minister for renewable energy, parliamentary and consumer affairs Pralhad Joshi said on Thursday.
He emphasised that the bill is not against Muslims but seeks to prevent wrongful acquisitions, including those affecting poor Muslim farmers.
On renewable energy, Joshi said India is on course to achieve 500 GW capacity by 2030, but land availability and sourcing key materials like polysilicon and wafers remain challenges.
Source:indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/not-even-poor-muslims-spared-under-present-waqf-law-pralhad-joshi/articleshow/119622112.cms
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Delhi HC refuses to stay criminal proceedings against activist Sharjeel Imam in 2019 Jamia violence
March 28, 2025
The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to stay criminal proceedings in the 2019 Jamia violence case in which a trial court has ordered framing of charges against activist Sharjeel Imam.
Justice Sanjeev Narula also issued notice and sought response of Delhi Police on Mr. Imam’s plea challenging the trial court’s March 7 order to frame charges against him in the case. “I am not staying any order right now. You (police) file the reply and we will hear the matter,” the judge said while posting the case for hearing on April 24.
Mr. Imam has challenged the trial court’s order in which the court said he was not only an instigator but also one of the “kingpins of a larger conspiracy to incite violence” and ordered framing of charges against him.
“The impugned order has been passed without any due application of mind and appreciation of the evidence on record and is ex facie illegal...it fails to record any finding in regard the essential ingredients of the offence of 153A (promoting enmity between groups) of IPC being met prima-facie, contradicts its own findings, wrongly reads the speech in question,” Mr. Imam’s petition said.
The plea said the trial court ignored the most relevant parts and failed to even record a single piece of evidence connecting the petitioner’s speech dated December 13, 2019 to the violence which took place on December 15, 2019.
The trial court, in its order, observed that Mr. Imam’s speech of December 13, 2019 near Jamia Millia Islamia University was “venomous” and “pitted one religion against another” aside from being “indeed a hate speech”.
The court was hearing the case against Mr. Imam and others against whom a case was registered at the New Friends Colony Police Station under various provisions of the IPC, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP) and Arms Act.
Delhi Police’s Crime Branch is investigating the matter.
Source:thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/delhi-hc-refuses-to-stay-criminal-proceedings-against-activist-sharjeel-imam-in-2019-jamia-violence/article69382142.ece
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Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu attends iftar dinner, vows to protect Waqf board properties
Mar 28, 2025
VIJAYAWADA: Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu attended the govt's iftar dinner and offered special prayers alongside Muslim religious leaders on Thursday. Addressing the gathering, he emphasised TDP's long-standing support for the Muslim community.
"We are committed to the economic upliftment of underprivileged Muslim families. TDP has always been a strong ally of the community and will continue to protect Waqf board properties. It gives me great joy to participate in iftar celebrations, which I have been attending for the past 40 years. Ramadan is a sacred month that symbolises discipline, charity, and spiritual reflection. I deeply respect the devotion of my Muslim brothers who observe strict fasting during this holy month," he said.
Highlighting TDP's contributions, he said Muslims benefited significantly under TDP governance. "It was NT Rama Rao who first established the finance corporation for Muslims. We made Urdu the second official language, built the Haj House in Hyderabad, and worked to protect Waqf board properties. We established two Urdu universities — one in Hyderabad and another in Kurnool — after bifurcation. The previous govt halted plans to build a Haj House in Vijayawada, but we are committed to making it a reality," he added.
Source:indiatimes.com
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Muslim boy returning from Eid shopping brutally assaulted by policemen in Uttarakhand
March 27, 2025
A shocking incident came to light on Tuesday from Uttarkhand’s Rudrapur where a Muslim boy was brutally assaulted by police officers while he was returning home after Eid shopping.
The 14-year old victim, Aarish has alleged that the policemen were drunk and were in plain clothes who attacked, handcuffed and assaulted him while at the Rampura police outpost while he was fasting.
When Aarish’s family arrived, he was allegedly threatened by the policemen that he would be taken to jail. Aarish’s father, Atiq filed a police complaint at the Kotwali police station accusing the police of torturing his son for no reason.
Speaking to the media, Aarish alleged, “When I was returning after Eid shopping on my bike, I was stopped by policemen who thrashed me, pulled my bike keys and took me to the police outpost.”
The accused have been identified as Vijay and Mahesh. Aarish detailed the assault and alleged that when they saw his skull cap they hit him more with a belt. He added, “When I told them to stop and mentioned I was fasting, they assaulted me even more.”
A photo of Aarish shared online shows the severity of his injuries on his back. After the incident came to be known, Congress leaders Mohan Kheda and Sanjay Anuja from the Traders’ Association went to the Kotwali police station to bring the issue to authorities’ attention.
Rudrapur CO Prashant Kumar said that an investigation will be launched if he receives a complaint regarding the assault of a minor.
Source:muslimmirror.com
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After ordering Mosques to be covered during Holi, Police imposes new restrictions on Eid prayers
March 27, 2025
As Eid nears, Sambhal police have announced stringent laws on Eid prayer and use of loudspeakers. The Superintendent of Police announced that Eid prayers will only be allowed at allocated mosques and Eidgah laying complete prohibition of public prayers on roads and rooftops.
Additionally, more police personnel are set to be deployed during Eid alongside surveillance measures including CCTV and drones in “conflict-prone areas,” said officials.
Addressing a peace committee meeting on Wednesday held at sardar kootavali CO Anuj Chaudhary, known for his controversial remarks during Holi stated if you want to serve seviyan (vermicelli) on Eid you must also eat gujiya on Holi.
“We aim to bring peace to the place where we live so that everyone has faith in us. If you want to serve Eid seviyan, you will have to eat Holi’s gujiya too,” Chaudhary said during the meeting.
“They should eat gujiya and we should eat seviyan but the problem starts when one side is willing to cooperate while the other isn’t. That is when the brotherhood breaks down,” he added.
Earlier during Holi Chaudhary had faced backlash after stating that there are 52 Fridays in a year and Holi comes only once. If someone had problems with colours being thrown at them,they should rather stay in doors.
Additional Superintendent of Police ASP Shri Chandra announced, “Namaz will only be offered at traditional places; people won’t be allowed to gather unnecessarily on rooftops and the use of loudspeakers will be regulated to avoid any inconvenience.”
People have been ordered to maintain communal harmony during upcoming festivals like Eid, Navratri and ram navami. It is not allowed to offer prayer on the street and the use of loudspeakers will also be restricted from now on,” said Vandana Mishra, sub-divisional magistrate, affirming the issued directives.
Now with new laws imposed in Sambhal during Eid on Muslim raises questions about selective restriction on muslim religious practices and festivals, drawing objections from locals, activists and critics who view this as a step towards cornering and punishing only Muslims in a place that witnessed communal unrest.
Source:muslimmirror.com
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Thackeray slams BJP’s ‘Saugat-E-Modi’ kits, calls it Satta Jihad
Mar 28, 2025
MUMBAI: Even as the BJP’s Maharashtra unit is busy distributing ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ kits among Muslims ahead of Ramzan Id, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday slammed the party’s cynical move. “It’s Saugat-E-Satta with an eye on the Bihar polls,” he said. “One can call it the Satta Jihad of the BJP. The party provokes ordinary Hindus to communal hatred and riots and then embraces the Muslim community for the sake of power.”
The 3.2 million ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ kits contain vermicelli, nuts, dry dates and other ingredients for sheer korma, the delicacy prepared on Ramzan Eid. The Maharashtra BJP has also planned functions at 100 places in the state to distribute the kits, while the party’s minority cell’s Mumbai unit will distribute kurta-pyjama sets to 7,000 staff members of mosques. It plans to distribute around 100,000 such kits across the state.
Interestingly, the Mahayuti government which distributed ‘Anandacha Shidha’, a food kit, on the occasion of eight festivals in the last two and a half years, did not distribute it for Ramzan or Bakri Eid.
At a press conference at Shiv Sena Bhavan, Thackeray remarked on how the BJP had moved from ‘Batenge to Katenge’ to ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ just before the Bihar elections. “During the Lok Sabha campaign, Modi also said that ‘they’ would steal the mangalsutras of Hindu women,” he said.. Now with this Saugat-E-Modi, are the mangalsutras of Hindu women safe?”
Thackeray, who has often been taunted for “giving up Hindutva” after he snapped ties with the BJP and formed a government with the Congress and NCP, asked what the BJP was doing now. “They have given up Hindutva for power and they should announce it officially,” he remarked.
Sachin Sawant, general secretary, Maharashtra Congress, said the BJP was distributing saugat but did not want to give Muslims equality as per the provisions of the Constitution. “The community has been getting secondary treatment for the last ten years under Modi,” he said.
In some areas, party office-bearers are facing resistance from Muslims, given the backdrop of the BJP’s anti-Muslim campaign during the elections last year. Idris Multani, state president of the BJP’s minority cell, however, denied this. “The kits are being distributed in Modiji’s name, and therefore there is no resistance from the community,” he said. “Our party targets only anti-national Muslims, and the nationalist Muslims stand by us.” Multani also insisted that the move was not appeasement since it was initiated and partly funded by the minority cell workers, who were always in touch with locals.
Wasim Khan, Mumbai president of the BJP minority cell said, “The Muslim community has been welcoming our steps, although there is resistance from the clerics and staff in masjids, as they do not want to participate in it openly,” he said. The Mumbai unit has procured the kit at ?314 and the kurta pyjama sets at ?340.
BJP’s Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, said, “The Saugat-E-Modi is not a drive but a guarantee of development. We have given basic amenities to people across the country under Modiji. Hindutva is in our DNA.”
Source:hindustantimes.com
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Umbrella body of 12 Muslim organisations in Gujarat to hold awareness programmes against proposed UCC
March 28, 2025
A statewide public awareness programme will be organised across Gujarat to educate and mobilise the community against the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, according to one of the resolutions passed during the meeting of Gujarat Muslim Hit Rakshak Samiti convened in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The meeting was held to discuss the implications of the UCC and formulate a collective response.
The Samiti is an umbrella body of 12 organisations from Gujarat.
After extensive deliberations, the resolutions that were unanimously adopted included special meetings with religious scholars, legal experts, and community leaders to ensure a well-structured and legally sound response. Officially invited by the UCC panel, the committee members will finalise and submit bullet points by April 3 highlighting the concerns.
“The Samiti will also engage with lawmakers, social organisations, and legal experts to present a strong case against the implementation of UCC along with launching a dedicated media and social media campaign to highlight the concerns of the community and spread awareness about its (UCC’s) impact,” Sagirahmed Ansari, core committee member of Gujarat Muslim Hit Rakshak Samiti, said.
The Samiti has also decided to hold peaceful protests, rallies, and memorandum submissions to the authorities concerned as part of the campaign. Besides, they will coordinate with national and state bodies opposing the UCC to strengthen collective efforts.
The Gujarat Muslim Hit Rakshak Samiti remains committed to safeguarding the constitutional rights of all communities and will continue its efforts in a democratic and lawful manner, Ahmed added.
Source:indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/umbrella-body-of-12-muslim-organisations-in-gujarat-to-hold-awareness-programmes-against-proposed-ucc-9910125/
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Authorities bar night-long prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid
Mar 28, 2025
SRINAGAR: Kashmir’s chief priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday condemned the administration’s decision to disallow night-long Shab-e-Qadr prayers at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.
In a post on X, the Mirwaiz said the authorities had conveyed to the mosque management committee that the masjid would be closed to the people for the Laila-tul-Qadar prayers on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
“It is extremely regrettable and condemnable that the insensitivity of those in power will deprive tens of thousands of Muslims, who for generations visit Jamia Masjid on this night, of spiritual solace and worship, causing them and me great grief and dismay,” the Mirwaiz said. “Preventing people from offering prayers at the Jamia Masjid on this holy night is deeply painful,” he added.
Mehbooba said the decision belied claims of normalcy in Kashmir. “The shutdown of Jamia Masjid on the sacred night of Laila-tul-Qadr represents another example of collective punishment imposed on Kashmiris. The govt which claims & celebrates that it has eradicated separatism persists in viewing every Kashmiri as a potential separatist. Their false narrative of having restored total normalcy is exposed when a historic mosque is closed off to worshippers on a night so deeply cherished by all,” she said.
Last year, too, the Srinagar Jamia Masjid was closed for Shab-e-Qadr after authorities did not allow night-long prayers there for security reasons.
Source:indiatimes.com
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Southeast Asia
Freelance preacher remanded two days from today over alleged sedition in Hindu temple relocation post on Facebook
28 Mar 2025
KANGAR, March 28 — A freelance preacher was remanded for two days, starting today, to assist in an investigation into a sedition case linked to a Facebook post, which could threaten public order.
The lawyer representing the 41-year-old preacher, Zuhair Ahmad Zakuan, along with nine other legal counsel, said the remand order was issued by Magistrate Ana Rozana Mohd Nor.
Zuhair said the case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and Section 298A of the Penal Code. He said this to reporters at the Kangar Court Complex, today.
Yesterday, the media reported that police arrested the man in Taman Melati Indah, Beseri, Kangar, Perlis, before taking him to the Padang Besar district police headquarters (IPD), for remand at the Kangar Court today.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain also confirmed that the man was arrested following a police report lodged at the Dang Wangi IPD, over his social media posts concerning the relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple.
Razarudin said that the complainant requested the police to investigate the preacher, over remarks which allegedly contained seditious elements and defamed the Hindu religion.
On Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, announced that the new temple site, covering an area of 4,000 square feet, is located approximately 50 metres from its original location. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
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Don’t use ‘ummah’ as bargaining chip after dividing Umno, Tok Mat says after Hamzah’s approach
By Malay Mail
28 Mar 2025
SEREMBAN, March 28 – Umno Deputy President Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has reportedly chided those who harp on the struggle for the ummah, or Muslim community, poiting out that their actions often do not match their words.
Sinar Harian quoted him saying the concept has now been diluted to be a political survival strategy, especially when those mentioning it were the ones responsible for dividing Umno by forming splinter parties.
“If they truly cared about the ummah, Umno would not have been divided in the first place,” the politician caled Tok Mat reportedly said at a breaking of fast event yesterday.
“Those now speaking of ummah unity are the same ones who left the party, betrayed it, and pursued their own agendas.
“So, let’s not carelessly use the word ummah when, in reality, they left Umno to form another party with the goal of replacing Umno,” he added.
Mohamad did not mention the target of his remark, but it came following a statement by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Deputy President Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
Hamzah previously said it is open to collaborating with Umno, adding that the two should not be divided if they share the same political vision and goals.
However, Mohamad, who is also the Rembau MP, dismissed Bersatu’s call for reconciliation as lacking sincerity, suggesting it was driven by political uncertainty rather than a genuine commitment.
“Let’s not treat the ummah as a mere bargaining chip. If we truly cared about the ummah, we wouldn’t have split in the first place,” he said.
“If the talk about ummah unity is genuine, I have no issue with it. What matters is that the strength of the ummah is built on sincerity, not for the benefit of certain parties.”
Source:malaymail.com
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Will Raya be on Monday? All eyes on moon sighting as Malaysia prepares for Aidilfitri announcement
By Muhammad Yusry
28 Mar 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — As Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims in Malaysia and around the world are preparing for Aidilfitri.
However, the exact date is only confirmed close to the event, as the Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle.
There is a possibility that Aidilfitri may fall on Monday, March 31 — or later on Tuesday, April 1. Several states have already prepared an additional holiday on Monday, should Aidilfitri actually falls a day later.
In Malaysia, the date of Aidilfitri is determined using two methods: hisab (calculations or mathematics) and rukyah (moon sighting).
These methods determine the start of Syawal, the Islamic month that marks Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
What are hisab and rukyah?
Hisab is a scientific method that determines the moon’s position through mathematical and astronomical calculations.
This method can predict when the hilal, an Arabic word for crescent moon, should be visible, making it precise and consistent. In Malay, this is referred to as anakbulan, or new moon — the first glimpse of the crescent moon.
On the other hand, rukyah is the traditional practice of physically sighting the new moon at designated locations either using the naked eye, telescopes or both.
If the crescent moon is sighted, the new month begins.
It takes the moon 29.5 days to complete a lunar cycle. As a month cannot have half a day, Islamic months are either 29 or 30 days long — never 31.
How does Malaysia determine Aidilfitri?
Malaysia uses a combination of hisab and rukyah. Calculations predict the moon’s position, but officials still conduct physical observations to confirm the sighting.
The process is managed by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Conference of Rulers.
This year, the moon sighting for Syawal will take place this Sunday, March 30, and the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal will announce the official date of Aidilfitri that same night on radio and television.
In Malaysia, it is a popular occasion among families to watch the official announcements together. Each year, those in the Malay community would even play a “game” trying to guess the colour of the Keeper’s baju Melayu.
Moon sighting takes place at 29 official locations nationwide, including Bukit Melawati and Bukit Jugra in Selangor; Baitul Hilal Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Johor; Kampung Pulau Sayak and Alor Setar Tower in Kedah; and KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia follows the ImkanurRukyah criteria, which establish whether the moon is visible based on specific conditions:
1. The moon must have been in conjunction (aligned with the sun and earth) before sunset.
2. One of these conditions must be met:
At sunset, the moon must be at least 2 degrees above the horizon and at least 3 degrees away from the sun.
By moonset, it must be at least 8 hours old.
If the moon is sighted, Aidilfitri falls the next day. Otherwise, fasting continues for one more day to complete 30 days of Ramadan.
The moon sighting process in Malaysia
Announcement of sighting date — The Office of the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal announces the date for moon sighting, usually on the 29th day of Syaaban, Ramadan, or Zulkaedah.
Observation — State Mufti Departments conduct moon sightings at the designated locations after sunset.
Reporting and declaration — Observers report their findings to the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, who makes the official announcement on whether the new month has begun.
This process ensures that Malaysia’s Islamic calendar remains accurate and consistent.
How do other countries decide?
Different countries use different methods:
Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore use both hisab and rukyah.
In Indonesia, for example — the preferred method differs according to the two major Muslim organisations. Muhammadiyah, for example, relies solely on hisab and has declared way in advance in February that Syawal will be celebrated on March 31. Nahdlatul Ulama, which relies also on rukyah, will decide based on observation.
Turkey and Tunisia rely mainly on hisab.
Pakistan, India and Bangladesh depend mostly on rukyah.
The ‘Raya Terkejut’ of 2022
In 2022, Malaysia experienced what became known as “Raya Terkejut” (the surprise Raya) when Aidilfitri was unexpectedly declared a day earlier than expected.
This was because the crescent moon was sighted at multiple locations, even though astronomical calculations had predicted it would not be visible.
The unexpected announcement led to a last-minute rush to prepare for celebrations.
The event highlighted the importance of rukyah and why both methods are needed.
What to expect this year?
As Ramadan began later this year — on March 2 rather than March 1 as expected — Aidilfitri could still be declared one day later than expected, depending on the moon’s visibility.
Malaysians will have to wait for the official announcement on the night of Ramadan 29 to know whether Aidilfitri falls the next day or if fasting continues for another day.
Regardless of the outcome, the use of hisab and rukyah ensures that the Islamic calendar stays accurate while balancing scientific advancements with tradition.
Source:malaymail.com
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‘Charity should never come with conditions’: Shafie claims Warisan faces hurdles in securing venues
28 Mar 2025
KOTA KINABALU, March 28 — Parti Warisan has reaffirmed its commitment to helping the people, even as the party faces increasing difficulties in securing venues for its charitable programs.
A scheduled breaking-of-fast event with Kampung Petagas residents at Al-Jannah Mosque in Putatan was abruptly relocated today due to what Warisan described as “unavoidable circumstances.”
Party president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal revealed that Warisan has repeatedly encountered challenges in finding locations — including mosques and community halls — for its aid initiatives, some of which he himself had inaugurated during his tenure as Sabah Chief Minister.
“We choose accessible venues like mosques so people don’t have to travel far. Charity should never come with conditions,” Shafie told reporters.
At the event, the Semporna MP focused on Ramadan’s spiritual significance, discussing Quranic teachings and Islamic history — not as a religious scholar, he clarified, but as a policymaker experienced in shaping faith-based legislation.
When asked if political interference was behind their venue troubles, Shafie did not directly accuse any party but emphasised Warisan’s determination to continue serving the public.
“As Chief Minister, I ensured no one blocked charitable efforts. Now, even buying ‘kuih’ gets politicised,” he said, referencing a recent incident where his visit to a Ramadan stall was misrepresented online as election campaigning.
Undeterred, Warisan proceeded with a breaking-fast event at Al-Amin Mosque in Kampung Serigai, distributing rice and essentials to over 200 residents.
Shafie urged Muslims to sustain good deeds beyond Ramadan, calling it an opportunity to showcase Islam’s positive values.
Warisan leaders, including vice president Datuk Junz Wong, joined the event. — The Borneo Post
Source:malaymail.com
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‘Restore harmony after temple relocation dispute’
Qirana Nabilla Mohd Rashidi
28-03- 2025
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on relevant stakeholders to restore harmony with all communities following the dispute over a site earmarked for a mosque where a temple was located.
Anwar said the new mosque committee, textile company Jakel Trading SdnBhd and religious scholars should play their roles in strengthening ties with the people, whether they are directly or indirectly affected by the dispute.
“A peaceful nation is a prosperous one. Stability attracts investors and drives business growth. Seeking ethical, respectful resolutions is not a sign of weakness as some critics claim.
“It reflects Madani values – compassion, justice and kindness – not only for Muslims but also for all communities.
“If we only seek to be heroes for our own race, the nation will fracture. True leadership means speaking for all, not inciting division and disregarding truth and justice,” he said at the Masjid Madani groundbreaking ceremony near Jalan Masjid India yesterday.
The mosque is being built on waqf land owned by Jakel Trading, previously home to the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple.
“This is waqf land – a mosque must be built here,” said Anwar.
The government’s decision to construct the new mosque in the city centre was made after careful consideration, ensuring concerns were addressed through meaningful dialogue.
In Islamic law, waqf land is permanently dedicated as a charitable endowment, with its benefits reserved for religious or charitable purposes.
Crucially, the land itself is inalienable – it cannot be sold, gifted or inherited.
“My stance in ministerial meetings has been unwavering. Solutions must come through negotiation, no matter the challenges.
“From the start, I have been firm. I support dialogue and compromise, but our decision stands. This mosque will be built.”
The decision to build the mosque was made to accommodate the growing number of Muslim congregants in the area.
The four-storey Masjid Madani, spanning 12,142sq ft, will house a library, an event hall and an arts and cultural space to introduce Islam to the wider public.
Located on Jakel-owned land at Lot 328, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, the mosque is set for completion within two years and will accommodate around 2,900 worshippers, including 592 in the main prayer hall.
Jakel Trading said it had acquired the land in 2012 and secured construction approval in 2021.
The company’s legal head Aiman Dazuki said construction had been delayed out of respect for the temple’s relocation process, adding that it had also offered to cover the associated costs.
On Tuesday, reports confirmed that the temple management had agreed to relocate, resolving the dispute.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said discussions with stakeholders had helped identify a new 4,000sq ft site for the temple, just 50 metres from its original location.
Source:thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/restore-harmony-after-temple-relocation-dispute-CM13862606
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Groundbreaking for mosque a 'historic' moment, says Zaliha
Mar 27, 2025
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa today said the groundbreaking ceremony for the “Madani Mosque” is a historic moment representing the triumph of wisdom, patience, and the principle of virtue in resolving a sensitive conflict.
Taking to Facebook, Zaliha, who was among federal ministers who attended the groundbreaking ceremony by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, expressed gratitude that textile company Jakel Tradings can proceed with the mosque’s construction after nearly a decade of delays.
Source:malaysiakini.com
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Five killed, eight injured in four-vehicle crash on PLUS Expressway
Bernama
28-03- 2025
KLUANG: Five people, including a two-year-old child, lost their lives, while eight others were injured, in a tragic four-vehicle collision at KM58.1 of the North-South Expressway (PLUS) southbound, here, at 11.30 last night.
Kluang police chief ACP Bahrin Mohd Noh said the accident involved a Volvo lorry, a Toyota Camry, a Proton X50, and a Honda Stepwagon Spada.
Preliminary investigations found that the accident occurred when the front tyre of a northbound lorry, travelling from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur, burst, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a Toyota Camry in the same lane.
“As a result of the impact, the lorry skidded into the opposite lane and crashed into two oncoming vehicles, a Proton X50 and a Honda Stepwagon Spada,” he said.
“The impact caused the Honda Stepwagon Spada to catch fire, but all occupants were successfully rescued by members of the public at the scene,” he said in a statement, today.
Bahrin said that the victims who died at the scene were the driver and passenger of the Proton X50, identified as Iklil Nuraudah Muhammad Redzaa, 23, and an unidentified man in his 20s, both of whom died at the scene.
“The fatality in the Honda Stepwagon Spada was a two-year-old girl, Mariam Nasaarudin, who died at the scene. Meanwhile, the girl’s parents, Nasaarudin Pardi, 36, and Siti Khazira Bani, 35, who were the driver and front passenger, succumbed to their injuries while being transported to the hospital.
“Eight other individuals injured in the accident were rushed to the hospital for treatment. All victims were taken to Enche Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital in Kluang, and another hospital in Kulai,” he said.
He said that the 35-year-old lorry driver was arrested in connection with the fatal accident.
Meanwhile, Renggam Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Shoromi Salih, in a statement, said that his team received an emergency call at 11.48 pm, and 13 personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene.
“This operation involved an LFRT, an FRT, and an EMRS to extinguish the fire and extricate a victim, who was confirmed dead and trapped inside a vehicle,” he said, adding that the operation concluded at 1.24 am.
Source:thesun.my
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Police arrest freelance preacher over alleged seditious post
Bernama
27-03- 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: Police arrested a freelance preacher today following a Facebook post allegedly containing seditious elements that could threaten public order.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the 41-year-old preacher was detained in Taman Melati Indah, Beseri, Kangar, Perlis, and taken to the Padang Besar District Police Headquarters (IPD).
He said a remand order would be sought on him at the Kangar Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
He explained that the preacher was arrested following a police report lodged yesterday at the Dang Wangi police station regarding his post on the relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple at Jalan Masjid India here to a new site.
“The complainant noticed comments made on social media regarding the outcome of negotiations on the temple’s relocation.
“The complainant has requested the police to investigate the preacher over remarks that allegedly contained seditious elements and defamed the Hindu religion,” he said when contacted.
He said during the interrogation, a total of 24 questions were asked, all of which were answered by the suspect.
“The police have seized a mobile phone to assist in the investigation. The case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said.
On Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa announced that the new temple site, covering an area of 4,000 square feet, is located approximately 50 metres from its original location.
Last Thursday, the media reported that discussions regarding the relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple, which is situated on land owned by Jakel Group, had proceeded harmoniously between the company, temple management, and Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
Source:thesun.my
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South Asia
IEA’s engagement with world moving in positive direction: Muttaqi
March 28, 2025
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a meeting with the Japanese ambassador in Kabul that the engagement of the Islamic Emirate with the region and beyond is moving in a positive direction, adding that the Islamic Emirate wants to have respectful relations with all sides, based on a balanced and economy-oriented policy and without harming others.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Muttaqi called the recent visit of the Islamic Emirate delegation to Japan a constructive step towards expanding bilateral relations and said that such interactions should continue to pave the way for bilateral cooperation.
He emphasized that currently, with nationwide security in Afghanistan, many investment opportunities have been created and Japan can invest in major projects.
Japanese Ambassador to Kabul Takayoshi Kuramaya said that the visit of the Islamic Emirate delegation to his country was a positive step and expressed hope that this visit would play an important role in the relations between the two countries.
He praised the decisive fight against the cultivation and production of narcotics in Afghanistan and assured of Japan’s cooperation in providing alternative cultivation.
He also referred to the working groups of the Doha Process and expressed hope that the joint work between Afghanistan and the international community would yield good results.
Source:ariananews.af
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Muslims across Bangladesh observe Shab-e-Qadr with prayers, devotion
27 Mar 2025
Shab-e-Qadr, also known as Laylatul Qadr, is being observed across Bangladesh, marking the revelation of the holy Quran.
On this occasion, the Islamic Foundation organised a special discussion and prayer session at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Maghrib prayers on Thursday.
The session, focusing on “The Significance and Virtue of Laylatul Qadr”, was led by the mosque’s senior imam Maulana Mufti Md Mizanur Rahman.
This sacred night, occurring during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, marks the revelation of the Quran to Islamic Prophet Muhammad (SM).
In gratitude, devout Muslims spend the night engaging in prayers at mosques and homes.
The night is observed after the Muslims break their fast of the 26th day of Ramadan, in offering prayers and seeking special divine blessings.
The government has declared Friday a public holiday to ensure that the occasion is duly observed.
Special sermons, prayer sessions, and religious gatherings are being held at mosques nationwide following Taraweeh prayers.
Bangladesh Television, private TV channels, Bangladesh Betar, and private radio stations are airing special programmes on the occasion, while newspapers are publishing special articles highlighting the significance of the night.
Speaking on the occasion, Islamic Foundation Director General A Salah Khan said: “Islamic history highlights certain nights that hold greater virtue than others. Among them, Shab-e-Qadr stands as the most significant, as it is the night when the Quran was revealed, guiding humanity towards righteousness until the Day of Judgement.”
Emphasising its spiritual importance, he added: “The Quran and Hadith describe Shab-e-Qadr as superior to a thousand months (Surah Qadr: 3). This means that worship performed on this night is more rewarding than 83 years and four months of devotion. It is a night when Allah’s infinite mercy descends, angels visit the earth, and the doors of forgiveness and supplication are opened for believers.”
Islamic Foundation’s Public Relations Officer Billal Bin Kashem also noted that Shab-e-Qadr is one of Islam’s most revered nights, describing it as “better than a thousand months”, as mentioned in the Quran.
“On this night, Allah showers His immense mercy and forgiveness upon Muslims. It falls on one of the odd nights in the last 10 days of Ramadan, particularly the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th night,” he explained.
He said, “Shab-e-Qadr is not just about one night of worship; it is an opportunity to transform our lives. On this night, we seek Allah’s closeness, offer prayers, repent, and strive for self-purification. However, this should not be limited to one night alone—we must carry its lessons throughout our lives.”
Source:bdnews24.com
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Court declares Ishraque DSCC Mayor
27 Mar 2025
DHAKA, March 27, 2025 (BSS) - A special court here today declared BNP leader Engineer Ishraque Hossain the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
Judge Md Nurul Islam of Dhaka Election Tribunal pronounced the judgment, cancelling the result of the DSCC polls held in 2020. It also canceled the gazette notification that declared Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh winner in mayoral post of that election.
Confirming the matter to BSS, Ishraque's lawyer Taherul Islam Tauhid said the BNP leader filed a case on March 3, 2020, pleading to cancel the 2020 DSCC polls and its result over irregularities, terming those as unacceptable.
Eight officials concerned, including then Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda, returning officer Md Abdul Baten, and DSCC Mayor Fazle Noor Taposh were made respondents in the case.
The Dhaka South and North City Corporations Polls were held on February 1, 2020, where Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Atiqul Islam won from south and north respectively. The Election Commission issued the gazette notification over the polls results on February 2, 2020.
Source:bssnews.net
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https://www.bssnews.net/news/258684
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2 journos attacked at Barishal court
Mar 28, 2025
Two journalists were assaulted while covering an event at the Barishal court premises yesterday afternoon, with assailants also setting fire to a motorcycle, eyewitnesses and victims said.
The injured journalists, N Amin Russell and Monirul Islam, who work for two local dailies in Barishal, were admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for treatment.
According to the victims, the attack was led by Barishal District Chhatra Dal's Organising Secretary, Sohel Rari, and his associates.
Amin said they were reporting on an incident involving the confinement of some accused individuals when they were ambushed near the main gate of the District and Sessions Judge Court while leaving on a motorcycle.
The journalists alleged that Sohel and his group accused them of having links with Awami League before physically assaulting them and setting their motorcycle on fire. Police later rescued them.
Following the attack, local journalists staged a protest, blocking Fazlul Huq Avenue near the court and demanding justice.
Law enforcement, including police and army personnel, arrived at the scene, assuring swift action against the perpetrators.
The journalists withdrew their protest after receiving assurances.
Sohel denied any involvement, calling the allegations a "political conspiracy" against him.Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam said, "We have identified Sohel Rari and others involved in the attack, and an operation is ongoing to bring them to justice."
Source:thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/top-news/news/2-journos-attacked-barishal-court-3858951
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Dhaka dwellers will be safe during Eid
Mar 28, 2025
The government yesterday assured that law enforcement agencies will remain highly vigilant ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr to ensure public safety.
"We hope no unexpected incidents will occur," Nasimul Ghani, senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said while talking to reporters after the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement meeting at the Secretariat.
Asked about security measures for those staying in Dhaka during the extended holiday, the senior secretary said, "Those with vehicles will be able to travel comfortably. Those staying in their homes will also be safe."
He emphasised the responsiveness of the national emergency helpline 999, saying, "You can try calling 999. I personally tested it at 1:00am, and they responded immediately. Police were dispatched right away. Previously, our forces were not as active, but now they are. They are making efforts, and these efforts will continue."
In reply to another query, Nasimul said, "Police officers will not have any holidays. They will remain on duty around the clock. A significant number of people will leave Dhaka, and we are doing our best to ensure a smooth journey for them.
"We are working with local bus owner associations and transport unions to provide security," he said.
Regarding highway security, Nasimul assured that extra vigilance had been implemented.
"Highway police are active, and various measures have been taken. Travellers will witness the security arrangements firsthand during their journeys," he added.
Source:thedailystar.net
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CJ relaxes obligation for SC lawyers to wear gowns due to heat wave
Mar 27, 2025
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has relaxed the obligation for lawyers to wear gowns during hearings of cases at both the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court due to the ongoing heatwave across the country.
The instruction will be effective from April 6 and continue till further notice, according to a notification issued by the SC Registrar General Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan on March 25.
Earlier, the chief justice relaxed the requirement of wearing black coats and gowns by the judges and lawyers of the lower courts and tribunals due to the heatwave.
Another notification to this effect was issued by the SC registrar general on March 24.
The notification said that due to the ongoing heat wave across the country, the judges of all the subordinate civil and criminal courts or tribunals and their lawyers will wear white full shirts or white sarees, salwar kameez, and white neck band or black ties in the changed circumstances.
Source:thedailystar.net
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Agreements Signed for Construction of Seven Power Plants in the Country
2025-03-27
KABUL(BNA): Agreements worth over 20 billion Afghanis were signed today, Thursday for the construction of seven power plants across various provinces. The ceremony took place at the Government Information and Media Center, attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund and other officials.
Dr. Abdul Bari Omar, CEO of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, announced that eight power generation projects, along with four power transmission line projects, have been contracted with both domestic and foreign companies. The total investment amounts to 20.7 billion Afghanis (approximately $292.3 million), with an expected capacity of 228.45 megawatts of electricity.
Dr. Omar emphasized that these projects will provide hundreds of jobs during construction and contribute to Afghanistan’s self-sufficiency in electricity generation. He reassured the public that the company is committed to supplying necessary electricity to citizens and industrialists, leveraging both local resources and international partnerships.
Maulvi Ahmad Jan Bilal, Director General of Emirati Companies, highlighted the critical role of electricity in economic development, asserting that its absence hampers growth. He reiterated the Islamic Emirate’s dedication to meeting the energy needs of the population through domestic resources and attracting foreign investment in the sector.
Acting Minister of Economy Qari Din Mohammad Hanif reinforced the idea that electricity is fundamental to national development and urged the utilization of Afghanistan’s diverse energy resources to achieve self-sufficiency, thereby reducing the financial burden of electricity imports.
The seven power generation projects include: 40 MW solar power in Balkh, 5 MW solar power in Herat, 10 MW solar power in Laghman, 43.2 MW from the first phase of a 200 MW wind power project in Herat, 40 MW solar power in Logar, 40.25 MW solar power in Nangarhar
– 50 MW gas power projects in Jawzjan
Additionally, the power transmission initiatives will involve the construction of the Kandahar East Power Station, the Qalat Power Station in Zabul, and the extension of the 110 kV power line from Kajaki to Kandahar.
In closing, Mohammad Ismail Mohammad Ghazanfar, CEO of Ghazanfar Group, expressed gratitude to the Islamic Emirate for facilitating investor engagement and committed to delivering the projects adhering to international standards and timelines.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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Health Minister Signs MoU to Simplify Healthcare Processes and Improve Services
2025-03-27
KABUL(BNA): The Minister of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, announced a significant step towards enhancing healthcare services during the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at simplifying work processes.
In his address, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali emphasized that the primary goal of the MoU is to improve the quality of healthcare services, increase access, and ensure transparency in operations. He noted that the initiative will streamline work processes, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and prevent time wastage, ultimately addressing the healthcare needs of the population more effectively.
Sheikh Mawlawi Noor-ul-Haq Anwar hailed the simplification of work processes as a major achievement for the government and the Ministry of Public Health. He underscored that this initiative will allow the ministry to manage tasks efficiently and transparently.
During the ceremony, the Minister of Public Health also shared plans for establishing district-level hospitals, recruiting specialists in underserved provinces, and implementing a self-sustaining healthcare system to expand health services.
Sheikh Mohammad Tariq Tawus highlighted the broader implications of the agreement, stating that it applies to all government institutions. He reiterated that the goal is to ease administrative burdens, reduce bureaucracy, and ensure timely and transparent service delivery at both central and provincial levels.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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Amnesty International urges Pakistan to end abuse and expulsion of Afghan Refugees
By Fidel Rahmati
March 27, 2025
Amnesty International has raised concerns over the harassment and mistreatment of Afghan refugees and migrants in Pakistan, calling for an immediate end to these abuses.
The organization has condemned the ongoing violations, particularly in the homes of Afghan migrants, and demanded that Pakistan stop this persecution. In a statement released on March 27, Amnesty International expressed concern that Afghan refugees, who are in the process of resettling in third countries, are at risk of deportation.
According to the organization, these refugees face the imminent threat of being forcibly returned to Afghanistan, where they could face danger at the hands of the Taliban. Amnesty warned that this could put their lives in extreme jeopardy, violating the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of refugees to places where they would face threats to their safety. The organization emphasized that deporting them to Afghanistan could endanger countless lives and contribute to their ongoing suffering.
The organization labeled the actions of Pakistan as “cruel and ruthless” in its treatment of Afghan refugees. It stated that many refugees are being subjected to violence and abuse while trying to transition to a new life in another country. Amnesty also expressed its disappointment with the lack of sufficient protection for these individuals, highlighting how they are often forced to live in fear and uncertainty due to Pakistan’s actions.
On the same day, Amnesty International also voiced its concerns about the broader situation of Afghan migrants and refugees in Pakistan, calling on the government of Pakistan to cease deportations and provide them with the security they deserve. The organization stressed that these refugees are vulnerable and need urgent support, especially given the current unstable political situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
The ongoing situation underscores the need for international cooperation to protect the rights of refugees and ensure their safety. Amnesty International is urging the global community to take stronger actions to support Afghan refugees and to hold countries accountable for their treatment. In the face of rising xenophobia and systemic abuse, organizations like Amnesty are pushing for more humane and just responses to the plight of migrants and refugees globally.
Source:khaama.com
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WFP warns of potential suspension of malnutrition programs in Afghanistan due to funding shortage
By Fidel Rahmati
March 27, 2025
The World Food Program warns that Afghanistan’s child malnutrition programs may cease without immediate funding, impacting millions of vulnerable children.
The World Food Program (WFP) has warned that without urgent funding, its child malnutrition prevention programs in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria may be suspended within months. The organization needs $1.4 billion to carry out its operations in 56 countries in 2025.
On Wednesday, March 26, the United Nations-affiliated agency issued this warning, stressing that a lack of funds could halt its global efforts to combat child malnutrition in these three countries.
Cindy McCain, the executive director of WFP, stated in a release ahead of a Paris meeting where governments and charities will discuss global hunger and malnutrition: “If we do not act, we will condemn millions of children to a lifetime of suffering.”
The WFP has been facing severe financial challenges, particularly following the suspension of U.S. assistance. Last year, the U.S. provided $4.5 billion of the organization’s $9.8 billion budget, a crucial part of its funding.
The WFP provides food aid and cash assistance to those facing hunger due to agricultural shortages, conflict, and climate change. The organization has also stated that to address malnutrition among 30 million mothers and children across 56 countries in 2025, it will need $1.4 billion, with the situation worsening due to ongoing global conflicts.
The executive director of WFP has warned that its operations in Afghanistan may be halted by May this year if the necessary funds are not secured. Additionally, the organization is scaling down its programs in several other countries as well.
The growing threat of malnutrition in countries like Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria is a direct result of ongoing conflicts and climate change. The WFP’s continued work is vital to combat this crisis, but without adequate financial support, its ability to help millions of vulnerable people is at risk. The international community must step up and ensure the necessary funding to prevent further suffering.
Source:khaama.com
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Pakistan
Armed robbers allegedly gang-rape woman before husband in Faisalabad
By Hammad Ahmad
March 28, 2025
In another distressing case, a woman was allegedly gang-raped in front of her husband by armed robbers in Faisalabad’s Sandal Bar area, police said on Thursday.
The crime allegedly took place in Chak No 62 JB Channan on March 25, 2025, when the couple was returning home from Agriculture University Hostel on a motorcycle.
According to the first information report (FIR), two armed assailants intercepted the couple near a motorway bridge and held them at gunpoint.
They snatched Rs800 in cash, a mobile phone, and the woman’s identity card before taking the husband to an adjacent sugarcane field, where they tied him up.
The suspects then took the woman to the same field, and one of them called a third accomplice on a motorcycle. The third suspect, described as tall and well-built, arrived at the scene.
Police said that all three assailants took turns assaulting the woman before fleeing the scene.
In the FIR, the rape victim’s husband’s stated that he initially searched for the suspects himself before reporting the incident to the police the next day via the emergency helpline.
The victim’s medical examination has been completed, and DNA samples have been sent for forensic analysis, according to authorities.
Police registered a case against unidentified suspects under robbery and sexual assault charges and launched a search operation.
As per SSP Investigation, geofencing of the crime scene led to the detention of three suspects, and further investigations are underway.
It must be noted that in August 2024, two armed robbers allegedly assaulted a married woman in Faisalabad's Chak No. 34 JB, located in Sandal Bar, after looting cash and mobile phones from her husband — suggesting a similar modus operandi.
In September 2020, two robbers gang-raped a mother of two on the motorway within Gujjarpura police's jurisdiction.
The woman, along with her two children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the motorway after running out of fuel.
According to reports, she immediately called a relative and sent him her location, who asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline — 130 — from which she reportedly received no response.
In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window, and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse carrying Rs100,000 in cash, one bracelet, car registration papers, and three ATM cards.
Pakistan has been debating harsher punishments for sex offences following public indignation over high-profile cases.
Lawmakers had considered introducing public hanging of those convicted of the sexual abuse and murder of children but it could have cost Pakistan preferential trade status with the European Union.
Fewer than 3% of sexual assault or rape cases result in a conviction in Pakistan, according to the Karachi-based group War Against Rape.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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Naqvi, Baker discuss Pak-US ties, counter-terrorism efforts
March 27, 2025
The United States has reiterated support to Pakistan in its fight against terrorism as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and US Acting Ambassador Natalie Baker on Thursday discussed bilateral ties, counter-terrorism efforts, and mutual cooperation.
The meeting took place in the presence of Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, US Political Counselor Zach Harkenrider, and Federal Secretary for Interior Khurram Agha.
During the meeting, Ambassador Baker strongly condemned the Jaafar Express attack and other recent terrorist incidents, expressing condolences to the families of the victims.
She reaffirmed US support for Pakistan’s fight against terrorism and emphasised the need for global collaboration to address this challenge.
The discussion also included plans to hold a Counter-Terrorism Dialogue in June and strategies for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan for helping America arrest a senior Daesh operative implicated in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 US service members.
The 2021 bombing at Kabul airport killed also at least 170 Afghans along with US soldiers as they sought to help Americans and Afghans flee in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban takeover.
In today’s meeting with US diplomat, Naqvi stated that Pakistan is taking decisive action against terrorists and developing a comprehensive counter-terrorism policy.
He also acknowledged the United States’ appreciation of Pakistan’s efforts in combating terrorism.
Additionally, the meeting addressed the issue of undocumented Pakistanis in the US, with Naqvi assuring full cooperation for their repatriation.
It was also announced that the Pak-US Caucus meeting will be held in New York on April 30 to further enhance strategic ties between the two nations.
Ambassador Baker also praised the ongoing development projects in Islamabad, recognising Pakistan’s commitment to economic and infrastructure progress.
This high-level engagement highlights the deepening strategic partnership between Pakistan and the US, particularly in security and counter-terrorism efforts.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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Pakistan assails ‘unfair’ US curbs, brushes off bill targeting officials
Baqir Sajjad Syed
March 28, 2025
• FO says bill not official stance of Washington, does not align with ‘current positive dynamics’ of Pak-US relationship
• Denounces export restrictions on 19 Pakistani firms, hails limited Ukraine-Russia truce
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday downplayed the Pakistan Democracy Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in the US House of Representatives, saying that the proposed legislation did not reflect the official stance of the US government.
“The bill being introduced in the House of Representatives is an initiative of a single individual legislator. This is not the position of the US government,” Foreign Office Spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said.
“We believe that the timing and context of the bill does not align well with the current positive dynamics of Pakistan-US bilateral relations based on mutual respect, understanding and non-interference in each other’s affairs,” he said, adding that the legislative process in the US Congress required multiple stages of approval before any bill became a law.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to democratic values and governance, the spokesperson stated, “Pakistan remains committed to constitutionalism, rule of law, protection of human rights and freedom of expression, because it considers democracy a vehicle for prosperity and progress as a nation.”
The Pakistan Democracy Act was introduced on March 24 by US Congressman Joe Wilson and co-sponsored by Jimmy Panetta. The bipartisan bill says that it aims to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Pakistan, citing concerns over the country’s February 2024 elections and the military’s influence over civilian governance.
The legislation proposes targeted sanctions against Pakistani officials, including the army chief, accused of undermining democracy and persecuting political opponents, notably ex-PM Imran Khan. The bill has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees for further deliberation.
The spokesman also denounced the US imposition of export restrictions on 19 Pakistani firms, calling the move “biased and politically motivated”. The sanctions, which were announced on March 25, bar the affected entities from accessing US goods and technology without special authorisation.
“The imposition of export restrictions by the United States unfairly targets Pakistan’s commercial entities without any evidence whatsoever,” he said. “Such biased and politically motivated actions are counterproductive to the objectives of global export controls and obstruct the access to technology for socio-economic development.”
The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added the Pakistani firms to its export control list, citing their alleged involvement in Pakistan’s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes. According to the BIS, these firms acted as procurement agents or front companies facilitating Pakistan’s strategic weapons programmes, often in collaboration with Chinese entities.
Pakistan has consistently denied accusations of illicit proliferation, maintaining that its nuclear and missile programmes comply with international norms.
TTP threat
The FO welcomed the United States’ latest intelligence assessment identifying Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a potential threat, emphasising continued counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries.
“We welcome this acknowledgement of the threat TTP poses,” FO spokesperson Khan said. “And about the second point regarding US counterterrorism cooperation, there has never been a hiatus in that. It has been continuing, and it will continue in the days ahead.”
The statement follows the release of the US Director of National Intelligence’s Annual Threat Assessment 2025, which highlighted TTP’s growing operational capabilities and its ties to
Al Qaeda. The report warns that the group’s resurgence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border could pose a future threat to American interests.
Russia-Ukraine ceasefire
Pakistan also welcomed the recent limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, prohibiting attacks on energy infrastructure and ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
“Pakistan’s position on the Ukraine conflict has been consistent…We have always advocated dialogue and diplomacy, immediate cessation of hostilities and peaceful resolution of this conflict,” he remarked.
Source:dawn.com
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Doctor among three killed in Quetta blast
Saleem Shahid
March 28, 2025
QUETTA: At least three people, including a leading oncologist, were killed and 21 injured in a bomb blast on a major road of the provincial capital on Thursday.
Officials said the target was a police mobile patrolling the area.
Four cops were also injured in the attack.
Police said unknown miscreants planted explosives in a motorcycle and parked it on the Double Road.
The explosives were detonated via remote control as the police vehicle reached the site.
Police cordoned off the area and moved the victims to the Civil Hospital.
“We received three bodies and 21 injured in the Trauma Centre,” Dr Wasim Baig, the spokesman for the Civil Hospital said.
He added that the condition of four injured was critical.
The doctor who was killed in the attack was identified as Dr Meharullah Tareen, woking at a local cancer hospital.
Dr Tareen was getting his car serviced at a workshop near the attack site at the time of the explosion.
The second deceased was identified as Abdul Jabbar, while the identity of the third was unknown.
Fifteen out of the 21 injured have been identified as Ahmed Khan, Sur Gul Khan, Jameel Ahmed, Muhammad Hussain, Shafiq Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq, Hayatullah, Attaullah, Habibullah, Muhammad Bilal, Khalil Ahmed, Noor Ahmed, Faraz Ahmed and Muhammad Yasin.
Police said the powerful blast also damaged several shops in the vicinity.
A fire broke out in the police vehicle after the blast, which was extinguished by firefighters.
The bomb disposal squad also examined the blast site and collected evidence. An investigation has been launched into the attack, while no group has claimed responsibility for it.
Other attacks
At least 14 people have been killed in separate attacks across Balochistan in the past 24 hours.
In Turbat, five people, including a couple and three children, were killed in a grenade attack at their house.
Earlier, six people were killed in an overnight attack on the Coastal Highway in Gwadar.
The attackers blocked the highway and killed the victims — all hailing from Punjab — after disembarking them from a Karachi-bound bus.
Their bodies were sent to their native areas.
Three officials, including an officer of the Counter Terrorism Department, were killed by unidentified attackers in Mastung.
According to Levies officials, two drivers who belonged to Punjab were also kidnapped by armed men in Mastung.
Meanwhile, security forces foiled an attempt to blow up two bridges at the Quetta-Karachi Highway in Mastung.
The explosives planted under the bridge were defused by the bomb disposal squad.
Sources said that unknown men threw a hand grenade at a police station in Hub, which exploded at the gate. No casualty was reported in the attack.
Armed men also opened fire at Attaullah Rind, the sub-dvisional officer of the Panjgur grid station. He was injured in the attack and moved to a hospital.
Condemnation
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the blast and expressed “deep sorrow and regret over the precious loss of lives in the blast”, Dawn.com reported while quoting a statement issued by the PPP.
“Such reprehensible actions during the blessed month of Ramadan reflect the sinister motives of terrorists,” the president was quoted as saying.
The statement added that President Zardari was “praying for the speedy recovery of the injured”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the blast.
According to the statement, shared by state broadcaster PTV on X, the PM expressed grief and offered prayers for the families of the deceased and injured.
He also ordered that authorities “immediately investigate the incident, identify those responsible and bring them to justice”.
The statement added that the PM would “continue the war against the scourge of terrorism until it is completely eradicated from the country”.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the overnight attack in Gwadar.
The chief minister said the targeting of innocent citizens was a “brutal and unforgivable crime”.
The perpetrators would not be able to escape justice, he vowed.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1900758
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Laylatul Qadr observed with religious devotion
March 28, 2025
Laylatul Qadr, the 27th night of the holy month of Ramazan was observed with great religious devotion and respect across the city. Meanwhile, Youm-e-Quds and Jumat-ul-Wida (the Last Friday of Ramazan) will also be observed today.
Various religious organisations and political parties will also marked Jumat-ul-Wida as Youm-e-Quds for the liberation of Jerusalem and express their solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians.
Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen and Imamia Students Organisation, along with other organisations, will take out Jumat-ul-Wida rally from Numaish at 3pm under the Tehreek-e-Azadi Al-Quds Pakistan Movement. The rally will culminate at Tibet Centre. On the 27th night of Ramazan, numerous mosques held Quran completion ceremonies, where those who had recited the Holy Quran during the last ten days of Ramazan were honoured with special awards and turbans.
A large number of worshippers gathered in mosques, and the night was marked by Quran recitation gatherings, Special prayers for repentance and seeking Allah's mercy, Night-long worship, and additional prayers (Nawafil) were offered.
Source:tribune.com.pk
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Jaffer Express back on track from Quetta with 400+ passengers
March 28, 2025
QUETTA: The Jaffer Express restarted operations on Thursday, transporting more than 400 passengers as it set off from Quetta Railway Station towards Peshawar, officials confirmed.
The train service had been suspended since March 11 following a terrorist attack in the Mach area of Kachhi. Railway authorities have now restored operations with heightened security measures in place.
According to the Divisional Superintendent (DS) Railways, extensive security arrangements have been made to ensure the safety of passengers and staff during the journey.
The train departed from Quetta Railway Station at around 9am and is expected to complete its route to Peshawar as per schedule.
The train was hijacked by the militants of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army in Balochistan on March 11. Over 400 passengers were taken hostage, who were recovered after a commando operation by the Pakistan Army.
The military, after clearing the train and rescuing hostages, said it killed 33 attackers. Before the operation began, terrorists had martyred 26 passengers, while four security personnel were martyred during the operation.
Meanwhile, sources have revealed that four suspected facilitators of the terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express were arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).
Source:thenews.com.pk
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‘PTI united under leadership of Imran’, Gohar rubbishes rumours of forward bloc
March 27, 2025
Rubbishing rumours about a "forward bloc" emerging within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the former ruling party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Thursday termed them "baseless speculations".
In an interaction with Geo News, the PTI chairman said that statements about the forward block in his party were “unnecessary, wrong and contrary to facts”.
His remarks came a day after expelled PTI leader Sher Afzal Khan Marwat claimed that the PTI forward block would emerge in the National Assembly and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly — the stronghold of the former ruling party — next month.
In an interview, the former PTI leader claimed that the Imran Khan-founded party won’t be able to launch its proposed protest drive after Eid ul Fitr and advised he former ruling party to accept PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s mediation offer for “face-saving”.
It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI-led opposition alliance is all set to launch a countrywide protest drive against the incumbent government after the Eid. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also announced plans to launch a nationwide protest campaign, along with the PTI, against the government after Eidul Fitr.
Bilawal, while addressing a ceremony at Governor House Lahore earlier this week offered to mediate between the government and opposition to facilitate a national dialogue and defuse the ongoing political tensions in the country.
He said: “I have informed the prime minister that the PPP is willing to act as a bridge between political forces to foster dialogue and cooperation.” The PPP leader said that his party remains open to dialogue with the government to facilitate constructive discussions.
Speaking to Geo News today, Gohar said: “No forward bloc is being formed within the PTI at the provincial or national assembly level.”
PTI is united under the leadership of party founder Imran Khan, he said, adding that the former ruling party was a political party and the difference of opinion among party members was not unusual.
“Difference of opinion does not mean that there is a forward bloc,” he clarified.
Every worker and office-bearer in his party has complete freedom of expression, the PTI chairman added.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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Former foreign secretary Najmuddin Shaikh passes away in Karachi
March 28, 2025
Former foreign secretary Najmuddin A Shaikh passed away early on Friday morning in Karachi, his family said in a statement.
“It is with the most profound sorrow that we announce former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador, Najmuddin A Shaikh, passed away peacefully in his home on early Friday morning in Karachi,” the family said.
“We ask all to offer Surah-e-Fatiha to ease his passage to a more tranquil world.”
His funeral prayers will be held on 28 March (today) after Asr prayers at 5:15pm at the DHA Phase VIII Graveyard in Karachi.
He is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Raana Shaikh; his two children, Nadir and Nermeen; his daughter-in-law Sobia and two grandchildren, Isaad and Lyali; his brothers Riaz, Siraj, Ajaz, and Fareed, and sisters, Waheeda and Raffat, his many nieces and nephews, and a legion of devoted friends.
Shaikh served as a high commissioner to Canada, ambassador to Germany, US and Iran.
He was a former member of the board of governors of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad and a founding member of the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations.
Source:dawn.com
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Acting IHC CJ halts contempt action against court official
Malik Asad
March 28, 2025
ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday stopped contempt proceedings initiated against the deputy registrar judicial by a single-member bench for transferring a petition of Mashal Yousafzai who had sought a meeting with Imran Khan.
The division bench, comprising acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Mohammad Asif, stayed the suo motu proceedings initiated by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan against the deputy registrar and others.
The registrar office had consolidated all the 26 petitions and auxiliary applications related to ex-PM’s jail matters on the request of Adiala Jail’s Senior Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum.
Mr Anjum had sought consolidation before a large bench citing administrative problems for appearing before various benches on identical issues related to Mr Khan’s jail life.
Justice Ishaq Khan had raised serious questions over the legality of the transfer of a contempt petition from a sitting judge without his consent and initiated the contempt proceedings against the court’s officials.
It may be mentioned that an IHC larger bench earlier this year had scrapped the contempt proceedings against the registrar and deputy registrar, security, initiated by Justice Babar Sattar observing that the show cause notice under the contempt law could not be issued to an official who is subject to disciplinary proceeding in the high court.
Deputy Registrar Judicial Sultan Mehmood in his appeal cited the same judgement, through his counsel Barrister Qasim Ali Chohan.
The appeal states that the controversy arose during the hearing of Criminal Original Petition No. 9 of 2025, titled Mashal Azam vs. Gafoor Anjum, etc“.
The case was originally scheduled before a single judge-in-chambers on March 19, but prior to that the acting chief justice ordered the consolidation of all pending visitation-related cases before a larger bench.
The appellant argued that he was merely following directives from the CJ’s office when the matter was reassigned.
The single judge-in-chambers, however, questioned the legal authority of transferring a contempt petition from his court without his consent. The judge subsequently issued orders requiring the deputy registrar to provide documentation justifying the transfer and to explain the legal basis for such administrative actions.
In his appeal, Mr Mehmood has contended that the contempt proceedings are unwarranted and lack substantial justification. He maintains that his actions were purely administrative and in compliance with orders from the CJ’s office.
The appellant further argued that any concerns about procedural irregularities should have been referred to the Administration Committee or the Chief Justice rather than resulting in contempt proceedings.
In his order, which surfaced on Thursday following the March 20 hearing, Justice Ishaq Khan expressed concerns over the procedural aspects of the case transfer, stating that the order appeared contradictory. He pointed out that while the petitioner’s counsel did not press for the transfer of visitation cases, the subsequent consolidation of cases inherently resulted in a transfer.
The court also noted that initial application for transfer was moved under Section 24 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC), which, as conceded by the advocate general, was inapplicable since a bench of a high court is not a subordinate court.
Source:dawn.com
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Power levy would have cut consumer costs
Malik Asad
March 28, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has stayed the government’s plan to collect Rs100 billion from industrial captive power plants under an IMF agreement, which imposed a Rs791 per mmBtu levy to discourage the use of gas by industries for power generation, forcing them to shift to the national grid and using that revenue to cut electricity costs for consumers.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro of the IHC suspended the implementation of the levy following a petition filed by 20 major industrial companies, including Engro Polymer and Chemicals Ltd, Lucky Cement Ltd, and Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd. The court’s interim order will remain in effect until the next hearing, scheduled for April 30.
The petitioners challenged the Off the Grid (Captive Power Plants) Levy Ordinance, 2025, arguing that it was unconstitutional. They contended that the ordinance, promulgated by the president on Jan 30, bypassed parliamentary authority and violated Article 77 of the Constitution, which stipulates that taxes can only be imposed through an act of parliament.
The industrial groups further argued that they already pay sales tax on natural gas under the Sales Tax Act, 1990, and that the grid levy amounts to double taxation. They also claimed that the charge could not be classified as a “fee,” as the government does not provide any corresponding service in return.
Represented by senior advocate Makhdoom Ali Khan, the petitioners maintained that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) is the sole entity authorised to determine gas tariffs under the Ogra Ordinance, 2002. They argued that the separate imposition of the levy exceeds the federal government’s jurisdiction.
Citing Supreme Court precedents (PLD 2015 SC 354 and 2013 SCMR 1337), the petitioners emphasised that executive-imposed taxes without parliamentary approval are unlawful.
The court has issued notices to all relevant parties, directing them to respond by 30 April. Until then, the government is barred from enforcing the levy.
Source:dawn.com
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Man killed as rain, snow trigger landslides in GB
Jamil Nagri
March 28, 2025
GILGIT: A man was killed and another injured in accidents following torrential rains and snowfall in upper parts of Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday.
Life in the northern region has been brought to a standstill as landslides and avalanches blocked major roads, including the Karakoram Highway (KKH), Baltistan Road and Astore Valley road.
The inclement weather also damaged water channels, land communications and electricity infrastructure in many areas.
The KKH was blocked at multiple locations in Kohistan, leaving people stranded in remote areas.
Traffic reportedly resumed at the KKH in Kohistan after it was blocked due to landslides in Ochar area on Wednesday.
Long queues of cars, passenger coaches and trucks were formed on both sides of the KKH.
Meanwhile, landslides blocked the Baltistan road at Malupa and Triko in Rondu of Skardu.
Rescue 1122 said one person died and another injured when a car was hit by falling rocks in Astore on Wednesday.
The car, with two passengers, was travelling from Astore towards Dashkin when the accident took place near Kichak village.
The deceased was identified as Zaheerul Haq. He died on the spot.
The injured man was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for treatment.
Police said Astore Valley road has been blocked at Kicham village after an avalanche hit the area on Thursday.
The local administration said rain and snowfall have continued in the district since Wednesday.
Mirmalik and other areas of upper Astore, which received heavy snowfall, remained disconnected from other areas.
Ghizer, Hunza, Nagar and other areas of upper Baltistan Division received scattered snowfall as temperatures fell below zero degrees Celsius.
Source:dawn.com
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Panel on medical education reforms caps fee at Rs1.8m
Ikram Junaidi
March 28, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Committee on Medical Education Reforms, constituted by the prime minister and headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, on Thursday decided to impose a cap on the annual tuition fee for private medical and dental colleges at Rs1.8 million for MBBS and BDS programmes.
At present, medical colleges have been receiving fees of up to Rs 2.7m. The Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI) has rejected similar fee capping proposals in the past, claiming it was not viable for them to continue medical education in colleges under such proposals.
The key participants of the meeting were Dr Tariq Bajwa (co-chair), Mustafa Kamal, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Nadeem Mahbub, Prof Dr Rizwan Taj, Prof Dr Masud Gondal, Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal, Prof Dr Mahmud Aurangzeb, Dr Riaz Shabaz Junjua, Dr Ghazanfar Ali and Dr Adil H. Haider.
The issue of rising tuition fees in private medical colleges has been a subject of ongoing concern for the public, students, and parents alike.
The PMDC Council previously addressed these concerns in its meetings on June 4, 2022, Dec 10, 2023, and Feb 23, 2024. A sub-committee, led by Prof Dr Masood Gondal, was also formed in response to the council’s decision on Feb 27, 2025, to resolve the issue of excessive fee increase.
The sub-committee, after conducting the thorough analysis over three meetings, consulted stakeholders, including representatives from private institutions and PAMI for comprehensive feedback on the matter.
After evaluating the financial data and justifications provided by the institutions and based on the recommendations of the sub-committee, the Committee on Medical Education Reforms determined that the annual tuition fee for private medical and dental colleges should be capped at Rs1.8 million, with annual increase only based on the CPI inflation rate, applicable for five years for MBBS programme and four years for BDS programme. This fee structure will be publicly declared and enforced, ensuring transparency in the tuition fee determination process.
However, institutions that believe their financial needs require a higher fee of up to a maximum of Rs2.5m will be allowed to submit a detailed financial justification to the PMDC in this regard.
The justification must include a breakdown of the costs driving the need for higher fee, evidence of additional educational services or facilities offered to students and a comparison with other institutions adhering to the standard fee structure.
The committee emphasised that only justified increases will be entertained to maintain fairness and to ensure that medical education remains affordable for the people.
The committee acknowledged the need for private institutions to maintain financial sustainability while ensuring the delivery of best quality education.
An official of the health ministry, wishing not to be named, said that the implementation will remain a challenge for the ministry and the PMDC.
Private colleges are already charging up to Rs3 million from a first year MBBS student.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Thursday directed the PMDC to conduct an independent third-party audit to ensure impartiality. Furthermore, he said the selection of auditors must be carried out through an open and competitive process by giving advertisements in newspapers.
He was visiting the PMDC where he got a briefing from the Council’s President, Dr Rizwan Taj.
The minister emphasised the importance of transparency and accountability in PMDC’s administrative and financial matters. He said the PMDC is a key institution and its decisions and actions have a direct impact on human lives.
“We must always remain mindful of our accountability before God and consider public service as an act of devotion,” he said.
Source:dawn.com
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Mideast
Residents of Gaza Strip cautioned against helping Israel with protests
March 28, 2025
CAIRO: Palestinian groups threatened punishment on Thursday for “collaborators” furthering Israeli goals after the first substantial protests against the war in Gaza and Hamas’ rule.
Hundreds of Palestinians have rallied in recent days in north and central Gaza, some chanting “Hamas out” in a rare show of opposition to the group whose October 2023 raid on Israel triggered a devastating offensive in the enclave.
More demonstrations, which Israel’s government has applauded, were being planned on Thursday.
A statement by the “Factions of the Resistance,” an umbrella group including Hamas, threatened punishment for leaders of the “suspicious movement,” which Palestinians took to mean the street marches.
“They persist in blaming the resistance and absolving the occupation, ignoring that the Israeli extermination machine operates nonstop,” it said.
“Therefore, these suspicious individuals are as responsible as the occupation for the bloodshed of our people and will be treated accordingly.”
Hamas officials have said people have the right to protest, but rallies should not be exploited for political ends or to exempt Israel from blame for decades of occupation, conflict, and displacement in Palestinian territories.
Some protesters said they took to the streets to voice rejection of continued war, adding that they were exhausted and lacked basics like food and water.
“We are not against the resistance. We are against war. Enough wars, we are tired,” said a resident of Gaza City’s Shejaianeighborhood, which saw protests on Wednesday.
“You can’t call people collaborators for speaking up against wars, for wanting to live without bombardment and hunger,” he added via a chat app.
Videos on Wednesday, whose authenticity Reuters could not verify, showed protests in Shejaia in the north where the rallies began and in the central Gaza areas of Deir Al-Balah, indicating the protests were spreading.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the rallies showed Israelis’ decision to renew the military offensive in Gaza after a ceasefire was working.
Hamas police, the group’s enforcers, are again off the streets.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz urged Gaza residents to keep expressing their discontent.
“Learn from the residents of Beit Lahia,” he wrote on X, referring to the first protest. “Just as they did, demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages — this is the only way to stop the war.”
A Palestinian official with a militant group said protests were allowed — but not cooperation with Israel.
“Those suspicious figures try to exploit legitimate protests to demand an end to the resistance, which is the same goal as Israel’s,” he told Reuters via a chat app.
Source:arabnews.com
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US Senator Sanders to force Senate votes on blocking arms for Israel
March 28, 2025
WASHINGTON: US Senator Bernie Sanders said on Thursday he would force votes next week on resolutions that would block $8.8 billion in arms sales to Israel, citing the human rights crisis faced by Palestinians in Gaza after Israel’s bombardment of the enclave and its suspension of aid deliveries.
“(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu has clearly violated US and international law in this brutal war, and we must end our complicity in the carnage,” Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said in a statement announcing his plan.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli campaign in Gaza, Palestinian officials say. It was launched after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, leaving hundreds of thousands of people sheltering in tents or bombed-out buildings.
A decades-long tradition of strong bipartisan support for Israel in the US Congress means resolutions to stop weapons sales are unlikely to pass, but backers hope that raising the issue will encourage Israel’s government and US administrations to do more to protect civilians.
“No humanitarian aid has entered Gaza in more than three and a half weeks since Israeli authorities announced a complete blockade – that’s no food, water, medicine, or fuel since the start of March,” Sanders said in a statement.
Last month, the UN Human Rights Chief accused Israel on Wednesday of showing an unprecedented disregard for human rights in its military actions in Gaza and said Hamas had violated international law.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly in November to block three resolutions introduced by Sanders that would have halted transfers of weapons approved by the administration of then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat whom progressives criticized as doing too little to help Palestinians as conditions in Gaza worsened.
President Donald Trump, who began a second term on Jan. 20 and is a fierce advocate for Israel, has reversed Biden’s efforts to place some limits on what arms are sent to Netanyahu’s government.
Last month, Trump sidestepped the congressional review process to approve billions of dollars in military sales to Israel.
US law gives Congress the right to stop major foreign weapons sales by passing resolutions of disapproval. Although no such resolution has both passed Congress and survived a presidential veto, the law requires the Senate to vote if a resolution is filed. Such resolutions have at times led to angry debates embarrassing to past presidents.
Source:arabnews.com
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5 Syrian siblings suffocate in house fire in Tripoli
March 27, 2025
BEIRUT: Five children from the same Syrian family were killed in a fire at a residential building in Tripoli on Thursday afternoon.
The three brothers and two sisters are thought to have suffocated in their home after an electricity generator caught fire in the basement of the building in the Al Mina area of the city, according to media reports.
The children’s father, who was not named, works as concierge at the building. He also collects recyclable materials, such as plastic and cardboard, which he stored in nylon sacks at the family home.
It is thought these items fueled the blaze.
Rescuers from the Lebanese Civil Defense and the Lebanese Red Cross paramedic teams rushed to the scene to tackle the fire and treat the victims.
The five siblings were identified as Mohammed, Mahmoud, Houssam, Amani and Alaa. Their bodies were taken to three hospitals in the city.
Three other people received medical treatment at the scene, the reports said.
A source from the Lebanese Internal Security Forces told Arab News that an investigation had been launched to determine the cause of the fire.
The children’s mother had been out shopping for Eid clothes for the siblings when the fire broke out. Video footage shared on social media showed her collapsing at the entrance to the building after discovering the tragedy on her return.
Source:arabnews.com
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Chinese ambassador affirms respect for Syria’s sovereignty during meeting with FM
March 27, 2025
LONDON: Asaad Al-Shaibani, Syria’s foreign minister, received a delegation from China headed by the ambassador to Syria, Shi Hongwei.
Shaibani welcomed China’s stance on the continuing Israeli violations of Syria’s sovereignty in the southern region of the country, the SANA agency reported on Thursday.
The Chinese ambassador affirmed his country’s respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and independence, as well as its non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. He highlighted China’s backing for Syria during its post-civil war transition.
Israel has continued its bombing campaign in Syria even after the ousting of Bashar Assad, whose regime came to an end last year after a rebel advance forced him to flee to Russia.
An Israeli attack this week on the Syrian village of Kuwayya in the southern Daraa province led to the death of at least six civilians.
Shaibani and Hongwei expressed their willingness to enhance cooperation and achieve prosperity, progress and peace between both countries, SANA added.
Source:arabnews.com
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Egypt sees positive signals on Gaza ceasefire talks, sources say
March 27, 2025
CAIRO: Egypt, one of the mediators in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, has received positive indications from Israel over a new ceasefire proposal that would include a transitional phase, security sources told Reuters on Thursday.
The proposal suggests Hamas release five Israeli hostages each week, sources said.
A security delegation from Egypt has left for Qatar for talks, which will include increasing aid to the enclave and releasing remaining hostages, state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Thursday.
Violence has escalated in Gaza since a January truce broke down on March 18 after two months of relative calm.
Asked about the latest proposal, a Palestinian official close to the mediation efforts said “there are some offers that look better than the previous ones.”
When asked if he expects an announcement on a breakthrough on Thursday, he replied: “Maybe not yet.”
There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on the proposal, but a spokesperson said there is currently no Israeli delegation in Doha.
Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the truce, which had offered respite from war for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble.
Hamas, which still holds 59 of more than 250 hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7, 2023 attack, accuses Israel of jeopardizing efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting.
Israel says it would be willing to extend the ceasefire temporarily if Hamas releases more hostages, but without moving yet to a second phase during which it would negotiate a permanent end to the war.
Israel also said it won’t accept Hamas prescence in the enclave and added it wanted to extend the ceasefire’s temporary first phase, a proposal backed by US envoy Steve Witkoff
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, Gaza health officials say.
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Lebanon Druze leader accuses Israel of exploiting minority in Syria
March 27, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has accused Israel of exploiting followers of his minority faith in Syria as part of a broader plan to divide the Middle East along sectarian lines.
Israel wants “to implement the plan it has always had... which is to break up the region into confessional entities and extend the chaos,” said Jumblatt, a key figure in Lebanese politics for more than four decades.
“They want to annihilate Gaza, then it will be the West Bank’s turn... they are trying to destabilize Syria, through the Druze but also others,” he told AFP in an interview Wednesday.
“It’s a dangerous game.”
Israel has been making overtures toward Syria’s Druze community since Islamist-led rebels ousted longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December after more than 13 years of war.
Since then, Israel has sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone along the armistice line on the Golan Heights, and war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported regular Israeli incursions deeper into southern Syria.
The Druze faith has followers in Israel, Lebanon and Syria, including the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
They account for about three percent of Syria’s population and are concentrated in the southern province of Sweida.
This month, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said 10,000 humanitarian aid packages had been sent to “the Druze community in battle areas of Syria” over the past few weeks.
“Israel has a bold alliance with our Druze brothers and sisters,” he told journalists.
Israel also authorized the first pilgrimage in decades by Syrian Druze clerics to a revered shrine in Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would not allow Syria’s new rulers “to harm the Druze,” following a deadly clash between government-linked forces and Druze fighters in the suburbs of Damascus.
Druze leaders rejected Katz’s warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.
Druze representatives have been negotiating with Syria’s new authorities on an agreement that would see their armed groups integrated into the new national army.
The talks had almost reached completion but “Israeli pressure” on some parties prevented the accord from being finalized, a source close to the negotiations told AFP, requesting anonymity as the matter is sensitive.
Jumblatt noted that during the French mandate in the 1920s and 1930s, “Syria was divided into four entities: an Alawite state, a Druze state, the state of Damascus and the state of Aleppo,” the latter two being Sunni Muslim.
“The Druze, with the other Syrian nationalists, were able to prevent the division of Syria” by launching a revolt and the plan later collapsed, he said.
He expressed hope that any new division of Syria could be avoided, appealing to Arab leaders to support interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
Jumblatt in December was the first Lebanese official to meet Sharaa after his Islamist group spearheaded the offensive that ousted Assad.
Sharaa told Jumblatt that Syria would no longer exert “negative interference” in Lebanon, after Assad’s dynasty was accused of destabilising Lebanon for years and assassinating numerous Lebanese officials, including Jumblatt’s father.
Kamal Jumblatt, who founded the Progressive Socialist Party and opposed Assad’s father Hafez over his troops’ intervention in the Lebanese civil war, was killed near the Syrian border in 1977.
This month, Syrian security forces arrested former intelligence officer Ibrahim Huweija, suspected of numerous killings including that of Jumblatt’s father.
“He’s a big criminal, he also committed crimes against the Syrian people and should be tried in Syria,” Jumblatt said.
Lebanon’s new authorities have been under pressure since a devastating war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, an Assad ally, Jumblatt said.
“The Americans want Lebanon to normalize ties with Israel,” he said.
Under a November ceasefire, Hezbollah was to withdraw fighters from the border area and dismantle its military infrastructure there.
The Israeli army was also to withdraw but troops are still deployed in five positions inside Lebanon that it deems strategic.
Source:arabnews.com
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Aoun: Hezbollah is cooperative on the weapons issue
NAJIA HOUSSARI
March 27, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said that “the Lebanese army is carrying out its duties fully in southern Lebanon,” adding that “the state is committed to implementing Resolution 1701.”
He also announced that “Hezbollah is cooperative on the weapons issue,” noting that “dialogue is the key to solutions.”
His statements came on the eve of his expected visit to Paris and his participation in a summit with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
In an interview with France 24, Aoun said that “the ceasefire agreement must be upheld by all parties,” noting that “Israel is the one violating this agreement by remaining in the five hills, while Lebanon seeks to preserve this agreement.”
He added: “Diplomatic calls are being carried out regarding this matter, and guarantees must come from France and the US, which are partners in the Quintet Committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the agreement.”
Aoun affirmed Lebanon’s commitment to reforms,” adding that “we don’t have any other option.”
He said: “Reforms are more a Lebanese necessity than an international demand.”
Meanwhile, the Cabinet held a meeting at the Presidential Palace, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, during which a new central bank governor was appointed.
The governor was chosen by voting rather than consensus, but Salam, the Sunni ministers in the government, and ministers Tarek Metri and Ghassan Salameh did not vote for the new governor.
The appointment of Karim Saeed came after a prolonged vacancy in the governorship, which resulted from the failure to elect a president for the republic for more than two years, alongside the arrest of the former central bank governor, Riad Salameh, on charges of embezzlement.
The new governor received 17 votes out of 24, following his responses to the ministers’ questions.
Saeed, 61, was included in a list of three names submitted by Finance Minister Yassine Jaber to the Cabinet, alongside Eddy Gemayel and Jamil Baz.
Saeed’s name is associated with what is known as the “Harvard Plan” for addressing the economic crisis in Lebanon, which was funded by Growthgate Capital.
Saeed is a founding partner and managing partner at Growthgate Equity Partners in the UAE, a firm specializing in alternative asset management that invests in private companies throughout the Middle East and North Africa. He previously held the position of general manager of Investment Banking Services at HSBC.
Additionally, he served as a board member at Emirates Lebanon Bank.
Meanwhile in southern Lebanon, Israeli military drones killed four people in less than 24 hours.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji received a phone call from his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Ati. The two men discussed “Egypt’s efforts to curb Israel’s ongoing escalation in southern Lebanon, urging it to withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories and adhere to the declaration of a ceasefire.”
Two guided missiles hit a car in Yohmor Al-Shaqif, resulting in three deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.
Israeli army spokesman AvichayAdraee claimed that the missile strikes targeted Hezbollah operatives who were reportedly transporting weapons.
The Ministry of Health also reported the death of another man, who was killed by an Israeli drone strike near Maaroub, Tyre.
The Israeli army claimed responsibility for killing “Ahmad Adnan Bajjiga, a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, in the Derdghaiya area of southern Lebanon.”
Security reports indicate that Israel has resumed its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire agreement between the two parties, which went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024.
These attacks have resulted in at least 105 deaths — comprising Hezbollah members, civilians and military personnel — and left around 300 others wounded.
The war, which Hezbollah launched in support of Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, along with the subsequent ground war initiated by the Israeli army in Lebanon until the cessation of hostilities on Nov. 27, 2024, has killed 3,961 and injured 16,520, according to the Emergency Committee.
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Lebanon cabinet appoints wealth manager central bank governor: official media
March 27, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s cabinet on Thursday named asset manager Karim Souaid as central bank governor, official media reported, a post crucial to implementing economic reforms demanded by the international community.
He was appointed despite reservations of new reformist prime minister Nawaf Salam, who called on Souaid to commit to the government’s reform agenda in a country enduring a five-year economic collapse widely blamed on official mismanagement and corruption.
“The cabinet appointed Karim Souaid as central bank governor,” the official National News Agency said.
Born in 1964, Souaid officially takes over after embattled former chief Riad Salameh’s term expired in July 2023 with no designated successor.
Divided politicians had since failed to agree on a permanent replacement for Salameh, who has been accused at home and abroad of financial crimes.
First vice-governor Wassim Manssouri had been acting head of the central bank, a post that is traditionally reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system of governorship.
Souaid is the founder and managing partner at Gulf-based Growthgate, according to his biography on the private investment firm’s website.
It says he previously worked at financial establishments including HSBC Bank and has been involved in privatization initiatives in a number of Arab countries.
Some local media have reported that Souaid is close to the banking sector and members of Lebanon’s entrenched ruling class.
Salam said he had “reservations” about Souaid’s appointment but did not give specifics except to cite his “desire to protect depositors’ rights and preserve the state’s assets.”
He said Souaid “must adhere, from today, to the financial policy of our reformist government... on negotiating a new program with the International Monetary Fund, restructuring the banks, and presenting a comprehensive plan” to preserve depositors’ rights.
Lebanon’s new authorities need to carry out reforms demanded by the international community to unlock bailout funds.
The economic crash since 2019 has seen the local currency lose most of its value against the dollar and pushed much of the population into poverty, with people locked out of their savings.
Salam also said the cabinet approved Thursday “a draft law aiming to modify legislation on banking secrecy.”
In April 2022, Lebanon and the IMF reached conditional agreement on a $3-billion-dollar loan package, but painful reforms that the 46-month financing program would require have not been undertaken.
Earlier this month, the IMF welcomed the new Lebanese government’s request for support in addressing the country’s severe economic challenges.
In February, it said it was open to a new loan agreement with the country following discussions with its recently appointed finance minister.
Beirut-based think tank the Policy Initiative in a statement Wednesday said that the nomination of central bank chief would “test the new government’s commitment to genuine reform.”
“The next governor will shape Lebanon’s urgent reform agenda, serve as the main counterpart to the International Monetary Fund, and directly engage in sovereign debt restructuring negotiations” alongside the finance ministry, it said.
Souaid studied law at Lebanon’s St. Joseph University and at Harvard Law School in the United States, according to his biography.
He has also worked as a corporate finance attorney in New York, and is a member of the New York State Bar Association, it says.
The central bank governor in Lebanon is named by cabinet decree for a six-year mandate that can be renewed multiple times, based on the finance minister’s recommendation.
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Palestinian Red Crescent staff members missing in Rafah during Israeli onslaught
March 27, 2025
LONDON: The Palestinian Red Crescent Society on Thursday said that several of its staff members had been missing for almost five days in the southern Gaza Strip during the Israeli onslaught.
The Red Crescent urged the international community to intervene and allow rescue crews access to the Tel Sultan area in the city of Rafah to determine the fate of the missing paramedics.
It expressed concern for the safety of its nine staff members in Rafah over the past five days and held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for their fate.
Israel resumed its military campaign in the Gaza Strip last week after the collapse of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. In the past 24 hours, at least 25 Palestinians were killed and 82 injured in the coastal enclave as the Israeli attacks continued, the WAFA agency reported.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported 50,208 fatalities and 113,910 injuries since late 2023, with the majority of victims being women and children, according to WAFA.
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Arab World
Haram authority provides diverse services to 4000 itikaf observers from 120 countries at Prophet's Mosque
March 28, 2025
MADINAH— The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque has provided 12 on-site services to care for 4,000 itikaf observers from 120 nationalities, who are spending their period of itikaf in 48 designated areas within the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.
Itikaf is a ritual of remaining in seclusion at a mosque for the last 10 days of Ramadan. During this time, they dedicate themselves to acts of worship, including prayer, Qur’an recitation, and supplication, until the conclusion of the itikaf period on the last night of Ramadan.
The services provided to itikaf observers include daily meals, water supply services, and personal and health services. The services also include multilingual translation, awareness and guidance screens explaining the itikaf requirements, luggage storage lockers, medical and first aid clinics, sleeping and comfort essentials, laundry services, charging stations for mobile devices, and a personal care kit for each observer. Each itikaf observer also receives a wristband to facilitate entry and exit from the designated itikaf areas.
The authority has urged itikaf observers to adhere to several requirements throughout this period, including dedicating their time to prayer and other acts of worship, avoiding disturbances during tarawih and night prayers, maintaining tranquility within the Prophet's Mosque, wearing clean and presentable attire, using pleasant fragrances, and refraining from any behavior that may inconvenience fellow observers.
They are also encouraged to contribute to keeping the mosque clean, ensure their belongings are stored in designated lockers, remain within their assigned areas according to their registration number, follow health guidelines, and comply with safety instructions when using movement pathways for entry and exit. It is also prohibited to bring unauthorized food, beverages, or luggage into the itikaf areas, hold study sessions, receive visitors, or bring children to the itikaf sites.
Source:saudigazette.com.sa
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Saudi minister awards ICDO medal to acting representative of the National Guard
March 28, 2025
RIYADH: Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, minister of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, awarded acting representative of the National Guard, Maj. Gen. Saleh bin Abdulrahman Al-Harbi with the Knight Medal of the International Civil Defence Organization.
The Knight Medal is a prestigious honor awarded by the ICDO in recognition of exceptional service to the organization and outstanding contributions to advancing civil defence efforts on a global scale.
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How researchers in Saudi Arabia leveraged AI in the fight against plastic pollution
WAAD HUSSAIN
March 27, 2025
RIYADH: In a groundbreaking scientific effort, researchers have leveraged artificial intelligence to unlock a powerful new tool in the fight against microplastic pollution — microscopic protein fragments known as peptides.
These AI-engineered peptides can bind to plastic particles, making it possible to remove microplastics from water more efficiently.
Microplastics — tiny plastic fragments smaller than five millimeters — are now alarmingly widespread in oceans, rivers, soil, and even human bodies. These particles persist in the environment for centuries, threatening ecosystems and public health.
Traditional cleanup methods have struggled to address this growing crisis. Now, a team of scientists from Saudi Arabia, the US and beyond has unveiled a revolutionary solution: biodegradable peptides that latch onto microplastic particles with impressive precision.
Discovered using advanced deep learning models, these peptides could mark a turning point in the global fight against plastic pollution.
“We combined advanced biophysical simulations, which show how short proteins behave on plastic surfaces, with deep learning or AI to spot hidden patterns in those simulations,” Abdulelah Al-Shehri, assistant professor of chemical engineering at King Saud University and the study’s co-author, told Arab News.
“This allowed us to pinpoint specific peptides that latch onto microplastics up to 34 percent more effectively than older methods.”
Unlike conventional filtration methods, these AI-guided peptides offer a scalable, biodegradable alternative that could transform microplastic remediation.
“Essentially, AI guided us to protein sequences that traditional approaches might miss, leading to stronger and more efficient cleanup capabilities,” Al-Shehri added.
While this discovery was initially made in a computational setting, laboratory tests have confirmed the peptides’ real-world potential.
“We recently ran experiments to evaluate how strongly the AI-designed peptides bind to plastic,” Michael Bergman, a PhD candidate at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University, told Arab News
“No one has designed plastic-binding peptides before, and we relied solely on computational predictions for peptide design, so we were curious to see how our computational predictions bear out in experiment.
“Excitingly, the AI-designed peptides did very well. The peptides had much higher affinity for plastic compared to random sequences of amino acids and performed as well as our best biophysical designs.
“This work will hopefully be published in the coming months. Having checked this box, the next step is to apply the peptides to remediate microplastic pollution.”
Bringing these peptides from the lab to real-world applications presents a major challenge: scalability.
“A major obstacle is producing these specialized peptides on a large scale while ensuring they remain stable and effective in different aquatic environments, whether in fresh, salt or even grey water,” Al-Shehri said.
“Beyond manufacturing, there needs to be close collaboration among researchers, policymakers and industry to streamline regulations, secure funding and ensure safe, cost-effective deployment where pollution is most critical.”
Bergman agrees, highlighting the vast potential applications of these peptides.
“We see many possible applications, such as detecting (and perhaps quantifying) microplastic pollution in water using a biosensor, removing microplastics either through filtration or by inducing aggregation, and aiding the adhesion of plastic-degrading organisms to microplastics,” he said.
This breakthrough is particularly relevant for Saudi Arabia, which is balancing its ambitious sustainability goals with its role as a global petrochemical leader.
Maher Al-Rashed, associate professor in plastics science at King Saud University, sees this dual role as an opportunity rather than a conflict.
“Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transition toward sustainability, particularly through Vision 2030, offers a fertile ground for the integration of AI-driven biodegradable peptides as part of a multifaceted strategy to combat plastic pollution,” he told Arab News.
“A practical application could involve incorporating these peptides into wastewater treatment plants in cities like Riyadh and Jeddah, where microplastic contamination in water sources has been documented.”
He also referenced international benchmarks such as France’s Carbios and Japan’s Ideonellasakaiensis as models for Saudi Arabia to adapt and lead in this space.
“Saudi Arabia could adopt similar AI-engineered enzymatic solutions, particularly in industrial zones like Jubail and Yanbu, where high plastic waste output necessitates sustainable disposal methods,” he said.
While peptides offer a powerful new tool for microplastic cleanup, experts stress that they are not a replacement for reducing plastic waste at its source. “Reducing plastic use is crucial to stem the flow of new pollutants,” said Al-Shehri.
“However, we already have a staggering amount of microplastics in circulation, some of which may persist for centuries. AI-powered strategies like our peptide designs serve as a necessary complement to source reduction, actively targeting and removing existing contaminants while broader efforts to improve recycling continue.”
Al-Rashed agrees but adds that for these peptides to be effective long term, they must be optimized for various types of plastics and environmental conditions.
“One fundamental challenge is ensuring that these peptides exhibit substrate specificity… meaning they must effectively degrade a variety of plastic polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene and PET without harming natural organic matter,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of ensuring environmental safety.
“AI-driven peptides must degrade into environmentally safe byproducts. Research conducted by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology is exploring how peptide-mediated polymer degradation can be designed for maximum ecological safety.”
Bringing these peptides from theory to widespread use requires clear regulatory frameworks. Al-Rashed stressed the need for biosafety and industrial scalability.
“From a regulatory perspective, Saudi Arabia would need to establish stringent biosafety and environmental risk assessment protocols before approving the environmental release of AI-engineered peptides,” he said, referencing the role of the Saudi National Center for Environmental Compliance.
On an industrial level, he pointed out that cost efficiency and integration with existing waste management systems would be key factors in success.
“Saudi Arabia’s municipal waste collection and processing facilities are currently optimized for mechanical and chemical recycling, meaning that transitioning to bioenzymatic plastic degradation would require significant infrastructure modifications,” he said.
As Saudi Arabia explores this innovation, researchers like Al-Shehri emphasize the importance of framing the message carefully — especially in a country where the plastics industry is economically significant.
“In essence, microplastic research is as critical as the plastics industry itself,” Al-Shehri said. “We must balance the lifesaving benefits of plastic with urgent research to eliminate and remove these tiny particles from our environment.
“Propelled by innovative academic efforts, short peptides now shine as a new technology in the global effort to combat microplastic pollution. Yet forging true progress — and preserving the plastics industry’s long-term viability — demands concerted efforts and research among governments, industries, academic institutions, and communities alike.”
As researchers worldwide explore how AI can revolutionize science and sustainability, the development of microplastic-binding peptides stands out as a clear example of how data, biology, and innovation intersect.
“There are almost endless possibilities in combining AI with biophysics,” said Bergman. “Of particular relevance to plastic and microplastic pollution is the development of enzymes that break down plastics.
“In recent years, biophysics-guided AI helped optimize an enzyme that rapidly breaks down the plastic PET. Other researchers are looking to optimize similar enzymes for other common plastics like polystyrene and polyethylene.”
From the lab benches of Riyadh to simulation labs in North Carolina, one message rings clear: AI has the potential to reshape how we approach one of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges — and Saudi Arabia is ready to lead the charge.
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Environment ministry intensifies inspection campaigns in Hail
March 28, 2025
HAIL: The Saudi Ministry of Environment has intensified its field monitoring campaigns in Hail.
These efforts focus on slaughterhouses, as well as meat, vegetable and fruit markets, to ensure compliance with precautionary measures and health regulations. The initiative aims to guarantee the safety of food products in preparation for Eid Al-Fitr.
Fahd bin Muidh Al-Hasani, director general of the ministry’s Hail branch, said that monitoring teams operated around the clock. They followed a field plan that included health, awareness and guidance inspections, with increased field visits to public markets and slaughterhouses during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, particularly during peak times when consumer demand was high.
He said that the teams were actively engaged in sanitation and disinfection of slaughter areas to ensure a healthy and safe environment, and emphasized that the regulatory teams would impose the strictest penalties on those who violated health and safety protocols.
He urged store owners to adhere to the regulations and guidelines to avoid penalties that would be enforced in accordance with legal procedures.
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Al-Baha prepares massive holiday celebration
March 28, 2025
AL-BAHA: Residents and visitors to Al-Baha region will experience a festive atmosphere this Eid Al-Fitr as local authorities launch an ambitious program featuring 55 recreational and cultural events across the city.
The municipality has embarked on extensive decorative efforts, adorning the cityscape with 45 artistic sculptures and illuminating 30,000 linear meters of street lamps with decorative lighting. Festive Eid greetings now grace bridge panels, tunnel displays, and electronic screens throughout the region.
“We have prepared 142 parks and gardens and 27 municipal plazas to welcome families during the holiday period,” Al-Baha Mayor Ali bin Mohammed Al-Sawat said.
“These venues, along with specially designated event locations in Al-Baha city and surrounding governorates, will serve as gathering points for our communities.”
Key celebration hubs in Al-Baha city include the popular Raghadan Forest Park, Prince Hussam Park in Al-Qayyim, the Market Square in the central district, and the scenic walkway along Imam Mohammed bin Saud Road in Al-Hawiyah.
According to the mayor, the festivities have been designed to accommodate everyone in the community — from children and families to elderly residents, youth groups, and people with disabilities.
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KSrelief enables Zakat donations to Yemen, Somalia
March 28, 2025
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has enabled people to donate their 2025 Zakat Al-Fitr through the “Sahem” platform, ensuring timely and easy delivery to beneficiaries in Yemen and Somalia.
The Zakat Al-Fitr equals 3 kg of rice per person, and amounts to SR15 ($4) per individual for Yemen, and SR12 for Somalia.
The initiative aims to facilitate the process of Zakat donation and ensure it reaches the most needy groups, in accordance with Shariah regulations.
It is also part of the Kingdom’s efforts, represented by KSrelief’s support of needy people around the world.
The center said that the Zakat Al-Fitr donation can be made through the “Sahem” platform for Yemen and Somalia via the Sahem website.
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Kingdom celebrates Saudi Green Initiative
HAIFA ALSHAMMARI
March 27, 2025
RIYADH: Thursday marked the second anniversary of the Saudi Green Initiative, a Kingdom-wide program designed to increase environmental awareness and motivate people to play their part in securing a healthier future for generations to come.
Its goal to bring people together and bolster community engagement is key to raising the quality of life for all citizens and residents and aligns with the sustainable development goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
"The actions we take today will define the environmental legacy we leave behind,” Dr. Khaled Al-Abdulkader, CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, told Arab News.
He went on to praise the “bold leadership, pioneering strategies, and … unwavering commitment to sustainability” of Saudi Arabia.
The initiative, launched in 2023, seeks to bind sustainable programs with the nation’s broader green objectives, such as reducing toxic emissions, improving afforestation and land restoration, and preserving land and marine ecosystems.
It is also testimony to the leadership’s green vision and drive to position the Kingdom at the forefront of sustainable development on both a local and global scale.
Saudi Arabia’s leading role in protecting the environment was highlighted in December when it hosted the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, or COP16.
The global gathering provided a platform for policymakers, business leaders and other experts to share ideas and insights on tackling environmental challenges and developing a collective path for green transformation.
At the local level, the Kingdom’s leaders have initiated a number of campaigns to raise awareness of the need for sustainable practices.
Among them is Ramadan of Goodness, which encourages people to minimize food waste and be more aware of their consumption of vital resources like electricity and water during the holy month.
It encompasses more than 85 environmental protection and green development programs, including the rehabilitation of 18,000 hectares of degraded land and the reintroduction of more than 7,500 endangered species through breeding programs.
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Saudi Arabia issues royal orders
March 27, 2025
RIYADH: Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz has been appointed as an advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by royal order, Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
In another royal decree, Major General Saleh bin Abdulrahman bin Samir Al-Harbi was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed as Head of the Military Apparatus.
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Saudi Supreme Court urges sighting Shawwal crescent on Saturday evening
March 27, 2025
RIYADH: The Supreme Court is calling on Muslims throughout Saudi Arabia to look out for the crescent moon of Shawwal on Saturday evening, Ramadan 29, 1446, which corresponds to March 29, 2025.
In an announcement on Thursday, the Supreme Court called on anyone who sights the crescent moon the naked eye or through binoculars to report to the nearest court and register their testimony.
The announcement read: “The Supreme Court calls on all Muslims throughout the Kingdom to sight the Shawwal crescent moon on Saturday evening. The Supreme Court requests that anyone who sights it with the naked eye or through binoculars report to the nearest court and register their testimony, or contact the nearest center for assistance in reaching the nearest court. The Supreme Court hopes that those who are able to see it will pay attention to this matter and join the committees formed in the all regions for this purpose, seeking reward and recompense for their participation, as it promotes cooperation in righteousness and piety and benefits all Muslims.”
The sighting of the Shawwal crescent moon marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan that this year began on March 1.
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Pilgrims discover Makkah’s cultural treasures during Ramadan
TAREQ AL-THAQAFI
March 28, 2025
MAKKAH: Pilgrims in the holy city of Makkah are making the most of their stay by exploring its wealth of historical and cultural sites.
The daylight hours of Ramadan are an ideal opportunity for tourists to enjoy sightseeing tours that enrich both their spiritual journey and knowledge.
Makkah has seen steady traffic to archeological sites, with guided tour buses providing organized visits to key historical locations. These excursions enhance cultural awareness about significant places and give visitors an opportunity to engage with the city’s legacy.
Dr. Fawaz Al-Dahas, an expert Makkah historian, highlighted the importance of enriching pilgrims’ experiences by directing them along established routes, helping them discover the pivotal chapters of the city’s history.
Specialized tourism programs allow visitors to maximize their stay while strengthening their connection to the heritage of the two holy cities.
Al-Dahas emphasized the importance of preserving Makkah’s historical value through visits to archeological sites and first-hand exploration of treasures and museums that highlight its cultural significance.
This helped people truly understand the city, which he described as a “global heritage mine” with outstanding landmarks that make it one of the most important destinations for Muslims around the world.
Makkah also features natural sites of religious and historical importance, such as Jabal Al-Noor (Mountain of Light), the Cave of Hira and the developing Hira Cultural Club, and Mount Thawr,
He added that its unique geography radiated spirituality throughout its mountains and valleys, while traditional markets that served as trade hubs between Syria and Yemen and ancient Islamic fortresses told the story of a glorious past.
Tour guide Mahdi Nafaa Al-Qurashi explained how Makkah has witnessed defining moments in Islamic history, from Prophet Ibrahim’s call through to the life of Prophet Mohammed and his companions.
He said every location in Makkah carried a story and significant Islamic memory, as the routes leading to the holy city and surrounding the Holy Kaaba were rich with landmarks tied to pivotal events.
Mohamed Salama, an Egyptian pilgrim, said visits to the holy sites had been simplified by the available facilities and electronic visas. He appreciated how everyone worked to ensure pilgrims’ comfort and ensure their experience was as good as it could be.
Despite dealing with millions of visitors, he described the organization as “exceptional, creating a wonderful blend between spiritual worship and exploration of Makkah’s historical richness.”
Rabab Hussein, an Iraqi making her first visit from Manchester, in the UK, described the harmony between historical and spiritual depth as unique to Makkah and Madinah.
“The place has its own majesty and ancient historical extension, with its mountains and stones guiding you to historical stories of prophets and messengers,” she said.
The place made a special impression on first-time pilgrims, she added, and visiting Makkah went beyond performing rituals — it was a chance to gain insights into its history.
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Saudi Supreme Court calls on public to sight Shawwal crescent on Saturday
March 27, 2025
RIYADH — The Saudi Supreme Court has urged Muslims across the Kingdom to observe the sky for the Shawwal crescent moon on the evening of Saturday, March 29, which corresponds to the 29th of Ramadan, according to the Umm Al-Qura calendar.
In an official announcement, the court encouraged anyone able to sight the moon — either with the naked eye or using telescopes — to report their observations to the nearest court or seek help from local centers in doing so.
The court also invited capable individuals to join local moon-sighting committees, underscoring the spiritual merit of this act. Participating in moon sighting, it said, is a form of cooperation in righteousness and benefits the wider Muslim community.
This announcement follows the Supreme Court’s earlier confirmation that Saturday, March 1, marked the beginning of Ramadan.
The court concluded by extending prayers for success to those taking part and wishing continued safety and well-being for all Muslims during this sacred time.
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Europe
New Muslim reveals why he chose to embrace 'beauty of Islam'
27TH MARCH
By Muhammad Khan
An Islamic revert who said he faces hostility on a daily basis has spoken about his journey to the faith.
Jamie Murphy, who is 22 and is now known as Yusuf, is part Irish and part English. He is from Oldham and became Muslim nearly two years ago.
He said he faces hostility from other white people, due to his attire, he sees 'people pointing fingers at him, laughing or giving dirty looks'.
These are the same people who used to once greet him with a smile.
He blames the mainstream media and other channels which spread lies and misinformation about Islam and Muslims.
Yusuf has even had physical confrontations when giving Dawah in Manchester City Centre with white men coming over trying to push or shove him while shouting racist and Islamophobic slurs, even though he is white-British.
He said: “The best of examples is our Prophet Muhammad (saw) who even after being stoned, persecuted and his companions killed remained completely patient and humble in every circumstance. We should strive to be like him.
“Islam gives your life true purpose and correct guidance for every single matter. Whether it be fear of death, marriage, how to speak or how to spend our time. And ultimately, guidance on how to get true contentment and success in life.
“I remember first reading the Quran, I was in such a dark place mentally, and was often involved in all sorts of drama.
“Opening the second chapter of the Quran, Surah Baqarah, and reading just a few verses gave me peace of mind which I had never felt before, more so than any drug or alcohol.
“It was like this book was speaking directly to me about my situation.
“The Quran mesmerised me with all its scientific miracles and numerological patterns.
"The Quran is impossible to replicate even today with artificial intelligence and all the advances in technology. How was it produced in the middle of the desert by a man who was unlettered 1446 years ago?”
Before Islam, Yusuf said his life was chaotic due to having 'no moral guidelines' and 'he never felt content, happy, or fulfilled'.
He told us: “Many times I was involved in knife crime and other violence due to being involved with the wrong crowd.
“By Allah’s power my eyes opened to the reality of death, which in turn made me ponder on what comes next after we pass away.
“I thought surely we are not living, suffering, and dying without any purpose. I began to ask questions like: Will there be judgement for our actions? Is there guidance on how to live a fulfilling life? If there is judgement surely there must be a judge?
"And most importantly does God exist?”
For a good while Yusuf didn’t mention to his family that he had accepted Islam.
However, they noticed the positive changes in his character, and actions. He did his research online and discovered Islam to be the truth, so he found out how to become Muslim online and embraced the religion.
When he finally told his family, they were very happy due to the positive changes. It is a massive blessing for him knowing that he can go out and not worry his mother as she knows he is not up to mischief.
Yusuf has a close but small family. He is in contact regularly with his dad, grandad, stepdad, siblings and mum.
He said: “I live with my mum, sister and younger brother who I often give Dawah to when the situation arises. They are coming closer to Islam over time and are seeing the positive impact it has.
“I realised with experience that it's best not to over burden them with too much information, sometimes just planting the seed to make them ponder on the important questions is better. But one of the best forms of Dawah is through our character.
“I have heard from many revert brothers and sisters who come from Christian households that their families have made their lives very difficult due to them reverting. Allah blessed me with an open minded family. May Allah Guide them All.
“May Allah make it easy for all the reverts struggling with rejection from their families.
“I’m very passionate about calling others to Islam and the importance that it holds, especially in today’s day and age with all the propaganda being spread through online sites and social media.
“Just imagine the massive impact if every Muslim committed to giving dawah in some way. Even if it is just to a jobs" target="_blank">work colleague or your local shop keeper."
Yusuf loves the feeling of peace that Islam has given him, a feeling which for a long time he thought was unachievable.
He said he no longer has to stress and worry about a situation like he used to because for him Allah and his Messenger have shown how to combat every problem.
“I know now that every struggle or hardship is a blessing from Allah to elevate our ranks in heaven or wash away sins. Everything is in the Decree of Allah. Knowing this alone brings peace of mind like nothing else.”
Source:asianimage.co.uk
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First mosque for Muslim servicemen opens in Ukraine – video
27 MARCH 2025
The first military mosque in Ukraine, As-Salam, has officially opened. It was established at the initiative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), where many Muslim soldiers serve.
Details: The opening ceremony began with a recitation of the Quran and a communal prayer, as per Islamic tradition.
"Friday prayers and gatherings will be held here regularly for Muslims, where they will be able to learn how to read the Quran and strengthen their spiritual faith," said chaplain Suleiman Khairullaiev.
The mosque houses copies of the Quran in both Ukrainian and Arabic.
"For a Muslim, a mosque is a place where they can draw spiritual strength, which is extremely important for a soldier. The opening of this mosque is a very important example for all of Ukraine and a great gift for all Muslims serving the country," said Husameddin Al-Khalawani, Head of the Centre for International Relations "Peace and Security".
The opening ceremony was attended by Muslim DIU servicemen, Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, a representative of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Husameddin Al-Khalawani, a Chairman of Peace and Security (Centre for International Relations), chaplains Kostiantyn Kholodov and Suleiman Khairullaiev, and Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
Source:pravda.com.ua
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https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/03/27/7504843/
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King experiences temporary side effects of cancer treatment
27 March 2025
King Charles III spent a short period of time in hospital on Thursday after experiencing temporary side effects during cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said.
The King returned to Clarence House, where he was said to be continuing to work on state papers and make calls from his study. He has cancelled a tour of Birmingham on Friday, acting on medical advice.
Charles, 76, had planned to travel to the city for a busy schedule of engagements, which included four events.
The palace first announced the King's cancer diagnosis in February 2024.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said meetings with three ambassadors on Thursday were also affected.
"Tomorrow, he was due to undertake four public engagements in Birmingham and is greatly disappointed to be missing them on this occasion," the palace's statement added.
"He very much hopes that they can be rescheduled in due course and offers his deepest apologies to all those who had worked so hard to make the planned visit possible."
A palace source described it as a "most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction".
The palace did not provide further information over what his side effects were.
Queen Camilla attended a reception in Wembley, north London on Thursday and did not join the King during his brief stay at hospital.
After the palace released the news, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he "wishes His Majesty the King all the very best".
The underlying message from the palace is one of reassurance – with the postponement of the visit to Birmingham presented as a brief setback against an otherwise optimistic picture on the King's health.
There was no drama, they went to the London Clinic hospital in central London in a car and not an ambulance, and the late night announcement followed a decision that it was wiser to postpone Friday's visit.
It might also have seemed wiser to get ahead of the news and remain transparent about a minor problem, rather than make it a major event with a last-minute cancellation.
His cancer treatment is ongoing but the King has seemed keen not to be defined by his illness. He seems to thrive on meeting crowds and has shown no signs of slowing down, with a full set of engagements.
In recent weeks, he has been on a trip to Northern Ireland, he launched a playlist of favourite music and attended the Commonwealth Day service, having missed it last year after his cancer diagnosis.
The King has been centre-stage in recent weeks, unexpectedly involved in global diplomacy.
After inviting President Donald Trump for a second state visit to the UK, the King then showed solidarity with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky after his disastrous meeting with Trump in the White House.
He also gave a warm welcome to Mark Carney, Canada's new prime minister, whose country has been under pressure from Trump.
None of that suggested that the monarch was running out of energy. And the postponement of the state visit to the Vatican, announced earlier this week, had been about the health of Pope Francis rather than the King - with the rest of the visit to Italy expected to go ahead.
While recognising that it is impossible to rule out any further health problems, the message from Buckingham Palace is that the King is expected to be back to normal in terms of his diary next week.
The King's wider state visit to Italy is also set to continue in April with some alterations to the planned programme, the palace said this week.
The palace has never disclosed what type of cancer the King has. He returned to public duties last April after a period of treatment and recuperation.
Source:bbc.com
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Five people injured in stabbing in Amsterdam, police say
27 March 2025
Five people have been injured following a stabbing near the central Dam Square in Amsterdam, police say.
The injured include two Americans, a Polish man, a Belgian woman and a Dutch woman. The youngest is 19 and the oldest 73, police add.
The male suspect, who has been arrested, was overpowered with the help of bystanders and taken to hospital with a leg injury.
Police say the motive behind the attack is "under investigation" but they are considering the possibility that the suspect may have chosen people at random.
The Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said a police investigation was "in full swing" and authorities hoped to uncover more details of what happened soon.
"Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and loved ones," she said.
The wounded people are a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, both from the US; a 26-year-old man from Poland; a 73-year-old woman from Belgium; and a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam.
Police said just before 15:30 local time (14:30 GMT) emergency services received several reports of a stabbing incident.
Officers then quickly arrived at the scene and found five injured people at various locations in and around Sint Nicolaasstraat in the centre of the city, police said.
With the help of bystanders, officers apprehended a suspect shortly after the incident, police said.
Authorities cordoned-off a large area around the Royal Palace in the central Dam Square, where an emergency helicopter landed.
The square is popular with tourists lying at the heart of the historic district of the city.
One witness told the Dutch paper De Telegraaf that they suddenly heard an "icy scream" and after that panic broke out in the area.
A shop assistant also said that she heard a lot of shouting and screaming and that people started running, the paper reported.
Amsterdam outlet Het Parool quoted a witness saying he approached a girl after hearing a noise. As someone else shouted to call an ambulance, he saw a knife "sticking out from the girl's back, between her shoulders".
The police are urging anyone with images of the incident to upload them as evidence.
The number of injured people was for a time said to be four, but in a later update the police said five people were wounded as well as the suspect.
Source:bbc.com
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Russia will ‘finish off’ Ukrainian forces – Putin
28 Mar, 202
President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russian forces are gaining momentum across the entire line of contact and could soon “finish off” Kiev’s military, while commenting on attempts by its European backers to derail a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.
The Russian president made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. Putin reiterated that Moscow has always sought to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means but was met with deception and obstruction from the West – first with the failed Minsk Agreements and then during the 2022 Istanbul peace talks.
“Their European handlers… convinced the Ukrainian leadership that they had to continue armed resistance, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,” he said.
Putin accused Western leaders – specifically former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – of underestimating Russia’s resolve, and warned that the country’s military capabilities should not be taken lightly.
“He must have forgotten that there are people like you – and weapons like your submarine,” Putin told the naval crew. “Apparently, he forgot, or maybe they simply do not understand what the Russian people are made of.”
The Russian president said the conflict is reaching a turning point and expressed confidence in the outcome, noting that “across the entire line of combat engagement, our troops hold the strategic initiative.”
Despite his hardline tone, Putin reiterated that Russia remains open to peace negotiations – as long as the core causes of the conflict are addressed.
“We are in favor of resolving these issues by peaceful means… But the root causes must be eliminated. We must ensure Russia’s security for the long historical perspective,” he said.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peace talks, but insists that a true settlement of the conflict requires a permanent and legally-binding solution. Moscow opposes any NATO presence on Ukrainian soil and demands that Kiev demilitarize, denazify, adhere to a position of neutrality, and recognize the territorial “realities on the ground.”
On March 18, the Russian military was ordered to refrain from attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure under a deal agreed upon by President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. However, the Russian Ministry of Defense has since reported multiple Ukrainian violations, which it described as attempts to undermine Trump’s mediation efforts.
Source:rt.com
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Putin's move: Why Ukraine fears the ceasefire deal it helped shape
27 Mar, 2025
A month of intense diplomacy has paid off. Russia and Ukraine, with US mediation, have reached their first formal agreement – so far limited to reducing hostilities. The deal outlines a 30-day ceasefire in the Black Sea and a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure. Superficially, this resembles the “fake” air and naval ceasefire once floated by France and Britain to box Russia into a strategic dilemma. But the result turned out very differently.
Notably, Western European players are absent. Discussions about a second phase involving peacekeepers from France and the UK have stalled. Despite the noise, there will be no EU personnel monitoring this ceasefire. Instead, Russia has used the talks to extract valuable concessions from the Trump administration – chief among them, help regaining access to global agricultural markets.
The US has now placed sanctions relief for Rosselkhozbank, Russian food and fertiliser exporters, and shipping access to international ports on the agenda. These were the very demands Moscow had raised during the original 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, but at the time it received only vague UN assurances. Now, Russia has firm traction.
The energy truce also tilted in Moscow’s favour. Ukraine had wanted it to apply to all critical infrastructure, but the final version – negotiated by Russia and the US – is much narrower. It restricts attacks only on energy-related targets: oil refineries, power plants, hydroelectric stations, pipelines, and so forth. This specificity robs Kiev of opportunities to claim Russian ceasefire violations.
But there are caveats. The biggest: it remains unclear whether the ceasefire has actually come into force. All three parties have issued contradictory statements with conflicting terms.
On the Black Sea deal, for instance, the Kremlin says the ceasefire will not begin until sanctions are lifted. It also claims the agreement allows Russia to inspect all ships heading to Ukrainian ports for weapons.
However, the Ukrainian and US versions omit these conditions. Kiev even asserts that Russian naval vessels are barred from the western Black Sea and that the ceasefire started on 25 March.
Similarly, the timeline for the energy truce is disputed. Moscow insists it began on 18 March, the day of the Putin-Trump phone call. If so, Ukraine is already in breach: recent attacks on Russian infrastructure, such as the strike on the Sudzha gas station, occurred after that date. It’s no surprise then that Zelensky insists the ceasefire only began a week later.
In short, while a ceasefire has been announced, its fragility is obvious. There may not even be a unified written document. Its provisions are being interpreted differently by each party, and the sheer number of caveats allows any participant to declare the deal void at will. As a result, any real progress toward peace remains uncertain.
Now comes the most delicate phase: the battle for narrative dominance. The next few weeks will be filled with technical talks, diplomatic testing, and mutual accusations. Kiev’s aim is to portray Russia as violating the deal, hoping Trump will respond by tightening sanctions and increasing military aid. Moscow, by contrast, seeks to depict Ukraine as the spoiler, thereby strengthening its position in Washington and perhaps even reviving discussions about Zelensky’s future.
Who will succeed in this information war? Russia enters with a clear advantage: the deep mistrust that now exists between the White House and Bankova. Moreover, Trump has broader ambitions, including dismantling the Russia-China partnership. That aim may guide his approach to Moscow far more than anything Zelensky says.
The next big test is the long-delayed agreement on Ukraine’s subsoil resources – a key American interest that Zelensky sabotaged with his recent Washington visit. A revised 40-page draft is reportedly in the works, and insiders suggest it will be more demanding than the original.
Will Zelensky hold his ground? Or fold under pressure? The answer could reshape the peace process. If the Ukrainian leader concedes, Trump may move closer to Russia. If not, relations could once again stall.
Whatever happens, the US-Russia-Ukraine triangle is entering a new, unpredictable chapter. But for now, it is Russia that appears to have gained the most from this uneasy ceasefire – not least by turning a Western pressure tactic into a platform for negotiation on its own terms.
Source:rt.com
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Eid al-Fitr 2025: UK date, how moon sighting works and how to say 'happy Eid'
March 27, 2025
Muslims are just days away from one of the biggest celebrations in the Islamic calendar – Eid al-Fitr.
After a month of fasting during daylight hours for Ramadan, the festival is a joyous event to break the fast.
It is also a time of forgiveness, where families come together, lay grudges to rest and make amends.
For many in the UK, it will mean congregating in parks and squares to join together to pray and celebrate.
When is Eid al-Fitr 2025?
Eid al-Fitr 2025 will take place either on Sunday, 30th March or Monday, 31st March, depending on the moon.
The date it is marked relies on a sighting of the waxing crescent moon.
Although the celebration is essentially a one day festival, some will celebrate it for up to three days.
In many Muslim countries, the days are public holidays when families and friends gather to celebrate the end of fasting.
Eid al-Fitr is also the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar.
How does the Eid moon sighting work?
The Islamic calendar operates on the lunar cycle rather than the Gregorian calendar.
Eid al-Fitr is at the start of a new lunar month and that begins with the first sighting of the new crescent moon.
For some Muslims in the UK, the first moon sighting, which determines this, will be in Saudi Arabia, which is home to two of Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.
Saudi Arabia announces Eid has begun based on testimonies from the public, it is then officially declared by the government and many Muslims around the world will follow suit.
However, some Muslims choose to use their own personal sighting of the new moon as the moment to end Ramadan and start Eid celebrations.
While in Turkey, they tend to use astronomical calculations to determine the start and end of Ramadan.
What is the meaning of Eid al-Fitr and how is it celebrated?
Eid al-Fitr comes at the end of the month of Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting during daylight hours for Muslims.
Ramadan is seen as a time for spiritual reflection, prayer and doing good deeds.
Eid al-Fitr is the celebration after this period of restraint.
The celebrations begin with prayers at dawn, which usually take place at a mosque.
Typically, this is a time to dress up in your best attire.
Muslims will gather with family and friends, often at large-scale organised events in parks and squares in towns and cities across the UK.
Children are sometimes given money as gifts by their elders and sweet treats are offered to neighbours and friends.
And crucially, meals of traditional food are shared with family. It is forbidden to fast on the day of Eid.
How do I wish someone a ‘happy Eid’?
The most common way to wish someone well at Eid it to use the phrase “Eid Mubarak”, which means “have a blessed Eid”.
The Arabic word “mubarak” translates as “blessed”, while “Eid” means feast, festival or celebration.
In response, those celebrating may say the same or use the phrase “Allah yebarekfeek” meaning “God bless you”.
Another greeting which can be used is “Eid fitrsaeed“, this is translated as “Happy Eid al-Fitr”.
Source:inews.co.uk
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Starmer accuses Putin of 'playing games' over Ukraine peace deal
27 March 2025
Western sanctions on Russia need to be increased, not weakened, in order to bring it to the negotiating table, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The prime minister accused Vladimir Putin of "playing games and playing for time" after the Russian president demanded sanctions were lifted before a US-brokered maritime ceasefire is enacted.
"Now is not the time for pulling back or weakening sanctions - now is the time to increase sanctions to get them to the table," Starmer said in Paris, where he is meeting European leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron, co-hosting Thursday's so-called "coalition of the willing" summit, has suggested a European reassurance force could "respond" if attacked by Moscow.
Starmer said on Thursday a "framework and a deadline" was needed for Ukraine peace talks.
He said he had agreed with partners at the summit, which hosted representatives from 30 nations as well as the European Union and Nato, that "we must go further now to support the peace process, support Ukraine and increase the pressure on Russia to get serious".
"It means increasing the economic pressure on Russia, accelerating new tougher sanctions, bearing down on Russia's energy revenues, and working together to make this pressure count," he said.
Starmer said that the political mood to find a just and lasting peace in Ukraine was "stronger and broader" than it had ever been, adding that "Europe as a whole has not been this strong and united in a long time".
The UK will chair the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact group, comprised of dozens of countries, to deliver further military aid and "keep Ukraine in the fight", Starmer said.
The prime minister said defence chiefs from the UK, France and Germany would also be meeting in Ukraine, but did not specify a date.
Speaking with Ukraine's President Zelensky earlier, Starmer accused Russia of "continuing to inflict devastating attacks on the Ukrainian people" and said Putin's promises were "hollow".
Zelensky said that everybody at the meeting understood "that Russia doesn't want any kind of peace" and was "dragging out the war, adding that they would discuss security guarantees in the coming weeks and days.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian leader thanked the UK and France for their support and shared a picture of himself and Starmer holding talks, describing the plans as a "coalition of strength for the sake of peace".
"Our unity and joint work in Europe, with the United States, and other partners, can force Russia into peace," Zelensky added.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of breaking the terms of a separate, tentative deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure.
Washington announced the Black Sea deal had been agreed on Tuesday, after holding separate talks with delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia.
But just hours later, the Kremlin said it would not take effect until sanctions were lifted on Russian banks, producers and exporters involved in the international food and fertiliser trades.
Moscow's demands include reconnecting Russian banks involved in the agrifood trade to the Swift payment system, lifting restrictions on servicing ships under the Russian flag involved in the food trade, and revoking sanctions on the supply of agricultural machinery and other goods involved in food production.
US President Donald Trump said the US government was "looking at" Moscow's request - but the EU said it would not consider removing sanctions before the "unconditional" withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine's internationally-recognised territory.
Zelensky said on Wednesday he hoped the US - which is not a part of the coalition of the willing - would "stand strong" in the face of Russian demands.
Macron confirmed that European countries had "unanimously agreed" that sanctions against Moscow should not be lifted.
"The time is not ripe to lift sanctions... We need to keep economic pressure up," he said.
The French president said that if a European force protecting a ceasefire in Ukraine came under attack, it would "respond to it".
"If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack, and then it's our usual framework of engagement," he said.
"Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it."
The UK and France are leading efforts to send a force to Ukraine to deter any future Russian aggression in the event of a ceasefire.
Starmer reiterated on Thursday that Parliament should have a say on deploying troops.
European leaders put on a show of unity in Paris. In reality many have already ruled out sending troops to Ukraine.
Countries including Finland and Poland feel under direct threat from Russia and feel their troops need to protect their own borders. Others fear deploying soldiers would be a deeply unpopular decision at home.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – who has repeatedly expressed her scepticism at the Franco-British plan – has been working to put forward an "alternative" option which would see soldiers serve in Ukraine exclusively as part of a United Nations military contingent.
European officials say that under any peace settlement, Ukraine's first line of defence against any future Russian attack would be its own army.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said a European force in Ukraine would risk a "direct clash between Russia and Nato", state-owned news agency Tass reports.
"London and Paris continue to nurture the idea of a military intervention into Ukraine. All of that is being cloaked under [the guise of] a certain peacekeeping mission," Zakharova said.
She added Russia was "categorically against such a scenario".
Source:bbc.com
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UK child poverty numbers reach a record high
27 March 2025
The number of children in poverty in the UK has reached its highest level since comparative records began in 2002.
In the year to April 2024, there were 4.45 million children living in a household of relative low income after housing costs are deducted - the government's own standard measure for poverty.
The figure, released by the Department for Work and Pensions, is an increase of 100,000 children from the previous year - and equates to 31% of children in the UK.
The figure has risen sharply since 2021 and the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) predicts 4.8 million children will be in poverty by the end of this Parliament in 2029-30.
It is calling for the government to scrap the two-child benefit limit in its upcoming child poverty strategy, and to pause the recent proposals for wider benefit cuts.
The two-child cap prevents parents from claiming universal credit or child tax credit for a third child, with a few exemptions.
The relative poverty definition - which is measured both before and after housing costs - refers to people living in households with income below 60% of the country's median average figure.
Separately, the Scottish government has missed its legal targets for reducing child poverty for 2023-24.
'Huge challenge'
"The latest data is a stark reminder of the scale of deprivation among families, with close to a third of children in Britain now living in poverty," said Adam Corlett, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank.
"This is before any additional impact from new benefit cuts and a weak living standards outlook, which are set to reduce incomes across the poorest half of working-age households by £500 over the next five years."
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said the figures "show just what a huge challenge" the "very high level of child poverty that's left by the previous government" is for Labour.
He added: "We're going to be addressing that".
Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed a shake-up to the benefits system on Wednesday. This includes halving incapacity benefits for new claimants, and tighter criteria around the Personal Independence Payment for those with long term physical or mental health conditions.
An extra 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, will be pushed into relative poverty by these changes, according to the government's own impact assessment.
In the three years to 2024, the highest child poverty rates after housing costs were in the West Midlands and London, although London's levels were among the lowest if housing was not factored in.
One in five families who had one child were living in poverty, compared with 44% of those who had three children or more.
The Resolution Foundation echoed calls for the government to scrap the two-child benefit limit and wants the government to extend free school meal entitlement to all families on Universal Credit.
When Labour took power in the summer of 2024, after the period covered by the figures, the prime minister announced the creation of a child poverty task force, promising to leave "no stone unturned" in tackling the root causes of the issue.
The cross-government child poverty strategy is due to be published in spring 2025.
"No-one should be living in poverty, and we know that the best route out of poverty for struggling families is well paid, secure work, a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said.
"That is why we are reforming our broken welfare system so it helps people into good jobs, boosting living standards and putting money in people's pockets," they added.
Source:bbc.com
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David Dimbleby: I thought the free market was with us forever - then Trump came along
27 March 2025
I remember 1974 well. With inflation on the rise, the government had been locked in battle with trade unions over worker pay. The government appeared paralysed: stand up to the miners and strikes could shut down the power system, but give in and pay them more money and inflation would rocket.
And then the global oil crisis came out of nowhere. It threw economies, including Britain's, into chaos. The government introduced a three-day week. Power cuts were common - we would be plunged into darkness without warning. And seemingly, the government just expected us to deal with it.
This was also the year I began presenting the BBC's current affairs programme Panorama. We spent a lot of time debating these issues. People came on with all kinds of different ideas of what to do.
There were even suggestions that what the country really needed to take back control from the unions was a military takeover - a coup.
There was another idea out there too. It was proposed by the Conservative politician Keith Joseph and was entirely radical - so removed from the mainstream, in fact, that during filming of Panorama, Joseph turned to the production team and asked exasperatedly if they understood what he meant.
That idea was the free market.
This meant Britain departing from the post World War Two consensus that government should control the economy and that instead if you left the markets alone, they would deliver the country greater prosperity and security.
If, in 2025, the idea sounds anything but radical, that's exactly the point.
What we saw in the UK in the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher's government was just how quickly the free market transitioned from a radical idea into the new reality. Then before long it became what many assumed was the system that would last forever.
US President Donald Trump is a billionaire businessman who has clearly done well financially out of capitalism. But suddenly, thanks in part to him, the free market system finds itself under assault like never before.
It might yet weather the storm. However others are asking if the free market system is fatally flawed and doomed to failure?
The fantasy world of Thatcher's Britain
So much of what Thatcher did in the wake of her 1983 general election victory seems so obvious now. We take it for granted that private companies play a pivotal role in providing our water, electricity, gas, railways, ports and freight.
But at the time few believed it possible to do what she had done - it seemed like a fantasy world, completely detached from how things had been done post war.
I was six when the war ended. There was rationing – coupons that allowed you to buy meat or clothes, or of course, sweets. But out of these hard times and on the heels of victory, a new vision of society was emerging in Britain.
With Clement Attlee's landslide election victory in July 1945, for the first time in Britain's political history a majority cast their votes for a party ostensibly dedicated to socialism.
But more than that, a new consensus on how the country should run emerged, with those leading the Labour and Conservative parties singing from a broadly similar sheet.
"We have built our defences against want and sickness, and we're proud of it," was uttered not by a Labour prime minister but by Harold Macmillan, Conservative prime minister from 1957 to 1963. This had been how things were done.
However not everyone bought into the consensus. Antony Fisher, who was a chicken farmer, was exasperated by what he saw as the meddling of the Egg Marketing Board. He set up the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, inspired Keith Joseph and he in turn got Thatcher's ear.
Trump's admiration of Thatcher
That the current assault on the free market is coming, in part, from a Republican US president seems all the more ironic given how popular Thatcher's reforms were with the American right.
Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan shared a similar world view, and Trump has spoken of his admiration for the two, albeit with the caveat that he didn't agree with some of Reagan's trade policies.
Thatcher was convinced that the country would be much better off if gas and water and electricity were taken out of the hands of the state. And sold on the open market. The free market. Just like buying a loaf of bread.
The Thatcher government's big idea was that they weren't just going to sell the shares in state owned utilities to big businesses or investors. They were going to offer them to the British people.
In December 1984 shares in British Telecom (BT) went on sale. The next morning, the numbers were staggering: more than two million Britons were now BT shareholders.
And Thatcher began to realise that selling off these companies wasn't just about breaking the shackles of government control. It could be something bigger - turning every person in Britain into a capitalist and in doing so making capitalism popular.
In Britain, by the end of the 1980s, the scale of transformation was staggering. The sum of £60bn was raised by selling off state run companies. Up to 15 million Britons were now shareholders.
Britain was embracing the free market. This wasn't just an economic shift. It was a cultural revolution. A redefinition of Britain's relationship with money, with government, and with itself.
And if Thatcher's privatisation had given ordinary people the chance to buy shares, her reforms to Britain's financial services sector in 1986, known as the Big Bang, gave ordinary people the chance to sell them too, to get a job in the previously closed world of the City.
There were many on the left for whom the principle alone of these reforms was something to object to. The assault on the free market from some on the right is not about the principles of the reforms, but the consequences.
Offshore business and collapsing communities
At the core of Thatcher's thinking was a belief that free market capitalism could work only if many people had a direct stake in it. And with share ownership of previously state run utilities, many people did. But before long, alarm bells were starting to be rung. And their chime has only gotten louder.
James Goldsmith was a businessman who had made a fortune by buying struggling companies cheaply, reshaping them to maximise efficiency and then selling them at a profit. The 1980s reforms were like manna from heaven for him.
But then he seemed to change his mind about things. In 1994 he told a committee of US senators that its premise contained a fatal flaw - that the system demanded maximum profit but to achieve maximum profit that meant severing the umbilical link with many of your own electorate.
"You get to a system whereby so as to get the best corporate profits, you have to leave your own country. You have to say to your own sales force 'Goodbye, we can't use you anymore - you're too expensive'.
"You've got unions. You want holidays. You want protection. So we're going offshore."
Goldsmith was predicting that companies would take their business wherever they would make the most money. If you are a CEO answerable to shareholders that's literally your job description. And the result, he said, would be job losses in the West, with communities collapsing.
And to make things worse, he argued that Britain had ceded sovereignty to the likes of the European Union and the World Trade Organization, with Britain binding itself to an economic system run by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, only adding to the sense of alienation felt in collapsing communities. And with global markets dictating policy. If an industry wasn't profitable, it was left to die.
Today, the UK may be a global leader in science and financial services but is that of much consolation to communities where we once made things that are now made offshore?
Based on what I often heard in my many years touring the country presenting Question Time, I'm not sure it is.
Goldsmith would end up trying to go into politics. His Referendum Party was trounced in the 1997 general election but he had planted a seed. He had argued that the global free market path that Britain and the rest of the world was going down was dangerous. That it would spread division around the world.
Fast-forward nearly 20 years to 2016 and his warning came to pass. Britain voted to leave the European Union and the verdict could not be clearer: the Leave vote was highest in those left-behind communities, driven by those who felt globalisation was not working for them.
The dream of a nation of shareholders has soured too.
In 1989 Thames Water was privatised. We were promised lower bills, better infrastructure, less red tape and investment in a system fraying at the edges. It was investment that the global capitalist system was supposedly best placed to provide.
What followed was something else entirely. Debt ballooned and dividends flowed to shareholders. The company extracted profit while pipes leaked and sewage poured into rivers. And our bills now pay for interest on that debt - it feels like we've come a long way from Thatcher's nation of shareholders.
Trump's tariffs 'defy easy explanation'
Back in 1994, James Goldsmith had posited that the problem with the free market dream was that it didn't protect the home base.
Now, there is someone else much more powerful who takes that view.
President Trump's methods are so erratic that with him it's hard to tell what is going on. His readiness to slap hugely consequential tariffs on countries that are both traditional foes and supposed friends at times defies easy explanation.
But what we can say is that he is trying to return to ideas that preceded the free market. He is trying to make America strong through protectionism, making it harder for anyone to simply sell anywhere.
There is an argument that if you take the long view then perhaps the free market period is the outlier. Britain itself had a long, long period of protectionism before it embraced free trade.
Tariffs are nothing new in world economic history and in a sense Trump is just trying to return the US to how things were, albeit in quite a chaotic way.
The reign of the free market is facing its biggest ever challenge. But that challenge is coming not from supporters of socialism who ideologically back a big role for the state. Instead, the challenge is coming from Trump, a man who is broadly speaking of the right and has no qualms with capitalism allowing people to become very rich.
That the challenge is coming from within is what makes it so potent.
Source:bbc.com
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Putin says Greenland 'nothing to do with Russia' in nod to US
27 March 2025
In Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic circle, President Vladimir Putin vowed to "strengthen Russia's global leadership in the Arctic", while warning that "geopolitical competition in the region" was intensifying.
The first example he gave was Donald Trump's idea to acquire Greenland.
But from the Kremlin leader there was no criticism of his US counterpart.
And that's telling, as the White House and the Kremlin try to rebuild relations.
"In short, America's plans in relation to Greenland are serious," President Putin said in an address to Russia's Arctic Forum in Murmansk.
"These plans have deep historical roots. And it's clear that the US will continue to systematically pursue its geo-strategic, military-political and economic interests in the Аrctic.
"As for Greenland this is a matter for two specific countries. It has nothing to do with us."
So said the president who had launched a full-scale invasion of a sovereign neighbouring country and claims to have annexed whole swathes of Ukraine.
When Joe Biden was in the White House, Moscow and Washington were vocal in their criticism of one another.
How things have changed.
Today Russia is promoting the idea of economic cooperation with the United States in an Arctic region packed with natural resources.
"We are open to considering different investment opportunities that we can do jointly with the US, in certain sectors approved by the Russian government," says Kirill Dmitriev, President Putin's envoy for foreign investment and economic cooperation.
Mr Dmitriev, who is also chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, has already been in talks with US officials.
"We are open for investment cooperation in the Arctic. That could be in logistics, or other areas beneficial to Russia and to the US," Mr Dmitriev adds.
"But before deals can be done the war in Ukraine needs to end," I suggest.
"Many people in the West accuse Russia of dragging its feet, showing no compromise or concessions, and just laying down conditions."
"I am focused on economics and investments, so I don't comment on political issues," Mr Dmitriev responds.
"The only thing I can say is we have a very good dialogue, and I think it's very important that the US is trying to understand Russia's position."
Moscow seems confident that it can woo Washington with promises of lucrative deals in the Arctic and across Russia.
That confidence is understandable considering how senior US officials have been repeating Kremlin talking points about the war in Ukraine and about Europe.
In a recent interview with former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff appeared to accept the results of Moscow-organised referenda that were held in Ukrainian territories seized and occupied by Russia.
These votes that have not been recognised by the international community.
In the words of one recent Russian newspaper headline: "US and Russian officials are now talking the same language."
Are the Russian authorities at all surprised by the sea change in America's Russia policy?
"[In America] there are two parties that compete with one another," says Nikolai Patrushev, former head of Russia's FSB domestic security service.
Mr Patrushev, who is now an aide to President Putin, is one of the most powerful figures in Russia.
While on the side lines of the Arctic Forum he tells me: "When the Democrats were in power, they took one view. The Republicans have another.
"It doesn't mean that they agree with Russia's standpoint. Only that they have their own, which they promote, and we can cooperate with them."
I ask Mr Patrushev: "Do you have a sense that a new world order is being forged?".
"We used to have a system where two powers dominated in the world. Then it was just one. Now we're building a multi-polar world. But with its own peculiarities," says Mr Patrushev.
In the centre of Murmansk, a giant inflatable whale has taken over one of the city's squares.
Attached to wires, it's bobbing over a sea of silver balloons designed to look like waves. The balloons are dancing in the wind beneath the blow-up beast.
It's a giant installation. But then Russia has enormous ambitions, both for the Arctic and for the country's relations with America.
The whale is attracting a great deal of interest with lots of families posing for photos.
It's an opportunity to ask Russians whether they support the idea of economic cooperation with America in the Arctic and whether they're surprised when Washington appears to take Moscow's side?
Elina isn't.
"Russia is strong," she says. "You should always back the strong ones and go along with them."
"We need to develop the Arctic," Olga tells me. "Cooperation with 'friendly countries' is a good thing."
"And do you see America as a 'friendly country'?" I ask.
"You know what? I can't decide." replies Olga.
Meanwhile presidential envoy Mr Dmitriev is singing the praises of one particular American - Elon Musk – and counting on cooperation.
"We believe Elon Musk is a great visionary, a great leader and a very successful person," Mr Dmitriev tells me. "Russia has a lot to offer for a mission to Mars because we have some nuclear technologies which can be applicable.
"There are some video conferences we believe will be upcoming with, let's say, the Musk team."
Source:bbc.com
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Grandparents released in probe into toddler's death in France
27 March 2025
The grandparents of Emile Soleil have been released without charge, two days after they were arrested over the toddler's disappearance and death in the French Alps in July 2023.
Philippe Vedovini and his wife, Anne, were among four people detained earlier this week on suspicion of murder and concealment of a corpse.
The other two, both adult children of the couple, were also released without charge on Thursday morning, prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon confirmed.
Mr Blachon also revealed for the first time that investigators now believe Emile's clothes and remains were transported to the woods where they were found shortly before their discovery last spring.
Mr Blachon added that analysis of the toddler's skull showed traces of "violent facial trauma" which made it probable that a third party had been involved in Emile's disappearance and death.
Until Thursday, one of investigators' working theories was that Emile may have wandered off by himself and died as a result of a fall.
The four people who were taken into custody on Tuesday were released after answering all the questions put to them by investigators, Mr Blachon said, though he added that the line of investigation centred around Emile's family members was not yet fully closed.
"We continue to be determined to shed light on the circumstances around Emile's death," Mr Blachon said.
Under French law, people can be placed under arrest for questioning for a set number of hours until police decide whether they may have been involved in a crime.
Emile's grandmother's lawyer, Julien Pinelli, said that Mrs Vedovini was now resting. "It's been a tense and trying 48 hours," he said.
"In an investigation of this kind... it is customary to try and rule some things out. The family [angle] was one of the lines of inquiry, it's what prompted the custody and I hope it can now be put to the side."
The last sighting of Emile was on 8 July 2023, when two neighbours saw him walking by himself on the only street in the tiny Alpine hamlet Haut-Vernet, where he was staying at his grandparents' holiday home.
Emile, who was then two-and-a-half years old, disappeared without a trace shortly after. Hundreds of people joined police, sniffer dogs and the military in a search the following day, but the toddler appeared to have vanished into thin air.
It was not until March 2024 that Emile's remains were found only 1km away from the village by a hiker who was said to have made the find while walking in a steep, wooded area that was not easy to access.
The toddler's disappearance and death shocked France, where the case continues to make headlines.
Source:bbc.com
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Germany leads defiance of Trump car tariffs, saying it 'will not give in'
27 March 2025
Germany has said it "will not give in" and that Europe must "respond firmly" as US President Donald Trump targets imported cars and car parts with a 25% tax in his latest tariffs.
Other major world economies have vowed to retaliate, with France's president branding the move "a waste of time" and "incoherent", Canada calling it a "direct attack", and China accusing Washington of violating international trade rules.
Carmaker stocks from Japan to Germany dipped. In the US, General Motors dropped 7%, while Ford fell more than 2%.
Trump has threatened to impose "far larger" tariffs if Europe works with Canada to do what he describes as "economic harm" to the US.
The fresh car tariffs will come into effect on 2 April, with charges on businesses importing vehicles starting the next day. Taxes on parts are set to start in May or later.
Trump has long maintained the tariffs are part of a drive to help US manufacturing and says if cars are made in America there will be "absolutely no tariff".
Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries.
While the measures can protect domestic businesses, they also raise costs for companies reliant on parts from abroad.
The firms that bring the foreign goods into the country pay the tax to the government. Firms may choose to pass on some or all of the cost of tariffs to customers.
The US imported about eight million cars last year - accounting for about $240bn (£186bn) in trade and roughly half of overall sales.
Mexico is the top supplier of cars to the US, followed by South Korea, Japan, Canada and Germany.
Analysts have estimated that tariffs on parts just from Canada and Mexico could lead to costs rising by $4,000-$10,000 depending on the vehicle, according to the Anderson Economic Group.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the European Union must "respond firmly".
"It must be clear that we will not give in to the US. We need to show strength and self-confidence," he added.
France backed this joint approach, with its finance minister saying Europe must retaliate with tariffs on US products.
At a press conference on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was "not the time" for the US to be imposing tariffs.
"Imposing tariffs means breaking value chains, it means creating in the short term an inflationary effect and destroying jobs," he said in Paris.
"All of this is rather a waste of time and will create a lot of worry," he added, urging Trump to reconsider.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the tariffs a "direct attack" on his country and its car industry, adding it "will hurt us", but trade options were being discussed.
In the UK, car industry body the SMMT said the car tariffs announcement was "not surprising but, nevertheless, disappointing".
Uniparts founder John Neill said the Trump tariffs were "a gift to the Chinese", because international consumers would respond to a trade war by buying Chinese alternatives.
Meanwhile, China accused Trump of violating World Trade Organization rules.
"There are no winners in a trade war or a tariff war. No country's development and prosperity has been achieved by imposing tariffs," a spokesman for the foreign ministry said.
There are warnings from Japan that there will be a "significant impact" on the economic relationship it shares with the US. A government spokesman described the measures as "extremely regrettable" and said officials had asked the US for an exemption.
In South Korea, a day before the latest levy, Hyundai announced it would invest $21bn (£16.3bn) in the US and build a new steel plant in Louisiana.
Trump hailed the investment as a "clear demonstration that tariffs very strongly work".
Bosch - based in Germany - said it had confidence in the "long-term potential" of the North American market and would continue to expand its business there.
The International Monetary Fund said it was not projecting a US recession, but warned a trade war could have a "significant adverse effect" on Canada and Mexico's economic outlooks.
Source:bbc.com
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Macron urges Algeria to free writer jailed for Morocco comments
27 March 2025
France's President Emmanuel Macron is urging Algeria to free an 80-year-old writer who was sentenced on Tuesday to five years in prison, following accusations he had undermined Algeria's territorial integrity.
Boualem Sansal was arrested in Algeria last year after apparently telling a French far-right media group that, during the colonial era, France gave too much land to Algeria and too little to Morocco.
He had also said that the disputed territory of Western Sahara was historically part of Morocco.
During his detention the French-Algerian author has spent time in hospital for ill-health.
His case has sparked a wave of support from intellectuals and politicians, including Nigerian Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka, Indian-British novelist Salman Rushdie and French officials.
One conservative mayor of a Parisian suburb is promising to hand out free copies of Sansal's books to every 18-year-old in his town, and says the author's sentencing in Algeria is an attack on free speech.
The French president meanwhile told a news conference: "I hope there can be humanitarian decisions by the highest Algerian authorities to give him back his freedom and allow him to be treated for the disease he is fighting."
Back in February, Macron sent a stark warning about the writer's plight, saying "Boualem Sansal's arbitrary detention, on top of his worrying health situation, is one of the elements that need to be settled before confidence [between our countries] can be fully restored."
Boualem Sansal now finds himself at centre of a deepening diplomatic row.
"He has unwillingly become a pawn in the troubled relationship between Paris and Algiers," a committee of his supporters in France said recently.
Algeria was once a prized French colony and fought a dogged war of independence eventually winning its sovereignty in 1962.
Relations have long been strained between the two countries but reached a new low last year, when France backed Morocco's claim to Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the Polisario group fighting for the territory's independence.
Algiers responded to that slight by withdrawing its ambassador to Paris.
Three years earlier, Algeria severed diplomatic ties with Morocco.
Following Wednesday's court ruling, Sansal's lawyer pleaded to Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to show "humanity" to the writer.
Sansal is well known for his anti-Islamist views and is an outspoken critic of the Algerian government.
His detractors say he is a darling of the far-right who appeases their prejudices.
Far-right French leader Marine Le Pen has called Sansal a "fighter for liberty and a courageous opponent of Islamism".
His age has previously been reported as 75, but his publishers Gallimard say he is in fact 80.
Sansal's best-known works include 2084 - a satire about religious radicalism which won the French Academy's Grand Prix of the Francophonie a decade ago.
His next novel, Vivre, is to be published in May and tells the story of a select group of people who are chosen to colonise a new planet as Earth nears apocalypse.
Source:bbc.com
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Africa
Oyebanji promises more appointments for Muslims
March 28, 2025
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has assured the Muslim community that more of their members will be appointed into strategic positions in his government.
The governor gave the assurance on Monday evening when he joined hundreds of Muslims leaders and faithful across the state to break their fast at the Lady Jibowu Hall, Government House, Ado-Ekiti
Governor Oyebanji thanked the Muslim community for their continuous prayers and support for his administration, stressing that their prayers have been instrumental to the peace, stability and development the state is witnessing.
While commending Muslims in his cabinet for being good ambassadors of the Muslim community, the governor said their dedication and contributions have positively impacted his administration, assuring that the number of Muslims in his government would not decrease but instead increase as his tenure progresses.
“I don’t have much to say today than just to thank you and I will continue to appreciate you every day for your prayers and support. I deeply appreciate you for dealing with me with a pure heart.
“When the SSG reeled out the number of Muslims in our government, it cannot be less than that, it can only be more and before the end of this tenure, we will bring more people to the government”, the governor assured.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Habibat Adubiaro, expressed her profound gratitude to the governor for his unprecedented commitment to inclusivity in governance with the appointment of over 50 Muslims in different positions in his government, a gesture which she said reflects the governor’s dedication to equitable representation and genuine regards for the Muslim Community.
While maintaining that the Muslim community has never had it so well in the state, Prof Adubiaro said the governor’s action has not only fostered unity and trust among religious groups but has also inspired the Muslim faithful to actively support the administration’s vision for the state.
In their separate goodwill messages, a member of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hakeem Jamiu; President, Ekiti Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Dr Hameed Bakare, and Coordinator, NACOMYO, Alhaji Mudathir Oladele Yusuf, all expressed their appreciation to the governor for his commitment to inclusivity and equitable representation and for giving Muslim community significant voice in his cabinet.
While describing the Governor as a leader who has consistently demonstrated fairness, respect, and dedication to the well-being of all citizens, the Muslim faithful assured the Governor of their continued prayers and efforts to mobilize the Muslim Community in ensuring his re-election for another term of impactful governance.
The President, League of Imams and Alfa, Southwest, Edo, and Delta States, Alhaji Jamiu Kewulere, who also led the Muslim leaders in prayers for Governor Oyebanji and government officials in the state, hailed the Governor for his exemplary leadership and unprecedented support for the Muslim Community, describing it as historic gesture that reflects true equality and fairness.
Also present at the event include, Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo, former Senator representing Ekiti Central, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Muslim leaders and scholars, Political leaders, among others.
Source:thenationonlineng.net
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‘Nigerians should strengthen faith in Allah’
March 28, 2025
by Tajudeen Adebanjo
Anwar-Ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria, Women’s League has called on individuals, particularly women, to strengthen their faith and reliance on Almighty Allah.
Speaking during the group’s yearly Tafsir, President of the league, Princess Sidiquat Disu, stated that belief in God is the ultimate source of help, noting the positive influence of a mother’s faith on the family, asserting that such belief leads to a well-guided life.
She called on Nigerians to be patient with their leaders, expressing optimism that the future is bright.
Princess Disu urged parents to prepare their children for future challenges with sense of hard work and sacrifice.
The Guest Lecturer, Deputy Director, Admin and Human Resources, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, AlhajaDhikratMatesun-Oshodi, emphasized the importance of unwavering faith in Allah and steadfastness in Islam, particularly in challenging times.
“A loss of trust in God negates one’s Muslim identity. As Muslims, we should believe in Allah wholeheartedly, even in adversity and prosperity, knowing that it is only Allah that can save us,” she said.
She urged consistency in religious practice, saying, “it is not only when things are good that you should remember Allah; even in adversity, you must remember Allah. Keep your faith firm and be consistent in it. Don’t be a Muslim in Ramadan alone, you must be a Muslim in all aspects of your life.”
AlhajaMatesun-Oshodi also emphasized the importance of attributing all outcomes to Allah’s will.
“In whatever you do, believe it is Allah. If it goes well, that is Allah; if it is the other way, it is Allah. If you believe in that, you will be firm in Islam,” she asserted.
She also stressed the need for consistent and timely prayers offered with sincerity.
She cautioned Nigerians against succumbing to sin, saying “As Muslim we must desist from what Allah did not permit us to do. We must not fall into sin due to the circumstances of the country. Face Allah in any circumstance you find yourself, and you will realize Allah will come to your aid and reward your steadfastness.”
The National Chief Imam and Missioner of the Anwar-Ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria,
Sheikh MuslihudeenAfisi, stated the critical role of women in cultivating steadfastness in Islam, particularly within the family.
He urged women to embody strong faith in Allah as the sustainer and ultimate power in their lives.
“Women serve as primary role models for their children, because children tend to emulate actions more than heed advice. Whether we like it or not, children copy their parents,” he stated.
Source:thenationonlineng.net
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Etsu Nupe urges Muslims to move closer to God
March 28, 2025
Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger Council of Traditional Rulers, has called on Muslims in the country to move closer to God.
Etsu Nupe, who spoke in Bida yesterday at the closing of 2025 (1446AH) Ramadan Tafsir in Usman Zaki Central Mosque, said that solutions to Nigerians’ challenges lie in fervent prayers.
He said that there was nothing that could not be solved through prayers and utmost piety.
Abubakar said that the Ramadan period was a time for the Almighty Allah to accept all prayers, and provide divine solutions to the myriad of problems facing the country.
The traditional ruler said it was only with the fear of Allah that Muslims could meet their needs and enjoy their possessions on earth.
The Etsu Nupe also urged Muslims to sustain the noble lessons learned during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
“We should always remember and value God in whatever we do at all times.
‘This, we should sustain beyond the current Ramadan period as moving closer to God always is the key to solving Nigeria’s formidable challenges,”he said.
Abubakar admonished the Muslim Ummah in the country to sustain the virtues learnt during the ongoing Ramadan fast even after the passage of the month.
“We must maintain our God-fearing acts which we exhibited during the fasting period.
“Muslims should strive to maintain all their good deeds during the fasting period and shun all the evils and devilish acts they have abstained from during the holy month,” he said.
According to him, “these noble virtues include patience, piety, philanthropy and love for one another.
They also include abstaining from adultery, cheating, stealing, alcoholism, devilish acts and drug abuse
“Fasting is not only for abstaining from drinking and eating but also a time to emulate what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sent by Almighty Allah to come and do, as well as preach,“he said.
He appealed to well-to-do Muslims to assist the less privileged with food items and other basic needs.
The traditional ruler urged the faithful to use the remaining few days of fasting period to pray fervently for national peace and progress.
The Etsu Nupe further enjoined Muslims to tolerate one another and pray for sustained unity of the country.
He said that the two major religions in the country preach peace, unity and love for one another, saying we should always strive to maintain these at all times.
Source:thenationonlineng.net
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Interior Minister urges Muslims to support Tinubu
March 28, 2025
by Osagie Otabor, Akure
Minister for Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has urged Muslim community in Ondo State to continue to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Tunji-Ojo said President Tinubu has never abandoned his duty as a servant of the Nigerian people.
Tunji-Ojo spoke at Okeagbe Akoko during the Annual Ramadan lecture for spiritual enrichment for members of the Muslim Ummah.
Represented by the member representing Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, Tunji-Ojo said the event was to bring together, the Muslim community and to reflect on the lessons embedded in the holy month of Ramadan.
According to him, “The minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is dedicated to peaceful coexistence among different religious tendencies in the state and Nigeria at large. He shares the agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that places the unity of Nigeria and its prosperity above religious alignment.
“He loves his people and he has never abandoned his duty as a servant of the Nigerian people. I have his instructions to assure you of his continued support for our people.”
Chairman of the event, Bello Aliu Oluwatosin, urged Muslim Ummah to continue praying for Nigeria and its prosperity.
He told the Muslim community to use the holy month as a time for positive reflection.
In his lecture, Religious Tolerance and Peaceful coexistence between religions, Sheik Abdul Rafiu Ajiboye Lagbaji, explained the need to exploring the full benefits of prayers in Ramadan and beyond.
He urged the people to foster a sense of community and shared purpose.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said his administration would ensured an environment that respected religion of the people.
Source:thenationonlineng.net
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Makinde: Sharia Law in Oyo as Alternative Dispute Resolution Will Reduce Cases in Court
March 28, 2025
Oyo State Governor, ’Seyi Makinde, yesterday, said the idea of Sharia law is an alternative dispute resolution that would help reduce the cases that go to courts and also, the pressure on judges.
He, however, noted that his administration would not oppose anything in line with the Constitution.
The clarification came against the backdrop of a media report that the Oyo State Government would go to court to challenge the plan.
Makinde declared that members of the public couldapproach the Sharia Panel if they felt like doing so.
The governor, who stated that the panel could be an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, noted that the court of law was still empowered by the Constitution to settle all disputes and that his administration would always follow the dictates of the Constitution.
Makinde stated this at the 2025 Iftar Programme organised by the Oyo State Government, the sixth since he became governor of the state in 2019, held at the frontage of the Presidential Lodge, Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.
According to him, his administration was focused on ensuring religious harmony and total unity in the state and would, therefore, not allow anyone to cause disaffection in the state.
He added that while some people wanted to use any means to win elections, including causing religious disharmony, his government has remained focused on developing the state sustainably for the good of its residents and future generations.
“I read in the newspaper that I would go to Court for interpretation on the Sharia Panel, which is ongoing in Oyo. That is not my position.
“My position is that we will support anything that is in our Constitution. I made a statement when Muslims in South Western Nigeria (MUSWEN) came to my office that we should not encourage discord among ourselves no matter how little.
“The interpretation on my own side is that, even in our families, it is not every issue we take to court. When people have disagreements, the elders in the family try to settle the dispute.
“So, on this particular Sharia Panel, whoever wants to patronise it and feels it is an alternative dispute mechanism, it is okay. It will help the government and ensure that the cases going to our judges are reduced.
“We will encourage alternative dispute resolution mechanism and the only thing I can say is that if it is something to be enforced or that needs more clarity, you still have the court, which is recognised by the Constitution.
“We have all lived together peacefully and as we move towards the next election, there will be elements that only think about the next election. But what we have done in this administration is to think about the next generation.
“This is the reason that after three years into this government, we sat down and thought we should rehabilitate our roads. Before now, previous administrations would come in, patch the roads but during raining seasons, they get destroyed again.
“In our own estimation, we observed that most of these roads are 50 years old to 60 years old. So, we said we would scrape them, reconstruct them so that for the next 30 years, nobody would do anything on them.
“So, as we move towards the next election, let us be vigilant. People will come with all sorts. But I know that your prayers will see us through. Oyo State would never go back to the era of ‘do or die’ politics.”
Governor Makinde appreciated the Islamic faithful in the state for their prayers, support and cooperation towards his administration, noting that these had resulted in tremendous progress and growth.
Source:thisdaylive.com
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Sudan paramilitaries vow ‘no surrender’ after Khartoum setback
March 27, 2025
KHARTOUM: Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces vowed on Thursday there would be “no retreat and no surrender” after rival troops of the regular army retook nearly all of central Khartoum.
From inside the recaptured presidential palace, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, at war with his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo since April 2023, had on Wednesday declared the capital “free” from the RSF.
But in its first direct comment since the army retook what remains of the capital’s state institutions this week, the RSF said: “Our forces have not lost any battle, but have repositioned.
“Our forces will continue to defend the homeland’s soil and secure a decisive victory. There will be no retreat or surrender,” it said.
“We will deliver crushing defeats to the enemy on all fronts.”
AFP could not independently confirm the RSF’s remaining positions in the capital.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million, according to UN figures.
It has also split Africa’s third-largest country in two, with the army holding the north and east while the RSF controls parts of the south and nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur, which borders Chad.
On Wednesday, the army cleared Khartoum airport of RSF fighters and encircled their last major stronghold in the Khartoum area, just south of the city center.
An army source told AFP that RSF fighters were fleeing across the Jebel Awliya bridge, their only way out of greater Khartoum.
A successful withdrawal could link the RSF’s Jebel Awliya troops to its positions west of the city and then to its strongholds in Darfur hundreds of kilometers (miles) away.
On Wednesday, hours after Burhan arrived in the presidential palace for the first time in two years, the RSF announced a “military alliance” with a rebel group, which controls much of South Kordofan state and parts of Blue Nile bordering Ethiopia.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, had clashed with both sides, before signing a political charter with the RSF last month to establish a rival government.
On Thursday evening, witnesses in the Blue Nile state capital Damazin reported that both its airport and the nearby Roseires Dam came under drone attack by the paramilitaries and their allies for the first time in the war.
Fighters in retreat across the capital
Following a year and a half of defeats at the hands of the RSF, the army began pushing through central Sudan toward Khartoum late last year.
Analysts have blamed the RSF’s losses on strategic blunders, internal divisions and dwindling supplies.
Since the army recaptured the presidential palace on Friday, witnesses and activists have reported RSF fighters in retreat across the capital.
The army’s gains have been met with celebrations in its wartime headquarters in the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan, where displaced Sudanese rejoiced at the prospect of finally returning to Khartoum.
“God willing, we’re going home, we’ll finally celebrate Eid in our own homes,” Khartoum native Motaz Essam told AFP, ululations and fireworks echoing around him.
Burhan, Sudan’s de facto leader since he ousted civilian politicians from power in a 2021 coup, said on Wednesday the army was looking to form a technocratic government and had “no desire to engage in political work.”
“The armed forces are working to create the conditions for an elected civilian government,” Burhan said in a meeting with Germany’s envoy to the Horn of Africa, Heiko Nitzschke, according to a statement from Burhan’s office.
The RSF has its origins in the Janjaweed militia unleashed by then strongman Omar Al-Bashir more than two decades ago in Darfur.
Like the army, the RSF has sought to position itself as the guardian of Sudan’s democratic uprising which ousted Bashir in 2019.
The United States has imposed sanctions on both sides. It accused the army of attacks on civilians and said the RSF had “committed genocide.”
Burhan and Dagalo, in the fragile political transition that followed Bashir’s overthrow, forged an alliance which saw both rise to prominence. Then a bitter power struggle over the potential integration of the RSF into the regular army erupted into all-out war.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2595082/middle-east
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Tinubu Goes Spiritual As He Marks 73rd Birthday
March 28, 2025
Ahead of his 73rd birthday on Saturday, President Bola Tinubu will join fellow Muslims at the National Mosque in Abuja for a special prayer session on Friday.
Naija News reports that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known on Thursday in a statement titled, ‘President Tinubu To Mark 73rd Birthday with Special Prayer at the Abuja National Mosque.’
Onanuga said Tinubu’s decision to choose prayer reflects his dedication to Nigeria’s spiritual and moral well-being and his commitment to seeking divine guidance, insight, and strength in leadership.
He stated that President Tinubu had also invited the public to join the prayer session in spirit by offering prayers at their places of worship or wherever they may be, reinforcing a nationwide commitment to unity and shared destiny.
He said Tinubu expressed profound gratitude to Nigerians for their unwavering support and goodwill as his administration works tirelessly to advance economic reforms, strengthen national security, and expand opportunities for all citizens.
He said, “He will also use this occasion to thank God for preserving and supporting him in the onerous task of piloting the nation’s affairs.
“On this significant day, the President will dedicate himself to spiritual reflection and supplication for Nigeria’s continued peace, progress, and prosperity.
“Choosing a prayer session reflects President Tinubu’s dedication to Nigeria’s spiritual and moral well-being and his commitment to seeking divine guidance, insight, and strength in leadership. He believes collective prayer is a powerful tool for guiding the nation towards progress and harmony.
“I am deeply thankful to Allah for the gift of life and the privilege to serve this great nation. As I mark another birthday and look forward to our second anniversary, my heart is filled with Renewed Hope for Nigeria.
“I urge all citizens to pray for divine guidance, unity, and healing for our land. Together, we shall overcome challenges and build a nation where every citizen thrives.”
The President reaffirmed his commitment to consolidating democratic gains, fostering economic recovery, and promoting national cohesion, adding that Nigerians should remain steadfast in believing in the country’s destiny as a beacon of hope in Africa.
Source:naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/03/28/tinubu-goes-spiritual-as-he-marks-73rd-birthday/
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Tinubu’s Second Term Assured – Akpabio
28 Mar 202
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has assured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that his second term is secure, despite opposition efforts to unseat him in the 2027 election.
Akpabio made the statement late Wednesday during a special Iftar dinner organised by the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) in Abuja. The event was aimed at fostering unity among governors, National Assembly members, ministers, top government officials, and the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Top leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday night turned their Iftar at Fraser Suites in Abuja into a platform for political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Iftar is the meal that Muslims eat to break their fast at sunset during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
During Wednesday’s plenary session at the National Assembly, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that governors had invited the leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to the event. However, he did not specify whether it was organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) or the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), which comprises solely APC governors.
Akpabio also revealed that 20 senators were selected to accompany the Senate leadership. He later listed their names, which included both APC lawmakers and opposition members from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP).
Among those listed were Senators Osita Izunaso (APC, Imo West), Amos Yohanna (PDP, Adamawa North), Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), Kelvin Chukwu (LP, Enugu East), Akpan Ekong Sampson (PDP, Akwa Ibom South), Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central), Titus Zam (APC, Benue North West), Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South), and Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South).
Others were Austine Akobundu (APC, Abia Central), Anthony Ani (APC, Ebonyi South), Wasiu Eshilokun Sanni (APC, Lagos Central), Joel-Onowakpo Thomas (APC, Delta South), Ede Dafinone (APC, Delta Central), Ahmad Abdulhamid Malam Madori (APC, Jigawa North East), and Neda Nwoko (APC, Delta North), who was also sighted at the event.
‘We’ll come back in 2027’
Speaking at the Iftar gathering, Akpabio confidently asserted that APC would retain power in 2027 and expand its control across more states.
“We will come back in 2027, in Jesus’ name, Amen,” he declared.
“We will offer prayers for our party, that yes, indeed, victory shall be ours in 2027. Can we say a loud amen! And we will also pray for Mr. President that his second term is assured. Can we shout a loud amen!,” he said
He then called for a vote, saying, “Those in support of the motion that the APC should come back in 2027, say ‘aye,’ those against, say ‘nay’.” When the audience responded with a loud “aye,” Akpabio concluded, “The ayes have it.”
He also encouraged senators interested in running for governorship positions in 2027 to pursue their ambitions, citing Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, as an example of a senator who successfully transitioned to governorship.
APC leaders seize Iftar to tout achievements
The dinner, organised by the PGF and chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, became a political rally as APC leaders took turns to promote what they described as the “mega achievements” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in less than two years.
Governors in attendance included Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Monday Okpebholo (Edo) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).
Also present were Senate President Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Finance Wale Edun, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha.
Other notable figures included members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), former governors like ex-Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, APC state chairmen, and several members of the House of Representatives.
Early signs of APC’s 2027 campaign
Though Tinubu is yet to officially declare his re-election bid, his allies have been openly rallying support for a second term.
Recently, APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, urged northern politicians eyeing the presidency in 2027 to wait until 2031. Similarly, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, advised PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and other northern aspirants to shelve their ambitions.
Two months ago, the APC held a mega rally in Kebbi State, themed “We Stand with Tinubu and Kauran Gwandu,” in support of Tinubu and Governor Nasir Idris. The event saw a massive turnout, with banners promoting Tinubu’s projected second-term bid.
In Kaduna, APC stakeholders passed a vote of confidence in both Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani for what they described as their “pro-people policies.” Meanwhile, Ganduje and Jibrin recently welcomed Atiku’s former support groups into the APC, reinforcing their strategy for 2027.
However, these early campaign moves have drawn criticism from opposition parties and political analysts, who argue that they violate the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
Uzodinma: ‘We’ll use political evangelism to win’
Governor Uzodinma, speaking at the event, said the APC would use “political evangelism” to overcome challenges ahead of 2027.
“The opposition’s move to wrest power from Tinubu will fail. Whatever you are seeing now has happened before in this country,” he said.
Uzodinma insisted that APC should be “celebrated for its giant strides” and stressed that the party remained resolute and prepared for future elections.
“We must deploy political evangelism. If you don’t say who you are, nobody will,” he added.
On governance, he said, “If the government is in crisis, the APC is in crisis; if the National Assembly is in crisis, the APC is in crisis. So, we must be proud of our identity – the APC.”
In his closing remarks, Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu described Tinubu’s presidency as the best choice Nigerians had made, urging them to support his re-election.
“The choice you make today determines what you become tomorrow,” Bagudu said.
Similarly, Finance Minister Wale Edun claimed that government policies were effective, citing a decline in food prices as proof. He urged Nigerians to support Tinubu’s administration.
Opposition senator distances self from APC
Meanwhile, one of the opposition senators who attended the event told Daily Trust that his presence did not indicate any affiliation with the APC.
Speaking anonymously, the senator said, “Some of their actions (APC leaders) are directed against political opponents. But this scenario is particularly dangerous, as a single provocation may trigger responses and escalate tensions.”
Asked whether he was considering defecting to the APC, he replied, “I have no intention of doing so.”
Source:dailytrust.com
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https://dailytrust.com/tinubus-second-term-assured-akpabio/
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Alternative Bank hosts special iftar to celebrate inclusion, ethical banking
March 27, 2025
by Alao Abiodun
In a remarkable demonstration of its commitment to community engagement and impact, The Alternative Bank, Nigeria’s leading non-interest financial institution, recently hosted special Iftar events in Abuja, Ibadan, Kano and Lagos. The events gathered esteemed customers, partners, dignitaries and business leaders in celebration of the holy month of Ramadan.
The Iftar events were part of the bank’s annual Ramadan program, with focus on inclusion, unity, and social impact as the core of its activities. The events provided an opportunity for the bank to deepen its relationship with stakeholders, reinforce customer loyalty, and explore new avenues for partnerships — all while celebrating the spirit of charity and reflection that defines Ramadan.
In his welcome address at the Lagos event, the Managing Director of The Alternative Bank, Mr. Hassan Yusuf, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the bank’s partners and customers for their unwavering trust. He highlighted the importance of togetherness, saying, “We thrive when we collaborate, when we lift one another, and when we recognize that our greatest wealth lies not just in material success, but in the relationships we build and the impact we create.”
The President of the Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT), Alhaji Ayodeji AbdulWahid AbdulRauf, also delivered a goodwill message, commending The Alternative Bank for its thoughtful initiative and praising its innovative, impactful solutions. He underscored the importance of collaboration between faith-based organizations and financial institutions in driving sustainable community development.
A key highlight of the evening was an insightful Ramadan lecture delivered by NASFAT’s Chief Missioner, Imam Abdul-Azeez Moruf Onike. He urged guests to imbibe values of tolerance, humility, and charity, reflecting the virtues of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). His message resonated with attendees, inspiring a deeper sense of shared responsibility and compassion.
The serene atmosphere of the event provided an ideal setting for meaningful conversations and networking among guests, culminating in prayers led by Imam Onike and a shared Iftar meal.
In her closing remarks, Mrs. Korede Demola-Adeniyi, Executive Director, The Alternative Bank – South, expressed profound appreciation to the guests for honouring the invitation and reaffirmed the bank’s dedication to providing faith-based, customer-focused financial services that care beyond business.
The event successfully highlighted The Alternative Bank’s commitment to fostering inclusion, unity, and positive community impact. It reinforced the institution’s position as a socially responsible brand dedicated to building lasting relationships and serving as a beacon for specialised banking in Nigeria.
Source:thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/alternative-bank-hosts-special-iftar-to-celebrate-inclusion-ethical-banking/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ramadan-mubarak-trump-white-house/d/135003