India Should Ensure Religion Is Not Used Divisively: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
New
Age Islam News Bureau
15
October 2021
Sheikh
Hasina. File picture
-----
• After
Two Years, Hindu And Muslim Families Celebrate Puja Together To Celebrate The
Golden Jubilee Year Of The Local Sri Durga Sati Sangha Puja
• To Educate
The World about Islam Pakistan President Promulgates Ordinance For
Establishment Of Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen Authority
• Norway
Bow-And-Arrow Terror Suspect ID’d As Muslim Convert Who Posted Chilling Video
• US
Committed To Defence Of Saudi Arabia, Blinken Tells FM Prince Faisal
South Asia
• Bangladesh:
PM Hasina Warns Those Involved In Communal Violence, Says 'Attackers Won't Be
Spared'
• Attack
by Uyghur suicide bomber affects China's investment plans in Afghanistan
• Four
protesters shot dead in Bangladesh after ‘desecration’
• Taliban
delegation lands in Turkey for 1st high-level talks
• Taliban
warns of ban on PIA, Kam Air Airlines
--------
India
• OIC
Lashes Out At India Over Rising Wave Of Islamophobia, Hate Crimes Against
Muslims
• Bangladesh
‘Promptly’ Dealt With Communal Disturbances During Durga Puja: India
• After
Attacks, Valley Mosques Relay Messages Of Solidarity With The Minority
Community In Jammu and Kashmir
• RSS
Chief Mohan Bhagwat Raises Concerns About Rising Muslim Population, Says
Temples Being Given To Heretics
• JCO
among two Army personnel killed in encounter with terrorists in J&K's
Poonch
• On
hunger index, India trails Pakistan, Bangladesh & Nepal
• India
to attend Moscow talks on Afghanistan involving Taliban
• J&K:
Army officer, soldier injured in counter-terrorist operation in Poonch
--------
Pakistan
• India
Urged To Resume Dialogue With Pakistan ‘Amid Threat Of Regional Isolation’
• Impasse
between Imran, Pak army over new ISI chief continues
• Fazl
vows to expedite efforts to overthrow govt
• Pakistan–China
strategic partnership, defence collaboration is a factor of stability in the
region, says COAS
• Karak
temple case: Pakistan SC orders recovery of Rs 33 mn from accused
• Reham
Khan apologises to Zulfi Bukhari, will pay damages after losing libel case in
UK
• US
envoy’s separate meetings show PML-N discord
--------
Europe
• Norway
attack was ‘act of terror’, say police
• UN
deal offers no guarantees of free movement for Rohingya on island: Leaked copy
• Italian
court stops trial against Egyptians over student's murder
• Russian,
Armenian, Azerbaijani officials hold 3-way meeting in Minsk
• 18-year-old
Afghan refugee stabbed to death in UK
--------
North America
• Congressman
suggests US visas for Afghan Fulbright students
• US
Will Oppose UN Human Rights Council’s ‘Disproportionate’ Attention On Israel
• US
made clear its opposition to settlements: Israeli official
• US
county to allow Muslim cemetery after Justice Dept sues
• US
working to make charter flights from Afghanistan more routine: State Department
• US
offers $1 mln rewards to capture Pakistani human smuggler who operates in Mid
East
--------
Arab World
• More
Than 150 Houthis Dead In Fourth Day Of Air Strikes: Coalition
• Afghan
Emigre Wants People To Rediscover Troubled Homeland At Expo 2020 Dubai
• Lebanon
pauses amid tense calm after deadly gun battles
• Lebanon’s
Beirut blast victims deserve justice, accountability needed: White House
• US
urges ‘de-escalation of tensions’ in Lebanon
• Top
US Republican hits out at Hezbollah, voices concern over situation in Lebanon
• Lebanese
army arrests nine people after Beirut violence
• Lebanese
Forces party denies involvement in Beirut violence
• Saudi
Arabia expresses hope for stability in Lebanon following violent clashes
• Arab
Coalition intercepts Houthi drone headed for Saudi Arabia’s Jazan
--------
Southeast Asia
• Malaysian
Family Needs To Be Translated Into Democracy Practice, Govt Policy — Analyst
• Malaysia
Says It Won't Compromise On Demands For Myanmar Progress
• Sabah
to allow Friday, obligatory prayers with 50pc mosque, surau capacity
• Indonesia
tackles call to prayer volume backlash
--------
Mideast
• Turkey
Ready To Help, But Will Not Recognise Taliban
• Official:
Iran Not to Tolerate Presence of Terrorists in Region
• Israeli
troops kill Palestinian throwing fire-bomb, military says
• Pro-Iran
militias warn of forceful response after Israeli strike on Syria’s Palmyra
• Iran,
Pakistan Discuss Ways to Enhance Naval Cooperation
• Iran
Warns UNSC about Israel’s Threats
• Iran
Reiterates Need for S. Korea to Return Frozen Money
• Iran’s
Top General Meets Pakistani PM, High-Ranking Military Officials
--------
Africa
• Islamic
State's West Africa Chief Is Dead, Nigeria's Top General Reveals
• US-Kenya
partnership 'essential' for region: Biden
• Kenyan
serial killer lynched by mob
• 5
soldiers killed in suspected bandits attack in Nigeria
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religion-divisively-bangladesh-hasina/d/125579
--------
India
Should Ensure Religion Is Not Used Divisively: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina
Devadeep
Purohit
Calcutta |
15.10.21
Sheikh
Hasina. File picture
-----
Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said neighbouring countries like India
should also be vigilant to ensure that religion is not used to divide people,
against the backdrop of communal clashes in several parts of her country during
Durga Puja.
“You
all know that those who came to power in our country after 1975 used religion
to divide people.… The rise of global terrorism also has had its impact on our
country. Countering this is not only our responsibility, and neighbouring
countries like India should also remain vigilant,” Hasina said while exchanging
greetings with Hindus on the occasion of Durga Puja. The Prime Minister had
joined in virtually from her Gono Bhaban residence in Dhaka.
“India
did help us in the liberation war (of 1971) and we will remain ever grateful
for the support.… But they (India) have to be aware that such incidents should
not take place there which would have an impact on Bangladesh, and the Hindus
in our country face attacks,” Hasina added.
The
Bangladesh Prime Minister did not link the attacks on Hindu temples and puja
pandals in the past 36 hours to any specific incident in India. Four persons
are reported to have died in the violence.
However,
Hasina’s observations have come at a time when there is a growing perception in
Muslim-majority Bangladesh that the condition of the community in India has
worsened since the change of guard in Delhi in 2014.
“While
the Hasina government is committed to the principles of secularism and she has
taken prompt action to ensure that the situation doesn’t spiral out of control,
her comments made it clear that she was trying a balancing act by suggesting
that incidents in India do have a bearing on Bangladesh,” said an observer in
Dhaka.
Several
recent developments in India — from the new citizenship regime brought by the
Narendra Modi government to the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status
by diluting Article 370 — are perceived as anti-Muslim measures by the majority
in Bangladesh, where fundamentalist forces have been gaining ground over the
past few years.
“Hasina
has always dealt firmly with fundamentalists…. In keeping with this tradition,
she has taken prompt action after the clashes over Durga Puja. The fact that
she joined a programme to wish the Hindus during Durga Puja is a very strong
message to the community, which had been feeling insecure after the attacks,”
the observer said
Several
prominent Hindu leaders also praised the Hasina government for initiating quick
administrative action — elite Border Guard Bangladesh troops were deployed in
22 districts to provide security to puja pandals and temples and 43 people were
arrested — after the attacks in Cumilla and several other places in the
Chittagong range.
Hasina
said 32,118 Durga pujas were being organised in Bangladesh this year and her
government was making all efforts to provide security to the organisers.
“The
number of pujas is more this year.… The law-enforcing agencies always provide
security to the big pujas, but a lot of small pujas also take place and it is
sometimes difficult to provide security to them. In India, I mean in Calcutta,
pujas are held subject to permission from the government. We don’t have such
provisions here.... I would urge the Bangladesh Puja Ujjapon Committee to
consider whether they should frame some guidelines for organisers so that the
administration is aware of all the pujas,” the Prime Minister said during the
online event.
Hasina
also urged the Hindus in Bangladesh not to consider themselves as “minorities”.
“This
land belongs to you, you have your rights. Don’t consider yourselves as
minorities, you should have this confidence,” she said.
Her
message and the administrative action has calmed the situation in areas such as
Cumilla, Narsingdi and Munshiganj, but some Hindu community leaders said the
real test would be on Friday.
“We
have received threats that there would be more attacks after Friday prayers and
we are very worried.… In some places, the attacks were carried out by people
who are part of the (ruling) Awami League establishment and that’s why the
administration didn’t do anything. The Prime Minister may be earnest in
protecting the Hindus, but the question is whether everyone in the Awami League
also believes in the principles of secularism,” said a Chittagong-based Hindu
businessman who preferred anonymity.
Nod
from India
India
on Thursday acknowledged the prompt action taken by the Bangladesh government
after the attacks.
Asked
for a reaction on the attacks on puja pandals, Indian external affairs ministry
spokesman Arindam Bagchi said: “We have seen some disturbing reports of
untoward incidents involving attacks on religious gatherings in Bangladesh. We
note that the government of Bangladesh has reacted promptly to ensure control
of the situation, including the deployment of law-enforcement machinery.
“We
also understand that the ongoing festive celebration of Durga Puja continues in
Bangladesh with the support of government of Bangladesh agencies and, of
course, the large majority of the public. Our embassy and consulates are in
close contact with the authorities in Dhaka and at the local levels.”
Since
Durga Puja pandals came up earlier this week, the Indian high commission in
Dhaka had been posting images of high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami joining
the celebrations at different temples of the Bangladesh capital.
The
attacks on the pandals come close on the heels of India raising the issue of
“Hinduphobia” at the United Nations.
“As
regards religious identities, we are witnessing how member states are facing
newer forms of religious phobias. While we have condemned anti-semitism,
Islamophobia and Christianophobia, we fail to recognise that there are more
virulent forms of religious phobias emerging and taking roots, including
anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias,” junior external affairs
minister V. Muraleedharan had said on Tuesday.
Additional
reporting by Anita Joshua in New Delhi
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
After
Two Years, Hindu And Muslim Families Celebrate Puja Together To Celebrate The
Golden Jubilee Year Of The Local Sri Durga Sati Sangha Puja
Subhasish
Chaudhuri
15.10.21
Puja
committee secretary Mohammed Raja Ansari beats the dhaak and president Birju
Prasad Lal rings the bell at the Mominpara pandal on Thursday.
------
After
a two-year gap, some 300 Hindu and Muslim families have come together in
Mominpara of Barrackpore’s Jagaddal to celebrate the golden jubilee year of the
local Sri Durga Sati Sangha puja.
This
puja is special for them, because they were able to bridge the rift following
communal unrest fomented in the area by alleged outsiders, in the wake of the
victory of BJP’s Arjun Singh in the Lok
Sabha polls of 2019.
Residents
of Mominpara, in ward 17 of Bhatpara Municipality, which is Singh’s backyard,
have unanimously chosen private tutor Birju Prasad Lal, 47, as the president of
the puja committee, and mechanic Mohammed Raja Ansari, 28, as its secretary.
“Hindus
and Muslims have been living for ages here in harmony and peace. There was
never any suspicion in either against the other. People here, for decades, have
jointly organised Durga Puja and the Tazia of Muharram,” said Ansari.
“Unfortunately,
this pluralist ethos was disrupted two years ago when some outsiders attacked
the area with vested political interests, which
rendered
many from both communities homeless. Many people had to flee the area in fear.
But people gradually understood that their neighbours were not their enemies,”
he added.
Bhatpara
of Jagaddal, under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, comprises pockets such as
Kankinara, Titagarh, Kanchrapara, Garulia, Bijpur, and Amdanga, which had been
volatile since May 23 of 2019, when the results of the general election came
out.
At
least seven lives were lost in a violent turf war between Trinamul and BJP,
allegedly energised by MP Singh.
Puja
committee president Lal said people have learnt to trust again. “People have
understood that politicians had vested interests in keeping the Hindus and
Muslims divided. It took some time, but the initial mistrust that marred the
puja and Id celebrations of the past two years is now a thing of the past. Last
year, Covid-19 was also a major factor (behind the muted celebrations),” said
Lal. “Hence, people in the area, irrespective of faith, wanted to make this
Durga Puja memorable while adhering to Covid-19 protocols.”
On
Thursday, Ansari was seen beating the dhaak while Lal was ringing the
ceremonial bell, as members of both communities were busy preparing for
Mahanavami rituals.
Around
1,500 people who live in the area are mostly daily wage earners. A large part
of the population works in the jute mills of the area, some of which have
suspended work. Many people of the area also work as construction workers and
small-time traders. All have suffered serious losses in the pandemic.
“We
had big plans for the celebrations this year. But, the economic impact of
Covid-19 forced us to rationalise costs. People here do not have much spare
money. So we had to scale down the celebrations with whatever small donations
that people could give,” said Ansari.
However,
despite the modest pandal, people are happy, said Lal.
“For
all of us, this is more of a reunion. Residents have vowed against getting
influenced by others and are firm about resisting divisive attempts in the
future,” he said.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
To
Educate The World about Islam Pakistan President Promulgates Ordinance For
Establishment Of Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen Authority
October
14, 2021
President
Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday signed an ordinance for the establishment of
Rahmatul-lil-Alameen Authority.
According
to the ordinance, Prime Minister Imran Khan will be the patron-in-chief of the
authority. The authority’s six members will have scholarly eminence and
impeccable credentials.
The
prime minister will appoint the chairman of the authority and members of the
board.
The
advisory board of the authority shall meet at least once on a quarterly basis.
The
authority will educate the world about Islam. It will undertake national level
consultations with religious scholars, researchers, and education-related
entities in all provinces.
It
will promote modesty, non-materialistic approach, simple and dignified
lifestyle.
It will
also provide an international counter-narrative to various misconceptions
against Islam.
Earlier
on Sunday, the premier had said that the government has already started the
search for a chairman to head the authority, who will be a top scholar.
He
had said that the authority will monitor the curriculum being taught at schools
and organise research in universities regarding the true message of Islam in
light of the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
He
had stressed the need to undertake research on Muslim heroes.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Norway
bow-and-arrow terror suspect ID’d as Muslim convert who posted chilling video
By
Yaron Steinbuch
October
14, 2021
The
Danish man who allegedly killed five people in a bow-and-arrow attack in Norway
has reportedly been identified as Muslim convert Espen Andersen Bråthen — who
posted a chilling 2017 video in which he described himself as a “messenger” who
comes “with a warning.”
The
37-year-old man is accused of carrying out the attack late Wednesday in several
locations in the town of Kongsberg, some 40 miles southwest of Oslo, killing
four women and a man between the ages of 50 and 70, Police Chief Ole B.
Saeverud said.
The
Norwegian intelligence service deemed the attack an “act of terror” by the
radicalized suspect, who reportedly attended an Islamic center in the community
two years ago, the Telegraph reported.
“Hello.
I’m a messenger. I come with a warning. Is this really what you want? And for
all who want to make up for themselves, so it’s time. Bear witness that I am a
Muslim,” Bråthen reportedly said in English in a Facebook video that was
flagged to law enforcement in 2017.
A
concerned acquaintance notified police of the video, according to the
Aftenposten, Norway’s largest newspaper, the Telegraph reported.
The
man’s neighbors told the Norwegian outlet that they had observed Bråthen — who
reportedly engaged in a “brutal fighting style” of martial arts — training with
weapons in his garden.
National
broadcaster NRK reported that the suspect had been convicted of burglary and
bought small quantities of hash in 2012, according to the Telegraph.
Bråthen
also was banned from visiting his parents after seriously threatening them,
according to the outlet, which cited the Aftenposten.
Two
people, including an off-duty cop, were wounded in Wednesday’s attack. They
were hospitalized in intensive care, the Telegraph reported. Police responding
to the incident also were shot at with arrows, officials said.
“Witnesses
saw lifeless people, heard intense howls and screams and saw people running for
their lives in the streets,” Saeverud told reporters Thursday.
Police
were called at 6:15 p.m. and arrested the suspect about 30 minutes later. He
was held on preliminary charges, which is a step short of formal charges.
Police believe he acted alone.
One
eyewitness said residents are still shaken by the carnage.
“I
have never seen so many police, ambulances and vehicles in my life. There were
just blue lights everywhere. Everyone is in shock and upset,” the witness said,
according to the Telegraph.
“I
mean, an untrained lone man equipped with knife, arrow and bow openly roamed in
our streets for more than 30 minutes — headed to a grocery store in the
beginning and attacked people there. And then made his way to a post office.
Everywhere where he saw people gathering,” the person said.
Karin
Elise Edvartsen, a town resident, said the worst part of the attack was “all
the hate against religion and race that comes with it.”
“If
we are from here or there, we are one community. My neighbors are both Muslims
and Christians, and I know they would not hurt a fly,” said Edvartsen, who knew
one of the victims, the outlet said.
“Sadly,
people start to suspect others. It hurts me, but I refuse to let the hate win,”
she added.
Prime
Minister-designate Jonas Gahr Store called the attack “horrific.”
“This
is unreal. But the reality is that five people have been killed, many are
injured and many are in shock,” Gahr Store, who is expected to take office
later Thursday, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the Telegraph reported.
Kongsberg
Mayor Kari Anne said: “This is a gruesome incident, there is nothing else to
say. Now we must try to take care of the inhabitants as best we can.”
Source:
New York Post
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://nypost.com/2021/10/14/norway-bow-and-arrow-terror-suspect-idd-as-muslim-convert/
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US
Committed To Defence Of Saudi Arabia, Blinken Tells FM Prince Faisal
15
October ,2021
The
US is committed to the defense of Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Antony
Blinken said Thursday ahead of a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince
Faisal bin Farhan.
“It’s
a real pleasure to have my friend and colleague, the Saudi Foreign Minister
here,” Blinken said at the State Department ahead of their closed-door meeting.
The
discussions were expected to touch on Iran, Yemen, climate change and energy,
Blinken added.
“We
have a strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia. We are
committed to the defense of the Kingdom, and we have a lot of work that we’re
doing together on a variety of very significant issues,” the top US diplomat
said.
For
his part, Prince Faisal hailed the “tremendous, immense value” of bilateral
ties between Washington and Riyadh.
Citing
the same issues that would be discussed, as well as the recovery from COVID-19,
Prince Faisal said they pointed to just how important the partnership was.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Bangladesh:
PM Hasina Warns Those Involved In Communal Violence, Says 'Attackers Won't Be
Spared'
Oct
15, 2021
DHAKA:
Giving a stern warning to perpetrators of communal violence, Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina said that anyone involved in the attacks on Hindu temples and
Durga Puja venues in Cumilla will not be spared irrespective of which religion
they belong to.
"The
incidents in Cumilla are being thoroughly investigated. Nobody will be spared.
It doesn't matter which religion they belong to. They will be hunted down and
punished," she said on Thursday, reported Dhaka Tribune.
The
prime minister made the remarks while exchanging greetings with people of the
Hindu community during an event at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka on the
occasion of Durga Puja. She joined the program from Ganabhaban through a video
conference.
Terming
the incident of vandalizing temples in Cumilla "very unfortunate,"
she said that those who are unable to earn the confidence and trust of the
people and have no ideology can carry out such attacks.
"We
are getting a large amount of information. We will definitely trace those who
carried out the attacks... This is the age of technology," she added.
"They
must be found. We did so in the past and will do it in the future, too. They
must face due punishment. Exemplary punishment will be given so that none can
dare to engage in this type of incident in future," said the prime
minister, reported Dhaka Tribune.
She
also called upon all to work in unison and remain vigilant to stop the
recurrence of such heinous acts.
She
said that people irrespective of caste, creed and religion celebrate all
festivals together in Bangladesh, adding, "Religion is for individuals and
festival is for all and we enjoy every festival together."
Hasina
said the Cumilla incident occurred at a time when the country was progressing
towards development at full speed and it was aimed at hampering the journey of
the nation's uplift and creating a problem in the country.
On
Wednesday, tensions erupted among a faction of locals in Cumilla after news
broke on social media about the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran at a
Durga Puja venue on the bank of Nanuar Dighi.
At
one point, the situation began getting out of hand and riots started spreading
to a number of Puja venues in the adjacent areas. The local administration and
police came under attack while trying to establish order, reported Dhaka
Tribune.
Similar
incidents also occurred in different districts across the country on Wednesday
night and Thursday, leading the government to deploy Border Guard Bangladesh
troopers in 22 districts alongside additional law enforcement officials.
There
have been reports of several people getting killed during clashes in Chandpur,
while dozens of people have been either injured in clashes or arrested by law
enforcers in multiple districts until now.
At
Thursday's event, a Hindu community leader sought the government's intervention
in view of the information that some people are planning to attack them during
immersion of the idols of goddess Durga on Friday.
Prime
Minister Hasina said they are aware of this matter and measures have already
been taken to this end.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Attack
by Uyghur suicide bomber affects China's investment plans in Afghanistan
Oct
15, 2021
KABUL:
A recent attack in Afghanistan carried out by an Uyghur Muslim has shaken
China's top national security decision-makers who wanted to invest in the
Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Paul
D Shinkman, writing in US News said that China's top national security
decision-makers are now questioning the value of promises from the Taliban to
stop organizations fighting for Uyghur causes.
China
is stunned by a devastating suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan last week
reportedly carried out by an Uyghur Muslim, sources say.
The
Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K, quickly
claimed responsibility for the deadly attack at a Shiite Muslim mosque in
Kunduz on Friday.
Also,
the detail of the attacker-specified that the bomber was of ethnicity that
largely originates from China's restive Xinjiang Province, Uyghurs.
Beijing's
attempts to stamp out violence among its Uyghur population has emerged as
perhaps its most sensitive problem at home and nearby, as shown through the
lengths it's willing to go to quash the threat it perceives, reported US News.
The
highly symbolic nature of the latest attack has raised new concerns in China
that its partners on the ground in Kabul are not following through on promises
they made, including preventing organizations fighting for Uyghur causes from
finding safe haven in Afghanistan.
It
has prompted worries in Beijing that elements of the new ruling government in
fact may be trying to exploit its interests there to draw greater investment
and involvement, said Shinkman.
"They
seem to be in a real state of panic in terms of how to deal with
Afghanistan," says a source briefed on the concerns by Chinese military
officials and on their plans for the future, who like others spoke to US News
on the condition of anonymity.
The
principal concern lies in the growing - though debatable - suspicion in Beijing
that the de facto leaders of Afghanistan's government are actually coordinating
with elements of ISIS-K, also known as the Islamic State-Khorasan Province.
"This
is the first major attack since the Taliban takeover," says Yun Sun,
director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. "And it was carried
out by an Uyghur."
The
news appears particularly ironic for the Chinese Communist Party following its
outspoken campaign to capitalize on America's failed attempts to nation-build
in Afghanistan and its embarrassing withdrawal this summer, said Shinkman.
Moreover,
the source of China's latest problem lies in the Haqqani Network, sources say,
the terrorist Islamic group with which the Taliban's traditional leaders have
associated themselves and which has in recent years redefined the ambitions and
power centers of the entire organization.
The
investments are all at risk with the new concerns of duplicity from the
Haqqanis and China's belief that they are at least communicating, if not
directly coordinating, with ISIS-K, said Shinkman.
"The
Chinese are coming into the realization that the Haqqanis are playing games
with everybody," the source says.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Four
protesters shot dead in Bangladesh after ‘desecration’
October
15, 2021
DHAKA:
Bangladesh police shot dead four people after hundreds vandalised several Hindu
temples across the Muslim-majority nation, officials said on Thursday.
Police
opened fire on a mob of over 500 people late on Wednesday following furore over
desecration of the Holy Quran during a Hindu religious festival.
In
the main incident, a group of people attacked a temple and clashed with police
in the southern town of Hajiganj, leaving four dead and over 20 injured,
including 15 police officers, local police chief Milon Mahmud said.
A
police inspector confirmed the four were shot dead.
Two
Hindus were also killed and some 150 others injured on Wednesday, community
leader Gobinda Chandra Pramanik said, with at least 80 makeshift temples
attacked.
“Hundreds
of thousands of people are in fear,” Pramanik said, adding two more attacks
took place on Thursday.
The
temple where the alleged desecration took place was among those assaulted,
police inspector Monir Ahmed said, adding that 40 people were arrested at the
site.
Home
Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who said there were also attempts to ransack the
homes of some Hindus, vowed to track down the alleged perpetrators.
In a
statement, the government ordered a probe into the violence and urged “everyone
to keep religious harmony, peace and security”.
Paramilitary
border guards were deployed in 22 of the country’s 64 districts to provide
security to festival goers during the nation’s largest Hindu celebration.
Local
news site Bdnews24.com, as well as other major Bangladesh news outlets,
reported that police had detained a Muslim man named Fayez for allegedly
sharing video of the incident.
Officers
also clashed with hundreds of people in the northeastern Zakiganj town on
Wednesday after protesters gathered.
“Several
people and a couple of police officers were injured. The mob attacked and
vandalised police and local administrators’ cars. We have deployed extra
police,” deputy police chief Lutfar Rahman said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1652097/four-protesters-shot-dead-in-bangladesh-after-desecration
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Taliban
delegation lands in Turkey for 1st high-level talks
Oct
14, 2021
ANKARA:
A high-level delegation from Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers has arrived in
Turkey for talks with Turkish officials, the foreign ministry announced
Thursday.
The
meetings in the capital of Ankara would be first between the Taliban and senior
Turkish government officials after the group seized control of Afghanistan. The
visiting delegation is led by Amir Khan Mutaqi, the acting foreign minister,
according to a Taliban spokesman.
The
visit comes after Taliban leaders held a series of meetings with the United
States, 10 European nations and European Union representatives in Doha, the
Qatari capital, this week.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a virtual meeting between the Group of
20 most powerful economies that the international community should keep the
channels of dialogue with the Taliban open, to "patiently and gradually
steer" them toward establishing a more inclusive government.
Erdogan
said Turkey, which already hosts more than 3.6 million Syrians, cannot bear an
influx of migrants from Afghanistan, warning that European nations would also
be affected by a new wave of migrants.
Source:
Times of India
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Taliban
warns of ban on PIA, Kam Air Airlines
14
Oct 2021
Afghanistan’s
Civil Aviation Administration in a statement said that Pakistan’s PIA and
Afghanistan’s Kam Air will be banned to conduct flights from Kabul to Islamabad
if they do not charge the same price as they did prior to their takeover.
The
statement reads that the Airlines will be fined and punished if they violate the
rules.
The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan warns the Airlines after PIA started charging up
to $2,500 for each ticket from Kabul to Islamabad.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/taliban-warns-of-ban-on-pia-kam-air-airlines-57457457/
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India
OIC
Lashes Out At India Over Rising Wave Of Islamophobia, Hate Crimes Against Muslims
October
15, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned the rising wave of
Islamophobia, hate speech and hate crimes motivated by the Hindu supremacist
Hindutva ideology in India with the tacit complicity of the BJP- led Indian
government.
“The
OIC-IPHRC is following with great concern the increasing incidents of
systematic violence, mob attacks, public lynching and dehumanising political
tirade against Muslims across different parts of India,” a statement issued by
OIC-IPHRC in Jeddah on Wednesday said.
“The
gruesome footage of ghoulish stomping by a journalist over the body of a Muslim
villager in Assam, who was killed by police at a point-blank range, has shaken
the world for its sheer insensitivity, depravity and impunity. Ironically, the
Muslim villagers were peacefully protesting the forced eviction from their
lands that the government wants to give to Hindus,” it added.
The
statement pointed out that in Assam, Muslims were subjected to a highly
discriminatory "citizen verification" drive in which nearly two
million people, mainly Muslims, have been disenfranchised in the same manner as
the mass disenfranchisement of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Similar
measures are also being contemplated in the neighbouring states of Bihar and
Bengal, it added.
The
introduction of laws against “love jihad”, anti-conversion law in India’s most
populous state Uttar Pradesh, misuse of regulations against the slaughter of
cows and open calls for a boycott of Muslim businesses were stoking religious
divide, dehumanising Muslims and encouraging vigilantism by the Hindu extremist
groups were telltale signs of an impending genocide, the commission added.
The
commission welcomed the unequivocal condemnation and outrage expressed by the
OIC, international human rights community, and even various progressive voices
within India over the hate-mongering and violence carried out against Muslims
which violate the right of minorities "to enjoy their own culture and to
profess and practice their own religion" as provided in ICCPR Art. 27.
The
commission reiterated that in present times, xenophobia and hate crimes have
become an epidemic, which seriously threatens the coexistence among local
communities and undermines the values of multiculturalism in modern societies.
“The
ultra-right-wing political parties and extreme nationalists are using hate
speech to demonise and promote discrimination against minorities for narrow
political gains, which often leads to violence against targeted groups, while
seriously undermining the socio-cultural foundations of their respective
societies,” it added.
The
commission concluded that such majoritarian rhetoric and discriminatory
measures in India against the Muslims were contrary to the ideals of pluralism,
counterproductive to societal cohesion and clear manifestations of
Islamophobia.
It,
accordingly, urged the Indian government to fulfil its international human
rights obligations by ensuring the safety and security of the Muslims,
protecting the rights of its Muslim minority to practice their religion, free
from any coercion or discrimination and bringing to justice the perpetrators of
the heinous hate crimes without impunity.
The
commission also urged the (a) Muslim community and human rights organisations
within India to exhaust all available domestic remedies including domestic
courts for redressal of grievances and repeal of discriminatory laws and
sensitise media for creating awareness; and (b) international community to
engage with Indian authorities to ensure accountability of those involved in
violence, hate speech, incitement to hatred and populist propaganda against
Muslims in accordance with the international human rights law.
Source:
Tribune Pakistan
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Bangladesh
‘promptly’ dealt with communal disturbances during Durga puja: India
OCTOBER
14, 2021
Kallol
Bhattacherjee
Ministry
of External Affairs spokesperson said the Durga puja celebrations have received
protection from the law and order enforcement agencies of Dhaka.
The
Government of Bangladesh "promptly" dealt with the miscreants who
tried to disturb Durga puja celebrations in Comilla district, said an official
here on Thursday. Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs
Arindam Bagchi said the festivities have received protection from the law and
order enforcement agencies of Dhaka.
"We
have seen some disturbing reports of untoward incidents involving attacks on
religious gatherings in Bangladesh. We note the Government of Bangladesh has
reacted promptly to ensure control of the situation including deployment of law
enforcement agencies. We also understand the ongoing festive celebration of
Durga Puja is continuing in Bangladesh with the support of the Bangladeshi
agencies and of course the majority of the public," said Mr. Bagchi
informing that the High Commission of India in Dhaka is in contact with the
Bangladesh authorities.
Source:
The Hindu
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After
Attacks, Valley Mosques Relay Messages Of Solidarity With The Minority
Community In Jammu and Kashmir
by
Bashaarat Masood
October
15, 2021
OVER
THE last week, some mosques in the Valley have started broadcasting messages of
solidarity and unity with the minority community in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
following the “targeted attacks” in which four persons have been killed so far.
The Kashmiri Hindus living in the Valley have welcomed the step, and hoped that
more mosques would follow.
“The
role of these masjid committees over the last few days is commendable,” said
Sanjay Tickoo, president of the Kashmir Pandits Sangarsh Samiti. “The messages
of reassurance from the masjids have sparked a new ray of hope of understanding
and community bonding,” he said.
“I
once again humbly request all masjid committees in Kashmir Valley to give some
time after Friday prayers to emphasise the value and importance of Kashmiri
society, with respect to social and moral security of the minorities living
here,” Tickoo said.
It
began last Friday, when two mosques in Srinagar Old City asked its worshippers
to stand by members of the minority community and ensure that they feel
confident of their support. Since then, other mosques too have relayed similar
messages.
Source:
New Indian Express
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RSS
chief Mohan Bhagwat raises concerns about rising Muslim population, says
temples being given to heretics
Oct
15, 2021
NAGPUR:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has called for a
policy to balance the population in terms of religion. He also raised concern
over the rising population of Muslims.
Bhagwat
was speaking at the annual Vijayadashmani event held to mark the foundation day
of the outfit. The event, which was again closed for the media, had the consul
general of Israel Kobbi Shoshani as one of the special guests. In recent times,
he is the first visitor from Israel which RSS is also reported to be looking as
a country to emulate.
In
his speech, Bhagwat mentioned that religions like Islam and Christianity came
through invasion, and Jews and Parsis came to India seeking refuge.
Bhagwat
reiterated the 2015 resolution of RSS Akhil Bhartiya Karyakari Mandal (ABKM)
which openly talked about rising population of Muslims and Christians.
Referring to Muslims, he said they can follow patriots like quartermaster Abdul
Hamid or Hasan Khan Mewati who fought Babur alongside Rana Sanga.
The
written text of Bhagwat’s speech released by RSS includes the AKBM resolution.
It cites the 2011 census which said that population of religions of “Bhartiya
origin” has come down from 88% to 83.8% between 1952 and 2011. The Muslim
population, on the other hand, has grown from 9.8% to 14.23% during the same
period.
The
rate of growth of Muslim population has been very high than the national
average in the border states of Assam Bangladesh and Bihar. It clearly
indicates the unabated infiltration from Bangladesh, the resolution had said.
The
RSS chief says that the religious imbalance in north-eastern states has also
assumed serious proportions. “The populations of people following indigenous
religions have come down to 67% from 81.3% from 2001 to 2011. In just one
decade, the Christian population has grown by 13%. In Manipur, the population
of religions of Bhartiya origin has come down to 50% from more than 80%. The
unnatural growth of Christian population indicates at targeted action by some
vested interest groups,” reads the resolution which was released as part of the
written text.
Bhagwat,
who did not read out the entire resolution, also advocated the need of
implementing the national register of citizenship (NRC). “The NRC is however
not meant for those people who have been living in India as citizens since
generations,” he said.
Bhagwat
called for a policy to ensure demographic balance in population which needs to
be applied on all in equal terms.
He
also criticized the recent incident of firing “between the police of two
north-eastern states” (Bhagwat did not name Assam and Mizoram) and said that
they are part of the same country. On Kashmir, Bhagwat said efforts need to be
taken to make the people of the state understand that they are also “sons of
Mother India”. “Terrorists have restarted their spate of killing targeting
Hindus,” said Bhagwat.
On
Taliban, Bhagwat said they “claim to having change but indications are that
they are the same of old”. “The country needs to have a cautious approach
toward the new regime in Afghanistan,” said the RSS chief.
Source:
Times of India
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JCO
among two Army personnel killed in encounter with terrorists in J&K's
Poonch
Oct
15, 2021
JAMMU:
Two Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were killed
in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district,
officials said on Friday.
According
to a defence spokesperson, the JCO and a jawan were critically injured during a
counter-terrorist operation in the Nar Khas forest area in Mendhar sub-division
on Thursday evening. Both of them succumbed to their injuries subsequently.
The
operation is ongoing, he added.
While
the body of the jawan has been retrieved, that of the JCO is yet to be
retrieved from the area, the spokesperson said.
Efforts
are on to retrieve the body, he said, adding that the area is mountainous and
the forest is dense, which makes the operation difficult and dangerous.
The
Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday said terrorists involved in a recent attack
on security forces in Poonch, in which five Army personnel including a JCO were
killed, were present in the area for the last two to three months.
Deputy
Inspector General of Police (DIG) Rajouri-Poonch range Vivek Gupta told
reporters that the terrorists have been confined to a particular area.
"The
group has been present in the area for two to three months," he said.
Source:
Times of India
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On
hunger index, India trails Pakistan, Bangladesh & Nepal
Oct
15, 2021
NEW
DELHI: India has slipped to the 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI)
2021 of 116 countries and is behind its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Eighteen
countries, including China, Brazil and Kuwait, shared the top rank with a GHI
score of less than five, the website of the Global Hunger Index. which tracks
hunger and malnutrition, said on Thursday. The report, prepared jointly by
Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe,
termed the level of hunger in India “alarming”.
In
2020, India was ranked 94th out of 107 countries. Now with 116 countries in the
fray, it has dropped to 101st rank. India’s GHI score has also decelerated —
from 38.8 in 2000 to the range of 28.8-27.5 between 2012 and 2021.
The
GHI score is calculated on four indicators — undernourishment; child wasting
(the share of children under the age of five who are wasted i.e who have low
weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition); child stunting
(children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting
chronic undernutrition) and child mortality (the mortality rate of children
under the age of five).
Source:
Times of India
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India
to attend Moscow talks on Afghanistan involving Taliban
Oct
15, 2021
NEW
DELHI: India will attend the Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan that will take
place on October 20 and will see participation by the Taliban, the government
said Thursday. While Russia has never invited India for the extended troika
meetings on Afghanistan apparently because India doesn’t have much influence
with the Taliban, it sees India as an important partner in the Moscow Format,
which includes 11 countries, for forging a regional consensus on Afghanistan.
The
MEA spokesperson said India will participate at the joint secretary level in
what will be the first Moscow Format meeting since the Taliban takeover of
Afghanistan. India had its first official engagement with the Taliban on August
31 when Indian ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met then deputy head of
Taliban’s political office in Doha Mohammad Stanekzai.
Russia
has said that the Moscow Format talks will emphasise before a Taliban
delegation on the need for a more inclusive government in Afghanistan. Before
the Moscow Format though, the extended or expanded troika, which includes US,
Russia, China and Pakistan, will have another meeting. While Indian leaders
have repeatedly said India’s main concern in Pakistan is terrorism, PM Narendra
Modi has himself also said that the government in Afghanistan is not inclusive
in its present form.
Source:
Times of India
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J&K:
Army officer, soldier injured in counter-terrorist operation in Poonch
Oct
14, 2021
POONCH:
One Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and one soldier were critically injured
during a counter-terrorist operation in Nar Khas forest area, Mendhar
sub-division of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, informed Public Relations
Officer (PRO), Defence, Jammu on Thursday.
Source:
Times of India
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Pakistan
India
urged to resume dialogue with Pakistan ‘amid threat of regional isolation’
October
14, 2021
ANKARA:
Describing the challenge posed by China as the most significant issue in the
country’s external security policies in the coming decade, India’s top eight
strategic brains have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to work
with regional powers like Turkey and Iran.
In a
policy paper entitled India’s Path to Power: Strategy in a World Adrift, the
strategic experts including former national security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon
and former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, among others, have also urged the
government to stay away from some of the concerns it has with Turkey and Iran
for the sake of overall benefit.
“If
crafting a continental geopolitical strategy implies setting aside some of our
erstwhile concerns – say, Turkey’s relations with Pakistan – then we must be
prepared to do so,” said the paper, released by the Centre for Policy Research
(CPR), India’s leading public policy think tank.
The
group of experts had started drafting the paper in May 2020 and after meeting
at intervals completed it in September 2021.
The
group, which also included noted historians like Sunil Khilnani and Srinath
Raghavan, besides top economist Ajit Ranade, asked the government to embark on
a more active pursuit of land routes to Afghanistan and Central Asia, through
Iran and possibly Turkey.
“This
quest is crucial not only for India’s integration with the region but also to
craft a continental response to China’s growing strategic footprint in Central
Asia – an essential counterpoint to India’s actions in the maritime domain,”
said the experts.
Maintaining
that India’s ability to sustain a liberal democratic polity at home will be
crucial in its ability and credibility to pose itself as a countervailing power
to China, the policy paper said democratic values and human rights will retain
their salience and significance – as evidenced by the current framing of the
US-China competition.
Majoritarianism
diminishes India:
“Political
polarisation and majoritarianism will lead to a more diminished India – one
that may struggle to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie in the
decade ahead,” the experts wrote, referring to violent communal incidents being
reported from various parts of the country.
About
India’s neighbourhood, the paper said there is danger of India getting isolated
in the region for the first time since independence.
The
experts said engagement with Bangladesh is now being undermined by domestic
political stances, and in Nepal, the expectation that a shared Hindu heritage
will help overcome its potent anxieties has been thoroughly belied.
“If
this trend of subordinating foreign policy to domestic political compulsions
continues, India will find itself more isolated and challenged than at any time
since Independence,” read the paper.
The
authors also called for effectively managing relations with Pakistan with the
resumption of dialogue, promoting economic and cultural links, and reviving a
process of confidence-building.
“A
limited engagement and improvement of relations with India may suit their
(Pakistan’s) interests too. Therefore, as long as our objectives of policy
towards Pakistan are modest, resumption of dialogue and a gradual revival of
trade, transport, and other links are worth pursuing,” the paper said.
But
the experts warned that such an approach will be impossible to sustain if
Pakistan remained a domestic factor in India – entwined with the growing
salience of majoritarian, communal politics.
The
political leadership will have to make a conscious and deliberate effort to
avoid succumbing to the temptation of using ties with Pakistan for domestic political
purposes. They said avoiding engagement with Pakistan has not even helped
manage the security concerns.
Using
neighbouring countries’ relations to shape the domestic political discourse
further will harm the country’s strategic goals.
“It
is important that we acknowledge the perverse impact of domestic political and
ideological factors that are driving our foreign policy. We have seen this in
our relations with Pakistan and, to some extent, with Nepal and Bangladesh.
This trend needs to be arrested and reversed,” the policy paper stated.
Blocking
SAARC detrimental:
The
experts also lamented India for holding back the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (Saarc) in a bid to isolate Pakistan. This has led to less
than 7% of overall trade and just 3% of investment that comes from within the
region.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Impasse
between Imran, Pak army over new ISI chief continues
Omer
Farooq Khan
Oct
15, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The controversy about the appointment of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) chief continues to linger on despite the government’s repeated claims
that the country’s civilian and military leadership were on the same page regarding
the issue.
“The
problem is that every hour some person, for getting fame, twists some words and
puts it up on Twitter. At this time, the process has started. There is no
conflict between the army and the government. Everyone is on the same page,” Pakistan’s
information minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Thursday. He claimed that a
specific section, which wants to play on this, has been defeated.
The
ministry of defence -- to be more specific army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa
-- had announced the replacement of the outgoing spymaster Lt Gen Faiz Hameed
by Karachi’s corps commander Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum on October 6. The
decision was not welcomed by the PM as he was not consulted on it.
Since
Gen Bajwa’s decision, some of the cabinet members had started claiming that it
was the PM’s prerogative to make an appointment of the ISI chief. Amir Dogar,
one of Khan’s top aides, had recently claimed that the PM wanted to retain
Hameed as his ISI chief.
Following
the reported impasse between the civil and military leadership on the issue,
the PM’s office received a summary on Wednesday carrying names of three
candidates and Khan, as a rule, has to choose one from them or pick up someone
else for the ISI chief’s post.
A day
earlier, the information minister had said that the issue regarding the
appointment was settled after a lengthy meeting between Khan and Bajwa.
Hours
later, one of the federal ministers was quoted by media as saying that the PM
wanted to interview officials who were shortlisted for the position of ISI DG.
Source:
Times of India
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Fazl
vows to expedite efforts to overthrow govt
Yousaf
Ali
October
15, 2021
PESHAWAR:
Central chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has
vowed to expedite efforts to overthrow the "illegitimate and incompetent
government".
Addressing
a mammoth show of power of his party in the name of the Mufti Mahmud
Conference, he said the government has proved a total failure on all fronts.
"The
economy of the country has collapsed due to the flawed policies of the rulers.
Price-hike has made life miserable for the people. Joblessness is the worst in
the history of the country. Foreign policy has badly failed", the Maulana
said in his late-night speech to the big gathering.
He
paid glowing tributes to Mufti Mahmud, who was his father. He said that the
sacrifices of Mufti Mahmud would always be remembered in history.
"Mufti
Sahib was the Mufti Azam of the country till death. He issued 25000 decrees
during his stay as Mufti Azam and none of his decrees was taken back", he
said.
The
JUI-F head believed that efforts were underway to remove the Islamic sections
from the Constitution and make the country a secular one.
"But
I warn all such elements that their dream would never come true and the Islamic
identity of the country would be protected," he said.
"It
is very clear in the Constitution that no law would be made against the
teachings of Islam. The Constitution protects the sanctity of the Holy Prophet
(SAW)", he said.
"Today,
for the first time legislation has been made in the country which is repugnant
to Islam. The domestic violence law has been introduced in violation of the
teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah," he said.
The
rulers are trying to portray themselves as champions of child rights, he said
and criticised the rulers' bid to introduce a law against embracing Islam in
teenagers. "We cannot allow the international establishment to do away with
the Islamic identity of the country," he said.
The
JUI-F chief said the rulers seem to be humans but they have turned to the
genies and spirits. They are running the country on the basis of magic, genies
and spirits, he said.
The
Maulana said that the sustainability and development of countries depended on
economic power in the contemporary world. The USSR was a great military power.
But it was disintegrated due to the economic debacle, he said.
The
economy of Pakistan is facing the worst crisis under the current rulers. The
growth rate has gone below zero per cent. The price hike has made life
miserable for the people. The value of the dollar has reached Rs 172 during the
current rule.
Jobs
have been snatched from three million more people in the country instead of
giving employment to 10 million youth, he said.
The
Maulana said the foreign policy of the current rulers has proved to be a total
mess. "Our time-tested friend China is annoyed with the country. China was
making a huge investment in the country, which he has stopped. The
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has come to a complete standstill," he
added.
Source:
The News Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/900508-fazl-vows-to-expedite-efforts-to-overthrow-govt
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Pakistan–China
strategic partnership, defence collaboration is a factor of stability in the
region, says COAS
October
14, 2021
KARACHI:
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Thursday said that
Pakistan–China strategic partnership and defence collaboration is a factor of
stability in the region.
He
expressed these views during his visit to the Army Air Defence Centre Karachi.
On arrival, the COAS laid floral wreath at Shahuada monument. Senior officials
from China were also present on the occasion.
Later,
the COAS witnessed commissioning of state of the art Chinese origin HQ-9/P
HIMADS (High to Medium Air Defence System) into Pakistan Army Air Defence.
Lieutenant General Hamooduz Zaman Khan; Commander Army Air Defence Command
briefed the COAS about strategic weapon system.
Induction
of HIMADS will significantly enhance Comprehensive Layered Integrated Air
Defence (CLIAD) shield of aerial frontiers of Pakistan as the system is fully
integrated through a well-knit Digitised System on its inventory.
Capable
of intercepting multiple air targets including aircraft, cruise missiles and
Beyond Visual Range (BVR) weapons at ranges over 100 kilometres with Single
Shot Kill Probability, HQ-9/P is considered as a strategic long range Surface
to Air Missile (SAM) with remarkable flexibility and precision.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Karak
temple case: Pakistan SC orders recovery of Rs 33 mn from accused
15th
October 2021
Islamabad:
Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to
recover Rs 33 mn from the accused of the Karak temple case. The order has been
issued by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed.
According
to Dawn, Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) chief Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani submitted
a report to SC. In the report, it was mentioned that the district
administration is silent despite the previous court’s order to recover
restoration costs from accused.
Because
of such attitude of the administration, a local cleric of Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam-Fazi (JUI-F) named Hafiz Faizullah who runs a religious seminary
near the temple has raised an objection that the word ‘Mandir’ has been written
on the newly constructed building instead of Samadhi.
Source:
Siasat Daily
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Reham
Khan apologises to Zulfi Bukhari, will pay damages after losing libel case in
UK
October
15, 2021
Anchorperson
Reham Khan apologised to PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari on Friday after losing a
defamation case brought by the latter against her in the United Kingdom.
In
2019, Khan had made several allegations of corruption and nepotism against
Bukhari, claiming that he, in connivance with Prime Minister Imran Khan, was
involved in a "corrupt plan" to sell Pakistan International Airlines
(PIA) owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York and later to purchase it at a lower
market price.
Bukhari
had objected to these allegations and served a libel case against her, seeking
a retraction, damages and cost of legal fees.
During
a preliminary hearing in London earlier this year, the judge had found that
Khan's words had amounted to a Chase Level 1 imputation. As determined by the
judge, this had meant that the defamatory words would be understood by an
“ordinary reasonable reader” as actual guilt on the part of Bukhari.
In a
statement posted to Twitter, Khan apologised for a number of claims she had
made regarding the PTI leader.
She
said she had made assertions on social media platforms in December 2019 about
the PTI leader being allegedly involved in a "corrupt plan" with
Prime Minister Imran Khan to sell and acquire New York's Roosevelt Hotel.
"On
Dec 7, 2019, I retweeted a tweet and video by Syed Tauqeer Bukhari in which it
was asserted that Zulfi Bukhari was involved in fraud and nepotism by trying to
sell a precious asset of the state of Pakistan, the Roosevelt Hotel, for a
meagre amount of money," she said.
These
allegations were "false and untrue", Khan said, adding that Bukhari
was not involved in any corrupt plan, fraud, nepotism or attempt to sell the
hotel.
On
March 15, 2020, she said she had shared a tweet and a video that asserted that
Bukhari had lied on television including showing fake documents to people.
"It was further asserted that Zulfi Bukhari had made money by illegal and
fraudulent means and used illegal means to launder it," she said.
Apologising
for this action, Khan said the PTI leader had never shown any fake documents,
had not used illegal or fraudulent means to build his wealth or launder it.
"Zulfi
Bukhari has built his wealth; such as it is, through hard work and not through
any form of illegal conduct," Reham wrote.
She
also addressed sharing tweets on March 17 and March 20 last year that asserted
the PTI leader had acted against journalists, criticising his handling of the
Covid-19 pandemic and claiming that Bukhari had jeopardised the lives of people
due to his "incompetent management" of the disease's spread.
Khan
clarified these allegations were also "false and untrue" since
Bukhari had no role to play in managing the coronavirus situation in Pakistan.
"I
unconditionally apologise to Zulfi Bukhari for the significant distress, upset
and embarrassment which these publications have caused him.
"I
have agreed to pay Zulfi Bukhari substantial damages for libel and to pay his
legal costs," Khan explained in her statement.
Source:
Dawn
Please
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US
envoy’s separate meetings show PML-N discord
Zulqernain
Tahir
October
15, 2021
LAHORE:
Separate meetings by US Charge d’affaires Angela Aggeler with PML-N president
Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz here on Thursday again sparked
speculation about divisions within the party.
It
surprised many in the party after Ambassador Aggeler separately met Mr Shehbaz
and Ms Maryam despite the fact that both were present in Lahore.
Earlier,
the much-talked about two ‘camps’ within the PML-N were publicly exposed when
Maryam’s so-called loyalist, MNA Javed Latif, made an indirect attack on Shehbaz
on a private TV channel, accusing him of being “on an assignment” from the
establishment. The party issued Latif a show-cause notice, but was unable to
take any action against him because of his ‘loyalty’ towards Maryam.
Interestingly,
the main leadership of PML-N accompanied Ms Nawaz instead of Mr Shehbaz in her
meeting with the US envoy at her Jati Umra residence. The leaders accompanying
her were the party’s senior vice president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, secretary
general Ahsan Iqbal, senior leader Pervaiz Rashid, information secretary
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khurram Dastgir and Tariq Fatemi.
After
her meeting with Maryam and the PML-N leaders, the US envoy met the opposition
leader in the National Assembly at his Model Town residence.
Ms
Aurangzeb did not respond when Dawn sought the reason for separate meetings of
the US envoy with party leaders.
A
party insider told Dawn that Ms Nawaz wanted to give an impression (to the US
ambassador) that she represented her father (Nawaz Sharif), who was the supreme
leader of the party, therefore, the senior party leadership accompanied her.
“It could have been a joint meeting of Shehbaz and Maryam with Ms Aggeler, but
one of the leaders chose otherwise,” the insider said.
US
Consul General William K Makaneole and political officer Khatija Corey
accompanied the American envoy. Matters of mutual interest, Pak-US ties,
regional and international security, situation in Afghanistan, women and
children’s rights, health and education and ways to boost people-to-people interaction
between the two countries were discussed in both the meetings.
According
to a PML-N statement, the US envoy appreciated Mr Shehbaz for the services he
rendered during his tenure as the Punjab chief minister.
Maryam
conveyed her father’s felicitations to President Joe Biden on his election
victory and goodwill from the people of Pakistan. She said Nawaz Sharif during
his tenure as the premier adopted a noninvasive foreign policy and pursued a
pleasant relationship based on mutual trust, peace and development with
Pakistan’s neighbours and the international community.
“Pakistan
considers Afghanistan a close neighbouring country and respects its
sovereignty, and does not support any interference in its affairs,” she said
and added that the PML-N wished for a peaceful, developing and prosperous
Afghanistan for the people, women and children of Pakistan.
Ms
Nawaz said the entire world should contribute to humanitarian aid for
Afghanistan. “It is imperative that a congenial environment be created that
would encourage the repatriation of Afghan refugees to their beloved
motherland. Pakistan sacrificed a lot in the war on terrorism. Nawaz Sharif
built a narrative against terrorism and united the nation against this menace.”
Maryam
further said the PML-N represented the true aspirations of the people and
believed in promoting peaceful coexistence, democracy, development and
security. “The PML-N wants strengthening and nurturing of democracy and
democratic values, for which it sought to join forces with democratic forces of
the world,” she added.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1652063/us-envoys-separate-meetings-show-pml-n-discord
--------
Europe
Norway
attack was ‘act of terror’, say police
October
15, 2021
KONGSBERG:
A bow-and-arrow attack in which a Danish convert to Islam is suspected of
killing five people in a Norwegian town appears to have been an “act of
terror”, police said on Thursday.
Investigators
named the suspect as Espen Andersen Braathen, a 37-year-old living in the
Kongsberg municipality where the attacks took place on Wednesday evening.
A
police attorney told Reuters that Braathen had acknowledged killing the
victims. His lawyer confirmed only that Braathen was cooperating with police
and giving a detailed statement.
Police
had been concerned about signs of radicalisation in the suspect before the
attacks, carried out with a bow and arrow and other weapons, a senior officer
said.
Flags
flew at half-mast across Kongsberg after the deaths of four women and a man,
all aged between 50 and 70. Three others, including an off-duty police officer,
were wounded.
Kongsberg
resident Markus Kultima, 23, who works in a beer shop, witnessed parts of the
attack.
“I
saw a man come walking with an arrow in his back,” Kultima told Reuters. He
said it was the off-duty officer who told him to head home.
“I
had to walk in the direction where that guy came from, Kultima said, describing
doing so as “very heavy.” Braathen was in custody and was believed to have
acted alone, police said. A court will decide on Friday how long police can
keep him in custody.
“The
events at Kongsberg appear at the moment to be an act of terror,” the PST
security police said in a statement, adding the investigation would determine
the motive.
Regional
police chief Ole Bredrup Saeverud said the suspect had converted to Islam.
“Police
have previously been in contact with the man in relation to trouble connected
to radicalisation. We haven’t registered anything in regards to him in 2021,
but previously,” Saeverud told a news conference.
Police
attorney Ann Iren Svane Mathiassen told Reuters: “He has told us that he has killed
them and he has explained himself in detail about what happened...He admits to
the facts of the case but we haven’t asked him yet about the question of
guilt.” She said police wanted a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he
is fit to stand trial, and that those killed “appear to be random victims.”
A
relative of the suspect, speaking on condition of anonymity to Danish newspaper
Ekstra Bladet, described him as mentally ill and said the family had suffered
threats for several years.
The
death toll was the worst of any attack in Norway since 2011, when far-right
extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people, most of them teenagers at a
youth camp.
The
attacks took place over “a large area” of Kongsberg, a municipality of about
28,000 people in southeastern Norway, 68km from the capital, Oslo.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1652095/norway-attack-was-act-of-terror-say-police
--------
UN
deal offers no guarantees of free movement for Rohingya on island: Leaked copy
15
October ,2021
A
deal for the United Nations to start work on a remote Bangladeshi island where
the government has sent thousands of Rohingya refugees offers no guarantee they
will be allowed to move freely to the mainland, according to a copy of the
agreement.
The
Bangladesh government has moved nearly 19,000 Rohingya refugees, members of a
persecuted mostly Muslim minority from Myanmar, to Bhasan Char island from
border camps, despite protests by refugees and opposition from rights groups,
who have likened it to an island jail and said some relocations were
involuntary.
Refugees
have called for freedom of movement between the remote and floodprone island,
several hours off the coast, and the sprawling mainland camps near the port
town of Cox’s Bazar, while dozens have died in recent months attempting to flee
on rickety boats.
The
UN refugee agency, which had previously refused to provide humanitarian
services on Bhasan Char until assessments were completed, did not respond to
request for comment on why the deal, signed in early October, had not been made
public or its contents.
In an
Oct. 9 statement, the agency said the agreement covered “key areas of
protection, education, skills-training, livelihoods and health, which will help
support the refugees to lead decent lives on the island and better prepare them
for sustainable return to Myanmar in the future”.
Bangladeshi
government spokespeople were not available for comment but one official, who
declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to media,
questioned the need for free movement.
“Why
will we will offer them freedom of movement? We are providing everything they
need. They will have to stay in the camps until they go back to Myanmar,” the
official told Reuters.
Bangladesh
says another 81,000 refugees will be moved to the island in coming months.
A
leaked copy of the deal seen by Reuters says the United Nations would be
“permitted unhindered access” to the population and further relocations would
be voluntary.
But
it said any travel between the island and mainland would be on an “as needs”
basis, the precise details of which would be determined between the United
Nations and Bangladesh, though refugees can “move on and within Bhasan Char for
their daily activities”.
The
deal refers to Rohingya as “forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals/refugees,”
reflecting the refusal of Bangladesh, which is not a signatory to the 1951
Refugee Convention, to confer refugee status on the group.
‘Refugee
prison’
In a
statement on Friday, the non-profit organization Fortify Rights, which said it
had examined the agreement, called on the United Nations and Bangladesh to
revise it to include freedom of movement to the mainland.
“UNHCR’s
lifesaving services are essential and needed on the island, but the agency must
ensure it is not propping up a refugee prison with this agreement,” said the
group’s regional director, Ismail Wolff.
A
refugee on the island, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution,
told Reuters by telephone life on the island was hard.
“Those
who are living here can’t go to meet their relatives. That’s one of the reasons
some Rohingya try to flee,” the refugee said.
“We
don’t have the right to liberty of movement. We are confined here but no one
cares. Our fate is to be stuck,” said another refugee, who also requested
anonymity.
Refugees
on the mainland are also not allowed to leave their camps along the border.
Rights groups have been calling for an end to restrictions on movement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Italian
court stops trial against Egyptians over student's murder
AFP /
Oct 15, 2021
ROME:
The trial of four Egyptian security officers in Rome for the brutal killing of
Italian student Giulio Regeni five years ago was thrown out by judges Thursday,
"bitterly" disappointing his family which vowed not to give up on the
case.
The
judges ruled that the four could not be tried in absentia because prosecutors
had been unable to officially inform them of the judicial process against them,
a court-appointed defence lawyer told AFP.
The
officers stand accused of kidnapping, conspiracy to murder and grievous bodily
harm in the case, which sparked outrage in Italy and has strained diplomatic
relations with Egypt.
"We
note with bitterness the court's decision, which rewards Egyptian
arrogance," the Regeni family's lawyer, Alessandra Ballerini, told
reporters outside the court.
"It
is a setback, but we will not give up," she said.
Regeni's
parents and sister had been present at the hearing in the bunker room of
Rebibbia prison, often the stage for mafia trials.
The
28-year-old was doing research for a doctorate at Cambridge University when he
was abducted in Cairo in January 2016.
His
body, bearing extensive signs of torture, was eventually found dumped on the
outskirts of Cairo, naked from the waist down.
The
Italian government joined the proceedings with a civil suit for damages, in a
symbolic show of support.
But
before the trial proper could begin, the court had first to rule on whether the
four suspects, members of Egypt's National Security Agency (NSA), were aware of
the proceedings against them. Egypt has repeatedly refused to provide their
contact details.
At a
preliminary hearing in May, a judge ruled that media coverage meant news of the
trial would have reached them.
But
the court overturned that ruling on Thursday, effectively sending the
prosecution back to square one.
The
four are named in court documents as General Tariq Sabir, Colonels Athar Kamel
and Uhsam Helmi and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif, who is accused of
carrying out the killing.
Investigators
believe Regeni was abducted and killed after being mistaken for a foreign spy.
Prosecutor
Sergio Colaiocco had told the court that eye witness testimony and other
"significant elements of proof" implicated the security officers in
the murder.
All
four not only knew about the trial but had "systematically and
persistently acted to slow and block the investigation", he said.
But
lawyer Tranquillino Sarno, appointed by the court to defend Colonel Kamel, said
the case should be thrown out.
"The
defendants know nothing. Not what they are accused of. Not that we are here
today".
Regeni's
corpse was found nine days after he disappeared. His mother later said it had
been so badly mutilated she only recognised her son by the "tip of his
nose".
Five
of his teeth had been broken, 15 of his bones had been fractured and letters
had been inscribed into his flesh, lawyer Ballerini said.
Source:
Times of India
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--------
Russian,
Armenian, Azerbaijani officials hold 3-way meeting in Minsk
Elena
Teslova
14.10.2021
MOSCOW
The
foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan held a trilateral meeting
on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) ministerial
meeting on Thursday in Belarus' capital Minsk.
Taking
place at Moscow's initiative, the talks were held on the implementation of
agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that Baku liberated from nearly 30
years of Armenian occupation last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a
statement after the meeting.
Russia's
Sergey Lavrov, Azerbaijan's Jeyhun Bayramov, and Armenia's Ararat Mirzoyan
noted that Nov. 9 would be the first anniversary of the Karabakh deal.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
18-year-old
Afghan refugee stabbed to death in UK
Ahmet
Gurhan Kartal
14.10.2021
LONDON
An
Afghan teenager who came to the UK as a refugee was stabbed to death in
southwest London, local media reports said Thursday.
Hazrat
Wali, an 18-year-old student at Richmond Upon Thames College, was attacked
during a fight in Craneford Way, Twickhenham on Tuesday.
“Hazrat
was a very good boy. He came here to study, he was living all on his own in
London. His immediate family are all back in Afghanistan,” a relative was
quoted as saying by the Evening Standard.
“I
saw him in hospital. He had a fight is all that I’ve heard.”
The
victim was attacked during a fight on a footbridge and later he collapsed in
the playing fields in Craneford Way. He died of his wounds an hour later
despite first aid efforts from a teacher who was on the field with his student.
Police
on Wednesday evening named Wali as the victim of the attack.
“We
are still working to establish the motive behind this tragic attack and are
following a number of leads,” said Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Tunstall
from the Specialist Crime Command.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/18-year-old-afghan-refugee-stabbed-to-death-in-uk/2391951
--------
North America
Congressman
suggests US visas for Afghan Fulbright students
14
Oct 2021
US
Democratic congressman John Garamendi in his statements said that the Afghan
students who are settled in the US through Fulbright scholarship, be given
special immigration visas.
John
Garamendi has said that the US should save the students and their respective
families from the torture of the Taliban and help them settle in the United
States.
It is
said that their families are meant by their spouses and children.
The
new suggestion comes as the US is willing to evacuate thousands of Afghans who
have worked for them in the past twenty years.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/congressman-suggests-us-visas-for-afghan-fulbright-students-45745745/
--------
US
will oppose UN human rights council’s ‘disproportionate’ attention on Israel
14
October ,2021
The
US has concerns with the United Nations Human Rights Council and will oppose
its “disproportionate” attention on Israel, State Department spokesman Ned
Price told reporters on Thursday after the US was elected back to the council.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
US
made clear its opposition to settlements: Israeli official
14
October ,2021
The
US during talks this week made clear its opposition to Israel’s building of
Jewish settlements on occupied land that the Palestinians want for a future
state, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday.
Asked
if the US side had raised the issue during the visit of Israeli Foreign
Minister Yair Lapid, who met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top
officials in Washington, the Israeli official told reporters: “Yes.”
“They
raised it, and not in a ‘Great job, guys, go ahead’“ way, said the official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity.
President
Joe Biden’s administration has emphasized it opposes further expansion of
Jewish settlements. Most countries consider such settlements illegal. Israel
disputes this.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
US
county to allow Muslim cemetery after Justice Dept sues
Michael
Hernandez
14.10.2021
WASHINGTON
Stafford
County, Virginia will allow the creation of an Islamic cemetery after the US
Justice Department sued the jurisdiction, the agency announced Thursday.
The
Justice Department said it is nixing its lawsuit filed in June 2020 after the
county repealed former ordinances that prevented the All Muslim Association of
America (AMAA) from establishing the religious cemetery, and approved the
association's site plan.
The
county also agreed to pay AMAA half-a-million dollars in damages, it added.
US
law "protects people of all faiths in their right to exercise their
religion,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement,
referring to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA),
a 2000 law that allows religious organizations to avoid zoning restrictions.
“The
Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce RLUIPA — through
litigation if necessary — against zoning regulations that unreasonably burden
religious exercise, including by restricting a religious group’s right to bury
its dead in accordance with religious rituals and customs,” she added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-county-to-allow-muslim-cemetery-after-justice-dept-sues/2392459
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US
working to make charter flights from Afghanistan more routine: State Department
14
October ,2021
The
United States has no plans to resume military-led evacuation flights from
Afghanistan, but is working to ensure that the existing charter flights become
more frequent, the State Department said on Thursday.
“The
idea that we’re restarting evacuation flights, à la what we had prior to Aug.
31, is not accurate,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a
briefing. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Washington would
restart evacuation flights before the end of the year, citing an unidentified
State Department official.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
charter flights have been routine,” Price said. “Our goal is to make them even
more routine to lend a degree of automaticity to these operations so that we
can facilitate the departure of Americans, of lawful permanent residents and
others.”
The
United States’ two decades-long occupation of Afghanistan culminated in a
hastily organized airlift in August that saw more than 124,000 civilians
including Americans, Afghans and others evacuated as the Taliban took over. But
thousands of other US-allied Afghans at risk of Taliban persecution were left
behind.
President
Joe Biden and others in his administration have vowed to continue efforts to
get them out.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
US
offers $1 mln rewards to capture Pakistani human smuggler who operates in Mid
East
15
October ,2021
The
US is offering two $1million cash rewards to bring Pakistani national and human
smuggler Abid Ali Kahn to justice and to crackdown on his people-smuggling
network that operates across the Middle East and Asia, the Department of State
announced on Thursday.
Ali
Khan allegedly operates a Pakistani-based smuggling network that facilitates
the travel of undocumented individuals into the US from the Middle East and
southwest Asia in exchange for payment.
In
addition to planning and coordinating the international travel from Pakistan
through multiple countries, Ali Khan allegedly offered or provided false
documents for foreign nationals to use for travel.
The
US has announced two rewards for information.
The
first reward of up to $1 million is offered for information leading to the
arrest and/or conviction of Ali Khan, while a second $1 million reward is
offered for information leading to the financial disruption of Ali Khan’s human
smuggling network.
“Smuggling
organizations like Ali Khan’s take advantage of vulnerable populations, pose
high risk, and gravely endanger the individuals being smuggled,’ the Department
of State said in a statement on its website. “Persons smuggled to the US are
often subject to perilous travel through South and Central America, which can
involve many days of walking through difficult terrain with little food or
water, with many falling victim to robbery and abuse during the journey.”
On
April 7, 2021, the US Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment filed
in the Eastern District of Virginia charging Ali Khan with “Conspiracy to
Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the US, Encouraging and
Inducing an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the US, and Bringing an Alien to the US”,
authorities said.
On
the same date, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions against Ali
Khan and the Ali Khan Transnational Criminal Organization pursuant to Executive
Order 13581 “Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations,”
stemming from the same criminal conduct.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Arab World
More
than 150 Houthis dead in fourth day of air strikes: Coalition
14
October ,2021
More
than 150 members of the Iran-backed Houthi militia have been killed in a fourth
day of airstrikes, according to an Arab Coalition spokesperson.
“The
destruction included 11 military vehicles, and killed more than 150 terrorist elements,”
the coalition said in a statement carried by official Saudi Press Agency.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Afghan
emigre wants people to rediscover troubled homeland at Expo 2020 Dubai
14
October ,2021
An
Afghan who fled his country over 40 years ago has stepped in to rescue
Afghanistan’s exhibition at the Dubai world fair after the Taliban takeover in
his homeland in August scuttled official Afghan participation in the mega
cultural extravaganza.
The
62-year-old, Vienna-based antiques dealer gathered up his family collection of
Afghan artifacts, including carpets, daggers and jewelry, to fill the Afghan
pavilion that had remained shut when Expo 2020 opened on Oct. 1.
“As
an Afghan this was a duty for me,” said Mohammed Omer Rahimy, who for years has
taken the family collection to exhibitions around the world to promote Afghan
culture.
“We
feel very happy that Afghanistan’s exhibition is open.”
The
tri-color flag of Afghanistan flutters at the Dubai fairgrounds, while the
white flag used by its new Taliban rulers is absent, symbolic of the challenges
facing the hardline movement in gaining international recognition.
Rahimy
has lived in Austria since fleeing Afghanistan in 1978 when the then-president
was killed in a communist coup that spiraled into decades of nationwide
violence and bloodshed.
He
and relatives joining him in Dubai paid the cost of transporting the artifacts
that now comprise the Afghan exhibition, among 191 other countries at the
six-month world fair.
Images
of the Hazrat Ali Mazar mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif and the Band-e Amir National
Park in Bamyan Province adorn the walls of the Afghan pavilion, also decked in
hand-woven carpets and traditional clothing.
Rahimy
said the exhibition represents all Afghans and hopes the intricate jewelry,
daggers, pottery and lamps will teach visitors about the culture of his
homeland.
“It
is in my blood. All those items you see are very precious to me,” he said,
adding that he hopes he can bring musicians from Afghanistan to perform during
the world fair.
However
commercial flights to Afghanistan have been suspended for months due to
security concerns. Some visitors were not expecting to find Afghanistan at the
Expo.
“I am
surprised because of the political situation in Afghanistan,” said 59-year-old
Alka Goyal from Bhopal in India.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Lebanon
pauses amid tense calm after deadly gun battles
15
October ,2021
Schools,
banks and government offices across Lebanon shut down Friday after hours of gun
battles between heavily armed militias killed six people and terrorized the
residents of Beirut.
The
government called for a day of mourning following the armed clashes, in which
gunmen used automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades on the streets of
the capital, echoing the nation’s darkest era of the 1975-90 civil war. The gun
battles raised the specter of a return to sectarian violence in a country
already struggling through one of the world’s worst economic crises of the past
150 years.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
violence broke out Thursday at a protest organized by two parties - Hezbollah
and the Amal Movement - calling for the removal of the lead judge investigating
last year’s massive explosion at Beirut port. Many of the protesters had been
armed. It was not clear who fired the first shot, but the confrontation quickly
devolved into heavy exchanges of gunfire along a former civil war frontline
separating predominantly Muslim and Christian areas of Beirut.
Gunfire
echoed for hours, and ambulances rushed to pick up casualties. Snipers shot
from buildings. Bullets penetrated apartment windows in the area. Schools were
evacuated and residents hid in shelters.
The
two groups said their protesters came under fire from snipers deployed over
rooftops, accusing the Christian right-wing Lebanese Forces militia of starting
the shooting. Among the dead were two Hezbollah fighters.
On
Friday, residents in the Tayouneh area of Beirut were most of the fighting
played out, swept glass from the streets in front of shops and apartment
buildings. Soldiers guarded the entrance to the battered neighborhood, and
barbed wire was erected at street entrances. Many cars were damaged.
Tayouneh
has a huge roundabout that separates Christian and Muslim neighborhoods. Newly
pockmarked buildings sat next to ones scarred from the days of the civil war.
Hezbollah
and Amal were holding funerals for their dead later Friday.
Tensions
over the port blast have contributed to Lebanon’s many troubles, including a
currency collapse, hyperinflation, soaring poverty and an energy crisis leading
to extended electricity blackouts.
The
probe centers on hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate that were improperly
stored at a port warehouse that detonated on Aug. 4, 2020. The blast killed at
least 215 people, injured thousands and destroyed parts of nearby neighborhoods.
It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and further
devastated the country already beset with political divisions and financial
woes.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Lebanon’s
Beirut blast victims deserve justice, accountability needed: White House
15
October ,2021
The
White House on Thursday called for a swift and transparent investigation into
the Port of Beirut blast, hours after deadly clashes broke out in Beirut during
a protest organized by Hezbollah.
The
protest turned violent after Hezbollah and Amal Movement supporters marched
toward the Justice Ministry to demand the removal of Judge Tarek Bitar, who is
leading the investigation into the 2020 port blast, which killed over 200 and
injured thousands more.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
US
urges ‘de-escalation of tensions’ in Lebanon
14
October ,2021
The
US on Thursday urged an easing of tensions in Lebanon after deadly violence in
Beirut sparked fears of a return to sectarian strife.
“We
join Lebanese authorities in their call for calm, their calls for a
de-escalation of tensions,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told
reporters.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
At
least six people were killed after shots were fired at a demonstration by the
Shiite Muslim movements Hezbollah and Amal, who were rallying against a judge
investigating a massive blast last year at the Beirut port.
The
US declined comment on who was responsible but reiterated its criticism of
Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group which Washington considers a terrorist
group.
“The
future of Lebanon’s democracy depends on the ability of its citizens to address
the difficult issues with confidence in the rule of law,” Price said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Top
US Republican hits out at Hezbollah, voices concern over situation in Lebanon
14
October ,2021
The
top Republican senator on the US Senate Foreign Relations committee voiced
concern Thursday over the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, calling on
Hezbollah to take its hands off the Beirut blast investigation.
“I am
concerned by increasing levels of instability & attempts to curb judicial
independence in #Lebanon,” Senator Jim Risch tweeted.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Earlier
Thursday, Hezbollah and Amal Movement protesters marched toward the Justice
Ministry to demand the removal of the judge leading the Beirut blast
investigations.
Shortly
after, unidentified gunmen fired at the Hezbollah and Amal supporters burning
pictures of Judge Tarek Bitar and claiming the US ambassador backed him.
This
ensued in deadly clashes between the gunmen and scores of armed men from
Hezbollah and Amal.
The
Shiite duo accused the right-wing Lebanese Forces of being behind the
shootings. The latter put out a statement denying any involvement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Lebanese
army arrests nine people after Beirut violence
14
October ,2021
Lebanon’s
army said on Thursday it arrested nine people, including a Syrian, after
violence erupted earlier in the day in Beirut, leaving at least six killed and
dozens wounded.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanese
Forces party denies involvement in Beirut violence
14
October ,2021
The
Lebanese Forces (LF) denied on Thursday any involvement in Thursday’s shootings
in Beirut, after the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group Hezbollah had said the
Christian party was to blame.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Saudi
Arabia expresses hope for stability in Lebanon following violent clashes
15
October ,2021
Saudi
Arabia has expressed its hope for the stability of Lebanon and support for the
Lebanese people following violent clashes on Thursday, the Kingdom’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
“The
Kingdom aspires for Lebanon to prevail in peace and security by ending the
possession and use of weapons outside the framework of the state and
strengthening the Lebanese state for the benefit of all Lebanese without
exception,” the statement said.
“The
brotherly Lebanese people deserve stability in their homeland, growth in their
economy, and security that dispels terrorism.”
At
least six people were killed when protests by the Iran-backed Hezbollah and
ally Amal movement against the judge leading a probe of the Beirut port blast
turned violent.
Snipers
fired from rooftops at the protesters, who Hezbollah claimed were members of
the Christian Lebanese Forces party.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Arab
Coalition intercepts Houthi drone headed for Saudi Arabia’s Jazan
14
October ,2021
The
Arab Coalition has intercepted and destroyed a booby-trapped drone launched by
Iran-backed Houthis towards Saudi Arabia’s Jazan, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA)
reported on Thursday.
Since
January, Yemen’s Houthis have increased their attacks on the Kingdom, launching
several cross-border aerial attacks on Saudi Arabia.
A
previous drone attack launched by the Houthis on Friday injured ten people
including six Saudis, three Bangladeshi nationals and one Sudanese. The
explosive-laden drone struck King Abdullah airport in the Saudi city of Jazan,
according to the Arab Coalition.
The
attack caused material damage to the airport and shattered windows due to the
attack.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Southeast Asia
Malaysian
Family needs to be translated into democracy practice, govt policy — analyst
10-
14- 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR: ‘Family’ is a term that is easy to translate and has a meaning that is
very close to each individual, as well as the most important foundation in
building a society.
On
the broader scope, especially when the country is struggling to recover from
the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of the Malaysian Family
concept is seen as appropriate in the context of national well-being which
highlights the noble family values such as tolerance, empathy, love and
sacrifice.
The
Malaysian Family, which is based on three main characteristics, namely
inclusivity, common ground and contentment was introduced by Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in his maiden speech as Malaysia’s ninth Prime
Minister on Aug 22.
Such
a concept is not something out of the ordinary, in fact Malaysia has seen
various administrative concepts with their own themes or slogans introduced by
each prime minister and government, including ‘New Malaysia’ during the Pakatan
Harapan government era, ‘1Malaysia’ concept (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and
‘Islam Hadhari’ (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).
Citing
Ismail Sabri’s speech at the soft launch of Malaysian Family on Oct 8, the
Prime Minister said the idea was chosen because a family will always uphold
religious principles, ensure safety, protect the dignity and care for the
wellbeing of its member.
“In
the context of a nation, we are the Malaysian Family made which comprises
people of different faiths, races, ethnicities and age groups, but despite the
different religious, racial and cultural backgrounds, we celebrate the
inclusivity, upholding the spirit of Malaysia as a nation-state.
“The
inclusivity that we celebrate is the seed that will grow in the heart of every
one of us. It is a valuable asset that must be protected. Every value of this
family is an important component that will determine the fate of this country,”
said Ismail Sabri.
Translating
the conceptual framework of the Malaysian Family, a professor at the Faculty of
Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM),
Prof Datuk Dr Nasrudin Mohammed opined that elements in the concept can also be
considered as government efforts in addressing the question of democracy.
He
said it was an effort to minimise political differences between various parties
in the country which was expected to ease political pressure whether at the
individual, party or government level and work collectively to prioritise
harmony in all situations.
Therefore,
for the Malaysian Family to succeed, the basic elements of life must be
strengthened in the family institution itself and supported by the government
through public policy (related to social development) as well as constantly
improved practical and realistic fiscal policy for the people.
Source:
The Sun Daily
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Malaysia
says it won't compromise on demands for Myanmar progress
15
Oct 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 15 ― Malaysia does not want Myanmar's junta chief to attend an
upcoming Southeast Asian leaders' summit if he fails to honour his commitment
to a peace plan, its foreign minister said today, ahead of a meeting to decide
on a regional response.
Minister
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, said he was informed that Erywan Yusof, a
special envoy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), planned
to visit Myanmar next week, and the bloc's foreign ministers would hold a
virtual meeting today to assess the junta's commitment to the peace process.
Myanmar's
military seized power in a February 1 coup led by Senior General Min Aung
Hlaing, which ended a decade of tentative democracy and triggered a backlash
that has plunged the country into chaos.
“This
evening we will be looking at the details of the proposed visit,” he told a
news conference.
“If
there is no real progress then Malaysia's stand would remain that we do not
want the general to be attending the summit. No compromise on that.”
Myanmar
has been one of Asean's most divisive issues since it joined the bloc in 1997
as a military dictatorship lambasted by the West for its iron-fisted rule,
testing Asean's unity and denting its international credibility.
The
exclusion of Min Aung Hlaing, though not formally recognised as an Asean
leader, would be a big step for the bloc, which has a policy of
non-interference in each other's affairs and has long favoured engagement over
punitive measures.
Min
Aung Hlaing in April agreed to a five-point Asean plan that the group called a
“consensus” on a way out of the deadly turmoil in Myanmar since the military
overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi, alleging fraud in an election her party won in a
landslide.
The
commitment includes dialogue with all parties, humanitarian access and a
cessation of all hostilities.
Losing
patience
Several
Asean members have expressed exasperation with the junta's failure to follow
the plan, which the United Nations, China and United States initially
supported.
Malaysia,
Singapore and Indonesia have indicated they were in favour of excluding Min
Aung Hlaing from the October 26-28 virtual summit, but were pushing for an
Asean consensus, three sources with knowledge of the issue told Reuters this
week.
Saifuddin
today said without a consensus, there was no protocol for excluding an Asean
member. However, he believed there would be a solution.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Sabah
to allow Friday, obligatory prayers with 50pc mosque, surau capacity
14
Oct 2021
KOTA
KINABALU, Oct 14 — The Sabah government has decided to allow Friday and
obligatory prayers with a congregation of 50 per cent capacity of the mosque or
surau, starting tomorrow.
Sabah
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the decision
made at the State Disaster Management Committee meeting on mosque and surau
activities yesterday, also stipulated compliance with standard operating
procedures (SOP) including one-metre social distancing.
“Fully
vaccinated individuals are given priority,” said Masidi, who is also the
spokesperson for the development of Covid-19 Sabah, in a statement tonight.
Masidi
said mosque and surau activities such as maghrib lectures, dhuha lectures,
religious classes and the like are also allowed according to the capacities
set, while marriage ceremonies are allowed to be held in halls or designated
spaces of the mosque.
“Funeral
management and grave visits are also allowed with not more than 30 people.
Muslims are also advised to fully comply with the SOPs set by the National
Security Council and the state authorities from time to time to break the chain
of infection of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Source:
Malay Mail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Indonesia
tackles call to prayer volume backlash
October
14, 2021
JAKARTA:
Every night at 3am, Rina is jolted awake by blaring speakers so loud she has
developed an anxiety disorder: she can’t sleep, she’s too nauseous to eat — but
she is also too scared to complain because doing so could see her jailed or
attacked.
The
noisy neighbour is the local mosque in her Jakarta suburb, and the clamorous
sound is the call to prayer.
Both
are so sacred in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation, that
criticising them can lead to accusations of blasphemy, a crime punishable by as
much as five years imprisonment.
“None
dares to complain about it here,” says Rina, a 31-year-old Muslim woman who is
using a pseudonym in case of reprisals.
“The
loudspeakers are not only used for call to prayer but they also use it to wake
people up 30-40 minutes before the morning prayer time,” she tells AFP, adding
that she is at breaking point after enduring the noise for six months.
Online
complaints about noisy loudspeakers are increasing, but the lack of anonymity
and fear of a backlash means there are no reliable official statistics.
Aware
of the growing discord, the Indonesian Mosque Council (IMC) is deploying teams
to tackle mosque sound systems around the nation — but it’s a delicate subject.
The
Southeast Asian archipelago was once hailed for its religious tolerance with
people of many faiths living alongside each other, but there are concerns its
moderate brand of Islam is coming under threat from hardliners.
In
2018, a Buddhist woman was jailed after saying the call to prayer “hurt my
ears”, and earlier this year actress and influencer Zaskia Mecca, who has 19
million followers on Instagram, was condemned online after the hijab-wearing
Muslim criticised mosque speaker volume during the holy month of Ramadan.
Symbol
of greatness
Around
the Islamic world, the broadcast of the call to prayer and sermons via external
loudspeakers are regarded as a key pillar of Muslim identity, but the issue is
deeply divisive.
In
June, authorities in Saudi Arabia ordered mosques to limit the volume of their
external loudspeakers to one-third of their maximum capacity, citing concerns
over noise pollution. There was an immediate backlash.
There
are around 750,000 mosques across Indonesia — a medium sized venue could have
at least a dozen external loudspeakers that blare the call to prayer five times
a day.
For
Rina the nightly interruptions are impacting her health.
“I
started having insomnia, and I was diagnosed with anxiety disorders after
always being woken up. Now I am trying to make myself as tired as possible, so
I can sleep through the noise,” she explains.
Indonesian
Mosque Council chairman Jusuf Kalla estimates around half the nation’s mosques
have poor acoustics, which exacerbates the noise problem.
“There
is a tendency to set the volume high so that the call to prayer can be heard by
as many worshippers as possible from far away because they consider it a symbol
of greatness in Islam,” explained the IMC’s acoustics programme coordinator
Azis Muslim.
The
organisation is battling to minimise community tension with a free door-to-door
service to repair sound systems and offer training — some 7,000 technicians
work on the project and have already fixed the audio at more than 70,000
mosques.
Although
the programme is not mandatory, Jakarta’s Al-Ihkwan mosque chairman Ahmad
Taufik used it because he wanted to ensure social harmony.
“The
sound is softer now. That way it will not disturb people in the neighbourhood,
not to mention we have a hospital behind the mosque,” he says.
‘Reporting
it brings disaster’
But
it has long been a contentious issue.
Then
vice-president Boediono, who like many Indonesians uses one name, faced
condemnation when he suggested the volume of the call to prayer be restricted
in 2012.
Five
years ago, hundreds of protesters torched nearly a dozen Buddhist temples in
North Sumatra’s Tanjung Balai after Meiliana, who is of Chinese descent and
also goes by one name, criticised the volume of the call to prayer.
The
mother-of-four was jailed for 18 months in 2018.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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--------
Mideast
Turkey
ready to help, but will not recognise Taliban
October
15, 2021
ANKARA:
Turkey said on Thursday it was ready to help the Taliban overcome Afghanistan’s
humanitarian crisis, but would not recognise its rule as it hosted the
war-scarred country’s new leaders for the first time.
Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu received his acting counterpart Amir Khan
Muttaqi as the movement seeks to gain international legitimacy upon returning
to power after two decades of war.
Muttaqi
arrived in Turkey following talks with US and European envoys in Doha during
which he warned that Western sanctions on the Taliban threatened to further
undermine security in Afghanistan.
Cavusoglu
supported that message after the closed-door talks in Ankara.
“We
have told the international community about the importance of engagement with
the current Taliban administration. In fact, recognition and engagement are two
different things,” Cavusoglu said.
“The
Afghan economy should not collapse. Therefore, we have said the countries that
froze Afghanistan’s accounts abroad should act more flexibly so that salaries
can be paid.”
The
World Bank halted its funding projects in Afghanistan after the Taliban swept
back to power in August.
Turkey
has sought to use its position as the only Muslim-majority member of the Nato
defence alliance to secure a greater role in Afghanistan after the US troop
withdrawal.
But
its offer to provide security for Kabul’s airport — the main point of access
for humanitarian aid — has been rejected by Taliban leaders and the sides made
no apparent progress on the issue during their most high-level talk to date.
Cavusoglu
said he reaffirmed to Muttaqi that ensuring security at the airport was vital
before regular flights could resume.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1652091/turkey-ready-to-help-but-will-not-recognise-taliban
--------
Official:
Iran Not to Tolerate Presence of Terrorists in Region
2021-October-14
Iran
is strongly opposed to provocative acts and deployment of terrorists in the
region, Montazeri said in the meeting in Yerevan on Wednesday.
He
said that Iran is eager to expand relations with Armenia as it seeks further
enhanced relations with neighboring countries.
The
prosecutor-general conveyed warm greetings of President Ebrahim Rayeesi to the
Armenian prime minister.
Pashiniyan,
for his part, said that Armenia is ready to boost judicial relations with Iran
to the highest levels.
He
added that the visit to Yerevan by the Iranian prosecutor-general provides a
chance for the expansion of such relations between the two neighboring
countries.
Referring
to a recent meeting he had with President Rayeesi on the sidelines of a
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Dushanbe, Pashiniyan stressed the
need for implementing the already reached agreements between the two
sides.
Pashiniyan
and Montazeri also discussed the latest developments in the region.
Iranian
officials have underscored seriousness in confronting the terrorist groups in
the region and inside Iran.
In a
relevant development in mid september, Iranian security forces identified and
disbanded a terrorist cell affiliated to the foreign spy agencies, the
intelligence ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The
security and intelligence forces dismantled the terrorist team in an operation
while it was attempting to carry out acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks
against Iran’s vital and sensitive centers, the statement said.
It
added that more information about the terrorist team will be provided to people
in the near future.
Also,
in July, the Iranian security forces had also dismantled a terrorist group
affiliated to the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, and captured its members.
“A
network of agents of the Zionist regime (Mossad) has been dismantled and
captured along with a large shipment of weapons and ammunition after arriving
at the western border posts of the country,” the director-general of the
Intelligence Ministry for Counter-Espionage Operation said.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000722000325/Official-Iran-N-Tlerae-Presence-f-Terrriss-in-Regin
--------
Israeli
troops kill Palestinian throwing fire-bomb, military says
15
October ,2021
Israeli
soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man who was throwing fire-bombs at cars
near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the military
said.
The
Palestinian liaison office confirmed the man was killed and that another
Palestinian was arrested by the troops. It provided no further details.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
military wrote on Twitter that the two suspects hurled a fire-bomb at a road
leading to an Israeli settlement bloc near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem,
endangering drivers.
Soldiers
nearby acted “in order to thwart the threat,” the military said, and opened
fire at the two men. One of the two was wounded and received medical treatment
at the scene but succumbed to his wounds, the military said. The other man was
arrested.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Pro-Iran
militias warn of forceful response after Israeli strike on Syria’s Palmyra
14
October ,2021
Iran-backed
forces in Syria said on Thursday they would respond forcefully to an Israeli
strike over Syria’s Palmyra area in the province of Homs on Wednesday evening
in the second such strike within a week.
The
Syrian defense ministry said in a statement that one soldier was killed in the
attack that took place at 11:34 p.m. (2034 GMT) and targeted a communications
tower and caused some material losses.
Israel
has kept silent about the strikes that came days after Damascus reported its
air defenses intercepted an Israeli missile attack above the Homs countryside,
wounding six Syrian soldiers and causing some material damage.
Israeli
missiles flew over Jordanian airspace above US forces based in the Tanf area at
the Syrian-Iraqi border, the Syrian defense ministry statement said.
The
latest strikes are part of an escalation of what has been a low-intensity
conflict in recent years that has seen hundreds of Israeli raids whose goal was
to slow down Iran’s growing entrenchment in Syria, Israeli and regional
military experts say.
Tehran-backed
forces including Lebanon’s Hezbollah have built a presence since deploying to
help President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict that erupted in 2011.
A
statement by the so-called operations room of Assad’s Iran-backed allies said
the response to the strike would be “very cruel,” adding casualties would have
been much higher had its forces not been well spread across the desert area.
“As a
result of this attack a number of martyrs and injured from our Mujahedeen
brothers have fallen,” the statement said without elaborating.
“We
have taken a decision to respond to this attack in revenge for the martyrs and
the blood of the injured and the response will be very cruel,” said the
statement published on pro-Iranian news outlets whose authenticity Reuters
verified.
A
senior military source who requested anonymity said the strikes hit among other
targets the T4 air base where Iran-backed militias launched drone strikes in
recent months against US bases in northern Syria.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Iran,
Pakistan Discuss Ways to Enhance Naval Cooperation
2021-October-14
General
Baqeri and Admiral Amjad Niazi exchanged views on issues of mutual interest,
the latest state of fraternal relations between Iran and Pakistan, including
the level of cooperation between the two countries' navies.
The
two sides discussed maritime security in the region and a wide range of other
security developments.
Over
the past two days, General Baqeri held meetings and consultations with the
Pakistani political and military leaders. He met with Army Chief General Qamar
Javed Bajwa, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem
Reza, and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In
these meetings, the latest situation of the relations between the two countries
in the military, security, strategic dimensions, and strategies for the
development of these relations were reviewed.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000722000400/Iran-Pakisan-Discss-Ways-Enhance-Naval-Cperain
--------
Iran
Warns UNSC about Israel’s Threats
2021-October-14
Takht
Ravanchi in a letter submitted to the current president of the Security Council
on Wednesday cautioned of a sharp increase in Israeli threats against the
country, warning against any “miscalculation” or “military adventurism” on the
part of the regime against the Islamic Republic, including its nuclear program.
He
also warned that the frequency and severity of the regime’s provocative and
adventurous threats had steadily increased over the past months and reached an
alarming level.
Such
blatant systematic threats against one of the founding members of the United
Nations are a gross violation of international law, in particular Article 2 (4)
of the United Nations Charter, Takht Ravanchi added.
As a
case in point, the diplomat referred the recent comments by Israeli Military
Chief Aviv Kochavi who said earlier this month that the regime was in constant
preparations for an attack on the Iranian nuclear program.
Kochav
had said that “the operational plans against Iran’s nuclear program will
continue to evolve and improve,” and that “operations to destroy Iranian
capabilities will continue, in any arena and at any time”.
The
fact that the Tel Aviv regime continues to try to “destroy Iran’s capabilities”
proves without any doubt that it had been responsible for terrorist attacks
against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program in the past, Takht Ravanchi said.
Given
the ominous history of the Israeli regime’s destabilizing practices in the
region and its covert operations against Iran’s nuclear program, it is
necessary to counter the regime and stop all its threats and disruptive
behavior, the diplomat added.
Iran’s
Representative to the UN General Assembly First Committee Heidar Ali Balouji
had also said at a Wednesday session on “Nuclear Weapons, Other WMDs, Outer
Space, and Conventional Weapons” that the Israeli regime is the main hurdle to
a Middle East free of nuclear weapons.
“We
reiterate our call on the international community to compel Israel to dismantle
its nuclear arsenal, promptly accede to the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon party
without any preconditions and place all of its nuclear facilities under the
IAEA’s full-scope safeguards,” he said.
He
described the Islamic Republic as one of the countries “with the highest record
in accession to the international instruments banning” weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs).
“Achieving
global nuclear disarmament remains one of the most long-lasting goals of the
United Nations. Today, international security is under threat by the existence
of almost 14,000 nuclear weapons with well-funded, long-term plans to not only
modernize but also strengthen the arsenals of NWSs (nuclear weapons states) and
so nuclear arms race,” he said.
He
said the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and
its unwillingness to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the
2015 nuclear agreement signed between Iran and major world powers — have
inflicted immense damage on international disarmament measures.
The
diplomat said chemical weapons remain a grave concern, with the US as the only
possessor, urging Washington to meet a 2012 deadline for the destruction of its
stockpile of such weapons.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000722000341/Iran-Warns-UNSC-ab-Israel%E2%80%99s-Threas
--------
Iran
Reiterates Need for S. Korea to Return Frozen Money
2021-October-14
Baqeri
Kani said on Wednesday that he had pressed South Korea’s First Vice Foreign
Minister Choi Jong Kun in a phone conversation held earlier in the day for a
repatriation of the funds held in two South Korean banks for more than three
years.
“I
reminded him (Choi) that only an effective and quick action to remove
restrictions on Iranian funds in South Korea and compensating the costs
incurred could effectively repair this country’s tarnished image among the
Iranian people,” he wrote on his twitter page on Wednesday.
South
Korea owes Iran over $7bln for imports of energy that took place before the US
imposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran in mid-2018.
Seoul
says US sanctions on Iran effectively bars transactions involving the funds
while authorities in the East Asian country insist they are waiting for a new
agreement between Iran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement that
could allow the funds to release.
However,
South Korea’s full compliance with US secondary sanctions, which can only apply
to US citizens and those having businesses in the US, has caused public uproar
in Iran with calls increasing for a boycott on electronic products and home
appliances manufactured in South Korea.
The
Iranian government announced an outright ban on imports of home appliances
earlier this month after it emerged that import companies were preparing to
place orders for new shipments from two major South Korean brands.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian underlined that South Korea must
swiftly provide the Islamic Republic access to the funds that Seoul has been
withholding from Tehran on the pretext of abiding by the US sanctions.
The
Iranian foreign minister made the remarks in a telephone conversation with his
South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong on Thursday.
Amir
Abdollahian voiced Iran's strong criticism to the continued freezing of the
Iranian funds at South Korea’s banks.
The
top Iranian diplomat reiterated that the money should be released so the
Islamic Republic in a bid that the country could use it towards buying medicine
and other commodities.
"The
Iranian nation is seriously displeased with the situation that has been brought
about as a result of cessation of trade activities between the countries—on the
back of the American economic measures—and prevention of application of the
funds even towards purchase of humanitarian items," Amir Abdollahian said.
Chung,
for his part, said that he was pursuing the issue of Iran’s access to the
frozen funds.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000722000299/Iran-Reieraes-Need-fr-S-Krea-Rern-Frzen-Mney
--------
Iran’s
Top General Meets Pakistani PM, High-Ranking Military Officials
2021-October-14
General
Baqeri, who is in Pakistan on an official visit, held talks with Imran Khan on
Wednesday to discuss a host of issues, including bilateral relations.
During
the meeting, Imran Khan pointed to his last month’s meeting with Iranian
President Ebrahim Rayeesi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, and reaffirmed Islamabad’s
commitment to further bolster ties with Tehran, in border, economic, military
and security issues.
The
top Iranian General, for his part, described as significant his meetings
earlier in the day with Pakistani Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan Army General
Qamar Javed Bajwa.
General
Baqeri said that Tehran and Islamabad needed to shore up their close
cooperation, adding that the two neighbors have witnessed significant progress
in relations over the past years.
The
two sides also conferred on major regional developments, including in
Afghanistan.
The
Pakistani premier stressed that there is no military solution to Afghanistan’s
problems, calling for the formation of an inclusive government comprising of
all Afghan groups.
General
Baqeri had also earlier exchanged views with General Bajwa on a range of issues
such as defense ties between the two neighboring countries.
The
two generals met in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi on Wednesday.
During
the meeting, they expressed confidence in the growing trend of military,
security and border interactions between Iran and Pakistan in recent years and
vowed to advance their contacts.
They
also reviewed the latest developments in bilateral relations, defense ties and
regional developments, including Afghanistan.
Also
on Wednesday, General Baqeri and Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee General Nadeem Raza have discussed regional developments, the
situation in Afghanistan, strengthening of defense relations between the two
countries and border cooperation.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Islamic
State's West Africa chief is dead, Nigeria's top general reveals
14
October, 2021
Nigeria's
top general said on Thursday that Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, leader of the insurgent
group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group, was dead.
ISWAP
is an offshoot of the Boko Haram insurgent group that has been fighting against
the Nigerian armed forces for 12 years. The two militant groups later turned on
each other.
The
conflict between the insurgents and Nigeria's armed forces, which has also
spread to neighbouring Chad and Cameroon, has left about 300,000 dead and
millions dependent on aid.
"I
can authoritatively confirm to you that Abu Musab is dead," Lucky Irabor,
the chief of defence staff, told reporters at the presidential villa in Abuja,
without elaborating.
Al-Barnawi
was originally part of Boko Haram, led by Abubakar Shekau, who pledged
allegiance to Islamic State in 2015. But the following year Islamic State named
Al-Barnawi as its leader in West Africa.
Shekau
rejected his demotion and the two groups split, with Al-Barnawi moving his
ISWAP fighters to the shores of Lake Chad, where they became the dominant
insurgency.
In
June this year, Al-Barnawi announced in an audio recording that his rival
Shekau had died after detonating an explosive device while being pursued by
ISWAP fighters following a battle.
Since
Shekau's death, the Nigerian armed forces say that thousands of Boko Haram
fighters have surrendered to them.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/islamic-states-west-africa-chief-dead-nigerian-general
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US-Kenya
partnership 'essential' for region: Biden
Michael
Gabriel Hernandez
15.10.2021
WASHINGTON
The
US-Kenya strategic partnership is "essential" for addressing regional
and global challenges, President Joe Biden said Thursday amid a crisis in
Ethiopia.
Biden
thanked Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for Nairobi's "leadership in
defending the peace, security and democratic instincts of the region and your country"
while hosting him at the White House.
"You're
doing a heck of a job," he told Kenyatta in brief remarks before reporters
ahead of their bilateral meeting behind closed doors.
The
leaders are slated to use their first in-person meeting to discuss a series of
issues, including "efforts to defend democracy and human rights, advance
peace and security, accelerate economic growth and tackle climate change,"
the White House said Tuesday when it announced the meeting.
In
particular, the escalating crisis in neighboring Ethiopia will feature
prominently in the bilateral discussions, with a senior administration official
telling reporters on a conference call previewing the meeting that "Kenya
can play an important role" in "de-escalating" the conflict in
Ethiopia.
"Kenya
is key to ensuring domestic stability and peace and security, both in Somalia
and in Ethiopia, in particular," the official said. "And as President
Kenyatta sort of stated publicly at the Security Council the other day, he is
calling for all parties to come to the table to negotiate to end the fighting,
to allow for humanitarian access to the people of northern Ethiopia and
Tigray."
Kenya
holds the UN Security Council presidency for the month of October.
The
US has threatened all parties to that conflict with sanctions unless they come
to the negotiating table to broker a peace deal, but the warning has so far
been ignored, with Ethiopian government forces launching an offensive on
Tigrayan forces in the Amhara region.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/us-kenya-partnership-essential-for-region-biden/2392652
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Kenyan
serial killer lynched by mob
Andrew
Wasike
15.10.2021
A
20-year-old serial killer who confessed to killing over 10 children has been
beaten to death by an angry mob in Kenya.
Police
confirmed to the media on Friday that Masten Wanjala Milimu who escaped from a
police jail in Nairobi on Wednesday was lynched by a mob in his hometown of
Bungoma, Western Kenya, 418 kilometers (260 miles) from the capital Nairobi.
Bungoma
County Police Commander Musyoki Mutungi told reporters that the suspect sneaked
into his parents’ home but neighbors noticed him. “He was captured by the mob
and lynched at around 7 a.m. (0400GMT) today. His body is still at the scene
and we have deployed security agents all over the place,” he added.
It is
still unclear how the serial killer escaped from his cell in the Jogoo Road
Police Station in Nairobi, but three police officers have been arrested over
his escape.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/kenyan-serial-killer-lynched-by-mob/2392981
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5
soldiers killed in suspected bandits attack in Nigeria
Ibrahim
Garba Shuaibu
14.10.2021
KANO,
Nigeria
Suspected
armed bandits killed five soldiers in an ambush on their vehicle in Nigeria's
northwestern Zamfara state, an official confirmed on Thursday.
The
incident occurred in the Wanzamai community in the state's Tsafe Local Government
Area, which is just 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) south of Gusau, the state
capital, which has previously been the target of bandit attacks.
State
Commissioner for Information Ibrahim Dosara confirmed the incident but refused
to reveal the number of fatalities.
Local
media reports claim that the criminals attacked the soldiers' vehicles and fled
with their firearms.
The
Nigerian military has yet to issue a statement.
Locals
said the vehicular movement was disrupted for some time along the 100-kilometer
(62-mile) Gusau-Funtua road.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/5-soldiers-killed-in-suspected-bandits-attack-in-nigeria/2392126
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