RSS Plans To Make Further Inroad Into The Minority Communities Like Sikhs, Christians Besides Muslims
New Age Islam News Bureau
19 October 2022
National executive meeting of the RSS under way at
Gauhania in Prayagraj. (HT photo)
----------
• Gay Afghan Student ‘Murdered By Taliban’ As Anti-LGBTQ+
Violence Rises: Human Rights Groups
• Saudi Arabia Hands 72-Year-Old American Citizen To
16 Years In Prison Over Criticizing The Ultra-Conservative Regime
• OIC Hails Australia's Move To De-Recognize Jerusalem
As Israel’s Capital
• French Cement Maker, Lafarge, Admits It Made
Payments To Islamic State In Syria To Continue Operations
India
• 'Bilkis Case Remission In Line With Supreme Court
Directions, Shouldn't Be Politicised': Government
• Quran From Mosque Found Lying Near Gate, 1 Booked
For Attempted Desecration
• BJP will serve Pasmanda Muslims By Becoming Their
Watchman: UP Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya
• Dissidents in Muslim League form Hyder Ali Thangal
Foundation
• 4th Time In 4 Months: China Blocks India's Effort To
Sanction Pakistan-Based Terrorist At UN
• UN Secretary General Guterres reaches Mumbai on
3-day India visit; to pay tributes to 26/11 terror attacks victims
• Gujarat govt's reply in Bilkis case bulky, misses
factual statements: SC
• Gangsters-terrorist nexus case: NIA arrests two
including an advocate in Delhi, raids 52 across India's 4 states, one UT
• This Stain OnModi Govt's Legacy Will Never Wash Off:
Congress Over Release Of Bilkis Case Convicts
--------
South
Asia
• Taliban Accused of Executing 27 ‘Rebel’ Prisoners
• Taliban Turns Blind Eye To Opium Production, Despite
Official Ban
• Report: Taliban killed captives in restive Afghan
province
• Islamic Emirate’s Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid Urges
Turkey To Recognize Govt And Engage In "Deep" Relations
--------
Arab
World
• Pope Francis And Al Azhar Grand Imam To Take Part In
November 3-4 Event In Bahrain
• Hundreds Linked To Islamic State Moved From Syria To
Notorious Camp In Iraq
• Turkish troops deploy in Syrian town to halt inter-faction
fighting
• Nearly 60 killed in 10 days of inter-faction
fighting in northern Syria: Monitor
• Hamas in first Syria visit in decade as relations
thaw
• US envoy praises Qatar labour law reforms but says
‘lot of work left to do’
• UAE President orders $100 million in humanitarian
aid to Ukraine
--------
Mideast
• Israel ‘persecuting’ Palestinian people: UN report
• President Rayeesi: Iran Not to Stand Idle Vis-a-Vis
EU's Hostile Acts
• Iran's Military Employs Home-grown Missile Fath 360
During Wargames
• Iran Accuses EU of Colonial Mentality over
Garden-Jungle Comment
• Human Rights Chief Blasts EU for Imposing New
Sanctions on Iran
• Students protest at Iranian university as official
visits: Media
• Iran agrees to ship missiles, more drones to Russia:
Report
• Turkey test fires secretly developed ballistic
missile: Report
• Houthi rebels reject offers to extend truce: Yemeni
gov’t
--------
Europe
• Christchurch Mosque And Auckland Mall Terror Attacks
Spur Stronger Counter-Terrorism Laws
• Poland keeps ban on Israeli school groups with armed
guards
• Bosnia and Herzegovina commemorates 19th death
anniversary of 'Wise King'
• Germany New Admission Programme to Admit 1,000
Afghan Refugees Per Month
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan Army Brass Reposes Full Confidence In
Nuclear Command, Control
• Abbottabad Police Arrest 44 More Tehreek-I-Labbaik
Pakistan Workers
• Opposition accuses ECP of conspiring with ruling
parties
• Pakistan PM asks officials to ‘immediately remove’
obstacles to Saudi Development Fund projects
• Ready to buy fuel from Russia on 'India rate', says
Pakistan finance minister during US visit
• Ashrafi for underdeveloped countries support to meet
climate change challenges
• Imran Khan’s jibe on ‘army chief’s temper’
--------
Southeast
Asia
• 5 Groups Take Cops, AG To Court Over Failure To
Prosecute Muslim Preacher For Allegedly Making Inflammatory Remarks Against
Other Religions
• Explore Islamic influences at Beijing Niujie mosque
• Malaysia busts Mossad team, secures release of
kidnapped Palestinian activist
• M’sia has much to offer in halal economy, other
areas in Muslim world: Mustapa
--------
North
America
• Muslim Olympic Medallist Sued For Defamation For
Highlighting Story Of Teacher Pulling Girl’s Hijab
• Jihad in Latin America: Illicit activities in the
region fund Hezbollah
• US walks back Biden’s quip, terms TTP ‘threat’
• State Department confirms detention of US national
in Saudi Arabia
• US: Iran sent Ethiopia military drones in 2021 in
violation of UN resolution
• US expresses ‘confidence’ in Pakistan to keep
nuclear weapons secure
--------
Africa
• Sudan Backs OPEC+ Decision To Cut Oil Production
• Ethiopia says 3 strategic towns captured in Tigray
• Somalia facing child malnutrition deaths 'on a scale
not seen in half a century': UN
• Bomb kills two peacekeepers in Mali, UN says
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
RSS Plans To Make Further Inroad Into The Minority
Communities Like Sikhs, Christians Besides Muslims
Oct 18, 2022
By K Sandeep Kumar
National executive meeting of the RSS under way at
Gauhania in Prayagraj. (HT photo)
----------
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is planning to make
further inroad into the minority communities of the country, including the
Muslims, Sikhs and Christians, as part of its outreach initiatives.
“The organisation has decided to deploy a team of four
to five senior and experienced functionaries in all its 45 “prants” (regions)
besides one at all 11 “kshetras” (zones) and begin tapping specially those
members of these communities who have strong nationalist outlook,” said a
senior RSS functionary aware of the planned move.
This was discussed on the third day of the ongoing
Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal Baithak, a four-day national executive meeting
of the RSS, under way on Vatsalya Institute campus at Gauhania in Prayagraj.
RSS chief (Sarsanghchalak) Mohan Bhagwat and general
secretary (Sarkaryavah) Dattatreya Hosabale along with other top brass of the
Sangh besides office bearers of all 45 “prants” (regions) of the organisation
are attending the meet.
“The organisation leaders stressed on the need for
sensitising the RSS volunteers regarding the Muslim and the Christian
communities while emphasising the need to be patient and take due care as the
issue is sensitive in nature. The top leaders made plain that instead of
curiosity about the communities, the workers needed to focus on establishing
contact and beginning a dialogue with community members and leaders. But this
task should be undertaken by only the designated team,” a senior RSS leader
said.
The RSS has decided that where numbers of Muslims and
Christians are more, work on subjects of language, culture and health would be
undertaken with the help of non-government organisations (NGOs).
The RSS leaders have decided that to provide a fillip
to organisation’s influence among these communities, contacts with educated
Muslims, who are not under the influence of radical elements, would be
increased and efforts would be made to keep in regular touch with the people of
both Muslim and Christian communities who are active in the religious, social
and academic spheres.
Steps like extending support to those members of these
communities who speak out or write in favour of nationalism and contacting
those who are already in such roles have also been stressed upon during the
deliberations.
Gradually increasing mutual interaction on the basis
of caste, lineage, traditions, ancestors, fraternity but only after first
studying and documenting these aspects before moving forward was also
highlighted.
For increasing the reach among Sikh community members,
contacting religious and community leaders to visiting Gurudwaras located in
areas where RSS “shakhas” are being held have been recommended. Inviting Sikh
community and religious leaders to social harmony events of the RSS and
increasing role of Sikhs in organisation’s various activities and affiliated
institutions too have been suggested.
RSS leaders have also urged contacting Sikh saints,
hosting seminars and symposium highlighting the role of Sikhs in the country’s
freedom struggle and involving women of the Sikh community. The RSS would now
also include celebrating Sikh festivals in its annual work plan so as to ensure
that the contact with the members of the Sikh community is ensured round the
year.
These plans come close on the heels of the RSS chief visiting
a mosque and meeting the head of the All-India Imam Organisation in New Delhi
on September 23 and even meeting other Muslim community leaders in run-up to
that meeting as part of Sangh’s outreach to minority communities to promote
religious harmony.
Reaching out to deprived, non-elite among Muslims and
other minorities on the issues of development and welfare programmes of the
Modi government was one of the things flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
in the national executive of the BJP held in Hyderabad in July this year.
Source: Hindustan Times
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original story:
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Gay
Afghan Student ‘Murdered By Taliban’ As Anti-LGBTQ+ Violence Rises: Human
Rights Groups
Deepa
Parent
18
Oct 2022
A
Taliban patrol in Kabul. Hamed Sabouri’s family and partner says he was
detained at a checkpoint in the city in August, tortured for three days and
then shot. Photograph: EPA
----------
The
abduction, torture and murder of a gay medical student, who was stopped at a
traffic checkpoint by Taliban gunmen, is the latest victim of a string of
violence against Afghanistan’s LGBTQ+ community, human rights groups warn.
Hamed
Sabouri’s family and partner says he was detained at a checkpoint in Kabul in
August and tortured for three days before being shot. Video of his execution
was then sent to his family, who have now left Afghanistan for their own
safety.
“The
Taliban murdered Hamed and sent the video to his family and me,” said Bahar,
Sabouri’s partner. “Hamed’s family have fled and I have been in hiding. We were
like any other couple around the world in love but the Taliban treat us like
criminals. They’ve killed the love of my life and I don’t know how I’ll live
without him.
“I
have been receiving threats from the Taliban again and I am now on the run. I
have many friends from the LGBTQ+ community here in Afghanistan who have also
keen kidnapped and tortured. I was arrested by the Taliban in August 2021 and
again in May and June this year and was raped, beaten and tortured with
electric shocks.”
LGBTQ+
rights organisations in Afghanistan say the mounting violence led many in the
LGBTQ+ community to attempt to leave the country and forced thousands of others
into hiding.
“The
biggest fear that every LGBTQ+ person in Afghanistan has right now is that they
will become the next Hamed Sabouri,” said Nemat Sadat, founder of LGBTQ+ rights
group Roshaniya.
“This
has been their predicament ever since the Taliban returned to power. The news
of Hamed’s brutal death continues to put our community on edge but we won’t let
Hamed’s life go in vain. We will continue to fight for the rights of LGBTQ+
Afghans to escape execution and live a long, and happy life in a free country.”
In
an email Haseeb Sabouri, Hamed’s brother, confirmed that the family sold their
two homes in Afghanistan and travelled to Turkey. “We fled from Afghanistan due
to threats and murder of Hamed,” he said. “We fled because the Taliban came to
our home every day to harass and threaten us.”
The
main image on this article was replaced on 18 October 2022 pending a review of
the photograph originally used.
Source:TheGuardian
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--------
Saudi
Arabia Hands 72-Year-Old American Citizen To 16 Years In Prison Over
Criticizing The Ultra-Conservative Regime
18
October 2022
The
flag of Saudi Arabia flies above the Saudi Arabia embassy near the Watergate
Complex in Washington, US, February 26, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)
-------------
The
Saudi government has sentenced a 72-year-old American citizen to 16 years in
prison over his tweets criticizing the ultra-conservative regime in Riyadh,
with the son of the elderly critic saying his father has been “tortured” in
jail.
In
a report published late on Monday, the Washington Post said Saudi Arabia in
early October handed a 16-year prison sentence to Saudi-American Saad Ibrahim
Almadi over 14 anti-Riyadh tweets he had posted on his account while inside the
US.
Almadi
was charged with "harboring a terrorist ideology, trying to destabilize
the Kingdom, as well as supporting and funding terrorism," the Post
reported, adding that he was also handed a 16-year travel ban.
The
72-year-old project manager from Florida was detained at Riyadh airport last
year when he traveled to Saudi Arabia to visit his family.
A
spokesperson for the US State Department had confirmed Almadi's detention in
Saudi Arabia at the time but declined to identify the charge. The spokesperson,
speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Washington had been following
Almadi's case closely since his arrest.
"Since
that happened, we have consistently and intensively raised our concerns
regarding this case at senior levels several times in both Washington and
Riyadh and will continue to do so. The Saudi government understands the
priority we attach to resolving this matter," the spokesperson said.
Ibrahim
Almadi, the son of the American citizen, told the Washington Post that the US
State Department had been both "neglectful and negligent" over the
case.
Ibrahim
said no one from the US embassy in Saudi Arabia had visited his father until
six months after his arrest in November last year and that no US officials had
attended his sentencing despite having notified them of the hearing.
Ibrahim
told the US daily that the State Department had told him not to speak publicly
about his father's case, but that he no longer believed that staying quiet
would secure his father’s freedom.
During
a meeting between embassy officials and his father in May, my father declined
to ask Washington to intervene as Saudi jailers threaten to torture prisoners
who involve foreign governments in their cases, Ibrahim added.
In
a second meeting in August, Ibrahim said his father called for the State
Department’s assistance and was consequently tortured.
“Almadi
has been tortured in prison, forced to live in squalor and confined with actual
terrorists — all while his family was threatened by the Saudi government that
they would lose everything if they didn’t keep quiet,” the Post quoted Ibrahim
as saying.
Ever
since bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has
ramped up arrests of activists, bloggers, intellectuals, and others perceived
as political opponents, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in the
face of international condemnations.
Muslim
scholars have been executed and women’s rights campaigners have been put behind
bars and tortured as freedoms of expression, association, and belief continue
to be denied.
Over
the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws to target
activism.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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OIC
hails Australia's move to de-recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
Ahmed
Asmar
18.10.2022
The
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday welcomed a decision by the
Australian government to end its recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital.
In
a statement, the Jeddah-based grouping hailed Australia's "commitment to
the two-state solution," adding that the Australian move "aligns with
international law and relevant United Nations resolutions."
The
pan-Islamic organization called on all states that recognized Jerusalem as
Israel's capital "to reverse their stances against international
legitimacy."
Australian
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Tuesday that his country had reversed its
recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
In
2018, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government said it would recognize
West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital but would not move its embassy from Tel Aviv
until a peace settlement is reached.
The
Australian move won plaudits from the Palestinian Authority, which rules the
West Bank, and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
Jerusalem
remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping
East Jerusalem, now occupied by Israel, might eventually serve as the capital
of a future Palestinian state.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
French
Cement Maker, Lafarge, Admits It Made Payments To Islamic State In Syria To
Continue Operations
18
October 2022
A
general view shows a facility of French industrial cement supplier Lafarge in
New York. | Ed Jones/AFP
------------
French
cement maker Lafarge on Tuesday pleaded guilty before a United States court to
a charge that it made payments to terrorist groups, including the Islamic
State, to continue operations in Syria after civil war broke out in 2011,
reported Reuters.
The
company has been asked to pay a penalty of $778 million (Rs 640 crore).
This
is the first time that a company has pleaded guilty in the United States to
charges of providing material support to a terrorist organisation.
The
conflict in Syria began after the country’s government, led by President Bashar
al-Assad, used deadly force against peaceful pro-democracy protestors in March
2011.
The
violence soon escalated and the country descended into civil war. Hundreds of
rebel groups sprung up and terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State
and al-Qaeda became involved.
According
to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a United Kingdom-based monitoring
group, the clashes have killed at least 4,94,438 persons by June 2021 and
forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
On
Tuesday, US prosecutors said that Lafarge paid approximately $5.92 million (Rs
4.8 crore) between 2013 and 2014 to the Islamic State and other terror groups
to allow employees, customers and suppliers to pass through checkpoints in
Syria, reported Reuters.
In
return, the company earned $70 million (Rs 57.65 crore) in sales revenue from
its plant in northern Syria before it was evacuated in 2014.
“Lafarge
made a deal with the devil,” Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in
Brooklyn said. “This conduct by a Western corporation was appalling and has no
precedent or justification.”
Lafarge
said that it accepts responsibility for the actions of the individual
executives involved, the Associated Press reported.
“We
deeply regret that this conduct occurred and have worked with the US Department
of Justice to resolve this matter,” the company said in a statement.
Source:
Scroll
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--------
India
'Bilkis
Case Remission In Line With Supreme Court Directions, Shouldn't Be
Politicised': Government
Oct
19, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The government on Tuesday said that the remission granted to the
convicts in the Bilkis Bano case should not be politicised as the decision was
taken as per the law and in line with the Supreme Court's directions.
"A
formal consent of the central government was necessary since the offence was
investigated by the CBI. If the rules permit the accused to get remission, the
central government cannot prevent the grant of remission," a senior
government functionary said.
He
said the remission was to be decided based on the punishment awarded by the
court, the number of years imprisonment the convicts have undergone and
applicable rules.
"The
remission granted, therefore, cannot be politicised as it was done after the
direction of the Supreme Court and only after finding that the rules entitle
the convicts to get the remission," the official said.
Sources
said the rules governing remission are applicable to all the accused persons.
"The accused in this case were found to be eligible for remission and,
therefore, appropriate orders were required to be passed by the Gujarat
government, " an official source said.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Quran
From Mosque Found Lying Near Gate, 1 Booked For Attempted Desecration
October
19, 2022
The
Sohana police have booked a man for allegedly attempting to desecrate the Quran
in a mosque in Saneta village. The accused, identified as Sohan Singh, has not
been arrested yet.
The
complainant, Ahalkar, who is a resident of the village, told the police that
visited the mosque Monday at around 5 am and found the Quran lying near the
entry gate.
“I
called other people at the mosque and we placed the holy Quran at the
designated place and then informed the other villagers and also informed the
police,” Ahalkar said. He also told the police that he found a pair of jeans
inside the mosque that he had seen a man known to him wearing.
Source: IndianExpress
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/quran-from-mosque-found-lying-near-gate-1-booked-8217261/
--------
BJP
will serve Pasmanda Muslims By Becoming Their Watchman: UP Dy CM Keshav Prasad
Maurya
19
OCT 2022
Uttar
Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesday accused the
rivals of the BJP of keeping the Muslims in the state backward and promised
that his party will "serve" the Pasmanda Muslims by becoming their
watchman.
At
a program organized by the BJP's minority wing to facilitate the members of the
Pasmanda community, he said,
"You
strengthened the Samajwadi Party, sometimes the BSP, and sometimes the Congress
by voting for them. They reached high levels of politics with your cooperation.
You should think about what these parties did for you."
"These
parties spread poison to keep Muslims away from the BJP. Other parties
deliberately left the Pasmanda community behind. When it comes to voting,
someone will take your votes by making hateful statements and then leave you to
your plight. But we (BJP) will truly serve you by becoming your watchman."
Maurya
told the member of the Pasmanda Muslim community, "You have trusted them,
just trust the BJP for once. The mainstream of the country's politics is the
BJP only. Those who have only used
Pasmanda Muslims till now should be taught a lesson."
In
the coming days, programs will be held in every city area for Pasmanda Muslims,
he said.
Minority
welfare minister Danish Azad Ansari said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath have worked for the social and educational upliftment
of Muslims and will continue to do so.
Pasmandas
are backward classes of Muslims and constitute 85 percent of the total
population in Uttar Pradesh.
41
castes of Muslims in this community include Qureshi, Ansari, Salmani, Shah,
Mansoori, and Siddiqui.
Source:OutlookIndia
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Dissidents
in Muslim League form Hyder Ali Thangal Foundation
19th
October 2022
KOZHIKODE:
Dissidents in the IUML have come together under the banner of Hyder Ali Thangal
Foundation under the leadership of Thangal’s son and Muslim Youth League
national vice-president Panakkad Syed Mueen Ali Shihab Thangal. K S Hamza,
former state secretary of the IUML, who has been kept under suspension for
violating party discipline, has been elected as the convener of the Foundation
while Mueen Ali is the chairman.
Though
Mueen Ali Thangal and Hamza claimed that there is no political significance for
the development and said it is only a coming together of those who love Hyder
Ali Thangal, the move is clearly aimed at IUML national general secretary P K
Kunhalikutty.
Mueen
Ali Thangal has openly raised voice against Kunhalikutty over the issues faced
by the party organ Chandrika daily. At a press conference in Kozhikode in
August last year, he stated that Kunhalikutty cannot absolve himself of the responsibility
for leading the daily to a crisis. Unruly scenes had taken place during the
conference when Kunhalikutty’s supporter Rafi Puthiyakadavu hurled abuses at
Thangal. The issue was settled after the party took action against Rafi.
Hamza
has been raising allegations against Kunhalikutty for some time now. He was
very vocal at the party working committee meeting held and was suspended for
‘leaking’ the details of the internal debates in the party. Former MSF leaders
Latheef Thurayur and P P Shyjak, who were ousted from the organisation in the
aftermath of the issues related to the Haritha, MSF women’s wing, also
participated.
Source:NewIndianExpress
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
4th
time in 4 months: China blocks India's effort to sanction Pakistan-based
terrorist at UN
Oct
19, 2022
NEW
DELHI: China has once again blocked a proposal by India at the United Nations
to sanction a terrorist operating from Pakistan.
Beijing
thwarted efforts to designate Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Shahid
Mahmood as a global terrorist.
India
and US had jointly moved the proposal to blacklist Mahmood under the 1267 Al
Qaeda Sanctions Committee regime.
The
US Treasury Department designated Mahmood a global terrorist in December 2016.
This
is the fourth time in as many months that Beijing has foiled India's effort
seeking blacklisting of a Pakistan-based terrorist.
In
September, it blocked the joint India-US proposal for banning LeT commander
Sajid Mir, a most wanted terrorist and handler of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Mir
has a bounty of $5m placed on his head by the US for his role in the 26/11
Mumbai attacks.
In
August, China put a hold on a proposal by the US and India at the United
Nations to blacklist Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Jaish-e Mohammed (JeM)
chief Masood Azhar and a senior leader of the Pakistan-based terror
organisation.
In
June this year, China put a hold, at the last moment, on a joint proposal by
India and the US to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the
1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
UN
Secretary General Guterres reaches Mumbai on 3-day India visit; to pay tributes
to 26/11 terror attacks victims
Oct
19, 2022
MUMBAI:
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will pay tributes to the victims of the
26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai on Wednesday on
the first day of his three-day visit to India.
Guterres
landed in Mumbai on Wednesday shortly after midnight via a commercial flight
from London. He was greeted by senior Maharashtra government officials on
arrival.
He
later drove to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in south Mumbai, where he will pay
tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks.
The
Taj Mahal Palace hotel was one of the targets of the horrific 26/11 terror
attacks in 2008.
Guterres
will deliver a public address at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai
on the subject -- "India @75: UN-India Partnership: Strengthening
South-South Cooperation" later in the day, before flying to Gujarat.
It
is his first visit to India since his second term in office commenced in
January. He had earlier visited the country in October 2018 during his first
term at the top office.
The
UN secretary general will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event
relating to the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) in Gujarat's Kevadiya
on October 20.
His
visit to the country comes more than a week before the UN Security Council
Counter-Terrorism Committee holds its two-day deliberations in India.
External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar would hold bilateral discussions with Guterres on
issues of global concern, steps to deepen India's engagement with the UN,
including through the country's upcoming presidency of the G20.
In
Kevadiya, Guterres is expected to pay floral tributes at the Statue of Unity,
the MEA said, adding that he will also visit the country's first solar-powered
village in Modhera (Gujarat) and other development projects in the area.
Source:
Times Of India
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Gujarat
govt's reply in Bilkis case bulky, misses factual statements: SC
Oct
19, 2022
New
Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday remarked the Gujarat government's reply to
pleas challenging the remission granted to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano
gang-rape case was very bulky wherein a series of judgments had been quoted but
factual statements were missing.The court granted time to the petitioners to
file their response to the Gujarat government's affidavit and said it would
hear on November 29 the pleas challenging the remission of sentence and release
of convicts in the 2002 case also involving the murder of seven members of her
family during the Gujarat riots.
"I
have not come across a counter affidavit where a series of judgments are
quoted. Factual statement should have been made. A very bulky counter. Where is
the factual statement...?" a bench headed by Justice Ajay Rastogi
observed. The bench, also comprising Justice C T Ravikumar, directed that the
reply filed by the Gujarat government be made available to all parties.
CPI(M)
leader Subhashini Ali and two other women have filed the PIL against the
remission of sentence of the convicts and their release. At the outset,
advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that he needed
time to file the response.
Justice
Rastogi observed that even before he could go through the Gujarat governmen''s
reply, it was visible in the newspapers.
Solicitor
General Tushar Mehta said: "The judgments were mentioned for easy
reference, it could have been avoided". The SG submitted strangers and
third parties cannot raise the challenge to the remission of sentence and
release of the convicts.
The
Gujarat government had on Monday defended in the apex court its decision to
release the convicts in accordance with the 1992 remission policy since they
had completed more than 14 years in prison and their conduct was found to be
good.
It
also clarified the convicts were not granted remission in consonance with the
circular for grant of remission to prisoners as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav' celebrations. The state home department said all the convicts had
completed more than 14 years in prison under life imprisonment.
Source:
Times Of India
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Gangsters-terrorist
nexus case: NIA arrests two including an advocate in Delhi, raids 52 across
India's 4 states, one UT
Oct
18, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested an advocate here
and another a gangster from Haryana following a mega search operation conducted
during the day at 52 locations across north India's four states and Union
Territory of Delhi.
The
arrested advocate has been identified as Asif Khan, a resident of Gautam Vihar
in the Usmanpur area of North East Delhi. The agency sleuths arrested him after
they recovered four weapons and a few pistols (in semi-knocked down condition),
along with ammunition, from his house during searches conducted at his
residence.
During
the interrogation, the NIA said it was revealed that Asif was in touch with
jailed gangsters.
"Further
examination revealed that Asif was in touch with gangsters, both inside and
outside the Jail and he was actively assisting gangsters and criminals in carrying
out various types of criminal and illegal activities," the agency said.
The
NIA also arrested one Rajesh alias Raju Mota who hails from Basaudi, Sonepat
(Haryana).
Mota,
according to the NIA, has multiple criminal cases registered against him.
"Raju
Mota is running an illegal liquor mafia network in Sonepat and surrounding
areas, along with his associates. He is an accomplice of Sandeep alias Kala
Jathedi, who is a dreaded gangster of Haryana," the NIA said in a
statement.
"Raju
Mota has also invested a huge amount of money in the liquor business which he
has earned through illegitimate means," it added
Earlier
today, in a second such mega operation conducted within a span of 36 days to
dismantle and disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug
smugglers based in India and abroad, the NIA carried out searches at 52
locations in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi as well as the
National Capital Region (NCR).
The
locations raided by the NIA included Abohar, Bhatinda, Muktsar Sahab, Moga,
Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Mohali districts of Punjab; East Gurugram, Bhiwani,
Yamuna Nagar, Sonepat, Mahendragarh, Manesar, Rewari, Rohtak and Jhajjar
districts of Haryana; Churu, Bharatpur and Alwar districts of Rajasthan; Noida,
Bulanshehar and Sonbhadra districts as well as Dwarka, Outer North, Central,
Outer and North East districts of Delhi and NCR.
Searches
were conducted in the morning at the premises of Sampat Nehra of
Churu-Rajasthan; Naresh Sethi (notorious gangster-criminal) of Jhajjar in
Haryana; Surender alias Cheeku of Narnaul in Haryana; Naveen alias Bali of
Bawana in Delhi; Amit alias Dabang of Tajpur in Outer Delhi; Amit Dagar of
Gurugram in Haryana; Sandeep alias Bandar, Salim alias Pistol of North-East
Delhi; Qurban and Rizwan Khurja of Bulandshahr in UP and their associates.
During
the searches, five pistols and revolvers were seized, along with ammunition,
which includes a cache of four pistols from the house of Asif Khan, an
advocate, a residence of Gautam Vihar, Usmanpur in North East Delhi, said the
agency, adding "he was connected with various gangsters of Haryana and
Delhi".
"Few
weapons in semi-knocked down condition have also been recovered during these
raids," said the NIA.
Apart
from these, incriminating documents, digital devices, details about benami
property created through proceeds of crime, cash, gold bars and gold jewellery
from Khurja, Bulandshahar (UP), and threat letters were also seized by the NIA.
The
Central agency said that these raids were carried out to "dismantle and
disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug
smugglers/traffickers based in India and abroad".
"A
few of the most desperate gang leaders and their associates based in India and
abroad, who are spearheading and carrying out such terror and criminal
activities were identified and booked in two cases registered by the NIA in
August this year," said the NIA.
This
was the second round of raids and searches conducted by the NIA as part of its
crackdown on top gangsters, their criminal and business associates based in
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and arms suppliers based in UP, Rajasthan and
Delhi.
On
September 12, the NIA had also searched 50 locations in Punjab, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Delhi and NCR region.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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This
stain on Modi govt's legacy will never wash off: Congress over release of
Bilkis case convicts
Oct
18, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The Congress Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi government of granting
premature release to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case for political motives
and said "this stain on the legacy of this dispensation will never wash
off".
This
shocking revelation came to light when the Modi government, in its reply before
the Supreme Court, revealed that it had given its "concurrence and
approval" for the release of the individuals convicted of gangraping
Bilkis Bano and killing her three-and-half-year-old child and various family
members, said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.
"It
is repugnant, reprehensible and revolting that an elected government chose to
release these convicts in such a cavalier manner. The grant of premature
release to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case is a stain on this government's
legacy that will never wash off," he told reporters.
Singhvi
said when the release was ordered on August 15, the Modi government maintained
a studied and deliberate silence on freeing the criminals, an action which has
drawn legitimate criticism the world over and "exposed our system to
widespread shame and ridicule".
"The
fact that the Modi government actively suppressed this fact shows that even it
was aware that the action was a condemnable one," he noted.
Singhvi
alleged that despite the Modi government's "desperate and clumsy attempts
to justify this embarrassing and demeaning action, it is clear that the sole
underlying calculation for it was raw political".
"There
are many compromises in politics. But the BJP has made the greatest compromise
of all; a sacrifice of the last shred of conscience that separated them from
those craven and venal elements who prize solely their own political survival
over all else."
The
case being sub-judice, public opinion and public conscience are no less
important. The Modi government must answer in the court of the people, the
Congress spokesperson said.
The
Gujarat government in its reply to a PIL by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali,
independent journalist Revati Laul, and ex-vice chancellor of Lucknow
University Roop Rekha, told the Supreme Court that the petitioner being a
"third-party stranger", has no locus to challenge the remission order
passed by the competent authority as per applicable law in the instant case
under the "garb of PIL".
Bilkis
Bano was 21 years old and five-month pregnant when she was gang-raped while
fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident. Her
three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.
The
11 men convicted in the case walked out free from the Godhra sub-jail on August
15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission
policy.
Singhvi
alleged that the panel that had ordered the release of the convicts in the case
had "cited dubious justifications -- such as they belonged to Brahmin and
'sanskari' families -- for their release and even opined, without any basis or
justification, that the convicts may have been intentionally framed”.
What
it had not said was that the Ministry of Home Affairs, had granted its approval
for such premature release, Singhvi said and asked, "Was the panel acting
under some compulsion that it reduced its process to an ostensible
formality?"
"This
proves beyond a shadow of doubt that the release was a political decision made
with not just the knowledge but the concurrence of those in the highest
echelons of power in the Modi government," the Congress spokesperson
alleged.
"Why
has the Modi Government, despite the objections of senior officials, sought to
grant preferential treatment to individuals convicted of so reprehensible,
horrific and heinous a crime?" the Congress leader asked
Has
the government decided to pardon all convicted rapists and child murderers who
have served a certain period? With what face will it now oppose demands for
parole which cite this precedent, he posed.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Taliban
Accused of Executing 27 ‘Rebel’ Prisoners
October
18, 2022
Ayaz
Gul
ISLAMABAD
—
A
new investigative report accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of executing 27
opposition fighters in custody during last month’s military operations in the
turbulent northern province of Panjshir.
Afghan
Witness (AW), an open-source project run by the U.K.-based nonprofit Center for
Information Resilience, studied the allegations and published its findings
Tuesday, which contradict earlier Taliban claims of killing the men in
battlefield clashes.
The
victims were said to be affiliated with the National Resistance Front (NRF),
which has been waging an armed resistance against the Taliban since the
Islamist group seized power more than a year ago.
AW
researchers analyzed dozens of social media videos and photographs to
“conclusively link” a group of Taliban fighters to the extrajudicial killings
of 10 men in Dara district area.
“Five
men—one facing the executioners on his knees, the others sitting facing away,
all blindfolded with hands bound behind their backs—are repeatedly shot for 20
seconds… accompanied by celebratory cries from the large group of [Taliban]
fighters,” the report said, adding that the group of Taliban fighters could be
identified with five more men who were later executed.
AW
researchers had gathered “credible evidence of a further 17 executions and 30
deaths as a result of the Taliban offensive in Panjshir, bringing the total to
57 victims,” the report noted.
The
summary execution allegations date back to mid-September, when the Taliban
declared in a statement that their forces had killed 40 armed rebels and
captured at least 100 others as part of a “large-scale clearance operation” in
several districts of mountainous Panjshir, including Dara. NRF officials at the
time had confirmed the death of at least eight of their fighters, dismissing
the Taliban claims as inflated.
Taliban
officials also announced a defense ministry team had been tasked with
investigating allegations of summary executions of resistance fighters, but no
details have been shared to date.
AW
team leader David Osborn told The Associated Press their findings give the “most
clear-cut example” of the Taliban carrying out an “orchestrated purge” of NRF
fighters.
Taliban
authorities did not immediately comment on the report.
The
radical group is under fire from the international community for not governing
Afghanistan through an inclusive political system and for restricting women’s
rights to work and education. No foreign government has yet recognized the
legitimacy of the Taliban government.
The
NRF, which is led by Ahmad Massoud — an ethnic Tajik leader — has in recent
months regularly claimed guerrilla attacks against Taliban forces, mostly in
and around Panjshir, the country’s smallest province located just north of the
capital, Kabul.
Critics
are skeptical whether the NRF could pose a serious threat to the new Taliban
rule. But they see ISIS-K, the Afghan-based affiliate of the self-proclaimed
Islamic State terrorist group, as a bigger security challenge for nascent
Taliban rule.
ISIS-K
has routinely carried out major bombings across Afghanistan, targeting minority
Shiite Afghans and security forces, killing hundreds of people in recent
months. However, the Taliban downplay the threat, saying their forces have
significantly degraded ISIS-K's presence in the country.
On
Tuesday, the Taliban-led Afghan secret agency, known as the General Directorate
of Intelligence (GDI), said its special forces raided a key ISIS-K hideout in
the northeastern city, Kunduz, killing some militants. The claim could not be
verified from independent sources.
Source:
VOANews
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https://www.voanews.com/a/taliban-accused-of-executing-27-rebel-prisoners/6794913.html
--------
Taliban
Turns Blind Eye To Opium Production, Despite Official Ban
October
18, 2022
By
Mursaleen Arsala
Abubakar
Siddique
In
the spring, the Taliban announced a ban on the cultivation, trafficking, and
use of illicit narcotics in Afghanistan, the world’s biggest producer of opium.
But
as the fall planting season for opium crops begins, the militant group appears
to be turning a blind eye to the lucrative drugs trade.
Farmers
in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, and Uruzgan -- where most of
the country's opium is produced -- say they are growing their crops freely.
Experts
say the cash-strapped Taliban government is unwilling to enforce its ban
because the illicit opium trade remains a major source of revenue. The
militants are also unable to provide alternative livelihoods for the tens of
thousands of farmers who are dependent on the drug trade for survival.
Many
Afghans are already struggling to make ends meet. The Taliban’s takeover of
Afghanistan in August 2021 triggered an economic collapse and worsened a major
humanitarian crisis. Western donors abruptly cut off assistance, and the new
government was hit by international sanctions.
The
militant group is also keen to avoid creating widespread resentment in southern
Afghanistan, a region that provided fighters for its 20-year insurgency,
experts say.
“An
effective ban on drugs production in the midst of a failing economy is a recipe
for disaster,” says David Mansfield, an independent researcher who tracks
Afghanistan’s illicit drug industry.
'I
Will Get Nothing'
Some
Afghan farmers say they are willing to stop cultivating opium if the
authorities can provide them with alternative livelihoods and crops. But they
say that the Taliban has offered few economic incentives to farmers, who can
earn much more by growing opium compared to other crops, such as wheat.
“I
support the ban on poppy cultivation if we get some aid to enable us to buy
food and medicines for our families,” Abdul Qayyum, a farmer in Kandahar’s
Maiwand district, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
The
United Nations has distributed tools, seeds, and fertilizer in some parts of
southern Afghanistan in a bid to deter farmers from planting opium crops. But
the farmers say finding jobs or markets for alternative agricultural products
in a contracting economy is a complex challenge.
“If
I don’t plant poppies, I will get nothing,” Naqibullah, a farmer in Uruzgan,
told Radio Azadi. “A wheat crop cannot even pay for the fertilizers and
tractors it needs.”
After
the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, Washington spent some $8 billion in a bid to
eradicate the opium trade in Afghanistan. The United States destroyed poppy
fields, offered alternative crops to farmers, conducted air strikes, and raided
suspected labs. But the strategy largely failed.
For
years, the Taliban has been taxing poppy farmers and is involved in the
trafficking of narcotics to neighboring countries, from where they end up in
Europe and North America, experts say.
The
UN estimated that the Afghan opium trade generated some $2.7 billion of income
in 2021. A 2020 report commissioned by NATO said that the Taliban earned more
than $400 million from the drug industry, although some experts believe such
estimates are exaggerated.
The
Taliban has pledged to enforce its ban. Haseebullah Ahmadzai, the head of the
narcotics department in the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, says the group has
laid the groundwork for implementing the ban.
“We
have held meetings with community elders, farmers, and citizens across our
country to brief them on our ban on narcotics,” he told Radio Azadi.
Source:Gandhara
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https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-opium-production-taliban-farmers-drugs-trade/32089780.html
--------
Report:
Taliban killed captives in restive Afghan province
October
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD,
Pakistan: The Taliban captured, bound and shot to death 27 men in Afghanistan’s
Panjshir Valley last month during an offensive against resistance fighters in
the area, according to a report published Tuesday, refuting the group’s earlier
claims that the men were killed in battle.
One
video of the killings verified by the report shows five men, blindfolded with
their hands tied behind their backs. Then, Taliban fighters spray them with
gunfire for 20 seconds and cry out in celebration.
The
investigation by Afghan Witness, an open-source project run by the UK-based non-profit
Center for Information Resilience, is a rare verification of allegations that
the Taliban have used brutal methods against opposition forces and their
supporters, its researchers said. Since taking power in August 2021, the
Taliban have imposed a tighter and harsher rule, even as they press for
international recognition of their government.
David
Osborn, the team leader of Afghan Witness, said the report gives the ”most
clear-cut example” of the Taliban carrying out an “orchestrated purge” of resistance
fighters.
Afghan
Witness said it analyzed dozens of visual sources from social media — mostly
videos and photographs — to conclusively link one group of Taliban fighters to
the killings of 10 men in the Dara District of Panjshir, including the five seen
being mowed down in the video.
It
said it also confirmed 17 other extrajudicial killings from further images on
social media, all showing dead men with their hands tied behind their backs.
Videos and photos of Taliban fighters with the bodies aided geolocation and
chrono-location, also providing close-ups of the fighters at the scene. These
were cross-referenced with other videos suspected to feature the group.
“Using
open-source techniques we have established the facts around the summary and
systematic execution of a group of men in the Panjshir Valley in
mid-September,” Osborn said. “At the time of their execution, the detained were
bound, posing no threat to their Taliban captors.”
Enayatullah
Khawarazmi, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the defense minister, said a
delegation is investigating the videos released on social media. He said he was
unable to give further details as the investigation is ongoing.
Zabihullah
Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban-run government, was not immediately
available for comment.
Last
month, Mujahid was reported as saying the Taliban had killed 40 resistance
fighters and captured more than 100 in Panjshir. He gave no details on how the
40 men died.
The
force fighting in the mountainous Panjshir Valley north of Kabul — a remote
region that has defied conquerors before — rose out of the last remnants of
Afghanistan’s shattered security forces. It has vowed to resist the Taliban
after they overran the country and seized power in August 2021.
Ali
Maisam Nazary, head of foreign relations at the National Resistance Front for
Afghanistan, said: “The Taliban committed war crimes by killing POWs that
surrendered to them point blank and the videos are evidence of this.”
Source:
Arab News
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2183051/world
--------
Islamic
Emirate’s Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid Urges Turkey To Recognize Govt And Engage
In "Deep" Relations
October
19, 2022
The
Islamic Emirate’s Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid called on Turkey to engage in
"deep" relations with Islamic Emirate and recognize its government.
Mujahid
made the remarks in an interview with a Turkish TV channel.
The
Islamic Emirate’s spokesman also urged the US to lift sanctions on Afghanistan.
“We
want to have deep diplomatic relations with Turkey and other countries, so If
God wills, the Islamic Emirate will be recognized through this and there will
be further cooperation both in the diplomatic and economic sector,” Mujahid
said.
Analysts
believe that the Islamic Emirate must take tremendous steps to earn the
recognition of the international community.
“The
issue of lifting some restrictions on women’s work and travelling is important.
The ensuring of some political and civil rights of the people is important and
then, in general, the formation of an inclusive government is important,” said
Shir Hassan Hassan, a political analyst.
“Turkey
is an Islamic country and it is located both in Asia and Europe, and can play
an important political and economic role as a liaison between the Islamic
Emirate and the international community," said Ahmad Khan Andar, a
political analyst.
Speaking
of women’s access to education, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman said that
efforts are underway to facilitate girls’ education under an Islamic format.
"The
Islamic Emirate is paying all-out efforts to provide a safe and protected environment under the Islamic format for
women in education field and work,” Mujahid said.
Source: ToloNews
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-180359
--------
Arab World
Pope
Francis And Al Azhar Grand Imam To Take Part In November 3-4 Event In Bahrain
OCTOBER
19, 2022
Bahrain
will host a global interfaith forum next month, under the patronage of His
Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
His
Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence the Grand
Imam of Al Azhar, Shaikh Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, Chairman of the Muslim Council of
Elders,will participate in the forum on November 3-4 under the theme “The East
and The West for Human Coexistence”.
The
forum, organised by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Bahrain, in
cooperation with the Muslim Council of Elders and the King Hamad Global Centre
for Peaceful Coexistence, will be attended by more than 200 global faith
leaders, and renowned scholars and media personalities.
The
forum is within Bahrain’s keenness and strategy to build bridges and dialogue
between leaders of religions and sects and leading figures of thought, culture
and media, in cooperation with Al Azhar, the Catholic Church, the Muslim
Council of Elders, and international institutions promoting dialogue, human
coexistence and tolerance.
The
two-day event will feature a series of poignant discussions that aim to further
cement the values of peace and tolerance.
Source:NewsOfBahrain
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https://www.newsofbahrain.com/bahrain/84916.html
--------
Hundreds
linked to Islamic State moved from Syria to notorious camp in Iraq
18
October 2022
BEIRUT
— Syria’s autonomous Kurdish region has transferred more than 600 relatives of
suspected jihadists detained at the notorious Al-Hol camp to Iraq, a war
monitor and a Kurdish security source said Tuesday.
“The
Iraqi government repatriated 161 families, including 659 people, from Al-Hol
camp to Iraq,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The
Iraqi families left Al-Hol camp, which lies less than 10 kilometers (six miles)
from the Iraqi border for their home country in a move coordinated by Iraqi
authorities, the monitor said.
A
Kurdish security source who requested anonymity said that 634 Iraqis had
crossed from Al-Hol to their country on Tuesday.
The
overcrowded, Kurdish-run camp is home to 55,000 people, and houses thousands of
relatives of suspected Islamic State group members.
It
is the largest camp for displaced people who fled after IS fighters were
dislodged from their last scrap of territory in Syria in 2019.
The
UN said more than 100 people have been murdered in the increasingly lawless
camp since the start of 2021.
Kurdish
forces arrested more than 200 people last month, after a three-week operation
against IS supporters there discovered tunnels used by jihadists and seized an
arsenal of weapons.
Kurdish
authorities have repeatedly called on countries to repatriate their citizens
from crowded camps.
But
nations have mostly received them only sporadically, fearing security threats
and a domestic political backlash.
Source:TimesOfIsrael
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Turkish
troops deploy in Syrian town to halt inter-faction fighting
18
October, 2022
Turkish
troops deployed on Tuesday in an area in northwestern Syria to try to halt
fighting between rival factions opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
witnesses and forces said.
Turkish
tanks and armored vehicles took up positions around Kafr Jana, a rugged area
which the main faction Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) seized on Monday from two
rival factions belonging to a coalition of forces backed by Ankara.
Turkish
army and security officers worked to bring the warring factions back to the
negotiating table to implement a peace deal reached last Saturday that led to a
one-day respite from five days of clashes that left scores dead on both sides.
“Turkey
has now intervened to stop the conflict and prevent Hayat Tahrir al Sham from
progressing and to get both sides to the negotiating table to implement the accord,”
Waiel Olwan, a former opposition official in touch with both sides, told
Reuters.
Tensions
have been building in the opposition-held northwest under rebel control, mainly
over ideological differences between Islamist and more nationalist-leaning armed
factions.
Monday’s
renewed fighting was triggered by mutual charges that both sides had reneged on
the Turkey-brokered deal that saw fighters withdraw from the city of Afrin,
which they seized from mainstream rebels. Those rebels also agreed to go back
to their barracks away from the populated cities.
Turkey
fears HTS’s hold over much of the insurgent enclave would give Moscow a free
hand to renew bombing of a region that is home to more than three million
displaced Syrians who fled Assad’s rule under the pretext of fighting
extremists.
Russian
fighters have in the last few days escalated strikes in the area in a message
by Moscow that it will strike with impunity areas that now fall under the wider
influence of the group, three commanders said.
Turkey’s
large military presence, with thousands of troops stationed in a string of
bases in northwest Syria, had held back Russian-backed Syrian forces from
seizing the rebel-held area.
Rebels
said the group, which has expanded its influence since fighting broke out in
Afrin region, was now positioned several kilometers away from the border city
of Azaz, the administrative center of the mainstream Turkish-backed opposition
government.
A
senior official in the coalition fighting HTS said they had reinforced positions
around the city to repel any attempt by the fighters to take it over.
Azaz
has seen in the last two days street protests opposed to the entry of the
extremists.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Nearly
60 killed in 10 days of inter-faction fighting in northern Syria: Monitor
18
October, 2022
More
than a week of inter-faction fighting in Syria’s Turkish-held north has killed
58 people, mostly combatants – a flareup that has allowed al-Qaeda-linked
fighters to gain ground, a war monitor said Tuesday.
The
clashes since October 8, in a volatile area near the Turkish border, have been
among the deadliest in years, killing 48 extremist fighters and 10 civilians,
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Among
the 48 fighters killed, 28 were members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance
(HTS), which is led by al-Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate, according to the
Britain-based war monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside
Syria.
Dozens
of factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad are confined to areas of
northern and northwestern Syria that still evade government control after more
than a decade of war.
The
latest fighting started this month between two rival pro-Turkish extremist
groups in the town of Al-Bab in Aleppo province before spreading to other areas
and drawing in other factions, including HTS.
HTS
is widely seen as the strongest and best organized of the factions and
dominates the nearby Idlib region, Syria’s last major opposition stronghold.
Last
week, the group captured the Afrin region from rival Turkish-backed factions,
advancing in the area for the first time since civil war broke out in Syria in
2011.
The
United States condemned the HTS advance in a statement Tuesday.
“We
are alarmed by the recent incursion of HTS, a designated terrorist
organization, into northern Aleppo (province). HTS forces should be withdrawn
from the area immediately,” the US embassy said.
HTS
has leveraged the latest bout of fighting to expand its zone of influence, in a
move green-lit by Turkey, which has never publicly backed it, the Observatory
said.
“Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham would not have entered the area without Turkey’s consent,” said
Observatory chief Rami Abdul Rahman.
Since
Monday, it has advanced towards the key town of Azaz, near the Turkish border
further north, as persistent inter-factional fighting has torpedoed a truce
that briefly went into effect at the weekend.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Hamas
in first Syria visit in decade as relations thaw
October
19, 2022
DAMASCUS:
A Hamas delegation arrived in Damascus Wednesday for talks with President
Bashar Assad in the first such visit since the Palestinian Islamist group
severed ties with Syria a decade ago.
Hamas,
which controls the Gaza Strip, was one of Assad’s closest allies but left Syria
in 2012 after condemning his government’s brutal suppression of peaceful
protests in March 2011, which triggered the country’s descent into civil war.
“The
Hamas delegation arrived in Damascus on a two-day visit,” during which
Palestinian factions will meet Assad, said Palestinian Popular Struggle Front
leader Khaled Abdel Majid.
The
meeting will be followed by a news conference at 1:30 p.m. (1030 GMT).
The
visit by the Hamas delegation, headed by Arab relations chief Khalil Al-Hayya,
comes after the Islamist group signed a reconciliation deal with its
Palestinian rival Fatah in Algiers last week, vowing to hold elections by next
October in a bid to settle a 15-year rift.
It
also comes after Hamas announced it wanted to normalize with Damascus citing
“rapid regional and international developments surrounding our cause and our nation.”
Analysts
said that was a reference to the growing number of Arab governments that have
normalized ties with Hamas’s arch-enemy Israel in recent years.
A
Hamas leader said the group plans to reopen its Damascus office but that it was
“too early” to talk about relocating its headquarters to the Syrian capital.
The
thaw between Hamas and Damascus was brokered by Tehran and Lebanese militant
group Hezbollah, a senior Hamas source said.
For
the past decade, Syrian officials had accused Hamas of betrayal.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2183906/middle-east
--------
US
envoy praises Qatar labour law reforms but says ‘lot of work left to do’
19
October, 2022
US
Ambassador to Qatar Timmy Davis praised labor law reforms in Qatar and pushed
for implementation and better prosecution if such laws are violated.
On
Tuesday in Doha, Davis said that Qatar had made “real change” to labor rights
in recent years.
“They
talk about what it means to ensure that people can come here, work safely, earn
a good wage, change jobs if that’s what they want to do. But they are
overhauling a system that has not always been the most worker-friendly,” he
said.
Davis
acknowledged that there is “a lot of work left to do” on labor rights in Qatar,
but open discussions that have been taking place were a move in the right
direction, he added.
Qatar
has faced scrutiny of the physical and contractual conditions for hundreds of
thousands of migrant workers who were needed since the FIFA World Cup hosting
rights were won 12 years ago.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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UAE
President orders $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine
19
October, 2022
UAE
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the provision of $100
million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
The
aid will help civilians affected by the ongoing crisis, state news agency WAM
announced Tuesday.
Reem
bint Ebrahim al-Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation, said
the aid stems from the belief of Sheikh Mohamed in the importance of solidarity
in times of war and conflict, and the UAE's continued efforts to mitigate the
humanitarian impact of the Ukraine crisis.
It
is the latest in aid relief the UAE has sent to the war-torn country.
The
UAE has provided similar relief aid in recent months to Ukrainian civilians
affected by the crisis, in addition to sending planes carrying aid to Ukrainian
refugees in Poland and Moldova in response to the urgent United Nations’ appeal
and the regional refugee response plan in Ukraine.
The
aid announcement follows a phone call between Sheikh Mohamed and Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, where the two leaders discussed the
latest developments of the Russia-Ukraine war in a call.
WAM
said that the two leaders discussed areas of cooperation and stressed the
importance of de-escalating the current conflict.
“Dialogue
and diplomatic solutions” were emphasized as a means to end the offensive, with
the UAE leader reiterating that the Emirates will “exert all possible efforts
to prevent the worsening of the crisis and help foster an atmosphere conducive
to de-escalation and negotiations for the benefit of all parties.”
The
UAE leader also reportedly voiced his concern about the global impact of the
Russia-Ukraine war, including on the international economy and security.
“During
a conversation with the President of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed bin Zayed
Al Nahyan, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of relations between our states.
Ukraine will remain the guarantor of global food security,” a statement shared
on Zelenskyy’s telegram channel read.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Israel
‘persecuting’ Palestinian people: UN report
19
October 2022
A
United Nations human rights expert has slammed Israel's “apartheid practices”
in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying the Tel Aviv regime’s actions
against Palestinians amount to “persecution.”
Francesca
Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories,
made the remarks in a report released on Tuesday, which details Israeli efforts
to stamp out the Palestinian collective identity and sovereignty.
“Realizing
the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination requires
dismantling once and for all the Israeli settler-colonial occupation and its
apartheid practices,” she said.
Albanese
also documented the use of lethal force against journalists and humanitarian
workers critical of Israel, as she pointed to the recent detention order
against French-Palestinian human rights defender Salah Hammouri, who has been
held in Israeli jails under the policy of so-called administrative detention
since March.
According
to the report, almost 4,500 Palestinians are currently detained, 730 under the
practice of administrative detention, in which Israel keeps the detainees
without charge for up to six months, a period that can be extended an infinite
number of times.
Children
as young as 12 have been victims of arbitrary arrest and detention, the report
said, adding that 500 to 700 minors were arrested by the Israeli regime every
year.
Albanese
further pointed to the closure of seven Palestinian civil society rights
groups’ offices by Israeli forces in the West Bank in August, calling the move
an abuse of counter-terrorism legislation.
“This
appears to be an attempt to further shrink, if not outright ban, space for
human rights monitoring and legal opposition to the Israeli occupation in the
Palestinian territory,” she said, arguing that it was time for a “paradigm
shift” in Israel’s relations with the international community.
The
UN special rapporteur also criticized efforts by some regional states to
normalize ties with Israel, calling the peacemaking attempts “ineffective” due
to the fact that “they have not focused their approaches on human rights,
particularly the right to self-determination, and have overlooked the
settler-colonial underpinnings of the Israeli occupation.”
She
also called on the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
to release an updated database of businesses involved in Israeli settlements.
Source:
Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/10/19/691199/Israel-persecuting-Palestinian-people-UN-report
--------
President
Rayeesi: Iran Not to Stand Idle Vis-a-Vis EU's Hostile Acts
2022-October-18
President
Rayeesi made the remarks in a phone call with Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq
Al Said.
"The
US has made a miscalculation to support and intensify riots in Iran, which
followed the death of a young Iranian woman in a police station," the
Iranian president said.
"The
US has falsely imagined that its sanctions would stop the Iranian nation, but
when they saw that not only did the Iranian nation not stop in the face of
sanctions, but it continued to make progress, it resorted to sedition against
the Islamic Republic of Iran," he added.
Rayeesi's
remarks came after US President Joe Biden and his top officials in meddlesome
statements pledged support for the recent riots in Iran, which followed the
death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
The
Omani Sultan, for his part, said he would personally follow up the implementation
of the agreements reached between the two countries.
He
added that the two nations are benefiting from developing relations.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran's
Military Employs Home-grown Missile Fath 360 During Wargames
2022-October-18
The
projectile uses tactical solid fuel and is a precision weapon.
The
missile has a range of 120 kilometers and is capable of destroying a range of
targets including logistic systems of the enemy. This enables ground forces to
enter the battlefield.
Fath
360 is highly resistant to electronic warfare and is capable of destroying its
targets without any disruption. Its battery fires its multiple missiles within
a minute to avoid getting targeted by the enemy.
The
same weapon was used against separatist anti-Iran groups in Iraq’s Kurdistan
region last week.
Commander
of the IRGC Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said the drills
send the message of peace and friendship and consolidating lasting security to
the neighboring countries.
The
senior commander added the drills are also a show of Iran’s readiness to
confront the enemies, emphasizing that the IRGC Ground Forces, along with other
armed forces, are ready to defend the country’s borders and decisively respond
to any threats.
Military
officials say Iranian forces are in the best possible conditions and ready for
defense against any possible aggression with the most state-of-the-art
home-made equipment.
Iranian
military experts and engineers have in recent years made remarkable
breakthroughs in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making
the armed forces self-sufficient.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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--------
Iran
Accuses EU of Colonial Mentality over Garden-Jungle Comment
2022-October-18
Borrell
has described Europe as a “garden” while banishing the rest of the world as “a
jungle” that could “invade the garden”, prompting a strong rebuke by several
nations across the world.
In
response, Kana'ani described Borrell’s garden-jungle comment as arising from
colonial mentality.
“The
garden/jungle metaphor arises from an utterly unacceptable colonial mentality
which gives the West a right to invade and occupy,” the spokesperson wrote in a
tweet on Tuesday.
“That
era has long gone. Multipolarity is on the doorstep,” he noted.
“EU
needs to adopt the realities, otherwise it will continue to decline and fade,”
the top diplomat added.
Critics
say Borrell's speech smacked of racism and imperialism and reflected
long-outdated views of European superiority.
Slamming
Borrell’s insulting remarks, Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria
Zakharova emphasized in a Twitter post on Friday that the ‘garden’ of Europe
was built by looting the ‘jungle’ of the rest of the world during the colonial
regime.
“Europe
built that ‘garden’ through the barbaric plundering of the ‘jungle’. Borrell
could not have phrased it any better: the world’s most prosperous system,
created in Europe, nurtured by roots in colonies which they ruthlessly
oppressed,” she went on to explain.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Human
Rights Chief Blasts EU for Imposing New Sanctions on Iran
2022-October-18
Qaribabadi's
remarks came after the European Union following US and Canada, as well as the
UK, announced new sanctions against Iranian authorities and entities in a show
of support to rioters in the country.
"The
same European Union which has violated the rights of millions of Iranian
civilians due to the implementation of US-orchestrated unilateral and cruel
sanctions and sheltered and provided unwavering support to the terrorists who
have murdered 17,000 innocent Iranians has now once again put up a pathetic
charade by claiming to be defending human rights while simultaneously imposing
sanctions on those safeguarding the security and safety of Iranian people
against western-backed riots," Qaribabadi said.
The
new sanctions came as Iran condemned the western powers for fomenting riots and
warned the European countries not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs over
the issue.
In
continuation of the western countries' hostile and futile moves against Iran,
the European Union imposed sanctions on Iran's ICT minister, the morality
Police, and the Cyber Department of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)
on Monday over alleged human rights violations. The media said that as many as
97 Iranian individuals and 8 Iranian entities were put on the sanctions list by
the EU.
Sporadic
protests erupted in Iran over the death of the 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa
Amini, who fainted at a police station on September 16 and was later pronounced
dead at a Tehran hospital.
Although
Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi immediately ordered a thorough
investigation into the case, the protests soon turned violent, with rioters
fatally attacking policemen and indulging in vandalism against public property
in several cities.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Students
protest at Iranian university as official visits: Media
18
October, 2022
Dozens
of students protested at a university in Iran’s capital on Tuesday as a
government official visited, state media reported, amid demonstrations sparked
by Mahsa Amini’s death.
Iran
has been gripped by protests since the 22-year-old died on September 16, three
days after she was arrested by morality police in Tehran for allegedly
violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
The
street violence has led to dozens of deaths, mostly among protesters but also
among the security forces, and hundreds have of demonstrators been arrested.
On
Tuesday, around 90 students gathered outside the law faculty at Tehran’s
Allameh Tabatabai University, chanting “inappropriate and immoral slogans”
while government spokesman Ali Bahadori-Jahromi was addressing a conference
inside, state news agency IRNA said.
It
did not elaborate on the reasons for the demonstration but said
Bahadori-Jahromi later “appeared among the protesting students... and talked
with them.”
Demonstrations
have been reported at universities and schools in different Iranian cities in
recent weeks.
Officials
have accused the country’s “enemies,” mainly the United States, of inciting
“riots.”
Bahadori-Jahromi
said Persian-language media outlets and platforms based outside Iran were being
used to “put pressure” on Tehran.
“Countries
are willing to pay from their own pockets to start Persian-language media,
while they do not know Persian at all and want to put pressure on us,” IRNA
quoted him as saying.
Earlier
Tuesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi accused Iran’s regional rival Saudi
Arabia of backing such foreign media.
“Social
media and television channels, especially the ones affiliated with regional
movements including Saudi Arabia and some Western countries,” have created
“false atmospheres,” he said, without identifying any of the outlets.
Many
of those arrested “said they were under the influence” of such media, Vahidi
said, according to IRNA.
His
remarks came a day after Major General Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, warned Riyadh against “interfering” in the
Islamic republic’s affairs and said: “We told you to be careful.”
“I
have a suggestion for the Al-Saud regime,” Salami said Monday, referring to the
ruling Saudi royal family.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
agrees to ship missiles, more drones to Russia: Report
18
October, 2022
Iran
has promised to provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles, in addition to
more drones, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told
Reuters, a move that is likely to infuriate the United States and other Western
powers.
A
deal was agreed on October 6 when Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber,
two senior officials from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and an official
from the Supreme National Security Council visited Moscow for talks with Russia
about the delivery of the weapons.
“The
Russians had asked for more drones and those Iranian ballistic missiles with
improved accuracy, particularly the Fateh and Zolfaghar missiles family,” said
one of the Iranian diplomats, who was briefed about the trip.
A
Western official briefed on the matter confirmed it, saying there was an
agreement in place between Iran and Russia to provide surface-to-surface short
range ballistic missiles, including the Zolfaghar.
The
Iranian diplomat rejected assertions by Western officials that such transfers
breach a 2015 UN Security Council resolution.
“Where
they are being used is not the seller’s issue. We do not take sides in the
Ukraine crisis like the West. We want an end to the crisis through diplomatic
means,” the diplomat said.
Ukraine
has reported a spate of Russian attacks using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in
recent weeks. Iran has denied supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin
on Tuesday denied its forces had used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine.
Asked
if Russia had used Iranian drones in its campaign in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin did not have any information about their use.
“Russian
equipment with Russian nomenclature is used,” he said. “All further questions
should be directed to the Defense Ministry.”
The
ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The
appearance of Iranian missiles in addition to drones in Moscow’s arsenal in the
war with Ukraine would raise tensions between Iran and the United States and
other Western powers.
Shipment
‘soon, very soon’
The
US State Department assessed that Iranian drones were used on Monday in a
morning rush hour attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a US official said.
White House spokesperson Karinne Jean-Pierre also accused Tehran of lying when
it said Iranian drones are not being used by Russia in Ukraine.
A
European diplomat said it was his country’s assessment that Russia was finding
it more difficult to produce weaponry for itself given the sanctions on its
industrial sector and so was turning to imports from partners like Iran and
North Korea.
“Drones
and missiles are a logical next step,” said the European diplomat.
Asked
about sales of Iranian surface-to-surface missiles to Russia, a senior US
military official said: “I don’t have anything to provide at this time in terms
of whether or not that is accurate at this point.”
Chafing
under Western economic sanctions, Iran’s rulers are keen to strengthen
strategic ties to Russia.
Iran’s
rulers are also under pressure from nationwide demonstrations which were
ignited by the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman detained for
“inappropriate attire.”
Several
European Union states on Monday called for sanctions on Iran over its supply of
drones to Russia, as the bloc agreed a separate set of sanctions over Tehran’s
crackdown on unrest.
“They
(Russians) wanted to buy hundreds of our missiles, even mid-range ones, but we
told them that we can ship soon a few hundred of their demanded Zolfaghar and
Fateh 110 short-range, surface to surface missiles,” said one of the security
officials.
“I
cannot give you the exact time, but soon, very soon those will be shipped in
two to three shipments.”
An
Eastern European official tracking Russia’s weapons activity said it was their
understanding that this arms deal was happening, although he had no specific
evidence to back it up. The official said that a decision had been taken by the
Iranian and Russian leaders to proceed with the transfer.
Moscow
had specifically asked for surface-to-surface short-range Fateh 110 and
Zolfaghar missiles, and the shipment will happen in a maximum of 10 days, said
another Iranian diplomat.
Attack
drones
The
stakes are high for Iran, which has been negotiating with Western states to
revive a 2015 deal that would ease sanctions on Tehran in return for limits on
its nuclear work.
The
talks have deadlocked, and any disputes between Tehran and Western powers over
arms sales to Russia or Iran’s crackdown on the unrest could weaken efforts to
seal an accord.
The
United States agrees with British and French assessments that Iran supplying
drones to Russia would violate a UN Security Council resolution that endorsed
the 2015 deal, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on Monday.
The
Western official, who declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of
the matter, said that like the drones, missile transfers would also violate UN
resolution 2231.
Several
senior Iranian officials are outraged about “unjust” planned sanctions on Iran
over its arms shipments to Russia, said the second diplomat.
In
September, Tehran had refused a request by President Vladimir Putin for the
supply of Iran’s sophisticated Arash 2 long-range attack drones, three Iranian
officials told Reuters.
When
asked the reason for the refusal, one of the officials cited several issues
including “some technical problems.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Turkey
test fires secretly developed ballistic missile: Report
18
October, 2022
Turkey
test-fired a locally made, short-range ballistic missile over the Black Sea on
Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
A
mobile platform was used to fire the missile from an airport near the port city
of Rize at around 7:00 a.m. local time, said the people, who asked to remain
anonymous because they aren’t authorized to comment.
The
projectile flew 561 kilometers (350 miles) and fell off the coast of the port
of Sinop, they said.
The
secretive missile project dubbed Tayfun, or Typhoon in Turkish, has been under
way for several years, the people said without elaborating. The Defense
Industry Presidency, which oversees the development of locally made weapons,
refused to divulge any information about the project.
Turkey
took delivery of an advanced S-400 missile-defense system made by Russia, a top
NATO foe, in 2019, two years after Ankara signed an agreement with Moscow to
buy the system in the hope that the cooperation could help it develop its own
ballistic-missile defense program.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Houthi
rebels reject offers to extend truce: Yemeni gov’t
18.10.2022
SANAA,
Yemen
The
Yemeni government has accused Houthi rebels of rejecting all offers to extend a
UN-brokered truce in war-torn Yemen.
“The
Houthi group turned down all offers to extend the truce,” Foreign Minister
Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said during a meeting with UN envoy Hans Grundberg in
the Saudi capital Riyadh.
The
meeting between the two sides took up the latest developments in Yemen and
efforts aimed at the truce, the state news agency Saba reported.
A
two-month truce brokered by the UN between the Yemeni government and Houthi
rebels expired in Oct. 2, with efforts to extend the truce hitting a dead end.
There
was no comment from Houthi rebels on the accusation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Europe
Christchurch
mosque and Auckland mall terror attacks spur stronger counter-terrorism laws
By
Adam Pearse
19
Oct, 2022
The
Government is seeking to expand New Zealand's counter-terrorism legislation
following the devastating attacks on the Christchurch mosque in 2019 and the New
Lynn mall last year.
Amendments
to the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002 and the Terrorism Suppression (Control
Orders) Act 2019 will allow the Government to remove ambiguity that might have
allowed Brenton Tarrant's, the man behind the mosque attack, designation as a
terrorist to expire.
When
a terrorist is imprisoned, the amendments would require the Prime Minister to
review the designation every three years to assess whether it is justified.
Expiry
of the designation, which under the Act is after three years unless renewed,
would be paused and the designation would remain in place while the person was
imprisoned until the review was completed.
It
also included a refusal to entertain applications to revoke a designation made
on the grounds that "the entity is no longer involved in any way in the
carrying out of terrorist acts".
While
designations could be renewed under the current legislation, it had so far been
unclear how the renewal and revocation processes applied to terrorists in
prison.
Tarrant
was jailed for life without parole in August, 2020 for murdering 51 Muslims at
two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019.
He
was designated as a terrorist entity on August 27, 2020 - meaning his
three-year designation would expire next year, if it wasn't renewed.
These
amendments provide appropriate safeguards to ensure the designation scheme is
effective in addressing the threat of further terrorist acts," Allan said.
"The
proposed changes to the designation and control order schemes are in line with
this Government's commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Royal
Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on the Christchurch
masjidain."
Cabinet
has also agreed on changes to control orders - civil orders intended to prevent
high-risk individuals from engaging in terrorism by imposing various
restrictions.
The
changes have expanded the criteria so they could be applied to more people.
The
changes included people who had received a conviction for objectionable
publications that promote torture, extreme violence or cruelty, which is in
addition to the current criteria that include a conviction for objectionable
publications that promote terrorism.
It
will include people sentenced to home detention and community-based sentences,
as it is currently limited to sentences of imprisonment.
Greater
judicial discretion would be allowed when setting control order restrictions to
tailor them more appropriate to the risk posed.
Restrictions
can limit a person's movements, communications and activities; access to the
internet, terrorist propaganda or chemicals; use of some financial tools, and
more.
They
might be required to remain at their home at certain times, to regularly report
to an officer, submit to electronic monitoring and drug tests, and only attend
a gun range with police present.
Name
suppression requirements would also be made more flexible to establish an
"appropriate balance" between preventing the glorification of
terrorism and notifying the public that a known risk is being managed.
"While
no law can ever stop a motivated terrorist from undertaking an attack, these
changes will go a long way in preventing, disrupting and limiting their ability
to do so," Allan said.
A
review of the control orders legislation would take place next year.
Source:
NZHerald
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--------
Poland
keeps ban on Israeli school groups with armed guards
18
October, 2022
Poland
has banned Israeli school groups from using armed guards during visits to the
country, including to former Nazi concentration camps.
Foreign
ministry spokesman Lukasz Jasina was quoted by PAP news agency on Wednesday as
saying: “We are ready to receive Israeli excursions in Poland if they are not
accompanied by armed security guards.”
Jasina
spoke after Israeli ambassador Yacov Livne last week said Israeli school visits
had been banned “because of the decisions taken by the Polish foreign
ministry.”
The
issue is over visits organized by Israel’s education ministry for secondary
school children, which have been suspended since June.
Interviewed
on a regional radio station in Lublin in eastern Poland, Jasina said there were
no armed guards for Israeli school children on visits to France and Germany,
which could create the impression they were more in danger in Poland than in
those countries.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bosnia
and Herzegovina commemorates 19th death anniversary of 'Wise King'
Talha
Ozturk??
18.10.2022
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Bosnia
and Herzegovina on Tuesday marked the 19th death anniversary of Alija
Izetbegovic, the first president who led the country to independence from the
former Yugoslavia.
Izetbegovic
-- a politician, writer, and lawyer who came to international prominence during
the country's bitter 1992-1995 war -- is commemorated every year on his death
anniversary.
Often
dubbed the "Wise King," Izetbegovic is one of the most important
Muslim thinkers of the last century.
The
first president of Bosnia Herzegovina managed to gain independence for his
country on March 1, 1992, months after Slovenia and Croatia broke away from the
former Yugoslavia.
He
died in Sarajevo on Oct. 19, 2003, due to natural causes, having served as
president of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1996 and as
chairman of the Bosnian presidency until October 2000.
Early
life
Many
Muslim families, including Izetbegovic's, moved to the northwestern city of
Bosanski Samac in 1868 due to Serbian excesses in Belgrade. His grandfather,
father, and their families lived for nearly 60 years in a two-story house until
the move in 1928.
Izetbegovic
was born in Bosanski Samac city on Aug. 8, 1925, as one of five children of the
couple Mustafa and Hiba and the grandson of a Turkish woman (Sidika). Here, he
spent his first years of childhood.
When
he was 21, he was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for his
activities with the Young Muslims organization in 1946.
After
his release, Izetbegovic enrolled in the Faculty of Law and earned a degree at
the University of Sarajevo.
Writings
and trouble
It
was in Izetbegovic's Islamic Declaration, published in 1970, that Bosnian
independence, national consciousness, and the expansion of Islamic thought
found an audience.
His
writings landed him in trouble with the Yugoslav authorities. Along with 12
other Bosniak scholars, he was jailed for 14 years after being accused of
"separatism and establishing an Islamic state" in 1983 but was
released five years later.
He
entered politics that same year and founded the Party of Democratic Action
(SDA) in 1990 to empower Bosniaks in their land.
Being
one of the six republics of Yugoslavia, Bosnia's SDA won 86 seats in the
240-seat parliament in the first multi-party elections of 1990.
In
February-March 1992, a referendum on independence for Bosnia-Herzegovina was
held, in which 99.44% voted in favor of independence with a turnout of 64%.
A
month later, the EU and US recognized the new state.
Bosnian
War
However,
the then-political leader of Bosnia's Serbs, Radovan Karadzic, rejected the
result and was the political face of an armed campaign that culminated in
ethnic cleansing and a return to mass murder in post-war Europe.
But
neither during the ensuing war nor during the 1995 Srebrenica genocide of
thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys did Izetbegovic lose the spirit of
resistance.
In
November 1995, Bosniaks -- amid international pressure -- stopped the war and
signed the Dayton Agreement, bringing peace to the country.
After
stepping down as chair of Bosnia's presidency in 2000, Izetbegovic lived alone
in his single-story home in the capital Sarajevo.
Leaving
a flag to his country, Izetbegovic died eight years after the Dayton Agreement
was signed, in 2003.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Germany
New Admission Programme to Admit 1,000 Afghan Refugees Per Month
By
Arif Ahmadi
18
Oct 2022
KABUL,
Afghanistan – Under a new admission programme for Afghan refugees, Germany will
admit people deemed most at risk following the Taliban takeover last August,
the foreign ministry said in a statement Monday.
The
new programme will admit 1,000 Afghans per month and their family members,
targeting particularly exposed Afghans who are active in women’s and human
rights advocacy or those at risk for working in the fields of justice,
politics, media, education, culture, sport or science.
Afghans
who have experienced violence or persecution because of their gender, sexual
orientation or religion can also benefit from the programme.
“We
will continue to fulfil this responsibility and have now created a structured
framework for future admissions,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a
statement. “Based on established admission criteria, we are able to offer
protection to particularly vulnerable people from Afghanistan.”
Germany
will cooperate with civil society organizations to select and reach the
targeted groups. The government plans to run the programme until the end of the
legislative period in October 2025.
“We
are also working closely with civil society organisations to explore new
avenues and forms of cooperation which have never been tried before,” she said.
“For example, we now have a coordinating office to support civil society
organisations taking part in the programme.”
As
part of the international efforts, Germany has continued to endeavour to help
people in Afghanistan even after the Taliban seized power in mid-August 2021.
Compared
to other EU member states, Germany has admitted by far the largest number of
Afghan former local employees and other particularly vulnerable Afghans.
Almost
26,000 local employees and especially vulnerable Afghans have already taken
advantage of the admission options provided by the German Government.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/germany-new-admission-programme-to-admit-1000-afghan-refugees-per-month/
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
army brass reposes full confidence in nuclear command, control
Oct
19, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan army’s commanders reposed “full confidence” in the country’s “robust
nuclear command and control structure” and the security of its strategic
nuclear arms, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday.
The
statement by the army brass comes days after the US President Joe Biden created
an uproar by calling Pakistan as the most dangerous country in the world for
possessing nuclear weapons without any cohesion.
In
a statement issued after the corps commanders conference presided by the army
chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR), the army’s media arm, said the participants took a
comprehensive review of the prevailing internal and external security situation
and operational preparedness of the army.
“The
forum reposed full confidence in Pakistan’s robust nuclear command and control
structure and security arrangements related to country’s strategic assets,” the
statement said.
As
a responsible nuclear weapon state, the ISPR said, Pakistan has taken all
measures necessary to strengthen its nuclear security regime, on a par with
international best practices.
Earlier,
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, rejected Biden’s statement as
baseless, and the country’s acting foreign secretary, Jauhar Saleem, summoned
the US ambassador, Donald Blome, on Saturday for an explanation of the US
president’s remarks.
Washington’s
relations with Islamabad have soured since last year, when the US ended a
two-decade war in Afghanistan.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Abbottabad
Police Arrest 44 More Tehreek-I-Labbaik Pakistan Workers
October
19, 2022
HARIPUR:
Life returned to normal in Havelian and Haripur areas on Tuesday following an
uneasy calm over a clash between the police and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan
workers in the Chamba village amid varying claims about deaths and arrests.
No
incident of violence was reported in the day with the police remaining on a
high alert all through the day.
“The
situation is under control but even then, we [police] are prepared to deal with
any law and order situation,” Havelian station house officer Haroon Khan told
Dawn.
He
said 44 more TLP workers were held taking the number of arrests for arson
attacks and terrorism to 78.
The
SHO said the arrested men were with the police investigators on a three days
physical remand.
He
said more arrests would be made as scores of TLP workers tried to breach the
Havelian entry ban besides removing shipping containers and barricades and
firing gunshots on the police and pelted them with stones.
Mr
Khan claimed that no TLP activist was killed or injured in the police action
and instead, the marchers injured 33 policemen, some of them critically, by
gunshots and stones.
“We
arrested 34 TLP workers from Sunday night to Monday morning and 44 more in
different areas on Tuesday,” he said.
The
SHO said none of the senior TLP leaders, including Allama Saad Rizvi, Mufti
Umair al- Azhari and Mufti Shafiq Amini was arrested.
TLP
zonal information secretary Syed Qasid Ali Shah reiterated his claim that the
police firing killed his party’s 10 workers.
He
also said 50 ‘peaceful’ marchers suffered injuries after the police opened
gunshots and teargas on them.
Mr
Shah said that he saw several of his party workers critically injured but their
whereabouts were not known.
“At
least 250 of our workers are missing and nobody knows about their fate. Our
party’s leadership is compiling their lists,” he said.
The
TLP leader said most of the injured were admitted to hospitals in different
cities and that their names along with medical reports would be shared with the
media ‘very soon’.
However,
there was no confirmation of the alleged deaths or arrests by any other TLP
leader or the police. The TLP confirmed the burial of workers Hafiz Shakeel and
Hafiz Mubashir in Mansehra district. The family sources claimed that the two
had lost life on Sunday night.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715782/abbottabad-police-arrest-44-more-tlp-workers
--------
Opposition
accuses ECP of conspiring with ruling parties
Imran
Ayub
October
19, 2022
KARACHI:
The opposition parties on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP) of conspiring with the ruling parties both in Sindh and Centre that led
to postponement of local government elections in Karachi for the third time
only to save the ruling alliance from a devastating defeat.
In
a strong reaction against the ECP decision to postpone local government
elections in Karachi for a third time, the opposition parties asked the ECP
chief to step down because he had ‘failed’ to meet his constitutional
responsibility.
They
also accused him of ‘facilitating’ the ruling parties while using his
constitutional position.
JI
asks CEC to resign
Speaking
to the media at the Sukkur airport after the ECP announcement of delaying the
polls, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said that ‘acting’ on directives of
the Sindh government, the Election Commission of Pakistan had postponed the
local government elections in Karachi because Pakistan Peoples Party’s defeat
was inevitable in the elections. He said that the PPP thought in this way it
could save its face.
He
said that without any solid reason the local government election had been
postponed in Karachi. When by-elections for the national assembly could be
held, there was no reason for delaying the local government elections in
Karachi, he added.
The
JI chief demanded that local government election were held immediately on Oct
23.
Also,
JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman asked Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
Sikandar Sultan Raja to tender his resignation if he was unable to exercise his
constitutional powers under Article 220 of the Constitution.
“If
the chief election commissioner continues to ask institutions, instead of
issuing orders to them, it simply means either he is unable to exercise his
powers or he is unaware of his constitutional powers. So he needs to quit and
tender his resignation.”
PTI
blames Sindh govt for postponement
The
parliamentary party leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the Sindh
Assembly, Khurram Sher Zaman, made almost similar demands.
He
told a press conference that the CEC was a ‘worker’ of the PDM (Pakistan
Democratic Movement].
He
said only last month thousands of policemen were deployed for security during a
cricket series between Pakistan and England and expressed surprise over the
excuse of the Sindh government which was reluctant to deploy personnel of the
law-enforcement agency for the polling exercise.
He
accused the ruling party of conspiring against the LG elections in Karachi in
the “name of floods and rehabilitation of its victims”.
“The
PPP is well aware that it can’t win in Karachi and devastating defeat is its
fate,” he said.
Sharjeel
says delay due to administrative reasons
The
Sindh government, on the other hand, insisted that it was solely an
administrative issue which led it to propose postponement of the local
government elections.
In
a statement, Sindh Minister Information Sharjeel Inam Memon claimed that the
provincial government and Pakistan Peoples Party were always ready for local
government elections.
“The
Sindh government had written a letter to the ECP to hold local government
elections in two phases, due to shortage of police personnel who were deputed
in rain emergency duty,” he said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715695/opposition-accuses-ecp-of-conspiring-with-ruling-parties
--------
Pakistan
PM asks officials to ‘immediately remove’ obstacles to Saudi Development Fund
projects
AAMIR
SAEED
October
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered officials to resolve
obstacles to pending projects backed by the Saudi Development Fund while its
representatives were on an ongoing visit to the South Asian nation.
An
SDF delegation met the PM in Islamabad on Monday to discuss ongoing projects as
well as explore avenues of future cooperation. The group was led by the SDF’s
General Director for Asia, Dr. Saud Al-Shammari.
During
the meeting, the PM “directed the concerned Pakistani authorities to
immediately remove the obstacles in the way of pending projects related to the
Saudi Development Fund,” the PM’s Office said in a statement.
“The
Prime Minister also directed the Special Task Force for Saudi Arabia, which
consists of Federal Minister for Investment Board Chaudhry Salik Hussain,
Adviser to the Prime Minister Ahad Cheema and Special Assistants Tariq Fatemi
and Jahanzeb Khan to assist the Saudi delegation in Pakistan and solve the
problems with all the stakeholders during the stay.”
Sharif
called on the Saudi group to invest in the solar energy sector in Pakistan and
said his government was paying “special attention” to promoting cheap and clean
energy sources to save foreign exchange and prove affordable electricity.
The
PM said Saudi Arabia had always supported Pakistan “on internal and external
fronts” and extended gratitude to King Salman Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
for their support to Pakistan after recent floods.
“The
prime minister further said that Saudi Arabia played an important role in the
development of Pakistan in the form of grants and loans and investment,” the
statement said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2183476/world
--------
Ready
to buy fuel from Russia on 'India rate', says Pakistan finance minister during
US visit
Oct
18, 2022
WASHINGTON:
Pakistan finance minister Ishaq Dar has said that his country is ready to buy
fuel from Russia at the same rate being provided to neighbouring India,
according to The News International.
Ishaq
Dar, who is the newly appointed finance minister of the country, made these
remarks during an official visit to the United States (US).
While
interacting with media persons, the minister also asserted that the West would
have no problem to importing the discounted fuel due to the hardship caused by
devastating floods in Pakistan.
"I
have held 58 meetings with the heads of international financial institutions,
the US, Saudi Arabia and other countries' authorities during my 4-day stay in
Washington," The News quoted Ishaq Dar as saying.
In
a roundtable conference hosted to discuss floods in Pakistan, the Pakistan
finance minister said the United Nations Development Programme, Asian
Development Bank and the World Bank authorities presented a joint report there.
"Pakistan
suffered losses to the tune of USD 32.40 billion due to floods. More than USD
16 billion are needed by Pakistan for the rehabilitation work," the Pak
minister said, citing the report.
According
to a media report, Pakistan is staring at a possible food crisis as the
production of wheat in the upcoming Rabi season is expected to drop owing to
low-profit margins that are forcing farmers to look out for alternative crops.
Heavily
impacted by the unprecedented floods throughout the country, Pakistan is now
planning to buy wheat from sanction-hit Russia amid the ongoing conflict in
Ukraine.
"The
two technical sides are already discussing that. We want to procure wheat from
Russia," Pakistani Ambassador to Moscow Shafqat Ali Khan said in an
interview with the news agency TASS.
The
Pakistani ambassador said they look to Russia as a long-term and stable partner
when it comes to food supplies amid the food crisis.
"...Russia
has emerged as a new supplier for us, earlier it used to be different other
countries. We look to Russia as a long-term, stable partner when it comes to
food supplies for us," he said.
Notably,
these talks on wheat procurement and fuel come amid the diplomatic row over US
President Joe Biden's remark on Pakistan.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ashrafi
for underdeveloped countries support to meet climate change challenges
18
Oct 2022
CAIRO,
Oct 18 (APP):Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and
Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Tuesday said the developed
and financially influential countries should support the underdeveloped
countries with less resources in order to cope with the challenges arising from
the climate change.
Talking
to the media following the ‘World Fatwa Conference’ in Cairo, Egypt, Ashrafi
said it was high time to recognize the reality of climate change, as flash
floods in Pakistan have inundated 70 percent area of the country, which has
caused more than $30 billion loss to the national economy.
Ashrafi
who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council, said Islam stressed to take
advantage from conventional knowledge and use of modern sciences for water
conservation and tree planting were the commandments of Islam.
He
said the debates and discussions between Islamic scholars on the conventional
issues was a very important step for resolving the problems of the present age.
Ashrafi
said the Islamic scholars had invited the leaders of all the religions to move
forward to resolve the conventional problems of the world.
The
Makkah Declaration was result of the continued efforts on part of the Muslim
World League and similarly, the ‘Charter of Akhuwat-e-Insania’ by Sheikh
Al-Azhar, and ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’ by Ulema and Mashaykh of Pakistan for
promoting unity and consensus in view of interfaith dialogue, he maintained.
He
said Islam was guarantor of survival and security of the humanity, and it
taught us the promotion of peace, affection, and tolerance. In this scenario,
it was necessary that the leadership of all religions and religious sects
should raise awareness about challenges of the climate change, he added.
He
also informed that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif would participate in
the conference in Sharm-Al-Sheikh and shed the light on the losses incurred by
the recent monsoon rains and flash floods in Pakistan.
“Pakistan
alone cannot deal with the catastrophic situation caused by floods in the
country,” he said urging international organizations and Islamic world to
cooperate with Pakistan in this trying time.
“We
are grateful for the cooperation of the international bodies and Islamic world,
but it is not sufficient enough to cope with the calamity,” he said adding the
problems were increasing many folds with every passing day as mercury was
dropping and people were forced to live under the open sky in the winter
season.
Seeking
world community’s help to meet this national disaster, Ashrafi informed that
the flood-affected people of Pakistan were also facing water related diseases.
Source:
APP Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan’s jibe on ‘army chief’s temper’
October
19, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday took a jibe at
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, ostensibly over the registration
of a case against PTI Senator Azam Swati, saying that the army chief seems
quicker to anger than he (Imran) is.
The
PTI chairman was talking to a delegation of the National Press Club and the
Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists, who had called on him at his
Banigala residence.
The
former prime minister made these remarks while responding to a question by a
journalist, who asked him why he gets angry over every news report against him,
even though the media tries to balance every story.
To
this, the former premier said he had no reason to be angry with the media since
it was the media that helped him rise to power, adding that his party was being
run with the support of the media.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715783/imran-khans-jibe-on-army-chiefs-temper
--------
Southeast Asia
5 Groups Take Cops, AG To Court Over Failure To Prosecute Muslim Preacher For
Allegedly Making Inflammatory Remarks Against Other Religions
V
Anbalagan
October
18, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The leaders of four civil society groups and a Sarawak-based political
party are seeking judicial review over the failure of law enforcement agencies
to take action against a Muslim preacher for allegedly making inflammatory
remarks against other religions in two videos.
The
first of those videos went viral on social media in 2017, and the second was posted
on YouTube two years ago.
The
applicants are Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak president Bobby William, Human Rights
Federation president S Shashi Kumar, Sarawak Association for People’s
Aspiration president Ng Kim Ho, Ex-Students of Chinese Schools vice-president
Chan Tuck Loong and Pertubuhan Malaysia Tamilar Munnetra Kalagam president K
Sri Ramesh.
The
five want the Kuala Lumpur High Court to issue an order of certiorari to quash
the decision of the police and the attorney-general (AG) who, they say, refused
to act against Syakir Nasoha for remarks made at a mosque in Bakar Arang in
Sungai Petani on Dec 16, 2017, which were captured in the first video.
They
also said a second video uploaded to YouTube on Oct 20, 2020 had caused
non-Muslims to react angrily towards Syakir.
The
applicants are seeking an order of mandamus to compel the authorities to act
against the preacher.
The
five, who filed the application through their solicitors Messrs Gunaseelan
& Associates last month, also want a declaration that the refusal to act
against Syakir was unlawful and an abuse of power on the part of the police and
the AG.
The
application for leave to commence judicial review proceedings has been fixed
for hearing on Nov 1.
The
applicants said that about a year ago, at least 3,000 police reports had been
lodged nationwide against Syakir calling for him to be arrested and charged
with insulting and defaming other religions.
They
alleged that the AG had said in a letter to Shashi Kumar dated June 17 that
police investigation papers sent to him last December had been classified as
requiring “no further action”.
That
decision was irrational, unreasonable and not bona fide, they said.
The
applicants said the AG’s decision was arbitrary and violated Article 8 of the
Federal Constitution as the law had not been applied equally.
They
also said the AG, who is also the public prosecutor, had failed to carry out
his duties as required under Article 145 of the constitution.
The
application contends that the videos by Syakir had caused serious public harm
as they insulted non-Muslim religions and sowed seeds of hatred.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Explore
Islamic influences at Beijing Niujie mosque
19-10-
2022
BEIJING:
Eating halal in non-Muslim countries is always one of the challenges for
international Muslim travellers.
However
in China, it is not so difficult to find a Muslim restaurant in the major
tourist cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Guilin, Guangzhou.
Halal
food was one of this writer’s major concerns during her early days in Beijing,
with doubts over the availability of Muslim food in the republic especially
when Muslims only comprise about one to two per cent of China’s population of
1.4 billion.
Many
questions had been playing on the writer’s mind when she first arrived in China
in mid-July: Where do they get their halal food supply? How do they perform
their religious obligations?
OLDEST,
LARGEST MOSQUE IN BEIJING
All
these questions were answered when this writer visited the Niujie Mosque, the
oldest and largest mosque in Beijing and among the world’s famous mosques
located in the sub-district of Guang'anmen, Xicheng district.
This
writer first visited the mosque in 2019 during a programme organised by China
Public Diplomacy Association.
Niujie
is located in the city’s largest Muslim district, home to more than 300,000
Muslims of Hui ethnic group.
Using
the smartphone map as a guide, this writer, who currently resides in
Jianguomen, in the heart of Beijing city, picked up the courage to travel alone
to Niujie, using the subway for the first time.
After
a 40-minute ride, I proceeded on my journey by walking towards Niujie Mosque.
However,
I had a rude shock on arrival at the mosque when all doors were closed, with a
signboard notifying visitors that it was under construction.
Although
several other tourists who were there for the same purpose decided to return to
the city, I decided to stay on, waiting for a “door of opportunity” to enter
the mosque and perform Zohor prayer, which was about an hour away.
I
patiently waited for the “miraculous moment” until a man in his white kopiah
(cap) emerged from the mosque.
“Mǎláixîyà
(Malaysia),” said the writer as she introduced herself to the
man in his 70s named Wang and Alhamdulillah (praise to Allah), and to my
surprise, he allowed me to enter the mosque.
There
was a sense of calmness when I stepped into the premises of Niujie Mosque. More
importantly, it was the first time I could visit the mosque especially after
spending more than a month in Beijing.
Several
men, mostly senior citizens in kopiah or white jubah, were having a chat while
waiting for prayer time – a sight that is no different than in mosques back
home.
“Assalamualaikum
(peace be upon you).”
This
writer was greeted by the imam of the mosque. The salam greeting was indeed
heart-warming as it reflects Muslim solidarity that transcends racial
boundaries.
Due
to language barrier, this writer could only return the imam’s salam with a
smile.
MOSQUE
THAT TRANSCENDS 6 ERAS
The
Niujie Mosque, the largest of all the mosques in Beijing, was first built in
996. A tourist attraction, the mosque has not been fully opened to the public.
From
the outside, its architecture shows traditional Chinese influence and the
inside has a blend of Islamic calligraphy and Chinese design.
The
main prayer hall is 600 square metres in area, and can hold more than 1,000
worshippers. The blank white tiles and fixtures look Muslim, but the intricately
and richly coloured Chinese roofs and designs add a Chinese look. Many fences,
walls and doors are painted bright red.
Outside
the mosque is a minaret, a lecture room for religious classes and a two-storey
tower structure that is called the Tower for Watching the Moon. It looks like a
two storey pagoda. There is also a souvenir shop and the imam’s office.
According
to history, the mosque was first built during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) and
made out of timber. It was named ‘Liasi’ by the emperor in 1474. It covers an
area of 10,000 square metres, featuring classic classical Arabic mosque and
Chinese royal palace flavour.
The
mosque has transcended six eras starting from Liao Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Yuan
Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty till modern day China.
Within
the period, it has gone through several renovations such as in 1955 and 1979 in
addition to a major reconstruction in 1996 in conjunction with its 1,000th
anniversary with the latest undertaken several years ago.
Based
on information displayed at the mosque, the Niujie Mosque is reserved as the
Key Point of Cultural Heritage & Relic under the State-level Protection by
the State Council since Jan 13, 1988.
“This
is my first visit to Niujie Mosque and it is indeed magnificent, with its
original nuances, especially from the architectural and design aspects, which
reflect Islamic influence in China,” said Marshalina Gitafadilla Munir, a
journalist from Indonesia.
As
I was capturing the moments on video and photo, an elderly woman in her 60s
greeted me. Without a word, she used hand gestures and body language as a means
of communication. It was clear that she wanted to know the women’s section for
prayers and for ‘wuduk (a room designated for ritual washing before daily
prayer).
A
warm smile lifted the corners of her mouth and her eyes burned of motherly
warmth. It was a brief encounter yet a memorable one.
HALAL
FOOD HAVEN
After
prayers, I managed to catch up with Wang. Guided by a translation app on the
smart phone, I expressed my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to pray at
the mosque and hoped to return with some friends.
Wang
only nodded, smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.
Needless
to say, travel is incomplete without exploring the neighbourhood and in this
case, the streets of Niujie near the mosque and its halal food.
Without
wasting time, this writer decided to walk along Niujie Street. Based on some
valuable tips shared by local residents, if a building and premise is green in
colour, it shows that it is serving halal food. I was glad that the buildings
in Niujie were painted green in addition to a signboard displaying the word
‘halal’ in Chinese.
Nearly
all shops and stalls were selling halal snacks, such as lamb and beef pau, bean
soup, Baiji rice cake and various types of bread with halal meat filling.
A
takeaway food outlet was drawing customers who were making a beeline for its
popular lamb and beef pau, hot from the oven. I decided to join the bandwagon.
Thanks
to its efficient staff and the cashless system in place, I did not have to wait
long.
Niujie
literally means Ox Street. This area is actually the key market for Muslim
supply of beef and lamb as the animals are slaughtered in accordance with
Islamic laws. In fact meat that is sold in Niujie is said to be among the best
in Beijing
Several
restaurants managed by the ethnic Uyghur group from Xinjiang here serve various
types of their traditional authentic food, among others the popular lamb kebab.
“During
Ramadan, the Niujie area would be packed with Muslims buying halal meat and breaking
their fast at Niujie Mosque,” said a local resident.
This
writer also had a taste of the popular lamb kebab. The meat pieces were well
marinated with a blend of spices and they were tasty, soft and succulent. Its
exquisite taste was similar to those sold in Xinjiang, one of the most popular
cuisines in the region.
MUSLIM
COMMUNITY IN CHINA
The
Hui ethnic group is the largest group of Muslims in China, followed by Uyghur.
Both ethnic groups form about 90 per cent of the Muslim population in China.
The
Muslim community in China also comprises Kazak, Kirgiz, Uzbek, Tatar, Tajik,
Dongxiang, Salad and Bao’an ethnic groups.
An
estimated 25 million Muslims are found across China, with Islam being widely
spread and focused on small groups. Islam is one of the four or five religions
officially recognised in China.
Muslims
in China are largely found in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan.
The
Xinjiang region has the largest Muslim population in China with about 50 per
cent of the people in the region are Muslims.
According
to Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution, citizens of the People’s Republic of
China shall enjoy freedom of religious belief, including Islam.
Source:TheSunDaily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thesundaily.my/home/explore-islamic-influences-at-beijing-niujie-mosque-MB10004989
--------
Malaysia
busts Mossad team, secures release of kidnapped Palestinian activist
18
October 2022
Malaysian
authorities have secured the release of a Palestinian activist who was
kidnapped by agents of the Israeli spy agency over alleged links with the armed
wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
According
to an Al-Jazeera report, the Palestinian activist, a computer programmer by
profession, was kidnapped in Kuala Lumpur on September 28 by Malaysian agents
who had been recruited and trained by the Israeli spy agency Mossad in Europe.
The
report said the man was interrogated by Mossad officers in Tel Aviv via video
conference on matters related to Hamas and its armed wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Brigades.
“The
Israelis wanted to know about his experience in computer application
development, Hamas’ strength in developing software, members of the Al-Qassam
Brigade that he knew and their strengths,” a source with knowledge of the case
was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
The
Malaysian authorities managed to free the man 24 hours after his abduction in a
complex operation that saw the arrest of the kidnappers.
The
man reportedly left Malaysia days after his release.
Malaysian
media cited officials as saying that Mossad had recruited a cell of at least 11
Malaysian nationals to track down Palestinian activists.
Al
Jazeera cited "informed Malaysian sources" as saying that
investigations had found that the Mossad cell was involved in spying on
important sites, including airports, penetrating “government electronic
companies”.
In
2018, Mossad was linked to the killing of Palestinian academic, Fadi al-Batsh,
in Kuala Lumpur.
Reporting
on the abduction on Monday, the Jerusalem Post said the Israeli military
announced during its May 2021 war on Gaza that “its policy was to target Hamas
activists anywhere.”
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/10/18/691151/Malaysia-free-Palestinian-kidnapped-Mossad-agents
--------
M’sia
has much to offer in halal economy, other areas in Muslim world: Mustapa
19-10-
2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysia, as a leading nation in the Muslim world, still has much to
offer in best practices, trade and innovation, said Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (pix).
The
country is a role model for the halal economy and has positioned itself as a
prime mover of the global halal economy, he said, noting that based on the
Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI) Score, Malaysia has been ranked number
one for nine years consecutively.
The
halal economy contributed about 7.5 per cent to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP), Mustapa said at the virtual Global Muslim Business Forum 2022
today.
He
said the nation currently leads in Islamic finance, halal food, Muslim-friendly
travel, and media and recreation sectors.
“The
largest component of the halal economy is the food sector, contributing an
estimated US$31 billion (US$1=RM4.72).
“Malaysia
is a pioneer in Islamic finance and the industry is quite developed and
well-regulated in our country. We are one of the top five countries with the
biggest Islamic finance assets with over US$619.7 billion in 2021,” the
minister said.
Malaysia
continues to lead with innovation, he said, pointing out that last year, the
country issued the world’s first sovereign US dollar-denominated Islamic
finance sustainability-related commercial notes.
“I
would be remiss not to mention Malaysia’s halal certification which is globally
recognised. The signature Malaysia halal stamp of authenticity helps avoid
‘halal washing’, and builds trust, particularly in international trade,” he
shared.
He
noted that the government has also continued to emphasise the importance of the
halal economy.
In
the 12th Malaysia Plan, he said, a key strategy is to position Malaysia as a
global hub by boosting development of halal talent, introducing halal
professional recognition, stimulating industry development, and enhancing
product competitiveness.
The
target is to further increase the contribution of the halal economy to GDP to
8.1 per cent and generate over US$12 billion in export revenues by 2025, he
said.
Touching
on the forum’s theme “The Rise of the Global Islamic Economy: Refocusing,
Resetting and Recovering in the Post-Pandemic Era”, Mustapa said it is
consistent with the immense business potential of 1.9 billion Muslim consumers
worldwide.
Global
Muslim spending reached US$2 trillion in 2021 across various sectors, such as
food, fashion and finance, and this is coupled with US$3.6 trillion of Islamic
finance assets, such as sukuk and Islamic bonds.
Citing
the latest State of the Global Islamic Economy Report by DinarStandard, he said
consumer spending levels for all sectors of the global Islamic economy, except
for travel, have returned to pre-pandemic levels as of the end of last year.
“The
outlook for the global Islamic economy is good. Demand for halal goods and
services is expected to rise with global spending forecast to hit US$2.8
trillion by 2025.
“The
global Muslim population reached 1.9 billion in 2019 and is predicted to grow
twice as fast as the overall world population. There will be at least 3 billion
Muslims by 2060, which will represent one-third of the global population,
according to the Pew Research Centre,” he said.
Mustapa
also highlighted the important role of digital connectivity in the Muslim
world.
Citing
Newzoo’ research data, he said 15 of the 50 countries with the highest
smartphone penetration rate are from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation;
hence the demand for Muslim-friendly digital products, from Islamic finance to
lifestyle products, will only grow.
Source:
TheSunDaily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
Muslim
Olympic Medallist Sued For Defamation For Highlighting Story Of Teacher Pulling
Girl’s Hijab
18
October 2022
Ibtihaj
Muhammad, an American Olympic medalist in fencing, is being sued by a teacher
for defamation after a social media post she made about the teacher allegedly
pulling on a girl’s hijab went viral.
The
incident took place in October 2021, when the seven-year-old girl told her mom
that her second-grade teacher, Tamar Herman, “approached her, grabbed her
hijab, pulling it back, touching her face and hair” and exposed her uncovered
hair to the class.
Later,
the girl’s mother wrote about her daughter's accusations on Facebook, prompting
Muhammad to denounce it as Islamophobia in an Instagram post that went viral.
Muhammad's post on Instagram has since been deleted.
According
to Herman, a New Jersey school teacher, she was placed on administrative leave,
forced to move out of her home after allegedly being ostracized by her community,
and required police protection after Muhammad's social media post, the lawsuit
reads.
The
lawsuit also alleges that Muhammad “knowingly, maliciously and willfully”
posted false and harmful statements about Herman.
“As
a result of the defendants’ fabricated claims, Herman had her reputation
impugned, she was targeted with threats to her physical safety, was mercilessly
bullied and ridiculed, was shamed in local and national news articles, and
humiliated in front of her community.”
Constitutional
rights
According
to the lawsuit, Herman noticed that the girl was wearing a hood that was
blocking her eyes. She reportedly encouraged the student to brush back her
hood, and when the student didn’t, Herman pulled it back. The lawsuit says that
Herman then realised that the student wasn’t wearing her regular hijab and
apologised.
The
lawsuit also includes the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) saying
that its executive director, Selaedin Maksut, gave a defamatory interview on
Good Morning America and tweeted that Herman should be fired from her teaching
job.
“We
cannot yet comment on this filing, which our legal counsel must review,” Cair
told MEE in a statement. “However, we continue to strongly stand by this
student, who had the clear constitutional right to cover her hair for religious
reasons without physical interference or humiliation.”
Source:MiddleEastEye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Jihad
in Latin America: Illicit activities in the region fund Hezbollah
OCTOBER
19, 2022
Jihadist
groups currently have a broad presence in Latin America, where they find
benefits that are crucial to their survival and operations, according to John
Marulanda, author of the book Yihad en Latinoamérica (Jihad in Latin America).
Marulanda
is a defense and security consultant for multinational energy companies that
have a presence on the continent. He is a retired colonel who held several
senior positions in the Colombian military, including founder and commander of
the 25th Aviation Brigade, founder and first director of the School of
Civil-Military Relations, and commander of the Revéis Pizarro Mechanized
Cavalry Group on the border with Venezuela.
Iran’s
presence in Latin America grew with the political alliance – some would say
“bromance” – between then-Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and his
contemporaneous Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They both led large
oil-producing countries at the time. This political liaison allowed Iran to
create a strong presence in Latin America and it was this Iranian prominence
that facilitated the spread of Hezbollah cells across the continent.
Marulanda
told The Media Line that even though jihad (Arabic for “struggling,” a term
often applied in Islamic contexts to the waging of a holy war) is such a
foreign concept for Latin America, jihadist organizations are indeed present in
the region.
'A
brewing presence of Islamic fighters'
“We
believe that there is a brewing presence of Islamic fighters scattered over the
Latin American region,” he said.
In
the region, says Marulanda, we can see the presence of two jihadist actors,
Iran and Hezbollah, with the latter subordinate to the former.
Iran
is the main sponsor of jihad all over the world, while Hezbollah is in this
case the representative or the one who carries the name of jihad in Latin
America, he adds.
Marulanda
notes that jihadist groups do not represent an imminent risk for Latin America
– at least for now.
“But
it is important to point out that jihadists that belonged to Hezbollah were the
ones who carried out the terror attack on the Israeli Embassy and later on the
AMIA [Jewish center] in 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina,” says Marulanda.
“These
are the two most severe terrorist attacks in Latin America that emerged from
Islamist extremism,” he says.
However,
Marulanda notes that as jihad has in the past represented an immediate risk of
terrorist attacks in Latin America, today its presence has a different
connotation.
He
explains that these groups have two main objectives in the region.
The
first one, according to Marulanda, is to collect intelligence on soft targets
that Israel or the United States have in Latin America, a region where most
people follow the Catholic faith.
The
second, he says, is to be involved in all illicit activities in the region,
such as smuggling, drug trafficking, falsification of documents and money
laundering.
These
illicit activities, he says, take place in areas such as the tripartite border
between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, the border between Colombia and
Venezuela close to the city of Maicao, or even in the Chetumal region between
Mexico and Belize.
“These
are suitable regions to be the focus of groups such as Hezbollah and other
jihadist organizations, to proliferate or finance themselves,” he explains.
Hezbollah
links to drug trafficking across America
Hezbollah
launders money that comes from drug trafficking in these territories through
banks banned by the American and other world governments, which nonetheless
still operate in Latin America.
Marulanda
notes that while Iran permanently finances Hezbollah, the current economic woes
of the Islamic Republic have had an impact on that funding.
“It
is important to remember that Hezbollah is a legal party in Lebanon, but part
of the organization is illegal [in much of the world], and after the Middle
East, its second-largest center of operations is in Latin America. The money
that it earns from illegal activities [there] finances about 60% or 70%” of its
operations, he said.
He
says that the US government transfers money in a legal and legitimate manner
through the United Nations to Palestinian groups in Latin America, which rely
on the help of the international community. But, according to Marulanda, “many
times, that money is redirected to Hezbollah.”
Hezbollah
emboldened due to Iranian presence
Furthermore,
Marulanda says, Hezbollah has a strong support system in Latin America that is
heavily bolstered by Iranian diplomatic missions in the region.
The
jihadist organizations in Latin America are also associated with guerrilla
groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). “We have
information of how in Venezuela, drug trafficking and terrorist groups such as
ELN [the National Liberation Army, a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group in
Colombia] and FARC have maintained permanent contact and joint training with
Hezbollah.”
Besides
the Iranian diplomatic representation and local terror organizations, Marulanda
says that the Venezuelan government also supports Hezbollah. He singles out
Venezuelan Petroleum and Industries and National Production Minister Tareck El
Aissami, a former vice president of the country. El Aissami is of Lebanese
descent and has fully supported Iran and Hezbollah over the years, he says.
According
to Marulanda, Hezbollah even has training centers and many other facilities in
Venezuela that they do not have in the rest of Latin America.
However,
he adds, that the new political tilt to the left in Latin America makes it
likely that more countries will strengthen their ties to Iran, something that
would create a political climate favorable to the operations of Hezbollah cells
in the region.
Marulanda
says Hezbollah could target communities and institutions related to Israel,
Jews and the United States, which should all be aware of the danger posed to
them by the group’s presence in the region.
“If
the relationship between the US and Iran deteriorates in the event that
negotiations over the [Iran] nuclear deal fail, it could cause an escalation”
in terrorist activity, he warns. “These targets could be attacked to weaken the
US presence in Latin America.”
According
to Marulanda, the US and the Israeli governments are the most concerned about
the Hezbollah presence and activities in the region. “They have their own information
methods, their own intelligence channels and bring the situation to the
attention of the Latin American governments,” he says.
In
fact, he says, the Israeli government “has helped us a lot” with tracking
everything that may be happening with Hezbollah in real-time.
Today,
there is not one country in Latin America that does not have a presence of
Hezbollah cells of varying sizes, Marulanda says, but clarifies that this is
not the only jihadist group in the region.
Source:JPost
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-720003
--------
US
walks back Biden’s quip, terms TTP ‘threat’
Anwar
Iqbal
October
19, 2022
WASHINGTON:
The US continued to back-pedal from President Joe Biden’s position on
Pakistan’s nuclear programme as the State Department said on Tuesday that
Washington sought a strong partnership with Pakistan to counter global and
regional terrorism and also has confidence in its ability to defend its nuclear
assets.
“Few
countries suffer from terrorism like Pakistan and have a shared interest in
combating threats to regional stability and security from groups like TTP,”
spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
On
Monday, the State Department had quashed speculations stirred by President
Biden’s remarks when it clarified that the US was confident of Pakistan’s
ability to keep its nuclear assets safe and secure.
Endorsing
the confidence expressed by previous US administrations as well, State
Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “The United States is confident of
Pakistan’s commitment and its ability to secure nuclear assets.”
The
clarification followed a meeting between Ambassador Masood Khan and a senior
aide to the US Secretary of State, Counsellor Derek Chollet. After the meeting,
both sides expressed the desire to continue rebuilding their partnership.
In
addition, a member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said on
Tuesday that President Biden’s remarks were not deliberate, or the
administration would not have clarified them on Monday.
Democratic
senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, said: “I was pleased to see the State
Department issue a clarification, making it clear that the United States government
has confidence in the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons systems”.
When
asked how US lawmakers viewed this controversy, he dismissed media speculation
about a change in the US policy towards Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
Asked
if President Biden had just made off-the-cuff remarks or his statement
indicated a policy change, he said: “I think it was off-the-cuff remarks. I’m
speculating here, but that would be my reading, and that is why the State
Department issued a clarification. Had it not been off-the-cuff, had it been
deliberate, then you wouldn’t have seen this (clarification).”
“So,
you do not see any policy change on Pakistan’s nuclear programme?” he was
asked. “I do not,” the senator replied.
The
meeting between Counsellor Chollet and Ambassador Khan took place shortly
before the State Department issued its clarification and came days after the
Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the US ambassador in Islamabad to protest over
President Biden’s remarks.
Mr
Chollet said in a tweet that he met Ambassador Khan “to discuss US-Pakistan
long-standing partnership and (to) further grow our ties in so many areas
including health, agriculture, education, entrepreneurship, energy and more for
the benefit of our peoples and the region”.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715767/us-walks-back-bidens-quip-terms-ttp-threat
--------
State
Department confirms detention of US national in Saudi Arabia
Michael
Hernandez
19.10.2022
WASHINGTON
The
State Department confirmed Tuesday the detention of Saudi-American dual
national Saad Ibrahim Almadi in the Kingdom, saying it has raised concerns about
his detention directly with Riyadh.
Spokesman
Vedant Patel said the US first raised concerns about Almadi's arrest in
December 2021 when it became aware that he was taken into custody in Saudi
Arabia, and last addressed the case Monday. Almadi was sentenced to 16 years in
prison on Oct. 3.
The
Saudi government offered no information to the State Department on the date of
Almadi's sentencing hearing until after it transpired despite "repeated
requests" from the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia, said Patel.
Almadi,
72, was taken into custody in November 2021 when he traveled to Saudi Arabia to
visit family, the Washington Post reported Monday. At issue are 14 tweets he
posted in the past seven years, including some that address Jamal Khashoggi,
the Post's contributor who was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul.
Almadi's
son, Ibrahim, said his father had been tortured while in Saudi custody and
imprisoned in deplorable conditions alongside extremist militants.
Patel
said the US is still working to determine whether Almadi was "wrongfully
detained," but maintained that "freedom of expression should never be
criminalized."
"As
it relates to a potential designation, that process is ongoing. We are looking
into it. There are a number of strict criteria that are involved in making that
designation. So I'm just not going to get ahead of that deliberative
process," he added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
US:
Iran sent Ethiopia military drones in 2021 in violation of UN resolution
Michael
Hernandez
18.10.2022
WASHINGTON
Iran
sent Ethiopia armed drones in the summer of 2021 in violation of a standing UN
Security Council resolution, the US State Department said on Tuesday.
Spokesman
Vedant Patel said the US informed the UN about the transfer, noting it is in
violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the landmark
2015 nuclear deal world powers struck with Iran.
"This
kind of transfer would fall under this restriction, and would be subject to
it," he told reporters, referring to the resolution.
The
resolution lifted many sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic in return for
Tehran agreeing to curb its nuclear activities and allowing an international inspections
regime to take effect.
It
also established a 2020 deadline for an arms embargo to be lifted on Iran,
which former President Donald Trump unsuccessfully lobbied to have extended. It
does, however, maintain restrictions on the transfer of certain military
technologies through 2023.
The
timeline on the weapons transfers to Ethiopia aligns with when government
forces were facing a sweeping offensive by Tigray rebels that left Ethiopian
forces on the back foot.
The
Tigray People's Liberation Forces pushed south and closed on the capital of
Addis Ababa prompting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to declare a state of emergency
in November before the rebels were pushed back.
Multiple
media outlets reported on Ethiopia's apparent use of the Mohajer-6 drones as the
tide of the war shifted in the government's favor, but the State Department's
comments are the first government confirmation that the drones had been
deployed in the conflict.
The
department on Monday said Iran's sale of the drones to Russia to aid its war
effort in Ukraine was also in violation of Resolution 2231.
Iran
has repeatedly rejected claims from the West that it is supplying domestically
manufactured drones to Russia as Moscow ups the ante in Ukraine with a series
of kamikaze drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure in
recent weeks.
Multiple
images posted on social media appear to show Iranian-made Shahed drones, which
Russia refers to as Geran-2, in the skies above Kyiv, as well as debris from
the aircraft after they struck their targets.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
expresses ‘confidence’ in Pakistan to keep nuclear weapons secure
18
October 2022
The
United States has expressed its “confidence” in Pakistan’s ability to secure
its nuclear weapons, days after Islamabad summoned the US ambassador for an
official demarche on US President Joe Biden’s remarks on the country’s nuclear
arsenal.
Pakistan
is believed to have a stockpile of approximately 160 warheads, making it the
6th largest nuclear arsenal.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday questioned
the safety of Pakistan's nuclear program. He said Pakistan is "maybe one
of the most dangerous nations in the world" as it has "nuclear
weapons without any cohesion," according to a transcript of the speech
released by the White House.
US
State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a press briefing on Monday
that the US has always viewed a secure and prosperous Pakistan as critical to
American interests and that it was “confident of the commitment and its ability
to secure its nuclear assets.”
Patel
made the remarks shortly after a meeting between Pakistani Ambassador to the US
Masood Khan and State Department Counselor Derek Chollet.
Chollet,
a senior advisor to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, tweeted that he met
the Pakistani ambassador to discuss the “longstanding partnership” between the
two countries and to further grow ties.
In
response, Ambassador Khan wrote that he and Chollet discussed “ways to build
further resilience in #PAKUS ties and boost strategic trust.”
Biden’s
apparently off-the-cuff remark on Thursday was made in the context of the
changing geopolitical situation globally. The US president claimed the world
was changing rapidly and countries were rethinking their alliances. “And the
truth of the matter is — I genuinely believe this — that the world is looking
to us. Not a joke. Even our enemies are looking to us to figure out how we
figure this out, what we do.”
Biden
went on to boast that the US has the capacity to lead the world.
Pakistani
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday condemned Biden’s comments.
“Pakistan
is a responsible nuclear state and we are proud that our nuclear assets have
the best safeguards as per IAEA requirements,” Sharif tweeted, referring to the
International Atomic Energy Agency. “We take these safety measures with the
utmost seriousness. Let no one have any doubts.”
Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he was amazed by Biden’s strange comments.
"As
far as the question of the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear assets are
concerned, we meet all – each and every – international standard in accordance
with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he said at a press
conference on Saturday.
Former
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned Biden’s remarks on
Pakistan’s nuclear program.
“I
have 2 questions on this: 1. On what info has [the US president) reached this
unwarranted conclusion on our nuclear capability when, having been PM, I know
we have one of the most secure nuclear command & control systems?” Khan
asked.
“2.
Unlike the US which has been involved in wars across the world, when has
Pakistan shown aggression, especially post-nuclearisation?” he added.
Washington's
relations with Pakistan have soured since last year when the US ended a
two-decade war in Afghanistan, and then allegedly toppled the government of
Prime Minister Khan.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Sudan
backs OPEC+ decision to cut oil production
18
October, 2022
OPEC+
member Sudan said on Tuesday that the group’s decision to cut oil production by
two million barrels per day was unanimous and it supports Saudi Arabia’s
position that all OPEC+ decisions are purely economic, a statement by the
country’s foreign ministry said.
The
statement said the decision was based on “the realities of supply and demand
and aims to ensure the stability of energy markets.”
OPEC+,
the producer group comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) plus allies including Russia, announced earlier this month its
new production target after weeks of lobbying by US officials against such a
move.
The
decision, however, provoked accusations that the Kingdom was taking sides in
international conflicts and that it was politically motivated against the US.
Saudi
Arabia rejected these accusations saying they were “not based on facts,” and
reaffirming that the OPEC+ decision was adopted through consensus.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/10/18/Sudan-backs-OPEC-decision-to-cut-oil-production
--------
Ethiopia
says 3 strategic towns captured in Tigray
Mohammed
Dhaysane
18.10.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Ethiopian
forces have captured three towns in the northern Tigray region, the government
said on Tuesday.
Shire,
Alamata, and Korem were taken under control “without fighting in urban areas,”
according to a government statement.
It
said the government is making “necessary preparations and will coordinate with
the relevant humanitarian agencies to provide humanitarian aid through these
areas … including via the Shire Airport.”
The
Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) confirmed that it has lost control of
Shire, but is yet to comment on the other two cities.
The
Ethiopian army’s gains come amid a renewed push for a truce and peace talks
under African Union (AU) mediation.
The
TPLF on Sunday said it is “ready to abide by an immediate cessation of
hostilities,” urging the international community to press Addis Ababa “to come
to the negotiating table.”
Redwan
Hussien, national security adviser to the Ethiopian prime minister, reaffirmed
the government’s commitment to peace talks, saying it is waiting for the AU to
announce a date.
He
also countered recent statements from UN officials, including its chief Antonio
Guterres, that the Tigray crisis “is spiraling out of control.”
“Just
for the record, the conflict isn’t spiraling as opposed to some who would like
to paint it. It was spiraling when being expanded to other regions. Now, it’s
just being extinguished & degenerating,” Hussein said on Twitter.
The
Tigray conflict has killed thousands and displaced millions more since November
2020.
There
has been intense fighting in the northern Ethiopian region since a months-long
truce was shattered in late August, with reports of mass casualties and other
rights violations.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/ethiopia-says-3-strategic-towns-captured-in-tigray/2714740
--------
Somalia
facing child malnutrition deaths 'on a scale not seen in half a century': UN
Mohammed
Dhaysane
18.10.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Drought-ravaged
Somalia could soon see “the death of children on a scale not seen in half a
century,” the UN warned on Tuesday, calling for greater action and funding from
the international community.
“Today
in Somalia, every single minute of every single day, a child is admitted to a
health facility for treatment of severe acute malnutrition,” James Elder, a
UNICEF spokesperson, said at a news briefing in Geneva.
“The
latest admission rates from August show 44,000 children admitted with severe
acute malnutrition. That is a child per minute.”
With
severely malnourished children up to 11 times more likely to die of diarrhea and
measles, he warned that Somalia “is on the brink of a tragedy at a scale not
seen in decades.”
“In
a country where access to the most vulnerable is continually hampered by
terrorism and threats to aid workers, we fear many thousands more children are
not reaching the support they need,” said Elder.
He
said the current situation in Somalia is worse than the 2011 famine that
claimed some 260,000 lives.
“In
2011, after three failed rains, the affected population was half of what it is
now, and the overall conditions – rain and harvest – were on the mend,” he
explained.
“Today,
it’s been four failed rains; the forecast for the fifth rains is looking pretty
grim, and the affected population is twice the size of 2011. Things are bad and
every sign indicates that they are going to get worse.”
He
said “funding challenges” continue to hinder the emergency response in Somalia.
“Long-term
funding is part of the critical change needed to prevent famine from happening,
again, and again. For instance, UNICEF’s three-year appeal to help families and
their communities build resilience in the Horn of Africa region is currently
just 3% funded,” he said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bomb
kills two peacekeepers in Mali, UN says
October
17, 2022
BAMAKO:
Two UN troops were killed and four others were badly injured by a roadside bomb
in northern Mali on Monday, the UN peacekeeping mission said.
They
had been taking part in a search for mines in the Kidal region, the mission
wrote on Twitter.
“Two
MINUSMA #peacekeepers were killed today, 17 October, when their vehicle hit an
Improvised Explosive Device during a #mine search and detection patrol in
#Tessalit, Kidal region,” MINUSMA said on Twitter.
Four
others were seriously injured, it said.
The
peacekeepers were part of MINUSMA’s Chadian contingent, an official at the
mission’s camp in Kidal said.
MINUSMA
— the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali — was
launched in 2013 to help one of the world’s poorest countries cope with a
bloody terrorist campaign.
It
is one of the UN’s biggest peacekeeping operations, with 17,612 troops, police,
civilians and volunteers deployed as of May, according to the mission’s
website.
It
has suffered 276 fatalities, one of the highest tolls in the history of “blue
helmet” operations.
Of
these, nearly a quarter have occurred through improvised explosive devices.
Mali
has struggled with an insurgency that began in the north of the country in 2012
and then spread to the center of the country and Niger and Burkina.
Across
the three countries, thousands of civilians, police and troops have died, and
some two million people have fled their homes.
Mines
and IEDs are among the jihadists’ weapons of choice. They can explode on impact
or be detonated remotely.
A
report by MINUSMA found that mines and IEDs caused 72 deaths in 2022 as of Aug.
31.
Most
of the victims were soldiers, but more than a quarter were civilians, it said.
Last
year, 103 people were killed and 297 injured by IEDs and mines.
At
least 11 people were killed and 53 injured when a bus hit an explosive device
in the Mopti area of central Mali last week, a hospital source said.
Mali’s
military seized power in August 2020.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2182891/world
--------
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