Russia Detains Islamic State Man, Mashrabkhon Azanov, Planning Strike on Indian Politician for “Insult to the Prophet Muhammad”
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 August 2022
• Azan on Loudspeakers Does Not Violate Fundamental
Rights of Others: Karnataka HC
• Taliban Official’s Travel Ban Waiver to Be Reviewed
by UNSC Today In Light Of the Disagreements among UNSC Member States
• Court Grants Imran Khan Interim Protective Bail in
'Terrorism' Case
• Former Al-Qaeda Member, Aimen Dean, Accuses
Daughter’s Edinburgh School of Discrimination
India
• ‘There Is Fear’: Muslim Families Flee Gujarat
Village, Take Shelter in Relief Colony
• Imams Coming To Assam Need To Inform Police,
Register on Government Portal, Says CM
• Bilkis Bano Case: Ex-CBI Chief Points at
Government’s 'Double Standard'
• Hyderabad: BJP MLA Raja Singh arrested over remarks
on Prophet Muhammad
• Hyderabad Police take BJP MLA Raja Singh into
custody for video against Munawar Faruqui
• Mosque committee presents rejoinder in
Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case
• AMU ‘cold-shouldering’ plan to shoot series on Sir
Syed: Filmmaker
• Hyderabad: IMCR calls for unity against persecution
of minorities
• Sheikh Hasina to visit Delhi; Dhaka, India to hold
talks on Islamic terror
--------
South
Asia
• Terrorism Continues to Strike Afghanistan: Afghan
Envoy to UN
• UN agency to build 2,300 earthquake-resilient houses
in Afghanistan
--------
Pakistan
• Islamabad Advocate General Seeks Permission to
Display Imran’s Statements ‘Against Institutions’ In IHC
• 'Abduction' Of Pakistani Sikh Woman: Accused Sent To
Jail, 'Victim' Rescued But Not Allowed To Meet Family
• Fazl says can’t overlook ‘Imran mischief’
• Pakistan secures $4bn from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and
UAE
• Traders say chances for increase in trade with
Afghanistan bleak
• Pakistan approves agreement draft to provide troops
for World Cup security in Qatar
--------
Europe
• EU says Iran nuclear deal meeting possible ‘this
week’
• UN Split over Ban on Taliban Officials’ Travel
• EU says Iran’s response to nuclear deal proposal is
‘reasonable’
--------
North
America
• Despite Frustration with Taliban, US Agrees To Asset
Talks
• U.S. to Discuss Frozen Funds with Kabul: Sources
• Albuquerque Murders: Afghan Refugee Indicted On
Third Murder Count in Muslim Murders
• US says gaps remain in Iran nuclear deal but pact
closer than before
• Afghan refugee charged with murder of 3 Muslim men
in New Mexico
--------
Arab
World
• Supporters of Iraq‘s Muqtada Al-Sadr Launch Sit-In
Outside Highest Judicial Body
• Seven dead as rescue workers pull two more bodies
from rubble at Shia shrine in Iraq
• Egypt's al-Sisi to host five-state Arab summit
• KSrelief General Supervisor, Germany’s Ambassador to
Saudi Arabia discuss joint cooperation
• Family struck by grief after it loses 6 in Egypt
church fire
--------
Mideast
• Hamas, Islamic Jihad Vow Resistance to Israeli Occupation
• Palestinian Prisoners Stage Mass Hunger Strike In
Israeli Jails
• Spokesman Reiterates Iran's Unchangeable Policy of
Revenge for Assassination of Gen. Soleimani
• Army Commander: Several Countries Favouring Iranian
Military Equipment
• Iran: No Response from US on EU Proposal, Key Issues
Still Unresolved
• Gov't Spokesman Describes Iran as Victim of
Terrorism
• IRGC Deputy Commander: Hezbollah Forces Can
Annihilate Israeli Regime's Army
• Lebanon’s Hezbollah attack on gas field may spark
war: Israeli defence minister
• Israel Launches Flights for West Bank Palestinians,
First Flight Departs For Cyprus
• Israeli prime minister says not obligated by Iran
nuclear deal
• Israeli defence minister confirms crisis with Egypt
over Gaza
• Islamic Jihad missiles shattered Israel's invincibility
myth during latest Gaza war: Cmdr.
--------
Southeast
Asia
• G25: Root of Corruption Are Political Lobbyists, Not
Non-Muslims
• Ensure straight fights in Penang, PAS tells
Malay-Muslim parties
• PBM will give BN headache on seat sharing, says Umno
veteran
• Johor ruler in no hurry to decide on state’s weekend
--------
Africa
• MURIC Makes Demand As Police Nab Two Soldiers for
Allegedly Killing Islamic Cleric
• Somalia PM Vows Accountability over Deadly Hotel
Siege
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/russia-islamic-state-mashrabkhon-azanov-prophet/d/127781
--------
Russia Detains Islamic State Man, Mashrabkhon Azanov,
Planning Strike on Indian Politician for “Insult to the Prophet Muhammad”
Aug 23, 2022
NEW DELHI: The Federal Security Service (FSB) of
Russia has detained an Islamic State bomber who, it said, was planning to
travel to India to carry out a suicide attack on a governing party
“representative” for “insult to the Prophet Muhammad”.
In a video confession shared here by the Russian
authorities, the alleged terrorist, Mashrabkhon Azanov, who is an Uzbek
national, said he arrived in Russia after training in Turkey and was supposed
to soon meet people in India for carrying out a suicide attack at the behest of
the terrorist group.
There was no immediate reaction from the MEA although
official sources here said they were closely following the case.
FSB was recruited as a suicide bomber in Turkey,
Russia's top counter-intelligence agency said in a statement, according to a
report in Sputnik. "In Turkey, the would-be terrorist was conditioned both
online on Telegram and during in-person meetings in Istanbul over several
months from April to June, the FSB said in a statement," said the report.
"I, Azanov, born in 1992, in April 2022 made a
vow to the Emir of the ISIS named Yusuf Tajiki. In 2022, I underwent special
training in Turkey. In 2022, by the command of Yusuf Tajiki. I arrived in
Russia from where I was supposed to leave for India. In India, I was supposed
to be met and given everything necessary to commit a terrorist attack by the command
of ISIS for insulting the Prophet Muhammad," said Azanov, as per the
English translation of his confession.
It is not clear at this point if Tajiki is the same
Tajik-speaking IS operative who was reported to have been killed by the Taliban
in July this year in a factional fight among the jihadi groups.
"The FSB in Russia identified and detained a
member of the international terrorist organisation Islamic State banned in the
country, a native of a country in the Central Asian region, who planned to commit
a terrorist act by self-detonation against one of the representatives of the
ruling circles of India," it said in a release.
The arrest comes barely three months after the Islamic
State in Khorasan Province released a 50-page document on the same issue.
The 10-minute video titled "The polytheists are
the brothers of the polytheists" featuring Sharma was released in June and
also mentioned the demolition drive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri, where a part of a
mosque had been demolished by the civic authorities.
The development should lead the agencies to further
heighten the security of Nupur Sharma even as they try to figure out who
exactly the Uzbek IS terrorist had planned to target. A special team of
intelligence officials from India are likely to interrogate him at the
earliest. Agencies have already launched an investigation to find out who was
the "India contact" of this terrorist who was to supply him with
explosives as claimed by him during interrogation, said sources.
The Indian intelligence sleuths see the development as
a desperate attempt by the IS to counter the efforts of al-Qaida's effort to
enhance its appeal in India by wading into issues such as the hijab
controversy. Qaida's slain leader, Ayman Al Zawahiri, who was recently killed
in Afghanistan, had released videos denouncing Nupur Sharma. He even remarked
on the hijab row and praised the girl who took on a group of boys.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Azan
on Loudspeakers Does Not Violate Fundamental Rights of Others: Karnataka HC
Loudspeaker/
Times Now
----
Aug
23, 2022
The
Karnataka high court has said Azan (Muslim call to prayer) on loudspeakers does
not violate the fundamental right of people of other faiths. The court,
therefore, refused to order mosques to stop playing Azan on loudspeakers.
However,
the court directed authorities to implement the “noise pollution rules” related
to loudspeakers and file a compliance report.
A
public interest litigation (PIL) by Bengaluru resident Manjunath S Halawar was
heard by a division bench headed by acting chief justice Alok Aradhe.
The
petition stated that the “calling for Azan/adan is an essential religious
practice of Muslims, however the contents of the Azan/adan are hurting the
believers of other religious states.”
The
HC, in its order, said, “Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India
embodies the principle of toleration which is the characteristic of Indian
civilisation. Article 25(1) of the constitution confers the fundamental rights
on persons to freely profess, practice and propagate their own religion.”
“However,
the aforesaid right is not an absolute right but is subject to the restrictions
on the grounds of public order, morality, health as well as subject to other
provisions in Part III of the Constitution of India,” the court said.
The
“contention that the contents of Azan violate the fundamental right guaranteed
to the petitioner as well the persons of other faith cannot be accepted”, it
said.
The
court, however, directed the authorities to implement rules about noise
pollution and restriction on using loudspeakers.
It
directed authorities to “ensure that loudspeakers and public address systems
and sound producing instruments and other musical instruments shall not be
permitted to be used of the permissible decibel during the night between 10 pm
to 6 am.”
Another
division bench of the HC had on June 17, 2022 directed authorities “to carry
out a drive to prevent the misuse of loudspeakers and public address systems.”
The high court now directed the officials to “file compliance report before
this court within a period of eight weeks”.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Taliban
Official’s Travel Ban Waiver to Be Reviewed by UNSC Today In Light Of the
Disagreements among UNSC Member States
Representative
image/ Khaama Press
----
By
Saqalain Eqb
22
Aug 2022
The
UN Security Council (UNSC) will vote today on whether to extend the 13 Taliban
officials’ travel exemptions or to rescind their waivers in light of the
disagreements among UNSC member states.
The
travel exemptions for the Afghan Taliban officials were set to expire on
Friday, August 19, and the UNSC is reportedly stalemated over whether to extend
them.
The
United States, the United Kingdom, and France—the three permanent members of
the UNSC—want to impose travel restrictions on Taliban officials.
Russia
and China, the other two permanent members of this council, however, are in
favor of waiving up to 13 Taliban officials from their travel bans.
The
spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Qahar Balkhi,
tweeted on Saturday that under the Doha Agreement all the sanctions against the
Taliban should be rescinded.
The
Taliban official wrote that the specific clause of the Doha Agreement “should
be implemented in full.”
The
Taliban official warned that had the UNSC refused to extend the travel ban waiver,
the decision would provoke them to maintain a “stern stance” that is not “in
the interest of anyone.”
As
UNSC members are “deadlocked”, rights groups, on the other hand, argue that the
measures should be reinstated owing to the Taliban’s mistreatment of Afghan
women since taking control last year.
Even
though 13 other Taliban officials had their travel ban waivers extended earlier
for at least two months, which expired on August 19, two Taliban education
officials had their travel rights revoked because the Taliban restricted
women’s and girls’ access to education, last time.
Source:
Khaama Press
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Court
Grants Imran Khan Interim Protective Bail In 'Terrorism' Case
Former
Pakistan PM Imran Khan
-----
Aug
23, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad high court Monday granted former Pakistan PM Imran Khan
protective bail till Thursday in a terrorism case registered against him for
allegedly threatening a woman judge and senior police officers at a public
rally in the capital city last weekend.
Based
on a separate petition filed by the government, the court decided to initiate
contempt proceedings against Imran for his controversial remarks against
sessions court judge Zeba Chaudhry.
At
another rally on Sunday night in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) chief launched into the "neutrals", his
oft-used euphemism for the powerful military establishment. Imran's show of
strength was at Liaquat Bagh, close to the army's general headquarters and the
place where two former PMs – Liaquat Ali Khan and Benazir Bhutto – were
assassinated in the midst of large political gatherings.
Soon
after the rally, speculation was rife about Imran's possible arrest since a
non-bailable case had already been registered against him for his remarks
against the judge and police officers at the Islamabad event the previous day.
"Imran Khan is our red line. If he is arrested, we will take over
Islamabad with people's power," Murad Saeed, who was a minister in the
erstwhile government, said standing outside the ex-PM's residence.
PTI
called for a mass uprising, posting videos online showing supporters
purportedly surrounding Imran's home to stop the police from reaching it.
"You
(Islamabad’s top police officials and a female sessions judge) also get ready
for it, we will also take action against you. All of you must be ashamed,"
Imran had said at the rally in Islamabad to show solidarity with his
incarcerated chief of staff Shahbaz Gill, who was arrested earlier this month
on treason charges after urging soldiers and officers to defy "illegal
orders" from the military leadership.
Under
Pakistani law, the charge of treason can invite the death penalty.
According
to the former PM, Gill was mentally, physically and sexually tortured during
his two-day police remand in a sedition case. News channel ARY, which broadcast
the speech, has been off air since.
At
Liaquat Bagh, the cricketer-turned-politician picked up from where he had left
off in Islamabad, alleging that the "neutrals" were responsible for a
crackdown on his party, the arrest and torture of his aide, the alleged
abduction of social media activists and multiple decisions by the election
commission against him and PTI.
"They
(the police and others) are pointing fingers at you (army)…Whenever anything
wrong happens in Pakistan, you are blamed for it," Imran said, seeking to
question the powers-that-be "if they are neutral or not".
Imran
had filed a plea for pre-arrest bail in the high court, maintaining that he had
no past criminal record. His counsels told the court that the former PM was
ready for any investigation.
While
granting protective bail for four days, the court directed him to approach the
anti-terrorism court by then.
Since
his removal from government in April through a suspenseful no-confidence vote,
Imran has been organising large rallies across the country in a bid to return
to office, alleging his ouster was the result of "a foreign
conspiracy".
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Former
Al-Qaeda Member, Aimen Dean, Accuses Daughter’s Edinburgh School of
Discrimination
Aimen
Dean ‘saved thousands’ spying for British intelligence
-----
August
22, 2022
LONDON:
A private school in the UK is being investigated for allegedly discriminating
against the daughter of an important Western anti-Al-Qaeda spy.
Aimen
Dean, a former bomb-maker for the terror group, who supplied British
intelligence with vital information about the organization, and saved thousands
of lives, lodged a complaint against St. George’s School in the Scottish
capital of Edinburgh, according to reports.
He
claims the school created a “toxic environment” while singling out his
five-year-old daughter amid parents’ complaints of him being a security risk
after a documentary aired which revealed his identity as a former member of
Al-Qaeda.
Dean
told reporters in a documentary produced by British TV network Channel 4 he was
a former member of Al-Qaeda and offered up insights about the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks in New York City. He told the school in 2019, following assurances from
MI5 that he posed no security risk.
An
investigation has been launched by the Registrar of Independent Schools, which
could impose orders on the school to improve its governance and subject it to a
formal inspection if it finds the institution’s actions to be “objectionable.”
St
George’s School has “strongly disputed” Dean’s account, and said it was
confident that the investigating officers would find his allegations to be
baseless.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2147911/world
--------
India
‘There
Is Fear’: Muslim Families Flee Gujarat Village, Take Shelter In Relief Colony
By
Aditi Raja
August
23, 2022
A
week after the Gujarat government released 11 convicts serving life sentence in
the Bilkis Bano case, several Muslim families from Randhikpur (Singwad) have
started leaving their homes and have taken shelter in Rahimabad Relief Colony
of Devgarh Baria taluka in Dahod district, where Bilkis has been living since
2017.
Bilkis
was gang-raped in Randhikpur during the communal violence that followed the
Godhra train-burning incident in 2002. She was 21 years old then and five
months pregnant. Seven members of her family were killed by rioters.
On
Monday, when The Indian Express visited the relief colony, loaded tempo
rickshaws were bringing in residents of Randhikpur into the relief colony along
with their luggages where they decided to stay until “a decision is made”
regarding the release of the convicts.
The
convicts were released from Godhra sub-jail on August 15, following a
recommendation of the Jail Advisory Committee (JAC), set up by the Gujarat
government, approved their application for remission of sentence.
Sultana,
24, who arrived at the colony with her mother and sister on Sunday said, “There
is fear among the community since last week… There have been no direct threats
but the welcome they received and the sense of jubilation in the village… We
grew anxious and left as we did not feel safe there. It was different when they
came out on parole as we knew they were ultimately prisoners but now they have
been released.”
On
Monday, members of the Muslim community in Dahod submitted a memorandum to the
District Collector seeking reconsideration of the state government decision to
grant remission to the convicts, stating that the decision had “dented the
image and respect of the judicial system” and should be “reversed to restore
faith in justice”. The community is also seeking permission to organise a rally
in protest of the remission, members of the community said.
Sultana
and her mother are daily wage labourers. Her mother recalls fleeing Randhikpur
in 2002, with a four-year-old Sultana in tow. She says, “The images of the
horror are flashing in memory… Although we were lucky to have escaped then, we
can’t trust the process now… None of us has the kind of courage that Bilkis has
shown in the past two decades to fight. On our way here, we came across a huge
convoy of the ruling party near Kesharpura and were petrified. I held on to my
daughter tight.”
While
Bilkis has moved out of the colony, mainly for safety and to also avoid being
interrupted by visitors, her husband Yaqub Rasool Patel said, “She has gathered
herself and is preparing to fight on. She is recalling the courage that it took
to come this far and resolving that she will not give up. We have sought advice
of our well wishers and lawyers and a decision will be taken soon on the
appeal.”
Events
were held at multiple locations within a distance of about eight kilometres
from Randhikpur Sunday with BJP MP of Dahod Jaswantsinh Bhabhor inaugurating
health centres. According to district officials, the events were in Patangdi
and Chhapvad villages and not in Randhikpur.
Another
villager, a maternal cousin of Bilkis, fights back tears and says, “Despite
what they did to my sisters, aunt and others, they have been released… They
have been roaming in the village and market areas and it is intimidating… I had
no choice but to leave my house and shift to the relief colony with my wife and
infant as I cannot take a chance.”
Abdul
Razzak, another resident of Randhikpur, who has been making petitions on behalf
of the witnesses in the Bilkis Bano case since the convicts sought frequent
paroles, says, “Most of these children were born here… We shifted to this
colony of 74 houses in 2004. A few years later, as things settled and the
accused were convicted, many returned, confident that they would be able to
rebuild a life… They all look up to Bilkis and her courage. But now, as the
convicts are released, they are shattered… No one wants to go through the horror
if a riot breaks out.”
Another
villager Sabera Patel- Ghanchi, who had filed an FIR against convicts
Radheshyam Shah and Mitesh Bhatt along with Shah’s brother after they were
involved in a fight in June 2017 when Radheshyam was on parole, has also left
her home and arrived in Devgadh Baria.
“I
have a daughter and four grand daughters. If they have been released, what is
the guarantee that they won’t be emboldened to repeat the crimes? We do not
have any security,” said Sabera.
Sabera’s
2017 FIR resulted in a cross complaint from the convicts against her. The case
is on trial at the local court, according to her advocate Vajesinh Labana.
On
Monday, some of the 11 convicts, too, were not at their residence according to
their family members. Radheshyam Shah’s brother Ashish said that his brother
left for an outstation tour. “Ever since their release, the 11 people,
including my brother, have been peacefully staying in the village, without
interfering in anyone’s activities… My brother is currently out on a tour. If
certain people feel threatened by those released, they are free to approach the
authorities.”
Family
members of co-convict Shailesh Bhatt and his brother Mitesh also claimed that
the two were on tour. Sub-inspector of Randhikpur police station DG Vohania,
said, “No law and order situation happened since the convicts returned to the
village on August 15.” He added that police have been carrying out extensive
patrolling in the village for one week.
Source:
Indian Express
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Imams
coming to Assam need to inform police, register on government portal, says CM
August
23, 2022
Assam
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that imams, or Islamic
clerics, coming from other states need to inform the local police and register
themselves on a government portal, ANI reported.
“We
have made some SOP [standard operating procedure] that if any imam comes to
your village and you do not know him, immediately inform the police
station...They will verify, only after that, they can stay,” Chief Minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters. “Our Muslim community of Assam is helping
us in this work.”
The
chief minister also said that the state government was setting up a portal to
record details of clerics and other persons joining madrassas from outside
Assam.
“Those
who are from Assam, do not need to register their names in that portal, people
from outside will have to register their names in the portal,” Sarma said.
The
development came after two Islamic clerics were arrested on Saturday from the
state’s Goalpara district on allegations of having links with terror outfit
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent, or AQIS.
“Two
days ago, people linked with jihadis were arrested,” the chief minister said on
Monday. “One of them was an Imam in a masjid, but was a kingpin. Five are yet
to be arrested.”
Superintendent
of Police VV Rakesh Reddy said that the clerics were associated with
Bangladesh-based outfits and were “engaged in radicalising youths”, PTI
reported.
Abdus
Sobahun, a cleric of Tinkonia Shantipur Masjid, and Jalaluddin of Tilapur
Masjid have been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act.
On
August 4, Sarma had said that Assam has become a “hotbed of jihadi activities”.
Source:
Scroll
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Bilkis
Bano Case: Ex-CBI Chief Points at Government’s 'Double Standard'
Imran
Ahmed Siddiqui | New Delhi
23.08.22
A
former CBI director on Monday said the Centre should petition the Supreme Court
against the Gujarat government’s release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang
rape and murder case, and alleged that the Union government’s continuing
silence smacked of a “double standard”.
He
cited how the Narendra Modi government had in 2015 successfully opposed in the
Supreme Court a Tamil Nadu decision to release one of the Rajiv Gandhi
assassination convicts. The Centre had claimed sole right of remission in cases
investigated by federal agencies, and the apex court had upheld the argument.
“Why
this double standard in the Bilkis Bano case? The Modi government had in 2015
vehemently opposed the Tamil Nadu decision to release the Rajiv assassination
convict. Why is a different yardstick being applied to the Bilkis case?” the
retired director of the CBI told The Telegraph.
The
Centre has so far stonewalled the question whether the Gujarat government had
taken its permission to release the 11 lifers in the Bilkis Bano case,
investigated by the CBI.
“The
agency must clear its stand: if it was consulted, it should make this official.
If
not, what is preventing it from petitioning the apex court?” the former CBI
director said.
Senior
officers of the CBI, which reports to the Prime Minister’s Office, declined
comment when asked whether the Gujarat government had consulted the agency
before remitting the sentences.
Asked
whether the CBI planned to challenge the release of the convicts in the Supreme
Court, in case it was not consulted by the state authorities, the agency
spokesperson said: “I have no knowledge about the issue.”
The
former CBI director said the Union government’s continuing silence on whether
the Gujarat authorities had consulted it raised questions.
“If
the Centre was not consulted and the Gujarat government acted surreptitiously,
it (the Centre) should start an inquiry,” he said.
The
subject has been partly complicated by a judgment delivered last May by a
two-judge apex court bench that said the power of remission in the Bilkis Bano
case was vested with the Gujarat government as the crime had been committed in
that state.
This
judgment did not refer to the 2015 verdict, passed by a five-judge constitution
bench, which said the Centre’s permission was mandatory to remit sentences in
cases investigated by central agencies.
Bilkis
Bano is herself free to challenge the remissions citing the Supreme Court’s
2015 judgment, legal experts have said.
A
pregnant Bilkis was gang-raped and seven of her family members, including her
three-year-old child, were murdered during the 2002 riots.
Source:
Telegraph India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Hyderabad:
BJP MLA Raja Singh arrested over remarks on Prophet Muhammad
23rd
August 2022
Hyderabad:
Goshamahal MLA from BJP T Raja Singh was arrested on Tuesday morning following
protests against him over his remarks on Prophet Muhammad. Scores of people
were protesting and demanding his arrest outside city police commissioner CV
Anand’s office and in other parts of town since Monday night.
Raja
Singh had released a video on Jai Shree Ram channel on youtube, in which he
passed derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad. The BJP MLA called it
“comedy”, also abused comedian Munawar Faruqui and his mother two days after
the comedian’s show was held in Hyderabad. The Telangana unit of the BJP has
also disassociated with his statements.
BJP
chief spokesperson for Telangana Krishna Saagar Rao told Siasat.com that his
party respects all religions and faiths. “We are a national party and we don’t
support the statements of Raja Singh or hate speech,” he stated.
His
comments lead to scores of people protesting on the streets demanding his
arrest. Following his video, the BJP MLA was booked by the Dabeerpura police
for his remarks. Many people were also taken into custody by the police on
Tuesday after protests broke out.
A
huge number of cops have been deployed outside the offices of the Hyderabad
police commissioner, the Director General of Police office at Lakdikapul, and
the old police commissioner office at Purani Haveli and other important places
in the city after protests erupted against BJP MLA Raja Singh for his remarks
against Prophet Muhammad.
“….I
thought to myself, He ( referring to comedian Munawar Faruqui) is abusing Lord
Ram and Sita so I should research about this almighty of his and people who
wear round caps (Muslims). The moment I did it, I found something very shocking
in the video. In that, it says that the man married a six-year-old (referring
to the Prophet Muhammad),” said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Raja Singh
in the 10 minute-27-second video.
At
the end of the video, after making derogatory comments, Raja Singh said that
whatever he uttered was “comedy” and that he himself didn’t like what he said.
The video has been uploaded on Shree Ram Channel Telangana. Singh in fact
repeated some of the things that now suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma
said on TV recently, which became an international row after Muslim countries condemned
it.
Telangana
police on high alert across state
Meanwhile,
police have also increased security in and around Mangalhat and Dhoolpet
fearing attacks on Raja Singh. Police officials said that security is being
heightened, as a ‘Chalo Goshamahal’ protest is being planned as seen on social
media. Moreover, there will also be a higher vigil at the inauguration of the
new Chandrayangutta flyover by IT and industries minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) on
Tuesday.
Rapid
Action Force and police forces from reserve wings of Telangana State Special
Police, GreyHounds, and neighboring districts have also been deployed. Police
pickets have also been posted at communally sensitive areas of Hyderabad and in
the old city, it has been learned. Senior officials said they are also
reviewing Raja Singh’s security (he has a bullet-resistant vehicle, plus two
gunmen round the clock).
Senior
police officials held a meeting in the morning and put the entire state police
machinery on a tight vigil. A high alert has been unofficially declared in the
erstwhile districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Vikarabad, and
Mahbubnagar, said senior officials.
Reports
on social media also suggest that more protests against Raja Singh may be held
during the day at different police stations in Hyderabad.
Several
references to Prophet Muhammad
The
BJP MLA, in his attempt to do “comedy”, passed several derogatory comments
against Muslims and Prophet Muhammad in the process. “How unfortunate is it
that he married the girl? After that, he let the girl grow until nine years
old. Then, he has sex with the nine-year-old,” said Raja Singh.
Raja
Singh was essentially unwilling to let go of the fact that standup comic
Munawar Faruqui was allowed to hold a show in the city last week. Faruqui
performed at the Shilpakala Vedika with full police protection on August 20.
The venue was turned into a fortress by the cops, who also put the BJP MLA
under house arrest to prevent him from disrupting it.
On
Monday, as soon as news of this video spread, protests broke out in front of
the Hyderabad police commissionerate office at Basheerbagh at around midnight.
People reportedly also protested in different parts of the city demanding the
arrest of Raja Singh.
Congress
leader Rashed Khan filed a complaint at the Nampally police station. MIM MLA
Ahmed Balala arrived at Dabeerpura police station to lodge a complaint with his
supporters. According to sources, around 300 people protested at the Hyderabad
police commissionerate against Raja Singh.
BJP
MLA abuses IT minister KTR for over Munawar row
The
BJP MLA also took a shot at TRS working president and Telangana IT minister KT
Rama Rao, who had invited Munawar Faruqui to perform in Hyderabad (last year).
“If you had the guts, you should have let me go. I would have showed you. Raja
Singh does not get scared to kill, nor do I get scared to die,” Raja Singh said
in his new video.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hyderabad
Police take BJP MLA Raja Singh into custody for video against Munawar Faruqui
Aug
23, 2022
HYDERABAD:
Hyderabad Police on Tuesday arrested BJP MLA Raja Singh for his derogatory
remarks against a community. A criminal case was registered against the MLA
after continuous protests at Dabeerpura police station and also at Hyderabad CP
office.
Singh
allegedly made an objectionable video in reaction to the recent show by
stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui in Hyderabad.
In
the video, he spoke against members of a community besides using foul language
against Munawar, accusing him of making blasphemous comedy in the past.
A
day prior to Munawar's show in Hyderabad on August 20, Raja Singh was taken
into preventive custody by police.
It
was at this time, he declared that if Munawar's show was allowed in Hyderabad
by the government then there will be another show in reaction to it and he will
organise it and DGP will be responsible for any communal fallout.
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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Mosque
committee presents rejoinder in Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case
AUGUST
23, 2022
The
Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case in the Varanasi district court will
continue till Tuesday
The
Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee on Monday presented its rejoinder in the
Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case in the district court and the arguments
will continue till Tuesday, according to a government counsel.
District
government counsel Rana Sanjeev Singh said advocate Shamim Ahmed presented the
rejoinder in the court of District Judge A K Vishvesh following arguments from
the Hindu side.
Mr.
Ahmed presented the evidence in support of the claim that the Gyanvapi Masjid
is a Waqf property, Singh said, adding the mosque committee will continue
arguments on Tuesday.
Following
the death of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's advocate Abhay Nath Yadav,
two lawyers were appointed in his place. One of them, Yogendra Prasad Singh,
was not present at the hearing.
Advocate
of the Hindu side Madan Mohan Yadav on Monday said that Yogendra Prasad Singh
has decided "not to fight the case against Baba Vishwanath" after
being advised by his family.
Abhay
Nath Yadav, the lawyer representing the mosque committee in the
Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex case died due to cardiac arrest on July 31, his
family had said. He was 62.
Source:
The Hindu
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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AMU
‘cold-shouldering’ plan to shoot series on Sir Syed: Filmmaker
Aug
23, 2022
LUCKNOW
Film and TV serial producer Shoaib Hussain Chaudhari alleged that the Aligarh
Muslim University (AMU) has “cold-shouldered” his plan to shoot a web series on
the university’s founder Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. The filmmaker said he has not
been granted permission to shoot the series on the university campus.
“I
want to shoot the web series on the AMU campus because Sir Syed, who was
supported by the Hindus to start a university, began his reforms for the Muslim
community from this place. I have been seeking permission since December 2019
and have written to authorities in this regard several times, but there has
been no response. If I don’t get a response within this week, I will be forced
to shoot the web series in Lucknow or at buildings that look similar to AMU,”
he said.
“A
response is awaited from the V-C’s office since the time I wrote the first
letter on December 16, 2019. But I feel hurt when I see the university cold
shouldering a proposal, which would have propagated the name of its founder. I
am ready to share the script in advance so that they can be assured that facts
are not twisted. To depict Sir Syed’s struggle for educating the downtrodden,
we have researched the subject for eight years,” said Chaudhari.
Meanwhile,
an official of AMU said, “The university has formed a committee to frame guidelines
for proposals of shooting of films. There have been a few meetings and the
committee is studying policies of other universities over the issue.”
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Hyderabad:
IMCR calls for unity against persecution of minorities
Syed
Qamar Hasan
22nd
August 2022
It
was a noisy and boisterous Q& A session at the concluding moments of the
inaugural meeting of the Indian Muslim Civil Rights(IMCR) in Hyderabad held at
the Sultan Uloom Education society on Saturday, reflecting heavily on what
well-known political researcher Asim Ali claims, that all models of Muslim
accommodation are shaped by the political elites of the community rather than
by the common of the community.
A
posse of in-office and out-of-office lawmakers, politicians retired government
officers and officials on the stage were hit with a barrage of suggestions
instead of questions and had to give ear to a litany of grievances, complaints,
and issues that mattered more to hoi polloi like the regular social and
religious harassment ( hijab, curriculums, job discrimination, judicial
imbalances, Babri Masjid and other mosques ).
Hyderabad
and its noble traditions of hospitality, rich cultural heritage and vibrant
politically aware society were applauded by several speakers.
The
speakers stressed that IMCR is a non-political organization open to all
irrespective of any ideology and that lawmakers and politicians on board will
not bring in their political loyalties when dealing with the larger issues of
rejuvenating the ”idea of India” which was under grave threat under the Modi
government. Representatives of several political and non-political Muslim
organizations were available.
Conspicuously
absent was the AIMIM.
And
when questioned why the X-factor was missing, Former Union Minister Dr Salman
Khursheed, with several outstanding books to his credit said that he was a good
friend of Asaduddin Owaisi, but, “is not Asad’s cup of tea”.
The
opening call made from IMCR’s maiden session to mark its birth in Hyderabad
was, ”hit the streets if you want to be heard and addressed. Conferences and
resolutions will take you nowhere”.
This
lone jingoist challenge was later watered down by a prominent X-Parliamentarian
(Rajya Sabha) Mohammed Adeeb, Chairman and founder trustee of IMCR, who in his
inimitable calm and controlled style cautioned that the IMCR mission was one of
building bridges and seeking the trust and support of the secular Hindu
friends.
He
dared the men of the cloth to shed their opinionated verdicts and come out for
the persecuted and persecution of the innocent irrespective of their faith if
the idea of India was to prevail and the shallowness of the Hindutva narrative exposed.
He
lamented the silent acquiescence of the community’s seminaries and Madrassas
hoisting the national flag whereas other institutions belonging to the majority
community did not respond so fervently in the 75th Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
“Our
loyalty to the country is beyond doubt, we stayed back by choice, burned the
boats to stay back and stay the course,” he said.
Salman
Khursheed called upon Hyderabad to play a stellar role in promoting the IMCR.
Retired Police officer Nisar Ahmed, who has mastered the voting algorithm,
assured that all was not lost at the husting. ”We can still make the best in
the coming two years to oust the present dispensation and vote to power a
secular government if the community use its electoral power accordingly,” he said.
He
lamented the lethargy and nonchalance of the community towards the electoral
process by not taking part in the voter’s list revision and staying back on the
polling day.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-imcr-calls-for-unity-against-persecution-of-minorities-2395783/
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Sheikh
Hasina to visit Delhi; Dhaka, India to hold talks on Islamic terror
23rd
August 2022
NEW
DELHI: Bangladesh PM Hasina’s September
5-8 visit here is expected to be dominated by her growing concern over the
deepening cross-border movement and activities of suspected Islamic
fundamentalists, especially at a time when parliamentary elections are
scheduled to be held slightly over a year from now.
India
too is likely to express similar anxieties in the backdrop of the arrest of
several suspected members of the banned Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent
(AQIS) and Bangladeshi outfits, in West Bengal and Assam over the last three
weeks.
While
the West Bengal police’s STF nabbed two AQIS members in North 24 Parganas on
August 18, the Assam police arrested seven alleged Bangladeshi nationals,
suspected to have links with Bangladeshi terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team
(ABT), from Barpeta and Guwahati in the last week of July.
Five
others arrested in the same operation had allegedly been recruited by the ABT
which, subsequent investigations revealed, were responsible for targeting
Bangladeshi bloggers in the past.
Assam
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma indicated that the IB played a significant role in
tracking the ABT members who, state police sources revealed, “had entered India
illegally” and had travelled to parts of UP, MP, West Bengal and Tripura for
the “sole purpose of recruiting and indoctrinating” potential cadres for jihadi
and other fundamentalist activities in Bangladesh.
Source:
New Indian Express
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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South
Asia
Terrorism
Continues to Strike Afghanistan: Afghan Envoy to UN
By
Saqalain Eqbal
22
Aug 2022
On
the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism,
August 21, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Chargé d’Affaires of Afghanistan Permanent
Mission to the United Nations, stated that Afghanistan is still a victim of
terrorism and that the people of Afghanistan suffer from the presence of
terrorist organizations.
Five
years ago, Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations tabled a
resolution to the United Nations General Assembly with the support of 95 other
nations calling for the establishment of a day to remember terrorist victims,
the Afghan official tweeted.
The
proposed resolution was adopted, and the 21st of August was designated as the
International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
According
to Faiq, the group Friends of Victims of Terrorism was formed on the initiative
of Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission, and the second resolution was passed to
increase and attract international aid for terrorist victims.
“Despite
these efforts,” Faiq continued, “Afghanistan is still a victim of terrorism,
and its people are subjected to terrorist acts and threats as a result of the
presence of terrorist groups.”
The
Friends of Terrorism Victims Group aspires to advocate a comprehensive approach
to the advancement and protection of the human rights of terrorism victims, as
well as to actively support their different needs in the short, medium, and
long term.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/terrorism-continues-to-strike-afghanistan-afghan-envoy-to-un-58697/
--------
UN
agency to build 2,300 earthquake-resilient houses in Afghanistan
Aug
23, 2022
KABUL:
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency announced the start of a more than USD 14 million
community-based construction effort to build 2,300 earthquake-resilient houses
to help residents in the southeastern Afghanistan region devastated by the
deadly June 22 earthquake.
Under
the plan, UNHCR is providing materials and supporting building costs for the
construction of 2,000 winterized homes in both Giyan and Barmal districts of
Paktika Province and 300 homes in Spera District of Khost Province.
"This
initiative demonstrates UNHCR's sustained solidarity and support to people
affected by the disaster -- in the coming months 2,300 families will have new,
resilient, winterized homes," said UNHCR Representative Leonard Zulu
during an assessment mission in Barmal, Paktika Province. "UNHCR started
distributing emergency shelter two days after the earthquake, and we are now
aiming to meet urgent shelter needs to build back better."
Earthmoving
equipment contracted by UNHCR has started site clearance in Barmal and trucks
are delivering construction materials as snows are expected by mid-November.
"The
Khost and Paktika areas have generously hosted thousands of refugees in recent
years, some of whom were also affected by the earthquake," Zulu said.
"UNHCR's shelter initiative will ensure homes for the most-affected households."
Over
recent weeks, UNHCR teams have met with communities to present the project,
identify the worst-affected families, and organize community groups to
implement the community-based scheme.
In
addition to building materials, households participating in the project will
receive US$700 for labour. Engineers working with UNHCR's partners will monitor
construction so relevant guidance is followed. Each family will be provided
with solar panels for lighting and a bukhari space heater for burning wood during
winter months, as well as materials to construct an outdoor latrine.
Bahrain's
Royal Humanitarian Foundation recently signed a USD 1 million agreement with
UNHCR to support the housing scheme. Additionally, UNHCR and the United Nations
Development Programme have launched a joint programme to improve access to
community services like health centres, schools, and water systems in the three
districts.
"UNHCR
has included the three districts in its Priority Areas of Return and
Reintegration (PARRs) project since refugees as well as returned IDPs reside in
the areas. The PARR initiative will ensure sustained support to enhance
sustainable returns, reintegration and community resilience," the UN
agency said in a statement.
In
the wake of the 5.9 earthquakes that reportedly killed more than 1,000 people
and injured many others, UNHCR distributed 3,592 family tents to provide
emergency shelter for more than 25,000 people alongside household supplies and
hygiene items for more than 11,200 people, complementing emergency assistance
delivered by partner agencies.
Over
the past four decades, Afghanistan has been battered by conflicts and natural
disasters that have left millions facing famine and starvation. The latest
estimates indicate that some 24 million Afghans, more than half the country's
population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.
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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Pakistan
Islamabad
advocate general seeks permission to display Imran’s statements ‘against
institutions’ in IHC
Tahir
Naseer
August
23, 2022
With
the Islamabad High Court (IHC) set to initiate contempt proceedings against PTI
chief Imran Khan today for passing controversial remarks regarding a female
judge, the capital’s advocate general, Jahangir Jadoon, has sought permission
to display the former prime minister’s statements allegedly against the
judiciary and other institutions in court.
In
his application, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Jadoon said he
wanted to place relevant material “like videos, clips and previous statements
of the respondents (Imran) on electronic and digital media on record, which are
helpful” for the case.
The
Islamabad advocate general said he wanted to seek permission to “display
different statement of the respondents on different occasion against the
judiciary and other institution (sic) .
“In
these circumstances, it is humbly prayed that [the court] allow to display the
aforementioned material in this honourable court via USB or other digital
gadgets, and consider this material as part of the case,” he said in his
application.
The
advocate general has filed the application on the state’s behalf.
3-member
bench to start contempt proceedings
A
three-member IHC bench, headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and also
comprising Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, will
today initiate contempt proceedings against Imran over his remarks about
additional district and sessions judge Zeba Chaudhry.
The
IHC had constituted the bench on Monday, after the decision to start contempt
proceedings against the PTI chief was taken by Acting IHC Chief Justice Aamer
Farooq during the hearing of a petition challenging incarcerated PTI member
Shahbaz Gill’s police remand in a sedition case.
Imran,
who has alleged that Gill has been subjected to “sexual abuse” and “physical
and mental torture” in custody, had lambasted police over the accusation and
judge Chaudhry for allowing Gill’s remand at a rally in Islamabad on Saturday.
He
had threatened to file cases against Islamabad’s inspector general of police
and deputy inspector general of police and declared: “We won’t spare you.” He
had then warned the judiciary against its “biased” attitude towards his party,
saying that it should brace itself for the consequences.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
'Abduction'
of Pakistani Sikh woman: Accused sent to jail, 'victim' rescued but not allowed
to meet family
Aug 22, 2022
AMRITSAR:
After protests by the Sikh and Hindu communities, Pakistan Police has sent a
Muslim man to jail on the charges of abducting a Sikh woman and marrying her
forcefully.
It
rescued Deena Kaur, a resident of Pir Baba town in Buner district of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province, and her alleged Muslim husband, Hesbullah, even as her
parents are yet to meet her.
Ajay
Soran Singh, a local youth leader, confirmed on Monday that the police had
found both Kaur and Hesbullah.
“Police
have sent the woman to Dar ul Aman in the adjoining city, Mingora, in Swat
district and Hesbullah to jail but the administration has not arranged any
meeting of Kaur with her family members,” said Soran who is Buner president of
Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) .
According
to sources, Kaur, a teacher, allegedly eloped with Hesbullah but the local
police in Buner district refused to lodge the family's complaint of abduction,
which triggered protests in a number of districts of KPK by Sikh, Hindu and
Muslim community members alike, demanding to allow the family members to meet
her.
Parents
Gurcharan Lal Gandhi and Asha Kaur claimed that Deena was abducted, converted
to Islam forcibly and forced to marry Hesbullah against her wishes.
"She
was engaged to another man, Munish Kumar, and was about to get married to
him," the father said.
Sant
Singh, granthi of the local Gurdwara, alleged that the Buner district
administration was behind the "abduction of Kaur who was forced to sign a
‘nikahnama’ and other documents".
Confirming
that no meeting has been arranged between Deena and her parents, a member of
the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Pakistan, Dr Jaipal Chhabaria,
termed it unfortunate.
Sensing
foul play behind the conversion of Deena, he said the minorities didn’t mind
their members embracing Islam or any other religion but the conversion should
take place only in front of a magistrate and only of a person over 18 years of
age.
“The
NCM had demanded from the Pakistan government that anyone embracing other
religions should be allowed to meet their parents or family members before
doing so,” he said.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Fazl
says can’t overlook ‘Imran mischief’
August
23, 2022
Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has alleged that the government in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been given to Imran Khan Niazi to root out religion but
his party cannot shut its eyes over ‘Niazi mischief’.
He
said that the Ulema from all schools of thought were united for the cause of
protecting the overall political and democratic norms.
Addressing
the concluding session of Central Majlis-e-Umoomi of his party in Peshawar,
Fazl accused PTI chief Imran Khan of spreading anarchy. Fazl claimed that his
party had practically fought against ‘fitnas’ rather than mere verbal condemnation.
The
JUI chief said that a state was ruled with the support of its people; however,
the mode of governance should be devised in the light of teachings of the Holy
Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
He
said the recent incident of Salman Rushdie’s stabbing in the US was due to a
reaction to his blasphemous work, which his party had condemned in 1988.
Pakistan
was an Islamic state, he said and urged the bureaucracy to take
Sharia’s
affairs seriously. Regarding legislations, he said the basic target of the
present coalition government was making electoral and NAB reforms.
He
said that an unnecessary hype was created in the name of right of votes to
overseas Pakistanis, as there was no appropriate procedure for it. There was
90% chance of rigging in it. “Our proposal was granting appropriate
representation to overseas Pakistanis,” he said.
The
National Accountability Bureau was a gift of former president Pervez Musharraf,
and in its (NAB’s) eyes every Pakistani was apparently a convict, he added. He
said that NAB was working against corruption since its establishment but no
concrete result was produced and only politicians were maligned in corruption
related cases.
Source:
Pak Observer
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://pakobserver.net/fazl-says-cant-overlook-imran-mischief/
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Pakistan
secures $4bn from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE
Shahid
Iqbal
August
23, 2022
KARACHI:
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday left its policy rate unchanged at 15
per cent for the next two months to cool down the economy and control
inflation.
“To
cool the overheating economy and contain the current account deficit (CAD), the
policy rate has been raised by a cumulative 800 basis points since last
September, some temporary administrative steps have recently been taken to
curtail imports, and strong fiscal consolidation is planned for FY23,” said the
central bank in its Monetary Policy Statement.
With
recent inflation developments in line with expectations, domestic demand
beginning to moderate and the external position showing some improvement, the
SBP felt that it was prudent to pause rate hikes at this stage, said the SBP.
Since
the last meeting, the SBP noted headline inflation rose further to 24.9pc in
July, with core inflation also ticking up, it said.
The
SBP said that the withdrawal of the subsidy package on energy will continue to
manifest in inflation out-turns throughout the rest of the fiscal year—as well
as momentum in the prices of essential food items and exchange rate weakness
last month.
The
central bank believes the expected inflow of $1.2bn from IMF will work as a
catalyst for financing from multilateral and bilateral lenders.
The
SBP confirmed that Pakistan has successfully secured an additional $4bn from
friendly countries over and above its external financing needs in FY23.
On
balance, the SBP noted that some greater slowdown in global growth would not be
as harmful to Pakistan as for most other emerging economies, given the
relatively small share of exports and foreign private inflows in the economy.
As
a result, both inflation and the CAD should fall as global commodity prices
ease, while growth would not be as badly affected, said the SBP.
The
headline inflation is projected to peak in the first quarter before declining
gradually through the rest of the fiscal year. Thereafter, it is expected to
decline sharply and fall to the 5-7pc target range by the end of FY24,
supported by the lagged effects of tight monetary and fiscal policies, the
normalisation of global commodity prices, and beneficial base effects.
“As
expected, economic activity has moderated since the last MPC. Most demand
indicators have softened—sales of cement, POL, fertilisers and automobiles fell
month-on-month in July—and year-on-year growth in LSM almost halved in June,”
said the SBP.
Recent
flooding caused by unusually heavy and prolonged monsoon rains creates downside
risks for agricultural production, especially cotton and seasonal crops, and
could weigh on growth this year.
“The
SBP continues to expect growth to moderate to 3-4pc in FY23, on account of the
tightening of fiscal and monetary policies,” it added.
The
trade deficit halved to $2.7bn in July, imports fell sharply by 36.6pc
(month-on-month) and 10.4pc (year-on-year) while exports also declined by
22.7pc month-on-month, it added.
Through
administrative measures imports declined and the rupee gained due to diminished
uncertainty about the IMF programme but the administrative measures are not
sustainable and will need to be eased in the coming months, said the SBP.
It
will be critical that the envisaged fiscal consolidation in FY23 is delivered
and that strong measures are taken to curtail energy imports. Such measures
include early closure of markets, reduced electricity use by residential and
commercial customers, and greater encouragement of work from home and car
pooling, said the SBP.
With
the expected completion of the upcoming IMF review and the additional
assistance secured from friendly countries, foreign exchange reserves are
projected to rise to around $16bn during FY23, said the SBP, adding that to
ensure this and to support the rupee, it will be important to contain the CAD to
around 3pc of GDP by moderating domestic demand and energy imports.
The
SBP said that for the first time in seven years, the FY23 budget targets a
primary surplus, on the back of significantly higher tax revenue. It envisages
a strong fiscal consolidation of around 3pc of GDP, which is appropriate to
cool the economy and ensure a reduction in inflation and the CAD throughout the
year.
Exporters
and manufacturers
The
manufacturers and exporters were extremely worried about high-interest rates
that made the cost of doing business much higher making them uncompetitive on
the global market.
“While
we are not getting fresh orders from Europe and USA, the increasing cost of our
products has made it more difficult to remain within the market,” said Amir
Aziz, an exporter of readymade garments to Europe and the USA. “If we lose the
market, it will be highly difficult to re-capture the market space currently we
have,” he added.
Inflows
from friendly countries
While
meeting with brokerage analysts on Monday, SBP Acting Governor Murtaza Syed
said Pakistan has arranged $4bn in financing from friendly countries.
“Pakistan
will get $2bn from Qatar, $1bn from Saudi Arabia under the umbrella of deferred
oil facility and $1bn investments from the UAE in various sectors,” he said.
Pakistan’s
gross financing needs would be around $30bn for FY23 including the amount
required for CAD and debt repayments.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1706320/sbp-leaves-policy-rate-unchanged-at-15pc-to-fight-inflation
--------
Traders
say chances for increase in trade with Afghanistan bleak
August
23, 2022
KHYBER:
The local traders have termed reciprocal visa relaxation to Pakistani and
Afghan transporters for promotion of bilateral trade between the two
neighbouring countries as ‘too little and too late’.
They
said that currently the facility would not provide substantial financial
benefits to traders.
Reacting
to the federal government’s recent agreement with Kabul about the grant of six
months reciprocal visas to transporters to facilitate cross-border movement of
goods, Zahidullah Shinwari, the former president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, said that it was ‘wishful thinking’ on part of government that
the relaxation could either expedite bilateral trade or could bring about
positive changes in the existing trading relations between Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately
successive governments failed to accept our demands in the recent past about
bringing about prompt, timely and productive changes in the trading relations
with Afghanistan,” he said.
Term
agreement on visa relaxation to transporters ‘too little too late’
He
said that their demands were met only when the appropriate time for taking such
steps already passed and demand for prompt supply of Pakistani goods reduced
considerably.
“Now
when the present Taliban government in Afghanistan is faced with acute economic
problems and their banking system has almost collapsed, appeasing transporters
with six months visa facility could fetch us little financial gains,” said Mr
Shinwari.
He
said that development activities in Afghanistan were almost at a standstill
while there was a serious shortage of funds and the urge for enhancing
bilateral trade from the Afghan side had also diminished.
“We
need to think big and act big if we are serious in multiplying our existing
dwindling trade with Afghanistan,” he said. He added that both the neighbouring
countries should facilitate traders by granting them quick visa facilities. He
said that traders should be granted visas on their arrival at the border rather
than subjecting them to three to four months of frustrated wait.
Sabir
Khan, a clearing agent at Torkham, said that businessmen from both sides could
accelerate the pace of trade and enhance its quantum rather than the
transporters, who were acting only as carriers and not the actual trading
party.
“Transport
could only move when traders are active in business on both sides of the
border,” said Mr Khan. He said that traders needed relaxation in grant of visas
by both the countries.
Haji
Azeemullah Shinwari, a representative of local transporters, welcomed the
decision and said that it would help to resolve their longstanding issues.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1706258/traders-say-chances-for-increase-in-trade-with-afghanistan-bleak
--------
Pakistan
approves agreement draft to provide troops for World Cup security in Qatar
22 August,
2022
Pakistan's
cabinet has approved a draft agreement that allows the government to provide
troops for security at the FIFA soccer World Cup in Qatar later this year,
Pakistan's information minister said on Monday.
A
summary outlining the agreement, to be signed between Doha and Islamabad, was
approved by the cabinet, minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told Reuters, ahead of
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Qatar starting Tuesday.
It
was not immediately clear when the agreement would be signed between the two
countries.
The
cabinet summary, reviewed by Reuters, said the government of Qatar had
requested assistance in security-related aspects of the World Cup between Nov.
21 and Dec. 18 2022, and that Pakistan's military had proposed the signing of
an agreement between both states for the purpose.
“The
agreement aims to define the obligations of the two parties, the specific
specializations, and the number of security personnel to be sent by Pakistan to
participate in the security and safety operations,” the summary read.
Qatar’s
government media office did not immediately confirm or respond to a request to
explain why Doha has requested the Pakistani troops or what they will be doing
during the tournament.
There
was also no immediate response from the Supreme Committee for Delivery and
Legacy, which is overseeing the organisation of the World Cup, including
security.
The
summary did not provide any details of the agreement such as how many personnel
could be sent.
The
approval of the agreement comes a day before Prime Minister Sharif departs for
Doha on a two-day visit starting Tuesday.
Sharif
will be accompanied by his cabinet ministers, according to a government handout
on Monday.
“The
two sides will discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, especially
to move forward cooperation in energy, trade, and investment opportunities,”
the handout said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
EU
says Iran nuclear deal meeting possible ‘this week’
22 August,
2022
A
possible meeting on resurrecting the Iran nuclear deal could be held “this
week” after Tehran submitted its response to an EU proposal, the European
Union's top diplomat said Monday.
Efforts
to revive the so-called JCPOA -- the 2015 agreement between world powers and
Tehran aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions -- are at a critical juncture.
“A
meeting was scheduled to take place in Vienna at the end of last week, but it
was not possible,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a news conference
in Santander, Spain.
“It
is possible that it could take place this week.”
Earlier
this month, after more than a year of talks coordinated by Borrell and his
team, the EU submitted what it called a “final” text.
The
document aims at fully restoring the nuclear deal by bringing the United States
back into it, after then-president Donald Trump had Washington withdraw in
2018.
That
move prompted Iran to roll back its commitments under the JCPOA and steadily
enrich its stock of uranium to close to weapons-grade levels.
Borrell
said the negotiations had gone as far as they could go and “this is the
inflection point”.
“There
was an Iranian response that I considered reasonable to transmit to the United
States.
“The
United States has not formally replied yet. But we are waiting for their
response and I hope that response will allow us to finish the negotiation -- I
hope so, but I can't assure you of it.”
The
other parties to the JCPOA are Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
French
President Emmanuel Macron on Monday spoke by phone to Israeli Prime Minister
Yair Lapid, who claimed the new terms “go beyond the limits of the original
JCPOA”.
Tehran
is Israel's arch foe and Lapid warned that reviving the landmark accord could
boost funding to Iran's regional proxies.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
split over ban on Taliban officials’ travel
23
August, 2022
Members
of the United Nations Security Council remained divided Monday over whether to
exempt some of Afghanistan’s Taliban officials from a travel ban, diplomatic
sources said.
Under
a 2011 Security Council resolution, 135 Taliban leaders are subject to a
sanctions regime that includes asset freezes and travel bans.
Thirteen
of them benefited from an exemption from the travel ban, renewed regularly, to
allow them to meet officials from other countries abroad.
But
this exemption ended last Friday, after Ireland objected to its automatic
renewal for another month.
In
June, the Sanctions Committee in charge of Afghanistan, comprised of the Security
Council’s 15 members, had already removed from the exemptions list two Taliban
ministers responsible for education, in retaliation for the drastic reduction
in the rights of women and girls that was imposed by the hardline Islamist
regime.
Several
Western countries would like to further reduce the list, according to
diplomatic sources.
They
highlight the failure to respect the commitments to uphold human rights or
fight terrorism that were made by the Taliban when they returned to power a
year ago.
Early
this month the US announced the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in
a drone strike on Kabul, calling into question the Taliban’s promise not to
harbor militant groups.
China
and Russia, however, supported a regular extension of exemptions list.
“These
exemptions are still just as necessary,” the Chinese presidency of the Security
Council said last week, deeming it “counterproductive” to link human rights to
travel issues for Taliban officials.
Since
last week, and again Monday, several compromise proposals that would more or
less shrink the list of officials concerned, or the number of authorized
destinations, have been rejected on both sides, according to diplomatic
sources.
Discussions
are expected to continue.
Pending
a possible decision, none of the Taliban officials on the sanctions list can
travel.
That
was of particular concern to the Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi,
who has visited Qatar several times in recent months for diplomatic discussions
and who was among the 13 exemptions.
In
a statement posted Saturday on Twitter, a foreign ministry spokesman called on
the Security Council “not to use sanctions as pressure tool” and said all
sanctions against Taliban officials should be lifted.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/08/23/UN-split-over-ban-on-Taliban-officials-travel
--------
EU
says Iran’s response to nuclear deal proposal is ‘reasonable’
Alyssa
McMurtry
22.08.2022
European
Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that Iran’s response
to the proposal to revive the 2015 nuclear deal was “reasonable.”
Earlier
this month, the EU submitted the “final text” for the deal aimed at unfreezing
sanctions on Iran funds and oil exports in exchange for the country scaling
back its nuclear ambitions.
“This
is the current situation: I made a proposal that I believe was as balanced as
possible. It was communicated to all parties, including the US and Iran. There
was a response from Iran, which I considered reasonable. It was shared with the
US. The US still hasn’t formally replied, but we’re awaiting that response. And
we hope the US response will help us finish up the negotiation,” he said.
The
American response has arrived late, as there was supposed to be a meeting in
Vienna last week to discuss the Iran deal.
Borrell
said “it’s possible,” however, that the US position will be revealed this week.
“The
world would be a lot safer if we could make this deal work again,” said
Borrell. “This deal worked well until President Trump unilaterally decided to
abandon it. Iran was fulfilling the agreement.”
On
Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani accused the US of
“procrastination” in terms of responding to its comments on the deal.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
Despite
frustration with Taliban, US agrees to asset talks
August
23, 2022
WASHINGTON:
US President Joe Biden’s administration will press ahead with talks on
releasing billions of dollars in Afghanistan’s foreign-held assets despite the
late Al Qaeda leader’s presence in Kabul and foot-dragging by the Taliban and
Afghan central bank, according to three sources with knowledge of the
situation.
The
decision to pursue the initiative to help stabilise Afghanistan’s collapsed
economy underscores growing concern in Washington over a humanitarian crisis as
the United Nations warns that nearly half the country’s 40 million people face
“acute hunger” as winter approaches.
At
the core of the US-led effort, as Reuters reported last month, is a plan to
transfer billions in foreign-held Afghan central bank assets into a proposed
Swiss-based trust fund. Disbursements would be made with the help of an
international board and bypass the Taliban, many of whose leaders are under US
and UN sanctions.
The
Taliban presented a counterproposal in talks in Doha in late June.
US
State Department and Treasury officials told independent analysts at an Aug 11
briefing — 12 days after a CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al
Zawahiri on a balcony of his Kabul safe house — they will pursue the talks
despite frustration with the pace, two sources said on condition of anonymity.
The
Taliban and Afghan central bank known by the initials DAB — are not acting
swiftly, a US official said, according to one source. “The Taliban sit on their
hands and it’s infuriating.”
The
State Department declined to comment on the briefing. A knowledgeable US source
who requested anonymity confirmed the briefing’s substance.
“The
strike did not change the US government’s commitment to setting up the
international trust fund” and it is “working with the same speed and alacrity
as before the strike,” said the US source.
The
Taliban-run foreign and information ministries and DAB did not immediately
respond to requests for comment. US officials also have discussed the trust
fund plan with Switzerland and other parties.
Afghanistan’s
economic and humanitarian crises deepened when Washington and other donors
halted aid that funded 70 per cent of the government budget following the
Taliban’s seizure of Kabul on Aug 15, 2021, as the last US-led foreign troops
departed after 20 years of war.
Washington
also stopped flying in hard currency, effectively paralysing Afghanistan’s
banking system, and froze $7 billion in Afghan assets in the US Federal Reserve
Bank of New York. In February, Biden ordered half the sum set aside “for the
benefit of the Afghan people”.
Other
countries hold some $2bn of Afghan reserves.
Initially,
the $3.5bn Biden sequestered would be released into the proposed trust fund and
potentially could be used to pay Afghanistan’s World Bank arrears and for
printing Afghanis, the national currency, and passports, both in short supply.
The
other $3.5bn is being contested in lawsuits against the Taliban stemming from
the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, but courts could decide to
release those funds too.
The
assets also eventually could go to recapitalising DAB, bolstering its ability
to regulate the Afghani’s value, fight inflation, and provide hard currency for
imports.
But
after Zawahiri was killed, the State Department excluded recapitalising DAB as
“a near-term option,” saying that by harboring the Al Qaeda leader in breach of
the 2020 US troop pullout deal, the Taliban had fueled concerns “regarding
diversion of funds to terrorist groups.”
Two
sources quoted the US officials as telling the briefing that proceeding with
the talks has become more difficult because of Taliban resistance to several
internationally backed demands.
One
calls for replacing the two senior militants heading DAB — one is under US and
UN sanctions — with experienced professionals to help build confidence that the
bank was insulated from Taliban interference.
The
Taliban and DAB also have not formally agreed to installing independent
anti-money laundering monitors at the bank although they have consented in
principle, the officials said, according to the sources.
The
officials, the sources said, presented examples of what they described as
Taliban and DAB intransigence.
They
included refusing to cooperate with a UN-administered scheme to funnel badly
needed international aid funds held by the World Bank to humanitarian agencies
in Kabul.
The
officials also told the briefing that Washington in March asked other
governments to encourage private banks to restore “correspondent” relationships
with Afghanistan by which international transactions are facilitated, the
sources said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1706339/despite-frustration-with-taliban-us-agrees-to-asset-talks
--------
U.S.
to Discuss Frozen Funds with Kabul: Sources
By
Arif Ahmadi
22
Aug 2022
KABUL,
Afghanistan – United States President Joe Biden’s administration will press
ahead with talks on releasing billions of dollars in Afghanistan’s foreign-held
assets, according to sources, after continued pressures by the international
community.
The
decision to pursue the initiative to help stabilize Afghanistan’s collapsed
economy underscores growing concern in Washington over a humanitarian crisis,
as the United Nations warns that nearly half the country’s 40 million people
face “acute hunger”.
At
the core of the US-led effort, as Reuters reported last month, is a plan to
transfer billions in foreign-held Afghan central bank assets into a proposed
Swiss-based trust fund. Disbursements would be made with the help of an
international board and bypass the Taliban, many of whose leaders are under US
and UN sanctions.
Earlier
this month the US State Department and Treasury officials they will pursue the
talks despite frustration with the pace, saying US government is committed to setting up the international
trust fund and it is “working with the same speed and alacrity”.
Afghanistan’s
economic and humanitarian crises deepened when Washington and other donors
halted aid that funded 70% of the government budget following the Taliban’s
seizure of Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021, as the last U.S.-led foreign troops departed
after 20 years of war, as Reuters reported.
Washington
also stopped flying in hard currency, effectively paralyzing Afghanistan’s
banking system, and froze $7 billion in Afghan assets in the US Federal Reserve
Bank of New York. In February, Biden ordered half the sum set aside “for the
benefit of the Afghan people.”
Last
week, at least 77 family members of victims of 9/11 in a letter to United
States President Joe Biden wrote “the Afghanistan central bank funds currently
being kept in New York belong to the Afghan people,” arguing the pending
court’s decision is “morally wrong” if decided otherwise.
The
letter wrote that any use of the $7 billion to pay off 9/11 family member
judgments is “legally suspect” and “morally wrong.”
“We
ask you to use your executive power to modify your recent order and commit to
the only legally and morally correct approach – affirming that all $7 billion
of the Afghan central bank funds being kept in New York belong to the Afghan
people,” the letter reads, as TOLOnews quoted.
The
US State Department spokesman Ned Price at a recent press conference said that
$3.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves were preserved for the benefit of
the Afghan people, seeking a mechanism that will ensure transparency throughout
the process.
“What
we are focused on right now are the ongoing efforts to enable those funds, the
$3.5 billion in licensed Afghan central bank reserves, to be used for the
benefit of the Afghan people,” Price told the press conference.
“And
we’re seeking to find the best mechanism to ensure that those funds can go to
the Afghan people in a way that doesn’t risk their diversion from the Taliban
or other forces, including to potentially terrorist groups or terrorist
actors.”
In
February, President Biden signed an executive order to free $7 billion in
Afghan assets now frozen in the US, splitting the money between humanitarian
aid for poverty-stricken Afghanistan and a fund for families of 9/11 victims
still seeking relief for the attacks that killed thousands.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
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https://www.khaama.com/u-s-to-discuss-afghan-frozen-funds-with-kabul-sources/
--------
Albuquerque
murders: Afghan refugee indicted on third murder count in Muslim murders
August
22, 2022
An
Afghan refugee who was already facing two murder charges for the recent
slayings of two Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was indicted on a third
count Friday for allegedly killing another man who had just attended funeral
services for the other two victims on Aug. 5.
Muhammad
Syed, a 51-year-old man who has lived in Albuquerque for about five years, is
also suspected in a fourth murder that occurred in November 2021.
A
grand jury indicted him Friday on three counts of first-degree murder and four
counts of tampering with evidence.
Aftab
Hussein, 41, was shot and killed on July 26 after parking his car near his
home. Syed is accused of waiting "behind a bush" for Hussein to park
his car before ambushing him, according to court documents. A ShotSpotter
activation showed 13 gunshots were fired.
Muhammad
Afzaal Hussain, a 27-year-old local city planner, was shot and killed on Aug.
1.
In
the most recent murder, 25-year-old Naeem Hussain was shot and killed in the
parking lot of Lutheran Family Services, a resettlement agency. He had just
attended the funerals for the two other recent victims.
Before
those three shootings, 62-year-old Mohammad Ahmadi was discovered shot and
killed in the rear parking lot of a halal café he owned with his brother in November
2021.
Syed,
the suspect, has "denied having any involvement in the murders in this
case," according to a criminal complaint.
An
attorney for Syed did not immediately respond to a request for comment on
Monday.
He
was originally arrested on Aug. 9. A motive has not been offered by
prosecutors, but police said an "interpersonal conflict" may have led
to the shootings.
A
reporter asked at a press conference earlier this month if Syed, a Sunni
Muslim, could have been driven by anger that his daughter married a Shiite
Muslim. Albuquerque Police Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said at the time that
"the motives are still being explored fully to understand what they
are."
Source:
Fox News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
says gaps remain in Iran nuclear deal but pact closer than before
22
August, 2022
The
US continues to review the European Union’s latest proposed deal to curb Iran’s
nuclear program, saying it’s encouraged that some key demands have been
dropped.
The
Biden administration will respond at an appropriate time, a US official said
Monday, adding that delays by Iran have stretched on for months, and any
suggestion the US is now delaying the process is false.
The
official said the US sees it as a positive sign that Iran appears to have
dropped some of its demands, such as lifting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps’ designation by the US as a foreign terrorist organization.
The
EU proposal is the latest in the back-and forth over talks for a new deal,
after the previous pact collapsed in the aftermath of former President Donald
Trump’s decision in 2018 to pull the US out.
Stakeholders
have been watching closely for a US response to the EU since Iran delivered its
comments a week ago. World powers have spent almost 18 months trying a broker
an agreement that would reinstate strict limits on Iran’s atomic activity in
exchange for the easing of US sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s economy,
including its oil exports.
The
US is still studying the revised text, according to the official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity as the review continues. A deal is closer than it was
two weeks ago, but the outcome remains uncertain as some gaps remain and some
outstanding issues must still be resolved, the US official said.
NSC
Spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement that the US is not considering
new offers to sweeten the pot for Iran.
“Reports
that we have accepted or are considering new concessions to Iran as part of
reentering the 2015 nuclear deal are categorically false,” Watson said in a
statement.
Iran
sent a “reasonable response to the EU’s latest proposal for saving the 2015
nuclear accord, and diplomats might meet this week in Vienna to discuss the
next steps,” the bloc’s foreign-policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Monday. The
bloc is awaiting the US response.
“I
hope that this response allows us to end the negotiations,” Borrell said of the
anticipated comments from Washington, without elaborating on the remaining gaps
that had to be bridged. “That’s my hope, but I cannot assure you that this will
happen.”
President
Joe Biden spoke with counterparts in France, Germany and the UK on Sunday about
the talks. All four countries were signatories to the original deal, known as
the JCPOA. The leaders discussed “the need to strengthen support for partners
in the Middle East region,” according to a US summary of the call.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
refugee charged with murder of 3 Muslim men in New Mexico
23
August, 2022
A
New Mexico grand jury on Monday charged an Afghan refugee with the murder of
three Muslim men in ambush shootings that have shaken the immigrant community
in the state's largest city.
Police
on Aug. 9 charged Muhammad Syed, 51, with two of the killings and evidence from
cell phones allowed prosecutors to link Syed to a third murder, that of
trucking business owner Naeem Hussain on Aug.5.
Syed
was charged with the murder Hussain and the killings of cafe employee Aftab
Hussein on July 26 and city planning director Muhammad Afzaal Hussain on Aug.
1, according to the grand jury indictment.
Police
said Syed was the primary suspect in a fourth murder of grocery store and cafe
owner Mohammad Ahmadi, 62.
The
office of Bernalillo District Attorney Raul Torrez said in a statement it was
working with police “to investigate any involvement Mr. Syed might have had
with the November 2021 homicide.”
Grand
juries operate in secrecy and are often used by prosecutors to allow witnesses
to speak freely without fear of retaliation.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Supporters
of Iraq‘s Muqtada al-Sadr launch sit-in outside highest judicial body
23
August, 2022
Several
hundred supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr launched a sit-in outside
Iraq’s highest judicial body Tuesday, his bloc said, ratcheting up tensions in
a showdown with a rival Shia alliance.
The
Sadrists, who have already been camping outside parliament for the past three
weeks, pitched tents outside the gates of the body’s Baghdad headquarters with
placards demanding the dissolution of parliament and new elections, images
released by his bloc showed.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Seven
dead as rescue workers pull two more bodies from rubble at Shia shrine in Iraq
22
August, 2022
Two
more bodies were recovered on Monday from a shrine in Iraq's Karbala province
after a landslide caused it to partially collapse, bringing the overall toll to
seven dead, rescue services said.
“Unfortunately,
we found this morning [Monday] two bodies, a man and a woman,” under the rubble
of Qattarat al-Imam Ali, Jawdat Abdelrahman, director of the civil defense
media department, told AFP.
So
far, the bodies retrieved from the site were a child, four women and two men,
while three children had been rescued and rushed to hospital.
“We
are continuing the search for other victims,” Abdelrahman said, adding that
eyewitnesses said that the body of another woman was still under the rubble.
Civil
defense spokesman Nawas Sabah Shaker had said on Sunday that between six and
eight pilgrims had been reported trapped under the debris of the shrine, near
the Shiite holy city of Karbala.
Rescue
workers had searched for two days after the shrine, which sits at the base of
high, bare rock walls, was partially buried when earthen embankments collapsed
due to saturation from humidity, according to the civil defense.
It
is the latest tragedy to befall oil-rich but poverty-stricken Iraq, which is
trying to move past decades of war but is hobbled by political paralysis,
endemic corruption and other challenges.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Egypt's
al-Sisi to host five-state Arab summit
22 August,
2022
Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is to host a five-nation Arab summit on Monday
with the Ukraine war-related energy and food crisis on the agenda, a government
newspaper said.
Al-Sisi,
UAE’s President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iraqi Prime Minister
Mustafa al-Kadhemi and the kings of Jordan and Bahrain, Abdullah II and Hamad,
respectively, are to meet in El-Alamein, northwest of Cairo on the
Mediterranean coast, Al-Ahram said.
Al-Ahram,
which cited a diplomatic source, said the dispute pitting Egypt and Sudan
against Ethiopia over its Renaissance Dam on the Nile would also be up for discussion,
as well as the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya, and the latest Israel-Gaza
round of fighting earlier this month
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
KSrelief
General Supervisor, Germany’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia discuss joint
cooperation
August
23, 2022
RIYADH:
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, Advisor at the Royal Court and General
Supervisor of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief),
discussed ways to enhance joint cooperation with Germany’s Ambassador to the
Kingdom Dieter Lamle on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The
two officials reviewed joint aid projects launched in countries in need, SPA
said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2148216/saudi-arabia
--------
Family
struck by grief after it loses 6 in Egypt church fire
August
23, 2022
IMBABA,
Egypt: For Mariam Habeib, the grief seems never ending: She lost her older
sister, two nieces and a niece’s three young children in an intense fire that
engulfed a church in Egypt’s capital during a recent service and killed 41
people.
The
Coptic Christian community is one of the world’s oldest, and no stranger to
sadness. A minority in Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Christians have faced deadly
attacks by Islamic extremists, restrictions on church building and outbursts of
sectarian-motivated violence in recent decades. The most recent tragedy brought
a flood of sympathy from around the country.
“Our
solace is that they went to heaven together as they liked to be together in
life,” Habeib said of her relatives, tears streaming down her face.
Nineteen
of those killed in the Aug. 14 fire were children. The blaze erupted at the
Martyr Abu Sefein Coptic Christian Orthodox Church in the neighborhood of
Imbaba, one of Egypt’s most densely populated areas. Sixteen people were also
injured, including four police officers and residents involved in the rescue
effort. Health authorities said the casualties were a result of smoke
inhalation and a stampede as people tried to escape.
According
to prosecutors, the fire was ignited by a short-circuit in the building’s generator,
a backup source of power, which the church used during regular outages. The
generator, they said, caught fire when the current returned after a blackout
that morning.
Habeib
lives in Shubra, another densely populated, working-class district in Cairo. On
the morning of the fire, she said she was on her way to work when she received
a phone call from her brother. He told her that he had heard there was a fire
at Abu Sefein and that their oldest sister, Magda Habeib, and her daughters
were there. She soon learned that victims were being brought to a nearby
hospital.
By
the time she arrived, Mariam Habeib found herself facing what she had dreaded
during the half-hour drive to the hospital.
Her
nephew, Mina Atif, had recognized the bodies of his mother, Magda, two sisters,
Irine and Mirna, and Irine’s 5-year-old twin daughters, Barcina and Mariam.
They roamed the halls looking for the still-missing 3-year-old boy. Then they
saw hospital workers carrying a small body wrapped in a white sheet. It turned out
to be the body of Irine’s toddler, Ibram.
“All
of them were lying motionless before our eyes,” she said. “The kids had been
very lively ones, as if they knew that their end would be soon.”
Habeib
and her nephew collapsed in disbelief, two among the dozens of weeping
grief-stricken relatives at the hospital’s morgue.
Although
officials ruled out arson, the fire — one of the deadliest in Egypt in many
years — raised a barrage of questions about the emergency response system, fire
safety codes and restrictions on building houses of worship for one of the
Middle East’s largest Christian communities.
The
Martyr Abu Sefein Church was in a 120 square-meter (1,290 square-foot) space in
a four-story converted apartment building that looks like other residential buildings
in the crowded neighborhood constructed largely without planning or permits. It
was recognizable as a church only by a sign above its front door, and an iron
cross on its roof.
Coptic
Christian Pope Tawadros II said the church, like many others, is too small for
the number of congregants it serves. He blamed government restrictions on new
church construction and urged authorities in Muslim-majority Egypt to move
existing small churches to new locations or allow them to expand to accommodate
growing numbers.
The
limits on new church construction have led many congregations to convert
residential buildings into places of worship. In 2016, President Abdel Fattah
El-Sisi’s government issued the country’s first law spelling out the rules for
building a church. Critics argued the law did nothing to ease previous
restrictions.
Just
a day before the fire, on Saturday, the entire family had been together for
their weekly family gathering, steps away from the church.
“It
was a very beautiful day, as if they were saying goodbye,” said Michael Ayad,
who is married to Nermin, one of Magda’s two surviving children. Also present
was the fiancé of Magda’s youngest daughter, Mirna, 22, a university student.
The two were meant to have been married this year.
Days
later, Mina, Magda’s son, was receiving hundreds of mourners at the same home
where his family had been happy days before. Dozens of neighbors and relatives
came to remember the dead, many speaking through tears.
A
neighbor of 40 years who identified herself as Um Azza, recalled how Magda
Habeib was among the first to try to settle disputes between neighbors no
matter their religion, even marital problems.
“Everyone
in the street is in debt to her for her generosity,” she said, fighting back
tears.
Magda’s
husband had died a decade ago, but the 61-year-old continued to live in the
same apartment the family had inhabited for 30 years. Her two younger children
Mina and Mirna, lived with her. Her two married daughters, Nermin and Irine,
lived in the same neighborhood. Irine’s husband had died last year of a heart
attack, leaving her a single mother to three young children. Irine and her
children stayed the night on Saturday, to go to church with her mother the next
morning.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2148311/middle-east
--------
Mideast
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad vow resistance to Israeli occupation
Aug
23, 2022
GAZA:
Militant groups Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) held a joint
meeting in the Gaza Strip weeks after deadly Israeli strikes against the PIJ in
the besieged enclave, vowing to support each other's resistance against the
Israeli occupation.
The
meeting, attended by members of the two factions' political and military
leaders, was "positive and important", Khader Habib, a senior PIJ
leader, told Xinhua news agency.
He
added that the Hamas and PIJ agreed to strengthen ties to support "the two
groups' strategy of resisting the Israeli occupation".
A
joint statement issued after the meeting described "armed resistance"
as "the choice of the two movements", warning Israel against
"any future assaults against the Palestinian people and the members of the
armed resistance".
"There
is no retreat, no hesitation, and it will continue under high coordination
between the two movements and all other factions," the statement said,
adding "our response will be firm, decisive, and united".
On
August 5, Israeli fighter jets carried out intensive airstrikes on PIJ targets
for three days, killing two of its top militants.
In
response, the Gaza militants fired barrages of rockets at Israel.
Hamas
didn't join the round of fighting, which ended after Egypt brokered a ceasefire
between Israel and PIJ on August 7.
The
PIJ, which is closely linked to Iran, is classified as a terrorist organisation
by the EU and the US.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinian
prisoners stage mass hunger strike in Israeli jails
22
August 2022
Palestinian
prisoners have staged a mass hunger strike in Israeli prisons to protest
crackdowns and mistreatment by prison officials.
The
prisoners, who began their strikes on Monday, also refused to leave their cells
for the routine so-called “security checks”.
They
say their strike, which will last two weeks, aims to protest repeated
inspection of cells by Israeli prison guards.
The
decision to begin the hunger strike was made by a “supreme emergency committee”
which made up of prisoners from all factions.
It
comes after Israeli prison authorities announced a set of repressive measures
against long-term prisoners in violation of an agreement reached with
prisoners.
In
March, the prisoners agreed to suspend their pressure measures after the regime
decided to put an end to the retaliatory actions taken by the Israeli Prison
Service (IPS).
There
are thousands of Palestinians held at Israeli jails. Hundreds of the inmates
have been apparently incarcerated under the practice of the so-called
administrative detention. Some prisoners have been held in administrative
detention for up to 11 years.
Israeli
jail authorities keep Palestinian prisoners under deplorable conditions without
proper hygienic standards.
Palestinian
inmates have also been subjected to systematic torture, harassment, and
repression.
The
new strike action also comes after the Israeli regime’s Supreme Court tossed
out an appeal request submitted for the release of a Palestinian prisoner, who
has been on hunger strike for 172 days in protest at his illegal detention.
The
court nixed the request lodged by Khalil Awawda’s lawyer on Sunday, despite
severe deterioration in his health conditions, the official Palestinian Wafa
news agency reported.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/22/687822/Palestinians-prisoners-reject-food-Israeli-prisons
--------
Spokesman
Reiterates Iran's Unchangeable Policy of Revenge for Assassination of Gen.
Soleimani
2022-August-22
Kana'ani
ruled out rumors about Iran's stance related to taking revenge for the former
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Commander assassination.
"The
Iranian nation and government will never forget the coward assassination of Lt.
Gen. Soleimani and that Tehran is determined to use all possible means to bring
the murderers to justice," he said.
“Revenge
is not forgettable,” he stated, adding that this case will never be settled by
compromise and has nothing to do with sanctions removal talks.
Tehran
says Americans and Zionists rest assured that it is serious about revenge for
the assassination of Martyr Soleimani, and they continue to live under the
shadow of Iran's reprisal since they don't know when and where they come under
attack.
Lieutenant
General Soleimani, his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the
second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU, and ten of their deputies were martyred by an
armed drone strike that was directly ordered by the White House as their convoy
left Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.
Both
commanders were highly revered across the Middle East because of their key role
in fighting the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) Takfiri terrorist group in the region,
particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Days
later, the the IRGC targeted the US-run Ein Al-Assad in Iraq’s Western province
of Al-Anbar by launching a volley of missiles in retaliation. According to the
Pentagon, at least 110 American forces suffered “traumatic brain injuries”
during the counterstrike on the base. Iran has described the missile attack as
a “first slap".
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Army
Commander: Several Countries Favouring Iranian Military Equipment
2022-August-22
"The
valuable achievements of the defense industry in various sectors have been
welcomed and requested by many countries," Maj. Gen. Mousavi stated in a
message on the occasion of National Day of Defense Industry.
He
noted that the Iranian Armed Forces’ deterrent power dissuades enemies from
implementing its threats against the country.
"With
the support of tireless efforts and indefatigable endeavors of committed
experts of the country's defense industry as well as taking advantage of the
high capability of committed scientists and elites in the defense industry, a
safe and reliable deterrence has been created against the enemies," the
top commander added.
"The
ministry of defense has created the power of ‘deterrence’ and ‘defense
authority’ in spite of threats and sanctions waged by enemies against the
country, the military official stressed.
"Despite
the full-scale hostility of the arrogant powers, the defense industry of the
country benefited from the existing capacities and capabilities of its creative
forces and has been able to pave suitable ways for the development of the
country and safeguard all-out independence and territorial integrity after the
glorious victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran," Major General Mousavi
noted.
Iranian
DM: Defense Equipment Production Rises by 125%https://t.co/pY3SLfO0Q0
pic.twitter.com/UfQQnwNj2J
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) August 20, 2022
The
Islamic Republic’s military doctrine holds that the country’s armed capability
solely serves defensive purposes.
Iranian
military experts and technicians have in recent years made substantial headway
in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces
self-sufficient in the weaponry sphere.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran:
No Response from US on EU Proposal, Key Issues Still Unresolved
2022-August-22
Kana'ani
told reporters at his weekly press conference that the United States has not
yet responded to the Europeans' suggestions on the revival of the 2015 nuclear
deal.
The
spokesperson lashed out at the US officials for delaying to respond to EU
proposals, saying, "We can talk about the success of this phase of
negotiations when the European side announces that it has received a response
from Washington."
"In
the last round of the Vienna talks, proposals were presented by the European
Union coordinator to the negotiation parties, including Tehran. The Iranian
side based on its own constructive and responsible approach, gave its own
response to the European side's proposal at the appointed time," he
stated.
"We
have made relatively good progress, but the negotiations are a series, and we
must agree on all the issues related to the talks, and until it is done, we
cannot say that we have reached an agreement and move forward or welcome the
next stage. The remaining issues are important and should be decided and agreed
upon," the spokesman continued.
Last
Monday, Iran announced it had provided the EU with its final conclusion on the
negotiations, emphasizing that it was now the US turn to show realism and
flexibility if it really wanted a final agreement to be reached. The United
States and the EU have both announced they are studying Iran's response and
will announce their own responses in the coming days.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, the diplomat noted that his country participated seriously,
constructively and responsibly in the negotiations in the past and recent
rounds.
"Iran
responded to the proposals of the European side in a timely manner, acted
innovatively, and showed the necessary flexibility to reach an agreement,"
the official said.
"However,
what is important is the delay of the American side in providing an answer,
otherwise, we acted on time in this regard and showed that we acted
responsibly. The US administration is responsible for the current situation of
the JCPOA and the non-implementation of the agreement so far, and in the
current process, the US administration is also responsible for the current
situation, and if it shows serious will in action and acts responsibly in its
promises and actions, we can move to the next direction," the official
added.
Kana'ani
stated that "Iran's negotiating team attended the talks to secure the nation's
interests and realize the legitimate interests of the government and the
nation, and acted seriously and professionally in the course of negotiations
and is standing by this path".
He,
however, stressed that Tehran will not tie the process of people's livelihood
and Iran's economy to the process of talks. The diplomat added that in the
field of the development of relations with neighbors and the expansion of
economic and trade ties with different countries, both neighbors and
non-neighbors, Tehran will not wait for an answer from the other side.
Kana'ani
also talked about Iran’s readiness for prisoner swap with the US, noting that
this was discussed with the Americans indirectly and outside the framework of
the JCPOA.
“The
swap was possible. But, unfortunately what we saw in the other party was lack
of action and sheer media comments,” he said.
Tehran
has recently called on Washington to free the Iranian nationals held in the US
jails, and urged the White House to act instead of performing theatrical shows.
Some
Iranians are in US jails just because of ignoring Washington's illegal
sanctions on Tehran.
Senior
Analyst: US to Blame If Talks Fail to End in Dealhttps://t.co/IjjnqIrKPS
pic.twitter.com/Tb2UJSXqYs
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) August 16, 2022
Before
submiting the final conclusion to the EU, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir
Abdollahian urged the United States to be flexible and realistic to let the
negotiations yield fruit, and warned that Tehran has its own "Plan B"
and it will go into effect if Washington fails to make a political decision to
revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
"We
also have our own Plan B, but this issue must be resolved through talks,” he
stated, referred to the US claim that it has a Plan B in case the talks fail.
The
foreign minister noted that if the US acts realistically and flexibly, Tehran
and the other sides will reach a deal in the coming days.
Iran
and the five remaining parties to the nuclear deal have held several rounds of
negotiations since April last year to restore the agreement, which was
unilaterally abandoned by Donald Trump in May 2018.
In
quitting the agreement, Trump restored sanctions on Iran as part of what he
called the “maximum pressure” campaign against the country. Those sanctions are
being enforced to this day by the Joe Biden administration, even though it has
repeatedly acknowledged that the policy has been a mistake and a failure.
Iranian
officials say the ball is in the US' court, and the Biden administration should
assure Tehran that it will not repeat Trump's past mistakes.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gov't
Spokesman Describes Iran as Victim of Terrorism
2022-August-22
"More
than 18,000 Iranians have fallen victims to terrorist acts; We have lost the
president, prime minister and scientists," the spokesman wrote on Twitter
on Saturday, commemorating Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of
Terrorism.
He
further pointed to the US assassination of Iran's anti-terror commander Lieutenant
General Qassem Soleimani, and recalled that his martyrdom proved that Tehran
spearheads the fight against terrorism.
International
Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is to honor and
support the victims and survivors of terrorism and to promote and protect the
full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Iran
calls terrorism and extremism as result of the inefficiency of the current
international situation, and stresses it wants a world free from violence and extremism.
Iranian officials say Tehran has lost more people than any other country in the
fight against terrorism. Iran has been the target of terrorist attacks in the
past few decades and thousands of its citizens have been martyred by the
terrorist groups.
Families
of Victims Ask EU Int’l Bodies to Prosecute MKO Terrorist
Grouplethttps://t.co/BzcVBdCYZe pic.twitter.com/luuqHgu0xj
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) March 14, 2021
Earlier
on Saturday, Deputy Chief of Iran's Judiciary and head of the country's Human
Rights Headquarters Kazzem Qaribabadi said that Tehran is extremely serious
about confronting terrorist groups and their actions.
During
a meeting with the families of terrorism martyrs in the city of Sanandaj, the
capital city of the Western province of Kurdistan, Qaribabadi stated Iran’s top
priorities in the international level are to fight sanctions, protect the
rights of the victims of sanctions and also bring members of terrorist groups
to justice and put them on trial.
The
official added Iran is serious about fighting terrorist groups and their
actions.
After
the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the anti-Tehran Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization
(MKO) terrorist group began its enmity against Iran by killing thousands of
Iranians and terrorist activities. Several members of the terrorist group and
its leaders are living in European countries now, freely conducting terrorist
activities.
The
MKO terrorist group has martyred 17,161 Iranian citizens and officials,
including late president Mohammad Ali Rajayee, former Prime Minister Mohammad
Javad Bahonar, late Head of Supreme Judicial Council Ayatollah Mohammad
Beheshti, late Deputy Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Ali
Sayyad Shirazi, and 27 legislators, as well as four nuclear scientists, some on
itself and some others through collusion with Israeli Mossad and other
notorious spy agencies like CIA.
The
MKO terrorist group has publicly specified targets as martyred Lieutenant
General Qassem Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps (IRGC), and Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi.
The
terrorist organization said it would “welcome” their assassination, adding that
it desired for the ranking officials to “join” Asadollah Lajevardi, Tehran’s
former chief prosecutor, and Ali Sayyad-Shirazi, a former commander of the
Iranian Army’s Ground Forces during Iraq’s 1980-88 war against Iran, who have
both been assassinated by the terror outfit.
The
MKO is currently based in Albania, where it enjoys freedom of activity after
being delisted by the European Union and the United States in 2009 and 2012,
respectively.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010531000235/Gv'-Spkesman-Describes-Iran-as-Vicim-f-Terrrism
--------
IRGC
Deputy Commander: Hezbollah Forces Can Annihilate Israeli Regime's Army
2022-August-21
Felicitating
the 40th anniversary of the formation of the Lebanon Hezbollah Resistance
Movement to Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, General Naqdi reiterated that the
Resistance Movement has always defeated enemies and their allies.
Underlining
the need for liberating the Holy Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque, Brigadier General
Naghdi called for expelling the occupying Zionists from Palestine.
"Today,
Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance are at the peak of greatness and power,
and the strength of the Resistance today cannot be compared with the previous
decades," he noted.
General
Naqdi pointed out that today, Hezbollah has the most powerful ground force in
the region "which can destroy the Zionist army".
In
relevant remarks in October 2020, General Naqdi had said that Iran has many
popular military allies around the world who come into operation in case of war
and when the country’s interests are endangered.
“If
war breaks out, we do not have a few military allies. The force which has been
formed and the same people who are in different corners of the world, are
considered as our military allies,” General Naqdi said in an interview with the
state TV.
He
explained that Iran’s military allies are more dangerous to the enemies than an
official army as they are unknown and unidentified and come to Iran’s
assistance when in need and in case of war.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon’s
Hezbollah attack on gas field may spark war: Israeli defence minister
22 August,
2022
Israel
on Monday warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah any attack on its gas assets could spark
war, after the terrorist organization threatened to “sever” Israel’s hands if
it taps a disputed offshore field.
The
warning from Defense Minister Benny Gantz comes amid lengthy negotiations
between the eastern Mediterranean neighbors to settle a dispute over their
maritime border.
Tensions
spiked in June when a production vessel chartered by Israel arrived near the
Karish offshore gas field, which Lebanon claims is within contested waters.
Israel
said on July 2 that it had downed three drones launched by Hezbollah towards
Karish.
Hezbollah
leader Hassan Nasrallah said on August 9 that “the hand that reaches for any of
this wealth will be severed.”
Asked
if any attack by Hezbollah against an Israeli gas field could lead to war,
Gantz said: “Yes, that could trigger a reaction.”
“Leading
to several days of fighting and to a military campaign. We are strong and
prepared for this scenario, but we don't want it,” the minister told Israel's
103 FM radio station.
Gantz
said extraction from the gas field would begin “when it is ready to produce,”
reaffirming Israel's claim to Karish.
“The
State of Israel is both ready to protect its assets and ready to reach a deal
with the Lebanese government, via American mediation, on the Sidon deposit,” he
said in reference to another gas field known in Lebanon as Qana.
“I
believe that in the future, there will be two gas platforms. One on our side,
one on theirs. And I hope that we do not have to go through another round of
confrontations before then.”
Israel
and Lebanon last fought a devastating conflict in 2006 and remain officially at
war, with UN peacekeepers patrolling the land border.
Negotiations
on the maritime border resumed in 2020, with the talks stalling before being
revived in June.
The
initial discussions focused on a disputed area of 860 square kilometers (332
square miles), in accordance with Lebanon's claims registered at the UN in
2011.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
launches flights for West Bank Palestinians, first flight departs for Cyprus
22 August,
2022
Israel
on Monday launched a scheme allowing Palestinians from the occupied West Bank
to fly abroad from an airport in the Negev desert.
Forty
Palestinians were aboard the first flight from Ramon airport near the southern
Israeli resort city of Eilat, a spokeswoman for the Israel Airports Authority
told AFP.
The
flight operated by Israeli airline Arkia is expected to land in Larnaca,
Cyprus, at 12:45 pm (0945 GMT) on Monday.
While
residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank can travel abroad from
Israel's main international airport near Tel Aviv, the vast majority of Palestinians
from the territory are banned from doing so.
Palestinians
must instead make an overland crossing from the West Bank to Jordan, before
boarding a flight in the country’s capital Amman.
The
King Hussein (Allenby) crossing between Jordan and the West Bank last month saw
“an unprecedented rise in the number of travelers,” a Jordanian official said.
A
spokesperson from COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body responsible for
civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, confirmed Palestinians were aboard
Monday’s flight to Larnaca.
Rather
than permit Palestinians to fly from Ramon, some 180 kilometres (112 miles)
south of the West Bank, Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on
Israel to instead reopen Jerusalem airport.
“He
demanded these authorities open Jerusalem airport in the Qalandia area, and
remove obstacles to the movement of individuals and goods to and from
Palestine,” a cabinet meeting statement said last month.
The
airport in east Jerusalem was used by Palestinians until the 1967 Six-Day War,
when Israel captured the area and other Palestinian territories.
Israelis
operated the Jerusalem airport until 2001 and it has since been deserted,
though there are plans to build a settlement on the site.
The
first flights in the Ramon pilot program were expected to be operated by
Turkish airlines.
The
Israel Airports Authority said Sunday that the involvement of foreign firms in
the scheme had been postponed.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
prime minister says not obligated by Iran nuclear deal
Abdel-Rauf
Arnaut
22.08.2022
JERUSALEM
Israeli
Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Monday Israel opposes a return to the nuclear deal
with Iran.
Lapid
spoke over the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron during which he said
Israel would not be obligated by the deal, according to a statement issued by
his office.
“Israel
will continue to do everything to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear
capability,” Lapid said.
The
Israeli premier said Iran is still negotiating on an offer which was presented
as “take it or leave it.”
He
claimed that there are new elements in the offer that go beyond the limits of
the original nuclear deal, adding that it will “pave the significant investment
to flow into Iran’s terrorist network and to strengthening the Iranian
military.”
According
to the statement, Macron emphasized his commitment to preventing Iran from
acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Israeli
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said early Monday that Israel opposes a
forthcoming nuclear deal between the West and Iran and will “work to bring it
down.”
Israel
accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb, a claim denied by Tehran,
which says its program is designed for peaceful purposes.
On
Monday, Iran cited “good progress” in talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear
agreement with the West.
Former
US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear
deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure
campaign" on Tehran.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
defence minister confirms crisis with Egypt over Gaza
Abdel
Raouf Arnaout
22.08.2022
JERUSALEM
Israeli
Defense Minister Benny Gantz has confirmed a crisis with Egypt over a recent
Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"We
have constant contact with Egypt, and in the last two years, there have been
ups and downs," Gantz said in statements.
"In
the last few days, there has been a slight down, but we're sorting it
out," he added.
Tension
arose between the two sides after Israel refused to rein in its raids in the
occupied West Bank.
According
to Israeli media, Cairo was angry at Israel’s handling of the Gaza offensive
and the assassination of Palestinian activist Ibrahim al-Nabulsi one day
following the Gaza cease-fire.
Al-Nabulsi
was killed along two other Palestinians in an Israeli raid in Nablus city one
day after Egypt managed to broker a cease-fire to end a 3-day Israeli offensive
on Gaza.
At
least 49 Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured in the onslaught.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Islamic
Jihad missiles shattered Israel's invincibility myth during latest Gaza war:
Cmdr.
22
August 2022
A
high-ranking commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement
says the intense barrages of missiles fired by his comrades in retaliation for
the latest Israeli military onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip put an end to
the regime’s so-called myth of invincibility.
Ahmed
al-Modallal said on Monday the missiles launched by the al-Quds Brigades, the
military wing of the Islamic Jihad, gave Israel a considerable shock, and
showed that the resistance front will not be defeated.
He
underlined the importance of maintaining national solidarity and steadfastness
in order to terminate the oppressive and brutal siege against the Gaza Strip.
Modallal
highlighted that Zionists continue to desecrate the holy al-Aqsa Mosque
compound in the occupied Old City of al-Quds, conduct excavations beneath the
sacred site, and suppress Palestinian worshippers.
The
senior Islamic Jihad commander emphasized that the Palestinian resistance front
will continue confronting the Israeli occupation, adding that Palestinians have
embraced the struggle.
The
Israeli regime carried out new massacre in the besieged Gaza Strip on August 5,
killing nearly 50 people, including Taysir al-Jabari, a senior commander of the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement.
The
Israeli airstrikes prompted the al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military
wing, to respond by firing hundreds of rockets toward the occupied territories,
pushing the regime forces on the back foot.
The
strong retaliation, as was pledged by the resistance group, forced Tel Aviv to
accept an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire, which took effect late on August 7.
Secretary
General of the Islamic Jihad resistance movement Ziad al-Nakhala says the
movement has made “a great achievement” in the face of Israel, lauding
Palestinian people’s resistance against the regime's aggression.
Ziad
al-Nakhala made the remarks after the movement agreed to a truce with the Tel
Aviv regime following three days of strikes on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli
forces.
“Fifty-eight
Zionist-populated settlements were simultaneously brought under the al-Quds
Brigades’ rocket fire,” Nakhala said during a press conference in Tehran.
“The
occupiers failed to impose any of their conditions on us,” he added. The
Islamic Jihad, on the other hand, conditioned the truce on the release of two
of its prisoners, who have been detained by the Israeli regime, he added.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
G25:
Root of corruption are political lobbyists, not non-Muslims
By
Ashley Yeong
22
Aug 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 22 — The G25 group of prominent retired civil servants today called
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang “irresponsible” for his statement on
non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera being the “root of corruption”.
In
a statement, the group said turning corruption into a racial issue will not
mesh well with voters of all races and does not benefit his own party members.
“His
statement has caused distress among non-Malays that they are being made the
scapegoat for the institutional weaknesses that make it possible for corruption
to spread like a cancer.
“A
more responsible way is to take a non-racial approach by recognising the truth,
whether in Malaysia or in any country in any part of the world, that when
bureaucracy becomes too difficult to get things done, corruption starts to rear
its ugly head,” G25 said in the statement.
The
group said that Malaysia’s slow service in administrative paperwork like
passports and licences paved the way for businesses and institutions to accept
“duit kopi” as a favour to speed up processes but has since gone down after
operations became more digitalised.
“While
petty corruption has gone down because of greater administrative efficiency,
high level corruption has been increasing at an alarming rate, mainly because
of the need for political funds to build a war chest for elections and also
because of personal greed among politicians and civil servants.
“The
spread of high-level corruption has no racial divide among givers and takers,”
G25 said.
The
group refuted Abdul Hadi’s sentiments and said that political leaders were more
susceptible to corruption because of a lack of accountability and transparency
in awarding contracts to government purchases and procurements.
“When
the ministers show they have the power to make their own decisions, the
political lobbyists will know who to bribe to get the approvals, and the best
lobbyists are those who are family friends and relatives of those in power.
“This
‘I scratch your back, you scratch my back’ syndrome applies to all races
because money knows no race,” the group said.
It
added that Abdul Hadi, as the leader of PAS, should be familiar with the
syndrome as evident in the issue of illegal logging of forest reserves in
Kelantan when it allegedly involved bribery and corruption and cross-border
smuggling along the Thai border.
“The
attempt by the PAS leader to blame the non-Malays shows his lack of knowledge
about the root causes of corruption.
“He
ignores the truth that the frontliners who act as lobbyists for business owners
to reach to the top are members of the ruling party in power at federal or
state level.
“The
lobbyists go for whoever can offer them the best deal such as a success fee or
a partnership in the non-Malay company.
“It
is therefore not right to blame the non-Malays as the big players in the
corruption scandals because as the saying goes, it takes two to tango,” G25
said.
Describing
political lobbyists as “rent collectors”, the group said that high-level
contracts are usually given in exchange for benefits like cash incentives.
“With
so many ‘rent collectors’ to pay, the costs of corruption make government
expenditures unnecessarily high for the country.
“The
PAS president should have mentioned how money is used to make the political
lobbyist job so attractive to party officials. They are the real shakers and
movers of corruption at the highest levels of government,” it added.
On
Saturday, Abdul Hadi reportedly accused non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera of being
the detriment to the country’s economy and politics.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Ensure
straight fights in Penang, PAS tells Malay-Muslim parties
August
22, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Penang PAS has urged Malay parties to put up a united front and ensure
one on one fights in the state in the next general election (GE15).
Penang
PAS committee member Abdul Razib Abd Rahim said the state committee supported
the central committee’s ummah unification agenda.
“Penang
is well known for being the heartland of Pakatan Harapan (PH)-DAP, so the
agenda of unifying Malay parties is even more important here to prevent PH from
taking advantage of any split in Malay-Muslim votes,” he said.
“The
slogan ‘Islam unites the ummah’ should be backed by all PAS supporters, so that
efforts to unite Malay political parties are successful and in line with
shariah and party policy.”
Razib
said the parties, which he did not name, must be committed towards this cause
to ensure Malay-Muslim interests were not denied and neglected in Penang.
“Penang
PAS calls for all parties to forgo their personal interests in GE15, and ensure
that the Malay-Muslim vote can be united for the well-being and harmony of the
people,” he said.
Previously,
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said some divisions had proposed to
strengthen the ummah and Muafakat Nasional (MN) in line with the party’s
stance.
“We
have 197 divisions nationwide submitting their motions to PAS central for
debate at the party’s 68th annual assembly on Sept 3 and 4. Among the motions
raised were regarding MN but they were nothing more than stressing the need to
unite the ummah,” Takiyuddin said, referring to the troubled alliance with
Umno.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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PBM
will give BN headache on seat sharing, says Umno veteran
Faiz
Zainudin
August
23, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: An Umno veteran has warned the Barisan Nasional leadership that accepting
Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) into the coalition will only make seat distribution
among component parties more difficult.
Mustapha
Yaakub, secretary-general of the Umno Veterans’ Club, pointed out that seat
negotiations were still an issue yet to be resolved among the current BN
component parties.
He
claimed that PBM, led by former PKR vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin, merely
wanted to make use of BN’s strength with the 15th general election looming.
“There’s
no need for BN to be in a hurry in accepting (PBM), especially with GE15 just
around the corner.
“Even
giving up some (seats) to Friends of BN, who have been with us for a long time,
is hard enough. It will be much harder with a new party added,” he said.
The
Friends of BN grouping comprises Makkal Sakti, Parti Cinta Malaysia, the All
Malaysian Indian Progressive Front, Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress, Malaysian
Indian United Party and Parti Punjabi Malaysia.
Beruas
Umno chief Azhar Ahmad said BN should accept these six “friends” into the
coalition first before allowing PBM to join the fold.
Since
it would make seat negotiations difficult, he said, parties should not be
seeking to join the bloc just to field candidates in the elections. “If they’re
just joining BN to contest seats, then there’s no need to accept them,” he
said.
PBM
had applied to join BN in July but there has been no response yet. BN deputy
chairman Mohamad Hasan had said the component parties must reach a consensus on
PBM’s application.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Johor
ruler in no hurry to decide on state’s weekend
August
23, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar says he will not be rushed into
making a decision to change the state’s weekend back to Saturday and Sunday.
Sultan
Ibrahim said he wanted the government to focus on the state’s economic growth
for the benefit of the people while he deliberated the decision, adding that
there was “no need for any hullabaloo or politicising on the issue”.
“I
do not want to be rushed into this decision as I need to think this through
thoroughly,” he said in a Facebook post.
He
said an announcement would be made once he was “completely sure and confident
that it would be the best decision for the good of Johor”.
Sultan
Ibrahim said the state government may send him proposals which he will review
thoroughly.
“I
will consider all the positives and negatives of the state government’s
proposals, while also considering and perusing all (other) viewpoints on the
matter,” he said.
He
also asked all parties to stop speculating on the issue or urge him to make a
quick announcement.
On
June 14, menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state government would review
the weekend rest days. He said a decision would be announced after a
comprehensive study.
In
2014, Sultan Ibrahim had changed the state’s weekend to Friday and Saturday as
a mark of respect for Friday’s importance to Muslims and as recognition of
Islam as the state’s religion.
He
had said this was a reversion of the state’s original weekend, which had been
in effect since the time Johor was an unfederated Malay state.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Africa
MURIC
makes demand as police nab two soldiers for allegedly killing Islamic cleric
August
22, 2022
By
Don Silas
Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for swift justice in the killing of Shaykh
Goni Aisami by two soldiers last Friday in Yobe State.
MURIC
described the killing as brutal, callous and cold-blooded.
This
was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the director of the Islamic
human rights organisation, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
This
is coming after the Yobe Police Command had already arrested the suspects.
The
statement read in part, “The most popular Islamic scholar in Gashua, Yobe
State, Shaykh Goni Aisami, was killed on Friday, 19th August 2022 by a soldier
who claimed to be on duty and begged for a lift from Nguru to Jajimaji town. On
their way, the soldier ordered him to stop the car, shot him three times and
dumped his body.
“The
soldier called an accomplice who is another soldier for assistance because the
car failed to start. But all efforts to restart the car failed until local
residents saw the Shaykh’s body and noticed them fiddling with the car. They
notified the police immediately.
“While
we commend the Yobe Police Command for arresting the suspects, we call for
swift justice in this matter. The killing is brutal, callous and cold-blooded.
The suspects must be arraigned in a court of competent jurisdiction as soon as
the police complete their investigations. We warn against any hanky-panky.
“These
two soldiers are a disgrace to the Nigerian Army. They are bad eggs. While our gallant
soldiers have been having sleepless nights so that Nigerians can sleep with
their two eyes closed, criminal elements among them have been robbing and
killing innocent people.
“These
two soldiers, Lance Corporal John Gabriel and Lance Corporal Adamu Gideon of
241 Recce Battalion Nguru, who have confessed to their crimes, are bad
examples, and the law must take its due course.
“MURIC
calls for a full investigation into the crime. There may be other accomplices
apart from the soldier who came to assist him. We are interested in knowing how
a soldier who is not on duty travelled from Nguru to Jajimaji with a rifle.
Source:
Daily Post Ngeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Somalia
PM vows accountability over deadly hotel siege
August
22, 2022
MOGADISHU:
Somalia’s prime minister pledged that the government will be held accountable
over the deadly Mogadishu hotel siege by Al-Shabab militants whom he branded
“children of hell.”
Hamza
Abdi Barre also called on Somalis to unite in the fight against the
Al-Qaeda-linked group which has been waging a bloody insurgency in the
impoverished Horn of Africa nation for more than 15 years.
“There
will be accountability in the government ... anyone who neglected the
responsibility he was entrusted with will be held accountable,” Barre told
reporters late Sunday.
He
was speaking after visiting a hospital treating wounded victims of the bomb and
gun attack on the Hayat Hotel that the Health Ministry says claimed the lives
of 21 people and wounded 117.
The
30-hour siege was the deadliest attack in Mogadishu since the new President
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected in May after a protracted political crisis.
Police
said more than 100 people, including women and children, had been rescued
during the siege, which began on Friday evening and finally ended around
midnight Saturday after security forces bombarded the hotel.
“There
is only one of two choices here, we either allow Al-Shabab — the children of
hell — to live, or we live. We cannot live together,” said Barre, who was
appointed prime minister in June.
“I
call on the Somali people to unite to fight against the enemy ... so that what
they did now will never happen again.
“The
fight against them has already started taking place around several locations,”
he said, without elaborating.
The
Hayat was a favored meeting spot for government officials and scores of people
were inside when a suicide bomber triggered a massive blast, forcing his way
onto the premises along with heavily armed gunmen.
Minutes
later, a second explosion struck as rescuers, security forces and civilians
rushed to help the injured, witnesses said.
Al-Shabab
has carried out several attacks in the mainly Muslim country since Mohamud took
office, and last month launched an incursion into neighboring Ethiopia and
raided a military base on the border.
Former
Al-Shabab commander Mukhtar Robow, who is now religion minister in Barre’s
Cabinet, condemned the attack and called on fighters to abandon the group.
“I
call on them to repent ... I say to them ‘you know that this is not right so
repent and abandon (Al-Shabab)’,” he said.
“Society
everywhere should know that their interest lies in uniting to fight against
them,” he added.
Somalia’s
allies, including the US, Britain, the EU and Turkey, as well as the UN,
strongly condemned the attack, as did ATMIS, the African Union force tasked
with helping Somali forces take over primary responsibility for security by the
end of 2024.
Earlier
this month, Washington announced its forces had killed 13 Al-Shabab operatives
in an air strike, the latest since President Joe Biden ordered the
re-establishment of a US troop presence in Somalia, reversing a decision by his
predecessor Donald Trump.
The
militants were driven out of Mogadishu by an African Union force in 2011.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2148071/world
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