New
Age Islam News Bureau
15
December 2020
An anti-CAA protester being forcibly removed by
police in New Delhi in December 2019 | Image credit: Reuters
-------
•
UP ‘Love Jihad’: 22-Year-Old Pinki Tells Court She Is Major, Had Converted and
Wanted to Return to Rashid’s Family
•
Osama Bin Laden's 'Spokesman' Adel Abdul Bary Returns To UK
•
ICC Rejects Uighur Genocide Complaint against China
•
Lebanon Jails Activist Kinda Al-Khatib for ‘Collaborating’ With Israel
•
Court Bans Use of ‘Facebook.Com.Bd’ Domain in Bangladesh
•
PM Says PDM’s Anti-Govt Drive Buried In Lahore
•
Rouhani Vows to Implement Parliament Approval Unless US Removes Sanctions
India
• South Asia State of Minorities Report 2020: India A Dangerous,
Violent Place for Muslims
•
UP ‘Love Jihad’: 22-Year-Old Pinki Tells Court She Is Major, Had Converted and
Wanted to Return to Rashid’s Family
•
Soon, Assam Bill to Turn Govt-Run Madrassas Into General Schools
•
PDP neta’s PSO shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar
•
Hurriyat Elects Ailing Geelani's Press Aide As His Acting Deputy
•
PM Modi to hold summit with Sheikh Hasina as India-Bangladesh eye closer ties
•
India, Iran, Uzbekistan hold first meeting on joint use of Chabahar port
--------
Europe
•
Osama Bin Laden's 'Spokesman' Adel Abdul Bary Returns To UK
•
Italians returning France's top award in protest at honouring of Egypt's Sisi
•
Trial over deadly Paris jihadist attacks to begin late 2021
•
Five suspected radical left activists held by French police on terror charges
•
6 officers injured in suicide attack in southern Russia
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Southeast
Asia
•
ICC Rejects Uighur Genocide Complaint against China
•
Federal Court Told Only Parliament Can Criminalise ‘Unnatural Sex’, State Govt
No Power to Introduce As Shariah Offence
•
Enough politicking, Malaysia and Malays need a new vision to prosper, Mohamad
Hasan tells allies and rivals alike
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Arab
World
•
Lebanon Jails Activist Kinda Al-Khatib for ‘Collaborating’ With Israel
•
UAE Foreign Minister Hails Relations with Russia, COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation
•
Syrian lawmakers say Golan Heights inseparable part of Syria
•
Syrians protest US-backed SDF forces’ control over oil wells, crude plunder
•
Iraq to sue US over sovereignty violation, use of depleted uranium weapons:
Official
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South
Asia
•
Court Bans Use of ‘Facebook.Com.Bd’ Domain in Bangladesh
•
Thousands attend funeral of Hefazat leader Kasemi in Dhaka
•
Rohingya trafficking network sells dreams, delivers violence and extortion
•
10 Afghan security force personnel killed in Taliban attack in Kunduz
•
Bomb kills deputy governor in Afghan capital
•
Officials Deny Reports Afghan Forces Trapped in Ambush Attack
•
Afghan-Taliban peace talks to resume in January
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Pakistan
•
PM Says PDM’s Anti-Govt Drive Buried In Lahore
•
Pakistan arrests 3 Taliban terrorists involved in Rawalpindi blast
•
CPEC: Pakistan army to gain 'control' of $60 billion Belt & Road projects
•
COAS assures US envoy of support for regional peace
•
Pakistan Chief of Army Meets Khalilzad
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Mideast
•
Rouhani Vows to Implement Parliament Approval Unless US Removes Sanctions
•
IRGC Commander: Scientific Independence Source of National Might
•
Iran says it can move beyond dispute with Turkey after Erdogan poem
•
US imposes new Iran sanctions on two officials linked to Ministry of
Intelligence
•
Biden knows that Iran’s missile program is non-negotiable, says Rouhani
•
Yemen pours sarcasm on Riyadh: We may help protect Saudi ports if asked
•
Hamas calls for Palestinian unity, resistance against Israeli occupation
•
UN's FAO: Five million Yemenis will likely be 'living just one step away from
famine' next year
--------
Africa
•
Sudan's Removal from US State Terror List Is First Step Towards Debt Relief: IMF
•
Sudan says US has committed to providing wheat and other commodities over four
years
•
Boko Haram claims responsibility for kidnapping of school boys
•
UN 'frustrated' as still unable to get access to Ethiopia's Tigray
•
Nigerians call for release of Sheikh Zakzaky on 5th anniversary of Zaria
massacre
•
UN concerned as militancy in Mozambique forces 400,000 people to flee
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North
America
•
US Electoral College Makes Biden's Victory and Trump's Defeat Official
•
US imposes sanctions on Turkey’s presidency of defense industries
•
US blames 2 Iranian intelligence officers for death of ex-FBI agent Levinson
•
‘Normalizing’ ties with US, Israel won’t help Sudan
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/south-asia-state-minorities-report/d/123764
------
South
Asia State of Minorities Report 2020: India A Dangerous, Violent Place for
Muslims
Dec
15, 2020
An anti-CAA protester being forcibly removed by
police in New Delhi in December 2019 | Image credit: Reuters
-------
The
last year ended with nation-wide protests against a series of controversial
citizenship amendment laws passed by the government of India in December. And
according to experts, the country has since become a "dangerous and
violent space for Muslim minorities".
Throughout
2020, India's civil society has repeatedly come under attack from state and
central governments for criticizing the administration or state institutions.
And now, the South Asia State of Minorities Report 2020 has found that India
has become increasingly intolerant of dissenters as well as religious
minorities.
The
annual report looks at the status of civic space and personal liberties
accessible to citizens, especially minorities, living in South Asian countries
like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
While
the report notes a detrimental trend in almost each of the country's attitudes
toward upholding central tenets of democracy including upholding freedom of
speech and secularism, its observations on India shed light on growing levels
of intolerance in the country.
Attacks
On Minorities
The
report finds that India has become a "dangerous and violent space for
Muslim minorities".
In
December 2019, the government of India passed the Citizenship Amendment Act
which allowed the government of India to grant citizenship to migrants from
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains,
Parsis or Christians, and arrived in India before the end of December 2014. The
law was not extended to Muslims from the three countries, all of which are
Muslim-dominated.
The
government also declared its intentions to implement the National Register of
Indian Citizens which would allow the Indian government to identify and deport
illegal immigrants. Clubbed with CAA, many critics felt laws had the potential
to be used to control and discriminate against India's religious minorities.
The
year has seen an increasing number of instances of attacks on minorities. While
anti-CAA protests in Delhi's north-east culminated in sectarian violence in
February, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic was also laced with widespread
Islamophobia after the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin become a
Covid-19 hotspot.
More
recently, implementation and arrests under a new anti-conversion law in Uttar
Pradesh has been dubbed as "Islamophobic" by critics for targeting
Muslim men for "love jihad".
Attacks
Of Human Rights Defenders
The
report also finds that India’s civil society actors, which include human rights
lawyers, activists, protesters, academics, journalists, liberal intelligentsia,
have "increasingly been under attack" for speaking out against
"government excesses and majoritarianism".
Human
rights defenders in India have increasingly come under attack for
"protesting discriminatory laws and practices have faced restrictions,
violence, criminal defamation, detention and harassment".
The
findings come in the wake of increasing numbers of arrests under the Unlawful
Activities Prevention Act, or UAPA. The controversial law, often dubbed as
"draconian" by critics, who feel that the Act is being used to muzzle
dissent in the nation.
The
report also notes an increase in media censorship. It notes the temporary bans
on two Kerala-based channels for being "'‘critical towards Delhi Police
and RSS’" for its coverage of Delhi riots.
In
April this year, India dropped two places on a global press freedom index to be
ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in the annual Reporters without Borders
analysis.
https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/india-a-dangerous-place-for-religious-minorities-south-asia-state-of-minorities-report-2020-3156896.html
--------
UP
‘Love Jihad’: 22-Year-Old Pinki Tells Court She Is Major, Had Converted and
Wanted to Return to Rashid’s Family
By
Manish Sahu
December
15, 2020
Pinki, now known as Muskan Jahan. Photo: Video
screengrab.
-----
The
woman who was taken to a shelter home in Moradabad by the Uttar Pradesh Police
on Saturday after arresting the man she was with under the anti-conversion law
passed last month, returned to his home on Monday. Pinki was allowed to leave
after she told a magistrate that she and Rashid Ali, 22, got married back in
July, and that she was 22 and wanted to go with his family.
Speaking
to reporters after the arrest of Rashid, on Saturday morning, Pinki, who is
three months pregnant, had said the two of them were going to get their
marriage registered when the police caught them. Rashid’s elder brother Saleem,
25, who was with them was also arrested. The police said Pinki had no proof of
the marriage, and that they were acting on a complaint by Pinki’s mother that
Rashid had forcibly converted and married her daughter.
Additional
Superintendent of Police, Moradabad, Vidya Sagar Mishra said, “The girl in her
statement before the magistrate said that she was born in 1998 and that she and
Rashid held a Nikah on July 24 in Dehradun.” Pinki said she had converted and
wanted to return to Rashid’s family, Mishra added.
Dr
Nirmala Pathak, Acting Chief Medical Superintendent of Moradabad Mahila
District Hospital, where Pinki was examined, said the foetus could be seen
clearly in her ultrasound report and seemed to be fine. “We have decided to go
in for a Transvaginal Ultrasound Scan to get a more accurate condition of the
foetus,” Pathak said. There had been reports earlier that Pinki had suffered a
miscarriage, which was denied by officials.
While
Rashid and Saleem continue to be in jail under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of
Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, the Moradabad police said they
would seek legal opinion on Pinki’s statement, including that she was a major
and that the wedding took place before the new law was passed, to decide what
to do. One of the things they would look into is if the conversion followed
“legal procedures”, the police said.
Soon
after she was brought to the government-run home in Moradabad, Pinki had
complained of pain in the abdomen, and was admitted to Mahila District
Hospital. She was released on Sunday morning, but in the afternoon, again
complained of pain and was taken back to hospital. On Monday, Pinki was brought
before the magistrate in the morning, but the hearing had to be delayed as she
complained of uneasiness. She was checked up and brought to court in the
afternoon for recording of her statement.
“All
details, including Pinki’s claim of nikah and conversion, would be verified.
Documents related to the claim would be checked. The police will also get a
statement of the girl’s family members and others,” Senior Superintendent of
Police, Moradabad, Prabhakar Chaudhary said.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/up-love-jihad-22-year-old-tells-court-she-is-major-goes-with-mans-family-7105121/
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Osama
Bin Laden's 'spokesman' Adel Abdul Bary returns to UK
Dominic
Casciani
12
December 2020
A
man dubbed Osama Bin Laden's spokesman in Europe has returned to the UK after
being released from a US jail.
Adel
Abdul Bary was deported after a senior New York judge concluded the prisoner
had a high risk of contracting Covid-19, partly because of his weight.
In
1998, Bary was the Europe-based publicist for al-Qaeda leaders and told
journalists that the terror group had bombed US embassies in east Africa.
MI5
and counter-terrorism police are reviewing his return and resettlement.
In
1999, Scotland Yard detectives arrested Bary as a co-conspirator to the embassy
attacks. More than 200 people were killed in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam -
al-Qaeda's then biggest single attack against American targets.
That
arrest - and those of other major UK-based suspects - triggered a mammoth
extradition battle that lasted until 2012, when he was eventually flown to the
US.
He
went on to admit helping to plan the bombings.
His
confession to a federal court in Manhattan confirmed that, working out of
London, he had sent messages from journalists to Osama bin Laden - and also
faxed news organisations confirming al-Qaeda had been behind the embassy
attacks.
In
October this year, US authorities approved Bary's release after he had served
21 years of his 25-year sentence.
His
release had been pencilled in for the end of the year, after US authorities
took into account the 14 years he had spent in prison in the UK before his
extradition and his good behaviour since then.
But
it was brought forward slightly after a court heard evidence that he had a high
risk of catching and dying from Covid, if he was kept in prison any longer.
In
the October ruling sanctioning Bary's release, US federal Judge Lewis Kaplan
said that mercy should allow the offender to be with his family, given it may
be the final period of his life.
"The
[US] government concedes that the defendant has provided extraordinary and
compelling reasons for his release," said the judge.
"The
government notes that the defendant was diagnosed as obese in 2019 and that, as
of April 2020, his body mass index was 36, which is well above the threshold
for obesity.
"On
that basis, the government concedes that defendant has presented an
extraordinary and compelling circumstance [for release].
Following
his release from a federal jail, US immigration officials took him to a
detention centre before putting him on a flight to the UK on Tuesday.
After
arriving in London, Bary - who is Egyptian - is believed to have been taken to
his family home.
The
now 60-year-old's US lawyer previously told journalists his client now wished
to live a quiet life.
When
prisoners convicted of terrorism offences are released from jail in the UK, the
case for continuing to monitor them is considered by a team of police and
probation officers, who also take into account intelligence from MI5.
Some
offenders quietly get on with their lives and are eventually placed on the
Security Service's massive list of former terrorism suspects. Others who have
maintained ties with extremists - or try to resurrect them after years in jail
- are subject to ongoing investigations.
Next
year, inquests will be held into how one released offender went on to murder
two people in London in 2019.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55275997?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1815506_
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ICC
rejects Uighur genocide complaint against China
December
15, 2020
NETHERLANDS:
International Criminal Court prosecutors have rejected calls by exiled Uighurs
to investigate China for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity, the
chief prosecutor’s office said in a report on Monday.
The
Uighurs handed a huge dossier of evidence to the court in July accusing China
of locking more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in
re-education camps and of forcibly sterilising women.
But
the office of prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said it was unable to act because the
alleged acts happened on the territory of China, which is not a signatory to
The Hague-based ICC.
In
its annual report Bensouda’s office said “this precondition for the exercise of
the court’s territorial jurisdiction did not appear to be met with respect to
the majority of the crimes alleged.”
There
was also “no basis to proceed at this time” on separate claims of forced
deportations of Uighurs back to China from Tajikistan and Cambodia, the ICC report
said.
The
Uighurs had argued that even though the alleged deportations did not happen on
Chinese soil, the ICC could act because they happened on Tajik and Cambodian
territory, and both of them are ICC members.
Lawyers
for the Uighurs had now asked the court to reconsider “on the basis of new
facts or evidence”, the ICC prosecutor’s report said.
China
has called the accusations baseless and says the facilities in the northwestern
Xinjiang region are job training centres aimed at steering people away from
terrorism.
The
ICC has no obligation to consider complaints filed to the prosecutor, who can
decide independently what cases to submit to judges at the court, set up in
2002 to achieve justice for the world’s worst crimes.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2020/12/15/icc-rejects-uighur-genocide-complaint-against-china/
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Lebanon
jails activist Kinda al-Khatib for ‘collaborating’ with Israel
14
December 2020
Lebanon’s
military prosecution on Monday sentenced an activist to three years in prison
for “collaborating” with Israel and traveling to the Jewish state, a judicial
source said.
Kinda
al-Khatib, who is in her twenties, was arrested in June and charged with
“collaborating with the enemy”, “entering the occupied Palestinian territories”
and “collaborating with spies of the Israeli enemy”.
Lebanon
is technically still at war with Israel and forbids its citizens from traveling
there.
A
United Nations peacekeeping force patrols the border area between the
neighboring countries.
“The
military court... issued a ruling imposing a three year prison sentence with
hard labor on Kinda al-Khatib,” said the judicial source, speaking on the
condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment on the issue.
Prior
to her arrest, Khatib on Twitter had criticized Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite
movement that fought a devastating 2006 war with Israel.
Her
family and activists have denounced her arrest as “political” because of her
tweets against those in power.
Lebanese
media and activists have drawn a parallel between Khatib’s case and that of
actor Ziad Itani, who was also accused of “collaborating” with Israel in 2017.
Itani
was declared innocent and released several months later, and a high-ranking
security officer was then charged with “fabricating” the case.
Hezbollah
is the only party not to have disarmed after Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war,
since when it has also become a major player in Lebanese politics.
The
Shiite group is designated a “terrorist” entity by many Western governments, but
its supporters credit it with ending two decades of Israeli occupation of
southern Lebanon in 2000.
It
fought a 33-day war against Israeli forces in 2006 that killed more than 1,200
Lebanese, mostly civilians, and over 160 Israelis, the majority soldiers.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/14/Lebanon-jails-activist-Kinda-al-Khatib-for-collaborating-with-Israel-
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Court
bans use of ‘facebook.com.bd’ domain in Bangladesh
December
14, 2020
Following
the hearing of a case filed by the authorities of social media giant Facebook
against a Bangladeshi firm called A1 Software, a Dhaka court has banned the use
of "facebook.com.bd" domain in Bangladesh.
The
court has issued an interim injunction against the defendant, along with a
show-cause notice, and has asked to respond within the next 15 days, confirmed
Barrister Moksadul Islam, Facebook's appointed lawyer in Bangladesh for the
case.
The
next hearing date has been set on March 9, 2021, Barrister Moksadul informed.
On
November 22, Facebook filed a lawsuit against A1 Software Limited and one SK
Shamsul Islam with the Dhaka District Judge's Court, seeking a ban on the
operations of A1's "facebook.com.bd" domain, as well as USD 50,000 in
compensation.
https://www.thedailystar.net/toggle/news/court-bans-use-facebookcombd-domain-bangladesh-2011233
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PM
says PDM’s anti-govt drive buried in Lahore
Syed
Irfan Raza
15
Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday declared Pakistan Democratic Movement’s
(PDM) rally at Minar-i-Pakistan a ‘flop power show’ and said the opposition’s
three-month-old anti-government movement was buried in Lahore on Sunday.
He
lashed out at the opposition for staging public meetings and endangering
people’s lives amid the more lethal second wave of the coronavirus.
He
made these remarks during a meeting with his spokespersons at the Prime
Minister House.
The
meeting took place a day after the Lahore rally during which the joint
opposition’s protest programme was reviewed.
“The
prime minister termed the Lahore rally a flop show as people kept away from the
event,” a participant of the meeting said on condition of anonymity.
Blames
opposition for endangering lives amid pandemic
He
said Mr Khan was of the view that people of Lahore belonged to one of the sane
and conscious groups of citizens and therefore did not get involved in
political activity without proper thinking.
PM
Khan said many ‘ineffective’ movements that kicked off from Lahore fizzled out
in the same city, adding that “the fate of PDM will also be the same”.
The
prime minister expressed his displeasure over the fiery speeches and remarks
against state institutions made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice
president Maryam Nawaz during the PDM public meetings.
“Maryam
is maligning state institutions,” he said, adding that she was blaming media
for PDM’s flop show in Lahore but the fact was that people were not inspired by
the opposition’s narrative.
Another
PM’s spokesman quoted the prime minister as saying that he had urged the
opposition not to stage public meetings as the country was facing a sharp rise
in Covid-19 cases and deaths but it (opposition) did not pay any heed to his
advice and put the lives of people at risk.
On
the other hand, Information Minister Shibli Faraz said the people of Lahore had
outright rejected the PDM leaders along with their narrative.
In
a series of tweets, he said those who had different directions could not have
the same destiny.
Contrary
to their claim of ‘Now or Never’, the PDM got ridiculed in Lahore as it had
failed to attract residents of Lahore and Punjab.
“PDM
leaders looked dejected after people of Lahore and Punjab did not show up [in
the public meeting],” the minister added.
He
said the opposition spewed venom against the Pakistan Army during Gujranwala
public gathering and desecrated Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum in their Karachi rally.
World Bank
In
a meeting with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation
and Social Safety Dr Sania Nishtar and World Bank Country Director Najy
Benhassine, Prime Minister Khan was informed that the World Bank had doubled
its assistance for Ehsaas Programme, which would ensure social safety of
maximum deserving people through further expansion of the programme.
Describing
the Ehsaas Programme as ‘a flagship programme of social safety’, the World
Bank’s country director said it was a model for other countries to follow as
well.
The
prime minister directed Special Assistant Dr Sania Nishtar to formulate a
comprehensive strategy for the expansion of the Ehsaas Programme.
Najy
Benhassine appreciated the measures taken by PM Khan on climate change.
He
was appreciative of Pakistan’s commitment to generating electricity through
other environment-friendly and renewable energy sources instead of coal, and
described it a very responsible step towards checking the increasing hazardous
effects of climate change in the region.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595832/pm-says-pdms-anti-govt-drive-buried-in-lahore
--------
Rouhani
Vows to Implement Parliament Approval Unless US Removes Sanctions
2020-December-14
Speaking
during a press conference here in Tehran on Monday, the president said he has
ordered the administration to start compiling the procedural executives for
implementing the recent parliament approval on the nuclear deal in less than
two months as enshrined in the bill.
The
Iranian parliamentarians in a meeting on December 1 ratified the generalities
of a bill to adopt strategic measures to remove sanctions against the country
and defend the nation’s interests.
The
lawmakers had last month given green light to the single-urgency of the
strategic motion, but the plan turned into a double-urgency on Sunday after the
assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Iranian
nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's car was targeted by an explosion and
machinegun fire in Damavand's Absard 40 kilometers to the East of Tehran on
Friday.
Under
the bill, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) is required to start in
two months after the approval of the present bill to produce at least 120 kg of
20%-enriched uranium annually at Fordow nuclear site and store it inside the
country, increase the enrichment capacity and production of enriched uranium to
at least 500 kg per month, start the installation of centrifuges, gas
injection, enrichment, and storage of materials up to proper purity levels
within 3 months, via at least 1000 IR-2m centrifuges in the underground part of
Shahid Ahmadi Roshan facility in Natanz, transfer any enrichment, research, and
development operations of IR-6 centrifuges to the nuclear site of Shahid Ali
Mohammadi in Fordow, and start enrichment operation via at least 164
centrifuges and expand it to 1000 by the end of 20 March 2021 (end of the Iranian
calendar year) and return the 40 megawatts Arak heavy water reactor to its
pre-JCPOA condition by reviving the heart (calandria) of the reactor within 4
months from the date of the adoption of this law.
Also,
the government is required to suspend the nuclear deal-based regulatory access
beyond the Additional Protocol within 2 months after the adoption of the law
based on the articles 36 and 37 of the nuclear deal.
Also,
after 3 months from the adoption of this law, if Iran's banking relations in
Europe and the amount of oil purchases by them from Iran is not back to normal
and to satisfactory conditions, the government is required to stop the
voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol.
Meantime,
if after 3 months from the adoption of the law, the nuclear deal parties return
to fulfill their undertakings, the government is required to submit a proposal
to the parliament for Iran's reciprocal action to return to the nuclear deal
undertakings, the bill said.
Rouhani
said on Monday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has
contributed to the preservation of Iran’s rights and failure of the US at the
UN three times in their bids against Iran.
"One
of Iran’s goals is to gain achievements in the field of nuclear and people's
rights. The end of the imposed sanctions means that Iranians can achieve one of
their rights," Rouhani added.
President
Rouhani stressed that the US must return to the commitments it has made before.
In
relevant remarks last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
cautioned US president-elect Joe Biden to return to the JCPOA and lift the
unlawful sanctions, as well as stop the economic war against Tehran.
"The
US has two positions. It is a member of both the JCPOA and the United Nations.
Although Trump pulled the US out of the JCPOA, he did not withdraw the country
from the UN. Whether under Biden or Trump, the US must remain committed to
Article 25 of the UN Charter, mandating the member-states to accept and carry
out the decisions of the UN Security Council," Zarif said.
The
Iranian foreign minister reiterated that as a UN member and a permanent member
of the UN Security Council, the US cannot say the Resolution 2231 — a July 20,
2015 resolution endorsing the JCPOA on the peaceful nuclear program of Iran —
is illegal.
"By
pulling Washington out of the JCPOA, Trump solely failed to benefit from the
deal. This was the mistake Trump and his associates made. If Biden seeks to
return to the JCPOA, he will have to fulfill US commitments under the deal and
lift the sanctions," Zarif underlined.
The
Iranian foreign minister said that the US is definitely in no position to set
out conditions for Iran, adding, "As a UN member and a permanent member of
the UN Security Council, the US is duty-bound to implement Resolution
2231."
"If
the resolution is implemented, the sanctions will be removed. Iran has
announced that in that case, it will resume honoring its commitments under the
JCPOA," he added.
Iran
signed the JCPOA with six world states — namely the US, Germany, France,
Britain, Russia, and China — in 2015.
US
President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the historic deal, unilaterally
pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and unleashed the “toughest
ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in
an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade, but to no avail since its
"so-called maximum pressure policy" has failed to push Tehran to the
negotiating table.
In
response to the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its nuclear
commitments four times in compliance with Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA but
stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe
finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.
Tehran
has particularly been disappointed with the failure of the three European
signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France, and Germany -- to protect its
business interests under the deal after the United States' withdrawal.
On
January 5, Iran took a final step in reducing its commitments and said it would
no longer observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry, whether
concerning the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of
stockpiled uranium, or research and development.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990924000799/Rhani-Vws-Implemen-Parliamen-Apprval-Unless-US-Remves-Sancins
--------
India
Soon,
Assam bill to turn govt-run madrassas into general schools
Dec
15, 2020
GUWAHATI:
The state government will bring a bill to repeal the Assam Madrassas Education
(provincialization) Act of 1995 in the winter session of the assembly in the
last week of December, which will pave the way for it to close down all
government-run madrassas and Arabic colleges in the state.
The
state cabinet on Sunday cleared the decks for dissolving the State Madrassa
Board from the next academic session and all their academic and administrative
authority will be transferred to the Directorate of Secondary Education.
Teachers, who are teaching theological courses in the madrassas, will be
trained to teach general subjects in the schools.
Assam
education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said, “This will secularise
the state education system. We are putting an end to the practice of using
government funds for Islamic theological studies since pre-Indpendence days,”.
“The
schools will remain and will be converted to general schools and the word high
madrassa will be removed along with the theological course (Quran course) from
189 such government-run schools. All theological courses will be stopped with
effect from, April 1, 2021. SEBA will conduct the last High-Madrassa exam in
2021,” the state minister said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/soon-assam-bill-to-turn-govt-run-madrassas-into-general-schools/articleshow/79731614.cms
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PDP
neta’s PSO shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar
Dec
15, 2020
SRINAGAR:
The personal security officer (PSO) of PDP functionary Haji Parvaiz Ahmad was
shot dead by terrorists outside the neta’s residence at Natipora, Srinagar,
early Monday. Parvaiz said this was the second attack on him since 2009,
blaming the police for not providing adequate security cover — an allegation
J&K DGP Dilbag Singh denied, stating that Parvaiz regularly violated
security advisories.
PSO
Manzoor Ahmed, a selection-grade constable, was returning from a grocery shop
after buying milk when terrorists opened fire at him, leaving him critically
wounded. He was rushed to Bone and Joint hospital with stomach injuries where
he succumbed during treatment, police said. Security forces subsequently
launched a massive search in the area to trace the perpetrators.
Parvaiz
said, “My security cover was trimmed to a large extent though I constantly face
threats. I’ve been repeatedly demanding protection and they are cutting it down
instead. I don’t know why they (BJP) are so afraid of PDP.”
PDP
chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged the J&K administration has left the opposition
leaders in a lurch by downgrading their security. Refuting the same, DGP Singh
said, “Police asked Parvaiz to shift from Natipora, a congested locality prone
to terror attacks, to an area with better security but he never paid heed to
our suggestions. We reviewed his security and found a need for one PSO, but two
were provided.”
Speaking
at the wreath-laying ceremony of the slain PSO at District Police Lines,
Srinagar, DGP Singh said Monday’s attack was an attempt to disrupt the ongoing
DDC polls which have been going on peacefully, adding that police have clues
about the attackers and they will soon be brought to book. He cited Sunday’s
encounter in Poonch — in which two Lashkar ultras from Pakistan were killed —
as proof of Pakistan’s motive to stir unrest in J&K and affect the
election.
J&K
Police on Monday shared a video of the operation on its Twitter page, stating:
“Look at the difficult site where police led by district SSP, Army unit climbed
and operated yesterday and neutralised two Pakistani terrorists of
Lashker-i-Toiba. (sic)”
“Elaborate
security arrangements are in place but we can’t put the movement of people to a
complete halt while ensuring a grassroots-level exercise. In between, there is
a discreet movement of some anti-national elements as well,” the DGP said,
adding that attacks on politicians are possible despite adequate security
cover. “BJP slain youth leader Waseem Bari had 10 PSOs but still got killed,”
he added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pdp-netas-pso-shot-dead-by-terrorists-in-srinagar/articleshow/79728824.cms
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Hurriyat
Elects Ailing Geelani's Press Aide As His Acting Deputy
Dec
15, 2020
SRINAGAR:
The separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference, led by the ailing Syed Ali Shah
Geelani, has elected his chief spokesperson Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar as acting
vice-chairman of the organisation's Kashmir chapter and reposed faith in
Pakistan-based Abdullah Geelani as the Hurriyat chairman in PoK.
Gulzar,
a native of Kreeri Pattan in Baramulla district, was with Abdul Gani Lone’s
J&K People's Conference till he fell out with his sons Sajad and Bilal
after their father's assassination by terrorists in 2002. He joined Syed
Geelani's Hurriyat soon after.
In
a statement after being elected acting vice-chairman of the outfit,
Srinagar-based Gulzar said the Hurriyat conglomerate would "continue the
ongoing just struggle to secure their right to self-determination" and
reiterated the resolve of Kashmiris to do whatever it takes to achieve that
goal.
Gulzar
praised Pakistan for "efforts on the political and diplomatic fronts"
to arrive at "a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute".
Sources
said Ali Shah Geelani pushing for Gulzar as acting vice-chairman over his
confidant Ashraf Sehrai wasn't quite expected. In the internal election on
December 5, Gulzar got seven votes while the other two contenders — Bilal
Siddiqi and Aga Syed Hassan — received three votes each.
While
Abdullah Geelani's nomination as the senior Geelani's successor last year
hadn't gone down well with the patriarch, the Hurriyat think tank's choice had
Pakistan's endorsement. Ali Shah Geelani had then criticised the appointment.
Early this year, he issued a clarification that Abdullah Geelani only
represented the Pakistan chapter of Hurriyat.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/hurriyat-elects-ailing-geelanis-press-aide-as-his-acting-deputy/articleshow/79728733.cms
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PM
Modi to hold summit with Sheikh Hasina as India-Bangladesh eye closer ties
Dec
14, 2020
NEW
DELHI: India and Bangladesh will kick off an important year in their bilateral
relations when prime minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina meet for a bilateral
summit on Thursday, a day after Bangladesh’s victory day, which holds special
significance this year.
This
will be Modi’s second virtual summit after Sri Lanka and Hasina’s second
virtual event during the pandemic with both sides signalling the importance of
bilateral relationship. The signalling of the summit is also important, coming
as it does when there is speculation in the popular discourse of a dilution in
this strategic partnership.
The
summit will see a number of agreements being signed, many of which are still
being negotiated. A Gandhi-Mujib exhibition in the virtual format may be one of
the highlights. On connectivity, a resurrection of the 12-km
Chilahati-Haldibari rail link after 55 years will be highlighted. This will
take freight goods initially and open up to passenger traffic after the
infrastructure is in place. Infrastructure and connectivity have been steadily
improving between the two countries, even during the pandemic, when India
activated rail freight to carry goods to Bangladesh after the
Petrapole-Benapole border post was closed.
India
supported Bangladesh’s candidature for executive director of the WHO’s
Southeast Asia centre last week, conveyed by Vikram Doraiswami, India’s high
commissioner to Bangladesh. India has also committed to provide over 30 million
doses of Covid vaccine by the Serum Institute.
On
Monday night too, a group of over 50 Mukti jodhdhas (liberation warriors)
landed in Kolkata for the Victory Day celebrations hosted by the Indian army’s
Eastern Command.
At
the summit, the Indian side will convey its interest in helping Bangladesh grow
its agriculture sector with greater value addition.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-to-hold-summit-with-sheikh-hasina-as-india-bangladesh-eye-closer-ties/articleshow/79726127.cms
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India,
Iran, Uzbekistan hold first meeting on joint use of Chabahar port
Dec
14, 2020
India,
Iran and Uzbekistan on Monday discussed the joint use of Chabahar port to
enhance regional connectivity as the three countries held their first
trilateral meeting focused on the strategic trade and transit facility in the
Gulf of Oman.
The
first virtual meeting of the trilateral working group was a follow-up to a
suggestion by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a summit with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Friday that the three countries should jointly
promote Chabahar port.
“During
the meeting, the participants discussed joint use of Chabahar port for trade
and transit purposes and enhanced regional connectivity. All sides also noted
the significant role played by Chabahar port for the region to deliver
humanitarian assistance during the Covid pandemic,” the external affairs
ministry said in a statement.
The
statement didn’t give further details on whether the three sides had proposed
any measures regarding the joint use of the port.
The
meeting was jointly chaired by India’s secretary (shipping) Sanjeev Ranjan,
Uzbekistan’s deputy transport minister D Dehkanov and Iran’s deputy transport
minister Shahram Adamnejad.
All
the countries welcomed India’s proposal to hold a “Chabahar Day” on the margins
of the International Maritime Summit to be hosted by New Delhi in January next
year.
India
currently operates one of the terminals of Chabahar port that it has developed.
The strategic project has been given a waiver from sanctions imposed by the US
on Iran in view of its importance in shipping cargo and humanitarian assistance
to Afghanistan.
The
prospects of Chabahar took a hit after US President Donald Trump unilaterally
withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 and re-imposed crippling
sanctions as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign. However, president-elect
Joe Biden has said he will offer Iran a “credible path back to diplomacy” since
dealing with Tehran’s nuclear programme is the best way to achieve stability in
the region.
These
developments had resulted in renewed interest in Chabahar, and the external
affairs ministry said last week it welcomes Uzbekistan’s interest in using the
port as a transit facility.
“This
would open up economic opportunities for the traders and business community of
the region. Besides Uzbekistan, other Central Asian countries have also shown
interest in using the port. India seeks to cooperate closely with regional
countries on this issue,” the ministry added.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-iran-uzbekistan-hold-first-meeting-on-joint-use-of-chabahar-port/story-YWtef36CdFdY1yz8kqIvAM.html
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Europe
Italians
returning France's top award in protest at honouring of Egypt's Sisi
15
December 2020
Two
prominent Italian intellectuals have announced they are returning their Legion
of Honor awards to France in protest at the awarding of Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with the distinction despite his government's dire human
rights record.
Corrado
Augias, a journalist and former member of the European Parliament, took his
2007 prize back to the French Embassy on Monday.
Giovanna
Melandri, a former Italian culture minister and the president of Rome's Maxxi
contemporary art museum, also said she would follow suit.
Both
cited Egypt's role in the 2016 murder of an Italian student in Cairo, as well
as the regime's other human rights abuses.
Augias
accused Sisi of being "objectively complicit, as head of state, in the
criminal behavior committed by his men."
Sisi
paid a visit to France last week, when President Emmanuel Macron awarded him
with the highest French honor during a closed-door ceremony.
The
ceremony, which became public only when the Egyptian presidency published
photos of it, took place at the same time that Rome prosecutors were detailing
the torture that Italian doctoral student suffered to a parliamentary
committee.
"The two things together were too
strong," Augias told reporters outside the French Embassy. "I
couldn't refrain from reacting."
On
Thursday, Italian prosecutors formally charged four members of Egypt's national
security agency with the kidnapping and murder of Regeni in Cairo.
Melandri
also announced on Monday that she too would return her 2003 prize, saying it
was sad but necessary to make clear that "honor" should mean
something.
"I
hope that this gesture can help open a frank and friendly confrontation in our
two countries on which values should be that we want to defend, strengthen and
continue to 'honor' in a democratic Europe and a globalized world," she
said in a Facebook post.
Roberto
Fico, speaker of Italy's lower house of parliament, hailed the move.
"Europe
must be united and supportive, never selfish, even more so when fundamental
rights are at stake," he tweeted.
Sisi
has faced international condemnation for a crackdown on civil society groups
since he took power in 2014, a year after a military coup spearheaded by him
toppled the country's first ever democratically-elected president, Mohamed
Morsi.
Since
Morsi's overthrow, Egyptian authorities have been engaged in a persistent
crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds and arresting thousands.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/15/640760/Italians-returning-France-top-award-in-protest-at-honoring-of-Egypt-Sisi
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Trial
over deadly Paris jihadist attacks to begin late 2021
11/12/2020
The
trial of 20 people charged over the November 13, 2015 jihadist attacks in Paris
that were France's deadliest peacetime atrocity will get underway in late 2021,
sources close to the case and prosecutors said on Friday.
The
night of carnage on November 13, 2015 saw 130 people killed and 350 wounded
when Islamist suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the Stade de France stadium,
bars and restaurants in central Paris and the Bataclan concert hall.
The
trial in Paris will begin on September 8, 2021 and end in March 2022, lawyers
were told at a meeting at the Paris court. National anti-terror prosecutors
confirmed the dates to AFP.
Just
one of the suspected perpetrators -- French-Belgian Salah Abdeslam -- will
appear in court with the 19 others accused of providing various logistical
support. Six of them are targets of arrest warrants and will be tried in
absentia.
The
other attackers, including the suspected coordinator of the attacks -- Belgian
Abdelhamid Abaaoud -- were killed in the wake of the strikes which were which
were claimed by extremists from the Islamic State (IS) group.
The
trial will be a massive undertaking, with 110 days of hearings envisaged. It
had been expected in January 2021 but was put back due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
The
announcement of the beginning of the trial comes with the country again on its
highest security alert following three attacks in the last months blamed on
Islamist radicals.
In
September, the trial had got underway of suspected accomplices in the massacre
by Islamist gunmen in January 2015 of staff on the Charlie Hebdo satirical
weekly, which had published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.
True
to its defiant reputation, the magazine then republished the cartoons to mark
the start of the trial.
In
the wake of that move, a Pakistan-born man wounded two people with a meat
cleaver on September 25 outside Charlie Hebdo's former offices.
Teacher
Samuel Paty, who had shown his class the cartoons, was beheaded outside his
school on October 16 by an Islamist radical from Chechnya. And on October 29 a
man recently arrived from Tunisia killed three people with a knife in a Nice
church.
In
the wake of those attacks President Emmanuel Macron presented draft legislation
on cracking down on radical Islamist activity and vowed France will never
renounce the right to blaspheme, in moves that have drawn anger in some Muslim
countries.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201211-trial-over-deadly-paris-jihadist-attacks-to-begin-late-2021?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1815506_
--------
Five
suspected radical left activists held by French police on terror charges
12/12/2020
Five
of the seven people arrested earlier this week by police investigating plans
for violent activity by members of the French radical left have been charged
with associating with terrorist criminals, and detained in custody. Two others
have been conditionally released.
The
seven, arrested earlier this week in raids in Paris, Toulouse and the Dordogne,
are suspected of planning violent activity. No details of the sort of action
allegedly planned have been released.
The
six men and one woman are said to be aged between 30 and 36 years.
Weapons
and material which could be used to produce explosives were discovered at the
time of the arrests, according to the Internal Security branch (DGSI) of the
French national police.
The
French AFP news agency reports that one of those arrested, identified as
Florian D and allegedly the leader of a group of activists, is known to have
fought alongside Kurdish forces in Rojava, north-eastern Syria.
The
right-wing politician Eric Ciotti is sure that all seven are guilty. No sooner
had they been arrested than Ciotti issued a Twitter message saying "these
radical left wing terrorists were planning to attack the police. They attack
the uniform of the Republic because it's the only barrier to their hunger for
chaos".
Attack
on high-speed train service
Before
this week's arrests, the last police move against suspected radical left
activists was in 2008, in the southern French town of Tarnac.
On
that occasion, several members of the radical left were charged in connection
with damage caused to the power lines supplying high-speed trains.
Those
charged successfully objected to being accused of "terrorism" and were all eventually
freed without charge.
Since
2008, a number of fire-bomb attacks against police stations have been
associated with the radical left. There have been no arrests.
Earlier
this year, Eric Vaillant, the chief investigating judge in the eastern city of
Grenoble called for a police investigation of possible radical left implication
in more than 15 fires in the region around the city, targeting police stations,
public buildings and churches. No investigation was undertaken.
https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20201212-five-suspected-radical-left-activists-held-by-french-police-on-terror-charges-weapons-explosives?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1815506_
--------
6
officers injured in suicide attack in southern Russia
11
December 2020
MOSCOW
-- At least six Russian law enforcement officers were injured Friday in the
country's south when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a local office of
the top security agency, authorities said.
The
explosion occurred outside the building of the Federal Security Service (FSB)
in Uchkeken in the Karachayevo-Cherkessiya region of Russia's North Caucasus,
Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement.
The
Interfax news agency reported that an explosive device first went off outside
the building early Friday, hurting no one. When law enforcement officers
gathered to inspect the site, the suicide bomber approached them and detonated
explosives, killing himself.
Chechnya,
Karachayevo-Cherkessiya and other regions in Russia's volatile North Caucasus
have faced bombings and other attacks by Islamist militants, some of whom have
sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/officers-injured-suicide-attack-southern-russia-74671866?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1815506_
--------
Southeast
Asia
Federal
Court Told Only Parliament Can Criminalise ‘Unnatural Sex’, State Govt No Power
To Introduce As Shariah Offence
14
Dec 2020
BY
IDA LIM
PUTRAJAYA,
Dec 14 — The offence of committing “unnatural sex” is a criminal matter that
only the federal government — via Parliament — has the powers to make laws on,
while state governments lack the power to make state laws to criminalise and
punish it as a Shariah offence, a lawyer argued in the Federal Court today.
Today
was the hearing by a nine-man panel at the Federal Court of a Malaysian Muslim
man’s constitutional challenge against a Selangor state law that makes
unnatural sex a Shariah offence in the state, with the challenge revolving
around whether the Selangor state government had the power to make state
Shariah laws on the offence.
This
Shariah offence, which the man was charged with in the Shariah courts in
Selangor, is Section 28 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment
1995.
Section
28 makes it a Shariah offence for “any person” performing “sexual intercourse
against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal”, with the punishment
being a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum three-year jail term or a maximum
whipping of six strokes or any combination.
Lawyer
Datuk Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, who represented the man, explained that the case
today involved the key question of the Federal Constitution’s limits on what
the state government can make laws on.
While
the Federal Constitution gives state governments the powers to make laws on
certain Islamic matters such as offences against the religion of Islam, Imtiaz
pointed out that the Federal Constitution at the same time carries the
condition that such state laws should not be on matters that are already within
the powers of the federal government to make laws on.
“So
under the Constitution, the criminal system of law is in Parliament’s hands. So
Parliament has what we say exclusive powers to create the laws pertaining to
the criminal justice system — that means the laws, the prosecution, sentencing,
everything.
“So
then we have this exception for offences against the religion of Islam, which
the state can make. So the question for
the court is how to reconcile the two powers, because strictly speaking any
offence is a matter of criminal law, and if that is correct, then that has to
be in Parliament’s power.
“Because
the power in the state is also said as being qualified to the extent that it is
not in the federal list, so that’s the issue before the court.
“So
what we argued today is a matter of substance, this offence is a criminal
offence falling within the federal list. And just because you put a term
‘Islamic’ on it, doesn’t change it from a criminal law or a criminal offence to one of Islamic
offence, because the substance of the offence is the same going both ways,” he
explained to reporters when met after the hearing at the Federal Court.
Federal
government’s powers vs state government’s powers
In
the Federal Constitution’s Ninth Schedule, List I which is also known as the
Federal List states what the federal government via Parliament can make laws
on, while List II which is also the State List states the matters which state
governments through their respective state legislative assemblies can make laws
on.
Citing
the State List in the Federal Constitution, Imtiaz highlighted that it allows
state governments to make state laws on the “creation and punishment of
offences by persons professing the religion of Islam against precepts of that
religion, except in regard to matters included in the Federal List”, stressing
that this carries the condition or acts as a “preclusion clause” to exclude the
state government from making laws on matters that are in the Federal List or
fall under the federal government’s jurisdiction.
Imtiaz
then highlighted the Federal List in the Federal Constitution, which covers
matters such as internal security, police, criminal investigation, prisons,
civil and criminal law and procedure and the administration of justice, and
creation of offences in respect of any matters included in the Federal List or
dealt with by federal law.
In
arguing that the state governments have no power to make unnatural sex a
Shariah offence through state laws, Imtiaz highlighted that the federal
government or Parliament has already made unnatural sex an offence through a
federal law known as the Penal Code.
“There’s
a provision in Parliament, the Penal Code is there, it provides the same
offence, there cannot be two offences administered by two separate bodies,” he
said during the hearing.
What
the Selangor government and Islamic authorities argued
Following
Imtiaz’s arguments in court, the judges on the panel repeatedly narrowed down
the key question at hand in this case, which was whether the Selangor state
government has powers under the Federal Constitution to make state laws on
matters that fall within the federal government’s powers.
Selangor
state legal adviser Datuk Salim Soib @ Hamid, who represented the Selangor
state government, argued that the Federal List did not directly mention
offences against the “precepts of Islam”, further arguing that this meant the
state government could make laws on unnatural sex as it is related to offences
against the precept of Islam.
Federal
Court judge Datuk Seri Zawawi Salleh highlighted the risk of such an argument
as he sought clarification from Salim, questioning if it meant that the state
legislative bodies would be able to pass laws on wide-ranging matters that
could easily be considered as against Islam such as stealing and robbery.
Chief
Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat also questioned such a line of argument and
whether what was contemplated was two sets of laws by the federal government
and state governments for offences such as theft, robbery, murder.
“So
going back to my question, is theft not precept of Islam? What about murder,
rape, corruption and robbery? So my question is are we contemplating to have
one set of laws under the MACC Act and another set of laws whichever state will
pass that will have these offences because it is against the precept of Islam.
Are we contemplating that?” she asked.
Salim
argued that the state government should have the power to make state laws on
any offences considered to be against the precepts of Islam, but which are not
already covered under existing federal laws by the federal government.
Salim
also argued that the Selangor state law’s Section 28 offence on unnatural sex was
worded differently to the unnatural sex offence under Section 377 of the Penal
Code.
Zawawi
however at one point interjected to point out that the unnatural sex offence of
sodomy has long existed in federal laws, and that it was only subsequently that
state governments introduced unnatural sex as a Shariah offence through state
laws.
Chief
Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Azahar Mohamed also reminded Salim that apart from
Section 28 being said to be regarding offences against the precepts of Islam,
the key question was actually on the preclusion clause in the Federal
Constitution which stops state governments from making laws that are under the
federal government’s jurisdiction or under federal laws.
“Because
the power given by Parliament is that the state legislature can legislate
offences against the precepts of Islam, but it doesn’t stop there. It says you
can create this offence, except in respect of matters which are in the Federal
List. How do you explain that? Why does the preclusion clause not apply to this
case, how do you explain that?” Azahar asked.
“When
Section 28 was enacted, there was already Section 377 in the Penal Code, it
already existed. So how do you reconcile
it?” he asked.
Lawyer
Halimatunsa’diah Abu Ahmad, who represented the Selangor Islamic Religious
Council (Mais) who is an intervenor in this case, responded to the issue of the
preclusion clause by arguing that Parliament itself recognises that there is a
difference between Shariah law and the federal law when it comes to criminal
offences.
Halimatunsa’diah
also argued that the elements of Section 377 and Section 28 are different such
as the element of voluntariness purportedly not included under Section 28, and
that the standard of proof to prove the offence of unnatural sex would differ under
both laws.
Tengku
Maimun questioned what the basis in the Federal Constitution was that says that
the courts should be looking at distinctions of the offences instead of whether
the matter falls under federal law when the courts examines whether the state
government have the competency to make laws.
“We
all accept what is contrary to Islamic law is contrary to the precepts of
Islam... But our focus is on the provisions of the Federal Constitution in
relation to demarcation of legislative power of the state and Parliament,” the
chief justice said at another point.
Lawyer
Abdul Rahim Sinwan, who represented the Federal Territories Islamic Religious
Council (MAIWP) as amicus curiae, argued that Section 28 is both valid and
constitutional, arguing that Section 28 covers unnatural sex with men, women
and animal but that Section 377 purportedly only covered such instances
involving men and animals.
In
response to the arguments by the Selangor state government, Mais and MAIWP,
Imtiaz pointed out that Section 377 was identical to Section 28 before it was
amended and split up into several separate provisions in its current form.
“Section
377 used to provide the same terms as Section 28, and then it was amended to
make it clearer... They thought better to break Section 377 into A to E for
sentencing issues to be looked at clearly, but when it started off, it was the
same provision as Section 28,” he said.
Under
the latest edition of the Federal Constitution, Section 377 relates to the
offence of sexual intercourse with an animal, Section 377A covers unnatural sex
between two persons with the punishment outlined in Section 377B, Section 377C
covers unnatural sex on another person without the latter’s consent, Section
377CA involves sexual connection with any object, Section 377D involves
outrages on decency, and Section 377E covers the offence of inciting a child to
an act of gross indecency.
After
hearing all the arguments, Tengku Maimun said that the Federal Court would
adjourn to deliver the decision at a later time.
The
other judges on today’s nine-man panel are President of the Court of Appeal Tan
Sri Rohana Yusuf, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang
Hashim, Federal Court judges Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan, Datuk Vernon Ong,
Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof, and Datuk Seri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim.
When
met outside the courtroom, Imtiaz told reporters that today’s case is important
as it will allow the Federal Court via a nine-judge panel to clearly address
once and for all on how to balance the different jurisdictions when it comes to
making laws, noting that this is likely only the second time that the question
has come up with such prominence in the courts.
“So
the argument really turns on the offences against the precepts of Islam, what
that means and the clause except where provided for in the Federal List. So
it’s not just a question of precepts of Islam, it is offences (against the
precepts of Islam) and not provided for in the Federal List, so it narrows down
the scope,” he added.
Two
other court cases on hold
Other
than today’s constitutional challenge, the Malaysian Muslim man was previously
charged in the Selangor Shariah High Court with the Shariah offence of
unnatural sex under the Selangor state law, and had also previously filed for
judicial review to challenge the validity and constitutionality of the Section
28 offence and to also seek the quashing of the Shariah trial against him.
Lawyer
Surendra Ananth, who is also representing the Malaysian Muslim man, confirmed
today that both the Shariah trial and the judicial review hearingat the civil
High Court has been put on hold pending the outcome of the constitutional
challenge today on the ability of the Selangor state government to make state
laws on the unnatural sex offence.
The
name of the Malaysian Muslim man is being withheld on the request of the
lawyers. His lawyers had previously highlighted the risks he would be exposed
to if his identity was to be disclosed publicly.
His
other lawyers today are Honey Tan Lay Ean, Tay Kit Hoo, while Nur Irmawatie
Daud and Husna Abdul Halim also appeared for the Selangor state government,
Azlan Sulaiman and Yap Chean Hong for Mais, and Muhamad Hisham Marzuki for
MAIWP. Lawyer Andrew Khoo held a watching brief for the Human Rights Commission
of Malaysia (Suhakam).
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/12/14/federal-court-told-only-parliament-can-criminalise-unnatural-sex-state-govt/1931815
--------
Enough
politicking, Malaysia and Malays need a new vision to prosper, Mohamad Hasan
tells allies and rivals alike
15
Dec 2020
BY
KEERTAN AYAMANY
KUALA
LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan yesterday spoke
critically of Malay politics and politicians, calling for a new vision to carry
both country and community forward.
In
a Facebook post last night, Mohamad said there has been no solution to
Malaysian and Malay politics since the formation of the Perikatan Nasional (PN)
government 10 months ago, adding that the public is tired of the continuous
conflict “particularly coming from Malay politicians”.
“What
the Malays need are not merely ideas but a clear vision on how they could
further advance and prosper.
“Malaysia
would be better off without the formation of one political alliance after
another. What the people need are new policies, ideas and ingenuity to make
Malaysia prosperous,” he said in the post.
Mohamad
then called on Malaysia to turn the page on its history, and cultivate new
sources of inspiration.
Quoting
Indonesian philosopher Hamka, Mohamad said, "A wise person lives for his
community and not for himself. Malaysia is in great need of such individuals”.
In
March, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin became the eighth prime minister of Malaysia,
following the resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has cited pressure to
ally with Umno politicians as a reason for leaving his post.
Since
then, Muhyiddin, who is also president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia
(Bersatu), has tried to maintain a fragile alliance with the Malay-centric
political parties of Umno and PAS, through the PN and Muafakat Nasional
coalitions.
Increasing
conflict has played out between the three Malay parties, which lately saw
disagreement surrounding Budget 2021, and the removal of Bersatu’s Datuk Seri
Ahmad Faizal Azumu from his position as Perak mentri besar through a vote of
no-confidence.
Furthermore,
Muhyiddin’s position has also been under threat from Opposition Leader Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim who has repeatedly claimed he has support from enough
Members of Parliament to overthrow Muhyiddin, but has yet to provide proof for
his claims to date.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/12/15/enough-politicking-malaysia-and-malays-need-a-new-vision-to-prosper-mohamad/1932017
--------
Arab
World
UAE
foreign minister hails relations with Russia, COVID-19 vaccine cooperation
14
December 2020
The
United Arab Emirates is proud of its strategic relations with Russia and has
been cooperating with Moscow on the coronavirus vaccine, said UAE Foreign
Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
"The
UAE is proud to have strategic relations with Russia," said Sheikh
Abdullah, adding that Moscow and Abu Dhabi were cooperating on the trials for
the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.
“Amid
the ongoing [coronavirus] pandemic, we have seen very clearly that these
relations are truly special. And we are determined to further promote our
relations going forward,” he added.
Sheikh
Abdullah was speaking at a joint press conference following a meeting with his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
“We
are also proud to see that our experts are working closely, our embassies are
also in close contact. It’s good to see that the UAE is about to complete the
third phase of the clinical trials of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus
vaccine,” the UAE foreign minister said.
The
two ministers were expected to discuss regional issues including Libya, Syria,
and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/14/UAE-foreign-minister-hails-relations-with-Russia-COVID-19-vaccine-cooperation
--------
Syrian
lawmakers say Golan Heights inseparable part of Syria
14
December 2020
Syrian
lawmakers have unanimously affirmed that the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are
an “inseparable” part of the country and will remain so, vowing that the region
will return to motherland sooner or later.
The
legislators of the 250-seat parliament, known in Syria as the People’s
Assembly, made the comments in a statement issued on Monday on the occasion of
the 39th anniversary of the disastrous decision by Tel Aviv to annex the
Heights.
The
statement stressed that the occupation decision “is null and void,” reported
Syria's official news agency SANA.
In
1967, Israel waged a full-scale war against Arab territories during which it
occupied a large swathe of Syria’s Golan Heights and annexed it four years
later, a move never recognized by the international community.
Syria
has repeatedly reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Heights, saying the
territory must be completely restored to its control.
In
March 2019, US President Donald Trump signed a decree recognizing Israeli
“sovereignty” over Golan during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu in Washington.
The
Syrian lawmakers rejected all attempts made by the Zionist entity against the
Golan Heights, including changing the true identity of the region and forging a
fake Israeli identity for it, educational curricula, laws, and decisions for
the occupied territory.
They
also categorically rejected the regime’s latest move in the region to establish
colossal wind turbines on the agricultural land owned by true inhabitants of
the Heights.
The
statement also expressed gratitude to the Golan people for their continued resistance
and fight against the Israeli occupying machine and its repressive measures,
stressing that the true inhabitants of Golan will continue their struggle
against the Tel Aviv regime until victory and liberation.
The
parliament concluded the statement by reiterating that Syrians are more
determined than ever to return to the occupied Heights.
Citizens
of Golan, Quneitra vow to continue fight until liberation
Separately
on Monday, SANA reported that Syrians in the southwestern province of Quneitra
and the Golan Heights affirmed in a statement to the news agency that they
would continue the fight against the occupation, Israel’s policies, and its
aggressive expansionist schemes in the territory.
They
also clarified that the ominous decision of annexation “is illegal and has no
legal value” as it would change no historical facts and geography regarding the
true identity of the region.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/14/640740/Syria-Israel-Golan-Heights
--------
Syrians
protest US-backed SDF forces’ control over oil wells, crude plunder
14
December 2020
Dozens
of people have staged a demonstration in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr
al-Zawr to protest the control of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
over crude oil wells in the energy-rich area, and their plunder of natural
resources in collaboration with the US military.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing sources requesting not to be named, reported
that residents of Ruwaished village demonstrated against the looting and
smuggling of oil by the US-backed and Kurdish-led militants.
The
participants blocked al-Kharafi road, which connects Dayr al-Zawr to the
neighboring province of Hasakah, and demanded an immediate end to the SDF
forces’ theft of Syrian crude reserves.
New
convoy of US tankers laden with oil smuggled out of eastern Syria
Separately,
a convoy of 35 tankers and trucks belonging to US forces has left Jazira region
in Syria’s province of Hasakah, and made its way to Iraq via al-Walid border
crossing, SANA reported, citing local sources.
The
looting of Syrian oil by the US was fist confirmed during a Senate hearing
exchange between South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in late July.
During
his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 30, Pompeo
confirmed for the first time that an American oil company would begin work in
northeastern Syria, which is controlled by SDF militants.
The
SDF, a US-backed alliance of Kurdish militants operating against Damascus,
currently controls areas in northern and eastern Syria.
The
Syrian government has denounced in the strongest terms any agreement inked to
plunder the country’s natural resources, including Syrian oil and gas, with the
sponsorship of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The
US president has more than once acknowledged that American military forces are
in Syria for the Arab country's oil.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/14/640734/Dayr-al-Zawr-residents-protest-US-backed-SDF-forces-control-over-oil-wells-crude-plunder
--------
Iraq
to sue US over sovereignty violation, use of depleted uranium weapons: Official
14
December 2020
An
advisor to the Iraqi parliament's foreign affairs committee says the Baghdad
government is planning to lodge an international lawsuit against the United
States for violating the country's sovereignty and using internationally-banned
munitions in civilian areas.
Hatif
al-Rikabi told Arabic-language al-Maalomah news agency in an interview that
Iraq is going to file the case at Swedish and German courts over appalling
crimes that Washington has perpetrated in the Arab country, including the use
of depleted uranium weapons.
Rikabi
went on to say that such a measure will ensure international accountability for
the US, and will not give it the chance to procrastinate the case.
“Hundreds
of cancer cases are recorded every month [in Iraq], and the figure is clear
evidence for the extent of the damage that US forces have committed,” he
stated, calling on the Iraqi Health Ministry to “release facts and figures
about casualties caused by US bombing campaigns.”
US-led
wars in Iraq have left behind hundreds of tons of depleted uranium munitions
and other toxic wastes.
Official
Iraqi government statistics show that, prior to the outbreak of the First
Persian Gulf War in 1991, the rate of cancer cases in Iraq was 40 out of
100,000 people. By 1995, it had increased to 800 out of 100,000 people, and, by
2005, it had doubled to at least 1,600 out of 100,000 people. Current estimates
show the increasing trend continuing.
Contamination
from depleted uranium munitions and other military-related pollution is
suspected of causing a sharp rise in congenital birth defects, cancer cases,
and other illnesses throughout much of Iraq.
Many
doctors and scientists maintain that recent emergence of diseases that were not
previously seen in Iraq, such as new illnesses in the kidney, lungs, and liver,
as well as total immune system collapse are connected to public exposure to war
contaminants.
Depleted
uranium (DU) contamination may also be related to the substantial rise in
leukemia, renal, and anemia cases, especially among children.
Moreover,
there has also been a dramatic jump in miscarriages and premature births among
Iraqi women, particularly in areas where heavy US military operations occurred,
such as Fallujah.
During
2004, the US military carried out two massive military sieges of the city of
Fallujah, using large quantities of DU ammunition, as well as white
phosphorous.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/14/640728/Iraq-to-lodge-intl--lawsuit-against-US-over-sovereignty-violation,-use-of-depleted-uranium-weapons-Official-
--------
South
Asia
Thousands
attend funeral of Hefazat leader Kasemi in Dhaka
December
14th, 2020
The
incident raises concern about risk of contagion amid the Covid-19 outbreak
Dealing
a blow to the social distancing rules amid the pandemic, thousands of people in
capital Dhaka attended the funeral prayers of a senior leader of
Hefazat-e-Islami.
The
namaz-e-janaza of the hardline Islamist group’s Secretary General of Nur
Hossain Kasemi was held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Monday.
Thousands
surged to the national mosque from early morning to take part in the funeral of
the 75-year-old, who passed away on Sunday after being hospitalized for almost
two weeks.
Kasemi,
also secretary general of political party Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam, was admitted to
the United Hospital on December 1 with breathing complications. He was moved to
the Intensive Care Unit on Thursday after his condition deteriorated.
A
Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, Kasemi was the vice-president of
Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh, senior vice-president of
Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh and Shaykhul Hadith and rector of Jamia
Madania Baridhara, Dhaka and Jamia Sobhania Mahmud Nagar.
He
founded Jamia Madania Baridhara, Dhaka in 1988, and Jamia Sobhania Madrasha at
Turag in 1998.
He
had played a leading role in the Hefazat movement since 2009.
Kasemi,
who was the chief of Hefazat's Dhaka city unit, was elected the Qawmi
madrasa-based platform's secretary general in November this year.
In
1975, he entered politics with Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2020/12/14/thousands-attend-funeral-of-hefazat-leader-kasemi-in-dhaka
--------
Rohingya
trafficking network sells dreams, delivers violence and extortion
15/12/2020
Auto
rickshaws slip easily past barbed-wire checkpoints at the world's biggest
refugee camp, their drivers among the smallest players in a complex human
trafficking network involving high-seas extortion gangs, corrupt police and
drug lords.
Aboard
the spluttering rickshaws are small groups of young men, women and children
hoping to escape the misery of life with other members of their stateless
Rohingya group who are crowded into shanties in Bangladesh.
Nineteen-year-old
Enamul Hasan was aboard one of the rickshaws early this year, taken to the
coast and then by small boat into a bigger fishing vessel anchored in the Bay
of Bengal where he joined hundreds of other Rohingya hoping to reach Malaysia.
"I
was told I'd get the opportunity to finish my studies and earn money to get my
family out of poverty," Hasan told AFP, recounting the promises of the
low-level smuggler in the camp who was his main contact for organising the
trip.
Instead,
after enduring beatings by crew members and watching others die during more
than six weeks at sea, Hasan's boat returned to Bangladesh and he is back in
his squalid home.
"I
will never forget what I've been through. The traffickers, the brutality of the
sailors... I'd never do it again," Hasan said.
AFP
spoke to Hasan as part of an in-depth investigation into the people smuggling
network that included dozens of interviews with refugees in Bangladesh and
Indonesia, where hundreds arrived this year after months at sea.
AFP
also interviewed fishermen involved in the trade, police, government officials,
community leaders and aid workers.
The
investigation revealed a sophisticated and always-evolving operation worth many
millions of dollars in which members of the Rohingya community play a key role
in trafficking their own people.
Thai-registered
fishing boats capable of holding 1,000 people, satellite phones, a mini-armada
of smaller supply vessels and corrupt officials across Southeast Asia, as well
as in the Bangladeshi camp, are also integral to the network.
"It's
a big business that uses humanity as its cover," said Iskandar Dewantara,
co-founder of the Geutanyoe Foundation, an Indonesia-based refugee advocacy
group.
It
can also be brutal.
Hasan
provided to AFP footage from a mobile phone he said had belonged to one of the
Burmese crew members showing them beating the passengers.
In
the video, a trafficker uses what appears to be a whip to repeatedly strike
shirtless men huddled together, with rake-thin children and women crowded
around them.
The
sailor who owned the phone left it when the crew abandoned the boat following a
mutiny at sea, according to Hasan.
-
Brides -
Muslim
Rohingya have for decades endured persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar,
where they are not recognised as citizens, and smuggling routes out by land and
sea have long existed.
Relatively
affluent and Muslim Malaysia has been the main destination.
More
than 100,000 Rohingya now live on the margins of society in Malaysia,
registered as refugees but not allowed to work, forcing the men into illegal
construction and other low-paid jobs.
A
Myanmar military crackdown in 2017, which UN investigators said amounted to
genocide, turbo-charged the exodus, forcing 750,000 Rohingya to flee across the
border into Bangladesh’s southeast coastal district of Cox's Bazar.
That
is now a sprawling refugee camp of one million people from where the only way
out is the dangerous boat journeys.
Spurring
the demand are the Rohingya men in Malaysia who pay smugglers to bring over
families, or new brides from arranged marriages, according to advocacy groups
and women involved.
Malaysian
authorities frequently turn back boats, and fears over Covid-19 have amplified
their intolerance for more refugees.
However,
nearly 500 Rohingya made it to Malaysia in three vessels this year, according
to an AFP tally from the landings.
Since
June, about 400 Rohingya have also landed in northern Indonesia -- all trying
to reach neighbouring Malaysia -- in the biggest wave of arrivals there in five
years.
Hundreds
more are believed to have died at sea from beatings, starvation or dehydration,
while other boats have returned to Bangladesh.
Many
of the boat people who arrived in Indonesia were women.
Among
them was 18-year-old Janu, who told AFP at a makeshift refugee camp in
Lhokseumawe, a coastal town in Indonesia's Aceh province, that her family had arranged
for her to marry a Rohingya man working as a labourer in Malaysia.
"I
had been waiting in the camp for two years, it was worth the risk," Janu
said, hoping that like some others had already done she may now be able to find
a way to Malaysia.
-
Escape -
Escaping
the Bangladesh camp starts with a down payment that can reach the equivalent of
$2,000, often paid by a refugee's husband or other relatives in Malaysia using
mobile banking applications.
Refugees
then get a phone call typically from someone they do not know.
"The
call came after a few days and a man instructed us to go to the rickshaw stand
in the main food market area of the camp," said 20-year-old Julekha Begum,
who married a Rohingya man in Malaysia via a video chat app.
Rickshaw
drivers hired by traffickers take refugees to several barbed-wire security
checkpoints, where security forces typically wave them through for a bribe.
Then
it is a few hours' drive to half a dozen take-off zones identified by AFP that
line the coast and where thousands of fishing boats make their way out to sea
for nightly expeditions.
The
Rohingya wait until small boats that hold about a dozen people fill up before
they're taken to much bigger ships far out at sea -- sometimes two-storey
fishing vessels capable of holding 1,000 people.
The
big boats, usually piloted by crews from Myanmar, are equipped with GPS
equipment, mobile communications as well as food and drinking water.
"Many
fishing boats nowadays carry people to the deep sea where bigger vessels wait
for the victims," said Hemayetul Islam, a refugee camp police battalion
commander.
"When
we go and check these boats, we see fishing nets and other fishing gear. It is
very difficult for us to differentiate between actual fishermen and
smugglers."
Once
on their way to Malaysia, smaller boats regularly bring food and water to the
big vessels.
Rohingya
interviewed by AFP said they were told they would arrive in Malaysia -- roughly
4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles away) in a week.
In
reality, the trip takes months -- if they make it at all.
Refugees
who made it to Indonesia told stories of beatings and torture, near-starvation
rations and threats to hold passengers hostage until their relatives paid more
money.
They
told varying accounts of the main boats sailing near Malaysia and some
passengers being unloaded onto smaller ones for their final destination after
relatives paid more money in what were essentially ransom demands.
Asmot
Ullah, a 21-year-old man who landed in September, said smugglers "usually
beat people on the boat if their relatives don't make payments or can't pay
more".
Another
passenger, Mohammad Nizam, said he was kept off a smaller, Malaysia-bound boat
because of a lack of money.
"They
were asking for more money than we had agreed earlier, but my parents couldn't
afford it," said 25-year-old Nizam.
"If
you pay more you will be brought (directly) to Malaysia."
One
boatload of up to 1,000 passengers can be worth up to $3 million for the
smugglers, according to authorities.
-
Fake 'rescue' -
Indonesian
fishermen initially claimed they had rescued the first boatload of about 100
Rohingya in June.
However,
the purported "rescue" was in fact a coordinated effort by the
smugglers to avoid the tighter border controls in Malaysia, authorities and
traffickers involved in the operation said.
"They
created this public perception that the fishermen had found them after their
boat capsized," said Sony Sanjaya, director of the general crime division
for Aceh's police.
"But
their arrival here wasn't an accident."
Once
in Indonesia, the smugglers hope to get the Rohingya into Malaysia via a narrow
sea crossing that separates the two countries, according to local authorities.
However,
most remain stuck in the Lhokseumawe camp, two former school buildings that
local authorities have set aside for the new arrivals.
Three
local fishermen were among a handful of alleged traffickers arrested in October
in connection with the June landing.
Interviewed
by AFP at a lockup in Aceh, the men said they were hired by a Rohingya man living
in Indonesia -- who was also arrested -- to rent a boat and later to pick up a
vessel filled with refugees.
"I
desperately needed money then so I took the job," said father-of-six
Faisal.
The
fishermen were given location coordinates and instructed to flash packages of
popular clove-infused cigarettes so the boat traffickers would recognise them,
authorities said.
-
Compassion, greed -
Inside
the camps in Bangladesh, a complex mix of compassion, desperation and greed
appears to drive the people trafficking network, which has links to the illicit
drug trade.
The
region is a well-known manufacturing hub of yaba, a cheap methamphetamine
popular across Southeast Asia.
AFP
spoke with a 25-year-old man who said he was born in one of the oldest refugee
settlements in Bangladesh and started working for a Rohingya organised crime
leader at the age of 14.
He
asked only to be identified by his first name, Mohammed.
"I
worked for him for two years and managed to get at least 200 Rohingya willing
to go to Malaysia and away from the madness of these camps," Mohammed
said, adding he was paid the equivalent of $550 a month for finding people.
Mohammed
said Bangladeshi security forces eventually shot his boss dead, and after a few
years out of the trade he is scouting for another way to get back in.
"If
I can't find an opening here, I'll start doing it myself using my own contacts
(overseas)," he said, talking about the money he hoped to make.
But
other Rohingya involved in the trafficking in Cox's Bazar describe their work
as a moral duty.
"If
someone wants to get out of this hellish place, as a sensible brother, I think
it's my duty to show them the way out."
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201215-rohingya-trafficking-network-sells-dreams-delivers-violence-and-extortion
--------
10
Afghan security force personnel killed in Taliban attack in Kunduz
Dec
14, 2020
KUNDUZ/
AFGHANISTAN: At least 10 security force members, including a border police
commander, were killed and six others were wounded in a Taliban attack in the
Imam Sahib district of Kunduz on Sunday night, said the provincial council
member on Monday.
"At
least 10 security force members including a border police commander were killed
and six others were wounded in a Taliban attack in Imam Sahib district of the
Kunduz province on Sunday night," said Khalil Qarizada, provincial council
member, as quoted by Tolo News.
Earlier
on Monday, the Afghan Ministry of Defence announced that At least 65 Taliban
were killed in attacks on security outposts in Zherai, Arghandab, Panjwai, and
Shah Wali Kot districts of Kandahar province on Sunday, Tolo News reported
further.
The
Taliban is however to comment on these attacks.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/10-afghan-security-force-personnel-killed-in-taliban-attack-in-kunduz/articleshow/79720559.cms
--------
Bomb
kills deputy governor in Afghan capital
15
Dec 2020
A
deputy governor of Kabul province and his aide were killed on Tuesday by a bomb
in the Afghan capital, officials said, the latest in a wave of targeted
killings in the country.
Mahbobullah
Mohebi was killed when a bomb attached to his vehicle detonated while he was on
his way to his office, the interior ministry said.
Mohebi's
secretary, who was travelling with him, was also killed and two bodyguards were
wounded. Violence has raged across the country since the Taliban and Afghan
government launched peace talks in Qatar in September.
Abdullah
Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, condemned
the attack and said the increase in attacks is a clear enemy of the Afghan
peace process.
Sima
Samar, special presidential envoy and state minister for human rights, tweeted
that the "people are tired of terrorist attacks every day".
Samar
also urged the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire to stop the killing and more
bloodshed.
Afghanistan
— and especially Kabul — have seen a spate of murders of prominent figures,
including journalists, clerics, politicians and rights activists.
Last
week a female news anchor was shot dead in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the
second journalist to be murdered in less than a month.
The
capital has been hit by rockets twice this month and recently battled major
attacks on educational centres, including a massacre of students at a university
campus.
In
a separate attack in Kabul on Tuesday, a policeman was killed and two others
wounded when gunmen attacked their checkpoint, officials said.
Peace
talks have been paused until January, with government negotiators expected to
return to Kabul from Qatar this week to meet with senior officials.
Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani and some other senior officials have called for talks to
be moved to Afghanistan from Doha.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595904/bomb-kills-deputy-governor-in-afghan-capital
--------
Officials
Deny Reports Afghan Forces Trapped in Ambush Attack
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
15
Dec 2020
KABUL,
Afghanistan – The Afghan National Army Commando Corps freed Maidan
Wardak-Jalriz highway from Taliban, denying reports said Afghan forces are trapped
in an ambush by the Taliban insurgents in Maidan Wardark province.
In
a report Monday, Mehdi Rasekh, a representative of Maidan Wardak in the
parliament, said a long convoy of the Afghan security forces are trapped in an
ambush by the Taliban on Highway No. 2 of the province.
“Commando
forces cleared off Maidan wardak-Jalriz highway from Taliban today,” said the
MoD in a tweet. “Reports about the blockade of these forces by the Taliban are
false.”
Official
did not provide further details but said, “commando forces will continue their
operations and will not allow the enemy to harass Afghans along this highway.”
Taliban
did not immediately comment on the incident.
https://www.khaama.com/officials-deny-reports-afghan-forces-trapped-in-ambush-attack-4534/
--------
Afghan-Taliban
peace talks to resume in January
14
December 2020
Peace
talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents will resume in early
January as the warring sides take a break after reaching agreement on
procedural ground rules for sustaining their dialogue to end the war.
Read
more: Gunman opens fire during outdoor choir performance at cathedral in New
York City
The
talks between the Afghan sides began in Qatar in September, months after the US
and the Taliban struck a deal on the withdrawal of the remaining 12,000 US
troops in exchange for Taliban security guarantees and a commitment to talk
peace.
Members
of the Afghan government delegation said on Monday they would travel back to
Kabul from Doha.
“We’re
taking a break for now and will be ready to discuss the agenda when talks
resume,” said a senior Afghan official overseeing diplomatic communications
with the Taliban.
A
Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Despite
the peace process, violence in Afghanistan has not ended. There are regular
clashes in various parts of the country and bomb and rocket attacks in Kabul.
Last
week, the US forces carried out an air strike against Taliban insurgents to
protect government forces in Kandahar province in a rare US intervention since
their pact with the Taliban.
Afghan
officials in the southern province told media the Taliban were planning
coordinated attacks on security forces when the US military bombed them,
killing more than 20 Taliban fighters.
The
Taliban accused the US and the Afghan government of killing civilians in the
air strike.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/14/Afghan-Taliban-peace-talks-to-resume-in-January
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
arrests 3 Taliban terrorists involved in Rawalpindi blast
Dec
14, 2020
LAHORE:
Three Taliban terrorists, involved in a blast in Rawalpindi, were arrested on
Monday by Pakistan's security agencies.
At
least 25 people, including women and children, were injured in the grenade
attack in the Ganj Mandi area near a police station in the garrison city of
Rawalpindi on Sunday.
The
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab police said in a statement on
Monday that a CTD Rawalpindi team got information that three terrorists were
hiding on Adyala-Kharakan Road along Swan River Rawalpindi.
"On
this information and evidence collected from Pir Wadhai crime scene, CTD raided
the place on Monday and arrested three terrorists. Explosives, detonators, cell
phones and other articles recovered," it said.
During
initial investigation, the CTD said it has been revealed that the arrested
terrorists committed four bomb blasts in Rawalpindi in 2020 (January, March,
June & December) killing four persons and injuring more than 30 others.
"The
terrorists have been radicalised/motivated by ideology of the proscribed
organisation Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan but now they were working for their
masterminds based in Afghanistan. Now they were doing it for money. They
further disclosed that their group leader was getting funds from Afghanistan
for this terrorism,” the CTD said.
It
said that the building of Islamabad Stock Exchange was on the target of
terrorists. Investigation has been launched in the case, it said.
Last
week, the law enforcement agencies had thwarted a terror plan in Lahore and
arrested five Afghan Taliban terrorists.
The
CTD said the Afghan Taliban had planned to bomb the Civil Secretariat that has
offices of Punjab civil bureaucracy. "The terrorists were heading for
Punjab Civil Secretariat Lahore to bomb it. They were arrested just before
their departure from Shahdara area of Lahore," it said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-arrests-3-taliban-terrorists-involved-in-rawalpindi-blast/articleshow/79721968.cms
--------
CPEC:
Pakistan army to gain 'control' of $60 billion Belt & Road projects
Dec
14, 2020
NEW
DELHI: Pakistan recently cleared a bill in Parliament that will virtually give
the powerful army sweeping control over the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) projects while diminishing the role of the civilian government.
The proposed law has caused discomfort in the opposition ranks and sparked
concerns over the possible implications of establishing a "parallel
government". Here's what the proposed law means and why it's controversial:
Who's
calling the shots?
In
2019, the Imran Khan government had passed an ordinance to establish the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPECA) for timely execution of
big-ticket CPEC projects. It was widely speculated that CPECA was established
to please China, which had expressed dismay over the slow progress on the CPEC
front and wanted the army to get directly involved. Not surprisingly, Prime
Minister Imran Khan's close aide Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa (retired) became
the first chairman of the authority.
Ever
since its establishment, the CPECA had been facing flak from lawmakers in
Pakistan as it undercut the role of the civilian government and functioned as a
"parallel authority."
But
things got murkier when the ordinance lapsed in May this year.
According
to reports in Pakistani media, Bajwa continued to preside over the CPEC well
beyond May despite having no legal sanction to do so. This raised eyebrows
within the country, with several opposition leaders questioning the legal status
and functioning of the authority after the expiry of the ordinance. Concerns
were particularly raised since Bajwa was involved in a major corruption scandal
earlier this year and had to quit as the special advisor to Prime Minister
Khan.
Tightening
control
Over
the last few months, the Pakistan government has been working on a draft bill
that seeks to reinstate the controversial CPEC Authority. In November, a
parliamentary committee finally cleared the CPEC Authority Bill 2020 in the
National Assembly. The proposed law will be put to a final vote in the second
week of December.
But
the devil is in the details.
The
bill will not only pave way for the official return of the CPEC Authority, but
will give the Pakistani army far greater control over CPEC. According to a
report on Nikkei Asia, the proposed law will allow Bajwa to replace the
planning minister as co-chair of a Pakistan-China joint committee and eliminate
the role of the planning ministry as an administrative division and the
authority.
"A
new post of chief of staff is also being proposed in the bill and the position
of CEO is proposed to be scrapped. Presently, the CEO is a top officer from the
bureaucracy. The two positions of executive directors are proposed to be
abolished," the report said.
Most
importantly, Bajwa would report directly to PM Imran Khan instead of the
planning ministry. Observers feel this would give the army sweeping influence
over the key projects since Khan is considered close to the military, with
critics often giving him monikers such as "selected PM" or
"puppet ruler".
The
report said that the law seeks to grant legal immunity to CPECA officials,
which will make them unaccountable for tens of billions of dollars spent on the
projects and put them outside the purview of Pakistani courts.
The
law further stipulates that the CPECA chairman will have the power to order a
probe against any official who refuses to cooperate with the agency.
What's
in it for China?
Military
control over the CPEC project benefits China in more ways than one, according
to various experts.
Sources
in Pakistan's planning ministry had told Asia Times that China wanted the
Pakistan army to be directly involved in CPEC — part of its ambitious Belt and
Road Initiative — to expedite the pace of the projects.
Ensuring
a healthy pace of BRI projects in Pakistan is crucial for Chinese ambitions as
it seeks to expand its influence in the South Asian region, even if it comes at
the cost of financially draining the partner nations.
A
report by the Center for Global Development had pointed out that Pakistan is
among the eight countries most at risk of falling into debt distress due to
China's BRI projects.
The
report said that nations like Pakistan are staring at rising debt-to-GDP ratios
beyond 50 percent, with at least 40 percent of external debt owed to China once
BRI lending is complete.
Over
the next 14 days, Maldives Treasury must pay over $15m to Chinese banks. These
banks have not, thus far, given… https://t.co/Y7MhzayICA
—
Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) 1607677308000
Moreover,
greater involvement of the army will also serve to address China's security
concerns vis-a-vis Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Several
Chinese contractors and engineers working in the Balochistan and Sindh regions
have been kidnapped and killed over the last few years. Thus, Bajwa’s previous
position as the former head of the army’s Southern Command, which covers the
province of Balochistan, will allay some of these concerns.
"Bajwa
was undoubtedly selected out of a belief that he could address security
concerns in particular. Beijing is worried about terrorism in Balochistan,
where separatists have stepped up attacks on Chinese targets in recent
years," wrote commentator Arif Rafiq in an article on Foreign Policy.
The
CPEC project, which links China's western city of Kashgar to the Pakistani port
of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, also passes through the Pakistan-occupied
Gilgit-Baltistan. The region is the gateway of the CPEC infrastructure plan.
"With
the Gilgit-Baltistan coming under its ambit, the Pakistan army's role is even
more crucial as the region has remained disputed for decades but at the same
time, it is important for China as well as Pakistan to have control over this
area for the construction of CPEC," an analyst on condition of anonymity
told news agency IANS.
Without
Gilgit-Baltistan, the Chinese will have limited access to Gwadar.
According
to media reports, Pakistan decided to elevate Gilgit Baltistan to a
fully-fledged province under pressure from the Chinese government. Activists
claim the move was aimed at addressing China's concern about the region's
disputed status. India has outrightly condemned this move, calling it
Pakistan's bid to camouflage its illegal occupation of the region.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-army-to-gain-control-of-60-billion-belt-road-projects/articleshow/79720962.cms
--------
COAS
assures US envoy of support for regional peace
Baqir
Sajjad Syed
15
Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday said that Pakistan
would continue to back efforts for regional peace and stability.
He
extended this assurance to United States Special Envoy for Afghan
Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad who is visiting Pakistan along with Gen Austin
Scott Miller, US Commander Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan.
Ambassador
Khalilzad’s latest visit is taking place at a time when the Afghan government
and Afghan Taliban’s negotiation teams announced a 20-day break in their
dialogue for ‘consultations’ on the agenda items.
The
talks are tentatively scheduled to resume from Jan 5, 2021. It is not clear
where the next round of talks will be held though the Afghan government has
indicated the desire for hosting them inside Afghanistan.
The
two sides are currently negotiating the agenda for the intra-Afghan dialogue
after reaching an agreement on Dec 2 on the rules and procedures governing the
future talks.
The
break and the accompanying uncertainty are a cause of worry for the US.
Amb
Khalilzad, after his arrival in Islamabad, tweeted: “Tragically, the war
continues. The need for a political settlement, reduction in violence, and a
ceasefire remain urgent.”
“Given
how much is at stake, it is imperative that there is no delays in resumption of
talks and they must resume on Jan 5 as agreed,” he said in another tweet.
Pakistan
this year not only helped the US and Taliban sign their agreement, but also
facilitated the start of intra-Afghan negotiations and more lately the
agreement on rules and procedures for the dialogue.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan during his last month visit to Kabul had assured the Afghan
leadership of his full cooperation for reduction in violence in Afghanistan. He
had assured President Ashraf Ghani “we will do whatever is within our reach”.
According
to Pakistan military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, matters of
mutual interest including overall regional security situation with particular
reference to ongoing Afghan reconciliation process were discussed during the
meeting at GHQ between Gen Bajwa and the US delegation.
“COAS
appreciated role of RSM for peace and stability in Afghanistan and assured that
Pakistan will continue to play its positive role for peace and stability in the
region,” the ISPR said.
“Visiting
dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s untiring efforts for facilitating the process
towards the mutual objective of peace in the region,” it added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595831/coas-assures-us-envoy-of-support-for-regional-peace
--------
Pakistan
Chief of Army Meets Khalilzad
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
15
Dec 2020
Pakistan
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with US Special Envoy for
Afghan Peace Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Resolute Support Mission
Commander in Afghanistan General Austin Scott Miller on Monday.
According
to Pakistani Media, Qamar appreciated role of RS for peace and stability in
Afghanistan and assured that Pakistan will continue its positive role for peace
and stability.
Dignitaries
discussed mutual interest including overall regional security situation in
reference to ongoing Afghan reconciliation process, according to Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) press release.
The
visiting teams have thanked Pakistan for their untiring efforts towards
facilitating peace process toward mutual objective in the region.
This
comes as on Monday Khalilzad urged peace delegations from both sides to
continue the talks as promised on January 5, in the tweet threads he also
added, that tragically, the war continues. The need for a political settlement,
reduction in violence, and a ceasefire remain urgent.”
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-chief-of-army-meets-khalilzad-797999/
--------
Mideast
IRGC
Commander: Scientific Independence Source of National Might
2020-December-14
"If
a country's scientific reserves grow, so will the society. While political,
economic, or cultural aspects are mostly considered as the factors for nations'
independence, scientific independence is the source of a nation's
authority," Major General Hossein Salami made the remarks on the sidelines
of the inauguration ceremony of Noor Genetics Center of Baqiyatallah University
of Medical Sciences on Monday.
"We
have enemies who always try to keep us trivial and weak because a country that
is far behind will be weak and forced to surrender," he said, adding,
"But if a country comes out of foreign scientific dominance and produces
basic needs domestically, it will be alive and grow even if it is under a
global siege."
"When
a person is assassinated for marching in the scientific arena, it means that
the enemy has targeted our scientific growth and might, and everywhere that the
enemy has focused on is our strong point," the IRGC commander reiterated.
Salami
described the Noor Genetics Center as one of the IRGC’s great achievements,
noting, "When we are able to decipher the human genetic map, we will do
treatment easier and more accurately, so we should not lag behind the
world."
He
emphasized that the efforts of Iranians can turn the threat of the enemies into
an arena of growth and development.
In
relevant remarks last month, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)
underlined that the country's nuclear scientists will continue their
breakthroughs in the field, and said that the assassination of top researchers
will not prevent them from making progress.
"Scientists
in the nuclear industry, based on the measures and strategy of the Islamic
Republic of Iran will continue the path of the country's authority with
strength," the AEOI tweeted.
It
pointed out that the month of November is a reminder of the heinous act of the
enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in assassinating Majid Shahriari, the
theorist and the founder of 20 percent enrichment of Iran's nuclear industry.
Majid
Shahriari was Professor of Nuclear Science and Technology at the Shahid
Beheshti University of Tehran and was assassinated on November 29, 2010, in a
terrorist operation carried out by the US and Israeli agents.
"Martyr
Shahriari, with his indescribable knowledge and faith, had brought despair to
the ill-wishers of Iran," the AEOI added.
In
a relevant development on Friday November 27, Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen
Fakhrizadeh came under attack by terrorists in the town of Absar in Damavand
county to the East of Tehran Friday afternoon and was martyred hours later.
Fakhrizadeh's
car was targeted by an explosion and machinegun fire in Damavand's Absard 40
kilometers to the East of Tehran on Friday November 27.
The
nuclear scientist and one of his companions were immediately taken to a nearby
hospital but he could not be saved.
Eyewitness
accounts confirmed that Fakhrizadeh's car came under attack first by a blast
and then by terrorists who sprayed bullets at his car.
Early
in 2018, the Israeli sources had acknowledged that Mossad had tried to
assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist, but its operation failed.
According
to Fars News Agency, Mossad had gained access to Fakhrizadeh's name via a UN
list which referred to him as a senior scientist of Iran's Defense Ministry's
Physics Research Center.
After
the terrorist attack on Friday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami underlined that assassination of
Fakhrizadeh may not undermine Iranians' resolve, and said revenge for the
terror attack is already on the country's agenda.
General
Salami extended condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, martyr Fakhrizadeh's family, and the Iranian
nation over the martyrdom of Head of the Research and Innovation Organization
of Iran's Defense Ministry, Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated in an
organized and pre-planned terrorist attack by the child-killing Israeli regime.
"The
enemies of the Iranian nation, specially the masterminds, perpetrators and
supporters of this crime, should also know that such crimes will not undermine
the resolve of the Iranians to continue this glorious and power-generating
path, and harsh revenge and punishment is on agenda for them," the IRGC
chief commander stressed.
Iranian
nuclear scientists have been the target of the western and Israeli spy
agencies' assassination attempts in recent years.
In
June 2012, Iran announced that its intelligence forces had identified and
arrested all terrorist elements behind the assassination of the country's
nuclear scientists.
"All
the elements involved in the assassinations of the country's nuclear scientists
have been identified and arrested," Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced
in a statement.
"A
number of countries, whose territories and facilities had been misused by the
Mossad-backed terrorist teams, have provided the Iranian officials with
relevant information," the statement added.
"Over
the course of the investigations, all other elements behind the assassinations
of the Iranian scientists Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari and Mostafa
Ahmadi Roshan as well as Reza Qashqaei (Roshan's driver) have been
apprehended," the statement read.
"Some
of the perpetrators of the assassination of Dr. Fereidoun Abbasi, the current
head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, are among those arrested," the
ministry added.
According
to the statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry had detected some of Mossad's
bases within the territories of one of Iran's Western neighbors, which provided
training and logistical support to the terrorist networks.
In
the fifth attack of its kind in two years, terrorists killed a 32-year-old
Iranian scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and his driver on January 11, 2012.
The
blast took place on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Iranian
university professor and nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, who was also
assassinated in a terrorist bomb attack in Tehran in January 2010.
The
assassination method used in the bombing was similar to the 2010 terrorist bomb
attacks against the then university professor, Fereidoun Abbassi Davani – who
became the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization - and his colleague Majid
Shahriari. While Abbasi Davani survived the attack, Shahriari was martyred.
Another
Iranian scientist, Dariush Rezaeinejad, was also assassinated through the same
method on 23 July 2011.
In
a relevant development in January, 2015, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) announced that it had thwarted an attempt by the Israeli intelligence
forces to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist.
“In
the last two years, the Zionist enemy (Israel) was trying hard to assassinate
an Iranian nuclear scientist, but the timely presence of the IRGC security
forces thwarted the terrorist operation,” Deputy Chief Liaison Officer of Flight
Guards Corps Colonel Ya’qoub Baqeri told FNA in 2015.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990924000672/IRGC-Cmmander-Scienific-Independence-Srce-f-Nainal-Migh
--------
Iran
says it can move beyond dispute with Turkey after Erdogan poem
14
December 2020
Iran’s
President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Tehran could move past a
diplomatic quarrel with Turkey over a poem recited by President Tayyip Erdogan
during a visit to Azerbaijan, which Tehran had called a threat to its
territorial integrity.
Iran
summoned Turkey’s envoy last week after Erdogan recited an Azeri-Iranian poem
lamenting the 19th century division of Azerbaijan’s territory between Russia
and Iran. Tehran appeared concerned his remarks questioned Iran’s territorial
integrity and could fan separatist tendencies among its Azeri minority.
“In
my opinion, with the explanations (Turkish officials) gave, we can move beyond
this issue, but the sensitivity of our people is very important,” Rouhani told
a televised news conference in Tehran.
“Based
on my past knowledge of Mr Erdogan, it is very unlikely that he had any
intention of insulting our territorial integrity,” Rouhani said. “He always
recites poetry in his speeches.”
Azeris
are the largest minority in Iran, and millions live in an Iranian region which
shares the same name as the independent state of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet
Republic. Azeris speak a language very similar to Turkish, while mostly
observing Shia Islam, Iran’s state religion.
Turkey
has become a close ally of Azerbaijan, helping it make major territorial gains
against Armenians in a war that ended with a ceasefire last month.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/14/Iran-says-it-can-move-beyond-dispute-with-Turkey-after-Erdogan-poem
--------
US
imposes new Iran sanctions on two officials linked to Ministry of Intelligence
14
December 2020
The
United States on Monday imposed Iran-related sanctions on two individuals,
according to the Treasury Department's website, increasing pressure on Tehran
as US President Donald Trump's term nears a close.
Washington
blacklisted Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, both linked to the Iranian
Ministry of Intelligence and Security, according to the website.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/14/Iran-sanctions-US-imposes-new-Iran-sanctions-on-two-officials-linked-to-Ministry-of-Intelligence
--------
Biden
knows that Iran’s missile program is non-negotiable, says Rouhani
14
December 2020
Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Tehran’s missile program was
non-negotiable and that US President-Elect Joe Biden is “well aware of it.”
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
Biden’s
victory has raised the possibility that Washington could rejoin a deal Iran reached
with world powers in 2015, and he appears to see a return as a prelude to wider
talks on Iran’s nuclear work, its ballistic missiles and regional activities.
But
Tehran has ruled out halting its missile program or changing its regional
policy, and instead has demanded a change in US policy, including the lifting
of sanctions and compensation for the economic damage caused during the US
withdrawal from the nuclear accord.
“The
Americans were trying for months to add the missile issue (to the nuclear talks)
and this was rejected.... And Mr Biden knows this well,” Rouhani told a
televised news conference.
Tensions
between Washington and Tehran have risen since 2018, when President Donald
Trump abandoned the nuclear deal, and restored harsh economic sanctions to
pressure Tehran into negotiating stricter curbs on its nuclear program,
ballistic missile development and support for regional proxy forces.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/14/Biden-knows-that-Iran-s-missile-program-is-non-negotiable-says-Rouhani
--------
Yemen
pours sarcasm on Riyadh: We may help protect Saudi ports if asked
15
December 2020
In
the wake of an explosion at a Saudi fuel transport terminal, a senior Yemeni
official has heaped heavy sarcasm on the kingdom over its failure to protect
its ports, saying Yemen, if asked, may consider helping safeguard them.
Mohammed
Ali al-Houthi, chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen, made
the remarks in a post on his Twitter account on Monday after Saudi Arabia said
that a fuel transport ship anchored at a Jeddah terminal had been hit by an
explosive-laden boat.
The
attack resulted in a small fire which was extinguished, but there was no damage
to unloading facilities nor any effect on supplies, according to the Saudi
Energy Ministry spokesman.
“These
acts of terrorism and vandalism, directed against vital installations, go
beyond the kingdom and its vital facilities, to the security and stability of
energy supplies to the world and the global economy,” the ministry added.
Jeddah
— the second biggest Saudi city — is home to a key Red Sea port and
distribution center for oil giant Saudi Aramco.
Reacting
to the explosion, Houthi said what the Saudi regime has termed as a “terrorist”
attack was proof of the failure of the US and the UK to perform their task of
protecting the kingdom.
He
said in a sarcastic tone that the Yemenis may consider helping protect the
Saudi ports, if asked.
“The
Yemeni security and military organization has a lot of experience in
confronting American terrorism and its branches,” he added.
The
Singapore-based shipping company Hafnia said on Monday that there was an
explosion and a fire while its oil tanker, the BW Rhine, was discharging at
Jeddah port.
The
ship’s crew put out the fire and no one was injured, it said, adding that parts
of the vessel’s hull had been damaged.
“BW
Rhine has been hit from an external source whilst discharging at Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia at approximately 00:40 local time on 14 December 2020, causing an
explosion and subsequent fire onboard,” Hafnia declared in a statement on its
website.
Saudi
Arabia launched a devastating military aggression against Yemen in March 2015
in collaboration with a number of its allied states, and with arms support from
the US and several Western countries.
The
aim was to return to power a Riyadh-backed former regime and defeat the Houthi
Ansarullah movement that has taken control of state matters.
The
war has failed to achieve its goals, but killed tens of thousands of innocent
Yemenis and destroyed the impoverished country’s infrastructure. The UN refers
to the situation in Yemen as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/15/640766/Yemen-Houthi-Saudi-ports-
--------
Hamas
calls for Palestinian unity, resistance against Israeli occupation
15
December 2020
The
Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement has called for unity and resistance
against Israel, vowing to keep fighting against the occupying regime until the
liberation of Palestinian territories.
In
a statement released on Monday, on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of its
establishment, Hamas said it would continue the battle against Israel “until
the liberation of Palestine, from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan]
River.”
“As
the movement marks 33 years of its creation, Hamas calls for unifying the
strategy of struggle against the occupier (Israel) to confront all the
challenges that the Palestinian cause is passing through,” it added.
The
resistance group also stressed that it would “continue to carry the banner of
resistance” against Israel “until we achieve our people’s goals of freedom, the
right of return [for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to their
homeland] and the restoration of our land and holy sites.”
It
further pledged to confront “all attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause,
first and foremost the Deal of the Century,” a pro-Israel scheme for the Middle
East unveiled by outgoing US President Donald Trump earlier this year.
The
Palestinian Authority (PA), which is headquartered in Ramallah, should withdraw
from the 1990s Oslo Accords and support the popular resistance, especially in
the West Bank, to confront the Israeli annexation plan, Hamas said.
It
also vowed to cooperate with all Palestinian powers “to confront the wave of
Arab normalization with Israel,” denouncing the peace accords as “a betrayal to
Palestine” and a “national sin that only serves the Zionist enterprise in the
region.”
In
mid-September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed normalization
pacts with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani during an official ceremony
hosted by Trump at the White House.
The
following month, Trump said Israel and Sudan had also established economic ties
as a pathway toward normalized ties.
Last
week, Morocco became the fourth Arab state this year to announce it had agreed
to forge formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Haniyeh
criticizes PA’s resumption of security ties with Israel
On
Sunday evening, Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, delivered a
televised speech to mark the anniversary of the movement’s establishment.
During
his speech aired by the Al-Aqsa TV channel, Haniyeh criticized the PA’s
decision last month to resume security coordination with the Tel Aviv regime,
saying it “formed an intense barrier” to achieving reconciliation with the
Fatah party.
“The
about-face carried by the Palestinian Authority in returning to relations,
cooperation and speaking to the [Israeli] occupation […] constituted a strong
impediment to achieving the breakthrough in reconciliation that we were hoping
for,” he emphasized.
Haniyeh,
however, stressed that “Hamas is ready to build a Palestinian national unified
scene to confront the obliteration projects to the Palestinian cause.”
Separately,
leading Hamas member Hossam Badran expressed the resistance group’s
preparedness to resume talks for healing the inter-Palestinian rift with the
Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority government.
“We
reiterate our readiness to continue dialogue to restore unity and rebuild
Palestinian national institutions based on partnership,” he said in a
statement.
Additionally,
Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook said that the movement was trying to “develop
the infrastructure of the Palestinian resistance in its various forms.”
Hamas,
he noted, is also working to extend its “resistance” to the West Bank to
confront Israeli and US “conspiracies.”
The
Palestinian group is facing “challenges” from the US and Israel as both regimes
are “working in cooperation with regional powers to besiege and demonize Hamas
and dry up its financial resources.”
Another
Hamas official Ali Barakeh said the Gaza-based movement was seeking to build an
Arab-Islamic coalition “to confront American and Zionist projects that are
hostile to the Palestinian cause.”
No
Arab or Muslim leader has the right to “give up one inch of the land of
Palestine,” he said.
Abbas
visits Qatar
On
Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began a two-day visit to Qatar,
where he met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
During
the meeting, the Qatari emir affirmed his country’s “firm position on the
Palestinian issue and its support for the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem [al-Quds] as its capital, in accordance
with international legitimacy resolutions, the two-state solution and the Arab
Peace Initiative,” the Qatar News Agency reported.
Palestinian
sources said that Abbas was hoping that Qatar would provide financial aid to the
PA amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Abbas,
the sources added, is also seeking Doha’s support for his initiative to convene
an international conference for peace in the Middle East early next year.
“President
Abbas is aware that Qatar, which has good relations with the US and Israel,
would be able to play a role in pushing forward the idea of the international
parley,” they explained. “He further wants Qatar to use its strong ties with
Hamas to end the rivalry between his Fatah faction and Hamas.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/15/640764/Hamas-Palestine-resistance-Israel-
--------
UN's
FAO: Five million Yemenis will likely be 'living just one step away from
famine' next year
14
December 2020
The
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that 5
million people in war-ravaged Yemen “will likely be living just one step away
from famine" in the upcoming year.
The
UN agency said in a brief statement posted on its official Twitter account on
Sunday that more than half of Yemen's overall population could head further
into hunger in 2021.
The
statement added that an estimated 50,000 people will be living in famine-like
conditions in the conflict-plagued Arab country throughout next year.
FAO
noted that immediate support is urgently needed to save Yemen as “UN response
remains only 49 percent funded.”
UNSC
concerned over military escalation, food insecurity in Yemen
Also
on Sunday, the UN Security Council voiced concern over military escalation and food
insecurity in Yemen.
The
council members, in a press statement, reiterated their commitment to an
inclusive intra-Yemeni political process, and reaffirmed the international
community's firm commitment to uphold Yemen's sovereignty, unity, independence
and territorial integrity.
They
also expressed alarm at the new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
assessment, which states that 13.5 million Yemenis are at risk of starvation
and are already facing acute food insecurity, and that the figure could soar to
at least 16 million by June 2021.
The
council members said they are extremely concerned about the fact that several
humanitarian programs in Yemen may have to stop due to lack of funding.
They
called on donor countries to take actions urgently and save lives in Yemen by
disbursing pledged large funds before the end of the current year, and make
early and substantial contributions next year to prevent UN program closures.
The
statement noted that ongoing clashes between warring sides and economic
collapse play a central role in driving famine risks in Yemen, calling for
further foreign exchange injections in order to strengthen the economy.
The
council members finally underlined the importance of facilitating humanitarian
assistance, and stressed the need for continued donor support in order to
prevent enormous loss of life in the Arab country.
Saudi
Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war on Yemen in March
2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former president Abd Rabbuh
Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah movement.
Earlier
this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
offered the staggering death toll of 233,000 from the Saudi-led war on Yemen.
The
Houthi Ansarullah movement, backed by armed forces, has been defending Yemen
against the Saudi-led alliance, preventing the aggressors from fulfilling the
objectives of the atrocious war.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/14/640715/Five-million-Yemenis-will-likely-be-living-just-one-step-away-from-famine-next-year-FAO
--------
Africa
Sudan's
removal from US state terror list is first step towards debt relief: IMF
14
December 2020
International
Monetary Fund on Monday said it stood ready to help Sudan as it moves toward a
broader package of debt relief after Washington’s removal of the country from
its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Carol
Baker, IMF mission chief for Sudan, said removal of Sudan from the US list
eliminated one of the hurdles toward debt forgiveness under the Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative launched in 1996.
But
Sudan remains in arrears to the IMF, the World Bank and the African Development
Bank, and cannot receive fresh funds from them until it clears up those debts,
she said.
To
reach that point, four other key conditions must be met that are outside the
control of the IMF, including strong performance by Sudanese authorities under
an IMF staff-monitored economic program for at least six months, Baker said.
In
addition, Khartoum needs the support of a majority of donors, including the US,
to clear its debts; a plan to settle arrears with the international financial
institutions; and an external debt reconciliation that clarifies what debt is
owed by Sudan to whom and on what terms.
“These
steps will take time and will require patience and diligence from the
Government and its partners in the international community,” Baker said,
adding, “I am hopeful that these steps can be achieved.”
The
IMF is slated to carry out its first formal review of Sudan’s 12-month program
of economic reforms in February 2021, following a staff visit in November.
The
IMF and the World Bank launched the HIPC initiative to ensure that no poor
country faces a debt burden it cannot manage. But the process can take years to
complete.
Sudan,
saddled by $60 billion in external debt, urgently needs financial help to
reorganize its economy. Inflation hit 167 percent in August and the currency
has tumbled as the government prints money to subsidize bread, fuel and
electricity.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/15/Sudan-s-removal-from-US-state-terror-list-is-first-step-towards-debt-relief-IMF
--------
Sudan
says US has committed to providing wheat and other commodities over four years
14
December 2020
Sudan’s
acting finance minister said on Monday that the US had committed to providing
support for wheat and other commodities over four years as well as for debt
relief, as it removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
“The
US government has committed to providing over $1 billion that will support
Sudan on its road to debt relief ... This is in addition to in-kind support
that includes the provision of wheat and other commodities over four years,”
acting Finance Minister Heba Ahmed said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/14/Sudan-says-US-has-committed-to-providing-wheat-and-other-commodities-over-four-years
--------
Boko
Haram claims responsibility for kidnapping of school boys
15
December 2020
The
Boko Haram militant group has claimed responsibility for the abduction of
hundreds of school students in northwestern Nigeria.
On
Friday, over a hundred gunmen on motorcycles stormed the all-boys Government
Science Secondary School in the country's northwestern Katsina State. Students
initially fled and hid in the surrounding bushes, but hundred of them were
kidnapped.
The
leader of the group claimed responsibility for the attack in a video sent to
the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency on Tuesday.
A
number of students were able to escape, but at least 333 students were still
missing, authorities said.
The
Nigerian government had initially accused armed bandits of engaging in the
attack.
Katsina
is among several areas in northwest Nigeria that have been repeatedly attacked
by bandits, while Boko Haram has been staging attacks in Nigeria's northeast.
The
claim of responsibility by the group now marks a major escalation of Boko Haram
attacks in the country's northwest.
The
attack occurred in the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, who set the
fight against Boko Haram as his government's priority.
He
condemned the attack and ordered security stepped up in schools, with those in
Katsina State closed.
The
latest incident revoked memories of the 2014 kidnap of more than 200 girls from
a school in the northeastern town of Chibok. Boko Haram claimed responsibility
for those abductions as well.
About
half of those girls have been found or freed and an unknown number are believed
to have died.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/15/640769/Boko-Haram-claims-responsibility-for-kidnapping-of-school-boys
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UN
'frustrated' as still unable to get access to Ethiopia's Tigray
15
December 2020
The
United Nations (UN) says it has not been able yet to reach the people who are
in desperate need of humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia's restive region of
Tigray, where an armed conflict triggered a refugee crisis and a humanitarian
disaster.
The
UN has finalized an agreement with Ethiopian authorities on humanitarian access
and assessment missions but has yet to see concrete progress, UN spokesman
Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.
"It's
somewhat frustrating to say that we have not been able to go in, we have not
been able to reach people that we know are in need," he added. "Days
wasted by a lack of agreement or a lack of green light for us is just one more
day of suffering for the people who need help."
Tigray,
with a population of six million — some one million of them now thought to have
been displaced — has remained cut off from the world since an armed conflict
erupted between Ethiopian troops and local rebels there last month.
Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered an army offensive in the restive region on November
4, in response to a deadly attack on an army base that killed at least 54
people.
Abiy
accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the region's ruling party,
of having staged the attack.
His
government, which had restricted access to the region, said last week that it
had defeated forces loyal to the TPLF and struck a deal with the UN to allow
aid.
Aid
agencies, however, said the agreement was too restrictive and security remained
a problem.
Mekelle,
the regional capital and home to 500,000 people, on Saturday received the first
humanitarian aid convoy since the war broke out.
The
UN Security Council held an informal, closed-door video conference on the
situation in Tigray on Monday, at the request of the United States and European
members.
"We
need full, safe, unhindered access for humanitarian workers, " said
Germany's UN Ambassador to Christoph Heusgen after the meeting. "We have
information that refugee camps will run out of food by the end of this
week."
"We
have information that refugees are prevented from fleeing to Sudan... There are
also reports that Eritrean soldiers appear to control some movement of refugees
in the Eritrean border region. Again, all this must stop," he said.
The
Ethiopian government is meanwhile trying to restore normalcy to Tigray. The
government on Monday ordered civil servants to go back to work and gun owners
to disarm.
Some
power and telephone links were also restored in Mekelle after a virtual
communications blackout, according to Abiy's government.
Accounts
of hunger and harassment, however, emerged from refugees, along with reports of
big fuel and food price hikes as well as water shortages.
Citing
three refugees in the Adi Harush camp, Reuters said there was no food and
little water and they were being mistreated by armed men without uniforms. The
men had raped two women, one of the refugees said.
The
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, had said formerly that the
UNHCR had received "an overwhelming number of disturbing reports" of
refugees being killed or kidnapped and forcibly returned to Eritrea, which
borders Tigray to the north.
Thousands
of people have so far been killed in Tigray, according to the International
Crisis Group think tank, and around 50,000 Ethiopians have fled to refugee
camps across the border in Sudan.
Human
rights groups say they have documented at least one large-scale massacre in the
region, and that others are feared.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/15/640762/UN-frustrated-as-still-unable-to-get-access-to-Ethiopia-Tigray
--------
Nigerians
call for release of Sheikh Zakzaky on 5th anniversary of Zaria massacre
14
December 2020
Nigerian
people have demanded the immediate release of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh
Ibrahim al-Zakzaky during protest rallies in Abuja held on the fifth
anniversary of the Zaria massacre.
Followers
of Sheikh Zakzaky marked the anniversary with a huge protest from Wuse market
to Berger Junc. in Abuja.
The
protesters demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh and his
wife Malama Zeenah, who are in unlawful detention.
A
second “Free Zakzaky” protest was also staged at the Federal Secretariat in
Three Arms Zone of FCT Abuja about an hour after the first protest.
Five
years have passed since hundreds of Muslims were killed in a massacre in the
Nigerian city of Zaria.
The
incident took place when the Nigerian army stormed a religious ceremony,
organized by Nigeria's Islamic Movement, which represents the Shia Muslim
minority in the country.
In
the massacre, which took place in Kaduna State in 2015, at least 348 civilians
were killed and 347 bodies were secretly buried, according to official tally.
The real death toll is said to be much higher.
Not
only has the Nigerian government refrained from paying compensation for the
lives it took, it has also incarcerated followers of the movement and their
leader Sheikh Zakzaky, whose health is deteriorating in prison.
On
the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the massacre, Iran's holy city of Qom
held a webinar attended by Muslim scholars to commemorate the victims of the
tragedy.
Scholars
in Qom described the Nigerian government as the puppet of Saudi Arabia, the US
and Israel.
They
say the Nigerian forces have continued the brutal assault against Sheikh
Zakzaky's supporters ever since they publicly condemned Israel for its
atrocities against the Palestinian people.
In
2016, Nigeria’s federal high court ordered Zakzaky’s unconditional release from
jail following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.
Zakzaky
was charged in April 2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and
disruption of public peace, among other accusations. He has vehemently rejected
all these accusations.
Sheikh
Zakzaky was due to appear in court in September this year to face judgement on
an application asking for the dismissal of the case against him, but the trial
was adjourned to next January, something that observers say could put Sheikh's
life at risk amid calls for his immediate release because of his deteriorating health
in jail.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/14/640752/Sheikh-Zakzaky-nigeria-massacre-zaria
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UN
concerned as militancy in Mozambique forces 400,000 people to flee
14
December 2020
The
United Nations has issued a warning about an imminent humanitarian crisis
unfolding in northern Mozambique, where at least 400,000 people have already
been forced to flee their homes.
Mozambique's
northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, which is rich in natural gas resources
and hosts drilling and pumping stations estimated to be worth some $60 billion,
faces regular terrorist attacks launched by militant groups causing insecurity
in the region.
Reuters
on Monday quoted UN refugee agency officials as saying that the refugee crisis
in Mozambique threatened to spill over into neighboring African countries.
Valentin
Tapsoba, the Southern African head of the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR), told Reuters by phone from Pempa that the families, who had
been reconstructing their livelihoods after sustaining heavy losses in 2019
caused by Cyclone Kenneth -- the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in
Mozambique, were forced to flee from the violent acts of terror staged by armed
groups linked to Daesh.
After
seizing natural gas installations developed on the coastal zones in October,
the militants began a push towards the inland districts of Cabo Delgado
province.
In
recent months, boatloads of refugees with little more than the clothes they
wore fled their homes after falling prey to Daesh-linked militants.
Tapsoba
said so far 424,000 people had fled their homes in Cabo Delgado after their
villages were burned down, many of their men killed, and many young women taken
into captivity, to seek refuge in the
cities of Niassa, Nampula and Pempa.
The
UN official predicted a further rise in the number of refugees, which the
Mozambican authorities have estimated to reach to 570,000.
"The
numbers are still growing ... so it is a very big concern," Tapsoba said,
adding,"This is a situation starting in one country but if all the
countries don't get their act together to tackle it, and wait too long, it
could spread."
Tapsoba
warned about the urgency of the resolving crisis, emphasizing that the onset of
the rainy season could make it difficult to reach the refugee camps where
thousands were living, which would be "a nightmare for these people."
Meanwhile,
leaders from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania were
scheduled to get together for an emergency meeting in Maputo on Monday to review
ways to tackle the militant insurgency and restore peace, prosperity and
security to the energy-rich region.
Zimbabwean
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has headed to Mozambique to attend the summit
meant to find a long-lasting solution to the insurgency in Mozambique.
Extremist
groups have caused havoc in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province over
the past three years, ravaging villages and towns as part of a campaign to
establish a caliphate.
Little
is known about Mozambique's extremists, who call themselves Al-Shabab with no
known links to a terrorist group of the same name operating in Somalia.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/14/640701/Africa-Mozambique-Refugee-UNHCR
--------
North
America
US
Electoral College makes Biden's victory and Trump's defeat official
Anwar
Iqbal
15
Dec 2020
The
US Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden on Monday as the nation’s
next president, ratifying his November victory in an authoritative
state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he
had lost.
The
presidential electors gave Biden a solid majority of 306 electoral votes to
Trump’s 232, the same margin that Trump bragged was a landslide when he won the
White House four years ago.
Heightened
security was in place in some states as electors met to cast paper ballots,
with masks, social distancing and other pandemic precautions the order of the
day. The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan 6 joint
session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside.
For
all of Trump’s unsupported claims of fraud, there was little suspense and no
change as every one of the electoral votes allocated to Biden and the president
in last month’s popular vote went officially to each man. On Election Day, the
Democrat topped the incumbent Republican by more than 7 million in the popular
vote nationwide.
California’s
55 electoral votes put Biden over the top. Vermont, with 3 votes, was the first
state to report. Hawaii, with 4 votes, was the last.
“Once
again in America, the rule of law, our Constitution, and the will of the people
have prevailed. Our democracy — pushed, tested, threatened — proved to be
resilient, true, and strong,” Biden said in an evening speech in which he
stressed the size of his win and the record 81 million people who voted for
him.
He
renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans, whether they
voted for him or not, and said the country has hard work ahead on the virus and
economy.
But
there was no concession from the White House, where Trump has continued to make
unsupported allegations of fraud.
Trump
remained in the Oval Office long after the sun set in Washington, calling
allies and fellow Republicans while keeping track of the running Electoral
College tally, according to White House and campaign aides. The president
frequently ducked into the private dining room off the Oval Office to watch on
TV, complaining that the cable networks were treating it like a mini-Election
Night while not giving his challenges any airtime.
The
president had grown increasingly disappointed with the size of “Stop the Steal”
rallies across the nation as well as efforts for the GOP to field its own
slates of electors in states. A presidential wish for a fierce administration
defense led to TV appearances early Monday by Stephen Miller, one of his most
ferocious advocates, to try to downplay the importance of the Electoral College
vote and suggest that Trump’s legal challenges would continue all the way to
Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
Late
in the day, he took to Twitter to announce that Attorney General William Barr
was leaving the administration before Christmas. Barr’s departure comes amid
lingering tension over Trump’s unsupported fraud claims, especially after
Barr’s statement this month to The Associated Press that the election results
were unaffected by any fraud.
In
a Fox News interview taped over the weekend, Trump said that “I worry about the
country having an illegitimate president, that’s what I worry about. A
president that lost and lost badly.”
On
Monday in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the
six battleground states that Biden won and Trump contested — electors gave
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes in low-key
proceedings. Nevada’s electors met via Zoom because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Trump’s
efforts to undermine the election results also led to concerns about safety for
the electors, virtually unheard of in previous years. In Michigan, lawmakers
from both parties reported receiving threats, and legislative offices were
closed over threats of violence. Biden won the state by 154,000 votes, or 2.8
percentage points, over Trump.
Georgia
state police were out in force at the state Capitol in Atlanta before
Democratic electors pledged to Biden met. There were no protesters seen.
Even
with the Electoral College’s confirmation of Biden’s victory, some Republicans
continued to refuse to acknowledge that reality. Yet their opposition to Biden
had no practical effect on the electoral process, with the Democrat to be sworn
in next month.
Republicans
who would have been Trump electors met anyway in a handful of states Biden won.
Pennsylvania Republicans said they cast a “procedural vote” for Trump and Pence
in case courts that have repeatedly rejected challenges to Biden’s victory were
to somehow still determine that Trump had won.
Meanwhile,
Senate Majority Whip John Thune leads the group of Republican lawmakers who are
now publicly acknowledging Biden’s win.
By
midnight on Monday, Senators Roy Blunt, John Cornyn, Thom Tillis, Kevin Cramer,
Chuck Grassley, Roy Blunt and Shelley Moore Capito had also joined the pack.
“At
some point you have to face the music. And I think […] it's time for everybody
to move on," Thune told reporters but did not rule out more lawsuits.
“He's
presumptive president," he said. "But I don't want to discount valid,
legal disputes that'll be settled over the next couple of weeks."
“It
doesn't matter what Chuck Grassley thinks, the constitution has answered that
question for you," Grassley said, moments after California's 55 electoral
votes affirmed Biden's win. "That's all I can say on it."
“Vice
President Biden is the president-elect,” Senator Blunt added.
Senator
Capito urged all to move ahead. “I think it’s time to turn the page and begin a
new administration,” she said.
In
North Carolina, Utah and other states across the country where Trump won, his
electors turned out to duly cast their ballots for him. Electors in North
Carolina had their temperatures checked before being allowed to enter the
Capitol to vote. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes withdrew as a Trump elector
and was in quarantine because he was exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Former
President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom
Trump defeated four years ago, were among New York’s 29 electors for Biden and
Harris.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1595890/us-electoral-college-makes-bidens-victory-and-trumps-defeat-official
--------
US
imposes sanctions on Turkey’s presidency of defense industries
14
December 2020
The
United States imposes sanctions on Turkey's presidency of defense industries
and its president Ismail Demir, according to the US Treasury Department
website.
The
US has also blacklisted three more Turkish individuals linked to Turkey's
presidency of defense industries, according to the US Treasury Department.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
President
Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Turkey expects its NATO ally the United States to
support it and not sanction it over its purchase of Russian S-400 missiles, and
added he was upset that Washington went ahead with
the
sanctions process.
Neither
sanctions from the United States nor the EuropeanUnion would deter Turkey from
defending its rights, Erdogan
added
in an address after a cabinet meeting.
Reuters,
citing sources, reported last week that the UnitedStates was poised to sanction
Turkey over the S-400s. The US Congress has also passed a defense spending bill
including aprovision for such sanctions.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/14/US-foreign-policy-US-imposes-sanctions-on-Turkey-s-presidency-of-defense-industries
--------
US
blames 2 Iranian intelligence officers for death of ex-FBI agent Levinson
14
December 2020
The
Trump administration for the first time on Monday formally blamed Iran for the
presumed death of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, publicly identifying two
Iranian intelligence officers believed responsible for his abduction.
Levinson
disappeared in Iran under mysterious circumstances more than a decade ago, and
though US diplomats and investigators have long said they thought he was taken
by Iranian government agents, Monday’s announcement in the final weeks of the
Trump administration was the most definitive assignment of blame to date.
Besides
blaming two high-ranking intelligence officers by name, US officials said the
Iranian regime sanctioned the plot that led to Levinson’s abduction and lied
for years about its involvement in his disappearance through disinformation
campaigns aimed at covering up the government’s role.
The
announcement comes nine months after US officials revealed that they had
concluded that Levinson “may have passed some time ago” though they did not
disclose at the time the information that led them to that assessment.
Officials
on Monday would not describe any additional information that led them to
believe Levinson had died in captivity, except to say that all evidence they
had pointed in that direction, or how they came to identify the role of the two
individual intelligence officers.
Officials
said they were acting now, one month before Trump leaves office, not for any
political reasons but simply because they had finally accumulated enough
information to formally hold Iran accountable. They also said that no agreement
with Iran should be reached without a deal to free the remaining handful of US
citizens imprisoned in that country.
Levinson
vanished on March 9, 2007, when he was scheduled to meet a source on the Iranian
island of Kish. For years, US officials would say only that Levinson was
working independently on a private investigation. But a 2013 Associated Press
investigation revealed that Levinson had been sent on a mission by CIA analysts
who had no authority to run such an operation.
The
family received a video in late 2010 as well as proof-of-life photographs in
2011 in which he appeared disheveled with a long beard and wearing an orange
prison jumpsuit like those given to detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison.
Even then, his whereabouts and fate were not known, and the Iran government has
persistently denied having any information about Levinson.
Earlier
this year, a federal judge in Washington held Iran liable for his
disappearance, saying the country was “in no uncertain terms” responsible for
Levinson’s “hostage taking and torture.”
In
November 2019, the Iranian government unexpectedly responded to a United
Nations query by saying that Levinson was the subject of an “open case” in
Iranian Revolutionary Court. Although the development gave the family a burst
of hope, Iran clarified that the “open case” was simply an investigation into
his disappearance.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/14/US-blames-2-Iranian-intelligence-officers-for-death-of-ex-FBI-agent-Levinson
--------
‘Normalizing’
ties with US, Israel won’t help Sudan
14
December 2020
By
Abayomi Azikiwe
The
decision by the head of the Sovereign Council to “normalize,” and I put that in
quotes, because it has not been decided by any legislative body, which is still
under formation in the Republic of Sudan. There hasn't been any widespread
debate among civil society, and other sectors of the Sudanese population.
This
is purely an opportunistic move in regard to normalizing relations with the
United States in order for Sudan to be taken off the state sponsors list for
terrorism, which they never should have been put on anyway. In order to be
taken off the list they have to go through Tel Aviv. They have to normalize
relations with Israel. This is a joint program of both Israel and the United
States.
I
believe that there is going to be even more objection to these moves. Also, it
is paving the way for further financial assistance from Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates, which have both “normalized” relations with Israel. They
have not been in war with Israel since its formation in 1948. So how can they
sign a peace accord when they have not been in any direct military
confrontation with Israel in decades?
So
I think that this is a major issue that's going to be impacting African Union
member states. All of them are under pressure to either normalize or upgrade
their relations with Israel.
This
is a tragedy because it will not benefit in any way the majority of the people
who live in those countries. Even in Egypt, which was the first to normalized
relations with Israel back in 1978-1979 as a result of the Camp David Accords,
the masses of people in Egypt, still suffer from poverty. Normalization of
relations with Tel Aviv has not improved the general wellbeing of working
people, poor people or farmers in Egypt.
Egypt
gets a lot of military assistance from the United States. They have
collaborative projects with the ‘Israeli Defense Forces. Yet the country is
still facing profound economic crises.
So
the same situation will prevail in Sudan. The internal problems that are going
on right now within the Sovereign Council particularly the recent arbitrary
efforts by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the chair of the Sovereign Council. These
undemocratic decisions are causing a lot of internal problems inside the
country.
So
this is going to have to be worked out by the Sudanese people themselves. This
is something that cannot be imposed either by Israel or by the United States.
Abayomi
Azikiwe is an African American journalist who is editor at the Pan-African News
Wire, an electronic press agency that was founded in 1998. He has worked for
decades in solidarity with the liberation movements and progressive governments
on the African continent and the Caribbean.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/14/640745/%E2%80%98Normalizing%E2%80%99-ties-with-US,-Israel-won%E2%80%99t-help-Sudan
--------
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