Sri Ram Sene Demands Temple Committee To Ban Muslim Traders During Siddeshwara Yatra in Karnataka
New Age Islam News Bureau
08 January 2024
A
banner put up by Hindu outfits outside the Siddeshwara temple in Vijayapura
city
-----
·
Sri Ram Sene Demands Temple Committee To Ban
Muslim Traders During Siddeshwara Yatra in Karnataka
·
Australia
Bans Nazi Salute And Public Display Of Terror Group Symbols
·
Supreme Leaderof the Islamic Emirate Orders All
Laws to be Sharia-Based: Ministryof Justice
·
Israel To Have ‘Difficult’ Time Against
Hezbollah If Escalation Grows: US Intelligence
·
UK Accused
Of Double Standards After Failing To Back South African File On Gaza ‘Genocide’
-----
India
·
Muslims Need Not Fear Citizenship (Amendment)
Act, 2019: All India Muslim Jamaat Chief
·
No Negative Statement From Muslims Regarding
Ram Temple: BJP Leader
·
NIA team
heads to US: Attack on Indian Consulate, extradition of 26/11 accused on agenda
·
India,
Saudi Arabia ink Haj agreement with 1,75,025 pilgrim quota for 2024
------
Australia
·
Australian Jewry Leaders Target Islamic Clerics
In Legal Action
----
South Asia
·
Current Conditions Suitable for Sharia Law:
Minister of Higher Education
·
Islamic Emirate
Responsible to Provide Education in Remote Areas: Hanafi
·
‘Afghan
soil will not be used against anyone', Taliban govt assures Fazl
·
Bangladesh
PM Hasina secures fourth straight term as expected
·
Islamic
Emirate Praises Sinirlioğlu's Work as UN Coordinator
·
BNP
activists clash with cops, BGB in port city
·
Dhaka-12:
Supporters of AL candidate serve food to polls officials
·
Fire
leaves 7,000 Rohingya homeless in Bangladesh camp
----
North America
·
Toronto
police respond to viral video of officers delivering coffee to anti-Israel
protester
·
Blinken
warns Israel-Hamas war could 'metastasize'
·
CAIR Calls
on Biden Admin to Condemn Israel’s Latest Targeted Killings of Journalists in
Gaza
-------
Europe
·
Demonstration
in front of US Embassy in Sweden in solidarity with Gaza held
·
Germany's
Baerbock urges end to cycle of Mideast violence
·
UK-Palestinian
surgeon fights for ‘justice’ after Gaza return
·
Germany
decides not to oppose Eurofighter sales to Saudi Arabia
-----
Mideast
·
Iraq's
Islamic Resistance Hits Several Israeli, US Targets In Support Of Palestinians
In Gaza
·
Palestinian
Prisoner Recounts Ordeal At 'Guantanamo-Like' Israeli Prisons
·
Save the
Children: More than 10 children a day lose a limb in Gaza
·
Israel
says Hezbollah struck sensitive air traffic base in the north and warns of
‘another war’
·
Israeli
occupation is ‘basis of all evil’: Jordanian FM
·
Hamdan
says Gaza Strip will only be Palestinian, our people will decide their present
and future
·
Health in
Gaza says enemy uses drones to terrorize patients, doctors in al-Aqsa Martyrs
hospital
-----
Southeast Asia
·
Anwar Says
He Cites Quranic Verses To Encourage Debate, Will Consult JakimTo Avoid
Controversy
·
Papagomo
Claims Trial To Sedition For Pro-Israel Remarks Against Govt
·
Bank Islam
introduces Ihsan Sustainability Investment Account to deliver positive impact
through social finance
----
Arab World
·
Symbolic Military Parade For 1st Batch
Graduates Of Promised Conquest, Holy Jihad Courses In Hodeida Held
·
Yemen: US
insistence on support for Israeli war on Gaza would blow up whole region
·
Houthis
want Red Sea ships to report destinations to avoid attack
·
MWL seeks
support from leaders of global religions for peace efforts in Gaza
·
Saudi
crown prince meets with US Senator Lindsey Graham in AlUla
·
Saudi Hajj
minister meets Indian officials in Jeddah
·
38th Saudi
aid plane for Gazans arrives in Egypt
·
Guests of
Umrah program visit historical sites in Madinah
----
Africa
·
JIBWIS
commends Kaduna governor for Islamic propagation
·
Retired
Sudanese Major General: Muslim Brotherhood Fired First Shot in War, then Hid
Behind Army
·
Somali
president signs law “nullifying illegal” Ethiopia-Somaliland deal
·
NAF
airstrikes neutralise 12 terrorists in Borno
·
New
exhibition at Shangri La brings Hawaii perspectives to Islamic art collection
----
Pakistan
·
Only May 9
Perpetrators, Not Entire PTI, Should Face Law: PM Kakar
·
JUI-F’s
Fazlur Rehman arrives in Kabul to discuss security, regional issues
·
Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia sign annual Hajj agreement
·
Toshakhana
II: NAB to file another reference against Imran
·
Senate
resolution for polls delay backs JUIF stance: Fazl
·
Imran
didn’t write any article, claims official
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sri-ram-sene-muslim-traders-siddeshwara-yatra/d/131476
-----
Sri Ram
Sene Demands Temple Committee To Ban Muslim Traders During Siddeshwara Yatra in
Karnataka
A banner put up by Hindu outfits outside the Siddeshwara temple in Vijayapura city
-----
08th January
2024
VIJAYAPURA:
A banner put up by pro-Hindu outfits near Siddeshwara temple in Vijayapura
city, prohibiting Muslim traders from conducting business during the coming
SiddeshwaraYatra, has turned into a controversy.
Recently,
Sri Ram Sene members had demanded the temple committee not allow Muslim traders
to do business during the Yatra. The banner reads, “Muslims do not believe in
the law of the land. They are killers of holy cows. They are involved in
religious conversions in the name of jihad and they have been insulting Indian
culture. Such people will not be allowed to do any business during
SiddehswaraYatra.”
It is
said that Sene members argued when temple committee members tried to remove the
banner.
Sene
local president NeelakanthKandagal said they are firm on their demand. He said
the banner has been put up by a federation of Hindu outfits. “The temple
belongs to all Hindus and not just the committee. It should meet our demand,”
he added.
Criticising
BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who is the president of the temple committee,
for not taking any decision on their demand, Kandagal said, “On one hand, he
calls himself a Hindu icon and fights for Hindu cause. On the other hand, he is
not decide on our demand. It shows Yatnal is maintaining a dual stand.”
If the
committee fails to meet their demand, Sene members will launch an agitation
against the committee led by their state president Pramod Mutalik. He said that
after the committee tried to remove the banner, Sene has put it back again.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2024/jan/08/controversy-erupts-over-banner-near-vijayapura-temple-seekingban-on-muslim-traders-during-Yatra-2648902.html
----
Australia
Bans Nazi Salute And Public Display Of Terror Group Symbols
Neo-Nazis in Melbourne perform the Nazi salute at a transgender rights
rally in March last year. New laws that came into effect in Australia on Monday
make the salute an offence punishable by up to 12 months in prison. Image
Courtesy: EPA-EFE
-------
08 Jan
2024
SYDNEY,
Jan 8 — Laws banning the Nazi salute and the display or sale of symbols
associated with terror groups came into effect in Australia today as the
government responds to a rise in antisemitic incidents following the
Israel-Gaza war.
The law
makes it an offence punishable by up to 12 months in prison to publicly perform
the Nazi salute or display the Nazi swastika or the double-sig rune associated
with the Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary group.
The sale
and trade of these symbols is similarly prohibited.
Attorney
General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement the legislation sent a clear message
there was no place in Australia for those who glorify the Holocaust or
terrorist acts.
“This is
the first legislation of its kind and will ensure no one in Australia will be
allowed to glorify or profit from acts and symbols that celebrate the Nazis and
their evil ideology.”
Introduced
in June and passed in December, the law has taken on new significance amid a
surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas,
where some 1,200 were killed and 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli
officials.
Unverified
footage showing a small group of men outside the iconic Opera house shouting
“gas the jews” during a pro-Palestinian protest in October triggered outrage
around the world and a police investigation.
Separately,
police arrested three men in October for performing the Nazi salute outside the
Jewish Museum of Australia. There were more anti-Jewish incidents in October
and November last year than the twelve months prior, according to the Executive
Council of Australian Jewry.
The new
law also bans the public display or trade in symbols associated with prohibited
terror organisations, such as Islamic state, Hamas or the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK).
Exemptions
exist for academic, educational or artistic use. — Reuters Source:
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
Source: malaymail.com
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the full text of the
https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2024/01/08/australia-bans-nazi-salute-and-public-display-of-terror-group-symbols/111200
-----
Supreme
Leader of the Islamic Emirate Orders All Laws to be Sharia-Based: Ministry of
Justice
The supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate has ordered that Afghanistan’s
laws be based on Sharia law and Islamic Jurisprudence, said the Ministry of
Justice.
----
NaweedSamadi
January
7, 2024
The
supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate has ordered that Afghanistan’s laws be
based on Sharia law and Islamic Jurisprudence, said the Ministry of Justice.
Speaking
at the graduation ceremony of new lawyers, the deputy minister of justice,
Abdul Karim Haidar, said that they have made efforts in the past two years to
prepare all laws and procedure of the ministry based on the Islamic principles.
“The
supreme leader has ordered that all the laws in the Justice Ministry be sourced
from Sharia law and jurisprudence,” said Abdul Karim Haidar, the Deputy
Minister of Justice.
According
to the head of legislation of the Justice Ministry Fazal Hadi Sahibzada, 120
lawyers graduated from a nine-month period of practical studies and training
[post university period] enabling them to work in courts.
Sahibzada
said the capacity-building program was aimed at building the capacity of
lawyers in serving people and implementing Islamic Sharia.
“We had
given them examinations and 120 lawyers graduated today who received
certificates and work licenses. They are presented to the society to serve
people in courts,” said Fazal Hadi Sahibzada, the head of legislation of the
Justice Ministry.
Meanwhile,
the lawyers who graduated from the program expressed their joy for completing
the capacity building program.
“In the
past, the practical studies and training programs for lawyers used to be held
by different legal organizations and they used to fund and run the programs,
but now this is not the case,” said Habib Al-Habib, the head of the lawyers of
the ministry.
“Our
fundamental goal is to ensure social justice and deliver jurisprudence to
people . We have no other goal,” said Abdul Rahman Mawlawizada, one of the
graduate lawyers.
Based on
the statistics of officials at the Ministry of Justice, nearly 200 lawyers are
still busy receiving studies and training at the ministry.
Source: tolonews.com
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the full text of the
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186863
----
Israel
To Have ‘Difficult’ Time Against Hezbollah If Escalation Grows: US Intelligence
The
file photo shows an Israeli soldier setting up cameras at a position behind a
Hezbollah flag, near the Lebanese southern border village of Meis al-Jabal.
-----
07
January 2024
A US
intelligence assessment says it would be difficult for Israel to succeed
against the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah if the situation in the
region escalates further.
In a
report published by The Washington Post on Sunday, the US daily quoted a new
secret assessment from the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) as saying, “It
will be difficult for Israel's army to succeed because its military assets and
resources would be spread too thin given the conflict in Gaza.”
Underlining
that Hezbollah has well-trained fighters and tens of thousands of missiles and
rockets, the paper referred to a Friday speech by the Lebanese resistance
movement’s leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, who vowed a response to Israeli
attempts aimed at the expansion of war on Lebanon’s southern areas.
The
American daily also said Biden had dispatched his top aides to West Asia with a
"critical objective" to prevent a full-blown war from erupting
between Israel and Hezbollah.
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel on Monday where he
will discuss specific steps to “avoid escalation,” his spokesman, Matt Miller,
said before boarding a plane to Tel Aviv.
“It is
in no one’s interest — not Israel’s, not the region’s, not the world’s — for
this conflict to spread beyond Gaza,” Miller said.
The
secretary general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah says Israel is concealing the “heavy
losses” it has suffered in the war on the southern Lebanese border as the
resistance movement’s operations against the occupying regime are “very
exhausting.”
The
paper cited American officials as saying that they are concerned that Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may see an expanded war in Lebanon as key to
his political survival amid domestic criticism of his cabinet’s failure to
prevent the surprise attack by Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups against
the occupied territories in early October.
“In
private conversations, the administration has warned Israel against a
significant escalation in Lebanon.”
The
paper argued that American officials fear that a full-scale conflict between
Israel and Lebanon would surpass the bloodshed of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war
on account of Hezbollah’s substantially larger arsenal of long-range and
precision weaponry.
“The
number of casualties in Lebanon could be anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 and
entail a massive evacuation of all of northern Israel,” Bilal Saab, a Lebanon
expert at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank, was quoted as
saying by The Post.
Hezbollah
may strike deeper into Israel than before, hitting sensitive targets like
petrochemical plants and nuclear reactors, Saab said.
Stressing
that Israeli pilots are tired and airplanes have to be maintained and refitted,
the expert said they would face more dangerous missions in Lebanon than in
Gaza.
Pointing
to Netanyahu’s precarious political career after the Gaza war and his tendency
toward broadening the conflict, Saab said, “The political logic for Netanyahu
is to rebound after the historic failure of October 7 and have some kind of
success to show to the Israeli public.”
“I’m not
sure going after Hezbollah is the right way to do it because that campaign will
be far more challenging than the one in Gaza.”
Since
October 8, the day after the Israeli onslaught against Gaza started, the
frontier between Lebanon and the occupied territories has seen deadly exchanges
of fire, mainly between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
Reports
say Israel has repeatedly used US-supplied internationally-banned white
phosphorus munitions in its attacks on Lebanon’s territory.
Nearly
three months of cross-border fire have killed 175 people in Lebanon, including
three journalists.
In
northern occupied territories, at least 13 Israelis, including nine soldiers,
have been killed, according to Israeli authorities.
Lebanon’s
Hezbollah resistance group says it has hit an Israeli aerial surveillance base
with scores of missiles in its first response to Tel Aviv’s assassination of a
deputy political leader of Hamas.
The
assassination of Hamas’ Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri by the Israeli regime in
southern Beirut on January 2 has raised fears of further escalation.
The
Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out the
surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to
the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians. The relentless military
campaign has killed over 22,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and
injured around 57,910 others.
Source: presstv.ir
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the full text of the
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/07/717789/Washington-Post-Israel-Hezbollah
----
UK Accused
Of Double Standards After Failing To Back South African File On Gaza ‘Genocide’
Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli airstrike on Khan
Younis on Jan. 7 (AP)
------
January
07, 2024
LONDON:
The UK is facing criticism over its failure to back South Africa’s submission
to the International Court of Justice arguing that Israel is committing
genocide against Palestinians, just six weeks after it supported a bid to label
Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya as genocide.
Critics
are accusing Britain of double standards following the news that it would not
support the South African document, which will be discussed at the ICJ in The
Hague on Thursday, The Observer reported.
Along
with five other countries, the UK in November submitted a “declaration of
intervention” on Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya minority.
The
document argues that the criteria for genocidal intent can be fulfilled in the
case of systematic forced displacement from homes, deprivation of medical
services and forced subsistence diets.
The UK
also said the threshold for determining genocide is lower if children are
targeted over adults.
And
rather than rely on “explicit statements” or “numbers killed,” courts
determining genocidal intent should draw reasonable inference from a pattern of
conduct and factual evidence, Britain argued.
But
similarities between the UK’s own submission and the South African document,
which makes many of the same points, have led to criticism of perceived British
double standards.
Tayab
Ali, head of international law at Bindmans, said the UK intervention regarding
the Rohingya showed “the importance the UK attaches to adherence to the UN
Genocide Convention.”
He added
that the UK “took a wide, and not a narrow, definition of acts of genocide, and
the intent to commit genocide.
“It also
made clear that the court should take into account risks to life after a
ceasefire caused by disabilities, inability to reside in their homes and wider
injustices.”
Ali
said: “It would be wholly disingenuous if the UK, six weeks after advancing
such a significant and broad definition of genocide in the case of Myanmar, now
adopts a narrow one in the case of Israel.”
Israel
is set to defend itself at the ICJ, a UN body, and will insist it has sought to
limit civilian casualties during its campaign in Gaza.
Israeli
officials have also said the country’s plans for the enclave after the war,
including Palestinian governance, demonstrate a lack of genocidal intent.
But
South Africa is likely to draw upon many of the arguments put forward by the UK
in its submission on the Rohingya, which followed years of legal debate
following an initial submission by the Gambia in 2019.
In late
2022, the ICJ rejected a claim by Myanmar that the Gambia had no right to file
the claim, and the former has consistently denied that it carried out a
genocide during its 2017 military campaign. More than 730,000 Rohingya fled to
neighboring Bangladesh as a result of the conflict.
US news
website Axios reported that Israel ordered its diplomats to rally international
opposition to the South African document.
Source: arabnews.com
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the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437826/middle-east
-----
India
Muslims
Need Not Fear Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019: JAll India Muslim JamaatChief
8th
January 2024
Marziya
Sharif
Bareilly:
Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi the Bareilly-based national president of All India
Muslim Jamaat, has said that “Muslims in India have no reason to fear CAA”.
This
comes days after government agencies announced that rules of Citizenship
(Amendment) Act, 2019 will be notified before the Lok Sabha elections.
“After a
detailed analysis of the provisions in the Act, we found that the law has
nothing to do with Indian Muslims and will not affect them but benefit
immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh who seek Indian citizenship,”
the Mufti said.
Reacting
to the recent remarks by Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Shafiq-Ur-Rehman
Barq, in which he had stated that the situation will become serious if CAA is
applied in the state, Razvi said, “Barq is trying to frighten and mislead the
community Before issuing an explosive statement, he should first read the law
and understand the reality. Such statements do not show an MP in good light.”
“This
law will in no way spread love but only hatred. To run the country, we need
love. Things will deteriorate in the coming days,” he added.
The
introduction of CAA triggered large-scale protests in several cities in the
country in 2019 leading to many deaths.
Protests
first erupted in Assam on December 4, 2019, when the bill was introduced in
Parliament. Soon it spread to major cities, including Delhi. The protests
resulted in 27 deaths by December-end, out of which 22 died in Uttar Pradesh
alone.
Over a
thousand people were arrested and more than 300 cases registered against the
agitators. According to reports, the rules are now ready and an online portal
is also in place.
The
entire process, reports said, “will be online and applicants may apply from
their mobile phones as well”.
Source: siasat.com
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the full text of the
https://www.siasat.com/muslims-need-not-fear-caa-jamaat-chief-2951430/
-----
No
Negative Statement From Muslims Regarding Ram Temple: BJP Leader
7th
January 2024
Neha Khan
Ballia:
BJP leader and former Union minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain has said that there
is no negative statement from Muslims regarding the consecration ceremony of
the Ram Temple.
Taking a
jibe at the opposition, he said that by making statements against the RSS and
the BJP, the opposition parties have also turned against ‘Ram ji’.
Speaking
to reporters late on Saturday night in the Sikanderpur area of Ballia, Hussain
said, “The construction of the Ram Temple will change the entire picture of
Purvanchal. Development will change both the picture and destiny.’
He
further said, ‘When the temple will be inaugurated on January 22, after that
people from India and abroad will keep coming, and the crowd will not reduce.
Such a wonderful temple is being built that people will come to see it and have
a ‘darshan’ (of Lord Ram).”
“All the
statements are being made by the Congress, the RJD and the INDIA bloc,” he
said, and added that the INDIA bloc is going to “completely disintegrate”.
He said
that the difficulty with the opposition parties regarding the Ram Temple is
that they do not understand whether they should “swallow it or spit it out”.
“While
making statements against the RSS and the BJP, they have also turned against
Ram ji. If they have turned against Ram ji, then everyone knows in whose favour
they have gone. The people of the country will answer them in this election,”
he said.
Reacting
to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav’s statement that if he gets sick,
whether he should go to temple or hospital, Hussain said that everyone goes to
hospital.
“Laluji
had also gone to hospital. They should learn from Laluji. If anyone falls ill,
he goes to hospital, but the hospital has a different place and the temple has
a different place.”
Responding
to SP national president Akhilesh Yadav’s statement about the INDIA bloc being
strong, he said, “The hope for the alliance’s survival is that the alliance is
on ventilator. Kejriwal is pulling one string and Mamata Banerjee is pulling
the other string. The third string is with Janata Dal (United) and the fourth
string is with the DMK. There is also huge tension between the JD(U) and the
RJD.”
Hussain
claimed that “the alliance will collapse under its own weight.”
“This is
an alliance of ambitious people, nothing is going to happen. Even if seats are
distributed, they will still lose. If they do not distribute the seats, then
also they will lose to the BJP,” he said.
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/no-negative-statement-from-muslims-regarding-ram-temple-shahnawaz-hussain-2951091/
-----
NIA team
heads to US: Attack on Indian Consulate, extradition of 26/11 accused on agenda
January
7, 2024
Mahender
Singh Manral
A team
of four senior officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would be
going to the US on Saturday to meet FBI officials regarding various cases,
including the attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and the
extradition of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, it was
learnt.
The team
includes a DIG-rank officer, who is heading Mumbai branch, sources said.
During
his visit to India from December 11-12, the first by an FBI Director in 12
years, Christopher A Wray met NIA Director Dinkar Gupta and other officers of
the central agency at their headquarters where key issues were discussed.
“Before
the meeting, several presentations have been prepared by NIA officials to
discuss a range of issues including cases and evidence against Tahawwur Rana, a
Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai
terror attack, US-based gangster Darmanjot Singh Kahlon, who supplied weapons
to eliminate Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and Khalistan supporters who
allegedly vandalised the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in March,” a source
said, requesting anonymity.
“During
his (Wray’s) meeting at NIA headquarters, candid and wide-ranging discussions
were held on a host of issues, including activities of terrorist-organised
criminal networks, ongoing investigations in the US regarding the attack on
Indian Consulate in San Francisco, investigation of cyber-terror and
cyber-crimes of various kinds. Wray also informed the NIA that the FBI was
aggressively investigating the attack on the Indian Consulate in San
Francisco,” an NIA spokesperson had said in an official statement.
An
official said they had made a presentation on Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant
Singh Pannun, but there was no discussion on him.
But this
time, they have made a presentation on Pannun, another source said.
In
August, a team of five NIA officers visited the US for the first time and
recorded statements of security personnel and senior officials of the Indian
Consulate in San Francisco.
They
also collected evidence such as CCTV footage and shattered glass windows.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/nia-team-heads-to-us-attack-on-indian-consulate-extradition-of-26-11-accused-on-agenda-9098362/
-----
India,
Saudi Arabia ink Haj agreement with 1,75,025 pilgrim quota for 2024
7th
January 2024
Jeddah:
India and Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed a bilateral agreement under which New
Delhi has been allocated a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims for the annual Haj
pilgrimage in 2024.
Minority
Affairs Minister Smriti Irani accompanied by Minister of State for External
Affairs V Muraleedharan signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024 with Saudi
Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan in Jeddah.
According
to an official statement, a total quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims from India has
been finalised for Haj 2024 with 1,40,020 seats being reserved for pilgrims to
proceed through Haj Committee whereas 35,005 pilgrims would be permitted to
proceed through private operators.
“Pleased
to announce the formalisation of the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024 between India
and Saudi Arabia. I, along with Hon’ble MoS for External Affairs, Shri
@MOS_MEA, presided over the signing.
Also
engaged in productive discussions on matters of mutual interest with @tfrabiah,
Saudi Minister of Haj and Umrah Affairs,” Irani said in a post on X.
She said
the Saudi delegation expressed sincere appreciation for India’s exceptional
digital initiatives, particularly in providing essential last-mile information
to pilgrims.
“Our
proposal to encourage the participation of women without Mehram in the Haj
pilgrimage further underscores our commitment to inclusivity,” she added.
Discussions
also encompassed plans for the enhancement of medical facilities, ensuring the
comprehensive well-being of all pilgrims, she said. “I deeply value the
collaborative spirit exhibited during these deliberations and eagerly
anticipate the continued fortification of our bilateral relations.”
During
the meeting, India’s digital initiatives in facilitating and promoting ease and
convenience for the Haj pilgrims were greatly appreciated by the Saudi side and
the Gulf Kingdom offered to extend all possible help, the statement said.
“The
initiative of the Government of India towards encouraging participation under
the Ladies without Mehram (LWM) category was discussed, deeply appreciated and
lauded,” it added.
Irani
and Muraleedharan later visited the Haj Terminal of King Abdulaziz
International Airport, Jeddah, to oversee the arrangements for pilgrims and
explore ways to facilitate better logistics and monitoring mechanisms for their
convenience.
They
also met with Prof. Dr. Ali Erbas, President of the Directorate of Religious
Affairs (Diyanet) in T rkiye and Dr. Hj. Na’im bin Hj. Mokhtar, Minister in the
Prime Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs) separately on the sidelines of
the signing of the bilateral.
“Productive
discussions today with Prof. @DIBAliErbas, President of the Directorate of
Religious Affairs (Diyanet), T rkiye. Explored avenues for shared growth and
stronger India-T rkiye bilateral ties, while exchanging insights on Haj
management and adoption of best practices for enhanced pilgrimage experience,”
Irani said in another post.
During
the meetings, experiences on Haj management and administration were shared and
there was an exchange of ideas on best practices with the respective
counterparts. The scope for digital initiatives for seamless delivery of
services, setting up and enhancement of robust and reliable medical facilities
for the pilgrims, and measures taken especially for the care and facilitation
of the women pilgrims were particularly discussed.
“It was
further resolved that avenues and scope for further exchange of ideas and
collaboration would be explored so as to ensure that maximum benefits from the
adoption of best practices accrue to the Haj pilgrims,” another statement said.
Irani
earlier on Sunday arrived here on a two-day visit. She was received at the
Jeddah Airport by Ambassador Dr Suhel Khan, Consul General Mohd Shahid and
officials of the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah.
Irani,
also serving as the Union Minister for Women & Child Development, will also
meet the Indian business community and Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia.
On
Monday, Irani will attend the opening ceremony of the 3rd Edition of Haj and
Umrah Conference’ in Jeddah being organised by the Saudi Ministry of Haj and
Umrah Affairs. The Indo-Saudi partnership has deepened in recent years, marked
by sustained engagement across various sectors.
The
visit will further strengthen the strategic partnership placing Haj as a vital
dimension in this relationship, the statement said.
Source: siasat.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.siasat.com/india-saudi-arabia-ink-haj-agreement-with-175025-pilgrim-quota-for-2024-2951398/
----
Australia
Australian
Jewry Leaders Target Islamic Clerics In Legal Action
January
8 2024
Samantha
Lock
Islamic
clerics accused of preaching hate and inciting violence could be hit with legal
action as Jewish leaders claim anti-Semitic remarks are not being prosecuted.
The
Executive Council of Australian Jewry will target statements made in a series
of sermons posted online and held in various Sydney venues.
The
national Jewish body said it expressed "outrage and disgust" at
comments made by preachers Wissam Haddad, Brother Ismail, Brother Mohammed and
Sheik Ahmed Zoud in recent months.
NSW
police previously confirmed they were investigating comments by Brother Ismail,
who warned the government was "pushing Muslims into a corner" and
"jihad is the solution" during a sermon at the Al Madina Dawah Centre
in southwest Sydney in October.
Both
state and federal police dropped their inquiries after finding the sermons had
not breached NSW or Commonwealth laws.
Jewry
Council president Daniel Aghion called for the "repeated hate-mongering
against Jews" to stop.
"One
can only imagine the entirely justifiable outcry if any such rank vilification
were expressed from a synagogue pulpit about Muslims," he said in a
statement on Monday.
MrAghion
said the Jewish community was "deeply disappointed and distressed"
that no action had been taken in response to serious incidents of hate speech
since Hamas's attacks on October 7.
"If
existing laws are not fit for the purpose of dealing with this hate-filled
bile, and the stoking of violence, then the law should be reformed as a matter
of urgency," he said.
The
Jewish leader said his community would be forced to take legal action itself.
"Whilst
we still have hope that the relevant authorities will act on these matters, our
organisation will pursue the legal remedies that are available to us against
those who have preached hate and promoted violence."
The
council has not specified what legal action it will take, however it previously
lodged complaints with the Australian Human Rights Commission and through the
courts over alleged breaches of racial discrimination laws.
Last
month, it called on state and federal governments to establish a national
anti-Semitism education campaign to ensure Australians understood the impact of
such incidents on the community.
Islamic
community leaders have also reported an increase in racism and hate speech in
Australia amid tensions over the conflict in Gaza.
More
than 1200 Israelis were killed and up to 240 taken hostage in the October 7
attack on southern Israel by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by
the Australian government.
Israel's
subsequent bombardment, blockade and ground invasion has left more than 22,800
Palestinians dead, according to Gaza health ministry figures.
The
rising death toll has led to widespread protests in Australia and calls from
Palestinian supporters for the government to take a stronger stance in condemning
Israel's retaliatory actions.
Source: canberratimes.com.au
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the full text of the
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8479058/jewish-leaders-target-islamic-clerics-in-legal-action/?cs=14231
-----
South Asia
Current
Conditions Suitable for Sharia Law: Minister of Higher Education
January
7, 2024
The
acting Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadim, said that the current
situation in Afghanistan is a great chance for the implementation of Sharia
law.
Speaking
at a graduation ceremony in Kabul, Nadim said that foreign countries are
attempting to ruin the public mindset to keep them away from the Islam.
“God
gives you the chance that Amir allows you to perform vice or virtuous action.
If we don’t take advantage of this situation, we will be blamed,” he said.
Meanwhile,
addressing the same gathering, the acting Minister of Hajj and Religious
Affairs, Noor Mohammad Saqib, said efforts should be made to implement the
rules and Islamic laws in the country.
“Advise
the people and explain to them the Hadiths and verses of the Quran. Bring the
people under education,” he said.
On the
other hand, Mohammad Aman Obaid, governor of Kabul, said that the security has
been ensured.
“An
unprecedented security is ensured which has not been ensured during history.
The security is all over the land of Afghanistan. The Islamic government is
ruling here. It is due to the sacrifices of the religious clerics,” he said.
At least
30 people graduated after learning the Arabic language while 127 others
graduated from religious lessons.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186864
-----
Islamic
Emirate Responsible to Provide Education in Remote Areas: Hanafi
January
7, 2024
The
Islamic Emirate’s deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, Abdul Salam
Hanafi, said that the Islamic Emirate is not against modern education and that
efforts are underway to extend the education to various points of the country.
Speaking
at a “workshop of coordination among the provinces” held by the Education
Ministry, he called on Islamic Emirate’s officials to treat the people with
good behavior.
“All
officials from A to Z should consider their responsibilities seriously,” he
said.
He also
stressed that the students should be taught national and Islamic values.
Addressing
the same event, the acting Minister of Education (MoE), Sayed Habibullah Agha,
stressed that the quality of religious and modern education was low within the
last 20 years and that efforts are underway to increase the educational
quality.
“The
future of the children of the people and their better training with a good
mindset is our responsibility,” he said.
The
acting Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadim said that the “Amir”
[Islamic Emirate’s Leader] is obligated to appoint talented people for duties
and to monitor their activities.”
He also
urged the government employees to use integrity and obey their seniors.
Sayed
Habibullah Agha said that governance is the “right” of religious clerics but
this “right” of the religious clerics had been seized from them.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186861
-----
‘Afghan
soil will not be used against anyone', Taliban govt assures Fazl
January
08, 2024
Waqar
Satti
ISLAMABAD/KABUL:
Afghanistan’s acting Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir, in his meeting
with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) supremo Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday,
reiterated that the Taliban government would not allow Afghan soil to be used
against anyone amid Pakistan’s accusation of cross-border attacks.
The
development came during Maulana Fazl’s meeting with Maulvi Kabir and other cabinet
members.
In a
declaration issued by the Fazl-led party today, the Afghan deputy PM welcomed
Maulana Fazl upon his arrival in Kabul.
The
cleric stressed that both countries should resolve bilateral issues through
talks besides promoting cooperation in diverse fields. He added that Pakistan
and Afghanistan have shared interests, therefore, both sides should further
strengthen bilateral ties.
He
further said that the JUI-F had not backed Pakistan’s decision to repatriate
Afghan refugees.
Maulvi
Kabir expressed hopes that Fazl’s visit would facilitate both sides to fortify
bilateral relations and end misunderstandings. He said Afghanistan is grateful
to Pakistan for hosting and facilitating Afghan refugees.
The
interim deputy premier said that Kabul desires regional peace and stability, as
well as strong ties with its neighbours. He added that Kabul won’t allow Afghan
soil to be used against anyone.
He urged
to prefer holding talks based on facts instead of rumours and negative
propaganda on media. Maulvi Kabir also urged Pakistan to provide essential
facilities to the Afghan refugees.
Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman along with a delegation
comprising party leaders on Sunday reached Afghanistan on his maiden visit in
nearly 10 years as part of the efforts to defuse tensions between the two
countries amid a spike in cross-border attacks.
The
delegation includes Maulana Abdul Wasay, Maulana Salahuddin, Maulana Jamaluddin
and Maulana SalimuddinShamzai, Maulana Kamaluddin, Maulana Idrees, Maulana
Imdadullah and Mufti Abrar.
Interim
Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Sardar Ahmed Jan Shakib on December 16, met the
senior politician and invited him to visit Afghanistan. Later, the Taliban
government's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Fazl's upcoming visit.
This
will be Fazl's first visit since the Taliban takeover of the war-torn country
following the United States withdrawal in 2021.
Fazl
first visited Afghanistan in 2013 during the government of former president
Hamid Karzai.
Continuous
use of Afghan soil against Pakistan — an issue that Islamabad has time and
again raised before the Taliban-led Afghan administration — will also be
discussed during the visit, sources added.
Speaking
on Geo News' programme "Jirga" Fazl said that he has the government's
mandate for the Afghanistan visit.
"I
believe in negotiations but one can move towards a comprehensive strategy only
by looking at the ground realities for talks with TTP," Fazl said.
The
visit comes at a point when ties between the two countries have gone sour in
the backdrop of a spike in terror incidents in Pakistan, mostly claimed by the
TTP.
Pakistan
remained a theatre of terrorism and violence in the year 2023 amid internal
political conflicts, socioeconomic disparities, regional instability, and
rising tensions with the militant groups operating in border areas adjacent to
Afghanistan.
Fazl, on
the other hand, has expressed grave concern over the peace and security
situation in the country after his party came under attack thrice in the last
six months due to being in the cross-hairs of banned outfits over the years.
The
latest was a gun attack on the politician's convoy in Dera Ismail Khan, but
fortunately, he remained unharmed as he wasn't present there.
Last
year in September, senior JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah was injured in a blast —
that wounded 10 others — in Balochistan’s Mastung area, while in July 2023, at
least 40 JUI-F workers were killed in a suicide blast that targeted the party’s
workers’ convention in Bajaur’s Khar.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1145597-fazl-jets-off-to-kabul-for-talks-with-taliban-govt-on-security-bilateral-issues
-----
Bangladesh
PM Hasina secures fourth straight term as expected
January
08, 2024
DHAKA:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept to a fourth straight term as
expected with her party winning an absolute majority in the general election,
the poll body said on Monday, amid low turnout in the vote boycotted by the
main opposition.
The main
opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who participated in the 2018
vote but kept away in 2014, boycotted the polls after Hasina refused their
demands to resign and allow a neutral authority to run the general election.
The
daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh who was killed
in an army coup in 1975 along with most members of the family, Hasina, 76,
first became prime minister in 1996. This will be her fifth term overall.
In her past
15 years in power she has been credited with turning around the economy and the
massive garments industry, while winning international praise for sheltering
Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.
Bangladeshis
largely stayed away from Sunday’s election, which was marred by violence.
Turnout was about 40% when polls closed, said chief election commissioner
KaziHabibulAwal, compared with over 80% in the last election in 2018.
Bangladesh
PM Hasina votes in general election boycotted by opponents
The
ruling Awami League party won 167 seats out of 227 seats with the outcome of
the rest of the seats still to be announced, according to unofficial results
released by the Election Commission.
Hasina
herself bagged 249,962 votes from her constituency Gopalganj, about 165
kilometres (103 miles) south of the capital Dhaka, while her nearest rival
secured just 469 votes.
Rights
groups warned of a virtual one-party rule by Hasina’s Awami League in the South
Asian country of 170 million people while the United States and Western
nations, key customers of Bangladesh’s garment industry, had called for a free
and fair election, the 12th since independence from Pakistan in 1971.
“I am
trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country,”
Hasina said on Sunday after casting her vote, adding that her only
accountability was to citizens of Bangladesh.
She has
instructed party leaders and supporters not to bring out any victory
processions or indulge in celebrations, said Awami League’s general secretary
ObaidulQuader.
Polls
were held for 299 directly elected parliamentary seats with close to 120
million voters eligible to choose from nearly 2,000 contestants. Election to
one seat will be held at a later date after an independent contestant died
ahead of the vote due to natural causes.
Among
the ruling party winners were actor Ferdous Ahmed and former Bangladesh cricket
captains Shakib Al Hasan and MashrafeMortaza.
Independent
candidates, many of them Awami League party members of various ranks, won 49
seats.
The BNP
has accused the ruling party of propping up ‘dummy’ independent candidates to
try to make the election look credible, a claim the Awami League has denied.
The BNP
called a two-day strike nationwide through Sunday, asking people to shun the
election, and said the low turnout was a success for their boycott call.
Hasina
has accused the opposition of instigating anti-government protests that have
rocked Dhaka since late October and killed at least 14 people.
At least
four people were killed on Friday in a passenger train fire that the government
called arson. Several polling booths, schools and a Buddhist monastery were
also set ablaze days before the poll.
Critics
accuse Hasina of authoritarianism, human rights violations, crackdowns on free
speech and suppression of dissent.
The
economy has also slowed sharply since the Russia-Ukraine war pushed up prices
of fuel and food imports, forcing Bangladesh to turn last year to the
International Monetary Fund for a $4.7 billion bailout.
Source: brecorder.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40282571/bangladesh-pm-hasina-secures-fourth-straight-term-as-expected
----
Islamic
Emirate Praises Sinirlioğlu's Work as UN Coordinator
January
7, 2024
The
Islamic Emirate has praised the mission of Special Coordinator of the United
Nations for Afghanistan, Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu, saying that he has somewhat
presented the realities of Afghanistan on the international stage.
The
spokesperson of the caretaker government of Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid,
said that the Islamic Emirate has had good relations with the UN envoy so far.
“He has
played a positive role so far because he has been optimistic, which we praise.
The UN should send a replacement who is optimistic like him so that he/she can
present the realities of Afghanistan to lead to resolving ambiguities about
Afghanistan,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of Islamic Emirate.
The
United Nations announced that Sinirlioğlu’s mission as the organization’s
special coordinator for Afghanistan has been extended until February 2024 to
convene the grand meeting about the country.
In
addition, political analysts said that Sinirlioglu’s appointment was efficient
for Afghanistan.
“Sinirlioglu’s
mission is a good one but not a complete mission. The mission should get more
serious and open a path for intra-Afghan talks,” said SangarAmirzada, an
international relations’ expert.
“His
role was to find problems and find solutions for them. He has made a roadmap
for full integration of Afghanistan in the international system,” said Bilal
Fatemi, another international relations expert.
Feridun
Hadi Sinirlioğlu was appointed as the UN’s special coordinator for Afghanistan
in April 2023 who met with various officials and ministers of the Islamic
Emirate during his tenure.
The UN
coordinator presented to the UNSC his independent assessment on Afghanistan in
November last year in which he highlighted ways for full integration of
Afghanistan into the international system.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186859
----
BNP
activists clash with cops, BGB in port city
Jan 8,
2024
Sporadic
incidents of clashes took place between law enforcers and BNP men in the
Chandgaon area of Chattogram city on election day yesterday, also the second
day of the 48-hour nationwide hartal that BNP and its allies called to garner
support for the non-cooperation movement and the boycott of the polls.
A Rab
patrol vehicle was vandalised and its driver was injured in one of the
incidents.
The
first clash took place around 9:15am at the SarafatUllah Petrol Pump area in
Chandgaon, when a group of BNP activists tried to block the Arakan Road.
"They
[BNP men] tried to create a blockade on the road by setting tyres on fire.
On-duty police personnel came under attack when law enforcers tried to disperse
the protesters and free the road. The police fired blank shotgun rounds to
bring the situation under control. Chases and counter-chases continued for
around half an hour in the area," said Pankaj Dutta, additional deputy
commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
Around
11:00am, BNP activists launched another attack on police at the same spot when
teams from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) joined law enforcers to chase out
the protesters, he added.
Another
clash ensued around 12:30pm in the Moulavipukurpar area when BNP men pelted
brickbats at a Rab patrol vehicle, damaging the vehicle and injuring the
driver, said Rab-7 Commanding Officer Lt Col Mahbub Alam.
BNP men
also vandalised the Al Hekmah International School polling centre in the
Moulavipukurpar area (Chattogram-8 constituency) during the clash forcing the
authorities to suspend voting there for an hour before it was resumed, said Rab
and police.
According
to Fire Service statistics, at least 15 arson attacks were reported in the 12
hours between 6:00pm Saturday till 6:00am yesterday.
In those
incidents, four educational institutions designated as polling centres, three
buses, three lorries, one truck, one private car, two motorcycles, and a boat
were set on fire during this period.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thedailystar.net/election-2024/news/news/bnp-activists-clash-cops-bgb-port-city-3513676
----
Dhaka-12:
Supporters of AL candidate serve food to polls officials
Jan 7,
2024
Supporters
of the AL candidate distributed lunch boxes and water bottles with stickers of
the "boat" symbol and Sheikh Hasina's name to the polls officials at
Noyatola Darussalam Etimkhana Complex in the Dhaka-12 constituency, where four
polling centres are located.
A group
of 30-35 people, all supporters of AL candidate Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, wearing
boat badges handed out the boxes and bottles to the polls officials including
presiding officers; polling agents of rival candidates; and also to security
personnels of these centers.
Presiding
officers said as the centre is inside a residential madrasa, many seen on the
field are students.
However,
almost all the people who gathered inside the centres were adults and wore
badges of boat.
This
violates rules as people are not supposed to gather on polling centre premises.
Contacted,
a presiding officer of a different constituency said gathering at polling
centers is not permitted under any circumstances.
Similarly,
at the BUTEX centre of the same constituency, although such gatherings were not
spotted, similar lunch boxes were seen being served to polling agents and even
the election officials, including the presiding officer himself.
"Yes,
all our food has been provided by the boat candidate," the presiding
officer said.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.thedailystar.net/election-2024/news/news/dhaka-12-supporters-al-candidate-serve-food-polls-officials-3513331
----
Fire
leaves 7,000 Rohingya homeless in Bangladesh camp
January
8, 2024
DHAKA: A
fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh in the
early hours of Sunday, destroying about 800 shelters and rendering thousands
homeless, officials said.
Fire
service officials and Rohingya volunteers brought the blaze under control
around three hours after it hit Camp 5 in Cox’s Bazar, a border district with
Myanmar, shortly before 1am.
Apart
from homes, several other facilities like learning centres were also gutted,
Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner in Cox’s Bazar,
Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said, adding that there were no casualties.
UNHCR,
the United Nations refugee agency, said nearly 7,000 have been made homeless by
the blaze and around 120 facilities, including mosques and healthcare centres
were damaged.
“We have
made all arrangements […] they are being given food and temporary shelters,”
said Mohammad ShamsudDouza, the deputy Bangladesh government official in charge
of refugees.
Nearly a
million members of the Muslim minority from Myanmar live in crammed,
bamboo-and-plastic camps in Bangladesh’s border district of Cox’s Bazar, most
of them having fled a military crackdown in 2017.
“The
cause of the fire currently remains unknown, and we are assured by the
government authorities that an investigation into the cause of the fire will be
carried out,” UNHCR said.
Fires
often break out in the crowded camps with its makeshift structures. A massive
blaze in March 2021 killed at least 15 refugees and destroyed more than 10,000
homes.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.dawn.com/news/1804072/fire-leaves-7000-rohingya-homeless-in-bangladesh-camp
----
North America
Toronto
police respond to viral video of officers delivering coffee to anti-Israel
protester
January
8, 2024
Danielle
Wallace
Toronto
police have responded to a now-viral video showing officers delivering coffee
to an anti-Israel protester during a recent demonstration.
The
video, initially shared on X by lawyer and investigative journalist Caryma
Sa’d, shows a Toronto police officer carrying a box of Tim Hortons coffee and
cups and handing them to protesters. The recipient, dressed in Palestinian
garb, explains the delivery was not sent by the police, but someone else who
bought the coffee for the protesters attempting an anti-Israel demonstration on
a highway overpass. "But police won’t let them in, so the police is now
becoming our little messengers between us," the man says.
The clip
received an outpouring of condemnation online from critics alleging
preferential treatment by police to those protesting against Israel, contrasted
with how Canadian law enforcement has cracked down in the past on the
"Freedom Convoy" of truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates, as well as
some pro-life demonstrations.
Reached
by Fox News Digital Sunday, Toronto Police Service spokesperson Laurie McCann
said, "In regards to the coffee post on X, Our officers are managing a
dynamic situation."
"Their
top priority is maintaining order in a tense environment on the Avenue Road
bridge," McCann said in an email. "In performing a helpful act
yesterday, our officer’s motivation was to help keep tensions low and should
not be interpreted as showing support for any cause or group."
"Our
officers continue to work to de-escalate these demonstrations and maintain calm
and the public’s safety," McCann added.
The
account @LibsofTikTok amplified the video viewed more than 1 million times on
X, writing, "In Canada, patriotic truckers get their bank accounts frozen
but pro-Palestine protesters blocking a Jewish community get hot coffee
delivered to them by police."
In a
post to his nearly 428,000 followers, Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant wrote,
"@TorontoPolice gives coffee and donuts to Hamas supporters. @OttawaPolice
hides the identity of antisemitic hate criminals. They’ve both been colonized
by dangerous, woke partisans."
"You
cannot trust the police in most Canadian cities," Levant said.
The
video comes as Toronto police are investigating a fire and graffiti at a
Jewish-owned grocery store as a possible hate crime.
The
business, International Delicatessen Foods, on Steeles Avenue West near
Petrolia Road, had the message "Free Palestine" spray-painted outside,
CBC reported. Toronto police confirmed to Fox News Digital the incident remains
under investigation as of Sunday.
In
addition to the Toronto coffee video, Levant responded to a press release
Friday announcing that the Ottawa Police Service Hate and Bias Crime Unit has
charged an individual following a "series of mischief to property
incidents in the Downtown area in December." The police's release omitted
the suspect's name.
"In
the evening hours of December 22nd, the individual spray-painted a series of antisemitic
symbols and other hateful messages in multiple locations in the Downtown and
Golden Triangle areas. A 34-year-old Ottawa man has been identified and charged
with 18 counts of Mischief to property. He is expected to appear in court
today," the release read.
Another
critic, lawyer Ryan O’Connor, shared screenshots of posts by another Toronto
Police Service employee initially defending the video, saying officers managed
a "dynamic situation."
"So
after a Toronto Police spokesperson – who defended the police providing
taxpayer-funded coffee to protesters blockading a highway bridge and entrance
to a Jewish neighbourhood on the Sabbath – was criticized online, she simply
deleted her Twitter account," O’Connor claimed.
"Toronto
Police: if you block a highway bridge containing 1 of only 3 road entrances to
a neighborhood full of Jews, on the Sabbath, you can expect not to be arrested
but to get some taxpayer-funded coffee for your efforts," O’Connor had
written earlier, initially reacting to the video.
Source: yahoo.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://news.yahoo.com/canadian-police-seen-delivering-coffee-192038657.html
---
Blinken
warns Israel-Hamas war could 'metastasize'
Jan 8,
2024
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Sunday the war in Gaza could spread
and threaten security in the wider Middle East, on a regional tour aimed at
de-escalating the conflict.
"This
is a moment of profound tension in the region. This is a conflict that could
easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering,"
Blinken told a news conference in Doha alongside Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
The war
started when Hamas on October 7 launched an unprecedented attack on Israel which
resulted in about 1,140 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP
tally based on official Israeli figures.
The
militants also took around 250 hostages, 132 of whom remain in captivity,
according to Israel. At least 24 are believed to have been killed.
In
response, Israel has carried out a relentless bombardment and ground invasion
that have killed at least 22,835 people in Gaza, most of them women and
children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Blinken
warned it was "imperative" Israel put a "premium on protecting
civilians", ensuring operations were "designed around protecting
civilians... and around getting humanitarian assistance where people need
it".
Amid the
deepening humanitarian crisis and mass displacement in Gaza, Blinken said
civilians "must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow".
"They
cannot, they must not be pressed to leave Gaza," he added, after two
Israeli minsters suggested Palestinians should be encouraged to emigrate.
'Unimaginable
tragedy'
Blinken
called the deaths of two Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, which the Qatar-based
network has blamed on Israel, an "unimaginable tragedy".
"That's
also been the case for... far too many innocent Palestinian men, women and
children," he said.
Blinken
arrived in Qatar following stops in Jordan, Turkey and Greece.
He went
on to Abu Dhabi late Sunday, and on Monday is due to travel to Saudi Arabia.
Blinken
will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi desert city of
Al-Ula, said a US official on condition of anonymity.
Qatar, a
wealthy Gulf emirate which hosts the largest US military base in the Middle
East, also hosts Hamas's political office and is the main residence of the
Islamists' self-exiled leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The
Qatari premier said talks with Hamas on a fresh truce in Gaza were
"ongoing" with US backing.
Doha
mediated a one-week break in fighting the began in November and led to the
release of scores of Israeli and foreign hostages, as well as aid entering the
besieged Gaza Strip.
However,
Sheikh Mohammed said a Tuesday strike in Lebanon that killed Hamas's deputy
leader Saleh al-Aruri had affected "the complicated process".
"Yet
we are not giving up. We are moving forward."
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/israels-attack-on-palestine/news/blinken-warns-israel-hamas-war-could-metastasize-3514051
-----
CAIR
Calls on Biden Admin to Condemn Israel’s Latest Targeted Killings of Journalists
in Gaza
Ibrahim
Hooper
January
7, 2024
(WASHINGTON,
DC – 1/7/2024) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s
largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the
Biden administration to condemn the far-right Israeli government’s latest
targeted murder of journalists in Gaza.
An
Israeli air strike on a car on Sunday killed two Palestinian journalists out
reporting, including Hamza Al-Dahdouh, son of Al Jazeera’s chief correspondent
in Gaza Wael Al-Dahdouh. He and a group of journalists were traveling to an
area designated as a “humanitarian zone” by the Israeli army, but which
continues to be bombed.
Wael
Al-Dahdouh’s wife Amna, his grandchild Adam, his other 15-year-old son Mahmoud
and seven-year-old daughter Sham were killed by Israel in October. At that
time, an Israeli journalist admitted Wael Al-Dahdouh’s family was intentionally
targeted, saying Israel knows its targets and “today the target was the family
of the Al Jazeera journalist.”
An
investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists reports at least 77
journalists and media workers were among the almost 23,000 people killed by
Israel in Gaza since the war began.
Antoine
Bernard from Reporters Without Borders said the attack, “would qualify as
another war crime against journalists for Gaza.” “It’s a massive slaughter and
this has to stop.”
There is
growing domestic and international outrage over Israel’s mass killing in Gaza –
mostly women and children – including hundreds of UN workers, journalists and
medical personnel. One monitoring group estimates that more than 90,000 people,
about 4 percent of the population in Gaza, are dead, wounded or missing. More
than 10 children lose limbs every day in Gaza.
In a
statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“Each
day we call on the Biden administration to speak out against Israel’s war
crimes in Gaza – this time the latest targeted killings of journalists – yet
all we hear from administration officials are denials of the obvious genocide taking
place and actions in support of that genocide, forced starvation and ethnic
cleansing.
“The
majority of Americans reject the Biden administration’s hypocritical and
inhumane stance on the unfolding genocide in Gaza. It is time for President
Biden to align his statements and actions with the will of the American people
and call for an immediate ceasefire and a just and lasting peace.”
He noted
that last year, CAIR welcomed an FBI investigation of the murder of American
journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by the Israeli military.
Yesterday,
CAIR said the Biden administration must end its “complicity in the Netanyahu
government’s genocide” after reports surfaced of Israeli desecration of Gaza
cemeteries and civilian bodies scattered in the street.
On
Friday, CAIR condemned the latest “Israeli war crimes of the day,” including
reports of “torture camps” for detained Gazans, summary executions of
Palestinian families and the deliberate targeting of healthcare workers.
The U.N.
humanitarian chief is describing Gaza as “uninhabitable,” with almost 90
percent of the population displaced and facing Israeli-imposed starvation.
Far-right Israeli government officials are openly calling for ethnic cleansing.
South
Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ, or
World Court) accusing Israel of genocide.]
[NOTE:
More than 116,000 Americans have used CAIR’s action alert to contact their
members of Congress and call for an end to the violence and the renewal of
U.S.-led efforts to end the occupation. SEE: Urge Your Members of Congress to
Address Root Cause of Mideast Violence]
Last
week, CAIR commended former Biden administration official Tariq Habash for his
“courageous and principled” decision to resign in protest of President Biden’s
support for ongoing war crimes against civilians in Gaza.
Also last
week, CAIR condemned White House National Security Council Spokesperson John
Kirby’s comments calling South Africa’s case at the UN’s top court accusing the
Israeli government of genocide in Gaza “meritless.”
CAIR
also condemned rumored plans to ship Palestinians expelled from Gaza by the
far-right Israeli government’s genocidal actions to the Democratic Republic of
the Congo.
OTHER
ISRAELI WAR CRIMES:
CAIR
called on the Biden administration to demand an end to violence by the
far-right Israeli government and illegal Israeli settlers in the West bank
following attacks on Christian clergy and the release of a U.N. report
outlining the “rapid deterioration” of Palestinian rights in the occupied West
Bank.
Earlier
this week, CAIR condemned the far-right Israeli government’s killing of more
than 100 journalists since Oct. 7.
CAIR
also called for an international probe of online images showing hundreds of
Palestinians civilians including the disabled, women, the elderly, and even a
baby, most stripped to their underwear and paraded in a captured Gaza
stadium.
CAIR
condemned what it called the latest “Israeli war crimes of the day” after media
reports that Israel killed at least 70 people in a strike on Gaza’s Maghazi
refugee camp and murdered a number of pregnant women.
CAIR
called on Americans of all backgrounds to demand that the Biden administration
act to “end the slaughter, starvation and ethnic cleansing” after reports that
forces of the far-right Israeli government massacred 76 members of an extended
family in Gaza, that Israeli-imposed famine is widespread and that bodies are
decaying in the streets and are being dug up by Israeli bulldozers.
CAIR
called on the Biden administration to stop sending what it called “genocide
bombs” to the far-right Israeli government after the New York Times revealed
that U.S.-supplied 2,000-pound bombs were “routinely” used against Palestinian
civilians in so-called “safe areas” in Gaza.
CAIR
said the Biden administration must stop “justifying war crimes” the Israeli
government has perpetrated against hospitals after an investigation by the
Washington Post debunked claims by the Netanyahu government’s “evidence” that
Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital had to be attacked because it was a military command
center.
CAIR
also called on the State Department and FBI to investigate the shooting and
detention of a 13-year-old Palestinian-American boy by Israeli forces in the
West Bank.
CAIR
said Israel’s new ethnic cleansing order, the bulldozing of bodies in a Gaza
cemetery and the forced starvation of Palestinian children are the latest
“Israeli car crimes of the day.”
CAIR
joined calls for a United Nations investigation of the latest “Israeli war
crime of the day” – allegations that Israeli forces in Gaza carried our summary
executions of unarmed Palestinian men in front of their family members.
Eyewitnesses are now coming forward to confirm these allegations.
CAIR
condemned other “war crimes of the day,” including the reported mass killing of
a Palestinian grandfather’s family in front of his eyes, vandalism of West Bank
homes by Israeli forces, the deaths and alleged torture of Palestinian
detainees, and more massacres in refugee camps and residential areas of
Gaza.
CAIR
condemned a deadly Israeli strike on a Gaza maternity hospital and other
medical facilities, the killing of more than 100 people in a refugee camp and
the killing of two Christians seeking shelter in a besieged church.
Pope Francis
condemned Israel’s killing of two Christian women sheltering at a Catholic
parish in Gaza, noting that “unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and
gunfire.”
At least
110 people were killed in Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp.
CAIR
called for United Nations to investigate reports that Israeli forces in Gaza
bulldozed medical tents with injured Palestinians inside, allegedly burying
civilians alive and said that the Israeli military’s killing of three unarmed,
shirtless Israelis waving a white flag is further proof that Israeli troops are
“wantonly killing Palestinian civilians.”
CAIR
said that the Israeli military’s killing of three unarmed, shirtless Israelis
waving a white flag is further proof that Israeli troops are “wantonly killing
Palestinian civilians.”
CAIR
called on the Biden administration to respond to reports that Israel forces
shot women, children and babies “execution-style” after they sought refuge in a
school in Gaza.
CAIR
condemned the attempted assassination of an Al Jazeera journalist (and the
ultimate death of another) by Israeli forces, the desecration of Gaza
cemeteries by Israeli troops in Gaza, and a deadly airstrike targeting a UN
school in Gaza.
A new US
intelligence assessment concluded that nearly half of the air-to-ground
munitions that Israel has used in Gaza have been unguided, also known as “dumb
bombs.” Unguided munitions are typically less precise and can pose a greater
threat to civilians.
CAIR
condemned the Israeli government’s celebration of IDF troops who took over and
desecrated a mosque in the West Bank as an “attack on Islam.”
CAIR
said the far-right Israeli government’s controlled demolition of a U.N. school
in Gaza is “further evidence of the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing.”
Video
posted online shows a man, reportedly with special needs, being detained by
Israeli soldiers and then shot at point-blank range.
CAIR
condemned an Israeli attack on another hospital in Gaza and said the Biden
administration is actively participating in Israel’s “ethnic cleansing and
genocide of the Palestinian people.”
CAIR
condemned another “war crime of the day” – the slaughter of at least 50
civilians in airstrikes on two UN-run schools sheltering displaced Palestinians
in Gaza.
CAIR
recently called on the Biden administration to address reporting that the U.S.
supplied the Israeli government with white phosphorus used in attacks on
civilian areas.
The
Israeli government’s extremist leaders have declared that there are no innocent
civilians in Gaza, justified cutting off water, electricity and other basic
necessities because Palestinians are ‘human animals,’ embraced an ancient
biblical verse about the mass slaughter of an entire city from animals to
infants, demanded a million residents of northern Gaza leave their homes or
face death, and announced that the aim of the bombing in Gaza was destruction
rather than accuracy.
CAIR
said a new report by Heritage for Peace detailing Israel’s ongoing destruction
of Palestinian cultural sites shows its desire to entirely “eliminate
Palestinian existence.”
Washington,
D.C., based CAIR questioned whether Western leaders even regard Palestinians as
“human” after more than 700 women, children and men were massacred by Israel
within just the last 24 hours.
CAIR
condemned the “Israeli war crime of the day” after more than 100 men, women and
children were killed in the bombing of residential buildings hosting displaced
families in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp.
CAIR’s
mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote
justice, and empower American Muslims.
La
misión de CAIR esproteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del
Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a
losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-calls-on-biden-admin-to-condemn-israels-latest-targeted-killings-of-journalists-in-gaza/
------
Europe
Demonstration
in front of US Embassy in Sweden in solidarity with Gaza held
[08/January/2024]
STOCKHOLM
January 08. 2024 (Saba) - The Swedish capital, Stockholm, has witnessed a
demonstration in front of the American embassy in protest against Zionist
crimes against the Gaza Strip.
The
demonstrators, in support of Palestine, gathered in front of the US embassy
building despite the bitter cold, and demanded that the Zionist aggression
against Gaza be considered “war crimes,” and called for it to be stopped
immediately.
They
raised banners reading “Free Palestine, Free Gaza,” “Stop genocide,” and
“Boycott Israel.”
The demonstrators
stressed that the United States participates in the "war crimes"
committed by the Zionist entity.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3294378.htm
----
Germany's
Baerbock urges end to cycle of Mideast violence
January
8, 2024
Visiting
German Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock met her new Israeli counterpart Israel
Katz in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Katz
thanked her for Germany's support for Israel and the commitment to the release
of hostages in the Gaza Strip, his office said on Sunday evening.
This
also applied to regional efforts to remove the Lebanese Shiite militia
Hezbollah from the border with Israel, the statement said.
This is
Baerbock's fourth trip to Israel and the region since the Hamas attacks on
Israeli communities in October.
Relatives
of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip also attended her meeting with the
Israeli foreign minister.
Katz
said he also asked Baerbock for support with regard to what she called South
Africa's "absurd" lawsuit against Israel before the International
Court of Justice in The Hague.
Before
departing, Baerbock on Sunday called for an end to the cycle of violence in the
Middle East.
"Terrorism
must end, people's humanitarian need must end, the region must emerge from the
eternal cycle of violence," she said before leaving for Israel, where she
met Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday.
While
Israel had the right to defend itself against terrorism, civilians had to be
better protected during military operations, she said. Baerbock called for a
substantial increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to combat hunger,
disease and the cold.
Talks in
Jerusalem are to focus on efforts to free hostages being held by the
Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian
conditions for the population there and on moves towards a two-state solution
once the current war ends.
Gaza
should not be permitted to pose a threat to Israel in the future, Hamas should
lay down its arms and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and
Houthis in Yemen had to end their dangerous activities, she said.
Both
sides would be able to live in peace only if "each sees the suffering of
the other," she said.
Baerbock's
trip is her fourth to Israel and the region since the Hamas attacks in October.
Baerbock
also noted that "the script of terror must not continue to unfold."
The
foundation must finally be laid for sustainable peace and security, the German
foreign minister asserted.
To
achieve this, Gaza must no longer pose a threat to Israel's existence, Hamas
must lay down its arms and the Iranian-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah in
Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen must "stop their dangerous bombing."
Baerbock
is to visit a Palestinian village in the West Bank on Monday and meet
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah. Afterwards, the
onward journey to Egypt is planned, followed by a visit to Lebanon on
Wednesday.
After
her visit, the German official is to fly to the Philippines, Malaysia and
Singapore.
On
Sunday, the German Red Cross (DRK) organized a flight of 33 tons of
humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including tents,
tarpaulins, lifting devices and rescue backpacks.
The flight
took off from Leipzig/Halle airport and was due to land in Egypt, from where it
was to be transported to the Gaza Strip with the aid of the Egyptian Red
Crescent for distribution by the Palestinian Red Crescent.
"There
is huge demand for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. More of practically
everything is needed," DRK head secretary Christian Reuter said. The aid
was aimed at the most urgent needs and would support the work of the
Palestinian Red Crescent, he added.
A second
plane carrying 26 tons is to take off from the same airport on Monday. The
flights are receiving financial support from the German Foreign Ministry.
According
to the DRK, there is a lack of medicines, drinking water, food, fuel and
clothing. Most of the population have lost their homes.
Source: yahoo.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://news.yahoo.com/germanys-baerbock-urges-end-cycle-051347103.html
-----
UK-Palestinian
surgeon fights for ‘justice’ after Gaza return
January
08, 2024
LONDON:
A British-Palestinian doctor who worked in Gazan hospitals during the
Israel-Hamas conflict hopes that testimony he has given to UK police will lead
to prosecutions for war crimes.
Ghassan
Abu Sitta, a plastic surgeon specializing in conflict injuries, spent 43 days
volunteering in the besieged Palestinian territory, mostly at the al-Ahli and
Shifa hospitals in the north.
The
54-year-old has already testified to the Met, the UK’s biggest police force,
about the injuries he saw and the kinds of weapons used, as part of evidence
being gathered for an International Criminal Court probe into alleged war
crimes committed by both sides.
He is
due to travel to The Hague this week to meet ICC investigators.
Abu
Sitta said the intensity of the war was the greatest of the numerous conflicts
he has worked in, including others in Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and south
Lebanon.
“It’s
the difference between a flood and a tsunami — the whole scale is completely
different,” he told AFP during an interview in London on Sunday.
“Just
the sheer number of the wounded, the size of the calamity, the number of
children killed, the intensity of the bombing, the fact that within days of the
war starting Gaza’s health system was completely overwhelmed.”
The war
in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas on October
7, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, most of them civilians,
according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
In
response, Israel is carrying out a relentless bombardment and ground invasion
that have killed at least 22,835 people, most of them women and children,
according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Abu
Sitta — born in Kuwait and who has lived in Britain since the late 1980s —
arrived in Gaza from Egypt on October 9 as part of a Doctors Without Borders
medical team.
“From
the very beginning our capacity was less than the number of wounded we were
having to treat. Increasingly we were having to make very difficult decisions
about who to treat,” he recalled.
Abu
Sitta remembers one 40-year-old man coming into hospital with shrapnel in his
head. He needed a CT scan, and to see a neurosurgeon, but they did not have
one.
“We told
his children and they stayed around his trolley that night until he passed away
in the morning,” he said.
The
hospitals also quickly ran out of anesthetic and analgesic drugs, meaning the
surgeon had to perform “really painful cleaning procedures of wounds” without
relief.
“It was
a choice between doing that or watching them succumb to the wound infections
and dying from sepsis,” he added.
‘Voice
on the outside’
Abu
Sitta is adamant that he treated burn wounds caused by white phosphorus. Its
use as a chemical weapon is prohibited under international law, but it is
allowed for illuminating battlefields and as a smokescreen.
“It has
a very distinctive injury,” he said.
“The
phosphorus continues to burn until the very deepest part of the body, until you
reach bone.”
Abu
Sitta said he left Gaza after becoming “redundant” because a lack of medical
supplies meant he could no longer perform surgery.
He has
spent much of his time back in Britain briefing politicians and humanitarian
organisations on the urgent need for aid.
“I’ve
been trying to help my patients who I left behind as much as I can by almost
being their voice on the outside.”
The Met
says it is obliged to gather evidence for an ICC probe into alleged war crimes
committed by both sides.
Abu
Sitta says he told officers about what he witnessed, including the use of white
phosphorus and attacks on civilians.
He also
described surviving the October 17 attack on the al-Ahli hospital, which Hamas
blames on Israel, but Western countries say was caused by a misfired
Palestinian rocket.
“Eventually
justice will catch up with these individuals, if not in five years, 10 years,
when they’re 80 years old, whenever the balance of power in the world allows
for justice for Palestinians,” Abu Sitta said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437901/world
------
Germany
decides not to oppose Eurofighter sales to Saudi Arabia
Erbil
Basay
08.01.2024
Germany
will not oppose the sale of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister
AnnalenaBaerbock said Sunday.
Baerbock
spoke with reporters after meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and
Foreign Minister Israel Katz in Jerusalem, according to the German news agency
DPA.
Noting
that Saudi Arabia contributes to Israel's security by intercepting missiles
fired at the country by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Baerbock said that for this
reason, “the German government will not stand against the idea of Britain
giving more Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia.”
She
noted that "Saudi Arabia is a key contributor to Israel's security and is
helping to stem the risk of a regional conflagration."
Baerbock
emphasized that Riyadh has long been aware of the danger posed by the Houthis
to the security of the region.
Germany
has previously opposed arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Since
the Eurofighter is a joint project of the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain, German
approval is required for sales of the fighter jets.
The
Houthis have targeted vessels in the Southern Red Sea, warning that it will
attack all Israel-bound ships. It says the attacks are to support Palestinians
as they face Israel's "aggression and siege" in Gaza.
The Red
Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel
shipments.
US
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently announced the creation of a
multinational mission – Operation Prosperity Guardian – to counter Houthi
attacks.
Israel
has launched air and ground attacks on Gaza following a cross-border incursion
by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, killing at least
22,800 Palestinians and injuring more than 58,400 others.
Nearly
1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The
Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's
infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced
amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.
Many
international legal experts have said that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute
war crimes or genocide, and countries such as Türkiye and South Africa are
working to bring legal cases to that effect in international courts.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-decides-not-to-oppose-eurofighter-sales-to-saudi-arabia/3102803
-----
Mideast
Iraq's
Islamic Resistance hits several Israeli, US targets in support of Palestinians
in Gaza
07
January 2024
The
Islamic Resistance in Iraq says its fighters have struck several Israeli and
American targets across the Arab country and neighboring Syria as well as in
the occupied territories in support of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Issuing
a statement on Sunday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for
the country's anti-terror movements, said it had hit a "vital target"
in the port city of Haifa in the northwestern part of the occupied Palestinian
territories.
The
statement noted that the target in Haifa was hit "with a long-range
al-Arqab upgraded cruise missile in the past days."
The
Iraqi resistance added that the attack on Haifa took place "in support of
our people in Gaza and in response to the massacre of Palestinian civilians,
including children, women, and elderly people, by the usurping entity."
The new
development came as the Israeli regime is going on with its war of genocide
against Gaza. The regime's aggression started on October 7, when Gaza's
resistance groups conducted a remarkably successful operation against the
occupied territories, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm.
Nearly
23,000 people, most of them women and children, have died in the regime's
onslaught so far.
At least
16 Palestinians were killed overnight as Israeli airstrikes targeted a
residence in Khan Yunis and a UN school in the central Gaza Strip.
The
Islamic Resistance in Iraq vowed to continue its attacks against "the enemy's
strongholds," saying, "We promise you more."
The
resistance also said its forces had attacked "a military target" in
Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
American
targets
Prior to
the strike against Golan, the Iraqi resistance reported a drone attack against
the US-occupied Qasraq military base in the countryside of the northeastern
Syrian city of Hasakah.
Resistance
fighters also conducted a raft of drone strikes against the Ain al-Assad
Airbase in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar where American military
forces are stationed.
The
attacks came only a day after the resistance announced targeting three
US-occupied military bases throughout Iraq and Syria.
Iraqi
resistance forces target three US-occupied military bases in Syria and
neighboring Iraq in retaliation for Washington’s support for the bloody Israeli
onslaught against the Gaza Strip.
The
United States has been providing Israel with unbridled military and political
support in its onslaught against Gaza, arming Tel Aviv with more than 10,000
tons of military hardware.
The US
has also torpedoed the prospect of cessation of the Israeli aggression by
stonewalling ratification of all United Nations Security Council resolutions
that called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/07/717802/Iraq-resistance-strikes-Israel-United-States-Gaza-war
------
Palestinian
prisoner recounts ordeal at 'Guantanamo-like' Israeli prisons
07
January 2024
A
recently freed Palestinian prisoner has recounted his ordeal in various Israeli
jails, especially the notorious Negev Prison, which he compared to the US-run
Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons, respectively in Cuba and Iraq.
In a
Saturday report, the London-based Middle East Monitor cited 37-year-old Louay
al-Taweel as describing his nearly 10-year-long incarceration at Israeli
prisons.
Al-Taweel
said Israeli prisons have turned into exact copies of the infamous American
jails as far as "torture, humiliation, and deprivation of food and
medicine" are concerned.
"The
situation in the prisons is hazardous and the lives of the prisoners are
literally hell. Prisoners are treated as a criminal and a Daesh member. There
are no laws and there is a complete absence of human rights
organizations," he said.
The
former inmate mentioned the Israeli regime's Negev Prison as the worst of those
facilities, where prisoners were deprived of even "seeing the sun or getting
fresh air."
Al-Taweel
was last time arrested in October under the occupying regime's so-called
administrative detention policy that allows Israel to incarcerate Palestinians
indefinitely without pressing charges or putting them on trial.
"We
were held in challenging conditions, as prisoners were always exposed to
torture of all kinds, including physical and psychological torture and were
deprived of food and insulted," he said.
"After
a few days of detention, I was transferred to the Negev Prison. It was
extremely shocking, as prisoners are met with a trained rapid response known as
Keter. Prisoners are stripped naked in a very humiliating manner and are
subjected to severe beatings amidst insults and abuses," he added.
The UN
has once again called on Israel to release Palestinian prisoners held in
Israeli jails.
According
to al-Taweel, the injured do not receive any treatment and the prison doctor
does not provide them with any care, "leaving the disease to fate."
He added
that many prisoners are ill, especially the elderly, due to medical neglect and
daily abuse.
“Any
form of worship is prohibited, reading the Quran is prohibited, congregational
prayer and raising the call to prayer is prohibited,” al-Taweel noted.
There
are reportedly more than 7,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Hundreds of
them have been incarcerated under the regime's "administrative
detention" policy, which has caused some prisoners to be held without a
charge for up to 11 years.
On
Tuesday, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz said the prisoners languishing at Israeli
jails had reported being beaten by troops and threatened with violence if they
refused to kiss the Israeli regime's flag.
Palestinians
have called on Israel to promptly reveal undisclosed detention centers and give
information on the identities of individuals captured from the Gaza Strip.
Detainees
have reported several cases of harsh violence and abuse carried out by prison
authorities, the paper wrote, saying testimonies were emerging about severely
inhumane conditions.
"Eleven
prisoners were put in a cell that usually held a third of that. [The guards]
threw the food on the floor, sometimes they mashed it with their feet, and
every day – under the pretext of a search – they would beat the prisoners with
iron sticks," one Palestinian testimony said about the treatment of
prisoners.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/07/717804/Palestine-Israel-prisons-United-States-Guantanamo-Abu-Ghraib
-----
Save the
Children: More than 10 children a day lose a limb in Gaza
07
January 2024
The
international charity organization "Save the Children" has sounded a
strong alarm about the toll and sufferings being exacted on children in the
Gaza Strip.
Jason
Lee, Save the Children's country director in the occupied Palestinian
territories, said on Sunday that more than 10 children per day, on average, had
lost one or both of their legs in Gaza since Israel launched an all-out
aggression on the besieged territory early in October.
Lee made
remarks on Sunday while explaining about the dire humanitarian situation across
the Israeli-bombarded besieged strip. He further warned that the killing and
maiming of children constitute grave violations of children’s rights.
"The
suffering of children in this conflict is unimaginable and even more so because
it is unnecessary and completely avoidable. This suffering, the killing and
maiming of children is condemned as a grave violation against children, and
perpetrators must be held to account," he said.
Lee
further said that the international community must take serious action to stop
violations and hold Israel responsible for crimes against children.
"Unless
action is taken by the international community to uphold their responsibilities
under International Humanitarian Law and prevent the most serious crimes of
international concern, history will and should judge us all. We must heed the
lessons from the past and must prevent “atrocity crimes” from unfolding."
“I’ve seen doctors and nurses completely
overwhelmed when children come in with blast wounds. The impact of seeing
children in that much pain and not having the equipment, or medicines to treat
them or alleviate pain is too much for even experienced professionals. Even in a
war zone, the sights and sounds of a young child mutilated by bombs cannot be
reconciled let alone understood within the bounds of humanity."
The
United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) has decried the “staggering” number
of children casualties in Gaza.
Since 7
October, more than 1,000 children have had one or both legs amputated,
according to the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF.
Many of
these operations on children were done without anesthetic, with the healthcare
system in Gaza crippled by the Israeli aggression, and major shortages of
doctors and nurses, and medical supplies like anesthesia and antibiotics,
according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Lee
highlighted that children are experiencing widespread destruction, relentless
attacks, explosions and a severe shortage of necessities.
“Small
children caught up in explosions are particularly vulnerable to major,
life-changing injuries. They have weaker necks and torsos, so less force is
needed to cause a brain injury. Their skulls are still not fully formed, and
their undeveloped muscles offer less protection, so a blast is more likely to
tear apart organs in their abdomen, even when there’s no visible damage."
While 13
out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially functional, they are operating on a
partial and fluctuating basis, dependent on their access to fuel and basic
medical supplies on any given day.
The nine
partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their
capacity while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. In
addition, only 30% of Gaza’s pre-conflict medics are still working.
UNICEF
sounds a strong warning about the toll being exacted on children in the Gaza
Strip, which has come under a renewed and genocidal Israeli war.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Lee underlined the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the
delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged territory.
“Only a
definitive ceasefire will end the killing and maiming of civilians and allow in
desperately needed humanitarian aid – including critical medicines for wounded
children – at the scale and locations required.”
The US
has provided the regime with thousands of arms consignments since the
initiation of the war.
Washington,
which has backed Tel Aviv's ferocious attacks on Gaza as a means of
"self-defense," has also been casting its veto against the UN
Security Council resolutions that would call on the occupying regime to cease
its aggression.
The
number of children killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel
The
Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement slammed the US for sinking the UN
ceasefire call, stating that the measure clearly shows Washington’s direct
complicity in the Israeli carnage against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Some
23,000 Palestinians have been killed and a further 57,000 injured in the three
months since October 7, with children being maimed and killed at a devastating
rate, and entire families being killed daily.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/07/717794/Palestine-Gaza-Save-the-Children--US-Israel-
----
Israel
says Hezbollah struck sensitive air traffic base in the north and warns of
‘another war’
January
08, 2024
JERUSALEM:
Hezbollah has struck an air traffic control base in northern Israel, the
Israeli military said Sunday, and warned of “another war” with the Iran-backed
militant group
The
increase in fighting across the border with Lebanon as Israel battles Hamas
militants in Gaza gave new urgency to US diplomatic efforts as Secretary of
State Antony Blinken prepared to visit Israel on his latest Mideast tour.
“This is
a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and even
more suffering,” Blinken told reporters after talks in Qatar, a key mediator.
The escalation of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has
complicated a US push to prevent a regional conflict.
The
Israeli military said Hezbollah fire hit the sensitive air traffic control base
on Mount Meron on Saturday but air defenses were not affected because backup
systems were in place. It said that no soldiers were hurt and all damage will
be repaired.
Nonetheless,
it was one of the most serious attacks by Hezbollah in the months of fighting
that has accompanied Israel’s war in Gaza and forced tens of thousands of
Israelis to evacuate communities near the Lebanese border.
Hezbollah
described its rocket barrage as an “initial response” to the targeted killing
of a top Hamas leader in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut last week, which is
presumed to have been carried out by Israel.
The
Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Col. HerziHalevi, said military pressure
on Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, was rising and it would either be effective “or we
will get to another war.” Military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari asserted
that Israel’s focus on Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force was pushing it away from
the border.
Israel
has mostly sought to limit the fighting in its north. Hezbollah’s military
capabilities are far superior to those of Hamas. But Israeli leaders have said
their patience is wearing thin, and that if the tensions cannot be resolved through
diplomacy, they are prepared to use force.
“I
suggest that Hezbollah learn what Hamas has already learned in recent months:
No terrorist is immune,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet. We
are determined to defend our citizens and to return the residents of the north
safely to their homes.”
Lower-intensity
fighting along Israel’s northern border broke out when Hezbollah began firing
rockets shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel triggered the
war in Gaza, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking some 250
people hostage. Hezbollah has said its attacks aim to ease pressure on Gaza.
In a
joint news briefing with Blinken, Qatar’s government acknowledged that the
killing of the senior Hamas leader in Lebanon can affect the complicated
negotiations for the potential release of more hostages held by Hamas in Gaza
but “we are continuing our discussions with the parties and trying to achieve
as soon as possible an agreement.”
Inside
Gaza, the war against the militant group entered its fourth month Sunday.
The
Israeli military has signaled that it has wrapped up major combat in northern
Gaza, saying it has completed dismantling Hamas’ military infrastructure there.
Now it presses its offensive in the south, where most of Gaza’s 2.3 million
Palestinians are squeezed into smaller areas in a humanitarian disaster while
being pounded by Israeli airstrikes.
Netanyahu
insists the war will not end until the objectives of eliminating Hamas, getting
Israel’s hostages returned and ensuring that Gaza won’t host a threat to Israel
are met.
Biden
administration officials have urged Israel to wind down its blistering air and
ground offensive and shift to more targeted attacks against Hamas leaders.
More
than 22,800 Palestinians have been killed and more than 58,000 wounded since
the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The death
toll does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Health officials
say about two-thirds of those killed have been women and minors.
Israel
blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the group operates in heavily
populated residential areas.
An
airstrike near the southern city of Rafah killed two journalists on Sunday,
including Hamza Dahdouh, the oldest son of Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s chief
correspondent in Gaza, according to the Qatari-owned Arabic-language channel
and local medical officials. Al Jazeera broadcast footage of Dahdouh weeping
and holding his son’s hand. Israel’s military had no immediate comment.
Al
Jazeera strongly condemned the killings and other “brutal attacks against
journalists and their families” by Israeli forces. Dahdouh also lost his wife,
two children and a grandchild in an Oct. 26 airstrike, and was wounded in an
Israeli strike last month that killed a co-worker.
“The
world is blind to what’s happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said, blinking back
tears.
Another
airstrike hit a house between Khan Younis and the southern city of Rafah,
killing at least seven people whose bodies were taken to the nearby European
Gaza Hospital, according to an Associated Press journalist at the facility. One
man hurried in carrying a baby, and later walked the blanket-wrapped child to
the morgue.
“Everything
happening here is outside the realms of law, outside the realms of reason. Our
brains can’t fully comprehend all this that is happening to us,” said a
grieving relative, Inas Abu Al-Najja, her quavering voice rising. Men worked
the rubble with picks and bare hands.
On
Sunday, officials at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis
received the bodies of 18 people, including 12 children, killed in an Israeli
strike late Saturday on a home in the Khan Younis camp set up decades ago to
house refugees from the 1948 war over Israel’s creation.
Israeli
forces pushed deeper into the central city of Deir Al-Balah, where residents in
several neighborhoods were warned that they must evacuate.
The
international medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by the French
acronym MSF, said it was evacuating its medical staff from Deir Al-Balah’s Al
Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital.
A bullet
penetrated a wall of the hospital’s intensive care unit on Friday, and “drone
attacks and sniper fire were just a few hundred meters from the hospital” over
the past couple of days, said Carolina Lopez, the group’s emergency coordinator
there. She said the hospital received between 150 and 200 wounded people daily
in recent weeks.
The
International Rescue Committee and Medical Aid for Palestinians said they also
were forced to withdraw from the hospital. “The amount of injuries being
brought in over the last few days has been horrific,” surgeon Nick Maynard with
the IRC medical team said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437846/middle-east
-----
Israeli
occupation is ‘basis of all evil’: Jordanian FM
January
07, 2024
AMMAN:
Jordan’s foreign minister on Sunday strongly criticized Israel’s ongoing
military actions in Gaza, describing them as “barbaric aggression” and warning
of a potentially dangerous escalation in the region.
Speaking
to Jordan News Agency, Ayman Safadi said Israel is killing innocent people,
depriving over 2.3 million Palestinians of water, food and medicine, and
attempting to displace them.
“Jordan,
with all its capabilities, will counter the Israeli government’s attempts to
displace Palestinians inside and outside their homeland,” he said, adding that
the kingdom considers attempts to displace people to be a war crime.
A future
security-based approach to Gaza, according to Safadi, would entrench the state
of oppression, despair and misery that Israel created through its colonial
policies prior to and during the current war, making conflict “the fate of the
region.”
He
added: “The occupation is the basis of all evil. Any approach that does not aim
to end the occupation and fulfill all the rights of the Palestinian people will
not achieve security and just peace and will spark more conflicts and wars.”
He said
Jordan refuses to talk about the day after in Gaza before stopping the war, and
without adopting a comprehensive plan to fulfill the rights of the Palestinian
people.
“The
main goal for which all efforts must be united now is to stop the barbaric
aggression against the Gaza Strip and end the unprecedented humanitarian
catastrophe it is causing,” he added.
“The
Jordanian proposal is that after stopping the aggression, dealing with the
situation in Gaza must be within the context of an integrated plan based on the
solid unity of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and starting with the
recognition of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the lines of
June 4, 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital according to the two-state
solution.”
He said
ending the occupation of Palestinian territories must come with clear
objectives, timelines and “real guarantees,” adding: “We are coordinating this
with our brothers in the Arab countries, and we discussed it with many of our
partners in the international community.”
Safadi
also condemned the “extremist, racist, inflammatory” policies and positions of
Israeli ministers who “demonize the Palestinians and deny their right to live
on their national soil and the land of their fathers and grandfathers.”
He
warned of the Israeli government’s extremist agenda to continue the war and
extend it to the occupied West Bank and Lebanon in order to prolong its
political leadership and drag the West into military interventions in the
region.
He said
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “racist, extremist” cabinet
ministers have publicly stated their desire to evict Palestinians from Gaza,
and their rejection of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
Safadi
discussed the need for the international community to take clear and direct
positions in condemning extremist Israeli rhetoric.
He said
Jordan would press the UN Security Council to take legal, moral and
humanitarian decisions to end the war in Gaza and to challenge Israeli
violations of international law.
“Nothing
justifies the Security Council’s inability to decide to stop the barbaric
aggression against Gaza, stop the war crimes committed by Israel there and its
inability even to impose a mechanism for bringing in humanitarian aid to
confront the humanitarian catastrophe exacerbated by an aggression that crossed
all legal, ethnic and humane lines,” he added.
Safadi
said the UNSC’s failure to end the war reflects “dangerous double standards and
selectivity in the system of international multilateral action, and began to
seriously reflect on the image and interests of many countries in the region.”
He
added: “The killing, destruction and human suffering caused by the aggression
eliminated the pretext of self-defense promoted by the Israeli government, and
revealed that the war is crude revenge and a means to translate the agenda of
the extremist racists in the Israeli government … to kill the two-state
solution.”
Jordan
is supporting South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel on charges of genocide, and
is preparing to submit its own legal case to the International Court of
Justice, which is expected to be reviewed in the coming days.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437811/middle-east
-----
Hamdan
says Gaza Strip will only be Palestinian, our people will decide their present
and future
[08/January/2024]
BEIRUT
January 08. 2024 (Saba) - Hamas leader Osama Hamdan has stressed that the Gaza
Strip will only be purely Palestinian and the people will be the ones who
decide its present and future, which will only be an integral part of the
independent, fully sovereign State of Palestine, with al-Quds as its capital.
Hamdan
said in a press conference on Sunday in Beirut the Nazi-Zionist enemy destroyed
about 70 percent of the civilian facilities and infrastructure in the Gaza
Strip, for the purpose of imposing forced displacement on civilians.
He
considered that the repeated talk of the criminal enemy leaders about what they
called (the voluntary migration of the people of Gaza), by the failed Netanyahu
and his ministers (Smotrich and Ben Gvir) and other Nazi extremists, is nothing
but an expression of illusions and dreams that will not come true, and that
these foreign settlers will emigrate from the land of Palestine. Once again and
forever, to the homelands from which they came.
He
added: We specifically mention the person called “Smotrich”, this Nazi settler,
the owner and promoter of this idea, that he will soon return to the land of
his ancestors in Ukraine.
He
highly appreciated South Africa's friendly positions in solidarity with the
Palestinian people and its rejection of Zionist aggression. The last of these
positions was its filing of a lawsuit against the Zionist entity before the
International Court of Justice regarding the enemy's crimes against humanity,
ethnic cleansing and genocide.
He
called on the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
and the African Union to support and endorse South Africa’s position, and to
build on it, to file more cases in international courts, prosecuting this
fascist entity for its crimes against the Palestinian people.
He also
confirmed that the enemy is continuing the crimes of destroying archaeological
sites in Gaza in a failed and desperate attempt to obliterate the Palestinian
cultural and heritage presence.
He
pointed out that it has destroyed more than 200 archaeological and heritage
sites out of 325 sites in the Gaza Strip, including ancient mosques, churches,
schools, museums and ancient homes. Old and various heritage sites.
Hamas
leader pointed out that at the beginning of 2024 and to this day three months
later, al-Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian resistance launched and continue
to fire their missiles that reached the heart of the Zionist entity, proving
once again that they are controlling the course of the battle with full force
and ability, and that they have a lot up their sleeve.
Talking
about the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri and his companions, he reiterated
that this cowardly act will not succeed in breaking the will of steadfastness
and resistance of the Palestinian people and their valiant resistance.
Hamdan
pointed out that the number of martyrs in the Gaza Strip reached 29,722
martyrs, including 10,000 children and 7,000 women, and the number of injured
was 58,166 wounded and wounded, while the number of missing persons in the Gaza
Strip reached more than seven thousand missing persons.
He
stated that the number of martyrs in the West Bank since October 7 reached 321
martyrs, including 111 children and four women.
Hamdan
confirmed that about four percent of the population of the Gaza Strip are
martyred, missing or wounded.
He
pointed out that six thousand injured people need to travel for treatment to
save their lives, and only 650 wounded have traveled for treatment outside the
Gaza Strip so far.
Hamdan
also pointed out that the crimes of bombing and deliberate killing of
Palestinian journalists, of whom 109 journalists were promoted, the last of
whom were: martyr journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh, the son of the journalist Wael
al-Dahdouh, and martyr journalist Mustafa Thuraya, in a Zionist attempt to
terrorize journalists and discourage them from reporting the truth.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3294376.htm
-----
Health
in Gaza says enemy uses drones to terrorize patients, doctors in al-Aqsa
Martyrs hospital
[08/January/2024]
GAZA
January 08. 2024 (Saba) - The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has
confirmed that the Zionist enemy is using its drones to terrorize patients and
medical staff at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza
Strip.
The
Ministry said in a statement, reported by the Palestinian Information Center,
the Zionist drones are firing intensely towards the departments and courtyards
of al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and targeting everyone who moves.
It
pointed out that the Zionist enemy is seeking to put al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital
out of service in a new way by targeting it with drone fire.
It was
reported that the wounded and sick were fleeing from al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital
under fire from the Zionist drones.
The
Ministry of Health in Gaza warned that leaving al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital out of
service is a death sentence for thousands of wounded and sick people in the
central region.
The
ongoing Zionist-American aggression since October 7 caused 30 hospitals out of
36 and 53 health centers to be out of service. The enemy also partially
targeted 150 health institutions and destroyed 121 ambulances.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3294374.htm
----
Southeast Asia
Anwar
says he cites Quranic verses to encourage debate, will consult Jakim to avoid
controversy
08 Jan
2024
PUTRAJAYA,
Jan 8 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said he would continue to
quote verses from the Quran and their interpretations in his speech.
However,
he said, he would first consult the Malaysian Islamic Development Department
(Jakim) to avoid any controversy.
Anwar
said that in a speech at one of the monthly assemblies with the staff of the
Prime Minister’s Department, he had quoted a verse from the Quran and caused
controversy, but he was grateful that the incident had sparked interest in the
community, especially young people, to read and study the Quran.
"I
consider it important that I read verses of the Quran verses and their
interpretations to encourage debate, but I will refer to Jakim first to avoid
controversy," he said at this month's assembly with the staff of the Prime
Minister’s department here today.
At the
assembly last month (December), Anwar reportedly quoted the story of the seven
young men known as AshabulKahfi and it drew the reaction of many quarters and
turned into a political polemic.
Describing
the attack on him over the matter as excessive, Anwar said it would be better
for Muslim leaders to use the Quran as a reference in their speeches.
Anwar
said he referred to the story of the seven men in his speech to call on civil
servants to always apply good values and morals when carrying out their duties.
— Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/01/08/anwar-says-he-cites-quranic-verses-to-encourage-debate-will-consult-jakim-to-avoid-controversy/111228
----
Papagomo
claims trial to sedition for pro-Israel remarks against govt
08 Jan
2024
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Former Umno Youth exco, Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, was charged
in the court here, today, for allegedly making seditious remarks linking the
government to pro-Israel and pro-Western countries last year.
Wan
Muhammad Azri, 41, also known as Papagomo, pleaded not guilty when the charge
was read out to him, before Judge N. Priscilla Hemamalini.
“I plead
not guilty and I want to go on trial,” he said.
Wan
Muhammad Azri was accused of making seditious remarks on the Halid Hamidi
Facebook page (Halid Mat Kool), and the remarks were seen by an individual at a
condominium in Jalan Tong Shin, Bukit Bintang at 1 pm on November 8.
The
charge was framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 and is
punishable under Section 4(1) of the same law, which provides a fine of not
more than RM5,000 or a maximum of three years in jail or both, if convicted.
Deputy
public prosecutor, Mohamad MustaffaKunyalam, offered RM10,000 bail with one
surety.
He also
asked for a gag order to be imposed against Wan Muhammad Azri, to deter him
from commenting about the case.
In
mitigation, lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, representing the accused,
pleaded for a lower bail of RM3,000, stating that his client was cooperating
well during the authorities’ investigation.
“My
client works online, besides looking after his wife, who is a housewife, and
five school-going children. We also oppose the gag order as it infringes on the
freedom of expression of my client,” he said.
Judge
Priscilla allowed Muhammad Azri RM7,000 bail in one surety and did not impose
any additional conditions.
The
court set February 5 for mention. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/01/08/papagomo-claims-trial-to-sedition-for-pro-israel-remarks-against-govt/111247
-----
Bank
Islam introduces Ihsan Sustainability Investment Account to deliver positive
impact through social finance
07 Jan 2024
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 7 — Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd has introduced the Ihsan Sustainability
Investment Account (ISIA) to deliver positive social and environmental impact
through social finance.
Simultaneously,
ISIA is designed for clients seeking stable short-term investments to navigate
the uncertainties often associated with equities and fixed-income investments.
Group
chief executive officer Datuk MohdMuazzam Mohamed said ISIA reflected the
bank’s commitment to advancing prosperity for all.
“Through
ISIA, we enable investors to join us in shaping a nature-positive economy by
venturing into Islamic finance potentials,” he said in a statement today.
ISIA is
available for high-net-worth individuals and non-individual investors with a
minimum investment amount of RM50,000 for individuals and RM1 million for
non-individuals, respectively.
ISIA
offers an indicative 4.50 per cent return per annum, where 2.50 per cent
portion of the profit will be contributed to PusatPungutan Zakat Majlis Agama
Islam Wilayah Persekutuan or Bank Islam Sadaqa House.
“This is
one of the social elements incorporated in this campaign feature. The profit
will be distributed semi-annually and within the investment tenure of 24
months,” MohdMuazzam said.
ISIA is
the pioneering investment account designed to offer investors access to
environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) or sustainable
development goals (SDG)-aligned financing assets curated to support the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals objectives and favourable climate change
and principle-based taxonomy classification as per Bank Negara Malaysia’s
framework.
The
funds will be invested in a diversified portfolio of the bank’s non-retail
assets involving renewable energy, green financing, clean transportation, clean
water and sanitation and other sectors that contribute to creating sustainable
cities and community goals.
The bank
has established a rigorous oversight framework that involves meticulous
processes such as thorough due diligence, comprehensive impact assessment and
continuous monitoring of the fund. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2024/01/07/bank-islam-introduces-ihsan-sustainability-investment-account-to-deliver-positive-impact-through-social-finance/111098
------
Arab World
Symbolic
Military Parade For 1st Batch Graduates Of Promised Conquest, Holy Jihad
Courses In Hodeida Held
[08/January/2024]
HODEIDA
January 08. 2024 (Saba) - General Mobilization Division in the southern
districts of Hodeida province has a Symbolic military parade for units of
graduates of the Promised Conquest and Holy Jihad courses, “the first batch.”
During
the Parade, participants presented the parade that reflected the level of
preparedness to support the Palestinian people in the face of the Zionist
entity, which is committing the most heinous crimes in the Gaza Strip.
The
participants affirmed their readiness to implement the directives of the
revolutionary leadership to support the Palestinian people and support their
valiant resistance in responding to the crimes of the Zionist enemy.
During
the parade, First Undersecretary of Hodeida Ahmed al-Bashri indicated that the
al-Aqsa will be liberated at the hands of the promised conquest, God willing.
He added
"From this place, a few kilometers from the nearest front where supporters
of Israel stand, we say to the Americans and the Israelis this is our popular
army and from the West Coast, it is ready to drown you in the Red Sea with the
power and help of God."
Local
authority official Taha al-Muaiti said the parade represent a message to the
enemies of readiness to support al-Aqsa al-Sharif despite the failure of the
Arab leaders.
Al-Muaiti
pointed out that the Yemeni people are steadfast in their historical positions
in their support of the Palestinian cause, regardless of the sacrifices.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3294371.htm
----
Yemen:
US insistence on support for Israeli war on Gaza would blow up whole region
08
January 2024
Yemen
has warned that tensions could escalate in the region as the United States
keeps backing Israel in its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
“The
US’s insistence on continuing support for Israel against Gaza could blow up the
region,” Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokesman for Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance
movement, said in a social media post on Sunday.
The
United States has offered untrammeled support for Israel since October 7, when
the occupying entity waged the bloody war on Gaza following a historic
operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group.
Since
the start of the offensive, Israel has killed at least 22,835 Palestinians,
mostly women and children, and injured 58,416 others.
In
solidarity with the Palestinians in besieged Gaza, the Yemeni armed forces have
targeted ships in the Red Sea with owners linked to Israel or those going to
and from ports in the occupied territories.
In
November, they seized the Israel-leased cargo ship Galaxy Leader and turned it
into a tourist attraction.
The US
has formed a multinational military coalition against Yemeni forces in the Red
Sea, through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
Abdul-Salam
said that the US should realize that the militarization of the Red Sea will not
prevent Yemen from supporting the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
In a bid
to divert public attention from the Israeli massacre in Gaza, American
officials try to portray developments in the Red Sea as a threat to global
interests, he added.
Separately
on Sunday, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Yemen’s Supreme Political
Council, asked ships passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to declare they
have no connection with the Tel Aviv regime.
Each
ship approaching Bab al-Mandeb should broadcast the sentence, “We have no
relation with Israel,” he said, noting that it is a “simple and inexpensive
solution” to de-escalate tensions in the Red Sea.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/08/717816/Yemen-Continued-US-support-Israel-Gaza-war-escalate-regional-tensions
------
Houthis
want Red Sea ships to report destinations to avoid attack
January
07, 2024
AL-MUKALLA:
Yemen’s Houthi militia on Sunday called for all vessels planning to transit the
Red Sea to notify them in advance of their destinations and declare no
connections to Israel to avoid being attacked.
The
Houthi leader, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, proposed defusing what he called the
“militarization” of the Red Sea or igniting a war between their militia and the
US-led maritime forces in the waters, by demanding that all ships sailing in
the area supply them with the requested information.
In a
post on X, Al-Houthi said: “Every ship that goes through the Red Sea, Bab
El-Mandeb (the strait that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden), or the
Arabian Sea should broadcast the words, ‘we have no relationship with Israel.’
“This is
a simple and low-cost solution that will incur no financial expenditures for
any business. This measure does not need the militarization of the Red Sea and
will not jeopardize international navigation.”
Since
Nov. 19, the Houthis have seized a commercial ship called Galaxy Leader and
conducted more than 20 missile and drone assaults on commercial and navy ships
in the Red Sea, as part of their ban on all Israel-bound ships from using the
important maritime channel.
The
Houthis claim that their actions were intended to compel Israel to stop bombing
Gaza.
The US
Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Saturday that the USS Laboon (DDG 59)
naval destroyer shot down a drone launched by the Houthis near commercial ships
in Red Sea international waters.
At the
same time, Houthi leaders have reiterated their threats to attack US Navy ships
in the Red Sea in punishment for the deaths of 10 of their combatants last
week.
The head
of the Houthi political council, Mahdi Al-Mashat, said on Saturday that the
militia would only back down from its retaliatory attack on US Navy ships if
America handed over the marines who fired at their fighters in the Red Sea on
Dec. 31.
Speaking
to allied military commanders in the western city of Hodeidah, the Houthi
leader said: “Retaliation is unavoidable, except in one case: if you give over
the murderers and terrorist criminals among your troops who murdered our heroes
in the armed forces to be tried in the Republic of Yemen.”
Meanwhile,
Yemen’s army in the southern city of Taiz said on Saturday that one of its
soldiers was killed when a Houthi drone targeted an army post while government
troops repelled two Houthi ground assaults.
Abdul
Basit Al-Baher, a Yemeni military official in Taiz, told Arab News on Sunday
that the Houthis conducted two assaults on government soldiers north and west
of Taiz on Sunday as they aim to take control of fresh areas in the besieged
city.
The news
came as president of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi,
met with UN Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg in Riyadh on Sunday to discuss ongoing
UN-led attempts to restart the peace process in Yemen, according to the
official news agency.
Yemen’s
leader reaffirmed his government’s commitment to cooperating with Grundberg’s
efforts to push for peace in the war-torn country.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437656/middle-east
-----
MWL
seeks support from leaders of global religions for peace efforts in Gaza
January
08, 2024
MAKKAH —
The Muslim World League (MWL) on Sunday initiated an urgent petition, appealing
to religious leaders globally to join forces and voice their support for peace
in the Gaza Strip. The petition, focusing on ending violence and the ongoing
war in Gaza, seeks the backing of both religious figures and humanitarian
organizations.
This
initiative was spurred by the devastating impact of the conflict in Gaza, which
has resulted in the loss of at least 22,000 lives, injuries to approximately
750,000 individuals, and the displacement of 1.2 million people. The petition
emphasizes the important role religious leaders can play in peace-making
efforts.
Sheikh
Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the MWL and Chairman
of the Association of Muslim Scholars, stressed the urgency of the situation:
“Given the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Muslim World League is fully
committed, along with its partners, to end the war, alleviate human suffering,
and work toward a fair and comprehensive peace. We firmly believe in the
influential role of religious leaders in advocating for peace.”
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/639405/SAUDI-ARABIA/MWL-seeks-support-from-leaders-of-global-religions-for-peace-efforts-in-Gaza
----
Saudi
crown prince meets with US Senator Lindsey Graham in AlUla
January
07, 2024
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with US Senator Lindsey
Graham at the Winter Camp in AlUla on Sunday.
During the
meeting, the crown prince and Graham reviewed Saudi-US relations, international
and regional developments, and issues of common interest.
The
Saudi ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar and the US envoy to the
Kingdom Michael Ratney were among officials who attended the meeting.
On
Saturday, the crown prince received several US officials at the same location
in AlUla. The officials included US Senator and Chairman of the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence Mark Warner, Maine Senator Angus King, Texas Senator
John Cornyn, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff,
and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437801/saudi-arabia
-----
Saudi
Hajj minister meets Indian officials in Jeddah
January
07, 2024
JEDDAH:
Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah met India’s Minister of
Minority Affairs Smriti Irani in Jeddah on Sunday.
During
the meeting, the Bilateral Hajj Agreement 2024 between India and Saudi Arabia
was signed.
The two
ministers also discussed plans for improving medical facilities to ensure the
well-being of all pilgrims, along with other matters of mutual interest, Irani
said on X.
India’s
Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan also took part in
meeting, along with Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom SuhelAjaz Khan and
officials from both sides.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437771/saudi-arabia
----
38th
Saudi aid plane for Gazans arrives in Egypt
January
07, 2024
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s 38th plane carrying aid for Palestinians in besieged Gaza
arrived at El-Arish International Airport in Egypt on Sunday, the Saudi Press
Agency reported.
The
delivery of the aid, which includes 23 tons of food, medical, and shelter
supplies, is being coordinated by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief to help
Palestinians affected by the conflict within the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile,
a Saudi national fundraising campaign to provide aid for the people of Gaza has
so far raised more than SR604 million ($161 million).
The
initiative was launched on Nov. 2, 2023 by KSrelief through the Sahem platform
for charitable donations, in line with directives from King Salman and Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
By
Sunday, more than 1.37 million people had accessed the platform to make
donations.
Those
who wish to contribute can download the Sahem app from Apple’s App Store or
Google Play, visit sahem.ksrelief.org, or transfer funds directly to the
campaign’s Al-Rajhi Bank account (SA5580000504608018899998).
The
Sahem platform, especially in the context of the Gaza war, stands as a
remarkable example of how digital platforms can mobilize support and resources
for humanitarian causes.
Its
emphasis on the security of contributions, combined with its transparent and
efficient operational model, has not only garnered immense support but has also
set a benchmark for online charitable platforms worldwide.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437571/saudi-arabia
----
Guests
of Umrah program visit historical sites in Madinah
January
07, 2024
Madinah:
Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Umrah and
Visit, which is supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and
Guidance, had the opportunity to visit several historical sites in Madinah,
including the Martyrs of Uhud Cemetery, Jabal Ar-Rumat (Hill of Archers), and
the Quba Mosque.
The tour
was part of a cultural program prepared by the ministry to enhance the cultural
experience of visitors and Umrah performers during their stay in Madinah, the
Saudi Press Agency reported.
The
guests expressed their appreciation and gratitude to King Salman and Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the excellent services provided to them.
They
mentioned that these services made it easy for them to visit and discover
historic Islamic monuments. They added that the initiative reflects the
Kingdom’s care and concern for Islam and Muslims.
The
guests also visited the King Fahd Glorious Qur’an Printing Complex in Madinah.
During their tour, the visitors were briefed on the efforts made to preserve
the Holy Qur’an, including the processes of printing, translation, reviewing
and verification, and distribution of copies to Muslims around the world.
They
expressed gratitude for the Kingdom’s efforts in printing, publishing, and
teaching the Holy Qur’an, and said they appreciated the complex’s efforts in
distributing millions of copies.
At the
end of the visit, representatives from the complex gifted copies of the Holy
Qur’an to the visitors.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2437551/saudi-arabia
----
Africa
JIBWIS
commends Kaduna governor for Islamic propagation
January
7, 2024
The
national chairman of Jama’atuIzalatul Bid’ah WaIkamatus Sunna, JIBWIS, Bala
Lau, has commended the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, for his longstanding
commitment to Islamic propagation, which he said predated his tenure as
governor.
The
cleric who gave the commendations at the annual preaching of JIBWIS in Zaria
announced its intention to support the education of underprivileged children in
the fields of medicine and engineering.
According
to him, the organisation aims to produce 455 medical doctors in Kaduna within
the next four years through contributions from individuals within their
respective mosques.
Mr Lau
also expressed gratitude for the support received from the governor, saying,
“Your Excellency, there was never a time when our national body’s request was
turned down; he always used to say, ‘I am yours.’ Sir, we will never forget
your kindness, and we pray that the Almighty God will bless you.”
The
group also conveyed their condolences to the governor and emir of Zazzau over
the unfortunate military airstrike that killed innocent civilians in TudunBiri
community.
The cleric
prayed for a successful and impactful tenure for the Uba Sani-led
administration.
In his
reaction, the governor promised to send a delegation to assess the status of
the JIBWIS vocational skills acquisition centre in Kaduna and pledged to
utilise his resources to restore the centre to full operational capacity.
“I have,
God willing, instructed Mallam Albani, a member of the state parliament among
us, to meet with the state chairman [JIBWIS Kaduna chairman] and return here
next week to discuss the necessary actions. God willing, I will contribute my
personal resources to ensure the project becomes a reality,” he said.
He also
promised to collaborate with the group to realise their plan of sponsoring the
education of underprivileged individuals in 455 JIbwis-owned mosques.
Source: dailynigerian.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://dailynigerian.com/jibwis-commends-kaduna/
---
Retired
Sudanese Major General: Muslim Brotherhood Fired First Shot in War, then Hid
Behind Army
07
January 2024
Addis
Ababa: Ahmed Younes
Sudanese
retired Major General Kamal Ismail accused the Muslim Brotherhood of sparking
the war in his country in April 2023.
In an
interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he added that the Brotherhood, which is also
known as the Islamic Movement, then “hid behind the army” under the pretext of
supporting it.
He
remarked that the Brotherhood has an interest in launching a war, warning
however, that it could ultimately lead to a civil conflict in Sudan.
The best
solution lies in ending the war through negotiations, Ismail added from Addis
Ababa.
“The
Brotherhood does not want to end the war or hold negotiations,” he went on to
say.
Ismail
retired in the 1990s along with hundreds of other officers, whose service was
terminated “for the general good” when the Islamists, under Omar al-Bashir,
seized power.
He had
taken part in several operations led by the armed Sudanese opposition against
Muslim Brotherhood rule in the country.
Ismail
was one of the mediators who took part in talks between the army and Rapid
Support Forces (RSF) after the war erupted last year.
He told
Asharq Al-Awsat that before the conflict broke out, the Muslim Brotherhood had
carried out campaigns to incite the army and RSF to war.
He
explained that the Brotherhood wanted to seek revenge against the revolution
and restore its rule in the country.
Heavy
losses
He
expressed his surprise at the losses incurred by the army, blaming them on poor
leadership and planning.
The
weakening of the army, he said, dates back to 1990. Islamist leader Hassan
al-Turabi dismissed the army at the time as a mercenary group. He then declared
the formation of a “jihadist” army, marking the beginning of the weakening of
the military.
Soon
after, over 500 officers were forced into retirement and forces parallel to the
army were formed, such as the Popular Defense Forces and other militias, Ismail
said.
The
army’s combat ability was weakened as a result, and this was evident as soon as
the war with the RSF erupted.
He
explained that the military had formed the RSF and trained its members. Some
300 officers joined the RSF, making it a formidable force. In turn, the army
was neglected and failed to train on urban warfare, which is what is taking
place in the country.
“Such
warfare is unacceptable because it ends up using civilians as human shields.
The army is not trained for this,” Ismail added.
“Urban
warfare needs preparations, information and infantry. The army clearly doesn’t
have enough infantry units, while the RSF was originally formed of these
forces,” he continued.
The army
is better equipped than the RSF, as shown by its air power, artillery and
armored vehicles. However, these factors aren’t enough to win the war. It needs
infantry, he stressed.
Moreover,
the army had declared at the beginning of the conflict that it would be able to
secure victory within hours. The hours turned into weeks and the weeks turned
into months, with the RSF making more advances on the ground, noted Ismail.
This is
evidently a sign of wrong information obtained by the army during the early
days of the war, he explained.
Ultimately,
no one will emerge from this war victorious, regardless of the situation on the
ground. “The Sudanese people are biggest losers. They are suffering from the
war and we're working on ending it,” he stated.
He
warned that if any party in the war refuses to end it, “then it could stretch
on for dozens of years.” If this happens, Sudan could end up like Libya, with
multiple administrations.
The
“only solution” lies in negotiations, he stressed. “The sound of reason must
prevail now.”
Lack of
planning
Ismail
blamed the large number of casualties in army officers on a lack of planning
for war and poor training.
He said
that “they lacked offensive and defensive plans. Yes, the war was predicted,
but the planning for it was not enough. This was clear to us.”
“This is
why we turned to our brothers [in the RSF] so that they could agree to
negotiations and so we can build a unified professional army,” he added.
Furthermore,
Ismail said the military’s moral, financial and human losses in the past nine
months have taken a toll on it.
The
people are tired of war and want it to end at any cost, he stated.
He
warned that the prolongation of the conflict would lead to civil war. He noted
that Sudan is diverse in its tribes, but also suffers from discrimination.
“We must
recognize our diversity and tackle our social, political and military
differences. This can only happen through negotiations,” Ismail urged.
Source: aawsat.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/4774021-retired-sudanese-major-general-muslim-brotherhood-fired-first-shot-war-then-hid
-----
Somali
president signs law “nullifying illegal” Ethiopia-Somaliland deal
January
7, 2024
On
Saturday (Jan. 06), Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed a law
nullifying the memorandum of understanding signed between the Government of
Ethiopia & Somaliland.
The
symbolic move comes as Ethiopia and a breakaway Somali region announced a deal
on January 1st.
As part
of the deal, Somaliland plans to lease a 20-km stretch of land along its
coastline to Ethiopia to establish a naval base, Ethiopian Prime minister Abiy
Ahmed said at the signing.
Somaliland
President Muse Bihi Abdi said the agreement included a statement that Ethiopia
would soon recognize the territory as an independent country.
That is
where the bone of contention lies. Somaliland has always contested the legally
binding character of the state of union which was to form a unified country
after Somalia and Somaliland respectively gained independence from Italy and
Britain.
Somalia
has described the move as an act of “aggression” and recalled its ambassador
from Ethiopia.
The AU
chairperson urged Ethiopia and Soamlia to engage without delay in a negotiation
process to settle their differences
Ethiopia
lost its access to the sea when Eritrea seceded in 1993. Ethiopia has been
using the port in neighboring Djibouti for most of its imports and exports.
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/07/somali-president-signs-law-nullifying-illegal-ethiopia-somaliland-deal/
----
NAF
airstrikes neutralise 12 terrorists in Borno
Jacob
SegunOlatunji
January 7, 2024
The
Nigerian Air Force on Sunday said that the efforts by the air and ground
components of Operation Hadin Kai to clear the Northeast of remnants of
terrorists within the Northeast region of Nigeria have continued to record a
series of successes as 12 terrorists were neutralized in the strike, and their
logistics destroyed in two communities in Borno State thereby degrading their
ability to attack soft targets and own troops.
This was
contained in a statement made available to defence correspondents in Abuja on
Sunday by the Director of Public Relations and Information, of the Nigerian Air
Force Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet
The
statement explained that the operation was successfully carried out “on 5 January 2024 at Parisu after terrorists
were, for days, observed moving items suspected to be weapons and ammunitions
to the area. Parisu, a location near Sambisa Forest, was once a terrorist
enclave deserted after its own troops had cleared the area of terrorists’
activities.
We’ll
mop up illegal arms in Benue, Plateau, Borno, Zamfara, others soon —NATCOM boss
“However,
the convergence of terrorists within the location raised suspicion of their
intent and plan, hence the directive to strike the location.
“The
aftermath of the strikes led to a huge ball of flames from 2 adjacent spots
within the vicinity, while some surviving terrorists were observed scampering
for safety.
“Similar
strikes were also carried out at a location about 1.5 km Southwest of
TumbunAgiri within the Tumbuns in the Lake Chad region on 6 January 2024.
“Intelligence
gathered over time had revealed the continuous gathering of armed terrorists in
pick-up vehicles and motorcycles, hence the go-ahead to attack the location.
“The
precision strikes on the location led to the destruction of the vehicles, and
motorcycles as well as the elimination of several terrorists.
“Prior
to the aforementioned strikes, the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, on an
air reconnaissance mission on 2 January 2024, had struck some opportunity
targets at TumbunAlura.
“The
targets, which consisted of 3 canoes, were observed loaded with suspected
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
“They
were subsequently engaged with a huge explosion observed afterwards. Similar
successful strikes were also conducted at TumbunBuwari and SabonTumbun on
terrorist structures within the Lake Chad region.”
Source: tribuneonlineng.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://tribuneonlineng.com/naf-airstrikes-neutralise-12-terrorists-in-borno/
------
New
exhibition at Shangri La brings Hawaii perspectives to Islamic art collection
Jan. 8,
2024
Annalisa
Burgos
HONOLULU
(HawaiiNewsNow) - A new exhibition opening Saturday brings modern Hawaiian art
into the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art.
“8x8:
Source” highlights the connections between seemingly different cultures.
One of
the pieces is a gold warrior mask and outfit made of dried palm leaves standing
amid a backdrop of centuries-old tiles handmade in Iran.
This is
the fourth year of the exhibition, which is named for the eight visual artists
and eight performing artists invited to create and display new work inspired by
their encounters with Shangri La.
The
works are “kind of woven into our historic collection, just like you see this
piece behind me here by Noah Harders. It looks like it belongs here and it’s
been here the whole time. But this is a brand new piece that was created by
this amazing Maui based artist and his interpretation of the space,” said
NavidNajafi, Shangri La’s associate curator of programs and social practice.
“We have
amazing artists like Paula Fuga, Nick Kurosawa, Kenny Liu, have just a array of
amazing Hawaii based artists,” he said.
Blending
new with old — Doris Duke’s former estate attracts visitors from across the
world for its beautiful architecture, views and extensive collection of Islamic
art — some she purchased and brought to Hawaii, others she commissioned based
on designs of historic places in Morocco, Iran and India.
“A lot
of what you see represented in Islamic art is also representations of nature,
really, artists trying to capture the beauty and the perfection of nature,”
Najafi said. “A lot of our Hawaii based artists, and especially native Hawaiian
artists do that as well, representing the beauty and perfection of nature, and
also the complicated histories and legacies of a place like Hawaii, and also
museums.”
“These
are colonial legacies that we all inherit. And really, it’s up to us in terms
of what we’re going to do with them now and how we tell these stories, to
inspire each other, to inform each other and also to move forward and try to
right, you know, if we can always right the wrongs of the past, but we can
address them, we could be honest about them. And we can carve or create a new
future together.”
Najafi
says the museum often sparks debate over how Duke — a non-Muslim — acquired and
kept pieces of religious significance to Muslims and the countries from which
they came.
A colonial
legacy Hawaiians can relate to — with artists sharing the story of the Hawaiian
Kingdom’s overthrow and the sovereignty movement.
“You see
this movement, sort of globally of decolonizing spaces and decolonizing
museums,” he said.
8x8 is
part of that — showing Shangri La is more than just a beautiful place — but
also a conduit for change.
“There’s
so many stories within these pieces, not only of the cultures that are
represented here, but the legacies of how they arrived at a place like this,
right. So I think these are all ripe for conversations for critique for
dialogue, and for artists to interpret into their works,” Najafi said.
The
exhibition opens Jan. 13. For tickets, visit honolulumuseum.org/shangri-la. The
public can also view pictures and videos of the art works online.
Source: hawaiinewsnow.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/01/07/new-exhibition-shangri-la-brings-hawaii-perspectives-islamic-art-collection/
------
Pakistan
Only May
9 perpetrators, not entire PTI, should face law: PM Kakar
January
8, 2024
Syed
Irfan Raza
ISLAMABAD:
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that only those responsible
for the May 9 mayhem, and not the entire Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), should
be taken to task.
“PTI as
a whole should not be treated as responsible for the May 9 riots,” he said in
an interview with Geo News, on Sunday.
Asked
whether he was sure that PTI founder Imran Khan was directly involved in the
May 9 violence, MrKakar said he could not give his final opinion on the matter
unless it was decided by courts.
“I
receive many reports on this, which are sometimes conflicting. Therefore, you
cannot make your decision on that basis,” he added.
The
caretaker premier said there was a need to deal with the PTI leaders on a
case-to-case basis so that there was not an impression that something
unjustified is being done.
Asked
what action has been taken against those military officials who were reportedly
taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the May 9 violent protests,
he said investigations into the matter were still underway and so far there was
nothing concrete to unveil.
“When
the investigation will be completed, ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations)
will share it with people,” he added.
He said
those PTI leaders, who were accused of being involved in the May 9 events and
were still in hiding, should surrender.
“Their
rights will not be established unless they surrender. If they do not surrender
they will face hurdles in their political activities,” he added.
The
interim PM disclosed that once he was a supporter of PTI and gave his vote to
the party in 2013 and 2018 elections because he thought PTI had a team and
capability to rid the country of problems. “But now my views have changed as I
have realised that they (PTI) don’t have any team or vision to address problems
confronting the country,” he said.
In reply
to a question whether he had been nominated for the slot of caretaker PM by
some hidden powers, MrKakar said he was chosen by then-prime minister Shehbaz
Sharif with the consent of then-leader of the opposition in the National
Assembly Raja Riaz.
“Shehbaz
Sharif made me caretaker prime minister and informed me about it,” he added.
Missing
persons
About the
Balochistan situation and the issue of missing persons, PM Kakar declared that
armed struggles cannot be allowed in the province. He said armed organisations
active in Balochistan should surrender and the government should take advantage
if they did so.
Responding
to a question about the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006, he
said that was a very complexed issue to decide who were on the wrong and who
were on the right side.
“When
Bugti was killed, some military officers like a serving major, a subedar and
some others also lost their lives. What opinion can I give on this… they
(military personnel) were fighting while wearing Pakistani uniform and on the
other side people were fighting for their political objectives,” he explained.
He said
Brahamdagh Bugti was working to change the geography of Pakistan and wanted an
independent Balochistan and for this he justified his armed struggle while his
brother Shahzain Bugti wanted to resolve problems of his people through the
parliamentary system and under the Constitution.
The PM
was of the view that Pakistan’s existing system was ineffective to address
militancy.
“More
than 90,000 innocent people were killed in terrorist attacks but not even nine
terrorists were convicted. This shows that our system does not work. Three
previous parliaments also failed to address the issue,” he added.
Despite
existing threats, he pointed out, the country has no such law to punish
terrorists.
Change
of govt
Asked
about the civil-military imbalance, PM Kakar said the change of government
should be made through ballot and the government should perform democratically
and be accountable to its deeds.
“The
problems begin when the government fails to follow democracy and this issue is
also being debated in the West. I am also an advocate of the democratic system
but people’s support comes only when the civil side performs,” he added.
He said
when civil authorities failed to deliver, it created a space for military to
enter and when military entered it usually delivered.
Asked
will the next prime minister have powers to freely decide the country’s
financial matters, especially after the formation of Special Investment and
Finance Council where army has its representation, PM Kakar said the SIFC had
provided more space to the prime minister where all relevant institutions
briefed him about the economic situation and decisions were made with the
military’s support.
“Final
decision of the SIFC is made by the PM,” he added.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.dawn.com/news/1804059/only-may-9-perpetrators-not-entire-pti-should-face-law-pm-kakar
------
JUI-F’s
Fazlur Rehman arrives in Kabul to discuss security, regional issues
January
7, 2024
Tahir Khan
Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday arrived in
Kabul to hold talks on regional and security issues with Afghan leaders.
The
Afghan interim government had extended an invitation to the JUI-F chief last
month to visit the country. The trip will be Rehman’s first visit to
Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021.
The
JUI-F said that Fazl had arrived in Kabul alongside a delegation. It also said
Fazl met Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir. Acting Afghan Foreign
Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Maulvi Abdul Latif Mansoor and others were also
present on the occasion, it said.
Tolo
News also shared a video of Muttaqi saying he hoped Fazl’s visit would have “a
good impact on relations between the two countries”.
Earlier
in the day, the JUI-F’s media cell said a high-level delegation of party
leaders, including Maulana Abdul Wasi, Maulana Salahuddin, Maulana Jamaluddin,
Maulana SalimuddinShamzai, Aslam Ghauri and others would be accompanying Fazl
on his trip.
During
the visit, Fazl will hold meetings with the Afghan Taliban leaders and discuss
the regional and security situation, the JUI-F statement added.
The
visit comes at a time when relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have
suffered due to a spike in terrorist attacks, mostly claimed by the outlawed
Tehreek-i-Taliban.
Islamabad
has stated that the TTP and other groups use Afghan soil against Pakistan.
While the Afghan Taliban have denied the charge, authorities remain unconvinced
and have demanded action against the TTP, its sanctuaries, and the handover of
its leaders.
In
November, caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar said there was a 60 per
cent increase in terrorism and a 500pc spike in suicide bombings since the
Afghan Taliban came to power in August 2021.
Meanwhile,
a report issued earlier this week by Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan
Institute for Peace Studies said that over 82pc of terrorism-related deaths in
2023 resulted from attacks perpetrated by three major groups, including the TTP
and its subsidiaries.
Speaking
to media persons at his residence last night, Fazl said that discussion on the
TTP issue was on the agenda during the visit to Afghanistan.
“I have
received an invitation with the approval of the Taliban supreme leader and will
meet him,” the JUI-F chief said, adding that he would travel to Kandahar for a
meeting with Taliban supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, who rarely
meets foreign delegates.
When
asked if he would take up the issue of the TTP with the Afghan side, he said:
“Yes there is a possibility. We will use our relationship for goodwill.”
Fazl
also said that he would use the level of his contacts with the Taliban leaders
to the benefit of both countries. “I will apprise the Taliban leaders of the
stance of the government of Pakistan and whatever I have noticed during my
meetings with the officials,” the JUI-F leader added.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.dawn.com/news/1803881/jui-fs-fazlur-rehman-arrives-in-kabul-to-discuss-security-regional-issues
----
Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia sign annual Hajj agreement
January
08, 2024
Pakistan
and Saudi Arabia have signed the annual Hajj agreement.
Saudi
Hajj Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah and Caretaker Minister for Religious Affairs
Aneeq Ahmed signed the agreement in Jeddah.
The
World Hajj Expo will begin in Jeddah today. Pakistani delegation will visit the
stalls of companies providing facilities to pilgrims.
Source: radio.gov.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.radio.gov.pk/08-01-2024/pakistan-saudi-arabia-sign-annual-hajj-agreement
----
Toshakhana
II: NAB to file another reference against Imran
January
08, 2024
Umar
Cheema
ISLAMABAD:
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is working on another reference
against Imran Khan, which is also related to the Toshakhana gifts retained by
paying a negligible amount, a NAB official confirmed to The News.
Earlier,
the NAB had filed a Toshakhana reference with the accountability court in
December last year after the judge had refused further extension in the
physical remand of Khan in the case under question.
That
reference was in connection with the alleged under-valued purchase of Graff
jewelry set gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to the former
first couple, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.
The new
reference will be about the remaining gifts that Khan received and retained at
a nominal price and which were not accounted for in the previous challan. There
were around 108 sets of gifts Khan got and 58 of them were retained by paying
an amount that was allegedly far less than their market value. The value of
those is being re-assessed to determine the differential between the amount paid
and what should have been paid.
According
to the rules that were in practice at the time Khan retained the gifts, a
committee used to be formed to assess the value when a gift’s worth would turn
out more than rupees five lakh. Two persons -- one customs official of BS-16
and one from the private sector dealing with valuable items -- were appointed
to determine the value. The one granted gift could retain it by paying 20
percent of the assessed value.
In all
likelihood, these appraisers aren’t considered independent enough to make an
objective assessment. The rules were later amended by Shehbaz Sharif government
under which no state functionaries could retain a gift valuing more $300. The
high-value gifts would be deposited in Toshakhana and would be disposed off
according to the amended rules.
Also,
the fact remains that Khan wasn’t the only head of the government having
retained the gifts at a questionable rate. However, he’s the only one who would
question the integrity of others but would do the same when the opportunity
arose.
Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi, as PM, also retained Rs46.5m of the gifts having a value of
Rs233m.
When
Khan was questioned about this alleged price manipulation, he tried to clear
himself of this accusation by shifting the blame to his military secretary. He
told the NAB that the gifts were in his custody and he was responsible for
making an assessment and that Khan, as PM, never interfered though he didn’t
try to verify whether the pricing had rightly been done or not.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1145789-toshakhana-ii-nab-to-file-another-reference-against-imran
----
Senate
resolution for polls delay backs JUIF stance: Fazl
January
08, 2024
ISLAMABAD:
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday
that the sky will not fall if elections are postponed to improve the
environment.
He said
this while speaking in ‘Jirga’ programme of Geo News hosted by Saleem Safi.
He said
the resolution of the Senate to postpone the elections is in support of his
position as atmosphere is not conducive for the elections. “We cannot go to
meetings, people are threatened for participating in our meetings,” he said.
Fazl
said the seriousness of the situation should be realized and an environment
should be created so that they could go to voters. “There is no environment for
elections in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But if elections are imposed,
we will participate in the polls. We are not going to run away from the
election,” he said.
Regarding
the visit to Afghanistan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that there may be some
improvement in the situation during the visit to Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
Information Secretary Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Faisal Karim Kundi said on
Sunday the people cannot be prevented from electing the government of their
choice on the wishes of few.
“The
opponents know that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will win the elections and become
the prime minister, so they are running away from the elections,” he said in
reaction to Chief of JUIF Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s statement on supporting the
Senate resolution for delay in the elections.
Kundi
said the nation needs brave leadership as Shaheed Benazir Bhutto campaigned in
2007 without fear.
The PPP
fought terrorists in 2008, 2013 and 2018 elections but few people are afraid of
the expected decision of the people and offering excuses for delay in the
elections.
“The
atmosphere of elections is in full swing in the whole country,” he said.
Kundi
said general elections are the only way to get the country out of the political
crisis and the people want to elect a government of their own choice to get rid
of unemployment, inflation and economic depression.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1145784-senate-resolution-for-polls-delaybacks-juif-stance-fazl
-----
Imran
didn’t write any article, claims official
January
08, 2024
RAWALPINDI:Jail
authorities have claimed that the article of PTI founding chairman and deposed
premier Imran Khan published in a British weekly newspaper was not his own
writing.
IG
Prisons Mian Farooq Nazir said Imran’s “room-like barrack” at Adiala Jail had
been declared a high security zone and was monitored round the clock with
cameras, staff and other secret devices.
He
further maintained that anyone who came to meet the PTI founding chairman was
searched according to the jail rules.
The
official added that the security personnel posted at the barrack were also
searched at the beginning and end of their duty.
According
to the IG prisons, Imran was only allowed to read books.
He
continued that even those books were given to him after thoroughly examining
them.
The
official said the deposed premier was not provided with paper and pen
facilities in his jail cell.
“There
is no such means that Imran Khan can write something in jail and it can leave
the prison,” he claimed.
The IG
prisons vehemently denied that the article published in the British weekly
newspaper was written by Imran himself.
In an
opinion piece carried by the British publication allegedly written by Imran at
Adiala Jail, the deposed premier allegedly expressed fears that the election
scheduled for February 8 might not take place at all.
He
purportedly added that even if the polls were held, they would be a “disaster
and a farce” as the PTI was being “denied” its basic right to campaign.
A day
earlier, caretaker Federal Information Minister Murtaza Solangi announced that
the government would write to the British publication that carried the article
allegedly written by Imran.
In a
social media post, the minister added that it was “puzzling and disconcerting”
that a media outlet published an article in the name of an individual who was
in jail and had been convicted.
Solangi
maintained if “jailed convicts” were free to publish articles, they would only
“air their one-sided grievances”.
He
stressed the need to uphold ethical standards and promote responsible
journalism.
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2452533/imran-didnt-write-any-article-claims-official
-----
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sri-ram-sene-muslim-traders-siddeshwara-yatra/d/131476