Sulli Deals: Indian Man Who 'Sold' More Than 80 Muslim Women Online To Be Tried, Delhi Governor Grants Permission
New Age Islam News Bureau
12 December 2022
Special Arrangement/
Aumkareshwar Thakur was accused of creating the Sulli Deals app
-----
• Four New Jersey Mosque Leaders Join CAIR-NJ to
Denounce Anti-Muslim Harassment
• Egypt MP Urges Briefing into Google Maps for
Allegedly Insulting Mosques Related to Ahl al-Bayt
• Second Iranian Detainee Executed Over Alleged
Protest Crime Challenging the Country's Theocracy
• Interfaith Dialogue Ultimate Solution to Extremism,
Terrorism: Pakistan PM’s Special Representative
India
• Two Muslim Youth in the Company of Hindu Girls
Threatened By Hindutva Moral Policing In Mangaluru
• Will SC's EWS Reservation Verdict Impact Decision To
Include Dalit Muslims Under Scheduled Castes?
• ‘Muslim League is an out and out communal party’:
Kerala BJP
--------
North America
• Washington Still Trying To Control Events in Libya;
Reopening Lockerbie Bombing Case Shows
• US says helicopter raid kills 2 Islamic State
officials in Syria
--------
Arab World
• UAE Launches Rashid Rover, The Arab World’s First
Mission to the Moon
• Saudi Foreign Minister: 'All Bets Off' If Iran Gets
Nuclear Weapon
• Two ISIS officials killed in US raid in eastern
Syria: US Central Command
• Saudi Crown Prince Made Personal Mediation Efforts
for American Basketball Star Griner Release: FM
• UAE asks state entities to buy local in food
security push: Minister Mariam Al Mheiri
--------
Mideast
• Iran again summons UK, German envoys over protests:
State media
• Two Iran protesters at imminent risk of execution,
activists warn
• Saudi-led war killed, maimed more than 11,000
children in Yemen: UNICEF
• Erdogan asks Putin to ‘clear’ Kurdish forces from
northern Syria
• Iran hands new 10-year sentence to Baha’i figures:
Group
--------
Pakistan
• Minaret of Ahmadi Place of Worship Removed In
Gujranwala; Law Bars the Ahmadis from Making Their Places of Worship Resemble a
Mosque
• ‘Political terrorist’ Imran symbol of country’s degradation:
Marriyum
• Six civilians martyred in cross-border firing by
Afghan Border Forces: ISPR
• Bilawal lauds role OIC for Muslim Ummah
• Pakistan ranks atop list of 82 nations most
influenced by China: Report
• OIC working on plan to find solution to Kashmir
issue
• Pakistan Kills 4 ISIS Militants near Afghan Border
--------
South Asia
• Islamic System Needs Skilled, Educated People;
Islamic Emirate Is Not Opposed To Modern Education: Minister
• Afghan Delegation Visits Tehran for Quadrilateral
Talks on Refugees
• Afghanistan Investment Desk Set Up at Kabul Airport
to Facilitate Visa on Arrival
• Afghan FM Meets with Ambassador of Japan Discussing
Aid and Economy
• At least 4 killed, 20 injured as mortar lands in
Afghanistan's Spin Boldak
• 79 per cent households in Afghanistan suffer water
shortage: Survey
--------
Europe
• French President Macron To Travel To Qatar For World
Cup Semis Against Morocco
• Erdogan, Putin discuss grain corridor, gas hub in
phone call
• Arrest of EU lawmakers in 'Qatar bribery probe'
sparks calls for reform in bloc's parliament
--------
Africa
• Libya’s Menfi, Saudi Crown Prince Discuss Political
Developments
• Hamas congratulates Morocco on team’s qualification
for semi-finals at FIFA World Cup in Qatar
• Nigeria Muslims rally to protest persecution of
Shias in Azerbaijan
--------
Southeast Asia
• Bersatu Youth Slams Masidi over Islamic Extremism in
Politics Claims
• Bali governor says Indonesia’s new laws pose no risk
to tourists
• Calls mount on Malaysia to rescue 160 Rohingya
refugees stranded at sea
• Bintang completes investment in Muslim streaming
service
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sulli-deals-indian-muslim-women-sold/d/128615
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Sulli Deals: Indian Man Who 'Sold' More Than 80 Muslim
Women Online To Be Tried, Delhi Governor Grants Permission
Special Arrangement/
Aumkareshwar Thakur was accused of creating the Sulli Deals app
-----
12 DEC 2022
Police in India say they will prosecute a man who
allegedly created an app that put up photos of more than 80 Muslim women for
"sale" online last year.
The announcement came after Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor
VK Saxena granted permission to try Aumkareshwar Thakur, 25, in court.
The open source app - Sulli Deals - had been hosted on
web platform GitHub in July 2021.
Mr Thakur had been arrested in January, but was
granted bail in March.
Mr Thakur, who holds a degree is computer
applications, had been arrested from Indore city in the central state of Madhya
Pradesh by a Delhi police team set up to investigate serious crimes.
The police registered cases against him under various
sections of the Indian Penal Code, India's Information Technology Act and
section 196 of India's Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Section 196 deals with "offences committed
against the state", rather than an individual, and is generally invoked
against high-ranking government officials which requires permission from the
federal or state government to proceed.
Sulli Deals had taken publicly available pictures and
created profiles for Muslim women, describing them as "deals of the
day".
Mr Thakur was arrested along with Neeraj Bishnoi, 20,
who had allegedly created the Bulli Bai app which had uploaded photos of more
than 100 Muslim women and was also hosted on GitHub.
In both cases, there was no actual sale - the purpose
was to degrade and humiliate Muslim women, many of whom have been outspoken
about the rising tide of Hindu nationalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
an accusation his party and government deny.
Critics say online trolling of Muslim women has
worsened in recent years in India's polarised political climate.
A 2018 Amnesty International report on online
harassment in India showed that the more vocal a woman was, the more likely she
was to be targeted - the scale of this increased for women from religious
minorities and disadvantaged castes.
Those featured on both the apps were all vocal
Muslims, including journalists, activists, artists and researchers.
A commercial pilot whose photo was uploaded on Sulli
Deals had told the BBC that she felt "chills" go down her spine when
she heard about the app.
While giving bail to Mr Thakur in March, the judge had
said that he was not a flight risk and wasn't in a position to influence the
investigation.
Source: BBC
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-63939822
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Four New Jersey Mosque Leaders Join CAIR-NJ to
Denounce Anti-Muslim Harassment
Credit: CAIR NJ
----
DECEMBER 11, 2022
NEW YORK -- There was a rally of solidarity Sunday in
response to leaders from four New Jersey mosques saying their congregations
have been harassed.
For the past few weeks, a truck displaying an
anti-Muslim images and messages on a digital screen has been driving past
mosques in Piscataway, Edison, North Brunswick, and Fords.
On Sunday, the New Jersey chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations joined leaders from those Islamic centers and law
enforcement in solidarity.
They said hate is on the rise.
"Year by year, we're seeing an increase. Last
year, we broke 100 for the first time and year to date we're passed 150
now," said Dyaa Terpstra, operation coordinator for CAIR-NJ.
"We have a reasonable expectation to live and
worship and visit our houses of worship and do this in peace, so let's please
maintain the peace," added Jim Sues of ICNA-NJ.
Law enforcement, including the FBI and the Middlesex
County Prosecutor's Office, is investigating.
Source: CBS News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mosque-leaders-join-cair-nj-to-denounce-anti-muslim-harassment/
--------
Egypt MP Urges Briefing into Google Maps for Allegedly
Insulting Mosques Related to Ahl al-Bayt
Photo: Egypt
Independent.com
-----
December 11, 2022
Egyptian Parliament member Hisham al-Gahel submitted
an EDM requesting a briefing into Google’s repeated violations regarding
insulting the Ahl al-Bayt (family of the Prophet Mohamed) in Egypt.
Gahel explained that there was outrage on social media
over Google reportedly distorting the names of the Sayyidah Zainab Mosque and
the Sayyidah Aisha Mosque on Google Maps.
Social media users on Twitter and Facebook circulated
several pictures of the distortion of the name of the mosque of Sayyidah Aisha
and Sayyidah Zainab on Google by adding an inappropriate word outside.
The member of the House of Representatives explained
that this has caused anger and resentment against Google, with campaigns being
launched online demanding they amend the names.
Gahel called on the Ministry of Communications to
intervene immediately and take the necessary measures to protect mosques of the
Ahl al-Bayt from blasphemy.
Source: Egypt Independent
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Second
Iranian Detainee Executed Over Alleged Protest Crime Challenging the Country's
Theocracy
This
is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)
-----
Dec
12, 2022
DUBAI:
Iran said Monday it executed its second prisoner detained amid the nationwide
protests now challenging the country's theocracy. Iran's Mizan news agency,
under the country's judiciary, identified the man executed as Majidreza
Rahnavard. He had been convicted over allegedly stabbing two security force
members to death on November 17 in Mashhad and wounding four others.
Iran
executed the first prisoner detained amid the demonstrations Thursday.
The
protests have expanded into one of the most serious challenges to Iran's
theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Activists
warn that others could also be put to death in the near future, saying around a
dozen people so far have received death sentences over their involvement in the
demonstrations.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Interfaith
Dialogue Ultimate Solution to Extremism, Terrorism: Pakistan PM’s Special
Representative
Prime
Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz
Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi
-----
December
11, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said the interfaith dialogue was the need
of the hour as it was the ultimate solution to the global issue of extremism and
terrorism.
Ashrafi,
who is on a visit to Russia these days to address the World Islamic Forum in
Moscow, said Islam commanded interfaith dialogue.
He
said Pakistan’s Ulema, Mashaykh, and religious scholars were giving the message
of peace, security, and moderation in the light of ‘Message of Pakistan’ and
‘Charter of Makkah-tul-Mukarrama’ to the world.
He
said Ulama, Mashaykh, and the government of Pakistan supported inter-religious
dialogue at all levels and they had given the message to the entire world
through ‘Message of Pakistan’ that peace and security could be achieved through
mutual dialogue.
He
said extremism and terrorism were being associated with Islam in order to
mislead the Muslim youth, adding that Islam was free from all such crimes.
On
the occasion, Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council,
urged the world to give justice to Palestinians and Kashmiris.
He
said the way innocent people of Kashmir and Palestine were being oppressed for
many decades, it must draw the world’s attention towards Islam as it is the
religion of peace, harmony, and tolerance.
He
said today, the inhuman treatment of Muslims in Palestine and Kashmir had
become unbearable, adding that the powerful countries should come forward to
end this cycle of persecution through dialogue.
He
said all heavenly religions and books conveyed the message of respect and love.
The
Charter of Makkah-ut-Mukarrama, the Charter of Brotherhood of Humanity, and
recent gatherings in Bahrain were evidence that Muslims were making all-out
efforts to spread the message of Islam – peace – at every forum of the world.
He
urged Ulema and Mashaykh to promote peace, uphold supremacy of justice, and
counter hatred as there is a dire need to protect our generation from the
forces that spread violence and extremism in society.
On
the sideline of the conference, Ashrafi also held a meeting with Russia’s Mufti
Azam and discussed the issues of mutual concern, including Pakistan-Russia
relations, Muslim Ummah’s unity and intersect and interfaith dialogue from
various aspects.
He
also invited him to visit Pakistan which Mufti Azam accepted.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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India
Two
Muslim Youth in the Company of Hindu Girls Threatened By Hindutva Moral
Policing In Mangaluru
12th
December 2022
MANGALURU: In another case of moral policing, two Muslim
youth in the company of Hindu girls were allegedly threatened by Hindutva
activists at Urwa Station limits in Mangaluru on Saturday night.
The
incident occurred around 11.30 pm and victims said they were out for dinner.
According to sources, the girls hail from Uttar Pradesh and one of them is said
to be a minor. However, Police
Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said the girls’ parents have decided not to lodge a
complaint and no case has been registered.
Source: New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Will
SC's EWS Reservation Verdict Impact Decision To Include Dalit Muslims Under
Scheduled Castes?
12
DEC 2022
After
the Supreme Court’s ruling on November 7 that upheld the 10 per cent
reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in public jobs, public and
private education, fear looms large that the bulk of EWS quota will likely be
appropriated by Hindu savarnas (upper castes).
One
question has emerged from this predicament: Will the verdict have a bearing on
the government panel’s deliberations formed to decide on including Dalit
Muslims under the Scheduled Caste category?
While
caste quotas are being constantly extended to various categories of socially
backward Hindu groups who are viewed as victims of caste oppression, Muslims
find themselves out in the cold on the basis that there’s no caste system in
Islam. Islam believes in one big Muslim brotherhood (umma) where all are equal,
irrespective of their social and economic status. While this concept of a
casteless and classless Muslim community holds true in theory and elsewhere in
the world, but in practice caste and class play a big role in the lives of
South Asian Muslim societies, and the belief that there are no victims of
Hindu-style caste discrimination in this community, holds no water.
Fact
of the matter
Pasmandas,
a Persian term for Muslims from OBCs and SCs that means ‘those left behind’,
form around 80 per cent of the Muslim population, but most of the jobs and
college seats are cornered by 15 per cent Ashraf (upper caste Muslims). The Ashrafs
encompass Pathans, Sheikhs and Syeds, while Ajlafs include Ansari (weavers),
Saifi (carpenters), Salmani (barber) Ghosi (shepherds), and such. The Ajlafs,
roughly equivalent of Dalits, are at the bottom of the pile.
Pasmanda
Muslims were the worst hit in the name of cow protection, ghar-wapsi, love
jihad, Corana jihad for Tablighi Jamaats during the pandemic, temple-mosque
conflicts going on since 2004, etc. The recent felicitation of the remitted
perpetrators guilty of raping Bilkis Bano, a Pasmanda Muslim, and murdering her
family during the Gujarat riots in 2002 can only be interpreted as a symbolic
injury by Pasmanda Muslims.
On
the other hand, PM Narendra Modi in July at the BJP national executive meeting
in Hyderabad exhorted party workers to reach out to weaker sections among
Hindus and Pasmanda Muslims. Modi also suggested to the BJP to take out Sneh
Yatras (love yatras) instead of Sangharsh Yatras (yatras for waging struggle).
However,
former Rajya Sabha MP Ali Anwar, who invented the term Pasmanda, called out
BJP’s hypocrisy in an open letter to Modi. He wrote that “The Pasmanda Muslims
want sam-maan (equality and dignity), not sneh (affection). The term sneh has a
specific connotation: That the Pasmanda Muslims need sneh denotes that they are
an inferior lot requiring patronage from the ones who are superior... Has the
sudden move to take out Sneh Yatra for Pasmanda society something to do with
vote-bank politics?” He also asked: “Didn’t Home Minister Amit Shah ji call
upon the people at the time of Delhi Assembly elections when a peaceful
movement of Muslim women against the NRC [National Register of Citizens] and
CAA [Citizenship Amendment Act] was going on, to ‘press the button in such a
way that Shaheen Bagh gets electric shock’?”
Backward
Muslims, a mere showpiece for Opposition?
A
recent article, After Tricking OBCs and Dalits, BJP’s Magic Show for Pasmanda
Muslims, states that the BJP turned a large segment of OBCs and UP Dalits
against the Yadavs and the Jatavs, the most dominant caste groups in these two
categories, irreparably splintering them for good. The incumbent party, say
critics, wants to try the same with the Muslims and Pasmandas. The idea is to
fragment the Muslim community to weaken the Opposition before the 2024 Lok
Sabha election.
For
instance, the BJP granted only four tickets to Pasmanda Muslims in the 2022
Municipal Corporation of Delhi out of 250 seats. This means only 1.6 per cent
of BJP’s candidates were Muslim. Recently, Pasmanda Muslims from UP were given
prominent roles: Danish Azad Ansari was appointed as Minister of State for
Minority Welfare; Iftikhar Ahmad Jawed was made the chairperson of the State
Board of Madrassa Education, and Chaudhary Kaif-ul-Wara of the UP Urdu Akademi.
The BJP, according to factual data, is excluding Muslims but wooing the
Pasmandas, believing their dire circumstances will make them want to believe in
the party’s promise of ushering in a new dawn for them. However, it is unlikely
the BJP will assign Muslims with heavyweight ministerial portfolios.
To
gauge the opportunities the Muslim community has according to the EWS quota,
check the 2021 UPSC Civil Services results that included the 10 per cent EWS
quota, which amounted to 86 seats. This included candidates from all religions.
Brahmins topped the list with 27 candidates, Kshatriyas secured 17 seats, Jains
and Baniyas both secured 7 seats each, Kayasths secured 2 seats, while Yadav
and Jat got 1 seat each. Only 2 Muslims were selected for the 86 seats.
EWS
quota, a distant dream
Factual
data shows the Union government is against extending these reservations to the
Muslim community.
The
Sachar Committee Report way back in 2006 had demonstrated that the Muslim
minority suffers communal prejudices that the majority amongst them survive in
appalling class conditions, and a section of them also belong to the lower and
untouchable castes. Similarly, the report by Justice Ranganath Misra Commission
in 2007 recommended that Dalit Muslims and Christians be included in the SC
list.
The
Union government could have issued a Presidential order to insert Dalit Muslim
castes in the SC list based on a 2008 review-study commissioned by the National
Commission of Minorities. The study found that Dalit Muslims were the worst off
among all Dalits; under-represented among the affluent and over-represented
among the poor. Instead, the Bombay High Court had scrapped 5 per cent
reservation to Muslim provided by the Congress-NCP government ahead of 2014
Assembly Elections in government jobs but allowed it in education.
Source:
Outlook India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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‘Muslim
League is an out and out communal party’: Kerala BJP
11th
December 2022
Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala state unit president of BJP, K. Surendran has said that the Indian Union
Muslim League (IUML) is an out-and-out communal political party. He was
speaking at the state office bearers meet of the Kerala unit of the party here.
In
a direct reply to the CPI-M state secretary, M.V. Govindan, Surendran said:
“The CPI-M is trying to whitewash the Muslim League and the statement of its
state secretary, M.V. Govindan that League is not a communal party is
hoodwinking the general public.”
Surendran
said that the people of the country have not forgotten the regressive position
taken by the Muslim League in the maintenance case filed by Shah Bano against
her husband who divorced her. He said that the League was out and out against
the woman in the maintenance case and added that CPI-M was trying to portray
such a party as secular.
He
also added that Muslim League had supported the partition of India and was
against the interests of our nation. The BJP Kerala state president said that
CPI-M is now an opportunistic political party and that while CPI-M is trying to
rope League into the Left front, “What message is the party providing to the
majority Hindu community of Kerala?”
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/muslim-league-is-an-out-and-out-communal-party-kerala-bjp-2477289/
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North America
Washington
Still Trying To Control Events in Libya; Reopening Lockerbie Bombing Case Shows
11
December 2022
The
reopening of the case of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing shows that Washington is
still meddling in Libya, which the Obama administration destroyed in 2011,
according to an American journalist and analyst.
Don
DeBar, an anti-war activist and radio host in New York, made the remarks
commenting to the Press TV website on Sunday after US authorities confirmed
that a Libyan man accused of making the bomb that destroyed a Pan Am flight
over Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people, has been taken into US custody.
Abu
Agila Mohammad was charged by the United States two years ago for the Lockerbie
bombing. Most Americans died in the incident, AFP reported.
Masud
had previously been imprisoned in Libya for alleged involvement in a 1986
attack on a Berlin nightclub.
The
US Justice Department said in a statement on Sunday that Masud was in American
custody after Scottish prosecutors made the announcement that the suspect was
in US hands.
“As
far as Lockerbie goes, the general claims against Libya and the specific claims
here have to be taken in context. Tripoli denied the claims for many years and
because of it, and because of US geopolitical games, Libya was subjected to
crippling sanctions from the US and Europe,” DeBar told Press TV.
“Gaddafi
struck a deal that constituted a proforma admission of responsibility and the
US, et al lifted the sanctions. The lifting of the sanctions, in turn brought
about a prosperity across Libya that was a model for Africa, Asia and Latin
America - and the world in general - until it was destroyed by US bombing in
2011,” he added.
“The
current case has to be looked at in the context of what's currently happening
inside Libya and the fact that the US is attempting to influence events there.
Nothing more,” he concluded.
A
US Justice Department spokesperson said Masud was expected to appear in a
federal court in Washington, DC.
Masud
was arrested by the FBI and was being extradited to the United States to face
prosecution, according to The New York Times.
The
bombing of Pan Am flight 103 on December 21, 1988 was the deadliest terror
attack on British soil.
The
New York-bound aircraft exploded 38 minutes after it took off from London, with
the main fuselage plunging to the ground in the town of Lockerbie.
The
crash killed 259 people including 190 Americans on board, and 11 people on the
ground.
DeBar
has previously said that the United States and its allies are responsible for
completely destroying Libya, perhaps the richest country with the highest
standard of living in Africa.
“It
was an unconventional war on Libya with the US Air Force and NATO allies
providing air support and the ground troops being comprised of al-Qaeda
fighters and other irregulars that were trained and armed by the US, but the
Qataris, including Qatari command and control on the ground,” the journalist
said.
“Libya
has been completely destroyed by the intervention of the United States and
NATO. With once the most prosperous
countries in the region, perhaps the wealthiest country with a highest standard
of living on the continent of Africa, and one of the wealthiest countries with
one of highest standard of living in the Middle East region as well, it had
complete domestic peace; they were constructing and had constructed rather an
amazing economic space,” the journalist told Press TV.
“It
was the engine for the consolidation of the integration of Africa. And it has
been completely and totally destroyed,” the analyst noted.
More
than 11 years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has become a failed
state, with the central government holding no sway over the country.
DeBar
said Gaddafi was deposed because he “was well into the process of helping to
organize a United States of Africa, an integrated African polity and economy,
and was offering to bankroll it with Libya’s wealth.”
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
says helicopter raid kills 2 Islamic State officials in Syria
11
December 2022
BEIRUT,
Lebanon — American forces on Sunday killed two Islamic State terrorists in
eastern Syria in a helicopter raid, US Central Command said in a statement.
IS
sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq. For a few
years, the group ruled swathes of both countries, but lost its last stronghold
in 2019.
US
Central Command did not specify the location of the overnight operation and
claimed there were no civilian casualties in its initial assessments of the
operation.
The
statement described one of the two targeted IS leaders, identified only as
“Anas,” as an “ISIS Syria Province official” involved in plotting attacks in eastern
Syria.
“ISIS
continues to represent a threat to the security and stability of the region,”
CENTCOM spokesman Joe Buccino said in the statement. “The death of these ISIS
officials will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and
carry out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East.”
Kurdish
forces also took part in the raid in the village of Al-Zer in eastern Deir
el-Zour, said the UK-based war monitor group Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights. The terrorists refused to turn themselves in before US helicopters
fired at the house they were in, it added.
There
are some 900 US forces in Syria supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic
Forces in the fight against IS. They have frequently targeted IS terrorists
mostly in parts of northeastern Syria under Kurdish control.
On
November 30, IS announced that leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was
killed in battle. The US said al-Qurayshi was killed in an operation conducted
by rebel forces in the southern city of Daraa.
US
troops and Kurdish fighters resumed joint patrols in northeastern Syria after a
temporary halt following a series of Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish-led
forces.
Turkey
said it launched strikes on Kurdish fighters’ positions in northern Syria and
Iraq on November 20, after a deadly bombing in Istanbul last month that it
blames on Kurdish groups.
Ankara
says it has struck positions of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units
(YPG), which dominate the SDF, but which Ankara sees as an offshoot of the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday told Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin that it was imperative the Kremlin “clear” Kurdish forces from the border
area of northern Syria.
Source:
Times Of Israel
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-says-helicopter-raid-kills-2-islamic-state-officials-in-syria/
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Arab World
UAE
Launches Rashid Rover, The Arab World’s First Mission to the Moon
11
December, 2022
The
United Arab Emirates’ Rashid Rover – the Arab world’s first mission to the Moon
– was launched on Sunday, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)
announced on its official Twitter account.
The
launch came after it was previously postponed for “pre-flight checkouts.”
The
launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the UAE’s Rashid rover successfully
took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Dubai
ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Sheikh Maktoum bin
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister of Finance, were present at the launching event.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Saudi
foreign minister: 'All bets off' if Iran gets nuclear weapon
Dec
12, 2022
DUBAI:
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Sunday that Iran's Gulf Arab neighbours
would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons.
Indirect
US-Iranian talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact between global powers and Iran,
which Washington exited in 2018, stalled in September. The UN nuclear chief has
voiced concern over a recent announcement by Tehran that it was boosting
enrichment capacity.
"If
Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off," Prince Faisal
bin Farhan Al Saud said in an on-stage interview at the World Policy Conference
in Abu Dhabi when asked about such a scenario."We are in a very dangerous
space in the region...you can expect that regional states will certainly look
towards how they can ensure their own security."
The
nuclear talks have stalled with Western powers accusing Iran of raising
unreasonable demands, and focus shifting to the Russia-Ukraine war as well as
domestic unrest in Iran over the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Though
Riyadh remained "sceptical" about the Iran nuclear deal, Prince
Faisal said it supported efforts to revive the pact "on condition that it
be a starting point, not an end point" for a stronger deal with Tehran.
Sunni-ruled
Gulf Arab states have pressed for a stronger agreement that addresses their
concerns about Shi'ite Iran's missiles and drones programme and network of
regional proxies.
"The
signs right now are not very positive unfortunately," Prince Faisal said.
"We
hear from the Iranians that they have no interest in a nuclear weapons
programme, it would be very comforting to be able to believe that. We need more
assurance on that level."
Iran
says its nuclear technology is solely for civil purposes.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Two
ISIS officials killed in US raid in eastern Syria: US Central Command
11
December ,2022
Two
ISIS officials were killed in a US helicopter raid in eastern Syria on Sunday,
the US Central Command said in a statement.
One
of those killed was Anas, an ISIS Syria Province official who was involved in
the group’s deadly plotting and facilitation operations in eastern Syria, the
statement said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Saudi
Crown Prince Made Personal Mediation Efforts for American Basketball Star
Griner Release: FM
10
December, 2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman extended “personal mediation efforts”
to facilitate the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner in a
Russia-US prisoner swap, the kingdom’s foreign minister said on Thursday.
Washington
has denied any mediation, saying the talks were between the United States and
Russia, after a joint Saudi-UAE statement that said the president of the United
Arab Emirates and Prince Mohammed led mediation efforts.
“I
am aware of his highness’s personal efforts in relation to the basketball
player and his engagement and personal intervention to facilitate this
release,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters in Riyadh. “As for what
others say, I cannot comment on that.”
The
swap involving Griner and Russian citizen Viktor Bout took place at an airport
in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.
Saudi
Arabia had scored a diplomatic victory in September by securing freedom for
foreign fighters captured in Ukraine, at a time of tension between Riyadh and
Washington whose ties have been strained over human rights, oil supplies and
Russia.
Riyadh
has resisted Western pressure to help isolate Russia, a fellow OPEC+ oil
producer.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
asks state entities to buy local in food security push: Minister Mariam Al
Mheiri
11
December ,2022
The
United Arab Emirates has directed government entities such as the armed forces
and hospital authorities to buy locally grown produce to support agri-tech
efforts in the desert country, the minister of climate change and environment
said on Sunday.
The
UAE, which imports 90 percent of its food, took the decision at an annual
government meeting last month to support local production while continuing to
embrace open trade policy, Mariam Al Mheiri told the World Policy Conference in
Abu Dhabi.
“We
want to let the trade keep going, but where you have hands on your procurement
and what you can buy, this is where you can encourage that a certain percentage
of certain food items are bought locally,” she said, without providing details.
The
Gulf Arab oil producer, which will host the COP28 climate conference next year,
is making a big push on food security in the region and beyond.
At
home, Mheiri noted that an Abu Dhabi accelerator program has invested more than
$150 million to attract agri-tech companies to operate in the UAE, which faces
water scarcity and has little arable land.
Among
initiatives is a vertical farm producing leafy greens under a joint venture
between Emirates Flight Catering and US-based Crop One. Vertical farming uses a
series of stacked levels to produce crops.
The
Emirati minister said berries, salmon, and quinoa were also being farmed in the
UAE, and that the country has ambitions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran
again summons UK, German envoys over protests: State media
10
December ,2022
Iran
on Saturday again called in the British ambassador, marking the 15th time in
less than three months a foreign envoy has been summoned, as protests shake the
country.
The
foreign ministry called in British ambassador Simon Shercliff, a day after his
German counterpart, Hans-Udo Muzel, had to appear, the state news agency IRNA
said.
This
brings to at least 15 times in about 10 weeks the number of times envoys,
almost all from Western countries, have been summoned.
“This
is a reaction of Iranian diplomacy to unprecedented pressure against Iran,”
IRNA said.
Shercliff
has now been summoned five times since the demonstrations sparked by the death
of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, 22.
She
died in custody on September 16 after her arrest by the morality police in
Tehran for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Iran
calls the protests “riots” and says they have been encouraged by its foreign
foes.
IRNA
said the foreign ministry protested the United Kingdom’s support for “terror
and unrest,” and sanctions it has imposed.
On
Friday the ministry summoned Muzel for the fourth time in the same span of
time, IRNA said.
The
ministry expressed “its utmost objection toward Germany’s unacceptable
intervention,” after Berlin’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized the
“perfidious summary trial” which issued a death sentence against Mohsen
Shekari.
Iran
hanged him on Thursday in the first known execution connected with the
protests.
He
was convicted of blocking a street and wounding a paramilitary during the early
phase of the protests.
Germany
also summoned Iran’s ambassador, a diplomatic source said.
Other
Western governments also condemned the execution of Shekari, and some including
the UK imposed additional sanctions.
Iran
has also summoned the French representative twice. Ambassadors from Australia,
Norway and Denmark have also been called in over the protests.
Tehran’s
foreign ministry has upbraided the envoys for various reasons including
“anti-Iranian positions about the protests,” and “anti-Iranian propaganda” by
media based in the countries, IRNA said.
After
widespread international outrage at Shekari’s execution Iran said it was
exercising restraint, both in the response by security forces, and the
“proportionality” of the judicial process.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Two
Iran protesters at imminent risk of execution, activists warn
10
December ,2022
At
least two young men arrested during anti-regime protests in Iran are at
imminent risk of execution, activists warned on Saturday, two days after Tehran
carried out its first execution over demonstrations sparked by Mahsa Amini’s
death.
“The
case of Mahan Sadrat, one of the protesters sentenced to death, has been
transferred to verdict enforcement and he may be executed at any moment,” the
activist group 1500tasvir, which monitors protests and rights violations in
Iran, said on Twitter.
Sadrat,
23, has been transferred to Rajaei Shahr prison in the city of Karaj, west of
the capital Tehran, where he will be executed, Iran-based human rights activist
Atena Daemi said on Twitter.
Mohammad
Mehdi Karami, 21, is another protester who has been sentenced to death and
whose life is “in danger,” warned 1500tasvir.
“Mohammad
Mahdi Karami’s life is in danger. He is only 21 years old and has been
sentenced to death,” the group said on Twitter.
Karami
has told his family that he has been “under severe physical, sexual, and
psychological torture,” 1500tasvir said.
Iran
carried out on Thursday its first execution over the ongoing protests in the
country, hanging 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari.
Shekrai
had been convicted of wounding a member of the security forces and blocking a
street in Tehran, in what rights groups called a “sham trial.”
The
execution triggered global condemnation.
At
least 11 others who were arrested during protests have been sentenced to death
and are “in serious and imminent danger of being executed,” Oslo-based rights
group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said following Shekari’s execution.
Protests
– referred to by the regime as “riots” – have swept across Iran since September
16 when 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Amini died after her arrest by the
morality police in Tehran.
Since
Amini’s death, demonstrators have been calling for the downfall of the regime
in a movement that has become one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic
Republic since its establishment in 1979.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Saudi-led
war killed, maimed more than 11,000 children in Yemen: UNICEF
12
December 2022
More
than 11,000 Yemeni children have been killed or maimed since the Saudi-led
aggression against the impoverished country began in 2015, according to the
executive director of UNICEF.
Thousands
of children have lost their lives while hundreds of thousands more remain at
risk of death from preventable disease or starvation, Catherine Russell said on
Monday.
“The
true toll of this conflict is likely to be far higher,” said Russell,
commenting on the casualties of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
About
2.2 million Yemeni children are acutely malnourished, one quarter of them aged
under five, and most are at extreme risk from cholera, measles and other
vaccine-preventable diseases, she added.
Hundreds
of thousands of Yemenis, including women and children, have been killed since
the beginning of the war as Saudi-led forces bomb them or shoot them, or
indirectly through mine explosions, unsafe drinking water, disease outbreaks,
lack of medicine and treatment due to the imposed siege, hunger and other
impacts.
A
temporary United Nations-mediated ceasefire took effect in April 2022 and was
renewed twice, but eventually expired on October 2.
“The
urgent renewal of the truce would be a positive first step that would allow
critical humanitarian access,” Russell said, adding “Ultimately, only a
sustained peace will allow families to rebuild their shattered lives and begin
to plan for the future.”
The
truce was not renewed again due to the Saudi coalition’s constant violations of
the agreement and its refusal to properly lift a siege that it has been
enforcing against Yemen simultaneously with the war.
At
least 62 children have been killed or wounded since then, said Russell.
Earlier
in October, Ansarullah resistance movement spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam said
that “Peace in Yemen is not possible unless the invading countries abandon
their arrogant mentality.”
Saudi
Arabia launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration
with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics support from the US and other
Western states.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Erdogan
asks Putin to ‘clear’ Kurdish forces from northern Syria
December
12, 2022
ISTANBUL:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
on Sunday that it was imperative the Kremlin “clear” Kurdish forces from
northern Syria.
Erdogan
has been threatening to launch a new incursion into northern Syria to push out
Kurdish forces he blames for a November bomb blast that killed six people in
Istanbul.
A
2019 agreement between Moscow and Ankara ended another offensive by setting up
a 30-kilometre (19-mile) “safe zone” to protect Turkey against cross-border
attacks from Syrian territory.
Erdogan
accuses Russia — a key player in the Syria conflict which backs President
Bashar al-Assad — of failing to follow through on the deal.
Erdogan
told Putin in a phone call it was “important to clear the (Kurdish fighters)
from the border to a depth of at least 30 kilometres,” his office said. Erdogan
stated it was a “priority”, the Turkish presidency said.
Some
of the Kurdish forces are stationed in areas under Russian military control.
Others
have been fighting with the United States against jihadists from the militant
Islamic State group.
The
Kremlin confirmed the 2019 agreement was discussed in the call.
“The
two countries’ defence and foreign services will maintain close contacts in
this regard,” a Kremlin statement said.
Both
Moscow and Washington have been putting diplomatic pressure on Ankara not to
launch a new ground campaign.
Turkey
has been pummelling Kurdish positions near the border with artillery fire and
drone strikes since Nov 20 in response to the bomb blast. But it has not yet
poured in any major forces to support ones it already has stationed in the
area. Kurdish groups deny involvement in the Istanbul attack.
Black
Sea grain deal
Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan also discussed the Black Sea grain export agreement on
Sunday with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, as both sides seek changes that
would boost their exports.
Turkey
has acted as mediator alongside the United Nations in the grain deal, which
opened up Ukrainian ports for exports after a six-month de facto Russian
blockade.
Moscow
is seeking better guarantees for its own food and fertiliser exports, while
Kyiv wants the deal expanded to increase the number of Ukrainian ports it opens
for shipping.
After
his call with Putin, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan had called for a quick
end to the conflict and said Moscow could start work on exporting more food
products and commodities through the Black Sea grain corridor.
Russia
has urged the United Nations to push the West to lift some sanctions, to ensure
Moscow can freely export its fertiliser and agricultural products — a part of
the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow says has not been implemented.
“The
deal is of complex character, which requires the removal of obstacles for the
relevant supplies from Russia in order to meet the demands of the countries
most in need,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Zelenskiy
said on Twitter he had “discussed further work & possible expansion of the
grain corridor” with Erdogan.
Ukraine
and Russia are both among the world’s largest grain producers and exporters.
Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports following its invasion threatened to cause
a global food crisis earlier this year, which was mitigated by the
Turkish-brokered deal that unblocked Ukrainian shipments at the end of July.
The
Kremlin said Erdogan and Putin also discussed a Russian proposal to create a
base in Turkey for exports of Russian natural gas.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1725893/erdogan-asks-putin-to-clear-kurdish-forces-from-northern-syria
--------
Iran
hands new 10-year sentence to Baha’i figures: Group
11
December ,2022
Iran
has jailed for 10 years each two prominent Baha’i figures as part of a
crackdown on its largest non-Muslim religious minority, the group representing
the community at the UN said Sunday.
Mahvash
Sabet, 69, and Fariba Kamalabadi, 60, who had both previously served 10-year
prison terms over their activism, were handed new sentences after a one-hour
trial on November 21, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) said in a
statement.
The
two women had been arrested in late July at the start of a fresh crackdown
against the Baha’is, who are estimated to number some 300,000 in Iran.
The
Islamic republic recognizes minority non-Muslim faiths including Christianity,
Judaism and Zoroastrianism but does not extend the same recognition to
Baha’ism.
“It
is profoundly distressing to learn that these two Baha’i women... are once
again being incarcerated for another 10 years on the same ludicrous charges,”
said Simin Fahandej, representative of the BIC to the UN in Geneva.
“Words
fail to describe this absurd and cruel injustice,” she added.
The
precise nature of the national security-related charges were not immediately
clear, but Iran's intelligence ministry said in August it had arrested Baha’is
suspected of spying for a center in Israel and working illegally to spread
their religion.
At
least 90 Baha’is are currently in prison or subject to ankle-band monitoring,
the BIC said, adding that it had counted 320 individual acts of persecution
against members of the community since the end of July.
The
crackdown has seen Baha’i homes destroyed and business shut down, it added.
Iran
is also in the throes of a nationwide crackdown against protests over the
September death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian women of Kurdish origin, after
her arrest by the morality police.
Baha’is
are used to Iranian accusations of links to Israel, whose northern city of
Haifa hosts a center of the Baha’i faith that was established following the
exile of a Baha’i leader well before the state of Israel was created.
Baha’is
regard such allegations has a pretext for persecution.
Both
Sabet and Kamalabadi had been part of a now disbanded Baha’i administrative
group known as the Yaran.
The
pair were first arrested in 2008 and released in 2018, according to the BIC.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan
Minaret
of Ahmadi Place of Worship Removed In Gujranwala; Law Bars the Ahmadis from
Making Their Places of Worship Resemble a Mosque
Waseem
Ashraf
December
12, 2022
GUJRAT:
The authorities ordered the removal of the minaret of an Ahmadi place of
worship in Gujranwala’s Baghbanpura area last week.
According
to the representatives of the Ahmadi community, police cordoned off the street
and switched off the lights before going ahead with the removal of the minaret
on Dec 7.
Some
religious outfits had been pressing the administration for the last one year to
get the minaret removed from the front side of the building since the law bars
the Ahmadis from making their places of worship resemble a mosque.
The
building’s management had placed steel sheets around the minaret to hide it
from public view after the administration advised them to do so in order to
avoid a law and order situation.
Official
sources said the administration sprang into action after some religious groups
asked it to get the minaret removed. The administration called a meeting of the
district intelligence committee as soon as an organisation lodged a complaint
with the police.
The
administration also held a meeting with the representatives of the Ahmadi
community to sort out the matter. The authorities told them that there was no
alternative but to remove the minaret as passions were running high in the city
and things might get out of control.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1725918/minaret-of-ahmadi-place-of-worship-removed-in-gujranwala
--------
‘Political
terrorist’ Imran symbol of country’s degradation: Marriyum
December
11, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, while terming PTI
chairman Imran Khan ‘a political terrorist’ said he was a symbol of the
country’s degradation.
Addressing
the Muslim League-Nawaz workers’ convention here, the minister said all the
allegations levelled by the ‘Toshakhana thief’ against the PML-N leadership
proved wrong.
She
said it was ironic that a person, who did not start a single development
project while in power, was blaming those who brought investments worth
billions of rupees to the country.
The
minister said the Daily Mail’s apology to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was
actually an apology to the 220 million people of Pakistan. Imran Khan, in
animosity of Shehbaz Sharif, used David Rose to publish a baseless news story
against the PM, she added.
She
said that in 2016 when Nawaz Sharif was holding office, Pakistan’s GDP growth
rate was 6.2 percent whereas inflation was only 2.3 percent. During Nawaz’s
era, she added, the IMF programme was rolled back, CPEC projects were started,
employment opportunities were provided to the youth, and 14,000 megawatts of
electricity were added to the national grid.
The
minister said at that time, a conspirator, incompetent, inefficient and
‘Toshkhana thief’ was waiting for the finger of the umpire and holding sit-ins.
She
said Nawaz Sharif made the country a nuclear power but Imran Khan ruined the
development process.
Marriyum
said Nawaz Sharif, in his tenure, eradicated the scourge of terrorism, but when
Imran Khan came to power, terrorism rose its head again.
She
said ‘the Toshakhana thief’ alleged that the PML-N leadership was involved in
money laundering, but he could not give any evidence in the courts of Pakistan
and the United Kingdom. On the contrary, he himself was caught doing money
laundering. Marriyum Aurangzeb asked when will Imran Khan give an account of
his theft?
Imran
Khan made the country’s treasury a “retail shop” during his time, whereas Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif was striving for the betterment of the people.
She
congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah,
and Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal for emerging victorious in the court cases.
She
said Hanif Abbasi was sentenced to 25-years imprisonment in Imran’s tenure but
he stood firm and even now standing firm like a lion. Imran took false oaths
and put a heroin case on Rana Sanaullah, who stood strong like a rock and still
standing like a lion with Nawaz Sharif.
She
said Imran embezzled the BRT money and abused the Chief Election Commissioner
when it decided the case against him on merit.
He
used to offer an extension to the army chief in closed rooms but campaigned
against the martyrs outside.
Imran
Khan, she said, appointed an incompetent and inefficient person as the chief
minister of Punjab who damaged the province.
Taking
a jibe at the PTI chairman, she said, after 4 years in power, Imran claimed
that he had no power, whereas he had Farah Gogi and Pinki with him. She said
Imran Khan even sold a gifted watch carrying the image of the Holy Kaaba.
She
said, in Imran Khan’s era, Nawaz Sharif used to come to courts along with his
daughter and presented documents from the past 40 years in accountability
courts to clear his name.
She
said when Imran Khan was asked to answer for his wrongdoings, he got worried
and appeared in public on the wheelchair.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Six
civilians martyred in cross-border firing by Afghan Border Forces: ISPR
December
11, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
Six persons were killed and 17 others sustained injuries on Sunday when Afghan
Border Forces resorted to “unprovoked and indiscriminate fire” across the
border on civilian population in Chaman district of Balochistan, the ISPR – the
army’s media wing said.
Pakistan
army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR) confirmed in a
statement on Sunday that Afghan Border Forces opened “unprovoked and
indiscriminate” fire with heavy weapons including artillery and mortar onto
civilian population in Chaman area of Balochistan.
According
to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), heavy weapons including
artillery and mortars were used in the firing by Afghan forces.
“Pakistani
border troops have given befitting albeit measured response against the
uncalled for aggression but avoided targeting innocent civilians in the area,”
the statement said.
It
added that Pakistani authorities have approached their counterparts in Kabul to
highlight the “severity” of the situation, demanding “strict action to obviate
any such recurrence of the incident in future.”
Emergency
imposed in Chaman, Quetta hospitals
The
Chaman district administration imposed an emergency in all hospitals to treat
injured persons. While Levies Balochistan officials said that the Afghan
Taliban made a target of the civilian area of Pakistan in which many innocent
people were killed and injured badly.
The
Levies Balochistan officials said the Afghan Taliban hit the Pakistani
residential area with mortar shells.
Chaman
District Police Officer (DPO) Abdullah Ali Kasi informed that the firing began
after a mortar shell was fired into Pakistani territory. “All the injured were
moved to DHQ Hospital Chaman except four critically injured have been
transferred to Quetta”, he added.
An
emergency was imposed in Quetta Civil Hospital on the directions of Health
Secretary Saleh Muhammad Nasir. The Secretary has called doctors, pharmacists,
staff nurses, and paramedical staff of the Civil Sandman Hospital, Quetta,
Bolan Medical Hospital, Quetta, and Trauma Center to their respective duty
wards.
Balochistan
Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo expressed concern over the incident. “I
hope the federal government will ensure an immediate and effective solution to
this problem at the diplomatic level.”
He
ordered the district administration of Chaman to provide full support to the
people affected.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bilawal
lauds role OIC for Muslim Ummah
December
12, 2022
While
praising the role of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the
Muslim Ummah, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that an office of
the OIC had been established in Kabul and work on the education of the young
Afghan girls was being carried out.
“Recommendations
regarding Afghanistan were presented in the 17th OIC foreign ministers meeting,
and [seeing] the work being carried out on the recommendations of the OIC is
welcoming,” he stated. “The senior scholars from the OIC countries also visited
Afghanistan. We are working on the education of the young Afghan girls,” he
emphasised. “In Afghanistan, 97 per cent of the population is falling below the
poverty line.
Source:
Pak Observer
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://pakobserver.net/bilawal-lauds-role-oic-for-muslim-ummah/
--------
Pakistan
ranks atop list of 82 nations most influenced by China: Report
Dec
12, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A new study that measures Beijing's expanding global sway has revealed that
Pakistan is the country in the world which is most influenced by China, Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
The
China Index, a database relaunched on December 8 by DoubleThink Labs, a
Taiwan-based research organization has ranked Pakistan atop a list of 82 other
nations around the world and said that its links and dependency on China with
regard to foreign and domestic policy, technology, and the economy make it
particularly susceptible to Chinese influence.
Following
Pakistan, Cambodia and Singapore are listed at the second spot while Thailand
at third position, as per the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) report.
The Philippines is listed at the seventh spot while Malaysia lies in the 10th
position. South Africa and Peru are tied at the fifth spot on the index.
Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan are at the eighth and ninth spots on the index. These two
countries share a border with China's Xinjiang Province and are the Central
Asian countries most influenced by Beijing.
Meanwhile,
Germany is the highest-ranked European country at 19th spot while the United
States leads North America in the 21st position, as per the news report. While
compiling the China index, the research team focused on nine categories to
monitor influence around the world, which includes higher education, domestic
politics, economic ties, foreign policy, military cooperation, media,
technology and cultural links.
Speaking
to RFE/RL, Min Hsuan-Wu, the co-founder and CEO of Doublethink Labs, said that
the database has been created to raise awareness about different aspects of
China's influence. Wu stressed that the system will help to have more
understanding that challenges some assumptions about levers of Chinese
influence, particularly around economics and trade.
"A
major goal of [of this database] is to raise awareness around the world about
the different aspects of Chinese influence and what that can actually look
like," RFE/RL quoted Min Hsuan-Wu as saying.
"We
have taken a much broader and nuanced look at what influence can be, which can
tell us more about what Beijing is actually doing and the different ways it can
apply pressure," Min Hsuan-Wu added.
Pakistan
leading in the index is no surprise as the South Asian country is home to the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a
centrepiece of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative which involves funding of
Chinese entities in developing infrastructure projects in the past 10 years.
Pakistan's
relations with China have increased in every sector, particularly in military
ties, technology and foreign policy, according to RFE/RL report. Shahzeb
Jillani, a veteran journalist who helped compile research on Pakistan used for
the database, said that they can only hope that the index will encourage the
people of Pakistan to debate regarding the pros and cons of the country's ties
with China.
While
trade and investment were an early impetus, Chinese influence now plays an increasing
role in foreign policy, local media, defence and security. In the index
rankings, Kyrgyzstan ranks in the 10th place while Kazakhstan holds the 15th
spot.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
OIC
working on plan to find solution to Kashmir issue
Tariq
Naqash
December
12, 2022
MUZAFFARABAD:
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has said it has been working on a
plan to find a channel of discussion between Pakistan and India in its earnest
endeavours to see a solution to the longstanding Kashmir issue.
“I
think the most important thing is to find the channel of discussion between
stakeholders [India and Pakistan] and we are working on a plan of action in
this regard in collaboration with Pakistani government and other member
countries,” said OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha at a brief media
talk at President’s House on Sunday.
“That’s
why we need the mandate of member states and we should know that most of the
issues in diplomacy should not be [discussed] on the street,” he added.
AJK
President Barrister Sultan Mahmood and Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas,
Adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, OIC
Contact Group on Kashmir members, senior officials of the OIC general
secretariat were also present.
Mr
Taha told the media that he had undertaken the tour to implement a resolution
adopted by the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) at a recent session, as he
wanted to see for himself the situation on the ground.
“We
are here to express our solidarity, sympathy and determination of the OIC to
find out a solution for this longest conflict between India and Pakistan [in
collaboration] with our partners, with the international community and with our
member states.”
He
said Kashmir is part of OIC which has collective and individual responsibility
to talk about this issue to find a solution.
Asked
why some OIC member states were going “an extra mile” in expressing their
“appreciation and fondness” for India despite the latter’s perpetual denial of
right to self-determination to the Kashmiris, perpetration of war crimes in the
occupied territory and state-sponsored persecution of Indian Muslims, he hinted
at the limitations of the forum. “I just want to emphasise that in OIC we are
working on the basis of the resolutions that were adopted by the member states.
But all states have their own sovereignty even though we are [from] the same
community,” he said.
About
the OIC delegation’s visit to the Line of Control, he said he would submit a
comprehensive report to the CFM in the backdrop of the visit and ask them to
“take the right decision. Basically, the decision will be taken by the foreign
ministers”.
The
AJK president, in his introductory remarks, said Kashmir was not a territorial
dispute rather an issue of the future of a nation. He appreciated the OIC
secretary general for his all-out support to the right to self-determination of
people of India-held Kashmir.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1725907/oic-working-on-plan-to-find-solution-to-kashmir-issue
--------
Pakistan
Kills 4 ISIS Militants Near Afghan Border
By
Saqalain Eqbal
December
11, 2022
Pakistan
reported on Saturday that its counterterrorism forces had intercepted 4 ISKP
militants close to the Afghan border in an isolated mountainous region and
killed them.
According
to Pakistan’s provincial counterterrorism unit, the killed militants entered
the remote North Waziristan border area from Afghanistan and were associated
with the self-declare Daesh group’s regional branch, Islamic State Khorasan
Province (ISKP).
The
statement of the Pakistani department states that after conducting a search
operation using intelligence reports, Pakistani security forces engaged the
militants in an armed clash, which resulted in the ISKP militants’ deaths.
The
four ISIS terrorists who were killed have been identified by the department as
commander Mohammad Dawood, Mohammad Yaqub, Abdullah Khan Gul, and Mohammad
Laeeq Sardar Piyawuddin. They were said to have plotted bombing attacks on both
sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Since
the rolling government took control of the war-torn nation last year as the US
and its NATO allies pulled troops after nearly 20 years of conflict Daesh has
stepped up its regional terrorist activities, alarming many countries in the
region and international community.
In
a failed assassination attempt last week, two assailants opened fire on the
Pakistani embassy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, which ISIS claimed
responsibility for it.
Officials
in Islamabad said that while Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires Ubaid-ur-Rehman
Nizamani survived unharmed, his Pakistani security guard was wounded in the
chest.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-kills-4-isis-militants-near-afghan-border-36743/
--------
South Asia
Islamic
System Needs Skilled, Educated People; Islamic Emirate Is Not Opposed To Modern
Education: Minister
By
Nazir Shinwari
December
12, 2022
The
acting minister of Border and Tribal Affairs said that for the growth of the
Islamic system, skilled individuals are needed in the country.
The
Acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Mullah Noorullah Noori, said
that the Islamic Emirate is not opposed to modern education and that religious
and modern sciences are related, while speaking at the graduation ceremony for
12th grade students from Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan high schools.
"For
the structure and progress of the Islamic system in the country, there is a
serious need for educated and trained cadres, in order to put an end to the
past misfortunes,” Noori said.
According
to the officials of the ministry, there is no gap between madrasas and
universities, and the Islamic Emirate wants modern education to be provided
throughout the nation.
"We
have one religion, one soil, one system, and we made sacrifices for the
country's freedom. There is no distance between Madrasa and university,” Noori
added.
"there
is no distinction between religion and modern; they are reliant upon each other,
religious science is one discipline and modern science is another,” said Abdul
Rahman Haqqani, deputy of the Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs.
Meanwhile,
some officials of Rahman Baba High School said that this year more than 330
people from Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan high schools have advanced to higher
education.
"We
assure you that these students will have good achievements in the future as
well,” said Aziz Ahmad Akhundzada, director of Rahma Baba high school.
“These
students should attempt to succeed in the future and try to work for the growth
of the country,” said Sayed Hakim, a graduate student.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-181146
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Afghan
Delegation Visits Tehran for Quadrilateral Talks on Refugees
By
Saqalain Eqbal
December
11, 2022
A
delegation from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation visited Tehran, the
capital of Iran, to participate in quadrilateral talks on the challenges and
difficulties faced by Afghan refugees, Iranian media reported.
According
to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, the refugee and repatriation delegation from Afghanistan
reached the Iranian capital to discuss the situation of Afghan refugees in Iran
after reports of forced repatriation and ill-treatment surfaced.
The
delegation representing the caretaker Afghan administration will engage in
quadrilateral talks with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR), Pakistan, and Iran to address the concerns and challenges of Afghan
refugees.
The
meeting, according to representatives of the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and
Repatriation, would discuss problems facing Afghan immigrants in Iran as well
as potential remedies.
“We will reach an agreement with the Islamic
Republic of Iran and Pakistan on how to solve the problems so that the
immigrants return to the country voluntarily,” Mehr quoted the Deputy Minister
of Refugees and Repatriation.
With
the political unrest in Afghanistan, both the number of Afghans escaping
potential persecution by the new administration and the number of forced
deportations of Afghan refugees without legal status have increased.
A Wall
Street Journal article previously reported that Iran deported between 2,500 and
4,000 Afghan refugees every day, totaling millions of Afghans this year.
Similarly, Pakistan detained many undocumented Afghan refugees in jails and
sent them back to Afghanistan.
This
comes after Amnesty International previously urged all countries to avoid
deporting Afghan migrants to Turkey or Iran, where they risk incarceration,
torture, and other ill-treatment before being refouled to Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-delegation-visits-tehran-for-quadrilateral-talks-on-refugees-46743/
--------
Afghanistan
Investment Desk Set Up at Kabul Airport to Facilitate Visa on Arrival
By
Saqalain Eqbal
December
11, 2022
The
Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that a center has been established at
Kabul International Airport to enable visa-on-arrival for foreign investors and
to offer investment-related services.
The
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the caretaker administration in
Afghanistan and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced the establishment
and inauguration of the Afghanistan Investment Desk, on Saturday, December 10.
To
encourage foreign investors and partners of Afghan private sector institutions,
the economic commission of the current administration, led by Mullah Abdul
Ghani Baradar, decided to set up the center earlier this year.
The
centers are intended to provide services for foreign businesspeople exclusively
in order to lure foreign investors and investments in Afghanistan. Foreign
investors can now quickly conduct business transactions and readily get arrival
visas.
The
newly established desk will increase foreign investment and expand commercial
prospects, according to acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin
Aziz, who highlighted its importance at the ceremony.
Over
100 foreign companies, mostly from China, Turkey, and Russia, were registered
for investment last year, according to the spokesperson for the commerce
ministry.
Afghanistan’s
visa policy is unknown since the new regime took control of Kabul in 2021. All
foreign nationals intending to go to Afghanistan were required to get visas in
accordance with the legislation of the country’s formerly recognized, Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
FM Meets with Ambassador of Japan Discussing Aid and Economy
By
Saqalain Eqbal
December
11, 2022
Mawlawi
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign affairs minister, met with Takashi Okada,
the Japanese ambassador, in the Afghan capital to discuss aid to Afghanistan
and the resurrection of the Afghan economy.
The
spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, announced
in a string of tweets on Sunday, December 11, that the leadership of the
ministry visited the Japanese envoy in a constructive meeting.
The
Japanese diplomat, according to the ministry’s statement, said that his country
is in dialogue with the international community to set the stage for the
reconstruction of the Afghan economy.
The
Afghan side also lavished the Japanese side with gratitude for the generous
assistance of $106 million for Afghanistan and Japan’s “positive diplomatic
interactions” with the incumbent regime in Afghanistan, calling it a “roadmap”
for the international community.
“Japan
will likely commence its duty as a member of the UN Security Council next year
and will try to play a good role in the Security Council regarding
Afghanistan,” Balkhi wrote on his Twitter handle.
While
myriad packages of $40 million and $32 million have reached the Afghan capital
from an undisclosed address, Afghanistan yet struggles with a humanitarian
crisis that is magnified by unrest, widespread poverty, and perpetual
unemployment.
The
Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan also pledged that his country will step up the
assistance to Afghanistan in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis as the
current administration in Afghanistan flounders in ameliorating the situation
and aid distribution.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-fm-meets-with-ambassador-of-japan-discussing-aid-and-economy-78653/
--------
At
least 4 killed, 20 injured as mortar lands in Afghanistan's Spin Boldak
Dec
11, 2022
No
less than four persons have died after a mortar landed in Afghanistan's Spin
Boldak amid Taliban and Pakistan military clashes.
Afghanistan's
local media reported, "At least four people were killed and 20 others were
wounded after a mortar landed near Spin Boldak gate, a source told TOLOnews.
The clashes are still ongoing between the Islamic Emirate and Pakistani
military, according to the source."
Videos
showed the injured were rushed to a hospital at Chaman crossing which is
located near the Durand Line.
TALIBAN
ARMY-PAKISTAN MILITARY CLASHES
An
official told TOLO News that clashes broke out between the Taliban army and the
Pakistan military and it happened along the controversial Durand Line in Spin
Boldak.
Kandahar
administration officials told the media that one of its members was killed
while 10 others were wounded in clashes on Sunday afternoon. TOLO News reported
that one of Pakistan's military men was wounded.
Commander
of Spin Boldak Security Mawlawi Muhammad Hashim confirmed the clash, stating a
clash took place on Sunday.
The
clash between the Taliban army and the Pakistan military has been a recurring
incident. As tensions along international borders remain intact, both sides
traded barbs in November 2022. The Chaman/ Spin Boldak border crossing is
referred to as the 'Friendship Gate' and both the Taliban and Pakistan have
often tabled complaints of alleged encroachment.
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
79
per cent households in Afghanistan suffer water shortage: Survey
12
December, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], December 12 (ANI): Around 79 per cent of households in
Afghanistan reported severe water shortage, making it challenging for the
people to consume clean and safe water, Khaama Press reported citing a survey
of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
Over
the years, drought and other problems have caused water shortages in the
country.
“The
problem of lack of water is serious and UNICEF would help Afghanistan in
addressing the problem. Bringing clean, safe water to 9 million people the
following year is a priority for the organization,” the spokesperson of UNICEF
Afghanistan, Salam Al-Janabi said, as per Khaama Press.
Meanwhile,
Afghan households also are concerned about the lack of water in the country.
According to some residents in Kabul, the water level has seriously dropped
down and most wells have dried, giving them fresh headaches to supply clean
water.
Drought
and a scarcity of water have become a new difficulty for ordinary people to
contend with in these challenging economic times.
Hunger,
poverty, unemployment, security, and a lack of access to adequate healthcare
and education have already had a negative influence on people’s lives.
Furthermore,
failure to supply safe and sanitary drinking water, according to healthcare
professionals, would spread numerous diseases among individuals, particularly youngsters
in rural locations, Khaama Press reported.
Due
to plunging groundwater levels, several provinces of Afghanistan have been
facing a critical issue of availability of potable water as a lack of drinking
water has become a challenge for Kabul residents.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
French
President Macron to travel to Qatar for World Cup semis against Morocco
11
December ,2022
French
President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Qatar to attend the World Cup
semi-final between France and Morocco on Wednesday, French Sports Minister
Amelie Oudea-Castera said on Sunday.
France,
tournament winners in 2018, will play Morocco for a place in the final after
they beat England 2-1 and the North Africans beat Portugal 1-0 in Saturday’s
earlier quarter-finals.
“The
details of the trip remain to be settled, of course, but he had made this
commitment,” she said on Franceinfo radio.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Erdogan,
Putin discuss grain corridor, gas hub in phone call
11
December ,2022
Presidents
Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Vladimir Putin of Russia discussed grain
supplies and a potential regional gas hub in Turkey on Sunday, both countries
said.
Relations
with NATO member Turkey are vital to Russia at a time when the West has hit it
with waves of economic sanctions, which Ankara has refrained from joining.
Turkey
has, however, rejected Russia's move to annex four Ukrainian regions as a
“grave violation” of international law. Ankara has acted as a mediator with the
United Nations on an agreement that guarantees grain exports from both Ukraine
and Russia, two of the world's biggest producers.
“President
Erdogan expressed his sincere wish for the termination of the Russia-Ukraine
war as soon as possible,” the Turkish presidency said on Sunday.
In
the call, Erdogan said Ankara and Moscow could start work on exporting other
food products and commodities through the Black Sea grain corridor, Erdogan's
office said.
Russia
has urged the United Nations to push the West to lift some sanctions to ensure
Moscow can freely export its fertilizer and agricultural products - a part of
the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow says has not been implemented.
“The
deal is of complex character, which requires the removal of obstacles for the
relevant supplies from Russia in order to meet the demands of the countries
most in need,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The
Kremlin said the two also discussed an initiative to create a base in Turkey
for exports of Russian natural gas.
Putin
proposed the idea in October as a means to redirect supplies from Russia's Nord
Stream pipelines to Europe, which were damaged in explosions in September.
Erdogan has supported the concept.
“The
special importance of joint energy projects, primarily in the gas industry, was
emphasized,” the Kremlin said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arrest
of EU lawmakers in 'Qatar bribery probe' sparks calls for reform in bloc's
parliament
11
December 2022
The
European Parliament is facing serious calls to enact reforms after the arrest
of a parliamentary official and four others in connection with an alleged
Qatar-linked corruption and bribery probe.
The
Saturday call came after Eva Kaili, a European Parliament vice-president and
Greek socialist Member of European Parliament (MEP), was arrested on Friday,
hours after four others were detained for questioning.
The
European Parliament's president announced later the same day that Kaili's
status as a vice-president has been suspended.
Roberta
Metsola said she was suspending "all powers, duties and tasks... delegated
to Eva Kaili in her capacity as Vice-President of the European
Parliament."
Kaili
is also a former television presenter. In November, just prior to the World
Cup, she met Qatar's Labor Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri.
In
a video statement posted on Twitter by the Qatar News Agency, she said: "I
believe the World Cup for Arabs has been a great tool for... political
transformation and reforms".
In
Athens Friday, the president of the Greek socialists (PASOK) Nikos Androulakis
announced on Twitter that Kaili had been expelled from the party.
On
Saturday, the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament
announced they had suspended her membership.
Among
those arrested, at least three are either Italian citizens or originally came
from Italy, a source close to the case told AFP.
Former
Italian MEP, Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who served as a socialist at the parliament
between 2004 and 2019, was also reportedly arrested.
In
Rome, a government source confirmed reports that Panzeri's wife and daughter
had been detained.
The
secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation, Italian Luca
Visentini, was also among those reportedly arrested. The ITUC said it was
"aware" of the media reports.
The
arrests followed raids in Brussels, which Belgian prosecutors said turned up
600,000 euros ($630,000) in cash. The police also seized computers and mobile
phones.
Belgian
daily L'Echo reported on Saturday that "several bags full of [cash]
notes" had been found at Kaili's Brussels home.
The
arrests prompted the European Parliament's Greens group to call for a full
investigation into allegations of bribery by Qatar.
"We
will not accept business as usual...," the group posted on Twitter,
adding, "We must strengthen our rules so this cannot happen again."
"This
is not an isolated incident," anti-corruption campaigning group,
Transparency International, said on Saturday.
"Over
many decades, the Parliament has allowed a culture of impunity to develop, with
a combination of lax financial rules and controls and a complete lack of
independent [or indeed any] ethics oversight," its director Michiel van
Hulten said.
The
European Parliament has "become a law unto itself," said van Hulten,
adding, "It is time for root-and-branch reform."
While
prosecutors did not name the country under investigation, a legal source close
to the case confirmed to AFP Belgian press reports that it was Qatar.
Prosecutors
had merely said the state in question was suspected of influencing the
decisions of the European Parliament through cash payments or gifts to top
figures.
Reacting
to the reports, an unnamed Qatari government official, said, "We are not
aware of any details of an investigation. Any claims of misconduct by the State
of Qatar are gravely misinformed."
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/11/694253/European-Parliament-arrests-Qatar-corruption-probe
--------
Africa
Libya’s
Menfi, Saudi crown prince discuss political developments
Mohamed
Artemah
11.12.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Head
of Libya’s Presidency Council, Mohamed al-Menfi, met with Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman in the capital Riyadh to discuss Libyan political
developments and prospects for cooperation between the two countries.
A
statement by al-Menfi’s office said the two sides also discussed a number of
issues of mutual concern, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Al-Menfi
had participated in the Arab-China summit in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on
Friday during which he called for Arab and Chinese support to restore stability
to Libya.
Oil-rich
Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi
was ousted after four decades in power.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hamas
congratulates Morocco on team’s qualification for semi-finals at FIFA World Cup
in Qatar
11
December 2022
The
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has congratulated Moroccans on their
national team’s success in reaching the semi-finals at the FIFA World Cup in
Qatar.
Hamas
spokesman Hazem Qassem made the remarks in a statement on Saturday following
Morocco’s historic 1-0 victory over Portugal, the Palestinian Information
Center reported.
“We
congratulate Morocco on this great sporting achievement after its national
teams qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar,” Qasem said.
“This
is a historic Arab sports achievement,” he added, while expressing the
movement’s best wishes for the Moroccan team in its coming matches.
Meanwhile,
Palestinians who gathered in large numbers in the besieged Gaza Strip to watch
the Morocco-Portugal game celebrated the victory of the Moroccan team with loud
cheers.
At
the end of the game, the fans rallied amid cheers for Morocco and Palestine,
raising the flags of both nations.
Moroccan
fans also raised Palestinian flags, singing Palestinian songs in the Qatari
capital of Doha, as they have done in every game of this World Cup.
Israeli
forces attack Palestinians celebrating Morocco win in al-Quds
Israeli
forces attacked Palestinians in the occupied al-Quds as they gathered in large
numbers to celebrate Morocco’s win against Portugal at the World Cup’s
quarterfinals in Qatar.
Scores
of Israeli forces, including police on horseback, assaulted the Palestinian
fans and chased them in the vicinity of the Damascus Gate, according to
Palestine’s Wafa news agency.
Video
posted to social media showed Israeli forces attacking and chasing
Palestinians, including children.
No
injuries or arrests have been reported.
Morocco’s
Atlas Lions national team became the first African team to reach a World Cup
semifinal.
Morocco’s
Youssef En-Nesyri recorded the sole goal in the 42nd-minute of the first half
of the match when he out-jumped the Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa and
nudged the ball into the goal with a header.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Nigeria
Muslims rally to protest persecution of Shias in Azerbaijan
11
December 2022
Members
of the Islamic movement in Nigeria have rallied to condemn Azerbaijan's
persecution and torture of Shia members of the Muslim Movement for Unity (MMU)
and its leader Sheikh Haj Taleh Baqir Zadeh.
The
rally that took place at Abuja national mosque on Saturday was attended by
Abdullah Musa, national secretary of the academic forum of the Islamic
movement.
"The
government (of Azerbaijan) is prosecuting them illegally, unconditionally,”
Musa was quoted as saying.
"Therefore,
every Muslim must stand against tyranny and oppression.”
Demonstrators
and the participating youth took to the streets and chanted "death to
America, death to Israel."
“The
essence of the rally is to show our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in
Azerbaijan particularly their leader, Haj Taleh Baqir Zadeh. We are using this
opportunity to call on them to release them immediately,” said Bala Hassan
Bauchi, another member of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.
“We
use this medium to call on the people of the world to support the people of
Azerbaijan and again the people of Yemen and Palestine. All of them are
oppressed and they need the world's attention," he added.
In
a similar protest, Muslims in Kano State held rally in solidarity with the
oppressed Shias of Azerbaijan.
Hundreds
of Muslims gathered at Fagge Eid prayer ground holding photos of Baqir Zadeh,
along with a solidarity speech for the oppressed.
"We
are from the part of the committee for the solidarity of the Azerbaijani
brothers who were unjustly detained by Azerbaijan's authorities,” said Dawud
Nalado in Kano State.
“Haj
Taleh Baqir Zadeh and our brothers and sisters should be released because they
are being detained unjustifiably."
Baqir
Zadeh, known as Tale Baghirov, who is serving a life sentence along with 17
other activists, was accused of attempting to overthrow the government.
According
to local observers, the real trigger for his arrest was a fiery sermon he
delivered in Nardaran, Azerbaijan.
Known
for speaking up against the ban on headscarves in schools, Baqir Zadeh had
called for more Islamic representation in the Azerbaijani political system.
A
London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission released a statement on Friday about
the persecution of MMU members, and called the Azerbaijani government
“corrupt.”
"The
extremely secular and corrupt Azerbaijani government has severely persecuted
Azerbaijani activists as well as harassment, censorship and blockading of the
town of Nadaran, a town with large support for the Muslim Movement for Unity
(MMU) organization, the government forces have arrested, imprisoned and
tortured many activists," read the statement.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Bersatu
Youth Slams Masidi over Islamic Extremism in Politics Claims
December
10, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Bersatu Youth has slammed Gabungan Rakyat Sabah secretary-general Masidi
Manjun for what it terms as his shallow statement which attempted to paint
Perikatan Nasional as a party promoting Islamic extremism in politics.
Youth
chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said Masidi, being a Muslim leader,
should look at Article 6 of the Bersatu constitution and Article 5 of the PN
constitution which emphasise to respect the rights of the non-Muslims.
“These
clauses clearly state that Bersatu and PN will respect the rights of
non-Muslims to practise their respective religions in a peaceful and harmonious
environment.
“Despite
this move, we are confident that there are members in the state who are still
with Bersatu. We will rebuild the party in Sabah,” he said in a statement.
Earlier
today, Masidi said the decision by Sabah Bersatu leaders to leave the party was
made in the best interest of the state and the greater good of Malaysia.
He
said the increasing racial and religious rhetoric of some peninsula-based
parties, especially in the run-up to the 15th general election was inconsistent
with the values of a multi-racial and multi-religious Sabah and Sarawak.
“It’s
difficult for GRS and many Sabahans to accept what is now marketed as
‘political Islam’.
Wan
Fayhsal said the decision of the Sabah leaders to leave Bersatu was mainly to
remain in power in the state, adding that they have forgotten the party’s
principles that they used to talk about in the past.
“It
is even more frustrating when we recall our sacrifices and hard work during the
state election last year which led to a huge success.”
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Bali
governor says Indonesia’s new laws pose no risk to tourists
12
December ,2022
Visitors
to Bali will not be put at risk by Indonesia’s newly ratified criminal code,
the island’s governor said, dismissing concerns that revised laws which include
articles criminalizing sex outside marriage may scare away tourists from its
shores.
Indonesia’s
parliament last week passed the controversial bill that also prohibits
cohabitation between unmarried couples.
Seeking
to reassure visitors, Bali Governor Wayan Koster in a statement on Sunday noted
the new laws, which come into affect in three years, could only be prosecuted
if there was complaint by a parent, spouse or child.
Those
who “visit or live in Bali would not need to worry with regard to the entry
into force of the Indonesian Criminal Code,” he said.
The
governor said provisions in the criminal code on this issue had been altered
from an earlier, stricter version so “would provide a better guarantee of
everyone’s privacy and comfortableness.”
Bali’s
government would ensure “there will be no checking on marital status upon
check-in at any tourism accommodation, such as hotels, villas, apartments,
guest houses, lodges and spas,” Wayan said.
Wayan
also denied what he said were “hoax” reports of cancellations of flights and
hotel room bookings, adding that data from travel agents, tour and
accommodation operators, as well as airlines, showed the number of people set
to visit Bali from December 2022 to March 2023 had increased.
Bali
is the center of tourism in Indonesia and the tourism association is targeting
foreign arrivals on the predominately Hindu island to reach pre-pandemic levels
of six million a year by 2025. Decades in the making, legislators hailed the
passage of the criminal code as a much-needed overhaul of a vestige of Dutch
colonial rule. Officials say it aims to uphold “Indonesian values” in the
world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
But
Maulana Yusran, deputy chief of Indonesia’s tourism industry board, said last
week the new code was “totally counter-productive” at a time when the economy
and tourism were starting to recover from the pandemic.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Calls
mount on Malaysia to rescue 160 Rohingya refugees stranded at sea
December
11, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Calls are mounting on Malaysia’s government to allow the safe
disembarkation of Rohingya stranded on a boat within its waters, amid concerns
that a number of them have already died from starvation and dehydration.
The
boat carrying 160 people, including 120 women and children, sailed from Cox’s
Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh on Nov. 25.
The
coastal region has since 2017 become the world’s largest refugee settlement, as
Bangladesh accepted nearly 1 million members of the Muslim Rohingya minority
fleeing a widespread and systematic assault by security forces in neighboring
Myanmar.
The
conditions inside the squalid, overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar are desperate
and the UN Refugee Agency has been reporting an increase in the number of
Rohingya making risky journeys by the Andaman Sea to relocate to another host
country.
The
boat stranded in Malaysian waters has been adrift since its engines broke down
on Dec. 1.
Mohammed
Rezuwan Khan, a Rohingya activist in Cox’s Bazar whose sister and niece are
onboard the boat, told Arab News on Sunday that they had nothing to eat or
drink for the past few days.
“The
rate of deaths in the boat is going to increase very quickly if there is no
rescue by today or tomorrow,” he said. “It’s reached more than eight deaths
already.”
Arab
News could not independently verify the numbers, but Doctors Without Borders
issued a statement on Saturday saying that “some people onboard have reportedly
died due to lack of food or water.” It called on the Malaysian government to
“urgently allow the safe disembarkation of refugees suffering the effects of a
regional humanitarian crisis and fleeing to seek safety.”
Similar
calls on Malaysia and other governments in the region were made over the
weekend by the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Amnesty International.
The
Malaysian government has not yet responded to the appeals. The Malaysian
Ministry of Home Affairs and the Royal Malaysian Navy were unavailable for
comment despite repeated attempts by Arab News.
The
number of people attempting to cross the Andaman Sea from Bangladesh and
Myanmar has increased sixfold since 2020, according to a UNHCR alert from early
December.
This
year alone, at least 119 people have been reported dead or missing on those
journeys. Most of those risking their lives were Rohingya refugees.
“Tragedy
and suffering in the camp forced them to choose to risk their lives, even die
under the water. It’s like suicide,” Khan said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2214486/world
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Bintang
completes investment in Muslim streaming service
December
12, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Private equity firm Bintang Capital Partners Bhd today announced the
completion of its investment in a Muslim-centric streaming service.
The
investment, made through its portfolio Bitsmedia Holdings Ltd, is in support of
Qalbox, which is a global entertainment service provider that celebrates the
diversity of the Muslim identity and culture globally, the company said in a
statement.
The
investment was made via Bintang’s maiden fund, the BCP Asia Fund, an equity
growth fund anchored by Dana Penjana Nasional, the company added. There was no
information on the size or value of the investment.
BCP
Asia also led the investment jointly with CMIA Capital Partners as part of a
growth capital fundraising round by Bitsmedia. The newly injected capital will
support the recent launch of Qalbox.
Bitsmedia
is a technology company that developed and published Muslim Pro, a lifestyle
application that serves Muslims across 190 markets.
Muslim
Pro provides accurate prayer times based on the user’s location, more than 40
translations of the Quran with audio recitations, an animated Qibla compass and
other features.
Bintang
said its investment in Bitsmedia is in recognition of the fast-growing Muslim
youth population. It also sees it as an opportunity to close the gap within
Muslim-themed entertainment through the launch of Qalbox.
Its
founder, Johan Rozali-Wathooth, said Qalbox would provider Muslims with
high-quality, wholesome content through a multi-channel platform.
He
said the investment would also provide Bintang with an opportunity to showcase
the diversity and variety of the Muslim culture to a global audience.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sulli-deals-indian-muslim-women-sold/d/128615
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