Taliban Blocks 23 Million Websites in Afghanistan over 'Immoral Content'
New Age Islam News Bureau
26 August 2022
Representative
Image
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• India against Violence and Extremism; We Condemn This
Horrific Attack on Salman Rushdie: External Affairs Spokesperson
• Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan Berates Maulana Fazlur
Rehman for ‘Misusing Religion’ For Politics against Imran
• In A First-Of-Its-Kind Event, Indonesia Will Host a
Global Summit of Religious Leaders Modelled On the Group of Twenty
• France's Macron Urges Future with Algeria beyond
‘Painful’ History
South
Asia
• Myanmar Rohingya, Five Years On, Want to Leave
Bangladesh Camps And Go Home With Justice
• Rohingya Muslim refugees observe ‘Genocide Day’ in
Bangladesh
• Islamic Emirate Spokesman Defies Recent Remark
Saying Afghan Soil Not a Threat
• Taliban Conduct Extensive House-to-House Searches in
Northern Afghanistan
• Taliban’s ‘fairer’ and more effective tax system
helped it retake control of Afghanistan
--------
India
• A Kerala Mosque Committee's Fight against Drug
Menace
• Will Offer Friday Prayers at Srinagar’s Grand Mosque
after 3 Years: Mirwaiz
• Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists charge-sheeted
• Those Giving Hollow Slogans like 'Beti Bachao' Are
'Saving Rapists': Rahul Gandhi On Bilkis Bano Case
• Afghan Soil Should Not Be Used to Attack Other
Country: Indian Defence Minister at SCO
--------
Pakistan
• Army top brass hints at tougher approach against TTP
• At CTD HQs, IGP orders tightening noose around
extremists, facilitators
• Pakistan: Terrorism case registered against Interior
Minister Rana Sanaullah in Gujarat
• Saudi Arabia to invest $1 billion in cash-strapped
Pakistan
• Pakistan court extends former PM Imran Khan's
pre-arrest bail on terrorism charges
• Contempt petition filed against Maryam, Fazl, and
Sanaullah
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Diplomatic Ties with Israel Unimaginable For
Indonesian Muslims
• Existing Legislation Enough To Deal With Insults
against Islam, Says Malaysian Religious Affairs Minister
• Naik’s speech went against religious tolerance,
Ramasamy tells court
• Protest against corruption, not concerts, DAP man
tells PAS Youth
• Appellate court upholds acquittal of Mat Sabu’s son
on drug abuse charge
• Decisions by Malaysia's Chief Justice draw attention
in landmark case of ex-PM Najib
--------
Africa
• Fighting flares for second day in northern Ethiopia:
Residents
• IPOB warning Igbos to bury their dead in three days
is Islamic agenda – Simon Ekpa
--------
Mideast
• Iran Exiles Sue President Raisi in US Ahead Of UN
General Assembly Meeting
• Israel indicts Islamic Jihad leader whose arrest
triggered Gaza violence
• Terror charges filed against Islamic Jihad leader
whose arrest sparked Gaza conflict
• Nuclear Chief: Iran to Turn into Nuclear Power Plant
Construction Hub in Coming Years
• Iran-IAEA standoff last major hurdle in reviving
nuclear deal
• Yemen’s foreign minister, UK ambassador discuss
peace efforts, UN truce
--------
North
America
• US Hits ‘Iran-Backed Group’ For Third Straight Day
In Syria
• Biden: We targeted Iran-allied militias in Syria to
deter attacks on US facilities
• US working to expand visa services in Türkiye amid
delays: State Department
• US urges permanent end to conflict in Ethiopia amid
renewed violence
--------
Europe
• UK Decision To Intervene In Rohingya Case Before International
Court Of Justice Hailed
• Turkish singer Gulsen arrested after religious
schools quip: Media
--------
Arab
World
• SOC Political Parties Committee Meets
Comptroller-General of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood
• UN Special Rapporteur Voices Concern About
Deteriorating Health Condition Of Detained Saudi Shia Cleric, Sheikh Mohammed
Hassan Al-Habib
• US military kills four Iran-backed militants after
attacks in Syria
• Lebanon child poverty: 84 pct of households unable
to cover necessities, UNICEF says
• US carries out fresh attacks against Iran-backed
fighters in NE Syria
• Turkish forces 'neutralize' 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in
northern Syria
• Syrian air defences repel Israeli attack over
Tartus, Hama
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-websites-afghanistan-immoral/d/127808
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Taliban Blocks 23 Million Websites in Afghanistan over
'Immoral Content'
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Image
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August 26, 2022
The interim government of Afghanistan led by Taliban
has blocked more than 23 million websites for displaying what it considers
immoral content over the year since the Taliban took power in the country,
Najibullah Haqqani, the minister of communications in the Taliban
administration, said on Thursday.
"We have blocked 23.4 million websites. They are
changing their pages every time. So, when you block one website another one
will be active," TOLOnews quoted acting Minister Najibullah Haqqani as
saying at a conference.
Speaking at the same conference, the deputy
communications minister in the interim government, Ahmad Masoud Latif Rai, also
criticized Facebook for its reluctance to cooperate with the Taliban
authorities on content moderation.
After the collapse of the US-backed government and the
withdrawal of US troops from the country, an interim Afghan government led by
the Taliban came to power on August 15 last year.
The Taliban takeover triggered an economic crisis and
food shortages that have pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian
crisis. Thousands of Afghans have fled the country fearful of the Taliban,
widespread violation of human rights, and the deprivation of women and girls of
their freedoms.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in mid-August
last year, it rolled back the rights of Afghan media outlets and their
functioning.
According to UNAMA, there have been significant
changes in the country's media landscape, including the closure of more than
half of the free media, a ban on several channels and websites and rising work
restrictions, violence, and threats against journalists.
Earlier in May, while reporting a women's
demonstration, journalist Roman Karimi and his driver were detained and
tortured by the Taliban.
Over 45 per cent of journalists have quit since the
Taliban assumed power. The ever-increasing restrictions against media in
Afghanistan have also drawn widespread criticism globally with the United
Nations (UN) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) decrying the
arrests, demanding the terror outfit stop harassing local journalists and
stifling freedom of speech through continued detentions and threats.
The Taliban had promised women's rights, media
freedom, and amnesty for government officials in the group's first news
conference after the takeover in August. However, activists, former government
employees, and journalists among others continue to face retribution.
Source: Business Standard
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India against Violence and Extremism; We Condemn This
Horrific Attack on Salman Rushdie: External Affairs Spokesperson
Image: ANI/AP
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26.08.22
India on Thursday broke its silence on the attack on
author Salman Rushdie in New York on August 12, which had drawn responses from
several governments.
Asked for a response, considering the novelist was
born in India, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said:
“India has always stood against violence and extremism. We condemn this
horrific attack on Salman Rushdie and we wish him a speedy recovery.”
Before giving the brief response to the stabbing,
Bagchi referred to a remark made by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar in
Bangalore a day after the attack.
Asked about the
attack at an interactive session, Jaishankar had said: “I have also read about
the attack. I was busy in my own programme. I also saw that and I think
obviously that is something which the whole world has noted. Any attack like
this, obviously, the entire world has reacted.’’
India’s muted response had not gone unnoticed. The
Guardian newspaper wrote on August 13: “India was the first country to impose a
ban on The Satanic Verses in 1988. There has been no statement from the Indian government
or the main opposition, the Congress party. The Congress party was in power
when the book came out and quickly decided to ban it.…’’
DYFI protest
But the DYFI, the CPM’s youth wing, had taken the lead
in protesting the attack, holding an event before the statue of a firebrand
journalist in Kerala who had gone to jail during the colonial era for the
uncompromising manner in which he wielded the pen.
Later, in a separate initiative, a statement
condemning the attack on Rushdie was endorsed by more than 80 writers,
filmmakers and artists.
Soon after the stabbing, the DYFI protested in
Thiruvananthapuram before the statue of Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai, the
editor who was exiled for writing against the rule of the British and the
erstwhile princely state of Travancore.
“The venue was chosen to make a point,” DYFI
Thiruvananthapuram district secretary Shijukhan P. told The Telegraph.
Shijukhan said the protest was held to convey strong
opposition to all extremist ideologies that try to attack and deny free speech.
Speaking at the protest, Shijukhan said: “If these
attackers think they can eliminate with their swords someone who uses a pen,
they will have to face thousands of such writers. Let me remind you that
neither writers nor writing will ever stop.”
He added: “What wrong did Salman Rushdie commit? Do
these attackers think they can take on with a sword a writer who uses his pen?
The mightiest weapon in the world is the pen.”
Shijukhan likened the attack on Rushdie to the murders
in India of rationalists and writers who have been critical of the Hindutva
ideology and majoritarianism.
“We strongly oppose the attack on free speech and
killing of rationalists, writers and journalists such as M.M. Kalburgi, Govind
Pansare, Gauri Lankesh and Narendra Dabholkar,” he said.
Thiruvananthapuram district DYFI committee member
Gayathri Babu read out excerpts from Rushdie’s Booker Prize-winning novel
Midnight’s Children at the event.
The Thrissur-based Chinta Ravindran Foundation also
condemned the attack on Rushdie.
“The attack on Salman Rushdie, who is a man of peace,
and dealing only in words, is yet another example of the violent intolerance of
dissent that is dangerously gaining momentum. We think, it is the need of the
hour for writers, artists, art lovers and readers to protest against this
dastardly act and its dangerous implications,” the statement read.
The signatories to the statement include authors M.T.
Vasudevan Nair, Anand, Zacharia, N.S. Madhavan and M. Mukundan, poet K.
Satchithanandan, filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shaji N. Karun, veteran
journalists T.J.S. George and Shashi Kumar, scholars and commentators M.N.
Karasseri and Sunil P. Elayidom and actor Joy Mathew.
Source: Telegraph India
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original story:
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Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan Berates Maulana Fazlur Rehman For ‘Misusing Religion’
For Politics Against Imran
Photo:
NewsBox
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AUGUST
26, 2022
Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P) chief Maulana Mohammed Khan Sherani has come
down hard upon Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s use of a religious decree against former
prime minister Imran Khan for political purposes.
Taking
to his official Twitter handle, Maulana Sherani stated that when he asked the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) leader to prove his fatwa (edict) that Imran
was Jewish and involved in Israeli propaganda, Fazl said his remarks were a
“political statement”.
The
JUI-P leader maintained that an individual who could issue a religious decree
against a lover of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) could do “anything”. He advised the
Pakistani populace to “not trust” Fazl.
Maulana
Sherani’s condemnation came after Fazl, in a series of tweets, claimed that the
Imran Khan regime was supported and funded by Israel and India and the
“evidence” was apparent before the nation. He warned “Israel, the United
Nations and institutions blackmailing under the guise of human rights” that
their scheme would not succeed, and that Imran Khan would be barred from
reentering Pakistani politics.
“We
want to make it clear to international institutions, Israel and Zionist forces
that their tricks will not be allowed to succeed. Every attempt to bring Imran
Niazi back to politics will be thwarted,” he maintained.
Maulana
Fazl asked the UN the basis on which it sympathised with Imran Khan, and
alleged that “Israeli channels and the United Nations” were left agitated and
protested when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) “clearly revealed
Niazi’s theft”.
The
JUI-F chief was referring to the electoral watchdog’s investigation of alleged
prohibited funding received by the PTI. He further questioned why foreign
institutions did not pay heed to the “atrocities” committed by Imran’s
government.
Citing
examples of ignorance against crimes violating human rights in Guantanamo Bay
and the prison of Abu Gharib and the case of Aafia Siddiqui, Fazl questioned
why the UN and human rights forums sympathised only with Imran Khan.
Source:
Daily Times
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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In
A First-Of-Its-Kind Event, Indonesia Will Host a Global Summit of Religious
Leaders Modelled On the Group of Twenty
Credit:
Prajna Ghosh, ThePrint team
----
Madhuparna
Das
26
August, 2022
New
Delhi: In a first-of-its-kind event, Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, will
host a global summit of religious leaders modelled on the Group of Twenty (G20)
intergovernmental forum.
Called
the ‘G20 Religion Forum’, or R20 for short, it will be a parallel event to the
annual G20 summit that Indonesia will host this year, and is being seen by
scholars as an attempt to “quell the ideas of radical Islam and extremism and
promote moderatism”.
Organised
and hosted by one of Indonesia’s most influential Islamic think tanks,
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the two-day R20 summit will take place on 2 and 3
November in Bali, around two weeks before the G20 summit is scheduled to be
held there on 15 and 16 November.
In
an exclusive email interview with ThePrint, Muhammad Najib Azca, vice-secretary
general of Nahdlatul Ulama and spokesperson of the R20, said that the religious
summit would leverage the G20 “to help ensure that religion in the 21st century
functions as a genuine and dynamic source of solutions, rather than problems”.
“The
R20 will seek to accomplish this by creating a global platform through which
religious leaders of every faith and nation may express their concerns and give
voice to shared moral and spiritual values,” said Azca.
ThePrint
has learnt that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) not only supports the
idea, but also Ram Madhav, a central committee member of the organisation, is
among the event’s prime movers from India.
Earlier
this year, Madhav had met the office-bearers of NU in Jakarta to firm up the
concept of hosting a summit like this, and to make it a permanent global
platform for religious and spiritual leadership. He will be one of the main
speakers at the event.
Speaking
to The Print, Madhav said, “The entire global narrative and agenda is currently
controlled by political leadership, big corporations, some economic think tanks
or some extremist and terrorist groups. We need to bring a balance.”
“The
idea of hosting such an event was mooted by Nahdlatul Ulama. We from India join
hands with them to address the challenge of radicalism, terrorism, war, and
violence. Right now, there is no role of spiritual or civilisational
leadership. R20 is aimed at developing a global platform of cultural,
religious, and civilisational leadership that can pro-actively help countries
in tackling some of the 21st-century challenges,” he added.
The
event is also being supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs,
which has recognised NU as the coordinator of the event in 2022.
“The
G20 Religion Forum constitutes a natural outcome of NU’s efforts over the past
decade to prevent the political weaponisation of identity, curtail the spread
of communal hatred, and promote solidarity and respect among the diverse
peoples, cultures and nations of the world,” said Azca.
The
R20 this year will focus on four major topics — historical grievances,
truth-telling, reconciliation and forgiveness; identifying and embracing values
shared by the world’s major religions and civilisations; re-contextualisation
of obsolete and problematic teachings of religion; and the values we need to
develop to ensure peaceful co-existence.
According
to Hadza Min Fadhli R., an Indonesia-based academic and Islamic scholar,
Indonesia is trying to “promote the idea of moderate Islam” through the R20.
Muslims constitute around 88 per cent of the country’s population.
“It
is very significant for the global community to watch that a Muslim-majority
country is hosting a summit like this to promote moderate Islam. One of the
primary agendas is to quell the ideas of radical Islam and extremism. We were
told that the Ministry of Religious Affairs is supporting this summit. The
broad ideas of the summit include democracy, development and moderatism,” said
Hadza Min Fadhli R. to ThePrint.
A
‘unique’ summit
A
delegation from India, which will include Hindu monks and spiritual leaders,
will join the summit.
“NU
is coordinating with both the Government of India and civil society
organisations in planning and executing this year’s G20 Religion Forum,” said
Azca.
“We
are inviting major figures from India including Ram Madhav Varanasi, Archbishop
Felix Machado, Swapan Dasgupta, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a prominent
representative of the Shankaracharya tradition and leaders from India’s Muslim
community as well,” he added, and said that major religious figures and
scholars from all G20 member states and beyond would be invited as well.
According
to him, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary general of the
Mecca-based Muslim World League, will co-chair the R20 summit with Kyai Haji
Yahya Cholil Staquf, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama central board; and Pope
Francis will be sending Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, president of the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, as his formal representative.
A
high-level source in NU told ThePrint: “Indonesia will host the first R20, and
the next one will be hosted by India since it will be the hosting country for
the G20 2023 summit too. The third will be organised in Brazil, when it is due
to host G20 2024. So, from a Muslim-majority nation to a Hindu-majority country
and then to a Catholic nation — this is a unique summit that will integrate all
religions.”
Joko
Widodo, President of Indonesia, will be addressing the “opening plenary” of the
R20, said Azca. Several cabinet ministers will also participate in the summit,
including Yaqut Cholil Qoumas — Indonesia’s minister of religious affairs and a
prominent NU leader — and the minister of foreign affairs, Retno Marsudi.
‘Outcome
of NU’s efforts’
The
R20 summit, said Azca, is the culmination of NU’s many strategic efforts over
the years.
In
2016, NU had convened the International Summit of Moderate Islamic Leaders
(ISOMIL) in Jakarta, Indonesia, which issued the ISOMIL Nahdlatul Ulama
Declaration.
In
this declaration, the think tank, among other things, called upon people “of
every faith and nation to join in building a global consensus not to politicise
Islam, and to marginalise those who would exploit Islam in such a way as to
harm others,” said Azca.
In
2017, he said, 7 million young adult members of the NU promulgated the ‘Gerakan
Pemuda Ansor Declaration on Humanitarian Islam’, a 21-page document that
included a roadmap outlining “the basic elements of a coordinated, long-term
effort to address a rapidly metastasising crisis within the Islamic world, as
reflected in the violence committed by terrorist groups such as ISIS, al-Qaeda
and Lashkar-e-Taiba, and civil wars in Yemen, Libya, Syria and elsewhere.”
Such
efforts, said Azca, have allowed NU to leverage Indonesia’s presidency of the
G20 this year.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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France's
Macron Urges Future with Algeria beyond ‘Painful’ History
A
woman stands near Algerian and French flags ahead of the arrival of French
President Emmanuel Macron in Algiers, Algeria August 25, 2022. REUTERS/Ramzi
Boudina
-----
25
August, 2022
President
Emmanuel Macron indicated France and Algeria should move beyond their “painful”
shared history and look to the future on Thursday at the start of a three-day
visit to the North African country.
The
trauma of French colonial rule in Algeria and the bitter independence war that
ended it in 1962 has haunted relations between the two countries for decades
and played into a diplomatic dispute that erupted last year.
“We
have a complex, painful common past. And it has at times prevented us from
looking at the future,” Macron said after meeting Algerian counterpart
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Standing
alongside Macron in front of the intricate North African tilework of the palace
where they met, Tebboune said: “We hope the visit will open up new perspectives
for partnership and cooperation with France”.
Ties
with Algeria have become more important for France because the war in Ukraine
has increased demand in Europe for North African gas, and because of surging
migration across the Mediterranean.
Algeria
is meanwhile seeking to capitalize on higher energy prices to lock in European
investment.
Macron
has long wanted to turn the page with Algeria and in 2017 he described French
actions during the 1954-62 war that killed hundreds of thousands of Algerians
as a “crime against humanity.”
That
declaration, politically controversial in France, won him popularity in Algeria
when he last visited five years ago and he was celebrated by young Algerians.
Macron
will again reach out to Algerian youth on this visit with scheduled stops
focused on youth culture including breakdancing and North African “Rai” pop
music. France is home to more than four million people of Algerian origin.
However,
Macron's hopes of moving beyond the fraught history of the colonial era have
proven premature before.
Last
year he was quoted as suggesting that Algerian national identity did not exist
before French rule, and accusing Algeria's leaders of rewriting the history of
the independence struggle based on a hatred of France.
The
comments provoked a storm in Algeria, where the ruling elite is still dominated
by the generation that fought for independence and where that struggle occupies
a central place in national identity.
Algeria
withdrew its ambassador for consultations and closed its airspace to French
planes - complicating the French military mission in the Sahel.
Before
his meeting with Tebboune, Macron visited a monument to Algerians killed in the
war, placing a wreath there. He said the two governments would establish a
joint committee of historians to study archives of the colonial era.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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South
Asia
Myanmar
Rohingya, five years on, want to leave Bangladesh camps and go home with
justice
Aug
25, 2022
DHAKA:
Myanmar Rohingya Muslims protested across refugee camps in neighbouring
Bangladesh on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of clashes between Rohingya
insurgents and Myanmar security forces that drove hundreds of thousands of
Rohingya from their homes.
More
than a million Rohingya now live in the world’s largest refugee settlement in
southern Bangladesh, with little prospect of returning to Myanmar, where they
are mostly denied citizenship and other rights.
Refugees,
from children to the elderly, waved placards and chanted slogans across the
sprawling camps, many wearing black ribbons to mark what they call “Rohingya
Genocide Remembrance”.
"No
more refugee life", the placards read. "Enough is enough" and
"We want citizenship, we want justice. We are Burma Citizens, we are
Rohingya."
"Today
we are demonstrating as in 2017 the Burmese (Myanmar) army killed our people in
a genocide. They killed my husband and others, the military raped us, then they
killed our children," said protester Jamalida Begum.
"For
the last five years, we have been saying the same thing to the world. But no
one listened to us. Today, we are again demonstrating just to let the world
know that we want justice."
The
United Nations has said the 2017 military crackdown was carried out with
genocidal intent and Myanmar is facing charges of genocide at the International
Court of Justice in The Hague.
Buddhist-majority
Myanmar denies the accusation, saying it was waging a legitimate campaign in
2017 against insurgents who attacked police posts.
Rohingya
community leader Mohammad Jobaer said he was keen to return to Myanmar but
wanted citizenship rights guaranteed.
"We
want to go back to our homeland with all our rights and under the direct
supervision of the United Nations. We want security for our life and wealth
there," he said.
Densely
populated Bangladesh says that the refugees' repatriation to Myanmar is the
only solution to the crisis. Local communities have been increasingly hostile
towards Rohingya as funds for the refugees have dried up.
UN
agencies have appealed for $881 million for this year, of which just under half
has been received so far.
Save
the Children said on Wednesday the Rohingya "fled mass killings, rape and
systematic human rights abuses" in Myanmar.
"Two
thirds (66%) of children surveyed and nearly all parents and caregivers (87%)
say they do not feel any safer now than when they arrived," it said.
"The
findings expose that the international community’s efforts, despite being
significant, fall short of what is needed to adequately respond to the needs of
Rohingya refugees."
Bangladesh
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said his government wanted to ensure that the
Rohingya can return to Myanmar safely "where they will no longer be
persecuted and will finally receive citizenship".
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Rohingya
Muslim refugees observe ‘Genocide Day’ in Bangladesh
25
August 2022
Thousands
of Rohingya Muslim refugees have observed the “Genocide Day” in Bangladesh
camps, marking the fifth anniversary of the start of the mass exodus into the
country.
They
want their safe return to their homeland of Rakhine in western Myanmar.
On
Thursday, the refugees gathered in several parts of the sprawling Kutupalong camp
in Cox’s Bazar district on the southeast coast of Bangladesh.
"Today
is the day thousands of Rohingya were killed," young community leader
Maung Sawyedollah said with tears in his eyes. "Only Rohingya can
understand the pain of the 25th of August. Five years ago this day nearly one
million Rohingya were displaced. On this day in 2017 more than 300 of our
villages were burnt down to ashes."
Sayed
Ullah, another community leader said, "All we want is a safe and dignified
return to our homeland."
"Unfortunately,
our cries have fallen on deaf ears. The international community is not doing
anything. Here in the camps we are languishing in tarp and bamboo shelters and
barely surviving on handouts."
The
refugees also demanded the repeal of a 1982 law that stripped them of their
citizenship in Myanmar.
In
August 2017, about 750,000 of the mostly Muslim minority streamed over the
border with mainly Buddhist Myanmar to escape the onslaught, which is now the
subject of a landmark genocide case at the UN's top court.
Today
there are nearly a million Rohingya, half of them under 18, in rickety huts in
camps where the mud lanes regularly become rivers of sewage during monsoon
rains.
Several
attempts at repatriation have failed, with the Rohingya refusing to return
without security and rights guarantees.
War
crimes investigators have recently obtained thousands of documents that shed
new light on the Myanmar military's planning for the forcible expulsion of the
Southeast Asian country's Muslim minority from Rakhine.
The
documents show how the military systematically demonized the Muslim minority,
created militias that would ultimately take part in operations against the
Rohingya, and coordinated their actions with ultranationalist Buddhist monks.
The
August 2017 pogrom was carried out with a ferocity that stunned the world.
Refugees described massacres, gang rapes and children thrown into raging fires.
More than 390 villages were either partly or completely destroyed, largely by
fire. This amounted to 40% of all villages in Rakhine.
Doctors
Without Borders (MSF) estimated at least 10,000 people died.
Myanmar’s
civilian leader at the time, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi,
dismissed much of the criticism of the military. But official records from the
period ahead of and during the expulsion of the Rohingya paint a different
picture.
Early
last year, the military toppled the government under Suu Kyi, who has been
detained since her overthrow. The coup has altered views in Myanmar and opened
an unexpected window on the 2017 atrocities.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/25/688028/Myanmar-Bangladesh-Rakhine
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Islamic
Emirate Spokesman Defies Recent Remark Saying Afghan Soil Not a Threat
By
Arif Ahmadi
26
Aug 2022
KABUL,
Afghanistan – Islamic Emirate Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in reaction to a
remark by the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Afghan soil is not a
threat to any country, adding current leadership is paving the way for
“political opponents” to return.
This
came a day after Singh, during a conclave of Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) in Tashkent Wednesday, exclaimed that the member states should encourage
Afghanistan’s authorities to achieve national reconciliation through dialogue
and establish an inclusive political structure.
Afghan
territory must not be used to intimidate or attack any country by providing
safe havens to terrorists, supporting their activities through financial
assistance, he added.
But
Mujahid defying the remarks by the Indian Defense Minister said there will be
no threat from the Afghan soil to any country, adding such is a national
responsibility and they are paying close attention to the matter.
“The
Islamic Emirate is obliged to provide security all over Afghanistan, to protect
itself and its people, and to prevent Afghanistan from being a place from which
any country would feel threatened. This is our national responsibility, and we
are paying more attention to this” he said.
Meanwhile,
a number of political analyst support the inclusive government in Afghanistan,
saying this could build trust among various sect in the country, preventing
tensions among Afghans.
“The
inclusive government can create trust among Afghanistan’s tribes and prevent
the tensions which are plaguing the government now and will in the future,”
said Barna Salehi, a political analyst, as TOLOnews quoted.
“Inclusivity
means to appoint experts and people with good backgrounds to the government
departments,” said Mohammad Matin Mohammad Khail, another political analyst.
Since
2012, Afghanistan has been in the process of gaining membership to the SCO but
is yet to be recognized as a permanent member of this organization. After the
Islamic Emirate swept into power, however, no representative from Afghanistan
has participated in any of the SCO summits.
The
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization
founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The SCO currently comprises eight Member
States: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan.
Four
Observer States, which includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia; and
six “Dialogue Partners”, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Turkey interested in acceding to full membership.
In
2021, the decision was made to start the accession process of Iran to the SCO
as a full member, and Egypt, Qatar as well as Saudi Arabia became dialogue
partners.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/spokesman-defies-recent-remark-saying-afghan-soil-not-a-threat/
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Taliban
Conduct Extensive House-to-House Searches in Northern Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
25
Aug 2022
House-to-house
searches have reportedly been resumed by the Taliban in Mazar-e-Sharif, the
provincial capital of Balkh in northern Afghanistan, according to local
sources. These searches are being conducted to find suspected criminals, combat
ISIS, and collect state and illegal weapons.
According
to sources, this round of house-to-house efforts began on Thursday morning,
August 25, in Mazar-e-Sharif’s police district 3.
The
Taliban’s 209th Al-Fath Corps and the Intelligence Directorate are working
together to conduct house-to-house searches in Mazar-e-Sharif, according to
Asif Waziri, the spokesman for the Taliban office of the chief of police in
Balkh province.
According
to the Taliban official, Asif Waziri, the Taliban forces are conducting
door-to-door searches in an effort to combat ISIS, obtain state weapons and
collect undocumented guns, as well as track down suspected criminals.
Previously,
locals in the Samangan province of northern Afghanistan said that Taliban
forces were conducting door-to-door searches in Aybak, the Samangan province’s
capital, searching homes.
The
Taliban forces reportedly conducted extensive searches throughout the province,
and as a result, 25 young people were allegedly detained without evident or
announced justifications.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban’s
‘fairer’ and more effective tax system helped it retake control of Afghanistan
Ashley
Jackson
August
26, 2022
When
the Taliban dramatically gained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, they
used bombs and guns to swiftly overcome state security forces. But they also
had another valuable and effective weapon at their disposal: taxes.
Long
before the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban had developed a remarkably
state-like system of taxing citizens on everyday goods like cigarettes and
perfume. The money raised turned out to be an essential part of the Taliban’s
military strategy, allowing them to expand territorial control, checkpoint by
checkpoint, as an integral step towards victory.
My
team’s recent investigation in Afghanistan found that the Taliban was arguably
more effective than the former government – which had the benefit of
international funding and expertise – at collecting taxes.
And
while estimates of Taliban revenue are notoriously unreliable, the group is reported
to have made in the region of $40 million (£33 million) a year just from taxing
opium. Collecting these taxes not only funded the war effort, but also helped
to undermine the government they were seeking to overthrow.
Many
of the Afghans we spoke to felt that the Taliban’s taxes were fairer than those
imposed by the government, which often involved bribery and complex
bureaucracy. By being relatively less onerous and less corrupt, the Taliban
exploited widespread Afghan frustration with government incompetence.
Local
commanders determined the most effective way to extract revenue from a
community, being careful not to press so hard as to provoke a backlash, while
creating relationships and a quasi-social contract. All of this played an
important role in the Taliban securing national control.
The
Taliban’s taxes on the transport of goods are a prime example. In the years
leading up to 2021, the Taliban gradually instituted a relatively formal
customs tax using a system of checkpoints across major roads.
Taxpayers
received formal receipts emblazoned with the Taliban logo. Price lists, on
“official” Taliban papers, circulated among truck drivers and business owners.
There were even complaints procedures for those who felt they had been overly
taxed.
The
system appears to have been deliberately designed to be more user friendly than
the one imposed by the government. One truck driver told us that unlike with
the Taliban, he had “to pay a bribe to pay tax to the Afghan government”.
All
of this helped the Taliban gain legitimacy with powerful merchants and
transport firms, who later played a key role in the eventual takeover.
For
when Afghanistan’s major border crossings and several provincial capitals fell
in July 2021, many wondered why they fell so quickly and with relatively little
violence. It quickly emerged that local business owners, seeing which way the
war was going, were motivated to encourage a quick and orderly handover.
So
as the Taliban took more and more territory, its revenue grew, and could be immediately
channelled back into the war effort. The capture of border crossings kept
Taliban coffers full as they marched on Kabul.
Death
and taxes
A
year on though, the Taliban will be realising that taxing as an insurgency is
far easier than raising revenue as a government. Before August 2021, some 80%
of the Afghan national budget was comprised of international aid. That money
has now largely been cut off, and the country’s reserves frozen.
Even
so, the US Institute of Peace estimates that the Taliban-run government
collected some US$400 million in revenue during the last quarter of 2021. While
less than half of what the government revenue had been in the same period
during previous years, it’s nevertheless substantial.
Still,
it is unlikely that the Taliban – so long as it remains unrecognised and
isolated – will be able to raise enough revenue to avert economic collapse.
Amid
a humanitarian crisis which has sparked warnings that 95% of Afghans do not
have enough to eat, few have the money to pay tax. Aid agencies fear paying
Taliban taxes, lest they be found in violation of counter-terrorism policies
and sanctions. The situation is increasingly dire.
But
what happened in Afghanistan offers lessons for how wars are understood
elsewhere. Insurgent taxation is an overlooked yet critical part of war
economies across the world, from the Houthis in Yemen to Al Shabaab in Somalia.
A
better understanding of how the Taliban were able to collect so much money and
build effective financial systems, could have provided signals about how – and
how quickly – territory would change hands. The international community needs
to rethink its outdated responses to these kinds of tactics, instead of relying
on military strikes and sanctions, which did little to stop the Taliban.
Source:
Scroll
Please
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India
A
Kerala Mosque Committee's Fight against Drug Menace
26
AUG 2022
In
a praiseworthy move, a Mahal (mosque) committee in a village in this northern
Kerala district has decided to expel or side-line members of their community
who are involved in drug-related activities.
The
bold decision by the Padannakkad jamaat committee has been welcomed by the
police with a senior officer meeting them to extend support to the model
initiative.
A
member of the committee told a TV channel that those who are part of their
mosque if found to be involved in drug-related activities, would be removed or
sidelined from the mahal committee.
They
would not be allowed to return till the committee is convinced that they have
rectified their mistake, the member said. He also said that they would be
initially carrying out an awareness campaign amongst a select number of
families which are part of their mosque.
Speaking
to PTI, Kanhangad DySP P Balakrishnan Nair said the police was already carrying
out various campaigns and measures to curb drug-related activities in the area
and this move by the Padannakkad jamaat committee is a step in the right
direction.
He
said the people who are sidelined would not be able to participate in community
activities or get married as the latter requires signatures of the committee.
Others would also stop interacting with them, he added.
Source:
Outlook India
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--------
Will
offer Friday prayers at Srinagar’s grand mosque after 3 years: Mirwaiz
Aug
25, 2022
Hurriyat
Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday said he will offer
congregational Friday prayers at Srinagar’s grand mosque for the first time
since his detention ahead of the revocation of Jammu & Kashmir’s
semi-autonomous status in August 2019. He is expected is deliver a sermon at
the mosque, where he is the chief priest, days after lieutenant governor Manoj
Sinha’s claimed the Mirwaiz was not under house arrest.
“I
am going to offer Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid tomorrow [Friday]...,” the
Mirwaiz said even as people close to him added that the administration has so
far conveyed nothing to him except moving a truck blocking his residence a bit
far from its gates. Security personnel remained deployed there.
“...it
will be an embarrassment for [Sinha] if the Mirwaiz would not be allowed to
move out of his home for the prayers,” said a person close to the Mirwaiz.
The
Hurriyat Conference last Friday contested Sinha’s statement that the Mirwaiz
was not under house arrest, saying he was even stopped from going to the mosque
on Fridays to deliver religious sermons.
In
an interview with BBC Hindi, Sinha said the Mirwaiz was not under detention
even in 2019 and that police were deployed at his residence for his safety.
Some
journalists tried to visit the Mirwaiz’s residence after the interview but were
not allowed to meet him.
In
a statement, the managing body of the mosque said it is hopeful the Mirwaiz
will be allowed to offer Friday prayers and give the sermon. It called Sinha’s
claim astonishing and said the Mirwaiz has remained detained, causing grief to
people.
The
body said all preparations have been made for the Mirwaiz’s Friday sermon and
people were eagerly awaiting for his release and looking forward to seeing and
hearing him.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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--------
Two
Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists charge-sheeted
Aug
26, 2022
JAMMU:
Twelve years after a Pakistan-trained Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorist was
gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Doda, the State Investigation
Agency (SIA) of Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday presented a chargesheet against
him and another HM terrorist arrested after the encounter.
The
chargesheet was presented against Sartaz Ahmed alias Dr. Sohail, who was killed
in the encounter, and Abdul Rashid alias Arsalan. During the hearing of the
case, police had argued that Abdul Rashid and the other slain terrorist used to
extort money from contractors carrying out government developmental work in
Doda district.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Those
giving hollow slogans like 'Beti Bachao' are 'saving rapists': Rahul Gandhi on
Bilkis Bano case
Aug
25, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The Congress on Thursday demanded justice for Gujarat riots survivor
Bilkis Bano with former party chief Rahul Gandhi alleging that those giving
hollow slogans like 'Beti Bachao' are "saving rapists".
The
11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano case were released on August 15 under the
Gujarat government's remission policy after serving 15 years in jail.
A
special CBI court in Mumbai on January 21, 2008, sentenced the 11 to life
imprisonment on charges of Bilkis Bano's rape and murder of seven members of
her family.
"Those
giving hollow slogans like 'Beti Bachao' are saving rapists," Gandhi said
in a tweet in Hindi.
"Today,
the question is about the respect and rights of the women of the country. Give
justice to Bilkis Bano," the former Congress chief said.
Congress
leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the government has made clear its stand with
its silence on the release of the 11 convicts.
"The
government has made clear its stand ('sarkar ne lakeer kheench li hai') by
keeping silent on the release of the 11 people convicted of rape, comments
expressing welcome-support for them on camera," Vadra said in a tweet in
Hindi.
"But
the women of the country have hope from the Constitution. The Constitution
gives courage even to the woman standing in the last row to fight for justice.
Give justice to Bilkis Bano," the Congress general secretary said.
At
a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Gourav
Vallabh said every person and the Congress have full faith in the judicial
system of India and hope the Constitution will give justice to Bilkis Bano.
"The
way 11 rape convicts were greeted with garlands, it is a matter of shame for
every person in India, for the government of Gujarat and for the government of
India," Vallabh said.
He
said it was shameful that the convicts were welcomed as if they had won a gold
medal.
"The
Congress party and I hope that the Supreme Court will give justice to Bilkis
Bano and strict action will be taken against those who tried to ridicule this
judicial system," he added.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
Soil Should Not Be Used to Attack Other Country: Indian Defence Minister at SCO
By
Saqalain Eqbal
25
Aug 2022
Rajnath
Singh, the Defense Minister of India, said in Tashkent on Wednesday at the
gathering of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s defense ministers that
Afghanistan’s territory should not be used to “intimidate or attack” any other
country.
In
light of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August of last year, the Indian
defense official reiterated India’s support for a “peaceful, secure, and
stable” Afghanistan in his address to the defense ministers at the 24th SCO
summit in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
The
territory of Afghanistan, according to Singh, must not be used to threaten or
attack any country by giving terrorists sanctuary, training, and financial
backing for their operations.
According
to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, terrorism in all its forms, including
cross-border terrorism, is a crime against humanity that requires a collective
response.
Singh
added that India supports an Afghanistan that is secure and peaceful, that
national reconciliation must be reached by “dialogue and negotiation,” and also
stated that “a broad-based, inclusive and representative political structure”
should be established.
The
Indian official also emphasized the need of providing Afghan people with
humanitarian aid during his speech at the gathering.
Source:
Khaama Press
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Army
top brass hints at tougher approach against TTP
Baqir
Sajjad Syed
August
26, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The army top brass on Thursday hinted at a tougher approach against the
outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as it emphasised continuation of
counter-terrorism operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa and Balochistan.
Speaking
at the 250th Corps Commanders’ Conference, a monthly feature at General
Headquarters, Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa, according to ISPR, “directed
formations to maintain operational readiness and efforts to counter terrorism
particularly in KP & Balochistan must continue (sic)”.
A
review of the security situation and flood relief operations being undertaken
by the army topped the agenda of the meeting.
The
ISPR press release on the conference did not give any details about the
emphasis on counter-terrorism operations.
All
general officers of Pakistan Army to donate one-month pay for flood relief
operations
Operations
against Baloch insurgents (in Balochistan), Gul Bahadur group (in KP) and some
of other militant outfits have been continuing.
However,
there has been a cessation of hostilities between security forces and TTP since
Eidul Fitr – at least an unannounced one as far as Pakistani security forces
are concerned.
At
present, the two sides are observing a three-month ceasefire as their
representatives hold peace talks.
Gen
Bajwa’s assertion about the continuation of the kinetic operations in KP and
Balochistan provinces comes in the backdrop of growing public resentment about
the return of TTP fighters.
Many
suspect that the TTP fighters were returning as part of the ongoing peace
talks.
Earlier
this month, the TTP militants were seen in Swat’s Matta area and at least one
incident of their clash with law-enforcement agencies was reported.
Similarly,
their presence has been noted in North and South Waziristan where an uptick in
target killings and kidnappings has been witnessed.
This
has led to anti-TTP protests in Swat and North Waziristan.
The
timing of Gen Bajwa’s statement also coincides with stress in peace talks that
have been taking place in Afghanistan. There is a growing trust deficit between
the two sides, though neither wants to walk out of the talks.
It
is widely suspected that the TTP has begun extending active support to Gul
Bahadur group in its attacks on security forces. The group, however, does not
formally acknowledge its role in these attacks.
The
TTP has, meanwhile, blamed security forces for the killing of two of its
militants in North Waziristan.
In
a statement released earlier this week, the terrorist group had warned that its
patience was running thin.
Disquiet
among TTP ranks is also visible over the death of the group’s spokesman and
senior commander Omar Khalid Khorasani in Afghanistan in a bomb blast.
At
the same time, Taliban Interior Minister Sirajudddin Haqqani, who had been
mediating TTP–Pakistan talks, is under tremendous pressure after the killing of
Al Qaeda chief in a US drone attack in Kabul at the end of last month.
The
COAS statement was, therefore, seen by security analysts as an attempt to
correct perceptions among the people worried at home about the TTP comeback,
while at the same time conveying a tough message to the terrorist group.
Flood
relief efforts
Gen
Bajwa praised the army’s flood relief efforts and “directed Army Formations to
render all possible support to the flood affectees”, the ISPR said, adding that
the participants discussed the flood situation and ongoing relief and rescue
operations.
“Expressing
deep sorrow over loss of precious lives and extensive damage to infrastructure
due to unprecedented rains/ floods, forum resolved to spare no efforts for
mitigating the sufferings of flood affectees,” the ISPR further said.
In
a separate statement, the ISPR said: “All General Officers of Pakistan Army
have donated one month pay for flood relief operations.”
Meanwhile,
Twitterati noted the absence of Bahawalpur Corps Commander Gen Faiz Hamid from
the meeting. He was not seen in the video clip of the meeting that was publicly
shared by the ISPR.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1706859/army-top-brass-hints-at-tougher-approach-against-ttp
--------
At
CTD HQs, IGP orders tightening noose around extremists, facilitators
August
25, 2022
LAHORE:
Punjab Inspector General of Police Faisal Shahkar on Thursday directed to
tighten the noose around extremist elements, saying monitoring of banned
outfits should be strengthen along with their facilitators and financiers.
“Implementation
of laws formulated under National Action Plan should be improved for effective
eradication of terrorism and extremism from society.”
Punjab
Inspector General of Police Faisal Shahkar issued the directives while
presiding over an important meeting during a visit to Punjab CTD Headquarters
here on Thursday.
The
IG Police said that the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had been equipped
with modern technology and facilities, adding that it was the integral wing of
Punjab Police which had played a very effective role in eradication of
terrorism in the province.
The
IGP directed that zero tolerance should be adopted for the violation of
religious hate speeches and content, adding that anti-social elements involved
in sectarianism should be brought to justice and punished.
He
declared that the CTD will be provided with more resources to face the
ever-changing challenges, adding that staff shortage will be addressed soon
besides consideration will be given to fix the tenure for posting of officers
in CTD.
The
IG Police pointed that elimination of evil-doers, terrorist elements, their
facilitators and financiers from the society is one of the primary tasks of the
CTD. “The role and sacrifices of CTD in elimination terrorism from the province
are commendable.”
On
the occasion, Addl IG CTD Imran Mehmood briefed the IG Police on actions and
activities of the CTD across the province.
The
IGP while giving instructions to the officers directed to improve coordination
with RPOs, CPOs, DPOs, Special Branch and other institutions concerned. He
stressed upon undertaking search, sweep, combing and Intelligence based
operations against criminals.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan:
Terrorism case registered against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in Gujarat
25
August, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], August 25 (ANI): The police on Thursday registered a terrorism case
against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah after he threatened the government
officials to kill their children and said that Pakistan’s court and its
judiciary will not help them.
The
case was filed by a citizen in the Industrial Area Police Station of Gujrat.
The police registered a case of terrorism and interference in government
matters against Sanaullah, reported Geo News.
According
to the first information report (FIR), the interior minister threatened the
government officials to kill their children and said that Pakistan’s court and
its judiciary will not help them.
The
FIR added that Sanaullah said they [government] will surround those judges who
are going to promote PTI’s agenda, reported Geo News.
“Rana
Sanaullah’s statement was to terrorise the judiciary, chief secretary and other
government officials and to not let them do their job so that they are unable
to fulfil their judicial commitments,” stated the report citing an old video of
the PML-N leader.
The
FIR mentioned that the minister’s statement has caused fear and terror among
the judiciary, authorities, police, bureaucracy and the nation, reported Geo
News.
Soon
after the news came out, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) senior leader
Moonis Elahi said that the interior minister will be arrested soon, reported
Geo News.
“You
make false cases against Imran Khan, now the Pakistani nation has registered a
true case against you,” he wrote on Twitter.
The
PML-Q was referencing the case registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, last week, for threatening an additional sessions
judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police at a rally in the
federal capital’s F-9 Park.
Source:
The Print
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Saudi
Arabia to invest $1 billion in cash-strapped Pakistan
Aug
26, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Saudi Arabia has announced a $1 billion investment in cash-strapped Pakistan
which is currently in a state of both economic and political upheaval.
This
development came during a phone call between Saudi foreign minister Prince
Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari, where he informed him of the Saudi King's directive, in addition to
discussing Saudi-Pakistani ties, as well as the regional and international
issues.
"The
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, issued a
directive to invest USD 1 billion in Pakistan, in confirmation of the Kingdom's
support of the Pakistani economy and the Pakistani people," Saudi Press
Agency (SPA) said on Thursday.
The
Pakistan foreign minister welcomed the kingdom's $1 billion investment in
Pakistan.
"Pleased
to have a conversation with HH FM Faisal bin Farhan. Recalling fraternal
bilateral ties, welcomed KSA commitment of USD 1 billion investment. in
Pakistan. Briefed my counterpart on damages caused by unprecedented floods,
highly value solidarity expressed and KSAs all possible assistance,"
Bilawal Bhutto said in a tweet.
This
announcement regarding the fresh investment comes days after the State Bank of
Pakistan informed about $4bn in financing for Pakistan from friendly countries.
"Pakistan
will get $2 billion from Qatar, $1 billion from Saudi Arabia under the umbrella
of deferred oil facility and $1bn investments from the UAE in various
sectors," Dawn quoted State Bank of Pakistan Acting Governor Murtaza Syed
as saying.
In
the face of gross financing needs of around $30 billion for FY23, Syed said the
available financing against this is estimated at $37 billion for FY23. The
amount increased after Pakistan secured $4 billion of financing from friendly
countries, the report.
As
Pakistan's economy is again on the brink of collapse, the new coalition
government has again come knocking to the kingdom for help. The $1 billion
investment has come following visits made by Pakistan's newly elected prime
minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country's chief of army staff Qamar Javed
Bajwa.
Writing
for the Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council, Uzair Younus said
recurring economic crises in Pakistan have made it more embarrassing for its
leaders to seek Saudi money as both the Saudis and Pakistanis know that
Islamabad's value proposition has been declining.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
Pakistan
court extends former PM Imran Khan's pre-arrest bail on terrorism charges
Aug
25, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A Pakistani court on Thursday extended former Prime Minister Imran Khan's
pre-arrest bail for one week in a terrorism case over a speech, his lawyer
said, shortly after the former premier appeared in court in person amidst tight
security.
Khan's
lawyer and political aide Babar Awan told Reuters bail had been granted until
Sept. 1, after which they will apply for another extension. The former premier
maintained after the hearing he had said nothing wrong in the speech last week.
Police
filed charges on Saturday against former cricket star Khan over what they said
was a threat when he spoke about police torture of an aide who faces sedition
charges for inciting mutiny in the military.
Political
tensions in Pakistan remain high as Khan rallies support for elections that are
not due until October next year. The former premier, who has attracted large
crowds in gatherings across the country since being ousted in April, said his
opponents were spooked by his popularity.
In
his speech last week, Khan said he "would not spare" the Islamabad
police chief and a female judge who remanded his aide to custody, adding he
would take legal action against them.
Police
cited that comment and said Khan's purpose was to spread terror amongst the
police and the judiciary and prevent them from doing their duty.
Khan's
bail in the matter was to expire on Thursday, but the court granted him one
more week after his court appearance.
"We
asked for a longer time because Imran Khan is contesting elections on many
seats and he needs to go on campaign, but court gave us just a week,” Awan told
Reuters.
Khan's
supporters and former ministers in his government have threatened mass protests
if he is arrested. One former minister has said his supporters would "take
over" Islamabad.
Speaking
after the extension of his bail, Khan - surrounded by his aides and supporters
- told reporters outside the court he had said nothing wrong.
Source:
Times Of India
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Contempt
petition filed against Maryam, Fazl, and Sanaullah
AUGUST
26, 2022
A
petition was filed on Thursday against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana
Fazlur Rehman, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and others in the Islamabad
High Court (IHC) regarding contempt of court. According to the filed petition,
it has been requested to initiate an inquiry over contempt of court against
these leaders. Meanwhile, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Atta Tarar from the PML-N have
been made parties in the petition filed by Ali Ijaz Buttar. It has been said in
the petition that through social media, it was informed that Maryam Nawaz and
other leaders have no respect for state institutions and judiciary.
“Unfortunately, these people are taking care of governmental affairs,” the
petition said. The petition also said that the parties had frequently used
inappropriate language against the judiciary in an attempt to shake the
confidence of the people in the judicial system. Along with the petition, the
transcript of Maryam Nawaz’s press conference was also presented before the
IHC. The court was also requested to order PEMRA chairman to produce transcript
of press conferences.
Source:
Daily Times Pakistan
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/987486/contempt-petition-filed-against-maryam-fazl-sanaullah/
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Southeast
Asia
Diplomatic
ties with Israel unimaginable for Indonesian Muslims
August
26, 2022
JAKARTA
– Former vice president Jusuf Kalla has suggested that the government open
diplomatic ties with Israel to enable Indonesia to act as a mediator between
Israel and Palestine. Kalla’s idea is realistic because Indonesia can never
play an honest peace brokering role in the Middle East if it does not recognize
Israel.
Unfortunately,
domestic audiences here will unlikely accept the suggestion for many reasons,
even though they know Kalla is an influential Muslim leader.
And
even when we finally open diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, albeit
only for trade, we cannot facilitate the settlement of this complex issue. We
are too naïve to think that Israel will listen to or be ready to compromise
with the Palestinians for the sake of good relations with Indonesia. For
Indonesian Muslims, both moderate and conservative, as long as Palestinian
people are oppressed by the Israelis, they will not support Kalla’s idea.
It
is not clear why Kalla, a businessman-cum-politician and chairman of the
Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), raised the
politically sensitive issue at this moment. As far as I remember, this is the
first time he has openly proposed diplomatic relations between Indonesia, the
world’s largest Muslim country, and Israel.
But
knowing Kalla’s character, I believe his proposal is a well-planned scenario.
Kalla
may have government backing, although I am almost sure that President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo will never accept the idea because it would be political suicide to say
anything good about Israel. It is almost unimaginable that the current
government would consider opening a formal relationship with Israel. So far
trade and defense ties between the two countries go through a third party.
Speaking
as a keynote speaker during an academic discussion on Palestine, which was
organized by the University of Indonesia’s School of Strategic and Global
Studies (SKSG UI) on Aug. 19, Kalla underlined Indonesia’s persistent support
for Palestine’s independence in a two-state system, meaning Palestine and
Israel coexisting as free nations
“It’s
impossible to broker peace without understanding the two sides well. I did so,”
he said. Kalla has visited both the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel
and confirmed he had met Israeli and Palestinian officials in his private
capacity. As vice president, Kalla reportedly met with then Israel’s prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General
Assembly in September 2018.
In
1993, then president Soeharto hosted a closed-door meeting with Israeli prime
minister Yitzhak Rabin at his private residence on Jalan Cendana, Central
Jakarta. But there was no follow-up to the meeting, although it was a public
secret that back then the Indonesian military built close cooperation with the
Israeli military, including on arms procurement and exchanges of intelligence
information.
Indonesia’s
fourth president, Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid was the staunchest supporter of
diplomatic ties with Israel and never hesitated to demonstrate his stance. He
communicated with Israeli leaders, including Simon Peres. Being a former
chairman of the country’s largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Gus
Dur could spare any backlash from anti-Israel groups, but still he could not
realize his idea.
President
Jokowi himself has repeatedly expressed support for the establishment of a free
Palestinian state. As mandated by the Constitution, Indonesia has consistently
fought for Palestine’s independence and denounced Israel’s brutality against
the Palestinians. Many individuals and groups have joined humanitarian action
to help the Palestinians, including the establishment of hospitals in the
occupied territory.
Kalla,
who served as vice president under president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from 2004
to 2009, and under President Jokowi from 2014 to 2019, has extensive experience
as a peace mediator domestically and internationally. He played a key role in
ending the prolonged Aceh war, and the sectarian conflicts in Maluku and Poso
in Central Sulawesi.
Kalla
also launched shuttle diplomacy to bring warring factions in Afghanistan,
including the Taliban, to a negotiating table. Soon after NATO left Afghanistan
last year, the Taliban regained power and immediately brought the country back
to the Stone Age. But still, Kalla has credentials as a peacemaker there.
There
is no hope for decades to come for Israel to let Palestine become an
independent country. The loud support for Palestine seems to entertain the
domestic audience. Even some Arab countries have shown less interest in
supporting Palestine and have restored diplomatic ties with Israel instead.
Then
United States president Donald Trump openly told President Jokowi he would
provide Indonesia up to US$2 billion in development aid if Jokowi agreed to
officially recognize Israel and open diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.
Indonesia responded that it would only accept Trump’s offer only if he
acknowledged Palestine as a free nation.
Kalla
has raised a noble idea but realpolitik in Indonesia will make it impossible to
materialize.
Knowing
his strong influence within Muslim populations from various backgrounds, his
no-nonsense approach and vast experience as a peace broker, I guess Kalla has
already prepared a grand strategy to achieve his mission in the Middle East. He
will continue to push for it because he barely faces political risks.
Source:
Asia News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://asianews.network/diplomatic-ties-with-israel-unimaginable-for-indonesian-muslims/
--------
Existing
Legislation Enough To Deal With Insults against Islam, Says Malaysian Religious
Affairs Minister
25
Aug 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 25 — The existing legislation is sufficient to deal with anyone who
insults Islam as the Federal Religion, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad.
Speaking
as a guest on Bernama Radio’s “Jendela Fikir” programme today, he said this
included Section 7 of the Shariah Criminal Offences Act 1997 and Section 211 of
the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“The
Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15) is also already there, it also imposes punishment on
those who insult this religion with imprisonment of not less than three years
and not more than seven years,” he said.
His
comments come following an increasing number of alleged incidents deemed to be
insulting Islam in the country of late According to Idris, the legal actions
taken were to maintain strong religious harmony in the country.
Meanwhile,
in a post on his Facebook page, Idris advised the public not to play around
with religious and racial sensitivities.
“Our
Muslim community is quite angry and disappointed. Let us not go against
religious teachings, Eastern customs and morals. Make sure to always think long
and hard before doing anything,” he said.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Naik’s
speech went against religious tolerance, Ramasamy tells court
V
Anbalagan
August
25, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: The importance of tolerance and respect for religious sensitivity in
Malaysia seemed to have escaped Muslim preacher Zakir Naik when he gave a
speech in Kota Bharu three years ago, the High Court was told today.
Penang
deputy chief minister II, P Ramasamy, said Naik was instead insensitive by
ridiculing the people of the very country that had given him shelter.
“Naik’s
Kota Bharu comments drew the ire of many Malaysians as a whole.
“By
calling the Malaysian Chinese ‘guests’ or ‘pendatang’ and questioning the
loyalty of Malaysian Hindus, he not only angered them but also ruffled the
feathers of the Malay-Muslim community,” he said.
The
former academician said this when examined by lawyer Navpreet Singh on his
feelings following Naik’s speech in the Kelantan capital on Aug 8, 2019.
Ramasamy,
73, said he was a first generation Malaysian and his parents emigrated from
India back in 1920.
He
said he grew up with many Muslim and Chinese friends and had been invited to
their homes during festive seasons.
“As
Malaysians, we are not only respectful of one another’s race and religion, but
we also treat each other as family.
“We
live by, and uphold, the principles of the Rukun Negara, which are aimed at
achieving and maintaining national harmony and unity,” he added.
However,
these basic tenets seemed to have escaped Naik, who showed insensitivity to
racial and religious tolerance here, Ramasamy said in response to defamation
suits filed by Naik, who is now a permanent resident in Malaysia.
Ramasamy
said he had no issue with the preaching of Islam in Malaysia. He said he also
had no issue with people embracing Islam after listening to Naik’s preaching.
“But
his version of comparative religion involves making provocative statements
about other religions that are hurtful and that have sparked a
racial-backlash,” he said.
Ramasamy
is relying on the defence of justification, fair comment and qualified
privilege to defeat Naik’s suits.
In
October and December 2019, Naik filed two separate suits alleging that Ramasamy
had issued five statements against him.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Protest
against corruption, not concerts, DAP man tells PAS Youth
August
26, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: A DAP MP has called on PAS Youth to organise nationwide protests against
corruption instead of concerts featuring international artists.
Klang
MP Charles Santiago said PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari’s efforts were
better off spent on protesting against corruption, citing the troubled RM9
billion littoral combat ship (LCS) project.
“I
call on PAS Youth to hold a nationwide protest against corruption and I assure
you that I will join them in that protest,” he said on Facebook, adding that he
would wait for Fadhli’s response.
Yesterday,
Fadhli, who is also the Pasir Mas MP, called on the government to cancel
scheduled concerts featuring international artists as he said they encourage
hedonism and were incompatible with the norms and values of Muslim life in
Malaysia.
“We
will not hesitate to mobilise resistance throughout the country if (this call)
is ignored,” he said.
He
made a similar call last Friday, when he warned against continuously organising
concerts and called on Muslims to oppose such events, which he said would only
invite the “wrath of Allah”.
His
posting on Facebook was made in the wake of a concert held by American
singer-songwriter Billie Eilish the night before.
The
Islamic party had previously condemned concerts held in the country by various
international performers.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Appellate
court upholds acquittal of Mat Sabu’s son on drug abuse charge
26
Aug 2022
PUTRAJAYA,
Aug 26 — Ahmad Saiful Islam, the son of former Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu,
remains free of the drug abuse charge made against him three years ago.
This
followed the decision made by the three-member panel of the Appeals Court led
by Justice Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said, in rejecting the prosecution’s appeal
against the High Court’s decision to acquit and discharge the 34-year-old man
of the charge last year.
“After
weighing the submissions from both parties, the court did not agree with the
prosecution’s argument that the High Court judge had erred factually and
legally in allowing Ahmad Saiful Islam’s appeal.
“The
court is also satisfied that the High Court judge had weighed thoroughly all
the statements and this court finds no doubts in the judge’s decision to acquit
and discharge Ahmad Saiful.
“Therefore,
the prosecution’s appeal is rejected and the High Court’s decision stays,” said
Justice Kamaludin. The other two judges in the panel were Justice Datuk M.
Gunalan and Justice Datuk Hashim Hamzah.
Ahmad
Saiful Islam was charged with using a THC-type drug at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur
at 2.05 am on Jan 5, 2019.
On
Oct 27 last year, the High Court acquitted and discharged him of the drug abuse
charge after allowing his appeal to quash the conviction and jail sentence
imposed by the Magistrate’s Court on June 24, 2020.
Justice
Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah in his judgment said the taking of only one
bottle of urine had left open the possibility of contamination as the same
sample was used both by the police for the screening test and the chemist for
the confirmatory test.
He
said the failure of the police to abide by the guidelines in omitting to take
two bottles of urine has rendered the conviction flawed.
Prior
to that, Magistrate Mohamad Aizat Abdul Rahim sentenced Ahmad Saiful Islam to
eight months’ jail after finding that the defence had failed to raise a
reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Decisions
by Malaysia's Chief Justice draw attention in landmark case of ex-PM Najib
AUG
23, 2022
PETALING
JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, the Chief
Justice of Malaysia, has always stayed out of the glare of publicity and stuck
to the decorum expected of her high position.
The
only time she was in the news was when she made decisions on law.
But
now, she has been thrust into the centre of attention as she presided in the
last one week over the final appeal of ex-prime minister Najib Razak at
Malaysia's apex court, the Federal Court.
She
decisively cut through several legal moves by Najib's lawyers in what could be
seen as tactics to adjourn the court.
On
Tuesday (Aug 23), the five-member bench led by her affirmed Najib's 12-year
jail sentence for misappropriating millions of dollars from a company linked to
state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), thus becoming the country's
first ex-prime minister to be jailed.
The
recent decisions and speeches by Tengku Maimum, 63, have led to many people
talking about her and the bench she leads.
Malaysia's
16th top judge has already created history by becoming the first female Chief
Justice, and the records show she was appointed for her abilities and
qualification.
Amid
attacks alleging misappropriations against a High Court judge who had first
convicted Najib, Tengku Maimun said in April: "Citizens including
politicians are, to a certain extent, free to criticise the judiciary.
"However,
that does not mean that it is open to citizens, including politicians, to level
unfounded and scurrilous attacks against the judiciary or a particular judge to
further their own end."
She
received a standing ovation at that ceremony to swear in High Court judges.
Tengku
Maimun hails from Kelantan.
She
graduated from Universiti Malaya in 1982. She began her career as a legal
officer at the Southern Kelantan Development Board, or Kesedar.
She
later joined the judicial and legal service where she served in various
capacities for over 20 years.
She
was appointed as Judicial Commissioner in 2006 and rose through the ranks as a
High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court judge, from 2007 until 2019.
On
May 2, 2019, she reached the pinnacle of her career when she was appointed as
the 10th Chief Justice.
She
is known for several notable judgments that became landmark decisions in
Malaysia's judiciary.
In
2019, Tengku Maimun was the only judge who gave a dissenting judgment, where
she upheld and favoured setting aside charges against the late Karpal Singh.
Mr
Karpal, a prominent opposition politician and lawyer, had been charged under
the Sedition Act over a press statement and was acquitted in 2019.
Tengku
Maimun will also be remembered as the Court of Appeal judge who in 2018
reversed a High Court ruling, by allowing a Buddhist father to get sole
guardianship of his children who had been unilaterally converted to Islam by
their mother.
The
High Court had previously allowed the mother to have custody of the two
children. The mother had converted to Islam and changed the children's faith
without the father's permission.
Another
big decision which involved Tengku Maimun was when the Court of Appeal decided
that Muslim children, who were deemed born out of wedlock, should be allowed to
carry their father's name in their birth certificates.
The
court ruled that the National Registration Department was not bound by any
fatwa, or religious edicts, when it came to deciding the surname of the child.
The
Malaysian Bar has reportedly described her as "a person known for her
sound decisions, impeccable judicial temperament and, most of all, her
independence".
In
a speech which Tengku Maimun made in 2021 at the Australia Indonesia
Partnership for Justice webinar, she said the task of a judge was onerous and
it was reflected in the oath that judges took, "namely to bear true faith
and allegiance to Malaysia and to preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution."
She
added that the "Malaysian community hoped that I would restore the
judiciary to its past glory and that I will put in place righteous judges to
adjudicate cases at hand''.
Tengku
Maimun also said that "significantly, justice is represented by a lady
carrying a sword and scales, nearly always blindfolded to symbolise the fair
and equal administration of law, without bias or prejudice, fear, or favour.
Source:
Straits Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Fighting
flares for second day in northern Ethiopia: Residents
25 August,
2022
Fighting
flared for a second day in northern Ethiopia, residents said on Thursday, an
outbreak of violence that has shattered hopes for fledgling peace talks between
the government and forces from the Tigray region.
“We
are frequently hearing the sound of heavy weapons, more than the previous
days,” a farmer in Amhara's Kobo area who did not wish to be named told
Reuters. “More troops including those from Ethiopian National Defense Force,
local militias and Fanos (volunteer militia) are heading to the front.”
A
second resident confirmed his account.
Leul
Mesfin, medical director of Dessie Hospital, the largest medical facility in
the vicinity of the fighting, said that as of Thursday the facility had not
received any casualties from the fighting, which is in Amhara region just to
the south of Tigray.
Reuters
was unable to reach the nearest hospital on the Tigrayan side as the region has
been cut off from phone communications for more than a year.
It
was not clear if the troops moving through Kobo were going to offensive or
defensive positions, or who started the fighting.
Both
sides blamed each other for breaking the four-month-old ceasefire between Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front
(TPLF), the party that controls Tigray.
Ethiopian
government spokesman Legesse Tulu, military spokesman Colonel Getnet Adane, the
Amhara regional spokesman Gizachew Muluneh and the prime minister's spokeswoman
Billene Seyoum did not respond to requests for comment on the fresh fighting.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda also did not respond to a request for comment.
The
ceasefire had allowed badly needed humanitarian aid to reach Tigray, where more
than 90 percent of people need food aid.
On
Wednesday, the United Nations said Tigrayan forces had seized 12 fuel tankers
from a warehouse in Mekelle. The government has heavily restricted fuel
supplies from entering Tigray, and the tankers were supposed to have been used
for distributing humanitarian aid.
On
Thursday, the TPLF issued a statement saying the fuel had only been lent to the
United Nations and they had needed to reclaim it.
The
war in Tigray started in November 2020 after Tigrayan forces seized control of
military bases in their region, saying they believed an attack by the military
was imminent after the region held regional elections in defiance of a
government order to delay them because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
government has denied it was planning to attack Tigray, whose leaders dominated
the government until Abiy swept to power in 2018.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
IPOB
warning Igbos to bury their dead in three days is Islamic agenda – Simon Ekpa
August
25, 2022
By
Seun Opejobi
A
self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of
Biafra, IPOB, Simon Ekpa, has reacted to warnings by the body asking
Southeasterners to bury their dead within three days.
Ekpa
said IPOB’s charge of burying dead bodies in the Southeast within three days
was an Islamic agenda.
Recall
that IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, had warned people of the Southeast
against keeping their dead in the mortuary.
Powerful
said delay in burial rites was responsible for the problems bedevilling the
Southeast.
He
called on religious leaders in the Southeast to ensure that dead bodies were
buried within three days.
The
IPOB spokesman warned that IPOB might shut down mortuaries in the Southeast.
Condemning
the warning, Ekpa said such does not represent the culture of the Southeast.
In
a series of tweets, Ekpa wrote: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication
by some expelled criminals in IPOB urging Ndigbo to bury corpses within 3 days.
“Please,
disregard such news. It doesn’t represent our culture. They are now out with
their Islamic beliefs. The reason some of them went to Kuwait.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran
exiles sue President Raisi in US ahead of UN General Assembly meeting
25 August,
2022
An
exile group announced a New York lawsuit against Iranian President Ebrahim
Raisi Thursday, challenging US authorities to take action against him as he is
expected to arrive next month for the UN General Assembly.
The
National Council of Resistance of Iran said the suit accused Raisi of torture
and murder in a 1988 crackdown on Iranian dissidents.
Echoing
similar complaints filed in England and Scotland, the civil lawsuit says that
in 1988 Raisi was a member of the so-called “death commission,” four judges who
directly ordered thousands of executions as well as torture of members of the
opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, known as the MEK.
The
MEK is the largest partner of the NCRI.
It
is “beyond doubt that as deputy state prosecutor for Tehran province, Ebrahim
Raisi, was a member of that death commission,” Steven Schneebaum, the lead
attorney in the lawsuit, said in a Washington press conference organized by the
NCRI.
The
suit was filed in federal court in New York last week in the names of two
people tortured at the time and a third person whose brother was executed.
It
cites Amnesty International and US sanctions declarations that accuse Raisi of
complicity in the 1988 events.
The
suit asks for unspecified damages for torture, extrajudicial killings, genocide
and crimes against humanity.
The
suit challenges the belief that Raisi, who was elected president last year,
enjoys immunity under US law as a head of state and also an official foreign
representative attending the United Nations annual general meeting at the UN
headquarters in New York.
Schneebaum
said that, for one, Raisi is not a diplomat officially accredited to the United
Nations.
Secondly,
he said, while Raisi is president, the real head of state of Iran is Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei.
“Raisi
is not a diplomat... and is not eligible for the privileges extended under the
Vienna Convention. Nor is he in fact a head of state,” Schneebaum said.
If
US authorities accept those arguments, they could serve Raisi with a warrant if
he attends the UN meetings beginning September 13.
That
would require him to submit a plea withing 21 days, said Schneebaum.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
indicts Islamic Jihad leader whose arrest triggered Gaza violence
25
August, 2022
Israel
on Thursday indicted a senior leader of the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad movement
whose arrest led to a brief conflict in Gaza earlier this month and whose
detention is likely to fuel tensions.
The
charges against Bassam al-Saadi, who was arrested on August 1 during a raid in
the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, include serving in an illegal
organization and incitement, according to a statement from the Israeli
military.
Anticipating
retaliation to al-Saadi’s arrest, Israel launched what it called pre-emptive
strikes against his group in the Gaza Strip, where it is based, leading to
three days of Israeli air strikes and Palestinian rockets.
He
has been held in an Israeli military prison.
Al-Saadi,
according to the military, is an “influential senior official” in Islamic Jihad
who it said worked on “core terrorist activities” that include receiving funds
from Gaza.
An
Islamic Jihad spokesman, Dawood Shehab, said Israel was fabricating charges
based on “misleading and unfounded accusations.”
Shehab
said the group would ask Egypt and the United Nations to intervene, and issued
a veiled threat that it could respond with violence if al-Saadi was not
released.
“Reaching
a dead end would give us the full right to use other tracks and other options,”
said Shehab.
The
Israeli military prosecutor asked to keep al-Saadi in custody for the remainder
of the legal process, the army said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Terror
charges filed against Islamic Jihad leader whose arrest sparked Gaza conflict
By
EMANUEL FABIAN
25
August 2022
Military
prosecutors on Thursday filed an indictment against a senior Palestinian
Islamic Jihad member whose arrest at the beginning of the month sparked a round
of fighting between Israel and the terror group in the Gaza Strip.
Bassem
Saadi’s indictment included charges of membership in a terror group (the PIJ),
conducting operations on behalf of the terror group, incitement to terrorism,
assisting others to contact an enemy, and assuming a false identity.
A
military court further extended Saadi’s remand on Thursday, ordering him held
until Sunday, when a hearing will be held to have him remain under arrest until
the end of legal proceedings. There was no immediate date scheduled for his
trial.
Saadi,
the leader of the terror group in the West Bank, was arrested on August 1 by
Israeli troops in the Palestinian city of Jenin. His arrest followed
intelligence information indicating that Saadi had continued to be active in
the PIJ, a military source said.
According
to the indictment, Saadi worked to assist two other Palestinians to “advance
activities” of the PIJ’s student council, which is considered by Israel to be a
part of the outlawed group. The pair received $5,000 from a terror operative in
the Gaza Strip for the activities, according to the indictment.
The
charge of incitement was given over May interview in which Saadi said if
Israeli troops enter the Jenin refugee camp “and went door to door, God forbid,
then the resistance would rise like ‘phoenixes’ from the fire or the coals… the
Jenin refugee camp is a part of the Palestinian people who remain to fight
until they are removed from our land, sea, sky, and holy places.”
During
his arrest on August 1, Saadi identified himself to troops as his brother
Ghassan, and was therefore also charged with assuming a false identity,
according to the indictment.
In
response to Saadi’s arrest, the PIJ announced it was declaring a state of
alert. The Israel Defense Forces, saying it had concrete indications of an
imminent attack on the Gaza border, put the area on lockdown for four days amid
concerns that PIJ would try to fire anti-tank missiles at Israeli targets along
the border.
Eventually,
the IDF launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza against a senior PIJ commander
and several anti-tank guided missile squads in an operation called Breaking
Dawn, which prompted rocket fire from the Strip.
After
nearly three days of fighting a ceasefire agreement was signed, which
reportedly included “Egypt’s commitment to work toward the release of” Saadi
and another Palestinian detainee, Khalil Awawdeh, a terror group spokesperson
said.
Israel
has no intention of releasing the prisoners early, officials said after the
ceasefire. Awawdeh’s administrative detention has been temporarily suspended,
but Israel’s top court has denied him a full release.
PIJ,
meanwhile, has threatened to resume fighting if Israel fails to release Saadi
and Awawdeh.
There
was no immediate statement from the terror group in response to the indictment.
Saadi,
61, has been jailed and released by Israel seven times over the years,
according to the Shin Bet.
The
security service said that in recent months Saadi “worked even harder to
restore PIJ activities, in which he was behind the creation of a significant
military force of the organization in Samaria in general and in Jenin in
particular,” referring to the northern West Bank.
“His
presence was a significant factor in the radicalization of the organization’s
operatives in the field,” the Shin Bet added.
Source:
Times Of Israel
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Nuclear
Chief: Iran to Turn into Nuclear Power Plant Construction Hub in Coming Years
2022-August-25
Speaking
on the sidelines of an event to launch the production line of a domestically
designed, portable gamma radiation device to be used in the agriculture sector,
Eslami stated that an ongoing global fuel crisis had made the use of nuclear
energy more relevant.
“Today,
the world is facing a fuel crisis, and almost all countries, European states in
particular, have all turned to constructing nuclear plants. We lag behind by
several years in that area,” the official noted.
He
added Iran had a 20-year plan related to the use of nuclear energy to produce
electricity.
“What
is of very high importance to us is to be able to increase the uses of nuclear
technology in the country by the day,” the nuclear chief continued.
"With
the implementation of that plan, Iran should become a hub for designing and
building nuclear plants,” Eslami stressed.
"By
God's grace, in the first year of the (current) government, planning to develop
the use of radiation was put on the agenda. The comprehensive development
document was studied and designed at the country level and was placed on the
agenda. Based on this document, 12 points were identified in the country that
can be used in agriculture," he stressed.
The
AEOI head said that there was only one radiation system that was used in a
limited part of this area, and added that a truly advanced portable system is
now designed.
Back
in April, Spokesman of the AEOI Behrouz Kamalvandi said that the country plans
to build several other nuclear power plants in different parts of Iran.
He
added that the European states have also accepted the fact that building
nuclear plants is inevitable.
Kamalvandi
underlined the importance of building nuclear power plants, stating it is an
essential part of the country's needs.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran-IAEA
standoff last major hurdle in reviving nuclear deal
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
26.08.2022
TEHRAN,
Iran
After
more than a year of indirect talks marked by frequent interludes, Iran and the
US see an agreement aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal as closer than
ever.
On
Wednesday, Washington responded to Tehran’s comments on a draft proposal by the
European Union that was submitted right after the latest round of talks in
Austria’s capital by top EU diplomat Josep Borrell.
Borrell
termed Iran’s response “reasonable,” and reports suggest that the US' response
to Iran’s comments, which is currently being reviewed in Tehran, could help in
clinching the deal.
While
disagreements between Iran and the US appear to be narrowing, including on key
sticking points, the standoff between Tehran and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, is now emerging as a
roadblock.
"Give
us the necessary answers, people and places so we can clarify the many things
needed for clarification," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said
Monday.
Grossi
– who has made multiple trips to Iran since taking office in December 2019 –
said Iran must answer the IAEA over uranium traces found at previously
“undeclared sites” as part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
safeguards agreement.
"Dropping
probes is not something the IAEA does or will ever do without a proper process.
The key to this lies in a very simple thing: Will Iran cooperate with us?” he
told CNN.
A
day later, Sayed Mohammad Marandi, an adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating
team, took to Twitter to declare that Iran’s nuclear program “will not be
dismantled” and the IAEA probe must be dropped.
“No
deal will be implemented before the IAEA Board of Directors permanently closes
the false accusations file,” he wrote, referring to a resolution passed by the
watchdog against Iran in June.
On
Wednesday, Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization,
refuted reports that Iran has dropped its demand to shelve the probe as the
parties to the nuclear deal gear up for a major breakthrough.
“We
don't expect the director general of the agency (Grossi) to make statements
that are exactly what the Zionist regime (Israel) wants,” Eslami told local
media, echoing a claim made by many Iranian officials that the UN nuclear
watchdog works “under the influence” of Israel.
IAEA-Iran
standoff
The
marathon negotiations between Iran and the P4+1 countries (Russia, China, the
UK, France plus Germany) in Vienna since April last year have run parallel to
the standoff between Tehran and the IAEA.
But
tensions escalated after an anti-Iran resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors
meeting in June, which prompted calls in Tehran for reduced cooperation with
the UN watchdog.
The
resolution, which followed the IAEA's quarterly report which criticized Iran
for non-compliance with the NPT safeguards agreement, urged Tehran to fully
cooperate with the UN watchdog body and give IAEA inspectors access to three
"undeclared sites."
Iran's
Foreign Ministry at the time termed it a "miscalculated and
ill-advised" move and warned of a “firm and proportionate" response.
Eslami said the UN nuclear body was "taken hostage" by Israel.
As
the parties to the 2015 accord race to the finish line, the standoff between
Iran and the IAEA threatens to play spoilsport, with both sides unwilling to
budge from their respective positions.
“Almost
16 months after the talks began, Iran and the US, with the mediation of the
European Union, are close to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, but that doesn’t
mean all gaps have been plugged,” Humayoun Zamaani, a Tehran-based strategic
affairs analyst, told Anadolu Agency.
“Besides
some issues that still need to be ironed out between Tehran and Washington,
which I hope will take place in the coming days as the two sides discuss the EU
draft proposal, the standoff between Iran and the UN nuclear agency needs to be
resolved without further dilly-dallying,” he said.
Deal
or no deal?
Iran
has significantly ramped up its uranium enrichment activities from 3.67%
stipulated under the 2015 nuclear deal to nearly 60% in response to the US
withdrawal from the deal in 2018.
This
has raised concerns in the West about possible military dimensions (PMD) of
Iran’s nuclear program, putting Tehran and the UN nuclear agency on a collision
course.
Nour
News, affiliated with Iran’s top security body, on Tuesday criticized Grossi
for “not seeing Iran’s goodwill” and “acting on the basis of reports” provided
by Israel.
“With
the continuation of this approach, the IAEA’s Rafael Grossi alongside ‘the
Zionist regime’ have turned into main obstacles to finalizing talks,” the
agency stated, insisting on resolving the PMD case.
On
the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has expressed concern that
the US and other parties are going to offer more concessions to Iran to reach a
deal in Vienna.
Abolfazl
Amouei, a senior lawmaker and member of the Iranian parliament’s foreign policy
and national security committee, told Anadolu Agency that Iran is seeking a
“beneficial and sustainable agreement” that will be “challenged” if issues
between Iran and the IAEA are not resolved.
“Since
the (UN nuclear) agency can disrupt the implementation of the agreement and
Iran's benefits from it by making unsubstantiated claims, Iran insists that
these remaining issues (between the two sides) be resolved before the
implementation of the agreement,” he asserted.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Yemen’s
foreign minister, UK ambassador discuss peace efforts, UN truce
August
26, 2022
Yemen’s
Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ahmad Awadh BinMubarak and
Ambassador of the United Kingdom Richard Oppenheim discussed peace efforts and
the latest developments in the country on Thursday, the Yemen News Agency
(SABA) reported.
The
foreign minister highlighted the importance of ending the Houthis’ siege on
Taiz, saying millions of Yemenis had been stripped of their basic human rights
as a result, according to SABA.
The
militia’s refusal to reopen the roads in Taiz would hinder the peace process in
Yemen, he added.
The
Yemeni government welcomed all efforts to achieve peace in the country and alleviate
the suffering of its people, BinMubarak said.
He
emphasized that international parties must continue to put pressure on the
Houthis to honor their commitments to the truce, SABA reported.
Source:
Arab News
Please
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2150676/middle-east
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North
America
US
hits ‘Iran-backed group’ for third straight day in Syria
August
26, 2022
AMMAN/WASHINGTON:
The US military on Thursday hit several targets in the Syrian city of Mayadin
in parts of Deir al Zor province under government control, in the third day of
skirmishes with Iran-backed groups, local military sources said.
They
said at least three members of an Iran-aligned militia were killed when they
were targeted by a US helicopter as they were about to prepare a rocket
launcher in the town which lies along the western bank of the Euphrates.
Iranian
militias have a strong presence in the town and have long targeted the nearby
Al Omar oil field on the eastern bank of the Euphrates where the US coalition
have their biggest base in Syria.
The
base also known as Green Village was last night targeted in a second
consecutive day of violence between the US military and Iran-backed militants
that injured at least one US service member and killed up to four militants,
according to the US military.The latest exchange of fire underscored soaring
military tensions even amid diplomatic efforts between Tehran and the West to
try to save Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.
It
came a day after President Joe Biden authorised US air strikes in Syria on an
ammunition depot and other facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s
elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The
US military said the suspected Iran-backed militants launched two separate
attacks starting at approximately 7:20pm local time in Syria.
Several
rockets landed inside the perimeter of Mission Support Site Conoco in northeast
Syria and were quickly followed by rocket fire near Mission Support Site Green
Village, it said in a statement.Central Command said the wounded US service
member had been at Mission Support Site Conoco and returned to duty after
treatment. Two other servicemembers were under evaluation for minor injuries,
it said. Some injuries, including brain trauma, can manifest after an incident.
Source:
Dawn
Please
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1706845/us-hits-iran-backed-group-for-third-straight-day-in-syria
--------
Biden:
We targeted Iran-allied militias in Syria to deter attacks on US facilities
26 August,
2022
The
US army conducted strikes against militia groups in Syria affiliated with
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to deter Iran and the militias
it backs from attacking American personnel and facilities, President Joe Biden
said on Thursday.
US
forces conducted on Tuesday precision airstrikes in Syria’s Deir al Zor
province. The military's Central Command, which oversees American forces in the
Middle East, said the strikes targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups
affiliated with Iran’s IRGC.
Biden
said the targeted facility was used by militia groups affiliated with the IRGC
that have been involved in a series of unmanned aerial vehicle, rocket, and
mortar attacks against US personnel and facilities in Syria.
He
cited two attacks on August 15 by Iran-allied militia groups which targeted two
US bases in Syria, al-Tanf Garrison and Mission Support Site Green Village.
“These
August 15 attacks followed a series of attacks by Iran-backed militia groups on
US forces and facilities in Iraq and Syria in the last six months,” Biden said
in a letter to the Speaker of the House.
He
added: “I directed the August 23 strikes in order to protect and defend the
safety of our personnel, to degrade and disrupt the ongoing series of attacks
against the US and our partners, and to deter Iran and Iran-backed militia
groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on US personnel and
facilities.”
Iran
denied on Wednesday having any ties to the targeted sites in Syria, according
to the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani.
Biden’s
letter coincided with more US strikes in Syria on Thursday. US Central Command
said: “Over the past 24 hours, in response to yesterday’s rocket attacks on
Mission Support Site Conoco and Mission Support Site Green Village in northeast
Syria, CENTCOM forces struck at Iran-affiliated militants in the area…
resulting in four enemy fighters killed and seven enemy rocket launchers
destroyed.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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US
working to expand visa services in Türkiye amid delays: State Department
Michael
Hernandez
25.08.2022
WASHINGTON
The
US is working to expand visa processing in Türkiye, the State Department said
Thursday as Turks face extended wait times of months before they can receive a
consular appointment.
Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that the drawn-out process is
"planned and deliberate," and vowed to give "necessary
warnings" to relevant diplomats.
"If
there is no improvement, then we will take countermeasures," Cavusoglu
said during an interview with the Haber Global news outlet.
A
State Department spokesman told Anadolu Agency that the US has "no desire
for this to be an irritant in our bilateral relationship," and that the US
is working to alleviate delays in visa processing caused by the worldwide
coronavirus pandemic, including in Türkiye.
"Visa
wait times are a challenge that we are addressing in Turkey equally as we are
around the world, understanding that these COVID restrictions and some of the
limitations on our workforce have led to extended wait lines for various visa
classes, and it’s something we’re addressing with urgency," the
spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.
"The
United States welcomes travelers from Turkey, and we are very happy to see the
number of Turkish travelers to the U.S. is increasing every year. We are working
hard to meet the increased demand for visas," the spokesperson added.
Part
of the efforts to resolve the bottleneck in Türkiye include the opening of a
new US Embassy in Ankara and the spokesperson said the new building "will
enable us to expand our visa processing capacity."
In
addition, the agency has doubled the number of consular staff hired worldwide
in the current fiscal year compared to the prior year in a push to ease the
bogged-down visa process.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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US
urges permanent end to conflict in Ethiopia amid renewed violence
Vakkas
Dogantekin
25.08.2022
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the opposing sides involved in the
conflict in Ethiopia late Wednesday to work towards a permanent cease-fire amid
renewed clashes in the East African country.
"Five
months ago, a truce was declared in northern Ethiopia, which reduced violence
and saved lives. We are concerned that renewed fighting puts that at risk. We
call on the Ethiopian Government and TPLF to redouble efforts for peace to
bring a permanent end to the conflict," Blinken said on Twitter, referring
to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the party that controls Ethiopia’s
northern Tigray region.
Earlier
in the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply
shocked and saddened" over the resumption of hostilities in Ethiopia.
His
remarks came hours after both the Ethiopian government and Tigray rebels
confirmed that a humanitarian truce had been broken following a military
escalation.
The
Ethiopian army and the forces of the TPLF traded blame as to which side
violated the cease-fire that was reached in March in areas along the
administrative border between Amhara and Tigray states.
The
government has expressed readiness to engage in talks with the rebels in the
past several months without any preconditions as long as they are held under
the sole mediation of the African Union.
But
the Tigray rebels rejected the African Union as a mediator, recommending that
talks be held with Kenya’s outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta in that role.
Thousands
of people, most of them civilians, have been killed and millions displaced
since the conflict began in November 2020.
The
UN has warned that Tigray “stands on the edge of a humanitarian disaster,” with
more than 40% of the region’s estimated 6 million people in need of emergency
assistance.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Europe
UK decision
to intervene in Rohingya case before International Court of Justice hailed
Riyaz
ul Khaliq
26.08.2022
Rights
groups have hailed the UK government's decision to intervene in the Rohingya
case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“The
UK government’s decision to intervene in the (Rohingya) case sends a strong
message of solidarity to the Rohingya people five years since the genocidal
attacks in Rakhine state,” said Kyaw Win, executive director of the
London-based Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN).
“International
justice can have a preventative effect and stop future atrocities by the brutal
junta in Burma,” Win said in a statement.
According
to BHRN, 60 countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, UK, and all 57
members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), supported the case.
Amanda
Milling, the British minister for Asia, confirmed the UK's intention to
intervene in the ICJ case between the Gambia and Myanmar on Thursday.
On
July 22, the ICJ rejected Myanmar's preliminary objections to Gambia's case
filed in November 2019 under the International Genocide Convention for alleged
genocide against ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine State, with a focus on military
operations launched in October 2016 and August 2017.
In
January 2020, the ICJ unanimously issued provisional measures of protection for
the Rohingya people, requiring Myanmar to ensure that the military and other
security forces do not commit acts of genocide.
On
Thursday, the Rohingya, who the UN calls the world's most persecuted people,
and their allies commemorated five years of "Genocide Remembrance
Day" and their forcible exodus from the Rakhine state.
According
to BHRN data, nearly 600,000 Rohingya people are still trapped in the Rakhine
state "under a system of discriminatory laws and policies that amount to
crimes against humanity and ongoing genocide."
“Since
the attempted military coup on 1 Feb. 2021, the human rights situation of the
Rohingya has further deteriorated with Rohingya facing tightened restrictions
on their fundamental freedoms and are increasingly at risk of being subjected
to further atrocity crimes,” the rights group said.
The
Burmese military, locally known as Tatmadaw, launched a coup last year
overthrowing the government of the National League for Democracy.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Turkish
singer Gulsen arrested after religious schools quip: Media
26
August, 2022
Turkish
pop star Gulsen was arrested on Thursday after an Istanbul prosecutor opened an
investigation into charges of "inciting people to hatred and
hostility" after a remark she made on stage about religious schools, local
media reported.
The
singer-songwriter, whose full name is Gulsen Colakoglu, said on Twitter she had
made a joke with colleagues during an April performance and apologized to
anyone offended, adding her words were seized upon by some to polarize society.
Hurriyet
newspaper and other media reported the Istanbul chief prosecutor's office
launched the probe, and that the education ministry condemned the comments and
opened its own legal process.
DHA
news agency reported Gulsen gave a statement to Istanbul police, was
transferred to a court and later arrested.
The
number of Imam Hatip religious schools have risen sharply under President
Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling AK Party is rooted in political Islam and who has
overturned decades-old restrictions on religion in the country, irking
secularists.
Critics
say he has bent the courts to his will to crack down on dissent and free
expression, charges the government denies.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Arab
World
SOC
Political Parties Committee Meets Comptroller-General of Syria’s Muslim
Brotherhood
August
26th, 2022
The
Political Parties and Movements Committee of the Syrian Opposition Coalition
(SOC) visited the office of the Muslim Brotherhood in Istanbul to discuss the
overall field, humanitarian, social and political situation in Syria, in
addition to the political life in the future of Syria.
The
meeting brought together Coordinator of the Committee Abdullah Kaddo, Secretary
of the SOC’s political committee Abdel Majid Barakat, member of the General
Assembly Muhammad Yahya Maktabi, Comptroller-General of the Muslim Brotherhood
in Syria Muhammad Walid, and the Brotherhood’s representatives in the SOC
Farouk Tayfour and Ahmed Sayyed Youssef.
The
two sides discussed the major political developments in Syria as they stressed
the need to strengthen cooperation in order to unify the Syrian national ranks
with their various religious, national and cultural backgrounds. They stressed
the need to find a national alternative that ends the Assad regime’s monopoly
of power and consolidates the foundations of a civil state.
Source:
Syrian Observer
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UN
Special Rapporteur Voices Concern About Deteriorating Health Condition Of
Detained Saudi Shia Cleric, Sheikh Mohammed Hassan Al-Habib
25
August 2022
The
United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
has expressed concern about the deteriorating health condition of Saudi Shia
cleric and human rights activist Sheikh Mohammed Hassan al-Habib, as the Riyadh
regime presses ahead with its heavy-handed crackdown on members of the
religious community and pro-democracy campaigners.
Mary
Lawlor said that she is concerned about the fate of prisoners of conscience at
detention centers across Saudi Arabia, some of whom are suffering from serious
physical conditions due to deliberate medical negligence.
Lawlor,
in a post published on her Twitter page, said she is very worried about the
report on the deterioration of the physical condition of the Saudi clergyman,
who has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Activists
say the physical condition of Sheikh Habib, who is being held behind bars in
Saudi Arabia's Dammam Central Prison, is very critical due to the lack of
healthcare and medical negligence, which Saudi prison officials exercise to
torture and gradually kill prisoners.
According
to the London-based rights group ALQST, an independent non-governmental
organization advocating human rights in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Shia cleric and
human rights activist suffers from sciatica, back pain and headache as a result
of systematic torture after his arrest in 2016.
The
human rights organization called on Saudi authorities to fulfill their
obligations towards Sheikh Habib, and release him immediately.
ALQST
also demanded the withdrawal of trumped-up charges leveled against him and all
prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh
Habib is apparently a close relative of executed dissident Shia cleric Sheikh
Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
In
early January 2016, Saudi authorities executed the prominent Shia cleric along
with 46 other people, who had vociferously called for democracy in the kingdom
and advocated anti-regime protests. Nimr had been arrested in Qatif, Eastern
Province, in 2012.
The
rights group Prisoners of Conscience, which is an independent non-governmental
organization advocating human rights in Saudi Arabia, announced in a post on
its official Twitter page on September 12, 2019 that the Specialized Criminal
Court in Riyadh had sentenced Sheikh Habib to 12 years in prison and prevented
him from traveling abroad for five years.
Ever
since Mohammed bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the
kingdom has arrested hundreds of activists, bloggers, intellectuals and others
for their political activism, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in
the face of international condemnation of the crackdown.
Muslim
scholars have been executed and women’s rights campaigners have been put behind
bars and tortured as freedom of expression, association, and belief continue to
be denied by the kingdom's authorities.
Source:
Press TV
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US
military kills four Iran-backed militants after attacks in Syria
25 August,
2022
The
US military says it killed four “enemy fighters” over the last 24 hours and
destroyed rocket launchers used by Iran-backed militants in Syria.
The
US targeted the Iranian-backed fighters in response to rocket attacks on US
personnel in recent days.
The
latest attack was on Wednesday when US troops came under fire in northeast
Syria. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) pounded Iran-affiliated militants using
AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777 artillery.
CENTCOM
said in a statement that four fighters were killed and seven enemy rocket
launchers were destroyed.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Lebanon
child poverty: 84 pct of households unable to cover necessities, UNICEF says
25 August,
2022
Soaring
prices and widespread unemployment brought on by the pandemic and the severe
economic crisis in Lebanon have plunged thousands of families into
“multidimensional poverty,” with around 84 percent of households not being able
to cover necessities, UNICEF reported on Thursday.
“Children
are feeling let down and losing trust in their parents for being unable to meet
their basic needs, which in turn increases tensions in the household,” UNICEF
said in a statement.
“As
children are increasingly sent out to work in Lebanon, and adults become
unemployed, the traditional parent-child relationship is being destroyed.”
UNICEF’s
study on child poverty and a child-focused rapid assessment (CFRA) found that
children were aware of the impact the crisis has had on their lives and on the
country, with many no longer dreaming of a better future and believing that
emigration is their only hope.
The
crisis has also taken a toll on children’s mental health, which is particularly
concerning as they are also unable to receive the care they need.
“The
crisis is affecting every aspect of children’s lives. Children are growing up
without enough food, without proper access to healthcare, and, in some cases,
working to support their families,” UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Edouard
Beigbeder said in a statement.
“Critical
reforms are needed to safeguard children’s future. The Government should
implement urgent social protection measures, ensure access to quality education
for every child and strengthen primary health care and child protection
services.”
UNICEF
found that 38 percent of households reduced spendinf on education (compared to
26 percent in 2021), 60 percent cut spending on health treatments (up from 42
percent in April 2021), 70 percent of households have to borrow money for food
or buy food on credit, and 36 percent of caregivers felt less tolerant with
their children and treated them more harshly.
Rising
tensions, which is further fueled by significant polarization within
communities, have led to an increase in violence, including in households and
schools, meaning that many streets and neighborhoods and no longer safe. This
also further limits children, especially girls who are restricted from leaving
their homes for fear of being harassed.
“Multidimensional
child poverty requires a multidimensional response grounded in a major strengthening
of Lebanon’s social protection system that will ensure the fundamental rights
of vulnerable children are protected,” Beigbeder added.
“This
means increasing access to social services, scaling up social assistance and
providing social grants for the most vulnerable families.”
The
UNICEF report comes against a backdrop of increased suicides and murders in the
Levant country.
Lebanon
has seen an 18 percent increase in murders and almost an 8 percent surge in
suicides in 2022 so far, compared to the same period last year, according to
new data published by Beirut-based research center Information International.
Dramatic
surges in crime and theft were recorded in Lebanon last year, mostly due to the
economic crisis.
Information
International also reported a 212 percent increase in car thefts, a 266 percent
increase in theft crimes overall and a 101 percent increase in murders compared
to the first 10 months of 2019, right before the economic crisis took a turn
for the worse.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
US
carries out fresh attacks against Iran-backed fighters in NE Syria
Michael
Hernandez
25.08.2022
WASHINGTON
The
US carried out more retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed fighters in
northeast Syria after American forces stationed in the area came under rocket
fire that injured three troops.
US
forces struck using AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777
artillery pieces, Central Command said in a statement. Four enemy combatants
were killed and seven rocket launchers were destroyed, it added.
"We
will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our
servicemembers," Central Command Commander Michael Kurilla said in a
statement. "No group will strike at our troops with impunity. We will take
all necessary measures to defend our people."
The
attacks are the latest after US forces stationed at the Conoco outpost and
Mission Support Site Green Village came under rocket fire Wednesday. The US
launched retaliatory strikes using helicopters in the immediate aftermath,
claiming they killed several Iran-backed militants believed to be responsible
for the rocket attacks.
Earlier
Wednesday, the US launched airstrikes in Syria targeting ammunition depots and
logistics supply bunkers used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The
airstrikes were ordered by President Joe Biden in retaliation for a series of
attacks Aug. 15 at US military facilities in Syria.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Turkish
forces 'neutralize' 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
Diyar
Guldogan
22.08.2022
Turkish
forces “neutralized” three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, the National
Defense Ministry said on Monday.
The
terrorists were planning an attack on Türkiye’s Operation Peace Spring zone,
near the Turkish border, the ministry said in a statement.
Turkish
authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question
surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Syrian
air defences repel Israeli attack over Tartus, Hama
25
August 2022
Syria’s
air defenses have repelled yet another Israeli act of aggression targeting the
Arab country’s western areas.
The
Israeli aerial assault took place at 19:15 local time (16:15 GMT) against the
countryside of the cities of Tartus and Hama on Thursday, the official Syrian
Arab News Agency (SANA) reported, adding that two civilians were injured in the
attack.
Syria’s
air defenses brought down most of the incoming missiles, “which [also] caused
some material damages and [eruption of] a blaze in some of the targeted areas,”
the report added.
Syria
and the Israeli regime are technically at war due to the latter’s
1967-to-present occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights.
Israel
maintains a significant military presence in the territory, which it uses as
one of its launchpads for its attacks against the Syrian soil.
The
regime's attacks on Syria started to grow significantly in scale and frequency
after 2011, when the country found itself in the grip of rampant foreign-backed
militancy and terrorism.
The
most recent Israeli attack against the Syrian soil took place over Tartus on
August 4, killing three servicemen and wounding three others.
Reporting
through a statement at the time, the Syrian military said the Arab country’s
air defenses had confronted “hostile” Israeli targets in the airspace above the
city and the nearby mountain range of Qalamoun.
Source:
Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/25/688042/Israel-attack-Syria-civilians-injured
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