US Lawmaker Ilhan Omar Moves Resolution to Declare India an Egregious Violator of Religious Freedom; it is Co-Sponsored by Rashida Tlaib, Jim McGovern and Juan Vargas
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 June 2022
US Lawmaker Ilhan Omar
----
• Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, Secretly
Planning To Grant Israelis Property Rights in Holy Mecca, Medina
• Pakistan Shia, Sunni Muslims Protests against
Blasphemy about Hazrat Sakina Bint Al Hussain; Accused Currently Lives in UAE
• Court Challenge Puts Spotlight on Sharia Law in
Nigeria Whose Constitution Is Neutral on Religion
• Kerala Muslim Groups Intensify Campaign against
Gender Politics, Homosexuality
North
America
• Biden likely to push for Israel-Saudi normalization
during Mideast trip: Report
• Biden orders USAID, federal agencies to help those
affected by earthquake in Afghanistan
--------
Arab
World
• Crown Prince of Kuwait Dissolves Parliament, Calls
for National Vote
• Horrific videos of employer assaulting workers in
Lebanon sparks fury
• Nine shot dead in Iraq tribal clashes: Police
• Saudi Arabia and Turkey hail new era of cooperation
after Crown Prince visit
• Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Jordan’s King Abdullah
discuss bolstering ties
• MBS secretly planning to grant Israelis property
rights in Mecca, Medina: Report
• Sadr: Iran neither meddled in Iraqi politics nor put
pressure on any Shia party
--------
Pakistan
• Chinese banks to provide $2.3 billion to Pakistan
'within days' under loan agreement
• Pakistan trapped in vicious cycle of taking loans to
pay back previous loans
• China installs over 500 surveillance cameras in
Gwadar city of Pakistan
• Pakistan: Arrest killers of our party activist, says
Jamaat-e-Islami chief
• Afghan Christians find new hope in Pakistan
• PM Shehbaz orders provision of all facilities to
Bahraini investors
• Hina Khar to represent Pakistan at CHOGM in Rwanda
• Relief goods being dispatched for Afghan earthquake
victims: Marriyum
--------
Africa
• Gambia: Pipeline Mosque Foundation Presents 700 Bed
Sheets to 7 Hospitals in Gambia
• Somali children starving ‘before our eyes’ as
Western aid falters: Charities
--------
India
• RSS Trying To Woo Muslims through Muslim Rashtriya
Manch in Telangana
--------
South
Asia
• Survivors Dig by Hand after Afghanistan Earthquake
That Killed 1,000 People
• Taliban Urge US to Unfreeze Afghanistan's Assets
after Quake
• OIC SG’s special envoy for Afghanistan meets Muttaqi
• Deadly quake spells disaster for 'isolated'
Afghanistan
• Earthquake Death Toll Soars As Rescue Teams Search
for Victims Buried Under the Ground and Destroyed Houses
• Iran Shares Afghanistan’s Grief over the Deadly
Earthquake and is Prepared to Aid the Victims
• The Taliban Allocates 1 Billion Afghanis to the
Victims of Earthquake in South-East Afghanistan
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Chinese National of Singapore Sentenced To 18
Months' Probation for Making Anti-Islam Remarks on Instagram
• Along With Smoking and Vape, Ban Other 'Bad' Habits
Too, Says Muslim Group
• Employ us, we can help solve labour shortage, say
frustrated refugees
--------
Mideast
• 1,200-Year-Old Mosque Uncovered In Palestinian Village
in Israel
• Iranian Leader’s Advisor: Islamic Revolution Major
Obstacle to US, Israeli Plots in Region
• Tehran Foils Mossad’s Assassination Plot against
Iranian Nuclear Scientists
• Russia's Lavrov arrives in Iran to discuss nuclear
deal, cooperation
• Palestinians grant bail to accused killers of
prominent activist Nizar Banat
• Iran movie feted by Cannes critics banned at home
• Israeli premier stresses importance of 'security
stability' amid political chaos
• Netanyahu in poll lead as Israel heads for new
election
--------
Europe
• Catastrophic Earthquake in Afghanistan Prompts Pope
Francis to Pray for the Victims
• Dialogue channels with Türkiye should always be kept
open: Greek opposition leader
• NATO chief acknowledges Türkiye’s ‘very important
work’ to open corridor for Ukrainian grain
• NATO chief discusses Türkiye’s security concerns
with Swedish premier
• UN says Turkey likely best to send rescue teams to
Afghanistan
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/us-lawmaker-ilhan-omar-religious-freedom-india/d/127306
--------
US Lawmaker Ilhan Omar Moves Resolution to Declare
India an Egregious Violator of Religious Freedom; it is Co-Sponsored by Rashida
Tlaib, Jim McGovern and Juan Vargas
US Lawmaker Ilhan Omar
----
Press Trust of India
June 23, 2022
Washington: Continuing with her anti-India tirade,
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has introduced a resolution that calls the
US Secretary of State to designate India as a country of particular concern for
alleged violation of religious freedom.
Co-sponsored by Congresswoman Rashida Talib and
Congresswoman Juan Vargas, the resolution urges the Biden Administration to
implement the recommendations of the US Commission on International Religious
Freedom which has called for designating India as a country of particular
concern for three consecutive years.
Introduced in the House of Representative on Tuesday,
the resolution has been sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for
necessary action.
A resolution like this is very unlikely to see the
light of the day, given the vindictive approach being adopted by Congresswoman
Omar. She has openly sided with Pakistani officials on the issue of India.
Omar, who visited Pakistan in last April and met top
Pak leaders including the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and travelled to
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), is yet to disclose the nature including the
funding for the visit.
India had condemned the US Congresswoman's visit to
the PoK, saying her travel to the region violated the country's sovereignty and
it reflected her "narrow-minded" politics.
"If such a politician wishes to practice her
narrow-minded politics at home, that may be her business. But violating our territorial
integrity and sovereignty in its pursuit makes it ours. This visit is
condemnable," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had
said.
During several Congressional hearings related to
India, Omar has repeatedly shown her bias against India.
The news about the resolution was first reported, in
advance, by a senior official from Imran Khan's party, which also slammed a
senior State Department official.
Omar's resolution condemns alleged human rights
violations and violations of international religious freedom in India,
including those "targeting" Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits,
Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities. It expressed grave
concern about the "worsening treatment" of religious minorities in
India.
Source: Firstpost
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, Secretly
Planning To Grant Israelis Property Rights in Holy Mecca, Medina
Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman
-----
June 23, 2022
Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) has been
secretly pursuing plans to legalize the ownership of property by Israelis in
the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, a report citing Saudi sources has
revealed.
According to Saudi Leaks, the unnamed sources said MBS
has completely opened the door to normalization of relations with the Israeli
regime by approving Israeli settlers’ ownership of property in the two cities.
Non-Saudis, other than by way of inheritance, do not
have the right to ownership, easement, or benefit of real estate situated
within the boundaries of Mecca and Medina, home to Islam's two holiest shrines.
Saudi Leaks said the plan to give Saudi land to
Israelis is reminiscent of the tragedy of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
“Among the most dangerous roles MBS plays is his
openness to Zionists, and granting them many privileges such as allowing the
presence of a ‘key rabbi in the kingdom,’ the Zionist businessmen’s investments
there, the Tiran Agreement, and allowing the occupation regime’s airplanes to
desecrate the kingdom’s airspace,” the report stated, citing sources.
The reference was about a Saudi request from Israel
about finalizing the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir, two strategic islands at
the southern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea, from Egyptian to Saudi
sovereignty.
Israeli daily Haaretz reported last month that Israel
was considering the Saudi request to change the international status of two
disputed islands.
According to Saudi and Egyptian officials, Riyadh in
1950 gave Egypt control of Tiran and Sanafir.
However, under a 1979 Israeli-Egyptian so-called peace
treaty, the two islands must be a demilitarized zone and have the presence of a
force of multinational observers led by the United States.
Meanwhile, recent reports suggest that Saudi Arabia is
moving in the same direction as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and
Morocco, the four Arab countries that normalized their relations with Israel
under US-brokered deals.
However, the kingdom has so far stopped short of
officially normalizing with Israel due to fear of backlash at home.
The normalization deals have been a “stab in the back”
for the Palestinians, exposing an increasing level of apathy on the part of
those Muslim-majority countries toward the Palestinian people’s sufferings.
Late last month, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid
said the Tel Aviv regime is coordinating with the United States and Persian
Gulf nations on a process to normalize and establish full diplomatic ties with
Saudi Arabia.
“We believe that it is possible to have a normalization
process with Saudi Arabia. It’s in our interest,” Lapid was quoted as saying by
Army Radio on May 30.
“We’ve already said that this is the next step after
the [so-called] Abraham Accords to talk about a long and careful process.”
He also said that the process of normalization with
Riyadh would be a lengthy one with progress coming in small steps, asserting
that both sides have security interests at stake.
Source: ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Pakistan Shia, Sunni Muslims Protests against
Blasphemy about Hazrat Sakina Bint Al Hussain; Accused Currently Lives in UAE
Hundreds of People
gathered belonging to the Shia and Sunni communities at Islamabad Press Club,
on Sunday, to protest against Malaoon Sultan Gul, a resident of Kurram District
KP...
-----
June 22, 2022
Hundreds of People gathered belonging to the Shia and
Sunni communities at Islamabad Press Club, on Sunday, to protest against
Malaoon Sultan Gul, a resident of Kurram District KP, who uttered rubbish
against the beloved daughter of Imam Hussain (AS) named Hazrat Sakina (S). They
also marched up to the China Chowk to demand the immediate arrest of the
accused.
On this occasion, speakers of the protest said that
any imprudent remarks against the dignity of the Holy family of the Prophet
PBUH were tantamount to blasphemy of Islam.
The accused is currently abode in UAE, therefore he
must be arrested through Interpol and punished accordingly to calm the
resentment of the lovers of Ahle Bait (AS).
They added that a few Takfiri culprits invite unrest
to their beloved homeland. If anyone commits blasphemy for Ahle Bait (AS)
express enmity for Islam and the State of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Such elements try to fuel sectarianism and any leniency with them will be
enmity with the nation and the country.
Allama Zaheer Al Hasan Karbalai, Allama Sibtain
Hussaini, Allama Murtaza Alavi, Shabbir Sajidi, MPA Iqbal Mian, and others
addressed the protest.
Source: ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Court
Challenge Puts Spotlight on Sharia Law in Nigeria Whose Constitution Is Neutral
on Religion
Sharia
Law in Nigeria
-----
June
23, 2022
KANO/LAGOS,
June 23 (Reuters) - A Nigerian court on Thursday will hear a challenge against
sharia law in the mostly Muslim northern state of Kano, in a case that is set
to reignite debate on the place of religious laws in a country whose
constitution is neutral on religion.
Nigeria
is divided between the largely Christian south and mostly Muslim north. Kano is
one of the foremost states that enforces sharia or Islamic religious law,
including the death penalty against blasphemy.
In
2020, a 22-year-old singer, Yahaya Aminu Sharif, was sentenced to death while a
teenager was jailed for 10 years by Kano Sharia Court over accusations of
blasphemy. The ruling drew international outcry and the secular branch of the
state's high court freed the teenager but ordered a retrial for Sharif.
Sharif,
who is in custody, wants the Appeal Court to declare the sharia penal code
unconstitutional and set him free, court documents seen by Reuters showed. A
judgment will be delivered within three months.
"A
circular country such as ours has specified that the state should not be found
promoting one religion above another. Clearly, the sharia law as being
practised jeopardises that," Kola Alapinni, the lawyer representing
Sharif, told Reuters.
Sharif
is being held in a prison outside Kano for his safety, Alapinni said, adding
that the singer would not attend the appeal hearing to "avoid inflaming
the situation."
Protesters
in Kano destroyed Sharif's home last year, forcing his family to flee.
The
Kano state government is opposing the appeal, arguing that sharia law does not
violate the constitution, a view held by many in northern Nigeria.
"As
a Muslim, I support the sharia penal code, and it is mandatory for us to
support it ... it will not harm anyone," said Abdulwahab Abdallah, a local
sheikh.
Religious
tensions in the country of over 200 million people are common and often turn
violent as some resort to mob rule.
That
was the case with a female college student in northwestern Sokoto state who was
last month stoned and burned to death by fellow students who accused her of
insulting the Prophet Mohammad on WhatsApp. read more
More
than 30 lawyers lined up in court to defend two men who were linked to the
student's death. In contrast, Sharif was tried without legal representation
because no lawyer in Kano would take up his case, fearing public backlash, said
Alapinni, a human rights lawyer from Abuja.
Some
religious scholars in Nigeria said sharia should be maintained but could be
limited to dealing with personal matters like marriage and divorce, inheritance
and custody of children and not capital punishment.
Source: Reuters
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Kerala
Muslim Groups Intensify Campaign against Gender Politics, Homosexuality
Image
for representation. (Photo | Pushkar V)
-----
23rd
June 2022
By
MP Prashanth
KOZHIKODE:
Social media activist Ashkar Lessirey’s face turned red when he received an
Amazon India dispatch, which carried the colour of the flag of the LGBTQ
community on the wrapper. An enraged Ashkar took to the Facebook to post: “Dear
Amazon India, you can have all the politics you want. Just don’t shove it down
the throats of your customers.”
Ashkar’s
angry reaction epitomises the sentiments of some of the Muslim organisations in
Kerala that have launched a campaign against homosexuality and gender politics.
Popular Front of India (PFI) leader and academic Dr Ashraf Kalpetta wrote a
book ‘Homosexuality and Gender Politics’, Jama’at-e-Islami women’s wing
organised a talk on the issue at Kannur on June 15 and Renai TV -- under the
Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) -- held a programme online on ‘Unknown
Aspects of Gender Politics.’
PFI
state president C P Muhammad Basheer and treasurer K H Nazar were present
during the release of Dr Ashraf’s book.
“The
Muslim community in Kerala is increasingly becoming aware of the dangers behind
the issue. My opposition to the LBGTQ issue is political. It sexualises even
infants and has become a huge lobbying force. Those who speak against the group
are bullied and threatened,” Ashkar said. In the preface to Dr Ashraf’s book,
Salafi preacher MM Akbar said gender politics has started engulfing Kerala too.
Akbar
added that even communism is propagating the ideology of liberalism, and its
feeder organisations are moulding the youth along these lines. (Akbar was
indirectly referring to SFI’s campaign celebrating homosexuality.)
In
the Renai TV programme, participants Muhammad Ameer, Nasim Rehman and Abdul
Muhsin felt there is a conscious effort to project the queer community as a
persecuted lot. Homosexuality is being normalised and is portrayed just as the
desire of one person, Nasim Rehman said. The participants claimed there is
heavy opposition from teachers too when they propagate the Quranic verses
against homosexuality. However, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI),
the political wing of PFI, said the party is for the rights of the sexual minorities.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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North
America
Biden
likely to push for Israel-Saudi normalization during Mideast trip: Report
23
June 2022
US
President Joe Biden will reportedly push for a normalization agreement between
Saudi Arabia and the Israeli regime during his upcoming tour of the Middle
East.
Biden’s
Middle East trip, slated for mid-July, includes a visit to Saudi Arabia, during
which he is expected to meet Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed Bin
Salman, widely known as MBS.
Biden
administration officials are currently working on a normalization “roadmap” for
Saudi Arabia and Israel, Axios, an American news website, reported, citing four
US sources briefed on the issue.
Biden
is also scheduled to visit the Israeli occupied territories during his trip.
Earlier, Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said that integrating the
regime into the region was the main goal of Biden’s upcoming visit, hoping that
potential normalization with Saudi Arabia will boost the occupying entity’s
“standing” in the region.
The
US president had vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the kingdom’s human
rights record and the gruesome murder of dissident Jamal Khashoggi, which was
ordered by MBS.
Biden
apparently seeks to carry on with his predecessor Donald Trump so-called
Abraham Accords, which led to normalization of ties between Israel and four
Arab countries namely Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan.
During
a White House briefing held last week with think thank experts about Biden’s
trip to the region, the theme of a “roadmap for normalization” was put forward
without further elaboration, Axios said.
The
report added, “The White House said during the briefing that there will not be
an agreement before Biden's visit, but they are working on it and the president
will discuss it with Israeli and Saudi leaders during the trip.”
The
report, however, cited unnamed sources as saying that it appears the White
House thinks that normalization will take time and will be a long-term process
and described the strategy as “a step-by-step approach.”
On
that, a senior Israeli official said he does not expect a breakthrough
regarding normalization with Saudi Arabia during Biden’s trip, but stressed
that an agreement to allow Israeli airlines to use Saudi airspace for flights
to India and China is very close.
In
highly controversial comments earlier this year, MBS said that Saudi Arabia
does not view Israel as an enemy, but as an ally who can pursue many interests
together. However, he said “some issues must be resolved before we can reach
that,” Bloomberg reported, citing the official Saudi Press Agency.
Meanwhile,
the Axios report said that the White House plans for the US president to
discuss a vision for an “integrated missile defense and naval defense” program
among the US, Israel, and several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh
and Tel Aviv have no diplomatic ties on the surface, but the two regimes have
long been in contact and cooperation clandestinely.
Saudi
Arabia publicly affirms that it supports the Palestinian cause against Israeli
occupation, claiming that it will not recognize Israel or normalize relations
with the regime as long as the Palestinian issue remains unresolved.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Biden
orders USAID, federal agencies to help those affected by earthquake in
Afghanistan
Servet
Gunerigok
22.06.2022
WASHINGTON
US
President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and other federal agencies to help those
affected by an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan.
National
Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US is "deeply saddened to see the
devastating earthquake" that killed more than 1,000 people.
"President
Biden is monitoring developments and has directed USAID and other federal
government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most
affected," said Sullivan.
"We
are committed to continuing our support for the needs of the Afghan people as
we stand with them during and in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy,"
he added.
Nearly
1,600 people were injured when the tremor hit Paktika province, according to
authorities. The death toll is feared to rise.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Arab
World
Crown
prince of Kuwait dissolves parliament, calls for national vote
June
22, 2022
DUBAI:
Kuwait’s Crown Prince has dissolved the parliament and called for new elections
over the coming months, he said in a televised speech on Wednesday.
Crown
Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said: “We have decided to dissolve the
National Assembly constitutionally and resort to elections.”
“We
will not interfere in the elections nor in the selection of the next Speaker of
the parliament,” he added.
The
crown prince noted that the next phase requires a solid and renewed approach
amid the turbulent regional political scene.
“Our
citizens are not satisfied with the work of the legislative and executive
institutions,” he said, citing growing tensions between both parties in
“hampering” the country’s development and nation’s unity.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2108611/middle-east
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Horrific
videos of employer assaulting workers in Lebanon sparks fury
23
June, 2022
Videos
showing a group of Lebanese and Syrian workers being assaulted and tortured by
their employer in the Lebanese town of Majdel al-Aqoura sparked fury on
Wednesday, according to local media reports.
The
employer accused the cherry-picking workers of stealing a watch and sunglasses
from him, charges which they denied.
In
one of the videos seen by Al Arabiya English, the employer slaps the workers –
some of whom have been stripped of their clothes.
According
to An-Nahar, the employer and other men also assaulted the workers with sharp
objects and electric wires. They also stuffed the young workers’ mouths with
potatoes.
Videos
of the incident stirred an uproar on social media with people demanding
security forces launch an investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The
general directorate of the internal security forces issued a statement on
Wednesday saying that on June 20, a man filed a complaint stipulating that
several people who work for him stole 20 million Lebanese liras from him, the
equivalent of about $700 using the unofficial rate.
The
statement identified the man as the employer who assaulted the workers, adding
that an investigation has been initiated into the incident and the employer has
been summoned to give in a statement.
The
municipality of Fneidik in the governorate of Akkar where some of the workers
live issued a statement describing the incident as a “heinous crime,” adding
that the employer falsely accused them of theft because he did not want to pay
them their wages.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Nine
shot dead in Iraq tribal clashes: Police
22
June, 2022
Nine
people were shot dead in Iraq on Wednesday during two separate incidents
involving tribal clashes that saw a soldier killed in the south of the country,
police said.
Six
people, including the soldier, were killed during a clash between two tribes
sparked by a dispute over agricultural land, said Saad al-Zaidi, police
spokesman for the area.
The
violence in al-Uzair district, south of Amarah in the southeastern province of
Maysan, lasted several hours, Zaidi told AFP.
The
soldier was from one of the two tribes and had been “on leave when the conflict
broke out because of disputes over farmland,” he added.
Despite
beefed up security measures, Maysan province, which borders Iran, is a route
for drug traffickers where tribal rivalry often degenerates into violence.
In
May, eight people were killed in the same region when clashes between members
of the same tribe broke out over farmland.
Further
north, in Wasit province, an armed clash between members of the same tribe left
three people dead and three others wounded, said Ali Hussein al-Sarai of the
local police force.
The
violence, which took place in the town of al-Dubuni, broke out over a dispute between
two sides over the right to marry a young woman, he said.
Millions
of people belong to tribes in Iraq, which are marked by strong patriarchy.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Saudi
Arabia and Turkey hail new era of cooperation after Crown Prince visit
23
June, 2022
Saudi
Arabia and Turkey declared on Wednesday their determination to launch a “new
era of cooperation” at the end of a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman.
The
Crown Prince agreed with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to work toward
closer ties in several fields including economy, energy and defense, state news
agency SPA reported citing a joint statement.
The
two leaders discussed in Ankara “their common determination to enhance
cooperation in the bilateral relations between the two countries including in
the political, economic, military, security and cultural fields.”
“The
two sides also expressed their aspiration to cooperate in the fields of energy,
including petroleum, refining and petrochemicals, energy efficiency,
electricity, renewable energy, innovation and clean technologies for
hydrocarbon resources, low-carbon fuels and hydrogen, and to work on localizing
energy sector products and associated supply chains, and developing projects
related to these fields,” SPA reported.
“The
two parties affirmed their endeavour to intensify cooperation, coordination and
exchanging of views on important issues in the regional and international
arenas, in a way that contributes to supporting and strengthening security and
stability in the region and support for political solutions to all crises in
the countries of the region.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince, Jordan’s King Abdullah discuss bolstering ties
22 June,
2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Jordan’s King Abdullah II held
extensive talks in Amman, mainly focusing on regional developments and
bolstering ties, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
During
his visit to Amman, the Crown Prince discussed means to strengthen bilateral
ties toward serving mutual interests and enhancing economic cooperation as well
as diversifying investments in various fields, including tourism, agriculture
and healthcare.
Jordan
voiced its appreciation for the Kingdom’s support of developmental projects,
mainly in transportation and energy, highlighting the significance of Saudi
investments in expanding various sectors in Jordan.
During
their discussions, both parties also said they look forward to enhancing
cooperation in the field of clean energy and voiced the importance of
exchanging expertise in projects on renewable energy.
The
Crown Prince and King Abdullah also discussed regional and international
affairs, such as the Palestinian cause and developments in Yemen, Lebanon,
Iraq, Syria and Iran.
On
Palestine, both reaffirmed that a two-state solution is the only way to achieve
comprehensive peace and noted that Israel must cease all unlawful practices
that undermine this solution.
On
Iraq, the Crown Prince and King Abdullah noted that Iraq’s stability is
essential for the region’s stability and voiced hope that Iraqi parties reach a
consensus on forming a cabinet that meets the aspirations of the Iraqi people.
Turning
to Yemen, Jordan reiterated its condemnation of the Iran-backed Houthi
militia’s attacks which target civilians and vital facilities in the Kingdom,
adding that it fully supported any measures the Kingdom takes to protect its
security, stability and interest.
The
Crown Prince and King Abdullah also said, “Jordan’s and Saudi Arabia’s security
is one.”
As
for Syria, they called for intensifying efforts to reach a political solution
to end the crisis and restore security and stability.
On
Lebanon, the Crown Prince and King Abdullah voiced the importance of carrying
out comprehensive reforms to help the country overcome its current crisis,
adding that Hezbollah must commit to not interfering in Arab countries’
internal affairs.
On
Iran, both reiterated their support of international efforts aimed at
preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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MBS
secretly planning to grant Israelis property rights in Mecca, Medina: Report
22
June 2022
Saudi
crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) has been secretly pursuing plans to
legalize the ownership of property by Israelis in the holy cities of Mecca and
Medina, a report citing Saudi sources has revealed.
According
to Saudi Leaks, the unnamed sources said MBS has completely opened the door to
normalization of relations with the Israeli regime by approving Israeli
settlers’ ownership of property in the two cities.
Non-Saudis,
other than by way of inheritance, do not have the right to ownership, easement,
or benefit of real estate situated within the boundaries of Mecca and Medina,
home to Islam's two holiest shrines.
Saudi
Leaks said the plan to give Saudi land to Israelis is reminiscent of the
tragedy of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
“Among
the most dangerous roles MBS plays is his openness to Zionists, and granting
them many privileges such as allowing the presence of a ‘key rabbi in the
kingdom,’ the Zionist businessmen’s investments there, the Tiran Agreement, and
allowing the occupation regime’s airplanes to desecrate the kingdom’s
airspace,” the report stated, citing sources.
The
reference was about a Saudi request from Israel about finalizing the transfer
of Tiran and Sanafir, two strategic islands at the southern tip of the Gulf of
Aqaba in the Red Sea, from Egyptian to Saudi sovereignty.
Israeli
daily Haaretz reported last month that Israel was considering the Saudi request
to change the international status of two disputed islands.
According
to Saudi and Egyptian officials, Riyadh in 1950 gave Egypt control of Tiran and
Sanafir.
However,
under a 1979 Israeli-Egyptian so-called peace treaty, the two islands must be a
demilitarized zone and have the presence of a force of multinational observers
led by the United States.
Meanwhile,
recent reports suggest that Saudi Arabia is moving in the same direction as the
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, the four Arab countries that
normalized their relations with Israel under US-brokered deals.
However,
the kingdom has so far stopped short of officially normalizing with Israel due
to fear of backlash at home.
The
normalization deals have been a “stab in the back” for the Palestinians,
exposing an increasing level of apathy on the part of those Muslim-majority
countries toward the Palestinian people’s sufferings.
Late
last month, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid said the Tel Aviv regime is
coordinating with the United States and Persian Gulf nations on a process to
normalize and establish full diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia.
“We
believe that it is possible to have a normalization process with Saudi Arabia.
It’s in our interest,” Lapid was quoted as saying by Army Radio on May 30.
“We’ve
already said that this is the next step after the [so-called] Abraham Accords
to talk about a long and careful process.”
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sadr:
Iran neither meddled in Iraqi politics nor put pressure on any Shia party
22
June 2022
Prominent
Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday said the Islamic Republic of
Iran has never meddled in the internal political affairs of Iraq and has not
put pressure on any Shia group in the Arab country, dismissing insinuations
fanned by rabble-rousers.
According
to a report published by the official Iraqi News Agency, the 47-year-old leader
of the Sadrist political party stressed that Tehran has never imposed anything
on any Shia group in the neighboring country.
He
rejected “false” and “untrue” claims that his party members withdrew from
Iraq's Council of Representatives under threat from Iran.
On
June 11, lawmakers loyal to Sadr resigned from the Iraqi parliament in order to
break a political deadlock that has prevented the establishment of a new
government nearly eight months after last parliamentary elections.
The
Iraqi News Agency reported at the time that members of the movement handed in
their resignations in al-Hannana, the headquarters of the political party in
the holy city of Najaf.
Earlier,
Sadr had called on all lawmakers loyal to him to “pen down their resignation,”
stressing that they "won’t disobey me.”
“The
country’s reform will only take place with a national majority government,” he
said in a televised statement on Thursday. “If the survival of the Sadr bloc is
an obstacle to the formation of the government, then all representatives of the
bloc are ready to resign from parliament.”
“Iraq
needs a government backed by a majority that serves the people,” the prominent
cleric said.
In
the parliamentary elections held last October to elect the 329 members of the
Council of Representatives, the Sadrist political bloc secured most seats --
73.
The
Fatah (Conquest) Alliance – the political arm of the Popular Mobilization Units
(PMU) -- won 17 seats, down from 48 it had won in the previous election.
Despite
Sadr’s impressive show in the election, Iraqi law requires a super-majority,
namely two-thirds of the vote, to elect a president.
According
to Iraq's electoral law, when a member of the parliament resigns, the electoral
commission replaces him with the candidate who is placed second in the same
electoral circle.
The
Iraqi parliamentary elections held in October last year were the fifth since
the US-led invasion of the Arab country in 2003.
They
were originally planned to be held in 2022, but the date was preponed in the
wake of mass protest movement that broke out in 2019 to call for economic
reforms, better public services, and an effective fight against unemployment
and corruption in state institutions.
The
Sadr movement had formed an alliance with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP),
led by Masoud Barzani, and other parties to form a coalition.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Chinese
banks to provide $2.3 billion to Pakistan 'within days' under loan agreement
Jun
23, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
To cope up with country's dwindling cash reserves, loan of $2.3 billion from a
Chinese consortium of banks to Pakistan is expected within a "couple of
days".
Notably,
a Chinese consortium of banks and Pakistan had signed a $2.3 billion loan
facility agreement earlier. In a latest update on the agreement, on Wednesday,
Pakistan's finance minister Miftah Ismail said that cash inflow under the loan
agreement is expected within days, reported Pakistan's local media outlet Dawn.
Taking
to Twitter, Ismail wrote, "The Chinese consortium of banks has today
signed the RMB 15 billion (~$2.3 billion) loan facility agreement after it was
signed by the Pakistani side yesterday. Inflow is expected within a couple of
days. We thank the Chinese government for facilitating this transaction."
Foreign
Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote on social media,
"Grateful to President Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the people
of China. Chinese consortium of banks has today signed the RMB 15 billion loan
facility agreement, the people of Pakistan are grateful for the continued
support of our all-weather friends."
Pakistan
is in a deep financial crisis and this development comes after reports emerged
of Pakistan reaching an understanding with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), as per the media outlet.
Ismail
said that after a visit by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and
follow-up discussions by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with Prime Minister Li
Keqiang, the Chinese side had not only agreed to roll over the amount but also
done so at a cheaper interest rate of 1.5pc plus Shanghai Interbank Offered
Rate (Shibor) instead of earlier 2.5pc plus Shibor.
However,
In Wednesday's announcement, Ismail did not elaborate further on the agreement
with the consortium.
This
loan agreement between China and Pakistan also comes amid reports that Pakistan
is blindly following Sri Lanka's path which will lead the country to fall into
the Chinese debt trap. Pakistan's already fragile economy suffered another
setback when recently China demanded repayment, by November 2023, of $55.6
million for the Lahore Orange Line Project, reported Italian publication
Osservatorio Globalizzazione.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
trapped in vicious cycle of taking loans to pay back previous loans
Jun
23, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A Pakistani columnist has raised questions to the country's "incompetent
and failed rulers" asking them how they will solve the economic problems
at a time when the country is trapped in a vicious cycle of taking loans to pay
back the previous loans.Ayaz Amir, while writing for Pakistan's local media
outlet Dunya Daily said, "We have seen the rules of Ayub Khan (Former
President of Pakistan), Yahiya Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Muhammad
Zia-ul-Haq. We have seen the governments of dictators and they all had one
thing in common, take loans to solve the problems and then take more loans to
pay back the previous loan."
He
said that this never-ending cycle is still going on and now Pakistan has
reached a point when nobody is willing to give the country any further loans.
"We could not solve the economic problems of our country when the
population was 11 crores during the regime of Zia ul Haq. How our incompetent
and failed rulers are going to improve the economy when the population has
doubled to 22 crores?" he questioned in his column piece, reported local
media.
Meanwhile,
China has made a hard bargain with Pakistan when it comes to paybacks on its
loans and other investments in Pakistan. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, Pakistan
paid around USD 150 million towards interest to China for using a USD 4.5
billion Chinese trade finance facility. In the financial year 2019-2020,
Pakistan paid USD 120 million towards interest on USD 3 billion in loans.
China
has been quite stringent in recovering money from Pakistan. Take Pakistan's
energy sector for instance, where Chinese investors have repeatedly insisted on
resolving issues relating to existing project sponsors in order to attract
fresh investment.
Some
Chinese projects in Pakistan are facing problems in securing insurance for
their loans in China due to Pakistan's massive energy sector circular debt of
about USD14 billion.
While
China is heavily responsible for Pakistan's debt problem, it is the mishandling
of Pakistan's economy by successive governments that have led to the current
impasse.
Extensive
loans taken from China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well as 13 loans from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) over 30 years (with most loan programmes
called off mid-way for failure to fulfil loan conditions), are a major cause of
the economic downturn.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
China
installs over 500 surveillance cameras in Gwadar city of Pakistan
22
June, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], June 22 (ANI): China, the all-weather ally of Pakistan, is
installing over 500 surveillance cameras in Gwadar city, fuelling speculations
that it was never meant to be a port for trade. It is built like a naval base.
Meanwhile,
the ex-CM of Balochistan revealed that many people are being forcibly shifted
from Gwadar to accommodate a fenced community project for the Chinese
companies.
The
information was divulged by WLVN Analysis, geopolitics, defence, national
security, wars and aviation think tank.
Chinese
firms are enjoying the lion’s share of benefits from the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its ill effect is directly affecting the local
people of Pakistan.
As
per Islam Khabar, Pakistan is also landing in the debt trap of its “all-weather
friend” China.
Moreover,
it’s also speculated that in 3-5 years the world will see clashes between
Chinese and Pakistani forces on a regular basis. The growing presence of
Chinese citizens in Pakistan with the right to carry weapons for self-defence
and also presence Chinese military is a case in point. Pakistan will have to
deal with 250,000+ armed Chinese citizens in future.
The
economic crisis in Pakistan appeared grimmer after more than two dozen Chinese
firms or Independent Power Producers (IPPs) threatened to cease operations at
power plants on May 9, if payments are not made upfront, media reports said.
Reportedly,
Pakistan has to pay more than Rs 300 billion Pakistani rupees (USD 1.59
billion) in dues to several Chinese firms, which are operating in Pakistan.
There
are more than 30 Chinese companies which are operating under the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) in several infrastructural projects in various fields
like energy, communication, railways, roads and highways – across Pakistan to
facilitate trade connectivity.
There
was a myriad complaint from the Chinese side, including those relating to
complex visa procedures for Chinese executives, heavy taxation and so on.
About
25 representatives from Chinese independent power producers (IPPs) spoke one
after the other and complained about the buildup of their accruing dues and
warned that without upfront payments they would shut down within days, reported
Islam Khabar.
In
March 2022, with China threatening to halt the multi-billion-dollar CPEC over
differences in cost estimations and contractual disputes, the issue of overdue
payments owed to Chinese independent power producers (IPPs) is near a breaking
point.
Reports
claimed that Beijing was reluctant to pump in new funds under the CPEC
arrangement until difficulties faced by Chinese investors are resolved and
previous CPEC-related agreements are fully honoured by Pakistan.
Beijing
has voiced its concerns about the non-payment of power dues for some time,
including at the highest level during Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing in 2022.
Geopolitical
issues in Pakistan are also propped up, as the Baloch insurgency poses a
constant threat to peace and stability. The Baloch insurgents are regularly
targeting CPEC infrastructure projects, such as gas pipelines and electricity
towers, because they consider China as an imperialist power that, along with
the Pakistan government, wishes to plunder Balochistan’s natural resources.
China
is surely facing a tough situation in Pakistan. There may have been no
departure of Chinese workers from Pakistan after the Karachi University attack,
but they look less confident about the country’s ability to protect them.
The
CPEC project was started in the year 2015. In April 2015, Chinese President Xi
Jinping visited Islamabad to inaugurate the CPEC, a US USD 46 billion
investment in Pakistan’s energy and transportation sectors. As part of China’s
One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, CPEC was planned to endorse regional
linkages among Pakistan, China, and Eurasia.
The
two sides set up the “1+4” cooperation model, meaning the two sides take CPEC
as the core while prioritizing Gwadar, Energy, Transport Infrastructure and
Industrial Cooperation.
The
Chinese side of the CPEC vision is to further advance the western development
strategy, encourage economic and social development in Western China, quicken
the Belt and Road construction, make way for China’s advantages in capital,
technology, production capacity and engineering operation, and help the
formation of a new open economic system friendly to China.
On
the other hand, the Pakistani side vision is to fully harness the demographic
and natural endowment of the country by advancing its industrial capacity
through the formation of new industrial clusters, complementing the regional
socio-economic growth, enhancing people’s happiness, and sponsoring domestic
peace and stability.
However,
only three schemes have been declared completed by the CPEC Authority,
including USD 4 million Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan. The other two
schemes are the Physical Infrastructure of Gwadar Port and the Free Zone
Phase-1 costing USD 300 million and the Pak-China Technical and Vocational
Institute which has been built with a USD 10 million Chinese grant.
Keeping
the slow pace of various projects and other challenges, it can be said that,
CPEC is improbable to ever accomplish the aspirations that Xi Jinping and Nawaz
Sharif envisioned in 2015, reported Islam Khabar.
Pakistan
had big hope since beginning with this mammoth multi-pronged investment under
CPEC but it must have approached it with great caution. Pakistan should be an
equal partner rather than giving China a free hand and be allowed to monopolize
its energy sector.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan:
Arrest killers of our party activist, says Jamaat-e-Islami chief
22
June, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], June 22 (ANI): Pakistan political party Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI)
chief, Sirajul Haq has called for the immediate arrest of the killers of its
activist, Asadullah Shah and his companions, local media reported.
During
a phone call with Chief Secretary and Inspector General Police Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, the JI chief said that his party will not remain silent
on the killing of Shah who was the President of Al-khidmat Foundation North
Waziristan, Daily Frontier Star reported.
On
Sunday, Shah and at least four volunteers of a social organisation were killed
when unidentified gunmen opened fire at their car in Pakistan’s North
Waziristan district on Sunday, local media reported.
District
Police and residents said that unidentified men on two motorcycles opened fire
on a moving car in the Haiderkhel area of Mirali tehsil, Dawn reported.
All
the deceased activists were part of a social organisation, the Youth of Waziristan.
They all have been identified as Waqar Ahmad Dawar, Sunaid Ahmad Dawar, Aamad
Dawar and Assadullah.
The
youth organisation, formed after the launch of military operation Zarb-i-Azb,
has worked for the restoration of peace in the militancy-hit region. The
organisation has also staged a protest and sit-in against target killings,
reported Dawn.
About
two years ago security agencies took action against a sit-in organised by the
Youth of Waziristan and arrested its founding president, Noor Islam Dawar.
Meanwhile,
another case has been registered in Mirali town in North Waziristan, where
bullet-riddled bodies of two people, who were kidnapped from a market, were
found near the Tochi river, also called the Gambila River on Sunday.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
Christians find new hope in Pakistan
By
Kamran Chaudhry
June
23, 2022
Three
days before the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Arifa Rahimi received a
threatening phone call. “You have been traced. We know that you are a Shia
kafir [infidel] and a journalist reporting against us,” said the unknown
caller.
In
September 2021, Rahimi hired a car to reach the Chaman-Spin Boldak border with
her younger brother and four nephews, aged 8-14. Wearing a light blue chadori
(the head-to-toe burqa), she entered Quetta in Pakistan's restive Balochistan
province without a visa.
“Each
passenger cost 6,310 afghani (US$71). However, the driver charged half-payment
for children,” said 24-year-old Rahimi, who used to report for Kabul-based
Farhang Press.
Luckily
for them, the border security wasn’t tight in the early days of the Taliban
takeover. And waiting for legal documentation could have meant risking arrest
and possible execution.
“My
elderly parents couldn’t join us,” says Rahimi, who now shares one of the four
rooms in a rented house with other Afghan families in Quetta. She deleted
Taliban call logs to avoid scrutiny by Pakistani border and security personnel
and now uses a local SIM card.
But
as an unregistered refugee, Rahimi doesn't have any income. Her brother, a
tailor, supports the family.
In
November, she was baptized by Pastor Irfan James in a small church in Quetta.
“I
accepted Christ as I read in the Bible John 3:16. On one side our own people
were trying to kill us while a pastor was helping us with rations and money. I
found Christ as my savior,” she told UCA News.
She
is among the 100 believers who have received a copy of the Bible from Pastor
James, who is running an underground ministry from Jalalabad in eastern
Afghanistan.
He
has to grow a beard and leave church documents behind before crossing the
border using local contacts. They also help him in relocating underground
Christians.
“Changing
physical gestures is crucial for survival,” Pastor James told UCA News via
WhatsApp. “Many have changed their phone numbers to avoid persecution. The
Afghani converts along with defense personnel and spokespersons of the former
government are on the Taliban’s hit list.”
Some
450 Afghan families, living in an Islamabad park, have been holding protests
for months demanding legal status, with many seeking onward passage to European
nations.
The
protesting families, including children, carry mock coffins and wear white
shirts emblazoned with messages in red paint saying "Kill us or rescue
us."
Instead
of initiating a police crackdown on the protesting Afghans, the government of
Pakistan should shelter the refugees on a humanitarian basis, said Pastor
James.
“Women
have vanished and families are forced to sell their children due to crippling
hunger and economic crisis. Church groups should invest in small business
enterprises and medical camps for the converted Afghans,” he added.
Since
the Taliban takeover, the persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity
International and two local churches have been helping 400 Afghan refugees in
Quetta and Chaman, another border town of Pakistan.
They
are among 250,000 Afghans who have crossed into Pakistan after the Taliban
seized full control of the country next door.
The
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has estimated that 1.3
million Afghan refugees are registered in Pakistan.
In
Afghanistan, the estimated 10,000 to 12,000 Christians are all converts from
Islam and forced to worship secretly in homes or other small venues.
Our
Lady of Divine Providence chapel, attached to the Italian embassy, in Kabul was
the only recognized Catholic church in Afghanistan. Barnabite Father Giovanni
Scalese, head of the sole Catholic mission in Afghanistan, abandoned the parish
last year.
But
Inamullah Samangani, a Taliban spokesman, denied the presence of local
Christians. “There are no Christians in Afghanistan. The Christian minority has
never been known or registered here,” he told Voice of Asia last month while
acknowledging only the Sikh and Hindu religious minorities.
Last
week, an attack on a gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship, in the capital Kabul
left one worshipper dead and seven others wounded. The Islamic State group
claimed responsibility for the attack.
Rahimi
remains concerned for the safety of her parents back home following a recent
raid by the Taliban. “They searched our house, found my photo, checked my calls
from Pakistan and threatened my family. They have relocated since then. Now I
communicate with them by sending messages to my fiancé who lives nearby,” she
said.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/afghan-christians-find-new-hope-in-pakistan/97758
--------
PM
Shehbaz orders provision of all facilities to Bahraini investors
Syed
Irfan Raza
June
23, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said he wanted to transform
Pakistan into an Asian hub of industrialisation through extensive investment.
He
was talking to a delegation of Bahraini companies, led by founder/chairman of a
private firm Royale Nova Sheikh Khalid Mohammad Salman Al Khalifa.
Minister
for Investment Board Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Minister for Trade Syed Naveed
Qamar, Minister for Housing and Works Abdul Wasay, Minister for Planning Ahsan
Iqbal, PM’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi and other high officials concerned
attended the meeting.
On
this occasion, the prime minister directed authorities concerned to provide all
possible facilities to investors of Bahrain on priority basis by utilising all
available resources.
The
Board of Investment (BoI) authorities briefed the delegation about the huge
investment opportunities in Pakistan in different sectors such as health,
tourism, hotel and hospitality, housing, agriculture, food and information and
technology
The
delegation was informed that Pakistan was an ideal country for investment due
to its strategic location, young population, skilled manpower, immense natural
resources and business-friendly environment.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hina
Khar to represent Pakistan at CHOGM in Rwanda
June
22, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will pay an official
visit to Kigali, Rwanda to lead Pakistan’s delegation to the 26th Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on June 24-25.
The
MoS will also attend the Pre-CHOGM Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers
Meeting (CFAMM) on June 23.
The
MoS will hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders on the sidelines of
the event.
The
leaders of the 54 member countries of the Commonwealth will hold discussions,
among others, on issues related to the youth, technology and innovation and
various global challenges including climate change, post-covid recovery and
economic crises, particularly in the context of present conflict in Europe.
Besides
the CHOGM Communique titled ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting,
Innovating, Transforming’ various important documents such as Kigali
Declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform, Commonwealth Living Lands
Charter, and Declaration on Sustainable Urbanization are also expected to be
adopted.The MoS will present Pakistan’s perspective at the plenary as well as
other discussions during this important Commonwealth event which could not be
held in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/06/22/hina-khar-to-represent-pakistan-at-chogm-in-rwanda/
--------
Relief
goods being dispatched for Afghan earthquake victims: Marriyum
June
22, 2022
Minister
for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday said relief
goods were being dispatched to Afghanistan immediately for the victims of
earthquake, which had claimed several lives.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed for urgent emergency supplies, including
food, camps, blankets and other essential items, for Afghan earthquake victims,
she said in a news statement.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Gambia:
Pipeline Mosque Foundation Presents 700 Bed Sheets to 7 Hospitals in Gambia
21
JUNE 2022
In
what has now become an annual affair, the Pipeline Mosque Foundation last
Wednesday presented an assortment of 700 new bed sheets to the eight major
hospitals in the country.
The
items were donated by a renowned Gambian business entrepreneur, Ahman Ghanim
Diab of Emporium, who also presented a cheque for D50, 000 to the Kanifing
General Hospital as part of his annual subvention towards the upkeep of the
said facility's mortuary.
The
gesture is part of his unending support towards bettering and caring for the
sick.
Welcoming
the gathering, Basiru Drammeh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kanifing
General Hospital, expressed appreciation to the foundation for what he called
their 'constant support' to the hospital in the past years.
He
acknowledged that hadn't it been for the constant support of the foundation,
the mortuary would not be fit to accommodate bodies, thereby putting burden on
the country's main referral hospital.
He
spoke highly of the foundation's humanitarian support to the country's
healthcare sector, saying the recent gesture would significantly cut spending
on government especially in the acquiring new bed sheets.
"The
people who will sleep on this bed sheets it is only Allah that will reward you
for that. So we thank you for that."
Drammeh
noted that the relationship between the two institutions would be further
strengthened for the mutual benefit of the people of the Gambia.
Babucarr
Saine, administrator of the Kanifing General Hospital, reminded that the
support rendered by the Gambian businessman through the Pipeline Mosque
Foundation has now become customary.
"This
is yet another presentation and it has now even become a tradition that every
year the foundation would support the health care system with high quality bed
sheets. Not only that, the partnership the between the foundation and the
health system is not restricted only to the donation of bed sheets, but there
is a unique relation between the two institution."
He
indicated that annually, the foundation would provide subvention meant for
renovation and upgrading of the facility's mortuary.
Also
speaking, Imam Mass Njie, who represented the donor, recalled that this is the
8th time the donor is presenting useful items to the country's major health
facilities.
He
acknowledged that Diab is a successful businessman and thought it befitting to
share his wealth with the populace.
"He
has been constantly supporting the mortuary of Kanifing General Hospital. And
what inspires him to continue this gesture is the trust and confidence he has
in the Pipeline Mosque Foundation."
Njie
called on all to continue praying for the benefactor to be able continue the philanthropic
work.
Alhagie
Momodou Senghore, vice president of the Foundation, expressed delight to be at
the hospital to make such presentation.
Senghore
thanked their main patron (Diab) for constantly supporting the programme for
the 11th time, saying he's not only helping with bed sheets, but he also
supports some of the foundation's outreach programmes.
Senghore
indicated that what makes their support unique is the fact that they are
supporting areas that many would not want to be involved in, making reference
to their support to the mortuary and Prison Services.
"The
way people used to look at the Prison Services should be the way it should be
viewed. Prisons are supposed to be reform centres. So we should not just put
them there and abandon them. So we have a robust programme for supporting the
Prisons Services like providing Prisoners with Iftar rations for them to enable
them break their fast." he added.
Source:
All Africa
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://allafrica.com/stories/202206220345.html
--------
Somali
children starving ‘before our eyes’ as Western aid falters: Charities
June
22, 2022
LONDON:
Somalia was facing a huge risk of famine with children already starving to
death “before our eyes,” a UN food aid organization official has warned.
In
a letter to G7 leaders, Michael Dunford, the UN World Food Program’s regional
director for east Africa, said only a “massive” funding and humanitarian relief
effort would prevent disaster in the country.
The
G7 governments of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, he
added, needed to urgently donate to avoid catastrophe in the Muslim nation.
Dunford
said: “We need money, and we need it now. Will we be able to avert (a famine in
Somalia)? Unless there is … a massive scaling-up from right now, it won’t be
possible, quite frankly.
“The
only way, at this point, is if there is a massive investment in humanitarian
relief, and all the stakeholders, all the partners, come together to try to
avert this.”
The
Horn of Africa is especially vulnerable to famine in its current state due to
four consecutive insufficient rainy seasons and price rises that have been
caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The
WFP has said that 89 million people in eastern Africa are now considered
“acutely food insecure,” a 90 percent rise on the last year.
“Unfortunately,
I do not see (the rate) slowing down. If anything, it seems to be
accelerating,” Dunford added.
The
WFP’s appeal comes after G7 leaders last year promised to provide $7 billion to
support countries fighting famine, but program experts claim that insufficient
funding was dedicated to the Horn of Africa.
The
crisis in Somalia, which is worse than any other struggle experienced by
countries in the region, is at the forefront of the WFP’s funding demands. The
2011 famine in Somalia killed more than 250,000 people, mostly children, and
analysts fear this year’s situation could be even more lethal.
Hundreds
of thousands of Somalis are facing famine by the end of the year, with a UN
International Children’s Emergency Fund worker telling Sky News that, “the
statistics are showing that the malnutrition levels among children are higher
than the 2011 famine.”
UNICEF’s
Jamal Abdi Sarman said: “That potentially indicates a looming famine in the
foreseeable future. If an intervention does not happen as expected, and
quickly, we will inevitably witness the mass death of children in the coming
months.”
Claire
Sanford, deputy humanitarian director of Save the Children, told the Guardian
that she met mothers in Somalia who were powerless to stop their kids dying,
with several families burying multiple children.
She
said: “I can honestly say in my 23 years of responding to humanitarian crisis,
this is by far the worst I’ve seen, particularly in terms of the level of
impact on children. The starvation that my colleagues and I witnessed in
Somalia has escalated even faster than we feared.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2108786/world
--------
India
RSS
Trying To Woo Muslims through Muslim Rashtriya Manch in Telangana
Mohammed
Hussain Ahmed
23rd
June 2022
Hyderabad:
The RSS Telangana through its wing Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) is trying to
woo the state’s Muslims. It is being
said that the MRM has a target to make 10000 new members till the end of the
current year in Telangana.
The
BJP is trying to consolidate its presence in Telangana with the help of Sangh
Parivar. The Muslim wing of the RSS
Muslim Rashtriya Manch has become active in the state.
An
impression is being created not only in Telangana but across the country that
MRM can solve the economic, social, and educational problems of the Muslim
community.
According
to a source the President of MRM Indresh Kumar has a great leeway with the
government and many people who have issues pending for years are trying to get
closer to this organisation. A message
is being sent across the Muslim community that closeness to the ruling party
can solve their problems.
It
is being said that the Muslim Rashtriya Manch shall take up the issue of
Telangana government’s neglect of Muslims’ issues and a representation shall be
made with the central government for its redressal.
It
is also being said that the leaders and members of MRM is trying to convey A
message across Muslim community in Telangana districts that the organisation
has authority to solve their problems and the Muslims’ closeness to the RSS/BJP
can benefit them.
The
target given by BJP to the Rashtriya Muslim Manch is termed as “Mission
2024”. Under this mission, MRM shall set
up units across all mandals of Telangana.
The
MRM has plan to recruit, skull capped, bearded Muslim men and burkha clad women
to attend meetings to give an impression that Muslims are with RSS/BJP.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/telangana-rss-trying-to-woo-muslims-through-mrm-2355025/
--------
South
Asia
Survivors
dig by hand after Afghanistan earthquake that killed 1,000 people
Jun
23, 2022
GAYAN
(AFGHANISTAN): Survivors dug by hand Thursday through villages in eastern
Afghanistan reduced to rubble by a powerful earthquake that killed at least
1,000 people, as the Taliban and the international community that fled their
takeover struggled to aid the disaster's victims.
In
Paktika province's hard-hit Gayan district, villagers stood atop the mud bricks
that once was a home there. Others carefully walked through dirt alleyways,
gripping onto damaged walls with exposed timber beams to make their way.
The
quake was Afghanistan's deadliest in two decades, and officials said the toll
could rise. An estimated 1,500 others were reported injured, the state-run news
agency said.
The
disaster inflicted by the 6 magnitude quake heaps more misery on a country
where millions face increasing hunger and poverty and the health system has
been crumbling since the Taliban retook power nearly 10 months ago amid the
U.S. and NATO withdrawal. The takeover led to a cutoff of vital international
financing, and most of the world has shunned the Taliban government.
How
- and whether the Taliban allow - the world to offer aid remains in question as
rescuers without heavy equipment dug through rubble with their bare hands.
"We
ask from the Islamic Emirate and the whole country to come forward and help
us," said a survivor who gave his name as Hakimullah. "We are with
nothing and have nothing, not even a tent to live in."
The
full extent of the destruction among the villages tucked in the mountains was
slow in coming to light. The roads, which are rutted and difficult to travel in
the best of circumstances, may have been badly damaged, and landslides from
recent rains made access even more difficult.
While
modern buildings withstand magnitude 6 earthquakes elsewhere, Afghanistan's
mud-and-brick homes and landslide-prone mountains make such temblors more
dangerous.
Rescuers
rushed in by helicopter, but the relief effort could be hindered by the exodus
of many international aid agencies from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover
last August. Moreover, most governments are wary of dealing directly with the
Taliban.
In
a sign of the muddled workings between the Taliban and the rest of the world,
the Taliban had not formally requested that the U.N. mobilise international
search-and-rescue teams or obtain equipment from neighboring countries to
supplement the few dozen ambulances and several helicopters sent in by Afghan
authorities, said Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N. deputy special representative to
Afghanistan.
Still,
officials from multiple U.N. agencies said the Taliban were giving them full
access to the area.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter that eight trucks of food and
other necessities from Pakistan arrived in Paktika. He also said Thursday that
two planes of humanitarian aid from Iran and another from Qatar had arrived in
the country.
Obtaining
more direct international help may be more difficult: Many countries, including
the U.S., funnel humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through the U.N. and other
such organizations to avoid putting money in the Taliban's hands.
The
quake was centered in Paktika province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles)
southwest of the city of Khost, according to neighboring Pakistan's
Meteorological Department. Experts put its depth at just 10 kilometers (6
miles). Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage.
The
death toll reported by the Bakhtar news agency was equal to that of a quake in
2002 in northern Afghanistan. Those are the deadliest since 1998, when an
earthquake that was also 6.1 in magnitude and subsequent tremors in the remote
northeast killed at least 4,500 people.
Wednesday's
quake took place in a region prone to landslides, with many older, weaker
buildings.
In
neighboring Khost province's Speray district, which also sustained serious
damage, men stood atop what once was a mud home. The quake had ripped open its
timber beams. People sat outside under a makeshift tent made of a blanket that
blew in the breeze.
Survivors
quickly prepared the district's dead, including children and an infant, for
burial. Officials fear more dead will be found in the coming days.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
urge US to unfreeze Afghanistan's assets after quake
22
June 2022
The
Taliban have urged the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan's assets after a
powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region in the east of the
impoverished country.
The
disaster poses a new test for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and relief agencies
which are already struggling with multiple humanitarian crises. The full extent
of the destruction among the villages tucked in the mountains is slow in coming
to light.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Iran’s Sahar TV Wednesday night that an
emergency session was held following the earthquake to form a crisis management
headquarters.
"This
headquarters was formed with the participation of the ministers of health,
defense, culture, interior and others, and it was decided that their
representatives should quickly reach the affected areas to provide
relief," he said.
It
was also decided to provide food, home appliances, tents, and other basic
necessities, Mujahid said, adding the ministry of defense was asked to provide
all ground and air assistance to help the injured, while the ministry of health
should send the necessary medicines and relief teams as soon as possible and
take care of the injured.
The
disaster inflicted by the 6.1-magnitude quake heaps more misery on a country
where the health system has been crumbling since the US and NATO withdrawal in
August. The takeover led to a cutoff of vital international financing, and most
of the world has shunned the Taliban government.
In
a rare move, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzadah pleaded with
the international community and humanitarian organizations “to help the Afghan
people affected by this great tragedy and to spare no effort.”
International
organizations, the Red Crescent and many countries, including the Islamic
Republic of Iran, Pakistan, Russia and some other countries have declared their
readiness to help Afghanistan, the Taliban spokesman said.
But,
he made a point of renewing Afghanistan's call on the US to release the
country's assets. There are about $7 billion of Afghan funds from the country's
central bank frozen in the United States.
In
February, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order that would seize the
Afghan assets and move half to a fund purportedly designated for humanitarian
aid for Afghanistan. However, Biden nodded to legal wrangling with some 9/11
families pursuing claims against those assets as the reason for not trying to
free the other half of Afghan funds allegedly for the Afghan people.
The
freeze has continued amid Afghanistan's economy being on the verge of collapse,
inflation soaring, and millions of Afghans on the brink of starvation.
However,
Washington's callous indifference to humanitarian crises is known to all and
sundry.
When
Iran was hit by the worst coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East, calls
mounted from around the world on the United States to ease sanctions on the
country in order to allow the Islamic Republic to buy vital medical equipment
and vaccines from abroad, but Washington was unimpressed.
On
Wednesday, Iran’s embassy in Kabul said the Islamic Republic had dispatched two
cargo planes carrying first aid supplies to the quake-hit country.
Relief
and rescue teams of Iran’s Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and medical and
volunteer squads have also been put on standby to be deployed to Afghanistan,
it added.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/06/22/684371/Afghanistan-earthquake-United-States-frozen-assets
--------
OIC
SG’s special envoy for Afghanistan meets Muttaqi
June
23, 2022
Ambassador
Tariq Ali Bakhiet, the special envoy of the Secretary-General of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for Afghanistan, has arrived in the
Afghan capital, Kabul.
On
Tuesday, June 21, Mr. Tariq met with Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the de facto authority in Afghanistan.
The
two sides discussed the OIC’s humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan after
establishing and activating the humanitarian fund in the Islamic Development
Bank, in addition to many political and economic issues that constitute a
priority for the OIC in the framework of following up on the implementation of
the resolutions of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the situation in
Afghanistan.
During
this visit, the envoy is expected to meet several Afghan officials.
The
visit coincides with another visit by a delegation of Muslim scholars to
Afghanistan to engage with Afghan scholars and officials on issues of paramount
importance, such as tolerance and moderation in Islam and women’s education.
Source:
Pak Observer
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://pakobserver.net/oic-sgs-special-envoy-for-afghanistan-meets-muttaqi/
--------
Deadly
quake spells disaster for 'isolated' Afghanistan
June
23, 2022
KABUL:
A deadly 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan in the early hours of
Wednesday morning has killed around a thousand people and left at least 600
injured, disaster management officials said.
Said
to be the worst quake in Afghanistan since 2002, the seismic event occurred
44km from Khost, near the border with Pakistan, according to the US Geological
Survey (USGS).
The
tremors from the quake were felt by about 119 million people in Pakistan,
Afghanistan and India, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC)
said on Twitter.
The
EMSC put the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.1, though the USGS said it was 5.9.
Interior
ministry official Salahuddin Ayubi said the death toll was likely to rise “as
some of the villages are in remote areas in the mountains and it will take some
time to collect details.”
However,
images and videos coming out of the country showed houses reduced to rubble and
bodies swathed in blankets lying on the ground.
An
unknown number of people remained stuck under rubble and in outlying areas,
health and aid workers said, while rescue operations were complicated by
difficult conditions including heavy rains, landslides and many villages being
nestled in inaccessible hillside areas.
“Many
people are still buried under the soil. Rescue teams have arrived and with the
help of locals are trying to take out the dead and injured,” a health worker at
a hospital in the hard-hit Paktika province said.
Disaster
experts and humanitarian workers said the impoverished hilly areas struck by
the quake were especially vulnerable, with landslides and poorly built houses
adding to widespread destruction.
Eyewitness
accounts
“We
were all sleeping at home... and the room fell over us,” said Gul Faraz as he
received treatment for injuries with his wife and children at a hospital in
Paktika. Some family members had been killed, he said.
“All
the houses in our area were destroyed, not one, but the entire region has been
destroyed.” Most of the confirmed deaths were in the eastern province of
Paktika, where 255 people were killed and more than 200 injured, Ayubi said. In
the province of Khost, 25 were dead and 90 had been taken to hospital.
Adding
to the challenge for Afghan authorities is recent flooding in many regions,
which has blocked stretches of highway.
Hospitals
in rural Afghanistan have come under pressure as well. From her hospital bed in
Sharan, the capital of Paktika province, tears stream down Bibi Hawa’s face as
she tries to grasp her predicament.
At
least a dozen members of her family were among those killed. “Where will I go,
where will I go?” the 55-year-old asks repeatedly.
As
a nurse tries to calm her down, talking to her gently and caressing her
forehead, Bibi sighs: “My heart is weak.”
In
the room where Bibi is being treated a dozen other women lie on beds – many
asleep, some burrowed beneath blankets, others hooked up to vital fluids.
Shahmira
is unhurt, but her one-year-old grandson lies in her lap, a large dressing
covering his temple.
On
the next bed her daughter-in-law is sleeping off her injuries, while a son is
being treated in a different ward.
“We
were sleeping when we heard a loud noise,” she says.
“I
screamed... I thought my family was buried under the rubble and that I was the
only one” still alive.
In
an adjacent ward, a dozen men are also recovering on beds. One father holds his
son on his lap while nearby, another child lies under a blue blanket. His left
arm is also in a cast, while on his forehead a white bandage bears the word
“emergency” written in black marker.
“There
were cries everywhere. The children and my family were under the mud.” Mohammad
Yahya Wiar, director of Sharan Hospital, says they have been doing their best
to treat everyone.
When
the injured arrived, they “were crying, and we were crying too”, he says.
But
locals are rallying to help. In front of the hospital, a hundred men are
waiting patiently.
“They
have come to give blood – about 300 have already given it since this morning,”
explains a Taliban fighter.
Assistance
from Pakistan
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Arif Alvi and the military’s top brass
expressed their condolences over the loss of life in the quake and pledged to
provide all possible humanitarian assistance to people of Afghanistan.
In
line with this commitment, a convoy of trucks carrying relief assistance left
for Khost on Wednesday night. The relief consignment includes tents, covers,
blankets and medicines, which would be handed over to Afghan authorities.
The
convoy of trucks carrying relief aid would reach Khost via the Ghulam Khan
border.
In
a statement, the Foreign Office said the people of Pakistan stood in solidarity
with their Afghan brethren in this difficult time. “We have no doubt that the
brotherly Afghan people will overcome the effects of this natural calamity with
their characteristic resilience,” it said.
The
FO said Pakistani authorities and institutions were working to extend required
assistance to Afghanistan in coordination with their relevant institutions.
International
assistance
After
an Afghan foreign ministry spokesman said the Taliban would welcome
international help, US President Joe Biden has directed Usaid and other federal
government entities to assess how they can respond.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations was fully mobilised,
assessing needs and providing initial support.
But
according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the deputy UN envoy in Afghanistan, the United
Nations does not have search and rescue capabilities in Afghanistan and Turkey
is “best positioned” to provide such support.
At
the UN, Pakistan urged the international community not to link assistance for
the disaster-hit nation with political concerns.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696257/deadly-quake-spells-disaster-for-isolated-afghanistan
--------
Earthquake
Death Toll Soars As Rescue Teams Search for Victims Buried Under the Ground and
Destroyed Houses
By
Saqalain Eqbal
22
Jun 2022
At
least 1,000 people have died and 1,500 have been injured as a result of
Wednesday’s earthquake in southern and south-eastern Afghanistan, according to
Mohammad Amin Hudhaifa, head of Taliban Information and Culture in the province
of Paktika.
Hibatullah
Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, claimed that hundreds of homes
had been demolished and that the death toll was likely to climb since rescue
teams and emergency workers are still looking for people who may be buried
beneath the ground.
The
earthquake of Wednesday that stuck Afghanistan’s south-eastern regions is the
most catastrophic and the deadliest earthquake to have hit Afghanistan in the
previous 20 years.
This
unfortunate occurrence was poorly handled by the Taliban, according to the
locals.
Five
helicopters were sent to the location by the Taliban’s cabinet members
approximately eight hours after the incident during an emergency meeting, to
facilitate medical evacuation.
The
Taliban’s relief team is said to have reached the scene around 11 hours later
at around lunchtime to aid the victims.
According
to a local farmer who spoke to BBC, there were no official assistance workers
there, but people of nearby villages and cities have come to the area to rescue
individuals. “I arrived this morning, and I – myself – found 40 dead bodies,”
he added.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Shares Afghanistan’s Grief Over the Deadly Earthquake and is Prepared to Aid
the Victims
By
Saqalain Eqbal
22
Jun 2022
Saeed
Khatibzada, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, expressed sympathy
for the Afghan people and government in light of the terrible earthquake that
struck southeastern Afghanistan, according to the official news agency of the
Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA.
The
Iranian media also reported that Mohammad Hassan Nami, the head of Iran’s
Crisis Management Organization, stated that the Iranian agency was completely
prepared to aid earthquake victims in Afghanistan.
Khatibzada
conveyed his sincere condolences to his Afghan people and hoped for the
victims’ departed souls to find eternal peace while also wishing for the
well-being of those who had been wounded.
Iran
has consigned two airplanes carrying humanitarian aid to the people in the
earthquake-affected areas in southeastern Afghanistan, according to an
announcement made by the Iranian embassy in Kabul following the fatal
earthquake that struck Afghanistan’s Paktika and Host province on Wednesday.
Additionally,
pursuant to the Iranian minister’s instruction, Iran’s crisis management teams
are on high alert and prepared to send teams to Afghanistan if necessary,
according to the Head of Crisis Management Organization in an interview with
the Iranian media.
At
the same time, the Iranian Red Crescent Society declared its preparedness to
aid the victims as well.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
The
Taliban Allocates 1 Billion Afghanis to the Victims of Earthquake in South-East
Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
22
Jun 2022
In
an emergency cabinet meeting, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the prime minister
of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, allocated one billion Afghanis to
support the families of the earthquake victims in the provinces of Paktika and
Khost, according to the Bakhtar State News Agency.
According
to the IEA Prime Minister’s decree, a commission composed of senior officials
will visit the earthquake-affected regions, check on the welfare of the
victims’ families, and soon begin the aid distribution process.
The
most recent statistics on the casualties of the catastrophic and fatal
earthquake in the south-eastern provinces of Afghanistan, particularly Paktika
and Khost, the death toll is reported to have soared.
According
to Mawlawi Sharafuddin Muslim, the Deputy Minister of State for Disaster
Management, 920 people were killed and 610 injured in last night’s quake in
several provinces.
The
earthquake was initially reported to have killed almost 280 people and wounded
over 600, but the Taliban officials had stated that the death toll was expected
to increase given the remoteness of some villages in the mountinuous regions.
The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has said that it will make use of all of its
resources to help the families and those who were hurt in this natural
disaster.
Food,
clothing, and medications are reportedly included in the assistance.
https://www.khaama.com/the-taliban-allocates-1-billion-afghanis-to-the-victims-of-earthquake-in-south-east-afghanistan-668432/
Afghanistan
quake: Rescuers struggling to reach survivors in Paktika
Heavy
rain, threadbare resources and rugged terrain are hampering rescuers in south-east
Afghanistan, where a powerful earthquake is reported to have killed more than
1,000 people.
Unknown
numbers were buried in the rubble of ruined, often mud-built homes by the
magnitude 6.1 earthquake.
Afghanistan's
health system was facing near collapse even before the disaster.
The
Taliban authorities have called for more international aid. Communication
networks are also badly hit.
"We
can't reach the area - networks are too weak," a Taliban spokesman was
quoted by Reuters as saying.
The
United Nations is among those scrambling to provide emergency shelter and food
aid to remote areas in the worst-hit Paktika province.
Survivors
and rescuers have told the BBC of villages completely destroyed near the
epicentre of the quake, of ruined roads and mobile phone towers - and of their
fears that the death toll will rise further. Some 1,500 people were also
injured, officials say.
The
deadliest earthquake to strike the country in two decades is a major challenge
for the Taliban, the Islamist movement which regained power last year after the
Western-backed government collapsed.
The
earthquake struck early on Wednesday about 44km (27 miles) from the city of
Khost and tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan and India.
Afghanistan
is in the midst of a humanitarian and economic crisis, and Abdul Qahar Balkhi,
a senior Taliban official, said the government was "financially unable to
assist the people to the extent that is needed".
The
head of the UN, António Guterres said the agency had "fully
mobilised" over the disaster. Health teams, medical supplies, food and
emergency shelters were en route to the quake zone, UN officials said.
But
Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of information for Paktika province, told AFP it
was proving "very difficult" for rescuers to reach areas
"affected by floods because of heavy rains last night".
Afghanistan:
The basics
The
Taliban run the country: The hardline Islamists took over Afghanistan last
year, almost 20 years after being ousted by a US-led military coalition
There's
a food crisis: More than a third of people can't meet basic needs and the
economy is struggling, as foreign aid and cash dried up when the Taliban took
power
Women's
rights are restricted: They have been ordered to cover their faces in public
and teenage girls have not been allowed to go to school
Most
of the casualties so far have been in the Gayan and Barmal districts of
Paktika. A whole village in Gayan has reportedly been destroyed.
"There
was a rumbling and my bed began to shake," one survivor, Shabir, told the BBC.
"The
ceiling fell down. I was trapped, but I could see the sky. My shoulder was
dislocated, my head was hurt but I got out. I am sure that seven or nine people
from my family, who were in the same room as me, are dead."
A
doctor in Paktika said medical workers were among the victims.
"We
didn't have enough people and facilities before the earthquake, and now the
earthquake has ruined the little we had," the medic said. "I don't
know how many of our colleagues are still alive."
Communication
following the quake is difficult because of damage to mobile phone towers and
the death toll could rise further still, a local journalist in the area told
the BBC.
"Many
people are not aware of the well-being of their relatives because their phones
are not working," he said. "My brother and his family died, and I
just learned it after many hours. Many villages have been destroyed."
Afghanistan
is prone to quakes, as it is located in a tectonically active region, over a
number of fault lines including the Chaman fault, the Hari Rud fault, the
Central Badakhshan fault and the Darvaz fault.
Over
the past decade more than 7,000 people have been killed in earthquakes in the
country, the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports.
There are an average of 560 deaths a year from earthquakes.
Most
recently, back-to-back earthquakes in the country's west in January killed more
than 20 people and destroyed hundreds of houses.
Even
before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan's emergency services were stretched to
deal with natural disasters - with few aircraft and helicopters available to
rescuers.
The
country is also experiencing an acute shortage of medical supplies and
malnutrition rates have been rising.
Source:
BBC
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61900260
--------
Southeast
Asia
Chinese
National of Singapore Sentenced To 18 Months' Probation for Making Anti-Islam Remarks
on Instagram
June
23, 2022
SINGAPORE:
A youth was sentenced to 18 months' probation on Thursday (Jun 23) for making
offensive remarks about Islam in Instagram posts that went viral.
Sun
Sicong, 21, also made insensitive comments about a rape victim.
He
pleaded guilty last month to one charge of making the posts with the deliberate
intention of wounding the religious feelings of Muslims.
Another
two charges, for his comments about rape and possessing obscene films, were
considered for sentencing.
The
court heard that Sun, a Chinese national who is a permanent resident of
Singapore, made the religiously offensive Instagram Stories posts between 2018
and 2019.
In
the posts, he described acts of violence against Muslims, threatened to burn
religious texts and insulted Islamic teachings.
He
also said he would have "no problem committing genocide" if he were
"in a position of power".
At
the time, no police reports were made in relation to the Instagram Stories
posts, which are temporary posts that get automatically deleted after 24 hours.
But
they resurfaced online around Jun 7, 2020, after Sun took a screenshot of a
rape victim's account of her ordeal and posted it with his insensitive
comments.
Other
Instagram users were upset with these comments and responded to Sun. They
referred to screenshots of the religiously offensive posts in the process.
The
religiously offensive posts then went viral, with the police receiving 62
reports from members of the public about them.
Under
his probation conditions, Sun must remain indoors from 10pm to 6am and perform
60 hours of community service.
His
parents also paid a bond of S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour during the
period.
Probation
is a community-based sentence under which offenders can continue most daily activities
such as school and work.
Community-based
sentences were introduced in 2010 to give the courts greater flexibility for
minor offences.
Source:
Channel News Asia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Along
with smoking and vape, ban other 'bad' habits too, says Muslim group
June
23, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: The government's effort to end smoking and vaping via the 'Generation
Endgame' plan is the right move, and it should also include banning the sale of
alcohol, sugary drinks, gambling, and the operation of nightclubs and karaoke
joints.
Pertubuhan
Ummah Muafakat Putrajaya (PUMP) president Tun Faisal said the move to ban
smoking and vaping takes much political will, and to the government's credit,
it has not wavered in pushing for Generation Endgame.
"It
seems only natural that the government should look to realise the aspirations
of all Malaysians.
"After
all, why only ban one or two bad habits while allowing others to fester? We
should not have double standards for bad habits," he said in a statement.
Tun
Faisal cited a recent survey carried out by the Muslim Consumers Association of
Malaysia (PPIM) that found most Malaysians want the government to ban the sale
of alcohol, sugary drinks and gambling, as well as prohibit the operation of
nightclubs, pubs and karaoke joints.
PPIM
said these products and services are considered 'bad' as smoking and vaping are
bad for one's health.
"The
respondents of the PPIM survey are right. It isn't rocket science, and it is
something the government should seriously consider," Tun Faisal said.
He
said if the government cites health reasons for banning smoking, it must be
noted that there are non-communicable diseases (NCDs) linked to alcohol
consumption, including cancer, liver diseases, and pancreatitis.
Similarly,
sugary drinks are linked to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and an increased risk of
cardiovascular diseases.
"Gambling,
on the other hand, as PPIM argued, can plunge one into debt. Again, one needs
only to Google to see that it is not a farfetched argument.
"Detractors
will say that it is a matter of moderation and that people should have complete
freedom to do what they want. But who has to bear the cost and consequences of
these bad habits? Society," he said.
"This
is why I urge the government to consider PPIM's survey results."
He
further said that, understandably, the government cannot and should not take a
top-down approach but a more inclusive approach in the spirit of the Keluarga
Malaysia concept.
"Surely,
there are also repercussions to consider, especially on the economy, of banning
alcohol, sugary drinks, and the operation of nightclubs. Somewhere and somehow
down the line, the ban would impact someone's rice bowl.
"This
is why any plans to curb 'bad habits' must be calculated and planned
carefully," Tun Faisal said.
Source:
NST
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Employ
us, we can help solve labour shortage, say frustrated refugees
Reshna
Reem Ganesan
June
23, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Many refugees in the country struggle to make ends meet due to the lack
of opportunities – and the fact that Malaysia is taking on large numbers of
migrant workers grates on them.
Agha
Andul Sattar, a refugee from Pakistan told FMT that he and other refugees feel
frustrated and unwelcome.
An
Ahmadiyya Muslim, he fled from religious persecution in Balochistan and came to
Malaysia in 2016, seeking asylum.
He
thought he could find work in Malaysia but was disheartened by the lack of
opportunities.
“Everybody
knows the (Malaysian) government said we aren’t allowed to work, and this has
affected our lives here,” he said.
Agha,
44, is now a social mobiliser and community developer at the North-South
Initiative activist group.
He
said refugees are often painted in a bad light by mainstream media, making
employers reluctant to employ them. “But nobody is talking about the problems
we face or the important roles we can play in Malaysia,” he stressed.
“Even
during the pandemic when there was a labour crisis, we were more than willing
to help. We are always ready.”
Kai
Sian Pau, a refugee from the Zomi community in Myanmar, said the public should
not believe the bad stories about refugees. “We are not bad people. The public
just needs to get to know us and our culture better,” he said.
Kai
came to Malaysia in 2010 because his community, a minority ethnic group, was
being persecuted by the government.
He
said many refugees from his community feel a sense of hopelessness in Malaysia
because they are unable to build a better life for themselves.
“It
feels like we don’t have a right to work towards our dreams,” he said, and the
stress of going through everyday life had made them depressed.
Kai
said the government and employers must recognise the potential of refugees and
not exclude them, particularly in job opportunities.
“We
can help (with the labour shortage) and can work because we are healthy. And if
we can work, we will be able to survive without depending on donations,” he
said.
He
hopes that the laws and constitution of the country protect and provide
refugees with equal opportunities.
Meanwhile,
Rohingya refugee Saif, who only wants to be identified by his first name, said
many Rohingya want to work and are willing to learn the ropes.
“However,
they (refugees) are not given the opportunity and are looked down on by
employers which makes them feel insecure and upset,” he said.
Saif,
27, left Myanmar for Bangladesh with his family when he was nine years old. In
2018, he came to Malaysia to pursue higher education.
Considering
himself one of the fortunate few, he gives back to his community here by
educating over 100 Rohingya children at a centre in Meru, Klang.
He
pointed out that employers are usually hesitant to hire refugees and end up
paying more for migrant workers’ documentation.
“Instead
of paying large sums for migrant workers, employers and the government should
use that money to employ refugees here,” he said, adding that it has been
difficult to recruit migrant workers since the pandemic.
Saif
said employing refugees would be a “win-win situation” because it will help
with the country’s labour shortage and give refugees a purpose.
Malaysia
currently lacks at least 1.2 million workers in the manufacturing (627,000),
plantation (120,000) and construction (550,000) industries.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Mideast
1,200-year-old
mosque uncovered in Palestinian village in Israel
22
June, 2022
Israeli
archaeologists on Wednesday unveiled an ancient mosque in the country's south
that antiquities officials said sheds light on the region's transition from Christianity
to Islam.
The
remains of the mosque, believed to be more than 1,200 years old, were
discovered during works to build a new neighbourhood in the Palestinian Bedouin
city of Rahat, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement.
The
mosque located in the Negev desert (also called Naqab in Arabic) contains
"a square room and a wall facing the direction of Mecca", with a
half-circle niche in that wall pointing to the south, the IAA said.
"These
unique architectural features show that the building was used as a
mosque," the authority said, noting it probably hosted a few dozen
worshippers at a time.
A
short distance from the mosque, a "luxurious estate building" was
also discovered, with remains of tableware and glass artefacts pointing to the
wealth of its residents, the IAA said.
Three
years ago, the authority unearthed another mosque nearby from the same era of
the seventh to eighth century AD, calling the two Islamic places of worship
"among the earliest known worldwide".
The
mosques, estate and other homes found nearby illuminate "the historical
process that took place in the northern Negev with the introduction of a new
religion -- the religion of Islam, and a new rulership and culture in the
region," the IAA said.
"These
were gradually established, inheriting the earlier Byzantine government and
Christian religion that held sway over the land for hundreds of years."
The
Muslim conquest of the region occurred in the first half of the seventh
century.
The
IAA said the mosques found in Rahat would be preserved in their current
locations, whether as historic monuments or as active places of prayer.
Images
taken of the newly-uncovered mosque showed Palestinian workers praying inside
the structure.
The
Negev desert is home to over 300,000 Palestinian Bedouins, who are extremely
marginalised and constitute Israel's poorest minority.
Israel
has long pursued a policy to sedentarise and concentrate this community in a
handful of state-built cities.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/1200-year-old-mosque-unearthed-palestinian-negev-village
--------
Iranian
Leader’s Advisor: Islamic Revolution Major Obstacle to US, Israeli Plots in
Region
2022-June-22
Larijani,
former speaker of the Iranian parliament, made the remark in a ceremony to
unveil a book titled ‘The Secret War With Iran; Half a Century of Failure’
written by Iranian journalist Abbas Salimi Namin which sheds light on the
claims made by Israeli military affairs analyst Ronen Bergman.
As
highlighted by Bergman, the conflict between Iran and Israel stems from the
strategic depths of both sides, Larijani said.
He
added Ronen Bergman’s book and the claims made on the 1979 Islamic Revolution
in Iran are not based on evidence, so the book is reduced to a fiction.
Larijani
said the late Founder of Iran’s Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini and the
Revolution changed the map in the Middle East and what Bergman is driving at is
the fact that the Islamic Revolution has been a major block for Israel and the
US to achieve their goals in the region.
In
relevant remarks in November, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
Major General Hossein Salami said that Washington is used to sustaining defeat
in its plots against the Iranian nation.
The
Americans are used to defeats at the hands of the Iranian nation, but, they
have yet to learn the lesson well, General Salami said.
He
also spoke about the US hegemonic moves to provoke wars in the world, saying
that more than 40 major wars in 40 parts of the world are the outcome of
Americans' politics in the world.
General
Salami said that the US has engaged in a war with many countries in Europe,
Africa, South America, the Far East, West Asia, and Russia, and added that the
US waged wars have left more an 8 million dead in the world.
According
to Major General Salami, the US dreamed of dominating the Islamic world so as
to dominate the entire world, however, the Islamic Revolution of Iran prevented
the Americans' dreams from coming true.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tehran
Foils Mossad’s Assassination Plot against Iranian Nuclear Scientists
2022-June-22
"The
arrest of these Mossad operatives followed a complicated intelligence operation
that lasted eight months," Prosecutor-General of Iran's Sistan and
Balouchestan province Mehdi Shamsabadi told reporters on Tuesday.
"Ample
evidence has been gathered against them in such a way that they did not even
make any objection when a warrant for their arrest was issued," he added.
The
official noted that some members of the cell have been arrested in the
country’s Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan while other members
and operatives have been detained outside the province by Iran's intelligence
forces.
"The
defendants have confessed that some of them had been in direct contact with
Mossad agents," Shamsabadi emphasized.
He
said the case is currently under preliminary investigation and that an
indictment would be filed and sent to court soon.
The
official did not specify the nationalities of the agents.
In
a statement on April 20, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced the arrest of
the three Mossad agents in Sistan and Balouchestan.
It
said at the time that the spies were involved in disseminating classified
information and documents, and noted that the trio had been arrested upon a
judicial order.
Iranian
nuclear scientists have been the target of the western and Israeli spy
agencies' assassination attempts in recent years.
Iranian
nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's car was targeted by an explosion and
machinegun fire in Damavand's Absard 40 kilometers to the East of Tehran on
November 27, 2020.
The
nuclear scientist and one of his companions were immediately taken to a nearby
hospital but he could not be saved.
In
June 2012, Iran announced that its intelligence forces had identified and
arrested all terrorist elements behind the assassination of the country's
nuclear scientists.
"All
the elements involved in the assassinations of the country's nuclear scientists
have been identified and arrested," Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced
in a statement.
"A
number of countries, whose territories and facilities had been misused by the
Mossad-backed terrorist teams, have provided the Iranian officials with
relevant information," the statement added.
"Over
the course of the investigations, all other elements behind the assassinations
of the Iranian scientists Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari and Mostafa
Ahmadi Roshan as well as Reza Qashqaei (Roshan's driver) have been
apprehended," the statement read.
"Some
of the perpetrators of the assassination of Dr. Fereidoun Abbasi, the current
head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, are among those arrested," the
ministry added.
According
to the statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry had detected some of Mossad's
bases within the territories of one of Iran's Western neighbors, which provided
training and logistical support to the terrorist networks.
In
the fifth attack of its kind in two years, terrorists killed a 32-year-old
Iranian scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and his driver on January 11, 2012.
The
blast took place on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Iranian
university professor and nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, who was also
assassinated in a terrorist bomb attack in Tehran in January 2010.
The
assassination method used in the bombing was similar to the 2010 terrorist bomb
attacks against the then university professor, Fereidoun Abbassi Davani – who
became the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization - and his colleague Majid
Shahriari. While Abbasi Davani survived the attack, Shahriari was martyred.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Russia's
Lavrov arrives in Iran to discuss nuclear deal, cooperation
22
June, 2022
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Iran on Wednesday, Iranian state TV
reported, as world powers and Tehran are struggling to revive their 2015
nuclear pact amid stalled negotiations.
“During
Lavrov's visit, Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, boosting bilateral and energy
cooperation, as well as international and regional issues will be discussed,”
Iranian state media reported.
Iranian
State TV showed Lavrov meeting Iran's hardline President Ebrahim Raisi, but
gave no details. Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday that Lavrov's visit
was aimed at “expanding cooperation with the Eurasian region and the Caucasus.”
Last
month, Moscow said Russia and Iran - which are both under Western sanctions and
sit on some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves - had discussed
swapping supplies for oil and gas as well as setting up a logistics hub.
While
Moscow is challenging Western sanctions over its military operation in Ukraine,
Tehran's clerical rulers have been struggling to keep Iran's economy afloat
amid crippling US sanctions that were reimposed after Washington exited
Tehran's nuclear deal in 2018.
Indirect
talks between Tehran and US President Joe Biden's administration to reinstate
the pact have been on hold since March, chiefly over Tehran's insistence that
Washington remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the US list of
designated terrorist organizations.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinians
grant bail to accused killers of prominent activist Nizar Banat
22 June,
2022
Fourteen
Palestinian security force members on trial over the killing of prominent
activist Nizar Banat, whose death sparked rare protests against the Palestinian
Authority, have been released on bail, multiple sources said Wednesday.
The
group formally asked for their release on Tuesday, which was granted by the
prosecution on condition that they attend their court hearings, a top
Palestinian security official who requested anonymity told AFP.
The
risk of coronavirus spreading in the West Bank prison where they were held was
cited as grounds for their release in a letter seen by AFP, written by the
prosecutor responsible for oversight of Palestinian security forces,
Abdelnasser Jarrar.
Banat’s
widow slammed that justification and further charged that Palestinian president
Mahmud Abbas’s administration could not credibly judge her husband’s accused
killers.
“The
murderer cannot be a judge,” Jihan Banat told AFP, describing the decision to
release the suspects on bail as “political.”
“If
the Palestinian Authority is worried about the spread of the coronavirus, why
doesn’t it release all the other prisoners held on charges?”
Banat
died in June last year after security forces stormed his home in the flashpoint
city of Hebron and dragged him away.
A
post-mortem found he had been beaten on the head, chest, neck, legs and hands,
with less than an hour elapsing between his arrest and his death.
The
top Palestinian prosecutor has accused the 14 security force members of beating
Banat to death. The PA has promised accountability through a military trial in
the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
Palestinian
public body the Independent Commission for Human Rights said there were
“irregularities throughout the release process.”
“Preventing
the spread of coronavirus does not justify departing from the rule of law,” it
said.
Majed
al-Arouri, a Ramallah-based legal expert and human rights advocate, told AFP
that the release of the suspects without a judicial order was “illegal,” and
pointed to wider concerns about the PA’s handling of the case.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
movie feted by Cannes critics banned at home
22 June,
2022
Authorities
in Iran have banned an Iranian movie about the struggles of a family in the
sanctions-hit country after it was feted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“Leila’s
Brothers” by director Saeed Roustaee has been banned until further notice by
the Cinema Organization of Iran, Culture Minister Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaili told
state news agency IRNA.
The
movie “broke the rules by being entered at international film festivals without
authorization,” the COI said.
“Leila’s
Brothers” missed out on the Cannes festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, last
month but won the award of the International Federation of Film Critics
(FIPRESCI).
The
film has been denied a cinema release in Iran because of its director’s refusal
to “correct” it in the manner requested by the ministry, the COI said.
Roustaee,
32, had already wowed critics abroad with his 2019 police thriller “Just 6.5.”
From
a working class district of Tehran, he told reformist newspaper Shargh: “I have
a social commitment to the class in which I live... Nothing in my films is
symbolic.”
For
all the challenges imposed by Iranian authorities the country has long had a
thriving cinema scene, with figures like Jafar Panahi and Asghar Farhadi
scooping awards around the world.
Iran’s
Zar Amir Ebrahimi won this year’s Cannes award for best actress for “Holy
Spider,” in which she plays a journalist trying to solve the serial murders of
prostitutes in the Shia shrine city of Mashhad.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
premier stresses importance of 'security stability' amid political chaos
Burak
Dağ
22.06.2022
ANKARA
Despite
political instability, Israel’s security must be preserved, the country’s prime
minister said on Wednesday.
“We
are in a period of political instability but the security stability must be
preserved,” Naftali Bennett said during a visit to the Israel Defense Forces’
Gaza division headquarters, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s
Office.
Bennett
said Israelis in cities such as Sderot and Ashkelon and the area adjacent to
the Gaza Strip have had the “quietest year” in the past 15 years.
“The
new normal in the south is quiet, security, and normal life … There are new
families and new homes are being built here,” he said.
Bennett
wished that the peace experienced during the last year would continue in the
coming years.
On
Monday evening, Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced an agreement
to dissolve the Knesset and go for early elections.
It
will be Israel’s fifth election in three-and-a-half years.
In
a joint statement, Bennett and Lapid said they would bring a bill to dissolve
parliament for an early election likely to be held on Oct. 25.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
premier stresses importance of 'security stability' amid political chaos
Burak
Dağ
22.06.2022
ANKARA
Despite
political instability, Israel’s security must be preserved, the country’s prime
minister said on Wednesday.
“We
are in a period of political instability but the security stability must be
preserved,” Naftali Bennett said during a visit to the Israel Defense Forces’
Gaza division headquarters, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s
Office.
Bennett
said Israelis in cities such as Sderot and Ashkelon and the area adjacent to
the Gaza Strip have had the “quietest year” in the past 15 years.
“The
new normal in the south is quiet, security, and normal life … There are new
families and new homes are being built here,” he said.
Bennett
wished that the peace experienced during the last year would continue in the
coming years.
On
Monday evening, Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced an agreement
to dissolve the Knesset and go for early elections.
It
will be Israel’s fifth election in three-and-a-half years.
In
a joint statement, Bennett and Lapid said they would bring a bill to dissolve
parliament for an early election likely to be held on Oct. 25.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Catastrophic
Earthquake in Afghanistan Prompts Pope Francis to Pray for the Victims
By
Saqalain Eqbal
22
Jun 2022
Pope
Francis says he is praying for those affected by the catastrophic earthquake
that struck Afghanistan and left at least 1,000 people dead and almost 1,500
injured. He has also made a request for assistance on behalf of everyone who
was affected, according to Vatican News.
The
Pope conveyed his sympathy to everyone impacted by the earthquake that, in his
words, “had claimed lives and caused considerable damage in Afghanistan” while
speaking during the Wednesday General Audience.
“And
I especially pray for those who lost their lives and their families,” he said.
“I
hope we can lessen the suffering of the dear people of Afghanistan with
everyone’s support,” he called on people to help for the people of Afghanistan,
especially those affected by the devastating earthquake.
Meanwhile,
United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
has also expressed its “sincere condolences and solidarity with the Afghan
people”, through an official statement released today, June 22nd.
Source:
Khaama Press
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--------
Dialogue
channels with Türkiye should always be kept open: Greek opposition leader
Ahmet
Gencturk
22.06.2022
Dialogue
channels with Türkiye should always be kept open, said the Greek main
opposition leader, local media reported on Wednesday.
For
Greece, 2022 has been a year of great intensity and worrying developments at
the geopolitical level, SYRIZA-PS party leader Alexis Tsipras told the General
Assembly of the Greek Tourism Confederation, according to the daily Avgi.
Criticizing
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ decision to transfer arms to Ukraine, he
argued that this makes the country part of the crisis.
Referring
to the early elections rumors which intensified after the prime minister hinted
at the possibility last week, Tsipras called on Mitsotakis to announce the
exact date as soon as possible.
About
possible coalition partners after the elections, he said: “The Greek people will
decide if and with whom we will form a government.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NATO
chief acknowledges Türkiye’s ‘very important work’ to open corridor for
Ukrainian grain
Agnes
Szucs
22.06.2022
BRUSSELS
NATO
chief Jens Stoltenberg praised on Wednesday Türkiye for doing “very important
work” to open an export corridor for grain shipments from Ukraine.
“Türkiye
does a very important work in facilitating to get grain out from Ukraine,”
Stoltenberg told an event organized by the Politico news outlet.
The
remarks came in reaction to Ankara’s diplomatic efforts to prevent the global
food crisis by opening an export corridor for grain shipments that have been
blocked by Russia at Black Sea ports.
Stoltenberg
also explained that he is confident that NATO allies will find a consensus on
Türkiye’s security concerns raised about Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership
applications.
He
acknowledged that Türkiye suffered the most terror attacks among NATO
countries.
Türkiye
is of “great importance for our Alliance since it is bordering Iraq and Syria”
and it “has played and is still playing a key role in the fight against
terrorism,” Stoltenberg said.
He
stressed that it is natural that NATO countries have disagreements as they make
part of an alliance of “30 different nations with different political parties
in power, different history, different geography.”
Stoltenberg
also said allies had differences all through NATO’s history, but in the end,
they “always agree on essential issues" and "are ready to defend each
other.”
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO last month, a decision spurred by
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NATO
chief discusses Türkiye’s security concerns with Swedish premier
Agnes
Szucs
22.06.2022
BRUSSELS
NATO
chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday he discussed Türkiye’s security
concerns with Sweden’s prime minister.
“(I)
spoke with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Sweden’s NATO
application and the security concerns raised by our Ally Türkiye,” Stoltenberg
stated in a Twitter post.
He
stressed that "talks on the way forward will continue in the coming days.”
Last
week, Stoltenberg confirmed that Türkiye has “legitimate concerns related to
their fight against the PKK a group and other organizations”, adding that PKK
is considered a terrorist organization by NATO, the EU, as well as Finland, and
Sweden.
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO last month, a decision spurred by
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.
But
Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to the
membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting
terrorist groups.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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UN
says Turkey likely best to send rescue teams to Afghanistan
June
22, 2022
UNITED
NATIONS: The United Nations does not have search and rescue capabilities in
Afghanistan and Turkey is “best positioned” to provide it following a deadly
earthquake in Afghanistan on Wednesday, a senior UN aid official said.
“We
spoke about it with the embassy of Turkey here on the ground and they’re
waiting for the formal request,” said deputy UN envoy in Afghanistan Ramiz
Alakbarov.
“We
will be able to make such request only after the discussion with the de-facto
authorities and based on what is the reality on the ground.”
The
death toll from an earthquake in Afghanistan hit 1,000, disaster management
officials said, with more than 600 injured and the toll expected to grow as
information trickles in from remote mountain villages.
Alakbarov
— speaking from Kabul — said that while the Taliban had not yet formally
requested help from international search and rescue teams, the United Nations
had already sounded out countries in the region to see “if they would be
willing and available to deploy such capacity.”
“Our
teams do not have specific equipment to take people from under the rubble. This
has to rely mostly on the efforts of the de-facto authorities, which also has
certain limitations in that respect,” he said.
Alakbarov
said it was unclear how well positioned the Taliban were to operate and deploy
their to the mountainous areas hit by the earthquake.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2108781/world
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/us-lawmaker-ilhan-omar-religious-freedom-india/d/127306