US President Joe Biden Lifts Muslim Ban On His First Day In Office, Placed By His Predecessor Donald Trump
New
Age Islam News Bureau
21
January 2021
US
President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and family walk the abbreviated
parade route after Biden's inauguration on January 20. — AFP
------
• Haridwar
Seer Community Seeks Strict Action Against Web Series ‘Tandav’ For Waging
‘Cinema Jihad’
• Maulana
Fazl ur Rehman Led Pakistan Right-Wing JUI-F Denied Permission To Hold
Anti-Israel Rally In Karachi
• French
Muslim Groups Deal Blow To Macron's Anti-Extremism Charter Dealing A Blow To A •
Flagship Initiative Of President Emmanuel Macron
• Khashoggi
2?: Brother of Detained Saudi Activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, Accuses Riyadh of
Trying to Murder Him
• Afghan
VP Pushes For Execution Of Taliban Prisoners
• Indonesia's
Islamic Body Deems Sinovac Vaccine 'Holy And Halal'
• Iranian
Army Tests New Home-Made Electro-Optic System in Drills
North
America
• US President Joe Biden Lifts Muslim Ban On His First Day In Office, Placed By His Predecessor Donald Trump
• White
House says Biden will be discussing Iran with foreign allies
• We
must end this uncivil war: Biden says amid political polarization, pandemic
• 12
National Guard Members Removed From Inauguration Duties Amid Extremist Threats
• US
‘terrorist’ designation of Yemen’s Houthis comes into effect
• U.S.
soldier accused of wanting to plot ISIS strike on 9/11 Memorial in New York City
• Lloyd
Austin, Biden’s nominee to lead Pentagon, vows to take on extremism in the
military
• Alleged
militia leader arrested, officials say, as FBI eyes extremist group suspects
after Capitol riot
--------
India
• Haridwar
Seer Community Seeks Strict Action Against Web Series ‘Tandav’ For Waging
‘Cinema Jihad’
• Indian
Village Cheers For Kamala Harris During Swearing-In As US Vice President
• 4
soldiers injured in Pak shelling in Akhnoor, but no infiltration bid: Army
• Rajasthan
BJP MP Triggers Row, Says Terrorists, Khalistan Supporters Sitting At Farm
Protest Sites
--------
Pakistan
• Maulana
Fazl ur Rehman Led Pakistan Right-Wing JUI-F Denied Permission To Hold Anti-Israel
Rally In Karachi
• Pakistan
Urged The Media In Turkey To Play Their Role In Spotlighting Various Issues
Related to Kashmir
• Foreign
funding case against PTI to be decided on merit: CEC
• PM
wants opposition to also face foreign funding trial
• Cardinal
named head of Christian research center in Pakistan
• Another
successful test of Shaheen-III carried out
• NAB
gives clean chit to PML-Q leaders after closing last two inquiries
• PPP
slams graft case against Murad, blames NAB for political vendetta
--------
Europe
• French
Muslim Groups Deal Blow To Macron's Anti-Extremism Charter Dealing A Blow To A •
Flagship Initiative Of President Emmanuel Macron
• Russia
refuses Syria’s use as an arena for an Iran-Israel confrontation: Lavrov
• Italy
jails suspected al-Qaeda militant for terror activity in Syria, Iraq
• Macron
rules out official apology or repentance for colonial abuses in Algeria
• Chechnya
kills militant tied to ISIS, deadly Moscow attacks
• Violent
German Far-Right Groups' Recruitment Aided By Lockdown Frustrations
--------
Arab
World
• Khashoggi
2?: Brother of Detained Saudi Activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, Accuses Riyadh of
Trying to Murder Him
• Baghdad
market suicide bombing death toll rises to 13: Iraq police
• Syria’s
Assad has ‘nowhere left to go,’ can’t escape Caesar Act: US envoy Rayburn
• Egypt
foreign ministry says agreed with Qatar on resuming diplomatic relations
• Dubai-based
airline FlyDubai launches daily flights to Qatar’s capital Doha
• UAE
signs deal with US to buy 50 F-35 jets and up to 18 drones: Report
• US
President Trump lifts tariffs on aluminium imports from UAE
• Syria
condemns US ‘systematic looting’ of its resources, oil in NE, calls for
immediate withdrawal of occupation forces
--------
South
Asia
• Afghan
VP Pushes For Execution Of Taliban Prisoners
• Afghan
Commandos ‘Release Captives’ From Taliban Prison
• Afghan
government blames Taliban for stalling peace talks
• Taliban
Suffer Casualties in Faryab, Uruzgan Provinces
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Indonesia's
Islamic Body Deems Sinovac Vaccine 'Holy And Halal'
• Poor
Malaysian Woman Who Shoplifted Gets Visit By Police Who Give Her Food And Other
Items
• Muhyiddin
Urges Asean To Legislate Against Online Hate Speech, Threats Based On Race, • Gender,
Sexual Orientation
• How
COVID-19 Is Straining Human Rights in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines
• Credit
ratings agency Fitch's downgrading of Malaysia has been damning
• New
Indonesian law empowers communities in anti-terror fight
--------
Mideast
• Iranian
Army Tests New Home-Made Electro-Optic System in Drills
• Netanyahu
urges President Biden to ‘strengthen’ US-Israel alliance
• Iran’s
Rouhani calls on US President-elect Biden to return to nuclear deal
• Palestinians
react with outrage to Biden pick’s al-Quds remarks
• Iran’s
Zarif: Unlawful US sanctions dealt blow to multilateralism
--------
Africa
• Libyans
Agree To Hold Constitutional Referendum: Egypt
• Tunisians
protest mass arrests in night-time clashes
• Over
40 Europe-bound migrants killed in shipwreck off Libya: UN
• Somali,
U.S. forces kill 3 al-Shabab terrorists in southern region
• Violence
create food crisis in northern Mozambique- WFP
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/us-president-joe-biden-lifts/d/124118
--------
US President Joe Biden Lifts
Muslim Ban On His
First Day In Office, Placed By His Predecessor Donald
Trump
Anwar
Iqbal
January
21, 2021
US
President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and family walk the abbreviated
parade route after Biden's inauguration on January 20. — AFP
------
In
his first order after taking the oath of his office on Wednesday, US President
Joe Biden removed the travel ban on some Muslim and African nations placed by
his predecessor Donald Trump.
Biden
returned to the White House late on Wednesday afternoon from the swearing-in
ceremony, laying a wreath on the grave of the unknown soldier in Arlington and
inspecting a parade.
And
right away he started signing the orders that sweep aside Trump’s pandemic
response, and reverse his environmental agenda and anti-immigration policies.
He also took steps to boost the American economy and promote ethnic and
religious diversity across the nation.
In
pictures: Top moments from the Biden-Harris swearing-in ceremony
In
one afternoon, Biden signed 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations
from the Oval Office, including orders to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and
end the Muslim ban.
In a
tweet from the official Twitter account for the US president, Biden simply
said: "We're back in the Paris Climate Agreement."
Meanwhile,
Biden's point-man for fighting the pandemic, Jeff Zients, said the US would
also rejoin the World Health Organisation, reversing his predecessor's
decision. He added that top US expert Anthony Fauci would lead a delegation to
the WHO executive board meeting on Thursday.
While
efforts aimed at ending his legacy may hurt Trump, the coup de grâce came from
a 22-year-old poet, Amanda Gorman whose words rekindled the hope for a better
future in millions of hearts across the globe.
“We’ve
seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy
our country if it meant delaying democracy, and this effort very nearly
succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be
permanently defeated,” said Gorman while referring to the Jan 6 mob attack on
the US capitol.
“For
there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re
brave enough to be it,” said the young poet while reciting her poem “The Hill
We Climb”.
Gorman,
the youngest person ever to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration,
“delivered her piece with grace, the words it contained will resonate with
people the world over: Today, tomorrow, and far into the future,” the BBC
commented.
In
the poem, Gorman described herself as "a skinny black girl descended from
slaves and raised by a single mother [who] can dream of becoming president,
only to find herself reciting for one".
Every
time it is recited, it will also remind people of the attack on the Capitol
earlier in January, that former president Trump instigated, which almost
derailed American democracy.
As
Gorman finished her poem, four US presidents and first ladies, two former vice
presidents and their spouses, dozens of lawmakers and scores of diplomats gave
her a standing ovation, some struggling to hide their tears.
“Wasn't
the Amanda Gorman poem just stunning?” asked Hillary Clinton in a tweet she
posted along with a picture with the young poet. “She's promised to run for
president in 2036 and I for one can't wait.”
“With
her strong and poignant words, Amanda Gorman reminds us of the power we each
hold in upholding our democracy,” wrote Michelle Obama. “Keep shining, Amanda!
I can't wait to see what you do next!”
Biden,
who spoke before Gorman, also offered hope and reassurance.
“We
must end this uncivil war that pitches red versus blue, rural versus urban,
conservative versus liberal,” said President Biden while referring to the Jan 6
mob attack on the very building — the Capitol — where he took the oath of his
office.
Biden
also led a moment of silence for the lives lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“A
once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country. It's taken as many
lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have
been lost, hundreds of thousands of businesses closed,” he said.
The
78-year-old politician made history as the oldest person to ever be elected as
the American president. Momentous, as his swearing-in was, particularly after
the attack on the US Capitol, the other oath, that of Vice President Kamala
Harris, was even more significant.
She
stepped into history as the first woman, the first African American and the
first South Asian vice president of the United States. The oath was
administered by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latin American judge of the
US Supreme Court.
As
Vice President Harris struggled to control her tears, her sister Maya did not.
She broke into tears as Kamala said after the judge: “So, help me God.”
The
small crowd gathered for the inauguration included three former presidents —
Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Former vice president Mike Pence
represented the Trump administration after Trump decided not to see his
successor take the office he occupied until Wednesday morning.
Pence
received a warm applause as he walked onto the stage as the man who on Jan 6
ignored the orders of his boss to undo the results of the 2020 election for
Trump to stay in power for four more years.
Another
person who thwarted this attack on American democracy, Republican leader in the
Senate Mitch McConnell, attended the inauguration as well. He also accompanied
Biden to a church near the White House to pray.
A sea
of flags, exactly 200,000, filled the National Mall from the stage to Lincoln
Memorial, to remind people of those who lost their lives to the Covid-19
pandemic.
By
Wednesday morning, the coronavirus death toll in America had crossed 400,000,
which forced the organisers of the inaugural ceremony to issue an unusual
appeal to the people, not to come.
Trump
left the White House at 8:00am, four hours before the inauguration began. He
flew to the Andrews air base on a helicopter, where he had arranged a full
military send-off for himself.
Before
leaving, he addressed a small crowd of his enthusiastic supporters, telling
them that he will “come back soon,” a promise he also made to the White House
press corps before leaving for the airbase. But he did not explain what he
meant.
In
his speech, Trump underlined his achievements — the coronavirus vaccine, a
booming economy and enhancing America’s standing across the globe. But he did
not even once mention his successor.
However,
he did leave a goodwill message for Biden before leaving the White House.
Trump
received a 21-gun salute before boarding Air Force One, the presidential plane,
that took him to his home in Florida for the last time. Pence and other senior
Republicans did not attend his send-off ceremony, although his daughter Ivanka
and her husband Jared Kushner did.
Biden
took the oath on a five-inch-thick Bible that has been in his family for 128
years, swearing to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution”.
“The
ceremony on a chilly, breezy day with a smattering of snowflakes brought to a
close the stormy and divisive four-year presidency of Trump,” The New York
Times commented.
After
the oath, Biden drove to the Grave of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington
cemetery with the three former presidents and their spouses.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602722/as-promised-biden-lifts-muslim-ban-on-his-first-day-in-office
--------
Haridwar
Seer Community Seeks Strict Action Against Web Series ‘Tandav’ For Waging
‘Cinema Jihad’
Jan
21, 2021
Haridwar:
The seer community in Haridwar has demanded “strict action” against makers of
web series ‘Tandav’ and rejected the apology offered by them for having hurt
religious sentiments. The seers said they saw an “organised effort” by
filmmakers to malign the Hindu community and termed the trend “cinema jihad”.
They added that they will put pressure on the government to “strictly regulate
such attempts.”
Mahant
Narendra Giri, president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP), the apex
body of seers representing the 13 Akhadas of the country, said that law should
be made to regulate content on online platforms. “Filmmakers have no right to
hurt the sentiments of a community. Law enforcement agencies should examine
such content but unfortunately they, too, have been lax. We have asked the
government to take action in the matter and make a law to censor content on
online platforms,” Giri said.
Mahant
Vinod Giri of the Juna Akhada of Naga sanyasis said, “We will not tolerate
‘cinema jihad’ and do not accept the so-called apology from ‘Tandav’ makers.”
Added
Mahant Jasvinder Singh of the Nirmal Akhada: "Nothing less than (ban) that
will satisfy us.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/haridwar-seers-seek-action-against-tandav-for-waging-cinema-jihad/articleshow/80371004.cms
--------
Maulana
Fazl ur Rehman Led Pakistan Right-wing JUI-F Denied Permission To Hold
Anti-Israel Rally In Karachi
Jan
21, 2021
SCREENGRAB
- Maulana Fazl ur Rehman
----
ISLAMABAD:
The government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province refused on Wednesday to
grant permission for an anti-Israel rally planned by the Maulana Fazl ur
Rehman-led Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party in the port city of Karachi.
The
rightwing party had submitted a request for a no-objection certificate (NOC) on
January 12 seeking permission from the office of the deputy commissioner of
Karachi, East. The reason cited for refusal by the local administration was a
ban on public gatherings under anti-coronavirus measures in the province.
Earlier
this month, the JUI-F announced it would organise a million-man march and a
gathering near the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi on January 21 to
condemn Israel and any potential move to establish diplomatic relations with
Tel Aviv.
On
Monday the maulana had said at a press briefing that the anti-Israel rally
would be attended by the anti-government alliance of 11 opposition parties, the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
According
to media reports, the JUI-F leaders have been visiting seminaries in the city
seeking support for the planned rally.
The
anti-Israel narrative has a significant role in Pakistan’s politics since the
creation of the country. Following the recognition of Israel by the UAE and
Bahrain, the possibility of Islamabad, too, offering recognition was widely
discussed in Pakistani media. In November, Prime Minister Imran Khan had even
stated that he was facing pressure from foreign leaders to recognise Israel.
The political cost of normalisation of relations with Israel are quite high;
Khan faced enormous criticism from political rivals over his statement.
Currently,
opposition parties have been using this card effectively against Khan, dubbing
him as Israel’s agent pursuing Tel Aviv’s agenda.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-rightwing-jui-f-denied-permission-to-hold-anti-israel-rally-in-karachi/articleshow/80373867.cms
--------
French
Muslim Groups Deal Blow To Macron's Anti-Extremism Charter Dealing A Blow To A
Flagship Initiative Of President Emmanuel Macron
Jan
21, 2021
PARIS:
Three Muslim groups refused on Wednesday to back an anti-extremism charter
pushed by French officials following a spate of jihadist-inspired attacks,
dealing a blow to a flagship initiative of President Emmanuel Macron's
government.
The
charter rejects "instrumentalising" Islam for political ends and
affirms equality between men and women, while denouncing practices such as
female circumcisions, forced marriages or "virginity certificates"
for brides.
French
Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), a body set up almost 20 years ago to enable
dialogue between the government and the Muslim community, broadly welcomed the
charter and five of its eight federations signed on Sunday.
However,
the other three groups said on Wednesday they could not join their colleagues.
"We
believe that certain passages and formulations in the text submitted are likely
to weaken the bonds of trust between the Muslims of France and the
nation," the three groups said in a statement.
"Furthermore,
some statements are prejudicial to the honour of Muslims, with an accusatory
and marginalising tone."
Macron
had railed against the promotion of "political Islam" in France in
November last year after a teacher was beheaded outside his school.
He
had shown pupils cartoons of the prophet Mohammed as part of a free-speech
lesson.
The
attack prompted a crackdown against extremist mosques and Islamist
associations, along with a vigorous defence of French secularism.
Macron
said this week that the charter offered "a clarification of how the Muslim
community is organised".
It
will also provide a framework for a new National Council of Imams that will be
responsible for vetting imams practising in the country.
The
three groups -- two of which are Franco-Turkish organisations and the other
which describes itself as a teaching and cultural group -- said they would be
willing to sign up only after a "broad, democratic and participatory
consultation".
"In
order to adopt this charter, we must recognise ourselves in its content. It
would not be useful to sign a text that our community cannot serenely
accept," they wrote.
A
government source said the groups' refusal would not weaken the process, adding
that "the masks are coming off".
"An
important clarification is being made," the source said.
"We
see who is capable or not of signing a charter that simply recalls the values
of the Republic and in particular the values of liberty and freedom of
conscience."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/french-muslim-groups-deal-blow-to-macrons-anti-extremism-charter/articleshow/80378335.cms
--------
Khashoggi
2?: Brother of Detained Saudi Activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, Accuses Riyadh of
Trying to Murder Him
2021-January-20
The
activist accused the Saudi Embassy in Canada of trying to lure and liquidate
him like Khashoggi, noting that he has recordings confirming the allegations.
"[Crown
Prince] Mohammad bin Salman wants to punish the whole family, and the proof is
that the Embassy in Canada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuse to renew
my passport," he said on his Twitter account.
Walid
added that he has been told he must go to the embassy in person, while the
process can be done remotely.
Alia,
his sister, strongly deplored the Riyadh approach toward her family, stating
that "this is not the mentality of a modern country that wants to build
city for aliens - referring to the smart city The Line as a part of Saudi
Vision 2030 project - this is the mentality of a farmowner".
Another
sister, Lina, wrote on Twitter that they have "recordings of the calls in
which the Saudi embassy tries to lure Walid to the embassy".
"Do
we have to publish these calls in order for Saudi to renew my brother's
passport in a legal way?" she threatened.
Responding
to the Riyadh's effort to silence dissidents, Madawi al-Rasheed, the well-known
human rights activist, stated, "The Saudi authorities are exercising
collective punishment and increasing the number of asylum seekers around the
world."
Political
activis Bill Browder also reminded Khashoggi's fate after entering the Saudi
Embassy in Turkey, and wrote on Twitter, "We all know what happens when
they lure dissidents to their embassy."
The
story came just days after a Saudi terrorism court sentenced Loujain, Walid's
sister, to five years and eight months in prison on terrorism-related charges,
despite international criticism of her detention and pressure to release the
prominent women’s rights activist. Loujain was kidnapped and detained in 2018.
This
is not the first time Riyadh has attempted to murder its opponents. MbS has
been accused of sending a hit-squad to Canada in order to kill a former Saudi
intelligence official. The failed plan to kill Saad al-Jabri, an exiled former
aide to former Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, was soon after the murder
of Khashoggi in Turkey, court documents filed in the US alleged.
In
early October 2018, Khashoggi, a well-known journalist in the Arab world who
also wrote opinion pieces for The Washington Post, was killed after he entered
the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents to marry his Turkish
fiancee. His body was dismembered and never recovered. Riyadh eventually
admitted the 59-year-old had been killed by Saudi agents in what it claims was
an extradition operation gone wrong, but MbS has always denied any involvement
or knowledge of the killing. CIA has concluded that the young crown prince
personally ordered the killing of Khashoggi.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991030000808/Khashggi-2-Brher-f-Deained-Sadi-Acivis-Accses-Riyadh-f-Trying-Mrder
--------
Afghan
VP pushes for execution of Taliban prisoners
SAYED
SALAHUDDIN
January
19, 2021
KABUL:
Afghanistan’s First Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Monday demanded the
execution of Taliban prisoners as violence surges in the country in spite of
US-sponsored talks between the government and the militants.
Under
mounting US pressure and following months of delay, Kabul released last summer
thousands of Taliban prisoners from its custody as part of the landmark accord
between the group and Washington.
But
now there has been a spike in arrests of suspected Taliban fighters linked with
recent attacks.
“These
arrests should be executed so that it becomes a lesson for others,” Saleh told
a routine security meeting in Kabul.
“The
arrested like nightingales admit (to conducting attacks), but their all hope is
that they will be freed one day without real punishment … any terrorist
detainee should be executed.”
Known
as the staunchest anti-Taliban leader in government and consistently opposed to
talks with the Taliban, Saleh said he would raise his demand for the executions
in the High Council of the Judiciary. His spokesman, Rezwan Murad, said the
first vice president has also shared his demand with President Ashraf Ghani.
“Currently,
around 1,000 Taliban prisoners have been sentenced to capital punishment,”
Prison Administration spokesman in Kabul, Farhad Bayani, told Arab News.
“Such
news is provoking, he wants to sabotage the process of talks,” said Zabihullah
Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, when reached by Arab News for reaction to Saleh’s
push.
“We
will severely take the revenge of any type of inhuman and cruel treatment of
our prisoners.”
The
Afghan government was excluded from the US and Taliban deal signed last February
in Doha, which as per the agreement is also hosting the current peace talks
between Kabul and the insurgents.
In
spite of the ongoing talks, violence has surged in Afghanistan and both the
government and the Taliban accuse each other for its escalation.
Hundreds
of civilians have lost their lives in the violence, which has displaced tens of
thousands of people since the February deal, while Kabul has endured a
resurgence in assassination attacks and magnet bombs.
Prior
to Saleh, some residents and lawmakers also demanded the executions of Taliban
members suspected of being behind major attacks. Heather Barr, interim
co-director for Human Rights Watch, told Arab News: “Human Rights Watch opposes
the use of the death penalty under all circumstances. It is a uniquely cruel
and irreversible punishment and we are glad to see that there has been some
global progress towards abolition of the death penalty.”
She
added: “Afghanistan has already seen so much violence and death and continues
to experience this violence every day. There is an urgent need for
accountability for the many human rights violations that have been inflicted
during Afghanistan’s many years of war, but executions will not bring the
justice Afghans so badly need.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1794856/world
--------
Indonesia's
Islamic body deems Sinovac vaccine 'holy and halal'
1/20/2021
Indonesian
Ulema Council, the country's top Islamic body, has deemed China's Sinovac
COVID-19 vaccines permissible under Islamic law, giving a boost to the
government as it prepares to start a mass vaccination program next week.
The
council, known as MUI, announced on Friday that the vaccines developed by
China's Sinovac Biotech are "holy and halal" after a meeting of its
Halal Certification Commission. The decision comes on the same day as the
archipelago nation registered its highest ever daily increase in COVID-19
cases, and could prove to be an important step in a country where religion has
clashed with vaccination attempts in the past due to jabs often containing
porcine content.
Indonesia
reported 10,617 new cases on Friday, taking the cumulative total to 808,340
confirmed cases. This is the first time that the country has reported a daily
increase above 10,000. There were 233 additional deaths reported, taking the
total to 23,753.
The
country has received 3 million vaccine doses from Sinovac, and as of Wednesday,
1.2 million doses had been distributed to 34 provinces. The government is
planning to begin its mass vaccination program next Wednesday, starting with
President Joko Widodo and then 1.3 million healthcare workers.
Unlike
other countries that have begun vaccinating its vulnerable, elderly population
first, Indonesia is prioritizing its working age population, or those in the 18
to 59 age group. The president is 59. Meanwhile, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin,
who is 77 years old, will not be receiving the vaccination for now, according
to his spokesperson.
The
country's food and drugs agency will still need to give approval for emergency
use of the drug for the vaccination program to begin. The health ministry has
set a target of vaccinating 181 million of Indonesia's 270 million people in 12
months to reach herd immunity.
Health
workers check boxes containing coronavirus vaccines developed by China's Sinovac
Biotech after they arrived in Bali, Indonesia, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. © AP
The
Islamic body said that it would not be able to issue a final fatwa — a
religious edict — yet on the vaccine, as its safety, quality and efficacy would
need to be checked by the food and drugs agency.
MUI
will also need to decide whether to give halal status to vaccines other than
Sinovac's, if and when they arrive in the country.
Indonesia
has so far managed to secure 229 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from
Sinovac, Novavax and global vaccine program COVAX. It is in talks to secure 50
million doses each from AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
While
Sinovac has already assured Bio Farma, Indonesia's state-owned drug maker in
charge of distributing the shots, that they do not contain ingredients derived
from pork, MUI's decision will reassure Indonesia's Muslims that accepting the
jab means they are not running against their beliefs, and should make it easier
for the government to run its vaccination program.
Indonesia
has the largest Muslim population in the world, with 90% of its 270 million
population adhering to Islam.
Whether
or not vaccines adhere to Islamic teachings had been a source of controversy in
the past, including in 2018, when MUI's local chapter in the Riau Islands asked
the local health agency to postpone the national measles and rubella
vaccination program, pending a halal certification.
Concern
among the Muslim population spread, leading to low vaccination rates in some
parts of the country. MUI then issued a fatwa that gave a mixed message; it
deemed the MR vaccines used in the program as haram, or forbidden, as they
contained porcine components, but that their use was permitted because so far
there is no MR vaccine that is halal.
According
to a local report at that time, MR vaccination rates outside of Java,
Indonesia's most populous island, stood at around 66%, well below the coverage
target of 95%. In Aceh, a province run on sharia law, the rate stood at just
8%.
In
neighboring Malaysia, where the official religion is Islam, the country's
health director-general previously said that it was not necessary for COVID-19
vaccines to be halal certified, but would be better if the manufacturers made
them so.
https://menafn.com/1101464349/Indonesias-Islamic-body-deems-Sinovac-vaccine-holy-and-halal
--------
Iranian
Army Tests New Home-Made Electro-Optic System in Drills
2021-January-20
The
Army Ground Force tested the electro-optic system in real combat conditions
against hypothetical enemy targets in the drills on Wednesday.
The
Ground Force used the mobile electro-optic system on the second day of the
drills in order to precisely monitor different areas and the wargames zone.
The
system, which has been designed and built by experts in the Army Ground Force,
can transmit images taken in pitch dark to all remote control and command
centers.
It
can also combine radar and optical data.
The
Army Ground Force also employed an indigenous mobile Geographic Information
System (GIS) during the drills to facilitate the control and command of
operations and the preparation and production of various geographical data and
operational maps.
The
system provides the commanders with their essential requirements for
controlling and commanding operations in remote and operational zones as well
as training areas.
Meantime,
during the second day of Eqtedar 99 drills, the drone unit of the Iranian Army
Ground force used different drones, including the upgraded Mohajer drone, for
reconnaissance operations to monitor the foreign vessels in international
waters within the area of the wargames zone.
Also,
Brigade 223 of the Ground Force carried out airborne and invasion operations
along the coastal lines and returned to their bases by the Airborne Unit’s
helicopters rapidly.
Deputy
Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force and Spokesman of the Drills
Brigadier General Kiomars Sharafi said on Wednesday that dissuading the enemies
from making any threat to powerful Iran is the message of the massive Eqtedar
99 drills.
He
reiterated that Iran’s Army Ground Force is ready to respond to any threat and
invasion of enemies against the country with its utmost power and in the
shortest time possible.
He
elaborated on the operations conducted on the first day of the large-scale
drill, and added, “In the beginning of the military exercises, a large number
of rapid action forces landed on the target positions from the sky in joint
airborne operations and after deploying heavy equipment of the 55th Airborne
Brigade, paratroopers destroyed the intended target using combat personnel
carriers with the support of rocket launchers.”
Rapid
movement through transport planes of the Islamic Republic from distant places
to the drills zone was the salient specification of this large-scale operation
which was carried out by the forces of 55th Airborne Brigade of Iran’s Army
Ground Force with very precise planning and in the shortest time, he stated.
During
the operations, divers from the 65th Special Forces Rapid Reaction Brigade
infiltrated surface and subsurface positions through free fall and destroyed
designated targets.
Following
this operation, helicopters equipped with night vision systems, missiles, and
rocket launchers as well as offensive artillery will carry out the planned
operation in support of this operation, the brigadier general continued.
He
pointed to the message of this large-scale drill, and added, “The message of
Eqtedar 99 drills to friendly countries is peace and for enemies is that if
there is aggression or threat in their minds, we will respond to any aggression
with might and power and in the shortest possible time and will make them
regret of their deeds.”
The
Iranian Army Ground Force started wargames, codenamed Eqtedar 99, in the
country’s Southeastern regions on Tuesday morning.
The
drills are participated by the airborne units, special forces and rapid
reaction brigades, and Army Chief Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi,
Army Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari and other senior
military officials.
According
to General Heidari, the offensive wargames will involve rapid reaction units
and mobile and offense brigades.
He
said the troops attending the drill will be receiving logistical and combat
support from the Air Force and the Army Ground Force Airborne Division in the
coastal areas.
General
Heidari noted that the main purpose of the wargames is to evaluate the mobility
and offense power of the rapid reaction brigades and corps and the mobile
offense units of the Army Ground Force.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991101000780/Iranian-Army-Tess-New-Hme-Made-Elecr-Opic-Sysem-in-Drills
--------
North
America
White
House says Biden will be discussing Iran with foreign allies
21
January 2021
The
United States seeks to lengthen and strengthen the nuclear constraints on Iran
through diplomacy and the issue will be part of President Joe Biden’s early
talks with foreign counterparts and allies, White House Press Secretary Jen
Psaki said.
Biden
has said that if Tehran resumed strict compliance with the 2015 nuclear
agreement - under which Iran restrained its nuclear program in return for
relief from economic sanctions - Washington would too.
“The
president has made clear that he believes that through follow-on diplomacy, the
United States seeks to lengthen and strengthen nuclear constraints on Iran and
address other issues of concern. Iran must resume compliance with significant
nuclear constraints under the deal in order for that to proceed,” Psaki said in
a briefing.
“We
would expect that some of his earlier conversations with foreign counterparts
and foreign leaders will be with partners and allies and you would certainly
anticipate that this would be part of the discussions,” Psaki added.
Former
President Donald Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and Iran in
return has gradually breached its key limits, building up its stockpile of low
enriched uranium, enriching uranium to higher levels of purity and installing
centrifuges in ways barred by the deal.
On
Tuesday, Biden’s nominee for secretary of state Antony Blinken said Washington
did not face a quick decision on whether to rejoin the nuclear deal and the
Democratic president would need to see what Iran actually did to resume
complying with the pact.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/21/White-House-says-Biden-will-be-discussing-Iran-with-foreign-allies
--------
We
must end this uncivil war: Biden says amid political polarization, pandemic
21
January 2021
New
US President Joe Biden has called for an end to “uncivil war” in the United
States, offering a message of restoration to a deeply divided country reeling
from political polarization, a battered economy and a raging coronavirus
pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.
Biden
called for a return to civic decency in an inaugural address marking the end of
Trump’s tumultuous four-year term.
“To
overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of
America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all
things in a democracy: unity,” Biden said after taking the oath of office.
“We
must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban,
conservative versus liberal. We can do this - if we open our souls instead of
hardening our hearts.”
Saying
there was “no time to waste,” Biden, a Democrat, signed a slew of executive
actions shortly after entering the White House on Wednesday afternoon to set a
new course and overturn some of Trump’s most controversial policies.
Biden
also spoke forcefully about the January 6 Capitol siege when Trump backers
breached the building, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and leaving five
dead.
The
violence prompted the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives to
impeach Trump last week for an unprecedented second time, accusing him of
“incitement of insurrection” after he asked his supporters to march on the
building to press claims of election fraud.
“Here
we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to
silence the will of the people, to stop the work on our democracy, to drive us
from this sacred ground,” Biden said. “It did not happen; it will never happen.
Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
Biden
assumes office as the country faces what his advisers have described as four
compounding crises: the pandemic, the economic downturn, climate change and
racial inequality.
“I
pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans,” he said. “And I
promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those
who did.”
The
pandemic reached a pair of grim milestones on Trump’s final full day in office,
reaching 400,000 US deaths and 24 million infections - the highest of any
country. Millions of Americans are out of work because of pandemic-related
shutdowns and restrictions.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/21/643522/US
--------
12
National Guard Members Removed From Inauguration Duties Amid Extremist Threats
By
Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper
Jan.
19, 2021
WASHINGTON
— Twelve National Guard members have been removed from duties related to the
inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., two of them for expressing
anti-government sentiments, Defense Department officials said on Tuesday.
Two
of the members were removed over texts and social media posts that made
threatening comments toward political officials, Pentagon officials said. They
declined to specify the exact nature of the threats.
“I
will share that they were inappropriate,” Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the chief of
the National Guard Bureau, told reporters during a telephone briefing.
Two officials
described the texts as broad in nature — not directed specifically at Mr. Biden
or Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, but rather at lawmakers as a whole. One
of the service members removed, the officials said, made a point of expressing
support for President Trump in addition to making menacing comments.
General
Hokanson said that one case was reported by the service member’s chain of
command and that the other was flagged through a tip to a hotline.
The
other 10 National Guard members were removed for a wide variety of issues —
criminal investigations, domestic abuse or outstanding complaints. All 12
members have been sent home, Pentagon officials said.
The
announcement of the removals came as the Pentagon was intensifying efforts to
identify and combat white supremacy and other far-right extremism in its ranks,
and as federal investigators sought to determine how many military personnel
and veterans joined the violent assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6. The effort
seems intended to remove any members whose social media posts or past actions
raise suspicion.
General
Hokanson noted that the authorities were not taking any chances one day before
the inauguration and as investigators have expressed concerns that some
extremists may try to impersonate National Guard members by wearing military
uniforms.
“At
this point we don’t have the time to run down every single piece of
information,” he said. “But there’s enough information for us to determine to
remove them from the Capitol.”
General
Hokanson and other Pentagon officials took pains to say that most National
Guard members — volunteer citizen-soldiers — put their lives on the line at
home and abroad to protect the United States and the Constitution.
Senator
Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island and the likely new chairman of the Armed
Services Committee, said in a statement that the men and women of the National
Guard “put their lives on hold to answer the call to service.”
“They
will defend the U.S. Capitol with their lives,” he said, “and I trust them implicitly
with mine.”
The
acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, said on Sunday that the F.B.I.
was helping the military vet more than 25,000 National Guard members being
deployed to help protect the Capitol and areas in central Washington because of
potential security concerns.
All
military personnel, including those in the National Guard, undergo extensive
background investigations and physical examinations, including assessments of
tattoos. They are continuously monitored for indications that they are involved
in extremist activity and receive training to identify others around them who
could be “insider threats.”
Pentagon
and National Guard officials said on Tuesday that existing vetting procedures
were sufficient to identify and weed out violators. “I don’t see any current
change in policies,” General Hokanson said.
Lloyd
J. Austin III, Mr. Biden’s pick for defense secretary, acknowledged during his
confirmation hearing on Tuesday that extremists in the military were a problem
and said their removal would be a priority if the Senate confirmed him. “The
job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies,” he
said. “But we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks.”
General
Austin added later, “We can do a better job of screening the folks we bring
in.”
The
F.B.I. investigation into the Capitol rampage, still in its very early stages,
has identified at least six suspects with military links out of the more than
100 people who have been taken into federal custody or the larger number still
under investigation. They include a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from
Texas, an Army officer from North Carolina and an Army reservist from New
Jersey. Another person who served in the military was shot and killed in the
assault.
The
military’s examination of its ranks is a turning point for the Pentagon, which
has a history of downplaying the rise of white nationalism and right-wing
activism, even as Germany and other countries are finding a deep strain
embedded in their armed forces.
Federal
officials are vetting thousands of National Guard members arriving to help
secure the inauguration. Of the 25,000 Guard personnel who are in Washington,
any who will be near Mr. Biden or Ms. Harris will receive additional background
checks, a standard procedure to counter insider threats that was also taken
before Mr. Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
In
addition to the National Guard members, the Pentagon plans to deploy about
2,750 active-duty personnel in support of the event. About 2,000 of them will
perform ceremonial duties in military bands, color guards and a salute-gun
battery, and serve as sentries and ushers.
The
remaining 750 are members assigned to specialized units dealing with chemical,
biological, nuclear or radiological threats; bomb squad technicians; medical
personnel (including those conducting coronavirus testing in support of the
attending physician of Congress); and logistics and communications support
personnel.
Coast
Guard helicopters and vessels will be in the air and nearby waterways.
Air
Force fighter jets stationed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland will be aloft
over the region. The air space over the Capitol, the National Mall and the rest
of the city will be even more restricted than usual, Pentagon officials said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/us/politics/national-guard-capitol-biden-inauguration.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
--------
US
‘terrorist’ designation of Yemen’s Houthis comes into effect
19
Jan 2021
A leading
humanitarian aid group working in Yemen is once more raising alarm over the
effects that the Trump administration’s “terrorist” designation of Yemen’s
Houthi rebels will have on civilians in the war-torn country.
Just
days before United States President Donald Trump was set to leave office, his
administration announced plans to label the Houthis a “foreign terrorist
organization” – effectively barring US citizens and entities from interacting
financially with the group.
The
designation came into effect on Tuesday, just as the US Treasury Department
released details of limited licensing exemptions to the restrictions.
The
department said licences would be available, among other things, to authorise
“the official activities of the US government and certain international
organizations, such as the United Nations and the International Committee of
the Red Cross”. It also said the export of agricultural commodities, medicine,
and medical devices would be exempt.
But
the Houthis control large swathes of territory in Yemen – and Joel Charny,
executive director of Norwegian Refugee Council USA, told Al Jazeera on Monday
that the licensing system “is not a panacea”.
“The
key is that material support is broadly defined,” Charny said. “There’s no
licence … that provides cover for all types of support that might be provided
to an organisation that controls territory the way the Ansar Allah movement
[the Houthis] does in northern Yemen.”
Chilling
effect
For
months, international aid groups providing much-needed aid to civilians hard
hit by a devastating conflict in Yemen have warned that their work could be
disrupted by the US designation of the Houthis – and urged the Trump
administration not to do it.
But
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on January 10 said the measure aimed “to hold
Ansarallah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks
threatening civilian populations, infrastructure, and commercial shipping”.
The
war in Yemen began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized control of much of the
country, including Sanaa, the capital.
The
conflict escalated in March 2015 when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
assembled a US-backed military coalition in an attempt to restore the
government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Charny
said the “terrorist” designation would hamper the work of humanitarians working
in Houthi-controlled areas, as well as have a chilling effect on private
companies bringing in critical supplies.
“This
designation is going to put the fear of God in the private sector and food
deliveries,” Charny told Al Jazeera, explaining that Yemen imports 90 percent
of its food.
“So
if you’re a shipowner in the Gulf or if you’re a shipowner that’s been working
with the [World Food Programme] to carry food into Yemen, are you going to want
to continue to do this under the threats that are posed by US sanctions?”
He
also said it remained unclear whether banks would still be willing to transfer
money to Yemen, or whether Yemenis abroad would be able to send money to their
relatives inside the country, once the designation is enforced.
A
United Nations spokesman also expressed ongoing concern on Tuesday about the
consequences of the designation.
“Our
concern from the beginning … is the impact on the commercial sector and that
the vast majority of food and other basic supplies that come into Yemen comes
in through the commercial sector,” said Stephane Dujarric, as reported by
Reuters.
‘Day
one’ priority for Biden?
Human
rights and humanitarian groups, as well as US lawmakers, are also urging
incoming US President Joe Biden, who will be inaugurated on Wednesday, to
rescind the designation.
The
United Nations’ humanitarian chief last week called for the US to reverse the
decision, saying it could lead to “large-scale famine on a scale that we have
not seen for nearly 40 years”.
Biden’s
incoming national security adviser also recently slammed the move.
“Houthi
commanders need to be held accountable, but designating the whole organization
will only inflict more suffering on Yemeni people and impede diplomacy critical
to end the war,” Jake Sullivan tweeted on January 16.
Biden’s
nominee to be the next US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said during a
Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the incoming administration “would
propose to review” the designation “immediately” to ensure it is “not impeding
the provision of humanitarian assistance”.
“At
least on its surface, it [the designation] seems to achieve nothing
particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to
bring them back to the negotiating table, while making it even more difficult
than it already is to provide humanitarian assistance to people who desperately
need it,” Blinken said.
Charny
said he hoped Biden would overturn the Houthi designation on his first day in
office because the longer the designation remains in force, the harder it will
be to overturn and stave off its devastating effects.
“We’re
saying it’s a day-one task,” Charny said, “and believe me, the Biden
administration has many of these.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/19/us-houthi-terrorist-designation-comes-into-effect?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
--------
U.S.
soldier accused of wanting to plot ISIS strike on 9/11 Memorial in New York
City
Jan.
20, 2021
By
Jonathan Dienst, Tom Winter and Elisha Fieldstadt
A
U.S. soldier was arrested Tuesday for allegedly saying he wanted to help ISIS
strike the 9/11 Memorial in New York City and attempting to help ISIS to target
U.S. soldiers in the Middle East, according to senior law enforcement
officials.
The
officials say Cole James Bridges, 20, from Stow, Ohio, allegedly went into an
online forum and chatted with a person he thought was with ISIS, but was in
fact an FBI undercover agent.
Bridges
is currently assigned to Fort Stewart in Georgia with the 3rd infantry division
of the Army. He was arrested on charges of attempting to provide material
support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder
U.S. military service members. He faces up to 40 years in prison.
"When
any Soldier attempts to provide sensitive or classified information to an
adversary, it is a betrayal of the oath they swore to the United States and the
duty owed to their fellow Soldiers," an Army spokesperson said in a statement.
A
criminal complaint alleges that Bridges started "researching and consuming
online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology" and
expressing his support for ISIS on social media beginning in at least 2019. He
joined the Army around September of that year.
In
October, he started talking with an undercover FBI agent posing as an ISIS
supporter in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East.
Bridges
expressed his frustration with the Army and gave the undercover agent guidance
for attacking U.S. soil, "including advice about potential targets in New
York City, such as the 9/11 Memorial," according to a statement from the
U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.
He
also handed over U.S. Army training material and "guidance about military
combat tactics, for use by ISIS," the statement said.
In
December of 2020, Bridges started supplying the agent with instructions for
ISIS fighters to attack U.S. forces in the Middle East. In one instance, he
told the agent how to wire some ISIS buildings with explosives to kill U.S.
troops, according to the statement. Bridges also "diagrammed specific
military maneuvers intended to help ISIS fighters maximize the lethality of
attacks on U.S."
Earlier
this month, Bridges sent the agent a video of himself in body armor, standing
in front of an ISIS flag and making a gesture symbolic of ISIS support.
Acting
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement, “Cole Bridges betrayed the
oath he swore to defend the United States by attempting to provide ISIS with
tactical military advice to ambush and kill his fellow service members. Our
troops risk their lives for our country, but they should never face such peril
at the hands of one of their own.“
FBI
Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said, "Bridges could have chosen
a life of honorable service, but instead he traded it for the possibility of a
lengthy prison sentence."
Attempts
to reach a possible attorney for Bridges were unsuccessful Tuesday afternoon.
He is
expected to appear in federal court in Georgia on Thursday.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-soldier-accused-wanting-plot-isis-strike-9-11-n1254743?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
--------
Lloyd
Austin, Biden’s nominee to lead Pentagon, vows to take on extremism in the
military
By
Missy Ryan and Paul Sonne
Jan.
20, 2021
Retired
Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III vowed Tuesday to eradicate extremism in the ranks if
confirmed as the next defense secretary, as the Pentagon struggles to address a
growing internal threat in the wake of this month’s riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“We
can never take our hands off the wheel on this,” Austin, who would become the
country’s first African American Pentagon chief, told lawmakers considering his
nomination by President-elect Joe Biden. “This has no place in the military of
the United States of America.”
Austin,
who before his 2016 retirement served as head of U.S. Central Command and
previously commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, made reference to a consequential
episode earlier in his career when, as a young officer in the 82nd Airborne
Division, a network of skinhead soldiers was uncovered following the murder of
an African American couple near the division’s base.
Nearly
two dozen soldiers were later found to have links to neo-Nazi or extremist
groups. A distressing realization, Austin said, was that military leaders
hadn’t picked up on signs about the threat. “We just didn’t know what to look
for,” he said.
Austin’s
reference to the 25-year-old incident signifies the urgency of the military’s
challenge today in identifying and addressing anti-government and racist
currents, among the numerous issues he will face if he becomes Biden’s Pentagon
chief.
Austin,
who since his retirement has stayed out of the political fray, will face a host
of other challenges, including accelerating the effort to effectively compete
against China, winding down insurgent wars, and repairing defense alliances
strained by hostility from President Trump. He will also have to grapple with a
flattened defense budget and improve morale among a Pentagon workforce buffeted
by leadership upheaval.
Before
any of that can occur, however, Austin must surmount an additional hurdle in
the form of attaining a congressional waiver to a requirement that defense secretaries
be out of the military for at least seven years.
After
Trump’s election in 2016, lawmakers voted to approve a waiver for Jim Mattis,
another former commander who had been retired for less than seven years, as
defense secretary — only the second time such an exception had been granted.
But some Democrats voiced discomfort with the move, fretting that it would
undermine the U.S. tradition of civilian control of the military.
“I
know that being a member of the president’s Cabinet — a political appointee —
requires a different perspective and unique duties from a career in uniform,”
Austin said.
While
several senators, including Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and
Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), have said they would oppose granting Austin the
waiver, which also needs the approval of the House of Representatives, Austin
is expected to receive the dispensation and be confirmed.
Because
a final confirmation vote is not expected until Friday at the earliest, David
Norquist, currently deputy defense secretary, will serve as acting Pentagon
chief until Austin is in place, a transition official said on the condition of
anonymity to discuss internal plans.
How
effectively Austin can transform into a political being after a long career in
uniform remains to be seen. Trump’s two confirmed defense secretaries, Mattis
and Mark T. Esper, regularly sought to steer the military away from political
fights but were sometimes criticized for appearing as if they remained in
uniform themselves, citing the apolitical position of the military and “best
military advice” despite their inherently political role.
Austin
emphasized that he would surround himself by career civilians rather than
former military officers, in contrast to Mattis, who filled many of the
top-level civilian positions across the Pentagon with former uniformed
officers.
Austin,
67, the son of a postal worker and a homemaker from Thomasville, Ga., comes
under a renewed congressional spotlight after a career in which he repeatedly
broke racial barriers at the department, including serving as the first Black
officer to command an infantry division in combat, head Central Command and
serve as vice chief of staff of the Army.
“There
is kind of a sad commentary here, and that is: It shouldn’t have taken us this
long to get here. There should have been someone who preceded me,” Austin said
in a video released by the Biden campaign in which he described pioneering
African American troops, including the Tuskegee Airmen and the Montford Point
Marines. “My goal is not to be the last.”
Austin
spoke as the current Pentagon leaders promise to take on what they acknowledge
is a serious problem with support for white nationalism and anti-government
movements in the military community. The issue has come under renewed scrutiny
after the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection at the
Capitol, in which a pro-Trump mob including a number of current and former
members of the military stormed Congress as lawmakers gathered to certify
Biden’s electoral win.
On
Tuesday, officials said a dozen members of the massive National Guard force
assembled to help secure Biden’s inauguration had been removed from duty, at
least several of whom were believed to have sympathies for anti-government
groups.
Austin
said that the military should more effectively screen recruits for extremist
ties and that it can also make sure leaders across the department are attuned
to what their subordinates are doing, reading and thinking to ensure that
everyone is embracing the values of the U.S. military.
“I
also think we need to do a better job of, once we have people on board, that we
are paying attention to them, that we are creating the right kind of
environment for them to live in and that they are embracing the values that we
think are important in the military and the values that are important for this
country,” he said.
Austin
is also likely to face ongoing scrutiny over his ties to the defense industry,
including his position as a member of the board of directors of weapons
manufacturer Raytheon, whose bombs have been linked to Saudi airstrikes on
civilian sites in Yemen.
Warren
pressed Austin on his membership on the boards of Raytheon and United
Technologies after retiring from the military. Austin agreed to extend his
recusal on matters involving Raytheon for four years and said he wouldn’t serve
on any defense contractor boards or become a lobbyist after leaving the
Pentagon for a second time.
“Quite
frankly, I’ll be too old to sit on the board of a defense contractor after my
service. I have no intent to be a lobbyist, as well,” he said.
Warren
thanked Austin for being willing to operate under more constraints than are
currently required by law. “Going above and beyond what federal law requires,
as you are doing here, sends a powerful message that you are working on behalf
of the American people and no one else,” Warren said.
Before
retiring, Austin kept a lower public profile than other senior officers,
declining to invite reporters to join his tours of the Middle East, as other
Centcom commanders have done. That decision reduced public visibility into the
activities of American troops operating in the region. In response to questions
on the matter, Austin promised to conduct regular briefings and TV interviews
and be open to the media as defense secretary.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/lloyd-austin-biden-defense-secretary-nominee-/2021/01/19/c23114f6-5a64-11eb-aaad-93988621dd28_story.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
--------
Alleged
militia leader arrested, officials say, as FBI eyes extremist group suspects
after Capitol riot
Jan
20, 2021
An
alleged militia leader was arrested Tuesday for being involved in the
"planning and coordinating" of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, as
the FBI’s hones its efforts on extremist groups suspected of being linked to
the attack, court papers show.
Thomas
Edward Caldwell is one of the multiple alleged militia members to be connected,
so far, with the Capitol Hill insurrection. Federal investigators described the
65-year-old Virginia man as having a "leadership role" within a
paramilitary group known as the Oath Keepers, according to an affidavit for
Caldwell’s arrest.
Oath
Keepers ‒ identified in court papers as a
"loosely organized collection of militia who believe that the federal
government has been coopted (s.i.c.) by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to
strip American citizens of their rights" ‒
were seen in photographs on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6.
Investigators
scoured Caldwell’s Facebook page and found that Caldwell "was involved in
planning and coordinating the January 6 breach," the affidavit states.
Caldwell allegedly made arrangements for other Oath Keepers to stay in a
Virginia hotel, reportedly writing on Facebook: "This is a good location
and would allow us to hunt at night if we wanted to."
He
references another alleged Oath Keepers leader’s potential "call to
arms," and adds: "This is one we are doing on our own,"
according to the affidavit.
Just
hours after the insurrection, Caldwell purportedly wrote in a Facebook message:
"Us storming the castle. Please share ... I am such an instigator!"
"Proud
boys scuffled with cops and drove them inside to hide. Breached the doors. One
guy made it all the way to the house floor, another to Pelosi’s office,"
he wrote in a different missive. "A good time."
But
his messages didn’t stop there, according to authorities.
"We
need to do this at the local level," he allegedly wrote in a second
message less than a minute later. "We need to do this at the local level.
Lets (s.i.c) storm the capitol in Ohio. Tell me when!"
Sources
told Fox News he was charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the
U.S. government. Court papers show he was also charged with obstruction of an
official proceeding; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building
or grounds without lawful authority; and violent entry or disorderly conduct.
Caldwell
is believed to be the first rioter hit with conspiracy charges. He could not be
reached despite several attempts by Fox News.
Among
the hundreds who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were eight to 10 people wearing
"paramilitary equipment" and clothing that identified them as members
of the Oath Keepers, authorities said. They moved "in an organized and
practiced fashion and force[d] their way to the front of the crowd gathered
around a door to the U.S. Capitol," court papers state.
Watkins
and Crowl, both from Ohio, are being held at a county jail in Dayton, after
being arrested Monday. Federal documents identify them as members of the Ohio
State Regular Militia, dues-paying members of the Oath Keepers.
Watkins,
a 38-year-old self-described commanding officer of the Ohio State Regular
Militia, posted video and comments on Jan. 6 on the Parler social media site,
investigators said.
In
one instance, she posted a picture of herself and included the caption,
"Me before forcing entry into the Capitol Building."
Watkins
also reportedly posted that entry was forced through the back door of the
Capitol.
Crowl
was identified in a New Yorker magazine article titled, "A Former Marine
Stormed the Capitol as Part of a Far-Right Militia." He and Watkins were
charged with entering a restricted building or grounds; violent entry or
disorderly conduct, and obstruction of an official proceeding.
They
are among more than 125 people arrested so far on charges related to the Jan. 6
violent insurrection, which led to the deaths of a Capitol police officer and
four others.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/alleged-militia-leader-arrested-fbi-extremist-group-suspects-after-capitol-riot?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
--------
India
Indian
village cheers for Kamala Harris during swearing-in as US vice president
January
20, 2021
THULASENDRAPURAM,
India: Residents of a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies flocked to
a Hindu temple, setting off firecrackers and praying and as they watched Kamala
Harris, who has strong roots to the village, take her oath of office and become
the US vice president on Wednesday.
Groups
of women in bright saris and men wearing white dhoti pants watched the
inauguration live as reporters broadcast the villager’s celebrations to
millions of Indians. The villagers chanted “Long live Kamala Harris” while
holding portraits of her and blasted off fireworks the moment she took the
oath.
Earlier,
the villages adorned their temple with flowers, offering special prayers for
Harris’ success. Her maternal grandfather was born in the village of
Thulasendrapuram, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal
city of Chennai
“We
are feeling very proud that an Indian is being elected as the vice president of
America,” said teacher Anukampa Madhavasimhan.
At
the prayer ceremony in Thulasendrapuram, the idol of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a
form of Lord Shiva, was washed with milk and decked with flowers by a priest.
Then the village reverberated with the sound firecrackers as people held up
posters of Harris and clapped their hands.
Harris
made history Wednesday as the first Black, South Asian and female US vice
president and what made her special for the village is is her Indian heritage.
Harris’
grandfather was born more than 100 years ago. Many decades later, he moved to
Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. Harris’ late mother was also born in
India, before moving to the US to study at the University of California. She
married a Jamaican man, and they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word
for “lotus flower.”
In
several speeches, Harris has often spoken about her roots and how she was
guided by the values of her Indian-born grandfather and mother.
So
when Joe Biden and Harris triumphed in the US election last November,
Thulasendrapuram became the center of attention in entire India. Local
politicians flocked to the village and young children carrying placards with
photos of Harris ran along the dusty roads.
Then
and now, villagers set off firecrackers and distributed sweets and flowers as a
religious offering.
Posters
and banners of Harris from November still adorn walls in the village and many
hope she ascends to the presidency in 2024. Biden has skirted questions about
whether he will seek reelection or retire.
“For
the next four years, if she supports India, she will be the president,” said G
Manikandan, who has followed Harris politically and whose shop proudly displays
a wall calendar with pictures of Biden and Harris.
On
Tuesday, an organization that promotes vegetarianism sent food packets for the
village children as gifts to celebrate Harris’ success.
In
the capital New Delhi, there has been both excitement — and some concern — over
Harris’ ascend to the vice presidency.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi had invested in President Donald Trump, who visited
India in February last year. Modi’s many Hindu nationalist supporters also were
upset with Harris when she expressed concern about Kashmir, the disputed
Muslim-majority region whose statehood India’s government revoked last year.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1795836/world
--------
4
soldiers injured in Pak shelling in Akhnoor, but no infiltration bid: Army
JAN
20, 2021
Four
soldiers were injured on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday when a
Pakistani shell exploded in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district, the Army said
Wednesday.
However,
the Army denied reports in a section of the media that there was a major
infiltration bid in the Keri Battal area in Akhnoor on the intervening night of
Monday and Tuesday in which three militants were killed.
“There
is no official version of an infiltration bid foiled in Akhnoor. Everyone is
playing his own game. The army has not given any statement,” Udhampur-based
Defence spokesman Col Abhinav Navneet said referring to some media reports.
“It
is true that four jawans were injured in a ceasefire violation. They were
evacuated to Command Hospital in Udhampur and are stable. However, reports of
an infiltration bid being foiled and three militants killed are not true,” he
said.
A
police officer in Akhnoor also substantiated the army’s claims and said that
four soldiers were injured in a ceasefire violation when a two-inch mortar from
across the Line of Control (LoC) exploded near them. “Our soldiers also
retaliated to the enemy fire,” he said.
The
officer also said that he had no reports with him of a major infiltration bid
being foiled and three militants killed in the firefight.
“Since
no bodies have been recovered, how could we say that three militants have been
gunned down?” he asked.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news
--------
Rajasthan
BJP MP triggers row, says terrorists, Khalistan supporters sitting at farm
protest sites
January
20, 2021
A
statement by BJP’s Dausa MP Jaskaur Meena, where she is reportedly heard
calling those protesting against the farm laws as ‘terrorists’ and those with
‘Khalistani flags’, has triggered a controversy with the Congress slamming the
MP for her statement. However, the BJP tried to justify the issue by saying
that her intention was not to call farmers as terrorists.
The
official twitter handle of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee on
Wednesday shared a video where Meena is seen giving the statement.
“Ab
ye krishi kanoon ka hi dekh lijiye, ki atankwadi baithe hue hain, aur
atankwadiyon ne AK-47 rakhi hui hai, Khalistan ka jhanda lagaya hua hai…(Now
see these thing about the farm laws, that terrorists are sitting, and
terrorists have A-47, have flags of Khalistan),” Meena is heard saying in the
video.
“The
people of Rajasthan are feeling ashamed for electing people such as Jaskaur
Meena ji, who has such disgusting mindset as an MP, electing people like these
as MLAs, like Madan Dilawar ji. The future as well as history won’t forgive
them,” state Congress president and education minister Govind Singh Dotasra
told reporters on Wednesday.
In an
apparent reference to the Balakot strikes, Dotasra said that the BJP had won
the elections owing to the valour of the Army.
Meena
couldn’t be reached on phone for her comments.
BJP
MLA and spokesperson Ramlal Sharma said Meena’s intention was not to call
farmers as terrorists.
“Jaskaurji’s
intention was not to call farmers terrorists. What she meant was that some
people who are demanding Khalistan or raising slogans of Khalistan zindabad and
waving Khalistan flags have infiltrated inside the farmers’ protests. Her
intention was not to call farmers as terrorists. If the Congress was actually
well-wishers of farmers, then it would have given relief to 7 lakh farmers in
Rajasthan who are defaulters and are not getting loans. It would have restarted
the subsidy started by our government,” said Sharma.
Sharma
said that the Haryana government is purchasing bajra at MSP and asked why the
Rajasthan government is not doing so.
Earlier
this month Rajasthan BJP MLA and the party’s state general secretary Madan
Dilawar had hit out against the farmers’ protests against the three farm laws
saying “so-called farmers” were enjoying dry fruits and chicken biryani and
other luxuries at protest sites and that it was a conspiracy to spread bird
flu.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rajasthan-bjp-mp-triggers-row-says-terrorists-khalistan-supporters-sitting-at-farm-protest-sites-7154965/
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
Urged The Media In Turkey To Play Their Role In Spotlighting Various Issues
Related to Kashmir
Islamuddin
Sajid
20.01.2021
Pakistan
on Wednesday urged the media in Turkey to play their role in spotlighting
various issues related to Kashmir and, in particular, the tales of
“half-widows” and prisoners.
Addressing
a ceremony in the capital Islamabad, Pakistan National Assembly Kashmir
Committee Chairman Shehryar Afridi said his government is “employing modern
media tools to protect the heritage of Kashmir.”
“Pakistani
and Turkish media should narrate the tales of half-widows and prisoners of
conscience of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to world audiences,”
Afridi told the launch ceremony of the website "Turkey Urdu," which
aims to bring the two countries closer.
Half-widow
refers to Kashmiri women whose husbands have disappeared during the ongoing
conflict in Kashmir. These women do not know if their husbands are dead or
alive.
“Turkish
media is available to Pakistan to present its good image abroad,” Turkish
Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul said at the occasion.
“Building
a narrative is important in today's world, but I believe that now we have many,
many media that you can use to spread the true, genuine image of Pakistan
around the world,” Yurdakul said.
He
urged the Pakistani pubic to watch Turkey’s English-language channel TRT World
and follow Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s premier news provider.
“They
are making very in-depth, correct analyses, putting everything in in the right
perspective,” the ambassador added.
“We
have TRT Urdu, which is also available online, and we have Anadolu Agency’s
representation here in Pakistan. It is up to you and us to come up with a
receptive narrative,” he said.
‘New
soul to Muslim heroes’
Afridi,
the committee head, said Turkish media has reduced "the influence of
Western media on Muslim youth."
“It
is unparalleled,” he said, and added: “Turkish media has instilled a new soul
to Muslim heroes.”
Referring
to popular Turkish TV series exports such as Dirilis Ertugrul and Yunus Emre,
Afridi said Pakistan and Turkey will fight the “case of the revival of the
Muslim ummah, and the future world will present the Pakistan-Turkey friendship
as a model for world nations.”
“The
media's role in modern times has proved its utility,” he said. “The way the
Western world has used modern media tools to distort the image of Muslims
proves this. They have distorted history through misusing media tools. This is
why Prime Minister Imran Khan has been urging that the media be used to project
the true image of Pakistan and the Muslim ummah.”
He
added: “Turk Lala is another project of Tekdin Films, and the Kashmir Committee
is supporting this initiative.”
Turki
Lala, a series proposed by Turkey and Pakistan, will highlight the role of
South Asian Muslims in the sub-continent during the Balkan Wars.
“We
are projecting Kashmiri culture through all modern tools, including art,
culture, and the performing arts. Humanity needs to be protected and promoted,
and the Kashmir cause will be projected and promoted,” he added.
Ambassador
Yurdakul urged Pakistanis to make efforts to “boost economic, commercial and
investment exchanges between the two countries.”
"With
better business conditions in Pakistan and a better understanding that Turkish
companies working in this country are an important asset for Pakistan, I am
sure more Turkish investors and entrepreneurs will come to this beautiful
country,” he said.
Disputed
region
Kashmir,
a Muslim-majority Himalayan region is held by India and Pakistan in parts and
claimed both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since
they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars – in
1948, 1965 and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir.
Some
Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for
independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According
to several human rights groups, thousands of people have been killed in the
conflict in the region since 1989.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/turkish-media-urged-to-keep-spotlight-on-kashmir-issue/2117363
--------
Foreign
funding case against PTI to be decided on merit: CEC
Iftikhar
A. Khan
January
21, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja on Wednesday assured the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) that the foreign funding case against the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) would be decided on merit.
A PDM
delegation, which called on the CEC, handed him a memorandum calling for an
expeditious ruling in the case. The case has been pending before the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for six years.
Talking
to reporters after the meeting, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Secretary
General Ahsan Iqbal and PDM Secretary General Raja Pervez Ashraf observed that
a decision based on merit in the case would help restore the credibility of the
ECP.
Mr
Iqbal said the case was the biggest scandal in the country’s political history.
He said a political party not only obtained funds from prohibited sources,
including foreign citizens and lobbies, but also indulged in money laundering.
The PTI also flouted the US laws, he added.
ECP’s
scrutiny committee walks out of its own meeting
He
said the PTI had now confessed to wrongdoing, but put the blame on its agents.
He said under the contract law of Pakistan, the principal was responsible for
the acts of the agents.
The
PML-N leader threw down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Imran Khan over his
accusation that the opposition was receiving funds from two foreign countries,
asking him to either present proof to the Supreme Court and file a reference to
put a ban on the parties concerned or to apologise to the nation.
Raja
Pervez Ashraf said the failure to conduct fair and transparent elections was
the basic reason for the problems confronting Pakistan.
He
said the delay of six years in taking the case to its logical conclusion put a
question mark on the entire system, noting that it was weakening democracy.
He
said the ECP should decide the case at the earliest as all the evidence was
available with it.
Meanwhile,
the ECP’s scrutiny committee auditing PTI’s accounts on Wednesday set a new
precedent when it walked out of its own meeting after questions were raised
over credibility of the scrutiny process.
Sources
told Dawn that in the last meeting of the scrutiny committee, petitioner Akbar
S. Babar’s lawyer Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah assisted by Badar Iqbal Chaudhary had
demanded that the documents downloaded from the US Department of Justice about
illegal funding from two companies registered under Imran Khan’s written
instructions should be authenticated as per August 27, 2020 instructions of the
ECP.
The committee
had in writing indicated that it would pass an order on Wednesday. However,
instead of deciding the authenticity or otherwise of the US documents, the
committee said the ECP would take a decision about the issue.
The
petitioner’s lawyer challenged the decision as without authenticating the
documents the credibility of the scrutiny process would be questionable and
remained an eyewash. He pointed out that the authenticating evidence or fact
finding was the primary responsibility of the committee. He said how could
anyone consider an audit of accounts transparent when all 23 PTI bank accounts
that were mostly concealed from the ECP and were only revealed on SBP
instructions were kept secret. Besides not a single bank statement of six PTI
international bank statements had either been shared with the petitioner nor
was he allowed to peruse the same.
He
said no auditor worth a name would accept an audit where bank statements were
concealed. He reiterated that the committee had failed to conduct transparent
scrutiny by any standards and continued to stretch the process without any
credibility.
The
petitioner argued that the ECP’s order of August 27, 2020, to authenticate each
and every evidence, is not being followed by the committee. He said: “We have
already expressed our serious reservations on the transparency of the scrutiny
process through written statements filed on March 5, 2020 and August 13, 2020.”
He
said the scrutiny process would remain an eyewash as long as the committee did
not follow ECP instructions of August 27, 2020, in letter and spirit.
Upon
this, the committee members walked out of the meeting.
Talking
to reporters later, Akbar S. Babar said the committee had repeatedly failed to
conduct the scrutiny process in a transparent manner. He said when the
committee admitted in writing that it could not share or allow perusal of the
PTI bank statements by the petitioner what good could come out of it.
He
said the only way forward was for the ECP to remand all the documents from the
committee and conduct day-to-day hearings before the media and civil society to
conclude the case.
Mr
Babar said he had no confidence in the scrutiny committee.
According
to the information gathered from scheduled banks by the ECP, the PTI was
operating around two dozen bank accounts in different cities of the country,
but only eight of them have been declared before the commission. The remaining
bank accounts fall in the category of fake or illegal bank accounts as these
have not been declared in PTI’s annual audit reports submitted to the ECP as
required under the law.
“The
scrutiny is not transparent. The scrutiny committee has failed; it is not
working properly,” Mr Babar said.
“Why
are the facts being hidden? Why is the illegal funding of PTI being kept
secret? People want to know the truth. The ruling party has received
large-scale funding from illegal sources,” he claimed.
“The
scrutiny committee’s task is to examine the PTI’s documents,” the petitioner
said, alleging that it had admitted to “being under pressure” from the ruling
party.
“How
can a scrutiny committee conduct a transparent investigation under pressure,”
Babar wondered.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602672
--------
PM
wants opposition to also face foreign funding trial
Dilawar
Wazir
January
21, 2021
SOUTH
WAZIRISTAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for an open trial in the
foreign funding case and challenged the leadership of all opposition parties
who have been criticising the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for
‘illegal funds collection’ to face the proceedings too.
“Maulana
Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders
must also sit” and the proceedings be aired live, said PM Khan while speaking
to journalists in South Waziristan on Wednesday.
He
said sources of all the parties’ funds should be made public. “I can put it to
a challenge that PTI is the only political party that has been involved in
political fundraising,” he said, adding that it was the turn of opposition
parties to disclose the sources of their funds.
The
foreign funding case was filed by a founding member of the PTI in November
2014. As the case has not been decided for more than six years, the opposition
parties have been staging protests and demanding the Election Commission of
Pakistan to take action against the ruling party for its alleged involvement in
illegal collection of foreign funding. The opposition’s Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) convener Maulana Fazlur Rehman recently termed the foreign
funding case “the biggest scandal in Pakistan’s political history” whose
central character, he said, was none other than PM Khan himself.
While
addressing a selected gathering of elders in Wana, the prime minister said the
PTI government brushed aside security concerns associated with the launch of
3G/4G service in the merged districts of former Fata. “Good news is that 3G/4G
service will become operational [in the tribal areas] from today,” he announced
amid loud applause and slogans in his favour.
“Provision
of 3G/4G network in Waziristan has been under discussion for the last one year,
but security issues were major reasons behind delay in providing this facility.
I spoke to security agencies. And Gen Bajwa and DG ISI Gen Faiz decided to
provide 3G/4G internet service,” he said.
The
government had launched 3G/4G network in 2014, but the service was not extended
to militancy-stricken tribal borderlands. The non-availability of the network
was badly affecting different sectors especially education, banking and
business. The demand for expanding 3G/4G service to the merged districts
increased in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, because students were unable to
attend online classes. He said 3G/4G was crucial for education and development
and that was genuine demand of the youth of the merged districts. He said the
world had changed after mobile and internet services. But there was this
concern that terrorists might use this facility that caused delay, he
reiterated.
He
said extremists were in power in India and a man who was involved in the
massacre of thousands of Muslims in Gujarat about 17 years ago had become prime
minister. He said that such extremists prime minister and government had never
come into power in India in past 73 years. He said India was trying its best to
create instability and fan terrorism in Pakistan and financing some groups.
“India is making same tactics in Waziristan and instigating its youth against
Pakistan too,” he remarked, explaining that was the reason 3G/4G service had
not been extended to tribal districts.
Terming
poverty and unemployment major issues in the merged districts, Mr Khan said his
government had focused on establishing schools, universities and colleges to
impart technical education to youth of the area. “Youth is our strength and if
the government impart them technical education then they will not only boost
their families, areas but also the country. He said that unemployment was
second major challenge after education.
He
said that Waziristan was the most affected area among the tribal districts and
the government would give top priority, adding that the government would give
more loans to overcome unemployment. He said that the valiant tribesmen of
Waziristan had fought against the British empire and also waged war in Kashmir.
He assured the people of Waziristan that the government was fully committed
towards working for their welfare.
He
said climate of South Waziristan was suitable for growing olive trees and a
survey had been carried out for planting olive trees next month. These trees
would be handed over to the local communities.
“The
philosophy of the present government was to uplift those people and areas that
had been ignored in the past. He said that the Kamyab Jawan programme was
beginning of the government’s initiative to alleviate unemployment and poverty.
The
PM also announced that the people of the region would receive health insurance
that would entitle each card-holding family to get free medical treatment
costing up to Rs600,000.
On
the occasion, the PM distributed cheques among successful applicants of the
Kamyab Jawan Loan Scheme. Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan,
federal minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Ameen Gandapur
and senior officials were present at the ceremony.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602657
--------
Cardinal
named head of Christian research center in Pakistan
Zahid
Hussain
January
21, 2021
Cardinal
Joseph Coutts, the archbishop of Karachi, has been appointed as the chairperson
of a key Christian research and study center.
He is
taking charge of the Christian Study Centre in Rawalpindi, said Father Nasir
William, director of the Diocesan Commission for Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
“It’s
a big responsibility but since this prelate of the Catholic Church is well
known for his experience and personal interest in the interfaith and ecumenical
field, I would say he is the right man for the right place,” Father William
told UCA News.
Founded
in 1967, the Christian Study Centre aims to work for peaceful coexistence,
cooperation, better understanding and strong bonding between the Christian and
Muslim communities and with people of other faiths.
Supported
by both the Catholic and Protestant churches, it has been serving as an
ecumenical institution for the study of Christian-Muslim relations.
Christian-Muslim
dialogue has been the key component of the center since its establishment.
It is
also running projects related to developing Christian theology in Pakistan,
interfaith harmony and peace-building and human/minority rights.
In
addition, it is carrying out research on the increased level of religious
intolerance and violence worldwide as well as within Pakistan.
It
works with partner organizations, religious leaders, opinion makers, lawyers,
intellectuals, journalists, local administration, parliamentarians, women and
youth.
The
center aims to develop peaceful coexistence through collaborative efforts.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/cardinal-named-head-of-christian-research-center-in-pakistan/91088#
--------
Another
successful test of Shaheen-III carried out
January
21, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Wednesday emphasised peaceful co-existence in the region as it
conducted another test of surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-III,
which is also the longest-range missile to have been developed in the country.
Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Nadeem Raza, who witnessed the test,
said: “Pakistan desires peaceful co-existence in the region and its strategic
capability is to deter any aggression against the sovereignty of Pakistan.”
Shaheen-III
is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 2,750 kilometres,
which makes it capable of reaching the farthest point in India’s northeast and
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
It is
solid-fuelled and equipped with Post-Separation Altitude Correction (PSAC)
system. Solid fuel is suited for rapid response capabilities, while the PSAC
feature provides it the ability to adjust the warhead trajectory for greater
accuracy and evading anti-ballistic missile defence systems.
The
missile was first tested in March 2015 and has yet not been operationally
deployed.
“The
test flight was aimed at revalidating various design and technical parameters
of the weapon system,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said. The successful
flight test had its impact point in the Arabian Sea, it added.
An
official separately said that “technical and operational parameters” were
successfully validated.
India
last year conducted about 17 tests, whereas Pakistan conducted only two.
“This
test is part of Pakistan’s resolve to maintain credible minimum deterrence.
Pakistan maintains a policy of credible minimum deterrence and its deterrence
posture is India-centric,” the official said.
Director
General of the Strategic Plans Division Lt Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj, Commander of
the Army Strategic Forces Command Lt Gen Muhammad Ali, Chairman of the
National Engineering and Scientific Commission Dr Raza Samar and other senior
scientists and engineers also witnessed the test.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602683/another-successful-test-of-shaheen-iii-carried-out
--------
NAB
gives clean chit to PML-Q leaders after closing last two inquiries
Wajih
Ahmad Sheikh | Zulqernain Tahir
January
21, 2021
LAHORE:
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has closed 20-year old last two
inquiries against the Chaudhrys of Gujrat for want of evidence.
The
NAB told the Lahore High Court on Wednesday that two last inquiries pending for
20 years against PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Punjab Assembly
Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, MNA Moonis Elahi and their family members had
been closed because of ‘lack of evidence’.
Recently,
the NAB had closed inquiries against former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Lahore
Development Authority plots allotment, Raiwind land expansion against
Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and the purchase of
locomotives against former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafique on similar
grounds.
A NAB
official told Dawn that the bureau had decided to close all those inquiries in
which it did not have ‘substantial evidence’ against the suspects.
“We
have been working hard to dispose of all the pending inquiries,” he said and
added that NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal had directed the provincial
heads to conclude the inquiries pending for years as these are causing losses
to the national exchequer.
NAB-Lahore
Director General Shahzad Saleem also appeared before a two-judge bench when a
deputy prosecutor filed a report about the closure of the inquiries -- assets
beyond means against Mr Shujaat, Mr Elahi, Mr Moonis and their families -- and
illegal appointments in local government departments against Parvez Elahi.
The
prosecutor said the inquiries had been closed owing to a lack of “tangible
evidence”. In the light of the bureau’s report, the bench comprising Justice Sadaqat
Ali Khan and Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry disposed of the petitions filed by
the Chaudhry brothers wherein they alleged that the NAB had been used for
‘political engineering’.
At
the previous hearing of the petitions held on Dec 17, 2020, the bench had
directed the NAB to conclude within four weeks the inquiries pending for the
last 20 years against the leaders of the PML-Q, the ally of the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf government.
The
bench had asked DG Saleem as to how an investigation could be initiated against
declared assets of a taxpayer. The bench had also asked the DG about the
details of his own assets.
The
PML-Q leaders had pleaded that all the inquiries against them had been
recommended for closure by the investigating officers and the regional board of
the NAB during 2017 and 2018. However, they said sitting chairman of the NAB,
retired justice Javed Iqbal, approved reinvestigation and bifurcation of the
inquiries against them after a period of 20 years.
They
asked the court to set aside the authorisation of the inquiries and the order
for their bifurcation passed by the NAB chairman for being unlawful.
The
NAB had accused the PML-Q leaders of accumulating illegal assets during the
period of 1985 to 2019.
Earlier,
the NAB had closed two inquiries related to loan default and an 18-year-old LDA
plots case against the Chaudhry brothers for want of evidence.
“The
NAB investigators thoroughly investigated these allegations against the
Chaudhry brothers and found them baseless. During the course of investigation,
no incriminating material was found against them,” the official said.
The
Chaudhrys had appeared before the NAB Lahore and responded to its queries in
these inquiries. The income beyond means case was instituted against them by
retired Gen Pervez Musharraf in the early 2000s after coming to power in the
wake of the military coup.
A
PML-Q leader told Dawn that since these cases had been pending for two decades,
the Chaudhrys had provided the required records to NAB’s combined investigation
teams probing the matter.
“Former
NAB chairman retired Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool had conceded that there was nothing
in these cases against them as these were instituted on political grounds,” he
said and added that even the Sharif brothers -- Nawaz and Shehbaz -- during
2008 and 2018 had resorted to every possible tactics against the Chaudhry
brothers and got their all financial matters examined thoroughly just to settle
a score but they failed in their designs.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602628/nab-gives-clean-chit-to-pml-q-leaders-after-closing-last-two-inquiries
--------
PPP
slams graft case against Murad, blames NAB for political vendetta
Imran
Ayub
January
21, 2021
KARACHI:
Just a day after the National Accountability Bureau filed a reference against
the Sindh chief minister for alleged “misuse of authority”, the province’s
ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday called it an attack on the
elected provincial government while the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
demanded inclusion of CM’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The
reaction from the government and opposition came in separate press conferences.
First
came the PPP’s presser in which key members of the Sindh cabinet termed the NAB
reference against Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah an attack on the
democratically elected provincial government.
“You
would see a consistency in NAB actions against elected representatives from
Sindh [and] the PPP legislators,” said Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir
Hussain Shah.
Accompanied
by Education Minister Saeed Ghani and Law Adviser Murtaza Wahab, he said: “A
reference was filed against a senator from Sindh, the Senate Deputy Chairman
Saleem Mandviwalla and now the Sindh CM. It shows the state of panic the
federal government is in and now it has decided to attack the Sindh government
for political vendetta. The pace we witness of such actions after the
Broadsheet scandal has exposed NAB completely.”
The
NAB reference accused the Sindh CM of using his influence and releasing funds
for some power projects in violation of rules. The reference against the Sindh
CM was filed by NAB’s regional directorate of Rawalpindi.
PTI
demands inclusion of Sindh chief minister’s name on ECL
It
alleges billions of rupees’ irregularities in the Nooriabad Power Company and
Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company. Besides the CM, Abdul Ghani Majeed of
Omni Group and 16 others have also been nominated accused in the reference. The
Nooriabad Power Project was originally conceived by the Sindh government in
2012, but it could not materialise then due to “red-tapism and delays in
regulatory approvals”.
Minister
Ghani questioned the performance of NAB when it came to investigations against
the individuals associated with the PTI and “scandals of the federal
government.
“The
nation needs to know about NAB’s performance on sugar, BRT, flour, LNG and
other corruption scandals,” he said. “It’s not rocket science and every common
Pakistani understands that it’s not accountability but political victimisation.
This should stop.”
PTI
presser
The
opposition PTI came up with a different reaction. The key leader of the party
and soon-to-be leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil
Sheikh demanded that the name of CM Shah be put on the ECL.
“The
frontman of rulers of Sindh, Anwar Majeed, is involved in a tractor scam and he
was also given subsidy of billions of rupees in Dadu Sugar Mills and Thatta
Sugar Mills,” he said while addressing a press conference along with party
MPAs.
“These
corrupt people also harmed the Sindh Bank and they are also involved in the
Nooriabad power plant scam. A probe should also be conducted about the assets
of Fiyaz Jatoi, whose family members include officers of up to grade-22. Their
bank accounts should also be probed,” he said.
He
levelled the allegation of huge corruption in the Roshan Sindh Programme
blaming PPP MPA Sharjeel Inam Memon for the alleged mega corruption.
“But
here we see that the Sindh Assembly speaker has included his [Sharjeel Memon’s]
name in the Panel of Chairmen,” said Mr Sheikh. “These corrupt rulers devoured
Rs920 million in the name of castration of stray dogs. We want the names of
every individual including Sindh CM on the ECL. Since 2007 the nation has been
seeing that one man who owns the portfolio of finance is involved in all
corruption in Sindh.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1602609/ppp-slams-graft-case-against-murad-blames-nab-for-political-vendetta
--------
Europe
Russia
refuses Syria’s use as an arena for an Iran-Israel confrontation: Lavrov
Rawad
Taha
20
January 2021
Russia
refuses the use of Syria as an arena for an Iranian-Israeli confrontation and
it does not want to use Syrian land against Israel, said Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“So,
our dear Israeli colleagues, if you have facts that your state is facing
threats from the Syrian territory, report the facts urgently and we will take
every measure to neutralize the threat,” Lavrov added.
Lavrov’s
comments came after Israel, with US support, launched the heaviest raids on
Iranian and Syrian sites in northeastern Syria last Tuesday. Observers and
international affairs experts have been monitoring Russia’s work as a mediator
between Syria and Israel in recent weeks. Sources have confirmed that Israeli
army has been informing the Russians of airstrikes on Syria beforehand.
Lavrov
said that Russia refuses that Syrian territories be used as a battle zone to
settle regional conflicts.
Lavrov
added that Russia will not “chase” US military out from Syria or engage in
hostilities, but it does engage in a dialog with Washington.
“Yes,
we have contacts with the US in the military - not because we recognize the
legitimacy of their presence there, but simply because they have to act within
certain boundaries,” Lavrov added.
“We
will not engage in hostilities, of course. But, since they are already there,
we engage in a dialog on the so-called de-conflicting, in which we seek to
ensure compliance with certain rules,” he said in his remarks.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/20/Russia-refuses-Syria-s-use-as-an-arena-for-an-Iran-Israel-confrontation-Lavrov
--------
Italy
jails suspected al-Qaeda militant for terror activity in Syria, Iraq
20
January 2021
A
24-year-old Italian suspected of fighting in the Middle East since 2014 with
al-Qaeda-affiliated groups was arrested in Turkey and jailed in Italy, police
said on Wednesday.
The
unnamed man, who had lived with his wife and their four children near the
Syrian city of Idlib, agreed to hand himself over after being tracked down on
accusations of terrorist activity in Syria and Iraq, police told a news
conference.
“We
managed to find him and bring him back to Italy ... we were also able to get
his wife and children out of a crisis area,” said Italy’s anti-terrorism agency
chief Diego Parente.
The
man was transferred to the Turkish province of Hatay and then on to jail in
Italy, while his family remain in Turkey. The hunt began on information from
his parents in Switzerland, where he had lived and was radicalized, police
said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/20/Terrorism-Italy-jails-suspected-al-Qaeda-militant-for-terror-activity-in-Syria-Iraq
--------
Macron
rules out official apology or repentance for colonial abuses in Algeria
20
January 2021
French
President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out issuing an official apology for abuses
in Algeria, his office said Wednesday, ahead of a major report on how France is
facing up to its colonial past in the country.
There
will “no repentance nor apologies” for the occupation of Algeria or the bloody
eight-year war that ended 132 years of French rule, Macron’s office said,
adding that the French leader would instead undertake a number of “symbolic
acts” aimed at promoting reconciliation.
The
atrocities committed by both sides during the 1954-1962 Algerian war of
independence continue to strain relations between the two countries six decades
later.
Macron,
the first president born after the colonial period, has gone further than any
of his predecessors in recognizing French crimes in Algeria.
Later
Wednesday, a historian commissioned by the president with assessing “the
progress made by France on the memory of the colonization of Algeria and the
Algerian war,” will submit his findings.
Benjamin
Stora’s report is not however expected to recommend that France issue an
apology but rather suggest ways of shedding light on one of the darker chapters
of French history and propose ways of promoting healing.
The
presidency said Macron would take part in three days of commemorations next
year marking the 60th anniversary of the end of the Algerian war.
Each
day will be dedicated to a different group that suffered in the conflict,
presidential aides added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/20/Macron-rules-out-official-apology-or-repentance-for-colonial-abuses-in-Algeria
--------
Chechnya
kills militant tied to ISIS, deadly Moscow attacks
20
January 2021
Chechnya’s
leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Wednesday that police had killed Aslan Byutukayev,
alleged leader of ISIS terrorist group in the volatile republic and mastermind
of deadly attacks in Moscow.
Byutukayev,
also known as Amir Khamzat, was designated in 2016 as a “global terrorist” by
the US State Department, which said he had become an ISIS leader in June 2015.
The
department also said Byutukayev was responsible for suicide bombings in Russia
including the January 2011 attack on Moscow’s Domodedovo airport that killed
35.
Kadyrov
said Chechen police officers had killed Byutukayev and five militants
associated with him who were on Russia’s wanted list “on the spot.”
“The
bandit underground in the Chechen Republic is completely eradicated!” the
leader of the North Caucasus region wrote on his Telegram channel alongside
graphic images of bloodied corpses.
The
militants had evaded pursuit twice before they were killed and he had
personally taken part in the planning of the operation “long ago,” Kadyrov
added.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Chechen leader on the operation in a
phone call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Wednesday.
RIA
Novosti news agency quoted Peskov as saying that all of the participants in the
operation will receive state awards.
Chechnya
has been under Kadyrov’s tight control since he rose to power in the wake of
two wars between Russian forces and separatists in the 1990s and early 2000s.
His
regime has been widely condemned for persecuting rights activists and allegedly
imprisoning and torturing opponents.
Kadyrov
has occasionally given orders at the scene during counter-terrorism operations,
which often end with the killing of the suspects rather than arrests.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/20/Chechnya-kills-militant-tied-to-ISIS-deadly-Moscow-attacks
--------
Violent
German Far-Right Groups' Recruitment Aided By Lockdown Frustrations
By
Jamie Dettmer
January
19, 2021
Violent
far-right groups are using rising frustration with pandemic lockdowns in their
recruitment efforts, German officials fear.
Germany's
domestic intelligence agency is closely monitoring protesters of coronavirus
restrictions, worried that the influence of militants, including Nazi admirers,
ultranationalists and Holocaust deniers, is growing.
While
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has seen a precipitous slump
in its poll ratings since the pandemic struck — the party was polling at just
9% of support last month — officials say violent right-wing extremists, united
in their opposition to what they say are illegitimate curbs on freedom, are
gaining a boost from the coronavirus and strengthening their mobilization
around anti-government conspiratorial narratives.
"Actors
within this movement largely see the COVID-19 pandemic as a chance to spread
their ideology more widely and to reach a broader recruitment base,"
warned the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a nonprofit nongovernmental
organization headquartered in New York, in a lengthy report assessing threats
posed by transnational violent right-wing extremism in Europe and the United
States.
Previously,
Germany's violent far-right agitators advanced themselves based largely on
hostility to immigrants and Islam. Now, they are more focused on pandemic
restrictions and coronavirus vaccines, warn analyst and officials.
In an
increasingly networked, transnational violent far-right scene, German militants
have been buoyed by this month's assault on the U.S. Congress.
"We
are doubling down on our scrutinizing of groups and individuals on watch lists
and adding to the lists — especially in the wake of the storming of the U.S.
Congress," a German intelligence official told VOA in reference to the
January 6 ransacking of the U.S. Capitol.
According
to researchers, Germany accounts for a large proportion of European adherents
of the QAnon conspiracy movement, which believes U.S. President Donald Trump
has been waging a secret war against elite Satanists and pedophiles in
government, business and the media. Q flags, which were on display January 6 in
Washington, have also been spotted being unfurled at anti-lockdown protests in
Germany.
Germany's
Bundestag was targeted in August when several hundred protesters clambered over
fencing ringing the Reichstag, the seat of Germany's national parliament, and
ran toward the entrance, some waving the "Reichsflagge" — the black,
white and red flag of the German Empire, colors later adopted by the Nazis.
Police pushed the mob back.
Last
month, officials in the southwestern Baden-Wuerttemberg region added the
"Querdenken 711" group to a watch list, the state's Interior Ministry
said.
"Legitimate
protest against coronavirus restrictions is increasingly making way for a
general hate against state and politics," Interior Minister Thomas Strobl
told Reuters.
Strobl
said violent right-wing actors are spreading false claims to incite hate
against the state, making "absurd comparisons" with the Nazis, and
minimizing the Holocaust.
Querdenken,
which means lateral thinking, first emerged in Stuttgart and was started by IT
entrepreneur Michael Ballweg. At first, it attracted an amorphous assortment of
anti-establishment supporters. But violent far-right elements appear to have
become more pronounced in the group, which has increasingly embraced the idea
that the modern German state is illegitimate.
Last
November, far-right influenced football hooligans latched on to a Querdenken
rally in Leipzig, turning it violent. A planned Dresden anti-lockdown rally
last month was advertised on extreme-right social media channels and called on
"Hooligans, Nationalists and Ultras" to gather in Saxony state's
capital for the demonstration.
"In
Germany, violent XRW actors have joined demonstrations in large numbers
organized by various groups protesting COVID-19-related restrictions and
regulations," according to the CEP.
Critics
of the AfD accuse the party of providing some political cover for coronavirus
protesters, pointing to comments by their lawmakers in the Bundestag. Detlev
Spangenberg, an AfD lawmaker from Saxony, noted this month, "We've had a
lockdown since November, and the numbers are not going down." He added,
"We are just saying that the collateral damage of lockdowns outweighs the
benefits."
Last
year, the German government banned four violent far-right groups, including the
Wolfsbrigade 44, which wants to reestablish a Nazi government.
German
authorities have been accused of being too slow, though, in cracking down on
violent groups and not taking the threat they pose seriously enough. Political
pressure mounted for action following a string of incidents in 2019, including
the assassination of a local politician in Hesse and a synagogue attack in
Halle.
https://www.voanews.com/europe/violent-german-far-right-groups-recruitment-aided-lockdown-frustrations?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
--------
Arab
World
Baghdad
market suicide bombing death toll rises to 13: Iraq police
21
January 2021
A
twin suicide bombing killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 30 in a
Baghdad market on Thursday in the first such attack in years, security and
medical sources said.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Suicide bombings have
been rare in the Iraqi capital since the defeat of Islamic State in 2017. The
last took place in January 2018.
The
Iraqi military said two attackers wearing explosive vests blew themselves up
among shoppers at a crowded market in Tayaran Square in central Baghdad, adding
that several people had been killed.
An
interior ministry spokesman told Reuters the death toll was at least 13, saying
that number was expected to rise as some wounded were in critical condition.
Baghdad
has witnessed almost no such attacks since Iraqi forces and a US-backed
coalition drove the ISIS militant group from territory it controlled in Iraq in
2017.
The
last deadly suicide blast in the Iraqi capital took place in January 2018, also
at Tayaran Square, killing at least 27 people.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/21/Three-killed-16-injured-in-Baghdad-market-suicide-bombing-Iraq-police
--------
Syria’s
Assad has ‘nowhere left to go,’ can’t escape Caesar Act: US envoy Rayburn
Joseph
Haboush
20
January 2021
Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad and his regime “have nowhere left to go,” the top US
diplomat responsible for Syria under the Trump administration recently said.
“From
Washington, we see clearly that the Assad regime cannot escape the pressure of
the Caesar Act. Nor can it overcome its international isolation. My message to
Damascus at the end of my tenure is this: you have nowhere left to go,” Joel
Rayburn tweeted shortly before his term ended at the US State Department.
Rayburn,
also the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs, said the Assad
regime had “reached its limit.”
“You
have no choice but to accede to 2254,” he added, referring to the UN Security
Council resolution passed in 2015 that called for a ceasefire, political
solution and transition in Syria.
In a
separate video posted Wednesday - Rayburn’s first as a private citizen
following his time at the State Department - Rayburn said he would pray and
hope that the Syrian people would experience “that same joy and pride in a
peaceful transition of power.”
Rayburn
was speaking hours after US President Joe Biden took over the White House
following his November victory against former President Donald Trump.
Civil
war broke out in Syria in 2011 after protesters marched against the Assad
regime. Russia, Iran and its proxies, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, stepped in
to prop up the Assad regime.
The
US has since imposed heavy sanctions against the regime and those who continue
to support it politically or financially.
The
Caesar Act, a part of the sanctions campaign, was signed into law under Trump
and while Rayburn was at the State Department.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/21/Syria-s-Assad-has-nowhere-to-left-go-can-t-escape-Caesar-Act-US-envoy-Rayburn
--------
Egypt
foreign ministry says agreed with Qatar on resuming diplomatic relations
20
January 2021
Egypt
has agreed to resume diplomatic relations with Qatar, the Egyptian foreign
ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The
move follows an agreement between Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain
and Egypt earlier this month to end their boycott of Qatar -- a move taken in
2017 over allegations it supported terrorism, a charge that Doha denies.
“Arab
Republic of Egypt and the State of Qatar exchanged, today, January 20, 2021,
two official memoranda, in virtue of which the two countries agreed to resume
diplomatic relations,” a foreign ministry statement said.
Egypt
reopened its airspace to Qatari flights on January 12 and flights between the
two countries were resumed.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/20/Egypt-foreign-ministry-says-agreed-with-Qatar-on-resuming-diplomatic-relations-
--------
Dubai-based
airline flydubai launches daily flights to Qatar’s capital Doha
Reem
Krimly
21
January 2021
Dubai’s
low-cost airline flydubai announced on Thursday its launch of two daily flights
to Qatar’s capital Doha starting January 26, according to the Dubai Media
Office (DMO).
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“Flights
to Doha will start from 26 January and to meet expected demand we are pleased
to launch operations with a double daily service. We hope to be able to
continue to grow the service,” DMO quoted flydubai CEO Ghatih al-Ghaith as
saying.
The
flights will depart from Dubai International Airport to Doha’s Hamad
International Airport.
Last
week, the UAE announced the reopening of all air, sea, and land borders with
Qatar starting on January 9, official Emirati WAM News Agency reported.
The
UAE had begun to end all measures taken against Qatar following the signing of
the AlUla declaration at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit last week,
said Under-Secretary of the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khalid Abdullah
Belhoul, according to WAM.
Flydubai’s
passenger experience has been “redesigned to enable travel in a safe
environment that minimizes crew and passenger contact” amid the coronavirus
pandemic, according to DMO.
“The
airline has recently introduced an extended multi-risk travel insurance that
includes COVID-19 cover to offer passengers greater piece of mind when
traveling,” DMO added.
A
Qatar Airways plane arrived in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh from Doha on
January 11, the first commercial flight between the two countries in three and
a half years.
The
move comes after the Kingdom and Qatar agreed to restore diplomatic and trade
ties following a more than three-year dispute.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/21/Dubai-based-airline-flydubai-launches-daily-flights-to-Qatar-s-capital-Doha
--------
UAE
signs deal with US to buy 50 F-35 jets and up to 18 drones: Report
20
January 2021
The
United Arab Emirates has signed an agreement with the United States to purchase
50 F-35 jets and up to 18 armed drones, people familiar with the situation told
Reuters on Wednesday.
Although
the UAE and the United States were working to ink a deal before President
Joseph Biden took office on Wednesday, the new president has said he will
re-examine the agreements.
The
UAE, one of Washington’s closest Middle East allies, has long expressed
interest in acquiring the stealthy F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin and was
promised a chance to buy them in a side deal when it agreed to normalize
relations with Israel last August.
The
US State Department and the UAE Embassy in Washington did not immediately
respond to requests for comment.
One
of the people said the agreement was signed about an hour before Biden was
sworn into office. The document gave the United Arab Emirates the chance to
accept the negotiated schedule and configuration of the jets while also making
the purchase request official.
The
UAE has had the paperwork for more than a week, the people said. The UAE and
the United States had once hoped to have a deal in place in December, but the
timing of jet deliveries, their cost, the technology packages and training
associated with the deal extended negotiations, the people said.
The
jets are a major component of a $23 billion sale of high-tech armaments from
General Atomics, Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Technologies Corp to the UAE
announced this fall.
The
UAE government also signed a separate agreement to buy up to 18 drones, the
second-largest sale of US drones to a single country, the people said.
The
final in-country delivery date for the F-35 jets could not immediately be
confirmed, but the initial proposal sent to UAE said 2027, the people said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/20/US-foreign-policy-UAE-signs-deal-with-US-to-buy-50-F-35-jets-and-up-to-18-drones-Report
--------
US
President Trump lifts tariffs on aluminium imports from UAE
20
January 2021
Outgoing
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would exempt the United Arab
Emirates from a 10 percent tariff imposed on most aluminum imports in 2018,
saying the two countries had reached a quota agreement that would restrict
aluminum imports.
In a
proclamation issued by the White House shortly before the inauguration of
President-elect Joe Biden, Trump said the agreement was reached given the
important security relationship that existed between the two countries.
UAE
joins Argentina, Australia, Canada and Mexico, which have also been excluded
from the aluminum tariffs.
Donald
Trump left the White House on Wednesday for the final time as president.
Trump
emerged from the building and strode across the South Lawn to board Marine One.
He said, “It’s been a great honor, the honor of a lifetime.”
Trump
left Washington just hours before Joe Biden takes the oath of office as the
46th president. It’s the first time in more than a century that a sitting
president has rejected the tradition of attending his successor’s inauguration.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/20/US-President-Trump-lifts-tariffs-on-aluminum-imports-from-UAE
--------
Syria
condemns US ‘systematic looting’ of its resources, oil in NE, calls for
immediate withdrawal of occupation forces
20
January 2021
Damascus
has strongly condemned the actions of US occupation forces in the country’s
northeast, saying they amount to a blatant violation of the Syrian sovereignty
and territorial integrity, and a flagrant breach of international law.
In a
letter addressed to the UN secretary general as well as president of the
Security Council on Wednesday, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Expatriates renewed the country's calls for an immediate and unconditional
withdrawal of US forces from the territory.
It
also expressed Damascus’ “strong condemnation on the almost daily hostile
practices of the US forces within the areas which they have occupied in …
al-Jazira,” Syria’s official news agency (SANA) reported.
The
ministry added that the US occupation forces continued their regular hostile
measures in the area, including “systematic looting … of the Syrian resources,
agricultural crops and oil from … al-Jazira, in addition to bringing in huge
military reinforcement, logistic equipment, various kinds of weapons, tools and
military vehicles from Iraq” to some of the US military bases in the
countryside of al- Yaarubiyah town in Hasakah province via the al-Waleed
crossing.
The
ministry stressed that the aggressive movements have been done in defiance of
“the UN Security Council Resolutions, which have always emphasized the
necessity of respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial
integrity,” including Resolution 2254.
“Therefore,
Syria, based on its respect for the international law and the UN Charter, calls
for stopping the US’ heinous aggressive practices and calls upon the
international community to condemn the US movements and continued occupation of
the Syrian lands and its imposition of the unilateral coercive economic
measures with the aim of starving the Syrian people,” the ministry asserted.
The
ministry enumerated certain “aggressive” policies by the US that have
destabilized Syria, including its support for “separatist movements” seeking
Syria’s breakup and its unwavering support for “extremist terrorists,” adding
that Washington also “worked on creating and managing chaos to hinder any
political solution in Syria in serving the Zionist project and imposing
hegemony on the countries of the region.”
Warning
that the continuation of the US policies will prolong instability in Syria, the
ministry voiced the resolution of the Syrian people and army who have “achieved
the bravest resilience and victories against the Takfiri terrorism” to end “all
forms of US presence and its tools and agents in Syria” while helping establish
control over all the Syrian territories, and preserve Syria’s sovereignty,
territorial integrity and unity.
It
concluded by renewing Syria’s call for an “immediate and unconditioned
withdrawal of the US occupation forces and their allies from the Syrian
territories.”
Despite
former US president Donald Trump’s claims that the US kept some forces in
Syria’s northeast to “secure the oil,” he has also declared his own interest in
benefiting from the oil US troops were allegedly defending.
Back
in November 2019, Trump said he expected the United States to benefit by
millions of dollars per month from Syria's oil revenues while US troops remain
in the country.
“We're
keeping the oil, remember that. We want to keep the oil. Forty-five million
dollars a month,” he said at the time.
The
Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has on numerous occasions
condemned the US for stealing the country’s oil in collaboration with
Washington-backed militants, including the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF), stressing the need for the pullout of American occupation forces.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/20/643482/-Syria-US-forces-%E2%80%98systematic-looting-oil
--------
South
Asia
Afghan
Commandos ‘Release Captives’ From Taliban Prison
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
21
Jan 2021
Afghan
security officials say the commando forces have carried out an operation on a
Taliban’s prison in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on Wednesday
night.
Security
officials stated, that in an operation carried out by the Afghan Commando
forces on a Taliban prison in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.
At
least 27 prisoners held in the captivity of the Taliban militants were released
and freed during the Wednesday night operation.
Reports
indicate Afghan commando forces seized a rocket, AK47, two radios, and other
Taliban equipment used for planting IEDs.
One
of the Taliban guards who had the duty to look after the prison was also killed
during the night raid, the statement read.
Earlier,
the Ministry of Defense in a post on their Facebook page said, that commando
forces rescued at least 13 prisoners from the clutches of the Taliban.
The
captured prisoners were rescued from a Taliban jail in the Washer district of
Helmand province.
Commando
operations backed by air support conducted a mission on Taliban controlled jail
during the night.
The
overnight mission forced the Taliban militants to flee to nearby villages.
Security
officials told the media, that 13 people including a policeman were rescued
from the grips of the Taliban during the operation.
The
abductees were held by the Taliban for over a year and were being held inside
the prison in a poor condition.
The
freed Afghan citizens, including the policeman, have returned to their
families.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-commandos-release-captives-from-taliban-prison-445533/
--------
Afghan
government blames Taliban for stalling peace talks
20
January 2021
Afghan
authorities lambasted the Taliban Wednesday for failing to actively participate
in peace talks seeking to end the country’s long-running war.
Following
months of deliberations and a first round that failed to achieve any major
breakthrough, the Afghan government and Taliban are meeting again in Qatar --
but so far only discussing the agenda for round two.
“Unfortunately,
the talks are going at a snail’s pace,” Waheed Omar, media adviser to President
Ashraf Ghani told reporters.
“The
Taliban have no clear vision. We see no changes in them.”
Kabul
is pushing for a permanent ceasefire and to protect governance arrangements in
place since the ouster of the Taliban by a US-led invasion following the
September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
But
since the second round of talks began on January 6 in Doha there has been no
significant announcement about how negotiations were proceeding.
The
talks have been marred by a surge in violence, with a recent spate of
high-profile killings of officials, judges, journalists and activists leaving
the war-weary country reeling.
Omar
said there was no plan to release more Taliban prisoners to help spur the talks
along, saying the government’s previous experience of releasing insurgents
failed to reduce fighting.
“The
Taliban not only did not reduce the violence, but they increased the violence,”
Omar said.
Before
the start of the peace talks on September 12, authorities released more than
5,000 Taliban inmates as demanded by the group in a deal with Washington last
year.
In
return, the Taliban agreed to give some security guarantees and participate in
peace talks aimed at ending the country’s war.
Under
the landmark deal signed last year, the US pledged to pull out all foreign
forces from Afghanistan by May 2021.
Both
the Taliban and the Afghan government are anxiously awaiting President-elect
Joe Biden’s inauguration and any new policy directions from the incoming
administration.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/20/Afghan-government-blames-Taliban-for-stalling-peace-talks
--------
Taliban
Suffer Casualties in Faryab, Uruzgan Provinces
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
21
Jan 2021
Security
officials said in a statement on Thursday,
that the Taliban had suffered heavy casualties in Faryab province.
Dozens
of Taliban insurgents gathered on Wednesday in a location, the group planned
and intended to attack Afghan security and defense forces in the center of
Belchiragh district of the province, the statement added.
According
to the statement, four Taliban insurgents were killed and two others were
wounded in a joint operation conducted by ANDSF forces.
The
ANDSF operation was also facilitated with Air support.
It is
stated that during the ambush, with 20 motorbikes, one vehicle was completely
wrecked, Afghan republic’s security members seized 15 other motorbikes,
weapons, and ammunition after the clashes.
No
injuries were inflicted to the Afghan National Army.
This
comes as seven Taliban members were killed and 7 others were wounded in the
Gizab district of Uruzgan province on Wednesday.
Ministry
of Defense tweeted, that additional 12 IEDs which were planted by the Taliban
on Public roads were also discovered.
The
IEDs were later defused and many innocent lives were saved.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-suffer-casualties-in-faryab-uruzgan-provinces-4553377/
--------
Southeast
Asia
Poor
Malaysian Woman Who Shoplifted Gets Visit By Police Who Give Her Food And Other
Items
Jan
21, 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK)- Malaysian police on Thursday (Jan 21)
turned up at the house of a mother of three who had shoplifted food items and
anti-fever gel pads from a hypermarket.
But
instead of being arrested, the men in blue, led by police chief for Petaling
Jaya Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal, gave the poor family a packet of rice, food items
and other basic necessities, to cheers from the Malaysian public.
"The
police report stated that the suspect was nabbed for stealing a roll of pandan
cake, sausages and two packs of Kool Fever (gel pads) for her children,"
Assistant Commissioner Nik Ezanee said.
"I
felt that I should go meet this suspect and ask why she did this. Because I
believe that this person must be facing some problem to resort to this,"
he said.
The
police went over to the hypermarket, asked about what she tried to take and
bought the items for her, including the pads, said Mr Nik Ezanee.
He
said the woman's son had a fever on Wednesday and was recovering well.
The
woman, in her 30s, was caught by security guards at the hypermarket as she
tried to leave without paying for some of the items.
"We
spoke to her and found out that her husband works as an elevator maintenance
technician. He currently does not have work which is why they are struggling to
make ends meet," said Mr Nik Ezanee.
Police
stamped "no further action" on the case and advised her to never
resort to crime again.
"They
are many channels that one can go through to get assistance. There are soup
kitchens, non-governmental organisations and the Welfare Department as well as
zakat aid (Muslim charity)," the senior policeman said.
"Even
non-Muslims can ask for zakat aid," he said, adding that he also told her
to visit the police station for help if she needed.
The
move by the police received dozens of praises from the public on social media.
"Sometimes
winning hearts are more effective than punishment," wrote one Dennis Leong
on The Star's Facebook page.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/poor-malaysian-woman-who-shoplifted-gets-visit-by-police-who-give-her-food-and-other
--------
Muhyiddin
urges Asean to legislate against online hate speech, threats based on race,
gender, sexual orientation
21
Jan 2021
BY
JERRY CHOONG
PUTRAJAYA,
Jan 21 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called on Asean
member-states today to consider enacting laws against online hate speech and
posts advocating violence and attacks on other users.
In
his keynote address at the inaugural Asean Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN1)
this morning, he said such legislation can be formed to compel digital
platforms to remove or mete out punishment for any speech threatening others,
even for their gender and sexual orientation.
“It
can be verbal or physical, and includes but is not limited to harassment and
threats against a person or persons based on their race, gender, religion,
sexual orientation, disability or nationality,” Muhyiddin said.
His
remark for the region appears to contrast a stance taken by his own
administration against Malaysia’s gender and sexual minorities.
Just
earlier this week, deputy religious affairs minister Ahmad Marzuk Shaary from
PAS said the Perikatan Nasional administration is not ruling out the
possibility of amending the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or
Act 355 to provide for heavier punishments on lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) community.
Ahmad
Marzuk claimed that the current sentence under the Act, which provides for a
three year imprisonment, a fine of RM5,000 and six strokes of the cane, is perceived as not having much effect on
such groups of individuals.
The
prime minister also advocated that legislation be developed by Asean members to
enhance data privacy and users’ rights, which can be applicable to any digital
entity practising in the region.
He
said in doing so, digital platforms can be mandated to assume greater
accountability, allowing them to be sued as long as they have control over
their products.
Such
legislation would also be crucial when it concerns security in cyberspace, thus
necessitating a review of existing laws to accommodate new technologies and
challenges.
“Technology
has evolved at a rapid pace and with it the emergence of new cyber threats and
new challenges. As such, there must be a mechanism to enable the existing laws
to be applied in cyberspace and new laws be enacted if the need arises.
“Malaysia
also recognises the cross-border nature of cyber crimes and the challenges in
bringing cybercriminals to justice as this requires a coordinated and
integrated regional approach,” he said.
Muhyiddin
also spoke of Malaysia being given the privilege to coordinate the development
of the Asean Digital Masterplan 2025, which was launched at ADGMIN1.
“The
masterplan aims to guide the development of the regional digital sector over
the next five years, and incorporates efforts to support digital transformation
for the traditional sectors, and to create a fair and competitive digital
marketplace.
“It
also builds a safe and reliable digital environment, creates intelligent
digital citizens, realises Asean as an inclusive, sustainable and accessible
digital ecosystem and, eventually, creates Asean as a competitive digital
economy bloc,” he said.
Muhyiddin
added he is confident that ADGMIN1 will be able to strengthen the cooperation
among Asean countries in developing a digital ecosystem as the backbone in
their respective post Covid-19 development plans.
The
prime minister touched on the importance of Asean working with the world’s
biggest economies including China, Japan, and the United States.
“These
are also the most developed and sophisticated economies in the digital era.
There may be differences and tensions across the Pacific between the United
States and China, but we are happy to work with them all.
“In
doing so we stand to gain from each of these partner countries. While we hope
they can cooperate better together, we should also cooperate more with each one
of them. By working through Asean Plus Three, we can promote digital
engagements and encourage information and communications technology investments
from China, Japan and South Korea,” he said.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/21/muhyiddin-urges-asean-to-legislate-against-online-hate-speech-threats-based/1942613
--------
How
COVID-19 Is Straining Human Rights in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines
By Ralph
Jennings
January
20, 2021
TAIPEI
- Stay-home orders in the Philippines didn’t work for lower-class people who
rely on short term jobs for family income. They went out in 2020 despite the
pandemic and despite the rules. Eventually tens of thousands were arrested and
jailed in conditions that raise their risk of getting sick.
In
Thailand, citizens worried about the pandemic’s impact on their signature
tourism and export industries have protested the government, even the king.
Neighboring Malaysia has excluded migrants and refugees from COVID-19 relief
programs.
These
are just a few examples from Southeast Asia cited by international advocacy
groups last year. They tell a broader story: COVID-19 outbreaks worsened human
rights issues on much of the subcontinent.
Southeast
Asia, made up of more than 650 million people spanning 11 countries, is
dominated by young democracies that took strict action against COVID-19 last
year while scrambling to reset fragile economies. Human rights took a hit, said
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at the New York-based advocacy group Human
Rights Watch.
“We
continued to see the situation bump along the bottom in many of the countries
in Southeast Asia,” Robertson said. “And what happened with the COVID-19
pandemic is that it was like a real searchlight that highlighted inequalities
and vulnerability of various different populations.”
The
pandemic allowed countries to “reinforce” existing policies and orders
targeting dissidents, he added.
Malaysia,
Myanmar, Thailand
Malaysia’s
effort to contain its COVID-19 had a “disproportionate impact on marginalized
communities,” Human Rights Watch said in a country report released last week.
Migrants and refugees who had lost their jobs because of the outbreak were
“excluded from government aid programs, and many were left unable to feed their
families”, the report says.
Of
Malaysia’s 31.5 million population, more than 3.5 million people are migrants
and refugees.
Across
the subcontinent in impoverished Myanmar, health services have missed “large
parts of the population,” especially in the countryside, the nonprofit
international development group Asia Foundation says in an August 2020
briefing.
Some
of these overlooked people are relying instead on armed rebel groups for aid,
the foundation’s report says. Healthcare focuses mainly on the dominant Bamar
Buddhist rather than other groups, it adds. The country covers 135 ethnic
groups, including the restive Muslim Rohingya population in the country’s
western regions.
Authorities
in Singapore fostered anti-immigrant sentiment by isolating migrant workers who
carried the coronavirus and feeding them “meals ready to eat,” Robertson
said.
A
wave of protests in Thailand against the government took on COVID-19 overtones,
too. Thailand had brought its coronavirus outbreak under control last year,
with just 12,594 cases total to date, but some among the thousands of
demonstrators who started gathering in July said bans on mass assembly --
including protests themselves -- were too strict.
Some
people even criticized the king despite lèse-majesté laws that can land a
critic in prison for 15 years for their comments, policy advisory body the
International Crisis Group says.
“The
sharpest economic shock since the 1997-1998 financial crisis will strain a society
simmering with discontent and a political order designed to thwart popular
political participation,” the group said in an August report. Thailand faces a
lack of international tourism and fallen demand for automotive exports.
More
crackdowns in the Philippines
Philippine
authorities added strict stay-at-home measures last year to other means of
stopping antigovernment activity, rights groups and people in the country
say.
Poorer
people in Metro Manila go outside to beg for money or look for work if they
have lost jobs due to business shutdowns. Some used to be fish vendors and
drivers of jeepneys, a popular form of public transit, said Maria Ela Atienza,
political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman. They
risk getting detained, she said.
President
Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for a deadly anti-drug crackdown since 2016, has
told soldiers and neighborhood leaders to shoot “troublemakers” who protest
during community quarantine, U.S.-based rights advocacy group Amnesty
International said on its website in April. A “prevailing climate of impunity”
increased killings of activists last year over political views, Amnesty
International says.
“You
have this very militaristic, traditional security-centered approach to the pandemic
instead of having civilian scientists and experts leading the fight against the
pandemic,” Atienza said.
Police
officers in charge of enforcing stay-at-home orders have committed “a lot of
abuses,” said Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the Manila-based Bagong
Alyansang Makabayan alliance of leftist causes. Armed forces stepped up
“counterinsurgency” attacks last year and targeted people suspected of
supporting an armed communist movement, he said. An anti-terrorism act signed
in July makes any attacks easier, rights groups say.
“Legal
instruments, the lockdown, taking advantage of the pandemic and the increased
counter-insurgency operations, all of these things contributed to the worsening
and deterioration of the human rights situation in the country,” Reyes said.
https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/how-covid-19-straining-human-rights-thailand-malaysia-philippines
--------
Credit
ratings agency Fitch's downgrading of Malaysia has been damning
21
Jan 2021
CANBERRA:
Malaysia is in a quandary, desperately trying to figure out how to resolve
political and economic questions.
The
fragmentation of the Malaysian market for votes is at a point it has never
before experienced.
In a
country where ethnic politics have long dominated, there are the Malays, who
are divided in at least five ways, and the Chinese, with at least three parties
to choose from, and the Indians (who electorally carry much less weight) with
three choices.
Then
there is the increasingly vociferous East Malaysian segment, which is undecided
as to whether to seek its fortunes by demanding increasing autonomy or by
aligning with the dominant parties that succeed in controlling Peninsular
Malaysia.
The
divisions are not based on any clear grounds of economic ideology – or if there
is, it is well hidden. The one party that has a distinct outlook is, of course,
Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS), the national Islamic party, with the party that
broke off from it being Parti Amanah Nasional, the National Trust Party.
The
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) or People’s Justice Party claims to be a
reform-based party but has failed to elaborate and develop upon the nature of
its reforms – PKR has neither articulated nor detailed its reform agenda.
The
fuzzy characteristics of the parties do little to set them apart along definite
lines.
This
gives a great deal of flexibility to politicians, allowing them to explore
innumerable permutations and combinations. In the absence of other separating
planes, race and religion occupy a significant space, one that is perhaps given
undue importance.
MUDDIED
ECONOMIC WATERS
The
economic sphere is no less muddy. The Malaysian economy has been grappling with
the middle-income trap, the presence of a disproportionately large migrant
force and the lack of adequate technological innovation and upgrading.
As
much as these factors have been consuming policy debate at the macroeconomic
level, other issues have been disturbing people, among them the question of
affordable and convenient healthcare, affordable housing and high household
debt.
Disturbing
as these challenges are, the arrival of COVID-19 has only compounded the
problems. Alongside the aggressive political jockeying, the pandemic has spelt
uncertainty and a lack of direction, economically speaking.
This
disturbing scenario has not gone unnoticed.
Recently,
the credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded Malaysia to BBB+, only a few notches
above that for junk bonds. The downgrade was, arguably, a result of the
political uncertainties that abound.
A
disappointed Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul responded by claiming Fitch had not
given due recognition to the country’s COVID-19 response efforts.
Yet
the downgrade was mainly because of the shifting political ground and
governance problems. There could not have been a more damning reason for the
decision.
After
all, most countries have been afflicted by the economic damage wrought by the
panademic and have needed to resort to expansionary budgets with increased
government debt.
All
that would have been necessary for Malaysia to convince the ratings agencies
would have been a sensible roadmap to get the country out of its fiscal deficit
and high government debt, along with a commitment to return to a state of
fiscal balance.
Either
Malaysia failed to do this in adequate measure, or the ratings agencies judged
the political climate to be an obstacle to achieving fiscal stability.
LONG
TERM TROUBLES AHEAD
Even
so, the downgrade is a temporary glitch. The Malaysian economy, in all
likelihood, will recover in 2021 – provided the pandemic is under control.
The
World Bank expects that the economy will record a growth rate of about 6 per
cent, taking the country out of its fiscally distressing position.
There
is concern that some investments have been going to neighbouring countries.
Some of the investments that have been diverted away from the country have been
viewed with concern, indicating possible investor aversion to Malaysia.
Samsung
and Apple factories are going to Vietnam, Amazon is building its data centre in
Indonesia, an electric car battery factory from China is setting up a factory
in Indonesia, and so is Hyundai.
Yet
the outlook on foreign direct investment (FDI) may be less negative. All
political parties know that FDI is Malaysia’s lifeline, and while the pressures
of the times might take a toll on speed of responsiveness – slowing down
approvals, for instance, with ministerial change priorities – those investors
who have sunk their FDI in Malaysia will not pack up and leave, or at least
they will not leave solely because of political uncertainties.
Undeniably,
political stability is valuable. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has made clear
the need for certainty, saying he wants to hold snap elections once the
pandemic is over.
Nobody
knows when that will be – parliament is suspended under emergency decree until
at least August, while there is agitation whether this restriction should be
lifted.
All
of which means that the Malaysian economy will have to put up with economic
uncertainty for a while longer.
Finding
one’s political self is not without cost.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/malaysia-politics-uncertainty-covid-economy-13999904
--------
New
Indonesian law empowers communities in anti-terror fight
JAN
20, 2021
Indonesia
is pushing back against violent extremism by introducing a presidential
regulation to let civil societies and communities receive empowerment training
to help their neighbourhoods.
Aiming
for a softer approach in countering terrorism, local communities would, for
example, be trained to identify vital national infrastructure and other
facilities around where they live that are prone to terrorist attacks.
Other
programmes propose annual awards for young people who respond fastest against
extremist threats.
The
122-page regulation also contains guidelines and action plans aimed at
equipping communities to monitor and report any suspicious clues to prevent
terrorism.
The
"national action plan to prevent and mitigate violence-based extremism
that lead to terrorism" follows years of deadly terror attacks in
Indonesia by home-grown extremist groups.
The
government, in explaining its rationale for the regulation, said: "The
country's Constitution mandates the government to ensure that everyone is
entitled to having the feeling of security and protection from the threat of
fear.
"This
regulation does not only target trigger factors, but also at building community
resilience in general to fend off violence-based extremism that leans towards
terrorism."
But
some rights groups are worried that allowing community policing of extremism
could lead to wrongful arrests and cause divisions in the communities targeted.
The
regulation, signed on Jan 6 by President Joko Widodo, is expected to be the
main reference point for relevant ministries and government agencies in their
work in anti-extremism programmes.
Article
8 in the regulation stipulates that the relevant ministries, agencies,
provincial and regency governments may work with communities to implement the
action plans.
Indonesia
saw its deadliest terrorist attack in 2002, with bombings by South-east Asia's
terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) that killed 202 people in Bali.
JI,
which is widely believed to be linked to Al-Qaeda, was considered to be
responsible for several other attacks, including the JW Marriott Hotel bombing
in Jakarta in 2003 that killed 12 people.
When
JI stepped back, other extremist groups, such as Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD)
which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, had
stepped up local attacks.
In
January 2016, JAD attacked the Jakarta city centre which led to an hours-long
lockdown. Eight people died, including the four attackers, and 25 others were
injured.
Ms
Yenny Wahid, director of the moderate Muslim think-tank Wahid Foundation, has
hailed the new presidential regulation, saying it would facilitate synergy
between the government and civil societies in fighting extremism.
"Radicalism
and terrorism cannot be dealt with only relying on security approach.
"Humanity,
religion, education approaches are needed. Civil societies can play the best
roles here. There are certain corners in the society that the government cannot
enter," she said in a statement.
However,
Mr Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy director of the Setara Institute rights group,
said it is premature to involve the general public in the community policing of
extremism.
He
argued that the regulation does not provide a clear definition of extremism,
making it open to interpretation, The Jakarta Post daily reported.
The
newspaper also cited activists who cautioned that the regulation could lead to
wrongful arrests and public divisions.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/new-indonesian-law-empowers-communities-in-anti-terror-fight?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
--------
Mideast
Netanyahu
urges President Biden to ‘strengthen’ US-Israel alliance
20
January 2021
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday urged new US President Joe Biden
to “strengthen” a long-standing alliance between the two countries, partly to
confront the “threat” posed by Iran.
“I
look forward to working with you to further strengthen the US-Israel alliance,
to continue expanding peace between Israel and the Arab world and to confront
common challenges, chief among them the threat posed by Iran,” Netanyahu said.
The
Israeli leader was speaking in a video congratulating Biden moments after he
was sworn in as US president, replacing Donald Trump.
Netanyahu,
who has referred to Trump as the “best friend” Israel has had in the White
House, noted Wednesday that he had “a warm personal friendship going back many
decades” with Biden.
Islamist
movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said it was “not sorry” to see
Trump depart, calling him “the world’s main source and sponsor of oppression,
violence and extremism” and partner in “Israeli aggression” against the
Palestinians.
Biden
“must correct the wrong historical path of American policy which is oppressing
our people,” and end policies aiming at “destroying the Palestinian cause,”
said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
The
Palestinian presidency lashed out at Netanyahu, who on Sunday announced that
Israel approved 780 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, ahead of a
March general election.
All
Jewish settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal by much of the
international community.
But
Trump’s administration, breaking with decades of US policy, declared in late
2019 that Washington no longer considered settlements as being in breach of
international law.
“Netanyahu
is welcoming Biden with settlements,” said Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, on Wednesday.
“His
only aim is to destroy the two-state solution.”
Under
Trump, the United States also recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided” capital
and moved its embassy there, sparking Palestinian outrage.
“We
hope that the presence of Biden will be a chance to apply international law and
resolve the conflict, establishing an independent Palestinian state and putting
an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people,” said Jibril Rajub, a senior
official from Abbas’ Fatah party.
Trump’s
administration also withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed tough
new sanctions on the Islamic republic, Israel’s arch foe.
Israel
welcomed the moves and encouraged Europe to follow suit.
But
Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said Tuesday the
incoming administration was ready to return to the deal as long as Iran
respects its commitments.
Israel
has also reached a series of normalization agreements with its Arab neighbors
under the Trump administration.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/21/Israel-relations-Netanyahu-urges-President-Biden-to-strengthen-US-Israel-alliance
--------
Iran’s
Rouhani calls on US President-elect Biden to return to nuclear deal
20
January 2021
Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani urged US President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday to
return to a 2015 nuclear deal and lift crippling sanctions on the Islamic
Republic.
Biden,
who takes office on Wednesday, has said the United States will rejoin the pact
that includes restrictions on Iran’s nuclear work if Tehran resumes strict
compliance.
“The
ball is in the US court now. If Washington returns to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal,
we will also fully respect our commitments under the pact,” Rouhani said in a
televised cabinet meeting.
“Today,
we expect the incoming US administration to return to the rule of law and
commit themselves, and if they can, in the next four years, to remove all the
black spots of the previous four years,” he said.
Tensions
have grown between Tehran and Washington since 2018, when US President Donald
Trump exited the deal between Iran and six world powers that sought to limit
Tehran’s nuclear program and prevent it developing atomic weapons. Washington
reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.
Iran,
which denies ever seeking nuclear arms, retaliated to Trump’s “maximum
pressure” policy by gradually breaching accord. Tehran has repeatedly said it
can quickly reverse those violations if US sanctions are removed.
Antony
Blinken, Biden’s choice for secretary of state, said on Tuesday the United
States would not take a quick decision on whether to rejoin the pact.
“US
President Donald Trump’s political career is over today and his ‘maximum
pressure’ policy on Iran has completely failed,” Rouhani said. “Trump is dead
but the nuclear deal is still alive.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/20/Iran-nuclear-deal-Iran-s-Rouhani-calls-on-US-President-elect-Biden-to-return-to-nuclear-deal
--------
Palestinians
react with outrage to Biden pick’s al-Quds remarks
20
January 2021
Palestinian
movements have reacted with outrage at remarks by US President Joe Biden’s pick
for secretary of state in support of the Israeli regime’s claim to the holy
occupied city of Jerusalem al-Quds.
“Yes
and Yes,” Antony Blinken said during a testimony on Tuesday after being asked,
“Do you agree that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and do you commit that
the United States will keep our embassy in Jerusalem?”
Former
President Donald Trump rolled out a hugely controversial Middle East plan early
last year touted as the “Deal of the Century,” under which he gave the Israeli
regime huge concessions at the expense of the Palestinian people.
Those
included recognizing al-Quds as the so-called exclusive capital of the
occupying regime -- something Tel Aviv had been lobbying for throughout decades
-- in spite of Palestinians’ age-old demand that the city’s eastern part serve
as the capital of their future state. Trump also ordered relocation of the
American embassy from Tel Aviv to the city.
Ever
since the US’s moves concerning al-Quds, Palestinians have stopped recognizing
any intermediary role by Washington in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The
Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas said Blinken’s
remarks ran counter to international laws and resolutions that recognize
al-Quds as an occupied city. Spokesman Hazem Qassem called the comments “an
affront to all Arab nations and states.”
Islamic
Jihad, Hamas’ fellow Gaza-headquartered resistance group, also called the
remarks “a slap on the face of all who have pinned their hopes on the US
administration.”
Spokesman
Dawood Shihab said Blinken’s position indicated the US’s insistence on
supporting the occupying regime and manipulate the truth. “All should know this
that the US will never change. It is Palestinians [themselves], who should get
rid of the occupation through long-term struggle and endeavor.”
Meanwhile,
Abdullah Abdullah, a senior official within the Palestinian Fatah movement that
is based in the nearby occupied West Bank, where al-Quds is located, reminded
that the US Congress had decided to call al-Quds the Israeli regime’s capital
back in 1995.
Trump
only executed the decision and now his successor cannot reverse the
congressional designation, he reminded. Abdullah, however, urged the incoming
US administration to recognize East al-Quds as Palestine’s capital and set up a
consulate there so it can start diplomatic interactions with the Palestinians.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/20/643483/Palestine-United-States-Biden-Antony-Blinken-Jerusaelm-al-Quds-Israeli-regime
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Iran’s
Zarif: Unlawful US sanctions dealt blow to multilateralism
21
January 2021
Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has once again slammed the US for turning its
back on its obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement, saying Washington has
profoundly undermined multilateralism by imposing unlawful sanctions on others.
Speaking
in a videoconference call with his Irish counterpart, Simon Coveney, on
Wednesday, Zarif said Washington’s unilateral sanctions, especially those
imposed on other countries over the past few years, run counter to the UN
Charter and international accords, and have dealt a blow to multilateralism.
He
further expressed Iran’s readiness to fully implement the nuclear deal —
officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — if the United
States lifts its sanctions against the Islamic Republic and returns to
compliance with the multilateral agreement.
Iran
had met all its obligations since the JCPOA took effect, Zarif said, adding
that the country only started reducing its commitments under Article 36 of the
accord since it was deprived of the pact’s benefits following the unilateral US
withdrawal and Europe’s inability to live up to its obligations.
The
JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and six world states — namely the US,
Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China — and ratified in the form of UN
Security Council Resolution 2231.
However,
the US under former president Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA
in May 2018 and reinstated the anti-Iran sanctions that had been lifted by the
deal.
The
Trump administration also targeted Iran with the so-called maximum pressure
campaign, subjecting the nation to the “toughest ever” restrictive measures.
The
fate of the JCPOA is now hanging in the balance after the European
co-signatories — France, Britain and Germany — failed to counter the anti-Iran
sanctions as required by the agreement, prompting Tehran to scale back parts of
its commitments in retaliation.
Trump’
successor, Joe Biden, has pledged to rejoin the accord if Iran returns to
compliance.
On
Tuesday, Biden’s nominee for secretary of state Antony Blinken told the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee that Washington did not face a quick decision on
whether to rejoin the JCPOA, saying, “We are a long way from there.”
The
top Irish diplomat, for his part, told Zarif that his country considers the
JCPOA an important achievement of multilateral diplomacy and intends to play an
active role in preserving the accord, given its non-permanent membership of the
Security Council and election as the Resolution 2231 facilitator.
He
further described Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy as unconstructive, saying
it undermined diplomacy.
‘Biden
to discuss Iran with foreign partners’
In another
development on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Iran will
be on the agenda for Biden’s early talks with foreign counterparts and allies.
“The
president has made clear that he believes that through follow-on diplomacy, the
United States seeks to lengthen and strengthen nuclear constraints on Iran and
address other issues of concern. Iran must resume compliance with significant
nuclear constraints under the deal in order for that to proceed,” she told a
briefing.
“We
would expect that some of his earlier conversations with foreign counterparts
and foreign leaders will be with partners and allies and you would certainly
anticipate that this would be part of the discussions.”
Russia:
New US approach towards JCPOA pragmatic
Meanwhile,
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna
Mikhail Ulyanov said the new US attitude to the Iran nuclear deal is “quite
businesslike and pragmatic which means that there are chances of getting
ahead.”
Speaking
in a televised interview with Rossiya 24 news channel, he referred to a law,
dubbed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions, which has recently been
approved by the Iranian Parliament (Majlis).
When
asked about the potential timeframe of the US return to the JCPOA, Ulyanov
replied, “We all urgently need that the first signs of normalization appear in
February, since under the law recently passed by Iran’s Majlis.”
“Unless
progress is made, as early as on February 21 Tehran is to terminate the
appliance of the Additional Protocol and the Safeguards Agreement it signed
with the IAEA, and that will dramatically reduce the chances of inspecting the
state of affairs in Iran’s nuclear program," he added.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/21/643520/Iran-Zarif-US-Biden-JCPOA
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Africa
Libyans
agree to hold constitutional referendum: Egypt
20
January 2021
Libyan
envoys at UN-backed talks in Egypt agreed Wednesday to hold a constitutional
referendum before planned elections in the war-torn country later this year,
Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
Egypt
“welcomes the agreement reached today between the Libyan parties in Hurghada in
the framework of the constitutional process... and appreciates the efforts that
led to the agreement to hold a referendum on the draft constitution in view of
the Libyan elections scheduled for December 24, 2021,” the ministry said in a
statement.
New
talks will be held in Egypt next month with a view to settling the “road map
for the referendum and elections,” it added.
Oil-rich
Libya has been torn apart by civil war since the NATO-backed uprising that
ousted former president Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with an array of militias
filling the vacuum and civilian bodies struggling to impose their authority.
The
Government of National Accord (GNA) is based in the capital, while a House of
Representatives which does not recognize the Tripoli administration is based in
the east.
A
fragile ceasefire between the two sides, agreed in Geneva last October, has
largely held despite threats by eastern military general Khalifa Haftar to
resume fighting.
In
the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, members of the commission drafting a
future constitution met with delegations from the House of Representatives and
the Tripoli-based High Council of State, which advises the GNA.
The
meeting was held to “discuss the constitutional arrangements necessary for the
holding of elections on December 24,” according to the UN.
Libyans
at UN-led talks in Tunisia in November agreed on the date for the elections.
Elected
Libyan officials later called for a constitution to be approved prior to
holding the polls, but did not challenge the election date.
A
Moroccan diplomatic source told AFP on Wednesday that further talks between
members of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State would be
held Friday in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of the Moroccan capital
Rabat.
The
GNA said the negotiations would discuss appointments to the country’s key
institutions -- already the topic of discussion in Morocco in recent months --
such as the electoral commission, the central bank and the anti-corruption
commission.
Libyan
envoys at separate UN-backed talks in Geneva voted Tuesday to pass a mechanism
to choose an interim executive to govern until the December elections,
according to the UN, calling it a “significant step forward”.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/20/Libyans-agree-to-hold-constitutional-referendum-Egypt
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Tunisians
protest mass arrests in nighttime clashes
21
January 2021
Tunisians
protested Wednesday to demand the release of hundreds of young demonstrators
arrested in several nights of disturbances, venting their anger also against
the government’s handling of a deepening social crisis.
Around
100 people rallied in Tunis and a similar number in the city of Sousse, in
defiance of gatherings that have been forbidden by authorities following a
recent surge in coronavirus cases.
“We
want the detainees to be freed,” the protesters cried in Sousse.
In
Tunis, protesters -- many of them students -- shouted slogans from the
country’s 2011 revolution, including “freedom, work, national dignity”, as they
moved along the capital’s arterial Habib Bourguiba Avenue.
The
protests come as the economy is in free-fall, youth unemployment soars and
anger rises against a political class that has shown itself incapable of
pulling together for the nation -- gripes in sharpened focus as the country
last week marked 10 years since the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Prime
Minister Hichem Mechichi acknowledged Tunisians’ “legitimate” anger in a
televised address Tuesday evening, but said violence was “unacceptable” and
vowed to “confront it with the force of law”.
Hundreds
have been arrested since the nighttime clashes erupted on Friday, amid a
four-day lockdown imposed the previous day, the date on which Ben Ali fled into
exile in the early days of the Arab Spring. Many of those detained are minors.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/21/Tunisians-protest-mass-arrests-in-nighttime-clashes-
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Over
40 Europe-bound migrants killed in shipwreck off Libya: UN
20
January 2021
A
“tragic” shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya’s coast killed at least
43 migrants bound for Europe, the UN migration agency said Wednesday.
The
International Organization for Migration said the shipwreck that took place a
day earlier was the first maritime disaster in 2021 involving migrants seeking
better lives in Europe.
The
IOM said coastal security in Libya’s western town of Zuwara rescued 10 migrants
and brought them to shore. It said the dead were all men from Western African
nations, according to survivors.
It
said the boat left the western city of Zawiya early Tuesday and capsized a few
hours later after its engine stopped working amid rough seas.
Libya,
which descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed
longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has emerged as a major transit point for
African and Arab migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe.
Most
migrants make the perilous journey in ill-equipped and unsafe rubber boats.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/20/Over-40-Europe-bound-migrants-killed-in-shipwreck-off-Libya-UN
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Somali,
U.S. forces kill 3 al-Shabab terrorists in southern region
2021-01-20
MOGADISHU,
Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Somali and U.S. forces on Tuesday killed three al-Shabab
terrorists in the latest two airstrikes targeting fighters of the extremist
group in the southern region.
The
U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said the strikes targeted the militants in the
vicinities of Jamaame and Deb Scinnele of the southern part of the country.
"These
strikes targeted known al-Shabaab leaders involved in IED facilitation, fighter
training, and attack planning," Dagvin Anderson, Joint Task Force-Quartz
commander, said in a statement.
Anderson
said no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this operation which
came as the allied forces intensified military operations against the al-Qaida
allied terrorist group in the Horn of African nation.
"We
are working closely with our Somali partners to support their operations
against al-Shabab, protect their people, and provide governance," he
added.
Somalia
and partner forces have increased military raids into territory formerly controlled
by al-Shabab after driving the insurgents out of Mogadishu in 2011.
The
strikes have largely targeted al-Shabab figureheads based in southern Somalia
where the group still maintains a strong grip in some regions. Enditem
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/20/c_139681733.htm?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
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Violence
create food crisis in northern Mozambique- WFP
JANUARY
19, 2021
GENEVA
(Reuters) - Militant attacks that have forced hundreds of thousands of people
to flee their homes in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province have created
a humanitarian crisis, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
“What
is happening is nothing short of a food security and nutritional crisis,” WFP
spokesman Tomson Phiri told a U.N. briefing. “This is a humanitarian disaster.”
The
attacks have forced 570,000 people to flee, Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi
said last month, saying he would defeat insurgents who stepped up attacks since
pledging loyalty to Islamic State last year.
Speaking
ahead of a joint briefing by U.N. agencies on Wednesday, Phiri said there were
limited supplies so the cost of food had soared, while access to water and
sanitation was also impacted, as was education.
The
insurgent group, Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, staged its first attack in 2017. Known at
first mainly for beheadings, the fighters declared allegiance to Islamic State
in June 2019 and since then have increased attacks in scale and frequency.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mozambique-insurgency-food/violence-create-food-crisis-in-northern-mozambique-wfp-idUSKBN29O1C4?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1918742_
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