Cases Under Uttarakhand's Conversion Law Fall In Court: 7 Years, 5 Full Trials, All 5 Acquittals
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 January2025
The number of cases filed under the Act has been on the rise, especially after the 2022 amendment.
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· Cases under Uttarakhand’s conversion law fall in court: 7 years, 5 full trials, all 5 acquittals
· Trump says ‘hopefully’ no need for military action against Iran
· ‘Kingdom is on a path toward the light,’ says US Senator Graham after meeting Prince Khalid bin Salman
· Muslim family living in fear after pig’s head left on their garden gate
· The Council on American-Islamic Relations Welcomes Asylum for Chinese National Who Exposed Human Rights Abuses Against Uyghur Muslims
· The Nigerian Soldiers Invade Terrorists Camp, Kill Several ISWAP Fighters InBorno
· Indonesian couple caned 140 times for sex and alcohol offences
· ZabihullahMujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate: We do not want to learn religion from others
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India
· ‘Allegations prima facie true, UAPA bail bar still applicable’: Court denies bail to three accused in 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case
· Omar Abdullah calls Uttarakhand CM Dhami over attack on Kashmiri shawl seller
· 'Effort to protect Assam’s identity': Amid oppn's criticism, CM Himanta cites SC to defend 'Miyan' remark
· Jairam Ramesh puts out 1948 letters by Nehru, Patel to Mookerjee slamming RSS, Hindu Mahasabha
· Rajasthan: Gehlot’s anti-lynching, honour killing laws among 10 bills returned by Governor
· Tension erupts in Uttrakhand'sVikasnagar as Kashmiri sellers brutally attacked; one arrested
· India can play a mediating role in Israel–Palestine conflict: Palestinian Foreign Minister
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Mideast
· EU designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as ‘terrorist organization’
· Jordanian army chief holds talks with Lebanese leaders in Beirut
· Red Cross transfers 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza
· How a new decree could restore rights to Syria’s long-marginalized Kurds
· Kremlin: Room for negotiation on Iran ‘not exhausted’
· Israeli settler leader lauds Jewish prayer at contested West Bank tomb
· Israeli military accepts Gaza Health Ministry’s toll of conflict deaths
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Arab World
· Saudi scientific organization celebrates 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi
· Saudi defense minister meets senior US officials in Washington
· Mawhiba awards 68 students grand prizes for science competition
· Saudi Trouq highlights Kingdom’s artistic diversity
· Saudi, US companies open software factory
· Ministerial Council Meeting of Middle East Green Initiative takes place in Jeddah
· Jeddah Fit Expo 2026 offers inspiration, innovation
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Europe
· Hoofddorp school discriminated against Muslim student over prayer, rights body says
· Man armed with axe made repeated threats to kill Muslims
· Watford mosque plan to be resubmitted after refusal
· Pressure grows to bring French Islamic State suspects home from Iraqi prisons
· ‘The Muslim Undertaker’ hosts inspiring talk as part of UK tour
· Moscow slams UN chief’s ‘outrageous’ double standard on Crimea and Greenland
· Putin-Zelensky meeting would only be in Moscow – Kremlin
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North America
· CAIR Welcomes Arrest of Tenn. White Supremacists Who Sought to Form Paramilitary Unit to Take Out ‘High-Value Targets’
· Trump declares national emergency over ‘Cuba threat’
· CAIR-NY Welcomes Governor Hochul’s Recognition of Muslim American Heritage Month
· CAIR-CT Applauds Farmington Board of Education for Recognizing Eid as School Holiday
· Republicans and Democrats reach funding package deal, US president says
· US military ready for action against Iran – secretary of war
· US dollar’s global role at risk – German regulator
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Africa
· Sharia Council to INEC: We won’t accept compromised polls in 2027
· Corruption: Former Minister Alison-Madueke Pleads Not Guilty In London Court
· Tinubu Yet to Return After Türkiye Visit, Presidency Silent On Return Date
· Alaafin’s Wife Has the Power to Install Baale – Oyo Palace Speaks Amidst Controversy
· ‘We Are Not So Worried to The Point That Fubara Will Be Impeached’ – GovSule
· ‘Follow Gov Yusuf or Resign’ – Waiya Fires Kano Deputy GovGwarzo
· Kaduna Mosque dispute: BoT members plan appeal after court dismisses suit against CAC
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Southeast Asia
· Indonesia pushes Muslim-friendly tourism to boost Islamic economy
· Pahang Islamic education centres get RM350,000 from Putrajaya for upgrades
· Early bird tickets for KTMB’s special Ramadan trains on sale from noon today
· Restaurant probed for Quran display without halal cert
· 2026 Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Incentive Budget Reaches Rp13 Trillion
· Indonesia speeds up food distribution ahead of Ramadan, Eid
· The heart of Taman Greenwood: Exploring the history of the mosque Anwar visited today
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South Asia
· Over 14 Million People in Afghanistan to Need Health Services in 2026: UN Report
· 18 People Flogged in Kabul Over Drug Charges
· Set up one commission for media, not two
· ‘981 hurt in polls-related violence since Oct last year’
· Jamaat-led alliance questions administration after Sherpur clash kills local leader
· FAO Launches $100 Million Food Security Project in Afghanistan
· Seven Killed as Two-Story House Collapses in Jalalabad, Nangarhar
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Cases under Uttarakhand’s conversion law fall in court: 7 years, 5 full trials, all 5 acquittals
by: Aiswarya Raj
Jan 30, 2026
The number of cases filed under the Act has been on the rise, especially after the 2022 amendment.
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Nearly seven years after the BJP government in Uttarakhand enacted a law to curb “forced religious conversions”, court records show the statute may be falling short of a basic legal test: evidence. Even as arrests continue, judicial scrutiny has often undercut the state’s claim, with all five cases that have gone to full trial ending in acquittals.
That’s the finding of an investigation by The Indian Express into cases registered under the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act (UFRA), based on records obtained by the newspaper under 30 applications filed under the Right to Information Act.
Until last month, 62 cases were registered by the Uttarakhand Police under the UFRA, passed in 2018 by the BJP government and strengthened further under it. Court records of 51 cases obtained from the state’s 13 districts by The Indian Express show that as of September 2025, only five have gone to full trial. All of them have ended in acquittals; at least seven have been dismissed mid-way largely due to complainants turning hostile, lack of corroboration, and failure by the prosecution to establish coercion or inducement.
In the remaining 39 cases, for which the status is known, the accused are out on bail in three-fourths — 11 having obtained it from the Uttarakhand High Court, and one from the Supreme Court. In three cases, bail has been denied, the hearing is awaited in five, while in two cases, the accused had approached the High Court for a stay on the proceedings and the state has been given time to reply. In many cases, bail was granted, an analysis shows, after noting consensual relationships, contradictory statements, or procedural lapses.
Illustrative of the acquittals is the case related to a wedding arranged by two families, with the couple submitting an affidavit that the woman would not convert to Islam. Despite this, Aman Siddiqui alias Aman Chaudhary spent nearly six months in jail under UFRA before the Supreme Court, on May 19, 2025, granted him bail, holding that the state cannot have any objection to the interfaith marriage which had happened of their own volition and with their parents’ consent.
Cases under Uttarakhand’s conversion law fall in court: 7 yrs, 5 full trials, all 5 acquittals
In this case, his wife’s brother had filed the FIR on December 24, 2024, claiming that Chaudhary concealed his identity till the day of the wedding. Chaudhary’s mother is a Hindu and father a Muslim, and the complainant said he was not aware of the latter. Chaudhary secured bail from the Supreme Court, with his counsel pointing out that he had furnished an affidavit saying his wife would not convert, and that the objections had been raised after the wedding.
Chaudhary has also approached the High Court, challenging the entire proceedings pending before the Court of the Additional District Judge, Rudrapur. In July 2025, the High Court stayed the proceedings and sought a reply from the State.
The fraught journey of the law
Introduced in 2018, a year after the BJP came to power in Uttarakhand, the UFRA was tightened first in 2022, with jail terms scaled up, and then in 2025, with prison terms increased further from three to 10 years, going up to 20 years or life in extreme cases. The 2025 amendment has yet to be notified as the Governor returned it to the government to correct “clerical errors”. The Act aims to “provide freedom of religion” by prohibiting religious conversions effected “by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage”.
The number of cases filed under the Act has been on the rise, especially after the 2022 amendment. The largest number of cases was registered in 2023 at 20, followed by 2025, with the number standing at 18 by September.
The Uttarakhand Police declined to comment on the matter despite numerous attempts.
Behind the five acquittals
Of the five cases in which trials were concluded in lower courts, all of which ended in acquittal, two were on complaints by a third party not directly aggrieved by “conversion”. Under the original Act, only the aggrieved person or his parents or brother or sister may lodge a complaint. In cases where they are unable to make a complaint for some reason, a person related to them, by blood, marriage or adoption, may file a complaint.
Of the two cases filed by a third party, in one, the complaint was filed in February 2021 by SitaramRanakoti, belonging to one SainikSamaj Party, in TehriGarhwal. Ranakoti accused Vinod Kumar of praising Christianity by “criticising” Hinduism and the caste system, over Facebook videos.
The prosecution produced 13 witnesses, and examined digital evidence and material exhibits, including videos purportedly showing Kumar burning his birth charts.
However, during cross-examination, the Investigating Officer stated that no evidence had emerged showing that Kumar offered any person money as an inducement for conversion. Even the digital evidence did not hold up in court, as the videos were not verified.
Under UFRA, this was a textbook case, as the court upheld the fundamental right to religion when acquitting Kumar in January 2024. “Every person is free to profess, practise and propagate any religion, so long as in doing so they do not infringe upon the civil rights or any legal rights of another person,” it observed.
A second case that ended in acquittal, in which the complaint was registered by a third party, involved charges brought against pastor Narendra Singh Bisht and his wife in Nainital’sRamnagar in October 2021, by the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad. Members of the organisation tore posters with Bible verses and vandalised Bisht’s house, apart from assaulting the gathering, alleging mass conversions.
In the FIR, Bisht was accused of “propagating Christianity and offering inducements for religious conversion… particularly (among) poor persons and members of the Scheduled Tribe community”.
On September 17, 2025, Bisht was acquitted, with the trial court saying the prosecution had failed to establish when and how Bisht allegedly induced any person to convert. Bisht, who spent seven days in prison, told The Indian Express: “After the arrest, it became difficult to live in the same house… We moved 15 km away from the village… It was a long battle, but we won in the end.”
Another case that ended in an acquittal was registered in July 2023, in Almora’sRanikhet, on charges of conversion through coercion, rape and kidnapping, on the complaint of a man whose wife had gone missing.
The complainant initially filed a missing person complaint, to which Sections of criminal intimidation and the UFRA were added, after the complainant’s wife, on being found, accused Mohammad Chand of “forcing” her to go with him and of sexual assault.
However, during cross-examination, the woman said that she had gone with Chand wilfully and denied any sexual relations between them during this period, refusing to undergo any medical examination. In its observations, the court noted the fact that she had also bought clothes before she left, indicating premeditated departure.
In March 2025, the trial court acquitted Chand of all charges, calling the claims of sexual assault hearsay and saying police had failed to prove kidnapping, rape and criminal intimidation, or forced conversion.
The fourth case resulting in an acquittal was of a kidnapping, following a marriage, registered in Almora in 2023. During cross-examination, the complainant said he never alleged that his sister had been kidnapped and forcibly converted, as attributed in the FIR to him. The sister too testified that there was no intent to convert as alleged, and said she had married the accused as per Hindu rites. She also said she had not given any statement to the police to the contrary.
Since the charges could not be corroborated, the accused was acquitted.
The fifth acquittal was in a case lodged in Ramnagar, Nainital, in November 2022, where a minor’s father alleged she had been coerced to convert. Though the minor submitted a statement backing this, she could not give a date or time for the offence. The witnesses, her father and her landlady could not corroborate the claims either, leading the court to say that these could be considered hearsay.
After the accused was acquitted, the state filed an appeal, but the Additional District and Sessions Judge upheld the trial court judgment.
Contradictions & discrepancies
Of 24 cases in which the trial is on and where Sections of rape or kidnapping have been added along with the UFRA, the status of 16 is known. In 10 of these, courts observed or noted in their orders that the couple were in a consensual relationship, while in one, they were found to be friends.
In 11 of these, the alleged victims changed their initial statements, or the court noted irregularities. In one case, the accused side filed a cross-FIR alleging extortion by the woman’s family, while in another, the defence filed a compounding application stating that the alleged victim had sought a compromise, though the court did not quash the case, saying the offences reported were serious.
Of the six FIRs which invited POCSO charges apart from under the UFRA, in half, the court observed that the couple were in a consensual relationship, but the rape sections stood due to the age of the alleged victim.
Seven other cases where trial is on deal with allegations of “deliberate misrepresentation” of identity by Muslim men to “lure” partners into conversion, a matter often raised by the state government.
In four of these cases, the women complainants either contradicted the claim assigned to them, or the court noted irregularities. In the fifth case, the lower court granted bail to the accused. In the sixth case, bail was granted to the accused by the High Court, noting that the victim’s statement had not been recorded before a magistrate and there was no electronic evidence.
In a case from Haridwar’sKankhal dating back to January 2023, the woman complained she had got married to a man named Rahul nine years ago and had two sons with him, but now realised that he was Muslim. She claimed that when she confronted him, he assaulted her and coerced her into accepting Islam.
In the High Court, the man’s counsel submitted that there was no proof of marriage between the two, but that they were in a relationship. While the woman stuck to her allegations, the court, granting the man bail, said: “The question is whether for 10 years the informant never came to know what the actual religion of the applicant is. This and many more questions would find an answer during the trial… this court is of the view that the applicant deserves to be enlarged on bail.”
In another case, of December 2022, from Ramnagar in Nainital, a woman claimed concealment of identity by a man she was in a relationship with. His counsel noted that they were in a relationship for five years. While the court did not comment on the merits of the case, the order noted that the accused had submitted documents showing that the woman and he had applied for marriage under the Special Marriages Act earlier.
Another ongoing trial is in a case of alleged mass conversion, filed by Uttarkashi VHP leader VirendraRawat over a Christmas party conducted by a pastor. The complaint was filed a day after the 2022 amendment that raised prison terms under the Act and made bail difficult.
In his bail application, the pastor alleged that VHP members assaulted members of the congregation. The lower court, while denying bail, said “there appears to be no reasonable grounds at this stage” for it.
Pleas for protection
At least four instances involve state action against interfaith couples seeking protection from families.
UFRA provisions require that for any inter-faith marriage involving conversion to be solemnised, an application be filed before the District or Executive Magistrate a month prior to the conversion ceremony, and the priest concerned also present an advance notice to the DM. Additionally, the person who converted should send a declaration to the DM within 60 days of the ceremony, which would then be put up on the notice board till the conversion is confirmed by the authorities.
The first case under these provisions was registered in 2020 in Dehradun, at the Patel Nagar Police Station, against a couple who had applied in the High Court for police protection. The couple were held in violation of the UFRA, however, for the woman having converted before the marriage without informing the DM. The court asked the DM to conduct a probe, and an FIR was registered against the couple, a relative, and the priest concerned.
In 2023, the court quashed the FIR, and the proceedings in the lower court were stopped, closing the trial.
Five cases cite violations as the couple did not allegedly seek permission from authorities – three were lodged on complaints by police, one by the DM and another by the father of a woman. Of these, in four, the couples have been granted relief from arrest.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/cases-under-uttarakhands-conversion-law-fall-in-court-7-years-5-full-trials-all-5-acquittals-10502378/
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Trump says ‘hopefully’ no need for military action against Iran
January 30, 2026
PARIS: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped to avoid military action against Iran, which has threatened to strike American bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack.
Trump said he is speaking with Iran and left open the possibility of avoiding a military operation after earlier warning time was “running out” for Tehran as the United States sends a large naval fleet to the region.
When asked if he would have talks with Iran, Trump told reporters: “I have had and I am planning on it.”
“We have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” the US president added, while speaking to media at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania.
As Brussels and Washington dialed up their rhetoric and Iran issued stark threats this week, UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for nuclear negotiations to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region.”
An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran’s response to any US action would not be limited — as it was in June last year when American planes and missiles briefly joined Israel’s short air war against Iran — but would be a decisive response “delivered instantly.”
Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia told state television US aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities” and that numerous American bases in the Gulf region are “within the range of our medium-range missiles.”
“If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines — carrying out a quick operation and then, two hours later, tweeting that the operation is over,” he said.
An official in the Gulf, where states host US military sites, said that fears of a US strike on Iran are “very clear.”
“It would bring the region into chaos, it would hurt the economy not just in the region but in the US and cause oil and gas prices to skyrocket,” the official added.
‘Protests crushed in blood’
Qatar’s leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Iran’s President MasoudPezeshkian held a call to discuss “efforts being made to de-escalate tensions and establish stability,” the Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
The European Union, meanwhile, piled on the pressure by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a “terrorist organization” over a deadly crackdown on recent mass protests.
“’Terrorist’ is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood,” said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, welcoming the “overdue” decision.
Though largely symbolic, the EU decision has already drawn a warning from Tehran.
Iran’s military slammed “the illogical, irresponsible and spite-driven action of the European Union,” alleging the bloc was acting out of “obedience” to Tehran’s arch-foes the United States and Israel.
Iranian officials have blamed the recent protest wave on the two countries, claiming their agents spurred “riots” and a “terrorist operation” that hijacked peaceful rallies sparked over economic grievances.
Rights groups have said thousands of people were killed during the protests by security forces, including the IRGC — the ideological arm of Tehran’s military.
In Tehran on Thursday, citizens expressed grim resignation.
“I think the war is inevitable and a change must happen. It can be for worse, or better. I am not sure,” said a 29-year-old waitress, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“I am not in favor of war. I just want something to happen that would result in something better.”
Another 29-year-old woman, an unemployed resident of an upscale neighborhood in northern Tehran, said: “I believe that life has highs and lows and we are now at the lowest point.”
Trump had threatened military action if protesters were killed in the anti-government demonstrations that erupted in late December and peaked on January 8 and 9.
But his more recent statements have turned to Iran’s nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb.
On Wednesday, he said “time is running out” for Tehran to make a deal, warning the US naval strike group that arrived in Middle East waters on Monday was “ready, willing and able” to hit Iran.
Conflicting tolls
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,479 people were killed in the protests, as Internet restrictions imposed on January 8 continue to slow verification.
But rights groups warn the toll is likely far higher, with estimates in the tens of thousands.
Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands were killed during the protests, giving a toll of more than 3,000 deaths, but say the majority were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”
Billboards and banners have gone up in the capital Tehran to bolster the authorities’ messages. One massive poster appears to show an American aircraft carrier being destroyed.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2631130/middle-east
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‘Kingdom is on a path toward the light,’ says US Senator Graham after meeting Prince Khalid bin Salman
January 30, 2026
Above, US Senator Lindsey Graham with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (X: @LindseyGrahamSC)
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DUBAI: US Senator Lindsey Graham believes Saudi Arabia is on ‘a path toward the light’, in a statement he issued after meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, who is on an official visit to Washington.
“My engagement with Saudi Arabia over the past two days has given me a sense of confidence that the Kingdom – while it has its own interests – is on a path toward the light, not the darkness,” the senator said in his statement.
The senator also said he was looking forward to visiting Saudi Arabia soon.
“Over the years, I have developed a strong working relationship with Saudi Arabia. I know President Trump is a strong admirer of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. I have seen the changes the Crown Prince has embraced and I have been impressed,” Graham said.
The US senator added that after meeting with Prince Khalid, and Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan earlier, “I am convinced that Saudi Arabia believes the best thing for the region is economic growth and prosperity.”
“Saudi Arabia wants to be a destination of choice in the future, so that people around the world to come visit what I think is an incredible country. Saudi Arabia wants to be one of the dominant forces in Al, which means the best and brightest minds will come. I am convinced that this is still the goal of the Crown Prince and the Kingdom.”
Graham also expressed appreciation to what the Kingdom was trying to do in Syria.
“They have openly said they are the friend of both the Syrian government and the Kurdish people. The attitude of seeking compromise rather than destruction, hopefully, will win the day,” the senator said in his statement.
Prince Khalid is expected to discuss Saudi-US ties and ways to strengthen during his visit, and earlier met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2631143/saudi-arabia
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Muslim family living in fear after pig’s head left on their garden gate
29 January 2026
The family told our North of England Reporter, Amy Welch, that they won't feel safe until those responsible are caught
A father of two has described how his family have been left traumatised after a pig’s head was left on the gate of their family home in Stockport.
CCTV footage shows two masked men approaching the house at around 1.30am on the morning of January 9.
They unwrap a package containing a pig’s head, which they then attach to the spikes of the gate in the front garden.
Camran Butt told ITV News how he first noticed what he thought was a dead animal on the drive when taking his children to school.
But not long after, he received a phone call from his wife, who was crying hysterically and told him that it was actually a pig’s head.
Butt described how the culprits would have known their actions were being recorded on CCTV cameras that were clearly visible outside the house and that they’d gone to extreme lengths to leave the carcass.
He said: "It was very brazen, you know, to come down the lane with a pig's head in your hand at 1:00 in the morning.
"There's a lot of effort that needs to be put into it. And a pig's head is not something that you buy from Tesco's down the road. You know, you'd have to find it. And you just question why?"
Under Islamic law, pork is strictly prohibited, and Mr Butt doesn’t know why his family was targeted in this way.
He says they have been left shaken and that, as parents, he and his wife fear for the safety of their young children.
Rabia Butt said: "I still feel very anxious, very nervous and often wake up in the night looking up at the cameras just in case anyone’s outside. I don’t think we’re going to rest until they are caught."
According to the Muslim Council of Britain, anti-Muslim offences have gone up by near
ly 20% over the past year.
They say this incident reflects "a deeply worrying rise in Islamophobic hate crimes in Britain."
"That it targeted a family home, rather than a public space, makes it especially alarming and shows how this hostility is increasingly normalised and affecting everyday life. This is not an isolated incident, but part of a wider pattern of intimidation faced by Muslim families across the UK..."
Misinformation around the identity of the Southport attacker led to a 19% spike in religious hate crime, according to the latest figures from the Home Office.
Abid Khan has been the Imam at Cheadle mosque for the past 10 years and says his synagogue now has security.
He said: "When an attack happens, Muslims will feel the sense of sorrow and sadness for the family and the victims. But then there is a sense of fear that there's going to be reprisals."
The Butt family still don’t know why they were targeted, but say they’ve been overwhelmed by the love and support of their community.
Mr Butt said: "They’re not going to stop us living here. Our neighbours behind us, a large Jewish community. We celebrate Hanukkah with them. Neighbours to the right, Hindus. We celebrate Diwali with them. So, you know, we do feel welcome here."
Greater Manchester Police says it is treating this as a suspected hate crime, but it believes it to be an isolated incident.
Chief Inspector Lisa Devitt from the force's Stockport district said: “This was an appalling and deliberate act against a family home - no one should be subjected to incidents of this manner.
"We are treating this incident as a hate crime and are doing everything we can to find those responsible.
"We appreciate this will have caused concern within the community and additional patrols were stepped up in the community following the report of this incident to provide reassurance.
"We’d urge anyone with information to please come forward. This can be reported via 101 or the reporting mechanisms on our website, quoting log 877 of 09.01.26.
"Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Source: itv.com
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https://www.itv.com/news/2026-01-29/muslim-family-living-in-fear-after-pigs-head-left-on-their-garden-gate
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations Welcomes Asylum for Chinese National Who Exposed Human Rights Abuses Against Uyghur Muslims
January 29, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed an immigration judge’s decision to grant asylum to a Chinese national who exposed the Chinese government’s human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in that nation.
Guan Heng, 38, applied for asylum after arriving in the U.S. illegally in 2021. He has been in custody since being swept up in an immigration enforcement operation in August as part of a mass deportation campaign by the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security initially sought to deport Guan to Uganda but dropped the plan in December after his plight raised public concerns and attracted attention on Capitol Hill.
“We welcome the judge’s decision to potentially save Guan Heng’s life by granting him asylum from the Chinese government,” said CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison. “Dissidents and those who expose the crimes of authoritarian regimes deserve our government’s protection.”
He noted that CAIR previously welcomed the dropping of a deportation order for Heng.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-asylum-for-chinese-national-who-exposed-human-rights-abuses-against-uyghur-muslims/
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The Nigerian Soldiers Invade Terrorists Camp, Kill Several ISWAP Fighters InBorno
30 Jan, 2026
The Nigerian troops, during a coordinated dawn operation, neutralised several terrorists involved in insurgent activities in the North East part of the country and recovered arms and ammunition.
Naija News reports that a counter-insurgency and security expert in the Lake Chad region, ZagazolaMakama, in a post via 𝕏 on Thursday, said that troops of the Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) launched a surprise dawn attack on Wednesday at Bula Dalo, in Borno State, neutralising several terrorists and forcing the remaining insurgents to flee.
Makama disclosed that security sources confirmed to him that four AK-47 rifles, a PKT anti-aircraft gun, a Rocket Propelled Gun, and a multiple grenade launcher were recovered during the operation.
According to Makama, the troops during the operations described as a major setback for insurgent logistics and operational capacity in the area also destroyed life-support structures.
The soldiers recovered a substantial quantity of PKT anti-aircraft ammunition in a follow-up operation at the Garno terrorist camp.
Similarly, troops of Sector 2 at SabonGari faced an attack by ISWAP fighters supported by multiple armed drones in the early hours of Thursday.
Makama disclosed that though the insurgents briefly breached part of the defensive position, gallant troops swiftly repelled the assault, restored full control, and denied the attackers any further gain.
He said the encounter led to casualties among some troops and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, while an excavator and a lowbed were damaged during the drone attack.
Makama also added that security officials confirmed the exploitation of the area is ongoing as forces continue to deny terrorists freedom of movement and protect local communities from further attacks.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/29/soldiers-invade-terrorists-camp-kill-several-iswap-fighters-in-borno/
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Indonesian couple caned 140 times for sex and alcohol offences
January 30, 2026
Hidayatullah
A couple in Indonesia has been caned 140 times for having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol because it violates Sharia, or Islamic religious law.
The 21-year-old woman fainted after three female officers took turns striking her with a rattan cane, while she cried. After she collapsed, she was carried off the stage by female officers to an ambulance.
The couple were caned on Thursday along with four others, including an officer from the Islamic police force, who were all found guilty of violating Sharia.
Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in religiously conservative Aceh, although the practice has long drawn criticism from rights groups who say it's cruel.
Under Aceh's Islamic criminal code, sex outside marriage is punishable by 100 strokes of the cane, while consuming alcohol carries 40 strokes.
Canings are not regulated properly, says AzharulHusna, the Aceh coordinator for Indonesian rights group Kontras, adding that the rules around such punishments should be "improved" to support people after they're caned.
The officer from the Islamic police force was caned 23 times, as was his female partner, for being in close proximity in a private place.
He was caught alone with her in her house, Muhammad Rizal, the head of Aceh's Islamic police force told BBC Indonesian, adding that the officer would be dismissed.
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to enforce the Sharia, and punishes many of the offences with public canings.
Source: bbc.com
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ZabihullahMujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate: We do not want to learn religion from others
30 JANUARY 2026
ZabihullahMujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, says the country’s penal code contains no provisions that contradict Islamic Sharia.
In an interview with the BBC, Mujahid said the guidelines are fully based on Sharia law. He added that anyone raising objections should first study Sharia and assess the issues within its framework.
“In today’s digital world, Sharia-related materials are available in every language,” Mujahid said.
“We do not want to learn religion from others. We have our own religion, beliefs, and scholars. We have made sacrifices for this religion and preserved it for centuries. Why should others teach us religion? Instead, we should teach religion to others,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice said none of the Islamic Emirate’s legislative documents include any article, clause, or provision that conflicts with Islamic Sharia.
The ministry also warned that raising objections to these laws would be considered a crime and said violators would be referred to judicial and legal authorities for prosecution.
Source: ariananews.af
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India
‘Allegations prima facie true, UAPA bail bar still applicable’: Court denies bail to three accused in 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case
by: Nirbhay Thakur
DelhiJan 30, 2026
A Delhi court on Thursday denied bail to former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, former call centre employee Athar Khan, and garment businessman Salim Malik in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. Of the 18 people arrested in the case almost six years ago, seven still remain in jail.
Three weeks ago, the Supreme Court had identified a hierarchy between “architects” and “facilitators” while hearing the bail pleas of seven accused in the case. While it had rejected the pleas of activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, placing them in the first category, five others were placed in the second category and granted bail.
Following the SC judgment, three of the seven lodged in jail had moved bail pleas before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma court, seeking parity with those who were placed in the second category by the apex court.
While ASJ Bajpai took note of the SC judgement, he also stated that the trial court and the Delhi High Court had already dismissed the bail pleas of the accused and that the “embargo” of Section 43D (5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act UAPA was still applicable.
Section 43D (5) reads: “…no person accused of an offence punishable under Chapters IV and VI of this Act shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond unless the public prosecutor has been given an opportunity of being heard on the application for such release… such accused person shall not be released on bail or on his own bond if the court, on a perusal of the case diary or the report made under Section 173 of the Code (CrPC), is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against such person is prima facie true.”
Section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) refers to the completion of investigation and submission of the final report (chargesheet) by the police to a magistrate.
“…this court in its previous order dated 12.10.2022 has given clear opinion that the accusations against Athar Khan are prima facie true and as such the embargo created by Section 43D(5) of UAPA applies. Thus, when the court has formed a certain opinion against the applicant, it cannot review its order and give any opinion contrary to the previous opinion,” said ASJ Bajpai.
Similar observations were made while denying the bail pleas of Hussain and Malik.
The case against Hussain pertains to allegations that the terrace of his building was used by rioters to pelt stones and petrol bombs. He was called a key local player by the Delhi Police Special Cell with considerable mass support who aided the “conspiracy”. As per the Special Cell, money provided by Hussain was also used to manage protest sites. Further, Hussain has been accused in a murder case of an Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer during the riots.
On the other hand, Khan was accused of being one of the main organisers at the Chand Bagh protest site and allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches. He also allegedly coordinated the destruction of CCTV cameras to destroy evidence.
According to the Special Cell, Malik attended a meeting with the “conspirators” on February 22, 2020, at Chand Bagh, and delivered “provocative” speeches from the stage at the protest site. He was also allegedly responsible for managing meals and handling financial transactions at protest sites.
While Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Sharjeel Imam, Tahir Hussain, Salim Malik, Athar Khan and Tasleem Ahmed remain in jail in the case, 11 others have been granted bail. They are MeeranHaider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, MohdSaleem Khan, DevanganaKalita, Natasha Narwal, Ishrat Jahan, Faizan Khan, SafooraZargar and Asif Iqbal Tanha.
The “larger conspiracy” in the case, as per the prosecution, was the alleged creation of 23 protest sites, which operated 24×7 in “Muslim majority areas”, close to mosques and main roads. According to police, the 18 accused wanted to “escalate” the protest to a chakka jam “once critical mass is generated” when then US President Donald Trump visited Delhi in 2020.
Source: indianexpress.com
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Omar Abdullah calls Uttarakhand CM Dhami over attack on Kashmiri shawl seller
Muzaffar Raina
30.01.26
Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday rang up his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami to seek strict action against the perpetrators of an attack on a Kashmiri shawl seller.
Omar later said Jammu and Kashmir could not be claimed to be an inalienable part of India while Kashmiris live in fear in other parts of the country.
Kashmiris have faced multiple attacks in different parts of the country following last year’s militant attack in Pahalgam, with Uttarakhand emerging as the major trouble spot for them. The attacks continue despite intervention from the highest offices in the country.
Videos of an injured 18-year-old Kashmiri, seen with his head bandaged, sparked fresh outrage in Kashmir on Thursday, prompting Omar to call Dhami.
“Chief Minister spoke with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, @pushkardhami, regarding the incident of assault on a young Kashmiri shawl seller in Uttarakhand and urged him to take strict action against the perpetrators. @pushkardhami assured that strict action, including registration of an FIR, would be taken in the matter and safety of J&K residents will be ensured,” the chief minister’s office said on X.
Omar later said his government would step in wherever necessary and do whatever was needed to ensure these incidents were not repeated, hoping the Union home ministry would also sensitise other states on the same lines.
The Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said the young boy was helping his family earn a livelihood in the winter. It said an FIR had been registered by the Uttarakhand police, leading to the arrest of the accused.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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'Effort to protect Assam’s identity': Amid oppn's criticism, CM Himanta cites SC to defend 'Miyan' remark
Jan 29, 2026
NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister HimantaBiswaSarma on Thursday refused to walk back from his remarks on "Miya Muslims" after the criticism by the opposition.
A day after the chief minister said that he encourages troubling the "Miyan" to drive them back from the state, Sarma clarified that the word was used to refer the illegal Muslim migrants from Bangladesh. He also cited the Supreme Court to claim that the issue is a "grave and long-standing problem that Assam has lived with for decades."
In a social media post on X, Sarma said, "Those who are attacking me for my remarks on “Miyan”—a word used in Assam in the context of Bangladeshi Muslim illegal migration—should pause and read what the Supreme Court of India itself has said about Assam. This is not my language, not my imagination, and not political exaggeration."
“The silent and invidious demographic invasion of Assam may result in the loss of the geostrategically vital districts of lower Assam… The influx of illegal migrants is turning these districts into a Muslim majority region… It will then only be a matter of time when a demand for their merger with Bangladesh may be made… Loss of lower Assam will sever the entire land mass of the North East from the rest of India and the rich natural resources of that region will be lost to the Nation," Himanta cited a Supreme Court observation."Our effort is not against any religion or any Indian citizen. Our effort is to protect Assam’s identity, security, and future, exactly as the Supreme Court cautioned the nation to do. Ignoring that warning would be the real injustice—to Assam and to India," he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Himanta had said that he encourages creating “trouble” for “Miyan Muslims” so that they are driven out of the state, remarks that have sparked widespread outrage across the election-bound northeastern state.
“Trouble the Miyan Muslims by any means. If they face trouble, they will go from Assam. If I want to give trouble to Miya, I go at 12 am. It’s not an issue. We are directly against the Miya Muslims," Himanta had said.
"We are not hiding anything; we directly say that we are against Miyans. Earlier, people feared that notices would be served against them. Now, I encourage everyone to give trouble to Miyan. Yesterday, I saw that they have reached Duliajan. A tsunami will happen here, but the result will be in Pakistan,” he added.
His remarks drew strong criticism from Opposition leaders, who warned that such statements could have serious consequences for social harmony.
Congress leader Udit Raj said the Assam chief minister’s remarks would not go down well with the public and could even lead to “civil war”.
“Congress neither works for Bengali Muslims nor for Bengali Hindus. Congress views everyone as a citizen. It is good that what was once done covertly, HimantaBiswaSarma has now openly stated,' the Congress leader told news agency IANS.
CPI(M) MP Amraram also condemned the comments, accusing the Assam government of using administrative exercises to marginalise vulnerable communities.
"This is what the chief minister always does. In the name of SIR, votes are being taken away from Dalits, minorities, SCs, and STs. Even when people are not being divided on the basis of Hindu or Muslim, votes are being manipulated in the name of SIR. All of these people are citizens of this country, whether Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, or Buddhist. Creating hatred against them, I believe, is a betrayal of the country, its Constitution, and its unity," he said.
Source: indiatimes.com
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Jairam Ramesh puts out 1948 letters by Nehru, Patel to Mookerjee slamming RSS, Hindu Mahasabha
30 Jan 2026
NEW DELHI: On Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday recalled two separate letters written in 1948 to Syama Prasad Mookerjee by Jawaharlal Nehru and SardarVallabhbhai Patel in which they strongly criticised and raised questions over the activities of the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS.
The Congress general secretary in-charge communications said two days before Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, Nehru had written to Mookerjee, and a few months later, on July 18 1948, Sardar Patel had also written to Mookerjee.
"Both are damning indictments of the self-declared custodians of nationalism. And to think that there is a Lok Sabha MP wedded to that ideology and who was blessed by the PM himself, who said that he could not choose between Gandhi and Godse. His mindset is revealing," Ramesh said on X, in an apparent reference to BJP MP AbhijitGangopadhyay's controversial remarks in 2024.
Ramesh also shared a link to Nehru's address on All India Radio on the night of January 30, 1948 after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.
In his letter to Mookerjee, Nehru had said the Hindu Mahasabha had held meetings in defiance of the ban order in Pune, Ahmednagar and Delhi.
"Speeches were delivered that Mahatma Gandhi was an impediment and the sooner he died the better it would be for the country. The R.S.S. has behaved in an even worse way and we have collected a mass of information about its very objectionable activities.," Nehru had said in his letter.
Ramesh also shared a screenshot of Patel's letter to Mookerjee in which the former criticised the activities of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha.
Gandhi, the most prominent face of India's freedom movement, was assassinated by NathuramGodse on this day in 1948.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Rajasthan: Gehlot’s anti-lynching, honour killing laws among 10 bills returned by Governor
Rajesh Asnani
30 Jan 2026
JAIPUR: In a major move, the Rajasthan Governor has returned 10 bills to the state Legislative Assembly for reconsideration, citing legal and constitutional concerns. Of these, nine bills were passed during the previous Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government, while one dates back to the former chief minister VasundharaRaje’s first term in 2008. The development was disclosed in the Assembly on Wednesday.
Under constitutional provisions, a Governor may return a state bill if its provisions are found to be in conflict with existing central laws. States are empowered to legislate only on subjects listed in the State List. In matters under the Concurrent List, both the Centre and the states can enact laws; however, in the event of a conflict, central legislation prevails and state laws cannot override it.
A similar situation arose during VasundharaRaje’s tenure when the Freedom of Religion Bill was returned by the then Governor, PratibhaPatil. The bill was subsequently reintroduced and forwarded to the Centre for the President’s assent, where it remained pending for several years.
According to information placed before the Assembly, while returning the 2019 Bill related to honour killings, the Governor pointed out that the proposed law referred to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973—both of which have since been replaced. The Governor noted that Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 already contains adequate provisions to address the offence of honour killing.
The nine bills passed during the Gehlot government that have been returned include the Rajasthan Protection from Lynching Bill, 2019; the Rajasthan Prohibition of Interference with Freedom of Marital Relationships in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill, 2019; three agriculture-related amendment Billspassed in November 2020; two private university Bills cleared in 2022; and the Rajasthan Electricity (Tariff) Bill, 2023, and the Nathdwara Temple (Amendment) Bill, 2023, both passed in August 2023.
‘Legal concern’
Governor has cited legal and constitutional concerns
Nine of 10 Bills returned were passed under Gehlot
One Bill dates back to Raje’s first term in 2008
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Tension erupts in Uttrakhand'sVikasnagar as Kashmiri sellers brutally attacked; one arrested
Narendra Sethi
29 Jan 2026
DEHRADUN: A violent assault on two Kashmiri youths in Vikasnagar has sparked communal tension and widespread protests in the region. The victims, who visit the state seasonally to sell traditional shawls and garments, were allegedly targeted over their religious and regional identity.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening on Dakpatthar Road. According to reports, Danish (18) and Tavish, both residents of Karalpur in Jammu, had gone to a local general store to purchase supplies. The situation turned volatile when individuals at the shop allegedly began hurling religious slurs and making inflammatory remarks linking the youths to recent terror activities in Pahalgam.
The verbal altercation soon escalated into a physical attack. The victims alleged they were cornered and assaulted with iron rods. Danish sustained a fractured left arm and serious head injuries, while Tavish suffered multiple bruises.
News of the attack triggered immediate outrage. Members of the local Muslim community gathered at the Vikasnagar Market Chowki, carrying the injured youths and raising slogans against what they described as targeted harassment of minorities. Protesters alleged that the community is increasingly being marginalised on the basis of faith.
“We have been coming to Uttarakhand since 2008 to earn a livelihood during the winters. These boys were here for the first time. They were targeted solely because of where they come from and their religion,” said Abdul Rashid Mahir, a relative of the victims.
Nasir Khuehami, convener of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, condemned the “heart-wrenching” incident and appealed to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for immediate intervention.
“The boy was brutally beaten by a group, his head split open with an iron rod. His relatives informed me that the violence intensified only after the attackers confirmed their identity as Kashmiri Muslims. Hatred cannot be normalised,” Khuehami said, demanding strict action.
Police moved quickly to de-escalate the situation. Shishupal Rana, SSI of VikasnagarKotwali, confirmed that a case has been registered based on Danish’s complaint.
“We have taken the accused shop owner, Sanjay Yadav, into custody. The investigation is ongoing, and strict legal action will be taken against those found guilty of disturbing the peace,” Rana said.
Danish has been referred to Doon Hospital in Dehradun for advanced medical treatment, where his condition is being monitored. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the market area to maintain law and order.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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India can play a mediating role in Israel–Palestine conflict: Palestinian Foreign Minister
29 Jan 2026
NEW DELHI: Palestinian Foreign Minister VarsenAghabekian on Friday said India could play a mediating role between Israel and Palestine, citing New Delhi’s long-standing political support and developmental assistance to the Palestinian people. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi ahead of the India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, she said India’s position on international law and a two-state solution was “very clear” to Palestine.
“India, a great nation, has stood with the people of Palestine,” Aghabekian said, adding that Palestine believed New Delhi could help bring an end to the conflict, occupation and ongoing war in Gaza. Referring to the situation in the enclave, she alleged that 82 per cent of Gaza’s infrastructure had been destroyed and that over 72,000 people had been killed. “What we witnessed in Gaza was witnessed live on TV. This situation is not acceptable,” she said, claiming violations of international law.
The minister reiterated that the Palestinian issue could not be viewed in isolation or as a recent development. “The Palestinian struggle did not start two years ago, nor 10 years ago, nor in 1967. It started over 100 years ago,” she said, referring to the Balfour Declaration and the subsequent displacement of Palestinians.
Aghabekian expressed appreciation for India’s developmental assistance, particularly in education, healthcare and social infrastructure. She highlighted Indian-backed schools across the West Bank, support for hospitals and specialised medical centres, and assistance for multipurpose facilities such as sports and recreation centres for Palestinian children. At the diplomatic level, she noted India’s support for building the Palestinian Diplomatic Institute, which is nearing completion and is expected to strengthen training and exchanges for Palestinian diplomats.
Her comments came ahead of the second India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM), scheduled to be held in New Delhi on January 31. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the meeting will be co-chaired by India and the United Arab Emirates and will be attended by foreign ministers of Arab League member states and the Arab League Secretary General. The meeting will be preceded by the fourth India–Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting on January 30 and will include a call on the Prime Minister.
The upcoming meeting marks a decade since the first India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Bahrain in 2016, where cooperation was identified across five priority areas: economy, energy, education, media, and culture. The MEA said the second meeting is expected to expand and deepen the India–Arab partnership under the India–Arab Cooperation Forum, with India participating as an observer to the 22-member Arab League.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Mideast
EU designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as ‘terrorist organization’
January 29, 2026
BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed Thursday to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a “terrorist organization” over a deadly crackdown on mass protests.
“This was long overdue,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen posted online after foreign ministers from the bloc took the decision.
“’Terrorist’ is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood.”
Though largely symbolic, the EU move has already drawn a warning from Tehran it would have “destructive consequences.”
The 27-nation bloc meanwhile also adopted visa bans and asset freezes on 21 state entities and Iranian officials — including the interior minister, prosecutor general and regional IRGC commanders — over the repression.
Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands were killed during the protests, giving a toll of over 3,000 people, but say the majority were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”
Rights groups say the toll is far higher, potentially in the tens of thousands, and note that protesters were killed by security forces including the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) directly firing on them.
France, Italy shift
The IRGC is the ideological arm of Tehran’s military and was created after the 1979 revolution to protect the clerical leadership. The Guards control or own companies across the Iranian economy, including major strategic sectors.
“The estimate is that still the diplomatic channels will remain open even after the listing of the Revolutionary Guards,” the EU’s top diplomat KajaKallas said earlier Thursday.
The EU action against the IRGC comes after France announced Wednesday it backed the move, following a similar shift from Italy.
Hailed by Iran’s arch-foe Israel as a “historic decision,” the step matches similar classification enacted by the United States, Canada and Australia.
Paris had widely been seen as reluctant to act against the IRGC due to fears over the impact on Europeans detained in the country and a wish to keep diplomatic ties open.
“There can be no impunity for the crimes committed,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on arrival in Brussels.
“This decision is also an appeal by France to the Iranian authorities to release the prisoners thrown by thousands into the regime’s prisons, to end the executions that are perpetuating the most violent repression in Iran’s modern history,” he said.
Barrot urged Tehran to end an Internet blackout and “give back to the Iranian people the capacity to choose their own future.”
The EU has already sanctioned several hundred Iranian officials and entities over crackdowns on previous protest movements and over Tehran’s support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The IRGC as a whole and senior commanders are already under EU sanctions, meaning that adding them to the terror blacklist is expected to have little practical impact on the organization.
Source: arabnews.com
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army chief holds talks with Lebanese leaders in Beirut
January 29, 2026
LONDON: Jordan’s army chief met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Presidential Palace in Beirut on Thursday to discuss security cooperation.
Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Jordan, addressed regional developments and security challenges, and ways to contribute to the stability of the region.
He also met the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Gen. RodolpheHaykal. They discussed military cooperation and the exchange of expertise and training to improve readiness and efficiency, according to the Petra news agency.
Huneiti highlighted the strong relationship between the Jordanian and Lebanese military institutions. Haykal commended the Jordan Armed Forces’ role in supporting regional security and stability, as reported by Petra.
Source: arabnews.com
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Red Cross transfers 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza
January 29, 2026
JERUSALEM: The Red Cross said it facilitated the transfer of 15 Palestinian bodies to the Gaza Strip on Thursday after the last hostage held in the territory was returned to Israel earlier this week.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross today facilitated the return of 15 deceased Palestinians to Gaza ... This marks the completion of a months-long operation that reunited families and supported the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” the ICRC said in a statement.
Under the US-sponsored Gaza ceasefire deal, in effect since October 10, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.
Israeli forces on Monday brought home the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza.
“The operation began in October with the release and transfer of 20 living hostages and 1,808 detainees,” the ICRC statement said.
“In subsequent phases, the ICRC facilitated the return of the deceased, including 27 out of 28 hostages and 360 Palestinians.”
The director of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, confirmed that 15 Palestinian bodies had arrived at the medical facility on Thursday.
Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed in a statement that the return of the latest bodies brought the total number handed over by Israel to 360.
The ICRC said that since October 2023, when the war was triggered by the attack on Israel, the humanitarian organization had “supported the return of 195 hostages — including 35 deceased — and 3,472 detainees.”
Militants took 251 hostages to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and the process of returning them has dragged over the course of the ensuing war in a series of ceasefire and prisoner-swap deals as well as efforts to rescue them militarily.
The last hostage to be brought back, Ran Gvili, was laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday, closing the chapter on a painful saga that has haunted Israeli society for more than two years.
The return of his remains paves the way for a limited reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, a key entry point for aid into the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by the war.
Source: arabnews.com
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How a new decree could restore rights to Syria’s long-marginalized Kurds
ANAN TELLO
January 29, 2026
LONDON: A decree by Syria’s interim president has cast a light on a long-marginalized population in the country’s northeast, where hundreds of thousands of Kurds have for generations been denied basic civil and cultural rights.
The announcement, made on Jan. 16, came amid heightened tensions between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northern Aleppo governorate.
It also comes as interim authorities in Damascus seek to implement a reintegration deal with the SDF, which would see the central government reestablish control over Syria’s northeast and Kurdish-led forces incorporated into the national army.
Interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa said citizenship would be restored to all Kurdish Syrians, their language formally recognized, and Nowruz, the Kurdish New Year, declared a national holiday — a move suggesting renewed respect for Syria’s minorities.
The move “breaks decisively” with a legacy of “Arab nationalist exclusion that denied Kurds” in Syria their rights, Ibrahim Al-Assil, a senior research fellow at Harvard’s Middle East Initiative, told The New York Times on Jan. 16.
The Ministry of Interior began implementing the decree on Jan. 29, as government forces pushed into northeastern areas previously controlled by the SDF. But questions remain: who will truly benefit, and how does this measure differ from a similar 2011 decree issued by the now-deposed ruler Bashar Assad?
For more than six decades, many Kurds in Syria’s northeasternHasakah province have been deprived of citizenship and basic rights following a controversial 1962 census that stripped more than 120,000 residents of nationality. The decision upended lives and erased legal identities.
That number grew over time as statelessness was passed down to descendants. According to the Hasakah civil registry, more than 517,000 people experienced statelessness between 1962 and 2011, including descendants.
Kurds today are Syria’s largest non-Arab ethnic group, numbering about 2.5 million, according to the World Population Review. Most hold Syrian citizenship, except for the descendants of those rendered stateless by the 1962 census.
Amnesty International estimated in 2005 that between 200,000 and 360,000 Kurds remained without nationality.
Their exclusion can be traced back to Aug. 23, 1962, when then-President Nazim Al-Qudsi issued Legislative Decree No. 93 ordering an “exceptional census” in Hasakah to identify what his government described as “alien infiltrators.”
At the time, officials said the aim of the census was to determine how many people had crossed into Syria following Kurdish uprisings in Turkiye in the 1920s.
However, Human Rights Watch later said the measure was part of a deliberate effort to Arabize Syria’s resource-rich northeast — home to the country’s largest concentration of non-Arabs.
Carried out in a single day on Oct. 5, 1962, the census was widely described as arbitrary and lacking legal safeguards. It even divided members of the same households into three different categories: Syrian nationals, unregistered persons and foreigners.
According to a 2009 Human Rights Watch report, census teams visited towns and villages, and registered only those physically present in their homes that day.
To retain citizenship, families were required to produce proof of residence in Syria prior to 1945, such as property deeds or ration cards. Those documents were largely inaccessible to rural residents given weak registration systems and the limited timeframe.
Those classified as foreigners — or Ajaneb in Arabic — were issued red identity cards. Others, known locally as Maktoumeen, were denied any legal recognition of their existence.
The loss of citizenship deprived generations of Kurds of fundamental rights, including access to education, employment, property ownership, marriage and child registration, and freedom of movement.
Maktoumeen could obtain only informal documents, known as ShahadatTaarif, with prior police approval through community leaders.
Locals from Hasakah’s city of Qamishli told Arab News these papers could be used to enroll children in school or register informal marriages, but were difficult to secure and offered limited protection.
The census affected even prominent figures.
According to accounts cited by Human Rights Watch in 1996, TawfiqNizamEddin, a Syrian Kurd from Qamishli who once served as army chief-of-staff prior to Syria’s unity with Egypt in 1958, was stripped of his citizenship and reclassified as a foreigner.
Discrimination persisted after Al-Qudsi was overthrown in a 1963 coup that brought the Baath Party to power.
The party proposed demographic engineering in the northeast, aiming to displace Kurds from border areas with Turkiye and replace them with Arab families from Raqqa and the Aleppo countryside, according to the Syrian-Kurdish North Press Agency.
That policy took shape in 1973 under then-President Hafez Assad, Bashar Assad’s father, through the establishment of the so-called “Arab Belt,” which Human Rights Watch said displaced Kurdish communities and weakened Kurdish control of resource-rich areas.
The outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011 prompted limited reforms. In April that year, following demonstrations in Hasakah, Bashar Assad issued Decree 49, granting citizenship to some stateless Kurds in the northeastern governorate.
However, the measure applied only to those registered as foreigners. By mid-2013, about 104,000 Kurds in Hasakah had acquired nationality, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
Al-Sharaa’s Jan. 16 decree reportedly goes further than this, extending citizenship to remaining foreigners as well as the Maktoumeen.
The announcement has been cautiously welcomed by Kurds in Syria.
“While the decree comes decades too late, there is hope it will benefit Syria’s Kurds, particularly as recent developments in the north have raised concern,” NewrozShivan, a Damascene Kurd, told Arab News.
“We have to wait and see what the future brings, but I’m grateful to have lived to see this decree. Our grandparents and parents never expected to witness such a moment.”
Kurds have long been determined to fight for their rights, but many doubted they would ever see them realized, she added.
For families like Shivan’s, the decree carries symbolic weight more than immediate legal impact. While her family already holds Syrian citizenship and full civil rights, they have long lacked formal recognition of their cultural identity.
“Declaring Nowruz a national holiday is a significant step and a meaningful gesture, even though it overlaps with Mother’s Day, which has been a national holiday in Syria for decades,” she said.
“Most Kurdish families have preserved the Kurdish language by teaching it to their children at home. Even without formal teaching in schools, the language has endured — living in homes and in the hearts and minds of Kurdish people.”
Still, she added, “official recognition of the language would mark a meaningful and positive shift.”
The decree, however, drew a muted response in areas under SDF control, where skepticism persists.
In a Jan. 17 statement, the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria said “the issuance of any decree, regardless of its intentions, cannot constitute a genuine guarantee of the rights of Syria’s communities unless it is part of a comprehensive constitutional framework that recognizes and safeguards the rights of everyone without exception.”
Al-Assil of Harvard’s Middle East Initiative said “mistrust runs deep, and many Kurds are cautiously welcoming this while remaining skeptical.
“Ultimately, the decree will be judged by behavior, not words,” he told The New York Times.
While Al-Sharaa’s decree has raised cautious hopes among Syria’s Kurds, its true significance will be measured not by its language, but by whether it reshapes daily life for a community long denied true belonging.
Source: arabnews.com
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Kremlin: Room for negotiation on Iran ‘not exhausted’
January 29, 2026
MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Thursday there was still room for negotiations in the standoff between ally Tehran and Washington, after US President Donald Trump threatened new military strikes on Iran.
The US has not ruled out using force against Iran, with rights groups saying Tehran’s crackdown on protests left thousands dead.
“It is clear that the potential for negotiations is not exhausted,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including from AFP.
He called for “all sides to show restraint and refrain from methods of force,” saying: “Any use of force can only create chaos in the region and lead to very dangerous consequences.”
Trump warned that the US was “ready, willing and able” to hit Iran “if necessary.”
The Islamic Republic’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said its forces have their “fingers on the trigger” to “powerfully respond” to any US strikes.
Iran emerged as one of Russia’s main allies during the war in Ukraine.
Independent groups said Iranian security forces have killed thousands while suppressing mass protests against Tehran’s regime.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israeli settler leader lauds Jewish prayer at contested West Bank tomb
January 29, 2026
NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: Around 1,500 Israeli Jews prayed at a contested tomb in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday morning, and a settler leader hailed an “important step” toward establishing Israeli sovereignty over the site.
Jews believe Joseph’s Tomb in the north of the Palestinian territory is the burial site of the Biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims consider it the burial place of a local religious figure.
The entry of Jewish pilgrims often sparks clashes with Palestinians, who claim the visits are a provocation.
Thursday’s prayer was exceptional as worshippers performed the Jewish morning service known as the Shacharit, which is celebrated after sunrise.
For a quarter of a decade, Israeli authorities have only allowed Jews to come and pray at the site at night.
“This is a significant and important step toward... ensuring the full return of the people of Israel and the State of Israel to this holy place,” said Yossi Dagan, the head of the Shomron regional council which administers Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank.
“For the first time in 25 years, Jews prayed in broad daylight at Joseph’s Tomb,” the council said in a statement.
The tomb lies within the built up area of Nablus in the West Bank’s Area A, which under the Oslo Accords signed in the 1990s falls under the administration of the Palestinian Authority.
Since the Israeli military vacated the site in 2000, Jewish pilgrims can only visit in groups escorted by troops.
AFP footage from the site on Thursday morning showed crowds of Jewish pilgrims praying, some wearing small leather boxes called tefillin, containing religious verses, on their heads.
The Israeli army has long supervised the entry of ultra-Orthodox Jews for a nighttime prayer on the first day of each month of the Hebrew calendar.
But Israeli media reported that, in December, Defense Minister Israel Katz had issued directives to the military to allow more visits to the tomb and not only at night.
Previously, buses of visitors escorted by the army had to leave the site by 4:00 am at the latest.
An AFP journalist at the scene said around 25 full buses arrived during the night carrying ultra-nationalists from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as ultra-Orthodox Jews from settlements and from inside Israel.
The buses departed at 7:00 am, escorted by military vehicles, the journalist said.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and Israeli settlements there are considered illegal under international law.
An Israeli military spokesperson told AFP that “all was done according to the orders of the political echelon, not an army initiative.”
“The political echelon decided to extend the opening hours and (the military) is subordinate to their instructions.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Israeli military accepts Gaza Health Ministry’s toll of conflict deaths
January 29, 2026
LONDON: The Israeli military has admitted that the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza conflict has been about 70,000 — in line with figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli media reported on Thursday.
Throughout the two-year conflict, Israeli officials refused to accept the numbers provided by the ministry, despite them being widely regarded as accurate by international bodies, including the UN.
A senior security official has now confirmed the overall figure, but said the actual breakdown of the toll was still under review, The Times of Israel reported.
The official claimed the proportion of civilians to militants killed was unknown, along with how many people had died directly from the fighting.
The official also rejected the ministry’s figures stating that 440 Palestinians had died of malnutrition and starvation during the conflict.
Haaretz newspaper reported that the Israeli military’s figure did not include those still missing, possibly buried under rubble.
The Gaza Health Ministry says 71,667 people have been killed in the territory by the Israeli military since the conflict started in October 2023, after a Hamas raid into Israel killed more than 1,200 people.
A report by +972 Magazine in August, based on leaked Israeli army data, suggested that 83 percent of Palestinians killed in Gaza had been civilians.
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Saudi scientific organization celebrates 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi
January 30, 2026
LONDON: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh on Thursday.
Yaghi is the first Saudi scientist awarded a Nobel Prize. He received it in December, alongside two other scientists, for their pioneering work in the field of molecular chemistry, and for contributions to energy, the environment and advanced materials.
He is also supervisor of the Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications, a collaboration between KACST and the University of California, Berkeley.
MunirEldesouki, the president of KACST, said that the Kingdom is keen to recognize its scientific talents, in keeping with Saudi Vision 2030 and its goals relating to the fostering of scientific research.
Yaghi said he appreciated the support he had received from Saudi leaders during his career, and praised them for creating an enabling environment in which scientists are able to pursue world-class research, development and innovation.
Investment in national talent has created a research ecosystem that positions Saudi Arabia among the leading scientific nations, he added.
Thursday’s event, attended by the organization’s staff and students, also honored the winning teams from the recent “GenAI for Materials Discovery Hackathon,” which KACST organized in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, and Academy 32, a nonprofit Saudi organization dedicated to research, development and innovation.
The celebration concluded with an interactive discussion session during which Yaghi talked with students and researchers, reflected on key milestones in his scientific journey, and shared insights into the factors that helped shape his career, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi defense minister meets senior US officials in Washington
January 29, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with senior US officials on Thursday as he made an official visit to Washington.
Prince Khalid is expected to discuss Saudi-US ties and ways to strengthen them as well addressing topics and issues of mutual interest, Saudi Press Agency reported.
He met Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The meeting reviewed “the strategic relations between our countries and explore prospects for enhancing our cooperation. We also discussed our efforts to advance regional and global peace and stability,” Prince Khalid said.
The meeting was also attended by Saudi Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema bint Bandar and Saudi Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili.
He also met with Republican senator Lindsey Graham, and later posted on social media: “We reviewed the longstanding friendship and cooperation between our countries. We also exchanged views on regional and international developments, as well as other topics of mutual interest.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Mawhiba awards 68 students grand prizes for science competition
January 29, 2026
RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, revealed on Thursday the grand prize recipients of the Ibdaa Science and Engineering Fair, marking the conclusion of the 16th National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity.
The event, held from Jan. 25-29, in strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Education, represents the culmination of Saudi Arabia’s premier youth science competition.
The winning students will carry Saudi Arabia’s banner at the International Science and Engineering Fair, “ISEF 2026,” alongside other global talents.
Their selection follows an intensive four-month scientific gauntlet that attracted more than 357,000 participants submitting more than 34,000 research projects.
Sixty-eight exceptional students emerged victorious with grand prizes.
Earlier in the day, Mawhiba announced 84 students as recipients of special recognitions from a consortium of 12 ministries, agencies, and prominent national and international institutions.
The special awards comprised 59 domestic honors and 25 international distinctions for exceptional projects featured at the Ibdaa 2026.
The path to victory proved demanding. Participants navigated multiple elimination rounds, beginning with 16 regional showcases that advanced 500 projects.
Four centralized exhibitions followed, narrowing the field to 200 finalists for the Ibdaa Science and Engineering Fair.
An expert jury of 166 evaluators drawn from more than 40 public and private universities, plus additional research centers, assessed each submission, assigning five judges per project to ensure thorough evaluation.
The Ibdaa Olympiad operates as an annual scientific tournament through the strategic partnership of Mawhiba and the Ministry of Education.
Competitors submit individual research projects adhering to rigorous specifications and protocols.
Distinguished academics and specialists apply systematic scientific benchmarks to identify exemplary work worthy of advancement to elite competitive tiers, ultimately selecting the finest entries for representation at ISEF and comparable international scientific forums and competitions.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Trouq highlights Kingdom’s artistic diversity
January 29, 2026
RIYADH: The Saudi Trouq program, dedicated to preserving the heritage of traditional music, has concluded its documentary tour covering five distinct musical genres.
The tour involved three major trips across cities and governorates, including Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Yanbu, Al-Ahsa and Al-Qatif, during which the team carefully observed and recorded musical traditions within their dynamic cultural and social settings.
Through its extensive documentary tour, the program captured 160 recordings representing five musical genres across five locations in six regions, with the participation of 196 specialists and artists, including leading practitioners of Saudi music.
This tour is part of the Music Commission’s efforts to preserve musical heritage and ensure its transmission across generations through visual, audio and written materials that serve as resources for researchers and students, highlighting the Kingdom’s cultural and artistic diversity.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi, US companies open software factory
January 29, 2026
RIYADH: SAMI Advanced Electronics Company, a Saudi Arabian Military Industries company under the Public Investment Fund, announced a strategic collaboration with Lockheed Martin for the opening of a new software factory in Riyadh.
The partnership will accelerate local development of advanced software solutions and support Saudi Arabia’s evolving digital command-and-control ecosystem.
According to a press release issued by SAMI, the software factory will serve as an advanced platform for end-to-end development, rapid prototyping, integration, testing and deployment.
It will enable Saudi working teams to deliver mission-relevant software enhancements more efficiently across diverse operational environments, while embedding disciplined engineering practices and structured knowledge transfer.
The collaboration supports the Kingdom’s broader objectives to grow national technical capabilities and strengthen operational autonomy in critical digital domains, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Within the first two weeks of the collaboration, Saudi engineers and trainees from SAMI-AEC worked alongside Lockheed Martin teams to develop an operational capability that integrates commercial aircraft location data directly into the operational common picture within Lockheed Martin’s CommandIQ system.
The early delivery highlights the speed and effectiveness of local technical integration. It demonstrates how close collaboration between Saudi engineering teams and global technology leaders can rapidly translate into tangible capability outcomes.
CEO of SAMI-AEC Ziad Al-Musallam said: “We are proud to collaborate with Lockheed Martin in opening the software factory in Riyadh. This initiative reflects our commitment to developing local capabilities in software and digital solutions and to building a robust environment where Saudi engineers can gain practical, high-impact technical expertise.”
The software factory, said the release, reinforces SAMI-AEC’s long-term focus on building sustainable national capabilities by enabling structured skills development and advancing a modern, resilient digital ecosystem within the Kingdom.
Source: arabnews.com
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Ministerial Council Meeting of Middle East Green Initiative takes place in Jeddah
January 29, 2026
The second session of the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Middle East Green Initiative took place in Jeddah, chaired by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, who is also chairperson of the current session of the council.
A total of 31 regional member countries took part in the session, alongside the UK as an observer, as well as many international organizations and institutions.
During the meeting, Saudi Arabia underscored the importance of unifying global efforts to confront environmental challenges, rehabilitate degraded land, expand vegetation cover, and secure a sustainable quality of life for future generations.
In his opening remarks, Al-Fadley welcomed four new member states: Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and Syria.
Saudi Arabia launched the Middle East Green Initiative at its first summit in Riyadh in October 2021.
Source: arabnews.com
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Jeddah Fit Expo 2026 offers inspiration, innovation
SALEH FAREED
January 29, 2026
JEDDAH: Jeddah Superdome welcomed more than 1,000 athletes of all ages on Wednesday for a heart-pounding session which placed sports, fitness and wellness in the spotlight.
The Jeddah Fit Expo 2026 is taking place until Jan. 31 and visitors on the first day were treated to a heady environment filled with high-intensity energy and in which cutting-edge fitness trends met the inspirational spirit of sportsmanship.
More than 300 brands and over 200 exhibitors engaged in in-depth exchanges and interactions according to organizers, while jointly forging an event for the global sports and fitness industry.
Mohammed Al-Aidarous, from the event’s organizing committee, told Arab News the expo aimed to spread the culture of fitness as a daily lifestyle and sought to encourage best international expertise and practices, while empowering and developing local sports talents.
He said: “The sports and fitness industry is a rapidly growing sector globally. Especially in Saudi Arabia, there is an increasing focus on health and fitness among the general public. Consequently there is a growing demand for fitness-related products and services.”
The exhibition, which is in its fourth edition, has brought together suppliers of fitness equipment and sports and leisure products, along with representatives from nutrition and health sectors, wellness clinics, youth sports education, and artificial intelligence solution providers.
Many of the participants are introducing new products to meet changing market trends, leveraging the national fitness policies, deeply exploring market demand, and expanding their presence in the sports industry market, thereby providing users with more professional services.
Gyms and fitness brands at the event are offering visitors a wide range of interactive, educational and commercial opportunities designed to promote healthy lifestyles while showcasing the latest industry innovations.
DanyaAljamal, an event coordinator at GymNation, said: “We are here to show sports enthusiasts who we are and what we can do to make them change their lifestyle with sports. GymNation is about enjoying your time, having fun, challenging yourself and making the best form of your body.”
She added: “We will be offering visitors our famous Hyrox class. It is designed to help enhance your strength and explosive power through a combination of targeted, high-intensity exercises and I hope people enjoy it.”
AI is rapidly reshaping athletic training environments. The exhibition features platforms that analyze an athlete’s movement, track progress, and offer automated corrections.
Saudi entrepreneur Mohammed Kaki, founder and CEO of FitLife, an Al-powered health-tech startup delivering B2B personalized nutrition and wellness plans, said: “We are proud to share the FitLife platform and feel excited to take these insights and relationships to the next level during this three-day event.
“FitLife is an app developed to make people’s fitness journey much easier and more convenient. Our algorithms were developed to produce accurate programs with a full range of workouts and recipes designed to fit people’s daily schedule and preferences.
“Our objective at FitLife is to foster growth and revolutionize the way people perceive health and fitness.”
Kaki indicated that the startup was also aiming to support coaches and specialists in sports and health organizations through AI solutions.
Beyond the exhibition stands and workshops, bodybuilding, calisthenics, taekwondo and volleyball are among the activities taking place at Jeddah Superdome.
Source: arabnews.com
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Sneakerheads from around world descend on Riyadh for Sneaker Con 2026
RAHAF JAMBI
January 29, 2026
Sneaker Con 2026 brought global sneaker culture to the Saudi capital, transforming Cool Arena at Boulevard City this week into a vibrant meeting point for youngsters in search of streetwear and collectibles.
The event, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, is known for gathering collectors, resellers, brands, influencers, and fans under one roof, and its Riyadh edition highlighted Saudi Arabia’s rising profile in the global lifestyle and pop culture scene.
It featured a large-scale marketplace in which visitors could buy, sell and trade rare and limited-edition sneakers, supported by authentication services that ensured credibility and trust in a market driven by exclusivity.
Beyond commerce, the event offered panel discussions, live DJ sets, interactive challenges, art installations and appearances by regional and international creators, capturing the broader street culture that surrounds sneakers.
Free to attend with prior registration and running daily from late afternoon into the night, the event formed part of the wider Riyadh Season calendar, reinforcing the city’s ambition to host world-class cultural experiences that resonate with a young, creative and globally connected audience.
International brands from across the globe were among the standout participants. Puerto Rican brand We Got Kicks made its presence felt, with representative Jorge Andres highlighting the brand’s enthusiasm for entering the Saudi market.
Andres said the invitation to Riyadh marked an important milestone, and he told Arab News: “We really want to bring our brand to Saudi Arabia and raise awareness. Everyone here is very nice, and people genuinely care.”
Another major draw was Urban Necessities, a globally recognized consignment shop known for sourcing hard-to-find sneakers.
Jaysse Lopez, one of the brand’s founders, shared his journey and strong connection to Saudi Arabia. Originally from Puerto Rico and now based in Las Vegas, Lopez explained that Urban Necessities focused on rare pieces not commonly found in mainstream retail.
He said: “Urban Necessities is a consignment shop that focuses on all the things you don’t see every day: the hard-to-find sneakers. It’s for all walks of life.”
Lopez noted that the brand has been present in Riyadh for nearly three years, with a store in Boulevard City, and had played a role in helping bring Sneaker Con to the Kingdom.
Speaking about popular collaborations, he highlighted the continued demand for Travis Scott releases.
“He has a very big following, and his collaborations with Nike and Jordan always sell out,” Lopez said. “The demand is extremely high.”
Reflecting on his visits to the Kingdom, Lopez described Saudi Arabia as a place of rapid change and opportunity, and added: “This is my third time here. It’s amazing to see how much has changed in just one year, and over the three years I’ve been coming.
“The people are kind, the culture is beautiful, and it gets harder to leave every time.”
Regional participation was also strong. From Qatar, sneaker brand Size Run took part in the event, represented by Hussain Nabeel, who described the experience as overwhelmingly positive.
Nabeel said: “From the first day it was fantastic for us. We are very happy to be here and to show everyone who Size Run is.”
He added that the brand aimed at strengthening connections across the Gulf, saying: “We have online platforms, and we can ship to Saudi Arabia for free.”
Local Saudi businesses also used Sneaker Con as a platform. Siraja, a Saudi brand specializing in customized apparel and brand development, highlighted its locally based production capabilities.
Waleed Al-Khaled, representing the brand, said the company’s mission was to support aspiring entrepreneurs, and added: “Anyone who wants to start a business and doesn’t know how to, we are here to help — from design to production, all made in Riyadh.”
By attracting international, regional, and local players, Sneaker Con Riyadh underscored the Kingdom’s growing influence in global sneaker and streetwear culture.
The event served as a cultural exchange, reflecting how Riyadh is positioning itself as a hub where global trends meet local creativity.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Hoofddorp school discriminated against Muslim student over prayer, rights body says
29 January 2026
The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights has found that a secondary school in Hoofddorp discriminated against a Muslim student. The public Haarlemmermeer Lyceum denied her the right to pray on school grounds and refused to set up a dedicated quiet space for worship.
Without access to a dedicated quiet room, the student sought out peaceful areas within the school to pray. The deputy principal intervened at one point, claiming she was obstructing other students. The student maintains that she always tried to pray in a way that would not inconvenience anyone.
The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights concluded that the school failed to provide adequate evidence that her presence actually blocked others or that intervention was warranted. “Consequently, the Institute finds that the school engaged in direct religious discrimination.”
One student launched a petition calling for a quiet space accessible to all students, regardless of religion, which received 235 signatures. Meetings were held with the principal, who ultimately chose not to establish the room, arguing that it would likely be used primarily by Muslim students, thereby giving them a special advantage.
The human rights body concluded that the school’s decision constitutes direct religious discrimination. “The Institute stresses that even if a quiet room were used solely by Muslim students for prayer, these students are exercising their right to express their religious beliefs.” This right is a core human right.
Through principal Brenda Stam, the Haarlemmermeer Lyceum said it does not agree with the ruling. “We are a secular school that aims to serve all students. In keeping with this neutrality, we deliberately choose not to offer religious facilities for particular groups.” The school maintains that it does not prohibit students from praying, provided it does not interfere with classes or impede other students.
Source: nltimes.nl
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Man armed with axe made repeated threats to kill Muslims
29TH JANUARY
By Tony Earnshaw
A MAN armed with an axe who made repeated threats to kill Muslims in a tirade to a police call handler has avoided jail.
After being arrested Dale Rayner said he couldn’t remember making aggressive threats – and denied being racist as he had Muslim friends.
Bradford Crown Court heard how, on the afternoon of June 11 last year, the 33-year-old made a 29-minute call to the call handler who believed he would carry out his threats.
What happened during the call?
Prosecutor Verity Barnes said Rayner told the handler that he was “walking the streets of Bradford armed with an axe, and he was ready to murder someone from the Islamic faith.”
Throughout the 999 call, he hurled hostile racial slurs towards Muslims.
He repeatedly said: “I’ve got this axe and I’m going to chop their f***ing heads off."
He said he was headed to a local security facility where people of Asian heritage worked to find a victim.
Arrest made
The handler, who heard Rayner hit what sounded like an axe on a lamppost, sent the call through as an emergency and Rayner was arrested at 4.40pm on Landscove Avenue in Holme Wood.
He was searched and found with a screwdriver.
Officers were then told where he had hidden the axe, which was in the garden of his home address nearby.
Rayner said he was not a racist person
In an interview Rayner, of no fixed abode but previously of Daniel Court, Holme Wood, said he couldn’t recall what had happened.
He said he had been offered a place in a rehab unit in Birmingham but then went to the shop and bought more alcohol.
He admitted he had a drink problem, and was drinking until he blacked out every day.
He accepted having both the screwdriver and the axe but that he had not intended to hurt anybody.He said he was not a racist person and had Muslim friends.
Situation fuelled by Rayner’s alcohol consumption
Ms Barnes said the call handler “genuinely believed he would carry out those threats.”
Rayner pleaded guilty to making threats to kill, and possession of a bladed article in public.
Mitigating, Oliver Norman said the situation had been fuelled by Rayner’s consumption of alcohol, and that he didn’t not remember his offending.
He said Rayner, who suffered from depression and metal health issues, had also stopped taking his medication.
He said harm from the incident was limited as there were no direct victims.
'Extreme' racist language used
His Honour Judge Brian Forster KC told Rayner: “I deal with cases of this type on a regular basis over many years and by any view the use of this [racist] language was extreme.
“The catalyst for what took place was your drinking, which then exacerbated your pre-existing mental health conditions.
“Any right-thinking member of the public hearing of these words, and you having an axe in a public place, would think this was terrible.”
'I am giving you a real opportunity'
After hearing that Rayner had sought help and that he wanted to get his life back on track, Judge Forster handed him a nine-month period of imprisonment suspended for two years.
He said supporting Rayner was in the public interest and told him: “I am giving you a real opportunity.
“I hope that things get better for you.”
He ordered Rayner to complete a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement, to undertake 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.
He also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the axe.
Source: asianimage.co.uk
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Watford mosque plan to be resubmitted after refusal
January 29, 2026
By Liam Fitzpatrick
A rejected scheme to turn a Watford church into a mosque will be "scaled back" and resubmitted, its applicant has said.
This week has seen Watford Borough Council knock back a proposal to convert Leavesden Road Baptist Church into a Muslim place of worship.
An officers' report said: "The proposals would cause substantial harm to the significance of the listed building, as they would destroy, remove, subdivide, or obscure almost the entirety of its carefully designed and well-preserved interior.
"In addition, proposed exterior alterations are excessive and inappropriate. The substantial harm has not been demonstrated as being necessary to achieve substantial public benefits."
Following the ruling, applicant ShabazKhaliq told the Watford Observer that his team will "will look to scale it back, revisit the design at a later stage, and work with the planners to achieve the best possible outcome".
While not operated as a church in more than four years, Mr Khaliq has been using the building since January 2024 for youth clubs, elderly circles, a library supporting literacy among children with English as an additional language, health sessions, and workshops. This use is set to continue despite the council's decision.
Mosque plan for church REFUSED over risk to listed building
'Fight not over' as refused 600-home plan appeal expected
He stressed that any work will only be carried out once planning permission is approved and for now the building will remain unchanged.
"Like every householder, we went through the normal planning application process for an extension or conversion, which can result in approval or refusal," Khaliq added. "Many applications are refused today and there is understandably greater scrutiny where listed buildings are concerned.
"The existing use of the building is not being challenged and remains acceptable as it is.
"There are no issues with the building continuing to be used in its current form, and that is how it will remain for now, we have Ramadan coming up and it is a great time to invite the local community so we can break our fast together."
Next Tuesday (February 3) will see the council's development management committee vote on a separate but similar plan for a church elsewhere in Watford to become a mosque.
It would see the former St Thomas' United Reform Church in Langley Road become a mosque called Masjid Al-Ummah in the summer, with the plans also including it being used as a community space and nursery.
Source: watfordobserver.co.uk
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Pressure grows to bring French Islamic State suspects home from Iraqi prisons
30/01/2026
The head of Lawyers Without Borders France (Avocats sans frontières France), MatthieuBagard, met 13 of the detainees during a visit to Iraq this week. He returned to Paris on Wednesday.
Bagard told RFI all of the men he met described harsh detention conditions and said they had been tortured.
“They are suffering from extraordinary deprivation,” he said. “Some of them still have shrapnel in their bodies, some who were kidnapped, others who were not.”
He said several detainees were losing their sight and had been cut off from the outside world for years.
“They have had no news from the outside world since 2017 for the first group, and since 2019 for those who were arrested after the fall of Baghuz. This was the first time they were able to get information about their families, their children who had been repatriated to France.”
Trials and death sentences
Iraqi authorities are seeking to obtain confessions linking the men to Islamic State activities in Iraq, in order to try them in Iraqi courts. Eleven French nationals were tried there in 2019.
Iraqi courts have handed down hundreds of death sentences and life terms to people convicted of terrorism offences, including foreign fighters.
Bagard and his colleague Marie Dosé said on Tuesday that the transfer of the French detainees from Syria to Iraq was illegal. They accused Paris of complicity and warned of what they described as an imminent security disaster.
“We are completely outsourcing the judicial fate of these nationals,” Bagard said. “We are passing the buck to the Iraqi authorities by saying: ‘It will be up to you to try them, and it will be up to you afterwards to keep them in your prisons for the duration of their sentences’. Whereas we could legally have them transferred to France.”
Pressure on governments
Other groups are also calling for the detainees to be returned to France. Arthur Dénouveaux, head of an association representing victims of the 13 November Paris attacks, said the men should be tried in France.
About 7,000 suspected Islamic State detainees have been transferred from Syria to Iraq over the past week under a US plan to relocate them there.
The detainees, including Iraqis and Europeans, have been distributed across at least three prisons in Iraq.
Backed by US-led forces, Iraq declared the defeat of Islamic State in 2017. Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) later defeated the group in Syria in 2019.
The SDF went on to detain thousands of suspected jihadists and tens of thousands of their relatives in camps.
This month, the United States said the purpose of its alliance with Kurdish forces in Syria had largely expired, as Damascus pressed ahead with an offensive to take back territory long held by the SDF.
Amnesty International has urged the United States to “urgently put in place safeguards before making any further transfers” and called on Iraq to hold “fair trials, without recourse to the death penalty”.
Source: rfi.fr
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https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260130-pressure-grows-to-bring-french-islamic-state-suspects-home-from-iraqi-prisons
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‘The Muslim Undertaker’ hosts inspiring talk as part of UK tour
29TH JANUARY
A world famous funeral director from Australia visited the North West to share his knowledge of Muslim burial rituals.
Ahmad Hraiche was touring the UK with the charity MATW (Muslims Around The World) and was invited to Blackburn by his friend TanveerBurondker.
He delivered a ‘powerful’ session of his experiences as an undertaker at an event for both men and women at Masjid Darassalaam.
He spoke about how he manages funeral services, supports bereaved families and prepares the deceased for burial.
Ahmad is known as ‘The Muslim Undertaker’ and began working in a funeral home at the age of 18. He now has 1.9m followers on Instagram and 1.4m followers on TikTok where he shares insights into the Muslim burial rituals.
Organisers said: “The event, which drew a diverse crowd, provided a unique opportunity for attendees to reflect on the importance of living a virtuous life and preparing for the hereafter.
“Ahmad's engaging and thought-provoking talk was met with appreciation from the audience.
“The visit has been widely welcomed by the local community, with many praising Ahmad’s dedication to spreading a message of hope and inspiration.”
Following the event, Ahmad was invited to the Elaf Restaurant in Whalley Range, where he mingled with members of the community and shared further insights into his work as an undertaker and his experiences.
He also met with local funeral director Fahid Abbas, who expressed his gratitude to everyone who attended and supported the event.
He said: "Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), it's been a great day for our community.”
In a recent post, Ahmad can be seen conducting a burial in which he says: “There will come a day for every single one of us when we put our clothes on in the morning, or at some part of the day, never knowing that those very clothes will be cut off us because that will be our time of death. We will no longer dress ourselves.
“We will no longer choose what we wear. Others will prepare us for the wash, the shroud, and the burial.
“This is the reality I witness every day. No warnings. No schedules. No second chances.”
Source: asianimage.co.uk
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https://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/25805547.the-muslim-undertaker-gives-inspiring-talk-blackburn/
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Moscow slams UN chief’s ‘outrageous’ double standard on Crimea and Greenland
29 Jan, 2026
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the principle of self-determination does not apply to the people of Crimea and Donbass, drawing sharp condemnation from Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week accused the UN Secretariat of “playing into the hands” of Kiev and failing to act with impartiality, citing what he called glaringly different stances on self-determination for Crimea and Greenland.
Asked about this apparent double standard at a press conference on Thursday, Guterres said the body held “very interesting discussions” on the matter and concluded that in Ukraine’s case, the “principle of territorial integrity” prevails over the will of the people.
“After a very careful study by our Office of Legal Affairs, it is our position that the principle of self-determination does not apply in the situations of Crimea and Donbass,” Guterres said.
The Russian response was swift. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the UN chief’s position unacceptable, writing on Telegram: “The UN secretariat has come to all sorts of outrageous conclusions recently.”
The condemnation resonated within Russia’s political establishment. Sergey Mironov, leader of the A Just Russia party, said the stance “once again highlights the need for UN reform.” Leonid Slutsky, the head of the State Duma’s international affairs committee, warned that “segregation based on the principle of ‘exclusivity’ is an extremely dangerous precedent,” adding that “the UN Charter is not a menu for choice.”
Earlier this month, a UN expert panel stated that the people of Greenland “are entitled to the full and free exercise of their right to self-determination, a core purpose of the United Nations.” While expressing support for Greenland’s territorial integrity as an autonomous part of Denmark, the panel noted that “any change in the constitutional status must be grounded in the freely expressed will of the peoples of Greenland.”
Crimea voted to become part of Russia in a referendum in 2014, while the Donbass regions of Donetsk and Lugansk declared independence and voted to break away from Ukraine in the wake of the Western-backed coup in Kiev.
Under the now-defunct Minsk agreements, Kiev pledged to protect the status of the Russian language and grant both regions more autonomy. Instead, it backed an ethnic war in Donbass that, according to the International Crisis Group, left 14,000 people dead in eight years. After the conflict escalated in 2022, Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, held referendums to join Russia.
Kiev and its Western backers insist that all five regions were “annexed,” refusing to recognize the will of the people.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/631737-un-crimea-self-determination/
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Putin-Zelensky meeting would only be in Moscow – Kremlin
29 Jan, 2026
Only Moscow is currently being discussed as a venue for a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday.
Russia has discussed a potential Putin-Zelensky summit on multiple occasions, including in phone conversations between Putin and US President Donald Trump, according to the Kremlin.
“We’re still talking about Moscow,” Peskov said in a press briefing. “Speculative discussions are inappropriate here.”
A day earlier, Putin’s top aide YuryUshakov reaffirmed that a meeting could be arranged in the Russian capital.
“Our president has also said several times to journalists that if Zelensky is truly ready for a meeting, then we would be happy to invite him to Moscow,” he told the national broadcaster Russia 1. “And we will guarantee his safety and the necessary working conditions.”
The presidential aide stressed, however, that such a summit would need to be both carefully prepared and goal-oriented with the aim of signing concrete agreements.
The comments came a few days after the first direct trilateral talks between Russia, US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi.
The negotiations have “made a lot of progress,” with a “lot of good things happening between the counterparties,” White House special envoy Steve Witkoff said in a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
The next round of trilateral talks is scheduled for Sunday, but Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will not be attending, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Ukrainian leader signed a decree banning negotiations with Putin in 2022, after four former Ukrainian regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in a series of referendums.
Moscow has repeatedly pointed out that despite voicing readiness to meet the Russian president, Zelensky has not yet repealed the ban.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/631734-putin-zelensky-meeting-only-moscow/
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North America
CAIR Welcomes Arrest of Tenn. White Supremacists Who Sought to Form Paramilitary Unit to Take Out ‘High-Value Targets’
January 29, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the arrest of Tennessee men accused by federal authorities of plotting to form a white supremacist paramilitary unit and carry out violent attacks against so-called “high-value targets.”
According to court records and media reports, the individuals allegedly espoused neo-Nazi ideology and were arrested following an FBI investigation into their plans to organize a violent extremist group.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“We commend law enforcement authorities for disrupting this alleged plot and preventing potential acts of mass violence. White supremacist ideology has inspired countless attacks targeting religious minorities, people of color, immigrants, and public servants. It is critical that these threats are taken seriously and addressed before innocent lives are lost.”
CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, anti-Muslim hate, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-arrest-of-tenn-white-supremacists-who-sought-to-form-paramilitary-unit-to-take-out-high-value-targets/
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Trump declares national emergency over ‘Cuba threat’
30 Jan, 2026
US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency and threatened to impose steep tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba, dramatically escalating pressure on Havana after the US military operation in Venezuela already cut the island nation off from its most crucial energy source.
After abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, the US has set its sights on Cuba, which Trump claims is “ready to fall” next. In an executive order signed on Thursday, Trump branded Cuba “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security.
“The United States has zero tolerance for the depredations of the communist Cuban regime,” the order states. “I find that the policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba directly threaten the safety, national security, and foreign policy of the United States.”
The order establishes a mechanism to impose severe additional tariffs on imports from any nation caught directly or indirectly selling or providing oil to Havana. It grants broad authority to the secretaries of state and commerce to identify violators and recommend tariff levels to the president.
The measure formalizes and intensifies a de facto energy blockade that has been tightening for weeks. The US military operation that captured Maduro earlier this month cut off Cuba’s primary source of oil.
Subsequent pressure on Mexico, Havana’s last remaining supplier, has left the island facing dire shortages.
Trump predicted on Tuesday that the Cuban government would be “failing pretty soon,” boasting that the cutoff of Venezuelan oil and revenue has pushed Havana to the brink.
According to data firm Kpler, Cuba has just 15 to 20 days of oil reserves remaining. The country is already enduring daily blackouts, and analysts warn of economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis without rapid resupply.
The White House, in a fact sheet, framed the emergency declaration as a necessary response to malign activity, accusing Cuba of hosting “Russia’s largest overseas signals intelligence facility” and providing a “safe environment” for terrorist groups. It also accused Havana of spreading “communist” influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has remained defiant, stating earlier this week that “the harshness of these times and the brutality of the threats against Cuba will not hold us back.”
Cuba has been under a US trade embargo since the 1960s, but has not faced the prospect of a naval blockade since 1962, when then-President John F. Kennedy placed it under “quarantine” for 13 days to prevent the transfer of Soviet missiles to the Cuban military.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/631738-trump-cuba-oil-emergency-tariffs/
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CAIR-NY Welcomes Governor Hochul’s Recognition of Muslim American Heritage Month
January 29, 2026
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, welcomes Governor Kathy Hochul’s public recognition of Muslim American Heritage Month and her affirmation of the vital contributions Muslim communities make to New York State.
In a recent social media post, Governor Hochul highlighted that New York is home to the largest Muslim population in the nation and celebrated Muslim New Yorkers as an essential part of the state’s strength and success. The post was accompanied by a video montage featuring Muslim New Yorkers from all over the state.
In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director AfafNasher, Esq., said:
“At a time when American Muslims continue to face rising Islamophobia, hate crimes, and harmful rhetoric, public recognition of New York’s vibrant Muslim population by elected officials is welcome . Muslims have always been an integral part of New York, helping to build the state in every sector. We hope videos like this encourage deeper inclusion of Muslims in all spheres of public and civic engagement.”
Muslim New Yorkers serve in every sector of society — including healthcare, education, public service, small business, and the arts — and have helped shape the cultural and economic fabric of the state for generations.
CAIR-NY’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY esproteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Subscribe to CAIR-NY’s Email List
You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-ny-welcomes-governor-hochuls-recognition-of-muslim-american-heritage-month/
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CAIR-CT Applauds Farmington Board of Education for Recognizing Eid as School Holiday
January 29, 2026
The Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CT), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today applauded the Farmington Board of Education for its unanimous vote to recognize Eid-ul-Fitr as a school holiday, marking a significant milestone for inclusion, religious accommodation and student equity in the district.
“Recognizing Eid as a school holiday sends a powerful message that all students belong and that their faith and identity are valued,” said CAIR-CT Chairman Farhan Memon. “This outcome demonstrates what is possible when communities work constructively with school officials to advance fairness and inclusion.”
Khamis Abu-Hasaballah, President of the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center said:
“This decision holds deep meaning for Muslim students and families, who now feel truly seen, valued, and embraced as an integral part of our community,” said Khamis Abu-Hasaballah, President of the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center. “It affirms our children’s sense of belonging and gives families the opportunity to celebrate an important religious holiday together without obstacles. This thoughtful step fosters unity and mutual respect throughout the Farmington Valley, and we hope it inspires other school districts to take similar, meaningful actions.”
Luma Chalabi, a Farmington parent and community organizer said:
“As a mother, it is incredibly moving to see my children feel seen and valued in their school community. For years, I’ve heard students ask for basic understanding and accommodations that should be automatic. Recognizing Eid lifts that emotional burden, protects students’ well-being, and allows families to celebrate together without stress or fear of falling behind.”
[NOTE: Eid ul-Fitr (EED-al-FITTER), or “feast of fast-breaking,” is the first of the two major Muslim holidays after the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. Many communities hold multicultural bazaars and other family activities following the prayers. The second holiday, Eid ul-Adha (EED-al-ODD-ha), comes near the end of the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Earlier this month, CAIR-CT commended the Avon Board of Education for its recent decision to recognize Eid-ul-Fitr as an official district-wide holiday in its school district starting in 2027.]
CAIR offers a booklet, called “Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” designed to help school officials provide a positive learning environment for Muslim students.
BACKGROUNDER:
This decision follows nearly two years of sustained community organizing, advocacy, and collaboration between Farmington families, community leaders, and CAIR-CT. The effort reflects a strong partnership between residents and school leadership to ensure that Muslim students feel seen, respected, and supported in their learning environment.
For decades, Muslim students have been forced to choose between observing Eid-ul-Fitr and attending school. While excused absences acknowledge the religious significance of Eid, they often fall short in practice—students are still required to make up missed exams, assignments, and classroom instruction, creating unnecessary academic pressure and disruption for both Muslim and non-Muslim students. Recognizing Eid as a school holiday removes these inequities and places Muslim students on equal footing with their peers.
Beyond academic equity, formal recognition of Eid also plays an important role in fostering safer and more inclusive school environments. CAIR’s Massachusetts chapter has reported that 50 percent of Muslim students have experienced bullying by classmates or teachers because of their faith. Public acknowledgment of Muslim holidays helps normalize Muslim identity, educates the broader student body, and serves as a meaningful step toward pushing back against anti-Muslim bias and bullying in schools.
CAIR-CT extends its sincere appreciation to the Farmington Superintendent and members of the Board of Education for their thoughtful leadership and commitment to protecting students while upholding the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This action ensures Muslim students can observe their religious holidays without academic penalty or exclusion.
CAIR-CT also thanks the Farmington community members, parents, students, and advocates whose dedication and persistence helped make this achievement possible.
AIR-CT encourages other towns across Connecticut to follow the example of the 21 municipalities that have already recognized Eid as a school holiday. In particular, CAIR-CT urges districts such as North Haven, Cheshire, and Berlin to take this important step. Recognizing Eid promotes educational equity, reduces student absenteeism, strengthens family engagement, and affirms the growing diversity of Connecticut’s school communities.
As the nation continues to navigate issues of religious inclusion in public schools, Farmington’s decision serves as a model for how districts can create welcoming environments for students of all backgrounds.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-ct-applauds-farmington-board-of-education-for-recognizing-eid-as-school-holiday/
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Republicans and Democrats reach funding package deal, US president says
January 30, 2026
US President Donald Trump has said Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have reached an agreement to move forward with parts of a funding package.
Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed to a package of five spending bills on Thursday, but removed a sixth bill from the package related to funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the BBC's US partner CBS News reported.
Funding for DHS will continue at its current amount for two weeks while both sides work out a new deal to fund the agency, CBS News said.
US President Donald Trump endorsed the deal, and wrote in a post on social media: "Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much needed Bipartisan "YES" Vote."
The deal approves funding for the defence department, the health department, the treasury, the federal court system and other agencies until the end of the 2026 fiscal year on 30 September.
In his post Trump added: "Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security (including the very important Coast Guard, which we are expanding and rebuilding like never before)."
Democrats have been pushing to remove funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a $1.2tn (£870bn) federal spending package since a federal agent killed a second US citizen in Minneapolis over the weekend.
The DHS is a sprawling department encompassing multiple agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Coast Guard and Secret Service.
Thousands of federal agents from ICE and CBP have been deployed to Minnesota as part of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration crackdown in the state.
In Minneapolis, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good on 7 January, and a Border Patrol officer shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on 24 January. Both killings, and the ongoing immigration operation in the state, have sparked protests around the country. The second shooting led Democrats, and some Republicans, to push back on approving DHS funding.
Among the changes to DHS Democrats are seeking are requirements that federal agents obtain warrants before making arrests and clearer rules governing how they identify themselves.
On Wednesday, some Senate Democrats escalated their demands, expressly calling for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's removal, and for structural changes to both ICE and CBP.
"This madness," Schumer said, "this terror must stop."
Some Republicans pushed back, with John Cornyn of Texas saying that "any changes must not come at the expense of shutting down the government".
What happens next?
The spending bill had already passed in the House of Representatives, but in the Senate, it needed 60 votes to advance.
There are only 53 Republican senators in the 100-member body, meaning that passing the bill required support from at least some Democratic members.
Before the Senate reportedly agreed to remove the DHS bill from the package, a procedural vote to advance the budget failed in the Senate by 45-55 earlier on Thursday. All Democrats voted no, along with eight Republicans who said they were concerned about wasteful spending.
Earlier this week, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said: "I will vote no on any legislation that funds ICE until it is reined in and overhauled, and Senate Democrats are overwhelmingly united on this issue."
Because the Senate removed the DHS bill from the six-bill package, the package will now need to be re-approved by the House, whose lawmakers are not due back until Monday.
That means that funding for the departments included in the package could lapse over the weekend until the House convenes on Monday. The effects will be minimal though, as many government services do not operate over the weekend.
What is a 'partial shutdown'?
The entirety of the US federal government will not be hit by a shutdown if it does occur this weekend.
It would only be partial because legislation has already been passed to fund dozens of agencies through the end of the 2026 fiscal year.
Other branches included in the same spending bill as DHS, are the defence department, the health department, the treasury and the federal court system.
The reported agreement between the Republicans and the Democrats would strip out the DHS from the funding bill, allowing Congress to pass the overall package of bills.
DHS funding would be extended for two weeks, giving negotiators time to reach an agreement on immigration tactics, according to the reported deal.
The DHS is a sprawling department encompassing multiple agencies, including ICE, CBP, the Coast Guard and Secret Service.
During a partial shutdown employees that are "essential" to the functioning of impacted agencies continue to work, but will not be paid until funding is restored - unless the government finds other sources - as Trump did with military personnel last year.
How long was the last shutdown?
The most recent shutdown lasted 43 days between 1 October and 12 November last year, making it the longest in US history.
Democrats had initially refused to support the funding bill, demanding that Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that were set to expire at the end of the year.
Eventually, enough Democrats crossed the aisle to help pass the bill.
That shutdown left around 1.4 million federal employees on unpaid leave or working without pay. Food aid was also left in limbo, and air travel was severely disrupted across the US.
There have been a total of 16 government shutdowns since 1981, although some only lasted days.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9zp0nyvxdo
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US military ready for action against Iran – secretary of war
30 Jan, 2026
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said the military is fully prepared to “deliver whatever” President Donald Trump orders regarding Iran, as a naval “armada” moves toward the region.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Hegseth warned Iran against pursuing nuclear weapons, which it denies that it is seeking.
“We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department,” he said.
Hegseth framed the recent US operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a demonstration of capability and intent. “That sends a message to every capital around the world that when President Trump speaks, he means business.”
Trump has described the Middle East naval deployment as a “massive” and “beautiful armada,” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and reportedly larger than the fleet sent to Venezuela. Multiple guided-missile destroyers have been tracked moving through the Suez Canal and near the Strait of Hormuz, while surveillance aircraft are also operating in the area, according to ship and flight tracking data.
“We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them,” Trump told reporters on Thursday.
Despite the military posturing, Trump said he is planning to speak with Iranian leaders. He cited two demands for Tehran: “Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters.”
US military planning appears to be active. Media reports, citing sources, indicate that Trump is considering options ranging from strikes on Iranian security forces and nuclear sites to targeting officials – with the aim of reigniting anti-government protests.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Senate testimony this week, said Iran could be struck “preemptively” if it perceives a threat to US or allied troops. Rubio called Iran “weaker than it has ever been,” but warned that regime change would be more complex than in Venezuela.
Iran has responded with defiance. A deputy foreign minister said the country is “200 percent ready to defend itself” and warned that any US attack would receive an “appropriate response, not a proportionate one,” potentially targeting American bases in the region. Iran’s UN mission stated that it is “ready for dialogue,” but if pushed, will “respond like never before.”
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/631740-iran-us-military-hegseth/
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US dollar’s global role at risk – German regulator
29 Jan, 2026
The US dollar’s status as global reserve currency could be called into question as early as this year, the German financial regulator has warned in its annual forecast. According to a report published on Wednesday by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), the dollar could suffer from funding shortages, geopolitical shocks, and politicization.
The forecast follows the dollar’s worst single-day decline in nearly a year. On Tuesday, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, a key indicator of its strength against other major currencies, recorded its steepest drop since last April, when US President Donald Trump rolled out his sweeping global tariffs agenda.
“The risk remains that markets will question the role of the US dollar as the global reserve currency,” BaFin President Mark Branson said. He warned that “drastic attempts to politicize institutions” could undermine the effectiveness of international cooperation, particularly during an economic or financial crisis.
The agency also expressed concern over potential “liquidity shortages” caused by geopolitical shocks, calling it a risk “of particular importance.”
This week, Bloomberg reported that traders were betting heavily that the US dollar would continue to fall amid uncertainty over Washington’s policies. According to the outlet, markets were more pessimistic about the dollar’s long-term outlook than at any point since May 2025. Trump earlier dismissed concerns over the currency’s weakness, insisting it is “doing great” and that he wants the dollar to “just seek its own level.”
The IMF reported in October that the dollar’s share of global foreign exchange reserves fell to a three-decade low of 56.3% of allocated reserves between April and June last year. However, it attributed the decline to currency valuation moves rather than intentional sell-offs by central banks.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/business/631736-dollar-global-reserve-currency/
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Africa
Sharia Council to INEC: We won’t accept compromised polls in 2027
January 29, 2026
ABUJA – The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria has declared that it would not recognise or legitimise elections conducted under conditions it considered compromised, warning that the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process must be protected, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The position was made known at the Council’s Annual Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly, attended by Islamic scholars, traditional and community leaders, professionals, representatives of Islamic organisations and the media in Abuja yesterday.
The gathering featured remarks by the President of the Shariah Council, Sheikh Bashir Aliyu Umar, and MadakinZazzau, Mallam Muhammadu MunirJa’afaru.
Speaking at the event, the leader of the Council said public confidence in institutions, particularly those responsible for elections, was central to national stability, noting that democratic legitimacy could not exist without integrity.
“The Council has clearly stated that the Ummah will not recognise or legitimise any election presided over by a character with questionable integrity, as democratic credibility must never be compromised,” Umar said.
The Islamic body expressed concern over developments surrounding the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, warning that elections conducted under questionable circumstances would lack public trust.
“No election conducted under a cloud of compromised integrity can be recognised as credible,” the Council stated.
Beyond electoral matters, the Shariah Council painted a grim picture of the state of the nation, describing Nigeria as facing worsening insecurity, economic hardship and declining public trust, with millions struggling under inflation, unemployment and rising costs of living.
“Nigeria today stands at a critical crossroads. The nation is confronted by worsening insecurity, widespread loss of lives, economic hardship, erosion of public trust, and deep social anxiety,” Umar said.
On insecurity and terrorism, the Council reiterated its condemnation of violence in all its forms, while calling for both effective security measures and peaceful reconciliation.
It noted that Muslim communities had been heavily affected by ongoing violence across the country.
“The Council has provided irrefutable evidential data demonstrating that Muslim communities constitute a disproportionate number of victims in the ongoing insecurity and terrorism across Nigeria,” Umar said.
, adding that every human life, Muslim or Christian, was sacred and inviolable.
The Council also rejected what it described as misleading and inflammatory narratives around religious violence, urging responsible public discourse to avoid deepening divisions.
“The Council firmly debunked and rejected misleading and inflammatory propaganda, including the so-called ‘Christian genocide’ narrative,” Umar said.
On economic governance, the Shariah Council criticised aspects of Nigeria’s tax reform efforts, arguing that fiscal policies should not impose unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians.
It also raised concerns over budget implementation, mis-prioritisation and underfunding of critical institutions in the 2025 and 2026 national budgets.
“The Council firmly opposes any tax reform that imposes unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians and insists that all fiscal policies must be equitable, humane, and socially responsible,” Umar said.
The Council further decried what it described as systemic imbalance in federal appointments, warning that such practices undermined constitutional equity and national cohesion.
“The imbalance in federal appointments raises serious moral, constitutional and national cohesion concerns,” Umar said.
On religious rights, the Council reaffirmed that the implementation of Shari’ah was a constitutional right of Muslims and applies only to them, while restating its commitment to peaceful coexistence.
“Islam is Shariah, as there is no Islam without Shariah, and Muslims will not accept any constitutional amendment that falls short of granting Muslims their right,” the Council said.
The Shariah Council also condemned the ongoing war in Gaza, describing it as genocide, and expressed concern over what it called a global conspiracy of silence regarding the suffering of the Palestinian people, while continuing to advocate justice and humanitarian access.
In his remarks, Mallam Muhammadu MunirJa’afaru, described the Shariah Council as a principled and courageous voice of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah, noting its role in promoting justice, unity and national stability.
“In a plural and complex country like Nigeria, the existence of such a body is not only desirable but indispensable,” Ja’afaru said.
As Ramadan approaches, the Council urged Islamic scholars to use Tafseer sessions to promote unity, moral reformation, responsible civic engagement and ethical leadership, stressing that national renewal requires moral responsibility.
Source: vanguardngr.com
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https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/01/sharia-council-to-inec-we-wont-accept-compromised-polls-in-2027/
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Corruption: Former Minister Alison-Madueke Pleads Not Guilty In London Court
30 Jan, 2026
Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges brought against her in a London court.
Naija News reports that Madueke, who is standing trial for corruption allegations, pleaded not guilty to five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery when the matter came up in court on Thursday.
In 2023, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency formally charged her, alleging that she accepted bribes over a four-year period between 2011 and 2015 when she served as Nigeria’s petroleum Minister.
Prosecutors told the court that individuals seeking “lucrative oil and gas contracts” with Nigeria’s state-owned oil firm offered Alison-Madueke “significant financial or other advantages.”
They added that, “As a minister, she should not have accepted benefits from those who were doing, no doubt extremely lucrative, business in oil and gas with government-owned entities.”
The court heard that the former minister allegedly received £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights to Nigeria, and refurbishment works, including staff costs, at several properties in London.
Other charges allege that she accepted bribes in the form of school fees for her son, luxury items from high-end retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, as well as additional private jet trips.
However, she denied any wrongdoing when the allegations were read to her in court on Thursday.
Her lawyer, Jonathan Laidlaw, told jurors at London’s Southwark Crown Court that purchases were made on Alison-Madueke’s behalf “because Nigerian ministers are forbidden from having bank accounts abroad.”
He also said Alison-Madueke, 65, disputes the extent to which properties were provided for her use and the amounts of goods she received, but that “all that was spent on her personally, in one way or another, was reimbursed”.
Laidlaw argued that personal expenses were repaid by Alison-Madueke in Nigeria, and expenses relating to official business were “reimbursed from government coffers.”
Her lawyer insisted that Alison-Madueke received no financial advantage as a result of her position as a Minister in Nigeria.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/30/corruption-former-minister-alison-madueke-pleads-not-guilty-in-london-court/
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Tinubu Yet To Return After Türkiye Visit, Presidency Silent On Return Date
30 Jan, 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is yet to return to Nigeria following his state visit to the Republic of Türkiye, sparking public curiosity over the duration and conclusion of the trip.
The President departed Nigeria on Monday, January 26, for Ankara, Türkiye, where he engaged in a series of diplomatic, political and economic activities.
In an earlier statement, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, BayoOnanuga, had said Tinubu would return to the country “at the conclusion of the visit.” However, no specific date was provided for the end of the trip or the President’s return.
According to Daily Trust, efforts to confirm whether the visit had officially ended or to ascertain the President’s return date proved unsuccessful as of Thursday.
Both Onanuga and Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, could not be reached for comments. Messages sent to their phone lines, including WhatsApp messages, were not responded to at the time of filing this report.
Sources within the Presidency, however, told Daily Trust that the President’s visit involved extensive business engagements between Nigerian and Turkish investors, as well as meetings with top Turkish government officials, some of which may still be ongoing.
According to one of the sources, the absence of public appearances or televised events does not necessarily mean the visit has ended.
The source said, “The fact that the President is not seen physically in Türkiye today (Thursday) does not mean that meetings and engagements are not ongoing.
“Not everything will be on television immediately. The important thing is that when the President and members of his entourage return, Nigerians will be fully briefed on the outcomes.”
At the end of bilateral meetings held on Wednesday, officials from Nigeria and Türkiye signed nine agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation across key sectors, including trade, investment, defence, energy and technology.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/30/tinubu-yet-to-return-after-turkiye-visit-presidency-silent-on-return-date/
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Alaafin’s Wife Has The Power To Install Baale – Oyo Palace Speaks Amidst Controversy
30 Jan, 2026
The Alaafin of Oyo’s palace has stated that the monarch’s wife has the authority to install the Baale of the Ona-Aka community in Oyo town.
Naija News understands that the statement follows the controversial installation of OyedokunAkinade as the Baale by Alaafin’s wife, AyabaAbiwumiOwoade.
Speaking to Punch, the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaye, stated that the process followed long-established chieftaincy tradition.
Durojaye said the installation of OyedokunAkinade as Baale was properly authorised and carried out in line with Oyo customs, dismissing criticisms that have trailed the event across Yoruba-speaking states.
According to him, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, lawfully delegated the responsibility to his wife, stressing that such delegation is recognised under Oyo chieftaincy tradition.
“The chieftaincy tradition of Oyo town allows the Ayaba to preside over the installation of a Baale, as directed by the Kabiyesi, the Alaafin of Oyo,” Durojaye said.
He added that while only the Alaafin has the exclusive authority to install kings (Obas), the monarch is permitted by tradition to assign the installation of Baales to the Ayaba.
Durojaye further noted that the practice is not without precedent, recalling that a similar arrangement occurred during the reign of the immediate past Alaafin, Oba LamidiOlayiwolaAdeyemi III.
The palace’s clarification came amid widespread debate, with some critics questioning the propriety of a royal consort performing what they viewed as a core traditional function.
Meanwhile, AyabaAbiwumiOwoade, in a statement released by the palace, charged the newly installed Baale to prioritise peace, inclusivity, and grassroots development in the Ona-Aka community.
She urged the Baale to build trust-based networks, promote unity among diverse groups, and prevent internal divisions that could stall development.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/30/alaafins-wife-has-the-power-to-install-baale-oyo-palace-speaks-amidst-controversy/
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‘We Are Not So Worried To The Point That Fubara Will Be Impeached’ – GovSule
30 Jan, 2026
Nasarawa State Governor, AbdullahiSule, has said governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are not overly concerned about the impeachment process involving Rivers State Governor, SiminalayiFubara, describing it as a matter already before the courts.
Naija News reports that Sule spoke on Thursday during an appearance on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television.
Responding to questions about whether APC governors were worried that one of their colleagues could be removed from office, Sule said the situation must be handled strictly according to law.
“I’m not worried because I think it’s an issue of the court. I am not worried about anybody impeaching anyone. You don’t just wake up and impeach somebody without going through due process,” he said.
He acknowledged that governors were naturally concerned about developments affecting their colleagues, but maintained there was no cause for panic.
“Of course, whatever happens to any of our colleagues, we are worried, but we are not so worried to the point of saying he [Fubara] is going to be impeached.
“From all indications, actions are being taken. Courts are taking decisions. The Chief Judge is taking a position on that. So, for that reason, we are not worried,” Sule added.
Impeachment Effort Faces Legal Hurdles
The latest attempt to remove Governor Fubara from office has stalled amid legal and procedural obstacles.
On January 23, 2026, a Rivers State High Court sitting in Oyigbo adjourned the impeachment case indefinitely, ruling that the Court of Appeal must first determine pending appeals filed by the Speaker and other lawmakers. The order effectively halted immediate impeachment proceedings.
Similarly, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, declined to constitute an investigative panel, citing existing court orders and the principle that courts should not act on matters already under judicial consideration.
This most recent effort marks the third impeachment attempt against Fubara in less than three years.
The current move began on January 8, 2026, led by the Martin Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The lawmakers accuse the governor of gross misconduct, including failure to present appropriation bills, alleged unauthorised expenditure of public funds, withholding lawmakers’ allocations and demolition of the Assembly complex in 2023.
The impeachment drive has been widely viewed as part of the lingering political rivalry between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, NyesomWike, despite earlier attempts at reconciliation mediated by President Bola Tinubu.
Governor Fubara has repeatedly called for calm, expressing confidence in divine intervention and maintaining his focus on governance, even as legal and political battles continue around him.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/30/we-are-not-so-worried-to-the-point-that-fubara-will-be-impeached-gov-sule/
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‘Follow Gov Yusuf Or Resign’ – Waiya Fires Kano Deputy GovGwarzo
30 Jan, 2026
The Kano State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim AbdullahiWaiya, has called on the Deputy Governor, AminuAbdussalamGwarzo, to resign his position following the recent political realignment involving Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Waiya made the call during a special programme aired on Muhasa Radio, where he spoke on the implications of the governor’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the deputy governor’s continued loyalty to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Naija News reports that the commissioner stressed that the offices of governor and deputy governor are constitutionally tied, noting that both officials were elected on a joint ticket and are expected to share the same political ideology and party platform.
According to him, it is improper for a deputy governor to chart a different political course from that of the governor.
“The system of a governor and deputy governor is one ticket; they move together,” Waiya said.
“The governor chooses his running mate, so they are expected to stay on the same path and in the same party.”
Waiya’s comments followed the governor’s decision to defect to the APC, a move that has altered the political landscape in the state.
While the governor has aligned with the ruling party at the national level, the deputy governor has remained loyal to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the NNPP, a development that has sparked debates within political circles in Kano.
‘Resignation Is Honourable Option’
The commissioner argued that if the deputy governor does not agree with the governor’s new political direction, the most honourable action would be to step aside.
He said public office demands loyalty and consistency, particularly when leaders are elected on a shared mandate.
“If someone says he will not follow this journey, then we expect him to resign,” Waiya stated.
“If you say you don’t agree with your leader, your integrity should guide you to step down.”
Waiya maintained that political consistency is crucial for effective governance, warning that divided loyalty within the executive arm could undermine stability and coordination.
He insisted that remaining in office while opposing the governor’s political direction sends the wrong signal to the public and contradicts the spirit of joint electoral mandates.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/29/follow-gov-yusuf-or-resign-waiya-fires-kano-deputy-gov-gwarzo/
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Kaduna Mosque dispute: BoT members plan appeal after court dismisses suit against CAC
January 29, 2026
…Mosque, school, others belong to our community, not Imam – BoT member
…It has been handed over to me – Imam, Tukur
Members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Al Manar Education and Development Foundation, proprietors of the Al ManarJuma’at Mosque in Kaduna, have indicated plans to appeal a Federal High Court judgment that dismissed their suit challenging their suspension by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
Justice RilwanuAikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Thursday struck out the case, ruling that it was improperly filed as a fundamental human rights application.
The court held that the issues raised by the applicants did not fall within the scope of enforceable fundamental rights.
The trustees had approached the court to set aside their suspension by the CAC, arguing that the action was taken without a fair hearing.
Speaking after the judgment, counsel to the applicants, Mas’udAlabeleweEsq., said his clients filed the suit on the basis that their right to a fair hearing had been violated. He noted that the court, however, took a different legal position.
Alabelewe said the trustees have applied for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment to enable a thorough review before deciding on the next legal step, including a possible appeal.
Separately, a suspended BoT member, AlhajiAliyuModdibo, said the trustees were likely to approach the Court of Appeal after studying the full ruling, describing the matter as a dispute over the management and future of the foundation’s assets.
When contacted, the Chief Imam, Sheikh Tukur Adam Al-Manar, declined to comment on the court’s decision but rejected claims relating to financial impropriety, stating that he is not a signatory to the foundation’s bank accounts.
He also maintained that the mosque is a Da’awah project entrusted to him by its founders.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/kaduna-mosque-dispute-bot-members-plan-appeal-after-court-dismisses-suit-against-cac/
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Southeast Asia
Indonesia pushes Muslim-friendly tourism to boost Islamic economy
January 29, 2026
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is promoting Muslim-friendly tourism to strengthen its Islamic economy, attract high-quality investment, and enhance global competitiveness, Deputy Tourism Minister Ni LuhPuspa said.
Speaking at the "Driving Indonesia's Halal Industry Competitiveness & Global Export Readiness" event in Jakarta on Wednesday, Puspa said Muslim-friendly tourism supports tourism competitiveness while contributing to national economic development.
"This is an effort to build an inclusive, competitive, and sustainable ecosystem," she said in a statement released on Thursday.
Puspa said inclusive tourism policies are a cornerstone of national development, with Muslim-friendly services designed to raise service standards without changing local culture or destination identity.
She stressed that such services are complementary and aim to ensure destinations remain open and comfortable for all travelers, regardless of background.
"We are not changing the character of the destinations. The strength of Indonesian tourism lies in its traditions, culture, and local wisdom," Puspa added.
She highlighted the sector's growth potential, noting the global Muslim population is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2035.
By 2030, the number of Muslim travelers worldwide is expected to exceed 245 million, with total spending estimated at around US$235 billion.
Indonesia has a strong demographic advantage, with about 248 million Muslims, representing roughly 87 percent of its population.
The country accounts for about 11.3 percent of the global Muslim population and around 86 percent of Muslims in the ASEAN region.
This demographic strength is spread across 19 provinces where Muslims make up more than 90 percent of residents, creating a natural ecosystem for Muslim-friendly tourism development.
To reinforce its position, the Ministry of Tourism is working with other institutions and partners to launch the 2025 Indonesia Muslim Travel Index (IMTI).
The index measures provincial readiness to develop Muslim-friendly tourism based on international standards. Fifteen provinces have been designated as priorities, with Aceh and Banten receiving special recognition.
The ministry is also strengthening halal certification in cooperation with the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), facilitating the issuance of 14,694 halal certificates in 391 tourism villages.
In addition, the ministry, together with the National Development Planning Ministry and Bank Indonesia, is formulating national service standards to ensure consistency in Muslim-friendly tourism services nationwide.
Source: antaranews.com
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https://en.antaranews.com/news/402130/indonesia-pushes-muslim-friendly-tourism-to-boost-islamic-economy
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Pahang Islamic education centres get RM350,000 from Putrajaya for upgrades
30 Jan 2026
KUANTAN, Jan 30 — The federal government has approved an allocation of RM350,000, for the construction and repair works of facilities and infrastructure at the Ribath Al-Mustofa and the RibathAzzahra Al-Batul Islamic Education Centres, here.
Prime Minister’s political secretary Datuk Ahmad Farhan Fauzi said the allocation aims to ensure that students are able to pursue religious education in a more comfortable, safe and conducive environment.
“A working visit was carried out to the Ribath Al-Mustofa Islamic Education Centre, to directly inspect the condition of the facilities and infrastructure at the education centre, which was founded by UstazUwais Al-Qarni Abdul Wahab.
“As a result of the federal government’s concern, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has agreed to approve an allocation of RM350,000 to support the construction and repair works of facilities and infrastructure at the centre,” he said in a statement.
The visit was also attended by the director of the Pahang State Development Office, Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk RazihanAdzharuddin.
Ahmad Farhan said the initiative is expected to serve as a catalyst for the development of Islamic education, and to inspire the younger generation to continue pursuing knowledge, while nurturing individuals who are able to contribute to religion, society and the country.
He added that the Madani government, under the leadership of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, remains committed to upholding Islamic values through various comprehensive policies, programmes and strategic interventions, while strengthening Islamic educational institutions as part of a holistic, values-based human development agenda.
He said this commitment is clearly reflected in Budget 2026, with RM2.6 billion allocated to strengthen Islamic education and the development of related sectors, including maahadtahfiz, religious schools and pondok institutions nationwide. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/01/30/pahang-islamic-education-centres-get-rm350000-from-putrajaya-for-upgrades/207335
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Early bird tickets for KTMB’s special Ramadan trains on sale from noon today
30 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 — Keretapi Tanah MelayuBerhad (KTMB) has announced the Ramadan 2026 edition of Railway to See Malaysia (RTSM) special excursion train service for the KL Sentral-Tumpat-KL Sentral route, as well as the EkspresLambaianAidilfitri (ELA) service for the East Coast and Northern routes this year.
In a statement, KTMB said tickets for the services would go on sale starting at noon today to help the public plan their return journeys home earlier and more comfortably during the month of Ramadan, while also easing preparations for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.
“The special service (Ramadan Edition) will operate for four days, namely on Feb 20 and March 6 for the KL Sentral-Tumpat route, as well as Feb 22 and March 8 for the Tumpat-KL Sentral route. A total of 1,584 tickets will be offered, including sleeper coaches for this service,” the statement said.
For the ELA service on the East Coast route, the train will operate on March 18 for the KL Sentral-Tumpat route and on March 22 for the Tumpat-KL Sentral route, with a total of 792 tickets offered, including sleeper coaches.
According to the statement, the services will offer superior sleeper coaches with 120 berths per journey, in addition to Premier Class and Superior Class seating coaches, to provide passengers with more comfortable and flexible travel options.
One-way fares are offered from as low as RM80 for the Superior Class, while fares for Superior Class sleeper berths are RM90 (upper berth) and RM95 (lower berth), with Premier Class fares set at RM95.
The RTSM Ramadan 2026 edition train service and the East Coast edition ELA service will stop at 17 stations, including KL Sentral, Bandar Tasik Selatan, Kajang, Seremban, PulauSebang, Gemas, Bahau, Mentakab, Jerantut, Kuala Lipis, GuaMusang, Dabong, Kuala Krai, Tanah Merah, Pasir Mas, WakafBharu and Tumpat.
Meanwhile, the Northern edition ELA service involving the KL Sentral-Padang Besar-KL Sentral route will operate four services, with 1,200 tickets offered for Superior Class seating coaches at a one-way fare of RM70.
The special train will operate on March 17 and March 22 for the KL Sentral-Padang Besar route, as well as on March 18 and March 23 for the Padang Besar-KL Sentral route.
The train will stop at 12 stations, namely KL Sentral, Sungai Buloh, TanjungMalim, Kampar, Batu Gajah, Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar, Taiping, Sungai Petani, AlorSetar, Arau and Padang Besar.
KTMB Group chief executive officer Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri, in the same statement, said that the provision of special trains during the festive season was part of KTMB’s commitment to supporting national mobility.
“By encouraging the public to use rail transport, we can help reduce road congestion and ensure a more efficient and safer ‘balikkampung’ experience,” he said.
KTMB encourages the public to plan their journeys early and obtain tickets via cashless methods through the KTMB Mobile (KITS) application, kiosk machines, ticket counters and the official website at www.ktmb.com.my, or by contacting the KTMB Call Centre at 03-97791200, or visiting its official media channels for further enquiries. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Restaurant probed for Quran display without halal cert
29 Jan 2026
A TelukIntan restaurant owner faces legal action for displaying Quranic verses without halal certification, potentially misleading Muslim customers about food status.
TELUK INTAN: A restaurant owner here is facing legal action for displaying verses from the Quran and related Islamic symbols without possessing official halal certification.
The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) stated this created confusion over the halal status of the food sold.
A KPDN enforcement team inspected the premises and found it had no certification or verification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).
The owner also employed two non-Muslim workers in food preparation, including the chef.
Perak KPDN director Datuk Kamalludin Ismail said displaying Quranic verses gives the impression the food is halal for Muslim consumption.
Following the inspection, the owner was detained for questioning.
Several items worth RM500 were seized for investigation under the Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011.
The seized items included decorative inscriptions of ‘Allah’ and ‘Muhammad’, a Quran wall display, and the business licence.
For this offence, individuals face penalties of up to RM1 million or three years’ imprisonment.
Corporations can be fined up to RM5 million for the same violation.
The owner is also being investigated under the Trade Descriptions (Halal Certification and Marking) Order 2011.
This separate offence carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or three years’ jail for individuals.
Corporations face fines of up to RM200,000 under this provision.
Kamalludin added that KPDN will take stern action against traders using unauthorised halal logos or definitions.
He said such actions can mislead Muslims regarding the halal status of food, goods, and services.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/crime/restaurant-probed-for-quran-display-without-halal-cert/
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2026 Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Incentive Budget Reaches Rp13 Trillion
January 30, 2026
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Coordinating Minister for the Economy, AirlanggaHartarto, said that the total budget for incentive programs during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr in 2026 is expected to be around Rp13 trillion.
The policy package includes transportation fare discounts, toll fee discounts, as well as social assistance (bansos) in the form of rice and Minyakita cooking oil. "It is around Rp13 trillion," said Airlangga in Jakarta, on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
He said the incentive was designed to maintain the public's purchasing power while anticipating an increase in mobility during the Eid al-Fitr homecoming season.
Airlangga explained that this year's Eid al-Fitr policy package is expected to be larger in scope and size compared to previous years. The government is also preparing several additional incentives to be announced soon.
"Similar to before. Then maybe the amount (of incentives) will be greater, it will be larger," he said.
Meanwhile, the previous transportation discount policy was implemented during the Christmas and New Year 2026. It was considered effective in boosting mobility and maintaining the momentum of national economic activities.
The realization of the transportation discount program during Christmas and New Year 2026 exceeded the target in several modes. From December 22, 2025, to January 10, 2026, PT KeretaApi Indonesia offered a 30 percent discount on commercial economy class tickets for 156 regular trains and 26 additional trains. The target was 1.5 million passengers, but 1.7 million passengers were actually reached, which is 112.6 percent.
In sea transportation, from December 17, 2025, to January 10, 2026, PT PELNI offered a 20 percent discount on the basic fare, excluding insurance and port fees, for all routes on 25 passenger ships. The number of passengers exceeded the target of 405,000 by approximately 100 percent, reaching over 406,000.
Meanwhile, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry offered discounts of up to 100 percent on port services, equivalent to around 19 percent of the average integrated tariff from 16 ports and eight routes during the same period. The realization recorded approximately 206,000 passengers or 90.9 percent of the target, and 465,000 vehicles or 94.5 percent of the target.
In the aviation sector, the government offered incentives through the VAT scheme for economy class tickets, fuel surcharge discounts, reduced airport service fees, and extended airport operating hours. This policy lowered airplane ticket prices by around 13-14 percent. The number of passengers reached 3.7 million, which is 104.2 percent of the 3.5 million passenger target.
Source: en.tempo.co
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Indonesia speeds up food distribution ahead of Ramadan, Eid
January 29, 2026
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Trade, along with several ministries and institutions, has decided to expedite the distribution of basic necessities to various regions as a precautionary measure against potential extreme weather disruptions ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2026.
In a press conference on Thursday, the ministry’s Director General of Domestic Trade, Iqbal ShoffanShofwan, said that national stocks of basic necessities such as eggs, cooking oil, chilies, and broiler chicken are sufficient.
However, the government is facing a major concern related to weather conditions, particularly in February and March 2026.
Data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) indicate that regions such as Sulawesi and Papua are expected to experience high rainfall, which could potentially hamper distribution channels.
“We agreed earlier that all distributors, including state-owned food companies such as Bulog and ID FOOD, have launched the distribution of basic necessities to the regions at the beginning of this February,” Shofwan said.
His office is also coordinating with the Ministry of Transportation to ensure the readiness of port services, including the availability of containers and the smooth flow of logistics.
According to him, this anticipatory measure is aimed at maintaining the stability of supply and prices of basic necessities during the National Religious Holidays period, particularly Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.
Ramadan is predicted to fall from February 18 to March 19, followed by Eid al-Fitr the next day.
“So, when the rainy season occurs in February and March, the goods will have already arrived at their destinations,” he said.
In addition, the Ministry of Trade routinely coordinates with the National Food Agency (Bapanas), the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), the Ministry of Transportation, the Presidential Staff Office, state-owned food enterprises, and relevant associations to monitor the availability of basic necessities nationwide.
Beyond ensuring availability, the Ministry of Trade, together with other related ministries and institutions, is also working to maintain price stability in line with the Highest Retail Price (HET) and the Consumer Reference Purchase Price (HAP).
Source: antaranews.com
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https://en.antaranews.com/news/402114/indonesia-speeds-up-food-distribution-ahead-of-ramadan-eid
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The heart of Taman Greenwood: Exploring the history of the mosque Anwar visited today
By Muhammad Yusry
30 Jan 2026
GOMBAK, Jan 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim performed Friday prayers at Masjid Ar-Rahimah in Taman Greenwood today, his visit drawing an enthusiastic crowd and highlighting the mosque’s long-standing role as a spiritual anchor for the Gombak community for over three decades.
The mosque’s compound was filled with excitement as students from nearby schools, including SMK Seri Gombak and a neighbouring Islamic school, gathered to catch a glimpse of the prime minister’s arrival.
Some, caught up in the moment, even climbed onto their friends’ backs for a better view as Anwar walked from his car towards the mosque’s entrance.
The call to prayer began just as he was about to enter, the azan echoing through the compound in a moment that felt both immediate and timeless.
Dressed in a light purple BajuMelayu, Anwar joined worshippers for the Friday sermon titled “Practices and Virtues of Sha‘baan,” where the khatib reminded the congregation of the spiritual significance of the month leading into Ramadan.
The visit put a national spotlight on a mosque that has served as a community pillar since its construction began in 1987.
Tucked beside the constant rush of the DUKE highway, Masjid Ar-Rahimah was officially inaugurated in June 1989 by the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the current Selangor Sultan’s father.
For generations, it has served as a centre for prayer and social life, welcoming long-time residents who have lived in the area since its early development.
Its blend of traditional Islamic and modern design, featuring polished terrazzo flooring and sections of blue mosaic tiles, mirrors the evolving character of Gombak itself. Accessibility has long been part of its design, with wheelchair ramps in place for the neighbourhood’s elderly and early settlers.
Over the years, the mosque has frequently been visited by local leaders, including former and current Selangor menteribesar, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, reinforcing its status as a key community institution.
After the prayers, the same group of schoolchildren gathered once again near the entrance, eager for another glimpse as Anwar emerged and made his way back to his car.
Source: malaymail.com
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South Asia
Over 14 Million People in Afghanistan to Need Health Services in 2026: UN Report
By Fidel Rahmati
January 29, 2026
The UN predicts 14.4 million people in Afghanistan will require health services in 2026, highlighting the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has forecast that 14.4 million people in Afghanistan will need health services in 2026.
According to a report released on Thursday, January 29, OCHA said that only 7.2 million of these individuals are expected to be covered by existing programs.
OCHA noted that 54 percent of those needing services are children, 24 percent are women, and 10 percent are persons with disabilities. The office emphasized that addressing these health needs will require more than $190 million in funding.
OCHA also stressed that Afghanistan remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis this year, with approximately 22 million people dependent on humanitarian aid.
Years of conflict, economic instability, and natural disasters and incompetent government in the country have left Afghanistan’s health system fragile, making it difficult to reach remote and vulnerable populations.
International organizations and NGOs have been scaling up programs to provide vaccinations, maternal care, and emergency medical services, but significant funding gaps remain.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/over-14-million-people-in-afghanistan-to-need-health-services-in-2026-un-report/
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18 People Flogged in Kabul Over Drug Charges
By Fidel Rahmati
January 29, 2026
Authorities have publicly flogged 18 people in Kabul on drug-related charges, as corporal punishment continues to rise across Afghanistan.
18 people in Kabul were flogged on charges related to drug trafficking and narcotics sales, according to an official statement.
The Supreme Court said the punishments were carried out on Thursday under rulings issued by a primary court for combating drugs and alcohol in Kabul.
The individuals were sentenced to between 15 and 39 lashes and also received prison terms ranging from seven months to two and a half years.
The floggings come after at least 38 people were publicly lashed earlier this week in two provinces, reflecting a broader pattern of corporal punishment.
Data compiled from court statements show that at least 140 people were flogged across several provinces in the month of December alone.
Legal experts say that under legal and Islamic principles, punishment should not be carried out before full due process is observed.
The United Nations has repeatedly urged an immediate halt to public and inhuman punishments, but recent figures suggest the practice is increasing rather than declining.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/18-people-flogged-in-kabul-over-drug-charges/
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Set up one commission for media, not two
30 JANUARY 2026
Most media professionals yesterday recommended the establishment of a single media commission instead of having two separate bodies.
They expressed their views at a consultation meeting held at the Department of Films and Publications (DFP) to discuss two draft ordinances -- the Broadcast Ordinance, 2026 and the National Media Commission Ordinance, 2026.
The event was organised by the information and broadcasting ministry.
While many media professionals attended, representatives of several key organisations, including the Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO), Editors’ Council, Jatiya Press Club, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and Broadcast Journalist Centre (BJC), were absent despite being invited.
At the meeting, Information Adviser SyedaRizwana Hasan said the government was sincere in drafting the two ordinances, adding that a legal framework is essential for independent journalism.
“For this, we want to complete these media-related ordinances even though we have a limited time left,” she said.
Kamal Ahmed, head of the Media Reform Commission, argued that there should be only one commission for the media. He said the government could enact a separate law for broadcasting, but the oversight body should remain unified.
“The way the commission is proposed in the current draft, it will just become another department under the information ministry, rather than an independent commission,” he said.
Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, chief editor of Daily ManabZamin, said, “I feel afraid whenever I hear about laws because I don’t believe in control.”
He said the law should not be rushed and that more time is needed, adding that there is no guarantee a future political government would accept it.
Obaidur Rahman Shahin, president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), pointed out that many key stakeholders were absent from the meeting. He said the laws should be drafted only after consultations with all stakeholders, instead of being rushed.
After the meeting, Rizwana told reporters that there was a general consensus on formulating an ordinance.
Responding to concerns that the process was being hurried, she said, “This hasn’t happened in 54 years. We believe it is better late than never. This will improve the quality of journalism.”
Regarding the absence of key stakeholders, she said many might have missed the meeting as it was called with only one day’s notice. “We will talk to them later,” she added.
The meeting was attended by Fayez Ahmad Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief adviser; MahbubaFarjana, secretary of the information and broadcasting ministry; Prof GitiaraNasreen of Dhaka University; Shahidul Islam, president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ); and representatives of various online media organisations.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/set-one-commission-media-not-two-4094056
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‘981 hurt in polls-related violence since Oct last year’
30 JANUARY 2026
19 clashes recorded since campaigning began on Jan 22
BNP- and Jamaat-led alliances involved in most reported clashes
Police say arrests alone cannot curb poll-time violence
Experts blame weak enforcement of electoral code
Violence has flared since campaigning began for the 13th national election on January 22, and police say arrests and cases alone will not be enough unless rival groups show restraint.
In the eight days from the start of official campaigning until yesterday, at least 19 incidents of clashes were reported across the country, according to media reports and data received from police.
A Jamaatupazila unit secretary was killed in clashes in Sherpur on Wednesday.
The incidents were triggered by local disputes, “offensive” comments on social media, and even quarrels over sitting on a chair, according to the information.
Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) said in a statement yesterday that, based on information it collected from October until yesterday, at least 981 people were injured and five were killed in 113 incidents of violence across the country linked to the upcoming national elections.
HRSS said that during the campaign period, candidates’ aggressive attitudes, the spread of hatred against opposition parties and other candidates, threats and intimidation, smear campaigns, falsehoods and hostile remarks are fuelling hostility and violence among party leaders, activists and supporters, which is not desirable in any way.
KhondokerRafiqul Islam, additional inspector general (crime and operations) at Police Headquarters, told The Daily Star that election-time violence is not new and urged people not to treat it as something unusual.
“It is unfortunate,” he said, adding that Bangladesh has often failed to move beyond a culture of confrontation during elections.
Rafiqul said police, other law enforcement agencies and returning officers are trying to bring rival sides to the table and ensure that the electoral code of conduct is followed.
But he said many people do not heed advice and act with “other agendas”.
Referring to the Sherpur killing, he said a manifesto-reading programme that should have been orderly turned into chair-throwing, clashes and, eventually, a death.
Rafiqul said police tried to move the groups in different directions, but tensions continued for hours as the sides stayed close to one another.
He said cases have been filed against those responsible.
TawohidulHaque, an associate professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research, however, said the measures taken by law enforcement agencies on the ground were “very weak”.
He said the Election Commission is only issuing verbal warnings, with no visible steps on the ground.
Tawohidul said political parties also bear responsibility, as public expectations of political leaders and activists after the July uprising have not been reflected in their conduct.
“They are behaving violently as before,” he said.
An analysis of reported incidents since January 22 shows that most clashes have taken place between the BNP-led alliance and the Jamaat-led alliance.
In recent days, election-related clashes were reported in at least seven places, including Dhaka, Faridpur, Cumilla, Shariatpur, Sherpur, Pabna, Chattogram and Bhola.
HRSS said several women activists faced attacks, beatings and humiliation while campaigning in different districts, as political vendettas spilled onto the streets.
Such acts undermine women’s political participation and interfere with civic and voting rights, personal freedom and freedom of expression, it said.
A high official at Police Headquarters told The Daily Star that their analysis of recent violence found clashes were fuelled by rumours, offensive posts and provocative information on Facebook, alongside local disputes.
“We reviewed such information and took necessary measures,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary ShafiqulAlam yesterday said, “We hope the coming days will be much better. With the gradual deployment of security forces, the situation will further improve.”
Responding to a question while briefing journalists at the Foreign Service Academy, Shafiqul said political parties have so far shown restraint and tolerance while carrying out election campaigns.
Noting that according to police data, four people have been killed so far since the formal election campaign began on January 22, he said, “If you compare this with previous elections, though it is tough to reach a conclusion as two weeks are still left to the polls, you will see that 115 people were killed before the elections on January 5, 2014.”
“In that reality, we believe there is still a sufficient level of tolerance among the political parties. They are campaigning in a good manner, and they are abiding by electoral laws and following the code of conduct,” the press secretary said.
He, however, acknowledged that “a few isolated incidents” have taken place.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/981-hurt-polls-related-violence-oct-last-year-4093756
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Jamaat-led alliance questions administration after Sherpur clash kills local leader
30 JANUARY 2026
The Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party electoral alliance today questioned the role of the administration and law enforcement agencies following clashes at an election manifesto reading programme in Sherpur that left a local Jamaat leader dead.
The alliance alleged that members of the administration and law enforcement agencies remained inactive during the clashes, saying the situation would not have escalated had timely action been taken.
It also accused local BNP leaders and activists of instigating the violence and demanded an investigation into what it described as the “failure” of the upazila administration, calling for immediate remedial measures.
The allegations were made at a press conference held on behalf of the alliance at Jamaat’s central office in Moghbazar in Dhaka.
Addressing the press conference, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and head of its central publicity department AhsanulMahboobZubair said the country was expected to be in a festive mood ahead of the national parliamentary election.
“Following the July uprising, reforms in the state structure and political culture were expected to help maintain an environment of mutual respect, empathy and cooperation among political parties. However, yesterday’s incident has dimmed that festive atmosphere,” he said.
MaulanaMdRezaul Karim, 42, secretary of Jamaat’sSreebordiupazila unit in Sherpur, was reportedly injured in clashes with BNP activists and died at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) around 9:45pm last night, said NuruzzamanBadal, Jamaat candidate from Sherpur-3 (Jhenaigati-Sreebordi), yesterday.
Zubair said the sequence of events exposed serious lapses by the administration and law enforcement agencies.
“Had the police intervened during the clashes, the situation would not have reached this point. Instead, the police and administration acted as passive spectators,” he said, adding that army personnel later arrived at the scene and attempted to bring the situation under control, during which one army member was injured.
He said the incident had raised serious questions about the role of the police and the overall administration.
Source: thedailystar.net
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FAO Launches $100 Million Food Security Project in Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
January 29, 2026
The UN food agency says a new $100 million project will support food security and agricultural livelihoods for vulnerable communities across Afghanistan.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said it is launching a $100 million project in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank to improve food security in Afghanistan.
In a statement issued on Thursday, FAO said the project will support the agricultural livelihoods of more than one million of the country’s most vulnerable people.
According to the statement, the two-year initiative targets about 151,000 families, equivalent to roughly 1.057 million individuals nationwide.
The project will mainly assist families returning from Iran and Pakistan, as well as people affected by natural disasters.
FAO warned that food insecurity remains severe, with an estimated 17.4 million people expected to face acute food insecurity in 2026.
The agency said 4.7 million people are projected to fall into IPC Phase 4, an emergency level marked by large food consumption gaps and high acute malnutrition.
Since 2022, the Asian Development Bank has provided around $265 million in grants through FAO to strengthen agricultural production and curb acute food insecurity across Afghanistan.
FAO stressed that with millions of Afghans under growing pressure, sustained investment beyond emergency aid is urgently needed to build long-term resilience and prevent deeper food crises.
Source: khaama.com
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Seven Killed as Two-Story House Collapses in Jalalabad, Nangarhar
By Fidel Rahmati
January 29, 2026
Seven people, including a mother and six children, were killed and one person injured when a two-story house collapsed in Qochko area of central Jalalabad, Nangarhar province.
Taliban police command in Nangarhar confirmed the incident occurred around midnight in the seventh security district of Jalalabad city, with the injured person being the family’s father.
Afghanistan’s infrastructure has deteriorated significantly over decades of conflict and lack of maintenance, with many buildings constructed without proper engineering standards or building codes. Homes built near riverbanks and erosion-prone areas face particular risks during heavy rains and flooding, while poverty forces many families to remain in unsafe structures despite known dangers.
The Taliban stated the house was located near a river and had previously sustained damage from water flow before the fatal collapse that trapped all occupants.
Recent severe weather across Afghanistan has compounded humanitarian challenges as the country faces economic collapse, food insecurity, and inadequate emergency response capabilities. With limited disaster preparedness infrastructure and insufficient resources for rescue operations, natural disasters often result in preventable deaths, while harsh winter conditions particularly threaten vulnerable populations including the poor, displaced persons, and returnees living in substandard shelters.
Taliban’s National Disaster Management Authority reported at least 61 people killed and 110 others injured from recent heavy snowfall and rainfall across 15 provinces including Kabul and Herat.
The natural disasters have completely or partially destroyed 458 homes, affected 360 families, and killed hundreds of livestock across the affected provinces, officials stated.
Many Afghanistan provinces have experienced heavy snowfall in recent days, contributing to building collapses, avalanches, and other weather-related casualties across the country.
Source: khaama.com
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