New Age Islam News Bureau
25 December 2024
Mohan Bhagwat.
File picture
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· Battle Over Hindutva: Sadhu Close To PM Lambasts RSS Chief for His Remarks On Mosque-Temple Disputes Are Unacceptable
· Islamic Emirate Condemns Khawaja Asif’s Remarks, Sultan Ghaznawi Visited India Only To Plunder, As Ignorance Of Historical Facts
· Gaza Christians Pray For End Of ‘Death And Destruction’
· Showcasing The Vibrant Culture: Christians Mark Christmas With Festivity Across Pakistan
· Saudi Cabinet Welcomes UN Request For ICJ Opinion On Israel’s Obligations
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India
· NIA Chargesheets Two For Conspiring To Promote the Hizb-ut-Tahrir Ideology and Establish Islamic Caliphate In India
· Voting Figures Of Maharashtra Elections Disprove Believe 'Vote Jihad' Claim: SP MLA
· Budaun Court To Tell If It Will Hear Plea Over Existence Of Temple At Jama Masjid Shamsi Mosque Site On Jan 18
· Seven more arrested in Sambhal violence case
· Delhi court refuses to pass order on J&K MP Rashid Engineer’s regular bail plea
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South Asia
· Ijtema Clash: Zubair Faction Announces Indefinite Sit-In
· Islamic Emirate Condemns Pakistani Airstrike in Paktika as Violation of International Law
· National Defence Minister Chairs Security and Clearance Commission Meeting
· Economic Commission’s Technical Committee Approves Key Proposals
· Khost Customs Unveils 105 Million AFN Parking Facility for Heavy Vehicles
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Mideast
· ‘Many Have Had Their Eyes Opened For The First Time’ To Palestine’s Occupation, Bethlehem’s Rev. Munther Isaac Tells Arab News
· How Syria’s Christians Are Marking Christmas Amid Political Change And Uncertainty
· Palestinian Authority clashes with Al Jazeera over Jenin coverage
· Israeli military intercepts missile launched from Yemen, army says
· Israeli military says a commander injured during operation in West Bank
· Israel probe finds troops’ presence led to killing of six Gaza hostages
· War-weary villages in Lebanon’s south find hope in Christmas festivities
· Kurdish-led forces push back Turkish-backed Syrian rebels in a tense offensive
· ‘Like a dream’: AFP photographer’s return to Syria
· Islamic Revolution principles key to Iran’s global strategy, says FM
· Awqaf Ministry opens historic mosque in Old Umm Al Qhab
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Pakistan
· President, PM vow to build Pakistan as per Quaid’s vision
· Pakistan’s economy is on positive trajectory: Interior Minister
· Rana Tanveer reaffirms Pakistan's focus on halal meat exports
· Sanaullah says 'won't accept pressure' from US to release Imran
· Imran Khan seeks progress on PTI's demands within specific timeframe
· Angry tribesmen protest fresh killings in Kurram
· Pakistan strikes TTP camps in Afghanistan
· Imran says pertinent for him to meet PTI’s team to make negotiations with govt ‘meaningful’
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Arab World
· KSrelief concludes urology surgery project in Yemen
· Creative youth collective hosts art auction in Jeddah with jazz, community spirit
· Experts discuss transforming Saudi museums into interactive cultural spaces
· Jeddah’s Islamic Arts Biennale to open in January
· Saudi ambassador presents credentials to Ukraine’s president
· Saudi artist crafts Madinah’s culture in resin
· Saudi Arabia honours Qur’an contest winners in Nepal
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Europe
· UK Muslim Group Asks Tories To Remove Shadow Justice Secretary, Robert Jenrick, For 'Admiring' Far-Right
· Ukraine warns of blackouts after reporting Russian strikes
· Two member states ruining EU’s reputation – Zelensky aide
· Denmark boosts Greenland military spending after Trump comments
· Ukraine has received $1 billion backed by seized Russian assets – PM
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Africa
· In Morocco, Jewish-Muslim Community Spirit Comes Naturally
· Hardship: ‘The Worth Of Life In Tinubu’s Government Is About ₦5,000’
· For Christmas, New Year, Gov Alia Declares 14 Days Public Holiday In Benue
· Sudan's war exacerbates famine crisis in displacement camps
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Southeast Asia
· Penang Govt Commits To Religious Harmony With Land And RM10m Aid For 129 Non-Muslim Houses Of Worship
· Indonesia’s SOE Ministry Aims to Reduce State-Owned Enterprises to 30 by 2025
· COMMENT | Muftis must object to jihad misuse, help homeless Muslims
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North America
· Weather And Airport Delays Disrupt American Christmas Travel
· Trump slams Biden for commuting sentences of death row inmates
· US almost shot down second friendly plane – Fox News
· Former US President Bill Clinton discharged from hospital after flu
· Russian-born US citizen jailed in Moscow on espionage charges
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindutva-mosque-temple-rss-chief/d/134136
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Battle Over Hindutva: Sadhu Close To PM Lambasts RSS Chief for His Remarks On Mosque-Temple Disputes Are Unacceptable
Piyush Srivastava
25.12.24
Mohan Bhagwat.
File picture
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A sadhu considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the outfit don’t represent the Hindu community and his remarks on mosque-temple disputes are unacceptable.
Swami Rambhadracharya, the founder of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University in Chitrakoot and the Tulsi Peeth religious and social service institution, was responding to reporters’ questions on Bhagwat’s remarks against the controversies being raked up by Hindutva groups after the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The groups have claimed that mosques were built by Muslim invaders by decimating temples and flooded courts with petitions for reclamation.
“I don’t accept Bhagwat’s unfortunate statement. He didn’t say anything good. He has to follow us but there is no need for us to follow his ideas,” Rambhadracharya, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015, said.
“Is Mohan Bhagwat a thekedar (defender) of the Hindu religion? The Sanatan religion will be guided by the sadhus and not by him. He may be the leader of a group but not the representative of Hindus of India,” the sadhu, who had deposed as an expert witness in 2003 before Allahabad High Court in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, said. Later in the Supreme Court, he had iterated his claim that Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya.
Rambhadracharya, who is also a Sanskrit scholar and poet, frequently shares the stage with Modi and Adityanath.
Bhagwat had in Pune last week batted for an inclusive society and said the world needed to be shown that the country could live in harmony, disapproving of a rising trend, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, to allege that Mughal-era mosques had come up by razing temples.
“New disputes are raked up every day. How can this be allowed? This shouldn’t continue. India needs to show that we can live together,” Bhagwat had said.
“There was a need for a Ram temple and it was built there in Ayodhya. But creating discord and enmity in the name of new issues every day must not happen. We should show the world that we can live in harmony,” he had added.
Rambhadracharya, who is visually challenged, alleged that Bhagwat was influenced by the politics of appeasement. “The RSS works according to the Hindu religion, the Hindu religion doesn’t work according to the RSS. We will take possession of all those places where the remains of our temples are found,” Rambhadracharya said.
Bhagwat’s remarks were viewed by many as a warning to Adityanath, whose government is allegedly encouraging those who are filing court cases demanding surveys of mosques that they claim were built after demolishing temples. In most cases, the district administrations in Uttar Pradesh appear to be siding with the Hindus.
Adityanath had also disapproved of Bhagwat’s message of harmony and appeared adamant about moving forward with his Hindu supremacy agenda.
Without taking Bhagwat’s name, Adityanath had said in a meeting in Ayodhya on December 20: “I want to ask you who were those people who harmed the symbols of Sanatan in the past? What was their intention? They conspired to make the entire earth a hell.” He cited the examples of the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, Krishna Janmbhoomi in Mathura and the prophecy that Vishnu’s future incarnation as Kalki would be born in Sambhal.
“I would say that only Sanatan Dharma can bring peace across the world. Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of Bharat. Bharat will remain till there is Sanatan Dharma. We all should work together to protect it,” Adityanath said, appearing to take an exclusionist approach on religion.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/custody-battle-over-hindutva-sadhu-close-to-pm-lambasts-rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat/cid/2073161
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Islamic Emirate Condemns Khawaja Asif’s Remarks, Sultan Ghaznawi Visited India Only To Plunder, As Ignorance Of Historical Facts
2024-12-24
KABUL(BNA): The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has strongly rejected recent remarks by Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, regarding Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi, describing them as baseless and rooted in ignorance of historical truths.
Khawaja Asif, during an interview with a Pakistani television network, claimed that Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi visited India only to plunder and stated he does not consider him a hero.
In response, Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat, the Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, issued a statement denouncing these comments as irresponsible and uninformed.
Fitrat emphasized that history bears witness to Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi’s missions, which were driven by his commitment to rescuing and liberating oppressed nations, particularly Muslims, in India and beyond. He described Sultan Mahmood as a symbol of pride for the Muslim Ummah and expressed regret that a high-ranking Pakistani official would display such a lack of knowledge.
Fitrat further pointed out the contradiction in Pakistan naming its defense missiles after Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi while its officials undermine his legacy.
“Although Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi was inherently an Afghan Muslim, his faith and sense of responsibility inspired him to stand in solidarity with all oppressed and threatened nations in the region. He considered it his duty to defend their lives and property an ideal that seems beyond the comprehension of individuals like Khawaja Asif.” He added.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/islamic-emirate-condemns-khawaja-asifs-remarks-as-ignorance-of-historical-facts/
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Gaza Christians pray for end of ‘death and destruction’
December 24, 2024
Worshippers walk outside after Christmas Eve mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family Church in the Zaytoun neighbourhood of Gaza City on December 24, 2024. (AFP)
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GAZA CITY: Hundreds of Christians in war-ravaged Gaza City gathered at a church on Tuesday, praying for an end to the war that has devastated much of the Palestinian territory.
Gone were the sparkling lights, the festive decorations, and the towering Christmas tree that had graced Gaza City for decades.
The Square of the Unknown Soldier, once alive with the spirit of the season, now lay in ruins, reduced to rubble by relentless Israeli air strikes.
Amid the rubble, the faithful sought solace even as fighting continued to rage across the coastal strip on Tuesday.
“This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction,” said George Al-Sayegh, who for weeks has sought refuge in the 12th century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius.
“There is no joy, no festive spirit. We don’t even know who will survive until the next holiday.”
A part of the church itself was destroyed in an Israeli air strike in October last year, in which 18 Palestinian Christians were killed, according to the territory’s health ministry.
About 1,100 Christians live in Gaza, a community that has also faced the brunt of the war since October 7 last year, when fighting between Israel and Hamas broke out.
Israel’s recent air strikes, including one that killed several children according to the territory’s civil defense agency, have come under severe criticism from Pope Francis.
“With pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty,” the pope said after his weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had slammed the pontiff’s comment, saying they showed “double standards.”
But the pain and sorrow are visible in Gaza, and for Gaza City resident Kamal Jamil Caesar Anton, the festive season of Christmas is marred by profound grief.
Last December, his wife Nahida and daughter Samar were killed by Israeli sniper fire within the compound of the Holy Family Church, he said.
“We pray for peace, for the war to end so that the people can live safely,” Anton said.
His sentiments were echoed by resident Ramez Al-Souri who also suffered a bitter tragedy during the air strike that hit the Church of Saint Porphyrius.
His three children were among those killed in that attack.
“We are still suffering. We didn’t celebrate last year because of the destruction,” Souri said.
“This year we hoped for an end to the war, but every day we lose loved ones.”
Local Christian community leader George Anton hoped the warring sides would end the fighting soon.
“We call on all parties to end the war and to seek a true path to peace,” he said.
“We hope both peoples can live in harmony and security.”
Source:arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584221/middle-east
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Showcasing The Vibrant Culture: Christians Mark Christmas With Festivity Across Pakistan
By APP & Web Desk
December 25, 2024
Christmas belongings items are being selling in connection of the Christmas Celebrations ceremony coming ahead, at Saddar Bohri Bazar in Karachi on Tuesday, December 24, 2024. — PPI
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Christmas was observed nationwide with great enthusiasm and heartfelt devotion, showcasing the vibrant culture of the country's Christian community.
Prayer services were conducted across various cities, bringing together worshippers to offer heartfelt prayers for the peace, security, and progress of the country.
In Karachi, a central celebration was held at St Patrick’s Church, which was attended by a large number of believers. Extensive security arrangements were in place at various churches across the city to ensure a safe and peaceful celebration.
Lahore marked the celebration with a 100-pound cake, which was cut at St Luke’s Church in Shahdara. Similar events took place in Bahawalpur, Quetta, Multan, Sargodha, and Lodhran, with churches organising prayer gatherings under tight security.
Meanwhile, 1,300 police personnel ensured safety of the churches as the community marked the day with religious enthusiasm in Multan.
A comprehensive security plan was implemented in Lodhran with walk-through gates and CCTV cameras installed at churches.
On this occassion, President Asif Ali Zardari said that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the fundamental rights of all citizens, irrespective of their faith.
He said upholding the rights of all citizens is essential for fostering national unity and progress.
In his message on Christmas, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif conveyed his warmest greetings to all those celebrating in the country and around the world.
The PM emphasised the profound teachings of Prophet Isa (AS), particularly his message of peace, love and compassion, urging all to reflect on these enduring values.
"Jesus preached enduring values such as compassion, kindness, mercy and wisdom, guiding people toward virtuous living and urging them to seek divine mercy," the prime minister said.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to upholding the rights of all religious communities, the prime minister emphasized that Pakistan remained dedicated to fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding. "We will continue to ensure that every individual, regardless of their faith, can practice their beliefs freely and contribute to the collective advancement of our nation," he added.
The prime minister wished that may this Christmas bring joy and blessings to every home and may the coming year be filled with hope, peace, and success for our beloved country and its people.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also wished the Christians a heartfelt greetings on the occasion.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur highlighted the significant contributions of minorities, particularly the Christian community, to the nation’s development and reaffirmed their equal rights as guaranteed by the constitution.
The celebrations underscored the unity and contributions of the Christian community in the country, as they joined millions worldwide in marking this special day with devotion and joy.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1265231-christians-celebrate-christmas-with-traditional-festivity-across-pakistan
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Saudi Cabinet welcomes UN request for ICJ opinion on Israel’s obligations
December 24, 2024
The Cabinet expressed gratitude for the positive stance of the countries that supported the resolution, Dec. 24 (SPA)
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RIYADH: The Saudi Cabinet welcomed on Tuesday the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on Israel’s obligations related to the presence and activities of the UN.
Last week, UN member states requested the World Court to act urgently, with 137 countries voting in favor, 12 against and 22 abstaining.
The resolution was put forward by Norway on behalf of a core group of 13 countries, including the Kingdom.
An advisory opinion from the ICJ will clarify Israel’s obligations under international law to ensure and facilitate the work of the UN, international organizations and third states in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and basic services to the Palestinian civilian population.
The resolution and its adoption come after Israel’s Knesset passed a law in October banning the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East from operating in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Cabinet expressed gratitude for the positive stance of the countries that supported the resolution, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The Saudi Cabinet meeting, chaired by King Salman, also discussed the recent meeting between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani.
On Sudan, the Cabinet affirmed Saudi Arabia’s position to end the conflict in the country, stressing efforts to enhance humanitarian aid and seek a political future that secures Sudan’s stability, unity and sovereignty.
The Cabinet commended the hosting of the first Arab Cybersecurity Ministers Council in Riyadh this month, aimed at enhancing cooperation among Arab nations in cybersecurity and computer-related threats.
Domestically, the Cabinet recognized the progress made by government agencies in the digital transformation index for 2024 and their efforts to improve services to residents and visitors of the Kingdom.
Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary told SPA that the Cabinet praised the success of recent economic, cultural and media conferences and events in Riyadh, strengthening the city’s position as a global hub for science, knowledge, investment and innovation.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584194/saudi-arabia
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India
NIA Chargesheets Two For Conspiring To Promote the Hizb-ut-Tahrir Ideology and Establish Islamic Caliphate In India
24.12.24
The NIA has chargesheeted two men for allegedly conspiring to establish an Islamic caliphate in India, besides spreading terror in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, it said in a statement.
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation, the accused were actively involved in recruiting "Daris/students" to "secret classes" of the Hizb ut Tahrir (HuT) terror organisation.
In its chargesheet filed before the special NIA court, Poonamallee, Chennai, Abdul Rehman alias Abdul Rahman and Mujibur Rehman alias Mujibur Rahman Altham Sahib have been charged under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for conspiring and preparing to undertake terrorist acts to promote the HuT ideology in Tamil Nadu and other places.
"They had also conducted Bayan (religious exposition) classes and had made several short films to further the organisation's anti-India ideology on social media platforms. They had further organised an exhibition to showcase the military might of Islamic nations that would be invited (Nussrah) to overthrow the legally established government in India through violent jihad and war," according to the NIA statement.
The NIA investigations revealed that the accused had conspired with self-styled HuT office-bearers to propagate the outfit's ideology, aimed at establishing an Islamic caliphate in India and enforcing the Sharia-based draft constitution written by HuT founder Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani, it said.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/nia-chargesheets-two-for-conspiring-to-establish-islamic-caliphate-in-india/cid/2073104
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Voting Figures Of Maharashtra Elections Disprove Believe 'Vote Jihad' Claim: SP MLA
25 December 2024
Thane: Samajwadi Party legislator Rais Shaikh on Wednesday said the results of assembly constituencies in Maharashtra with a sizeable Muslim presence disprove the claim that the minority community votes en mass against the BJP.The MLA from Bhiwandi (East) cited voting figures to claim that the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition won 21 out of 38 seats in the November 20 elections where the Muslim population ranges from 20 percent to 52 percent.
Most of the winning candidates were Hindus, Shaikh said in a statement here."If 'vote Jihad' existed, this would not have been the case. Some Mahayuti candidates won by a margin of as little as 1,500 votes. But the claim of 'vote Jihad' has been used to malign the Muslim community," he alleged.He himself won in a Muslim-majority constituency by a margin of 52,000 votes, including 18,000 votes from Hindus, the SP MLA said, adding that the BJP's "divisive slogans" such as `Batnege to Katnege' and `Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai" did not have any impact on voters.
On the other hand, Muslim candidates Hasan Mushrif and Abdul Sattar were elected from Hindu-majority Kagal and Sillod seats, respectively, he pointed out.
Shaikh also said that while Muslims are 11.56 percent of Maharashtra's population, their representation in the new assembly is only 3.47 percent.
During the election campaign, BJP leader and then deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had accused the Opposition of trying to polarize voters and said if there was `vote Jihad', it would have to be countered by `dharma yudh' of votes.
Source:deccanherald.com
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https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/voting-figures-of-maharashtra-elections-believe-vote-jihad-claim-sp-mla-3331635
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Budaun court to tell if it will hear plea over existence of temple at Jama Masjid Shamsi mosque site on Jan 18
24 December 2024
Budaun (UP): A court will on January 18 decide whether it will hear a plea claiming the existence of Neelkanth temple at the Jama Masjid Shamsi mosque site in Budaun.Civil judge (senior sivision) Amit Kumar posted the matter of January 18, 2025 when it will decide whether the matter would be heard or not, advocate Ved Prakash Sahu, representing the Hindu side said on December 23.
Lawyers from both sides had put forth their respective sides on December 17.The lawyer said the court did not pass any decision and fixed January 18 as the date owing to the ensuing district bar association elections
Patel, the then convener of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, claimed the temple existed at the mosque site and sought permission to worship in the structure.
On December 12, the Supreme Court restrained all the courts in the country from entertaining and passing any effective interim or final orders on any lawsuits seeking reliefs including survey of religious places under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.The direction of a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan came on a batch of pleas and cross pleas relating to the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
\The Jama Masjid Shamsi is built on an elevated area called Sotha Mohalla and is considered the highest structure in the town of Budaun. It is also believed to be the third oldest existing and seventh largest mosque in the country with a capacity to accommodate 23,500 people.
Source:deccanherald.com
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https://www.deccanherald.com/india/uttar-pradesh/budaun-court-to-tell-if-it-will-hear-plea-over-existence-of-temple-at-jama-masjid-shamsi-mosque-site-on-jan-18-3330594
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Seven more arrested in Sambhal violence case
24 Dec 2024
SAMBHAL: Seven men were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the November 24 Sambhal violence that left four people dead, police said.
So far 47 people have been arrested in the case and 91 people identified, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shrish Chandra told reporters here.
Those arrested on Tuesday were identified as Shoaib, Sujauddin, Rahat, Mohd Azam, Azharuddin, Javed and Mustafa, police said.
Teams have been set up to arrest other accused involved in the incident.
According to police, 11 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence.
Sambhal remained tense since November 19, when the local Shahi Jama Masjid underwent a survey following a court order on a petition claiming that there was a Harihar temple earlier.
Violence broke out on November 24 when the mosque was being surveyed again.
Stone pelting took place in Pakka Baag Hindu Pura Kheda, a police motorcycle was burnt, and magazine and cartridges of a police pistol were looted, following which a case was registered at Nakhasa police station.
Four people died and scores of others were injured in a clash between protesters and police.
According to police, 29 police personnel were injured in the flare-up.
Source:newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Dec/24/seven-more-arrested-in-sambhal-violence-case
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Delhi court refuses to pass order on J&K MP Rashid Engineer’s regular bail plea
December 24, 2024
A Delhi court on Tuesday (December 24, 2024) refused to pass an order on Baramulla MP, Shiekh Abdul Rashid’s (alias Engineer Rashid) regular bail application under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror-funding case.
Additional sessions judge (ASJ) Chander Jit Singh of the Patiala House Court dismissed the application filed by the accused seeking to pronounce order on the bail application.
The court noted that it can only only decide the miscellaneous application and not the regular bail plea at the current stage.
The matter was heard after on, December 19, the district judge sent the case back to the ASJ Singh.
It was the ASJ Singh who had requested the district judge to transfer Mr. Rashid’s case to a court designated to try lawmakers considering the fact the accused is now an MP. The court had also recommended transferring a connected money laundering case and Rashid’s regular bail plea to the court meant for lawmakers.
The case was again sent to ASJ after the all accused persons and the prosecuting agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed no objection on the same. The NIA also submitted in the court that the matter related to the jurisdiction of the court is currently pending before the Delhi High Court.
The ASJ would continue to hear the case till the high court passes a final order on the issue of jurisdiction.
Mr. Rashid’s name cropped up during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly funding terrorist groups and separatists in the Kashmir valley.
The NIA had filed a charge sheet against several people, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in the case.
Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Source:thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/delhi-court-refuses-to-pass-order-on-jk-mp-rashid-engineers-regular-bail-plea/article69023118.ece
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South Asia
ijtema Clash: Zubair faction announces indefinite sit-in
Dec 25, 2024
A faction of the Tablighi Jamaat loyal to Maulana Zubair Ahmad has announced an indefinite sit-in starting tomorrow morning in Kakrail, demanding a state ban on Maulana Saad Kandhalvi and his followers.
Identifying themselves as "Shura-e-Nizam," the Zubair faction declared that no activities by the Saad faction would be allowed at the Tongi World Ijtema ground or the Tablighi Jamaat's Kakrail Mosque.
At a press conference held at the Kakrail Mosque yesterday, Kefaetullah Azhari, principal of Jamiyatul Manhalul Qawmiya Madrasa, read a statement calling for a state ban on the Saad faction. He demanded the arrest of those allegedly involved in the December 17 attack in Tongi, which left three dead and many injured.
"The culprits must be apprehended within 24 hours, and law enforcement agencies' role during the attack remains questionable," Azhari said.
He also demanded that Tablighi activities at Kakrail Mosque and the Tongi Ijtema ground be conducted under the Shura-e-Nizam's supervision.
The sit-in, set to begin at 9:00am Thursday, will be peaceful, avoiding road blockages, Azhari assured.
The faction blamed the Saad group for the December 17 clash over control of the Tongi ground, which resulted in violent confrontations between the two groups.
Tablighi Jamaat leaders, including Shahriar Mahmud and Maulana Zubair Ahmad, were present at the press conference.
Source:thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/ijtema-clash-zubair-faction-announces-indefinite-sit-3784116
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Islamic Emirate Condemns Pakistani Airstrike in Paktika as Violation of International Law
2024-12-25
PAKTIKA(BNA): The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has strongly condemned the Pakistani military’s bombing in Barmal district of Paktika province, calling it a brutal act, a violation of international principles, and a blatant aggression.
According to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense, the Pakistani military bombarded parts of Barmal district yesterday evening, targeting civilians, many of whom are from Waziristan. The attack resulted in casualties, including children who were martyred and injured.
The statement further emphasized that such actions by the Pakistani side are inhumane, against all international norms, and will not solve any issues. It warned that the Islamic Emirate considers defending its territory and sovereignty as its legitimate right and will not leave this cowardly act unanswered.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/islamic-emirate-condemns-pakistani-airstrike-in-paktika-as-violation-of-international-law/
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National Defense Minister Chairs Security and Clearance Commission Meeting
2024-12-25
KABUL(BNA): The Security and Clearance Commission convened under the chairmanship of Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Acting Minister of National Defense and Head of the Commission.
According to a statement from the Security and Clearance Commission, the meeting featured extensive discussions on various security and clearance-related issues.
The commission’s leadership emphasized ensuring greater security and transparency in the clearance process during the session.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/national-defense-minister-chairs-security-and-clearance-commission-meeting/
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Economic Commission’s Technical Committee Approves Key Proposals
2024-12-24
KABUL(BNA): The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, reported that the Technical Committee of the Economic Commission has approved several topics.
According to a press release from the department, during the regular meeting of the Technical Committee, held yesterday at the Marmarin Palace, the proposal for allocating a mining area for large-scale mineral processing, with necessary amendments, and the report from the assigned committee on the feasibility of the second phase (Qala-e-Afzal Dam) of the Kamal Khan Dam were both approved and referred to the Economic Commission for final decision.
Furthermore, in this meeting, a proposal for the construction of a canal from the Kokcha River to Dasht Abdan was discussed, and the necessary decision was made.
Additionally, the meeting addressed a proposal to control and reduce single-use plastics and recommended the Afghanistan National Environmental Protection Agency (ANDMA) to refine the proposal, considering the opinions of relevant ministries and departments, and to hold meetings with the private sector for its implementation.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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Khost Customs Unveils 105 Million AFN Parking Facility for Heavy Vehicles
2024-12-24
KHOST(BNA): Local officials in Khost have announced the completion of a modern parking facility for heavy and cargo vehicles at the Khost Customs Department, built at a cost of 105 million Afghanis.
The parking facility, constructed on 14 jeribs of land within the Khost Customs Department, is designed with modern concrete structures and includes water and lighting systems. It is equipped with all necessary amenities for customs operations and can accommodate up to 300 vehicles. The project was completed in eight months, funded by the General Directorate of Customs, and was officially inaugurated today, Tuesday.
Qari Abdul Samad Saeed, the Director of Goods Inspection at the Khost Customs Department, stated that the previous parking area was small and inadequate, unable to accommodate the daily influx of vehicles. During the rainy season, vehicles would become stuck in mud, and goods could not be properly inspected or monitored. The construction of this modern and durable facility has resolved these issues, providing significant convenience.
Drivers and traders have also expressed satisfaction with the new facility. Among them, Alamuddin and Mohammad Jan noted that the improved parking area now protects their goods from dust and mud, addresses challenges related to vehicle parking, inspections, and monitoring, and prevents vehicles from parking on the main road. They also called for the remaining sections of the parking area to be paved and completed.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mawlawi Hedayatullah, a representative of the General Directorate of Customs, stated that similar projects are planned for all customs departments across Afghanistan. He urged drivers and the staff of the Khost Customs Department to ensure the proper maintenance of the newly constructed facility.
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Mideast
‘Many have had their eyes opened for the first time’ to Palestine’s occupation, Bethlehem’s Rev. Munther Isaac tells Arab News
DAOUD KUTTAB
December 24, 2024
BETHELHEM: Amid the ongoing suffering in Gaza, Rev. Munther Isaac, the Palestinian pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, told Arab News that his enduring source of hope is his “faith in God and the resilience of our Palestinian people.”
Isaac, who last Christmas drew global attention after his church displayed a nativity featuring the baby Jesus draped in a keffiyeh amid a heap of rubble, representing the war in Gaza, said he had been taken aback by the worldwide response to his imagery.
“It has been a year since we installed Christ in the rubble in our church here in Bethlehem, and honestly I am shocked and horrified to my core that this war is still going on and that all our efforts, demonstrations around the world, the cries and the images of people, children killed didn’t stop this war,” he said.
Israel mounted a devastating military operation in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 people, most of them Israeli civilians, and saw around 250 taken hostage, including scores of foreign nationals.
The bombardment of Gaza and strangulation of aid flows into the embattled territory has resulted in more than 43,000 deaths, some 70 percent of the women and children, according to health ministry officials, leading to accusations of genocide.
Isaac said the widespread revulsion inspired by the conflict had created a worldwide movement in support of the Palestinian cause, with several churches around the globe copying the imagery of Jesus in the rubble to show their support.
“I still receive these days, a year on, images of churches around the world that have created something similar, whether in their churches or church leaders carrying signs with the image of Jesus in the rubble or using that metaphor that if Jesus was born today he would be found in the rubble,” he said.
The Palestinian pastor said he has been “overwhelmed” by that response and the media attention.
“I am grateful that this has enabled us to speak about the suffering of our people, that it enabled us to try as much as we can to humanize our message that this is about children, about real people,” he said.
“We are seeing people united together in churches and sometimes in synagogues with the aim of convincing the warlords, which they called them, to stop this war.”
But the native of the Bethlehem district town of Beit Sahour, where the biblical story of the Shepherds watching their flock by night occurred, called on supporters and those who can show solidarity with Palestinians to visit the occupied territories.
Isaac, who is also the academic dean at the Bethlehem Bible College, oversaw an international conference in May titled “Christ at the Checkpoint,” which drew hundreds of attendees from across the globe.
“It was great to see people come from around the world to express their support and solidarity, to stay in our hotels and cater to our restaurants and shops,” said Isaac.
Bethlehem’s tourism industry has been badly hit by the dramatic fall in visitor numbers since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. Prior to the conflict, well over a million pilgrims and tourists would visit the birthplace of Jesus every year.
Isaac has become a global voice for Christians and Palestinians, attending meetings with national security officials at the White House, participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London, and recently speaking in a South Africa mosque.
He was damning in his assessment of the US President-elect Donald Trump’s new cabinet picks, including the new US ambassador to Israel, Michael Huckabee, who has said he does not believe there is an Israeli occupation.
“When you look at what they are saying, that there is no occupation, that it is Judea and Samaria (rather than the West Bank), it clearly shows their imagined reality of Palestine from their biblical understanding, Trump’s (understanding), (removed from) any reality on the ground, whether it is international law or the reality we are living in,” said Isaac.
“When he says there is no occupation, I want to take him with me when we take our kids to school every day, and we pass by a checkpoint with (Israeli) soldiers pointing their guns at us.”
Isaac said the most dangerous thing about the holders of this ideology is that they “have a totally different sphere or reality to them. It is the imagined biblical times. God has given the land to Israel, and it does not matter what international law says.
“It does not matter that Palestinians have lived on this land for generations. To them, the only reality that matters is the way they understand the Bible.
“I find it strange that these are the very same people that preach to the world about the separation of state and religion, yet here they are imposing their own religious beliefs on me and our people, and they want all of us in the Middle East to accept not only their religion but to accept the way they interrupt the Bible, which is something not all Christians agree on.
“And they want to impose it on Arabs, on Palestinians, even on Palestinian Christians with a total disregard for reality or international law.”
However, Isaac said he is seeing changes, or what he called “cracks in the wall,” in how Christians are responding. “I receive lots of messages and I begin to see this change, and the crimes that Israel is committing are so hard to ignore,” he said.
In his Christmas sermon last year, Isaac said the conflict in Gaza had divided the world. Now he says Gaza “has created a division also among Christians in how they see the world.”
“Some still believe and continue with the narrative in the West that Israel is defending itself and that this is a legitimate war or the Christian Zionist brand that says that this is Israel’s land to begin with, while others who are more concerned about justice and human rights are beginning to speak out,” he said.
“Many have had their eyes opened for the first time. Let us not forget that many in the West do not even realize Palestinian Christians exist. So, when they see and hear from pastors that even the church in Gaza was attacked and that Christians in Gaza are killed, women were shot dead in the church yard, it challenges their perspectives that this change is not enough to stop the war.”
Isaac says there are many parallels between the Christmas story and what Palestinians are living through today.
“Jesus was born under occupation, became a refugee, and survived the massacre of children,” he said. “All these are stories in the gospel. When we look at Jesus, we find hope. When we look at God, who is good and just, we have hope.
“That is why, this Christmas season, our hope comes from our faith. We will continue to pray.”
Like last year, Bethlehem’s festive decorations will again be more muted in a sign of respect to those killed and suffering in Gaza. “Yes, we will not light Christmas trees and Santas,” said Isaac. “That enables us to talk about the true meaning of Christmas.”
The heads of the various churches of Jerusalem have also called on church leaders to share messages of hope during this year’s Christmas celebrations. “Our faith is being tested and we need to keep the faith,” said Isaac.
“This is the place that Christianity started, there has been an ongoing Christian presence in Bethlehem in Jerusalem and in Nazareth for 2,000 years, and I believe there will be Christian presence after this.
“As long as we are committed to keep the witness from the place where it all started, I think we can survive this period.”
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How Syria’s Christians are marking Christmas amid political change and uncertainty
NADIA ALFAOUR
December 24, 2024
DUBAI: For Father Iyad Ghanem, a Catholic priest at the Syriac Archdiocese of Homs and Hama, two of Syria’s four largest cities, this Christmas represents both new beginnings and the end of a dark chapter in Syria’s history.
In the wake of the dramatic developments that led to the ousting of Syria’s long-time President Bashar Assad on Dec. 8, Christians in the country are celebrating Christmas under the transitional government of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) for the first time.
HTS, a rebel group led by Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto leader, has sought to reassure minority communities, including Kurds, Alawites and Shiites, as it distances itself from its hardline Islamist roots. For many Christians, the end of the Assad era has come as a veritable Christmas gift.
“Our churches are at peace, and we, as clergymen, are free to conduct our masses. Yet, it is too early for the parish to pass judgment on HTS. The atmosphere remains uncertain, and much is left to unfold,” Father Iyad told Arab News.
“Our country and community have endured so much over the past 13 years. With this new era upon us, we must free ourselves from fear, find the voices that were silenced for so long, and eliminate radicalism in all its forms. This is all unfamiliar territory, and we are still adjusting.”
Syria is part of a region often referred to as the “cradle of Christianity,” making it one of the earliest places in the world to host a Christian community. In the town of Maaloula, a handful of villages still speak Aramaic, the ancient dialect of Christ, to this day.
Once numbering over a million, Syria’s Christian population has dwindled to just 3 percent owing to the prolonged war that began in 2011 and the rise of Daesh in 2014. The violence and persecution left them vulnerable, forcing a large-scale exodus to Western countries.
Rassem Sairafi, a Christian from Homs, said he is optimistic about Syria’s future and hopes for a democratic and free nation.
“Many educated Syrians are returning from abroad. If they are included in the new government, I believe we will be in safe hands,” he told Arab News.
“Historically, Syria’s Sunni majority has been moderate. It was only during the war that began in 2011 that sectarianism took root. Hopefully, we can leave that behind and ensure we do not replace one dictatorship with another.”
The Assad regime left Syria in ruins. Its legacy is starkly evident in decimated infrastructure, a deeply entrenched corrupt political system, and a bankrupt economy that has pushed 90 percent of the population below the poverty line.
In a report for the US public broadcaster PBS on Dec. 12, correspondent Simona Foltyn said: “Streets are getting busier by the day and shops and government institutions are slowly returning to work.
“The opposition has taken over government institutions in the capital, Damascus, and has begun the task of governing the country, using its experience in Idlib as a blueprint. But administrating a whole country, as opposed to a province, is quite a different matter, and it remains to be seen how easily it can be scaled.”
She added: “Apart from the joy and relief, the mundane but vital work of making a country function is job number one for many.”
With Assad’s fall, Christians face additional uncertainty as a religious minority about their fate under the country’s new rulers. They feel that their future hangs in the delicate balance of a new era and constitution.
The Christian community, like all Syrians, endured severe hardships under Assad’s regime and so regards the new government with a mix of caution and optimism.
“We are nervous because we are unsure. We do not know what the future holds,” said Rawaa, a Christian from Damascus. “But we are aware of HTS’s history. While their recent legislative decisions are comforting, we remain eager to see if they will uphold these commitments over time.”
Despite being hailed as Syria’s “liberators” and Al-Sharaa’s recent efforts to rebrand himself — shedding his military persona as Abu Mohamad Al-Jolani to adopt the image of a statesman — the country’s stability and economic recovery remain precarious.
HTS is still designated as a terrorist group by the UN, US, EU, and UK, among many others, as it started as a splinter group of Al-Qaeda, which it broke away from in 2016.
Once confined to the overcrowded and impoverished northwestern region of Idlib but now acting as the self-imposed caretaker government in Damascus, HTS faces the daunting challenge of rebuilding a nation devastated by years of corruption and mismanagement under Assad.
In an effort to stave off chaos, Al-Sharaa has taken steps to restore basic services in some areas, called for the preservation of state institutions, and promoted the vision of an inclusive society and a peaceful transition to new governance.
Senior leaders of the transitional government continue to meet with representatives of various religious communities, emphasizing their commitment to protecting minority rights as part of broader efforts to reassure both Syrians and the international community.
Both Father Iyad and Rawaa voiced their aversion to the use of the term “minority” when describing their community, insisting they are an integral part of Syria’s fabric and one of the essential components that define the country.
This year, across various parts of the country, only churches have adorned their doors and squares with Christmas decorations — a gesture that Rawaa interprets as a sign of hope for the future. However, celebrations remain subdued. Many, including Rawaa’s family and friends, are opting for private gatherings.
“My neighborhood hasn’t put up Christmas decorations since the war began 13 years ago, and this year is no different,” Rawaa told Arab News.
“But it’s not out of fear of HTS. It’s because of the shortages we face and the hardships we endure. We lack electricity, fuel, and financial resources. The population is struggling, and the festive spirit is hard to find in such conditions.”
“Our celebrations will be within our homes, with close family and friends,” Rawaa said. “This is a new experience for us. While there has been no persecution from HTS, we are proceeding cautiously. The transitional government has promised to launch awareness campaigns to combat radicalism if necessary. Time will tell if they fulfill that promise.”
Mary Bitar, a Christian from Damascus, saw reason for optimism amid the adversities in the lead-up to Christmas.
“People are out and about. No one is being harassed. We may lack Christmas lights because of the electricity shortages, but our hearts are full, and we remain hopeful,” she said.
In his comments, Father Iyad emphasized that isolated acts of terrorism must be addressed before they escalate, citing a recent incident in Hama where armed men desecrated a Christian graveyard and set crosses in town squares ablaze.
“Small factions that align themselves with HTS must be controlled,” he told Arab News. “Those seeking to sow chaos must be stopped. We will not tolerate any radicalized behavior.”
Despite these challenges, Father Iyad remains steadfast in his message of hope. “My wish is for unity — a just legislation that provides equal rights to all Syrians. A peaceful, beautiful Syria for everyone.”
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Palestinian Authority clashes with Al Jazeera over Jenin coverage
December 24, 2024
JERUSALEM: Al Jazeera television has clashed with the Palestinian Authority over its coverage of the weeks-long standoff between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Fatah, the faction which controls the Palestinian Authority, condemned the Qatari-headquartered network, which has reported extensively on the clashes in Jenin, saying it was sowing division in “our Arab homeland in general and in Palestine in particular.” It encouraged Palestinians not to cooperate with the network.
Israel closed down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel in May, saying it threatened national security. In September, it ordered the network’s bureau in Ramallah, to close for 45 days after an intelligence assessment that the offices were being used to support terrorist activities.
“Al Jazeera has successfully maintained its professionalism throughout its coverage of the unfolding events in Jenin,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Palestinian Authority security forces have battled Islamist fighters in Jenin, as they try to control one of the historic centers of militancy in the West Bank ahead of a likely shakeout in Palestinian politics after the Gaza war.
Forces of the PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, moved into Jenin in early December, clashing daily with fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which are supported by Iran.
The standoff has fueled bitter anger on both sides, deepening the divisions which have long existed between the Palestinian factions and their supporters.
Al Jazeera said its broadcasts fairly presented the views of both sides.
“The voices of both the Palestinian resistance and the Spokesperson of the Palestinian National Security Forces have always been present on Al Jazeera’s screens,” Al Jazeera said.
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Israeli military intercepts missile launched from Yemen, army says
December 25, 2024
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Wednesday it intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward the country from Yemen.
Air raid sirens sounded over a wide swathe of central Israel as a precaution against falling debris, but the army said it shot down the projectile before it entered Israeli territory.
No injuries were reported, according to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency medical services.
“A missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory,” the Israeli army wrote on the Telegram social media platform. “Sirens regarding rocket and missile launches were activated due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception.”
On Tuesday, the Israeli army also said it had intercepted a projectile fired from Yemen.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago. Most of them have been intercepted, but on Saturday an attack on Tel Aviv injured 16 people.
In recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to the rebels.
“I have instructed our forces to destroy the infrastructure of Houthis, because anyone who tries to harm us will be struck with full force,” Netanyahu said, “even if it takes time.”
In July, a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The Houthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes by US and sometimes British forces.
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Israeli military says a commander injured during operation in West Bank
December 25, 2024
CAIRO: The Israeli military said on Wednesday that a commander was moderately injured after his vehicle was hit by an explosive device during a “counter-terrorism” operation in the area of Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
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Israel probe finds troops’ presence led to killing of six Gaza hostages
December 25, 2024
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said on Tuesday it had concluded that military operations in southern Gaza likely led to the killing by Hamas of six hostages in August.
As the fighting churns on, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said that an Israeli delegation returned from a “significant” round of talks in Qatar aiming to secure a truce and the release of dozens of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
In late August, after troops found the six hostages’ bodies in an underground shaft in Rafah, the military said they were killed just before soldiers reached them.
Netanyahu said at the time that the six — Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino — were “executed” with a bullet “to the head.”
The military probe into their deaths found that Israeli “ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to murder the six hostages,” the army said in a statement on Tuesday.
It said that “based on the investigation, the hostages were murdered by gunfire from Hamas terrorists” while Israeli forces were operating in the Tel Al-Sultan area.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group responded to the army’s statement by calling for action to bring back all remaining hostages.
“The time has come to bring back all the hostages. We need a deal that will ensure the return of all hostages within a quick and predetermined timeframe,” it said in a statement.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have taken place in Doha in recent days, rekindling hope of an agreement that has proven elusive.
On Monday, Netanyahu told parliament that there was “some progress” in the negotiations, and on Tuesday his office said Israeli negotiators had returned from Qatar after “significant negotiations.”
“The team is returning for internal consultations in Israel regarding the continuation of negotiations for the return of our hostages,” it added.
Hamas and other Palestinian groups have also reported progress this week toward a ceasefire.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, during which militants seized 251 hostages.
Ninety-six of them are still held in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.
The attack resulted in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 45,338 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
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War-weary villages in Lebanon’s south find hope in Christmas festivities
SHEROUK ZAKARIA
December 24, 2024
DUBAI: After being caught in the crosshairs of the 13-month Hezbollah-Israel conflict, predominantly Christian border villages in southern Lebanon are cautiously optimistic as they celebrate the Christmas season and displaced families return home.
Earlier this month, municipalities adorned the streets of these villages with Christmas lights and decorations, expecting the festive atmosphere and a gradual return to normalcy to encourage more displaced residents to come back.
The economic toll of the war, which began as a spillover from the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza, has forced villages to scale back holiday preparations. However, mayors have vowed to preserve the Christmas spirit and pledged support for families recovering from the war’s devastating economic and social tolls.
On Oct. 7, 2023, militants from the Palestinian group Hamas carried out a surprise attack in southern Israel, resulting in 1,200 deaths and the abduction of 240 others. In retaliation, Israel launched a large-scale bombing campaign that has so far killed at least 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health authority.
Cross-border clashes started between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Israeli military on Oct. 8, 2023. Within less than a year, Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes across Lebanon. Over more than 13 months, the airstrikes have displaced more than 1.3 million people, according to UN figures, killed at least 4,000 Lebanese, and destroyed entire villages in southern Lebanon.
Ain Ebel, a Christian-majority village in southern Lebanon, is among the hardest-hit areas. Its residents were ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate ahead of the ground invasion on Oct. 1. However, the ceasefire agreement signed on Nov. 27 has offered a glimmer of hope.
Imad Lallous, the village’s mayor, said Ain Ebel is holding Christmas festivities — albeit on a smaller scale than in previous years — to celebrate the community’s resilience and hopes for a brighter future.
“We were worried that we would not be able to celebrate this year,” he told Arab News. “However, after the ceasefire and the return of Ain Ebel’s residents, it was impossible to let this holiday pass without celebrations, decorations, a Christmas tree, and Jesus Christ’s nativity scene.”
“We are working on restoring the joyful spirit in Ain Ebel,” he added.
The village, once alive with street celebrations, bustling church squares, and vibrant Christmas markets showcasing local products, has been overshadowed by the economic hardships of war in a country already grappling with a severe financial crisis since 2019.
Lallous called for community solidarity through donations to restore the spirit of Christmas and support families returning to their war-wrecked homes.
“There is serious damage to the houses, and we will see what we can do to help the owners repair or rebuild them,” he said.
“I hope we can celebrate Christmas and other holidays peacefully. I hope we don’t relive wars, destruction and bombardment anymore. I hope no one loses their home and everything they own. I hope this year’s war will be the last in the region.”
Located just a few miles from Lebanon’s border with Israel, Ain Ebel is currently home to 240 families. Lallous hopes the number will rise to 330 after the festive season. “This will boost the economic activity of shops and businesses,” he said.
He also believes the reopening of schools, a symbol of life returning to normal, could encourage those who relocated to Beirut to return to Ain Ebel.
“Classes resumed this week for attending students, but most of those receiving an education in Beirut will return to Ain Ebel’s school — College des Sœurs des Saint Coeurs — to continue their studies here.”
Christian-majority villages near the Israeli border have been badly affected by the hostilities, including Debel, Ain Ebel, Rmeich, and Al-Quzah in Bint Jbeil; Alma Shaab in Tyre District; and Deir Mimas and Qlayaa in Marjeyoun.
Several of these, namely Ain Ebel, Deir Mimas, Qlayaa, and Alma Shaab, were among the 27 areas ordered to evacuate.
And while some residents, including priests, refused to leave their homes, most fled north or to Beirut.
Since the ceasefire was announced on Nov. 27, more than 900,000 people have begun returning to their areas of origin, but nearly 179,000 remain displaced, according to UN figures.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri urged people to return to their homes in the south, even if it means having to “live on the rubble,” he said in a televised speech.
The 13-month war has partially or fully destroyed around 100,000 homes across Lebanon. The World Bank estimates the damage at approximately $8.5 billion, further deepening the country’s financial crisis.
Despite both Hezbollah and Israel accusing each other of violations, the ceasefire also represents a hopeful step toward a permanent cessation of hostilities and the enforcement of UN Resolution 1701, which called for a demilitarized zone, free of armed personnel except for the Lebanese army.
The US-brokered ceasefire agreement requires Israel to gradually withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, to be replaced by Lebanese troops over 60 days. Hezbollah must also pull its forces north of the Litani River and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south.
Mayor Lallous said Christmas offers an opportunity to emphasize the solidarity and unity of the Lebanese people, countering fears of sectarian divisions sparked by mass displacement and the targeting of Christian villages.
“We have always lived peacefully together in our region and have not seen any divisions,” he said. “I hope the war we have experienced has not left any consequences here. We deal with our neighbors in a civilized way, and we wish we could always remain like this.”
He added: “We must be convinced that we need to seek our community’s well-being rather than society’s suffering.
“I hope the experience we have gone through will be a lesson for everyone so that we can move toward peace and family and keep our young people here instead of seeing them leave. I hope we won’t have to rebuild our homes in 10-15 years.”
Among the Christian areas that displayed deep solidarity during the war was Rmeich. The village, neighboring Ain Ebel, sheltered hundreds of displaced Lebanese — both Shiite Muslims and Christians — from other villages in the region at a local monastery.
Others, including those who fled from Ain Ebel, found refuge in fellow villagers’ homes.
Miled Alam, mayor of Rmeich, said: “Lebanon cannot rise without the participation of all its sects, communities and religions.
“Since its establishment, Lebanon has been made up of several sects, and nobody can eliminate the other,” he told Arab News. “All its components can, together, build a new Lebanon that relies on hope, its culture, state, institutions, and judiciary.”
Emphasizing the importance of celebrating Christmas this year, Alam expressed hope that all of Rmeich’s more than 8,000 residents would attend the festivities, along with those from the nearby villages of Ain Ebel and Debel.
“The occurrence of war does not mean we will not carry out customs, traditions, and religious rituals,” he said. “Last year, we celebrated amidst the war and bombardment.”
“We also organized an event for the children in the church square, rang the bells, prayed and held masses.”
Rmeich, while maintaining a sense of safety with its schools remaining open, still felt the effects of war. Commercial activities came to a halt, and residents faced severe shortages of food and essential resources.
“People were left without work for 14 months and zero productivity. Those who had small sums of money had to spend them,” Alam said.
Rmeich is known for its red-tiled houses, nestled among green hills renowned for tobacco cultivation.
Alam noted that Christian festivities aim to bring hope and joy to families who have suffered and lost during the war. He promised to find ways to support those in pain.
“Despite all these circumstances, we will identify means through which we can help them and stand by them,” he said.
“We will bring joy to their hearts, as this is the least we can do after the resilience they demonstrated over the course of 14 months.”
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Kurdish-led forces push back Turkish-backed Syrian rebels in a tense offensive
December 24, 2024
QAMISHLI, Syria: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Tuesday they have launched a counter-offensive against the Ankara-backed Syrian National Army to take back areas near Syria’s northern border with Turkiye.
The SDF is Washington’s critical ally in Syria, targeting sleeper cells of the extremist Daesh group scattered across the country’s east.
Since the fall of the totalitarian rule of Bashar Assad earlier this month, clashes have intensified between the US-backed group and the SNA, which captured the key city of Manbij and the areas surrounding it.
The intense weekslong clashes come at a time when Syria, battered by over a decade of war and economic misery, negotiates its political future following half a century under the Assad dynasty’s rule.
Ruken Jamal, spokesperson of the Women’s Protection Unit, or YPJ, under the SDF, told The Associated Press that their fighters are just over seven miles away from the center of Manbij in their ongoing counter-offensive.
She accused Ankara of trying to weaken the group’s influence in negotiations over Syria’s political future through the SNA,
“Syria is now in a new phase, and discussions are underway about the future of the country,” Jamal said. “Turkiye is trying, through its attacks, to distract us with battles and exclude us from the negotiations in Damascus.”
The Britain-based opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says since the SNA’s offensive in northern Syria against the Kurds started earlier this month, dozens from both sides have been killed.
Ankara sees the SDF as an affiliate of its sworn enemy, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which it classifies as a terrorist organization. Turkish-backed armed groups alongside Turkish jets for years have attacked positions where the SDF are largely present across northern Syria, in a bid to create a buffer zone free from the group along the large shared border.
While the SNA was involved in the lightning insurgency — led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham — that toppled Assad, it has continued its push against the SDF, seen as Syria’s second key actor for its political future.
On Monday, the SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami said the group’s forces pushed back the Turkish-backed rebels from areas near the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates, a key source of hydroelectric power. He said the SDF also destroyed a tank belonging to the rebels southeast of Manbij.
The British-based war monitor said on Tuesday that the Kurdish-led group, following overnight fighting, has reclaimed four villages in the areas near the strategic dam.
Turkish jets also pounded the strategic border town of Kobani in recent days.
During Syria’s uprising-turned-conflict, the Kurds carved out an enclave of autonomous rule across northeastern Syria, never fully allying entirely with Assad in Damascus nor the rebels trying to overthrow him.
Even with the Assad family out of the picture, it appears that Ankara’s position won’t change, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s landmark visit to Syria maintaining a strong position on the Kurdish-led group in his meeting with de facto leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa of HTS.
“It has turned the region into a cauldron of terror with PKK members and far-left groups who have come from Turkiye, Iraq, Iran and Europe,” Fidan said in a news conference after the meeting. “The international community is turning a blind eye to this lawlessness because of the wardenship it provides (against Daesh).”
With the ongoing fighting, SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi has expressed concern about a strong Daesh resurgence due to the power vacuum in Syria and the ongoing fighting, which has left the Kurdish-led group unable to carry out its attacks and raids on the extremist group’s scattered sleeper cells.
Tens of thousands of children, family members, and supporters of Daesh militants are still held in large detention centers in northeastern Syria, in areas under SDF control.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584216/middle-east
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‘Like a dream’: AFP photographer’s return to Syria
December 24, 2024
DOUMA: AFP photographer Sameer Al-Doumy never dreamed he would be able to return to the hometown in Syria that he escaped through a tunnel seven years ago after it was besieged by Bashar Assad’s forces.
Douma, once a militant stronghold near Damascus, suffered terribly for its defiance of the former regime, and was the victim of a particularly horrific chemical weapons attack in 2018.
“It is like a dream for me today to find myself back here,” he said.
“The revolution was a dream, getting out of a besieged town and of Syria was a dream, as it is now being able to go back.
“We didn’t dare to imagine that Assad could fall because his presence was so anchored in us,” said the 26-year-old.
“My biggest dream was to return to Syria at a moment like this after 13 years of war, just as it was my biggest dream in 2017 to leave for a new life,” said the award-winning photographer who has spent the last few years covering the migrant crisis for AFP’s Lille bureau in northern France.
“I left when I was 19,” said Sameer, all of whose immediate family are in exile, apart from his sister.
“This is my home, all my memories are here, my childhood, my adolescence. I spent my life in Douma in this house my family had to flee and where my cousin now lives.
“The house hasn’t changed, although the top floor was destroyed in the bombardments.
“The sitting room is still the same, my father’s beloved library hasn’t changed. He would settle down there every morning to read the books that he had collected over the years — it was more important to him than his children.
“I went looking for my childhood stuff that my mother kept for me but I could not find it. I don’t know if it exists anymore.
“I haven’t found any comfort here, perhaps because I haven’t found anyone from my family or people I was close to. Some have left the country and others were killed or have disappeared.
“People have been through so much over the last 13 years, from the peaceful protests of the revolution, to the war and the siege and then being forced into exile.
“My memories are here but they are associated with the war which started when I was 13. What I lived through was hard, and what got me through was my family and friends, and they are no longer here.
“The town has changed. I remember the bombed buildings, the rubble. Today life has gone back to a kind of normal as the town waits for people to return.”
Douma was besieged by Assad’s forces from the end of 2012, with Washington blaming his forces for a chemical attack in the region that left more than 1,400 people dead the following year.
Sameer’s career as a photojournalist began when he and his brothers began taking photos of what was happening around them.
“After the schools closed I started to go out filming the protests with my brothers here in front of the main mosque, where the first demonstration in Douma was held after Friday prayers, and where the first funerals of the victims were also held.
“I set up my camera on the first floor of a building which overlooks the mosque and then changed my clothes afterwards so I would not be recognized and arrested. Filming the protests was banned.
“When the security forces attacked, I would take the SIM card out of my phone and the memory card out of my camera and put them in my mouth.”
That way he could swallow them if he was caught.
In May 2017, Sameer fled through a tunnel dug by the militants and eventually found himself in Idlib with former fighters and their families.
“I took the name Sameer Al-Doumy (Sameer from Douma) to affirm that I belonged somewhere,” even though he was exiled, he said. “I stopped using my first name, Motassem, to protect my family living in Damascus.
“In France I have a happy and stable life. I have a family, friends and a job. But I am not rooted to any particular place. When I went back to Syria, I felt I had a country.
“When you are abroad, you get used to the word ‘refugee’ and you get on with your life and make a big effort to integrate in a new society. But your country remains the place that accepts you as you are. You don’t have to prove anything.
“When I left Syria, I never thought one day I would be able to return. When the news broke, I couldn’t believe it. It was impossible Assad could fall. Lots of people are still in shock and are afraid. It is hard to get your head around how a regime that filled people with so much fear could collapse.
“When I returned to the Al-Midan district of Damascus (which had long resisted the regime), I could not stop myself crying.
“I am sad not to be with my loved ones. But I know they will return, even if it takes a while.
“My dream now is that one day we will all come together again in Syria.”
Source:arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584214/middle-east
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Islamic Revolution principles key to Iran’s global strategy, says FM
December 24, 2024
Speaking at the 14th National Conference of Political Leaders and Advisors of the Armed Forces, organized by the Army's Ideological and Political Organization, Araghchi stressed the interdependence of diplomacy and military strategy as vital components of Iran's national power.
“Diplomacy and the field are inseparable; they complement each other in achieving the nation’s strategic goals,” Araghchi said on Tuesday, highlighting the synergy between Iran’s military capabilities and its diplomatic initiatives.
Araghchi described resistance to oppression, injustice, and foreign domination as central tenets of the Islamic Revolution’s discourse. “The ability to stand against tyranny, occupation, and interference is not only enshrined in international law but also resonates as a natural human and moral obligation,” he stated. He credited the Islamic Revolution with revitalizing this ideology, which continues to shape Iran’s domestic and foreign policies.
The Foreign Minister also elaborated on the indispensable role of hard power in strengthening diplomacy. “Without hard power, diplomacy cannot effectively achieve its objectives. Economic, cultural, psychological, and soft power play critical roles in foreign policy, but hard power remains the backbone of these efforts,” he explained.
Araghchi highlighted Iran’s unique ability to develop discourse and adapt to shifting global dynamics. “The Islamic Republic’s strength lies in its capacity to create and sustain a revolutionary narrative, enabling us to navigate even the most challenging circumstances,” he said.
He underscored the importance of national unity and cohesion as the cornerstone of Iran’s power. “A diplomat’s primary duty is to understand and utilize all elements of national power to safeguard our interests and security. However, the true source of these elements is the people. Therefore, we must prioritize fostering national solidarity and consensus,” he asserted.
‘Yemen reshaping regional dynamics independentaly’
Araghchi also reaffirmed the country’s support for Yemenis and Resistance groups across the region, while categorically denying claims that Iran provides military aid to Sana’a.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Araghchi highlighted Yemen’s resilience in the face of economic and military adversity.
He praised Yemenis for their unexpected and unprecedented contributions to the Resistance Movement. He underscored that while Iran supports Resistance efforts, Yemenis have demonstrated their ability to stand independently in their struggle against foreign aggression.
On Monday, Yemeni Armed Forces intensified their attacks on Israeli positions, reportedly launching two drone strikes on locations in Jaffa and Ashkelon.
Source:tehrantimes.com
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https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/507892/Islamic-Revolution-principles-key-to-Iran-s-global-strategy
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Awqaf Ministry opens historic mosque in Old Umm Al Qhab
24 Dec 2024
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf), represented by the Department of Mosques, opened the historic mosque in the old Umm Al Qhab area in December.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry indicated that this step came after the completion of comprehensive maintenance work on the mosque, under the supervision of the Department of Engineering Affairs, in coordination with the Qatar Museums' Architectural Conservation Department, and with funding from the General Directorate of Endowments, noting that the historic mosque, numbered (M.S. 396), includes a main prayer hall that can accommodate 34 worshipers, and the mosque's liwan can accommodate the same number of worshipers, approximately 34 worshipers.
The mosque includes a courtyard that extends over an area of 120 square meters, and a minaret with an archaeological character is erected on its southeastern corner.
The ministry said that maintenance was carried out on the external walls as well as the internal walls of the mosque in a manner consistent with the heritage form, adding that a new roof was built for the mosque in the same old architectural spirit of heritage mosques.
The ministry pointed out that the bridges were reinforced and special wood was placed after treating it with chemicals to protect it from corrosion and damage, then bamboo sticks, mats, wooden panels, thermal and water insulation were placed. The mosque courtyard was also equipped with small pebbles, and a concrete walkway was prepared for people with special needs. The ministry noted that in light of the keenness to preserve the heritage spirit of the mosque, the mosque was provided with a new electricity network with air conditioning, lighting and sound devices, and safety and security devices.
The Department of Engineering Affairs is responsible for providing the needs of the country's regions for mosques and prayer rooms, supplying them with temporary mosques and supervising their preservation, preparing the annual plan for the maintenance of mosques and imams' residences, in coordination with the relevant authorities, supervising the preparation and implementation of construction and maintenance works for mosques, and for projects to build mosques and imams' residences owned by the endowment in terms of designs, technical and engineering specifications and implementation, and preparing a database on mosques, prayer rooms, and their workers.
In the designs of the mosques, the department takes into account the different areas of land on which the mosques will be built, the requirements of green buildings and sustainable buildings, the emphasis on the conditions of sustainability in the use of electricity and water, and the preservation of the aesthetics of heritage in the designs in a way that reflects the authenticity of the Qatari and Islamic heritage according to the highest standards.
The ministry's plans for building mosques also take into account the population density map, engineering and architectural specifications, and the heritage aspect within the framework of caring for mosques to perform worship and serve worshippers.
Source:thepeninsulaqatar.com
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https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/24/12/2024/awqaf-ministry-opens-historic-mosque-in-old-umm-al-qhab
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Pakistan
President, PM vow to build Pakistan as per Quaid’s vision
December 25, 2024
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have reaffirmed commitment to building a Pakistan that reflects Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's vision of a democratic, inclusive and prosperous nation.
In their separate messages on 148th birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, they paid tribute to the Founding Father of the nation.
President Asif Ali Zardari has renewed the commitment to religious harmony, mutual respect, and protection of minority rights in the country.
In his message on the occasion of Christmas being celebrated today, he called for ensuring that intolerance and discrimination are discouraged and everyone feels respected and safe in the country.
The president extended his heartfelt greetings to the Christian community in Pakistan and around the world and said Christmas commemorates the birth of Hazrat Isa (A.S), whose teachings of love, compassion, and peace continue to inspire us to work toward a more inclusive and harmonious society.
The President said Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the fundamental rights of all citizens, irrespective of their faith and our founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah also envisioned a Pakistan where people of all religions could thrive as equal citizens.
He said upholding the rights of all citizens is essential for fostering national unity and progress.
The President said on this Day, we acknowledge the role of Christian community in the country's development. They have excelled in education, healthcare, community service, social welfare, and public service and their contributions are a testament to our national diversity.
He said let us carry the spirit of Christmas throughout the year, working together to build a society rooted in peace, justice, and compassion.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the commitment to safeguard the rights of all religious communities and foster an environment of mutual respect and understanding.
In his message on Christmas today, he extended his heartfelt felicitations to the Christian brethren in Pakistan and around the world.
The Prime Minister vowed to continue to ensure that people of all faiths can practice their beliefs freely and contribute to the collective progress of our nation.
He called for reflecting on the profound message of peace, brotherhood, and love for all humanity as taught by Prophet Jesus who preached values of compassion, kindness, mercy, and wisdom.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the invaluable contributions made by Christian community for the progress and stability of Pakistan, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, and nation-building.
He wished joy and blessings to every home, and prayed that the coming year be filled with hope, peace, and success for our beloved country and its people.
Source:radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/25-12-2024/president-pm-vow-to-build-pakistan-as-per-quaids-vision
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Pakistan’s economy is on positive trajectory: Interior Minister
December 24, 2024
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui met Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad.
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on issues of bilateral interest and overall situation of the country.
They also discussed the steps for durable solution to the issues of the masses and providing them relief.
Speaking on the occasion, the Interior Minister said Pakistan is coming out of difficult times as the economic indicators are heading towards positive trajectory.
He said the elements, who are spreading disappointment, are pursuing their vested agenda.
Mohsin Naqvi said those, who are obstructing the development of Pakistan, have nothing to do with the progress of the countrymen.
Source:radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/24-12-2024/economic-indicators-heading-towards-positive-trajectory-mohsin
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Rana Tanveer reaffirms Pakistan's focus on halal meat exports
December 24, 2024
Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has reiterated Pakistan's focus on increasing halal meat exports in the global market.
Speaking at the First Animal Welfare Forum in Islamabad today, he said livestock contributes 14.63 percent to Pakistan's national GDP and 60.84 percent to the agricultural GDP, providing livelihoods to millions, particularly in rural areas.
Rana Tanveer emphasized the urgent need for federal legislation for animal health and welfare in Pakistan. He said "The National Animal Health, Welfare, and Veterinary Public Health Bill 2024, approved in principle by the Federal Cabinet, is pivotal for aligning Pakistan's veterinary services with international standards.
He called on the provincial assemblies to support this critical legislation, which will enhance inter-provincial coordination and ensure compliance with international animal health standards.
The Minister said strengthening the livestock sector will not only boost food security but also contribute significantly to Pakistan's economic growth.
Source:radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/24-12-2024/rana-tanveer-calls-for-increasing-exports-of-halal-meat
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Sanaullah says 'won't accept pressure' from US to release Imran
By Web Desk
December 25, 2024
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday ruled out any possibility that the government would accept any pressure from the new US administration led by President-elect Donald Trump to release Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
When questioned about potential pressure from the Trump administration in view of its loyalist Richard Grenell's tweet demanding Imran's release, Sanaullah replied: "We would not work under pressure of Donald Trump [...] if any intervention is made then we would consider it as interference in our sovereignty."
Grenell, who has been picked by Trump as "envoy for special missions" earlier this month, had called for release of former premier Imran — who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail since August last year — via writing "Release Imran Khan" on X last month.
The premier's aide, who is also one of the members of the government's negotiation committee, further said that they did not commence dialogue with the major opposition party due to Trump.
He stressed that negotiations should be held bilaterally between the treasury and the opposition.
He also said that Pakistan had witnessed ups and downs in its bilateral ties with the US, however, Islamabad would not accept anything against its national interests.
To another question, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader replied that the federal government would not create obstacles if the Imran Khan-founded party seeks "conclusive and time-bound" talks.
He, however, said that it won't be possible if both sides agreed on all demands during the talks, adding that the government was not in haste to summon meetings immediately.
He was pointing towards the recent statement of the embattled PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan in which he sought government's “timeframe” in connection with progress on their demands after the latter met Imran at Adiala Jail today.
“Dialogues should be held within [a specified] timeframe,” Gohar said, quoting the incarcerated PTI founder, urging the incumbent government to make progress.
The PTI founder expressed his satisfaction over initiating the negotiation process, he added.
Responding to a question, the PTI chairman said that matters related to the civil disobedience movement were not discussed in the meeting.
The development came a day after the ruling coalition and the PTI came to table to defuse political tensions in the cash-strapped country.
Negotiating committees, formed by the government and the PTI, conducted their much-hyped meeting in a conducive environment and resolved to continue dialogue process a day ago.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who presided over the meeting, had said that the next session will be held on January 2 and PTI’s team would present a charter of their demands in the huddle.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1265027-sanaullah-says-wont-accept-pressure-from-us-to-release-imran
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Imran Khan seeks progress on PTI's demands within specific timeframe
By Shabbir Dar
December 24, 2024
RAWALPINDI: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Tuesday sought the coalition government’s time “timeframe” in connection with progress on their demands as both the sides officially entered dialogues.
Talking to journalists outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, following a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan, the former ruling party’s Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Tuesday said: “There should be progress on our demands within [a specified] time frame.”
“Dialogues should be held within [a specified] timeframe,” he said, quoting the incarcerated PTI founder, who has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022.
The development came a day after the ruling coalition and the PTI came to table to defuse political tensions in the cash-strapped country. Negotiating committees, formed by the government and the PTI, conducted their much-hyped meeting in a conducive environment and resolved to continue dialogue process.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who presided over the meeting, had said that the next session will be held on January 2 and PTI’s team would present a charter of their demands in the huddle.
During his interaction with journalists today, the PTI chairman said that he briefed Khan on their talks with the government. “It was a routine meeting that lasted for half an hour.”
The PTI founder expressed his satisfaction over initiating the negotiation process, he added.
Gohar expressed hope that the government would address their legitimate demands.
Responding to a question, the PTI chairman said that matters related to the civil disobedience movement were not discussed in the meeting.
Earlier this month, the PTI founder had warned the government of launching a "civil disobedience" movement if his demands — the release of “political prisoners” facing trial and the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023 and a late-night crackdown on PTI protesters on November 26, were not met.
“If these two demands are not accepted, a civil disobedience movement will be launched from December 14,” the jailed former premier had said. Later, he, on PTI leaders’ request, differed the movement to give talks a chance.
Responding to a question, the PTI chairman said that three members of their negotiation team — PTI MNA Asad Qaiser, Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Senator Raja Nasir Abbas of the Majlis Wehdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) — attended the yesterday’s meeting.
It is pertinent to mention here that PTI’s four key leaders — Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and Hamid Khan — skipped the meeting, a move that raised questions over the former ruling party’s seriousness towards the talks.
The PTI leader said that they had already informed the speaker about the “unavailability” of the team members.
Rejecting the perception that the PTI leaders were not willing to attend the meeting, he said the KP CM could not attend the session due to cabinet meeting, Hamid was in Bangladesh and Omar had to appear before the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in connection with his bail.
All the members of PTI negotiation team would attend the next round of talks, he added.
Terming the yesterday’s session “informal meeting”, the PTI leader said that they would present their charter of demand before the government’s team in next round of talks.
He also expressed hope for a “breakthrough” in the meeting with the coalition government.
"We hope that the negotiations with the government will turn out to be fruitful."
All the FIRs against Khan were “politically motivated”, the PTI chairman said, adding that the jailed ex-premier had been granted bail in all the case.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1264991-imran-khan-seeks-timeline-for-dialogues-with-govt-progress-on-ptis-demands
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Angry tribesmen protest fresh killings in Kurram
Javid Hussain
December 25, 2024
• Place bodies of slain young men on the road, demand killers’ arrest
• Kukikhel elder detained after being summoned for meeting by local police
• Ex-minister sees foreign involvement behind unrest
KURRAM / KHYBER: Tribesmen on Tuesday held a protest along with the bodies of two passengers, who were killed in the Bagan area of Lower Kurram two days ago.
It may be mentioned that a sit-in against the lawlessness and closure of roads in Kurram district is already under way and entered its fifth day on Tuesday.
The bodies of Ishaq Hussain and Waseem Hussain, both residents of Parachinar, were found in the Bagan area with their throats slit, and handed over to the relatives earlier in the day. The tribesmen placed the bodies on the road and held a demonstration against the killings. They demanded immediate action against the killers.
Giving details of the incident, tribal leader Jalal Bangash quoted the relatives of the deceased, who were going to Parachinar from Peshawar, as saying that some people from the rival side, who were friends of the victims, had promised to provide them with safe passage to their areas. In return, they received Rs70,000 from them and yet they were killed, Mr Bangash deplored.
On Nov 21, a convoy came under attack in the Bagan area, in which at least 50 passengers were killed. The attack triggered fierce clashes in Kurram, in which scores of people have been killed so far. Since then, all roads in the district, including Parachinar Highway, remain closed to traffic.
The protesters demanded immediate re-opening of the Peshawar-Parachinar Highway, terming the situation “cruelty to millions of people”. They also castigated the provincial government which had claimed that the road could be opened in half an hour.
Kukikhel elder detained
Meanwhile, Jamrud police in a surprise move took into custody prominent Kukikhel elder Malak Naseer Ahmad, prompting the Kukikhel tribesmen to block the Peshawar-Torkham Highway in protest.
Sources in Jamrud said that Mr Ahmad, Malak Abdul Zahir Sher Khankhel and Saidgha Jan were called for a meeting with the DPO in the Shah Kas area. However, as soon as the meeting ended, the three men were arrested.
They said that the three men were then shifted to an unknown location. Though the exact reason behind their arrest could not be immediately known as the police had not released any statement in this regard, it was learnt that police had nominated Mr Ahmad along with over a dozen other Kukikhel tribesmen in an FIR registered against them after a protest demonstration, which was staged in October for the return of the Kukikhel displaced families to Tirah.
The Jamrud police nominated Malak Naseer Ahmad in another FIR for his alleged participation in the Pakhtun grand jirga organised by the proscribed Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement in October where he allegedly made anti-state speeches. The police nominated Saidgha Jan in a separate FIR accusing him of breaking into the Jamrud grid station, threatening the staff and forcibly switching off the power supply to commercial units.
Roads opening urged
In Islamabad, former federal minister Sajid Turi demanded the opening of roads in Kurram to avoid shortage of daily-use commodities.
Severe cold has hit the area and closure of routes has compounded people’s problems, he told reporters at the National Press Club, Islamabad.
Mr Turi said that air service and closure of roads were not a solution to the problem.
He dispelled the impression that Kurram unrest is an outcome of sectarian dispute and claimed that some foreign elements are involved in it. Anyone found involved in collusion with foreign elements should be exposed and taken to the task, he demanded. If the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments did not pay heed to the problem then they will also be free to act, Mr Turi warned.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1880829/angry-tribesmen-protest-fresh-killings-in-kurram
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Pakistan strikes TTP camps in Afghanistan
Bureau Report
December 25, 2024
PESHAWAR: Pakistani fighter jets bombed four locations, said to be camps of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province, killing and wounding several suspected terrorists, security officials said on Tuesday night.
Sources said that TTP camps in the Murgha and Laman areas of Bernal district were targeted, including one that was used by Sher Zaman alias Mukhlis Yar, Commander Abu Hamza, Commander Akhtar Muhammad and the head of TTP’s media arm, Umar Media.
In a post on X by the Afghan defence ministry, the Afghan Taliban regime confirmed reports of the strike carried out by Pakistani forces, but claimed that the dead and injured included a number of children and other civilians.
More information was not available until the time of going to print.
The strikes came the same day that a Pakistani delegation, led by Special Representative Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, met interim Interior Minister Sirajudddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi in Kabul to resume diplomatic dialogue after a year-long hiatus.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1880832/pakistan-strikes-ttp-camps-in-afghanistan
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Imran says pertinent for him to meet PTI’s team to make negotiations with govt ‘meaningful’
December 24, 2024
Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan said on Tuesday that for the talk between his party and the government to reap meaningful results, he needs to meet his negotiation team to understand the issues properly.
Since Imran’s incarceration last year based on several cases, his party’s relationship with the government, as well as the establishment, has turned exceedingly sour. The PTI has held several protests over the last year, most of which escalated into violence after facing state repression.
Following the PTI’s ‘Final Call’ power show last month, tensions escalated as there were renewed calls to ban the party and task forces formed against an alleged “malicious campaign” as the PTI claimed a dozen deaths of its supporters, which the government officially denies.
However, after Imran formed a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone” his lawmakers had a softened stance in the parliament.
Subsequently, following the recommendation of National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week formed a committee comprising ruling coalition members. The first meeting between committees took place yesterday, kicking off long-anticipated talks between the rival parties to defuse prevailing political tensions.
As per a post on his official X account, during his conversation with his lawyers, the former premier — while terming the efforts of the party’s negotiation committee as a “good thing” — said today that it was important for him to “meet the negotiation team to make the process meaningful and for him to have a proper understanding of the issues”.
Imran nominated MNA Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza as the spokesperson for the party’s negotiation committee.
He said that if the government was interested in carrying out “fruitful negotiations”, it had to meet two demands of the PTI: The release of under-trial political prisoners and the establishment of a judicial commission consisting of senior judges on the incidents of May 9 and November 26.
Imran said that the party would postpone its civil disobedience movement if the demands were met, however, he expressed his fear that the government would sideline their demand for a judicial commission.
He also rejected the decision handed out by the military courts where 25 individuals were sentenced ranging from two to 10 years for their involvement in violent attacks on military installations during nationwide riots on May 9, 2023.
Negotiation time frame
Meanwhile, during a conversation with the media outside the Adiala Jail after meeting Imran, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan said that the former premier called for a time frame for the negotiations during which some progress should be made.
“We have said before that some progress should be made on our two major demands within the time frame that we are expecting,” he said.
He said that the party would present their charter of demands in the next meeting with the government. Before that, however, the party was trying for the negotiation committee to meet Imran.
“Imran Khan has said he is hopeful that a solution to all issues will be found,” Gohar said.
The PTI chairman added that all the cases against the PTI founder were political and he was hopeful that the former premier would be acquitted in all of them “if a fair trial took place”.
In response to why all the committee members were not present in the meeting yesterday, Gohar affirmed that all the members of the committee will be present in the next meeting where they will submit their demands in writing.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1880808/imran-says-pertinent-for-him-to-meet-ptis-team-to-make-negotiations-with-govt-meaningful
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Arab World
KSrelief concludes urology surgery project in Yemen
December 24, 2024
RIYADH: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has completed a medical project for urology surgeries in Yemen’s Aden governorate.
The project included nine volunteers from different medical specialties and was carried out from Dec. 15-22 in collaboration with the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen.
The KSrelief medical team examined 53 cases and successfully performed 109 specialized surgeries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
KSrelief’s project is one of Saudi Arabia’s medical initiatives to assist the Yemeni people and ease their suffering amid the humanitarian crisis.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584220/saudi-arabia
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Creative youth collective hosts art auction in Jeddah with jazz, community spirit
AFSHAN AZIZ
December 24, 2024
JEDDAH: Nama, a new collective dedicated to empowering young creatives, hosted its first event in Jeddah this week at the bustling Huna Alhabib.
The two-day Jazz Night and Silent Art Auction was a display of the power of collaboration and a cultural celebration.
Nama’s debut featured more than 30 pieces by artists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Spain, Canada, and beyond. These works were donated specifically for the auction to bridge artistic communities across borders.
Jana Abdulaziz, Nama’s founder and director, told Arab News: “For the longest time, Nama was nothing more than an online group of about a dozen high schoolers that joined solely off the identity statement I wrote. No logo, no solid plans, just an idea.
“I remember a couple months in with next to no progress almost giving up the idea of having an event or Nama becoming anything. I reached out to potential sponsors and hundreds of local and international artists from my personal accounts as a last-ditch effort, expecting nothing ... and to my surprise, people did.”
With the participation of 15-plus local brands and businesses as vendors, the event was much more than an art exhibition. Visitors enjoyed an immersive experience complete with live jazz and blues performances, as well as an artist sketching portraits of guests.
The event seems to have resonated with artists and attendees alike. Yousef Zaini, a local artist and artwork donor, said: “As an artist, my work is intended to invoke emotions, raise questions, and offer perspectives. I borrow heavily from my readings in philosophy.
“I’m honored to work with Nama and showcase my works and share the philosophies they embody. The event organized by Nama was a great mix and I am eager to collaborate with them in the future. Much better is to come.”
French-Tunisian artist E. L. Seed donated one of his lithographs to Nama, describing it as a valuable opportunity. He said that participating in Nama was a chance to support the event and inspire young artists, emphasizing that no event is too big or small when it comes to reaching art enthusiasts, especially in Jeddah.
The idea for Nama came to Abdulaziz in late 2023. Despite initial setbacks, her determination and passion brought the project to life. The seamless blend of jazz music and visual art has created an atmosphere that elevated creativity and engagement, bringing people together to celebrate the cultural richness of the region.
Jwan Abdulhafeez, Nama’s head of media, said: “We wanted our launch event to be more than just an auction, we envisioned a true celebration of art, culture, and fun. The evening featured a carefully curated silent art auction that showcased emerging talent while creating an atmosphere of sophistication with live jazz performances.
“Through the silent art auction, we were able to connect talented artists with art enthusiasts, creating meaningful relationships within our community.”
The auction was a celebration of global perspectives and artistic diversity, featuring works from renowned artists while providing a platform for young creatives to share their stories and build connections in the art world.
One of Nama’s key collaborators, Mohammad Aboalola, founder and writer at Mena Youth Magazine, expressed his admiration for the collective’s approach: “Nama and Menayouth struck a chord in terms of their values and vision. When Nama approached Menayouth for us to help with managing media and activities, their approach to things proved that they have ultimate care for who they work with. They came up to us offering to deal with the event as if it was our own.”
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584202/saudi-arabia
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Experts discuss transforming Saudi museums into interactive cultural spaces
December 24, 2024
RIYADH: As part of efforts to develop Saudi Arabia’s museum sector and enhance the cultural and social roles of museums, the Museums Commission recently hosted an open meeting titled “Museums and Community Engagement: How Can a Museum Become a Community Hub?”
Moderated by Eman Zidan, director of the Red Sea Museum, the event featured Noha Al-Kadhi, director of programs at the Museums Commission; Hassa Al-Sudairy, senior manager of cultural programs at the Jeddah Historic District Program; and Maria Alam, director of learning and research at Hayy Jameel.
The discussion explored the role of museums in fostering community engagement, with speakers emphasizing the need to continuously refresh programs and activities to attract visitors and offer enjoyable experiences for all age groups.
Drawing from the commission’s experience, Al-Kadhi underscored the importance of understanding audience and community needs to create museum narratives and programs that resonate with diverse visitors.
She highlighted the value of involving schools and students to build strong connections between younger generations and museums, suggesting that children and youth could become “museum ambassadors” if they enjoy their visits.
Al-Sudairy shared insights from the Jeddah Historic District Program on engaging the local community in heritage preservation through targeted awareness and educational initiatives.
She cited successful programs involving children and students, such as workshops where participants restored heritage houses using miniature 3D models — activities that deepen their understanding of and connection to heritage.
Alam emphasized the importance of creating interactive programs for children and families to strengthen connections between museums and the community.
She highlighted Hayy Jameel’s initiative of engaging the local community in decorating the neighborhood facade, fostering interaction between art, the museum, and the public. This, she said, enhances visitors’ experiences and encourages repeat visits.
The speakers also discussed the role of technology in enriching visitor experiences and designing engaging programs and exhibitions.
Al-Kadhi highlighted technology as a powerful tool for providing innovative experiences while underlining the importance of balancing modern technology with the preservation of authentic heritage.
Alam added that blending modern media with heritage enhances museums’ appeal and delivers educational and experiential value.
Addressing challenges and opportunities in the museum sector, Al-Sudairy drew from the program’s experience to discuss the complexities of preserving heritage buildings through meticulous restoration processes that meet UNESCO and Ministry of Culture standards. She commended the local community’s support in advancing these initiatives.
The speakers stressed the importance of transforming museums into vibrant community hubs. They highlighted the need for interactive spaces that meet societal needs and encourage active participation, moving beyond the traditional role of merely displaying artifacts and decribing their histories.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584201/saudi-arabia
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Jeddah’s Islamic Arts Biennale to open in January
December 24, 2024
JEDDAH: The second Islamic Arts Biennale is set to open on Jan. 25, 2025, at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.
Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the event will showcase a blend of timeless Islamic civilization treasures and contemporary artistic creations.
The biennale will offer visitors a journey through the artistic heritage of Islam, engaging the senses, intellect, and creativity, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Featuring contributions from over 30 artists from Saudi Arabia and beyond, the artworks will be displayed in both indoor and outdoor spaces until May 25.
Saudi artist Muhannad Shono will curate contemporary art, supported by associate curators Joanna Chevalier and Amina Diab.
Shono, along with artistic directors Julian Raby, Amin Jaffer, and Abdul Rahman Azzam, has tasked the artists with creating new works that complement historical Islamic artifacts.
The biennale’s theme, “And All That Is In-Between,” captures the essence of contemporary artworks, transcending simplistic notions to foster collective understanding, imagination, and interpretation.
The artworks, inspired by themes including space, time, and light, provide insight into preserving and nurturing culture by exploring the evolving landscape of Saudi Arabia.
The new art pieces will be displayed alongside historical artifacts, including religious relics, maps, and jewelry, in five indoor halls and various outdoor spaces beneath the Hajj Terminal canopy.
The works, also inspired by the concept of the garden in Islamic civilization, blend nature and traditional design while addressing contemporary environmental and social issues.
The Islamic Arts Biennale will be organized into seven sections — Al-Bidaya (the beginning), Al-Madar (the orbit), Al-Muqtani (homage), Al-Mathala (the canopy), Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, and Al-Musalla (the prayer hall) — spread across various galleries and outdoor areas, covering 100,000 square meters of dedicated exhibition space.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584177/saudi-arabia
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Saudi ambassador presents credentials to Ukraine’s president
December 24, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Ukraine, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Barakah, presented his credentials to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a ceremony held in the capital, Kyiv.
Ambassador Al-Barakah conveyed the greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to President Zelensky along with their wishes for continued progress and prosperity for the government and people of Ukraine.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584168/saudi-arabia
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Saudi artist crafts Madinah’s culture in resin
December 24, 2024
RIYADH: Resin art, a crafting technique using the liquid form of the substance to create 3D objects or glossy coatings, has gained widespread popularity. When mixed with a hardener, resin solidifies, forming a glass-like finish.
Elyan Al-Aufi, a citizen from Madinah and a visual arts graduate of Taibah University, has significantly contributed to the medium, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Her pieces reflect Madinah’s culture, incorporating local elements including Madani script, roses, mint and basil.
Travelers to Madinah and the Prophet's Mosque often purchase her art as souvenirs, including keychains, jewelry, wall clocks, decorative pieces, and prayer beads, the SPA reported.
Resin art is versatile, used to create accessories and jewelry — such as necklaces, rings and earrings — via special molds. It is also key to paintings made with pouring techniques, producing distinctive results.
Resin is popular in household items including tables and trays, often featuring natural elements such as flowers or wood. It also used to preserve memorabilia and natural objects including leaves, photos and other items.
With its glass-like transparency and glossy finish, resin art allows creative use of colors, dyes, and natural elements such as flowers and shells. It produces durable, timeless pieces.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584161/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia honors Qur’an contest winners in Nepal
December 24, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs recently honored winners of a Qur’an memorization competition in Nepal, involving more than 750 contestants and with 18 winners in four categories for boys and girls.
The competition, supervised by the Saudi Embassy in Kathmandu and coordinated with Nepal’s Muslim Commission, concluded with awards presented by the ministry’s undersecretary, Awad Al-Anzi.
Saudi Ambassador to Nepal Saad Nasser Abu Haimed and Nepal’s Speaker of the House of Representatives Dev Raj Ghimire attended the ceremony, alongside Islamic leaders, diplomats and parliamentarians.
The event featured Qur’an recitations by contestants and highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to promote the Qur’an globally, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Anzi reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to Islam’s values of justice, mercy and kindness and emphasized its longstanding support for Qur’an-related initiatives, including competitions and free distribution through the King Fahd Qur’an Printing Complex in Madinah.
Abu Haimed praised the competition as part of Saudi Arabia’s dedication to the Qur’an and congratulated the winners.
Participants expressed gratitude for the Kingdom’s support of Islam and encouragement of Qur’an memorization and recitation.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2584157/saudi-arabia
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Europe
UK Muslim Group Asks Tories To Remove Shadow Justice Secretary, Robert Jenrick, For 'Admiring' Far-Right
24.12.2024
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) on Tuesday called on the main opposition Conservative Party to remove Robert Jenrick from his position as shadow justice secretary over leaked messages showing his admiration for a far-right social media account.
The MCB issued a statement urging Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch to remove Jenrick from his shadow cabinet position and launch an immediate investigation into his conduct following leaked messages.
In the leaked message, Jenrick described himself as a "great admirer" of a far-right account, which is known for regularly posting Islamophobic and far-right content on X.
MCB Secretary General Zara Mohammed said it seems "impossible" for the shadow justice secretary to have not seen the account's regular Islamophobic and far-right hate posts.
It seems impossible for Jenrick to have not seen the regular Islamophobic and far-right hate posted by this account. Yet he has declared himself a great admirer and agrees with its far-right views on what needs to happen next, Mohammed said.
"With the scale of Islamophobia endemic within the Conservative Party, and recently being propagated by some of the most powerful figures in the world, Ms Badenoch cannot allow what appears to be support for such Islamophobic and extreme content from a member of her shadow cabinet," she noted.
Mohammed further highlighted that this is an "immediate test" of Badenoch’s leadership in addressing Islamophobia.
The MCB has confirmed that it will submit a fuller complaint to the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) regarding Jenrick’s conduct.
In leaked messages recently seen by The London Economic, Jenrick has said he is a “great admirer” of a far-right X account with over 120,000 followers.
The shadow justice secretary also said he agrees with the account on "what needs to happen."
"I am a great admirer of your tweets. You are right to hold me to account, like any politician. I think we agree however on what needs to happen," Jenrick said in the message.
Source:aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-muslim-group-asks-tories-to-remove-shadow-justice-secretary-for-admiring-far-right/3433330
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Ukraine warns of blackouts after reporting Russian strikes
25 Dec, 2024
Russia launched a powerful wave of airstrikes across Ukraine overnight, local officials and media have said. Authorities have introduced rolling blackouts to stabilize the power grid.
The strikes targeted Kharkov Region on the Russian border, Dnepropetrovsk in central Ukraine, and Kiev-controlled parts of Zaporozhye Region, local officials said.
There have also been reports of explosions in Kiev and Ukraine’s western regions. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the wave of strikes involved Kalibr cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones, although it has not stated the exact number of projectiles.
The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the reports.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galuschenko said on Wednesday morning that the “enemy is once again attacking energy in a massive way,” adding that power grid operators are taking necessary measures to minimize the fallout.
Ukrenergo, the state electricity transmission company, warned of consumption restrictions due to a large-scale missile attack, adding that the exact schedule will be released later.
Oleg Sinegubov, the head of Kharkov regional administration, claimed that Russia had conducted at least seven strikes, adding that “several fires broke out, there is damage to civilian non-residential infrastructure.” He noted that at least two people were injured. Strana.ua reported, citing local residents, that parts of Kharkov have been left without heat, water, or light.
Sergey Lysak, the head of Dnepropetrovsk Region, said that the strikes targeted energy infrastructure, adding that one person was killed and 17 others injured.
Russia has been carrying out strikes on Ukrainian military targets, defense industrial facilities, and energy infrastructure supporting Kiev’s military efforts for months. Some of the recent attacks were in retaliation for Ukraine firing Western-made long-range missiles deep into Russia and conducting drone strikes on oil processing facilities. Moscow has repeatedly said it never targets civilians.
The latest reported barrage comes after Ukraine launched a drone raid on the Russian city of Kazan last week, targeting residential buildings and a factory. Following the attack, President Vladimir Putin warned that no matter how Ukraine tries to destroy targets in Russia, it “will face many times greater destruction in their own country for it.”
Source:rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/609916-ukraine-warns-blackouts-strikes/
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Two member states ruining EU’s reputation – Zelensky aide
25 Dec, 2024
Hungary and Slovakia are tarnishing the EU’s image by throwing a wrench in the bloc’s stance against Russia, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s top adviser has said.
Mikhail Podoliak voiced his frustration with the two Central European countries as prime ministers Viktor Orban of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia have been increasingly questioning the unconditional military and financial aid to Kiev, as well as insisting that the conflict must be resolved through diplomacy.
Earlier this month, Kiev criticized Orban for suggesting a Christmas truce between Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky was similarly angry with Fico, who recently traveled to Moscow, ignoring Ukraine’s pleas to avoid contact with President Vladimir Putin.
“They are constantly blocking EU’s initiatives at different levels. It is puzzling to me why they keep playing this game,” Podoliak told Ukrainian TV on Tuesday. “The two countries are nullifying the EU’s reputation, and there is no retaliation.”
The presidential adviser suggested that Brussels could “use legal procedures and stop the ability of Hungary and Slovakia to block its initiatives.”
In a separate interview with RBK Ukraine, Podoliak claimed that Budapest and Bratislava have “become significantly more pro-Russian.”
“It is strange when a country like Slovakia comes out and says, ‘Let’s work with Russia after all,’” he stated, arguing that Slovakia should leave the EU if it “believes that Russia is in the right.”
Fico said his trip to Moscow was a response to Ukraine’s plans to end the transit of Russian natural gas to Slovakia. He warned that the end of the deliveries, which mainly pass through Ukrainian territory via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, would badly damage the economy.
The Slovak prime minister said he was surprised by Ukraine’s criticism of his visit, and that Zelensky had made an “absurd” proposal to continue the transit of gas on condition that Slovakia holds off payments to Russia until the conflict is resolved.
Fico has warned against further escalation between NATO and Russia. He stated that Kiev should be “at least a little realistic” and “admit that Russia will never leave Crimea, Donetsk, and Lugansk.” Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has argued that Ukraine might have to accept “partial territorial losses” in exchange for peace.
Source:rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/609907-states-eu-reputation-aide/
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Denmark boosts Greenland military spending after Trump comments
24 Dec, 2024
Denmark will spend more than $1.5 billion on the defense of Greenland, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday, days after US President-elect Donald Trump declared that he wants the territory under American “ownership and control.”
Speaking to Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper, Poulsen said that Copenhagen will spend a “double digit billion amount” of krone, or at least $1.5 billion, on a package of measures aimed at increasing the Danish military presence in Greenland. The package includes two patrol boats, two long-range drones, two sled dog teams, and funding to upgrade one of the territory’s civilian airports to accommodate F-35 fighter jets, he said.
“For many years we have not invested enough in the Arctic, now we are planning a stronger presence,” he told the newspaper.
Two days earlier, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that “for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
Trump made similar comments during his first term in office, offering to buy Greenland from Denmark in what he said would be “essentially…a large real estate deal.”
Poulsen told Jyllands-Posten that the decision to increase military spending in Greenland was planned in advance, and that it was an “irony of fate” that it was announced immediately after Trump’s comments.
Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, issued an angry response to Trump’s post. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” he declared, before adding that he welcomed increased trade and cooperation with the US.
Greenland gained home rule status from Denmark in 1979, although its defense and foreign policy is still decided in Copenhagen. Around 80% of the island is covered by a thick ice sheet, and two thirds of its territory lies above the Arctic Circle. Greenland is home to a large US Space Force base, which is the northernmost American military facility in the world.
Gaining control of Greenland would dramatically expand American access to the Arctic Ocean. At present, 50% of the Arctic coastline is Russian territory, and the region is of key strategic and sovereign importance for Moscow.
Trump is not the first US president to suggest purchasing Greenland. The idea was first floated by Andrew Johnson in the 1860s. Johnson ended up negotiating the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867.
Source:rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/609902-denmark-military-trump-greenland/
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Ukraine has received $1 billion backed by seized Russian assets – PM
24 Dec, 2024
The first $1 billion installment of a $20 billion US loan backed by impounded Russian assets has been paid to Kiev, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal announced on Tuesday. Russia has vowed to respond to the “theft.”
It comes two weeks after the US Treasury Department paid $20 billion into a World Bank fund for transfer to Ukraine. The EU has pledged to contribute an additional $20 billion to the fund, while G7 members Britain, Japan, and Canada will add another $10 billion, for a total of $50 billion that will theoretically be repaid over 40 years.
The loan was funded by interest earned from immobilized Russian sovereign assets. An estimated $300 billion worth belonging to the Russian central bank was frozen by the US and its allies following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
“We expect that all sovereign Russian assets will be confiscated and used to rebuild Ukraine,” Shmigal wrote in a post on X.
In a separate announcement on Tuesday, Shmigal said that Ukraine had also received $1 billion from Japan and the UK via the same World Bank program.
Ukraine’s government, military, and public services have been entirely dependent on foreign aid since 2022, and the cost of sustaining the conflict with Russia has driven the country’s finances into disarray. Last month, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky signed next year’s budget into law. It anticipates revenues of $49 billion and expenditures of $87 billion, an overall deficit of $37 billion.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the seizure of Russian assets will undermine global confidence in the US and its allies, while the Kremlin has repeatedly denounced the asset freeze as “theft” and argued that tapping into these funds would be illegal and set a dangerous precedent.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that Moscow will take legal action against those involved in the asset seizure.
Source:rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/609894-ukraine-gets-russian-money/
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Africa
In Morocco, Jewish-Muslim community spirit comes naturally
24/12/2024
On the December 12 2024, I set out with four colleagues of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) to meet members of the rural community of Tafza (Al Haouz province, Marrakech region), located in the mountain range that bore the horrendous epicentre of the September 2023 earthquake. Unlike the countless visits that members of our Moroccan and US non-profit organisation have made to many hundreds of village communities in this area since that natural disaster, this recent December visit was of a different, yet still humanly essential, restoration purpose.
The president of the Moroccan Jewish community in Marrakech, Jacky Kadoch, followed by the authorisation of the provincial governing authorities, had asked that we perform a sacred duty at the Tafza Jewish cemetery. Our purpose that day was to gather and bury again the human remains that have emerged from the ground from the years of terrible erosion, likely exacerbated by the previous year’s earthquake.
The High Atlas Foundation’s reburial of the beloved departed, upon request, is an honoured service that we perform with urgency. HAF implements community development projects based on the local people’s collective will for initiatives that meet their individual and shared priorities. Our outstanding expertise is in facilitating those introspective conversations that result in the peoples’, ‘the beneficiaries,’ action plan for the development they want most of all. For us, and this is underscored by global experience, projects endure and meet the people’s goals of their lives because of the community’s dedication to carrying them out. It is therefore vital that the reburial be done together with the people as close as possible to the historic mountain cemetery since doing so also holds importance for them.
The Sunni Muslim kingdom of Morocco’s care of Jewish cemeteries in all parts of the nation comes as naturally as the peoples’ identity itself may come. It requires no explanation, no persuasion, only the confirmation of a day and a time when men of all ages gather to restore what the collective community sees as part of their own indelible and revered past. When we arrived that morning, roughly 30 people were already gathered with their tools to work across the 1,200-square-metre cemetery, picking up every bone they find, placing them in a cloth sack or covering (as per Moroccan Jewish and Muslim traditions), and re-bury them in a new grave that Tafza residents had dug, lined with brick, and built to endure for the next millennia.
As we walked together with Tafza people in all parts of the cemetery with our eyes to the ground, we also spoke about the work needed to redress and end the erosion of this crumbling mountain slope. We identified the critical points at which to add and level soil and plant non-bearing fruit trees in a manner allowed by Jewish custom. We spoke about the three Jewish village communities who left the area several generations ago to which this circa 1,000-year-old cemetery belonged. We went to the unmarked burial site of a revered rabbi, whose name this adult generation of Tafza people no longer recall. Most locals who knew about this cemetery, great grandparents of today’s farming families, are no longer alive.
We dealt with the pressing bone reburial, but a huge amount of restoration work remains. Even with the highly commendable national initiative of the Moroccan Jewish community led by Serge Berdugo with financial backing from the Moroccan government following royal instructions that restored 167 Jewish cemeteries, a large number still requires attention.
The Moroccan government representatives’ presence that morning was warm, helpful and kind. It felt as if all together we had created that day a sub-community of Moroccan protectors of the past and future. It is a Moroccan-Jewish custom at the anniversary of the passing of their righteous ones (the occasion referred to as a hiloula) to eat together and enjoy a shared moment of bounty. On that December day, it was not an anniversary of anyone passing, though it might have been. But we did break bread, dipped it in local raw honey and olive oil, drank tea made with local herbs, and shared a moment atop infinite previous moments of Moroccan Muslim and Jewish people from government, civil society and small businesses, from town and country, completing something that was calling to be done.
We brought before all of our eyes the miracles and blessings of Morocco that find their way into our daily affairs. It explains for me, as well as I have been able, that to serve in Morocco is to never let go.
Source:thearabweekly.com
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https://thearabweekly.com/morocco-jewish-muslim-community-spirit-comes-naturally
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Hardship: ‘The Worth Of Life In Tinubu’s Government Is About ₦5,000’
24 December 2024
Legal practitioner and former Labour Party (LP) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has blamed the recent tragic stampedes during food distribution events in Nigeria on widespread desperation and hunger.
The incidents, which occurred in Oyo State, Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), left several people dead and many others injured, sparking nationwide grief and debate over the root causes.
The stampedes reportedly took place at events organized to distribute food items to vulnerable Nigerians as part of humanitarian efforts during the festive season.
Okonkwo while speaking on Channels TV said, “This president shifted all the responsibility to the organizers, people who wanted to help people who are hungry. Let me tell you: this stampede happened in the east. It happened in the west. It happened in the north. That means it’s now a general thing that Nigerians from all sectors are hungry and things are hard.
“They did not die in stampedes because they were poor. Poverty exists in every country. They died in a stampede because they were desperately hungry. In other words, they know that if they don’t have that food, they don’t even have anything to fall back in their house, and that is why they had to struggle for N5,000 and grains of rice. The worth of life in Tinubu’s government is now about N5,000 and about [some] grains of rice.”
Days after the stampedes, Tinubu in a media chat, rated his government well in the country’s governance. He defended his administration’s policies including the removal of fuel subsidy, insisting they were necessary steps to getting Nigeria working.
Okonkwo, however, faulted Tinubu’s claims about his government, saying the president cannot rate himself.
“The worst statement the president made during his first Presidential Media Chat is scoring himself ‘excellent’,” the legal practitioner said, claiming Tinubu has done the “worst job by any president since independence.”
Source:naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/12/24/hardship-the-worth-of-life-in-tinubus-government-is-about-%e2%82%a65000/
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For Christmas, New Year, Gov Alia Declares 14 Days Public Holiday In Benue
24 December 2024
By Richard Ogunsile
Governor Hyacinth Alia has announced a two-week holiday for civil servants in Benue State to commemorate the 2024 Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The announcement was made on Tuesday in Makurdi as part of the governor’s Christmas address to the citizens of Benue.
Naija News understands that the holiday is set to begin on Tuesday, December 24 and will conclude on January 6, 2025.
Governor Alia indicated that this extended holiday aims to provide workers with the opportunity to celebrate the festive season with their families. He also encouraged them to utilize this time for agricultural activities to enhance food production and combat poverty.
The governor highlighted that essential service providers would create schedules to maintain uninterrupted services throughout the holiday period.
He identified essential service providers as including financial institutions, energy suppliers, security agencies, healthcare facilities, telecommunications, fire services, and the water board, among others.
Alia called upon the people of Benue to continue nurturing a spirit of love and peace while remaining dedicated to the development of a better state. He also extended his wishes for a peaceful and joyful Christmas and New Year celebration.
“In the spirit of the Yuletide and in conjunction with the Benue Executive Council, I’m pleased to announce an elongated Christmas and New Year holiday for the state workforce. This decision underscores our commitment to supporting the well-being of our workers.
“While you enjoy this festive season with your loved ones, it is also expected that the holiday will afford you time to attend to your various agricultural engagements,” the Governor stated.
Source:naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/12/24/for-christmas-new-year-gov-alia-declares-14-days-public-holiday-in-benue/
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Sudan's war exacerbates famine crisis in displacement camps
24 December 2024
Famine is spreading in Sudan as a result of a relentless war between the military and a paramilitary group that has wrecked the country and created the world’s largest displacement crisis, international hunger experts said Tuesday.
Experts from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said they detected famine in five areas in the Northeastern African country, including Sudan’s largest displacement camp, Zamzam, in North Darfur province where famine was announced for the first time in August.
Sudan has been roiled by a 20-month war that has killed more than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people — about 30% of the population — from their homes, according to the United Nations.
This includes an estimated 3.2 million who have crossed into neighboring countries including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.
The war began in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading to other urban areas and the western Darfur region.
The war has been marked by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the UN and rights groups .
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor has investigated atrocities as alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The conflict has created vast hunger across the country. Food in the markets are scarce, and prices have spiked.
Aid groups also say they’re struggling to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access, especially in North Darfur province.
Dervla Cleary, senior emergency and rehabilitation officer at the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, said 638,000 people are experiencing famine, most of them in the five areas where famine is detected.
Aside from Zamzam, which hosts more than 400,000 people, famine was also detected in two other camps for displaced people, Abu Shouk and al-Salam in North Darfur, and the Western Nuba Mountains, IPC’s report said.
Five other areas in North Darfur are projected “with reasonable evidence'
” To experience famine in the next six months,including el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur,
the report said.
Seventeen areas in the Nuba Mountains and the northern and southern areas of Darfur are at risk of famine, it added.
The report said some areas in Khartoum and the east-central province of Gezira “may be experiencing” famine-like conditions.
It said experts were unable to confirm whether famine threshold has been surpassed due to lack of data.
According to the report, a total of 24.6 million Sudanese — half of the population — faces high levels of acute food insecurity.
The IPC Partnership comprises more than a dozen U.N. agencies, aid groups, and governments that use the IPC as a global reference for analysis of food and nutrition crises.
IPC Phase 5 -- famine — is determined in areas where at least one in five people or households severely lack food and face starvation and destitution, which would ultimately lead to critical levels of acute malnutrition and death.
Sudan is the third country where famine was declared in the past 15 years, along with South Sudan and Somalia, where a 2011 major famine was estimated to have killed a quarter of a million people - half of them children under 5 years old.
The IPC has also warned that Large parts of Gaza's Palestinian population face the threat of famine.
Source:africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2024/12/24/sudans-war-exacerbates-famine-crisis-in-displacement-camps/
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Southeast Asia
Penang govt commits to religious harmony with land and RM10m aid for 129 non-Muslim houses of worship
25 Dec 2024
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 25 — A total of 129 non-Muslim houses of worship (RIBI) have received land from the Penang government, between 2018 and this year, said Chief Minister, Chow Kon Yeow.
He said this was a concrete step to ensure that houses of worship for followers of other religions also receive the necessary facilities and space to grow, with full support from the state government.
“Through the state government’s Unity Manifesto, an allocation of RM10 million has also been allocated to meet the requirements of RIBI until 2028.
“The state government remains committed to prioritising the values of mutual love and respect in maintaining religious harmony,” he said in a message for today’s Christmas celebrations.
Chow emphasised that his administration is steadfast in providing essential services and facilities, to ensure that individuals can practice their respective beliefs and practices, in accordance with the Rukun Negara.
He added that the establishment of the Penang Harmony Corporation (HARMONICO) in 2021, aimed at creating and strengthening a management system for non-Muslim affairs in the state, is a testament to the state government’s commitment to this cause.
Chow also highlighted that political and social stability is crucial for ensuring economic sustainability, particularly in attracting investors to establish a presence in the Silicon Valley of the East. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/12/25/penang-govt-commits-to-religious-harmony-with-land-and-rm10m-aid-for-129-non-muslim-houses-of-worship/161048
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Indonesia’s SOE Ministry Aims to Reduce State-Owned Enterprises to 30 by 2025
Bambang Ismoyo
December 25, 2024
Jakarta. The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry is ramping up efforts to streamline state-owned companies through mergers, aiming to reduce their number from 47 to just 30.
The initiative focuses on consolidating SOEs within similar sectors. SOE Minister Erick Thohir revealed that the merger process is underway for companies in the construction, port, ferry transportation, and railway sectors.
In the railway sector, state railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) will merge with train manufacturer Industri Kereta Api (INKA). Meanwhile, in the maritime sector, port operator Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo), shipping company Pelayaran Indonesia (Pelni), and ferry operator ASDP Indonesia Ferry are also set to merge.
For the construction sector, which currently has seven companies, the ministry plans to consolidate them into three clusters. The companies involved include Hutama Karya, Waskita Karya, PT PP, Wijaya Karya, Brantas Abipraya, Adhi Karya, and Nindya Karya.
"We have discussed 45 programs for the next five years, including consolidating 47 companies into 30," Erick Thohir said during a press conference at the SOE Ministry in Jakarta on Tuesday. "This includes the KAI-INKA merger, but it requires further studies and processes," he added.
Erick provided updates on the merger progress, highlighting ongoing collaboration with relevant ministries. For construction SOEs, the ministry is coordinating with the Public Works Ministry since many of these companies handle government-assigned projects.
Similarly, the ministry is working closely with the Transportation Ministry to ensure the maritime and port sector mergers improve ferry transportation services.
"We’ve communicated with the Transportation Minister regarding Pelindo, Pelni, and ASDP, and he supports the plan as it provides effective solutions," Erick said.
Regarding the construction SOEs, Erick noted that legal and technical studies are being revisited to align with the current administration’s policies.
"This requires renewed studies to ensure legal compliance, especially since there has been a change in leadership in the Public Works Ministry," Erick concluded.
Since 2020, the SOE Ministry has been restructuring corporations through holding companies, mergers, and acquisitions. In 2017, there were 142 state-owned enterprises, but this number has declined to 47 as of this year.
According to the SOE Ministry, there are currently 12 SOE business clusters covering various sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services. Additionally, the ministry has established a holding structure to enhance efficiency and performance. Each holding oversees 2 to 14 subsidiaries, categorized based on their respective business sectors.
Source:jakartaglobe.id
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COMMENT | Muftis must object to jihad misuse, help homeless Muslims
Dec 25, 2024
COMMENT | It is most interesting and sad for me to see that no mufti so far has said anything about the concept of jihad being used to allow donations by Muslims to help finance a slander or fitnah.
It is also sad for me as a Muslim that no mufti has sounded concern for Muslims with children having nowhere to go but to sleep in a car for three months.
Why is advice not given to homeless Muslims to sleep at the mosque? Will mosques allow homeless Muslims with children to shelter for three months?
Source:malaysiakini.com
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https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/729845
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North America
Weather and airport delays disrupt American Christmas travel
25 Dec, 2024
Millions of Americans across the US are bracing for difficult weather conditions during the Christmas holiday, with storms threatening to further disrupt one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Up and down the east coast, the first storm of the winter blanketed cities from Boston to Baltimore with ice and snow.
Meanwhile, California residents are cleaning up the aftermath of a storm that brought hurricane-forced winds, flooding and high surf on Monday, killing one man.
The weather events further complicate travel plans for Americas who are already facing air travel delays following a ground stop of American Airlines flights due to a technology issue.
On the east coast, winter precipitation is expected to impact travel for many as heavy snow falls in areas such as Boston and New York, while Baltimore and Washington DC braced for precipitation and ice.
On the west coast, Monday's storm caused a pier to collapse and threw three people into the Pacific Ocean.
Waves from that storm reached 60ft (18m) and forced some evacuations. Flooding and high surf warnings remain in effect on Tuesday.
Weather is not the only thing impacting holiday travel on Tuesday, with technological issues adding further stress as millions of Americans hurry to their destinations.
Early Tuesday, American Airlines flights were halted after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a "nationwide groundstop" due to a "vendor technology issue".
The groundstop was lifted about an hour after it began and flights resumed, but not without creating a ripple of delays.
Delays continued into the day on Tuesday with some departures taking off two hours after they were scheduled.
American Airlines apologized for the inconvenience and said: "It's all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible".
While many morning flights were delayed Tuesday, most afternoon flights are scheduled to depart on time.
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy095ykjpzzo
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Trump slams Biden for commuting sentences of death row inmates
25 Dec, 2024
US President-elect Donald Trump has promised that his administration will “vigorously” pursue capital punishment for violent criminals, after outgoing President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of dozens of death row inmates.
On Monday, Biden granted clemency to 37 of the 40 federal inmates awaiting execution, commuting their sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” the outgoing president said in a statement. He insisted, however, that he “must stop” the use of capital punishment at the federal level.
“In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted,” Biden said. In 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland imposed a moratorium on federal executions.
Trump slammed the commutations on social media. “Joe Biden just commuted the death sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our country,” he wrote on Truth Social. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!”
Trump vowed to instruct the Department of Justice to “vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.”
According to the New York Post, the commutations include Thomas Sanders, who killed a 12-year-old girl and her mother in 2010. Another death row inmate who was granted clemency is Anthony Battle, who murdered a prison guard with a hammer in 1994 while serving a life sentence for raping and murdering his wife, the Post said.
The Los Angeles Times said the clemency includes Iouri Mikhel and Jurijus Kadamovas, who killed five people in a kidnapping-for-ransom scheme in the early 2000s.
Biden also granted clemency to Jorge Avila-Torrez, who sexually assaulted and stabbed to death two little girls in 2005, and four years later strangled US Navy officer Amanda Snell.
“I’d rather see it go back to the way it was, where he was sentenced to death,” the victim’s brother, Alex Snell, told the Post. “He should have gotten that penalty.”
The family of Donna Major, a bank teller killed in a 2017 robbery by Brandon Council, whose sentence Biden commuted, has condemned the president’s actions. “I’m still angry. I’m upset that one man can make this decision without even talking to the victims, without any regard for what we’ve been through,” Major’s daughter, Heather Turner, told Fox News.
During his election campaign, Trump accused the Democrats of being lenient on violent crime, claiming they are unable to tackle illegal migration and are undermining the work of police in big cities.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/609908-trump-slams-biden-clemency-death-row/
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US almost shot down second friendly plane – Fox News
24 Dec, 2024
A second US Navy jet narrowly escaped a friendly missile during this weekend’s airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, Fox News has reported citing a military source.
On Saturday, the missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly struck a plane from the carrier Harry S. Truman, according to the US Central Command. The pilot and the navigator of the F/A-18 Super Hornet were able to eject and survived.
A second Super Hornet found itself targeted by a missile from the Gettysburg as it was preparing to land aboard the Truman, a source told Fox News on Tuesday. The SM-2 missile came within 30 meters of the F/A-18, which had to take evasive maneuvers, according to Fox.
“The cruiser almost shot down two friendly jets,” the source was quoted as saying.
The US Navy confirmed that the Gettysburg had fired a second SM-2 missile and said it was investigating whether that missile had targeted the second jet.
In its statement on Sunday, the Central Command said that the cruiser had “mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman,” without mentioning the second plane.
Fox’s source, however, said this was inaccurate and that the stricken plane was trying to land on the carrier after refueling one of the jets that bombed Yemen.
“It was a tanker crew returning to land on the carrier about 10 miles out. They recognized the missile was guiding and punched out about three seconds before the missile hit the jet,” Fox quoted the source as saying.
The source also said that Navy pilots were “angry” about the incident and questioned the “insufficient” training of the missile cruiser’s crew. The Truman has reportedly not launched any strikes against Yemen after the friendly-fire incident.
CENTCOM initially said that US ships had downed multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea during the operation. The Houthis subsequently claimed credit for taking down the US F/A-18.
The Shia group that controls much of Yemen has been targeting commercial vessels linked to Israel for months, seeking to pressure West Jerusalem into stopping its offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis expanded their operations to US and UK vessels – including warships – after Anglo-American air and missile strikes began in January.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/609905-us-navy-second-jet-yemen/
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Former US President Bill Clinton discharged from hospital after flu
25 Dec, 2024
Former US President Bill Clinton has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for the flu, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
"He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and are touched by the kind messages and well wishes he received," Angel Ureña wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC on Monday evening for tests and observation after developing a fever.
The 78-year-old was last admitted to the hospital for six days in 2021 in California after developing an infection that reached his blood.
The 42nd US president, who served in the White House from 1993 to 2001, is also known to have suffered with heart issues in the past.
In 2004, aged 58, he had a quadruple bypass surgery after doctors found signs of extensive heart disease and, ten years later, he had a clogged artery opened after complaining of chest pains.
He has been active since leaving office, starting what later became known as the Clinton Foundation, which partnered with American Heart Association to form the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Not long after his second surgery, the ex-president - known for his love of fatty foods - went vegan. He told Politico in 2016, "I might not be around if I hadn't become a vegan. It's great."
Clinton was also active on the presidential campaign trail this year, as he travelled the country to boost Vice-President Kamala Harris's bid for president.
Last month, he released his latest book, Citizen: My Life After the White House.
Source: bbc.com
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Russian-born US citizen jailed in Moscow on espionage charges
24 Dec, 2024
James FitzGerald
A Moscow court has sentenced a Russian-born US citizen to 15 years in prison on espionage charges, Russian news agencies report.
Businessman Gene Spector was already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence, having been originally arrested in 2020 on bribery charges.
Last year, he was also accused of spying. Details of the alleged offences have not been publicly released due to the secretive nature of the case, agencies report, and the trial took place behind closed doors.
Russia has taken a number of high-profile American prisoners in recent times - one of whom, journalist Evan Gershkovich, was released earlier this year as part of the biggest swap deal between the countries for decades.
The US Department of State is yet to comment on Spector's case. The BBC has approached it for a statement.
Spector's 15-year sentence was reportedly due to be served in a strict-regime penal colony.
It comprises 13 years for the new conviction, plus the time he had left to serve on the prior one. An earlier fine of 14 million roubles ($140,000; £112,000) was also upheld.
In the earlier charges, Spector was accused in 2020 of acting as an intermediary in a bribery case relating to an assistant of Russia's former deputy prime minister. He pleaded guilty.
Spector, whose Russian name is Yevgeny Mironovich, was born in 1972 in what is now St Petersburg, and was again living the city with his family, the agency RIA Novosti reported.
At some point in his life, he moved to the US and obtained citizenship, according to another news agency, Tass. Back in Russia, he went on to lead Medpolimerprom: a group of companies that make medical supplies.
The news comes just months after a landmark prisoner swap.
In August, 24 people were involved in an exchange between Russia and some Western countries including the US and Germany.
They included US citizens Evan Gershkovich - a Wall Street Journal reporter - and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
The trade was described as the biggest exchange since the end of the Cold War between Russia and the West.
Tensions between the two sides have been especially high in recent years, following Russia's full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy539w5e365o
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