‘Deeply Saddened’: PM Modi Condoles Medina Tragedy; Assures Full Support And Coordination With Saudi Authorities
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 November2025
PM Narendra Modi (ANI image)
----------
· ‘Deeply saddened’: PM Modi condoles Medina tragedy; assures full support and coordination with Saudi authorities
· Muslim, Christian youths say no genocide in Nigeria, Boko Haram kills anybody
· From Division to Domination: Israeli Enemy Advances Towards Imposing its Sovereignty over Ibrahimi Mosque
· Saudi Arabia feels like ‘second home’ for Americans
· DMP chief gives ‘open fire’ order against arson and crude bomb attacks
· Religious teacher jailed seven years, caned for student sexual assault
------
India
· Mecca–Medina bus crash: Victims’ families urge govt to help bring bodies home; MP AsaduddinOwaisi in touch with kin
· India will treat terrorists and their backers alike, says Army Chief
· Muslim forum stresses need for dialogue, collaboration to promote social healing, reduce misunderstanding
· Nearly 200 under scanner in 'white-collar' terror module tied to Delhi blast
· ‘Youth once keen to become doctors, engineers now ready to turn suicide bombers’: Mehbooba asks Centre to reflect
· Al Falah University chief gets two Delhi police summons amid forgery, terror module probe; brother arrested in MP scam
· NIA names alleged suicide bomber in Red Fort blast as new arrest deepens terror probe
· ‘Progress of Muslims linked to edu, skill devp& jobs’
· Shashi Tharoor condemns Assam Minister’s controversial ‘Gobi farming’ post
· Muslim bookseller scripts harmony, stall at RaasMela has Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana
· Assam bans inter-district movement of live pigs amid African Swine Fever outbreak
------
Africa
· US lawmaker faults Tinubu for downplaying religious persecution claims
· Christian genocide:Miyetti Allah hits back at US Congress over proposed sanctions
· BREAKING: One Killed, Students Abducted As Terrorists Attack Kebbi Girls’ School
· Pope Lists Nigeria, Mozambique, Others As Countries Where Christians Are Persecuted
· ‘You Are Forgiven’ – Obasanjo Ends Rifts WithFayose
· Sowore Demands Arrest Of Senator Ned Nwoko Over Alleged Human Rights Abuses
· WFP decries atrocities in Sudan’s El-Fasher amid humanitarian crisis
------
Mideast
· Jihad Deputy Secretary-General rejects U.S. plan for Gaza force
· Unsettled victory: Al-Sudani between a second term and Shiite power balances
· Zakat affairs department honors Qatari companies committed to paying zakat
· Syrians, EU officials hold meeting in Damascus
· Israeli forces uproot olive trees in DeirIstiya belonging to Palestinian farmers
· Emirati volunteers arrive in Al-Arish for Gaza humanitarian projects
· Israeli forces open fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, no injuries reported
· Major Iraqi blocs push for rapid government formation
· Post-election talks: CF to narrow 15-name list for premiership
· Taiz. Inspection of Al-Ahmadi Mosque & Bin Maisarah Dome in Khadir District
------
Arab World
· Frankly Speaking: What to expect from Saudi crown prince’s US visit
· King Salman Science Oasis launches program to boost children’s skills
· Saudi crown prince receives written message from South Korean president
· Saudi minister opens new Agility Logistics Complex in Jeddah
· Riyadh welcomes Egyptian heritage through three-day cultural celebration
· Saudi Arabia’s handicrafts sector transforms into economic powerhouse
· Riyadh Season draws over 3m visitors in 35 days
--------
South Asia
· A look at the five charges against Hasina in crimes against humanity case
· South Korea Donates $1 Million for Northern Afghanistan Earthquake Relief
· Pakistan Welcomes Iran Offer to Mediate With Kabul
· OCHA Warns Funding Shortfall Could Halt Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan
· UNHCR Limits Cash Aid for Afghan Returnees Amid Funding Shortfall
· Pakistan Warns Kabul of ‘Firm Response’ to Any Hostile Actions
· No alternative to free fair elections: EC Anwarul Islam Sarker
· Media leaders call for self-regulation to protect press freedom
· SammilitoIslami Bank may onboard foreign investors
-------
Southeast Asia
· Selangor to review non-Muslim funeral service charges and packages
· Sabah voters aren’t buying empty talk anymore, Dr Zaliha says ahead of state polls
· Anwar pushes for tighter land regulation, quicker approvals to protect public interest
· Federal-state panel formed to address Sabah’s 40pc revenue claim, says DPM Fadillah
· Not rhetoric, real progress: Federal minister Armizan upbeat on breakthrough for Sabah’s 40pc revenue claim
· Penang govt not ‘running away’ from NCPR town hall, says Zairil; session after design finalised
· Malaysia among top 10 countries with cheapest internet per gigabyte
------
Europe
· Peacehaven mosque holds open day to thank 'amazing' community
· Muslim Charity Run reviews policies after backlash
· Hundreds turn out for Southport's 'walk for unity'
· Azerbaijani taekwondo fighter claims bronze at Islamic Solidarity Games
· Central Asia, Azerbaijan forming single geopolitical region despite geographical distance
· Will the government's new asylum plans work?
· Zelensky vows energy sector overhaul after $100m corruption scandal
· No Ukraine ceasefire ‘this year’ – Finnish president
· Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries driving price hikes in US – Bloomberg
· West wants to finish Russia as a great power – John Mearsheimer
------
North America
· Drones And Mass Salvo Attacks: Lessons Learned From The American Defense Of Israel – Analysis
· Oscar-winning actor calls ZohranMamdani a ‘communist fool’, says only Trump can save New York
· US shutdown: Record deadlock ends, but new Republican law set to strip millions from SNAP benefits
· Federal agents launch immigration crackdown in city of Charlotte
· Major MAGA ally apologizes for ‘toxic role’ in politics
· The US devised a destructive strategy for the world. Now it is the victim itself
· Trump doesn’t rule out talks with Venezuela’s Maduro
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/condoles-medina-tragedy-saudi-authorities/d/137665
------
‘Deeply saddened’: PM Modi condoles Medina tragedy; assures full support and coordination with Saudi authorities
Nov 17, 2025
PM Narendra Modi (ANI image)
---------
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed deep sorrow over the tragic accident in Medinah, Saudi Arabia in which more than 40 Indian Umrah pilgrims are feared dead.
In a post on X, he wrote: "Deeply saddened by the accident in Medinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance. Our officials are also in close contact with Saudi Arabian authorities."
According to initial reports, the crash took place early Monday when a passenger bus travelling from Mecca to Medina collided with a diesel tanker.
The pilgrims had completed their rituals in Mecca and were heading to Medina when the collision occurred around 1.30 am IST.
Many of the victims are believed to be from Hyderabad. Local sources said more than 40 people died on the spot, while the Telangana Haj Committee stated that 42 pilgrims had lost their lives.
The victims reportedly include women and children, and most passengers were asleep at the time of the crash.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy said he was shocked to hear about the tragedy and instructed officials to urgently collect detailed information, including the number of passengers from Telangana.
The state government has set up a control room to assist affected families, while authorities remain in contact with the Ministry of External Affairs and Saudi officials.
The Indian Consulate in Jeddah has activated a 24x7 helpline to support families seeking information. Hyderabad MP AsaduddinOwaisi said he contacted travel agencies and MEA officials and shared passenger details with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar also expressed grief. In a post on X he wrote: "Deeply shocked at the accident involving Indian nationals in Medinah, Saudi Arabia. Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are giving fullest support to Indian nationals and families affected by this accident. Sincere condolences to the bereaved families. Pray for the speedy recovery of those injured."
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/deeply-saddened-pm-modi-condoles-medina-tragedy-assures-full-support-and-coordination-with-saudi-authorities/articleshow/125379077.cms
------
Muslim, Christian youths say no genocide in Nigeria, Boko Haram kills anybody
NOVEMBER 17, 2025
Muslim and Christian youths(Photo Credit:Facebook)
----------
Acombined Christian and Muslim youth group, ‘Gwoza Youth Forum’, on Sunday says Boko Haram targets all religious adherents.
BulamaHaruna, the forum’s national chairman, denied the allegation at a news conference in Maiduguri.
The chairman, who was accompanied by a number of youths, alleged that the Boko Haram insurgents had in the past 15 years caused deaths and destruction of public and private properties in various Christian and Muslim communities in Gwoza LGA, irrespective of the victims’ faith.
He listed Agapalawa, Amuda, Jubrili, Zamga, Angurva, Pulka, Bokko, Aiga, Dughufaka, Chikide, Barawa, Paigi, Kirawa, Ashagashiya, and Ngoshe as communities affected by terrorist attacks in the area.
“The deaths of respected leaders, including the former Emir of Gwoza, the chief Imam, and several district heads and educators, demonstrate that Boko Haram targeted all religious faiths,” the chairman said.
According to him, the insurgents destroyed 134 Eid grounds, 356 Juma’a Mosques, 3,044 other regular mosques, 97 churches, homes, schools, hospitals, including Gwoza General Hospital, and 24 other primary health care centres. Other places affected by the destruction were local markets in Barawa, Kirawa, Pulka, Izge, and Warabe communities, he said.
“Over 107 Primary and Universal Basic Education Schools and 15 Secondary Schools were also burned. Police facilities, including the Divisional Headquarters and more than 13 Police Out Posts, were razed,” Mr Haruna said.
According to him, the Christian genocide claim distorts facts, undermines reconciliation, and threatens fragile interfaith peace.
“Such narratives risk creating new divisions, misleading public perception, and eroding the trust built over years of dialogue,” stated Mr Haruna.
He appealed to all stakeholders in the area to exercise responsibility, objectivity, and sensitivity in making public statements.
Source: gazettengr.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://gazettengr.com/muslim-christian-youths-say-no-genocide-in-nigeria-boko-haram-kills-anybody/
-------
From Division to Domination: Israeli Enemy Advances Towards Imposing its Sovereignty over Ibrahimi Mosque
17 Nov 2025
The director of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, West Bank, Mu'taz Abu Sneineh, confirmed that the Israeli enemy authorities are working to move from the stage of temporal and spatial division of the mosque to the stage of complete domination over it, through gradual steps and plans aimed at its complete Judaization.
Abu Sneineh explained, in a statement to Sanad News Agency, that the Israeli enemy closed the mosque for two days under the pretext of Jewish holidays, while thousands of settlers stormed the site during this period.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3591411.htm
------
Saudi Arabia feels like ‘second home’ for Americans
RASHID HASSAN
November 16, 2025
This picture shows the flags of Saudi Arabia and the US on poles in Riyadh on May 12, 2025. (File/AFP)
--------------
RIYADH: The Kingdom has become more than just a place for work, with expats increasingly finding it a home away from home with its ongoing transformation under Saudi Vision 2030.
Arab News has spoken to several Americans living in the Kingdom who feel that they are living in a “second home.” They appreciate the country’s warm hospitality, strong sense of safety, economic opportunities, and high quality of life.
John Pagano, the CEO of Red Sea Global, who was recently granted Saudi citizenship, felt the move was not just a personal recognition, but also a symbolic milestone in the Kingdom’s journey of transformation under Vision 2030.
“I was honored to have been granted Saudi citizenship, and I am grateful to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for bestowing this honor upon me,” said Pagano while appearing on the Arab News’ current affairs program “Frankly Speaking.”
He added: “I have lived in Saudi Arabia now for almost eight years. I have grown to love the country, the people, and to be part of the transformation of this Kingdom as a Saudi citizen is an immensely proud moment for me.
“The Saudi people are incredibly hospitable and they have always been warm and welcoming. I was overwhelmed by the number of congratulatory messages that I received upon the formal announcement of my Saudi citizenship.
“They have embraced me. They make me feel at home. I feel now a part of society here and I am absolutely thrilled with it.”
Sharing her experience of living in Riyadh, Maria Cometti, the cofounder of DQ Living Magazine, previously told Arab News: “There’s a spirit of positivity and a unified drive toward progress, led by the crown prince and Vision 2030.
“It’s inspiring and quite a privilege to be part of a society that is actively shaping its future.”
As an American married to a Saudi, Cometti said she was particularly grateful for the bilateral ties and the sense of safety the Kingdom provides her family.
As Saudi Arabia rapidly advances its goal to become a global hub for air connectivity and logistics under Vision 2030, the Kingdom has surpassed its initial tourism milestone under the plan and has now raised its target to 150 million visits by 2030.
America’s Delta Air Lines recently announced a new direct route from Atlanta to Riyadh as part of its entry into the Saudi market.
The airline aims to integrate the Kingdom into one of the world’s most extensive networks.
Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian, who championed the new route, when asked at the Fortune Global Forum 2025, held recently in Riyadh, if Americans were ready to visit Saudi Arabia, replied: “They will be.”
He added: “Imagine when you go back as you happened to be here before, (and) you tell them why and where you went, and you actually find areas of interest.
“What you see when you come to Riyadh, and Saudi Arabia, is an amazing display of development, of tourism, of opportunity. But beyond all of that, it’s the people, the culture, the warmth, the authentic hospitality.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622844/saudi-arabia
--------
DMP chief gives ‘open fire’ order against arson and crude bomb attacks
Nov 16, 2025
SM Sazzat Ali. File photo
------------
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sajjat Ali has instructed police personnel to open fire if anyone attempts to torch vehicles or hurl crude bombs that endanger lives.
The directive was issued through a wireless message on Sunday afternoon; the commissioner confirmed it to The Daily Star.
"Yes, I have given such a directive. If anyone sets a bus on fire or throws a cocktail and attacks police, will they sit idle?" he told The Daily Star this evening.
The instruction comes five days after the Chattogram Metropolitan Police commissioner gave a similar order, which drew mixed reactions from rights groups and sections of the public.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/dmp-chief-gives-open-fire-order-against-arson-and-crude-bomb-attacks-4036176
------
Religious teacher jailed seven years, caned for student sexual assault
17 Nov 2025
A religious teacher was sentenced to seven years in prison and two cane strokes for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student at a school surau
SEREMBAN: A religious teacher received a seven-year prison sentence and two strokes of the cane for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old female student.
Sessions Court Judge DatinSuritaBudin convicted FaridAzharNawi, 47, for the assault that occurred at a secondary school surau in Senawang three years ago.
The court also ordered him to undergo counselling during imprisonment and face one year of police supervision after his release.
Judge Surita granted a stay of execution pending appeal, considering the accused is a civil servant.
She set bail at RM20,000 and required Farid to surrender his passport to the court.
“The defence failed to raise reasonable doubt,” she stated in her judgment.
“The accused’s claim of collusion by the school was purely hypothetical and unproven.”
She emphasised the court takes child sexual abuse cases seriously, particularly when committed by trusted educators.
“The accused should have protected and guided students, not taken advantage of the victim,” she added.
Farid faced two charges under Section 14(a) and Section 16(c) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
The offences allegedly occurred around 5:30 pm on August 4, 2022.
For the first offence, he received seven years imprisonment.
For the second offence, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment plus two cane strokes.
The court ordered both prison terms to run concurrently.
Deputy Public Prosecutor NorazihahAsmuni handled the prosecution.
Lawyer Nor AzleenKhairina A. Aziz represented the accused. – Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/courts/religious-teacher-jailed-seven-years-caned-for-student-sexual-assault/
----
India
Mecca–Medina bus crash: Victims’ families urge govt to help bring bodies home; MP AsaduddinOwaisi in touch with kin
Nov 17, 2025
HYDERABAD: Over 40 Indian Umrah pilgrims, most from Telangana, are feared dead after a bus collided with an oil tanker in Medina, Saudi Arabia, early Monday. The accident occurred at around 1:30 am (IST) with over 40 Indians reportedly on board.
The Indian mission in Jeddah has set up a control room to coordinate assistance. Meanwhile, grieving families of the victims have urged the Union Government to ensure the bodies are brought back to India.
A resident of Hyderabad, Mufti Asifullah says, "A batch of 45-46 members went to Saudi Arabia from Hyderabad. The bus carrying them caught fire and as soon as we received information we contacted Al Makkah Tours & Travels. AIMIM MP AsaduddinOwaisi spoke with me. We urge the government to allow us to go to Saudi Arabia. Seven members of my family went to Saudi Arabia."
Mohammed Tehseen, another resident of Hyderabad, says, "Seven members from my family went to Saudi Arabia. They went to Saudi Arabia last week. We request the Union Government to bring the bodies to India. They were travelling to Medina from Mecca."
Nampally MLA Mohammad Majid Hussain says, "A very unfortunate accident took place in Saudi Arabia in which many people died in a bus accident. We are in touch with the authorities and AIMIM MP AsaduddinOwaisi is in touch with the Consulate General of India, Jeddah. I am in touch with the bereaved families."
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, currently on a visit to Russia, expressed deep shock over the accident.
"Our Embassy in Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are giving fullest support to Indian nationals and families affected by this accident," he said.
"Sincere condolences to the bereaved families. Pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," he said on social media post.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the tragic accident.
According to his office, Reddy, after receiving preliminary information that the bus carrying pilgrims from Mecca to Madina included residents of Hyderabad, directed the chief secretary and the director general of police to obtain full details of the incident.
He also instructed officials to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Saudi Embassy, and to immediately initiate all necessary relief measures for the victims and their families.
"Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao has promptly spoken with Coordination Secretary Gaurav Uppal in Delhi and issued the required directives," it said on X.
"A control room has been set up at the Secretariat to monitor details and relief measures regarding this incident on an ongoing basis, to provide information to the families and relatives," it said.
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/meccamedina-bus-crash-victims-families-urge-govt-to-help-bring-bodies-home-mp-asaduddin-owaisi-in-touch-with-kin/articleshow/125377945.cms
------
India will treat terrorists and their backers alike, says Army Chief
17 Nov 2025
Chief of Army Staff General UpendraDwivedi on Monday asserted that the country will continue to treat terrorists and their supporters without distinction and respond firmly to any act of terrorism.
Gen Dwivedi said India is committed to progress and development, but will not hesitate to act against those who attempt to derail its path.
“India focuses on progress and prosperity. If someone creates obstacles in our course, then we will have to take some action against them,” he said, in a firm message to Pakistan
Reiterating New Delhi’s long-standing stance, he added, “Talks and terror can’t go together; blood and water cannot flow together. We support a peaceful process and will cooperate with it. Until then, we will treat terrorists and their sponsors alike.”
Hinting at Pakistan’s nuclear posturing, Gen Dwivedi said India is no longer susceptible to strategic coercion. “Today, India is in a position where it is not scared of any blackmailing,” he said, stressing that the country’s “new normal” in counterterrorism operations will pose a significant challenge to Pakistan if it continues supporting anti-India groups.
The Army Chief said India's political brass has the will to strengthen the country's deterrence capabilities.
"In today's time, our deterrence is very strong. Our deterrence is working," he said.
Gen Dwivedi also said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
"After this, political clarity has come. There has been a huge decline in terrorism," he said.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Nov/17/india-will-treat-terrorists-and-their-backers-alike-says-army-chief
------
Muslim forum stresses need for dialogue, collaboration to promote social healing, reduce misunderstanding
November 16, 2025
MAYANK KUMAR
Pushing for social healing among various communities and narrowing of gap in Indian society through collaborations and joint solidarity, Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) national NGO conference concluded in Lucknow on Sunday (November 16, 2025) with multiple brainstorming sessions.
Speaking to The Hindu, AamirEdresy, president of AMP, said, “AMP has always believed that social progress is only possible when communities work together. Our focus goes beyond just Muslim empowerment—we aim to build bridges, foster solidarity, and contribute to India’s social harmony. Through joint initiatives with NGOs, civil society groups, educational institutions, and government bodies, we are actively promoting social healing, inclusive development, and equitable opportunities for all sections of society.”
The two-day NGO conference in Lucknow hosted over 1,000 delegates from across India, representing NGOs, educational institutions, medical associations, women-led initiatives, youth groups, and social activists. The discussed topics included status of Muslims in India—challenges, opportunities, government schemes, partnerships and collaborations, and a united call for action and collaboration.
When asked if AMP believed in promoting de-radicalisation in all forms through social healing and dialogue between all communities and religious groups in India, Mr. Edresy said, “AMP firmly believes in promoting peace, harmony, and constructive engagement among all communities in India. Our work is rooted in the idea that social healing, inclusive development, and continuous dialogue are the most effective ways to prevent marginalisation, misconceptions, and extreme views of any kind.
AMP does not frame its initiatives in the terminology of ‘de-radicalisation’, but our programmes naturally contribute to creating a positive, empowering ecosystem where communities connect through dialogue, collaboration, and shared social goals, [and] misunderstandings are reduced through transparency and bridge-building efforts,” he said.
The AMP added that its idea is when people feel heard, supported, and connected, society becomes more resilient to all forms of extremism be it social or ideological or communal.
Source: thehindu.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttar-pradesh/muslim-forum-stresses-need-for-dialogue-collaboration-to-promote-social-healing-reduce-misunderstanding/article70287790.ece
--------
Nearly 200 under scanner in 'white-collar' terror module tied to Delhi blast
HarpreetBajwa
17 Nov 2025
CHANDIGARH: Around 200 people are reportedly under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Faridabad-based “white-collar” terror module linked to the Red Fort blast.
This development comes after a review of call records and online transactions allegedly connected to the three key accused in the case.
Sources said those under the scanner include former students and colleagues from Al-Falah University, shopkeepers, diagnostic centre owners and imams of madrasas.
Three of the key accused, including Dr Umar Nabi, who died in the explosion, had reportedly made online payments to locals as part of the efforts to build their support and strengthen the network.
The two other accused, Dr MuzammilShakeelGanaie and Dr ShaheenShahid, were arrested earlier.
“According to the students of the university they tried to help every Kashmiri student by leaving their own rooms in order to help them stay,’’ the official added.
CCTV footage from 29 and 30 October, recovered from a clinic near Al-Falah University by the NIA and the Delhi Police Special Cell, shows Nabi entering the clinic with two mobile phones and a backpack.
He visited the clinic almost daily, often assisting with patients.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Nov/17/nearly-200-under-scanner-in-white-collar-terror-module-tied-to-delhi-blast
-------
‘Youth once keen to become doctors, engineers now ready to turn suicide bombers’: Mehbooba asks Centre to reflect
by Bashaarat Masood
November 17, 2025
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday called on the youth not to go down a path that would be dangerous not only for themselves, but for their families, for J&K and the entire country. She also asked the central government to reflect on what mistakes were made that the “youth who used to pick up stones and guns have become suicide bombers now”.
Referring to the car bomb explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi on November 10, which is suspected to be linked to a terror module involving doctors from Kashmir, Mufti said, “When a doctor says that he wants to die, it is a serious matter for all of us.”
“I have a request for the youth. You have to live your life. You have to live for Kashmir. Learn to live, don’t die. We don’t want your corpses, we want you,” Mufti said, while addressing party leaders.
She added, “I want to say again to the youth who do this: What you do is wrong in every way. It is dangerous not only for you, but it is also dangerous for your family, for Jammu and Kashmir, and for the whole country. You are taking such a big risk because you are ruining your loved ones’ lives. Moreover, the lives of many innocent people are at stake. This has been hurting me a lot for the last few days.”
Mufti cautioned the Centre, saying it needs to try to understand what made suicide bombers out of doctors. “When a doctor says he wants to die, this is a very serious matter for all of us… The youth who used to pick up stones and guns, now they have become suicide bombers. How did our youth come to this?” she asked.
“That the youth, who were ready to become doctors and engineers, are now ready to explode themselves, is something that needs to be thought about… So, this will have to be considered by the people of the country, by the leadership. Where did we make a mistake? The central government has to think. You promised the youth here that you would take stones and guns from their hands and give them a laptop. But today, you have made that youth a suicide bomber. You had promised you would make Jammu and Kashmir safe, but you have made Delhi unsafe by your policies,” she said.
Referring to the Centre’s decision to abrogate J&K’s special status in 2019, Mufti said, “You made such a big blunder in 2019, you snatched everything from the people of J&K.” She said the youth of J&K were being suffocated. “Don’t suffocate him (the youth of the J&K). When you shut down something, like a pressure cooker, it will come out from somewhere,” she said.
Reacting to the incident in Kulgam, where a 55-year-old man, a neighbour of one of the doctors allegedly part of the terror module, set himself on fire, Mufti said, “His son and brother were arrested and taken away. We don’t know whether he is involved or not, we will not decide. That will be decided by the investigation agencies.”
“The people who saw it (the self-immolation), what will be its impact — that a father becomes helpless and puts petrol on himself and sets himself on fire,” she said.
Mufti claimed that the environment in the country has been made “poisonous” and that people are being divided along religious lines.
“I don’t know if the people in Delhi understand this, or do they think that the more Hindu-Muslims (divide) there is, the more bloodshed there will be, the more polarisation there will be in the country, the more voters they will get? I think they should think again. The country is much bigger than a chair,” she said.
She said that “somewhere, that poisonous environment is also responsible for the youth of Kashmir taking a dangerous path”.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/mehbooba-mufti-to-centre-reflect-on-why-youth-who-used-to-pick-up-stones-guns-have-now-become-suicide-bombers-10369625/
-------
Al Falah University chief gets two Delhi police summons amid forgery, terror module probe; brother arrested in MP scam
17.11.25
The Delhi Police have issued two summons to Al Falah University chairman Javed Ahmad Siddiqui as part of the ongoing investigation into the Faridabad terror module case, the recent blast near the Red Fort, and two separate FIRs filed against the university for cheating and forgery, officials said on Monday.
According to investigators, Siddiqui’s testimony is crucial to resolving multiple inconsistencies related to the university’s functioning and the activities of individuals associated with the institution.
Officials noted that the inquiry has widened following last week’s blast near the Red Fort, in which 13 people were killed and several others injured.
Several suspects in the case are believed to have ties with the university, prompting scrutiny of institutional documents, financial trails and administrative approvals.
The Crime Branch registered two FIRs after the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) flagged serious discrepancies on Saturday.
Both bodies pointed to "major irregularities" during an assessment of the university’s accreditation submissions and shared their findings with the police.
"The FIRs pertain to alleged false accreditation documents and claims made by the university. The matter is being investigated in detail," a senior officer said.
Meanwhile, the probe has drawn links to a separate long-pending case in Madhya Pradesh, where Siddiqui’s brother has now been arrested.
Hamood Ahmed Siddiqui, accused of orchestrating a major financial fraud in Mhow 25 years ago, was arrested from Hyderabad on Sunday, officials said.
"Hamood vanished from Mhow in 2000 after allegedly establishing a bogus private bank and luring hundreds of residents with promises of doubling their deposits. He had fled with his family soon after the scam surfaced, leaving authorities searching for him for decades. He was arrested in Hyderabad yesterday," Mhow Sub Divisional Officer of Police Lalit Singh Sikarwar told PTI.
Police in Mhow reopened the case after reviewing Javed Siddiqui’s background, which led them to Hamood, who had been living in Hyderabad and working in share trading while keeping a low profile, sources said. Investigators are now mapping his contacts and movements over the years to determine who may have aided him while he was absconding.
Notably, Delhi blast prime accused Dr Umar Un Nabi is a former student of Al Falah University, further intertwining the institution with the ongoing terror probe.
The Delhi Police reiterated that the summons issued to the university chairman are part of a broader investigation that intersects multiple cases. Further investigation is underway.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/al-falah-university-chief-gets-two-delhi-police-summons-amid-forgery-terror-module-investigations/cid/2133324
------
NIA names alleged suicide bomber in Red Fort blast as new arrest deepens terror probe
Imran Ahmed Siddiqui
17.11.25
The NIA on Sunday said it had arrested a Kashmir resident on the charge of conspiring with “alleged suicide bomber” Umar un Nabi to carry out the terror attack near the Red Fort on November 10 that killed 13 people, days after top government sources suggested the explosion could be the result of panic and not a pre-planned attack.
This is the first time the NIA has officially termed Dr Nabi the “alleged suicide bomber”.
“Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car involved in the attack was registered, was arrested from Delhi,” the agency said on Sunday.
The NIA investigations have revealed that the accused, a resident of Samboora in Pampore of Jammu and Kashmir, had allegedly conspired with the alleged
suicide bomber to unleash the terror attack.
“Amir had come to Delhi to facilitate the purchase of the car, which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) to trigger the blast. The NIA has forensically established the identity of the deceased driver of the vehicle-borne IED as Umar un Nabi, a resident of Pulwama and assistant professor in the general medicine department of Al Falah University in Faridabad,” the agency said.
The NIA has seized another vehicle belonging to Nabi and it is being examined
for evidence.
“The NIA... is pursuing multiple leads to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the bombing...,” the agency said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/nia-arrests-kashmir-resident-for-alleged-conspiracy-with-suicide-bomber-in-red-fort-blast-case-prnt/cid/2133238
------
‘Progress of Muslims linked to edu, skill devp& jobs’
Nov 17, 2025
Lucknow: The community's progress depends on stronger access to education, skill development, and employment while institutions need to work together to build long-term opportunities. This was highlighted at a two-day national conference on ‘Education, Economy, and Empowerment of Muslim Society', which concluded on Sunday at the Islamic Centre of India, Eidgah, Lucknow. The event was organised by the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) and drew scholars, policymakers, and delegates from across the country.
The speakers also underlined that Muslim women already held clear rights in learning, business, and public life, and that their active participation was central to community growth. They added that sustained, collective action across minority-concentrated districts contributed directly to national development.
The conference discussed a 25-year roadmap for development, with speakers including Maulana Khalid Rashid FarangiMahali, AamirIdrisi, Prof Waseem Akhtar, Era University vice-chancellor Prof Ali Abbas, MunavvarThangal, and former chief information commissioner WajahatHabibullah. The speakers said sustained cooperation between institutions and civil society is essential to address gaps in education, skills, and employment. The discussions pointed to the need for training models, industry connections, and community-supported systems that link learning with real economic opportunities.
The session on ‘Zakat and Waqf', addressed by Maulana Khalid Rashid FarangiMahali, Justice B D Naqvi, Lt Gen Zameeruddin Shah (Retd), Lt Ahmed Ali, Dr Abdul Qadeer, UwaisSureshwala, and Ayesha Mahmood, underlined the importance of transparent management of zakat and proper documentation of waqf properties. Speakers urged registration on the Umeed portal and said that responsible use of zakat can support education, healthcare, and relief for vulnerable families.
A dedicated session on women's empowerment brought together several women speakers who highlighted that Islam grants women clear rights in learning, business, property, and public life, and encouraged wider participation in entrepreneurship, leadership, and professional careers.
The opening day began with the national flag hoisting, followed by remarks from minority affairs minister Danish Azad, Maulana Khalid Rashid FarangiMahali, AMP president AamirIdrisi, Prof Amitabh Kundu, Farooq Siddiqui, Karnataka minorities commission chairman U Nisar Ahmed, Zakat Foundation president Dr Zafar Mahmood, and Prof FurqanQamar. They pointed to gaps in educational access and employment pathways and stressed focused interventions in the 130 minority-concentrated districts.
The event ended with a vote of thanks by AamirIdrisi, a prayer by Maulana Khalid Rashid FarangiMahali, and the national anthem.
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/progress-of-muslims-linked-to-edu-skill-devp-jobs/articleshow/125371394.cms
-------
Shashi Tharoor condemns Assam Minister’s controversial ‘Gobi farming’ post
November 16, 2025
As Assam Minister Ashok Singhal’s “Bihar approves Gobi farming” remark sparked a row with Opposition leaders alleging it was “glorifying” the killing of Muslims in Bhagalpur in 1989, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday (November 16, 2025) condemned the social media post, saying neither the Hindu faith nor nationalism justifies or condones such massacres, let alone applauds them.
“Bihar approves Gobi farming,” Mr. Singhal had posted on X on Friday (November 14, 2025) with an image of a cauliflower field after the NDA win in Assembly polls. It evoked a strong response from many online who said the cauliflower image was an apparent reference to the 1989 Bhagalpur violence in Bihar, in which many Muslims were killed and buried in farmland where cauliflower saplings were later planted to conceal the bodies.
Bihar approves Gobi farming ✅ pic.twitter.com/SubrTQ0Mu5
An X user replied to Mr. Singhal’s post, saying that a Cabinet Minister, no less, is “glorifying the massacre of 116 Muslims to celebrate an election victory”.
He tagged Mr. Tharoor and asked if the senior Congress leader could get a few influential Hindu leaders to condemn this “normalisation of one of the worst pogroms perpetuated against Bihari Muslims”.
Responding to the post, Mr. Tharoor said, “I’m not a community organiser, so joint statements are not my job. But as a passionate advocate of #InclusiveIndia and a proud Hindu, I can speak for myself, and for most Hindus I know, in saying that neither our faith nor our nationalism requires, justifies, or condones such massacres, let alone applauds them.”
I'm not a community organiser, so joint statements are not my job. But as a passionate advocate of #InclusiveIndia and a proud Hindu, I can speak for myself, and for most Hindus I know, in saying that neither our faith nor our nationalism requires, justifies or condones such… https://t.co/Wd1tprR3r6
When another user said that he did not condemn the post, Mr. Tharoor responded, “That's exactly what I did! I condemned it.”
On Saturday (November 15, 2025), Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said the use of “gobi farming” imagery by a sitting Cabinet Minister of Assam in the wake of the Bihar election results marks a shocking new low in political discourse.
“It is both vulgar and shameful. The image is widely associated with the Logain massacre of 1989, where 116 Muslims were killed and their bodies concealed under cauliflower plantations during the Bhagalpur violence,” Mr. Gogoi said.
To invoke such a tragedy in this manner shows how far some are willing to descend in public life, he said.
“This mindset is promoted by his boss, Chief Minister HimantaBiswaSarma. The Chief Minister has a hatred for Indian minorities. This is not what Assam is. Assam is the land of MahapurushSankardev, LachitBorphukan, and AzaanPir. And next year the people of Assam will end the rule of hate and greed,” he said.
TMC MP SaketGokhale also slammed the post.
“‘Gobi farming’ refers to glorifying the mass killing of Muslims in Bhagalpur, Bihar, in 1989. A cauliflower farm was planted on the graves to hide evidence. This is Modi's BJP Minister from Assam. Not some fringe element,” he said on Saturday (November 15, 2025).
Source: thehindu.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/shashi-tharoor-condemns-assam-ministers-controversial-gobi-farming-post/article70287081.ece
------
Muslim bookseller scripts harmony, stall at RaasMela has Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana
Main Uddin Chisti
17.11.25
As the walls of religion rise across the country, Taslim Sheikh's book stall at the RaasMela in Cooch Behar tells a story of harmony.
The 70-year-old man sells the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayan, and Mahabharat in front of the temple of Madanmohan — the clan deity of the Cooch Behar royal family — on the north side of BairagiDighi in Cooch Behar city.
The septuagenarian sits at his sidewalk stall amid the crowd of the RaasMela with a trimmed moustache, a long white beard and calm eyes.
“They call me ‘uncle’ probably as a mark of respect. Despite being a Muslim, I sell the Gita at my stall with other books, which are inseparable from the Hindu religion. I have always regarded the other religion, which is perhaps the reason they (Hindus) come to my stall and buy religious books,” he said.
The senior citizen, a resident of Sahebganj of the Dinhata subdivision, around 50km from here, has been selling Hindu religious books for the past 40 years.
At the RaasMela, which started on November 5 and will end on November 19, the Gita is prominent in his stall. His shop is lined with rows of various editions, including the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. The Bengali Gita to the Gita Press's translation, the Gita with the Ramayana, the Gita-Tattva and Bengali explanations of the Gita are available at his shop.
“It is not just business for me in the name of religion. I have read the Gita. I have learnt to develop generosity by reading it and other religious books,” he added.
Sheikh averages a sale of around ₹8,000 per day during the RaasMela.
Books apart, he sells colourful illustrations of scenes from the Ramayan and the Mahabharat, and prints of Hindu deities including Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga, Lord Krishna, Lord Hanuman, Lord Ram and Lord Ganesha.
Sheikh lives with his wife Zayda Bibi, daughter-in-law and grandson. His son, Jewel Haque, is a migrant worker in Delhi. He bears the bulk of household expenses by selling religious books at fairs and pavilions.
Jhuma Bhattacharya, a teacher who bought books from his stall, said: “It is interesting to see an old Muslim man selling the Gita. But what is even more important is his humility, his humanity.”
Adrija Ghosh from Baneshwar, who bought a Gita booklet, said: “When the country is engaged in conflicts over religion, this stall stands as a symbol of harmony in Cooch Behar. This is the face of our true Indian consciousness.”
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/muslim-bookseller-scripts-harmony-stall-at-raas-mela-has-bhagavad-gita-ramayana-prnt/cid/2133264
-------
Assam bans inter-district movement of live pigs amid African Swine Fever outbreak
17 Nov 2025,
GUWAHATI: The Assam government has banned the inter-district movement of live pigs in the state to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF).
The number of ASF cases has been alarmingly rising across the state since January this year. Authorities have identified 297 epicentres so far – 84 of them notified in October alone.
Assam has a sizeable pork-eating population with a thriving piggery industry. The state is also a major supplier of pigs to parts of the Northeast.
The ASF has spread to almost all districts, with more concentration reported from the seven districts of Dhemaji, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Darrang, Jorhat and Dibrugarh.
The Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department in an order said, “In exercise of power under Section 7, 10(1), 10(3), 10(4), 11, 12 and 13 read with Section 6 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, the inter-district movement of live pigs in the state of Assam is hereby banned for the time being with immediate effect and until further order to prevent further spread of the disease.”
The government further banned the intra-district movement of live pigs in the seven districts in question, along with the sale of pork in these districts, with immediate effect and until further order.
The ASF was also detected in Manipur’s Kakching and Churachandpur districts last week, prompting authorities to sound an alert and declare the affected areas as containment zones.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Nov/17/inter-district-movement-of-live-pigs-banned-in-assam-amid-african-swine-fever-outbreak-3
------
Africa
US lawmaker faults Tinubu for downplaying religious persecution claims
16th November 2025
A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s claims that Nigeria does not encourage religious persecution, insisting that the reality on the ground contradicts the President’s public statements.
In a post on X on Sunday, shared by Moore, he cited Tinubu’s earlier assertion that his administration opposes religious persecution, responding, “@officialABAT claims his government opposes religious persecution. But 12 states have Sharia law, and a Christian faces the death penalty for defending his farm from a Muslim Fulani militant who stabbed him repeatedly.”
Moore also shared a video of a Fox News Sunday interview with anchor Shannon Bream, who read out Tinubu’s November statement on religious freedom in Nigeria.
Tinubu’s November post, as read by Bream, stated, “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.
“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths. Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on the protection of communities of all faiths.”
Reacting to the statement during the interview, Bream noted, “(Tinubu) says the picture we’re (US) getting here is not accurate.”
Responding, Moore alleged, “You know, unfortunately, that is completely false. I mean, there are states in Nigeria that have blasphemy laws. People who are facing the death penalty right now for blasphemy against Islam.
“There’s a person right now who’s held in prison for defending himself from an attack from a Muslim militant from the Fulani tribe. He defended himself, and he’s facing the death penalty.
“So no, there is serious persecution happening in Nigeria. I know the president, Tinibu, is in a difficult position in trying to protect his interests there in that country, but they are complicit in this to one degree or another with statements like this.”
Moore’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump, on October 31, designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian genocide, warning that the Nigerian government must stop the killings or the United States would deploy troops “to wipe out the jihadists.”
The Federal Government has repeatedly denied claims of a systematic “Christian genocide”, describing such allegations as false, misleading, and a distortion of Nigeria’s security challenges.
In a separate November 9 statement, Moore had backed Trump’s position, writing, “President Trump is absolutely right to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering horrific persecution, and even martyrdom, for their faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
His comments add to the intensifying diplomatic tension following renewed debate in US political circles on religious persecution in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Christian and Muslim groups in Nigeria remain divided over the genocide claim.
On November 13, the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Wale Oke, maintained that Christians were facing genocide, saying, “The evidence is all over the place. There is nothing anybody can say that can whitewash it. It is evil, it is bloodshedding, it is mass murder, and it is genocide. The time to stop it is now.”
However, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, in a statement on Thursday, dismissed Trump’s claim, saying, “There is no religious war in Nigeria, and America should not now introduce one by giving a religious interpretation to what is essentially either an ethnic crisis, an occupational dispute, or an economic rivalry.”
Also on Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and British broadcaster Piers Morgan clashed on social media over the airing of Tuggar’s recent interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Tuggar insisted that the full and unedited interview must be broadcast, warning that selective editing could distort Nigeria’s image and “amplify misleading narratives and allegations of religious persecution.”
Source: punchng.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://punchng.com/us-lawmaker-faults-tinubu-for-downplaying-religious-persecution-claims/
-------
Christian genocide:Miyetti Allah hits back at US Congress over proposed sanctions
November 16, 2025
THE Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has criticised the newly proposed United States (U.S) House Resolution 860, accusing American lawmakers of misrepresenting pastoralists and ignoring their long history of suffering.
MACBAN President, Baba Ngelzarma, at a press briefing held on Sunday, 16 November, called on the U.S. government to amend the resolution, which proposes sanctions, including visa restrictions and asset freezes against individuals and groups allegedly involved in religious persecution.
The association argued that the measure fails to recognise that pastoralists are among the groups most affected by violent conflicts in Nigeria’s rural areas.
MACBAN’s statement was in response to the filing of H.Res. 860 in the 119th U.S. Congress by Representative Christopher Smith, with Bill Huizenga as co-sponsor.
The resolution proposes sanctions such as visa restrictions and asset freezes targeted at MACBAN and other Fulani-led groups, as stated on the US Congress website.
It also advises that Fulani-Ethnic Militias operating in states like Benue and Plateau be added to the Entities of Particular Concern list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
MACBAN, however, rejected any association with terrorist groups and reiterated its condemnation of all forms of terrorism in Nigeria.
“MACBAN respectfully calls for revising H.R. 860 to remove all mention of MACBAN. We wish to state clearly and without ambiguity: MACBAN does not support, condone, harbour, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism, or violence.
MACBAN is not and has never been an armed group or violent organisation. We condemn in the strongest possible terms banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, terrorism, or any crime whatsoever,” MACBAN president said.
Ngelzarma maintained that rural insecurity in Nigeria had also taken a heavy toll on pastoralists, saying thousands were killed between 2015 and 2025 by cattle rustlers, bandits, armed vigilantes, militias and extremist groups.
He cited verified figures showing that more than 18,640 pastoralists were killed within the period, about 1,298,802 displaced, 87,543 houses destroyed, and over 1,114,519 cattle rustled or slaughtered, with an additional 656,555 small ruminants lost across 17 states.
MACBAN described these figures as both a profound human tragedy and a significant setback for Nigeria’s livestock sector and food systems. The association urged the U.S and other international actors to take these “human and economic losses” into account when evaluating the pastoralist community.
The group also drew attention to what it called targeted assassinations, noting that several of its officials who assisted security agencies in uncovering criminal networks had been killed, including its state chairmen in Nasarawa, Katsina, Kogi and Plateau, while others had been threatened for refusing to protect offenders.
While calling for caution on profiling the group, Ngelzema added that the National Vice President (I), MunnirAtikuLamid, has been missing since June 2023 after disappearing while travelling from Katsina to Kaduna.
He stressed that portraying the entire pastoralist population as criminals reflects a misunderstanding that risks deepening their stigmatisation.
MACBAN appealed to the U.S. Congress to consult credible local actors, including pastoralists, farmers, civil society groups, and security agencies, when carrying out assessments.
The group also called for evidence-driven evaluations that factor in the humanitarian impact on pastoralists and advocated sustained investment in pastoralist infrastructure such as grazing reserves, veterinary care, water supply, healthcare, and education.
“We do not seek protection because we are violent; we ask for support because we are under threat,” MACBAN said.
The group further reiterated its dedication to peace-building and unity, and urged that the pastoral majority should not be profiled because of the actions of a few criminals.
Source: icirnigeria.org
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.icirnigeria.org/christian-genocidemiyetti-allah-hits-back-at-us-congress-over-proposed-sanctions/
------
BREAKING: One Killed, Students Abducted As Terrorists Attack Kebbi Girls’ School
November 17, 2025
Terrorists in the early hours of Monday attacked the Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Naija News understands that the gunmen abducted an unspecified number of female students and killed a staff member.
The assailants were said to have stormed the school at about 5:52 am, shooting sporadically as students prepared for the day’s routine.
Security sources disclosed that the attackers shot dead a school staff member during the raid, while a guard sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment.
Residents told HumAngle that the gunmen overpowered the school’s security, whisking away several girls before fleeing into nearby bushes.
Locals said the attackers were still within reachable distance and called on security forces to act swiftly to prevent the girls from being moved deeper into the forest.
“We know they are still around the area. Government must move fast if these children are to be rescued,” a resident told the aforementioned platform.
The Kebbi school attack came just hours after terrorists struck Rogun Village in Kpada District of Patigi LGA, Kwara State, killing two security operatives.
A security source told SaharaReporters that the armed men launched a coordinated assault on a police outpost late Sunday night, engaging officers in a fierce gun duel.
By the time the shooting ended, a police constabulary and a vigilante officer had been confirmed dead.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/11/17/breaking-one-killed-students-abducted-as-terrorists-attack-kebbi-girls-school/
--------
Pope Lists Nigeria, Mozambique, Others As Countries Where Christians Are Persecuted
November 16, 2025
By EnioluwaAdeniyi
Pope Leo XIV has condemned the rising wave of violence, intolerance and discrimination faced by Christian communities in several parts of the world, naming Nigeria, Mozambique, Bangladesh and Sudan among countries where churches and believers continue to come under deadly attacks.
In a message posted on 𝕏 on Sunday, the Pope described the pattern of persecution as “deeply troubling,” urging renewed international action to protect vulnerable religious minorities.
The Pontiff also expressed solidarity with grieving families in Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, where dozens of civilians were recently massacred in a fresh outbreak of violence.
He wrote, “God is a merciful Father who desires peace among all His children! I accompany in prayer the families of Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where in recent days there has been a massacre of civilians.”
Calling for an immediate halt to violence, Pope Leo XIV appealed to faith communities around the world to work together to promote peace, stability and the common good.
He added, “Let us pray that all violence may cease and that believers may work together for the common good.”
His remarks come amid rising concerns over extremist attacks, communal clashes and worsening insecurity across Africa and Asia, regions where religious groups, including Christians, have increasingly been targeted by armed groups.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/11/16/pope-lists-nigeria-mozambique-others-as-countries-where-christians-are-persecuted/
------
‘You Are Forgiven’ – Obasanjo Ends Rifts WithFayose
November 16, 2025
By EnioluwaAdeniyi
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has publicly declared that he has forgiven former Ekiti State Governor, AyodeleFayose, effectively drawing a line under their long-standing political feud.
Naija News reports that Obasanjo made the remarks on Saturday at Fayose’s 65th birthday celebration held in Lagos.
The former president’s comments, captured in a viral video, drew loud applause from guests at the event.
Obasanjo said the event provided an opportunity for “celebration, reflection and correction,” before recalling the circumstances under which he agreed to attend.
The former President of Nigeria said, “You are not the best of my political children, but you have made achievements that must not be ignored.”
The former president revealed that Fayose did not reach out to him directly but sent former Aviation Minister OsitaChidoka to “sound him out.”
Obasanjo recounted, “When Osita, who also is a political child, came, I said, ‘Well, if he (Fayose) has sent you and you have delivered the message, then tell him that you have delivered the message.’”
He added that Fayose had privately sought forgiveness.
“So, you have asked for forgiveness, and as far as I’m concerned, you are forgiven. But the right lessons must be learnt,” Obasanjo said.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/11/16/you-are-forgiven-obasanjo-ends-rifts-with-fayose/\
----
Sowore Demands Arrest Of Senator Ned Nwoko Over Alleged Human Rights Abuses
November 16, 2025
By EnioluwaAdeniyi
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has called for the immediate suspension and arrest of the Senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, over allegations ranging from cross-border sex trafficking to unlawful detention and misuse of state security agencies.
Sowore made the demand in a video posted on his 𝕏 account on Sunday, insisting that the controversy extended far beyond the alleged illegal detention of Regina Daniels’ brother, Samuel Ojeogwu, popularly known as Sammy West.
He said, “The outcry surrounding Senator Ned Nwoko goes far beyond the unlawful detention of his now-estranged wife, Regina Daniels’ brother, Sammy West. What we are witnessing is part of a larger, troubling pattern involving the exploitation of underage girls across borders and the misuse of state power.”
Sowore alleged that Nwoko had a long-standing history of human rights abuses aided by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, whom he described as “now-disgraced” officers acting as the lawmaker’s “private enforcers.”
According to him, “This so-called billionaire was just throwing people in prison. When we got to prison, we found nine people who had been put in prison by the same Ned Nwoko from his village.”
Sowore further claimed that Nwoko once “hijacked” a woman’s father following a dispute, adding that several families had publicly accused the Senator of using the police to oppress them.
He warned, “Anybody who is a public figure, who is in political office, our duty, first and foremost, is to hold them to account, no matter how powerful they are.”
The activist also accused the Senator of being involved in “international sex trafficking crimes,” alleging that he brought underage girls from Morocco and other countries into Nigeria.
He clarified that his intervention was not about defending Regina Daniels but about confronting what he described as systematic abuse of political and police power.
Sowore said, “I’m not fighting for Regina Daniels. I’m fighting against the abuse of office by a Nigerian Senator who is colluding with the Nigerian police and has had a history of using the police to oppress people.”
He cited the arrest of TikToker Timothy Gabriel (Turmar), who was detained after making claims about Regina Daniels’ children.
He alleged, “The Senator procured the Nigerian police, got Turmar arrested and sent him to prison. When he came out, he had been battered so badly and was forced to apologize.”
He also recounted his own experience in 2021, when he met nine detainees allegedly jailed at Nwoko’s behest over a land dispute related to the Senator’s Sports University project.
Sowore criticised the Nigeria Police Force for allegedly enabling Nwoko’s actions.
He said, “Ned has got a huge amount of support from the Nigerian police. They go to his house to eat every day. Shame on the Nigerian police for selling the police force for free.”
The activist noted that his call for accountability stemmed from a broader struggle against impunity and human rights violations entrenched in Nigeria’s political and security institutions.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/11/16/sowore-demands-arrest-of-senator-ned-nwoko-over-alleged-human-rights-abuses/
--------
WFP decries atrocities in Sudan’s El-Fasher amid humanitarian crisis
November 16, 2025
The deputy executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP) expressed outrage over the "terrible atrocities" that recently took place in the city of el-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region.
"It should have been prevented. And we now really need to step up efforts to prevent these catastrophes from happening elsewhere," Carl Skau said.
Speaking from Addis Ababa, Skau said there "are needs across the country and the international community needs to step up."
Last month, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. They rampaged through the Saudi Hospital in the city, killing more than 450 people, according to the World Health Organization.
RSF fighters went house to house, killing civilians and committing sexual assaults, aid workers and displaced residents say.
The military and the RSF, who were former allies, went to war in 202,3 and both sides in the conflict have been accused of atrocities.
WHO says the fighting has killed at least 40,000 people, and the United Nations says another 12 million have been displaced.
Aid groups say the true death toll could be many times higher.
WFP said on Friday that it is scaling up its assistance to help the thousands fleeing El-Fasher city and seeking safety at various locations.
"Hungry people are not only dying of hunger, but they also die of related diseases that spring also out of lack of water and sanitation," Skau said. "We need a comprehensive response to this massive crisis."
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.africanews.com/2025/11/17/wfp-decries-atrocities-in-sudans-el-fasher-amid-humanitarian-crisis/
------
Mideast
Jihad Deputy Secretary-General rejects U.S. plan for Gaza force
16 Nov 2025
Dr. Mohammed Al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of Islamic Jihad, said the amended U.S. draft resolution is ambiguous and ignores Palestinian core issues.
He rejected any international force in Gaza that would replace the Israeli occupation, warning that Gaza must not be turned into a U.S.-administered entity. Observations on the draft have been sent to mediators and UN Security Council members.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3591334.htm
-------
Unsettled victory: Al-Sudani between a second term and Shiite power balances
2025-11-16
The preliminary results of Iraq’s parliamentary elections placed Al-Ima’arwalTanmiya (the Reconstruction and Development Alliance), led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, in first place. But the coalition failed to secure the sweeping mandate needed to form the next government on its own, reigniting questions about power balances within the Shiite political arena and the influence of regional and international actors on the shape of the coming government.
Al-Sudani strengthened his standing as a key player in the Shiite landscape, yet several factors continue to complicate negotiations. These include the boycott by the Patriotic Shiite Movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr, the proliferation of competing Shiite lists, and the renewed weight of Sunni and Kurdish blocs.
Observers concur that the vote—held with turnout surpassing 55 percent—did not yield a decisive majority. Instead, it redrew political fault lines among the Coordination Framework parties, the Sunni Taqaddum (Progress) party led by Mohammed al-Halbousi, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by MasoudBarzani.
“Cautious Stability”
Ahmed al-Yasiri, head of the Australian-Arab Center for Strategic Studies, told Shafaq News that the high turnout does not necessarily signal greater political awareness but rather a “collective desire to avoid chaos and preserve stability.”
He noted that voters “did not choose a bloc capable of settling the competition or forming a comfortable majority,” emphasizing that no party can advance without alliances.
According to al-Yasiri, surging regional tensions—especially between Iran and Israel—pushed Iraqis to prioritize stability over political experimentation.
He cautioned that losing blocs with armed wings “could complicate the parliamentary scene if they feel excluded from political gains,” underscoring the need to partially integrate them into governance to avoid escalation with the United States or entanglement in regional agendas.
Challenges of Government Formation
Haitham al-Heeti, professor of political science at the University of Exeter, stated that the results “do not grant any side a sweeping mandate,” noting that al-Sudani’s coalition secured only 45 seats, far below projections of 70 to 100.
Speaking to Shafaq News, he added that the results point to a “fragmented parliament with dozens of small blocs,” making coalition-building difficult. “Despite leading the results, al-Sudani will need to align with many smaller groups with differing agendas.”
The Question of the Largest Bloc
Fahd al-Jubouri, a senior figure in al-Hikma Movement (The National Wisdom), said the Coordination Framework has imposed no veto on any candidate and has yet to discuss the identity of the next prime minister.
He told Shafaq News that the Framework’s combined results make it “the largest Shiite parliamentary bloc and capable of selecting the next prime minister, since it collectively secured around 126 seats, with al-Sudani’s coalition holding 45 of them.” According to al-Jubouri, renewing al-Sudani’s term remains on the table pending internal consultations.
In a related statement, Mokhtar al-Musawi of the Badr Organization (Fatah Alliance) said the Framework will formally declare itself the largest bloc after results are ratified, adding that appointing the next prime minister “is not necessarily tied to the Reconstruction and Development Coalition.”
Earlier, a political source told Shafaq News that Framework leaders agreed no winning list can detach itself from the alliance, and that the next prime minister will be chosen based on professional criteria and regional and international acceptability—not seat numbers alone. The source confirmed the incoming prime minister will come from within the Coordination Framework.
Another source did not rule out a second term for al-Sudani unless a major faction moves against it, referencing the position of State of Law leader Nouri al-Maliki. Discussions also addressed possible engagement with Muqtada al-Sadr’s movement, which boycotted the election.
Source: shafaq.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://shafaq.com/en/Report/Unsettled-victory-Al-Sudani-between-a-second-term-and-Shiite-power-balances
------
Zakat affairs department honors Qatari companies committed to paying zakat
NOVEMBER 16, 2025
Zakat Affairs Department at the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs honoured Qatari companies committed to fulfilling their Zakat obligations for this year, in recognition of their role in supporting social solidarity and promoting the values of corporate social responsibility.
Speaking on the occasion, Director of Awqaf's Zakat Affairs Department, Mal Allah Abdulrahman Al Jaber, emphasized that Zakat is a fundamental pillar in building society and purifying wealth and the self. He affirmed that companies' commitment to paying Zakat through the department ensures that Zakat funds reach eligible beneficiaries in accordance with approved Sharia regulations.
Al Jaber stressed that Zakat is an essential component of the Islamic financial and economic system, serving as the first social security institution in Islam. He noted that the department places great importance on facilitating Zakat payments for individuals and companies through a range of specialized services, foremost among them the service of calculating Zakat for individual and joint-stock companies, which helps taxpayers accurately determine the amount due in line with Sharia guidelines.
He added that in 2025, the department calculated the financial statements of more than 150 individual and joint-stock companies to determine their Zakatable assets and the required Zakat amounts, providing the results to these companies through official letters delivered by the department's corporate field-visits team.
The department affirmed that this recognition aims to encourage both companies and individuals to fulfill their zakat obligations, noting that publicly acknowledging zakat-paying companies serves as an incentive for other institutions to follow suit and reinforces the values of giving and transparency within the community.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Al Jaberhonored the contributing companies and presented them with commemorative shields and certificates of appreciation for their role in supporting the mission of Zakat and serving the community.
Source: gulf-times.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.gulf-times.com/article/715148/qatar/zakat-affairs-department-honors-qatari-companies-committed-to-paying-zakat
------
Syrians, EU officials hold meeting in Damascus
November 16, 2025
DAMASCUS: Representatives of Syria’s civil society held open discussions in Damascus in the presence of officials from the EU and the government.
They touched on sensitive topics, including sectarian tensions and ethnic divisions.
The EU-organized meetings known as “The Day of Dialogue” are the first to be held in Damascus after taking place in past years Brussels.
Saturday’s meetings came nearly a year after the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule in Syria in early December.
The meetings that used to take place within the framework of the Brussels Conferences were mostly boycotted by then-President Bashar Assad’s government.
The EU said Saturday’s meetings were organized in cooperation with Syrian civil society and the Syrian authorities.
“The meeting that used to be held to talk about Syria is now being held in Syria,” Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani said in a speech at the opening session held at a conference center in the southern outskirts of Damascus.
Al-Shibani added that Saturday’s meetings represent “a solid partnership with the civil society and our partners in the EU.”
Michael Ohnmacht, chargé d’affaires of the EU delegation to Syria, said 500 people from Syria’s different religious and ethnic groups took part in the meetings and “this is something very positive.”
“This is what we hope for Syria’s future, to see this inclusive state which will be a state in the form of all its citizens,” Ohnmacht said.
Social Affairs Minister Hind Kabawat said: “Today’s dialogue is the beginning of change, and rebuilding Syria only happens through partnership based on respect between the state and civil society.”
During one of the sessions on transitional justice and the fate of the missing, Syrians demanded answers on issues still pending, such as more than 130,000 people who went missing under Assad’s rule, while an ethnic Kurd spoke about state discrimination they have faced for decades.
MazenDarwish, a Syrian lawyer and one of the country’s most prominent activists who was repeatedly jailed in Syria before he went into exile years ago, said no one regrets the fall of the Assad family rule.
“Today we have an opportunity in Syria and we have to take advantage of it,” Darwish said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622878/middle-east
------
Israeli forces uproot olive trees in DeirIstiya belonging to Palestinian farmers
November 16, 2025
LONDON: Israeli forces uprooted several olive trees near the Palestinian town of DeirIstiya in the central West Bank province of Salfit on Sunday.
Ibrahim Hamad, head of the Agricultural Directorate in the Salfit Governorate, told news agency WAFA that the Israeli forces uprooted around 135 olive trees, each over 7 years old, belonging to three Palestinian farmers.
He added that the attack is part of an ongoing series of violations against agricultural land in the Qana Valley area.
Since May, Israeli forces and settlers have carried out a total of 2,350 attacks against Palestinians, their crops, and their properties, according to a report issued by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission in October.
The Israeli army was responsible for 1,584 attacks, while settlers carried out 766, mainly in the occupied West Bank’s Ramallah and Al-Bireh (542 incidents), Nablus (412), and Hebron (401), according to the report. These attacks involved physical assaults, uprooting trees, burning fields, blocking olive pickers, seizing properties, and demolishing homes and agricultural structures.
Thousands of Palestinian families who depend on harvesting olive trees for their livelihoods have faced increasing attacks since late 2023 from settlers, entry restrictions to their fields imposed by soldiers, and land confiscations.
Last week, Israeli forces issued two military orders to uproot olive trees and confiscate land for a security fence in the eastern part of the Palestinian city of Qalqilya, located in the northern West Bank.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622861/middle-east
------
Emirati volunteers arrive in Al-Arish for Gaza humanitarian projects
November 16, 2025
LONDON: The second cohort of UAE youth volunteers arrived in Al-Arish, Egypt, on Sunday to take part in humanitarian efforts aiding Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Ten young Emiratis are taking part in the Youth Social Missions Program, which aims to prepare them for responsibilities during humanitarian crises and promote a culture of volunteerism and social responsibility aligned with UAE values.
The UAE is operating a humanitarian aid logistics center in Al-Arish, which includes a floating hospital, where volunteers will learn about the medical and humanitarian aid services offered to the injured from Gaza.
They will tour UAE desalination plants in Al-Arish to learn about water security for Gaza and visit the Rafah border crossing to observe aid delivery and coordination. The UAE humanitarian initiative is part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3.
“Our goal in this experience is to represent the UAE in the best possible way and to convey the message that the UAE’s generosity knows no bounds,” Fatima Mohammed Al-Shehhi, a member of the second cohort, told the Emirates News Agency.
Hamid Abdullah Al-Ansari, another volunteer, said: “We are taking part in this experience to learn about the humanitarian and volunteer work provided by the UAE, and to try — even in a small way — to ease the suffering of our brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip.”
The multi-year program was launched by the Federal Youth Authority last August to empower Emirati youth to engage in global humanitarian, developmental and cultural missions, according to WAM.
Since late 2023, Al-Arish has been a crucial hub for the UAE to provide aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, facilitating land, sea and air assistance through a corridor.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622854/middle-east
------
Israeli forces open fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, no injuries reported
November 16, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israeli military forces opened fire on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Sunday, in an incident the UN peacekeeping mission described as a serious violation.
None of the UN forces were reported wounded.
Israeli soldiers had opened fire on two suspects in the El Hamames area near the Israeli border, only later realizing that they were UN peacekeepers, the military said in a statement.
The military said the peacekeepers were misidentified due to poor weather conditions. The incident was under review, it said.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said the Israeli forces had fired from a Merkava tank positioned inside Lebanese territory toward the peacekeepers, who were on foot. Heavy machine gun fire landed five meters from the peacekeepers, who were forced to seek shelter, it said.
The Israeli tank withdrew after peacekeepers contacted the Israeli military through official channels, UNIFIL said.
UNIFIL called the incident a “serious violation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which, among other provisions, states that no armed forces should be operating in southern Lebanon except the UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese military.
The Lebanese military said in a statement that Israeli violations of its sovereignty caused instability within the country and hindered its own forces from deploying in the south.
The Israeli military occupies five posts within Lebanon and frequently carries out airstrikes in the country’s south that it says are targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last year that required the Lebanese militant group not to have any weapons in the south and for Israeli forces to fully withdraw from Lebanon.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rearm, while Lebanon’s government accuses Israel of violating the agreement by not withdrawing and continuing to carry out airstrikes.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622848/middle-east
-------
Major Iraqi blocs push for rapid government formation
2025-11-17
On Sunday, State of Law leader Nouri al-Maliki and Taqaddum chief Mohammad al-Halbousi stressed the need to form a government capable of “meeting citizens’ demands.”
According to a brief statement from State of Law, al-Maliki received al-Halbousi in Baghdad, where the two agreed on the urgency of moving forward with forming this government.
In the recent vote, al-Maliki’s State of Law won 30 seats within the Shiite Coordination Framework, while al-Halbousi’sTaqaddum emerged as the leading Sunni party after placing second nationwide, with 33 seats.
The elections, held on November 11 with turnout at 56.11%, produced no clear majority, leaving the formation of the next government to negotiations among the major blocs.
Iraq’s political system is based on power-sharing, with the prime minister traditionally drawn from the Shia community, the parliament speaker from the Sunni community, and the president from the Kurdish community.
Source: shafaq.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq/Major-Iraqi-blocs-push-for-rapid-government-formation
------
Post-election talks: CF to narrow 15-name list for premiership
2025-11-17
Leaders of the Coordination Framework (CF) will review 15 candidates this week for Iraq’s next prime minister, including incumbent Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Intelligence Service chief Hamid al-Shatri, a source from the CF told Shafaq News on Sunday.
The source stated that the meeting will convene after the electoral commission announces the final results and al-Sudani returns from his visit to the Kurdistan Region. It will address the mechanism for forming the government, the shortlist of nominees for the premiership, and early understandings on political and party alliances.
The prime minister’s post is traditionally reserved for the Shia component, making the Framework — an alliance of ruling Shia political forces — the main arena for selecting the next candidate.
“Current indicators strongly favor al-Sudani for a second term due to the backing he enjoys locally, regionally, and internationally, though his candidacy remains tied to staying within the Framework,” the source said.
He also noted that the alliance has prepared several scenarios in case al-Sudani chooses to form a separate parliamentary bloc, adding that names circulating outside the official shortlist are meant to confuse the political landscape and undermine the CF.
A separate political source told Shafaq News that senior Shia leaders have agreed that none of the top-winning figures may break away from the alliance, and that the next prime minister will be chosen from within the CF.
Read more: Indecisive victory: PM Al-Sudani's second term faces Shiite balancing act
On November 13, a day after the electoral commission announced preliminary results, Iraqi election-monitoring organizations published a table showing the initial seat distribution for the 2025 parliamentary elections. According to the document, Shia lists secured about 187 of 329 general seats, including several won on Sunni lists.
Within the CF, al-Sudani’s al-Ima'arwal-Tanmiya (Reconstruction and Development) won 45 seats, followed by Nouri al-Maliki’s E’tilaf Dawlat al-Qanoun (State of Law Coalition) with 30 seats. The Sadiqoon bloc, led by Qais al-Khazali, took 26, Badr, headed by Hadi al-Ameri, won 19, and the Quwa al-Dawla al-Wataniyah (National State Forces) of Ammar al-Hakim secured 18.
Source: shafaq.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq/Post-election-talks-CF-to-narrow-15-name-list-for-premiership
------
Taiz .. Inspection of Al-Ahmadi Mosque & Bin Maisarah Dome in Khadir District
16 Nov 2025
The Director of the Office of the General Authority for Awqaf and Guidance in Taiz Governorate, Mohammed Al-Maliki, inspected on Sunday the conditions of several mosques in the city of Al-Raheda in Khadir District.
Al-Maliki, accompanied by the Directors of Antiquities at the General Authority for Antiquities, Engineer Mohammed Al-Shumeiri, KhadirAwqaf Director Fouad Al-Haddad, and the Mosques Administration’s Askar Al-Husseini, visited Al-Ahmadi Mosque and the Dome of Sheikh Abdulmalik bin Maisarah, and listened to a briefing on their urgent needs for restoration and maintenance.
The Director of the Awqaf Office stressed the importance of preserving historical mosques and shrines, considering them an integral part of the religious and architectural identity of the governorate.
He directed the immediate preparation of an engineering and technical report detailing urgent requirements and necessary studies for Al-Ahmadi Mosque and the Bin Maisarah Dome to ensure their preservation.
Al-Maliki also called for strengthening field monitoring of mosques in the district and providing their needs to ensure the continuation of their religious and community role.
For his part, Engineer Mohammed Al-Shumeiri noted that religious landmarks are not merely buildings, but historical witnesses that carry the memory of place and the spirit of endowments, which necessitates preserving them in a manner befitting their heritage status.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3591234.htm
------
Arab World
Frankly Speaking: What to expect from Saudi crown prince’s US visit
November 16, 2025
RIYADH: As anticipation builds for what is being dubbed a truly historic meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Donald Trump in Washington, a veteran American diplomat with decades of experience across the Middle East says opportunities for cooperation and expansion of the Saudi-US partnership are increasing.
“The nature of our relationship can be as diverse as the Saudi economy is becoming,” Michael Ratney, who served as the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia from April 2023 to January 2025, said during an appearance on “Frankly Speaking,” the weekly Arab News current affairs show.
According to Ratney, Saudi-US relations can no longer be reduced to a simple oil-for-defense formula; instead, the partnership reflects new economic realities and expanding areas of cooperation.
“I think once upon a time, oil and defense really dominated the relationship. And the big change was really Saudi’s decision to start diversifying its economy,” he said. “And that created huge opportunities for cooperation with the US, particularly with the US companies.”
That shift began in earnest on April 25, 2016, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Vision 2030, a national strategy aimed at transforming Saudi Arabia into a more balanced, competitive and resilient economy.
Within that vision, Ratney said, sectors widely seen as “US brands,” including artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and arts and culture, are growing rapidly.
“Look at where Saudi’s ambitions are, advanced technology, for example, and emerging tech and artificial intelligence,” he told Katie Jensen, the host of “Frankly Speaking.”
“It’s kind of a US brand, right? It’s where US industry has huge advantages and where there’s opportunities for partnership with Saudi Arabia that wants to invest and develop very, very quickly.”
Ratney said renewable energy is another example of overlap.
“People don’t realize Saudi Arabia, one of the largest oil producers in the world, is also one of the largest investors in renewable energy — wind, solar, and I think eventually nuclear, again areas where the United States has technological advantage and opportunity for partnership.”
Similarly, arts and culture, though historically a small part of the Saudi economy, now represents another major growth area, according to him.
“This has never been a huge sector of the Saudi economy, but as the cultural sector opens up, as Saudi has been trying to develop its own film industry,” he said.
In the wide-ranging interview, Ratney outlined his expectations for the Saudi crown prince’s Washington visit; addressed lingering questions about the value of US alliances, particularly after the Israeli and Iranian strikes on Qatar and the regional fallout from the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack and Israel’s onslaught on Gaza; and dismissed claims that cultural and entertainment events being staged in Saudi Arabia are merely a publicity stunt.
Drawing on years of visits to the Kingdom and first-hand experience observing its social transformation, Ratney recently wrote a Wall Street Journal column defending Saudi Arabia’s right to host major entertainment events.
The opinion piece, published on Oct. 23 and titled “Saudis Just Want to Have Fun,” dismissed claims that concerts and comedy festivals are staged merely for international public relations.
In September and October, Riyadh hosted a comedy festival at Boulevard City that drew large, diverse crowds and featured international comedians including Jimmy Carr, Jack Whitehall, Kevin Hart, Russell Peters and Omid Djalili. Saudi Arabia has also been hosting frequent live music concerts featuring both global and regional artists.
Explaining his position, Ratney said: “Having seen, as I said in that article, a front-row seat for some of these events … whether it’s concerts or sporting events, things that 10 or 15 years ago were just inconceivable in Saudi Arabia — and when you’re sitting in the audience, what do you see?
“You’re surrounded by Saudis who are just overjoyed with the experience. And for some reason, people overseas, particularly in the West, I know the United States in particular, looked at them and assumed that the Saudis must be doing this in order to satisfy foreign public opinion.”
Ratney added that when he sat among Saudi audiences, he noticed that “the last thing I think they cared about was foreign public opinion. They cared about having fun, living a normal life.”
He called it “somewhat patronizing” that some foreign critics see these events only through the lens of PR. “If it was a public relations campaign, it didn’t really work because you still had the same critics, right?”
Ratney applauded the Kingdom for “bringing fun and entertainment and recreation to a country that never really had it,” adding that Gulf states “do things in a big way. They get the biggest names and the biggest events, and, you know, more power to them. It’s a fun event.”
Returning to the Saudi crown prince’s upcoming Washington visit, Ratney said he expects it to be productive, noting that several discussions underway began during President Joe Biden’s administration.
“I think some of the things that are being discussed and under negotiation now, as I understand it, are things that began in the Biden administration, some of which were actually a part of the broader discussion about normalization,” he said.
He outlined three likely focus areas, the first of which is a defense agreement. “I don’t think we’re in a place where we could see a defense treaty that would require ratification by the US Senate. But I think some sort of a defense agreement that helps cement and bolster US-Saudi military cooperation is probably in the cards.”
Second is emerging technology, particularly AI. “The Saudis obviously have huge ambitions in the area of artificial intelligence,” he said. “What they want are predictable and reliable supplies of US tech, particularly the most advanced chips to essentially fuel their AI ambitions. And I think they’d like to see some agreement on that.”
He said the third area is, indeed, energy. “The Saudis are big investors in renewable energy. I think they see a piece of that as nuclear. And I believe they’re going to want some sort of an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation between the US and Saudi Arabia.”
However, the question of normalization with Israel, once seen as a cornerstone of a broader Saudi-US deal, is “off the table for now,” according to Ratney, who previously served as the charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in Israel.
“For the moment, the Saudis have made very clear that they couldn’t move ahead with the normalization deal with Israel, as long as the Israeli Defense Forces are in Gaza, and as long as the Israeli government hasn’t committed to a pathway for statehood for the Palestinians,” Ratney said.
The war in Gaza has killed at least 69,000 Palestinians, according to the local health authority, and devastated the enclave, wiping out entire cities and towns. Despite a tenuous US-brokered ceasefire since Oct. 10, sporadic deadly Israeli strikes continue and aid flows remain inadequate.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it will not normalize relations with Israel without an established Palestinian state and an end to the Gaza war.
Ratney explained that before Oct. 7, 2023, Riyadh and Washington had “embarked on these discussions about normalization between Saudi and Israel, and that would have brought with it a defense treaty between Saudi Arabia and the United States and a number of other elements.”
But the Hamas attack and the subsequent war in Gaza were a “hinge point in the region,” he said. Although negotiations never stopped, he noted that Saudi Arabia’s ability to move forward with normalization shifted.
“Those negotiations were well in train,” he said. “October 7 really changed a lot in the region, changed the atmosphere in the region and changed the ability of a country like Saudi Arabia to move ahead with a relationship with Israel.
“The negotiations in some ways never stopped, but the Saudi ability to move ahead with it was pretty clearly in a different place. Now we’re back in a new administration.
“I don’t doubt that President Trump would like to continue where that negotiation left off and eventually see a normalization deal … between Israel and Saudi Arabia. But I think we’re essentially in the same place with respect to Gaza. Things are still pretty tense, although we have a ceasefire. And I think it’s going to be some time before we get back to that particular negotiation.”
Regional tensions deepened in September when Israel carried out an airstrike in Qatar’s capital, Doha, targeting senior Hamas leaders — its first operation in a Gulf state. The strike unsettled Gulf partners and complicated diplomatic efforts.
President Trump issued an executive order after the strike on Qatar, which hosts the US Central Command’s Al-Udeid Air Base. And although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized, critics argue the order is not enough to reassure Gulf partners, who now seek a permanent, legally binding US security guarantee.
Ratney said that desire for predictability is longstanding among Gulf partners. “The Israeli strike on Doha kind of cemented that view,” he said.
“The thing that they want, I think the Qataris want, the Emiratis, the Saudis, others want, is predictability in their relationship with the United States, their security in many cases.
“They see great value in a defense partnership with the United States. They understand the threats that they face in the region from Iran, terrorism and so forth,” he added. “So, I think what they need is predictability. And I think that Israeli strike on Doha really cemented that view.”
He agreed that the executive order “doesn’t have the legal import of a treaty and theoretically could die with this administration,” adding that “all of our Gulf partners, the Saudis included, want something that will transcend an individual administration.”
The Israeli strike came just weeks after Iran also struck Qatari territory. On June 23, Iran launched a missile strike purportedly on Al-Udeid in retaliation for US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities the previous day.
Asked whether allowing a major US partner to be hit twice in one summer undermined Washington’s credibility, Ratney suggested that it did not make Gulf states rethink the strategic value of their ties with the US, but it did reinforce Gulf demands for clarity.
“I don’t think it undermines the fundamental nature of having a US defense partnership,” he said. “But what it did do is make clear to all of our Gulf partners that they want certitude, they want clarity. They want to know what expectations they should have with respect to the United States.”
“And that’s why the Qataris wanted some sort of (assurance), even an executive order. I think the Saudis would like as strong an agreement as they could get. It just reminded them that when things go bad, when something really unusual or shocking happens, they want to know where the United States stands.”
Asked why President Joe Biden, despite being warned about potential Israeli war crimes, stopped short of applying political pressure on Israel, Ratney said: “President Biden had very strong views about the need for the US to stand by its Israeli partner, and that’s what he did.
“At the same time, he had strong views about the need to end the conflict and release the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza. I don’t doubt that he did the best he could to try to balance those two objectives, ending the war and getting the hostages out, standing by our partner, but also hopefully finding some path out of that conflict, so that it doesn’t resume and there’s some sort of a political settlement ultimately.”
Ratney, who served under President Biden, gives credit to President Trump for pressing Netanyahu to accept the October 10 ceasefire in Gaza.
“President Trump expressed frustration with the war continuing for many, many months, although he never stopped his support for Israel. He made clear that he was frustrated with the fact that the war had ground on for so long,” he said.
“And he was finally willing and able to put pressure on the Israeli prime minister in kind of a remarkable way and got to the point where the Israeli prime minister accepted a ceasefire. And that ceasefire eventually got the hostages out.”
Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Hamas freed all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and 25 out of 28 deceased ones. In exchange, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Ratney stressed that during the ceasefire, two priorities are critical: reconstruction and security. “We’re still just at the phase of providing humanitarian aid and encouraging others to do so,” he said, noting that reconstruction “requires obviously tens and tens of billions of dollars of aid and requires frankly a more stable security environment.”
He added: “The other piece is related to that, and that’s the call for an international stabilization force.
“Some kind of a security presence that’s going to ensure that Hamas doesn’t remain a threat either to the Gazan people or to Israel, and that whatever happens there, humanitarian aid, distribution, reconstruction assistance can proceed in a secure environment.
“What those two things have in common is they both need international support. And I know the administration has talked about Arab or Muslim states contributing to a stabilization force. I know they’ve spoken about Gulf states, particularly wealthy Gulf states, contributing to reconstruction.”
Ratney believes “all of that is theoretically possible, but far more difficult than I think a lot of people realize.”
“Reconstruction assistance, sure, but I don’t think wealthy Gulf states want to be saddled entirely with the bill,” he said.
“I do think they would participate in some sort of a coherent international effort geared toward rehabilitating Gaza. But what they don’t want to do is look at the destruction that’s been wrought and say it’s up to them to now pay for it.”
As for guarantees that Israel will not continue military action in Gaza, particularly if reconstruction efforts take place, Ratney called it “a big piece” of the proposed plan.
“Nobody wants to pay to rebuild buildings that only get destroyed once again if conflict breaks out again,” he said. “That’s why the stabilization force is so important so that it’s not simply warring parties that have a monopoly on violence inside of Gaza right now.”
Moving on to Syria, Ratney said interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who took office after his group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham led a rebel offensive in December that ended longtime dictator Bashar Assad’s rule, is saying and doing all the right things.
Al-Sharaa visited the White House earlier this week, the first Syrian head of state to do so since 1946. His trip came as President Donald Trump and Congress considered permanently lifting sanctions on Syria.
“From my perspective, he seems to be doing the right things. He took power in an extraordinarily chaotic situation,” Ratney said.
“I don’t doubt that if you’re a Druze Syrian or Christian Syrian or Alawite Syrian, you have grave trepidation about this, given some of the things that he said and some of the people in his circle. But, for the moment, he seems to be taking the responsibility seriously.”
“Honestly, better that we engage him and work with him rather than try to ostracize him further.
“So, lifting sanctions, is absolutely the right thing to do. Engaging him internationally and giving him that kind of support is the right thing to do. But it’s fair to say that a lot of members of his own country’s population are still anxious about the direction they’re going to go.”
Turning to Syria’s neighbor Lebanon, Ratney said the crisis-stricken country also needs more engagement.
“It’s certainly no surprise that someone would look at the country and observe weak central institutions dominated now for decades by Hezbollah,” he said. “Now is an opportunity perhaps to strengthen those institutions.”
Israel’s major escalation in Lebanon last September and October significantly weakened the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, decapitating its leadership, killing nearly 5,000 fighters, and dismantling much of its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
“Hezbollah is at a historic weak point both militarily and politically,” Ratney said. “So rather than continue to try to ostracize them and take steps to weaken them further, maybe better to try to look at those central institutions, including the presidency under President Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese armed forces, which the Lebanese across the sectarian divide have looked at as credible national institutions.
“How can we strengthen those? And, at the same time, give those institutions the power to assert control over the entirety of the territory, not just the capital, including areas eventually where Hezbollah has long dominated. The only way you do that is with support and engagement, not by ostracizing further.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622849/saudi-arabia
------
King Salman Science Oasis launches program to boost children’s skills
November 16, 2025
RIYADH: The King Salman Science Oasis has launched a play-based learning program for children as part of the festival, “Math, the Language of Science.”
The program is being held in partnership with the Makkah region’s General Directorate of Education and Umm Al-Qura University, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
It aims to develop children’s abilities through an innovative mix of educational content, mental challenges, and interactive games.
Running until Nov. 30, the program cultivates cognitive skills in engaging ways, enhancing learning speed, comprehension, creative thinking, problem-solving, self-awareness, and essential life skills.
It focuses on core abilities such as quick-wittedness, memory enhancement, concentration, balanced thinking, motor coordination, systematic problem-solving through analysis and experimentation, and fostering imagination and innovative idea development.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622842/saudi-arabia
------
Saudi crown prince receives written message from South Korean president
November 16, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a written message from South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The message related to relations between the Kingdom and South Korea and was handed over to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a meeting with the presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik in Riyadh.
During the meeting, Saudi-South Korean relations were reviewed and a number of issues of common interest were discussed.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622858/saudi-arabia
------
Saudi minister opens new Agility Logistics Complex in Jeddah
November 16, 2025
JEDDAH: Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser opened the new Agility Logistics Complex in Jeddah on Sunday.
The facility represents a corporate investment of SR611 million ($163 million). It features six state-of-the-art Grade A warehouses developed by Agility Logistics Parks.
Built to meet the highest technical and operational benchmarks in contemporary logistics, the complex will cater to major industries spanning retail, consumer goods, technology, automotive, energy and e-commerce, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622876/saudi-arabia
-----
Riyadh welcomes Egyptian heritage through three-day cultural celebration
November 16, 2025
RIYADH: The Egyptian Cultural Days event launched on Saturday at Al-Suwaidi Park in Riyadh as part of the “Global Harmony 2” initiative, a flagship project of the Quality of Life Program under Vision 2030.
The ministry of media is organizing the event in cooperation with the general entertainment authority, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The three-day celebration drew large crowds from the Egyptian community, as well as citizens of other nationalities.
Visitors explored Egypt’s cultural heritage and enjoyed a wide range of artistic and interactive activities.
The festive atmosphere gave Al-Suwaidi Park a unique character, reflecting the spirit of diversity and cultural exchange, the SPA reported.
The opening night featured a full program of performances and activities.
Hosts Adam Al-Shami and Rima Karaki welcomed visitors and introduced the evening’s program, setting the stage for an immersive Egyptian cultural experience.
Guests enjoyed interactive circus shows, with acrobatic performances captivating children and adults.
The evening included musical and artistic performances that brought energy to the event and encouraged audience participation.
Egyptian Cultural Days is one of several cultural events at Al-Suwaidi Park, part of a broader series featuring 14 global cultures. The initiative aims to enhance cross-cultural understanding and promote exchange among communities.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622837/saudi-arabia
------
Saudi Arabia’s handicrafts sector transforms into economic powerhouse
November 16, 2025
RIYADH: The handicrafts sector in Saudi Arabia is experiencing significant growth, evolving from a hobby and a means of preserving heritage into a vital economic sector that fosters entrepreneurship.
This transformation is driven by a clear institutional vision, particularly the enhanced role of the Heritage Commission, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Official data indicates the handicrafts market in the Kingdom is valued at about $405 million, with local products representing just 20 percent.
These figures highlight substantial opportunities for artisans and entrepreneurs, and the need for competitive Saudi handicraft projects capable of innovation and high-quality craftsmanship, the SPA reported.
This shift is prominently showcased at the Saudi International Handicrafts Week, known as Banan, a key platform for Saudi and global handicraft innovation.
The event coincides with the Year of Handicrafts and forms part of a national effort to support and empower artisans economically and culturally.
Organized by the commission and running until Nov. 26, it highlights traditional crafts not only as utilitarian objects but also as expressions of cultural values and national identity.
At the exhibition, visitors see artisans displaying their work for the first time, emerging projects seeking commercial identities, and inspiring innovations developed in small homes and workshops that have grown into significant economic ventures.
Banan allocates substantial space to entrepreneurs, enhancing visibility for small projects and facilitating connections with investors.
Many participants reported that the platform allowed them to test and refine their products for local and international markets.
This initiative complements the commission’s efforts to build an integrated ecosystem through training programs, craft documentation and improved marketing access.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622834/saudi-arabia
--------
Riyadh Season draws over 3m visitors in 35 days
November 16, 2025
RIYADH: The chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, TurkiAlalshikh, has announced that there have been more than 3 million visitors to Riyadh Season 2025 since its launch.
This reflected the season’s popularity over a mere 35 days, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Visitor turnout across the Riyadh Season zones has risen in recent days, driven by strong engagement with major international attractions and events.
Among them is the MrBeast Zone, which continues to draw large crowds of all ages with its interactive experiences and spectacular shows.
The Ana Arabia Exhibition, in its most prominent edition to date, has also attracted strong attendances since day one, bringing together regional female designers and entrepreneurs in a format appealing to art and innovation enthusiasts.
Al-Suwaidi Park saw exceptional engagement during the Bangladeshi culture celebration, which featured performances alongside traditional Bangladeshi cuisine.
Boulevard World continues to receive heavy footfall, while Boulevard City has drawn audiences interested in theater, concerts, and games, including the Kings League tournament.
Riyadh Season continues to strengthen its position as the region’s largest entertainment platform through global partnerships and diverse offerings across sports, arts, culture, shopping, and leisure.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2622832/saudi-arabia
--------
South Asia
A look at the five charges against Hasina in crimes against humanity case
Nov 17, 2025
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 is set to deliver its verdict today in the crimes against humanity case against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her top aides.
Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who later became an approver, have also been accused of committing crimes during the July Uprising last year.
Tribunal Chairman Justice Md Golam MortuzaMozumder is set to deliver the verdict, amid tight security.
The trial proceedings of the case concluded on October 23.
Following is a list of the five charges against the three accused in the case:
Count 1 accused the defendants of murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhumane acts. They were accused of abetting, inciting, facilitating, being complicit in, and failing to prevent these crimes committed against civilians by law enforcement and armed cadres of the Awami League and its affiliates.
This count specified that following Hasina's July 14 press briefing, former home minister Asaduzzaman, former IGP Mamun, and other high officials of the then government abetted, assisted, and were complicit in the severe and systematic attack on innocent, unarmed student masses.
In count 2, Hasina is accused of ordering the extermination of student protesters through the use of helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons. The prosecution alleged that the then-home minister and the then-IGP facilitated and executed this directive by instructing law enforcement personnel under their authority.
This count charged the defendants with ordering, facilitating, being complicit in, and conspiring to commit crimes against humanity knowingly.
Count 3 accused the defendants of the murder of Abu Sayed, a protesting student, near Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur.
Hasina is accused of making inflammatory remarks and ordering the use of deadly weapons against protesting students.
In response to this directive, Asaduzzaman and Mamun, along with other senior government officials at the time, allegedly instigated, aided, and were complicit in the actions of their subordinate law enforcement personnel and armed Awami League cadres.
As part of the widespread and systematic attack on unarmed student protesters, on July 16 last year, law enforcement officers fired multiple rounds at close range into the chest of student protester Abu Sayed without provocation.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants ordered, incited, abetted, facilitated, were complicit in, conspired, and committed other inhuman acts, constituting crimes against humanity.
Count 4 accused the defendants of the shooting and murder of six unarmed protesters in Dhaka's Chankharpul on August 5 last year.
Hasina is accused of making inflammatory remarks and ordering the use of deadly weapons against student protesters. In response to this directive, the former home minister and former IGP, along with other senior government officials at the time, allegedly instigated, aided, and were complicit in the actions carried out by their subordinate law enforcement personnel and armed Awami League cadres.
The prosecution asserted that the shooting and killing of six unarmed protesters in Chankharpul was carried out knowingly under the defendants' orders, incitement, abetment, facilitation, complicity, and conspiracy, constituting crimes against humanity.
In count 5, the defendants are accused of the shooting of six student protesters -- five of whom were later burned after death, while the sixth was reportedly set on fire while still alive -- in Ashulia on August 5 last year.
Hasina is accused of making inflammatory remarks and ordering the use of deadly weapons against student protesters. Following this directive, the defendants, along with other senior government officials at the time, allegedly instigated, facilitated, and were complicit in the actions carried out by their subordinate law enforcement personnel and armed Awami League cadres.
The prosecution asserted that this act was carried out knowingly under the defendants' orders, incitement, abetment, facilitation, complicity, and conspiracy, constituting crimes against humanity, including other inhumane acts such as torture and murder.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/look-the-five-charges-against-hasina-crimes-against-humanity-case-4036756
-----
South Korea Donates $1 Million for Northern Afghanistan Earthquake Relief
By Fidel Rahmati
November 17, 2025
South Korea has pledged $1 million to support UN relief efforts for survivors of the northern Afghanistan earthquake that devastated Balkh and Samangan communities.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Monday it has received a US$1 million contribution from South Korea to support survivors of the northern Afghanistan earthquake that struck Balkh and Samangan provinces.
In a statement, UNHCR said the funding will help deliver winter assistance to families affected by the quake, as well as Afghans recently returning from Pakistan who now face severe seasonal conditions.
UN agencies have appealed for swift international aid after the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Balkh’s Khulm district left at least 27 people dead across the two provinces.
Local officials say hundreds of homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, leaving families exposed as winter approaches.
Aid groups warn that delays in funding could push vulnerable communities into deeper crisis, with shortages of shelter, heating and essential supplies expected in the coming weeks.
Analysts believe Seoul’s contribution could help spur additional bilateral and multilateral support at a time when overall humanitarian funding for Afghanistan has sharply declined.
Humanitarian organisations stress that sustained international engagement is essential to stabilise conditions in northern Afghanistan, saying targeted aid can significantly improve survival prospects for quake-hit families.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/south-korea-donates-1-million-for-northern-afghanistan-earthquake-relief/
------
Pakistan Welcomes Iran Offer to Mediate With Kabul
By Fidel Rahmati
November 17, 2025
Pakistan on Sunday welcomed Iran’s offer to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul amid rising cross-border tensions and stalled regional efforts to curb militancy there.
Pakistan said it welcomes Iran’s offer to mediate between Islamabad and the Taliban administration, signalling openness to a regional initiative as cross-border tensions rise.
Tahir Hussain Andrabi, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, praised Iran’s readiness to convene a regional meeting. He said Pakistan supports peaceful, negotiated solutions and values mediation from what he described as a “brotherly” neighbour.
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have deteriorated in recent weeks after Pakistani airstrikes and disputes over the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to act against militants it says operate from Afghanistan soil.
A third round of Pakistan-Taliban talks in Istanbul earlier this month ended without a breakthrough on tackling cross-border attacks. Those negotiations began after border clashes in October that unsettled several regional governments.
Regional leaders, including Turkey’s president, have called on both sides to resolve their differences through dialogue, warning that prolonged friction could spill over into neighbouring states.
Analysts say Iran’s push for a regional forum could help restore communication channels, though entrenched mistrust may limit progress. Diplomatic observers note the coming weeks will test whether Tehran’s initiative can stabilise Pakistan-Taliban ties or simply postpone further escalation.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-welcomes-iran-offer-to-mediate-with-kabul/
-------
OCHA Warns Funding Shortfall Could Halt Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
November 16, 2025
The UN’s OCHA has warned that a severe funding shortfall could disrupt humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, jeopardizing food, healthcare, and essential services for millions of vulnerable families.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Sunday that severe funding shortages could disrupt essential aid operations in Afghanistan between October and December.
OCHA said the potential interruption would directly affect life-saving assistance, including food supplies, clean water, education support and basic health services relied upon by millions of Afghans.
The agency stressed that immediate and consistent funding is critical to keep aid operations functioning, noting that even short gaps would have “serious humanitarian consequences” as winter approaches.
UN agencies and international relief groups have repeatedly cautioned that Afghanistan’s aid lifeline is under extreme strain due to declining global donations and increasing needs on the ground.
Aid workers say earlier U.S. funding cuts already forced more than 400 health centres to close and left hundreds of staff without salaries, worsening access to medical care in remote provinces.
Humanitarian analysts warn that without urgent financial commitments, the crisis could deepen further, leaving vulnerable families without essential support at a time of rising food insecurity.
International organisations are urging donors to step in quickly, saying that stabilising Afghanistan’s aid response is crucial to preventing a larger humanitarian emergency in the coming months.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/ocha-warns-funding-shortfall-could-halt-humanitarian-aid-in-afghanistan/
------
UNHCR Limits Cash Aid for Afghan Returnees Amid Funding Shortfall
By Fidel Rahmati
November 16, 2025
UNHCR has announced it will restrict cash assistance for Afghan returnees in Pakistan, citing severe global funding shortages that limit support to only the most vulnerable groups.
The UN refugee agency in Pakistan said on Saturday it can no longer provide cash assistance to all Afghan returnees because of a global funding shortage, restricting support to vulnerable families and holders of Proof-of-Registration (PoR) cards.
UNHCR said the funding crisis has slowed humanitarian operations and that cash aid for Afghan returnees was formally limited from Friday. The agency noted that not every returning Afghan will receive support under the new system, stressing that assistance will now be “targeted” to those registered with the organisation and PoR holders.
UNHCR acknowledged the severe hardship Afghan families face and said full aid could resume if additional donor funding becomes available.
The move comes as Pakistan accelerates deportations of undocumented Afghans, expelling about 7,000 people in a single day this week. Rights groups and UN experts have warned that the mass removals could worsen an already fragile humanitarian situation.
The UN Security Council has also raised concern, noting that ongoing deportations by Pakistan and Iran are complicating efforts to deliver humanitarian aid inside Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/unhcr-limits-cash-aid-for-afghan-returnees-amid-funding-shortfall/
------
Pakistan Warns Kabul of ‘Firm Response’ to Any Hostile Actions
By Fidel Rahmati
November 16, 2025
Pakistan warned Kabul it would deliver a firm response to any hostile actions as border tensions rise and peace talks in Istanbul remain deadlocked.
Pakistan’s prime ministerial adviser Rana Sanaullah warned on Saturday that Islamabad will deliver an appropriate response to any “hostile action from the Taliban.” Speaking at a gas-supply project inauguration in Faisalabad, he said rising tensions initiated from the Taliban side were “no longer tolerable” and Pakistan was fully prepared to react.
Border and security frictions between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities in Kabul have surged to unprecedented levels in recent months. Islamabad says attacks on Pakistani forces by militant groups based inside Afghanistan have increased sharply.
Several rounds of talks aimed at de-escalation, hosted with the help of Qatar and Turkey, ended without a breakthrough. Pakistani officials say the Taliban have failed to take meaningful action against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters allegedly operating from Afghan territory.
The Taliban have rejected those accusations as “baseless,” accusing Islamabad of using the issue of armed groups to exert political pressure. The exchange of blame has fuelled one of the most serious escalations between the two sides since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Sanaullah’s latest remarks come amid growing frustration in Islamabad after diplomatic efforts faltered and border incidents continued.
Analysts say the breakdown in talks highlights the widening trust deficit between the neighbours and raises the risk of further clashes along the volatile frontier.
Security experts warn that without a coordinated strategy, the dispute could destabilise cross-border trade, weaken counter-terrorism cooperation and worsen the humanitarian situation for civilians living in border regions.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-warns-kabul-of-firm-response-to-any-hostile-actions/
-------
No alternative to free fair elections: EC Anwarul Islam Sarker
16 Nov 2025
DHAKA, Nov 16, 2025 (BSS) – Election Commissioner M Anwarul Islam Sarker today said there is no alternative to hold a free and fair election.
“We will not compromise … we are doing everything to hold a free, fair and good election. We have no alternative . . . for holding a fair election we want cooperation from all political parties”, he said.
The EC made the remarks while speaking at the view-exchange meeting on the second day with the registered political parties ahead of the 13th national parliament election at NirbachonBhaban conference room at Agargaon here.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin chaired the meeting.
Anwarul Islam Sarker said nearly nine lakh members of the law enforcement agencies will be deployed in the field. Even the EC is planning to deploy electoral inquiry committees, judicial magistrates, mobile courts, executive magistrates, monitoring teams and observer teams during the election.
The EC said about 43,000 presiding officers have been selected from across the country as the presiding officers are the key in the election. The EC is taking necessary measures so that the presiding officers can play strong and impartial role during the polls, he added.
The electoral code of conduct has two commitments –one is on behalf of the political parties and other is from the end of the candidate, he said, adding that the other issues including the cancellation of the candidature have been incorporated here strictly.
Regarding the necessary law, the EC said “We have enough laws and good elections were held in the past with these laws. There is a rule of cancellation of candidature and rule of cancelling polls of entire seat and these rules have been incorporated according to system”.
]“We want cooperation from all quarters. We will hold a free and fair election with the support of all,” he added.
Gono Forum, Gano Front, Islamic Front Bangladesh, IslamiOikyaJote, Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP) and Bangladesh Jatiya Party joined today’s view-exchange meeting held from 10.30am to 12.45pm.
Then the EC held dialogue with Bangladesh JatiyaSamajtantrik Dal(JASOD), Bangladesh National Awami Party(NAP), Trinomool BNP, KrishakSramik Janata League (KSJL), Bangladesh KhelafatMajlish and IslamiAndolan Bangladesh from 2.30pm.
On the third day of the dialogue tomorrow, the EC will hold view-exchange meeting with the representatives of 12 registered political parties, including Jamaat-e Islami.
Source: bssnews.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bssnews.net/news/332472
------
Media leaders call for self-regulation to protect press freedom
Nov 17, 2025
The news media industry must take the lead in establishing a structured, industry-driven system for self-regulation to safeguard press freedom, strengthen accountability, rebuild public trust, and uphold high journalistic standards, said speakers at a consultation.
The issue was raised during three meetings organised by the Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), engaging stakeholders from across the country, according to a press release.
Editors, newsroom leaders, journalists, union and association leaders, media development practitioners, academia, and civil society representatives attended the consultations on "Media self-regulation in Bangladesh: Legal frameworks, global practices and pathways to accountability" held on October 8 and 15, 2025, in Dhaka.
They called on news organisations to formally adopt ethical and operational standards and emphasised that self-regulation must be adopted as the central framework guiding the news media industry.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/media-leaders-call-self-regulation-protect-press-freedom-4036691
-------
SammilitoIslami Bank may onboard foreign investors
Nov 16, 2025
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) wants to bring in strategic foreign investors for the new shariah-based SammilitoIslami Bank, which is being created through the merger of five troubled Islamic lenders, according to BB Governor Ahsan H Mansur.
Days after the central bank gave the preliminary approval for the new bank, the governor said today that the process is underway.
At the inauguration of the Bangladesh Islamic Finance Summit 2025 at Sheraton Dhaka, he said the new bank will be strong after a fresh public fund injection. It will begin the journey as a publicly owned institution.
"We would like to be handing over to strategic international investors as well as an eventual IPO [initial public offering]," he said in his speech as the chief guest. "That process is on."
Mansur said he expects SammilitoIslami Bank to become the strongest in terms of financial position. It will start with the highest level of capital in the sector, with paid-up capital of Tk 35,000 crore.
He hoped it could turn a profit even in its first year because of the large injection of liquidity.
A week earlier, the central bank sent letters to First Security Islami Bank, Union Bank, Global Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank and Exim Bank, informing them of the decision to merge the five commercial lenders under the Bank Resolution Ordinance 2025.
Administrators have already been appointed to carry out the process, after which the merged entity will operate as SammilitoIslami Bank.
During the process, the BB said the shareholders of the five lenders would receive nothing because the net asset value of those banks was already negative.
On fund injection, Mansur said Islamic banking had been the biggest casualty of plundering in the banking system over the past 15 years. The government, therefore, had to step in to protect the lenders.
He said that if governance improves, depositors will respond positively and stay with the bank, just as depositors of Islami Bank Bangladesh have done. "Let it grow."
The governor said Islamic banking in Bangladesh had been substantially damaged, although it remained resilient and would prove that resilience in the coming years.
He urged the sector to follow global best practices and maintain transparency to help Islamic finance contribute to economic growth and social justice.
He said the sector needs to think beyond crore banking businesses alone and include Islamic insurance, non-bank Islamic financing and digital banking in its vision for the future.
At the event, Mesbaul Asif Siddiqui, deputy managing director of City Bank, said sharia banking is an interest-free, value-based system and any compromise in these principles could cause serious harm.
He said the 1980s saw the rise of Islamic banking in Bangladesh, while recent years had seen a decline. The main cause was what he said, "a compromise of values"
Siddiqui said global Islamic finance assets stand at $4 trillion across 80 countries. Sukuk, capital markets and asset management are key pillars of the industry.
In Bangladesh, he said, bond and capital markets remain small and underdeveloped.
Senior officials from Islamic financial institutions and members of shariah boards spoke on the first day of the summit.
They said Bangladesh has many scholars capable of contributing to Islamic finance and urged them to place greater focus on the field.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/sammilito-islami-bank-may-onboard-foreign-investors-4036346
-------
Southeast Asia
Selangor to review non-Muslim funeral service charges and packages
17 Nov 2025
Selangor government will review non-Muslim funeral service management to ensure affordable rates, with plans for new crematoriums and cash assistance
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will review the management of funeral service packages for non-Muslims to ensure charges remain reasonable and affordable for bereaved families.
State Investment, Trade and Mobility Committee chairman Ng Sze Han said the matter would be discussed in detail with relevant stakeholders.
Ng, who also chairs the special committee on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (LIMAS), said public crematorium facilities are being implemented to ensure equitable access for all levels of society.
“This includes the low-income B40 group, so they can utilise cremation services at affordable rates,” he said at the Selangor state assembly sitting.
Local authorities will collaborate with the private sector to offer more affordable rates for residents in need, he added.
Ng was responding to R. George Gunarajah (PH-Sentosa), who asked about the latest status of crematorium development and accessibility for all groups including B40.
Meanwhile, Ng said the state government had directed all local authorities to identify suitable sites for new crematorium construction to meet growing population needs.
“However, there are several constraints, including the proximity of proposed sites to residential and commercial areas,” he said.
“We are therefore still in the process of identifying appropriate locations.”
As of last October, Selangor has eight public crematoriums with one each in Shah Alam, Klang, Petaling Jaya and Sepang, and two in Subang Jaya.
Two more crematoriums are under construction in Kuala Langat and Hulu Selangor.
Ng added that the implementation of the KhairatDarul Ehsan programme is among the state government’s initiatives to ease funeral arrangements.
The programme provides RM1,000 in cash assistance to individuals aged 50 and above, as well as persons with disabilities. – Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/people-issues/selangor-to-review-non-muslim-funeral-service-charges-and-packages/
------
Sabah voters aren’t buying empty talk anymore, Dr Zaliha says ahead of state polls
17 Nov 2025
LABUAN, Nov 17 — Campaigners must not underestimate the mindset and political maturity of voters in the 17th Sabah State Election, as the electorate is no longer easily swayed by propaganda that brings no tangible benefit to their constituencies, said Johor PKR chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Dr Zaliha, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), said voters in Sabah have reached a level of political discernment that demands sincerity, accountability and genuine development agendas from all contesting parties.
She said the ground sentiment shows that Sabahans are increasingly receptive to the Unity Government concept, despite repeated attempts by several outside parties to discredit the federal leadership.
“The presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in several constituencies where PakatanHarapan candidates are contesting has been met with overwhelming support.
“This clearly shows that Sabah voters are open to federal leaders and are able to judge issues based on facts, not on sentiment played by outsiders,” she told Bernama here today.
Dr Zaliha said certain quarters should stop capitalising on the 40 per cent revenue provision issue, as the Prime Minister had clearly stated there would be no appeal from the federal government on the matter.
“Discussions on resolving the issue have already begun today between the federal government and the Sabah State Secretary. It is being handled through a structured process and not through political rhetoric,” she said.
She added that Sabah’s development must move in tandem with the national agenda to ensure long-term progress, economic inclusivity and infrastructure enhancement for the state.
“To achieve this, the good relationship between the state and federal governments must be strengthened. Sabah deserves development that is aligned with national growth, and cooperation between both levels of government is the key,” she said.
Dr Zaliha said the evolving mindset of Sabah’s electorate is a strong indicator that voters now prioritise stability, policy clarity and leadership that can deliver improvements to their daily lives. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/11/17/sabah-voters-arent-buying-empty-talk-anymore-dr-zaliha-says-ahead-of-state-polls/198718
------
Anwar pushes for tighter land regulation, quicker approvals to protect public interest
17 Nov 2025
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 17 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the 82nd National Land Council (MTN) meeting today highlighted measures to enhance land regulation, ensuring it is inclusive, protects public interest, and aligns with current needs and realities.
He urged the federal and state governments to strengthen cooperation, particularly in fast-tracking land approval processes, to ensure development projects are implemented promptly for the benefit of the people.
Anwar emphasised that while processes should be expedited, existing procedures must not be compromised and the states’ authority over land matters must be fully respected.
“The meeting also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that half of the country’s land area remains forested, in line with international aspirations and the objectives of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) 2026-2030,” he said in a Facebook post.
He said the Madani government will continue to pursue a development agenda that balances human needs with environmental sustainability, in accordance with sustainability principles as a core component of the Madani concept.
Chaired by the prime minister, the MTN is the highest platform for coordinating national land planning and management between the federal and state governments, ensuring land is utilised optimally and balanced between economic demands, social needs, and environmental conservation. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/11/17/anwar-pushes-for-tighter-land-regulation-quicker-approvals-to-protect-public-interest/198717
------
Federal-state panel formed to address Sabah’s 40pc revenue claim, says DPM Fadillah
17 Nov 2025
KOTA KINABALU, Nov 17 — A special committee involving the federal and state governments has been established to discuss the mechanism for implementing Sabah’s 40 per cent net revenue claim as outlined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri FadillahYusof.
Fadillah, who is also the chairman of the MA63 Implementation Action Council Technical Committee (JKTMPMA63), said the special committee would be co-chaired by Sabah State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong and Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican.
He said the special committee would report to JKTMPMA63, although the committee could also report directly to the Cabinet regarding the discussions and mechanisms to be implemented.
“The time frame (for implementation discussions) is very short. The negotiations began today, the committee was formed, and if possible, they will detail the implementation (process).
“I’m waiting for the report and the outcome of the discussions. It’s important to form the committee and provide recommendations to the government… We’ll wait for the full report later,” he told reporters at MenaraKinabalu today.
Earlier, Fadillah held a meeting with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor at MenaraKinabalu, which was also attended by Safar, Johan and Sabah State Attorney-General Datuk Brenndon Keith Soh.
On October 17, the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruled that the federal government had acted unlawfully and beyond its constitutional powers when it failed to fulfil Sabah’s right to 40 per cent of the federal net revenue derived from the state for over four decades.
The court also ordered a review to be carried out within 90 days, while a mutual agreement between the two governments must be reached within 180 days from the date of the order regarding Sabah’s claim to the special 40 per cent entitlement for the period from 1974 to 2021.
Fadillah said the special committee would discuss, among other matters, the terms of reference for implementing the claim, and this would be further discussed with the new state government to be formed after the 17th Sabah State Election on November 29.
“The federal government has already decided it will not appeal the 40 per cent claim, so the federal Cabinet has decided to hold discussions (with the state government). Since there is currently only a caretaker government, what is more important for now is to meet first,” he said.
Polling for the state election is on November 29, with early voting on November 25. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/11/17/federal-state-panel-formed-to-push-sabahs-40pc-revenue-claim-says-dpm-fadillah/198694
-----Not rhetoric, real progress: Federal minister Armizan upbeat on breakthrough for Sabah’s 40pc revenue claim
By Julia Chan
17 Nov 2025
KOTA KINABALU, Nov 17 — Sabah’s long-disputed 40 per cent revenue entitlement is now closer to resolution through a dedicated technical platform, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk ArmizanMohd Ali.
Armizan, who recently replaced Datuk EwonBenedick as Sabah’s representative on the MA63 Implementation Action Council technical committee, said his optimism comes from concrete progress in federal–state technical discussions.
“I am optimistic we can resolve the 40 per cent matter soon. My confidence isn’t rooted in political speeches based on rhetoric but in the progress of the official development and technical reports,” he told reporters here today.
He said the constitutional provision for the entitlement has seen significant movement at the technical level.
Armizan noted that although the issue was once one of 20 matters tabled at the Special MA63 Committee, a dedicated meeting was recently convened solely to address the 40 per cent.
“We want this platform specifically to discuss and finalise the 40 per cent entitlement now, and also to prepare for the mandatory reviews every five-years,” he said.
He said the unity government has deliberately avoided escalation.
“We don’t want confrontation because it is not productive. We want constructive engagement that leads to results,” he said.
Armizan added that Putrajaya is mindful of the recent High Court ruling ordering the entitlement to be resolved within 180 days.
“We have to work within the timeframe set by the court,” he said, adding that the ongoing technical process is already aligned with that requirement.
The 40 per cent issue has become a central political flashpoint as Sabah heads into its 17th state election.
Ewon resigned from the federal Cabinet as entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister on November 8 following the High Court decision in favour of Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue return.
He cited his disagreement with the Attorney General’s Chambers over the entitlement as the reason for stepping down.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim later clarified that the federal government will only appeal certain parts of the ruling, including findings that significant errors were made by both governments since 1974.
Anwar stressed that the appeal would not affect Sabah’s right to its 40 per cent share of federal revenue collected from the state.
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/11/17/not-rhetoric-real-progress-federal-minister-armizan-upbeat-on-breakthrough-for-sabahs-40pc-revenue-claim/198696
-------
Penang govt not ‘running away’ from NCPR town hall, says Zairil; session after design finalised
By OpalynMok
17 Nov 2025
GEORGE TOWN, Nov 17 — The Penang government will not “run away” from holding public engagement sessions on the new alignment for the North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR), said state excoZairilKhir Johari.
The state infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman said it is part of the process for the state to hold public engagement sessions during the process of applying for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval for the new alignment.
“We are finalising the detailed design for the new alignment and once it is finalised, we will apply for EIA,” he said in a press conference today in response to calls by TanjungBungah, BatuFerringhi and TelukBahang residents for town hall sessions to be held regarding the project.
He said the finalised detailed design is expected to be ready by early next year.
Zairil explained that the necessary engagement sessions on NCPR were held during the process of applying for EIA for the project back in 2016 before the EIA was approved in November 2017.
“These sessions, including town hall meetings and public consultations, involved residents from BatuFerringhi, TanjongBungah, TelukBahang, NGOs, residents and the tourism industry,” he said.
He said findings from those sessions indicated that more than two-thirds of respondents supported the implementation of the NCPR.
He advised the affected residents to be patient as the state will hold the necessary engagement sessions once they completed the detailed design of the new alignment and submitted it for EIA approval.
Zairil said it is understandable that some residents would object to the construction of NCPR near their homes as it would result in some form of inconvenience and disruption.
“As is the case with all major infrastructure construction projects in the state, measures will be taken to engage affected residents during the construction stage in order to best mitigate the inconveniences,” he said.
He said BatuFerringhi is a well-known beach resort and home to famous high-end hotels and resorts.
“Tourists throng the town during weekends and holidays. As a result, thousands of people who live in BatuFerringhi and TelukBahang are completely reliant on tourism and hospitality-related activities for their livelihoods,” he said.
He said there is currently only one access road — a two-lane single carriageway with one lane for traffic in each direction — to BatuFerringhi and it has been affected by increasing congestion.
“The situation gets even worse when the road is affected by accidents, landslides or falling trees, and with no alternative access, emergency services could take a long time to arrive, potentially creating a high-risk situation,” he said.
He said this is already happening right now as one of the lanes along the road is currently closed due to serious soil erosion and repairs are expected to take four months until February 2026.
He said the 10.61km NCPR is the state’s plan for resolving a long-standing traffic problem.
“In addition, the creation of a new access road to BatuFerringhi and TelukBahang will also allow the communities there to gain better connectivity to important services such as healthcare and banking, besides allowing the two areas to develop even further, improving economic livelihood,” he said.
Works on the RM2.9 billion highway is expected to start in 2026 and complete in 2031.
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/11/17/penang-govt-not-running-away-from-ncpr-town-hall-says-zairil-session-after-design-finalised/198683
--------
Malaysia among top 10 countries with cheapest internet per gigabyte
17 Nov 2025
Malaysia offers internet at just 2 cents per GB, with Southeast Asia’s fastest 5G network, says Communications Minister FahmiFadzil
BAKU: Malaysia ranks among the top 10 countries globally for cheapest internet rates per gigabyte, according to Communications Minister Datuk FahmiFadzil.
He revealed that Malaysian internet costs approximately 2 cents per GB during a reception with the Malaysian diaspora at Rumah Malaysia here on Sunday.
Fahmi attributed this achievement to the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure affordable and inclusive digital connectivity nationwide.
The minister also highlighted Malaysia’s exceptionally rapid 5G network rollout, which now ranks as the fastest in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia’s 5G network is the second fastest in the Asia-Pacific region, trailing only South Korea.
“This represents a significant shift where Malaysian telcos can now collaborate effectively at one table,” Fahmi noted.
He is leading Malaysia’s delegation to the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2025 in Baku from November 16 to 19.
Fahmi’s participation supports Malaysia’s bid to retain its seat on the International Telecommunication Union Council for the 2027-2030 term.
He also briefed attendees about Malaysia’s successful hosting of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in October.
The minister emphasized that the event demonstrated Malaysia’s diplomatic strength and reset regional perceptions.
“ASEAN, with its 660 million population, holds tremendous potential if we maintain unity and regional stability,” Fahmi added.
Malaysian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ahmad KamrizamilMohdRiza said Fahmi’s presence shows Malaysia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
“The conference provides opportunities to expand cooperation in communication, technology and digital fields,” he stated.
Malaysian expatriate Kelvin Chong expressed excitement about meeting the minister and learning about Malaysia’s latest developments.
“The country is developing rapidly, and we feel incredibly proud and happy about that,” said the chef who founded Azerbaijan’s Culinary Arts Centre.
Chong hopes more Malaysians will visit Azerbaijan to experience its beauty and learn about its culture. – Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/malaysia-among-top-10-countries-with-cheapest-internet-per-gigabyte/
------
Europe
Peacehaven mosque holds open day to thank 'amazing' community
16TH NOVEMBER
A mosque which was subject to an arson attack last month opened its doors to the community in a bid to “build bridges and demolish walls”.
Peacehaven Mosque held an open day on Saturday, November 15 for an event focused on healing, unity and understanding following the incident on October 4.
The mosque was packed with people, and food and drinks were laid on for visitors.
KhuramKiani, founding member of the mosque, said the whole community was in “big pain” following the attack.
“Maybe the damage to the building wasn’t that much but the physical and mental damage – we’re still trying to recover,” he said.
“But the positive side was the local community, I mean to say the non-Muslim community, and all the faith groups – Jews, Christians, Hindus – that came to support us.
"The way we healed, within a week, that would not have been possible without the help of these people.
“Today is like a token of appreciation for what you guys have done – amazing. It’s also a first step forwards towards unity and integration and community engagement. We are committed to build bridges and demolish walls.
“I know this happened, you cannot blame everyone – one individual did it or two people did it or whoever – but these people are angels. They are lifesavers to us. They raised over £50,000 and been coming here more or less every day supporting us. You can see the cards, the flowers.
“We’re very grateful for the whole community. It’s like a thanksgiving.”
Several visitors said it was their first time in the mosque and some even said they weren’t aware of its presence before the attack.
One resident said the open day was an example of the mosque being “not at all secretive” following the attack.
Town councillor, Max Rosser, feels that there is a silver lining to the attack.
“The one good thing that’s come out of this is that people are interacting and making friends,” he said.
The site which is now home to the mosque used to be The Bells Club.
“They’ve taken an asset that was a bit dire and transformed it into something positive which has a community feel. I’d personally like to see something architecturally more Islam.
“Our community is very welcoming and lovely. What those idiots did is not Peacehaven and when I see national headlines saying it’s indicative of Peacehaven – it’s not.
“We’re a multicultural society and we respect everyone. We’re a community of people united in peace – we’re called Peacehaven, we’re the only place in the country with ‘peace’ in its name.
“Some of the people here are some of the loveliest people you can meet and I’m proud to have this opportunity to come together and make a statement.”
Ricky Ryder, 38, of Seaford, and Jack Slowey, 34, of Peacehaven, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, November 14 via videolink.
The court heard they intend to plead not guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, with a trial pencilled in for December next year.
Source: theargus.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/25624920.peacehaven-mosque-holds-open-day-thank-amazing-community/
-----
Muslim Charity Run reviews policies after backlash
17TH NOVEMBER
A charity run that stopped women and girls over 12 from taking part is "reviewing its policies" after a backlash.
The Muslim Charity Run, held in east London's Victoria Park last month, was billed as an "inclusive 5km race" welcoming "runners and supporters of all ages and abilities", but it was open only to "men, boys of all ages and girls under 12".
A Muslim women's group said the event should have been more inclusive to avoid "reinforcement of negative stereotypes".
Organised by East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre, the charity run was said to have attracted hundreds of runners and supporters.
In an update on Sunday, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said it would not be taking any further action.
A spokesperson said: "We recognise that the organisers have committed to reviewing their policies and the format of the event in advance of the next Muslim Charity Run.
"If we are made aware of any further complaints about the event, we stand ready to re-examine the concerns and take action where appropriate.
"We also have guidance available on compliance with the Equality Act 2010 to help the organisers avoid unlawful discrimination and ensure their events are inclusive."
Certain exceptions under equality law can apply to charities and religious organisations, including potentially restricting events to one sex only.
But the Muslim Women's Network UK said while single-sex charity runs could be legally permissible, the organisers could have taken "practical steps" such as different starting times or separate groups "to accommodate women and girls without compromising religious beliefs".
Communities Secretary Steve Reed previously criticised the exclusion of women and older girls.
He told LBC Radio last month: "Speaking for myself, I was appalled.
"We do not want a situation in this country where men are allowed to do things that women are then barred from. We cannot tolerate that."
The annual event is described on the mosque's website as having become a "highlight in the east London Muslim calendar, raising thousands of pounds for vital causes across the UK and abroad, from local youth projects, food banks and refugee support to international humanitarian relief".
October's event was the 12th annual Muslim Charity Run.
East London Mosque has been approached for comment.
It previously said: "ELM encourages women to take part in sporting activities. There are many Muslim women from our community who have taken part in sporting events including boat races, cycling, hiking and marathons as well as various sporting challenges to raise funds for charity.
"We remain committed to listening to the needs of our community and ensuring our programmes serve everyone."
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwvg72ddj0o
------
Hundreds turn out for Southport's 'walk for unity'
17TH NOVEMBER
A group of different religious leaders from Southport have led about 200 people in a "walk of unity" through the town.
Faith leaders and politicians started the tradition last year in a show of solidarity against hatred following riots in Southport, and across the UK, during which the town's mosque was attacked.
The mosque's chairman and imam Ibrahim Hussein said the turnout of people for the walk far exceeded his expectations.
"I am grateful, I am very excited to see that so many people can come together peacefully and exist with each other," he said.
The riots followed a knife attack at a dance school in the town in which three young girls were murdered.
Mr Hussein said the purpose of the walk was to bring the community together after the "hateful" incident and to make something good out of something bad.
"We will do our best to keep this tradition going," he said.
Retired Anglican vicar Graham Turner, who also took part in the walk, said he believed there was a "groundswell of concern about the town".
He said: "Here I think what we're finding is that there's quite a lot of folk who want to pull the same way and find some common bonds between us."
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c891z07gweqo
-----
Azerbaijani taekwondo fighter claims bronze at Islamic Solidarity Games
16 November 2025
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. Azerbaijani taekwondo fighter GashimMagomedov captured a bronze medal at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Trend reports.
Magomedov, competing in the 60kg weight category, defeated IssaDiakité of the Ivory Coast with a final score of 2:1 in the decisive match for third place.
The 6th Islamic Solidarity Games will conclude on November 21.
Source: trend.az
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.trend.az/azerbaijan/society/4118293.html
------
Central Asia, Azerbaijan forming single geopolitical region despite geographical distance
16 November 2025
- Dear ShavkatMiromonovich,
Dear Heads of State,
Dear friends,
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan, ShavkatMiromonovichMirziyoyev, for the invitation to participate in the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. I am grateful to the Uzbek side for its traditional hospitality.
Under the wise leadership of my brother ShavkatMiromonovichMirziyoyev, Uzbekistan is confidently advancing along the path of development and creation. Its significant international standing, effective economic reforms and large-scale projects in industry, transport and agriculture have elevated Uzbekistan to a leading position in the region. Thanks to the President's daily dedication, Uzbekistan has joined the ranks of the world's leading sporting nations. The recent Summer Olympics clearly demonstrated this. ShavkatMiromonovich is not only a wise statesman but also a person who has made a significant contribution to the development of Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations. He is loved and respected in Azerbaijan for his concrete actions and kind attitude toward our people. As a visionary politician, ShavkatMiromonovich clearly sees the need for closer cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan. Once again, dear ShavkatMiromonovich, thank you very much for everything.
We visited the Center of Islamic Civilization. Established on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, the center serves as yet another testament to the President’s dedication to Uzbekistan’s rich cultural heritage. At a time when attacks on our religion are growing in some countries and Islamophobia is taking on a systemic character, the opening of the Center of Islamic Civilization demonstrates to the entire world that Islam is a religion of creation, tolerance, friendship, and brotherhood. Outstanding representatives of the Islamic world made immense contributions to global science and culture, and the Center of Islamic Civilization clearly showcases this. I am confident that the majestic and uniquely curated Center of Islamic Civilization in Tashkent will become a source of pride for the entire Islamic world.
Esteemed colleagues, this is the third time Azerbaijan has participated in Central Asian summits. In 2023, I attended the summit at the invitation of esteemed President of Tajikistan EmomaliSharipovichRahmon, and in 2024, at the invitation of esteemed President of Kazakhstan Kassym-JomartKemelevichTokayev.
The relations between Azerbaijan and Central Asian states are quite unique. We are bound together by centuries-old history, spiritual and cultural heritage, brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity. We have not only maintained these ties but also infused them with new momentum, which has the nature of a strategic partnership.
Reciprocal high-level visits have become regular in recent years. Over the past three years, I have visited Central Asian countries 14 times. During the same period, my colleagues have visited our country 23 times.
Azerbaijan has signed treaties and declarations on alliance and strategic partnership, as well as those on the establishment of joint investment funds, with Central Asian countries. Culture days, exhibitions and concerts are regular in nature, bringing our peoples even closer together and demonstrating how close we are and how much we value our friendship.
Although Azerbaijan is located in the South Caucasus, thanks to this active interaction, Central Asia and Azerbaijan today form a single geopolitical and geo-economic region, whose importance in the world is steadily growing.
We successfully cooperate within the framework of various international organizations, support each other's initiatives, and develop common approaches to resolving global and regional issues.
After restoring its territorial integrity and sovereignty, our country embarked on large-scale work to revive the liberated territories. We highly appreciate the fraternal support that Central Asian countries are providing to Azerbaijan in this regard.
In particular, the MirzoUlugbek School and the Kurmangazy Children's Creativity Cente are already operating in the city of Fuzuli, while the Manas School is open in Aghdam. This is a gift from our Uzbek, Kazakh and Kyrgyz brothers.
In October of this year, the foundation of a mosque was laid in the city of Fuzuli, and this mosque will serve as a symbol of Turkmenistan’s fraternal support. All of this will remain in the grateful memory of the Azerbaijani people as a testament to our brotherhood and solidarity.
Today, Azerbaijan and Central Asia serve as a vital link and bridge between East and West, North and South.
The development of the Middle Corridor is of strategic importance for our countries. Joint efforts to modernize the transport and logistical infrastructure, synchronize and digitalize customs procedures open up vast opportunities for increasing the volumes of cargo, strengthening economic resilience, and expanding cooperation in international markets.
Over the past three years, cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan has increased by 90 percent. Transit time along the corridor has significantly reduced.
The Alat International Port, which is expected to reach a throughput capacity of 25 million tons per year in the coming years, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, nine international airports, the region's largest cargo airline, and other factors have transformed Azerbaijan into an international transport hub.
I am confident that the agreements reached in Washington this August to connect the mainland of Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic will contribute to expanding transit opportunities for international transportation. The construction of the Zangazur Corridor on the territory of Azerbaijan is nearing completion. With an initial throughput capacity of 15 million tons, this railway will become an important artery of the Middle Corridor. Construction of the highway that will form part of the Zangezur Corridor is also nearing completion.
Our cooperation in digital communications also has tremendous potential. The Digital Silk Road project includes plans to build a Caspian subsea fiber-optic cable network.
The Caspian subsea electric cable construction project ushers great prospects for joint electricity exports to global markets.
In conclusion, I would like to thank my esteemed colleagues for the decision on Azerbaijan’s accession to the cooperation format of the Central Asian states. This decision once again confirms the friendly and fraternal nature of our relations and will serve to strengthen cooperation and interaction across a vast geographical area. I would also like to congratulate fraternal Turkmenistan on assuming the chairmanship in our format. Thank you for your attention.
Source: caliber.az
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://caliber.az/en/post/central-asia-azerbaijan-forming-single-geopolitical-region-despite-geographical-distance
------
Will the government's new asylum plans work?
17 November 2025
Joe Pike
Ten weeks ago Sir Keir Starmer sent Shabana Mahmood to run the Home Office precisely so that she would be radical in overhauling the UK's immigration system.
Mahmood's torrent of new policy announcements in recent days are certainly bold - from limiting refugees to temporary stays, to overhauling human rights law to help increase deportations, and threatening countries with visa bans unless they accept the return of criminals and illegal immigrants.
But the plans are controversial too. The Refugee Council, which supports asylum-seekers, says making refugee status temporary is both "highly impractical" as well as "inhumane".
Will Labour MPs vote for it?
The home secretary's team are delighted at the newspaper headlines and TV coverage their announcements have secured in recent days, yet they know that was the easy bit.
Persuading Labour MPs from all wings of the party to vote en masse for the plans is a far bigger challenge.
Backbench frustration over winter fuel payments and welfare reform led to embarrassing government U-turns. Will restive Labour MPs try to shift government policy yet again?
That may depend on whether a politician's constituency is under threat from Reform UK and Conservatives on the right, or the Liberal Democrats and Greens on the left.
Some ministers are already raising concerns about Mahmood's proposals in private, and sceptical MPs have started to speak out in public.
Rachael Maskell, a prominent critic of the government's botched welfare reforms, told me many of her colleagues are "seriously concerned".
She said the government is going in "completely the wrong direction" on immigration and its plans to change how human rights law is applied in the UK are a "step too far".
Another sceptical Labour MP, Brian Leishman, told me he had "big reservations" about the proposals, and cautioned ministers against "trying to copy Farage and Reform who only want to demonise people".
To minimise the prospect of parliamentary opposition, Mahmood has been meeting groups of Labour MPs in recent weeks to make what her allies call "the persuasive moral case for reform".
But privately they concede that it will be a difficult balance.
Partly because many in Labour are uncomfortable with both these policies and the accompanying rhetoric.
Both the Conservatives and Reform can sense those tensions and both are trying to capitalise on them.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage even put out a statement to say something he knows Labour MPs won't like - "The home secretary sounds like a Reform supporter".
Farage and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch both doubt these plans will even get through the Commons.
Will the proposals work?
The government is billing these changes as the most significant reforms to the asylum system since World War Two.
Oxford University's Migration Observatory says Mahmood's overhaul will make the UK's immigration system amongst the strictest countries in Europe.
But that doesn't mean the number of small boat arrivals will come down.
"This won't be the silver bullet and I think the government recognises that", argues Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the organisation.
"It is taking a broader approach, focusing on enforcement and return deals. Will people know about restrictions enough to deter them? We will have to wait and see."
Reducing "pull" factors and making the UK less attractive to migrants is a massive long-term battle.
In this fight the government is up against sophisticated people-smuggling gangs who have shown they can adapt fast.
The home secretary will be hoping her "throw the kitchen sink at it" approach gradually reduces arrivals and increases deportations.
Mahmood believes community cohesion across the country depends on it.
But so does her future and that of her government.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c231dz29ld5o
------
Zelensky vows energy sector overhaul after $100m corruption scandal
17 November 2025
Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky has vowed to "overhaul" state-owned energy companies, after a major corruption scandal engulfed the country's energy sector.
Around $100 million (£76m) has been embezzled, anti-graft investigators said, causing outrage in a country where Russian attacks have resulted in crippling power outages.
"Alongside a full audit of their financial activities, the management of these companies is to be renewed," Zelensky wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
Energoatom, the state nuclear company at the heart of the scandal, will have a new supervisory board "within a week," he added.
Several of those implicated in the scandal have close links to the Ukrainian president.
The scandal is unfolding against the backdrop of escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, including substations that supply electricity to nuclear power plants.
"I have also instructed government officials to maintain constant and meaningful communication with law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies," Zelensky wrote.
He also called for the quick appointment of a new head of Ukrhydroenergo, a hydropower generating company, and reforms for oil and gas giant Naftogaz and the nation's Gas Transmission System Operator.
Two ministers were forced to resign over the corruption scheme and a former business partner of Zelensky was sanctioned earlier this week when the scandal broke.
On Monday, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap) said the 15 month-long investigation had revealed several members of the Ukrainian government were involved.
Some of those implicated in the scandal are or have been, close associates of Zelensky's. Among those alleged to be involved are Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and TimurMindich - a businessman and a co-owner of Zelensky's former TV studio Kvartal95.
Zelensky has previously said he is committed to cooperate fully with the anti-corruption investigation.
"I have also instructed government officials to maintain constant and meaningful communication with law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies," he said on Saturday.
"The full transparency and integrity in the energy sector remain an absolute priority."
But the scandal has brought Zelensky's commitment to fighting corruption under scrutiny once again.
In July, he faced backlash after he signed a law limiting the independence of Nabu and Sap.
The outrage was only quelled by Zelensky's decision to reinstate their freedom, but the debacle prompted criticism from European allies including France and Germany, while ambassadors from the G7 group of nations expressed the desire to discuss the issue with the Ukrainian leadership.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgwyyd8l58o
-------
No Ukraine ceasefire ‘this year’ – Finnish president
16 Nov, 2025
A ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict or renewed peace talks are unlikely to take place this year, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told the Associated Press in an interview published on Sunday.
Kiev has “abandoned” direct peace negotiations with Moscow as they have made “little progress,” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa told The Times last week. The last Turkish-hosted round of talks took place in June.
“I’m not very optimistic about achieving a ceasefire or the beginning of peace negotiations, at least this year,” Stubb told AP.
“If we get something going by February, March, that would be good,” he added, calling on other sponsors of Ukraine to “maximize pressure on Russia.”
He called on Kiev’s backers to increase “financial support to Ukraine,” and to “finance military equipment… give, donate as we best can.”
When asked about the massive $100 million embezzlement scandal that shook the Ukrainian state-owned Energoatom firm earlier this week, Stubb said that he hopes Vladimir Zelensky gets the affair “sorted and cleared.”
“Obviously there’s no place for corruption, especially in a country which is in war,” he said.
The scandal has so far seen two Ukrainian ministers fired and one of Zelensky’s long-time associates, TimurMindich, flee the country ahead of an anti-graft agency probe.
Kiev’s Western sponsors have long raised concerns about corruption in the country.
Following the scandal, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini argued that foreign aid sent to Ukraine risks just padding corrupt officials’ pockets.
“I would not want the money of Italian workers and pensioners to be used to fuel further corruption,” he said on Friday.
The idea that sending arms to Ukraine could allow it to “regain the lost ground is naïve, to say the least,” he added.
Russian forces have sped up their advance in Kharkov and Donetsk Regions in recent months, taking ground and encircling Ukrainian forces in two key cities.
Despite the military gains, the Kremlin has stressed that it prefers a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/627861-no-ceasefire-ukraine-finnish-president/
------
Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries driving price hikes in US – Bloomberg
16 Nov, 2025
Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities are contributing to rising oil prices in the US, Europe, and Asia, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.
The attacks, combined with outages at key plants in Asia and Africa, have removed millions of barrels of diesel and gasoline from the global market, the outlet said. US sanctions on Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft in October, along with restrictions imposed by the EU, have also helped drive prices higher.
Refining margins in the US, Europe, and Asia are now at their highest levels for this time of year since at least 2018, Bloomberg said, citing its own calculations. Additional pressure has come from shutdowns and outages at refineries in Kuwait and Nigeria.
Ukraine has targeted oil depots, processing plants, and metering stations with drones and missiles, calling them legitimate facilities that support Russia’s “war machine.” Russia, in turn, has struck elements of Ukraine’s power grid, saying the infrastructure supports the Ukrainian military.
In August, Hungary imposed sanctions on Ukraine’s top drone commander, Robert Brovdi, after repeated strikes disrupted the flow of crude through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/627870-fuel-prices-high-refining-boom/
--------
West wants to finish Russia as a great power – John Mearsheimer
16 Nov, 2025
Western governments continue to pursue policies aimed at weakening Russia to the point of permanently diminishing its status as a great power, according to John Mearsheimer, a political science professor at the University of Chicago.
Moscow has long described the hostilities in Ukraine as a Western proxy war against Russia, in which Ukrainians are being used as “cannon fodder.”
Russian officials have argued that the US and other Western powers intentionally escalated tensions by disregarding the Kremlin’s security concerns over NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe and its growing military cooperation with Kiev.
In an interview with the host of the Daniel Davis Deep Dive YouTube channel on Friday, Mearsheimer said that Western governments’ objective has been “to defeat Russia and Ukraine, wreck the Russian economy with sanctions, and bring the Russians to their knees.”
“We’ve been unable to do that, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to do it, of course, we want to do it,” he stated.
“If the opportunity to do it popped up tomorrow, we would leap at it in a second, we would love to finish Russia off as a great power,” the political theorist said, emphasizing that Moscow is fully aware of how existential the Western threat is.
Mearsheimer further noted: “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin, the last time I checked, has a triple-digit IQ, and that means he’s figured this out, he understands what he’s dealing with.”
The professor argued that Putin has every reason not to trust either US President Donald Trump or the European leaders, as he “is assuming worst case in good realist fashion.”
Multiple Western officials have publicly described the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war against Russia in recent months. Keith Kellogg, a Ukraine policy envoy under Trump, reiterated that view earlier this year while warning against supplying long-range cruise missiles to Kiev. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has used the same term, and the Kremlin has agreed with his characterization.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/russia/627857-west-eager-crush-russia-power/
------
North America
Drones And Mass Salvo Attacks: Lessons Learned From The American Defense Of Israel – Analysis
November 17, 2025
(FPRI) — On a cool night in April 2024, the Iranian military surprised American and coalition war planners. It launched a massive salvo of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles at Israel, following an Israeli air attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus. The Israeli attack in Damascus killed a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps General. The April 13 Iranian attack predated the start of Operation Rising Lion, the 12-day air war Israel launched against the Islamic Republic in June 2025. However, the multinational layered defense of Israel in April is revelatory, both in terms of how the US military and its allies were able to blunt a massed air attack and how that air attack seriously challenges how Western militaries are trained and equipped for combat.
The lessons from the night of April 13 have direct relevance for the future of global security, specifically on the NATO-Russian border in the Baltics and Poland, and throughout the Middle East. This chapter is based on a series of interviews the author conducted with US personnel directly involved in combat operations that night.[1] The defense of Israel and US forces in the region that night was truly unprecedented, and has been overlooked as a potential turning point for the future of air combat. The successes should be replicated throughout all European and US-allied militaries. However, the tools that enabled success are not as widely proliferated through the air and air defense arms of US allied militaries, which means that much of Europe will remain uniquely exposed to Russian drone incursions for the near future. The broader lesson is also more about how to think about defense against massed salvos of cheap munitions.
In publication after publication, and in industry briefing after industry briefing, the focus is on creating products that can shoot down drones cheaply and efficiently[2]—in short, building an interceptor with a price point similar to the drone being fired. This is certainly part of the answer to this problem. Yet, the challenge is far larger than a simple cost-exchange calculation. The defense against massed drones and ballistic missiles is more about standardizing equipment, sharing data across different services and nations, and reconceptualizing air and missile defense for a combined arms approach. In short: Cross cueing capability that allows for “any targe/any sensor” weapons capability for air and ground-based shooters.
This chapter builds on the work by Sam Lair, who used open-source tools to document the firing rates of American and Israeli anti-missile interceptors.[3] The challenge of air and missile defense is far broader than the need to intercept ballistic missiles in flight and to have the magazine depth to maintain stockpiles of these expensive interceptors to sustain combat operations for months. This chapter will explain how drones pose a similar challenge to US systems and how simple, technologically focused fixes to this problem may be inadequate for future contingencies.
Defending The Bubble: Tower-22 and the Air Bridge to Syria
In 2015, American Special Forces had carved out a small base on the Jordanian side of the tri-border area with Iraq and Syria. The location had emerged as a flash point in the still raging Syrian civil conflict, which the United States and its allies intervened in to quell the Islamic State (ISIS), a terrorist group that had consolidated territorial control over swathes of northern Iraq and northern Syria. The Jordanian monarchy is a close American ally and had grown concerned about the influx of Syrian refugees in the area and about the possibility of an ISIS-led cross-border assault on the country itself. In return for access to a then remote Jordanian F-16 base, the US Army set up Al Tanf, a garrison to train Syrian fighters to plug into US air power and to take the fight to Islamic State. These fighters were never intended to be the main ground force in the campaign; instead, they were intended to harass ISIS lines along the Euphrates River to the north.[4]
The efficacy of this effort remains questionable. However, the garrison soon became a flashpoint in regional and global relations. After the Russian intervention in Syria in September 2015, the civil conflict risked entangling the world’s two largest nuclear powers in a regional skirmish. The two sides eventually reached agreement on a deconfliction arrangement, for both ground- and air-based operations, that entailed carving out a 30-mile (55-kilometer) bubble around the area. The idea was to segment American and Russian areas of operation on the northern and southern sides of the Euphrates River, with two carve-outs for American outposts in the Russian area of operations.
The bubble around Al Tanf emerged as a hot spot and a target for Iranian aligned militias to harass and target during times of geopolitical tension. Russia also sought to challenge American supremacy in the area, often flying transport aircraft over the facility in violation of the spirit of the deconfliction arrangement. The vulnerability of the base to asymmetric air attack has been consistent since it was established. During the height of the American-led air war, the US Air Force patrolled close to the facility to quickly strike targets on the ground, or to track and shoot down manned or unmanned aircraft that threatened the ground troops.[5]
The fallout from the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks was felt throughout the entire Middle East. Israel began a devastating air campaign in Gaza, expanded the war to include Hezbollah leadership targets in Lebanon, struck Iranian-linked militants in Syria, and even bombed Qatar, a close American ally. For months afterwards, Shia militias linked to Iran used armed drones to harass US forces in the Middle East.
At the time, according to author interviews, Iranian-linked groups were launching “onsie and twosie salvos” of so-called Type 2 and Type 3 drones, Iranian-built systems similar in size and range to the American-made MQ-27 Scan Eagle or RQ-7B Shadow. In the years prior, American pilots had downed the Iranian Shahed-129 near Al Tanf. However, these were one-off engagements that neither the pilots nor the Weapons Systems Officers had been trained to shoot down previously.
In April 2024, an Iranian-built drone slipped through the American defense around Al Tanf. The drone struck barracks at Tower 22, killing three people. The attack was the first time in 70 years that American ground troops had been killed by an aerial attack. The event prompted the Biden administration to launch retaliatory airstrikes. The airstrikes, according to author interviews, did tamp down the launches of drones. However, they would resume in response to Israeli attacks on Iranian-linked assets in the Middle East.
Improving Point Defense: The Aftermath of the Tower 22 Attack
American air assets first “had to go through a couple of iterations to place [defensive counter air] assets in the correct locations” to aid with the defense of Al Tanf.[6] The challenge that these drones present to both air and ground-based radar is that they fly very slowly and very low to the ground. The low altitude means that they stay below the radar horizon until they are very close to the target. For air assets, the first step is to position potential shooters in the correct locations to be able to see the drones and then be able to track them for a potential shot.
The first shoot down, following the Al Tanf attack, “went well.” The second “did not” and “both shootdowns garnered significant lessons learned especially with limited testing against” these types of threats before deployment . The best defense, as it turned out, was the large-scale airstrikes on Feb. 2, 2024. The airstrikes led to a détente.
The major challenge for drone defense is that the launchers are entirely mobile and easily disguised as civilian trucks, which in many cases they are. This makes the launch points for these attacking drones hard to predict. In response to this, American planners had to anticipate likely flying routes for the drones. The routes then allowed for the allocation of aircraft in different corridors, paired together and tasked with searching both high and low for incoming drones.[7]
The United States has a lot of experience in shooting down drones and, critically, the fighters that were sent to the Middle East after the Oct. 7 attacks had Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a significant upgrade over the older mechanically scanned radars previously fitted on fighter aircraft. The advantage of the AESA is that it is computer-controlled can scan very quickly with higher fidelity than older radar models, helping to detect low and slow flying objects. The combination of AESA and the Sniper pod allowed for both detection and then visual confirmation to ensure that the target was indeed a drone and not a vehicle on the road.
The drones that Iran and its proxies use typically fly on a low-to-high pattern. Early in flight they cruise at around 1,000 feet to conserve fuel. However, once they reach a potential threat area, they drop down very low to less than 100 feet off the ground. They fly with a pre-programmed inertial navigation system (INS), or with GPS for navigation. For the INS variants, this means that they do not have any electronic emissions or signatures for trackers to search for. An INS works by having specific waypoints along a programed route, which dictates commands to the flight control system. The Iranian operators pre-programmed the on-board INS to “erase the previous points to where they flew from” in order to obscure launch location information if they crashed and were recovered by US personnel for exploitation.[8]
In the case of Al Tanf, the Iranians and their proxies would “fly at 100-200 feet and try and route around the base because there is a coyote garrison that could shoot it down.” The ground-based defense at the base—in this case the Coyote—“is for point defense.” The system has “two missiles on the rails … based on the probability of kill for each missile, the operator has to fire both at a single target.” The reload time for the system, then, is approximately 45 minutes for a field representative to resupply the garrison. The system also targets based on squawking the Identify Friend Foe system. This means that an orbiting fighter “has to be more than 10 miles away because if it sees a friendly transponder in the area it won’t work.”
The implication, of course, is that small numbers of deployed ground-based defense will have to be rigorously deconflicted with airborne assets. They also have to be deployed in large numbers and the reload time significantly shortened. Yet, stepping back, the point defense approach requires more forward-based fighters—or a different concept of ground-based deployment—to truly handle large incoming salvos. It also means that ground-based defense is the last line of defense. This places an emphasis on so-called left-of-launch capabilities, finding and destroying targets before they are launched. And for those that cannot be destroyed on the ground, airborne assets are required to target them far away from intended targets.
Sanitizing and Sorting: The Shahed Turkey Shoot
The size and scope of the Iranian missile and drone salvo on night of April 13 was not expected. As one person explained to the author, “You should also know that [intelligence] did not expect Iran to launch 120 ballistic missiles. They were prepared for it. But they did not expect it.”[9]
The same is true for the numbers of drones Iran launched at Israel. The mass of these drones challenged basic fighter “sanitization” techniques. On the night of April 13, the first challenge was how to build a defenders’ course of action. This is initially based on intelligence—the defender has to surmise how an adversary will likely route the incoming drones. Iran knew enough to “route attacking drones around the ground-based radar.”[10] For one-way routes to Israel, the American planners surmised correctly that Iran would route drones over Iraq and through the tri-border area with Syria and Jordan. This assessment was based on logic and prior Iranian practice.
However, Iran also updated its approach and “by the end they were launching them through Saudi Arabia; with them flying over the Golan Heights; or over the Mediterranean and then turning back towards Israel.” The airspace to defend, therefore, was “expansive – a 360 degree threat axis” To deal with this vast area, the United States set up three corridors: Northern, Middle, and Southern along the expected ingress routes for the attacking drones. In each corridor, the United States placed four fighters, with two four-ships of F-15Es assigned to the northern and middle corridors. Each F-15 carried eight missiles. A four-ship of F-16s was assigned to the southern corridor, with each jet carrying six missiles. All of these planes had AESA radar.[11]
As the attack began, each of these four ships had to first “sanitize” the airspace. This is a brevity term for “showing up to an airspace for the first time, where the pilot has no idea what is out there, so they start to build radar tracks to build fidelity … [and] setting up for the right radar modes to find the specific threat.” The AESA radar, in this regard, is very important, as it allows a pilot to “sanitize an airspace out to tens of miles” for this current threat. For the older, far more prevalent mechanically scanned radar used by European air forces, the scan area “creates a narrow lane for range azimuth and elevation, which creates the soda straw effect” for drone detection, sanitization, and then defense while also requiring exquisite intelligence for proper detection and sanitization during a large salvo. The AESA radar allows for the defender to have a bit more leeway for detection.
On the night of April 13, the four different four ships of lead defending aircraft moved after sanitizing to properly identify all the targets that were coming across the desert. This allowed for the defender to build the air picture, identify all the targets as flying objects, and then to determine if the conditions met the rules of engagement for weapons engagement. The issue with the slow, low-flying drones is that they travel at about the same speed as a fast-driving vehicle. The speed the Shahed flies is far slower than most other flying objects. They are also flying very low to the ground and “if drones are near roads it is going to complicate radar and sanitization.” The defender then has to use an “[electro-optical] or [infrared] sensor to tell if it is a car or a drone.”
The Royal Air Force, which flew defensive missions that night, has the option to “set their speed filter on their mechanically scanned radars to zero.” The problem, of course, is that it will then “pick up everything that is moving against the flat desert background.” This required the Royal Air Force to work closely with the US Air Force to “point them out” and then transmit data “via link 16” for them “to get their kills.”[12]
The US Air Force, in contrast, were all operating more modern radars and carrying the Sniper pod. This allowed for the pilots to use the radar to find the targets and then to identify them with the Sniper pod’s infrared sensor. The Shaheds have no lights, so they are hard to spot visually. They do, however, put off a very small infrared signature, which allows for their visual identification with the pod. Their most obvious characteristic, as it turns out, is the noise that the engine puts, which is auxible to the naked ear within a couple miles on the ground.
The defenders quickly surmised that the best weapon to shoot them down is the AIM-9X, the most modern variant of this five-decade-old heat-seeking missile. The older variant, the AIM-9M, did not work well for the American drone defenders. The Israeli Air Force, however, has made a change to the AIM-9M’s seeker and employed them with considerable success. However, they have not yet shared the technology with allies, even the United States. The advantage of the AIM-9M is that there are a lot of them. They have been in production for four decades. They are substantially cheaper than the AIM-9X.[13]
The US Air Force began to engage the 200-plus targets once the sanitization was finished. The frequency of missile shots meant that the night-vision goggle-wearing pilots would be “blinded by the flash” from the missiles. This forced them “to transition instruments for safety of flight until the blindness ended.” They had to do this well below minimum safe altitude and with terrain-following radar pods that have long been defunded and that do not work.
At the outset of the engagement, a defender would have “20 or so targets on their scope” and was able to identify them and ensure that the rules of engagement were being followed by pulling up a moving map. This map would ensure that there were no roads in the area, ruling out that the slow flyers were vehicles. The defenders would then use the optical targeting sensor to look for headlights or signatures for vehicles driving at night in the desert. After this, they would start the weapon launch process, firing missile after missile at the incoming Shaheds.
The defending jets expended all of their missiles “within 20 minutes.” They would then pass data to backfilling jets that were sitting alert to continue the process of shooting them down. The slow flying speed, in this case, turned out to be an advantage. The defenders had the luxury to let some of the drones get behind them and instead focus on either passing data to incoming defending fighters or destroying drones still in front of them. The fighters could then turn around catch back up with the slower flying drones and start the identification and shooting process all over again. As one defender described it, “with drones moving so slowly, you can retrograde. You can flow towards the defended asset. Turning hot again. And then begin building the picture again. And then you start to do it again.”[14]
The defending sorties were “typically four hours or so,” which is far less than the average mission most American fighter pilots have grown accustomed to during the post-9/11 wars in the Middle East. Yet, the intensity of the defense is considerable. And after this period, defenders are “exhausted … you are cleaning off jets in less than 15 minutes. And now you have the responsibility for controlling the next layer of defense.”
The defenders were tasked with defending both Israel and US assets in the region. The actual defense itself, however, “was planned independent of Israel and deconflicted with airspace. There was a basic level of coordination.” The Israeli Air Force did not allow their pilots to “be on the same frequency” as the United States and its other coalition partners. The Israelis use a novel approach for their airborne drone defense—their response, of course, had the benefit of the American support, but their tactics do differ. Their F-15 and F-16 aircraft all have mechanically scanned radars so they “used their F-35 to point out the drones and then would use the F16 and F-15 as missile trucks.” They also tend to “husband air-to-air” missiles so try and not use them in the same ways as the US Air Force. They also leverage attack helicopters, carrying rockets and the gun, to piggyback on both the F-35 and ground-based radar to intercept the Shahed drones. They rely heavily on ground-based defense, particularly the Iron Dome system, for drone intercepts, giving Israeli planners a lot of flexibility on the drone side and freeing the Israeli military to focus almost exclusively on ballistic missile defense.
Dis-Jointed Defense: The Air and Missile Defense Multi-Service Mission
The attack was not limited to one-way drones—Iran also fired a large salvo of ballistic and cruise missiles. To intercept the ballistic missiles, the defenders used four different anti-missile interceptors: the SM-3, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Patriot, and Arrow. Each of these systems works a bit differently. The longest range of these are the SM-3 and the Arrow systems, both of which are designed for exo-atmospheric intercepts. THAAD has the capability for both exo- and endo-atmospheric intercepts. The saturation of the Iranian attack meant that the defenders had to deal with the very low-flying drones, while different branches of the military were working independently to intercept ballistic missiles.[15]
The size and scope of the attack was a surprise. The challenges, as Sam Lair has noted, come from the volume of fire needed for the defenders and the slow production time for more missiles in the event of a much longer, protracted conflict that involves regular salvos of ballistic missile fire.[16] This is the same problem faced by ground-based drone defense.
On a more tactical level, the high level of intercept success created secondary challenges for the airborne assets flying anti-drone missions or simply returning to base. On April 13, “the missiles would get hit and then all the shrapnel would fall back to earth.” The shrapnel and missile debris was falling back down to earth through the aircraft corridors established to return to base. In many cases, the aircraft had to perform high-performance maneuvers to avoid being hit. It also was a safety concern for the ground crews. In the air above the base, the ballistic missile intercepts were happening, with debris then falling while personnel had to be out on the apron refueling and rearming jets, raising the risk of an accident that could kill personnel and destroy jets on the ground.[17]
The challenge with this type of defense is that each US service was operating quasi-independently of the other. The Navy was responsible for one aspect of missile defense, while the Army had another. The Air Force had the drone defense mission, but so too did the Army at Al Tanf. The overlapping mission creates an obvious challenge about how to best create “identification pathways for each individual service” and harmonize doctrine given that each service has different terminology, different ways of measuring distance (kilometers vs. nautical miles), and no way to share data.
The European Theater: Baltic Sentry and Sanitization Challenges
The challenge with airborne-based drone defense starts with how to identify and then target low and slow flying objects. The Shahed-style drones Iran—and now Russia—favors for a large salvo attack fly at the speed of a fast-driving car. They fly low to the ground. For older mechanically scanned radars, this creates a considerable problem in identifying them and ensuring that what is being shot at is not a vehicle. The advantage that the United States and Israel had over Syria and Iraq in April was that the drones were flying over desert. The terrain is flat, featureless, and depopulated. There simply is not a lot of infrastructure that the defenders had to be worried about when identifying drones.
This is not the case in Europe. On Sept. 10, 2025, 19 Russian-made drones crossed into Polish airspace. The event prompted Polish quick reaction alert F-16s to launch, along with Dutch F-35s. Of the 19 drones that crossed into Polish airspace, three were reportedly shot down by the Dutch F-35s. The Polish F-16s that responded have the mechanically scanned AN/APG-68 radar, which is not ideal for drone defense. In August 2025, the Polish government announced that it would begin to upgrade its F-16 fleet to the AN/APG-83 AESA radar.[18] The Dutch F-35s carry the AN/APG-81 AESA radar, which make them better suited to the task of drone defense.
The difference in radar types may explain why the Polish F-16s did not shoot down any drones that night. It also may explain why so few Russian drones were shot down overall. Without accurate intelligence, the small number of F-35s may have been restricted to searching in specific corridors, identifying the drones, and then complying with the restrictive rules of engagement for the NATO air policing mission. The challenge was magnified by the proximity of the incursion to populated areas.
European air forces have deferred AESA radar upgrades, which means that the backbone of current European fleets have a less than ideal radar type to counter large salvos of drones.[19] It is unlikely that single investments in Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft can offset these challenges. The drones fly so low and slow that they may get lost in ground clutter, requiring a fighter to identify it. This creates the same sort of challenges for airborne operators.
The lack of AESA radar in other European fighters means that the F-35 is the best option for regional drone defense, at least until those other fighters receive the proper radar upgrades. This basic reality calls into question the actual efficacy of Baltic Sentry, the NATO-led response to Russian incursions.[20] The deployment of greater numbers of surveillance platforms is certainly capable of detecting manned fighter incursion. However, the challenges with drone defense will persist. The risk, of course, is that the Russian side is acutely aware of this vulnerability to NATO’s eastern front. In the event that Vladimir Putin orders the military to infiltrate European airspace again, increased deployments are unlikely to make the equipment deployed enough to guarantee a capable and robust response.
Drone Defense: Rethinking Employment
The drone defense of Israel was a success. The US Air Force and its partners were able to neutralize one aspect of Iran’s air attack. However, there are considerable lessons to be learned, ranging from the equipment being used to how future defenders should think about this task. The first change is to increase the efficacy of cost-effective ground-based defense. This approach is lifting directly from the Israeli model, which has a truly layered defense, anchored around Iron Dome. This allowed for the Israelis to husband air-to-air missiles, a task admittedly made far easier by the heavy-handed US support.
The other is to decrease the cost of drone intercept. For air-oriented militaries, like the United States and much of Europe, the cost per flight hour is simply baked into the equation. The true cost savings can and should come from forcing the Israelis to share the AIM-9M seeker modification with their allies, especially the allies that defended them before and during the 12-Day War.
Another improvement has already taken place in the United States: The integration of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rocket kit on to AESA-carrying fighters. The APKWS rocket pod allows for each jet to carry 42 rockets, along with eight AIM-9X. The cost per APKWS rocket is equivalent to the cost of the drone being intercepted, which evens the playing field on the cost-exchange ratio between offense and defense. The APKS system, however, is not a magic bullet. It requires the pilot use the laser seeker for each individual intercept, a task that would need to be repeated 42 times when destroying a large salvo of drones.
The very straightforward solution is for European air forces and American allied air forces to prioritize AESA radar upgrades. The upgrade increases the lethality of the pilot and jet in general and would give the defenders the proper tools to deal with drone swarms. This upgrade and the subsequent integration of APKWS into European air arms is critical. This would allow for Europe to build a layered, multi-country defense capability against the Russian drone threat. The technology, however, is only viable if there is a clear plan for air defense.
As was the case during the Cold War, European and American planners have to share intelligence about likely routes and corridors for drone infiltration. It would then be prudent to divide these potential routes into corridors and assign jets to each corridor. In the near term, the best way forward is to assign F-35s or AESA-carrying 4th-generation fighters to lead the defense of these corridors. The older jets should also be carrying the Sniper pod, or a European equivalent, to identify the low and slow flying objects. They can then take the shots themselves or mimic the Israeli “missile truck” tactics used by the US Air Force and the Royal Air Force on April 13, a clear, off-the-shelf template to train for. Additionally, these drones are slow, allowing European air forces to carve out potential locations along ingress routes where shooting them down poses little risk to civilians. This would allow for fighters to patrol closer to these areas and use data passed from forward-deployed sensors to their advantage.
The ideal solution would be to alter how militaries pass and share data. The United States military did centrally plan the defense of Israel. However, once the shooting started, each air defense arm operated independently in support of the same goal. The result is increased risk of fratricide and less than optimal solutions to complicated problems. As the United States and others think about how best to counter increased amounts of cheap mass in the air, a future-looking starting point for a more cost-effective defense starts with better information collection and distribution.
It may also be prudent to consider older, tried and true tactics for massed air raids. During World War II, British defenders used simple barrage balloons to force lower-flying dive bombers to ascend into walls of anti-aircraft fire.[21] The challenge with these drones is not that they are hard to spot on radar, per se. It is that they fly so low to the ground that it takes exquisite radar to find them. The challenge is broadly analogous to the defense against the V-1, the first cruise missile. The missile flew at lower, predictable altitudes that allowed for the defenders to place objects in its flight path. The Shahed drone threat is more or less the same, albeit with the caveat that drones are also inexpensive. A cheaper defense could be to marry obvious air power upgrades with more prosaic changes to how ground forces engage targets.
The deconfliction challenges are considerable during a massed salvo attack. For the small numbers of ground-based missiles, it is questionable about whether they would (or should) work when allied fighters are in the area. However, if a drone has leaked through forward defense, the ground-based systems are truly a defense of last resort. They provide point defense for close in threats. A novel way to drive down the cost of defense could be to leverage ground-based anti-aircraft guns and put up a flack along likely ingress routes. The shoot down could be aided by physical barriers, perhaps modelled on barrage balloons, to force drones into specific corridors, or even to ideal altitudes for ground-based defense.
Conclusion
The lessons from the defense of Israel on April 13 were used against Iran during the 12-Day War. The US Air Force rapidly fielded APKWS, which increased the cost-efficacy of airborne centric counter-drone operations. The broader lesson is that low-cost, one-way drone defense is a vital component of future combat planning. A narrow focus only on the interceptor cost-exchange ratio misses multiple facets of the challenge, including sanitization and the building of a comprehensive air picture for the defenders to use. For the US Air Force and its allies, this is primarily done with airborne assets, which require AESA radar and intelligence. One option would be to leverage tactics that Ukraine has developed, using the drone’s sound to triangulate a location and to build a picture of likely ingress routes. This method to provide planners with an initial look-ahead to help sanitize the air space is both innovative and cost-effective.
The next obvious step is to harmonize the data picture for each component of the drone defense. This is not so straightforward. The US military and its allies still struggle with passing data amongst different services, and then they also struggle to share data with one another during combat operations. A standardized mechanism to share the air picture is a worthwhile goal to consider, even if it is an additive peace of hardware like a tablet that could be used to augment the fielded systems’ onboard software. As new systems come into service, they should also have the ability to share data more fluidly across platforms. This approach would help increase the efficiency of the allocation of shooters to different corridors of drone defense and allow for the better integration of rotary aviation and slower flyers into elements of the layered defense of targets.
The drone challenge is certain to continue. The defense against these slow flyers is holistic, requiring better integration across services and allied forces, along with a better mechanism to pass and share data. At the tactical level, this means modernizing radar and exploring how to reduce further the cost per intercept, whether it be with APKWS, layered ground defenses, or left-of-launch strikes.
The tools for an effective defense against drones already exist. For the near term, Europe is acutely vulnerable. But with proper investments, updated training, and strategic investments, there is no reason to think that Western militaries cannot overcome this threat.
Source: eurasiareview.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.eurasiareview.com/17112025-drones-and-mass-salvo-attacks-lessons-learned-from-the-american-defense-of-israel-analysis/
-------
Oscar-winning actor calls ZohranMamdani a ‘communist fool’, says only Trump can save New York
Nov 17, 2025
Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight has launched a blistering attack on New York City’s mayor-elect ZohranMamdani, warning that the 35-year-old will turn the nation’s largest city into a “socialist crap city” and urging President Donald Trump to intervene before it is “too late.” The Oscar-winning actor made the remarks in a video message posted on X, calling Mamdani a “communist fool” and saying only Trump can “stop this horror.”
Jon Voight warns of a dark future for New York
In his video address, Voight said Mamdani would “take down the city that never sleeps,” warning that New York could become “a forbidden place of darkness.” He claimed the incoming mayor poses a grave threat to the city’s values, prosperity, and security. “This mayor will destroy this city,” Voight declared, urging residents to stand up for their businesses, property, and “private sanctuary.”
He argued that Mamdani has “no right dictating the rules of socialism” for a city built by hardworking Americans and insisted that his mayoralty “should be terminated immediately.”Voight went further, insisting that only President Donald Trump can prevent what he described as New York’s slide into socialist ruin. “He, and only he, can stop this horror,” Voight said, accusing Mamdani of plotting to “destroy New York’s wealth.” The actor described the United States as the “land of our greatest achievement” and called on citizens to defend the “honour of our flag” and the American dream.
In the video, Voight portrayed Trump as the final barrier between New York and political catastrophe, urging residents to take his warning seriously. “Let this be a warning to the people — and may God bless,” he said.
A divided reaction from celebrities
Mamdani’s election victory on 4 November — defeating independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa — has triggered sharply divided reactions among public figures. Some, like “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, celebrated the result. Nixon posted photos with Mamdani on social media, writing, “I love this young man so, so much! He is a miracle of nature, and I would follow him to the ends of the earth.”
Meanwhile, actor and comedian Michael Rapaport has attacked Mamdani online, criticising him for dining at “one of the priciest joints in NYC” while living in a rent-stabilised apartment.
Mamdani’s rise and the political backlash
ZohranMamdani, a left-leaning politician known for campaigning on social housing, workers’ rights and expanded public services, pitched his mayoral bid as proof that government can meet New Yorkers’ “material needs.” His message resonated with voters seeking a break from establishment-style governance.
His win has also sparked backlash from conservative commentators and figures like Voight, who argue that his policies risk undermining the economic foundations of New York City.
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/oscar-winning-actor-calls-zohran-mamdani-a-communist-fool-says-only-trump-can-save-new-york/articleshow/125370377.cms
-------
US shutdown: Record deadlock ends, but new Republican law set to strip millions from SNAP benefits
Nov 16, 2025
Millions of Americans greeted the end of the record-setting 43-day government shutdown and the resumption of food stamp benefits with relief, but others are learning they could soon lose federal food aid permanently under a new Republican tax and spending law.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins directed USDA staff during the shutdown to press states towards compliance with the law, which is projected to remove millions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the coming months, Politico reported.
These changes, combined with other provisions, represent the most significant cuts to the social safety net in decades and come as low-income families face stagnating wages that are failing to keep pace with soaring living costs—an issue some Republicans blamed for their losses in off-year elections this month.
The SNAP programme provides an average of $6 per day for nearly 42 million people, roughly 40 percent of whom are children. Under the new law, parents and older Americans will be subject to stricter work requirements, and states will eventually share in the cost of benefits, a change that could force further cuts, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Tens of thousands of legal immigrants will also lose access to the programme.
The loss of SNAP “was really stark during the shutdown,” said Dottie Rosenbaum, director of federal SNAP policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “But [the One Big Beautiful Bill Act] is the largest cut in the programme’s history. That is also going to be really deeply felt.”
States have begun notifying participants that they will face tighter work requirements, setting up a three-month countdown to comply or lose benefits entirely. Some states, such as New York and California, hold waivers that lift work requirements in areas with high unemployment rates, which are expected to slow the full impact. Yet certain lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, have been told they are immediately ineligible for SNAP.
“While we are concerned about any person in this country going hungry needlessly, there is something spectacularly cruel about ripping out the safety net of people who came to this country who need just a little bit of time to get back on their feet and to begin to be able to contribute economically to this country,” said Naomi Steinberg, vice president of policy and advocacy at HIAS, a Jewish nonprofit that assists refugees and asylum seekers.
HIAS estimates that the SNAP changes will cut benefits for roughly 250,000 refugees and other humanitarian visa holders.
Rollins has indicated that she may press for current SNAP participants to reapply, despite existing certification requirements for income and other eligibility factors. The new plan could add red tape that makes it more difficult to obtain benefits.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service issued new guidance in October and November during the shutdown on how to comply with tightened work requirements and other changes in the law, but some states are still struggling to interpret it. In California, where more than 5 million people use SNAP, California Department of Social Services Director Jennifer Troia said in a recent webinar, “This is a priority for us. We will move toward compliance with FNS guidance, while also balancing the need for accuracy and clarity.”
Millions of low-income families will also lose access to Medicaid in the next few years when stricter work requirements and other changes for that programme take effect. The Republican tax and spending law has made certain legal immigrants, including refugees, ineligible for Affordable Care Act subsidies. The Trump administration is also developing a new public charge regulation that could deter millions of lawfully present immigrants from using federal safety net programmes.
As low-income people struggle to pay utility bills and rent, many rely on the charitable food network. Food banks and pantries are still scrambling to recover from nearly Rs 8,300 crore in federal funding cuts earlier this year and from the chaos caused by the pause in SNAP benefits during the shutdown.
During the week of Oct. 27, food banks purchased 325 percent more food through Feeding America’s Grocery Purchase Program than in the same period last year, according to the nonprofit.
“It could not be worse,” said Matt Jozwiak, who runs Rethink Food, a charity meal organisation in New York City. “This is just like what’s to come. This is bad, but [OBBA is] permanent.”
With hundreds of thousands of refugees and other immigrants facing SNAP cuts, some refugee resettlement organisations are offering emergency food options. “We have a truck, we have a warehouse, and it made sense,” said Laura Thompson Osuri, executive director of Homes Not Borders, a Washington-area nonprofit that assists newly arriving refugees. Her group estimates the OBBA changes will affect roughly 20,000 refugees in the Washington area.
Still, private-sector and nonprofit contributions will not suffice when SNAP changes take full effect. According to Feeding America, SNAP provides nine meals for every one provided by food banks.
“When I wrote my budget last year for this year, I sure didn’t put this crisis in it,” said Cyndi Kirkhart, who runs Facing Hunger Food Bank in West Virginia, referencing November’s benefits lapse. “Now, I’m going to anticipate there’s going to be more crises, and I’ll just have to budget more and hope that the same kinds of help and support line up. But at some point, everyone is affected by crises. So at what point do folks go, ‘I can’t do any more,’ right?”
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-shutdown-record-deadlock-ends-but-new-republican-law-set-to-strip-millions-from-snap-benefits/articleshow/125360278.cms
------
Federal agents launch immigration crackdown in city of Charlotte
DanaiNestaKupemba
Nov 16, 2025
Federal agents have descended on the city of Charlotte in North Carolina as part of US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said.
Federal immigration authorities carried out nearly 100 arrests in the Charlotte area on Saturday, according to CBS, the BBC's American news partner.
Local officials, including Mayor of Charlotte Vi Lyles, released a joint statement criticising the operation, saying it was causing "unnecessary fear and uncertainty" in the community.
Since Trump's return to office he has deployed troops to Washington DC, Los Angeles and Chicago to deliver on his promise of "the largest deportation programme" in US history.
The DHS announced "Operation Charlotte's Web" on Saturday, saying "criminal illegal aliens" would be targeted in the Democratic-run city.
"We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
Armoured vehicles and special operations teams could be involved in the North Charlotte crackdown, according to internal government documents seen by the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
Several church members doing yard work at a church in east Charlotte fled into woods when agents arrived and detained one man, The Charlotte Observer reported, quoting the church's pastor.
"We thought church was safe and nothing [was] gonna happen," a 15-year-old witness told the newspaper.
Officials said there are "a number of organisations standing ready to assist individuals seeking legal guidance on immigration matters".
The DHS said they are carrying out the operation because North Carolina has not honoured the nearly 1,400 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees - meaning they had been released due to "sanctuary policies".
Charlotte is not a sanctuary city - cities that have policies in place to limit the assistance given to federal immigration authorities - but it is a "certified welcoming city". This is a formal designation for cities that are committed to immigration inclusion.
"President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won't," the DHS said.
Charlotte is an ethnically diverse city, with about 17% of residents being born outside of the country, according to Data US.
DHS has not said how long the raids will last. Chicago's crackdown, which began in September is still ongoing.
Earlier in the week, US Representative and Democrat, Alma Adams, said she was informed of the operation and was "extremely concerned" about Border Patrol and ICE agents coming to North Carolina.
The next city on Trump's list is set to be New Orleans, according to CBS, and that as many as 200 agents could be deployed to the city.
Operations in previous cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have come under fire over concerns of excessive use of force.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqx3n4r2g04o
------
Major MAGA ally apologizes for ‘toxic role’ in politics
17 Nov, 2025
US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has apologized for her role in what she called “toxic politics,” amid an escalating feud with US President Donald Trump.
The Georgia lawmaker, known for her radical conservative views and combative speeches, has been increasingly critical of Trump, who she has passionately defended in the past. On Friday, Trump accused Greene of veering to the “far left” and branded her a “traitor.”
In an interview with CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ aired on Sunday, Greene said that while Trump’s remarks were “hurtful,” she is determined to “end the fighting in politics.”
“The most hurtful thing Trump said, which is absolutely untrue, is he called me a traitor,” she said, warning that this type of language can “radicalize people” and put her life at risk.
“I would like to say, humbly, I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics. It’s very bad for our country,” she said, adding that the uptick in political violence, including the assassination of conservative organizer and podcaster Charlie Kirk, prompted her to “put down the knives in politics.”
Greene said she will continue to fight for the release of all remaining unredacted files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has urged Republicans not to aid Democrats in spreading what he has called “the Epstein hoax,” arguing that his opponents are seeking to undermine his presidency.
Greene has also criticized US aid to Israel and Ukraine and claimed that Epstein may have been an Israeli agent.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/627872-major-maga-ally-apologizes-for/
-----
The US devised a destructive strategy for the world. Now it is the victim itself
16 Nov, 2025
Washington has proven an uncomfortable truth: a nation that sows chaos abroad eventually reaps it at home. For decades, the United States perfected the art of controlled disorder: destabilizing rivals while preserving its own internal calm. That illusion is now collapsing.
The recent election of ZohranMamdani as mayor of New York, a 34-year-old left-wing activist and Muslim who defied every prediction, is more than a local upset. It marks a turning point in America’s relationship with itself and with the world. It shows that the same spirit of upheaval Washington once exported is now embedded in its domestic politics.
Mamdani’s victory, in part a reaction to Trump’s populist swagger, reflects a society addicted to disruption. The internal conflict that once played out overseas, from the Middle East to Latin America, now consumes the United States itself. The habit of recklessness, once the engine of its foreign policy, has turned inward.
For years, the American elite survived by exporting disorder. Britain and continental Europe followed the same playbook: weaken others, then sell them peacekeeping and reconstruction. The method had three aims. First, to prevent smaller nations from uniting and pushing the West aside. Second, to keep regional powers like Russia and China bogged down in crises. Third, to make Western “stability” indispensable; and profitable.
But those days are ending. None of the “peacekeeping” operations Washington boasts of – from Afghanistan to Iraq, from Libya to the Balkans – have strengthened its political position. Instead, they’ve drained its authority and moral capital.
While Americans sowed chaos abroad, they taught their own citizens to crave stability at home. Now that illusion has evaporated too. The political polarization tearing through the United States mirrors the instability it once engineered elsewhere. Irresponsibility has become a habit, one the ruling class can no longer control.
The consequences are global. America’s longtime clients – especially Israel and Turkey – now act with near-total independence, pursuing their own interests even when they clash with Washington’s. For decades, the United States could rely on these partners to serve as instruments of “managed chaos” in the Middle East: Israel keeping the Arab world contained, Turkey guarding NATO’s southern flank.
That system is breaking down. Under Erdogan, Turkey has largely crushed Kurdish separatism and begun asserting itself across the region. Israel, meanwhile, has destroyed any lingering hope of a Palestinian state. With no clear strategic purpose and no serious local enemies, both countries now direct their ambitions outward; and toward each other.
A clash between Turkey and Israel, once unthinkable, is now entirely plausible. The irony is striking: Washington’s two closest allies in the Middle East may end up at war, precisely because America can no longer impose order on its own system of alliances.
This erosion of control exposes a deeper problem. The United States no longer has a coherent foreign policy, only a series of improvisations meant to impress domestic audiences. Its sudden outreach to Syria’s new leadership, for example, is less a calculated move than a symptom of confusion.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/627868-architect-of-global-instability/
-------
Trump doesn’t rule out talks with Venezuela’s Maduro
17 Nov, 2025
US President Donald Trump has said he is open to negotiating with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to defuse tensions and the ongoing war scare between the countries.
Trump has accused Maduro of operating “narcoterrorist” cartels, an allegation Maduro has denied.
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out,” Trump said on Sunday in Florida before boarding a flight to Washington. “They would like to talk,” he added.
Trump also repeated his claim that the Venezuelan government has helped cartels smuggle drugs into the US and released “hundreds of thousands” of violent criminals across the US border.
He argued that the State Department’s designation of Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization would allow the US to strike targets on Venezuelan soil. “It allows us to do that, but we haven’t said we’re going to do that,” Trump said.
The US has conducted strikes on more than 20 alleged cartel vessels in international waters in the Caribbean since September and dispatched a naval armada to the region, including the USS Gerald R. Ford. In August, Trump increased the bounty for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million.
Maduro has denied the drug trafficking allegations and warned the US against launching “a crazy war.”
“No more endless wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan,” Maduro told CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon during a rally in Caracas on Thursday.
In response to the US military buildup, Maduro has placed the army on high alert and initiated several drills.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/627873-trump-talks-maduro-venezuela/
------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/condoles-medina-tragedy-saudi-authorities/d/137665