Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Warns West Bengal Urdu Academy On Hosting Javed Akhtar: Speaks Against Allah, Islam
New Age Islam News Bureau
27 August 2025
The Kolkata Urdu Academy has invited Javed Akhtar to preside over a mushaira on September 1. (File Image)
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· Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind WarnsWest Bengal Urdu Academy On Hosting Javed Akhtar: Speaks Against Allah, Islam
· History Buried In Tiles: ASI Flags Revamp Of 13th Century Ashiq Allah Dargah and Chillagah of Fariduddin Shakar Ganj
· MAGA Candidate Sparks Backlash After Burning Quran And Promising To ‘End Islam’ In Texas
· Men Charged With Hugging, Kissing Among Group Publicly Caned By Indonesian Islamic Court
· 122 Crimean Muslims Persecuted Since Russia’s 2014 Annexation: CTRC
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India
· Kerala Teacher, Khadeeja, Charged For Asking Muslim Students To Avoid Onam Celebrations
· Dasara Invite To Muslim AuthorBanu Mushtaq Irks Karnataka BJP, Mysuru MP Has No Objection Since It Is A “Secular” Event
· Meat Sale Completely Banned In Indore On Upcoming Festive Days Of Hindus And Jains
· IAF Was ‘On Song’, Could Have Struck Pakistan Further: Air Chief On Operation Sindoor
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North America
· Trump To Chair ‘Large Meeting’ On Post-War Gaza: US Envoy
· Dallas and Interfaith Leaders Unite in Dallas to Address the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
· Bronx Muslim Centre to soon become the largest mosque in New York state
· Trump's brand of US capitalism faces 'socialist' backlash from conservatives
· Fyodor Lukyanov: Why giving Trump the Nobel Peace Prize makes some sense
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Southeast Asia
· Govt to continue fiscal reforms, expand SST and revenue measures under Budget 2025, says Amir Hamzah
· Despite US tariffs, Penang’s manufacturing investments soar 150pc to RM12.5b in first half of 2025, says CM
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Europe
· Muslim Politician Praises Pope Francis For Stance On Gaza
· Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador Over Alleged ‘Anti-Semitic’ Attacks
· Reform prepared to deport 600,000 under migration plans
· French PM fights for survival as rivals refuse to support confidence vote
· Do you really believe a Ukrainian on a yacht took out Nord Stream?
· Ukraine adds Woody Allen to state-linked ‘kill list’
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Arab World
· Saudi Cabinet Reaffirms Support For OIC Stance On Gaza, Urges Urgent Global Action
· PIF-Owned Savvy Games Expands Saudi Arabia’s Gaming Footprint
· Experts discuss library use of AI innovations
· Saudi FM arrives in Berlin on official visit
· Training program promotes smart farming practices
· UAE: Private Sector Holiday For Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Announced
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Mideast
· How Israel’s Prolonged Gaza War And Failure To Free Hostages Has Exposed Deep Divisions In Society
· UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Says Inspectors ‘Back In Iran’
· Hamas challenges Israeli account of Gaza hospital casualties
· Israeli protesters demand hostage deal as cabinet meets
· US envoy reaffirms commitment to Lebanon’s disarmament of Hezbollah
· US rights groups write to Rubio to demand Israel release teenager
· Lebanon to propose Hezbollah disarmament plan on August 31, US envoy says
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Africa
· Somalia's President And Opposition Leaders Reach Historic Election Agreement
· DR Congo summons senior army commanders amid military setback against M23 rebels
· Tinubu Orders Ban On Raw Shea Nut Export With Immediate Effect
· Lagos APC Blasts Obasanjo Over Tinubu ‘Incompetence’ Comment
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South Asia
· National Poet Nazrul An Eternal Emblem Of Rebellion: Fakhrul
· Islamic Emirate Condemns Israeli Regime’s martyrdom of Journalists as an Attack on Press Freedom
· Anisul, Qamrul, Salman, 2 others shown arrested in uprising killing cases
· 20 injured as BNP, Jamaat activists clash in Ctg
· WHO Receives $6.3 Million to Support Afghanistan’s Struggling Health System
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/jamiat-ulema-e-hind-islam-academy-hosting/d/136623
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Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind WarnsWest Bengal Urdu Academy On Hosting Javed Akhtar: Speaks Against Allah, Islam
Aug 27, 2025
The Kolkata Urdu Academy has invited Javed Akhtar to preside over a mushaira on September 1. (File Image)
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The West Bengal Urdu Academy's invitation to renowned poet, film writer, and lyricist Javed Akhtar for an upcoming event has been converted into a controversy by Islamist outfits. The Kolkata unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has strongly objected to the decision to invite Akhtar as chief guest, stating in a letter to the Academy that the invitation should be withdrawn as he had repeatedly "spoken against religion and God". It cited the example of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, and warned of protests.
"Javed Akhtar is a person who speaks against religion and God. It is not right to invite such a person to any prestigious programme in the Urdu language," the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind said in the letter to the Urdu-promotion body.
"There are many good poets, writers and journalists in the Urdu world who can be invited to this programme," it added.
Following Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, another Kolkata-based Islamic charitable trust, the Wahyahin Foundation, opposed the Urdu Academy's move to invite Akhtar.
The Wahyahin Foundation went a step further and invited Javed Akhtar for a "debate on religion".
'People Of Bengal Don't Like Those Who Speak Against Allah': Jamiat Warns Of Protest
In a letter dated August 25, accessed by The Lallantop, a sister portal of India Today Digital, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind urged the Academy to invite some other "capable and respected individual", regardless of their religion, provided they hold respect for faith and God.
Jamiat reminded the Urdu institute that it had earlier protested against Taslima Nasreen, who was accused of writing against Prophet Muhammad.
"If our people's requests are not heeded, we will be forced to adopt another method prevalent in democracy. Earlier, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had launched a movement against Taslima Nasreen, who had blasphemed the teachings of the Prophet, and forced her to leave Bengal," the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind noted in the letter.
"Host some responsible persons because the purpose of the Urdu Academy is to serve Urdu literature and writers, not to spread and propagate hatred of God. We are sure that you will definitely pay attention to our requests, God willing," the President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind West Bengal, Hazrat Maulana Siddiqullah Chaudhry, was quoted as saying in the letter.
On the matter, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Calcutta General Secretary Zillur Rahman Arif told The Lallantop about his objection to Javed Akhtar, stating, "The peace-loving people of West Bengal do not like those who speak against Allah and Islam".
"Those who openly speak ill of Allah, we, the people of Bengal, do not like them. We do not want their coming to disturb the brotherhood in Bengal. That's it," said Zillur Rahman Arif.
He added that he had no objection if the Urdu Academy invited an atheist. Javed Akhtar is a self-proclaimed atheist and refers to himself as a "cultural Muslim".
However, Arif did not cite any specific statement by Javed Akhtar that the Jamiat object to, only alleging that the poet has been "continuously speaking against religion and God".
While Javed Akhtar was brought up as a Muslim, he considers himself an "atheist". Moreover, associating Urdu with Muslims is both incorrect and inaccurate.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, founded in 1919 during the Khilafat Movement, is a prominent Indian Muslim organisation advocating religious, educational, and social causes for the community.
Another Islamic Body Condemns Invitation To Javed Akhtar, Calls For Debate On Religion
Meanwhile, another Kolkata-based Islamic charitable trust, Wahyahin Foundation, has stepped into the row, echoing the Jamiat's stance on the matter.
"On September 1, a mushaira is being organised in Kolkata by the Urdu Academy. We were quite surprised to learn that the Academy has invited Javed Akhtar Sahab to preside over the event. This is surprising because the Academy largely represents the contributions of Muslims," Mufti Shamail Nadwi of the Wahyahin Foundation said in a press conference.
"How can such a person be invited—someone who openly speaks against Allah and against faith, and influences young minds in a negative way? We have submitted our request to the Academy, and now it is up to them to decide whether to proceed", added Mufti Shamail Nadwi of the Wahyahin Foundation, stating he also "sends an invitation to Javed Akhtar for a debate on religion".
So far, neither Javed Akhtar nor the Urdu Academy has issued any statement on the controversy, reported The Lallantop on Tuesday.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/west-bengal-kolkata-urdu-academy-invitation-javed-akhtar-protests-jamiat-ulema-e-hind-wahyahin-foundation-muslims-2777527-2025-08-27
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History Buried In Tiles: ASI Flags Revamp Of 13th Century Ashiq Allah Dargah and Chillagah of Fariduddin Shakar Ganj
Aug 27, 2025
New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India and National Monuments Authority have red-flagged extensive modern interventions carried out over the years at Ashiq Allah Dargah and the Chillagah of Baba Sheikh Fariduddin Shakar Ganj in Sanjay Van, Mehrauli. Officials of the trust managing the two monuments claim these changes were necessary for "public convenience and protection of the Dargah."
The monuments, dating to the 12th-13th century and managed by the Dargah Hazrat Sheikh Shahabuddin Aashiq Allah Nazariya Peer Trust, have undergone alterations that, experts claim, have eroded their historic character. When TOI visited the sites recently, the changes noted by ASI were clearly visible on the ground.
There is a marble jali around the ancient structure, thick coats of blue enamel paint on the pillars and a modern kitchen built adjacent to the tomb of Shaikh Shihabuddin, also known as Ashiq Allah. On a high platform to the right, graves have been encased in green tiles, the flooring replaced. Another grave is fenced with brick and covered by a tin shed. A few steps away, the vaulted cell of the Chillagah appeared relatively less altered, except for a coat of whitewash and the installation of an iron gate.
Recently, taking note of ASI's findings, the Supreme Court directed the archaeological body to ensure the protection and upkeep of both monuments. Earlier, in compliance with the court's direction of Feb 28, the superintendent archaeologist of ASI's Delhi circle had constituted a joint committee of ASI and NMA to inspect the sites.
After the joint inspection on April 7, the committee noted that while the ancient chhatri pavilion could still be traced, the interventions "diluted" the original historic fabric, creating a "great unconformity" in the site's history and origin. Even so, the report underlined that the monuments continued to hold historical and religious value, as also documented by historian Zafar Hasan.
Munna Ansari said the land was allotted to the trust for upkeep and maintenance in 2011 by then lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna. "The modifications were carried out only for public convenience and protection of the dargah," claimed Ansari, president of the trust. "Repairs were necessary, so we undertook them." He maintained that RTI records show some adjoining structures, including Shahi Eidgah, Hazrat Shaikh Shihabuddin Ashiq Allah and Killa of Bela Rani, are not centrally protected monuments.
ASI spokesperson Nandini Bhattacharya Sahu said, "We are awaiting the detailed written order on which further action will be decided by the competent authority."
Ansari, however, was concerned at the delay in permitting some urgent work. "If something happens in the meantime, who will be responsible? This is a religious structure where people come for prayers and mannat," he said.
According to ASI records, Shaikh Shihabuddin Ashiq, son of Shaikh Imamuddin Abdal and one of the khadims of Qutub Sahib, was buried here in 1317. His tomb lies west of tehRanjit Gate of Rai Pithora's citadel, a centrally protected monument. To the northeast is the Chillagah of Baba Sheikh Fariduddin, the chief disciple of Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, a sacred meditation retreat for Sufi saints.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/history-buried-in-tiles-asi-flags-revamp-of-13th-century-dargah/articleshow/123532127.cms
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MAGA candidate sparks backlash after burning Quran and promising to ‘end Islam’ in Texas
Oliver O'Connell
27 August 2025
There has been a furious reaction to an anti-Islamic campaign ad posted by a far-right MAGA congressional candidate in which she sets fire to the Quran with a flamethrower.
Valentina Gomez, who is running for Texas’ 31st District in 2026 as a Republican, shared the extreme video on X as part of her vow to “end Islam” in the Lone Star State.
Approximately one percent of Texas’s population is Muslim.
Gomez has a history of posting violent stunts and using hateful rhetoric against Muslims, the LGBT+ community, Black people, and immigrants, in an attempt to gain notoriety to further a flailing attempt at a political career that has so far gone nowhere.
“Your daughters will be raped and your sons beheaded, unless we stop Islam once and for all,” Gomez said before setting fire to a copy of the holy book.
“America is a Christian nation, so those terrorist Muslims can f*** off to any of the 57 Muslim nations. There is only one true God, and that is the God of Israel.”
Gomez’s video ended with her declaring that she is “powered by Jesus Christ.”
Condemnation came quickly in response to the clip.
“This isn’t politics. It’s incitement,” podcaster Brian Allen wrote on X. “When the mosques start burning, remember: this was the match and the Texas GOP handed her the lighter.”
Another X user added, “She will literally do anything for clout. Anything. Why is this person allowed to incite hate and murder?”
One X user wrote: “Get out of my state. We have no place for intolerance and hateful people who don’t believe in basic human rights such as THE FIRST AMENDMENT which allows for freedom of religion. Why don’t you learn the basics before running for office.”
Gomez’s previous stunts included a December 2024 video in which she staged a mock execution of an immigrant by shooting a dummy tied to a chair with a black bag over its head.
“It’s that simple, public executions for any illegal that rapes or kills an American. They don’t deserve deportation; they deserve to be ended,” she said.
Gomez is herself an immigrant, having been born in Colombia.
That video was condemned by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who posted: “She is not just an American fascist. She is Colombian. And being a migrant, what she wants is to unleash hatred against migrants. Most Americans are killed by Americans.”
Gomez once told Black Americans to “kindly” leave the U.S. if they “don’t like” the country in a message posted before the Juneteenth national holiday celebrating the end of slavery, which she called the “most ratchet” of holidays.
She also has a history of homophobia. In February 2024, while campaigning for Missouri secretary of state, Gomez also used a flamethrower to burn a pile of LGBTQ+ books, including titles aimed at teenagers.
In a May 2024 video, she also jogged through a pro-LGBT+ area of Missouri in a bulletproof vest, declaring: “In America, you can be anything you want. So don’t be weak and gay.”
Gomez crashed out of the Republican primary in that race in sixth place.
Source: yahoo.com
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https://uk.news.yahoo.com/maga-candidate-sparks-backlash-burning-183738871.html
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Men charged with hugging, kissing among group publicly caned by Indonesian Islamic court
Aug 27, 2025
An official holds rattan sticks which will be used to cane people who violate Shariah law including two men convicted of hugging and kissing, which the court ruled can lead to banned sexual relations, in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 26. AP-Yonhap
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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Two men in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province were among a group of people publicly caned on Tuesday after an Islamic Shariah court convicted them of violating Islamic law by hugging and kissing, which the court ruled can lead to banned sexual relations.
An audience of about 100 people witnessed the caning on a stage in Bustanussalatin city park in Banda Aceh on Tuesday. The men, aged 20 and 21, were whipped across their backs with a rattan cane dozens of times by a group of people wearing robes and hoods.
Aceh allows up to 100 lashes for morality offenses including gay sex and sex between unmarried people. Caning is also a punishment in Aceh for gambling, drinking alcohol, women who wear tight clothes and men who do not attend Friday prayers.
The court in Aceh sentenced the men to 80 strikes each after Islamic religious police said they caught them engaged in what the court deemed were the sexual acts of hugging and kissing in a bathroom of a public park, court records said.
Eight other people were publicly caned Tuesday for adultery and gambling.
The men were arrested in April at Taman Sari city park in Banda Aceh after residents told a police patrol they saw the men enter the same park bathroom. The police found the men inside kissing and hugging. Prior to meeting in the park, the pair made contact through an online dating app, court records said.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to practice Shariah law. There have been four previous canings for cases related to homosexuality since the province implemented Islamic law and established a religious police and court system in 2006. The change was a concession by the national government to end a long-running separatist uprising.
Indonesia’s national criminal code does not regulate homosexuality but the central government cannot strike down Shariah law in Aceh. However, the central government previously pressured Aceh officials to drop an earlier version of a law calling for people to be stoned to death for adultery.
Aceh expanded its Islamic bylaws and criminal code in 2015, extending Shariah law to non-Muslims, who account for about 1 percent of the province's population.
Two other men were publicly caned in February at the same Aceh park after a Shariah court convicted them of having sex.
A coalition of human rights groups filed a petition to Indonesia’s Supreme Court in 2016 seeking a review of Aceh’s regional regulations allowing caning, but the request was rejected. Indonesia's Ministry of Home Affairs issued a letter in 2016 to Aceh's governor about caning, noting regional laws in Indonesia should be enforced for minor crimes.
Canning is a corporal punishment and Indonesia has ratified a convention mandating the abolition of inhumane punishments, said MaidinaRahmawati, acting executive director of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform in Indonesia.
“That public caning, even the act of caning itself, is contrary to various laws and regulations and also contrary to human rights interests in Indonesia because its exposure is not good for Indonesia,” Rahmawati said.
Shifting political dynamics played a role in the implementation of the policy, Rahmawati said.
“Because it seemed like this was the right thing to do, it had to be done, it had to be narrated to support the Sharia-based government in Aceh,” Rahmawati said.
Amnesty International issued a statement Tuesday calling the caning of the two men “a disturbing act of state-sanctioned discrimination and cruelty."
“This punishment is a horrifying reminder of the institutionalized stigma and abuse faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Aceh. Intimate relationships between consenting adults should never be criminalized,” Amnesty’s Regional Research Director Montse Ferrer said in the statement.
Aulia Saputra, a Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, said the punishment may prevent other violations of Shariah law.
“I hope that with the implementation of this caning punishment, it can serve as a lesson for the offender and also create a deterrent effect, so that such incidents do not happen again in the future,” Saputra said.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
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https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20250827/men-charged-with-hugging-kissing-among-group-publicly-caned-by-indonesian-islamic-court
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122 Crimean Muslims persecuted since Russia’s 2014 annexation: CTRC
26/08/2025
Crimean Tatars have faced systematic persecution since Russia’s 2014 occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula, with 122 people prosecuted in fabricated terrorism cases. Illustrative image. Photo: Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
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Russia has persecuted 122 people in “Hizb ut-Tahrir cases” since occupying Crimea in 2014, with 119 of them being indigenous Crimean Tatars, according to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC).
“The Russian Federation unlawfully uses its legislation for political purposes, particularly to suppress the non-violent struggle of Crimean Tatars and their protest against the occupation of Crimea,” the CTRC stated.
Crimean Tatars are the peninsula’s indigenous Muslim population who faced mass deportation under Soviet rule in 1944.
The current cases involve charges related to Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic organization banned in Russia since 2003 but legal in Ukraine and most other countries.
83 Crimean Tatars currently imprisoned in Russian prisons and colonies
According to the CTRC report, 83 people are serving sentences in Russian prisons and colonies, while 27 remain in pre-trial detention. Three are under house arrest, eight have been released with restrictions, and one person died in Russian custody.
The cases have left 252 children without fathers, according to the CTRC. Russian authorities have reportedly conducted 20 waves of arrests since the occupation began, with the most recent in February 2025 when five men were detained.
Russia bases cases on anonymous witnesses and FSB experts
“The accusations in these ‘cases’ are based on the testimony of ‘undisclosed witnesses’ and the conclusions of ‘experts’ who actively cooperate with the FSB,” the CTRC stated. Evidence typically includes Islamic literature found during searches, FSB operational data, and audio recordings of discussions on religious and political topics.
Russia banned Hizb ut-Tahrir in a closed court session in 2003 without providing evidence of terrorist activity, according to the CTRC, yet continues using this designation to prosecute Crimean residents. Sentences range up to 19 years in maximum security colonies.
Hizb ut-Tahrir operates legally in 58 countries despite Russian ban
Hizb ut-Tahrir operates legally in Ukraine and most other countries. The CTRC noted that “in its 75 years of existence, it has not organized a single terrorist attack or armed violence.”
The CTRC has called for the release of all defendants and urged international sanctions against those responsible for the prosecutions.
Source: euromaidanpress.com
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https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/08/26/122-crimean-muslims-persecuted-since-russias-2014-annexation-ctrc/
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India
Kerala Teacher, Khadeeja, Charged For Asking Muslim Students To Avoid Onam Celebrations
Aug 27, 2025
A teacher at a private school in Thrissur district of Kerala has been charged for allegedly making "communal remarks" by advising students to refrain from taking part in Onam celebrations.
The case against Khadeeja, who teaches at Sirajul Uloom English School in Kadavallur, was registered on the basis of a complaint by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). She has been suspended by the school management, sources said.
Besides Khadeeja, another teacher has been suspended for allegedly backing her remarks.
According to the complaint, Khadeeja allegedly sent a voice message in a WhatsApp group related to the school, advising Muslim students and their parents to not participate in Onam celebrations. She said Onam was a "festival in another religion" and said it was "un-Islamic" to mark the event.
The audio clip went viral, sparking protests against the school administration.
Kunnamkulam Circle Inspector Jaipradeep said a case has been filed against Khadeeja under section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with promoting disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups.
The school distanced itself from the teacher's remarks, saying they were made in personal capacity and did not represent the views of the institute.
The management also said Onam celebrations will proceed as planned with an onasadaya or festival lunch on Thursday.
The English-medium school, sources said, is home to 204 students, of which 15 are Hindus. There are 24 teachers, out of which 13 are Muslims.
Source: ndtv.com
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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/kerala-teacher-charged-for-asking-muslim-students-to-avoid-onam-celebrations-9167078
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Dasara Invite To Muslim AuthorBanu Mushtaq Irks Karnataka BJP, Mysuru MP Has No Objection Since It Is A “Secular” Event
SHARAN POOVANNA
26 August, 2025
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government’s decision to invite Booker Prize-winning Kannada author Banu Mushtaq as chief guest at this year’s Dasara festivities in Mysuru has sparked a political row, with several BJP leaders strongly opposing the idea of a Muslim individual inaugurating a Hindu festival.
Leaders, like C.T. Ravi and PrathapSimha, and expelled party legislator Basanagouda R. Patil (Yatnal), have voiced their opposition to the Siddaramaiah-led government’s decision, saying that they are not against Mushtaq, but only her offering prayers to a Hindu goddess.
However, YaduveerWadiyar, the BJP MP from Mysore and custodian of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore, has taken a different position. At a press conference Monday, Wadiyar said that he had no objection to Mushtaq inaugurating the festivities since it is a “secular” event. But in a post on X, he wrote that the author has made “certain past remarks” on Goddess Bhuvaneshwari.
“We wish to firmly reiterate that Dasara is not merely a cultural event, but a Hindu Dharmic Utsava – rooted in the Shastra & Puranas and celebrated with grandeur since the days of the VijayanagaraSamrajya and the Mysuru Samsthana. Given this sacred legacy, it is only appropriate that Smt. Mushtaq clarify her reverence towards TayiBhuvaneshwari and TayiChamundeshwari before consenting to preside as Chief Guest of this year’s Dasara celebrations,” he wrote.
Simha said in a social media post that Mushtaq can be the president of a Kannada literary body, but questioned if it was appropriate for her to be part of a Hindu cultural event.
On Monday, he posted a video clip of a speech by Mushtaq, where she can be heard saying that the Kannada language is equated to a religion in an attempt to exclude minorities like her. He questioned how the writer, “who does not accept Kannada as the goddess of the world”, could perform worship for Goddess Chamundeshwari.
Yatnal also posted Sunday that offering flowers and lighting the lamp to Goddess Chamundeshwari seems to be in conflict with Mushtaq’s own religious beliefs.
“Madam needs to clarify whether she continues to follow Islam, which emphasises belief in only one God and one holy book, or whether she now believes that all paths ultimately lead to the same moksha..,” he said in a post.
However, Mushtaq will not be the first non-Hindu individual to inaugurate the event.
The ruling Congress party has said that Dasara is not just a religious event, pointing out that Sir Mirza Ismail, the Diwan of Mysore between 1926-41, had helped organise the festival, and in 2017, Poet Nissar Ahmed had inaugurated the event.
“This is our state, our community’s festival. It has been celebrated as a festival of unity for generations. There is no reason to mix religious considerations or question participation based on background,” Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara told media persons, adding that the festival will remain inclusive.
The chief guest at Mysuru’sDasara kicks off a 10-day long celebration that begins with
offerings to Goddess Chamundeshwari. Hundreds of thousands of people attend the event every year, with several attractions like Pujas and rituals, and Jumbo Savari.
Mushtaq received the Booker Prize in May this year at a ceremony in London for her story collection Hridaya Deepa (Heart Lamp in English), along with Deepa Bhasthi, who translated her work to English.
Source: theprint.in
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https://theprint.in/politics/dasara-invite-to-muslim-author-irks-karnataka-bjp-mysuru-mp-seeks-her-clarity-on-reverence/2729168/
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Meat sale completely banned in Indore on upcoming festive days of Hindus and Jains
27.08.25
The authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s financial capital Indore have banned the sale of meat completely on certain days of the upcoming festivals celebrated by Hindus and Jains, the city Mayor has said.
In a statement on Tuesday, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said the sale of meat will be completely banned in the city on Ganesh Chaturthi (August 27), DolGyaras (September 3), Anant Chaturdashi (September 6) celebrated by Hindus, and Paryushan festival of Jains.
He said, “I have instructed the municipal corporation officials to ensure strict compliance of this ban. Appropriate action will be taken against those who violate the ban.”
Officials said many people from the Hindu and Jain communities had sought a ban on the sale of meat during the festive period to safeguard their religious sentiments.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/meat-sale-completely-banned-in-indore-on-upcoming-festive-days-of-hindus-and-jains/cid/2119930
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IAF was ‘on song’, could have struck Pakistan further: Air chief on Operation Sindoor
26.08.25
The Indian Air Force was "on song" and it could have continued its strikes on Pakistan, but it didn't as the desired objective was already achieved, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said on Tuesday, delving into Operation Sindoor.
In a fireside chat at the Army War College, the Chief of Air Staff also said the operation was a reflection of "conflict termination" against the backdrop of many wars across the globe continuing for a longer period.
"That night, we were on a song. We could have continued to strike, but that was not our aim. Our objective was already achieved," he said, referring to his force's strikes on Pakistan on the intervening night of May 9 and 10.
The Chief of Air Staff also referred to comments, largely on social media, that the Indian military should have continued its strikes against Pakistan.
"It is very easy to say that. But why should you prolong a war which can be stopped after having achieved your objective. I think that is what is required," he said.
Air Chief Marshal Singh also said that the myth in India that the use of air power would escalate any conflict situation was busted following Operation Sindoor.
"We can't shy away from the fact that air power today has to be used offensively. It has to be used to get to a decision point," he said.
"And whether it is a war of today or tomorrow, the relevance of air power will continue to grow. We need to look at leveraging technology to improve in our air and space domain," he said.
Air Chief Marshal Singh said technology played a key role in India's successful conduct of Operation Sindoor.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
After the strikes at the terror infrastructure, India informed Pakistan that it does not want to escalate the situation and the strikes were aimed at terrorist bases.
But as Pakistan launched a military retaliation, India responded to it very strongly.
India's retaliation on the intervening night of May 9 and 10 forced Pakistan to call for an end to the hostilities.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/iaf-was-on-song-could-have-struck-pakistan-further-air-chief-on-operation-sindoor/cid/2119878
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North America
Trump to chair ‘large meeting’ on post-war Gaza: US envoy
August 27, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will host a meeting on Wednesday on post-war plans for Gaza, his envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday.
“We’ve got a large meeting in the White House tomorrow, chaired by the president, and it’s a very comprehensive plan we’re putting together on the next day,” Witkoff said in a Fox News interview, without providing more details.
He was asked if there was “a plan for a day after in Gaza,” referencing the end of Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory that began in October 2023.
Trump stunned the world earlier this year when he suggested the United States should take control of the Gaza Strip, clear out its two million inhabitants and build seaside real estate.
Trump said the United States would remove rubble and unexploded bombs and turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the proposal, which was heavily criticized by many European and Arab states.
Witkoff did not elaborate on the plan he touted Tuesday, but said he believed that people would “see how robust it is and how it’s, how well meaning, it is.”
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2613138/middle-east
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Dallas and Interfaith Leaders Unite in Dallas to Address the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
August 26, 2025
On Thursday, August 28, the Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-TX, DFW), Islamic Council of North America Council for Social Justice (ICNA CSJ), the Muslim American Society’s Public Affairs & Civic Engagement (MAS-PACE), Dallas Peace and Justice Center (DPJC), Human Rights Dallas (HRD), and the Dallas Muslim community – along with interfaith partners – will host an interfaith press conference to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The event will bring together religious leaders, activists, and community advocates from diverse faith traditions to raise a united moral voice against the deliberate starvation and suffering of innocent civilians, particularly children, in Gaza.
📩 Media RSVP / Contact: Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director CAIR DFW, cell: (832) 549-1042, email: mcarroll@cair.com, Obaid Siddiqui cell: (408) 821-3824, email: obaid.siddiqui@icnadallas.org
At this gathering, faith leaders will call for:
An immediate end to the blockade and military assault on Gaza.
Increased media accessibility to responsibly amplify the truth on the ground, and to humanize the victims.
U.S. elected officials to halt arms sells and transfers and to restore humanitarian aid channels.
Interfaith solidarity rooted in compassion, justice, and the sanctity of human life.
“This press conference is not symbolic—it is a moral imperative,” said Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director CAIR DFW. “As people of faith, we cannot remain silent in the face of deliberate famine and suffering. Our shared humanity compels us to act.”
Clergy, Imams and leaders, and community members from across North Texas will join in prayer, protest, and purpose, sending a powerful message: Silence is not an option.
The mission CAIR-Texas is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR esproteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-tx-dfw-icna-csj-mas-pace-dallas-peace-and-justice-center-dpjc-human-rights-dallas-and-interfaith-leaders-unite-in-dallas-to-address-the-gaza-humanitarian-crisis/
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Bronx Muslim Centre to soon become the largest mosque in New York state
Aug 26, 2025
The Bronx Muslim center in Van Nest will soon become the largest mosque in New York state.
The new building will be located down the block from the existing one on Rhinelander Avenue.
It will be four floors and 32,000 square feet, which is 10 times larger than the original center. Staff members told News 12 this was long overdue, as the Muslim community is growing and they needed a space to accommodate that growth.
"Community members, Muslims and non-Muslims got used to sitting on the sidewalks, praying on sidewalks, praying in the street. They knew that we needed something larger," said Yahay Obeid, the outreach liaison at the Bronx Muslim Center.
Obeid said most of the members of the mosque visit it multiple times a week. They had to add additional prayer times to accommodate overflow, and he said they are often at capacity. He said the new center will allow for fewer prayer times and larger congregations.
The new Bronx Muslim Center will also feature community areas for various events, classrooms and meeting rooms. It hopes to build outdoor seating on the roof and a cafeteria in the basement.
"This will be the first community center in the surrounding neighborhoods for our youth. So we need to take the youth off the street and bring them in to somewhere safe, somewhere where they're in a learning environment, a positive environment," said Obeid. He wants to emphasize the importance of supporting youth. He said weekend school will teach them community values, and anyone who wants to learn Arabic is welcome.
The Bronx Muslim Center hopes to open the new mosque by the end of 2026.
News 12 is committed to help rebuild The Bronx. Join us every Tuesday and Thursday mornings as we bring you the critical information you need to help our borough thrive - from home improvements and affordable housing, to safer schools, better streets, and more.
Source: bronx.news12.com
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https://bronx.news12.com/bronx-muslim-center-to-soon-become-the-largest-mosque-in-new-york-state
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Trump's brand of US capitalism faces 'socialist' backlash from conservatives
August 27, 2025
Anthony Zurcher
Donald Trump is getting the US government into the computer chip business.
He announced on Friday that the federal government is acquiring a 10% stake in Intel, the Fortune 500 company that is one of the largest American manufacturers of semiconductors. And he hinted that the US might not be done adding to its stock portfolio.
"I will make deals like that for our country all day long," he wrote on his social media website, Truth Social. "I will also help those companies that make such lucrative deals with the United States."
Trump's post was pushing back against criticism that has continued for days. He took aim at what he said were "stupid people" – a group that includes some on the political right.
"You can't just be against socialism when the left does it," said conservative radio host Erick Erickson. "So if you support socialism, apparently Donald Trump is your guy."
Trump's move is generating criticism such as this because it breaks with American tradition and small-government conservative orthodoxy. And some economists warn that his promise to help companies that make deals with the US government raises the potential for corruption and market inefficiencies.
"You're looking at investment decisions now having to be made on the basis of politics, not economics," said Tad DeHaven, an economic policy analyst with the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "This is injecting the government directly into the lifeblood of a major corporation's decision making."
While Trump says the US paid "zero" for the roughly $9bn in non-voting Intel shares, the transaction was far from a gift. The US converted unpaid construction grants designated in the 2023 Chips Act – legislation intended to promote domestic semiconductor manufacturing - into Intel stock.
Trump's actions are not entirely without precedent. During the 2009 financial crisis, the US acquired partial ownership of General Motors, Citigroup and AIG to prevent those companies from collapse. Those interventions were justified by Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama as emergency actions taken on a temporary basis to prevent a nationwide economic meltdown.
While the Trump administration explains the Intel move as one taken to protect an industry that is vital to national security – as with the president's decision to impose tariffs, deploy the National Guard to US cities and replace theoretically independent public officials – the legality of the move rests on his assurances with little outside oversight.
"This is not really about making Intel stronger, it's about having control over it and maybe making more money," said Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
If state equity in private companies is an unusual move for the US government, it's not exactly uncommon elsewhere. China and Russia invest heavily in their domestic companies. Even European democracies have a history of supporting what they deem as key industries, such as aerospace, communications and energy.
On Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick outlined a similar strategy, saying the US is considering taking equity stakes in defence and munitions contractors.
"Lockheed Martin makes 97 percent of their revenue from the federal government," he said. "If we are adding fundamental value to your business, I think it's fair for Donald Trump to think about the American people."
Another Trump economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, suggested a larger plan - that these kind of government interventions are the first step toward creating a US sovereign wealth fund.
The president has frequently admired the investment funds directed by other nations, such as China and monarchies in the Gulf, as an effective means of generating government revenue.
While he has not pushed Congress to formally authorise the creation of a US fund, the Intel investment model might provide an alternate route without the oversight and regulation that could accompany congressional action.
"I'm sure that at some point there will be more transactions, if not in this industry in other industries," Hassett said.
The government's "golden share" of US Steel that was negotiated as part of the Japanese purchase of the company, the cut of profits from advanced microchip sales by Nvidia and AMD to China, and the promise of foreign investment in US industries could provide further assets for such a fund.
"South Korea will give to the United States $350bn for investments owned and controlled by the United States and selected by myself, as president," Trump posted on Truth social last month.
While Trump often touts his dealmaking abilities and his financial knowledge, Richard Stern of the conservative Heritage Foundation said that state control seldom matches the performance of free market capitalism.
"Even if he was the most genius businessman that's ever lived, the truth is that part of what makes business so successful is that people involved in it are specialised. They know that business, that product, that field," said Stern. "No human being can be universally perfect at running every business in every industry on the planet."
So far, few Republican politicians – including those in Congress, which could assert oversight authority - have spoken out against the president's new interest in state-managed capitalism.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, an occasional Trump critic, is one notable exception.
"If socialism is government owning the means of production," he wrote on X, "wouldn't the government owning part of Intel be a step toward socialism?"
As if to drive that point home, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – a self-declared socialist – offered words of support for Trump's move.
"If microchip companies make a profit from the generous grants they receive from the federal government," the former presidential candidate said in a statement, "the taxpayers of America have a right to a reasonable return on their investment."
The prospect that the economic power Trump is accruing with these latest moves could be wielded by a future Democratic president is another reason some conservatives are uncomfortable.
"Does anybody think they're going to sit idly by while the government has a 10% stake in Intel and not have something to say there about Intel's policies on green tech, on diversity, on corporate responsibility, go on down the list?" DeHaven said.
That hasn't seemed to deter Trump, whose efforts may be part of a larger strategy or simply the eagerness of a businessman to step in where he can – whether it's directing government investment, suggesting Coca-Cola change its soft drink formula or recommending that Cracker Barrel revert to its old logo.
"Everybody's rushing out the -isms - corporatism, socialism, state capitalism," DeHaven said. "At the end of the day, it's Trumpism."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn85n2vg04go
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Fyodor Lukyanov: Why giving Trump the Nobel Peace Prize makes some sense
25 Aug, 2025
In the early 1980s, former US President Jimmy Carter visited Stockholm. At a reception he approached StigRamel, the long-serving executive director of the Nobel Foundation, and asked with some bitterness why he had not received the Peace Prize for brokering the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. “If I had been awarded it, I might have been re-elected for a second term,” Carter remarked. He had lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Ramel’s reply was blunt: “I’m sorry, Mr. President, but you were not nominated.”
The 1978 prize went instead to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Carter’s story illustrates how the Nobel Prize has always been as much about timing and perception as about substance. And it brings us neatly to Donald Trump.
Unlike Carter, Trump has no problem with nominations. They come thick and fast, from Rwanda, Cambodia, Gabon, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and beyond. Individuals and organizations have joined the chorus. Trump has even gone a step further: he has demanded the prize outright, loudly and repeatedly. Vanity, not diplomacy, drives him. Carter sought the award to improve his electoral prospects. Trump simply wants every trophy on the shelf.
Does the spectacle make sense? Strictly speaking, to be considered this year Trump had to be nominated by January 31 – just ten days after his return to the White House. Yet precedent suggests this is no obstacle. Barack Obama received the Peace Prize in his first year as president, when he had scarcely done anything to warrant it.
Alfred Nobel’s will set out clear criteria: the prize should go to the person who has done most “for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the promotion of peace congresses.” Judged against that standard, Trump looks an unlikely candidate. He is one of the most polarizing figures on the planet. America’s military budget is heading toward a record $1 trillion in 2026, hardly a sign of “reduction of standing armies.”
Yet the White House insists Trump deserves recognition. Officials cite half a dozen cases, from preventing nuclear war between India and Pakistan to halting conflicts in smaller states. The centerpiece, of course, is Ukraine. Washington is hinting that Trump’s approach may finally bring the war to a close – with the timing of any peace announcement conveniently close to the Nobel Committee’s own deliberations.
The pitch has not been flawless. In touting his record, Trump recently confused Armenia with Albania. But these are minor slips. What matters is the narrative: that Trump alone can impose order where others have failed.
Is the Nobel Committee likely to indulge him? Its members are not known for rewarding bluster. But Europe’s leaders are desperate to appease Washington’s eccentric benefactor. It is not inconceivable that some will lobby behind the scenes in Trump’s favor.
In one sense, awarding him the prize would not be absurd. The Nobel Committee has always sought to encourage gestures toward peace, however imperfect. Today, in a world of upheaval, genuine solutions are scarce. At best, one can try to ease tensions. Trump, in his way, is doing just that – using every tool available, from demonstrative military threats to wild rhetoric and economic coercion. Others are doing even less.
To paraphrase Lenin, a Nobel for Trump would be “essentially justified, formally a mockery.” It would capture the spirit of the age: a prize not for genuine reconciliation but for the ability to posture as a peacemaker in a fractured world.
Carter, who once felt slighted, eventually did receive the award – more than twenty years after leaving office, in recognition of his peacemaking work as an ex-president. The Camp David accords remain in force to this day, a rare achievement in Middle East diplomacy. Trump is cut from a different cloth. He will not wait decades. By age and by temperament, he demands everything now. Or never at all.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/623517-trump-nobel-peace-prize/
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Southeast Asia
Govt to continue fiscal reforms, expand SST and revenue measures under Budget 2025, says Amir Hamzah
27 Aug 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — The government is committed to continuing fiscal reform initiatives, including the Medium-Term Revenue Strategy (MTRS), to enhance revenue collection and review public expenditure, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the government will continue with fiscal consolidation measures to create adequate fiscal space to face any future external shocks.
“Budget 2025 outlines several revenue measures, including expanding sales tax on non-essential premium imported goods and broadening the scope of service tax to cover commercial services such as fee-based financial services,” he told the Dewan Negara today.
Amir Hamzah was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Wu Him Ven regarding the government’s plans to increase fiscal space and concrete steps to narrow the economic gap between high- and low-income groups.
He said that one of the measures to bridge the economic gap is the targeted and progressive expansion of the Sales and Services Tax (SST), which took effect on July 1, 2025, to ensure that the tax burden is distributed more fairly and borne by those with the ability to pay.
“The government will also optimise public spending, including targeted subsidies for diesel and RON95 fuel, as well as the rationalisation of statutory bodies.
“Reform measures will continue in the national labour market, including increasing the minimum wage from RM1,500 to RM1,700 and implementing progressive wage policies,” he added.
Earlier, Amir Hamzah reiterated that the increase in federal government debt to RM1.304 trillion, or 63.9 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the end of June 2025, compared to RM1.248 trillion or 64.6 per cent of GDP at the end of 2024, is due to the need to finance the fiscal deficit to cover development expenditure (DE).
Meanwhile, the total liabilities of the Federal Government as of the end of March 2025 amount to RM384.6 billion, which includes guarantee commitments of RM238.8 billion and other liabilities of RM145.8 billion, he said.
Amir Hamzah was responding to Senator Datuk SetiaSalehuddinSaidin’s question regarding the government’s debt.
Amir Hamzah added that since the Madani government took over the administration, new borrowings have decreased from RM99.4 billion in 2022 to RM92.6 billion in 2023 and further down to RM76.8 billion in 2024 (a reduction of over RM20 billion in two years).
“The implementation of fiscal reforms under the Madani government has yielded results with a gradual reduction in the deficit rate from 5.5 per cent (2022) to 5.0 per cent (2023) and further down to 4.1 per cent in 2024,” he added. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/08/27/govt-to-continue-fiscal-reforms-expand-sst-and-revenue-measures-under-budget-2025-says-amir-hamzah/189074
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Despite US tariffs, Penang’s manufacturing investments soar 150pc to RM12.5b in first half of 2025, says CM
By OpalynMok
27 Aug 2025
GEORGE TOWN, Aug 27 — Investments in Penang have continued to grow despite uncertainties due to the tariffs imposed by the United States, said Penang chief minister Chow KonYeow.
He said total manufacturing investments have increased, not declined.
“The total investments approved have not gone down, on the contrary, it has increased if we look at statistics released by Mida for the first half of this year,” he told reporters after attending the launch of Lift-Off with PSD@5km, a business matching event for 12 Penang-based companies.
According to statistics released by Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida), Penang recorded a total of RM12.5 billion in approved manufacturing investments between January and June this year.
This is a 150 per cent year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year.
In a statement released by InvestPenang today, RM10.5 billion — representing 84 per cent of the RM12.5 billion total — came from approved foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows.
“This reaffirms Penang’s position as the top contributor of manufacturing FDI in Malaysia, accounting for 20 per cent of the nation’s total during the period,” said Chow.
The top three sources of FDI are the US, China and the Cayman Islands, collectively contributing 60 per cent of the state’s total approved manufacturing FDI.
As for domestic investment, a total RM2 billion was approved, which is a 51 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
According to Mida, Penang is the second-highest contributor of approved manufacturing investments nationwide.
The approved investments in Penang totalled 86 projects and are expected to provide 11,116 job opportunities.
The investments are mostly in Penang’s electrical and electronics (E&E), machinery and equipment (M&E), and chemicals and chemical products sectors.
Chow said half of these investments comprise new projects while the other half are expansion projects.
He said Penang has remained resilient in attracting global investments.
“Despite the current uncertain global environment, the state has once again punched above its weight, attracting high-quality investments that reinforce our position as a key player in the global value chain,” he said.
“This achievement reflects the continued confidence of investors in Penang’s capabilities and resilience,” he added.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/08/27/despite-us-tariffs-penangs-manufacturing-investments-soar-150pc-to-rm125b-in-first-half-of-2025-says-cm/189063
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Europe
Muslim politician praises Pope Francis for stance on Gaza
AUGUST 26, 2025
A Muslim parliamentarian in the UK has said support from the Catholic Church for Palestinians in Gaza is “extremely powerful”, while also praising the late Pope Francis for taking a stand on the issue.
Shockat Adam, the Member of Parliament for Leicester South, who was elected in 2024 as an Independent, has said that the Holy See has been a key ally in supporting Palestinians during their plight in Gaza.
“The Vatican has been doing it, but other Christian denominations and even Muslim leaders haven’t been as vociferous and clear on this,” Adam told Crux, the Rome-based Catholic news agency.
“The Vatican has a role to play, [it is playing] a role and should continue to do so,” he says. “The leadership of the Church addressing parliamentarians and legislators and world leaders is a really powerful avenue of making change.”
Recalling the conduct of Pope Francis, Adam told Crux: “Pope Francis, in my opinion, was one of very few religious leaders that showed moral clarity on this issue.
“He didn’t dither; he spoke about potential genocide. He was very, very clear on what was happening and what was happening was wrong.”
Pope Francis – who died on 21 April – phoned the Church of the Holy Family, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, almost every day, and often condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling for an investigation into accusations of potential genocidal actions.
“His call to this particular church [Holy Family] and the Christian community in Gaza, although he was speaking to the Christian community, it was being felt by the Muslim community,” Adam says, to the point that some in the Muslim community were beginning to wish "we had somebody of that status that was doing the same".
Adam says the Vatican’s special position and role on the world stage – one that is without a “political agenda” – “gives [the Holy See] a very unique influencing point.”
Pope Leo XIV, since being elected on 8 May, has also appealed for peace in Gaza and even convoked a day of prayer and fasting on 22 August for peace in Gaza and in other conflict zones. Many bishops’ conferences around the world have also called for days of prayer for peace in Gaza.
“As a person who believes in faith and believes in God, we have prayer as a mechanism, as a vehicle, as a truth to achieve our goal in the world,” the Muslim parliamentarian says.
“The power of prayer is very strong and it shouldn’t be underestimated. Also, when it is done in a united fashion between different churches and different faith groups, it really brings a sense of unity and that is a real powerful tool.”
He adds: “Although there is a Christian community in Palestine – it is a very small community, admittedly – but for the Christian community to pray for the situation in Gaza, for all the people in Palestine, is extremely powerful and it is something we shouldn’t underestimate and [should] keep promoting.”
Adam described how he visited the West Bank during the Easter period, noting that the treatment of the Christian community that he witnessed left him“quite taken aback”.
He explains: “The obstruction at the checkpoints – it was Good Friday – not [being] allowed into the checkpoints because it was a Jewish festival at the same time.”
Speaking to the Christian Palestinians in the sanctuary in Bethlehem and in another nearby town, he says it it became evident to him that this obstructionism was being done due to a particular animus against Palestinians, rather than due to overall tensions with Islam.
“I think this conflict has been pitched as Jewish versus Muslim – and undeniably there are religious connotations to the conflict because of where it is located – but for me, if one steps back and looks at it from a legal or humanitarian perspective, it is a conflict against humanity and justice,” Adam says.
“Of course, there is the religious connotation because of the three holy places of the three Abrahamic faiths,” Adam says. “There’s always going to be a religious influence, but I have found that religion has been weaponised.
“For me, when I see an injustice or a war crime or a genocide against the people ofPalestine, I do not in any way associate with the faith of the perpetrators or the perpetrated. I just see [it] as the inhumanity of the situation – the injustice of the situation.”
He emphasises how Palestinian areas can be sealed off at any time, for any reason. This means people can’t get to schools, hospitals or to work. And when they can do so, it takes hours longer than it should, and then, afterward, at the end of the day, sometimes they can’t return home.
Adam says: “I have no idea what that does to a man when he wants to work and provide for his children. Divorce rates I hear are about 60 per cent; drug addiction is everywhere. I met children that haven’t been to school for two years.”
The war in Gaza broke out following the 7 October surprise attack by Hamas militants in 2023 that left more than 1,200 people in Israel dead, with over 250 people taken as hostages.
Israel launched a retaliatory offensive in Gaza to oust Hamas from leadership, with the ensuing conflict resulting in the deaths of around 70,000 people to date in Gaza, according to Palestinian estimates.
A peace deal made earlier this year broke down, and Israel has subsequently increased its attacks on Gaza, killing thousands of people, most of them civilians.
On 17 July, an Israeli mortar round landed on the Church of the Holy Family – an accident due to a misfire, according to the Israeli military – killing three people and injuring several others, including Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the church.
“Every fabric of the Palestinian society has been destroyed,” Adam says. “It is really important that we recognise the Palestinian State, and it is really important that we then give them the tools to be able to create a successful state, but at this moment in time everything has been engineered for them to not be successful.”
He said the situation in the UK Parliament was “a paradox” in which politicians from all parties claim to be opposed to the war in Gaza, but the government’s attitude “is completely contradictory to what they [say they] feel”.
The Palestinian issue needs to be solved using an international body, Adam says, similar to the Madrid Conference of 1991 that managed to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process for a while.
“We need sincere players who would understand the people of Palestine, and it is fundamental that their voices are articulated by people of power,” Adam says.
Source: thecatholicherald.com
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https://thecatholicherald.com/article/muslim-mp-praises-pope-francis-for-stance-on-gaza
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Australia expels Iranian ambassador over alleged ‘anti-Semitic’ attacks
26 Aug, 2025
Australia is expelling Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other diplomats over alleged ‘anti-Semitic’ attacks in the country that were supposedly orchestrated by Tehran, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced. The Islamic Republic has denied the allegations.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Albanese said that the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had gathered “credible intelligence” linking at least two arson attacks last year to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – an elite wing of the Iranian military. The perpetrators allegedly set fire to a Jewish-owned restaurant in Sydney and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.
The prime minister added that a potential Iranian connection was being investigated in relation to several other attacks as well.
According to Albanese, Canberra has also suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran and relocated its diplomatic staff to a third country.
Canberra’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged all Australians currently in Iran to leave.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi denied the allegations, noting that his country is home to a sizeable Jewish community and dozens of synagogues.
“I am not in the habit of joining causes with wanted war criminals, but [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is right about one thing: Australia’s PM is indeed a ‘weak politician’,” Araghchi wrote.
He was apparently referring to a post by Netanyahu last Tuesday, in which the Israeli prime minister accused Albanese of betraying “Israel and abandoning Australia’s Jews” after Canberra announced that it would recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“History will remember Albanese for what he is: a weak politician,” Netanyahu wrote at the time.
Israel’s heavy-handed military campaign in Gaza has drawn widespread condemnation worldwide, prompting renewed calls in countries that have traditionally backed Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/623557-australia-expels-iranian-envoy/
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Reform prepared to deport 600,000 under migration plans
AUGUST 27, 2025
Jennifer McKiernan
Reform UK has suggested it would be prepared to deport 600,000 migrants over five years if it won power at the next election.
Leader Nigel Farage said his party would bar anyone who comes to the UK on small boats from claiming asylum, under plans announced earlier.
It says it would make £2bn available to offer payments or aid to countries like Afghanistan to take back migrants, with sanctions potentially imposed on uncooperative countries.
Labour has branded the proposals unworkable, whilst the Conservatives have accused Reform of copying ideas they announced earlier this year.
Launching the plan, dubbed Operation Restoring Justice, Farage said the "only way" to stop small boats crossing the English Channel was by "detaining and deporting absolutely anyone who comes via that route".
"If we do that, the boats will stop coming in days because there will be no incentive," he added.
Farage, who had previously said mass deportations were a "political impossibility", said his party had now come up with "a credible plan, so that we can deport hundreds of thousands of people over the five years of a Reform government".
During the news conference, Farage asked Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf whether it was realistic to deport 500,000-600,000 people within the lifetime of the first Parliament under a Reform UK government, to which he replied "totally, yeah".
Reform, which currently has just four MPs although it is leading in many opinion polls, has not specified what proportion of this number would come from future arrivals, or people already in the country.
Yusuf claimed "north of 650,000 adults" were already living in the UK illegally, and could be deported "promptly and efficiently".
However, he also accepted his estimate was an attempt to "count the uncountable", and Farage added there would need to be an "exercise of common sense" in how the policy is applied.
Citing Australian policies, Farage said they showed mass deportation programmes could be effective in stopping people coming to Britain illegally "in the future".
Reform UK's policy would amount to a huge increase in the number of deportations and goes further than any previous plans outlined by other political parties.
There were 10,652 asylum-related returns in the year to June, according to Home Office data.
Under the plan, people would be arrested on arrival, detained at disused RAF bases and, if agreements were reached, returned to their countries of origin, including Afghanistan and Eritrea, where a significant number of people on small boats come from.
The party says it would build removal centres in remote areas of the country under plans to detain up to 24,000 people within 18 months.
The party would also look to countries such as Rwanda and Albania to house migrants, and seek to use British overseas territories such as Ascension Island as a "fallback" if people awaiting deportation could not be sent elsewhere.
Reform UK said it would aim to scale up deportation charter flights to five per day.
A Reform UK government would give migrants the option to return voluntarily and offer them £2,500 for doing so as part of a "carrot and stick approach", the party says.
Reform said the plans would cost about £10bn over five years, but would save the government money it spends on asylum hotels and other costs over the long term.
Key to the plan is the passage of a new law called the Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill.
Reform UK said the bill would create a legal duty for the home secretary to remove illegal migrants, and ban anyone who had been deported from re-entering the UK for life.
The bill would also "disapply" international treaties like the Refugee Convention, a 1951 treaty that prevents signatory countries like the UK from returning refugees to countries where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.
To make removals easier, Reform is promising to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), another treaty designed to protect human rights and political freedoms.
The treaty is a central part of UK human rights law and has been used to halt attempts to deport migrants who are deemed to be in the UK illegally.
The party said it would replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights, which would apply only to UK citizens and those who have a legal right to live in the UK.
The proposals could face legal challenges and political opposition, with Labour branding it unworkable and the Conservatives accusing Reform UK of recycling their ideas.
Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves criticised the lack of detail in the six-page plan, which Yusuf said four months ago would be a "comprehensive strategy" with "a full policy document" including "a year-by-year timeline" and "clear targets".
"Today, we got none of those things, nor a single answer to any of the practical, financial or ethical questions about how their plan would work," she said.
"Nigel Farage can't say where his detention centres will be, can't say what will happen to women and children, and can't say how he'll convince hostile regimes like Iran to take people back."
The Conservatives said Reform was "reheating" plans it had already announced and pursued.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp MP said the Tories had already tabled a deportation bill, which detailed "how we would disapply the Human Rights Act from all immigration matters, and deport every illegal immigrant on arrival".
"Months later, Reform have not done the important work necessary to get a grip on the immigration crisis and instead have produced a copy and paste of our proposals," Philip said.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Reform UK's plan "crumbles under the most basic scrutiny".
"The idea that Reform UK is going to magic up some new places to detain people and deport them to, but don't have a clue where those places would be, is taking the public for fools," Cooper said.
Deal with France
The arrival of migrants on small boats has contributed to an increase in asylum claims in recent years and put pressure on the UK government to stop the crossings.
A record 28,288 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year so far, 46% more than by the same date in 2024. A record 111,000 asylum applications were made in the year to June.
UK government figures show there have been 188,969 detected irregular arrivals since 2020.
These people mostly arrived on small boats, but a small number also came by land, air and sea; and the most common nationalities were Afghan, Syrian, Eritrean, Iranian, and Sudanese.
Since being elected in July last year, Labour has vowed to tackle small boat crossings by "smashing" the people-smuggling gangs that facilitate crossings.
The government is also preparing to send back the first migrants under a "one in, one out" pilot scheme with France announced last month.
Ministers have not set out how many people could be sent to France under the deal, under which the UK would accept an equal number of asylum seekers who have not tried to cross and can pass security and eligibility checks.
Source: bbc.com
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French PM fights for survival as rivals refuse to support confidence vote
AUGUST 27, 2025
Paul Kirby
French Prime Minister François Bayrou has said parliament has 13 days to choose between chaos or responsibility, after calling a vote of confidence on plans for deep budget cuts.
Bayrou, who has led a minority government since last December, said in an interview he would "fight like a dog" to win the 8 September vote. "Yes, it's risky, but it's even riskier not to do anything," he said, in the face of France's mounting budget deficit.
Opposition parties have lined up to say they will vote against him, from the National Rally on the right to the Socialists, Greens and France Unbowed on the left.
The vote comes two days before protests are due to take place in France to "block everything".
The Bloquons tout movement, which began on social media but has since been backed by the unions and far left, emerged after Bayrou announced plans in July for almost €44bn (£38bn) in budget cuts.
Reacting to news of the vote, which Bayrou seems all but certain to lose, France's CAC-40 share index fell 1.59% on Monday and then a further 1.5% on Tuesday.
Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on Tuesday that "collectively we have to find a way to prepare a budget for recovery for 2026".
Last year's budget deficit hit 5.8% of France's economic output (GDP) and Bayrou said on Monday that France was in danger and that parliament would be asked "to choose the path that allows us to escape from this curse [of indebtedness]".
In further remarks at a union event the next day, he said the French people would have the chance to influence their MPs "to choose and say whether they are on the side of chaos or the side of conscience and responsibility".
Bayrou was appointed prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron, after Michel Barnier's government collapsed in a confidence vote on spending cuts last December.
The outlook for Bayrou and his fragile government looks bleak, because they do not have sufficient support in the National Assembly.
The leaders of the far-right National Rally party made clear immediately they would not vote for him. Its president, Jordan Bardella, said Bayrou had declared "the end of his government" and leader Marine Le Pen said only dissolving parliament would let France choose its destiny.
The Communists, Ecologists and radical-left France Unbowed all said they would vote against the government and then Socialist leader Olivier Faure appeared to seal Bayrou's fate when he told Le Monde newspaper that "it's unthinkable the Socialists will give François Bayrou a vote of confidence".
"We're not looking for chaos with the aim of speeding up the electoral calendar," said Faure. "It is François Bayrou who is to blame for political instability by proposing a budget that no-one supports, not even his electorate."
Unless Bayrou can change their minds, his chances of survival are low. The finance minister said there was room for negotiation but he was very firm on cutting the budget by €44bn.
Bayrou's budget plans also include cutting two of France's national holidays, so there may be some scope for the government to move on that.
Ministerial colleagues, who were given little notice on Monday of Bayrou's decision to call a vote of confidence on 8 September, praised his move.
Justice Minister GéraldDarmanin told French TV on Tuesday that the prime minister's move was "extremely courageous.. and very democratic".
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who leads the right-wing Republicans, posted a statement on X saying "we went into government to avoid chaos and the extreme left, it would be irresponsible to plunge the country into a major economic crisis".
If the government does collapse, President Macron faces the choice of either leaving Bayrou in place as head of a caretaker government, naming another prime minister or calling new elections.
Bayrou made his announcement after visiting the president during his holiday at Fort Brégançon in the south of France, so Macron was fully briefed on the prime minister's plans.
The head of France Unbowed, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, said it was Macron rather than the prime minister who was to blame for the economic situation that France found itself in, and he said his party would propose a motion aimed at bringing the president down later next month.
Macron himself has refused to resign, and his term is due to continue until 2027, however it was his decision to call snap elections in 2024 that left France with a minority government made up of centrists and right-wing Republicans.
Source: bbc.com
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Do you really believe a Ukrainian on a yacht took out Nord Stream?
24 Aug, 2025
The Nord Stream bombing is back in the news after the recent arrest of a Ukrainian national, identified as Sergey Kuznetsov, at a resort in Italy. Kuznetsov is set to be extradited to Germany, where he will stand trial accused of leading a six-man sabotage team that attempted to blowing up the pipelines.
It is the first arrest in a case which is widely viewed as the largest instance of industrial sabotage in Europe since World War II. Probes were launched by Denmark, Sweden and Germany, but the first two were ended with no suspects identified.
Russia owns 51% of Gazprom, which controls the majority share of Nord Stream One and all of Nord Stream Two, but was not allowed to participate in any of the official probes and has consistently been denied access to the evidence.
It remains to be seen what emerges from the trial of Kuznetsov, but one thing seems clear: many questions remain about an event which still has major repercussions today. RT looks at why doubts persist nearly three years on.
What is the latest version being touted?
German prosecutors claim Kuznetsov led a six-person team on a yacht called the ‘Andromeda’, rented in the city of Rostock with forged papers. The group then allegedly managed to avoid detection in the heavily monitored Baltic Sea in order to plant the explosives at a depth of 70-80 meters.
This version of events bears a close resemblance to an account published nearly exactly a year ago in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Mixing investigative journalism with cinematic flair, the WSJ wrote of a group of Ukrainians “buoyed by alcohol and patriotic fervor” who concocted a scheme to bring down the pipelines on a shoestring budget.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky supposedly initially approved the plan before changing his mind on advice from the CIA – but it was too late as the team had already gone incognito.
The report was, at the time, treated by many observers in the West as a definitive breakthrough in a case that had gone largely cold despite the efforts of investigators working on the official probes.
What has Russia said about the recent developments?
Russian officials have not publicly commented on the recent arrest of Kuznetsov, but Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously ridiculed the idea that such an act of sabotage could have been carried out by a small team lacking the extensive training and support that such a mission would require.
Commenting on the media reports about the Ukrainian group last September, Lavrov said: “Five people were sitting around drinking, having a laugh, and decided ‘Why don’t we blow up the Nord Stream pipelines?’ They had diving skills, allegedly hired a little boat, sailed to the place where the Nord Streams were passing, went down, planted explosives and detonated them.”
“If someone can actually believe this version, then it’s only people who are afraid of the truth and are trying to protect the criminal Kiev regime in any way possible,” Russia’s foreign minister suggested.
What happened to the state actor theory?
Initial reactions by Western officials and commentators almost universally pointed to the likelihood of a state actor – with Russia generally assumed to be behind the sabotage.
Just days after the attack, the editorial board of the Washington Post published an opinion piece warning the West to “prepare for more attacks” and explaining that this is the “kind of capability usually wielded by a state actor,” adding that “everyone suspects unofficially” that the perpetrator was Russia.
Yet, as the narrative shifted away from Russian culpability, the state actor theory began being downplayed in the Western media. Nevertheless, recent reports indicate that German prosecutors believe the operation required “military-level planning.”
Could such a small boat accommodate such powerful explosives?
A number of experts have expressed skepticism that a vessel the size of the ‘Andromeda’ (15 meters) could facilitate an operation involving such high-energy (RDX-HMX) explosives – four bombs weighing up to 27kg each. It's not just a question of weight, but one of bulk and safety.
The limited space and lack of a cargo hold on such a yacht would have made transporting highly potent explosives impractical. Such material typically requires reinforced containers, lifting gear, and complex detonation systems – which would push the limits of what a small vessel could reasonably handle.
Many observers question whether the extensive diving gear, mixed-gas systems, and detonation and transport equipment – plus the explosives themselves – could have been carried and deployed all while maintaining cover as a casual sailing trip.
How practical is a 70-80 meter dive to plant explosives?
The logistics of such a deep technical dive have also elicited skepticism. Recreational scuba diving typically doesn’t go deeper than 40 meters.
This operation, entailing explosives placed on two pipelines 4km apart, is believed to have required four dives, each of which would have necessitated the boat being in place for roughly three hours, according to experts. Furthermore, such extended dives would have likely required a decompression chamber for the divers, which would be almost impossible to fit on a vessel the size of the ‘Andromeda’.
How could the Ukrainian team have managed to avoid detection?
Another one of the puzzles lingering around the sabotage is how an operation almost certainly requiring several days could be carried out in one of the most surveilled maritime regions in the world. This is particularly the case given that NATO naval and aerial patrols were heightened due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that even fishing boats are often tracked in the Baltic, NATO somehow failed to pick up on any unusual activity.
If a six-person team on a small yacht really pulled this off undetected, it would imply a catastrophic failure of NATO surveillance – something many experts find hard to accept.
In June 2022, NATO conducted its BALTOPS exercises involving underwater operations near the site of the explosions. Pulitzer Prize-winning US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has alleged that the exercise was used as a cover for planting remotely triggered explosives that were activated three months later.
Source: rt.com
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Ukraine adds Woody Allen to state-linked ‘kill list’
26 Aug, 2025
Woody Allen has been added to the list of Ukraine’s enemies maintained by the notorious state-linked Mirotvorets (Peacemaker) website for participating in a Russian cinema event.
The 89-year-old director appeared via videolink on Sunday at Moscow International Film Week, where he spoke about his career and long-standing ties to Russia.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has denounced his participation, calling it “a disgrace and an insult to the sacrifice of Ukrainian actors and filmmakers,” while the Lviv National Academic Theatre canceled upcoming performances of Allen’s stage musical Bullets Over Broadway in protest.
The controversial database added Allen’s profile on Monday, branding the Hollywood legend a “victim of psychological violence by Russian-terrorist propaganda” and accusing him of “conscious participation in a Russian propaganda event.”
The site, which is nominally independent but closely linked to Ukrainian state security services, publishes the personal details of individuals it claims are “enemies” of Ukraine. It has been branded a “kill list” after multiple people whose names appeared on it were later murdered or died under suspicious circumstances.
Allen defended the artistic exchange, telling the Guardian that “when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong.”
Mirotvorets has targeted a wide range of international figures in the past. Earlier this year, Hollywood actor Mark Eydelshteyn and Russian hockey star Alexander Ovechkin were added to the database. The list has also included prominent Americans such as US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and journalist Tucker Carlson.
Russian officials have condemned the site as extremist, while its operators insist it is a legitimate tool for defending national security.
Source: rt.com
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Arab World
Saudi cabinet reaffirms support for OIC stance on Gaza, urges urgent global action
ARAB NEWS
August 26, 2025
JEDDAH: The Saudi Council of Ministers, chaired on Tuesday by King Salman, affirmed its support for the outcomes of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Jeddah to address Israel’s ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s call on the international community, particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council, to urgently intervene to end the violence and protect civilians.
The ministers also reviewed the outcomes of recent high-level engagements, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The session further discussed a message King Salman received from President El-Sisi regarding bilateral relations between Riyadh and Cairo.
Source: arabnews.com
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PIF-owned Savvy Games expands Saudi Arabia’s gaming footprint
LAMA ALHAMAWI
August 26, 2025
RIYADH: Savvy Games Group has underlined its commitment to Saudi Arabia’s gaming and esports ecosystem, noting strong growth in its 2025 annual report.
The Riyadh-based company, fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, said it had made major strides across three pillars — game development and publishing, esports, and ecosystem building in the Kingdom.
The centerpiece was the Esports World Cup, held in Riyadh, which brought together 2,000 players from 200 clubs competing for a $70 million prize pool across 24 titles.
Under its “ecosystem building” pillar the company launched the Savvy Academy, which focuses on games and esports education, as well as seven new partnerships to build the domestic sector.
Through partnerships with Princess Nourah University and King Abdulaziz University, and international companies including AWS, Unity and Feed Me Light, the academy is introducing training programs to support the domestic games and esports ecosystem.
“We are working with the Ministry of Education on programs to roll out across 32,000 primary and secondary schools in the Kingdom, to give young people (the chance) to work with game development tools,” Brian Ward, group CEO of Savvy Games Group, told Arab News.
Their “Next-Gen” program gives Saudi students hands-on experience in game development.
“It was so successful in terms of their enthusiasm, their immediate adoption to the technologies in terms of game design, concepting, taking the concept to ideation,” Ward said. “We think kids would love this. (They) were so amazing.”
While strengthening the Kingdom’s domestic sector, Savvy also expanded its global publishing operations. The company acquired Scopely in 2023 for $4.9 billion, and since then the publisher has tripled in size.
“Scopely is now the second largest mobile games publisher in the world,” said Ward.
In March this year, Scopely signed a $3.5 billion deal to acquire the video game division of Niantic Labs, including Pokemon Go.
Scopely’s “Monopoly Go” became the fastest game to reach $5 billion in revenue, and the company was named one of TIME’S 100 Most Influential Companies for a second consecutive year.
At a media roundtable in Riyadh on Monday, Scopely co-founder and co-CEO Walter Driver said: “We saw over 5 billion hours of play time last year and perhaps the most unique aspect of this experience was 50 percent of our players were active on any given day playing seven days a week.
“Since we have started Scopely, we have had over 1 billion people download our products,” he added.
With SR142 billion ($38 billion) allocated by PIF to accelerate gaming sector growth, Savvy said it would continue investing globally while anchoring development in Saudi Arabia.
Its strategy is aligned with the National Gaming and Esports Strategy to position the Kingdom as a global leader in the industry by 2030.
Source: arabnews.com
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Experts discuss library use of AI innovations
August 26, 2025
RIYADH: A remote session discussing the use of artificial intelligence in libraries has been hosted by the Libraries Commission, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The event explored the latest technologies and smart applications that can enhance library services, including smart search engines, personalized recommendations and assistive robots.
The discussion highlighted key global examples, such as Helsinki Central Library Oodi in Finland and the British Library, along with local AI applications.
Participants also addressed future challenges and opportunities, focusing on the commission’s role in promoting innovation and sustainability in the library sector.
The session was part of the commission’s efforts to align with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform plan, which aims to build an advanced library sector and make knowledge accessible to all through innovative digital solutions.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi FM arrives in Berlin on official visit
August 26, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Berlin on an official visit on Tuesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Faisal is scheduled to meet his German counterpart Johann Wadephul to discuss bilateral relations and developments of common interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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Training program promotes smart farming practices
August 26, 2025
Riyadh: The National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture, known as Estidamah, and NEOM food company Topian have been running their second greenhouse management training program in Riyadh.
The program, which began on Aug. 24 and ends on Thursday, aims to promote sustainable agricultural practices by providing comprehensive training in the management and operation of climate-controlled greenhouses.
Participants are learning about advanced systems for climate control, smart irrigation, crop monitoring, and energy-saving solutions, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The curriculum also addresses key challenges such as water scarcity, soil health, and biodiversity conservation, the SPA added.
This initiative is a part of Estidamah’s knowledge-transfer program, which seeks to improve farming efficiency and enhance food security. This is in line with the objectives of the country’s National Agriculture Strategy.
Source: arabnews.com
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UAE: Private sector holiday for Prophet Muhammad’s birthday announced
August 26, 2025
Dubai: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced that Friday, 5 September, 2025 (12th of Rabi Al Awwal) will be a paid public holiday for private sector employees to mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Earlier it was announced that federal government employees will have the same September 5 holiday.
What is typically done for the Prophet's Birthday?
This holiday is less of a celebration and more of an observance. It is encouraged for Muslims to spend the day connecting with God spiritually, by either fasting or reading the Quran. Muslims commemorate the anniversary of the birth of the Messenger of God.
Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in the year 570 AD of the Gregorian calendar. The precise Gregorian date of his birth is unclear. However, Muslims observe Muhammed's birthday on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi Al-Awwal, which is the third month of the Islamic year.
Remaining UAE public holidays 2025
The year concludes with mid-week holidays for on December 2 and 3 to mark UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad). These dates fall on a Tuesday and Wednesday in 2025, potentially creating an extended break.
Although Commemoration Day is officially observed on Sunday, 30 November, it is typically marked on December 1. This means UAE residents could enjoy a four-day weekend from December 1 to 4.
Source: gulfnews.com
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Mideast
How Israel’s prolonged Gaza war and failure to free hostages has exposed deep divisions in society
JONATHAN GORNALL
August 26, 2025
LONDON: At precisely 6:29 a.m. on Tuesday, Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum launched a “day of struggle” in towns and cities across the country.
It was the biggest mass protest to date against what many in Israel now see as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s willful determination to escalate the war in Gaza at all costs — including the potential sacrifice of the remaining hostages who have been held by Hamas since the attack on Israel, which began at 6:29 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2023.
It was also the most dramatic demonstration yet of an increasingly obvious reality: that the war in Gaza is exposing deep fractures within Israeli society.
Global outrage over the war in Gaza reached new heights on Monday following an Israeli strike on a hospital that killed 20 people, including five journalists working for international news outlets.
But opposition to the war is also rising inexorably within Israel itself, even as the Israel Defense Forces press ahead with Netanyahu’s plan to broaden the war and attack Gaza City in the face of international condemnation.
“Almost every day and every night there are massive protests that block roads,” Rabbi NoaSattath, head of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, told Arab News.
“The protestors include hostage families, people demanding an end to the war and atrocities in Gaza, ultra-Orthodox men who have staged huge protests against plans to draft them into the army, and other people who feel it’s unfair that the ultra-Orthodox are not serving yet. It is all pretty chaotic for everyday life.”
Sattath is speaking from her car, and her conversation with Arab News is briefly interrupted. “I was just stopped by a nice woman who gave me an anti-war sticker,” she said.
Last week, the Israeli Cabinet approved plans for an assault on Gaza City despite Hamas agreeing to mediators’ proposals for a 60-day ceasefire, which would have seen half of the surviving hostages released.
Israeli peace campaigners say this broadening of the war, in tandem with increasing attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank by radical Israeli settlers, benefits only Netanyahu and the far-right members of his coalition government.
In May, thousands gathered in Jerusalem for a two-day People’s Peace Summit, organized by It’s Time, a coalition of more than 60 Jewish and Arab peacebuilding and shared-society organizations founded last year “to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a political agreement that will ensure both peoples’ right to self-determination and secure lives.”
The coalition accuses Netanyahu’s government of conducting “a criminal war for political reasons that are certainly not in the interest of the Israeli people.”
Leading establishment figures, from high-ranking former members of the military to politicians, have expressed concern about the direction in which Netanyahu and his Cabinet are taking Israel.
On Tuesday, in an interview with public radio, GadiEisenkot, the former IDF chief of staff, whose soldier son Gal was killed in Gaza, said Netanyahu’s government “is not worthy of Gal (and) many combat soldiers and, unfortunately, also the hostages, who lost their lives because of cowardice and … political and ideological considerations of those who want to return to the settlement of the Gaza Strip.”
Appearing on the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking” on Sunday, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke of the “deep division between a major part of public opinion which is in favor of changing course, and a part which is now governed by the Netanyahus and the group of thugs which are known to be the Cabinet ministers.”
Netanyahu’s war, he added, “is an unneeded and unnecessary war … There is not any national interest of Israel which can be served by continuing the war. And therefore, the inevitable conclusion is that it serves the personal interests of the prime minister.”
Civil groups in Israel are not shying away from using the word “genocide” to describe what is happening.
On July 28, the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem published a powerful report, titled “Our Genocide,” condemning the “genocidal regime in Israel.”
The report concluded that “an examination of Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack, leads us to the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip.”
The report came with a stark statement from B’Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak. “Nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us,” she said.
The genocide, she added, is rooted in part in the existential fear among Israelis created by the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023 — a fear now being exploited by “the extremist, far-right messianic government … to promote an agenda of destruction and expulsion.”
“Messianic” is a word that has increasing resonance in, and consequences for, Israeli society.
Messianism, said Sattath, “is really dangerous. What they are trying constantly to achieve is to ignite another front in the war, either in the West Bank or in East Jerusalem or inside Israel.”
For the messianic element in Israeli society, major disasters in Jewish history — from the Holocaust to the Oct. 7 attack and the subsequent war — are interpreted as painful but divinely guided stages on the path toward ultimate redemption.
In this view, such events are part of a larger historical process leading to the full resettling of what they believe to be the biblical Land of Israel, extending beyond today’s borders to include all of Palestine and parts of Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
Many in Israel, said Sattath, are looking toward the country’s next election, half in hope, half in fear. “We don’t know when the elections will be,” she said. “The full term for the government would be November 2026, but we have not had a government that completed a full term since 1981.”
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel and other organizations, she said, have multiple concerns about the upcoming election.
“One is changes to election laws in order to disqualify Arab candidates and parties from running. There’s legislation that hasn’t been advanced yet, but it could get advanced very quickly, and that would have dramatic effects on the elections.
“We are also worried about police harassment of voters, because the police have been so taken over by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, or voter harassment by thugs in which the police would not intervene.
“Everybody’s looking towards the next elections. But we are very worried about whether free and fair elections are even possible under the current system.”
Another issue fragmenting Israeli society is whether or not ultra-Orthodox Jews should be drafted into the military. This is something they bitterly oppose, while other Israelis resent having to send their sons and daughters to die while the ultra-Orthodox are exempt.
A recent survey found “a sharp drop in support for the current situation of exempting ultra-Orthodox” — only 9 percent compared with 22 percent 10 months earlier. Meanwhile, support for conscripting the ultra-Orthodox rose from 67 percent last year to more than 84.5 percent, with a third of respondents backing economic penalties for those who refuse to serve.
In a special research paper for Arab News, Yossi Mekelberg, a professor of international relations and a senior consulting fellow of the MENA Program at the UK-based Chatham House think-tank, highlighted the “mutual opportunism” that had seen Netanyahu join forces with two ultra-Orthodox parties in order to maintain his grip on power.
It was, wrote Mekelberg, “a measure of how far to the right the political discourse in Israel has shifted” that in 2022 the parties Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) had gained nearly 11 percent of the vote and 14 seats in the Knesset.
The parties are led by settlers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose rewards for supporting Netanyahu were jobs in his Cabinet, as finance minister and national security minister, respectively.
The ultra-Orthodox, once a small, isolated element in society, now pose a long-term demographic threat to the very future of Israel.
With a fertility rate among the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim, of 6.1 children per woman, compared with 2.3 among non-Haredi Jews, the growth rate of Haredi society is about 4 percent a year — double the rest of Israel’s population.
In 2024, the 1.26 million Haredi Jews accounted for 16 percent of the total Jewish population of Israel. At the current rate of growth, a quarter of Israel’s population will be Haredim by 2065.
According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, one-third of the 480,000 Jews living in West Bank settlements or outposts are Haredim.
As Israel’s war in Gaza drags on, there is increasing pressure on the government to call up Haredim youth to serve in the military — a red line for a religious group that until now has been exempt from military service on the historical basis that they can best protect Israel by studying the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew bible.
The exemption was granted in 1948 by Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion. Since then, however, the number of ultra-Orthodox Jews has grown dramatically and in June last year, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the IDF should begin drafting Haredim.
Israel needs more troops for its latest Gaza campaign. As part of its controversial plan, the IDF is currently calling up 60,000 reservists , but very few Haredim are answering the call — each year, fewer than 10 percent of the 13,000 eligible ultra-Orthodox youths enlist.
Protests against conscription have seen thousands of Haredim take to the streets, driving a wedge between mainstream Israeli society and a once small and marginal faction that has now become disproportionately influential.
“What we are seeing now is the Israeli tribes fighting each other,” Dr. AhronBregman, a senior teaching fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and a former officer in the IDF, told Arab News.
The Israeli “tribes,” he said, “are pulling in different directions, and it is hard for me to see how they could come together again.
“The small but influential settler tribe wants to expand into the West Bank and expel the West Bankers. The Tel Aviv liberal camp is wary of the consequences of the occupation.
“The Haredi tribe doesn’t really care much about what Israel does or doesn’t do as long as they don’t have to serve in the military and as they keep getting their money from the state.”
Israelis should, he added, be careful what they wish for.
“There is a growing effort to put pressure on the Haredim to join the military. I believe that they will be enlisted in the end, because there is a real need for more manpower as the IDF is too small and the missions too big.
“But personally, I would not like them to be enlisted, as they will make the military even more religious than it already is.”
Bregman believes Israeli society has become so fractured — by the war, the ideological settlement of Palestinian lands, and demographic changes under way — that he fears the worst.
“Tensions within Israeli society are so high that the situation could easily deteriorate into an open civil war,” he said.
“What could spark such a war? For example, the refusal of Netanyahu to accept the results of the forthcoming general elections. Or maybe even a political assassination.”
Source: arabnews.com
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UN nuclear watchdog chief says inspectors ‘back in Iran’
August 27, 2025
WASHINGTON: The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has said a team of its inspectors are “back in Iran,” the first to enter since Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities this year.
Iran suspended cooperation with the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency following a 12-day war with Israel in June, with Tehran pointing to the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
“Now the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart,” director general Rafael Grossi told Fox News’ “The Story” in an interview aired on Tuesday.
“When it comes to Iran, as you know, there are many facilities. Some were attacked, some were not,” Grossi said.
“So we are discussing what kind of... practical modalities can be implemented in order to facilitate the restart of our work there.”
The announcement came as Iran held talks with Britain, France and Germany in Geneva on Tuesday, with Tehran seeking to avert a sanctions snapback which the European powers have threatened to impose under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister KazemGharibabadi, who attended the talks, said it was “high time” for the European trio “to make the right choice and give diplomacy time and space.”
Britain, France and Germany — parties to the 2015 deal — have threatened to trigger the accord’s “snapback mechanism” by the end of August.
Tuesday’s meeting was the second round of talks with European diplomats since the end of the June war, which was triggered by an unprecedented Israeli surprise attack.
The conflict derailed Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the United States.
It also cast a chill on Iran’s ties with the IAEA, with Tehran blaming the UN agency in part for the attacks on its nuclear facilities.
Israel says it launched the attacks to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has repeatedly denied.
The 2015 nuclear deal was torpedoed in 2018 when Donald Trump, during his first term as president, unilaterally withdrew the United States and slapped sanctions on Iran.
Source: arabnews.com
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Hamas challenges Israeli account of Gaza hospital casualties
August 27, 2025
GAZA CITY: Hamas denied on Tuesday that any of the Palestinians killed in Israel’s attack on Gaza’s Nasser hospital on Monday were militants.
Earlier, Israel said it had killed six militants in the attack but it was investigating how civilians, including five journalists, were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a “tragic mishap.”
The Hamas government media office said in a statement that one of the six Palestinians who Israel alleged were militants was killed in Al-Mawasi some distance from the hospital, and another was killed elsewhere at a different time.
The Hamas statement did not clarify whether the two who were killed elsewhere were also civilians.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israeli protesters demand hostage deal as cabinet meets
August 26, 2025
TEL AVIV: Thousands of demonstrators massed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, seeking to pour pressure on the government to end the war in Gaza and strike a deal to return hostages, as the security cabinet convened.
The first protests began at daybreak as demonstrators blocked roads in the commercial hub, where they waved Israeli flags and held up pictures of the hostages, AFP journalists reported.
Israeli media said others rallied near the US embassy branch in the city, as well as outside the houses of various ministers.
Hours later as the sun set over Tel Aviv, thousands more gathered in “Hostage Square,” which has served as a focal point for the protest movement for months.
People in the crowd sounded air horns, blew whistles and banged on drums as they chanted: “The government is failing us, we won’t give up until every hostage is home.”
“I’m here first and foremost to protest, and to call for the government to make a deal and bring all the hostages home and to end the war,” said demonstrator YoavVider, 29.
Following the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later spoke at an event Tuesday evening, remaining vague about the government’s intentions as Israeli media reported the meeting had been inconclusive.
“We have just come from a cabinet meeting. I don’t think I can elaborate too much,” said Netanyahu.
“But I will say one thing: It started in Gaza, and it will end in Gaza. We will not leave those monsters there.”
The security cabinet approved a plan in early August for the military to take over Gaza City, triggering fresh fears for the safety of the hostages and a new wave of protests that has seen tens of thousands take to the streets.
Netanyahu last week ordered immediate talks aimed at securing the release of all remaining captives in Gaza, while also doubling down on the plans for a new offensive to seize Gaza’s largest city.
That came days after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators that would see the staggered release of hostages over an initial 60-day period in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
In Doha on Tuesday, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told a regular news conference that mediators were still “waiting for an answer” from Israel to the latest proposal.
“The responsibility now lies on the Israeli side to respond to an offer that is on the table. Anything else is political posturing by the Israeli side.”
Earlier in the day, the families of hostages in Tel Aviv lambasted the government for failing to prioritize a deal that could see those still held captive in Gaza released.
“Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu prioritizes the destruction of Hamas over releasing the hostages,” said Ruby Chen, whose son was abducted by militants in October 2023.
“He believes it is OK and it is a valid alternative to sacrifice 50 hostages for political needs,” he said in a speech to one of Tuesday’s demonstrations.
Israel has been under mounting pressure both at home and abroad to wrap up its campaign in Gaza, where famine has been declared and much of the territory has been devastated.
On Monday, Israeli strikes hit a Gaza hospital, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists working for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press and Reuters, among other outlets.
Governments around the world, including staunch Israeli allies, expressed shock at the attack.
The Israeli military on Tuesday said its forces were targeting a camera operated by Hamas in two strikes that killed the reporters.
“Six of the individuals killed were terrorists,” it said, adding that the chief of staff instructed “to further examine several gaps,” including the “authorization process prior to the strike.”
Hamas later rejected the allegations, calling them baseless.
The war in Gaza has been one of the deadliest for journalists, with around 200 media workers killed in the nearly two-year Israeli assault, according to press watchdogs.
Later Tuesday, Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that at least 35 people were killed in attacks throughout the Palestinian territory.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Out of 251 hostages seized during the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.
Source: arabnews.com
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US envoy reaffirms commitment to Lebanon’s disarmament of Hezbollah
NAJIA HOUSSARI
August 26, 2025
BEIRUT: US envoy Thomas Barrack on Tuesday promised Lebanese officials that the disarmament of Hezbollah would unlock economic assistance and international aid.
However, those who met Barrack and his diplomatic colleague, Morgan Ortagus, said he failed to deliver any public commitment by Israeli authorities that they would fully implement a US-backed ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024.
A government source told Arab News: “Lebanon took the first step when the cabinet adopted the clause restricting arms to state authority and approved the US proposal, with Lebanese amendments added to it.
“Meanwhile, Israel has neither adopted nor committed to the proposal, limiting itself to congratulating the Lebanese Cabinet on its decision, a move that practically means nothing to Lebanon.”
President Joseph Aoun met Barrack on Tuesday morning to discuss the envoy’s recent visit to Israel and the positions of Israeli officials.
After their meeting, the president’s office reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the Nov. 27 ceasefire deal, brokered by the US and France.
“Aoun also stressed adherence to the joint US-Lebanese statement endorsed in its entirety by the Cabinet,” it added.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also met the envoys and told them: “The path of arms monopoly, and the extension of state authority and its monopoly over decisions of war and peace, is a path that has already begun and there is no turning back.”
He described the Cabinet’s decision to take action to disarm non-state organizations as a “firm” one, and confirmed that the Lebanese army has been tasked with developing a comprehensive plan to bring all weapons under state control by the end of the year. It is scheduled to be presented to the Cabinet next week.
“This (peace) proposal is based on the concept of synchronized steps to ensure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the full cessation of hostilities,” Salam said.
The Lebanese response to information from Israel conveyed by Barrack suggested that “his shuttle visits to Beirut and Tel Aviv may not yield progress in the near term, so long as Israel has not declared a commitment to the proposal and its terms,” a government source said.
Following his meeting with Aoun at the Presidential Palace, Barrack said: “The president, the prime minister and the parliament speaker performed a heroic act by responding to the proposals we submitted. Israel’s response was also historic.”
He expressed confidence that the Lebanese government would respect the timeline for the disarmament plan, after which Israel is expected to submit its own proposal for withdrawal from occupied areas of Lebanon on and near the border.
“Israel says that it doesn’t want to occupy Lebanon,” Barrack said. “I am hopeful, because the Lebanese government did an impressive job and pledged to commit to 11 specific items in the US proposal, the first of which tasks the Lebanese army with presenting a plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
“We are waiting for the government and army’s plan at the end of the month. This is not about the outbreak of war but, rather, about how to persuade Hezbollah to relinquish its weapons.”
Ortagus, Barrack’s colleague, said that Israeli authorities were monitoring the situation closely and would advance “step by step” alongside the actions of the Lebanese government.
“We will help the government move forward with its historic decision and we encourage Israel to take its steps as well,” she added.
Barrack, who visited Syria before arriving in Lebanon, said that the Syrian president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, seeks cooperative rather than hostile relations with Lebanon.
“He does not see the weakness of the Shiites as an opportunity for himself but, rather, looks forward to a historic relationship and cooperation with Lebanon, and he is ready for talks on the borders,” Barrack said.
Noting that US President Donald Trump had stated “he wants to see a prosperous and stable Lebanon,” Barrack hinted at plans to establish an economic zone in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border with Israel.
“We will bring in the Gulf states to contribute to the economic zone in the south,” said Barrack. “We will also remove the Israeli fear, keeping in mind that a peace agreement with Israel is the path to achieving prosperity and peace.”
Also on Tuesday, President Aoun met members of a US congressional delegation that included senators Jeanne Shaheen and Lindsey Graham, and member of Congress Joe Wilson.
Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire and ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed support for “the Lebanese government’s decision to disarm Hezbollah,” acknowledging that it “is a difficult but crucial step and we support the bold decisions taken by the government.”
She added that “the Lebanese army needs material and logistical support and we discussed that today.”
Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said: “The idea of disarming Hezbollah comes from the Lebanese people.
“The party (Hezbollah) serves a foreign agenda, not the Lebanese people. It is not loyal to the people, and I believe the Lebanese want a better future. Israel will not view Lebanon differently unless Lebanon does something different. Without disarming Hezbollah, discussions about withdrawal with Israel would be futile.
“Iran, a close ally of Hezbollah, is currently in a weak position; it does not intend good, but its capabilities have diminished.”
Graham added: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should view Lebanon differently once Hezbollah is disarmed. The United States defends religious diversity in Lebanon. If you make an effort to disarm Hezbollah, we will be here to help you. Congress views Lebanon differently, and if it continues on this path it will have opportunities.”
Meanwhile, Barrack and Ortagus also met several other Lebanese political figures, including former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt. Barrack was scheduled to travel to southern Lebanon on Wednesday to visit areas devastated by Israeli attacks.
After arriving in Lebanon from Syria on Monday, the large American delegation spent several hours that evening in Beirut’s Gemmayzeh Street, known for its abundance of restaurants, cafes and bars.
Source: arabnews.com
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US rights groups write to Rubio to demand Israel release teenager
August 26, 2025
LONDON: Human rights groups in the US have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to secure the release of a Palestinian-American boy imprisoned in Israel.
Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim, 16, of Palm Bay, Florida, has been held for six months without charge over allegations of rock throwing in the occupied West Bank.
More than 100 groups — including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Pax Christi USA — warned Rubio that the boy’s health is deteriorating and he needs to be freed.
“Mohammed is an American child with a community in Florida who cares about him deeply,” they wrote to the secretary of state. “It is the responsibility of the US government to protect all American children, including Palestinian-Americans.”
Ibrahim was just 15 when Israeli soldiers detained him at his family’s home in the West Bank.
His father contacted Mike Haridopolos, Republican congressman for Florida, after 45 days without contact with his son. Haridopolos’s office shared details of the case with the State Department.
US Embassy officials in Israel were “following standard procedures,” the family was told, and had sent representatives to meet the boy in prison, where they reported he had lost 25 lb and developed scabies.
Ibrahim’s cousin SayfollahMusallet, 20, was killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank in July.
The Guardian reported that Ibrahim is accused of throwing rocks at military vehicles on at least two occasions, according to court documents. He is due for a hearing on Oct. 29.
Ibrahim is being held at Ofer prison, having previously been in Megiddo prison, where a 17-year-old Palestinian died in April. Both have been described by human rights groups as having abusive conditions.
“Mohammed traveled to his family’s home in the West Bank for a family vacation to see loved ones,” the group wrote in its letter.
“The Israeli military took Mohammed when he was only 15 years old, forcing him to spend his 16th birthday in an Israeli military prison, terrified and separated from his parents.”
They added that his detention breaks the Fourth Geneva Convention’s ban on transferring detainees from occupied territory to the territory of an occupying power.
“Dozens of Palestinian-American families own land in the West Bank — Palestinian cities and villages that are increasingly being targeted by Israeli settlers and the Israeli military,” the groups said.
“Yet, Palestinian-American families are not receiving any protection from the US government against rising Israeli settler and Israeli military violence against them.”
In August, a billboard advertisement in Times Square, New York City, was put up by the ADC to highlight Ibrahim’s case. It featured an image of him with the words “unjustly imprisoned by Israel” emblazoned on it.
Defense for Children International-Palestine says at least 323 Palestinian children aged 17 or younger are being held in Israeli jails.
A State Department spokesperson said in a statement: “Whenever a US citizen is detained abroad, the Department works to provide consular assistance in accordance with US and international law.”
The spokesperson added: “If we become aware of an arrest of any US citizen, including a minor, we will provide consular services, including prison visits.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Lebanon to propose Hezbollah disarmament plan on August 31, US envoy says
August 26, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon will present a plan on Sunday aimed at persuading Hezbollah to disarm, with Israel expected to submit a corresponding framework for its military withdrawal, top US envoy Thomas Barrack said on Tuesday.
Speaking after talks with President Joseph Aoun in Beirut, Barrack said the Lebanese proposal would not involve military coercion but would focus on efforts to encourage Hezbollah to surrender its weapons — including addressing the economic impact on fighters funded by Iran.
“The Lebanese army and government are not talking about going to war. They are talking about how to convince Hezbollah to give up those arms,” Barrack said.
A move this month by the Lebanese cabinet to task the army with drawing up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms has outraged heavily armed Hezbollah, which says such calls only serve Israel.
Israel signalled on Monday it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if Lebanon’s armed forces took action to disarm the Iran-backed Shiite militant group.
Barrack, who met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, described that development as “historic.”
“What Israel has now said is: we don’t want to occupy Lebanon. We’re happy to withdraw from Lebanon, and we will meet those withdrawal expectations with our plan as soon as we see what is the plan to actually disarm Hezbollah,” he said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, after meeting the US delegation, said Lebanon had embarked on an irreversible path to place all weapons under state control, with the army due to present a comprehensive plan by next week.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem, in a recorded speech aired on Monday, criticized the government’s decision to disarm the group and urged officials to reverse it, saying pulling back “would be a virtue.”
While no formal proposals have been exchanged, Barrack said verbal commitments from both sides suggested a narrowing path toward implementation.
Economic consideration
Hezbollah was significantly weakened in last year’s war with Israel, which killed many of its top commanders and fighters. A US-brokered ceasefire ending the conflict obliges the Lebanese state to disarm all non-state armed groups.
Israel, meanwhile, has held on to positions inside Lebanon and its military has continued to carry out periodic air strikes it says target Hezbollah militants and weapons.
Qassem rejected a step-by-step framework under which an Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah disarmament would proceed in parallel.
Qassem said Hezbollah would not discuss a national defense strategy until Israel fully implemented the ceasefire agreement signed on November 27.
“Let them implement the (ceasefire) agreement ... then after that we will discuss the defense strategy,” Qassem said.
Barrack stressed that any disarmament initiative must address the economic impact on tens of thousands of Hezbollah fighters and their families, many of whom rely on Iranian funding.
“If we’re asking a portion of the Lebanese community to give up their livelihood — because when we say disarm Hezbollah, we’re talking about 40,000 people being paid by Iran — you can’t just take their weapons and say, ‘Good luck, go plant olive trees’. We have to help them.”
He said Gulf states, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were prepared to support Lebanon’s economy — particularly in the south, which is Hezbollah’s stronghold — as part of an initiative to provide alternatives to Hezbollah’s payroll system.
Barrack said discussions were under way to build an “economic forum” backed by the Gulf, the US, and Lebanese authorities that would offer sustainable livelihoods “not determined by whether Iran wants it or not.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Africa
Somalia's president and opposition leaders reach historic election agreement
August 27, 2025
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and four key opposition leaders have signed an agreement concerning the upcoming elections in Somalia.
The agreement, finalized on August 25, 2025, outlines the framework for the country's electoral process.
This follows the adoption of a new electoral law by Parliament in October 2024, which establishes universal suffrage for the 2026 elections.
While this reform is seen as a progressive step forward, it has faced considerable backlash from opposition members who are committed to the existing indirect clan-based system.
President Mohamoud expressed optimism, stating, “The doors to state reconstruction are now open,” after two months of intense discussions that led to this agreement.
Key elements of the agreement include the election of the President by Parliament, while Members of Parliament will be elected through a system of universal suffrage.
Additionally, political parties that secure at least 10% of the parliamentary seats will gain official recognition. Crucially, all political actors have pledged to work towards the transition to a "one person, one vote" electoral system.
However, this agreement has also exposed divisions within the opposition.
Despite this victory for President Mohamoud, he may face ongoing challenges from a fragmented opposition, particularly from former President Sherif Sheikh Ahmed, who argues that Somalia's current security situation does not support such significant electoral reforms. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story in Somalia.
Source: africanews.com
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DR Congo summons senior army commanders amid military setback against M23 rebels
August 27, 2025
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has summoned a significant number of senior military officials for questioning following a series of battlefield defeats against M23 rebels in the volatile eastern region.
High-Level Scrutiny A total of 41 senior officers — comprising 35 generals and six colonels — have been called by the General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces to account for their roles in military failures since the M23’s capture of the border town of Bunagana in June 2022. Military spokesperson Major General Sylvain Ekenge stated these hearings aim to identify who is responsible for the setbacks that have shaken the army’s command structure.
Ongoing Conflict in the East The summons comes amidst continued fighting between government forces (FARDC) and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have seized key territories — including entire cities — and drawn regional and international concern. This intensified military probe reflects a broader effort to re-establish discipline and accountability within the armed forces as peace negotiations proceed .
Bringing military leadership to account underscores Kinshasa’s recognition of growing internal dissent and battlefield erosion under its command. The move also aligns with attempts to reboot confidence among troops, regional partners, and international mediators pushing for a durable ceasefire.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2025/08/26/dr-congo-summons-senior-army-commanders-amid-military-setback-against-m23-rebels/
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Tinubu Orders Ban On Raw Shea Nut Export With Immediate Effect
August 26, 2025
By Rachel OkporuFadoju
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts, with immediate effect.
Naija News reports that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Vice President KashimShettima presided over the implementation meeting with critical stakeholders on the Presidential directive.
Confirming the directives, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, AbubakarKyari, explained that the decision aims to encourage value addition through local processing, strengthen the agro-industrial sector, and ensure Nigeria benefits more from its agricultural resources.
He further noted that the policy aligns with regional trends across West Africa, where countries such as Ghana and Burkina Faso have adopted similar restrictions to stimulate domestic industries, create jobs, and maximize foreign exchange earnings from processed shea products.
In other news, Tinubu has expressed sadness over the Abuja–Kaduna train derailment, which occurred on Tuesday.
The Nigerian leader, in a reaction via his personal 𝕏 account, expressed solidarity and sent prayers to the injured, their families, and all passengers who went through this distressing experience.
President Tinubu added that he is awaiting a full briefing on the incident and has directed full support for all those affected.
He assured that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is addressing the situation and working towards ensuring steps are put in place to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Source: naijanews.com
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Lagos APC Blasts Obasanjo Over Tinubu ‘Incompetence’ Comment
August 26, 2025
By EnioluwaAdeniyi
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed former President, Olusegun Obasanjo’s claim that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is competing with that of the late Muhammadu Buhari in incompetence, describing the remark as “laughable and disgracefully hypocritical.”
Naija News reports that the rebuttal was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s Publicity Secretary, SeyeOladejo.
Obasanjo, in his recently launched book, Nigeria: Past and Future, reviewed the country’s leaders since independence and concluded that Buhari’s administration was the “worst civil administration regime” in Nigeria’s history.
The former president wrote, “Only Bola Tinubu’s administration seems to be competing with Buhari’s for now.”
But the Lagos APC hit back, insisting Obasanjo lacked the moral authority to judge any leader.
“It is ironic that a man whose own time in office is remembered more for political arrogance, squandered opportunities, and failed democratic subversion would have the audacity to label anyone incompetent,” the party said.
Oladejo maintained that Tinubu’s policies, including fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms, and efforts to tackle inefficiencies, were bold steps that past leaders, including Obasanjo, “either broke or ignored.”
The statement read, “Obasanjo’s bitterness is well-known. He cannot control this government, and he resents that Nigeria has moved on from his brand of egocentric, do-or-die politics. His habit of attacking sitting presidents when he no longer holds relevance has become predictable and pathetic.”
The Lagos APC further accused Obasanjo of presiding over one of the most corrupt governments in Nigeria’s history.
Oladejo alleged, “Under Obasanjo, billions in power sector spending disappeared with zero results, the economy was handed off with more foreign debt than when he took office after claiming to have paid it off, the infamous third-term agenda nearly plunged the nation into constitutional crisis, and corruption flourished under the disguise of reforms.”
He advised the former president to “show some decorum” befitting his age, noting that “elders are expected to advise, not agitate.”
Reiterating its support for Tinubu, the Lagos APC stressed that the president was not in competition with anyone.
The statement added, “President Tinubu is not in a race with Obasanjo or anyone else. He is focused on the future. Nigeria is on a path of reform, recovery, and renewal and no amount of potshots from yesterday’s bitter men will derail that journey.
“If Nigeria is still recovering from years of structural rot, Obasanjo bears a huge chunk of the blame. The mess didn’t start with Buhari, and it certainly isn’t being deepened by Tinubu — it started long before, under the watch of men who now pretend to be saints.”
Source: naijanews.com
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South Asia
National poet Nazrul an eternal emblem of rebellion: Fakhrul
27 Aug 2025
DHAKA, Aug 27, 2025 (BSS) - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is an eternal symbol of rebellion.
"National poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is an eternal emblem of rebellion," he said in a message on the poet's 49th death anniversary.
The BNP secretary general said, "On the 49th death anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, I pay my deep respects to his memory. I pray for eternal peace of his departed soul."
He said, "The exceptional literary creations of poet Kazi Nazrul during his brief 23-year literary journey placed Bangla language and literature at the greater height. He was one of the most prominent Bangla poets, novelists, playwrights, and musicians of the 20th century. He is our National Poet."
Fakhrul said his literary works resonated with the message of humanity. His poems and songs played a revolutionary role in the anti-British movement, he added.
"Through his unique creations, he voiced (his) protest against injustice, and inspired the neglected and oppressed people to rise against exploiters and tyrants. So, he became an eyesore to the British rulers and was subjected to imprisonment and torture," the BNP secretary general said.
He went on saying, Nazrul is an eternal symbol of resistance against injustice.
"His talents manifested in diverse forms of literature and the arts. But above all, he is a poet. His writings inspire us with patriotism," Fakhrul said.
He ended, saying, "Nazrul dedicated himself to literature with a vow to establish peace, equality, and humanity in society. I believe that Kazi Nazrul Islam will remain immortal forever through his creations."
Source: bssnews.net
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https://www.bssnews.net/news/305704
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Islamic Emirate Condemns Israeli Regime’s martyrdom of Journalists as an Attack on Press Freedom
2025-08-26
KABUL(BNA): The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has strongly condemned the Zionist regime’s targeted martyrdom of journalists in Gaza, denouncing it as a blatant violation of freedom of expression.
In an official statement, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate declared that the ongoing atrocities and massacres by the Zionist regime led to the martyrdom of five journalists just yesterday, alongside dozens of oppressed Palestinians.
Sources confirm that since the start of the war, the total number of journalists killed has now exceeded 250.
The Deputy Spokesperson emphasized:
“We once again strongly condemn the ongoing genocide of Palestinian Muslims and the savage aggression of the Zionist regime. The killing of journalists is a major crime and a stain on the reputation of those who claim to champion free speech. We extend our condolences to the families of all the brave journalists who have attained martyrdom.”
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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Anisul, Qamrul, Salman, 2 others shown arrested in uprising killing cases
27 Aug 2025
DHAKA, Aug 27, 2025 (BSS) - A Dhaka court today showed five people, including former ministers AnisulHuq and Qamrul Islam, and former adviser to the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Salman F Rahman, arrested in three separate cases filed over murders committed during the July 2024 Mass Uprising.
The other two are former state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and former home secretary Jahangir Alam.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate MdAriful Islam passed the orders as police produced the accused before the court and pleaded to show them arrested in the cases.
Of them, Anisul, Salman and Palak were shown arrested in the Russel Miah murder case, while Jahangir Alam was shown arrested in the Imran Hasan murder case. Advocate Qamrul Islam was shown arrested in the case lodged over the killing of Mehedi Hasan Pantho.
All three cases were filed with Jatrabari Police Station.
Source: bssnews.net
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https://www.bssnews.net/news/305715
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20 injured as BNP, Jamaat activists clash in Ctg
Aug 27, 2025
At least 20 people were injured in a series of clashes between the activists of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in Banshkhaliupazila of Chattogram last night.
Police said the problem erupted yesterday afternoon and the clashes continued at Mosharraf Ali Miar Bazar under Baharchhara union until 10:00pm in phases.
Later, police brought the situation under control through discussions with the senior party leaders.
SudhangshuHalder, inspector (Investigation) of Banshkhali Police Station, told The Daily Star, Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat, organised a programme at Darul Islah Madrasa Mosque in Paschim Banshkhali yesterday afternoon. A group of Chhatra Dal activists obstructed their programme, triggering a scuffle in the evening. Following the incident, BNP and Jamaat leaders and activists gathered at Mosharraf Ali Miar Bazar to settle the matter. But they locked into clashes following a heated argument.
"On information, police rushed to the spot and tried to bring the situation under control. Both groups hurled brickbats and attacked each other. Later, police talked to the senior leaders to quell the tense situation," the inspector said
The injured received first aid from different local hospital.
No case has been lodged in this regard, he said in the morning.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/20-injured-bnp-jamaat-activists-clash-ctg-3971971\
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WHO Receives $6.3 Million to Support Afghanistan’s Struggling Health System
By Fidel Rahmati
August 26, 2025
The World Health Organization has received $6.3 million to support Afghanistan’s struggling health system, funding 42 clinics, 15 mobile health teams, and essential services for women and children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan has secured over $6.3 million in humanitarian aid to bolster the country’s fragile health infrastructure. This funding comprises $4.98 million from the United Nations’ Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and $1.39 million from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF), as reported on August 26, 2025.
The allocated funds will facilitate the activation of 42 primary healthcare centers and the deployment of 15 mobile health teams, aiming to extend medical services to underserved populations. Additionally, over $1 million will be directed towards supporting six peripheral health centers, enhancing access to essential health services in remote areas.
This financial support arrives at a critical juncture, as Afghanistan’s healthcare system faces significant challenges. Approximately one-third of the population lacks access to even basic healthcare services, exacerbating the public health crisis in the country.
Dr. Edwin Salvador, WHO Representative in Afghanistan, emphasized the importance of this assistance, stating that it is vital for preventing preventable deaths and providing essential medical services to women and children.
The situation has been further compounded by the cessation of U.S. financial aid earlier this year, leading to the closure of over 400 health centers and the suspension of many women’s health services. This funding infusion is seen as a crucial step in mitigating the adverse effects of these closures and ensuring continued healthcare delivery.
The WHO’s recent funding acquisition underscores the international community’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s healthcare needs amidst ongoing challenges. However, sustained efforts and additional resources will be necessary to address the systemic issues plaguing the health sector.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/who-receives-6-3-million-to-support-afghanistans-struggling-health-system/
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