Madhya Pradesh: 2 Muslim Congress Corporators Booked For Refusing To Sing ‘Vande Mataram’
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 April 2026
Congress councillors Rubina Iqbal Khan (left) and Fauzia Sheikh Aleem | Indore Municipal Corporation/Official website
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· Madhya Pradesh: 2 Muslim Congress corporators booked for refusing to sing ‘Vande Mataram’
· Iran offers proposal allowing ships to exit Oman side of Hormuz free of attack, source says
· Saudi crown prince, Pakistan PM discuss US-Iran mediation, regional stability
· Hartlepool mosque open day seeks to build bridges and address 'misinformation' about Islam
· Trump claims ‘opening’ Strait of Hormuz as mediators push new US-Iran talks: What we know so far
· Killings In Nigeria, Attacks Worsening – ACF Urges FG To Adopt War-time Strategy
· Malaysia and Australia unite in support of Pope’s peace plea
· Sanctions Against Islamic Emirate Ineffective, Harmful, Mujahid Says
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India
· Eidgah, Imambara bulldozed in UP's Sambhal; admin claims buildings on government land
· Military conflict cannot resolve problems: PM Modi calls for peace in Ukraine, West Asia
· West Bengal polls: TMC moves Election Commission against Humayun Kabir for derogatory remarks against Abhishek Banerjee
· Can't hollow out religion in name of reforms: SC on plea against women's entry in Sabarimala temple
· Bombay HC dismisses gangster Abu Salem's plea for immediate release after '25 years' in jail
· 'Religion-based reservation unconstitutional': Amit Shah & Akhilesh Yadav clash in Lok Sabha over delimitation
· ‘Those who twisted my speech were at fault, not me': Judge who drew ire for remarks on Muslims retires
· Cong suspends MLC Jabbar over D’gere no-show
· Constable arrested in UP’s Chandauli for sharing police movement info with cattle smugglers
· Omar Tricolour quick wit: CM steps back from ribbon-cutting ceremony at Kashmir event
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Mideast
· Trump says Israel-Lebanon talks to be held Thursday
· Hopes for Middle East peace grow amid talk of further diplomatic meetings on Iran
· Syria’s Kurds register for citizenship after decades of marginalization
· Southern Lebanon ‘Hezbollah kill zone,’ Israel says
· Israel army rapped for mocking killed reporter
· US targets Iran’s oil transportation infrastructure with sanctions
· UN experts warn Israeli destruction in Lebanon consistent with pattern of genocide in Gaza
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Arab World
· Saudi accounting sector transformed by sweeping reforms under Vision 2030
· King Faisal Prize 2026 laureates honoured during ceremony in Riyadh
· Saudi deputy foreign minister announces further $145m in aid for Sudan
· Saudi, Russian foreign ministers discuss regional developments
· Saudi, Malaysian ministers discuss cultural ties
· Riyadh becomes capital of creativity on World Art Day
· Saudi Arabia, France deepen scientific ties at Jeddah roundtable on environmental challenges
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Europe
· Italy suspends defence agreement with Israel
· Ukrainian drone strikes kill two children in Russian city – governor
· Oldham politicians clash over Muslim cemetery claims
· £1,700 Raised Through Ramadan Challenge
· Russian envoy dismantles Kallas at UNSC
· Most Germans dissatisfied with Merz government – poll
· Belgium seizes military equipment bound for Israel
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North America
· Trump's rift with Pope is playing out in public - it's costing him valuable support
· CAIR Demands Harvard Take Disciplinary Action Against Club for Post Targeting Muslim Students Celebrating Eid
· Trump threatens to fire Fed chair Powell if he doesn't leave in May
· US blockade: No Iranian ship allowed to cross Strait of Hormuz in last three days, 10 sent back
· Iran war 'close to over', says Trump. Sends 10k new troops
· US Senate Republicans reject effort to halt Trump's Iran war
· White House denies US sought truce extension, says new talks may happen in Pakistan
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Africa
· Buni tasks clerics on prayers for country, Tinubu, others
· Security Forces On Alert Over Planned ISWAP, Boko Haram Attacks On Abuja Airport, Prison – Report
· ‘Red Flags’ – US Lawmaker Tells Tinubu Top Minister He Must Sack Immediately
· This Is The Worst Government I’ve Seen – Atiku Abubakar Slams Bola Tinubu
· You Have Chosen To Dance Naked Once Again – Presidency Blasts Pat Utomi
· ‘Misinformed’ – Ex-lawmakers Defend Matawalle, Fault US Lawmaker’s Call For Removal
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Southeast Asia
· Ringgit gains on hopes of US-Iran talks easing tensions
· Govt to identify new green spaces in KL monthly
· Malaysia faces rising shipping costs amid Hormuz tensions
· Malaysia intensifies efforts to rescue stranded crew in Dubai
· Anwar: Malaysia to prioritise domestic fuel, supply surplus to Australia
· Anwar hosts Australian PM Albanese for energy security talks amid US-Iran tensions
· Singapore stresses energy security urgency for Asia amid West Asia conflict, says PM Wong
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South Asia
· Gemstones Worth Over 90 Million Afghanis Sold in Kunar Auction
· Committee Approves Proposal to Modernize National Statistics Systems
· Kabul says it has sent more than 500 tonnes of aid to Gaza
· Bangladesh Bar Council election postponed
· PM to meet all upazila health officers
· Country has 1.98 lakh recognised freedom fighters
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Madhya Pradesh: 2 Muslim Congress corporators booked for refusing to sing ‘Vande Mataram’
Apr 16, 2026
Congress councillors Rubina Iqbal Khan (left) and Fauzia Sheikh Aleem | Indore Municipal Corporation/Official website
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Two Muslim Congress councillors were booked in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore after they refused to sing the patriotic song Vande Mataram during the budget session of the municipal corporation last week, IANS reported on Wednesday.
The case was filed under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race and place of birth, and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony, following complaints from Bharatiya Janata Party councillors, The Indian Express reported.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ram Snehi Mishra said that Rubina Iqbal Khan and Fauzia Sheikh Aleem allegedly disrespected the national anthem, IANS reported.
Mishra added: “During the inquiry, it was also observed that the incident led to tension affecting social and religious harmony, and created differences among the public.”
The incident took place on April 8 during the civic body’s budget session, when a dispute erupted over the singing of Vande Mataram.
Aleem questioned whether any rule or law required the singing of the song and later walked out of the House, while Khan said during the proceedings that her faith did not permit its recitation, The Times of India reported.
The exchange triggered protests from BJP members inside the House, who purportedly shouted: “If you have to live in India, you will have to say Vande Mataram!”
Khan later apologised for her “provocative” choice of words, the newspaper reported.
Police officers said that both councillors were questioned for two days before the FIR was registered, The Indian Express reported.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinod Dixit told the newspaper that they “cited religious reasons” during the questioning. “We told them they were elected to a constitutional post and their religious compulsions should not have been part of the decision,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday said that the incident “was unfortunate” and reflected “poorly on the character of Congress representatives”, ANI reported.
He said that senior Congress leaders, including state president Jitu Patwari and national leader Rahul Gandhi, should explain why such behaviour was being encouraged, which he described as “insulting the sacrifices of patriots”.
Yadav further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “won the nation’s heart” by embracing all six verses of Vande Mataram, while alleging that Congress remained “trapped in its double standards”.
On January 28, a Union Ministry of Home Affairs circular directed that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung first when it is played together with the national anthem Jana Gana Mana.
Only the first two stanzas of the song had been played at official functions earlier. The remaining stanzas, which invoke Hindu goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, had been omitted.
In October 1937, the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution adopting the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as the national song. The Bharatiya Janata Party has long alleged that the Congress had agreed to drop the four stanzas to “appease Muslims”.
Vande Mataram was written in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875 and is a popular patriotic song from India’s freedom movement.
A Press Information Bureau note issued on November 6 to mark 150 years of the song stated that the Constituent Assembly had adopted Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem and Vande Mataram as the national song.
The note quoted Rajendra Prasad, the first president, as having told the Assembly in January 1950 that Vande Mataram, because of its role in the freedom movement, “shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it”.
However, the Constitution mentions only the national anthem, not Vande Mataram.
Source: scroll.in
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Iran offers proposal allowing ships to exit Oman side of Hormuz free of attack, source says
April 16, 2026
The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran could be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran. (FILE/AFP)
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DUBAI: Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of proposals it has offered in negotiations with the United States, providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has resulted in the largest-ever disruption of global oil and gas supplies due to Iran’s interruption of traffic through the strait, which handles about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
Hundreds of tankers ?and other ships and 20,000 seafarers have been stuck inside the Gulf since the war began on February 28. A two-week ceasefire came into effect on April 8 and US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the war was close to over, but control over the Strait of Hormuz remains a key issue in negotiations.
The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran could be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran.
The source did not say whether Iran would also agree to clear any mines it may have placed in that stretch of water or if all ships — even those linked to Israel — would be allowed to pass freely.
But the source added that the proposal hinged on whether Washington was prepared to meet Tehran’s demands, a condition that was central to any potential breakthrough with the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s Foreign Ministry was not immediately available to comment.
A Western security source said the proposal to let ships pass through Omani waters unhindered had been in the works although it was not clear if there had been any response from Washington yet.
The strait, a strip of water only 34 km (21 miles) wide between Iran and Oman, provides passage from the Gulf ?to the Indian Ocean and is a main route for energy supplies from the Middle East and other vital goods including fertilizers.
The proposal would be the first visible step by Tehran to pull back from more combative ideas floated in recent weeks, which included charging ships for passage through the international waterway and imposing sovereignty on the strait — seen by the global shipping industry as unprecedented unilateral steps in breach of maritime conventions.
Member countries of the UN’s International Maritime Organization agency meeting in London this week pushed back on the idea of a toll being imposed by Iran for ships using the strait, which the IMO has said would “set a dangerous precedent.”
Iran’s proposal would also be the first move toward restoring the status quo on sailing through the strait, which had been in place for decades despite periodic seizures by Iran of ships crossing the waterway.
A so-called two-way traffic separation scheme, which was adopted by the UN’s shipping agency in 1968 with agreement of countries in the region, created the current ship routing system that split sailing corridors through Iranian and Omani waters.
The US imposed a blockade on oil ships leaving Iranian ports on Monday and broader shipping traffic has remained muted since February 28.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi crown prince, Pakistan PM discuss US-Iran mediation, regional stability
April 15, 2026
RIYADH/JEDDAH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Jeddah on Wednesday, with talks focusing on regional diplomacy and efforts to advance negotiations between the United States and Iran.
The meeting underscored Pakistan’s role in facilitating dialogue, as the two leaders reviewed developments surrounding US-Iran talks hosted by Islamabad and stressed the importance of sustained diplomatic engagement to restore stability in the region.
They also discussed close bilateral relations, exploring ways to expand cooperation across various fields, with the crown prince commending Sharif’s efforts to support Pakistan’s economic growth and strengthen the Saudi-Pakistani strategic partnership.
The crown prince further praised the diplomatic efforts of Prime Minister Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Video footage from the Saudi Press Agency showed the leaders holding talks accompanied by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman, Minister of State and National Security Adviser Musaed Al-Aiban, and senior Pakistani officials.
Sharif arrived in Jeddah earlier in the day, the first stop on a four-day diplomatic tour to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye, part of a broader push to build momentum ahead of a possible second round of US-Iran negotiations in Pakistan.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye from 15-18 April 2026,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said earlier in a statement.
Sharif will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum while in Turkiye.
He will also hold bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders on the sidelines of the Antalya forum, the statement said.
Washington and Tehran held their first face-to-face talks in decades in Islamabad at the weekend, with mediation efforts underway to end the war that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
The conflict has heightened tensions across the Middle East, with Iran targeting US allies in the Gulf — including Saudi Arabia and Qatar — in retaliation and disrupting energy flows from the region.
The Islamabad talks ended without a breakthrough, but US President Donald Trump said negotiations could resume this week in the Pakistani capital.
A fragile ceasefire remains in place until next week, despite the United States ordering a naval blockade of Iran.
Sharif was accompanied by Dar — a key figure in the mediation effort — and other senior officials on his visits, his office said on Wednesday afternoon.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share close ties, and Islamabad’s finance ministry announced on Wednesday that Riyadh would provide Pakistan with $3 billion to help bolster its foreign reserves.
The finance ministry said an existing $5 billion Saudi deposit would also be extended for an unspecified period.
Source: arabnews.com
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Hartlepool mosque open day seeks to build bridges and address 'misinformation' about Islam
By Mark Payne
15 Apr 2026
Nasir Mosque Imam Tahir Selby (left) speaks to visitors at the open day.
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Hartlepool’s mosque welcomed the community at its annual open day which gave visitors an insight into Islam.
The event at the Nasir Mosque, in Brougham Terrace, which included an exhibition about the teachings of Islam and refreshments, was hailed a success.
The day also sought to address misinformation about Islam including.
Tahir Selby, the Imam of the mosque, said: “We always like to open our doors for people to come and learn about the true teachings of Islam.
“Sadly, there is so much bad press and misinformation about Islam, and it is looked upon as a religion of terror and hate.
"We have a chance to explain what the Holy Qur’an actually teaches and the importance of following such teachings."
Mr Selby said the event addressed many misconceptions around women’s rights and explained the meaning of the word Jihad is the "utmost effort” to attain the nearness of God.
Various translations of the Qur’an were on display, including a Braille version, and guests were treated to snacks.
Female guests got to to meet the mosque’s Muslim women who held an exhibition about the charity Humanity First.
Mr Selby added: “I always look forward to these opportunities as they build bridges and remove misunderstandings, and it gives us an opportunity to promote peace and love.”
The mosque hopes to hold a forthcoming interfaith meeting and a Peace Seminar later in the year.
Farhan, external affairs secretary, said: “I would like to sincerely thank everyone for their kind support and efforts in making the Open Day a success.
"We were honoured to welcome many wonderful guests to the mosque and had some truly meaningful and pleasant conversations.”
Source: hartlepoolmail.co.uk
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Trump claims ‘opening’ Strait of Hormuz as mediators push new US-Iran talks: What we know so far
15 Apr, 2026
A billboard in Tehran displays a message about the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s control over the key waterway. © Getty Images / Anadolu / Contributor
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US President Donald Trump has said he is “permanently opening” the Strait of Hormuz, presenting the move as benefiting “China and the world” after claiming Beijing agreed “not to send weapons to Iran.” Trump’s remarks come as the US military claims American warships have effectively blocked Iranian trade through the vital waterway.
Iran’s army has warned it could target marine traffic in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea if the blockade of its ports continues. Tehran insists it does not want war or instability but will not bow to pressure or surrender.
The escalation is unfolding amid reports of ongoing indirect contacts over a possible second round of US-Iran talks, following last weekend’s negotiations in Pakistan that ended without an agreement to halt the war launched by Washington and Israel in late February.
What is actually happening at sea?
Traffic through Hormuz, a key global trade route, remains effectively disrupted as the US enforces a blockade of Iranian ports.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) says the measures apply to vessels of all nations entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, while insisting that freedom of navigation “to and from non-Iranian ports” through Hormuz will not be impeded. The blockade has been “fully implemented,” according to the military.
Tehran says it will not return to the pre-war status of the strait and is drafting new rules for ships from countries that imposed sanctions on Iran or supported the US-Israeli attacks to pay a toll as compensation to transit the waterway.
Analysts at energy consulting firm Gelber & Associates, cited by Reuters, say tracking data shows “a small but increasing number of tankers moving” through Hormuz, although “overall traffic remains sharply below normal levels.”
Fars ?News Agency reported that two Iranian vessels transited the strait on Wednesday, including a supertanker that entered Iranian waters via the open sea with its transponder on and another ship carrying food supplies bound for Imam Khomeini port.
How is each side portraying the situation?
Trump has portrayed the latest moves as a success, declaring on Truth Social that the strait is “permanently opened” and that China is “very happy.” He also claimed Beijing had “agreed not to send weapons to Iran.” China has not publicly responded and has previously denied providing military support to Tehran. US officials say the measures are intended to pressure Iran while keeping international shipping routes open.
Iran earlier announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz to “enemy ships” in response to the US-Israeli bombing campaign and has demanded recognition of its “sovereignty” over the waterway and the right to impose tolls. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran does not seek war or instability and remains committed to dialogue, but warned that any attempt to force the country into surrender is doomed to fail and will not be accepted by the Iranian nation.
How are markets reacting?
Oil prices have edged higher as concerns over disruptions in Hormuz – which carries about 20% of global oil and LNG shipments – offset hopes of easing tensions.
Brent crude traded near $95 per barrel on Wednesday, with expectations for renewed talks helping cap gains below $100 even as traders remained focused on supply risks in the Middle East. Gelber & Associates said traders are no longer pricing in a full-scale outage, but are still maintaining a “residual premium” as flows recover unevenly rather than returning to normal.
Broader economic worries are also mounting. The International Monetary Fund has warned the conflict could weigh on global growth, while Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee told the Financial Times that higher oil prices risk pushing up US inflation expectations, describing a “double danger” from the Iran stand-off and existing trade tensions.
Equity markets, however, have so far taken a more upbeat view, with major Asian indices rising on hopes diplomacy will avert a prolonged disruption to Gulf energy supplies.
What is Moscow saying?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned against further escalation, expressing hope that the US “will be realists… and will not continue the unprovoked aggression” against Tehran, which he said risks destabilizing the wider Middle East.
At the same time, he signaled Moscow is prepared to offset potential supply shocks, saying Russia “can certainly make up for resource shortages faced by China and other countries” if Iranian exports are squeezed and is ready to work with partners “on an equal and mutually beneficial basis.”
What will happen next?
While Trump says the war could end soon, promising an “amazing two days,” diplomatic efforts appear to be gathering pace.
Officials from Pakistan, Iran, and several Gulf states say negotiating teams from Washington and Tehran could return to Islamabad later this week. A key Pakistani mediator reportedly arrived in Tehran on Wednesday with a message from the US and is expected to discuss preparations for a second round of talks.
The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire last week, raising hopes for a broader settlement, but both sides have since traded accusations over “unacceptable” demands. Washington has not formally committed to extending the truce beyond its current expiry date, a senior US official told CNN.
Source: rt.com
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Killings In Nigeria, Attacks Worsening – ACF Urges FG To Adopt War-time Strategy
April 16, 2026
By Richard Ogunsile
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has declared that the deepening insecurity in Nigeria has degenerated into what it described as a “state of war,” urging the Federal Government to immediately reorder its priorities and treat security as the nation’s most urgent emergency.
Naija News reports that this was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the forum’s 38th Board of Trustees meeting held on Wednesday, April 15, and signed by its Chairman, Bashir Dalhatu.
The high-level meeting, attended by prominent northern leaders, including former top government officials, diplomats, and retired security chiefs, extensively reviewed the persistent and escalating wave of violence across the country, particularly in the northern region.
The forum observed that Nigeria’s security crisis has expanded beyond isolated cases of insurgency, banditry, and communal clashes into a widespread and coordinated pattern of violence threatening national stability.
The ACF’s position comes amid renewed attacks across several states. During the Easter period, a wave of violence in Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, and Benue states reportedly claimed at least 16 lives, including five policemen, while dozens of residents were displaced.
In another major incident on March 17, no fewer than 25 persons were killed in simultaneous explosions at the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, the Monday Market Roundabout, and a post office in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Boko Haram, ISWAP intensify attacks
The forum noted that in recent weeks, insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have launched coordinated and deadly attacks on military formations across Borno State.
These assaults have led to significant casualties among both civilians and military personnel, including senior officers.
Among those reported killed are Major U.I. Mairiga, who headed the Mayenti base; Lt-Col Umar Faruq, Commander of Kukawa base and the 101 Brigade; Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, Commanding Officer of the 222 Battalion in Konduga; Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, Brigade Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh; and Col. I.A. Mohammed, Commanding Officer of the 242 Battalion in Monguno.
Despite the attacks, the military has intensified operations in high-risk areas, including the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, the Mandara Mountains, and the Lake Chad Basin.
According to reports, several insurgent commanders and fighters have been neutralised, while multiple terrorist camps have been destroyed in ongoing offensives across different fronts.
In its communiqué, the ACF stressed that the scale, persistence, and human cost of the violence require a fundamental shift in how the government responds.
“The scale, persistence and human cost of the violence demand a fundamental shift in national priorities,” the forum stated.
It added that insecurity should no longer be treated as one among many governance challenges but as the country’s overriding national emergency.
Mass Killings, Displacement Raise Alarm
The forum expressed deep concern over the humanitarian consequences of the crisis, revealing that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have either been killed or displaced in states such as Borno, Plateau, Niger, and Kwara.
It also noted that victims include not only civilians but members of the armed forces, including senior military officers.
According to the group, the crisis has torn families apart, destroyed livelihoods, and left entire communities traumatised, warning that the long-term social impact could be devastating.
Agriculture, Economy Under Threat
The ACF further highlighted the economic implications of the worsening insecurity, particularly its impact on agriculture, which remains the backbone of the northern economy.
It warned that farming activities have been severely disrupted, contributing to food shortages, rising inflation, and the gradual collapse of rural economies.
“Insecurity is now directly undermining Nigeria’s economy. The longer the crisis persists, the more expensive it becomes to fix,” the communiqué stated.
The forum called for what it described as a “wartime approach” to tackling insecurity, urging the government to temporarily suspend or scale down spending on non-essential projects.
ACF recommended that such resources be redirected towards strengthening security operations and ending the crisis.
“Extraordinary threats require extraordinary measures,” the group said, stressing that national security must take precedence over other developmental initiatives.
Nigeria At Critical Crossroads
The ACF warned that Nigeria is at a critical juncture, with escalating violence posing a serious threat to national unity and the country’s future.
It urged the Federal Government to act with urgency and clarity by mobilising all available resources and demonstrating strong leadership in confronting the crisis.
The former Secretary General of the ACF, Elder Anthony Sani, has called on the government to implement a comprehensive strategy that integrates both robust punitive measures and long-term socio-economic initiatives.
In a discussion with Daily Trust on Wednesday, Sani underscored that security measures must extend beyond mere military actions.
He stated that the government needs to significantly enhance punitive actions by increasing the number of security personnel, ensuring they receive adequate training, are properly equipped, and are sufficiently motivated to protect lives and property.
Nevertheless, he cautioned that enforcement alone will not solve the crisis. Sani emphasised the pressing need to address the underlying causes of insecurity, particularly poverty, ignorance, and unemployment.
He pointed out the alarming rise in the number of out-of-school children as a significant issue, warning that neglecting this problem could lead to a vulnerable population of youths who may be easily recruited by extremist organisations.
“The fight against insecurity must be waged on two fronts: through decisive security actions and deliberate policies that improve education, reduce poverty, and create employment opportunities,” Sani stated.
He stated that only a balanced and sustained approach can effectively mitigate the threat and restore enduring peace in the region.
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has also voiced its concerns regarding the increasing frequency of terror attacks throughout the country.
The group condemned the wave of violence in Yorubaland and urged the governors of the six South West states to take more decisive measures to address the escalating insecurity.
Following its caucus meeting held at the residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Afenifere characterised the situation as alarming and cautioned that immediate actions must be taken to stop what it referred to as a “genocidal agenda.”
The organisation, in a statement, reiterated its appeal to South West governors to convert resolutions from prior security meetings into tangible actions.
It also encouraged them to collaborate with their counterparts in Kwara and Kogi states, emphasising that the forest corridors connecting these regions are often exploited by bandits to carry out attacks.
The statement, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, further called for the enhancement of the military and other security agencies through improved equipment, boosted morale, and a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic strategies.
Afenifere emphasised the necessity for security agencies to examine internal factors, alleging the existence of internal collaborators who assist criminal elements.
According to the group, certain individuals within local communities are complicit by providing support to kidnappers, bandits, and terrorists.
The organisation also extended its condolences to the victims of terrorism in Yorubaland and other regions of Nigeria, advocating for a united front to confront the menace.
When contacted last night, the spokesman for the Nigeria Police Force, Anthony Placid, stated that the Force had not been sufficiently informed about the ACF’s resolution and assured that the Force would respond appropriately.
According to Daily Trust, the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Samaila Uba, was unavailable for comment, as calls to his mobile were not answered.
“Truly, the government should declare a state of emergency on insecurity, especially in some states where we have had this endemic problem of banditry, Boko Haram activities and other violent crimes. It is getting too uncomfortable for citizens,” Placid said.
The Security Outfits Have Not Really Helped
The retired police chief stressed that beyond rhetoric, the government must commit substantial resources and embark on a deliberate restructuring of the police.
The former AIG also criticised the proliferation of specialised units, noting that they have not translated into improved security outcomes.
“All these outfits being created here and there have not really helped in addressing the core issues. Instead of multiplying structures, what is needed is proper reform of the existing system so that it works efficiently. If the divisions are well-resourced and properly guided, you will see a significant improvement in policing outcomes,” he added.
In discussing tactical operations, Bolanta stressed the necessity of revitalising the Police Mobile Force (MPF). He identified systemic challenges that impact resource utilisation and cautioned against the ongoing centralisation of logistics at elevated levels, asserting that effectiveness relies on empowering local commands.
“I served in the police for 35 years, and I spent my last ten years at the administrative level, so I understand how the system works. One of the major problems is that resources often do not get to the people who actually need them for operations,” he explained.
“Funding, welfare, equipment and logistics should not be concentrated at the headquarters. They must be directed to the DPOs who head stations in towns and rural areas. Once they have adequate resources, you will begin to see police visibility everywhere, and that visibility alone serves as a strong deterrent to criminal activities. Criminals thrive where there is no visible security presence.”
Bolanta stressed that the government must adequately fund the military because the nature of the threats “we are facing requires a coordinated approach,” calling for greater citizen participation in security efforts.
“The police cannot do it alone, nor can the military operate in isolation. There has to be synergy, proper funding and clear operational roles,” he added.
Source: naijanews.com
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Malaysia and Australia unite in support of Pope’s peace plea
16 April 2026
Malaysia and Australia jointly endorse Pope Leo’s call for global peace, urging dialogue over conflict to end humanitarian crises worldwide
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Australia have expressed strong support for Pope Leo’s global call for peace, urging nations to pursue dialogue and justice to resolve conflicts and prevent further humanitarian suffering.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Pope’s message represents a universal moral appeal that transcends religious boundaries, stressing that calls for peace must be supported by people of all faiths and nations.
“Albanese is a Catholic, I am a Muslim, but we share something in common. We have a very high regard and respect for Pope Leo in the Vatican,” he said at a joint press conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, here today.
Anwar said Malaysia shares the Pope’s desire for peace, justice and an end to atrocities, noting that people across the world should unite in rejecting violence and injustice, particularly in conflict-affected regions such as Gaza and the Middle East.
Anwar also highlighted the Pope’s efforts to engage leaders of different religions, including Muslim scholars, describing interfaith dialogue as essential in fostering mutual understanding and global stability.
Meanwhile, Albanese said Pope Leo would play a significant role not only within the catholic church but also in shaping global discourse on peace and humanitarian values, continuing the legacy of interfaith engagement championed by his predecessor.
He said modern conflicts carry far-reaching consequences beyond national borders, affecting innocent lives and global economic stability, reinforcing the need for peaceful resolution through diplomacy.
“We will continue to argue for de-escalation and for a resolution through dialogue rather than through military action,” he said.
On April 12, Pope Leo XIV demanded an end to fighting in a strongly worded call as talks are held amid a fragile ceasefire in the Iran-US-Israel war. He also criticised the misuse of religion to justify violence and condemned the pursuit of power linked to violence.
The Pope’s calls for peace have intensified, particularly regarding the war on Iran, and he has condemned United States President Donald Trump’s threats to Tehran with unusual severity, calling them “truly unacceptable”.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/malaysia-and-australia-unite-in-support-of-popes-peace-plea/
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Sanctions Against Islamic Emirate Ineffective, Harmful, Mujahid Says
April 15, 2026
KABUL: The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, has reacted to the recent update of Afghan officials’ information by the UN Security Council sanctions committee, stating that sanctions and restrictions have been ineffective from the beginning.
In an audiotape on Tuesday, Mujahid described the sanctions as unjust and a violation of the rights of the Afghan people, adding that targeting individuals in leadership positions ultimately harms entire institutions and the public.
He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate seeks pathways for constructive dialogue and has called on the United Nations to work toward bringing the Afghan people closer to the international community.
The spokesman further stressed that sanctions should not be used as a tool for political pressure.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/sanctions-against-islamic-emirate-ineffective-harmful-mujahid-says/
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India
Eidgah, Imambara bulldozed in UP's Sambhal; admin claims buildings on government land
Namita Bajpai
16 Apr 2026
LUCKNOW: An Eidgah and an Imambara were razed down using four bulldozers amid heavy police deployment in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday morning.
According to the administration, the Eidgah was built over about seven bighas of grazing land, while the Imambara had been constructed on land meant for a manure pit.
As per the police sources, police personnel from five stations and one company of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were deployed at the site. Villagers who gathered at the spot were removed due to fear of possible protest.
Following complaints from villagers, Lekhpal Sparsh Gupta filed an appeal in the Tehsildar court on January 18, this year. On January 31, a notice was published in newspapers as per court orders, asking any occupants to come forward. However, no one responded.
On Thursday morning around 7:30 am, SDM Nidhi Patel and Naib Tehsildar Deepak Kumar Jurail reached the site with a team. Some people were seen trying to demolish the Imambara using chisels and hammers, but the administration removed them. The incident took place in Bicholi village under the Kotwali Sambhal police station area.
Around 12 noon, Rajendra Pensiya and Krishna Kumar Vishnoi also reached the site. They reviewed the report on the demolition of the structures from police and administrative teams and issued necessary instructions.
Reacting to the district administrations’ action, Zubaida, a local villager, said that the demolition action should be stopped. She stated that the Imambara and Eidgah were used by everyone in the area, and even wedding processions of poor families used to stay there.
She said that if the law was equal for everyone, such action would be applicable to temples too.
Zubaida added that if the construction on government land is a crime, then illegally built temples should also face action, not only mosques.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/uttar-pradesh/2026/Apr/16/eidgah-imambara-bulldozed-in-ups-sambhal-admin-claims-buildings-on-government-land
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Military conflict cannot resolve problems: PM Modi calls for peace in Ukraine, West Asia
16 Apr 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for peaceful resolution of ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, stressing that military confrontation cannot offer lasting solutions.
He made the remarks after holding talks with Austria’s Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker, who is on a four-day visit to India.
“Today, the entire world is passing through a very serious and tense situation,” Modi said, adding that the impact of global tensions is being felt across countries.
The Prime Minister said India and Austria share the view that conflicts must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. “We support stable, sustainable, and lasting peace in Ukraine and West Asia,” he said.
Modi also noted that the Austrian Chancellor’s visit is expected to boost bilateral ties, particularly in trade and investment.
Referring to the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, he said it has opened a new phase in India’s engagement with the European Union.
Chancellor Stocker arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday for his first official visit to India, aimed at strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2026/Apr/16/military-conflict-cannot-resolve-problems-pm-modi-calls-for-peace-in-ukraine-west-asia
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West Bengal polls: TMC moves Election Commission against Humayun Kabir for derogatory remarks against Abhishek Banerjee
Tanusree Bose
Apr 16, 2026
The Trinamool Congress on Thursday lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer against its former minister Humayun Kabir, who is currently contesting as a candidate of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), for allegedly making defamatory statements against TMC general secretary and MP, Abhishek Banerjee, and others.
The TMC has appealed to the Election Commission to issue a showcause notice to Kabir for what it termed grave violations of the Model Code of Conduct, and direct the investigating agency to immediately register a First Information Report (FIR) against the former minister for the alleged offences that come within the ambit of relevant Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Referring to a recent viral video on social media, the TMC stated in the complaint that Kabir also “went on to make disparaging, vexatious, and defamatory comments against Banerjee’s personal assistant Sumit Roy, and others associated with All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
“The video clearly evinces that Humayun Kabir is criminally intimidating various leaders, members, and supporters of AITC with the intention to skew the level playing field of the ensuing election and adversely affect the mindset of the electorate. He has also threatened to kill and bury bodies,” read the complaint.
It also referred to the video that purportedly shows Kabir making derogatory remarks targeting one Mainul Haque Rana, a former AJUP member from Beldanga II Block who switched over to Trinamool, during a press conference.
The Trinamool Congress stated Kabir’s alleged offences are liable to attract “Section 356 of BNS, which attracts a penalty for publishing/ posting any false imputation or narration about any person with the intent to harm the reputation of the said person; Section 351 for criminal intimidation; Section 174 for undue influence or personation at an election.”
Last week, the TMC had alleged that AJUP chief Humayun Kabir took money from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to “plot and mislead” Muslims of West Bengal. The party shared the viral sting operation videos from a conversation between Kabir and an unidentified man. However, Kabir dismissed the allegations.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/west-bengal-polls-tmc-moves-election-commission-against-humayun-kabir-for-derogatory-remarks-against-abhishek-banerjee-10639613/
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Can't hollow out religion in name of reforms: SC on plea against women's entry in Sabarimala temple
16.04.26
A nine-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court dealing with appeals seeking reimposition of the ban on women of childbearing age from entering the Sabarimala temple in Kerala has orally observed that it cannot hollow out religion in the name of carrying out “social welfare and reforms”.
The court said certain traditions should be based on the beliefs of millions of devotees practising a particular religion.
“In the name of social welfare and reform, you cannot hollow the religion,” Justice B.V. Nagarathna, the lone woman judge on the bench, told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the Travancore Devaswom Board.
During the daylong hearing, Singhvi submitted that Articles 25 and 26 should be read harmoniously so that the essential religious practice and certain traditional rituals and conventions followed by religious denominations should not be interfered with by courts.
While Article 25 relates to freedom of religion, conscience, practice and propagation, Article 26 gives every religious denomination or any section thereof the right to establish and manage its own religious affairs, subject to public order and morality.
Singhvi told the bench that the court has to be sensitive to the beliefs of millions of people and it was “not a case of dealing with a toy shop” or a “restaurant”.
“Your Lordships are dealing with a deity who is an eternal brahmachari and eschews all forms of grihastha dharma (householder),” Singhvi said.
He justified the temple management’s decision to restrict the entry of women devotees in the 10-50 age group as it was antithetical to the presiding deity at the Ayyappa temple, who is a naishtika brahmachari (eternal celibate).
“It is assumed that women in this age group would be antithetical to the very manifestation and identity of the deity. But those women can certainly visit Lord Ayyappa in many other temples. If they are so concerned, why should they want to visit this one temple which is unique in its form?” Singhvi asked.
He said such an exclusion was permissible under the Constitution and cannot be challenged on grounds of violation of Article 14 (equality) and 15 (non-discrimination).
Singhvi submitted that the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala is revered by millions only because of the deity having the form of a naishtika brahmacharya, who has “adopted penance of a very high order, which includes celibacy and self-denial to an extreme position”.
Justice M.M. Sundresh, one of the judges on the bench, wondered whether courts can interfere in such purely religious beliefs of millions of devotees without hearing their representatives, merely based on a PIL filed by some interlopers.
CJI Surya Kant was of the view that it would be a difficult task for courts to adjudicate such matters and say that “faith of millions of devotees are wrong”. The arguments will continue on Thursday.
The nine-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices B.V. Nagarathna, M.M. Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B. Varale, R. Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi is dealing with a batch of petitions and cross-petitions seeking recall of and defending the September 2018 judgment of a five-judge bench that had by a 4:1 majority ruled as “unconstitutional” the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of childbearing age to the Sabarimala temple.
The bench will also be dealing with other issues relating to restrictions on the entry of Muslim women into mosques and dargahs; female genital mutilation among the Dawoodi Bohra community and the ban on the entry of Parsi women to the fire temples if they marry into non-Parsi communities.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/supreme-court-says-cannot-hollow-out-religion-in-name-of-reforms-over-women-entry-in-sabarimala-prnt/cid/2156294
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Bombay HC dismisses gangster Abu Salem's plea for immediate release after '25 years' in jail
15.04.26
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed gangster Abu Salem’s plea for immediate release, claiming he had served 25 years in jail in India mandated under the terms of his extradition from Portugal.
In his plea, Salem had contended that if remission for good behaviour is included, then his 25-year jail term is complete and hence he ought to be freed.
A bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata said it cannot hold that the 25-year jail term is complete, as it would be premature to say anything at this stage on the point of remission.
The court relied on a Supreme Court judgment wherein it was held that remission of a prisoner would need to be calculated a month before the applicant’s release.
“Therefore, the present petition (filed by Salem) is dismissed,” the court said.
A copy of the detailed order is yet to be made available.
Salem’s plea, filed through advocate Farhana Shah, had said that when he was extradited from Portugal in 2005, India had assured that he would not be handed over the death penalty in any case and that he would not be imprisoned for more than 25 years.
The government had opposed his plea, noting that Salem has spent only 19 years in jail and that a decision on his premature release was pending.
Abu Salem, who is an Indian underworld gangster and convicted terrorist, is best known for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. Extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 for supplying arms, as part of a 25-year, non-death penalty agreement between India and Portugal.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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'Religion-based reservation unconstitutional': Amit Shah & Akhilesh Yadav clash in Lok Sabha over delimitation
Apr 16, 2026
NEW DELHI: A heated debate took place between home minister Amit Shah and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday as a special Parliament session was held to discuss Constitution Bill, Union Territories Laws and the Delimitation Bill.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Yadav slammed the Centre over 'urgency' to introduce the Women's Reservation Bill in the absence of an updated Census, accusing the government of avoiding a caste-based enumeration. "Why is the Centre rushing for women's reservation? "We are in favour but why do you not want a Census to be done?Start with the Census first," said Yadav, insisting that SP supports women's reservation in principle but opposes its implementation through delimitation.
"They are delaying the census because when it happens, we will ask for the caste-based census, and they don't want it," he added.
Responding to this, Shah said that the process of Census has already begun and the government has also planned to include a caste-based enumeration under it.
"The Census process has already started across the country, and after that, we will also conduct a caste-based census. Currently, the House Listing is under way; homes don't belong to a certain caste. If SP has its way, it will designate a caste to homes also. I want to assure the House that the Census is going to happen with the caste census as well," Shah said, taking a swipe at the opposition.
Calling reservation based on religion unconstitution, Shah said, "Based on religion, reservation of any kind for Muslims is unconstitutional. To this, Yadav questioned whether Muslim women falls outside reservation cap of 50%. "Will Muslim women, who make up half the population, also get separate reservations?" asked Yadav.
"We are not stopping the Samajwadi Party from giving all their tickets to Muslim women," reacted Shah.
The discussion grew increasingly tense as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged members to maintain decorum during the proceedings.
Why is opposition protesting Women Reservation Bill? Answer is in Delimitation Bill
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, the strength of the Lok Sabha is proposed to be increased from 543 to a maximum of 850 seats to operationalise the women’s reservation law ahead of the 2029 general elections. The expansion would follow a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
The proposed legislation seeks to readjust the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha and in state and Union Territory legislative assemblies, while redrawing territorial constituencies across the country. The exercise is based on a population-linked revision using data from the 2011 Census.
The Bill positions delimitation as a broader political overhaul, potentially altering the size and composition of both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, including a proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850.
However, the proposal has drawn opposition, with several parties raising concerns over its impact on representation and the implications of relying on the 2011 Census for such a significant restructuring.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/religion-based-reservation-unconstitutional-amit-shah-akhilesh-yadav-clash-in-lok-sabha-over-delimitation/articleshowprint/130299968.cms
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‘Those who twisted my speech were at fault, not me': Judge who drew ire for remarks on Muslims retires
Apr 16, 2026
JItendra Sarin
Allahabad high court judge, justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, whose incendiary remarks against Muslims two years ago led to the Opposition moving an impeachment notice against him, retired on Wednesday and said his words were twisted.
In December 2024, justice Yadav addressed a gathering organised by the legal cell of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad within the Allahabad High Court Bar Association premises, and made a series of incendiary statements that targeted the Muslim community and invoked majoritarian themes.
In his speech, he reportedly asserted that “India should function according to the wishes of the majority,” claimed “only a Hindu can make this country a ‘Vishwa Guru’,” and linked practices such as triple talaq and halala to societal backwardness, calling for their abolition under the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Video clips of the speech, which went viral on social media, show him allegedly using derogatory communal slurs.
On Wednesday, he defended himself.
“Those who twisted my speech were at fault, not me,” he said during a full court reference held on the occasion of his retirement in the courtroom of the chief justice. He thanked the members of the Bar for supporting him during that period, stating, “Another phase came, in which I had no fault, and during that, I got your support. Had I not received it, I would have broken”.
Fifty-five Opposition MPs gave an impeachment notice against justice Yadav to the Rajya Sabha on December 13, 2024 over his contentious speech. HT reported later that the Supreme Court was preparing to initiate an in-house inquiry into justice Yadav’s speech but dropped the plan after receiving a categorical letter from the Rajya Sabha secretariat that asserted exclusive jurisdiction over the matter.
After justice Yadav’s speech triggered outrage among political leaders, jurists and civil society, senior advocate Kapil Sibal led a group of 55 opposition MPs in filing a notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking his impeachment for “grave violation of judicial ethics.”
Amid mounting criticism, the Supreme Court sought a report from the Allahabad high court chief justice on December 10, 2024. A week later, on December 17, the apex court collegium, comprising then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and justices Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy and Abhay S Oka, summoned justice Yadav for a closed-door meeting.
While justice Yadav reportedly assured the collegium judges he would apologise publicly, he failed to do so in the weeks that followed. Instead, in a January 2025 letter to the chief justice of the Allahabad high court, the judge doubled down on his remarks, claiming they had been misrepresented by vested interests and asserting that his speech reflected societal concerns.
In March 2025, the Supreme Court administration received a formal communication from the Rajya Sabha secretariat, informing it that the matter of justice Yadav’s conduct, arising out of the December 13 impeachment motion signed by 55 MPs, was already under active consideration, and that the constitutional mandate for any such proceeding lies solely with the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and ultimately with Parliament and the President.
The impeachment notice was never taken up.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/those-who-twisted-my-speech-were-at-fault-not-me-judge-shekhar-kumar-yadav-drew-ire-for-remarks-on-muslims-retires-101776301228692.html
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Cong suspends MLC Jabbar over D’gere no-show
Apr 16, 2026
Bengaluru: Congress Wednesday suspended MLC K Abdul Jabbar, who quit as chairman of the minority department three days ago, from the party's primary membership for anti-party activities linked to the Davanagere South assembly bypoll, triggering unease among minority leaders.
The action comes days after Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar dissolved minority-welfare committees formed by Jabbar. The move followed complaints of an alleged conspiracy to defeat the party's official candidate in the April 9 bypoll.
Jabbar, who had sought Congress ticket from Davanagere South, was overlooked. Instead, ticket was given to Samarth Mallikarjun, grandson of late MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa. The bypoll was necessitated by Shivashankarappa's death.
On Tuesday, CM Siddaramaiah sacked his political secretary Naseer Ahmed, also an MLC after he did not heed his directive to resign.
Sources said Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed were largely absent from campaigning, with reports alleging they may have indirectly aided the SDPI candidate. The disciplinary steps were based on inputs from AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Surjewala, and observer Abhishek Dutta.
Attention has now shifted to housing minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, who had pitched for a Muslim candidate and stayed away from campaigning, citing commitments in Kerala. He later campaigned for Samarth on the final day.
Following action against Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed, Khan's supporters Wednesday questioned the leadership's decisions and warned of protests if any move is made against the minister. They expressed dissatisfaction over the party not fielding a Muslim candidate in the bypoll.
Party insiders indicated decision on Khan may be deferred until the May 4 results. The leaders are expected to assess likely impact before acting on the minister.
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QUOTE
"DK Shivakumar must explain my mistake and how I violated discipline to warrant suspension. I resigned as KPCC minority wing president as I was not taken into confidence by him and other party leaders. I only said the ticket should go to a Muslim or any other community but not to the Shamanur family. Why, then, was no action taken against late Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who had openly sought votes for BS Yediyurappa's son in the past?
Abdul Jabbar | MLC
Source: indiatimes.com
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Constable arrested in UP’s Chandauli for sharing police movement info with cattle smugglers
Apr 16, 2026
A 32-year-old constable has been arrested in Chandauli for allegedly sharing information about police movement, patrolling patterns and safe passages with cattle smugglers, and helping them cross the district border, officials said.
In return, the accused, Satyendra Yadav, received money from the smugglers through both online and offline channels, it has been alleged.
Yadav, who is posted in the district, was under suspension at the time of his arrest.
“We have arrested constable Satyendra Yadav from Ambedkar Nagar where he hails from,” said Chandauli Superintendent of Police (SP) Akash Patel.
According to police, Yadav’s role came to light during an investigation into the recent arrest of a local resident, Shyam Babu, in a cattle smuggling case. During the probe, police found that Babu had been in regular contact with Yadav. This link was established through the analysis of mobile phone data, including WhatsApp calls and chats recovered from Babu’s device, they said.
“During questioning, it also emerged that Satyendra Yadav had been assisting multiple cattle smugglers. He allegedly provided them information on police movement, locations, patrolling patterns, and even suggested safe routes to facilitate smuggling,” said a police officer.
Yadav had earlier been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly aiding cattle smugglers, he further added.
Since January 1, police in Chandauli have registered 46 cases related to cattle smuggling against 127 persons. During this period, 345 cattle heads were recovered while 55 vehicles linked to such activities were seized.
In 2025, a total of 162 cases were registered against 410 in connection with cattle smuggling in the district with the recovery of 1,297 cattle heads, 90 kg beef, and 178 vehicles.
Preventive action under the Uttar Pradesh Goonda Act was initiated against 17 accused, while nine cases were registered under the Gangster Act against 38 persons, it is learnt.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/up-police-arrest-sharing-movement-cattle-smugglers-10639323/
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Omar Tricolour quick wit: CM steps back from ribbon-cutting ceremony at Kashmir event
Muzaffar Raina
16.04.26
The Jammu and Kashmir government was spared a potential embarrassment by the presence of mind of chief minister Omar Abdullah after he declined to cut a Tricolour-themed ribbon at an official event.
Omar was invited to inaugurate the “Know Your Artisan” programme at Kashmir Hatt here, under the government’s handicrafts and handlooms department’s ongoing “Soulful Kashmir” brand promotion campaign, an official spokesperson said.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Omar noticed it was tricoloured — with saffron, white and green stripes.
Omar paused for a moment and briefly interacted with deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary. He chose not to proceed with the ribbon-cutting ceremony, instead directing the officials to fold and preserve it. Omar helped loosen and fold the ribbon. “Do it comfortably,” he said.
A National Conference leader said the chief minister’s poise avoided a major embarrassment for the government. “The ribbon styled as a Tricolour was placed there out of respect. But many would have seen a design in it,” he said.
The video was widely shared on social media, but the Right-wing ecosystem attributed Omar’s stance to the changes introduced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government.
“From defending Article 370, which allowed J&K to have its own separate flag, to respecting the Indian Tricolour and refusing to cut a ribbon made of it, Omar Abdullah has come a long way,” a Right-wing troll account posted on X.
Author Ashok Kumar Pandey praised Omar but said that “some two-bit anchor will (still) end up demanding a patriotism certificate from him”.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/omar-abdullah-applies-quick-wit-steps-back-from-cutting-tricolour-ribbon-at-kashmir-event-prnt/cid/2156295
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Mideast
Trump says Israel-Lebanon talks to be held Thursday
April 16, 2026
DUBAI: Hopes grew for a ceasfire between Israel and Lebanon as US president Donald Trump announced that talks between the leaders of both countries would take place on Thursday, while the Financial Times reported a ceasefire could be announced soon, citing Lebanese officials.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Trump said Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, referring to a meeting held in Washington the day before — the first direct negotiations between senior officials from the two countries since 1993.
He said the leaders would speak on Thursday, without identifying participants or giving further details.
A senior US administration official said earlier that Trump would “welcome” an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but stressed that any such outcome is not part of talks between Washington and Tehran.
“The president would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The United States wants to see a durable peace but did not demand an immediate ceasefire,” and “negotiations between the US and Iran are not linked to ongoing peace talks between Israel and Lebanon,” according to the official.
Washington’s focus is on building trust between the Lebanese and Israeli governments “so that we can create space for a peace deal, and so that any future understandings can be durable.”
“Both sides need to build political momentum,” the official added.
Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday of two central objectives in the talks with Lebanon: “First, the dismantling of Hezbollah; second, a sustainable peace... achieved through strength.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in neighboring Lebanon, a senior Israeli official said, more than six weeks into its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Ending the fighting in Lebanon was a key sticking point in earlier peace talks, along with how to deal with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
A Lebanese official told Arab News reporters on Wednesday that intensive contacts were underway with international and regional actors to secure a halt to the hostilities, with a ceasefire a non-negotiable condition for moving forward.
“Lebanon is insisting on a full ceasefire before entering any formal negotiations,” the source said, adding that the government “will not relinquish a single inch of Lebanese territory.”
Since the start of its war on March 2 Israel has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people overall.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640092/middle-east
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Hopes for Middle East peace grow amid talk of further diplomatic meetings on Iran
April 16, 2026
WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM: Optimism grew on Thursday that the war in the Middle East may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of President Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that would open ?the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
US and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend, after negotiations ended on Sunday without a breakthrough. Pakistan’s army chief and key figure in the mediation, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict.
“We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference on Wednesday, calling conversations mediated by Pakistan “productive and ongoing.” She denied reports that the US ?had formally requested an ?extension of a two-week ceasefire agreed by the two sides on April 8.
More in-person talks had not yet ?been ?confirmed ?but would likely ?take ?place in Pakistan again, Leavitt said.
Pakistan’s military confirmed Munir had arrived in Tehran. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Munir, who had mediated the last round of talks, would seek “to narrow gaps” between the two sides.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on X welcoming Munir and said Tehran was committed to “promoting peace and stability in the region.”
The talks last weekend broke down without an agreement to end the war, which Trump began alongside Israel on February 28, triggering Iranian attacks on Iran’s Gulf neighbors as well as reigniting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, while soaring energy costs have rattled investors and policymakers around the world.
Stock markets have rallied strongly in recent days on expectations of a swift resolution to the fighting, with indexes on Wall Street hitting record highs on Wednesday as crude oil prices steadied.
“While there are hopes for ?de-escalation, many investors remain skeptical, given that US-Iran talks have repeatedly broken down even after appearing to make progress,” said Toshitaka ?Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi Securities.
ECONOMIC PRESSURE ON IRAN
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted that China’s purchase of ?Iranian oil would “pause” given a US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports. He said the US ?could impose secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Iranian crude.
The US Treasury had ?warned two Chinese banks not to process Iranian money or face sanctions, he said, without naming the banks. China previously bought more than 80 percent of Iran’s shipped ?oil.
Trump said on Wednesday he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping not to give Iran weapons, which Xi had said he wasn’t. Trump also said that China was very happy he was “permanently opening” the Strait of Hormuz.
“I am doing it for them, also — And the World,” he wrote on social media, adding: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks.”
The war has led Iran to effectively shut the Strait — a vital artery for global crude and gas shipments — to ships other than its own, ?sharply reducing exports from the Gulf and leaving energy importers scrambling for alternative supplies.
TANKERS INTERCEPTED
During the first 48 hours of the US blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past US forces, ?the US military said. Additionally, nine ?vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area.
However, Iran’s Fars News agency said an Iranian supertanker subject to US sanctions crossed the strait toward Iran’s Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade. Fars did not identify the tanker or give further details of its voyage.
Iran’s joint military command warned it would halt trade flows in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea — which connects to the Suez Canal — if the US blockade continued.
Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the strait without risk of attack as part of proposals it has offered in negotiations with the US, providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said.
Trump has also threatened to escalate if the war resumes.
“We could take out every one of their bridges in one hour. We could take out every one of their power plants, electric power plants, in one hour. We don’t want to do that...so we’ll see what happens,” he told Fox Business Network.
TALKS COMPLICATED BY NUCLEAR ISSUE
Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a key sticking point at last weekend’s talks. The US proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran — an apparent concession from longstanding demands for a permanent ban — while Tehran suggested a ?halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Washington ?has also pressed for any enriched nuclear material to be removed from Iran, while Tehran has demanded that international sanctions against it be lifted.
One source involved in the talks said back-channel discussions had made progress in narrowing gaps, bringing the two sides closer to a deal that could be presented at a new round of talks.
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Syria’s Kurds register for citizenship after decades of marginalization
April 16, 2026
QAMISHLI: In a packed hall in Qamishli’s sports stadium in northeast Syria, Firas Ahmad is one of dozens of Kurds waiting to apply for citizenship after many in the minority were barred from doing so for decades.
Since last week, “unregistered” Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria to apply for citizenship, based on the interior ministry’s instructions.
“A person without citizenship is considered as good as dead,” Ahmad, 49, told AFP.
“Imagine not being able to register my children or our homes in our names,” he said, adding that “my grandfather never had citizenship, and we have been living without official documents ever since.”
On the tables facing long queues of people, registration forms were scattered along with personal photos and old documents, while government employees were recording the data.
The new measure follows Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s January decree granting citizenship to Kurds residing in the country, including those who have been unregistered for decades.
It also enshrines the Kurds’ cultural and language rights, and recognizes Kurdish as a national language.
The decree came during weeks of clashes between Kurdish fighters, who once controlled swathes of northeastern Syria, and government forces after which an agreement was reached to integrate the Kurdish administration into the central state.
The integration included government forces entering the previously Kurdish-controlled cities of Hasakah and Qamishli in February, and the appointment in March of senior Kurdish military leader Sipan Hamo as assistant defense minister for the eastern region, among other steps.
- ‘We suffered greatly’ -
The lack of citizenship affected many aspects of daily life, from the inability to register births and property ownership to difficulties in studying, moving around, traveling and working, leaving many without full legal recognition of their existence.
“We suffered greatly,” says Galya Kalash, a mother of five, speaking in Kurdish.
“My five children could not complete their education, and we could not travel at all. Even now, our house is not registered in our name.”
Around 20 percent of Syria’s Kurds were stripped of their Syrian nationality in a controversial 1962 census in the northeastern Hasakah province.
Ali Mussa, a member of Hasakah’s Network of Statelessness Victims, told AFP that there are around 150,000 unregistered people in Syria today.
There are around two million Kurds in Syria, most of them in the northeast.
Mussa called on authorities to show “flexibility in implementing the decision and to provide facilities for residents outside Syria” who may not be able to travel due to their refugee status in Europe or fear of flight disruptions due to the Middle East war.
Authorities are expected to keep registration centers open for a month.
Abdallah Al-Abdallah, a civil affairs official in the Syrian government, told AFP the period could be extended.
“The most important compensation for these people is gaining citizenship after being deprived of it for all these years,” he said.
In the registration center, Mohammed Ayo, 56, said not having citizenship made him feel “helpless,” including being unable to get a driver’s license or book a hotel room in capital Damascus as it required prior security clearance.
“You study for many years, and in the end they say you have no certificate,” he said, adding that, after finishing high school, he was unable to obtain an official document to study at university.
“We did not even have the right to run for office or vote.”
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Southern Lebanon ‘Hezbollah kill zone,’ Israel says
April 16, 2026
BEIRUT: Israel declared southern Lebanon a “Hezbollah kill zone” on Wednesday, a day after historic peace talks between the two countries in Washington.
The zone would extend from the border with Israel north to the Litani River, army chief of staff Eyal Zamir said.
Meanwhile Israel killed at least three paramedics trying to rescue people injured in an earlier strike in the southern town of Mayfadun. The deadly attack was a “flagrant crime, which reflects the Israeli enemy’s determination to prevent paramedics from performing their life-saving work by any means,” the Health Ministry in Beirut said.
Since the start of its war with Hezbollah on March 2 Israel had killed 91 healthcare workers, the ministry said. The violence has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people overall.
New Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit two vehicles on the coastal highway about 20 km south of Beirut, outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds. Firefighters extinguished a blaze in one van with as rescue workers recovered human remains from the wreckage.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said the militant group's fighters were “preventing enemy soldiers from seizing control” of the key southern town of Bint Jbeil, 5 km north of the border.
Wednesday’s attacks came a day after Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks in decades in Washington, and agreed to hold further direct negotiations.
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Israel army rapped for mocking killed reporter
April 16, 2026
JERUSALEM: An international media association on Wednesday accused the Israeli military of discrediting a Lebanese journalist it killed last month by circulating an AI-generated image of him in Hezbollah fatigues.
Three Lebanese journalists, including Ali Shoeib — a prominent correspondent for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar channel — were killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon on March 28.
The Israeli military posted an image on X of Shoeib wearing a press vest which is partially overlayed with a photoshopped version of the same picture in which he is wearing a Hezbollah uniform. It captioned the image: “Turns out the ‘press vest’ was just a cover for terror.”
A day later, military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani posted another grainy image on X purporting to show Shoeib in fatigues standing by a tank, writing: “We post this unedited photo this morning of the terrorist Ali Shoeib wearing Hezbollah uniform.”
He also acknowledged the image released the previous day had been “edited.”
The Foreign Press Association, representing hundreds of journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said the military had circulated a “fake” image on March 28 to “discredit the journalist.”
Shoeib was a veteran correspondent for Al Manar TV, who had covered conflicts and politics in Lebanon for decades. More than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed since October 2023 by Israeli fire, the FPA said.
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US targets Iran’s oil transportation infrastructure with sanctions
April 15, 2026
The US Treasury Department ?said on Wednesday it was targeting Iran’s oil transportation infrastructure by imposing sanctions on more than two dozen individuals, companies, and vessels.
The sanctions target a network of ?Iranian oil ?shipping magnate Mohammad ?Hossein ?Shamkhani, ?the ?Treasury Department ?said in a statement. Hossein Shamkhani is the son of Ali Shamkhani, a key figure in Iran’s security and nuclear policymaking who was killed ?in US-Israeli strikes ?on Tehran ?on February 28.
“Treasury ?is moving ?aggressively with Economic Fury ?by targeting regime elites like the Shamkhani family that attempt to profit at the expense of the ?Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the ?statement.
The ?Treasury Department is also sanctioning Iranian national Seyed Naiemaei Badroddin Moosavi, who it alleges to be a financier to Hezbollah, and three companies linked to a money laundering scheme involving the sale of Iranian oil ?in exchange for ?Venezuelan gold.
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UN experts warn Israeli destruction in Lebanon consistent with pattern of genocide in Gaza
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
April 15, 2026
NEW YORK CITY: A large number of UN human rights experts on Wednesday condemned Israel’s latest military actions in Lebanon, warning that the scale and nature of the destruction mirror patterns previously documented in Gaza and might amount to grave breaches of international law.
In a joint statement, the independent experts denounced what they described as Israel’s “illegal aggression and indiscriminate bombing campaign” launched on April 8, just hours after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran that was brokered by Pakistan.
The experts called for an immediate halt to hostilities in Lebanon, citing the mounting civilian casualties, widespread displacements and environmental devastation the conflict is causing.
“We are witnessing the continuing utmost contempt for the international legal order, for diplomacy, and above all for the lives of civilians and the environment in Lebanon,” they said.
They noted that Israel had launched what they described as the largest coordinated wave of strikes against Lebanon since 1980 at the very moment the ceasefire, which according to reports at the time included Lebanon, was announced.
The experts added that Israel had also repeatedly violated the sovereignty of Lebanon since a previous cessation of hostilities in November 2024.
On April 8 alone, Israeli forces reportedly struck more than 150 locations across Lebanon within the space of 10 minutes, killing at least 303 people and injuring more than 1,150. Many victims remain buried under rubble.
The strikes reportedly targeted densely populated residential and commercial areas in central Beirut, raising serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law, including the principles of proportionality and distinction between combatants and civilians.
The bombardment also had severe environmental consequences, with experts citing toxic air pollution, greenhouse-gas emissions, the contamination of water systems, and widespread ecological destruction caused by fires and debris.
Lebanese government figures indicate that since March 2, more than 2,000 people have been killed and 6,500 injured. More than a million people, about a fifth of the total population, have been displaced, more than 140,000 of whom are sheltering in overcrowded conditions.
The UN has described the pace of displacement as exceeding that seen during the 2024 escalation, as civilians including women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities have been forced to flee their homes.
“This is not self-defense, it is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, a deliberate destruction of prospects for peace, and an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order,” the experts said.
“The issuance of blanket evacuation orders, combined with the destruction of urban and village housing that displaced persons would have returned to, is consistent with the pattern of domicide that was initiated during the genocide in Gaza,” they warned.
They described this systematic destruction of homes as both a weapon of war and a form of collective punishment that “points to ethnic cleansing.” They further stressed that any forced displacement of civilians constituted both a war crime and a crime against humanity under international law.
At the same time, the experts condemned recent cross-border attacks against Israeli civilians by Hezbollah, and called on the group to adhere to the 2024 ceasefire agreement, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
The panel issued a series of urgent recommendations, including calls for Israel to immediately cease its military operations in Lebanon, comply with ceasefire obligations, withdraw its forces, and facilitate the safe return of displaced civilians.
They urged the US to use its influence to halt the attacks on Lebanese civilians and infrastructure, and called on all UN member states to suspend arms transfers to Israel, where they said there is credible evidence of serious violations of international law.
The experts also warned that despite the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, the broader regional situation remained volatile.
They emphasized the urgent need for renewed international engagement with the crisis, and criticized the recent US decision to impose a naval blockade on Iran, describing it as “an act of war” that has further destabilized the region.
The statement was issued by a broad coalition of UN special rapporteurs, independent experts and members of working groups operating under the Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures, all of whom serve in independent capacities and do not represent official UN positions. Among those raising the concerns were special rapporteurs George Katrougalos, Ben Saul and Francesca Albanese.
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Arab World
Saudi accounting sector transformed by sweeping reforms under Vision 2030
April 16, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s accounting and auditing sector has undergone more than 300 reforms over the past decade, reshaping the profession and strengthening financial transparency as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda, according to the Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants (SOCPA).
The reforms — spanning substantive, legal, procedural and consequential changes — were introduced between 2016 and 2026 to enhance the business environment, improve the reliability of financial reporting and support investment, said the SOCPA report carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
SOCPA said the measures established a clearer and more consistent framework for professional practice, improving disclosures, presentation standards and measurement reliability, while upgrading licensing processes and expanding digital services.
“Reliable financial information is a fundamental pillar supporting markets, investment, financing and decision-making,” association CEO Ahmed Al-Meghames said.
The overhaul builds on Saudi Arabia’s position as the only country in the Middle East to fully adopt international standards in accounting, auditing and professional ethics, according to the International Federation of Accountants.
The Kingdom is also among a select group globally meeting all IFAC membership requirements, underscoring its alignment with global best practices.
Efforts to strengthen the sector have also focused on human capital development. Recent data show a sharp rise in women’s participation, with the number of Saudi women obtaining professional certificates increasing by 144 percent between 2023 and 2025, while licensed female practitioners rose by 45 percent.
The growth reflects a more inclusive and regulated professional environment, contributing to stronger governance and improved financial decision-making.
The 109,299-strong SOCPA has also worked to bridge the gap between education and the labor market, including the launch of a new university curriculum designed to better prepare graduates for the profession and meet evolving industry needs, the report said.
These combined reforms — regulatory, institutional and educational — have positioned the accounting and au diting sector as a key enabler of transparency, governance and sustainable economic growth in Saudi Arabia, supporting the Kingdom’s broader push to attract investment and diversify its economy.
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King Faisal Prize 2026 laureates honored during ceremony in Riyadh
RASHID HASSAN
April 16, 2026
RIYADH: The King Faisal Prize 2026 prize-giving ceremony, which took place in Riyadh on Wednesday night under the patronage of King Salman, honored distinguished experts in medicine, the sciences, the Arabic language, Islamic studies and services to Islam for achievements said to have significantly advanced their fields and enriched all of humanity.
Prince Turki Al-Faisal, acting chairman of the board of trustees of the King Faisal Foundation, and Abdulaziz Alsebail, secretary-general of the King Faisal Prize, took to the stage to honor this year’s recipients in a celebration of exceptional minds whose work echoes far beyond their own laboratories and lecture halls. Other dignitaries at the ceremony included Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the deputy governor of Riyadh.
The glittering ceremony this year, the 48th staging of the awards, coincided with a landmark milestone: the 50th anniversary of the King Faisal Foundation, which was established in 1976 and handed out its first prizes in 1979.
The honorees this year included distinguished scientists in the fields of medicine and mathematics, including one whose biochemical discovery would ignite a revolution in the field of obesity treatments, and another who delved into the depths of pure mathematics in search of clarity where there was once only chaos.
The King Faisal Prize in Medicine honored a biochemist whose discovery sparked a revolution in treating obesity and diabetes.
Professor Svetlana Mojsov’s early, groundbreaking research on the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, laid the biological foundation for what would eventually become the weight-loss drug Ozempic and other obesity therapies.
Her work now lies at the heart of one of the most significant public-health revolutions of our time, touching the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide who struggle with their weight.
Mojsov, who works at Rockefeller University in New York, carried out foundational research on GLP-1, a natural hormone that regulates blood sugar and appetite, which laid the scientific groundwork for an entirely new class of medications.
Her discovery of GLP-1’s biologically active form, and identification of its receptors in the pancreas, heart and brain, demonstrated its remarkable ability to stimulate insulin secretion, slow digestion and curb hunger.
Her work was so foundational that she is listed as co-inventor on patents licensed to Novo Nordisk that directly enabled the development of Victoza, Ozempic and Rybelsus, drugs that have become household names in the fights against diabetes and obesity.
The ripple effects of her research were said to be staggering in their scale. In 2022, obesity affected 890 million adults and 160 million children worldwide; today, the therapies her discoveries enabled are transforming lives across the globe, award organizers said.
In her acceptance speech, Mojsov said: “Twenty-five years after we published our findings, Novo Nordisk pharmaceutical company developed long-lasting, injectable GLP-1 analogs for diabetes and obesity.
“I am humbled that my work that started 40 years ago with a hypothesis has benefited the health and lives of millions of people worldwide.”
Her professional journey from basic scientific inquiry to a public-health revolution stands as a testament to the power of foundational research, the award organizers said.
The King Faisal Prize in Science honored a mathematician whose work on equations helped explain ocean waves and fiber optics.
Prof. Carlos Kenig was recognized for his transformative work on nonlinear partial differential equations, described as a stubborn, beautiful aspect of mathematics that govern everything from the crash of ocean waves to the clarity of a medical scan. Where others saw complexity, he found structure that reshaped the very landscape of modern mathematical analysis.
The Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, Kenig built a career making the incomprehensibly complex not only solvable, but useful.
Nonlinear partial differential equations provide the mathematical language that describes how things change, move and evolve in the physical world. By applying harmonic-analysis techniques to these notoriously difficult equations, he helped open up new frontiers in fluid mechanics, optical fibers and medical imaging, award organizers said.
Kenig credited the academic path he has followed to his studies in Chicago and postdoctoral work at Princeton, where he learned from leading mathematicians and further developed his expertise
“I became interested in mathematics at the age of 12 when, in my first year of high school in my native country, Argentina, our math teacher taught us Euclidean geometry, and how to prove rigorously theorems about triangles,” he said during his acceptance speech.
“I was hooked from that time on. I then had the very good fortune to study at the University of Chicago, and to be a postdoc at Princeton University, under some of the most outstanding mathematicians of the 20th century.
“These experiences influenced the direction of my research, which turned to topics in mathematical analysis and, eventually, mostly to the study of the partial differential equations that govern our physical world.”
Professor Pierre Larcher, professor emeritus of Arabic Linguistics at Aix-Marseille University and emeritus researcher at the Institute of Research and Study on the Arab and Muslim Worlds, received the King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature for his work on Arabic literature in French.
The novel way in which he presents Arabic literature to French readers has earned widespread acclaim from critics and specialists and, in conjunction with his rigorous, scholarly approach to classical Arabic literature, has made it accessible and appropriate for French culture, the award organizers said.
His rigorous study of pre-Islamic poetry and translation of “Al-Mu’allaqat,” a collection of seven such poems, was said to demonstrate exceptional scholarly depth.
The Islamic Studies Prize went to Abdelhamid Hussein Mahmoud Hammouda, professor of Islamic history and civilization at Fayoum University in Egypt, and Mohammed Waheeb Hussein, professor of archaeology and history of art at Hashemite University in Jordan, for their work on historical Islamic trade routes.
Hammouda’s comprehensive work encompasses trade routes across the Islamic world, including the Mashreq, Iraq and Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, Greater Syria, Egypt, the Sahara, Maghreb, and Al-Andalus.
This expansive scope of his work was said to have delivered a coherent understanding of Islamic trade across history, serving as an authoritative reference tool for both specialized research and broader scholarship.
Hussein’s groundbreaking work uses archaeological surveys, GPS data and analytical mapping to systematically correlate Qur’anic texts with geographical data. His research was described as offering a definitive scholarly interpretation of the “Route of Al-Ilaf,” significantly advancing understanding of early trade routes in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Service to Islam Prize was awarded to Sheikh Abdullatif Alfozan, from Saudi Arabia, and Prof. Mohammed Hassanin Aboumousa, from Egypt.
Alfozan was rewarded for his distinctive approach to philanthropic work through support for high-impact initiatives that align with developmental needs, and the establishment of the “Ajwad Endowment” as a community-support tool for the creation and development of humanitarian initiatives.
Aboumousa, a founding member of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar, has hosted more than 300 study circles at Al-Azhar Mosque devoted to classical texts, in an effort to strengthen cultural identity among young Muslims.
Established by the foundation in 1977, with the first awards handed out in 1979, the King Faisal Prize has honored 308 laureates from 45 countries over the years in recognition of their outstanding contributions to science and humanitarian causes.
The inaugural prizes in 1979 were awarded in three categories: service to Islam, Islamic studies, and Arabic language and literature. The medicine and science categories were introduced in 1981.
Each of the recipients receives $200,000, a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, and a commemorative certificate with their name and a summary of the work for which they were honored with a prize described as the most coveted in the Islamic world.
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Saudi deputy foreign minister announces further $145m in aid for Sudan
April 15, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister, Waleed Elkhereiji, said his country would provide $145 million to help support humanitarian projects in Sudan this year.
Speaking in Berlin on Wednesday at the third international aid conference for the African nation, he said the Kingdom has provided Sudan, a member of the Arab League, with $3 billion in assistance since the civil war began in April 2023, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
At least 33.7 million people in the country require humanitarian aid, and 14 million have been displaced from their homes, according to Doctors Without Borders. While there are no official casualty figures available, some estimates suggest more than 150,000 people have been killed, including about 2,000 in attacks on healthcare facilities.
Elkhereiji said the Kingdom’s priority is to help Sudan achieve stability, preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintain unity, reach an immediate ceasefire agreement, and prevent the state from collapsing.
“The crisis requires a Sudanese-Sudanese political process that strengthens national institutions and respects the sovereignty of Sudan,” he added.
He called for an immediate ceasefire agreement followed by a clear political process to end the conflict, which entered its fourth year this week.
“The Kingdom continues its efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, based on the Jeddah announcement on May 11, 2023, and is working to bring the views of the Sudanese parties closer together and facilitate a return to the path of political dialogue effectively,” Elkhereiji added.
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Saudi, Russian foreign ministers discuss regional developments
April 15, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Wednesday received a telephone call from his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
The pair discussed developments in the region and the ongoing efforts to promote security and stability.
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Saudi, Malaysian ministers discuss cultural ties
April 15, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan met Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
Prince Badr expressed pride in the strong historical and fraternal ties between Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, noting that culture was a key bridge for strengthening relations between the two peoples.
He also thanked the Malaysian side for inviting the Kingdom as guest of honor at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair.
The two sides reviewed cultural relations and discussed ways to develop cooperation across various cultural sectors in line with the strategic visions of both countries.
Meanwhile, Saudi Assistant Minister of Culture Rakan Al-Touq visited the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur. He met the vice president of the Albukhary Foundation, the museum’s founder and funder.
They discussed strengthening museum cooperation through expert exchange, joint exhibitions, and programs for lending and exchanging artifacts between museums in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Arts Museum.
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Riyadh becomes capital of creativity on World Art Day
April 15, 2026
RIYADH: Riyadh’s public spaces have been turned into colorful, creative canvases to celebrate World Art Day.
Under the Riyadh Art program, the city’s roads, transport hubs, squares and other public spaces have been transformed into open-air galleries, Saudi Press Agency said in a report.
The initiative comprises a host of collections and installations, including Noor Riyadh, the Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium and a permanent art collection.
It has also created opportunities for local and international artists to present works that enable people to engage with creative concepts and ideas as part of their daily lives and routines.
Noor Riyadh alone has attracted 9.6 million visitors and showcased more than 450 artworks by 365 international artists.
Its latest program featured 60 light-based installations by 59 artists from 24 countries, displayed across six sites in the capital. The festival has helped turn lighting and projections into part of the city’s visual language.
The Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium has also contributed to expanding the public art scene. About 25 large-scale sculptures created during its seventh edition are set to join Riyadh Art’s permanent collection and will be positioned throughout the capital as part of a broader effort to integrate art into everyday life.
Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has built up a network of art institutions and festivals, including Riyadh Art, Misk Art, the Islamic Arts festival in Jeddah and the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, the SPA noted.
In AlUla, the Royal Commission has supported a wide range of initiatives, including the AlUla Arts Festival, which features exhibitions, outdoor installations and public programs.
One of its flagship projects is Desert X AlUla, which uses the desert landscape as a canvas on which contemporary art engages directly with nature.
Madrasat Addeera in AlUla is a center for arts and design that focuses on reviving traditional crafts while supporting artists and artisans in adapting heritage practices for contemporary audiences.
All of these initiatives reflect a major shift in Saudi Arabia toward a more structured cultural art ecosystem, moving beyond one-off events to sustained programming and institutional development.
This dedication to raising art’s profile is not only bearing fruit at home. The world is also noticing. In January, a painting by Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr sold for $2.1 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Riyadh.
As part of Vision 2030, the government aims to grow the cultural sector to about 3 percent of its gross domestic product by the end of this decade, or about SR180 billion ($48 billion), up from SR60 billion in 2023.
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Saudi Arabia, France deepen scientific ties at Jeddah roundtable on environmental challenges
AFSHAN AZIZ
April 15, 2026
Jeddah: The role of science in addressing environmental challenges and strengthening Franco–Saudi academic cooperation was highlighted at a recent roundtable organized by the Consulate General of France in Jeddah, bringing together researchers, academics, and students from both countries.
Held as a part of France Alumni Day, the discussion titled “Science in the Service of the Environment: Franco–Saudi Crossed Perspectives” focused on environmental innovation, research mobility, and academic collaboration.
France’s Consul General Mohammed Nehad told Arab News: “This initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to reinforce scientific dialogue between France and Saudi Arabia.
“It also highlights the role of French higher education in supporting academic excellence and research. France is not only a cultural and tourist destination, but also a major actor in science and innovation.”
He stressed that a key objective was to make academic pathways clearer and more accessible to students and researchers. “Many people want to collaborate or study abroad, but they do not always know where to start.
“We try to show them the programs available, the institutions they can contact, and the funding mechanisms that exist. The goal is to give them practical entry points.”
He added that interdisciplinary research was central to addressing current environmental challenges and said academic exchange benefits both countries’ long-term development goals.
Gilles Lubineau, mechanical engineering professor at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and director of the ENERCOMP program between KAUST and Saudi Aramco, moderated the roundtable and described the platform as a means to connect scientific communities.
“We were really acting as a bridge between the French and Saudi academic communities. The idea was to show what opportunities exist, what programs are available, and how students and researchers can collaborate, even for short-term exchanges.”
He added that the discussion helped clarify practical steps for cooperation. “The point was to give people the keys to start — who to contact, what funding mechanisms exist, and which institutions are involved.
“We had colleagues from King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah University and others across chemical engineering, health sciences, mechanical engineering and water engineering. There is real interest in how to ignite collaborations and send students abroad.”
He also highlighted the value of multidisciplinary training.
“France is very strong in multidisciplinary (efforts). You work with teams combining mathematics, biology, mechanics and that is exactly what is needed to tackle modern problems. Moreover, these students gain a first international experience, and that is very important.
“We already see students who went to France now returning as postdoctoral researchers. They bring back their experience, and it benefits both countries.”
From the Saudi side, KAUST doctoral scholar and future postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Supramolecular Science and Engineering in Strasbourg, Osamah Al-Harbi, who spent three months conducting research in France, said the experience had a strong impact on his academic development.
“I explored my idea in an institute that is very deep in science. It was a very interesting opportunity for a young scientist starting his career.”
He added that the program helped connect research with real-world environmental challenges.
“We were reflecting on our research and how it relates to important environmental issues that need to be investigated scientifically. We also discussed how scientific mobility influences careers and improves research outcomes.
“There are many potential avenues for cooperation between Saudi and French institutes in climate change, renewable energy and materials science.”
“I encourage everyone who is interested in research to try. You may not be sure you will get selected, but you should still apply. Even the process itself is valuable. If we want to build an economy based on innovation, we need to focus on science,” he added.
KAUST doctoral candidate in plant sciences, Ibrahim Tarbiyyah, also emphasized the importance of scientific exchange and exposure to different research environments.
“When I was in France, I was learning. Great science exists here at KAUST, but there you meet scientists with different ideas and approaches. Science does not come from books alone; it comes from experience and when you work with different people, you learn more.”
He said the roundtable highlighted the importance of openness in research. “Science should not stay in one place with the same information. If you stay isolated, you will not learn something new. It is a very good opportunity for French and Saudi cultures to come together through science.”
The panel discussion included French speakers Emmeric Frejafon, deputy head of the Environment, Earth and Universe Department at the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Philippe Maitre, vice president of the Ecole normale superieure Paris-Saclay, and Saudi speaker Meshal Al-Malki, a doctoral candidate at the Micalis Institute, Universite Paris-Saclay, also participated.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2640009/saudi-arabia
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Europe
Italy suspends defence agreement with Israel
16 Apr, 2026
Davide Ghiglione
Italy will not renew its defence agreement with Israel, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said.
Meloni said her government had decided to suspend the renewal, which happens every five years, "in view of the current situation", without offering specifics.
Relations between Rome and Tel Aviv, which have historically been solid, have recently soured.
Last week, Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome after warning shots were fired by Israeli forces at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, damaging one vehicle but causing no injuries.
On Monday, Israel in turn summoned Italy's ambassador to protest comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had condemned Israel's "unacceptable attacks" on civilians in Lebanon.
Defence ministry officials told the BBC they were still examining how the government's position would translate into concrete legal and practical consequences on the framework of Italian cooperation with Israel.
Italy is the third-biggest arms exporter to Israel, according to figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). But that still only accounts for 1.3% of Israeli arms imports between 2021-2025. The US and Germany are the top exporters.
Several European countries paused or restricted arms exports with Israel during its military action in Gaza.
The offensive was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, while 251 others were taken to Gaza as hostages.
More than 72,330 people were then killed by Israeli military action Gaza - including 757 since the ceasefire began on 10 October 2025 - according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Over the past few years, many Italians have asked their government to do the same, with hundreds of thousands have taking to the streets or going on strike in protest.
Yet Meloni's right-wing coalition government has remained one of Israel's closest allies in Europe, refusing to join the growing number of countries recognising Palestinian statehood.
But in late March, her camp lost a referendum on a judicial constitutional reform, which many interpreted as a vote on her government's popularity - not least in terms of its relations with Israel and the US.
With only 18 months to go before the next general election, Meloni has been tweaking her rhetoric in order to distance herself from these associations, which are becoming increasingly unpopular among the Italian electorate.
Since the referendum result, she has described the US-Israeli war with Iran as part of a growing and dangerous trend of interventions "outside the scope of international law".
On Monday, she issued a rare criticism of Donald Trump, describing the US president's disparaging comments about Pope Leo XIV as "unacceptable". She later added that the pontiff had her "solidarity".
That led to a swift rebuke from Trump, who told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he was "shocked at her".
"I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," he said, adding Meloni "does not care whether Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow Italy up in two minutes if it had the chance".
Meloni may be hoping the first cracks in the Italy-US relationship will help her claw back votes as next year's general election approaches.
At one point, Trump's evident sympathy for Meloni appeared to have earned her special recognition as a potential privileged interlocutor among EU countries, and was touted by her supporters as an asset.
But now, with Trump becoming an increasingly unpopular figure, that association risks being damaging. In January, a survey showed 63% of the Italian electorate holds a negative opinion of the US.
Following Trump's comments, Meloni's allies rushed to her defence. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that Italy's alliance with the US was "built on mutual loyalty, respect, and honesty."
"And on Pope Leo XIV she said exactly what all of us Italians think. The prime minister and the government defend and will always defend only and solely the interests of Italy," Tajani said.
"Being allies does not mean accepting everything in silence, but having the courage to clearly state what one believes to be right," defence minister Guido Crosetto said.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr71184ex91o
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Ukrainian drone strikes kill two children in Russian city – governor
16 Apr, 2026
Two children have been killed and two other people injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse, a senior regional official has said. The victims were aged five and 14.
Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev wrote on Telegram on Thursday that an apartment block and five houses were damaged in what he described as “a massive UAV attack.”
Kondratyev added that “many fragments” fell on unnamed industrial sites near the city’s seaport, while drones also damaged a house in the village of Loo, outside Sochi.
Telegram news channels reported drone attacks on other cities along the coast, including Anapa, Gelendzhik, and Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. Ukraine has frequently targeted port infrastructure and energy facilities, as well as tankers and cargo ships.
Russia has accused Ukraine of using Western-supplied weapons and equipment, including drones, to target civilians. On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry released what it said was a list of European companies involved in manufacturing military drones for Kiev.
“Instead of strengthening the security of European states, the moves of European leaders are increasingly dragging these countries into the war with Russia,” the ministry said.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/russia/638485-ukraine-kills-children-tuapse-russia/
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£1,700 Raised Through Ramadan Challenge
15/04/2026
By Tom Curphey
Postmaster Hassan Patel has raised more than £1,700 for charity after running 5km every day throughout Ramadan.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is observed by Muslims worldwide as a period of fasting, prayer and reflection. From dawn to sunset, Muslims abstain from food and drink, while many also focus on charitable giving.
Hassan, who runs Onchan Post Office, took on the challenge to raise funds for local charity Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation. Over 30 days, he set aside time each day to complete his run, collecting donations through an online fundraising page. In total, he managed to raise a total of £1,754.73 through donations.
He described the experience as tough at times but ultimately rewarding.
He said: ‘My body feels healthier, detoxed, and I definitely feel lighter. It was tough at times, but overall it’s been an amazing journey both physically and mentally.’
Hassan said the support of the public made a significant difference throughout the challenge.
He praised the people of the Isle of Man, describing them as warm and supportive, with many calling into the post office to check on his progress and make donations.
He also said he was encouraged by those who stopped him while out running to contribute to the cause, adding that the support helped keep him motivated.
Speaking about the funds raised for Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, he said: ‘It feels incredible. Knowing that the effort during Ramadan has gone towards supporting the charity makes it all worthwhile. It gives a real sense of purpose to the challenge.’
He said the weather proved to be one of the biggest challenges, with more wet days than dry over the 30-day period.
‘The first week was especially tough – the waves were crashing, high tide was overtopping the promenade, and there were gale-force winds,’ he said.
‘I remember one day when it even started hailing. Being cold and wet made it really challenging.’
Towards the end of the challenge, representatives from the charity joined him for a support run, which he said gave him an extra push to the finish.
He added: ‘The public support throughout, knowing we were doing this for future generations, was truly inspiring.’
Hassan also paid tribute to his family, saying their support played a key role in helping him complete the challenge.
He said his wife ensured he was prepared each day, while encouragement from their two children meant a great deal.
Explaining his motivation behind the impressive physical feat, Mr Patel said Ramadan is a time centred on discipline, compassion and giving back.
He added that the challenge was about more than running, bringing people together for a shared cause and highlighting how small acts of kindness can make a difference.
‘Together, we’ve not only raised funds but also awareness and hope for the future,’ he said.
‘And that, to me, is what Ramadan is truly all about.’
Source: gef.im
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://gef.im/news/charity/1700-raised-through-ramadan-challenge-57748/
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Oldham politicians clash over Muslim cemetery claims
15TH APRIL
By Kent Lawlor
A dispute between the Oldham Council leader and the leader The Oldham Group has broken out online over discussion of a potential new cemetery.
Council leader Arooj Shah and Cllr Kamran Ghafoor have criticised one another in videos shared online while disputing a proposal to build a Muslim cemetery in the borough.
The disagreement between the pair has broken out weeks before Oldhamers head to the polls to vote in the local elections on May 7.
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times' morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts
In a video shared on TikTok earlier this month by The Oldham Group, Cllr Ghafoor said 19 Muslim Labour councillors voted against a proposal to build a Muslim cemetery he brought forward when he was a Conservative councillor in 2023.
The motion was voted down, with Cllr Shah saying at the time the proposal "caused a considerable amount of tension in the community" with some people worried there was not enough burial capacity, which she said was untrue.
In the video filmed at a cemetery, Cllr Ghafoor says: "We, The Oldham Group, want a standalone Muslim cemetery here in Oldham.
"The reason is because we have a 60,000 Muslim population in Oldham which is growing on a day-by-day basis."
Cllr Ghafoor added that it was "unbelievable" that Muslim Labour councillors voted the motion from 2023 down and that if The Oldham Group come to power, they would look to create a Muslim-only cemetery.
In a video responding to this, Cllr Shah slammed Cllr Ghafoor saying claims he made in the video were "designed to cause fear", adding that the council had confirmed burial capacity in the borough for the next seven years.
She also criticised Cllr Ghafoor for using a cemetery to film a political video, saying it "should never be turned into a setting for political messaging".
When contacted, Cllr Chafoor said: "I would like to be clear that this is not a 'spat', but a clear difference in policy. The Oldham Group has made a firm policy choice to support the creation of a standalone Muslim cemetery. In contrast, the Labour Party has chosen not to support this.
"I have recently joined TikTok, where I am setting out a series of pledges to the people of Oldham. This commitment is one of eight key pledges we have made. It is our view that Cllr Shah and the Labour Party are increasingly out of touch with the people of Oldham, and are unwilling to listen to or act upon their wishes on this issue."
Cllr Shah declined to provide a further comment.
The Oldham Liberal Democrats declined to comment, while the Oldham Conservatives did not respond when approached for comment.
Source: theoldhamtimes.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/26020531.oldham-politicians-clash-videos-cemetery-claims/
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Russian envoy dismantles Kallas at UNSC
15 Apr, 2026
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, launched a stinging rebuke of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’ address at the UN Security Council in New York on Monday.
Kallas has since been accused of “criminal” double standards in her speech by Amnesty International for ignoring US and Israeli crimes against Iran.
The controversial diplomat spoke during the annual Security Council session on EU-UN cooperation, during which she lamented the “greatest breakdown of international law since the Second World War,” without once mentioning the US or Israel, but mentioning Russia 11 times.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard slammed Kallas in a post on X, blasting her “deliberate failure to mention the two actors responsible for the greatest violations of international law,” referring to the US and Israel.
Kallas’ unwillingness to name them “is not just cowardice. It is criminal,” Callamard said, adding that such double standards are what is “destroying international law.”
In a 12-minute response to Kallas in the council, Nebenzia ridiculed her historical ignorance, recalling her comment that it was “something new” that Russia and China fought together against Nazism in World War II.
Kallas, like EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has a long history of avoiding criticism of Washington while regularly engaging in unhinged attacks on Moscow.
Her claim to have been surprised that Russia and China, who together lost some 35 million people during WW2, are considered among the conflict’s victors was described by Responsible Statecraft as “shocking ignorance.”
“It would be very interesting to meet Mrs. Kallas’ history teacher,” Nebenzia retorted.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/russia/638473-russia-kallas-un-hypocrisy/
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Most Germans dissatisfied with Merz government – poll
16 Apr, 2026
The vast majority of Germans are unhappy with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government, a recent YouGov poll has shown, with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerging as the party that would win a hypothetical election.
Approval ratings for Merz’s coalition, which is comprised of the Christian Democratic bloc (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), have been steadily declining since it came to power last May. Critics say Merz has failed to reverse the country’s economic decline and fulfil his campaign promises.
The YouGov poll, which was conducted between April 10 and April 13 among 1,763 respondents, showed that 79% of participants were dissatisfied with the coalition government’s performance – up 5% since March, and 24% higher since last June.
The trend is understood to be particularly pronounced among CDU/CSU voters, with only 34% of them satisfied with the coalition’s performance as of mid-April.
Meanwhile, if a general election had been held in Germany this past Sunday, the AfD would have prevailed with 27% of the vote, the YouGov poll indicated. The opposition right-wing party has emerged as the most popular for the first time since September 2025, according to the survey.
By contrast, the CDU/CSU posted its worst result since December 2021 with 23% of the vote. Support for the SPD is down to 13% – the Social Democrats’ worst showing since December 2019, according to the YouGov analysis.
Last month, the AfD made significant gains in the western German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wurttemberg, which are both outside the party’s traditional stronghold in the former East Germany.
In the 2025 general election, the AfD came in second with 20% of the vote, and has remained the most popular opposition party since.
It has campaigned on an anti-immigration platform, while also opposing Germany’s sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine. The AfD has also criticized Berlin’s decision to decouple from more affordable Russian energy.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/638469-most-germans-dissatisfied-merz-government-poll/
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Belgium seizes military equipment bound for Israel
16 Apr, 2026
Belgian authorities have seized two shipments of military equipment components bound for Israel, the news website Declassified UK has reported.
The shipments arrived from the UK at Belgium’s Liege Airport on March 24 and were scheduled to be flown to Tel Aviv two days later aboard an Israel-based Challenge Airlines cargo flight. Adrien Dolimont, head of Belgium’s Wallonia region, said authorities were alerted by the NGO Vredesactie and quickly intervened to inspect the cargo.
“On Israel-related issues, our position is clear: we do not grant licenses for equipment that would strengthen the military capabilities of the parties involved,” Dolimont said.
While Belgium did not reveal the firms responsible, Declassified, citing shipping documents, reported on Tuesday that UK military export codes matched equipment related to military aircraft and fire control systems. The outlet, citing customs records, said earlier shipments from the UK to Israel via Liege had been sent by Moog, a US aerospace company with factories in Britain.
Several European countries have canceled weapons deals with Israel over its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, as human rights groups and the UN have accused Israel of indiscriminately killing civilians.
In 2025, Belgium joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). West Jerusalem has rejected the allegations as baseless and an attempt to “pervert the meaning of the term ‘genocide.’”
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/638484-belgium-seizes-israel-military/
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North America
Trump's rift with Pope is playing out in public - it's costing him valuable support
April 16, 2026
Aleem Maqbool
It is not unusual for President Trump to face criticism from Catholic leaders.
His hardline immigration policies, promised in his campaign and cheered on by supporters, have prompted condemnation from church leaders.
For months it has put the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in the US at odds with more right-leaning rank-and-file Catholics.
But the broad backlash in the last 48 hours, over Trump's attack on Pope Leo and his sharing of an AI image of himself as a Christ-like figure, is very different.
What is striking is where some of this criticism is coming from - loyal, conservative Catholic allies.
They are unhappy, not just because of Trump's public friction with Pope Leo, but at a much deeper level over the Iran war.
The uproar over Trump's lengthy social media attack on the first American pope, as too liberal and too "weak on crime", together with the AI image, have crystallised a shift in opinion among many Catholic conservatives since the war began six weeks ago.
"I pray that all of this will clarify for people that we don't look to a national leader, we don't look to those who have the most money or the most weapons. We look to Christ," says Bishop Joseph Strickland.
These words come from a man who, only last year, participated in a prayer event to "consecrate" the president's Mar-a-Lago home.
In 2024, Strickland delivered the keynote speech at CPAC where Donald Trump was the guest of honour. In 2020, he addressed a march of Trump supporters calling to overturn the election results.
He has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump through thick and thin. Indeed, his overt political alignment, and open confrontation with the late Pope Francis, even played a part in his removal from office as Bishop of Tyler, Texas.
Yet, in the face of starkly competing White House and Vatican narratives regarding the war in Iran and the wider Middle East, Bishop Strickland has made a rare break from the administration.
"I do not believe this conflict meets the criteria of a just war. I stand with the Holy Father and his call for peace. This is not about politics. It's about moral truth," he told the BBC, saying the scale of death and suffering faced by innocent civilians meant the war could never be viewed as "just".
More than that, he has challenged the White House on its handling of the war and encouraged other Catholics to do the same.
"It becomes very dark when religion is used to justify immoral behaviour... using religion to justify especially dropping bombs is contradicting what the faith is about," says Bishop Strickland.
When asked about Trump's attack on Pope Leo and the image some have referred to as "AI Jesus", which Trump said he thought was a doctor not Jesus, Bishop Strickland said he felt it was his "duty" to remind the US president of the Gospel of Matthew. He pointed to a passage that teaches that supreme power resides with Christ and not with any man.
"When world leaders forget this truth, all are in peril," he said.
This shift in the way conservative Catholics regard the US president comes with political perils, given that he increased his support among that group in the 2024 election.
It remains a complex picture, according to Pew Research Center. Racial background played a significant role, with 62% of White Catholics voting for Donald Trump and 37% for Kamala Harris, while 41% of Hispanic Catholics voted Trump and 58% Harris.
This still constituted a trend towards the Republican Party among Catholics as a whole, but with pronounced splits.
Historically, the data suggests that when it comes to outlook, politics is more important than faith for a lot of American Catholics. They are largely split along party lines, says Greg Smith, Senior Associate Director of Religion Research at Pew Research Center.
US Catholics have constituencies that hold highly polarised positions on issues like abortion and immigration. It is why a coming together like this among Catholics on the left and right over the Iran war is rare.
Their views of the head of the Catholic Church bear this out. Pope Francis was much more popular among Catholic Democrats than Catholic Republicans, while Leo enjoys high support from both, according to Pew.
Pope Francis was often seen as a spontaneous progressive, who sometimes alienated Catholic traditionalists - for example in his restrictions on Latin Mass, which Pope Leo has eased.
The Pope is not above a certain level of criticism, says Peter Wolfgang, the executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, and a prominent voice of the US Catholic "right".
"The Pope is the Pope, we owe him a certain amount of deference, but I don't think that Catholicism wants the obedience of cadavers. We are living, thinking persons," he says.
Wolfgang has transitioned from a cautious Trump pragmatist, keen that abortion laws be overturned, to a more enthusiastic supporter. He is a strong defender of mass deportation policies and the brand of Catholic nationalism represented by JD Vance. But he is now highly critical of the US president's behaviour towards Pope Leo.
"President Trump does not understand how Catholicism works. The Pope is not merely a head of state, he is the Vicar of Christ. Attacks on him are received as attacks on the Church itself. The more he attacks the Pope the more his support will drop among his Catholic voters," Wolfgang told the BBC.
Peter Wolfgang says his faith led him to challenge US Catholic bishops when they criticised President Trump's immigration policies, but the same faith makes him opposed to this war.
"When President Trump is out there talking about ending Iranian civilisation, or Secretary Hegseth is out there making some bloodthirsty prayer that is unrecognisable to Catholics, then it's completely natural for conservative Catholics to line up behind Pope Leo," he says.
Soon after the first US and Israeli attacks on Iran, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recited a highly controversial prayer at a Pentagon worship service that talked of "overwhelming violence" and "justice executed swiftly and without remorse".
In his writings, Peter Wolfgang often reserves his fiercest criticism for the Catholic "left" but he thinks the Iran issue has to some extent unified factions, partly because of the clarity of the Pope's anti-war messaging.
Unusually no senior US Catholic member of clergy publicly has supported the war in Iran. Even Robert Barron, Bishop of Winona-Rochester, a key Trump ally, demanded that the US president apologise to the pope for his angry tirade, a demand that was rebuffed.
Positioned on the liberal wing of the Catholic church, Steven Greydanus, a deacon and prominent commentator, also sees this unusual convergence of opinion.
He feels that a contributory factor has been the White House's "subversion" of the principles of "Just War Theory" - theology that determines when it is right to go to war and how to conduct that war.
But he says it is also partly down to the contrast between President Trump and the "healing presence" of Pope Leo.
"While I am grieved by the directness of Donald Trump's attacks on Pope Leo, in a way I welcome the clarity of the choice Catholics are being presented with," Greydanus says.
The Vatican has stuck to the narrative that what we have seen play out in recent weeks is not a battle between Pope Leo and President Trump at all, but a Pope clearly drawing on his faith to oppose the logic of this war.
But when President Trump said that "a whole civilisation would die" in Iran, the pope did respond directly, calling the threat "truly unacceptable".
"There is an important difference between challenging a man and challenging the principle that makes war possible," says the Reverend Antonio Spadaro SJ, Undersecretary for the Vatican's Dicastery (Ministry) for Culture and Education.
Rev Spadaro told the BBC that while dialogue was happening behind the scenes in "places of power", the Pope also had to make public pronouncements against the conflict to "mark the moral limit" of what was acceptable.
So what is the view from Vatican City about some convergence between US Catholics on the left and right in their backing of Pope Leo's anti-war messaging?
"He does not unite everyone, of course," says Rev Spadaro. "But Pope Leo moves the Catholic debate away from a purely partisan track."
There are questions about why President Trump would post an AI image that was certain to alienate and offend some of his supporters. Unusually, he did back down and delete it.
And there are questions about the the motive of the tirade against Pope Leo. For some, it appeared to be designed to diminish the Pope's opposition to the war.
"But in trying to delegitimise, Trump's attack implicitly acknowledges the weight of the pope's moral voice," says the Vatican's Rev Spadaro.
"If Leo were irrelevant, he would not deserve a word. Instead, he is invoked, named, opposed - a sign that his words matter."
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c070jxyjrmeo
-----
Trump's rift with Pope is playing out in public - it's costing him valuable support
April 16, 2026
Aleem Maqbool
It is not unusual for President Trump to face criticism from Catholic leaders.
His hardline immigration policies, promised in his campaign and cheered on by supporters, have prompted condemnation from church leaders.
For months it has put the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in the US at odds with more right-leaning rank-and-file Catholics.
But the broad backlash in the last 48 hours, over Trump's attack on Pope Leo and his sharing of an AI image of himself as a Christ-like figure, is very different.
What is striking is where some of this criticism is coming from - loyal, conservative Catholic allies.
They are unhappy, not just because of Trump's public friction with Pope Leo, but at a much deeper level over the Iran war.
The uproar over Trump's lengthy social media attack on the first American pope, as too liberal and too "weak on crime", together with the AI image, have crystallised a shift in opinion among many Catholic conservatives since the war began six weeks ago.
"I pray that all of this will clarify for people that we don't look to a national leader, we don't look to those who have the most money or the most weapons. We look to Christ," says Bishop Joseph Strickland.
These words come from a man who, only last year, participated in a prayer event to "consecrate" the president's Mar-a-Lago home.
In 2024, Strickland delivered the keynote speech at CPAC where Donald Trump was the guest of honour. In 2020, he addressed a march of Trump supporters calling to overturn the election results.
He has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump through thick and thin. Indeed, his overt political alignment, and open confrontation with the late Pope Francis, even played a part in his removal from office as Bishop of Tyler, Texas.
Yet, in the face of starkly competing White House and Vatican narratives regarding the war in Iran and the wider Middle East, Bishop Strickland has made a rare break from the administration.
"I do not believe this conflict meets the criteria of a just war. I stand with the Holy Father and his call for peace. This is not about politics. It's about moral truth," he told the BBC, saying the scale of death and suffering faced by innocent civilians meant the war could never be viewed as "just".
More than that, he has challenged the White House on its handling of the war and encouraged other Catholics to do the same.
"It becomes very dark when religion is used to justify immoral behaviour... using religion to justify especially dropping bombs is contradicting what the faith is about," says Bishop Strickland.
When asked about Trump's attack on Pope Leo and the image some have referred to as "AI Jesus", which Trump said he thought was a doctor not Jesus, Bishop Strickland said he felt it was his "duty" to remind the US president of the Gospel of Matthew. He pointed to a passage that teaches that supreme power resides with Christ and not with any man.
"When world leaders forget this truth, all are in peril," he said.
This shift in the way conservative Catholics regard the US president comes with political perils, given that he increased his support among that group in the 2024 election.
It remains a complex picture, according to Pew Research Center. Racial background played a significant role, with 62% of White Catholics voting for Donald Trump and 37% for Kamala Harris, while 41% of Hispanic Catholics voted Trump and 58% Harris.
This still constituted a trend towards the Republican Party among Catholics as a whole, but with pronounced splits.
Historically, the data suggests that when it comes to outlook, politics is more important than faith for a lot of American Catholics. They are largely split along party lines, says Greg Smith, Senior Associate Director of Religion Research at Pew Research Center.
US Catholics have constituencies that hold highly polarised positions on issues like abortion and immigration. It is why a coming together like this among Catholics on the left and right over the Iran war is rare.
Their views of the head of the Catholic Church bear this out. Pope Francis was much more popular among Catholic Democrats than Catholic Republicans, while Leo enjoys high support from both, according to Pew.
Pope Francis was often seen as a spontaneous progressive, who sometimes alienated Catholic traditionalists - for example in his restrictions on Latin Mass, which Pope Leo has eased.
The Pope is not above a certain level of criticism, says Peter Wolfgang, the executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, and a prominent voice of the US Catholic "right".
"The Pope is the Pope, we owe him a certain amount of deference, but I don't think that Catholicism wants the obedience of cadavers. We are living, thinking persons," he says.
Wolfgang has transitioned from a cautious Trump pragmatist, keen that abortion laws be overturned, to a more enthusiastic supporter. He is a strong defender of mass deportation policies and the brand of Catholic nationalism represented by JD Vance. But he is now highly critical of the US president's behaviour towards Pope Leo.
"President Trump does not understand how Catholicism works. The Pope is not merely a head of state, he is the Vicar of Christ. Attacks on him are received as attacks on the Church itself. The more he attacks the Pope the more his support will drop among his Catholic voters," Wolfgang told the BBC.
Peter Wolfgang says his faith led him to challenge US Catholic bishops when they criticised President Trump's immigration policies, but the same faith makes him opposed to this war.
"When President Trump is out there talking about ending Iranian civilisation, or Secretary Hegseth is out there making some bloodthirsty prayer that is unrecognisable to Catholics, then it's completely natural for conservative Catholics to line up behind Pope Leo," he says.
Soon after the first US and Israeli attacks on Iran, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recited a highly controversial prayer at a Pentagon worship service that talked of "overwhelming violence" and "justice executed swiftly and without remorse".
In his writings, Peter Wolfgang often reserves his fiercest criticism for the Catholic "left" but he thinks the Iran issue has to some extent unified factions, partly because of the clarity of the Pope's anti-war messaging.
Unusually no senior US Catholic member of clergy publicly has supported the war in Iran. Even Robert Barron, Bishop of Winona-Rochester, a key Trump ally, demanded that the US president apologise to the pope for his angry tirade, a demand that was rebuffed.
Positioned on the liberal wing of the Catholic church, Steven Greydanus, a deacon and prominent commentator, also sees this unusual convergence of opinion.
He feels that a contributory factor has been the White House's "subversion" of the principles of "Just War Theory" - theology that determines when it is right to go to war and how to conduct that war.
But he says it is also partly down to the contrast between President Trump and the "healing presence" of Pope Leo.
"While I am grieved by the directness of Donald Trump's attacks on Pope Leo, in a way I welcome the clarity of the choice Catholics are being presented with," Greydanus says.
The Vatican has stuck to the narrative that what we have seen play out in recent weeks is not a battle between Pope Leo and President Trump at all, but a Pope clearly drawing on his faith to oppose the logic of this war.
But when President Trump said that "a whole civilisation would die" in Iran, the pope did respond directly, calling the threat "truly unacceptable".
"There is an important difference between challenging a man and challenging the principle that makes war possible," says the Reverend Antonio Spadaro SJ, Undersecretary for the Vatican's Dicastery (Ministry) for Culture and Education.
Rev Spadaro told the BBC that while dialogue was happening behind the scenes in "places of power", the Pope also had to make public pronouncements against the conflict to "mark the moral limit" of what was acceptable.
So what is the view from Vatican City about some convergence between US Catholics on the left and right in their backing of Pope Leo's anti-war messaging?
"He does not unite everyone, of course," says Rev Spadaro. "But Pope Leo moves the Catholic debate away from a purely partisan track."
There are questions about why President Trump would post an AI image that was certain to alienate and offend some of his supporters. Unusually, he did back down and delete it.
And there are questions about the the motive of the tirade against Pope Leo. For some, it appeared to be designed to diminish the Pope's opposition to the war.
"But in trying to delegitimise, Trump's attack implicitly acknowledges the weight of the pope's moral voice," says the Vatican's Rev Spadaro.
"If Leo were irrelevant, he would not deserve a word. Instead, he is invoked, named, opposed - a sign that his words matter."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c070jxyjrmeo
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CAIR Demands Harvard Take Disciplinary Action Against Club for Post Targeting Muslim Students Celebrating Eid
April 15, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Harvard University to take immediate disciplinary action to address a discriminatory social media post by the Harvard Republican Club targeting Muslim students celebrating Eid on campus. CAIR confirmed that it has sent a formal letter to the university demanding the removal of the post and corrective action.
The post disparages Muslim students for celebrating their sacred holiday of Eid, stating, “Harvard has been captured,” framing their presence as aggressive. CAIR said the harassing content contributes to a hostile campus climate and reflects broader institutional failures. CAIR designated Harvard as a ‘Hostile Campus’ in its 2025 Hostile Campus Ratings Report, assigning an alarmingly low score of 12%.
“This is exactly what happens when Islamophobia is not defined,” said CAIR’s Research and Advocacy Specialist, Dr. Maryam Hasan. “Harvard’s continued failure to adopt a clear, enforceable definition of Islamophobia has created a policy gap in which anti-Muslim racism is minimized, dismissed, or ignored altogether, making Muslim students feel unwelcome.”
In its letter, CAIR urged Harvard University to take disciplinary action, require the immediate removal of the discriminatory post, publicly condemn Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism, and adopt a clear, enforceable definition of Islamophobia, as other definitions to stop religious bigotry have been adopted. CAIR stated that these inconsistencies are especially troubling given Harvard’s explicit clarification of its non-discrimination policy regarding Islamophobia and harassment, “both in the online and offline world.”
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-demands-harvard-take-disciplinary-action-against-club-for-post-targeting-muslim-students-celebrating-eid/
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Trump threatens to fire Fed chair Powell if he doesn't leave in May
April 16, 2026
Archie Mitchell
US President Donald Trump has threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he does not step aside at the end of his term in May.
The two have been embroiled in a bitter spat over Powell's reluctance to cut the central bank's interest rate, despite Trump's repeated calls.
Powell's term expires on 15 May, but he is planning to remain in post until his successor, Kevin Warsh, is confirmed by the Senate.
"Then I'll have to fire him," Trump told Fox Business, when asked about Powell's plans to stay on in the job.
"I've held back firing him. I've wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial," Trump said.
Thom Tillis, an influential Republican senator on the committee which oversees nominations for the Federal Reserve chair, has threatened to block Warsh's confirmation. If Warsh is not confirmed before Powell's term expires, he plans to stay on temporarily in the post.
"That's what the law calls for. That's what we've done on several occasions," Powell has said.
Tillis has warned Trump he will not let Warsh's appointment go ahead unless a criminal investigation into Powell, linked to the renovation of the Federal Reserve building, is dropped.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said on Wednesday that he believed the Department of Justice should end its probe into Powell.
"I think it's in everybody's best interest to wrap up the investigation," Thune said.
Another Republican senator on the banking committee, Mike Rounds, told reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that the probe is not "serving our purpose, which is to help the president get the next Federal Reserve chairman he wants".
Trump said he was hopeful Tillis would drop his opposition to the appointment, adding that he "is an American… he knows what to do".
But he said he was not prepared to have the probe into Powell dropped.
He told Fox Business: "Don't you think we have to find out what happened there? I have to find out."
Asked on Wednesday about Trump's comments, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he is "very optimistic" Warsh will be confirmed before 15 May.
Speaking at a White House press briefing, he said: "I am sure Senator Tillis wants to do the best thing for the Federal Reserve for the American people.
"He has publicly said Kevin Warsh is a great candidate for the chair, so let's get to the hearings and see where we are."
Trump has accused Powell of mishandling the Federal Reserve renovation, spending billions of dollars on a project which he suggested could have been carried out for tens of millions.
He has previously branded Powell a "knucklehead" and claimed he was "doing a lousy job" after his repeated calls for interest rate cuts were ignored.
Stock markets and the US dollar slipped after it emerged in 2025 Trump had broached the idea of firing Powell.
The US president quickly denied he was going to sack him, adding: "It's highly unlikely unless he has to leave for fraud." If Trump were to fire Powell, it would be a major break with precedent and mark the first time a Federal Reserve chair has been fired.
Trump appointed Powell to lead the Federal Reserve during his first term in 2017, praising his "steady leadership, sound judgement, and policy expertise". He was reappointed by Joe Biden in 2021.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9qddrdd8w2o
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US blockade: No Iranian ship allowed to cross Strait of Hormuz in last three days, 10 sent back
Apr 16, 2026
The US military on Thursday said it had turned back 10 vessels attempting to leave Iranian ports during the first 48 hours of its naval blockade, even as maritime tracking data suggested some ships may have initially crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, US Central Command said, “Ten vessels have now been turned around, and ZERO ships have broken through since the start of the US blockade on Monday.” The latest figure includes an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that was “redirected” by the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111) after it attempted to evade the blockade on Wednesday.
According to the US military, the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel had departed Bandar Abbas, exited the strait, and was transiting along Iran’s coastline before being forced to turn back. CENTCOM had earlier reported nine vessels being turned around, before adding the 10th interception.
However, maritime tracking data appeared to complicate the US account. Data from Tuesday indicated that at least three ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the strait, with some later reversing course. These vessels were among at least seven Iran-linked ships that transited the waterway after the blockade came into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday, according to maritime analytics firm Kpler.
US officials maintain that the blockade is enforced beyond the strait, in the Gulf of Oman, meaning vessels may pass through the chokepoint but still face interception later.
The full maritime blockade was announced by the Trump administration after negotiations in Islamabad failed, and is aimed at halting sea trade linked to Iran in a bid to increase pressure on Tehran. US Central Command said it is being enforced “impartially against all vessels of all nations” entering or leaving Iranian ports, with naval forces prepared to compel compliance.
Tehran’s forces have largely restricted maritime traffic through the strategic energy chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, since the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel began on 28 February, amid escalating regional tensions.
According to the New York Post, however, diplomatic talks between the US and Iran aimed at ending the conflict that is currently under a fragile ceasefire could resume later this week in Pakistan, even as the blockade remains in effect and tensions continue to flare.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-blockade-no-iranian-ship-allowed-to-cross-strait-of-hormuz-last-three-days-10-sent-back/articleshowprint/130297397.cms
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Iran war 'close to over', says Trump. Sends 10k new troops
Apr 16, 2026
DUBAI/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the war he launched with Israel on Iran was “close to over”, even as 10,000 additional US troops move into West Asia, and Pakistan army chief Asim Munir arrived in Tehran with a mediation team to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict.
Quoting current and former US officials, The Washington Post reported that the US was sending the additional troops before the end of April as Washington tries to increase pressure on Tehran. These include forces aboard the USS George H W Bush and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group. It was previously announced that roughly 50,000 troops had been involved in operations in the war on Iran.
The build-up comes amid efforts to extend the two-week ceasefire between US and Iran. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Munir, who mediated the last round of talks, was in Iran “to narrow gaps” between the two sides.
“I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” Trump told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, according to a post by the reporter on X, adding he did not think it would be necessary to extend the ceasefire. “I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean I view it as very close to over,” Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network conducted Tuesday and broadcast Wednesday. “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/iran-war-close-to-over-says-trump-sends-10k-new-troops/articleshowprint/130295804.cms
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US Senate Republicans reject effort to halt Trump's Iran war
Apr 16, 2026
More than three dozen Democrats supported a resolution introduced in the US Senate by Bernie Sanders to block arms sales to Israel.
The move signals growing unease within the party over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the ongoing war with Iran.
The Senate voted on two separate resolutions seeking to halt the sale of bulldozers and bombs to Israel.
Both measures were opposed by all Republicans and ultimately rejected, with votes of 40-59 and 36-63, the Associated Press reported.
Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, has repeatedly forced votes on the issue to pressure lawmakers from both parties.
After the vote, he said, “It’s clear that Democrats are beginning to listen to the average American who is sick and tired of spending billions of dollars to support Netanyahu’s horrific wars when people in this country can’t afford housing or health care.”
Among those backing the resolutions was Mark Kelly, who had earlier opposed some of Sanders’ previous attempts.
Explaining his decision, Kelly said the “reckless decisions” of Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump influenced his vote. He cited the expansion of the conflict into Lebanon and continued violence against Palestinians as factors that have “undermined the path forward for peace.”
“Under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, we’ve seen an expanded war in Lebanon that is putting innocent Lebanese civilians at risk, and ongoing violence against Palestinians and their homes being demolished in the West Bank. All of this has undermined the path forward for peace, Kelly said.”
However, several prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, voted against the resolutions.
On the same day, Democrats also supported a separate resolution to halt US involvement in the Iran conflict, though that measure was narrowly rejected 47-52.
Senator Chris Coons, who voted against Sanders’ Israel resolutions but backed ending the Iran war, said his decisions should not be seen as either endorsing Netanyahu’s actions or abandoning Israel.
Republicans strongly opposed the measures, warning of broader geopolitical consequences.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch argued that blocking arms sales could embolden Iran and signalled that the United States is willing to leave Israel vulnerable.
“They will not help the United States of America,” Risch said ahead of the vote.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-reject-effort-to-halt-trumps-iran-war/articleshowprint/130295546.cms
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White House denies US sought truce extension, says new talks may happen in Pakistan
Apr 16, 2026
The White House on Wednesday clarified that the United States has not formally sought an extension of the ongoing ceasefire with Iran, even as diplomatic engagements between the two sides continue.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed media reports suggesting otherwise. "Bad reporting this morning that we had formally requested an extension of the ceasefire. That is not true at this moment," she said during a press briefing.
"We remain very much engaged in these negotiations, in these talks. You heard from the Vice President and the President this week that these conversations are productive and ongoing, and that's where we are right now," she added.
Leavitt said the administration remains cautiously optimistic. "We feel good about the prospects of a deal. The President mentioned that in his interview yesterday," she said, noting that Iran has been made aware of Washington’s position.
"It is in the best interest of Iran to meet the President's demands. I think he's made his red lines in these negotiations very clear to the other side," she said.
Responding to a question on the venue of the upcoming talks, Leavitt said the discussions would "very likely" take place at the same location as the previous round. "They would very likely be in the same place as they were last time," Leavitt said during a press briefing.
"They (Pakistan) are the only mediator in this negotiation, while there have been many countries around the world that want to offer their help," she added.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is closely monitoring financial flows linked to Iran and warned Chinese banks of potential action.
"I do not have an update on the tariffs, but I do have an update on sanctions. Iran is, or used to be, the largest state sponsor of terrorism. China was purchasing more than 90% of their oil, which is about 8% of China's energy needs. We believe that with this blockade in the straits, there will be a pause in Chinese buying," Bessent said.
"I am not going to identify the banks, but we told them that if we can prove that Iranian money is flowing through your accounts, then we are willing to impose secondary sanctions," he added.
This comes amid the fragile two-week ceasefire and rising tensions, Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir arrived in Tehran in a last-ditch effort to revive stalled negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Munir, accompanied by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The visit follows the collapse of the "Islamabad Talks," which failed to produce a breakthrough after marathon discussions.
Araghchi thanked Pakistan for its role, saying he expressed "gratitude for Pakistan’s gracious hosting of dialogue," adding that it "reflects our deep and great bilateral relationship." "Our commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region remains strong and shared," he added.
Diplomatic sources indicated the Pakistani delegation carried a fresh message from Washington outlining a possible framework for a second round of high-level talks.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump also signalled that while a ceasefire extension may not be necessary, a negotiated settlement remains the preferred outcome. "I think you're going to be watching an amazing two days ahead. I really do," Trump said in an interview with ABC News.
Direct talks held on April 11–12 between Vice President JD Vance and Iranian officials lasted 21 hours but ended without agreement, largely over key "red line" issues, particularly Iran’s nuclear programme.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshowprint/130293284.cms
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Africa
Buni tasks clerics on prayers for country, Tinubu, others
16 April 2026
Governor Mai Mala Buni has urged Chief Imams of Jummat Mosques in Yobe State to pray for Nigeria and its President, Bola Tinubu, and other leaders for peace and unity in the country.
He made the call during a series of consultative meetings with Chief Imams at the Government House, Damaturu.
The first phase of the meeting was organised for both Muslim and Christian clerics in the state, and attended by more than 800 Chief Imams from the various Friday Jummat mosques in the state.
The governor stated: “Nigeria is in dire need of prayers and fasting against the internal and external evil machinations for peace to reign, and for Nigeria to prosper with a sustained economic development and growth.”
He, therefore, explained to the clerics that there would be no meaningful development without peace, stating: “That is why we need to come together to support our leaders to protect our country from insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and other criminalities that led to the loss of many lives and property.”
Buni also reminded the religious leaders of the unfortunate experience of the state at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Religious Affairs, Babagana Malam Kyari, said the meeting was to remind the Imams of the need to pray for the country and its leaders.
IN another development, a broad-based national coalition, spanning civil society organisations, professional bodies, labour groups, artisan associations, and other grassroots networks, has unveiled plans to back President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid with 20 million signatures.
Spearheaded by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON), the alliance said it extends far beyond the traditional civic space, bringing together over 1,500 groups from diverse sectors of the Nigerian society.
In a statement, COCSON’s National Secretary, Tabuko Kennedy, revealed that the landmark convention is set for May 17, 2026, bringing together leaders and representatives from diverse groups in what is projected to be “the largest endorsement gathering in Nigeria’s history.”
He explained that the event would provide a formal platform for the coalition to jointly declare support for the President’s re-election bid.
Kennedy further noted that the planned 20 million-signature campaign is designed to demonstrate widespread grassroots acceptance and national consensus across regions, professions, and socio-economic divides.
The coalition, he said, is leveraging both physical outreach and digital platforms to achieve the ambitious target within the stipulated timeframe.
ALSO, the people of Kwara North Senatorial District have joined the clamour for President Tinubu’s second term bid.
They also urged the Nigerian leader to assist in breaking the age-long jinx in which their zone had been denied the governorship seat.
They recalled, at a mega rally in Ilorin, that since the creation of the state in 1967, the zone has been governed for just 22 months through former Governor Shaba Lafiagi.
At the well-attended event, all the speakers agreed that Tinubu had performed excellently to deserve a second term.
Speaking on behalf of the Kwara North traditional rulers, the Emir of Lafiagi, Muhammad Kudu Kawu, described the agitation for power shift as a reflection of the longstanding aspiration of the people of the district.
According to him, the district has, for decades, remained on the margins of Kwara’s top leadership despite its contributions to electoral victories and political stability of the state.
Kawu pleaded to the Chairman of Kwara State Council of Traditional Rulers, Emir Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to prevail on the state government and other prominent stakeholders to concede the Government House to Kwara North.
Equally, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly and two-time minister, Issa Bio Ibrahim, addressed the gathering on behalf of the leaders and stakeholders of the district.
He used the forum to announce the resolve of the people to support any of their sons who emerge as the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) so that the district could occupy the state’s number one political office for the first time since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
Erstwhile legislator and Commissioner of Information, AbdulMumin Katibi, rolled out data to show that Kwara North in the past elections produced the second largest vote bloc after Kwara Central.
Source: guardian.ng
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https://guardian.ng/politics/buni-tasks-clerics-on-prayers-for-country-tinubu-others/
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Security Forces On Alert Over Planned ISWAP, Boko Haram Attacks On Abuja Airport, Prison – Report
April 16, 2026
The Nigeria Customs Service has placed security agencies on high alert over intelligence indicating planned attacks by Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram on key infrastructure in Abuja and Niger State.
According to an internal memo seen by Associated Press and dated April 13, the planned attacks are expected to target the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, a prison facility in the Federal Capital Territory, and a military detention centre in Niger State.
The memo revealed that the attackers’ objective is to free detained terrorists and damage critical infrastructure.
“Their intention is to release detained terrorists and inflict significant damage on critical aviation infrastructure,” the document stated.
Security agencies have reportedly been placed on heightened alert to prevent any potential attack.
According to Peoples Gazette, the Customs Service said the intelligence suggests a pattern similar to recent attacks carried out in neighbouring Niger Republic, particularly in Niamey and Tahoua.
“This suggests a possible intent by terrorists to replicate the attack patterns within Nigeria,” the memo added.
Earlier this year, suspected jihadists carried out attacks on aviation and military facilities in Niamey, leaving several soldiers injured and damaging military assets.
A senior customs officer, quoted in reports, said military and paramilitary forces have been mobilised to forestall any attack.
However, when contacted, the NCS spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, said he was not aware of the memo.
Nigeria continues to face multiple security challenges, including insurgency, banditry, and kidnappings.
Recent data from the Global Terrorism Index ranked the country among the most affected globally, with ISWAP and Boko Haram responsible for a significant proportion of terror-related deaths.
The development also comes amid a recent advisory by the United States urging its citizens to avoid travel to Nigeria due to security risks, a position the Nigerian government has disputed.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/04/16/security-forces-on-alert-over-planned-iswap-boko-haram-attacks-on-abuja-airport-prison-report/
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‘Red Flags’ – US Lawmaker Tells Tinubu Top Minister He Must Sack Immediately
April 16, 2026
A United States lawmaker, Kimberly Daniels, has called on Bola Ahmed Tinubu to redeploy or remove the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, citing concerns over Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
Naija News reports that Daniels made the call in a statement posted on her Facebook page, referencing findings from a recent security assessment report.
The lawmaker’s intervention follows renewed attacks in parts of the North-Central and North-West regions during the 2026 Easter period, which resulted in multiple casualties in Plateau, Kaduna and Nasarawa states.
According to her, the report highlighted a growing gap between official assurances and the realities faced by communities affected by violence.
She noted that testimonies from local leaders and survivors pointed to persistent insecurity, including attacks on religious gatherings during Palm Sunday and Easter celebrations.
Daniels said the assessment raised “red flags” regarding Matawalle’s continued stay in office, including concerns over his experience and allegations linked to his tenure as governor of Zamfara State.
She urged the Federal Government to undertake a leadership review within the defence ministry.
“To the Government of Nigeria, the results of the assessment urge President Tinubu to look inward and remove elements that compromise national security,” she said.
“Specifically, immediate leadership review. The removal or redeployment of Minister Bello Matawalle to restore the integrity of the defence ministry.”
The US lawmaker also called for a transparent investigation into allegations of high-level complicity in banditry, alongside improved protection for vulnerable communities.
She further urged the United States and other international partners to apply diplomatic pressure on Nigeria to ensure accountability.
“The greatest form of terrorism a person can experience is terror that comes from homegrown familiar enemies,” Daniels said, alleging that some attacks may involve internal collaboration.
Daniels disclosed that House Resolution 761, which supports redesignating Nigeria as a country of particular concern over religious freedom, has received bipartisan support in the Florida legislature.
She said her position was influenced by concerns raised by Nigerians who reached out to her regarding the situation in the country.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/04/16/us-lawmaker-tinubu-minister-sack-immediately/
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This Is The Worst Government I’ve Seen – Atiku Abubakar Slams Bola Tinubu
April 16, 2026
Presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has criticized the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying he is not satisfied with how the country is being run and would make security his top concern if elected.
Naija News reports that he made this known during an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, where he spoke about his plans and views ahead of the next election.
During the interview, Atiku was asked about how he intends to defeat a sitting president. He refused to explain his approach, saying he would not discuss his political plans in that kind of setting.
The former vice president also reacted to claims that any joint candidate from a political alliance may find it hard to defeat Tinubu, dismissing such suggestions.
Speaking further, Atiku said the current administration has not met his expectations, adding that he is unhappy with the state of the country. He said his concerns cover both the economy and other areas of governance.
On what he would do first if he becomes president, Atiku said restoring security and maintaining order would come before anything else. He explained that without safety and stability, it would be difficult for any government to carry out plans in areas like job creation, infrastructure, or healthcare.
He maintained that a country must first be secure before any meaningful progress can be achieved in other sectors.
He said: “Everything is wrong with President Tinubu. I mean, honestly, perhaps in my life this is the worst administration I have seen.
“I feel terribly disappointed. Economically, otherwise, I feel disappointed. I believe security, law and order are basic. Whatever you want to achieve, if you don’t have security, you don’t have law and order, I don’t think you can implement whatever policy, whether it is job creation, whether it is infrastructure development, whether it is health care, whatever, you must have a secure and stable country.”
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/04/16/worst-government-atiku-abubakar-bola-tinubu/
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You Have Chosen To Dance Naked Once Again – Presidency Blasts Pat Utomi
April 16, 2026
The Presidency has berated political economist Pat Utomi over his criticism of the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu.
Utomi had described President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform programme as “ridiculous,” “poorly structured,” and a “Ponzi scheme.”
However, speaking via a statement on Wednesday, Presidential aide Sunday Dare accused Utomi of engaging in what he tagged “grandstanding and gloom.”
“Professor Pat Utomi has once again chosen to dance naked in the public square, playing to the gallery with a familiar cocktail of grandstanding and gloom,” Dare said.
Dare argued that Utomi’s interventions often fail to withstand scrutiny, questioning his credibility and contributions to Nigeria’s economic development.
“At this point, the issue is no longer what Utomi is saying. The issue is why his interventions consistently collapse under the weight of their own exaggeration,” he stated.
The presidential aide maintained that the Tinubu administration’s reforms were grounded in measurable economic actions rather than theory, citing key policy decisions such as the removal of the fuel subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates.
“These are not theoretical positions. They are structural actions with verifiable fiscal impact,” Dare said, noting that the reforms had improved revenue flows to states and strengthened fiscal stability.
He further contended that criticism labelling the reforms a “Ponzi scheme” was misplaced and lacked intellectual rigour.
Let’s be blunt. Calling a national reform programme a ‘Ponzi scheme’ is not provocative; it is intellectually hollow,” he said.
Dare argued that the reforms were aimed at eliminating fiscal leakages, restoring transparency in the foreign exchange market, and rebuilding investor confidence in the Nigerian economy
He also accused Utomi of failing to provide credible alternatives to the policies he criticised.
“Utomi offers no coherent alternative framework, no credible sequencing model, no fiscal pathway that avoids the very crisis he warns about,” Dare said.
The presidential aide suggested that growing criticism from some quarters could be linked to disruptions caused by ongoing reforms, which he said were dismantling long-standing economic inefficiencies
“There is a pattern here that is too glaring to ignore. Now that architecture is being disrupted, the volume of outrage has gone up. This is not a coincidence,” he added.
While acknowledging that the reforms were not without challenges, Dare insisted they were necessary steps toward long-term economic stability.
“Nigeria’s reforms are not beyond criticism. But they are on track and trackable,” he said.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/04/16/dance-naked-presidency-pat-utomi/
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‘Misinformed’ – Ex-lawmakers Defend Matawalle, Fault US Lawmaker’s Call For Removal
April 16, 2026
The Former Parliamentarians Forum has dismissed calls for the removal of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, describing them as misinformed and lacking proper understanding of Nigeria’s security realities.
The group warned that external interventions in Nigeria’s internal security matters, if not carefully handled, could undermine ongoing efforts to stabilise volatile regions across the country.
Naija News reports that the Forum, in a statement signed by its chairman, Hon. Gabriel Idoko, was reacting to remarks by Kimberly Daniels, who recently called for Matawalle’s removal following a security assessment on Nigeria.
According to the Forum, such conclusions were based on “selective interpretations” of complex security challenges.
“It is both simplistic and counterproductive to suggest that the removal or redeployment of one public official would resolve challenges that have evolved over decades,” the statement said.
The group emphasised that Nigeria’s security issues are deeply rooted and require coordinated institutional responses rather than individual blame.
It noted that Matawalle operates within a broader defence framework under the administration of Bola Tinubu, contributing to joint military operations and intelligence coordination.
“These efforts are the product of sustained collaboration among the armed forces, intelligence services, and political leadership,” the Forum said.
“Disrupting that synergy on the basis of unverified allegations would be a disservice to national security.”
The Forum also cautioned against what it described as the growing trend of external actors influencing domestic security discourse without adequate engagement with local realities.
It warned that such interventions could inflame tensions and embolden non-state actors if not properly grounded in verified information.
While acknowledging ongoing security challenges, particularly in the North-Central and North-West regions, the Forum stressed that accountability must follow due process.
“Allegations of complicity, especially at high levels of government, must be substantiated through credible investigations by competent authorities,” the statement added.
The group further argued that Matawalle’s background as a former governor of Zamfara State provides valuable insight into tackling rural insecurity and community-based conflicts.
“Experience in governance, particularly in conflict-prone environments, is an asset—not a liability,” the Forum stated.
The Forum urged stakeholders to support security agencies and avoid rhetoric capable of undermining morale or public confidence.
“Constructive engagement, not sensational demands, is what Nigeria needs at this critical juncture,” it said.
The group reaffirmed confidence in the current defence leadership and calling for a measured, evidence-based approach to assessing Nigeria’s security situation.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/04/16/misinformed-ex-lawmakers-matawalle-us-removal/
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Southeast Asia
Ringgit gains on hopes of US-Iran talks easing tensions
16 Apr 2026
The Malaysian ringgit strengthened slightly against the US dollar as optimism over diplomatic talks between the US and Iran lifted market sentiment
KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit opened marginally higher against the US dollar today, supported by optimism that renewed US-Iran talks could ease tensions along key global oil routes.
At 8 am, the local currency edged up to 3.9510/9570 against the greenback, from 3.9550/9600 at yesterday’s close.
Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said markets were pinning hopes on a second round of US-Iran talks delivering an outcome that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and further de-escalate the conflict.
He added that inflation concerns, driven by war-related pressures on US firms and rising US Treasury yields, would keep borrowing costs elevated, as the US Federal Reserve may be reluctant to cut interest rates.
“Expect ringgit versus the US dollar to remain in a narrow range of between RM3.95 and RM3.97 today,” he told Bernama.
At press time, West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude prices had both fallen below US$100 per barrel, easing 0.58 per cent and 0.36 per cent to US$90.76 and US$94.59, respectively.
At the opening, the ringgit traded mixed against a basket of major currencies.
It weakened against the British pound to 5.3627/3708 from 5.3614/3682 at Wednesday’s close, slipped versus the euro to 4.6649/6720 from 4.6594/6653, but strengthened against the Japanese yen to 2.4879/4918 from 2.4890/4923.
Meanwhile, the local currency traded mostly higher against its ASEAN peers.
It edged up against the Singapore dollar to 3.1093/1143 from 3.1095/1139 on Wednesday, improved versus the Indonesian rupiah to 230.4/230.9 from 230.7/231.0, and rose against the Philippine peso to 6.57/6.59 from 6.58/6.59 previously.
However, the ringgit weakened against the Thai baht to 12.3415/3676 from 12.3098/3330 yesterday.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/ringgit-gains-on-hopes-of-us-iran-talks-easing-tensions/
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Govt to identify new green spaces in KL monthly
16 Apr 2026
Minister Hannah Yeoh announces a monthly fast-track initiative to protect Kuala Lumpur’s public green areas, with 45 new sites recently gazetted
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is committed to identifying green and open spaces in the Federal Territory on a monthly basis. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Hannah Yeoh said this fast-track approach aims to protect more public areas.
The initiative is driven by a special task force established to expedite the process. Yeoh stated that DBKL is working hard with the Director of Lands and Mines to increase identifications every month.
“This effort will continue every month with more areas being identified for gazetting from time to time,” she said at a press conference. The event was also attended by Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and other officials.
Yeoh also announced the gazetting of 45 more green and open spaces covering 277,663.90 square metres. This brings the total number of protected areas to 539 locations.
“This area is now secured as public property through the continuous efforts of the Special Task Force,” she said. She added that these gazetted areas can no longer be arbitrarily converted for other purposes.
The move is part of a long-term strategy to make Kuala Lumpur a more sustainable and resilient city. This includes adapting the ‘Sponge City’ concept to address flooding and rising temperatures.
The public can check the full list of gazetted areas through the official portal of the Office of the Director of Lands and Mines. Yeoh added that the Special Task Force would be led by JWP director-general Datuk Muhammad Azmi Mohd Zain.
The task force involves various key agencies including the Federal Territory Land and Mines Department. Meetings will be held regularly every month to drive the initiative forward.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/people-issues/govt-to-identify-new-green-spaces-in-kl-monthly/
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Malaysia faces rising shipping costs amid Hormuz tensions
16 Apr 2026
Tighter vessel access, insurance pullbacks and fuel spikes risk lifting import prices and inflation: Shipowners association
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is beginning to feel the strain from escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, as shipping costs surge, insurance cover is pulled and vessel access tightens – raising the risk of higher prices at home.
Shipowners warn that war-risk insurance for vessels operating in the area has been cancelled, while bunker fuel costs have surged by as much as 140%, sharply increasing operating expenses.
Malaysia Shipowners Association (Masa) chairman Mohamed Safwan Othman said the fallout had moved beyond the maritime sector, given Malaysia’s heavy reliance on shipping for strategic cargo such as food imports, coal for energy and palm oil exports.
He warned the disruption could soon feed into higher freight charges and broader inflation.
“We are indeed very concerned about the statements made by the United States president regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Under international maritime conventions, any strait or waterway in the world is a free passageway.
“It cannot simply be blocked by any country and the countries helping to administer that strait are supposed to facilitate passage,” he told theSun.
Safwan said the situation had already escalated beyond rising costs, with some vessels now unable to secure insurance for Hormuz-linked routes.
“The effects are already being felt. Insurance is not merely increasing, it has actually been cancelled.
“What they call the war-risk premium – many insurance companies are no longer covering ships that want to berth in or pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”
He said fuel costs had also climbed sharply since tensions escalated.
“Since the tension began, fuel costs have also risen. Just the cost of fuel for ships has gone up by 140%.”
The Foreign Affairs Ministry earlier confirmed that one of seven Malaysia-linked vessels had safely transited the waterway, while six others remain in the area awaiting clearance.
Safwan warned that the bigger risk was not only rising costs, but whether enough vessels would remain available to carry essential cargo if the disruption drags on.
He said countries and shipowners would prioritise their own strategic needs in a prolonged crisis.
“One direct effect is a shortage of ships. As an importing country and a regional exporter, we need a large number of vessels to carry strategic cargo such as food. We also export palm oil, and for energy we import coal.”
He added that the impact was already spilling into land and air transport, pushing up costs across the board.
“We expect inflation to rise as food and other goods become more expensive in the near term.”
A United Nations Development Programme assessment released on Tuesday reinforced those concerns, warning that the latest Middle East escalation could cost the Asia-Pacific region between US$97 billion (RM383.3 billion) and US$299 billion (RM1.18 trillion) with up to 8.8 million people at risk of falling into poverty.
Safwan said discussions had been held with the government, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, on possible security support for Malaysian cargo vessels.
However, he said such measures were not required at this stage, as Putrajaya continues to rely on diplomatic engagement.
“What we told the government is that our priority is, first, the safety of the seafarers on board. Second is our assets, meaning the ships, and third is the cargo we are carrying, because that cargo is critical to the continuity and needs of the Malaysian people.”
The latest uncertainty follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a naval blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports after ceasefire talks with Tehran collapsed.
The blockade came into force on Monday, with the US military reporting that six merchant vessels had turned back within the first 24 hours.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/people-issues/malaysia-faces-rising-shipping-costs-amid-hormuz-tensions/
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Malaysia intensifies efforts to rescue stranded crew in Dubai
15 Apr 2026
PM Anwar vows to bring home remaining crew from Hamriyah Port, following the safe return of some sailors after seven months stranded.
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) said the government will intensify efforts to bring home the remaining crew of Berkat Tuah, the offshore support vessel, still stranded at Hamriyah Port in Dubai.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Anwar said the effort is being coordinated through close cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, the Malaysian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and relevant agencies.
Anwar said this after meeting one of the Malaysian crew, Muhammad Kamal Idhamuddin Kamal Arifin, who safely returned recently after being stranded at the port with fellow crew members for seven months.
“Alhamdulillah, with continuous efforts, Muhammad Kamal and his colleagues have finally been brought home safely. Efforts are now being stepped up to ensure the remaining crew members can return as soon as possible,” he said.
He noted that the government remains committed to safeguarding the welfare and safety of Malaysians abroad, while expressing hope that those still stranded would remain strong in facing the situation.
The wave of United States and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb 28, as well as Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on US military bases across the region, have forced the closure of much of West Asia’s airspace, affecting flights around the world.
At least eight countries have announced airspace closures since the conflict erupted, including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.
Source: thesun.my
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Anwar: Malaysia to prioritise domestic fuel, supply surplus to Australia
16 Apr 2026
PUTRAJAYA, April 16 — Malaysia will prioritise meeting its domestic fuel requirements before supplying any excess to Australia, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said the government had obtained assurances from Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) of sufficient supply for local consumption, with any surplus channelled to trusted partners such as Australia.
“The priority is, of course, on domestic requirements and economic resilience in the country,” he said at a joint press conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, here today.
The Prime Minister noted that such arrangements reflect the importance of negotiations and mutual understanding between friendly nations, particularly as both countries rely on each other for strategic resources.
Malaysia, he said, imports gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), from Australia, which has reaffirmed its commitment to honour existing supply agreements, while Malaysia, in turn, will ensure that Australia’s requirements are fulfilled once domestic needs are secured.
“That’s what friendship is all about,” he said, describing the cooperation as a balanced partnership built on trust and reciprocal commitments.
Anwar stressed Malaysia will continue to strengthen engagement with a wide range of international partners while ensuring that national interests and the welfare of its people remain the government’s foremost priority.
He said the country maintains diverse economic relationships with major global players, noting that the United States remains Malaysia’s largest source of trade and investment, even as Kuala Lumpur sustains constructive bilateral ties with other countries, including Russia.
“We, as a country, have been engaging with more countries. The largest trade (and) investments are still from the US, notwithstanding that we have good bilateral relations with Russia and we trade with them,” he said.
Anwar emphasised that in an increasingly complex global environment, Malaysia must carefully manage its international relationships to ensure economic stability and protect national interests.
“My priority, the mandate that I have, is to protect the interests of the people in this country,” he reiterated.
Australia is a significant economic partner for Malaysia, ranking as Malaysia’s 12th largest trading partner in 2025, with total bilateral trade valued at RM78.63 billion (USD18.38 billion).
Malaysia and Australia elevated their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2021, providing a framework to further expand cooperation across three key pillars: economic prosperity, society and technology, and defence and regional security. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/04/16/anwar-malaysia-to-prioritise-domestic-fuel-supply-surplus-to-australia/216516
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Anwar hosts Australian PM Albanese for energy security talks amid US-Iran tensions
16 Apr 2026
PUTRAJAYA, April 16 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today held a four-eyed meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, centred on strengthening bilateral ties and navigating emerging energy security challenges amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
The meeting was held shortly after Albanese was accorded an official welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex, in conjunction with his three-day official visit to Malaysia from April 15 to 17.
Both leaders are expected to discuss the conflict in West Asia and its spillover effects on global energy markets, particularly potential disruption to energy supply chains and international trade routes that could weigh on regional economic stability.
They are also expected to exchange views on strengthening cooperation in energy security, including ensuring supply stability, strengthening infrastructure resilience, and exploring opportunities in renewable energy and clean technologies.
The four-eyed meeting is expected to be followed by a bilateral meeting involving senior ministers and officials from both countries, where progress under the Malaysia-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), established in 2021, will be reviewed.
Australia remains a key economic partner for Malaysia, ranking as its 12th largest trading partner in 2025, with total bilateral trade valued at RM78.63 billion (US$18.38 billion). Of this, Malaysia's exports stood at RM48.64 billion (US$11.37 billion), while imports totalled RM29.99 billion (US$7 billion).
Beyond trade, the relationship is underpinned by strong energy interdependence.
Based on 2025 bilateral data, Australia supplies about 96 per cent of Malaysia's imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), a critical component in supporting the gas network in Peninsular Malaysia and advancing the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).
At the same time, Malaysia is a key supplier of fuel to Australia, accounting for approximately 17 per cent of its total fuel imports. These flows reflect established commercial supply chains between the two countries rather than ad hoc arrangements. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/04/16/anwar-hosts-australian-pm-albanese-for-energy-security-talks-amid-us-iran-tensions/216482
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Singapore stresses energy security urgency for Asia amid West Asia conflict, says PM Wong
16 Apr 2026
SINGAPORE, April 16 — Singapore has underscored energy security as an urgent priority for Asian countries amid the ongoing West Asia conflicts, said Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
The message was conveyed when Wong joined fellow regional leaders at a virtual Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Plus Summit convened by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday.
In a Facebook post, Wong emphasised that Asia is particularly exposed, given its heavy reliance on imported energy that flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
“AZEC members agreed to step up efforts to strengthen the region’s energy resilience—by diversifying sources, securing supply chains, and deepening cooperation among partners.
“Our aim is to build energy systems that are not only cleaner, but also more secure and resilient,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wong was quoted as saying that, as a trading nation, Singapore will facilitate the continued flow of essential goods by keeping its ports and trade links open.
“As a maritime hub, we will continue to uphold the navigational rights and freedoms enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which enable the steady flow of global trade across critical sea lanes,” he said, as reported by The Straits Times.
In his remarks, Wong also welcomed the US$10 billion (US$1=RM3.95) assistance package launched by Takaichi to support Asian nations struggling with surging crude oil prices amid tensions in West Asia.
He noted that the package will provide timely and practical support for Asian countries to strengthen their energy supply chain.
“At the same time, we must look beyond the immediate crisis to prepare for future shocks,” Wong added. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2026/04/16/singapore-stresses-energy-security-urgency-for-asia-amid-west-asia-conflict-says-pm-wong/216510
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South Asia
Gemstones Worth Over 90 Million Afghanis Sold in Kunar Auction
April 15, 2026
KABUL: A total of 1,600 kilograms of precious and semi-precious stones has been sold in a public auction in Asadabad, the capital of Kunar Province, the state-run Bakhter News Agency reported on Tuesday.
The gemstones have been sold for a total value of 98.3 million Afghanis through a competitive bidding process, the agency said.
According to the agency, 9.83 million Afghanis from the sale have been deposited into the Islamic Emirate’s treasury.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/gemstones-worth-over-90-million-afghanis-sold-in-kunar-auction/
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Committee Approves Proposal to Modernize National Statistics Systems
April 15, 2026
KABUL: The meeting of the Technical Committee of the Economic Commission was held on Tuesday, approving a proposal to enhance operational capacity and modernize systems within the National Statistics and Information Authority.
The proposal, which has been forwarded for final decision, includes a one-year implementation plan with an estimated budget of nearly one billion Afghanis, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said in a statement.
The meeting also discussed the importance of developing comprehensive master plans for major ports, including Islam Qala, Nimroz, Torghundi, and Abu Nasr Farahi, the statement added.
The committee recommended extending similar planning initiatives to other ports across the country to improve infrastructure, efficiency, and long-term economic management.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/committee-approves-proposal-to-modernize-national-statistics-systems/
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Kabul says it has sent more than 500 tonnes of aid to Gaza
By Fidel Rahmati
April 15, 2026
The Taliban said it has sent more than 500 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah crossing, including food, clothing, and essential supplies.
The foreign ministry said on April 15 that the aid, transported in 42 trucks, has entered Gaza and is expected to be distributed among around 22,000 Palestinian families facing severe shortages.
Deputy spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal said the assistance, valued at about $500,000, was procured by Taliban representatives in Egypt as part of ongoing humanitarian support efforts.
He also called on international actors to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and emphasized the need for a resolution that respects what he described as the legitimate rights of Palestinians.
The Taliban have previously announced fundraising campaigns to support Gaza, highlighting their efforts to contribute to relief operations amid the ongoing conflict.
The aid shipment comes despite a worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where the United Nations estimates that around 22 million people, nearly half the population require urgent assistance.
Years of economic collapse, international isolation, and restrictions on women’s work have deepened poverty levels, leaving millions struggling with food insecurity, unemployment, and limited access to basic services.
While the aid to Gaza underscores Afghanistan’s outward humanitarian gesture, it also draws attention to the country’s own dire conditions, where millions remain dependent on international support for survival.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/kabul-says-it-has-sent-more-than-500-tonnes-of-aid-to-gaza/
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Bangladesh Bar Council election postponed
April 16, 2026
Bangladesh Bar Council, a statutory body regulating the country’s lawyers, has postponed its May 19 election due to the ongoing energy crisis.
The decision was taken unanimously at a meeting held at the Bar Council building last night, according to a press release.
Members unanimously agreed to defer the election in view of the severe energy crisis across the country, which could significantly disrupt campaign activities of candidates contesting for seven general seats and seven regional seats, the release said.
The decision also followed due consideration of applications and requests from various bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, Dhaka Bar Association, and Chattogram District Bar Association.
As per a Bar Council meeting held on April 2, the date for the 2026 Bangladesh Bar Council election was fixed for May 19.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/bangladesh-bar-council-election-postponed-4152741
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PM to meet all upazila health officers
April 16, 2026
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will, for the first time, meet upazila health and family planning officers from across Bangladesh to discuss ways to improve overall healthcare services at the field level, officials said.
The meeting is scheduled for 11:00am on Saturday at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
Officials at the health ministry said the prime minister is expected to issue directives to improve services. This would be the first time a PM holds such a meeting with UHFPOs, they added.
In its election manifesto, BNP outlined 22 health-related commitments, including raising health expenditure to five percent of GDP, introducing universal e-health cards, ensuring free and quality primary healthcare, and recruiting 100,000 health workers.
In February, the government formed a 13-member cell, led by Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, to implement the manifesto.
UHFPOs lead health services at the upazila and sub-district levels and are expected to play a key role in implementing the commitments.
“The prime minister will listen to grassroots-level officials and discuss the challenges and prospects of field-level health services,” Health Secretary Quamruzzaman Chowdhury told The Daily Star.
“We also expect that he will give directives to improve overall services,” he said.
He added that the initiative reflects a shift from a top-down approach, with the government seeking input from frontline officials to improve service.
Monzur Al Murshed Chowdhury, president of the UHFPO Forum of Bangladesh, said officers face multiple challenges, including staff shortages and a lack of security.
“During a meeting with the health minister, we expressed our desire to meet the prime minister to present these issues so that services can be improved,” he told The Daily Star.
“The prime minister agreed, and this will be the first such meeting between a prime minister and UHFPOs,” he added.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/pm-meet-all-upazila-health-officers-4152636
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Country has 1.98 lakh recognised freedom fighters
16 APRIL 2026
Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan yesterday said according to the integrated list preserved in the ministry, there are currently 1,98,037 recognised freedom fighters in Bangladesh.
He provided this information in response to a question from ruling party MP AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon.
The minister further said increasing the honorarium allowance for freedom fighters is not currently under government consideration.
The minister highlighted the various allowances provided to freedom fighters.
At present, each freedom fighter receives a monthly honorarium of Tk 20,000, a festival allowance of Tk 10,000, and a Bangla New Year allowance of Tk 2,000. In addition, living freedom fighters receive a Victory Day allowance of Tk 5,000.
In addition, through the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust, each martyr’s family receives a monthly honourarium of Tk 23,000, while each Bir Sreshtho family receives Tk 28,000.
Martyrs’ families receive a medical allowance of Tk 2,000 each and a food allowance of Tk 5,000.
Among the gallantry-awarded freedom fighters, a Bir Sreshtho family receives a monthly honourarium of Tk 30,000 and a Bangla New Year allowance of Tk 2,000. A Bir Uttom family receives a monthly honourarium of Tk 25,000; Bir Bikram receives a monthly honourarium of Tk 20,000; and Bir Protik receives a monthly honourarium of Tk 20,000.
Besides, they receive two festival allowances of Tk 10,000 every year and a Bangla New Year allowance of Tk 2,000.
Meanwhile war-wounded freedom fighters are receiving a monthly honorarium of Tk 30,000 under the “A” category, Tk 28,000 under “B” category, Tk 23,000 under “C” category, and Tk 20,000 under “D” category.
In response to separate questions, the minister explained that if allegations arise against a gazetted freedom fighter, claiming they are not genuine, the matter is investigated by a sub-committee of the Jatiya Muktijhodda Council (JAMUKA). If proven false, recommendations are made to remove the individual from the list. Since August 2024, JAMUKA has received 842 such complaints. After verification and investigation, the gazette/recognition of 481 individuals has been cancelled.
Since its establishment, JAMUKA has held 103 meetings and recommended the cancellation of gazettes for 6,465 individuals.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/country-has-198-lakh-recognised-freedom-fighters-4152426
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