Saudi Arabia Bans Outdoor Loudspeakers For Prayers During Ramadan
New Age Islam News Bureau
22 January2025
· Saudi Arabia bans outdoor loudspeakers for prayers during Ramadan
· India Yet to Take Call On Joining Trump's 'Board of Peace' For Gaza, Say Sources
· US military transfers first 150 Daesh detainees from Syria to Iraq
· 21-Year-Old Arrested On Suspicion of Attempting to Join Islamic State
· Fyodor Lukyanov: Greenland is exposing the truth about NATO
· UN House Bombing: Suspect Tells Court How He Joined Boko Haram
· Anwar urges end to language disputes, says focus must shift to children’s future
· Defamation case filed against KushtiaJamaat candidate Amir Hamza
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Arab World
· Saudi mine-clearance project in Yemen destroys 4,235 explosive devices in a day
· Saudi-Yemen program provides $81.2m to operate more than 70 power plants
· Saudi Arabia plans Riyadh-Jeddah railway by 2034
· Saudi FM meets French, Dutch counterparts in Davos
· Human development program helping to expand pathways for Saudi students into elite global universities
· Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Turkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan join Trump’s ‘board of peace’
· Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy receives Swiss ambassador in Riyadh
· Over 78 million faithful visit Two Holy Mosques in a month
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India
· UP brothers murder 19-year-old sister, her Muslim boyfriend, in dishonour killing
· Odisha: Man beaten, paraded with garland of shoes by mob over alleged religious conversions
· MP: SC allows Hindus, Muslims to offer prayers at Bhojshala on Basant Panchami — what was the dispute?
· Silence as citizenship: The burden of being a ‘Good Muslim’ in India
· Red Fort attack case: SC issues notice to Delhi-NCT on convict Ashfaq's curative plea
· ‘No politicians, no provocative or hate speeches’: Telangana HC greenlights Dharma Raksha Sabha in Hyderabad with strict conditions
· Party Foundation Day: ISF chief pitches for alliance with Left, Cong in Bengal, says ‘both TMC, BJP want us to live in fear’
· Meat shop row in Jammu sparks clash, sharpens religious and regional faultlines
· Kokrajhar remains peaceful after unrest as army conducts flag march amid peace talks
· UP government attaches Sambhal house of Dubai based businessman accused in violence
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Mideast
· Military coalition in Yemen condemns attack on commander’s convoy
· Aoun slams ‘systematic policy of aggression’ as Israeli strikes kill 2, wound journalists in south Lebanon escalation
· Turkiye’s Erdogan says Kurdish forces in Syria must lay down arms and disband now
· Palestinian PM: Gaza reconstruction advancing amid US talks, Saudi support
· 7 Syrian soldiers killed in SDF drone attack in Hasakah: SANA
· Israeli forces demolish Palestinian house near Salfit
· Israeli fire kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two children, local hospital officials say
· Syria’s Rifaat Assad, ‘Butcher of Hama’, dies aged 88, sources say
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Europe
· Love of Faith, Love of Country: Why This National Muslim Convention Matters Now More Than Ever
· Muslim group slams vile "Get out of Scotland" graffiti at Edinburgh's Central Mosque
· Plans for new mosque in Lucan industrial estate rejected after initial approval by council
· Two charities ordered to run mosque as one entity
· Lords back UK social media ban for under-16s
· Ex-intelligence officer in Austria's biggest spy trial for years
· EU suspends approval of US trade deal
· Denmark always treated Greenland ‘like a colony’ – Putin
· The EU is addicted to American economic punishment
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North America
· Trump says Europe ‘destroying’ itself
· US Estimates 200 Islamic State Fighters Fled Syria Prison
· North Texas school district cancels Islamic Games for alleged ties to group governor calls terroristic
· CAIR Vows to Hold Texas Gov. Abbott Accountable for “Crossing Every Line of Basic Decency” By Targeting Muslim Children’s Sporting Event
· CAIR-NY Welcomes Arrest of Cortlandt Man After Hate Crime Incident at Gas Station in Westchester County
· CAIR Maryland Releases 2026 Voter Guide During Kickoff of Joint ISPU Election Townhall Series to Promote Civic Engagement in Critical Election Year
· Faisal Islam: What it was like inside the room with Donald Trump at Davos
· US House panel votes to hold Clintons in contempt over Epstein subpoenas
· California Governor Newsom says White House blocked his Davos event
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Africa
· How ‘Boko Haram Leader’, Terrorism Financing Suspects Were Released – Retired Army General
· Five Soldiers Killed As Suicide Bomber Hits Military Convoy In Borno
· FRC Seeks to Integrate Islamic Finance Standards into Nigerian Reporting Framework
· Imams hold special prayers for Tinubu, Namadi, national peace, unity
· Peace Deals Favours Bandits More Than Victims, They Fool TheGovt – Atiku Warns
· Scores Killed As Soldiers, Terrorists Engage In Massive Gun Battle At Timbuktu Triangle
· Kaduna: We’re Still Collating Names Of Victims – Police Deny Issuing Conflicting Statements
· Abure Camp Rejects Court Order On Labour Party, Heads To Appeal
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Southeast Asia
· Malaysia tasks STRIDE with building national defence drone framework to counter modern threats, says minister
· Malaysian Media Council launches official complaints mechanism
· PM Anwar begins one-day working visit to Pahang
· Arrest of journalist raises concerns about freedom of press
· Two Kuching shoplots damaged after fire spreads from parked vehicles
· MACC detains ‘Tan Sri’ and company director over alleged RM300m investor scam
· Foreign minister: Malaysia’s maritime border talks with Singapore ongoing, guided by UNCLOS rules
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South Asia
· NRBC Bank observes 6th anniversary of Al-Amin Islamic Banking
· Touhid stresses preserving ancient religious, historical establishments
· Gazette notification issued for Mosque Management Policy-2025
· EU allocates €126m in aid for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
· Customs Clearance of Pakistani Medicines to Be Halted from February 9, Ministry
· Meeting Held on Promoting Reading Culture in Baghlan
· Kandahar Hosts Meeting on Implementation of Supreme Leader’s Decrees
· IEA’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Meets Counterparts in Qatar
· Global Powers Must Uphold Justice and Genuine Peace
· Inter-Ministerial Investment Committee Discusses Tax Exemptions for New Investors
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Saudi Arabia bans outdoor loudspeakers for prayers during Ramadan
January 21, 2026
Dubai: Saudi Arabia has reiterated its ban on the use of outdoor loudspeakers for prayers throughout the holy month of Ramadan. Sheikh Abdullatif Al Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, confirmed that mosques will not be permitted to broadcast prayers through external speakers during the fasting month.
He said the use of outdoor loudspeakers will be strictly limited to the call to prayer (adhan) and the iqama, the second call announcing the start of congregational worship.
The announcement came as the Ministry of Islamic Affairs issued a circular on Tuesday setting out a series of instructions and guidelines for the preparation of mosques ahead of Ramadan.
The directive stressed the need to adhere to official prayer times in line with the Umm Al-Qura calendar, including the precise scheduling of the Isha prayer, while ensuring that the interval between the adhan and the iqama is observed for each prayer.
The ministry also called for iftar meals to be organised exclusively in designated courtyard areas, while urging the careful management of water donations to meet mosque needs without excessive stockpiling.
In addition, mosque caretakers and maintenance teams have been instructed to intensify their efforts to ensure all facilities are clean, safe and fully prepared, with particular attention given to women’s prayer areas.
The ministry said the measures are aimed at ensuring a calm, organised and spiritually enriching environment for worshippers, while maintaining respect for surrounding communities during the holy month.
Source: gulfnews.com
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https://gulfnews.com/uae/ramadan/saudi-arabia-bans-outdoor-loudspeakers-for-prayers-during-ramadan-1.500416436
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India yet to take call on joining Trump's 'Board of Peace' for Gaza, say sources
21 Jan 2026
In this photo from Feb. 14, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump arrive to deliver a joint press statement after their meeting at the White House, in Washington, DC.(Photo | ANI, FILE)
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India has yet to decide whether it will accept an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join a proposed “Board of Peace” aimed at securing lasting peace in Gaza and addressing wider global conflicts, sources in the government said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among several world leaders invited by the US president to join the board, which was unveiled during the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
It is learnt that India is considering various aspects as the initiative involves sensitive issues, people familiar with the matter said.
Trump is set to host a ceremony on the margins of the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos on Thursday to announce the broad contours of the "Board of Peace" and its charter.
The countries which have accepted Trump's invitation are Argentina Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. A number of countries, including China, Germany, Italy, Paraguay, Russia, Slovenia, Turkiye and Ukraine, have remained non-committal on the invitation.
Trump's "Board of Peace" is being projected by Washington as a new international body to usher in peace and stability in Gaza and beyond, triggering speculations that it could throw a challenge to the United Nations. Originally, the new body was to be tasked to oversee governance and coordinate funding for Gaza's redevelopment as the strip was devastated during the two years of Israeli military offensive.
The Financial Times, quoting from the "charter" of the Board, said this week that it is "an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict."
"Durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed." The top level of the Board will consist "exclusively" of heads of state under Trump's leadership, the newspaper quoted a White House official as saying.
The Trump administration has already announced that the "Board of Peace" will play an essential role in fulfilling Trump's 20-point plan of providing strategic oversight, mobilising international resources and ensuring accountability as "Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development."
The 20-point plan includes making Gaza a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours and redeveloping it for the benefit of the people of the strip.
The White House last week announced forming a founding executive board to operationalise the Board of Peace's vision.
The members of the executive committee included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Tony Blair, US special envoy to the Middle-East Steve Witkoff, businessman and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and World Bank president Ajay Banga.
The other two members of the committee are Marc Rowan, the CEO of New York-headquartered private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and Robert Gabriel, a US national security adviser.
The executive board will oversee another administrative group called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2026/Jan/21/india-yet-to-take-call-on-joining-trumps-board-of-peace-for-gaza-say-sources
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US military transfers first 150 Daesh detainees from Syria to Iraq
January 21, 2026
Syria's army entered the vast Al-Hol camp in Hassakah province that houses relatives of suspected Daesh jihadists after Kurdish forces withdrew from the site. (AFP)
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AL-HOL, Syria: The US military said Wednesday it has started transferring detainees from the Daesh group being held in northeastern Syria to secure facilities in Iraq.
The move came after Syrian government forces took control of a sprawling camp, housing thousands of mostly women and children, from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which withdrew as part of a ceasefire. Troops on Monday seized a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadeh, where some Daesh detainees escaped and many were recaptured, state media reported.
The Kurdish-led SDF still controls more than a dozen detention facilities holding around 9,000 Daesh members.
US Central Command said the first transfer involved 150 Daesh members, who were taken from Syria’s northeastern province of Hassakah to “secure locations” in Iraq. The statement said that up to 7,000 detainees could be transferred to Iraqi-controlled facilities.
“Facilitating the orderly and secure transfer of Daesh detainees is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said that during a call with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Cooper had urged Syrian forces to adhere to the ceasefire and “expressed expectations for Syrian forces as well as all other forces to avoid any actions that could interfere” with the transfer of prisoners.
US troops and their partner forces detained more than 300 Daesh operatives in Syria and killed over 20 last year, the US military said. An ambush last month by Daesh militants killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in Syria.
An Iraqi intelligence general told The Associated Press that an agreement was reached with the US to transfer 7,000 detainees from Syria to Iraq. He said that Iraqi authorities received the first batch of 144 detainees Wednesday night, after which they will be transferred in stages by aircraft to Iraqi prisons.
The general, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the Daesh members who will be transferred to Iraq are of different nationalities. He said they include around 240 Tunisians, in addition to others from countries including Tajikistan and Kazakhstan and some Syrians.
“They will be interrogated and then put on trial. All of them are commanders in Daesh and are considered highly dangerous,” the general said. He added that in previous years, 3,194 Iraqi detainees and 47 French citizens have been transferred to Iraq.
Regional threat
The Daesh group was defeated in Iraq in 2017, and in Syria two years later, but the group’s sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries. The SDF played a major role in defeating Daesh.
Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, said in a statement on Tuesday that the SDF’s role as the primary anti-Daesh force “has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities.”
He added that the “recent developments show the US actively facilitating this transition, rather than prolonging a separate SDF role.”
Syria’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the transfer of detainees, calling it “an important step to strengthen security and stability.”
Earlier on Wednesday, a convoy of armored vehicles with government forces moved into the Al-Hol camp following two weeks of clashes with the SDF, which appeared closer to merging into the Syrian military, in accordance with government demands.
At its peak in 2019, some 73,000 people were living at Al-Hol. Their number has since declined with some countries repatriating their citizens.
The camp is still home to some 24,000, most of them women and children. They include about 14,500 Syrians and nearly 3,000 Iraqis. Some 6,500 others, many of them loyal Daesh supporters who came from around the world to join the extremist group, are separately held in a highly secured section of the camp.
The Syrian government and the SDF announced a new four-day truce on late Tuesday after a previous ceasefire broke down.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2630150/middle-east
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21-YEAR-OLD ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF ATTEMPTING TO JOIN ISLAMIC STATE
By BETTY WOOLERTON
Jan 21, 2026
Residents were asked to leave their homes during a bomb squad operation in which an “object” was found during an anti-terrorism operation
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A cordon remained in place in Horfield on Wednesday morning after a man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to join the Islamic State.
Authorities evacuated multiple residents on Francombe Grove as a precaution after discovering a “suspicious item” during the operation.
The 21-year-old is being held on suspicion of attempting to join proscribed organisation Daesh, contrary to section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
He remains in police custody.
Residents were asked to leave their homes during a bomb squad operation in which an “object” was found during an anti-terrorism operation
The arrest was made after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East which was supported by officers from Avon and Somerset Police and Counter Terrorism Policing South West.
Chief inspector Keith Smith, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: “We appreciate arrests of this nature can cause concern in the local community, but we’d like to reassure everybody this was part of a pre-planned operation by our colleagues at Counter Terrorism Policing South East.
“To ensure the public’s safety a cordon is now in place around a property while an object is assessed.
“A small number of people in nearby properties have been asked to leave their homes as a precaution.
“We appreciate the local community’s understanding while police activity takes place. If anyone has any concerns or information you think may be relevant, please don’t hesitate to speak to us.”
Source: bristol247.com
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https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/21-year-old-arrested-on-suspicion-of-attempting-to-join-islamic-state/
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Fyodor Lukyanov: Greenland is exposing the truth about NATO
22 Jan, 2026
US President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting on January 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland © Getty Images / Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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“What we are about to do here is a neighborly act. We are like a group of householders, living in the same locality, who decide to express their community of interests by entering into a formal association for their mutual self-protection.”
That was US President Harry Truman on April 4, 1949, at the signing of the Washington Declaration creating NATO. It is an effective metaphor, and a convincing one. But it can also be turned around.
In a recent Fox News interview about Greenland, US Permanent Representative to the UN Michael Waltz remarked: “Denmark just doesn’t have the resources or capacity to do what needs to be done in the northern region. And to the Democrats who say ‘they’re giving you full access,’ everybody knows if you’re renting a place you treat it differently than if you own it.”
You can’t really argue with that either. Ownership is more reliable than contractual relationships, which assume goodwill. Goodwill exists today and disappears tomorrow. Legal ownership also confers rights that a temporary user does not have. In relation to Greenland, this is a question of the Arctic shelf. If the US were to formally own the world’s largest island, the question of redistributing influence in the Far North would not be raised between NATO and Moscow (currently, all Arctic powers except Russia are NATO members), but between the US and everyone else.
This spring NATO will celebrate its 77th anniversary. That is a respectable age for an international organization, but modest by historical standards. Experience teaches that no structure exists forever.
Still, statements by Western European politicians suggesting that a direct conflict between the US and Denmark could lead to “the end of NATO” are meant to terrify everyone involved. The implied claim is that this would bring about the collapse of the world order.
The perception is understandable. Since the mid-20th century NATO has played a structuring role in the international system: first as part of the institutional basis of the Cold War, and later as the main ideological and political pillar of the liberal world order. There are few people left who remember international politics without a unified political West.
But before the post-war period such a phenomenon did not exist. The transformation of the USSR into a superpower created a “Western community” that consolidated ideologically as the “free world,” in addition to its military component. The successful conclusion of the Cold War for the West then established the North Atlantic community as a prototype for the international order as a whole. At the very least, the problems with the architecture of European security that have led to the current military confrontation have their roots in that period. It was decided then that the only correct security system for Europe was one centered on NATO, and that the unlimited expansion of the bloc was the key to stability. The result is clear.
Nevertheless, NATO is a product of a specific time: the Cold War and its immediate aftermath in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. That period has now ended.
All institutions from the second half of the last century are experiencing crises of varying severity, including even such a heavyweight as the UN. It would be unusual if an organization as prominent as NATO were an exception. The reason for the decline in organizational functionality lies not so much in internal problems, but in the fundamental change in the international situation.
Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, attempted to recreate the Cold War scenario by pitting Ukraine against Russia in a major ideological conflict between the “free” and “unfree” worlds, thereby establishing American dominance. In terms of NATO cohesion, Western Europe was willing to join in for a while. However, Trump’s return derailed the initiative.
During his first term, Trump made no secret of his dissatisfaction with NATO. At that time, his criticism resembled that of previous American presidents, who also said European members should make a greater financial contribution to collective security. Those same Europeans reluctantly agreed to increase spending. Now the US is addressing the issue directly: the US does not really need NATO for security purposes, and Western Europe should develop its own defense capabilities by purchasing everything it needs from the US. That would require increased military spending.
Will NATO come to an end? For now, Western Europe seems to be panicking about losing American patronage because it does not know how to proceed militarily or politically.
It seems unlikely the White House would forcibly seize Greenland, since that would be unpopular both in Greenland and in the US. So it is more likely that a conciliatory stance will be adopted. For now, it is possible to blame everything on one particular tyrant in the hope that things will change after he is gone. But the atmosphere inside the “group of householders,” to use Truman’s metaphor, is already changing. It will not return to what it was before.
Source: rt.com
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UN House Bombing: Suspect Tells Court How He Joined Boko Haram
January 21, 2026
One of the suspects standing trial alongside alleged Boko Haram operative Khalid Al-Barnawi over the August 26, 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja has told the Federal High Court how he became a member of the terrorist group.
The suspect, Mohammed Bashir Saleh, the second defendant in the case being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), disclosed this in a video recording played in court on Wednesday during the resumed hearing of the matter.
In the footage, Saleh said he met Al-Barnawi in Bauchi State shortly before the deadly attack on the UN facility, adding that the association later culminated in his joining Boko Haram.
Al-Barnawi was arrested by the DSS in April 2016 in Lokoja, Kogi State, almost five years after the bombing, which marked the first attack on an international organisation’s facility in Nigeria.
The explosion claimed over 20 lives and left more than 70 persons injured.
Also known by several aliases including Kafuri, Naziru, AlhajiYahaya, MallamDauda and AlhajiTanimu, Al-Barnawi is standing trial alongside Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello (also known as Datti), Mohammed Salisu, and YakubuNuhu, also called Bello Maishayi.
Trial-within-trial continues
At Wednesday’s proceedings, the court also watched another video recording of Saleh’s interview as the trial-within-trial continued to determine whether the confessional statements allegedly made by the defendants were obtained voluntarily.
The court further commenced the cross-examination of the third prosecution witness.
During cross-examination by defence counsel to the first defendant, F. K. Kaigama, the witness, identified as TSR3, told the court that he works in the Technical Department of the DSS.
He said his duties include setting up audio and video recording equipment in interview rooms, recording interrogation sessions, conducting computer and mobile phone forensic examinations, and participating in crime scene investigations such as fingerprint collection and laboratory analysis.
The witness added that he personally handled the real-time audio and video recording of Al-Barnawi’s interview, recorded the statement-taking process and documented its translation.
Asked whether there was an officer named James in the DSS Technical Department, the witness replied that several officers bearing that name work in the department.
At that point, the trial judge, Justice EmekaNwite, adjourned proceedings due to other official engagements.
With the consent of counsel to all parties, the matter was adjourned until March 2 for the continuation of the cross-examination of the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial-within-trial.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/21/un-house-bombing-suspect-tells-court-how-he-joined-boko-haram/
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Anwar urges end to language disputes, says focus must shift to children’s future
22 Jan 2026
BENTONG, Jan 22 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged Malaysians to put an end to the prolonged bickering over language issues and refocus on building a more competitive and united future for the nation’s children.
He said the government’s multilingual education approach is not intended to undermine the status of Bahasa Melayu as the national and official language, but rather to strengthen national unity and provide all students with equal opportunities to master multiple languages.
According to him, the ability to speak more than one language is an important asset in facing global challenges and enhancing the competitiveness of young generations, without compromising the country’s national identity.
“We no longer want endless inter-ethnic disputes over language. Our priority is to improve the quality of life and secure the future of our children.
“They need to be ready to compete for work not only within the country, but across Asia and globally. That is why language, science, mathematics, digital skills and artificial intelligence (AI) must be mastered from the early stages of schooling,” he said.
He said this at a gathering with the Chinese community at SekolahJenisKebangsaanCina (SJKC) Perting here today. Also present were Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir HamzahAzizan, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri ShamsulAzri Abu Bakar, Pahang MenteriBesar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman.
Anwar said efforts to improve education quality should be seen as a national agenda that transcends ethnic differences, with all parties focusing on school improvements, teacher training and the provision of adequate facilities.
He also said that any differences of opinion regarding education can be discussed maturely, but the main focus should not stray from the goal of making education a unifying tool and a driver of national progress.
Anwar also announced the approval of RM13.5 million in funding for the implementation of improvement projects and additional facilities at SJKC Perting, with RM300,000 approved immediately to allow preliminary work to begin.
He said the allocation is part of preparations for the voluntary entry of five-year-olds into preschool and six-year-olds into Year One starting next year.
“I hope all parties — school administrators, teachers, parents and the local community — continue to support this school so it can serve as an example for other schools,” he said.
The allocation is intended to build an additional six-classroom block for the Integrated Special Education Programme (PPKI) and one classroom for the Integrated Preschool at SJKC Perting. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/01/22/anwar-urges-end-to-language-disputes-says-focus-must-shift-to-childrens-future/206356
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Defamation case filed against KushtiaJamaat candidate Amir Hamza
22 Jan 2026
A defamation case has been filed against Amir Hamza, Jamaat-e-Islami’s candidate for the Kushtia-3 constituency.
Mehdi Hasan Jillu, a member of the convening committee of Jashore District Krishak Dal and a resident of Kharki, filed the case with the court of Jashore's Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Asadul Islam yesterday.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, Magistrate Asadul Islam directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Jashore, to investigate the matter and submit a report.
Confirming the case, Superintendent of Jashore district PBI, Kamruzzaman, told The Daily Star, “We will investigate the matter. After investigation, we will soon submit the exact information to the court.”
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Advocate MA Gafur, also confirmed the development.
According to the case statement, Hamza allegedly made defamatory remarks about Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of late former prime minister Khaleda Zia and brother of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, while speaking at a religious gathering in Chattogram in 2023.
The plaintiff stated that such remarks about a deceased person not only tarnished Koko’s personal dignity but also harmed the honour of the Zia family.
Claiming that the derogatory comments hurt the sentiments and dignity of people who believe in nationalist ideals, the plaintiff also alleged that the remarks caused defamation amounting to Tk 5 billion.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/defamation-case-filed-against-kushtia-jamaat-candidate-amir-hamza-4087591
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Arab World
Saudi mine-clearance project in Yemen destroys 4,235 explosive devices in a day
January 22, 2026
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam cleared 4,235 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices in a single day from Bab Al-Mandab region in southwestern Yemen, as part of its mission to protect civilians.
Osama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s director general, said it aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people.
On Wednesday, the project’s teams destroyed 33 anti-tank mines, 31 anti-personnel mines, 86 miscellaneous shells, 2,750 assorted rounds, 1,291 breakers and valves used in devices, 12 grenades, two Katyusha rockets, a missile, 15 shell arrows, and 14 other explosive devices.
Masam’s teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and areas around schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The project trains local people to become demining engineers, provides them with modern equipment to do the job, and also offers support to Yemenis injured by explosive devices.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2630182/saudi-arabia
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Saudi-Yemen program provides $81.2m to operate more than 70 power plants
January 21, 2026
LONDON: A tripartite agreement was signed on Wednesday between the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, the oil company Petromasila, and Yemen’s Ministry of Energy and Electricity to supply petroleum derivatives for the country’s power plants.
SDRPY is supporting the Yemeni government with an $81.2 million grant to purchase 339 million liters of diesel and mazut from Petromasila to operate more than 70 power plants across various Yemeni governorates.
The grant follows last week’s announcement by the SDRPY of a $506 million aid package to support Yemen’s education, health, government and infrastructure sectors.
The SDRPY highlighted that the grant will improve the reliability of electrical power to critical facilities, including hospitals, medical centers, roads, schools, airports and ports. Additionally, the funding will stimulate the Yemeni economy and support the Central Bank of Yemen by easing the pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
It reduces the Ministry of Finance’s fuel-related financial burden and supports the Ministry of Electricity and Energy in improving the efficiency of power plants in Yemen, the SDRPY said.
In 2018, the SDRPY provided $180 million, in addition to $422 million in 2021 and another $200 million in 2022, as grants to Yemen to purchase oil derivatives and operate vital sectors of the country.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2630170/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia plans Riyadh-Jeddah railway by 2034
NADA HAMEED
January 21, 2026
JEDDAH: Saudi Railway Co. CEO Bashar Al-Malik announced that a new railway linking Riyadh and Jeddah is planned to be completed in phases by 2034.
In an interview with RotanaKhalejia broadcaster Abdullah Al-Mudaifer, Al-Malik discussed the Kingdom’s rail network, its history, and major current and future projects.
He confirmed that the Riyadh-Jeddah line forms part of the Saudi Landbridge project, one of the most ambitious transport initiatives in the Kingdom.
Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh Al-Jasser had said in an interview in 2022 that the Landbridge is being developed with an international consortium led by a Chinese company. He estimated the project could be completed within five to seven years.
According to Al-Jasser, the route, cost, and seven logistics hubs have already been identified. The railway will extend from Yanbu to King Abdullah Economic City, then to Jeddah and Riyadh, before linking with the Eastern Railway and the Northern Railway.
The project includes upgrading the existing Riyadh–Eastern Province line to meet modern technical standards. The total cost could reach SR100 billion ($26.67 billion), making it a transformative project for the Kingdom’s logistics sector.
Al-Malik said contracts have not yet been signed, emphasizing that the railway company will proceed only once an agreement is reached that fully meets Saudi Arabia’s needs and ambitions. A ministerial committee has been formed to oversee the project, which is scheduled for completion by 2034.
Al-Malik also highlighted the proposed Riyadh-Doha railway, describing it as the region’s first high-speed rail link between two neighboring countries.
The 785 km network will serve Riyadh, Hofuf, Dammam, and Doha, with five stations in total, including two in the Qatari capital. Trains are expected to operate at speeds of at least 300 kph.
He added that Saudi Arabia aims to increase rail’s share of transport to 30 percent following completion of the Landbridge and future GCC-wide rail connections.
Under the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, railways are receiving the largest share of investment through 2030.
After a long pause in railway development after the opening of the Riyadh-Dammam line in 1950, the Kingdom now operates about 4,000 km of railways and plans to add at least 2,000 km more.
Currently, SAR trains serve ports in Dammam, Ras Al-Khair, Jubail (commercial and industrial), and the Riyadh Dry Port. Future plans include extending rail connections to Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdullah Economic City Port, and Yanbu Port.
Al-Malik said up to 10 additional trains could be added to the Northern Railway, which currently operates six trains and is considered among the world’s most advanced rail routes. The tender is expected in the third quarter of this year.
Discussing the Haramain High-Speed Railway, Al-Malik described it as “a unique, passenger-only system” connecting Islam’s two holiest cities.
The service operates at speeds of up to 300 kph, making it one of the world’s 10 fastest trains. It runs 35 trains and links Makkah with stations in Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City, and Madinah.
Responding to user feedback, Al-Malik said the railway company will launch a new unified mobile application before the end of the year, providing a single platform for all intercity train services in the Kingdom.
He also highlighted training programs for high-speed train drivers, noting strong participation from Saudi women — a rare trend globally — and praising their outstanding performance.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi FM meets French, Dutch counterparts in Davos
January 21, 2026
LONDON: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan conducted several meetings with foreign counterparts during the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
He met Jean-Noel Barrot, the French foreign minister, to discuss the latest regional developments and their joint efforts to achieve security and stability.
Prince Faisal also discussed the Kingdom’s relationship with Ecuador during a meeting with Gabriela Sommerfeld, the country’s foreign minister. They reviewed cooperation in various fields between the two countries and signed an agreement to strengthen relations.
On Tuesday evening, he spoke with Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel about key developments in regional and international issues.
Other Saudi officials present at the meetings included the Kingdom’s ambassador to Switzerland, Abdulrahman Al-Dawood, and Mohammed Al-Yahya, an adviser to the foreign minister.
Source: arabnews.com
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Human development program helping to expand pathways for Saudi students into elite global universities
DANIEL FOUNTAIN
January 21, 2026
DAVOS: Saudi Arabia is accelerating efforts to equip its young population with the skills and global exposure needed to compete on the world stage, as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda, the CEO of the Human Capability Development Program told Arab News.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Anas Al-Mudaifer said the program, one of Vision 2030’s realization initiatives, is enhancing the competitiveness of Saudi citizens by investing in their skills, knowledge and long-term development.
“Our mandate is to improve and enhance the competitiveness of the Saudi citizen,” he said. “We want to make sure they have the opportunity to compete locally and globally,” he added.
The HCDP takes a comprehensive approach, supporting citizens throughout their lives from early childhood education through to lifelong learning, while aligning education and training with the evolving needs of the labor market, he said.
Al-Mudaifer added that reforms are underway across the education system, including expanded access to early childhood education, new school curricula and teaching methods, and stronger alignment between higher education, vocational training and future labor market demands.
A key pillar of the strategy is preparing Saudi youth for global competition, a push that is already delivering tangible results.
“We have seen Saudis competing in admission to Ivy League schools,” he said. “More than 1,000 Saudi students are now enrolled in top 30 universities every year.”
He added that Saudi Arabia now ranks as the second-largest source of international students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, behind only China, a milestone he described as “a great achievement and a great footstep for Saudi students.”
Beyond academia, Saudi graduates are increasingly securing roles in leading international institutions and companies. Al-Mudaifer pointed to Saudi professionals working in prestigious US hospitals such as the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, as well as global technology firms including Tesla and Meta.
To support continuous upskilling, the program is also investing heavily in lifelong learning. More than 2 million Saudi citizens now receive training each year, both domestically and overseas, as rapid technological change reshapes the global labor market.
“With the emergence of intelligent technologies, especially artificial intelligence, we need to make sure the Saudi workforce is always up to date with the requirements of local and global employers,” he said.
Among recent initiatives is the launch of a platform which offers short, six-to seven-week micro and nano degrees in fields relevant to the Saudi labor market.
The courses are accredited by employers and international training bodies, providing fast-track pathways into employment.
Entrepreneurship is another priority area, particularly in technology. In partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the program has launched initiatives that send Saudi tech founders to global innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley and Berlin for intensive boot camps and growth programs.
Al-Mudaifer said that Saudi Arabia’s progress is rooted in global collaboration rather than isolation.
“There is no leader alone,” he added, highlighting that the Kingdom works closely with international partners and convenes global experts annually at the Human Capability Initiative Conference in Riyadh to shape the future of human development.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Turkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan join Trump’s ‘board of peace’
TAREK ALI AHMAD
January 21, 2026
DAVOS: A group of Arab and Islamic nations announced on Wednesday that they will join US President Donald Trump’s newly proposed “Board of Peace,” an initiative aimed at stabilizing and rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and the UAE said they welcomed Trump’s invitation to participate in the Gaza peace board.
The eight countries reaffirmed in their joint statement their support for Trump-led peace efforts and pledged to back the board’s mission as a transitional governing body under a broader plan to end the Gaza conflict.
The board’s mission aims to “consolidate a permanent ceasefire, support the reconstruction of Gaza, and advance a just and lasting peace based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region,” the statement said.
Speaking on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said the Middle East was moving in the right direction.
“I think it’s amazing what’s happening,” he told Arab News. “Everybody is, I think, working together towards peace. Everyone’s bought into President Trump’s ideas about the ‘Board of Peace,’ and I think I’m very hopeful.”
Witkoff also said Tehran must come and sit at the diplomatic table. “That has to happen. It’s important. If Iran goes, so the region goes, and so we have to get that straight,” he said.
Since the outbreak of anti-government demonstrations, Trump has repeatedly urged Iran’s leaders to halt the violent crackdown on protesters, vowing “very strong action” if executions go ahead. He has also called on Iranians to keep demonstrating and “take over institutions.”
On Tuesday, Davos organizers announced that the invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had been rescinded, citing “the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks.”
Araghchi condemned the move, accusing the forum of “blatant double standards.”
Meanwhile, European leaders in Davos appeared more skeptical about joining the Gaza peace board, with several reported to be weighing whether to decline the invitation.
Further announcements on participation are expected on Thursday following a fresh round of diplomatic maneuvering in Davos, as capitals weigh the board’s potential impact on existing UN-led efforts.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy receives Swiss ambassador in Riyadh
January 21, 2026
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly received Switzerland’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Yasmine Chatila in Riyadh.
During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed various issues of mutual interest, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Saudi Deputy Minister for International Multilateral Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Rassi received Depo Akande, the UK’s candidate for election as judge to the International Court of Justice, in Riyadh.
Source: arabnews.com
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Over 78 million faithful visit Two Holy Mosques in a month
January 22, 2026
MAKKAH — The General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques announced that the number of visitors to the Two Holy Mosques during the month of Rajab 1447 AH reached 78,843,425. These statistical figures reflect the high turnout and the success of the authority’s approved operational and organizational plans.
Out of this figure, a total of 14,875,003 pilgrims performed Umrah, while the number of worshipers at the Grand Mosque reached 34,954,367, including 54,402 worshipers at the Hijr Ismail (the semi-circular wall adjacent to the Kaaba).
The number of worshipers at the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah reached 25,074,929, while 1,293,867 worshipers prayed in the Rawdah Al-Sharifah. The number of visitors who offered greetings to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his two companions (may God be pleased with them) reached 2,590,857.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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India
UP brothers murder 19-year-old sister, her Muslim boyfriend, in dishonour killing
Jan 22, 2026
An interfaith couple was found dead in a forest in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, with police saying that preliminary investigations have revealed her brothers conspired their murder in a case of dishonour killing.
The woman has been identified as Kajal, 19, and the man was Arman, 27. Both were residents of the UmriSabzipur village in Moradabad, with Kajal being a student.
A case has been registered against the three brothers of Kajal, and two have been arrested.
According to the police, Kajal and Arman went missing from their respective homes three days ago. When neither returned, their families lodged a missing person's report. Senior police officer SatpalAntil said that the man's family filed the report on Wednesday and the complaint from the woman's side was lodged this morning. A few hours later, both their bodies were discovered in the forest.
"We began the investigation after the missing persons' report from both families. Probe revealed that the woman's brothers murdered both. Two of the brothers have been arrested, and it was, as per their direction, that the bodies of the couple were recovered in the forest behind a temple, located a few metres away from the village," Antil added.
He said that both the bodies were recovered in the presence of a magistrate, and a postmortem is being conducted.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/uttar-pradesh/story/moradabad-uttar-pradesh-interfaith-hindu-woman-muslim-man-murdered-found-dead-forest-brothers-conspiracy-honour-killing-2856025-2026-01-22
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Odisha: Man beaten, paraded with garland of shoes by mob over alleged religious conversions
22.01.26
A man was allegedly assaulted and paraded with a garland of shoes around his neck by a mob in Odisha's Dhenkanal district over allegations that he converted some people, police said.
Though the incident happened on January 4 in the Parjang police station area, it came to light after the man's wife lodged a police complaint, following which an investigation was started, they said.
According to the complaint, a group of 15 to 20 people armed with bamboo sticks attacked his house when he was praying.
The mob allegedly beat the man, a Christian, forcibly smeared him with vermilion, garlanded him with footwear and paraded him in the village. He was also compelled to bow before a temple, according to the complaint.
The wife rejected the allegation that the man was involved in religious conversions.
Dhenkanal SP AbhinavSonkar told PTI on Wednesday that a case has been registered under various sections of the BNS.
"Several people have been examined. Legal actions are likely to be taken against seven people," he said.
On the allegation that the victim was forced to drink water from a drain, the SP said the claim was found to be incorrect during preliminary inquiry.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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MP: SC allows Hindus, Muslims to offer prayers at Bhojshala on Basant Panchami — what was the dispute?
Jan 22, 2026
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Hindu prayers from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami at the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, while permitting Muslims to offer namaz from 1 pm to 3 pm on the same day.
The court also directed that a list of persons from the Muslim community coming for namaz be furnished to the district administration and instructed the administration to make law and order arrangements at the site for the offering of prayers.
A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices JoymalyaBagchi and Vipul M Pancholi appealed to both sides to observe mutual respect and cooperate with the state and district administration for maintenance of law and order.
Given the sensitivity of the situation, nearly 8,000 police personnel, including forces from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF), have been deployed across Dhar district. CCTV surveillance, foot and vehicle patrols, and social media activity are being closely monitored, officials said. Saffron flags and 'Akhand Puja' billboards have also been put up in the city ahead of Basant Panchami.
Hindus consider Bhojshala, an ASI-protected medieval-era monument, to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), while the Muslim community calls it the Kamal Maula mosque. The BhojUtsav Committee has requested permission to perform puja throughout January 23, with patron Ashok Jain stating that 30,000 to 50,000 devotees are expected to participate in the 'Akhand Puja' (continuous prayers). Meanwhile, ZulfikarPathan, head of the Kamal MaulaNamazIntezamia Committee, said the Muslim community has requested Friday prayers between 1 pm and 3 pm, in accordance with the ASI’s April 7, 2003 order, “without any hindrance.”
The Supreme Court also directed that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the religious character of the Bhojshala-Saraswati Temple cum Kamal Maula Mosque be shared with both communities by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The ASI report has been filed in a sealed cover before the High Court.
Indore Rural Range Inspector General of Police, Anurag, has personally inspected the Bhojshala complex and reviewed the security arrangements ahead of the religious activities. Under the ASI’s 2003 arrangement, Hindus perform puja on Tuesdays, while Muslims offer namaz on Fridays.
What is the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute
Historical research, both Indian and foreign, indicates that the Bhojshala complex, including the Vagdevi temple, existed centuries before the Kamal Maula Mosque, Radheshyam Yadav, former convenor of Hindu JagaranManch’s Indore division, has said. He claims the mosque was built after dismantling ancient Hindu temples.
“Muslims refer to an ASI survey of Bhojshala in 1902-03 and ask why there should be a fresh study. Today, we have technology and scientific techniques that were not available then. This survey, along the lines of Gyanvapi and Ayodhya, will help reveal the truth about Bhojshala,” he said.
Petitioners, Hindu Front for Justice, said the mosque was built during AlauddinKhilji’s reign over a preexisting temple, while Kamal Maula Mosque was constructed in 1514 under MehmoodKhilji II. ASI reports also note that parts of Bhojshala and the Vagdevi temple were dismantled to build the mosque. They point to inscriptions, carvings, and ritual structures as evidence of the temple’s prior existence.
DharShaharQaziSadiq countered, “For 700 years, salah/namaz has been offered at Kamal Maula Mosque. How can it be a temple? It was never a temple or school, and there was never any idol installed there. Dirty politics is leading to this tense situation.”
The controversy began in 1893 when ASI’s German Indologist Alois Anton Fuhrer noted some sutras on the pillars but lacked evidence. The term “Bhojshala” was popularized in 1903 by DharDewas’ education commissioner KK Lele, though the Imperial Gazetteer of 1908 later corrected this
Source: indiatimes.com
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Silence as citizenship: The burden of being a ‘Good Muslim’ in India
Rasheed Ahmed
Jan 22, 2026
Indian Muslims are often told that their survival depends on being exceptional. Not exceptional in achievement or contribution, but exceptional in political quietude. Exceptional in studied moderation. Exceptional in silence. Exceptional in proving, again and again, that they are unlike Muslims elsewhere – less demanding, less visible and less assertive in their claims on the state.
Since Independence, Indian Muslims have enthusiastically participated in democratic life, electoral politics, and constitutional processes. But a subtle and corrosive process has been unfolding: the steady narrowing of legitimate political expression. To belong securely, Muslims are expected not merely to obey the law, but to mute their political voice.
This idea – it could be called Indian Muslim exceptionalism – has quietly shaped public discourse for decades. It once framed Indian Muslims as culturally refined but politically suspect; spiritually rich but civically conditional. With the rise of aggressive majoritarian politics, even this limited and conditional acceptance has begun to collapse.
What remains is the expectation of political compliance without the assurance of cultural tolerance or civic equality.
A historical inheritance
The roots of Indian Muslim Exceptionalism lie in the aftermath of Partition. The violence of 1947 did not merely redraw borders – it hardened expectations. Muslims who remained in India were subtly positioned as those who had chosen India and therefore owed it perpetual proof of loyalty.
This post-Partition framing has been well documented by historians such as Mushirul Hasan, who showed how Indian Muslims were morally distinguished from those who migrated – not simply as citizens, but as subjects whose belonging was tied to conduct rather than rights. The Constitution promised equality, but social and political life imposed an additional burden: reassurance.
Over time, a parallel narrative took hold. The “good Muslim” was urbane, syncretic, nostalgic – more a custodian of Indo-Persian heritage than a political subject with claims on the state. Muslim culture could once be selectively tolerated, even aestheticised, while Muslim political agency was consistently constrained. Belonging became conditional on non-assertion.
As political theorist Mahmood Mamdani has argued in Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, modern power often sorts Muslims into those deemed acceptable because they are non-political and those rendered suspect because they speak and act with agency.
From citizens to problems
This condition was not accidental. Political theorist Hilal Ahmed has shown how Muslims in India are routinely framed not as ordinary democratic actors, but as a problem category – a population to be managed rather than represented. Muslim politics is treated less as interest-based participation and more as an anomaly requiring explanation.
The effect of this framing is cumulative. When Muslims organise collectively, their actions are rarely evaluated on constitutional grounds. Instead, they are filtered through questions of intent, loyalty, and consequence. Routine democratic actions – petitioning, protesting, mobilising – acquire a different meaning when Muslims perform it.
Equality is thus recast as tolerance. Citizenship becomes provisional.
Media policing
Exceptionalism is not enforced only through law or policy; it is normalised through language – especially in the media.
When Muslims are victims, they are often described as “minorities”. When they organise, they are labeled “communal”. When they protest, they are framed as “angry”, “radicalised” or “provocative”. When they remain silent, they are praised as “moderate”, “reasonable” or “integrated.”
Hindi scholar Apoorvanand has argued that contemporary nationalism demands moral performance from Muslims, rewarding quiet conformity while casting political speech as disruption. Language here does not merely describe reality – it disciplines it.
By constantly signaling that Muslim visibility invites suspicion, public discourse teaches Muslims that silence is safer than speech. Self-censorship is reframed as civic virtue.
Why comparison matters
Exceptionalism is not unique to Muslims but it operates differently for them.
Dalit political assertion, as analysed by writer AnandTeltumbde and others, is widely recognised as a struggle against a historically documented system of caste oppression. Dalit mobilisation is contested, resisted and often repressed but it is still understood as structurally grounded.
Sikh political claims, examined by scholars such as Gurharpal Singh, are typically negotiated within the constitutional language of federalism, regional autonomy, and religious rights. Even at moments of tension, Sikh politics is discussed as a question of power and representation.
Muslim political claims, by contrast, are rarely granted this legitimacy. They are evaluated as tests of loyalty rather than as rights-based demands. Where Dalits are seen as victims of hierarchy and Sikhs as stakeholders in federal balance, Muslims are framed as a demographic or ideological problem.
This is the core injustice of Indian Muslim Exceptionalism: Muslims are denied the normalcy of political grievance.
Exceptionalism now
Today, this framework is no longer subtle. It is increasingly institutional.
Debates around personal law, citizenship, places of worship, religious education and charitable endowments are framed as neutral reforms. Muslim objections – even when legal and constitutional – are dismissed as emotional, regressive or obstructionist. Muslims are encouraged to accept reforms quietly, challenge them cautiously and never protest them.
Exceptionalism promises safety in exchange for silence but withdraws that promise the moment silence ends.
Recent bail decisions in the Delhi riots cases – where bail was denied to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam while granted to other co-accused – underscore how Muslim political agency itself is differentially assessed. While all the accused are Muslim, the distinction appears to rest not necessarily on religious identity alone but on the perceived threat posed by articulate, oppositional, and influential political speech.
Internalising the frame
Perhaps the most damaging aspect of Indian Muslim Exceptionalism is how deeply it has been internalised by sections of the community itself.
Many Muslim professionals, leaders, and institutions now pre-emptively dilute their language, avoid religious or constitutional vocabulary, or distance themselves from collective Muslim concerns, believing this will ensure acceptance. The hope is that political quietude will be read as responsibility, and patience as maturity.
It is not.
For decades, Muslims have met suspicion with disciplined silence and exclusion with endurance – not because they lacked pride, but because they believed in the promise of the republic. The Republic may be misinterpreting endurance as acceptance and patience as consent.
As writer Arundhati Roy has observed, India once accommodated selective expressions of Muslim culture even as it constrained Muslim politics; today, both cultural presence and political agency are increasingly contested. History shows that conditional belonging is never permanent. Each concession merely raises the bar for the next one.
Beyond Exceptionalism
Indian Muslims do not need to be exceptional to deserve justice. They need only what is inherent to human dignity and constitutionally promised: equality before the law, freedom of conscience and the right to dissent.
Until Indian Muslims speak and act with complete political agency – free from the fear of being labeled as threats – and confront the reality that political quietude is interpreted as weakness and silence as consent, Indian society will continue to praise Muslim compliance while denying Muslims the ordinary exercise of rights enjoyed by other citizens.
The challenge before India is not to manage Muslim difference, but to normalise Muslim citizenship. For some Indian Muslims, exceptionalism may feel like protection. In reality, it is only a slow, quiet form of erasure.
Source: scroll.in
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https://scroll.in/article/1090095/silence-as-citizenship-the-burden-of-being-a-good-muslim-in-india
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Red Fort attack case: SC issues notice to Delhi-NCT on convict Ashfaq's curative plea
SuchitraKalyanMohanty
22 Jan 2026
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Delhi-NCT, and sought its response, after hearing a curative plea filed by the convicted LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq, challenging the dismissal of his plea seeking review of the death penalty awarded in the 2000 Red Fort attack case that killed three Army jawans.
A three-judge Bench of the apex court, headed by the Chief Justice Surya Kant, and also comprising Justices VikramNath and J.K. Maheshwari, issued notice and sought the detailed responses from Delhi-NCT.
“Issue notice," the top court asserted.
Earlier on November 2022, the apex court's three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit (now retired) in its judgment -- while dismissing the review petition of Ashfaq -- called the terrorist incident as a “direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India”. The top court also for the second time had earlier rejected his review plea and once a curative one too.
After being unsuccessful, he moved the SC, by filing another curative one and sought leniency.
Ashfaq was found guilty of involvement in the 2000 attack on the 17th Century monument, Red Fort, by the trial court which sentenced him to death. The Delhi High Court in 2007 and the Supreme Court had in 2011, also upheld his death penalty in the case.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2026/Jan/22/red-fort-attack-case-sc-issues-notice-to-delhi-nct-on-convict-ashfaqs-curative-plea
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‘No politicians, no provocative or hate speeches’: Telangana HC greenlights Dharma Raksha Sabha in Hyderabad with strict conditions
by Rahul V Pisharody
January 21, 2026
The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the police to allow the Bhagyanagar Ganesh UtsavSamithi to conduct its public meeting, Dharma Raksha Sabha, in Hyderabad’s Balapur, on Saturday with certain conditions.
“No politician shall be invited and no provocative or hate speeches shall be made/given against any group or community. There shall not be any placards, songs or visual displays that are provocative, derogative against any religion/community, caste or individual,” Justice N V Shravan Kumar said in his order.
Among the conditions, Justice Kumar restricted the gathering to a maximum of 3,000 people between 3 pm and 6 pm. Denying permission for public rallies, the court directed the organisers to strictly adhere to the noise pollution regulation and control rules and clarified that no loudspeakers should be allowed beyond the permitted hours. The police were directed to ensure adequate bandobast and keep strict vigil. The petitioner was directed to make adequate arrangements for parking, deploy volunteers for crowd control, and ensure there is no traffic congestion.
Illegal immigration by Bangladesh nationals and Rohingya
The directions came on a petition filed by Sirigari Brahma Chary, convenor of the Ganesh Sena, which is the youth wing of the Bhagyanagar Ganesh UtsavSamithi. In his petition, Chary submitted that the meeting was being held “with an objective to sensitise the public about the serious national security concerns arising from illegal immigration of Bangladesh nationals and Rohingyas, who have unlawfully crossed the international border and settled in and around Hyderabad”.
The petition also claimed that illegal immigrants had not only settled in and around Hyderabad but were also reported to have fraudulently obtained government identity documents such as ration cards, Aadhaar, and voter ID cards, thereby altering the demographic composition of the locality and posing a grave and continuing threat to public order, internal security, and national security.
‘6,993 Rohingya Muslims in Balapur’
Claiming that Balapur is a communally sensitive area and any such public meeting may lead to law and order concerns, Government Pleader Mahesh Raje submitted that around 6,993 Rohingya Muslims live in 26 camps there as of October 30, 2025. He further submitted that the state government, in coordination with the competent central and local authorities, was vigilant and committed to addressing the concerns relating to identification, apprehension, and deportation of illegal infiltrators, if any, strictly in accordance with the procedure established by law. He contended that necessary mechanisms were in place and that appropriate action was being taken wherever warranted.
Among several reasons, Raje also cited intelligence reports that indicate that anti-social elements may take advantage of the meeting to disturb the public peace and tranquillity in the surrounding areas by trying to barge into the settlements and create law and order issues.
‘Rights guaranteed under Article 19′
Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate L Ravichander submitted that the Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers were illegal entrants and not declared refugees, and hence had no legal residency rights to stay in India. He submitted that no politician would be invited and that there would be no provocative or hate speeches against any group or community. He contended that the meeting was being organised only to sensitise local citizens regarding national security concerns arising from illegal immigration by Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya.
After recording the submissions from both sides, the court noted that the inaction on the part of the police would affect the rights of the petitioner guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. The court, considering the serious concerns raised by the petitioner as well as the sensitivity of the issue, directed the Hyderabad police commissioner to grant permission for the event with the restrictions.
Following the court’s directions, the Bhagyanagar Ganesh UtsavSamithi said in a statement that “the JagoBhagyanagar movement, starting on the 24th in Balapur, will continue until the lakhs of illegal infiltrators in Bhagyanagar (Hyderabad) are arrested and deported”.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/legal-news/no-politicians-no-provocation-telangana-hc-oks-dharma-raksha-sabha-in-hyderabad-10487592/
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Party Foundation Day: ISF chief pitches for alliance with Left, Cong in Bengal, says ‘both TMC, BJP want us to live in fear’
by Tanusree Bose
January 21, 2026
Indian Secular Front (ISF) chief Naushad Siddiqui on Wednesday targeted both the ruling TMC and the main opposition party, BJP, accusing them of unleashing fear among people for votes, and said that he was ready to form an alliance with the Left Front and the Congress to stop TMC and BJP from coming to power in West Bengal in this year’s Assembly elections.
The ISF, formed ahead of 2021 Assembly polls, had fought the elections that year in alliance with the Left, which had also tied with the Congress. ISF was the only party of the three to win a seat in the Assembly that year. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party decided to go alone, and failed to win a single parliamentary seat.
Addressing a rally at Kolkata’s ShahidMinar on the party’s foundation day, the ISF chief blamed the TMC and the BJP for the problems in the Election Commission’s SIR drive in the state.
“Before the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP and TMC used the fear of CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register for Citizens). The BJP said it will throw people out through CAA and NRC. (TMC supremo) Mamata Banerjee said she would not allow CAA and NRC to be implemented in West Bengal. Similarly, in 2026, before the elections, BJP leader SuvenduAdhikari is going around saying that he will snatch the voting rights through SIR. While Mamata Banerjee is saying that she will not allow SIR to be implemented, but we are already running around with our documents and papers “, said Siddiqui.
Accusing the TMC of not being serious about preventing the deletion of genuine voters’ names, despite its public posturing, the lone ISF MLA said, “Mamata Banerjee initially said she would not allow SIR, but did little to stop the exercise.”
According to him, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could have assured the people of the state and ended the “harassment” of people in the SIR exercise. “Mamata Banerjee could have called an all-party meeting on this issue. ISF would have attended the meeting for the people and told the government that we are beside them in any work that would bring clarity and transparency in the exercise. But will she do this? No. Because they all want us to live in fear.”
“The TMC government could have brought a motion in the Assembly condemning the harassment of people in the SIR exercise. And could have filed a case in the Supreme Court. But they will not do this,” the Bhangar MLA claimed, alleging the TMC government was not providing residential certificates to people. “They do not want us to be free of fear,” he added.
Siddiqui, who has also received SIR notice and would appear for hearing with all necessary documents, said he was not against the SIR exercise but its process.
“The EC has sent SIR notice to (Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna) Amartya Sen. They did not even spare the family members of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose… I have got a hearing notice, but I have no fear because of Article 326 (of the Constitution), I have the right to vote,” he said.
“There is an attempt to terrorise the ordinary electorate in the name of SIR. People who have all the valid documents and have been living in the country for ages are called for hearings and asked to submit documents unnecessarily. ISF will launch protests if the harassment continues. We are not against SIR, but its hasty and inconsistent implementation by the EC at the instigation of the BJP,” he said.
“To defeat the TMC and BJP, we are ready to join hands with the Congress, Left and other parties. We will have final talks by the end of this month,” he said.
On the issue of Bengali migrant workers getting allegedly targeted in BJP-ruled states on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshis, Siddiqui accused the TMC of failing to protect the interests of migrant workers. Calling it “witch-hunting and attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants, many of them Muslims”, the ISF MLA urged the Centre, state governments to take effective steps to stop such incidents.
The ISF chief also accused the TMC government of not being serious about the uplift of minority communities and said it was “playing with their future”.
On welfare of minorities
Accusing the TMC of ‘doublespeak’ on the issue of minority welfare and development and not being serious, he said, “Not all real Dalits have come under state reservation benefits.”
Siddique said underprivileged Muslims who deserve to be included under the OBC quota should be brought within its purview, adding that the ISF favours extending the benefit to 10 per cent of such people.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s stay on an earlier Calcutta High Court order striking down the inclusion of 77 communities as OBCs under the 2012 Act, Siddique noted that the apex court’s order has allowed the state’s revised lists to continue for now as the matter is still under hearing.
“The biggest problem of the Muslims in West Bengal is the new OBC certificate being issued by the Mamata Banerjee-led government. It (OBC certificate) has no meaning as it is only in name. One will sit for the exam and sit for the viva. However, once the list is released, one will not be able to secure jobs under the quota. So this is a curse, it is just for namesake,” he said.
Alleging that fake SC/ST certificates have been issued by the ruling dispensation, he said, “If the ISF ever gets the chance to have a say in the government in the future, it would ensure that all those entitled to reservation benefits received them.” He said there are over one crore adivasis (tribals) in the state and expressed concern that many “real adivasis” were left out when over 1.6 crore SC/ST certificates were distributed.
Siddiqui also hit out at the chief minister for making a U-turn on the implementation of the Centre’s new Waqf law in the state. “Mamata Banerjee first said that she will not accept it (Waqf law) and suddenly one night, she implements it,” he said, demanding the scrapping of the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
Source: indianexpress.com
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Meat shop row in Jammu sparks clash, sharpens religious and regional faultlines
Muzaffar Raina
22.01.26
Tensions flared in a Jammu locality on Wednesday after a Right-wing group allegedly tried to impose restrictions on shopkeepers selling meat.
Police had to intervene to prevent a clash between the two sides.
The confrontation has come amid rising tensions in the region that began with the protests against Muslim admissions to a medical college run by Mata Vaishno Devi University, resulting in its closure.
Many politicians have since called for the Union Territory to be split up.
Shiv Sena leader Manish Saini and his supporters on Wednesday visited Gujjar Nagar, a Muslim-majority locality in Jammu city, and asked vendors to conceal the meat behind a black screen.
The intervention triggered protests by locals, who questioned his credentials to enforce such restrictions.
An agitated protester claimed that some of Saini’s supporters had asked them to shut their shops. He said the Shiv Sena leader had turned into a law enforcer.
Saini, however, told reporters that he was “politely spreading awareness” among vendors so they follow the rules and regulations related to the sale of meat.
An elderly resident accused the Right-wing group of attempting to turn Jammu and Kashmir into another Uttar Pradesh.
“Tomorrow they will want to shut mosques, we will not allow it,” another protester said.
The incident reflects how the growing political divide in Jammu and Kashmir is percolating to the grassroots.
While the confrontation is being framed as a regional divide by Jammu Dogras, but the standoff reflects a deeper religious schism — Jammu’s Hindu heartland versus Muslims of Kashmir, PirPanjal and the Chenab Valley.
But the problem with Jammu is that the aggressive demand for the closure of the medical college and for setting up a National Law University in the region has exposed its own faultlines, with residents of its Muslim-majority PirPanjal and Chenab Valley seeking the varsity in their own backyard.
Former director-general of police Shesh Pal Vaid, himself a Dogra, on Wednesday criticised Kashmiri leaders who he said were trying to “polarise its (Jammu’s) people on religious lines for narrow political interests”, suggesting all parts of Jammu province were one unit.
Several Muslim politicians from PirPanjal and the Chenab Valley have fiercely opposed the call for the creation of a Jammu state, suggesting the divisions within.
Former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu, who is from Kashmir, on Wednesday framed the confrontation as a Kashmiris-versus-the-rest divide by calling for a “greater Kashmir” based on ethnic lines.
“A fervent, humble appeal to all leaders from Kashmir Valley to Chenab Valley to voice their support for statehood to the Greater Kashmir, Kashmiri-speaking area. History won’t forgive us if we are apologetic about the dignity of the ethnic Kashmiri we claim to represent,” he said on X.
Mattu appeared to exclude PirPanjal, which has a Muslim majority but is dominated by Paharis and Gujjars, who are mostly Muslims. Kashmiris, on the other hand, are the biggest ethnic group in the Chenab Valley.
Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone, who is an MLA from Handwara, iterated his demand for a separate Jammu state but did not specify his stand on the Chenab Valley and PirPanjal.
“I pray to God that separation becomes possible. It would be true liberation,” Lone said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Kokrajhar remains peaceful after unrest as army conducts flag march amid peace talks
SubhashishMohanty
22.01.26
The overall situation in strife-hit Kokrajhar district remained peaceful on Wednesday with the administration intensifying security and confidence-building measures, including deploying army personnel in vulnerable areas and holding peace meetings to maintain order.
The suspension of Internet mobile services in Kokrajhar and adjoining Chirang districts and prohibitory orders remained in force for the second day to ensure order after a road mishap-triggered mob attack in the Karigaon area of the district left a Bodo youth dead, triggering protests, arson and confrontation with the police.
Officials said the situation was rapidly returning to normal because of prompt confidence-building measures put in place.
“The army has been deployed. They conducted a flag march on Wednesday in vulnerable areas. Then there are state police, CRPF and RAF on the ground. There has been no untoward incident since Tuesday. What happened, happened in the first few hours. The situation is under control,” an official told The Telegraph.
Around 20 people have been arrested from both communities since the mob attack. A peace meeting was held by state minister JayantaMallaBaruah, he said.
The unrest was triggered on Monday when a Scorpio vehicle with three occupants belonging to the Bodo community “hit two” persons belonging to the Adivasi community in Karigaon.
An official statement on Tuesday said the Bodo individuals were beaten up by neighbouring Adivasi villagers and the Scorpio was torched, leading to a flare-up involving both the communities blocking the national highway adjacent to Karigaon outpost, burning tyres and a few houses and setting fire to an office building and also attacking the Karigaon outpost.”
The injured Adivasis were in a group which wanted to halt the vehicle, suspecting it was being used for cattle theft. Adivasi people had been keeping vigil in the area to prevent cattle theft, sources said.
The unrest triggered by the mob attack saw around 1200 people from both communities shift to safer locations on Tuesday “out of fear” but there has been “no direct clash” between the two communities, an official told The Telegraph.
A peace meeting, attended by state minister JayantaMallaBaruah and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief HagramaMohilary, officials, representatives of leading organisations and community leaders, was held at the BTC secretariat on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting appealed for peace and calm.
The district administration is providing help to around 1200 affected individuals from both the Bodo and Adivasi communities from remote areas of Karigaon, who shifted to safer locations. Five temporary relief camps have been set up and the affected will be able to return home soon, Mohilary said.
State minister Baruah said he will be returning on Friday to meet the bereaved families and ensure adequate assistance to the affected. Representatives from all communities attended the peace meeting. Another peace meeting is to be held on Thursday.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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UP government attaches Sambhal house of Dubai based businessman accused in violence
Piyush Srivastava
22.01.26
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday attached the Sambhal house of a Dubai-based businessman whom they accused of being the mastermind of the November 24, 2024, violence in which four persons lost their lives.
The local administration said ShakirSatha, who deals in used cars, had hatched the conspiracy from the Gulf country and that his house in the Deepa Sarai area had been attached on court orders.
Dhirendra Kumar, a local tehsildar who led a team of revenue department officials and police to confiscate Satha’s house, said: “He was the mastermind of the violence. Although he lives in Dubai, he hatched a conspiracy from there to light a communal fire in Sambhal. We had moved court seeking permission to confiscate his house because he didn’t respond to repeated summons.”
Local sources said Satha has been living in Dubai with his family for 10 years and visits India every two-three years. The last time he is known to have come to India was in 2022.
Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19, 2024, when a court-ordered survey of the ShahiJama Masjid was carried out following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site before it was demolished during Aurangzeb’s rule.
On November 24, during a second round of the survey, protesting locals clashed with security personnel, which led to the death of four persons and injuries to dozens.
Muslims had claimed that some people accompanying the surveyors had chanted “Jai Sri Ram” to provoke the minority community.
Krishan Kumar Bishnoi, the superintendent of police of Sambhal, said after the process of attachment was completed on Wednesday: “We had identified Mullah Afroz, Mohammad Ghulam and Mohammad Waris for firing at the crowd. They belong to a group of criminals run by Satha from Dubai. He had provided them with weapons. During interrogation, the trio spoke about Satha’s role in the violence. He did not respond to the summons, fearing arrest. Finally, we declared him an absconder.”
Bishnoi said Satha was a vehicle thief and a gold smuggler, adding that cases were pending against him in Delhi as well. “We had recovered cartridges made in Pakistan and the US from the street behind the mosque after the violence. Our inquiry suggests that Satha had smuggled them to India,” the SP added.
This is the first attachment of property in connection with the November 2024 violence. RajendraPensiya, the district magistrate of Sambhal, said: “The bulldozer action and confiscation of properties will continue in the district.”
CJM transfer row
Over 50 lawyers staged a demonstration on the Chandausi district court premises in Sambhal on Wednesday in protest against the transfer of chief judicial magistrate VibhanshuSudheer. He had ordered the police on January 9 to file an FIR against 22 policemen for firing at a crowd during the violence near ShahiJama Masjid on November 24, 2024.
Rajesh Yadav, former president of the association, told reporters after a day-long dharna of the lawyers: “The CJM was sincere and honest in his work and following the judicial norms meticulously. He had found substance in the petition and asked the police to file the FIR because the policemen had allegedly killed four persons during the survey of ShahiJama Masjid.”
“We believe that his transfer has set a wrong precedent and it should be withdrawn immediately,” he added.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Mideast
Military coalition in Yemen condemns attack on commander’s convoy
January 22, 2026
RIYADH: The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen condemned on Wednesday an attack that targeted the convoy of a senior commander.
The attack in the Jaoula area of Lahj governorate targeted vehicles under the command of Brigadier General HamdiShukri, who heads the second division of the Giants Forces.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said there were numerous deaths injuries and called the ambush “a criminal act that is contrary to all human and moral values.”
He said the coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, will continue coordinating with the relevant authorities to ensure the security of citizens and maintain stability, Saudi Press Agency reported.
He called for people to work with the Yemeni government and military authorities to confront any sabotage attempts or terrorist operations targeting the security and stability of liberated governorates.
Al-Maliki also said the coalition is committed to supporting Yemeni security efforts and pursuing those involved in the attack and bringing them to justice.
Source: arabnews.com
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Aoun slams ‘systematic policy of aggression’ as Israeli strikes kill 2, wound journalists in south Lebanon escalation
NAJIA HOUSSARI
January 21, 2026
BEIRUT: Two people were killed and several journalists wounded in a series of Israeli attacks on Wednesday targeting southern areas, most of which lie north of the Litani River.
The Lebanese Army Command described the escalation as “impeding the army’s efforts and hindering the completion of its plan to confine weapons to Lebanese territory.” It said that the strikes terrorized civilians, caused deaths and injuries, displaced dozens of families and undermined regional stability.
The day’s security situation was dominated by hours of Israeli escalation, including airstrikes and evacuation warnings targeting villages and populated areas ahead of further bombardment.
The Israeli army said that warplanes carried out precision strikes on civilian vehicles in Bazouriyeh, killing a Hezbollah member. A separate drone strike hit a civilian vehicle on the Zahrani-Mseileh road, killing one person, with Israel claiming the target was another Hezbollah operative.
Israeli army spokesman AvichaiAdraee said that the military “eliminated Abu Ali Salameh, who served as a Hezbollah liaison officer” in the village of Yanouh, in southern Lebanon. He accused Salameh of managing Hezbollah activities to “enable the group to operate within civilian areas and on private property, and to establish terrorist infrastructure in the heart of populated civilian areas, through the deliberate and cynical exploitation of the residents to serve Hezbollah’s objectives.”
Adraee claimed that on Dec. 13, Israel alerted Lebanon’s enforcement mechanism about a Hezbollah weapons depot in Yanouh. Salameh allegedly relayed the notification to other Hezbollah members, who then blocked Lebanese army access by staging a gathering while removing weapons from the site.
He said that Salameh also coordinated with the Lebanese army to falsely document the property as weapons-free, even as “suspicious boxes” were removed via a back entrance. Adraee called these actions a violation of Israel-Lebanon understandings, adding that “the Israeli army will continue to take measures to eliminate all threats.”
Israeli artillery also shelled the Harmoun area in the Bint Jbeil district, south of the Litani River, prompting Israeli army warnings — complete with maps — for residents of Qanarit, Kfour in Nabatieh and Jarjouh to evacuate immediately.
Israeli drones then hammered the sites with heavy airstrikes, wounding journalists in Qanarit and destroying their equipment, cameras and vehicles.
The Press Photographers Syndicate said: “Israeli claims of maintaining safe distances offer no protection, just as the warnings issued by the enemy to civilians offer no protection. It seems that cameras are not a red line.”
The statement urged photojournalists “to exercise caution and avoid turning their professional commitment into a reckless gamble.”
Civilians in the targeted areas reported receiving phone calls from Israel ordering them to clear squares, residential neighborhoods and a mosque.
The Lebanese Army Command confirmed that “Israeli attacks and violations targeted civilian buildings and homes in several areas, most recently in villages in the south, in a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and security, the cessation of hostilities agreement, and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a statement on Wednesday evening condemning the strikes and accused Tel Aviv of “pursuing a systematic policy of aggression” that targeted civilians and violated international humanitarian law, and constituted “a dangerous escalation.”
“This repeated aggressive behavior proves Israel’s refusal to abide by its commitments under the cessation of hostilities agreement and reflects a deliberate disregard for the efforts exerted by the Lebanese state to control the situation on the ground, maintain stability, and prevent the escalation of the confrontation,” he said.
He called on the international community — particularly the agreement’s sponsors — “to assume their legal and political responsibilities and take clear and effective measures to stop these violations and put an end to the policy of impunity.”
The escalation also came as Aoun reaffirmed his commitment to “monopolizing weapons in the hands of the state throughout all Lebanese territory.”
At a meeting of the Higher Supervisory Committee for Lebanon’s border protection program — attended by the US and Canadian ambassadors — Army Commander Gen. Rudolph Haykal stressed the army’s “absolute commitment” to securing borders but called for “qualitative military support” to tackle challenges on the northern and eastern fronts.
The army said that the ambassadors praised “its professionalism and success,” stressing the need to bolster the military institution to enhance its ability to maintain security nationwide. Lebanese military units are currently securing the northern and eastern borders with Syria to combat smuggling, weapons transfers and illegal infiltration.
Source: arabnews.com
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Turkiye’s Erdogan says Kurdish forces in Syria must lay down arms and disband now
January 21, 2026
ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish forces in northern Syria must lay down weapons and disband now to avoid further bloodshed, after Damascus struck a ceasefire with the group and gave them four days to agree on integrating into the central state.
Syria’s Turkiye-backed government forces seized swathes of territory from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria this week, as part of President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s efforts to bring all the country under central government authority.
The United States, the SDF’s main ally, said its partnership with the group had changed in nature since the emergence of the new government in Damascus, and urged Kurdish fighters to integrate into Syria’s state apparatus.
Turkiye views the SDF as a terrorist organization linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group. It has been engaged in a peace process with the PKK for months and says the group — and its extensions — must disband and disarm.
Speaking to members of his AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said Turkiye welcomed Tuesday’s ceasefire agreement between the SDF and Damascus, adding he hoped the group’s “full integration” would herald a new era in Syria.
“Our hope is for this issue to be solved permanently without any more bloodshed, for the terrorist organization, which is now stuck in some areas in northern Syria, to lay down its weapons, disband, and for there to be no more conflict,” he said.
Laying down weapons is the only way out, he added, and any provocation would be a “suicide attempt.”
Earlier, Erdogan’s office said he discussed developments in Syria with US President Donald Trump in a phone call. He said on Wednesday that their call was “fruitful” and that they spoke about the joint battle against Daesh in Syria.
He also urged Kurds in Turkiye not to fall for “provocations” by militants and said his government would continue to carry out the peace process with the PKK.
Source: arabnews.com
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Palestinian PM: Gaza reconstruction advancing amid US talks, Saudi support
TAREK ALI AHMAD
DALAL AWIENAT
January 21, 2026
DAVOS: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa told Arab News that progress is underway in Gaza’s reconstruction talks, with clear dialogue between the Palestinian Authority, US President Donald Trump and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
“I think the Palestinian objective is pretty clear, it has been for a long time, which is to establish their own independent state, (achieve) international resolution,” Mustafa said, noting that “we need to get Gaza right first.”
Despite a ceasefire taking hold earlier in 2025, Gaza remains under what the international community describes as an Israeli-enforced blockade. Basic supplies such as food and medicine are still subject to Tel Aviv’s scrutiny, which controls all access in and out of the Strip.
On Sunday, Trump announced that his Gaza plan had entered its second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages, Israel would free more Palestinian prisoners and fully withdraw its forces — a step international actors say should pave the way from ceasefire to lasting peace.
The formation of a technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG, composed of Palestinian figures, marks the first concrete step toward implementing the plan and restoring Palestinian ownership of the next phase.
A precise timeline for reconstruction remains unclear, with analysts warning that major works hinge on Hamas disarmament — a politically fraught task assigned to the Gaza Peace Board.
“It’s going to take more than two years to fix Gaza, but at least we want to make sure that things are in the right direction,” continued Mustafa, adding that the West Bank remains part of the broader conversation.
He stressed the urgency of reunifying Gaza’s institutions with the West Bank to achieve the PA’s political goal of independence.
“Our priority is what’s happening to our people in Gaza today. Despite four months passing (after) the ceasefire, people are still dying. Yes, there is a ceasefire but it’s not fully observed due to Israeli military actions,” he said, stressing that “shelter is the biggest challenge” at the moment.
Mustafa revealed he held “very active and useful” talks with US officials on Tuesday, saying both sides “share the same goals” on the matter.
Later in his panel, Mustafa said a Palestinian reform plan is in the works with the help of partners including Saudi Arabia.
In a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mustafa said Saudi Arabia and other partners such as Egypt and Jordan were not just contributors but key stakeholders in the Palestinian cause.
“Saudi Arabia along with France have been working with us on the two state solution and integrating it,” he said.
“We want to work with the board of peace to ensure that they do their part of things to prepare for reconstruction efforts,” he added.
Mustafa said although some view the Oslo treaty as outdated, it still holds its place as an internationally recognized framework.
“According to the Oslo agreement, Israel should have withdrawn from most of the West Bank and Gaza. We want to see Israel respecting this agreement,” he said.
“The Israelis did not respect the economic part of the treaty. We are praying for a heavy price, not only in Gaza and people being killed every day. But also actions on the ground in the West Bank. We said clearly, we want to achieve our goals by peaceful means,” he said.
“Israel today holds $4 billion of our government’s money. They control the borders and collect the tax fines. For the past four months they have sent zero dollars. Our ability to govern has been impacted due to this,” Mustafa said.
In a sideline interview with Arab News, Palestinian Ambassador to Switzerland Ibrahim Mohammad Khraishi said that he met an Egyptian minister who expressed hope that the Rafah crossing could soon reopen on both sides.
“We need the understanding from all,” Khraishi said. “Yes, we have this administrative committee (as part of the Gaza Peace Board), but without the Palestinian Authority, they cannot deliver. Because we have everything. We have the institutions, we have the government,” Khraisi said.
Commenting on recent West Bank developments, including Israeli bulldozers razing the UNRWA compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, he warned: “This is the scenario for the Israelis. For them, there is nothing to talk about. It’s total crash and destruction. Now, what they are doing in West Bank is on the way.”
Source: arabnews.com
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7 Syrian soldiers killed in SDF drone attack in Hasakah: SANA
January 21, 2026
LONDON: The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that several soldiers were killed and 20 others were injured on Wednesday in the northeastern governorate of Hasakah, near the Iraqi border.
The ministry accused the Syrian Democratic Forces of launching a deadly drone attack on a facility near the Al-Yaarubiyah crossing, according to the SANA news agency.
The Syrian army discovered a facility for manufacturing explosives and drone munitions, which included several Iranian-made drones that the SDF was preparing to stockpile, the ministry said.
During the clearance operation, the facility was hit by a suicide drone from the SDF, killing seven soldiers and wounding 20 others, it added.
This week, Syrian forces began deploying across the Jazira region, which includes Hasakah, Qamishli, DeirAzZor and Raqqa, to secure it under an agreement between the Syrian Arab Republic and the SDF. The army has launched ongoing operations in Hasakah to arrest Daesh suspects after the SDF released them from a prison in Al-Shaddadi.
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Israeli forces demolish Palestinian house near Salfit
January 21, 2026
LONDON: Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian house under construction in Kafr Ad-Dik, a town west of Salfit in the northern occupied West Bank, on Wednesday.
Israeli troops, accompanied by military bulldozers, stormed the town and proceeded to the Sha’ab area, where they began demolishing a house that was under construction belonging to Sami Samir Naji, according to the Wafa news agency.
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that Israeli authorities conducted a total of 538 demolitions last year, which destroyed 1,400 structures. This included 304 inhabited homes, 74 uninhabited homes, 270 economic facilities, and 490 agricultural facilities. The demolitions primarily took place in the governorates of Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Tubas, and Nablus, Wafa added.
Excluding East Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, there are about 3 million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank.
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Israeli fire kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two children, local hospital officials say
January 21, 2026
CAIRO: Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two 13-year-old boys who were collecting firewood, three journalists and a woman, hospitals in the war-battered enclave said.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on any of the incidents.
The two boys were killed in separate incidents. In one strike, the 13-year-old, his father and a 22-year old man were hit by Israeli drones on the eastern side of the central Bureij refugee camp, according to officials from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir Al-Balah, which received the bodies.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the men had crossed into Israeli-controlled areas.
The other 13-year-old was shot and killed by troops while collecting firewood in the eastern town of BaniSuheila, the Nasser hospital said, after receiving the body. In a footage circulated online, the boy’s father is seen weeping over his son’s body on a hospital bed.
Later Wednesday, an Israeli strike on the central town of Zahraa hit a vehicle carrying three Palestinian journalists who were filming a newly established displacement camp managed by an Egyptian government committee, said Mohammed Mansour, the committee’s spokesman.
The bodies of two journalists were taken to the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, while the third body was taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.
Mansour said the journalists were documenting the committee’s work in the newly established camp in the Netzarim area in central Gaza. He said the strike occurred about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Israeli-controlled area.
He said the vehicle was known to the Israeli military as belonging to the Egyptian committee.
Video footage circulating online showed the charred, bombed-out vehicle by the roadside, smoke still rising from the wreckage, with debris scattered about.
Nasser Hospital officials also said they received the body of a Palestinian woman shot and killed by Israeli troops in the Muwasi area of the southern city of Khan Younis, which is not controlled by the military.
In a separate attack, three brothers were killed in a tank shelling in the Bureij camp, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, where the bodies were taken.
The deaths were the latest among Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire that stopped the war between Hamas and Israel went into effect in October.
More than 470 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, according to the strip’s health ministry. At least 77 have been killed by Israeli gunfire near a ceasefire line that splits the territory between Israeli-held areas and most of Gaza’s Palestinian population, the ministry says.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
The ceasefire paused two years of war between Israel and Hamas militants and allowed a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, mainly food.
But residents say shortages of blankets and warm clothes remain, and there is little wood for fires. There’s been no central electricity in Gaza since the first few days of the war in 2023, and fuel for generators is scarce.
More than 100 children who have died since the start of the ceasefire in October — a figure that includes a 27-day-old girl who died from hypothermia over the weekend.
Source: arabnews.com
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Syria’s Rifaat Assad, ‘Butcher of Hama’, dies aged 88, sources say
January 21, 2026
DAMASCUS: Rifaat Assad, uncle of deposed Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and dubbed the “Butcher of Hama” for suppressing an uprising in the 1980s, has died aged 88, two sources close to the family said Wednesday.
Once a pillar of the Assad family’s dynastic rule, Rifaat “died after suffering from influenza for around a week,” one source who worked in Syria’s presidential palace for over three decades told AFP.
A second source, an ex-officer of Syria’s army in the Assad era, confirmed the death, saying Rifaat had moved to the United Arab Emirates after his nephew’s government was toppled by rebels in December 2024, without specifying if he died there.
Rifaat’s role in a February 1982 massacre as part of a crackdown on an armed revolt by Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood earned him the nickname “the Butcher of Hama,” referring to the central Syrian city.
His brother Hafez Assad, who ruled Syria at the time, launched the campaign, which government forces carried out under the command of Rifaat, who was the head of the elite “Defense Brigades.”
The death toll from 27 days of violence, which took place under a media blackout, has never been formally established, though estimates range from 10,000 to 40,000.
Swiss prosecutors had accused Rifaat of a long list of crimes, including ordering “murders, acts of torture, inhumane treatment and illegal detentions” while an officer in the Syrian army.
He also served as vice president under his brother Hafez but went into exile in 1984 after a failed attempt to overthrow him, moving to Switzerland then France.
He later presented himself as an opponent of his nephew Bashar, who succeeded Hafez in 2000.
In 2021, he returned to Syria from France to escape a four-year prison sentence for money laundering and misappropriation of Syrian public funds.
Two years later, he appeared in a family photo alongside Bashar, the ruler’s wife Asma and other relatives.
Shortly after Bashar’s ouster, Rifaat crossed into Lebanon and then flew out of Beirut airport, a Lebanese security source said at the time, without specifying his final destination.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Love Of Faith, Love Of Country: Why This National Muslim Convention Matters Now More Than Ever
22 January 2026
A Message of Unity at a Time of Growing Polarisation
At a time when societies across the world are grappling with increasing division, conflict, and polarisation, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community New Zealand will host its 37th JalsaSalana (Annual Convention) on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th January, bringing together more than 700 attendees from across the country.
The Annual Conventions are one of the most important gatherings of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide, focused on promoting peace, dialogue, and service to humanity, regardless of faith or background.
Opening with Faith and Patriotism Hand in Hand
The convention will commence with the raising of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community flag alongside the New Zealand flag, symbolising that Islam teaches “Love for one’s country is part of faith.”
This opening ceremony reflects the Community’s long-standing commitment to religious freedom, civic responsibility, and loyalty to New Zealand.
“At a time when migration, faith, and identity are being used to divide people - both globally and here in New Zealand - we want to clearly demonstrate that devotion to faith and love for country are not opposites, but partners,” said MustenserQamar, Imam and Spokesperson of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community New Zealand.
Responding to Global and Local Challenges
The convention comes amid heightened global tensions, war, displacement, and the rise of rhetoric that targets minority communities. In New Zealand, recent public discourse— including anti-immigration narratives and campaigns driven by groups such as Destiny Church - has highlighted the need for calm, principled conversations rooted in respect and shared values.
Public Guest Session: Peace Amid Global Turmoil
On Saturday, the convention will host a guest session open to the public from 11:30am to just before 1:00pm, followed by lunch.
The session will explore the theme “Peace Amid Global Turmoil”, examining how communities of faith can contribute positively to social harmony, counter extremism, and foster unity in diverse societies like New Zealand.
Members of the public, community leaders, and those curious about Islam are warmly invited to attend at the Due Drop Event Centre, Manukau. Those interested are requested to RSVP to rsvp@ahmadiyya.nz
Source: scoop.co.nz
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https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU2601/S00207/love-of-faith-love-of-country-why-this-national-muslim-convention-matters-now-more-than-ever.htm
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Muslim group slams vile "Get out of Scotland" graffiti at Edinburgh's Central Mosque
Stephen Bark
22 Jan 2026
A Muslim support group has slammed vile "Get out of Scotland" graffiti sprayed across Edinburgh's Central Mosque.
Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) has called for an end to extremist far-right content and misinformation after vandals targeted the mosque last Friday, dousing the building in red paint to write out the slur.
Police were called to the mosque in the Potterrow area of the city at around 9.30pm.
Thugs also sprayed "Leave Scot" on the building in an act which was branded "sickening" by locals.
MEND, which supports Muslim's across the UK, said incidents of this type are 'no longer a surprise' but that they still "create a chilling effect".
In response to the incident in Edinburgh, the group is reiterating calls for action to "nurture and protect young minds from falling into the trap of racial and religious hatred".
A spokesperson said: “Attacks on mosques - whether graffiti, damage, or threats - create a chilling effect well beyond the immediate incident. However, such incidents no longer surprise us. The attack on Edinburgh Central Mosque is sadly one of many attacks in recent months.
“Just this time last year, a radicalised teen was charged with terror offences after being caught preparing a mass-murder attack on a mosque in Greenock. Extreme far-right content is spreading like wildfire across online spaces, and little is being done to stop it, the result is evident.
“We must ask ourselves - who profits from dividing our society? Who wins when hard-working people are turned against each other?
“The lies and deceit are clearly engineered to distract us from the real issues of the day.
“The Scottish Government must take clear steps forward, working alongside public institutions to prevent the spread of extremist far-right content and misinformation. Early intervention is crucial if we are to nurture and protect young minds from falling into the trap of racial and religious hatred.”
The right-wing teenager who wanted to carry out and livestream a mass murder at a mosque in Inverclyde was locked up for 10 years last August.
The 17-year-old boy, who we cannot name for legal reasons, had been “radicalised” by what he had viewed on social media channels - including TikTok - going on to idolise killers such as neo-Nazi murderer Anders Brevik who slaughtered 77 people in Norway in 2011.
The youngster spoke online about how white people were at "war" and that he would "die for my land." The boy planned the attack at the Inverclyde Muslim Centre, which included duping the Imam into believing that he wanted to join.
Having been trusted enough to be left alone at times, he made sketches and videos of the layout.
The teen also went as far as to join in with prayers in a bid to convince others of his bid to convert to being a Muslim.
But his plans were halted when police discovered the boy armed and potentially dangerous outside the centre.
This included an airgun which he claimed would keep worshippers inside once he had set the building on fire.
The teen later plead guilty to acting with the intention of committing acts of terrorism.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Around 12.25pm on Saturday, January 17, we received a report of vandalism to a building in the Potterrow area of Edinburgh.
“It’s believed the incident happened around 9.30pm on Friday, January 16.
“Officers are carrying out enquiries to establish the full circumstances.“
Source: dailyrecord.co.uk
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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/muslim-group-slams-vile-get-36585730
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Plans for new mosque in Lucan industrial estate rejected after initial approval by council
21/01/2026
Plans for a new mosque and community centre in an industrial estate in Lucan have been rejected because such uses are not permitted under the zoning of the site.
An CoimisiúnPleanála upheld an appeal by the industrial estate’s management company (OMC) against the decision of South Dublin County Council to approve the change of use of two units in the Hills Industrial Estate on Lower Lucan Road in the west Dublin suburb.
A Muslim charity, DaareArqam Trust, had sought permission for a change of use of the buildings, which includes a protected structure, to a mosque and community centre.
The trust received support for the proposal for the new facilities from over 100 Muslims living in the area.
However, the council’s decision was appealed by Hills Mills Management Company and a local resident.
The management company claimed the charity was seeking to control a large part of the industrial estate and segregate it “behind gates” in contravention of the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028.
The units earmarked for the proposed mosque previously operated as a furniture shop and window showroom but have been vacant for almost five years.
The two-storey building, which lies adjacent to Lucan Bridge, contains a protected structure – Steward’s Crafts.
Outlining its ruling, An CoimisiúnPleanála said the lands were zoned to provide for enterprise and employment.
The Commission said community centres and places of worship were not normally permitted under such zoning and it was not satisfied that a relaxation of the zoning restrictions was “necessary or appropriate” in order to preserve and conserve the protected structure.
The Commission said it had not accepted the recommendation of its own planning inspector to permit the change of use of the buildings sought by DaareArqam Trust.
It concluded that it had not been demonstrated that the long-term preservation and conservation of the Steward’s Craft building was contingent on the proposed change of use.
The Commission said the building would be equally protected by a use that was compatible with its zoning for enterprise and employment.
South Dublin County Council has received more than two dozen objections to the plans for a mosque from local residents and businesses who claimed it would create problems with traffic congestion and noise in the area.
While most opponents stated their support for the right to religious practice, many urged the charity to source an alternative, more suitable and appropriately zoned site for the mosque.
Consultants for the DaareArqam Trust said the charity had identified a need in the area for a multi-functional space to include a place of worship due to the growing Muslim population in the community.
The charity currently rents facilities in west Dublin on an hourly basis, but wanted a more permanent location for a new mosque, community centre and sports facility in a highly accessible location close to Lucan village, which had ample parking.
The charity’s consultants acknowledged that the change of use sought was not permitted under the current zoning but noted that a sports facility was “open to consideration.”
They pointed out that there was already another place of worship – the Gospel Baptist Church – within the industrial estate which they argued had set a precedent for such a use.
As there would be no alcohol, music or dancing at the facility, they maintained there would be no anti-social activities, sound pollution or disturbance to neighbours.
They claimed the development might have a positive impact on the existing businesses within the industrial estate through increased activity and footfall, as up to 40 persons would be visiting the proposed facility at any one time.
The charity also pointed out that the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028 contains objectives to support alternative uses for protected structures as well as to support the development of places of worship and multi-faith facilities.
The DaareArqam Trust secured planning permission last year for a change of use of adjoining units in the Hills Industrial Estate to establish a wholesale outlet and local shop.
It received support from Dublin Mid-West TD, Paul Gogarty, who said he regularly received complaints about houses being used as places of worship.
“Housing estates are not suitable for such purposes, which is why proper, adequate places of worship need to be approved,” he added.
However, Mr Gogarty acknowledged that there was an issue with a lack of parking in the area.
Independent Ireland councillor, Linda de Courcy, raised concerns about the proposal and its effect on Lucan village as she believed it was an unsuitable location for a place of worship or community centre.
Ms de Courcy observed the charity had already claimed on its website as far back as 2023 that the other units earmarked for a wholesale outlet and local shop would be used as a mosque.
She claimed that it had been operating a mosque out of another premises in Lucan without authorisation after it had been refused planning permission.
Hills Mills Management Company claimed the charity never intended operating just a wholesale outlet and shop at the location and accused it of “project splitting” with the intention of creating “a gated place of worship.”
It also warned that the proposed change of use would create traffic congestion and noise as well as impacting on the development potential of the industrial estate and depreciating property values.
The company also claimed the proposed 84 hours that the mosque would be open each week was “excessive.”
Source: breakingnews.ie
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https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/plans-for-new-mosque-in-lucan-industrial-estate-rejected-after-initial-approval-by-council-1855841.html
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Two charities ordered to run mosque as one entity
22 January 2026
Shannen Headley
Two charities in dispute about the running of a mosque in the West Midlands have been ordered to merge by the Charity Commission, in a rare move not made in two decades.
The regulator has ordered Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre to join with The Muslim Community Centre and Mosque 1977, in an "extremely rare" use of its powers.
The decision comes after years of regulatory concerns and uncertainty over the day-to-day management of Dudley Central Mosque, on Birmingham Road.
A report, published on Tuesday, said trustees have now been given a "transparent" way for members of the community to be involved. The BBC has approached the mosque for comment.
A new governing document has been created to combine the charities - both with "complicated structures" - to operate effectively following rules on how the merged charity should run in line with charity law and the commission's guidance.
The regulator said this was an "unprecedented" use of its powers not applied for more than 20 years.
An inquiry was launched into Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre in July 2022, over "repeated failure" to meet accounting requirements for four years in a row despite being the subject of three regulatory compliance cases.
In April 2025, a separate inquiry into Muslim Community Centre and Mosque 1977 was launched because of concerns the dispute between the two organisations posed a risk to charity property.
All of the cases looked at issues which arose from the ongoing dispute between the two groups.
Inquiries ongoing
In November 2018, the commission said it advised the Muslim Community Centre and Mosque 1977 to seek legal advice to establish official trustees in line with its constitution while asking the two sides to mediate.
An election overseen by an independent committee took place, but one side disputed the independence of the election and governance issues remained.
The charity was also placed into the commission's "double defaulters" class inquiry in March 2022 as it had failed to submit its annual reports, accounts and annual returns for four years in a row.
The regulator said accounting information since March 2018 was still outstanding.
The inquiry looked at concerns that there was a lack of clarity around the respective charities' roles in managing its shared property and how related charitable funds are banked.
Both inquiries remain ongoing.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxyq0q1j54o
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Lords back UK social media ban for under-16s
22 January 2026
Paul Seddon
The House of Lords has backed a move to ban under-16s in the UK from social media platforms.
By 261 votes to 150, opposition peers voted to support a ban through an amendment to the government's schools bill.
The government has indicated it will try to overturn the amendment in the Commons, whilst it holds its own consultation on a potential ban.
But this Commons vote could prove politically tricky for ministers, as some Labour MPs have said they also favour a ban for under-16s.
Political momentum at Westminster in favour of a ban has grown since Australia's move last month to ban under-16s from 10 major platforms, with more than 60 Labour MPs recently joining the Conservative Party in urging a similar move.
However, others some campaigners and children's charities have come out against the idea.
Under the amendment backed by peers, the government would get a year to decide which platforms should be unavailable to under-16s, with companies forced to put in place "highly effective" age checks to police access.
It was supported by Conservative, Liberal Democrat and crossbench peers, as well as two from Labour.
Former Tory schools minister Lord Nash, one of those sponsoring the proposed change, said children's use of social media was a "societal catastrophe" and a ban would give teenagers a "few more years to mature" before using the platforms.
He said there was "overwhelming" evidence about the damage caused by teenage social media use, arguing it was linked to mental health problems, online radicalisation and disruptive behaviour in classrooms.
He dismissed the government's consultation as a "last-minute attempt to kick the can down the road", adding: "What are we waiting for? We know our children are being harmed".
'Complex issue'
Online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron, another peer supporting the ban, said she worried the government's consultation would become the "playground of the tech lobbyist".
"The government has shown it will only act under pressure, not principle," she added.
However, other peers urged caution about the proposal, with Labour peer Lord Knight of Weymouth arguing it could push teenagers towards "less regulated platforms".
He added that a blanket ban would also deprive children of the more positive aspects of social media, adding that a better approach was to "listen to young people" during the government consultation.
Several charities and campaign groups, including the NSPCC, have said a full ban risks "unintended consequences," and have called instead for stronger enforcement of existing child safety rules.
Asked earlier whether it would support the Lords' amendment, Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson said: "Our position is clear. We won't accept the amendment.
"This is an extremely complex issue. We believe the right thing to do is to gather the necessary evidence and insight before changing the law."
The government consultation, which will run for three months, will assess the merits of a ban for under-16s, as well as overnight curfews and actions to prevent "doom-scrolling".
It will also look at whether more robust age checks could be implemented by social media firms, which could be forced to remove or limit features "which drive compulsive use of social media".
The Liberal Democrats supported Lord Nash's amendment after failing to win support for their own rival plan to restrict children's social media use.
The party added that it would put pressure on the government to "come forward with concrete proposals for a workable plan".
"While we may differ on the best approach, we believe there is a shared responsibility to act," added education spokesperson Munira Wilson.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0pnekxpn8o
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Ex-intelligence officer in Austria's biggest spy trial for years
22 January 2026
Bethany Bell
Former intelligence official EgistoOtt goes on trial in Vienna on Thursday, accused of spying for Russia in what is being dubbed Austria's biggest spy trial in years.
EgistoOtt, 63, is charged with having handed over information to Russian intelligence officers and to Jan Marsalek, the fugitive executive of collapsed German payments firm Wirecard.
Ott denies the charges.
Jan Marsalek, who is also an Austrian citizen, is wanted by German police for alleged fraud and is currently believed to be in Moscow, having fled via Austria in 2020.
The subject of an Interpol Red Notice, he is alleged to be an intelligence asset for the FSB, Russia's secretive security service.
The spy scandal has revived fears that Austria remains a hotbed of Russian espionage activity and observers will also be watching closely for details that could emerge about Marsalek.
Prosecutors in Vienna say EgistoOtt "abused his authority" as an Austrian intelligence official by collecting large amounts of personal data, such as locations, vehicle registration numbers, or travel movements.
They say he did this between 2015 and 2020 without authorisation, often using national and international police databases.
Prosecutors also charge him with supporting "a secret intelligence service of the Russian Federation to the detriment of the Republic of Austria" by collecting secret facts and a large amount of personal data from police databases between 2017 and 2021.
They say EgistoOtt gave this information to Jan Marsalek and unknown representatives of the Russian intelligence service, and received payment in return.
In 2022, prosecutors say, Jan Marsalek commissioned him to obtain a laptop containing secret electronic security hardware used by EU states for secure electronic communication. The laptop, they say, was handed over to the Russian intelligence service.
He is also suspected, reports say, of having passed phone data from senior Austrian interior ministry officials to Russia.
Austria's Standard newspaper says EgistoOtt apparently obtained the work phones after they accidentally fell into the River Danube on an interior ministry boating trip.
He is alleged to have copied their contents and passed them on to Jan Marsalek, and Moscow.
EgistoOtt is charged with abuse of authority and corruption and espionage against Austria and faces up to five years in prison, if he is found guilty.
When he was arrested in 2024, Austria's then Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, described the case as "a threat to democracy and our country's national security".
In a separate development, prosecutors in the Austrian town of Wiener Neustadt have told the BBC that a former MP, Thomas Schellenbacher, has been charged with helping Marsalek to escape following the collapse of the Wirecard company in 2020, when it emerged that €1.9bn was missing from its accounts.
Schellenbacher is alleged to have helped Jan Marsalek fly to Belarus, from Bad Vöslau in Austria, in June 2020.
Schellenbacher was an MP for the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which has been accused by Austria's Green Party, now in opposition, of enabling Russian espionage, of acting as "an extension of Russia's arm" in Austria.
The FPÖ and its leader Herbert Kickl have denied the allegations - and have not faced any legal action in connection with any of them.
Marsalek, who was the Wirecard's Chief Operating Officer, has since been charged with fraud and embezzlement, suspected of having inflated company's balance sheet total and sales volume.
He is also believed to have been the controller of a group of Bulgarians who were convicted in London in 2025, of spying for Russia.
Messages from that trial reveal Marsalek has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance as well as details of his life as a fugitive.
"I'm off to bed. Had another cosmetic surgery, trying to look differently, and I am dead tired and my head hurts," he wrote to one of the Bulgarians, Roussev, on Telegram in February 2022.
In another, dated 11 May 2021, Roussev congratulated Marsalek for learning Russian.
"Well I am trying to improve my skills on a few fronts. Languages is one of them," the Austrian responded.
"In my new role as an international fugitive I must outperform James Bond."
Source: bbc.com
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EU suspends approval of US trade deal
22 January 2026
Jonathan Josephs,Adam Hancock
The European Parliament has suspended the approval of a key US trade deal agreed in July in protest against Donald Trump's demand to take over Greenland.
The suspension was announced in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, as the US president addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The move followed renewed trade tensions between the US and Europe sparked by Trump's bid to acquire Greenland, which had rattled financial markets, reviving talk of a trade war and the possibility of retaliation against the US.
Hours later, Trump said on social media he had reached a "framework" deal on Greenland's future and would not carry out threats to put new tariffs on eight Nato members.
Trade tensions between the US and Europe had eased since the two sides struck a deal at Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland in July.
That agreement set US levies on most European goods at 15%, down from the 30% Trump had initially threatened as part of his "Liberation Day" wave of tariffs in April. In exchange, Europe had agreed to invest in the US and make changes on the continent expected to boost US exports.
The deal would have still required approval from the European Parliament to become official.
But on Wednesday, days after Trump threatened fresh US tariffs over Greenland, Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, said it was "left with no alternative but to suspend work on the two Turnberry legislative proposals".
He said work to implement the trade plans would be on hold "until the US decides to re-engage on a path of cooperation rather than confrontation, and before any further steps are taken".
The move renewed the possibility that the EU might move forward with tariffs on a possible €93bn ($109bn, £81bn) worth of American goods it announced last year in response to Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs.
It had put those plans on hold while the trade deal was being finalised but those levies would now come into force on 7 February unless the bloc moves to extend the pause or approves the new deal.
Lange, speaking before Trump announced the "framework deal" and backed off the tariff threat, said there would be "no possibility for compromise" until Trump's threats ended.
He also raised the prospect of the use of the "anti-coercion instrument" of retaliatory measures, nicknamed a "trade bazooka", an idea also backed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In an interview with the BBC after Trump's announcement, Lange declined to say whether it could salvage the trade deal, adding that it would take "some time" to understand its implications.
"We have to look what this so-called solution would mean," he said.
There seems to be a sense in Brussels that Trump's climbdown was inevitable. When BBC News asked one well placed EU source for a response to President Trump saying he wouldn't go ahead with the tariffs, the response was simply an eye-rolling emoji.
Over the last year, financial markets have batted away concerns over the impact of the US president's policy announcements, taking comfort in the TACO acronym, Trump Always Chickens Out.
It seems the sense of him not following through on threats has also taken hold in some corridors of power.
In his Davos speech, Trump repeated his interest in the US acquiring Greenland from Denmark, but said "I don't have to use force, I don't want to use force, I won't use force".
He called for "immediate negotiations" with the country about how he could take over the island, which he has argued is crucial for US and global security, announcing the "framework" of a future deal a few hours later.
Trump's speech helped to calm financial markets on both sides of the Atlantic, which had sunk in previous days.
Shares in the US gained further on the deal announcement, with the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, rising more than 1% in afternoon trading on Wednesday, while the FTSE 100 closed slightly higher.
The price of gold continued to make gains as it rose above $4,842 (£3,604) an ounce for the first time. The price of silver remained slightly lower than Monday's record high of $95 an ounce, hovering around $94.
Precious metals are seen as safer assets to hold in times of uncertainty, and the prices of both gold and silver have soared over the past year.
The US and the 27-nation European Union are each others' single biggest trade partners, with more than €1.6tn ($1.9tn, £1.4tn) in goods and services exchanged in 2024, according to European figures. That represents nearly a third of all global trade.
When Trump started announcing tariffs last year, it prompted threats of retaliation from many political leaders, including in Europe.
In the end, however, many, opted to negotiate instead.
Only China and Canada stuck by their threats to hit American goods with tariffs, with Canada quietly withdrawing most of those measures in September, concerned they were damaging the Canadian economy.
In a speech in Davos on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged "middle powers" to unite to push back against the might-makes-right world of great power rivalry that he warned was emerging.
"When we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what is offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating," he warned. "This is not sovereignty. It is the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination."
The US has previously expressed impatience with European progress toward approval of the deal amid ongoing disagreements over tech and metals tariffs.
But ahead of Trump's arrival in Davos, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said European leaders should not jump to retaliate, urging them to "have an open mind".
"I tell everyone, sit back. Take a deep breath. Do not retaliate," he said.
Looming in the background of the trade tensions is a pending Supreme Court decision over whether many of the tariffs Trump announced last year are legal.
Source: bbc.com
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Denmark always treated Greenland ‘like a colony’ – Putin
22 Jan, 2026
Denmark has always treated Greenland like a colony, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, commenting on US President Donald Trump’s plans to purchase the self-governing Arctic island.
Trump restated his claim on the Danish overseas territory at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, and ruled out the use of force.
“Denmark has always treated Greenland like a colony, and treated it quite harshly, if not to say cruelly,” Putin said at a meeting with Russia’s National Security Council in the Kremlin on Wednesday.
Putin said Russia has no stake in the conflict over the island’s ownership. “It definitely doesn’t concern us. I think they will sort it out among themselves.”
He noted that the US purchased Alaska in 1867 from Russia and the Caribbean territory known today as the US Virgin Islands in 1916 from Denmark. Putin suggested that Greenland could cost up to $1 billion and that the US can afford it.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied that Moscow has any plans to interfere in Greenland’s affairs.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen reiterated in Davos that Copenhagen will not allow the US to annex Greenland, where residents held anti-Trump demonstrations earlier this week.
Denmark colonized Greenland in the 18th century and granted it home rule in 1979. The US deployed troops to Greenland during World War II and maintains an airbase on the northwestern coast.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/631318-putin-denmark-greenland-colony/
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The EU is addicted to American economic punishment
21 Jan, 2026
An American think-tank has some bad news for Europe. Just as the continent tries to wriggle free from an abusive relationship with Washington, it turns out they’ve never been more dependent on their tormentor.
“EU risks new energy dependence as U.S. could supply 80% of its LNG imports by 2030,” blared the latest report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, pegging current dependence at 57%.
That was actually the EU’s plan all along. Apparently, it was very important to the Eurocrats that this dependence on American energy be locked in before Putin makes his grand entrance in 2030, as they keep telling us. Because by then, the charade will likely have served its purpose in washing taxpayer cash into the GDP-boosting defense sector. The French are even hiring young people for paid military training – as bakers and cooks. Will they be pelting Putin with baguettes?
They sure didn’t seem to predict the need to also fire up the ovens for some croissants to ward off Trump. Or that Trump could shut down the ovens by cutting off the gas.
It was only last summer that Ursula von der Leyen – unelected European Commission president – announced a deal with Trump. He would drop tariffs on European imports in exchange for locking the EU into even greater reliance on American gas. “We have reached a deal on tariffs and trade with the US. Today’s deal creates certainty in uncertain times. It delivers stability and predictability, for citizens and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,” she said. “Purchases of US energy products will diversify our sources of supply and contribute to Europe’s energy security. We will replace Russian gas and oil with significant purchases of US LNG, oil, and nuclear fuels.”
Fast forward to today, and the EU is trying to calculate the likelihood of an American invasion after receiving notes from Trump, who apparently decided that because the Oslo-based Nobel Committee (which Norway doesn’t even control) didn’t give him the Peace Prize, he’s now feeling less motivated to keep his Pentagon toys and GI Joes out of Greenland.
He says that the EU sucks at protecting Greenland, so it needs a real man – like him. At the same time, Trump caught European nations doing their job of trying to protect it by sending a handful of troops and materiel over for military exercises. But since only he can date Greenland, he punished them by slapping new tariffs on his own people who happen to import European products. Which is like yelling at your dog because you stub your toe.
What a victory for Queen Ursula’s much-celebrated “stability and predictability.”
After years of sacrificing their energy diversity with tunnel vision on anti-Russian goals, EU leaders have now positioned themselves to be completely dependent on the very country that threatens to invade them whenever it suits.
Surely now they’ll recalibrate in their own interests, right? I wouldn’t bet on it. Consider how Germany is handling its own ideologically-induced, energy-related economic implosion.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has just come bursting out of the closet sounding like a passionate defender of nuclear energy. In reality, he has long resigned himself to lying down and letting the greenies have their way with him, like the client of a dominatrix offering the bare minimum of grumbling necessary for the show.
He says that Germany’s decision to shut down its nuclear plants was a huge error that’s come at a serious cost to the economy. “It was a serious strategic mistake to exit nuclear energy. If you were going to do it, you should have at least kept the last remaining nuclear power plants in Germany on the grid three years ago, so that we would have had the same electricity generation capacity,” he said. A pretty bold U-turn for a guy who has long shrugged off as inevitable the idea of Germany – the EU’s economic engine – being powered by the weather.
So it turns out that if you shut down your most reliable, stable source of carbon-free power, electricity doesn’t magically become cheaper because of the odd gust of wind. Who knew? Merz did, actually. Which is why he’s long been a critic of the nuclear phase out. But it’s not like he proposed a concrete, credible reversal plan while he was in opposition. He just basically went like, you guys are morons, but hey, whaddaya do? Like he was a frustrated bystander instead of an actual lawmaker.
So now that Merz is in the driver’s seat and at the controls as chancellor, he’s saying, let’s get going on fixing this! All those clean energy nuclear reactors, like those that France gets to rely on, now need to be fired up again here in Germany, too, after being shut down since 2023.
Nah, just kidding. He’s actually just still shrugging, and going, oh well, nothing can be done about it now. Except blaming the previous administration. Oh, and we’re looking at exploring these new things called little modular reactors. Also nuclear, by the way. So huge change there going from nuclear to nuclear. And which won’t actually exist until maybe sometime in the next decade. Great comfort to Germans paying a fortune for energy right now that the guy in charge feels like all he can do is just complain for the time being.
Too bad he couldn’t have stepped in and done something more to fight for the same nuclear power whose disappearance he now laments. Instead, at the time, he sounded like a guy giving up on a marriage after his wife had found another dude. “They are being dismantled, they are being decontaminated. There is no way to fix this, most likely,” he said of the nuclear infrastructure.
Sorry, you can never come home. The hardware has literally been blown up – under Merz himself. Enjoy wandering the energy-deprived wasteland like in a Mad Max movie, looking for crumbs and praying for sun and wind. Too bad Merz couldn’t do anything about that either. Except stand around watching with his hands in his pockets – as chancellor – while his country’s energy supply was getting cucked by the green lobby.
Just to rewind a bit, the demise of Germany’s 60 years of nuclear power accelerated under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, of Merz’s own Christian Democrats party, as the Brussels Signal recently pointed out. She saw what happened with Fukushima in Japan and reacted like someone who decides that they need to avoid cars for the rest of their life because they once witnessed an accident. Merkel apparently had all the confidence in the world that political will could bend uncontrollable external factors, like the weather, in the country’s favor. Then in 2023, the German economy minister doubled down, saying that there was no intention of going back since the public, already being crushed by high energy prices at the time from cutting off both nuclear and Nord Stream’s Russian gas, was totally cool with it.
So how has all this worked out? Funny how ideology sounds great until reality shows up. Electricity prices are up. Fossil fuel use has increased as a result of firing up coal plants again to meet energy demand. Another American economic think-tank, the National Bureau of Economic Research, estimates the cost of the nuclear phase-out at $12 billion dollars a year, mostly from all the junk that the coal is spewing into the air, driving up health care costs.
And now Germany is starting to realize that swapping a diversified energy mix for disappointment was really stupid, all while Trump grins in the background, turning every European blunder into his personal playground of torment, with them hogtied like kids who ignored every warning about the ice-cream van.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/631269-eu-addict-economic-punishment/
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North America
Trump says Europe ‘destroying’ itself
21 Jan, 2026
European nations need to reverse a decade of what he called “horrible” decisions to stop “destroying” themselves, US President Donald Trump has said.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Trump said that while the US wants to see Europe succeed, “it is not going in the right direction.”
He blamed European nations’ uncontrolled migration policies and what he called the “green new scam,” a term he uses to describe green energy policies, arguing that a focus on wind power has driven up energy prices in the region.
“The consequences of such destructive policies have been stark, including lower economic growth, lower standards of living, lower birth rates, more socially disruptive migration, more vulnerability to hostile foreign adversaries,” he said.
European countries need to “get out of the culture that they’ve created” over the past decade, Trump said.
“It’s horrible what they’re doing to themselves, they’re destroying themselves. We want strong allies, not seriously weakened ones,” he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted Trump’s remarks on X shortly after, arguing that if the Europeans do not change their cultural trajectory, “they will destroy themselves.”
The Trump administration’s latest National Security Strategy, published in December, also warned that Europe was facing “civilizational erasure.” The document blamed efforts by the EU and international organizations to undermine “political liberty” and free speech, and to institute detrimental migration policies.
Moscow has also repeatedly highlighted the EU’s decline. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that after the fall of the USSR, Russia expected to be welcomed into the “civilized Western family,” but that “civilization there is nonexistent, and degradation is all there is.”
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/631315-trump-europe-destroying-itself/
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US Estimates 200 Islamic State Fighters Fled Syria Prison
21 January 2026
U.S. officials now estimate about 200 Islamic State group fighters escaped from a Syrian detention site during a fast-moving handover of security control, a breach that is sharpening U.S. concerns about jihadist breakouts and accelerating the transfer of detainees out of northeast Syria.
A U.S. official told Reuters that "about 200 low-level Islamic State fighters" escaped from the al-Shaddadi prison camp on Monday after guards from the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, withdrew from the facility.
The U.S. estimate differs from figures cited by Syrian authorities.
Syria's Interior Ministry said Tuesday that 120 Islamic State group members escaped from a prison in northeast Syria amid clashes, and that security forces recaptured 81 of them.
Breitbart, citing the Reuters account, reported the estimate of 200 was higher than the Syrian government figure but far below what it described as the SDF's worst-case estimate that as many as 1,500 inmates could have fled.
The same report said the al-Shaddadi population had been reduced before the fighting, with about 600 foreign Islamic State group fighters transferred to other camps, according to the unnamed U.S. official.
The competing claims reflect a broader blame game between Damascus and the Kurdish-led SDF as the security map in northeast Syria shifts.
The Syrian Interior Ministry accused the SDF of withdrawing irresponsibly from detention sites and deliberately setting some inmates free, while the SDF accused government-linked jihadi paramilitary groups of freeing Islamic State group prisoners.
The escape episode is landing as the U.S. military moves to reduce the risk of additional breakouts.
On Wednesday, the U.S. military said it transferred 150 Islamic State group detainees from Syria to Iraq and said the effort could eventually move up to 7,000 detainees.
"We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS," said Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. forces in the Middle East.
In a separate statement reported by The Associated Press, Cooper said, "Facilitating the orderly and secure transfer of ISIS detainees is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security."
Source: newsmax.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/islamic-state-syria-brad-cooper/2026/01/21/id/1243066/
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North Texas school district cancels Islamic Games for alleged ties to group governor calls terroristic
JAN. 21, 2026
FORT WORTH — Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials “severed negotiations” with an Islamic group seeking to host an all-ages sporting tournament at a local high school, a district spokesperson confirmed to the Fort Worth Report on Tuesday.
The decision came after school administrators were “made aware” that one of the event’s sponsors, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, was designated a terrorist organization by Gov. Greg Abbott last year, GCISD spokesperson Nicole Lyons said in an email.
But organizers of the Islamic Games said CAIR “has never been, and is not presently, a sponsor, partner, affiliate or supporter” of the sports festival.
“We are deeply concerned that a sporting event for children is being targeted,” SalaudeenNausrudeen, president of Islamic Games, said in an email to the Report. “It is our hope that better minds prevail.”
Islamic Games officials requested to use the Colleyville Heritage High School to host its Dallas chapter’s gaming event in May, Lyons said. The facility reservation was in negotiation and not yet finalized before district officials learned Monday of CAIR’s alleged sponsorship, she said.
In a news release Wednesday morning, Islamic Games officials announced that the event will still be held this summer but did not specify a location.
Abbott praised GCISD officials for “rightfully” announcing the district ended negotiations with Islamic Games in a letter dated Jan. 21.
Abbott called on the Cypress-Fairbanks schools superintendent and board president to terminate that district’s negotiations for a facility reservation to host the Houston version of the Islamic Games at a local high school, citing CAIR’s alleged sponsorship.
The governor instructed district officials to “immediately preserve all records and communications about the event,” warning that he would otherwise direct the Texas Education Agency to “immediately seize and uncover” any communications between CFISD employees and CAIR.
“Texans deserve immediate action to curb the spread of Islamic extremism, and public facilities funded by their tax dollars will not be utilized to host terrorist related groups,” Abbott wrote in the letter.
Colleyville Heritage hosted the Islamic Games in 2024 and 2025, according to social media posts from the organization.
The Islamic Games is North America’s largest Muslim sports and athletic event, according to its website.
The annual event, which takes place in cities across the country, brings together children and athletes of all ages for two days of basketball, soccer, pickleball and other games, Nausrudeen said.
Criticism of the Islamic Games speaks to the politicized nature of the relationship between Texas politicians and Muslim communities, said Mustafaa Carroll, interim executive director of CAIR’s Dallas-Fort Worth chapter.
“Those kids that are trying to just have to play ball together, haven’t done anything to contribute to Islamophobia,” Carroll said. “All they’re doing is living, and that’s the problem. And these people won’t allow us to even live peacefully in this country.”
Confirmation that the event was canceled came about four hours after Keller Mayor Armin Mizani published a statement denouncing the 2026 Islamic Games, specifically highlighting CAIR’s sponsorship. In a press release from his campaign for state office, Mizani called on GCISD trustees to “rectify the situation.”
“I am grateful for the quick and responsive leadership from the GCISD board of trustees who after learning of the event’s sponsor made the decision to cancel,” Mizani said in a statement to the Report on Tuesday. “In Texas, we do not wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to those who have been designated as a terrorist organization by the state or its governor.”
In November, Abbott designated CAIR and another international Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, as “foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.” CAIR denies those claims, stating on its website the institution “is not and has never been an affiliate, offshoot, chapter, or agent of any foreign movement, organization, political party or government.”
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CAIR is the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in the country, according to the nonprofit’s website.
Lyons cited a Texas law prohibiting governmental entities from entering contracts with companies identified as terrorist organizations as grounds for canceling negotiations for the event reservation.
Shannon Braun, president of the GCISD board of trustees, did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
CAIR’s New Jersey chapter was one of more than 100 sponsors listed on the event’s website Monday, according to a snapshot of the page saved by the internet archive site Wayback Machine. CAIR was no longer listed on the event site as of Tuesday afternoon.
Brandon Hall, a Republican member of the State Board of Education who represents parts of Tarrant County including Grapevine and Colleyville, alleged in a Facebook post Monday that the Islamic Games was sponsored by CAIR.
He told the Report on Tuesday evening that “it’s a little bit hard to believe” that CAIR wasn’t originally an event sponsor after he saw the organization listed as such Monday.
“An organization with any ties to someone who’s been designated as a foreign terrorist organization should absolutely not be able to use school facilities, because that’s very concerning,” Hall said.
Nausrudeen said CAIR’s New Jersey chapter made a “one-time, in-kind contribution consisting solely of complimentary drawstring bags, which were distributed to athletes as part of event materials,” around 2023. He said the “isolated contribution” did not “constitute sponsorship, endorsement, or partnership between parties.”
The Islamic Games have had no relationship or engagement with the CAIR New Jersey chapter in any capacity since that time, he added.
SelaedinMaksut, executive director of CAIR’s New Jersey chapter, declined to comment, deferring to Carroll.
Had the event not been sponsored by CAIR, Mizani said, he likely would have had no issue with it.
In response to Nausrudeen’s statement that CAIR was not a sponsor, Mizani wrote via text that GCISD would be “the best source” for confirmation of event sponsors.
“I would assume they would know if they were or not,” Mizani texted.
Hall said he plans to continue investigating the issue to get clarity on CAIR’s alleged sponsorship.
Even if CAIR didn’t sponsor the Islamic Games, Hall said, he would have a problem with the event because the Muslim sports festival “excludes everyone else.”
“I’m not aware of any churches that would exclude somebody based on who they are or what their background is,” Hall said.
In his statement, Nausrudeen wrote that the Islamic Games are open to people of all faiths. The company’s website states that the games are open to “any individual or team regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.”
Texas lawmakers passed a bill last year allowing public school districts, charter schools and universities to permit religious groups to use their facilities for worship, sermons, services or assemblies.
A school or university can’t be penalized by any state agency, political subdivision or government entity for allowing religious groups to use their facilities after hours, according to the Texas Senate Research Center’s analysis of the bill.
Decisions to deny religiously affiliated groups from using such sites inhibits them “from participating in neutral, publicly available rental processes open to other nonprofit or civic groups — potentially infringing on Free Speech and Free Exercise protections under the First Amendment,” according to the state’s analysis.
Targeting what he describes as the spread of “radical Islam” has been a key focus of Mizani’s campaign as he seeks the Republican nomination for Texas House District 98 in the March 3 primary election.
At the start of the new year, Keller City Council members unanimously approved a resolution reaffirming their commitment to “constitutional governance and equal application of the law” with a resolution originally drafted to reject sharia, the moral code that guides those who practice Islam. The resolution, championed by Mizani, was revised to exclude mentions of sharia after pushback from residents and local Muslim leaders.
Mizani said the topic of Islam is “one of the talking points” of his campaign in addition to lowering property taxes and strengthening border security.
“We’re simply speaking to issues that are of concern to residents of HD 98 and obviously of importance to the governor,” Mizani said.
His stance on Islam falls in line with other GOP leaders across Tarrant County and the state.
In July, Tarrant GOP members adopted a resolution denouncing CAIR and urging elected officials to declare “an invasion of Islamic centers, associations and societies as a dangerous threat to the citizens of Texas and the United States of America and a dangerous threat to our way of life.”
Also last summer, a former GOP chairman targeted Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Euless Democrat, on social media with multiple posts about Bhojani’s ethnicity and religion. The chairman called on federal officials to “denaturalize and deport” Bhojani, who is Muslim and Pakistani.
The same former chairman drew scrutiny throughout the summer for several incendiary social media posts about Muslim people, including a poll asking whether Jewish or Muslim people pose a “bigger threat to America.”
Carroll said Muslims are a “political football,” and scrutiny from politicians is “doing a lot of damage that’s going to hurt everybody.”
“We don’t even want them to play together. We think that’s a threat to everybody else,” Carroll said. “It’s just ludicrous. It’s crazy. And the people that are making these statements are crazy.”
Source: texastribune.org
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/21/north-texas-school-district-cancels-islamic-games-for-alleged-ties-to-group-governor-calls-terroristic/
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CAIR Vows to Hold Texas Gov. Abbott Accountable for “Crossing Every Line of Basic Decency” By Targeting Muslim Children’s Sporting Event
January 21, 2026
Muslim civil rights and advocacy group says Abbott is digging himself a ‘deeper legal hole’ in ongoing lawsuit filed by CAIR.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today vowed to hold Texas Governor Greg Abbott accountable for targeting Muslim children who are scheduled to participate in an annual youth sporting event known as the Islamic Games, which has occurred in Texas for several years and across America for 35 years.
Today, Governor Abbott sent a letter to Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD) that falsely claimed CAIR-New Jersey was a sponsor of the 2026 Houston Islamic Games and that his proclamation requires the district to cut ties with the sporting event.
Governor Abbott made this demand despite the fact that Islamic Games has released a public statement noting that CAIR-New Jersey was not and is not a sponsor of the event, and the fact that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said in court that the governor’s proclamation only applies to CAIR’s national office, not its chapters.
In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based CAIR said:
“Children should be off-limits in political games. Period. Yet Governor Abbott’s hatred of Muslims and his obsession with silencing critics of the Israeli government have now led him to target innocent children scheduled to participate in an athletic sporting event that has occurred for over 30 years in states across America, including Texas.
“Governor Abbott’s demand that a county cancel a Muslim youth sporting event because of a false claim that it was sponsored by CAIR-New Jersey makes no sense. Even if Governor Abbott’s lawless proclamation was enforceable, and it’s not, Attorney General Paxton has already sworn in court that the proclamation only applies to CAIR’s national office, not our chapters. Furthermore, CAIR-New Jersey was not and is not a sponsor of a sporting event in Texas—obviously.
“By placing Muslim children at the center of his campaign of hate, Governor Abbott is crossing every line of basic decency and digging himself a deeper legal hole. He is the governor of Texas, not the emperor of Texas, and we look forward to reminding him of that in a court of law. God willing.”
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-vows-to-hold-texas-gov-abbott-accountable-for-crossing-every-line-of-basic-decency-by-targeting-muslim-childrens-sporting-event/
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CAIR-NY Welcomes Arrest of Cortlandt Man After Hate Crime Incident at Gas Station in Westchester County
January 21, 2026
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomes arrest of a Cortlandt man who reportedly made derogatory comments about two individuals’ national origin and brandished a firearm.
Sean C. Pearson, 57, was arrested by New York State Police after an incident inside the Sunoco Gas Station. According to State Police, Pearson “approached two individuals, made derogatory statements regarding their national origin, displayed a handgun, and fled the scene.”
In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director AfafNasher, Esq., said:
“We commend the swift response by law enforcement in investigating this matter and urge prosecutors to pursue all appropriate charges. Authorities must ensure that justice is served and that those targeted by bias are provided support and protection.”
CAIR-NY stands in solidarity with all those affected by bias and discrimination. We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses bias-related incidents to report them so that they can be properly addressed.
CAIR-NY’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY esproteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Subscribe to CAIR-NY’s Email List
You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-ny-welcomes-arrest-of-cortlandt-man-after-hate-crime-incident-at-gas-station-in-westchester-county/
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CAIR Maryland Releases 2026 Voter Guide During Kickoff of Joint ISPU Election Townhall Series to Promote Civic Engagement in Critical Election Year
January 21, 2026
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released its 2026 Maryland Voter Guide, a non-partisan resource designed to inform Maryland voters of key election information including deadlines and dates and how to participate in the 2026 election cycle.
In this pivotal election year, civic engagement is more important than ever. The 2026 elections will shape public policy and community representation at the local and state levels – decisions that impact issues ranging from civil rights and education to public safety and economic opportunity. CAIR Maryland believes that informed Muslim civic participation strengthens our democracy, amplifies community voices, and ensures that policies reflect the needs and values of all residents.
Muslim American voters have made historic gains in political participation, with record numbers of Muslim candidates and elected officials in recent years – a testament to the community’s growing influence and commitment to civic life. These milestones underscore the importance of voter education and engagement across Maryland.
To further support voter empowerment, CAIR Maryland, in partnership with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), has launched its Election Townhall Series: Understanding Data to Democracy – a statewide civic engagement initiative aimed at increasing awareness, participation, and dialogue ahead of the 2026 elections. The series kicked off on Monday, January 19, 2026, in Howard County, where the discussion focused on ISPU’s findings in its American Muslim Poll, key election issues, voter resources, and strategies for meaningful engagement in the democratic process.
Next on the calendar is the Montgomery County Townhall, with the date to be announced soon. These events are part of a broader effort to strengthen civic participation and foster a well-informed electorate across Maryland’s diverse communities.
“We are at a moment in history where every vote matters, and every voice deserves to be heard,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director ZainabChaudry. “This election cycle is an opportunity for Muslim voters to shape policies that affect their families’ lives and neighborhoods.”
CAIR and CAIR Action recently jointly released a new webinar training to supplement their joint “2026 Toolkit on Promoting Muslim Civic Engagement in Local and State Governments,” a first-of-its-kind advocacy guide designed to help Muslim communities and allied advocates win meaningful policy changes across city councils, state legislatures, school boards, and university governing bodies.
The toolkit provides guidance on model resolutions, strategic guidance, and tools to advance Muslim inclusion, civil rights protections, and community-led policy victories nationwide. It builds on CAIR and CAIR Action’s sustained policy advocacy work, joining a growing catalog of national resource publications. It covers policy areas including, but not limited to:
Recognition of Muslim Heritage Month, Ramadan, and Eid
Religious accommodations in schools, workplaces, and public institutions
Halal food access and inclusive institutional practices
Anti-discrimination measures protecting Muslims and other marginalized groups
Free speech protections, including response guidance to IHRA-style speech restrictions
Peace and justice resolutions, including local calls for ceasefire action
The Maryland Voter Guide is intended to be a go-to resource for voters seeking accessible, reliable information on how to participate in upcoming elections.
For additional information, to request printed copies of the guide, or to request scheduling a townhall in your community, email mdoutreach@cair.com.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR esproteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-maryland-releases-2026-voter-guide-during-kickoff-of-joint-ispu-election-townhall-series-to-promote-civic-engagement-in-critical-election-year/
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Faisal Islam: What it was like inside the room with Donald Trump at Davos
January 22, 2026
Faisal Islam
I was in the room when President Donald Trump entered and it's fair to say he got a good welcome from the crowd, certainly at the beginning. A standing ovation.
On top of that, there was an astonishing scrum to try to get in, with many turned away - even heads of state.
The security was unbelievable, not letting even some of the most famous attendees in or out of the hall.
Minutes into the speech, Trump was keeping his cool - even dropping in phrases about wanting the UK "to do great".
What some thought would be the day on which the US president laid down the laws of his new global economy was filled more with grandfatherly advice.
It was far from the mildly menacing tone of his social media posts claiming that Greenland will be America's.
But which one is the real Donald Trump? Has he heard how badly some of his rhetoric has gone down?
As I entered, I was told of an astonishing event last night where Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the audience that, in terms of Europe's economy, "you're dead".
There was a walkout. Might there have been one today? He seemed to be trying to avoid that.
The Speech goes rather dark
At first, I thought Trump was trying on a diplomatic front, perhaps having heard some of the significant criticism levelled against him and trying to sound mellow.
He talked in friendly terms about the western allies that had been most perturbed by his social media posts.
He even acknowledged that he probably shouldn't speak about the controversial issue of Greenland - which he has repeatedly vowed to take over.
But, almost as though he could not help it, the speech seemed to take a dark turn.
First he described America's role helping Greenland in the past, including being friendly to Denmark.
But he then insulted Europe's biggest economy, saying everyone in the hall "would be speaking German" if it wasn't for the US.
And then it came. He announced he was seeking immediate negotiations for the USA to acquire Greenland.
A negotiated settlement, he said. No force required. But the US needed "full title".
"We want this land" to build the "greatest Golden Dome ever built", he said.
And he warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about his words a day earlier, though stressing that he would also use Greenland to defend Canada.
"I'm asking for a piece of ice... it's a very small ask."
It was incredible to see this said out loud.
Mixed reactions in the room
There was high security, high stakes and high tension in the Alps for the arrival of the would-be sheriff of the world, brandishing his new rules.
The reaction in the room ranged.
The president's attempts at charm seemed to win him polite applause. But as he went from rigged elections to his annoyance at other leaders' Davos speeches, some sat in disbelief.
Even though he promised not to invade Greenland, many were stunned by his attempts to persuade Europe to hand over the territory.
Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California said the speech was "TACO" Tuesday, a reference to the "Trump always chickens out" catchphrase used to mock the president.
He argued Trump had backed down after robust pushback from leaders Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney.
A key Republican senator, Thomas Tillis, said the president's pursuit of Greenland, even a negotiated annexation, would not have the backing of Congress.
So while Trump attempted to dial down tensions, he still criticised allies - including personal attacks on leaders.
And while he promised not to invade Greenland, he still said it will be part of the new America - and that the world should thank him for it.
The speech may have eventually come to an end, but we will be talking about it for a long time to come.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm24vjvy3n1o
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US House panel votes to hold Clintons in contempt over Epstein subpoenas
Madeline Halpert
January 22, 2026
A key US congressional panel has voted to hold former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in contempt of Congress over their refusal to comply with subpoenas in its investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee approved the contempt measure, with the support of several Democrats, and it will now go to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
If it passes the chamber, the matter will be referred to the justice department.
The committee had summoned both Clintons to testify about Epstein, with whom Bill Clinton has appeared in photographs in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Bill Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein's abuse, and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.
Lawyers for the Clintons had called the Oversight Committee subpoenas "unenforceable", and said they had already provided the "limited information" they had about Epstein.
On Wednesday, nine Democrats voted with Republicans to hold Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress, while three Democrats voted to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt.
If the full House votes in favour, the Department of Justice would decide whether to prosecute the charges, which is a misdemeanour offence punishable by a fine up to $100,000 (£74,500) and imprisonment up to a year.
In a statement, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer urged the full House to hold the Clintons in contempt, saying his committee had sent a "clear message" that "no one is above the law, and justice must be applied equally - regardless of position, pedigree, or prestige".
The Clintons had contended the subpoenas - legal orders to provide testimony - were "nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed".
In a letter to Comer, lawyers for the Clintons said they had communicated "proactively and voluntarily" with the committee.
The attorneys also said the subpoenas were "untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers".
Bill Clinton appears with Epstein and at the late financier's estate in photographs that were recently released by the justice department after Congress passed a law requiring the agency to release material related to investigations of Epstein.
One picture shows the former president swimming in a pool, and another shows him lying on his back with his hands behind his head in what appears to be a hot tub.
Clinton's spokesman, Angel Ureña, said when the photos were released that they were decades old and Clinton stopped associating with Epstein before his crimes came to light.
The majority of documents as part of the Epstein files has yet to be released as required by law, which mandated their release by 19 December.
Many of those that were released included redactions that weren't explained, which was also required by law. Faces and names of figures who were investigated by authorities were among the redactions.
Officials have noted there are still millions of documents that have yet to be made public.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgxxw0wx44o
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California Governor Newsom says White House blocked his Davos event
January 22, 2026
NardineSaad
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he was blocked from speaking at a World Economic Forum event in Davos and blamed the Trump administration.
Newsom's office said on X that USA House, the official US pavilion at the global event, denied his entry to speak there on Wednesday despite being invited as part of an event by media partner Fortune.
The Democratic governor, whose state has the fourth largest global economy, wrote on X: "California was just denied at the USA House. Last we checked, California is part of USA."
The White House criticised the governor for attending the summit of global leaders and said that he should instead focus on his state.
"No one in Davos knows who third-rate governor Newscum is or why he is frolicking around Switzerland instead of fixing the many problems he created in California," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to the BBC.
Kelly did not say why Newsom was denied entry or whether the administration had anything to do with his speaking event being cancelled.
Newsom is a vociferous critic of the Trump administration and is weighing a 2028 presidential run.
His office said on X that USA House denied his entry "under pressure from the White House and State Department".
"How weak and pathetic do you have to be to be this scared of a fireside chat?" Newsom wrote on X.
The governor's office told the BBC that Newsom had been invited to speak at the event earlier this month, and Fortune had been promoting the event.
Shortly before the event was set to begin, a USA House official informed them that they were cancelling Fortune's event and that the governor would not be permitted to speak with media at the pavilion, the governor's office said.
The governor's office said that another "elected official" speaking did not "align with their afternoon programming".
Several Trump administration officials spoke at the venue, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who mocked Newsom during his remarks. Bessent suggested in his remarks that the California governor should focus on issues like homelessness, wildfires and state budgets - instead of attending a world forum.
The governor's office said USA House offered, as an alternative, that Newsom speak at a nightcap reception.
The second-term governor was also among those in the crowd on Wednesday when Trump delivered a wide-ranging speech to world leaders in which he demanded Denmark cede control of Greenland.
In the address, Trump took aim at a number of world leaders. He also called out Newsom by name, saying they used to get along and the governor was a "good guy".
"I would say this, if I were a Democrat governor, or whatever, I would call up Trump, I'd say, 'Come on in. Make us look good,'" Trump said.
As Trump spoke, a camera showed Newsom smiling and appearing to chuckle at moments in the speech.
"There was nothing offered there," Newsom told reporters later. "It was, at times, boorish but even by Trump's standards.
"So it was just remarkable in its inconsequential nature. I expected more from him. I really did."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0yy5n8v8mo
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Africa
How ‘Boko Haram Leader’, Terrorism Financing Suspects Were Released – Retired Army General
January 21, 2026
A retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, DanjumaHamisu Ali-Keffi, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the release of 48 terrorism financing suspects, including an individual identified by foreign intelligence agencies as a top Boko Haram leader, who were previously detained by the military.
Ali-Keffi, who was appointed in October 2020 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the covert Operation Service Wide (OSW), said the circumstances surrounding the release raised serious national security concerns.
OSW was tasked with investigating terrorism financiers and collaborators and comprised personnel from the military, intelligence and security agencies, as well as legal officers from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Speaking in an interview with SaharaReporters, Ali-Keffi disclosed that the task force collaborated with about 33 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and European Union, under the cover of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
He alleged that the National Assembly failed to probe the matter due to what he described as compromise involving a former Army chief.
The retired general said OSW arrested 48 individuals identified as terrorism financiers, including one described as a principal Boko Haram leader by Western and Middle Eastern intelligence agencies.
“A significant amount of the huge funds meant for counterterrorism were shared amongst prominent military and government officials including National Assembly members and others,” he said.
“Putting the terrorism financing suspects on trial would have exposed the misappropriation of these counterterrorism funds and all the beneficiaries. That is why nothing has been done.”
He alleged that the NFIU traced large sums of counterterrorism funds diverted through some of the arrested suspects who operated Bureau De Change firms as fronts.
“These funds were laundered on behalf of top military and government officials,” Ali-Keffi said. “We should not forget that these same suspects also moved funds for Boko Haram operations.”
Ali-Keffi questioned the release of HimaAbubakar, whose $600 million account was allegedly traced by the NFIU to an offshore account.
“First, who ordered the release of the 48 terror financing suspects held in military custody? All those who played a part should be identified,” he said.
“Secondly, why were they released without being put on trial?”
“Thirdly, why did the government request the US to unfreeze the $600m of HimaAbubakar traced by the NFIU to an overseas offshore account?”
He recalled that Abubakar had been declared wanted by Nigerian and Nigerien authorities and was earlier indicted by the Committee on Defence and Arms Procurement (CADEP) for irregularities in arms procurement.
“So why did we request the US to unfreeze his account after CADEP found him liable of owing the country a huge amount of money?” he asked.
Ali-Keffi also expressed concern over the release of AlhajiSaidu Ahmed, also known as Saidu Gold, who he said was identified as a top Boko Haram leader.
“It is laughable that Saidu Gold was released from Army detention and allowed to walk free despite the abundance of evidence OSW had,” he said.
He referenced intelligence documents from the United Arab Emirates, which allegedly showed that Saidu Gold recruited six individuals later jailed in Dubai for terrorism-related offences.
“Yet, for some insane reasons, we didn’t even put him on trial,” he added.
The retired general further recalled that the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, had initiated a forensic audit into counterterrorism funds and unexecuted procurement projects.
“He died three days before he was to act on the report,” Ali-Keffi said, alleging that the audit was suppressed to conceal fund diversion.
Ali-Keffi called for a full-scale investigation into the handling of terrorism financing cases and counterterrorism funds.
“If the NFIU under OSW should ever make its investigations public, I can assure you there will be a tsunami in Nigeria,” he said.
“Many military and government officials, including distinguished members of the National Assembly, would be implicated.”
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/21/how-boko-haram-leader-terrorism-financing-suspects-were-released-retired-army-general/
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Five Soldiers Killed As Suicide Bomber Hits Military Convoy In Borno
January 21, 2026
By EnioluwaAdeniyi
A suicide bomber has rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy in the Timbuktu Triangle area of Borno State, killing five soldiers and injuring an unspecified number of troops.
Security sources confirmed to Daily Trust that two senior officers, a major and a lieutenant, were among those affected in the attack, which occurred on Tuesday as troops returned from a successful clearance operation.
One of the soldiers said the assault caused extensive damage to military hardware deployed for ongoing operations in the area.
“The attack caused significant damage to military equipment used for offensive and defensive operations in the weeks-long clearance operations,” the source said.
According to the sources, the terrorists used a car packed with explosives to ram into the convoy, destroying armoured and logistics vehicles.
“He said the terrorists used a car loaded with explosives to ram into the military convoy,” a source disclosed.
Another officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the casualties but said the operation remained on course.
“Yes! You know, every operation comes with setbacks, but we overcame it. Unfortunately, we lost five soldiers in the incident. Manga (the Commander) is hale and hearty and the operation continues,” he said.
It was gathered that the bodies of the slain soldiers have been flown to Maiduguri, while injured personnel were evacuated for medical treatment.
The Timbuktu Triangle is a notorious insurgent enclave where terrorists previously ambushed, captured and executed a senior military officer, Brigadier General Musa Uba.
The latest attack comes barely a day after troops of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, announced major gains in the area.
On Monday, the task force said it had cleared multiple terrorist camps and repelled drone attacks in the Timbuktu Triangle during the ongoing Operation Desert Sanity.
In a statement, the spokesman of the operation, Lt-Col Sani Uba, said arms and other equipment were recovered from the insurgents during the clearance operations.
He said, “On Sunday, 18 January 2026, troops advanced from their harbour area and conducted deliberate, intelligence-led operations across several identified terrorist enclaves, including Chilaria, GarinFaruk and Abirma.
“The operation was supported by the Air Component of OPHK, which provided persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage over the axis. The air-to-ground synergy enabled real-time tracking of terrorist movement, deterred adversary reinforcement, and enhanced the precision and confidence of ground operations.
“During the operation, troops recovered several items of military significance, including Baofeng radios, phones, 5 x AK-47 magazines, several rounds of 7.62 × 39mm special ammunition and 7.62mm NATO belted ammunition, several Boko Haram/ISWAP flags, links of 12.7 × 108 mm ammunition, diesel powered grinding machines, large quantity of medical supplies, several bags of grains, pick up truck, underground logistics storage and Petroleum and Oil Lubricant (POL) dump which all further degraded the operational and logistical capability of the terrorists.
“At about midday, the advancing troops came under armed drone attacks by the terrorists. Despite this, the troops maintained momentum and continued the offensives. A second attempt in the evening was also decisively repelled, forcing the terrorists to withdraw, reaffirming troops’ dominance of the area.
“Despite sustained engagements, troop morale remains high, and fighting efficiency continues to be maintained. The general security situation in the area is assessed as calm but unpredictable, with troops remaining vigilant and at a high state of readiness.
“The Military High Command affirmed that the operations will continue as troops remain resolute in their mission to eliminate terrorist threats, protect civilians, and restore lasting peace and stability to the North East.”
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/21/breaking-five-soldiers-killed-as-suicide-bomber-hits-military-convoy-in-borno/
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FRC Seeks to Integrate Islamic Finance Standards into Nigerian Reporting Framework
22 Jan, 2026
• Olowo: Initiative will position country as credible hub for Islamic finance in Africa, strengthen investor confidence, market discipline, others
James Emejo in Abuja
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), Dr.RabiuOlowo, yesterday declared that it is prepared to integrate standards issued by the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) into the Nigerian financial reporting framework.
Olowo said the move aimed to cater for Islamic Finance and Interest-Free Institutions and Services (IFIS) operating in the country, and represented a strategic milestone in deepening the nation’s financial framework and aligning it with global best practices, while respecting our local realities.
He spoke at the opening of a stakeholders’ engagement on the integration of Islamic finance standards into the Nigerian financial reporting framework, which was convened by FRC in Abuja.
He clarified that the initiative does not intend to disrupt existing operations, but to enhance clarity, credibility, and regulatory certainty for institutions offering Islamic finance products and services.
He added that the decision was in line with the council’s statutory mandate to develop, adopt, and enforce accounting and financial reporting standards in Nigeria.
Olowo said AAOIFI standards’ integration will position Nigeria as a credible hub for Islamic finance in Africa; enhance transparency, comparability, and consistency in financial reporting by IFIS; strengthen investor confidence and market discipline; promote cross-border acceptability of Nigerian Islamic finance products, and support financial inclusion and ethical finance.
Olowo said, “Nigeria’s financial system continues to evolve in response to economic growth, financial inclusion, and the increasing sophistication of financial products and services.
“One of the most notable developments in this evolution is the steady growth of Islamic Finance and Non-Interest Financial Services in Nigeria.
“As you are aware, Islamic Finance Institutions operate on principles that are fundamentally different from conventional finance, particularly in areas relating to interest prohibition, risk-sharing, asset-backing, and ethical investment.
“These unique characteristics necessitate specialised financial reporting, governance, and disclosure standards that faithfully reflect the substance of such transactions.”
He further explained that AAOIFI standards remained internationally recognised and widely adopted across jurisdictions with developed Islamic finance markets, provide comprehensive guidance on financial accounting and reporting, Shari’ah governance and compliance, auditing and assurance ethics and professional conduct for Islamic finance operations.
The FRC chief executive stressed that “AAOIFI has responded positively to our request, and engagements have commenced to ensure a structured, phased, and context-appropriate integration of the standards, taking into account Nigeria’s regulatory and institutional environment.
“The Council sincerely appreciates the AAOIFI for the warm reception accorded to our team and for the willingness to support the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria in the integration of AAOIFI standards into the Nigerian Financial Reporting Framework. We value this commitment and look forward to a productive and mutually beneficial collaboration.”
He added that the meeting was deliberately convened to carry stakeholders along from the beginning, noting that the success of the initiative depended on their understanding, buy-in, and active participation.
Essentially, engagement seeks to formally inform stakeholders of FRC’s policy direction on AAOIFI standards integration; clarify the scope, approach, and implementation roadmap; identify practical challenges, capacity gaps, and transition issues, receive constructive feedback and recommendations, and foster a sense of shared ownership of the reform process.
Going forward, he said the council will consider a phased adoption and implementation timeline; extensive training for preparers, auditors, regulators, and users of financial statements; continuous stakeholder engagement and public consultation; alignment with existing Nigerian laws and prudential regulations as well as close coordination with sector regulators and professional bodies.
Source: thisdaylive.com
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https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/01/22/frc-seeks-to-integrate-islamic-finance-standards-into-nigerian-reporting-framework/
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Imams hold special prayers for Tinubu, Namadi, national peace, unity
by Ahmed Rufai, Dutse
January 21, 2026
Hundreds of Islamic scholars under the aegis of the Association of Nigerian Imams on Wednesday converged on the Dutse Emir’s Palace Juma’at Mosque, Garu, Jigawa State, to offer special prayers for divine guidance and support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Umar Namadi, and other Nigerian leaders.
The scholars recited the complete holy Quran for more than 1,000, prayed for wisdom and success for the President and state governors, Malam Umar Namadi, in addressing the nation’s socio-economic and security challenges with a focus on peace, unity, and sustainable development.
The special prayer session was held under the leadership of the National Chairman of the Association, Sheikh Muhammad Adam, and was attended by the Jigawa State Secretary to the Government, Malam Bala Ibrahim, the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Mohammed HamimNuhu, and the Dutse local government council chairman, Dr SiboAbdullahi, as well as national and state executive members of the association.
Speaking to journalists after the prayer, Sheikh Adam said the initiative was part of a nationwide programme tagged National Prayer for Peace, Unity and Divine Guidance, organised to seek Allah’s intervention in the affairs of the country.
He said the prayer exercise was timely, noting that Nigeria was at a critical stage where strong leadership, collective resolve, and divine guidance were required to overcome prevailing challenges.
According to him, Nigeria remains “a nation blessed with abundant resources and resilient people,” stressing that through prayer, humility, and unity of purpose, the country could achieve peace, justice, and prosperity.
Sheikh Adam said the association deliberately included prayers for President Tinubu and Governor Namadi, noting that effective leadership at the federal and state levels was key to improving security and social development.
The National Chairman disclosed that the prayer programme, which was kick-started in Kano State on January 15, 2026, is being observed across the nineteen northern states of the federation, with the participation of Imams, traditional rulers, and civil society representatives.
He added that the Jigawa State chapter was hosting the prayer session on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
The association also called on Nigerians of all faiths to join in prayers for national healing, unity, and lasting peace, especially in areas affected by conflict and insecurity.
Also speaking during the special prayer, the emir of Dutse, Alhaji Mohammed HamimNuhu, called on the Imams to double their effort on preaching the importance of peace and unity, as it has been the bedrock of all development.
Alhaji Mohammed HamimNuhu warned Muslims against bad comments against leaders, saying, “As you all know, it is prohibited by God Almighty. Be prayerful and make good prayers for the country and leaders, which would be reflected on you.”
He commended the organizers of the prayer, the Imams who give their time to attend the prayer season.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/imams-hold-special-prayers-for-tinubu-namadi-national-peace-unity/#google_vignette
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Peace Deals Favours Bandits More Than Victims, They Fool TheGovt – Atiku Warns
January 22, 2026
Former Vice-President AtikuAbubakar has condemned the government’s alleged negotiations with bandits.
Speaking via a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku warned that such a move often favours bandits more than their victims.
Atiku argued that bandits often renege on the peace terms agreed with the government.
He insisted that it is difficult to deter bandits from their nefarious acts when governors are on their knees begging bandits in the name of peace deals.
“Those peace deals always favour the bandits more than their victims, and they have always fooled the government’s negotiators.
“Nigerians are no longer impressed by the powerful language of condemnation by the government. They’re more interested in results than rhetoric.
“Experience has shown that if rhetoric were enough to deter the bandits, the menace would have ended a long time ago,” he said.
Naija News reports that the Katsina government is reportedly facilitating the release of 70 suspected bandits in custody, a move it described as essential to consolidating community-driven peace agreements with “repentant bandits” in several LGAs.
But the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain said the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration must be held accountable for its campaign promises to end insecurity in the country.
“Nigerians cannot be comforted by excuses. As a former opposition party, the APC held the then government in power to the harshest and merciless standards, and therefore, the Tinubu administration must be held to the same standards,” Abubakar said.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/22/peace-deals-favours-bandits-more-than-victims-they-fool-the-govt-atiku-warns/
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Scores Killed As Soldiers, Terrorists Engage In Massive Gun Battle At Timbuktu Triangle
January 21, 2026
By OladipoAbiola
Several terrorists have been eliminated following a gun battle between the criminal elements and the troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) of the Nigerian Army.
This was made known in a statement on Tuesday by the Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force ( North East), Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba.
According to him, the troops successfully cleared and dominated key terrorist locations across the triangle, including Tergejeri, Chiralia, and the Ajigin/Abirma general areas.
He added that during the operation, soldiers encountered fleeing terrorist elements and engaged them with high volumes of fire, resulting in the neutralisation of several terrorists.
However, Naija News reports that some gallant soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were killed during the operation, while others sustained injuries.
Uba, while confirming the deaths, noted in the statement that Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) launched by the terrorists breached the defensive position, resulting in the death and injury of some soldiers.
He affirmed that the morale of the troops remains high and the injured personnel were successfully evacuated to the hospital, where they are receiving treatment.
“Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have sustained their advance into the Timbuktu Triangle, recording significant operational gains and further degrading terrorist networks operating within the area. In the latest phase of operations, troops successfully cleared and dominated key terrorist locations across the triangle, including Tergejeri, Chiralia, and the Ajigin/Abirma general areas. During the conduct of these operations, troops made intermittent contact with fleeing terrorist elements and engaged them with high volumes of fire, resulting in the neutralisation of several terrorists.
“On 20 January 2026, while consolidating at a harbour area approximately 6 km North of Chilaria, troops encountered 2 Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED). Through vigilance and swift action, one VBIED was successfully neutralised. The second VBIED, however, breached the defensive position affecting some logistics platforms. In the course of this attack, some gallant soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force paid the supreme price, while others sustained injuries. The wounded were promptly evacuated by Nigerian Army Aviation helicopters to 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital. Throughout the evacuation, Nigerian Airforce platforms from the Air Component in synergy with other Nigerian Army air platforms provided continuous overwatch to ensure the safe extraction of casualties and the security of ground forces neutralising more terrorists in the process.
“In a further indication of the heavy losses suffered by the terrorists, troops discovered mass graves containing an estimated 20 terrorist bodies killed during encounters with troops in the Timbuktu Triangle and buried by their cohorts. This discovery exposes the scale of terrorist casualties and further discredits terrorist propaganda narratives.
“Across the Theatre, the security situation remains generally stable. Troops’ morale and fighting efficiency remain high, and operations continue with sustained pressure on fleeing terrorist elements. Troops of OPHK remain resolute in their commitment to protect civilians, dismantle terrorist networks, and restore lasting peace and security across the North East,” the full statement reads.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/21/scores-killed-as-soldiers-terrorists-engage-in-massive-gun-battle-at-timbuktu-triangle/
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Kaduna: We’re Still Collating Names Of Victims – Police Deny Issuing Conflicting Statements
January 22, 2026
The Nigeria Police Force has said it is still compiling the names of victims abducted during the recent mass kidnapping in KurminWali, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Hundeyin said the police were actively investigating the incident and would update Nigerians as soon as more details were verified.
“We are still collating names, but we have an estimate. This is an investigation that is actively ongoing,” he said.
“It’s not like we have CCTV cameras in that place that can tell us exactly what happened. The moment we have further information, we will update Nigerians.”
He confirmed that the abduction did take place and assured the public that the police had deployed significant resources to the area.
“For emphasis, we can confirm that the incident happened and we have deployed all our resources there,” Hundeyin added.
The police spokesman revealed that the Inspector-General of Police, KayodeEgbetokun, ordered the deployment of a police helicopter for aerial surveillance of the affected communities.
“In fact, today we mobilised one of our helicopters to go there for air surveillance. That’s how seriously we are taking it,” he said.
He added that the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, personally visited the area to supervise operations.
“The IGP gave that directive this morning. Also, the Commissioner of Police had to go there himself,” Hundeyin stated.
Police dismiss claims of conflicting statements
Hundeyin also dismissed allegations that the police gave contradictory accounts regarding the abduction.
Reports had earlier claimed that more than 100 worshippers were kidnapped during attacks on churches in the area, with initial police statements saying there was no evidence to support the claims before later confirmation.
“There is no inconsistency from the statements coming from the police,” Hundeyin said.
“The Commissioner of Police said that when we received the information, we immediately mobilised to the area and at that time we were yet to get evidence that it happened.
“The moment we got evidence, we came out to say that we had gotten evidence.”
According to the police, the response includes the deployment of tactical units, intensified patrols and targeted search-and-rescue operations aimed at rescuing the abducted victims and apprehending the perpetrators.
Hundeyin urged the public and the media to rely on official police updates, warning that unverified reports could undermine ongoing operations.
“We appeal to the public and the media to rely on official channels for verified information, as speculation and sensational reports can jeopardise operations and heighten public anxiety,” he said.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/22/kaduna-were-still-collating-names-of-victims-police-deny-issuing-conflicting-statements/
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Abure Camp Rejects Court Order On Labour Party, Heads To Appeal
January 21, 2026
The faction of the Labour Party under the leadership of Julius Abure has vowed to appeal the judgment of the Federal High Court, which recognised the Esther Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee of the party.
The faction, in a statement on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, ObioraIfoh, said the high court ruling violated a precedent already established by the Supreme Court on the internal affairs of political parties in Nigeria.
The party said it was pleased that the Federal High Court in the FCT is not the final court and that it would proceed on appeal to place its position before the Court of Appeal.
According to Ifoh, they were not caught by surprise as the body language of the court had suggested a ruling in favour of the Nenadi-Usman camp.
He urged their supporters to remain calm as they won’t bow to intimidation and would do everything legally possible to reclaim their mandate.
“The judgment was a clear contradiction of the Supreme Court judgment which clearly stated that no court has the power to appoint leadership for any political party and that leadership issues are internal affairs of political parties.”
“Although we are yet to see the Certified True Copy of the judgment in order to fully comment on it, our position will become stronger when we do. However, from the brief we have received so far, it is clear that the party will appeal the judgment.
“Before today’s judgment, we suspected it might go this way because of the body language around the court. When the matter was first filed, it was assigned to Justice Omotosho, and suddenly there was a somersault, as another matter was filed which was similar in material respects. The one before Justice Omotosho was withdrawn and reassigned to Justice Peter Lifu. That was a red flag for us.
“Secondly, the court refused us the opportunity to respond to issues raised in the counter-affidavit filed by other parties and quickly adjourned for judgment. That was the second red flag.
“Our adversaries were all over the place jubilating weeks ahead of a judgment that had not been delivered, telling everyone they had already won. The jubilation by our adversaries was all over social media, claiming that today the judiciary would hand over the party to Dr Alex Otti.
“Looking at the judgment itself, Nigerians should recall that the Court of Appeal pronounced Julius Abure’s National Working Committee as the authentic leadership of the party. That pronouncement was what Nenadi Usman took to the Supreme Court, arguing that the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal were wrong to have pronounced someone as the chairman of the party.
“Ironically, today, a Federal High Court has made a somersault and pronounced someone as the Caretaker National Chairman of the party. So what is the judiciary turning into?
“To us, this is a clear contradiction of what the Supreme Court said. The apex court held that all matters relating to the leadership of a political party are internal affairs of the party, and that has been its consistent position.
“The courts have repeatedly declined jurisdiction over matters concerning the internal affairs of political parties. In the judgment, the court, in one breath, said the Caretaker Committee was properly set up, and in another breath, said it was an internal affair of the party. In any event, the court was wrong to interpret the decision of the Supreme Court.
“Furthermore, the Supreme Court never said that our tenure had expired. It simply declined jurisdiction because the matter was an internal affair of the party.
“In any event, the tenure of the executive has never expired. The tenure was due to expire in June 2024, but the National Convention was held in March 2024 before the expiration of the executive, which produced the present leadership of the party. So for the court to state that the tenure had expired and that a vacuum was created is laughable.
“It is curious how the court arrived at the conclusion that there was a vacuum in the party’s leadership without examining the validity and legality of the national convention held on March 27, 2024,” Ifoh said.
Naija News recalls the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday sacked Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court relied on the April 4, 2025, verdict of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to declare a former Minister of Finance, Esther Nenadi Usman, as the valid leader of the party.
Justice Lifu consequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognise the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee as “the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party” pending the conduct of a national convention.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/21/abure-camp-rejects-court-order-on-labour-party-heads-to-appeal/
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia tasks STRIDE with building national defence drone framework to counter modern threats, says minister
22 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — The Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE) is creating a national defence drone framework to counter modern warfare threats, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He said drones and new technologies are now among the main threats in today’s security landscape, making early preparation essential to safeguard the nation’s defence capabilities.
“We are also focusing on emerging areas, particularly in response to the threats of modern warfare today, where drones and similar technologies are increasingly used.
“…we have tasked STRIDE with developing a framework for national defence drones. They are working on this to ensure we are prepared for emerging threats to our national security,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-BalikPulau) on the specific research and development (R&D) initiatives to be undertaken under the National Defence Industry Policy (DIPN) launched yesterday.
Mohamed Khaled explained that the DIPN is an ongoing framework that will evolve in line with defence needs and technological developments.
He said the DIPN’s success relies on a strong R&D and technology ecosystem, open to all sectors of the defence industry.
“This means it is open to various sectors. At this initial stage, we do not intend to build equipment like aircraft, but we can start by focusing on components, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO),” he said.
On the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) project in Turkiye, Mohamed Khaled said the decision was made based on specific considerations at the time.
He said, however, for future projects, the government will limit overseas construction to one ship, with the rest built domestically to allow the transfer of expertise and experience to the local industry.
He said the DIPN launch also set measures to boost the local defence industry, including a minimum requirement of 30 per cent local components in all defence procurements.
“These are among the policies we will use as a starting point to develop the local defence industry. For your information, there are currently 15 MROs run by foreign OEMs that we believe Malaysians are now capable of taking over,” he said. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Malaysian Media Council launches official complaints mechanism
22 Jan 2026
The Malaysian Media Council’s official complaints mechanism is now operational, offering a professional channel for public concerns on media ethics and content
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Media Council (MMM) has announced its official complaints mechanism is now fully operational. This provides a professional channel for the public and stakeholders to raise concerns about journalistic practices, ethics, and news content.
Complaints can be submitted via email at aduan@majlismedia.my or through the council’s official website. The MMM stated the mechanism will be administered by its independent Code of Conduct and Complaints Committee.
The council described the process as a transparent and non-punitive mechanism aligned with media self-regulation principles. It emphasised fair correction, mediation, and editorial accountability while safeguarding media freedom.
The announcement follows recent public debate involving media reports and related police reports. “Such matters should be addressed through professional and institutional channels,” the MMM said in a statement.
It cited Communications Minister Datuk FahmiFadzil, who urged the MMM to ensure compliance with journalistic ethics. The minister underscored the council’s role as a self-regulatory platform to handle complaints professionally and impartially.
Code of Conduct and Complaints Committee chairman DatinPaduka Esther Ng said the MMM Board had agreed on the handling mechanism. “This paves the way for us to carry out our responsibilities in a structured and systematic manner,” she said.
She added this is one of the MMM’s most important duties, making its operationalisation imperative. The matter was deliberated during the council’s board meeting on January 20 and 21.
The meeting also focused on aligning the strategic direction of the MMM’s four main committees. According to the Malaysian Media Council Act, member media organisations must establish their own internal complaints mechanisms.
During an interim period, complaints may continue to be submitted directly to the MMM. This allows media organisations time to complete or refine their internal processes.
Source: thesun.my
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PM Anwar begins one-day working visit to Pahang
22 Jan 2026
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim starts a working visit to Pahang with a state development briefing and community engagements in Bentong
BENTONG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim began a one-day working visit to Pahang today.
His first engagement was attending a State Development Briefing at the Bentong District and Land Office.
Anwar arrived at 10.05 am and was welcomed by State Secretary Datuk Seri Nazri Abu Bakar, the state government’s top leadership and department heads.
Also present were Pahang MenteriBesar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir HamzahAzizan, Economy Minister AkmalNasrullahMohd Nasir and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri ShamsulAzri Abu Bakar.
After the briefing, Anwar is scheduled to attend a gathering with the Chinese community at SekolahJenisKebangsaanCina (SJKC) Perting.
He will then proceed to a gathering with Maahad representatives from across Bentong at Masjid Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend a gathering with students of Sekolah Agama Rakyat Kelas Al-Quran and Fardu Ain (KAFA) at KAFA SaidatinaAisyah in Taman Harmoni.
His visit will conclude at the Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Centre (Puspen) in Karak.
Source: thesun.my
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Arrest of journalist raises concerns about freedom of press
22 Jan 2026
PETALING JAYA: The arrest and subsequent release of journalist Rex Tan following a Sedition Act 1948 probe has raised fresh concerns about the boundaries of press freedom and the treatment of reporters who ask questions at public events.
National Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretary-general TehAthiraYusof said the union views Tan’s arrest as unfortunate, particularly the timing of the police action.
“NUJ’s stand is that it is unfortunate that Tan was arrested by police so late at night. Such treatment has given the impression that any reporters asking questions that are slightly different could be interpreted as ‘wrong’.”
NUJ stressed that journalists must continue to be given the space to ask questions as part of their professional duties, without fear of being misinterpreted or unfairly treated.
Communications and Multimedia Content Forum CEO Mediha Mahmood said while authorities have a duty to investigate issues that could inflame racial or social tensions, enforcement must be carried out in a proportionate manner.
“If someone has already apologised publicly, resigned and is cooperating, then the question is, did it really need to reach the level of arrest and overnight detention?
“When enforcement looks harsh, people start feeling like the process itself is the punishment, even before the courts decide anything through due process.”
She added that cases such as this could have a wider chilling effect on freedom of expression, particularly for journalists.
“Sometimes a journalist asks a difficult question not because they agree with it, but because it reflects public sentiment that needs to be surfaced or challenged.”
From a legal standpoint, lawyer and former Selangor Bar chairman KokilaVaaniVadiveloo said the invocation of the Act in Tan’s case raises concerns over legal thresholds, clarity and proportionality.
“Under the Act, criminal liability arises only if the impugned words possess a ‘seditious tendency’ as defined in Section 3(1).
“Malaysian courts have repeatedly emphasised that the prosecution must identify which limb of Section 3(1) is engaged and demonstrate, objectively and in context, that the words complained of fall within it.
“Criticism aimed at reform or debate does not become seditious unless it clearly stirs hatred, contempt or disaffection.”
Kokila said Tan’s statement arose from a question at a public lecture, not a call to incite hostility or disorder.
“There is no indication that authorities have articulated which limb of the law is relied upon, or how the words objectively possess a seditious tendency.”
She added that Malaysia already has more targeted provisions, such as Section 505(c) of the Penal Code, which criminalises statements made with intent to incite, or likely to incite, hostility or offences between communities, making them a more proportionate response to harmful speech.
Tan was released on police bail on Jan 17 after being detained overnight over a probe linked to a question he raised at the public lecture.
No formal charges have been filed, although investigations are ongoing under the Sedition Act 1948, Section 505(c) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network services.
Source: thesun.my
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Two Kuching shoplots damaged after fire spreads from parked vehicles
22 Jan 2026
KUCHING Jan 22 — A fire damaged two shoplots along JalanKwong Lee Bank yesterday evening after two parked vehicles nearby caught on fire, the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said.
In a statement, Bomba said firefighters from the Padungan and Tabuan Jaya stations were dispatched after receiving an emergency call at 7.27pm.
Upon arrival, the operations commander reported that the fire involved two vehicles and had spread to two permanent shoplots, each measuring approximately 20×60 feet, the department said.
The first shoplot sustained around 60 per cent damage, while the second suffered approximately 30 per cent damage.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
At the time of writing, firefighters are still battling the blaze. — The Borneo Post
Source: malaymail.com
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MACC detains ‘Tan Sri’ and company director over alleged RM300m investor scam
By Malay Mail
22 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed the arrest of a man bearing the title “Tan Sri”, suspected of running an investment scam that allegedly siphoned more than RM300 million from the public over the past two years, Harian Metro reported today.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri AzamBaki said the suspect, who is in his 60s, was picked up yesterday and remanded this morning at the Putrajaya Magistrates’ Court.
He was detained after presenting himself at the MACC office, while a woman in her 50s — a board director of the same investment company — had been arrested a day earlier.
“We received information that a Tan Sri in his 60s and a woman in her 50s, who sits on the board of an investment company, were involved in a large-scale investor fraud.
“Many investors have lost hundreds of millions of ringgit and we estimate the losses to be more than RM300 million over the past two years.
“The investment schemes run by the two suspects were varied, with promises of lucrative returns,” he said at a press conference during the “CaknaRasuah: MACC with the Media” programme.
Azam added that the man has been remanded for four days as investigations continue.
Source: malaymail.com
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Foreign minister: Malaysia’s maritime border talks with Singapore ongoing, guided by UNCLOS rules
22 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — Malaysia and Singapore are currently actively continuing maritime demarcation negotiations involving several marine areas and every decision that will be made will be based on international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the negotiations are ongoing and being managed well, including the latest discussion session held yesterday between the director-general of the Maritime Affairs Department and the Singaporean side.
He said the negotiations were not focused on just one area, but rather involved several maritime border zones between the two countries which required comprehensive scrutiny.
“This negotiation is not just one, there are many areas that are maritime border areas between the two countries. So we want to see that it is managed well,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time at Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad was responding to a supplementary question by Datuk MohdIsamMohd Isa (BN-Tampin) regarding the latest status of negotiations regarding BatuPuteh, Batuan Tengah and Tubir Selatan, which he said involved issues of sovereignty, national dignity and the people’s trust.
Mohamad said any decision regarding the Malaysia-Singapore maritime boundary would be made in accordance with the international legal framework.
He said that for issues involving maritime demarcation, Malaysia made UNCLOS 1982 the main basis in the negotiation process.
According to him, Malaysia remained committed to legal principles in managing the negotiations, besides stressing the importance of defending the country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights.
Responding to MohdIsam’s original question regarding the security situation in BatuPuteh waters and the steps that the government had and would take to address it, Mohamad said the BatuPuteh issue was governed based on the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2008, and was discussed through the annual platform of the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore.
“Regarding BatuPuteh, we are governed by a decision or judgment by the ICJ in 2008… that is why both our countries have an annual leaders retreat to negotiate on how we want to resolve the maritime boundary between Malaysia and Singapore,” he said.
He said the negotiations were aimed at ensuring that the country’s sovereign rights were not violated and that they took place in a good atmosphere between both parties. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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South Asia
NRBC Bank observes 6th anniversary of Al-Amin Islamic Banking
22 JANUARY 2026
NRBC Bank PLC on Tuesday celebrated the 6th anniversary of the launch of its fully shariah-compliant “Al-Amin Islamic Banking” window.
Syed Mohammad MosaddeqBillah Al Madani, chairman of the Shariah Supervisory Committee of NRBC Bank PLC, attended the programme as the chief guest at the bank’s head office in Dhaka, according to a press release.
Speaking on the occasion, Madani said the Al-Amin Islamic Banking window provides a full range of Islamic banking services in strict compliance with Shariah principles.
He added that necessary steps have been taken to further strengthen interest-free banking transactions based on profit-and-loss sharing with customers.
MdTouhidulAlam Khan, managing director and chief executive officer of the bank, presided over the event.
Khan said Al-Amin Islamic Banking services are being offered through all branches and sub-branches of NRBC Bank, noting that deposits and investments through the Islamic banking window are increasing steadily.
“With the aim of building a just and equitable economic framework, the bank has undertaken special programmes to further expand and strengthen the activities of its Islamic banking window,” he added.
The Al-Amin Islamic Banking window was launched on January 20, 2020, with the objective of providing Islamic banking services to customers.
Currently, the bank has 109 branches and 415 sub-branches, and Islamic banking services are being provided through all of them.
Among others, Muhammad Abdul Qaium Khan, deputy managing director and chief operating officer, and Abdul GofurRaana, head of the Al-Amin Islamic Banking Division, were also present.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Touhid stresses preserving ancient religious, historical establishments
21 Jan 2026
BARGUNA, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain has said the government is sincere about preserving the country’s ancient historical and religious establishments during a visit to heritage sites in Barguna.
“I am truly impressed by the ancient architectural style and design of the BibichiniShahi Mosque. Preserving such monuments of our history and heritage is extremely important,” he said while visiting the historic BibichiniShahi Mosque at Betagi in the district on Tuesday.
The foreign adviser toured the mosque, a notable historical and architectural heritage site of the district, observing its structure and various sections.
He said the government would provide all-out cooperation for necessary renovation and development of the BibichiniShahi Mosque, stressing the need for collective efforts by the local administration and people from all walks of life to protect such heritage sites.
Later, he also visited the Catholic church at the Christian neighbourhood of Deshantarakathi village in the same union.
Barguna Deputy Commissioner TaslimaAkter, Superintendent of Police Md. Qudrat-e-Khuda and BetagiUpazilaNirbahi Officer Md. Saddam Hossain were present, among others, during the visit.
Local residents said the nearly 350-year-old BibichiniShahi Mosque is not only a place of worship but also a significant symbol of Barguna’s history and heritage.
The mosque is located in Bibichini Union, about 10 kilometres from the upazila headquarters.
Source: bssnews.net
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Gazette notification issued for Mosque Management Policy-2025
21 Jan 2026
DHAKA, Jan 21, 2026 (BSS) - The government has issued a gazette notification for the Mosque Management Policy-2025 to ensure efficient, transparent and time-befitting management of mosques across the country.
The notification was signed on January 19 by Md. Kamal Uddin, Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, an official release said here today.
According to the notification, a uniform policy will be followed in the management of mosques across the country to improve the administrative discipline, financial transparency and the quality of religious services. The policy introduced the new provisions regarding the formation of the management committees and the appointment of Imams and Muezzins, the release added.
The notification clearly outlined the regulations concerning mosque administration, formation of management committees, appointment, duties, honorariums and disciplinary matters of Imams, Muezzins and Caretakers. Relevant stakeholders believed that this will establish a unified and standard administrative structure for all the mosques in the country.
Sources at the Ministry of Religious Affairs said the policy was finalized by considering contemporary needs and realities, incorporating opinions from the Islamic Foundation, relevant stakeholders and Islamic scholars.
The implementation of this policy is expected to further strengthen accountability and discipline in the mosque management.
The policy specified guidelines for the formation and tenure of the mosque management committees, financial management and ensuring transparency in the receipt and expenditure of donations and grants. It also provided the directions to develop mosques as centers for social and religious activities.
Stakeholders said that once the 'Mosque Management Policy-2025' comes into effect, a coordinated and disciplined system for mosque management will be established nationwide, ensuring professionalism in the administration of religious institutions.
Source: bssnews.net
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EU allocates €126m in aid for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
By Fidel Rahmati
January 22, 2026
The European Commission announced a €126 million humanitarian aid package for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran in 2026 amid worsening global crises.
The European Commission said on Wednesday that the funding forms part of a wider €1.9 billion package allocated to address major humanitarian emergencies worldwide.
According to the commission, the decision comes as an estimated 239 million people globally are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
European officials warned that escalating conflicts, climate-related disasters and economic shocks have placed unprecedented strain on the international aid system.
Afghanistan remains among the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with millions facing food insecurity, displacement and limited access to basic services.
Pakistan and Iran, meanwhile, continue to shoulder the burden of hosting millions of Afghan refugees, placing sustained pressure on public services and national resources.
HadjaLahbib, the European commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, presented the pledge at the World Economic Forum in Davos, seeking additional private-sector funding.
She said the humanitarian system is under unprecedented pressure and that public financing alone can no longer meet the scale of global needs.
The United Nations estimates that global displacement will exceed 136 million people by the end of the year, while it has appealed for about $1.7 billion to meet Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs in 2026.
Source: khaama.com
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Customs Clearance of Pakistani Medicines to Be Halted from February 9, Ministry
January 22, 2026
KABUL: The Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Wednesday that following the directive of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, no medicines imported from Pakistan will be processed through Afghan customs starting February 9, 2026.
The ministry has given Pakistani medicine importers a 19-day deadline to settle all transactions, documentation, and customs procedures related to their current shipments.
“After this period, customs clearance for Pakistani medicines will be completely halted, and no exceptions will be allowed,” the statement said.
Earlier, the Economic Deputy of the Prime Minister had advised traders and importers to settle accounts with Pakistan and to seek alternative sources for medicine imports to ensure supply continuity.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Meeting Held on Promoting Reading Culture in Baghlan
January 22, 2026
KABUL: A public meeting has been held in the country’s northern province of Baghlan to promote a culture of reading and encourage positive intellectual development among youth, the Ministry of Information and Culture said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the participants highlighted the importance of reading and the role of both religious and contemporary knowledge in shaping young minds, emphasizing that without such learning, healthy competition with the rest of the world is not possible.
They urged youth to avoid drugs, harmful entertainment, and misuse of social media while dedicating themselves to study and self-awareness.
Local residents expressed appreciation for the initiatives of the Information and Culture Department of Baghlan and pledged full cooperation to promote reading, protect youth from drugs, and counter negative influences in their communities.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Kandahar Hosts Meeting on Implementation of Supreme Leader’s Decrees
January 22, 2026
KABUL: A coordination meeting has been held in Kandahar with governors from seven major zones to discuss the implementation of decrees and directives issued by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Shaikh HebatullahAkhundzada.
Attended by governors of Kandahar, Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kunduz, and Pakti, the meeting focused on security, economic, and administrative matters, including drug control, returnee facilitation, transportation solutions, and the expansion of commercial facilities, reinforcing provincial alignment with national priorities, the state-run Bakhter News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Proposals seeking further guidance on several key matters were also submitted to the Office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), the agency added.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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IEA’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Meets Counterparts in Qatar
January 22, 2026
KABUL: The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate, Qari Mohammad Fasihuddin “Fitrat,” held meetings with several foreign military chiefs during his official visit to Qatar, on the sidelines of the DIMDEX International Defense Exhibition.
QariFasihuddin met with the chiefs of armed forces from Argentina, Somalia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Oman, and several other countries, where discussions have been focused on strengthening bilateral relations, continuing mutual cooperation, and exchanging views on a number of key issues, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that the Afghan Armed Forces Chief arrived in Qatar two days ago and participated in the opening ceremony of the DIMDEX exhibition.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Global Powers Must Uphold Justice and Genuine Peace
January 22, 2026
In the contemporary international system, global powers bear a significant responsibility to uphold justice, respect sovereignty, and contribute to genuine and lasting peace. The use of pressure, coercion, or unilateral demands against weaker nations contradicts the principles of international law and undermines global stability. Peace cannot be imposed through force; it must be achieved through mutual respect, dialogue, and adherence to agreed international norms.
The United Nations was founded to ensure equality among nations, prevent conflict, and protect the sovereignty of states. When powerful countries act above international law or apply double standards, the credibility and effectiveness of this institution are seriously weakened. History has shown that international organizations lose legitimacy when they serve the interests of a few rather than the collective will of the global community.
Afghanistan, after decades of war and foreign interference, clearly understands the consequences of power politics. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believes that lasting stability and security can only be achieved when the sovereignty, independence, and cultural values of nations are respected. Interference in the internal affairs of countries, whether political, economic, or military, has repeatedly proven to be counterproductive and destabilizing.
The Islamic Emirate emphasizes that Afghanistan seeks constructive and positive relations with all countries based on mutual respect and non-interference. It expects the international community, particularly major powers, to engage with Afghanistan realistically and responsibly. Sanctions, pressure, and threats do not contribute to peace or development; instead, they hinder humanitarian progress and negatively affect ordinary people.
The United States, as a major global actor, has the opportunity to play a constructive role in promoting international peace and stability. This role should be exercised through cooperation, balanced diplomacy, and respect for the decisions of independent nations. Abandoning policies based on force and domination would help build trust and contribute to a more stable international environment.
Global challenges such as security threats, economic instability, humanitarian crises, and climate change require collective solutions. No single country can address these issues alone, nor can solutions be imposed from outside. True multilateralism demands fairness, patience, and sincere cooperation among nations.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan reaffirms its commitment to peaceful coexistence, regional stability, and international cooperation. It calls on all global powers to fulfill their responsibilities by respecting international law, avoiding double standards, and supporting dialogue over confrontation. Only through justice, equality, and mutual respect can the world move toward lasting peace and shared prosperity.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Inter-Ministerial Investment Committee Discusses Tax Exemptions for New Investors
January 22, 2026
KABUL: The meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Investment Committee was held on Wednesday at the Marmarin Palace, discussing the tax exemptions for new investors, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said in a statement.
According to the statement, the meeting discussed proposed tax exemptions for new investors and industrialists in sectors where investment has not yet taken place.
After a comprehensive discussion, a committee comprising representatives of relevant institutions was tasked with finalizing the draft proposal and submitting a report to the Inter-Ministerial Investment Committee within a short timeframe, the statement added.
The meeting also reviewed a proposal regarding the protection and maintenance of water supply networks and the reactivation of inactive deep drinking-water wells across the country.
Officials from the Ministry of Water and Energy were instructed to conduct technical discussions with the proposing company and present their findings within the designated period.
Additionally, after reviewing a proposal to construct a commercial market in Kabul’s first district, Kabul Municipality was directed to identify an alternative plot of land for the project and submit its report to the committee on time.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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