[KhaamaPress] According to reliable sources in Islamabad, the country has entrusted two senior Tehrik-e-Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... Pakistain (Pak Taliban) commanders, Moslem Khan and Mahmoud Khan, to Kabul to enable discussions.
The two senior Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain commanders surrendered to the Afghan Taliban in the prospect of being released if Pak military talks succeeded with the group, according to an informed source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Radio Azadi.
Two prominent Pak Taliban commanders were arrested in 2009 during a Pak military operation in Swat, where they were big shots of Mullah Fazlullah ...son-in-law of holy man Sufi Mohammad. Known as Mullah FM, Fazlullah had the habit of grabbing his FM mike when the mood struck him and bellowing forth sermons. Sufi suckered the Pak govt into imposing Shariah on the Swat Valley and then stepped aside whilst Fazlullah and his Talibs imposed a reign of terror on the populace like they hadn't seen before, at least not for a thousand years or so. For some reason the Pak intel services were never able to locate his transmitter, much less bomb it. After ruling the place like a conquered province for a year or so, Fazlullah's hubristic Talibs began gobbling up more territory as they pushed toward Islamabad, at which point as a matter of self-preservation the Mighty Pak Army threw them out and chased them into Afghanistan. He was bombed to smithereens in 2018... ’s group.
According to the source, a Pak military delegation is now in Kabul, discussing with Pak Taliban leaders through the Afghan Taliban’s mediation. If the Pak Taliban and the Pak military agree to a truce, Moslem Khan and Mahmoud Khan will be released, according to the source.
The Pak Taliban announced an extension of the ceasefire with Islamabad a few days ago in order to advance peace talks. The Pak Taliban agreed to a ceasefire during the Eid holidays, which has now been extended until May 16, according to Agence La Belle France Presse.
[KhaamaPress] The Taliban ...Arabic for students... Council of Ministers approved a total budget of 231 billion Afghanis for 1401 fiscal year, of which 27.9 billion is allocated for development programs and 203 billion for regular budget.
Today, Saturday, May 15th, the Taliban Ministry of Finance announced the approval of the 1401 fiscal budget, noting that, unlike previous years, the budget is wholly subsidized by domestic revenues.
This year’s budget has a deficit of roughly 44 billion afghanis, according to the statement.
The announcement did not explain what the 203 billion afghanis would be used for.
Nevertheless, political developments in Afghanistan over the last nine months have shattered the previous government’s development plans, and the budget for carrying out those plans has been frozen for the past nine months.
Afghanistan faces a budget deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million) this financial year, the country’s Taliban authorities said on Saturday without clarifying how the gap between expected revenues and planned spending will be met.
Announcing the first annual national budget since the Taliban took over the war-torn country in August last year, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said the government foresaw spending of 231.4 billion Afghanis and domestic revenue of 186.7 billion.
"The revenues are collections from departments related to customs, ministries and mines," front man for the Finance Ministry Ahmad Wali Haqmal said.
Since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, successive Western-backed governments relied mostly on foreign aid.
[ToloNews] Afghan politicians called for an investigation into the alleged reports of torture and mistreatment of civilians in the provinces of Panjshir, Baghlan and Takhar.
The influential politicians who voiced concerns over the claims of civilian mistreatment are former chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah ...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president... , former Jihadi leader Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Karim Khalili the former Vice President of Afghanistan and the leader of Hezb-e-Wahdat, Abdul Rasheed Dostum ...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier... , leader of Hizb-e-Junbish and Muhammad Mohaqiq, People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan.
However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... the Islamic Emirate denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! of civilian casualties in these provinces.
"The recent reports from Afghanistan speak of painful incidents in Panjshir, Takhar, and Andarab (of Baghlan) and Khost, that the military has conducted desert trials and tortured civilians. We call on the international community and the human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... organizations to launch a neutral investigation into these incidents and share the results with the people of Afghanistan," Abdullah said in a series of tweets.
Analysts said that the issue should be taken seriously.
"The government should not ignore it and should prevent it. It is important that (acting Minister of Foreign Affairs) Amir Khan Muttaqi and Mohammad Alam Izdyar restart the negotiations," said Torek Farhadi, a political analyst.
Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy was furiously chewing her cud and thinking... a number of US based Afghans held protests in reaction to the alleged reports of civilian’s casualties in Panjshir, Baghlan and Takhar provinces.
"The Islamic Emirate conducted clearing operations against the people who were causing insecurity. Hundreds of them have surrendered and their weapons and ammunitions were seized by the Islamic Emirate. The civilians have a normal life. We seriously deny the reports and propaganda being spread in this regard," said Bilal Karimi, deputy front man for the Islamic Emirate.
The UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett said it was "essential for international human rights and humanitarian law to be upheld" and that they are "watching closely."
[TOLONEWS] The Ministry of Education announced vacancies for thousands of teachers in the country.Today at a presser in Kabul, the Ministry of Education announced more than 7,000 vacancies for teachers and administrative staff in the education departments of eight provinces. Nearly 3,000 vacancies were reserved for women, they said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the argument, Jane reached into her purse for her .38... Abdul Salam Hanafi, second deputy PM, said he is seeking to raise the level of education, and that the education sector is a priority of the Islamic Emirate. He said that there has been an increase in educational institutions.
"In order to provide better services in the health and education sector throughout Afghanistan and to raise the level of education, there has been a significant increase in the formation of the above-mentioned departments," said Abdul Salam Hanafi, Second Deputy PM.
"7,000 vacancies of teachers and administrative staff were announced. This is an honor for me, our nation, the Ministry of Education, administrative reform, the National Examinations Office and also the whole nation," said Abdulhaq Sadiq, deputy Minister of Quality Management of Human Resources of the Ministry of Education.
Although the conference did not mention the reopening of girls' schools above sixth grade, government officials said they will pay more attention to modern science in addition to religious studies.
"Those countries which are at the top of the list are because they have advanced in science...," said Noor al-Haq Anwari, deputy director of affairs.
According to reports, most female teachers have lost their jobs. Officials at the Ministry of Education said there is a shortage of teachers in 24 provinces.
"Those female teachers who teach male students above the sixth grade are the ones who are staying at home until the decree of the leadership, and their salaries will be paid in their homes," said Awal Gul Ayoubi, general director of Human Resources and Administrative Development.
However, Switzerland makes more than cheese... officials of the Islamic Emirate and the Ministry of Education have said that girls' schools above sixth grade will be reopened, but they have not yet announced the exact date for the reopening of girls schools and the return of some of the female teachers to work.
Some girls and their teachers are not waiting for permission:
[ToloNews] Following the closing of girls' schools about six grade, a number of female students above sixth grade in Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... province have turned to sewing and other handicrafts instead of staying at home. They say that after being turned away from schools they were forced to leave home and learn a new profession to escape stress and anxiety.
Lots of academic knowledge can be shared in the context of vocational training, with a little creativity: reading and writing, basic arithmetic, geometry and algebra, bookkeeping and business management, basic computer skills and programming. And hopefully at the end of it the girls will have skills with which they can support themselves and their families instead of resorting to begging or prostitution...
They asked the officials to reopen girls’ school above sixth grade.
Aziza, a 10th-grade student who has just learned to sew, teaches the skill to other students.
"When the schools closed, we got bored at home and even had mental health problems, so we came here to at least learn something and have fun," said Aziza Mohammadi, a student in 10th grade.
Eighty women and girls are trained in the "Elhambakhsh Association" in handicrafts, computers, the Holy Koran and first aid. More than eighty percent of the participants in these courses are school-aged students.
"Currently, eighty students are studying here in English, literacy, the Holy Koran, tailoring, weaving, and so on," said Shukria Ahmadi, head of the Elhambakhsh Association.
In addition to female students, a number of former babus government employees and housewives also learn different skills in this association.
"Here we learn how to make kitchen utensils, shirts, etc," said Nadia Hashemi, a teacher.
"Most of them are school students and they are very interested because they are teenagers and they want to learn these jobs," said Somaya Azimi, another teacher.
It has been over eight months since the closing of schools for girls over 6th grade.
Many of these students, like Aziza, did not stay home and turned to learning foreign languages, computers, and handicrafts.
[IsraelTimes] An Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... affiliate in Egypt on Saturday claims responsibility for an attack that killed at least five troops in the restive part of the Sinai Peninsula.
The bad boy group announces its claim of Wednesday’s attack in a statement carried by its Amaq news agency. The authenticity of the statement cannot be verified but it was released on Telegram, as similar claims have been in the past.
The attack involved a bad boy ambush against a border guard checkpoint west of the Mediterranean city of Rafah, which borders the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip.
The military said at least five troops, including an officer, were killed in the attack. At least seven faceless myrmidons were also killed, it said.
It was the second jihadist attack in less than a week.
Last Saturday, at least 11 troops were killed, in one of the deadliest attacks on Egyptian security forces in recent years.
Islamic State also claimed that attack, which took place in the town of Qantara in the province of Ismailia, which stretches eastwards from the Suez Canal.
Egypt is battling an insurgency in Sinai that intensified after the military overthrew an elected but divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... Islamist president in 2013. The faceless myrmidons have carried out scores of attacks, mainly targeting security forces and Christians, but the pace has slowed in recent years.
[IRAQSUN] Egypt's annual inflation rate has continued to surge, up 2.8 percent, reaching around 14.9 percent in April from 12.1 percent in March, the Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics reports.
Food and beverage prices increased by 8.1 percent in April, compared to March. Also, prices of bread and grains increased by 3.6 percent, while housing, electricity and energy prices rose by 1.1 percent, the data showed.
Lower income households have been particularly burdened, struggling to buy even everyday necessities, with nearly 30 percent of Egyptians living in poverty, according to official figures.
Most of Egypt's over 103 million population have suffered from price hikes since the government's reform program in 2016 sought to overhaul the country's battered economy. The program included austerity measures, such as the flotation of the national currency and slashing subsidies for fuel, water and electricity.
The Central Bank's decision in March to raise its main interest rate and devalue the local currency against the U.S. dollar only added to the public's difficulties, according to economists.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/15/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[IsraelTimes] Declassified files show Britannia attempted to sow division between Moscow and its Arab allies using fake reports blaming both sides for Egypt’s defeat in the 1967 Six Day War
The British government ran a secret propaganda campaign aimed at destabilizing the country’s enemies during the Cold War by inciting violence, supporting racial tensions and encouraging hatred toward Israel, according to newly declassified documents.
The documents, which were reported on by The Guardian, highlighted a "black propaganda" campaign from the mid-1950s to late 70s that mostly targeted African countries, the Middle East and parts of Asia with fake reports that were ultimately intended to spread anti-communist sentiment.
The term refers to the creation of false news reports meant to appear as if written by those the pieces were meant to discredit — in this case, foes of the Western alliance during the Cold War.
According to the documents, the extensive campaign attempted to turn Moslems against Moscow and occasionally used anti-Israel propaganda in order to appear authentic.
It was led by the UK’s Information Research Department (IRD), which was established after World War II as a response to Soviet propaganda targeting Britannia and was coordinated with the CIA’s war propaganda operations.
Rory Cormac, an expert in the history of subversion and intelligence, told the Guardian the declassified papers were "the most important of the past two decades."
"It’s very clear now that the UK engaged in more black propaganda than historians assume and these efforts were more systemic, ambitious and offensive. Despite official denials, [this] went far beyond merely exposing Soviet disinformation," Cormac argued.
Cormac had stumbled upon the declassified documents when researching material for a book. His study of the documents constitutes the most extensive insight yet into the IRD’s disinformation operations to date, according to the report.
"The UK did not simply invent material, as the Soviets systematically did, but they definitely intended to deceive audiences in order to get the message across," he said.
Cormac said a central tactic employed by the IRD was the forging of statements that appeared to be written by Soviet agencies, including Novosti, the Soviet state-run news agency ...and if you can't trust the state-run news agency who can you believe?... The IRD forged 11 such statements between 1965-1972, the report said, including one that followed Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, highlighting Moscow’s anger at Egypt’s defeat despite the weapons and resources provided by the Soviets.
In another attempt to sow division between Moscow and its Arab allies in the Middle East, the British organization also created literature purporting to come from Moslem organizations that blamed Soviet Russia for the defeat.
"Why is the Arab nation at this time afflicted by so much sorrow and disaster? Why were the brave forces defeated in the jihad by the evil heathen Zionists?... The answers are [easily] to be found ... we are departing fast from the right path, we are following the course chosen for us by the communist-atheists for whom religion is a form of social disease," read a statement issued by the IRD and signed by a fictional radical Islamist organization called the League of Believers.
Other faked material accused Moscow of a lack of support for Paleostinian armed nationalist groups, as opposed to China’s more outspoken backing, in an attempt to divide the two communist powers.
The IRD was shut down in 1977, but according to the report, the British government carried out similar disinformation operations for nearly another decade.
"The [new documents] are particularly significant as a precursor to more modern efforts of putting intelligence into the public domain," Cormac said.
[IsraelTimes] Ministers, former NUS presidents raise concerns about reported incidents ’over many years,’ following union’s election of new president accused of hatred
The British government announced Friday that it will back off from its affiliation with the UK National Union of Students (NUS) over allegations of antisemitism within the organization. UK Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawai said Friday the government’s funding of the organization will also be suspended until the allegations are "suitably addressed."
"Jewish students need to have confidence that this is a body that represents them, and we need to be sure that the student bodies that we engage with are speaking fairly for all students, which is why we are disengaging with the NUS until the issues have been addressed," Zahawi said.
Michelle Donelan, the minister for higher and further education in England, detailed her action against the organization.
"Enough is enough. I’ve prepared a package of sanctions against NUS following concerning incidents over many years," Donelan wrote Friday on Twitter. "Disappointed it has come to this but proud to stand up for Jewish students. NUS will not have a seat at the table until we see real change."
Dallali told the Guardian last month in an interview that she welcomed an ongoing investigation of antisemitism within the organization, which included a complaint about her own social media posts.
Matt Western, Labour’s shadow universities minister, said that it was crucial for Jewish students to feel safe and included in student organizations. "It is important that the NUS is listening, and I hope that the independent inquiry they have rightly set up resolves these issues to the satisfaction of all concerned," he said.
A spokesperson for NUS told UK media that it was unfortunate the government did not work with the union directly over the disengagement, but that it has opened an independent investigation to work with the Union of Jewish Students.
After Dallali’s election, the Union of Jewish Students highlighted various anti-Israeli and allegedly antisemitic comments she is alleged to have made, including a post 10 years ago that read: "Khaybar Khaybar O Jews... Muhammad’s army will return Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... ," referring to the Battle of Khaybar in 628 CE, during which Moslem troops reportedly attacked Jewish natives in the town of Khaybar. Dallali has since apologized for the social media post.
Jewish students also raised concerns after the rapper Lowkey was invited to an NUS event, after he said in an online interview that the media had "weaponized the Jewish heritage of [Ukrainian president] Zelensky" in order to ignore alleged far-right activity in Ukraine.
When the Union of Jewish Students met with NUS over the planned event in March, the NUS stated that if the appearance was problematic, they were able to stay in a "safe space" designated for those who are sensitive to loud noise to avoid Lowkey’s concert, according to the Guardian. Lowkey ultimately canceled his appearance at the event.
The organization has had a long history of accusations of antisemitic remarks and exclusion of Jews from union activities.
In April more than 20 former presidents of the National Union of Students sent a letter to the organization’s trustees urging them to address the concerns of antisemitism, according to the Guardian.
NUS has previously faced criticism for omitting Judaism from a survey of members’ religions twice within a year. The form offered 11 options including Christian, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Agnostic and more, but neglected to mention Britannia’s fifth-largest religion. Former NUS president Shakira Martin apologized and promised to rectify the matter.
Martin was also reported to have signed the letter to the organization’s board in favor of addressing antisemitism.
Former president Malia Bouattia was accused in 2016 of antisemitic comments after she said Birmingham was "something of a Zionist outpost in British higher education." Britannia’s Newcastle University and Lincoln University voted to disaffiliate from the organization as a result.
Bouattia, an activist in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, had allegedly advocated for Paleostinian violence against Israelis, and refused to condemn the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... terrorist group.
NUS is a confederate association of around 600 students’ unions, representing more than seven million students.
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... is not seeking to outright shoot down the accession of Sweden and Finland to the US-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... alliance, President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... 's top adviser Ibrahim Kalin told Rooters in an exclusive interview on Saturday. Nonetheless, Ankara's concerns about organizations it deems to be "terrorist" that are operating in these countries must be addressed, the official said.
"We are not closing the door. But we are basically raising this issue as a matter of national security for Turkey," Kalin clarified.
The official further elaborated on the position voiced by Erdogan on Friday, when the president said Ankara could not support the bids of Finland and Sweden, which are "like guesthouses for terrorist organizations." To get into the alliance, a potential member must get the support of all NATO member countries.
Kalin explained that Ankara is particularly concerned about the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), recognized as a terrorist organization in Turkey, as well as in the EU and the US. The issue relates primarily to Sweden, the official went on.
"What needs to be done is clear: they have to stop allowing PKK outlets, activities, organizations, individuals and other types of presence to...exist in those countries," Kalin said. "Of course we want to have a discussion, a negotiation with [our] Swedish counterparts."
The PKK has been an enemy of Ottoman Turkish authorities for decades already, with the group waging low-intensity insurgency in Kurdish-populated areas of the country's southeast. Ankara also regards Kurdish-led militias in neighboring Iraq and Syria, including the US-propped Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as offshoots of the PKK and treats them as "terrorists" as well. Turkey has repeatedly staged incursions into those neighboring countries to fight Kurdish gunnies over the past few years.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/15/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
At a time when Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... is under the grip of heightened tensions in the wake of killing of a Kashmiri Pandit employee, Moslems and KPs continued to uphold the age-old bond of brotherhood and communal harmony by jointly performing the last rites of 80-year-old Hindu woman at Y K Pora in south Kashmir's Kulgam district .
Quoting local sources, news agency KNO reported that the elderly Pandit woman Dulari Bhat of Y K Pora, Kulgam, had gone to Mattan, Anantnag on a marriage ceremony of her relatives where her condition deteriorated and she breathed her last. She was brought to her native village Y K Pora, Kulgam, where hundreds of Moslems including neighbours and locals were waiting for her body.
Locals said that they have been living together for decades and share a strong bond. "The dear departed was a great human being who would visit Moslems on the occasion of festivals and also whenever anyone among us would die. She was part and parcel of the composite culture and today, it is our duty to return the favour by ensuring her last rites are performed as per their religious rites," said Altaf Ahmed, a local.
The dear departed, wife of late Janki Nath, spent all her years in her native village Y K Pora along with locals of the area.
Saja Bano, a friend of Dulari, said that the dear departed was her close friend and they would spent days together. "Her death is a great lost for the entire village. It’s a personal loss for me as I have lost my good friend," she said.
Subash Bhat, the son of Dulari, said that they are thankful to the Moslems of the area who stood with them in this hour of grief. "We have been living together and we didn’t flee Kashmir despite the fact that our father was killed in 90s. Since then, we have been living together with Moslems of the area, who are with us in time of this great loss," he said.
Chuni Lal Bhat, a relative of Dulari, while thanking the Moslems of Y K Pora, said that Kashmir is the "best example of communal harmony, brotherhood and Pandits and Moslems share a great and strong bond that has been there since decades". "Today, Moslems of the area stood with us and participated in the last rites of Dulari. They remained present till Dulari was cremated," he said, adding that "Moslems and Pandits are incomplete without each other."
Pertinently, Kashmiri Pandits are are protesting against the killing of Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit who was working at Tehsil office Chadoora, Budgam where he was shot on Thursday and died at SMHS Hospital Srinagar. The killing has sparked massive protests across Kashmir with migrant KPs demanding security and safe postings. Civil Society groups too have condemned the killing of Rahul and urged the KPs to strengthen the communal fabric in Kashmir.
The LG Manoj Sinha led administration has stated that killers of Bhat will have to pay a heavy price while as the divisional administration is working on to provide safe and security accommodation to the KPs working under Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package in Kashmir besides streamlining their postings.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/15/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies
[OneIndia] The national anthem was sung in madrassas across the state on Friday after it was made mandatory by the Uttar Pradesh government, according to reports.
Though the decision came into effect from Thursday, most madrassas in the state had remained closed due to low attendance of children on the first day of classes after the end of Ramzan holidays.
Friday is a holiday in most of the madrassas, but in those that were open, 'Jana Gana Mana' was sung as part of the morning prayers, the reports said.
"The government wants the students of madrassas to remember that legacy forever. When they sing the national anthem in the morning, the nation will be strengthened," the state's Minister of State for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari told PTI.
Also, it will remind the children and their families that they are the conquered, not the conquerers, hopefully for the betterment of their manners.
"Its purpose is to further promote the feeling of patriotism among the children studying in madrasas," he said, adding that madrassas played an important role in the country's Independence.
According to reports received from the Moslem-dominated Saharanpur district, minority welfare officer Bharat Lal Gond said all the students and teachers in the madrassas that were opened sang the national anthem "with enthusiasm".
In Badaun, 'Jana Gana Mana' was sung during the morning prayers, and teachers explained the national anthem's importance to the children.
Rashid Khan, director of Madrassa Hikmat Khan, said the national anthem has already been sung in madrassas on Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti.
"This country belongs to all and the national anthem is a symbol of the country's honour. There is no objection by any madrassa in singing it. They have always respected the national anthem," Khan said.
Gorakhpur district minority welfare officer Ashutosh Pandey said most of the 243 madrassas sang the national anthem along with the traditional prayers in the morning.
Diwan Sahab Zaman Khan, General Secretary of Teachers' Association Madaris Arabia, said Hamd (praises to Allah) and Salam (salutations to Muhammad) used to be recited before the start of classes in madrassas until now.
"In some places, the national anthem was also sung but it was not compulsory. Now it is." After the singing of the national anthem was made compulsory at all madrassas in the state from Thursday, Registrar of the Uttar Pradesh Madrassa Education Board, SN Pandey, had issued an order to all the district minority welfare officers in this connection on May 9.
At present, there are 16,461 madrassas in Uttar Pradesh, out of which 560 receive grants from the government.
[IsraelTimes] Diplomats say negotiations over the joint statement — a rare expression of unity from the body on Israel — were particularly arduous
The United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Security Council on Friday unanimously condemned the killing of Paleostinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh killed amid festivities between Paleostinian button men and Israeli troops while covering a military raid in the West Bank, diplomats said.
The statement — a rare case of Security Council unity on an issue related to Israel — also called for "an immediate, thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation into her killing."
According to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity, the negotiations on the text were particularly arduous.
China successfully pushed the United States to remove paragraphs denouncing abuses committed against the media around the world, defending their freedom and urging their protection while covering military operations, according to diplomatic sources and different versions of the declaration obtained by AFP during the discussions.
The final text merely says that "journalists should be protected as civilians" and does not mention violence during the Friday funeral for Abu Akleh.
Television footage showed pallbearers struggling to stop Abu Akleh’s coffin from falling to the ground as Israeli coppers charged at them, grabbing Paleostinian flags from mourners.
Police have said they intervened because the casket was seized outside Jerusalem’s St. Joseph’s Hospital by a mob who prevented it from being loaded onto a hearse, as previously agreed, for that part of the funeral procession. But Abu Akleh’s brother said the family and mourners had hoped to hold a "small procession" but were "bombarded" by officers as they left the hospital.
Abu Akleh left for Jenin on Wednesday morning to cover festivities between Israeli troops and Paleostinian button men. She was shot in the head while wearing a press vest, with Israeli and Paleostinian authorities providing different accounts of who killed her.
Paleostinian witnesses and officials said Israeli soldiers killed Abu Akleh. Israeli officials at first said it was likely Paleostinian button men had mistakenly shot her, but later said errant Israeli sniper fire could also have caused her death.
Israel is insisting it cannot determine who shot her without examining the bullet removed from her neck, Channel 12 reported Friday, adding that Israel has asked the US for assistance in persuading the Paleostinian Authority to cooperate.
On Saturday, the Paleostinian Authority said that while international bodies could "participate" in the investigation, Israel would not be permitted to join the probe into Abu Akleh’s death.
[Rudaw] Iraqi authorities have exhumed the remains of 15 people from a mass grave believed to hold dozens more likely killed under dictator Saddam Hussein, an official said Saturday.
The mass grave was first discovered in April near the southern city of Najaf, during work to build a residential compound.
It is believed to date back to the 1990s, when Saddam unleashed a deadly campaign against members of the majority Shiite Moslem community in southern Iraq that left nearly 100,000 dead.
"There could be 100 victims in this grave. It is an estimation, the number could be higher due to the large size of the area," said Abdul Ilah al-Naeli, who heads a government foundation tasked with finding mass graves and identifying the remains.
Calling the burial "the scene of the crime", Naeli said the mass grave dates back to the "1991 popular (Shiite) uprising" against Saddam.
An AFP correspondent saw skulls and other human remains near the construction site where cement buildings have been erected.
According to Iraqi authorities, Saddam's regime forcibly disappeared more than one million people -- including from the Kurdish minority -- in the 1980s and 1990s, and many of their families are still trying to ascertain what happened to them.
Iraq pays tribute to the missing on May 16, which is known in the war-wracked country as the National Day of Mass Graves.
Saddam was toppled in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and executed in December 2006 after being convicted by an Iraqi court of crimes against humanity.
The oil-rich country has been hit by waves of conflict in subsequent decades, culminating in the fight against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... jihadist group, which ended in 2017.
IS alone left behind an estimated 200 mass graves that could hold up to 12,000 bodies, the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... has said.
Authorities in Iraq are frequently announcing the discovery of mass graves, the latest in March when the remains of 85 IS jihadists and their relatives were exhumed in the northern city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... .
Hebron residents appeal to King Abdullah to send Jordanian troops to end street fighting between rival families in the city; "The Palestinian Authority has lost control of the situation." pic.twitter.com/GcJbLtteEc
That Jewish tourist dollar is highly desirable. Egypt refurbished some old Jewish synagogues and such for the same reason.
[DW] A Jewish festival at the historic synagogue on Djerba island in Tunisia is often touted as a successful example of Jewish-Moslem coexistence. But there's no doubt political tension still plays a role.
Right now, the synagogue is still quiet. But once the traditional Jewish pilgrimage to it begins on Saturday, there are likely to be thousands of worshippers from all over the world here on the Tunisian island of Djerba.
For the first time in the more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a large number of pilgrims to the North African country will be taking part in religious festivities over the course of eight days. In 2020 and 2021, pilgrimages were canceled due to the health crisis and access was very limited.
Continued on Page 49
[Rudaw] Mazloum Abdi, General Commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), applauded late Friday the US decision to allow foreign investment in northeast Syria (Rojava), saying they welcome all companies to invest there.
"We appreciate the US General License for #AANES areas to rebuild infrastructure and support our economy, a step that will counter ISIS and give hope to all Syrians. We welcome all companies to invest here," said Abdi in a tweet, referring to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES or AANES).
The US Department of the Treasury on Thursday issued an authorization allowing "activities in certain economic sectors" in Syria's non-regime-held areas in the northeast and northwest of Syria.
The decision permits activities in 12 different fields, such as energy, trade, and health among a variety of others in the area.
Washington issued crippling economic sanctions against the Syrian government as a result of its war crimes and atrocities committed against civilians and protestors since the Syrian civil war began over a decade ago.
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... , which sees Kurdish fighters in Rojava as foes due to their alleged organic links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has carried out a number of military operations against the SDF in recent years and frequently attacks them with artillery, jets and drones.
Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than there are in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really most important... warned on Friday that they "cannot accept US lifting sanctions in Syria’s YPG-held regions." The People’s Protection Units (YPG) is the backbone of the SDF.
The US has about 900 soldiers in Rojava and it has helped the SDF in the fight against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) and trained its fighters.
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyid His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... , said on Friday evening that "Shahidah Shireen Abu Akleh was a witness to the crimes of the Israeli enemy and to the oppression of the Paleostinian people."In his speech during an electoral festival in the Bekaa, Nasrallah affirmed that "the brutal reality of the Israeli enemy has not changed from the massacres of Paleostine to Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... to Egypt."
"The first people to be shamed are those who are trying to convince our people that Israel’s presence is normal and who can live with it."
Sayyid Nasrallah also pointed out that "the stronger message of Shireen Abu Akleh’s martyrdom lies in the fact that she was Christian, and the message of Shireen Abu Akleh’s testimony is that the enemy kills both Christians and Moslems, assaults their holy sites, and demolishes their homes. "
"The message from Shireen’s testimony is that everyone is in danger of the policies of a racist and inhumane system that will not change."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/15/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
[IRAQSUN] It was a sea of yellow as thousands of men, women and kiddies waving Hezbollah flags and wearing the group's trademark yellow caps rallied in the ancient eastern city of Baalbek in support of the heavily armed krazed killer group.
One after another, many attendees vowed to vote Sunday for the Shiite Moslem Hezbollah and its allies in Leb ...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... 's closely watched parliamentary elections, rejecting any attempt to disarm the powerful group.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
05/15/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
collapse started in 2019 but really took off in 2020 after the port disaster
in 2019 the exchange rate was about 1500 LBP and that is the current 'official' rate; however the street value of the Lebanon Pound is about 10% of the official rate
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
05/15/2022 13:14 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...son-in-law of holy man Sufi Mohammad. Known as 
...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president...
Egypt's annual inflation rate has continued to surge, up 2.8 percent, reaching around 14.9 percent in April from 12.1 percent in March, the Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics reports.
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important....jpg "Kashmir")
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
[OneIndia] The national anthem was sung in madrassas across the state on Friday after it was made mandatory by the 
[Rudaw] Iraqi authorities have exhumed the remains of 15 people from a mass grave believed to hold dozens more likely killed under dictator Saddam Hussein, an official said Saturday.
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
[DW] A Jewish festival at the historic synagogue on Djerba island in Tunisia is often touted as a successful example of Jewish-
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than there are in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really most important...
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
