World

1, September 2024

OIC ends Cameroon meeting with pledge to help countries combat extremism ⁰

A two-day meeting of officials from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation ended in Cameroon Friday with promises to help member countries deal with armed conflict, violent extremism, economic hardships and climate shocks. OIC officials acknowledge these issues, among others, have plunged a majority of civilians in the 57-member organization into poverty.

About 500 delegates from 57 countries attended the meeting in Cameroon, including foreign ministers, diplomats and high-ranking officials.

Most of the conference focused on the problems faced by member countries.

Boukary Sawadogo, Burkina Faso’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia and permanent representative of his country to the OIC, says he is satisfied that OIC member states have made very strong commitments to give direct assistance to nations that are tackling the root causes of conflicts, which are mainly poverty and hardships among civilians.

He says it is unfortunate that terrorism is surging in Burkina Faso with devastating consequences for its neighbors, Mali and Niger.

The OIC said it will assist Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Nigeria — the member countries with the highest death tolls from terrorism.

The OIC also promised a donors conference before the end of 2024 to help refugees in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria fleeing terrorism.

In terms of economic programs, the OIC said it is sponsoring construction of a road linking Chad and Cameroon, and said a second phase of that road project will be announced by November.

The organization said it will also launch reforestation programs in Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the desert is advancing.

On a broader scale, Gambian diplomat Mamadou Tangara says the participants agreed to develop transport and communications, which he said are key tools to fight poverty and insecurity.

“The development of our transport and communication infrastructures could enhance and consolidate the sustainable social and economic development including the creation and facilitation of different economic opportunities such as job creation and market access, safety and security services contributing to improved emergency response and crime reduction mechanisms,” he said.

The OIC says it is finalizing negotiations for possible construction of a 4,000-kilometer Africa transcontinental railway linking Senegal and Sudan. The railway would connect Africa with the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, Middle East and Asia and increase access to markets and reducing poverty.

The OIC says it will continue to address the repercussions of what the participants call the brutal Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, promising to strengthen Palestinian resilience in defending their legitimate rights.

They emphasized the need for the OIC’s collective efforts to enact U.N. Security Council resolutions that call for an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid to all parts of the Gaza Strip.

The OIC also said it will intensify humanitarian efforts and constructive dialogue in Afghanistan to end the ban on girls’ education and women’s work.

Source: VOA

31, August 2024

Yaoundé: At OIC’s moot, Pakistan calls for securing immediate ceasefire in Gaza ⁰

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi called for securing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as he addressed a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in Cameroon, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Friday.

Qazi led the Pakistan delegation to the two-day OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting on Aug. 29-30, where he highlighted the ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza and the West Bank as well as conflicts across the world, fueled by endemic poverty, terrorist and extremist groups and external interventions.

Pakistan’s top diplomat said the raison d’être of the OIC dictated “determined action” to respond to Israel’s ongoing military campaign against the Palestinian people and the depredations against Islam’s most sacred sites and symbols, noting that the war on Gaza had killed over 40,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million others.

“We must urgently secure an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank; ensure unrestricted humanitarian aid to Gaza; prevent the spread of the conflict to the entire Middle East, while holding Israel accountable for its criminal assassinations and violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran, Lebanon and other States,” Qazi was quoted as saying by the Pakistani foreign office.

Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October last year, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations and demanded international powers and multilateral bodies stop Israeli military actions. Pakistan has also dispatched several aid consignments for the Palestinians.

The two-day event was held in Cameroon’s capital city of Yaoundé, where the top Pakistani diplomat also spoke about challenges facing the Muslim world, including rising Islamophobia.

He said Islamophobia had emerged as a global crisis, marked by frequent desecration of the Holy Qur’an, attacks on mosques, stereotyping of Muslims and acts of discrimination and violence against them.

“We must work within the OIC, including through the OIC Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Islamophobia, to reach out to the United Nations to develop an Action Plan to Combat Islamophobia,” Qazi urged.

Source: Arabnews

31, August 2024

Yaoundé: 50th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers Kicks Off ⁰

The 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has commenced in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, under the theme: “Development of Transport and Communications Infrastructure within the OIC Framework: A Key Tool in the Fight against Poverty and Insecurity.” and under the patronage of Cameroonian President Paul Biya.

At the outset of the session, Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute affirmed his country’s support for the OIC.

The Cameroonian Prime Minister emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian issue, the necessity of implementing the two-state solution, and halting the Israeli occupation’s aggression against the Palestinian people.

Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, delivered a speech on behalf of his country after assuming the presidency of the session. He welcomed the guests to the 50th session, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of Cameroon’s accession to the OIC in 1974, and expressed his gratitude to the President of the 49th session, Mauritanian Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, for his excellent management of the previous session.

The Minister emphasized the importance of the theme of the 50th session: ““Development of Transport and Communications Infrastructure within the OIC Framework: A Key Tool in the Fight against Poverty and Insecurity.”, and highlighted the significance of development and achieving peace and security for member states, noting the escalation of violence in Palestine and reaffirming the principle of the two-state solution.

For his part, OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha expressed his sincere gratitude to the Cameroonian authorities for their efforts and arrangements to ensure the success of the session, praising the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its generous support to the organization.

Taha pointed out that “the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds is witnessing serious developments that pose a challenge to the international community in general and the OIC in particular, as Israeli occupation forces continue their unprecedented military aggression against Gaza and all Palestinian territories, including the city of Al-Quds, resulting in thousands of casualties.”

Taha revealed that “the organization continues its efforts to address the repercussions of the brutal Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people and to strengthen their resilience in their land and defend their legitimate rights,” emphasizing “the necessity of our collective efforts to implement the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions calling for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and ensuring sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid to all parts of Gaza.”

He also addressed “the organization’s efforts in Afghanistan in the humanitarian field and in constructive dialogue on various issues, particularly the ongoing ban on girls’ education and women’s work and participation in public life,” noting that “the organization’s efforts have continued through the ongoing visits of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, delegations of scholars, and related OIC institutions to Afghanistan, with the aim of engaging with the de facto government to end this ban.”

Taha reiterated “the OIC’s principled stance supporting the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, welcoming in this context the end of the armed conflict between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan’s restoration of its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its national borders,” expressing “deep concern about the fate of Azerbaijanis who were forcibly displaced from current Armenian territories.”

He confirmed that “the organization will continue its efforts to defend the interests of Muslim communities and societies in non-member countries,” pointing out “the issue of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, and expressing hope that this issue, which faces serious challenges, will receive further support and solidarity from member states.”

He stressed that “the organization will continue its efforts in combating terrorism, addressing Islamophobia and religious hatred, and promoting interfaith and intercultural dialogue, in cooperation with international partners,” noting that “the Special Envoy of the OIC Secretary-General on combating Islamophobia will soon commence his duties.”

Taha also indicated that “the organization will continue its preparations for the donor conference to support displaced persons and refugees in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin regions, scheduled to be held on October 26, 2024, at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah,” expressing “deep gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for graciously hosting this conference and for its commendable efforts to ensure suitable conditions for its convening.”

For his part, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Engineer Waleed bin Abdul Karim Al-Khuraiji, in his speech, emphasized “the significant role played by the OIC since its inception in addressing Islamic issues across various fields and protecting the interests of Muslims through its proactive measures to confront various challenges,” expressing “the Kingdom’s aspirations to enhance collective action on issues that concern the Islamic nation at various levels and to advance Islamic cooperation to broader horizons and fields to ensure a better future for our Islamic Ummah.”

Al-Khuraiji reaffirmed the Kingdom’s condemnation and rejection of all forms of crimes committed against the Palestinian people by the occupying forces, stating: “The Israeli occupying forces are indifferent to international resolutions and laws, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of whom are women, children, and innocent civilians, amid a lack of international accountability and the Security Council’s failure to take deterrent measures.”

He highlighted the “support provided by the Kingdom, along with brotherly countries, to halt the Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people, which has resulted in the recognition of the State of Palestine by several Western countries during its chairmanship of the ministerial committee emanating from the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh,” referring also to the Arab-Islamic summit’s decision to establish a legal center to document violations and another media center.

Al-Khuraiji confirmed that “the Kingdom continues to provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza through a popular campaign launched by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, with donations now exceeding $185 million.”

Regarding the crisis in Sudan, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed “the Kingdom’s firm positions regarding the maintenance of Sudan’s security and stability, and called for the conflicting parties in the Sudanese crisis to return to dialogue to spare the brotherly Sudan further suffering.”

On the Yemeni issue, he noted “the ongoing support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ government for efforts to resolve the crisis in Yemen, aiming to restore peace, security, and stability, reiterating the Kingdom’s initiative to end the war and reach a comprehensive political solution,” warning of “the danger of escalation in the Red Sea region, which undermines efforts to maintain the security and stability of international maritime routes and global trade, and threatens freedom of navigation and global economic growth.”

He confirmed that “the Kingdom has never hesitated to mobilize all its resources to serve humanitarian issues and provide developmental support to brotherly and friendly countries, to foster growth and prosperity in the region and the world,” welcoming member states, its institutions, and international donor partners to the OIC donor conference to be hosted by the Kingdom in October 2024.

Al-Khuraiji revealed that “the Kingdom continues its efforts alongside the Republic of Maldives to organize a joint conference titled ‘Promoting Integrity in the Tourism Sector,’ to enhance the objectives of Islamic cooperation, inviting relevant anti-corruption and tourism agencies in OIC member states to participate in this important conference.”

During the first day of the conference, Palestinian delegation head Riyad Mansour provided “a comprehensive briefing to the attendees on the latest developments in Palestine, noting the President’s initiative to visit Gaza,” and referring to “the International Court of Justice ruling and the ongoing campaign for recognition of the State of Palestine and its full membership in the United Nations.”

Additionally, the Deputy Secretary-Generals of the OIC took their oaths of office during the first day of the session.

The 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers is examining numerous resolutions and urgent issues across political, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, social, women’s, youth, and senior citizens’ affairs, humanitarian issues, media matters, legal and organizational matters, and other significant concerns for the Islamic world.

Source: ina.ig

18, August 2024

Israeli military alarmed by Hezbollah drone filming Netanyahu’s home ⁰

A reconnaissance drone belonging to the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has infiltrated the northern part of the occupied territories, filming the private villa of the Israeli regime’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the Israel Hayom daily newspaper, the Israeli regime’s defense systems issued a warning message on the presence of a drone near Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea, located 37 km south of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast, on Sunday.

The newspaper further speculated that the drone had been launched from Lebanon and had managed to take footage of Netanyahu’s place of residence.

Israeli fighter jets were dispatched to the area but were unable to detect the exact location of the suspected drone, it added.

The Israeli military claimed that the warning may have been a false alarm, adding that the radar and defense systems sometimes issue such warnings due to an error. However, it did not completely rule out the possibility of a small drone launched by Hezbollah.

Source: Presstv

14, August 2024

US approves $20 billion weapons package for Israel ⁰

The United States is sending a new multi-billion dollar military package for Israel amid the regime’s genocidal war against Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The US State Department told Congress on Tuesday that it had approved a sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel for $18.82 billion.

Israel will also buy some 33,000 tank cartridges, up to 50,000 explosive mortar cartridges and new military cargo vehicles.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the State Department said in its notice on the F-15s, which are made by Boeing.

In total, US President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday approved more than $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel.

According to the Pentagon, part of these arms would be immediately available for delivery.

The new US military aid comes despite claims by Washington that it is supporting a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip where Israel has been waging a genocidal war since early October.

Source: Presstv

14, August 2024

US police officer charged with fatally shooting pregnant woman ⁰

A police officer accused of shooting a pregnant woman in Ohio has been charged with her murder.

Ta’Kiya Young, 21, was around 25 weeks pregnant at the time of her death last August. Her unborn daughter also died in the police shooting.

On Tuesday, a grand jury in the city of Columbus found sufficient evidence to file charges against Blendon Township police officer Connor Grubb for murder, involuntary manslaughter and assault.

Bodycam video of the fatal encounter released last year showed police attempting to stop Ms Young from driving away so they could question her about alleged shoplifting.

In the video she appeared to drive toward the officer who fired the fatal shot as he commanded her to exit the car.

Ms Young was suspected of shoplifting alcohol from a Kroger grocery store, investigators say.

Lawyers for Mr Grubb say he fired in self-defence.

“When viewed through the eyes of a reasonable police officer, the evidence will show that our client’s actions were justified, when there is video evidence that Officer Grubb was being hit by a moving vehicle,” said his lawyers Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stephens.

The local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) labour union on Tuesday slammed the indictment as “politically motivated”.

“We stand firm in advocating for an impartial justice system that focuses on truth and facts, not politics,” said chapter president Brian Steel.

“Like all law enforcement officers, Officer Grubb had to make a split-second decision, a reality all too familiar for those who serve to protect our communities,” he also said, adding decisions were often made under “extreme pressure and often in life-threatening situations”.

Source: BBC

12, August 2024

UK’s Starmer urges Iran to refrain from Israel attack ⁰

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged Iran to “refrain” from attacking Israel during a phone call with Iran’s new president.

Sir Keir told Masoud Pezeshkian there was a “serious risk of miscalculation and now was the time for calm and careful consideration”, Downing Street said.

It is the first call between a UK prime minister and an Iranian president since March 2021 when former British leader Boris Johnson spoke to Hassan Rouhani.

News of the 30-minute discussion came as the UK issued a joint statement with the US, France, Italy and Germany – urging Iran to end its threats of an attack on Israel.

They called on Iran to “stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place”.

The leaders, who spoke together by phone, also expressed their support for the “defence of Israel against Iranian aggression and against attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups”.

Fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East have been growing following the recent assassination of senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

On Sunday, the US confirmed it had sent a guided missile submarine to the region in response to these concerns. The submarine can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are used to strike land targets.

It had also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, which is carrying F-35C fighter jets, to accelerate its journey there. The ship was already on its way to replace another US ship in the region.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later said that the US shared Israel’s concerns that it was “increasingly likely that there will be an attack by Iran and or its proxies and perhaps in the coming days”.

“That is why we have been continually speaking to our Israeli counterparts and other counterparts in the region,” Mr Kirby added.

Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said that the country took the threats of its enemies seriously and that Israel was at “peak preparedness for attack and defence”.

Downing Street also said on Monday that Keir Starmer had told Mr Pezeshkian he was “deeply concerned by the situation in the region and called on all parties to de-escalate and avoid further regional confrontation”.

Iran blames Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on their soil late last month and has vowed to punish it.

Israel, which is currently engaged in a war attempting to destroy the group in Gaza, has not commented but is widely believed to have been behind the killing.

Iran’s acting foreign minister said last week that the country would respond to the killing of Haniyeh at the “right time” in the “appropriate” manner.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a group of states with Muslim-majority populations, said it held Israel fully responsible for the attack, which it called “a serious infringement” of Iran’s sovereignty.

Ismail Haniyeh is not the only senior member of Hamas to be killed recently. Israel also recently announced that the group’s military chief Mohammed Deif was killed in an air strike in the Gaza Strip last month.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, with which Israel is also engaged in a conflict, has also said that it would retaliate for the death of its senior commander Fuad Shukr.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday became the latest leader to urge his country’s citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, warning of the risk of growing tensions.

Airlines including Lufthansa, Swiss Air and EasyJet have either cancelled or suspended flights to the Middle East.

Source: BBC

11, August 2024

Iran rejects claims about hacking Trump’s presidential campaign ⁰

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations has rejected claims about hacking the campaign of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying the Islamic Republic attaches no credit to such accusations.

“We do not accord any credence to the news. The Iranian government has no intent or motive to interfere in the US presidential election,” the mission said in a statement on Saturday.

It came after the Politico news website said it began receiving emails from an anonymous account with documents from inside Trump’s campaign operation.

The campaign acknowledged that some of its internal communications were hacked, pinning the blame on Iran without providing evidence.

“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

He also pointed to a recent report published by Microsoft that said Iranian hackers had tried breaking into the account of a “high-ranking official” on the US presidential campaign in June, weeks after breaching the account of a county-level American official.

Iran’s permanent mission to the UN denies Microsoft report about the country’s attempts to accelerate its cyber activities to influence the 2024 US presidential election.

Iran’s UN mission dismissed the report and emphasized that the country’s cyber capabilities are “defensive and proportionate to the threats it faces.”

“The US presidential election is an internal matter in which Iran does not interfere,” it added. “Iran has been a victim of various cyber offensive operations against the country’s infrastructures, public service centers and industries.”

The US presidential election will be held in November, pitting Trump against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Source: Presstv

25, July 2024

Russia’s Mi-28 Helicopter crashes, all crew members killed ⁰

A Russian military helicopter has crashed in the country’s Kaluga region during a routine flight killing all of its crew members, as confirmed by the country’s Defense Ministry.

In a statement early on Thursday, Russia’s defense ministry said that a Mi-28 military helicopter crashed in the Zhizdra district of the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow, killing all its crew members.

The ministry said a technical malfunction was likely to blame, but no specific number of individuals on board was mentioned. However, a Mi-28 helicopter usually carries a crew of two.

“A commission of the Russian Aerospace Forces is working at the site of the crash,” the ministry added.

According to TASS news agency, the helicopter was performing a scheduled flight when the incident occurred. The crew members did not survive, as the Mi-28 is not equipped with a crew ejection system, unlike the Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopter.

The Russian aircraft crashed in a remote area near the village of Klyonki, without causing any further damage on the ground, as reported by local officials.

The governor of Kaluga, Vladislav Shapsha, has confirmed the incident, revealing that the crash occurred in Zhizdrinsk district on the border with the Bryansk region, which is on the frontier with Ukraine.

Shapsha wrote on Telegram that rescuers were working at the crash site.

Moreover, the Telegram channel of Mash online newspaper disclosed that the helicopter, which is often used on drone-hunting missions, was heading back from a combat mission when a crew member spotted a fire on board, apparently caused by an engine malfunction.

As a result, the pilot decided to redirect the aircraft to an unpopulated area to prevent any potential harm to civilians.

The Cold War-era Mi-28 helicopter is a twin-seat attack helicopter, designed as an anti-tank attack platform similar in scope and function to the American Hughes AH-64 Apache series.

It took its first flight in 1982, becoming an all-weather attack helicopter with multiple updated models.

Source: Presstv

27, June 2024

Bolivian general arrested after failed coup ⁰

Bolivian police have arrested a former general who staged a failed coup, with President Luis Arce asserting his authority over the country’s military and thanking the public for keeping up their support for the government.

The troops of Juan Jose Zuniga, who was fired earlier this week as commander of the Bolivian Army, raided the presidential palace in the capital La Paz on Wednesday afternoon and took up positions in the square outside, where key government buildings are located. Media reports said a tank slammed the palace doors.

However, Zuniga urged the soldiers within hours to withdraw, after leaders from around the world blasted the army’s actions as illegal.

The soldiers’ retreat was followed by the apprehension of Zuniga after the attorney general opened an investigation.

Bolivia’s Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo said that in addition to Zuniga, former navy Vice Adm. Juan Arnez Salvador was also taken into custody.

“What was this group’s goal? The goal was to overturn the democratically elected authority,” del Castillo told journalists while announcing the arrests.

The rebel military leader had claimed he wanted to “restructure democracy” and that while he respected the Bolivian president for now, there would be a change of government.

Arce condemned the coup attempt and called on the public to “organize and mobilize… in favor of democracy.”

“We cannot allow once again coup attempts to take Bolivian lives,” he said in a televised message to the country from inside the presidential palace.

“I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination,” Arce said.

The president hailed the withdrawal as a victory for Bolivia’s democracy and addressed the country’s citizens in the aftermath, some of whom had taken to the streets in protest at the coup attempt, waving Bolivian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering.

“Many thanks to the Bolivian people,” said Arce. “Long live democracy.”

Late Wednesday, Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said that “everything is now under control.” Surrounded by the new military chiefs appointed by Arce, Novillo said that Bolivia lived a “failed coup.”

Justice Minister Ivan Lima denied Zuniga’s claims of establishing democracy, saying the rebel leader was lying and trying to justify his actions for which he said he would face justice.

Prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for Zuniga, Lima said via the social media platform X, “for having attacked democracy and the Constitution.”

Former President Evo Morales also denounced the military’s actions, calling for criminal prosecution against Zuniga and his “accomplices.”

“We will not allow the armed forces to violate democracy and intimidate people,” he added.

Bolivia has had a long history of political unrest since it gained independence in 1825.

The incumbent president has led an embattled government since taking office in 2020, fending off pressure from both the left and the right.

Bolivia has seen intensifying protests in recent months over the economy’s precipitous decline from one of the continent’s fastest-growing two decades ago to one of its most crisis-stricken.

Source: Press TV