Jeddah (IINA) – The ministers of agriculture in the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will announce on Thursday their future plans for food security and agricultural development in the Islamic world during the meetings of the founding general assembly of Islamic Organization for Food Security and 7th Islamic Ministerial Conference for Food Security and Agricultural Development in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.
OIC Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs Ambassador Hameed Opeloyeru said that the ministers will discuss a number of issues including the projects, programs and challenges resulting from water scarcity in the OIC member states.
The ambassador pointed out that the agriculture ministers will adopt the formation of the Executive Council of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) and elect the director general. The will also discuss the development of short and long-term programs towards the achievement of food security in the OIC countries, through the establishment of local and regional food reserves.
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April 27, 2016
OIC agriculture ministers to announce future plans for food security on Thursday
Indian Muslims’ experience can be model for others: VP Ansari
Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari. Image from siasat
New Delhi, (IINA) – Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday said the experience of the Indian Muslim minority community living in a secular polity having a composite culture could be a model for others to emulate, Daijiworld Indian news reported.
"Thinking minds should look beyond questions of identity and dignity in a defensive mode and explore how both can be furthered in a changing India and a changing world," Ansari said, while releasing a book "Fikr" brought out by the National Institute of Faith Leadership.
"The Indian experience of a large Muslim minority living in secular polity having a composite culture could even be a model for others to emulate," he said.
He said the book was an effort to remove widespread prejudices about Islam as a faith and Muslims as a people.
"This would necessitate sustained and candid interaction with fellow citizens without a syndrome of superiority or inferiority and can be fruitful only in the actual implementation of the principles of justice, equality and fraternity," he said.
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Afghan Taliban confirm leaders' visit to Pakistan
Members of Afghan Taliban (Image from Internet)
Islamabad (IINA) – The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday confirmed a visit of its leaders to Pakistan, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported.
A three-member delegation arrived in Islamabad from its Qatar-based office on Monday to discuss with Pakistan the possibility of the peace talks, diplomatic and official sources said.
"Since the Afghan people have close relations, long border and commercial transactions with neighboring country Pakistan and a large number of our countrymen are living there as refugees. Therefore, the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate has decided to send a high level delegation to Islamabad," the Taliban Qatar office said.
"The esteemed leader of Islamic Emirate has instructed the delegation to discuss issues regarding Afghan refugees, some problems about frontier areas and particularly to discuss the release of Mullah Bradar Akhund and some other prisoners with the officials of the government of Pakistan."
Mullah Baradar, the former second-in-command in the Taliban hierarchy, was arrested in Karachi in 2010, and the Taliban said he has not yet been freed.
Pakistan said that Baradar had been released along with some 50 senior Taliban leaders in 2013 at the request of then Afghan Hamid Karzai.
The visit to Pakistan "would be in the interest of both countries and would have fruitful results", a Taliban statement said.
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Palestinian woman and boy shot dead after alleged stab attempt at Qalandiya
Palestinian woman and a boy shot dead by Israeli occupation forces (Ma'an Photo)
Jerusalem (IINA) – The Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday shot dead a young Palestinian woman and a boy after an alleged stab attempt at the Qalandiya checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli police spokesperson said that two suspects, a young man and a young woman, approached the vehicular path leading through the military checkpoint and walked quickly towards border police officers, the woman carrying a knife in her hand. The spokesperson claimed that the officers ordered the suspects to halt before opening fire on them.
An eyewitness told Ma'an news agency that Israeli forces fired more than 15 rounds into the woman’s body, and confirmed her death. Witnesses also confirmed that the boy, who approached the woman after she was killed, was shot dead by the Israeli forces as well.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Israeli forces denied Palestinian paramedics’ access to the woman and boy for medical treatment.
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Myanmar Muslim leader urges calm amid ‘incitement’ by Buddhist monk
Local buddhists acting under the orders of a militia-style monk illegally construct a Buddhist stupa overnight in Southeastern Myanmar (Photo credit: Islamic Religious Affairs Council Myanmar)
Yangon, Myanmar (IINA) - One of Myanmar’s top Muslim leaders urged calm on Tuesday, after he accused a militia-style monk and his disciples of trying to incite violence by building an unauthorized Buddhist structure in the shadow of a mosque in the country’s southeast, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
“These are people who want to create an unstable situation (between the majority Buddhists and minority Christians and Muslims)," Tin Maung Than, secretary-general of the country's official Muslim body, the Islamic Religious Affairs Council Myanmar, told AA by phone on Tuesday.
“We request our people not to quarrel with them. We don’t want to see inter-communal violence anymore.”
On Monday evening, powerful Buddhist monk Thu Zana, known as Myaing Gyi Ngu Sayadaw (abbot), and his disciples constructed a stupa a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics -- in Shwe Gone village in Karen State despite objections from mosque caretakers and regional government officials.
It was the second such attempt to push Buddhism in the area in the past week, after Thu Zana, the key person in the Karen Buddhist rebel group the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), built an unauthorized stupa near a Christian church.
Tin Maung Than said that during the country's years of junta rule Sayadaw had ordered his followers to demolish a mosque with dynamite in Thakhutkone village in Karen state after Muslims refused to leave.
“We believe they don’t represent the Buddhist community at large,” he added.
The Myanmar Times reported on Tuesday that authorities in Karen state have said that they will not allow the abbot to build more stupas in compounds of other religions.
It quoted State Minister for Religious Affairs U Min Tin Win as expressing his disappointment, saying such actions could cause conflict between religious groups. "We will not damage the Buddhist image. This issue needs to end now and we don’t want to see this anymore,” he added.
Thu Zana is widely believed to be the most powerful person in the DKBA.
The DKBA split from the predominantly Christian Karen National Union (KNU) in 1995, after Thu Zana said he planned to build several pagodas in Karen State, including one in the KNU's headquarters.
It has since signed a ceasefire with the government in exchange for financial and military assistance; on the condition, it supports government offensive against the KNU.
In 2013, communal violence between ethnic Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine left 57 Muslims and 31 Buddhists dead, around 100,000 people displaced in camps and more than 2,500 houses burned most of which belonged to Rohingya Muslims.
Sudan: Implementation of 'Doha Agreement for Peace in Darfur' would continue
Director of the Darfur Peace Bureau Dr Amin Hassan Omar (SUNA Photo)
Khartoum (IINA) – Director of the Darfur Peace Bureau Dr Amin Hassan Omar on Tuesday stressed that the implementation of the Doha Agreement for Peace in Darfur would continue and all institutions that have not completed their specific mandates would continue discharging their work in the region, SUNA reported.
Dr Amin cited the examples of the Voluntary Return Commission, the Land Plots Commission and the Commission for the Security Arrangements, as well as the Commission for the Darfur Rehabilitation Fund and all relevant projects stipulated in the accord. He said these institutions have been assigned to specific works which they have to complete, well after the completion of the Darfur Administrative Referendum.
He said the Darfur Peace Bureau, which is a government body, had not in any way intervened to dictate to the people of Darfur the choice of the administrative system they like to prevail in their region when they voted in the referendum.
The official explained that, during the negotiations, the rebel movements of Darfur have demanded three main elements, including that unification of the region, development and fair representation within the Sudanese federal government.
He said these three elements have been fully carried out by the government, citing the funds poured by the government into Darfur for development and which amounts to over 3.4 billion Sudanese pounds. However, he stressed that the development would continue in the region until a medium development level is implemented.
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Jordan, Pakistan discuss military ties
Image from Petra News Agency
Amman, (IINA) - Jordanian King Abdullah on Tuesday received the Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif at Al Husseiniyeh Palace. They discussed cooperation between the two countries in various fields, particularly in the military domain, Petra reported.
The meeting was attended by Prince Faisal Al-Hussein and the king's advisor for military affairs and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
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Croatia marks 100th anniversary of Islam's recognition
April 27 marks the 100th anniversary of Islam recognition in Croatia (AA Photo)
Zagreb (IINA) – Croatia marks Wednesday the 100th anniversary of the country's recognition of Islam as equal to other religions, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
On April 27 1916, the Croatian-Slovenian Province of Austro-Hungarian Empire held a parliamentary session in which Islam was recognized as equal to Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy.
The Croatian parliament will hold a special session Wednesday and numerous organizations will hold events in the capital Zagreb to mark the day.
The European Islamic Society Conference will hold discussions on the current situation of Islam in Europe. The participants will include heads of state and ministers as well as religious leaders.
Turkish Director of Religious Affairs Mehmet Gormez is among the 20 representatives of various European states. Islam was introduced to the region by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.
Roman Catholics represent 86 percent of the country's population, followed by Orthodox Christians at 4.4 percent and Muslims at 1.5 percent, i.e. about 63,000 people.
Croatia declared its independence during the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991 and was internationally recognized in January 1992. It became the 28th member of the European Union on 1 July 2013.
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UN Envoy Ahmed: No timeframe for Yemen peace talks
UN Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed
Kuwait (IINA) – UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said Tuesday that the meeting of Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah with Yemen's delegations led to the breakthrough in talks, adding that no timeframe has been set for the intra-Yemeni peace negotiations.
The envoy explained that there has been many breaches of the truce in the recent period in the city of Taiz, adding that "comprehensive negotiations" would start on Wednesday in line with UN Security Council resolution 2216, which is seen as a basis for any peace plan.
He said no timeframe has been set for the talks which should continue as necessary to achieve a "comprehensive peaceful settlement."
"We don't want to go back to Yemen without a peaceful settlement," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said.
It is to be noted that the government delegation has submitted a complaint to the UN envoy about the continuous ceasefire violations by the militias.
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Morocco, Egypt win prizes in International Culinary Competition
Lamb tagine with prunes. Image from Morocco World News.
Oviedo City, Spain (IINA) – Morocco won on Sunday the prize for the best “main course” in the 11th edition of the International Culinary Competition, and the Egyptian team snagged the first place prize in the dessert category for “Kunafah,” a cheese pie with a sugary syrup base, Morocco World News reported.
A coconut milk pie served with sweet potato balls took the second place title in the same category. The awards ceremony was held on Sunday in the city of Oviedo in Northern Spain, according to a report by H24, during which the Moroccan team won its prize for its rendering of “Lahma Mhmara” or Lamb Tagine, Morocco World News reported.
Brazil, Nigeria, Spain, Paraguay and Cameroon also submitted teams of four cooks to the Concurs Internacional de Cocina. Each team had a total of two hours to create a main course and a dessert that reflects the culture and cuisine of their home country.
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UN chief welcomes swearing in of Machar as First Vice-President of South Sudan
A smiling Riek Machar (center) arrives in Juba
New York (IINA) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the return of Riek Machar to the South Sudanese capital of Juba and his swearing in as the First Vice-President of South Sudan, calling it a “new phase” in the implementation of the peace agreement, UN News Center reported.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Ban also called for the immediate formation of the transitional government of national unity. “He commends the efforts of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Chairperson, former President Festus Mogae, and the African Union (AU) High Representative, former President Alpha Oumar Konaré,” the statement said.
The UN chief also called on the Security Council to work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the AU Peace and Security Council to mobilize the required support for the peace process.
Machar’s return to Juba marks a significant step towards bringing stability to the country, which only gained independence in 2009 after breaking away from Sudan, its northern neighbor. A political dispute erupted into conflict in December 2013, killing thousands, displacing over 2.4 million people, 650,000 of whom fled abroad, and impacting the food security of 4.6 million.
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UNSC does not recognize Israel's annexation of Syrian Golan Heights
UNSC rejects Netanyahu's claim to occupied Syrian Golan (File image)
New York (IINA) – The UN Security Council on Tuesday said that it does not recognize Israel's annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, in response to comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on April 17 that the plateau "will remain forever under Israeli sovereignty."
"Council members expressed their deep concern over recent Israeli statements about the Golan, and stressed that the status of the Golan remains unchanged," China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi, president of the 15-member body for this month, told reporters after a closed-door meeting.
He added that council resolution 497 of 1981 made clear that Israel's decision at the time to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the Golan was "null and void and without international legal effect."
The Chinese UN envoy called on the parties to respect the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights under the UN auspices. He added that the Council reiterated the need for negotiations to achieve lasting, just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
In related developments, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU) condemned the remarks made by Netanyahu during a meeting of his cabinet held in the Golan, a first for an Israeli government in the occupied plateau since 1967.
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Czech Republic supports Morocco’s territorial integrity: Deputy speaker
Image from Morocco World News
Rabat, (IINA) - The Czech Republic supports the territorial integrity of Morocco and respects the UNSC resolutions regarding this issue, said Vojtech Filip, deputy speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, on Monday.
Stability enjoyed by Morocco is an important factor, which the Czech appreciates, said Filip who is on a working visit to Morocco, heading a parliamentary delegation, Morocco World News reported.
During his meeting with speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami, Filip said that his country will strive to find a solution for this matter while respecting international law and relating resolutions.
Filip also lauded the progress taking place in the southern provinces, said a statement by the House of Representatives.
Filip noted that he hopes that the good ties between the two parliaments will contribute to promoting bilateral economic and cultural ties.
For his part, Talbi Alami gave the Czech delegation details on the Moroccan territorial integrity, highlighting the main historical phases and new developments of this artificial conflict.
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April 26, 2016
Two groups in Missoula, U.S.A to host “Celebrate Islam Week” event
Tuesday 26 Apr 2016 - 14:57 Makkah mean time-19-7-1437
Image from internet
Missoula City Montana (IINA) - The Jeannette Rankin Peace Center in Montana, U.S.A and a group called "Standing Alongside America’s Muslims" are hosting “Celebrate Islam Week” event all this week to educate Missoula about Islam, Montana Public Radio reported.
Starting today, “Celebrate Islam Week” will share the traditions and culture of the Muslim faith in Missoula.
Betsy Mulligan-Dague who is the Executive Director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center noted that the recent discussion about bringing refugees to the city has scared some Missoulians but this week will allow those people to get a personal look at the Muslim culture.
"One of the biggest things is to be able to put a face to a Muslim in this community, because I think sometimes it’s so easy for people to generalize a group of people and make generalizations about them. It’s very difficult to be enemies with someone you can see and know, and get to know as a fellow human being."
Among the events this week, there will be a panel discussion on Thursday with local Muslims.
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Jewish settlers set up tents near Jenin in West Bank
Jenin (IINA) – Dozens of Israeli settlers on Tuesday broke into an abandoned military base to the south of the West Bank city of Jenin, where they erected tents, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Witnesses told the agency that dozens of settlers accompanied by a military escort broke into Dothan, and set up tents, performed rituals, and chanted racist slogans against Arabs.
Israeli settlers and settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal in international law.
According to the Israeli anti-settlement group, Peace Now, “Over the years, Israel has used a number of legal and bureaucratic procedures in order to appropriate West Bank lands, with the primary objective of establishing settlements and providing land reserves for them.”
“Using primarily these five methods: seizure for military purposes; declaration of state lands; seizure of absentee property; confiscation for public needs; and initial registration, Israel has managed to take over about 50 percent of the lands in the West Bank, barring the local Palestinian public from using them.”
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Italy denies offering to send 900 soldiers to Libya
Rome (IINA) – Italian government sources on Tuesday denied media reports that Italy has offered to send 900 soldiers to Libya, ANSA Mediterranean (ANSAmed) reported.
Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that Italy was preparing to send a contingent of between 600 and 900 soldiers and carabinieri to Libya to help guard sensitive sites including oil wells and train local security forces there.
Separately, the Italian Defense General Staff also described the reports as "groundless".
The reports came the day after Libyan prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj called on the United Nations, European countries and neighboring African countries to help Libya protect its oil resources from Daesh militants.
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Joint patrol initiated in wake of abduction of Indonesians in Philippine waters
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Image from Internet)
Jakarta (IINA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has initiated a joint patrol involving Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in the wake of 14 Indonesians held hostage in the Philippine waters, ANTARA News reported.
"This week, we will invite the Malaysian military chief and foreign minister, and the Philippine military chief and foreign minister to discuss the possibility of a joint patrol to ensure that the sea lane is safe," Jokowi said Tuesday.
The president said the process of releasing the Indonesians held hostage by the armed group since a few weeks ago is not simple thing.
"We will find it hard. We must understand that the other cases which have lasted for six and eight months have not been resolved either. In fact, any of them has been executed. It is not that easy to underestimate a difficult thing as Philippine soldiers have cordoned off the area. As we all know that the hostages have been removed to other area. Has the act of removing the hostage caused difficulties to us?" he said.
After all, the president said he will never give up and keep trying to release the Indonesians held hostage.
Operations have been conducted at noon and night to ensure that the hostages will not lose contact with the Philippine government, he said.
"We hope that it can be resolved soon as I have stated," President Jokowi said.
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Turkey, Azerbaijan discuss bilateral relations and regional issues
Turkish President Recep Erdogan (Left) with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Image from Anadolu Agency
Baku, (IINA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met here on Monday his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
The Turkish president, who is in Baku to attend the 7th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum, discussed with President Aliyev bilateral relations as well regional issues.
The two leaders emphasized the importance of cooperation in all areas, especially energy.
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ICC opens preliminary probe into Burundi violence
Headquarters of the ICC, The Hague, Netherlands
The Hague (IINA) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has said it is opening a preliminary probe into the violence that erupted last year in Burundi, Voice of America (VOA) reported.
ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the probe is not an investigation and offered no timeline of how long it will last. But in a statement announcing her decision Monday, she said she has been closely tracking the uptick of violence in Burundi that has been a member of the Hague-based court since 2004.
“My office has reviewed communications and reports about killings, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence as well as cases of enforced disappearances. Because all these acts appear to fall within the jurisdiction of ICC, I have decided to open a preliminary examination into the situation in Burundi since April 2015,” Bensouda said.
Burundi’s political crisis was triggered last year when President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a disputed third term. The ICC prosecutor said at least 430 people have been killed, 3,400 have been arrested and more than 230,000 Burundians have fled the country.
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Algeria to host consultation meeting on launch of AFRIPOL
The launch of AFRIPOL, Algiers (Pic: Algeria Press Service)
Algiers (IINA) – Algeria will host on Wednesday a consultation meeting on the launch of the African Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), as part of a joint security action, the Directorate General of National Police (DGSN) said Monday.
According to Algeria Press Service, the two-day meeting will bring together representatives of African regional institutions of police cooperation, as well as representatives of INTERPOL, AFRIPOL, ASEANAPOL and AMERIPOL, in addition to the African Centre of Studies and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT).
The two-day meeting is part of the recommendations of AFRIPOL meeting, held in Algiers in December 2015.
The meeting aims at strengthening consultation and exchange of expertise between the participating members, regional security institutions and international security organizations. It will allow the participating experts to develop a plan of action and an operational strategy for the launch of the African mechanism.
Also, the meeting will be an opportunity to set up an efficient mechanism for exchange of information between the member states, especially as regards the free movement of persons, goods and capitals between the member states and the exchange of views to fight cross-border organized crime.
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