Religious, political leaders join in Milan iftar gathering
Religious, political leaders join in Milan iftar gathering/node/2063286/world
Religious, political leaders join in Milan iftar gathering
Special
Badri Madani, Imam Palermo Mosque, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President Vatican Academy for Life, Kamel Ghribi, Nader Akkad, Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center, and Chief Rabbi of Rome Riccardo Di Segni. (Supplied)
Religious, political leaders join in Milan iftar gathering
Event hailed as a ‘precious opportunity for dialogue’ by Senate speaker
Great Mosque of Rome imam joins ministers, envoys at traditional meal
Updated 14 April 2022
Francesco Bongarrà
ROME: Representatives of the three main monotheistic religions in Italy along with the speaker of the Italian Senate, the interior minister and ambassadors of several Islamic countries took part in an iftar meal in Milan.
The event was described as a “meaningful and precious opportunity for dialogue, for mutual understanding and for peace” by the Speaker of the Upper Chamber of the Italian Parliament Elisabetta Alberti Casellati in her keynote speech on the traditional Ramadan meal.
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Vatican Academy for Life; Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of the Jewish Community of Rome; Nader Akkad, imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy — Great Mosque of Rome; and Badri Madani, imam of the Palermo Mosque held an interreligious moment of prayer.
“All our religions that have a single matrix and are at the service of the brotherhood in the world,” Paglia said as he quoted parts of the “All Brothers” encyclical letter Pope Francis wrote in 2020.
Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese praised the “presence in Italy of the Islamic community.”
Health Minister Roberto Speranza and Speaker of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean Gennaro Migliore also attended the event, which was organized by Kamel Ghribi, a Tunisian financier and president of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East.
Afghanistan school year starts but no classes held
Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are prohibited from going to secondary school
The education ministry made no public announcement of the reopening of schools
Updated 18 sec ago
AFP
KABUL: Afghanistan’s schools reopened Tuesday for the new academic year, but no classes were held as students were unaware of the start and hundreds of thousands of teenage girls remain barred from attending class. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are prohibited from going to secondary school. Taliban authorities have imposed an austere interpretation of Islam since storming to power in August 2021 after the withdrawal of the US-led foreign forces that backed the previous governments. The education ministry made no public announcement of the reopening of schools, several teachers and officials said. “A letter issued by the minister of education was given to us by our principal to reopen the school today, but since no public announcement was made, no students came,” said Mohammad Osman Atayi, a teacher at the Saidal Naseri Boys High School in Kabul. AFP journalists toured seven schools in Kabul and saw only a few teachers and primary students arriving — but no classes were held. Schools also reopened in provinces including Herat, Kunduz, Ghazni and Badakhshan but no lessons were held there either, AFP correspondents reported. Tuesday’s start of the new academic year coincided with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, celebrated widely in Afghanistan before the Taliban returned to power but now unacknowledged by the country’s new rulers. Hundreds of thousands of teenage girls meanwhile remain barred from secondary school. “The Taliban have snatched everything away from us,” said 15-year-old Sadaf Haidari, a resident of Kabul who should have started grade 11 this year. “I am depressed and broken.” The ban on girls’ secondary education came into effect in March last year, just hours after the education ministry reopened schools for both girls and boys. Taliban leaders — who have also banned women from university education — have repeatedly claimed they will reopen secondary schools for girls once “conditions” have been met, from obtaining funding to remodeling the syllabus along Islamic lines. The international community has made the right to education for women a key condition in negotiations over aid and recognition of the Taliban government. No country has officially recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers. Afghanistan under the Taliban government is the “most repressive country in the world” for women’s rights, the United Nations has said. Women have been effectively squeezed out of public life — removed from most government jobs or are paid a fraction of their former salary to stay at home. They are also barred from going to parks, fairs, gyms and public baths, and must cover up in public.
Dozens arrested in French protests after government survives no-confidence vote
Anger felt as protesters take to the streets in cities across the France
Key question in coming days will be whether Emmanuel Macron sticks with his existing government
Updated 22 min 26 sec ago
Reuters
PARIS: Dozens of people were arrested across France after sporadic protests broke out hours after President Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Monday over a deeply unpopular pension reform.
The failure of the vote will be a relief to Macron. Had it succeeded, it would have sunk his government and killed the legislation, which is set to raise the retirement age by two years to 64.
But the anger was felt as protesters took to the streets in cities across the France, opposition lawmakers vowed to force a U-turn and unions prepared for nationwide action on Thursday.
In some of central Paris’ most prestigious avenues, firefighters scrambled to put out burning rubbish piles left uncollected for days due to strikes as protesters played cat-and-mouse with police for a fifth night.
What may concern the executive is the large number of young people in the demonstrations.
Television images showed police briefly firing tear gas and charging at protesters in several towns with special motor bike officers seen striking out at protesters.
That prompted the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Association, Clément Voule, to say in a Twitter post that police should avoid using excessive force.
The vote on the tripartisan, no-confidence motion was closer than expected. Some 278 members of parliament backed it, just nine short of the 287 needed for it to succeed.
“We are coming to the end of the democratic process of this essential reform for our country,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said. “It is with humility and seriousness that I took my responsibility and that of my government.”
Opponents say this shows Macron’s decision to bypass a parliamentary vote on the pension bill — which triggered the no- confidence motions — has already undermined his reformist agenda and weakened his leadership.
All eyes now turn to the president who is due to speak to the nation on Wednesday afternoon, according to France Info radio.
Macron will hold talks later on Tuesday with Borne, the heads of both houses of parliament and lawmakers in his political camp as he seeks to plot an exit to the political crisis.
The key question in coming days will be whether Macron sticks with his existing government as he looks to freshen things up even if the potential paralysis in parliament will make governing more complicated.
“Nothing is resolved and everything in the country continues so that this reform is withdrawn,” Mathilde Panot, the parliamentary chief of the far-left La France Insoumise said.
Japan PM Kishida to meet Zelensky in surprise Kyiv visit
Fumio Kishida is the last G7 leader to visit Ukraine and has come under increasing pressure to make the trip
News of the trip was first reported by Japanese media, including national broadcaster NHK
Updated 21 March 2023
AFP
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday to offer “solidarity and unwavering support,” Japan’s foreign ministry said.
Kishida is the last G7 leader to visit the war-torn country and has come under increasing pressure to make the trip, as Japan hosts the grouping’s summit this May.
He has repeatedly said a visit to Kyiv was “under consideration,” though security and logistical challenges were reportedly a major obstacle.
Kishida was in India on Monday and had been expected to return to Tokyo, but instead flew to Poland, where he reportedly boarded a train to cross into Ukraine.
He will express “respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people” and offer “the solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine of Japan and the G7, chaired by Japan,” the foreign ministry said.
Kishida is expected to return to Poland for summit talks on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, before arriving back in Tokyo on Thursday.
News of the trip was first reported by Japanese media, including national broadcaster NHK, whose reporters in Poland filmed a car carrying the premier in the town of Przemysl, from where foreign leaders have often taken the train into Ukraine.
Kishida became the only G7 leader not to have visited Kyiv after US President Joe Biden made a surprise stop to meet Zelensky in February.
But Japanese officials were reportedly worried about the security risks of a trip for Kishida, who becomes the first Japanese prime minister to visit an active warzone since World War II.
His trip comes with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Moscow for talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, with the Ukraine conflict high on the agenda.
Japan has joined Western allies in sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while offering support to Kyiv.
It has also taken the rare steps of sending defensive equipment and offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict.
It has not offered military support, however, because the nation’s post-war constitution limits its military capacity to ostensibly defensive measures.
Kishida warned in a speech last year that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” as concerns grow that China could invade democratic, self-ruled Taiwan.
And in December, as Japan overhauled its key defense policies, the government explicitly warned that China poses the “greatest strategic challenge ever” to its security.
In its largest defense shake-up in decades, Japan set a goal of doubling defense spending to the NATO standard of two percent of GDP by 2027.
Japan is this year’s host of the Group of Seven nations, which have taken a united approach in sanctioning Russia.
The countries will meet for a summit in Hiroshima in May, which Kishida is reportedly considering inviting Zelensky to attend.
Kishida has been on a diplomatic blitz in recent days, hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Tokyo before heading to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vladimir Putin meets ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping in Kremlin as Ukraine war grinds on
Washington denounces Xi Jinping’s visit, saying it shows Beijing is providing Moscow with ‘diplomatic cover’ to commit more crimes
Updated 21 March 2023
Reuters
Vladimir Putin and his “dear friend” Chinese leader Xi Jinping planned more talks on Tuesday after a Kremlin dinner where the isolated Russian president curried favor with his most powerful ally in the face of Western opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Coming just days after an international court accused Putin of war crimes, Washington denounced Xi’s visit, saying it showed Beijing was providing Moscow with “diplomatic cover” to commit more crimes.
Making his first trip abroad since obtaining an unprecedented third term earlier this month, Xi has been trying to portray Beijing as a potential peacemaker in Ukraine, even as he deepens economic ties with his closest ally.
Putin and Xi greeted one another as “dear friend” when they met in the Kremlin on Monday, and Russian state news agencies later reported they held informal talks for nearly 4-1/2 hours, with more official talks scheduled for Tuesday.
In televised comments, Putin told Xi he viewed China’s proposals for resolution of the Ukraine conflict with respect. Xi, for his part, praised Putin and predicted Russians would re-elect him next year.
Moscow has been publicly promoting plans for a visit by Xi for months. But the timing gave the Chinese leader’s personal support new meaning, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on Friday accusing Putin of war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine.
Denying the charges, Moscow said it has taken in orphans to protect them, and it opened a criminal case against the ICC’s prosecutor and judges. Beijing said the warrant reflected double standards.
“That President Xi is traveling to Russia days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“Instead of even condemning them, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those grave crimes.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said Xi should use his influence to press Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine, and Washington was concerned that Beijing might instead call for a cease-fire that would let Russian troops stay.
China has released a proposal to solve the Ukraine crisis, largely dismissed in the West as a ploy to buy Putin time to regroup his forces and solidify his grip on occupied land.
Foreign policy analysts said while Putin would be looking for strong support from Xi over Ukraine, they doubted his Moscow visit would result in any military backing.
Washington has said in recent weeks it fears China might arm Russia, which Beijing has denied.
Yu Jie, senior research fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, at Chatham House in London, said Xi’s entourage does not include any senior members from the People’s Liberation Army.
“This may send a clear message that Beijing is unlikely to offer any direct military support to Moscow despite what some pundits have asserted,” she said.
Kyiv, which says the war cannot end until Russia pulls out its troops, cautiously welcomed Beijing’s peace proposal when it was unveiled last month.
US report lists ‘significant human rights’ abuses in India
US criticism of India is rare due to close economic ties between the countries
Advocacy groups have raised concerns over what they see as a deteriorating human rights situation in India
Updated 21 March 2023
Reuters
WASHINGTON: The annual US report on human rights practices released on Monday listed “significant human rights issues” and abuses in India, including reported targeting of religious minorities, dissidents and journalists, the US State Department said.
The findings come nearly a year after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was monitoring what he described as a rise in human rights abuses in India by some government, police and prison officials, in a rare direct rebuke by Washington of the Asian nation’s rights record.
US criticism of India is rare due to close economic ties between the countries and India’s increasing importance for Washington to counter China in the region.
People mourn next to the body of Muddasir Khan, who was wounded on Tuesday in a clash between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law, after he succumbed to his injuries, in a riot affected area in New Delhi, India, February 27, 2020. (REUTERS)
Significant human rights issues in India have included credible reports of the government or its agents conducting extrajudicial killings; torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by police and prison officials; political prisoners or detainees; and unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, the US report added.
Advocacy groups have raised concerns over what they see as a deteriorating human rights situation in India in recent years under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Human Rights Watch has said the Indian government’s policies and actions target Muslims while critics of Modi say his Hindu nationalist ruling party has fostered religious polarization since coming to power in 2014.
A radical Hindu religious flag flutters on the minaret of a burnt-out mosque following sectarian riots over India's new citizenship law, at Mustafabad area in New Delhi on February 28, 2020. Muslims in India's capital held regular on February 28 prayers under the watch of riot police, capping a week which saw 42 killed and hundreds injured during the city's worst sectarian violence in decades. (AFP)
Critics point to a 2019 citizenship law that the United Nations human rights office described as “fundamentally discriminatory” by excluding Muslim migrants from neighboring countries; anti-conversion legislation that challenged the constitutionally protected right to freedom of belief; and revoking Muslim-majority Kashmir’s special status in 2019.
The government dismisses the accusations by saying its policies are aimed at the development of all communities.
In 2022, authorities also demolished what they described as illegal shops and properties, many of them owned by Muslims, in parts of India. Critics say the demolition drive was an attempt to intimidate India’s 200 million Muslims. The government defended the demolitions, saying they were enforcing the law.
“Human rights activists reported the government was allegedly targeting vocal critics from the Muslim community and using the bulldozers to destroy their homes and livelihoods” without due process, the US report released on Monday added.
Since Modi took office in 2014, India has slid from 140th in World Press Freedom Index, an annual ranking by non-profit Reporters Without Borders, to 150th place last year, its lowest ever. India has also topped the list for the highest number of Internet shutdowns in the world for five years in a row, including in 2022, Internet advocacy watchdog Access Now says.
“Civil society organizations expressed concern that the central government sometimes used UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) to detain human rights activists and journalists,” the US report said.
