TWO SIDES OF THE DRAFT BILL IN FRANCE
A draft law put forward by President Emmanuel Macron’s government is claimed to be aimed at tackling rising extremism in France and reinforce the nation’s “republican values” – liberty, equality and fraternity. However, its critics say that it’s an infringement of rights. Macron’s moves have been criticised not only for pandering to right-wing voters, but also for being too soft on radicalism. Rim-Sarah Alouane, a legal scholar at Toulouse Capitole University, has characterised the bill as an “attack” on civil liberties, pointing to provisions that she said would allow the government to infringe on basic human rights. She further said that this bill is, ‘our own form of separatism.’
32 DEAD, 160 HURT IN TRAIN COLLISION IN EGYPT
At least 32 people were killed and 160 injured in Egypt in a collision between two passenger trains, the Health Ministry said in a statement. The crash took place near the Al-Ibrahimiyya area in Egypt’s Sohag Governorate, according to government-affiliated daily Akhbar al-Youm. It happened about 365km (227 miles) south of the capital Cairo. It is reported that one train hit the last carriage of the other, causing at least two carriages to overturn between the stations of Maragha and Tahta.
POLICE TRIAL ANTI-GRAB HIJABS IN UK TO RECRUIT MORE MUSLIM WOMEN
Leicestershire Police is trialling “anti-grab” hijabs to encourage more Muslim women to join the force. Police have given the hi-tech headgear to a student officer to roll them out to colleagues on the front line. Made of a sports fabric and fastened with magnetic buttons, which allow for quick release if a suspect attempts to grab it, the hijab is designed to sit comfortably with police headgear such as caps and radio earpieces. A team spent 16 months designing the new-look hijabs at New Zealand’s Massey University College in Wellington. New Zealand Police introduced them into its uniform last November and they are now expected to be rolled out to forces in the UK. Chair of Leicestershire Police’s Association of Muslim Police, Detective Constable Yassin Desai, said, “It looks professional, uses very similar material to our current police uniform and has relevant design and safety features. More importantly, it will help attract other Muslim females to become police officers. It will also help provide role models to the community to show them they too can follow a career in policing.”
POLITICAL HEAT IN MALAYSIA ON THE EVE OF AGM OF UMNO
Malaysia’s embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is feeling the heat as the country’s oldest and largest party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), holds its annual general meeting. Hanging in the balance is UMNO’s precarious collaboration with Muhyiddin’s current government, as all parties brace for a highly anticipated general election. The two-day assembly was opened by UMNO’s Deputy President Mohamad Hasan, who launched a thinly veiled and religion-charged attack on the Muhyiddin-led Malaysian United Indigenous Party, known as Bersatu in Malay. UMNO and Bersatu began as political adversaries in the 2018 general election, after which two dozen members of parliament crossed over to Bersatu – then part of the victorious Hope Pact led by returning Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The two parties then joined hands to oust the nonagenarian Mahathir in February 2020. But their cooperation has been tense at best.
LAUNCH OF MUSLIMKIDS.TV FOR MUSLIM CHILDREN IN INDONESIA
After successfully launching in Canada, US, UK, Australia, and Malaysia, MuslimKids.TV (MKTV) can now be enjoyed by Muslim families in Indonesia. Canada-based MuslimKids.TV is a specialty streamer for Muslim children and families. With more than ten thousand videos, games, eBooks, and DIY (Do-It-Yourself) content, MKTV celebrates Muslim values and faith from a child’s perspective. It was officially launched in Jakarta on March 19, 2021. Present at the launching in Indonesia were Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, H.E. Sandiaga Uno, Canadian Ambassador for Indonesia and Timor Leste, H.E. Cameron MacKay and Consul General of The Republic of Indonesia in Toronto, Canada H.E. Leonard F. Hutabarat Ph.D. It is accessible for the Indonesian market through partnerships with Indonesia’s largest mobile providers and mobile wallets including XL Axiata, Indosat, Tri, Telkomsel and OVO for mobile financial services.
UAE TO DEVELOP $500 MILLION TOURISM RESORT IN INDONESIA’S ACEH
The UAE is to develop several major infrastructure projects in Indonesia, including a multimillion-dollar tourism resort in its westernmost Aceh province. Series of business agreements were signed during a Jakarta visit of UAE Energy and Infrastructure Minister Suhail Al-Mazroui. They are part of a $22.9 billion investment deal inked during Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s Abu Dhabi visit in January last year. The investment deal, also covering energy, infrastructure and mining, is seen as the biggest in Indonesia’s history.
US CONTROLS 90% OF SYRIA OIL
Syrian Oil Minister Bassam Toma’a has revealed that around 90 per cent of Syrian oil is under the control of US forces. “The Americans and their followers are acting like pirates as they are targeting the Syrian oil wealth and oil supplies,” the Syrian regime minister asserted. The minister added: “There is a promising future for the oil industry in the [Syrian] waters. We need tranquillity and stable logistic circumstances.” He stated that the total direct and indirect losses of the Syrian oil sector had exceeded $92 billion, noting that what happened in Syria has never previously occurred regarding the exploitation of wealth and supplies. It is worth noting that the oil ministry of the Bashar Al-Assad regime has signed contracts with the Russian oil firm Capital to explore oil off Tartus governorate’s coasts with an area of 2,250 square kilometres.
TURKISH CONTRACTORS TO HELP REBUILD NAGORNO-KARABAKH
After a 30-year occupation, the Nagorno-Karabakh region is set to be completely rebuilt, from infrastructure to roads and hospitals, and Turkish contractors will play a key role in this, according to an investment bank CEO. Azerbaijan wants to work with Turkish contractors, known for their experience in construction in the region, said Cenk Eynehan, the CEO of Istanbul-based PASHA Bank, whose parent company is located in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. Around 1.5 million Azerbaijanis will return to the region as it pursues projects in infrastructure, road, agriculture, energy, education, and health, he stressed. He said Azerbaijan so far allocated a budget of 2.2 billion Azerbaijani manats ($1.3 billion) for the projects, and the budget is expected to rise by tens of billions of dollars in the coming years. Eynehan said Turkish contractors will play a part in the 100-kilometer (62-mile) Fuzuli-Shusha motorway and Fuzuli Airport projects. PASHA Bank will also play a role in financing facilities for the rebuilding process.
YOUNG MUSLIM WOMEN SUMMIT 2021 TO BE HELD ONLINE
The Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) is organising the “Young Muslim Women’s Summit” that will welcome successful Muslim women from around the world between April 6 to April 8. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also attend the opening ceremony of the online conference. The summit, which works with more than 600 million youth aged 18 – 35 in 56 Islamic countries, will be held with the theme of women as the rising power of the 21st century. Among participants is Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman, Yemeni activist Ala Salah, the symbol of the Sudanese revolution Mona Diab, a Muslim engineer on Facebook’s artificial intelligence team Ayshe Yusufi, Nigerian activist from the “Bring Back Our Girls” movement Sumeya Faruki, leader of the first Afghan all-girl robot team Angel Al Nimer and Sarah Quraishi Pakistani, an aerospace engineer and CEO of the first private aviation company focused on environmentally friendly aircraft engines.