MB IN SYRIA CONDEMNS UN ENVOY REMARKS ON IDLIB
The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria followed with astonishment the statements of the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Stephane de Mistura, regarding Idlib, where he said, “There are thousands of terrorists in Idlib, and that the opposition is able to use chlorine gas,” in an idiom of justification for what will be done by the regime, Russia and Iran as a military attack on the governorate. The transformation of the United Nations and its envoy into promoters and justifiers for a military attack on millions of civilians in Idlib is the peak of the international failure to protect innocent people that are displaced as a result of violating agreements of escalation reduction by the Russian occupation.
“We, the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, strongly condemn the remarks of the UN envoy which gives the green light to a Russian military attack on the region and adopts the Russian narrative which fabricates accusations and lies against the revolutionaries in Idlib. This group has no choice but to stand steadfast with its people in free Idlib and defend it in order to protect the millions of civilians living there.”
TURKEY WILL NOT WATCH KILLING IN SYRIA FROM SIDELINES
Turkey will not watch the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people in Syria to further the regime’s interests, Turkey’s president said on September 7. In a Twitter message in Turkish, English, Russian and Arabic, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would neither watch from the sidelines nor participate in such a game “if the world turns a blind eye to the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people [in Syria]”. Erdogan’s remarks came after his meeting Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the Iranian capital Tehran to discuss joint efforts as part of the Astana peace process and political efforts for finding a lasting solution to the Syrian conflict.
Erdogan said Turkey has been trying to stop the bloodshed in Syria since the crisis broke out. “Without discrimination, we rushed to the help of our Syrian brothers and sisters. Today, as in the past, we do not [want] any of our Syrian brothers or sisters to suffer – even from a nosebleed,” he said.
FREE RIDES FOR PEOPLE WHO RECYCLE IN ISTANBUL
Residents of Istanbul will now be able to use public transport for free in exchange of empty plastic bottles and cans, the mayor said on September 7. Mevlut Uysal announced a new recycling project at a news conference in Istanbul where people will receive free credit on their passenger cards (Istanbul kart) in exchange of bottles and cans.
The municipality’s automated “smart containers” will be able to collect 0.33-, 0.50-, 1- and 1.5-liter beverage cans and bottles. “Containers will give 0.02 Turkish liras ($0.003) free credits for 0.33-liter bottle, 0.03 liras ($0.0045) for 0.5-liter, 0.06 liras ($0.009) for 1-liter, 0.09 liras ($0.014) for 1.5-liter, 0.07 liras ($0.01) for 0.33-liter can and 0.09 liras ($0.014) for 0.5-liter,” the mayor stated.
PAK PM LAUNCHES FUNDRAISING APPEAL FOR DAMS TO AVERT DROUGHT
Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 7 launched a fundraising appeal to construct new water storage dams to tackle droughts, warning that the country’s current capacity would not last beyond a month. The country has massive Himalayan glaciers, rivers, monsoon rains and floods – but just three major water storage basins, compared with more than a thousand in South Africa or Canada. In a televised message, Khan announced the launch of a fund to address shortages, warning that the country has “water storage capacity only for 30 days”.
“I appeal to all Pakistanis especially those living abroad to donate generously to the fund,” he said. “Expatriate Pakistanis living in western countries and Europe should donate at least $1,000 to the fund while those engaged in labour and other low-salaried jobs in Middle East and other countries should also contribute according to their financial situation,” he added. The funds will be used to construct dams in northern and northwestern Pakistan.
QATAR EMIR PLANS 10B EUROS OF INVESTMENT IN GERMANY
Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in Berlin on September 7 his country would invest some 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in Germany, as he battles a policy of isolation by neighbouring states. “We are announcing Qatar’s desire to invest 10 billion euros in the German economy over the coming five years,” the Gulf state leader said as he opened a German-Qatari business forum alongside Chancellor Angela Merkel.Business daily Handelsblatt reported that Doha is especially interested in Germany’s dense network of small- and medium-sized firms known as the “Mittelstand”.
In recent years its German investments in larger industrial or financial firms have often soured, including in the country’s troubled largest lender Deutsche Bank. For more than a year, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt have cut off ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting “terrorist” movements, cosying up to Iran and undermining stability in the region. The cold shoulder from its neighbours has prompted Qatari leaders to fall back on more distant allies, with Germany now its third-weightiest trading partner after the US and China. Bilateral trade has more than doubled since 2011, to around 2.8 billion euros.
NIGERIAN TROOPS KILL 14 BOKO HARAM MILITANTS
Nigerian troops have killed 14 Boko Haram militants in an operation to free some civilians abducted earlier this week in Pulka village in the country’s northeast, an army spokesman said on September 7. “The troops have neutralized 14 Boko Haram militants and rescued 21 civilians, including six women and 11 children,” army spokesman Texas Chukwu said in a statement. Chukwu said the rescue operation took place on Thursday in collaboration with the local vigilante group. Some militants had on Tuesday ambushed a military escort in Pulka area of northeastern Borno state, burning a passenger bus and abducting some civilians.
HIJAB IS SHIELD FOR MUSLIM WOMEN DURDANA SIDDIQUI
On the Hijab Day General Secretary of Pakistan’s JI women wing, Mrs Durdana Siddiqui stated in her message to all women that Hijab is the shield for Muslim Women and the guarantor of a pious, modest society. In an immodest society, a womn is portrayed as a toy or property to get pleasure from. It is the Islamic society which gives woman the respectful status she deserves. She added that Hijab isn’t a hurdle in the way for a better future or career. Hijabi women are doing great in their respective fields.
Hijab is a command from Allah and the right of a Muslim woman. West is trying to take this right from Muslim women all over the world. The human rights organisations must take notice of it. Hijab is our right, our choice and our pride. A Muslim woman can’t even think of letting it go. Durdana Siddiqui also said that we hope that the Hijabi First lady of Pakistan will play her part for the protection of Hijab. JI women wing arranged seminars, programmes and workshops on the topic of Hijab all over the country.
Image of Hafiz Abdullah Osmani
HAFIZ ABDULLAH OSMANI BAGS 1ST PRIZE IN HIFZ COMPETITION
Out of 1000 students in Hafiz-e-Quran Competition, first Prize was bagged by Hafiz Abdullah Abdul Mateen Osmani (Hyderabad, India). This prize was awarded by Prince Mishal bin Majed bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Jeddah. The award ceremony was held in Hilton Jeddah on September 5, 2018.
Abdullah completed his Hifz simultaneously with his academic study of CBSE / XII from Indian School Jeddah. He was given the opportunity to lead the Friday prayers at Masjid e Azizia in Jeddah.
UN, TURKEY, IRAN, RUSSIA TO TALK ON SYRIAN CONSTITUTION
UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura will meet senior officials from Turkey, Russia, and Iran to establish a Syrian constitutional committee on September 10. Efforts to establish a constitutional committee, which was agreed during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress on Jan. 30, 2018 in Russian resort city of Sochi, have come to a critical phase.
De Mistura will meet on Monday and Tuesday with the guarantor countries of Astana process — Turkey, Russia, and Iran. On Friday, he will meet with officials from Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.K., and U.S. Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal will represent Turkey during the meetings.
Talks on Monday will be closed to press, while Tuesday’s meeting will be official and open to media. The final declaration of Syria summit held by the guarantor countries in Russia in July highlighted the establishment of a constitutional committee.
On July 5, the Syrian Negotiation Commission submitted a list of 50 candidates to represent the Syrian opposition in the constitutional committee to de Mistura, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Also, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the significance of forming a constitutional committee following a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Tehran last week.
“Representatives of the three guarantor countries will meet again in Geneva with the UN’s Secretary-General’s special envoy on Syria in the coming days,” Erdogan said on Friday.
“The formation process of a constitutional committee will be discussed, and we can say that the preparations have come to the last stage,” he added.
“Establishing and making this committee – which is on the agenda thanks to the Astana process — will bring a new dynamism to the political process,” he said.
TURKEY TOPS OECD COUNTRIES WITH GDP GROWTH RATE
Turkey topped the OECD member countries and ranked second in Europe with its gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in the second quarter of 2018. The Turkish economy grew by 5.2 per cent to 884 billion Turkish liras ($204.3 billion) in April-June period compared to the same period last year, Turkey’s Statistical Institute said on September 10.
With these figures, Turkey ranked first among the OECD countries, who released their data. Turkey was followed by Poland and Chile (5 percent), Hungary (4.6) and Latvia (4.4), according to data compiled by an Anadolu Agency correspondent.
OECD countries’ average growth rate was 2.5 per cent in the second quarter, versus the same quarter of 2017. On the other hand, the lowest growth rates were seen in Denmark, Japan, and Italy, by 0.6 percent, 1 per cent, and 1.2 percent, respectively.
In the first quarter of 2018, Ireland was first among the 36 OECD countries with a growth rate of 10 per cent, while Turkey ranked the second with 7.3 per cent.
Among 28 countries of the EU, Turkey ranked the second after Malta, whose GDP rose by 5.7 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter. Poland, Hungary, and Latvia followed Malta and Turkey.
In the same period, EU28’s slowest-growing countries were Denmark (0.6 percent), Italy (1.2) and the U.K. (1.3). Both EA19 and EU28’s economies grew by 2.1 percent in the April-June period, versus the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries’ average growth rate for the second quarter was 2.7 per cent. Turkey’s annual GDP growth rate was also 7.4 per cent in 2017.