DESECRATION OF QUR’ĀN: IRAN SUMMONS SWEDISH AMBASSADOR
Iran has summoned Matthias Lentz, the Swedish ambassador to Tehran, on July 20 to protest the repeated desecration of the Qur’ān, the last revealed Book by God, and to hold the Swedish government accountable for inciting the feelings of Muslims around the world. The country conveyed “strong protest” over the “sacrilege” of the Holy Qur’ān. “We strongly condemn the repeated desecration of the Holy Qur’ān and Islamic sanctities in Sweden, and we hold the Swedish government fully responsible for the consequences of inciting the feelings of Muslims around the world. “Continuing to desecrate Islamic holy places and spreading hatred in this way is considered a perfect example of organised violence and a hostile action against the world’s two billion Muslim population, God-believing people and followers of the heavenly religions,” the spokesman said. The Swedish ambassador assured the ministry that he would inform his government “immediately of Tehran’s protest”.
BRICS SUMMIT ISSUES SPECIAL RESOLUTION IN FAVOUR OF PALESTINE
The BRICS summit called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. BRICS, a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, issued a resolution following its conference in the South African capital, Pretoria, on July 20, calling for the implementation of United Nations and UN Security Council resolutions related to the Palestinian issue, including Resolution No. 2334 on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict within the framework of the two-state solution, by establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. A delegation from the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), headed by Azzam Al-Ahmad, and senior Palestinian diplomat Salman Al-Harfi attended the July 20 session. On the sidelines of the conference, the delegation met with a number of the African National Congress (ANC) Party and the Communist Party, and discussed the latest developments in occupied Palestine.
ICJ ENABLES INDIVIDUALS TO POST INFO ON ISRAELI VIOLATIONS
The International Court of Justice is set to launch an online platform that will allow individuals to submit statements in relation to the court’s probe into Israel. Omar Awadallah, the head of public administration for UN human rights organisations at the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the ICJ platform will enable Palestinians to submit complaints backed by photographs and videos that show Israeli violations. These materials will be shown to the court. The ICJ is set to offer “advisory proceedings on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.” This follows a request for an advisory opinion that was submitted by the UN General Assembly.
UK TORY MP PRAISES TALIBAN FOR ‘TOTALLY TRANSFORMING’ AFGHANISTAN
British Conservative MP, Tobias Ellwood, has praised the Taliban government in Afghanistan for “totally transforming” the country, calling for the United Kingdom to establish relations with and recognise the new Afghan authorities, a report said on July 19. In an article published by The Telegraph, Ellwood – MP for Bournemouth East and current chair of the Defence Select Committee – stated: “Two years after the Taliban forced the West to scuttle from Kabul, I’ve just returned from an Afghanistan which is totally transformed,” referring to his recent visit to the country. “Security has vastly improved, people are free to travel and the widespread corruption that impacted at every level of former President Ashraf Ghani’s government has all but disappeared,” he wrote. “And the dreaded black market opium trade that blighted the nation’s economy has seemingly gone.” Ellwood acknowledged that war-torn Afghanistan “has not experienced relative peace like this since the 1970s. And it shows. The congested streets are bustling with life as everyone goes about their business – free from the infinite checkpoints and perpetual fear of violence. The Taliban authorities are no more visible than our own police are in London.”
Ellwood criticised the fact that the “West now holds international aid [from Afghanistan], including the $9 billion in frozen Afghan assets abroad.” He urged Western nations to re-evaluate their position to the new Afghan government, stating that “If the West continues to sulk we could be making another blunder which pushes the nation to a fiscal cliff, potentially igniting another cycle of instability, terrorism and mass migration. A more pragmatic strategy is necessary.”
Ellwood laid out a simple pathway for the UK itself to take in the matter, saying that “The first step is re-opening our embassy. The second is to get real. Afghanistan’s future could be war again or life as a Chinese vassal. The middle way I saw – however queasy we feel about it – needs us to re-think and re-engage.” Those comments were echoed in a video the MP released on his Twitter account. https://twitter.com/Tobias_Ellwood/status/1680974793867415554
MOROCCO FIRST AFRICAN COUNTRY TO BECOME PARTNER OF ASEAN
Morocco has received an agreement in principle to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which would be a first for an African country. The decision was made during the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 11-12. A formal decision will be made at the upcoming 43rd ASEAN Summit. The announcement was made by Rabat on July 18 with a press release from Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs which said the achievement will contribute “to regional peace, stability, security, and development and prosperity in both regions.” The statement said the status also reflects the vision of King Mohammed VI in diversifying the kingdom’s partnerships, particularly in Asia. “This Partnership represents an opportunity for substantial cooperation based on a win-win approach that lies at the heart of the South-South cooperation policy,” the communique added.
TUNISIAN AUTHORITIES INVOLVED IN ‘SERIOUS’ MIGRANT RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
The Tunisian police, military, national guard, and coast guard have been involved in grave violations against Black African migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on July 19. Beatings, use of excessive force, some cases of torture, arbitrary arrests and detention, collective expulsions, dangerous actions at sea, forced evictions, and theft of money and belongings are all examples of documented abuses by HRW. The report comes just a day after United Nations experts raised concerns about Tunisia’s alleged discriminatory treatment of sub-Saharan migrants. They strongly recommended the authorities act swiftly to halt mass deportations and safeguard the rights of every migrant.
KUWAIT IMPOSES BLANKET BAN ON CRYPTOCURRENCIES
Kuwait has prohibited the use, trade, services and mining of cryptocurrencies within the country, imposing a blanket ban on the decentralised monetary systems. In a directive issued on July 17 by Kuwait’s financial regulator, the Capital Markets Authority, it announced that it had imposed an “absolute” ban on all digital asset mining, and that it had prohibited cryptocurrencies as recognised decentralised currencies. It also warned the public that companies and businesses are forbidden from providing any type of crypto-related services, including payments and investment. It admitted, however, that “Securities regulated by the Central Bank of Kuwait and other securities and financial instruments regulated by the Capital Markets Authority are excluded from this prohibition.” The primary reason for the blanket ban is reportedly to be combating money laundering.
TÜRKIYE IMPOSES AD BAN ON TWITTER
Türkiye has imposed advertising bans on Twitter after the social media giant failed to appoint local representatives, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority said in an announcement published in the Official Gazette on July 21. In 2021, Türkiye began to implement a new social media law, under which social media platforms that are accessed over a million times per day are required to appoint local representatives. If failed to do so, they would be liable for various penalties, including monetary fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reduction. If Twitter does not appoint local representatives, the authority may limit its bandwidth by up to 90 per cent.