International News
Iraq PM threatens to quit if political conflict continues
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi expressed regret that the political conflict had reached the level of the use of weapons among Iraqi factions, warning that he would declare his post vacant if the dispute continued.
In a televised speech late Tuesday, al-Kadhimi said that he was overwhelmed with pain by the political conflict, “the Iraqi blood that was shed yesterday sends a warning to every Iraqi that today we must put weapons under the authority of the state”, reports Xinhua news agency
“I warn that if chaos, conflict, discord, and hostility continue and the voice of reason is not heard, I will take my moral and patriotic step to declare the position of (Prime Minister) vacant in due course… and holding them (conflicting parties) the responsibility before the Iraqis and before history,” he said.
He said that Iraq has been bleeding for many years as thousands of Iraqis were killed, stressing that “every drop of blood is caused by chronic political failure”.
Earlier in the day, President Barham Salih also said in a televised speech that “going to early elections under a national understanding represents a way out of the stifling crisis in the country instead of political dispute or clash”.
He also called on the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), an umbrella group of Shia parliamentary parties, to communicate with the leader of the Sadrist Movement, Moqtada al-Sadr, to come up with a political solution that addresses the issue of the new elections and the formation of a new government.
On Tuesday, al-Sadr called on his followers to end their protests and withdraw from the Green Zone in Baghdad, after clashes killed 22 people and wounded more than 200 others.
At a televised press conference in the city of Najaf, al-Sadr apologised to the Iraqi people affected by the violence, stressing that he was hoping for peaceful protests, “not bullets and bombs”.
He called on his followers to “withdraw in 60 minutes”, including from the sit-in in front of Parliament, or he “will not recognize them”.
On Monday, al-Sadr’s supporters stormed some of the main government headquarters in the Green Zone following their leader’s announcement that he was quitting politics in protest against the corruption of political parties in the country.
Political tensions in Iraq have escalated in the past weeks between al-Sadr and his rivals in the CF.
On July 30, al-Sadr’s followers broke into the Green Zone and held an open sit-in in and outside Parliament, demanding the dissolution of the parliament and holding early elections, which are rejected by the CF parties.
The CF became the largest alliance in Parliament after al-Sadr ordered his followers in the Sadrist Movement, the biggest winner of the October 2021 elections with 73 seats, to withdraw.
During the past months, the continued disputes among the Shia parties have hampered the formation of a new government, making it unable to elect a new President by a two-thirds majority of the 329-seat Parliament under the constitution.
International News
Milton’s Storm Surge Floods Homes, Roads In Florida
Water flowed into homes and over roads as Hurricane Milton neared landfall in Florida Wednesday. Here’s a look at what was happening in the community of El Jobean near Charlotte Harbor, in Southwest Florida.
Milton hits Florida: Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a dangerous Category 3 storm before weakening to a Category 1 as it moves over the state, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year. you can track Milton’s path with CNN’s strom tracker.
A thousand-year flood: Milton has dropped about 16 inches of rain on St. Petersburg, representing a more than a 1 in 1000 year rainfall for the area. Meanwhile, there are “multiple fatalities” in St. Lucie County, Florida, from a tornado outbreak earlier in the day, CNN affiliate WPTV reports
Devastating effects: Milton, the third hurricane to hit Florida this year, has knocked out power for more than 2 million people in the state. Additionally, wind gusts of 100 mph were recorded near Tampa, where a flash flood emergency was issued a emergency services have been halted.
International News
EAM S Jaishankar To Visit Pakistan To Attend SCO Meeting On October 15-16, Announces MEA
India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan to attend the SCO meeting this month, announced the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday (October 4). The SCO meeting will be held in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on October 15-16.
“The External Affairs Minister will lead our delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit which will be held in Islamabad on October 15-16,” said the MEA spokesperson.
As per reports, the Federal government in Pakistan has decided to deploy rangers in Islamabad ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, as part of security measures in place for the summit.
The paramilitary rangers will continue to be deployed in the capital city till the conclusion of the summit, reported Pakistani media.
What Is SCO Summit?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Currently, the SCO countries include nine member states: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
International News
Fugitive Radical Preacher Zakir Naik Arrives In Pakistan, Will Deliver Islamic Lectures & Lead Friday Prayers In Major Cities
Fugitive radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik landed in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Monday for his lectures in several major cities including Karachi and Lahore. He will conclude his visit with a lecture in Islamabad on October 28.
As per reports, he will also lead and address Friday prayer congregations in these cities.
The Prime Minister’s Youth Program Chairman Rana Mashhood, the Parliamentary Secretary for Religious Affairs Shamsher Ali Mazari, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Syed Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, and others greeted him upon his arrival at the New Islamabad Airport.
Naik announced his trip through his social media handles and shared details of the public lectures he will deliver in Pakistan.
He is set to begin his tour on October 5, starting with Karachi, then Lahore, and finishing in Islamabad.
Earlier on Monday, Zakir Naik took to X and shared a video explaining why he has reduced the frequency of his public lectures.
“The number of individuals attending public speeches has grown every year if you count them. I used to travel to a city and give presentations for five days, maybe 15, or two weeks and give talks for 20, but these days I travel to a nation and give talks solely on the weekends. However, the combined attendance for those two sessions is far higher than that of 10 talks. That is only one explanation, though not the only one.”
He continued, saying, “We also record this on the media, and when it goes on the social media, the social media people watch to a larger number, on social media and on the satellite channel. So when we started the satellite channel in 2006, our main focus was to see to it that programs on the satellite channels are good. So my talks became less, but the reach became more.”
Who is Zakir Naik?
Zakir Naik, who is well-known for his divisive opinions, has encountered legal issues in India, including charges of inciting hate and money laundering. In 2016, he escaped to Malaysia and has remained a contentious figure ever since.
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