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☆ Iran's Raisi promises to pursue crackdown on protesters; cleric critical of execution
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Molavi Abdolhamid, a Sunni cleric in the Shi'ite-ruled Islamic Republic, criticized the death sentence, according to his website. Human rights groups said Shekari was tortured and forced to confess. In Geneva, U.N. Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk called the execution “very troubling and clearly designed to send a chilling effect to the rest of the protesters." Britain announced sanctions on Friday against 30 people worldwide, including officials from Russia, Iran and Myanmar it deems responsible for human rights abuses or corruption. Molavi Abdolhamid made his critical comments from Zahedan, the capital of restive Sistan-Baluchistan province, home to Iran's Baluch minority who have faced discrimination and repression for decades, according to human rights groups.

☆ Taliban carry out first public execution since Afghan takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban authorities on Wednesday executed an Afghan convicted of killing another man, the first public execution since the former insurgents took over Afghanistan last year, a spokesman said. The execution, carried out with an assault rifle by the victim’s father, took place in western Farah province before hundreds of spectators and many top Taliban officials, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the top Taliban government spokesman. The executed man, identified as Tajmir from Herat province, was convicted of killing another man five years ago and stealing his motorcycle and mobile phone. Taliban security forces had arrested Tajmir after the victim’s family accused him of the crime, said a statement from Mujahid, the spokesman. During the previous Taliban rule of the country in the late 1990s, the group carried out public executions, floggings and stoning of those convicted of crimes in Taliban courts.

☆ Taliban carry out first public execution since returning to power in Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Sahar Akbarzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Taliban on Wednesday put an alleged murderer to death in the first public execution held in Afghanistan since the Islamist group returned to power. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the man was shot three times by the father of his alleged victim in an execution attended by senior Taliban officials in southwestern Farah province. The man had been accused of stabbing the victim to death in 2017 and stealing a cell phone and bicycle. It is the first public execution since Kabul fell to the Taliban following the withdrawal of US forces from the country in August 2021. During the Taliban’s earlier period of rule, from 1996 to 2001, public executions were common, as were other violent punishments.

☆ Taliban publicly execute man accused of murder, senior officials attend
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Taliban administration on Wednesday put to death a man accused of murder in western Afghanistan, its spokesperson said, in the first officially confirmed public execution since the group took over the country last year. The execution in western Farah province was of a man accused of stabbing another man to death in 2017, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, and was attended by senior officials of the group. The execution was carried out by the father of the victim, who shot the man three times, Mujahid added in a later statement. More than a dozen senior Taliban officials attended the execution, Mujahid said, including acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and acting deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar, as well as the country's chief justice, acting foreign minister and acting education minister. Public lashings and executions by stoning took place under the previous 1996-2001 rule of the Taliban.

JAKARTA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Indonesia's new criminal code ushers in a raft of new laws, including banning sex outside of marriage, insulting the president, and expressing any view that runs counter to state ideology. Indonesia is also trying to entice foreign visitors back after the pandemic and the national tourism board described the new code as "totally counter-productive". We have already expressed our concern to the ministry of tourism about how harmful this law is," said Maulana Yusran, deputy chief of Indonesia's tourism industry board. Indonesia has been discussing revising its criminal code since declaring independence from the Dutch in 1945. Defending the passage of the bill against criticism, Indonesia's Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly told parliament on Tuesday: "It's not easy for a multicultural and multi-ethnic country to make a criminal code that can accommodate all interests."

☆ Indonesia parliament ratifies criminal code that bans sex outside marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Ananda Teresia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Yasonna Laoly, Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights, receives the new criminal code report from Bambang Wuryanto, head of the parliamentary commission overseeing the revision, during a parliamentary plenary meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday approved a criminal code that bans sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, part of a raft of legal changes that critics say undermine civil liberties in the world's third-largest democracy. Legislators hailed the passage of the criminal code that the Southeast Asian nation has been discussing revising since declaring independence from the Dutch. "The old code belongs to Dutch heritage... and is no longer relevant now," Bambang Wuryanto, head of the parliamentary commission in charge of revising the code told lawmakers. The approval comes even as business groups warned it could harm Indonesia's image as a tourism and investment destination.

☆ Analysis: Gains for Malaysia's hardline Islamist party a challenge for new PM Anwar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( A. Ananthalakshmi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] A pillion waves a Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) flag on the eve of Malaysia's general election at Permatang Pauh, Penang, Malaysia November 18, 2022. Anwar, who is ethnic Malay and Muslim, addressed race and religion in his first news conference as prime minister, promising to uphold Islam as the official religion of the country and the rights of the ethnic Malay majority, while also safeguarding the rights of all. Race and religion are thorny issues in Malaysia, where Muslim ethnic Malays form a majority in a country with significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities, most of them Hindu, Buddhist or Christian. As the biggest party in parliament, PAS could push for Islamisation and more affirmative action for Malays - a long-standing policy that Anwar has opposed, analysts said. "They see PAS as a clean party and its political leaders have no integrity problems," said Mohd Izani.

"We continue to be on high alert and will aggressively remove any violative content," TikTok, which is owned by the China-based firm ByteDance, said in a statement. TikTok said it had been in contact with Malaysian authorities on severe and repeat violations of its community guidelines since the lead-up to the election. One of the alliances hoping to form a government is a conservative, largely ethnic Malay, Muslim group led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin. SULTANS TO MEETReuters reviewed about 100 videos on TikTok, some of which featured people displaying weapons such as knives and machetes. In response, a flood of videos explaining the history of the May 13 violence have surfaced with many ethnic Malay users calling for unity and criticising those inciting violence.

☆ Taliban court lashes 14 in latest shift to corporal punishments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

It was the second confirmation of lashings by the Taliban this month, signalling a possible return to practices common in its hardline rule in the 1990s. The Taliban's supreme spiritual leader met judges this month and said they should carry out punishments consistent with sharia law, according to a court statement. Public lashings and executions by stoning took place under the previous 1996-2001 rule of the Taliban. Such punishments later became rare and were condemned by the foreign-backed Afghan governments that followed, though the death penalty remained legal in Afghanistan. Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Malaysia's Anwar, Muhyiddin rush to meet deadline to form government
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Significant election gains by an Islamist party also added to investors' fears, notably over policies on gambling and alcohol consumption. Anwar's coalition entered negotiations with Barisan Nasional, the incumbent coalition and Anwar's longtime rival, on Monday to discuss a potential alliance. Anwar's multiethnic coalition won the most seats in the Saturday election with 82, while Muhyiddin's bloc won 73. It would be another astonishing turnaround in Malaysian politics if Anwar and Barisan forged an alliance: as opposition chief, Anwar has spent much of his career trying to oust Barisan. For the 2018 election, Anwar tied up with mentor-turned-foe Mahathir Mohamad to defeat Barisan.

☆ Malaysian police warn of ethnic tensions on social media after divisive election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Malaysian police have cautioned the country's social media users to refrain from posting "provocative" content on race and religion after a divisive general election on Saturday that ended in a hung parliament. The police warning comes as race-based narratives dominated political chatter on social media during and after the election, according to an online hate speech monitoring project run by the Malaysia-based Centre for Independent Journalism. Race and religion are thorny issues in multicultural Malaysia, which has a majority of mostly Muslim ethnic Malays alongside significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities of other faiths. Police said they had detected social media content that touched on racial and religious sentiments and insulted the country's monarchy after the election. Malaysian social media users on Monday reported a slew of posts on short video platform TikTok after the election that mentioned a deadly race riot in Kuala Lumpur on May 13, 1969.

"Let me make a decision soon," the king told reporters outside the national palace. The king had given political parties until 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Tuesday to put together alliances needed for a majority. Significant election gains by an Islamist party added to investors' fears, notably over policies on gambling and alcohol consumption. Its electoral gains have also raised fears in multicultural Malaysia, which has significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities following other faiths. Anwar's coalition won the most seats in the Saturday election with 82, while Muhyiddin's bloc won 73.

☆ 19 people lashed in northeastern Afghanistan, official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Afghanistan — Nineteen people in northeastern Afghanistan were lashed for adultery, theft and running away from home, a Supreme Court official said Sunday. It appeared to be the first official confirmation that lashings and floggings are being meted out in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. After they overran Afghanistan last year, the Taliban initially promised to be more moderate and allow for women’s and minority rights. A Supreme Court official, Abdul Rahim Rashid, said 10 men and nine women were lashed 39 times each in Taloqan city in northeastern Takhar province, on Nov. 11. He said their cases were assessed by two courts before they were convicted, confirming information in a Supreme Court statement.

Significant election gains by an Islamist party also added to investors' fears, notably over policies toward gambling and alcohol consumption. Anwar said he met with some leaders from the incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition on Monday to discuss a potential alliance. "I am satisfied as this negotiation was on the need to form a stable government that's inclusive. Its 30 seats in parliament is key for both candidates to cross 112 seats needed to hold a majority. On Monday, Anwar's coalition partnered with Barisan to form regional governments in two states, which also saw inconclusive elections.

☆ Malaysia's Muhyiddin, Anwar race to form government as turmoil drags on
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Malaysian former Prime Minister and Perikatan Nasional Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin waves as he leaves after Malaysia's 15th general election in Shah Alam, Malaysia November 20, 2022. Anwar's multi-ethnic coalition won the most number of seats in the Saturday election with 82. King Al-Sultan Abdullah, whose largely ceremonial role includes the power to appoint as prime minister a lawmaker he believes will command a majority, could play a decisive role. Massive corruption, mostly related to the looting of billions of dollars from sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (IMDB), for which former prime minister Najib Razak was jailed earlier this year, seriously wounded UMNO's image. During his time in opposition, Anwar spent a decade in jail on convictions for sodomy and corruption, which he says were politically motivated.

☆ Malaysia's political manoeuvring begins after indecisive election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Voters queue up to cast their ballots during the general election in Bera of Pahang state, Malaysia, Nov. 19, 2022. Malaysia's political leaders scrambled on Sunday to secure support from rivals a day after a general election produced a hung parliament, with no coalition winning a parliamentary majority. Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin each said they could form a government with support from other parties, whom they did not identify. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's Barisan Nasional alliance - whose United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) had long been Malaysia's dominant political force - suffered its worst electoral defeat ever, winning just 30 of the 178 seats it vied for. As voters rejected UMNO and the multi-ethnic Barisan coalition it leads for the second election in a row, Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional coalition, in its first national contest, pulled support from Barisan's traditional base.

☆ Explainer: What to expect as Malaysia's split election leaves scramble to form govt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Mei Mei Chu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] The logo of Malaysia's election commission is pictured at its headquarters in Putrajaya, Malaysia, October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor HussainKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Malaysia's political leaders were scrambling to form a coalition government on Sunday after an election produced an unprecedented hung parliament, with no group able to claim a majority. Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin each said they could form a government with support from other parties, whom they did not identify. It made inroads in strongholds of Barisan, whose United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) - long Malaysia's dominant political force - made its worst showing ever. KING'S ROLEKing Al-Sultan Abdullah could potentially pick the next prime minister.

☆ Factbox: How Malaysia's election system works
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Mei Mei Chu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The general election is held every five years unless the prime minister calls for an early poll. The Election Commission typically declares the results on the day of the election and the prime minister is sworn in the next day. THE VOTERSOver 21 million Malaysians are eligible to vote in this election, including 6 million new voters. But UMNO returned to power in 2020 as part of another alliance after the opposition coalition collapsed. It won the 2018 election under the leadership of former premier Mahathir Mohamad but lost power two years later due to infighting.

☆ Afghan Taliban say group will stick to strict Islamic law
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban will stick to their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, a spokesman said Thursday, underscoring the group’s intention to continue hard-line policies implemented since they took over Afghanistan more than a year ago. During their previous years in power in the late 1990s, the Taliban carried out public executions, floggings and stoning of those convicted of crimes in Taliban courts. According to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhunzada, met with Taliban judges a few days ago and instructed them to implement Sharia law in their rulings. Mujahid said this instruction prompted perceptions that Islamic law had been abandoned in the Islamic emirate, as the Taliban call their administration. “It doesn’t mean that the Islamic emirate didn’t implement the limits of Allah Almighty since it came to power,” he said.

☆ Emirates REIT proposes new sukuk refinancing, ad hoc group gives nod
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Yousef Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fitch had downgraded Emirates REIT by several notches after it made the exchange offer. It is offering sukuk holders, for each $1,000 in face amount of their sukuk, $950 in face amount of new notes and $50 in cash. Emirates REIT needs 75% of its creditors to consent to the proposal to exchange the outstanding unsecured sukuk with secured ones. The group includes Arkkan Capital Management Limited, Rasmala Investment Bank Limited, GFH Financial Group, Sancta Capital, SC Lowy Primary Investments, Plenisfer Investments, Emirates NBD Asset Management, Shuaa Capital and Saray Capital. The group said it had been in talks with Emirates REIT for several months "to reach agreement on transaction terms that would provide satisfactory structural protections and economic returns for the holders of the new secured certificates".

☆ Women in Afghanistan have been banned from parks by the Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Taliban have banned women from parks in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has become 'a cage for Afghan women,' activists say. A spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Mohammad Akif Muhajir, told local media that Afghan women would no longer be permitted to visit parks. "Unfortunately, the owners of parks didn't cooperate with us very well, and also, the women didn't observe hijab as was suggested. Nava Jamshidi/Getty ImagesSince the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021, they have enforced punitive laws restricting women's lives and activities.

☆ Taliban ban women from parks, morality ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Afghan women will no longer be allowed in parks, a spokesperson for the Taliban's morality ministry said, in part because they had not been meeting its interpretation of Islamic attire during their visits. "Unfortunately, the owners of parks didn't co-operate with us very well, and also the women didn't observe hijab as was suggested. However, the Taliban have said women should wear long flowing clothes that cover their bodies and also cover their faces, such as the all-enveloping burqa. Some women in Kabul and other urban centres do not cover their faces in public and others wear a surgical face mask. The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.

☆ Nigeria: TikTokers caned and ordered to wash toilets as court rules they defamed Nigerian governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Two TikTok comedians have been publicly whipped in Nigeria for making a video that a court in the northern Kano State ruled had defamed the state Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, according to a judicial spokesperson. The two friends, according to Ibrahim, were sentenced on Monday after being brought before a magistrate’s court on Friday. They didn’t even ask or beg for a lawyer to stand for them,” Ibrahim told CNN. “They were arraigned before the Kano State Magistrate Court for defaming the character of Governor Umar Ganduje on their TikTok social media account. They were also ordered to make a video on social media to publicly apologize to Governor Ganduje.

☆ Most Gulf markets drop as cenbanks toe hawkish Fed line
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Ateeq Shariff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

read more read moreSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the region's two largest economies, both increased rates by 75 basis points. The Saudi central bank, also known as SAMA, lifted its repo and reverse repo rates to 4.5% and 4%, respectively. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (<.TASI>) dropped 0.8%, hit by a 1.6% fall in Al Rajhi Bank (<1120.SE>) and a 2.1% drop in Riyad Bank (<1010.SE>). Since Oct. 27, SNB market-cap has shed 25.74 billion riyals ($6.85 billion), according Refinitiv Eikon Data. Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (<.EGX30>) rose 0.2%, helped by a 1.2% gain in Commercial International Bank Egypt (<COMI.CA>).

☆ Car bombs explode at Somalia's education ministry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOGADISHU, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Two car bomb explosions at Somalia's education ministry rocked the capital Mogadishu on Saturday and blew out windows of nearby buildings, witnesses and the emergency services said. "Two car bombs targeted the education ministry building along K5 street," an inhabitant Ahmed Nur told Reuters. The first explosion hit the walls of the ministry while the second blast occurred as ambulances arrived and people gathered to help the victims, police captain Nur Farah told Reuters. A Reuters journalist near the blast site said the two explosions occurred within minutes of each other and smashed windows in the vicinity. Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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