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Pakistan electoral body rejects ex-premier Imran Khan’s nomination for 2024 vote

By
IFP Media Wire
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Imran Khan

The 71-year-old former cricket star, who is serving a three-year prison sentence for corruption, was barred from politics for five years by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). But he still filed nomination papers on Friday.

Election officials disallowed Khan’s candidacy because of his conviction and what they said was his disqualification under the Constitution, according to documents. They also rejected the candidacies of former members of his cabinet.

The ECP released a list of rejected nominees from Lahore on Saturday, which also contained Khan’s name. It said the former prime minister could not become a nominee because he is not a registered voter of the constituency and due to him being “convicted by the court of law”.

The cricketer-turned-politician’s nomination bid was also rejected in his hometown of Mianwali in Punjab province, according to his media team.

Khan has not been seen publicly since his incarceration in August in the corruption case in which he was accused of unlawfully selling state gifts while in office.

Last week, the Supreme Court granted him bail in a case alleging he leaked state secrets, but he is continuing to fight a barrage of legal cases that have dogged him since being removed from office last year.

Khan, who is widely seen as the country’s most popular leader, has alleged that Pakistan’s powerful military is colluding with traditional parties to destroy his political party and prevent him from running for office again.

The military has historically played a major role in the country’s politics and has directly ruled for decades since independence in 1947 from British rule.

The 71-year-old leader has also alleged that the Pakistani military and the United States government conspired to topple his administration after he visited Moscow just before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Washington and Pakistan’s military have denied the accusations.

However, the US-based news site The Intercept published in August what it claims to be the details of a secret diplomatic cable that suggested the US administration wanted to remove Khan from power.

The ECP had previously ruled that Khan’s PTI party cannot contest general elections using its cricket bat logo, but the High Court in the northwestern city of Peshawar earlier this week handed his team a legal victory by suspending the order.

In addition to the 71-year-old Khan, the election commission has also rejected nomination papers submitted by other senior members of his party, including vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The commission, however, has accepted a nomination bid from former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from two constituencies, weeks after a court overturned two corruption convictions.

But Sharif, who also has been facing legal challenges for years and returned home in October to end a four-year self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom, still needs to remove a life ban on holding public office, a hearing for which will be held in January.

The PTI has accused the Pakistani authorities of rejecting 90 percent of nominations from its party candidates while allowing nomination papers from other parties, including Sharif’s Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Rise in Internet fees in Iran sparks public outcry, govt. defends its measure

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Mobile Internet Iran

Most users have expressed their opposition through posts on social media platforms such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

They argue that sluggish Internet speed in Iran was a headache, too, even before the hikes in prices of Web services by 30 percent.

Several legislators have also reacted to the hike in Web subscription fees.

They argue that the rise in Internet costs has put a huge burden on low-income families as well as those who earn a living through web activities.

“Even the time when prices of Internet services had not increased, Iranian families would spend 10% of their income on Internet fees and another 10% on buying VPN services. This figure is 1.2% in Germany,” said Member of Parliament Lotfollah Siahkali.

Voices of discontent have even emerged from ex-officials. “Prices of ‘Likes’ for posts on the respected president’s Instagram page have considerably risen for ‘two million’ followers,” said Former Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi ironically, known for his opposition to the government filtering of such platforms as Instagram and X.

Meanwhile, the government has defended the rise in Web services, arguing the revenues are necessary for the improvement and enhancement of the national Internet infrastructure.

UN chief ‘gravely concerned’ over further spillover of Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
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António Guterres

“As the hostilities between Israel and Hamas and other groups in Gaza intensify, the Secretary-General remains gravely concerned about the further spillover of this conflict, which could have devastating consequences for the entire region,” Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Friday.

The longer the conflict in Gaza continues, the greater the risk of regional conflagration, given the risk of escalation and miscalculation by multiple actors, he continued.

The escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, including intensified Israeli security forces operations, high numbers of fatalities, settler violence and attacks on Israelis by Palestinians, “is extremely alarming”, he added.

He stressed that the daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line risk triggering a broader escalation between Israel and Lebanon and affecting regional stability.

Guterres is “increasingly concerned” about the spillover effects of the continuing attacks by armed groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Houthi attacks against vessels in the Red Sea, which have escalated in recent days, he added.

“The Secretary-General urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint and take urgent steps to de-escalate tensions in the region,” Dujarric stressed.

Appealing to all members of the international community to do everything in their power to use their influence on the relevant parties to prevent an escalation of the situation in the region, Guterres also reiterates his call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, he said.

Since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, Israel has continued relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 21,500 Palestinians and injuring 56,000, according to local health authorities.

Authorities claim the Hamas attacks have killed around 1,200 Israelis.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.

EU warns Israeli offensive in Gaza ‘continues causing heavy toll’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Josep Borrell

“Israeli ground offensive in central Gaza continues causing a heavy toll in spite of IDF (Israeli army) obligation to protect civilians – bombing on the Maghazi refugee camps was one of the deadliest and now displacement of further 150,000 people reported,” Josep Borrell said on X on Friday.

“A new pause in hostilities is urgent,” he added.

On Nov. 24, a week-long humanitarian pause began in Gaza under which a prisoner swap was implemented between Palestinian group Hamas and Israel.

Since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, Israel has continued relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 21,500 Palestinians and injuring 56,000, according to local health authorities.

On Nov. 10, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman revised the official death toll of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, lowering the figure to around 1,200 people, and since then, Tel Aviv has not provided any additional information about the casualties.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.

Israel giving Gazans option of ‘death or displacement’: Palestinian UN envoy

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

“They want to make sure that Palestinians in Gaza have no homes to return to,” he said, adding “They want to make sure they have no life to return.”

“They want to make sure that life in Gaza is no longer possible, with one aim, what they call ‘voluntary migration’ … the codename for forced displacement. These are the options for Palestinians: Destruction or displacement, death or displacement,” he continued.

Over 21,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the war began three months ago.

It came after Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israeli communities on 7 October, which killed around 1,200 Israelis.

Illicit market for wild birds in north Iran shuttered

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The market located in the city of Fereydunkenar in Mazandaran Province was shut as demanded by the public and in keeping with hunting regulations and environment protection laws.

“After relentless efforts by the provincial department of the environment and Fereydunkenar’s Environment Office, and in cooperation with the city officials …, and given the long-running demand by wildlife lovers and the general public, the illicit market where wild birds were traded was closed,” said the head of the provincial department of the environment.

“Environment agents are constantly monitoring the closed market, and any offense will be dealt with according to judicial laws,” the official explained.

Fereydunkenar is habitat to several species of migratory birds that spend winter there. This provides chances for the illegal hunting of the birds.

Iranian daily lambastes IRGC spokesman for recent comments on Hamas’ operation

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

“Last Wednesday, IRGC Spokesman Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif referred to the Al-Aqsa Storm operation in his news briefing, describing it as an act of revenge by the resistance front against the Israeli regime for the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani,” wrote the Farhikhtegan newspaper.

“He unwillingly inflicted a heavy price on Iran and the resistance front, making the Hamas movement immediately question the credibility of general Sharif’s comments and stress that the motive and reason behind the Al-Aqsa Storm operation were, in the first place, the dangers facing the Al-Aqsa mosque,” the daily explained.

“It would have been much better if the spokesman apologized for such a costly mistake.

Now, under the current circumstances, the IRGC had better consider a serious overhaul with regards to the public opinion and choosing a spokesperson,” the newspaper said.

Following the remarks by General Sharif, several Iranian officials, including the foreign ministry spokesman, reitrated Hamas’ operation was purely Palestinian in nature, having nothing to do with Iran.

Rights group says Israeli forces ‘systematically looting’ Palestinian homes

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Israeli Army

The Geneva-based group said it collected testimonies that indicate Israeli forces went “beyond” raiding homes and carrying out mass arrests. The testimonies reveal that there have been cases where theft of personal belongings and “looting of valuable possessions” occurred.

Items that have been reportedly looted include money, gold, jewelry and electronics such as laptop computers, Euro-Med Monitor noted.

The total sum of the stolen valuables may exceed “tens of millions of dollars”, it added.

Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza followed Hamas’ shocking Oct. 7 cross-border attack in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed and hundreds more taken back to the coastal enclave as hostages.

Over 21,500 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 56,000 others have been injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel’s decision to sharply curtail the flow of humanitarian aid has further compounded a dire humanitarian catastrophe with roughly 2 million people internally displaced, and many reliant on aid deliveries for daily necessities such as food, water and medicine.

US seeking to convince shipping firms to resume sailing via Red Sea despite Yemen’s attacks

By
IFP Media Wire
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Shipping firms Red Sea passage

After a war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, Yemen’s Houthi movement has intensified its attacks on cargo ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, vowing to continue the attacks until Israel ends its military actions in the Gaza Strip.

The Pentagon is “engaged with industry on a near-daily basis to gauge needs and provide reassurance that the international community is there to help with safe passage”, Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson for the Middle East and Africa, was quoted as saying in the report.

Last week, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea amid the surge in Houthis’ attacks on cargo ships, saying that the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain would take part in the mission. The Houthis, for their part, vowed to attack any ships that join the US-led maritime coalition.

“We are not putting a timeline on this operation,” McGarry added.

“We’ll stand firm with our partners in the region for as long as it takes until the threat to international shipping in these waterways has ceased.”

Reuters has also reported several US allies are withholding their support for a maritime coalition aimed at protecting shipping routes in the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi fighters in Yemen.

When the Joe Biden administration announced the task force of 20 nations earlier this month, it was seeking a firm international response to actions by the Houthis, but so far only 12 countries have confirmed their participation in the effort, the news agency said in an article on Thursday.

Two US allies in the EU – Spain and Italy, who were eventually named as contributors to ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ – have since distanced themselves from the task force.

Washington continues to back the Israeli military operation in the Palestinian enclave, despite increasing international criticism the Israeli bombardment, through which more than 21,500 Palestinians have been killed according to Gaza’s health ministry.

South Africa files genocide case against Israel at ICJ

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

In its application, South Africa accuses Israel of being “in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention” and that “acts and omissions by Israel … are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent … to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”, the ICJ said in a statement.

Israel, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected South Africa’s claims and application to the World Court, saying South Africa “is calling for the destruction of the State of Israel”, and that its “claim lacks both a factual and a legal basis.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed South Africa’s move to begin proceedings over the genocide allegations.

“The Court must immediately take action to protect the Palestinian people and call on Israel, the occupying Power, to halt its onslaught against the Palestinian people, in order to ensure an objective legal resolution,” the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.

“The existence of the Palestinian people is under unprecedented threat as we are facing a moral and legal catastrophe of enormous proportions undermining our shared humanity and the essence of the multilateral order,” the statement read.

South Africa and Israel are both parties to the Genocide Convention, according to the ICJ, which is also known as the World Court and is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

The role of the International Court of Justice is to handle disputes between member states, whereas the International Criminal Court tries individuals.

Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza followed Hamas’ shocking Oct. 7 cross-border attack in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed and hundreds more taken back to the coastal enclave as hostages.

Nearly 21,500 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, and almost 56,000 others have been injured, according to local health authorities.

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