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Iran welcomes a UN Security Council resolution which calls for greater cooperation against kidnappings by terrorist groups. Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham has said that the resolution is only a first step toward ending terrorism and that a collective effort by all countries is needed to achieve that. She warned against employing double standards in implementing the UN resolution. Afkham said that if the world fails to deal with terrorism properly and allows a discriminatory approach, all attempts would fail and more countries would fall victim to violence. Afkham said that Iran is ready to take practical steps at the regional and international levels to help tackle terrorism. The UN resolution strongly condemns incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking committed by terrorists and calls on all countries to stop paying ransom to kidnappers who use the money to finance terrorist groups.

In Syria, the army is making further advance on the country\'s largest city Aleppo, as it battles foreign-backed insurgents. Reports coming out of Syria say government forces have gained control of some areas in Aleppo in the past few weeks. Meanwhile, the army has been deployed en masse around the east of the city. Aleppo has been the scene of deadly clashes between government forces and the militants since December 15th. Syria has been gripped by violence since February 2011. Damascus accuses the the West and its regional allies of fueling the bloodshed by providing the insurgents with weapons and money.

Ukraine\'s president has accepted the prime minister\'s resignation following weeks of deadly clashes between government forces and pro-western protesters. The government says there are foreign hands behind the violence while the European Union and the United States deny any involvement. So is it a grassroots movement or a foreign-backed plot? I\'m Homa Lezgee and you\'re watching the Debate.

Ukraine\'s president has accepted the prime minister\'s resignation following weeks of deadly clashes between government forces and pro-western protesters. The government says there are foreign hands behind the violence while the European Union and the United States deny any involvement. So is it a grassroots movement or a foreign-backed plot? I\'m Homa Lezgee and you\'re watching the Debate.

Egypt\' ousted president Mohamed Morsi has questioned the legality of his trial, as he appears before a court for a prison break in 2011. Morsi and 130 others are accused of the prison break during the uprising against former dictator Hosni Mubarak. The former president told the judges from inside a glass-encased metal case that he remains the country\'s legitimate leader, and that the court itself is illegal. Morsi was flown by helicopter from the Borg al-Arab prison in Alexandria. The trial has now been adjourned until February 22. His other trial on the charge of inciting violence against anti-government protests, will resume on Saturday. The case has been delayed twice since it opened in November. Egypt \'s first democratically-elected president has been implicated in two other cases. The country has been gripped by mass protests since the military toppled him in early July last year.

While Bahrainis have taken to the streets to protest the al-Khalifa regime\'s dissolution of a prominent Shia clerical group, Bahrain Forum for Human Rights in Beirut held a conference to denounce the regime\'s decision and call for reversing the regime\'s decision. Activists have called the move a sectarian crackdown on Shias in the tiny Kingdom, stressing its unconstitutionality. Islamic scholars have condemned the dissolution, calling the regime\'s crackdown on peaceful demonstrators crime against all Muslims in the region. Other religious figures have urged Bahraini authorities to reverse their decision, warning of an eruption of violence in Manama. Since mid-February 2011, Bahrain has been witnessing peaceful demonstrations calling for the al-Khalifa royal family to relinquish power. On Wednesday, a court in the tiny Persian Gulf country ordered the dissolution of the clerical group. Following the move, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the main opposition bloc in the country, censured the move, saying that \"the regime has declared war on Shias.\" Bahrain\'s Justice and Islamic Affairs Ministry dissolved the prominent Shia clerical group after calling for confiscating all the Council\'s assets. Activists and religious leaders have gathered here in Beirut to denounce dissolving the Shia body in Bahrain, amid a widespread crackdown on Shias in the Persian Gulf State. Fateme

The catastrophe of al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus is growing with each hour. Militants occupying the camp since months blocked the delivery of food and medical aid causing the death of many civilians because of starvation. She is a mother picking up grass as food for her children. And this is where people hunted, killed and ate a dog to survive. Civilians have dozens of horrific stories to tell. This woman cries for her old and sick husband. People here told Press TV that militants have all the food they need but have refused to give them. After several failing initiatives, Syria based Palestinian factions were able to coordinate with some of the militants to bring in some UN aid into the camp. Several hundreds of food boxes were distributed.The urgent need of food assistance is clearly visible here is al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, as hundreds of people have marched hoping to get a parcel of food aid. People say the distributed aid is not enough in comparison with the number of the needy inside as there are thousands trapped. Though the aid delivered isn\'t sufficient, but the fact that food started flowing in is optimistic. According to Palestinian factions, the Syrian government provided all facilitations for the success of the process. Al-Yarmouk is the largest Palestinian camp in Syria. The factions continue their efforts to clear the camp of foreign fighters and end the violence there.

Representatives from the Syrian government and the foreign-backed opposition will resume meetings in February. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed the February talks. The confirmation comes as the two sides prepare to wrap up the Geneva negotiations on Friday which were mediated by UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. The two sides remained deadlocked on Thursday over the issue of terrorism in Syria. They blame each other for the ongoing violence.

Staying with Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood has dismissed a new government claim that the group has formed a military wing. Mohamed Ali Beshr, who\'s a prominent figure of the Islamic movement, says the Brotherhood has NOT formed any military wing to stage attacks on Egypt\'s security forces. Beshr says the group has repeatedly condemned all forms of violence and terrorism. On Sunday, the interior ministry attributed an armed branch based in the city of Beni Suef to the Brotherhood. It also accused 12 members of the group of killing five policemen. Egypt\'s Muslim Brotherhood, on whose ticket Mohamed Morsi rose to power in 20-12, has already been listed as a terrorist organization by the government.

Syria\'s Deputy Foreign Minister says no agenda has been agreed on for the so-called peace talks in Geneva, blaming the opposition party of refusing to discuss the issue of terrorism. Meqdad added that the opposition is only trying to waste time. He made the remarks after holding the second round of negotiations with the foreign-backed opposition in Geneva. The first round of talks last month produced no tangible results, with each side blaming the other for the ongoing violence. But according to U-N envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, some common ground was reached.

Nearly a dozen people have been killed and many more injured in a fresh attack in Pakistan\'s port city of Karachi. Officials say an explosive-laden car hit a police bus transporting over 50 personnel. All of the victims are policemen. No group has claimed responsibility for the early morning attack. Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bombings and shootings in recent months. And Karachi has been one of the major targets with insurgent groups often trying to create ethnic violence in the city. Just days ago, several people were killed after a group of gunmen threw grenades and opened fire at a religious gathering there.

Libyans are commemorating the third anniversary of the beginning of the revolution that toppled former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In Tripoli, people gathered at the main crossroads of the capital to watch fireworks. Many streets were decked with Libya\'s revolutionary flag, and multicolored lights were strung across the main roads. But for many Libyans there is little to celebrate as the country is plagued by lawlessness. Libya is still struggling to rebuild an army capable of curbing the violence blamed largely on the well-armed militiamen who fought Gaddafi. And the government and the interim parliament are accused of corruption and failing to provide Libyans a better life.

Several car bombs targeted Shia districts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad and the southern city of Hilla. The blasts come a day after over twenty people were killed in various bomb explosions in the capital. Last month, more than one thousand people lost their lives in a surge of violence. The bloodshed is largely blamed on al-Qaeda-linked militants. The government has launched an operation against the militants in the western province of Anbar.

Deadly clashes in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. At least five anti-government protesters are killed and scores of others-- including police officers-- are injured. Reports say over 47 police officers and 150 protesters were injured in the clashes. Violence erupted as protesters gathered outside the parliament building. Opposition lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to pass constitutional changes stripping President Viktor Yanukovych of some of his powers. A group of protesters also attacked the ruling-party headquarters. Russia blamed the policies of Western countries for the latest clashes between pro-E-U protesters and police. The E-U and the U-S on the one side and Russia on the other, have accused each other of interfering in Ukraine\'s internal affairs.

Terrorist attacks in Iraq leave nearly fifty people dead. Several car bombs targeted Shia districts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad and the southern city of Hilla. The blasts come a day after over twenty people were killed in various bomb explosions in the capital. Last month, more than one thousand people lost their lives in a surge of violence. The bloodshed is largely blamed on al-Qaeda-linked militants. The government has launched an operation against the militants in the western province of Anbar.

A car bomb attack outside the Iranian consulate in the Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least two soldiers and left a dozen others injured. Iranian consulate staff members were unharmed in the bombing. Tehran has strongly condemned the terrorist attack. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Marziyeh Afkham said all countries in the region should cooperate to counter the growing violence and sectarian tensions in the region.

An Egyptian court has sentenced 26 people to death for plotting attacks on ships in the Suez Canal. The men, who were tried in their absence, were charged while in custody. The court accuses the defendents of founding and leading a terrorist cell, which wanted to disrupt the major shipping route. It also referred the verdict to the Grand Mufti of Cairo, who now has to validate the sentences. The recent spate of violence has rocked Egypt, after former president Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in July, and placed under arrest. The latest ruling comes as another court in the country sentenced over 2-hundred Morsi supporters to prison over a variety of charges on Tuesday.

[09 Mar 2014] Afghan women facing tough struggle for more rights - English

The following is the full text of the sermons delivered on August 9, 2013 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, during Eid ul-Fitr prayers in Tehran. In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Creator of all creatures, Whom we praise, from Whom we seek help, to Whom we repent, and Whom we rely on, and peace and greetings be upon His beloved and noble one, the best among His servants, the protector of His secret, the promoter of His message, the harbinger of His mercy, the warner of His chastisement, our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad, upon his immaculate, pure and chosen household, and upon those who guide the guided, and who are immaculate and respected, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth. I advise myself and all of you dear brothers and sisters, who said your prayers in this magnificent meeting, to fear God and engage in piety which is the source of happiness and victory in this world and in the hereafter. I would like to congratulate all of you, all the people of Iran and all Muslims throughout the world on the occasion of the auspicious Eid ul-Fitr. The month of Ramadan, which is full of divine blessings for our nation and other Muslims, is over and many happy people benefited from the blessings of this month. These people spent the day obeying God while they were fasting and while they felt hungry and thirsty in such hot weather and on such hot days and they avoided carnal desires and curbed their human passions. At night, many people engaged in prayer and dhikr and they kept a vigil for God. Those who carried out their responsibility by worshiping God and fulfilling divine obligations in this month feel satisfied and happy. Engaging in spiritual deeds and fighting against human passions in this month gives a feeling of joy and spiritual happiness to you dear people who are the masters of determination and willpower and who exercised patience in fasting. One of the characteristics of carrying out responsibilities for the sake of God and making efforts and engaging in jihad for the sake of God is that one feels happy although one endures hardships and difficulties. And God has connected this happiness with the happiness that we feel on the day of Eid ul-Fitr. In order to show the greatness of this day, I should merely say that, during the nine qunuts of the auspicious prayers of Eid ul-Fitr, you swear by the blessedness of this day: \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"By the blessedness of this day I ask you...\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" [Mafatih al-Jinan, Eid ul-Fitr] I hope that Allah the Exalted accepts your prayers, bestows and showers His mercy and blessings on the people of Iran and bestows abundant rewards on you for the efforts that you made in this month. One of the great efforts that the people made in this month was the Quds Day rallies. One cannot describe in any way, how significant what you did is. Throughout the country, you marched on the streets in such hot weather and while you were fasting in order to prove the resistance of the Iranian nation on this important issue of the world of Islam and the history of Islam. This is the meaning of a living nation. I deem it necessary to express my gratitude, from the bottom of my heart, to the Iranian nation for this effort. This year, more than previous years, a good tradition was witnessed. It is good to pay attention to this issue which is the act of providing the people with simple and unadorned iftar meals in our mosques and on the streets of many cities of the country. Unlike the act of offering extravagant iftar meals which we heard a number of people did, this is a very appropriate act. Under the pretext of offering iftar meals, these people engaged in extravagant acts. Instead of becoming an instrument for establishing a psychological relationship with the poor and the deprived in the month of Ramadan, they indulged themselves in carnal desires by doing this. We do not want to say that if somebody eats a delicious food during iftar, this is forbidden. No, according to Sharia, these things are not forbidden. But extravagance and overindulgence are forbidden. The extravagance which is sometimes witnessed in such occasions is forbidden. It is so much better for those who want to offer iftar meals to do this by cherishing the tradition which has become common. In such traditions, a number of individuals offer free iftar meals - with great generosity - to people and passers-by and those who like to benefit from these iftar meals on the streets and in different Hussayniyyahs. I hope that Allah the Exalted bestows His blessings on all of you people of Iran and accepts your actions. I hope that He bestows on you the blessing to preserve the achievements of the auspicious month of Ramadan until next year. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful I swear by the time, Most surely man is in loss, Except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" [The Holy Quran, 103] All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad and upon his immaculate, pure and chosen household, especially upon the Commander of the Faithful, the Mistress of all Women, Hassan and Hussein- the children of mercy and the Imams of the guided, Ali ibn al-Hussein Zayn al-Abidin, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, Ja\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, Musa ibn Ja\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'far al-Kadhim, Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi, Hassan ibn Ali al-Askari and Hujjat al-Qaem al-Mahdi. Greetings be upon them all and upon the Imams of Muslims, supporters of the oppressed, and those who guide the faithful. We ask for Allah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s forgiveness and we turn repentant to Him. I advise all the brothers and sisters to observe piety in their speech, behavior and positions and in different social, economic and political arenas. These days, many events are taking place in West Asia, North Africa and, generally, in Islamic regions. I will briefly refer to a number of these events. In our own country, the important event is the formation of the new administration. Thankfully, with the determination and all-out efforts of the people, this legal request was granted and this national tradition was preserved in the best way possible. By Allah\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s favor, after the Majlis carries out its responsibility of choosing competent ministers, the administration will be formed and it will start to fulfill the great and important tasks which it is in charge of although it has already started to fulfill many of the tasks. I hope that the honorable president and the executive officials of the country will benefit from divine blessings. I hope that the people\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s support and assistance will help them carry out the great responsibilities - great responsibilities have great advantages as well as great difficulties - which they have in the best way possible. However in countries which are located around us - countries in West Asia and North Africa - the events that are taking place are not happy events. Rather, they are worrying events. One event is the event of the oppressed Palestine. After the passage of 65 years since the official occupation of Palestine, this oppressed nation continues to suffer from oppression and cruelty on a daily basis. Houses are destroyed, innocent people are arrested, children are separated from their parents and prisons are filled with people who are innocent or who have served their prison terms. What is distressing is that western powers support these criminals with all their power. One of the disasters of today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s world is that an act of clear oppression, which is a combination of tens and hundreds of oppressive acts, is supported by those who claim they support human rights and democracy and who chant beautiful and colorful slogans, but who support criminals in practice. Now, a number of negotiations have begun again between the self-governing government of Palestine and the Zionists. These negotiations will definitely not produce any results other than what happened during previous negotiations in which Palestinians gave up their rights and encouraged the transgressors to transgress more and stop the lawful political activities of the people of Palestine. They destroy houses, build unlawful buildings for the people who have occupied Palestine and then they say that they are negotiating. Now, they have announced that negotiations will be conducted in secret. The way global arrogance cooks these negotiations will definitely be to the disadvantage of the Palestinians. We believe that the world of Islam should not back down on the issue of Palestine and it should condemn the usurping act of the predatory and wolf-like Zionists and their international supporters. It should not let these negotiations which are conducted with the so-called mediation of America lead to more oppression against the people of Palestine and to the isolation of Muslim Palestinian fighters. In fact, America is not a mediator. Rather, the Americans themselves are one side of these negotiations and they are on the side of the usurpers of Palestine, the Zionists. Another issue is the issue of Egypt. We are concerned about what is happening in Egypt. Considering the things that are being done in this country, the idea that a civil war may break out in Egypt is gaining strength on a daily basis and this is a disaster. It is necessary for the great people of Egypt and political, scientific and religious personalities in this country to take a look at the current situation and see what catastrophic consequences this situation may have. They should see the current situation in Syria. They should see the consequences of the presence of western and Zionist mercenaries and terrorists wherever they are active. They should see these dangers. Democracy should receive attention. The killing of people is vigorously condemned by Muslims. Using the language of violence and bullying by different groups of people is absolutely useless and it will cause great harm. The intervention of foreign powers - the way it is witnessed in the present time - will produce nothing except for loss and harm. The problems of Egypt should be solved by the people of Egypt and the outstanding personalities of Egypt. They should think about the catastrophic and dangerous consequences of this situation. If, God forbid, there is mayhem and if, God forbid, a civil war breaks out, what can then preclude this? In such conditions, there will be excuse for the intervention of superpowers which are the greatest disaster for any country and nation. We are concerned. We would like to offer a brotherly piece of advice to outstanding Egyptian personalities, the people of Egypt, political and religious groups and religious scholars. They should think of a solution on their own and adopt this solution on their own. They should not allow foreigners and powers - whose intelligence services have, most likely, played a role in creating this situation - to make more interventions. Another issue is the issue of Iraq. In Iraq, a democratic administration and government has come to power with the votes of the people. Because superpowers and the reactionary forces of the region are unhappy about this situation, they do not want to let the people of Iraq feel comfort. These explosions, these killings and these criminal and terrorist activities results from the assistance and financial, political and arms support of a number of regional and ultra-regional powers which do not want to let the Iraqi nation live its life the way it wants. It is necessary for Iraqi politicians and officials, Iraqi groups, Shia and Sunni Muslims, Arabs and Kurds to take a look at the situation which exists in a number of other countries. They should notice that the consequences of civil wars and domestic conflicts, which destroy the infrastructures of any country, ruin the future of any nation. In all these events, the Zionist regime and usurpers sit and watch this situation with satisfaction and they feel comfort. Should this be allowed to continue? Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad (s.w.a.) and his household (a.s.), awaken us from ignorance. Dear God, cut off the hands of malicious people and transgressors in Islamic nations and countries. Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad (s.w.a.) and his household (a.s.), make Islam and Muslims achieve victory wherever they are. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful To you, have We granted the Fount (of Abundance), Therefore to your Lord turn in Prayer and Sacrifice, For he who hates you, he will be cut off.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" [The Holy Quran, 108]

[13 Mar 2014] Pakistan to hold direct talks with Taliban - English

[16 Mar 2014] Moscow insists referendum on Crimea\'s secession from Ukraine legal - English

[26 Mar 2014] The Debate - War on Syria (P.1) - English

[26 Mar 2014] The Debate - War on Syria (P.2) - English

[01 Apr 2014] Violent clashes erupt in the Egyptian capital Cairo - English

[02 Apr 2014] At least 20 killed in militant attack on army command in Yemen - English

[02 Apr 2014] New security plan launched in Lebanon\'s Tripoli - English

[06 Apr 2014] Afghan police: 3 killed & 8 ballot boxes destroyed - English

[06 Apr 2014] 7 anti-regime Bahraini protesters sentenced to 15 years in jail - English