Taiwan’s representative to Switzerland, David WF Huang, reiterated Taiwan’s sovereignty in a keynote speech in Switzerland, Focus Taiwan reported. Invited by the Swiss think tank Foraus, Huang addressed nearly 200 attendees at the University of Zurich, highlighting recent developments in the Taiwan Strait, including China’s adjustment of the M503 flight path. According to Focus Taiwan, Huang emphasized that China’s claims over Taiwan lack a legal basis under international law, citing Chinese interventions in Taiwan’s elections, unilateral changes to the M503 flight route, and incidents near Kinmen as instances of China’s gray-zone warfare tactics. Regarding China’s agressive actions in the South China Sea, Huang pointed to recent collision between Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships and China’s patrols near Kinmen as examples of its anti-access and area denial strategy. He underscored Taiwan’s ownership of Taiping Island and its commitment to safeguarding interests in the South China Sea. However, he expressed Taiwan’s willingness to engage in multilateral talks to foster regional peace and prosperity, despite disputes, as per Focus Taiwan. The speech concluded with a question and answer session, where Huang addressed inquiries about Taiwan-Philippine relations and UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, which pertains to the ‘restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations.    Source: ANI

The Arabic word for fasting is called "sawm" in the Quran. The word sawm literally means "to abstain". Chapter Maryam of the Quran says that Mary the mother of Jesus said "I have vowed a "sawm" (fast) for the sake of the Merciful, so today I shall not speak to anyone." [Quran 19:26]. According to Shariyah, the word sawm means to abstain from all those things that are forbidden during fasting from the break of dawn to the sunset, and to do this with the intention of fasting. Purpose of Fasting In chapter 2 verse 183 the Quran says, "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who were before you, in order that you may learn taqwa (piety)". Taqwa is a very important spiritual and ethical term of the Quran. It is the sum total of all Islamic spirituality and ethics. It is a quality in a believer's life that keeps him or her aware of God all the time. A person who has taqwa loves to do good and avoid evil for the sake of God. Taqwa is piety, righteousness and consciousness of God. Taqwa requires patience and perseverance. Fasting teaches patience, and with patience one can rise to the high position of taqwa. The Prophet (SA) said that fasting is a shield. It protects a person from sin and lustful desires. When the disciples of Jesus asked him how to cast the evil spirits away, he is reported to have said, "But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:21). According to Imam Al Ghazali, fasting produces a semblance of divine quality of samadiyyah (freedom from want) in a human being. Imam Ibn Al Qayyim, viewed fasting as a means of releasing the human spirit from the clutches of desire, thus allowing moderation to prevail in the carnal self. Imam Shah Waliullah Dahlawi (d. 1762 C.E.) viewed fasting as a means of weakening the bestial and reinforcing the angelic elements in human beings. Maulana Mawdudi (d. 1979 C.E.) emphasized that fasting for a full month every year trains a person individually, and the Muslim community as a whole, in piety and self restraint. Fasting Is Obligatory In the second year of Hijrah, Muslims were commanded to fast in the month of Ramadan every year as mentioned in the verse above [Al-Baqarah 2:183]. The Quran further says "The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran, wherein is guidance for humankind and the clear signs of guidance and distinction. Thus whosoever among you witness the month must fast..." [Al-Baqarah 2:184]. Prophet Muhammad (SA) explained this further in a number of his statements reported in the books of Hadith. It is reported by Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Messenger of God said, "Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no god except God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, performing Prayer, paying the zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting during the month of Ramadan." The entire Muslim world is unanimous in the principal of fasting in the month of Ramadan and considers it obligatory upon every person who is physicaly capable (mukallaf). Who must fast? Muslims all over the world wait eagerly for Ramadan, as it is a time of increased inner peace and well-being. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is obligatory upon every adult Muslim, male or female, who has reached puberty, is sane and who is not sick or traveling. Sickness could be a temporary sickness from which a person expects to be cured soon. Such a person should not fast during the days of his or her sickness, but he or she must fast later after Ramadan to complete the missed days. Those who are sick with incurable illness and expect no better health are also allowed not to fast but they must pay the fidyah, which is giving a day's meals for each fast missed to a needy person. Instead of food for one day one can also give equivalent amount of money to a needy person. Women in their menses and post-natal bleeding are not allowed to fast, but they must make up the fast later after Ramadan. If pregnant women and mothers who are nursing babies can also postpone their fasting to a later time when they are able to do so. A travel according to the Shariah is any journey that takes you away from your city of residence, a minimum of 48 miles or 80 kilometers. The journey must be for a good cause. One must avoid frivolous travel during Ramadan which causes a person to miss fasting. If possible one should try to change their travel plans during Ramadan to be able to fast and should not travel unless it is necessary. The traveler who misses the fasts of Ramadan must make up those missed days later as soon as possible after Ramadan. Fasting According to the Sunnah 1 - Take sahur (pre-dawn meal). It is Sunnah and there is a great reward and blessing in taking sahur. The best time for sahur is the last half hour before dawn or the time for Fajr prayer. 2 - Take iftar (break-fast) immediately after sunset. Shariah considers sunset when the disk of the sun goes below the horizon and disappears completely. 3 - During the fast, abstain from all false talks and deeds. Do not quarrel, have disputes, indulge in arguments, use bad words, or do anything that is forbidden. You should try to discipline yourself morally and ethically, besides gaining physical training and discipline. You should also not make a show of your fasting by talking too much about it, or by showing dry lips and a hungry stomach, or by showing a bad temper. The fasting person must be a pleasant person with good spirits and good cheer. 4 - During the fast, do acts of charity and goodness to others and increase your worship and reading of the Quran. Every one should try to read the whole Quran at least once during the month of Ramadan. Things That Invalidate the Fast You must avoid doing anything that may render your fast invalid. Things that invalidate the fast and require qadaa' (making up for these days) are the following: 1 - Eating, drinking or smoking deliberately, including taking any non-nourishing items by mouth or nose. 2 - Deliberately causing yourself to vomit. 3 - The beginning of menstrual or post-childbirth bleeding even in the last moment before sunset. 4 - Sexual intercourse or other sexual contact (or masturbation) that results in ejaculation (in men) or vaginal secretions (orgasm) in women. 5 - Eating, drinking, smoking or having sexual intercourse after Fajr (dawn) on the mistaken assumption that it is not Fajr time yet. Similarly, engaging in these acts before Maghrib (sunset) on the mistaken assumption that it is already Maghrib time. Sexual intercourse during fasting is forbidden. Those who engage in it must make both qadaa' (make up the fasts) and kaffarah (expiation by fasting for 60 days after Ramadan or by feeding 60 poor people for each day of fast broken in this way). According to Imam Abu Hanifah, eating and/or drinking deliberately during fast also entail the same qadaa' and kaffarah. Things That Do Not Invalidate Fasting Using a miswak to clean your teeth does not invalidate fasting During fast, the following things are permissible: 1 - Taking a bath or shower. If water is swallowed involuntarily it will not invalidate the fast. According to most of the jurists, swimming is also allowed in fasting, but one should avoid diving, because that will cause the water to go from the mouth or nose into the stomach. 2 - Using perfumes, wearing contact lenses or using eye drops. 3 - Taking injections or having a blood test. 4 - Using miswak (tooth-stick) or toothbrush (even with tooth paste) and rinsing the mouth or nostrils with water, provided it is not overdone (so as to avoid swallowing water). 5 - Eating, drinking or smoking unintentionally, i.e., forgetting that one was fasting. But one must stop as soon as one remembers and should continue one's fast. 6 - Sleeping during the daytime and having a wet-dream does not break one's fast. Also, if one has intercourse during the night and was not able to make ghusl (bathe) before dawn, he or she can begin fast and make ghusl later. Women whose menstruation stops during the night may begin fasting even if they have not made ghusl yet. In all these cases, bathing (ghusl) is necessary but fast is valid even without bathing. 7 - Kissing between husband and wife is allowed in fasting, but one should try to avoid it so that one may not do anything further that is forbidden during the fast. Requirements for Fasting to Be Valid There are basically two main components of fasting: 1 - The intention (niyyah) for fasting. One should make a sincere intention to fast for the sake of God every day before dawn. The intention need not be in words, but must be with the sincerity of the heart and mind. Some jurists are of the opinion that the intention can be made once only for the whole month and does not have to be repeated every day. It is, however, better to make intention every day to take full benefit of fasting. 2 - Abstaining from dawn to dusk from everything that invalidates fasting as mentioned above.   Source: Internet

Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus had reached to the head quarters of Anti-Corruption Commission to face the interrogation on Thursday, October 05.  After completed the interrogation his lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun told to the media that, "After receiving the notice from the ACC, my client came to the ACC office to present his statement, showing respect to the laws of the country." "This case is baseless and fictitious. It has no legal basis," he added. At 9.37 am he entered the acc office. In that time the current and former managing directors of Grameen Telecom was present.   On September 27, ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan issued the letters. Earlier on Wednesday, ACC secretary Md Mahbub Hossain told that they summoned the grameen officials and interrogated them for the sake of investigation. The three are - Grameen Telecom’s director Naznin Sultana, Nurjahan Begum and Hajjatul Islam Latifi.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing harsh prison conditions, his legal team said on Monday. Khan was handed a three-year jail sentence on Saturday for failing to declare state gifts he received while in power. The ruling disqualifies him from running for office, with general elections due for later this year. The former prime minister has faced more than 200 legal cases against him since he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. What did Khan's legal team say? Khan's spokesman for legal affairs, Naeem Haider Panjutha, told reporters that he is the only person who was allowed to meet Khan since his arrest. Panjutha said that Khan told him during the visit: "I'm being treated as if I were a terrorist." The spokesman said that Khan was put in a small, dark jail cell with an open toilet. He said that the only facility in the cell was a fan. "His morale is high and he will continue the fight for the rule of law at any cost," the spokesman said. "He is being held in deplorable conditions not fit for any human, but he is in good spirits," Khan spokesman Raoof Hasan told the Agence-France Presse (AFP) news agency. "He said to 'tell the people that I will not compromise on my principles.'" Khan braces for the worst Panjutha said that Khan's legal team would file an appeal against the court order on Tuesday. He said the former prime minister was ready to face even harsher conditions. Khan's legal team asked the Islamabad High Court for better facilities that include a table, chair, TV, mattress, personal bedding, clothing, and food. His lawyers also asked for Khan to be granted permission to meet his wife, legal team and senior members of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

A bear that killed a jogger in the Alps in April has been given another stay of execution after an Italian court ruled against its euthanization Friday. The bear named JJ4, but is more commonly known as Gaia, was due to be put after it attacked and killed a 26-year-old man who was jogging public nature reserve in the Trentino–Alto Adige region of northern Italy in April. Regional president Maurizio Fugatti ordered the bear shot, but lower courts stopped Fugatti's decree after urgent petitions by animal rights activists.  On Friday, Rome's administrative court, known as the Council of State, handed Gaia another reprieve from execution.   Spared once again It's the third time Italian courts have offered the bear, known as JJ4, a reprieve. Authorities said it also attacked two other people in 2020, but not fatally. In June 2020, JJ4 attacked two hikers on Mount Peller, a father and son. The father was badly injured in the attack. Fugatti at the time also ordered the bear's killing, only to have the court also revoke his order.   'Disproportionate' cull order  On Friday the Council of State ruled that while the bear should be kept in captivity for public safety, the cull order was "disproportionate and incompatible" with legislation. But the reprieve is only until a further appeal is heard in December. Animal rights protection organization LAV welcomed Friday's court ruling  "There's no more reason to delay JJ4's transfer to a safe and authorized refuge in Romania," the group's Massimo Vitturi said. LAV, which has found a Romanian refuge and offered to pay for Gaia to be taken there. The Rome judges also saved another bear, MJ5, which has yet to be captured and was also facing a cull order after injuring a man in March.

Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today (Wednesday) said no Bangladeshi can visit Israel as Bangladesh does not recognize it. “If anyone (Bangladeshi citizen) goes to Israel without the government’s permission that person will be liable to be prosecuted…there has been evidence before,” he said. The foreign minister made the remarks while handing over donation of pharmaceutical products for the people of Palestine to its Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef SY Ramadan at state guesthouse Padma in the capital. The government never gave permission to anyone to visit Israel. “We remain very strong (on legal ground). Everybody knows it,” he added. He said this is the responsibility of the Home Ministry to enforce the law. “Our immigration will stop them immediately. Immigration will control those things and they do it,” he added. A confusion was created after Bangladesh issued a new e-passport book deleting the words “except Israel” to maintain international standard. Until May this year, Bangladesh used to issue passport with a declaration that the travel document was “valid for all countries of the world except Israel” but updated e-passports read “This passport is valid for all countries of the world”. Clearing the confusion, the foreign minister said, passport is an identity of a citizen which doesn’t relate to foreign policy of a country. The minister said Bangladesh has not changed its position towards Israel and the foreign policy of Bangladesh remains the same as it was during Bangabandhu’s time. “We don’t recognise Israel,” he reiterated. Bangladesh handed over medicine worth of Taka 40 lakh to Palestine. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen was also present on the occasion. During the past eight decades of Israel-Palestine conflict, Bangladesh all along stridently supported the Palestinians’ cause and never recognised the existence of Israel while allowed Palestine to set up its embassy in Dhaka as an independent nation. Bangladesh condemned the recent atrocities inflicted upon the civilians by the occupation forces of Israel in al-Aqsa mosque compound and at Gaza. “Bangladesh reiterates its principled position concerning the two-state solution of the Palestine-Israel conflict in light of the UN resolutions recognizing pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine,” a foreign ministry statement said recently. Source: BSS AH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Sunday) told the parliament that her government wouldn’t tolerate non-Islamic activities like arson attacks and vandalism in the name of Islam and vowed to take legal actions against those involved in such activities. “I can only tell that legal action will be taken against those responsible for such misdeeds,” said the Leader of the House while delivering valedictory speech in the twelfth session of the 11th parliament that was prorogued today after three working days amid a massive surge in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mentioning that the Hefajat started mayhem when the nation was set to celebrate the golden jubilee of the country’s independence from March 17 to 26, she said, “Did Hefajat do it alone? The BNP-Jamaat alliance is behind it.” The Prime Minister said it is sure that all the Hefajat men were not involved in the mayhem. Hefajat men spread a rumour relating to killing of people in the Baitul Mukarram Mosque on March 26 and conducted destruction from March 26 to March 31, she added. The premier said BNP and Jamaat gave separate messages supporting the Hefajat on March 27 and 28 which is part of the conspiracy against the state. After calling hartal, the Hefajat, without any provocation, had carried out vandalism across the country, attacking Awami League (AL) offices, houses of AL leaders and activists and government offices. Mentioning that Hefajat men even damaged the holy Quran, Sheikh Hasina questioned what kind of ‘Muslim’ they are. The Prime Minister said the BNP and Jamaat have no political ideology as they supported Hefajat in protest against the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the golden jubilee celebration of independence but they welcomed Modi when he reached Bangladesh. The Hefajat has been conducting destruction in the name of Islam while the BNP and Jamaat are giving them patronage. Referring to Hefajat’s joint secretary general Mamunul Haque’s stay with a woman at a private resort at Sonargaon in Narayanganj (on Saturday), she said that he went to a resort with a woman for entertainment after conducting the mayhem. She added that the Hefajat leader first introduced the woman with whom he was held as his wife and later he told his real wife (over phone that was leaked last night) that he had to introduce the woman as wife due to the situation arose at that time. She called upon the Hefajat men to realize what kind of leadership they have. Describing the Islam as a religion of peace, stability and development, the Prime Minister said that words like militancy, terrorism and adultery have been added to the Islam due to misdeeds of some people. She said such kind of activities wouldn’t be acceptable in any way and her government would not tolerate anything which will lead to the destruction of Islam, the best religion of the world. The premier, however, called upon the countrymen to have patience, saying, “I will say to the countrymen to have patience. We have to have patience.” The people of the country will in no way accept non-Islamic activities in the name of Islam, she added. She stated that as many as 116 countries, including the USA, the UK, France, Canada, and Russia, and 33 international organizations, including OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) and the UN (United Nations), gave felicitation messages marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and golden jubilee of the country’s independence. The Prime Minister described pouring messages in large numbers from abroad as a matter of pride for the countrymen. A group of people could not be happy with this, she said and questioned, “Why? Require collective fight against coronavirus: Regarding the fresh surge of the Covid-19, the Prime Minister called upon all to come forward to stop further spread of the coronavirus as its second wave has hit the country with more strength. “The second wave of coronavirus is becoming more dangerous across the globe -the infection and fatality rate of the virus has shown a sudden surge from March 29 to 31 and since then it is on the rising trend,” she said. Noting that she had just signed the file to impose the week-long lockdown aimed at making sure protection of all, the premier said that she knows everyone will face a little trouble due to the shutdown. She added: “But even then I will say that life is big, life comes before everything.” So, the premier said, all have to follow the health protocol, wear facemasks and maintain social distancing and stop all sorts of social gatherings such as marriage ceremonies. She asked the authorities concerned to confirm quarantine of the home returnees from different countries. The Prime Minister requested all concerned to take special care of the children and the youths as the Covid-19 infection rate is much higher among them although the elderly people were seen infected with the virus in the first wave. She said that they have to stop the tourist spots to check the sudden surge in the Covid-19 cases. Sheikh Hasina, the Leader of the House, said that the 12th session of the 11th parliament had been prorogued due to the second surge of the coronavirus. Mentioning that a number of lawmakers have died of coronavirus, she expressed profound shock and sorrow at the deaths of the people in the Covid-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister said the vaccination against the Covid-19 would be continued, adding her government has already brought vaccine to the country and is making efforts to purchase more. She reiterated her call to the countrymen to bring each inch of land under cultivation to face possible shortage of foods due to the pandemic. The premier expressed shock and sorrow at the death of sitting lawmaker Aslamul Haque. Development works to be continued: The Prime Minister said that development works would be continued despite the fact the coronavirus has somehow affected the development spree. She said her government has been working to make Bangladesh self-reliant in every sector. She referred to the innovation of a new variety of onion after conducting research. This will help deal with the crisis the country faces sometimes for onion and will dispel the dependency on foreign countries for the kitchen item. The Prime Minister said that her government is also conducting research to find a way to face the crisis of edible oil. She reiterated her vow to make Bangladesh a developed and prosperous country by 2041, saying that her government has already fulfilled a pledge by making the country a middle-income one. The Prime Minister said that the success has come as they run the state being imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War and following the footprints of the Father of the Nation. She thanked the countrymen as they voted the Awami League to power and gave the scope to run the state time and again. The premier said that they have adopted a Delta Plan to give the country a guideline how it will be run towards development. Source: BSS AH

Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen has said that the government is considering taking legal action against Al Jazeera. He delivered the information to the newsmen on Wednesday. In response to a question the foreign minister said, Al Jazeera should express apology. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina never appointed bodyguard, party men are her bodyguards. He said, though martial law is prevailing in Myanmar but we will continue our discussion over Rohingya repatriation. We keep our confidence on China over the Rohingya crisis. The minister said, currently we cannot keep communication continue with Myanmar. So Bangladesh is maintaining communication with the country through China. AH     

Parliament on Thursday passed the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board Bill, 2020, replacing a 1978 ordinance in this regard.   In December last, the Cabinet approved the bill in principle bringing some amendments to the existing Madrasah Education Ordinance, 1978 as the Supreme Court declared all the laws made during military regimes illegal. Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni moved the Bill on Thursday and it was passed by voice vote. According to Article 28 of the proposed law, there will be (legal) protection of the activities the Madrasah Education has so far done since 1974. The activities would be considered as done under this (proposed) law and no activity (of the previous time) can be challenged as illegal. The employees of the board were declared as public servants and their retirement age fixed at 60 years like all other education boards. Source: UNB AH

The Cabinet on Monday decided that all those arriving from abroad must stay in 14-day quarantine or else face legal action. “Those whoever coming from any foreign country must stay in a 14-day compulsory quarantine. There’s no exemption, no matter whatever they are,” Cabinet Secretary Khandkar Anwarul Islam said while briefing reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting at the secretariat. Citing an example, the Cabinet Secretary said the divisional commissioner of Rangpur was asked to stay in a14-day quarantine as he returned home from abroad on Monday. “If anyone violates it (the directive regarding quarantine) anywhere, action will be taken according to the law,” he said. In this regard, Anwarul Islam mentioned that the deputy commissioner of Manikganj fined a Saudi-returnee Tk 10,000 on Sunday as he was roaming outside defying the quarantine directive. He said if anyone is infected with the Covid-19 because of any Covid-19 patient, the responsible person will have to face legal action. The Cabinet decided to keep all educational institutions shut down till March 31 asking the guardians not to allow their children roam outside their residence unnecessarily. He, however, warned of taking action if any student is found roaming outside their residence without any logical reason. The educational institutions were shut down so that students can stay indoors for safety, Anwarul Islam added. He said the government has asked local administrations – Deputy Commissioners, Civil Surgeons, Superintendents of Police (SP), Upazila Nirbahi Officers--local body representatives and imams of mosques to carry out the awareness campaign in their respective areas in this regard as well as ensure that no-one having fever, cough and cold-related diseases roam in public places. He said the government officials and employees have already been asked not to come to the office with fever, cough and cold-related diseases. The Cabinet Secretary said the authorities concerned were asked to make announcements in every mosque across the country advising the people having fever, cough or influenza not to come to mosques.   Bangladesh on Monday announced the detection of three new coronavirus patients and confirmed that the virus has started transmitting locally. So far, the country has recorded eight cases. Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora revealed the information at a regular press briefing. Source: UNB AH