Saudi Border Guards Accused of Killing Hundreds of African Migrants in A Recent 15-Month Period: Human Rights Watch

New Age Islam News Bureau

22 August 2023

 

Saudi Border Guards Accused of Killing Hundreds of African Migrants in A Recent 15-Month Period: Human Rights Watch

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Arab World

·         Music Commission launches Oud House in Riyadh; registration opens

·         Minister receives non-resident ambassador of Paraguay in Riyadh

·         Authorities warn of famine among displaced Yemenis as UN limits supplies

·         Saudi citizen injured after falling from hotel balcony in France 

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Mideast

·         Netanyahu says recent attacks on Israelis are backed by Iran

·         10 years after deadly chemical attack, Syria’s survivors seek justice

·         As Syria burns, and its economy collapses, firefighters appeal for support

·         Protests rock government-held areas in southern Syria as economy crumbles

·         This year over 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis have been killed, highest since 2005, UN says

·         Iran says prisoner exchange process with US will take up to two months

·         Authorities warn of famine among displaced Yemenis as UN limits supplies

·         Two Palestinians arrested; one teenager shot dead after Israeli settlers killed: army

·         Tense calm in divided Cyprus after UN says peacekeepers attacked

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India

·         Prevent split of Muslim vote: West Bengal CM to clerics

·         West Bengal govt. hikes honorarium for imams and muezzins in Bengal by Rs 500

·         NIA makes 4th arrest in ISIS Jabalpur module case

·         Nuh violence accused, identified as Aamir, held after gunfight with Haryana police

·         US court stays extradition of Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana pending his appeal

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Pakistan

·         Govt Resolves to Deal with Jaranwala Incident on No Fear No Favor Basis

·         Damage to Jaranwala churches, homes estimated at Rs67m

·         Special court formed to hear cipher case in camera

·         Islamabad, Kabul in contact over militancy issue: official

·         ECP constitutes high-powered committee for election arrangements

·         Zaheer A Janjua lauds diaspora’s role in strengthening ties between Pak, Canada

·         Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign an Air Services Agreement to facilitate their citizens

·         Special court remands Shah Mahmood Qureshi in FIA custody for four days

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South Asia

·         Iran's ambassador to Kabul Calls Technical Team's Visit Positive Step for Kabul, Tehran

·         At least 70% of Afghans struggle in poverty with no jobs: IOM

·         Afghan delegation attends in 7th Afghanistan Future Thought Forum session held in Indonesia

·         Nearly 40 Afghan refugees released from Pakistani prisons

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Europe

·         Sweden Ponders New Police Powers to Stop Quran Burning

·         Ukrainian UAVs intercepted near Crimea – Moscow

·         UK officials banned from calling Russia and China ‘hostile states’ – The Times

·         ‘Fallen angels from hell’ – Scholz slams critics of his Ukraine policies

·         Greece joins Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jet coalition

·         42 countries and EU join formation of International registry of damages caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine

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Southeast Asia

·         In Singapore, Man Gets 16 Years' Jail, Caning for Sexually Assaulting Step-Nephew Repeatedly Over Five Years

·         Ex-PM Thaksin returns to Thailand after 15 years in exile

·         Kian Ming: Pakatan victory in Sg Pelek impossible without BN’s support

·         Kedah Bersatu chief says ‘all is well’ with PAS after its three partymen sworn in as excos

·         Fly The Jalur Gemilang, Show Loyalty, Love for Country, Anwar Urges Malaysians

·         Selangor’s delicate balance of coalition politics

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Africa

·         In Niger, A Jihadist Threat Difficult to Measure

·         Libya repatriates 161 Nigerian migrants

·         South Africa beefs up security ahead of BRICS summit

·         Brazil, China presidents arrive Johannesburg for BRICS summit

·         Over 2 million children in Niger need humanitarian aid

·         Nelson Chamisa, the 'young' pastor aiming for Zimbabwe poll upset

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North America

·         CAIR Welcomes Charges for Suspect in Mosque Vandalism, Urges Restorative Action and Educational Opportunities

·         CAIR and Emgage Action Call on Fox News Anchors to Raise Muslim, Minority Community Engagement in Republican Presidential Primary Debate

·         US dollar ‘cannot be trusted,’ former IMF executive tells RT

·         Americans urged to ‘immediately’ leave Belarus

·         US ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s if European partners reach capacity

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:     https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-border-guards-african-migrants-hrw/d/130498

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Saudi Border Guards Accused of Killing Hundreds of African Migrants in A Recent 15-Month Period: Human Rights Watch

 

Saudi Border Guards Accused of Killing Hundreds of African Migrants in A Recent 15-Month Period: Human Rights Watch

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Aug. 21, 2023

By Ben Hubbard and Shuaib Almosawa

Border guards in Saudi Arabia have regularly opened fire on African migrants seeking to cross into the kingdom from Yemen, killing hundreds of men, women and children in a recent 15-month period, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Monday.

The guards have beaten the migrants with rocks and bars, forced male migrants to rape women while guards watched and shot detained migrants in their limbs, leading to permanent injuries and amputations, the report said.

The shooting of migrants is “widespread and systematic,” it said, adding that if killing them were Saudi government policy, it would constitute a crime against humanity.

A Saudi government statement dismissed the report as inaccurate.

“The allegations included in the Human Rights Watch report about Saudi border guards shooting Ethiopians while they were crossing the Saudi-Yemeni border are unfounded and not based on reliable sources,” the statement said.

The report provides chilling new details about the conditions along one of the world’s most dangerous smuggling routes, a patch of isolated, war-ravaged territory rarely visited by journalists, aid workers or other international observers.

It focuses on the plight of migrants from Ethiopia, one of the world’s poorest countries, who seek to enter Saudi Arabia — the Arab world’s richest nation and one of the globe’s largest oil exporters — and on the increasingly harsh efforts by the kingdom’s security forces to keep migrants out.

Faisal Othman, a migrant from Ethiopia, told The New York Times that he was trying to cross the border with about 200 others last September when a projectile exploded near the group and shrapnel tore apart the women around him.

“Most of them ended up as remains,” Mr. Othman, 31, said by phone on Sunday from the Yemeni capital, Sana. “They were shredded like crushed tomatoes.”

His account was not included in the Human Rights Watch report, but was similar to many of the cases it documented. He said destitution pushed people to risk the trip.

For years, streams of migrants have fled Ethiopia because of poverty, drought and political repression and have headed for Djibouti, where smugglers transport them across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, which has been torn apart by years of war.

In Yemen, the migrants are taken to territory near the Saudi border that is controlled by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group that seized Sana and much of the country’s northwest from the internationally recognized Yemeni government in 2014.

The next year, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies launched a bombing campaign to drive out the Houthis. But it didn’t work, and the war sank into a stalemate and fueled one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Human Rights Watch based its report on dozens of interviews with migrants who have attempted the trip or with their associates; an analysis of hundreds of photos and videos shot by migrants; and an examination of satellite images of the border area.

It describes Saudi border guards firing on groups of migrants with rifles and explosive munitions believed to be mortars or rockets, often killing large numbers of people.

One 14-year-old girl cited in the report recalled seeing 30 people killed around her when Saudi guards opened fire on her group in February. The girl told the researchers that she had hidden under a rock and had fallen asleep, only to realize that other people she thought were sleeping around her were dead.

Other migrants cited in the report said they had been abused by Saudi guards after being stopped near the border. Some were beaten, and others were shot in the limbs after the guards asked them where they would prefer to be shot, the report said.

One 17-year-old boy told researchers that guards had forced him and another migrant to rape two girls in their group after killing another migrant who had refused to do so.

The report estimates that the number of migrants killed between March 2022 and June 2023 is at least in the hundreds but says that the true toll could be in the thousands.

While it focuses on abuses by the Saudi security forces, the report also accuses the Houthis of the widespread abuse of migrants by facilitating smuggling, extortion and detention, which together can constitute human trafficking and torture.

Houthi forces work with smugglers to gather large numbers of migrants in two makeshift camps near the Saudi border, the report said. Some migrants pay bribes to be let in and are then abused once inside. From one of the camps, the migrants walk more than six miles through mountainous terrain to reach the border, where guards sometimes open fire.

Since the start of Yemen’s war, the country has seen rampant human rights violations and scant efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.

In their effort to beat back the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and its allies have carried out a bombing campaign that has hit weddings, funerals and a school bus full of children on a field trip, altogether killing an untold number of civilians. For their part, the Houthis have fired rockets at civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, deployed child soldiers and controlled the territory they hold with an iron fist, sometimes disappearing dissidents.

The pace of the conflict has slowed since Saudi Arabia and Iran, which supports the Houthis, reestablished diplomatic relations this year and Saudi Arabia began peace talks with the Houthis. But talk of accountably for war crimes has been absent from the discussions.

The last United Nations-backed body established to monitor human rights violations in Yemen stopped working in 2021, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lobbied members of the United Nations Human Rights Council to end the body’s mandate.

Although Monday’s report suggested that the Saudi border forces had become more harsh in targeting migrants, the violence is not new, and there have not been significant international efforts to stop it.

Abdulaziz Yasin, a prominent member of the Ethiopian community in Sana, said the reports of migrants’ being attacked never stopped.

“Every day, there are three, four or five migrants being killed,” he told The Times in a phone interview. “Sometimes, 10, 20 or 30 get killed at once. There are a lot of Africans being killed.”

Still, he said, the community believes that it cannot count on any international agency to help.

“We complain to the organizations to no avail,” he said. “How can anyone help us?”

Source: nytimes.com

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/21/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-migrants-yemen.html

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Saudi Arabia Rejects ‘Unfounded’ HRW Allegations Of Killing Ethiopians At Yemen Border

 

Saudi Arabia has denied accusations made by Human Rights Watch that Saudi border forces killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants on its border with Yemen. (AFP/File Photo)

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August 21, 2023

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has rejected accusations made by Human Rights Watch that Saudi border forces killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants on its border with Yemen.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a Saudi government source said the accusations were baseless.

“The allegations included in the Human Rights Watch report about Saudi border guards shooting Ethiopians while they were crossing the Saudi-Yemeni border are unfounded and not based on reliable sources,” the source said.

Saudi authorities have also strongly denied allegations made by UN officials in 2022 that border guards systematically killed migrants last year.

In its report, HRW accused Saudi border guards of shooting heavily and using explosives to kill migrants, mostly Ethiopian, who were trying to cross into the Kingdom from Yemen.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2359166/saudi-arabia

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‘No Hate Speech Content’ At Hindu Sena Mahapanchayat, Book Organiser: Legal Experts’ Advise to Delhi Police

 

The police had initially allowed the mahapanchayat and allowed 100 people to sit and protest. However, they had to intervene after the alleged hate speeches, they said. (File)

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By Mahender Singh Manral

New Delhi | August 22, 2023

Two days after the Delhi Police cancelled a Hindu Sena Mahapanchayat which was underway at Jantar Mantar after speakers at the gathering allegedly started making hate speeches, legal experts have advised the investigation officer to file an FIR under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the organiser as they have not found any content of hate speech, The Indian Express has learnt.

Section 188 of the IPC pertains to disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant.

The Mahapanchayat was organised by the All India Sanatan Foundation and the Hindu Sena in the wake of the clashes in Haryana’s Nuh. Those present at the event, amid heavy police barricading, included Hindu Sena national president Vishnu Gupta, Raksha Dal’s Pinky Chaudhary and Dasna Devi temple priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati. The event started at 10 am.

On Sunday, the New Delhi district police said they stopped the speakers at the event and asked them to leave after they spoke “against one community”.

An official said the New Delhi district police discussed the matter with senior officers at the Delhi Police headquarters and they were asked to take legal opinion. “On Monday evening, the police received a legal opinion in which they have been told that they have not found any content of hate speech and they should take legal action against the organiser for violating the norms of the conditions,” the official said, adding that the police will send their case file to the legal experts again with more facts to take another opinion in the coming days.

The police had initially allowed the mahapanchayat and allowed 100 people to sit and protest. However, they had to intervene after the alleged hate speeches, they said.

At the event, Narsinghanand came on stage and spoke about the Nuh clashes. At around 11.50 am, he said, “If the situation doesn’t change, a non-Hindu person will become the Prime Minister…You won’t have any land for yourself and will have to drown in the Indian Ocean… since you won’t fight.”

After one more member gave a speech, Gupta – the final speaker – came on stage around 12.10 pm and said, “Last month, there was a peaceful Shobha Yatra in Mewat, but a group of Jihadis attacked with stones and fired. Several Hindu brothers were killed and others were left injured… Why hasn’t a CRPF camp been constructed there to punish these Jihadis?”

He went on, “Why have we been surrounded by police here? We are the victims and should get an opportunity to speak. Nobody should have an objection… The country’s Partition was over religion but I feel it was incomplete. Till the time there are Muslims…”

As he spoke, Additional DCP (New Delhi) Hemant Tiwari intervened and told the crowd: “The organisers have been told not to say anything about another community/group. Despite our repeated requests, you didn’t listen to us. Hence… this mahapanchayat is over. Please leave. We told you not to take names of another community…” Another police officer also urged the people to leave, saying the time allotted was over. A video of the incident was shared on social media.

Source: indianexpress.com

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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-police-hindu-sena-mahapanchayat-hate-speech-legal-experts-8903389/

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Pakistanis Abroad Express Frustration, Heartbreak Over Jaranwala

 

PROTESTERS carry banners and flags during a demo outside the Pakistan High Commission in London against Jaranwala attacks, on Monday.—Dawn

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August 22, 2023

Atika Rehman

LONDON: Hopelessness, fear and frustration — these were the main sentiments expressed by members of a large demonstration of Pakistani Christians outside the Pakistan High Commission on Monday.

More than 100 Pakistani Chris­tians living across England travelled to London to demand better protection for Christians back home and condemn the violence that took place in Jaranwala last week.

Several carried Pakistan flags. There were banners demanding the abolition of blasphemy laws and also placards saying “Christian Lives Matter”.

A delegation also met Pakistan’s high commissioner to share their concerns and demand action.

Rehana Noreen, a nurse trained at Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan, said she moved to the UK in 2006 and has since worked for the National Health Service. “I appeal to the UK government to allow British citizens to sponsor relatives so they can immigrate here. I am concerned for my family members back home.”

She said she felt like “I was about to have a heart attack” when she heard the news about the Jaranwala violence. “My mother, brother, sisters and their family are all back home living around Punjab. I fear for them. We want a Pakistan where Christians can pray without fear.”

Javed Billa, who emigrated to the UK 25 years ago, also said he felt “heartbroken”.

Asif Mall from the All Pakistan Christian Organisation said there was mounting frustration that no culprits were apprehended when it came to crimes against Christians. “This is why there is such a large crowd here. I have not seen such a large gathering of Christians at a protest since the violence in Shanti Nagar, Khanewal, in 1997.”

He said he felt “hopeless” as politicians and lawmakers had “failed Christians over the years”.

White House vigil

In Washington, Pakistani Chris­tians and their sympathisers held a vigil outside the White House on Sunday evening and prayed for the safety of those facing attacks over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan.

“This is not acceptable, no one should be attacked for their beliefs,” said Peter John, a Pakistani Chris­tian leader who organised the vigil, while commenting on the Jaranwala incident.

Later, at a news conference in Nor­thern Virginia, several Chris­tian org­anisations demanded increa­sed protection for blasphemy victims in Jar­anwala and elsewhere in Pakistan.

“We will raise this issue in the US Congress, the United Nations and with the US administration,” Victor Gill, who chairs the US-based Christian Voice of Pakistan (CVOP) group, said at the briefing.

A representative of the Pakistan Embassy informed the briefing that “the culprits have been identified and will be punished in accordance with the law”.

Pastor Azhar Alam of the Trinity Church, Haddington Valley, Penn­sylvania, urged Pakistani Muslims not to react to allegations. “Don’t just blame and punish. Probe and prove first,” he said. “Do not victimise the weak and the innocent.”

‘Faith should not attract violence’

Meanwhile, the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has urged all governments to prevent and address acts of violence based on religion and belief, stressing that freedom of religion and belief is an inalienable human right.

In a message for the ‘International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief’, observed on Aug 22 (today), Mr Guterres said: “Faith and belief should never attract violence. Yet, around the world, people and communities, particularly minorities, face intolerance, discrimination and threats — to their places of worship, their livelihoods and even their lives. Hatred stirred on and offline is often the cause.

He added, “Together, let’s honour the victims of violence by striving to build a more inclusive, respectful, and peaceful world — one where diversity is celebrated.”

Anwar Iqbal in Washington and Amin Ahmed in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1771465/pakistanis-abroad-express-frustration-heartbreak-over-jaranwala

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Higher Education Ministry Crafting Plan to Reopen Girls’ Universities: Afghanistan

 

Photo: Khaama.com

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By Fidel Rahmati

August 21, 2023

A Ministry of Higher Education committee has said they are developing a plan to reopen universities for female students. Once this plan is finalized, they intend to make it public and share the details.

During the annual report, Lutfullah Khairkhwa, the deputy minister of Higher Education, conveyed that there currently needs to be a definite timeframe to complete the plan.

The Ministry of Education reported over 1 million new student registrations last year; more than 500,000 are girls, primarily below grade 7.

This situation remains unchanged, even though numerous months have transpired since the ban on girls’ education within universities has been imposed. The decree, which swiftly emerged in December 2022, prohibited girls from attending university within a week, consequently subjecting thousands of female students to an uncertain future.

As a result, thousands of university-bound girls faced the distressing prospect of their educational pursuits being curtailed.

The far-reaching international reactions to the ban on girls’ education and training have underscored Afghanistan’s distinct position worldwide. It is now a solitary country where girls are systematically denied the fundamental rights to pursue employment, education, and skill development.

This prohibition hampers individual growth and perpetuates a larger cycle of gender inequality within the country.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/higher-education-ministry-crafting-plan-to-reopen-girls-universities/

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 Arab World

Music Commission launches Oud House in Riyadh; registration opens

August 21, 2023

RIYADH — The Music Commission of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Oud House, led by the Maestro Naseer Shamma, inaugurated Monday the Oud House in Riyadh, one of the Arab Oud House's branches in different parts of the world.

The institution teaches techniques for playing oud and other musical instruments, such as flute, bezek, cello and violin, among others. It helps spread Arabic culture and awareness about the importance of the oud, and builds a global community of professional oud players.

The Arab Oud House's curriculum entails studying various musical-playing techniques, equipping students to understand musical compositions, different music schools and musical symbols.

After a period of training and rehearsals, students may participate in concerts.

The establishment of Riyadh Oud House is part of the Music Commission's efforts to attract regional and international musical cadres and establish curricula of international standards.

The goal is to boost the music industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, develop it, and train and empower local talent.

The Music Commission invites all those interested in learning oud playing techniques to register at https://engage.moc.gov.sa/reg_form/tracks/2853/new.

Registration is open from Aug. 22 to Sept. 21. — SPA

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

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https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/635124/SAUDI-ARABIA/Music-Commission-launches-Oud-House-in-Riyadh-registration-opens

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Minister receives non-resident ambassador of Paraguay in Riyadh

August 21, 2023

RIYADH: Sara Al-Sayed, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received the non-resident ambassador of Paraguay to the Kingdom, Jose Avila, on Monday in Riyadh.

During their meeting the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed the latest regional and international developments in various fields. They also discussed a number of issues of common interest to the two countries.

The ambassador was also received by Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, Saudi deputy minister for international multilateral affairs.

In a post shared on X, Avila wrote that he’s looking forward to his meetings with Saudi authorities in the coming week, “to continue cultivating relations with Paraguay in various sectors” as there is “lots of potential in Saudi Arabia.”

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2359071/saudi-arabia

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Authorities warn of famine among displaced Yemenis as UN limits supplies

August 21, 2023

AL-MUKALLA: Authorities in the central Yemeni province of Marib have warned that tens of thousands of internally displaced people are at risk of hunger in the wake of a UN decision to cut off humanitarian aid due to insufficient funding.

Abd-Rabbu Meftah, deputy governor of Marib province, feared that if the UN did not resume its relief work there, more than 60 percent of Yemen’s IDPs living in Marib could starve.

Several hunger-related cases had reportedly already been documented at displacement camps.

There are warning signs of malnutrition among the displaced people in Marib province. The United Nations and humanitarian organizations must recognize that 62 percent of displaced individuals in the republic are in need of relief,” Meftah said.

Local officials in Marib noted that more than 2 million people — more than 60 percent of Yemen’s displaced people — were currently living in the city after fleeing conflict or Houthi repression in their home areas and most of them were in dire need of food, shelter, and medicine.

The authorities’ request for expedited food assistance came after local media reported that provincial health officials had documented numerous cases of severe malnutrition among displaced residents in Marib.

Khaled Al-Shajani, deputy head of the internationally recognized government’s executive unit for camps for the internally displaced in Marib, told Arab News on Monday that his office had registered the arrival of more than 16,000 displaced individuals in Marib since January.

And he said some UN entities had already begun reducing the amounts of food baskets, cash, and other aid distributed to displaced people and health facilities in Marib.

“This (aid reduction) represents a potential humanitarian catastrophe for the province’s displaced and poor. Humanitarian needs are significant, while interventions are decreasing,” Al-Shajani added.

Due to a “critical” lack of funds, the World Food Programme has announced that food assistance in Yemen will be reduced further in the coming months, a move anticipated to impact on millions of needy Yemenis, including displaced people in Marib.

The cuts were not only likely to hit those who relied on food baskets, but additional 1.4 million people benefitting from the WFP’s malnutrition prevention activities, and more than 3 million pupils fed by the WFP School Feeding program.

In a statement, the WFP’s Yemen representative, Richard Ragan, said: “We are confronted with the incredibly tough reality of making decisions to take food from the hungry to feed the starving while millions of Yemenis continue to rely on us for survival.

“We do not take this decision lightly and are fully cognizant of the suffering these cuts will cause.”

The Saudi aid agency, KSrelief, has begun distributing thousands of food hampers to Yemenis in Marib and other provinces in the country to fill the void left by the UN’s aid reductions.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2359011/middle-east

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Saudi citizen injured after falling from hotel balcony in France 

August 21, 2023

PARIS — A Saudi citizen sustained injuries, including multiple fractures, following his fall from the balcony of a hotel where he was staying in the southern French city of Cannes.

Responding to the social media reports about the accident, the Saudi embassy in Paris confirmed that the accident happened last Wednesday.

The embassy said that the citizen was transferred to a specialized hospital where he is receiving the necessary medical care. “The embassy is following up his condition with the French health authorities and the rest of the concerned authorities,” the embassy said in a statement, while wishing him speedy recovery.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

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https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/635115/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-citizen-injured-after-falling-from-hotel-balcony-in-France-nbsp

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Mideast

 

Netanyahu says recent attacks on Israelis are backed by Iran

REUTERS

August 22, 2023

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a series of recent deadly attacks against Israelis has been funded and encouraged by Iran.

“We are in the midst of a terror attack. This terror attack is encouraged, guided, funded by Iran and its satellite states,” Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks.

He spoke in the occupied West Bank at a site where hours earlier an Israeli woman was shot dead by suspected Palestinian gunmen.

Israel, he said, would employ measures to settle the score with the attackers and those who sent them, from near or far.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2359191/middle-east

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10 years after deadly chemical attack, Syria’s survivors seek justice

By Joby Warrick

August 21, 2023

On that most terrible of nights, when death stalked every street and crept into bedrooms where small children slept, Taher Hijazi was jarred awake by someone shouting his name just outside his window.

“Bring your camera and come down immediately!” the voice said.

“What’s happening?” Hijazi called, peering into the dark.

“Come down, I can’t talk,” the voice said.

Hijazi, then a 26-year-old amateur videographer living in the outer suburbs of Damascus, Syria, stumbled outdoors clutching his camcorder. It was not yet 3 a.m., but it was soon clear that a calamity had struck. Strange rockets had fallen in the neighborhood overnight, and an invisible poison was spreading through the warrens of apartment buildings east of the capital. Hundreds of people were dying.

Hijazi hurried to a nearby hospital as throngs of the stricken were beginning to arrive. As he approached the building, he could hear shouts and wails, and see workers moving the bodies of the dead onto the sidewalk to make room. The sight of the freshly arriving victims would scar his memory for the rest of his life.

“I saw the most horrifying scene,” he said. “I saw men, women and children, falling and dying, outside the hospital, in front of the hospital. It was like Judgment Day.”

Hijazi began taking videos, recording everything. At one point, he trained his lens on a small girl. She was about 6 years old, wearing a red shirt and a pendant in the shape of a heart. She lay on the bare floor, quietly gasping for breath.

“She was visibly choking, dying,” he said. “I wondered, ‘Why don’t I throw the camera away and try to do something to help this kid who’s dying?’ Yet there was nothing I could do.”

He steadied himself and kept recording.

Justice delayed

The sarin gas attack on civilians in Ghouta, Syria, on Aug. 21, 2013, may well be the most thoroughly documented atrocity of its type in history. Yet, a decade later, it is a crime for which there has been no real punishment — and strikingly little accountability.

Many thousands of photos and videos captured the immediate aftermath, as a small army of volunteer documentarians like Hijazi dutifully recorded the events, along with journalists, medical workers and residents. A U.N.-appointed team traveled to affected neighborhoodswithin days to interview survivors and to collect biological samples and fragments of the rockets, some of which still contained liquid sarin, the deadly nerve agent unleashed on three opposition-held neighborhoods that night.

A mountain of evidence pointing to the Syrian regime has continued to grow. Intelligence agencies and weapons inspectors collected Syrian documents, witness statements, intercepted communications and other evidence — some of it never published — related to the Syrian military’s preparations for carrying out the attack as well as panicked conversations among Syrian officials after the scale of the casualties became clear.

The gassing of thousands of people with an outlawed nerve agent shocked the world and struck many experts at the time as inexplicably reckless, occurring as it did on the outskirts of a major capital within easy reach of TV camera crews. At the time, just over two years after massive street protests across Syria erupted into civil war, President Bashar al-Assad’s government appeared at risk of collapse, and his army, with crucial backing from Syrian allies Iran and Russia, had turned to ever more brutal tactics in an effort to crush the rebellion, which Assad denounced in speech that year as a “terrorist” movement led by a “bunch of criminals.”

The attack, which U.S. officials say killed more than 1,400 people, was the second-deadliest use of chemical weapons against civilians of all time, exceeded only by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s mass poisoning of ethnic Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988.

Yet, to date, none of the images or forensic data collected in the attack’s aftermath have ever been used in a trial. Neither the United Nations nor the International Criminal Court has ever brought formal proceedings against the Syrian government, which is overwhelmingly implicated in the Ghouta attack, according to multiple independent groups that reviewed the evidence. The world’s chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has found Syria’s government culpable for other chemical attacks but has not launched a fact-finding probe to attribute blame for what was by far the most serious.

The reasons are complicated. Experts mainly blame Russia, Syria’s most important ally. Moscow has used its U.N. Security Council veto and influential position on international agencies to block official inquiries into the 2013 attack, in much the same way as it has stymied international investigations into alleged war crimes by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

But the United States and other Western countries also have come under harsh criticism for a fumbled early response to the attack and for not acting decisively when Syria found a way to continue using chemical weapons by shifting from banned nerve agents such as sarin to ordinary — but still deadly — chlorine gas. Meanwhile, much of the world appears to have simply moved on, with more than 20 Arab countries voting in May to normalize relations with Syria after a years-long boycott.

Survivors of the attack refuse to give up. For many victims and their supporters, Aug. 21 has become a powerful symbol encompassing hundreds of alleged war crimes in a conflict that has killed at least a half-million people. It also has come to represent the Syrian opposition’s best hope for eventually bringing Assad and his top generals to trial for crimes against humanity.

The photos and videos taken by Hijazi and others have become part of a massive archive that continues to grow, as Syrian exiles and human rights groups ferret out new evidence, including forensics studies and government documents smuggled out of the country by defectors. In the past two years, criminal cases stemming from the Ghouta attack have been filed in three European countries, and a network of lawyers and activists is exploring novel legal theories that could allow the first international criminal prosecution of the Assad government to move forward in the coming months.

Supporters of the plan acknowledge it is unlikely that Ghouta survivors will see their former president in the dock in the near future. But even a trial in absentia will send an important message to Syrians and to the rest of the world, said Stephen Rapp, the State Department’s ambassador at large for war-crimes issues at the time of the attack.

“Assad wanted to make Ghouta unlivable for the civilian population, and used sarin gas to murder at least 1,400 innocent men, women and children,” said Rapp, who now advises survivors on their legal strategy. “This was the violation of a rule universally recognized for the last 10 decades — and a crime that can never be justified.”

Death on a historic scale

For Syria, the timing of the attack could hardly have been worse. Months earlier, the president of the United States had sternly warned the Assad government that any use of chemical weapons would transgress an American “red line,” strongly implying that the response would include a U.S. military strike. On the very day of the attack, a team of U.N. fact-finders was in the capital to investigate allegations that outlawed chemical weapons were being used in Syria’s civil war.

Even the U.N. investigators initially were baffled by the decision to launch a massive chemical attack during their visit — and one so close to the capital that they could see the streaks of the outgoing rockets from their hotel windows. Syria and Russia have repeatedly promoted, without evidence, claims that rebels unleashed poison gases on their own neighborhoods in a false-flag operation intended to draw U.S. and European countries into the civil war. The Damascus regime, which would eventually acknowledge that it manufactured sarin in industrial quantities and kept it in ready-to-use stockpiles until 2013, has denied ever using chemical weapons, including on Ghouta.

“We wish here to state categorically that we have never used chlorine or any other toxic chemicals during any incidents or any other operations in the Syrian Arab Republic since the beginning of the crisis and up to this very day,” Faisal Mekdad, a top Syrian diplomat who is now the country’s foreign minister, said in 2015.

Investigations would prove otherwise. Crucial evidence was uncovered in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. More has turned up in the years since.

military officials with access to intelligence reports on the events.

The first important clues were discovered by the U.N. team that happened to be on the ground at the time. Traveling unarmed and unescorted through no man’s land, braving snipers and ambushes along the way, investigators traveled to the stricken neighborhoods and found remnants of the specialized artillery rockets that had slammed into several opposition-held neighborhoods across an area spanning several miles east and south of Damascus. Some of the rockets, a later forensic examination concluded, used Soviet-designed engines fitted with large cylindrical canisters that release highly volatile liquid poisons on impact. The rockets’ trajectories showed that they had been launched from government-controlled areas to the north and west.

The weapon itself was indisputably sarin, of the high purity that is typical for state-run military programs. One of the deadliest known chemical poisons, sarin is difficult and dangerous to make. Tests showed that the specific sarin used in the attack contained a unique blend of ingredients that matched precisely the formula the Syrian military had used in its weapons since the 1980s.

The effect was devastating. Because sarin is heavier than air, the deadly gas hugged the ground and seeped into basements and bomb shelters where families with children had taken refuge from artillery strikes the night before. Of the deaths, about a third were children, many of whom died in their pajamas.

“It’s pretty sinister,” Ake Sellstrom, the Swedish medial professor who headed the U.N. fact-finding mission, said in interview for a 2021 book on the chemical attack and its aftermath. “First you do a bombardment, which means that you put people in shelters. And when you have people in shelters on a morning like that, you spread the gas, which you know will come down into the shelters.”

In the years since, subsequent investigations have strengthened the evidentiary case pointing to Syria’s regime. Improved testing methods in 2017 enabled a joint U.N.-OPCW team to more precisely link the Assad government’s existing sarin stockpile to the nerve agents used in the attacks against civilians. The samples contained not only the same ingredients but an identical molecular makeup.

OPCW inspectors would find further evidence of Syria’s possession of rockets similar to those used in the Ghouta attack. A team of investigators searching through a government-controlled warehouse near Damascus in 2015 found one such rocket, capable of carrying either conventional explosives or chemical weapons, still in a wooden packing crate bearing stenciled markings showing its delivery to the government-control Syrian port of Latakia.

A photograph of that rocket with its distinctive cylinder-shaped warhead was shown to The Washington Post. The discovery of the rocket was mentioned in a confidential report shared with OPCW member states, including the United States. The finding is seen as a “direct connection between the munitions used in the Ghouta attack and the Syrian chemical weapons program,” said Gregory D. Koblentz, director of the biodefense graduate program at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Some OPCW officials also deduced from records that there may had been inadvertent casualties from the chemical attack inside Syria’s military, according to Western officials who reviewed the evidence. Syrian government officials privately told the inspectors that several people attached to Syria’s elite chemical weapons unit died just days before the Aug. 21 attack, in an incident that the Assad government has never acknowledged or explained. The timing of the mysterious deaths suggests a possible accident during operations to fill the rockets with sarin, the official said.

The accident, if it happened, could also reflect the Assad government’s limited experience with chemical weapons, which were originally manufactured for use in missiles in a possible future war against Israel. The sarin — classified as a weapon of mass destruction, or WMD — was repurposed for use against Syrian rebels in 2013. Still, before Aug. 21 of that year, such weapons had been used only a handful of times in relatively small amounts, with few casualties. U.S. intelligence officials say they believe Assad authorized the use of chemical weapons and left it to his generals to make decisions about using them tactically to drive rebels and their supporters from their strongholds. A declassified U.S. assessment in 2013 asserted that Assad’s forces began mixing chemicals in preparation for the attack around Aug. 18.

“We think that there was improvisation and limited testing, and then someone at the field level made a miscalculation,” said one Western security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. “The Syrians didn’t know what they were doing, and they underestimated the effect.”

One small comfort, he said, is that the impact could have been far worse.

“In a more crowded area,” he said, “that much sarin, in that concentration, might have killed 10 times as many people.

A pass on mass murder

The OPCW’s investigation of Syria’s chemical weapons program is now in its 10th year, though progress has largely stalled since 2019, when the Assad government effectively cut off access to key sites and documents. Ironically, the watchdog group’s probe into the massive sarin attack in 2013 never even got off the ground — which is why videos and other evidence collected by survivors remain crucial to any effort to hold Syrian officials legally accountable.

Inspectors have publicly named culprits in three other chemical weapons investigations — but not for Ghouta. Their hands were effectively tied by complex legal agreements hammered out by diplomats in September 2013, in the frenzied weeks after scenes from the massacre first flashed on TV news channels around the world.

The Obama administration refrained from launching a U.S. military strike over Syria’s “red line” breach, pausing a plan to attack Damascus initially because of the presence of the U.N. inspection team on the ground. It then collapsed entirely after lawmakers from both political parties overwhelmingly rejected legislation authorizing a strike. President Barack Obama instead accepted a Russian deal in which the United States would defer military action if Syria agreed to join the Chemical Weapons Convention and unilaterally destroy its entire stockpile, under international supervision.

Against all odds, the disarmament plan mostly worked. Over a span of nine months, teams of international experts supervised the removal or destruction of nearly all of Syria’s chemical weapons. (U.S. intelligence officials later concluded that a small portion of the original stockpile was hidden away, and some of it was used in a sarin attack years later in April 2017.) The experts also oversaw the physical destruction of labs and production equipment for making more sarin. Then, in an astonishing technical achievement, the Pentagon converted an old cargo ship into the world’s first floating chemical weapons destruction plant and neutralized nearly 1,400 tons of liquid poisons at sea. As a feat of arms control, it was historic: the first unilateral elimination of an entire WMD program in the middle of a war.

The price was essentially a pass for Damascus on the Ghouta attack. Syria lost its most strategically important weapons stockpile, but under the Russian agreement, Assad was never forced to acknowledge his role in the massacre. His government could be held responsible for future chemical attacks but not past ones.

That hasn’t stopped Damascus from using chemical weapons short of sarin in attacks against rebels and civilians. Human rights groups say there have been more 300 chemical weapons attacks since 2013, the vast majority of them involving chlorine, a common chemical used in water purification and one that Syria possesses legally. While chlorine is far less deadly, using it as a weapon is banned by international law. Yet Syria has done so scores of times, with relatively little international outcry, current and former U.S. officials say.

“The lesson for Assad is he can do anything necessary to stay in power and there will be no accountability,” said Robert S. Ford, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Syria in the early years of the civil war and repeatedly sought to confront Assad over an array of alleged war crimes, from systematic torture and rape to barrel-bomb attacks that deliberately targeted hospitals in rebel-held areas.

“Of the kinds of vicious things the Assad government is doing to maintain itself in power,” Ford said, “gas attacks are at the top of the list. But it’s a long list.”

New cases, novel theories

Taher Hijazi’s list includes crimes that devastated his own family. His brother was a newlywed with a young baby when he was picked up seemingly at random by Syria’s secret police in 2014. Soon afterward, the family learned that he had died in prison. Four years later, Hijazi’s father, a government employee who stayed away from protests and studiously kept his political opinions to himself, was killed in a Russian airstrike on his hometown of Douma, Syria. The family was never allowed to recover his remains.

Hijazi fled Syria and applied successfully for asylum in France. Still, when he thinks of all the horrors he witnessed during the war, his mind inevitably returns to Ghouta and August 2013. He shared his videos and stories with human rights groups, and he was named as one of about a dozen plaintiffs in a French criminal complaint in 2021 accusing the Syrian government of crimes against humanity.

Similar criminal complaints have been filed in Germany and Sweden, each claiming that individual countries have a universal right to bring criminal charges for human rights offenses that occurred outside their borders. Meanwhile, lawyers representing Syrian survivors and advocacy groups are exploring new legal avenues that they hope will lead to an international prosecution, backed by a coalition of countries in multiple jurisdictions. The International Criminal Court, the usual venue for such cases, is not an option, in part because Syria is not a member of the ICC, and the court does not try cases in absentia.

A wide array of governments appear to back the idea of a multicountry prosecution centered on the chemical attack — the clearest and perhaps gravest violation of international law in Syria’s 12-year-old war, according to attorneys representing Syrian survivors. A point of consensus among the participants is that the case “needs to be Syrian-led,” said Ibrahim Olabi, a British attorney specializing in international law.

The Biden administration did not comment on specific legal approaches but said the White House intends to move forward with efforts “promoting accountability for those responsible for these heinous crimes,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. “We cannot let the world become desensitized to the use or proliferation of chemical weapons,” she said.

Among the available evidence for such a case are the videos taken by Hijazi. And 10 years later, he still becomes visibly emotional when he talks about certain victims his camera lens briefly isolated during the chaos of that evening. Now a father, he thinks often about the little girl in the red shirt, struggling for what surely were her final breaths. He remembers a grief-stricken mother he observed hours later, looking with dread for a familiar face amid the rows of shrouded bodies in a makeshift morgue.

“She was looking for her own children,” he said. “The faces and bodies were covered. She actually had to go through them and remove the cover from each face.” He choked up as recalled the moment. “They were just children,” he said.

Hijazi today doubts he will live to see any of the responsible Syrian officials imprisoned for the crimes he witnessed. But it’s sufficient for now, he said, to know that his videos may have an impact, ensuring at least that the world knows what the perpetrators did.

“There are certain things that give us hope, but not many,” he said of the legal process he has witnessed so far. “Recent experience proves to us that the road to justice is a very long one.”

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As Syria burns, and its economy collapses, firefighters appeal for support

By Mohamad El Chamaa

August 19, 2023

BEIRUT — Earlier this month, as fires raged across Syria’s Mediterranean coast, President Bashar al-Assad visited firefighters in the northern countryside of Latakia, a government stronghold.

“You have made great efforts in very difficult circumstances that can be likened to the battles that were taking place,” Assad told them, referring to the country’s devastating decade-long civil war. “There’s terrorists and real battles, and there’s the weather and the wind itself maneuvering forces from side to side.”

The fires sweeping across northwestern Syria this summer have compounded a dire humanitarian situation. The region, still reeling from two massive earthquakes in February and a grinding economic crisis, remains divided among rival factions and isolated from the world. Firefighters on both sides of the conflict are now trying to confront a common enemy, but are hobbled by a lack of support from the government and the international community.

In earthquake-battered Syria, a desperate wait for help that never came

The fires started in late July, the latest in a series of blazes across the Mediterranean, from Greece to Algeria. A transformer explosion ignited the fires, according to a local forestry expert in Latakia, who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal. Heat waves, low humidity and strong winds allowed the flames to spread quickly across the pine-covered mountains and sparked other fires in neighboring Idlib and Hama provinces.

Husam Zelito, 47, has fought fires for more than 20 years in and around Idlib. A government firefighter before the war, he is now a member of Syrian Civil Defense, better known as the “White Helmets,” a group of aid workers and first responders that operates in rebel-held areas.

“Forest fires are the most challenging, and where we are struggling a lot,” he told The Post. “The human resources are there, but we need special vehicles that can cover the steep slopes and roads. Our trucks cannot reach some areas, and this slows the response time.”

At least 17 people have died in fires this year, according to the White Helmets, including 13 children. Nearly 80 people have been injured.

Even in government-held Latakia, war and Western sanctions have depleted local resources, the forestry expert said: In 2011, “we had around 550 firetrucks. Now there are less than 140, and they lack maintenance.”

The government’s stranglehold on information has made it difficult to determine the extent of the fire damage. Early reports said at least 370 acres had been burned; weeks later, no updated figures have been released. Latakia’s governor, Amer Hilal, has formed a committee to assess the full impact. No deaths have been reported in government areas.

“We have to wait a bit before getting a precise estimate,” the expert in Latakia said, but there’s “massive destruction — the forests are intertwined with a lot of agricultural lands and farms. People had to leave their homes.”

The director of Latakia’s agriculture department, Bassem Doba, told state media that extinguishing the fires has been especially difficult because the affected area is still littered with land mines.

But government media has stressed that the situation is under control, and has published a few photos of the fires. Pictures from Assad’s visit to Latakia show him surrounded by firefighters. Charred trees are visible in the background.

On its Facebook page, the Latakia Fire Brigade thanked Assad for his visit but asked him to raise the profile “of firefighters’ work in Syria ... which is considered one of the lowest among government.”

In a rare critique, Thaer al-Hassan, head of the fire brigade in Hama, east of Latakia, told the government-aligned Al Watan newspaper that firefighters should receive higher salaries, noting that sanitation workers are better-paid.

High turnover has reduced the Hama brigade to 97 firefighters, Hassan said previously, noting that at least 60 more men were needed. In addition to forest fires, he said, the crews routinely have to put out tanker fires and are often attacked by rebel fighters.

Frustration has been building for years as fire seasons get longer and more intense. Muhammad Debsawy, another fire captain in Hama, put it bluntly last year: “It is unreasonable for a firefighter to be exposed to fire and toxic gases while extinguishing a blaze, and to only receive a monthly compensation of 290 Syrian pounds, which is not enough to buy falafel.”

National officials doubled salaries for government workers this week, but the decision was accompanied by an increase in fuel prices.

Saudi Arabia mends ties with Syria as part of regional diplomatic spree

Though Syria was readmitted to the Arab League in May and has recently normalized relations with a number of its formerly adversarial neighbors, those moves have done little to slow the collapse of its economy. At the beginning of the year, one U.S. dollar was equivalent to 6,650 Syrian pounds; the figure now is 14,300.

Ninety percent of Syrians are living in poverty. Last year, 14.6 million people needed humanitarian assistance, according the United Nations, more than at any point during the course of the war.

In Idlib, home to nearly 2.9 million people displaced by the conflict, firefighting falls to the White Helmets, who are also responsible for responding to government airstrikes and other emergencies. This year alone, they say, they’ve been called to nearly 2,000 fires.

“Sometimes in one day you have five to seven fires,” Zelito said. “In some other countries, maybe they would have asked for international support. The vegetation cover is becoming more and more scarce year after year, and the green areas are decreasing.”

George Mitri, a professor at Lebanon’s University of Balamand, echoed Zelito, saying conditions are ripe for further spread. As climate change fuels recurring fires in the region, he said, they will be increasingly hard to control.

“This is where we start losing the biodiversity on the site, because it cannot recover easily after two fires within a relatively short period of time,” he said. “So it burns again and again.”

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Protests rock government-held areas in southern Syria as economy crumbles

AP

August 22, 2023

BEIRUT: Protests spread Monday in two government-held provinces in southern Syria amid widespread anger over the crash of the Syrian pound and the dwindling purchasing power of many people in the war-torn country, opposition activists said.

The rare protests are still limited to southern Syria and are far from government strongholds along the Mediterranean coast, the capital Damascus and the largest cities, including Aleppo and Homs.

The protests came a week after Syrian President Bashar Assad issued two decrees doubling public sector wages and pensions, sparking inflation and compounding economic woes for others.

The US dollar has strengthened from 7,000 Syrian pounds at the beginning of 2023 to 15,000 now. At the onset of Syria’s uprising turned-civil war in 2011, the dollar was trading at 47 pounds.

The protests were concentrated in the southern city of Sweida, home to the country’s Druze minority, and the nearby province of Daraa, often considered the birthplace of Syria’s uprising 13 years ago. Sporadic protests in Sweida against the government and corruption have intensified and turned violent, while Daraa, back under government control since 2018, has experienced high crime and clashes between militias.

There was no immediate comment Monday from the government about the second day of protests in Sweida and Daraa.

On Sunday, the pro-government Sham FM radio station reported that final exams at branches of Damascus University in Sweida were postponed until further notice because some students could not reach campuses because of road closures.

Assad’s decision to hike wages and pensions comes as the cash-strapped government continues to restructure an expensive subsidy program for fuel, gasoline and wheat for bread. Soon after the decision, public transport and fuel fares increased. The economy has already been struggling after years of conflict, corruption and mismanagement, and Western-led sanctions on the government over accusations of war crimes and involvement in the illicit narcotics trade.

“We only kneel to God,” chanted dozens of protesters in the city of Sweida who were accompanied by Druze clerics, according to Suwayda 24, a news website run by activists in the region.

It said protesters were coming to the provincial capital from nearby villages.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported that protesters closed main roads in Sweida, including the road leading to the local headquarters of Assad’s ruling Baath party.

In Daraa province, where protests against the government in March 2011 spread across the country, protesters marched in villages including Nawa, Jasem Sanamein and Dael calling for the downfall of Assad’s government and for the expulsion of Iranian influence from the region, according to opposition activist Ahmad Al-Masalmeh. Iran has been a main backer of Assad, helping to tip the balance of power in his favor.

The United Nations estimates that 90 percent of Syrians in government-held areas live in poverty and that over half of the country’s population of 12 million struggles to put food on the table.

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This year over 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis have been killed, highest since 2005, UN says

AP

August 22, 2023

UNITED NATIONS: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has killed over 200 Palestinians and nearly 30 Israelis so far this year – already surpassing last year’s annual figures and the highest number since 2005, the UN Mideast envoy said Monday.

Tor Wennesland told the UN Security Council that the upswing in violence is being fueled by growing despair about the future, with the Palestinians still seeking an independent state.

“The lack of progress toward a political horizon that addressed the core issues driving the conflict has left a dangerous and volatile vacuum, filled by extremists on all sides,” he said.

While Israelis and Palestinians have taken some actions toward stabilizing the situation, Wennesland said unilateral steps have continued to fuel hostilities.

He pointed to the unabated expansion of Israeli settlements – which are illegal under international law “and a substantial obstacle to peace” – as well as Israel’s demolition of Palestinian houses, its operations in the West Bank area under Palestinian administrative and police control, and attacks by Israeli settlers. He also cited “Palestinian militant activity.”

Wennesland said the current situation is compounded by “the fragility” of the Palestinian Authority’s financial situation and severe funding shortages facing UN agencies including the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

“While we must urgently focus on addressing the most critical issues and on de-escalating the situation on the ground, we cannot ignore the need to restore a political horizon,” he said.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who chaired the meeting, condemned violence by both sides and urged immediate steps to reduce the escalating violence.

She reiterated US support for a two-state solution and “good-faith dialogue” between the parties. And she acknowledged the appointment of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador Jordan as non-resident consul general in Jerusalem, adding that the US will support “any and all efforts that will bring us closer to a two-state solution.”

Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told the council the long-term stagnation of the peace process “is compounded by the ongoing illegal unilateral actions of Israel to create irreversible facts on the ground, which negates the prospects for reviving direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis.” He called the “unprecedented pace” of Israel’s settlement expansion the biggest threat.

Polyansky called a visit to the region by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, expected before the end of the year, “very timely.” And he reiterated Russia’s call for a meeting of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators – the UN, US, European Union and Russia — “to revive the peace process and direct Palestinian-Israeli talks on all final status issues.”

France’s political coordinator Isis JaraudDarnault also condemned “the Israeli colonization of the Palestinian territories” that it wants for its future state, and continuing Israeli demolitions, including a school in the West Bank’s Ramallah region on Aug. 17 which was financed by European donors including France. She also condemned violence against Israelis.

Darnault told the council the UN and regional actors have an essential role to play in restoring “a credible political horizon.”

“The normalization of relations between Israel and several states in the region contributes to stability and security, but this dynamic will remain incomplete as long as it is not accompanied by a resumption of the political process toward a solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis,” she said.

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Iran says prisoner exchange process with US will take up to two months

REUTERS

August 21, 2023

Five US citizens held in Iran would be freed while $6bn of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea would be released

Iranian assets that had been frozen in South Korea were transferred to Switzerland’s central bank

DUBAI: The process of releasing US prisoners held in Iran will take up to two months, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday during a press conference.

“A specific time frame has been announced by relevant authorities, and it will take a maximum of two months for this process to take place,” Kanaani said.

Earlier this month, Tehran and Washington reached an agreement whereby five US citizens held in Iran would be freed while $6bn of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea would be released.

Iranian assets that had been frozen in South Korea were transferred to Switzerland’s central bank last week for exchange and transfer to Iran, South Korean media reported on Monday.

Washington would also release some Iranians from US prisons, Iran said.

Iran allowed four detained US citizens to move into house arrest from Tehran’s Evin prison, a lawyer for one said. A fifth was already under home confinement.

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Authorities warn of famine among displaced Yemenis as UN limits supplies

SAEED AL-BATATI

August 21, 2023

AL-MUKALLA: Authorities in the central Yemeni province of Marib have warned that tens of thousands of internally displaced people are at risk of hunger in the wake of a UN decision to cut off humanitarian aid due to insufficient funding.

Abd-Rabbu Meftah, deputy governor of Marib province, feared that if the UN did not resume its relief work there, more than 60 percent of Yemen’s IDPs living in Marib could starve.

Several hunger-related cases had reportedly already been documented at displacement camps.

“There are warning signs of malnutrition among the displaced people in Marib province. The United Nations and humanitarian organizations must recognize that 62 percent of displaced individuals in the republic are in need of relief,” Meftah said.

Local officials in Marib noted that more than 2 million people — more than 60 percent of Yemen’s displaced people — were currently living in the city after fleeing conflict or Houthi repression in their home areas and most of them were in dire need of food, shelter, and medicine.

The authorities’ request for expedited food assistance came after local media reported that provincial health officials had documented numerous cases of severe malnutrition among displaced residents in Marib.

Khaled Al-Shajani, deputy head of the internationally recognized government’s executive unit for camps for the internally displaced in Marib, told Arab News on Monday that his office had registered the arrival of more than 16,000 displaced individuals in Marib since January.

And he said some UN entities had already begun reducing the amounts of food baskets, cash, and other aid distributed to displaced people and health facilities in Marib.

“This (aid reduction) represents a potential humanitarian catastrophe for the province’s displaced and poor. Humanitarian needs are significant, while interventions are decreasing,” Al-Shajani added.

Due to a “critical” lack of funds, the World Food Programme has announced that food assistance in Yemen will be reduced further in the coming months, a move anticipated to impact on millions of needy Yemenis, including displaced people in Marib.

The cuts were not only likely to hit those who relied on food baskets, but additional 1.4 million people benefitting from the WFP’s malnutrition prevention activities, and more than 3 million pupils fed by the WFP School Feeding program.

In a statement, the WFP’s Yemen representative, Richard Ragan, said: “We are confronted with the incredibly tough reality of making decisions to take food from the hungry to feed the starving while millions of Yemenis continue to rely on us for survival.

“We do not take this decision lightly and are fully cognizant of the suffering these cuts will cause.”

The Saudi aid agency, KSrelief, has begun distributing thousands of food hampers to Yemenis in Marib and other provinces in the country to fill the void left by the UN’s aid reductions.

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Two Palestinians arrested, one teenager shot dead after Israeli settlers killed: army

AFP

August 22, 2023

JERUSALEM: Israeli forces on Tuesday arrested two Palestinians suspected of shooting dead an Israeli settler near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, where violence has surged since early last year. Batsheva Nigri, 40, was killed on Monday in a drive-by shooting while traveling in a car with her daughter and a man near Hebron, in the second attack targeting Israelis in the territory within days.

Her daughter was unhurt but the man was wounded and was in serious condition, the Israeli army and medics said.

Two Palestinian residents of Hebron suspected of being the perpetrators of the shooting were arrested, the army said, after roads in the vicinity of the attack were blocked and a large manhunt was conducted.

On Tuesday also Israeli security forces stormed into a town the northern West Bank, leading to fighting that killed a 17-year-old Palestinian, according to Palestinian health officials, the latest violence to grip the occupied territory.

The Israeli military conducted an arrest raid before dawn in the town of Zababdeh south of Jenin, local medics said. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 17-year-old Othman Abu Kharj was fatally shot in the head. The raid came as Israeli security forces were still searching for the Palestinian gunman that carried out a shooting in the northern Palestinian city of Hawara that killed an Israeli father and son on Saturday.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the raid in Zababdeh.

Hebron shooting

The two Palestinians arrested on Tuesday related the the women killing were questioned according to the army this morning, “During their initial questioning, the two linked themselves to carrying out the attack,” the army said in a statement, adding they had turned in the weapon allegedly used in the attack.

Nigri was a teacher and resident of Beit Hagai, an Israeli settlement south of Hebron.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, had called her killing a “heroic act” and a “normal response” to settlement projects.

The attack came two days after an Israeli father and son were shot dead at a car wash in the town of Hawara in the West Bank.

Israel has yet to make any arrests in that case despite a search operation that has seen troops raid villages and carry out house-to-house searches.

There has been a surge in violence in the West Bank since early last year, with a string of attacks by Palestinians on Israeli targets, repeated deadly Israeli army raids and violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinian communities.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War, when it also seized the Gaza Strip but withdrew from it in 2005.

Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to nearly three million Palestinians and around 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.

At least 218 Palestinians have been killed so far this year in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Some 31 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have also been killed, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on both sides.

They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.

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Tense calm in divided Cyprus after UN says peacekeepers attacked

AFP

August 22, 2023

NICOSIA: A tense calm held Monday in Cyprus after the United Nations accused Turkish Cypriot forces of assaulting peacekeepers attempting to block road construction in the divided island’s buffer zone.

It was the most serious incident of its kind in years on the east Mediterranean island and drew widespread international condemnation.

The confrontation occurred on Friday in Pyla, an ethnically mixed village in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north.

The UN said four peacekeepers were injured and its vehicles were also damaged as they tried to block the “unauthorized construction work” near Pyla.

“All is calm in Pyla this morning,” Aleem Siddique, spokesman for the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), told AFP.

“The mission remains on standby to block any resumption of construction works,” he said, adding that the injured peacekeepers have been released from hospital.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused the peacekeepers of instigating the violence, calling their “physical intervention... unacceptable.”

“It is neither legal nor humane to prevent Turkish Cypriots living in Pyla from accessing their homeland,” Erdogan said in his first public remarks about the incident.

Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told reporters that meetings have been held internally and with permanent members of the UN Security Council since Thursday over the tensions.

“At this time, very delicate and specific handling is required,” he said on Monday.

The Council, after a closed-door session, condemned the assaults and said they could constitute crimes under international law.

It said the road construction work “runs contrary to Security Council resolutions and constitutes a violation of the status quo in the UN Buffer Zone.”

Authorities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), who say the road project is aimed at easing the plight of its people, dismissed the UN mission’s allegations as “baseless.”

Veysal Guden, the Turkish Cypriot mayor of Pyla, said construction on the road would continue Monday in Turkish Cypriot controlled areas, but workers would not enter the UN-controlled zone.

“A chance will be given to diplomacy. Talks will continue,” Guden told AFP.

The European Union condemned Friday’s incident, and in a joint statement Britain, France and the United States expressed “serious concern at the launch of unauthorized construction” of the road.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said on Monday that “preventing tensions and ensuring the maintenance of the status quo across the buffer zone is the mission’s top priority.”

The peacekeeping mission “is engaging with the Turkish Cypriot side and all concerned” to agree on a “mutually acceptable way forward,” Dujarric said.

Local media reported that talks took place between the TRNC and UN on Monday.

EU member Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish forces occupied the island’s northern third in response to a military coup sponsored by the junta then in power in Greece.

Only Ankara recognizes the statehood of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed by Turkish Cypriot leaders in 1983.

Efforts to reunify the island have been at a standstill since the last round of UN-backed talks collapsed in 2017.

Source: arabnews.com

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India

 

 

Prevent split of Muslim vote: West Bengla CM to clerics

22 August 2023 | Saugar Sengupta | Kolkata

Apparently sensing alienation in her minority vote base, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday returned to her old ways of showering endowments on Muslim clerics before giving out a clarion call to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power.

Speaking at a meeting of the Muslim clerics, Mamata said that though her Government was facing financial crisis due to non-clearance of central dues to the tune of Rs 1.15 lakh crore she had decided to provide a monthly increment on the stipends paid to the Muezzims and Imams.

“They (Centre) have stopped all the grants and have not been paying out legitimate Rs 1.15 lakh crore … still we have decided to give an increment of Rs 500 to the Muezzims and Imams … and also along with this a matching increment will be given to the (Hindu) priests,” Mamata said.

Digging out the old bogey of National Citizenship Register and Citizenship Amendment Act, Banerjee said “like she had prevented NRC and CAA she would also prevent Uniform Civil Code at any cost.”

She said, “we have unleashed a whole lot of projects for the Muslim youth by including them in the OBC category … now we are increasing the stipends paid to the Imams and Muezzims … besides we are also declaring a business loan of Rs 5 lakh for the youth of the minority community.” Saying that Modi’s rule would not last beyond 2024 general elections, the Chief Minister said “I have only one hunger … and that hunger is to oust Narendra Modi from power,” giving out a “Modi Hatao Desh Bachao (oust Modi to save India)” call.

Citing examples of violence in many parts of the country including Haryana and Manipur Banerjee said “attempts are being made to impose one religion, one faith, one language and one caste in India … but till I am there I will not allow this to happen … I will always be by your side like your sister, your daughter and your mother.”

Asking the Muslim clerics to prevent splitting of votes at a time when the BJP was engineering riots to polarize the electorate Banerjee said, “there is a conscious attempt to help the BJP by splitting the minority votes in order to help Modi … so I ask you not to let that happen and prevent division of votes.”

Source: dailypioneer.com

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West Bengal govt. hikes honorarium for imams and muezzins in Bengal by Rs 500

 22.08.23

Pranesh Sarkar

Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced an increase in the honorarium of imams and muezzins in Bengal by Rs 500 a month before explaining that she couldn't hike the amounts further to match their expectations because of the Centre's refusal to clear the dues of Rs 1.15 lakh crore.

Henceforward, the imams and muezzins will get Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,500 a month, respectively.

“The imams help us in implementing government schemes. Be it the pulse polio drive or Somobyathi, the imams help us implement the schemes and programmes.... The honorarium for imams and muezzins had started in 2012. I announce our decision to increase the honorarium by Rs 500 a month," said the chief minister during a programme attended by the imams and the muezzins from across Bengal.

The programme held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Calcutta assumed significance as many in the state administration felt that the chief minister wanted to keep her minority vote bank intact ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls amid questions on whether the ruling party was losing the support of a section of Muslims.

The chief minister also announced that the honorarium for nearly 4,000 Hindu priests would be increased to Rs 1,500 from Rs 1,000 a month.

The honorarium is distributed to imams and muezzins by the Waqf Board after the funds are given by the government. More than 45,000 imams and muezzins get the honorarium these days.

Initially, the government used to give the honorarium to the imams and muezzins directly from the state exchequer. But later on, Calcutta High Court had struck down the decision of the government. The state then decided to give the honorarium through the Waqf board. The funds are transferred to the board which disburses the amounts to the imams and muezzins.

The BJP has always criticised the scheme, saying it is the Trinamul Congress’s tool for minority appeasement.

Trinamul sought to refute the allegation, saying giving the honorarium to the imams helped the state as they extended cooperation to implement development projects in the Muslim-dominated areas.

“In the past, several projects, including pulse polio immunisation, had hit roadblocks. But during our time, the programme runs smoothly because of the active participation of the imams,” said a Bengal minister.

During the programme, Mamata tried to explain why she could not meet the imams' expectation of an honorarium of at least Rs 5,000 a month.

“The Centre did not clear dues of Rs 1.15 lakh crore. The BJP-led Centre is trying to strangulate the state financially. But I would say that in another six months, we will oust the BJP-led government and then I can look into all these issues,” said the chief minister.

Mamata also pointed out that her government was spending heavily on minority development despite the Centre not releasing funds under several schemes.

“The Centre has almost stopped the minority and OBC scholarships. But our government is carrying on with these schemes on its own. We gave scholarships to 3.63 crore minority students in the past 12 years,” said the chief minister.

Mamata said her government had given the approval for the recruitment of 6,152 teachers and 433 non-teaching staff to 614 state-aided madrasas. The state also wishes to bring students of more than 700 khariji madrasas under government schemes like Kanyashree, Sabooj Sathi and free tab distribution programme.

“For this, these madrasas will be given recognition by the government. The state will not interfere in fixing the curriculum of the madrasas, but the students will get the benefit of government schemes,” the chief minister said.

Sources said Mamata had attended the meeting of the imams and muezzins knowing that the financial condition of the state would not allow her to increase the honorarium of the imams according to their wish.

“But she attended the meeting to send a message to the imams, who are considered to be opinion makers among the minority voters in rural areas. She made it clear why her government could not meet their demand at this moment. She wanted to be clear on her part,” said a source.

The chief minister, however, announced that if any of the imams or muezzins wanted to start their business, the government would help them by securing a soft loan of Rs 5 lakh under the Bhabishyat Credit Card.

Some of the imams present at the meeting said a hike of Rs 500 in the monthly grant was not going to help them by any means. “Our demand was to increase the honorarium to Rs 5,000 a month…. Even that amount would be meagre because of the spiralling prices of essential commodities,” said one of them.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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NIA makes 4th arrest in ISIS Jabalpur module case

22 August 2023 | PNS | New Delhi

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday said it  has”successfully untangled more threads in the ISIS Jabalpur module case with the arrest of the fourth accused in the conspiracy to unleash terror in the country.”

The accused, identified as Kasif Khan, is a resident of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and had been inspired and motivated by the ideology of the banned terrorist organisation ISIS to spread mayhem in the country. Khan had been working closely with his three associates, Syed Mamoor Ali, Mohammad Adil Khan and Mohammad Shahid, who were arrested by the NIA earlier in May this year. Khan along with others, was involved in organising Dawah programs to brainwash and radicalise gullible Muslim youth to work for the ISIS, a transnational militant Islamist group, which has been involved in carrying out major terror attacks across the world.

The NIA had registered the ISIS Jabalpur module case on May 24, 2023 after it learnt that the accused persons were actively disseminating ISIS propaganda through the social media and on-ground Dawah activities.“The accused had conspired to carry out violent terror attacks in India on behalf of ISIS with the ultimate aim of establishing an Islamic State. NIA investigations had revealed that the module had been conducting meetings/Dars to plan terror attacks.

 They had also been engaged in motivating and recruiting youth, procuring deadly weapons, collecting funds and disseminating ISIS propaganda material,” the agency said in a statement.

The NIA alleged the conspiracy was being planned and ISIS propaganda was being spread by the accused through various social media platforms.”ISIS has been trying to spread its wings across India by establishing localised terror modules,” it said.

Source: dailypioneer.com

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Nuh violence accused, identified as Aamir, held after gunfight with Haryana police

 22nd August 2023

By PTI

GURUGRAM: A man allegedly involved in communal violence in Nuh was arrested after a brief encounter with police in the Tauru area of the district, officials said on Monday.

He has been identified as Aamir, a resident of Didhara village, they said.

A search operation was launched following inputs that the accused, along with his associates, was hiding in the Aravalli hills near Tauru, police said.

The accused opened fire at the police and in retaliatory firing, he received a bullet injury in his leg, they said, adding the accused was nabbed and placed under arrest. He was admitted to Nalhar Medical College for treatment, they said.

Police said the search is on for other communal violence accused hiding in the hills.

A country-made pistol and five cartridges were recovered from Aamir's possession, they said.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted in Nuh when the Vishva Hindu Parishad's Braj Mandal Yatra was attacked by a mob on July 31.

Source: newindianexpress.com

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US court stays extradition of Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana pending his appeal

PTI Washington: 22.08.23

Overriding the Biden administration’s appeal, a US court has ordered a stay on the extradition of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, to India where he is facing a trial for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Rana, 62, has appealed before the Ninth Circuit Court against the order by a US District Court in the Central District of California that denied the writ of habeas corpus.

District Judge Dale S. Fischer of the US District Court in Central California in his latest order said that Rana’s “ex parte application” seeking a stay on his extradition is granted.

“The extradition of Rana to India is stayed pending the conclusion of his appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” Judge Fischer said in the order issued on August 18.

In doing so the judge overrode the government’s recommendations that there should be no stay on Rana’s extradition.

Rana faces charges for his role in the Mumbai attacks and is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

While the Court does not find that Rana “has made a strong showing that he is likely to succeed on the merits” – otherwise the Court would have ruled in his favour in the first instance – he has certainly raised serious legal questions going to the merits, the judge wrote.

“The proper meaning of “offence” in Article 6(1) of the extradition treaty is not clear and different jurists could come to different conclusions. Rana’s position is certainly colourable and could very well be found to be correct on appeal,” the judge noted.

“The final two factors “merge when the Government is the opposing party.” There is value in compliance with India’s extradition request, but Rana’s extradition proceedings have been going on for more than three years, which suggests that the process has not been rushed so far. Otherwise, the public interest, if anything, favours Rana,” the judge wrote.

“The public has a strong interest in the proper interpretation of extradition treaties, particularly in the interpretation of provisions that provide important individual protections like the one at issue here. Further, there is a strong public interest in definitive, binding interpretations of treaties. District courts cannot provide those rulings; courts of appeals can,” the judge wrote, throwing the legal battle to the Ninth Circuit Court now.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has asked Rana to submit his argument before October 10 and the US Government has been asked to submit its response by November 8.

Judge Fischer wrote that Rana has shown that he is likely to suffer significant irreparable harm absent a stay.

He will be extradited to India for a trial on serious crimes with no hope for a review of his arguments or hope for his return to the United States. The government admits this, but then argues that because “this claimed irreparable harm applies categorically to any fugitive who seeks a stay of extradition pending appeal,” it does not count, the judge said.

Earlier the US attorney John J Lulejian appealed before the District Court to deny Rana’s ex parte application for a stay of extradition pending appeal and argued that the stay would cause “unwarranted delay” in the United States’ fulfilment of its obligations to India and this will damage its credibility in the international arena and impair its ability to obtain the cooperation of foreign nations in bringing United States fugitives to justice.

Rana, he argued, cannot show a likelihood of success on the merits of his claims or otherwise meet his burden of justifying a stay. “Accordingly, the United States respectfully requests that the Court deny his ex parte application,” the US attorney wrote.

Lulejian argued that the District Court should deny Rana’s request for a stay for the threshold reason that he has failed to demonstrate that he is likely to obtain a reversal of this Court’s decision in the Ninth Circuit.

In his ex parte application for a stay, Rana has made no showing whatsoever, let alone a strong showing, that he is likely to succeed on the merits of his appeal, he argued. Indeed, he simply states that he seeks a stay “to permit his non-bis in idem argument to be heard by the court of appeals.” India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing Rana's role in the 26/11 attacks carried out by terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group. The NIA has said that it is ready to initiate proceedings to bring him to India through diplomatic channels.

A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations of Mumbai.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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Pakistan

 

Govt resolves to deal with Jaranwala incident on no fear no favor basis

August 22, 2023

Caretaker Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed has reiterated government's firm resolve to deal with Jaranwala incident on no fear no favor basis.

In an exclusive talk with Radio Pakistan's News and Current Affairs Channel, he said there is no room for Jaranwala-like incidents in Pakistan, as Islamic teachings do not allow anyone to harm someone's sentiments and properties.

The Minister said he would personally visit Jaranwala tomorrow to express sympathy with the effected families.

Regarding recently concluded MoU with Saudi Arabia, he said these agreements would help facilitate Pakistani pilgrims travelling to the Kingdom for Hajj or Umrah.

Aneeq Ahmed said we also aim to make best possible arrangements with in affordability of Pakistani pilgrims for next year's Hajj.

Source: radio.gov.pk

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Damage to Jaranwala churches, homes estimated at Rs67m

August 22, 2023

Tariq Saeed

TOBA TEK SINGH: Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Monday visited Jaranwala, days after violent mobs destroyed dozens of houses and churches over allegations of blasphemy, to express solidarity with the Christian community and distribute compensation cheques among families whose houses were burnt down by the frenzied mob.

According to estimates compiled by Faisalabad’s district administration, at least 22 churches ransacked by mobs suffered damages to the tune of Rs29.1 million whereas 91 houses which bore the brunt of violence suffered losses to the tune of Rs38.5 million. The administration forwarded this report to the provincial government. The list of items destroyed by the mob included fans, air-conditioners, water filter plants, generators, carpets, furniture, and other electrical appliances.

During his speech in Jaranwala on his first official visit anywhere in the country, the interim premier said it was the duty of the state to protect the lives and properties of religious minorities. “It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety of every citizen,” PM Kakar said.

The interim PM stressed the need for interfaith unity and said anyone found committing injustices with minorities would have to face the consequences from the state. “Extremism has nothing to do with any religion, language or region,” the premier remarked.

“The Christian community played an important role in the creation of Pakistan and it is the responsibility of every Muslim to protect the minority community.” The premier distributed cheques for Rs2 million each among the members of the Christian community whose houses were destroyed during the violence.

Hunt for suspects underway

During the ceremony, Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said police were hunting suspects with the help of CCTV footage and geo-fencing, adding that culprits would have to face punishment under the law.

He said whatever damage the churches suffered, they would be restored to their original condition within days and handed over to their respective administrations.

He announced that financial assistance would be provided to each victim.

According to a handout, the CM conveyed that the dedication towards “aiding the community is unwavering”.

He vowed neither the prime minister nor the CM would simply “make fleeting appearances” as the government would be persistent in its engagements.

The chief minister assured that substantial efforts were being “exerted to ensure a just resolution for the Christian community, with visible results expected in the near future”.

Source: dawn.com

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Special court formed to hear cipher case in camera

 August 22, 2023

Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD: A special court, established on Monday to hear the cases filed under the Official Sec­rets Act, handed over former foreign minister and vice chairman of Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qur­eshi to the Federal Inves­tigation Agency (FIA) on a four-day physical remand in the cipher case.

Mr Qureshi is named in the First Information Report (FIR) registered against him under the Official Secrets Act.

The federal government has already notified Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain of the Anti-Terrorism Court as the judge of the special court to preside over the trial under the Official Secrets Act.

Mr Qureshi was presented before Judge Zulqa­r­nain under tight security. The court declared the proceedings as in-camera. Advocate Shoaib Shaheen represented Mr Qureshi.

The prosecutor from the FIA requested custody of Mr Qureshi for the recovery of the missing cipher and related documents.

The judge remanded him into custody for four days and directed the prosecution to produce Mr Qureshi on August 25.

According to the FIR, a case has been registered against former prime minister Imran Khan and Mr Qureshi under sections 5 and 9 of the Official Sec­rets Act, 1923, read with Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

They have been accused of wrongful communicat­ion/use of official secret inf­ormation and illegal retention of a cipher telegram (an official secret doc­ument) with mala fide intention, whereas the roles of former SPM Muha­m­mad Azam Khan, former federal minister Asad Umer, and other involved associates will be ascertained during the course of the investigations.

It said former PM Khan, former FM Qureshi and their other associates are involved in communicat­ion of information conta­ined in secret classified doc­ument (cipher telegram received from Parep Washington dated March 7, 2022 to the Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Aff­airs) to the unauthorised per­sons (i.e. public at large) by twisting facts to achieve their ulterior moti­ves and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security.

They held a clandestine meeting at Banigala on March 28, 2022 to conspire to misuse the contents of the cipher in order to accomplish their nefarious designs.

The accused, Mr Khan, with mala fide directed the former principal secretary, Azam Khan, to prepare the minutes of said clandestine meeting by manipulating the contents of the cipher message to use it for his vested interest at the cost of national safety.

Moreover, the numbe­red and accountable copy of the cipher telegram sent to PM Office was deliberately kept by the former PM, with mala fide intention, and was never returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The said cipher telegram (official secret document classified as such) is still in the illegal possession/retention of the accused Mr Khan, the FIR claimed.

Source: dawn.com

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Islamabad, Kabul in contact over militancy issue: official

August 22, 2023

Umer Farooq

PESHAWAR: With intelligence reports claiming that militants flee to Afghanistan after carrying out activities in Pakistan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counter-terrorism department has said Islamabad and Kabul are in contact with each other to address the issue.

“There is a state-to-state contact [between Pakistan and Afghanistan] to work out a solution [to escape of militants to Afghanistan]. Very serious negotiations are underway,” additional inspector-general and head of the CTD’s KP chapter Shaukat Abbas told reporters in response to a question during a briefing.

Mr Abbas said the department located relatives of the suicide bomber, who targeted a vehicle of security forces on August 9 in Bajaur and was working to identify the bomber, who blew himself up at a JUI-F workers’ convention in the tribal district on July 30.

“We have arrested some people over the attack on JUI-F moot but have yet to bust the network. The suicide bomber is most probably an Afghan national,” he said revealing the identification of a sleeper cell of militants active in Swabi district for seven to eight years.

Mr Abbas said that a police official and two constables were travelling in a car in Yar Hussain area of Swabi on April 7 when militants riding a motorbike hurled a hand grenade inside martyring two and injuring another.

He said assistant sub-inspector Saher Khan and constable Gul Naseeb were martyred and constable Ijaz was injured and that CCTV camera footage of the attack was obtained during the probe.

The AIG said that the CTD finally received intelligence in the presence of a suspected militant and a team raided the location arresting suspected militant Arshad, a resident of the Swabi district.

He said that during interrogation, Arshad identified Ataullah and Sher Ali, both residents of Swabi, in the CCTV footage.

Mr Abbas said that Arshad told police that the attack was planned at his hujra and that besides him, Ataullah, Sher Ali, and Aqib Javed were also involved in the attack.

He said that Sher Ali was arrested and a hand grenade and a pistol were recovered from him and that both suspected militants belonged to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Saifullah Group.

The official said efforts were underway to arrest the remaining two suspected militants, including Ataullah and Aqib.

He said that the mastermind of the militant activity was identified as Abideen, who was the brother of Ataullah and was currently present in Afghanistan.

Mr Abbas said that Ataullah was a member of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Mohsin Qadir group.

He said that Ataullah was a cleric at a local seminary and was involved in the brainwashing of seminarians and that he grew up in Pakistan and went to Afghanistan afterward.

Meanwhile, police sub-inspector Gul Jalal, who was posted to the Police Assistance Lines in the provincial capital, succumbed to bullet injuries on Monday.

The police said Jalal had come under gun attack on Friday when he was on the way to the mosque to offer pre-dawn Fajr prayer.

They added that the sub-inspector was shifted to the hospital but died.

Source: dawn.com

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The martyred police official’s funeral was held at Peshawar’s police headquarters on Monday.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1771533/islamabad-kabul-in-contact-over-militancy-issue-official

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ECP constitutes high-powered committee for election arrangements

August 22, 2023

Election Commission of Pakistan has constituted a high-powered supervisory committee to make arrangements for upcoming general elections in the country.

The committee, led by Special Secretary of Election Commission, will maintain close coordination with relevant departments to ensure smooth elections.

Chairing a meeting in Islamabad, Secretary of Election Commission, Omar Hamid Khan directed the heads of all Election Commission divisions and Provincial Election Commissioners to promptly finalize election-related arrangements.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has again cautioned the federal and provincial governments against getting involved in any political activities that might undermine the smooth conduct of elections.

In a notification, the Election Commission asked the caretaker administrations to confine themselves to the authority granted to them by the Elections Act, 2017.

The Commission further directed the interim administrations to refrain from announcing or commencing any fresh development initiatives on both federal and provincial levels.

Source: radio.gov.pk

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Zaheer A Janjua lauds diaspora’s role in strengthening ties between Pak, Canada

August 22, 2023

Pakistan Expo was held in the Canadian city of Vancouver to showcase the country's products to the local buyers and customers and help forge business to business collaborations between Pakistan and Canada.

The event was inaugurated by Pakistan's High Commissioner to Canada Zaheer A Janjua while Consul General of Pakistan to Vancouver Janbaz Khan and a large number of Pakistani Canadian entrepreneurs, vendors, producers, businessmen, tradesmen, ministers and legislators were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner Zaheer A Janjua said the participation of a large number of trade delegates and businessmen from Canada and Pakistan and the attendance of thousands of local buyers and visitors was an affirmation of the quality and success of the event.

Zaheer Janjua highlighted the role and contribution of half a million Pakistani diaspora in Canada in further strengthening the cordial, friendly and enduring relationship between Pakistan and Canada.

He hoped the Pakistan Expo Vancouver 2023 would serve as an ideal platform for an increased cooperation between the private sectors of both countries that would give impetus to the bilateral commerce and trade.

Source: radio.gov.pk

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https://www.radio.gov.pk/22-08-2023/zaheer-a-janjua-lauds-diasporas-role-in-strengthening-ties-between-pak-canada

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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia sign an Air Services Agreement to facilitate their citizens

August 21, 2023

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed an Air Services Agreement to enhance cooperation in the aviation sector to facilitate citizens of the two countries.

The agreement was signed in Islamabad on Monday in the presence of Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Aneeq Ahmed and Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah.

Later, addressing a joint news conference, Aneeq Ahmad said the agreement would soon yield positive results, especially for Pakistani pilgrims.        

Acknowledging provision of the best services and facilities to the Hajj and Umra pilgrims by the Saudi Government, he said Route to Makkah is benefiting the Pakistani intending pilgrims.

Aneeq Ahmed urged that more facilities should be provided to Pakistani pilgrims at Mina and Arafat.

He also demanded that an alternative land should be provided for the construction of Pakistan House as the earlier location has been incorporated in the extension of Haram.

He said Pakistani citizens of over 65 years should be exempted from biometric.

Speaking on the occasion, the Saudi Minister said the Kingdom is trying its best to bring down the Hajj expenditure.

He said now the visa for Pakistani Umrah pilgrims will be valid for 90 days and they can visit historical sites of the Kingdom as well besides performing Umrah.

 He assured that flights between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be enhanced under the agreement. 

Source: radio.gov.pk

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https://www.radio.gov.pk/21-08-2023/pakistan-saudi-arabia-sign-an-air-services-agreement-to-facilitate-their-citizen

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Special court remands Shah Mahmood Qureshi in FIA custody for four days

By Khalid Iqba

August 22, 2023

ISLAMABAD: A Special Court set up under the Official Secrets Act Monday approved a four-day physical remand of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case.

Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain placed Qureshi in the custody of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The prosecutor sought a 13-day physical remand of the PTI leader which was opposed by his counsel Shoaib Shaheen.

Qureshi was arrested on Saturday from his residence in Islamabad and taken to the FIA headquarters. According to a copy of the FIR, at the conclusion of an enquiry upon a complaint registered by the Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW) of the FIA, it transpired that Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and their other associates were involved in the communication of information contained in a secret classified document to the unauthorised persons by twisting facts to achieve their “ulterior motives” and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security.

The FIR says the accused held a clandestine meeting at Banigala on March 28, 2022 to conspire to misuse the contents of the cipher in order to accomplish their “nefarious designs”. The accused, Imran Khan, mala fidely directed the then principal secretary to the prime minister Muhammad Azam Khan to prepare the minutes (record note) of the said clandestine meeting by manipulating the contents of the cipher message to use it for his vested interest at the cost of national safety

It further says the said cipher telegram is still in the illegal possession/retention of the accused, Imran Khan. The unauthorised retention and misuse of the cypher telegram by the accused persons compromised the entire cypher security system of the state and secret communication method of the Pakistani missions abroad.

On March 27, 2022, Imran Khan, the then-prime minister, claimed that there was a foreign conspiracy afoot to overthrow his government. During his D-Chowk address, Imran did not mention the US or the countries involved. “I seldom write my speeches but I wrote this speech today so that I don’t get emotional and say anything which can affect our foreign policy,” he had said. While taking out a piece of paper from the pocket of his black waistcoat, claiming it evidence, Imran had also said, “We got to know about it [foreign conspiracy] a few months back…if anyone has any doubt, I can show the letter to him but it would be off the record,” the PM said.

“We know from where attempts are being made to pressure us…we’ve been threatened in writing but we will not compromise on national interest no matter what,” he declared. Meanwhile, the authorities have opened a criminal investigation against former prime minister Imran Khan on the charges of leaking state secrets, after naming him and his three aides in a fresh case. The matter, currently under investigation, pertains to a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington early last year, which Khan is alleged to have made public. Imran has accused that the cable was part of a US conspiracy to oust him in a vote of no-confidence in 2022 for visiting Moscow ahead of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Khan is currently serving a three-year sentence in a graft case and has been barred from politics for five years. “Our investigation is collecting evidence to stand a case in a court to indict Imran Khan on the charges of leaking official secrets,” reported an international wire agency on Monday quoting a top security source.

The PTI information secretary Rauf Hasan offered no comment. His close aide Zulfi Bukhari, however, said such a charge against Khan would be unconstitutional after the law became controversial with an assertion by President Arif Alvi that he never signed recent amendments to the legislation, which was mandatory.

Khan has formally been arrested in connection with the charges, which the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is probing, the source said. One of the three aides named in the case, former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, was arrested on Saturday and sent to the FIA’s custody by a court on Monda for four days, his lawyer IntazarPanjutha said.

A copy of the FIA case said Khan and his aides disclosed the classified documents to unauthorised persons and were “twisting the facts to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains”. Under Pakistan’s Official Secrets Act, the sentence can range from two to 14 years in prison or even death, lawyers say.

Khan used the secret document for his “vested interest at the cost of national security,” the case says, adding that the former premier also retained illegally a copy of the classified cable.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1102397-humaira-ahmad-refuses-to-become-alvi-s-principal-secretary-special-court-remands-qureshi-in-fia-custody-for-four-days

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South Asia

 

Iran's ambassador to Kabul Calls Technical Team's Visit Positive Step for Kabul, Tehran

By Mitra Majeedy,

21 August 2023

Iran's ambassador to Kabul, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said that the visit of the Iranian delegation to a water measuring station at Deh Rawud in Uruzgan province, is a positive step for engagement and trust building between Kabul and Tehran. 

Iranian experts have observed and measured water flow at the measuring station at Deh Rawud, and in the month of Asad, 1402, the amount of water flow was reported to be less than the monthly amount of a normal water year. 

Iran’s ambassador said online that it is expected that the amount of water rights of Iran from the Helmand River will be measured correctly and with justice "according to paragraph b of article 3 of the treaty" between the two countries.

Political analyst Zalmai Afghanyar said that the water rights mentioned repeatedly by Iran are a political issue. 

“They have used Afghanistan’s water in the past decades. Was water right an issue then? The only problem is that an Islamic government is ruling in Afghanistan now and this concerns Iran,” he said. 

The Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to honoring the rights of Iran based on the water treaty signed between Afghanistan and Iran in 1973.

“The Islamic Emirate is committed to the water treaty of 1973 with Iran. In this treaty, in addition to estimations, all problems and its solutions are included,” said Matiullah Abid, a spokesman for the MoEW.

Some Afghan water analysts believe that there is a need to invest in a joint pipeline to carry water in a bid to solve the challenges of water affecting both countries. 

“To solve the problems permanently, there should be negotiations on a water pipeline. When a water pipeline transfers water from Kajaki to Sistan and districts in Helmand and Nimroz, it benefits both countries,” said Najibullah Sadid, water analyst.

Earlier, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, Iran's minister of energy, through the Iranian media asked the authorities of the Islamic Emirate to pay Iran's water rights from the Helmand River based on the amount of rainfall.

Iran's minister of energy said that drought in Afghanistan is also serious, but Iran wants its legal right to water based on the amount of rainfall in Afghanistan.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184746

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At least 70% of Afghans struggle in poverty with no jobs: IOM

By Fidel Rahmati

August 22, 2023

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently released a report saying that 70% of the Afghan population lives below the poverty line. This revelation sheds light on the dire economic conditions faced by the people of Afghanistan.

The organization said, “At least 70% of Afghans live below the poverty line and are jobless.” It continued, saying, “Amidst a collapsing economy, small and medium-sized businesses continue to lay off staff.”

The organization also warned on Tuesday on social media platform X and emphasized that “Time is running out, and Afghanistan cannot wait.”

Afghanistan’s soaring poverty rate profoundly impacts society, limiting access to essentials like food, clean water, healthcare, and education. Insufficient funds curtail individual and communal efforts to elevate living standards and break free from poverty’s vicious cycle.

Previously, the United Nations noted the Taliban administration’s resurgence heightened the demand for Afghan humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that the de facto administration’s establishment led to the loss of approximately 900,000 jobs and a significant surge in the need for aid.

In addition, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of humanitarian affairs reported a stark rise in Afghanistan’s needy population, increasing from 6.3 million in 2019 to 28 3 million in 2023.

According to the 2023 report, the United Nations presented contrasting data to those released by the International Organization of Migration (IOM). The report said that following the Taliban’s rise to power, Afghanistan’s official economy experienced a significant and devastating decline, with an estimated 95-97 per cent of the population now living below the poverty line.

Amid the current humanitarian crisis, the Taliban administration has enforced stringent constraints on women’s involvement in aid agencies and local organizations. This has further worsened the already dire humanitarian situation.

Source: khaama.com

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Afghan delegation attends in 7th Afghanistan Future Thought Forum session held in Indonesia

By Fidel Rahmati

August 22, 2023

The seventh session of the Afghanistan Future Thought Forum (AFTF) took place on Sunday in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.

During the event, participants discussed the ongoing challenges in Afghanistan and explored possible measures to build trust in the region, said Sultan Barakat, Director of Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

“At this meeting, there was a discussion about trust building and reviewing current challenges in Afghanistan and potential trust-building measures; the meeting was held in continuation of the efforts in line with the policy of interaction with the Islamic Emirate,” Barakat added.

The meeting reportedly took place in a closed-door setting.

Barakat said the Afghan Friends Task Force (AFTF) had active involvement from Afghan men and women, totalling 30 participants. Fatima Gilani, who formerly chaired the Afghan Red Crescent Society, was the task force’s leader.

During this event, diplomats representing countries such as Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, Australia, and Norway and representatives from the European Union and the World Bank engaged in discussions with Afghan delegates.

Although Barakat did not furnish specific information regarding the attendance of representatives from the Taliban administration at the AFTF session, there were indications that Farooq Azam, the Ministry of Water and Energy advisor, took part in the meeting.

Barakat added that AFTF members thanked the Uelma of Alech for insights on enacting Sharia law within a framework of administrative autonomy.

Source: khaama.com

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Nearly 40 Afghan refugees released from Pakistani prisons

By Fidel Rahmati

August 21, 2023

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has officially announced the release and repatriation of 37 Afghan refugees held in Pakistani prisons for varying durations of one to six months.

According to a statement on social media X, the returnees came via Torkham, crossed the border and are now back in their home country.

The statement added that several of these returnees had been referred to the International Organization for Migration office to receive essential aid.

The statement emphasized that the detained people had completed sentences ranging from one to six months in Pakistani prisons. However, the specific reasons behind their apprehension were not given in the statement.

Afghan refugees faced arrests and mistreatment in Pakistan and Iran due to lacking legal residential documents.

Recent evidence shows a rise in the detention of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. In the latest incident, 18 Afghan migrants were arrested by Pakistani police and released after paying bribes.

Moreover, according to the Taliban officials of the Prisons affairs administration, nearly 4,000 citizens are incarcerated in Iranian prisons.

Reports show that since the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, around 750,000 Afghan citizens have migrated to Pakistan.

Source: khaama.com

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Europe

 

 

Sweden Ponders New Police Powers to Stop QuranBurning

21-Aug-2023

Sweden's government says it is considering changing the Public Order Act to make it possible for police to deny permission for acts such as burning the Quran but only if they threaten national security.

The country has raised its terror alert to the second highest level, saying it had thwarted attacks after Quran burnings and other acts against Islam's holiest text outraged Muslims and triggered threats from jihadists.

Insults towards public figures or against religions are protected by Sweden's far-reaching freedom of speech laws and the government rules out changing them.

However, Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer said on Friday he would appoint a commission to look into giving police wider powers to deny acts such as Quran burnings.

"Of course, general international dissatisfaction or vague threat should not be enough – it must be about serious and qualified threats," Strommer told a news conference.

He added it could give police the power to select a different location for a protest or to dissolve it.

Salwan Momika, an Iraqi living in Sweden, has damaged several copies of the Quran in recent months. Many Muslims view desecrating the Quran, which they see as the literal word of God, as a grave offense. A media outlet linked to militant group al-Qaeda has urged violent retribution against Sweden.

The decision to appoint a commission met with immediate scepticism from several political parties, including the government's support party, the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.

"Even if different values always need to be weighed against each other, the Sweden Democrats will never accept that we adapt to threats and pressure from Islamists and dictatorships," Sweden Democrats' party leader Jimmie Akesson said in a statement.

On Friday, the government said it had tightened security at embassies and other missions due to an increase in threats against Swedish interests abroad.

Source: newseu.cgtn.com

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https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2023-08-21/Sweden-ponders-new-police-powers-to-stop-Quran-burning-1mnz9BIkL5e/index.html

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Ukrainian UAVs intercepted near Crimea – Moscow

21 Aug, 2023

Kiev had planned to use the drones for a “terrorist attack,” the Russian Defense Ministry said

Two Ukrainian drones were disabled and brought down off the coast of Crimea on Monday evening, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Kiev has stepped up unmanned aircraft attacks on Russian soil in recent months.

The UAVs on a mission to “conduct a terrorist attack” were intercepted around 11pm local time, the ministry said in a brief statement in the early hours of Tuesday. 

“The two Ukrainian drones were spotted by air defenses and downed by means of electronic warfare,” the MOD said. It added that the UAVs then veered off course, crashing into the Black Sea 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of the Crimean Peninsula.

Kiev has increased drone attacks in Crimea and elsewhere in Russia in recent months. According to Russian officials, a drone heading for Moscow was downed on Monday morning. Multiple UAVs were shot down over the weekend in the Belgorod Region, which shares a border with Ukraine, the local governor said.

Several unmanned aircraft crashed in Moscow’s financial district earlier this month, without causing any fatalities. On July 17, a Ukrainian seaborne drone struck the Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula with mainland Russia, killing two people and injuring their teenage daughter. Moscow responded by striking port infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Odessa.

Source: rt.com

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https://www.rt.com/russia/581617-drone-downed-near-crimea/

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UK officials banned from calling Russia and China ‘hostile states’ – The Times

21 Aug, 2023

The reported policy shift has been condemned as “pathetic” and “Orwellian” by hawks

The UK Foreign Office has banned government officials from describing Russia, China or other nations as “hostile states,” The Times reported on Monday, citing multiple sources.

The wording has effectively been prohibited for use in official documents and even internal correspondence between civil servants and various government agencies, according to the newspaper. An unnamed official with another department told The Times that he had recently had a submission turned down by the Foreign Office over the language used. 

“States aren’t inherently hostile themselves, they just do hostile things,” the Foreign Office explained, as cited by the official.

Apart from banning the wording from current correspondence, previous official documents have also been edited, including the 2021 integrated review of foreign and defense policy, The Times reported. The document now uses “hostile actors” instead of “hostile states,” while terms such as “hostile state activity” have been replaced with “state threats.”

The policy shift, which is believed to be primarily aimed at mending ties with China, has reportedly gone down badly in various government departments. Some officials have described the changes as “ludicrous” and said they have caused “a lot of bemusement across government.”

UK fears Chinese ‘spy’ cars – The TelegraphREAD MORE: UK fears Chinese ‘spy’ cars – The Telegraph

The government has acknowledged the policy shift, explaining that the new wording has been introduced to keep London’s position in line with that of its allies.

“The integrated review refresh uses a range of terms to describe the activities of state and non-state actors, including ‘state threats.’ This terminology is agreed across government and is widely used by our allies,” a spokesperson told the media, insisting that the UK continues to take “strong action” against “state threats.”

The new policy has been harshly criticized by hawkish politicians, including the former leader of the Conservatives, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who condemned the change as “pathetic.”

“This is Orwellian political speak in which you invent terms that are themselves meaningless to describe genuine dangerous and difficult circumstances because you have an ulterior motive such as not frightening your own people or not to upset those you are dealing with. The idea that China is not a hostile state is absurd,” the MP told The Times.

Duncan Smith doubled down in a post on X (formerly Twitter), appearing to compare modern China to Nazi Germany.

“A country guilty of genocide, slave labour, invasion of the South China Seas and eyeing up plans to invade Taiwan, apparently isn’t a hostile state. Officials should remember that appeasement didn’t work in the 1930’s and it won’t work now,” he wrote.

Source: rt.com

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https://www.rt.com/news/581605-uk-officials-hostile-states/

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‘Fallen angels from hell’ – Scholz slams critics of his Ukraine policies

21 Aug, 2023

The German chancellor told an event in Munich that his detractors were posing as peace doves

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accused critics of his country’s policy of giving military aid to Ukraine of playing into Russia’s hands. He made the comments in reaction to being booed by the crowd during a campaign speech in Munich’s iconic Marienplatz square on Friday evening.

Confronted by calls of “warmonger,” “loser,” and “liar,” amongst others, Scholz responded that “right-wing populists” represent a “gloomy future” for Germany.

He went on to argue that those demanding an end to German weapon deliveries to Ukraine were not peace doves, but rather “fallen angels, that come from hell, because at the end of the day they make the case for a warmonger,” – an apparent reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The official went on to defend his decision to provide Kiev with weapons to fend off “imperialist aggression,” assuring the public that such steps were taken only after careful consideration.

Similar scenes occurred during events the German Chancellor attended in Frankfurt and Neuruppin last week, where critics took aim at his climate policies. 

Meanwhile, the results of a new opinion poll released by Bild on Saturday indicated that some 64% of respondents would want to see the incumbent “traffic light” coalition government made up of Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Free Democrats, and the Greens replaced. Only 22% expressed content with the way the country is being governed at present, the media outlet revealed, with 70% of the Germans polled dissatisfied with Scholz personally.

Back in June, Scholz was booed at a ‘European Festival’ in the town of Falkensee, organized by his own SPD party. 

As captured by a Ruptly video agency cameramen, some of the attendees denounced the chancellor as a “people’s traitor” and a “warmonger,” while calling for “peace without weapons.”

According to Bild, some of those people were members of right-wing groups and were sporting pro-Russia symbols. 

Scholz’s government has consistently supported Ukraine since the start of its conflict with Russia last February, with the chancellor predicting that Berlin would have to provide weapons to Kiev for years to come. 

However, in addition to those opposing such deliveries, the official has also caught flak from top Ukrainian officials and some politicians at home for his apparent hesitancy when it has come to certain types of hardware, such as Leopard tanks.

Speaking at another event on Friday, the official insisted that all efforts to shore up Ukraine were being undertaken only after careful consideration and in close coordination with allies to minimize the risk of the conflict merging into a “war between Russia and NATO.”

Source: rt.com

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https://www.rt.com/news/581597-germany-scholz-booed-weapons-ukraine/

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Greece joins Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jet coalition

22/08/2023

IRYNA VOICHUK

Following a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Greece would join the training of Ukrainian F-16 pilots.

“Today we have an important result for the aviation coalition: Greece will take part in the training of our pilots on F-16s,” Yevpropeiska Pravda reported, citing Zelenskyy’s statement during a press conference in Athens.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the Greek Prime Minister for “willingness to help more in protecting our freedom.”

Other countries, including Germany, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom, US, have also backed the initiative. Their support follows the United States’ crucial statements that it will allow the reexport of F16s to Ukraine, as it produces the F-16 aircraft and is joining the fighter jet coalition.

On 18 August, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra confirmed that the US has approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine following the completion of pilots’ training.

On 19 August, Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov said Ukrainian pilots have already started training on Western F-16 fighter jets.

Source: euromaidanpress.com

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42 countries and EU join formation of International registry of damages caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine

ORYSIA HRUDKA

21/08/2023

42 countries and the European Union have joined forces to establish an international registry cataloging damages inflicted by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

During the international conference titled “Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine: Justice Must Prevail” held in Kyiv, Prime Minister Shmyhal emphasized Ukraine’s commitment to seeking compensation for the losses incurred due to the war with Russia.

He further highlighted the successful collaboration, revealing that the formation of the international registry of damages has garnered support from 42 countries and the European Union.

Shmyhal expressed the urgency in expediting the implementation of other essential components of the compensation mechanism and addressed the matter of funding:

“The key question – where to find the funds for confiscation – has a straightforward answer: from frozen and confiscated Russian assets.”

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of partners adapting their legislative frameworks to facilitate the transfer of these funds, aligning with the pursuit of justice.

He added that in collaboration with Ukraine’s partners, a precedent could be established, setting the stage for legal penalties for those responsible and securing the necessary funds for reconstruction.

Source: euromaidanpress.com

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https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/08/21/42-countries-and-eu-join-formation-of-international-registry-of-damages-caused-by-russian-aggression-against-ukraine/?swcfpc=1

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Southeast Asia

 

In Singapore, man gets 16 years' jail, caning for sexually assaulting step-nephew repeatedly over five years

 22 Aug 2023

SINGAPORE, Aug 22 — When he was just six years old, his step-uncle sexually assaulted him in their home.

The sexual assault stopped five years later when the boy ran away from home after learning that his step-uncle’s actions were wrong during a sex education class in school.

Yesterday (August 21), the High Court sentenced the step-uncle, now 29, to 16 years’ imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane for three counts of aggregated sexual assault with penetration. Another 19 similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

He cannot be named due to a court order protecting the victim’s identity.

What happened

The victim had seen his step-uncle as a fatherly figure — he had never met his biological father, and his stepfather preferred his biological children to him.

The adults in the family also subjected the boy to harsh physical punishment, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Heershan Kaur said.

“The accused would pick the victim up from school and helped the victim with his homework. He also gave the victim extra money to buy food,” DPP Kaur said.

Court documents showed that the man sexually assaulted his step-nephew 22 times, of which 21 took place in their home. The other incident was at a fast food outlet’s toilet for the handicap.

The man had done so to relieve himself from stress and for his own sexual gratification, DPP Kaur said.

The first sexual assault was in 2011, when the victim was six years old and the step-uncle 16.

Most occurred in the step-uncle’s bedroom — which he shared with his brother — typically in the afternoon when there was nobody or fewer people in the house, or at night when everyone else had slept.

To invite his step-nephew into his bedroom, the young man would use the excuse of study or play. He would then put a blanket over both of them so that his brother could not see what was happening.

There were also times when the man would lock the bedroom door instead and not use the blanket, DPP Kaur said.

“The victim cried after each occasion,” she added.

On some occasions, the man asked his step-nephew to touch him, and on one occasion to engage in a sexual act.

The victim did not tell anyone about the sexual assaults, because his step-uncle said that he would scold the victim less and treat him better if he did as he was told. The boy was also fearful, court documents stated.

It was only in 2015, when the victim was in Primary 5, did he learn through sex education classes that his step-uncle was sexually assaulting him. The boy then ran away from home.

Reporting the incident

After running away, the victim was sent to a foster home. He did not tell anyone what he went through because he was afraid to do so, and wanted to move on from the incidents, DPP Kaur said.

However, after being pressed by his psychiatrist to talk about his past, the victim eventually revealed what his step-uncle had done. Court documents did not state when the victim spoke to his psychiatrist.

The victim also told a social worker working on his case later, because “this had been bothering him for a very long time and he just wanted to tell someone about it”, DPP Kaur said.

A police report was made on Feb 18 in 2020 and the step-uncle was arrested at his workplace a few days later. He was employed as a deskside engineer.

The victim was found to be “distressed and uncomfortable” when recounting the sexual abuse he faced during a medical examination. He also expressed that it was hard to forgive his step-uncle and he felt anger towards the man.

For each charge of aggravated sexual assault by penetration, the man could have been jailed between eight and 20 years, and caned no less than 12 times. ― TODAY

Source: malaymail.com

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https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2023/08/22/in-singapore-man-gets-16-years-jail-caning-for-sexually-assaulting-step-nephew-repeatedly-over-five-years/86478

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Ex-PM Thaksin returns to Thailand after 15 years in exile

22 Aug 2023

BANGKOK, Aug 22 ― Thailand's divisive ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra returned to the kingdom today, after 15 years in exile and hours before parliament votes for a new prime minister.

The billionaire landed in a private jet at Bangkok's Don Mueang airport at 9am (0200 GMT), to be greeted by hundreds of noisy “Red Shirt” supporters waving banners and singing songs.

Thaksin emerged briefly from the terminal building to bow and offer a floral garland at a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn as a mark of respect before waving to supporters.

The former Manchester City owner was led away by officials to face arrest on old criminal cases, in the latest act in the kingdom's rolling political drama.

Lawmakers will vote in the afternoon to install business tycoon SretthaThavisin as prime minister at the head of a coalition led by the Pheu Thai party ― the latest incarnation of Thaksin's political movement.

Earlier, a Facebook video posted by his sister Yingluck ― like Thaksin, ousted from power by Thailand's generals ― showed the 74-year-old shaking hands with the crew as he boarded his jet in Singapore.

“The day you are waiting for is finally come,” Yingluck wrote.

Crimson supporters

A day that began with a private jet for Thaksin will likely end in a prison cell ― yet another dramatic shift in a switchback career that has included two election victories, defeat in a coup, criminal charges and long years of self-imposed exile.

Thaksin has said he is prepared to face justice in order to return to his homeland and see his grandchildren ― though he has long maintained the criminal charges against him are politically motivated.

“I would like to request permission to return to live on Thai soil and share the air with my fellow Thai brothers and sisters,” he posted on Twitter, which has been rebranded as X, yesterday.

At the airport, hundreds of supporters from the “Red Shirt” movement loyal to Thaksin gathered singing songs and waving banners ― most decked out in their usual crimson colours.

“I am a real Red Shirt ― whenever they want our support, I will always be there for them,” Karuna Wantang, 70, a retired bureaucrat from Nongkai, in the country's northeast, told AFP.

“I don't only like him but I love him.”

Thaksin has been convicted in four criminal cases in his absence, although the statute of limitations has expired in one. The jail sentences against him total 10 years.

From the airport, he will be taken to the Supreme Court, issued with a jail warrant and put in detention.

Hundreds more Red Shirts lined the route he is expected to take.

It is unclear how long Thaksin might serve in jail. His associates hope he may be moved to house arrest after a brief incarceration, although there are no guarantees.

For all his long absence from the country, Thaksin remains Thailand's most influential ― and controversial ― politician of modern times.

Loved by the rural poor for policies including cheap healthcare and the minimum wage, he is reviled by the pro-military and royalist elite who saw his rule as corrupt, authoritarian and a threat to Thai social order.

Parties linked to Thaksin have dominated elections since 2001 ― until this year, when the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats.

PM vote

But MFP's leader Pita Limjaroenrat saw his bid to become PM dashed on the rocks of bitter opposition from conservative junta-appointed senators spooked by his determination to reform royal insult laws and tackle business monopolies.

While party patriarch Thaksin is being processed by the courts, Pheu Thai MPs will be preparing for the vote for a prime minister, expected around 3 pm.

The party is confident of getting Srettha approved in a joint vote by both houses, after gaining another 40 seats for its coalition on Monday with the addition of the army-linked PalangPracharath Party (PPRP).

It takes their controversial grouping ― including military-backed United Thai Nation, the former party of 2014 coup-maker Prayut Chan-o-cha ― to 314 lower house seats.

Following MFP's exclusion from the first coalition, Pheu Thai's deals with army-linked parties have enraged supporters who voted overwhelmingly against military-backed rule in May. ― AFP

Source: malaymail.com

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Kian Ming: Pakatan victory in Sg Pelek impossible without BN’s support

By Zarrah Morden

22 Aug 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming today said that Pakatan Harapan (PH) would not have been able to win the Sungai Pelek seat in the Selangor state election without Barisan Nasional’s (BN) support.

A 25 per cent vote transfer from BN supporters was enough to ensure that the ethnic Chinese PH candidate won the Malay-majority seat with a 1,458 vote majority in a fight against the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate who was a well-known former local Umno leader, he said in a statement.

“PH would not have been able to win N56 Sungai Pelek seat without support from Umno especially in the Malay majority areas of Jenderam Hulu, Salak, and Hulu Cucuh,” he said.

He explained that 5 per cent out of the 25 per cent of Malay support given to BN in the 15th general elections (GE15) swung to PH in the Selangor state election. Similarly, around 5 per cent of the Chinese vote and 10 per cent of the Indian vote had also swung to PH from BN, he said.

“All in all, a vote transfer of approximately 25 per cent of total BN votes from GE15 went to PH in the 2023 state elections, with the remaining 75 per cent going to PN,” he said, using the abbreviation for the state elections.

“Given that Perikatan Nasional won a negligible amount of the non-Malay vote in this 40 per cent non-Malay constituency in GE15 and in the 2023 state electionsand given the 25 per cent vote transfer from BN to PH (including 5 per cent out of 25 per cent or 20 per cent BN’s Malay support in GE15), this was sufficient for PH to win this seat with almost 52 per cent of the popular vote,” he added.

Besides that, the cooperation between PH and BN leaders at the grassroots level was strengthened by the presence of state and national leaders.

“I experienced this when International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, came to Sungai Pelek to campaign with the PH candidate, Lwi Kian Seong, together with Ng Sze Han, the DAP Selangor state secretary and recently sworn in as Selangor executive council member.

“Zafrul was able to mobilise the local Umno leadership and grassroots to throw their support behind the PH candidate,” he said.

On the other hand, PH’s aid on the campaign trail and vote transfers from it to BN would have also helped the former rival win other seats, such as in Dusun Tua, he said.

DAP had originally won Dusun Tua in the 14th general elections and the seat was given to Umno to contest in the recent state elections, he said.

He went on to explain that DAP leaders including its Selangor chairman Gobind Singh, Ng Sze Han, Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lim Yi Wei and Taiping MP Wong Kah Woh had campaigned for the Umno candidate there, Datuk Johan Abdul Aziz, who won the seat with a 3,014 vote majority.

PH won 32 out of Selangor’s 56 seats while BN won two. This gave PH a simple majority with which to form the state government, but it was denied a two-thirds majority. Meanwhile, PN gained ground in the country’s richest state with 22 seats.

Source: malaymail.com

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Kedah Bersatu chief says ‘all is well’ with PAS after its three partymen sworn in as excos

By Ben Tan

22 Aug 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — The tense situation between PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in the Kedah Perikatan Nasional (PN) regarding the allocation of the state executive councillor posts have been cleared up.

Kedah Bersatu chief Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah said the party has accepted the fewer number of state executive councillor posts compared to the previous term and that there is no longer a dispute, news portal Free Malaysia Today reported last night.

“All is well. All (appointed) excos have been sworn in, so this puts an end to the issue,” he was quoted as saying after three Bersatu assemblymen took their oath office before Kedah’s Sultan SallehuddinBadlishah yesterday.

The trio, Bukit Kayu Hitam assemblyman HalimatonShaadiah Saad, Suka Menanti’sDwozahir Ab Ghani and Kubang Rotan’s Salleh Saidin, joined the new state government line-up led by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor from PAS.

Berita Harian previously reported unnamed sources claiming that Kedah Bersatu leaders were dissatisfied at getting only three posts for state executive councillors compared to five during Sanusi’s first term as menteribesar.

In the new Kedah exco, PAS holds the lion’s share with seven posts, including Sanusi. Gerakan, which won its only seat in Kulim, got one exco post.

Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal told the news portal that the appointment of every state executive councillor for PN-led states is done by consensus of all component parties.

He denied that Kedah Bersatu leaders were unhappy with being given only three executive councillor posts.

In the August 12 Kedah election, PN formed the state government after securing 33 of the 36 state assembly seats.

Islamist party PAS dominated the state polls with 22 seats, while Bersatu won 10 and Gerakan one.

Source: malaymail.com

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Fly the Jalur Gemilang, show loyalty, love for country, Anwar urges Malaysians

22 Aug 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim calls on all Malaysians to fly the Jalur Gemilang in conjunction with the National Month to demonstrate their loyalty and love for the country, as well as to embrace the spirit of independence.

The Prime Minister also urged the public to celebrate National Month and show that they are a generation that understands the struggles of previous generations in attaining the nation's independence.

"I propose that from now until Independence Day on Aug 31 and subsequently Malaysia Day on Sept 16, we should proudly hoist the Jalur Gemilang on every vehicle, in every office, at homes, or wherever, to show that Malaysia now rises as a united nation, with aspirations, and with ideals to embrace the spirit of independent,” he said.

Anwar was speaking in a special video message for the National Day 2023 celebration, produced by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

"Malaysia Madani: TekadPerpaduanPenuhi Harapan (Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope)" is the chosen theme for this year’s National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations.

The National Day celebration will be held on Aug 31 at Dataran Putrajaya, while the Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16 is slated to be held in Kuching, Sarawak. – Bernama

Source: thestar.com.my

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Selangor’s delicate balance of coalition politics

22 Aug 2023

KUALA LUMPUR – The political landscape of Selangor, long considered Malaysia’s powerhouse state, is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony for its new executive council made up of the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) alliance paints a vivid portrait of this change.

Against the backdrop of Istana Alam Shah’s regal surroundings, 10 members took their oath of office, a scene laden with solemnity, and yet, an undercurrent of tension seemed to linger outside the palace.

Amidst the visual spectacle of this political inauguration lies an intricate scenario of political decisions and dynamics, both visible and concealed. The infusion of new faces into Selangor’s political framework carries with it the promise of new perspectives and renewed energy.

A closer look at the dynamics of seat allocation in this coalition reflects this complexity as the distribution of seats among the coalition partners tells a story of its own. DAP got four seats, while PKR and Amanah secured three and two seats respectively, and BN got the other seat.

The re-entry of BN into the state government after a hiatus of 15 years marks a significant shift in the political calculus of Selangor, signalling a new chapter in its political narrative.

Yet, within this complex interplay of coalition politics, there emerges an intriguing subplot that merits attention.

The breakdown of the council’s composition – seven Malays, two Chinese and one Indian – has raised questions and concerns, particularly within the ranks of PKR.

DAP in a tight spot?

The exclusion of Gunaraj George, despite his prominent role within Selangor PKR, from the line-up has cast a spotlight on the intricate balance between ethnic representation and community support.

His absence has resonated particularly within the Indian community. With nine out of Selangor’s 22 PKR divisions led by Indians, his exclusion reverberated more forcefully.

Many have come out to voice their displeasure and some have accused DAP of playing partisan politics. As Roy Nyaneswaran, the Kota Raja PKR information chief, had aptly put it, the situation had presented an occasion for PH to demonstrate its commitment to inclusivity.

However in the end, DAP still landed the Indian exco seat while Gunaraj was left out to dry. But looking at the developments in the DAP, it was also in a tight spot due to recent developments within the party.

Two prominent Indian party veterans P. Ramasamy and D. Kamache quit DAP in the run-up to the state polls. This brought about plenty of allegations against the party, including that it alienated Indian members and many were being side-lined.

Against this backdrop, DAP was pushed into a corner over the exco composition. It needed to give a seat to a Malay to show its inclusivity and that Malays could rise up the ranks in the party.

Hence Bandar Utama second-term representative Jamaliah Jamaluddin’s selection.

Despite being pressed into giving its Indian quota to PKR, DAP was simply unable to do so as doing so would lead to further accusation that it was ignoring its Indian grassroots. However, this decision came at the expense of PKR and Gunaraj.

Not time for division

As word came out that V. Papparaidu would be the sole Indian voice in the exco, many PKR members went ballistic over it. However, being a senior party member with tremendous experience in treading on such issues, Gunaraj has since sought to quell the growing disquiet.

He called for calm, emphasising that a final decision had been made and it must be respected.

“This is not a time for division, but an opportunity for unity within PH. With or without a position, I will do my utmost for the people,” he said, while echoing a sentiment that places public service above personal ambition.

This brief but intense episode serves as a timely reminder that in the realm of politics, the broader cause should always eclipse individual aspirations.

The intricate dance of coalition politics, with its delicate balancing act, is far from straightforward. It highlights the imperative of embracing diversity while ensuring that representation remains equitable.

As Selangor embarks on this new political odyssey, it is crucial to extract lessons from this episode. Ensuring that all segments of the populace feel adequately represented is of paramount importance.

The government’s actions should also resonate with the aspirations of the people, transcending the boundaries of ethnicity, background and political affiliation. Ultimately, the essence of politics should be grounded in service to the people, with every decision serving as a reflection of these fundamental values.

It also serves as a reminder of the broader challenges inherent in coalition politics. As the state charts its course into a tough five-year journey with Perikatan Nasional breathing down its neck, a successful government is one that listens, unites and responds to the collective voices of all communities, ultimately fostering a sense of shared ownership and purpose. – The Vibes, August 22, 2023

Source: thevibes.com

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Africa

 

In Niger, a jihadist threat difficult to measure

21 Aug 2023

Several deadly attacks have struck Niger since the 26 July coup that toppled elected president Mohamed Bazoum, but analysts warn against hasty interpretation of the scant data available.

As soon as they came to power, the soldiers who overthrew President Bazoum cited a "deteriorating security situation" to justify their coup.

This perception is shared by some Nigeriens but seems to be contradicted by the statistics.

In the first six months of 2023, attacks on civilians were 49% lower than in the first six months of 2022, and the number of deaths 16% lower, according to the NGO Acled, which records the victims of conflicts around the world.

Western observers and partners, notably France, a privileged ally of the ousted regime which still has 1,500 troops in Niger, have highlighted these encouraging results.

This improvement is partly attributed to the strategy implemented by Mr Bazoum, the only one of its kind in the Sahel, to combat jihadist groups.

While the military regimes in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso are carrying out "anti-terrorist" operations that are accused of taking a heavy toll on civilian populations, Niger has opted for a policy of "extending a helping hand".

Peace agreements between communities, development projects, negotiations with leaders of armed groups... A strategy considered promising and appreciated by Western partners, but criticised in Niger, particularly within the army.

- Sense of insecurity -

The perception of security differs according to the context. According to an Afrobarometer survey conducted in June 2022, seven out of ten Nigeriens (72%) were satisfied with the security situation in their country.According to the survey, rural populations directly affected by the violence were much more satisfied than urban dwellers (78% versus 47%).

"Urban dwellers are more politicised, they have better access to information (...) And the higher the standard of living, the more importance is attached to safety and health issues", says MahamaneTahirou Ali Backo, associate researcher at the Laboratoired'Etudes et de recherches sur les dynamiquessociales et le développement local (Lasdel) in Niamey, who took part in the survey.The researcher also points out that the survey was not carried out in the so-called "red" zones, where the population is most directly affected, to guarantee the safety of the interviewers.

"The most well-documented attacks are those against the symbols of the State or large-scale attacks, but because of the circulation of arms and banditry, violence is almost a daily occurrence", explains this researcher, one of the few who has recently been able to gain access to these areas where jihadist groups are active, on the fringes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Furthermore, the number of attacks and victims does not necessarily reflect the feeling of insecurity fostered by the jihadist groups, who exercise a form of indirect control, sometimes a long way from their bases.

"If there is less visible violence, that doesn't necessarily mean that people are living better. Taxes are still being levied, and even though the number of attacks is falling, the influence of armed groups is spreading within Niger", says Tatiana Smirnova, a researcher at the Franco Paix Centre for Conflict Resolution.

- Closed schools -

The jihadists "are not seeking to take official power, but are exercising a form of indirect government and social control over vast areas", explains Jean Pierre Olivier de Sardan, Emeritus Director of Research at the CNRS and researcher at Lasdel.This influence is reflected in the closure of primary and secondary schools in the Sahel.According to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), around 890 schools were closed in August 2022 because of insecurity in the four regions of Niger most affected by the attacks, including Tillabéri.In May 2023, the Niger Ministry of Education reported that more than 900 schools were no longer in operation in the Tillabéri region alone.

Peace agreements between communities have led to a significant drop in violence in some areas, according to analysts and available statistics, but other areas have seen a resurgence of incidents.

The jihadists are grafting themselves onto local conflicts, the diversity of which makes it difficult to establish an overall trend.

From one department to another, "the dynamics, groups and conflicts are not the same", warns Tahirou Ali Bako. "Seen from the outside, people tend to standardise situations, but they are not homogeneous", he adds.

Source: africanews.com

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Libya repatriates 161 Nigerian migrants

AFP

August 22, 2023

TRIPOLI: Libyan authorities on Monday repatriated 161 Nigerians, officials said, part of a UN-backed voluntary return scheme as some North African countries see a spike in irregular migration.

The group, including 75 women and six children, received food and drinks from International Organization for Migration staff at Mitiga airport in Tripoli before boarding the plane, AFP correspondents said.

Interior Minister Imed Trabelsi, of the UN-recognized government based in the war-torn country’s west, met the migrants before their departure.

“We cannot bear the burden of clandestine migration alone” without international support, he told reporters at the airport.

He said that out of the group, “102 were intercepted at the border as they were trying to” cross between Libya and Tunisia.

The North African neighbors on August 10 agreed to share responsibility for providing shelter for hundreds of migrants stranded at their border, ending a month-long crisis triggered by mass expulsions of migrants by Tunis.

Some 2,000 migrants, primarily from sub-Saharan African countries, had been driven to the remote desert area of Ras Jedir by Tunisian authorities and left there to fend for themselves, according to witnesses, rights groups and UN agencies.

Since the start of July, at least 27 have been found dead in the border area and another 73 were missing, a humanitarian source told AFP earlier this month.

An official with Nigeria’s embassy in Tripoli said the group of 161 was “not forced back” home.

“We spoke to (them) and explained that migration is not bad... but you have to follow due process,” said embassy adviser Samuel Okeri.

“They are going back willingly. And as you can see, they are not sad but happy to go back to Nigeria. There is no place like home.”

A group of 165 Nigerians including 90 women and nine children was repatriated on June 20 under the same scheme.

Libya is a major gateway for migrants and asylum seekers attempting perilous sea voyages in often rickety boats in the hope of a better life in Europe.

An estimated 600,000 migrants live in the war-scarred country, which has seen 12 years of stop-start conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled strongman Muammar Qaddafi.

Libyan authorities have come under sharp criticism from the United Nations and rights groups over reported violence against migrants.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2359176/middle-east

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South Africa beefs up security ahead of BRICS summit

21 Aug 2023

South Africa’s government said all the preparations were ready including security elements that have been beefed up ahead of the main event.

South African Police minister Bheki Cele said the security forces of the country "are ready", and they have been ready for some time, he assures incoming leaders, delegates and citizens that they will do whatever it takes to make sure that the summit takes place in a safe and secure environment and no one should be "scared".

"We've pushed up the capabilities, but we have been there all the time and we shall be there long after BRICS" he added.

South Africa's hosting of the summit has turned a spotlight on its ties with the Kremlin, especially as it has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Some 50 other leaders who are not BRICS members -- among them Iran's Ebrahim Raisi and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo -- have confirmed they will attend the talks.

The BRICS nations account for about a quarter of the global economy and interest in joining the group has surged this year.

At least 40 countries have shown interest in becoming members, with 23 having submitted their applications.

South Africa supports calls to open up membership of BRICS.

Source:

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Source: africanews.com

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https://www.africanews.com/2023/08/21/south-africa-beefs-up-security-ahead-of-brics-summit/

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Brazil, China presidents arrive Johannesburg for BRICS summit

22 Aug 2023

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Johannesburg with his wife Rosangela "Janja" da Silva on Monday, the eve of the opening of the BRICS summit in South Africa. Earlier, China's  President Xi Jinping also headed to South Africa on Monday and has now arrived, according to state media.

In footage seen online, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the Chinese leader at the OR Tambo airport Johannesburg.

The state visit is Xi's second international trip of 2023, after making an official trip to Russia in March. The Chinese leader previously visited South Africa in 2018 as he sought to enhance his country's diplomatic and economic ties with the continent.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Monday for the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a state visit to South Africa," Xinhua news agency reported.

The heads of Brazil, China, India and South Africa plus Russia's top diplomat will gather between August 22-24 this week under the theme "BRICS and Africa".

Questions had swirled over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin -- who is sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the Ukraine war -- would attend this year's BRICS conference in South Africa, which is a signatory of the ICC.

On the agenda at this year's summit will be the possible future expansion of BRICS membership, which the bloc has previously indicated it is open to.

Several African countries have previously expressed a desire to join the bloc, including Algeria, Egypt and Ethiopia.

A total of 69 countries have been invited to the summit, including all African states.

BRICS, a loosely-defined group that sees itself as a counterweight to Western economic domination, derives its name from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The group represents 23 percent of the world's gross domestic product and 42 percent of the world's population.

Source: africanews.com

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Over 2 million children in Niger need humanitarian aid

21 Aug 2023

More than two million children are "in need of humanitarian aid" in Niger, a country destabilized by a recent coup and undermined by jihadist violence, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday. , in a statement sent to AFP.

"More than two million children have been affected by the crisis and are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance," the organization said.

"Before the recent civil unrest and political instability in Niger", UNICEF already estimated in 2023 "at 1.5 million the number of children under 5 suffering from malnutrition, including at least 430,000 suffering from deadliest form of malnutrition".

According to UNICEF, these figures may increase "if food prices continue to rise and an economic downturn hits families, households and incomes".

In addition, "electricity shortages" - already frequent in Niger and multiplied by the sanctions imposed on the country by the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS), in response to the coup - affect the cold chain and can compromise the effectiveness of "infant vaccines" stored in health structures.

UNICEF recalls that it "continues to provide humanitarian assistance to children throughout the country". However, it warns that its "vital supplies remain blocked at the various entry points of the country", such as at the border with Benin.

The UN organization “launches an urgent appeal” to the “actors” of the crisis to guarantee access to Niger for humanitarian workers and supplies, and asks “donors to protect humanitarian funds from multilateral or unilateral sanctions”.

Niger, destabilized by a coup on July 26, is one of the poorest countries in the world and depends economically and energetically on foreign countries. It has also been undermined for several years by jihadist attacks in the west and south-east.

Source: africanews.com

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Nelson Chamisa, the 'young' pastor aiming for Zimbabwe poll upset

21 Aug 2023

Zimbabwe opposition leader Nelson Chamisa organises his last campaign rally before elections in Bulawayo. "We are one, for this is our country and we will win together as one," he tells his supporters.

Zimbabwe is battling economic troubles and many in southern African country are pinning their hopes for a better future on this presidential vote expected to be divisive.

"The first thing we are going to do is to go to places like Bhalagwe where there was Gukurahundi, turn them into memorial museums so that we acknowledge this history to say we have gone this far and no further," he said.

"We will engage our community leaders and our churches so that they lead this healing process, so that they lead people by telling the truth to unite the people because we are one, for this is our country and we will win together as one."

Chamisa endorsed aspiring councillor for Bulawayo, David Coltart, to be the next mayor

Coltart who is a lawyer with 40 years of experience said he will use his expertise to ensure the interests of the people of Bulawayo.

"We will review all the contracts in Bulawayo, to see whether they are the interest of the citizens of Bulawayo, if we find the contracts are not in the interest of Bulawayo. If we find that they are benefitting the small number of people then we will do all in order to cancel them. We will also work hard to ensure that the wealth that is generated in this city is kept in this city," said David.

An experienced politician with decades of activism under his belt, Zimbabwe's 45-year-old opposition leader Nelson Chamisa is still known to many as "mukomana" or "the young man".

The moniker reflects the age gap between the presidential hopeful and his main challenger in an August 23 vote incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80.

It is also used to avoid uttering the politician's name in public in a country where rights groups say his rival has unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent.

A lawyer and church pastor, Chamisa leads the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) -- the only party harbouring any real hope of unseating the ruling ZANU-PF, which has held an iron grip on power since independence in 1980.

Still, the odds are stacked against it.

Some CCC rallies have been blocked, some of its members arrested and thrown in jail and fears of vote rigging are widespread.

Chamisa has seen it all before.

The lightly built, moustachioed Chamisa has been arrested several times for his political activities.

In 2007, he was severely beaten with truncheons and an iron bar and left for dead. He spent five days in hospital after the attack, which was widely blamed on ruling-party thugs.

In 2021 he was the target of what he calls an assassination plot when shots were fired at his convoy. A bullet ripped through the left rear seat of his car where he normally sits.

"I'm lucky to be alive," he said.

- Ego, hits and religion -

He joined the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as a student when it was founded in 1999 and took it over after the death of his mentor, party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, in 2018.

Chamisa in the intensive care unit of a Harare hospital in March 2007 after being attacked.

That same year Chamisa came close to beating Mnangagwa in a tight election, the first held after the ousting of longtime ruler Robert Mugabe.

He contested the result but lost in court.

Last year Chamisa broke away from the MDC and set up the CCC, determined to have another go at securing the top job.

He has promised to create a new Zimbabwe "for everyone", tackling corruption, relaunching the economy and pulling the country out of international isolation.

Many voters disgruntled at widespread poverty and runaway inflation are rallying behind him, but he has not been spared criticism even from within his own camp.

"He's extremely self-confident, I think to a fault," said Nicole Beardsworth, a political analyst specialising in Zimbabwe at South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand.

Chamisa's centralised leadership style has stripped his party, commonly referred to as "triple C", of its structures.

This is rooted in fears it could be infiltrated by the ruling party.

But critics say it has weakened the CCC, causing confusion and a lack of organisation in the run-up to the vote.

Some complain Chamisa has not been vocal enough in demanding freedom for popular CCC senior official and lawmaker Job Sikhala, who has spent more than a year behind bars, and has failed to articulate an alternative vision for Zimbabwe.

Religion is a recurrent topic in Chamisa's messaging but analysts say this has alienated some in middle-class urban areas, where the party is stronger.

The word "God" appears more than 40 times in the CCC's manifesto, which includes among its top priorities "making Zimbabwe a God-loving, God-honouring and a God-fearing nation".

"God is in it" is the campaign slogan.

- Political upbringing -

Born in Masvingo, south of the capital Harare, Chamisa studied law and political science at the University of Zimbabwe and also holds a degree in theology.

He credits his career to his parents' insistence that he should value education and excel in school.

As head of the Zimbabwe National Students Union in the late 1990s, Chamisa was among organisers of demonstrations against Mugabe's government that resulted in colleges and universities being shut down.

Chamisa  who is married with one child  rose through the MDC party ranks, holding posts including leader of the youth wing and party spokesman.

Over the years, he has earned a reputation for delivering passionate speeches spiced with humour a sharp contrast to the sombre Mnangagwa.

In the troubled power-sharing government after the 2008 election, he was the youngest member of cabinet, serving as information and communication technology minister.

"Chamisa is a very charismatic figure," said Zimbabwean scholar Brian Raftopoulos.

"But his weaknesses are lack of accountability within his own party (and) a lack of a long-term vision."

Source: africanews.com

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North America

 

CAIR Welcomes Charges for Suspect in Mosque Vandalism, Urges Restorative Action and Educational Opportunities

Ismail Allison

August 21, 2023

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/21/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed charges for a suspected perpetrator of vandalism targeting an Islamic center in Portales, New Mexico.

A 14 year-old suspect in the vandalism of the Portales Islamic Center has been charged. The suspect is allegedly one of several who participated in the vandalism, and reportedly only participated in spray painting the outside of the building.

The mosque was vandalized five times in June, including one incident in which vandals ripped up copies of the Holy Quran, Islam’s revealed text, and poured beer on their pages. (The consumption of alcohol is prohibited in Islam.) Vandals stabbed holes into the walls of the building and damaged the building’s AC unit.

The suspect said he only participated in the vandalism from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 29 after he and two friends found the building’s back door already busted open and discovered holes in the wall, with broken glass and other damage, including spray-painted walls.

In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:

“We welcome the arrest of this suspect. The congregation of the Portales Islamic Center has seen their house of worship desecrated and deserve to have justice. Given the young age of the suspect and the value our faith places on mercy and forgiveness, we urge law enforcement to pursue restorative action and opportunities for learning about Islam and the Muslim community.”

He noted that CAIR called on law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive in the vandalism and  called for stepped-up police patrols in the area of the mosque. 

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.            

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstados Unidos.           

Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.

Source: cair.com

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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-charges-for-suspect-in-mosque-vandalism-urges-restorative-action-and-educational-opportunities/

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CAIR and Emgage Action Call on Fox News Anchors to Raise Muslim, Minority Community Engagement in Republican Presidential Primary Debate

Ismail Allison

August 21, 2023

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/21/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Emgage Action today called on Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum – who are scheduled to moderate the first Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday, August 23 – to question Republican presidential candidates about their plans to reach out to and engage with Muslim, Arab, South Asian, Asian, African American, Hispanic, and other minority communities.

CAIR and Emgage Action are uniting their voices to emphasize the need for presidential candidates to address how they plan to engage and listen to the concerns of diverse American communities, including American Muslims. As Fox News anchors Baier and McCallum prepare to host the initial Republican primary debate, both organizations assert the crucial importance of elevating substantive discourse that transcends political rhetoric.

Earlier today, CAIR and Emgage Action sent the following request to Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum:

“Inclusivity is not merely a buzzword; it stands as an integral element within our nation’s tapestry. This Republican presidential primary debate presents candidates with a chance to substantiate their dedication to active involvement across all sectors of our diverse society. We respectfully urge you to query Republican primary presidential candidates regarding their strategies for connecting with Muslim, Arab, South Asian, Asian, African American, Hispanic, and other minority communities. Furthermore, as immigration is a critical issue area for these communities, we encourage you to inquire about the candidates’ immigration platforms as well as ask about their positions on previous policies which applied religious dimensions to immigration access.”

CAIR and Emgage Action are urging Republican presidential primary debate moderators and participants to address how they will engage minority communities. By prioritizing these issues, the Republican primary presidential debate can serve as a platform for substantive discussions that reflect the true makeup of the ever-changing nation.

About the Debate

The first Republican presidential primary debate is slated for Wednesday, August 23rd, at 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 7:00 PM MT / 6:00 PM PT in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The debate will be aired on Fox News. Notably, Milwaukee has also been chosen as the host city for the 2024 Republican National Convention. The confirmed debate participants are: Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota; former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey; Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida; former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina; former Vice President Mike Pence; entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump has declined to partake in the debate. Instead, he has chosen to release a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson via online channels.

The Republican presidential primary debate marks a pivotal starting point for the 2024 election season and candidates have a unique opportunity to outline their strategies for genuine engagement, dismantling barriers, and amplifying the voices of communities historically marginalized in political discourse.

About CAIR: The Council on American-Islamic Relations is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.             

About Emgage Action: Emgage Action supports and advocates for just policies that strengthen our pluralistic democracy and protect human rights at home and abroad.

Source: cair.com

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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-and-emgage-action-call-on-fox-news-anchors-to-raise-muslim-minority-community-engagement-in-republican-presidential-primary-debate/

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US dollar ‘cannot be trusted,’ former IMF executive tells RT

21 Aug, 2023

BRICS needs alternative to the American currency, according to Brazilian economist Paulo Batista

The dollar-based international monetary system is becoming increasingly “dysfunctional,” prompting BRICS countries to consider creating their own currency, Brazil’s former representative at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr., has told RT.    

According to Batista, even though the greenback will remain an important global legal tender, the currency can no longer be trusted.   

Speaking ahead of the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, the Brazilian economist said that US-led financial institutions are not addressing the needs of developing countries. He pointed to “growing dissatisfaction” among emerging market economies with the way that existing dollar-based institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank work.    

“We remain in the IMF, we remain in the World Bank, we are participating but we decided to create our own avenue as a development because the world is becoming increasingly multipolar and the Washington institutions do not respond to that,” Batista said, referring to the BRICS bank.    

Officially known as the New Development Bank (NDB), the organization is a multilateral financial development institution established by the alliance of major emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in 2014.     

The economist noted that the NDB was created by and for emerging economies without the participation of advanced countries, and claimed it is more “Global South-oriented than the World Bank can ever be.”    

Africa can benefit from partnership with BRICS – RamaphosaREAD MORE: Africa can benefit from partnership with BRICS – Ramaphosa

“We had deliberate intention to have the bank acting in a non-intrusive manner – support the plans, infrastructure, sustainable development in the countries without trying to guide them, overwhelm them with rules that are not necessarily the ones that they see fit for their own development needs,” Batista said.    

Speaking about the prospects of de-dollarization, he stated that the greenback will remain “a very important currency,” but the fact that the US has been using the dollar as a weapon to target countries seen as hostile to the West has reduced confidence in it.    

“When the US does what it does [by] taking advantage of its role as the issuer of the dominant currency, other countries are uncertain as to whether they can continue using the dollar as they have been using,” he warned.    

Batista insisted that the multipolar world would lead to the reduction of the role of Western currencies.    

“This has accelerated with the use of the dollar for political purposes, for geopolitical purposes, notably now against Russia,” the former IMF executive explained.     

According to Batista, BRICS has “a role to play” in creating its own reserve currency. Russia has already proposed that the new currency be called ‘R-five’, as the currencies of the BRICS countries all begin with the letter ‘R’ (real, ruble, rupee, renminbi, and rand).    

“I believe that the R-five can be started as a unitive account and subsequently evolve into other steps,” Batista concluded.

Source: rt.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.rt.com/business/581569-brics-alternative-currency-dollar/

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Americans urged to ‘immediately’ leave Belarus

21 Aug, 2023

Any US citizens in Belarus should leave right away, the State Department said in a bulletin on Monday, citing new closures of border crossings by Lithuania and the possibility of more to come.

“The Lithuanian government on August 18 closed two border crossings with Belarus at Tverecius/Vidzy and Sumskas/Losha,” the department said. “The Polish, Lithuanian, and Latvian governments have stated that further closures of border crossings with Belarus are possible.”

“US citizens in Belarus should depart immediately,” the bulletin added.

Americans were urged to travel by land using the “remaining border crossings with Lithuania and Latvia,” because Poland has closed the border, or by plane, though not to Russia or Ukraine.

The Ukraine-Belarus border has likewise been closed. Meanwhile, most Western airlines have halted flights to Minsk and closed their airspace to Belarusian and Russian flights, so it was unclear how Americans might fly out without passing through Russia.

Washington has urged its citizens not to travel to Belarus for years, first citing the Covid-19 pandemic, then the 2020 unrest following the presidential election – which the US claims to have been rigged or stolen – and since February 2022, Minsk’s support for Moscow’s military operation against Kiev.

According to the State Department, Belarus is also dangerous due to “the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the potential of civil unrest, the risk of detention,” and the inability of the US to assist its citizens, since the embassy in Minsk “suspended operations” at the end of February 2022 .

The Polish government has increased its military presence along the border with Belarus over the past month, citing what they called a threat of “hybrid warfare” by Wagner Group fighters who left Russia at the end of July, following a failed mutiny.

Minsk has repeatedly insisted that there is no threat and that Warsaw is getting hysterical due to domestic politics ahead of the general election. Meanwhile, Moscow has warned that any attack on Belarus would be treated as an attack on Russia itself.

Source: rt.com

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https://www.rt.com/russia/581609-americans-urged-leave-belarus/

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US ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s if European partners reach capacity

22 AUGUST 2023

The US is ready to join in the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets if European allies do not have enough time to train all of the pilots.

Source: Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, during a briefing

Quote: "We're open to training existing pilots if capacity is reached in Europe. That's the condition [we set – ed.]. So, if Denmark and the Netherlands are taking the lead on training, if they just do not have the capacity to train as many pilots as Ukraine wants to send or plans to send, then we will help train stateside."

Details: Singh noted that Ukraine will decide independently how many pilots will undergo training.

"[Ukraine] is still putting together how many pilots they have that are going to be able to be trained," Singh said.

Singh added that Ukrainian pilots will also need to complete English language training, and this procedure will take some time.

Background: On a visit to the Netherlands, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that 42 F-16 fighter jets "will be in Ukrainian skies".

Source: pravda.com.ua

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https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/22/7416540/

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