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Senin, 22 Agustus 2022

Imran Khan charged with terrorism offences after weekend rally - Financial Times

Pakistani police have filed terrorism charges against Imran Khan over comments he made in a speech at the weekend, stoking political tensions as the former prime minister’s loyalists vow to resist efforts to arrest him.

Khan’s lawyers said they would challenge the charges and hundreds of his supporters gathered outside his home in Islamabad, denouncing what they called an effort by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to silence his main political rival.

“The terrorism-related charges against Imran Khan are completely biased,” said Iftikhar Durrani, a senior leader from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. “We are going to court to contest these charges.”

Khan said at a rally at the weekend that his supporters “won’t spare” the officials responsible for detaining Shahbaz Gill, one of his allies, this month.

The police alleged Khan “terrorised” the officials, while Pakistan’s information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb accused the former prime minister of “inciting the people to violence, lawlessness, rebellion and riot”.

Pakistan’s media regulator barred television channels from broadcasting Khan’s speeches and the former prime minister claimed a talk of his was blocked from YouTube.

Khan was ousted as prime minister in April in a no-confidence vote, bringing a coalition led by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N) into power.

But the former cricketer’s popularity has surged since his defenestration. He has toured the country trying to force early elections, alleging without evidence that his removal was the result of a US-backed conspiracy in retaliation for his warm relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Khan has also tapped public frustration with Pakistan’s dire economic situation, despite many of the problems starting while he was in office. The country has suffered double-digit inflation, power blackouts due to energy shortages and is at risk of default on its overseas debt as foreign currency reserves dwindle.

Sharif’s government reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF for a $1.2bn loan last month, part of an assistance package first negotiated under Khan in 2019. The IMF’s board will meet next week to finalise the deal, while Saudi Arabia is also preparing to renew a $3bn deposit at Pakistan’s central bank.

The dispute between Khan and Sharif’s government escalated this month after Pakistani authorities arrested Gill for televised comments that they claim incited the military rank-and-file to disobey orders. ARY TV, the channel on which he made the comments, was also taken off air.

Huma Baqai, a political analyst in Karachi, said the government’s actions “are strengthening Imran Khan every minute. His narrative seems to be selling like hot cakes”.

Protesters outside Khan’s home promised to fight the police if Sharif’s government ordered the former prime minister’s arrest. “If the police come here to arrest Imran Khan, the government will be crossing an absolute red line. We will never allow that,” said Jamil Khan, a student and PTI activist.

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2022-08-22 08:31:47Z
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Russia pounds Ukraine, Zelenskiy warns of attacks ahead of Independence Day - Reuters

Summary

Zelenskiy warns Moscow could try "something particularly ugly"
Ukraine independence day also marks six months since invasion
Two civilians killed in Donetsk region over past 24 hours

Aug 22 (Reuters) - Russian forces pressed on with their offensive across several Ukrainian regions on Monday, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned of the potential for more serious attacks ahead of Ukraine's 31st anniversary of independence from Soviet rule.

Artillery shells rained down on Nikopol, a city near Zaporizhzhia - Europe's biggest nuclear plant, while missiles struck near the Black Sea port of Odesa over the weekend.

Zelenskiy has called for vigilance, saying Moscow could try "something particularly ugly" ahead of Wednesday, which marks Ukraine's Independence Day and also half a year since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Zelenskiy said he had discussed "all the threats" with French President Emmanuel Macron and word had also been sent to other leaders including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"All of Ukraine's partners have been informed about what the terrorist state can prepare for this week," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, referring to Russia.

He also said if Russia went ahead with plans to try captured Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol, then it would have violated international rules and cut itself off from negotiations.

"If this despicable show trial were to go ahead ... this would be the line beyond which negotiations are no longer possible," he said. "There will be no more conversations. Our state has said everything."

The Financial Times, in an article published Sunday, quoted Gennady Gatilov, Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, as saying Erdogan had tried to facilitate dialogue.

But he dismissed speculation about talks between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying there "was not any practical platform for having this meeting", the report said.

In Russia, authorities are investigating a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow that killed the daughter of Alexander Dugin, an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who advocates Russia absorbing Ukraine. read more

While investigators said they were considering "all versions" when it came to establishing who was responsible, the Russian Foreign Ministry speculated there could be a link to Ukraine, something a Zelenskiy adviser dismissed.

"Ukraine, of course, had nothing to do with this because we are not a criminal state, like the Russian Federation, and moreover we are not a terrorist state," Mykhailo Podolyak said on Ukrainian TV.

MORE RUSSIAN STRIKES

As Ukraine prepared to mark its Independence Day embroiled in a war that has flattened towns and cities, killed thousands and forced millions to flee, officials reported more Russian strikes on targets in the east and south of the country.

In the eastern Bakhmut region, Russian forces inflicted damage from artillery and multiple rocket launcher systems in the areas of Soledar, Zaytseve and Bilogorivka settlements, Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily update on Monday.

They continued to focus their efforts on establishing full control over the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, maintaining the captured areas of Kherson and parts of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv regions, the General Staff added.

Of particular concern is the shelling of Nikopol.

As a result of overnight rocket attacks on Nikopol, Krivyi Rih and Synelnykovsky districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region, four people were injured, regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram on Monday.

Over the past 24 hours, two civilians were killed in the Donetsk region in Ukraine's east, the regional administration said.

Russia denies targeting civilians.

The fighting near Zaporizhzhia and a missile strike on the southern town of Voznesensk, not far from Ukraine's second-largest atomic plant, have spurred fears of a nuclear accident.

On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Macron held a phone call stressing the importance of ensuring the safety of nuclear installations, while underlining their "steadfast commitment" to Ukraine. read more

Moscow says it is engaged in a "special military operation" to disarm and "denazify" its neighbour. Ukraine and its allies say Moscow has launched an unprovoked war of aggression.

Russia said on Sunday that its Kalibr missiles had destroyed an ammunition depot containing missiles for U.S.-made HIMARS rockets in Ukraine's southeastern Odesa region, home to ports critical to a U.N.-brokered plan to help Ukrainian agricultural exports reach world markets again.

Kyiv said a granary had been hit. read more

Reuters was not able to independently verify the battlefield reports.

Reporting by Ron Popeski and Natalia Zinets; Writing by Himani Sarkar; Editing by Stephen Coates

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-08-22 07:25:00Z
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Sabtu, 20 Agustus 2022

Firefighters among those killed as two vehicles hit separate emergency crews in Turkey attending accidents - Sky News

At least 32 people have died in Turkey in two separate but very similar crashes, both involving large vehicles hitting emergency teams at the scene of earlier road accidents, officials have said.

Three firefighters, four emergency health workers and two journalists from a Turkish news agency were among the 16 people killed on the road between Gaziantep and Nizip, both in Gaziantep province in the southeast of the country, regional governor Davut Gul said.

Speaking from the scene of the crash, Mr Gul described how a passenger bus had crashed at around 10.45 local time that morning.

"While the fire brigade, medical teams and other colleagues were responding to the accident, another bus crashed 200 metres behind," he said.

"The second bus slid to this site and hit the first responders and the wounded people on the ground."

The rest of those who died were bus passengers, according to interior minister Suleyman Soylu.

Mr Gul said a 22 further people have been injured.

The Ilhas News Agency reported two of its drone operators were killed after pulling over to help the victims of the initial crash, in which another bus had veered off the road.

Television footage from the scene showed an ambulance with severe damage and the bus overturned on its side.

Vice president Fuat Oktay said the emergency workers and journalists had "lost their lives in the line of duty".

Some 250km east, in the Derik district of Mardi, a truck hit a separate site where first responders were also attending to an earlier accident, according to footage.

Sixteen people died and 29 others were injured as a result of the crash in Mardin, Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca said, adding that eight of the wounded were in critical condition.

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2022-08-20 19:53:28Z
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Al-Shabab: Somali forces claim end to deadly 30-hour hotel siege - BBC

Image shows security patrol before hotel

Somali forces claim to have defeated the militants who stormed a hotel in the capital after a bloody siege.

At least 12 people were killed in the deadly 30-hour ordeal, although local media reports the death toll could be even higher.

The assailants used explosives to gain entry to Mogadishu's Hayat Hotel on Friday before violently taking control and holding guests hostage overnight.

Islamist extremist group al-Shabab has taken responsibility for the attack.

"The security forces have ended the siege now and the gunmen are dead, we've had no incoming gunfire from the building in the past hour," an unnamed official told AFP news agency.

The hotel has been largely destroyed following intense bombardment by security forces throughout Friday night and Saturday, with videos showing explosions and smoke billowing from the building's rooftop.

The BBC has not been able to confirm independently whether the attack has ended.

Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

A police officer told Reuters that two car bombs had been used to gain access to the hotel on Friday evening - targeting its front barrier and gate.

After the initial attack, a website affiliated to al-Shabab said a group of militants were "carrying out random shootings" after having "forcibly entered" the hotel - described as a popular location for employees of the federal government to meet.

"So far, we have confirmed 12 people, mostly civilians, died," Mohammed, an intelligence officer who gave only one name, told Reuters news agency on Saturday.

Security forces struggled to gain access to the floor for hours because the gunmen, who were holding an unknown number of people hostage, had reportedly bombed out the stairs needed for access as well.

The director of Mogadishu's main trauma hospital told AFP news agency that the facility was treating at least 40 people wounded in the hotel attack and a separate mortar strike on another area of the capital.

An affiliate of al-Qaeda, al-Shabab has engaged in a long-running conflict with the federal government.

The group controls much of southern and central Somalia, but has been able to extend its influence into areas controlled by the government based in Mogadishu.

In recent weeks, fighters affiliated with the group have also attacked targets along the Somalia-Ethiopia border, which has raised concerns about a possible new strategy by al-Shabab.

The attack on Friday marks the first in the capital by the group since Somalia's new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was elected in May.

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2022-08-20 22:25:45Z
1540850450

Jumat, 19 Agustus 2022

Ukraine war: Russia to allow inspectors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Putin - BBC

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said UN officials will be granted permission to visit and inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex.

The Kremlin made the announcement after a call between Mr Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.

It came as claims of fighting near the plant continued, with four civilians reportedly injured by Russian shelling.

Separately, the US pledged on Friday to send more arms and ammunitions to assist in Ukraine's war effort.

In a read-out following the call between the French and Russian leaders, the Kremlin said, Mr Putin had agreed to provide UN investigators with "the necessary assistance" to access the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site.

The plant has been under Russian occupation since early March but Ukrainian technicians still operate it under Russian direction.

"Both leaders noted the importance" of sending the IAEA experts to the plant for an assessment of "the situation on the ground", the Kremlin said.

The director-general of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), welcomed Mr Putin's statement and said he was willing to lead a visit to the plant himself.

"In this highly volatile and fragile situation, it is of vital importance that no new action is taken that could further endanger the safety and security of one of the world's largest nuclear power plants," Rafael Grossi said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the prospect of an inspection in his nightly address, but said specific details were still being worked out.

"If Russian blackmail with radiation continues, this summer may go down in the history of various European countries as one of the most tragic of all time," he said.

Russia must leave nuclear power plant - UN chief

Kyiv says Russia has turned the complex into an army base - deploying military equipment, weapons and about 500 troops who are using the site as a shield to attack towns across the Dnieper River.

And in recent weeks, the area around the facility has come under heavy artillery fire, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks.

Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian shelling of the area surrounding the plant had continued on Friday, accusing Moscow's forces of wounding four civilians in the city of Marhanets, which is across the river from the plant.

Five houses were also damaged in the area, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko claimed on Telegram.

Despite displaying some willingness to grant access to inspectors, Russian officials have flatly refused international demands to demilitarise the site.

Ivan Nechayev, deputy director of the Russian foreign ministry's information and press department, said on Friday that such moves would leave the plant "even more vulnerable".

Meanwhile, Russia submitted a letter to the UN Security Council detailing the "provocations" that it accuses Ukraine of plotting at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The Russian mission to the UN alleged that the Ukrainians want to cause "what they believe to be a minor accident", consisting of a radiation leak, which could see Russia accused of "nuclear terrorism".

The letter denied that Russian troops are storing weapons on site. It repeated an allegation that the Ukrainians had been shelling the plant.

Separately, Washington has unveiled a new $775m (£655m) package of defence equipment for Ukraine.

The funding will pay for Himars long-range rocket launchers, ammunition for artillery, surveillance drones and anti-tank missiles.

According to a senior US Defence official quoted by Reuters news agency, the package will also contain mine-resistant vehicles for the first time.

Ukraine has been heavily dependent on weapon supplies from its Western allies to assist its resistance against the Russian invasion.

Map showing Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

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2022-08-20 03:51:02Z
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Islamic State 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh sentenced to life in prison for hostage-taking and conspiracy to murder - Sky News

A member of the so-called IS "Beatles" has been jailed for life after being convicted over his role in the murder of four American hostages in Syria.

Former British citizen El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, who grew up in London, was found guilty in the US in April of four counts of hostage-taking and four counts of conspiracy to murder.

He was given a life sentence in Alexandria, Virginia, for each of the eight counts, which are due to run concurrently.

The convictions revolved around the deaths of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and American aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

All but Ms Mueller were killed in beheadings which were filmed and circulated online.

The Islamic State cell also beheaded other westerners, including British volunteers David Haines and Alan Henning.

They were among 26 hostages who were taken captive between 2012 and 2015, when the Islamic State group controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Detainees gave the cell the Beatles nickname because of their English accents.

Addressing Elsheikh, Judge Thomas Selby Ellis said his behaviour was "horrific, barbaric, brutal and callous".

"This is a significant episode in the history of our country and our justice system."

During the trial, the jury was told that Elsheikh, known to prosecutors as Ringo, "played a central role in a brutal hostage-taking scheme".

He has been described as the main guard in the group, with hostages saying he conducted most of the torture.

The charges against him carried a potential death sentence, but American prosecutors had previously advised British officials that they would not seek the death penalty.

'Your hatred overtook your humanity'

The court in Alexandria heard statements from some of the victims' loved ones, including James Foley's mother Diane, who said it was the eight-year anniversary of her son's death.

She told Elsheikh: "You too have lost - your freedom, your citizenship and family contact. We have all lost."

"Jim would also want you to know that your hate-filled crimes did not win. James Wright Foley lives on."

"This trial has revealed the horrific human rights crimes you committed while part of Isis," she also told him. "Your hatred overtook your humanity."

She added: "I pity you for choosing hatred and for succumbing to a false theology."

Reacting to the sentencing outside court, she called it a "hollow victory".

"Our country has lost four of its very best citizens, we families lost our loved ones forever," she said.

And Ms Foley called on the US government to do more to free American hostages abroad.

She told reporters: "Currently we have more than 67 of our US nationals currently wrongfully detained, held hostage abroad simply for being American.

"I urgently call on our president Biden to employ our shrewdest negotiation to quickly bring these innocent Americans home lest they die in captivity as our sons and daughters get. Let our country learn from our mistakes."

Raj Parekh, representing the victims' relatives, said Elsheikh remained "defiantly remorseless and unrepentant". He said the jihadist had made no effort to meet the families.

Victim's brother: 'I offer Elsheikh my forgiveness'

David Haines's brother Mike said the judgment "provides another victory for humanity over the hateful ideologies of extremism".

He added that "while the verdict provides no consolation for David's life, it sends a powerful message to those tempted to follow the same destructive path".

"I continue to stand by the words I delivered in April. The actions of these men caused untold damage to so many, not least my brother David, but I will now allow it to consume me.

"I offer Elsheikh my forgiveness, and I sincerely hope that he uses his time in incarceration to recognise the pain he has inflicted."

Elsheikh came to the UK as a child refugee from Sudan and lived in White City, west London. His British citizenship was revoked in 2018.

Who were the other IS 'Beatles'?

Another member of the group, Alexanda Kotey, also from London, was given a life sentence earlier this year.

Ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, was killed in a US drone strike in Syria in 2015.

The fourth of the alleged Beatles, Aine Davis, was this month charged with terrorism offences when he arrived at Luton airport after being deported from Turkey.

Kayla Mueller was raped repeatedly by the group's leader at the time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, before her death in Syria, US officials said.

Her father, Carl Mueller, said: "We continue to search for the truth about what happened to her because we don't know for sure.

"We want to bring her home, we want to put her on American soil where she belongs."

At the peak of its power from 2014-2017, Islamic State ruled over millions of people and claimed responsibility for or inspired attacks in dozens of cities around the world.

Al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate over a quarter of Iraq and Syria in 2014, before he was killed in a US raid in Syria in October 2019 as the group's rule collapsed.

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2022-08-19 16:40:55Z
1538315348

Ukraine war: Russia to allow inspectors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Putin - BBC

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said UN officials will be granted permission to visit and inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex.

The Kremlin made the announcement after a call between Mr Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.

It came after UN chief Antonio Guterres told the BBC that he is "concerned" about the situation at the plant.

He said military activity around Zaporizhzhia must end and urged Moscow to grant access to inspectors.

Russia must leave nuclear power plant - UN chief

The site has been under Russian occupation since early March but Ukrainian technicians still operate it under Russian direction.

In a readout following the call between the French and Russian leaders, the Kremlin said Mr Putin had agreed to provide UN investigators with "the necessary assistance" to access the site.

"Both leaders noted the importance" of sending the IAEA experts to the plant for an assessment of "the situation on the ground," the Kremlin said.

The director-general of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), welcomed Mr Putin's statement, and said he was willing to lead a visit to the plant himself.

Ukrainian officials say Russia has turned the complex into an army base - deploying military equipment, weapons and about 500 troops who are using the site as a shield to attack towns across the Dnieper River.

And in recent weeks the area around the facility has come under heavy artillery fire, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks.

On Thursday, during a meeting with Mr Guterres and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised "deliberate" Russian attacks on the power plant.

Despite displaying some willingness to grant access to inspectors, Russian officials have flatly refused international demands to demilitarise the site.

Ivan Nechayev, deputy director of the Russian foreign ministry's information and press department, said on Friday that such moves would leave the plant "even more vulnerable".

Meanwhile, Russia submitted a letter to the UN Security Council detailing the "provocations" that it accuses Ukraine of plotting at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The letter denied that Russian troops are storing weapons on site. It repeated an allegation that the Ukrainians have been shelling the plant.

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Senin, 22 Agustus 2022

MORE RUSSIAN STRIKES

Sabtu, 20 Agustus 2022

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Jumat, 19 Agustus 2022

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