Foreign News
Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll passes 28,000 as rescue hopes dwindle
BBC reported that unrest in southern Turkey has disrupted rescue efforts following Monday’s deadly earthquake, three rescue groups have said.
The death toll in Turkey and Syria from the quake has surpassed 28,000, and hope of finding many more survivors is fading despite some miraculous rescues.
German rescuers and the Austrian army paused search operations on Saturday, citing clashes between unnamed groups.
Security is expected to worsen as food supplies dwindle, one rescuer said.
And nearly 50 people have been arrested for looting, with several guns seized, local media reported.
Turkey’s president said he would use emergency powers to punish anyone breaking the law.
An Austrian army spokesperson said early on Saturday that clashes between unidentified groups in the Hatay province had left dozens of personnel from the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit seeking shelter in a base camp with other international organisations.
“There is increasing aggression between factions in Turkey,” Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Kugelweis said in a statement. “The chances of saving a life bears no reasonable relation to the safety risk.”
Hours after Austria paused its rescue efforts, the country’s ministry of defence said that the Turkish army had stepped in to offer protection, allowing the rescue operations to resume.
The German branch of the search and rescue group ISAR and Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief (TSW) also suspended operations, citing security concerns.
Peering over her glasses, the French judge glanced sternly across the cavernous underground courtroom towards a notorious figure seated in a glass cage.
“There will be no more misbehaviour. No more threats. Is that understood?” asked Arabelle Bouts, the lead judge of a Europe-wide people smuggling trial so vast that it has generated 67 tonnes of paperwork.
“Yes,” replied Mirkhan Rasoul, 26, calmly.
Mr Rasoul, already convicted on prior smuggling charges and serving a separate eight-year sentence for attempted murder, had interrupted proceedings a few days earlier by threatening two of the translators working in the courtroom. Now he was flanked by two armed policemen.
Standing near the judge, the lead prosecutor, Julie Carros, leant in towards her microphone, glanced down at her notes, and began to set out her final arguments in a sprawling case that involves a total of 33 alleged members of a Kurdish smuggling gang, accused of responsibility for the bulk of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats between 2020 and 2022.
While Mr Rasoul remained behind a glass screen, approximately 10 other accused sat in the open courtroom surrounded by another 15 armed policemen, who only removed the men’s handcuffs when the court was in session.
“This is a tentacle-like case… involving merchants of death,” said Ms Carros, describing how the gang had overloaded the small boats, sometimes cramming up to 15 times more people on board than the boats are designed to carry.
The result, she said, was a “phenomenal” profit margin for the gangs, who could make up to €60,000 ($65,000; £50,000) for each boat launched, with roughly half of those boats reaching UK waters, leading to an income for the gang of €3.5m ($3.8m; £2.9m) a year.
The gang itself was accused of controlling the lion’s share of all Channel crossings from the French coast – with its network delivering equipment from across Europe – until, in late 2021 and 2022, its members were arrested in France, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, as part of the largest international operation of its kind at the time against small-boat smugglers.
In all, 17 men and one woman are now on trial, 12 were found guilty earlier, and three more will be tried next year.
As Ms Carros set out the prosecution’s case against each of the accused, there were gasps of disappointment from at least two relatives seated in the courtroom, at the long sentences being demanded. The trial is expected to end in early November.
“We request a sentence of 15 years, a €200,000 fine and a permanent ban from French territory,” said Ms Carros in reference to Mirkhan Rasoul, who is accused of continuing to control the gang from a prison in central France.
“We found three mobile telephones in his cell,” she said, going on to describe an audio recording on which Mr Rasoul had boasted of the prison in Tours being “almost like a hotel… they searched the cell but never found my phones. The police are very kind”
But will this huge trial, and the prospect of tough sentences, act as a serious deterrent for a smuggling industry that has, in terms of the sheer number of successful small boat crossings, continued to thrive in the years since these arrests?
The prosecutors directly involved in this trial were not willing to talk to the BBC, but Pascal Marconville, lead prosecutor at the regional Court of Appeal for northern France, suggested that the long sentences were part of a broader strategy to raise the cost of smuggling for the gangs and their customers.
“The action taken by French police, with the support of investigative judges, is designed not only to thwart their actions, but also to make such operations so expensive that they lose their appeal,” Mr Marconville told us.
He described how the gangs had evolved in recent years from informal groups supporting their own countrymen to “networks organised much like drug gangs”.
He went on to sketch out a fragmented network with different “sectors” focusing on separate parts of the smuggling industry.
“It’s like chess, and they have [the advantage] on the board. So they’re always one step ahead of us. We have to adapt and understand how we can counter these networks. We’ve struggled with the ringleaders because when they’re arrested and imprisoned they still manage to run their networks from inside,” he said.
Despite the difficulties for law enforcement officials working across different countries and, for instance, different laws related to bail and standards of evidence, Mr Marconville praised the collaboration between French and British officials, saying the UK was “very willing to come up with solutions to improve co-operation”.
The Germans, on the other hand “who we always think of as very efficient people, don’t make things easier [for us]”, he noted.
But one of the defence lawyers involved in this case played down its broader impact on the small boat crisis.
“The sentences are becoming much harsher now. That’s clear. And I think they will continue to toughen them. Unfortunately… I am pessimistic because I don’t think it will stop… because in these [smuggling] circles people think only about money,” said Kamal Abbas.
Mr Abbas, who is defending a man accused of acting as decoy driver for smugglers’ convoys, explained how three of the accused in this trial, who were released on bail last year after two years in detention, were arrested soon afterwards in Belgium on fresh smuggling charges.
“Nothing discourages them… they see imprisonment as just another bump on the road,” he said.
After more than a decade involved in smuggling trials, Mr Abbas had another concern about their impact.
“[The real leaders] always escape. If their leader is Iraqi, he’s in Iraq. If he’s Iranian, he’ll be in Iran. But the link is often in England, I’m sure of that. The British authorities should look harder at certain areas of London if they want to stop this phenomenon,” said Mr Abbas.
[BBC]
The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer for allegedly directing a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen who advocates for Khalistan – an independent Sikh state carved out of India.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said on Thursday that it had registered “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav for trying to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The indictment of Yadav, for the first time, implicates the Indian government directly in the attempted assassination of a dissident.
The Indian government has said that it was co-operating with the US’ ongoing investigation. It has not responded to the specific charges against Yadav yet.
Earlier this year, Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national also charged in the case, was extradited to the US from a prison in Prague.
Washington has accused Indian agents of involvement in an assassination attempt on Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen. India has labeled Pannun a terrorist, though he denies the allegation, claiming to be an activist advocating for Khalistan.
On Thursday, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that the individual referred to as “CC-1” in the US Justice Department’s indictment is no longer employed by the Indian government. However, he did not provide a specific name, leaving it unclear whether he was referring to Yadav, who is widely speculated to be the same person.
According to the indictment, Yadav was the mastermind behind the plot to murder Pannun and he recruited Gupta in May 2023 to orchestrate the assassination in exchange for getting a case against him in India dismissed.
“In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav provided Gupta with personal information about the victim, including the victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the victim, and details about the victim’s day-to-day conduct,” the indictment states.
Yadav’s indictment comes days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alledged that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, setting off a new row that led to both countries expelling diplomats.
India has rejected the allegations as “preposterous”, accusing Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.
The indictment describes Yadav as a “citizen and resident of India”. He has also been referred to as Vikas and Amanat.
It states that he was part of the Government of India’s cabinet secretariat, under which the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) – the country’s top intelligence agency – operates. RAW falls under the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The indictment further states that Yadav had described his position as “Senior Field Officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence”.
It adds that he has also served in India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and had received training in “battle craft and weapons”.
The US State Department has said that it was satisfied with India’s co-operation in the investigation of the alleged murder plot.
Meanwhile, India’s relationship with Canada continues to deteriorate with both Delhi and Ottawa firing a salvo of accusations against each other.
Mr Jaiswal said on Thursday that India had repeatedly asked Canada to extradite individuals believed to be part of jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s group but had received no response.
The Canadian police have alleged that agents of the Indian government were using members of Bishnoi’s gang to carry out “homicides, extortion and violent acts” and target supporters of the pro-Khalistan movement. India has denied the allegation saying that Canada has not provided any evidence regarding them.
India’s accusations came in response to Mr Trudeau’s claims that India had made a “massive mistake” if it was behind the death of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil.
[BBC]
Killing Yahya Sinwar is Israel’s biggest victory so far in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
His death is a serious blow for Hamas, the organisation he turned into a fighting force that inflicted the biggest defeat on the state of Israel in its history.
He was not killed in a planned special forces operation, but in a chance encounter with Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza.
A photo taken at the scene shows Sinwar, dressed in combat gear, lying dead in the rubble of a building that was hit by a tank shell.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, praised the soldiers and made clear that however big a victory, it was not the end of the war.
“Today we made clear once again what happens to those who harm us. Today we once again showed the world the victory of good over evil. “But the war, my dear ones, is not over yet. It is difficult, and it is costing us dearly.”
“Great challenges still lie ahead of us. We need endurance, unity, courage, and steadfastness. Together we will fight, and with God’s help – together we will win.”
Netanyahu and the overwhelming proportion of Israelis who support the war in Gaza needed a victory.
The prime minister has repeated his war aims many times – destroying Hamas as a military and political force and bringing the hostages home.
Neither has been achieved, despite a year of war that has killed at least 42,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins.
But the remaining hostages are not free and Hamas is fighting and sometimes killing Israeli troops.
Killing Sinwar was the victory Israel wanted. But until Netanyahu can claim that the other war aims have been accomplished, the war, as he says, will go on.
Yahya Sinwar was born in 1962 in a refugee camp in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. He was five years old when it was captured by Israel from Egypt in the 1967 Middle East war.
His family were among more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes by Israeli forces in the 1948 war in which Israel won its independence.
His family came from the town now known as Ashkelon, which is close to the northern border of the Gaza Strip.
In his 20s, he was convicted by Israel of killing four Palestinian informers. During 22 years in jail he learnt Hebrew, studied his enemy and believed that he worked out how to fight them. His time in jail also meant Israel had his dental records and a sample of his DNA, which meant that they could identify his body.
Sinwar was released as one of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners who were swapped in 2011 for a single Israel soldier, Gilad Shalit.
On 7 October last year, in a meticulously planned series of attacks, Sinwar and his men inflicted Israel’s worst-ever defeat – and a collective trauma that is still deeply felt.
The killing of around 1,200 Israelis, the hostage-taking and the celebrations of their enemies recalled for many Israelis the Nazi holocaust.
Sinwar’s own experience in a prisoner swap must have convinced him of the value and power of taking hostages.
In Tel Aviv families of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza – Israel says half of them might already be dead – gathered in the square in which they have been gathering for a year, urging the Israeli government to launch a new negotiation to get their people home.
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker appealed to the prime minister.
“Netanyahu, don’t bury the hostages. Go out now to the mediators and to the public and lay out a new Israeli initiative.”
“For my Matan and the rest of the hostages in the tunnels, time has run out. You have the victory pictures. Now bring a deal!”
“If Netanyahu doesn’t use this moment and doesn’t get up now to lay out a new Israeli initiative – even at the expense of ending the war – it means he has decided to abandon the hostages in an effort to prolong the war and fortify his rulership.
“We will not give up until everyone returns.”
Many Israelis believe that Netanyahu wants to prolong the war in Gaza to put off the day of reckoning for his share of the security failures that allowed Sinwar and his men to break into Israel, and to postpone perhaps indefinitely the resumption of his trial on serious corruption charges.
He denies those accusations, insisting that only what he calls ‘total victory’ in Gaza over Hamas will restore Israeli security.
Like other news organisations, Israel does not let the BBC cross into Gaza except on rare, supervised trips with the army.
In the ruins of Khan Yunis, the birthplace of Sinwar, Palestinians interviewed for the BBC by local trusted freelancers were defiant. They said the war would go on.
“This war is not dependent on Sinwar, Haniyeh, or Mishal, nor on any leader or official,” said Dr Ramadan Faris.
“It’s a war of extermination against the Palestinian people, as we all know and understand. The issue is much bigger than Sinwar or anyone else.”
Adnan Ashour said some people were saddened, and others were indifferent about Sinwar.
“They’re not just after us. They want the entire Middle East. They’re fighting in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen… This is a war between us and the Jews since 1919, over 100 years.”
He was asked whether the death of Sinwar would affect Hamas.
“I hope not, God willing. Let me explain: Hamas is not just Sinwar… It’s the cause of a people.”
The war goes on in Gaza. Twenty five Palestinians were killed in a raid on northern Gaza. Israel said it hit a Hamas command centre. Doctors at the local hospital said the scores of wounded that they treated were civilians.
Parachute drops of aid resumed after the Americans said Israel had to allow in more food and relief supplies.
Every leader of Hamas since the 1990s has been killed by Israel, but there’s always been a successor. As Israel celebrates killing Sinwar, Hamas still has its hostages and is still fighting.
(BBC)
Sammy calls 2-1 series loss ‘moral victory’ on turning tracks in Sri Lanka
India flex batting muscle before collapse to set New Zealand 107
Hathurusinghe questions BCB’s motives after sacking
-
Features7 days agoBrands … and brand names
-
Business7 days agoJohn Keells Unveils its 687 room luxury hotel, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Sri Lanka
-
Editorial5 days agoGenie at large
-
Sports21 hours agoOshara making huge strides in cricket in UK
-
News2 days agoChurch not interested in reports sought by Gammanpila: Spokesperson
-
Editorial3 days ago
Much-maligned Manape
-
Features6 days agoExodus to Italy and its consequences
-
News7 days ago‘Cold case’ investigations into past crimes begin says police