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Pro-Palestinian activists held after protest at UK war memorial

Youth Demand activists hold placards reading “Stop arming Israel” and “Never again for anyone” after laying flowers and a Plaestinian flag at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London on July 15, 2024 during a protest to “commemorate the thousands killed in Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.” (AFP)
Youth Demand activists hold placards reading “Stop arming Israel” and “Never again for anyone” after laying flowers and a Plaestinian flag at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London on July 15, 2024 during a protest to “commemorate the thousands killed in Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.” (AFP)
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Updated 15 July 2024
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Pro-Palestinian activists held after protest at UK war memorial

Youth Demand activists hold placards reading “Stop arming Israel” and “Never again for anyone.”
  • A Palestinian flag was laid in front of the Cenotaph and “180,000 killed” spray-painted on the ground in front of the monument
  • The Cenotaph is the focus every year of of national events to commemorate Britain’s war dead
Updated 15 July 2024
AFP
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LONDON: UK police on Monday arrested two pro-Palestinian demonstrators after a protest at Britain’s Cenotaph war memorial in central London.
A Palestinian flag was laid in front of the Cenotaph and “180,000 killed” spray-painted on the ground in front of the monument, photos and video footage showed.
The Cenotaph is the focus every year of of national events to commemorate Britain’s war dead.
“Two women were quickly arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and are in custody,” the Metropolitan Police said on X, adding that damage was caused to the road and not to the monument itself.
In a statement, the Youth Demand group said its supporters had taken action to “commemorate the thousands killed in Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.”
It said Youth Demand was calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel and for the new UK government to halt all new oil and gas licenses granted since 2021.
Supporters planned to disrupt the State Opening of Parliament by head of state King Charles III on Wednesday, it added.
Youth Demand last month staged a protest at the constituency home of former prime minister Rishi Sunak.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s surprise October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed at least 38,584 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data provided by the Gaza health ministry.

Topics: War on Gaza UK Cenotaph war memorial London

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Philippines agrees to host Afghan refugees in transit to US

Philippines agrees to host Afghan refugees in transit to US
Updated 35 sec ago
Ellie Aben
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Philippines agrees to host Afghan refugees in transit to US

Philippines agrees to host Afghan refugees in transit to US
  • US government to take care of Afghans undergoing visa processing in the Philippines
  • In 2022, the US requested the Philippines to allow up to 1,000 Afghans to stay in its territory
Updated 35 sec ago
Ellie Aben

MANILA: The Philippines has agreed to temporarily host a US visa-processing center for Afghan nationals who had worked for American forces in Afghanistan and were left behind during their chaotic withdrawal from the country in 2021.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken requested the Philippines in 2022 to allow up to 1,000 Afghan nationals to stay in its territory while their special immigrant visas were being processed.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said at the time that there were some legal and “many security issues” to be addressed first.

Early on Tuesday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced that Manila would allow a “limited number” of Afghan nationals to transit in the Philippines to complete their visa processing for Special Immigrant Visas and resettlement in the US.

DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza told reporters that they would be “confined to their billet facility for the duration of the processing of their SIV applications by the US embassy in Manila.”

She added that “the US government, together with the International Organization for Migration as facility manager, will ensure that the applicants, especially the children, will have adequate social, educational, religious and emotional support during their stay in the billet facility.”

Daza said the refugees would be subject to “full security vetting by Philippine authorities and should secure appropriate entry visa prior to arrival (and that) the Bureau of Immigration retains full authority to exclude any applicant from entry into the Philippines.”

More than 160,000 Afghans sought resettlement when the Taliban took over Afghanistan as international forces withdrew from the country in 2021 — two decades after the US invaded it.

Thousands of others are in third countries awaiting visa processing. Many of them had worked for the US government.

In a statement, the US State Department thanked the Philippines “for supporting Afghan allies of the United States” and that it “appreciates its long and positive history of bilateral cooperation with the Philippines.”

Dr. Rikard Jalkebro, international relations expert and associate professor at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, told Arab News that the US is “trying to keep the promise” it had given to the Afghans who had helped its forces.

“These are the type of Afghans that have collaborated or helped the Americans somehow during the war. They would be interpreters, they could be politicians, or they could be from influential families. They can be soldiers that fought either side by side or something similar to that,” he said.

“The American immigration system is so incredibly strained at the moment, and they operate very slowly when it comes to processing green cards, etc. They need some kind of safe place for the people, for the Afghans ... the Philippines is a close ally and they would be relatively safe there.”

Topics: Philippines Afghanistan US

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India’s top film development body cancels Israeli cinema festival after protests

India’s top film development body cancels Israeli cinema festival after protests
Updated 50 min 13 sec ago
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India’s top film development body cancels Israeli cinema festival after protests

India’s top film development body cancels Israeli cinema festival after protests
  • Petition to stop the event in Mumbai said screening Israeli films is ‘totally immoral, unethical, unconscionable’
  • Petitioners include Bollywood star Naseeruddin Shah and Tushar Arun Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi
Updated 50 min 13 sec ago
Sanjay Kumar

NEW DELHI: India’s top film-industry development institution canceled on Tuesday an Israeli movie festival after protests by actors and academics in Mumbai.

The event, organized by the National Film Development Corporation was scheduled to be held at the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai on Wednesday and Thursday.

A petition calling for the NFDC screenings to be canceled at the NMIC said the festival was “shamefully being held at a time, when the entire world is witness to Israeli war crimes, the ongoing Holocaust and the genocide in Gaza, and across all of Palestine.”

Over 1,000 people signed the letter, including Bollywood star Naseeruddin Shah, documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, and author Tushar Arun Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.

Other signees included Achin Vanaik, a retired professor of international relations and former head of political science at Delhi University, and Prof. Ram Puniyani, author and former professor of biomedical engineering affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

They called on the NFDC to stop the event in the wake of the atrocities committed by the Israeli regime, which since the beginning of its onslaught on Gaza has “murdered more than 8% of the Gazan population ... which clearly constitutes a Holocaust, no less,” the petition read.

“The management of the NFDC & the NMIC should be aware of the fact that the Government of India has consistently voted for a ceasefire, as well has recognised the Palestinian state, as have the overwhelming majority of the nations.

“Thus, at this moment in our collective human history, for the NFDC and the NMIC to be screening Israeli films is totally immoral, unethical, unconscionable, and a travesty of justice to say the least.”

An official from the NMIC confirmed to Arab News on condition of anonymity that the festival “has been pulled down,” but declined to provide more details.

“It’s a relief,” Feroze Mithiborwala, a Mumbai-based activist and member of the India-Palestine Solidarity Front who organized the petition, told Arab News.

“I can’t understand that when the entire world is condemning Israel for its war crimes, when it’s also clear how the government department and NFDC in Mumbai actually go with Israel is beyond us.”

The petition letter was written on Monday and went viral within hours of being sent out.

“Three-four of us got together and created a campaign and it became viral in India, it became viral in Palestine (and) it was picked up by the Palestinian ambassador in Delhi.

“It was picked up by Hindus for Human Rights in the US, and has gone to various parts of the world,” Mithiborwala said.

“Last count, it was at least 1,000 people signed. The people who are leaders of social movements, writers, artists, intellectuals.”

The film director Patwardhan said: “We were horrified that India should be hosting an Israel festival at a time when Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza as well as committing atrocities in the West Bank.

“We circulated a protest letter yesterday that was immediately endorsed and signed by over 100 eminent Indian citizens. We then contacted the individual offices of the NFDC both yesterday and today by phone,” he told Arab News.

“We were told over the phone today that the festival has been canceled. This is welcome news and shows that the NFDC is sensitive to public opinion.

“We call upon Indian citizens everywhere to protest any attempt by Israel or pro-Israeli elements to carry out business as usual while a genocide is in progress.”

Topics: cinema India Bollywood

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Pakistan security forces say they killed 3 insurgents involved in the death of a local administrator

Pakistan security forces say they killed 3 insurgents involved in the death of a local administrator
Updated 20 August 2024
AP
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Pakistan security forces say they killed 3 insurgents involved in the death of a local administrator

Pakistan security forces say they killed 3 insurgents involved in the death of a local administrator
  • The military said the slain men were members of the Baluch Liberation Army
Updated 20 August 2024
AP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces shot and killed three insurgents who were involved in the recent killing of a senior government administrator in the country’s restive southwest, the military said Tuesday.
It said security forces conducted a raid in Mastung, a district in Baluchistan province where members of an outlawed separatist group ambushed a vehicle carrying regional Deputy Commissioner Zakir Baloch and killed him on Aug. 12.
The military said the slain men were members of the Baluch Liberation Army, which claimed responsibility for the attack on Baloch ahead of the country’s Independence Day. The men were also involved in other previous attacks, it said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for avenging the killing of Baloch. He said the war against terrorism would continue until all insurgents are eliminated from the country.
There was no immediate comment from the Baluch Liberation Army, which was expected to respond with more attacks.
Authorities say the insurgents have formed an alliance with the Pakistani Taliban, which also has a presence in Baluchistan, the scene of frequent militant attacks in a long-running insurgency by groups seeking independence for the mineral- and gas-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan.
Other Islamic militant groups also have a presence in the province.

Topics: Pakistan

Taliban morality police dismiss over 280 men without beards from security forces

Taliban morality police dismiss over 280 men without beards from security forces
Updated 20 August 2024
Reuters
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Taliban morality police dismiss over 280 men without beards from security forces

Taliban morality police dismiss over 280 men without beards from security forces
  • The morality ministry has been criticized for restrictions on women and inhibiting freedom of expression
  • Ministry did not provide figures in relation to policing of women’s attire or their travel without a male guardian
Updated 20 August 2024
Reuters

KABUL: The Taliban’s morality ministry has dismissed more than 280 members of the security force for failure to grow a beard and have detained more than 13,000 people in Afghanistan for “immoral acts” in the past year, officials said on Tuesday.
The Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue said in its annual operations update that around half of those detained had been let go after 24 hours. It did not break down the type of the alleged offenses or gender of the detainees.
Mohibullah Mokhlis, Director of Planning and Legislation at the ministry, told a press conference officials had destroyed 21,328 musical instruments in the past year and prevented thousands of computer operators from selling “immoral and unethical” films in markets.
It had identified 281 security force members for not having a beard and they had been dismissed, he said, in line with their interpretation of Islamic law.
The morality ministry, which took over the disbanded women’s ministry premises in Kabul after the Taliban took over in 2021, has been criticized by human rights organizations and the United Nations for restrictions on women and inhibiting freedom of expression.
The United Nations’ mission to Afghanistan has reported cases of morality ministry officials stopping and detaining women, at times for a few hours, for not meeting their interpretation of Islamic dress.
The Taliban has called the allegations of detentions “baseless” and say the rules apply their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan customs.
The morality ministry did not provide figures in relation to policing of women’s attire or their travel without a male guardian, which authorities have also barred for longer distances. It said that a new plan was being worked on to ensure its Islamic dress rules were followed, overseen by the supreme spiritual leader who is based in the southern city of Kandahar.
“Based on the guidance of the Supreme Leader, the draft plan for observing women’s hijab (Islamic dress) has been formulated and approved,” Mokhlis said.
The morality ministry has previously said that women should cover their faces or wear an all-enveloping burqa and that enforcement would involve “encouragement” with women’s male family members being targeted rather than women directly.
Most Afghan women covered their hair in public in the conservative country even before the Taliban takeover, but some, especially Kabul, did not usually cover their faces or wear a burqa.
Mokhlis said they had prevented just over 200 cases of the sale of women and over 2,600 cases of violence against women.

Topics: Taliban Afghanistan

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US says Iran responsible for Trump campaign hack

US says Iran responsible for Trump campaign hack
Updated 20 August 2024
AFP
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US says Iran responsible for Trump campaign hack

US says Iran responsible for Trump campaign hack
  • Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied the country’s role in the hack and challenged Washington to release evidence for the claim
Updated 20 August 2024
AFP

Washington: Iran was behind a recent hack targeting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, US security agencies said Monday, accusing Tehran of seeking to influence the 2024 election.
The statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) confirmed the Trump campaign claim from earlier this month that it had been targeted, potentially by Iran.
“We have observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle, specifically involving influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting presidential campaigns,” the security agencies said.
“This includes the recently reported activities to compromise former president Trump’s campaign, which the (intelligence community) attributes to Iran,” they said.
In response, Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied the country’s role in the hack and challenged Washington to release evidence for the claim.
“Such allegations are unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing,” the mission said in a statement.
“As we have previously announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran harbors neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the US presidential election.
“Should the US government genuinely believe in the validity of its claims, it should furnish us with the pertinent evidence — if any — to which we will respond accordingly.”
The United States goes to the polls on November 5, with both Trump’s and Democratic rival Kamala Harris’s campaigns saying they had been targeted by cyberattacks in recent weeks.
US-based tech companies have also said they detected such attacks.
The US intelligence community said Monday it was “confident” that Iran had used social engineering and other methods to target individuals in both campaigns, and that the attempts were “intended to influence the US election process.”
Trump’s campaign said on August 10 that it had been hacked, blaming “foreign sources” for distributing internal communications and a dossier on running mate J.D. Vance.
“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our democratic process,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
The Republican former president’s campaign implied Iran was behind the move as news outlet Politico reported it had received emails with the campaign material from a source who refused to identify themselves.
Cheung cited a report from Microsoft this week that said Iranian hackers “sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.”
The materials received by Politico included research on vetting Vance, Trump’s vice presidential pick.
In 2016, a hack of Democratic National Committee emails — blamed on Russians — exposed internal party communications, including about candidate Hillary Clinton.
Trump, who would go on to win the election, was criticized for encouraging the hack.
Harris’s campaign said on August 13 that it too had been targeted by foreign hackers, but did not give an indication of which country was believed to be behind the attempt.
“In July, the campaign legal and security teams were notified by the FBI that we were targeted by a foreign actor influence operation,” a Harris campaign official told AFP.
Google said this month that hackers backed by Iran were targeting the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns.
A hacker group known as APT42 linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps went after high-profile individuals and organizations in Israel and the United States, including government officials and political campaigns, according to a threat report released by Google.
Google’s threat analysis group continues to see unsuccessful attempts from APT42 to compromise personal accounts of individuals affiliated with Biden, Harris and Trump, the report said.

Topics: 2024 US Elections Iran

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