TIG Post

Author: Abigail Ampofo

  • Wildfires in Chile could worsen due to a heatwave, authorities warn

    Wildfires in Chile could worsen due to a heatwave, authorities warn

    A country in South America is battling to put out dozens of burning fires that have already claimed the lives of at least 26 people.

    Authorities have warned that a heatwave is endangering more wildfires in Chile’s south-central region, where more than two dozen people have already perished as a result of the destructive blazes.

    The deputy interior minister, Manuel Monsalve, stated on Tuesday that high temperatures are predicted to last until Friday and may exceed 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in the central Maule and Nuble regions.

    “A very complex climate situation can arise,” said Monsalve, urging teams to be “prepared for any eventuality”.

    Fires have ravaged more than 290,000 hectares (716,606 acres) across the South American nation so far, killing at least 26 people and destroying more than 1,000 houses, leaving thousands homeless.

    Approximately 5,600 firefighters, mostly volunteers, are actively battling 81 priority blazes countrywide out of 301 still burning, the AFP news agency reported, citing Chilean authorities.

    Air quality in the affected areas also has deteriorated significantly because of the smoke from the fires, said health minister Ximena Aguilera.

    Nearly 2,000 people have been injured in a week of blazes in the regions of Biobio, La Araucania and Nuble, where a state of emergency has been in place.

    Monsalve, the deputy interior minister, said on Tuesday that fire brigades from Colombia and Mexico were arriving to help.
    He added that 15 people had been arrested for possible links to starting the fires over activities including welding and burning animal wool.

    Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Twitter that his country was sending a firefighting brigade and cargo plane with two Bambi Buckets – used to help extinguish blazes from the air – to Chile.

    Spain, Mexico and other countries in Latin America also have said they would send firefighters and experts to help combat the fires.

    One of the local volunteers, Macarena Fernandez, a 31-year-old physical education teacher, described the situation in Chile’s Santa Juana region late last week as “intense”.

    “We did what we humanly could, what was within our means,” she told AFP.

    “The most difficult is to see the situation of people left without homes, without their family, without their animals and completely destitute.”

    But a week into the emergency, the government said some employers were calling on volunteers to return to their normal jobs.

    “The more days [of fire], the more we need the volunteers, the more tired they are and the more in need of help,” said interior minister Carolina Toha.

    Earlier this week, Chile’s President Gabriel Boric called for unity and resolve in response to the destruction left by the fires.

    “Unity to face the tragedy, unity to rebuild ourselves. That has been and will always be the path in the face of adversity in our Chile,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

    Officials in Chile have previously suggested that climate change was to blame for the rising temperatures and subsequent fires.

    Scientists have been warning that the climate crisis – fuelled by human activity, namely the emission of greenhouse gases – will lead to increased risks of natural disasters, including wildfires, droughts and hurricanes.

    “The evolution of climate change shows us again and again that this has a centrality and a capacity to cause an impact that we have to internalise much more,” Toha, the interior minister, said earlier this month.

    “Chile is one of the countries with the highest vulnerability to climate change and this isn’t theory but rather practical experience.”

  • South African MPs declare end of Spur sponsorship deal

    South African MPs declare end of Spur sponsorship deal

    A proposed sponsorship deal between South African lawmakers and Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur has been canceled after details were leaked to the media and caused a public uproar.

    The proposed three-year deal worth 900 million South African rand ($52.5 million; £42.5 million) had received conditional approval from the nation’s official tourism board.

    However, detractors claimed that the money could be used more effectively in a nation where there are frequent power outages, water shortages, and high unemployment.

    On Tuesday, the parliament’s tourism committee called for the deal to be stopped immediately.

    This was after Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu had told it that she had no knowledge of the proposed deal.

    “This deal ends here, today, now. because there is everything wrong with the deal itself. There must be an investigation on this matter with immediate effect,” committee chairperson Thandi Mahambehlala said.

    It was also resolved that the board’s acting chief financial officer be removed from the position immediately over an alleged conflict of interest and irregular appointment.

  • Protesters killed in a DR. Congo attack on a UN convoy

    Protesters killed in a DR. Congo attack on a UN convoy

    In an attack on a UN convoy in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, three protesters were killed, according to a statement from the UN.

    The attack in Munigi, North Kivu province, was “deplored,” according to the UN mission there, Monusco.

    It claimed that after stopping the convoy, the protesters set four trucks on fire.

    According to a statement, the victims perished as Congolese soldiers and peacekeepers “tried to protect the convoy.”

    Rebels operating in the eastern part of the country have recently captured large swathes of territory in the volatile province, sparking public anger against the UN and the East African Regional Force.

    Recent fighting has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands more.

  • Tunisia’s president sacks foreign minister, Othman Jerandi

    Tunisia’s president sacks foreign minister, Othman Jerandi

    The presidency has announced that Tunisian President Kais Saied has fired the country’s Foreign Minister, Othman Jerandi.

    In place of Mr. Jerandi, the president named Nabil Ammar as Tunisia’s ambassador to the European Union. 

    He didn’t provide a justification for firing Mr. Jerandi.

    With the replacement of the ministers of trade, agriculture, and education, Mr. Jerandi is the fourth minister to lose his job this year.

    President Saied implemented a number of measures in order to increase the presidency’s power at the expense of the legislative and judicial branches in 2021.

    Opposition parties boycotted the 2022 parliamentary elections, accusing the president of staging a coup after shutting down parliament in 2021 and giving himself almost unlimited executive powers.

    Just about 11% of Tunisians turned out for a second round of parliamentary voting last month.

    There has been a deepening political and economic crisis, amid protests by Tunisians increasingly frustrated with the state of the economy and against Mr. Saied’s seizure of near total power.

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake: Death toll exceeds 8,700

    Turkey-Syria earthquake: Death toll exceeds 8,700

    Following the earthquake on Monday, it is known that more than 8,700 people died in Syria and Turkey.

    According to Turkey’s disaster agency, there have now been 6,234 fatalities.

    It is challenging to confirm the figure in Syria, but the country’s state media reports that about 2,500 people have perished.

    The number of fatalities has increased to over 1,280, according to the White Helmet rescue organisation, which works in the rebel-controlled area.

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake: WHO warns of a possible 20,000 death toll rise

    Turkey-Syria earthquake: WHO warns of a possible 20,000 death toll rise

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning that 20,000 people may die as a result of the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria.

    Since the early hours of Monday morning, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey close to the Syrian border, at least 5,000 people have died. Both nations have experienced strong aftershocks in the hours that have followed, and thousands are believed to be trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings.

    Rescuers have been working all night to save as many people as they can, but the region’s bitterly cold weather is making it harder for them to find survivors. According to the most recent data, injuries have been reported among more than 13,000 people in Turkey.

    Turkey has declared a state of emergency in affected areas and has urged people not to use their mobile phones in order to allow rescuers to coordinate. As well as Turkey and Syria, millions of people in Cyprus, and Israel also felt the earthquake.

    European leaders are promising to help the worst hit regions in any way they can, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He tweeted: “My thoughts are with the people of Turkey and Syria this morning, particularly with those first responders working so valitanty to save those trapped by the earthquake.

    “The UK stands ready to help in whatever way we can.”

    Turkey and Syria earthquake: What we know so far. 

    The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Pazarcik district of southern Kahramanmaras province at 4.17am. This was followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake in the southern Gaziantep province at 4.26am.

    On Monday morning, as rescuers worked to save those trapped in the rubble, south east Turkey felt another significant 7.5 magnitude earthquake. Overnight, more powerful tremors hit Turkey with a 5.4 magnitude quake in the eastern side of the country.

    Overall, there have been around 285 aftershocks since the first earthquake was felt. It is reported that over 5,000 buildings have collapsed in Turkey alone.

    WHO Senior Emergency Officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, said: “We always see the same thing with earthquakes, unfortunately, which is that the initial reports of the numbers of people who have died or who have been injured will increase quite significantly in the week that follows.”

    The UK has confirmed it will send 76 specialists, equipment and rescue dogs to Turkey. The EU is also set to send search and rescue teams to the country.

  • Mexico’s seasoned dogs join Turkey’s rescue mission

    Mexico’s seasoned dogs join Turkey’s rescue mission

    A group of 16 search and rescue dogs from Mexico, an earthquake-prone nation, is set to travel to Turkey.

    When the dogs combed through the wreckage of the earthquake that devastated Mexico City and the surrounding areas in 2017, killing hundreds of people, the dogs won the hearts of the Mexican people.

    The most well-known of them, Frida, a golden lab wearing safety goggles and booties who saved 12 people throughout her career, passed away three months ago due to old age.

    However, some of the more seasoned dogs who worked with Frida in 2017 are now a part of the group, including Ecko.

    Ecko is part of the team flying to Turkey

    Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard tweeted photos of the canines lying on the tarmac just before take-off.

    Mexico’s deadliest earthquake happened in 1985, when at least 5,000 people were killed in the capital and its surroundings.

  • Turkey earthquake: Turkish government declares three-month state of emergency

    Turkey earthquake: Turkish government declares three-month state of emergency

    In 10 of the provinces most severely impacted by the earthquake that has killed thousands of people, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency.

    3,549 people have now died in Turkey, according to Mr. Erdogan.

    There have reportedly been 1,600 fatalities in Syria.

    In a televised speech, Mr. Erdogan stated that the purpose of declaring a state of emergency is to allow for “quickly carried out” rescue operations in the nation’s southeast.

    Without providing more information, he said the measures would let aid workers and money into the affected areas.

    The state of emergency will end just before elections on May 14, when Mr. Erdogan will attempt to stay in power after 20 years.

    Turkey last imposed a state of emergency in 2016 after a failed coup attempt. It was lifted two years later.

    Rescuers in Turkey are battling heavy rain and snow as they race against the clock to find survivors of the earthquake that struck in the early hours of Monday.

    The World Health Organization has warned the toll may rise dramatically as rescuers find more victims.

    Thousands of children may be among the dead following the earthquake and aftershocks, the United Nations has said.

    Heavy machinery worked through the night in the city of Adana, with lights illuminating the collapsed buildings and huge slabs of concrete, in scenes repeated across southern Turkey.

    Occasionally, the work stopped and a call of “Allahu Akbar” rose up when a survivor was found or when the dead were recovered.

    Adana is full of the homeless – those who lost their homes and others too fearful of aftershocks to return.

    Some left without shoes, coats and phone chargers. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing later this week.

    The 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 (01:17 GMT) on Monday at a depth of 17.9 kilometers (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep, according to the US Geological Survey.

    A later tremor had a magnitude of 7.5 and its epicentre was in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province.

    On Tuesday morning, traffic was at a standstill on the main highway to the Turkish city of Maras, close to the epicenter of the quake.

    Cars occasionally crawled forward, the wet road illuminated by glowing red brake lights. Few rescuers have made it to this part of southern Turkey yet.

    One search and rescue team on their way to the city, their van loaded with specialist equipment and supplies, told the BBC they were eager to start looking for survivors, but they had no idea how bad the devastation would be when they arrived.

    Nationally, 8,000 people have been rescued from more than 4,700 destroyed buildings, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in its latest statement.

    As aftershocks continue, rescuers in some areas have been digging through rubble with their bare hands. But freezing conditions are hampering search efforts.

    In the southern province of Hatay, the Reuters news agency reported that a woman’s voice was heard calling for help under a pile of rubble.

    “They’re making noises, but nobody is coming,” a resident who gave his name as Deniz said while weeping.

    “We’re devastated, we’re devastated. My God… They’re calling out. They’re saying, ‘Save us,’ but we can’t save them. How are we going to save them? There has been nobody since the morning.”

    In Hatay, Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu – who made 107 appearances for Newcastle – was pulled from the rubble of a building with injuries, his manager Mustafa Özat told Turkish radio.

    Atsu now plays for Turkish club Hatayspor. The club’s sporting director, Taner Savut, is still under the rubble, Mr Özat said.

    Members of the Turkish military pull two women from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay
    Image caption,Members of the Turkish military pull two women from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay

    In the Turkish city of Osmaniye, near the epicentre, pouring rain hampered rescuers. The city was without power as the cold and rain set in.

    One family camped on the street, scared of the aftershocks, despite the freezing temperatures. Every time they felt an aftershock, the family moved closer into the middle of the street.

    A hotel owner in the city told the BBC that of 14 guests staying that night, only seven had been found.

    Countries around the world are sending support to help the rescue efforts, including specialist teams, sniffer dogs and equipment.

    But the earthquake has caused significant damage to three airports across Turkey, also creating challenges for aid deliveries.

    https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.47.2/iframe.htmlMedia caption,

    Diyarbakir, Turkey: ‘People are still trapped under the rubble’

    At least 1,600 people are now known to have been killed in Syria, where millions of refugees live in camps on the Turkish border.

    Turkey lies in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones.

    In 1999 a quake killed more than 17,000 in the north-west, while in 1939, 33,000 people died in the eastern province of Erzincan.

    This earthquake was powerful enough to be felt as far away as Cyprus, Lebanon, and Israel.

  • Ships diverted as port fire spreads in Turkey

    Ships diverted as port fire spreads in Turkey

    Ships headed for the Turkey earthquake disaster area are being diverted due to severe port fire damage.

    Since yesterday, a facility in Iskenderun, about 70 miles (112 km) southwest of Gaziantep, has been on fire.

    Images from the scene show several containers on fire and a thick column of smoke rising above the port. Quentin Sommerville, a BBC Correspondent, stated earlier today that the air is still “thick with black smoke and the smell of burning petrol” around the port.

    He continued: “It’s been burning since yesterday when the earthquake hit, toppling shipping containers and setting the port on fire.”

    Major shipping firm AP Moller Maersk said in a statement it wasn’t clear when it would return to normal operations and that cargo is being diverted to other ports in Turkey, as well as Port Said in Egypt. With roads and airports damaged, the damage will add to the complex logistical problems government and aid agencies face in trying to get aid and supplies to the area.

  • Bishops call for arrest of South Sudan attackers

    Bishops call for arrest of South Sudan attackers

    Catholic bishops in South Sudan are urging the government to arrest and bring to justice the attackers who killed civilians on the eve of the historic visit of the Pope and two other top clerics.

    At least 21 civilians were killed on Thursday in Kajo-Keji county in Central Equatoria state by suspected cattle herders from Jonglei state.

    The following day, Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, embarked on an ecumenical peace pilgrimage to South Sudan.

    The death toll from the Kajo-Keji incident has risen to 27, with “countless numbers” injured, according to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (Unmiss).

    Unmiss also stated that 2,000 people, including 30 unaccompanied minors, were forced to flee their homes.

    Among those killed were four volunteers from the South Sudan Red Cross Society, who were stationed in the area conducting Ebola awareness work following the recent outbreak of deadly disease in neighbouring Uganda.

    The Red Cross says its volunteers in Kajo-Keji were taken from their homes and “callously killed.”

  • Bishops demand arrest of South Sudan assailants

    Bishops demand arrest of South Sudan assailants

    The government of South Sudan has been urged by Catholic bishops to apprehend and prosecute the assailants who murdered civilians on the eve of the historic visit of the Pope and two other prominent clerics.

    At least 21 civilians were killed on Thursday in Kajo-Keji county in Central Equatoria state by suspected cattle herders from Jonglei state.

    The following day, a joint ecumenical peace pilgrimage to South Sudan was launched by Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields.

    The death toll from the Kajo-Keji incident has risen to 27, with “countless numbers” injured, according to the UN peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss).

    Also 2,000 people, including 30 unaccompanied children, were forced to feel from their homes, Unmiss said.

    Among those killed were four volunteers from the South Sudan Red Cross Society, who were stationed in the area conducting Ebola awareness work following the recent outbreak of the deadly disease in neighbouring Uganda.

    The Red Cross says its volunteers in Kajo-Keji were taken from their homes and “callously killed.”

  • DCO membership will expedite Ghana’s digital growth – Ursula

    DCO membership will expedite Ghana’s digital growth – Ursula

    Minister of Communications and Digitalization of Ghana, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful says the addition of Ghana as a Member State of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) will aid in knowledge sharing and cooperation on fostering flourishing digital economies for prosperity and rapid growth.

    Speaking on Ghana’s membership of DCO, she mentioned that she “believes our membership of DCO will enable us achieve this faster, working in partnership with, learning from and sharing the experiences of our member states and observers. Ghana is committed to DCO because cooperation promotes economic growth through coordinated economic and social development programmes”.

    H.E. Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the DCO on her part said: “I am very pleased to welcome the Republic of Ghana to the DCO. Ghana is one of the leaders among African nations in adopting new technology and in the wise use of policies, such as its Digital Finance Policy, that support new areas of development and bring positive benefits to the community. The DCO was created to encourage knowledge sharing and exchange for the good of all nations, and I believe that Ghana has many lessons to share with the DCO and our ecosystem of nations.”

    Ghana’s addition to DCO is to make the international mission realize its digital prosperity for all.

    Ghana becomes the twelfth nation to ascend to the DCO, an international organization that was founded to support countries to build their digital economies as an essential driver of sustainable growth and development.

    Ghana is well-established as a leader in utilizing the power of communications and digital technologies to support economic growth.

    Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to launch a cellular mobile network in 1992, and one of the first countries in Africa to be connected to the internet and to introduce ADSL broadband services.

    Ghana is also a leader in digital payments and mobile money, with the second-highest data penetration rate and fastest-growing mobile money market in sub–Saharan Africa which has greatly enhanced financial inclusion. As the newest member of the DCO, Ghana will now bring that experience and expertise to share with the other Member States.

    About DCO

    The DCO is a global multilateral organization founded in November 2020 that aims to enable digital prosperity for all by accelerating the inclusive growth of the digital economy.

    The DCO brings together the Ministries of Communications and IT of 12 nations – Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Oman, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. – that collectively represent nearly $2 trillion in GDP and a market of nearly 600 million people, more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35.

    The DCO is focused on empowering youth, women, and entrepreneurs, leveraging the accelerative power of the digital economy and leapfrogging with innovation to drive economic growth and increase social prosperity.

    Through cooperation, dialogue, and the creation of mutually advantageous cross-border legislation, we seek to establish within our member nations the optimal infrastructure and policies for the rapid creation of inclusive and equitable digital economies within which all people, businesses, and societies can innovate and thrive.

    In pursuit of our members’ common interests – for example, in the areas of digital skills training, data protection, intellectual copyright, regulation, taxation, and entrepreneurship – DCO works collaboratively with governments, the private sector, international organizations, NGOs and civil society to enable more inclusive digital transformation and the growth of digital industries.

    The DCO’s key initiatives include programs to enhance cross-border data flows, promote market expansion for SMEs, empower digital entrepreneurs and advance digital inclusion among women and youth, and other underrepresented populations.

  • SA Tourism to meet Ramaphosa over deal Tottenham sponsorship

    SA Tourism to meet Ramaphosa over deal Tottenham sponsorship

    The controversial $51.5 million sponsorship agreement between South African Tourism and English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur will be discussed by the nation’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, following the brouhaha.

    Following the uproar, which saw sports federations and labour unions criticize the amount of money being spent on a club in Europe while they struggle to make ends meet at home, tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu will meet with Ramaphosa this week.

    South Africa Tourism (SAT) and Tottenham have tentatively agreed to a three-year shirt sponsorship agreement that will begin at the start of the 2023–24 season and run through the 2026–27 season.

    SAT will gain kit branding, interview backdrop branding, match-day advertising, partnership announcements, training camps in South Africa, and more in exchange for the investment.

    But on 3 February, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said that Mr Ramaphosa “did not think spending so much money in the manner that is being suggested will be justified”.

    Manchester United link

    Cyril Ramaphosa
    Cyril Ramaphosa is making efforts to relaunch his political agenda

    The meeting is likely to be convened before the President’s annual State of the Nation address which takes place at the opening of Parliament on Thursday.

    Sisulu met with SAT board members over the weekend to discuss the proposal – a proposal which she denies having seen before news of the controversial deal was leaked to the Daily Maverick website last week.

    Since then, three SAT board members – Enver Duminy, Ravi Nadasen and Rosemary Anderson – resigned with immediate effect over the weekend, ostensibly because of their opposition to the proposed deal.

    Themba Khumalo, acting Chief Executive of SAT, believes the deal would assist in bringing in large numbers of tourists into the country and would provide a good return on the investment given the large worldwide following of the Premier League.

    Khumalo revealed that the north London club had been chosen because it was the only one of the Premier League’s top eight teams that was still available for such a sponsorship deal.

    However, in a new twist, a tweet by UtdChronicles showed a video of an excited Khumalo opening a Manchester United branded box containing the Red Devils’ white away jersey with a large “Visit South Africa” emblazoned on the front of the shirt.


    “1.1 billion followers worldwide – if we convert just 1% there’s 110 million. So this is a proposal from Manchester United,” he is heard exclaiming on the video which has been verified, according to UtdChronicles.

    The Old Trafford club is searching for a new shirt front sponsor “in a normalised market” following a decision to end a deal with TeamViewer which was done at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic for a sum believed to be $56.6 million per year.

    This is much less than the $77 million per year deal it had until 2021 with American car manufacturer Chevrolet.

    Shortly after news of the proposed Spurs sponsorship deal broke, many of the country’s national sports federations expressed outrage saying the money could be better spent on development projects and financing struggling athletes.

    The Congress of SA Trade Unions (COSATU), the country’s biggest trade union federation labelled the proposed deal as a misguided vanity project.

  • Some Eastern EU countries are still pro-Russia

    Some Eastern EU countries are still pro-Russia

    Despite recent memories of Russian aggression and occupation, some Eastern European countries still fall for Russian disinformation.

    Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched a year ago, changed Europe overnight. It has set in motion tectonic shifts in political and economic relations, disrupting energy markets and upending existing supply chains. It has challenged the very core of the post-World War II European project: peace.

    The brutal attack on Ukraine has been particularly unsettling for Eastern Europe, which has relatively recent memories of Russian hostility and occupation. This explains why there was such significant support in the region for severe sanctions on Russia, financial, military, and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, reinforcement of NATO’s eastern flank and a warm welcome for millions of Ukrainian refugees.

    Yet, there are some countries in Eastern Europe that still harbour baffling sympathies for Russia, despite having faced Russian aggression in the past. Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary have stood out over the past year as particularly pro-Russia in their attitudes.

    A September poll conducted in Slovakia shows that the majority of Slovaks would welcome a Russian military victory over Ukraine. In another survey conducted in May, only 33 percent of Bulgarians and 45 percent of Hungarians perceived Russia as a threat. Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria also tend to show the weakest support in the region for European Union sanctions against Russia, according to a Eurobarometer survey conducted in the fall of 2022.

    These attitudes have been reflected in government policies and rhetoric. Bulgaria and Hungary are the only NATO and EU members to have officially refused to deliver arms to Ukraine, echoing the popular belief that doing so would drag these countries into the conflict. Bulgaria’s previous government had to secretly provide Kyiv with ammunition and fuel, concealing the fact from the public.

    While the Slovak government has extended bold and open help to Ukraine, including supplies of heavy weaponry, and is among its top backers internationally in terms of aid given as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), it has sided with Hungary when it comes to economically uncomfortable decisions, such as last year’s EU oil ban, for which it negotiated an exemption.

    Both Bratislava and Budapest have also threatened to pay for Russian gas in roubles, if push came to shove, following Moscow’s decision to receive gas payments only in its currency. The Hungarian administration has repeatedly blocked sanctions against Russia in Brussels, while ramping up domestic anti-EU propaganda.

    The persistent pro-Russian sentiments in these three countries have a lot to do with recent history and Russian opportunism.

    The transition from communism in Eastern Europe came with high expectations for freedom, democracy and prosperity that have not always been met. The pursuit of the Western model of development not only failed to deliver in the eyes of some Eastern Europeans, but produced feelings of inadequacy and disillusionment.

    This disappointment created a space for foreign malignant interference, buttressed by the growth of social media and other unregulated digital spaces in the past 15 years. Moscow, using its Cold War propaganda toolkit, cleverly tapped into these anxieties and irrational nostalgia for the “comfort” of communism, exploiting the ideas of pan-Slavic unity, and similarities across languages, history, and culture.

    Of course, these strategies succeed better where weak democratic fundamentals enable them to. Surging energy prices, the cost-of-living crisis, poverty, and high inflation have also fed popular frustration and further fuelled pro-Russia sentiments.

    This is not just Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary’s problem, but the EU’s at large and it must be addressed. Clinging to such attitudes perpetuates the long-standing east-west rift within the EU, weakens the EU resolve on backing Ukraine, and opens the door to Russia’s “divide and conquer” tactics.

    Tackling the economic crisis and intergenerational change in institutions can help mitigate some factors that feed Euroscepticism and pro-Russia sentiments. But they are in no way a comprehensive solution.

    Pro-Russian propaganda across Eastern (and Western) Europe should be tackled head-on.

    The average share of Eastern European households with internet access has risen markedly compared to a decade ago, to 93 percent in 2022, providing malignant actors with an excellent opportunity to reach the masses. Social media platforms have been, indeed, shaping the ways in which events – such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine – are understood, narrated, and remembered.

    That is why Moscow has ramped up its disinformation campaign after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Restrictions imposed by the EU on its propaganda channels, such as RT and Sputnik, have not limited the reach of its fake news.

    The Kremlin has not only looked for new online channels to reach targeted audiences, but also weaponised its diplomats and expanded a network of paid commentators in various European countries, who push its propaganda on traditional media channels. In Bulgaria, for example, a senior member of the previous government revealed that public figures are paid 2,000 euros ($2,150) to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda in the public space.

    There are several things that can be done to take the narrative back. In Europe, the war has highlighted the benefits of information space regulation, personal data protection, policies that increase the transparency of online platforms, and understanding of algorithms and content moderation.

    Awareness campaigns that caution users about online spaces’ misuse and risks should be instituted to shield the general public, especially vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, as social media platforms are now a dominant source of information, as well as a space for social interaction.

    Brussels is also late to adopt policies on digital literacy for children and young adults. In a 2021 study, only about half of 15-year-olds in the EU reported being instructed on how to detect fake or biased information, despite the pandemic having hastened the trend towards internet use and online learning. The displacement of traditional, more carefully curated information sources, such as encyclopedias and journals, demands new skills, including fact-checking and critical thinking, for students and teachers to be able to navigate this new complexity.

    Indeed, information resilience may look like an uphill battle, but it is crucial for the EU to pursue it. The unhindered spread of falsehoods can threaten the integrity and security of entire nations and undercut an effective EU response to the war in Ukraine.

    DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana

  • Deadly landslide hits southern Peru, claims more than ten lives and injures many

    Deadly landslide hits southern Peru, claims more than ten lives and injures many

    Rescue operations go on as rain drenches areas like Arequipa, the epicentre of recent anti-government protests.

    Authorities have reported at least 15 fatalities, 20 injuries, and two people missing following landslides in southern Peru. They have issued a warning that the number of casualties could rise.

    “The number of people dead so far has risen to 15,” according to the directorate of the National Civil Defense Institute in the Arequipa region, where mud and rock slides began on Sunday as a result of torrential rains, on Monday.

    Secocha, which is situated on the banks of the Ocoa River in the Camaná province, is one of the regions in the department of Arequipa that is experiencing high water levels as a result of the persistently heavy rain.

    The Ocoa was flowing at a rate of 585.6 cubic metres per second as of Monday morning, and the Peruvian government issued a warning that the swollen river could affect nearby population centres

    To address the aftermath of the landslide, the Ministry of Health has announced on Twitter that it would send “two brigades made up of doctors, nurses and mental health professionals to the area”, as well as 150kg (330lb) of medicine to the region.

    The Peruvian army has also deployed helicopters to the region, transporting humanitarian aid, drinking water and sandbags to the emergency site.

    “Search and rescue efforts continue,” the ministry of defence said in a tweet that called out misinformation surrounding the landslide. With some media reports setting the death toll as high as 36, the ministry wrote it recommended that members of the public “obtain information from official sources”.

    The Associated Press news agency reports that Wilson Gutierrez, a civil defence official in the Mariano Nicolás Valcárcel municipality, had previously said in an interview with radio station RPP that 36 people had died in an isolated area called Miski. RPP News also reported that some of the dead had been struck by falling rocks as they travelled by truck along the Urasqui-Secocha highway.

    The landslide strikes amid ongoing antigovernment demonstrations in Peru, many of which are concentrated in southern regions like Arequipa.

    The protests were sparked in December when then-President Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress illegally ahead of his third impeachment hearing. The move led Congress to overwhelmingly impeach Castillo, who has since been detained on charges of rebellion and conspiracy.

    His former vice president, Dina Boluarte, was sworn in as Peru’s first female president that same day.

    Castillo, once considered a dark horse candidate for the presidency, is a former school teacher and union organiser from Peru’s rural north. His presidency galvanised support in other impoverished, rural areas of the country, including Arequipa, where protesters stormed the airport and blocked highways in response to his arrest.

    The demonstrations against Castillo’s detention have continued for more than two months, with protesters calling for Castillo’s release, Boluarte’s removal, the dissolution of Congress, new elections and a revised constitution.

  • Freezing weather conditions impedes rescue operation in Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Freezing weather conditions impedes rescue operation in Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Following devastating earthquakes that claimed more than 4,600 lives and toppled buildings across southeast Turkey and northern Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has declared seven days of national mourning, and Syria has asked the UN for assistance.

    Authorities worry that the death toll from Monday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which was followed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and several aftershocks, will rise as rescuers comb through piles of metal and concrete scattered across a region already troubled by Syria’s 12-year civil war and a refugee crisis in search of survivors.

    Rescuers continued their search into Tuesday morning despite the bitter cold, hoping to find more survivors among the rubble as those who were trapped screamed for help from beneath mountains of debris.

    Rescuers are battling heavy rain and snow as they race against the clock to find survivors of a devastating earthquake in south-east Turkey.

    More than 4,300 people were killed and 15,000 injured in Turkey and over the border in Syria when the quake struck in the early hours of Monday.

    The World Health Organization has warned the toll may rise dramatically as rescuers find more victims.

    As day breaks, rescue teams are stepping up their search for survivors.

    Many people in the disaster zone have been too scared to go back into buildings.

    The 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 (01:17 GMT) on Monday at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep, according to the US Geological Survey.

    Seismologists say it was one of the largest ever recorded in Turkey, where at least 2,921 people are now known to have died. Survivors say it took two minutes for the shaking to stop.

    A later tremor had a magnitude of 7.5 and its epicentre was in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province.

    As dawn broke on Tuesday, traffic was at a standstill on the main highway to the Turkish city of Maras, close to the epicentre of the quake and believed to be one of the worst-affected areas.

    Cars occasionally crawled forward, the wet road illuminated by glowing red brake lights.

    Few rescuers have made it to this part of southern Turkey yet and everyone is trying to get there as fast as they can to assess the damage and give vital help.

    One search and rescue team on their way to the city, their van loaded with specialist equipment and supplies, told the BBC they were eager to get there and start looking for survivors, but they had no idea how bad the devastation would be when they arrived.

    Almost 8,000 people have been rescued from more than 4,700 destroyed buildings, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in its latest statement.

    As aftershocks continue, rescuers in some areas have been digging through rubble with their bare hands looking for survivors.

    But freezing conditions are hampering search efforts.

    In the southern province of Hatay, the Reuters news agency reported that a woman’s voice was heard calling for help under a pile of rubble.

    “They’re making noises, but nobody is coming,” a resident who gave his name as Deniz said while weeping.

    “We’re devastated, we’re devastated. My God… They’re calling out. They’re saying, ‘Save us,’ but we can’t save them. How are we going to save them? There has been nobody since the morning.”

    In the Turkish city of Osmaniye, near the epicentre, pouring rain hampered rescuers as they searched through the rubble looking for survivors.

    The city was without power as the cold and rain set in.

    One family camped on the street – despite the freezing temperatures – as they were scared of the aftershocks triggering another building to collapse.

    Every time they felt an aftershock, the family moved closer into the middle of the street.

    A hotel owner in the city told the BBC that of 14 guests staying that night, only seven had been found.

    Countries around the world are sending support to help the rescue efforts, including specialist teams, sniffer dogs and equipment.

    But the earthquake has caused significant damage to three airports across Turkey, also creating challenges for aid deliveries.

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll exceeds 4,500

    Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll exceeds 4,500

    Rescue workers are having a harder time because of the freezing weather and snowfall in the devastated area.

    Following devastating earthquakes that claimed more than 4,600 lives and toppled buildings across southeast Turkey and northern Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has declared seven days of national mourning, and Syria has asked the UN for assistance.

    Authorities worry that the death toll from Monday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which was followed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and several aftershocks, will rise as rescuers combed through piles of metal and concrete scattered across a region already troubled by Syria’s 12-year civil war and a refugee crisis in search of survivors.

    Rescuers continued their search through the chilly night and into Tuesday morning in an effort to extricate more survivors from the debris.

    Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), gave the number of dead in Turkey at 3,381 on Tuesday morning, while 15,834 others were injured.

    In Syria, at least 1,300 people were killed, according to the Ministry of Health and the White Helmets rescue organisation on Monday evening.

    Freezing winter weather conditions and snowfall in the devastated region have added to the plight of many thousands of people left injured and homeless by the earthquake. Downed buildings and destroyed roads have hampered efforts to find survivors and get crucial aid into affected areas.

    Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said millions of people need help.

    “And their need is even more acute because it is winter and they are facing cold temperatures, snow and rain.”

    Ten cities in southern Turkey have been declared disaster areas, according to Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from Istanbul. Freezing temperatures and snow have hampered rescue efforts, and more bad weather is expected to hit the region. Electricity supplies and natural gas have been cut off in many areas and the government is working to restore both services.

    “A full picture of the devastation is only starting to emerge – devastation that will likely become more evident as the sun rises” on Tuesday, Ghoneim said.

    Seismic activity continued to rattle the region on Monday, including another jolt nearly as powerful as the initial earthquake.

    The US Geological Survey measured the initial earthquake at 7.8, with a depth of 18km (11 miles). Hours later, a 7.6 magnitude temblor also struck. The second jolt caused a multistorey apartment building in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa to topple onto the street in a cloud of dust as bystanders screamed, according to video of the scene.

    Dramatic video footage aired on Turkish television showed buildings collapsing in real time. Visuals showed rescue workers pulling a child alive from a flattened building. The child was then reunited with distraught parents in snow-covered streets.

    More than 7,800 people have been rescued across 10 provinces, according to Orhan Tatar, an official with Turkey’s disaster management authority. Strained medical facilities have quickly filled with injured people, rescue workers said.

    The Syrian American Medical Society, which runs hospitals in northern Syria and southern Turkey, said in a statement that its facilities were “overwhelmed with patients filling the hallways” and called urgently for “trauma supplies and a comprehensive emergency response to save lives and treat the injured”.

    Governments and aid agencies have rushed to deploy personnel, funds and equipment to Turkey and Syria.

    Jordan is sending emergency aid to Syria and Turkey on the orders of King Abdullah II, while Egypt has pledged urgent humanitarian help to Turkey. Lebanon’s cash-strapped government is also sending Red Cross and Civil Defence first responders and firefighters to Turkey to help with its rescue efforts.

    The European Union has mobilised search and rescue teams, and the bloc’s Copernicus satellite system has been activated to provide emergency mapping services. At least 13 member countries have offered assistance. The United Kingdom and United States said they are also ready to send help to Syria, but Washington has ruled out dealing directly with the Syrian government.

    Germany’s foreign ministry said it is coordinating its aid response with EU partners and readying deliveries of emergency generators, tents, blankets and water treatment equipment.

    The US is coordinating immediate assistance to NATO-member Turkey, including teams to support search and rescue efforts. In California, nearly 100 Los Angeles County firefighters and structural engineers, along with six specially trained dogs, were being sent to Turkey to help with rescue efforts.

    Russian rescue teams from the Emergencies Ministry are preparing to fly to Syria, where the Russian military deployed in that country already has sent 10 units comprising 300 people to help clear debris and search for survivors. The Russian military has set up points to distribute humanitarian assistance. Russia also has offered help to Turkey, which has been accepted.

  • US enforce evacuations after train derails in Ohio

    US enforce evacuations after train derails in Ohio

    Authorities say, a derailment in an Ohio town poses a risk for the release of toxic gas and an explosion that could scatter shrapnel.

    There is a high likelihood that a toxic gas release will occur, according to authorities in the US state of Ohio, who have threatened to arrest anyone who refuses to leave an evacuation zone near the burning debris of a train derailment near the Pennsylvania state line.

    On Monday, residents were preparing for their overnight stays, loading their pets into cars, and looking for hotel rooms as emergency personnel worked to avert a major explosion. As the threat of an explosion grew, police in the town of East Palestine left their communication hub.

    “I’m worried about leaving and not getting back,” Mallory Burkett, who lives just outside the evacuation area, said Monday just before her family drove out of town. “I’m definitely going to come back, but I’m not sure when.”

    Officials warned hundreds of residents who had declined to evacuate earlier to do so Sunday night, saying a rail car was at risk of a potential explosion that could launch deadly shrapnel as far as a mile.

    About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash on Friday night, according to operator Norfolk Southern Railway and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). No injuries to crew, residents or first responders were reported.

    Drone photo shows freight train derailment in Ohio
    Approximately 50 train cars derailed on Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio [NTSBGov/Handout via Reuters]

    Norfolk Southern said 20 of the more than 100 cars on the train were classified as carrying hazardous materials — defined as cargo that could pose any kind of danger “including flammables, combustibles, or environmental risks”.

    The cars involved carried combustible liquids, butyl acrylate and the residue of benzene from previous shipments, officials said.

    Five were transporting vinyl chloride, which is used to make the polyvinyl chloride hard plastic resin in plastic products and is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.

    “There is no indication that any potential exposure that occurred after the derailment increases the risk of cancer or any other long-term health effects in community members,” said a post on East Palestine’s Facebook page.

    Authorities on Monday did not say what hazardous materials they were concerned about releasing into the air or how imminent that could be.

    A statement from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office warned on Sunday night of “the potential of a catastrophic tanker failure” after a “drastic temperature change” was observed in a rail car.

    Police cars, snowploughs and military vehicles from the Ohio National Guard blocked streets leading into the town on Monday morning as authorities began enforcing what had previously been a strongly recommended evacuation zone within a 1.6km (1-mile) radius of the crash site.

    Schools and many businesses were closed, and the local high school was turned into a shelter.

    Norfolk Southern has opened an assistance centre in the town to gather information from affected residents. But some residents complained about a lack of information regarding the evacuation, which covered the homes of about half the town’s 4,800 residents.

    Emergency responders were monitoring but keeping their distance from the fire. Remediation efforts could not begin while the cars smouldered, authorities said.

    Federal investigators say the cause of the derailment was a mechanical issue with a rail car axle.

    The three-member train crew received an alert about the mechanical defect “shortly before the derailment”, Michael Graham, a board member of the NTSB, said Sunday. Investigators identified the exact “point of derailment”, but the board was still working to determine which rail car experienced the axle issue, he said.

    Mayor Trent Conaway, who declared a state of emergency in the town, said one person was arrested for going around barricades right up to the crash. He warned people to stay away and said they would risk arrest.

    “I don’t know why anybody would want to be up there; you’re breathing toxic fumes if you’re that close,” he said, stressing that monitors of air quality away from the fire showed no levels of concern and that the town’s water is safe.

    Drone footage shows train derailment in Ohio
    Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine on February 6, 2023 [NTSBGov/Handout via Reuters]
  • Naira scarcity: Three APC Governors sue Nigeria’s Buhari over new Naira notes

    Naira scarcity: Three APC Governors sue Nigeria’s Buhari over new Naira notes

    Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Yahaya Bello of Kogi, and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara have filed lawsuits against the federal government over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) naira redesign policy.

    Due to a shortage of Naira notes, the Governors have filed a law suit against the Federal government in the Supreme Court.

    The states are asking for a declaration that the CBN’s current implementation of the Federation’s Demonetisation Policy does not adhere to the provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Central Bank of Nigeria Act of 2007, or any other applicable laws.

    They also want the court to declare that the three-month notice given by the FGN and the CBN under the directive of President Buhari, the expiration of which will render the old bank notes inadmissible as legal tender, is in gross violation of the provisions of Section 20(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007 – which specifies that reasonable notice must be given before such a policy and that the limit cannot be outside that provided under Section Section 22(1) of the CBN Act 2007.

    The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kaduna State, Aisha Dikko, stated in an affidavit that while the naira redesign policy was introduced to improve the cashless policy of the federal government, several transactions cannot be conveniently carried out through electronic means.

    Dikko also averred that the federal government has embarked on the policy within a narrow and unworkable time frame, and this has adversely affected Nigerian citizens within Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states as well as their governments, especially as the newly redesigned naira notes are not available for use by the people as well as the state governments.

    “That the majority of the indigenes of the plaintiffs’ states who reside in the rural areas have been unable to exchange or deposit their old naira notes as there are no banks in the rural areas where the majority of the population of the states reside,” she averred.

    Governors of the ruling party had met with the President last week and pleaded with him to allow old notes and the new ones co-exist.

    The president told them to give him seven days to look into the challenges arising from naira redesign.

    Following a recent meeting, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele warned that the bank was not considering moving the February 10 deadline for the old notes to cease being legal tender.

  • Qatar to send relief flights to Turkey

    Qatar to send relief flights to Turkey

    In order to transport search and rescue teams, vehicles, a field hospital, tents, and other supplies to the earthquake-affected areas, Qatar says it will begin operating relief flights to Turkey, according to its state news agency.

    Qatar-funded  Qatar Charity, in addition to providing supplies to shelters in Turkey and Syria it is also going to distribute 27,000 hot meals in Gaziantep, where it has an office.

    For the initial phases of its response, the group has set aside $6 million.

  • Edinburgh Court finds Andrew Innes guilty over murder of mother and two year old daughter

    Edinburgh Court finds Andrew Innes guilty over murder of mother and two year old daughter

    Having filed a special defence of diminished responsibility, Andrew Innes, 52, denied killing Bennylyn Burke, 25, and infant Jellica at his Dundee home.

    A man was found guilty of killing a mother and her 2-year-old daughter and burying their corpses under his kitchen floor.

    The 52-year-old Andrew Innes admitted killing 25-year-old Bennylyn Burke and 1-year-old Jellica, but he denied murder and filed a special defence on the grounds that he lacked criminal responsibility and had diminished responsibility.

    He was also found responsible for rape, sexual assault, and trying to subvert the course of justice.

    On Monday, Judge Lord Beckett told the jury at Edinburgh High Court that they were “bound to find the accused guilty of murder”.

    It comes after the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to support the defence that medication had caused Innes to suffer steroid-induced psychosis which led to him going “insane”.

    Innes admitted hitting Ms Burke on the head with a hammer. He then stabbed her with a samurai sword before bludgeoning her with the handle of the blade and the hammer.

    He also admitted asphyxiating Jellica before burying both bodies under the kitchen floor of his house in Dundee.

    Ms Burke, originally from the Philippines, moved to Bristol a few years ago and met Innes via an online dating site.

    Innes travelled to Bristol to meet Ms Burke in February 2021 before returning to Dundee the following day with both Ms Burke and Jellica for the weekend.

    ‘I was apocalyptically angry’

    He claimed when Ms Burke was in his kitchen cooking, he thought she looked like a “hybrid” of his estranged wife and another former partner.

    Innes said he “thought of all the nasty stuff” his wife had allegedly done and said the other woman “left him in the most horrible way”.

    “I was apocalyptically angry,” he said.

    It was then he launched his attack, hitting Ms Burke on the back of the head with a hammer.

    BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout photo issued by Avon and Somerset Police of missing woman Bennylyn Burke, 25, who was reported missing on March 1 and was last seen at her South Gloucestershire home on February 17. A 50-year-old man has been arrested in Dundee in connection with the disappearance of Ms Burke and two children from south Gloucestershire.
    Image:Bennylyn Burke was hit on the back of the head with a hammer

    ‘I was insane as a result of the steroids’

    During questioning by defence lawyer Brian McConnachie KC, Innes claimed he killed Jellica two or three days after Ms Burke.

    He said the toddler wanted her mother, adding that it “seemed logical to me to put her with her mum”.

    Asked why he killed Jellica, he replied: “Because I was insane as a result of the steroids.”

    The jury had been told that Innes was taking steroid medication for a condition and had not slept at the time of the deaths.

    Innes denied the killings had been premeditated.

    He described the hammer as “not a useful weapon”, adding: “If this was premeditated in any way it would have been way cleaner.”

    The crimes took place at Innes’s house in Troon Avenue, Dundee, between 20 February and 5 March 2021.

    Detective Chief Inspector Graham Smith, of Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team
    Image:Detective Chief Inspector Graham Smith of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team said Innes’s crimes were ‘absolutely horrific’

    ‘It’s absolutely horrific’

    Detective Chief Inspector Graham Smith, of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, agreed with the National Crime Agency that it was a “once in a generation crime”.

    He told Sky News: “That crime scene and the trauma that was involved in that crime scene is probably a one-off, I’d certainly like to think it’s a one-off.”

    Speaking of Innes, DCI Smith said: “The depravity that he’s shown is unimaginable, it’s absolutely horrific.”

    Police activity at a house in Troon Avenue in Dundee. A 50-year-old man was arrested at a property in Troon Avenue, Dundee, on Friday in connection with the disappearance of Bennylyn Burke and her two-year-old daughter Jellica. Picture date: Monday March 8, 2021.
    Image:Police activity at Innes’s house in Dundee in March 2021
    Police activity at a property in Troon Avenue in Dundee as the search for Bennylyn Burke continues. A 50-year-old man was arrested at a property in Troon Avenue, Dundee, on Friday in connection with the disappearance of Burke and her two-year-old daughter Jellica. Picture date: Tuesday March 9, 2021.
    Image:Police locked down the property

    The painstaking excavation work in Innes’s kitchen involved “meticulous planning” with assistance from forensic, archaeology, anthropology and geology experts.

    DCI Smith said: “It took a period of six days’ work for them to go into that house knowing what they were looking for and what they would eventually recover. To this day some officers are still struggling with that and it’s certainly an inquiry that I and the inquiry team will never forget.”

    Once arrested, investigating officers said Innes showed “no remorse” and “wallowed in self-pity”.

    Undated handout photo issued by Police Scotland of Jellica, the two year old daughter of Bennylyn Burke, 25. Police have formally identified them as the two bodies which were recovered from a house in Troon Avenue, Dundee. They were reported missing from their south Gloucestershire home on March 1, having been last seen on February 17. Issue date: Thursday April 1, 2021.
    Image:Andrew Innes claimed he killed Jellica two or three days after he killed her mother

    DCI Smith said he didn’t want to focus on Innes and instead praised the courage of the victims’ families.

    He said: “Credit needs to go to them for the strength they’ve shown through all this, and I hope this conviction brings them some closure.”

  • Turkey reports about 120 aftershocks after major quake

    Turkey reports about 120 aftershocks after major quake

    Turkey has reported at least 120 aftershocks, according to an update from the nation’s disaster management organisation.

    Smaller earthquakes known as aftershocks occur in the same region as an initial, larger earthquake.

    Numerous experts have told us throughout the day that there may still be hundreds or even thousands of aftershocks, and they may last for weeks.

    There were at least 43 aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.3 or higher that were reported by the United States Geological Survey, which only records the stronger aftershocks.

    Hours later, at around 1.30 p.m. local time, a significant aftershock of 7.5 magnitude occurred, according to the report.

    The aftershocks stretch for more than 186 miles (299.34 km) along the fault zone that ruptured in southern Turkey and stretched into northern Syria. 

  • Confirmed: More than 2,300 deaths recorded in Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Confirmed: More than 2,300 deaths recorded in Turkey-Syria earthquake

    More than 2,300 deaths in Syria and Turkey have now been officially confirmed.

    One hour ago, there were 1,121 fatalities, according to the most recent statistics from Turkey’s disaster agency.

    Two figures for Syria have been made public: one for areas under government control and the other for areas under opposition control.

    In government-controlled areas of Syria, 430 fatalities have been reported.

    The “White Helmets” of Syrian Civil Defense have officially reported 390 fatalities in opposition-held territory.

  • Automotive shakeup: Renault-Nissan renew 24-year-old alliance

    Automotive shakeup: Renault-Nissan renew 24-year-old alliance

    The details of a significant restructuring of their 24-year-old, frequently tense partnership between Nissan and Renault have been made public.

    The announcement follows months of negotiations between the major players in the automotive industry

    The two companies claimed in a joint statement that by agreeing that Renault would reduce its stake in Nissan, they had “rebalanced” their relationship.

    As part of the agreement, Nissan will acquire a stake in Ampere, Renault’s premier electric vehicle division.

    The businesses added that they will collaborate on battery and electronics technology and that they will save money by working on joint projects in Europe, India, and Latin America.

    The agreement will see Renault cutting its stake in Japan’s Nissan from more than 43% to 15%, the same size as Nissan’s stake in its French counterpart.

    The companies also said that Nissan will take a stake of up to 15% in Renault’s new electric vehicle venture, Ampere.

    Christopher Richter from investment group CLSA said the changes were necessary to keep the two-decade partnership alive.

    “It’s a last ditch attempt to save an alliance where the two partners don’t get along very well,” he told the BBC.

    “Hopefully, by equalising their status in the alliance, they can put some of the rancour behind them, and find a limited number of activities where they can cooperate and add value to each other,” Mr Richter added.

    The move comes at a time of huge change for the motor industry as it transitions to electric vehicles and adopts new technology.

    “We all know that auto firms will be amalgamated into five or six globally, especially due to the big changes occurring in AI technology,” Seijiro Takeshita from the University of Shizuoka in Japan told the BBC.

    “In that context, Nissan and Renault need to find a good partner, and that’s what they are, at least nominally. They cannot and do not have the luxury of going alone in this battle,” he added.

    The alliance was formed in 1999 when Renault rescued Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy.

    In 2016, they were joined by Mitsubishi, after Nissan took a major stake in the struggling Japanese firm.

    The alliance was rocked in November 2018 when Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was arrested over allegations that he had understated his annual salary and misused company funds. Mr Ghosn denied the charges.

    At the time, Mr Ghosn was the chairman of the Japanese carmaker. He was also chairman of France’s Renault and the boss of a three-way alliance between both carmakers and Mitsubishi.

  • The Turkey-Syria earthquakes has been deadly. Here is why

    The Turkey-Syria earthquakes has been deadly. Here is why

    Rapid and unregulated urbanisation is one of the factors that make cities “critically vulnerable’ to natural hazards.

    Powerful earthquakes have sent multistorey buildings crumbling to the ground in parts of Turkey and Syria, killing more than 2,000 people as rescue operations continue.

    Two major fault lines along the Anatolian Plate have generated a number of big quakes. The initial magnitude 7.8 tremor on Monday morning, which was followed by a magnitude 7.6 quake hours later, had the same magnitude as one that killed about 30,000 people in 1939 in northeastern Turkey. A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the western city of Izmit in 1999 when more than 17,000 people died.

    Experts say several factors have compounded the seismic event. “One of the reasons why the number of casualties has been so high is the poor quality of the buildings,” Mustafa Erdik, professor at Bogazici University’s Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute in Istanbul, told Al Jazeera.

    Turkey’s National Earthquake Strategy and Action Plan (PDF) for 2012 to 2023 highlighted how massive and rapid migration during the 1950s led to poorly supervised urban development, making cities “critically vulnerable” to natural hazards.

    After the earthquake in 1999, Turkey’s institutions recognised an urgent need to reduce the risks in a quake-prone country, and the following year, legislation was approved to enforce mandatory design checks and construction inspections on all buildings.

    Buildings constructed according to earthquake-resistant design codes, however, are still in the minority. “Those that have collapsed date prior to the year 2000,” Erdik said.

    Nearly 2,900 buildings across southeastern Turkey had collapsed by 5pm (14:00 GMT), according to the country’s disaster agency.

    At least two hospitals, one in Hatay and one in Iskenderun, were among them, said Al Jazeera’s Istanbul correspondent Sinem Koseoglu.

    She added the large size of many multistorey buildings was complicating rescue efforts as violent aftershocks were still being registered.

    Another reason for the high casualty figures is the time the first tremor hit. It struck as people slept at 4:17am (01:17 GMT) and trapped many under rubble.

    Turkish authorities measured another earthquake at magnitude 7.6 at 1:24pm (10:24 GMT) four kilometres (2.5 miles) south-southeast of the town of Ekinozu in Kahramanmaras, where the magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit hours earlier.

    Live local media footage showed more buildings collapsing in the town of Malatya during the latest massive quake.

    Modern buildings were not the only ones damaged. The Gaziantep castle, which dates back to the Hittite kingdom and was expanded under the Roman Empire, has partially collapsed.

    Video posted by local media showed parts of the castle tumbling down to the road below.

    The Turkish government has declared a level 4 state of emergency, which includes a call for international assistance as well as the mobilisation of all national forces.

    Chris Elders, professor at Australia’s Curtin University, said the depth of the initial earthquake at about 18km (11 miles) also contributed to making it particularly devastating.

    At a shallow depth, he said, “the energy that’s released by the earthquake will be felt quite close to the surface with much greater intensity than if it was deeper in the crust.”

    Naci Gorur, a seismologist at Turkey’s Academy of Sciences, urged local officials to immediately check the region’s dams for cracks to avert potentially catastrophic flooding.

    Syria lacks resources to respond to emergency

    In neighbouring Syria, buildings were reported to have collapsed in a swathe along the Turkish border extending from Aleppo and Hama to the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, more than 330km (200 miles) to the northeast.

    Humanitarian organisations feared the current death toll in Syria – more than 750 people – could rise as rescue teams are severely underequipped to respond to the emergency.

    “The machines are old, and there are not enough excavators to help,” Mey Al Sayegh, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Al Jazeera.

    Tanya Evans, Syria director for the International Rescue Committee, said the quake was “yet another devastating blow to so many vulnerable populations already struggling after years of conflict”.

    Initial reports from her staff on the ground indicated that the impact has been devastating in areas where a high number of displaced and vulnerable families are living, just as the country is hit by a snowstorm and temperatures plummet.

    “This earthquake will only increase the quantity and severity of needs on the ground,” Evans said.

  • Israeli raid in Jericho kills Palestinian gunmen

    Israeli raid in Jericho kills Palestinian gunmen

    Israeli and Palestinian sources report that several Palestinian militants were killed in an Israeli army raid near Jericho in the occupied West Bank.


    It is thought that five people have died, though it is unknown if all of them were gunmen.

    The Israeli military has been conducting operations to target militants in the area almost every night.

    Israelis have been targeted in raids and attacks during a particularly bloody time since the year’s beginning.

    According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the goal of the operation on Sunday night was to apprehend a “Hamas terrorist cell,” which the IDF claimed was responsible for a shooting that took place a week earlier at a restaurant close to a Jewish settlement outside of Jericho. In that attack, nobody was hurt.

    Hamas, the militant Islamist movement which controls the Gaza Strip, is less prominent in the West Bank. Palestinian towns and villages there are mostly governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is dominated by Hamas’ secular rival, Fatah.

    The raid, coupled with activity by a Hamas cell, is unusual in Jericho, which has a relatively high concentration of Fatah-loyal PA security forces.

    Witnesses say there was heavy gunfire during the incident in Jericho’s large Aqabat Jabr refugee camp. Bullet holes and bloodstains could be seen in a small house at the centre of the fighting.

    IDF spokesperson Ran Kochav said soldiers “neutralised the terrorists”, some of whom, he said, were involved in the attack on the restaurant.

    Hamas said its fighters were among the dead.

    The governor of Jericho, Jihad Abu al-Assal, said five people had been killed and their bodies taken away by the IDF. Eight other people were also arrested, he said.

    Israeli-Palestinian tensions have spiralled since an IDF raid against militants in the West Bank city of Jenin 10 days ago left 10 Palestinians, including two civilians, dead. Israeli security services said a “terror squad” had been planning an imminent attack.

    Hours later, a Palestinian gunman opened fire on Jewish worshippers and passers-by outside a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem, killing seven. The following morning, a 13-year-old Palestinian shot a group of people, also in East Jerusalem, wounding an Israeli father and son.

    Later in the day, security camera footage showed a gunman and an accomplice entering the restaurant near Vered Yeriho settlement, where about 30 people were sitting. Military sources said the man, armed with an assault rifle, fired one shot in the air before his weapon jammed and the pair left the scene in a car with an Israeli licence plate.

    There have been international calls for calm, including from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and the West Bank following the recent bloodshed.

    At least 37 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank so far this year, including militants and civilians, as the military continues operations there.

    Last year in the West Bank, more than 150 Palestinians were killed, nearly all by Israeli forces. The dead included unarmed civilians, militant gunmen and armed attackers.

    Meanwhile, a series of attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs targeting Israelis, as well as militant gunfire at troops during arrest raids, killed more than 30 people, including civilians, police, and soldiers. 

  • Kenyan court rules that employees can sue Facebook

    Kenyan court rules that employees can sue Facebook

    After asserting that the East African nation lacked jurisdiction over its operations, parent company Meta tried to stop a court case accusing it of having exploitative working conditions but was unsuccessful.


    After a former worker sued the social media giant, citing subpar working conditions, a Kenyan labour court on Monday decided that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, can be sued.

    By saying that the East African nation’s courts lack jurisdiction over Facebook’s operations, Meta argued for the dismissal of the case.

    However, Judge Jacob Gakeri said, “Since the petition has raised certain actual issues that are yet to be determined, it would be inopportune for the country to strike out the two respondents from the matter.”

    Why did an employee take action against Facebook?

    A former Facebook moderator in Kenya accused the company of exploiting poor working conditions.

    Daniel Motaung said that while working as a moderator, he was exposed to content such as rape, torture, and beheadings. He said this put his and his colleagues’ mental health at risk.

    He said Meta did not offer any support to employees regarding such issues. In addition, staff were allegedly required to work unreasonably long shifts, and offered minimal pay. Motaung was employed in Facebook’s African hub in Nairobi, which is operated by Samasource Ltd.

    Following Monday’s ruling from Judge Gakeri, the next step in the process will be considered by the court on March 8.

    Meta also faces Ethiopia lawsuit

    Meta is also facing legal action in which two Ethiopians say hate speech was promoted on Facebook in the midst of the country’s Tigray conflict.

    The suit was filed in Kenya in December by two Ethiopian researchers and a Kenyan rights group, the Katiba Institute. According to court documents, the plaintiffs accuse Meta of not only failing to moderate violent posts about the conflict, but also blame the social media giant for amplifying the most virulent ones.

    One of these posts preceded the murder of a plaintiff’s father, their filing said.

    That case also alleges Meta responds more slowly to crises in Africa than elsewhere in the world.

  • China, UK, EU several other countries pledge support to Turkey, Syria

    China, UK, EU several other countries pledge support to Turkey, Syria

    Strong earthquakes and their aftershocks have wreaked havoc across Turkey and Syria.

    Following an earthquake disaster that has  left more than 1,800 people dead, dozens of nations and organisations have offered to help with rescue operations in southeast Turkey and northwest Syria.

    The international assistance that has been mobilised and offered since the Monday morning earthquake are listed below. It will be revised appropriately.

    Following an earthquake disaster that left more than 1,800 people dead, dozens of nations and organisations have offered to help with rescue operations in southeast Turkey and northwest Syria.

    The international assistance that has been mobilised and offered since the Monday morning earthquake is listed below. It will be revised appropriately.

    China

    China is willing to provide humanitarian emergency aid to earthquake-struck Turkey and Syria, the State Council’s foreign aid agency said.

    China expressed condolences and concern for the loss of life and property, and is in communications with both Turkey and Syria, a spokesperson from China International Development Cooperation Agency said.

    European Union

    Ten search-and-rescue teams from eight European Union countries have been mobilised to help first responders in Turkey, the European Commission said in a statement.

    The units come from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. Italy and Hungary have also offered to send teams to Turkey, the Commission wrote.

    Germany

    A spokesperson for the German government said his country would contribute to the swift delivery of aid.

    Greece

    Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of Greece, offered condolences and support to Turkey, saying his country was mobilising its resources and will assist immediately.

    India

    The Indian government said two teams from its National Disaster Response Force comprising 100 personnel with specially trained canine squads and equipment were ready to be flown to the disaster area for search-and-rescue operations.

    Medical teams were also being readied, and relief material was being sent in coordination with the Turkish authorities.

    Iran

    Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani expressed “condolences and deep sympathy” to the quake-hit countries and expressed readiness to help the victims.

    Hailing Iran’s “good relationship” with both countries, Kanaani said: “If there is a need for the presence of relief and health institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the earthquake-affected areas, we will fulfil our moral responsibility.”

    He described the offer of help as a “moral, human and Islamic responsibility”.

    Italy

    Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy’s Civil Protection was standing by to contribute support and provide first aid.

    Israel

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said all authorities had been instructed to make immediate preparations to provide medical and search-and-rescue assistance.

    Defence minister Yoav Gallant said Israel’s security forces are ready to provide any assistance needed, while foreign minister Eli Cohen added that a swift aid programme was being prepared.

    NATO

    Voicing full solidarity with Turkey, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter: “I am in touch with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and NATO Allies are mobilizing support now.”

    Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

    “NRC is assessing the situation in order to provide direct support to those most affected across Syria. A massive scale up is needed and our organisation will be part of it,” said Carsten Hansen, Middle East regional director for NRC.

    Poland

    Poland will send rescue group HUSAR, consisting of 76 firefighters and eight rescue dogs, Interior and Administration Minister Mariusz Kamiński said.

    Qatar

    The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, expressed his condolences in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    State news agency QNA said the emir expressed Qatar’s support for the “sisterly” country “in mitigating the serious humanitarian repercussions left by the earthquake”.

    Spain

    Spanish urban rescue teams are preparing to travel to Turkey, Spain’s interior ministry said, and officials from the defence ministry and other departments were coordinating to send the crews immediately to Turkey.

    Russia

    Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences and offered assistance.

    “Please accept my deep condolences on the numerous human casualties and large-scale destruction … in your country,” Putin said.

    “We are ready to provide the necessary assistance in this regard,” he added.

    Ukraine

    President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to send support.

    On Twitter, Zelenskyy wrote: “I express my sincere condolences to President Erdogan, the Turkish people and the families of the victims of the earthquake in the southeast of Turkey.

    “I wish a speedy recovery to all the victims. We will stand by the Turkish people in this difficult time. Ready to provide the necessary assistance to overcome the consequences of the disaster.

    United Kingdom

    The UK says it will send search and rescue specialists and an emergency medical team to Turkey.

    Britain will send 76 search and rescue specialists, four search dogs and rescue equipment that will arrive in Turkey on Monday evening, the British foreign ministry said.

    “We stand ready to provide further support as needed,” James Cleverly, the UK’s foreign secretary, said in a statement.

    United States

    White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US is “profoundly concerned” about the incident.

    “I have been in touch with Turkish officials to relay that we stand ready to provide any & all needed assistance. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkiye,” Sullivan said on Twitter, using Turkey’s official name.

    WHO

    The United Nations’ World Health Organization chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said emergency medical teams had been activated to provide essential health care for the injured and most vulnerable.

  • Another Chinese balloon spotted over Latin America

    Another Chinese balloon spotted over Latin America

    China has announced that the object “accidentally veered over Latin America and the Caribbean” after deviating from its course. The US is currently looking for the remains of a surveillance balloon that it shot down.


    On Monday, China acknowledged ownership of a balloon over Latin America and declared it to be flying for civilian purposes. This happened not long after the US destroyed a similar device on Saturday.

    “It has come to be understood that the relevant unmanned airship is from China,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

    Mao also said the device, with limited self-steering capability, “seriously deviated from its scheduled route, and accidentally strayed over Latin America and the Caribbean.”

    Earlier, Colombia’s air force had released a statement that it had detected possible balloon in its air defense system on Friday.

    US searches for debris

    After shooting down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, the US military said it is searching for the debris on Sunday off the South Carolina coast.

    The Navy is working to recover the balloon and its payload,General Glen Van Herck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, said on Sunday. He added that the Coast Guard was providing security for the operation.

    “Members of the US Military are coordinating to collect debris; however, fragments may make it to the coastline,” the Horry County Police Department statement said.

    Law enforcement officials have warned people against touching any debris and instead call dispatchers.

    CNN quoted a senior US military official as saying that multiple US Navy and Coast Guard vessels are in the area and are securing a perimeter.

    According to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the debris field created by the downed balloon was 7-miles (11-kilometers) long.

    How did the incident unfold?

    Pentagon officials on Thursday revealed that they were tracking a suspected spy balloon belonging to China flying over the US skies for a few days.

    US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the balloon attempted “to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States.”

    The balloon was shot down a missile from an F-22 fighter after US President Joe Biden authorized the downing of the balloon. 

    How has China responded?

    China expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the US use of force to strike its “unmanned civilian” airship, calling it a “serious violation of international practice.”

    On Monday, vice foreign minister Xie Feng said: “The United States’ actions have seriously impacted and damaged both sides’ efforts and progress in stabilising Sino-US relations since the Bali meeting.”

    He was referring to a summit between Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November.

    China “is paying close attention to the development of the situation” and “reserves the right to make further necessary reactions,” a Foreign Ministry statement said. 

    Beijing on Monday summoned the US charge d’affaires over the incident.

    Republicans criticize Biden

    Republican lawmakers on Sunday criticized President Biden’s handling of the situation saying he waited days to shoot down the balloon. They claimed the delay conveyed weakness toward China.

    Meanwhile, Former President Donald Trump refuted claims that similar balloons were seen during his presidency.

    “China had too much respect for ‘TRUMP’ for this to have happened, and it NEVER did,” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social.

    Republican Representative Michael Waltz contradicted Trump’s claims, telling the Washington Post that during Trump’s tenure Chinese balloons were spotted near the US several times.

  • Ex-girlfriend accuses Andrew Tate of being violent and coercive

    Ex-girlfriend accuses Andrew Tate of being violent and coercive

    A British woman claims to have dated controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate, who initially urged her to work for his webcam business before becoming violent and controlling.

    “It’s very difficult because I don’t feel like a victim – all of the choices I made were of my [own] free will. He didn’t bundle me up into a bag, throw me in the back of a lorry and drive me there,” says Sophie.

    “But he knew what he was doing. At what point does the emotional or psychological manipulation turn into being forced to do something?”

     Romanian police have detained Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan as they look into rape and trafficking allegations.

    According to the prosecution, the two allegedly lured victims by seducing them and making up a false relationship desire, a tactic police have dubbed “the lover-boy method.” The victims were then coerced or persuaded to work in their chat rooms for adult entertainment.

    This is exactly what happened to Sophie, who goes by the pseudonym Sophie. She is currently supporting the investigation of the prosecutors.

    She claimed Tate approached her “completely out of the blue” on Facebook and was very charming on the BBC Radio 4 programme File on 4.

    “He was sort of luring me into believing that he was somebody that I could trust and someone that genuinely wanted to build a connection with me,” she explains.

    She says their exchanges were typical of people getting to know each other with no red flags. After talking to him online she agreed to travel to his home in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

    “I was at a stage of my life where everything felt a bit boring and a bit dull and this idea of an adventure just seemed attractive,” she explains.

    As their relationship developed, Sophie regularly visited Tate in Romania. He told her he wanted her to be his girlfriend, but soon began asking her to work for him.

    “A couple of times he’d said to me, ‘You should do it, you’d make a fortune, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to do it. I make enough money,’” Sophie says.

    “But he was always reminding me that the option was there and that progressed into, ‘If you love me, you would do it. If you care about me, you would do it… we can make all this money’. And over time, just chipping away at me, eventually he led me to think, ‘Maybe he’s right, maybe I should be doing it’.”

    Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are escorted by police officers outside the headquarters of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest (DIICOT)
    Image caption,Andrew Tate was detained in December

    Sophie had worked in the adult entertainment industry before, so she was open to the suggestion. But she says she felt coerced and worried that if she refused, she might lose him.

    In a now-deleted page on his website, Tate describes how he operated his webcam business – his account chimes with Sophie’s in many ways.

    He describes his job as, “To meet a girl, go on a few dates, sleep with her… get her to fall in love with me, to the point where she’d do anything I say.” The video continues, “And then get her on webcam so we could become rich together.”

    In the decade he says he has been running his studio, he claims more than half of his employees were his girlfriends, and none were in the adult entertainment industry before they met him. Sophie’s account contradicts this.

    Sophie says she earned around £800 for six hours’ work, from which Tate would take 50%. Representatives of the industry in Romania told the BBC this was not unusual for webcam studios.

    Over time, Sophie says Tate’s behaviour towards her worsened. She claims he became increasingly controlling, imposing cash fines if she went out without his permission, and that he became violent.

    “There was some disagreement… he held me up against the wall and he slapped me really hard and followed it with ‘you whore,’” she says.

    She added that rough sex turned into something she had not consented to.

    “Most of the violence was sexual, that’s obviously something that he’s into. He likes to feel completely in control of the woman and feel like he could take their life away at any second. That is a big sexual turn on for him,” she explains.

    “I was so intent on just wanting to please him and just wanting him to be happy. But looking back on it, he used to strangle me, to the point where I passed out once and I think he panicked then because he knew he’d gone too far.”

    The BBC has seen messages and listened to voice recordings sent to Sophie from Tate that appear to support her claims of controlling behaviour.

    Officer drives away Tate's car
    Image caption,Romanian police confiscated Tate’s collection of luxury cars

    Sophie says she eventually left the relationship after having a moment of clarity that “constantly feeling inferior to him” was not right.

    “I realised I couldn’t live like that anymore and that it wasn’t normal. I just had to get away from it,” she explains. “I remember being at work and I was just so overwhelmed and I’d never felt a darkness like it.”

    She describes Tate as a “very complex man” who was quite different to the character he presented online – where he is known for his high-volume rants, often filmed while smoking a cigar or surrounded by his supercars.

    “He’s very manipulative, he totally lacks any kind of empathy. He is a narcissist, he’s like that 100%,” she says.

    “I don’t think he’s emotionally capable of feeling love, for anyone or anything, even his family, even his brother – there’s just nothing. In the space in our brains where we feel love and compassion and empathy… [in his] it’s just a hole, there’s nothing there.”

    The BBC put these allegations to Tate through his lawyer, but Mateea Petrescu, who handles media requests for the Tate brothers, said they would not comment on the claims.

    Investigators in Romania have confirmed that six women have been identified as potential victims of trafficking. But last month, two of the women publicly denied any mistreatment by the Tate brothers, while other women have spoken positively to the BBC about their time spent with Tate.

    But Sophie says some of these are women who Tate genuinely treated well, while others are still under his control.

    “He’s always one step ahead,” she says. “He will be mindful of the fact he needs as many glistening reviews as he does negative ones in order to defend himself.”

    “Equally, there are going to be girls that will be so infatuated and brainwashed by him that they are never going to say a bad word. There will also be some that are speaking out of fear because he’s threatening.”

    Police have not yet filed any charges against the brothers, who have been in detention, along with two Romanian women, since December 29. They have denied the allegations against them.

  • Turkey, Syria earthquake: Find all answers to your quake questions

    Turkey, Syria earthquake: Find all answers to your quake questions

    A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that causes extensive damage claims more than 1,000 lives in both countries.

    More than 1,000 people have been killed, tens of thousands injured, and significant damage has been caused by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 that had its epicentre in southeast Turkey close to the northern Syrian border.

    The earthquake toppled buildings and sent rescuers scurrying through the rubble in search of survivors, killing more than 1,300 people—at least 912 in Turkey, 320 in government-held parts of Syria, and at least 147 in opposition-held parts of Syria.

    The death toll was expected to rise, with experts warning that aftershocks could continue for days or weeks. Tremors were also felt in Cyprus, Egypt, and Lebanon.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the areas hit by the quake.

    Meanwhile, the Syrian Civil Defence, which operates in the opposition-held portions of northern Syria, declared a state of emergency and appealed for “the international community to support the rescue of civilians in Syria”.

    Where did the earthquake hit?

    The earthquake occurred at 4:17am (01:17 GMT), with its epicentre in Kahramanmaras in Gaziantep province, about 33km (20 miles) from the capital city of Gaziantep, which is home to more than two million people, including hundreds of thousands of Syrians who fled during the country’s war, which began in 2011.

    The US Geological Survey agency noted that the area contains many buildings constructed of brick masonry or brittle concrete, making them “extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking”.

    Turkey quake
    A person is rescued from the wreckage of a building in Adana, Turkey [Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency]

    The quake was about 50km (31 miles) from the border of northwest Syria, where about 1.7 million internally displaced Syrians live in a cluster of camps in areas controlled by opposition groups still fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    Several large government-controlled cities, including Aleppo, with a dense population of nearly 2 million, are located in the area.

    More than 40 aftershocks were felt in the wake of the initial quake, including one with a magnitude of 6.7.

    Those aftershocks stretched “a distance of about 100km to 200km (62 to 124 miles) all along a big fault line,” Chris Elders, professor at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, told Al Jazeera, referring to the East Anatolian Fault, which stretches across the southeastern portion of Turkey.

    What do we know about the casualties?

    The death toll was rising rapidly on Monday, with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management agency saying at least 284 people were killed in seven Turkish provinces by 10:35am (07:35 GMT).

    Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday afternoon the death toll had soared to at least 912 people, with nearly 6,000 injured.

    Rescuers were digging through the rubble of levelled buildings in the city of Kahramanmaras and neighbouring Gaziantep. Crumbled buildings were also reported in Adiyaman, Malatya and Diyarbakir.

    The death toll in government-held areas of Syria climbed to 320, according to Syrian state media, with deaths reported in the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Tartous.

    At least 147 people were killed and more than 230 injured in rebel-held parts of northwestern Syria on Monday, rescue workers said.

    “Large damage and local devastation has to be expected. Rescue forces are in the area right now and we will see the number rising over the next days,” Martin Mai, a professor of geophysics at King Abdullah University in Saudi Arabia, told Al Jazeera.

    “In the past, these earthquakes in Turkey have led to about 10,000 to 13,000 fatalities owing to building style construction and the sheer size of this event will have profound economic impact as well.”

    The famous Yeni Mosque, which dates back to the 13th century, partially collapsed in the province of Maltaya, where a 14-story building with 28 apartments also collapsed.

    Is the rescue effort going to work?

    Rescue efforts are being hampered by a winter blizzard that covered major roads in ice and snow.

    Aid workers warned of a particularly dire situation in northwest Syria.

    “Right now we have a crisis, in addition to very bad weather conditions and collapsed buildings, and unfortunately, damaged hospitals,” Mazen Kiwara, the Middle East Regional Director for the Syrian American Medical Society, told Al Jazeera.

    Syria
    Rescue workers are seen in Afrin, Syria [Ugur Yildirim/Getty Images]

    “We got initial information from our hospitals … The hospitals are overwhelmed from the number of casualties,” he said, adding that several hospitals had to be evacuated.

    There were “five to seven deaths in a fetal hospital in Afrin,” Kiwara added, “including one pregnant mother who passed away but our colleagues succeeded to get out her baby out alive. And he’s in a good condition right now.”

    Why was the earthquake so deadly?

    Curtin University’s Elders said the depth of the earthquake, at about 18km (11 miles) deep, made the incident particularly devastating.

    While that “sounds quite deep”, he said, however, “the energy that’s released by the earthquake will be felt quite close to the surface with much greater intensity than if it was deeper in the crust”.

    Naci Gorur, an earthquake expert with Turkey’s Academy of Sciences, urged local officials to immediately check the region’s dams for cracks to avert potentially catastrophic flooding.

    Turkey predominantly sits on the Anatolian Plate, with two major faults, the North Anatolian Fault, which runs between the Anatolian Plate and the Eurasian Plate to the north of Turkey’s land mass, and the East Anatolian Fault, which runs along the Arabian Plate to the southeast of Turkey’s territory.

    The geological location makes Turkey one of the world’s most active earthquake zones.

    In 1999, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit the Duzce region in northeastern Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people, including more than 1,000 in Istanbul, the country’s largest city.

    Monday’s quake was the highest magnitude since another magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Erzincan province in 1939, killing more than 30,000.

  • Turkey, Syria earthquake: Russia extends helping hand to close allies

    Turkey, Syria earthquake: Russia extends helping hand to close allies

    Russia’s Vladimir Putin has offered Turkey and the Syrian government assistance.

    Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, keeps a sizable military presence there and participates in ongoing combat operations against opposition forces.

    Putin also gets along well with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, who is a NATO member but has attempted to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

    “Please accept my deep condolences on the numerous human casualties and large-scale destruction caused by a powerful earthquake in your country,” Putin said in his message to Erdogan on Monday.

    Separately, Putin told Assad that Russia shared “the sadness and pain of those who lost their loved ones” and said Russia was ready to provide help.

    earthquake
    A man reacts as people search for survivors through the rubble in Diyarbakir, Turkey [Ilyas Akengin/AFP]
  • Epsom College Head found dead with husband and daughter in school residence

    Epsom College Head found dead with husband and daughter in school residence

    The head of the private school Epsom College, along with her husband and seven-year-old daughter, was discovered dead in a residence on school property.


    At 01:10 GMT on Sunday, bodies of Emma Pattison, 45, her husband George, 39, and their daughter Lettie were discovered.

    Surrey Police officers expressed their confidence that “third-party involvement” was nil.

    The community would “come together,” according to Epsom College, to “process the news, grieve, and pay our respects.”

    Det Ch Insp Kimball Edey said: “On behalf of Surrey Police, my team, and myself, I first want to express my sincerest condolences to the friends and family of Emma, Lettie, and George, as well as to the students and staff of Epsom College, for their tragic loss.

    “I want to give my assurance that we will conduct a thorough investigation into what took place… and hope to be able to bring some peace in these traumatic circumstances. I would ask that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time.”

    Ms Pattison became Epsom’s first female head only five months ago after six years as head teacher of Croydon High School in south London.

    Her husband George was a chartered accountant who was director of a management consultancy firm called Tanglewood 2016, according to Companies House.

    Emma Pattison
    Image caption,Emma Pattison became Epsom’s first female head five months ago

    In a tweet, Epsom College said: “We hope everyone will respect the privacy of Emma’s family at this time and allow the college’s pupils, staff, and wider community the time and space necessary to come to terms with this loss.”

    The school also confirmed that it would be in close contact with Surrey Police.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

    The chair of the board of governors at Epsom called his late colleague “a wonderful teacher, but most of all, a delightful person”.

    “On behalf of everyone at Epsom College, I want to convey our utter shock and disbelief at this tragic news,” Dr Alastair Wells said.

    “Our immediate thoughts and condolences are with Emma’s family, friends and loved ones, and to the many pupils and colleagues whose lives she enriched throughout her distinguished career.”

    In October, Ms Pattison tweeted she was “thrilled” that Epsom had won the Independent School of the Year 2022 award.

    A parent whose daughter attends Croydon High School said the news was “an utter shock and tragedy”.

    She told BBC News: “In her time as head teacher, she turned the school around, and she did so many things that enriched the children’s lives.

    “She was slight but very formidable, she knew all of the pupils by name. She was exactly what you would want from a head teacher.”

    ‘Tragic incident’

    Epsom has appointed Paul Williams as acting headmaster.

    Local MP Chris Grayling said: “This is an appalling tragedy and my heart goes out to their family and friends and to everyone at Epsom College as well as at the little girl’s school.”

    Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend, offered her “deepest sympathies”, describing the incident as “awful”.

    “These events will no doubt have a profound and lasting impact on both the staff and students at the college and the wider local community,” she said.

    Insp Jon Vale, Epsom and Ewell’s borough commander, said: “We’re aware that this tragic incident will have caused concern and upset in the local community.

    “While this is believed to be an isolated incident, in the coming days our local officers will remain in the area to offer reassurance to students, parents, teachers and the local community.

    “I would like to thank the school and the community for their understanding and patience while the investigation continues.”

    Surrey Police added that the deaths had been reported to the coroner.

    Boarding students at the college pay more than £42,000 a year, and its alumni include Conservative MP Sir Michael Fallon, broadcaster Jeremy Vine and his brother, the comedian Tim Vine.

    The school, which both boys and girls attend, was founded in 1855 and describes itself as being consistently among the UK’s leading schools, based on exam results.

  • Chile extends it’s emergency following deaths rise from wildfires

    Chile extends it’s emergency following deaths rise from wildfires

    Numerous wildfires ravaged Chilean forests, killing at least 23 people.

    As firefighters battled to contain dozens of wildfires that have already claimed the lives of at least 23 people, Chile declared an emergency in yet another area.

    The most recent emergency declaration, which was issued on Saturday, covers the southern region of Araucania, which is situated close to the country’s lengthy Pacific coastline along with the previously declared Biobio and Nuble regions.

    The measure enables the government to call in the armed forces to assist in putting out the fires.

    “Weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out [the fires] that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse,” Interior Minister Carolina Toha told reporters at a news conference in the Chilean capital, Santiago.

    “We need to reverse that curve,” she added.

    At least 23 people have died in connection to the fires, while 979 have been reported injured. More than 1,100 have sought refuge in shelters.

    Some 11 of the victims, or nearly half of those reported killed so far, died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, located some 500km (310 miles) south of Santiago.

    The deaths also included a Bolivian pilot who died when a helicopter that was helping combat the flames crashed in Araucania. A Chilean mechanic also died in the crash.

    Firefighters try to put out a fire in Nacimiento, Concepcion province, Chile.
    Brigade members of the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) fight a fire in Nacimiento, Concepcion province, Chile, on February 4, 2023 [Javier Torres/ AFP]

    Some 232 wildfires were still active on Saturday, according to authorities, including 16 that sparked to life earlier in the day, as local temperatures in the southern hemisphere summer exceeded 40C (104F).

    Chile’s disaster mitigation agency said 151 of the fires were now under control, while official data released late Friday showed that some 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) have been burned by the fires.

    The three affected regions are sparsely populated and home to many farms, including where grapes, apples and berries are grown for export, plus extensive tracts of forest land.

    “I left with what I had on,” said Carolina Torres, who fled from an approaching fire near the city of Puren in the region of Araucania.

    “I think everyone here did the same thing because the winds shifted and you just had to grab everything right away.”

    Officials said the governments of Spain, the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela have offered help, including planes and firefighters.

    Toha, the interior minister, suggested the fires should serve as yet another wake-up call about the effects of climate change.

    “We are becoming one of the [nations] most vulnerable to fires, fundamentally due to the evolution of climate change,” she said.

    “The thermometer has reached points that we have never known until now,” she added.

    On Friday, President Gabriel Boric cut short his summer vacation and travelled to Nuble and Biobio, pledging to make sure the affected areas receive all necessary support.

    Boric also pointed to “signs” that some fires may have been started intentionally but did not provide any additional details.

  • Hong Kong 47’s landmark trial begins amid heavy security

    Hong Kong 47’s landmark trial begins amid heavy security

    A group of politicians and activists who support democracy have been charged with subversion for holding an unofficial primary.

    More than two years after they were detained in dawn police raids across the territory, the national security trial of dozens of people had started in Hong Kong.

    These defendants range from activists and legal scholars to former pro-democracy legislators.

    In order to select their candidates for the 2020 Legislative Council election, which the government later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the defendants are accused of “subversion” for holding an unofficial primary.

    Prior to the proceedings, there was a significant police presence outside the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts building, including officers with dogs.

    Some people began lining up overnight for a seat in the public gallery, with the queue snaking around the building by the morning.

    “There’s certainly huge sympathy for the people who are standing trial,” said Al Jazeera’s Richard Kimber, reporting from Hong Kong. “There’s certainly a lot of frustration that it’s taken this long to get to this stage and that those who’ve been detained have not been able to speak out since they were arrested.”

    Those charged include prominent activists Leung Kwok-hung, known as “Long Hair”, and Gordon Ng Ching-hang, who faces potential life imprisonment as one of five people accused of being a “major organiser” of the primary.

    “There’s no crime to answer. It is not a crime to act against a totalitarian regime,” defendant and former legislator Leung told the court.

    Judge Andrew Chan responded that the hearing was a “solemn occasion” and asked for respect from the defendants and members of the public.

    Those who have pleaded guilty include internationally-known activists like Joshua Wong, Claudia Mo, a former journalist turned legislator, and law expert and former academic Benny Tai.

    Together, the 47 accused account for much of what remains of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy leadership after mass protests calling for political reform in 2019 came to an inconclusive end with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the national security law pushed many into exile.

    People queuing to vote in the primary the pro-democracy movement organised for the 2020 Legislative Council elections that were later postponed.
    People queueing to vote in the primary the pro-democracy movement organised for the 2020 Legislative Council elections that were later postponed. Prosecutors argue the unofficial poll was a “vicious plot” [File: 
    May James/AFP]

    Prosecutors have described the primary — held so the democrats could put forward their strongest candidates for the Hong Kong Legislative Council(Legco) election — as a “vicious plot” to subvert the government and wreak “mutual destruction” on it by taking control of the city’s legislature.

    “Running for the Legco election is what kind of illegal means, what kind of violent threat?” Chan Po-ying, chairwoman of the League of Social Democrats and Leung’s wife, said outside the court.

    The trial is expected to continue for 90 days.

    Sentencing of all the defendants will take place after it has concluded.

    Under the security law, which took effect on June 30, 2020, the defendants face up to three years in prison for conspiracy to commit subversive activities, between three and 10 years imprisonment for “active participation” in the conspiracy, and between 10 years and life imprisonment if they are deemed “principal offenders”.

    Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula meant to guarantee its freedoms and an independent legal system for at least 50 years.

    Beijing imposed the broadly-worded security law on the city after months of protests that began as mass marches against plans to allow extradition to the mainland, and evolved into a campaign for democracy that sometimes turned violent.

    As well as subversion, the law punishes actions deemed “secession”, “collusion with foreign forces”, and “terrorism” with up to life in prison.

    A year after it was imposed, rights group Amnesty International said it had “decimated” freedoms in Hong Kong and put the territory on the road to becoming a police state.

  • Iraqis protest father’s murder of YouTube star

    Iraqis protest father’s murder of YouTube star

    Demonstrators carried signs that read “stop killing women” and “Tiba’s killer must be held to account.”

    Days after a YouTuber was strangled to death by her father in an incident that sparked outrage, Iraqis are protesting to call for a law against domestic violence.

    According to Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan, Tiba al-Ali, 22, was killed by her father on January 31 in the southern province of Diwaniyah. He added that there had been an attempt to mediate between the young woman and her family to resolve a “family dispute.”

    Later, the father turned himself in to the police and admitted killing his daughter.

    On Sunday, security forces prevented dozens of people from demonstrating outside the country’s Supreme Judicial Council, and they gathered instead at a road leading to the building.

    Some held placards saying “Stop killing women” and “Tiba’s killer must be held to account”.

    “We demand laws to protect women, especially laws against domestic violence,” protester Rose Hamid, 22, said. “We came here to protest against Tiba’s murder and against all others. Who will be the next victim?”

    Another demonstrator, Lina Ali, said: “We will keep mobilising because of rising domestic violence and killings of women.”

    Protester Israa al-Salman, who wanted al-Ali’s father executed for the crime, said, “Anyone who wants to get rid of a woman accuses her of disgracing her dignity and kills her.”

    To date, no law in Iraq criminalises domestic violence. A draft domestic violence law was first introduced to parliament in 2014, but progress has stalled amid widespread political opposition from legislators who believe it would “erode Iraq’s social fabric”.

    Wide condemnations

    On the sidelines of Sunday’s demonstration, human rights activist Hanaa Edwar was received by a magistrate from the Supreme Judicial Council to whom she presented the protesters’ grievances.

    The United Nations mission in Iraq in a statement condemned al-Ali’s “abhorrent killing” and called on the Baghdad government to enact “a law that explicitly criminalises gender-based violence”.

    Amnesty International Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Aya Majzoub said in a press statement that violence against women and girls in Iraq will continue until “Iraqi authorities adopt robust legislation to protect women and girls from gender-based violence.”

    Article 41 of the country’s penal code allows husbands to “discipline” their wives, which includes beatings. Meanwhile, Article 409 reduces murder sentences for men who kill or permanently impair their wives or female relatives because of adultery to up to three years in prison.

    Iraqi women's rights activists lift placards
    Iraqi women’s rights activists lift placards during a rally near the Supreme Judicial Council in Baghdad, Iraq [Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP]

    Long struggle

    Al-Ali had lived in Turkey since 2017 and was visiting Iraq when she was killed. In Turkey, she had gained a following on YouTube, posting videos of her daily life in which her fiance often appeared.

    Recordings have been shared on social media by a friend of al-Ali and picked up by activists, reportedly of conversations with her father, who was angry because she was living in Turkey. In the recordings, she also accuses her brother of sexual assault.

    Al Jazeera could not independently verify the authenticity of the voice recordings.

  • Oleksii Reznikov to be replaced by Ukraine amid corruption scandal

    Oleksii Reznikov to be replaced by Ukraine amid corruption scandal

    The highest-profile change in the government since a corruption scandal at the defence ministry last month would be the removal of Oleksii Reznikov.

    According to a senior legislator, Ukraine is planning to replace its defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, with the head of its military spy agency in a high-profile cabinet shuffle following corruption scandals and ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive.

    David Arakhamia announced on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday that Kyrylo Budanov , the 37-year-old head of Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency, would take over Reznikov’s 56-year-old ministerial position.

    “War dictates personnel policies,” said Arakhamia, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    There was no immediate statement from Zelenskyy on replacing Reznikov, a former lawyer who became defence minister in November 2021, a few months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

    Reznikov has helped secure Western weapons to buttress Ukrainian forces, and his removal as defence minister would be the highest-profile government change in a slew of resignations and sackings following a corruption scandal late last month and Zelenskyy’s pledge for Ukraine to meet Western standards of clean governance.

    The scandal involved food contracts that envisaged paying vastly inflated prices. Amid the public outcry, one of Reznikov’s deputy ministers has been fired, while two other senior officials have also since left their posts.

    Arakhamia said that Ukraine’s “force” agencies – like the defence ministry – should not be headed by politicians during wartime but by people with a background in defence or security.

    “Kyrylo Budanov will head the defence ministry, which is absolutely logical in wartime,” the legislator said.

    Holding the rank of major general, Budanov has headed the military intelligence since August 2020.

    “Time and circumstances require reinforcement and regrouping. This is happening now and will continue to happen in the future,” Arakhamia said. “The enemy is preparing to advance. We are preparing to defend ourselves,” he added, referring to Ukrainian fears that Russia is planning a vast new offensive this month.

    Ukraine is planning its own counteroffensive but is waiting for the arrival of battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from Western allies.

    Arakhamia added that Reznikov would be made minister of strategic industries but did not say when the moves would be formalised.

    Reznikov had said earlier on Sunday that any decision on a reshuffle was up to Zelenskyy and that an internal audit of procurement procedures at the defence ministry was under way. The ministry’s own anti-corruption department had “failed” to do its job, he told reporters, and needed to be “completely rebooted”.

    He told the Ukrainian Fakty ICTV online media later in the evening that the transfer to the new ministry was news to him.

    “If I suddenly received such an offer from the president of Ukraine or the prime minister, I would refuse it, because I do not have the expertise,” Reznikov was quoted as saying.

    Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, when asked about the reshuffle on national television on Sunday night, said: “Reznikov was extremely efficient in terms of communication with our partners. And this is a very important component in this case.”

    Podolyak said that Reznikov’s “wonderful” personal relations with allies have helped Ukraine secure billions of dollars of military aid to fend off the Russian invasion.

    “Negotiations are not just mathematical formulae but also personal relationships. And trust. Unfortunately, today we are losing a measure of trust in us,” Podolyak said.

    Analysts said any decision to replace the defence minister would not affect Ukraine’s military operations.

    “The timing is not so important,” said William Courtney, senior fellow at the Rand Corporation, a United States-based think tank.

    “The main thing is that the new minister of defence be capable,” Courtney told Al Jazeera. “The new minister of defence would have to be the representative of the ministry of defence to the parliament, to the presidency, and also to many in the West. Oleksii Reznikov has enjoyed a good reputation in the West as an effective minister of defence, who understood the broad political implications of what was going on. Hopefully, the new minister will perform the same role and not seek to duplicate the military strategy functions.”

  • Tems wins Grammy, making her first female Nigerian artist

    Tems wins Grammy, making her first female Nigerian artist

    Tems, a singer from Nigeria, became the nation’s first female artist to receive a Grammy Award on Sunday.

    Burna Boy, a fellow countryman, was unsuccessful in the two categories in which he was nominated.

    Temilade Openiyi, better known by her stage name Tems, took home the prize for Best Melodic Rap Performance for her part in the popular song Wait for U, which she co-wrote with Drake and Future.

    Tems is yet to comment publicly on the news, but fans have been congratulating her on social media.

  • Ramaphosa requests his deputy postpone his resignation

    Ramaphosa requests his deputy postpone his resignation

    David Mabuza, the president’s deputy, has been asked to hold onto his position until the transition is complete.

    According to reports, Mr. Mabuza informed mourners at a funeral on Saturday that the president had “accepted” his resignation and that a statement regarding it would be released soon.

    He stated that he thought it made sense for him to make way for Paul Mashatile, who was chosen as the ANC party’s deputy president in December.

    However, the president wanted Mr. Mabuza to stay until the transition process was complete, according to the presidency’s spokesman on Sunday.

    Mr Mashatile is due to be sworn in as an MP on Monday. His entry into parliament will pave the way for the president to name him as the country’s deputy president.

    Mr Ramaphosa is due to deliver his state of the nation address in Cape Town on Thursday.

  • US Navy conducting recovery operations for Chinese ‘spy balloon’ debris

    US Navy conducting recovery operations for Chinese ‘spy balloon’ debris

    Beijing says the aircraft, which was a meteorological airship that had veered off course, was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean.

    The Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina over the weekend has debris that the US Navy is attempting to recover. The debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean.

    According to General Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, the balloon was shot down in US airspace and fell into US territorial waters after having been flying at a high altitude over North America since the end of January.

    “Our U.S. Navy component is currently conducting recovery operations, with the U.S. Coast Guard assisting in securing the area and maintaining public safety,” VanHerck said in a statement on Sunday.

    The US said earlier that the balloon was about the size of three school buses and that debris was spread out over 11km (7 miles) of ocean.

    The incident has further strained relations between the US and China with Washington cancelling Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing after the discovery of the craft.

    Beijing has said the uncrewed “airship” was used for meteorological research and was blown off course because of bad weather and its “limited” steering capabilities.

    On Monday, Beijing urged the US to exercise restraint over the incident. It insists the balloon, which was flying at a height of about 18,300 metres (60,000 ft) before it was shot down, entered US airspace by accident.

    “China firmly opposes and strongly protests against this,” China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said in remarks to the US embassy in China. “The Chinese government is closely following the development of the situation.”

    Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson at China’s Ministry of National Defence, said on Sunday that China reserved the right to take necessary measures in dealing with similar situations describing the US action as an “overreaction”.

    The balloon first entered US airspace in Alaska on January 28 before moving into Canadian airspace on January 30. It then re-entered US airspace over northern Idaho on January 31.

    Canada also confirmed the presence of the balloon in its airspace.

    Surveillance balloons — typically equipped with high-tech, downward-pointing imaging gear — offer the opportunity to monitor sites at a closer range than satellites and can provide clearer images than fast-moving satellites.

    While their movement is often left subject to weather patterns, they can also be equipped with a “guiding apparatus” to control their path.

    The US has said the Chinese balloon was flying over sensitive sites in Montana to collect information, and recovering the remnants could provide the US with clues about China’s surveillance capabilities.

    Montana is home to the Malmstrom Air Force Base, where there are some 150 silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles, including the nuclear-capable Minuteman III.

    The Senate is due to be briefed on the incident including details of the balloon’s surveillance capabilities this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, adding that the administration of President Joe Biden was considering measures against the Chinese for “their brazen activities”.

    Republicans in Congress have criticised Biden for not taking action sooner.

    The president has said he approved the order to shoot down the craft last week but was advised it would be best to carry out the operation over water because bringing down the balloon over land from an altitude of 18,300 metres (60,000 ft) would pose an undue risk to people below.

    “Clearly this was an attempt by China to gather information, to defeat our command and control of our sensitive missile defence and nuclear weapon sites,” said Mike Turner, a Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “And that certainly is an urgency that this administration does not recognise.”

    “It defies belief to suggest there was nowhere” between Alaska and the Carolinas where the US could have safely shot down the balloon,” said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

  • LGBTQ: Pope and protestant leaders condemn anti-gay laws

    LGBTQ: Pope and protestant leaders condemn anti-gay laws

    The criminalization of homosexuality has been condemned by Pope Francis and the heads of the Protestant churches in Scotland and England.


    After visiting South Sudan, the Pope told reporters that such laws were “an injustice” and a sin.

    People who exhibit “homosexual tendencies,” he continued, are God’s children and ought to be accepted by their churches.

    The Moderator of the Church of Scotland and the Archbishop of Canterbury both supported his remarks.

    Along with the Pope, Archbishop Justin Welby and Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, visited the war-torn nation of South Sudan to call for peace there.

    It is the first time the leaders of the three traditions have come together for such a journey in 500 years

    Archbishop Welby and Dr Greenshields praised the Pope’s comments during a news conference with reporters on board the papal plane as they travelled from Juba to Rome.

    “I entirely agree with every word he said there,” said Archbishop Welby, noting that the Anglican church had its own internal divisions over gay rights.

    Last month the Church of England said it would refuse to allow same-sex couples to be married in its churches.

    Expressing his own support, Dr Greenshields referred to the Bible, saying: “There is nowhere in the four Gospels that I see anything other than Jesus expressing love to whoever he meets, and as Christians that is the only expression that we can give to any human being in any circumstance”.

    Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Church of Scotland's Iain Greenshields address the media while aboard the plane from Juba to Rome
    Image caption,Archbishop Justin Welby (right) and the Rt Rev Iain Greenshields (left) expressed their support for the Pope’s comments in a press conference

    During the news conference Pope Francis repeated his view that the Catholic Church cannot permit sacramental marriage of same-sex couples.

    But he said he supported so-called civil union legislation, and stressed that laws banning homosexuality were “a problem that cannot be ignored”.

    He suggested that 50 countries criminalise LGBT people “in one way or another”, and about 10 have laws carrying the death penalty.

    Currently 66 UN member states criminalise consensual same-sex relations, according to ILGA World – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

    “This is not right. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God,” said the Pope.

    “God loves them. God accompanies them… condemning a person like this is a sin.”

    Under current Catholic doctrine, gay relationships are referred to as “deviant behaviour” and Pope Francis has previously said he was “worried” about the “serious matter” of homosexuality in the clergy.

    But some conservative Catholics have criticised him for making comments they say are ambiguous about sexual morality.

    In 2013, soon after becoming Pope, he reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s position that homosexual acts were sinful, but added that homosexual orientation was not.

    Five years later, during a visit to Ireland, Pope Francis stressed that parents could not disown their LGBT children and had to keep them in a loving family.

  • Iran’s Ayatollah Ali grants pardon to countless number of prisoners

    Iran’s Ayatollah Ali grants pardon to countless number of prisoners

    Some of the inmates freed from prison were detained during recent anti-government demonstrations.

    The supreme leader of Iran has commuted the sentences of “tens of thousands” of prisoners, including some who were detained during recent anti-government demonstrations, or pardoned them entirely.

    According to information released in state media reports, the pardons approved on Sunday by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had restrictions and would not apply to any of the numerous dual nationals detained in Iran.

    According to state news agency IRNA, those charged with “corruption on earth,” a serious offense for which some protesters were tried and four of whom were put to death, would also not receive pardons.

    Neither would it apply to those charged with “spying for foreign agencies” or those “affiliated with groups hostile to the Islamic Republic”.

    Iran was swept up by protests following the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police last September. The 22-year-old had been arrested for violating Islamic dress codes.

    Iranians from all walks of life took part in the demonstrations, marking one of the boldest challenges to Iran’s government since the 1979 revolution.

    ‘Indoctrination and propaganda’

    According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, about 20,000 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, which the authorities accused Iran’s “foreign enemies” of fomenting.

    Rights groups say more than 500 have been killed in the crackdown, including 70 minors. At least four people have been hanged, according to the Iranian judiciary. Iran has not offered a death toll for months.

    In a letter to Khamenei requesting the pardon, judiciary head Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said: “During recent events, a number of people, especially young people, committed wrong actions and crimes as a result of the indoctrination and propaganda of the enemy.”

    Protests have slowed considerably since the hangings began.

    “Since the foreign enemies and anti-revolutionary currents’ plans have been foiled, many of these youth now regret their actions,” Ejei wrote.

    Khamenei approved the pardons in honour of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Khamenei took on the post as the country’s political and religious leader in 1989.

    The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights said last week that at least 100 detained protesters faced possible death sentences.

    Amnesty International has criticised Iranian authorities for what it called “sham trials designed to intimidate those participating in the popular uprising that has rocked Iran”.

  • Powerful earthquake in south-east Turkey claims about 300 lives

    Powerful earthquake in south-east Turkey claims about 300 lives

    More than 300 people have been killed and numerous others are trapped after a strong earthquake struck a large area in southeast Turkey, close to the Syrian border.


    According to the US Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred near the city of Gaziantep at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) and a depth of 17.9 kilometres (11 miles).

    More than 76 deaths have been reported in Turkey so far, and 10 cities have been affected, including Diyarbakir.

    According to state media, more than 230 people died in Syria.

    The Syrian health ministry said people had died in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus.

    There are fears the death toll will rise sharply in the coming hours.

    Many buildings have collapsed and rescue teams have been deployed to search for survivors under huge piles of rubble.

    Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu said 10 cities were affected: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.

    In Malatya province, north-east of Gaziantep, at least 23 people were killed, local officials said. In Sanliurfa, to the east, there were 17 deaths. And more deaths were reported in Diyarbakir and Osmaniye.

    About 440 people were injured in Turkey and 639 in Syria.

    A BBC Turkish correspondent in Diyarbakir, reported that a shopping mall in the city collapsed.

    The tremor was also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus.

    “I was writing something and just all of a sudden the entire building started shaking and yes I didn’t really know what to feel,” Mohamad El Chamaa, a student in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, told the BBC.

    “I was right next to the window so I was just scared that they might shatter. It went on for four-five minutes and it was pretty horrific. It was mind-blowing,” he said.

    Rushdi Abualouf, a BBC producer in the Gaza Strip, said there was about 45 seconds of shaking in the house he was staying in.

    Turkey earthquake map

    Turkish seismologists estimated the strength of the quake to be 7.4 magnitude. They said that a second tremor hit the region just minutes later.

    Turkey lies in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones.

    In 1999, more than 17,000 people were killed after a powerful tremor rocked the north-west of the country.

    Rescue teams check a destroyed house in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Photo: 6 February 2023
    Image caption, In Diyarbakir north-east of Gaziantep a search is now under way for people trapped in damaged buildings
    Smashed cars under a destroyed building in Malatya, Turkey. Photo: 6 February 2023
    Image caption,In Malatya, also north-east of Gaziantep, cars were smashed by collapsed buildings
    People search for survivors after a building collapsed in Hama, Syria. Photo: 6 February 2023
    Image caption,In northern Syria, the quake flattened a number of buildings in the city of Hama
  • German envoy summoned by Turkey over consulate closure

    German envoy summoned by Turkey over consulate closure

    This week, a number of European nations, including Germany, temporarily closed their consulates in Istanbul due to security reasons. But Turkey says this is part of their “psychological warfare,”

    The Turkish government strongly rebuked foreign diplomatic missions on Friday who had warned of terrorist threats following Quran burnings at demonstrations against Ankara’s stance on NATO expansion abroad.

    “If they want to create the image that Turkey is unstable and that there is a danger of terrorism, then that is incompatible with friendship and partnership,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after summoning Germany’s ambassador — the ninth envoy to receive a summons this week.
    On Thursday, Turkey summoned several ambassadors following the temporary closure of a number of European consulates in Istanbul.

    According to a diplomatic source cited by the AFP news agency, envoys from Germany, Belgium, Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States were called to attend a meeting at the Foreign Ministry.

    Germany shut its Istanbul consulate on Wednesday, citing a heightened risk of terror attacks following Quran-burning incidents in some European countries. At least six other countries took the same step as a precaution.

    The US consulate remains open, as the complex is not in Istanbul’s city center and is therefore considered to be a less vulnerable target. Washington has, however, joined a number of other governments in issuing travel warnings advising citizens to be vigilant and avoid tourist hotspots.

    Why are there security concerns?

    Tensions between Turkey and Western countries have been rising over Ankara’s refusal to approve Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership bids.

    Recent protests in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, at which far-right activists burned or desecrated copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, have only strained ties further.

    The actions have infuriated Muslims in Turkey and other parts of the world.

    Norwegian police said Thursday they had canceled a planned anti-Islam protest in Oslo, saying security could not be ensured. The group behind the protest had reportedly planned to burn the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy.

    The German Foreign Ministry on Friday confirmed that Berlin’s ambassador to Turkey had been summoned for talks after Germany closed its consulate.

    The ambassador was summoned together with counterparts from several other countries, a ministry spokesperson said.

    Turkey alleges ‘psychological warfare’

    Turkish officials have reacted angrily to the Quran burnings and travel warnings, and the government on Friday issued a strong rebuke over the closure of the foreign diplomatic missions.

    Speaking Thursday, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu called the measures an attempt to meddle in Turkey’s election campaign ahead of presidential and parliamentary votes on May 14.

    “They are waging psychological war against Turkey,” Soylu told Turkey’s NTV news channel. “They are trying to destabilize Turkey.”

    Soylu, who is known for his anti-Western rhetoric, said the travel alerts and consulate closures were part of a plot to prevent Turkey’s tourism sector from rebounding after the coronavirus pandemic.

    Meanwhile, the chief spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party said Turkey was a safe country and that the security alerts from the West were “irresponsible.”

    “Some embassies and consulates are making statements to raise concerns about our country’s security conditions,” spokesman Omer Celik tweeted. “This type of irresponsible behavior is unacceptable.”

    In apparent retaliation for the security alerts from Western countries, Turkey issued its own warnings over the weekend. It told its citizens there was a risk of “possible Islamophobic, xenophobic and racist attacks” in the US and Europe.

  • Why would China use a spy balloon when it has satellites – Experts quiz

    Why would China use a spy balloon when it has satellites – Experts quiz

    Many people have been baffled by reports of a possible Chinese spy balloon floating over the US, wondering why Beijing would choose to spy on the US mainland using such a crude device.

    Although the capabilities of this specific balloon are unknown, experts claim that it primarily acts as a “signal” rather than a security risk.

    Days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China, it was seen circling the state of Montana.

    President Xi Jinping of China is expected to be met by the top US diplomat, who will be the first person in his position to do so.

    “Beijing is probably trying to signal to Washington: ‘While we want to improve ties, we are also ever ready for sustained competition, using any means necessary’, without severely inflaming tensions.

    “And what better tool for this than a seemingly innocuous balloon,” independent air-power analyst He Yuan Ming told the BBC.

    Balloons are one of the oldest forms of surveillance technology. The Japanese military used them to launch incendiary bombs in the US during World War Two. They were also widely used by the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

    More recently, the US has reportedly been considering adding high-altitude inflatables to the Pentagon’s surveillance network. Modern balloons typically hover between 24km-37km above the earth’s surface (80,000 ft and 120,000 ft).

    The US Department of Defence on Thursday said the balloon is “significantly above where civilian air traffic is active”. It also said it had “very high confidence” that the balloon belongs to China.

    But China expert Benjamin Ho said Beijing had more sophisticated surveillance technology at its disposal.

    “They have other means to spy out American infrastructure, or whatever information they wanted to obtain. The balloon was to send a signal to the Americans, and also to see how the Americans would react,” explained Dr Ho – coordinator of the China programme at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

    It may even be the case that China wanted the US to detect the balloon.

    “It’s possible that being spotted was the whole point. China might be using the balloon to demonstrate that it has a sophisticated technological capability to penetrate US airspace without risking a serious escalation. In this regard, a balloon is a pretty ideal choice,” said Arthur Holland Michel from the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

    Nevertheless, the experts point out that balloons can be fitted with modern technology like spy cameras and radar sensors, and there are some advantages to using balloons for surveillance – chief of which is that it is less expensive and easier to deploy than drones or satellites.

    The balloon’s slower speed also allows it to loiter over and monitor the target area for longer periods. A satellite’s movement, on the other hand, is restricted to its orbital pass.

    Although China has not admitted it launched the balloon, Mr Michel says it is unlikely anyone else could be responsible.

    “The [US Department of Defence] would likely not say that it is a Chinese balloon unless they have a fairly high degree of certainty that that is what it is.”

    The balloon’s anticipated flight path near certain missile bases suggests it is unlikely it has drifted off course, He Yuan Ming said.

  • Ukrainian prosecutors go after Wagner chief in file criminal charges against the

    Ukrainian prosecutors go after Wagner chief in file criminal charges against the

    A mercenary force of thousands, including ex-convicts, is led by Putin ally Prigozhin in the conflict in Ukraine.

    Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader and originator of the Wagner mercenary group from Russia, is the target of a criminal investigation by the general prosecutor of Ukraine.

    According to a statement on Telegram, Prigozhin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is accused of the “encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine” and “waging an aggressive war”.

    The statement said fighters who fled the group “will not avoid responsibility”.

    “Prosecutors have already interrogated two such fighters who are in the EU. An investigation into the involvement in war crimes of another PMK member, who is in Norway under way,” the statement said.

    Norwegian police are currently interrogating former Wagner group commander Andrey Medvedev, who fled from Russia to Norway last month after fighting in Ukraine.

    Earlier this week, Medvedev told the Reuters news agency that he was speaking out against the Wagner group to ensure perpetrators were brought to justice.

    “Medvedev gives the impression that he wants to continue to say more” about his time with Wagner, the police have said.

    Security arrangements have also been made for Medvedev’s safety, “both visible and non-visible” measures, they added, without giving specifics.

    Another former Wagner fighter, Marat Gabidullin, is understood to be seeking asylum in France.

    Medvedev crossed into Norway from neighbouring Russia on January 13, looking for shelter in the Nordic nation [Gulagu.Net/Handout via Reuters] Published On 23 Jan 2023
    Medvedev crossed into Norway from neighbouring Russia on January 13, looking for shelter in the Nordic nation [Gulagu.Net/Handout via Reuters]

    The previously shadowy group has taken centre stage during the invasion of Ukraine and is associated with the bloody battle for Bakhmut in the east of the country.

    Late in January, the United States designated Russia’s Wagner mercenary group as a “transnational criminal organisation”, piling pressure on the private army that has recruited tens of thousands of Russian prisoners to fight in Ukraine.

  • CAR has 1,890 Russian ‘instructors’ – Russian envoy alleges

    CAR has 1,890 Russian ‘instructors’ – Russian envoy alleges

    The Russian ambassador to the Central African Republic (CAR) says the Wagner Group, a mercenary organisation with ties to the Kremlin, has 1,890 “Russian instructors” working there.”

    According to ambassador Alexander Bikantov, there are currently 1,890 Russian instructors in the C.A.R., according to a Friday interview with the Russian state-owned news agency RIA. The government wants to increase their population. Bangui just recently submitted the necessary application to the UN Security Council.

    Yevgeny Prigozhin founded The Wagner Group, which has since grown to be a significant player in CAR, largely replacing former colonial power France.

    The mineral-rich Central African country is one of the poorest countries in the world. Wagner initially intervened on the side of the government to quell a civil war which has raged since 2012.

    Western countries and the United Nations have accused the mercenaries of committing human rights abuses in the country and elsewhere in the Sahel.

    “They essentially run the Central African Republic” and are a growing force in Mali, General Stephen Townsend, the commander of US armed forces in Africa, told a Senate hearing in March 2022.

    Wagner, which is deeply involved in the Ukraine war, has recruited extensively in Russia’s penal system and has previously deployed to Syria, Libya and Mali, among other countries.

    .

  • Belgium considering a life extension of oldest nuclear reactors

    Belgium considering a life extension of oldest nuclear reactors

    In light of the conflict in Ukraine, the Belgian government is considering whether to extend the lives of three nuclear reactors that were scheduled to shut down in 2025.

    The  government has requested an evaluation to determine whether the nation’s three oldest nuclear reactors could be kept operational for an additional two years.

    The government is set to inquire with the plant’s operator, Engie, as to whether it would be possible to postpone the closure of the 1975-opened plants Tihange 1 and Doel 1 and 2 until 2027 instead of 2025 as originally planned.

    “The war in Ukraine and the problems in the French nuclear energy sector have made us look at ways to create more certainty and reduce risks in the energy supply,” Energy ministry spokesman Jonas Dutordoir said. “This could be part of the solution.”

    Operational since 1975, the three reactors were initially set to be decommissioned in 2015 but had their lifetime extended until 2025 after Belgium held a review of its phase-out plan.

    A delayed phase-out

    Belgium has two nuclear plants, operated by French utility company Engie, with five reactors still working.

    Belgium first decided on its nuclear phase-out in 2003 and it was scheduled to be completed by 2025. However, it decided last year to keep the newest plants open until 2035.

    Belgium took one nuclear reactor, Tihange 2, off its power grid after 40 years on Tuesday evening as part of the country’s planned nuclear phase-out. The winding down of nuclear power began with the closure of a reactor at Doel, near the Belgian port city of Antwerp in September. 

    Those two reactors were known for repeated safety issues, having been shut down on previous occasions after the discovery of cracks in reactor pressure vessels. The Belgian government had considered keeping those two reactors online because of energy concerns. 

    Can nuclear fusion solve the energy crisis?

    The German government and the German city of Aachen, which lies near the Belgian border have repeatedly called for the reactors to be decommissioned in the past.

    In 2019, the European Court of Justice found that Belgium infringed European Union law by failing to carry out the required environmental assessments before prolonging the life of Doel 1 and 2 nuclear reactors.

  • US suspends Blinken China visit following spy balloon controversy

    US suspends Blinken China visit following spy balloon controversy

    As a result of the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon flying across the US, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to China.

    Meetings between Mr. Blinken and President Xi Jinping and his Chinese counterpart were anticipated.

    The visit would have taken place as tensions between the two nations are deteriorating.

    According to China, the balloon veered off course due to bad weather and is used for meteorological research.

    A statement from China’s Foreign Ministry said that it “regrets” the incident and will work with the US to resolve the issue.

    Speaking to reporters on Friday, a senior state department official said that the conditions were not right for Mr Blinken to visit China but that another trip would be planned “at the earliest opportunity.”

    The official added that Washington planned to maintain “open lines of communication” about the incident, which was described as “a clear violation” of US sovereignty.

    While the official said that the US had acknowledged China’s claim about the balloon’s purpose, it stands by the Department of Defense’s assessment that it was being used for surveillance.

    Mr Blinken’s visit was expected to take place on 5 and 6 February.

    A US official quoted by the Associated Press said that the decision to abruptly halt the trip was made by Mr. Blinken and President Joe Biden.

  • Taliban detains professor who protested ban on women’s education

    Taliban detains professor who protested ban on women’s education

    Ismail Mashal was arrested after he tore up his degree certificates on live television to protest the exclusion of women from higher education, according to the Taliban.

    An academic who tore up his degrees on live television in protest against a ban on women attending universities in the nation was detained by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, according to his aide on Friday.

    “From today I don’t need these diplomas any more because this country is no place for an education. If my sister and my mother can’t study, then I don’t accept this education,” veteran journalism lecturer Ismail Mashal said in the video that went viral on social media last month.

    Mashal’s aide Farid Ahmad Fazli told AFP news agency that the academic was “mercilessly beaten” and taken away in a very disrespectful manner by members of “the Islamic Emirate”, the Taliban government.

    Al Jazeera was also able to confirm Mashal’s detention.

    The shredding of his degree certificates on local Tolonews in December caused a storm, adding to protests by women and activists against a Taliban edict ending women’s university education.

    A Taliban official confirmed the detention.

    “Teacher Mashal had indulged in provocative actions against the system for some time,” tweeted Abdul Haq Hammad, director at the Ministry of Information and Culture.

    “The security agencies took him for investigation.”

    ‘Giving free books’

    In recent days, domestic channels showed Mashal carting books around the capital, Kabul, and offering them to passers-by.

    Mashal, who has worked as a lecturer for more than 10 years at three Kabul universities, was arrested on Thursday despite having “committed no crime”, Fazli said.

    “He was giving free books to sisters (women) and men,” he added. “He is still in detention and we don’t know where he is being held.”

    It is rare to see a man protest in support of women in Afghanistan but Mashal, who ran a co-educational institute, said he would stand up for women’s rights.

    “As a man and as a teacher, I was unable to do anything else for them, and I felt that my certificates had become useless. So, I tore them,” he told AFP at the time.

    “I’m raising my voice. I’m standing with my sisters … My protest will continue even if it costs my life.”

    Curb on women’s rights

    The denial of secondary and tertiary education for girls and women has been a continuing concern expressed by the international community.

    The majority of girls’ secondary schools remain closed, and most girls who should be attending grades 7-12 are denied access to school, based solely on their gender, experts have said.

    Women and girls in Afghanistan have been protesting against the measures continuously for the past five months, demanding their rights to education, work and freedom.

    Their Taliban rulers have repeatedly beaten, threatened or arrested demonstrating women.

    The Taliban, which returned to power in August 2021, initially promised women’s rights and media freedom but has since gradually imposed curbs on women, bringing back memories of its last rule between 1996 and 2001.

    Some senior Taliban leaders have said that Islam grants women rights to education and work but the hardline faction of the group has prevailed in implementing anti-women measures.