Iranian president in anti-US tirade at UN General Assembly

President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi holds up a photo of slain Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani as he addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. (AP)
President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi holds up a photo of slain Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani as he addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. (AP)
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Updated 21 September 2022

Iranian president in anti-US tirade at UN General Assembly

Iranian president in anti-US tirade at UN General Assembly
  • Ebrahim Raisi slams American interference in other countries, ignores Tehran’s use of proxies
  • Current world order ‘coming to an end’

LONDON: Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi used an address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to launch a tirade against US foreign policy and promote the emergence of a new world order.

He said American foreign policy over the past century had proved that the “unilateralist” approach was one in which the US had pursued self-interest at the expense of partnerships.

“What is happening in Europe today has been seen all over the world before. The fate of many countries shows America pursues its own interests against the interests of its allies,” he added.

“Unilateralism has been the tool to hold many countries back. On a selective basis, America cannot be allowed to determine which countries have the right to stand on their own two feet because even friends of America do not benefit from this.”

Raisi claimed that Daesh was a US construct, slamming what he contended was the hypocrisy of a country claiming a base in justice and humanity.

“For a country that wishes to have justice but then creates and trains these terrorist organizations to unleash on others, that is a shame,” he added. “Humanity does not only belong to certain parts of the world.”

Raisi did not raise the issue of Iran’s use of proxy forces in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

He suggested that having fought against Daesh, Iran had proved that it was on the side of human rights — ignoring current protests raging in his country over its poor record in this regard.

Raisi claimed that US hegemony is coming to an end, saying: “This order has lost its power, and a new order is shaping up to tackle it as this old system’s policies are defeated.

“We are witnessing a change of the world order, a world order of hegemony in which financial power gains a control over ‘standards’ of human behavior which are used to subjugate. This is coming to an end.”


Fate of Russian girl separated from father over Ukraine unclear

Fate of Russian girl separated from father over Ukraine unclear
Updated 50 min 43 sec ago

Fate of Russian girl separated from father over Ukraine unclear

Fate of Russian girl separated from father over Ukraine unclear
  • Maria was taken away from him in early March and placed in a local "rehabilitation centre" for minors, with the pair denied contact
  • The case has garnered national attention, as Moscow cracks down on criticism of the offensive in Ukraine

MOSCOW: The fate of a Russian child who drew a pro-peace sketch was unclear Wednesday, a day after her father fled house arrest to avoid prison time over criticism of Moscow's assault on Ukraine.
Single father Alexei Moskalyov fled house arrest just before a court in the town of Yefremov south of Moscow handed him a two-year sentence for "discrediting" the Russian army.
Since early March Moskalyov has been separated from his 13-year-old daughter Maria as punishment for his criticism of Kremlin policies, a first in modern Russia, experts say.
Maria was taken away from him in early March and placed in a local "rehabilitation centre" for minors, with the pair denied contact.
The case has garnered national attention, as Moscow cracks down on criticism of the offensive in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Moskalyov's lawyer Vladimir Biliyenko said he had visited the "rehabilitation centre" the day earlier but the girl was not there.
"It seems that they are hiding Masha," he told AFP, referring to the girl by her diminutive name. He said a lot of supporters wanted to see her, too.
The lawyer also said he was not aware of her 54-year-old father's whereabouts.
"I hope he's alive and well," he added.
Biliyenko said it was now "difficult to predict" what will happen to Maria.
Moskalyov is at risk of losing parental rights in a separate trial set to begin on April 6.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday defended Moskalyov's sentencing, describing the father's parenting as "deplorable".
But in a letter published on social media Maria called her father "the bravest person in the world".
"I love you very much and know that you are not guilty of anything," the letter read.
"Everything will be ok and we will be together. You are my hero," the letter said.
Moskalyov's lawyer confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
The lawyer also criticised Russia's children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova and rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova for not getting involved in the case.
"The fate of a child is being decided here and they are not interested," he said.
A local rights activist, Yelena Agafonova, said she was prepared to take the girl in.
"We will apply for custody of Masha, we are preparing the documents," she told AFP.
She believed the case was a "show case to demonstrate what will happen to those who do not agree" with Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.
Russia's top human rights organisation Memorial, which has been outlawed by the authorities, said it considered Moskalyov a "political prisoner".
Memorial said that his case was "an attempt to intimidate all opponents" of the conflict.


Seven jailed in Belgium terrorism probe: prosecutor

Seven jailed in Belgium terrorism probe: prosecutor
Updated 29 March 2023

Seven jailed in Belgium terrorism probe: prosecutor

Seven jailed in Belgium terrorism probe: prosecutor
  • The seven, five Belgians as well as a Turk and a Bulgarian, were charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group
  • Five of them were also charged with "preparation of a terrorist offence", the prosecutor said

BRUSSELS: Seven people were imprisoned in Belgium Wednesday in two investigations into “possible terrorist attacks,” the federal prosecutor’s office said.
The seven, five Belgians as well as a Turk and a Bulgarian, were charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group.
Five of them were also charged with “preparation of a terrorist offense,” the prosecutor said.
Raids were conducted late Monday on homes in the capital Brussels, the port city of Antwerp and the border town of Eupen, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.
Eight were arrested in the raids, but one of the suspects arrested in Antwerp has since been released.
These were in relation to two inquiries — one led by federal police in Brussels and the other by an investigating magistrate in Antwerp.
The parallel investigations triggered a raid in Molenbeek, an inner-city Brussels district that has been the focus of some previous terror probes.
More details of the potential targets of these attacks have not yet been released.
The investigations in Antwerp and Brussels had initially focused on “two young adults suspected of violent radicalism,” state broadcaster RTBF reported.
The country’s biggest ever criminal trial of nine suspects accused of taking part in the March 2016 suicide bombings that killed 32 people is underway in Brussels.


Staff at Sheffield Children’s Hospital heard laughing as 5-year-old died

Staff at Sheffield Children’s Hospital heard laughing as 5-year-old died
Updated 29 March 2023

Staff at Sheffield Children’s Hospital heard laughing as 5-year-old died

Staff at Sheffield Children’s Hospital heard laughing as 5-year-old died
  • Child’s father has filed a formal complaint against the hospital
  • Allegations also include standard of care his son received as patient

LONDON: The parents of 5-year-old Muhammad Ayaan, who passed away on March 15 in Sheffield Children’s Hospital, claim they heard medical staff laughing as their son’s life support machine was turned off.

Ayaan had a history of respiratory difficulties as well as a rare genetic condition that causes developmental delays, The Independent reported on Wednesday. He was admitted to the hospital on March 5 with breathing difficulties and died just over a week later. 

“When the machine was switched off at 2:30 a.m., we had a lot of family members there. There was laughter coming from staff members. We were so upset,” Ayaan’s father Haroon Rashid told The Independent.

“There was no one else on the ward apart from the staff and one other small child behind the curtain from us,” he added.

“Surely the staff knew Ayaan’s machine was about to be turned off. They continued laughing after my relative asked them to stop.

“A child’s life was coming to an end. It was highly insensitive. We are living with our son’s loss, but we are very, very angry about how the staff behaved.”

Ayaan’s mother Fakhra Dibi also described a similar incident when she was told that her son’s condition was deteriorating a few days before his death, The Independent reported.

Dibi claims she was given the news in a ward full of laughing staff, with children and other parents in the background.

“My wife rang me crying after the doctor broke the news,” Rashid said.

“They should have taken her to a private room, not told her like that in front of everyone. It’s hugely insensitive,” he added.

Rashid, a taxi driver and father of four, has filed a formal complaint, which also includes allegations about the standards of care during Ayaan’s time in the hospital as well as a claim that he was contacted for a follow-up appointment for his son 10 days after he died.

The 41-year-old further claims that hospital staff had been “dismissive” to some of the concerns he raised about his son during his care, The Independent reported.

“Every day in the treatment of my son, something went wrong. They didn’t listen to my years of experience in caring for my children,” he said.

“I’m not a doctor, but I know my son’s history. From past experience, I knew what treatment my son needed from the outset, but no one listened to me.”

However, Rashid emphasized the previous treatment that his son received as an outpatient from Sheffield Children’s Hospital had been faultless and that his consultants had supported the family throughout.

Rashid said: “We don’t know how we will live without him now our son is gone.

“We worry about what happened to him. We don’t want this to happen to any other child or any other family.

The hospital has promised a “thorough” investigation into the family’s claims.

Dr. Jeff Perring, medical director at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, told The Independent: “I wish to express my deepest condolences to Ayaan’s family for their loss.

“The death of any child is tragic, and I know that my colleagues who treated, and came to know, Ayaan during his short life will share in expressing these condolences.

“The loss of a child while they are a patient at Sheffield Children’s is something we take very seriously.

“Our colleagues pride themselves on providing the best clinical and pastoral care for all children and young people who need it.

“We have received Rashid’s complaint, which is very detailed and complex.

“There will be a thorough internal investigation of the care and treatment Ayaan received at the hospital between 5 and 13 March, which will cover the concerns raised in Mr. Rashid’s complaint.”


Sweden finds woman guilty of war crimes for gruesome photos

Sweden finds woman guilty of war crimes for gruesome photos
Updated 29 March 2023

Sweden finds woman guilty of war crimes for gruesome photos

Sweden finds woman guilty of war crimes for gruesome photos
  • Fatosh Ibrahim who pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to three months in prison
  • The Goteborg District Court said Fatosh Ibrahim “on two occasions published photographs of severed heads impaled on the fence" of a Raqqa roundabout

COPENHAGEN: A Swedish court on Wednesday found a 35-year-old woman guilty of war crimes for posting photos of herself with severed heads that were on display in a Syrian city in 2014.
Fatosh Ibrahim who pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to three months in prison.
The Goteborg District Court said Fatosh Ibrahim “on two occasions published photographs of severed heads impaled on the fence” of a Raqqa roundabout, placed there by Daesh group militants.
Ibrahim used her cell phone to take photos of herself in Raqqa’s Naim Square — meaning “Paradise” — where Daesh group militants had displayed hanged bodies or heads.
The court said in its ruling that Ibrahim posted on Facebook “disparaging comments about the people in the photos and expressed that they deserved what they were subjected to.”
“The woman had clearly expressed her sympathy with the actions of the Daesh group, and her actions have been considered to be in connection with the armed conflict that was going on in the area at the time.”
Ibrahim told the court that she traveled to Syria in December 2012 and was forced to stay, claiming she didn’t travel to Syria to join the by Daesh group. She returned to Sweden in 2017, according to the verdict.
Ibrahim was also convicted of threatening and defaming social workers in Sweden.


Britain moves ahead with plan to house migrants in military bases

Migrants walk in Napier Barracks, a former military barracks being used to house asylum seekers in Folkestone, southeast England
Migrants walk in Napier Barracks, a former military barracks being used to house asylum seekers in Folkestone, southeast England
Updated 29 March 2023

Britain moves ahead with plan to house migrants in military bases

Migrants walk in Napier Barracks, a former military barracks being used to house asylum seekers in Folkestone, southeast England
  • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made tackling the arrival of small boats one of his main priorities
  • Move to put migrants in military barracks has been criticized by rights groups for not providing adequate housing

LONDON: Britain’s government will set up basic accommodation at military bases for migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats, and is also looking at possibly housing them in vessels, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made tackling the arrival of small boats one of his main priorities, hoping his move to get tough on illegal migration will win over voters before an election expected next year.
Addressing a backlash by some over the rising number of migrants being housed in hotels, Jenrick said the government was moving ahead with plans to “provide basic accommodation at scale” at military sites in southeast and east England.
“These will be scaled up over the coming months and will collectively provide accommodation to several thousands asylum seekers through repurposed barrack blocks and portacabins (portable cabins),” he told parliament.
The move to put migrants in military barracks has been criticized by rights groups for not providing adequate housing and even Britain’s foreign minister, James Cleverly, has raised concerns about using a base in his constituency.
Jenrick also said ministers were exploring the possibility of using “vessels” as accommodation, citing Scotland’s use of a chartered cruise ship docked to host Ukrainian families in Glasgow.
That drew criticism from the Scottish National Party which said boats were used there only a temporary measure.
Sunak’s Illegal Migration Bill to try to stop people traffickers from bringing migrants to Britain’s shores has been criticized by rights campaigners, with the Council of Europe saying it was at odds with London’s international obligations.
The Council of Europe’s experts on human trafficking also expressed “deep concern” over the plan at a meeting this week.