Prince Harry ‘boasting’ over Taliban kills: UK defense minister

Prince Harry ‘boasting’ over Taliban kills: UK defense minister
Prince Harry speaks with U.S. military cadets during a visit to the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., June 25, 2010. (AP Photo)
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Updated 23 February 2023
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Prince Harry ‘boasting’ over Taliban kills: UK defense minister

Prince Harry ‘boasting’ over Taliban kills: UK defense minister
  • Royal ‘let down’ former military colleagues with comments in memoir: Ben Wallace
  • Ben Wallace: ‘For an infanteer to go over the top, that person is supported by hundreds of people behind them’

LONDON: Prince Harry was “boasting” over his recollection of killing 25 Taliban fighters and has “let down” his former military colleagues, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in a radio interview, The Times reported.

The minister is the most senior figure to criticize the prince over his comments, which were part of the recently released memoir “Spare.”

In the book, Prince Harry claims to have killed 25 fighters while serving as an Apache helicopter pilot during the War in Afghanistan.

He said: “So my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me.

“When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion of combat, I didn’t think of those 25 as people. They were chess pieces removed from the board. Bad people eliminated before they could kill good people.”

Wallace, who served with the armed forces in Northern Ireland and elsewhere, said during the interview on LBC: “Look, I think you’d have to ask Prince Harry … I frankly think boasting about tallies or talking about tallies does two things.

“It distorts the fact that the army is a team game. For an infanteer to go over the top, that person is supported by hundreds of people behind them, whether they’re in headquarters in Britain, whether they’re in the royal logistic corps, who helped them get there.

“It’s a team, and so it’s not about who can shoot the most or who doesn’t shoot the most.

“If you start talking about who did what, what you are actually doing is letting down all those other people, because you’re not a better person because you did and they didn’t.”

In a previous interview with The Sunday Times, Wallace spoke about his military experience in Northern Ireland.

He said: “The (Irish Republican Army) were very, very active. We had over 100 incidents: would-be bombings, shootings, riots.

“We had two soldiers die, one murdered, one committed suicide. There were some scary times, but I never felt scared.

“I can remember lying in bed and hearing a machine gun open up against the fence a few meters away from me. I was on the way to the cookhouse and they threw some grenades against the fence that blew up. Someone tried to throw a bomb at me once.”

Prince Harry has faced criticism from the UK’s military community over his memoir.

Derek Hunt, who campaigns for veteran mental health welfare, and whose son Nathan served in Afghanistan and later committed suicide, condemned “Spare” in comments to MailOnline.

He said: “However he tries to justify his comments, what he said cannot be unsaid. This is too painful for too many people to be discussed so loosely in public.

“Veterans were not crying out for this debate, they have spent years trying to forget about the realities of combat, such as taking people’s lives.

“If the disclosure was part of his therapy, then it should have stayed between him and his therapist.

“I think he has brought back a lot of memories for those men and women who served and are trying to forget. If all this was for their benefit, then Harry has made a mistake.”


Hunter Biden to plead not guilty to gun charges

Hunter Biden to plead not guilty to gun charges
Updated 7 sec ago
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Hunter Biden to plead not guilty to gun charges

Hunter Biden to plead not guilty to gun charges
  • Presidential son facing three felony charges stemming from his 2018 purchase of a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver
  • The younger Biden has not been charged with any crimes related to his foreign business dealings, however,

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter is to appear in federal court in Delaware on Tuesday and is expected to plead not guilty to charges of illegally possessing a handgun.
Hunter Biden, 53, is facing three felony charges stemming from his 2018 purchase of a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver.
Biden is charged with two counts of making false statements for claiming on forms required for the gun purchase that he was not using drugs illegally at the time.
He faces a third charge, based on the same statements, that he illegally possessed the gun – which he had for only 11 days in October 2018 – before it was gotten rid of.
Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has informed the court that the president’s son plans to plead not guilty at Tuesday’s 10:00 a.m. (1400 GMT) arraignment at a federal courthouse in Wilmington, the hometown of the Bidens.
Lowell had also asked Judge Christopher Burke to allow Biden, who lives in California, to appear by video instead of in person but the request was denied.
“The defendant should not receive any special treatment in this matter,” Burke wrote in his ruling.
In July, a deal with federal prosecutor David Weiss – which would have erased the gun charges while Biden pleaded guilty to two tax charges and avoided prison – fell apart.
That led to Weiss filing the three felony gun possession charges against Biden.
If convicted, Biden could in theory face 25 years in prison, though in practice such offenses, if not accompanied by other charges, are seldom punished by any jail time.
Weiss, who was elevated to special counsel for the Biden probe after the plea deal fell through, in the meantime has signaled that he is still investigating Biden on possible tax charges.
Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and China while his father was vice president under Barack Obama have been a constant target of Republicans.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, bowing to pressure from the party’s hard right, authorized the launch last month of an impeachment investigation into the president.
The younger Biden has not been charged with any crimes related to his foreign business dealings, however, and no credible evidence has emerged so far that his father was involved in anything illegal.
Hunter Biden is a Yale-trained lawyer and lobbyist-turned-artist, but his life has been marred by alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction. His legal woes threaten to cast a shadow over his father’s campaign for reelection next year.
The 80-year-old president has stood firmly by his only surviving son throughout his personal and legal struggles, saying in an interview earlier this year that Hunter has “done nothing wrong.”
“I trust him. I have faith in him,” Joe Biden said.


Mali troops redeploy toward rebel stronghold: Security officials

Mali troops redeploy toward rebel stronghold: Security officials
Updated 10 min 19 sec ago
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Mali troops redeploy toward rebel stronghold: Security officials

Mali troops redeploy toward rebel stronghold: Security officials
  • Kidal lies more than 1,500 kilometers from the capital Bamako and hundreds of kilometers from the cities of Gao and Timbuktu

DAKAR: The Malian army began redeploying troops on Monday toward the northern rebel stronghold of Kidal, two security officials said, amid a resumption of hostilities in the region.

“As part of the reorganization of our arrangements in the north, we have begun the redeployment of our forces in the northeastern region of Kidal,” a Mali military official who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

A convoy left the northern city of Gao, which lies 300 kilometers southwest of Kidal, early Monday, the source added.

Another security official said the convoy was made up of 119 vehicles and was currently stopped on the road to the north of Gao.

National security chiefs made the deployment decision at a meeting late on Sunday, he added.

Kidal is a crossroads region in the north that is not under the control of the Malian state but of a coalition of predominantly Tuareg groups called the Coordination of Azawad Movements.

Since the end of August, the north of Mali has seen a resumption of hostilities by the CMA and an intensification of militant attacks against the army. The fact that Kidal is still controlled by the ex-rebels continues to pose a sovereignty issue and remains a source of irritation for Bamako, including for the junta. Junta leaders have made re-establishing state control across the whole country one of their main messages.

Kidal lies more than 1,500 kilometers from the capital Bamako and hundreds of kilometers from the cities of Gao and Timbuktu.

It is a crucial stopover between Mali and Algeria.

When an insurrection broke out in 2012, the region was one of the first in Mali to fall into the hands of the rebels.

It was taken over by the CMA in 2013 following military intervention by France, and has remained in their hands despite a 2014 attempt by the Malian army to regain control.

In 2015, the rebels signed the so-called Algiers peace agreement with pro-government armed groups and the state.

The 2012, insurrection paved the way for armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda to conquer most of the north, triggering France’s intervention and plunging the Sahel into war that has left thousands dead.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant alliance now operates over large swathes of the north and center of Mali as well as on the outskirts of the capital Bamako.

In the northeast, groups affiliated to Daesh have extended their hold over almost all of the Menaka region.

The insurgency that erupted in northern Mali in 2012 spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

Following back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, the Malian junta pushed out France’s anti-rebel force in 2022.

Northern Mali has seen a series of attacks on the army in recent weeks which coincides with the ongoing withdrawal of the UN stabilization force MINUSMA.

MINUSMA has been handing over its camps to Malian authorities, but the separatists claim they should be returned to their control.

The UN mission has still to vacate its camp at Kidal and two other sites further north by the end of December.

Mali’s junta chief Col. Assimi Goita, speaking on the anniversary of the West African nation’s 1960 independence from France last month, pledged to retake control of the country from militant groups and rebels.


Ex-Nigerian oil minister faces bribery charges

Ex-Nigerian oil minister faces bribery charges
Updated 02 October 2023
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Ex-Nigerian oil minister faces bribery charges

Ex-Nigerian oil minister faces bribery charges
  • Diezani Alison-Madueke is the second high-profile Nigerian politician to face prosecution in Britain in recent years

LONDON: A former Nigerian oil minister appeared in court in London on Monday charged with receiving bribes in the form of cash, luxury goods, flights on private jets and the use of high-end properties in Britain in return for awarding oil contracts.

Diezani Alison-Madueke was Nigeria’s minister for petroleum resources between 2010 and 2015, during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court, she spoke only to give her name, date of birth and address. She was not asked to formally enter a plea, although her lawyer Mark Bowen told the court she would be pleading not guilty.

She is the second high-profile Nigerian politician to face prosecution in Britain in recent years, following James Ibori, a former state governor who was convicted of fraud and money laundering in 2012 and received a 13-year jail sentence. Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer but it suffers from systemic corruption in the political class which has hampered development and prevented its oil wealth from benefitting wider society.

Alison-Madueke was arrested in London in 2015, shortly after stepping down as minister, and was charged in August with six bribery offenses. She has spent the past eight years on police bail, living in St. John’s Wood, an expensive area of London.

The charges against her, read out in court, all related to events alleged to have taken place in London.

Prosecutor Andy Young said she was alleged to have accepted a wide range of advantages in cash and in kind from people who wanted to receive or continue to receive the award of oil contracts which he said were worth billions of dollars in total.

The advantages included a delivery of £100,000 ($121,620) in cash, the payment of private school fees for her son, and the use and refurbishment of several luxurious properties in London and in the English countryside.

They also included the use of a Range Rover car, payment of bills for chauffeur-driven cars, furniture, and purchases from the upmarket London department store Harrods and from Vincenzo Caffarella, which sells Italian decorative arts and antiques.


Pakistan launches anti-polio vaccine drive targeting 44m children

Pakistan launches anti-polio vaccine drive targeting 44m children
Updated 02 October 2023
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Pakistan launches anti-polio vaccine drive targeting 44m children

Pakistan launches anti-polio vaccine drive targeting 44m children
  • 350,000 health workers will be going door-to-door to administer vaccine drops to children amid security

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan launched its second nationwide anti-polio campaign of the year Monday in an effort to inoculate 44 million children under the age of 5 amid signs the country was close to eradicating the disease.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar launched the five-day vaccination campaign in the capital, Islamabad, and urged parents in a televised address to cooperate with the 350,000 health workers who are going door-to-door to administer vaccine drops to children.

The campaign was taking place under heavy security. The government deployed police and security forces to ensure the safety of the inoculation drive workers.

Vaccine providers and the police assigned to protect them have been attacked during past anti-polio campaigns, which militants falsely claimed were a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.

Pakistan has registered two new polio cases since January, a blow to the goal of eradicating a disease that affects the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis in children.

Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio continues to threaten the health and well-being of children.

Pakistan came close to eradicating polio in 2021, when only one case was reported, and last year reported about two dozen cases.

The cases so far this year were reported from northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, where the Taliban rulers last week launched a four-day polio vaccine drive targeted at children under 5. The health ministry said 11 million children were inoculated.

In 2022, only two polio cases were reported from Afghanistan, raising hopes for the eradication of disease. Five cases have been reported so far this year.

Before taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban had barred UN-organized vaccination teams from doing door-to-door campaigns in parts of the country under their control. The group apparently was suspicious the team members could be spies for the previous government or the West.


France hijab ban ‘against Olympic spirit’ — Islamic sports body 

France hijab ban ‘against Olympic spirit’ — Islamic sports body 
Updated 02 October 2023
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France hijab ban ‘against Olympic spirit’ — Islamic sports body 

France hijab ban ‘against Olympic spirit’ — Islamic sports body 
  • ISSF said in its statement on Monday French ban could prevent some French Muslim athletes from competing
  • French sports minister said last month French government was opposed to any display of religious symbols during sports

A group of sports federations from Muslim-majority countries said on Monday that France’s move to bar its Olympic athletes from wearing the hijab would “send a message of exclusion.” 

The 57-member Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF), based in the Saudi capital Riyadh, voiced “profound concern” over the French decision, which was taken in line with the country’s strict rules on secularism. 

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said last month the French government was opposed to any display of religious symbols during sporting events. 

“What does that mean? That means a ban on any type of proselytising. That means absolute neutrality in public services,” she told France 3 television. 

“The France team will not wear the headscarf.” 

The ISSF said in its statement on Monday that the hijab was “an aspect of many Muslim women’s identity and should be respected,” adding that the French ban could prevent some French Muslim athletes from competing. 

“The Olympics have historically celebrated diversity, unity and athletic excellence,” the statement said. 

“By implementing a hijab ban for their athletes, a host would send a message of exclusion, intolerance and discrimination that goes against the Olympic spirit.” 

The statement urged French authorities “to reconsider this ban” and called for “meaningful engagement with the Muslim sports community in France.” 

The ISSF was founded in 1985 to serve members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, based in the Saudi city of Jeddah, “in all aspects of sports activities,” according to its website. 

It has organized five editions of the Islamic Solidarity Games, most recently last year in Turkiye. 

The UN human rights office has not addressed France’s hijab ban for its athletes directly, but a spokeswoman said last week that “no-one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear or not wear.”