Italian court ends detention for MSF migrant rescue ship

Italian court ends detention for MSF migrant rescue ship
The president of medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) accused Italy's hard-right government Wednesday of seeking to criminalise humanitarian aid to drowning migrants, after authorities detained its rescue ship. (X/@MSF_Sea)
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Updated 11 September 2024
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Italian court ends detention for MSF migrant rescue ship

Italian court ends detention for MSF migrant rescue ship
  • A court in Salerno, the southern Italian port where the vessel had been blocked, suspended the measure, the charity wrote on X
  • “The ship is free to rescue lives!” it said

ROME: The international aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders — MSF) on Wednesday obtained the release of its migrant rescue ship, which had been grounded two weeks ago by Italy’s right-wing government.
MSF’s Geo Barents vessel was handed a 60-day detention order, the longest on record, for allegedly failing to properly coordinate with Italian and Libyan authorities as it picked up migrants off Libya on Aug. 23.
A court in Salerno, the southern Italian port where the vessel had been blocked, suspended the measure, the charity wrote on X.
“The ship is free to rescue lives!” it said.

The detention order was the third against the vessel, and the longest to date. MSF International President Christos Christou traveled to Salerno to support the organization’s appeal against it.
“At this exact moment the Mediterranean is a huge emergency room and Geo Barents and the doctors are sitting in a corner with their hands tied,” Christou told Reuters, accusing the government of obstructing humanitarian sea rescues.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has passed legislation to curb the activities of NGOs in the Mediterranean, including by impounding of their vessels or forcing them to travel long distances to disembark migrants, increasing their fuel costs.
Christou dismissed government charges against the MSF ship, saying it had been “waiting for instructions” as it approached a migrant boat, and spontaneously picked up its passengers after they jumped into the sea.
Meloni has defended her approach, pledging at a cabinet meeting last month to launch another crackdown — this time on migrant work permits — and saying the fall in sea arrivals under her watch also resulted in fewer migrant drownings.
“The only way to prevent further tragedies at sea is to stop departures and fight unscrupulous traffickers,” she said.
The MSF chief said Meloni’s claims overlooked the fact that many deaths at sea go unreported, and argued that migrants blocked on their way to Italy would reach Europe via other routes.
In the year to date, there have been about 44,500 sea arrivals in Italy, and around 1,100 people drowned or went missing at sea. Year-on-year, arrivals are down by 62 percent, while the dead or missing have fallen by a lesser extent — about 50 percent.
As part of its deterrence strategy, Meloni’s government is also building detention camps in Albania for migrants picked up at sea. The plan, hit by delays and criticism from human rights advocates, is expected to be operational within weeks.
Christou said MSF had “serious concerns” about the initiative, calling it “another new way of externalizing the duty of the Italians and Europeans” to assist people fleeing from poverty or conflict.


Britain announces fresh Russia sanctions

Updated 12 sec ago
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Britain announces fresh Russia sanctions

Britain announces fresh Russia sanctions
  • Russia rejects Western pressure to limit its oil exports
LONDON: Britain said on Thursday it had sanctioned five new ships and two other shipping entities under its Russian sanctions regime.
Earlier this month Britain slapped sanctions on 10 further ships in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of vessels which it says use illicit practices to avoid Western restrictions on Russian oil.
Russia rejects Western pressure to limit its oil exports, and in the past year there has been a growth in the number of tankers transporting cargoes that are not regulated or insured by conventional Western providers.

Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination

Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination
Updated 39 min 13 sec ago
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Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination

Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination
  • The Taliban have barred women and girls from education beyond sixth grade, many public spaces, and most jobs

KABUL: The Taliban said Thursday it was absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination and other human rights violations, as four countries vow to hold Afghanistan’s rulers accountable under international law for their treatment of women and girls.
Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands are set to start legal proceedings against the Taliban for violating a UN convention on women, to which Afghanistan is a party.
The countries launched the initiative on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which is taking place in New York until Monday.
Despite promising more moderate rule after they seized power in 2021, the Taliban have barred women and girls from education beyond sixth grade, many public spaces and most jobs. In August, the Vice and Virtue Ministry issued laws banning women’s bare faces and prohibiting them from raising their voices in public.
More than 20 countries expressed their support Thursday for the proposed legal action against the Taliban.
“We condemn the gross and systematic human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan, particularly the gender-based discrimination against women and girls,” the countries said.
“Afghanistan is responsible under international law for its ongoing gross and systematic violation of numerous obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,” they added.
The countries said they did not politically recognize the Taliban as the legitimate leaders of the Afghan population.
“Afghanistan’s failure to fulfill its human rights treaty obligations is a key obstacle to normalization of relations,” they said.
The Taliban’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said human rights were protected in Afghanistan and that nobody faced discrimination.
“Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to spread propaganda against Afghanistan through the mouths of several fugitive (Afghan) women and misrepresent the situation,” he said on social media platform X.
“It is absurd to accuse the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of violating human rights and gender discrimination,” he added.
The Taliban reject all criticism of their policies, especially those affecting women and girls, describing it as interference. They maintain that their actions are in line with their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.
Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, urged other countries to register their support for the four countries’ legal action and for them to involve Afghan women as the process moved forward.
“The announcement by Germany, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands may mark the beginning of a path to justice for the Taliban’s egregious human rights violations against Afghan women and girls,” said Abbasi.


UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU

UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU
Updated 26 September 2024
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UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU

UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU
  • Late on Wednesday, Starmer — in New York for the UN General Assembly — posted a photo of himself and von der Leyen

LONDON: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that he will meet EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels next week as part of his plans to “reset” UK relations with the EU after Brexit.
The UK’s departure from the European Union after five decades of membership in 2020 has had an effect on trade and security cooperation, prompting calls for a rethink on future ties.
Late on Wednesday, Starmer — in New York for the UN General Assembly — posted a photo of himself and von der Leyen.
“I want to reset our relationship with the EU and make Brexit work for the British people,” he wrote on X, adding that he was “looking forward” to starting discussions with von der Leyen.
The visit will be Starmer’s first to Brussels since becoming prime minister in July and follows bilateral meetings with European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
As well as taking the UK out of the European customs union and single market, Brexit ended the free movement of EU citizens to live and work in Britain.
The EU has proposed a youth mobility scheme for 18-30-year-olds as part of a potential deal with the UK.
Reports have suggested Starmer, who voted in a 2016 referendum to remain in the EU, will try to water down the proposals to avoid anything that could be seen as the reintroduction of free movement.
Starmer, who was also Labour’s Brexit spokesman while the party was in opposition, pledged earlier this month that the “reset” would not mean reversing Brexit, which remains a political toxic subject in the UK.
“I want to be ambitious about what we can achieve within the EU reset,” he said.
“That does not mean going back into the EU, that does not mean going back into the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement. So they are the red lines within that framework.”


Pulitzer winner Jhumpa Lahiri declines award over New York museum’s keffiyeh ban

Pulitzer winner Jhumpa Lahiri declines award over New York museum’s keffiyeh ban
Updated 26 September 2024
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Pulitzer winner Jhumpa Lahiri declines award over New York museum’s keffiyeh ban

Pulitzer winner Jhumpa Lahiri declines award over New York museum’s keffiyeh ban
  • Across the world, protesters demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza have worn the black-and-white keffiyeh head scarf, a symbol of Palestinian self-determination
  • Last month, the art museum announced a policy prohibiting employees from wearing anything that expressed “political messages, slogans or symbols”

WASHINGTON: Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri declined to accept an award from New York City’s Noguchi Museum after it fired three employees for wearing keffiyeh head scarves, an emblem of Palestinian solidarity, following an updated dress code.
“Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy,” the museum said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views.” Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her book “Interpreter of Maladies.”
The New York Times first reported the news.

A demonstrator wearing a Palestinian kaffiyeh stands next to members of the police in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 24, 2024 as people protest against Israel's attacks on Palestinians. (Reuters)

Across the world, in protesters demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza have worn the black-and-white keffiyeh head scarf, a symbol of Palestinian self-determination.
Anti apartheid South African leader Nelson Mandela was also seen wearing the scarf on many occasions.
Israel’s supporters, on the other hand, say it signals backing extremism.
In November, three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont were shot in an attack. Two were wearing the keffiyeh.
Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly everyone there. It followed a deadly attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on Israel on Oct. 7.
Last month, the art museum — founded by Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi — announced a policy prohibiting employees from wearing anything that expressed “political messages, slogans or symbols.” Three employees were sacked.
Other people in the United States have also lost their jobs due to their stance on the Israel-Gaza war.
A New York City hospital fired a Palestinian American nurse in May after she called Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide” during an acceptance speech for an award. Israel denies genocide charges brought by South Africa at the World Court.


New York Mayor Adams indicted following corruption probe, New York Times reports

New York Mayor Adams indicted following corruption probe, New York Times reports
Updated 26 September 2024
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New York Mayor Adams indicted following corruption probe, New York Times reports

New York Mayor Adams indicted following corruption probe, New York Times reports
  • The probe focused on whether Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with a Brooklyn construction company to funnel foreign money into the campaign through a straw-donor scheme, according to the Times

NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted after a federal corruption investigation, but the indictment is sealed and it is unclear what charges he will face, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
It was not immediately clear whether Adams would be arrested or voluntarily surrender. The charges are likely to be unsealed on Thursday, when Adams may appear in court.
The charges come after the FBI last November searched Adams’ electronic devices, and in the wake of a slew of resignations by top city officials in recent weeks as multiple federal corruption investigations entangle his administration.
A spokesman for the US Attorney’s office in Manhattan, which brought the charges, declined to comment. Adams’ lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One of his lawyers has said that the mayor, a Democrat, was cooperating with an investigation but did not say what it was about.
The case is likely to complicate any Adams bid for re-election in 2025. Other Democratic politicians, including New York City comptroller Brad Lander, plan to challenge Adams — once a key ally of Democratic President Joe Biden — for the party’s nomination.
The Times, citing a search warrant, reported in early November 2023 that federal authorities were investigating the possible acceptance by Adams’ 2021 campaign of illegal donations, including by the Turkish government.
The probe, conducted by the US Attorney’s office in Manhattan, focused on whether Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with a Brooklyn construction company to funnel foreign money into the campaign through a straw-donor scheme, the Times said.
Authorities have also sought information about Adams’ interactions with Israel, China, South Korea and Uzbekistan, according to the Times.
Adams, a former police officer, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said he is cooperating with the probe. His lawyers said in a statement on Aug. 15 that they had conducted their own investigation into the matters prosecutors were probing and had not found evidence of illegal conduct by Adams.
“To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the US Attorney,” said the lawyers, Brendan McGuire and Boyd Johnson.
The largest US city has been in a state of political upheaval for the past month. Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned on Sept. 12, a week after FBI agents seized his phone. Days later, Adams’ chief legal adviser resigned, saying she could “no longer effectively serve” in the position.
On Wednesday, the city’s public schools chancellor David Banks said he would retire at the end of the year, weeks after the Times reported his phones were seized by federal agents.