Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official

Asif Merchant, a Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran, appears on charges in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. politician or government officials, in a courtroom in New York, U.S., September 16, 2024. (REUTERS)
Asif Merchant, a Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran, appears on charges in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. politician or government officials, in a courtroom in New York, U.S., September 16, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 17 September 2024
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Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official

Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official
  • “As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said previously

NEW YORK: A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran pleaded not guilty Monday to plotting to assassinate a US official in retaliation for the American military killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Asif Raza Merchant, 46, allegedly sought to hire a hitman to assassinate a politician or a government official in the United States, the Justice Department and prosecutors said in a statement.
A court document showed that Merchant pleaded not guilty to all counts, with a next hearing scheduled for November 6, 2024.
Soleimani, the head of Iran’s foreign military operations, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed to avenge his killing.
“As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said previously.
The intended victim was not identified but the Garland has previously said no evidence has emerged to link Merchant with the July 13 assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has said the Pakistani national had “close ties to Iran” and that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was “straight out of the Iranian playbook.”
Another FBI official said the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were in fact undercover FBI agents.
“After spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme to kill a politician or government official,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
“That person reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source.”
Merchant was arrested on July 12 as he planned to leave the country.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in August it had “not received any report on this from the American government.”
“But it is clear that this method is contrary to the Iranian government’s policy of pursuing Soleimani’s killer,” the mission said in a statement carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
 

 


Ukraine’s Zelensky city-hops across Europe, promoting ‘victory plan’ to allies

Ukraine’s Zelensky city-hops across Europe, promoting ‘victory plan’ to allies
Updated 12 sec ago
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Ukraine’s Zelensky city-hops across Europe, promoting ‘victory plan’ to allies

Ukraine’s Zelensky city-hops across Europe, promoting ‘victory plan’ to allies
  • He detailed the proposals Thursday to European allies after a summit with President Joe Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton
ROME: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was city-hopping across Europe on Thursday to promote a “victory plan” that he said “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war” against Russia, detailing the proposals to European allies after a summit with President Joe Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton.
Zelensky’s talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were quickly followed by another meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, who just the previous day sent a strong signal of support for Ukraine by visiting Ukrainian troops being trained in France.
Zelensky posted on X that he “outlined the details” of the Ukrainian victory plan to Starmer and added: “We have agreed to work on it together with our allies.”
Starmer’s Downing Street office said the leaders discussed the blueprint, the challenges for Ukraine of the approaching winter and “how investment in the country’s security today would support Europe’s broader security for generations to come.”
The Ukrainian leader also met Rutte with Starmer. Zelensky posted afterward that they discussed trans-Atlantic cooperation and further reinforcing Ukraine militarily. He gave no details but posted that “these are the steps that will create the best conditions for restoring a just peace.”
Zelensky has yet to publicly present his proposals for victory. But the timing of his efforts to lock in European support appeared to have the looming US election in mind. Former President Donald Trump has long been critical of US aid to Ukraine.
Zelensky had planned to present his blueprint at a weekend meeting of Western leaders in Germany, but it was postponed after Biden stayed home because of the hurricane that struck Florida.
Zelensky then embarked on his whistle-stop tour of European capitals that have been among Ukraine’s staunchest allies outside of the United States.
In Paris, Macron and Zelensky hugged before talks on the plan at the French presidential Elysee Palace. Afterward, Zelensky said “all the details” would come in November and that he’s talking with allies about securing more military aid and permission for Ukrainian forces to carry out long-range strikes.
Kyiv wants Western partners to allow strikes deep inside Russia, using long-range weapons they provide. Some, including the UK and France, appear willing, but Biden is reticent about escalating the conflict.
“The situation looks bleak for all sides,” Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said Thursday on X. “The West hesitates amid internal divisions, Ukraine struggles while bracing for a harsh winter, and Russia presses forward without any strategic shifts in its favor, yet grows increasingly impatient.”
Later Thursday, Zelensky met in Rome with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who ensured Italy’s full and continued support “at both bilateral and multilateral level in order to put Kyiv in the best position possible to build a just and lasting peace.”
Meloni said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the situation on the ground and Ukraine’s “most immediate military, financial and humanitarian needs, as well as the forthcoming diplomatic initiatives and the pathway to bring an end to the conflict.”
She added that Rome will continue to do its part also in the future reconstruction of Ukraine and announced the dates for the next Ukraine recovery conference, which will be held in Rome in July 2025.
Zelensky stressed that his priority is to strengthen Ukraine’s position, with the help of its international partners, to create the necessary conditions for diplomacy.
“Russia is not really looking for a diplomatic path,” he said. “If we are able to implement the victory plan, Russia won’t be able to continue the war.”
Zelensky is scheduled to meet Pope Francis Friday morning for a half-hour audience, the Vatican said. Later in the day, he’ll meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
Ukraine relies heavily on Western support, including tens of billions of dollars’ worth of military and financial aid, to keep up the fight against its bigger enemy after almost 1,000 days of fighting since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022.
Fearing that crucial help could be in jeopardy due to political changes in donor countries, Ukraine has been building up its domestic arms industry. It also wants to raise more money from taxpayers to pay for the war effort. The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill on second reading Thursday that raises the so-called military tax from 1.5 percent to 5 percent. Some amendments are expected before it becomes law.
Zelensky’s tour comes as Russia continues a slow but relentless drive deeper into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and targets key infrastructure with airstrikes.
Zelensky said Wednesday that the victory plan seeks to strengthen Ukraine “both geopolitically and on the battlefield” before any kind of dialogue with Russia.
“Weakness of any of our allies will inspire (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” he said. “That’s why we’re asking them to strengthen us, in terms of security guarantees, in terms of weapons, in terms of our future after this war. In my view, he (Putin) only understands force.”
The death toll from a Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa rose Thursday to eight, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. It was the latest in a string of assaults on the Black Sea port.
Authorities in Kyiv also announced Thursday that Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna died while being in Russian captivity, although the circumstances of her death remained unknown. Moscow admitted detaining Roshchyna, who went missing in 2023 while on a reporting trip to Russia-occupied areas.

Four killed by Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Odesa region

Four killed by Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Odesa region
Updated 11 October 2024
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Four killed by Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Odesa region

Four killed by Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Odesa region

KIEV: Four people were killed by a Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region on Friday, Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.
Kiper said a ballistic missile struck a two-story building where civilians lived and worked. Ten more people were wounded.


UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade

UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade
Updated 11 October 2024
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UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade

UN: Half a million stateless people got citizenship in past decade
  • The UNHCR describes statelessness as ‘a major human rights violation’
  • Last year, the UNHCR reported that there were 4.4 million stateless people recorded

GENEVA: The UN said Friday that in the decade since it launched a campaign to end the limbo of statelessness, over half a million people without a nationality had acquired citizenship.
In a report, the United Nations’ refugee agency detailed the progress made since it launched its #IBelong campaign in 2014. Its aim was to mobilize international action to resolve the problem of statelessness.
The UNHCR described statelessness as “a major human rights violation.”
It leaves people politically and economically marginalized, unable to access critical services and particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, the agency argued.
Last year, the UNHCR reported that there were 4.4 million stateless people recorded, but that millions more were affected since the data only covers around half of the world’s countries.
The campaign, which ends this year, aimed to address “a largely invisible crisis: that of millions of people around the world living in the shadows, without a nationality, unable to assert their most basic human rights,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.
While welcoming “significant progress” toward the ambitious goal of ending statelessness, he added “our work is not yet done.”
The report found that “more than 565,900 stateless people and persons with undetermined nationality gained nationality” over the past decade.
Australian actor Cate Blanchett, UNHCR’s goodwill ambassador, said the progress had been “remarkable.”
“Twenty countries have improved rights for stateless people, (and) 13 countries have passed laws to ensure that no child is born stateless,” she said.
“We must make sure that anyone still living without nationality is given the right to be recognized and included.”
UNHCR highlighted the efforts made in several countries, including Turkmenistan, Portugal, North Macedonia, Rwanda, Brazil and Thailand.
Kyrgyzstan has resolved all known cases of statelessness on its territory, the agency added.
It pointed out that 77 more countries had joined the UN Statelessness Conventions, and at least 22 countries had adopted national action plans toward ending statelessness.
“Great strides have been made to remedy this devastating blight, but the need for further action remains critical,” said Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner for protection.
“There are still countless people who do not exist on paper — and hence are pushed to the fringes of society, simply because of ethnic, religious or gender discrimination, or because of flaws in nationality laws and policies,” she said.
While the #IBelong campaign is wrapping up, UNHCR said it would host a high-level meeting on statelessness during its executive committee meeting in Geneva Monday.
It also said it was launching a new “Global Alliance to end Statelessness.”


Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm

Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm
Updated 11 October 2024
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Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm

Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm
  • While Milton did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared in Florida, the clean-up operation could take many weeks or months for some people

FORT PIERCE/ST. PETERSBURG, Florida: F lorida on Friday was clearing downed trees and power lines and mopping up flooded neighborhoods after Hurricane Milton roared through leaving at least 16 people dead.
While Milton did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared in Florida, one of many states hit by Hurricane Helene about two weeks ago, the clean-up operation could take many weeks or months for some people.
“It opens your eyes to what Mother Nature can do,” said Chase Pierce, 25 of west St. Petersburg, who, with his girlfriend, saw transformers blow up, sparks fly and a power line fall in the back yard.
The fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Milton could cost insurers alone up to $100 billion, analysts say.
The White House pledged government support as the full extent of the damage was still being surveyed.
But Republican Donald Trump, who trails Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris according to recent Reuters/Ipsos polling ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, attacked his opponents for their handling of storm recovery efforts.
“The federal government ... has not done what you are supposed to be doing, in particular, with respect to North Carolina,” he said on Thursday. North Carolina was hard-hit by Helene, and Trump faces a tight battle against Harris there.
Harris, who has said Trump is spreading lies about the government’s response, hit back at the politicization of the issue during a town hall event on Univision on Thursday.
“Sadly, we have seen over the last two weeks, since Hurricane Helene, and now in the immediate aftermath of Milton, where people are playing political games,” she said, without naming Trump.
Politicians of both stripes are deeply aware of how Republican President George W. Bush’s approval ratings fell after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005 and never recovered from a response deemed inadequate by many at the time.
The Biden administration said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will need additional funding from Congress, where the Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate, and urged lawmakers, who are on recess, to act.
DEADLY TORNADOES
Floridians say they came through a double disaster.
While Milton came ashore on the state’s western coast on Wednesday evening, some of its worst havoc was wrought more than 100 miles (160 km) away along the state’s eastern shore.
There were at least 16 hurricane-related deaths, CBS News cited the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as saying.
In St. Lucie County, an advance flurry of tornadoes killed several people, including at least two in the senior-living Spanish Lakes communities, according to local officials.
Between Siesta Key and Fort Myers Beach, peak water levels reached 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 m) above ground level, according a preliminary analysis posted by the National Hurricane Center.
Some 2.75 million homes and businesses in Florida overall were without power late on Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Some have been waiting days for power to be restored after Hurricane Helene hit the area.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cautioned on Thursday that although the state had avoided the “worst-case scenario,” the damage was still significant.


At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say

At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say
Updated 11 October 2024
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At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say

At least 20 killed in attack on miners in southwestern Pakistan, police say
  • The attackers gathered the miners at one place and opened fire on them, local media reported
  • There are ten coal mines located in the area, a company official told local media

QUETTA, Pakistan: At least 20 miners were killed and seven injured in an attack by armed men on a small private coal mine in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Friday, police said.
The mineral-rich region borders Afghanistan and Iran and has been troubled for decades as Baloch insurgent groups fight against the state, saying it denies them their share of regional resources.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” said Humayun Khan, the police station house officer for the town, located east of the city of Quetta.
They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well, he added.
The attackers gathered the miners at one place and opened fire on them, local media reported, adding that they also set mining machinery on fire.
There are ten coal mines located in the area, a company official told local media.
“We have received 20 bodies and six injured so far at the district hospital,” said Johar Khan Shadizai, a doctor in Duki.
Pakistan has seen a resurgence of Islamist militancy since 2022 when a ceasefire between the Pakistani Taliban and the government broke down.
Two Chinese nationals working for a power plant were killed and a third injured in an explosion near the international airport in the southern city of Karachi earlier this week.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of several insurgent groups battling the government, claimed responsibility for the attack.
BLA was also behind Balochistan’s most widespread violence in years in August, when separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines, and highways, killing more than 70 people.
The region saw violence last month too when armed men stormed a residence housing laborers from eastern Punjab province, killing seven of them.
The attacks come as the country is preparing to host the summit of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in capital Islamabad next week.
The event is expected to see high-level Chinese representation and will also be attended by India’s foreign minister.